Your faith life has the potential to be the most intimate relationship in your life. It’s a relationship that you have 100% control over. God is standing halfway, unmoved, just waiting for you to come out and greet Him. At the center of this relational treasure trove is the Eucharist. Its humility is unmatched and, while the Eucharist presents itself in simple terms, it’s anything but simple.

I’ve been spending a significant amount of time lately pondering the intimacy of the Eucharist and the reality of receiving the Sacrament. Breaking it down to its most basic level, the Eucharist is the physical presence of God entering into and dwelling within us. That description is deceptively simple. Exploring the reality opens up an entire world of thought and emotion.

Think back on a time when you and your wife were truly in sync. There was low stress, happiness and joy abounded, and you both felt incredibly connected. There was likely lots of cuddling and quality time spent together, and you both felt extremely close to one another. When you were both in this state, you likely wanted to continue to delve deeper into this state of closeness. You wanted to continue to grow closer all the way to the absolute center of closeness. Yet, there is only so far we can go. You can only cuddle so close. Renewal the marital covenant though the loving self-donation of one another in the marital embrace is the physical limit.

The Eucharist breaks down those barriers and takes you to the absolute center that you so desperately crave. There is no closer communion with God than to have the fullness of His presence within you, and you in Him.

I have several Christian friends who are on fire with faith and live the Christian life even better than I do. They crave that closeness and it makes me sad to know that they could have that which they desired if they entered into the fullness of the faith that only the Church can provide. It’s here that we find our calling to spread the Gospel to all nations, including those Christians who have not yet found what they seek, namely the Eucharist.

It can be dangerously easy to go to Mass and receive the Eucharist without a moment’s thought about the reality that you’re experiencing, but that is truly a shame. Even just a simple reminder to yourself as you process up to receive the Blessed Sacrament can be sufficient to not only remind you that you’re about to receive God within you. This is the absolute closeness that you crave that nothing else can offer. Cherish it.