The great St. Ignatius of Loyola was once asked what he would do if a decree were to come from the Pope closing down the Society of Jesus. In all simplicity, he replied that he would need fifteen minutes to retire to the chapel and pray before the Blessed Sacrament. Then, once he had composed himself, he would start all over again.1
St. Thomas Aquinas, for his part, even claimed to have learned much more in the hours spent in adoration before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament than in his years of study.2 Thus, the lives of the saints are marked by an ardent Eucharistic devotion, an ideal to which every baptized person should also aspire.
“God is there”
At the request of his spiritual children, Msgr. João often recounted his first encounter with Jesus in the Host when he was just five years old. One day when he was out with his mother, in the early evening, they entered the small Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows located in the Ipiranga neighbourhood of São Paulo, just as Eucharistic Adoration was coming to a close. This is how he himself describes the scene in his last work published during his lifetime:
“The chapel was crowded. Everyone was kneeling, and the ladies wore veils, in an attitude of deep respect. They looked toward the beautiful gold monstrance, which glistened on the altar amid candles and flowers. The boy also knelt, fixing his gaze on the Sacred Species, which he did not even know was called a Host. He felt strongly attracted and, at the same time, taken by profound religious awe. At the end of the hymn, complete silence reigned. With the customary solemnity of the liturgical ceremonies of the times, the priest approached the altar to give the Benediction, while those present bowed reverently.”3
When the little João saw a Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament for the first time, his mind was taken by a strong conviction: “God is there!”
Being very small, he thought: “I will not bow my head, because I want to see what will happen…’’ And he remained attentive, observing everything around him. When the priest raised the monstrance and began to trace the solemn cross, a strong conviction took hold in his mind: “God is there.”
He had not yet started Catechism classes, nor had he been given any explanation about the Sacrament of the Altar; however, through a deep mystical motion, he felt the presence of Our Lord – as an extraordinary grandeur, combined with boundless goodness – and he wished he could spend the entire night there.
“That first encounter with the Blessed Eucharist captivated him and constituted the starting point for an increasingly intense relationship with the Sacramental Jesus, somehow anticipating the long and frequent hours that he would spend in adoration before the exposed Blessed Sacrament over the course of decades.”4
First Communion
After his first Confession, made at the age of nine, little João returned home with great care, as he did not want in any way to stain his soul with the slightest fault, and receive Communion less worthily the following morning as a result.
On October 31, 1948, he dressed in the appropriate clothes for the occasion and went to the Church of St. Joseph of Ipiranga, where Mass would begin at eight o’clock. He took his place in the pews, feeling like he was in the antechamber of Heaven while the celebration took place. As he approached the Communion rail, his little boy’s heart was beating hard, because he knew that one of the most important events of his life would take place. When the priest deposited the Sacred Species on his tongue, “Understanding that the greatest treasure on the face of the earth had been given to him, he inwardly exclaimed: ‘God is in me! I am a tabernacle!’ He was taken by highly sensible graces of consolation, and incomparable happiness, as nothing in this world can give, along with the notion that he was sanctified from within.”5
From then on, he would find in the Blessed Sacrament the strength he needed to face the struggles that Providence had in store for him, the remedy for all difficulties, consolation in afflictions and a close Friend whom he could turn to in any circumstance.
Growing Eucharistic devotion
This deep-rooted devotion would only grow over time. At the age of sixteen, from the moment he called his “conversion”, discussed in another article in this issue, he began to receive Communion daily. Such was his enchantment that he would often attend two or three Masses in a row, and only then return home to have breakfast and study. This habit of daily Communion would never be interrupted, not even, as we have seen, during the period when he had to render military service.
That first encounter with the Blessed Eucharist captivated him and constituted the starting point for an increasingly intense relationship with the Sacramental Jesus
When already a member of Dr. Plinio’s work, at a certain point Mr. João was admitted as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, having distributed the Eucharist for the first time in 1973. He was so astonished at the remarkable grace of touching the Sacred Host, in which, under the appearance of bread, Our Lord Jesus Christ is truly present, that he trembled with emotion.
On numerous occasions, he confided that solemn Eucharistic Adoration touched his soul even more than Communion. And, in this regard, he wrote in the letter in which he requested admission to Holy Orders: “Near the exposed Blessed Sacrament – before which I presently find myself – my being not only became calm, but I also always felt angelic and ready for every holocaust.”6
An irresistible attraction
As Life itself (cf. Jn 14:6), the Sacramental Jesus gives life to all who approach Him. For this reason, Msgr. João, following in the footsteps of so many Eucharistic souls, often compared Him to the Sun, which gives life to all beings. And just as the sun inexorably burns the face of those who expose themselves to its rays, the Blessed Sacrament illuminates and beautifies the soul – mens impletur gratiæ! – of those who come before Him, which allowed our founder to detect, through his great Eucharistic sensibility, those among his children who had the habit of regularly visiting the chapel.
