Eucharist

3 Ways We Can Avoid Awkwardness and Apathy after the Ascension

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Editor’s Note: Post originally published on June 1, 2019.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 675, “Before Christ’s second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers.” This Sunday Catholics across the world will celebrate the feast of the Ascension. Until recently, this high feast was celebrated on a Thursday—forty days after Easter. From a traditional standpoint normally a 10 day period existed from Ascension to the Coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday. Regardless, of the precise days, the main point is that for a brief period, the Apostles and early disciples of Jesus lived in a transition period from when Jesus no longer visibly existed in the similar manner that he did previously and the official descent of the Holy Spirit.

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Suffering from a severe dryness in my spiritual life this Easter season got me thinking: maybe I am in a transitory period myself whereby the descent of the Holy Spirit is not apparent in my life. I feel completely dried up—spiritually! Obviously, my situation is not exactly the same as the 1st century Christians who had to live for an awkward [and maybe apathetic] period before the official reception of the Paraclete.  Nevertheless, maybe your life is at a stage similar to that awkward week and a half—pondering the return of Christ, experiencing doubt in Divine Providence, or possibly even living in fear or distress. Reflecting on Acts 1-2 and wisdom from the tradition of the Church—through the Catechism and the saints—I came up with three methods [not really earth-shattering] to avoid awkwardness and apathy in your spiritual life in the days after the Ascension!

wellspring of worship

 Drink from the Wellspring of Worship

The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life” (CCC 1324). I have probably cited this paragraph more than any other passage, yet it is vitally important to the Catholic faith. What sustained the Apostles in the early Church while waiting for the Paraclete? The body of and blood of Jesus Christ in the form of the Eucharist—it is the wellspring, the origin of worship!

Although Jesus’ physical existence did not appear the same after his Ascension, he is still present to the Apostles [and to us] body, blood, soul, and divinity in the sacrament of the Eucharist. St. Pope John Paul II mentioned the importance of this sacrament in his encyclical letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia, “Her [The Church] foundation and wellspring is the whole Triduum paschale, but this is as it were gathered up, foreshadowed and “concentrated’ forever in the gift of the Eucharist” (no. 5). During periods of spiritual dryness we may be able to sojourn to the spiritual oasis of the Mass.

mary of perpetual help

Hail, Mary: Mother of Perpetual Help, Mother of Good Counsel

Josemaria Escriva declared, “Love our Lady. And she will obtain abundant grace to help you conquer in your daily struggle.” I imagine the days following Jesus’ Ascension was a perilous time for Peter and the rest of the Apostles. During the most confusing and perilous times in my life it appears that Jesus is not present—the most difficult days lands in the middle of the work week when I lack the time to attend daily Mass or ability to go to Eucharistic adoration. Here is where my devotion to Mary is key to sustaining me during the staleness of my spiritual life. Jesus augmented Mary’s motherhood in John 19:27 with a simple command, “Woman, behold your son!” This is a reciprocal relationship as a mere verse later Our Lord urged the Apostle John [who represented humanity both individually and collectively] with the charge: “Behold, your mother!”

 From my own experience, I normally contact my mom first [when my wife is not available!] after an incredibly stressful and frustrating day. This is not to downplay the role of my father, but there is something unique, almost mysterious about the ability for mother to sooth children in need. The Blessed Virgin Mary is no different. Mother of Perpetual Help pray for us. Mother of Good Counsel pray for us.

keep calm and trust in the Holy Spirit

Trust in the Holy Spirit

The great scientist Isaac Asimov once purported, “Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It’s the transition that’s troublesome.” While the first two points of his statement may be debatable, it is quite difficult to argue that turning points in life, no matter how large or small, pose a challenge for everyone. Transitioning from physically seeing the Resurrected Christ to the age of the Church would have been a tough transitory event as well!

Jesus prepared his followers of the coming of the Holy Spirit prior to his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. According to Christ in John 14:15-19, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate* to be with you always, 17 the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live.”

