Time spent in daily adoration of the Eucharistic Lord allows seminarians to open their hearts to his , for “ heart to speak to heart .” Every image of Jesus ’ Sacred Heart depicts it ablaze . This is the fire of God ’ s own love , which the Lord desires to spread throughout the whole world ( Lk 12:49 ). Returning daily to the true presence in a Holy Hour keeps a seminarian ’ s heart on fire with divine love , like the blacksmith ’ s metal , which must be constantly returned to the heat of the forge , lest it becomes lukewarm .
Oblation
In addition to being on fire , the Sacred Heart is pierced by a lance and wreathed with thorns . It is a suffering heart , from which Jesus willingly poured out every drop of his precious blood as a sacrificial oblation . The Eucharist likewise contains this sacrificial element in the Mass . As part of the routine at Sacred Heart , daily Mass is a beautiful opportunity for seminarians to unite themselves to Jesus ’ own Eucharistic offering .
In a foreshadowing of the Eucharist , Jesus fed a vast multitude with woefully inadequate provisions ( Jn 6:5-14 ). All the disciples had to offer was five loaves and two fish , hardly enough for the task of feeding five thousand . Jesus transformed it and made it enough . Each day at Mass the seminarians stand in the place of the disciples . They bring the offering of their lives and abilities . It is an offering woefully inadequate for the task at hand , the apostolic mission of bringing Christ to all peoples . But each day they join themselves to the oblation of Jesus , confident that the Lord will transform their offering , like that of the disciples , into a superabundance .
The Mass is an offering of Jesus to the Father , but it is also an invitation to offer oneself , to place oneself and one ’ s life on the altar as an oblation . When a man is ordained a priest , as part of the liturgy the bishop hands him the gifts of bread and wine to be consecrated and says : “ Understand what you do , imitate what you celebrate , and conform your life to the mystery of the Lord ’ s cross .” A priest ’ s vocation is to “ imitate what he celebrates ” in the Eucharistic sacrifice , and daily Mass forms seminarians to do just that .
St . Manuel Gonzalez Garcia , known as the bishop of the abandoned tabernacle for his devotion to praying before the Blessed Sacrament , says that a priest must become “ A living portrait of the Host at Mass and Communion .” Such a priest is one who “ daily offers himself to be immolated with Jesus , and who gives himself and all he has to others without expecting anything in return ... He is a priest eagerly sacrificed in his Mass each day in honor of God the Father ... and always given to others , like Jesus in the Tabernacle and in Communion .” A priest must embody the Eucharistic oblation .
Transformation
This constant exposure to the Eucharist through daily Mass and Holy Hour is meant to truly transform seminarians . In an Easter sermon , St . Augustine reminds us that “ If we receive the Eucharist worthily , we become what we receive .” That is to say , we become the presence of Christ and the sacrifice of Christ . For priests in particular , we become shepherds after the heart of Jesus . A priest who stays close to the Eucharist will radiate the love of Christ , and his whole life will be an offering , a gift , to the Father for the people of God . His heart will become Christ ’ s . He will truly be an alter Christus , another Christ . Overcome with the beauty of this truth the faithful priest St . Maximilian Kolbe once cried out to Jesus saying : “ You come to me and unite Yourself intimately to me under the form of nourishment . Your Blood now runs in mine , Your Soul , Incarnate God , compenetrates mine , giving courage and support . What miracles ! Who would have ever imagined such !” May this be true of every priest and every seminarian aspiring to the priesthood .
The Eucharist is Jesus . The life of seminarians at Sacred Heart is organized around this great Sacrament , such that daily Mass and Holy Hour are the foundation of the schedule . Daily exposure to our Lord is meant to form future priests after the pattern of his priestly and Eucharistic heart , burning with love to mediate his presence to the world and offered as an oblation to the Father .
Fr . David Pellican graduated from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in 2020 and is currently the Associate Pastor at Church of the Divine Child in Dearborn . Fr . Pellican co-hosts Men of the Hearts , a podcast by the Office of Priestly Vocations of the Archdiocese of Detroit .
Returning daily to the true presence in a Holy Hour keeps a seminarian ’ s heart on fire with divine love , like the blacksmith ’ s metal , which must be constantly returned to the heat of the forge , lest it becomes lukewarm .
12 Sacred Heart Major Seminary | Mosaic | Fall 2021