My Lord and My God

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Diocese of Birmingham (Alabama) last month, Most Reverend Robert Baker chose to convene a Eucharistic Congress. He wanted to acknowledge in a special way that "at the heart of our Catholic faith is the Eucharist."

I was invited to speak at one of the youth sessions and was one of thousands in attendance for the closing Mass. It is a thing of true beauty to see such a great procession of bishops, priests, deacons, seminarians, altar servers, along with the apostolic nuncio, making its way through such an enormous gathering of the lay faithful -- all for Jesus in the Eucharist. It is a moment in time when the Church is at its best. We need a lot more of those moments!

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati also made it a point to participate in Eucharistic Congresses when possible.  On April 2, 1922, four days before his 21st birthday, he sent a postcard to his mother with just one sentence:

"A thousand greetings and kisses from the Eucharistic Congress."

The following year, he was trying to attend the Eucharistic Congress held in Genoa but his studies just wouldn't allow it. Instead, he committed to attending the regional convention of the Italian Catholic Youth that September. Whether or not his schedule allowed him to go to these large events, there was something on his calendar every day that he never missed: his daily appointment with Jesus in Holy Communion. 

Pier Giorgio was 10 when he made his First Holy Communion on June 19, 1911. He would have had to wait until he turned 12; however, Pope Pius X issued a decree (Quam Singulari) in the summer of 1910 that allowed children to receive the sacrament at "the age of reason" - about seven years old.  As a result, Pier Giorgio's sister Luciana also made her First Holy Communion that same day alongside her brother.  She was two months short of her eighth birthday.

The papal decree did more than lower the age of First Communion. It also urged parents to enable their children to "frequently approach the Holy Table, even daily if possible." This opportunity presented itself to Pier Giorgio at age 12 when he found himself at the school operated by the Jesuit Fathers.  There he was encouraged, and obtained permission from his mother, to begin the daily practice of receiving Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

A companion of his shared this testimony:

How beautifully Pier Giorgio received his communions!  He had a heavenly look on his face in those moments!  . . . And I saw him very often, when he was serving Holy Mass.  He well knew how to find God in that little Host – and now he is united to that God for all eternity!    
-- Giuseppe Grimaldi, engineer

That the Eucharist became the central point of Pier Giorgio's life is something we know very well both from books about him and from his own writings.  He credited his daily reception of the Eucharist as the source of his strength to perform his many works of service to the poor and needy.

In a speech he gave to the Catholic Youth of Pollone, he appealed with all the strength of his soul for the young people to take advantage of the many graces waiting for them in the Eucharist:

"Feed on this Bread of the Angels from which you will draw the strength to fight inner struggles, the struggles against passions and against all adversities, because Jesus Christ has promised to those who feed themselves with the most Holy Eucharist, eternal life and the necessary graces to obtain it.
            And when you become totally consumed by this Eucharistic Fire, then you will be able to thank with greater awareness the Lord God who has called you to be part of his flock and you will enjoy that peace which those who are happy according to the world have never tasted.  Because true happiness, young people, does not consist in the pleasures of the world and in earthly things, but in peace of conscience which we can have only if we are pure in heart and in mind."

(By the way, this excerpt is now printed on the back of a holy card - a great item to share with everyone you know or to leave in your Eucharistic chapel, if you're lucky enough to have one at your parish.)

Pier Giorgio received the Eucharist for the last time on his deathbed on July 3, 1925 - a mere 14 years after his First Holy Communion.  He made the most of those years, spending 12 of them as a daily Communicant and impacting the lives of thousands - one life, in particular, was that of his own father, who did eventually return to the sacraments.

Following the example of Blessed Frassati, consider doing something to bring someone closer to Jesus in the Eucharist. Invite a friend to Mass this Sunday.  Go an extra day to Mass this week.  If you already go daily, offer a Mass for someone you love who has fallen away from the Church. As Pier Giorgio wrote,

"You don’t want to refuse this Love to Jesus Who, because of infinite love for Humanity, wanted to be in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, as our Consoler and as Bread of the Soul."

Let us pray: Father, You gave to the young Pier Giorgio Frassati the joy of meeting Christ and of living his faith in service of the poor and the sick. Through his intercession, may we, too, walk the path of the Beatitudes and follow the example of his generosity, spreading the spirit of the Gospel in society. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Verso l'alto!  ///cmw