While the Holy Spirit did not formally descend upon the Apostles in the Upper Room until Pentecost Sunday, the power of the Holy Spirit allowed Jesus to be substantially present in the sacrament of the Eucharist. The Paraclete also guided Peter and the other Apostles in selecting a worthy replacement for Judas. Moreover, just before his Ascension Jesus repeated his promise to send another Helper to fortify his followers: “But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you,g and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Hope Always Never Despair

Although you may in a spiritual dry spell [if not now you most certainly will encounter aridity and acedia—spiritual sloth– sometime in your life!], please do not despair. Hope is always on the horizon. Through the sacrament of the Eucharist, guide of Mary, and promise of the help of the Holy Spirit we receive strength and sustenance make it past any awkward and apathetic period in our spiritual journey.  Never give up—hope in the Lord always!

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The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hopes that inspire men’s activities and purifies them so as to order them to the Kingdom of heaven; it keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude. Buoyed up by hope, he is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity (CCC 1818).

Related Links

Why Celebrate the Ascension?

Novena to the Holy Spirit

The Church’s Birthday: What Pentecost Teaches Us About the Holy Spirit

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Why Maundy Thursday is an Important Part of Holy Week

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Editor’s note: Article originally published on April 1, 2021.

Holy Thursday is a celebration of The Last Supper Jesus had with his Apostles before his death on the Cross. Matthew, Mark, and Luke contain narratives of this event in their Gospels. The Gospel of John gives a different account where Jesus washes the feet of his Apostles. During the Mass on Holy Thursday the priest washes the feet of parishioners as a sign of service.

Holy Thursday

This liturgical feast is one of my favorites in the entire church calendar. The institution of the Eucharist takes place on Holy Thursday. I also find the washing of feet as a profound gesture of love and service. Finally, the conclusion of the Mass sets up the stage for Good Friday― Jesus’ Death on the Cross.

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A 1474 Word Interview about Catholic Liberal Arts Education

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Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Elisabeth Sullivan, Executive Director of the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education, via email in 2025. We have rearranged and edited some of the questions. This provides the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.

You describe Catholic education as an “engine of evangelization.” Can you share a specific example of how a Catholic classical liberal arts approach has transformed a student’s or school’s understanding of faith and learning?

At one of our member schools, Holy Innocents School in Long Beach, California, the results were almost immediate after the pastor and principal welcomed ICLE in to form their teachers in 2018-2019. Fr. G. Peter Irving was intent on offering a deeply formative education to the children entrusted to his care in this low-income and socioeconomically diverse Catholic community. His new principal and teachers were devoted to their students and were keen to learn new approaches that would engage them with rich content and better pedagogy.

Principal Cyril Cruz reported that, once the teachers stopped teaching to the test, standardized scores in reading and math jumped dramatically. Both teachers and students were enlivened by a more substantive curriculum.

As one veteran teacher described the change: “It’s not just something that’s compartmentalized into religion class, but it really is the most coherent way to explain reality itself. And the purpose of education is to help our children be able to grasp what reality is, what truth is, and to be able to know how to live according to that truth in their lives. That’s what we call growing in wisdom and virtue.”

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Why Saint Pius X is the Eclipser of Errors

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Editor’s Note: Post originally published on August 23, 2017.

Pope Pius X

Pius X was an influential successor of St. Peter at the turn of the 20th century. Born Giuseppe Mechiorre Sarto in 1835, he lived near Venice, Italy. Coming from a poor family of ten children, Giuseppe acquired an education aided through his keen intellect and high moral character. Eventually, he rose the ranks of the Catholic Church and became supreme pontiff in 1903. He led the Church until 1914.

To be honest, my initial knowledge about Pius X was overshadowed by his predecessor and later successor bearing the same appellation—Pius IX and Pius XII. However, the more I read and learned about the sainted bishop the more I gained an appreciation for what he offered the Church.

Marian devotion

Following the tradition of his predecessor, Pius IX, Pius X held a strong devotion to Mary. He dedicated an entire encyclical on the Mystery of the Immaculate Conception. The Italian pope definitively declared the significance of Mary in Ad Dieum Illum Laetissimum,

His Mother most holy should be recognized as participating in the divine mysteries and as being in a manner the guardian of them, and that upon her as upon a foundation, the noblest after Christ, rises the edifice of the faith of all centuries (no. 5).

