Unforgettable Visits With Jesus
Sharing personal moments of being before the Eucharist.
![Father Mark Mary, of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word, holds the Blessed Sacrament as the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage visits the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament on June 20. Father Mark Mary, of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word, holds the Blessed Sacrament as the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage visits the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament on June 20.](https://publisher-ncreg.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pb-ncregister/swp/hv9hms/media/20240710200732_f7d065b5d3a694715a3af417a86f2eab476af61473c99d6a26f4797b6e6d6225.jpg)
The Register gathered some personal stories of being before the Eucharist.
“In his hands the monstrance was held aloft to London: Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, as real as He who had hung upon the Cross outside another city. That night, falling to our knees in adoration of the Most Holy Eucharist, all London seemed to fall silent as a strange hush descended, broken only by the tolling of a bell, one sounding all the way to eternity.” — K.V. Turley, the Register’s U.K. correspondent, recalls Benediction with Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 in Hyde Park, London.
“Every week, as we leave Mass on Sunday morning, I lean down and whisper to my 3-year-old, ‘Say bye to Jesus.’ And every week, she looks up, and with the biggest, grandest gesture her little arm can muster, she waves at the tabernacle, says, ‘See ya later, Jesus!’ and blows a kiss. That wave and simple goodbye reminds me that Jesus is really there, present to us, delighted that we have shown up, worshipped and received Him, and will see Him later. The Eucharist is real, to me and to my little 3-year-old, and to everyone else who sees her budding devotion. And, sometimes, I find myself blowing a kiss to the tabernacle, too.” — Katie Prejean McGrady, host of The Katie McGrady Show on Sirius XM’s The Catholic Channel, shares the witness of her 3-year-old daughter.
“When I gaze upon Jesus in the Eucharist, He reminds me of His promise to never leave us or forsake us. His tangible love heals us and roots us and grounds us in our deepest identity: beloved sons and daughters of God. His love never ends. It is indestructible. It is all-encompassing. His love endures forever.” — Sister Miriam Heidland of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, Eucharistic Congress emcee, speaker, author and podcast co-host of Abiding Together, reflects on gazing upon Jesus.