April 2000

The Eucharist is the center of the Church founded by Christ.  It is the soul
of our public worship, the synthesis of our liturgy, and the wellspring of
our spiritual life.
Our Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist nineteen hundred years
ago; and I hold that, on that memorable occasion, the thought of you, dear
Eucharistic souls, brought sweet consolation to His most Sacred Heart.
This is what we should do during our adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Whether it is in the daytime or at night, the hour of adoration should
reproduce the beautiful scene of the Cenacle: John reclining at Jesus’ bosom.
 The Eucharistic soul has two places of honor, then: at the foot of the cross
and on the bosom of Jesus.  One demands the other; both complement each other.
They must remain loyal to Jesus, loyal to their vocation, loyal to their
special mission, so that the divine Victim, looking down from the Sacred Host
in the monstrance, as He looked down from the cross, might always see, at His
feet, His chosen souls, of whom it may be said as it was of John “They were
standing by the cross.”
Souls dedicated to perpetual adoration, who during the hours spent before the
Sacred Host would like to imitate at least from afar the fervor of those who
adore in heaven, be neither surprised nor scandalized by those weaknesses:
fatigue, drowsiness, dryness of spirit, and that “I can’t” feeling.  If you
are tempted to see in it all a sign of deficient love, you are mistaken.
Much to the contrary, your displeasure at them and your battle against them
are proofs of love, because they are acts of sacrifice; and suffering is the
proof and nourishment of love.
Christ’s heart is deeply touched by the sight of you adoring Him, not in joy
as He is adored in heaven, but in pain, as only on earth He can be adored.
And you, in your turn, must feel deeply consoled by the thought that you
adore Him at the price of your health, strength, and life.
All the objects around the Eucharistic throne show you that this is the way
of adoration on earth: the candles give light, slowly consuming their wax;
the lamp glows, burning its oil; the incense produces aromatic clouds, being
destroyed on burning coals; the flowers display their beauty and give forth
their fragrance, while they fade and die.