Dearest Eucharistic Family, Heaven is revealed to us who believe; in our prayer, we begin to see all things in the light of the Eucharist. God's Providence is made known to our hearts, even through the trials of life. We require restoration. Souls in need of rehabilitation, our own first on the list. How can we restore all things in Christ? Building trust may be a way to begin. Imagine the moment Judas dipped his hand in the dish with Jesus.
Imagine if Judas had dipped his hand into the dish with Jesus and, at that moment, had taken an inward glance at his soul. On the paten our Lord rests; the hands of the priest, they take him to us. We partake in the Paschal mystery. If fear were cast out of Judas and replaced by trust in the mystery, perhaps as Judas dipped his hand with Jesus, He would have been restored in his humanity and raised to the divinity of Christ. Judas would have been the apostle Jesus longed for him to be. How often do we betray with an inward thought or glance that may hurt God and another person? The Eucharist is the purification of our interior being. It is the only way to genuinely extend exterior glances, smiles, and the joy of the Gospel to others in sincerity of heart. Our purity of intention is our hope from suffering to glory, the Cross to the Resurrection. In this life, we can only find true peace in the Blessed Sacrament of God's love. For restoration to become a lasting reality, we must constantly converse with our Lord. God knows the longing of our hearts. He wants us to follow His will and to see as He sees. In this, there is healing, restoration, and peace beyond this world.
If we follow our hearts and see the miracles of life in God's Providence, we can help restore our humanity to God's merciful love. Jesus asks us to pay attention to His words. Jesus knew He would be handed over to people who would kill Him. Are we dipping into things we should not partake in because of anxiety and fear? Perhaps it is our first impulse to take what may harm us. If we can think past vanities into the humility of Christ, we may take a moment to dip into the Chalice of Salvation. Being restored through the Eucharistic mystery invites us to be in communion with others. We do not take and eat and run. We take and eat and fly with our brethren searching for souls to heal. As children of Mary, we need to seek out our brothers and sisters to find them as they run and hide. We are to meet them where they are and console them in their suffering so they may rise to a new hope. Restoration of lives, the forgiveness of sins, and living in the grace of the present moment will make known to others the resurrection of eternal life, the firmament of Heaven. Are we paying attention to the living Word of God? Life comes from the Cross. May our embrace of it help us find our hearts' true desire to carry out God's Will.
What is the Eucharist? Let us never forget why our Lord is present on the altar. What did our Lord Jesus Christ say? This is my Body, take and eat; this is my Blood, take and drink. Amen
 Dearest Eucharistic Family, In my travels last week to NY, upon entering the plane, a lady was carrying a toy poodle in a pet carrier. She was in a lengthy conversation with another lady about the cuteness of the pup. It was truly adorable. The lady carrying the dog went on about how much she loved him and deeply expressed how faithful the little toy poodle was. She laughed and said again, “he is the only one faithful to me.” There was a reality there for her and a brokenness I detected. As I was praying my rosary on the plane, our faithful Lord came to my thoughts. In my mind’s eye, through my prayer, I saw the white horse with its rider from the Book of Revelation.
There is so much unfaithfulness in our world, much more than can be controlled, it seems, yet we are called by our God to be faithful and true. Perhaps in our faithfulness to God through injustice and pains, the world will see that Our God exists and that He is alive and well and with us. Perhaps by us sharing the WORD of God and by proclaiming His truth, faithfulness will be aroused in others rather than deceit. Perhaps in forgiving through Jesus, our faithfulness will never be broken, and truth will shine brightly. Our wholeness is created in love of God and neighbor, the first commitment in our consecration to be made holy. In the Eucharist, we are taken by the rider on a white horse into the heavens now. Inscribed in the heart of God are our names, written in the blood of the lamb of God, Jesus Christ. God has trodden the wine press; His justice will reign forever and ever. HE IS FAITHFUL AND TRUE. We are invited into his banquet of love and called by the heavens to share in his glory. Forgiveness of sins and life in His Spirit, His Holy Spirit is to be found; Gifts beyond the infidelities of this world. Saint Peter Julian names us in this quote a book of love, “Give, therefore, your preference to that beautiful book...” We can begin with ourselves to be faithful and true and keep a steadfast hope in our King of Kings and Lord of Lords and live in the freedom and joy of his coming.
