Tag: Eucharistic Adoration

The Presence of God

Posted on by mseagrif
It cannot be over stressed that the presence of God in the soul by grace is a real and substantial presence. God is present in the tabernacle of the heart as really and truly and substantially as He is present in the tabernacle of the altar, although in a different manner.
Christ’s Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament is a priceless gift, a pledge and prelude of that glorious presence of the Incarnate Word which will be ours eternally in Heaven. But the external pres­ence is meant to lead us to and be fused with the presence of the Word of God within our souls. So it will be in Heaven. The Son of God will be present outside us in the reality of the human nature He has assumed, the peak and glory of creation; yet that same Son of God will dwell substantially within us according to His divine nature. One presence is not opposed to the other, but complements it. That will be self-evident in Heaven. But here too devotion to the Incarnate Word present on the altar is not a hindrance to devotion to the Word of God within me; quite the reverse. All Christian experi­ence goes to show that it nourishes it as nothing else can do. On the other hand, devotion to the Second Divine Person within me will urge me to seek Him also in the human nature which makes Him my brother and which faith tells me is truly present in the tabernacle.
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I Am Here!

Posted on by mseagrif

You can feel Him…O yes, here you can feel God…you can inhale and breathe Him, filling this humble cenacle of the earth, impregnating the atmosphere with celestial perfume. This tabernacle bears the fragrance of Jesus; one enters here as if entering Jesus’ innermost being; with that same respect… that same confidence… that same love. The light, the warmth, the fire of the Eucharistic Jesus fills everything, and thus, in this beloved enclosure, the thorns are roses… sacrifice is not felt… pain and martyrdom are sweet because they are suffered for His sake and in His intimacy.

(Photo©Michael Seagriff)

 
If the altar is poor, Jesus is its richness… its most delicate embellishment. Without being fully aware of it, one enters into profound concentration and prayer because one leaves earthly things at the door, and the soul is engulfed in the possession of its Beloved.

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Because Thou Art Here

Posted on by mseagrif

(From Vultus Christ. Shared with Permission)

I am happy, Lord Jesus, to be in Thy presence.

Dom-Finnian-2-in-adoration-768x512

(Image source: Vultus Christi)

Thy psalmist said it: “To be near God is my happiness.” There are no words to describe what it is to have Thee — God from God, Light from Light, Very God from Very God — so close.
Thou art hidden, but I see Thee.
Thou art silent, but I hear Thee.

Thou art immobile, but Thou reachest out to draw me in and hold me against Thy Heart.
One who possesses Thee in the Sacrament of Thy Love, possesses everything.

Because Thou art here, I lack nothing.
Because Thou art here, I have nothing to fear.|
Because Thou art here, I cannot be lonely.
Because Thou art here, heaven itself is here,
and myriads of angels adoring Thee and offering Thee their songs of praise.
Because Thou art here, I need not search for Thee anywhere else.
Because Thou art here, my faith possesses Thee, my hope is anchored to Thee, my love embraces Thee and will not let Thee go.

You, then, be silent because I am silent;
be hidden because I am hidden;
be humble because I am humble.

Efface yourself because here I have effaced Myself in order to remain with you, in order to give you the radiance of My Face in a way that illuminates your soul without blinding you.
I withhold nothing from those who love Me and seek Me in this the Sacrament of My silent, living presence.

Those who come to Me, and abide in My presence but once, if they allow Me to touch their souls, will return to Me again and again. They will find in Me all that is necessary for happiness in this world, even when suffering abounds and when a darkness seems to have fallen over all things.

In the Sacrament of My Love, I am the pearl of great price and the treasure hidden in the field. I am the lasting happiness of the man who sells all that he possesses in order to possess Me.

I am here for you, and nothing will keep Me from giving to you according to My Heart’s desire. Come to Me and receive what I wait to give you. You will never be disappointed nor will you go away empty.

Give to me, Lord Jesus, according to Thy Heart’s desire. I am an empty vessel waiting for Thee to fill me. I would remain before Thee, silent and empty, and prepared to be filled with whatever it shall please Thee to pour into me. Fill Me according to Thy desire, not only for myself, but for  souls, that I may give them something pure, something divine to drink.

(From In Sinu Iesu, The Journal of a Priest)

Divine Guest of the Tabernacle

Posted on by mseagrif

Tabernacle gold

(Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

“Frequently, only silence can express my prayer; however, this divine Guest of the Tabernacle understands all, even the silence of a child’s soul filled with gratitude!…

When I am before the Tabernacle, I can say only one thing to Our Lord: “My God, you know that I lover You.’ And I feel my prayer does not tire Jesus; knowing the helplessness of His poor little spouse, He is content with her good will.”

Saint Therese of Lisieux

Listen My Priest!

