By Father Francis Onyekozuru

1. Hold onto Momma Mary. Intensify your devotion to Momma Mary. Our Blessed Mother Mary will always lead us to her son, Jesus Christ. She never takes his place in our lives. Rather, she strengthens our connection to Jesus, while telling us to do whatever he asks us to do. She never takes from her son anything that belongs to him. She directs us to him humbly and prudently. Like the arrows on traffic lights, she simply points us to him. The same gentle way that a mother guides her children toward helpful resources and people in their lives, so does Momma Mary guide us toward Jesus.

2. Spend time with him (Adore him). Make time for it. Everyone is busy, but we make time for the things and the people that matter to us. Almost like ordinary human relationships, the more time we spend with Jesus in the Eucharist, the more we know and understand him. If we invest more time in being with him, our relationship with him will grow exponentially. Go to any parish near you or to an adoration chapel. We do not need to memorize long prayers to say when we are in his presence. We could just sit quietly in silence. We could read spiritual materials. We could pour out our hearts to him, everything happening in our lives: our hopes and dreams, our gratitude, glory and honor, our struggles and aspirations, our anger and frustrations, our joys and sorrows, our praise, our needs and fears, our hurts, our successes and failures, our decisions, our shame, plans, disappointments, our family, friends, coworkers, any and everything we want to talk to him about. There is no better place to tell him all this than face-to-face with him. There is no script we must follow for spending time with him. We could just be there in his presence; looking at him and letting him gaze upon us.

A daily hour with him is highly recommended, but please never allow a week to pass without spending at least one hour in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. This one hour does not have to be at once. It could be divided into maybe 15 minutes today, 10 minutes tomorrow or 30 minutes the next day, etc. You could also arrive at Mass early to spend some time with him or leave a bit later after Mass.

3. Immerse yourself in him. Watch videos, listen to audios, and podcasts on the Eucharist. Read books, articles, and various write-ups on the Eucharist. We feed our minds through the things we read, the things we watch, and the things we listen to. Take time to read and reflect on Bible passages about the Eucharist. By reading Scripture passages and books on the Eucharist, watching videos about the Eucharist, and listening to presentations, homilies, and reflections on the Eucharist, our senses and our minds will be immersed in that same subject. Whatever we feed our senses and our minds becomes very influential in our lives. It becomes our bread and butter without which our daily diet would not be complete. Be engulfed and drenched in him. You will not regret it. He does not take away any good thing from us but gives us more than we ever ask for.

4. Clean the house (Go to confession). A worthy and reverent reception of the Eucharist can make saints out of us! Going to confession helps us to clean house, to clean our souls of the things that prevent us from receiving Jesus in the Eucharist. More than the detergents that clean our homes, our clothes, our utensils, and our environments, the sacrament of reconciliation cleans our souls. It optimizes the functions of our souls. It gets rid of anything that causes stunted growth in our relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist. Stay in the state of grace to receive the Eucharist.

5. Go get him (Attend Mass). Where do we get him the most? Answer: in the holy sacrifice of the Mass. Simply put, the Mass is the highest prayer there is. It is the primary place we encounter Jesus in four principal ways: in the Eucharist, among the gathered community, in the Word of God, and in the person of the priest. The sacrifice of the Mass is the highest point. Stay with it. Follow the process. Do not divorce him. Do not stop or turn away because life is not happening the way you wanted. Do not stop attending Mass because you do not like the priest or the deacon or someone else in the church. It is between you and Jesus after all. Like all of us, that person is still a work in progress. Talk to Jesus about them. He will help.

The same way our bodies need food and water each day, so do our souls need food and drink each day: the Body and Blood of Christ. The observable effects produced by material food in our physical bodies are similar to the spiritual effects produced by the Eucharist in our souls. We need this nourishment. Most of the saints who have gone before us ate the same. It is food for the journey in this earthly life and when we are ready to depart into eternity.

6. Share him (Charity). There is love in sharing. We share with others whatever we love. The love of Christ and others flows from the Eucharist. There is a strong connection between the Eucharist and charity. As physical food restores our physical strength, so does the Eucharist restore our ability to love, an ability that is often weakened by temptations and life’s struggles. While increasing our strength for charity, the Eucharist opens our eyes to the poor so we can recognize in them Jesus Christ broken for us. In the Eucharist, Jesus gives himself completely to us. As we receive him, his love grows abundantly in us, and we are able to give such love to others. An overflow of that love spreads to others through our charity. Those who are close to him in the Eucharist cannot remain unchanged by the overpowering presence of his love.

7. Register and attend the upcoming Diocesan Eucharistic Congress on Saturday, June 3, 2023, at the Odessa Marriott Hotel in downtown Odessa. Speakers include our chief shepherd Bishop Michael Sis, Dr. Scott Hahn, and Mike Aquilina.