ELISHEBA BLOGLaura, Ivonne, and Rick
write about their lives in the Eucharist. |
ELISHEBA BLOGLaura, Ivonne, and Rick
write about their lives in the Eucharist. |
By: Laura Catherine Worhacz
Dearest Eucharistic Family, Incredible reflection from Saint Peter Julian, Christ, “personified in us, he makes us participants of the divine fruits of Redemption.” Jesus’ gift is to make us fully human by the divine life within. How do we find the Divine Life within? The desire to love will help us find the way to the Divine through our vocation and service to the Church. When my daily Mass participation began, I had a burning desire to read and read, to learn and educate myself in the life of our Church. It is interesting that immediately, my apostolic life kept me busy in our Lord. The more I received the Eucharist, the more my desire to serve was enhanced. Jesus led me to “the unique purpose of His Incarnation.” We are the happiest even now through our conformity to Jesus Christ. Serving our families, those in our communities, and all God has entrusted to us makes us fully human. Caring for others and sharing by our identification conforms us to Christ. To humble ourselves in the Sacrament of Reconciliation conforms us to Christ. To forgive as we have been forgiven conforms us to Christ. To live in Mary’s heart conforms us to Christ. Letting go of the world conforms us to Christ to live in Jesus’ love, which will come from our union with Him. In our desire, consent, and participation in the great mystery of the Cross and Resurrection, we have the blessings as Catholics to RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION. Our conforming to Christ can only come by Him as we are purified into His existence, a life-long process. We can remain in Jesus’ love by the living Word, following all He has commanded of us, and by loving as He has loved, placing others before ourselves, and washing the feet of another. Jesus said to his disciples:
In John’s Gospel 15:18-21, Jesus speaks of the world’s hate and even the world hating him first. Jesus has called us out of the world to be in His love; the world may not know us, for it does not know what it is to conform to in the gift of love. To exemplify Christ’s passion is to do what He has commanded us to do, “to love one another.”
Our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, is the surest way for us to follow the Lord Jesus on our pathway of life. In the hymn Immaculate Mary, “And bless, HOLY MARY, THE LAND OF OUR BIRTH.” The land of our birth, the Incarnation of Jesus Christ in the womb of Mary, birthed Christ into the world to save us from ourselves, from our sins. In Mary’s “Yes,” we may imitate and find our own “FIAT” to God’s will for us, to help us be imitators of Jesus Christ and in conformity with Him, will lead us to everlasting life. It will be upon our day of judgment that we will find the “gage of our happiness in heaven” to be among the angels and saints and all those who have gone before us. In John 15:18-21, Jesus said to his disciples:
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By Laura Catherine Worhacz
Dearest Eucharistic Family, Our faith is a mystery in God’s magnificent love. Jesus suffered for the failure of our humanity. He took on our sins and loved us to His death. Jesus forgives beyond human understanding. When I read the above reflection from my spiritual father, Saint Peter Julian, I think of what is most striking in contrast to the contrast of the worldly to the spiritual and what my own life looks like in comparison to the two! When we love like Jesus, forgive like Jesus, and find understanding in the fullness of the GIFT of the Holy Spirit, we can see the worldly way dissipate, and the Kingdom of Heaven found. In the Gospel of John: 6:16-21, Jesus is walking on water. He does not want us to be afraid. By the power of the Eucharist, we are capable of sharing Christ’s love, His healing, and His blessing to preserve the sacredness of life. It is easy to become overwhelmed with all the world brings. Parents’ responsibilities to support their families and the many challenges the needs of our day bring to us in education and future guidance are taxing. By grace, we have been saved! By grace, we live, move, and find our being in God, who loves us. In the above reflection, Saint Peter Julian suggests changing our objective. If we find our subjective preferences a new way of living, the gift to guard all that is sacred in our lives, our loved one’s lives, and the good of the whole world will be easier found. For us to spend time in the Sacred Presence of the Eucharist, we see things through the light of heaven. Most importantly, we may receive Christ daily to be transformed and conform our wills more closely to Our Father’s plan. What more can we do to let others know the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand? Jesus is moved to pity at the sight of the crowds who are like sheep without a shepherd (Mt 9:36), and he sends out the twelve disciples to make the proclamation with which his ministry began, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 10:7). What more can we do to guard the sacredness of life? What more can we do to guard the sacredness of family life, our children’s innocence, and the protection of the unborn? In our Eucharistic lives, in all our imperfections, God’s grace is waiting for us to unite in a dynamism of love. Jesus wants us to walk on water with Him to be raised out of the despair of the worldly way where there is no hope in the sufferings of the present day. As Easter people, we never forget the Institution of the Holy Eucharist given to us on Holy Thursday; we never forget Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday in its Octave. As we journey to the Ascension and Pentecost, may we be immersed in the daily Liturgy scripture readings, inspired to take action like those in the Acts of the Apostles, and be motivated to heal in the Holy name of Jesus Christ Our Lord. Mary, Mother of God, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Saint Joseph, Saint Peter Julian, with all of God’s angels and saints, pray with us, and please hear our prayer.
