ELISHEBA HOUSE
  • Home
  • BOOKS
    • Consecration
    • Rosary
  • Retreats
  • Blog
    • SUBSCRIBE
  • About Us
    • Ivonne J. Hernandez
    • Rick Hernandez
    • Laura Catherine Worhacz
  • Contact Us
Picture

ELISHEBA BLOG

Ivonne, Rick and Laura
​write about their lives in the Eucharist.
SUBSCRIBE

Do This in Memory of Me: Walk with Mary to Pentecost

5/21/2022

Comments

 
By: Laura Catherine Worhacz
Picture

​A Lively Faith in the Eucharist

“Let the Holy Eucharist be your starting point; just as the rays all emanate from the sun, in the same way, this hearth of all light will be your point of departure. The holy Eucharist is Jesus past, present, and future. It was the loving purpose of his mortal life. All the mysteries are glorified therein, all his virtues admirably continued; it is the sovereign mystery of faith where all truths converge like rivers into the ocean which feeds them. When we have said Eucharist, we have said everything! It is Jesus in his sacramental state! But, in order that the Eucharist may radiate everywhere, it must be our life’s inspiration, the real science of our mind, our heart’s sovereign love; then it will become our life’s mobile passion. Our life is fully defined by our dominant passion.”

Saint Peter Julian Eymard (Praying 15 Days with Peter Julian Eymard, page 14)

 
​Dearest Eucharistic Family, 
The daily scriptures in the Easter Season keep us in flight after the long road of Lent. The Passion of Jesus lives in our existence by the grace of the Eucharist. We hold the death of our Lord deep in our hearts. We walk with Mary to Pentecost and find the immense love of God clearly defined in our Liturgical year. 
 
Our Lady lived without sin, holding all the mysteries of faith by God’s sovereign love. “When we have said Eucharist, we have said everything.”
 
Where was Mary during the 50 days after the Resurrection of Jesus? 
 
What was she doing, thinking?
 
Perhaps Mary was preparing for what would come next. Indeed, she remembered all that happened to her Son. Assuredly Our Lady was praying, finding the fullness of grace from the inner cenacle of her heart to the Altar where Heaven and earth meet. Mary’s life passion is Jesus, and He defined her existence. Eastertide; Mary’s spirit of hope enabled her to obtain from God the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 
 
As we journey to Pentecost, let us walk with Mary and pray with Mary. In the Book of Revelation, we have imagined a time when there will be no more mourning and weeping (cf. Revelation 21:4-5). On these Easter days, we are listening to the persecutions of St. Paul and the Apostles. We remember the healing in the name of the Lord Jesus. There will be a new birth streaming from our baptism to the birth of our Catholic Church at Pentecost. 

“Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary, for firmly believing that the promises of the Lord would be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:45)
​
As we keep our eyes fixed on the clouds, think of Mary, who beheld the death of Jesus, which would mold her into the perfect model of Christ, her Son. Pentecost is coming. The fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit are for us to become by our yes and openness to God’s life in us. The mystery is humbling; it is found in a gift of self by submission to God’s Holy Will. Mary saw God’s Providence in every aspect of her life. Mary’s espousal to the Holy Spirit made her become Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Knowledge, Fortitude, Piety, and Fear of the Lord through her love. 

​“Let the Holy Eucharist be your starting point; just as the rays all emanate from the sun, in the same way, this hearth of all light will be your point of departure. The holy Eucharist is Jesus past, present, and future.” - St. Peter Julian

​Blessings in this Easter Season.
​

Veni, Creator Spiritus (Come Holy Spirit, Creator Blest)*
 
Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,
and in our souls take up Thy rest;
come with Thy grace and heavenly aid
to fill the hearts which Thou hast made.
 
O comforter, to Thee we cry,
O heavenly gift of God Most High,
O fount of life and fire of love,
and sweet anointing from above.
 
Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known;
Thou, finger of God’s hand we own;
Thou, promise of the Father,
Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue.
 
Kindle our sense from above,
and make our hearts overflow with love;
with patience firm and virtue high
the weakness of our flesh supply.
 
Far from us drive the foe we dread,
and grant us Thy peace instead;
so shall we not, with Thee for guide,
turn from the path of life aside.
 
Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow
the Father and the Son to know;
and Thee, through endless times confessed,
of both the eternal Spirit blest.
 
