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.
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.
Blessings in this Easter Season.
*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.
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.
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.
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!
 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
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!
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
|
Categories
All
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
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. FOLLOW IVONNE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
|
RSS Feed