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Who do the crowds say that I am? Who is Jesus
to me? Jesus is the Word made Flesh. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Jesus is the
Victim offered for our sins on the cross. Jesus is the sacrifice offered at
holy Mass for the sins of the world and for mine. Jesus is the Word - to be
spoken. Jesus is the Truth - to be told.
Jesus is the Way - to be walked. Jesus is the Light - to be lit. Jesus is the Life - to be lived. Jesus is the
Love - to be loved,” wrote Mother Teresa of Calcutta some years ago. Looking
back on her pages we find the echo of her life. To many she was a little woman
with tireless energy. She was a woman of joy, of tender compassion and of love.
Yet, where did Mother Teresa find the energy and the strength to serve the
poorest of the poor? What is it that
makes us look to her today? The answer is simple and clear: Jesus in the
Eucharist[1].
Without the
Eucharist we are nothing, but with the Eucharist –the Body, Blood, Soul and
Divinity of Jesus- we have everything. This was the secret of Mother Teresa,
the secret which is present in all of our Catholic Churches. For she wrote, “Where
will you get the joy of loving? -in the Eucharist, in the Holy Communion. Jesus
has made Himself the Bread of Life to give us life. Night and day, He is there.
If you really want to grow in love, come back to the Eucharist, come back to
that adoration.” She continued: “In our congregation, we used to have adoration
once a week for one hour, and then in 1973, we decided to have adoration one
hour every day. We have much work to do. Our homes for the sick and dying
destitute are full everywhere. And from the time we started having adoration
every day, our love for Jesus became more intimate, our love for each other
more understanding, our love for the poor more compassionate, and we have
double the number of vocations. God has blessed us with many wonderful
vocations.”
When people
asked Mother how many convents she had, she answered “We have 584 tabernacles.”
Without the Presence of Jesus, the work of the Sisters would be impossible.
This is why she wrote: “We shall spend two hours a day at sunrise and sunset in
adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament exposed. Our hours of adoration
will be special hours of reparation for sins, and intercession for the needs of
the whole world, exposing the sin-sick and suffering humanity to the healing,
sustaining, and transforming rays of Jesus, radiating from the Eucharist.” It
is through the Presence of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament that the life of
Mother Teresa was transformed, to remind us of God. It is through the Presence
of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament that her life continues to radiate His
hope to the world.
The coming of
Jesus at Bethlehem brought joy to the world and to every human heart. The same
Jesus comes again and again in our hearts during Holy Communion. He wants to
give the same joy and peace. It was the great longing of Mother Teresa for all
souls to come to know her Eucharistic Love. Her words impel us: “See Him in the
tabernacle; fix your eyes on Him who is the light; bring your hearts close to
His Divine Heart; ask Him to grant you the grace of knowing Him, the love of
loving Him, the courage to serve Him. Seek Him fervently.”
We all know,
when we look at the cross, how Jesus loved us. When we look at the Eucharist we
know how much He loves us now.” And to those who longed to imitate her life she
told, “In every Holy Communion, Jesus the word becomes Flesh in our life, a
special, delicate, beautiful gift of God; it’s a privilege...” ...“You must
protect it with tender care because He is giving Himself, the Word, to you to
be made Flesh, to each one of you, and to those who will come after ■
[1] Sunday 23rd June, 2013, 12th
Sunday in Ordinary Time. Readings: Zechariah 12:10‑11;
13:1. My soul is thirsting for you, O
Lord my God Ps 62(63):2-6, 8-9. Galatians 3:26-29. Luke 9:18-24.
