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The Holy Bread of Eternal Life: Restoring Eucharistic Reverence in an Age of Impiety
Recent decades have been marred by pervasive Eucharistic abuse, from violations of liturgical norms and rubrics to practices that encourage irreverence and facilitate habitual sacrilege. The coronavirus crisis in 2020 has occasioned a further wave of sacramental manipulation, desacralization, and deprivation that has left almost no Catholic in the world unharmed. These disturbing “signs of the times” call for an unsparing reassessment of official and unofficial policies, practices, customs, and attitudes, along with fresh appreciation for “creative minorities” that are taking a different, more difficult, and more successful path to reverence. The Holy Bread of Eternal Life is a powerful and timely book by scholar Peter Kwasniewski that exalts the divine gift of the Blessed Sacrament, which can never be too much adored, too much loved, too much cared for, or too much sacrificed for. Drawing on both Testaments, the Fathers of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas, and the Magisterium, Kwasniewski describes the fitting veneration and handling of this “mystery of faith” past and present, the dispositions we need to cultivate for a fruitful reception of the Lord, and the blessings that follow from a life centered on Holy Communion. At the same time, the book critiques many novelties in modern Catholic worship and shows why they must be set aside for the health of souls and the Church. There is far more at stake in today’s debates concerning Holy Communion than what preferences should be indulged or slip-ups tolerated. At stake is whether we truly believe in Jesus Christ, our God, our Savior, our Friend, and our Judge, really present in the Eucharist; whether we acknowledge and accept His lordship over us in every aspect of what we do and say; and whether we will act, react, worship, and pray in a manner consistent with true belief.
230 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 22, 2020
38 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Peter Kwasniewski
54 books77 followersDr. Peter A. Kwasniewski holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Thomas Aquinas College in California and an M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
After teaching at the International Theological Institute in Austria and for the Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Austrian Program, he joined the founding team of Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wyoming, where he currently serves as Professor of Theology and Choirmaster. He is a board member and scholar of The Aquinas Institute for the Study of Sacred Doctrine, which is publishing the Opera Omnia of the Angelic Doctor, and a tutor for the Albertus Magnus Center for Scholastic Studies.
Kwasniewski has taught and written extensively on a wide variety of subjects, especially Thomistic thought, sacramental and liturgical theology, the history and aesthetics of music, and the social doctrine of the Church. He has published two books with The Catholic University of America Press and a volume of music for liturgical use, Sacred Choral Works (Corpus Christi Watershed, 2014). His latest book, Resurgent in the Midst of Crisis: Sacred Liturgy, the Traditional Latin Mass, and Renewal in the Church (Angelico Press, 2014), is being translated into eight languages.
Dr. Kwasniewski writes for several major weblogs, including New Liturgical Movement and Rorate Caeli.
After teaching at the International Theological Institute in Austria and for the Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Austrian Program, he joined the founding team of Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wyoming, where he currently serves as Professor of Theology and Choirmaster. He is a board member and scholar of The Aquinas Institute for the Study of Sacred Doctrine, which is publishing the Opera Omnia of the Angelic Doctor, and a tutor for the Albertus Magnus Center for Scholastic Studies.
Kwasniewski has taught and written extensively on a wide variety of subjects, especially Thomistic thought, sacramental and liturgical theology, the history and aesthetics of music, and the social doctrine of the Church. He has published two books with The Catholic University of America Press and a volume of music for liturgical use, Sacred Choral Works (Corpus Christi Watershed, 2014). His latest book, Resurgent in the Midst of Crisis: Sacred Liturgy, the Traditional Latin Mass, and Renewal in the Church (Angelico Press, 2014), is being translated into eight languages.
Dr. Kwasniewski writes for several major weblogs, including New Liturgical Movement and Rorate Caeli.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 11, 2021
Dr. Kwasniewski presents some of the clearest and strongest arguments for renewed reverence for the Blessed Sacrament ever written. If you believe receiving communion standing and in the hand is equal in reverence to receiving kneeling and on the tongue, I challenge you to read this book and continue in that belief.
July 2, 2024
I am so glad that I finally read this book. Dr. Kwasniewski really writes such great books and articles; he gets to the point but doesn't make it sound soo deep that its too much for a layperson like me to figure out.
