‘This is my body that is for you.’

These words, spoken in today’s second reading and proclaimed at the consecration, are everything. There is no thought or idea that I possess, nor word spoken or action rendered that does not hold space for this reality. This is because the Eucharist not only discloses the most meaningful way in which to pattern my life, it also offers Christ himself, The Real Presence, in which to do it. 

The two areas, or rather callings, where my relationship with the Eucharist is necessarily evident are my marriage and my motherhood. This writing offers a window into both as I fervently contend—the Eucharist is my superpower! 

In marriage, I asked for the grace to become Christ-like and vowed to my spouse, “This is my body that is for you.” 

This is the most profound gift I have ever given because it required a free and total gift of self at the altar, which continues to this day. The Eucharist is my superpower in marriage because Christ not only models how I should show up, he also shows up really and truly to feed and sustain me in it. Christ’s model of sacrificial love comprises joy, awe, patience, forgiveness, and yes, suffering. I write this unambivalently as a Catholic stander, all the while the status of my marriage may be something you are unfamiliar with—it is described canonically as “separated with the bond remaining.” Perhaps this sounds complicated, but it is really quite simple. Since Catholic marriage enjoys the favor of an indissoluble bond, my spouse and I are separated, but our bond remains. Two tribunals have examined my marriage, and its validity has been upheld despite my spouse abandoning it after many years. Our Catholic faith characterizes the goods of marriage as faithful, fruitful, and forever. This brings me immense peace since these goods are a sign and proof of the eucharistic gift that Christ gives through me not only to my prodigal spouse, but to my family and the Church.

In motherhood, I responded to my eucharistic calling in an altogether different but equally compelling way. 

Pregnancy itself was not easy for me. In every case I had to have my cervix sutured shut in the first trimester, an infusion pump attached, and complete bed rest with uterine monitoring for months on end. We lost three children to miscarriage, and the four who are with us in this life all arrived early. They are eucharistic miracles! The many flesh and blood moments of pregnancy, miscarriage, and childbirth have an obvious eucharistic nature, but there are also countless interior realities that convey the same, like trust, surrender, and generosity. Almost thirty years into this vocation and I am still begging for the grace to be in imitation of our Eucharistic Lord—giving of myself in little and big ways too numerous to count while proclaiming over and over, the Eucharist is my superpower. 

The invitation to a eucharistic life is for all of us. 

No matter the circumstances that exist in your marriage and your motherhood, regardless of whether you are a new mother, single mother, adoptive mother, seasoned mother, spiritual mother, or a grandmother—you can become a powerful agent of life-giving love to those around you. Spend time with our Lord in adoration. Let the consecration at Mass be a time of great renewal as the veil between heaven and earth lifts to transform the bread and wine into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord. Receive Communion often, and if you are aware of an impediment, make a spiritual communion and let the grace of holy longing sustain you while you remedy what is lacking. 

Let us be life savers, grace getters, saint makers, and world changers as eucharistic mothers. And as we conform our lives and make our offerings of love, let us rejoice in revealing together—the Eucharist is OUR superpower!