He Waits

That I May Leave My Heart

Of Jesus Concealed

'In a world where there is so much noise, so much bewilderment, there is a need for silent adoration of Jesus concealed in the Host. Be assiduous in the prayer of adoration and teach it to the faithful. It is a source of comfort and light, particularly to those who are suffering.'

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Painting: Henri Alphonse Louis Laurent-Desrousseaux

Outside, the Busy Hum

        'Yes, Lord, I've come. Too long hast Thou
        been waiting for me here alone,
        yearning to make my heart Thine own,
        whilst I - well, I am with Thee now...

        Here dwellest Thou unseen, by stealth,
        to hear our prayers and hush our sighs,
        and warm our hearts and dry our eyes,
        and lend the pining spirit health.

        Without:  the stir, the busy hum,
        the empty laugh, the heavy sigh,
        Thy creatures passing heedless by,
        like me too oft - but now I've come.

        I come and go, while through the night
        and through the day Thou mak'st Thou home
        beneath that little marble dome,
        which hides e'en Thy Disguise from sight...

        I go and come. Now bid me go
        with fuller grace and firmer will,
        though fain I'd linger near Thee still -
        but work must be our lot below.

        Thou, Lord, wilt smile upon my track
        throughout the busy hours, I know;
        Then bless me, Father, ere I go -
        Alas! I go - oh! draw me back.'

        (The Living Pyx of Jesus by A Religious, Pelligrini, 1941, pp. 503-504)

I Gaze on You

From Two Bent Knees

'Neither theological knowledge nor social action alone is enough to keep us in love with Christ unless both are preceded by a personal encounter with Him. Theological insights are gained not only from between the covers of a book, but from two bent knees before an altar. 

The Holy Hour becomes like an oxygen tank to revive the breath of the Holy Spirit in the midst of the foul and fetid atmosphere of the world.'

Venerable Fulton Sheen

Invitation

'Come to Me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you.'  

Matthew 11:28

(This video only takes 35 seconds to view.   I hope you like it as much as I do)






Photo at top of post by Connie Wells


To return to the 'Monastic Adventure in Sequence' post, click here

The Monastery Chapel

What is the absolute center of a monastery?  

The chapel.  The Tabernacle.  The Blessed Sacrament.

Why?  Because Jesus Christ is the absolute Center of monastic life.  It is as simple and profound as that.  Without Him, there really is no point to either spiritual or physical monasticism.

Mass itself is the center of the monastic day.  Other prayers prepare for, revolve around, highlight and underscore the Mass.  This is because "the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life...  In brief, the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith."  (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1324 and 1327

Before the great Wonder of the Eucharist, of Jesus with us in Flesh and Blood, I am speechless.  So I look to ones more eloquent than I as I pass along these words: 

"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)

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





"We must continually remind ourselves that the greatest need in the world today is to centre our lives more and more in the oblational aspect of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; for today, when the whole world is galloping away from the very shadow of the Cross, we must embrace it and cling to it ever more firmly, in union with Jesus Christ...." (from The Living Pyx of Jesus by 'A Religious,' Pelligrini, 1941, p. 443) 

"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) 

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

Photo at top:  All Saints Sisters of the Poor, Cantonsville MD.  Photo © Connie Wells

To read about the chapel in our hearts, click this line