The Real Presence.

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Sue_Burton

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A few days ago I read something from the Imitation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that has been really playing on my mind. The words asked that I reflect and meditate on seeing the skies open up and me visibly with the eyes of my body seeing Our Lord Jesus seated on His throne in all of His glory, being ministered by the Angels and Saints of Heaven. How would such a sight make me feel? How would I or rather any of us respond to seeing this happen. How would we honour Our Lord whom we see with our bodily eyes, how would we genfluct and worship? Would we walk away, would we not react or hold any sentiments at all? This would be for any of us most unlikely. Yet we are told by Our Lord Himself and His words are reinforced in the teachings of Holy Mother Church that Jesus is truly present in the Blessed Eucharist. We then should perceive Our Lord present with the eyes of faith and if we do this we should all react and honour Him as if we had seen the skys open before us and He seated on His throne being ministered to by the Angels and Saints in Heaven. Yet do any of with our hands on hearts and in all truth receive or rather perceive Our Lord and react the way that we would if we saw Him with our bodily eyes. Some good souls do, some perhaps have not meditated on this, I know I never have. But the truth is, that despite the words of Our Lord proclaiming His Real Presence, despite the affarmation of Holy Mother Church to this fact and even despite our own affirmation that we believe this to be so, in action it seems most do not react the way people would who saw Our Lord with their bodily eyes, because if this were so, this were truly in the hearts of the faithful, how is it that during adoration so many pews are empty? Many hear of Our Lady appearing and those places are packed full of those wanting to experience Her, of those wanting if it were possible to see something of Her, see a miracle, gain a healing. Yet our pews are not full when we are able to sit with Our Lord looking at Him, disguised in the the species of bread and wine. Let us say that a voice rang out in a town,’ come Our Lord is visible, come and see, the whole town would run to that place, yet they do not run before Our Lord in the Tabernacle. We affirm His Real Presence, yet by actions often we say otherwise. How are Protestant able to believe this truth, if by actions of so many, where Our Lord is left by so many alone, we say by action He is not there. Or is there a crisis, do too many Catholics in their heart of hearts doubt the real presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist? For us who do not doubt, when before Him, we are to greet Him and worship and react as if we see Him in all of His glory with our bodily eyes. All of this struck me and has been on my mind and brought much questioning of my own thoughts and feelings and actions when being before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and I have avowed to myself to always have before my mind seeing Him with my bodily eyes in other words reacting and worshipping Him and being transfixed before Him in this Sacrament in the same way as I would if I indeed did see Heaven open and Our Lord on His throne with my bodily eyes. Because the eyes of the body and the eyes of faith should be one and the same thing. And if everyone perceived this truth, perhaps Our Lord would not be left alone by so many. God Bless Sue

A website that teaches all there is on the Sacred Heart as well as how to imitate the Sacred Heart of Jesus our.homewithgod.com/sacredheart/ Lots of online Catholic books. Best website ever, from Israel my.homewithgod.com/israel/
 
Dear Sue,
God bless you for your appreciation and honour of the real presence of Jesus, and for wishing to share your meditations with us! 🙂 Thank you!

I guess it can be easy for some to lose touch with the reality of the Real Presence as there is little or no outward sign…and people live busy lives in a physical world…so if any look for the miraculous and extraordinary in other places and events, they might as you say, miss the extraordinary mystery and miracle of the Real Presence and of the Eucharist …because it deals in ordinary matter like bread and wine and hands and words.

I’ve a simple, perhaps childish response to the Real Presence.
I always simply sit in the pew closest to the tabernacle, because I know if I *could see *Jesus I’d want to be as close as possible to Him therefore I do it anyway. In churches around my diocese tabernacles are usually to the side of the altar, so being near to the tabernacle I’m near to Him in the Mass too. I know God is everywhere but this is my response.

I recall that one saint said some of us are more prone to adoration, some more to simple love…some combine both. I’m mostly in the simple-love bracket. If I’m alone in the church I spend time quite naturally with Jesus, near the tabernacle. I pray for people, but I talk to Him naturally, not formally; or I sit with him, or I sing to Him. I’m just human with Him, because I’m human. I don’t find it helpful to seek God or to love God if not in a simple, direct manner.

God bless you for your insights and for your love and honour of the Blessed Sacrament, you love and honour of Jesus…Trishie
 
Hey I enjoyed reading your post and think you make a great point in that some in their “heart of hearts” might not really believe it is his body. I know I have struggled with this at times and I’ve asked Jesus to help me understand the Eucharist. However, I’ve become lazy about it and haven’t really been trying to listen about it, so I really appreciate that you’ve called this to my attention. Also, I’ve heard that Pope John Paul II would adore the Eucharist something like 20 times a day. And that Albert Einstein, who I had kind of assumed wasn’t religious b/c of the whole “science” thing, used to always like to talk to priests about the Eucharist b/c he found it so fascinating. Just thought those things were interesting.
 
  • My Child, if the heavens were thrown open before you, and if your eyes beheld there My glory; how you would be affected by this sight! how you would tremble with holy awe! with what reverence you would fall prostrate. For before My throne, sending forth the splendors of glory, like blazing flames and lightenings, you should behold thousands of thousands of Angels praising Me with all veneration; and, stand standing around this throne, ten thousand times a hundred thousand ministering to Me. You should also behold the mighty throng of Saints, who you could not count, falling upon their faces in sight of the throne, adoring and melting with love. You should behold how everything is aglow in My presence: at one time you should perceive how, by reason of the greatness of the all-pervading reverence, there reigns a deep silence throughout heaven; at another, how the whole place resounds with a voice ot its inhabitants, bursting forth and singing in unison: Amen blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving, and honour and power and strength, to our God forever and ever.
    Now My Child, I the same, who in heaven am worshiped with such manifestation of honour and praise, am here present in the most Blessed Sacrament
I am working on a website almost complete which includes the Imitation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
our.homewithgod.com/sacredheart/

The words here are from the fourth book chapter 16, which I have pasted above. I stopped typing when I came a cross these words and meditated on them for a long time. This book is written in the same spirit as the Imitation of Christ and it teaches us the words the Heart of Jesus speaks as given us in Sacred Scripture. It has made such a profound difference for me and I have made an audio of this book also for myself so I can meditate on this loving Heart that remains on all the Tabernacles throughout the world from dusk until dawn and dawn until dusk as the words written in the Book of Jeremiah prophesied. There is a fullness explaining the Real Presence which may help some to reflect on the truth of the Eucharist being the Body Blood Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus. my.homewithgod.com/gertrude/eucharist/

God Bless
Sue
 
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