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A Revival of Love "As bodily nourishment restores lost strength, so the Eucharist strengthens our charity, which tends to be weakened in daily life; and this living charity wipes away venial sins. By giving himself to us Christ revives our love and enables us to break our disordered attachments to creatures and root ourselves in him." The Catechism of the Catholic Church #1394 Consumed by Love As we consume the bread and wine of the eucharist and these elements become a part of our physical body, we are in turn consumed by the Lord of Love and become a part of his living body on earth. Christ's true presence in the sacrament transforms us who receive it in faith into images of the living God. With it goes the responsibility to love in the way he taught us so that the world will know that God is indeed in our midst.
The Eucharistic Visit The Pauline Family has a simple and unchanging internal structure. Our founder, Blessed James Alberione, placed Jesus Christ, the Divine Master, at its head. He made Mary, Queen of the Apostles, its heart and St. Paul, its guide. He then chose to make Eucharistic Adoration the very soul of the Pauline Family; the source of its strength and the life force of its members.
In the midst of 4 hours of adoration before the Eucharist, on the night marking the beginning of the 20 th century, the young seminarian, James Alberione, heard the call of God. He was asked to do something to help the people of the new century. He was asked to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth, as St. Paul had done. To do this he was to use all of the means of modern social communication.
One of the Founder's earliest initiatives was to set apart some of his religious to intercede for the entire Pauline family and the apostolate of social communication, in perpetual adoration before the Holy Eucharist. As a result, the Sister Disciples of the Divine Master came into being.
The wisdom of the Founder's
reliance on Eucharistic Adoration was again confirmed, by Our Lord
Himself, as Fr. Alberione was praying before the Tabernacle, for the
young Pauline family. Suddenly he felt the presence of the Divine
Master, walking beside him. And the following words were spoken:
"Fear not, I am with you. From here I want to enlighten. Atone for
sin." These words now appear above Pauline tabernacles all over the
world.
Today, all over the world, day and night, members of the Pauline family are praying before the Eucharist. All the branches of the Pauline family, except for the Holy Family Institute, are required to spend time in Eucharistic Adoration each day. The members of the Holy Family Institute are exempted from this requirement because of the unpredictability of family duties and schedules. However, HFI members are stongly encouraged to spend time in Eucharistic Adoration, whenever possible. Besides, daily mass and meditation, the Society of St. Paul spends one hour before the blessed sacrament a day in prayer and reflection. This helps to focus our hopes, calm our fears, and strengthen us for our mission. |
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