The Feast of Champions
June 3, 2018. Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
June 3, 2018. Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
(Corpus Christi)
Mark 14:12-16, 22-26
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, Jesus´ disciples said to him, "Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?" He sent two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the city and a man will meet you, carrying a jar of water. Follow him. Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ´The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"´ Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there." The disciples then went off, entered the city, and found it just as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover. While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God." Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, today I renew my faith in Your true presence in the Eucharist. I believe You come down from heaven to be present in the host at every Mass and remain with me in the Tabernacle. You are the source of my hope. I long to be more united to You through this gift of Yourself.
Petition: Lord, increase my appreciation and devotion to You in the Eucharist.
1. The Power of Love: As Jesus prepared to accept the cross, he showed the depth of his true love for humanity by giving himself. He promised to be with us until the end of time, and it was no empty promise. Christ, true God and true man, transformed bread and wine into his Body and Blood and gave the apostles and their successors the power to make Christ present in the Eucharist. Jesus’ love wasn’t just a passing love. His love makes itself present every day in the Eucharist. Lord, help me to grasp and be grateful for the depth of love you showed to us by giving us your Body and Blood as food.
2. It All Started with Yes: Sometimes it is easy to take words for granted. How many times do we hear the words “yes” and “no,” but take no notice? Imagine if God had decided to not become man and let us die in our sins instead. Imagine too if Mary had said “No”. The Eucharist begins with God’s “YES” to save mankind from his sin. Through his sacrifice, Jesus offers us the supreme gift of love: his own body and blood. But like any story of love, Jesus offers us his love and asks for our love in return. Our “yes” is what it takes to bring to completion God’s love in us. Yes, Lord, I truly believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist!
3. The Heavenly Banquet Awaits Us: Christ says that he will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the day he drinks it anew in the Kingdom of Heaven. What a privilege it will be to participate in this banquet of heaven. The Eucharist and Mass are a foretaste of that noble banquet. Let us resolve to inebriate ourselves with Christ’s love given us through the Eucharist. “If only you knew the gift being offered to you” (Cf. John 4:10).
Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus Christ, You gave us the Eucharist as the memorial of Your suffering and death. May our worship of this sacrament of Your body and blood help us to experience the salvation You won for us and the peace of the Kingdom where You live forever and ever.
Resolution: Today I will receive Christ in the Eucharist and make a profound act of faith in his presence. If possible, I will also participate in a Corpus Christi procession.
Excerpts from the DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
91 O my Jesus, You alone know what persecutions I suffer, and this only
because I am being faithful to You and following Your orders. You are my
strength; sustain me that I may always carry out what You ask of me. Of myself
I can do nothing, but when You sustain me, all difficulties are nothing for me.
O my Lord, I can see very well that from the time when my soul first received
the capacity to know You, my life has been a continual struggle which has
become increasingly intense.
Every morning during meditation, I prepare myself for the whole day's
struggle. Holy Communion assures me that I will win the victory; and so it is.
I fear the day when I do not receive Holy Communion. This Bread of t lie Strong
gives me all the strength I need to carry on my mission and the courage to do
whatever the Lord asks of me. The courage and strength that are in me are not
of me, but of Him who lives in me - it is the Eucharist.
O my Jesus, the misunderstandings are so great; sometimes, were it not
for the Eucharist, I would not have the courage to go any further along the way
You have marked out for me.
107 O my God, I have come to know that I am not of this earth; You, O
Lord, have poured this profound awareness into my soul. My communion is more
with heaven than with earth, though I in no way neglect my duties.
115 + When a soul has come out of these tribulations, it is deeply
humble. Its purity of soul is great. It knows better without need of
reflecting, as it were, what it ought to do at a given moment and what to
forbear. It feels the lightest touch of grace and is very faithful to God. It
recognizes God from afar and continuously rejoices in Him. It discovers God
very quickly in other souls and in its environment in general. The soul has
been purified by God himself. God, as Pure Spirit, introduces the soul to a
life which is purely spiritual. God himself has first prepared and purified the
soul; that is, He has made it capable of close communion with himself. The
soul, in a state of loving repose, communes spiritually with the Lord. It
speaks to God without the need of expressing itself through the senses. God
fills it with His light.
