Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament

I was on the road for a number of hours in a U-haul truck the other day taking #2 kid back for her sophomore year. Unfortunately, the little sound system that we rigged to listen to a book on disc didn’t work, so I was stuck with the truck’s radio. I wound up landing on a Catholic radio station, and decided to listen for a while, hoping for some juicy theological call-in program. As it was, I tuned in in time for their weekly broadcast of the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

This was a disappointment for several reasons. First, it meant I would have to sit through a dreary conservative Catholic homily. I have yet to hear one of these guys on radio who could preach. And this one was no different.

But more significantly, it would seem to me that Benediction is meant to be experienced visually, not aurally. The point is to gaze upon the Host as the Eucharistic presence of Christ Jesus and adore him as our Lord. Frankly, other than the Liturgy of the Hours, Catholic worship seems ill suited for radio.

But on top of it all, I have to confess that I just haven’t understood Benediction. What’s the point? The point of the Eucharist is to receive it, right? That Christ might live in us and we in him. I almost felt like dusting off my 39 Articles: “The Sacraments were not ordained of Christ to be gazed upon, or to be carried about, but that we should duly use them.”

Nevertheless, I listened.

It was hard to follow until the choir began to sing in Latin the chant attributed to Thomas Aquinas, Pange Lingua, here rendered in the translation from the Oremus online hymnal:

Now, my tongue, the mystery telling
of the glorious Body sing,
and the Blood, all price excelling,
which the gentiles' Lord and King,
in a Virgin's womb once dwelling,
shed for this world's ransoming.

Given for us, and condescending,
to be born for us below,
he, with men in converse blending,
dwelt the seed of truth to sow,
till he closed with wondrous ending
his most patient life of woe.

That last night, at supper lying,
'mid the twelve, his chosen band,
Jesus, with the law complying,
keeps the feast its rites demand;
then, more precious food supplying,
gives himself with his own hand.

Word-made-flesh true bread he maketh
by his word his Flesh to be;
wine his Blood; which whoso taketh
must from carnal thoughts be free;
faith alone, though sight forsaketh,
shows true hearts the mystery.

Therefore we, before him bending,
this great Sacrament revere;
types and shadows have their ending,
for the newer rite is here;
faith, our outward sense befriending,
makes our inward vision clear.

Glory let us give, and blessing
to the Father, and the Son,
honor, might and praise addressing,
while eternal ages run;
ever too his love confessing,
who from both with both is one.

At that moment I thought my heart would jump out of my chest. If only for the blink of an eye, I understood the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. It was adoration, pure and simple, of God as known in Christ Jesus our Lord. Asking for nothing save to be in the Lord’s blessed presence. No reception of his body and blood that the benefits of his death might be received by us.

Benediction is totally useless by most every standard we usually apply to our contemporary ecclesial existence. You don’t “get anything” out of the service of Benediction. You go simply to gaze at the one who is Lover of souls with rapt adoration.

Whether this is all actually true probably should be tested by actually attending such a service. And most likely, I will be disappointed. But in a liturgical milieu where we seem to first ask what we will get out of worship, it is a tonic indeed to think that there is a form of worship completely useless, reminding me it was never about me in the first place.