2 Corinthians…a veil lies over the hearts of the children of Israel, but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.
It’s not quite 2,000 years since Paul gave that message to the people of Corinth. And in eleven days, we will officially celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ.
Today’s epistle helps us understand the time when Father Eymard was encouraging adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Through his footsteps and the ministry we participate in today, the gift of adoration is more available. We wonder when, how often, or how startling it is to pause and absorb it. A veil lies over our hearts and minds…and every once in a while, people ask the Holy Spirit’s help to see around it.
A newborn, immediately recovering from the experience of birth, fresh from the womb, wrapped in blankets, wakens to draw sustenance from its mother, and goes back to sleep. It outgrows that pattern through time, then crawls, explores…and the baby’s space expands. Speech develops. As we grow and learn to live and meet others, we develop both dependency and curiosity. As we experience being desired, loved…we reach for security with brothers and sisters, overcoming old obstacles. Time passes, and we grow in a family.
We are given those same stages in the meeting: first, Jesus in baptism, then angels and the Holy Spirit in sacraments. As Associates, we meet brothers and sisters who travel the path we tread and grow. By choice, we become sisters and brothers with each other, and then examples for the curious. Are we ready to become siblings with others longing to walk with Jesus, trading stories which spread the good news that is within us and peel away the veil? Let light shine out of darkness. Let us realize that even as we are nourished during our time of adoration, we never leave the presence of Jesus and angels around us. We choose to remove the veil.
Let us pray:
Jesus, because of your unbounded love, today in our place and time, we have access to the nourishment of Jesus’s Body and Blood continuously. At the same time, our personal joy is not bound or confined; in many places, that is not the case. Guide us in improving our witness, to study the Holy Spirit’s guidance and Peter Julian’s examples, and support those who are discouraged to receive your grace and light. Amen.