Here are some parts of the book that I remembered to highlight:
1. The Israelites were called to sacrifice and consume the things that were venerated as gods by the pagans. It was a constant reminder to them that God was the One True God to be loved and followed and the rest are false gods to be rejected. - Page 21-22
2. He quotes Chesterton, 'A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun, and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.'- page 45
3. He quotes Fr. Emile Mersch, "Union with food is effected in a mysterious exchange of life, in an assimilation by which one becomes the other. But in the Eucharist, the more vital of the two is the bread we receive, the 'bread of life.' This bread consumes and changes into itself the one who eats it." - page 63
4. He quotes St. Thomas Aquinas on the intimate connection between kneeling and humility. "Humility makes a prayer worthy of being heard: he has had regard to the prayer of the humble: and he has not despised their petition (Ps 102:17). And, the prayer of him that humbles himself shall pierce the clouds: and till it come near he will not be comforted (Sir 35:21). Therefore, he immediately starts his prayer in humility, saying for this cause that you fail not in the faith I bend my knees to the Father. This is a symbol of humility for two reasons. First, a man belittles himself, in a certain way, when he genuflects, and he subjects himself to the one he genuflects before. In such a way he recognizes his own weakness and insignificance. Second, physical strength is present in the knees; in bending them a man confesses openly to his lack of strength. Thus external, physical symbols are shown to God for the purpose of renewing and spiritually training the inner soul, as in the prayer of Manasse: I bend the knee of my heart; and for every knee shall be bowed to me: and every tongue shall swear (Isa 45:24)."
5. "It is therefore absolutely fitting that Christ's faithful should before His minister, receiving on bended knee and with open mouth the nourishment of body and soul, like a baby bird fed in the nest by its parent. From this symbolic vantage, it is wholly inappropriate hat the priest put the Host into our hands, so that we may then administer Communion to ourselves." -- page 96
6. He talks about how Communion in the Hand USED to be administered (hint, it was NOT like how Communion in the Hand is given today!) and how Holy Mother Church literally changed it over time because she saw it as not safe enough to preserve the pieces of the Host.
7. "At the very least, right here and right now, every layman and laywoman can make a firm commitment, for the glory of God and the sanctification of their souls, always to receive Our Lady kneeling and on the tongue, at every Mass they attend, anywhere, at any time." -- page 110
8. He quotes Pope Benedict XVI, "Kneeling in adoration before the Eucharist is the most valid and radical remedy against against the idolatries of yesterday and today." -- page 114
9. The tongue IS actually specially blessed to receive Jesus in Communion in the Traditional Rite of Baptism!! -- page 116
10. Page 133 was especially interesting where he mentioned the Encyclical, "Mediator Dei," where Pope Pius XII CONDEMNS, "false antiquarianism." Giving examples of how it would be dangerous to turn the priest around to face the people or get rid of black as a liturgical color. Both of these, and more of the examples he gives all came to pass not 15-20 years later!
11. Genuflections that priests do during the Traditional liturgy developed in the Middle Ages! Wow -- page 135
12. In 1997, the Vatican issued a document clarifying that in no uncertain terms the, "habitual use of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion at Mass," is among practices "to be avoided and eliminated..." Wow! - page 149
13. He explains a few, horrible Eucharistic abuses that occur behind the scenes. Such as a priest telling a parishioner to crush up a Host they found on the ground and put it in the one of the sinks in the sacristy because it goes straight into the ground. -- page 156
14. He quotes Mother Mectilde on the Blessed Sacrament concerning the importance of the double genuflection. -- page 167
15. He quotes Fr. Willie Doyle, "Try "basking in the sun of God's love," that is, quietly kneeling before the Tabernacle, as you would sit enjoying the warm sunshine, not trying to do anything, except love Him; but realizing that, during all the time you are at His feet, more especially when dry and cold, grace is dropping down upon your soul and you are growing fast in holiness." -- page 168
16. He quotes one of my favorite books, "Jesus Our Eucharistic Love," who quotes St. Philip Neri, "Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin are not simply the best way, but in fact are the only way to conserve purity." -- page 174
17. "It is very important that whatever sacramentals you use be blessed by a priest using the Roman Ritual, which actually blessed the objects, instead of the Book of Blessings which merely says nice things about them and us." -- page 176
18. "We also say to our good and holy priests: Keep doing what you are doing right. Love the sacred liturgy, celebrate it with awe, devotion, fear, silence, and beauty. Lead us with you, eastward, in pilgrimage to the Lord. Remember and cherish our Catholic inheritance. In this way, you will bring about real change in the culture of the Church, restoring the institution, its personnel, and its ceremonies to the honor they deserve."-- page 206
