The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friends in Christ,

Tradition tells us that Saint Paschal Baylon was born to poor parents in Spain on Pentecost Sunday, 1540. From the age of seven, he worked as a shepherd boy. In the fields, watching over his flock, he prayed before a small statue of Our Lady that he had placed in the fork of a tree. It is related that angels came to instruct him, and even at this early age he was already familiar with hairshirts and mortifications.

As a young man, Paschal entered the Franciscan Order as a lay brother. He became known for his perfect obedience and profound devotion to the Holy Eucharist. He spent long hours before the altar and was often ravished in contemplation. Though his poverty deprived him of a formal education, Our Lord in the Eucharist compensated for this, granting him the grace to speak joyfully and eloquently about the Sacrament he loved so deeply.

Saint Paschal died on Pentecost Sunday, May 17, 1592. At his funeral, according to the custom of the time, his body was laid on an open stretcher in the church. During the Requiem Mass, when the priest elevated the Blessed Sacrament, the dead body rose, bowed to the Sacred Host, repeated this act of reverence at the elevation of the Chalice, and then lay down again. Many other miracles were reported at his grave. Pope Paul V beatified him; Pope Alexander VIII canonized him in 1690. In 1897, Pope Leo XIII named him patron of all Eucharistic societies and congresses.

When God called Saint Francis of Assisi to "rebuild My Church," Francis at first thought he was to repair the physical buildings that had fallen into ruin. Over time, he came to understand that God was calling him not so much to restore stone and wood, as to renew the hearts and souls of the faithful who are the living Church.

In this same Franciscan spirit, Saint Paschal showed a burning love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. His reverence was so exact that even his lifeless body bowed before the Eucharistic Lord. Through the life of Saint Paschal and through this striking miracle, God teaches us the love and respect we owe to Jesus' real presence in the Holy Eucharist and to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, by which He comes to us.

If the Church is to advance and be renewed, it will be through the power of Jesus Christ in the Sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist. Our churches are not simply buildings, homes, or civil spaces; they are Temples of God, where He dwells in our midst and makes Himself continually available to us. God is always waiting for us. We need no appointment; He is ever ready to hear us, to help us, and, above all, He longs for us to receive Him and to keep His presence alive within us.

We manifest our love and reverence for Jesus by the way we treat Him in the Holy Eucharist — reserved in the tabernacle, offered in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and, most importantly, welcomed into our hearts, minds, and souls. We greet Him with a simple genuflection when we enter the church. We kneel to receive Him in Holy Communion and to receive His blessings through the hands of His priests. The respect and reverence we show in church for Jesus in the Holy Eucharist should be the very best we can offer Him.

Yet we must also remember that He desires to live within us and to transform us into Himself. To truly honor Our Lord, we must humbly receive Him in Holy Communion and then continue to love, reverence, and protect His presence within our own bodies. If we truly love Jesus as we should, we will strive to keep our hearts, minds, and souls pure, holy, and pleasing to Him, and we will receive Him in Holy Communion as frequently and regularly as our duties and the Church's laws allow.

We would never think it sufficient to feed our bodies only once a year; neither should we be content to feed our souls only once a year during the Easter season. Doing only the minimum is not a sign of love, but of indifference or carelessness. When we cannot receive Him sacramentally, our hearts should be filled with longing for Him. If we cannot remain in church all day, praying before the tabernacle, we can still desire Him and speak to Him wherever we are.

Saint Paschal Baylon gives us a pattern to imitate: to offer our best to Jesus in His Church; to conduct ourselves with our best behavior; to dress modestly and fittingly for His presence; to receive Him in the most reverent manner possible and as often as we can. We are called to love Him in the Holy Eucharist wherever we encounter Him — in the Mass, in Holy Communion, in the tabernacle of the church — but above all to welcome and love Him in the place He most desires to dwell: in our own bodies and souls.

May we truly rebuild His Church by allowing Him to rebuild our hearts, minds, and souls into worthy tabernacles of His presence.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspire, guide, and protect us.

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