J.M.J.
Venerable Fulton John Sheen wrote years ago that while
Jesus could have chosen to leave anything—financial security, a promise of
earthly contentment, etc.—as a “last will and testament” to His Apostles during
the Last Supper on the evening of Holy Thursday, He decided to leave behind the
very best gift possible: Himself. And the world has never been the same.
The Most Holy Eucharist is the real, true and
substantial Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Son of God, Who is the Son of
Mary. How fortunate we are to have the Most Blessed Sacrament near us.
The Solemnity of Corpus Christi highlights the
Church’s sincerest and continual gratitude to God for this magnificent treasure
that never grows old. The Church would not be the Church without the Most Holy
Eucharist. And the Holy Spirit inspires the Faithful to be aware that the
Church adores the Father in Jesus Christ living in the Holy Eucharist through
the power of the Holy Spirit.
During this period in which an important debate
continues concerning whether pro-abortion Catholic politicians should be denied
the Holy Eucharist, we administer to ourselves an examination of conscience regarding
our own attitudes towards the Bread of Life and the Chalice of Salvation. Here
are only a few possible questions.
Do I know what the Holy Eucharist is? Can I explain
this “Sacrament of Sacraments” to another?
Can I identify persons in my life who seem (or, if
deceased, seemed) to be on “fire” for the Holy Eucharist? Who are my
Eucharistic “heroes” and “heroines”?
How do I prepare myself to receive Holy Communion? Am
I aware of the obligation to fast for one hour from food and drink (medicine and
water may be taken) before receiving the Most Holy Eucharist?
Do I confess any and all previously unconfessed mortal
sins to a priest within the Sacrament of Penance before going to Holy
Communion?
Do I notice any difference in my thoughts and behavior
after receiving Holy Communion?
Have the years of receiving the Body and the Blood of
Christ made me less self-serving and more generous towards the outcast, lonely,
poor, forgotten and dying?
If I were to stop availing myself of the Most Holy
Eucharist, would I remain charitable and joyful? Can I exist without Jesus in
the Most Blessed Sacrament?
Have I ever contemplated the link between the
Eucharistic Jesus and the Mother of God?
Do I spend time in adoration of the Holy Eucharist, whether
reserved in the Tabernacle or exposed in the Monstrance?
Our response to the Most Holy Eucharist is quite
simple: adoration, love and conversion. How pleased the Risen Lord Jesus will
be when His needy sons and daughters finally cooperate and allow His Body and
Blood to bring about their genuine happiness in this life as well as in the
next.
“O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, All praise
and all thanksgiving, be every moment Thine.”
Jesus, Living in the Most Blessed Sacrament, have
mercy on us!
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