Now to the Father and the Son,
Who rose from death, be glory given,
with Thou, O Holy Comforter,
 henceforth by all in earth and heaven.
Amen.


*PLENARY INDULGENCE if recited on the first of January or on the feast of the Pentecost (accompanied by the three prerequisites of a plenary indulgence). Otherwise, a partial indulgence is granted to those who recite it.

Picture

Laura Catherine Worhacz

Laura Catherine Worhacz is a Lay Associate of the Blessed Sacrament and author of Consecration to Jesus Through Our Lady of The Blessed Sacrament. She is also the Director of Mothers of The Blessed Sacrament. She lives in Trinity, FL with her husband and their two daughters.

Comments

Do this in Memory of Me: Mortify Your Senses

2/26/2022

Comments

 
By: Laura Catherine Worhacz
Picture

“One who aspires to union with God will use mortification as the mystical ladder of Jacob (cf. Genesis 28:12). This is the sign of true progress in the journey towards God. It can even be said that one can go to God only through the cross of Calvary. It is the sharp, two-edged sword (cf. Revelation 1:16) mentioned in the Book of Revelation. The journey to life passes through death. To know the state of a soul, this is what must be examined. If its detachment is great, this soul is great; if not, then it is still plodding on the ground and in the mud. Why is mortification the measure of our progress towards God? Because we must set ourselves aside to be united to God.”

St. Peter Julian Eymard
(Letter to the Sister Servants for Lent, Paris February 22, 1863)


​Dearest Eucharistic Family,

Ash Wednesday will be upon us in a few days. Looking at our lives through the eyes of Heaven, what do we see? Through the grace of the Eucharist, what is revealed to us?
​
Our individual sacrifices are varied in many ways. Perhaps we can look up together, to the head of the Mystical Body of Christ, to better see the feeble parts within. Beginning with ourselves, prayer is necessary; fidelity and self-denial are required to love in Christ. 

“So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.” (Matthew 18:35)
​
We learn to love like Jesus by loving Jesus. During Lent, it has been a practice since before the 1500s to pray the Stations of The Cross. By this, we immerse ourselves into the Passion of Christ.

Mortification has been strongly in my prayer since it seems to be the way to lose ourselves and find God. The mystery of The Scourging at the Pillar is always very intense to pray on my rosaries. Mortifying our senses to perfection can be derived from this meditation and union with Christ. Only our Divine Savior could have endured the pain from the whips; it is beyond our comprehension. The strikes to the flesh, the pain Jesus endured in His Passion, help us to dissipate all we hold onto to find what will be with us for all eternity, love.

I recall the first time I watched the movie, The Passion of the Christ… I went through a box of tissues, and there was an emptying of self that seeped in my soul. The only hunger at that moment was filled by the desire to bind the wounds of Christ and cling to our Blessed Mother.

We can live in love for one another by the grace of the Eucharist, embracing the reality of the love that has been poured out for each of us so intimately. Lent is a special gift to us; it is a season of hope. It reminds me of our time in adoration, in that sometimes we cannot see what is happening, yet there is a mystical blessing affirming God’s love for us.
​
Quiet time will help us go deep within to identify with the pains of forgiveness we need to give and receive. Although we may not repair every part of our lives that have suffered, we can find peace and trust in knowing God always brings about a greater good. 

“We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
​
Meditating in the presence of the Eucharist will draw us into the life that is to come in all of its fullness. Whenever I come out of prayer time, there is an awareness of grace, a desire to give. A fresh breath of air to take in to help me respond to situations with Jesus. Our Mother is with us in every virtue we try to grow in. Mary is in the shadows of Christ’s love for us, with St. Joseph in the Sacrament, they lived.  May we find charity, almsgiving, and fasting as a special gift to Jesus this Lenten season.

To live in the realm of our spiritual realities, voluntary self-sacrifice will enable us to live in conformity to the love of Jesus Christ. Mortifying our senses will help us to see past ourselves into the heart of another, thus enabling the Eucharistic Heart to pulsate Our Heavenly Father’s love. The Holy Spirit who lives in the inner cenacle of our souls will grant us the power to find the fortitude of mortification. Love has Risen!
​
Picture

Laura Catherine Worhacz

Laura Catherine Worhacz is a Lay Associate of the Blessed Sacrament and author of Consecration to Jesus Through Our Lady of The Blessed Sacrament. She is also the Director of Mothers of The Blessed Sacrament. She lives in Trinity, FL with her husband and their two daughters.

