How the Eucharist Can Save Civilization

The greatest civilizations have all sought immortality.

From inventions to massive monuments, these societies have tried to produce something that would define them and last forever. But only one is eternal: God Himself. Christ’s greatest gift, His divine flesh and blood in the Eucharist, is the eternal defining legacy of Christendom, the flower of Western Civilization. The Eucharist is not just a doctrine; it is a reality to be lived, and it must shape our entire lives and culture. Indeed, from hospitals to the great cathedrals, this gift defined Western Civilization and allowed it to reach its highest heights.

Yet now, our Western Civilization verges on complete collapse because we lack this supernatural framework. We have reverted to being barbarians, devoid of a noble vision of human life and the personal cultivation of virtue. But there is a remedy: a return to a Eucharist-centered life.

What once took us to our summit can once again be our source for a flourishing civilization. The Blessed Sacrament has more power than any medicine to heal the body and soul, more strength than any army to defeat our foes, and more grace to transform our civilization by first transforming us. Only the Holy Eucharist, which built the great culture of Christendom, can both renew and save our secular culture by infusing it with beauty, festivity, community, and charity.
 

R. Jared Staudt, PhD, is a teacher, writer, and speaker committed to helping others enter into the living and vibrant tradition of Catholic culture. He serves as Associate Superintendent for Mission and Formation at the Archdiocese of Denver and Visiting Associate Professor at the Augustine Institute. He and his wife, Anne, have six children, and he is a Benedictine oblate. He is the author of The Primacy of God, Restoring Humanity, and The Beer Option.