Food for the Journey: Eucharist exemplifies God's love for us
by Diocese of Des Moines | February 28, 2022
By Madeline Marr
The Eucharist is a necessary means of salvation. This amazing gift given to us by God is what keeps me going each week, and it’s difficult to imagine life without it. The transformation of bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood is a miracle that happens every day in multitudes of churches around the world, and it is the supreme way that God shows his love to us, because it re-presents in our midst the death of his only Son upon the cross.
Imagine what would happen if you stopped eating altogether. Pretty soon you would be facing starvation. This is what happens, spiritually, when I stop receiving the Eucharist. Without that divine gift, my spiritual life starts to wither. The Eucharist has been an essential part of my life since I received my first Holy Communion at age seven, and the grace contained within it has helped lead me along the path to heaven. Since that time, nearly every week, I approach the altar in order to receive the nourishment I need. If I miss a week, whether because of sickness or because I haven’t been able to make it to confession, I can sense a difference in what I think and do and not one for the better. The Eucharist is something I cannot live without.
The Eucharist is a profound miracle. Sometimes I fail to appreciate the Blessed Sacrament for what it is, but when I pause and think about it I’m awed. Through the ministry of priest each day, Christ is made present to us. Theologians have given the name transubstantiation to the miracle that takes place on the altar. The bread still looks like bread and the wine still looks like wine, but truly they are the body and blood of Our Lord. When the bells ring and the host is raised, I feel immense joy. God is working through the priest to bring us closer to him.
This sacrament is a re-presentation of Jesus’ sacrifice at Calvary. When Jesus died on the cross, he opened wide the gates of heaven so that we might enter. Nothing that we could do on our own could ever have accomplished this. Our Lord suffered so much for each and every person who has ever lived. The Eucharist brings these things to my mind and makes me stop and think of how much God loves each one of us—so much that he sent his only Son for our salvation.
The Eucharist means the world to me. This miracle starts my week off on a high note and is truly a great example of God’s infinite love for us. Thank you, God, for this most precious of gifts!
Madeline Marr is a first-year student at St. Thomas Classical Academy. In her free time, she enjoys knitting, reading novels, and playing board games with her siblings.