Totus Tuus!  I am completely yours!  Enshrined in his Papal Coat of Arms, Pope John Paul II revealed the greatest treasure of his Papacy - - - his love for Our Blessed Mother.  To his last breath, he entrusted himself completely to Mary.  It was wonderful indeed to hear Pope Benedict XVI began his Pontificate in like manner.  He too placed himself in the arms of Mary, The Woman of the Eucharist.   
   

    My very first lesson on the Eucharist came from my Grandmother, Maria Rego.  When I was a little boy, Grandma took me to the Annunciation Church in Philadelphia for Mass every morning.  In her native Neapolitan tongue, she taught me that Jesus was really present in the Sacred Host.  She said that Our Lord stayed with us always, “hidden in the tabernacle.”  With a child’s innocence, I asked her what He did in there all day.  Patiently, Grandma answered: “He waits for you to come to see Him.”
   

    Grandma taught me another important lesson, one, which I know led me to the Priesthood.  She taught me to love Our Blessed Mother.  “She is the one who will protect you, always.”
   

    Every night at 8:00 PM, without fail, Grandma prayed her Rosary.  Some instinct inclined me to remain silent as I watched her finger her beads.  In those moments, Grandma was going to the School of Mary.  She who had no formal education became a woman of deep faith, as she knelt at the feet of Our Blessed Mother in prayer.
   

    Grandma taught me that which the Pope of Rome would confirm many years later. In his encyclical on the Eucharist, Pope John Paul II recognized Mary as, the Woman of the Eucharist.  He said that if we wish to discover the richness of the Eucharist, we must never neglect Our Lady. “Mary is the Woman of the Eucharist in her whole life,”    he said.
   

    Pope John Paul reflected on the Annunciation at Nazareth.  When Mary said, “Yes,” to Gabriel, Jesus, the Son of God, became man.  Knowing the Scriptures, Our Lady was keenly aware of the sufferings that awaited the Messiah. Saint Alphonsus de Liguori tells us that when Simeon revealed to Mary that a sword of sorrow would pierce her soul, she saw Calvary.  She knew that she was destined to be the Mother of Sorrows.  Yet, immediately, the Virgin responded, “Fiat” to the angel.  Her, “Yes,” revealed her profound faith and obedience.   
   

    The Holy Father drew an analogy between Our Blessed Mother’s “Fiat” at the Annunciation and our Amen at Holy Communion.  When Mary said, “Yes,” the Word became flesh in her womb.  When we receive Holy Communion, our Amen declares our faith that, “the Son of God and the Son of Mary becomes present in His full humanity and divinity under the signs of bread and wine.”
   

    The Holy Father also insists that Mary must always be our model of obedience to the Church.  Our Amen at Holy Communion not only expresses our faith in the Real Presence.  It must also confirm our unity with the Church in its faith and moral teachings.   
   

    “Blessed is she who believed,” Elizabeth said (Luke 1:45). In the Visitation scene, the Holy Father gives us a moving meditation on Eucharistic adoration.  When Mary bore Jesus in her womb, she became a living tabernacle.  Truly, she was the first tabernacle of the Church.  Elizabeth adored Jesus, hidden in the tabernacle of Mary’s womb.  Saint Elizabeth was the first of untold millions of Eucharistic worshipers throughout the centuries.
   

    Reflecting on Pope John Paul’s, one might ask: “When is the last time that I made a visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament”?   My friends! What treasures of graces and blessings await us as we gaze upon “the hidden Jesus”!  What peace is ours when we see Him through the eyes of Mary!  With a mother’s love, she tells us of Jesus, really present in the Eucharist.
   

    During Mary’s Month of May, ask her to bring you closer to our Eucharistic Savior. She who “treasured all of these things in her heart,” will reveal these wondrous treasures to you.
   

    My dear friends, Pope John Paul assured us that when we attend the School of Mary; she would show us the Face of Jesus.  When he closed his eyes to this world, we can be sure that Mary revealed to him the Face of her Divine Son.  May Our Blessed Mother reveal to each of us, the Face of Jesus, our Eucharistic Lord and Our Divine Savior!