Along The Way

by Fred Vilbig


When I was a teenager we lived for a while in Austin, Texas. Our parish was St. Theresa’s west of town. It was a really beautiful church in the Hill Country. Our pastor was Charles Elmer.

Fr. Elmer was a really good, devout priest. I learned a lot about the Faith from him. I learned later that he had fought in the Battle of the Bulge, but you would never have guessed it. He had horrible asthma, and he had to sleep sitting up.

One time at a parish youth event, he looked at his watch with a panic. He said he had to go to a neighboring town for a meeting. The town wasn’t that far away, and he had a couple of hours before his meeting. I told him that he had plenty of time, but he said that he didn’t because there were a number of churches along the way. He said that he always dropped into any church he passed so that Jesus would remember him at the Resurrection. That little story has stuck with me ever since.

St. Alphonsus Liguori wrote a prayer for visits to the Blessed Sacrament. In it, he talks about how Jesus is waiting day and night for us to come visit, calling and welcoming all who come by. In his prayer, he thanks Jesus for calling him to the visit.

If we get a chance to visit a chapel, in addition to St. Alphonsus’ prayer for visits to the Blessed Sacrament, praying a spiritual communion would be appropriate:

My Jesus,
I believe that you are present
in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love you above all things,
And I desire to receive you into my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,
Come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace you as if you were already there
and unite myself wholly to You.

Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen

I think that Fr. Elmer had the right idea. You want to make sure that Jesus remembers you at the Resurrection. Chapel visits might just be the ticket.