The Eucharist: Why We Should Love It

I’ve heard way too many people say, “God’s not real because we can’t see him or touch him.” I’ve also heard people defend the existence of God by saying, “God is like the air, you can’t see its presence but he is there.” 

As Catholics, we believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist we receive during communion. So how come we why don’t we let people know that we CAN physically touch God?

We have the opportunity to intimately unite ourselves with God daily, which follows suit to the Lord’s Prayer when it proclaims: “give us this day our daily bread.” 

Uuuff. I won’t even try to decipher the whole meaning in those seven words at this moment, but they are life-changing! 

(Please do your research to understand what I mean. I suggest checking out Scott Hahn’s video lecture on this).

As Catholics, we know the Eucharist, Greek for thanksgiving, is the most precious moment of the whole church service; it is the thing that connects us to God’s presence on an intimate level. 

I like to think of it like I’m able to give Jesus a brief hug. I cherish those few moments I get to hold onto Our Lord and Savior here on Earth. 

In John 6:55, we hear Jesus saying, “I am the bread of life,” 

And later in John 20, he says, “This is my body, which will be given up for you and for many.”

Every day we get to relive that moment. It is our reminder that God is always with us. He will nourish us and provide us with comfort to sustain this unpredictable life. 

No wonder it’s called thanksgiving. It is the moment we should feel most grateful, for God chose to lower himself to our level so we may be with him. How can I be anything but thankful for communion?

One would think John 6 is one of the most uncomplicated Christian beliefs because of how straightforward Jesus is on this teaching, but it is not! Many people take his words to be merely symbolic.

(I encourage you to read the chapter!)

It makes sense though, the devil will do anything to separate us from God, so if God is present in the Eucharist, you bet the devil will do everything in his power to let people stray from this fundamental truth. 

Let me mention one of my recent favorite saints, saint Jacinta. She is the youngest of the three Portuguese children who saw our Lady of Fatima during the First World War. Her love for the Eucharist is inspiring!

Having not received her First Communion, St Jacinta would excitedly hug St. Lucia after mass, for she knew that Jesus was in her, and Jacinta ached to be close to the Lord.

I feel I didn’t tell the story right, so please watch this documentary from EWTN explaining it better!

Upon hearing that, I could not help but shed a few tears! I loved how pure Jacinta’s action was. And it saddens me how long it took me to appreciate the real presence in the Eucharist. I’ve been eating the Eucharist with no thought for the last ten years!! How could this be? I am at a loss for words. With something as important as this, we should be reminding people of what they are about to encounter during mass every day. 

I knew God was in the consecrated bread, but somehow, I didn’t understand what it meant. I hope I am wrong, but I think many people are ignorant while receiving communion. This is dangerous, and St. Paul reminds us why in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29: 

“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. “

There are many reasons why people continue to partake in communion despite being in “an unworthy manner.” I’d love to talk about the reasons I did in another post, but I can guarantee you that I was not doing it intentionally. I did not know of its severity. 

I pray the Holy Spirit guides us all to the truth so the cries of the enemy may no longer blind us. We need to improve our catechism education so there are no more people like myself missing out on the wonders of the Eucharist.