Moved by an irresistible attraction, whenever there was an opportunity, Msgr. João would go to the chapel of the house where he lived, in order to keep company with the One who promised: “I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20). At a time when the Blessed Sacrament was not yet frequently exposed, he had the custom of lighting the candles on the altar, opening the door of the tabernacle and remaining for a long time in a state of quietude, close to Our Lord.
On some occasions, he would even put his head inside the tabernacle, similar to what St. Thomas Aquinas once did, “as if to feel the throbbing of Jesus’ divine and human Heart.”7 Thus, as he said, he was completely enveloped by the atmosphere created by Jesus in the Host and free from the all-too-earthly concerns of everyday life. How many graces he received in this blessed Eucharistic intimacy!
Fulfilling a long-standing desire of his father and master, Msgr. João sought to be close to the Eucharistic Jesus even while carrying out his daily work. In fact, Dr. Plinio stated in 1965: “How I would like to enter the chapel and see members of the Group drawing, reading, writing, studying, all very discreetly, of course. It would be a step further: not only praying before the Blessed Sacrament, but living in His company, because the Real Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ is something, so to speak, ‘beyond incomparable’. It is proper for us not only to pray, but to introduce all the activities of life into the atmosphere of the sacred. A chapel that had something of a chapter room, an oratory, preponderantly, a weapons room and a work room; that would be our chapel.”8
The articles he wrote published in this Magazine, for example, were invariably written by Msgr. João in the chapel of the mother house of the Heralds, before the exposed Blessed Sacrament. He would place a table and chair in a discreet place and spend long hours working there and, with his conduct, encourage his children to do the same.
The work consecrated to the Blessed Sacrament
With the death of Dr. Plinio, the responsibility for the future of the movement he had started fell on the shoulders of Msgr. João. Feeling, in his humility, incapable of sustaining his followers alone and of facing the manifold difficulties that this task would entail, he realized that there was only one solution: to consecrate everything to the Blessed Sacrament. With complete conviction, in the silence of his room he stood in spirit before the tabernacle in the house’s chapel and placed the entire work in the hands of Our Lord in the Eucharist, certain that he was be heard.
A new phase was beginning in the life of Msgr. João. Deprived of the physical presence of Dr. Plinio, more than ever he would cling to the Eucharistic Jesus as an immovable anchor, a firm support and an infallible counsellor in all circumstances. And many of the graces that he had previously received in the company of his spiritual father, he began to feel with even greater intensity before the Blessed Sacrament.
Msgr. João sought to be close to the Eucharistic Jesus even while carrying out his daily work and encouraged solemn Eucharistic Adoration to be held in the houses of the work he founded
In 1998, he expressed his desire to establish Perpetual Adoration in one of the houses of his foundation, but regretted that the fulfilment of this desire seemed possible only at a much later date. But he did not have to wait long. On November 1, 1999, encouraged by the future international spiritual assistant of the Heralds of the Gospel, this devotion began in the mother house of the institution, the Hermitage of São Bento, and later extended to two other communities.
After the pontifical approval of the Heralds in 2001, he encouraged solemn Eucharistic Adoration to be held daily in as many houses as possible, fostering in his spiritual children this devotion without which nothing is achieved, whether in the supernatural or material realm. Indeed, “the Eucharist, represented by manna, also contains every kind of benefit; it is a remedy for our illnesses, a strength against our daily weaknesses, a source of peace, joy and happiness.”9
Years later, upon entering the Perpetual Adoration chapel in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, the first church he built, Msgr. João was moved to see his dream come true and, as it were, hear Our Lord say to him: “I have assumed this work!”
Two daily Communions… why not?
Taking his Eucharistic devotion even further, at the beginning of 2004, Msgr. João began inviting a priest friend to celebrate Holy Mass after his daily meeting with the members of the Heralds of the Gospel, a custom that had not existed until then. This happened over several days, and many wondered if he was praying for a special intention.
With priestly ordination, what most moved him in consecrating was the fact that a mere mortal, by “lending” his vocal cords to Our Lord, actually brought God Incarnate down to earth
In a moment of intimacy, some of his closest sons, eager to penetrate the heart of their spiritual father, asked him the reason for this sequence of Masses. With all simplicity, he replied that he was not seeking a specific grace, but that he wanted everyone to be able to receive Communion a second time, as is permitted by Canon Law.10 And he explained that he felt that, just as evil was advancing rapidly with the aim of destroying souls, the side of good needed to make proportional progress, otherwise the good would not be able to resist these new attacks.
On an opportune occasion he revealed the same thought during a plenary meeting, emphasizing that from then on he would personally adopt this custom, without wanting to impose it in any way on others. Soon, however, most of his children followed his example.
Bringing God himself down to earth
When he received priestly ordination in 2005, Msgr. João, who had always been in awe of the Blessed Sacrament exposed, did not hesitate to say that the Consecration of the bread and wine during Mass moved him even more.
