July 2020 - First Friday Holy Hour - "My Lord and My God"

Prior to the second Vatican Council, it was quite common during the celebration of Mass, when the priest elevated the consecrated host, for the laity to whisper the words of St. Thomas in the Gospel today: “My Lord and My God” and perhaps too, to strike their breast penitentially. Though his heart was initially full of doubt, the Apostle Thomas’ doubt was transformed into faith—faith that the Lord Jesus was Risen from the dead and was truly present. So how fitting that the faithful developed this pious custom of echoing Thomas’ words of faith in the real presence of Christ: “My Lord and My God.”

This practice was so praiseworthy, that Pope St. Pius X, in 1907 issued a decree granting a partial indulgence if a person looked at the Body and Blood of Christ and said “My Lord and My God.” Perhaps, this custom ought to be rediscovered in this 21st century when faith in the real presence seems to be lacking, even among many mass going Catholics.

Another St. Thomas, 1200 years later wrote that while our physical senses of sight, taste, touch and smell, fail to detect the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, our faith surely enables us to recognize his presence. Præstet fides supplementum Sensuum defectui…Let faith provide a supplement For the failure of the senses.

The beautiful prayer after Communion for mass on this Feast of Thomas the Apostle, too, gives such a beautiful summary of Eucharistic faith. Listen closely to this prayer: “O God, as we truly receive in this Sacrament the Body of your Only Begotten Son, grant, we pray, that we may recognize him with the Apostle Thomas by faith as our Lord and our God and proclaim him by our deeds and by our life.”

Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed. The Lord pronounces his blessing upon those who come before the Eucharist and believe that he is truly present. The promise of blessedness in this life and the next is offered to those who believe in the presence of Christ and allow that belief to shape their life.

This evening we come before our Eucharistic Lord to acknowledge that He is the source of all blessing. On this eve of our nation’s independence we beseech the Lord for all the graces we need in order to be a righteous nation, praying for conversion for all those who do not believe, praying for the grace to proclaim him by our deeds and by our life. Following our normal prayers of reparation, we will offer together the prayers of petition composed for the inauguration of President George Washington by Archbishop John Carroll, First Roman Catholic bishop in our country whose brother Charles Carroll was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

May the Lord bless all who believe and bring about the conversion of all who do not, may he bless us with ever deeper Eucharistic faith and the grace to proclaim that faith in our deeds and by our life, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.