A Eucharistic Heart

1406 Jesus said: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; . . . he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and . . . abides in me, and I in him” (Jn 6:51, 54, 56).

1407 The Eucharist is the heart and the summit of the Church’s life

These two paragraphs of the Catechism of the Catholic Church are so powerful.

To the Church, in her teachings and from Jesus’s Himself, the Eucharist is the heart of the Church. The Eucharist is Jesus, the Eucharist is the pinnacle summit of all the Church does and strives to do.

The question I ponder this morning in prayers is, “is the Eucharist my heart? Is Jesus the summit of my life?”

Yes, I desire Jesus more fully. I strive for and beg Jesus to fill my soul and body with His Eucharistic body. I know this is Jesus in the species of the bread and wine. But, is my faith strong enough that my heart’s sole desire is to have Jesus through His Eucharistic Body and Blood to be fully within my heart and my sole desire of life?

Sadly, no. I fight, kicking and screaming, to put other worldly things in front of Him. My sinful concupiscence leads me to look away as I approach the Eucharist. My sinful leadings distract my mind from the focus upon the Eucharist. The desire is buried deep within.

“The most solemn moment of my life is the moment when I receive Holy Communion. I long for each Holy Communion, and for every Holy Communion I give thanks to the Most Holy Trinity.” Divine Mercy in My Soul # 1804

I desire St. Faustina’s commitment and love of the Eucharist. As a strive and reach for this level of Eucharistic love, I know the goal will wash away the sins and distraction. I know the more I desire Him in the Eucharist, the more the desire will become clear.

Is the Eucharist the center of your focus? Is the Eucharist your heart’s desire?