Mamie and the Eucharist
By Fr. Rafael Alonso
We have already spoken once before of this theme, but this time we have placed it so that it may coincide with the fact that the Church is immersed in the Year dedicated to the Eucharist.
It is precisely in order turn our gaze once more to the Eucharist as the heart of the Church. The Eucharist becomes that heavenly nourishment that gives us life and is the source for the evangelical mission. It is the center of any ecclesial ministry and of any service. Christ calls us to participate in this ineffable gift: “Take and eat. This is my Body which I give up for you,” “Take and drink. This is the cup of my Blood, the Blood of the new and everlasting covenant, which will be shed for you and for all.” “Do this in memory of me.” These words extend to those who have a faith and ardent love for Our Lord. And that is what happened to Mamie.
During the 20 long years that I lived close to Mamie, I was able to observe the concentration with which she lived the mass and when she would visit the Blessed Sacrament, she was recollected, in a prayerful and adoring disposition. Her way of being before the Eucharist wasn’t just any other way. She lived immersed in the mystery celebrated by the Church.
At times, her deafness made it difficult for her to hear the readings and the priest’s homily. For this reason among others, she always would go sit in the front pews. Moreover, she did not want anyone to place obstacles in the way of her profound disposition towards what was taking place in the altar. Because, as she saw it, they were not simply gestures or human words. Her whole being manifested the unfolding of the mystery that was present, almost tangible.
Yes, I can say that her way of following the sacred rites, the sacred liturgy, were exemplary. To see her in mass was to sense a religious atmosphere in which you felt drawn in and enclosed. To see her was to enter with her into the mystery, although you remained in the threshold, knowing that she was up there and you were farther behind. To see her was to act in faith, hope, and charity and the profound adoration in which she lived. To see her was to place yourself, as well, in a disposition to listen and say, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”
I attended mass with Mamie many times because, as was declared by the late Pope John Paul II as well, the Eucharist was the “center of her day.”
The places of worship pass before me: Fátima, Lourdes, Torreciudad, Saint Peter’s in Rome, the cathedral in Toledo, in Burgos, in Santiago de Compostela, in Sevilla, in Cuenca, in Madrid, in Granada, the parish church in the town of Jerez del Marquesado where I was baptized…small and big places, simple ones, hidden ones, peaceful ones, busy ones,…and in all, the same impression, the same dedication to the living presence of the mystery, the same feeling of being in the presence of something so great, so immense, unable to be manipulated, that captivates, that attracts, that enlivens, that purifies, that urges, … that is, the conviction that you are in front of God.
©HM Magazine No.124 - May/June 2005
