Coming back from the first Triduum mass in which Fr Pereira gave a lively homily on the Eucharist, that wonderful Bread of Life, words fail me when it comes to this topic & I could only quote some of the beautiful writings of the saints, who found themselves lost in the Love that incarnates itself in the Eucharist:
"How many of you say: I should like to see His face, His garments, His shoes. You do see Him, you touch Him, you eat Him. He gives Himself to you, not only that you may see Him, but also to be your food and nourishment."
— St. John Chrysostom
"I throw myself at the foot of the Tabernacle like a dog at the foot of his Master."
— St. John Vianney
"If we but paused for a moment to consider attentively what takes place in this Sacrament, I am sure that the thought of Christ's love for us would transform the coldness of our hearts into a fire of love and gratitude."
— St. Angela
"Do you realize that Jesus is there in the tabernacle expressly for you - for you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart... don't listen to the demon, laugh at him, and go without fear to receive the Jesus of peace and love...
"Receive Communion often, very often... there you have the sole remedy, if you want to be cured. Jesus has not put this attraction in your heart for nothing..."
"The guest of our soul knows our misery; He comes to find an empty tent within us - that is all He asks."
— St. Therese of Lisieux
"In one day the Eucharist will make you produce more for the glory of God than a whole lifetime without it."
— St. Peter Julian Eymard
AND, AND, to encourage all to attend the Eucharistic procession:
"I especially loved the processions in honor of the Blessed Sacrament. What a joy it was for me to throw flowers beneath the feet of God! ... I was never so happy as when I saw my roses touch the sacred Monstrance..."
— St. Therese of Lisieux: Story of A Soul
Also, I was very touched to read this: what the Eucharist meant to the Church's latest martyr, Fr. Ragheed Ganni, a priest in Mosul (Iraq), who was shot along with three other deacons after celebrating Mass last Sunday, in a Eucharistic Congress in Bari (Italy), in 2005: (emphases mine)
Mosul Christians are not theologians; some are even illiterate. And yet inside of us for many generations one truth has become embedded: without the Sunday Eucharist we cannot live.
This is true today when evil has reached the point of destroying churches and killing Christians, something unheard of in Iraq till now.
On June 2004 of last year, a group of young women was cleaning the church to get it ready for Sunday service. My sister Raghad, who is 19, was among them.
As she was carrying a pail of water to wash the floor, two men drove up and threw a grenade that blew up just a few yards away from her.
She was wounded but miraculously survived. And on that Sunday we still celebrated the Eucharist. My shaken parents were also there.
For me and my community, my sister's wounds were a source of strength so that we, too, may bear our cross.
Last August in St Paul Church, a car bomb exploded after the 6 pm mass. The blast killed two Christians and wounded many others. But that, too, was another miracle—the car was full of bombs but only one exploded. Had they all gone off together the dead would have been in the hundreds since 400 faithful had come on that day.
People could not believe what had happened. The terrorists might think they can kill our bodies or our spirit by frightening us, but, on Sundays, churches are always full. They may try to take our life, but the Eucharist gives it back.
On December 7, the eve of the Immaculate Conception, a group of terrorist tried to destroy the Chaldean Bishop's Residence, which is near Our Lady of the Tigris Shrine, a place venerated by both Christians and Muslims.
They placed explosives everywhere and a few minutes later blew the place up. This and fundamentalist violence against young Christians have forced many families to flee. Yet the Churches have remained open and people continue to go to mass, even among the ruins.
It is among such difficulties that we understand the real value of Sunday, the day when we meet the Risen Christ, the day of our unity and love, of our [mutual] support and help.
There are days when I feel frail and full of fear. But when, holding the Eucharist, I say 'Behold the Lamb of God Behold, who takes away the sin of the world', I feel His strength in me. When I hold the Host in my hands, it is really He who is holding me and all of us, challenging the terrorists and keeping us united in His boundless love.
In normal times, everything is taken for granted and we forget the greatest gift that is made to us. Ironically, it is thanks to terrorist violence that we have truly learnt that it is the Eucharist, the Christ who died and risen, that gives us life. And this allows us to resist and hope."
May you find Him in the Eucharist always!
UPDATE: I realized that Corpus Christi is meant to be celebrated on a Thursday, that is tomorrow, but some of us will get to celebrate it only this Sunday! So for all of you out there who celebrate this solemnity tomorrow, here's wishing you a happy solemnity in advance!
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