Dearest Eucharistic Family, My future son-in-law asked me the other day what my favorite scene in the bible is, my favorite scripture. I just walked in the door from a walk, thought quickly, and then responded, “The Lord’s Supper.” By the grace of God, often in my mind’s eye, I am there at the Lord’s Supper (The Last Supper), imagining Jesus washing the feet of his disciples and offering the bread of LIFE to the Apostles. The Apostles did not know then this would be forever held as a Memorial of Christ’s Death and Resurrection, now and forever. The Apostles did not know then what they would experience in their lives by following all that Jesus commanded of them. By way of the heart, we see and follow; we listen to the scriptures and live in hope by faith in the mystery of salvation. Jesus enters into His Passion on Palm Sunday lovingly, knowing His mission is to glorify Our Father in Heaven by giving us an example of life to live in the forgiveness of sin. The Incarnation of God’s love is a gift we are privileged to receive in the reception of Holy Communion daily. Jesus is with us. He is with us in our Passions of life, the things we are called to die to and to offer up in the hope we will live in the Kingdom of Heaven now through the Eucharist. We are invited to live in the MYSTERY. The grace of the Eucharist and life of the Holy Spirit is our sustenance, holding firm to knowing Our Father loves us. The Lenten Season is an incredible discipline. It teaches us year after year to try a little more challenging tasks, think a little deeper, and pray like we are on a great mission. If I only had to pray for my husband and children and care for the duties required of me in my daily sacrifices, it would be full-time. Yet the more we open to God’s grace, the more we are asked to do in caring for the world around us. God gives us the grace to do what we can as He hopes for us to be employed in His love. “As for Communions, don’t let any pass by through your own fault. You need them. When our Lord is calling you to come toward him in spite of your weakness, it would be very wrong to choose to stay away from his eucharistic table through humility. So then, my daughter, go in spite of your weaknesses. I mean, rather, go with your weaknesses and poverty. This is your admission ticket to our good Master. (Saint Peter Julian to Mrs Joséphine Gourd - October 18, 1851) There is much to do. Holy Week sets our path to see the Institution of the Holy Priesthood & Holy Eucharist, with an invitation to venerate the Holy Cross on Good Friday, to wait with Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament in silence on Holy Saturday, to be brought to live in the LIGHT OF THE WORLD as we live in the Resurrected life now by the Blessed Sacrament; this is our LIFE IN CHRIST. Let us live in AWE of God’s Divine Providence. Let us see God in the birds of the air, the cool breeze, and the simple blessings we live in daily. Let us love one another as Jesus Christ loves us. Let us REMEMBER all the Lord has done for us in washing the feet of the disciples, hoping for us to follow Him in a deep sense of joy, knowing the love we share has first been given to us at a GREAT COST: IN THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST, HIS DYING AND RISING FROM THE DEAD. Let us be in LIFE caring for one another. Around your dinner tables, take time to ask one another what is your favorite scene in the bible, your favorite scripture, and share in the blessings of God’s Word.
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AuthorsWe are Ivonne J. Hernandez, Rick Hernandez and Laura Worhacz, Lay Associates of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, and brothers and sisters in Christ. |