Why Saint Pius X is the Eclipser of Errors

August 21, 2025August 21, 2025 / chicoinematt

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

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).

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.

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.

eclipse gif.gif

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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The Power of the Eucharist: Together and in Silence

March 25, 2025March 18, 2025 / chicoinematt

Processing with the Lord

The sun beat down on the street. I walked alongside hundreds of others, following the golden monstrance that caught the light in brilliant flashes. A canopy of white silk moved ahead of us, sheltering the Blessed Sacrament.

Incense rose in visible waves, mingling with the summer air. The priest’s vestments gleamed white and gold. Children scattered flower petals on the pavement. An elderly man beside me sang the Pange Lingua with a voice that trembled but did not waver.

The procession stretched for blocks. People watched from windows and sidewalks. Some knelt as we passed. Others stared, confused. A few snapped photos with their phones.

“What’s happening?” a woman asked her companion.

“Some kind of Catholic thing,” he replied, watching us wind through the streets.

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. My knees ached from the concrete.

“The Eucharist is not merely symbolic, but a profound reality where we encounter Jesus Himself,” the priest had said before we began. “Today, we process with Him through our streets as a public testimony of our faith.”

The bells rang out, marking our progress through the neighborhood. Someone handed me a Holy card. The procession paused at a makeshift altar on the Church steps. People knelt on the hard pavement.

A Public Witness

I closed my eyes in the bright sunlight.

“We aren’t just walking,” a young mother had told her confused child. “We’re following Jesus.”

The child had nodded solemnly, clutching a small paper banner.

Three days later, I sat alone in the parish adoration chapel. The same monstrance stood on the altar, but without the canopy, without the crowd.

The wooden kneeler creaked under my weight. My breath sounded loud in the silence. A clock ticked somewhere behind me. The single candle flame didn’t waver.

An air conditioner hummed briefly, then quieted. For twenty minutes, nothing moved except the slight rise and fall of my chest.

I checked my watch.

St. Mother Teresa once said, “When you look at the crucifix, you understand how much Jesus loved you then. When you look at the Sacred Host, you understand how much Jesus loves you now.”

Now. Present tense.

My mind wandered to Sunday’s grocery list. I pulled it back.

The silence grew heavier. More substantial. The golden rays of the monstrance caught the light once, then didn’t again. My knees hurt in a different way than they had during the procession.

The Chapel’s Stillness

Photo courtesy of Damian Chlanda. See more of his photography at coffeewithdamian.com

I shifted on the kneeler.

During Sunday’s procession, the priest had proclaimed, “Christ goes out to meet His people!” His voice had carried over the crowd, amplified by speakers. Here, in the chapel, no voice spoke. The same Christ waited, but in silence.

Saint Alphonsus Liguori wrote, “Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God and the one most helpful to us.”

My breathing slowed.

During the procession, we had moved through space, covering blocks of the city. Here, in adoration, I moved through something else. Not faster or slower—different.

The digital clock on the wall blinked silently: 3:47 PM.

“Know that I am with you always, until the end of the age,” Christ had promised. In the procession, we had demonstrated this truth publicly. Here, in this empty chapel, I experienced it privately.

I closed my eyes, then opened them.

The Host remained unchanged, white against gold. Minutes stretched. A car passed outside, then nothing.

Pope Benedict XVI once emphasized, “In the Eucharist, Christ is always coming to meet us.” During Sunday’s procession, we had walked with Him through the streets. Here, in adoration, He walked through the landscape of my thoughts.

Two Encounters, One Presence

The chair beneath me felt hard after forty minutes.

In the procession, we had been many voices, many steps, moving as one body. Here, I was one voice, silent. One body, still.

I bowed my head.

The same Christ was present in both spaces—under the silken canopy surrounded by hundreds, and here, in an empty chapel on a Wednesday afternoon. The miracle didn’t change. Only the context.

I looked up at the monstrance.

“It is you who have come to me,” a line from St. Elizabeth of the Trinity surfaced in my memory. “I didn’t go looking for you.”

