Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament

“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we have seen His glory:

the glory of an only Son coming from the Father, filled with enduring love.” (Jn 1:14)

“It pains me greatly when I go to a Catholic church and it’s locked. Folks, we can do better than this. Don’t leave Him alone. He’s the King of kings, the Lord of lords who made everything for us. And you can’t outdo God in generosity. That’s why we need a revival of the Catholic Church in this country through the Holy Eucharist. The best thing we can do for our country is to be good Catholics, who know Christ, love Christ, imitate Christ and bring Christ to others because He is the Savior of the world.” -Fr. Francis Joseph Hoffman (Fr. Rocky)

Jesus wants you

Excerpt from an article by Sr. Ann Immaculée, SV

One night I went to the adoration chapel at my local parish in town. I had never gone by myself before, and I still remember it like it was yesterday. I walked in; all of the lights were low, no one was there. It was so silent I could hear my breath. I knelt down right in front of the Lord and I said, “Jesus, do you love me?” It was simple. I needed to know. And as I remained there before him, an undeniable wave of love and presence washed over me. I knew I wasn’t the only person in that room. God was here before me in the Eucharist. He knew everything about me, and he loved me deeply and personally.

    This experience changed my life and became the foundation of who I was. And he wants to do the same for you. Are you open to receiving it?

    Jesus waits for you at every moment of every day in the tabernacle. When we doubt God’s goodness or our own, or when we struggle to understand why certain things have happened, he waits to respond to us with himself. In fact, he is thinking of you right now. He has a real heart, burning with love for you, waiting to meet you in the exact place of your need. He makes himself vulnerable and available in the Eucharist to meet you in your vulnerability.

    Our days are filled with so many to-do-lists, leaving us feeling overwhelmed, or at best, scattered. Is it possible for Jesus’ real, substantial presence in the Eucharist to permeate and pervade our every moment? Think about someone that you love. Isn’t it true that they are always somewhat present to you? Whether by thought or memory, those we love remain with us. It’s the same with Jesus. Surely, we never leave his thoughts. He desires us constantly and his gaze never leaves us. But can he always remain in our minds and within our reach?

    The answer, undoubtedly, is yes. There is no aspect of your life — no struggle, temptation, no worry, no fear, no burden, that is unseen or unnoticed by Jesus. In fact, your needs and weaknesses are an access point to encounter him. The task for us is to turn to him in our need, “Jesus, I need you here.” In a sense, this plea moves the heart of Jesus out of the tabernacle and into our very hearts, sanctifying every time and place — including the grocery store, the workplace and our own home.

    I was helping out with a weekend retreat for some of the mothers that we serve and their children. One of the little boys there, whom I will call Paul, bounced around with his curly black hair, big blue eyes, radiant smile. He wanted to go to the Eucharistic adoration we were having in the chapel. He entered in, ran down the main aisle, hopped in the front row, stood on the kneeler, put his hands in the air, looked at Jesus in the Eucharist and said, “I want it! I want it! I want it!”

    Jesus, at every moment, proclaims over you, “I want you, I want you, I want you.”

    Here’s the truth: You are not a passing thought in the mind of God. You are absolutely, undeniably intentional. You are irreplaceable in his heart and in this world. He wants you to exist with him, starting now.

    Jesus calls out to you from the tabernacle: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). Jesus, we give you permission to enter into our lives. We trust in you.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Carmelite, Church Doctor, Patroness of Missionaries (1873-1897), France—Oct. 1:

“Receive Communion often, very often ... there you have the sole remedy, if you want to be cured. Jesus has not put this attraction in your heart for nothing.” (St. Thérèse)

Guardian Angels—October 2: Celebrate the gift of your holy companion!

Attend Mass and spend time before the Eucharist. What a blessing for your Guardian Angel, to be with Jesus together!

St. Theodore Guerin, Foundress of the Sisters of Providence (1798-1856), France—Oct. 3:

“Send your heart a thousand times a day to adore our Lord really and truly present in the Holy Sacrament.” (St. Theodore)

St. Francis of Assisi, Deacon, Franciscan Founder, Stigmatist (c. 1181-1226), Italy—October 4:

“The reform St. Francis began was essentially a Eucharistic one. The source of inspiration for the activity of St. Francis was the Blessed Sacrament. To the heart of Francis the mere remembrance of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament became a relentless force driving him ever onward even to the heights of heroism.” (Fr. Albert J. Nimeth, OFM)

St. Faustina, Religious, Virgin, Mystic, Visionary, Apostle of Divine Mercy (1905-1938), Poland—October 5: 

“Jesus, delight of my soul, Bread of Angels,/My whole being is plunged in You,/And I live Your divine life as do the elect in heaven,/And the reality of this life will not cease, though I be laid in the grave.” (Divine Mercy in My Soul, 1393)