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Pius X lauded the intercessory nature and power of Mary throughout this encyclical letter. Safeguarding and passing on the teaching of the Church, the Italian pope cited his predecessor’s clear and definitive language on the importance of Mary. “By this companionship in sorrow and suffering already mentioned between the Mother and the Son, it has been allowed to the august Virgin to be the most powerful mediatrix and advocate of the whole world with her Divine Son (Pius IX. Ineffabilis) (no. 13), wrote Pius X.

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Emphasis on the Eucharist

Pius X’s love and admiration for the Blessed Mother ultimately helped him grow in closeness with Jesus. As a result, it should not be a surprise that the saint held a deep reverence and adoration for the Sacrament of the Eucharist. If Pius X’s pontificate could be summed up in a single theme it would be the promotion of Holy Communion to young people.

In his encyclical letter, Quam Singulari the Italian pope lowered the minimum age to receive the Eucharist to seven years old. The ancient church allowed for children to receive the sacraments of initiation at a young age. Pius X condemned the error that delayed children from receiving the body and blood of Jesus until age ten or sometimes not until the adolescent years.

On Holy Communion for Youth

Over time this practice dissipated and the age to receive the Eucharist was increased. The pope wasted no time in chastising the error which distinguished the age of reason between receiving Confession and Holy Communion. He boldly proclaimed in his encyclical,

The abuses which we are condemning are due to the fact that they who distinguished one age of discretion for Penance and another for the Eucharist did so in error. The Lateran Council required one and the same age for reception of either Sacrament when it imposed the one obligation of Confession and Communion.

Therefore, the age of discretion for Confession is the time when one can distinguish between right and wrong, that is, when one arrives at a certain use of reason, and so similarly, for Holy Communion is required the age when one can distinguish between the Bread of the Holy Eucharist and ordinary bread-again the age at which a child attains the use of reason (Quam Singulari).

Pius X unified the Catholic Church by lowering the age to seven for Holy Communion. Children acquire countless graces from this sacrament to ward off evil.

Today’s world is as challenging to raise a family in the faith perhaps as any time in history. I am grateful I will have the weapon of the Eucharist to help my children fight the spiritual battles they will face daily.

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Clarity of Truth

This year’s feast day of St. Pius X coincided with the epic solar eclipse. This saint and stellar event both elicit curiosity and awe. Truth has a penchant for grabbing people’s attention. Pope Pius X’s encyclicals are loaded with truth as the Italian pope acted as a guardian of Christ’s teaching. He wrote in Ascendi Dominici Gregis a lengthy refutation of the various errors and heresies surrounding his time. Pius X found the root cause of the prevalent heresy of his time—Modernism. He detailed this in his encyclical letter,

According to this teaching Modernism]…it is inferred that God can never be the direct object of science, and that, as regards history, He must not be considered as an historical subject (Ascendi Dominici Gregis no. 6).

In other words, the Enlightened Man never intends for faith and science to intermingle or coexist. According to the Modernist, a harmony between the two sources of man’s knowledge of God is simply a moral machination on the part of the Catholic Church.

truth

From my experiences, the error of Modernity certainly eclipses truth [no pun intended!]. Creation is a revelation of God’s divine providence. Christianity is insistent that Christ became man. Knowledge through the senses is a path toward which God elects to reveal His grandeur. Amid cosmic events like the August 21st solar eclipse, humans grasp their small place in the universe. Despite our apparent insignificance, I’ve noticed that encountering God’s august nature can draw me closer to Him.

Wisdom from Pius to Guide Your Week

I discovered two concise quotes from St. Pius X to close my reflections on his life. The first concerns Mary [fun fact—the symbol of the Moon is traditionally associated with Her!] and the second relates to Christ—the true sun!

Of Mary he proclaimed, “ Let the storm rage and the sky darken — not for that shall we be dismayed. If we trust as we should in Mary, we shall recognize in her, the Virgin Most Powerful who with virginal foot did crush the head of the serpent.”

Regarding Jesus’ body and blood, the pope said, “Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to heaven.”

Sadly, I did not get to experience the fullness of the solar eclipse of 2017. Darkness did cover the earth in my location, but clouds and storms prevented me from actually seeing the unique event of the moon aligning with the sun. I am blessed that I had an increased encounter with the true Sun—the Son of God. I am grateful for the gift of St. Pius X the Eclipser of Error who made Eucharist a priority for young people.

total-solar-eclipse

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An 1192 Word Interview with Sacred Art Icons

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Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Vivian Imbruglia via phone call on May 12th, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given. 

