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ELISHEBA BLOG

Laura, Ivonne, and Rick
​write about their lives in the Eucharist.
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Boundaries of Love

9/9/2023

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By: Ivonne J. Hernandez
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I have always been a rule follower. Knowing where clearly marked borders are gives me the freedom to move within the safety of its lines. Yet, every coin has another side. Every good thing made to help us can indeed become an obstacle for us as soon as we place it between God and us. We can become so comfortable focusing on the rule of law that it becomes what we trust. We can become legalistic and miss entirely the spirit of the law. Everything in creation is subordinate to the law of Love.

“The fulfillment of the law is Christ himself, who does not so much lead us away from the letter as lift us up to its spirit. For the law’s consummation was this, that the very lawgiver accomplished his work and changed letter into spirit, summing everything up in himself and, though subject to the law, living by grace. He subordinated the law, yet harmoniously united grace with it, not confusing the distinctive characteristics of the one with the other but effecting the transition in a way most fitting for God. He changed whatever was burdensome, servile and oppressive to what is light and liberating, so that we should be enslaved no longer under the elemental spirits of the world, as the Apostle says, nor held fast as bondservants under the letter of the law.” (From a discourse by Saint Andrew of Crete, bishop (Oratio 1: PG 97, 806-810))

Imagine a spouse standing right next to the “no cheating” boundary, seeing how far they can go while not crossing the line. I’d say that marriage is in trouble. Their focus is on the line rather than on loving their spouse. Rules and boundaries are essential in all relationships. As a married person, knowing that cheating on your spouse is a definitive NO is important. Yet, if that is where our focus remains, on what not to do, we might miss living and experiencing the very relationship the boundaries were meant to protect. The same thing happens in our relationship with God. If our focus remains only on paying attention to the boundaries, we miss entering into the heart of God.

“Consider yourselves as foolish, as outsiders, or as wanting, until Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament becomes your only possession, your only happiness, your only joy, because you are not yet fully his. He doesn’t yet reign as a sovereign master in you. Oh! If we were fully his, he would be the constant thought of our hearts, the only law of our lives! Oh! How beautiful, gentle, and strong our life would then be! It would be Jesus’ life.” (St. Peter Julian Eymard)
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God wants us to be faithful, to love Him above all things, to believe in His love for us, and to trust in Him. It is not around the edges, around shallow waters, where we will find the fulfillment of this. It is by going towards His Heart, away from the things that used to bring us comfort and safety. As long as we move towards the center, we don’t have to fear losing our footing in the deep. He is there to hold us, for we were made for Him. 

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Ivonne J. Hernandez

Ivonne is a Lay Associate of the Blessed Sacrament, President of Elisheba House, and author of The Rosary: Eucharistic Meditations. She lives in Trinity, Florida, with her husband, Rick, and their children.

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A Perfect Sacrifice

8/19/2023

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By: Ivonne J. Hernandez
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“…you never cease to gather a people to yourself, so that, from the rising of the sun to its setting, a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name.” (Eucharistic Prayer III)
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What’s the first thing that comes to mind when we hear the word sacrifice? For me, I think of a mom or a dad sacrificing themselves for their child, putting the needs of the children above their own, perhaps even going without a necessity. I think of how my husband lets the boys eat the leftover pizza he had saved for lunch without batting an eye. He gets annoyed for a moment but immediately turns around and says it is fine. I think of how I left my career to care for my sons or how my mom worked three jobs after my dad died. There is an immediate relation to suffering for someone - out of love - when I hear the word sacrifice, a voluntary giving-up of something of value… so that someone else might be allowed to rise up. This is the context in which I’ve always looked at Jesus on the Cross. 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
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But today, I came upon some words from St. Augustine that challenged me to ponder deeper on the meaning of this word… sacrifice.

From The City of God by St Augustine, bishop

“A true sacrifice is anything that we do with the aim of being united to God in holy fellowship – anything that is directed towards that supreme good and end in which alone we can be truly blessed. It follows that even an act of compassion towards men is not a sacrifice, if it is not done for the sake of God. Although it is performed by man, sacrifice is still a divine thing, as the Latin word indicates: “sacri-ficium,” “holy-doing” or “holy-making.” Man himself can be a sacrifice, if he is consecrated in the name of God, and vowed to God – a sacrifice in so far as he dies to the world in order to live to God. This is also an act of compassion: compassion of a man for himself. Thus it is written: take pity on your own soul by doing what is pleasing to God.”

