Devotion to Mary nurtures devotion to Holy Eucharist

On May 30, 1862, Saint John Bosco, the founder of the Salesian Order, had a prophetic dream.  In it, he describes seeing a naval battle, with numerous enemy ships in battle formation armed with cannons, bombs and firearms of all sorts, headed towards one great ship with the desire to destroy and set it aflame.

This great ship is the Church and the Pope who mans the helm is attempting to drive his ship in between two columns.

Above one column is an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

On the other is the Holy Eucharist.

As the Pope guides this great ship through the two columns, the enemy fleet pursues the great ship.  In so doing, they panic, collide with one another, and are defeated.

  St. John Bosco ends his account of this dream with these words: “Very grave trials await the Church … The enemies of the Church are symbolized by the ships which strive their utmost to sink the flagship. Only two things can save us in such a grave hour: devotion to Mary and frequent Communion. Let us do our very best to use these two means and have others use them everywhere.”

In this month of the Holy Rosary and amid this National Eucharistic Revival, we need to cling to these two spiritual weapons for the salvation of our soul and our neighbor’s: devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and frequent reception of Holy Communion.

When we receive Our Lord in Holy Communion, Christ dwells within our hearts in a tangible, substantial way. This is why the Church has always encouraged offering a prayer of Thanksgiving after receiving Holy Communion. In these few moments, we have the privilege of speaking to Christ, tangibly and substantially dwelling within us. St. Magdalen de Pazzi wrote, “The minutes that follow Communion are the most precious we have in our lives.”

Mary was the first disciple to have Christ dwell within her in a tangible, substantial way as Our Lord developed within her womb. Mary understands how precious these moments are and thus she is a trusting guide for us, to lead us to understand more deeply how truly blessed we are to have the gift of receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion.

St. Louis de Montfort wrote in his classic “True Devotion to Mary,” the following: “Now since Mary is the most conformed of all creatures to Jesus Christ, it follows that, of all devotions, that which most consecrates and conforms the soul to Our Lord is devotion to his holy Mother, and that the more a soul is consecrated to Mary, the more it is consecrated to Jesus.”

If devotion to Mary consecrates and conforms the soul to Jesus Christ, then devotion to Mary consecrates and conforms the soul to the Holy Eucharist.

During this National Eucharistic Revival, where we desire to grow in greater devotion and love for our Eucharistic Lord and where we desire to inspire our brothers and sisters to encounter Our Lord Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist, it is imperative that we do not forget devotion to Our Blessed Mother. Rather, as we grow in greater devotion to Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist, we must grow in greater devotion to Our Blessed Mother.

She is the one who “contemplated the mysteries of the Lord in her heart” (see Luke 2:51).  She is the one who believed in faith the message of the Angel, and she is the one who first received our Lord tangibly and substantially in the Incarnation.

Devotion to Our Lady, coupled with devotion to the Holy Eucharist, is what will lead us out of this time of darkness and disbelief in the Real Presence.

May Our Lady increase our faith in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist as we continue our National Eucharistic Revival.

Father Matthew Marinelli serves as parochial vicar in St. Magdalene de Pazzi Parish, Flemington.