“The Eucharist, the Catechism says, “Is the source and summit of Christian life.” And rightfully so! For in the Blessed Sacrament, we encounter Christ himself. Throughout the centuries, countless holy men and women have themselves experienced Christ praying in front of the exposed Blessed Sacrament………. From the Eucharist comes strength to live the Christian life and zeal to share that life with others……. Vietnamese Cardinal Francois-Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan spent 13 years in prison. This is what he had to say about Eucharistic Adoration: “At night, the prisoners would take turns for adoration. With His silent Presence, the Eucharistic Jesus helped us in unimaginable ways. Many Christians returned to a fervent faith-life. Even Buddhists and other non-Christians came to faith. The strength of Jesus’ love was irresistible”………… If we want the world to move forward a little, the only criterion in terms of which this can happen is God, who enters into our lives as a Real Presence. The Eucharist is the place where man/woman can receive this kind of formation from which new things come into being”

Gospel Text: (Lk 9:18-22)

Once when Jesus was praying in solitude,
and the disciples were with him,
he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah;
still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”
Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”
He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.

He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

 

Reflect, today, upon whether or not you regularly engage in deep prayer. Can you point to times when you, like our Lord, were alone with God, communing with Him in the depths of your human soul, being drawn to Him through prayer? There are many levels of prayer, as is attested to by many saints. Make the choice to deepen your prayer life. Go before our Lord today and pour out your heart to Him, asking Him to draw you into the holy solitude of His prayer to the Father. Doing so will bring forth in you the deepest human satisfaction possible in life.