When I was in high school, I can remember being asked to care for my neighbor’s plants, giving them water while they were on vacation. At other times, I remember being asked to care for the neighbor’s dog, giving it food and water and taking it walking each day. When I was a senior in high school, I remember being asked to watch the two young children of a different neighboring family while the parents went to work for the day. In all these instances, I knew I was being entrusted with a responsibility – watching over the children being the greatest of the three examples. The greater the value of what was entrusted to me, the more I was focused and attentive. If I did not recognize the value of what others had entrusted to me, it is likely that I could have been negligent and uncaring.
Jesus offers a parable in the Gospel of a steward who is takes poor care of his master’s household. Jesus warns that much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person who is entrusted with more. What comes to mind when we hear these words?
We may think of material possessions and wealth. If we have much wealth, then we suppose that God expects us to show generosity. If we think of successful career, then perhaps we are to work honestly and diligently. If we think of our families, we know we are to care for one another out of love and serve each other in gratitude. In each of these circumstances, it is recognizing the value of what we have been given in our lives that matters. This flows from gratitude. If I am aware that my life and all of its blessings are from the Lord, then I live in thanksgiving. The word in Greek for “thanksgiving” is a form of the word “Eucharist.” God has entrusted us with so many blessings, but none is greater than the gift of His only Son: on the Cross, in the Mass, in the Eucharist.
God has entrusted the Church with the Risen Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. When we own something of great value, something that is a true treasure, we place it in a box or secure place for safe-keeping. In every Catholic church we find a tabernacle, often made of precious metals, lined with gold or silver. It is most appropriately placed in the center of the sanctuary to show the great prominence of so great a gift. To recognize and love the great gift of the Eucharist means to live a life that is Eucharistic. This means to live in thanksgiving for such a tremendous gift of God’s love.
I return again to the question earlier: what has been entrusted to us? The Eucharist. The Father has given His only Son to us to be present to us always. Notice that at the end of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the remaining consecrated hosts are placed in the tabernacle. Jesus wishes to be continually present to us. He wants us to know that He is truly present. He has not left us. He is truly with us in the tabernacle. It is His love for us that allows Him to remain with us, inviting us to remain with Him.
On Sept. 6 and 7, Bishop Peter Jugis will lead our diocese in another great Eucharistic Congress. Each year, the Eucharistic Congress draws tens of thousands of Catholics from all over the diocese to spend time with Jesus in the Eucharist. It is a time to gather as one Catholic family around Jesus. He is the source of all unity. The Congress is a time to grow in our love and devotion for Jesus in the Eucharist.
The theme this year is “Stay with us, Lord.” What a beautiful theme! It comes from the last part of the Gospel of Luke. It is a prayer of great pleading. It is clear our world continues to grow more divided and more violent, as we recall recent horrible shootings in our nation. We need Jesus to stay with us. We need to remain with Him in His love. If our hearts are far from the Lord, then our faith and love of Jesus in the Eucharist will grow cold. We will easily neglect Him, and our hearts will lack any gratitude for the love He has given us in the Eucharist.
Leading up to the Eucharistic Congress, I ask each of us to make a commitment to pray for the Eucharistic Congress. I also ask everyone to seriously consider attending. This is a time to be revived in our Catholic faith and especially in our love for our Eucharistic Lord.
Whether we attend the Congress to not, each of us can be revived in our love of the gift of the Eucharist. We can commit to spending time in Eucharistic Adoration, whether in front of the tabernacle or before the Host in the monstrance. We can genuflect with reverence and devotion each time we are before Jesus in the tabernacle. We can make the sign of the cross each time we pass a Catholic church to demonstrate we know that Jesus is inside. While at work, we can take a few brief moments to place our hearts before Jesus in the nearest church tabernacle and pray a spiritual communion prayer. We can make a brief visit to a Catholic church on our way home from work to spend a moment before the Lord. In every instance we can pray “Stay with us, Lord!” These examples show Jesus that we want Him to be the true treasure of our hearts. “Stay with us, Lord!”
Father Lucas Rossi is the pastor of St. Michael Church in Gastonia. This commentary has been adapted from a homily he delivered Aug. 11 for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time.