In October 2004, Pope John Paul II celebrated the   25^th anniversary of his pontificate. During his 25 years as pope, he wrote 40 apostolic letters. One among them which I like most, and many of you may agree with me, was an apostolic letter he wrote to all the priests and faithful regarding the Eucharist from the Western Wall in Jerusalem during his historic Jubilee Year pilgrimage to the Holy Land.   He spent a day of prayer and reflection in the Upper Room where Jesus gathered with His disciples for the Last Supper. Toward the evening of that day, the pope had points and reflections on the Eucharist. He selected an excellent place to have a day of recollection! It was a place where Christ became for us the Bread of Life. It was the place where Christ showed the depths of His love. It was the time when Christ, like a loving father, bid His last farewell to His beloved disciples and taught them the lessons of love and charity. When the pope spent his day of recollection, I am sure his mind and heart were filled with the same depth of love for the whole of humanity. I find this apostolic letter  to be the most meaningful and moving; it is full of inspiration. It is all about the Eucharist: "Let us rediscover our priesthood in the light of the Eucharist. Let us help our communities to rediscover this treasure." The pope's vision of priesthood was focused upon and fulfilled in the Eucharist, the sacrament of Christ's real presence, the re-presentation of His self-gift unto death and new life.
Again on last Holy Thursday (2005), he wrote another encyclical, "Ecclesia et Eucharista." This encyclical was on the Eucharist and the Church: "The whole Church draws her life from Christ in the Eucharist, by Him she is fed and by Him she is enlightened." What did the pope want to say to us? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob was with the chosen people, physically present with them in the Ark of the Covenant. The God of Israel was with them in their journey in the desert: in cloud by day to protect them from heat, in moon at night to give them light. YAHAH was with them in the form of manna and water as food to sustain them on their journey. Wherever they went, they took the Ark of the Covenant which was a physical presence of YAHAH. Even when they went to war, they took the Ark of the Covenant.  God, YAHAH, was truly present with them in the Ark of the Covenant, and the Israelites were always victorious over their enemies.
For us, it is not the old Ark of the Covenant that is the presence of God in our midst. The people of the New Covenant received a new presence of God in the form of His Son, Jesus Christ. He physically walked with the people of the New Covenant and formed them into a community of believers, and He promised them that He would be with them until the end of the ages. At the end His life, He knew that it was the time for Him to go back to the Father. In that Upper Room, He showed the depth of His love.
He became the Bread of Life for them so that He may con

tinue to live among them. The God of creation, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Israel, the Ark of the Covenant, came to the people of the New Covenant with a new name, Emmanuel: God who is with us. He took the form of Bread of Life so He could dwell among us and be true to his name, Emmanuel: God is with us in the Eucharist. That God of the New Covenant is with us every minute, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in the Blessed Sacrament. Remember the words of Pope John Paul II: the whole Church draws her life from Christ. By Him the Church is fed and enlightened. Christ wants us to be with Him in prayer and to adore Him in the Blessed Sacrament. Remember the words of Christ to Peter: Could you not watch with me for one hour? Pray so that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.   
Whoever is open to Christ in the Eucharist and prays an hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament will have a tremendous transformation in their lives. You might have heard about the Poor Clares, the contemplative religious who live in cloister and have very little contact with the outside world. Their founder, St. Clare of Assisi, and her companions experienced a miraculous escape through the tremendous power of the Eucharist in the Blessed Sacrament. In the year 1234, the soldiers of Frederick II attacked Assisi and Spoleto. They destroyed and plundered the city of Assisi and killed most of the people who resisted them. St. Clare and her companions were in the Convent of San Damiano when the soldiers attacked.  There was no way for the nuns to escape. Trusting Christ, to whom they had consecrated their life in the evangelical vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity, St. Clare held the monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament in her hand before the barbarous soldiers who retreated without inflicting any harm on the nuns. This is a beautiful example of the power of the Eucharistic Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.       
"Come to me all of you who are weary and find life burdensome and I will refresh you... Cast all of you anxieties upon the One who cares for you... My Peace is My Gift to you." These are the consoling and soothing words of Christ to His followers. Pope John Paul II and Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta prayed at least an hour every day before the Blessed Sacrament in their busy, scheduled life. Where did they find time for it? These were the two human beings of our time whom I considered to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. They were like the light set on the lamp stand, shining  for everyone to see. Would you like to spend some time with Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament at St. John's? Just come to our Adoration Chapel (the Cenacle). The Eucharistic Lord is waiting for you in the Blessed Sacrament. Suit yourself and find time for the Lord.