Respect Life Sunday—October 6: 

“In the Eucharist, we are incorporated into Christ’s unique sacrifice for all of us… and for each of us. We cannot look at another person as dispensable and disposable, or simply as a part of the larger society. ‘Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me’” (Mt 25:40). -Bishop Michael F. Burbidge

Our Lady of the Rosary: Pray the Rosary every day!—October 7:

“Our Blessed Mother [at Fatima] was warning her children that the lack of peace would continue if we didn’t listen, and she again drew the connection between peace, the Rosary, the Eucharist and reparation for our sins.” (Joseph Pronechen)

Pope St. John XXIII, Patron of Papal Delegates and the Second Vatican Council (1881-1963), Italy—Oct. 11:

St. John XXIII made a daily holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament and emphasized the importance of Eucharistic Adoration, for the faithful and especially for priests. “There are even some who, led by ideas foreign to traditional piety, look upon a Holy Hour of adoration as of minor importance. There is no doubt that a flood of graces will descend upon your family and the world if more souls would become docile pupils of adoration.” (St. John XXIII)

Bl. Carlo Acutis, First Millennial Saint, Patron of Youth and Computer Programmers (1991-2006), Italy—Oct. 12:

“The Eucharist is my highway to heaven.” Bl. Carlo created the Eucharistic Miracles of the World exhibit, enjoyed globally.

St. Teresa of Avila, Carmelite, Doctor of the Church, Reformer, Mystic, (1515-1582), Spain—October 15:

“There is no need or trial or persecution that is not easy to suffer if we begin to enjoy the delight and consolation of this sacred bread.” (St. Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection, 34:2)

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Apostle of the Sacred Heart (1647-1690), France—Oct. 16:

Jesus asked us for the Holy Hour of Reparation: “Behold the heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its love; and in return, I receive from the greater part only ingratitude, by their irreverence and sacrilege, and by the coldness and contempt they have for me in this sacrament of love.”

St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and martyr (d. 107), Syria (now Turkey)—October 17:

“Take note of those who hold heterodox opinions on the grace of Jesus Christ which has come to us, and see how contrary their opinions are to the mind of God. . . . They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which that Father, in his goodness, raised up again. They who deny the gift of God are perishing in their disputes.” (Letter to the Smyrnaeans) -St. Ignatius

Sts. Isaac Jogues, John de Brebeuf, Charles Garnier & Companions, Martyrs (1607-1646), France—Oct. 19: 

St. Isaac Jogues “loved Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and was accustomed in seminary not only to attend Mass every day but to spending long vigils in prayer before the tabernacle. He well knew that as a missionary, traveling by canoe for days, with limited supplies of unleavened bread and wine, there would likely be times when he would not have access to the altar or tabernacle, but he longed to be able to found new chapels, altars and tabernacles so that many others who did not know yet the ongoing reality of Christ’s incarnation might come to realize that God is with them, too.” (Fr. Roger Landry)

Pope St. John Paul II, Patron of World Youth Days and the New Evangelization (1920-2005), Poland—Oct. 22: 

St. Jude Thaddeus, Apostle, Martyr, Patron of Impossible Cases (d. 67)—October 28: 

May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, and loved in all the tabernacles until the end of time. Amen. May the most Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised and glorified now and forever. Amen. St. Jude pray for us and hear our prayers. Amen.

St. Charles Borromeo, Bishop, Patron of Catechists (1538-1584), Italy—Nov. 4:

St. Charles Borromeo wrote this Marian prayer for priests: O Holy Mother of God, pray for the priests your Son has chosen to serve the church. Help them by your intercession, to be holy, zealous, and chaste. Make them models of virtue in the service of God’s people. Help them to be prayerful in meditations, effective in preaching, and enthusiastic in the daily offering of the holy sacrifice of the Mass. Help them to administer the sacraments with joy.

St. Martin of Tours, Priest, Bishop, Patron of Soldiers (316-397), Italy—November 11:

“While many miracles are attributed to him, St Martin is known most of all for an act of fraternal charity. While still a young soldier, he met a poor man on the street numb and trembling from the cold. He then took his own cloak and, cutting it in two with his sword, gave half to that man. Jesus appeared to him that night in a dream smiling, dressed in the same cloak . . . . It was an act that was rooted in St. Martin's Eucharistic faith.” (Philip Kosloski)

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Religious, Patron of Immigrants, (1850-1917), Italy—Nov. 13:

John Paul II said of St. Frances, “Her extraordinary activity—as you well know—drew its strength from prayer, especially from long periods before the tabernacle. Christ was everything to her. Her constant concern was to discern his will.”

