The Blessed Sacrament, the most tender of friends

Last evening I returned to Hawaii, my home away from home, where I will be for the next few weeks on holiday visiting friends offering some assistance at a few parishes on the islands.

It seems only right, then, as we continue to hear the Lord Jesus speak of the necessity of eating his Body and drinking his Blood (John 6:51-58), that I offer again some of my favorite words of Saint Damien of Molokai:

I find my consolation in the one and only companion who will never leave me, that is, our Divine Savior in the Holy Eucharist. . . .It is at the foot of the altar that we find the strength necessary in this isolation of ours. Without the Blessed Sacrament a position like mine would be unbearable. But, having Our Lord at my side, I continue always to be happy and content. . . . Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the most tender of friends with souls who seek to please Him. His goodness knows how to proportion itself to the smallest of His creatures as to the greatest of them. Be not afraid then in your solitary conversations, to tell Him of your miseries, your fears, your worries, of those who are dear to you, of your projects, and of your hopes. Do so with confidence and with an open heart.

Today, the Lord says to us, "Let whoever is simple turn in here ... come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed" (Proverbs 9:4-5)! Father Damien turned in to the Blessed Sacrament and found in it the strength and consolation he needed to continue his service of love among the lepers.

No matter the difficulties we face, you and I, in life, we, too, can find the strength and consolation we need to continue our service of love in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. Let us, then, follow Father Damien's example and tell of our miseries, fears, worries, dear ones, projects, and hopes with the Eucharistic King that we, too, might find in him the most tender of friends.