The Eucharist — Source and Summit

Christ Truly Present, Sacrifice Truly Offered

Of all the sacraments, the Eucharist holds a special place. The Catechism calls it “the source and summit of the Christian life” (CCC 1324). That is not poetic exaggeration. It is a theological claim. The Eucharist is the beginning and the goal of the Church’s life. From it, grace flows. Toward it, all worship is directed.

The Eucharist is not simply one sacrament among others. It is the sacrament of sacraments. In Baptism we are joined to Christ. In Confirmation we are strengthened for witness. In Confession we are restored when we fall. But in the Eucharist we receive Christ Himself. Not just grace. Not just strength. The Giver of grace. Christ, whole and entire—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

This truth stands at the very heart of Catholic faith. At the Last Supper, Jesus did not say, “This bread is a symbol of My Body.” He said, “This is My Body.” He did not say, “This wine reminds you of My Blood.” He said, “This is the chalice of My Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant.” He gave us not an idea, but Himself.

From the beginning, the Church has believed and taught this Real Presence. Saint Paul warned the Corinthians that to receive the Eucharist unworthily is to profane the Body and Blood of the Lord (1 Cor 11:27). That would make no sense if Christ were not truly present. The Church Fathers, too, spoke clearly: Saint Ignatius of Antioch called the Eucharist “the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ.” Saint Ambrose said, “If the word of Elijah had power to bring down fire from heaven, will not the word of Christ be able to change the nature of the elements?”

This mystery is rooted in God's plan from the beginning. The Eucharist fulfills and surpasses all the sacrifices of the Old Covenant. The manna in the wilderness was a foretaste. The Passover lamb was a shadow. The bread and wine offered by Melchizedek prefigured this new and eternal priesthood. Christ is both priest and victim.

The Eucharist is both sacrifice and sacrament. As sacrifice, it makes present the one offering of Christ on the Cross. That sacrifice is not repeated, but re-presented. In every Mass, we are joined to the same act of self-giving love offered once for all on Calvary. As sacrament, the Eucharist is a visible sign that conveys what it signifies: the real presence of Christ, given for the life of the world. The outward signs of bread and wine remain, but what we receive is the risen Lord Himself.

Saint Thomas Aquinas taught that the Eucharist contains what it signifies. It is not merely a symbol or memorial. It is the Passion made present. The Church does not crucify Christ again. Rather, the one eternal sacrifice is made present to us in time. At every Mass, we are drawn into the very heart of the Paschal Mystery.

This is why the liturgy is not something we watch. It is something we enter. The Mass is not a human invention. It is the work of Christ, continued through His Body, the Church. Christ is the principal actor in the Eucharist. The priest, acting in persona Christi, offers the sacrifice. The faithful unite their own lives to that offering. And God, in His mercy, feeds us with the Bread of Heaven.

The Eucharist is not a private devotion. It is the action of the whole Church. It binds us to one another and to the saints in glory. It strengthens us for mission and draws us into the life of the Trinity. It is both food for the journey and a pledge of the glory to come.

Why This Matters

Without the Eucharist, we cannot understand the Church. The Eucharist is not a ritual we perform—it is a Person we receive. It is Christ Himself, hidden under the appearance of bread and wine, given for the salvation of the world.

To receive the Eucharist is to be drawn into Christ’s self-offering. It is to be united to His Body and to His mission. The grace we receive is not only for comfort. It is for transformation.

The Eucharist is not just something we do. It is something God does in us—something that draws us into the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection. And through it, heaven touches earth.

When you receive the Eucharist, are you consciously uniting yourself to Christ’s sacrifice—and allowing His presence to shape how you love, suffer, and serve?