Excitement and Awe

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Excitement and Awe

The 10 year old boy was so filled with excitement and anticipation that he was almost in tears. He was traveling to a personal meeting with the sports hero he idolized. What a thrill he would experience at this meeting! The teenage girl was ecstatic; she was going to the school dance with her dream date. Her feelings of joy could not be expressed in words, but the glow in her appearance and the joyful nervousness in demeanor said volumes about her state of mind. The political commentator would proclaim such strong approval of a politician that he excitedly gushed his admiration for the politician by noting that his legs become wobbly with enthusiasm when he heard the politician speak.

The common thread that permeates the the 10 year old boy, the teenage girl, and the political  commentator is obviously a significant degree of excitement, enthusiasm,  and admiration for another person; an admiration so significantly greater than that which one would normally expect. Each individual would probably experience a form of trembling, when they would actually meet the person for whom they possess so much respect. Clearly there is nothing wrong for an individual to experience excitement and awe in meeting a greatly admired person; matter of fact one might wonder why a person was not excited in such an instance. If an individual felt no special enthusiasm, awe, and joyful trembling, then one would wonder if there existed any admiration for the individual being met.

When a Catholic walks down the aisle at Mass to receive Holy Communion, which is the Real Presence of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, God, does the Catholic experience a sense of excitement, awe, and a trembling of the knees? What anticipation exists? Does the Catholic really internalize the enormity of what occurs when he/she receives the Eucharist?  God almighty is entering into an intimate and loving encounter with the human recipient of the Eucharist. It is God meeting man on a very personal basis!! No other meeting can compare to the extraordinary meeting of God with man. If one becomes excited and enthused about meeting a sports hero, an admired member of the opposite sex, a politician, or anyone else, would it not be far more exciting and awe inspiring to experience the presence of God in the Eucharist?  Yet, are not many Catholics perfunctory in the receiving of the Eucharist, as if the receiving of the Lord’s Body and Blood was just a routine gesture? To some, the walk up the isle to receive Holy Communion is just an opportunity to wave to friends in the pews or a chance to show off some new clothes.

The two disciples of Christ who walked with Him to Emmaus noted how their “hearts were burning within us”, when Jesus broke and blessed the bread and gave it to them. Shouldn’t each communicant also approach the Eucharist with “hearts burning” with excitement, awe, and reverence? The receiving of the Eucharist should not be a simple, routine gesture but rather an intense, fulfilling meeting with the sublime God.

Others have expressed their awe and excitement in their own words as noted below.

“I have such a thirst and hunger before receiving Him that it’s a wonder I don’t die of anxiety”. –  Blessed Padre Pio

“If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion.” – St. Maximilian Kolbe

“For One (Jesus) in such a lofty position to stoop so low is a marvel that is staggering.  –  St. Francis Assisi

“Recently, I heard a story about a priest, who was traveling with a Protestant minister in a car. When they passed a Catholic Church, the priest made the sign of the cross. The priest explained that it was done out of reverence for Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. The minister told him, “If I believed what you believe, I would get out of the car, run inside the Church, fall on my knees and never get up again.”  – Unknown

“Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament has His hands full of graces, and He is ready to bestow them on anyone who asks for them.”  –  St. Peter of Alcantara

How would you describe your attitude and thoughts as you prepare to receive Jesus in the Eucharist?

Some suggested readings: (While there exists a very large number of sources on the Eucharist, the ones listed below might be a good start in the pursuit of an understanding of the Eucharist.)

  • “Mysterium Fidei”  Encyclical of Pope Paul VI ,available at www.vatican.va
  • “Ecclesia De Eucharistia” Encyclical of Pope John Paul II , available at www.vatican.va
  • www.therealpresence.org is a website that is dedicated to providing information about the Eucharist.

 

Keeping Your Eyes on the Target

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Keeping Your Eyes on the Target

Thump! The first arrow and then succeeding arrows all hit the target with the sound of “Thump”. While all of the arrows shot by the bowmen hit the target, none hit the bull’s eye. Despite success in hitting the target, a look of disappointment crossed the bowmen’s faces as they concluded their shooting. Achieving one’s objectives is central to man’s ability to manage his life and when one’s objectives are not achieved, there is disappointment and occasionally dejection.

Whether it is in sports, business, or life in general careful selection of one’s objectives is decisive. It is impossible to achieve success in any endeavor unless one has a clear vision of the goal one wants to achieve. Thus it is critical for every individual to visualize one’s goals and objectives in life. Then after prioritizing the goals and determining what one must do to achieve them, keeping one’s eyes firmly focused on the desired outcome is essential to any success. One cannot take one’s eyes off the target and expect to hit a bull’s eye.

Athletes, business leaders, politicians, and others who are successful are noted for the unfailing pursuit of their goals. They possess an unwillingness to let their own shortcomings or the opposition of others frustrate them in their pursuit of a goal. Yet other excellent athletes and intelligent business people often fail to achieve their goals due to their own lack of total commitment or because obstacles or opposition, which they were unwilling or unable to challenge, appeared along the way. They succumbed to the temptation to reduce their goals in order to avoid the difficulties placed in their paths as they pursued more lofty goals. They failed to keep their eyes resolutely sighted on their real target and substituted no clear goal or a lesser target. Thus they achieved very little. No target, no commitment, no success!

All of us set targets throughout our lives; targets for education, athletics, business, marriage, family, economics, and others. Unfortunately few have clearly visualized the image of their target. Thus few actually hit a bull’s eye in many of their targets. Few actually obtain their desired end, since they have not clearly identified it.

As we proceed through life, of course we consider our personal and professional goals and pursue them according to the clarity of our vision and the determination to achieve them. However, there is one goal that is often neglected by many people; it is the goal for one’s existence after death. Let us assume that there is a life after death for humans; a life that is real and substantial…and eternal. Why do so many people fail to seriously consider the implications of such a life? Why do they not set goals by which they can visualize what the next life might be and how they may succeed in enjoying that life? People spend endless hours and days pursuing earthly, present goals; thrusting themselves into endless pursuit of temporary benefits, yet fail to search for the goal of true eternal happiness.

Even when a person does not believe in God or an afterlife, there always exists that uneasy feeling of “Is that all there is?” when one contemplates each realized goal. The athlete who becomes a highly admired champion enjoys the jubilation of success, only to seek another championship, and another, realizing that, no matter the number of championships he has secured, the fulfillment, as enthralling as it is, is only temporary. “Is this all there is?”  Similarly, the businessman or the politician who reach great heights of success, wealth, fame, and admiration will eventually ask the same question. “Is this all there is?” Thus many individuals who reach the pinnacles of success lament that their fulfillment is never completely satisfying.

The question then, “Is man always to be frustrated in his attempt to be truly fulfilled? Will he always be incomplete and frustrated by being unable to be totally satisfied at any time? Yet man is a goal oriented being; reason dictates that man can eventually be totally fulfilled. Is it true that man will only be truly fulfilled and be able to exclaim, “this is all there is,” when he meets and is united with his creator? Man has relentlessly searched for complete fulfillment in this life….without success. Isn’t it time for man to look for and shoot for the bulls eye that is GOD in which he will achieve total fulfillment he desperately craves?