By Deacon Barry Braum, Missionaries of the Most Holy Eucharist
Seminarian at Holy Apostles College & Seminary
Archbishop Fulton Sheen, in one of his talks, warned about the long term effects of what he termed a “de-eucharistification” would bring for the Church, and in turn the world. He saw, already at that time, some of the tragic consequences stemming from the slow numbing of Eucharistic faith. He was truly a “voice crying out in the wilderness” as the focus was being shifted off of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. As a John the Baptist for our times, by the witness of his life and his daily Holy Hour, he pointed out the Presence of Jesus Christ to a Church which was drifting from its Source. In almost every talk and book he would appeal to people to take up a daily Holy Hour. His whole life could be summed up in the cry “Behold the Lamb of God!”
People wonder how we came to be saturated by a ‘culture of death’ and thus why we are unable to recognise life in its weakest forms. There is a quote from a church father in the Catena Aurea in which he says “it was the part of a good physician, that having entered to heal the sick city, he should first apply himself to the source of the sickness; for as everything good cometh out of the temple, so also doth every evil.” He is commenting on the Gospel of Matthew chapter 21; the scene where Jesus, after arriving in Jerusalem, is driving out those who were buying and selling in the temple. The point is that the Church has the grace and commission to covert the world and to make disciples of all men. The Church has the power and duty to restore all things in Christ. However when the Church in its members is sick, then the whole culture is going to be sick. And just as Holy Communion, if received well and in a state of grace, can draw much grace into the world; Communion received sacrilegiously will have opposite and negative effects. Therefore, a principle reason as to why life is not recognised in its weakest and hidden forms is because Life Himself is no longer recognised in His ‘weak and hidden’ form. There is a cold indifference which surrounds Our Lord in the Eucharist. It is a chill very similar to the cold which Christ would have experienced as a baby in the manger at Bethlehem. “He came to His own, and they did not know Him”. He was rejected from every home and met with a closed door at each appeal for shelter. Before long they were killing innocent babies in Bethlehem…
So what is needed today? How do you counter all of the outrages, sacrilege and indifference? For the solution we can look, as always, to Our Lady. It was Mary who warmed the Infant Christ in Bethlehem. Amidst a sea of ungrateful hearts, the Immaculate Heart of Mary burned with love for Her beautiful Child. She was His refuge and His comfort in sorrow. She received Him with exceeding joy in a world which did not. She rejoiced in His Presence and warmed Him with perpetual attentive adoration. In their poverty, She took what She could find and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes.
The beauty and significance of Our Lady’s action is worthy of contemplation. What went through Her mind as She clothed the King of Kings? Imagine Her amazement at the wonder of His humility and the depth of His love… Mary, through Her loving care, reveals that the answer to all of the indifference which envelops Jesus is to wrap Him and surround Him with attentiveness. And so what follows is a reflection on different parts of scripture, to see how something as simple as the garments of Jesus can be profoundly significant.
In Luke’s Gospel, chapter 8, it says “And a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years and could not be healed by any one, came up behind him, and touched the fringe of his garment; and immediately her flow of blood ceased.”
This garment was able to heal the woman because it rested against the Body of Christ. By touching it in faith, healing power went forth from Jesus and healed her.
The garment is mentioned here, but it is also mentioned again at the transfiguration and when it is stripped from Jesus at the crucifixion by the Roman soldiers. It is described as being seamless. However, in the Greek, the description of the garment is “seamless and woven from above”. The word for above refers to things which come from heaven or God. It is the same word used when Jesus talks about the necessity of being born again from above. And so this garment is heavenly. Now, the only creature capable of weaving something heavenly is Our Lady who had (in a sense) woven for Jesus His Divine Humanity in Her womb.
Our Lady, when carrying Christ in Her womb for nine months, had been in a way “clothing” the Lord. She was covering Him with Her own self. Then, as was mentioned, when He was born, She wrapped Him in swaddling clothes. Very soon after that She must have started to make all His clothes for Him. Imagine the Love that went into every stich, and the intensity of the prayer. You could say that every stitch was a prayer because it was literally done for the Love of God. This was definitely a heavenly garment made from above.
This garment must have been so precious to Jesus. He must have felt Himself to be completely enclosed by the Love of His Mother. This must have brought Him great comfort, especially during His Public life for the times when He would be away from Her.
When He met those who had no faith, He had only to look down at His garment and be reminded of His mother’s perfect faith. When He met with indifference, to look down reminded Him of all the attentive care He received from His Mother. When He was rejected, His Heart was lifted by looking down and knowing there was someone who would never reject Him. Whenever He met those who hated Him, He had only to look down and be reminded that there was someone who loved Him perfectly. When He was left alone, to look down reminded Him of someone who was always thinking of Him and keeping Him company by Her prayers. When He was betrayed, He was reminded of Her loyalty. When His Holy Face was slapped and spat upon, He would look at the garment and remember the kisses which She would shower on Him. When His Sacred Body was torn apart by the scourging, He looked at the garment lying next to Him on the floor and remembered How She would bind all His wounds as a child.
When this garment was ripped from Him at the crucifixion, it must have wounded His already broken Heart. Our Lady, seeing the pain this was causing Him, had to think of a new way to clothe Him, a new way to surround the Lord in love. And so She brought to His feet the beloved John and the penitent Magdalene. She brought souls who would stay with Jesus and love Him. And this is the work Mary is doing in our age; She is stitching a new garment for Christ. A garment made up of Eucharistic Adorers who will surround Jesus day and night. It is a seamless garment because it never ceases, it has no breaks. Each Holy Hour made before Jesus is a stich of love placed in this garment. It is a garment which covers and envelops His Eucharistic Body in love.
Christ wears it and is again comforted by it because now in His Eucharistic Presence:
When He meets those who have no faith, He only has to look down from the Altar and see the faith of an adorer. When He meets with indifference, by looking down He sees that there is someone who is attentive and cares. When He is rejected, His Heart is lifted by looking down at someone who has not rejected Him. Whenever He meets those who hate Him, He has only to look down and see someone who is trying to love Him. When He is left alone, to look down He sees someone who is thinking of Him and keeping Him company in prayer. When He is betrayed, He sees us week after week and appreciates our loyalty. When His Holy Face is slapped and spat upon by blasphemies and sacrileges, He looks down at the garment of Eucharistic adorers and receives each minute we are with Him as a kiss of comfort.
Consecrate yourself to Mary and let Her weave you into this work of love. The Adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is truly Her work. It is a work which deeply comforts and consoles the Heart of Jesus.
St. Faustina said that “A Holy Hour before the Most Blessed Sacrament so pleases the Heart of Jesus, that every man, woman and child on earth receives a new effect of God’s goodness and love, all because of a single Hour of Adoration in His presence.” Bl. John Paul II said that “in adoration we draw the world with us and raise it up to God.”
Our world, like the woman in Luke’s Gospel, has been wounded for so long and needs to be touched by this garment of Adoration in order to be healed. This garment is able to draw out healing power from Jesus because it rests against His Sacred Body. The World needs souls who will adore, who will give hours of adoration for the salvation of all.
Prayer to Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament
Virgin Immaculate, perfect lover of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, we ask thee to obtain for us the graces we need to become true adorers of our Eucharistic God. Grant us, we beg of thee, to know Him better, to love Him more, and to centre our lives around the Eucharist, that is, to make our whole life a constant prayer of adoration, thanksgiving, reparation, and petition to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Amen.
Pray for us, O Virgin Immaculate, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament. That the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus Christ may come among us!