Who has been an example of faithfulness to you? Who have you been most faithful to? What inspiration has accompanied your fortitude? I can only imagine that for Jesus, the most faithful person through his life on earth would be Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament. The love they shared holds the Divine life for us to long for. The faithful and true life that will be everlasting will be found in our Gift of Self to God Our Father.
Dearest Eucharistic Family, Take a moment to go into the depth of your prayer and hear Jesus speak these words to you and me, “I am the living bread...”. They are truly unique, bringing forth life and truth. God is with us, and He is alive and well, giving us Living Bread from the Kingdom of Heaven. We are fed by God, nourished in His love. Take another moment and think of the most precious gift you have ever received.
Our Father in Heaven gave us his Son and the Promise of the Holy Spirit, spirit and life. I believe we share in response to the greatest gift we have ever received, being Jesus Christ, and our faith in the Resurrection of the dead. Our treasure of religion, our faith, is beyond the sentiment of earthly treasures. We may have many sacramentals and gifts that remind us of the giver, these sentiments are beautiful holy reminders, and without attachment to them, they are gifts from God through people, treasured. Gifts and presents from the sincerity of our hearts become part of our expression of love. Beyond the physical world are the spiritual gifts from above our earthly experience. Jesus speaks to us so personally, “the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.” In this promise from our Lord is everlasting life. The Eucharist is the only One to consume the pains of our humanity, the longing of our hearts, and the inspiration for us to hope, live, move and be. By way of the Incarnation, Jesus is part of us; more importantly, we are part of him. What more extraordinary gift can there be other than someone loving us, seeing us, and living with us. This life exalts us to the heavens now. Life comes through forgiveness of sins and our intimate relationship with Christ. At the elevation of the Sacred Host, be consumed with returning love to our Lord. Let us share the gift of the Flesh of the Son of God. The epitome of compassion is given to us in Jesus; this gift is provided beyond our faults and failures. The greatest gift we have given? Let this response be our return to the Lord, our gift of faith passed on to others. Compassion dwells in us from our reception of Holy Communion and making known to others how we have received this source of life. Love is the only gift we take to the Heavens when we leave this world. Let us fly over the transcendent sufferings of the present, keeping our eyes fixed on what is to come. Jesus gives us life in the spirit to journey through life. The Eucharist, the Living Flesh of the Son of God, is a treasured gift to carry into the world. We are the bearers of Christ for those of us privileged to receive Him. The Heavens will welcome us one day; love revealed in the abundance of LIGHT. Let us begin now, our purgatory, with love in acknowledgment of the gift of our Triune God. St. Peter Julian Eymard, our spiritual Father, discovered this gift of the Eucharist. It consumed his existence and empowered his life to be like a fire blazing, a torch reaching the Kingdom of God, awaiting the Eucharistic Kingdom to come again. St. Peter Julian says:
With Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, we have yet another treasure, our spiritual mother, always with us in the Living Bread, Jesus. It is Mary who helps us to consume our food well, digest, and be consoled to have the fullness of life on this side of the Kingdom.
