Opening Prayer
Lord, I am sure that the time would come when I would have exhausted all the enjoyment that the world could give. Thou alone art the food for eternity; only Thou canst satisfy the soul of man. I confess that my heart goes after shadows and I find it difficult even to say my prayers.
I petition Thee for the grace to be ashamed of my reluctance and coldness. Grant me the grace to be utterly exhausted by the pleasures of this world so that I may hunger only for Thee. Rouse me from my laziness and make me desire Thee with my whole heart, for Thou alone art inexhaustible.
Amen.
Matthew 10:16-22
16Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves. 17But beware of men. For they will deliver you up in councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues. 18And you shall be brought before governors, and before kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles: 19But when they shall deliver you up, take no thought how or what to speak: for it shall be given you in that hour what to speak. 20For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you. 21The brother also shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the son: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and shall put them to death. 22And you shall be hated by all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved.
Blessed John Henry Newman
Blessed John Henry Newman confesses that even if the world lasted forever, it could never “supply the soul with food”. Only God is the “food for eternity”. This Sacramental focus concludes our month. In the Mystical Body, we must “taste the living Bread” to feast upon Him still. The Eucharist is the “precious and marvelous Banquet” that is inexhaustible. This is the goal of the “Science of the saints”, to “gaze on Him” and find “more glorious depths” through the Liturgical celebration of the Mass.
Newman laments that his “heart goes after shadows” and that he is “always eager to get away” from God. He prays for grace to be “ashamed of his reluctance” and to desire God with his whole heart. He observes that earthly things eventually exhaust all enjoyment, whereas God is the only “unbreakable” joy.
“You alone, my dear Lord, are the food for eternity… Eternity would be misery without you, even if you didn’t inflict punishment.”
— Blessed John Henry Newman
Mary and the Magisterium
Mary is the “Mother of the Bread of Life”. She is the “Mirror of Virtue” who was “filled and overflowed” by His sweetness. The Magisterium, through the Bishop, ensures that this “valid Eucharist” is administered. The Bishop preserves the unity of the Church by providing the “food for the journey” through the Apostolic Succession. Mary, as the “Aqueduct” of grace, helps us overcome our “laziness and coldness” so we may hunger only for the “inexhaustible” God.
- Do I find myself "eager to get away" from prayer to take up some amusement?
- How can I cultivate a "whole-hearted desire" for the only food that satisfies?
Closing Prayer
Lord God, you are the only food that will satisfy the hunger of my soul, the only food that never loses its sweetness.
Amen.
