Sweet Sacrament, We Thee Adore

June 10th Readings Reflection: Saturday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Thank God! Give him the praise and the glory.
Before all the living,
acknowledge the many good things he has done for you,
by blessing and extolling his name in song.
Honor and proclaim God's deeds,
and do not be slack in praising him.

These words from the Archangel Raphael in today’s reading are particularly fitting on the eve of Corpus Christi (the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ). Many parishes and dioceses will hold Eucharistic processions tomorrow, in which a priest will carry the Blessed Sacrament through the streets while the faithful follow behind, singing hymns of adoration and thanksgiving. In her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, St. Therese of Lisieux recalled throwing rose petals toward the monstrance during Eucharistic processions when she was a child. Young Therese would become very happy whenever one of her petals touched the monstrance before it fell, showing the deep level of devotion she possessed even at a young age.

My favourite hymn, “Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All,” is a beautiful meditation on the Eucharist and is thus particularly fitting for tomorrow’s feast. The hymn begins by asking Our Lord, “How can I love Thee as I ought?” The 19th century author of the hymn, Fr. Frederick Faber, recognized the limits of our finite human love. How can we, who so often offend Our Lord by our sins, ever “[g]ive [H]im the praise and the glory” that He is due (Tob 12:6)? The hymn’s refrain provides the solution to this query, reminding us that it is only through God’s grace that we can love Him “more and more.” We must pray for this grace to grow ever closer to Him, for we will always fall short if we rely solely on ourselves.

The second verse of the hymn reminds us of Mary’s pure love for her Son, recalling the title of Mary as Mother of the Eucharist. At the Incarnation, Our Lord became flesh in Mary’s womb; in the Mass, He takes on the appearance of bread and wine so that we may receive Him. Jesus becomes eternal Food for us out of pure love, desiring to physically reside within each of our hearts; for this reason, the Holy Eucharist is called the Sacrament of Love. Mary, who loves her Son with a “sinless heart,” can teach us how to love Him more perfectly as we worship the Blessed Sacrament.

May St. Raphael’s words in today’s reading help us prepare our hearts for tomorrow’s beautiful feast, so that we may joyfully greet Our Eucharistic Lord with the love and adoration He is due.

“Sweet Sacrament, we thee adore; / Oh, make us love thee more and more. / Oh, make us love thee more and more.” (Fr. Faber)

St. Therese at a Eucharistic procession. Image source: The Raccolta