Saint Clare:
Loaves for the Journey - The Bread of the Eucharist
[Kneel]
P: This is the bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever.
(Jn. 6:58)
All: We adore You, most holy Lord Jesus Christ, here and in all Your churches which are in the whole world, and we bless You, because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
P: I beseech you to show all reverence and all honor to the most holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(St. Francis)
All: Gaze upon Him, consider Him, contemplate Him, as you desire to imitate Him.
(St. Clare)
P: Let all creation be seized with fear; let the whole world tremble when the Lord Jesus Christ is present on the altar.
(St. Francis)
All: O sublime humility! O humble sublimity! (ibid)
P: So, how long is your sense going to stay dull? Why do you not see into the truth and believe in the Son of God? See, day after day He humbles Himself, as when He came down from His royal throne into the Virgin’s womb. (Saint Francis, Adm. #1)
All: Daily He comes to us personally in this lowly form. (ibid)
P: Daily He comes down from the bosom of His Father on the altar into the hands of the priest.
(ibid)
All: And just as He appeared before the holy Apostles in true flesh, so now He has us see Him in the sacred Bread.
(ibid)
P: Looking at him with the eyes of their flesh, they saw only His flesh, but regarding Him with the eyes of the spirit, they believed that He was God.
(ibid)
All: We, too, see only bread and wine, so let us see and believe firmly that it is His most holy Body and Blood, living and true.
(ibid)
P: In this way our Lord is ever present among those who believe in Him, according to what He said: “Behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world."
(ibid)
All: Taste the hidden sweetness that God Himself has reserved from the beginning for those who love Him.
(St. Clare, Third Letter)
READING [Sit] (Exodus 17:12-14. Deuteronomy 8:2-3 may also be used.)
I have heard the murmuring of the children of Israel: say to them… in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God. So, it came to pass in the evening…a dew lay around the camp. And when it evaporated, there on the surface of the ground lay fine flakes like hoarfrost.Moses said to the people, “This is the bread, which the Lord has given you to eat...” And Moses said to Aaron: “Take a vessel, and put manna into it… and lay it up before the Lord to keep for future generations…And Aaron put it in the tabernacle to be kept.
PERIOD OF SILENT PRAYER HOMILY
[Kneel]
P: How great was Saint Clare’s affection and devotion to the Sacrament of the Altar is shown by their effect. When receiving the Body of the Lord, she at first shed burning tears, approaching with trembling, for she feared Him who was hidden in the Sacrament no less than Him who was ruling heaven and earth.
(Life #28)
All: Happy, indeed, is she to whom it is given to share in this sacred banquet.
(St. Clare – Fourth Letter)
P: “My daughters, praise God, because heaven and earth are not enough for such a benefit that I have received from God, for today I received Him in the Blessed Sacrament!”
(St. Clare, Proc. Can. III)
All: The Lord will be with me on my journey, giving me bread to eat and clothing to wear.
(Gn.28:20)
P: Behold! It is now well-known that a faithful soul, by the grace of God, is greater than Heaven itself,
(St. Clare, Third Letter)
All: for the heavens and the rest of creation cannot contain their Creator . (ibid)
P: Truly, Jesus said, "Whoever loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and we will come to him, and we will make our dwelling with him."
(St. Clare – Third Letter)
All: Only the faithful soul, who possesses love, may be his throne and abode. (ibid)
Final prayer : [Kneel] P: O Mother Saint Clare,* P. and All: your holy life radiates its light to guide us on the way to Christ. Teach us to love Him as you did. O beloved saint, teach us to believe, as you did, that in the Blessed Eucharist we find Jesus, who dwells here in our midst.
You now follow the Lamb wherever He goes: speak to Him of our troubled spirit. Ask Him to heal us, body and soul, and to wash away our sins in His precious Blood.
(Pause for silent reflection and petition)
P: O handmaid of Christ,* P. and All: look with compassion on all who call on you for help. Remember the needs of our family, our loved ones, and all those for whom we pray. Defend us from everything that would endanger our Holy Catholic Faith, especially in these times of confusion, scandal and division. Give us unity and peace in the Church and in society. We ask that our pleas will become a canticle of petition ascending from your pure heart to the Heart of Jesus, who is Lord forever and ever. Amen.