The enlightened mind sees clearly and distinguishes the various degrees of the spiritual life. It recognizes [that state] when its union with God was imperfect: where the senses were involved, and the spirit was linked with the senses in a manner-exalted and special, to be sure but not yet perfect. There is a higher and more perfect union with God; namely, intellectual union. Here, the soul is safer from illusions; its spirituality is purer and more profound. In a life where the senses are involved, there is more danger of illusion. Both for the soul and for its confessor, prudence must play a greater part. There are moments when God introduces the soul to a purely spiritual state. The senses dim and are seemingly dead. The soul is most closely united to God; it is immersed in the Deity; its knowledge is complete and perfect, not sporadic as before, but total and absolute. It rejoices in this. But I want to say more about those moments of trial; at those times the confessor must have patience with such a soul. But the soul must have even greater patience with itself.
The enlightened mind sees clearly and distinguishes the various degrees of the spiritual life. It recognizes [that state] when its union with God was imperfect: where the senses were involved, and the spirit was linked with the senses in a manner-exalted and special, to be sure but not yet perfect. There is a higher and more perfect union with God; namely, intellectual union. Here, the soul is safer from illusions; its spirituality is purer and more profound. In a life where the senses are involved, there is more danger of illusion. Both for the soul and for its confessor, prudence must play a greater part. There are moments when God introduces the soul to a purely spiritual state. The senses dim and are seemingly dead. The soul is most closely united to God; it is immersed in the Deity; its knowledge is complete and perfect, not sporadic as before, but total and absolute. It rejoices in this. But I want to say more about those moments of trial; at those times the confessor must have patience with such a soul. But the soul must have even greater patience with itself.
136 And the Lord gave me to know that the whole mystery depended on me,
on my free consent to the sacrifice given with full use of my faculties. In
this free and conscious act lies the whole power and value before His Majesty.
Even if none of these things for which I offered myself would ever happen to
me, before the Lord everything was as though it had already been consummated.
At that moment, I realized I was entering into communion with the incomprehensible Majesty. I felt that God was waiting for my word, for my consent. Then my spirit immersed itself in the Lord, and I said, "Do with me as You please. I subject myself to Your will. As of today, Your holy will shall be my nourishment, and I will be faithful to Your commands with the help of Your grace. Do with me as You please. I beg You, O Lord, be with me at every moment of my life."
At that moment, I realized I was entering into communion with the incomprehensible Majesty. I felt that God was waiting for my word, for my consent. Then my spirit immersed itself in the Lord, and I said, "Do with me as You please. I subject myself to Your will. As of today, Your holy will shall be my nourishment, and I will be faithful to Your commands with the help of Your grace. Do with me as You please. I beg You, O Lord, be with me at every moment of my life."
156 +Once, l desired very much to receive Holy Communion, but I had a
certain doubt, and I did not go. I suffered greatly because of this. It seemed
to me that my heart would burst from the pain. When I set about my work, my
heart full of bitterness, Jesus suddenly stood by me and said, My daughter,
do not omit Holy Communion unless you know well that your fall was serious;
apart from this, no doubt must stop you from uniting yourself with Me in the
mystery of My love. Your minor faults will disappear in My love like a piece of
straw thrown into a great furnace. Know that you grieve Me much when you fail
to receive Me in Holy Communion.
160 +The crusade day,[54] which
is the fifth of the month, happened to fall on the First Friday of the month.
This was my day for keeping watch before the Lord Jesus. It was my duty to make
amends to the Lord for all offenses and acts of disrespect and to pray that, on
this day, no sacrilege be committed. This day, my spirit was set aflame with
special love for the Eucharist. It seemed to me that I was transformed into a
blazing fire. When I was about to receive Holy Communion, a second Host fell
onto the priest's sleeve, and I did not know which host I was to receive. After
I had hesitated for a moment, the priest made an impatient gesture with his
hand to tell me I should receive the Host. When I took the Host he gave me, the
other one fell onto my hands. The priest went along the altar rail to
distribute Communion, and I held the Lord Jesus in my hands all that time. When
the priest approached me again, I raised the Host for him to put it back into
the chalice, because when I had first received Jesus I could not speak before
consuming the Host, and so could not tell him that the other had fallen. But
while I was holding the Host in my hand, I felt such a power of love that for
the rest of the day I could neither eat nor come to my senses. I heard these
words from the Host: I desired to rest in your hands, not only in your
heart. And at that moment I saw the little Jesus. But when the priest
approached, I saw once again only the Host.
