Peter Julian Eymard
____________________
His whole life witnesses to the gift of himself to Christ
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Yes, dear sons and daughters, honor and celebrate him who was so perfect an adorer of the Blessed Sacrament; after his example, always place at the center of your thoughts, of your affections, the undertakings of your zeal this incomparable source of all grace: the mystery of faith, which hides under the veils the author himself of grace, Jesus the incarnate Word.
Pope John XXIII
Canonization of Saint Peter Julian Eymard
December 9, 1962
The Apostle of the Eucharist
Model of Eucharistic Prayer and Living
Born -
February 4, 1811,
La Mure d'Isère, France
Baptized -
February 5, 1811
Ordained -
July 20, 1834
Entered the Society of Mary (Marists) -
1839
Founded the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament -
1856
Founded the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament -
1858
Died -
August 1, 1868
La Mure d'Isère, France
Canonized by Pope John XXIII -
December 9, 1962
Feast -
August 2
RULE OF LIFE, 2
CONGREGATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
Challenged by the religious indifference
and ignorance of his time,
Saint Peter Julian Eymard
searched for the answer to its needs.
He found it in the love of God
manifested in a special way
in the gift of Christ in his Eucharist.
Captivated by this love,
he made it know to his contemporaries.
For this purpose, he traced out for his companions
a new form of life in the church,
to provide for Christ the Lord,
present in the Eucharist,
true and perpetual adorers
and zealous promoters of his love.
Convinced that a life cannot be fully Eucharistic
unless it is consecrated to both God
and our fellow human beings,
he left us an example of contemplation
and apostolic activity.
His intense life of adoration,
his apostolate centered on Mass and Communion,
his efforts to lead people to adoration of the Lord
in the setting of solemn exposition,
his activity in the service of all,
with a preference for priests and the poor,
indeed his whole life
witnesses to the gift of himself to Christ.
____________________
We believe
in the love of God for us.
To believe in love is everything.
Love is our Lord
in the Blessed Sacrament.
You have the Eucharist.
What more do you want?
Saint Peter Julian Eymard
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FATHER EYMARD'S METHOD OF PRAYER
Saint Peter Julian Eymard taught and recommended a very simple method of prayer, which is at the heart of Jesus' self-offering in the Eucharist. It goes as follows:
It may mean simply being one with Jesus as he offers adoration, thanksgiving, reparation, and petition for our needs and those of the world.
It may mean offering to Jesus himself our prayer of adoration, thanksgiving, reparation, and petition for our needs and those of the world.
It may mean simply being in God's presence in a state of adoration, thanksgiving, reparation, and petition.
Being there simply, loving, peacefully waiting on him, sitting in his presence, offering one's own presence, and drinking in his Love like the rays of the sun:
To adore Christ present in the sacrament, "remembering that this presence flows from the sacrifice of the Mass and leads to sacramental and spiritual communion";
To dwell with Christ our Lord, enjoying his intimate friendship and pouring out our hearts before him, for ourselves and our dear ones, and praying for the peace and salvation of the world;
To offer our entire lives with Christ to the Father in the Holy Spirit and receiving in this wonderful exchange an increase of faith, hope, and love;
To worship Christ our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament in harmony with our way of life.
THE PRIEST AND THE YOUNG ARTIST
Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) is considered the greatest French sculptor of the nineteenth century. Much of his work is provocative and highly sensual in nature. Interestingly, in his youth, Rodin developed a spiritual and personal bond with Father Eymard which would continue until the saint's death.
In December 1862, Rodin's life was thrown into turmoil by the sudden death of his sister Maria, a novice with the Sisters of Christian Doctrine. Grief stricken, he decided to devote his life to religion and joined the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament in Paris. There, he came under Father Eymard's influence. Eymard permitted the promising young sculptor to pursue his interest in art in an improvised studio on the grounds. Perhaps he saw it as part of the healing process. In turn, Rodin asked Eymard to sit for a study.
Six months later, Rodin abandoned religious life to follow his artistic vocation. He would always keep a great esteem and respect for the kindly priest who had befriended him and guided him in his hour of distress. A photograph by Charles Aubry, dated that year (1863), shows Rodin standing beside the plaster bust of Father Eymard. The original bronze bust is in the Musée Rodin, Paris; one of several copies cast from the mold is in the residence of the Blessed Sacrament Community at Saint Jean Baptiste.
SAINT PETER JULIAN EYMARD - PRAYERS
Gracious God of our ancestors,
you led Peter Julian Eymard,
like Jacob in times past, on a journey of faith.
Under the guidance of your gentle Spirit,
Peter Julian discovered
the gift of love in the Eucharist
which your Son Jesus offered
for the hungers of humanity.
Grant that we may celebrate
this mystery worthily,
adore it profoundly,
and proclaim it prophetically
for your greater glory. Amen.
Saint Peter Julian Eymard,
pray for us!
or
Lord, our God,
Christ entrusted your most wonderful gift
of the Eucharist
to the church as a memorial for all time.
May we follow the example
of Saint Peter Julian Eymard
in the worship of so great a mystery,
and spend our lives
in the fullest sharing of your love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Saint Peter Julian Eymard,
pray for us!
or
O Saint Peter Julian,
who, all aflame with faith in the Holy Eucharist,
pleaded with the world, "Jesus is there; go to him",
obtain through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament,
that this cry from the depths of your heart
may re-echo in all hearts
and lead to a renewal and deepening
of Christian life everywhere.
May your call resound
even more powerfully and fruitfully
from heaven where you share the glory of the saints.
May it raise among the faithful
and especially among priests,
to whom you were so constantly devoted,
new armies of adorers and apostles of the Eucharist
who, like you, will dedicate themselves
to its glorification
among individuals and nations,
and work for the coming of the peace of Christ
in his reign of love. Amen.
Saint Peter Julian, pray for us!
Eymard . . . In His Own Words (PDF)
Eymard . . . Even More In His Own Words (PDF)
Life and Letters of Saint Peter Julian Eymard (PDF)
Eymard's Our Father (PDF)
Eymard's Way of Praying (PDF)
The Fire and the Flame - (8) - Fr. Manuel Barbiero, S.S.S. (PDF)
Uniquely Called by the Eucharist - (9) - Fr. Manuel Barbiero, S.S.S. (PDF)
Gift of Self - (10) - Fr. Manuel Barbiero, S.S.S (PDF)