St. Agnes of Assisi, Poor Clare Nun, Virgin, (1197-1253), Italy—Nov. 16

“I come, O Lord, unto Thy sanctuary to see the life and food of my soul. As I hope in Thee, O Lord, inspire me with that confidence which brings me to Thy holy mountain. Permit me, Divine Jesus, to come closer to Thee, that my whole soul may do homage to the greatness of Thy majesty; that my heart, with its tenderest affections, may acknowledge Thine infinite love; that my memory may dwell on the admirable mysteries here renewed every day, and that the sacrifice of my whole being may accompany Thine.” (St. Agnes)

St. Giuseppe Moscati, Physician, Medical Professor, Miracle Worker (1880-1927), Italy—November 16: 

Lord God, You gave Saint Giuseppe Moscati strength through prayer and reception of the Eucharist to serve the sick with charity. Inspire doctors and healthcare workers to assist the ill with compassion. Give them wisdom as they seek new medical technologies to help the most vulnerable. May all of us answer your call to serve others with generosity, no matter how stressful or difficult the situation might be. Inspire us to imitate Saint Giuseppe’s tireless dedication to serving others in our own vocation. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Saint Giuseppe Moscati, pray for us!

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary—November 21:

Mary gave her life to God as a child when she was brought to the temple by her parents, Anne and Joachim.

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, France—Nov. 27:

“In her apparitions to St. Catherine Labouré [Feast, November 28], the Blessed Virgin Mary pointed to the altar where the tabernacle was and said, “Come to the foot of this altar. Here, graces will be given to all who ask for them with confidence and fervor.” Catherine’s new mission was to spread this promise of God and Mary to the world. And she went on to carry out half a century of faithful service to the elderly and infirm as a Daughter of Charity. Mary motivates us to encounter her Son in the Eucharist and then, filled with God’s grace, to go out and act concretely.” (Fr. Agostinho Teixeira de Sousa, CM)

St. Nicholas, Bishop, Patron of Children and Russia, (4th century), Myra— December 6:

St. Nicholas’ faith was so strong that, after his Confirmation and reception of the Holy Eucharist, he wanted to give all in charity to make Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament loved and lead all souls to His Real Presence.

St. Ambrose of Milan, Bishop, Doctor, Pt. of Candlemakers, (c. 340-397), Italy—December 7:

“Where the consecration has entered in, the bread becomes the flesh of Christ…. How can what is bread be the Body of Christ? By the consecration. The consecration takes place by certain words; but whose words? Those of the Lord Jesus.”

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception: Blessed be her Holy and Immaculate Conception!—December 9: 

Note: This solemnity, traditionally celebrated on December 8, was transferred since it fell on a Sunday. From the moment she was conceived Our Lady was without sin, a pure tabernacle for the Lord.

Our Lady of Guadalupe (Apparition 1531)—December 12:­­­

“Mary is looking down because she is in the presence of her Son, Jesus, her Savior. Through example, Mary is teaching us that true adoration begins with humble reverence and awe of the presence of Jesus in our midst. .. As we continue in these years of Eucharistic Revival, let us also grow in Guadalupan reverence, humility, praise, and gratitude. Let us ask Our Lady to teach us to love Jesus as she does. Let us implore Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas and Star of the New Evangelization, who has been chosen as the Patroness of the National Eucharistic Revival, to heal us of those things that afflict and hurt us so that we may be united in Jesus.” (Fr. Tim Oudenhoven)

St. Lucy, Virgin, Martyr, Consecrated Virgin, Patroness of Eye Patients, (d. 304), Italy—December 13: 

St. Lucy shows us that we are called to not only receive the Holy Eucharist but offer our lives to Christ in return.

St. John of the Cross, Carmelite Priest and Doctor, (c. 1542-1591), Spain—December 14:               

“Seventy-eight primary sources offered approximately one hundred seventy-five different testimonies, and twenty-six different passages from John’s works declaring that John of the Cross has a Eucharistic spirituality. It can be stated with confidence and irrefutable certainty, and in John’s own words: the Mystical Doctor found his Eternal Bridegroom ‘within this living bread.’” (Dr. John D. Love)

St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, Patron of Theologians, Asia Minor, (d.100), Galilee—December 27: 

John rested his head upon the bosom of Jesus at the Last Supper. Let us rest upon the Sacred Heart of Jesus during our Holy Hours of Eucharistic Adoration and listen and learn from Him.

Feast of the Holy Innocents—December 28:

Ransomed for God and the Lamb as the first fruits of mankind; they follow the Lamb wherever he goes (Rev 14:4). 

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph—December 31: 
“Jesus will bless you, your family and the whole world for this hour of faith you spend with Him in the Blessed Sacrament.” (From the “Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration: One Lord, One Body, One People,” available through us.)