BOOKS:
The eucharistic miracle of love review by Eamon Fitzpatrick The Bishop of the Abandoned Tabernacle: Selected writings of St Manuel Gonzalez Garcia Rev. Sean Davidson (ed) Scepter (2018)
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s Fr Manuel Gonzalez Garcia made his way to his first assignment, he could never have imagined what was awai�ng him! The young priest discovered that the church to which he was posted was run down, shabby and deserted. He was tempted to run away, but instead he sat down quietly before the filthy tabernacle. What happened next changed everything! It led to his eventual canonisa�on and gave us all a �mely reminder of the miracle of love that is the Real Presence. While Fr Manuel contemplated that dusty tabernacle covered with cobwebs, he suddenly realised that Jesus was gazing back at him; “so silent, so pa�ent, so good”. The sadness of the abandoned tabernacle was “oppressing and crushing the sweet heart of Jesus and drawing bi�er tears from his eyes”. Following that profound
experience, he devoted his priestly ministry to spreading devo�on to the Blessed Sacrament. St Manuel assures us each one of us that we are invited to “Come and see” (John 1:46) what great love awaits us in the tabernacle. Jesus is there for us night and day. He wishes to listen to us, to talk to us, to direct and help us on our journey. “The Heart of Jesus in the tabernacle looks at me. He looks at me always …. He looks at me as if he doesn’t have anyone else to look at but me…. because he loves me…. yes, he follows me with his gaze, as my mother would do if she could.” We can however reject that invita�on. St Manuel explains how we can all abandon our tabernacles:
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