Category: Rick's Posts

Eymard and Spiritual Fatherhood

2/4/2023

We often speak about the beautiful gift that is to have a good father and mother. Having good parents can make a big difference in any child’s life, for we know that a good parent will listen in acknowledgment of our dignity and provide us with guidance as required. A good parent will support, correct, praise, and admonish as needed, and set rules and boundaries that ensure our safety. The goal of the good parent is to establish a loving environment where they can share of their love, experience, and wisdom. A good parent is indeed a treasure.

We know very well that we have not all been blessed with great parents, and I pray for all of us who are, in reality, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual orphans. We pray for a parental figure to care for us, help us, and nurture in us that which is needed for us to develop rightly. Sometimes we get to select who is that person in our lives, but sometimes the person selects us.

And it is a blessing to have not only those parental figures who nurture our physical and mental well-being, but also spiritual parents who nurture our spiritual well-being. Some of our spiritual parents are here on earth, and some watch over us from Heaven.

Every February 4th, the Eymardian family (Sacramentinos) celebrates the birthday of our founder, Saint Peter Julian Eymard. He is known to the world as the Apostle of the Eucharist, but for us, Eymardians, we know him as our spiritual father.

What is a spiritual father? The Catholic Dictionary defines a Spiritual Father as “one who counsels and directs a person in the spiritual life. It is generally a priest, the spiritual father is often designated by ecclesiastical authority to guide the members of a religious community or confraternity, students for the priesthood, or in general, persons specially dedicated to Christian perfection or the Church’s apostolate.”

A spiritual father listens in acknowledgment, provides guidance as required, and supports and corrects. Through our spiritual father’s lessons, we are taught how to grow in the spiritual life. As I read through the writings of Father Eymard, I often imagine myself sitting by his side and asking for his guidance in a quiet conversation...

Me: “Father Eymard, tell me. Am I personally loved by God?”

“Allow me to share with you a great treasure I have discovered: I hope you will reap good fruit from it. God loves us personally with a great benevolent love, with an infinite and eternal love. This benevolent love consists in willing purely and exclusively what is good and what is best for the person who is so loved. In God, benevolent love is personal. God loves a person, loves you as if you were his only daughter [son], because his love is one and infinite... “ (Saint Peter Julian Eymard - Letter to Mrs. Camille d’Andigne on March 4, 1865)

“Our Lord’s sentiments toward us are at least those of a good father; why deny Him this quality? Besides, see how our Lord manifests His personal love for each one of us. Every morning He comes to see each one of His children in particular, to converse with them, to visit them, to embrace them. Although He has repeated this so many times, He is as gracious and as loving at His last visit as He was at the first. He is as young as ever and is not tired of loving us and giving Himself to each one of us. Does He not give Himself whole and entire to each one? And if a greater number come to receive Him, does He divide Himself up? Does He give less to each one? If the Church is full of adorers, can they not all pray to Jesus and converse with Him? Is not each one listened to and his prayer granted as if he were the only one in Church?” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard - Excerpt from “The Real Presence”)

“Such is the personal love of Jesus for us. Each one may take it all for himself and wrong no one; the sun gives all its light to each and everyone of us; the ocean belongs whole and entire to each and every fish. Jesus is greater than us all. He is inexhaustible.” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard - Excerpt from “The Real Presence”)

“Correct what is imperfect, know and admit to God and yourself that you are full of pride.” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard)

Me: “Father Eymard, tell me. How can I recognize God?”

“….in the Blessed Sacrament, Our Lord Himself is the light which manifests Him as our model and reveals His beauties to us. He is Himself His light, His means of being known, just as the sun is itself its own proof. To make Himself known, He has only to show Himself. Recognition of Him need not come from its being reasoned out.” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard)

“A child does not have to discourse with himself to recognize his parents. Our Lord reveals Himself through His presence, just as parents do. But as we grow to know His voice better and as our hearts become more sympathetic to Him in emptying themselves of what is not Him, our Lord manifests Himself in a clearer and more intimate manner, which only those know, who love Him. He gives the soul a divine conviction which overshadows the light of human reason. Look at Magdalene: one word from Jesus and she recognizes Him. He acts in the same way in the Blessed Sacrament: He says one word only but it rings in our very hearts: “It is I!….” We sense His Presence, we believe in it more firmly than if we were to see Him with bodily eyes.” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard)

Me: “Father Eymard, I get so tired and become burdened by life. Most of the time I do not know what to do. How do I grow my spiritual life?”

