“The Gospel says: “In the daytime He was teaching in the Temple.” S. Luke, 21, 37. How often, and for how long, am I in the chapel ? Is the chapel the place where people know I am to be found ? What a difference it would make in my visits, if only I realised the real corporal presence of Jesus in the Tabernacle. This is a grace I must earnestly ask for.”

COMMENT: Fr Doyle’s question “Is the chapel the place where people know I am to be found” perhaps makes sense for those in religious life, but seems a bit difficult for those of us with busy secular lives in the 21st Century. After all, we cannot, nor should we, spend all day in the chapel, for we have our work to do.

But the sentiment is still very relevant, and perhaps we can adapt the question for lay people by asking: “Can people tell by my actions that I am nourished on the Body of Christ?” Do I receive reverently, and allow my encounter with Christ to truly change me? How many times have I received the Eucharist in my life? Do I live a life that reflects the grace of so many Holy Communions?

Let us follow Fr Doyle’s advice and ask for the grace to realise that we receive the real, corporal presence of Jesus.