In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Christ, our King.
Thy Kingdom come!
Preparatory prayer (to put me in the presence of God)
Jesus, help me to value the Eucharist. My great longing is to live forever through you. I want to speak with you and hear your Word in order to receive you with the love you deserve; without any personal interest, only the hope that you will fill me with yourself and help me to experience your love.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the holy Gospel according to John 6:51-58
I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.» The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, «How can this man give us his flesh to eat?» Jesus said to them, «Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that of our ancestors who ate and still died; whoever eats this bread will live forever.”.
Word of the Lord
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Saint Justin, from a “pagan” family, who later converted to Christianity, died as a martyr in 165 AD. He taught philosophy in Rome and wrote abundant works on the Christian faith and religion. In his “apologies,” he explains the fundamentals of the Catholic faith, the creed, and the sacraments, and refutes the false accusations that were already circulating against the Church at that time. Among other things – so we can see how absurd and audacious ignorance is! – the early Christians were accused of cannibalism and of gruesome, idolatrous banquets because they thought they ate human flesh and drank human blood. They had indeed heard the one presiding over the assemblies say: “Take and eat: this is my body. Take and drink: this is my blood.”.
That's how the Jews who were listening to our Lord interpreted it. And it was logical that they didn't accept it, that they criticized it, and even that they were scandalized by Him. The rejection of Jesus became more pronounced as our Lord spoke, until an abyss opened up and it became a path of no return...
But our Lord continues his discourse: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever. The bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.” The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life within yourselves. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.” These words of Jesus, as clear as they are mysterious, could only be received in an atmosphere of faith. And it is a clear anticipation of what would happen on Holy Thursday, in that solemn hour of intimacy with his apostles, when he instituted the Eucharist: “This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Now, at this moment, he was fulfilling his promise. And he invited the Twelve to repeat this same gesture, from generation to generation: “Do this in memory of me.”.
Each Holy Mass, when the priest pronounces these words of our Lord, he is perpetuating His sacrament. And this is not a simple remembrance, but a “memorial.” That is, a celebration that “revives” and updates in the present day of our history the mystery of the Eucharist and Calvary, for our salvation. In each Holy Mass, Jesus Christ renews His Passion, death, and resurrection, and immolates Himself again to the Father on the altar of the cross for the redemption of all humankind. Bloodlessly, but really. This is why each Mass has an infinite redemptive value, which only with faith can we appreciate!
Blessed Titus Brandsman, a Dutch Carmelite priest, spent several years in German concentration camps during the Nazi persecution. He was forbidden to celebrate the Eucharist, but he would stand with the other prisoners and recite the prayers of the Mass and the Gospel from memory, and he would preach to his fellow inmates. Afterward, they would have spiritual communion: he would lock eyes with each prisoner and say, “May the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ guard your soul for eternal life.” Shortly thereafter, he was transferred to the Dachau camp. There, German priests were allowed to celebrate Mass, and they would clandestinely pass the consecrated host to other non-German priests like Titus. He would receive Communion, give Communion to the other prisoners, and keep a small piece in his eyeglasses case for nighttime adoration. From this very special “bread,” he drew strength to endure torture and offer his sufferings. One day, he was severely beaten by the Nazi guards of the concentration camp and endured the beating without hatred or curses. Afterwards, he confessed, “Ah, I knew who was with me!” In 1942, he died a martyr at Dachau.
Besides the holy Sacrifice, we can enjoy the real presence of Jesus Christ our Lord in the Tabernacle twenty-four hours a day. It is said that the holy Curé of Ars was particularly moved by the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. He used to spend long hours in adoration before the Tabernacle, during the night or before dawn; and during his homilies, he would point to the Tabernacle and say with emotion, “He is there.” Therefore, he, who lived so poorly in his rectory, did not hesitate to spend whatever was necessary to embellish the church. He soon saw the good results: the faithful made it a habit to go and pray before the Blessed Sacrament, discovering, through their pastor's example, the great mystery of the faith.
«When we take and eat that Bread, we are associated with the life of Jesus, we enter into communion with Him, we commit ourselves to realizing communion among ourselves, to transforming our life into a gift, especially for the poorest. Today's feast evokes this message of solidarity and impels us to accept the intimate invitation to conversion and service, to love and forgiveness. It stimulates us to become, through our lives, imitators of what we celebrate in the liturgy. Christ, who nourishes us under the consecrated forms of bread and wine, is the same one who encounters us in everyday events; He is in the poor person who reaches out a hand, He is in the one who suffers and begs for help, He is in the brother who asks for our availability and awaits our welcome. He is in the child who knows nothing of Jesus, of Salvation, who has no faith. He is in every human being, even the smallest and most defenseless. The Eucharist, the source of love for the life of the Church, is a school of charity and solidarity. Those who nourish themselves with Christ's Bread can no longer remain indifferent to those who do not have daily bread. And today, we know this is an increasingly serious problem.
(SS Francis, Angelus June 7, 2013).
Dialogue with Christ
This is the most important part of your prayer, prepare yourself to talk with much love with the One who loves you.
Purpose
Propose a personal one. The one that involves the most love in response to the Beloved... or, if you believe that this is what God is asking of you, live what is suggested below.
May we also learn to value and live with immense faith and love, like the saints, the most holy mystery of the Eucharist: may each holy Mass and Communion be like the first and the last of our lives. And may we frequently go to the Blessed Sacrament to love, thank, adore our Lord, and ask Him for the needs of all humankind. He listens to us there.
Farewell
Christ, our King!
Thy Kingdom come!
Most prudent Virgin, Mary, Mother of the Church.
Pray for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
