By Ivonne Hernandez

God speaking to St Catherine:
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“So this Word, My Son, with His most sweet Blood, is one Sun, all God and all man, because He is one thing with Me and I with Him. My power is not separated from His wisdom, nor the fiery heat of the Holy Spirit from Me, the Father, or from Him, the Son; …I have said to you that this Body is, as it were, a Sun. Wherefore, you cannot receive the Body without the Blood, or the Blood or the Body without the Soul of the Incarnate Word; nor the Soul, nor the Body, without the Divinity of Me, the Eternal God, because none of these can be separated from each other, as I said to you in another place that the Divine nature never left the human nature, either by death or from any other cause. So that you receive the whole Divine Essence in that most Sweet Sacrament concealed under the whiteness of the bread; for as the sun cannot be divided into light, heat, and color, the whole of God and the whole of man cannot be separated under the white mantle of the host; for even if the host should be divided into a million particles (if it were possible) in each particle should I be present, whole God and whole Man.” [1]

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MEDITATION:

This feast day of St Catherine of Sienna gives us a perfect opportunity to ponder on the Eucharistic teachings this great Doctor of the Church left for us. Sometimes we can focus so much on the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist that we might forget or overlook the fact that it is not only Jesus Who is truly present in the Sacrament, but that the Father and the Holy Spirit are also present. In the Eucharist “God's whole life encounters us and is sacramentally shared with us. God is a perfect communion of love between Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” [2]

In the Eucharist we are invited to participate in this mystery of love; to be caught up with the Holy Spirit in the embrace between the Father and the Son. If we allow ourselves to remain in this reality, and we move and act from this place of love, we will be truly one in Him. It is only from this place that we will find the grace to live the law of the New Covenant, the law of love; to love one another as He has loved us. It is this Love that we are called to share, not out own selfish love. It is the Love of God that will overflow in us and perfects us in Charity. "Wherefore, I show you that in My house are many mansions, and that I wish for no other thing than love, for in the love of Me is fulfilled and completed the love of the neighbor, and the law observed. For he, only, can be of use in his state of life, who is bound to Me with this love." [3]


[1] Catherine of Siena, Saint. The Dialogue of Saint Catherine of Siena (Kindle Locations 2596-2597). Kindle Edition.
[2] http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20070222_sacramentum-caritatis.html
[3] Catherine of Siena, Saint. The Dialogue of Saint Catherine of Siena (Kindle Locations 561-563). Kindle Edition.

By Ivonne Hernandez

"All the mysteries have some relation to the Eucharist, for the Eucharist completes them all. They all tend toward the Eucharist; with the help of grace we must discover what is Eucharistic in the mysteries in order to nourish our devotion toward the Most Blessed Sacrament." [1] 
​- St Peter Julian Eymard
 


These words from St Peter Julian Eymard were the inspiration for the Eucharistic Meditations on the mysteries of the Rosary.  When we pray the Rosary we are meditating on the mysteries of Christ’s life, and St Peter Julian’s writings on the Eucharist can bring insight to our meditations on these mysteries.

By looking at what is Eucharistic in each mystery of the Rosary, I found quotes, mostly from The Real Presence, which spoke to my heart, and meditated on those.  The reflections I shared were the result of those meditations and I hope an invitation for each reader to do the same.

Look at each mystery from the point of view of the Eucharist and see where it takes you.  Find your own quote to launch you into the depth of the mystery and let the Holy Spirit breathe new life into your Rosary devotion, as Our Lady brings you closer to her Divine Son.

​Our Lady of the Blessed  Sacrament, Pray for us who have recourse to Thee!
 


[1] Eymard, The Real Presence, p.279

By Ivonne Hernandez

​St Peter Julian Eymard's Words:

"ON THAT day, then, our Lord remembered that He was a father, and He wanted to make His will; He was about to die. What a solemn act this is in a family! It is, so to speak, the last act of one's life, and one that extends beyond the grave. A father gives what he has. He cannot give himself because he does not belong to himself. He bequeaths something to each of his children as well as to his friends. He gives what he prizes the most. But our Lord would give His very Self!
He became bread; His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity took the place of the substance of the bread which was offered up. We do not see Him, but we have Him. Our Lord Jesus Christ is our inheritance. He wants to give Himself to everybody, but not everybody wants Him. There are some who would want Him, but they will not submit to the conditions of good and pure living which He has laid down; and their malice has the power to render God's bequest null and void. “ [1]


MEDITATION:
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The mystery of the Institution of the Eucharist speaks to us of our dignity as children of God. In the Eucharist Jesus left us both a new covenant and a new testament in His Blood. By the New Covenant in His Blood Christ restored our relationship with the Father, and in His last will and testament He left us the total gift of Himself in the Eucharist. It is by accepting this gift and by entering into a personal relationship with God that we can transcend the likeness of our earthly parentage and be transformed into the likeness of Our Heavenly Father.

