III — MYSTERY OF FAITH

Presence of God. — O Jesus, I believe in You and adore You present in the Sacrament of the altar: increase my faith.

Meditation

1 — In the Canon of the Mass the Eucharist is called Mysterium fidei and indeed only faith can make us recognize God present under the appearances of bread. Here, as St. Thomas says, the senses are of no use; rather, sight, touch, taste are deceived, perceiving in the consecrated Host only a little bread. But what does that matter? We have the word of the Son of God, the word of Christ who declared: “This is my Body... This is my Blood,” and on this word we believe with certainty: Credo quidquid dixit Dei Filius, nihil hoc verbo Veritatis verius; I believe whatever the Son of God has said; nothing is truer than this word of Truth (Adoro te devote). We certainly believe in the Eucharist; we have no doubt to oppose it, but unfortunately very often we must recognize that our faith is languid, weak, tepid. Though living near sacred altars and perhaps dwelling under the same roof as Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, it is not difficult to remain somewhat indifferent, somewhat cold, before this great reality. Sadly, our nature, so coarse, little by little ends up getting used even to the most beautiful and sublime things, so that these - especially when they are easily within our reach - no longer impress us, no longer stir us. Thus it happens that, although we believe in Jesus’ ineffable presence in the Most Blessed Sacrament, we do not feel the greatness of this reality; we do not have the living, concrete sense of it that the saints had. Let us therefore repeat, with great humility and confidence, the beautiful prayer of the Apostles: Domine, adauge nobis fidem - Lord, increase our faith! (Lk. 17:5).

2 — When Jesus announced the Eucharist, many of his hearers were scandalized, and many of his disciples, who until then had followed Him, “drew back and no longer walked with Him” (Jn. 6:67). Peter, however, in the Apostles’ name gave this beautiful witness of faith: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have words of eternal life. We have believed and known that You are the Christ, the Son of God” (Jn. 6:69-70). Faith in the Eucharist thus appears as the touchstone of true followers of Jesus. And the more intense this faith is, the more it reveals an intimate and profound friendship with Christ. Whoever, like Peter, believes firmly in Him, believes and accepts all his words, all his mysteries: from the Incarnation to the Eucharist. We know that faith is first of all God’s gift. Precisely in the discourse in which He promised the Eucharist - which more than the others is a mystery of faith because, more than the others, it escapes every natural law - Jesus repeatedly affirmed this principle, declaring to unbelieving Jews that no one can come to Him, and therefore believe in Him, unless “drawn by the Father” (Jn. 6:44; cf. 6:66), and He added: “and they shall all be taught by God” (6:45). To have a living and deep faith in the Eucharist - as in every other mystery - this “attraction,” this “interior teaching” that can come only from God is necessary; and to this, however, we can and must dispose ourselves, both by soliciting grace through humble and trusting prayer, and by actively exercising ourselves in faith. In fact, since God infused this virtue in us in Holy Baptism and since faith is a voluntary adherence of the intellect to revealed truths, we can make acts of faith whenever we wish: it is up to us to will to believe and to bring into this act all the strength of our will. As faith grows in us, it will make us capable of penetrating the depths of the Eucharistic mystery, of entering into vital relations with Jesus Host, of delighting in his presence. And the more intense our faith is, the more it will show also in our behavior before the Most Blessed Sacrament; looking at us from the tabernacle, Jesus must never have reason to address us with the sorrowful reproach, “men of little faith” (Mt. 8:26), which He addressed several times to the Apostles and which today many Christians would deserve, wholly lacking respect for his divine presence. Let our conduct before the Most Blessed Sacrament always be such as to be a living testimony of our faith.

Colloquy

“I praise You and thank You, O blessed faith! You make me know and assure me that in the Holy Sacrament of the altar, in that heavenly Bread, there is no bread, but there is my whole Lord Jesus Christ, and He is there for love of me.

“O Jesus, as one day, full of goodness and love, You sat by a well waiting for the Samaritan woman to convert and save her, so now, hidden in the consecrated Host, You remain on our altars, waiting and gently inviting souls to win them to your love. And it seems that from the tabernacle You speak to us and say to all: ‘O men, why do you not come and draw near to me, who love you so much? I did not come here to judge, but I hid myself in this Sacrament of love only to benefit and console whoever comes to me.’ I understand You, Lord; love has made You our prisoner, the passionate love You bear us has bound You in such a way that day and night it never lets You depart from us.

“O Lord, You find your delights in remaining with us; and do we find ours in being with You? Do we find them, especially we who have the honor of dwelling so near your altars, perhaps in your very house? Oh, how many coldnesses, indifferences, and even injuries You must suffer in this Sacrament, while You are in it to assist us with your presence!

“O Sacramented God, O Bread of Angels, O divine food, I love You; but neither You nor I are content with my love. I love You, but I love You too little! Grant, O Jesus, that my heart strip itself of all earthly affections and make room, indeed give all room, to your love. To make me fall wholly in love with You and to unite Yourself wholly to me, every day You descend from Heaven onto the Altar; it is therefore right that I think of nothing else but loving You, adoring You, pleasing You. I love You with all my soul, I love You with all my affections. And if You wish to repay this love, give me greater love!” (St. Alphonsus).