“It is from the loving Heart of Jesus that His innumerable gifts come to us – His graces, the Sacraments, the supernatural work of our redemption.
His many acts of mercy and compassion, which we read in the pages of the Gospel, show us the immensity of the love which His Heart bore for us.
The greatest of all His gifts to us, is the Eucharist, for, in the Eucharist, He gives us, not merely His gifts but Himself, the Author of all these gifts.
There are three great mysteries that show us, in a special way, the infinite love of God for us and indicate, although in a manner which we cannot clearly comprehend, that He is love itself.
“God is love.” (1 Jn 4:8) These three mysteries are the Creation, the Incarnation and the Eucharist. God, infinitely perfect and happy in Himself, wished to impart something of His infinite perfection.
He created the universe and made man master of it. But, an ungrateful man separated himself from God by sin. He became engulfed in an abyss of evil from which he was incapable of rising to return to God, his only good.
Then God, in another mysterious act of love, became man.
The Eternal Word assumed a human form, taught us the way to Heaven, gave us the means of reaching it and died for our sins on the Cross.
We could never meditate sufficiently on this profound mystery of love.
There was more to follow, however. When Jesus was returning to His heavenly Father, He wished to remain among us. During His earthly life, He had given Himself completely up, to the final immolation on Calvary.
But, He wished to give us Himself for all time, until the end of the world.
This is the explanation of the Eucharist, which is Jesus dwelling amongst us as our nourishment and as our consolation in life and at the hour of death.
By means of this wonderful gift, we can live the life of Jesus Himself!”
Antonio Cardinal Bacci