The
Blessed Sacrament is a sacrament of initiation, because the Eucharist
brings us into the fullness of our life in Christ. Every single Holy
Communion is of immeasurable worth to us. The Eucharist is, among so many other things, the most wonderful work of God's love. The Living Bread from Heaven is our Treasure, our strength, our joy, and the source of grace. The greatest blessing we receive from the Eucharist is an increase of Sanctifying Grace, the very life of our souls.
Have you ever given much thought to the walk back to your pew, once you rise from your knees after having received Holy Communion?
Never take that precious walk when you are united with your saving Guest for granted, for you and Jesus make that journey together. Yes, He is walking with you!
That walk together with Jesus, back to your pew, is representative of your everyday walk with Christ as His beloved creation, disciple, and servant. As God and as Man, Jesus understands every circumstance you will ever encounter. He knows you intimately, and loves you personally.
Just before His death, Jesus instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper so He would remain with us always to strengthen us, encourage us, and help us grow in sanctity as we strive to resemble Him in all our actions.
Jesus accompanies us, throughout our lives, toward eternity.
When you are injured or sick, you are walking with our battered and injured Jesus, our patiently suffering Savior, our humble, holy, physically compromised, loving, gentle, and always forgiving Brother and Friend. You travel with Him along the Way of the Cross, passing the Stations of Sorrow that surround the entire congregation, whom God loves beyond all human comprehension.
The Way of the Cross was finite, and yet it stretched into eternity. The same is true for your walk with Christ back to your pew.
Flanking you and Jesus are the prideful, the humble, the hateful, the merciful, the remorseful, the indifferent, those kind souls whose hearts are broken at the sight of His and your suffering, the hardhearted, the charitable, the selfish, the servants, the courageous, the spiritually blinded, and those who see through the eyes of God.
Your walk with Jesus must share the same goal Jesus had from His Conception to His Death on Calvary: to accomplish the most perfect will of God the Father.
As He walks with you, you journey with Him to Golgotha, where He gave everything He had for you. Give Him everything you have in return.
Perhaps you are having a good day, things are going well in your life, and as you journey with Christ you most resemble our Resurrected Lord, who, after redeeming mankind, triumphed over the grave and ascended victorious to heaven where He sits at the right hand of God.
Perhaps you are mourning one or more losses and you walk with our lonely, innocent, and rejected Jesus, who was abandoned by His friends and sentenced to death by His enemies.
Your journey back
may be extremely sorrowful as you long for loved ones who have passed
into eternity. Jesus mourned, too. Perhaps He longed for the presence
of His beloved and devoted foster father St. Joseph, who had preceded
Him in death. Unify your thoughts with those of your Redeemer when the journey is
lonely. As He lovingly comforts you, comfort and love Him in return. Sometimes the walk back to your seat is slowed down by people walking in front of you, and you are granted extra time to reflect. Perhaps you share the moment when Jesus met His most sorrowful Mother along the Way of Our Redemption. Such moments are so valuable for your soul; never take Their sacrifices, or the sacrifices of others, for granted.
Do you see children walking to their seats in front of you? Perhaps they were behind you, but caught up to you and walk right next to you. They journey back to their seats with the Child Jesus joyfully, full of wonder, sometimes playful, always eager to please and share God's love others.
Are you returning to your seat after having received Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament worthily and with a clear conscience? He is comforted by your presence along the Way of the Cross, for He summoned every bit of strength He had to make it to the Cross so He could spend Himself, completely and personally, for every single one of us.
Jesus loves you that much.
Perhaps you head back to your place in church after having received Jesus unworthily. As you walk with Jesus along the Via Dolorosa, see that He fell three times to show you how to get back up again. So begin again. Accept His great love and trust in His infinite mercy. Go to Confession with humble confidence and be forgiven.
Whatever the particular circumstances in your life at any given moment, remember that after receiving Jesus in Holy Communion, He is truly Present within you. Together, you and Jesus journey back to your seat to continue accomplishing the will of God. You are His instrument of love!
What was your journey like today, and in what way did you resemble Jesus?
Always remember that to truly walk along with Christ, we must take God's side and make the journey unified with our pro-life Creator. The Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary reminds us that God is pro-life, our Blessed Mother is pro-life, the saints are all pro-life, and to truly live in imitation of Christ, we must be pro-life, too.
The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.
The Song of Mary ~ Magnificat
And Mary said:
"My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.” 1
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.” 1
~ Luke 1:40-55
Receive Holy Communion worthily at least once a week, and daily if at all possible. Walk with Him, often! Holy Communion is of immeasurable value to us. Never, ever take Jesus' sacrifice for granted.
Love Him and Honor Him, all the days of your life.
God is at work in you!
_____________
Source:
1. New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.