33 Days to Eucharistic Glory

Suzanne Beck shares her review of a brand-new book encouraging consecration ... to the Eucharist! 

33 Days to Eucharistic Glory

by Matthew Kelly

Publisher: Blue Sparrow

Another consecration?

This is the first ever guide to Eucharistic Consecration. Of course, as Catholics, we’ve consecrated ourselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to numerous titles of Our Lady, to various saints, to the Miraculous Medal, and to the Holy Trinity, but never have we consecrated ourselves to the Eucharist. In this the final year of the National Eucharistic Revival, the year of Mission (July 2024-June 2025), this would be a good time to make this a consecration a priority, and 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory will provide an easy path toward that end. 

I have friends and family who have done many consecrations, but it’s not something I’ve ever been particularly drawn to. I also have to say that I don’t always enjoy Kelly’s writing, so I chose this title with skepticism. However, this felt different from the moment I opened the book, which was simply out of curiosity. Kelly’s introduction to the book is especially poignant and grabbed me immediately: 

What makes Catholicism different? 

Think about what makes Catholicism unique ... it’s the Eucharist. We’ve all heard the horrid statistics that only a small fraction of Catholics believe in the Real Presence, and at the same time is the statistic that over fifty million people have left the Catholic Church over the past 30 years. What is it that makes people stay? It’s the Eucharist. People who believe that Jesus is truly present don’t leave. They may not like their priest, the liturgies, the music, the faith formation program, but they aren’t willing to give up the Eucharist. Those who believe don’t leave, so Kelly’s point is:

The renewal of the Catholic Church will be a Eucharistic renewal, or there will be no renewal at all. There is simply no other way. 

A consecration is typically a spiritual pilgrimage, a sacred journey with a specific intention, and Kelly’s 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory is a handbook to a pilgrimage you can do from your favorite armchair. Or perhaps think of it as a 33-day mini-retreat! After the gripping introduction briefly described above, what follows are daily readings, which could take 15 to 20 minutes (or longer if you lingered and perhaps journaled). There is a different theme for each of the four weeks with the final days being the time of surrender. Each day educates, but also inspires, using the astonishing power of the Eucharist.   

The emphases of each week are: 

Week One: The Eucharist and the Pilgrim 

Week Two: The Eucharist and the Saints 

Week Three: The Eucharist and You 

Week Four: The Eucharist and History 

Week Five: The Moment of Surrender 

Each day’s read covers a specific topic based on the theme. I found each fascinating, with plenty of thoughts and quotes that I felt needed extra time for meditation and journaling. Each day concludes with a Lesson and a Virtue of the Day: a great recap of the daily read, drilling down the point he had made. And then each day ended with Kelly’s version of the spiritual communion prayer, which by day 33, easily transforms the heart: 

Jesus, 
I believe that You are truly present 
In the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. 
Every day I long for more of You. 
I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. 
Since I cannot receive You sacramentally at this moment,  
I invite You to come and dwell in my heart. 
May this spiritual communion increase my desire for the Eucharist. 
You are the healer of my soul. 
Take the blindness from my eyes, 
The deafness from my ears, 
The darkness from my mind, 
And the hardness from my heart. 
Fill me with the grace, wisdom, and courage to do Your will in all things. 
My Lord and my God, draw me close to You, nearer than ever before. Amen. 

Surrender and let God do the work. 

This consecration is an invitation to offer yourself to God, to be 100 percent available to carry out His will. It’s an opportunity to set aside distractions and selfishness, and to dedicate yourself wholeheartedly to God’s will, promising to faithfully respond to God’s graces. It will change your view of the Eucharist, but it will also change your view of yourself and your response to God’s call. As Kelly says,

The spiritual life is not about what we are doing. It’s about what God is doing in us, through us, and with us—when we surrender and make ourselves available to Him. (p. 43) 

I’d give this book a big thumbs up and encourage you to fall in love with Jesus in the Eucharist all over again with this consecration. 

Ask for 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory at your local Catholic bookseller, or order online from Amazon.com.

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Copyright 2024 Suzanne Beck
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