Today, as we celebrate the Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Julian Eymard, we are invited into deeper reflection on the Eucharist, that “greatest of all gifts,” as Eymard himself called it. A 19th-century French priest and founder of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, Saint Peter Julian gave his life to making Christ in the Eucharist more deeply loved and more widely known. His entire spiritual vision can be summed up in one simple yet powerful truth: Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, and this presence is meant to transform us.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “Remain in me, as I remain in you” (John 15:4). This mutual indwelling is not a lofty metaphor—it is Eucharistic. To remain in Christ is to abide in His Body, and this is exactly what the Eucharist offers. Saint Peter Julian wrote, “The Eucharist is the supreme proof of the love of Jesus. After this, there is nothing more but Heaven itself.” The Eucharist is not only the Real Presence of Christ—it is the Real Presence for us: to nourish, unite, and transform. But notice: Jesus speaks not only of remaining, but of bearing fruit. “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit” (v. 5). Communion is a call to mission.
This is where our first reading offers such a beautiful parallel. The early Christians were “of one heart and mind… there was no needy person among them” (Acts 4:32, 34). Their unity, charity, and detachment from possessions flowed from their life in Christ. Saint Peter Julian reminded his followers that the Eucharist was not merely about personal devotion but about social transformation. He saw it as the heart of a renewed society—one shaped by justice, fraternity, and compassion.
Saint Peter Julian tirelessly promoted Eucharistic Adoration: “Do you want to love Our Lord? Come often to Holy Communion… Come every day.” To spend time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is to let Him prune away pride, selfishness, and indifference. The Eucharist is a school of love. Jesus gives Himself completely for us, and our response should be a life of self-gift. “The Eucharist,” Eymard wrote, “is the model of every virtue… it produces love.”
The Eucharist sends us out. At every Mass, we hear: “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.” Saint Peter Julian insisted that Eucharistic devotion must move us outward—into our families, parishes, workplaces, and the wider world. When we live Eucharistically, others come to see that Christ is alive in His people.
Dear friends, we are the branches. Christ, the living Vine, nourishes us through His Word, His Spirit, and supremely through His Eucharistic Body. To love the Eucharist is not only to receive it with reverence, but to live it with fidelity. Let us pray today for a renewed hunger for the Bread of Life, and for the grace to live as Eucharistic people—united in heart and mind, radiant with joy, bearing fruit that will last.
Saint Peter Julian Eymard, Apostle of the Eucharist, pray for us.
Amen..
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