Quotes on the Eucharist

Pope John Paul II on the Eucharist

“In the Eucharist, Christ is truly present and alive, working through his Spirit; yet, as Saint Thomas said so well, ‘what you neither see nor grasp, faith confirms for you, leaving nature far behind; a sign it is that now appears, hiding in mystery realities sublime’. He is echoed by the philosopher Pascal: ‘Just as Jesus Christ went unrecognized among men, so does his truth appear without external difference among common modes of thought. So too does the Eucharist remain among common bread’”.

- Faith and Reason, (Fides et Ratio)

"The 'breaking of bread' - as the Eucharist was called in earliest - has always been at the centre of the Church’s life. Through it Christ makes present within time the mystery if his death and resurrection. In it he is received in person as the 'living bread come down from heaven' (Jn 6:51), and within him we receive the pledge of eternal life and a foretaste of the eternal banquet of the heavenly Jerusalem."

- Apostolic Letter by Pope John Paul II "Stay with us Lord" on October 7, 2004

"It is invaluable to converse with Christ, and leaning against Jesus' breast like his beloved disciple, we can feel the infinite love of his Heart. We learn to know more deeply the One who gave Himself totally, in the different mysteries of his divine and human life, so that we may become disciples and in turn enter into this great act of giving, for the glory of God and the salvation of the world. Through adoration, the Christian mysteriously contributes to the radical transformation of the world and to the sowing of the Gospel. Anyone who prays to the Savior draws the whole world with him and raises it to God. Those who stand before the Lord are therefore fulfilling an eminent service. They are presenting to Christ all those who do not know him or are far from him; they keep watch in his presence on their behalf."

- Pope John Paul II's 1996 letter to Bishop of Liege, written on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the first celebration of the Feast of Corpus Christi

“Dear young friends may your presence here mean a true commitment in faith! For Christ is now answering your own question and the questions of all those who seek the Living God. He answers by offering an invitation: This is My Body, take It and eat. To the Father He entrusts His supreme desire: that all those whom He loves may be one in the same communion.”

- From Pope John Paul II's World Youth Day homily on Sunday, August 24, 1997 in Paris, France

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

"If I can give you any advice, I beg you to get closer to the Eucharist and to Jesus... We must pray to Jesus to give us that tenderness of the Eucharist."

Pope John XIII

“To keep me from sin and straying from Him, God has used devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. My life vows destined to be spent in the light irradiating from the tabernacle, and it is to the Heart of Jesus that I dare go for the solution of all my problems."

"O Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, I would like to be filled with love for You; keep me closely united with You, may my heart be near to Yours. I want to be to You like the apostle John. O Mary of the Rosary, keep me recollected when I say these prayers of yours; bind me forever, with your rosary, to Jesus of the Blessed Sacrament. Blessed be Jesus, my love..."

St. Alphonsus Ligouri

"My Jesus! What a lovable contrivance this holy Sacrament was - that You would hide under the appearance of bread to make Yourself loved and to be available for a visit by anyone who desires You!"

Pope Leo XIII

"Our own belief is that the renovation of the world will be brought about only by the Holy Eucharist."

Pope Pius XII on the Eucharist

“The more pure and chaste is a soul, the more it hungers for this Bread [Jesus in the Eucharist], from which it derives strength to resist all temptations to sins of impurity, and by which it is more intimately united with the Divine Spouse; ‘He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood, abides in Me and I in him.’”

Pope Benedict XVI

"...participation in Sunday Mass must not be felt as an imposition or burden by Christians, but rather as a necessity and joy. Gathering together with our brothers and sisters to listen to the Word of God and to be nourished by Christ, sacrificed for us, is a beautiful experience that gives life meaning and imbues our hearts with peace. We Christians cannot live without Sunday."

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