How did you get into creating sacred icons?

It’s been over 20 years. My mother asked me to take an “art” class but I didn’t have time with my kids being in high school. But I heard a talk by my priest about honoring your parents and so I took my mother to this class on Tuesday. 

I loved this sacred art class. I had such a love for this art and studied on my own. When our teacher left, I took over the class. I felt called to teach sacred iconography full-time and left my job. I put my trust in the Lord that God would take care of us. It’s been amazing! I just finished a huge altar piece and am now getting ready to begin an Adoration piece. 

Your work is described as “writing” rather than painting icons. Can you tell me more about this? 

This is how I learned in iconography you can’t take credit for anything you do. How can I say that I painted the Wedding of Cana, the Baptism of Our Lord, all these other stories from Scripture. It would seem rather arrogant to me to say I painted this scene. I am writing these stories anew. I feel incredibly underqualified to say that I am painting. In real iconography one never signs their name on the front. It is only on the back of the icon and the signature is in small letters. 

I will hide the letters AMDG in the icon as a reminder to myself that this image I made is for the glory of God. 

Could you elaborate on this spiritual distinction and how it affects your approach compared to other forms of religious art?

You have to live within your faith at all times. There were times I was struggling with a piece and I had a friend say, “When’s the last time you went to Confession?”. I have Gregorian chants in the background and don’t listen to secular content when I am working on the artwork. Your mind must be immersed in the holy. My husband is now a deacon and I have a lot of friends who share the same faith, so it helps to be in the environment that helps get me in the right theological soil. 

You mention dialoguing with saints as you create their icons. Could you share a particularly memorable conversation or inspiration you’ve received during this process?

I had to read up on Saint Philomena about ten years ago. I learned she was known as the wonder-worker. My grandson was being tested for autism. I was talking with her and received a call from a friend who had a prayer request for her aunt. My friend called me back saying that her Aunt Ella received a vision from a woman in blue. Many times I had conversations with the saints. For example, I go to Saint Michael the Archangel. I had a relic and blessed salt and asked him for his guidance on a car ride (I’m not a fan of car rides). He was instrumental in protecting me during this occasion where a car was coming directly from us from the wrong direction, my husband swerved and went between two semis. There were several fatalities. But in hindsight I learned that Saint Michael protected me and my husband. 

Many of your icons incorporate physical elements like sand from holy sites or blessed water. How did this practice develop in your work, and what impact have you seen it have on those who receive these icons?

This is really interesting, I was working on a piece about Saint Oscar Romero. I took this dirt my priest gave me from El Salvardo where a massacre took place. I mixed it in the paint and put the 24 carat gold over the paint as a symbol of these individuals going to Heaven (as martyrs). We were blessed to have a first class relic of Oscar Romero in the icon. 

There’s a sense of awe and gives people something to think about. Having the relic present while I am writing the icon is incredible and a blessing. 

The eyes seem particularly important in your iconography process, as you pray specifically that they will “draw in” the right viewers. Have you witnessed any powerful encounters or conversions that stemmed from this spiritual connection?

Oftentimes my images go and I don’t see them again. I pray that those who need to see it will be drawn in. It might be an image of Divine Mercy or a particular saint. That’s the prayer: that those who need to see it will see it. I ask the Lord “Give me the grace to see the eyes.” The eyes are like the soul of the icon. 

There was an image of “Eucharistic Jesus” the eyes have drawn people to see Jesus truly present in the Eucharist. It was originally written for a retreat; now it is hanging in the Adoration Chapel, Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Altaloma, CA. During the Eucharistic Revival we reprinted (10 x 8 frames) and gave one away to a family each week. We gave the families pamphlets about Eucharistic Adoration.  So that image really helped a lot of people learn about Jesus in the Eucharist. For over a year we gave out images to families and ended up giving about 1,000 images. 

As Catholics increasingly seek to strengthen their domestic churches, how have you seen your icons transform family prayer life and devotion in homes?

