Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament

“We await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body” (Phil 3:20-21) 

“Lord, I’m waiting for you”

An excerpt from a reflection by Bishop Robert Barron

I strongly recommend the classically Catholic discipline of Eucharistic Adoration. To spend a half hour or an hour in the presence of the Lord is not to accomplish or achieve very much—it is not really “getting” anywhere—but it is a particularly rich form of spiritual waiting.

As you keep vigil before the Blessed Sacrament, bring to Christ some problem or dilemma that you have been fretting over, and then say, “Lord, I’m waiting for you to solve this, to show me the way out, the way forward. I’ve been running, planning, worrying, but now I’m going to let you work.” Then … watch attentively for signs.

Also, when you pray before the Eucharist, allow your desire for the things of God to intensify; allow your heart and soul to expand. Pray, “Lord, make me ready to receive the gifts you want to give,” or even, “Lord Jesus, surprise me.”

Jubilee Year of Hope

This year we have many reasons to hope! Pope Francis declared the Year of Hope from December 29, 2024 to December 28, 2025. Whereas it is usually possible to only gain one plenary indulgence for the deceased per day, the Vatican has stated that this year two may be obtained daily for the Holy Souls. Angelo Cardinal De Donatis wrote, “Despite the rule that only one plenary indulgence can be obtained per day (cf. Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, IV ed., norm. 18, § 1), the faithful who have carried out an act of charity on behalf of the souls in Purgatory, if they receive Holy Communion a second time that day, can obtain the plenary indulgence twice on the same day, applicable only to the deceased (this must take place within a Eucharistic celebration; see can. 917 and the Pontifical Commission for the authentic interpretation of the CIC, Responsa ad dubia, 1, 11 July 1984). Through this double act, a praiseworthy exercise of supernatural charity is carried out, through that bond by which the faithful still journeying on this earth are united in the mystical Body of Christ, with those who have already completed their journey, by virtue of the fact that ‘the Jubilee indulgence, thanks to the power of prayer, is intended in a particular way for those who have gone before us, so that they may obtain full mercy’” (Spes non confundit, 22). Don’t miss the opportunity to pray for the deceased this year!

Lent: A Time of Growth and Devotion

“In addition to daily Mass, making time for Eucharistic adoration more often during lent and beyond is a practice to consider. Eucharistic adoration is when we visit Jesus in the Eucharist. This presence is truly his body, blood, soul, and divinity. Sitting quietly before our Lord in a chapel or church is what it is all about. It is a time of prayer, reflection, but most of all just being with the Lord. Lent offers an invitation for growth. Simply spending time with him is also a time of growth and of devotion.” (Dr. Ann DeSantis, “Lent as a Opportunity for Deeper Devotion to the Eucharist”)  

Eucharistic Miracle: Grossetto, Italy

“One day, Saint Lucia Filippini [(1672-1732), feast, March 25,] was making her way to Pitigliano near Grosseto, to supervise a school for craftsmen which she had founded. First, however, she stopped at the church of the Franciscan Fathers to attend Holy Mass. So great was Lucia’s desire to receive Jesus in the Eucharist that the Lord wished to reward her with a miracle. When the priest was breaking the large Host in half to place a small Fragment in the chalice, this very Part escaped his hand and flew into the air, radiating light, and came to rest on the tongue of the future saint. Today, the shrine where the miracle took place is under the care of the devout Filipini Sisters.” (deepertruthcatholics.com)

Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord—January 5: “The nearest Bethlehem you have is the Adoration Chapel, where Jesus himself is hidden in the tabernacle or exposed, but always present for you, 24/7. Jesus in the Eucharist, the same child that the Magi from the East traveled for days and nights to adore, stays present for you and for me in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. Jesus is present in the Eucharist. The most tangible manifestation we have today of Our Lord is in the Eucharist.” (Maria Elisa Olivas)

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord—Feast, Jan. 12: “Jesus, Divine Master, we adore You as the only-begotten Son of God, who came on earth to give abundant life to humanity. We thank You because by Your death on the cross, You give us life through Baptism and You nourish us in the Eucharist” (Bl. James Alberione).

