Gospel Reflection for the feast of
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Cardinal Mermillod’s Contagious Encounter with the Eucharist
Perhaps the most eloquent reminder of this truth, that God is love, is one that we have gotten used to: the Holy Eucharist. Jesus, our King, is truly present in the Eucharist, in that small white Host we receive in Holy Communion. Our King loves us so much that he doesn’t just impose his laws from a distance, but he comes into our hearts to give us his own strength to live by those laws.
This is part of the truth of Christ, the truth that will allow us to experience Christian freedom, but is it a truth that we live deeply?
One of the most famous Catholic preachers in Europe in the nineteenth century was Cardinal Mermillod [MAYR-mih-yohd], bishop of Lausanne, Switzerland. One day he gave a rousing homily on the Eucharist in his Cathedral. After Mass, he followed his usual practice of spending half an hour in prayer, in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, once the congregation had left. When he finished, he got up to go to the sacristy. He was surprised to hear the voice of a lady calling to him from behind a pillar. “Bishop,” she said, “I listened to your sermon. It was powerful. But your words didn’t convince me – I thought you were like a lawyer defending your Church’s teaching. I needed more proof. “So when everyone left I hid and watched. When I saw you kneel down and pray so long, thinking you were completely alone, I found what I needed. I would like to become Catholic.”
The cardinal’s faith in the truth of God’s love, expressed so eloquently in the sacrament of the Eucharist, was so strong that it was contagious.
He had accepted God’s truth, he “belonged to the truth,” and so was able to hear and heed God’s voice in his heart.
[This Illustration was adapted from Msgr. Arthur Tonne’s “Stories for Sermons.”]
(From ePriest, November 2024)