O God, Who in this wonderful Sacrament have left us a memorial of Your Passion, grant us, we pray, so to revere the sacred mysteries of Your Body and Blood that we may always experience in ourselves the fruits of Your redemption. Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
in this wonderful Sacrament – The Eucharist is the source and summit of our Catholic faith and life. It is wonderful beyond our imagination because in the Eucharist we receive Jesus, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.
a memorial of Your Passion – In the Eucharist, Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross is re-presented, made present again in an unbloody manner, that we may participate in it. It is the very same sacrifice. We do not crucify Jesus again. Because Jesus is both God and Man, His sacrifice stands outside of time. Yet Heaven touches earth at every Mass that we may enter into Jesus' Passion anew.
to revere the sacred mysteries of Your Body and Blood – Unfortunately, many Catholics fail to understand the infinitive treasure we have in the Eucharist. They receive without, as St. Paul says, discerning the Body and Blood of Christ. Perhaps the Mass is a merely routine or habit to some, an obligation to others. Yet they do not realize that Jesus is really present in the Host and in the Chalice. They lack faith, so they also lack the reverence they ought to show toward this sacred mystery. And this is a tragedy on so many levels.
we may always experience in ourselves the fruits of Your redemption – May we open ourselves to Jesus when we receive Him in the Eucharist. May we allow Him to cleans us with His mercy, fill us with His grace, and strength us with His love. May we live a Eucharistic life, filled with His presence, radiant with His joy, and generous in His blessings.
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