The Real Presence of Jesus
Both of these pictures are the Real Presence of Jesus, but I'm not going to lie, I have struggled with the idea of Eucharistic Adoration for most of my adult life. Praying in front of the consecrated host in the monstrance has never really spoken to me as a form of prayer, as a way of being in relationship with Jesus. I felt that receiving Eucharist and then going out to serve others was the "best" way to experience the real presence of Jesus. And here is my confession: I have sometimes irreverently said, "Open up the monstrance and let Jesus out into the world!" I felt adoration was mostly just a pious practice that people participated in as an end to itself; as the "best" Catholic way to pray. Once I got off of my high horse and stopped judging people, it occurred to me that it is ONE of many great Catholic ways to pray, and if THAT Real Presence brings a person into a closer relationship with Jesus and then leads them into the world to be that REAL PRESENCE for others, then it's an awesome way to pray!!
Now, here is the ironic twist to my old way of thinking: When I am struggling with something, I often go to the chapel and pray by the tabernacle. When I enter that intimate space, I bow to the tabernacle and I always touch it as if to say, "Hey Jesus, I'm here and I really need to feel your presence." And why do I do that, because I feel a physical closeness to Jesus there and really, isn't that what Eucharistic Adoration is? Funny what we can see when we remove "the log" from our own eyes!!!
Fr. James Martin has some great things to say about Eucharistic Adoration:
And a few words from Joe Paprocki about the Real Presence from his book, Living the Sacraments:
"When Jesus is offering us his body, he is offering us his being, his very personhood...When Jesus offers us his blood, he invites us to "consume" his very life, to enter his domain. In essence, to receive the Eucharist is to be consumed with Jesus. Our being and life come into communion with Jesus' being and life... Real presence does not stop with Jesus in the Eucharist, we are called to be truly present to those we encounter in our homes, workplaces, and communities."
(page 63 and I still have copies of the book if you'd like one)
CHALLENGE: This week continue to live out the Sacrament of Eucharist by truly being present to others. Put your phone down, turn off the TV, look people in the eye, and just listen when they speak to you. Jesus made a point of being present to others when he was on this earth and he invites us to do the same. We are sharing in his divine life when we are truly present to one another.
When we live the Sacrament of Eucharist all week long, we make "visible, the invisible."
Opportunities To Be Grateful For
Laidback Book Club
We start Brant Hanson's, UNOFFENDABLE on Sunday. We have a Facebook group or you can just read along until January 12 when we will meet to discuss the book. You can find details in the bulletin or on the website.
Eucharist, Our Great Thanksgiving Feast
Please join us on November 22 for dinner and a presentation by Father Rob about Eucharist. Dinner is at 6:30 and the presentation will begin around 7:00. Everyone is invited BUT please register by Friday so our amazing volunteers know how much delicious food to make:
Enough for today. Wishing you all a week of experiencing and being the Real Presence of Jesus in the world!
With Joy and Gratitude,
lyn