Tag: Blessed Sacrament

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in search of peace

My quest for peace begins and ends with the Lord. Here, in Adoration, the hum of the fan melts away, and the friendly chirping of birds just outside the window becomes more and more distant until the only sound I hear is the swoosh of my heartbeat in my ears. I’m wide awake but my breathing is deep and regular, the way it’s supposed to be.

I seem to hold my breath a lot. The busier I get, the more noise confounds me — not just ambient sounds of the news on tv or sirens in the distance, but a kind of internal noise that distracts and constricts me.

The antidote is literally in front of me now. An hour spent with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament silences the noise. I enjoy just sitting with Jesus with no agenda, no plan, no pressing need for conversation — just presence.

It’s a gift I cherish.

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bells ring for “bread of salvation”

Bells ring at our little church several times a day. I’ve recently posted about the Angelus bells and alluded to other bells as well. We hear them all, and each round of tolling means something special. I already spoke about the Angelus, but the bells toll before Mass, too. And then, in a grand surprise that reminds me of my experience in Cuba, the bells also toll during the Consecration. We always stop what we’re doing when we hear that round, and send up a brief prayer of thanksgiving. It really is something special to not only hear those bells, but know what they mean.

This morning, as I was having my coffee, I heard the bells on the heels of reading a beautiful quote from St. John XXIII, and thought I’d pass it along for you. It’s the perfect reflection for today.

May your sacrament, O Jesus, be light to the mind, strength to the will, joy to the heart. May it be the support of the weak, the comfort of the suffering, the wayfaring bread of salvation for the dying and for all the pledge of future glory. Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)

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