When he pronounced the words of Consecration, it was as if he confirmed, through the veils of faith, how Our Lord Jesus Christ was truly present on the altar, a supernatural impression that was accentuated in the species of the wine, due to its similarity to blood.
What moved him most in those moments was the fact that a mere mortal, by “lending” his vocal cords to Our Lord, was actually bringing God Incarnate down to earth. In his hands was the One who had performed so many miracles and who had the power to sanctify, to resolve any difficulty and to resurrect all men at the end of time. They were such sensible graces that, in the brief interim before Communion, he made several spiritual Communions, moved by a holy eagerness to receive the Blessed Sacrament without delay.
Towards full configuration with the Eucharistic Jesus
It was enough to attend a Mass celebrated by Msgr. João to have proof of his ardent faith and passionate love for the Eucharist. With what concentration he pronounced the words of Consecration, aware that, at his voice, Jesus was “born” anew on the altar! With what piety he elevated the Host and the chalice, his gaze as if transfigured on account of holding the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord in his hands! With what recollection he made his thanksgiving after Communion, often with his gaze fixed tenderly upon a crucifix or an image of Our Lady.
However, this devotion, so sincere, which moved those who witnessed it and invited them to imitate it, was further enhanced when the austere and luminous shadow of the Cross of Christ fell upon it.
“The priest is alter Christus and, like his Divine Master, he must be a Host sacrificed to the glory of God and consecrated to the salvation of souls.”11 Msgr. João was fully aware of this reality and it was with this intention that he entered the priestly path, as he himself declared: “I want to be consumed like a Host in the service [of Jesus] for the benefit of my brothers and sisters.”12 His entire existence had been one of constant sacrifice, but the Lord desired even more, because “such is the perfection that corresponds to the priest.”13
The love shown for the Eucharist by celebrating the Mass with such perfection and piety in those difficult circumstances became the most eloquent of homilies
In this sense, as a consequence of the stroke he suffered in 2010, Providence asked him to make one of the greatest sacrifices of his life: to abstain from celebrating Holy Mass for almost a year. And to this suffering was added a complete aridity in relation to the Blessed Sacrament, which would last for months. None of this, however, shook his love for the Eucharistic Jesus.
Having returned to offering the Holy Sacrifice, one day Msgr. João invited Fr. Bruno Esposito, OP, his close friend, to one of his Masses. It was an unusual Eucharist in every sense. The celebrant was in a wheelchair and dealing with the after-effects of the stroke he had suffered, but in no way did this diminish the composure, sacrality and devotion that had always characterized him. The Mass was sung throughout, and the ceremony was distinguished by its splendour. The invited priest followed everything with great respect and even veneration. When the celebration was over, he knelt before Msgr. João and exclaimed: “Thank you for the homily!”
Our Founder looked him with a certain perplexity, since he had not spoken a single word to those present… What was he referring to? The priest then explained that the homily was his “testimony”, that is, the love he had shown for the Eucharist and his spiritual children by celebrating with such perfection and piety in those circumstances.
And so he did until his strength no longer permitted him. Until the last moment he never failed to attend the Holy Sacrifice whenever possible and to receive Holy Communion attentively, with a fervour that surprised those accompanying him, for clearly transcending his physical condition during the course of the day.
Perhaps Msgr. João’s Eucharistic devotion then reached its peak, configuring him with the Sacramental Jesus not only as a priest but also as a victim, and preparing him for the definitive encounter with the Redeemer. ◊
Notes
1 Cf. DAURIGNAC, J. M. S. Santo Inácio de Loyola. 4.ed. Porto: Apostolado da Imprensa, 1958, p.334.
2 Cf. JOYAU, OP, Charles-Anatole. Saint Thomas d’Aquin. Tournai: Desclée; Lefebvre et Cie, 1886, p.162-163.
3 CLÁ DIAS, EP, João Scognamiglio. Mary Most Holy: The Paradise of God Revealed to Men. Houston: Heralds of the Gospel, 2020, v.I, p.37.
4 Idem, p.38-39.
5 Idem, p.50-51.
6 CLÁ DIAS, EP, João Scognamiglio. Carta a Dom Lucio Angelo Renna, Ocarm [Letter to Bishop Lucio Angelo Renna, O. Carm]. São Paulo, 25/4/2005.
7 BENEDICT XVI. General Audience, 23/6/2010.
8 CORRÊA DE OLIVEIRA, Plinio. Talk. Amparo, 12/10/1965.
9 ST. PETER JULIAN EYMARD. Obras eucarísticas. 4.ed. Madrid: Ediciones Eucaristía, 1963, p.312.
10 Cf. CCC, can. 917.
11 BLESSED COLUMBA MARMION. Jesucristo, ideal del sacerdote. Bilbao: Desclée de Brouwer, 1953, p.74.
12 CLÁ DIAS, Carta a Dom Lucio Angelo Renna, op. cit.
13 BLESSED COLUMBA MARMION, op. cit., p.75.