The chapel door opened. A woman entered quietly, genuflected, and took a seat in the back row.

During the procession, our public witness had been powerful—Catholics united, moving through the secular world with our Eucharistic Lord. Here, two strangers sat in silence, united by the same Presence.

I stood to leave.

The mystery remained intact. The same God who had processed through streets now waited in stillness. The same Jesus who had drawn crowds now drew individual hearts, one by one.

I genuflected before the monstrance.

In the procession, we had shown the world our Faith. In Adoration, our Faith showed us the world as it truly was—a place where God waits, where time changes, where silence speaks.

I opened the chapel door.

The woman remained kneeling, her head bowed. The candle flame flickered once, then steadied.

I stepped outside. The chapel door closed behind me with a soft click.

Additional Writings about Eucharistic Adoration

Eucharistic Adoration: He Waits for You in the Silence

7 Reasons You Should Go to Eucharistic Adoration

Reflections on the National Eucharistic Congress: Faith, Healing, and Revival

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Eucharistic Adoration: He Waits for You in the Silence

February 22, 2025February 22, 2025 / chicoinematt / 1 Comment

The church door closed with a soft click. Empty pews stretched toward the altar. A single candle flickered near the monstrance, its flame steady. Sunlight filtered through stained glass, casting colored patterns that moved slowly across the floor. The air felt still.

An elderly woman sat in the third pew on the left, rosary beads sliding between weathered fingers. She didn’t look up.

The wooden kneeler creaked. Silence filled the space, not empty but full. The gold of the monstrance caught the light once, then didn’t again. A car passed outside, then nothing.

The clock on the wall ticked. The Host remained unchanged, white against gold. Minutes stretched. The elderly woman shifted slightly, then returned to stillness.

Somewhere, a heating system hummed briefly, then quieted. The colored light on the floor had moved an inch. The candle flame didn’t waver.

God Waits

Saint Alphonsus Liguori proclaimed, “Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God and the one most helpful to us.”

Yet God doesn’t need our love—He wants it.

The Blessed Sacrament doesn’t demand attention with bright lights or loud sounds. It waits. The miracle sits in plain sight, ordinary and extraordinary at once. Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity behind the appearance of bread.

A Different Kind of Time

In Eucharistic Adoration, time changes. Not faster or slower—different.

St. Mother Teresa understood this: “When you look at the crucifix, you understand how much Jesus loved you then. When you look at the Sacred Host, you understand how much Jesus loves you now.”

Now. Present tense.

The elderly woman with the rosary knew this. Her weekly visit wasn’t obligation—it was appointment. Her same pew each Wednesday, surrounded by familiar silence, enveloped in His unchanging Presence.

What Happens in Adoration?

St. Clare of Assisi said simply: “Gaze upon him, consider him, contemplate him, as you desire to imitate him.”

Some call it spiritual tanning—basking in the light of the Son. You can’t help but be changed by it. Too much exposure and your sins become visible, uncomfortable. The longer you remain, the more grace accumulates.

The wooden pew feels hard after twenty minutes. The mind wanders. The silence grows deeper. And then, sometimes, a moment arrives that wasn’t there before.

The Invitation

The Church doesn’t merely suggest Adoration—it recognizes our need for it. As the Catechism states, “The Church and the world have great need of Eucharistic adoration. Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of love.”

He waits.

The church remains mostly empty on weekday afternoons. The Host doesn’t mind. The monstrance holds the miracle whether witnessed by hundreds or just an elderly woman with arthritic hands.

The invitation remains open.

Find fifteen minutes this week. Ask your parish office when Adoration hours are scheduled. Walk in. Sit down. Nothing spectacular may happen.

But the candle will flicker near the monstrance. Sunlight might cast colored patterns across the floor. The silence will be waiting.

And so will He.

Thank you for sharing!

Reflections on the National Eucharistic Congress: Faith, Healing, and Revival

July 24, 2024July 24, 2024 / chicoinematt

Last week, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. Over 50k Catholics were in attendance across the United States. Eucharistic Adoration, daily Mass and a line-up of speakers headed by Fr. Mike Schmitz and Bishop Robert Barron were the highlights (but to be honest the entire week was a highlight).

