He is risen! He has conquered death and sin! He is truly God. Praise to Him, the Resurrection and the Life! Praise be His holy name!
Thank You, Lord, for Easter. Thank You for Your suffering, death, burial, and resurrection. Thank You for Your continual presence in Your Word, in Your Sacraments, in Your Church, and in each one of Your children. Thank You for all thy benefits.
Forgive me, Lord, for the times that I fail to seek You in every circumstance. Forgive me, Lord, for my short-sightedness and forgetfulness. Forgive me, Lord, when I have turned away from You and contributed to the sorrow of Your most Sacred Heart.
This week, I was able to begin a mom’s night out with Adoration, thanks to a wonderful friend who plans these times for us to pray and fellowship. Adoration is special to me as it was a large part of my discernment to enter the Church, and it is something my now hubby and I did weekly together for several years during our dating and engagement. I have even invited non-Catholics to Adoration, and they have all experienced the very Presence of God in a very real way. My sister says, “Adoration is where it is at!” and she is so right! I have heard it called “radiation therapy” and “Son-tanning” because it only requires sitting before Him, and He heals and emits His rays of graces onto you.
The altar in the chapel of Sacred Heart is adorned for Easter with an empty tomb. As I was admiring the representation, I could hear in my heart, “He is not here.” He is not in the tomb. I began pondering and praying that I do not want to be an empty tomb. I do not want others to see me and say, “He is not here.” I want to be a monstrance!
On the altar, above the representation of the empty tomb, stood His Real Presence in the monstrance. He is in the monstrance. Jesus said before His Ascension that He would be with us to the end of the age. He is with us in many ways, such as His Word and His Holy Spirit, but in the Blessed Sacrament, His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity is with us! How blessed we truly are to have Him in this way.
We all have people in our lives or meet people every day who may never see the inside of a Catholic church. Let us pray that we can be their monstrance. When others meet and visit with us, they have encountered He who was, is, and always will be.
How does your life reflect His Presence? How can you be a monstrance for others? How can you radiate and emit His grace?
