Eucharistic Piety is not just the ideal, theoretical or moral heartbeat of the parish.  It's the real, actual, living, sentient means of the spiritual health of the pastor and the local faithful.  If the pastor and his people have strong Eucharistic piety, the parish, despite outward appearances is and will remain healthy.  If the Eucharistic Piety is weak and getting weaker, the clock is ticking for the community, no matter how involved parishioners seem to be or how many parish activities or ministries that keep people busy.

The reason for this centrality is that the Eucharist is  really Jesus Christ.  And not only that the Eucharist is Jesus Christ always and forever, until the end of time, in his modality of loving us with his whole life.  That is, the Eucharist is Jesus Christ's sacrifice made present.

Piety is the virtue of honoring our kin just as Religion is the virtue of honoring God.  Eucharist Piety, then, in addition to the act of religion which it most certainly is—Jesus is God—is also an act of piety because Jesus is man.  And while it's certainly true that the moment of the incarnation, Our Lady's 'fiat' is when this kinship began, it's at Calvary that this kinship is ratified in blood.  Eucharistic Piety then rivets our awareness on the holy means by which we became part of God's family.  And we must never forget it.  Rather, we must celebrate it with all reverence and pious as long as we draw breath.  For our kinship will remain even after we die—love is stronger than death.