The Eucharist Is a Foretaste of Heaven

Susan Ciancio reflects on the beauty and miracle of the Eucharist. 

I was in my parish’s Adoration chapel recently and several families were coming into the church for the Spanish Mass. The glass door to the chapel is before the main doors to the church, so most people pass by. Every single person, including children, stopped in front of the Adoration chapel door and made the Sign of the Cross. I had never seen anyone do that, and it filled me with joy. 

Those parishioners understood that they were passing Christ Himself in the Eucharist. 

John Chapter 6 

Father Mike Schmitz once told a group of college students, “I have not met one person who loved Christ as a Christian but not as a Catholic, who when they heard this didn’t end up becoming Catholic.” 

What was he talking about? 

He was discussing Jesus’ teaching on the Eucharist in chapter six of John’s Gospel. 

In that chapter, Jesus says not once, not twice, but five times that He is the bread of life who has come from heaven and that whoever eats this bread will live forever. 

As Jesus spoke more and more fervently about this, He eventually said,

“My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” (John 6:55-56)

To this, many of His disciples remarked, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” (John 6:60)

In fact, it was so hard for them to understand that they walked away. 

Did Jesus call them back, saying they misunderstood and that He was speaking figuratively? No, He did not. 

He let them go because this was a teaching He could not and would not change. This teaching was that important that He let many walk away from Him. 

He then turned to His Apostles and asked if they were going to leave too, and Peter responded, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” 

They would not leave; they knew who He was. They had seen Him heal the sick, raise the dead, and perform countless miracles. 

Teach the Beauty of the Eucharist 

As we approach the time of year when many children receive their first Communion, let us help our families focus on this beautiful gift of the Eucharist.  

At the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the Eucharist when He broke the bread and said, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19).

Do this. Through His Apostles and all future Catholic priests, Jesus performs the miracle of transubstantiation. Yes, Jesus is truly present — body, blood, soul, and divinity — in the Eucharist. 

The Eucharist — the source and summit of our Christian faith — is not a symbol of Christ. It IS Christ. 

What a gift! And what a gift it is to give our children!  

I urge you to use this time of year, and any time really, to talk openly and excitedly about the Eucharist.  

When you are at Mass during the consecration, whisper to your children that a miracle is about to happen. Teach them the wonder and the beauty of Christ in the Eucharist. Read and discuss John chapter 6. Talk about the Last Supper. Spend time in Adoration, even if it’s just a few minutes once a week or a few times a month. 

As we ponder this immense gift, let us promise God to be like the Apostles who stayed, for they understood that only Christ has the words of eternal life. And let us choose to love and revere Him in the Eucharist, for by receiving Him, we grow closer to Him, nourish our souls, and get a foretaste of heaven. 

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Copyright 2025 Susan Ciancio
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