Day of Penance for Violations to the Dignity of the Human Person—Jan. 22: Jesus, you came that we might have life— and have it in abundance. Together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, you form us in our mothers’ wombs and call us to love you for all eternity. As your most precious gift of human life is attacked, draw us ever closer to your Real Presence in the Eucharist. Dispel the darkness of the culture of death, for you are the light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it. By the power of your Eucharistic Presence, help us to defend the life of every human person at every stage. Transform our hearts to protect and cherish all whose lives are most vulnerable. For you are God, forever and ever. Amen. (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)

St. Francis de Sales, Bishop, Doctor, France (1567-1622)—Feast, Jan. 24: We might wonder what practical suggestions Saint Francis de Sales gives for approaching the sacramental love of God, who approaches us first. In his Introduction to the Devout Life, de Sales describes what he calls the “short method of meditation.” Within this method, he suggests two primary points of preparation: (1) place yourself in the presence of God, and (2) invoke God’s assistance. Below is a summary of what we could call “meditative prompts for Eucharistic adoration.

• ”Place yourself in the presence of God

o “Have a lively, attentive realization of God’s absolute presence.”

o “Remember that God is not only in the place where you are but also that he is present in a most particular manner in your heart and in the very center of your spirit.”

o “Consider how our Savior in his humanity gazes down from heaven on all mankind, and most especially on those who are at prayer, whose actions and conduct he observes.”

o “Use your imagination to represent to yourself the Savior in his sacred humanity as if he were near us, just as we sometimes imagine a friend to be present. If the most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar is present, then Christ’s presence is real and not purely imaginary.

• Invoke God’s assistance

o “Knowing that it stands in God’s presence, your soul prostrates itself before him with the most profound reverence.”

o “Implore God’s grace in order to serve and adore him properly in your meditation with some short, ardent words, such as:

   O God, cast me not out from your presence and your Holy Spirit take not from me.

 Let your face shine upon your servant

 I will consider the wonders of your law.

 Give me discernment and I will keep it with my whole heart.

 I am your servant; give me discernment.”

• •  “It will also be helpful to invoke your guardian angel as well as the holy saints who had part in the mystery on which you meditate.”

By allowing Saint Francis de Sales to guide us along the way of meditative prayer, we too will be able to develop a faith like his in the supernatural power of divine providence unleashed in the Eucharist. When we come up against another crisis in life, we can be confident that our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, will lead us into still waters, even if it seems that he remains calmly asleep in the stern of the boat. Saint Francis de Sales teaches us that crisis itself is a launchpad into the mystery of Christ, who never fails to nourish us with his most sacred Body and Blood in the Eucharist so that “the journey may not be too much for you!” (1 Kings 19:7).

The Presentation of the Lord and Jubilee of Consecrated Life—Feast, February 2: “The Word of God permeates the Sacred Liturgy, and the Word Incarnate, Jesus in the Flesh, is made present at every Mass. We might say that every word of Sacred Scripture points to what happens on the altar – Jesus Christ, the Word of God, is made present really and truly in the Blessed Sacrament. We can say that every time we come to Mass, the Lord in the Flesh is presented in the temple! During this time of Eucharistic Revival, our eyes, our ears and our hearts must be opened to His entrance, to His Eucharistic Presence at Mass!” (Most Rev. William J. Waltersheid, Bishop of Pittsburgh) “Consecrated men and women called by that very consecration to more prolonged contemplation: never forget that Jesus in the tabernacle wants you to be at his side, so that he can fill your hearts with the experience of his friendship, which alone gives meaning and fulfillment to your lives.” (St. John Paul II, Mane Nobiscum Domine-Stay with us, Lord)

St. Agatha, Consecrated Virgin, Martyr, Patroness of Nurses, Breast Cancer, Italy (251)—Feast, February 5: “In the face of the cruelest sufferings, she was a sign of the Church herself, the mystical spouse of Christ, whom the Apostle [St. Paul] has betrothed ‘to Christ to present [her] as a pure bride to her one husband.’ In the life of Saint Agatha, we see the fulfillment of the promise of unceasing and immeasurable love of the Lord for every person, without boundary or limit, that divine love in which we partake in the fullest and most perfect manner by means of the Eucharistic Sacrifice which we are now offering with the Lord.” (His Eminence Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke)

Our Lady of Lourdes:

Lord Jesus, You are here!…. We contemplate him. We adore him. We love him. We seek to grow in love for him. We contemplate him who, in the course of his Passover meal, gave his body and blood to his disciples, so as to be with them “always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20) ….

