ELISHEBA BLOGLaura, Ivonne, and Rick
write about their lives in the Eucharist. |
ELISHEBA BLOGLaura, Ivonne, and Rick
write about their lives in the Eucharist. |
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.
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. 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.
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?
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? Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus pray for us.
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We held Elisheba House’s Eucharistic Healing Retreat a few weeks ago in Trinity, FL. The weeks leading up to the retreat were busy with tasks, phone calls, and meetings, as anyone who has ever planned an event can probably imagine. I am grateful that my monthly spiritual direction and confession appointment was set amid all the business just a few days before the retreat. I was feeling burdened and tired, yet God had already prepared this time for me to give him my burdens before the retreat. One of the things still on my “to-do” list was preparing for the talk I was scheduled to present. I do not know if it was because I was juggling many tasks in my brain, but I had only the topic for my talk, not the details or the words. As a planner, this was uncomfortable. I wanted to have at least an outline, yet every time I sat to pray and write, I would end up staring at the same blank page. When I shared this with my spiritual director, he said this was a very good thing. I was empty; I was ready to receive. My task now was to allow myself to be filled with God, so that I would have something to give.
This was the Scripture verse we had chosen for the retreat, so it was not surprising that as part of my preparation, God would speak those exact words to me. All the labor was good, but it was meant to be laid at His feet. If I was going to have anything to give to those attending the retreat, I had to make room first to receive.
We all experience a need to unburden ourselves, yet, what happens when we do it in the wrong places is that we hurt ourselves and each other; we sin. Jesus is waiting to carry our burdens in the confessional. He is the peace we seek. We lay down our burdens when we say, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.”
Our works are often a mixed bag. Good intentions mixed with bad habits. The Divine working with fallen humans… the wheat growing with the weeds. Our works are good, yet they often need to be purified. In the laying down and surrendering of our work, we make room for God to do His.
We speak our sins to the priest in the person of Christ. We name the sins that have held us captive, the heavy yoke we willingly chose instead of His. We reject the works of the devil and ask Jesus for His yoke, His commands, His rules, in other words, His Love. When we bring our work and give it all to Him, we make room for His Love; He gives us His Peace.
And what is His yoke but the daily transformation of our hearts to become more like Him?
The following quote was shared during our retreat’s Holy Hour, and it really spoke to me:
When we bring our work and surrender it to Jesus, we make room for His Love; He gives us His Peace. Let us then bring the reality of our sins and limitations to Jesus in Confession and ask Him to heal us and transform our wounds into places that will glorify Him. The works of our hands then become our offering for others to receive Him.
“May the heart of Jesus, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, be praised, adored, and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. Amen.”
When we love Jesus and see Him abused in the Blessed Sacrament, how it hurts our hearts! Yet, how often are we tempted to make justice by taking matters into our own hands? How great is the temptation to think we know better how God wants things to go? The suffering we experience when we see Jesus willingly give Himself on the Cross, and now in the Blessed Sacrament, becomes our offering of love. We offer this in atonement… we suffer with Him for love. For love of Him, and love of others… for He wants His mercy to overflow to all. We know we have in Our Blessed Mother the perfect model and example of how to adore God. Let us picture her at the foot of the Cross. That is where we find ourselves when we witness sacrileges, abuses, and all sorts of indignities towards the Blessed Sacrament. We are witnessing the free will offering of the Son. Mary stayed with Him and suffered with Him. In contrast, let us look at what Peter did when Jesus was betrayed by Judas… he took out his sword.
Jesus wants to drink the cup… all the way to the last drop.
Jesus is not someone who needs us to defend Him. He just wants our love.
This is where we worship Him in Spirit and Truth (cf. John 4:24). It is not the beauty of the building, or the vestments, or the music, but the beauty of a meek and humble heart willingly suffering as an offering with the Son.
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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. |