The Unmistakable Signs
My mind turns naturally, when it turns hot and humid and it’s unpleasant to be outside, to my seminary days in Rome. Things heat up a lot more there than here beginning in early June; the days are hot in June, miserable in July and unbearable in August. Italian schools are in session throughout the month of June, where here college classes are over, high schools are finishing up and elementary schools will be on summer recess beginning in a couple of weeks.
During my years in the Roman seminary I walked every day, Monday through Saturday, from the college where I lived to the university where I studied – it was a trip of a few miles back and forth. When the weather grew warm in June the walk became uncomfortable. I’d leave my college about 7:30 a.m., taking the side roads (what to an American point-of-view would be nothing more than an alley) to avoid the busy thoroughfares. The narrow side streets weren’t as congested with cars, but they were still smog filled and oven-hot. Occasionally the narrow streets would open into small market squares. For most of the year the open air markets were pleasant – filled with smells of roasting chestnuts and the sweet aroma of fresh vegetables and cheeses. Yet, in June the markets reeked of unrefrigerated fish, poultry and beef, hung from hooks or laid on paper covered carts. Those smells, added to the ever-present foulness of vehicle exhaust, made my stomach cramp in disgust.
Eventually I emerged into the historic center of the city, near the Italian monument for the unknown dead of war. Into that square emptied no less than eight busy streets, all spitting trucks, cars, scooters, and taxis into a carousel-like swirl of traffic, without control of police or stoplights. Walking into that square on a hot day intensified the sounds and smells that already curdled my stomach. If things weren’t already bad enough, the walk through the square was a nightmarish adventure because to get from one side to the other pedestrians had to walk out in front of traffic, into the swirl of automobiles – through the maelstrom, walking at a constant pace, until reaching the other side.
I walked those paths every day for almost two years before I discovered something that was always there, but which many people – like myself – knew nothing about. At one corner there were two narrow wooden doors. There were no signs – no “welcome” anywhere. Inside there was a small, dimly lit, cool chapel where a half dozen people or so knelt in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. It was a chapel for Perpetual Adoration.
That chapel was an oasis – removed from the chaos, peaceful, tranquil, prayerful, and still. Once I discovered it, I began stopping in for a few minutes on most days, usually on my walk home from the university at midday. The chapel and the time in Adoration became a remedy for the hustle of my daily schedule and the drone of city noises and the foul city air.
I discovered other oases in Rome, but there are oases everywhere, but most times we miss them, either because we aren’t looking or because we just don’t know they’re there.
Eucharistic Adoration is an oasis, and its effects on those who make it a regular part of their lives is unmistakable. Have you ever met someone who prayed before the Blessed Sacrament on a regular basis – perhaps monthly, weekly, or daily? I’ve met many – not just priests, deacons and monks. I’ve met many men and women, university students, and teenagers. It’s difficult to describe, but there are definite and unmistakable signs when someone prays before the Blessed Sacrament.
For one, their faces are always relaxed and serene. It may sound a little trite to say, but their faces “glow”. It makes me think of the way Moses is described after he spent time with God on Mount Sinai – his face was transformed – he glowed.
Another unmistakable characteristic of someone who prays with Jesus in the Eucharist is their eyes. Most people’s eyes reflect their burdens, sorrows and frustrations. Yet, someone who spends time with Jesus in the Eucharist – their eyes are like calm pools of joy. It’s remarkable.
I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed, but a psychologist pointed it out to me decades ago – most people don’t look you in the eye when they shake your hand. They may look at you for a second or two, but almost everyone averts their eyes. It’s a sign of the insecurity we carry within us. Yet, someone who knows the joy of being with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration never averts their gaze – they look straight into the eyes of every person they speak to. Perhaps their eyes reflect Christ’s gaze – as he looks at them, so do they look at others – and their stare bears no ill-will, no judgment, no bitterness or anger. Their eyes reflect the compassion and love of the Lord.
There’s one more unmistakable characteristic of a person who regularly spends time at Eucharistic Adoration – their demeanor is gentle, open, and holy. That makes sense to me because we become like those we spend time with. If we spend time with Jesus – sufficient time so we know he is with us – then we gradually become more like him.
Since these are the unmistakable signs of those who make Adoration part of their lives, I wonder why more people don’t practice it? It may have something to do – it may be an indicator of what is going right, or going wrong in their spiritual lives.
It seems that a great many Catholics are having difficulty living the spiritual life. That overflows into everything – most importantly, it overflows into the worship. It seems that many are struggling to devoutly celebrate and receive the Eucharist at Mass. Perhaps that is so because many haven’t yet had a profound and life-changing experience of Jesus.
We must remember that a religious life is all about “relationship” more than it is about dogma. A real experience of Jesus and a relationship that builds on that makes sense of dogma. Without that encounter we begin to wither and our religious practice begins to erode.
In Catholic Churches today, on this feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, priests and deacons will talk at great length and with much devotion about the meaning of this Sacrament, which is literally the life blood of the Church. Yet, everything they say will boil down to this – the Eucharist is the best way to encounter Christ, the best way to develop a relationship with him, and the best way to sustain our commitment to him. This is the greatest gift the Lord has given us apart from our salvation. This is the only place we can go to see Jesus in the flesh, to touch him, to experience him become part of us. We therefore must do everything we can do deepen this relationship. We must experience Christ in the Blessed Sacrament before we receive him in Communion – this is what it means to receive the Eucharist devoutly.
Still, there are many who lack this experience of Christ. Many may even receive the Eucharist on the regular basis, but they may not do so fruitfully. The cause is this lack of connection to the Eucharistic Lord. It is important to be joined to him sacramentally, but it is equally important to cultivate this union with him through other means, like Adoration.
This, sisters and brothers, is why we’re beginning regular Eucharistic Adoration here at Saint Mary Church on this feast of Corpus Christi. We pray you will make it your oasis. We pray that you’ll come and spend some time with Jesus on a regular basis. Yet, we’re inviting you not just to make a visit, but to be here long enough so that you will know that Jesus is truly with you. Most of us pray long enough for God to know we are with him – but let’s face it, that takes almost no time at all, and to develop this relationship – like any other – it requires “time”. We must try to be with Jesus long enough so that we begin to sense his presence. That will take more than a few minutes.
If we will make Adoration a regular part of our lives – if we’ll spend regular time with him in this little oasis – then we’ll have an experience, and we’ll develop a relationship with him so profound that there will be unmistakable signs of it on our faces, in our eyes and in our demeanor. We become holy when we spend time in God’s most holy presence. It’s our prayer that regular Adoration will transform our parish into a community of truly holy people.