The Oasis In The Desert

I have written here more than a few times about Eucharistic Adoration. Thanks to John Paul II, this devotion has once again been strongly encouraged. Many of my readers already make a regular hour each week. I have done so for the last 7 years.
When I first began this hour with Jesus, I had a bit of a routine when I entered the chapel. I would spend a few minutes telling Jesus of my intentions for this hour, those whom I wish to bring to Him in prayer, as well as my own personal intentions. Then I would spend the next half hour saying a rosary. I know~ most people can say the rosary in 15 to 20 minutes, I need a good half hour~ I have no idea why! Anyway~ after my rosary I would spend the last remaining minutes thanking Jesus for calling me to this time with Him and for His patience in listening to me.
Now there is nothing wrong with this routine, and at times I still stick to it, but over the course of these seven years, I have come to feel more of a desire to just go and be with Jesus. What I say or don't say really is not as important to Him as the fact that I just show up and spend the time with Him. There could be 10 other people in that chapel, but I always feel that it is just Him and me. This also gives Jesus the chance to speak to me. My above routine sometimes does not let Him get a word in edgewise!
These are simply my own personal musings on my own experiences. Others more advanced spiritual souls have written much on this topic. One such soul is Mother Angelica. I recently came across one of her booklets titled To leave and Yet To Stay. Below is a small excerpt from that booklet. In this brief section she speaks about Our Lord in the Tabernacle being an oasis in the desert. She poses the question:"Why do we permit our souls to die of thirst when the Fountain of Living Water is just around the corner?"  So true!
Here is a brief excerpt; you can read more of the booklet by clicking the above link.


…He is Present in the Eucharist to show us the depth of His Love, the lengths He will go to be with us, the longing of His heart to be always near.
It is not important what we say in His Presence. It is only important that we are there—often to let His Presence penetrate our souls and heal us—to shine on our minds, to strengthen our wills, to bring peace in the midst of turmoil. We must be content to be near Him—to let Him work wonders in our souls—to silently absorb the beauty of His self-effacing love—to let the rays of His light penetrate our innermost being and change our stony hearts into hearts of flesh, our rudeness into kindness, our temper into gentleness.
If only we had the humility to realize that He alone is Goodness and makes us good. As soon as we come into His Presence in the Eucharist, our souls respond to the power before them like a sunflower turning toward the sun.
His silent Presence, hidden in the tabernacle, says to each one of us, "I love you. Come to me all you who labor and are burdened and I will refresh you. Come to the fountain of life and drink. Tell Me your problems. Listen to My Voice. I tug at your heart, guiding your way and smoothing your path."
There is between the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus and the soul, a silent exchange of love, a sharing of pain, an inaudible dialogue between two who know each other perfectly and love each other deeply.
It is as if the soul sees itself in a perfect Mirror and knows clearly its faults and imperfections. A strange phenomenon occurs as the soul gazes at Jesus, Its own reflection becomes brighter, Its faults fade away and one day that "soul is turned—transformed into the Image it reflected." (2 Cor. 3:18)
This being true, why do we permit our souls to die of thirst when the Fountain of Living Water is just around the corner?

Comments

Anne said…
Wonderful! Excellent!
Mary N. said…
These are wonderful words from Mother Angelica. Sometimes I pray before the Eucharist and sometimes I just sit there. The little chapel I go to has stopped having Adoration during the day and I heard that the property might be sold. I tried to go Wednesday and the doors were locked. It's sad because there is a food pantry beneath the chapel where many families go to get food and I don't know what they'll do without it. We have a soup kitchen in town, too, but many depend on the pantry to get by.
Unknown said…
Thanks for stopping by ladies.
Mary- I will pray that your chapel will stay open-especially the food pantry.
God bless you all.