O sacrum convivium! is a short motet for dual purposes — to honor the feast of Corpus Christi and to serve as a communion chant in liturgical settings. The musical thought is direct, refined, colorful, and controlled in its meditative nature.
The texture, drawn from Gregorian chant, complements and transitions into the climax of tension with "we celebrate the memory of His passion," which is resolved in the final part of the motet — "the mind is filled with grace and a pledge of future glory to us is given" — with a static, organ-like choral drone.
The exclamation of alleluia provides the final gesture of joy. This jubilant ending underscores the profound theological concept at the heart of the Eucharist: that in partaking of the consecrated bread, the faithful receive an assurance of eternal life.