19. "The abolition in the rubrics of the Missal of Paul VI of the longstanding custom of kneeling for the final blessing at Mass, and, by extension, kneeling any time a priest gives one a blessing, has had a subtly destructive effect. We do not see, do not FEEL the blessing descending from Almighty God through His minister to the layman, who has his knee planted on the ground. Instead, it is just one more thing that passes over our heads, like the almost non-stop flow of undifferentiated vernacular talk and song." -- page 207 (footnote 196)
20. "The lay faithful are responsible for imbuing family life, their culture, their civil society, with radiant truths of the Faith... The proper role of the clergy is and has always been to dedicate themselves to prayer, the sacred liturgy, the sacraments and preaching. When clergy become social activists and laity become mini priests, all is thrown into confusion, and we lose the beauty of the Mystical Body of Christ with tis graceful hierarchical order that reflects the ranks of angels and saints in the heavenly Jerusalem." -- page 209
21. "Consider for a moment how anti-traditional tendencies, whose bitter fruits we are still reaping, affect the priest's role in the parish and his own perception of the duties belonging to his office..." -- page 211
22. Saint "Joan is a model of the virtues of chastity and purity. Feminists like to point out that she donned a man's clothing at a time when this was considered immoral. Yet all historians are agreed that the reason Joan wore a man's clothing during her public service, and later in prison, was to protect herself against the danger of rape from soldiers and enemies among whom she had to dwell." -- page 263
23. He quotes St. Catherine of Siena, "“My visions are always accompanied at first by a certain amount of fear, but as they unfold they bring a growing feeling of security. First comes bitterness, but later come strength and consolation. The visions which come from the devil create at first a feeling of security and sweetness, but they end in terror and bitterness. My way is the way of penitence. At first it seems hard and difficult to follow, but the further you pursue it, the happier and sweeter it appears. The way of the devil, on the other hand, is sweet and happy to begin with, but as the soul pursues the way of sin it goes from bitterness to bitterness, and the end is eternal damnation.” -- page 266
All in all, this is yet another book that I highly recommend reading. It has short enough parts that one can read it little by little, taking in all the gems and fruits of the information. God bless Dr. Kwasniewski for his excellent work.
Here are some parts of the book that I remembered to highlight:
1. The Israelites were called to sacrifice and consume the things that were venerated as gods by the pagans. It was a constant reminder to them that God was the One True God to be loved and followed and the rest are false gods to be rejected. - Page 21-22
2. He quotes Chesterton, 'A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun, and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.'- page 45
3. He quotes Fr. Emile Mersch, "Union with food is effected in a mysterious exchange of life, in an assimilation by which one becomes the other. But in the Eucharist, the more vital of the two is the bread we receive, the 'bread of life.' This bread consumes and changes into itself the one who eats it." - page 63
4. He quotes St. Thomas Aquinas on the intimate connection between kneeling and humility. "Humility makes a prayer worthy of being heard: he has had regard to the prayer of the humble: and he has not despised their petition (Ps 102:17). And, the prayer of him that humbles himself shall pierce the clouds: and till it come near he will not be comforted (Sir 35:21). Therefore, he immediately starts his prayer in humility, saying for this cause that you fail not in the faith I bend my knees to the Father. This is a symbol of humility for two reasons. First, a man belittles himself, in a certain way, when he genuflects, and he subjects himself to the one he genuflects before. In such a way he recognizes his own weakness and insignificance. Second, physical strength is present in the knees; in bending them a man confesses openly to his lack of strength. Thus external, physical symbols are shown to God for the purpose of renewing and spiritually training the inner soul, as in the prayer of Manasse: I bend the knee of my heart; and for every knee shall be bowed to me: and every tongue shall swear (Isa 45:24)."
5. "It is therefore absolutely fitting that Christ's faithful should before His minister, receiving on bended knee and with open mouth the nourishment of body and soul, like a baby bird fed in the nest by its parent. From this symbolic vantage, it is wholly inappropriate hat the priest put the Host into our hands, so that we may then administer Communion to ourselves." -- page 96
6. He talks about how Communion in the Hand USED to be administered (hint, it was NOT like how Communion in the Hand is given today!) and how Holy Mother Church literally changed it over time because she saw it as not safe enough to preserve the pieces of the Host.
