“‘Not all men can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth…’” (Matthew 19:12).
The other day during Mass, during the period of silent prayer and reflection, which we call the Thanksgiving, following the reception of the Most Blessed Eucharist, I watched the deacon clear the altar and clean the chalice and holy containers in preparation for the Dismissal.
I watched the way that he wiped each article several times and double checked to ensure that there were no crumbs left in the chalice after he drank the remaining Eucharistic Blood of Christ. And watching the reverence of this young man, I felt myself drawn more deeply into the mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist.
Saint John Vianney famously said, “There is nothing so great as the Eucharist. If God had something more precious, He would have given it to us.”
And – though I have been taught this all my life and have believed it – on that day, watching that man, I found myself believing this truth with a new fervour…
When he was just 10 years old in 1915, a young boy called Almiro Faccenda was assisting his parish priest. The priest – anticipating his arrest by the Italian and Austrian military – gave Almiro the key to the Tabernacle and instructed him to open it and administer the Blessed Eucharist to the local villagers if the city was besieged. Sure enough, the parish priest was arrested and four days later the village was besieged. And so, Almiro Faccenda administered the Blessed Eucharist to the people in his village accompanied by the music of guns and bombs.
Later that night, he told his mother, “What am I to do with this hand of mine that has touched God? Should it not serve Jesus for ever?" In 1932, Almiro Faccenda was ordained a priest…
And I have been reflecting on this vocation – of the deacon in my local parish, and of the priests and religious who surround us… You see, they take a vow of chastity.
And Christ who is God Himself – who was Himself chaste – tells us about the importance of this vow…
“Jesus said to His disciples: ‘Not all men can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it.’” (Matthew 19:12).
And so, while I am among the many to whom God has said, “Be fruitful and multiply…” (Genesis 1:28), I pray for those who were created to “receive this saying… For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth.”
For those who have been called to a vocation of celibacy have been called to great things. And because of that, they they shall require great prayers! For my Lord and God, King of the Universe, is an eunuch, and so is His Holy Mother – Queen of Heaven…
Lord hear my prayers…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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