Seven recent books on putting the Eucharist at the center of your life

There is a profound logic to the Eucharist. It gives us the courage to encounter others, to go out of ourselves, and to open ourselves to others with love. That’s the message of Pope Francis in his recent video “For a Eucharistic Life”. In his prayer intention for the month of July, he calls us to see the Eucharist not as an obligatory ritual, but rather, as an encounter with the Risen Christ. “If you are the same at the end of Mass as you were at the beginning,” he reminds us, “something is wrong.”

There are several ways that Catholics in the pew can take that message to heart. Of course, we can attend Mass more frequently or with greater attention. We can reflect prayerfully on Jesus’ Real Presence and can ask God–as we receive him Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity–to change our hearts, to expand our love for our Creator and for all those he has sent into our lives.

We can also read about it, taking inspiration from others who may have reflected in a different way on Jesus’ overwhelming love for us. Here are seven recently published books written to help us deepen our faith and grow in the love of Christ in the Eucharist.

This Is My Body: A Call to Eucharistic Revival by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire, 2023). Originally published in 2008 by Orbis Books, this title was updated and released anew in 2023 by Word on Fire to bolster devotion during the U.S. Bishops’ three-year National Eucharistic Revival. This Is My Body reflects upon the Eucharist as a sacred meal, and as a sacrifice. It relates the backstory of Flannery O’Connor’s famous quote, “If it’s a symbol, to hell with it!” Then it delves into the witness of the early Church fathers – Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Origen, Ambrose, Augustine, and on to St. Thomas Aquinas. This slim volume slips easily into purse or pocket.

Eucharistic Gems: Daily Wisdom on the Blessed Sacrament by Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC (Marian Press, 2023). Father Calloway has delved into Scripture and into the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as well as the writings of popes, saints, blesseds, venerables and servants of God. He has assembled 366 timeless quotes, one for each day of the year, on the important topic of the Eucharist. Readers can meditate each day on these poignant quotes. “Jesus loves you,” Father Calloway reminds the reader, “and He is always waiting for a visit from you in the Blessed Sacrament. Every church has a tabernacle! Visit him!”

The Eucharist Is Really Jesus: How Christ’s Body and Blood Are the Key to Everything We Believe by Joe Heschmeyer (Catholic Answers Press, 2023). Perhaps it seems that when you have the Eucharist, you have it all. Not so! Joe Heschmeyer shows us how the Eucharist is really the beginning – the point at which our eyes of faith are opened, and the mysteries of the Christian life are unlocked. Heschmeyer explains how Jesus’ Body, reserved for us in the Eucharist, reminds us that our bodies, too, are sacred and possess an immortal destiny, to be united with Christ in heaven. He shares stories of saints whose lives of devotion should be an inspiration to every reader. Then he finishes up with eucharistic prayers – prayers to be offered before communion, prayers after Mass, and prayers to offer during eucharistic adoration.

Carlo Acutis: A Saint in Sneakers, by Courtney Mares (Ignatius Press, 2023). Blessed Carlo Acutis, the first Millenial to be beatified by the Catholic Church, combined two passions to achieve great things for God. First, he loved the Eucharist; even as a small child, he loved attending Mass and he loved sitting before the Blessed Sacrament in prayer. And secondly, Carlo loved technology! As a small child, he walked around his house saying “I am a computer scientist.” He received his first computer in 2000, and Carlo eventually demonstrated his mastery of technology by creating a spreadsheet of 136 Eucharistic miracles from around the world.

Do I Have to Go? 101 Questions About the Mass, the Eucharist, and Your Spiritual Life, by Matthew Pinto and Chris Stephanik (Ascension Press, 2008). This one’s for the teenager in your family who might prefer sleeping in or playing video games, rather than attending Mass on Sunday morning. Pinto and Stephanik confess that they once had the “Do I have to go?” attitude, but they’ve grown up and grown into the “I really want to go” conviction. The authors want your teens to make the same leap, and they begin with the basics in “Worship 101” – explaining why we need to worship God, and why the holy Mass is the best way to do that. From there they offer a clear yet witty Q & A, going from the redemptive work of Christ, to the Mass, the Real Presence, and topical issues like prayers and gestures, terminology, ministers of the Mass, and the liturgical seasons.

Real Presence: What Does It Mean and Why Does It Matter? by Timothy P. O’Malley (Ave Maria Press, 2021). Are you confused about the Eucharist, and what it means in our lives? O’Malley, a theologian and director of McGrath Theology Online at the University of Notre Dame, shows how the doctrine of the Real Presence is rooted in divine revelation, and how the Church’s teaching on transubstantiation is spiritually fruitful. He goes on to show the reader how to worship Christ in the Eucharist, and explains the relationship between Eucharistic communion and adoration. He recognizes the Eucharistic vision in the short stories of Flannery O’Connor, the philosophical reflection of Simone Weil, and the theological memoir of Dorothy Day. O’Malley encourages the reader to desire God, to long for a eucharistic union with our creator, just as God longs for us.

7 Secrets of the Eucharist, by Vinny Flynn (MercySong/Ignatius Press, 2006). The Eucharist, Vinny Flynn teaches, is not just about receiving Communion; it’s about transforming your daily life. Through the Scriptures, the writings of the Saints, and the teachings of  recent popes, Flynn leads readers to a personal “Emmaus” experience and rekindles the “Eucharistic amazement” called for by Pope Saint John Paul II. Seven Secrets of the Eucharist—described as a “must read” by the late Cardinal Pell—is full of insights that are both profound and accessible.

Catholic World Report