If you had gone into a church in the 10th century, you would not have seen a tabernacle, but a dove-shaped container hanging over the altar. It was called a pyx, and the Blessed Sacrament could be placed inside. Jesus is present. This is the body and blood of the risen and living Lord. He deserves our attention, indeed our adoration, not only at the moment of communion but whenever we come into the church.
The custom developed of carrying the Blessed Sacrament in procession, for the veneration of believers. This is part of what we do on Maundy Thursday evening – we take the Eucharist to the altar of repose, so there is a short procession round the church; but the occasion is a sad one, because Jesus is beginning His passion. In many countries on the joyous day of Corpus Christi there are processions through the streets, with the Blessed Sacrament exposed in a precious casing called a monstrance: children scatter rose petals, citizens hang colored banners out of their windows, the town band plays.
What about us? In the tabernacle, here, our Lord is alive and welcoming. The sanctuary lamp, always burning, is a sign of that. Christ invites us to come and spend time with Him. If we have an hour of exposition, with the Eucharist displayed on the altar, it’s a time of opportunity. Here, in the Eucharist, we can have that quiet, prolonged, personal conversation that is the heart of all prayer. Today we can focus on the full beauty of this great gift that we are given. May we always feel the gentle presence of Jesus, drawing us like a magnet to His company.