All great things, moments, and events have a source. Teams who win have a strong coach, fast cars have a powerful engine, and those who give have a big heart. The same holds true for us as disciples of Jesus Christ. We have a source, which is the Eucharist.

“The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ 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)

In this Year of Mercy, Pope Francis is inviting us to rekindle our relationship with the source of mercy. The Eucharist is what fuels our parishes, feeds our families, and comforts our hearts. This gift is the source and strength of our love and mercy to the poor, needy, and abandoned.

“Anyone who wishes to give love must also receive love as a gift. Certainly, as the Lord tells us, one can become a source from which rivers of living water flow (cf. Jn 7:37‐38). Yet to become such a source, one must constantly drink anew from the original source, which is Jesus Christ, from whose pierced heart flows the love of God (cf. Jn 19:34).” (Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est)

‐Fr. Jason Buck, Parochial Vicar, St. Andrew Parish, Newtown

How to Live It

• Consider committing to 1 hour a week or 1 hour a month before the Blessed Sacrament.
• Consider receiving the Eucharist more than once a week.
• Bring a friend, relative, or coworker to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Make a quick visit to the Blessed Sacrament during the week.

Quote from Catholic Tradition

“Do you allow yourselves to be gazed upon by the Lord? But how do you do this? You look at the tabernacle and you let yourselves be looked at . . . it is simple! ‘It is a bit boring; I fall asleep.’ Fall asleep then, sleep! He is still looking at you. But know for sure that he is looking at you!” ‐Pope Francis

“In the heart of Jesus, which was pierced, the kingdom of heaven and the land of earth are bound together. Here is for us the source of life. This heart is the heart of the Triune Divinity, and the center of all human hearts… It draws us to itself with secret power, it conceals us in itself in the Father’s bosom and floods us with the Holy Spirit. This heart, it beats for us in a small tabernacle where it remains mysteriously hidden in that still, white host.” ‐St. Edith Stein