Eucharistic Reflection - Jesus, The Bread of Life
"You want to progress without Communion? But Christian
tradition is against you! No longer say the Our Father, since you ask in that
prayer for your daily Bread, the Bread you think to do without!
Without Communion, one is constantly in the heat of
the battle. One knows only the difficulties in the acquisition of virtue, not
the sweetness of its practice - the joy of working, not simply for oneself and
moved solely by the hope of reward, but purely for the glory of God, from love
of Him, from affection, like little children. He who receives Communion finds
it easy to understand that having received much, he must give a great deal in
return. That is piety - intelligent, filial, and loving piety. Besides, even
in the severest trials, Communion makes the soul happy, filling it with a
tender and loving joy.
The height of perfection is to remain united with God
in the midst of the most violent interior temptations, and it is when you are
most tempted that God most loves you. Yet, in order that these storms may not
overwhelm you, learn to return frequently to the divine fountainhead to renew
your strength and to purify yourself more and more in that torrent of grace and
love.
Receive Communion therefore! Eat the Bread of Life if
you wish to live well, if you wish to obtain sufficient strength for the
Christian combat, if you wish to possess happiness even in the thick of
misfortune.
The Holy Eucharist is the Bread of the weak and of the
strong. To the weak, clearly, it is necessary; but to the strong likewise,
since they bear their treasure in fragile vessels and are threatened on every
hand by desperate enemies. Let us, then, take care that we have a guard, a sure
escort, fortifying food for our journey; thus will Jesus be, our Bread of Life."
(St. Peter Julian Eymard from How To Get More Out of Holy Communion)