Living with the Eucharistic Lord

 

 According to Mother Julia's Example

Introduction  

The Gift from the Heart of Jesus

The Little Drop of Water

Pope John Paul II via last.fm

The Sacrament of Unity

Reverence for the Sacred

Introduction

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - On Holy Thursday 2003, Pope John Paul II presented the Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia to us. This wonderful document starts with the words: "The Church draws her life from the Eucharist" (No. 1). This is true for every diocese and ecclesial community, for every parish, every Christian family and every one of the faithful. All of us live from the Eucharist. "For in the most blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself our Pasch and the living bread which gives life to men through his flesh - that flesh which is given life and gives life through the Holy Spirit". (Vat. II, Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, 5). Let us follow the Holy Father's invitation and in the Year of the Eucharist let us be touched anew by this great mystery of faith.

Mother Julia Verhaeghe (1910-1997), foundress of The Spiritual Family The Work, is a great model for us and a true teacher in how to live our bond with the Eucharistic Lord in our everyday lives. When she was still quite young God awakened in her soul a love for the Eucharist: "In the years of my childhood, Father Edward Poppe became God's instrument, the door, so to speak, which opened my soul for the kindly light of the mystery of the Eucharist. Through the "Eucharistic Movement for Children" I was inwardly drawn very much to the Eucharistic Lord. He touched me, accompanied me and nourished me with his holiness and nearness."

Mother Julia was wholly imbued with the mystery of the Blessed Eucharist. To be present at Mass and be with the Eucharistic Lord was her greatest joy and a foretaste of the glories of heaven. Once she wrote: "It seems to me as if I was immersed in the glory, mercy and fruitfulness of the sacrifice of the Mass. My whole being was filled, as it were, with deep joy, inexpressible gratitude and a love which answered his love." She often stayed for a long time in front of the tabernacle. There the Lord filled her again and again with supernatural peace, profound insights and new strength.

The Gift from the Heart of Jesus

Mother Julia liked to meditate on the words of Holy Scripture on the Last Supper. She pondered Jesus Christ's readiness, when heading to his bitter suffering; on the apostles' distress when they heard his grave words, on the darkness which closed in upon Judas' soul. But most of all she meditated on the heart of Jesus that was overflowing with love and ardent desire: "I have longed to eat this Passover with you before I suffer" (Lk 22:15).

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During the Last Supper, the Lord said the mysterious words over bread and wine: "This is my body which will be given for you; do this as a memorial of me… This cup is the new covenant in my blood which will be poured out for you" (Lk 22:19,20). About this Mother Julia wrote as follows: "Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist and the priesthood. These are the two great gifts of his love, which, in that hour of parting and mourning, He bequeathed to his Church. These are divine institutions, which flowed from his heart, overflowing with love." The Eucharist is the greatest present the Lord could give us, the gift of himself. How can we think to treat the blessed Eucharist in a thoughtless or casual way and even neglect our Sunday duty, when Christ entrusted to us in this sacrament his redemptive sacrifice, his love, his heart?

The Little Drop of Water

From the time she was young, Mother Julia strove to participate consciously and actively in the Mass. She aimed at participating in its different parts with living faith. With ardent love, she joined in the sacrifice, offered by the priest on the altar. In the course of the years, the prayer spoken by the priest, while pouring a few drops of water into the chalice, became especially important to her: "By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity."

In the drop of water, Mother Julia saw herself and her own mission. She expressed this in a prayer: "Lord, in the chalice of the priest who brings you the holy sacrifice let me be the little drop of water which becomes one with the wine and gets lost in it." For her, that little drop of water meant her self-giving for The Work and for souls, her longing for faithful priests and consecrated men and women, her reparation for the wounds inflicted on the Church, her prayer for the needs of the world. She placed all of that into the chalice of the priest during Mass, fervently praying that God would accept her offering together with the sacrifice of his beloved Son, making it fruitful for the salvation of many.

We could make that attitude to the sacrament of the Eucharist our own! How often do we think that we have to tackle tasks and difficulties alone, and are disappointed if we do not succeed. What an act of faith it would be, and truly a relief, if we entrusted the cares of our family and work to the Lord during the offertory, if we placed all the challenges in Church and world in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, if we united our commitment and our readiness for sacrifice with the self-giving of Jesus Christ! Whoever does so, gradually becomes "a victim with the divine Victim" (Mother Julia) and discovers how much the Mass has to do with everyday life and everyday life with the Mass.

The Sacrament of Unity

In his Encyclical Letter on the Eucharist, Pope John Paul II writes: "The seeds of disunity, which daily experience shows to be so deeply rooted in humanity as a result of sin, are countered by the unifying power of the body of Christ. The Eucharist, precisely by building up the Church, creates human community." (No. 24)

Mother Julia, who received a charism "whose grace and mission are essentially adoration and unity," often reminded us of the fact that we cannot construct true unity. The faith, the conversion and the co-operation of every single person are certainly important, but ultimately unity comes from God. He grants it to us above all through Holy Communion: "Holy Communion draws us intimately into the mystery of his presence and transforms us, so that by partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ, we become more and more rooted in him and are thus bound together in unity as God's family" (Mother Julia).

Holy Communion makes us one with the Lord and with each other. This is true for any community and any family. Therefore we invite parents and children to go to Mass and together to receive the body of Christ whenever possible. Thus the Lord himself strengthens love and unity in the family. Holy Communion has to be something great and sacred for us: in it Christ Jesus comes to us, He himself, flesh and blood, body and soul, true man and true God. In it He binds us together as his brothers and sisters. Therefore let us go to the Lord's table with deep faith! After Holy Communion, let us remain in fervent adoration and thanksgiving, in loving atonement and in trustful prayer for one another and for the whole Church. During the day let us often recall the Communion we have received. It will help us to obey the commandments, to be courageous in giving witness to the faith, to be strong in temptation and to remain in communion with God.

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Reverence for the Sacred

Mother Julia appealed to us often during her life time, to keep holy what is holy. As the blessed Eucharist is most holy, reverence for this sacrament was obviously very important for her. Contrary to the tendency to desecralise the liturgy and churches, which caused her great suffering, she always emphasized the great importance of a sacred atmosphere and a dignified celebration of the liturgy. She said that we must adorn and surround our tabernacles, in which our Lord dwells among us in His holy presence, with all possible beauty and dignity, so that they may become a sign which radiates the divine majesty of the King of kings. Utmost care must be taken to ensure that all initiatives in the domain of the sacred and the liturgy, and the use of objects specific to liturgical services have only one goal: to express deep respect for the majesty of God.

Following Mother Julia's example, reverence for the Holy Eucharist should be of great concern to us. This implies that we strive to obey faithfully the liturgical norms, of which we have been reminded in the instruction Redemptionis sacramentum. Some concrete forms of reverence are, for example, a conscientious genuflexion when entering a church; a dignified bearing and posture in church; the avoidance of any unnecessary talking in the house of God; a faithful and active participation in the Mass; a good preparation for Holy Communion, which may include receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation; gratitude for the great gift of Holy Communion; the silent adoration of the Lord in the tabernacle.

Mother repeatedly pointed people to Christ, who remains with us in the sacraments, and especially in the Holy Eucharist. Years before she was called home to God, she expressed the wish that the following words should be written on her tombstone: "In his merciful and just love God seeks you, watches over you, waits for you. Go to him in the Holy Eucharist."

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Dossier by p. Georg Gantioler, FSO

Per gentile concessione della Famiglia spirituale "L'Opera"

Agenzia Fides 10/06/2009; Editor Luca de Mata