Saint Damien de Veuster, Priest (Optional Memorial)
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in him. (John 6:56)
The few moments before you receive Jesus in the Eucharist at Mass are a beautiful opportunity to turn your heart and thoughts toward the Lord. Have you ever tried, as you walk up to receive him, to talk to him as you would a close friend? That conversation could help you remain in his presence long after you return to your pew.
What would such a dialogue look like? Here’s one suggestion:
“Jesus, as I come forward to receive you, I know ‘I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof,’ and yet that’s just what you offer me! Lord, I know that you see me—all of me—and you love me. You see my strength and my weakness, my good moments and my not-so-good moments. But you say that I am not the sum total of those: I am the sum of your love for me. You pour out that love here, in the Eucharist. Thank you for giving yourself to me, not because I deserve you or because I have earned your approval, but because you love me unconditionally and delight to do it.
“Jesus, you know that I am not perfect—I have questions, struggles, and doubts—but when I eat your Flesh and drink your Blood, I receive your very life into me, and that changes me. I give you permission to enter into my questions and struggles and to touch them with your peace and assurance.
“As I approach, Lord, I hear the words ‘The Body of Christ.’ And when I receive your Body, my soul is healed. You have the power to remove my anxiety, illness, or heaviness. I have nothing to fear because you are with me. Your Eucharistic table is the table you set before me in the presence of my enemies. As I feast, you scatter these enemies: the troubles I face in the world, my own fallen nature, my sickness and weariness.
“Jesus, I rejoice that you love to enter under the ‘roof’ of my life. You delight in me, and you come to dwell in me because I am your beloved. Heal my soul, and enable me to remain in you!
“Jesus, thank you for giving yourself to me in the Eucharist! I give my life to you.”
Acts 9:1-20
Psalm 117:1, 2
