To the Editor:
On a recent Monday morning, a parishioner came to St. Patrick Church in Providence to spend a short time before the Blessed Sacrament. Normally this would have been a work day for her, but she was obviously facing a difficult challenge that day, and she chose to spend some time with our Lord before going out to meet that challenge, whatever it was.
Fortunately, she was able to get into the chapel. Because there is usually someone at St. Pat’s during the day, a person can come in to spend some time with Jesus as He rests in the tabernacle. There are also other churches and chapels in the area where one is able to pay a visit to the Blessed Sacrament – some are open during the day, while others need a stop by the rectory or office first. Unfortunately, many churches are not accessible during the day.
I remember on occasion as a “youngster” (somewhere in the vicinity of age 12-14) going into our parish church (St. Thomas in Southington, Connecticut) to spend some time with our Lord. These were not special events, but the church was open, and I would “pop in” to say hello to Jesus and to spend a little time with Him.
As a student at Providence College, I was able to regularly visit our Lord in one of the campus chapels. Even after I graduated, I would occasionally visit the Oratory, a small chapel in Harkins Hall (it seems to me I was facing a problem during several of those times).
Times have changed a bit since I was a “young” man, and there was a period when a number of churches were facing thefts of various items. This led to many parish communities choosing to lock the doors during the day when nothing was happening at the church. This was a prudent precaution, but it did leave a void.
There is something special about being able to stop in and say hello to the Lord as He rests in the tabernacle – maybe pouring out troubles and concerns, maybe thanking Him for special graces, maybe reading the Bible or praying the Rosary while meditating on His life, maybe just sitting and listening, maybe just keeping Him company. There is often a peaceful quiet on these occasions.
I don't know if we will ever again reach the stage of churches in general being open in the daytime for such visits, but when I visit Him these days (whether it be just to say hello or to discuss a problem with Him or for whatever), I tend to thank Him for His presence in the tabernacle there (and elsewhere), to thank Him for the great gift of Himself waiting for whoever would choose to visit Him. May more people find this peace.
A prayer I learned as a high school-age member of the Missionary Cenacle Apostolate is one I still say often (and more and more people are becoming familiar with it): “May the heart of Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored, and loved with grateful affection at every moment in all the tabernacles of the world even to the end of time.”
“My Jesus! What a lovable contrivance this holy Sacrament was – that You would hide under the appearance of bread to make Yourself loved and to be available for a visit by anyone who desires You!” – St. Alphonsus Ligouri
Tom Lopatosky
Pawtucket
