Eucharistic Reflection

Cardinal George is our "guest blogger" for today's Thursday reflection on the Eucharist. He makes a great point (courtesy of Pope Benedict) about the way Adoration carries the Mass over into our lives not just in prayer, but in service. (Read his whole column here.)

In his homily for the feast of Corpus Christi this year, Pope Benedict XVI pointed out that, after Vatican Council II “it was very important to recognize the centrality of the (Eucharistic) celebration, in which the Lord convokes his people, gathers them around the twofold table of the Word and the Bread of Life, nourishes them and unites them to himself ...in the offering of the Sacrifice.” The pope went on to say that the importance placed on the celebration of the Eucharist should not be to the detriment of adoration, “an act of faith and prayer addressed to the Lord Jesus, really present in the Sacrament of the altar … Concentrating the whole relationship with the Eucharistic Jesus only at the moment of Holy Mass risks removing his presence from the rest of time and existential space. And thus, perceived less is the sense of the constant presence of Jesus in our midst and with us, a concrete, close presence among our homes, as ‘beating Heart’ of the city, of the country, of the territory with its various expressions and activities. The Sacrament of the Charity of Christ must permeate the whole of daily life.”

Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in silence marked by contemplation prepares us to celebrate the Eucharist well and with greater affectivity. Genuflecting before the tabernacle where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved deepens our faith in Christ’s real presence among his people. When religious rituals disappear, life becomes barren and caught up in activities that seal the soul against God’s presence and still the heart to the cry of the poor.