Pope Benedict XV (1914 to 1922)
Quotes On The Importance Of Eucharistic Adoration
Pope Benedict XV (Giacomo della Chiesa) reigned from 1914-1922, a period marked by World War I. In 1917, he issued the first Code of Canon Law, which encouraged the private and public exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. In 1920, he canonized St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, whose revelations about devotion to the Sacred Heart helped establish the tradition of the "Holy Hour" - a continuous hour of Eucharistic adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. He was a devoted advocate for Eucharistic adoration and encouraged the faithful to develop this vital practice. Here are some of his quotes on the importance of Eucharistic Adoration in our lives:
- "Let priests draw strength from the tabernacle, and lead the faithful to
frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament, where Christ consoles His suffering
children."
(Benedict XV, Allocution to the Clergy of Rome (1916), in Discorsi di Benedetto XV)
- "The Eucharist is the fountain of grace, the nourishment of souls, and the abiding
presence of Christ among His people."
(Benedict XV, Humani Generis Redemptionem (15 June 1917), §22)
- "In the Eucharist, Christ remains with us as our consolation and our hope; let the
faithful offer Him loving adoration and reparation."
(Benedict XV, Address to Eucharistic Associations (1919), in diocesan bulletins and Discorsi di Benedetto XV)
- "In the Eucharist the Heart of Jesus continues to pour out His love, inviting the
faithful to reparation and adoration."
(Benedict XV, Letter for the Centenary of St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1920), in Sacred Heart commemorative collections.)
- "Frequent Communion and devotion to the Eucharist strengthen the Christian life
and sustain the soul in virtue."
(Benedict XV, Sacra Propediem (6 January 1921), §14)
- "“The particular purpose and end of this feast, with its proper Office and Mass,
is to commemorate the love of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the mystery of the Eucharist,
as is more clearly explained in the Sacred Scriptures and in the works of the holy
Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and as is also suggested in that pious and
well-known prayer approved by Pope Pius VII: ‘Ecco fin dove è giunta…’. Likewise, in
the repeated petitions of the faithful and in the desires of the Holy Father himself,
another purpose is, by means of this feast, to stir up in the hearts of the Christian
faithful a greater confidence and approach to the mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist,
and to inflame their hearts more fervently with the fire of divine love with which
Our Lord Jesus Christ, burning with infinite charity in His Heart, instituted the
Most Holy Eucharist, and keeps and loves His disciples in that same most sacred Heart
of His, living and remaining in them as they live and remain in Him — He who, in the
mystery of this Most Holy Eucharist, offers and gives Himself to us as victim,
companion, food, viaticum, and pledge of future glory.”"
(AAS 13 (1921): 545–546)
- "Nothing is nearer to Our heart than that devotion to the Holy Eucharist grow from day to day throughout the world. You must propagate veneration of the Most Blessed Sacrament with all your might."
(Pope Benedict XV, quoted in The Blessed Sacrament: God With Us (Charlotte, NC: TAN Books, 2000), 47.)