I WOULD like to endorse Fr Paul Chandler’s reflections on Eucharistic adoration in the Letters to the Editor (CL 26/8/12).
With the recent reawakening of interest in meditation and contemplation, a revival of the ancient practice of Eucharistic adoration is a timely one.
The history and significance of this practice was ably expressed by Pope Pius XII in his encyclical, Mediator Dei (Mediator of God):
“The reservation of the Sacred Species for the sick and for all those who might come into danger of death introduced the laudable custom of adoring this heavenly food as it was reserved in the churches.
“This cult of adoration indeed rests upon a valid and solid motive. Eucharist is both a sacrifice and a sacrament; and it differs from other sacraments because it not only produces grace, but it contains in a permanent way the very author of grace.”
This statement coheres with St Augustine’s definition of a “sacrament” as a “visible sign of invisible grace”.
The reservation, exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament provide a visible and efficacious sign of Christ’s presence amongst us; and, as such, an incomparable object for contemplation.
The Jewish people of Jesus’ time saw the Temple (otherwise known as the Tabernacle) in Jerusalem as the one place on earth where God’s glory broke into the profane world.
For this reason every Jewish person tried to make regular pilgrimage to Jerusalem to pray and offer sacrifice in the Temple.
In a real sense, the tabernacles in our churches continue as places where the glory of God shines forth through the consecrated body and blood of Jesus.
Like our Jewish brothers and sisters of the first century, we too can benefit from making regular pilgrimage to the tabernacle to pray and to draw strength and encouragement.
As Pius XII reminds us, the Eucharist “differs from other sacraments because it not only produces grace, but it contains in a permanent way the very author of grace”.
IAN ELMER
Stafford, Qld
