The Eucharist: To Eat, To Drink, To Adore

Q: Archbishop J, why Adoration of the Eucharist?

The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life”. These words from Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, encapsulate the profound centrality of the Eucharist in our faith. It is the wellspring from which all grace flows and the mountaintop toward which our entire lives ascend.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) echoes this mystery: “The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the Blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ Himself, our Pasch” (CCC 1324).

This is not theological poetry. It is spiritual reality. The Eucharist is Christ—truly, really, and substantially present.

A command to consume—and to worship

Jesus speaks plainly in the Gospel of John: “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (Jn 6:53).

His command is to eat and drink. Yet this does not exclude Adoration. Rather, it opens the door to it. To receive Christ is to enter into union with Him. And this union naturally draws us into Adoration—not merely with our lips, but with our whole lives.

Some may wonder: if Christ instructed us to eat and drink, where does Adoration come in? The tradition of Eucharistic Adoration emerged organically within the life of the Church.

Initially, the Eucharist was reserved for the sick. But the deeper truth of Christ’s abiding presence led the Church to develop the practice of exposition—and later, perpetual Adoration. This was not innovation, but the unfolding of love.

“Adoration is not a luxury but a priority … The act of Adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensifies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration itself” (Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis, 66).

Do we believe?

The question that hovers over every tabernacle and monstrance is this: Do we truly believe?

“In the most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained” (CCC 1374).

If we believe this, then the Eucharist is not a thing. It is a Person. And not just any person—it is the Lord. In the Gospel of Matthew, we see this clearly.

At the beginning: “On coming to the house, [the Magi] saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped Him” (Mt 2:11).

And at the end: “When they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted” (Mt 28:17).

The same Greek word is used both times: proskyneō—to worship. From birth to ascension, Jesus is worshipped by those who recognise who He is. Yet some still doubt. And today, many still struggle to grasp this mystery of the Real Presence.

A place of encounter, a school of the heart

Worshipping Christ in the Eucharist is not about understanding everything. It is about showing up. It is about being present to His presence.

Pope Francis offers us this invitation: “Let us be silent in front of the Eucharist. Let us allow Jesus to heal us. … It is good to adore in silence before the Most Blessed Sacrament” (Corpus Christi Homily, 2021).

Eucharistic Adoration becomes a place of encounter, a school of the heart. In the stillness, Christ speaks—not always in words, but in peace. And in that silence, healing comes.

My own encounter

My daily time with the Eucharist is solace for my soul, courage for my heart, and strength for my mind. As I sit in silence before the Blessed Sacrament, I sit before God. Most times, it may seem as if nothing is happening, but in my daily rhythm, I know when it is missing. I know what Adoration does for me.

The Eucharist is where I go to surrender what I cannot carry. It is where decisions are clarified, fears are calmed, and grace flows. It is not always dramatic. Often, it is like sitting in the sun—noticing only later that your face has been warmed.

Testimonies of the saints

St Peter Julian Eymard, the Apostle of the Eucharist, once wrote: “Go to your Adoration as one would go to heaven, to the divine banquet. You will see the Lord face to face.” And again: “Do you want the Lord to give you many graces? Visit him often. Do you want him to give you few graces? Visit him seldom.”

This is not magic. It is a relationship. Christ waits in the Eucharist not as an idea, but as a living Person who longs to draw near. Pope John Paul II reminds us: “Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of love” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 25).

St Teresa of Kolkata (Mother Teresa) taught in her spiritual council: “If you really adore Jesus in the Eucharist, you will find Him in the poor. The two are inseparable.”

To adore Christ is not to escape the world—it is to see it rightly. It is to let our hearts be shaped by His. It is to recognise Him in the face of the poor.

A Eucharistic culture in a Caribbean context

In our Caribbean reality—marked by storms, economic struggles, and the fragmentation of family life—we need anchors. We need spaces of stillness and power.

Eucharistic Adoration offers such a space. It becomes a hurricane eye, a place of peace within the turbulence of modern life. As people of faith, we must form a Eucharistic culture: one where silence is not feared, where presence is valued, and where worship becomes the rhythm of life.

Eucharistic Adoration, especially when shared as a community, strengthens not only individuals but the whole Church.

Pope Francis calls us forward: “Adoration means to say: Jesus, I am yours. I follow you. I want to be your disciple” (Epiphany Homily, 2014).

The Eucharist transforms

Adoration leads to transformation. In sitting with Christ, we become like Him. Slowly, over time, love softens our hardness, peace calms our anxiety, and the truth of who we are is revealed in the light of who He is.

“When we place ourselves before the Blessed Sacrament,” writes St Peter Julian Eymard, “we open ourselves to the rays of divine grace, as flowers open to the sun.”

There are no shortcuts in the spiritual life—only faithful return. To adore is to say, again and again, “Here I am.” It is to place our lives in His presence, trusting that He will do the rest.

The rhythm of faith

As Pope John Paul II urged: “Let us be generous with our time in going to meet Him in Adoration… May our Adoration never cease” (Dominicae Cenae, 3).

In an age of noise, Adoration teaches us to listen. In a time of hurry, it teaches us to wait. In a world of anxiety, it offers us peace. To eat Him. To drink Him. And yes, to adore Him: This is the rhythm of Christian life.

May we find in the Eucharist not only nourishment, but nearness. And in that nearness, may we become what we adore.

Key Message:

The Eucharist is not only to be received but also adored, because it is truly the real, living presence of Christ. In His presence, we are consoled, transformed, and anchored in Him.

Action Step:

Make the Eucharist the centre of your spiritual life. Attend, not only Mass, but also Adoration, as often as you can. Learn where Adoration is available and be present to Jesus.

Scripture Reading:

John 6:35