 One of my favorite psalms that raises my heart to the heavens each time it is prayed in the morning Liturgy of the hours is Psalm 81: “I freed your shoulder from the burden; your hands were freed from the load. You called in distress and I saved you.” An invisible force of God’s love is manifested in these words; they have spirit and life in a magnified way. We can meditate with them for a moment to find the inner cenacle of our existence connected to our Eucharistic Lord and comfort in His redemption for us in this psalm of salvation. As we enter into ordinary time, we hear about false gods in the scriptures; indeed, these cannot free us from the burden. The Cross is a gift for the Christian. As we are transcended and identify more with the Crucified One, Jesus Christ, we experience love beyond this world. It does become visible for those who believe. It is visible love ignited in a soul that wants to return and bring to life the love they have found, the freedom they have been given. “I answered, concealed in the storm cloud...” (Psalm 81) Saint Peter Julian Eymard, a profoundly contemplative soul, discovered that the way to live in perfection through his humanity is to become a gift of self. Can we look to the other in every breath of life and relationship? The night before our Lord Jesus Christ handed himself over to death, he revealed to us how to glorify Our Heavenly Father. Jesus knelt down and washed his disciples’ feet (John 13:5). The Holy Spirit, the invisible grace, offers us joy in our work. Jesus washed the disciples’ feet with joy, passion, and love. Jesus teaches us to love one another. To be “freed” from ourselves and live in the Incarnation of God’s promise, love, and the blessings of the Holy Spirit. God wants us to be exalted! Yes, through life’s passions, hardships, and pains, we cling to the Kingdom of Heaven. The Bishop of St. Petersburg, Bishop Gregory Parkes, is having surgery as I type; he will have part of his leg amputated to save him from a recurring infection in his foot. This has been a heavy burden on our diocese and the Universal Church. It is incomprehensible to think of waking up without part of your body. A dearest sister in Christ is living in the reality that her nine-year-old son’s cancer has returned forcefully into his body. My daughter’s co-worker died in a car accident this past week. Challenging to grasp this level of mystery of suffering. Yet we believe! “Let there be no foreign god among you, no worship of an alien god. I am the Lord your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt. Open wide your mouth, and I will fill it.” (Psalm 81) As we open our mouths to receive the Blessed Sacrament, may we find true freedom in our lives, a place to be strengthened in God’s grace to rise out of this life and live in the Spirit of God’s magnificent love. May we be attentive to others to help shoulder their Cross with our love. Let us be a visible sign in our world of God’s love, “I freed your shoulder from the burden; your hands were freed from the load. You called in distress and I saved you.” (Psalm 81) May our Eucharistic love make Jesus present in our midst. We are convinced that Jesus’ saving grace will help us persevere through the challenges of our times. In the words of Saint Peter Julian Eymard:
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.
Dear Eucharistic Family, We have entered the Easter season abandoning our wills, grasping hold of our Heavenly Father’s hand, and imagining being in the Acts of the Apostles. The Kingdom of Heaven is our eternal reality, and we see it now through the Eucharist. I recently heard someone say we live in a hostile world. True, bizarre things are happening all around us. The God of all creation has called us by name. We are blessed to be invited to set fire to the earth with his love. The hostilities and unusual happenings will be taken over by a longing of the heart as humanity finds the sacred. “Before birth the LORD called me, from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.” (Isaiah 49:1) I attended a summit this past week, a gathering of ministry leaders, with deacons, priests, and sisters present. The importance of the faithful coming together in prayer with the Eucharist, the Liturgy as the central focus, enraptured something new in me. We who love our Catholic Church have much work to do, together, to keep Christ alive in our world today. Jesus tells us to “Do This in Memory of Me” (Luke 22:19). The Eucharist must be everything for us, as St. Peter Julian, the Apostle of the Eucharist, reminds us. The Savior of the world, our risen Jesus, longs to heal, forgive and set fire to the earth. Miracles are waiting to happen. By grace, in deep silent prayer and the reception of Holy Communion, the Kingdom of Heaven will be brought to the world. The inner cenacle lives in our souls united to the heart of God during our consuming of the Sacred Host for us to become a consuming fire of love for our God. Miracles will happen. We will keep the Acts of the Apostles in motion by growing our Church in faith and love. Charity will fall into eternal life with us by our own apostolic lives. One of the speakers at the summit recommended we create a personal mission statement, handwrite it, check it regularly, rewrite it quarterly, and follow up on its goals. Imagine if we all make a conscious effort to be our brother’s keeper (Genesis 4:9), to pray for every person we encounter and take an interest in their souls. Our desire to become saints will be blessed in this effort. I am in the middle of renewing my consecration to Jesus through Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament. Each year our mother calls me to this time with her. Mary is with us always, yet going on retreat with her helps us be comforted in the care of a mother. She helps direct us and guides the fires Jesus would wish to be set. St. Peter Julian tells us the Eucharist can transform the bitterness of suffering in our lives. Mary is the one to show us this way to salvation. What legacy of love can we leave upon this earth? Believe we will see a gift of God’s promise from the heavens one day, one that the faithful will take sight of as they see everything through the Eucharist.
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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. FOLLOW IVONNE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
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