By: Laura Worhacz

“Mary’s Presentation in the Temple: Mary had no childhood in the ordinary sense of the word…We know nothing of her life in the Temple except that she lived a secluded life and that she practiced every virtue…She was the servant of all never loosing courage…Mary gave herself to God promptly, unreservedly and forever. She gave him her mind, her heart, her liberty, -she kept nothing back.”  - Saint Peter Julian Eymard (Eymard Library, Vol. 7, page 35)
 
Dearest Eucharistic family,

November has always been a special month for me. It is a time to remember all souls, thanksgiving, my wedding anniversary, my grandmothers passing and her day of birth, which falls on the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 11/21. For all this my heart is filled with thanks. Since October 31st,  I have been in quarantine with my husband Ray. He tested positive for COVID and has been in bed for 16 days with a temperature, fatigue, and a little cough. His temperature has finally returned to normal and he seems to have begun a new road to recovery.
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The above excerpt reminds me of what life has been like. It has been secluded and filled with opportunity to find the virtues of God. Caring for someone sick is a gift. It teaches us the sacredness of life; every breath taken is a moment of grace. Our lives are to be lived in growing closer to Jesus, the One whom we will be with for all eternity. We grow in love by our consent to God’s life in us and by serving others. In this way we live out of this world and in the Eucharist here and now.

Thanksgiving Day is almost here. It is a time to give thanks around our tables, talk about memories, share dreams and hopes, a time to gather. As difficult as it may be to bear the cross of sickness, suffering, and even death, there is a place of hope to give thanks; it is found in the Eucharist. Our Lady was presented in the Temple; she gave her life to God and lived in thanksgiving. Mary gave her life unreservedly for the love of JESUS. This year, 2020, has brought many challenges to our world: a pandemic, election, protests… As we follow our Mother to the Temple, we may find the chance to grow, learn, and be open to the new beginnings God has prepared for those who love Him and give thanks. The Greek word “eucharistia” means thanksgiving. The Sacrament of the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of JESUS CHRIST, really, truly, and substantially present under the appearances of bread and wine is our means of life on earth. In serving others our Eucharistic lives become whom we receive, and our souls are found in thanksgiving. Advent is coming! 

-Laura Worhacz

By: Laura Worhacz

Dearest Eucharistic Family,

We are blessed to be living in the Liturgy of the Catholic Church and having this heartbeat of the seasons to take us to the heart of God year after year. We are weeks away from the Advent Season and here we are on the eve of all Saints Day. Here we find our mission of love to pray for others, to be drawn into the life of the Church by being enveloped into the Communion of Saints. The Body of Christ is being grown as it is fed by the Bread of Life in Holy Communion.

In the origin of All Hallows Eve we find concern for others. Children being taught to knock on the door of a neighbor to ask if they are in need of prayer, especially the loss of a loved one. In return a soul cake is given to show appreciation. There is a reciprocal love being fashioned through simple acts of kindness. The Kingdom of Heaven is made known when believers grow into the charity of Christ through mercy, forgiveness, and compassion for others. How blessed we are to live in the reality of the Divine. Heaven is with us. The lives of those who have found their way to virtue in this life leave us an example of charity in their words and witness. They are the saints of God. In our time with the Eucharist we come to see ourselves as God sees us. We come to know Jesus. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Jesus who sees us, guides us, and will form us into saints. 
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Our Divine Mother is the Queen of Angels and Saints. As we cling to Mary through the Eucharist she mothers us into an exercise of faith through the virtues of her love. A walk with Mary into the soul of God by our Eucharistic prayer time will keep us seeking for ways to receive grace from the one who is full of grace. We have a road to Zion to find, the path to our salvation, led by Our Lady who cares for us and touches our hearts. Our Divine Mother will guide us to Heaven. She will help us grow into the saints we were created to be. The pattern of love that is sewn and found in the Communion of Saints has been formed from the Eucharist and Our Lady for generations and will continue as we learn of “God’s holy gifts for God’s holy people” (CCC 948). Our relationship with the Communion of Saints is found most intimately in the Eucharist.

Today remember in prayer and outreach someone who is an example to you of a saintly life.

“Mary is the Queen of Angels, Queen of the Church. Kings will lay their empires at her feet; nations will confide to her their safety, and wherever we find a throne erected to Jesus, there we shall find one dedicated to Mary; Mary’s altar is always side by side with that of Jesus. She is His Divine Mother.” – Saint Peter Julian Eymard (Eymard Library, Volume 7, p.50)
 

By: Laura Worhacz

“Let us, then, return thanks through Mary. A child receives a gift, but it is his mother who thanks the donor for him. So our thanksgiving, united with that of Mary: will be perfect and most acceptable to the Heart of Jesus.” Saint Peter Julian Eymard
 
Dearest Eucharistic Family,

The Hail Mary brings us into the mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary.  The gift to meditate on the Sacred Scriptures through them, especially during the month of October, is a blessing beyond our understanding. We trust in this divine invitation and cling to the promises attached to this prayer of the Church. We celebrated the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary this past week and next week we will remember the Miracle of the Sun on October 13th.

Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament has been given to us by our Lord and Savior through the heart of Saint Peter Julian Eymard.  He reminds us in the above excerpt to give all to Jesus through Mary. We do this by our engagement with the Holy Spirit, by emulating our Mother. Mary shows us the way to eternity, by her yes, her humility. Mary teaches us by her perfect charity, her detachment, her purity, her fidelity, …we can go on and on with the virtues of her love.
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There is so much going on in our world, in the very homes of each of us. Our relationships need to be given to our mother, she will bring us to communion, healing, and love. Place yourself in the redemption of Christ and go forward with Mary. Leave the pain and walk to the Heavens. Immerse yourself in the mysteries; they take us to places of freedom, forgiveness, mercy, and compassion. PRAY! The Hail Mary brings us to Our Father, into the Kingdom of Heaven now through the Eucharist. It is Mary who guides us to the fullness of grace. Our mother who reminds us the Lord is with us. Mary is the blessed one, she brings us the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, the fruit of her womb. Mary is holy. She chose to be the humble one of her Creator. She accepted the gifts of the Holy Spirit; they led her in joy through life. Even at the Cross her tears poured forth; her heart was fixed to God through the heart of her Son and the power of the Holy Spirit. HAIL MARY FULL OF GRACE!
 
“This twofold movement of prayer to Mary has found a privileged expression in the Ave Maria: Hail Mary [or Rejoice, Mary]: the greeting of the angel Gabriel opens this prayer. It is God himself who, through his angel as intermediary, greets Mary. Our prayer dares to take up this greeting to Mary with the regard God had for the lowliness of his humble servant and to exult in the joy he finds in her.” 
(Catechism of the Catholic Church,  2676)
 

By: Laura Worhacz

​Dear Eucharistic Family,

On Sunday we may meditate on Heaven and keep holy the Sabbath. With all our senses we need to remind one another to keep Sunday a special day of remembrance, a little Easter. Avoid unnecessary work. A good way to discern this may be to examine the heart. A perfect Sunday for me, as for many of you I am sure, begins with going to Mass. We are then sent to love and serve our Lord. My perfect Sunday continues with preparation for Sunday dinner. It may seem like work to prepare food, cook, clean, set the table, and clean up again. However, whether it is my husband and me, our girls, or a full table, my heart rejoices in sitting around the table for Sunday dinner. The food is secondary to the faces I am privileged to see gathered around the table. The joy of feeding others has always been a way for me to express love. The Eucharistic Sacrifice enables us to learn how to serve. When we give a gift of ourselves, our Sunday becomes holy.
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September 19th is the anniversary of an apparition of Our Lady that is unknown to many, Our Lady of La Salette. Saint Peter Julian would go to the magnificent mountain where Our Lady appeared to pray even before the apparitions were approved by our Catholic Church. He knew in his heart Our Lady visited this holy mountain to bring us a message through her tears. In part of Our Lady’s message of La Salette we learn that she is sitting with her head down, fallen in her lap, crying. Mary’s tears poured forth for the lack of respect Heaven sees for the Sabbath.

In spending time before the Blessed Sacrament, we can be assured that Jesus will lead our hearts to celebrate Sunday in the perfect way for each of us.  For me, gathering around the table for Sunday dinner has created many memories, many laughs, many serious and sometimes confrontational conversations. All of these create a bond of unity that keeps the Eucharist we have received in a secure bond of love united to the Heart of Jesus. There are so many Catholics unable to attend Sunday Liturgy and so many that are not aware of the awesome gift of going to church on Sunday. Our enthusiasm, charity, and remembrance of keeping Sunday holy may be the witness that will bring others to church.  God’s love is expressed to us in His life-giving gift found in the Living Bread that comes down from HEAVEN. 

By: Laura Worhacz

“Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.” (Psalm 3:12,13)
 
Dearest Eucharistic Family,
 
It seems more important than ever that we unite in a spirit of love and fidelity, a spirit of communion; a spirit that comes from Heaven’s grace, poured out from our Father, through the life of His Son, Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Today the Catholic Church commemorates The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist. As I immersed into prayer trying to imagine John the Baptist, his relationship with Christ, and the life he lived, fidelity came strongly to my heart. John loved God so much, he put the Lord above and before himself. John taught us that Christ must increase and we should decrease (John 3:30). His love was so intense that the truth could not be concealed; he preached God’s truth. Saint John the Baptist’s fidelity overtook his existence. He could not stand witnessing the ungodly, the deceit of unfaithfulness.

The Gospel tells us that Herod had John imprisoned yet liked to listen to him. It seems Herod made the choice to be faithful to sin; the deception of taking what did not belong to him ruled. Herod was in a battle within, liking John’s words yet choosing what was contrary to truth. God would have wanted Herod to find a new way of living. Saint John’s proclamation of the truth was poured out in love. Saint John the Baptist was crying out to bring sin to a new life, a life of fidelity to God.