Whether we are walking or nailed to a bed of suffering; whether we are walking in joy or languishing in the wilderness of the soul (cf. Num 21:4): Lord, take us all into your Love; the infinite Love which is eternally the Love of the Father for the Son and the Son for the Father, the Love of the Father and the Son for the Spirit, and the Love of the Spirit for the Father and the Son. The sacred host exposed to our view speaks of this infinite power of Love manifested on the glorious Cross. The sacred host speaks to us of the incredible abasement of the One who made himself poor so as to make us rich in him, the One who accepted the loss of everything so as to win us for his Father. The sacred host is the living, efficacious and real sacrament of the eternal presence of the saviour of mankind to his Church ….

Mary, the holy Virgin, Mary, the Immaculate Conception, accepted, two thousand years ago, to give everything, to offer her body so as to receive the Body of the Creator. Everything came from Christ, even Mary; everything came through Mary, even Christ . . . . Holy Virgin, help us to contemplate, help us to adore, help us to love, to grow in love for him who loved us so much, so as to live eternally with him.

An immense crowd of witnesses is invisibly present beside us, very close to this blessed grotto and in front of this church that the Virgin Mary wanted to be built; the crowd of all those men and women who have contemplated, venerated, adored the real presence of him who gave himself to us even to the last drop of blood; the crowd of all those men and women who have spent hours in adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar. (Excerpt from the text of the Eucharistic Procession in the Prairie of Lourdes from catholicnewsagency.com) 

St. Scholastica, Benedictine Nun, Abbess, Italy (480-547)—Feast, February 10: St. Scholastica was dedicated to a life of contemplation in the monastic tradition. She chose “the better part” from her youth and remained adoringly at Jesus’ feet. She was close to her twin, St. Benedict, and lived a life of prayer and work.

St. Claude de la Colombiere, Priest, Jesuit, France (d. 1682)—Feast, February 15: “The Lord asked that a feast be established to honour his Heart and that a ‘reparation of honour’ be made to him in Eucharistic communion. Margaret Mary passed on to ‘the faithful servant and perfect friend'’, whom she recognized in Fr. La Colombiere, the mission of ‘establishing this devotion and of giving this pleasure to my divine Heart' …. When one has discovered in Eucharist adoration and meditation the Heart of Jesus ‘ever burning with love for human beings’ (Retraites, n. 150), how could one let oneself be seduced by forms of meditation which turn in on the self without welcoming the presence of the Lord?” (St. John Paul II quoting St. Margaret Mary, Homily, 5/31/92)

The Chair of St. Peter the Apostle—Feast, February 22: “Embrace the Eucharist, tradition, and the apostolic succession. Jesus is our founder, and that’s the most real connection we have. Stay strong in faith and draw from the rich heritage of our Church.” (Jonathan Roumie, actor, “The Chosen”)

St. Gregory of Narek, Abbot, Doctor of the Church, Poet, Monk, Turkey (c. 945-1003)—Feast, February 27: A member of the Armenian Apostolic Church, St. Gregory wrote the spiritual classic, Book of Prayer, focusing on the sacraments of the Church. “There is no king to rule my life except you, Christ, who lifts away the affliction of sin with your all-powerful Word; who redeemed [me] with your blood and fed [me] with your body.” (St. Gregory)

St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, Patron of Clerics & Youth, Italy (1838-1862)—Feast, February 27: “In his visits to the Blessed Sacrament, and in Holy Communion one thought was predominant in his mind: ‘He who is here, suffered and died for me!’ During the hours spent daily in meditation in the shadow of the tabernacle, one thought was ever welling up from his heart: ‘He who suffered and died for me is here!’” (Hyacinth Hage and Nicholas J. Ward)

