The mystery of the Eucharist boggled my mind as a child. I wondered what Jesus would taste like or what superpower I’d discover once I received it. I believe that it sustains me by the grace freely given to all. This food for my soul helps me to acknowledge my need for Jesus. If I receive the Body of Christ with humility, then I can live in its mystery even though I can’t comprehend it.

As I reflect on a Eucharistic Church, I believe we have “missed the mark,” as a church, in teaching and living the truth of ourselves in light of the gift of life and the reality of who we are in Christ. So many of our brothers and sisters, who are utterly empty of hope and belonging, are turning to violent means of ending their own lives and sometimes taking the lives of others. We say we are children of God and we have dignity because of this truth. Yet, so many of us walk on the road to Emmaus with our heads down, lost in our own worlds, not recognizing our fellow humans with Christ within and in our midst.