Last Friday was our first school-wide Adoration and Confession of the new school year. Our students look forward to this day each month. At St. Benedict Classical Academy, it is important to foster both excitement for and love of the Eucharist, as our mission is to form students to be future saints. We look to the example of the saints, who cherished the Eucharist, and encourage our students to spend time in prayer throughout the day, especially during Eucharistic Adoration.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes and stories about Saints and the Eucharist.

• Saint Theresa of Calcutta would spend the first hour of each morning before the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration. Due to all the amazing work she was doing, she was asked by those close to her if she would reduce the time she spent in the chapel so that she could spend more time with the people she was helping. In response to that question, Saint Theresa decided to increase her time to two hours every morning and told those who asked her that “Jesus was the source of all the fruit their work was bearing.” Eventually, she increased her daily adoration to three hours.
• Saint Carlo Acutis said, “In front of the sun, you get a tan. In front of the Eucharist, you become a Saint.”
• Saint John Bosco, in his work with young people said, “Do you want many graces? Go and visit the Blessed Sacrament often. Do you want a few graces? Visit the Blessed Sacrament rarely. Do you want none at all? Then never pay a visit to the Blessed Sacrament.”
• Saint Clare of Assisi was sick in bed when pillaging soldiers arrived in the town of Assisi. The soldiers began to scale the monastery walls, and the sisters inside were scared. Saint Clare got up from her bed, took the ciborium from the chapel, and raised the Blessed Sacrament high in the window. All of the soldiers who were about to enter the monastery fell backwards, and everyone ran away. The whole army retreated and never came back.
• Saint Maximilian Kolbe said, “If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion.”
• Saint Anthony of Padua once met a man who did not believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Saint Anthony challenged him by saying, “If the mule you ride adored the Body of Christ in the Eucharist, would you believe in the truth of the Blessed Sacrament?” This man agreed, but decided to raise the stakes. The plan was that he would starve his mule for three days and then bring it to the town square. On that same day, Saint Anthony would bring the Blessed Sacrament to the square. The mule would have to choose between a pile of hay to eat and the Blessed Sacrament. On that day in the town square, the mule walked immediately over to Saint Anthony and bent his front legs to kneel in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

All holy men and women, pray for us.

AUTHOR: Finlay Cushen, Kindergarten Teacher