“If it’s just a symbol, to hell with it.” American novelist Flannery O’Connor once shot that verbal arrow during a dinner conversation with other writers and friends. Her non-Catholic host had described the Eucharist as “a pretty good symbol,” and Flannery was quick to defend Catholic teaching about the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, as defined in the Church’s doctrine of transubstantiation.

In a letter to her friend Elizabeth Hester in December 1955, Flannery explained her blunt defense of the Eucharist. “It is the center of existence for me,” she said. “All the rest is expendable.”

Modern-Day Enthusiasm for the Eucharist

Two weeks ago, more than 50,000 Catholics gathered for the National Eucharistic Congress. On the first day of the Congress, four branches of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage converged upon the city of Indianapolis in a powerful symbol of unity. Those attendees, and the thousands of other American Catholics who joined the Eucharistic processions in the weeks before as they wound through cities and farmlands toward a common goal, all believed with Flannery that the Eucharist is truly Christ among us. Their shared joy at the gift of his divine Presence filled Lucas Oil Stadium, where Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle offered the closing Mass July 21 as Pope Francis’ special envoy for the event.

More than merely enriching the lives of those who were able to attend in person, the Eucharistic Congress offered an opportunity for the whole Church in the United States to be united in prayer. As tens of thousands of Catholics gathered in Indianapolis for the historic event, those at home were encouraged to follow along at home via livestream or EWTN.

As the Eucharistic Congress attendees boarded planes and trains and loaded into cars to head toward their homes, they, too, regarded the Eucharist as “the center of existence.” They took with them the memories of shared praise and reverent worship, of lives changed; but what should be their focus going forward? For the participants — and for all Catholics across the nation — the focus on renewal and mission must continue throughout life.

But how can we sustain that fervor?

Books to Shine a Light on our Eucharistic Lord

Those who traveled across the country to personally attend the National Eucharistic Congress may, in the months and years to come, enjoy similar follow-up events that strike up renewed enthusiasm. For many of us, though, multi-state travel seems too big a challenge.

For those homebound Catholics, and for all Catholics who enjoy a good book, here are six titles that can refocus your attention on Jesus, who unites with us in a special way each time we receive him into our hearts.

This Is My Body: A Call to Eucharistic Revival by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire, 2023). After a recent Pew Forum survey revealed that a majority of Catholics do not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, Bishop Barron, then chair of the USCCB’s Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, set out to work with his brother bishops on a solution. From their conversations came the National Eucharistic Revival. This small, easy-to-read defense of the Eucharist as “the source and summit of the Christian life” is intended to accompany that revival. Bishop Barron writes of three meanings of the Eucharist: as a sacred meal, a sacrifice and Real Presence.

Eucharistic Gems: Daily Wisdom on the Blessed Sacrament by Donald H. Calloway, MIC (Marian Press, 2023). This small book offers brief reflections for each day of the year — timeless quotes on the Eucharist from popes, saints, blesseds, venerables and servants of God. It’s intended to keep the National Eucharistic Revival forever in our hearts. “The Holy Eucharist,” Father Calloway writes, “is our greatest treasure and the source of our hope and strength in the spiritual life. … Jesus loves you, and he is always waiting for a visit from you in the Blessed Sacrament. Every Catholic church has a tabernacle; visit Him!”

Eucharist by Robert Barron (Orbis Books, 2008.) At the time the first edition of Eucharist was released, Father Robert Barron was a professor of systematic theology, and he writes about his experience while scholar-in-residence at the North American College, when he was enlisted to distribute communion to thousands of pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square. His topics range from the theological reflections of Msgr. Ronald Knox, to the uniting of diverse people through a meal in the classic book and film Babette’s Feast, to Flannery O’Connor’s classic rebuff of her dinner host, Mary McCarthy. He offers a fresh look at the Eucharist, bringing to light the spiritual meanings of meal, sacrifice and Real Presence in our lives.

The Eucharist Is Really Jesus: How Christ’s Body and Blood Are the Key to Everything We Believe by Joe Heschmeyer (Catholic Answers Press, 2023). With the firm logic we’ve come to expect from a Catholic Answers apologist, Joe Heschmeyer explains how Catholic belief in the Eucharist is biblical and reasonable. If you’re used to thinking of Communion as a purely symbolic ritual, you’ll find here a compelling defense of the ancient doctrine of the Real Presence.

Real Presence: What Does It Mean and Why Does It Matter? (Engaging Catholicism) by Timothy P. O’Malley (Ave Maria Press, 2021). What does it mean to consume the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass? Is the Eucharist just a symbol? Is Christ present in the same way he was to the disciples in the upper room? Notre Dame theologian Timothy O’Malley tackles these and other questions about this central mystery of our faith. He explains the biblical origins of transubstantiation, and the spiritual practices that form us to recognize Christ in the Eucharist, and to see Our Lord in the people we meet.

30 Day Eucharistic Revival: A Retreat with St. Peter Julian Eymard by Donald H. Calloway, MIC (Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M., 2024). There is a story about the young Peter Julian Eymard who, as a curious 5-year-old, wandered off from the family farm. His family searched frantically and finally found him in the parish church, standing on a stool near the tabernacle. “I am here listening to Jesus,” he explained to his sister and half-sister.

That ardor for Christ in the Blessed Sacrament remained with Eymard throughout his life. In adulthood, as a priest, he wrote about the beauty and power of the Eucharist; and it was those writings that inspired Father Donald Calloway. Father Calloway was disheartened to learn of the Pew survey which reported that 69% of Catholics no longer believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. To help alleviate that crisis of faith in the Church, Father Calloway drew inspiration from Peter Julian Eymard and completed this 30-day retreat just in time for the U.S. Bishops’ National Eucharistic Revival.