Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest

On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side.”

In the Eucharist, we find ourselves crossing to the other side, to the kingdom of heaven. In our liturgy, the divine comes to earth, and the glory of God is revealed to us. In our adoration, we find intimacy with Christ. If we break through our sinful nature and cling to reconciliation, sacrifice, and a way to offer the gift of ourselves to others, the peace that Jesus promises us will come in every circumstance.

Today, we celebrate the memorial of Saint John Bosco. Unlike the sin we find in the first reading, Saint John Bosco teaches us the way to glimpse heaven. He was blessed in dreams to see the heavenly homeland; the purity of his heart enabled this gift. His vision was a natural encounter, the music, the roses, the beauty, and the pillars of strength that bring us into the covenant of God’s glorious love, the Eucharist, and our Lady.

Our holy founder, Saint Peter Julian, was also aware of the grace received in the Eucharist, necessary to break through our fallen humanity and keep us in the brightness of God’s light. Our Lord is our only strength, and in him alone we find life. We must go to him, take Communion, the food of our souls. We must take Communion because of our weakness. The weaker we are, the more we must go to Communion, as when someone orders food more or less strengthening after a time of weakness. Our Lord said: Come to me, all of you (cf. Matthew 11:28). (Saint Peter Julian, 1858 to the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament)

Let us pray:

Mother of God, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, unite with us in the offerings and sacrifices demanded by our daily duties, and help us to be imitators of our eucharistic Lord and Savior.