“Jesus waits for you”, I mumbled to my almost three-year-old half-heartedly during the Consecration one Sunday. It had been a particularly hard Mass, and my husband and I were shuffling seats, trying to separate the troublemakers. Much to my surprise, her eyes opened wide. “ME!” she exclaimed loud enough for the pews around us to hear.
Now invested, I said “Yes. For you. And for me.”
“Dada?” she asked.
“Yes, also for him.” After running through the litany of any and all family members she could remember, we sat in silence waiting for our turn to go up for communion.
Ever since that day, each time we walk into church, my daughter exclaims “Me!” and we both know she’s referring to Jesus waiting for her. And that’s exactly what He does. He waits in the Eucharist for us. One of the ironic benefits of Jesus dying for our salvation was that He is more accessible to us now; providing us simple ways to plug into His mercy, grace and gaze.
The beauty of parenthood is that my toddler reminded me of Jesus’ presence and never-ending patience. I, also, should be shouting upon entering the Church for the King has been waiting for me! What a gift that is commonly overlooked.
There are hundreds of spiritual practices we could all be doing to deepen our relationship with the Lord; to hone in our virtues; to provide our soul with true rest and refreshment. Though wonderful, how many of us are actively engaging in a consistent spiritual practice? I love the Rosary, but do not pray it every day. Same with the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Liturgy of the Hours. In my current state of life, I need the most efficient, hard-hitting spiritual practice that does not require too much time or thought.
The most simple spiritual practice is to give Jesus some of our time. To sit in his gaze. Even if it’s *only* for 5, 10, 15 minutes a week. We sit on our phones scrolling for that long without even realizing it so imagine what He can do to our hearts in that short amount of time. The healing that He can bring. The identity He can show us.
In case my three year old’s story was not compelling enough, here are some reasons you need to see Jesus in the Eucharist, now!
1. A need everyone shares
The Church and the world have great need of Eucharistic adoration. Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of love. Let us be generous with our time in going to meet Him in adoration and contemplation full of faith. And let us be ready to make reparation for the great faults and crimes of the world. May our adoration never cease.” – St. John Paul II, Dominicae Cenae: Letter to Priests, Holy Thursday, 1980.
2. It’s transformative power
Pope Benedict XVI considered adoration to be “a transformation with the One with whom we merge” through Holy Communion in the Holy Mass. “The Eucharist for me is healing. The Eucharist for me is peace. The Eucharist for me is my grounding. The Eucharist for me is His heart within me.” — Jonathan Roumie, 2024 Eucharistic Congress
4. It’s for everyone, always
The Lord is not overwhelmed by you. He loves you, and he sees you, and he’s not deterred by anything.” — Sister Miriam James Heidland, 2024 Eucharistic Congress
5. It’s our source of spiritual nourishment
“It’s time for faithful Catholics to stop trying to live for God. Instead we should start living from him. The body and blood of the Lord is the source of our life, our energy, and our joy. So let’s eat and drink here and every day to our heart’s content and then let’s rush out into a starving world and tell everybody we meet, ‘Starving people, listen! We found where the food is!’” — Monsignor James Shea, 2024 Eucharistic Congress
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