True charity flows from the Eucharist
Mosaic depicting Our Lady of the Pillar at the Shrine of Torreciudad in Spain. I like how this devotion looks like a monstrance - Mary nourishes us with her Son.
The title for this blog didn’t come from me; it came from a kindly priest I encountered in a confessional in a remote corner of Spain. Allow me to explain.
Exactly one year ago, Bill and I did a pilgrimage from Fatima to Lourdes, and our last stop before heading over the Pyrenees into France was Torreciudad, home to St. Josemaria Escriva and Opus Dei, the global apostolate he founded. As we approached the Spanish hilltop sanctuary, I recall thinking it was a random place to visit, but as God’s providence would have it, that stop delivered some special graces, which is how God always works.
Upon arriving at the shrine, we began our tour and learned a key part of St. Josemaria’s story - that he nearly died as a toddler, but that his mom “prayed a novena to Our Lady and made a promise, that if her son recovered, she would make a pilgrimage to the hermitage dedicated to Our Lady of Torreciudad. Without any medical explanation, St. Josemaria healed overnight, and in thanksgiving, his mother fulfilled the promise she made to Our Lady.” Thus began St. Josemaria’s devotion to the Blessed Mother, whose prayers and intercession had undoubtedly saved his life.
At the Shrine of Torreciudad, there are 40 confessionals…40!! St. Josemaria wanted his sanctuary to be a place of healing, and he knew that the more people could experience Christ’s divine mercy and forgiveness, the more they’d find peace in their lives. He said Our Lady (Mother of Mercy) would “pour down the grace of her Son in the sacrament of Penance, where…people can be purified and renew their Christian life.” The 40 confessionals are located within four distinct Marian chapels, subtly conveying Christ’s merciful love united with his mother’s maternal care for souls.
Upon entering one of the chapels, I noticed a green light over one of the confessionals (and no line, woo!), so in I went. As my conversation with the priest got underway, I shared that I needed God’s grace in a certain area of my life…that I needed to let go of some things, and in spite of having a vibrant spiritual life, something was hindering the flow of grace. The kindly priest asked if I was able to pray and attend Mass regularly. Yes, I told him Christ was the absolute center of my life, but there was still something getting in the way. Then he said to me in a soft-spoken voice, “True charity flows from the Eucharist,” that the more I partake of Christ’s Body and Blood at Mass, the more Jesus will supply everything I need to be able to love more sacrificially and forgive more completely. His simple admonition has stuck with me ever since.
I knew nothing of St. Josemaria before the trip, but over the past year he’s become a special part of my heavenly “tribe” - saints I turn to regularly for instruction, inspiration and a holy witness. They say the saints choose us (vs us choosing them) and that’s definitely the case here. Since our trip last summer, he’s been popping up all over the place, providing timely wisdom and practical guidance for my spiritual journey. And while I still have a long way to go and undoubtedly many more trips to the confessional ahead of me, I continue reflecting on the words of that humble priest, who it seems was awaiting my visit with a gentle reminder to help keep me on track, “True charity flows from the Eucharist.”