St. Katharine Drexel, Rel., Patron of Racial Justice and Philanthropists, America (1858-1955)—Feast, March 3: St. Katharine gave up her riches to serve Black and Indigenous Americans. She founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. “My sweetest Joy is to be in the presence of Jesus in the holy Sacrament. I beg that when obliged to withdraw in body, I may leave my heart before the holy Sacrament. How I would miss Our Lord if He were to be away from me by His presence in the Blessed Sacrament!” (St. Katharine)

St. Casimir, Prince, Incorrupt, Patron of Youth, Bachelors, Kings, Princes, Poland (1458-1484)—Feast, March 4: St. Casimir “embraced a life of celibacy, submitted himself humbly to God’s will in all things, devoted himself with tender love to the Blessed Virgin Mary and developed a fervent practice of adoring Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament.” (St. John Paul II) He was devoted to serving his country and performing acts of charity and penance. His body is incorrupt. He is patron against epidemics.

Ash Wednesday—March 5: “Let us return, brothers and sisters. Let us return to God with all our heart. During these weeks of Lent, let us make space for the prayer of silent adoration, in which we experience the presence of the Lord, like Moses, like Elijah, like Mary, like Jesus. Have we noticed that we have lost the sense of worship? Let us return to worship. Let us lend the ear of our hearts to the One who, in silence, wants to say to us: ‘I am your God – the God of mercy and compassion, the God of pardon and love, the God of tenderness and care… Do not judge yourself. Do not condemn yourself. Do not reject yourself. Let my love touch the deepest, most hidden corners of your heart and reveal to you your own beauty, a beauty that you have lost sight of, but will become visible to you again in the light of my mercy.’” (Pope Francis, Ash Wednesday 2024, Homily)

St. Patrick, Bishop, Missionary, Patron of Ireland (c. 387–c. 461)—Feast, March 17: “This is who we confess and adore, One God in Trinity of sacred name.” (St. Patrick, Confessions)  

St. Joseph, Patron of Universal Church, Spouse of Blessed Virgin Mary—Feast, March 19: “[St. Joseph] us, as well, to receive the extraordinary gifts of God. Consider that before the liturgy and during the introductory rites of Mass, we make room to receive Christ by emptying ourselves of interior noise — the silence of preparation. We hold our hearts open in the silence of attentive listening during the Liturgy of the Word. As the gifts are prepared, we can make a silent self-offering, like St. Joseph did after he listened to the angel. Then there is a silence beyond words as bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ and we receive him into our own body. Finally, we rest in a silence of savoring as we pray our thanksgiving after holy Communion. “St. Joseph exemplifies each of these forms of silence — so much so that we might say he participated interiorly in an endless liturgy.” (Fr. Boniface Hicks, OSB, “St. Joseph’s Eloquent Silence”)

St. Oscar Romero, Bishop, Martyr, Patron of Persecuted Christians, El Salvador (1917-1980)—Feast, March 24: St. Oscar spoke against injustices and was ultimately killed while saying Mass. “The eucharist makes us look back to Calvary twenty centuries ago .. . it also looks ahead to the future, to the eternal, eschatological and definitive horizon that presents itself as a demanding ideal to all political systems, to all social struggles, to all those concerned for the earth. The church does not ignore the earth, but in the eucharist it says to all who work on earth: look beyond. Each time the Victim is lifted up at Mass, Christ’s call is heard: ‘Until we drink it anew in my Father’s kingdom.’ And the people reply: ‘Come, Lord Jesus.’… Death is not the end. Death is the opening of eternity’s portal.” (St. Oscar)

We wish you a Blessed Lenten Season!  

Prayer Intentions: Please send us the names of loved ones and any special intentions that you would like us to pray for throughout these holy days before Jesus, Our Eucharistic Lord! We especially remember all of the sick, suffering, and our beloved deceased.  

We need your prayers and financial contributions more urgently than ever to continue on this most important saving work! Won’t you help us? Please be generous. (Visa / MC accepted) 

M.B.S., P.O. Box 1701, Plattsburgh, NY 12901 (518) 561-8193 http://www.acfp2000.com

Start Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in your parish or community today!