“A true sacrifice is anything that we do with the aim of being united to God in holy fellowship” …anything! The question to ask ourselves is, what are we aiming for? St. Augustine continues:

“True sacrifices are acts of compassion to ourselves or others, done with God in mind. Such acts have no other object than the relief of distress or the giving of happiness. Finally, the only true happiness is the one the psalmist speaks of: but for myself, I take joy in clinging to God.”
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We can spend our lives sacrificing ourselves yet not making a sacrifice to God. Blood, sweat, and tears wasted, living for ourselves and for strange gods. Gods that can not speak and can not love, working endlessly just to end empty-handed. Sands of time run through our fingers as we keep running away from the One who never ceases to call out for us. Repent! Return! I am your God.

I’ve come to recognize a particular type of tiredness that comes upon me when I have been laboring for fruit that perishes rather than making an offering to God. A “burnt-out” feeling reminds me to return to the source. The grace of being left to my own resources is that I recognize and remember. I recognize this desolate place where I feel tired and helpless, and I remember where my strength comes from. Again and again, I find my strength renewed in the Sacraments, especially receiving Holy Communion. The beauty of this movement is that every step in the right direction is not just a sacrifice on my part, but since it is done “with the aim of being united to God in holy fellowship,” every step becomes a TRUE SACRIFICE. This act of self-compassion done to relieve the distress I feel in my heart is acceptable to God! The pain I feel becomes the means to turn back; it helps reorient my heart. Then every other act of compassion to myself or others continues to be “holy-doing,” “holy-making,”…a beautiful sacrifice.

Let us then find moments through our day when we stop and examine where is our aim. If whatever we are doing is not done with the ultimate goal of being more united to God, let us ask for the grace to pivot, to reorient and set our eyes on Jesus. Let us ask Our Lady, to bring us with her heart into the arms of God. Let us become a holy living sacrifice to God.
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Ivonne J. Hernandez

Ivonne is a Lay Associate of the Blessed Sacrament, President of Elisheba House, and author of The Rosary: Eucharistic Meditations. She lives in Trinity, Florida, with her husband, Rick, and their children.

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As For Me and My Household

7/29/2023

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By: Ivonne J. Hernandez
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“Therefore, the Supreme Pontiff Pope FRANCIS, considering the important evangelical witness they offered in welcoming the Lord Jesus into their home, in listening to him attentively, in believing that he is the resurrection and the life, and accepting the proposal of this Dicastery, has decreed that 29 July be designated in the General Roman Calendar as the Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus.” (DECREE on the Celebration of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus in the General Roman Calendar, 2021)
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Martha, Mary, and Lazarus… three siblings watching us from Heaven, praying for us, rooting for us. Their example is one of simplicity and love; they welcomed Jesus into their home.

“Jesus entered a village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.” (Cf. Luke 10:38)
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I get the impression that Martha might have been the eldest, the head of the household; she represented all of them in welcoming Christ. I remember first hearing the title “Head of Household” when my mom filed her income tax return after my dad passed away. I was very young… interesting to remember such a minor detail. It might have been one of those moments when an abstract concept materializes in one’s mind. More than a simple classification for tax purposes, it defined the new status of my mother in our lives.
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Many people said that, as a widow, my mom had to fulfill the role of both father and mother to us. Yet, I don’t think that is really possible. She was a very busy mom, but she was still just mom; she was not dad. I think well-meaning people did not have the understanding or vocabulary to name that she was a mother and head of household. She had all the previous responsibilities of raising and mothering us, but she was now also our representative. She was legally and spiritually empowered to speak for us. 

 “As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)
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​When we got married, my husband and I created a new family and a new home. Over the years, the makeup of our household has changed more than once. There have been years when my mother lived with us. Right now, one of our adult sons has moved out into his own home, yet two young adults still live with us. All three are our sons, but only two are part of our household. Our levels of authority and responsibility are different in each scenario. What does it mean to be the head of the home?

“On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river where we thought there would be a place of prayer. We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there. One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home,” and she prevailed on us.” (Acts 16:13-15)
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The Lord opened Lydia’s heart. She then spoke for her household, had them all baptized, and invited the Apostles to stay at their home. As a head of household, there is a role of leadership, a responsibility for those under you in the home. And that role looks different when those in your home are children than when they are adults. It looks different for a married couple than a single dad or mom. A good leader serves by helping each household member get with the program, always leading by example, and always leading with love. Before Lydia could bring Christ to her household, she had to first let Him enter her heart… only then would He be welcomed into the home.

What does it mean to welcome Christ into our homes? How do we learn to sit at His feet and listen? How can we prepare to leave the tomb at the sound of His voice?
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Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus pray for us.


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Ivonne J. Hernandez

Ivonne is a Lay Associate of the Blessed Sacrament, President of Elisheba House, and author of The Rosary: Eucharistic Meditations. She lives in Trinity, Florida, with her husband, Rick, and their children.

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