Eucharistic Reflection - April 3, 2013

“Simeon's prophecy of Jesus being rejected continues in our age as the Holy Eucharist is an embarrassment to the proud today, just as His Incarnation, the Eucharist, and His Cross was a stumbling block to those not open to God's plan of salvation 2000 years ago. At Jesus' first Eucharistic discourse, His disciples walked away. Now His disciples walk away from the call to Eucharistic adoration.

So many live their lives as if our Eucharistic Lord were not there. From all the empty churches, Jesus cries out: ‘I hold this against you. . . you have turned away from your first love.’ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.’ ‘The Master is here and calls you.’

The Eucharist is the same attractive Jesus of the Gospel. Little children came to Him, and everyone wanted to know: ‘Teacher, where do You live?’…He said to them: 'Come and see.’…From all the locked churches today, Jesus again cries out: ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for such is the kingdom of Heaven.’

This is why your visit to Him today is so important. You console Him for those who turn away from His Eucharistic love just as much as His friends consoled Him at Bethany when they said: ‘Stay with us Lord.’ Here He says to you now what He said

to them then: ‘Because you love Me, you are the oasis of My Heart,’ for adoration is appreciation of the gift of Our Lord's total presence among us in the Holy Eucharist.

…Mary took Jesus to the temple because He Himself would become the New Temple who makes sacred and holy the house of God through His Eucharistic Presence on earth…‘I saw the temple was filled with the glory of the Lord,’ for He said: ‘this is where My throne shall be, this is where I will set the soles of My feet; here I will dwell forever.’

This is where the desire of His Heart is to be honored day and night…Simeon's joy is our joy today as in the Blessed Sacrament we behold what Simeon proclaimed at the Presentation…

…Mary helps us ‘to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus’, that rejoicing in Him may be our strength as His Eucharistic love consumes all our miseries and repairs all our deficiencies…Jesus dwells with us because we are so dear to His Heart. Here He cherishes us and longs for us to cherish Him…We become happy looking at the love of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, for each moment we look at Him repairs what is wrong within us and deepens our union with our Divine Lord.

(From Rosary Mediations from Mother Teresa of Calcutta – Loving Jesus with the Heart of Mary)

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