The experience was truly transformative, filled with moments of profound joy and palpable movements of the Holy Spirit. As I reflect on those days, I’d like to share some of the most impactful insights I gained.

The Joy of Christian Community

One of the first things that struck me was the overwhelming sense of joy that permeated the entire event. As I sat in the conference hall during supper, I couldn’t help but notice the many small groups of two or three people scattered throughout the room. In those moments, I felt certain that Jesus was present among them, fulfilling His promise: “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20).

A Powerful Encounter

While waiting in line for the Eucharistic Miracles exhibit (a popular attraction with over an hour and a half wait), I had a life-changing encounter. I met Emilio, a gentleman from California, whose story deeply moved me. Emilio shared how he had been involved in gang activity from a young age and had even taken a life at 22, resulting in a life sentence. Eventually, a combination of legal changes and Emilio’s profound spiritual transformation led to his release.

Emilio and I waiting in line to see the Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit.

His journey of repentance and renewal in prison led him to give his life to Jesus. Emilio’s wife, who accompanied him, emphasized that she felt the Eucharistic Congress was specifically for him. This reminded me that while we were blessed to attend, the Eucharistic Revival is for all baptized Catholics – we are all called to share the Gospel and live sacramentally.

The Power of Jesus’ Name

Another powerful realization came during Dr. Mary Healy’s talk on healing and prayer. The healing service she conducted with Fr. Mathias Thelen felt biblical in its intensity, reminiscent of Jesus’ own ministry. During this service, I experienced firsthand the power of prayer and the name of Jesus.

Despite initial doubts about whether my relatively minor headache was worthy of divine intervention, I prayed, “Lord, help my unbelief” – echoing the father in Mark 9:24. To my amazement, as the service concluded, I realized my headache had disappeared. This experience reinforced the truth that Jesus has the power to heal us physically, mentally, and spiritually – just as He did in biblical times. Jesus is the Divine Physician and He desires to heal all our wounds.

The Importance of Repentance

A recurring theme throughout the Congress was the significance of repentance. According to Fr. Mike Schmitz, “If this is going to be a revival, if it’s going to be a real revival, here’s the reality. In the history of Christianity, you can never have a revival without repentance.”

To fully receive the graces available in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, we must approach it with hearts open to God’s mercy. But this mercy is not forced upon us. We have to repent of our sins. The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it this way, “Jesus calls to conversion. This call is an essential part of the proclamation of the kingdom: ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel” (CCC 1427).

This emphasis on repentance serves as a powerful reminder of our continual need for God’s mercy and our call to ongoing conversion.

Go Forth and Preach the Gospel

The National Eucharistic Congress was a profound reminder of the living presence of Christ in our midst, particularly in the Eucharist. It reinforced the power of community, the importance of personal testimony, the reality of divine healing, and the necessity of repentance in our spiritual lives.

As we move forward in this Eucharistic Revival, may we all be renewed in our commitment to Christ, open to His healing power, and ready to share His love with the world. The revival is not just for those who attended the Congress – it’s for every baptized Catholic. We are all called to live out our faith in a sacramental way, drawing strength from the Eucharist and sharing the Good News with those around us. I will see you all in the Eucharist!

Share Your Eucharistic Encounter

These testimonials offer just a glimpse of the countless ways Jesus touched hearts during the Congress. If you attended the National Eucharistic Congress, I invite you to continue this chain of witness:

Take a moment to reflect on your experience. How did you encounter Jesus during the Congress? What moment stands out as particularly meaningful or transformative?

I encourage you to write a short paragraph (100-200 words) sharing your personal encounter with Jesus at the Congress. You might consider:

A specific event or talk that moved you
A moment of prayer or adoration that was especially powerful
An unexpected encounter or conversation that touched your heart
How the Congress has changed your perspective on the Eucharist

Thank you for sharing!