“When we work hard, we must eat well… Receive communion often, and Jesus will change you into himself” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard)

“Don’t speak about responsibilities in relation to our Lord, but about thanksgiving, that’s better. Begin with this principle: the poorer I am, the more I need God.” “Always keep your heart free of anything that might trouble it. No sadness, distress or worry about the future. Your future is God and God loves you. You are all his; you are consecrated to him. Work and sleep quietly in Jesus’ little boat.” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard - Counsels for Spiritual Life, page 184)

“You must not run after sacrifices, as sacrifices in themselves. This would be like a servant who is unwilling to remain next to his master; worried and impatient, he prefers to go out and work for him, rather than remain with him. That’s what happens when we love our sacrifices as sacrifices, when we place our life in them, when we make them our center – preferring to work for God, rather than work with God.” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard to the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament, Paris, August 27, 1861)

“Come as you are and offer that self of yours to God.” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard)

“The virtues of Our Lord are not acquired all at once. Their practice costs. Devote yourselves to them without fear, with courage and perseverance. They must be your adornment on the day on which He will present you to His Father for the celebration of the heavenly nuptials in Paradise in presence of His angels.” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard - The Divine Eucharist - extracts from the writings and sermons of Saint Peter Julian Eymard - Page 520)

Me: “Father Eymard, all that you are saying sounds quite difficult.”

“The cross is not a punishment; it is a consolation. The saints have understood this. That is why they are attached to it.” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard - Venerable Pierre Julian Eymard - Page 181)

“Belong entirely to God through love, entirely to your neighbor through a gracious charity, entirely to the divine Eucharist by the offering and sacrifice of your whole self.” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard - Letter to Mrs. Stephanie Gourd, October 1859)

“May your heart ever belong to God through purity of intentions, by attachment to his love, by trust in his divine mercy. Often make aspirations of love towards this good master. These aspirations are for the soul what breathing is to the heart. They are its life.” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard - Letter to Mrs. Josephine Gourd)

“It is easy to give our heart but to give our thoughts, our judgment, our intelligence, that is a more difficult sacrifice.” and “To dwell in Jesus is to leave oneself behind, to strip oneself of self to give oneself as one gives wood to fire.” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard - Letter to Mrs. Giraud-Jordan in 1865)

“Could anything be more appropriate than to give oneself to the One who has given us everything! What could be more comforting than to give oneself to Jesus as he gives himself entirely to us! Oh! Why then are we so inconstant, so greedy, so ungrateful toward this good Master? Nevertheless, he asks us for the total gift of ourselves only in order to make us happy and to be able to give himself to us in the same way.” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard - Counsels for Spiritual Life, pages 79-80)

“Know for certain and for all time that of yourself you can never accomplish anything, neither here nor there, neither today nor tomorrow, neither for this one nor for that one; so go ask God’s help before beginning—anything.” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard - The Divine Eucharist - extracts from the writings and sermons of Saint Peter Julian Eymard - Page 131)

Let us learn from the many lessons Saint Peter Julian Eymard shares and grow, that we may fulfill our call to a well-developed spiritual life. Let us live a rich Eucharistic life steeped in thanksgiving for all our Lord Jesus has done for us. May we all grow to emulate Saint Peter Julian Eymard and become spiritual fathers [mothers] to those in need of our love and guidance.

Let us pray: Our Lord, Jesus Christ. We thank you for your loving gift of self in the Eucharist. Thank you for giving us Saint Peter Julian Eymard to help guide us to you. Father Eymard, thank you for your heroic gift of self, the lessons on recognizing Christ Eucharistic, and the advice on how to live the Eucharistic life. May all your spiritual children help bring about a Eucharistic revival. That the heart of our Lord 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.

Rick Hernandez

Rick Hernandez is a commonsense Catholic, Lay Associate of the Blessed Sacrament and a Director for Elisheba House. He lives in Trinity, Florida, with his wife Ivonne and their children. He also writes for the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament's Daily Eucharistic Reflections and for Catholicmom.com.