“Our Lord remembered He was a father.” These words from St Peter Julian invite us to see Jesus in a new light. In the Eucharist we have our God, Lord, friend, brother, teacher and spouse, but father? Jesus answers, “If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:7) Jesus brings every Heavenly grace with Him in the Eucharist; He brings us the Father and the Holy Spirit, who are always dwelling in Him. We are invited to enter into this heavenly relationship, to be caught between the gaze of the Father and the Son, in the embrace of the Holy Spirit. “The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God.” (CCC, 27)

“I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me.” (2 Cor 6:18) This is what God tells us from the Eucharist. He gives Himself completely to us, and His desire is that we give ourselves completely to Him in return. During the Last Supper Jesus prays “that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us.” (John 17:21) This is His Will for us. He wants to heal the wounds from our earthly parentage, and restore us in our dignity as children of God. When we receive Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament and let Him speak to our hearts, we can hear the truth of who we are. “I have called you by name: you are mine.” (Isa 43:1)


SEND:

When you meditate on the Institution of the Eucharist think of how the Holy Trinity rejoiced at the thought of dwelling in you.


[1] Eymard, The Real Presence, p.42

By Ivonne Hernandez

St Peter Julian Eymard's Words:

"Whereas on Thabor Jesus had rent the veil that covered His Divinity, here He conceals even His humanity and transfigures it into the appearances of bread, to the point that He no longer seems to be either God or Man, and does not act outwardly anymore. He buries Himself in the Species, which become the tomb of His faculties. Out of humility He veils His humanity which is so kind and beautiful. He is so united to the accidents that He seems to be their substance. The bread and wine have been changed into the Body and Blood of the Son of God. Do you see Him in this transfiguration of love and humility? We know that the sun exists even though a cloud hides it from us. Jesus never ceases being God and perfect Man, although hidden behind the cloud of bread and wine. Just as everything was glorious in the first transfiguration, so in the second everything is lovable. We see Him no longer, nor do we touch Him; but He is there with all His gifts. Love, grace, and faith pierce the veils and can recognize His face. Faith is the eye of the soul; to believe is really to see." [1]



​MEDITATION:

The mystery of the Transfiguration speaks to us of transformation. The verb to transfigure is defined in the dictionary as to “transform outwardly and usually for the better.” [2] It is easy to see that in the Transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Thabor, where He revealed His glory, there was an outward change for the better. St Peter Julian tells us that in the Eucharist Jesus “transfigures even His humanity into the appearances of bread.” How is this change for the better? Jesus always preferred humility to glory because His goal is to bring us near Him. If we look with the eyes of faith, we can see that this “transfiguration of love and humility” is the greatest transformation of all. We can draw near to Him now, so near as to consume Him, thus beginning our own transformation into Himself.

In Matthew’s account of the Transfiguration, we hear that the disciples “fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Rise, and do not be afraid.’” (Mat 17:6) Jesus put aside His glory once again to come down and take care of their needs. This is what He does every day on the altar. He comes down to us, no matter how far down we have fallen, to heal us with His touch and to take away our fear. It is in the Eucharist where He brings “every spiritual blessing in the Heavens” (Eph 1:3) wrapped in a humble lovable package. He brings us the gift of Himself. We just need to look with the eye of faith and we will see His face.

The goal of this transfiguration is our own transformation. We are so thirsty for the glory of Heaven that often we are easily deceived and settle for less. We will go after anything that sparkles in the desert only to find it was all just a mirage. The fountain of living water is hidden, buried down deep in the well of the Species in the Eucharist. It is here where our thirst will be quenched. When we remain hidden in this well of love, we will be transformed ourselves, and we will say with Peter, “Lord, it is good that we are here.” (Mat 17:4)


SEND:

When you meditate on the mystery of the Transfiguration, bring to mind Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and remain there, resting in His Light.


[1] Eymard, The Real Presence, p. 280
[2]https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transfigure, 4/23/17

By Ivonne Hernandez

St Peter Julian Eymard's Words:

"All graces come from the Host. From His Eucharist Jesus sanctifies the world, but in an invisible and spiritual manner. He rules the world and the Church without either moving or speaking. Such must the kingdom of Jesus be in me, all interior. I must gather myself up around Jesus: my faculties, my understanding, and my will; and my senses, as far as possible. I must live of Jesus and not of myself, in Jesus and not in myself. I must pray with Him, immolate myself with Him, and be consumed in the same love with Him. I must become in Him one flame, one heart, one life with Him. …This life in Jesus is nothing other than the love of predilection, the gift of self, the intensifying of union with Him; through it we take root, as it were, and prepare the nourishment, the sap of the tree. "The kingdom of God is within you." [1]


MEDITATION:
 
The mystery of the proclamation of the Kingdom speaks to us of our center, our hearts. The Catechism tells us that “the desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself.” This same Word Who was written in our hearts before the foundation of the world, was made flesh, dwelt among us, and continues to dwell among us in the Eucharistic Kingdom of our hearts.