I make a point to ask families that if someone walked into your home would they know you are Catholic. Have at least an image of the Sacred Heart. It’s kind of been my thing to spread the beauty of our faith through my images. People have forgotten the beauty of our Catholic faith and made our homes the domestic church. Especially when I speak at marriage retreats. I ask how you can fight with your spouse in front of an image of Jesus or have something inappropriate on TV when you have the Blessed Virgin Mary in the living room. 

If Jesus walked into our homes today would he see a picture or image of Himself? If not, then you should get sacred art or statutes to remind you of Jesus, Mary, and the saints. 

For those interested in learning iconography as a spiritual practice, what advice would you give about approaching this ancient tradition with the proper reverence and understanding?

We don’t see a lot of Catholics doing this. Our Greek Orthodox brothers and sisters aren’t always the kindest with us on this matter. Read about Catholic sacred art. Think of iconography as windows into Heaven. Icons are a small window into Heaven. I try to write as much about the saints on my website but research any way you can. Learn about the saints! Again think of it as a window into Heaven and wanting that for your home. Remember that we are not only looking at the saint but they are also looking at us! 

Icons are prayers.

About Vivian: 

Vivian Imbruglia, a devoted wife and mother of two, serves alongside her husband, Deacon Tom, at St. Peter & St. Paul Catholic Church in Alta Loma, California. She is also a loving grandmother to five. As a cradle Catholic, Vivian discovered her passion for iconography and sacred art over two decades ago. Since then, she has created over 200 icons and sacred artworks that have been featured globally. Guided by the Jesuit motto, “Ad majorem Dei gloriam” (For the greater glory of God), she incorporates the letters AMDG into all of her work. Her mission is simple: to spread the beauty of the Catholic faith through images. 

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Corpus Christi Sunday: Living the Bread of Life through a Trinitarian Lens

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Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck

Reflection on the Gospel of Luke 9:11b-17

My dear brothers and sisters,

Today the voice of God reaches out to us with gentleness and urgency: “My son, my daughter, I love you so very much and am always with you. Come and be with me and together our hearts shall be one; one with the Father and the Holy Spirit.” These words are not faint echoes from a bygone past; they are spoken anew to us this morning, right here, right now. The God who created us, who called us into being, wants nothing more than to draw us into the unity of His love; a unity that isn’t abstract or far away, but living and real, made present in the Holy Trinity.

We are invited into this divine community, not as spectators, but as partakers: believers who are blessed, nourished, and transformed by the Body of Christ. In John’s Gospel, Jesus says, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever.” With these words, He speaks right to our deepest hunger—a hunger for meaning, for belonging, for love that lasts.

Feast of Corpus Christ

The Living Bread: God’s Self-Gift of Love

What is this living bread? It is nothing less than the self-gift of God. The living bread is the love of our Father, poured out in the life, teachings, miracles, and above all, sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Each page of the Gospel is God’s heart opened to us. In Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection; the Paschal Mystery, we see the price God was willing to pay to bring us home. Through this mystery, we are offered the forgiveness of our sins and reconciliation with God. We are no longer strangers, but children brought back to the heart of the Father.

But God’s self-gift does not stop at the cross or the empty tomb. The living bread continues to nourish us through the Holy Spirit, who breathes new life into our hearts. The Spirit empowers us with grace, gives us gifts for service, and fills us with peace, hope, and the promise of eternal life. The living bread is not only something we receive, but something that transforms us from the inside out; shaping our relationship with God and with one another.

Christ in the Eucharist: Present, Transforming, Sending

And then, in an act of love almost too much to comprehend, Jesus chooses to remain with us in the Eucharist. He is present in every Mass; not just in spirit, but in body and blood, soul and divinity. The bread and wine become for us the living bread come down from heaven. When we kneel before the altar, or quietly adore Him in the tabernacle, we are not alone. We are face-to-face with the One who loves us beyond words. And every time we go to confession, it is the living Jesus who forgives, heals, and restores us.

Yet, the living bread doesn’t stay locked away in the church. It goes with us. It surrounds us in the faces of those we love, the stranger we meet, the person who needs a kind word or a helping hand. If we look with eyes of faith, we see the light of Christ shining out from the hearts of those around us. The living bread is shared whenever we love as Jesus loves; when we forgive, when we serve, when we say yes to God’s will.

Photo courtesy of Damian Chlanda.

