STL OCDS

Carmelite Devotion to the Eucharist

“O, Sacrament most holy,
O, Sacrament divine,
All Praise and all Thanksgiving
Be every moment thine!“

The Eucharist holds a central and profound place in Carmelite spirituality, a tradition rooted in prayer, contemplation, and a deep personal relationship with Christ. From its origins on Mount Carmel to the teachings of its most renowned saints, the Eucharist has been a cornerstone of Carmelite life and devotion.

  • St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582): This great reformer and Doctor of the Church often wrote about the importance of the Eucharist and the graces received through Holy Communion. She encouraged her nuns to approach the sacrament with great love and preparation and also recommended spiritual communion. For Teresa, the Eucharist was a vital way to encounter the Sacred Humanity of Christ.

    “It is a great consolation to me that our Lord should have been pleased to give us the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, for in it we have Him present with us, not only as God, but also as Man.”
  • St. John of the Cross (1542-1591): A close collaborator with St. Teresa and also a Doctor of the Church, St. John of the Cross shared this deep Eucharistic reverence, integrating it into his mystical theology of union with God.

    “O living flame of love, that tenderly woundest my soul in its deepest center! Since thou art no longer oppressive, perfect me now if it be thy will; break the web of this sweet encounter.”
  • St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897): Known for her “Little Way,” St. Thérèse had an ardent love for the Eucharist. She described her First Holy Communion as a “fusion” of love with Jesus and expressed a profound desire for frequent Communion, seeing it as Jesus coming to find “another Heaven, the Heaven of our souls.”

    “Do you realize that Jesus is there in the tabernacle expressly for you – for you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart.”

For a Carmelite, the Eucharist is the intimate, transforming presence of Christ, the essential spiritual nourishment that fuels the soul’s journey into deeper contemplative prayer and loving union with God.