unveil
our living jesus
Sr.
Silvia Maria Tarafa, SCTJM
For private use only -©
“I
wonder if I locked the door of my car. I hope so, since I left my
new MP3 player sitting on the front seat. Who is singing that
beautiful song in the choir? I wonder if I will be able to get out
of the parking lot in time to make a quick visit to my sick
neighbor. Should I bring him a dessert? I wonder if he is allergic
to nuts.....”
Often we have a similar litany of thoughts when we stand in line to
receive Holy Communion. And so, Jesus told St. Faustina:
When I come to the human heart in Holy Communion, my hands are full
of all kinds of graces which I want to give to the soul, but souls
do not even pay attention to me. They leave me to myself and busy
themselves with other things…. They treat me as a dead object. (St.
Faustina, Diary, 1385)
Last week, I had the opportunity to share with thousands of students
at Illinois State University about the activities taking place this
year at the Catholic Newman Center at which I work. This event
happens yearly at every university. I’ve had the opportunity to
participate in this event for more than 10 years now, but this year
it hit me stronger than ever: how was it that I, my sister and our
small group (in comparison to the crowds), as well as the Catholic
students we work with, were given the gift of knowing Jesus’ real
presence among us?
There were several hundred student organizations at the event, each
marketing their ware. Some offered us candy, one had a cricket that
you could pet, and the most popular one was giving out free ice
cream. Yet our little band of students had the most precious gift of
all to offer: we know that Jesus Christ is alive in the Eucharist
and on campus, back at our Newman Center. We know that the long
awaited Messiah is living and breathing among us. We know that the
God made-man remains with us in hidden form, alive in a piece of
bread, in a golden box. How is it that we know this, and this vast
crowd does not? How were we, a small handful or people, given such a
sublime gift? And what are we doing with the knowledge of this gift?
The following Sunday I wondered if any of the new students coming to
Mass, who may not be Catholic, could tell, by the reverence in which
we were receiving the Eucharist, that we were receiving a real live
person, a living person: the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords?
I pray, Lord, for all who see us, for those who are discerning the
vocation You have prepared for them, and for those of us who simply
want to grow in greater union with You. From the depths of my heart,
Lord, I pray that You would help us receive You, living in your
glorified body in the Eucharist, with greater awareness of the
sublimity and our unworthiness at receiving this gift, the most
supreme in the universe!
This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