Becoming What We Receive

This is the heart of the new covenant: “Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” This is not just a promise for the future, but a way of life for today. Through the Eucharist, we are drawn into the unity of the Holy Trinity, and into community with one another. We become the Body of Christ: His hands, His feet, His heart in the world.

Think of the miracle in Luke’s Gospel, when the disciples were overwhelmed by the needs of the crowd and thought there wasn’t enough bread. Jesus took what they had, blessed it, broke it, and gave it; and all ate and were satisfied. God’s love is like that: immeasurable, abundant, always enough. When we trust Him, when we give what little we have: our love, our time, our simple yes; He multiplies it and satisfies every hunger.

Sent Forth in Love and Gratitude

So, my dear children in Christ, let us live the bread of life. Let us allow ourselves to be loved by God, to be transformed by His presence, and to carry that love into the world. Ask the Holy Spirit each day to help you become what you receive in the Eucharist; a living sign of Jesus, a bearer of His love and mercy.

And always remember: “My son, my daughter, I love you and am always with you.” Go out with love. Give praise, thanksgiving, and glory to our Father in heaven, and love those around you as He loves you.

Amen.

Learn More about the Bread of Life

About Live the Eucharist

About Our Guest Blogger

Blessed Carlo Acutis once said, “Not me, but God.” His words echo deeply in my own spiritual life. This blog is not about me, but about the work of the Holy Spirit. I choose to remain anonymous because the voice behind these reflections isn’t what matters — the One speaking through them is.

I am a lifelong Catholic with a deep love for Scripture, the sacraments, and the quiet ways God speaks through everyday life. Live the Eucharist was born from my desire to share how the Gospel and the Eucharist shape not just my Sundays, but every step of the journey.

My hope is that these reflections bless you, challenge you, and draw you closer to Jesus — truly present in the Eucharist and profoundly present in your daily life.

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What You’re Probably Missing About The Eucharist

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By: Edalat Hope from Virtue Books

In 2019, the Catholic world was shaken to its core.

A study found that the majority of Catholics believed that the Eucharist was just a symbol. Despite there being errors in the research, the warning bells were loud enough. And the Church took notice.

Since then, we’ve seen something beautiful flourish. Last year, the National Eucharistic Congress was held in the United States. Eucharistic processions happened around the world. And here in Sydney, our Archbishop is leading a procession expected to draw over 20,000 people.

This is amazing progress. But even still…

We’re still missing something.

The early Church had such a rich and beautiful belief about the Eucharist. It was deeper, more transformative, and more profound than what many people hold to. Yet today, much of it has been forgotten by us. 

A true ‘Eucharistic Revival’ must revive this truth. And that is what we want to do today.

The Eucharist Is Love Himself

To understand Jesus in the Eucharist, you have to understand who God really is.

Scripture gives us two big claims;

  1. “God is Triune.” 
  2. “God is Love.” 

These two claims baffle many Christians. Personally, it took me years to understand what it meant. But once I did, the Eucharist made a lot more sense. 

Here’s what I realised; if you think about love, what do you need for it to exist? 

Well, obviously you need a lover. But this lover needs someone to also adore, ‘the beloved’. And then both of them can love each other deeply. 

God is like this.

  • The Father is the Lover. 
  • The Son is the Beloved. 
  • The Holy Spirit is the Love between them.

Yet, they all fully possess the same nature.

This Eucharist that you are receiving isn’t just Jesus. It’s Love Himself. And when you receive it worthily, you are swept up into this divine exchange of love.

A Mystery Lost in Translation

But for us English speakers we run into a problem.

Our language is inadequate. We say we ‘love’ chocolate, our friends, and God, we are all using the same word. To the Greek New Testament writers, that would have been unthinkable.

The Gospel writers use a very specific type of love when talking about God:

Agape.

Agape is not just love. But it is a total, sacrificial, self-emptying love. The kind of love that doesn’t hold anything back. 

This is the love God is.

You see this love most clearly on the cross. And we can also see that in the Eucharist.

“This is my body, given for you.” (Luke 22:19)

“My blood, which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:20)

The Eucharist is more than simply a ritual. It’s Jesus pouring himself out specifically for you.

You Are What You Eat

Many Catholics just stop at level one:

“Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.”

Whilst that’s true, for the early Church there was more to it than just that. It was about transformation. It was about becoming like God. A process they called theosis.

