The Most Blessed Eucharist is the Real Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Host, with his Body, his Soul and his Divinity.
Now, it is thanks to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, through the Priest, that Our Lord gives himself to us. Participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice is a true meeting with the Risen Christ.
Not only does it rejoice us because of the Real Presence of the Lord, but it also gives us the possibility to unite ourselves intimately with Him at the Communion.
Holy Mass makes present the Redeeming Sacrifice, which is a source of reconciliation and peace. It nourishes the souls with a divine strength, so that charity may triumph over every obstacle.
Thus, Jesus-Host is the heart of our Community and we are in a special way dedicated to the Adoration of the Real Presence of Our Lord.
By attending Mass, the Friars, the Nuns, Servants of Our Lady will give themselves to Jesus Christ without reserve, that is to say in such a way that their love be true, and that no other feeling may equal it in their souls.
And we know that the Host of our Communion is not "Something", it is not a relic, a souvenir, but it is someone, a person, a living being, it is Jesus Christ, second Person of the Adorable Trinity, true God and true Man.
Every day, Holy Mass is celebrated in the Tridentine Rite, in all the Priories. Our Congregation's purpose is to maintain the Tridentine Mass, after the example of certain Eastern Communities, which keep the celebration of the Holy Mysteries in a proper and secular rite.
The genuflection remains a tradition in our Congregation, as a sign of adoration owed to the Blessed Eucharist, and we also maintain the tradition of receiving the Blessed Eucharist on the tongue.
Indeed, Bishop St. Basil the Great (330-379), one of the important Fathers of the Eastern Church, defines clearly that taking oneself the host to one's mouth is allowed only in times of persecution, or also when no priest or deacon is available, for the monks in the desert. St. Basil thinks that it is unconceivable to receive communion in the hand when no circumstance justifies it, and he did not forget to confess that it is a grave fault to do so.
In certain places, undoubtedly, perpetuating this habit has served but to commit an excess, contrary to the Apostles' custom. In order to tackle such an excess and put an end to it, disciplinary measures were taken in various areas.
Consequently, the Council of Rouen in 650 stipulated: "Do not lay the Eucharist on the hands of any layperson, either man or woman, but only in their mouths."
The 19th Ecumenical Council of Trent (1545-1563) declared that the custom in which only the priest can give himself communion with his own hands traces back to an Apostolic tradition.
During the ceremonies, we perform Eucharistic processions, when the priest carries the monstrance containing the Real Presence, while the faithful sing canticles of adoration and walk forward before him. After high masses, we have the benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament, which consists of the Priest holding the monstrance and blessing with it all the faithful kneeling and prostrate. Everyone recites invocations in adoration and reparation.
In short, the Blessed Eucharist is the wonder of God's love for humanity, the Lord poured into it all the riches of his Sacred and Merciful Heart, and nothing is more admirable than the institution of this august Mystery, where he wills to dwell, present to the world until the end of times.
But if Our Lord Jesus Christ makes his delights to be among the children of men, Holy Church, as for her, makes it her glory to possess this adorable Sacrament; she makes it her duty to render to the Most Blessed Eucharist the supreme cult of Latria, which is owed to it.
She regulates this cult and prescribes its rites and ceremonies, observed in all circumstances. The Holy Church put a motherly and infinite care in penetrating the faithful with the respect and veneration for the Sacred Mysteries. Therefore she tells again to all her children who came near the sanctuary where the Son of God rests, "that they have to appear before it but trembling, that this place is terrible, it is really the house of God and the gate of Heaven."
Faithful to the spirit of Holy Church, we appear before the Blessed Eucharist but with the feelings of a strong faith and deep respect, since Our Lord Jesus Christ wants to condescend to the point of making himself a companion of our exile; let us forget nothing to show him our gratefulness and love: splendor of his cult, majesty and dignity of his services, cleanliness of all the objects which are used at the altar; faithful observance of the liturgical rules such as they are practiced by our Founder.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. Saint John - 6:51
"The first and main character of excellence of Holy Mass is that we must consider it as being essentially and absolutely the same sacrifice as the one which was offered on Calvary.
"The Church expressed, and continues to express this cult of adoration due to the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist not only during Mass, but also beside this celebration; she keeps consecrated hosts with the utmost care, presents them to the faithful so they may venerate them solemnly and bear them in procession to the joy of large crowds of people.Besides, the Catholic Church upheld firmly not only in her doctrine but also in her life, the faith in the Presence of the Lord's Body and Blood in the Eucharist, for she never ceased to render this great Sacrament the cult of Latria, which is due but to God alone. Saint Augustine tells us on the subject: "It is in his very flesh that the Lord walked on our earth and He gave us the same flesh to eat for our salvation; and no one takes it before having adored it first... and when we adore it, we do not sin, but, on the contrary, we sin when we do not adore it". Paul VI, Mysterium Fidei, Encyclical 9/3/65