(Father Eymard received approval to establish the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament)
The Golden Rule – tarnished.
Do NOT Walk on the grass. Do NOT loiter. Do NOT disturb. Do NOT enter. Do NOT touch. Why not? We may ask. We need reasons NOT to do something, but an ounce of clear thinking fills in the blanks as to why we can NOT do something.
Now, eight of the Ten Commandments emphatically state NOT to do something. However, clarity comes later through those in the know who preach, prophesize, and give seminars and workshops on the ‘WHY’ we should not idolize false gods, blaspheme, kill, commit adultery, steal, lie, and covet. And yet the stone tablets have been smeared with the sins of time, and along comes the man from Nazareth who judiciously omits ‘not’ in his daily conversations.
He tells us what to DO, and therein answers our everlasting WHY. Here is the good news we need to hear, to post at our desks, bulletin boards, or on the refrigerator. Then maybe, just maybe, we can clean up those sacred tablets and polish up that Golden Rule.
What if Father Eymard ignored what he was called to do? The world would never know of a Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, Servants of the Blessed Sacrament, or an Aggregation. So, if we need an update on the lesson, we can turn to that fictional sage, Yoda, who has given us a simple mantra: Do or do not. There is no try.
Prayer:
I am a pilgrim in the land; Hide not your commands from me. My soul is consumed with longing at all times for your decrees. (From Psalm 119:17-24 in Parise God in His Holy Place. Bernard J. Camire SSS)