When you receive the host, you’re not just receiving Christ. Christ is receiving you. You are giving yourselves to each other. 

This is the self-sacrificial love that I was talking about before. And the more we partake in this love, the more we become like the God who is Love itself. We become like cleaned mirrors that clearly reflect the likeness of God. (Gen 1:26)

This is the very point of the Eucharist… and even the Incarnation. The great St Athanasius went as far as to say that “God became man so that Man might become like God.”

The Eucharist is something that consumes you with God’s love. And there is no one who knew any of this better than St Ignatius of Antioch.

The Man Who Became the Eucharist

St Ignatius of Antioch was one of the most famous and earliest Christians. As a bishop, he couldn’t stand when people said that the Eucharist was just symbolic. 

“They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins… They who deny the gift of God are perishing in their disputes” (Letter to the Smyrnaeans 6:2–7:1).

This is what many faithful Catholics agree with and even use in apologetics.

However, St Ignatius of Antioch’s love for the Eucharist doesn’t end there. In the year 107 AD, he was arrested for his faith and sent to Rome to be massacred. 

Honestly, what the Romans did to St Ignatius should send shivers down your spine. But he wasn’t paralysed by fear. He knew that he would eventually be torn to pieces by hungry lions and… looked forward to it.

It wasn’t because he hated life. But because Christ had offered himself, and this was Ignatius’ opportunity to love him in return. This was a masterclass in theosis.

He became like the Eucharist.

“Suffer me to be the food of wild beasts, which are the means of my making my way to God. God’s wheat I am, and by the teeth of wild beasts I am to be ground that I may prove Christ’s pure bread.” (St. Ignatius, Epistle to the Romans 4.1)

This is what the Eucharist received well does to you. It fills you with a love so deep that not even death can overcome it. St Ignatius’ love is beautiful and an example to us all, but you’re probably thinking…

What about us now?

There aren’t too many lions in the US or Australia. And martyrdom isn’t that common anymore. But that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.

The Eucharist still calls you to the same love. To become a living sacrifice, even in your everyday life. 

“Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.” (Romans 12:1)

There are millions of ways to live this out. But here are just a few ideas to get you started

  • Work with diligence 
  • Choose to forgive and offer your resentment to God
  • Pray with your whole heart
  • Offer your Sundays to God
  • Practice a consecration to St Joseph or Mary (or even both!)
  • Give some of your time, money, and talents to charity and the Church
  • Discern whether religious life (eg. being a nun or priest) is worthwhile for you
  • Be honest with people about your failings
  • Go to Confession and offer your sins to God

In short, give everything to God and hold nothing back. You were made to be a total self-gift.

This Corpus Christi, when you march down in the procession, be proud. Be proud that our Eucharistic Lord gives himself wholly to you. But also be proud that God allows you to offer yourself to him.

And in the end, you can truly be called a “good and faithful servant”. (Matt 25:23)

References and Further Study

Augustine. “On the Trinity”. Augustine: On the Trinity: On the Trinity Books 8-15. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2008

Ignatius of Antioch. “The Epistles of St Ignatius of Antioch”. The Epistles of St Clement of Rome and St Ignatius of Antioch. New Jersey, Paulist Press International, 1946

“Wasting Your Life”. Fulton Sheen: Family Retreat, hosted by Ven. Fulton Sheen.

“Something’s Missing from the Eucharistic Revival” Youtube, uploaded by Breaking In The Habit, 17 Jan. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHBSVJPPyrs

Smith, G.A, “Just one-third of U.S. Catholics agree with their church that Eucharist is body, blood of Christ.” 5 Aug. 2019, https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/08/05/transubstantiation-eucharist-u-s-catholics/

McKeown, J., “New study suggests more than two-thirds of Catholics believe the Eucharist is truly Jesus.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/258013/new-study-suggests-more-than-two-thirds-of-catholics-believe-the-eucharist-is-truly-jesus

About Our Guest Blogger

Edalat Hope is a Catholic blog writer for ‘Virtue Books and Gifts’, an apostolate dedicated to deepening the love of God across Australia and beyond. His aim is to help make accessible the classic spiritual works and practices that have formed saints for generations. https://www.virtuebooks.com.au

Thank you for sharing!