I remember reading years ago that the Eucharist is the “source and summit” of the Catholic faith. At the time, I was just starting to become serious about my faith and it made sense that the Eucharist would be critical to a life of faith. But it was a truth I knew with my head, and not so much with my heart.

I got so used to hearing about the power and gift of the sacraments—especially the Eucharist—that I lost sight of just how beautiful and miraculous they really are.

It can be easy for us to forget how Christianity is so radical. I mean, when you really take a moment to think about these God becoming man and resurrecting on the third day, they are big claims! But it’s easy to forget and let those realities slip by without experiencing what they can offer.

This was the case for me. 

I had started attending a Bible Study at the time and for the first time in my life, I was meeting faithful Catholics and I quickly noticed something unique about them: so many of them constantly talked about how receiving the Eucharist at Mass changed the way they saw their life.

One friend spoke about how Eucharistic adoration healed wounds from her parents’ painful divorce. Others talked about how daily Mass equipped them each day with abundant graces. It was one thing to read about the power of the Eucharist in the Catechism but it was another to hear others talk about how it had changed their lives—people whom I respected and were living virtuous and joyful lives. People who couldn’t stop talking about the greatness and love of God.

It was their witness to the beauty and power of the Eucharist that helped me approach Mass with more expectation that the Eucharist could also transform my life. 

And it did. 

There have been moments during Eucharistic adoration when I’ve particularly felt God’s loving embrace and peace or have received a deep insight about a discernment decision. There are times when I leave Mass after receiving the Eucharist with a renewed sense of encouragement or profound peace. Yes, I’ve had those moments. 

But, generally speaking, the Eucharist has worked in my life gradually, though nonetheless powerfully. 

Over time, certain temptations started to fade from my life. My desire to know Christ and His will for me started to overtake the urge to pursue other unhealthy or sinful habits or behaviors, such as focusing too much on making money in my career, spending too much time online or watching TV, gossiping about others, and so on. I started to desire to pray and go to confession more. I started to see God’s goodness in my life and become more content. I received the strength to forgive those who had hurt me, while also receiving the humility to ask those whom I had hurt for forgiveness. I started to grow in virtue, becoming more aware of the ways I was called to love my friends and family. I started to have better clarity about my vocation, as well as finding the strength and courage to say “Yes” to God’s calling in my life.

And this all started happening because I anchored my life around Mass and receiving the Eucharist. 

Being in the presence of God started to relieve the pressures I had been trying to hold on my own.

There is no doubt that it was by receiving Jesus consistently, regardless of whether I felt anything or not in a particular instance, that I grew in faith, hope, and love. 

The more I received the Eucharist or sat before the Eucharist in adoration, the more I started to awaken to our incredible reality of the presence of God. God chooses to come to us and desires to literally become part of our physical bodies every single week (or every single day if we choose) in the humble form of bread. 

The Lord does not come robed in worldly power or in showy designs. He does not force our love and devotion. He comes to us humbly, with meekness and patience. He comes through the inner silence of prayer, where we come to know we are loved. Through the warm smile or compliment of a neighbour. Through the beauty of a sunrise.

But these are all glimmers of how He comes most fully to us through the humble form of bread in the Eucharist offered at Mass.

As St. Paul tells us, we are called to be in Christ and to graft ourselves onto His mystical body. And we do this every time we receive Christ—every time we allow Him, not metaphorically or figuratively but actually and concretely to become part of our bodies. When we receive Christ, He works on us from the inside, drawing us closer and helping us to love all those with whom we come in contact.

I have come to know of the incredible power of the Eucharist personally. When I’m struggling with doubt, enduring a difficult trial, experiencing a moment of joy, or simply doing my best to move forward in my ordinary day-to-day life, it’s the Eucharist that sustains me. It’s receiving the Eucharist at Mass that quells my doubts about God’s presence in my life, gives me strength to bear painful and broken relationships in my life, and helps me to better see myself the way God does despite my own failures.

As we begin to return to Mass, I encourage you to give the Eucharist a chance if you aren’t so sure yet about just how critical and powerful this sacrament is. I encourage you to do what I did—trust the witness of others and keep receiving it, even if you don’t feel anything at first. It’s okay if you don’t (I didn’t at first!). Go anyway to Mass and receive, again and again, with trust and openness. Over time I’m confident the Eucharist will change your life, just as it did for me and continues to do. And the more we encounter the humble, beautiful presence of the Lord in the Eucharist at Mass, the more we will become like Him who loves us.

We hope you’ll join us for Mass. Find local Parish times here.