We Need the Eucharist to Be Holy

That title may seem an obvious statement. We are Catholic. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our Faith.  We have special vessels to hold, carry and store it. We adore the sacred Host in a monstrance. Our tabernacles are no ordinary box but beautifully decorated and shown to us with a sanctuary lamp, a candle that tells us that, indeed, Jesus is present. And yet, once all of those are taken away, what do we have? A small, round, pale host that we reverently take in our hands or on our tongue after saying, “Amen.”

Much has been said and written about the Eucharist by the great saints, Doctors, and theologians of our Church.   I want to give you a quote from Catherine of Siena's Dialogue. This is what she was told by God, “Grace lives in such a soul because, having received this bread of life in grace, she lives in grace.”

You, here in 2024, need the grace that comes from the Eucharist. When I was the mother of little children, I can remember going to Mass, receiving communion, kneeling down, and not having any idea of how it happened. But God knows how it happened. Our faith tells us that when the priest calls down the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Jesus. It is this Jesus you receive. And Jesus gives you grace. Grace to be the person He calls you to be. One of Catherine’s most famous sayings, “Be who God meant for you to be and you will set the world on fire, “reminds us of this.

But we cannot do it without His presence and grace. In the Eucharist, we receive that presence and grace. It is not your imagination. It matters that you show up, that you pause in your week to say, “Here I am, Lord, me and this family you have given me.” God does not ask for perfection from us. But He gives us perfection.

The Eucharist is perfection. Thankfully, we do not have to be perfect to receive it. Free of mortal sin, yes, but not perfect. When we receive communion, we are transformed by its grace into a person who has the strength and courage to carry on with what is in front of us.

Oftentimes, we think we have to do something special or different to be holy. But we are called to be holy in the ordinariness of our daily life. At times, life can be monotonous; sometimes, it is difficult, and we suffer. Our life is an opportunity for holiness. When we rely on Christ, on God’s grace and turn often to the Eucharist, we will become holy.