CENTER OF ST. FRANCIS' DEVOTION:
LOVE OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST

by Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R.

Franciscan scholars generally agree that love and reverence for the Holy Eucharist formed the center of St. Francis' piety. It was not one devotion among many; rather, it was "the" devotion of his spiritual life! He fostered devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament as no saint before him!

Right from the beginning of his conversion, he recalls in his Testament "God inspired me with such faith in His churches that I used to pray with all simplicity, 'We adore You, Most Holy Lord Jesus Christ, here and in all Your churches throughout the world and we bless You, because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.'" St. Francis taught this little prayer to his first followers, who prayed it often when they entered any churches. Even if the friars just saw a church off in the distance, they would fall to their knees in adoration of Jesus present there in the Blessed Sacrament and offer this prayer of praise.

This prayer expressed clearly and simply St. Francis' fervent belief of Jesus really and truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. This belief forms the very heart of Roman Catholic teaching in regard to the Holy Eucharist. Again in his Testament, he said his "reverence, love and honor" toward priests was "because in this world I cannot see the Most High Son of God with my own eyes, except for His most holy Body and Blood which they (priests) receive and they alone administer to others."

This same belief in the Real Presence led him to adore Jesus there with extraordinary love. Bro. Leo, his faithful companion, testified to the "exceedingly great reverence and devotion of the blessed Francis to the Body of the Lord." His biographer, Bro. Thomas of Celano, writes of how he was overwhelmed by Jesus' great love and humility: "Every fiber of the heart of Francis was aglow with love for the Sacrament of the Body of Christ, and with exceedingly great admiration he marveled at the loving condescension and the condescending love of the Lord."

St. Francis' extraordinary love for Jesus in the Holy Eucharist was seen in action. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was for him the center of his devotion. He attended Mass daily, unless hindered by illness. He would have considered it no small negligence not to do so. He received Holy Communion with such devotion that his example enkindled the hearts of others. Bro. Thomas of Celano writes that "whenever he received the sweet and spotless Lamb, he surrendered to Him his spirit with that flaming ardor which ever glowed on the altar of his heart." When it came to reserving the Holy Eucharist in churches, though he insisted on poverty for himself and his friars, he wanted It to be kept in precious tabernacles. He wrote in his Testament: "Above everything else, I want this most holy Sacrament to be honored and venerated and reserved in places which are richly ornamented."

St. Francis urged others to share his reverence for the Eucharist. His "Letter to All Clerics" expresses concern for the proper reservation and distribution of the Blessed Sacrament: "We clerics cannot overlook the sinful neglect and ignorance some people are guilty of with regard to the holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . Those who are in charge of these Sacred Mysteries (the Holy Eucharist), and especially those who are careless about their task, should realize that the chalices, corporals and altar linens where the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ are offered in sacrifice should be completely suitable. And besides, many clerics reserve the Blessed Sacrament in unsuitable places, or carry It about irreverently, or receive It unworthily, or give It to all-comers without distinction . . . And so we must correct these and all other abuses . . ." Anxious to practice what he preached, St. Francis and his friars would go about with brooms to sweep churches and chapels they found that were dirty and neglected and, where necessary, they washed the sacred linens used in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

The Eucharistic piety of St. Francis was part of a renewal of Catholic devotion occurring in the Church at the time. The Church faced not only problems of neglect and abuse regarding the Eucharist, but also a rapidly spreading heresy known as Albigensianism. Among other errors, this heresy denied that the Eucharist was the real Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The Fourth Lateran Ecumenical Council, attended by St. Francis, was held in Rome in 1215 to combat this heresy by calling for reforms to foster true Eucharistic devotion.

We might see a similarity between the need for Eucharistic renewal in the Church in St. Francis' time and in our own. In many places after Vatican Council II, Eucharistic devotion has been neglected or down played, even ridiculed. Many Catholics today no longer believe the Eucharist is really the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. They look upon It merely as a "symbol" of His presence. Others need to be reminded today, as St. Francis reminded the clerics in his own day, of the proper dispositions needed to attend Mass with due reverence and to receive Holy Communion worthily, especially free from mortal sin. Pope John Paul II has certainly taken the initiative to revive Eucharistic devotion in the Church. He has encouraged Eucharistic adoration by establishing daily exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in St. Peter's Basilica. This practice is spreading to many parishes throughout the world, a sign of great hope for the future!

The Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Renewal have made Eucharistic devotion the heart of our life of prayer. Daily Mass is the central focus of our worship. Throughout the day, we pray our Liturgy of the Hours in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. We also always have a daily Eucharistic Holy Hour. The life of our community flows from Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and so do our apostolates. In our parish missions, we have the Blessed Sacrament exposed for adoration during the evening services. On the last night of the mission, we always have a special Mass in honor of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of our community. In our Youth 2000 retreat weekends for young people, Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in literally the very center of focus.

Eucharistic love and devotion give a new strength to the individual Catholic as well as to the witness of the Church as a whole. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, who despite his very demanding schedule made a Eucharistic Holy Hour every day, called it "an hour of power." It was a kind of spiritual revitalization, empowering the individual to throw off any interior lukewarmness by the power of a new love, Jesus' love! Mother Teresa of Calcutta says of her Eucharistic devotion: "I make a Holy Hour each day in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. All my sisters of the Missionaries of Charity make a daily Holy Hour as well, because we find that through our daily Holy Hour our love for Jesus becomes more intimate, our love for each other more understanding, and our love for the poor more compassionate."

The Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Renewal have been called to continue the mission given by Our Lord Himself to St. Francis when He spoke to him from the crucifix in the little chapel of San Damiano: "Francis, go and rebuild My Church which as you see is falling into ruin." In response to this call, we can truly witness from our own experience that the renewal of Eucharistic adoration is the key to the renewal of the Catholic Church in our time as it was in the time of St. Francis!