O Good Jesus, hear me

Anima Christi: O Good Jesus, hear me

The fifth of seven meditations on the Anima Christi from Unconditionally, Finding Jesus in the Eucharist

by Greg Wasinski

Our Lord likes us to plead our case sometimes. Since this is a prayer request, it’s OK to let Him know how much it means by really asking for His attention. After all, He gave us a model of prayer to not only spend time in quiet prayer, but our scriptures tell us He was also willing to converse directly with the Father for what He needed. Our initial desire to pray during the Eucharist should be in thanksgiving for the gift of the sacrifice we are about to, or already have, received. However, when we feel a connection to Christ there is a mo­ment where we desire a chance for Him to hear what has fallen on our heart to request in that specific moment.

…Jesus hears the prayer of faith, expressed in words (the leper, Jairus, the Canaanite woman, the good thief) or in silence (the bearers of the paralytic, the woman with a hemorrhage who touches his clothes, the tears and oint­ment of the sinful woman). The urgent request of the blind men, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David’ or ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ has-been renewed in the traditional prayer to Jesus known as the Jesus Prayer: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sin­ner!’ Healing infirmities or forgiving sins, Jesus always responds to a prayer offered in faith: ‘Your faith has made you well; go in peace.’ (CCC 2616)

Confidently we pray, “Jesus, I know you hear my words, but take note to what my heart cries out for that I cannot verbal­ize. I come to you, pleading with humility to not only receive my prayers but to answer them as you see fit.”

Within your wounds hide me,
separated from you let me never be

When Thomas doubted that Christ had actually risen from the dead, the only thing that would make him believe would be to place his fingers inside his wounds (Jn 20:25). Scrip­ture never tells us that Thomas actually did it, but even as hard as the wounds are to accept during the crucifixion, they are equally as comforting after the resurrection. We can as­sume the wounds of Christ Thomas saw post-resurrection reassured him it truly was the Lord in his midst.

For each of us, there is safety of sitting deep inside the nail holes and lance wound that make us feel surrounded, im­mersed in Christ’s protection. If we are this close with the risen Lord in the Eucharist, we cease to exist on our own. A safe place within Christ knowing nothing can harm us be­cause our Savior overcame death and conquered it so we may have eternal life. “But he was pierced for our sins, makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed’ (Is 53:5). We will be doubters from time to time but even when we have separated ourselves from Christ, we will remain bound in Him through His wounds. Not by sight, but by faith.

When we allow ourselves to experience this peace and fully find Jesus in the Eucharist by accepting his Real Presence in consuming Him (just as Thomas did in seeing Him), we never want to be separated from Him. It’s almost to say the Shepherd no longer uses a staff to guide us, but we are one with Him, walking confidently because we live in Him and He lives in us.

For safety and comfort, we pray, “Jesus, without you I would have nothing and I would be nothing. In my own questions of faith and even fears, stay by my side and remind me of your presence. Wrap me in your love and let me never feel alone despite my moments of doubt.”

Copyright © 2015 by Greg Wasinski & LMBM, Inc. All rights reserved.

Greg Wasinski was successful, career driven, business executive searching for lifelong fulfillment when he heard a direct calling from God to move his talents into full-time ministry. Greg is an internationally recognized, Catholic Christian inspirational speaker and author from Cleveland, OH. He also offers his radio talents as a daily contributor to SiriusXM Radio’s The Catholic Channel with his “Faith & Real Life Moments.”