7. "At the very least, right here and right now, every layman and laywoman can make a firm commitment, for the glory of God and the sanctification of their souls, always to receive Our Lady kneeling and on the tongue, at every Mass they attend, anywhere, at any time." -- page 110
8. He quotes Pope Benedict XVI, "Kneeling in adoration before the Eucharist is the most valid and radical remedy against against the idolatries of yesterday and today." -- page 114
9. The tongue IS actually specially blessed to receive Jesus in Communion in the Traditional Rite of Baptism!! -- page 116
10. Page 133 was especially interesting where he mentioned the Encyclical, "Mediator Dei," where Pope Pius XII CONDEMNS, "false antiquarianism." Giving examples of how it would be dangerous to turn the priest around to face the people or get rid of black as a liturgical color. Both of these, and more of the examples he gives all came to pass not 15-20 years later!
11. Genuflections that priests do during the Traditional liturgy developed in the Middle Ages! Wow -- page 135
12. In 1997, the Vatican issued a document clarifying that in no uncertain terms the, "habitual use of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion at Mass," is among practices "to be avoided and eliminated..." Wow! - page 149
13. He explains a few, horrible Eucharistic abuses that occur behind the scenes. Such as a priest telling a parishioner to crush up a Host they found on the ground and put it in the one of the sinks in the sacristy because it goes straight into the ground. -- page 156
14. He quotes Mother Mectilde on the Blessed Sacrament concerning the importance of the double genuflection. -- page 167
15. He quotes Fr. Willie Doyle, "Try "basking in the sun of God's love," that is, quietly kneeling before the Tabernacle, as you would sit enjoying the warm sunshine, not trying to do anything, except love Him; but realizing that, during all the time you are at His feet, more especially when dry and cold, grace is dropping down upon your soul and you are growing fast in holiness." -- page 168
16. He quotes one of my favorite books, "Jesus Our Eucharistic Love," who quotes St. Philip Neri, "Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin are not simply the best way, but in fact are the only way to conserve purity." -- page 174
17. "It is very important that whatever sacramentals you use be blessed by a priest using the Roman Ritual, which actually blessed the objects, instead of the Book of Blessings which merely says nice things about them and us." -- page 176
18. "We also say to our good and holy priests: Keep doing what you are doing right. Love the sacred liturgy, celebrate it with awe, devotion, fear, silence, and beauty. Lead us with you, eastward, in pilgrimage to the Lord. Remember and cherish our Catholic inheritance. In this way, you will bring about real change in the culture of the Church, restoring the institution, its personnel, and its ceremonies to the honor they deserve."-- page 206
19. "The abolition in the rubrics of the Missal of Paul VI of the longstanding custom of kneeling for the final blessing at Mass, and, by extension, kneeling any time a priest gives one a blessing, has had a subtly destructive effect. We do not see, do not FEEL the blessing descending from Almighty God through His minister to the layman, who has his knee planted on the ground. Instead, it is just one more thing that passes over our heads, like the almost non-stop flow of undifferentiated vernacular talk and song." -- page 207 (footnote 196)
20. "The lay faithful are responsible for imbuing family life, their culture, their civil society, with radiant truths of the Faith... The proper role of the clergy is and has always been to dedicate themselves to prayer, the sacred liturgy, the sacraments and preaching. When clergy become social activists and laity become mini priests, all is thrown into confusion, and we lose the beauty of the Mystical Body of Christ with tis graceful hierarchical order that reflects the ranks of angels and saints in the heavenly Jerusalem." -- page 209
21. "Consider for a moment how anti-traditional tendencies, whose bitter fruits we are still reaping, affect the priest's role in the parish and his own perception of the duties belonging to his office..." -- page 211
22. Saint "Joan is a model of the virtues of chastity and purity. Feminists like to point out that she donned a man's clothing at a time when this was considered immoral. Yet all historians are agreed that the reason Joan wore a man's clothing during her public service, and later in prison, was to protect herself against the danger of rape from soldiers and enemies among whom she had to dwell." -- page 263
23. He quotes St. Catherine of Siena, "“My visions are always accompanied at first by a certain amount of fear, but as they unfold they bring a growing feeling of security. First comes bitterness, but later come strength and consolation. The visions which come from the devil create at first a feeling of security and sweetness, but they end in terror and bitterness. My way is the way of penitence. At first it seems hard and difficult to follow, but the further you pursue it, the happier and sweeter it appears. The way of the devil, on the other hand, is sweet and happy to begin with, but as the soul pursues the way of sin it goes from bitterness to bitterness, and the end is eternal damnation.” -- page 266
All in all, this is yet another book that I highly recommend reading. It has short enough parts that one can read it little by little, taking in all the gems and fruits of the information. God bless Dr. Kwasniewski for his excellent work.
