15 Minutes Before the Blessed Sacrament...

15 minutes before the
Blessed Sacrament - the
most useful of our day!




June 26 - The Body and Blood of Christ


If there is one Church Feast more than another that Paulines should favor, it surely is this one. "You were born of the Eucharist," repeated Alberione and he reinforced his words by the endless hours he spent before the Blessed Sacrament from his earliest days until his retirement. Did he thus show more love and appreciation of the Lord's gift than any other Saint? There is some reason to think that he did and this is an aspect of our holy Founder mat deserves investigation.


The First Reading quotes the phrase that the Master used to deflect the temptations of Satan: "not by bread alone does one live but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." The meaning is that God gives life through "His word.(In Genesis the frequent use of the phrase "And God said" to mark the days of Creation might be taken to mean that God spoke his work into existence). Now we have the very Word of God in human form in Jesus of Nazareth who is also the true Bread from heaven.


The Responsorial Psalm repeats the same concepts as the First Reading - "word" and "wheat" are obvious connections. But even "word" itself is important. A good word can make us feel as pleased as a good meal - or even more pleased because the power of the word remains in our mind and heart. Moreover the Eucharist comes into existence by the word of God repeated by the celebrant.


The brief Second Reading from our holy Patron reminds us that it is Paul who gives us the first detailed statement of what took place at the Last Supper (1 Cor. 11, 23-27) - years before the Evangelists did. The Eucharist emerged from a Jewish context: speaking a blessing and breaking bread was characteristic of the Passover meal. At the Last Supper Christ took this rite and made it his own but the bread was now his Body and the cup of wine used at the Jewish Passover meal was his Blood. The Bread broken, the one Bread that is shared by many is the sign that effects community - one Bread, one Body.


Finally, the Gospel. It is sometimes said that John, unlike the other Evangelists, says nothing about the Eucharist in his otherwise extremely detailed description of events at the Last Supper. However the Eucharist is very much the subject of the intense discussion quoted here in his Chapter 6 - the Lord makes it clear what he is talking about and repeats it in detail which Mark, Matthew and Luke do not. It is the climax of the Master's mission: will his years of intense effort enable these people to at least TRY to grasp his meaning? Unfortunately, that does not happen. As Paulines we have to make some reparation to our Eucharistic Lord for the centuries of misunderstanding, neglect and sacrilege which have surrounded his greatest Gift to humanity. St. Alphonsus said that fifteen minutes before the Blessed Sacrament are more useful than any other pious practice. Let's make this thought our own!

~ June 2011 Concord