JESUS' LOVE IN THE EUCHARIST

Divine Appeal Reflection  - 106

Today, consider in Divine Appeal 106:  "It is this great love for mankind that makes Me swell day and night in the tabernacle veiled under the  species of bread, concealed in the small white host bearing  blasphemies, abuses and insults. I come to seek shelter in the  Eucharist. I gave all of Myself to mankind that they may take Me. I pour My tears over mankind."

Following the Eucharistic celebration, the Eucharist signifies the living, real presence of the Lord Jesus within the Christian community, residing in the tabernacle. He continues to be the heart of the parish: "The Eucharist is reserved in the churches and oratories," writes Paul VI in Mysterium Fidei, "as the spiritual centre of the religious and parish community." The work started in Holy Mass and Eucharistic Communion is continued by the Lord Jesus in the tabernacle. Indeed, according to the Pope, "He lives with us full of grace and truth; He renews moral life, nourishes virtue, consoles the afflicted, strengthens the weak, and urges all those who approach Him to imitate Him." 

The true meaning of the worship of Christ in the Eucharist reserved in the tabernacle lies in its connection to the Mass and Holy Communion. It is a devotion that continues the Mass and its fruits as both a sacrifice and a meal. Visits to the Blessed Sacrament, adoration, and Eucharistic processions all draw their significance from this understanding. If the presence in the tabernacle is separated from the Mass and Communion, the devotion loses its theological clarity. Christ is in the tabernacle as a consequence of the sacrifice and the meal, and only in relation to these can His presence be properly understood.

Considering this profound reality, we must make time in our hectic schedules to regularly visit the tabernacle. These visits are opportunities for close interaction with Jesus, during which we can confide in Him, get His wisdom, and feel His serenity. The simple act of spending time before the sacrament of the Lord allows us to grow in holiness and deepen our relationship with our Savior. In the tabernacle Christ stands as the victim, continuing His intercession and intercession for us as described in Hebrews 7:25: "He always lives to intercede for us."

May Sr. Anna Ali intercede for us, that we too may place Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament at the center of our lives. Through her intercession, may we grow in holiness, find solace in His presence, and become fervent apostles of His love in a world in desperate need of His grace.