What Does Our Divine Lover Have to Do to Allow His Embrace?

Even Jesus’ friends do not seem to understand His desire for each of us to come to Him, to commune with Him and to allow for a full embrace when receiving the totality of who He is in Holy Communion. Our Lord is not just Master, He is, as the great Saint Catherine of Sienna refers to Him, a "Mad Lover." Someone so in love with His beloved that He is crazy with love. He will do anything to have us love Him just as hH loves us. He will search, wait, entice, give, call, arrange, orchestrate, deprive, sweet talk, and even die for us without regard to our own lack of response to Him. He came up with a kind of ‘crazy’ way to give the totality of Himself in Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. He continues this pursuit even while He is repeatedly, and consistently ignored by the busy activity, singing, chattering and gathering that everyone seems to be involved in with each other rather than directly to Him and with Him. This is what seems to happen in almost every parish and even in His adoration chapels specifically designed for Him to infuse all of himself in wordless union with His beloved ones.

He does not demand that the person receiving this 'completeness' of Himself have any depth of knowledge of Him, let alone a mutual love relationship. He gave every Catholic who is over the age of seven the opportunity to enter into communion with Him simply by getting into line at church. He planned from the beginning of Salvation History to unite with us, at least for a brief time, in order to commune with each one of the people that He is 'crazy-in-love-with' while we still remain on Earth in our fleshy bodies. All that He went through, and continues to go through, is to offer everyone a chance at a few minutes to be in union with Him. Union with him is the goal and purpose of His creation of each one of us, union with Him for all of eternity.

This scene came to my mind in a moment and then was re-demonstrated when my husband wanted to hug me the other day:

A lover, so perfect in every way imaginable, asks his beloved to come close to him. At first she doesn't even hear his dreamy voice because she is busy verbalizing to him and anyone else around all about how great the two of them get along. She is vocalizing away incessantly about how great their relationship is going and how everyone should have such a good thing going, while he continues to beckon her to come to him, now just with the look in his eyes. She is not even thinking about coming to him. She is not even looking at him, she is busy singing and telling everyone around them how great it is to be in this kind of relationship. In fact, she is so distracted with her enthusiastic activity that she hasn't noticed that now, the love of her life is right in front of her face preparing to embrace her with such total-ness that he, himself, does not hear her exuberant tones. His entire being is poised for the embrace while she just pauses briefly as if it is an air hug that can be given to anyone, like any mere acquaintance. 

The lover is engaged in an all consuming full embrace while the beloved simply stops verbalizing only long enough for a peck on the lips. She also missed the lover's whispers of such intimacies intended only for this most intimate moment with her, the intended. She somewhat acknowledges with her peck on the lips back to him as if a quick, "I love you, too." You know, that common slurred-together string of words that we all hear when people quickly finish a phone call that up until that point could never be construed as anything having to do with love. She is finished with the embrace with her peck on the lips.

The lover is only able to embrace with the fullness and intimacy that is allowed by the one receiving. It is a mere fraction of a second, rather than the melting of two beings together for at least several minutes. He cannot even tell her that he loves her, or look into her eyes deeply or continue the embrace as he intended. She is not looking at him; she is not listening to him; she is not melted into him; she is not even whispering her sweet affections to her one-and-only lover. She is busy proclaiming away, demanding others to proclaim with her and going on and on about out how great it is that they all can get together. The proclaiming of accolades of the greatness of this relationship never ceases until the embrace slips away before they have barely acknowledged that this union took place. The proclamations go on until the lover goes back to his room without any real embrace; without a word of love together; without a deep look into each others eyes; without communing. We are finished and it’s time to stand up now so that the real sharing can happen with those gathered around each other in jovial conversation that shows just how caring the group is.

I know that Jesus would love it if only we would consent to simply rest in His arms for a time where words would only hinder the embrace. Why would anyone miss out on one more encounter with Love itself and the daily stealing from another who seeks to respond in this exquisite embrace?

GIRM: 23. Silence should be observed at the designated times as part of the celebration. [30] Its function depends on the time it occurs in each part of the celebration. Thus at the penitential rite and again after the invitation to pray, all recollect themselves; at the conclusion of a reading or the homily, all meditate briefly on what has been heard; after communion, all praise God in silent prayer.