The Eucharist is: Glorious. Life-giving. Wonderful. Patient. Peaceful.
We are people of the Eucharist
Welcome back to 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory. A couple of days ago, we explored a little of Mother Teresa's remarkable story, but the story within the story is equally remarkable. Have you ever wondered how Mother Teresa learned to live, love, and pray the way she did? This question leads us to another amazing Catholic woman that Mother Teresa never met - another nun who lived in a Carmelite convent in southern France. Her name was Saint Therese of Lisieux. Therese believed that love is expressed through attention to the small things that fill our daily lives. Mother Teresa practiced the little way toured by Therese and shared the little way with millions of people around the world. This connection between these two great women demonstrates that every holy moment is a historic event. Every time we choose to love God, every time we choose to collaborate with Him, to love our neighbor, we change the course of human history because our holy moments reverberate powerfully in the lives of other people, in other places, and other times.
Therese of Lisieux entered the convent at the age of 15 and died at the age of 24. But her influence continues to resonate in the lives of more than 4,500 missionaries of charity, the order Mother Teresa founded, who work in 133 countries today. It is impossible to measure Saint Therese of Lisieux's impact on history, but it is vast. Holiness is deeply personal, but it is also communal and historic. Holiness is not something we do for ourselves. It is something God does in us when we cooperate. It is something He does in us, not for us alone, but for others and for all of history. Therese of Lisieux was a great teacher for Mother Teresa, and she will generously share her wisdom with us if we open ourselves to the little way.
We live in a world that worships complexity and grandiosity, but the genius of God is found in the simplicity of ordinary things. The Eucharist is the ultimate expression of His ordinary way, coming to us in the simplicity of bread and wine. Therese of Lisieux is one of the most popular and influential saints in the history of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius X called her the greatest saint of modern times. Known for her love of the ordinary way, the simple way, the little way, she championed a spirituality that is accessible to people of all ages, regardless of intellectual formation or vocation in this life. Her approach to the spiritual life was simple and practical, and this model of holiness is as powerful today ever before. I will offer you the simplest way I how to adopt it. Be mindful of God's presence in each moment of each day. How? I will share with you the most practical way I know. At every moment of every day, for the rest of your life, know where the nearest tabernacle is. Where is the nearest tabernacle to your home? How close is the nearest tabernacle to your workplace? When you go on vacation, find out where the nearest tabernacle is. Where is Jesus? He is in this world with us. He is in the tabernacle. Where is the nearest tabernacle to you right now? These are the words of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. Do you realize that Jesus is there in the tabernacle, expressly for you? He burns with the desire to come into your heart. He burns with the desire to come into your heart.
She learned to live with God in the present moment. She understood that God loves simplicity. Thérèse said, "Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions or even at their difficulty, as at the love with which we do them." Little things done with great love. This is what we are called to. The small things, the simple things, the practical things. Our egos worship complexity and grandiosity, but it is the little things that lead to great love. It is the simple things that lead our souls to flourish. Trust, surrender, believe, receive. Do a little thing with great love today. Become a member of the International Society of the Eucharist. We'll send you a free copy of 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory, a copy of the children's version, a copy of the Limited Edition Journal, which includes an amazing Holy Week retreat. Click on the button below and become a member today. Have a great day and remember, be bold, be Catholic. We are people of the Eucharist.
Jesus, I believe that you are truly present.
In the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist.
Every day, I long.
For more of you.
I love you above all things.
And I desire to receive you into my soul.
Since I cannot receive you sacramentally at this moment.
I invite you to come and dwell in my heart.
May this spiritual communion.
Increase my desire.
For the Eucharist.
You are the healer of my soul.
Take the blindness from my eyes.
The deafness from my ears.
The darkness from my mind.
And the hardness from my heart.
Fill me with the grace, wisdom.
And courage.
To do your will in all things.
My Lord and my God.
Draw me close to you.
Nearer than ever before.
Amen.
Consecrate America to the Eucharist.
Bye-bye.
Have a great day.
Have a great day.
Have a great day. Come on.
Have a great day.
Hey Isabel, one simple way to be mindful of God's presence in the world is to know where the nearest tabernacle is. So while we've got a couple of minutes, I thought we might work on your geography a little.
Sounds good, Dad. You're always coming up with something.
If I was at a latitude of 31.58 and longitude of negative 84.19, where would the nearest tabernacle be then?
St. Teresa's Albany, Georgia.