A new catechetical series of stories on the Catholic sacraments by our partner Catholic News Service continues with the Eucharist, which completes the believer’s initiation into the Christian faith.

This sacrament is “the source and summit of the Christian life,” the means through which we share most intimately in the life of Christ.

Rooted in Scripture, the Eucharist is the center of the Christian life
Christ unites himself to us and to each other through his body and blood, made present in the bread and wine of this sacrament. The Old and New Testaments, as well as church teaching, witness to this profound mystery.

In the Eucharist, we become what we receive
When we partake of the body and blood of Christ, we are transformed into his life-giving presence in the world.

Eucharistic adoration makes a comeback
After a modern decline, the ancient practice of silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament is reviving among religious and lay alike. The one-on-one encounter with Jesus “tans the soul” with “divine sunlight.”