The Truth of Two Worlds: The Mystery of the Eucharist

In advance of the release of the film Jesus Thirsts, Heidi Hess Saxton contemplates the film's focus on the love of God.

“In the beginning,” the Bible tells us, “God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Into all that is seen and unseen, tangible and imperceptible, physical and spiritual — from the hosts of heaven, to light and space and time, to the spectrum of created life that flourished all over one little blue ball in one tiny corner of the universe known as “earth,” God poured out His creativity with infinite abundance and boundless love. On the sixth day He created His masterpiece, created in His own image and likeness: the first man and woman, the parents of the human race. And that, too, He declared good. 

In those first moments of existence, we possessed preternatural gifts: freedom from pain, from death, from disordered desires, and from ignorance. Body and mind worked together in perfect harmony, clothed with a heavenly light that reflected our unbroken communion with the divine. They could see and know all that was to be seen and known, including our Creator, the one true Source of everything. 

And then we fell. Hard. Sin darkened our minds, shortened and hardened our lives, and blinded our eyes to the invisible world. Like any good Father, God moved heaven and earth to save us from evil’s clutches. He gave us laws to guide us toward holiness, prophets to speak His revelation, and He promised a Messiah — the Lamb of God — whose death would save His people from their sins.  

A Film Celebrating the Relentless Love of God

Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist is a celebration of this relentless love of God, who ultimately kept His promise to restore the beauty and unity of his creation — the seen and unseen, the tangible and imperceptible, the physical and spiritual — through his Son’s timeless and holy sacrifice. “In the Eucharist … heaven and earth are united as celestial time meets historical time,” observes Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, in the film. As tongues of men and angels join in worship, the veil between the visible and invisible worlds thins until we can hear whispers of eternity in our midst.  

One of my favorite parts of the movie was shot in the United States Penitentiary in Beaumont, Texas. After Jim Wahlberg preached to the inmates of the freedom Jesus brings even to those in prison, Zósimo González — one of those inmates — testified to the power of the Eucharist to strengthen him even behind those prison walls.

I pray, "Jesus, I am in your hands. You know if you will let me go tomorrow, or if you want me to stay here. I am happy with whatever you give me.” (quote in Jesus Thirsts)

His words stirred in me, resonating unexpectedly in my own heart. When I feel stuck, unable to see a way forward, in the Eucharist Jesus offers me the strength I need to endure.  

The Power of the Eucharist to Transform Hearts

At every time and in every place, God has planted such precious reminders of the staying power of the True Presence, many of which I’ve included in Stories of the Eucharist. Sometimes the veil shifts toward the tangible and visible, such as the eighth-century Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano, or the 2008 miracle in Sokoka, Poland. Other times, the veil lifts to transform not just eucharistic species, but human hearts, such as the “miracle of the mule” of St. Anthony of Padua, and the 14th century miracle that converted the heart of St. Oswald in Seefeld, Austria.   

As I frequently remind my own children, in the Liturgy of the Eucharist, heaven draws near to earth and our guardian angels rush to the altar, carrying our offerings of prayer and praise to the throne of God. One day that veil will be lifted for good, and we will be able to see it with “unveiled faces” transformed “from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). But for today, let us join our prayers together for our Church, here at home and abroad, that this gift of the Eucharist will convert our hearts, renew our minds, and restore our souls to embrace the mysteries of our faith once more. 

Jesus Thirsts opens June 4 in theaters nationwide. Visit JesusThirstsFilm.com for theaters and showtimes.

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Copyright 2024 Heidi Hess Saxton
Images: (from top) Canva; JesusThirstsFilm.com, all rights reserved, used with permission; copyright 2024 Heidi Hess Saxton, all rights reserved; JesusThirstsFilm.com, all rights reserved, used with permission