The Eucharist is Jesus present among us and for us. In the Eucharist Jesus is really present in Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. With the Eucharist we really have Emmanuel, that is, "God with us" (Mt. 1:23).

       St. Thomas Aquinas rightly exhorts us to reflect that there is no religion on earth which has its God as close and intimate as the Christian religion with the Eucharist.

       The greatest thing still is that the Word Incarnate, Jesus does not only live among us, but also gives Himself to us, penetrating in our hearts and making Himself one with each of us, "He that eateth My Flesh, and drinketh My Blood, abideth in Me, and I in him." (Jn. 6:57)

       And this is what Jesus wants every day. For this He is made "Bread" because bread is our daily nourishment and our daily sustenance without which we weaken and deteriorate.

Our Lady of Fatima teaches us to pray "O Most Holy Trinity, I adore Thee, My God, I love Thee in the Most Blessed Sacrament."

The Holy Mass

       Where and when is Jesus made the Eucharist? In the Holy Mass.

       When the priest consecrates the bread and wine he immolates in an unbloody manner Jesus' Real Presence on the altar as a victim.

       Oh! What a divine wonder is the Mass which renews the Sacrifice of the Cross and operates the miracle of Transubstantiation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ immolated!

       St. Alphonsus de Liguori is right in saying that God could not do anything greater than the Mass. Padre Pio is also right in saying that "the Holy Mass is as infinite as Jesus!"

       For this the saints loved the Holy Mass with an ardent passion. St. Francis of Assisi preferred to attend two Masses during the day, and when he was sick he would like a confrere to celebrate the Mass in his cell.

       And we? Is it true that many Christians find it difficult even to go to Mass on Sunday? How little do they understand this Divine Mystery which is the infinite richness of the Church!

       Nevertheless, if we want to love Our Lady, let us not forget that we will never be as close to Her as when we are near the altar on which is renewed the sacrifice of Calvary: "Now there stood by the Cross of Jesus, His Mother." (Jn. 19:25)

       Once Padre Pio was asked whether Our Lady is present during the Mass. The Padre answered with a surprising tone. "But don't you see Our Lady is always near the Tabernacle?"

Holy Communion

       With Holy Communion Jesus gives Himself to each one of us to nourish us with His Body and Blood: "My Flesh is meat indeed: and My Blood is drink indeed." (Jn. 6:56)

       Divine nourishment. Nourishment of love. Nourishment of infinite value and strength: "Blessed are they that are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb ..." (Apoc. 19:9)

       He who does not eat this Bread will suffer spiritual weakness and deterioration from day to day. Jesus has said clearly these words: "Unless you eat this Flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His Blood, you shall not have life in you." (Jn. 6:54)

       For this the saints hungered for Jesus and were heroic in making any sacrifice so as not to be deprived of this "Bread of Life" (Jn. 6:35), "that came down from Heaven." (Jn. 6:59)

       The Blessed Joseph Moscati received Holy Communion every morning. And when, in order to attend scientific Congresses of Doctors, he had to travel to far away places, he chose to travel by night, or he got off the ship to look around the unfamiliar city in search of a Catholic Church to be able to go to Holy Communion. And this he did, always fasting from midnight. He said he did not feel able to begin his medical visits if he had not first received Jesus.

       And we? Perhaps we have a church only a few steps away and yet it does not even attract us so we may receive Holy Communion even on Sunday. Poor creature! If we pray to Our Lady, with joy She will enlighten us and give us the grace and strength to approach Holy Communion even every day. There is nothing on earth that will make Our Lady happier than to see Jesus in our hearts. She draws us to Her Heart in one embrace with Jesus.

With Jesus and For Jesus

       Holy Mass and Communion fill us with Jesus and make us live with and for Jesus. With what frequency during the day, the love of Jesus should bring me back to the Eucharist.

       For this reason, St. Francis de Sales and St. Maximilian Kolbe resolved to make a spiritual Communion every quarter of an hour. For this the Saints sought every hour and every moment to run to Jesus and to stay near Him whenever possible.

       The Eucharistic visits, the hours of adoration, the little moments of prayer near the Tabernacle were their passions. And how they worked! In going back and forth to school St. Robert Bellarmine would pass two churches and would visit the Eucharist four times during the day. Blessed Anna Maria Taigi, mother of seven children, used every opportunity to make a long daily visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Every Saint is a creature of love and he was not able to not feel the attraction to the Sacrament of Love.

There Must Be Priests

       St. Gemma Galgani said that in Paradise we would be grateful to Jesus above all for the gift of the Eucharist He has given to men. It is impossible that God could give us something better than Himself.

       But how can we have the Eucharist on earth without priests? They are the only "dispensers of the mysteries of God" (1 Cor. 4:1). Only to them did Jesus say, after the first Mass celebrated on Holy Thursday, "Do this in commemoration of Me." (Lk. 22:19)

       For this divine mission of renewing the Sacrifice of Jesus, the priest is chosen only by God (Heb. 5:4), Who separates him from other men (Rom. 1:1) and consecrates him as "minister of the Tabernacle" (Heb. 13:10).

       Blessed is the priest! The Angels themselves venerate him, for he represents Jesus. St. Cyprian with emphasis, said "the priest at the altar works in the same Person of Jesus."

       But to be priests they must have priestly vocations. They must also have the grace to correspond and to be faithful to their chosen vocation.

       Who will give them all these graces? The response is this: Our Lady, the universal Mediatrix. But one needs to pray and to ask Her. She is the Mother of the Highest Priest and of all other priests. She raised Jesus for the sacrifice. She raises the priests to conduct them to the altar of immolation "unto the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13).

       Since we have such great need of priests, therefore, let us have recourse to the Madonna. Let us multiply our prayers, let us not tire of insisting with Her for such a great good.

       With prayer, vocations are obtained, as Jesus said: "Pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest that He send forth laborers into His harvest." (Mt. 9:38) With prayer to the Madonna, vocations will be obtained more quickly because She is the Powerful Mediatrix of love and mercy.

       St. Maximilian Kolbe, the great devotee of the Immaculata, obtained in less than twenty years almost one thousand vocations by his love and his incessant prayer.

       O Mary, Mother and Queen of priests, give us many and holy priests!

       Suggested Resolutions

• Participate in Holy Mass and receive Holy Communion with Our Lady.
  
  
• Offer Mass and Communion to Our Lady to give Her joy.
  
  
• Make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament in reparation for offenses to the Eucharist.
  
  

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