Catholic Meme Monday— Issue 150

July 22, 2024August 2, 2024 / chicoinematt

Hope you had a blessed Sunday! 🙏

Time for another Catholic Meme Monday. Today we will have a mega-sized issue to celebrate the big 1-5-0 and the National Eucharistic Congress that ended yesterday. 🍞🍷☀️✝️

We are called to be Eucharistic Missionary Disciples. 🙏🍞🍷☀️

The Church is our guide, protector, and our help. 🙏

“Film Jesus” believes in the Real Presence. 🙏

This will be how I sign off on most emails. ✉️ 🍞🍷

It was a great joy to be at the National Eucharistic Congress. So much prayer and adoration of our Lord Jesus Christ. 🙏

Not a meme but couldn’t help but share my encounter with Lego Priest! 😀

This happens to me all the time during baseball season. 😀🙏⚾

Saint Teresa of Avila is a good driver to holiness. 😄

My eyes leaked joy often this past week. 🙏

My bank account is in need of a miracle! 😄

That’s all I have this week. Stay tuned for next week’s Catholic Meme Monday. Receive updates straight to your email inbox by subscribing to The Simple Catholic blog.

P.S. If you prefer receiving quality Catholic humor in daily doses follow me on Instagram @thesimplecatholic.

I will see you in the Eucharist! 🍞🍷🙏✝️

Thank you for sharing!

3 Ways We Can Avoid Awkwardness and Apathy after the Ascension

May 18, 2023June 17, 2023 / chicoinematt

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.

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 1^st 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!

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.

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.

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!

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

https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/why-celebrate-the-ascension

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/36152/everything-you-need-to-know-about-pentecost

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5 Epic Quotes to Prepare You for the Feast of Corpus Christi

June 16, 2022June 4, 2025 / chicoinematt

Along with the feast of the Most Holy Trinity, the celebration of the Most Precious Body and Blood of Jesus Christ (commonly called The Feast of Corpus Christi) is my favorite day in the Liturgical Year.

In preparation for this solemn celebration, I wish to share a few quotes from Catholic saints and/or Catholic faithful—the great English author J.R.R. Tolkien’s literature invites readers implicitly to the Catholic faith. I hope the Catholic Church considered him for the canonization process.

Importance of the Eucharist

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 1324, “The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” The graces received from the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus provide sustenance over the course of our pilgrim journey here on Earth. Nothing is more beautiful than the Eucharist. Receiving the Body of Christ transforms you. The grace you receive in the sacrament is more powerful than any natural force on earth. Being in the light of the Son and receiving the true bread from heaven gives us a foretaste of the world to come!

Prepare to Celebrate Corpus Christi

Here are five powerful quotes that helped me draw further into wonder and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. While this is not an exhaustive list [NOT EVEN CLOSE!], I hope you find peace, joy, and strength when you reflect on these passages. May God Bless You and thank you for your continued support!

The only cure for sagging of fainting faith is Communion. Though always Itself, perfect and complete and inviolate, the Blessed Sacrament does not operate completely and once for all in any of us. Like the act of Faith it must be continuous and grow by exercise. Frequency is of the highest effect. Seven times a week is more nourishing than seven times at intervals.—J.R.R. Tolkien

“I throw myself at the foot of the Tabernacle like a dog at the foot of his Master.” —St. John Vianney

“If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion.” —St. Maximilian Kolbe

“Receive Communion often, very often…there you have the sole remedy, if you want to be cured. Jesus has not put this attraction in your heart for nothing…” —St. Therese of Lisieux

“The Blessed Sacrament is indeed the stimulus for us all, for me as it should be for you, to forsake all worldly ambitions. Without the constant presence of our Divine Master upon the altar in my poor chapels, I never could have persevered casting my lot with the lepers of Molokai; the foreseen consequence of which begins now to appear on my skin, and is felt throughout the body. Holy Communion being the daily bread of a priest, I feel myself happy, well pleased, and resigned in the rather exceptional circumstances in which it has pleased Divine Providence to put me.” —Blessed Fr. Damien, Apostle of the Lepers

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