Photo Credit Joshua Woroniecki from Pexels
By Holly Gustafson
When I was first asked by the diocese to create a twelve-month series on Saints and the Eucharist, in preparation for the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress to be held in Budapest in September of 2020, I didn’t realize that I would be coming up against three major obstacles or setbacks throughout the year:
- That just three months into my year-long series, we’d be thrust into the middle of a pandemic, and that my inspiration – the Eucharist – would become suddenly and crushingly unavailable
- That because of the pandemic, the IEC in Budapest would be postponed to September of the following year
- That it would be so difficult to choose just twelve Eucharistic saints to highlight over the year
The problem with finding saints who have a special devotion to the Eucharist is that, in fact, they all do. It seems to be some sort of pre-requisite for sainthood. That, and a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
So it should come as no surprise that the Eucharistic saint for the month of October (the Month of the Rosary) had a fierce devotion to both the Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady.
Saint George Preca was a twentieth century Maltese priest who used to spend hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament; for him, adoration of Christ in the Eucharist was a personal and joyful meeting between two friends. Likewise, he practised a robust love for and imitation of Mary, and was dedicated to the rosary, the scapular, and the Miraculous Medal – when it came to Marian devotions, you name it, and Saint George was intensely committed to its practice. He even suggested, in 1957, the use of a new set of mysteries during private recitation of the rosary, which he called the “Mysteries of Light,” and which correspond, more or less, to The Luminous Mysteries that Pope John Paul II introduced in 2002. Clearly Saint George – and Pope John Paul II – desired for the rosary to more fully reflect the life and ministry of Christ, including, of course, The Institution of the Eucharist.
For St. George, however, the Eucharist to which he was so devoted, was much more than simply adoring Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, participating in the Mass, and even receiving communion; for him, the Eucharist was a way of life, and an orientation towards love.
This is a particularly comforting thought for those of us who, at this present time, are unable to visit the Blessed Sacrament, attend Mass, or receive communion as often as we would like, or even at all. According to St. George, who believed the Eucharist to be a call to orient ourselves toward God and toward love, we can still live – and love – eucharistically, even when we can’t physically receive the Eucharist as much as we would like. He even provided a list of eight graces that we should ask for after receiving communion which exemplify the Eucharistic way of life:
- A total surrender
- To prefer Christ
- To help others
- To see all things as coming from God’s hands
- To cultivate God’s presence
- To practice mortification
- To work in the apostolate for others
- Begging God’s grace
Seeing the Eucharist as a way of life, as St. George Preca did, is not an excuse to not make every effort to receive the body of Christ when and as often as we are able, but an invitation to let the Eucharist be more than just a moment during Mass. Living eucharistically means orienting our lives to the truth of the Gospel, and living Gospel love all week long.
EUCHARISTIC CHALLENGE OF THE MONTH
Join me in a 12-month challenge to grow closer to the Eucharist this year. This month, choose one of St. George Preca’s eight graces towards a Eucharistic way of life, and make a concrete plan to live it out every day. For example, you might choose “to cultivate God’s presence” by spending five minutes in reverent silence every morning, or perhaps try “to see all things as coming from God’s grace” by practising gratitude, for both the joys and the sorrows of your day.
Holly Gustafson lives with her husband, James, and their five children, in Regina, where they attend Christ the King Parish. Holly received her Masters in Linguistics at the University of Manitoba, and now pursues her love of language through art, writing, public speaking, and unsolicited grammatical advice. The best advice she ever received was from her spiritual friend, St. Faustina, who told her that when in doubt, “Always ask Love. It advises best.”
