Window to Heaven - 5

A Window to Heaven - 5

This past Thursday our Lord Jesus Christ gave to us the greatest gift He possible could have on earth, Himself.  This gift is meant to carry us through our spiritual journey on earth, and prepare us for meeting Him in His heavenly home.

But before we do that; each and everyone has to embrace His gift and use it to experience “the greatest peace, calm and joy that comes from being in the presence of the Bridegroom of our souls.”  No one, certainly nothing else on this earth, will ultimately satisfy our deepest longings.  In all creation, in all the beautiful things and people He has made, we see something of Him.

In the Eucharist, we see Him.  Not as we shall see Him when we leave this world, not as He wants to be known by us in eternity, but in the form in which He has chosen to come to us on our earthly journey.  Someday, when this present darkness ends and God is “all in all,” we shall see His beloved face, and we shall be embraced by and love the One Who made us out of love, redeemed us, gave Himself to darkest death for us.

For now, we gaze up at Him as our food encircled by light.  The Eucharist we adore is the window to heaven, the true Body of Our Lord truly present.  “Oh come let us adore Him.”

    (Father Raymond T. Gawronski, S.J.)

Why Pray in His Presence?

 Why Pray in His Presence?

Why go to church or a chapel with the Blessed Sacrament to pray?  Why can’t I just pray at home?

The main reason is because it speaks volumes of love to Our Lord.  You know the saying about ‘actions & words’.  “Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God and the one most helpful to us” (St Alphonsus Liguori).  Jesus made it clear in Gethsemane that the presence of His friends brought comfort. (Mt 26:38)  In His humanity, He likes to be with those He loves as much as we love to be with family.  Texting, phone calls, or face-time are all nice, but they don’t compete with actually being together.

Jesus manifests His great love for us by being Truly Present.  He humbles Himself to become our food, and by waiting patiently in the monstrance in the hope that we’ll come and visit Him.  He’s called the “Prisoner of Love”, for He’s chosen too imprison Himself thus for us.  This is the one corporal work of mercy we can perform directly for Jesus: visit the imprisoned.

(Eight Ways of Loving God - Jeanette Flood)