177 +Renewal of vows. From the moment I woke up in the morning, my
spirit was totally submerged in God, in that ocean of love. I felt that I had
been completely immersed in Him. During Holy Mass, my love for Him reached a
peak of intensity. After the renewal of vows and Holy Communion, I suddenly saw
the Lord Jesus, who said to me with great kindness, My daughter, look
at My merciful Heart. As I fixed my gaze on the Most Sacred Heart, the
same rays of light, as are represented in the image as blood and water, came
forth from it, and I understood how great is the Lord's mercy. And again Jesus
said to me with kindness, My daughter, speak to priests about this
inconceivable mercy of Mine. The flames of mercy are burning Me-clamoring to be
spent; I want to keep pouring them out upon souls; souls just don't want to
believe in My goodness. Suddenly Jesus disappeared. But throughout
that whole day my spirit remained immersed in God's tangible presence, despite
the buzz and chatter that usually follow a retreat. It did not disturb me in
the least. My spirit was in God, although externally I took part in the conversations
and even went to visit Derdy.[59]
183 One morning after Holy Communion, I heard this voice, I
desire that you accompany Me when I go to the sick. I answered that I
was quite willing, but after a moment of reflection I started wondering how I
was going to do so; the sisters of the second choir[61] do
not accompany the Blessed Sacrament. It is always the sister-directresses who
go. I thought to myself: Jesus will find a way. Shortly afterwards, Mother
Raphael sent for me and said, "Sister, you will accompany the Lord Jesus
when the priest goes to visit the sick." And all through the time of my
probation I carried the light, accompanying the Lord and, as a knight of Jesus,
1 always tried to gird myself with an iron belt,[62] for
it would not be proper to accompany the King in everyday dress. And I offered
this mortification for the sick.
God and Souls. An Act of Oblation.
309 Before heaven and earth, before all the choirs of Angels, before the Most Holy Virgin Mary, before all the Powers of heaven, I declare to the One Triune God that today, in union with Jesus Christ, Redeemer of souls, I make a voluntary offering of myself for the conversion of sinners, especially for those souls who have lost hope in God's mercy. This offering consists in my accepting, with total subjection to God's will, all the sufferings, fears and terrors with which sinners are filled. In return, I give them all the consolations which my soul receives from my communion with God. In a word, I offer everything for them: Holy Masses, Holy Communions, penances, mortifications, prayers. I do not fear the blows, blows of divine justice, because I am united with Jesus. O my God, in this way I want to make amends to You for the souls that do not trust in Your goodness. I hope against all hope in the ocean of Your mercy. My Lord and my God, my portion-my portion forever, I do not base this act of oblation on my own strength, but on the strength that flows from the merits of Jesus Christ. I will daily repeat this act of self-oblation by pronouncing the following prayer which You yourself have taught me, Jesus:
"O Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a Fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You!"
S. M. Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament
Holy Thursday, during Holy Mass, March 29, 1934.
309 Before heaven and earth, before all the choirs of Angels, before the Most Holy Virgin Mary, before all the Powers of heaven, I declare to the One Triune God that today, in union with Jesus Christ, Redeemer of souls, I make a voluntary offering of myself for the conversion of sinners, especially for those souls who have lost hope in God's mercy. This offering consists in my accepting, with total subjection to God's will, all the sufferings, fears and terrors with which sinners are filled. In return, I give them all the consolations which my soul receives from my communion with God. In a word, I offer everything for them: Holy Masses, Holy Communions, penances, mortifications, prayers. I do not fear the blows, blows of divine justice, because I am united with Jesus. O my God, in this way I want to make amends to You for the souls that do not trust in Your goodness. I hope against all hope in the ocean of Your mercy. My Lord and my God, my portion-my portion forever, I do not base this act of oblation on my own strength, but on the strength that flows from the merits of Jesus Christ. I will daily repeat this act of self-oblation by pronouncing the following prayer which You yourself have taught me, Jesus:
"O Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a Fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You!"
S. M. Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament
Holy Thursday, during Holy Mass, March 29, 1934.
