The Eucharist

The sacrament of Christ's true presence: the source and summit of the Christian life.

What it is. The Eucharist is the heart of the entire faith. At Mass, through the words of Christ spoken by the priest, bread and wine become the true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ: not a symbol of Him, but Himself, given to be received. This is the sacrifice of Calvary made present and the meal by which the Church is fed.

Why celebrate it. Every other sacrament is ordered toward this one. In the Eucharist, Christ gives not merely His help, His teaching, or His example, but His very self. To receive Holy Communion is to be united to God in the most intimate way possible this side of heaven, and to be joined to every other member of His body. The Church calls it "the source and summit of the Christian life" because everything flows from it and everything returns to it. For the one coming home, this is the reunion the whole return has been for.