Meditating on the testimony of those who were present during the Eucharistic Miracle, we too can feel the astonishment, the wonder and the joy at this manifestation of the Lord Jesus. At a time when the Good Father's work was beginning to take shape, he and his first daughters were wondering about the future of this foundation. Would it prosper? Would there be enough money to carry out the work? In the secret of their hearts, they might have prayed: "Lord, tell us what you want; give us a sign...". And then, totally unexpectedly, Jesus gives himself to be contemplated, to be listened to, as a gift of the Father's tenderness to his children: "I am He who is and there is no other...".
Today, each of us is invited to give thanks personally for this manifestation of the Lord in our life, for these gifts that make us understand that God walks with us and that we do his will, like Jesus.
"I am He who is, and there is no other...". These words of Jesus, this face of Jesus, draw us into silent adoration. Jesus gives himself to be known, to be loved. His face is engraved in my heart, in my memory. He is the Lord I love. I will always have to welcome him, to discover him more and more. His words echo in my heart, in my memory. Lord, your words are Life, they light my way. They show me the will of the Father. They console me and tell me of your love, your forgiveness, your trust. You entrust them to me so that, through me, the disciple you send on mission, others may hear the Good News of your love for humanity.
Today, each of us is invited to make a symbolic bouquet of flowers with these words which are our treasure. Like the Good Father, let us dare to write these words which are for us the Word of God. Let us offer them to our God. Let us taste them as words of life.
"I am, and [Apart from me] there is no other ...". As a Contemplative Sister recently wrote: "Me" in the Scriptures means "God saves" and is one of the names of God. The Eucharistic Miracle plunges us into the Mystery of Salvation. Jesus, who is blessing us, is the God who saves us. To listen to the Lord, to walk in the light of his Word, is to choose life". We renew this choice at each Eucharistic communion. God gives Godself as the food of eternal life. God blesses us. In our turn, strengthened by the presence of the Lord in us, we become bearers of life. We become a "blessing" to all those whose lives we share.
Today, each of us is invited to live more fully this mystery of Jesus in the Eucharist giving his Life and blessing all creatures. How good it is to love, to be loved and to bring others to love Him who is all love: Jesus our Lord and our God.
As we close the commemoration of the bicentenary of the Eucharistic Miracle as a Family, I would like to share with you what this sign, which the Lord has given to our Holy Family, means to me.
Eucharistic adoration gives me the joy of contemplating the face of the Lord in an ever new and privileged way. He is the One Who Is and whom I will never be done loving and knowing on this earth.
United with Jesus, one comes to see every person with his eyes, and to love them the way He does. We can only love them, want the best for them, want them to know Jesus in whom we find our joy and our happiness.
Receiving the Body of Christ makes me enter into deep communion not only with the Lord but also with all living beings. How good the Lord is to have created us to love Him forever. How beautiful is this earth in which we have been called to live. Everything sings, proclaims, expresses God. Yes, everything expresses God’s goodness, God’s beauty, God’s immense glory.
May the Lord bless our Family, each and every one of us.
Jean-Louis Despeaux,
Priest Associate in Bordeaux. France.