I walk slowly as my little girl skips next to me, her hands stained pink from the piece of sidewalk chalk she firmly grips. Her curls are wild and her face is bright as she takes in as much around her as possible: the bird’s nest in the tree, the beetle crawling over rocks, yellow flowers blooming from a prickly desert bush. She asks if bees like popcorn and if the ducks at the lake are looking for treasure when they dip their bills in the water.
She is three years old and she notices the world around her. She wonders. She pauses in appreciation.
Walk in Trust
What captures me most, however, is how she returns her gaze to mine . . . again and again. Whether she sees a dragonfly, runs too far ahead, or falls and scrapes her knee, she looks at me intently. Her dark brown eyes make sure I am with her, make sure that I see her. She finds my gaze and she trusts that all is well. In the beauty, the delight, and the suffering—she receives it all, and she trusts that she is safe, because I am near.
This is how I want to follow Christ. I want to constantly return to His gaze. I want to trust in His will. I want to be present to His nearness.
Find His Gaze
“He called a child, whom He put among them, and said, ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven’” (Matthew 18:2-4).
I ponder this verse before the Blessed Sacrament in the small adoration chapel near our home. The chapel is surrounded by gardens, and birds chirp in the distance. In this sacred place, where our blessed Lord is truly present, I enter into His gaze of love. I become like a child, and I am in awe and wonder.
The shining gold of the monstrance, the rich smell of incense, and the quiet reverence all point to the reality that Christ remains with us—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Our Savior, the God-Man, concealed in a simple piece of bread, pouring forth heavenly graces into our very souls. His Eucharistic Heart burning with love for us.
The truth of this is incomprehensible, as it should be. It is a mystery. But we are called to enter into it. Therefore, we go humbly before our Lord. We kneel before His majesty. We quiet our souls. We gaze. We become children. As we adore Him, we are able to learn that the will of God is found in the present moment. All that comes to us, all that stirs our hearts and minds is an invitation to see Him and to worship.
Devotion to the Eucharist
The month of April is dedicated to the Holy Eucharist. How beautiful that during springtime, when there is new life and new growth, Holy Mother Church reminds us to reflect upon the Real Presence of Christ. For when we grow in devotion to the Eucharist, our ability to recognize the Lord’s will in every moment allows new life to spring up in our own lives.
As we resign ourselves to Him and grow in trust, whatever comes our way does not need to worry or overwhelm us. This is difficult to do on our own, because often in our humanness, we anxiously mull over the past or anticipate the uncertain future. Embracing the will of God throughout our day, however, means we must remain in the present moment. This is a muscle of virtue that has to be strengthened through the grace that comes to us by spending time before the Blessed Sacrament.
Our Lord delights in us as His beloved children, and He will honor our desire to grow in virtue. As we adore and worship Him, we learn to be recollected and to fight distraction. We learn to give earthly worries and cares to Him and find comfort in His gaze. This happens very naturally each time we visit the Blessed Sacrament. Even if we do not sense the subtle shift of grace in our soul, it is there.
His Eucharistic Heart and Holy Will
How do we practically do this? How do we return to His gaze when the sink clogs? When we are overwhelmed with unfinished projects? When a loved one gets sick? When what we have prayed for does not come in the way we hoped?
This life can be complicated, painful, and lovely all in the span of one day. The reality of that is much to bear for us. However, we do not bear these things alone. Whether in times of great suffering or great joy, the Eucharistic Heart of our Lord calls to us. Like a father’s gentle voice to a child who has wandered too far, we hear Him and turn around.
With this in mind, I encourage you to spend at least one hour per week in Eucharistic Adoration. You may need to start slowly and build upon it. You may need to pray and ask the Lord to provide you with the time. Trust and know that He will do so. This Holy Hour will adorn your soul with His graces to carry throughout your day. In each moment, task, disruption, success, and failure, contemplate the gaze of His Eucharistic Heart and pray: I place this and all things in the rays emanated from Your Eucharistic Heart. I trust in Your love and in Your mercy. May Your will be done, Lord. May Your will be done. Amen.
Leana Bowler is a wife and mother of five little ones. She is a Holy Rosary enthusiast with deep devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Her love for the message of Divine Mercy led her to become a Marian Missionary of Divine Mercy. She enjoys the miracles of family life, strong coffee, and encountering others on this journey to sainthood. She was a contributing author to And Hay Became Holy and Made New: 52 Devotions for Catholic Women.
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