When Jesus Sleeps

By Ivonne Hernandez

​"We do not see the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus! But we possess it; it is ours! Do you want to know what is its life? It is divided between His Father and us. This Heart watches over us; while our Savior, enclosed in the frail Host, seems wrapped in impotent sleep, His Heart remains awake. Ego dormio, et Cor meum vigilat. "I sleep, and My Heart watches." It watches over us whether we think of it or not; it knows no rest; it pleads with the Father to forgive us. Jesus shields us with His Heart and wards off the blows of Divine wrath provoked by our repeated offenses. His Heart is there, as on the Cross, opened and letting flow upon our heads torrents of grace and love. It is there to defend us against our enemies, just is a mother to save her child from danger presses it to her heart so that one cannot strike the child unless he strikes the mother first. "And even if a mother could forget her child," Jesus tells us, "I will never forsake you.”" [1] - St Peter Julian Eymard

Meditation:

In the Gospel of Mark we hear the story of the time Jesus and His disciples were on a boat and wind and waves crashed against it. “Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?””(Mk 38-40) This story seems to continuously manifest in my life, as in the movie “Groundhog Day”. Time and time again, when a storm comes into my life, I look around for Jesus and panic. And without fail, He always comes to my rescue, and patiently says to me, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”
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Obviously, I do not have enough faith yet, not even the size of a mustard seed. “And the apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’” (Lk 17:5) This prayer needs to be on our lips and in our hearts every day. We can not give ourselves faith. It is a gift from God. This beautiful reality keeps us in a place of humility and complete dependence upon God. Every time God allows a storm to rock the boat of our lives, it is an opportunity to grow in faith. We ask again and again, and we receive again and again, until hopefully one day we can say with St Therese of Liseux:

"To live of love, it is when Jesus sleeps
To sleep near Him, though stormy waves beat nigh.
Deem not I shall awake Him! On these deeps
Peace reigns, like that the Blessed know on high.
To Hope, the voyage seems one little day;
Faith’s hand shall soon the veil between remove;
’Tis Charity that swells my sail always.
I live of love!" [2]

Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament reminds us, "I sleep, and My Heart watches." In the dark stormy days, the light from the Monstrance will be our guide. It is the Promise of the Father, “letting flow upon our heads torrents of grace and love”, saying in a still small voice, “I will never forsake you.”


[1] Eymard, St Peter Julian. The Real Presence (pp. 271-272). Veritatis Splendor Publications. Kindle Edition.
[2] Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897), Poems of St. Teresa, Carmelite of Lisieux, Boston, Angel Guardian Press, 1907, “To Live of Love”, n. 9 (see the book)