May we truly appreciate the presence of Jesus

MAY WE TRULY APPRECIATE THE PRESENCE OF JESUS

I remember vividly the day I went to Buckingham Palace to receive the MBE for services rendered to charity.  You ask anyone who has also received an honour from the Queen how they felt about it.  They will all tell you it was a very special day in their life.  They were overawed at the pageantry and they knew it was an experience that would never happen again in their life.  You are given instructions telling you how to behave and how to address the Queen.  We were told the Queen will ask you just two questions after she had pinned the medal on your clothing.  Then she will hold out her hand for a handshake.  That is the signal for you to leave.  Then you two steps backwards, bow and exit.  Foolish me I forget the two steps backwards.  I just cleared off after the handshake.  Afterwards I thought if it had been Henry VIII, I would have either been locked up in the Tower of London or had my head chopped off!  

Today is the feast of Corpus Christi and it gives us an opportunity to examine what reverence we show our Lord Jesus in church when we receive Him in Holy Communion.

As a priest I have observed a lot of irreverence in church.  >From the moment some enter church they are talking.  You would never think they are entering God’s home.  Certainly, it appears they are not aware of Jesus’ presence in the Church.  I have observed people even sharing some humour as they line up to receive Holy Communion.  They forget where they are.  Just a few moments ago in the church they witnessed the greatest miracle taking place when bread and wine were changed into the risen Lord.  In all certainty you can say the people at an investiture show more reverence in Buckingham Palace in the presence of the Queen than some Catholics show to the Lord in His Church.

Worst of all are those who receive Holy Communion in a state of grave sin.  St. Paul has written some very strong words about them.  “He who eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to themselves.”  Though Our dear Saviour still loves us, in fact, He never stops loving us, He cannot bear to be in the company of serious sin.  Jesus was very serious when He told one saint "There is no punishment severe enough by which I can chastise a soul that receives Me unworthily."   Very frightening words coming from the lips of the One Who is Love Itself.  Receiving Jesus in a state of sin is the worst sin a person can commit, a sacrilege, drawing the all pure God into a soul infested with a serious unconfessed sin.  If we have committed a grave sin, we must always first go to Confession to confess it before we receive Jesus in Holy Communion.

When Jesus left this earth to ascend to His Father, He wanted to leave Himself with us in the Holy Eucharist and how shabbily we treat Him.  At the Last Supper His very words to us were, “I have longed to have this meal with you.”  >From all eternity He had planned to give Himself to us to be the food of our souls, so that we could become like Him, and He could remain with us forever and what return do we give Him?  Coldness and ingratitude.

This was His supreme gift to us and there are many who by their attitude could not care less for what He has done for us.  Every time before we receive Him in Holy Communion we should be longing and excited to know that we are so close to Him.  The moment we receive Jesus should be the most precious moment of our day.  We should be living just to receive Jesus in Holy Communion.  We should love Him so much that we want Him to be always on our mind.

What should be, as He intended, a gem of infinite value, whereby we can enrich ourselves beyond all measure, here in time, in preparation for an indescribable never-ending bliss in heaven, is becoming less and less appreciated, even treated with indifference.

Whenever we receive Jesus in Holy Communion there are three words He loves to hear us say.  They are ‘I love You’.  He once told a saint people ask Me for so many things when they receive Me.  I want to hear these things but most of all I want to hear them say ‘I love You.’

Lord Jesus, may we all receive You into our hearts at Holy Communion with the utmost respect and ecstatic love!  May we appreciate Your presence in the Blessed Sacrament and want to spend as much time as we can with You.  Even go so far as feeling that we have to drag ourselves away from You whenever we visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament.

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