celebrating the Holy Eucharist

Here is a piece St. Anthony of Padua wrote, published in the Magnificat on June 13th:

"It is only in adversity that we come to know whether we have made real progress in goodness...Two things the devil fears above all: the fire of charity and the well-trodden path of humility...The poor of Jesus Christ, who are marked with the sign of his poverty as long as they are in this world, consider themselves pilgrims and exiled from the Lord (2 Cor 5:6) and walk roughshod over the passing things of this world. Unless we keep our hearts thus unfettered, how can we come to the Lord?...Nothing apart from God can satisfy the human heart which is truly in search of him. Patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in us. Practically, we are required to be patient in many ways: for there are some things, trials and crosses, which come to us from God; others, temptations and enticements, that come to us from our old adversary the devil; still other difficulties that arise from our neighbor: persecution, complaints, unjust accusations. Against all these we must be ever on our guard lest we give way to complaining against the trials our maker sends us; lest again we be led astray into sin, which is what the devil wants; or to be overly disturbed by the thoughtlessness or unkindness of others. For if we want to have our own way always, aren't we really seeking our reward here below in the things of this life? Let us couple patience and long-suffering in the spirit of meekness and faith (and so bring forth fruit in patience)!”

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Jesus gave us the antidote to adversity in our lives. He said, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” (John 6:51) When we eat this living bread, we are given the grace to turn away from sin and the grace to be forgiven of venial sins. It becomes the delight of our souls. This divine food helps us grow closer and closer to God; it urges us on toward the Kingdom, our ultimate destination. It helps us to succeed in this life. It triumphs over death. The Holy Eucharist, which we celebrate in the Church today, is the best gift we will ever receive in our lives. We must never ever squander it but participate fully in the effects it produces in our lives, praising and thanking God all the while for His awesome generosity.

When we experience adversity in our lives, we can embrace and unite ourselves with Christ who suffered the epitome of adversity for us. I believe that, if we ask God to help us live the path to Him, we won't ever need to get our own way. What I've discovered is that God's way is so much more bountiful and joy-filled. I have figured out that I want only God's will for my life. After all, God's will seems to work out so much better for me.

Yesterday, I was given a beautiful gift. It appears I'm going to have the opportunity to teach 17 students (and maybe more) at a Catholic school near my home every morning before the school day begins. Now, this is exciting on many fronts but the one I want to share with you is that, a couple weeks ago, I was praying, asking God to send me a total of 50 students for the fall, if it be His will to do so. (This prayer seemed in keeping with what God has been asking of me, in terms of spending the majority of my time and energy in the pursuit of teaching more piano students.) At that point, I had 33. I was thinking last night that these 17 students are the answer to my prayer (not one less, not one more, but 50!) and it filled me with great peace and joy.

I now understand why Jesus told us not to worry. There's no need to worry when He takes such good care of us. How blessed we are!