Posted on by mseagrif

Christ Vultus Christi

From time to time, it is my privilege to share the powerful exhortations posted on Vultus Christi by Dom Mark Daniel Kirby, O.S.B. –  intended to re-ignite a passionate love for the Eucharist in all of us, and most particularly in his brother priests.

Father is the Prior of the Benedictine Monks of Perpetual Adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar at Silverstream Monastery.

And now the reflection:

Listen My Priest!

Leave aside the things
that distract you from Me.
I am the One Thing Necessary to you
in this life.
Save your eyes, your ears,
your mouth, your hands, and your heart,
your whole being for Me,
and I will unite you to Myself.

Click here to read the rest.

Eucharistic Reflection – Touch, Kiss and Cry

Posted on by mseagrif
 Johnchrysostom
                          (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

“You envy the opportunity of the woman who touched the vestments of Jesus, of the sinful woman who washed His feet with her tears, of the women of Galilee who had the happiness of following Him in His pilgrimages, of the Apostles and disciples who conversed with Him familiarly, of the people of the time who listened to the words of grace and salvation which came forth from His lips. You call happy those who saw Him … But, come to the altar and you will see Him, you will touch Him, you will give to Him holy kisses, you will wash Him with your tears, you will carry Him within you like Mary Most Holy.”

(Attributed to St. John Chrysostom)

Let Your Eyes Speak

Posted on by mseagrif


“Beloved souls, in suffering and in joy, go to Jesus hidden in the Sacred Host and let the sweetness of His loving gaze fill you. Like the sick who expose their diseased bodies to the healing rays of the sun, expose your miseries, no matter what they are, to the beams of light streaming forth from the Sacred Host. 

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It Would Be So Easy…

Posted on by mseagrif
Tabernacle_in_Church_of_St._Vincent_Ferrer_(NYC)
(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
“Ah, how it hurts to see in what manner our Savior is treated! There He is in the tabernacle, the Prisoner of Love, waiting for souls to come and visit Him. But who ever gives Him even a thought, one only thought?…It would cause so very little trouble to go to Him…for just a sweet moment. It would be so very easy to cast a tender glance upon that tiny door…to send a loving thought a-speeding towards that tabernacle…to breathe a few whispered words of affection…but, alas! When it comes to doing something for Jesus that something, no matter how small, becomes at once irksome and grievous-so weak are we!”
(Eucharistic Whisperings, Father Winfrid Herbst, SDS)

Come Close To The Loving Host

Posted on by mseagrif

“Did you ever consider well, dear Christian soul, that, when the Sacred Host is publicly exposed, Jesus is not on His Eucharistic throne to receive the adorations of the angels and to enjoy the company of the blessed? These He finds in heaven. But He is on His Eucharistic throne to receive your adorations, to listen to your confidences, and to console and alleviate your sorrows and trials.

Come, then, and adore that Holy Host. When Jesus is offended everywhere, when His royal dignity is mocked and His sovereignty denied, it behooves noble souls to come and acknowledge publicly that He is our beloved Sovereign and divine King, and that to Him all praise, honor, and glory are due.

Come and adore that Host of mercy and peace. Show Him your wounds, tell Him your faults, expose to Him your miseries. You do not insult Him who shed His blood for all the sins of the world, when you tell Him your sins to obtain forgiveness. Whatever their number and grievousness, in proportion to His infinite mercy they are less than a grain of sand lost in the immensity of an ocean.

Come close to that loving Host and pour out your heart’s bitterness into His heart. Let your tears flow freely in His presence as if you were upon His breast. The sorrows of your exile, the faithlessness of your friends, the loneliness of your heart, and the disillusions of your life, all find an echo in that heart, which has known from experience what it means to suffer.

There you will find peace in your worries, light in your difficulties, and firmness in the execution of your good resolutions. There your thirst for affection will be satisfied. You will learn the science of hidden sacrifice, of constant abnegation, of tireless meekness, and of perfect joy.  Do not say that you have no time. Rather, acknowledge that you do not love Him enough. If you did, you would leave everything, in order to visit Him. Do not say that you do not know what to tell Him. Rather, admit that you do not love Him.

If you loved Him, your lips would speak out of His heart’s abundance; and, if your lips stayed silent, it would be because hearts that understand each other need not words: silence is enough.  Do not look for other excuses. Try it, and find out by your own experience. Do not wait until tomorrow. Today, go and spend a few moments with Jesus, whether He is within the tabernacle or exposed in the monstrance. Let your weary and wounded heart be penetrated by the peaceful atmosphere of the sanctuary and your soul be bathed in the light streaming forth from the Eucharistic Sun. And, tomorrow, I am sure, you will return.”

( Jose Guadalupe Trevino, The Holy Eucharist)