Have you ever had the experience of falling in love? Of looking at a person with love, in light of their good qualities and also their flaws? When you see beyond what they've done and see them as they are meant to be seen. This is the literal meaning of intimacy: "Into-Me-See."

When you enter into a committed relationship with someone, you are not only telling them that you want to know them completely but also that you want to be known completely. This is something all humans desire, whether they are called to marriage, priesthood, religious life, or the single life.

And while, in many ways, we can experience intimacy with another person, the truest and most profound intimacy we will ever encounter is with Christ, fully realized through the Eucharist. 

So what exactly is the Eucharist?

The simple answer is that the Eucharist is the Body of Christ. It is not merely a symbol or a remembrance of His death on the cross; it is His very flesh, given freely to us. 

As St. Maximilian Kolbe beautifully expressed, "You come to me and unite Yourself intimately to me under the form of nourishment. Your Blood now runs in mine, Your Soul, Incarnate God, compenetrates mine, giving courage and support. What miracles! Who would have ever imagined such!"

In receiving the Eucharist, we don’t just symbolically unite with Jesus—we become one with Him, body, blood, soul, and divinity. This is the most intimate exchange we can ever have with our Lord. In this sacred moment, we experience Christ in the deepest, most personal way possible. Nothing is lacking in this perfect gift of communion.

But what does this feel like? Honestly, sometimes it doesn’t feel like anything. But this is part of the miracle. Can you imagine if the Eucharist took the form of literal flesh? Most people would likely be too repulsed to receive it. Moreover, we don’t want a love based solely on feelings—we want a love that is constant. And that is what the Eucharist offers. It is the consistent renewal of love that we all crave and need.

After hearing this, you might think, “That sounds beautiful, but why can’t we feel God’s presence when we receive the Eucharist? Wouldn't belief in the Eucharist be stronger if we felt the blazing love of Christ after consuming it?”

It’s true that a profound experience of God's presence would make belief easier. And sometimes, people do have powerful, tangible experiences when they receive the Eucharist. However, more often than not, the experience of eating the Eucharist feels ordinary. We want God to show up in spectacular ways—like in the New Testament, where we can see, touch, and witness Jesus' miracles. But instead, we're left with a small wafer. Why?

In Prince Caspian, C.S. Lewis has a scene where Lucy asks the lion, Aslan (a Christ-like figure), why he doesn’t intervene into the hardship of their world, Narnia, as he had done in the past:

"Oh dear, oh dear," said Lucy. "I thought you’d come roaring in and frighten all the enemies away—like last time. And now everything is going to be horrid."

"It is hard for you, little one," said Aslan. "But things never happen the same way twice. It has been hard for us all in Narnia before now."

Aslan’s words remind us that Christ comes to us as we need Him to in our time. Two thousand years ago, He needed to come in the form of a man, die on a cross, and rise from the dead three days later. Today, Christ comes to us in a more hidden way, but His presence is no less real. Instead of being limited to one country (Israel), Christ has made Himself available in every active Catholic Church in the world. No matter where we are, Christ is literally present in the Eucharist. What an extraordinary gift!

Naturally, this raises some questions: How do we know this is true? And if it is true, what difference does it make to my life? Can’t I just go on living without receiving the Eucharist? Does it really matter?

A few years ago, I was on a road trip with a friend, and we discussed why he had stopped attending Mass, even though he had been raised Catholic. This led to the big question about the legitimacy of the Eucharist. At one point, my friend asked me how I knew the Eucharist was truly Jesus. I remember being stumped. I had explained the theology, referenced Church teachings, and given rational explanations, but nothing seemed sufficient.

I fumbled, trying to draw from my years of theological study, but nothing quite hit the mark. Finally, with as much conviction as I could muster, I said, "I know the Eucharist is the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ because of my own personal experience."

I went on to share a story from when I had lived in England. During that time, I was part of a community that had an hour of Eucharistic adoration every day at 5 p.m. Initially, I found it frustrating to stop whatever I was doing and sit in silent prayer before the Eucharist. For months, I didn’t realize the gift I had been given, often complaining about the inconvenience.

Then, one day, I went to adoration as usual, but instead of frustration, I felt this profound warmth—an exchange of love. I looked at Jesus, and He looked at me. From that moment, adoration became my favorite part of the day. It was a calm in the storm of life, a place where I found peace.

I remember my friend falling silent after I shared this story. My personal conviction ended the debate. He couldn’t argue with my experience.

Now, I am not suggesting that personal experience is the only way to come to believe in the Eucharist. Learning theology is essential to understanding its significance. But even when we grasp the intellectual truth that the Eucharist is the Body of Christ, we also need to encounter this truth in our hearts.

Now, let’s return to the second question: Why does the Eucharist matter to my life? The simple answer is that the Eucharist is our path to heaven.

In the Eucharist, Jesus offers us not just a sign of His love but Himself. He knew that to guide, sustain, and bring us into eternal life, we would need more than teachings and memories. We would need Him—His Body, His Blood, His very life within us. Through the Eucharist, we are invited into the most intimate union with Christ, sharing in His divine life and preparing for the eternal banquet of heaven.

In this way, the Eucharist is not just an act of remembrance but a profound participation in the very life of God. It is the ultimate gift of intimacy—one that fulfills the deepest longings of our hearts and draws us closer to the One who knows and loves us completely. As Fulton Sheen said, "The greatest love story of all time is contained in a tiny white Host."