Comments

Do This in Memory of Me: Pray!

1/15/2022

Comments

 
By: Laura Catherine Worhacz
Picture

Dearest Eucharistic family,

Blessings as we enter ordinary time!

The week after Christmas, I was home alone cleaning up the house after a beautiful and lovely full-house of company. It was about 1:00 a.m. when I finished dusting, mopping, and putting things away. I was ready for my head to hit the pillow when I went to put my glass-bottom cheesecake pan up on the highest shelf. Yes, I dropped it. It was made up of glass beads which shattered all over the house as the pan hit the ground. Looking at my image of the Divine Mercy on the wall, I said to Jesus, “Well, I guess it’s not time for bed yet, Lord!” In my conversation with Jesus, the clean-up of glass became a prayer.

The thought of cleaning up in love so my daughters, husband, and I would not cut our feet on the glass inspired the grace to do what needed to be done. The responsibility to clean up the mess was a priority, something I had to do, yet following the star of our lives, Jesus, it was not a burden.
Like cleaning up the glass, we have a responsibility to pray for our loved ones, for ourselves, and all our Lord has entrusted to us. To protect our loved ones from the cutting, cunning darkness that surrounds us, we have the power to pray.

As we enter into ordinary time, let us live in the wonderment of conversing with God throughout our ordinary days and unexpected events that come our way. Our prayers, like cleaning up the beads of shattered glass, help us in fortitude get through this journey of life.

With so much going on in our world and with so many intentions coming our way to pray for the ones suffering, how can we imagine getting through the brokenness of life without prayer? Without prayer, we would be confronting life without God, who makes all things possible (Mark 10:27).

The Sacrament of the Eucharist is the highest prayer. Jesus, in His true presence, desires to listen to us. Waiting to be in conversation with us, “He makes all things new” (Revelation 21:4-5). Jesus comforts us in His peace as we live out the mystery of our lives.

Sometimes things are so shattered that they cannot be put back together this side of Heaven. However, we can pray, trust, and hope we will find some resurrection from the crosses of life, knowing that God will bring a greater good out of everything we ask in His holy name.

Although I loved my old baking pan, my husband was able to order me a new one.

Our daily plans, relationships, and life may not always go as expected. God will bring something new to us and create anew in us as we offer all to Him.

In the excerpt below, Saint Peter Julian Eymard reminds us of the poor windows that let the bad weather in. The turbulence of life, the unexpected and unforeseen things that come to our days, will bring us closer to the Providence of God and form our hearts in the love of God found in the Eucharist.
​
Opening our hearts to God’s life in us evermore is a gift. Being mindful of the inner cenacle, the place where our souls are affixed to the altar of God, will keep us in the process, just as Saint Peter Julian Eymard expresses. Prayer forms our acceptance, enfolding us in the promise of what is to come. Receiving Holy Communion is our grace this side of Heaven.
​
“Dear Daughter in our Lord, better late than never! You surprise yourself in the process...Surely, when nothing is regulated, we don’t find time to do anything serious or of consequence. It isn’t necessary to regulate everything in detail: it isn’t possible. But should plan our day in the morning, foresee some major thing that must be done. Five minutes of preparation would be helpful. I like your penance at twenty. Later you will reduce it, we must rest to renew our strength. It isn’t the weather outside which is at fault, but poor windows which let it come inside.” (Letter to MME Mathilde Giraud-Jordan IV18/19/March 18,1869) - Saint Peter Julian Eymard
​
Picture

Laura Catherine Worhacz

Laura Catherine Worhacz is a Lay Associate of the Blessed Sacrament and author of Consecration to Jesus Through Our Lady of The Blessed Sacrament. She is also the Director of Mothers of The Blessed Sacrament. She lives in Trinity, FL with her husband and their two daughters.

