The Fifth Luminous Mystery // The Institution of the Eucharist
Fruit of the Mystery // Eucharistic Adoration
Reflect
I didn’t exactly understand what we were doing at the chapel during Eucharistic Adoration as a pre-teen, but I knew it had to be something really special because it was so quiet and peaceful. It was slightly intimidating for me the first few times I attended. Some people would kneel and prostrate themselves before Jesus, others would kneel and stay kneeling until they found a seat, while others would whisper their prayers so loudly it would distract me from my conversation with Jesus.
Eventually, I found my own groove. I would often read from my Pieta book, gaze at Jesus reposed in the tabernacle, and then turn my attention to the statues of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and Sacred Heart of Jesus. Their outstretched hands always drew me in, as if they were inviting me to receive their merciful hearts. I loved that tiny chapel; it was truly an oasis for me. The silence would pierce through the noise of my pre-teen years and well into my college years, too. I felt the intimacy of this time with Him change my interior life.
This intimacy is even greater when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist. Not only are we able to adore Him, but we are also able to receive Him. God stopped at nothing to bring us into communion with Him. It is fitting that the last decade of the Luminous Mysteries culminates in the Institution of the Eucharist.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. // John 6:51
I have had moments recently where my feeble mind has fallen prey to thinking that Jesus could not enter under my roof through the TV screen. In that moment of weakness, I remember that He longs to be in communion with me as my yearning heart desires to receive Him. He says “the word and my soul shall be healed.” The Eucharist is our lifeline in our relationship with Jesus and is the primary nourishment of our spiritual lives.
Saint John Marie Vianney said, “There is nothing so great as the Eucharist. If God had something more precious, He would have given it to us.”
We have been given the gifts of Eucharistic Adoration and the Eucharistic Feast itself. We have what we need for the journey: Jesus Himself.
Let Us Pray
Jesus, You wait for us in the tabernacle, longing for us to spend time with You. Allow us to quench Your thirst by spending time with You in Eucharistic Adoration. Pierce through the noise of our hearts and allow us to experience being in communion with You. Amen.
For Discussion
Has there been a time in your life when Eucharistic Adoration sustained you and strengthened your prayer life? How did being with Jesus in the Eucharist transform you?
What are some of the fruits of receiving Holy Communion you've seen born in your daily life? In your vocation? In your relationship with Christ?
Praying the Rosary
Throughout the Prayer Pledge and beyond, we really encourage you to pray the Rosary! Since we will be looking at the fruits of the Mysteries of the Rosary, it only makes sense to actually pray it!
Here is a guide on how to pray the Rosary.
I like this podcast and this podcast for praying the Rosary.
Hallow also has a marvelous Rosary meditation.
And if you want to go even deeper in to the Rosary, check out Mystery!
By Their Fruits: The 2021 Prayer Pledge // Day 15 #BISblog #prayerpledge //Click to tweet