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 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.” 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? [1] Eymard, The Real Presence, p. 141 [2] Eymard, The Real Presence, p. 185
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By: Ivonne Hernandez St Peter Julian Eymard's Words: ”In the Eucharist we find a remedy for our ills, and a payment for the fresh debts we contract daily towards Divine justice through our sins. Our Lord offers Himself up every morning as a Victim of propitiation for all the sins of the world.” [1] "Propitiation consists in making amends to our Lord and in consoling Him. That is what our mission as adorers largely consists in. We ought to make reparation; we ought to be mediators and penitents for the sins of men. The world is so wicked that there is almost greater need of reparation than of thanksgiving. John made reparation when he said: ‘Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him Who takes away the sin of the world.’ He preached and showed the atoning Victim. He wept and sorrowed over the indifference of men toward the Savior. Listen to his complaint: ‘There has stood One in the midst of you, Whom you know not.’“ [2] MEDITATION: The mystery of the Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan speaks to us of reparation. The beloved Son of the Father opened up the fountain of Baptism for us by His death on the Cross. “Behold, the Lamb of God, behold Him Who takes away the sin of the world.” These words from John the Baptist are repeated at every Mass as the priest elevates the Eucharist. “Christ’s sacrifice present on the altar makes it possible for all generations of Christians to be united with his offering.” [3] Let us then offer Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament our adoration in reparation for our sins and those of the whole world. “The world is so wicked there is almost greater need of reparation than of thanksgiving”. These words from St Peter Julian remind us that we can and must unite our offerings to those of Christ. “The law entered in so that transgression might increase but, where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more.” (Rom 5:20) When we unite our lives to the sacrifice of Christ, our works, prayers, suffering and praise take on new value. They are now, infinite in the power of God, the vehicle of that grace that will overflow where sin abounds. Evil and darkness are but the absence of good and light. God has placed each of us in our lives at precisely the time and place He needs us, so we can bring His light to the places that are still in darkness. By uniting every aspect of our lives with the Eucharist, we fulfill our priestly duties, received through Baptism, to sanctify the world and offer sacrifice to God. We are all sinners, and in the Eucharist, “we find a remedy for our ills, and a payment for the fresh debts we contract daily towards Divine justice through our sins.” By acknowledging our sinfulness and repenting we are able to receive forgiveness, but after our sins are forgiven, justice still demands reparation. The Catechism tells us that “the expiation of sins continues in the mystical body of Christ and the communion of saints by joining our human acts of atonement to the redemptive action of Christ, both in this life and in Purgatory.” Let us then adore and console our Lord in the Eucharist, the One the world does not know. Let us unite our voices to John the Baptist and say Behold! SEND: When you meditate on the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, think of your whole life, united in the Eucharist, as an offering to God. Listen as the Father says to you: "This is my beloved son/daughter in whom I am well pleased." [1] Eymard, The Real Presence, p. 147 [2] Eymard, The Real Presence, p. 287 [3] (CCC, 1368) By Ivonne Hernandez St Peter Julian Eymard's Words: “Jesus led His Mother by the hand up to the throne of God. ‘Behold, O Father, her with whom You are associated, by choosing her to give Me My Humanity!’ —And the Father crowned her with her three most beautiful titles, Queen, Mother, Mediatrix. In Mary's diadem, three pearls are shining with dazzling brightness, namely, that of her humility, that of her poverty, and that of her sufferings.” [1] "THE tendency of love-----its final tendency-----is the union of two beings who love each other, the fusion of two into one, of two hearts into one heart, of two minds into one mind, of two souls into one soul. …We abide in Him, He abides in us. We are one with Him until the ineffable union that was begun here below by grace and perfected by the Eucharist is consummated in Heaven in an eternal and glorious union. Love lives therefore with Jesus present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. It shares all that belongs to Jesus. It is one with Jesus. The demands of our heart are satisfied; it cannot ask for anything else." [2] MEDITATION: The mystery of the Coronation of Mary speaks to us of eternal happiness. At the end of her earthly life, God gave Mary her reward: she will forever remain by her Son as Queen of Heaven and earth. When we receive and adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in the company of Mary, we have with us a Mother, Queen, and Mediatrix, who will always lead us to Christ. “Mary, the exalted Daughter of Sion, helps all her children, wherever they may be and whatever their condition, to find in Christ the path to the Father's house.” [3] This path to Heaven is found in the Eucharist, where love lives, and fulfills all the desires of our hearts. Mary’s diadems’ “three dazzling pearls” shine for us to see and imitate, as they light up the way for us to follow. The first two reflect the virtues of Our Lord’s poverty and humility in the Eucharist, and the third one, that of her sufferings, reminds us that she shares so closely in His glory now in Heaven because she shared so closely in His sufferings on earth. We can see that these pearls do not shine on their own, but reflect the light from the Monstrance. In that Monstrance is Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, the One we have been looking for, the One who will satisfy the demands of our hearts. It is there our quest must end. “When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” (Mat 13:46) We must let go of anything that divides our hearts, for the price for this pearl is our whole hearts. Love dwelling in the Blessed Sacrament calls “Arise, my friend, my beautiful one, and come!” (Song 2:10), for the final tendency of love is the union of two souls. This union “perfected by the Eucharist” will satisfy our hearts until that final day when we say, “Before I knew it, my desire had made me the blessed one of the prince’s people.” (Song 6:12) SEND: When you meditate on the mystery of the Coronation of Mary, look at the virtues in her diadem as they reflect the light of the Monstrance. In that light, see which areas of your heart you still need to open to the Love of God. [1] Eymard, Our Lady of The Blessed Sacrament, p. 160 [2] Eymard, The Real Presence, p.86 [3] St John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater, 47 |
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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. |