Comments

Do This in Memory of Me: Glorify the Heavenly Father

12/25/2021

Comments

 
By: Laura Catherine Worhacz
Picture

“Jesus was the center of love of Mary and Joseph. So that the possession of Jesus was itself the whole center of the Holy Family. Neither Bethlehem nor Nazareth nor Egypt really mattered to them; Jesus alone was the home of their heart. With what joy and happiness St. Joseph hastened back to the home that harbored the divine Child. He spent as little time as possible away from Him. He knew that Jesus was the divine Love Incarnate… Jesus was the end of the life of Mary and Joseph; they lived and worked for Him alone.” - St. Peter Julian Eymard

Dearest Eucharistic Family,

Merry Christmas! The celebration continues tomorrow in the Holy Family, the place where Love Incarnate found a home. Our Heavenly Father is glorified in Christ’s birth into our hearts, into our families, our homes, in all we do.

There is an inner cenacle born as we receive the Eucharist, a place where love is found, a home being built. In this inner house, a Kingdom awaits us; we experience new births, wonderment, and love. In the above excerpt, we learn that nothing really matters but Jesus. Our life and work for Him alone will bring us the joy of Christmas. Our Heavenly Father is glorified through our love.

The birth of Christ enfolds us in His love. The sacramental grace of the Eucharist helps us to see the Kingdom within. The second coming breathes now among us. In the eternal reality, we will know the fullness of birth, life, and true love.

There is a vastness to be seen in the inner cenacle… joys and sorrows, life and death. With Jesus as our center, may we see past our own homes into the Holy Family, the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church of God Our Father, so He may truly be glorified.
​
Christmas Blessings!

Picture

Laura Catherine Worhacz

Laura Catherine Worhacz is a Lay Associate of the Blessed Sacrament and author of Consecration to Jesus Through Our Lady of The Blessed Sacrament. She is also the Director of Mothers of The Blessed Sacrament. She lives in Trinity, FL with her husband and their two daughters.

Comments

Do This in Memory of Me: Shine Confidence

11/13/2021

Comments

 
By: Laura Catherine Worhacz
Picture

“The vocation of an adorer comes from heaven and not from the world. Such a vocation is the fruit of adoration itself, of the Father’s being satisfied with us, of Jesus Christ’s being pleased with His servants. It is then we enjoy His confidence.” -  St. Peter Julian Eymard 
​
Dearest Eucharistic Family,
​
We have Our Lord Jesus Christ with us truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. The AWESOME wonder we are invited to live in falls into the mystery of God. As we pray in thanks and praise, let us take time to renew our spirits. The turbulence of our world will constantly try to sweep us away; it cannot. We have been called from Heaven to know we are created in God’s love. Our response to let others know there is more than this world is challenging; it seems charity is the only key to this Kingdom, a hope to bring assurance of what is to come and confidence to live in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, our mission.

“I removed his shoulder from the burden; his hands moved away from the basket. In distress you called and I rescued you; I answered you in secret with thunder.” (Psalm 81)

The above psalm should set fire to confidence in our souls in remembrance of the Providence Our Father in Heaven has granted to us.

Recall a time your shoulder has been freed from a burden.

Recall a time a burden has brought you to the foot of the Cross.

Jesus’s hand reaching for us, pulling us up out of the sorrows of our sins, is a good image to have in our minds. How do we obtain the confidence of God’s love under the weight of the Cross? It seems an interior communication by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The indwelling of grace lives in the hope of what is to come. Joy is found here, and the blessing to serve is our greatest pleasure.

My eldest daughter (26 years old) and I recently had dinner home over a glass of wine. We were having a wonderful conversation with some laughter. She reminded me of when something went wrong when she was little. I would ask her to write several times, I will not... And also, I WILL... We rejoiced in the memory, which led us to a serious conversation about journaling and the ability to ask for God’s grace.

Our Eucharistic vocation leads us to move with Jesus, to come to know His love and know His WILL. Jesus will help us flourish in a communion of the divine life now through our adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. In the above words of St. Peter Julian, he teaches us the vocation of an adorer is the fruit of adoration itself.
​
The Catholic dictionary on vocation:

“The calling from God to follow a particular way of life. Emphasizes the universal call to holiness, that general call of God to all the baptized to a life of grace and union with Him; this vocation is the call that gives human life its destiny and meaning. In particular, vocation is understood as God’s call to a distinctive state of life.”

In whatever vocation we serve in life, let our first call be to adore the Blessed Sacrament. In adoration, let us come to know Jesus, to be conformed ever more to his humble love. In the Tabernacle, let us go to find ourselves locked in the mystery of our God so He may possess our hearts, and with confidence, we will live by the power of the Holy Spirit.