Before the foundation of the world, God held each of our hearts in His hand and wrote in them the name of His beloved Son, marking us as His chosen people. This Word was etched in our hearts with the indelible ink of the Blood of the Lamb and sealed with the fire of the Holy Spirit. It is our center, our true identity. The Catechism tells us that “the heart is our hidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully.”[2] We all have a desire, a need to be known. Our hearts are restless, searching to be fulfilled.   
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Who am I?  I am a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend. We define our identity in relation to others. It is through the mirror of a loving parent’s eyes that an infant knows she is loved and cherished. Since we are each made in the image of God, we should be able to reflect God to each other, but our mirrors have become distorted through sin. We walk through life as if through a house of mirrors, where we seem too tall, too short, too fat or too skinny.  We look at our neighbor through the same mirrors and their reflection is distorted too.

 It is only in the mirror of the Eucharist that we will find our true identity. It is here where we will hear the Truth spoken to our hearts. “You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139)  It is in that truth we will find rest and in union with Him that the Kingdom of God will take root in our hearts. “I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.” (John 17:26)


SEND:

When you meditate on the proclamation of the Kingdom, examine your heart in the light of the Eucharist? Is Jesus the Lord of the Kingdom of your heart?  What areas are being ruled by a distorted image of yourself?


[1] Emard, The Real Presence, p. 142
[2] CCC, 2563

By Ivonne Hernandez

​St Peter Julian Eymard's Words:

“Why is our Lord not my center? Because He is not yet the ego of my ego, because I am not completely under His control, under the inspiration of His will; because I have desires that are competing with the desires of Jesus within me; because He does not mean everything to me. … What am I to do? I must enter into this center, abide in it, and act in it, not indeed by the sentiment of His sweetness, which does not depend on me, but by repeated attempts, by the homage of every action. … Abide in our Lord. Abide in Him through a sense of devotedness, of holy joy, of readiness to do whatever He will ask of you. Abide in the Heart and the peace of Jesus Eucharistic. “ [1]


MEDITATION:

The mystery of the wedding feast at Cana speaks to us of our free will. “Do whatever He tells you.” These words from Mary to the servants at the wedding echo in our hearts today. They present to us a challenge and a choice. “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” (John 12:32) From the Host as from the Cross He is always drawing us to Himself, drawing us near “to bind us with the chains of His love”, [2] and to fill us with His Peace. It is up to us to accept His invitation, to make the Eucharist the center of our lives and to follow Him.

Only the true center of the universe can draw all things to Himself. Just like the planets revolve around the Sun and are held in its path by gravity, whatever we place at the center of our lives will pull us in its direction, and influence our path. When we choose other goods over the supreme Good, we are in reality worshiping false gods, like the god of money, the god of honor, the god of power, or the god of self. These lesser goods will pull us away from the path God chose for us, not because they are stronger in themselves, but because as we grow closer to them we distance ourselves from God. The nearer we draw to the Eucharist, the stronger we will feel its pull, and the less power these other “gods” will have over us. We must make Our Eucharistic Lord the center of our lives, and we “must enter into this center, abide in it, and act in it.”
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To abide in our Lord is an act of the will. We must repeatedly strive to grow in virtue, follow the teachings of our Mother Church, and frequent the Sacraments, not only when we receive the sweetness of consolations, but especially when we do not. The enemy of our souls will continuously try to lure us with other goods, with promises of temporary relief and consolation, but we must “hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy.” (Heb 10:23) We must remain close to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, receive Him often and spend time with Him. He will then draw us to Himself with the chains of His love and fill us with His Peace. We will learn to recognize His sweet voice and we will want nothing more than to follow Our Mother’s instructions and do whatever He tells us. He will then smile and say, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:2)


SEND:

When you meditate on the mystery of the wedding feast at Cana think of how the servants listened to Mary and Jesus. Did they struggle and hesitate? What might have been tugging at their hearts competing with the desires of Jesus for them? Think of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and of what He might be asking of you today. Is He at the center of your life right now?
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[1] Eymard, The Real Presence, p. 141
[2] Eymard, The Real Presence, p. 185