ELISHEBA BLOGLaura, Ivonne, and Rick
write about their lives in the Eucharist. |
ELISHEBA BLOGLaura, Ivonne, and Rick
write about their lives in the Eucharist. |
Dearest Eucharistic Family, My future son-in-law asked me the other day what my favorite scene in the bible is, my favorite scripture. I just walked in the door from a walk, thought quickly, and then responded, “The Lord’s Supper.” By the grace of God, often in my mind’s eye, I am there at the Lord’s Supper (The Last Supper), imagining Jesus washing the feet of his disciples and offering the bread of LIFE to the Apostles. The Apostles did not know then this would be forever held as a Memorial of Christ’s Death and Resurrection, now and forever. The Apostles did not know then what they would experience in their lives by following all that Jesus commanded of them. By way of the heart, we see and follow; we listen to the scriptures and live in hope by faith in the mystery of salvation. Jesus enters into His Passion on Palm Sunday lovingly, knowing His mission is to glorify Our Father in Heaven by giving us an example of life to live in the forgiveness of sin. The Incarnation of God’s love is a gift we are privileged to receive in the reception of Holy Communion daily. Jesus is with us. He is with us in our Passions of life, the things we are called to die to and to offer up in the hope we will live in the Kingdom of Heaven now through the Eucharist. We are invited to live in the MYSTERY. The grace of the Eucharist and life of the Holy Spirit is our sustenance, holding firm to knowing Our Father loves us. The Lenten Season is an incredible discipline. It teaches us year after year to try a little more challenging tasks, think a little deeper, and pray like we are on a great mission. If I only had to pray for my husband and children and care for the duties required of me in my daily sacrifices, it would be full-time. Yet the more we open to God’s grace, the more we are asked to do in caring for the world around us. God gives us the grace to do what we can as He hopes for us to be employed in His love. “As for Communions, don’t let any pass by through your own fault. You need them. When our Lord is calling you to come toward him in spite of your weakness, it would be very wrong to choose to stay away from his eucharistic table through humility. So then, my daughter, go in spite of your weaknesses. I mean, rather, go with your weaknesses and poverty. This is your admission ticket to our good Master. (Saint Peter Julian to Mrs Joséphine Gourd - October 18, 1851) There is much to do. Holy Week sets our path to see the Institution of the Holy Priesthood & Holy Eucharist, with an invitation to venerate the Holy Cross on Good Friday, to wait with Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament in silence on Holy Saturday, to be brought to live in the LIGHT OF THE WORLD as we live in the Resurrected life now by the Blessed Sacrament; this is our LIFE IN CHRIST. Let us live in AWE of God’s Divine Providence. Let us see God in the birds of the air, the cool breeze, and the simple blessings we live in daily. Let us love one another as Jesus Christ loves us. Let us REMEMBER all the Lord has done for us in washing the feet of the disciples, hoping for us to follow Him in a deep sense of joy, knowing the love we share has first been given to us at a GREAT COST: IN THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST, HIS DYING AND RISING FROM THE DEAD. Let us be in LIFE caring for one another. Around your dinner tables, take time to ask one another what is your favorite scene in the bible, your favorite scripture, and share in the blessings of God’s Word.
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Dearest Eucharistic Family, Time passes so swiftly, and in the activity of our lives, it is easy to forget this world as we know it is passing away. The Lenten Season stops us in our tracks to look up and to look within. Last year, I was blessed to be on a pilgrimage to Israel. I remember a beautiful Liturgy with the sun shining brightly, Mass on a boat on the Sea of Galilee. Gazing out onto the water, kneeling on the bow of the boat, tears were streaming from my eyes. It was imagining Jesus walking on the water and the many miracles in the Holy Land that seeped into the depths of my existence and touched my heart so profoundly. God keeps reminding me how much He loves. Our sins, shortcomings, and omissions set a tone for us to shy away rather than confidently behold God’s magnificent love for us. We are forgiven and invited to actively participate in our redemption by working out our salvation.
We can live in the mightiness of grace by our submission to God’s holy will. The gift of the Eucharist is strength for our frail humanity. My spiritual father, Saint Peter Julian Eymard, had a dream that did not come to fruition. He desired to build a cenacle in Jerusalem. Saint Peter Julian had the details and the plans with every hope for this establishment to be made in the Holy Land. The revelation for the cenacle to be manifested in his heart by the annihilation of self was the fruit God manifested in this holy saint, later titled “Apostle of the Eucharist.” In letting go, God’s love filled Saint Peter Julian so immensely that he desired to become a total Gift of Self in return for all the love he received. The cenacle, the Altar, brings to us the Body of Jesus Christ. In our reception of Holy Communion, God’s love for us overcomes every obstacle. When we comply with grace and truly live as forgiven, we can embrace and share the blessings of living in the love of God found in the Holy Eucharist. Our Lord in Matthew’s Gospel invites us to cleanse our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls; we are temples of the Holy Spirit. Lent is a good time to examine the fruits and gifts given to us and bring them to the cenacle, where they will be built into God’s love and dwelling forever.
Dearest Eucharistic Family, The liturgical seasons come full circle and seem more rapid as I get older. What will You have us do for You, Jesus, as the Lenten Season will be upon us in a few days? Entering the season with Mary is a good start for me—the acknowledgment of her presence in the Eucharist as our mother is real. We need Our Lady to help us receive Jesus with reverence and awe. Mary was the first to be broken with Jesus and given to the world. We need a mother. God, in His Wisdom, knew that we needed maternal care. We are blessed to be held by Mary as we journey through life and another Lenten Season.
What can we do? We hear in the Psalms that it is not so much sacrifice but a humble and contrite heart that God desires.
Where can I give more of my heart to You, Lord? The external sacrifices of giving up favorite foods and a disciplined routine are excellent means to keep us obedient. Lenten fasts, sound and holy practices help us have more self-control. They help us to die to ourselves to gift ourselves to others. But the true sacrifice and gift is Jesus' life for us. He gave it freely. Jesus continues to give of Himself as He remains humble and hidden in the Eucharist. His silent presence speaks to the sinner in the depths of our souls. When we find forgiveness of our limitations and love pours out for others in compassion and mercy, life arises in our souls. The concern for us and others takes precedence. As we receive the Blessed Sacrament and carry Jesus to others, perhaps His love in us will be shared. To be broken may be to take on the burden someone holds, for it to be shared. To carry the Cross with another is to identify with suffering. Jesus took on our sins for the forgiveness Our Father has given to us in Christ. May we take on a Lenten practice of giving God His holy will for our mercy and compassion?
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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. |