The Wonderful Effects of Being Exposed to the Blessed Sacrament

"The Transforming Power of the Eucharist"

Good evening dear listeners. It is time again for Misa de Gallo and all the Catholics in the Philippines are very busy these last days of preparation for the birth of our Lord. In fact, we in the priesthood hardly have time to handle all the responsibilities that we have to attend to during these nine days of Misa de Gallo.

In our parish in Masambong, we observe the theme, "Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament." We want to revive the Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in our parish, The Most Holy Redeemer. And so for nine days, we reflect on the importance of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. That is also the reason why I chose this topic for our discussion tonight, "Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and its Relation to Purgatory." Before we begin, let me encourage you to spend an hour of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. You can offer the merits of this for other departed souls in Purgatory.

I found a little book written by Msgr. Josefino Ramirez entitled, "Letters to a Brother Priest". It is a collection of his letters to a young priest, Fr. Tomas Naval, Disciple of Mary. All the letters in his book have different topics about the beauty and importance of the Blessed Sacrament. In a letter dated May 15, 1994, he wrote a beautiful story about a secret that’s been for many years in the convent of the nuns in the Sacred Heart Community. Sister Gertrude, a nun who was visiting from Hawaii, narrated the story.

Sr. Gertrude told of a time when she was a very young sister in the convent. According to her it was a custom that time for the whole community to gather around the deathbed of a dying person to pray. She said that there was a very old nun, her skin wrinkled, and her beauty has faded. She was short of breath and was lying in her deathbed while everyone was gathered around her. All of a sudden, she opened her eyes, stretched out her arms and shouted, "O my Beloved!" The dying nun sat down and lovingly stared at the Blessed Sacrament that was transferred to her room through the order of the superior because she got so weak to visit the chapel. In the wink of an eye, the old nun was transformed. Everyone saw how her appearance changed from a wrinkled old woman to a very beautiful and young-looking girl. Her face glowed radiantly and everyone was amazed by what they had seen. After two minutes, the nun dropped back on her bed, the old wrinkled face returned, then she died after a few seconds. By the time everyone came back to their senses, they realized that they were in ecstasy for thirteen hours, while beholding the glory in the face of the old dying nun lasted only two minutes.

And so, this is where I want to begin our reflection. The appearance of the old dying nun got transformed to a young beautiful woman. I have seen that kind of transformation in the face of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. A picture of her was taken when she died and everyone noticed the beautiful smile on her face. The sorrow that used to be on her face because of her long suffering from tuberculosis was replaced by that sweet smile. You can find this picture in the documents of her life; she had a glorious smile the day she died. The question is, "Where do all these come from?" Well, many say that this restoration of beauty among those who get sick before dying comes from their adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

Msgr. Ramirez told the life story of Fr. Daniel. He is a deacon of the Catholic church who dedicated his life to serve the people with leprosy. That is how he is known by everyone: Deacon Daniel who takes care of the leprose. What many people don’t know is where he gets the strength to serve these people. Fr. Daniel’s strength to serve the leprose comes from his devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. One of his friends once wrote him and asked how he could endure such a place and situation. Fr. Daniel answered, "If not for each hour that I spend in the Blessed Sacrament everyday, I wouldn’t have the strength to stay in this place for even just one day." Through his service, and by upholding the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, he helped restore the esteem and self-respect of these leprose. It is said that the passage which was mentioned once in the gospels, about a man with leprosy who told Jesus, "Lord, if you will it, you can heal me..", is a regular scene in this community of persons with leprosy.

Msgr. Ramirez said that the story of the old dying nun whose appearance got transformed, is a story of each holy hour that we dedicate to the Blessed Sacrament. He said, "If only we could see the change that takes place in us. We are made new in the eternal youth of Christ. We are made innocent, without blemish as we are cleansed in His precious blood and in the presence of Christ’s unsurpassing love. Jesus stretches out His hand and touches each one of us, making each one holy in His love, making each one innocent in His blood. And innocence that captured Him is more precious in the eyes of God than innocence never lost."

Remaining in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament is like being in the manger with the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, the shepherds and the wise men. In silence, we meditate on the beauty of the new - born Savior. And as we meditate on that beauty, we are being transformed. The Lord restores in our soul the beauty that’s been taken away by our sins. He restores the freshness of our youth even if our body gets old. Whoever offers enough time in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament possesses a soul that is always being transformed and renewed in the grace of the Lord Jesus.