The Consolation of the Sacraments

In my Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio, I have noticed that when an obituary for a priest is printed, it states: " Fr. ______passed away after the prayerful support and consolation of the Sacraments."

When I speak of consolation in this post I am not referring to consolation of the senses, although that may happen as well. I am referring to the joy and peace, a condition of the heart, that comes from the knowledge that "God is with us." That His presence in the Church, veiled in the sacraments, gives us hope and courage and the strength to pray and respond with love to our neighbor.

The Holy Spirit sanctifies us and consoles us as we strive for purity of heart. He consoles the sinner who mourns over his sins. He consoles the sinner who mourns to love as Christ loved. He consoles us and gives us strength to begin again the effort to suffer and love in imitation of Jesus Christ.

Catholics in good-standing with the Church have the opportunity to receive the consolation of the sacrament of Holy Communion each day, yet so many people are not even aware that they can go to mass daily. Lay Carmelites are called to be nourished at the Lord's table:

The liturgical life, as a perennial participation in the Paschal Mystery, nourishes the Secular Carmelite in his daily pledge to follow Christ crucified and risen, toward an ever more perfect union with God, by making the pains and joys of his life an offering of praise and glory to God.

Rule, Article 5

As Catholics, we also have the opportunity to receive the consolation of the sacrament of Penance on a regular basis. Lay Carmelites are exhorted by the Rule to have a great esteem for the sacrament of Penance.

One of the ways in which the regular reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation helps me lead my life of contemplative prayer is that it places me in a situation in which I can approach the promises and power of the Gospel to help me keep my relationship with Christ honest and sincere. ..There is always the danger that I can pretend to be closer to God than I really am, that I might feign a kind of intimacy and familiarity with God that is false.

A Commentary on the Rule of Life, Michael D. Griffin, OCD

As Lay Carmelites, we can witness to our love and devotion for the Eucharist in our local church. We are called to be Eucharistic people. When we leave the Lord's table we are called to proclaim our Eucharistic joy to our neighbor by our loving words and actions. As our recent retreat master, Fr. John F. Loya pointed out to us, we are called to be "bread of life" to each other. Here is a beautiful quote by Fr. Loya taken from his article that was published in the Catholic Universe Bulletin, our diocesan newspaper:

"We, by baptism, are priests who sacrifice our own body and blood as food for others. We lay down our lives in loving service of God and our brothers and sisters in Christ."

The Psalmist says: with praise, let us awake the dawn. Yes, with praise let us awake each day to greet and praise the Lord's presence in all the tabernacles of the world. Let us greet and praise him in the tabernacle of our heart. Let us make our way to the Eucharistic feast each day. Let us not wait until the last moments of our earthly life to receive the consolation of the Sacraments.

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS