In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus asks his three closest disciples a poignant question, one that resonates deeply with each of us: “Could you not watch with me one hour?” (Matthew 26:40). These words uttered by Jesus suffering alone in the Garden of Gethsemane, touch upon a fundamental truth about our relationship with Him – a truth that is embodied in the Holy Eucharist, where Jesus waits for us, desires our company, and is always available to offer His presence, love, and grace.
He Waits for Us
“And lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
In the sacrament of the Eucharist, Jesus Christ is truly present – body, blood, soul, and divinity. He is waiting for us, desiring our time, our adoration, and our love. Just as he longed for the companionship and support of his disciples during his moments of agony in the garden, Jesus longs for us to spend time with him where He is so often neglected, in the Blessed Sacrament.
Marie-Julie Jahenny, the Breton stigmatist, had a devout love for Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament from her childhood. While visiting Him, she would hear Him say, “Stay a little longer with Me.” And she willingly complied with His request for her company (De la Franquerie, Marquis).
The beauty of the gift of Jesus in the Eucharist is that He is always available to us. In the tabernacle of our churches the precious body of Christ is reserved, ready to be received by the faithful, and ready to welcome us into His presence. The Eucharist is a constant invitation to enter into a deep encounter with Jesus, to share with Him our hopes, desires, and struggles, to make reparation to His Sacred Heart, and to contemplate the Model to which we aspire. Jesus calls us to live in holiness and gives us Himself as the example and the means by which we can obey.
The Gift of Time and Attention
In the busyness and noise of our lives, it can be easy to overlook the significance of spending time with Jesus in the Eucharist. Yet when we devote time to Our Lord, giving Jesus the gift of our loving attention, we receive His grace and grow in His friendship. Just as time and attention are profound marks of love in all human relationships, our attention to Jesus in the Eucharist signifies our love and devotion to him. Spending 15 minutes in thanksgiving with Him after Mass or visiting Him for an hour of Adoration expresses our desire to deepen our relationship, to listen to his voice, and to place our sufferings and burdens at his feet.
Jesus in the Tabernacle is the same Jesus who took form in the womb of the Virgin Mary, who humbled Himself in family life with Mary and Joseph, who walked through Galilee teaching and healing, who was beaten, tortured, and crucified for us, and who rose from the dead and reigns in Heaven. He is the God who is there and who is here. In the Blessed Sacrament, He makes Himself accessible as He did then, in all gentleness and mercy. He teaches us of His Sacred Heart, meek and humble, and works miracles in our lives.
Many saints have said if Christ were to show us Himself in all His glory on the altar, we could not withstand it; we would be broken for our sins in His presence and unable to raise our eyes to Him. But in His love and compassion for us, He hides all His glory in the Host, the Bread of Life, so that we will come, unhindered and unafraid. Jesus does not reprove us for our indifference but patiently and consistently invites us to find life, peace, and deliverance in Him. This Love calls us to love Him in return, to pour out our hearts in thanksgiving for His kindness and generosity so we may obtain the graces He provides to live our Faith in holiness.
It is For Our Benefit
Saint Catherine of Genoa said, “The time I have spent before the Tabernacle is the best spent time of my life.” (Manelli, Stefano M. Jesus, Our Eucharistic Love)
Jesus does not ask for our time without reason. He understands that the human heart is a vessel that needs to be filled, a heart that longs for connection, intimacy, and healing. By drawing us into His presence, He offers us the opportunity to experience the transformative power of His love and receive the peace that only He can give.
The Benefit of Healing
We are often burdened by depression and anxiety over the wounds we carry, the many trials we face, and the darkness in the world. These burdens can deeply trouble us, filling us with fear, guilt, or resentment. Jesus, the true source of healing, can free us to live a joyful and abundant life. If we don’t go to Him with our burdens, we may seek escape in ways that are unhealthy or lead to sin. We miss the gifts He has reserved for us and find ourselves trying to fight our own battles against the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Our Lord desires to heal us so that whatever the surrounding circumstances may be, we can trust Him and abandon ourselves to His Providence. As we spend time with Jesus In the Blessed Sacrament, our hearts are softened by His love and we learn to trust Him with the things that trouble us or keep us trapped in sin. The presence of Jesus opens our eyes to new perspectives and frees us from what binds us up. Our wounds, so difficult to bear begin to heal and forgiveness becomes possible. Jesus knows our sorrows and when we share them with Him, we find rest.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29).
