“Yes, ‘tremendous are the deeds of the
Lord! Shout joyfully to God all you on earth’ (Ps. 66:1-3). The verses of the
Psalm resound…as a living echo of young Frassati’s soul. Indeed, we all know
how much he loved the world God created! “Come and see the works of God’ (Ps
65/66:5): this is also an invitation which we receive from his young soul and
which is particularly addressed to young people. Come and see God’s ‘tremendous
deeds among men’ (ibid). Tremendous deeds among men and women! Human eyes-
young, sensitive eyes- must be able to admire God’s work in the external,
visible world. The eyes of the spirit must be able to turn from this external,
visible world to the inner, invisible one: thus
they can reveal to others the realm of the spirit in which the light of the
Word that enlightens every person is reflected (cf. Jn 1:9). In this light
the Spirit of Truth acts.” (Man of the Beatitudes, 160)
Bl. JP II acknowledges Frassati’s
ability to not only see God’s splendor and magnificence in the glory of the
mountains and the created earth but also within the heart of each person he
met. It is the eyes of faith which allowed Bl. Pier Giorgio to reveal to others
their God given dignity. His supernatural eyesight saw the reality that we are
each created in the image and likeness of God and held into being by His
steadfast love for us. We are called to reveal this to others and we are called
to live this Truth, the light of the word enlightens every person, for ourselves as well.
Additionally, our eyes of faith call
us to look upon the bread and wine and to see the body and blood, soul and
divinity of Christ. Do we really believe each time we attend Mass that the Lord
of Hosts who created Heaven and Earth comes to reside not only in the
tabernacle but in our hearts. Not just in the spiritual reality that He lives
within us by His grace but that Christ’s very presence from the manager to the
cross becomes Incarnate for and in us. Do we believe that wholeheartedly?
I was recently listening to Gone,
Gone, Gone by Philip Phillips and there was so much about the song that
captured my attention this particular time. More to come on that but for now not
only does it remind me of God’s song to us as Prodigals as he sings “I love you
long after you are gone, gone, gone,” but Phillips also sings “like a drum my heart never stops beating
for you.” It reminds me of the Eucharistic miracle in Lanciano, Italy.
“One day at mass, a Basilian monk
started doubting the real and substantial presence of the Flesh and Blood of
Our Lord Jesus Christ in the consecrated Holy Species. After having pronounced
the words of Consecration (“This is My Body... This is My Blood”), as Jesus had
taught it to His Apostles, the monk saw the host change into a living piece of
Flesh, and the wine change into real blood, which thereupon coagulated and
split into five globules, irregular and differing in shape and size. We quote
excerpts from a document kept at Lanciano:
‘Frightened and confused by so
great and so stupendous a miracle, he stood quite a while as if transported in
a divine ecstasy; but finally, as fear yielded to the spiritual joy which
filled his soul with a happy face, even though bathed with tears, having turned
to the bystanders, he thus spoke to them: `O fortunate witnesses to whom
the Blessed God, to counfound my unbelief, has wished to reveal Himself in this
Most Blessed Sacrament and to render Himself visible to our eyes. Come
Brethren, and marvel at our God so close to us. Behold the Flesh and the Blood
of our Most Beloved Christ.’
in 1981, there took place a scientific
investigation by the most illustrious scientist Prof. Odoardo Linoli, eminent
Professor in Anatomy and Pathological Histology and in Chemistry and Clinical
Microscopy. He was assisted by Prof. Ruggero Bertelli of the University of
Siena. [They did not know the source was a host] Their analyses sustained the
following conclusions:
The Flesh is real flesh. The Blood is real Blood.
The Flesh and the Blood belong to the human species.
The Flesh consists of the muscular
tissue of the heart.
In the Flesh we see present in section: the myocardium, the endocardium,
the vagus nerve and also the left ventricle of the heart for the large
thickness of the myocardium.
The Flesh and the Blood have the same blood-type: AB (The blood-type
identical to that which Prof. Baima Bollone uncovered in the Holy Shroud of
Turin). In the Blood there were
found proteins in the same normal proportions (percentage-wise) as are found in
the sero-proteic make-up of fresh normal blood. In the Blood there were also found these minerals: chlorides, phosphorus,
magnesium, potassium, sodium and calcium. The preservation of the Flesh and of the Blood, which were left in their
natural state for twelve centuries and exposed to the action of atmospheric and
biological agents, remains an extraordinary phenomenon. “
The Eucharist contains the heart of
Christ. Not a hallmark, roses are red, pretty hearts kind of heart. The
physical flesh of God and not in a it used to be that kind of way. Just as our
hearts continue to beat, so too does the Lord’s heart never stop beating for
us. As He was crucified on Calvary and as He laid in the stillness of the manger,
He is a living God who longs to be with us. Let us see with eyes of faith His
presence in our lives and His insatiable love that continues to beat for us.
Let us trust that even though we shall die and our hearts will one day
physically stop, His steadfast love never tires of loving us. Let us receive
His love with great joy. Let us receive His body and blood with gratitude and
belief.
“Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.” Bl.
Pier Giorgio, pray for us.
“The exuberance of the life of the
party and monastic concentration were expressions of the very same spiritual
disposition: be it on the mountain peaks or at the feet of the Tabernacle,
[Pier Giorgio’s] transparent soul encountered God with similar ease.” (An
Ordinary Christian, 80).
Verso l’alto,
Kathryn Grace
Like
a drum, my heart will never stop beating for you
As close as a heartbeat
One thing remains : It is what is
unchanging in your life that makes sense of change.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_KXsMCJgBQ
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