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2 Kings 11:5-8 "And he commanded them, 'This is the thing that you shall do: one third of you, those who come off duty on the sabbath and guard the king’s house (another third being at the gate Sur and a third at the gate behind the guards), shall guard the palace; and the two divisions of you, which come on duty in force on the sabbath and guard the house of the Lord, shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand; and whoever approaches the ranks is to be slain. Be with the king when he goes out and when he comes in." So says Jehoiada as he arranges for protection of the six-year-old King Joash who has been hidden away from the murderous Athaliah (2 Kings 11:1-4).

 

This is making me think of the Eucharist and how vulnerable Jesus allows Himself to be for us. Our King is all powerful, He is perfectly capable of protecting Himself, and we often just leave Him to it. But Jesus makes himself completely vulnerable for our sake in the Eucharist. He wanted a way to be with us for all time, a way that is non-threatening, familiar, and easy for us to participate in, so He allows himself to become the Bread of Life. Every day Jesus becomes more vulnerable than a six-year-old king. In the Eucharist, He has no defenses because He does not want any barriers between us. He frequently told Luisa Piccarreta how much suffering He endures when He is received by a non-repentant sinful soul. And Jesus also has a murderous enemy, one who is constantly trying to hurt Him and us, including by having us receive or treat Him unworthily.

 

We should want to protect our King with the same determination and vigilance Jehoiada arranged for Joash. We should be with our King at all times, if not in person, in our hearts. We should never harm Him by receiving Him unworthily, and should protect Him from others' disrespect and dishonor when at all possible.