360 Jesus likes to intervene in the smallest details of our life, and He
often fulfills secret wishes of mine that I sometimes hide from Him, although I
know that from Him nothing can be hidden.
There is a custom among us of drawing by lot, on New Year's Day, special
Patrons for ourselves for the whole year. In the morning during meditation,
there arose within me a secret desire that the Eucharistic Jesus be my special
Patron for this year also, as in the past. But, hiding this desire from my
Beloved, I spoke to Him about everything else but that. When we came to
refectory for breakfast, we blessed ourselves and began drawing our patrons.
When I approached the holy cards on which the names of the patrons were
written, without hesitation I took one, but I didn't read the name immediately
as I wanted to mortify myself for a few minutes. Suddenly, I heard a voice in
my soul: I am your patron. Read. I looked at once at the
inscription and read, "Patron for the Year 1935-the Most Blessed
Eucharist." My heart leapt with joy, and I slipped quietly away from the
sisters and went for a short visit before the Blessed Sacrament, where I poured
out my heart. But Jesus sweetly admonished me that I should be at that moment
together with the sisters. I went immediately in obedience to the rule.
Holy Trinity, One God,
385 With joy and longing I have pressed my lips to the bitterness of the
cup which I receive each day at Holy Mass. It is the share which Jesus has
allotted to me for each moment, and I will not relinquish it to anyone. I will
comfort the most sweet Eucharistic Heart continuously and will play harmonious
melodies on the strings of my heart. Suffering is the most harmonious melody of
all. I will assiduously search out that which will make Your Heart rejoice
today!
The days of my life are not monotonous. When dark clouds cover the sun,
like the eagle I will try to brave the billows and make known to others that
the sun is not dying out.
1037 + I find myself so weak that were it not for Holy Communion I would
fall continually. One thing alone sustains me, and that is Holy Communion. From
it I draw my strength; in it is all my comfort. I fear life on days when I do
not receive Holy Communion. I fear my own self. Jesus concealed in the Host is
everything to me. From the tabernacle I draw strength, power, courage and
light. Here, I seek consolation in time of anguish. I would not know how to
give glory to God if I did not have the Eucharist in my heart.
1393 Jesus, delight of my soul, Bread of Angels, My whole being is
plunged in You, And I live Your divine life as do the elect in heaven, And the
reality of this life will not cease, though I be laid in the grave.
Jesus-Eucharist, Immortal God, Who dwell in my heart without cease, When
I possess You, death itself can do me no harm. Love tells me that I will see
You at life's end.
Permeated by Your divine life, I gaze with assurance at the heavens
thrown open for me,
And death will shame-facedly go away, empty-handed, For Your divine life
is contained within my soul.
And although by Your holy will, O Lord, Death is to touch my body, I
want this dissolution to come as quickly as possible, For through it I am
entering eternal life.
Jesus-Eucharist, life of my soul, You have raised me up to the eternal
spheres, And this, by Your agony and death midst terrible tortures.
Third Day.
1768 My daughter, in this meditation, consider the love of
neighbor. Is your love for your neighbor guided by My love? Do you pray for
your enemies? Do you wish well to those who have, in one way or another, caused
you sorrow or offended you?
Know that whatever good you do to any soul, I accept it as if you had
done it to Me.
1769 Application: O Jesus, my Love, You know that it has only been for a
short while that I have acted toward my neighbor guided solely by Your love.
You alone know of my efforts to do this. It comes to me more easily now, but if
You Yourself did not kindle that love in my soul, I would not be able to persevere
in this. This is due to Your Eucharistic love which daily sets me afire.
Second Meditation.
1770 Now you shall consider My love in the Blessed Sacrament.
Here, I am entirely yours, soul, body and divinity, as your Bridegroom. You
know what love demands: one thing only, reciprocity...
1771 Application: O my Jesus, You know that I desire to love You with a
love that no soul has ever before loved You with. I would like the whole world
to be transformed into love for You, my Betrothed. You feed me with the honey
and milk of Your Heart. From my earliest years, You reared me for Yourself
alone, so that I would know how to love You now. You know that I love You,
because You alone know the depth of the sacrifice I offer You each day.
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-91, 107, 115, 136, 156,
160, 177, 183)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-I-309, 360, 385)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-III-1037)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-V-1339)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska Notebook-VI-1768-1771)
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