As I was driving home from Mass and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament last week there was a motorcycle in front of me at a red light. The man riding had on a tee-shirt that read, “Forget prayer, no one is listening.” I immediately offered a Hail Mary, knowing in my heart that Our Lady would hear me. I believe (we believe) that our fidelity to God will bring life. I believe this poor soul, who seems to have lost faith, will receive a grace from God that will bring him to truth. We pray with hope to reach hearts longing to hear a voice crying out in the wilderness, make straight the pathway to God (John 1:23).

God is faithful to us. Our fidelity to Our Creator will bring us to everlasting life. Saint John the Baptist did not fear. He was the Baptist. His fidelity was unwavering, his voice crying out. God is listening, He hears the cry of the poor (Proverbs 21:13). The Kingdom of Heaven is with us now in the Eucharist, a fidelity beyond our human understanding. Jesus calls out to us through the silence of our Eucharistic union with Him. Our fidelity will bring us to martyrdom, physically or spiritually, yet our faithfulness to our fidelity will keep us in the truth and love that will bring us to our eternal home, HEAVEN.
 

By: Laura Worhacz

“Mary, His Mother and the Mother of adorers, made amends to Him for everything, and the love of Jesus found inexpressible satisfaction in receiving her prayers and her tears shed for the salvation of the world.” - Saint Peter Julian Eymard  ( Eymard Library Vol. 7, page 130)
 
Dearest Eucharistic Family,

We are living through an extraordinary time of grace. By keeping our senses aware of Divine Providence and the work of God in our lives, miraculous things will continue to happen for the love of Jesus. Through this time of pandemic, sorrow can so easily take over our existence. It is only through prayer that we can see through the life of the Eucharist and recognize that God is in control of our lives.  
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Early one morning this week, I thanked God for my prayer routine. I thanked Him for giving me the grace to wake up early, to sit with Him in the silence, and then go for a prayer walk to pray the rosary and the chaplet of Divine Mercy. In preparation for Holy Mass, I pray the joyful mysteries in the morning. As I was praying this week, I stopped for a moment and looked at all of creation… the birds, the grass, the trees, and the animals in my neighborhood. I paused in my rosary offering and continued to walk. I was walking with Jesus and Mary in a special way, thinking. I imagined Mary on her way to the visitation. She walked over 70 miles in haste to the hill country. Our Mother was surely living the rosary; she was probably absorbing the beauty of creation. Her heart was surely excited to see her cousin, to behold her and the lives they were carrying. Mary’s espousal to the Holy Spirit enflamed her prayer with joy! Mary carried the Eucharist, the highest form of prayer. I thought as I went back to my beads, how many of us prepare for Holy Mass? Are we forming our hearts to be open to receive the grace from our prayers? God is with us. The battle is real; we see the evil of hatred, violence, and all sorts of destruction on top of the pandemic outbreak in recent days -- devastating and heartbreaking. We live in our prayer the reality of what is to come and the hope in our relationship with Jesus.

Today we remember Saint Dominic. He knew the power of prayer; the Eucharist and Holy Rosary would change the forces of evil to a pathway to Heaven.  Jesus finds inexpressible satisfaction in receiving our prayer; our return of love to Him forms us in the compassion of God. Prayer is the most important part of our day. Let us continue to see God in every facet of our Eucharistic lives and to the best of our ability, PRAY. 

By: Laura Worhacz

“Take my word: do works of zeal only out of duty, but aspire to the interior life because you are drawn thereto by divine love…Try earnestly to become interior, that is, to live for God, to work in partnership with Him. Manage to thrive on His divine Providence, natural and supernatural, of every moment.” – Saint Peter Julian Eymard (Eymard Library Vol. 6, page 249)
 
Dearest Eucharistic Family,

July 13th  was the 103rd  anniversary of the third apparition of Fatima. It was in this appearance from our mother that she opened her hands and rays of light came forth. The light brought the three shepherd children to see; they saw hell, darkness, a place where sin takes us. Our Lady said that day that to prevent this… “I shall ask for consecration of Russia.” Mary allowed the children to know what would become of us without being consecrated to God and His divine love. Mary left us with the words, “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.”

I have been immersed in the Fatima message for many years praying with it. Our Mother asked of us to participate in the five first Saturdays and make communions of reparation. The culmination of Mary’s pleading to me is to be in prayer; God’s divine love and grace come forth from this. A fond memory for me is that of Our Lady interceding to save Saint John Paul II when he was shot on May 13, 1981. This miraculous engagement was rooted in love. He lived in the divine. Mary’s zeal was her duty to save. What a moment of grace. Mary’s Divine love and union with Divine Providence called forth the miracle that guided the bullet millimeters away from what would have been fatal.
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What is fatally attracting us from our interior life? As we go with fortitude in prayer through the pandemic outbreak, can we see Mary’s hands, the hands opened to the divine light, the light that will bring us to the divine love of Our Father in Heaven? Divine Providence is before us, every moment. In the interior life we come to see every second. Mary’s hands, the light they hold, bring us to Jesus. His Eucharistic life is still breathing within us. It is interior, it keeps us in divine love.