Thursday, May 10, 2012

He is Present

"Do you realize that Jesus is there in the tabernacle expressly for you, for you alone?  He burns with the desire to come into your heart."  (St. Therese of Lisieux)

"As two pieces of wax fused together make one, so he who receives Holy Communion is so united with Christ that Christ is in him and he is in Christ."  (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

"In imitation of Mother Mary, whose soul was completely centered upon the Child within her womb, this same contentment may be attained by those who have received Holy Communion and with sure faith feel that which 'neither flesh nor blood but the heavenly Father has revealed to them' (Matthew 6:17).  They know that their Savior in body and soul is present with a most real presence in their body and in their soul in this more adorable Sacrament."  (St. Francis de Sales, Treatise on the Love of God)

"Since Christ Himself has said 'this is My Body' - who shall dare to doubt that It is His Body?"  (St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

"Although you feel tepid, approach with confidence; for the greater your infirmity, the more you stand in need of a Physician."  (St. Bonaventure)

"Because Christ Himself is present in the sacrament of the altar, He is to be honored with the worship of adoration.  'To visit the Blessed Sacrament is.. a proof of gratitude, an expression of love, and a duty of adoration toward Christ our Lord' (Paul VI)" (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1418)

"The Tabernacle is a reminder of Christ's life in us and of our surrender to Him.  We, too, are the Living Tabernacle of Jesus, a reminder, also, that our life is not governed by appearances and impressions, but by faith in the invisible Reality.  He is there as the ever-flowing Source of Grace, as our Invisible Director and Helper.  Being the living Centre of our life, He must become the Centre of our hearts and minds, the Centre to Which we are directed and from which we judge all our problems, as well as the world's."  (The Living Pyx of Jesus, Pelligrini, 1941, p. 19)