Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

“Do any of us suffer as much as our dear Lord, who suffers shame and injury every day? If He were now able to suffer as He once was, He would suffer more now than He did when He was put to death. Countless times every day He is crucified again, by the horrible oaths that are sworn upon His death and His wounds, by the mortal sins which daily renew His Passion, reopen His wounds, and make His Precious Blood flow again. What shameful things are inflicted on Him every day when His pure, precious, divine body is received into so many foul, stinking, devilish vessels? We are those vessels, made for Him, and we knowingly fill them with created things. If He were still capable of feeling the torments He knew on earth, it would hurt Him more to be received by such men than it once hurt to be received by Judas; for they have the faith. They know that He is their God and their Creator, which Judas did not. If those who love God could feel in their bodies the pain which they feel in their heart...

The internet is filled with countless laments over the Pew Research Center’s recent findings that only 26 per cent of Catholics under the age of 40 believe that Jesus is really, truly an d substantially present in the Eucharist. This is not news.  This loss of belief in our Lord’s physical Presence among us is long-standing. In fact, one of the primary reasons I began blogging in 2010 was to address this pressing concern by seeking to promote belief in, reverence for, and awe and amazement of the Holy Eucharist and Eucharistic Adoration.  Unfortunately, far too many of our Bishops and priests, whose duty it is to assure our Lord the reverence He deserves and to save souls, have been reluctant to do so. I have written much on this subject. If you are interested you can read a sample of my prior posts here and here .