'Jesus Thirsts' Review

New documentary shows the power of the Eucharist working in the lives of Catholics worldwide as well as portraying the beauty of the Faith

I’ll be honest: I did not have high expectations for this film. Which is why I am extremely pleased to report to you all that it blew me away.

I’ve seen lots of Catholic documentaries in my time, and they have been (generally) quite good and edifying, full of good historical or theological information and inspiring me to live my faith. However, I experienced all of them either on EWTN, or on home video of some sort, or more recently on Youtube and Formed. Rarely have I felt that a Catholic documentary, as good as they might be, deserved a wide theatrical release. So going into Jesus Thirsts, I definitely felt that this film would really have to win me over to justify its big screen release (and accompanying price tag).

And boy did it ever.

Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist is a documentary about the power and glory of the Holy Eucharist. It is not, as I thought going in, a movie about Eucharistic miracles (although a couple are featured), but rather about the awesome and incomprehensible miracle performed daily at Catholic churches around the world. Born out of concern that Catholics are losing their faith in Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist and timed to coincide with the USCCB’s National Eucharistic Revival, Jesus Thirsts aims to show the power of the Eucharist working in the lives of people and communities across the globe. It is not heavy on theology, although there are short segments with esteemed figures such as Scott Hahn, Noelle Mering, and Fr. Donald Calloway to present the biblical and theological background of our belief in the Eucharist. It is not an apologetic work and is not intended to defend or promote Eucharistic belief among non-Catholics. Jesus Thirsts is aimed directly at a Catholic audience, to call us to belief in Christ’s true presence among us in the Blessed Sacrament and to invite us to a deeper and richer relationship with him.

The film accomplishes this by showing lots of small stories from various Catholic communities around the world and how their ministry and their joy is sustained by a close relationship with Christ in the Eucharist. Each of these segments is a beautiful glimpse into these communities life of faith and devotion and left me longing for the peace and joy which they displayed. A few stand-out segments in my opinion were following a missionary priest to a small Ugandan village; joining dozens of imprisoned criminals in Texas for Mass and Eucharistic adoration; entering a Spanish-speaking parish named for a Polish saint in Chicago where they have an enormous Monstrance embedded in a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Ark of the Covenant; hearing the story of Venerable Cardinal Nguyễn Văn Thuận, who consecrated the Eucharist using scraps of bread and smuggled wine during his 13 year imprisonment by Communists in Vietnam; and joining the Sisters of Life in New York City as they invite passersby to join them for adoration at St. Patrick’s Cathedral by their cheerfulness, joy, and love. Each of these vignettes was inspiring and truly exemplified Eucharistic life in practice.

The film was also very well made and beautifully shot. Almost everything about the craftsmanship behind the film was superb. There were beautiful shots of liturgy, churches, the majesty of God’s creation, and the people created in His image. The talking head segments were as professional as any I’ve seen, and the editing and VFX were clean and beautiful. There were a couple of technical flaws; for example, they REALLY liked to use their one After Effects transition. However, these distracted only for a moment and did not detract from the overall beauty of the film and power of its subject matter.

Like I said earlier, I am not typically one to gush over every Catholic documentary that comes out. However, this one moved me powerfully through its excellent filmmaking, eye for beauty, and especially the marvelous stories which it tells. It was in theaters for three days last week and I have seen reports that it was so successful that it is coming back to some theaters on June 18 and 19.¹ I highly encourage any Catholic to go see it on those days and truly drink in the beauty and majesty of Christ in the Eucharist that it presents. I think it will deepen your faith in and love of Christ in the Eucharist; it certainly did for me. Jesus thirsts for us to come to Him in the Eucharist; and He is the Living Water which is the only thing that can truly quench the burning thirst within all of us.

1. I confirmed that it would be playing again on those days at my little mall theater in rural West Virginia, so I am sure most people in the US will be able to find a reasonably close screening.