The Blessed Sacrament—Jesus Himself—is “the source and summit of the Christian life” (CCC 1324). This means that, as Christians, our day-to-day living is both nourished and sustained by (the source) and directed toward being united with Jesus Christ (the summit), the Holy Eucharist.
“The Gospel of God’s love…finds its highest expression in the Eucharist. In the Mass and in Eucharistic Adoration we meet the merciful love of God that passes through the Heart of Jesus Christ.”
Pope St. John Paul II
Imagine that you’re on a long hike in the mountains. You’ve run out of water and you’re parched. Then you find a spring of pure, cool water. You drink from the spring and are instantly refreshed. Your thirst is quenched and you can continue your journey. Now imagine this is a spiritual spring, a wellspring of God’s true, holy Presence. Each of us is on a journey to our real home in heaven. We can become spiritually parched if we separate ourselves from Jesus, who is the source of our faith, hope, and love—indeed our eternal life. Receiving Holy Communion allows our physical bodies to experience this source of nourishment. Jesus feeds us with Himself so we can be close to Him and to be our source of spiritual strength and vitality.
Refreshed, you continue your hike. Your goal is to reach the mountain’s summit: its highest point. Getting to the top of a mountain takes perseverance, strength, courage, and knowledge. St. Paul wrote about working toward the goal of the Christian life: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:13-14). Becoming one with Christ is our spiritual summit; it is heaven itself! Until heaven, the Eucharist is our summit, because through it we become one with Christ. He enters us and we are spiritually changed—we become like Him.
It’s important for us as Catholics to understand the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. If you struggle with this teaching, you’re not alone. A recent Pew Research study found that over forty percent of Catholics believe that Communion is merely symbolic of (not truly) Christ’s Body and Blood. Fortunately, there are many ways to learn more about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Talk with a trusted priest or nun about your questions. They want to help you grow in your faith, not judge you.
- Read the Bread of Life Discourse in John’s Gospel where Jesus teaches the crowd in Capernaum about His Real Presence (Jn 6: 22-59). A key section: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live forever; . . . he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and . . . abides in me, and I in him” (Jn 6:51, 54, 56).
- Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s article on The Sacrament of the Eucharist. A key section: “Under the consecrated species of bread and wine Christ himself, living and glorious, is present in a true, real, and substantial manner: his Body and his Blood, with his soul and his divinity” (CCC 1413, cf. Council of Trent: DS 1640; 1651).
- Read the United States Catholic Conference of Bishop’s article on the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
- Most of all, pray about it. Before Mass, pray to be able to see with the eyes of faith. Visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and ask Him for the faith to understand and believe that He is truly present there.
Lord Jesus, thank You for coming to me in Holy Communion to be the source and summit of my Christian life. Thank you for feeding me, for keeping me close to You, and for giving me Your eternal life. Help me to see and love you in the Eucharist.
Readings for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
GENESIS 14: 18-20
PSALM 110:1-4
1 CORINTHIANS 11: 23-26
LUKE 9:11-17