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 “I plead with you! Never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged. Be not afraid.” – St John Paul II Meditation: Fear. We all experience it, and each time we do, we need to decide what to do about it. Will we run or will we press on? There are times when fear keeps us safe from real danger, but many times, fear can keep us from doing God’s will in our lives. The martyrs, who endured death through an act of fortitude, teach us that God’s love is greater than all our fears. Most of us won’t be called to die for our faith, but we will all face obstacles on our road to holiness, and we will need to grow in fortitude to face them. When I think of fear I think of Peter, walking towards Jesus on the water. He takes his eyes off Jesus, looks at how strong the wind is, gets frightened, and starts to sink. Just like Peter, I often take my eyes off Jesus and look at the storm threatening me. I find myself saying “Jesus, are you sure you got this?”, and I get afraid. And, just like Peter, as I begin to sink, I cry out, Lord, save me! “Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”’(Mat 14:31) We are reminded over and over again in the Bible to not be afraid. If we look again at the passage in Matthew 14, the disciples see Jesus walking on water and become terrified thinking it is a ghost. ‘At once [Jesus] spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”’ (Mat 14:27) Jesus is telling them to DO something, to TAKE courage. This means that courage is there, available for them, but it requires an action on their part, a decision of the will. But where is this courage coming from? If we read a few verses before in Matthew, we find that right before they got on the boat, the disciples had just experienced the miracle of the “feeding of the five thousand”. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over—twelve wicker baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children. Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. (Mat 14:20-22) This miracle is a prefiguration of the Eucharist. Jesus feeds a crowd of five thousand with only five loaves and two fish, and there are twelve wicker baskets full of leftovers. Jesus knew the disciples had everything they needed, so He made them get into the boat and precede him. He knew the storms they would face, but He had provided the courage they needed. They still needed to take it, and so do we. Jesus makes every gift available to us in the Eucharist, and then He sends us on our mission. “The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions.” (CCC, 1808) We need courage (fortitude) each and every day as we face the challenges set before us, and we find it in our daily Bread, our Bread from Heaven. The word courage comes from the Latin ‘cor’, which means heart. We often hear the expression “take heart”. Yes, let us take His heart, present and alive in the Eucharist. He has all the courage we need there. Let us receive Him often and remain united to Him in our hearts. We will then confidently walk towards Him, wherever He may call us, even walking on water in the midst of a great storm. And, when we look away and begin to sink, let us quickly remember that He is always with us and call to Him for help. He will immediately stretch out His hand and catch us, and with a loving glance remind us: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”’(Mat 14:31)
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By Laura Worhacz "Thus it is Mary who forms and guards,.... she makes piety sweet and easy.... Sanctity that is fashioned by Jesus alone has an austere character; that which Jesus and Mary form together is more attractive...Let Mary then lead us to Jesus; let her teach us to know and to love Him. In this alone consists true sanctity and perfect happiness." (St. Peter Julian Eymard: Vol. 7 Eymard Library ) Dearest Eucharistic Family, St. Peter Julian Eymard tells us that sanctity that is formed by Jesus and Mary is more attractive. How do they form us as guards? " Philip saith to him: Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us."(John 14:8) Jesus is the way to the Father; Mary leads us to Him as Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Jesus and Mary form us together for the restoration of our souls to God, Our Father, healing the corruption of original sin to our souls. We are Baptized into the family of God and invited into the SILENCE, an unsurpassable gift. Rise and pray in the silence of God's presence. We can all achieve this routine by the sacrifice of our time. Our first vocation is to attain holiness in whatever state of life we are living. Sitting quietly, being still and knowing He is God will bring us healing, peace and offer us holiness that begins with Our Father. "Be still and see that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the earth."(Psalm 46:10) Jesus invites us into the Agony in the Garden where He sweat blood and begged His Father to take the cup of suffering from Him. Jesus renounces His Will and restores our relationship with Our Father. The security of God's Love is found in the Trust that is given in the Mystery of Suffering. We too can restore our life in God by handing it over in full trust. We are a people of intercession, and we need to be, but first we must be children of The Promise of Our Father. God is in control, by being submissive to His plans and His life that lives through us. Making a Holy Hour, even twenty minutes in quiet, at home, in the early morning can be attained by most of us even if it costs you a little sleep. Silent prayer is a blessing. Pray to the Holy Spirit and simply rest quietly in the Love of Our Heavenly Father. Pray to Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament directing your heart to your consecration promise, as a daily renewal. Blessed are you, Mary exalted daughter of Sion! You are highly favoured and full of grace, for the spirit of God descended upon you. We magnify the Lord and rejoice with you for the gift of the Word made flesh, bread of life and cup of joy. Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, our model of prayer in the cenacle, pray for us that we may become what we receive, the body of Christ your son. AMEN |
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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. |