August 3, 2021
This is a must read. Restoring reverence, beauty, tradition, and respect to the Most Holy Eucharist and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is an absolute must.
April 19, 2022
Good read. Somewhat repetitive in some sections.
March 28, 2024
Poignant opening:
Imagine eating the sun —and imagine you could do it without perishing. What would happen? You would receive into your body the source of light and warmth. You would have within you all the light and heat that you could possibly ever need or want. No more heating bills, no more lightbulbs, no more winter trips to warmer climates.
When we receive Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, we receive the source of all supernatural light and warmth, the light of truth, the heat of love, for indeed He is the “Sun of Justice.” We receive God Himself, the very Son of God, Who is inseparable from the Father and the Holy Spirit. Saint Ephrem the Syrian wrote:
He called the bread his living body and he filled it with himself and his Spirit.... He who eats it with faith, eats Fire and Spirit... Take and eat this, all of you, and eat with it the Holy Spirit. For it is truly my body and whoever eats it will have eternal life.*
That we are not killed instantly by this contact with eternal and infinite Fire is, in its own way, a greater miracle than would be eating the sun without perishing. Our Lord protects us, courteously hiding His blazing glory lest we be overwhelmed, and gently radiating His peace.
It is because we receive divine fire—a fire far more potent in the range, and reach of its possible spiritual effects than any physical fire — that the worthy reception of the Eucharist is purifying, illuminating, and unitive. The Holy Eucharist does within and upon the soul that which fire does, within and upon combustible matter, burning away contrary dispositions and transforming the matter into itself. But since the spiritual soul is incorruptible, the soul can become fire without perishing, like the miraculous burning bush. The Eucharist does for the soul what the fire of the sun does for the earth, spreading light, warming bodies, causing growth.
Imagine eating the sun —and imagine you could do it without perishing. What would happen? You would receive into your body the source of light and warmth. You would have within you all the light and heat that you could possibly ever need or want. No more heating bills, no more lightbulbs, no more winter trips to warmer climates.
When we receive Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, we receive the source of all supernatural light and warmth, the light of truth, the heat of love, for indeed He is the “Sun of Justice.” We receive God Himself, the very Son of God, Who is inseparable from the Father and the Holy Spirit. Saint Ephrem the Syrian wrote:
He called the bread his living body and he filled it with himself and his Spirit.... He who eats it with faith, eats Fire and Spirit... Take and eat this, all of you, and eat with it the Holy Spirit. For it is truly my body and whoever eats it will have eternal life.*
That we are not killed instantly by this contact with eternal and infinite Fire is, in its own way, a greater miracle than would be eating the sun without perishing. Our Lord protects us, courteously hiding His blazing glory lest we be overwhelmed, and gently radiating His peace.
It is because we receive divine fire—a fire far more potent in the range, and reach of its possible spiritual effects than any physical fire — that the worthy reception of the Eucharist is purifying, illuminating, and unitive. The Holy Eucharist does within and upon the soul that which fire does, within and upon combustible matter, burning away contrary dispositions and transforming the matter into itself. But since the spiritual soul is incorruptible, the soul can become fire without perishing, like the miraculous burning bush. The Eucharist does for the soul what the fire of the sun does for the earth, spreading light, warming bodies, causing growth.
July 1, 2021
This would have been great if the author had aimed to make a spiritual book about reverence for the Eucharist. Beautiful, compelling reflections are marred by criticism of the pope (several popes, in fact), political arguments, and mention of a litany of divisive rad trad personalities/websites/sources.
December 13, 2022
There is some great information in this book. I couldn't finish it though, because the author is constantly talking down to Novus Ordo Catholics as if they only way to save the Church is to reinstate the Old Mass. If you can wade through that, it's a good book.
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April 20, 2021Beautiful theological insights; I highly recommend.
December 25, 2021
Loved this book! I could probably read again and get even more out of it. I found a lot to reflect on.
April 3, 2022
A lot of good spiritual reflection on the Mass and the importance of reverence for the Real Presence
July 30, 2025
This is a wonderful book, written in such a clear and compelling fashion. Being old school and traditional, I loved it. This was my nighttime listen. (Over and over)
March 16, 2023
Thorough treatment of the great reverence we need to have of Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist. Nice to see a critical assessment of the bishop poor response during the recent lockdowns
May 1, 2025
The first two parts of this were excellent. The third part was nothing but anger and judgement and in my opinion undid everything I felt about parts one and two.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews