Corpus Christi

At the Holy Mass, we wait longing for the moment when Jesus comes to us. After Transubstation, He mysteriously dwells among us, when receiving Holy Communion we can embrace Him in our heart and at adoration remain with Him silently in love. On the solemnity of Corpus Christi, we want to be reminded about this idea that in the Eucharist, Jesus is among us.

“This is my Body, this is the cup of my Blood.” Jesus knew what he said. “This is my Body, this is the cup of my Blood.” These words are so explicit. The Eucharist is not only a gift from Him, but according to these words, It is He Himself. He could give Himself to us as a precious jewel, but he chose the element of bread and wine. “This is my Body, this is the cup of my Blood.” Under the species of bread and wine, He is present with His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.

The Roman boy Tarcisius loved the Lord Jesus very much. He firmly believed that He is present in the Eucharist. In the time of the persecution of Christians, many Christians were condemned to death in the Amphitheater, the Coliseum. The others carry them in their minds when they were meeting in houses for prayers and especially secret celebrating of Holy Mass. Once, after Mass, someone suggested that it would be needed to bring the Eucharist to the imprisoned. But how? In that moment, the twelve year old altar-boy Tarcisius offered himself that he would not be afraid and probably they would admit him in. The bishop allowed him to take the Eucharist and go there. But on his way, young bandits attacked him and wanted to take what he so firmly clenched in his hands: the Holy Eucharist. They did not know what It was, but recognized that It must be something very precious when he did not even want to show It to them. Therefore they beat him and thought that he will give It to them. But He said to himself he would rather die than allow those bad people to dishonor the Body of Jesus Christ. They were beating him more and more. Suddenly someone passed that that way and so they had to take refuge. Those people coming were Christians. But the beaten Tarcisius had not enough strength to stand up; he passed the Sacrament to them and died.

Once, a boy came to me for Holy Communion. Since his First Holy Communion, he forgot that at Communion after the acclamation “amen“, it is needed to lean his head back, sufficiently open his mouth and move his tongue such that tongue tip rests on the lower lip, and it happened that the Host fell on the floor. Surely, I did not lash him, for it had not happen intentionally. I picked up the Body of Christ and I administered him Holy Communion once again. But this boy was very worried about it. After that Holy Mass, he came weeping to me and asked me whether the Lord Jesus will forgive him. I assured him that yes, then we went together to kneel before the tabernacle and I silently asked the Lord Jesus for pardon for the inattentiveness. The face of the boy shone and he left with peace.

What happened to that boy should not happen. However, it could happen even worse: because of inattentiveness, someone could stand on the fallen Body of Christ. Imagine, even that would not wound the Lord Jesus as much as though from outside point of view polite receiving Him, but inside having the dirt of mortal sin.

Let us always keep reverence to the Eucharist. When passing Church, let us come to greet our Lord or at least, outside, let us make the sign of the cross; the Holy Mass and especially the moment of Holy Communion, let us experience attentively. Most of all, however, let us preserve our clean heart.

Božie telo

Pri svätej omši túžobne očakávame chvíľu, keď k nám príde Pán Ježiš. Po premenení medzi nami tajomne prebýva, pri svätom prijímaní ho môžeme až objať vo svojom srdci, pri adorácii s ním ticho zotrvať v láske. Na slávnosť Božieho tela si chceme pripomenúť túto ideu, že v Eucharistii je medzi nami Ježiš.

Toto je moje telo, kalich mojej krvi. Ježiš vedel, čo povedal. Toto je moje telo, kalich mojej krvi. Tieto slová sú tak jednoznačné. Eucharistia je nielen veľmi dar od Neho, ale podľa Jeho slov je To On sám. Mohol sa nám darovať ako vzácny drahokam, ale on si vybral prvok chleba a vína. Toto je moje telo, kalich mojej krvi. Pod spôsobom chleba a vína je prítomný On – so svojim telom a krvou, dušou i Božstvom.

Rímsky chlapec Tarzícius mal veľmi rád Pána Ježiša. Pevne veril, že je prítomný v Eucharistií. V čase prenasledovania kresťanov boli mnohí kresťania uväznení a odsúdení na smrť v amfiteátri Koloseum. Ostatní na nich pamätali, keď sa stretávali po domoch na modlitby a obzvlášť na tajnú svätú omšu. Raz po omši ktosi navrhol, že by bolo potrebné zaniesť Eucharistiu aj uväzneným. Ale ako? Tu sa ponúkol dvanásťročný miništrant Tarzícius, že on by sa nebál a že by ho k nim možno aj pustili dovnútra. Biskup mu dovolil zobrať Eucharistiu a ísť tam. Ale po ceste ho prepadli mladí zbojníci a chceli mu vziať, čo tak bedlivo zvieral v rukách - Sviatosť oltárnu. Nevedeli, čo je to, ale pochopili, že to musí byť niečo veľmi vzácne, keď im to nechcel ani ukázať. Preto ho bili a mysleli si že im to dá. No on si povedal, že radšej zomrie, akoby mal dovoliť týmto zlým ľuďom znevážiť Telo Pána Ježiša. Bili ho čoraz silnejšie. Zrazu však ktosi išiel a tak museli utiecť. Boli to kresťania. Ubitý Tarzícius však už nevládal sa postaviť; odovzdal im sviatosť a zomrel.

Tarzícius teda položil svoj život za Pána Ježiša, aby ho prítomného v Eucharistii ochránil pred znevážením. Aj my podľa jeho príkladu máme si nadovšetko vážiť Eucharistiu.

Raz bol u mňa na svätom prijímaní jeden chlapec. Od prvého svätého prijímania zabudol, že pri svätom prijímaní za zvolaním “amen“ treba hlavu trochu dozadu zakloniť, dostatočne otvoriť ústa a jazyk posunúť k spodnej pere, a stalo sa, že svätá hostia padla na zem. Pravda, nevyhrešil som ho - veď sa to nestalo naschvál - Božie telo som zdvihol a podal mu opäť sväté prijímanie. Ale tento chlapec sa nad tým veľmi trápil. Po svätej omši takmer s plačom prišiel za mnou a pýtal sa, či mu to Pán Ježiš odpustí. Uistil som ho, že áno, potom sme spolu šli kľaknúť pred svätostánok a ja som potichu odprosoval Pána Ježiša za nepozornosť. Chlapcovi sa vyjasnila tvár a s pokojom odišiel.

To, čo sa stalo tomuto chlapcovi, nemalo sa stať. Mohlo sa však stať aj horšie: niekto z nepozornosti stupil na spadnuté Telo Pána Ježiša. Ale predstavte si, že ani to by nebolelo Pána Ježiša tak, ak by ho niekto navonok  slušne prijal, ale vnútri mal špinu ťažkého hriechu.

Zachovajme si vždy úctu k Eucharistii. Keď ideme okolo kostola, príďme pozdraviť Pána alebo sa aspoň vonku prežehnajme; svätú omšu  a najmä chvíľu svätého prijímania prežívajme pozorne. Najviac však dbajme na čisté srdce.