Panis Vivus: An Essay on the Eucharist

A “panis vivus” essay is meant to convey, in no uncertain terms, that the Eucharist is really and truly the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is our collective response to the 2019 Pew Research Center survey, which reported that only a third of United States Catholics believe in the Real Presence.

Look at this video! Haha that’s kinda funny. What about this one? Super creative. What’s going to happen next? Ah, not so funny. Let me try this one. Clever. Maybe this one will be better. No, the best one is definitely out there. Let me keep scrolling. It’s just a few seconds. Check this one out! No way, that’s awesome! Alright I’ll look at another . . .

What do I look at? What do I let my eyes take in? It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of glowing screens, changing images, constant stimulation. Why is it a trap? Because we’re not looking at reality, at least not the deepest, most profound reality that awaits us. The same thing happens when we plug in our headphones. The constant input drowns out the one calling to us: My belov—Look at—Seek—

Not only our eyes but also our ears are meant to be—in fact, created to be—turned to a reality that is trying to break in. “Faith comes from what is heard” (Rom 10:17). Taking up mere bread, Jesus speaks: This is my Body. What earth-shattering words! All of reality is suddenly turned on its head. My eyes would not have even bothered to linger over this colorless, uninteresting piece of bread if my ears had not received Christ’s words in faith. And so my eyes do linger on the monstrance, inexorably drawn to the center, the reason for such unearthly beauty.

Angels bowing at the sight,
Incense rising through the light.
Candles flicker in the haze,
Gold and silver offer praise,
All for Him who humbly lies,
Here in faith before my eyes.

Faith makes me stop in my tracks and simply gaze. This is Jesus’ Body. This is Jesus: He who died. He who rose. He who is with us. What else is there to look at? Who else is there to listen to in the depths of my being? This simple, unassuming reality demands a reorientation of my life. Yes, the bread-no-longer-bread, the Host—

The Most Holy Eucharist

Faith opens up to us an entirely new reality. Before we heard the words of Christ, it was as if our necks were bent and we could only look down. What a dull view of the world—no sunrise, no sunset, no stars. But then we heard the Lord. We assented to him in faith. Our heads are suddenly turned upwards—we gaze at the sky. What beauty opens up before us! Reality as we had never realized. Truth, both new and ancient, from the foundation of the world, as we had never experienced. What looks to be a simple piece of bread demands frequent visits of love, hours of adoration, an unwavering gaze—because it is the Lord.