THE DAILY VISIT TO JESUS
Before it was man who waited for God, now it is God who waits for man and man is not even aware of it. Therefore, do not miss the daily visit to Jesus. "The visit to the Blessed Sacrament is a proof of gratitude, a sign of love and a duty of adoration towards Christ Our Lord" (Cat 1418). And the Church grants a plenary indulgence to the faithful who visit Jesus to adore Him in the Eucharist, for half an hour. How many blessings the daily visit to Jesus will bring to your life! If you do it in the morning, before going to work, it will be like an electric accumulator, because all day long it will radiate love, peace and joy. Fill yourself with energy in the morning in front of the Blessed Sacrament! And if you go in the evening, after an exhausting day's work, then it will seem to you like an escape valve that will relax you from your tensions and thus soothe you and give you peace of mind to sleep better. Is it too much to ask that you visit your God every day? Do you have nothing to thank him for on this day, nothing, nothing at all?
To visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament every day is to expose our sick and anemic soul to the invisible irradiation of His love. In this way, our soul will begin to renew itself with a new vitality, it will blossom as in springtime and joy and peace will spring up vigorously within the heart.
"Jesus is a God who is close, a God who waits for us, a God who wanted to remain with us forever. When we have this faith in his real presence, how easy it is to be close to him, adoring the Love of loves! How easy it is to understand the expressions of love with which, down the centuries, Christians have surrounded the Eucharist" (John Paul II, Lima, 15-5-88).
S. Alphonsus Liguori wrote his famous book "Visits to the Blessed Sacrament and to Mary Most Holy", which has gone through more than two thousand editions and says: "Where have holy souls made more beautiful resolutions than at the foot of the Blessed Sacrament? And who knows if you will resolve yours by giving yourself completely to God before this sacrament! What a joy it is to converse lovingly with the Lord who, on the altar, is praying for us to the Eternal Father, burning with flames of love! It is this love that makes Him remain hidden, unknown and even despised by men. But what more words? Taste and see". "Come and see" (Jn 1:39).
But someone will say to me: the Churches are closed. How many blessings and graces are lost in this way for individuals and their families, for the Church and for the world in general, because the faithful do not have the facility to visit Jesus! The visit to the Blessed Sacrament is a great treasure of the Catholic faith …
And every act of reverence, every genuflection you make before the Blessed Sacrament is important, because it is an act of faith in Christ, an act of love for Christ. And every sign of the cross, every gesture of respect made every time you pass before a church, is also an act of faith. May God preserve this faith in the Blessed Sacrament for you" (John Paul II, homily in Dublin, 29-9-79).
JESÚS EUCARISTÍA, Fr Angel Peña