The Eucharist is the foundation and heart of the Church. From the very beginning and throughout the entire history of the Church, the Eucharist has been the central element of our liturgy. We see this in Scripture: Last Supper - Jesus institutes the Eucharist as the fulfillment of the Passover and the beginning of the [...]
"A sacrament is so termed because it contains something sacred. Now a thing can be styled sacred from two causes; either absolutely, or in relation to something else. The difference between the Eucharist and other sacraments having sensible matter is that whereas the Eucharist contains something which is sacred absolutely, namely, Christ's own body; the [...]
"'Not by bread alone does man live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God,' said our Lord. Bread and the word! The host and prayer. Without these you won't live a supernatural life." Source: ÿSt. Josemaria Escriva, The Way
"In the sacrament of the Eucharist, Jesus shows us in particular the truth about the love which is the very essence of God." Source: Pope Benedict XVI, SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS (Sacrament of Charity), 2/22/2007
"Therefore the Eucharistic Celebration is much more than simple banquet: it is exactly the memorial of Jesus' Pascal Sacrifice, the mystery at the centre of salvation. Memorial does not simply mean a remembrance, a mere memory; it means that every time we celebrate this Sacrament we participate in the mystery of the passion, death and [...]
"Perfection is twofold. The first lies within man himself; and he attains it by growth: such perfection belongs to Confirmation. The other is the perfection which comes to man from the addition of food, or clothing, or something of the kind; and such is the perfection befitting the Eucharist, which is the spiritual refreshment." [...]
"In the sacrament of the altar, the Lord meets us, men and women created in God's image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:27), and becomes our companion along the way. In this sacrament, the Lord truly becomes food for us, to satisfy our hunger for truth and freedom." Source: Pope Benedict XVI, SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS (Sacrament [...]
The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life.' "The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch." [...]
"In the Holy Eucharist the faithful are nourished and strengthened at the same banquet and by a divine, ineffable bond are united with each other and with the Divine Head of the whole Body. " Source: Pope Pius XII, MYSTICI CORPORIS CHRISTI, 6/29/1943
"My greatest happiness is to be before the Blessed Sacrament where my heart is, as it were, in its center." Source: ÿSt. Margaret Mary (Visitation Monestery, http://www.visitationmonasterymobile.org/HTMLcode/Saints3.htm)