Eucharist: An invitation to Christ

Eucharist: An invitation to an intimate relationship with Christ

Guest Columnist

Emily LeBlanc

In being Catholic, one of the greatest opportunities we have is to receive the sacrament of the Eucharist. It is said that even the angels in heaven are envious of this unique relationship we get to experience with Christ while alive on Earth. Through the Eucharist, God is able to give himself entirely to us and we are given the opportunity to open ourselves entirely to him, making the reception of the Blessed Sacrament the single most intimate way to experience Christ.

It’s the incarnation, Christ given up for us on the cross, but also at the Last Supper and every Mass, that saves us. At each and every Mass, we have the opportunity to witness the incarnation of Christ in complete body, blood, soul and divinity. And even more so, at every Mass, we have the opportunity to receive Christ incarnate and welcome him into ourselves entirely. By saying yes to this relationship and welcoming Christ into ourselves, it allows God to mold us from the inside out. Through the Eucharist, through that intimate relationship, we are able to live in communion with God and discern his will more clearly for the betterment of ourselves and those around us.

First and foremost, the Eucharist is not simply a representation or metaphor for Christ. Through the consecration, bread and wine become the flesh and blood of Christ. In John’s Gospel, Jesus says to the Jews, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat of the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you” (John 6: 5159), This is the most fundamental teaching of the church and subsequently, often causes many to walk away. Understandably so, it is hard to understand how this makes sense; why would Jesus ask us to consume his flesh and blood, and how can simple bread and wine transform into the carnal version of Christ?

We consume the flesh and blood of Christ for that intimate relationship. By receiving the sacrament of the Eucharist, we completely give ourselves to Christ and allow him to completely give himself to us. We can look to marriage as a reflection of this relationship. The bride and bridegroom offer their bodies entirely to one another to create a more intimate relationship and express an adequate display of the love between them. In the same way, Christ, as bridegroom, offers his body entirely to the church, as bride, at every Mass. It’s relational and intimate and allows love to be shown in a way unlike any other. It’s a full giving and receiving of self, done completely out of love for the other.

Bread and wine are transformed into the flesh and blood of Christ through consecration. God, the creator of the universe, of every star, of every person, of every grain of sand, has the capacity to turn bread and wine into his flesh and blood. Jesus, the man who raised Lazarus from the dead, cured the blind man, and turned water into wine, possesses the ability to turn bread and wine into his flesh and blood. If we are to believe his ability to do all else, why should we doubt this? Through the priest, through the Mass, and through consecration, transubstantiation takes place, and bread and wine become body and blood.

Because the sacrament of the Eucharist is so intimate and relational, its effect on us is just as profound. That relationship and communion that comes from the blessed sacrament allows us to more easily discern God’s will for us. By appreciating God’s sacrifice for us we better experience his love; by better experiencing God’s love we are better able to love others. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

Over the past year of my life, I have been able to witness that relationship and love bloom within myself and others firsthand. Through the people I’ve come to call friends and their own relationships with God, I’ve truly learned what it means to love with an open heart. At the beginning of my freshman year, I was introduced to my college’s Catholic Center. Originally, I stuck around because I enjoyed the good company, but after a while I realized there was much more to be offered. I noticed people at the Catholic Center loved in a completely different way than I had ever experienced from people a

‘First and foremost, the Eucharist is not simply a representation or metaphor for

Christ. Through the consecration, bread

‘and wine become the flesh and blood of Christ.

my age. They truly cared about what I was doing and wanted only growth and betterment for me and everyone else they met.

After getting to know everyone at the Catholic Center, I decided however they were living their lives was working out much better than whatever I was doing. So, I started doing more of what they did. I went to daily Mass, spent time in the chapel, joined a Bible study, and eventually, I came to realize why I loved them so much. The parts of them that I loved, were the parts of them I was able to see God through. Whether it was their optimism, their listening, their kindness, their boldness, their intentionality, it was all a reflection of God I was able to see in the ways they loved me; and the only way they were able to reflect God’s love in those ways was by knowing him.

From that moment on I realized if I wanted to love people as well as I had been loved, I needed to truly build my relationship with God. So, I went to retreats, multiple Bible studies and even moved to a different state for a three-month summer program! But nothing deepened that relationship quite like spending time with and receiving Christ through the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist.

By spending time with the Blessed Sacrament, I came to see God as a person. I talked to him, I cried with him, I took everything I was feeling to him first. He became my rock, my constant, and my go to. Through receiving the Blessed Sacrament at Mass, I was able to open myself and my heart to God entirely. I made a space for Christ and welcomed him into every aspect of myself. By growing my relationship with God through the Blessed Sacrament, my life, and the way I view the world changed entirely. I am better able to love people and see the beauty of creation. Every person, every sunset, and every flower has been willed into creation by God himself. We get to exist within all the beauty of creation, and experience so many different types of love, yet none of it compares to the love we receive from Christ through the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist. The intimate, self-giving love we are able to receive from the Eucharist is the greatest gift we will ever be granted in this lifetime, and we have the opportunity to receive this gift at every Mass.

Make a place in your heart to receive the Lord in such an intimate way and be a witness of that love to everyone you encounter. It is only through the Eucharist and the relationship we build with God that we can truly be missionary disciples of Christ. (Emily LeBlanc is a native of Labadieville. She is a sophomore studying English with a concentration in writing and rhetoric at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux.) BC

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC