The Eucharist: God’s Greatest Gift
Couple shares smiles, stories and struggles in bringing the Eucharist to the vulnerable
In their 40 years as extraordinary ministers of holy Communion, Tom and Jane Meier have shared the Eucharist with many people, drawing closer to Christ through their efforts. (Photo by John Shaughnessy)
By John Shaughnessy
Their smiles keep coming as they take turns sharing stories.
Tom Meier begins with the memory of a woman he visited at Franciscan Health hospital in Indianapolis, where for years he has brought the Eucharist to Catholic patients as an extraordinary minister of holy Communion.
“There was this little Asian woman that I visited not too long ago,” Tom says, his face glowing in appreciation. “I asked her if she wanted to receive Communion, and she goes, ‘Oh, to receive my Jesus would be the best thing today!’
“Her faith was so obvious. It touched my heart.”
Jane Meier had the same feeling when she recently entered the hospital’s maternity unit. She walked into a room where a young couple felt blessed by the arrival of their child.
“It was so thrilling to be able to share the Eucharist with a couple who just had a new baby,” Jane says, beaming. “They’re receiving the Eucharist, and they know they want to be good parents. That’s awesome. I love that. I told them, ‘Jesus is with you, walking with you.’ ”
Yet perhaps the best story from Tom and Jane, who are both 85, is their own.
How they met in first grade. How Jane told her mom in the fifth grade that she was going to marry Tom and become a nurse. How they became even closer to Jesus when their daughter nearly died. How they recently celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary. How their embrace of the Eucharist has been a journey, including serving the past 40 years as eucharistic ministers.
And how even that journey toward Christ has been—and still is—a struggle at times.
‘We’re trying, we’re trying’
Having any struggles about his faith seems odd for Tom when his background is considered.
A retired pharmacist, he has a master’s degree in theology. He has served as a eucharistic minister, a pastoral assistant and a parish life coordinator at Good Shepherd Parish in Indianapolis, where he and Jane are longtime members. For about 15 years, he was also a chaplain at Franciscan Health, where he and Jane began bringing Communion to Catholic patients in 2020.
“One of the things that I think many Catholics struggle with—and we’re no different—is I hear about people who say, ‘I couldn’t live without the Eucharist, the Eucharist is everything to me.’ They have such a sense of the reality of the Eucharist—the body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ—that they’re almost filled with it,” Tom says. “But I’m no different than many others. I say, ‘I believe, Lord, but help my unbelief.’
“We talk about this a lot. How can we develop a greater appreciation for the Eucharist? Well, everything that we read says that if you want to grow closer to Jesus, pray more. So, we spend a lot of time in prayer—the rosary, morning prayer, evening prayer. And we do an Ignatian Examen at the end of the day. I don’t know if it’s getting me closer—she’s always been there—but we’re trying. We’re trying.”
Jane nods and notes that their efforts to draw closer to Christ through the Eucharist have increased through the years, in the challenges and joys of life.
“Part of it is growing older,” she says. “When you’re young, you have so much going on, so many things that you’re thinking about and doing, and raising kids—all that. As we have aged, we have dealt with some things in our family. Our daughter had sepsis and almost died when she had her second child. Things like that make you closer to Jesus. When we need Jesus, he’s there. That’s what we’ve found out. And we continue to find that out.”
Their years of bringing Communion to Catholic patients in the hospital have been part of that journey, that growth.
“Probably one of the best blessings we get is that our faith grows through the faith we see in others,” Tom says.
Jane adds, “To be able to take Jesus and give him to people who are suffering and see what that means to them, it’s an incredible blessing.”
‘How can I not be grateful?’
Tom and Jane made their last rounds as eucharistic ministers at the hospital on June 25. As that day of retirement neared, they reflected on that volunteer experience and what it has meant to them.
They view the experience as a gift, getting to share that time together, getting to share stories with each other of the patients they have met, knowing it has brought them even closer to each other. Those reasons are why they encourage other couples to volunteer together as eucharistic ministers in a hospital ministry.
At the same time, they have seen a trend among patients that saddens them.
“One of the things I’ve been aware of is that older people really want to receive the Eucharist,” Jane says. “Middle-aged people not so much. And younger people not so much even more. I’ve been discouraged by that.”
Still, they try to keep the focus on their own journey, including an emphasis on being more grateful for the blessings they have.
“A lot of times my prayers are, ‘Forgive me for being so ungrateful when I see all the suffering I see,’ ” Tom says. “How can I not be grateful for my blessings of health when I see someone who is in fair worse straits than I am, when they’re hooked up to all kinds of equipment, when they’re stage 4 cancer patients who have just a little time left?”
When he receives the Eucharist at Mass, Tom shares this thought with Jesus, ‘Thank you for the opportunity to receive you into my body. Help me to be part of your body.’ ”
In that spirit of drawing closer to Christ, Tom notes, “One of the things I’ve done recently is say, ‘Jesus, touch my tongue. Let my words be your words—kind words, not critical. Guard my tongue, and guard my eyes. Keep my eyes focused on what you want me to be focused on. And most of all, make my heart as tender as your Sacred Heart.’ ”
He laughs and adds, “That’s one of the things that has evolved. A lot of it is the age I am. Jesus says, ‘Hey, Tom, you don’t have that much time left. Don’t screw around.’ ”
Despite retiring from the hospital, the couple plans to bring the Eucharist to their friends with health issues, who are homebound.
“I do believe that getting close to the Eucharist is a journey,” Jane says. “It’s such a blessing the more I realize what I’m receiving. When we go to bed at night, we thank God that we were able to receive the Eucharist.
“The more things that happen in your life, you realize that it’s Jesus who has given his life for us. And before he gave his life for us, he said, ‘I’m going to do this for you. I’m giving you my body to live with you, to walk with you. I will be with you physically.’ It’s a hard concept, but the older you get, the more it feels real. It’s such a gift.” †
