Catholics must speak out against Olympic blasphemy

Catholics must speak out against Olympic blasphemy

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I will always remember the location I was at when I got the information that Father Jacques Hamel, a French parish priest, had been slain by two ISIS supporters. On July 26, 2016, I found myself in Krakow, Poland, accompanied by tens of thousands of young American pilgrims. As news circulated, we said a prayer for Father Hamel. We prayed for tranquility.

It was unimaginable to me that a clergyman could be slain in Europe. Yet, while celebrating Mass in a neighborhood of Rouen, just a couple of hours’ journey from Paris, Father Hamel was viciously murdered by Muslim radicals. The entire nation of France grieved. The following day, a Mass was conducted by the cardinal archbishop of Paris in honor of Father Hamel at Notre Dame. The then-president of France, François Hollande, was present. Following the guidance of Pope Francis, photographs of Father Hamel were displayed in local churches. He was broadly recognized as a martyr.

About the amazing bread from heaven
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About the amazing bread from heaven

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Occasionally, God has supplied physical bread “from heaven” — a bread that was the essential sustenance required in those moments. The readings for this Sunday recall multiple instances of this. Initially, we observe God providing for Elijah in the Old Testament passage from 1 Kings 19:4-8. The Gospel passage, John 6:41-51, references two distinct events where God delivers bread from heaven: the manna bestowed upon the Israelites during their escape from Egypt, and the bread that Christ multiplied to satisfy the “large crowd” by the shores of the Galilean sea.

It is Christ who informs us that these extraordinary gifts of physical sustenance are indicators of a more essential type of nourishment: “I am the bread of life. / Your forebears consumed the manna in the wilderness, yet they perished; / this is the bread that descends from heaven / so that one may partake of it and not perish. / I am the living bread that has come down from heaven; / whoever ingests this bread will exist eternally; / and the bread that I will provide is my flesh for the life of the world.”

A cloistered life centered around the Eucharist
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A cloistered life centered around the Eucharist

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The moment I stepped through the entrance of the public chapel of our monastery years back as a teenager exploring a cloistered monastery for the first time, I was captivated. Although the whole chapel was stunning, the centerpiece was a radiant monstrance positioned above the altar, integrated into the grille that divided the nuns’ choir from the public area. I was immediately attracted by the image.
The Eucharist is positioned at the core of our chapel, which, in turn, is situated at the heart of our monastery. Our daily routine is structured around it, encompassing daily Mass and the hours of the Divine Office that stem from this sacrament, along with the daily assignments of sisters designated to watch over the Lord as adorers. The tangible centrality symbolizes a more profound spiritual reality: The Eucharist is fundamental to our calling as cloistered Dominican nuns.
As reflective nuns, our mission is to pursue the presence of God. Numerous Dominican monasteries throughout the United States are blessed with perpetual adoration. In this sacred space, before the monstrance, we behold his concealed visage, presenting to him the pain and challenges, necessities and requests, as well as the joys and gratitude of all humanity. Constantly, we are contacted through phone calls, letters, and messages that ask, “Sisters, could you kindly pray for … ?”