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The Gift of Self

1/14/2023

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By: Rick Hernandez

I have always loved the Christian life’s focus on newness. We are called to become a new creation through our Lord Jesus Christ. As the splendor of a new dawn presents the beginning of a new day, our spiritual day is also meant to start with the contemplation of Christ’s life present in us. We witness the splendor of His presence here among us and in us. Christ’s Word rings in our ears and minds and is meant to guide our thoughts and actions so that we may become little Christs in our small communities and among those who need to know Christ. We help others know Christ by being like Christ. At Mass, we pray that we may become what we eat. During Communion, we are changed. In that most intimate moment, we are made whole and new, no longer just us. For a few moments, we live our prayer that we may become one with Christ.

As beautifully encompassing and fulfilling as the Mass is, how do we live this prayer beyond the Eucharistic banquet? To do this properly, Saint Peter Julian Eymard encourages us to offer God what he called the “Gift of Self” or the “Gift of our Personality.” We give up what we are, our desires, hang-ups, thoughts, and our very selves so that we may become one with Christ, that He may live in us, and that His Holy Will be done in us and through us.

“Just as in the mystery of the Incarnation, the sacred humanity of our Lord was deprived of its own personality so that it no longer sought itself as an end, no longer had any interests of its own, no longer acted for its own sake, for it had another person substituted to its own, that is, the Person of the Son of God, who sought only the interest of the Father and had his eyes fixed on him at all times and in all things, so must I be without any desires or interests of my own, and have none but those of Jesus Christ who abides in me to live therein for his Father and gives himself to me in communion to do just that...” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard on the Gift of Personality)

The perfect selflessness of Christ was the gift of His own personality to our Father, the Most High. For most of us, it may be easy to see how to be selfless in situations we consider extreme, like during the Crucifixion, but how can we find it in ordinary, day-to-day life? There seems to be a misconception of what it means to be selfless. I believe it is seen as something that you turn on or off. Do you become selfless by denying your own needs? No. Do you become selfless by denying your dreams and motivations? No.

So, being selfless as Christ is selfless is what exactly? It is turning our lives, needs and dreams, motivations, and charism, who we are, into a gift to others. It is to keep an open mind and a willing heart, to gift our fellow brothers and sisters with our very selves. When we are able to make that mental switch, committing our lives to be a gift to God and others, then we become genuinely selfless. This is part of the gift of self, the gift of personality. If we are willing and able to allow Christ to live in us and take over, then we will discover that Christ will say to us:

“[I] shall fill your soul with my desires and with my life, which will consume and reduce to nothing whatever is personal in you, so much so that it will be I instead of you that shall live and desire everything in you. Thus you will be entirely invested with me: my heart will beat within you, my soul will act through your soul, and your heart will be the receptacle and the pulsation of my heart. I shall be the person of your personality, and your self-hood will be the life of my person in you.” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard on Christ’s life in us, through the Gift of Personality)

Many Saints have spoken about relinquishing desires, wants, and expectations so that we may become empty vessels, vessels that may be filled to the brim by the Grace of God. A saintly life means we are vessels, vessels of God’s Grace. Just as water is transported to combat thirst, we, vessels of grace, transport God’s gifts to those we interact with, fighting faithlessness, hopelessness, and the lack of love. Do we actively think about our role as vessels of God’s grace? Do we take our participation in the Eucharistic banquet as a call to distribute that which we receive from God’s goodness? Grace is God’s gift for us, but what do we do with our gifts? If we gift ourselves to God, then we are His instruments. We are called to be pliable in His hands so that we may allow Him to do His sacred work in the world through us. That is living a saintly life.

This does not mean that we are all called to go out to the nations and preach and minister as the apostles. It does mean that we all have an essential part in God’s mission of Mercy and Love that is ours, and we must allow His Will to mold us and guide us to our daily mission in life through the power of the Holy Spirit.

We are called to be like Christ. Let us take every new day and choose to be a new creation in Him. Let us allow ourselves to be His hands in this world so that we may help our loved ones to know and love Christ through His Real Presence in our lives. May we be much less like us and much more like Christ.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, allow us to grow in humility and accept your will for us. Help to make of ourselves a gift to You, that You may reside in us, live presently in us, and minister to the world through us. May we always be Your new creation. Amen.

