Eucharistic Reflection - Be A Beggar-Soul

“There are beggar-souls whom God feeds without there doing anything for it, to whom He gives heaven in order to hear their eternal thanks, who go to heaven apparently in the midst of pleasures but in reality are sorely tried by everything and everybody, who seemed to do nothing good or worthwhile; but their hearts belong to God, their wills are resigned and theirs is a strong love, not a sentimental love that loves only an impulse. Precious souls indeed who make their purgatory on earth, who please the good God, and who always go to Him no matter how they feel or where they are. Be one of these souls.

Take my word for it; go to our Lord like a beggar, a very poor beggar, but one who is loved and privileged, whose only virtue is gratitude, and whose only merit is to know how to ask and receive, to want to be always in debt for everything to his Benefactor, to add daily to the sum of his debts with joy, to be insolvent but loving.

‘Blessed are you who are poor; the Kingdom of God is yours’.”

 

(Saint Peter Julian Eymard from A Eucharistic Handbook)

Eucharistic Reflection - Why Does He Remain?

 (Photo by Maria Oswalt on Unsplash)

"He is the unknown God, often deserted even by His own.

And yet He remains in the Eucharist only for man. It is His infinite love that keeps Him night and day close to man's home with all the gifts and graces of heaven. Oh! Why are men so indifferent?...

If the Christians continue to desert Jesus Christ in His temple, will not the Heavenly Father take away from them His well-beloved Son whom they neglect? Has He not already taken Him away from nations and kings, who now sit in the shadow of death?

To spare themselves this greatest of all evils, let the faithful souls bestir themselves and get together; let them become adorers in spirit and in truth of Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament; let them organize a guard of honor for the King of kings, a devoted court for the God of love!"

(St. Peter Julian Eymard from A Eucharistic Handbook)

Eucharistic Reflection - The Malice of Man

"In the Eucharist, Jesus exposes Himself without protection to the insults and outrages of the impious; and the number of his new executioners is very great. 

 

Photo by Jacob Bentzinger on Unsplash

His goodness is disregarded and despised by a large number of bad Christians.

His Holiness is defiled by so many profanations and sacrileges and that by His own children and His best friends.

The indifference of Christians leaves Him alone, abandons Him in the Tabernacle, refuses His graces, neglects and even despises Communion and the Sacrifice of the Altar.

The malice of man goes so far as to deny His presence in the adorable Host, to trample it underfoot, to feed it to filthy beasts, and to use it in diabolical magic.

At the sight of so much ingratitude on the part of man, Jesus must have been troubled and unsettled for a moment before instituting the Eucharist.

There were so many reasons against it, the strongest of which was assuredly ingratitude. What a shame for Him to live among His own like a stranger unknown to them, to be forced to take flight and seek the hospitality of pagans, of savages...

Well, in view of such a sad and discouraging picture of things to come what was the Heart of Christ to do? Unable to win the heart of man, was His love to admit defeat? And since His Eucharist was bound to be useless for some was it worth His instituting it all?

But His love triumphed over all these sacrifices. 'No,' exclaimed Jesus, 'it will not be said that man can offend Me more than I can love Him. I will love Him in spite of his ingratitude and crimes. I, his King, will wait for him to visit Me. I, his Lord, will offer him My love before he offers Me his. I, his Savior, will be at his beck and call. I, his God, will give Myself entirely to him so that he may give himself entirely to Me and that I may give him with My love all the treasures of My goodness, all the magnificence of My glory; so that I may triumph in him and that he may triumph through Me. If there are so many as a few faithful hearts, if there's only one grateful and devoted soul, I will be compensated for all My sacrifices. I will institute the Eucharist for that one soul; I will rule supreme over the heart of at least one man.'

And our Lord then instituted the adorable Sacrament of His all to great love.”

 (St. Peter Julian Eymard from A Eucharistic Handbook)