S3, E15 - The Institution of the Eucharist Decade Meditation

The mission of the Ponder and Magnify Podcast is to seek an encounter with Jesus through praying the rosary, relying on the grace of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Mary. In this episode, listeners are invited to pray with their imaginations through a decade meditation on the Institution of the Eucharist using Luke 22: 14-20. May we all be in Heaven together! Praise be to God!

Transcript

Jessica: 0:04

Hello and welcome to the Ponder and Magnify podcast, where our mission is to seek an encounter with Jesus through praying the Rosary, relying on the grace of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Mary. I am so happy that you are here. In this episode, we will meditate on the institution of the Eucharist as we pray a decade of the Rosary. Before we start, let's pause and reflect on what we're bringing to prayer. What are your joys in this moment? What sorrows are you feeling right now? What are you afraid of in this moment? What are you desiring? Whom do you wish to pray for? In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen. Jesus, we ask you to speak directly into our circumstances. Mary, thank you for praying with us and for us now. Holy Spirit, anoint the gift of our imagination so that we might come to encounter Jesus more deeply through it. The fifth luminous mystery is the institution of the Eucharist. A reading from the Gospel of Luke. When the hour came, he took his place at table with the apostles. He said to them, I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for I tell you I shall not eat it again until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God. Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said, Take this and share it among yourselves, for I tell you that from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is my body, which will be given for you. Do this in memory of me. And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. I have seen Jesus work miracles and heard him teach, and I believe he is the Messiah. How then could I not follow him? I saw him enter Jerusalem, I saw where his apostles were setting up for their Passover meal. I had to be near to him, and so I came to where I knew he would be. I am standing outside the door to the upper room. It's cracked open, and I try to get a glimpse inside, desperate to see Jesus. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Though I am out of his view, Jesus knows I am there and perceives the desire in my heart to know what he will do. Such desires he cannot refuse. He calls me by name from inside the room and invites me in to come and see. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Peter, the apostle, comes to the door and opens it, waving me in. The rest of the apostles are gathered around the table with Jesus. I go to sit in the far corner of the room. I can't believe I am even invited in, and I don't want to impose any more than I already am. Jesus smiles and invites me. Come closer and see, waving me closer and closer to him until I am by his side. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Jesus says to the apostles and to me, I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. Though He clearly speaks to all of us, His words hit me as if they are for me alone. I can see by their expressions that each of the apostles feels the same. He manages to speak to all of us together, and yet each of us personally at the same time. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. Jesus speaks to us: I shall not eat a Passover meal again until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God. I do not understand what He means, but I resolve to hold this in my heart, trusting it will make sense in the future. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Jesus takes the bread, blesses it, and breaks it. Then he turns to me and looks at me, pausing to just study my face for a few moments. There are no words. It is as if he is trying to just hold on to this moment together. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen. After an extended pause, Jesus finally speaks to me. He holds out a piece of bread to me and says with such intensity, this is my body which will be given up for you. I don't understand, but I reach for the bread. He sets it into my hand and then takes both of his hands and completely surrounds my hand with the bread in it, pausing again and beginning to well with tears. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Jesus finally speaks again. At this point, tears are falling, and there is desperation in his voice. Please do this in memory of me. When we are apart, do this in memory of me and allow yourself to remember how much I love you. My love for you is never ending. It will live on forever. Please do this in memory of me. Please do not forget my love. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Jesus moves his hands, uncovering my hand, and where he had set the bread in my palm is now his Most Sacred Heart, pierced and on fire for love in my hand. It burns with such intensity, but my hand is completely protected and unscathed. Feeling fearful because I do not understand, I quickly look back up at him, looking for some sort of explanation. He speaks "Behold this heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing." When I look back to my hand, there is simply the piece of bread he offered me. It happened in such a flash. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. I tell him, Jesus, I am trying, but I don't understand. He tells me, You will, for now, just please do this in memory of me. Do not forget how my heart burns with love for you. Please take this and eat it and remember my love. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy. Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O Clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary, pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Thank you so much, Holy Spirit, for this time of prayer together. Please, please count on our continued prayers, and we ask you humbly to be praying for us. May we all be in heaven together one day. Praise be to God.