Speaking of the Eucharist as a spiritual weapon might strike you as odd, yet St. Paul reminds us we’re in a war, and that our primary enemies are ones we cannot see:
For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12).
In his Second Letter to the Corinthians, Paul has in mind the sacraments in general—and the Blessed Sacrament in particular—when he teaches,
Though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds (10:3-4).
Many Protestants will scoff, because the sacraments are not explicitly noted in either 2 Corinthians 10 or Ephesians 6:10-18. However, our Lord Jesus affirms that the devil seeks our death and especially desires our souls in hell. “He was a murderer from the beginning,” Jesus says of Satan (John 8:44), adding that “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (10:10)
How does Jesus give us abundant life, including eternal life in heaven? Principally through intimate sacramental encounters with himself. Earlier in John’s Gospel, Jesus teaches that being born again begins in baptism (3:3-5), is nurtured through receiving him in the Holy Eucharist (6:51-58), and renewed and strengthened through confession, the normative means by which our sins—especially mortal sins—are forgiven (20:21-23).
Unexpected Lessons from Lucifer
Some might reflexively reply, “Blasphemy!” to such a claim, because Jesus teaches that the devil
has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44).
Yet Satan undoubtedly affirms the truth—in spite of himself—in expressing unvarnished hatred against “the truth,” which he knows is a divine Person, not an abstract concept (John 14:6; see Phil. 2:9-11). The devil can’t help himself in giving to the truth, although he does so perversely. That’s why his most infernal blasphemy is known as the Black Mass, not to be confused with its propitiatory analogue, the sacrifice of the Mass. He also hates the sacrament of confession, which is why two of the priests he attacked most were renowned confessors: St. John Vianney and St. Padre Pio.
In less obvious ways, the devil also opposes eucharistic adoration, because he knows how powerfully the Lord blesses us when we make the personal decision to draw near to him in a local church or chapel. (This is something to ponder as we prepare to celebrate the solemnity of Corpus Christi.) Yes, God is omnipresent, so we can pray to him anywhere, yet the Lord manifests himself most intimately in the tabernacle, whether in the Old Covenant or the New Covenant. The ancient Israelites knew this well, and that’s why they didn’t presume to enter the holy of holies apart from the high priest on the Day of Atonement, lest they die (Lev.16:1-2).
Jesus offered himself for our sins so that we might all draw near to him for intimate communion, symbolized by the tearing of the Temple veil, which separated the holies from the holy of holies (Matt. 27:51).
You Need Not Be Catholic to Adore Jesus in the Eucharist
The Church authorizes only Catholics in a state of grace to receive our eucharistic Lord in Holy Communion. Paul affirms that he who “eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself,” which is why, he counsels the faithful in Corinth, “many of you are weak and ill, and some have died” (1 Cor. 11:29-30).
However, one need not be a baptized Christian or in a state of grace to benefit from drawing near to the eucharistic Lord Jesus.
Unfortunately, parishes and the faithful often reduce adoration to those occasions when our eucharistic Lord is placed in a monstrance, as if we can benefit from drawing near to Jesus through adoration only with exposition. This is very ill advised.
First, it’s impractical for the average parish pastor in making eucharistic adoration frequently available. Second, seeing a consecrated host still requires that we believe that our Lord is really present, hidden beneath the appearances of bread. Third, the only reminder we need of our Lord’s real presence is the adjacent and lit tabernacle lamp. Fourth, because parish priests and deacons are overworked, let’s give them a deserved break and enable parishioners—and anyone else in the local community—to draw near to Jesus for adoration without exposition.
Male parishioners can volunteer as unarmed security guards (and parishes can add other security if needed) so that parish churches throughout the country and world could be open for two or three hours from Tuesday to Thursday each week, with perhaps another adoration time on Saturday mornings.
“Open Wide the Doors Wide to Christ!”
A parish can advertise such adoration via its bulletin, its website, and especially the big sign visible to those who drive by the church regularly: “Encounter Jesus in the Holy Eucharist: All Are Welcome.”
Parish volunteers can encourage visitors to pray quietly (for the benefit of all), with the aid of spiritual reading, reciting the rosary, lectio divina, etc. Whatever one’s preferred method, visitors can be directed via laminated handouts to become childlike (Matt. 18:1-4), quieting themselves so that they can hear God’s still, small voice in their hearts (1 Kings 19:11-13), confident that Jesus will, in due time, exalt them (see 1 Pet. 5:6; James 4:10). To help raise people’s minds and hearts to the Lord Jesus (Col. 3:1-3, CCC 2559), parishes could also broadcast truly sacred hymns, especially Gregorian chant, the powerful beauty of which has stirred countless young adult male fans of the Halo game franchise (8:20ff). Further, approved lay leaders could periodically provide brief and edifying teachings.
We might be surprised who shows up, including many inactive Catholics more inclined to approach our eucharistic Lord Jesus initially than a parish priest, deacon, or parish lay leader. Ditto with non-Catholic Christians and non-Christians.
Lest we have any doubt, recall the countless saints who have drawn near to the Lord through adoration, including St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, St. Peter Julian Eymard, and the soon-to-be Bl. Fulton Sheen. Archbishop Sheen kept a daily holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament for more than sixty years, the overwhelming number of which were eucharistic adoration without exposition. Enough said.
Priests have easy and blessed access to the Eucharist, including via tabernacles within their parish rectories. So why not make the Lord more accessible to parish faithful and people in general? I can testify to the tremendous blessings gained through regular access to our eucharistic Lord in our chapel at Catholic Answers (Matt. 6:33, John 14:27; see Rom. 8:28).
Do We Believe? Can We Afford Not To?
Many U.S. dioceses have seen a significant decline in Sunday Mass participation rates during even the last fifteen years, and it’s not simply because of older Catholics dying and fewer married Catholics having children. Nor just the cumulative effects of the clerical abuse scandal and the lingering consequences of COVID closures. Nor only the continued societal erosion exacerbated by the explosion of digital media over recent decades, including the easy access of always-destructive pornography.
No, amid the undeniable and collective impact of all of these factors, we’re not pivoting and providing adequate spiritual counterpunches. And a key way we’re failing is by not providing people an easy way to encounter Jesus regularly, intimately, and powerfully.
Will we let God be fully God on his terms? Or will we not open wide the doors to Christ when the Lord Jesus himself is knocking (Rev. 3:20), and instead leave him on the bench while the visible and invisible enemies of the Church continue to wreak havoc?
If we open wide our parish church doors to Jesus, people will—in due time—line up in long confessional lines to reconcile themselves with Christ and his Church, OCIA sign-ups will increase markedly, and spiritual fruits of every type will abound. Learning how to manage these kinds of problems is a burden every diocese and parish should be so blessed to bear.
Do we believe? Are we willing to answer the call and open wide the doors to our eucharistic Lord Jesus Christ?
The devil is hoping we’re not humble and holy enough to do so. Let’s disappoint him.