“We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4: 16-19)

Picture

Laura Catherine Worhacz

Laura Catherine Worhacz is a Lay Associate of the Blessed Sacrament and author of Consecration to Jesus Through Our Lady of The Blessed Sacrament.. She is also the Director of Mothers of The Blessed Sacrament. She lives in Trinity, FL with her husband and their two daughters.

Comments

Do This in Memory of Me: Work Out Your Salvation

10/23/2021

Comments

 
By: Laura Catherine Worhacz
Picture

​“Servants of Jesus, you must imitate your Divine Master; imitate his hidden life in every way.” - Saint Peter Julian Eymard (Conference to the sister, Paris, 6/11/1858) 

Dearest Eucharistic Family, 

This time of year, we have set before us much décor in the fashion of darkness.  Souls long to be in the presence of grace and sacramentals that raise our hearts and minds to the heavens.

I recently had the privilege of bringing Holy Communion to a parishioner in rehab healing from brain surgery. As I walked down the facility’s hallway, I passed at least two dozen witch hats pasted to the hall walls, all pointing at me. In the corners of the hallway were stuffed demons and goblins! I walked with my pyx and said, “O my Jesus...”
​
The glory, the good news, is that we walk through this life with and in Jesus. Praise God for the Eucharist. Jesus is the center of existence through the Liturgy. The Sacramental Church raises us out of this darkness into the light. We can view the things of this world through the light of the Eucharist. Our baptism births us into our childhood of God. Our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, is here to keep hold of our hands. It is only grace to know the spiritual life. Blessings are available beyond the veil of this world. We desire to have our loved ones, and all we encounter come and know this gift of God’s presence among us. We want all to know there is a way in which we can live that is beyond the darkness. 
We have only weeks until the new Liturgical year begins. A new awakening is set before us, and we will once again prepare for the birth of Christ. 

“So then, my beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12)

Imagine at the consecration being with St. John, Our Mother, and the beloved ones of God.  We can think of the water drops poured into the chalice representing our tears. We pray in reparation out of love asking for forgiveness of our sins and those of the whole world. 

The transforming blessings of the Holy Spirit change us as we place ourselves on the Altar of God. Grace to suffice for the darkness. 

Our beloved human family immersed in the ornaments of destruction only have the hope of our prayers. St. Peter Julian, Apostle of the Eucharist, reminds us to imitate our Divine Master in every way, in the hiddenness.
Jesus’ fiat was to bring forth the Glory of His Father, His love by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

All Hallows' Eve is coming! 

All Saints and All Souls Day to look forward to. May we be imitators of the light like all the saints of Heaven as we carve our pumpkins and place the votives inside.  

​“Servants of Jesus, you must imitate your Divine Master; imitate his hidden life in every way.”  - Saint Peter Julian Eymard (Conference to the sister, Paris, 6/11/1858)  

Jesus gave Himself even unto death on the Cross, asking for forgiveness of sins.
​   
We are to work out our salvation this side of Heaven through the Eucharist. In hope, let us identify with others by being people of Divine Wisdom and Understanding. May our goodness draw others to desire all that is holy.  

​“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”  (Philippians 4:8)

Picture

Laura Catherine Worhacz

Laura Catherine Worhacz is a Lay Associate of the Blessed Sacrament and author of Consecration to Jesus Through Our Lady of The Blessed Sacrament.. She is also the Director of Mothers of The Blessed Sacrament. She lives in Trinity, FL with her husband and their two daughters.

Comments
<<Previous

    SUBSCRIBE

    Categories

    All
    Consecration
    Do This In Memory Of Me
    Ivonne's Posts
    Laura's Posts
    Prayers
    Rick's Posts
    Rosary


    FOLLOW US ON ​SOCIAL MEDIA:
    Picture

    Authors

    We are Ivonne J. Hernandez, Rick Hernandez and Laura Worhacz, Lay Associates of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, and brothers and sisters in Christ.


    FOLLOW IVONNE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:


    RSS Feed

    SUBSCRIBE
 Copyright © 2022 Elisheba House Inc.
  • Home
  • BOOKS
    • Consecration
    • Rosary
  • Retreats
  • Blog
    • SUBSCRIBE
  • About Us
    • Ivonne J. Hernandez
    • Rick Hernandez
    • Laura Catherine Worhacz
  • Contact Us