And St. Ambrose applies this scripture to the gifts and remedies found in the Eucharist:
“That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him” (2 Corinthians 2:9).
The Benefit of Holiness
Through the Eucharist, Jesus calls us to pursue holiness. “You . . . must be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). He illustrates this perfection in the Sermon on the Mount, going beyond the righteousness of the Pharisees to the very core of virtue. In the Beatitudes Jesus re-defines holiness as an interior state, the quality of a person’s character, which informs his behavior but goes far deeper in its application. The holiness Jesus calls us to is a transformation of one’s entire being so that in every situation as His mystical Body, we may respond in Christ-likeness.
Father John Hardon in his book With Us Today reminds us that in the Eucharist Christ “is present in the fullness of His humanity, and it is in His humanity that He can be imitated.” This is the essence of holiness, the imitation of Christ. And as we imitate Christ we imitate the Father signifying we are His true children.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever he does, that the Son does likewise” (John 5:19).
But of course, we need divine assistance for this. And in the Eucharist, we obtain that assistance. The Eucharist, as the sacrament of union with Christ, increases grace in our soul with every Holy Communion. In this way, it is the sacrament most necessary for growth in holiness. St. Robert Bellarmine in his treatise on frequent Communion states,
”Experience bears out . . . that those who receive frequently with a desire to grow in holiness make wonderful progress in the spiritual life.” (Hardon, John A. The Catholic Catechism, p 475).
In addition to frequent communion, spending time kneeling before Jesus, gazing upon Him in the Tabernacle, and meditating on His Passion increases our love for Him. That love fortifies our will to imitate His obedience, humility, meekness, and patience – all virtues that reflect the holiness of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. (Link to 2nd Pillar Article?)
Did you know that when we are meditating and praying before the Blessed Sacrament, we are engaging in spiritual warfare? Quietly focusing on Jesus, His attributes, and His teachings develops our interior life with Him. This is the practice of Mental Prayer, another aspect of the spiritual life lauded by the saints as a powerful source of virtue. Why? Because when we take time to communicate with Jesus, the Source of Light and Life, He expels the demons that taunt us. We receive answers to prayer, the strength to conquer temptation, the fortitude to carry our crosses, and the light of the Spirit to accomplish good works in this dark world.
“You are the light of the world . . . Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14,16)
The Wisdom of the Saints:
- St. John Bosco once said, “My dear ones, the visit to the Blessed Sacrament is an extremely necessary way to conquer the devil. Therefore, go often to visit Jesus, and the devil will not come out victorious against you.” (Manelli).
- St. John Marie Vianney preached that Jesus in the Eucharist “will give us arms to fight, to resist, and to come off victorious . . .[when] the devil, the world, and our inclinations make war on us, . . .” (Manelli).
- St. Alphonsus Liguori encourages us to visit Our Lord with these words, “Be assured that the time you spend with devotion before this Divine Sacrament will be the most profitable to you in life and the source of your greatest consolation in death and in eternity.” (Liguori, Visits to the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary)
Saying Yes to Jesus
Let us recognize the immense gift that we have in the Holy Eucharist – that of Jesus’ presence always accessible to us. Let us respond to His call and make the effort to spend time with Him in prayer and meditation. In so doing, we are intentionally prioritizing our relationship with Him. We are saying yes to His invitation, acknowledging His desire for our company and our need for His help in the sufferings and temptations of our lives. We want to give our love to the God who is with us, seek His will, and ask for the grace to carry it out.
May we, with the saints, cherish the moments we dedicate to Jesus in the Eucharist, knowing that by frequent Communion and Adoration, we will be healed of our wounds, imitate His virtues, and receive rich reward from the One who loves us without measure.
