The Little Flame With The Big Message

In less than 10 days, parishes across our diocese will celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi with processions through their towns. Annually, this is one of the most visible signs to those outside our Church that we believe in the Real Presence – that during the Consecration, the bread and wine truly become the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus.

Because we believe that, many of us – myself included – have grown quite fond of Eucharistic Adoration. Many of our parishes regularly schedule adoration, and some offer perpetual adoration in chapels separate from their main sanctuaries.

Recently, however, it occurred to me that some of us may rarely consider the amazing, miraculous opportunity Jesus presents us every time we enter one of our churches’ main sanctuaries. I wonder how many of us fail to notice the candle burning next to the tabernacle – the one that is always lit, no matter how early we show up for Mass.

Do you know why that is? It’s the same reason why, as a youngster in the 1960s, I learned to make the Sign of the Cross every time I traveled past a Catholic Church. Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI explained it far better than I ever could in one sentence to journalist Peter Seewald in the book-length interview, “Light of the World:”

“He is here, the One before Whom we fall on our knees!”

Those candles burn always – and others like me learned to bless ourselves when we passed Catholic churches – because Jesus is present. It doesn’t matter that a consecrated host is not in a monstrance, displayed on an altar. He still is there, regardless of whether we are fixing our gaze on a host or on the tabernacle doors … or on the tiny-but-powerful flames from those perpetual candles next to the tabernacles in all of our churches.

In recent years, our diocese and many across the country have used “The Light is On for You” as the invitation to make personal confession during Advent and Lent, when priests are available for extended hours. I urge you not to just consider that reminder during those times.

Think of it whenever you walk into your church, no matter the reason. Make a point of looking for the candle and remembering that its light is on for you, too. It symbolizes the true Light of the World, Who waits … always … just a few inches away in the tabernacle.

As we approach the Feast of Corpus Christi – the first-ever papally imposed universal feast in the Latin Rite of the Church (by Pope Urban IV in 1264!), let’s all commit to remembering that “He is here, the One before Whom we call on our knees!”

I’ll put it another way by passing along a Tweet from Catholic writer, reporter and blogger Arleen Spenceley (@ArleenSpenceley): “Focus on Jesus. Focus on Jesus. Focus on Jesus. #note to self”