Eucharistic Reflection-The Pain of Not Receiving Love for Love

(St. Joseph's Parish, Oneida, NY)

“O Jesus, how great is Thy humility in this Sacrament. Though Thou art the eternal and almighty God, Thou hast lowered Thyself, tak­ing the form of man for love of me and for the sake of my salvation. Not only hast Thou become my Elder Brother, a fellow-creature, but Thou hast willed to be the very food of my soul in Holy Communion. Once Thy human form cloaked Thy divinity, but now the appearances of bread hide even Thy Humanity. I can see Thee only with the eyes of faith.

How humbly Thou dost obey Thy priests! One word from their lips and Thou dost come down upon the altar in Holy Mass and renew the Sacrifice of Calvary in an unbloody manner. Thou dost permit Thy priests to give Thee as the Bread of Life to those who come to the Holy Table; Thou dost not shrink even from the unworthy. Thou dost allow Thyself to be carried wherever Thy priests bear Thee. Heaven and earth are subject to Thee, 0 King of Glory, and yet Thou dost lower Thyself before Thy sinful creatures, living with them in the Sacred Host—offering Thyself for them, coming to their hearts in Holy Communion.

The great test of humility is the pain of not receiving love for love, and that too Thou dost bear. In this Sacrament Thou dost live entirely for me. Thine unbounded love urges the desire to unite Thyself with me in Holy Communion. Thou dost long to enrich me with Thy blessings and gladden my soul. And yet what do I give Thee in return? What do so many of us Catholics do to return love for love? How many of us pay scant attention to Thine invitation! How many of us fail to receive Thee frequently in Holy Communion! Too often are we cold and ungrateful, unmindful of Thy love, half-hearted or even irreverent at Mass and Holy Commu­nion! Thou dost patiently bear with this indifference. Despite our ingratitude, Thou dost continue to grant us countless blessings and thus teach us the noblest kind of humility: to love even when love is not returned; to embrace even humiliations.”

(From A Novena of Holy Communions by Father Lawrence G. Lovasik, SVD)