Tuesday, May 10, 2011

The Eucharist: A Compass for Our Lives

It is the greatest of fortunes that I am personally acquainted with so many priests who revere Christ in the Eucharist.  The celebrant of the Mass I attended this morning asked us to make the Eucharist the compass that guides our every move in life.  He talked about St. Maximillian Kolbe and how he spent hours preparing to celebrate the Eucharist and then more in thanksgiving for this profound privilege.

I would say that if we make the Eucharist the focal point of our lives, we cannot go wrong.  We may not have the opportunity to spend all day in prayer, as St. M. Kolbe did, but this does not excuse us from our obligation.  In our everyday, sometimes mundane lives, we are prevailed upon to consider Christ, completely humbled in the guise of bread, and make our every word, thought and action fitting for His Divine Presence among us.

When someone tries to beat us at a stop sign, it is the time to stop and say: "Lord, I will not respond in kind for your sake."

When a co-worker tries to make themselves look good at our expense, that is the time to stop and say: "Lord, I will endure this for You and the great love that you have for me in the Blessed Sacrament."

When a loved one inflicts such pain to our hearts that we just want to crumple on the floor in a heap, that is the time to stop and say: "Lord, I gladly accept this pain in reparation to You for all those who have rejected Your Love."

When another seems to be preferred over us, that is the time to stop and say: "Lord, thank you for letting me share an iota of  the pain that You above all know so well, of being placed on the back burner."

When we are disappointed because the priest who appears out of the sacristy to celebrate Mass is not the priest of our choice, that is the time to stop and say: "Lord, let me attend to the Holy Sacrifice of this Mass with the same love and attention with which Your Most Holy Mother stood at the foot of Your cross."

God Bless you.

4 comments:

  1. Joyce..It really is a blessing that you know priests so devoted to the Eucharist. Thanks for the practical examples on how to make our thoughts words and actions conform to Him as we consider Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
    I have a new meditation for my day tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful insights! Thanks for sharing.

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