Today is Saturday, August 2, the Optional Memorial of St. Peter Julian Eymard.
We read at Mass today, “This fiftieth year you shall make sacred by proclaiming liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when every one of you shall return to his own property, every one to his own family estate” (Lv 25:10).
As we begin the month of August and continue our reflections on the theme of thirst, today’s reading from Leviticus reminds us of a profound truth: God desires our return to him. The Jubilee, as described in Scripture, is not only about economic or social restoration — it’s about spiritual homecoming, a return to God and to the life He intends for us.
This is especially fitting in our own time, during the Church’s ongoing Eucharistic Revival, a movement of grace inviting us to rediscover the centrality of the Eucharist in our lives.
Today we honor St. Peter Julian Eymard, a saint who dedicated his life to Eucharistic devotion and adoration. For him, the Eucharist was not just an element of Catholic life — it was its very heart. He wrote, “Live on the divine Eucharist like the Hebrews did on manna. Your soul can be entirely dedicated to the divine Eucharist and very holy in the midst of your work and contacts with the world.”
The source and summit of our lives
St. Peter Julian reminds us that it is possible — even amid the demands of work, relationships and everyday life — to live a Eucharistic life. In a world full of distractions and empty promises, our hearts thirst for what only Christ can give: his real presence in the Eucharist.
But how do we satisfy that thirst? St. Peter Julian offers a challenge. He writes, “To enjoy adoration, one must make adoration.” That is, we must prepare for it, give ourselves to it, labor for it. Like the Israelites gathering manna each morning, we approach Eucharistic adoration with a spirit of expectation and discipline, knowing that what we receive there will nourish us for the journey ahead.
Let us make the Eucharist the source and summit of our lives — our daily bread, our peace, our joy. Let us make space in our hearts to receive the Lord who quenches every thirst.
Let us pray,
O God, who adorned Saint Peter Julian Eymard with a wonderful love for the sacred mysteries of the Body and Blood of your Son, graciously grant that we, too, may be worthy to receive the delights he drew from this divine banquet. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