Rick Hernandez

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The Light of Christ

12/24/2022

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By: Rick Hernandez

My favorite part of Christmas has always been the abundance of light. In many countries, Christmas is called the Season of Light. Twinkling lights adorn the streets and homes. Candles are lit and placed on window sills. Our Advent wreath candles are present, partially consumed from our period of expectant waiting for Christmas day, and the Christmas trees are lit up!

Light calls out to light, as love calls out to love, and presence seeks out presence. By focusing on light, we walk away from darkness. Light rescues us from the limitations of the night, and we are liberated from the oppression of the dark. Light represents our Lord and Savior, so when I see all the beautifully colored lights during the Christmas season, I think of Christ. Our Lord is the new dawn, the light of our salvation.

“You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:76-79)

Who among us does not rejoice in the beauty of the sun rising?

“Light dawns for the just; and gladness, for the upright of heart. Be glad in the LORD, you just, and give thanks to his holy name.” (Psalm 97:11-12)

Our Lord became man by the power of the Holy Spirit and through the fiat of our Blessed Mother Mary for our good, enacting the plan for our salvation, redemption, and restoration, that we may become one again with Him who loves us. The light of the Star of Bethlehem transited the sky to join the light of Christ. Just as light envelops everything that it touches, our Lord Jesus envelops us if we open our hearts and minds to His love and mercy... We accept Him as our Lord and Savior, acknowledge Him as the King of All Glory, and bask in His light.

We have Christ-Eucharistic present with us at every tabernacle of the world and at every altar during Mass. His light is present to shine upon us, but also somewhat veiled, so that we may search for Him and intentionally come to find Him.

“Our Lord veils Himself for our good and our advantage, to force us to study His soul, His intentions, and His virtues in Himself. If we saw Him, we would be satisfied to admire His appearance; we would have for Him only sentimental love; our Lord wants us to love Him with a love of sacrifice. It is hard for our Lord thus to veil Himself. He would prefer to show His divine countenance, which drew so many hearts to Him in His mortal life, but He veils it for our good. Our mind is thus forced to study the Eucharist; our faith is spurred on; we acquire a deeper understanding of Our Lord. Instead of showing Himself to our eyes, He shows Himself to our soul. Through His own light, He notifies us of His presence in us. He is both the light and the object we must contemplate in that light; He is the object and the means of our faith. The clearness of one’s insight into the Eucharist is proportioned to one’s greater or lesser love and purity of life. Our Lord said so: ‘He that loves Me, shall be loved of My Father: and I will love him, and manifest myself to him.’ Our Lord gives to souls of prayer a deep understanding of Himself; He never deceives them. He varies His grace of light. He directs it now to one point of His life, now to another. And since the Eucharist is the glorification of all the mysteries, Jesus Christ becomes Himself the object of our meditation, no matter what its topic may be.” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard - The Real Presence)

Let us invite Christ into our hearts and minds and celebrate the Christmas season well, in the fullness of Joy. Let us intentionally take time to meditate on the coming of Christ. Let us imagine Mother Mary and Saint Joseph, the first ones to see the light of Christ’s face. Let us find ourselves at that blessed moment. As we acknowledge and receive the grace from Jesus’s birth, let us keep our eyes focused on Christ’s light so that we may be guided, just like the Magi were, to understand the Real Presence of Our Lord among us. May we invite Christ to accompany us to our parties and celebrations. Let us ask Him to bless our presents and the feasts we share. Let us be Eucharistic and take Christ with us to the world!

May we also be able to find that quiet moment to go, prostrate ourselves and adore at the feet of Christ. May this Christmas season help us recognize He who loves us and that His light may shine upon us.

Let us pray: Lord of Heaven, Lord of Light. You are the one and only Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten and not made, consubstantial with the Father; through You, all things were made. For us men and for our salvation, You came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit, You were incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man... Thank You, Lord, because, from the blessed day of your birth, you have guided us out of the darkness by Your light. Amen.

Rick Hernandez

Rick Hernandez is a common sense Catholic, Lay Associate of the Blessed Sacrament and a Director for Elisheba House. He lives in Trinity, Florida, with his wife Ivonne and their children. He also writes for the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament's Daily Eucharistic Reflections and for Catholicmom.com.

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