Earlier this week, I texted my older brother to see if he and his family attended the Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, IN. Lo and hold, I get a shower of texts with photos of him and the family (with five kids) at Lucas Oil Stadium gathered with 50,000 Catholics! What a sight to see! While I was not there in person, I was praying for them and everyone else from afar! The Eucharistic Congress came at a time when our world desperately needs Christ’s love. Only one word comes to mind when I think of the timing: thanks. This reminds me of the passage from St. Paul’s Letter to the Thessalonians:
“Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances, give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thes 5: 14-18)
Giving Thanks Before Major Life Milestones
Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances, give thanks. Three simple, yet profound prescriptions from St. Paul to endure and thrive in the Christian life. When I think about my relationship with the Eucharist, I have made a commitment to give thanks every opportunity I get.
The first major opportunity was the week of my wedding back in 2020. I attended adoration at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Waterbury, CT. The basilica is well known because Blessed Michael McGivney served for a time there. This was the first time my wife and I were able to attend adoration together in person since the start of the pandemic. Also, it was a good opportunity to spiritually prepare for the sacrament of Matrimony. I was reminded of a quote by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI:
“If the Eucharist expresses the irrevocable nature of God’s love in Christ for his Church, we can then understand why it implies, with regard to the sacrament of Matrimony, that indissolubility to which all true love necessarily aspires.”
From then on, I’ve made a personal practice to give thanks in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament before major milestones in life.
Spend Your Birthday with the Lord
A couple years ago, I took the opportunity to do something different for my birthday. Usually I go on a day trip with my wife or spend time with family and friends. I decided to go to adoration at St. John’s Parish in Cromwell, CT. The parish is run by a Franciscan of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (O.F.M. Conv.) and offers perpetual adoration. What that means is that there is a dedicated chapel where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed all hours of the day. Parishes that offer this take care to have dedicated adorers that sign up and commit to praying one hour of the day in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
It was a special milestone that year because my wife and I welcomed our son into the world and I was celebrating my birthday as a father for the first time. Kneeling in prayer, I was exhausted from the lack of sleep from the past couple months, but it was the type of exhaustion born from love. There was a mix of emotions rushing inside me, but it all came out as tears of thanks. I was reminded of a quote by St. Teresa of Calcutta, a champion of Eucharistic Adoration, “In an ever changing world the Holy Eucharist is a constant reminder of the great reality that is God’s changeless love.”
Despite all that is going on in the world, the calming of the storm occurs when I go to Eucharistic Adoration. It is in the Eucharist that you will find your anchor amidst all of life’s changes. In all circumstances, give thanks to the Lord for this life and for the opportunity to live it!
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