ENCOUNTERING JESUS THROUGH OUR
LADY OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
AS INSPIRED BY THE CONGREGATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT FOUNDER,
ST. PETER JULIAN EYMARD
ST. PETER JULIAN EYMARD
Br. Dennis DC.
Marquez, SSS
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| Picture Credit: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/324822191847568513/ |
The Virgin Mary has a special place in the heart of
our founder, St. Peter Julian Eymard. When Peter Julian lost his mother, he
prayed to the Virgin Mary and owned her as her beloved mother. Upon the writing
of our congregation’s constitution, Peter Julian has set a throne for her in
our congregation’s Rule of Life no. 14. As Sacramentinos, our founder inspires us
to pray with Mary-- for Mary, the Mother of God, is the beloved mother of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
SSS-RULE OF LIFE #14: WITH MARY
Mary, mother of
Jesus, voice of the poor and the lowly, welcomed the Word of God into her heart
and put it into practice. She shared her life and prayer with the disciples
actively working with them for the coming of the Kingdom.
We will honour
Mary as the poor one of Yahweh and the Servant of the Lord, with a love like
that of our Founder who also invoked her under the title of Our Lady of the
Blessed Sacrament. We will love to meditate the mysteries of the rosary.
As we understand in our Theology class—Jesus is the
Eucharist… Jesus is the Blessed Sacrament. With Jesus, Mary is the first
believer. With Jesus, Mary is the first disciple. With Jesus, Mary is the first
witness, the first hearer of the Gospel and the first doer of the Gospel. In
following Jesus, Mary is the perfect disciple. Through Mary, our prayers are
being interceded to her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
CATECHESIS:
Our founder,
St. Peter Julian Eymard first gave the title of Our Lady of the Most Blessed
Sacrament to Mary in May 1868. He first spoke about her to the early novices of
our congregation. In Fr. Eymard’s retreat note on 1865, he wrote: "It
was the Blessed Virgin who led me to Our Lord: to Sunday Communion (at Notre
Dame du Laus) at the age of twelve; from the Society of Mary to that of the
Most Blessed Sacrament." It was Fr. Eymard who described
what the statue of the Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament would look like: "The
Blessed Virgin holds the Infant in her arms; and He holds a chalice in one hand
and a Host in the other."
Fr. Eymard honors
Mary’s relationship to the Holy Eucharist and to place her before us as a model
in our devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.
In 1921 the Sacred Congregation of Rites
authorized the Blessed Sacrament Congregations to celebrate each year, on the
13th of May, a "solemn commemoration of the Blessed Virgin," with the
intention of honoring Mary under the title of "Our Lady of the Most
Blessed Sacrament."
St. (Pope )Pius X agreed with Fr. Eymard. According
to St. Pius X, "this title, Our
Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, is perhaps the most meaningful of all."
REFLECTION:
As the mother of God, Mary, together with St. Joseph,
became the first of the unborn Jesus inside her womb. The flesh of Mary becomes
the flesh of the Divine God, who is Logos, the Word who incarnated and who
became one of us.
After giving birth
to God who became man, Mary encountered how Jesus grew up and matured in wisdom.
Mary was there and followed Jesus in His ministry of preaching the Kingdom of
God up to the time when Jesus suffered and died on the cross. Mary was there
when our Lord was resurrected from the dead. All throughout these joyful and painful
salvific events of Jesus’ life, Mary becomes the silent adorer of our Lord… she
becomes the silent witness to the entire life of our Lord Jesus Chris for Mary
always pondered everything about Jesus in her heart.
In her silent heart she knows that Jesus is the
Eucharist... that Jesus is the Blessed Sacrament. As St. Pope John Paul II always
refer to Mary: ‘Mary’s womb became the first tabernacle of the Blessed Sacrament.’
Indeed, Mary is Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament for Mary is the first
receiver of the Blessed Sacrament… the Eucharist who is Jesus.
CHALLENGE:
What is the invitation of Mama Mary? Together with
our founder St. Peter Julian Eymard, Mama Mary invites us to open our hearts to
receive our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. To receive Jesus is to
encounter Jesus in whatever circumstances we have in our life—to see and
encounter Jesus in our happiness and in our pains. To receive Jesus is to share
Jesus by being a Eucharist to others—our gift of self to God, like what our
founder St. Peter Julian mentioned in his writings, is being transformed to
being a gift to others.
Like our founder, St. Peter Julian Eymard, let
us call to Mary as our beloved mother. Mary will always lead us to the Son.
Mary will always lead us to the Blessed Sacrament.
According to Fr. Eymard:
“When you labor to promote the Eucharistic
reign of Our Lord, unite yourself with Mary's intention and with her joy when
she worked for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and you will be happy!.. She will
enrich you if you live only for the love of Jesus! You will render her still
more a Mother, since you enable her to discharge more perfectly her mission as
Mother of the adorers of her Son Jesus.
Be devoted as Mary. Mary loved to the extent of
Calvary – she loved even unto death. It was on Calvary that she became the
Mother of love. There only will you become a true adorer, worthy of the
Cenacle, worthy of Jesus and Mary.”
With Mary, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament , let
us continue to pray to Jesus as we receive Him in our daily Masses; and as we adore
Him in the Blessed Sacrament. May these encounters with our Lord Jesus Christ
through the inspiration of Mama Mary as Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament will always
guide us to grow and mature in spirit and wisdom.
Prayers:
Prayer to Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament…
Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory be…
___
References/Sources:
1.SSS-Rule of Life
2.Eymard’s Great Retreat of Rome.
3.http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-143.html.
(Downloaded: July 8, 2014).
4. http://www.joshuastone.net/BlessedSacrament.html. (Downloaded: July 8, 2014).
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