The following essay is from the April 1938 issue of the Hungarian Catholic periodical “Örökimádás” (“Eternal Adoration”) and was written by János Eőri. “Örökimádás” ran from 1900 until 1944, and the issues can be downloaded in PDF format from the page of the Péter Pázmány Electronic Library.
The eternal Word, God’s immeasurable love, desired to descend from the bosom of the Holy Trinity to the bosom of the Virgin Mary, and from there into the arms of the Holy Mother Church: onto the altar. And He arrived there in the form of the Blessed Sacrament. Like a celestial body approaching us from the dizzying distances of infinite space — He arrived in all its light and warmth to be our life-giving sun, to remain above us forever, to set only when our present world collapses, when, according to our holy hope, we can immerse ourselves completely in the blissful sea of light and ocean of joy of this divine love.
As for ourselves, in our individual lives, the stream of divine grace sprang forth for us in the Sacrament of Baptism, when it entered in the form of faith and poured into our souls; it became a stronger flowing river in Confirmation, when we became conscious warriors of the One who gave us our faith, and conscious warriors of the goods that our faith promises and that we hope for; it can widen into a mighty river within us through our direct, even intimate contact with the Eucharist, in which our soul already embraces its ultimate goal in the emotions of love. Just as the water of a river becomes more and more similar in width, depth, and quality to the waters into which it flows as it approaches the mouth, so too the stream of our faith and the river of our hope become more and more like a river of love, more and more like the sea of eternal love into which they are about to merge through the Eucharist.
The source and means of our most precious earthly treasure, love, is the Eucharist, the idea of which was conceived and matured in the soul of our sweet Savior. A year before His death on the cross, in Capernaum, he announced to humanity that He would soon give them the gift of the permanent presence of his holy body and blood. “the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (Jn 6:51) Only the Virgin of Nazareth and the shepherds of Bethlehem were given such joyful news. The mystery of the Eucharist is equal in importance to the mystery of the Incarnation and the birth of Christ, both in terms of its origin, its power, and its significance… The crowd, miraculously fed, curiously and tactlessly expects and asks Him for bread, wanting the miracle to be repeated, as if the Lord Jesus had come into the world only to satisfy their hunger and satisfy their curiosity for miracles. This strange mental attitude and mood of his listeners was a great opportunity for the Savior to give them a glimpse into the deepest depths of His sacred Heart and to direct the attention of the petty, low-minded, bread-seeking crowd to the precious soul and its even more precious nourishment. Instead of miracles, he promises and holds out the prospect of the miracle of miracles: His own body under the appearance of bread, His own blood under the appearance of wine to nourish the immortal soul. He asserts, explains, and argues with His listeners with divine patience and infinite love; He swears to confirm the reality and immutability of his decision; He calmly observes the head-shaking, mockery, and departure of the larger group of those of little faith and doubters, and the hesitant vacillation of His hitherto loyal followers. He allows the overflowing glow of his soul to flow freely; He is not hindered by the fact that many cannot bear the dazzling radiance of this unprecedented light. The turning away of one or two thousand people is amply compensated later by the faith and love of hundreds of thousands and millions. “For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.” — “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you”, He repeats with majestic seriousness. “[I]f any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever”, He continues. This is more than manna. That was also wonderful bread and a great blessing from God, but it did not save anyone from death. In contrast, the manna that I give you ensures protection—not against the death of the body, but against the death of the soul. Whoever feeds his soul with this manna, my body, which came from even higher, straight from heaven, ensures eternal life and heaven for himself. (See John 6.)
After barely a year, the great promise becomes reality at the Last Supper: the Eucharist is born. Just as a mother awaits the birth of her firstborn child, so He awaited this hour and prepared to reveal His great gift. “I have earnestly desired to eat this passover with you” (Luke 22:15) The time had come for the Savior to fulfill His word. And He did: “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.[’]” (Matthew 26). With these words, the bread became His holy body and the wine His holy blood. The Eucharist was born! However, lest it die in the hour of its birth, He added as a testament: “Do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19) What I have done here and now, you shall also do after my death. What has happened here and now at my word will also happen at your word. Just as I now give my body to nourish your souls and my blood as a drink to accompany it, so you and your descendants will offer the bread and wine, transubstantiated into My body and blood in your hands, at your words, to your brothers and sisters, to all my faithful. Just as I have sealed our three-year friendship with this feast, so that we may now become one not only in spirit but also in body and blood, so everyone can and should unite with Me, not only in thought and prayer, but also in reality in this same holy feast, which will always be at hand and to which everyone will always be invited. I cannot give you greater proof of My love for you as my friends than by giving you Myself—as food and drink. You have seen My many and great miracles, you have always enjoyed My burning love, but tell Me: could I give you anything greater or more than this? You show that you love Me by accepting this great gift from Me and uniting with Me in the most intimate way possible. But I prove that I love not only you, but everyone who believes in Me and loves Me, by remaining here in the world among you until the day of the Last Judgment, I, the same one who is speaking to you now, who traveled throughout the land of Palestine, who taught for three years, who performed miracles, who now I begin My agony and tomorrow I will die on the cross for the life of the world. My human form will disappear from the world, but I will remain here among you under the appearance of bread and wine. In My testament, I leave Myself to the world. Is there any greater love than this? Whoever truly believes in Me and loves Me, can come to Me anytime, anywhere, and even unite with Me. And there is no better way to show and prove his faith, hope, and love for Me than by fulfilling my greatest desire, My deepest wish, My most loving commandment, and by being heartily and often present at the rebirth of My Holy Body, by taking My Holy Body to himself often, willingly and lovingly, and uniting with Me, approaching Me often and reverently, visiting Me and spending time with Me before the altars.
Such were the thoughts and emotions that flashed through the words of our Saviour, with which He gave the Blessed Sacrament to mankind: such are the thoughts and emotions that fill the air of the room of the Last Supper, when the Blessed Sacrament is born.
Such thoughts and feelings flashed through the words of our Savior when He gave the Eucharist to humanity: such thoughts and feelings permeate the air of the room of the Last Supper when the Eucharist is born. Surely angels are also invisibly serving there, while Satan is lurking around Judas to continue the defiance of the rebels of Capernaum, and to mix poison for his henchman into this sweet divine food and drink. However, contradiction and poison can no longer stop the flow of the great reality: the Eucharist was born and set out on its journey. No infernal power can take this treasure away from humanity. Holy Mother Church guards, cares for, protects, and loves it as her divine Spouse, His person, and her very happiness, strength, and comforter.
Glass window about the Institution of the Eucharist. Image by Lawrence Lew OP, CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0, here.