ELISHEBA BLOGLaura, Ivonne, and Rick
write about their lives in the Eucharist. |
ELISHEBA BLOGLaura, Ivonne, and Rick
write about their lives in the Eucharist. |
By Ivonne Hernandez St Peter Julian Eymard's Words: “Jesus led His Mother by the hand up to the throne of God. ‘Behold, O Father, her with whom You are associated, by choosing her to give Me My Humanity!’ —And the Father crowned her with her three most beautiful titles, Queen, Mother, Mediatrix. In Mary's diadem, three pearls are shining with dazzling brightness, namely, that of her humility, that of her poverty, and that of her sufferings.” [1] "THE tendency of love-----its final tendency-----is the union of two beings who love each other, the fusion of two into one, of two hearts into one heart, of two minds into one mind, of two souls into one soul. …We abide in Him, He abides in us. We are one with Him until the ineffable union that was begun here below by grace and perfected by the Eucharist is consummated in Heaven in an eternal and glorious union. Love lives therefore with Jesus present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. It shares all that belongs to Jesus. It is one with Jesus. The demands of our heart are satisfied; it cannot ask for anything else." [2] MEDITATION: The mystery of the Coronation of Mary speaks to us of eternal happiness. At the end of her earthly life, God gave Mary her reward: she will forever remain by her Son as Queen of Heaven and earth. When we receive and adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in the company of Mary, we have with us a Mother, Queen, and Mediatrix, who will always lead us to Christ. “Mary, the exalted Daughter of Sion, helps all her children, wherever they may be and whatever their condition, to find in Christ the path to the Father's house.” [3] This path to Heaven is found in the Eucharist, where love lives, and fulfills all the desires of our hearts. Mary’s diadems’ “three dazzling pearls” shine for us to see and imitate, as they light up the way for us to follow. The first two reflect the virtues of Our Lord’s poverty and humility in the Eucharist, and the third one, that of her sufferings, reminds us that she shares so closely in His glory now in Heaven because she shared so closely in His sufferings on earth. We can see that these pearls do not shine on their own, but reflect the light from the Monstrance. In that Monstrance is Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, the One we have been looking for, the One who will satisfy the demands of our hearts. It is there our quest must end. “When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” (Mat 13:46) We must let go of anything that divides our hearts, for the price for this pearl is our whole hearts. Love dwelling in the Blessed Sacrament calls “Arise, my friend, my beautiful one, and come!” (Song 2:10), for the final tendency of love is the union of two souls. This union “perfected by the Eucharist” will satisfy our hearts until that final day when we say, “Before I knew it, my desire had made me the blessed one of the prince’s people.” (Song 6:12) SEND: When you meditate on the mystery of the Coronation of Mary, look at the virtues in her diadem as they reflect the light of the Monstrance. In that light, see which areas of your heart you still need to open to the Love of God. [1] Eymard, Our Lady of The Blessed Sacrament, p. 160 [2] Eymard, The Real Presence, p.86 [3] St John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater, 47
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By Ivonne Hernandez St Peter Julian Eymard's Words: “Mary died of love. The longing to see her Son, and to be fully united to Him, snapped her thread of life. Jesus is about to accord her a grand triumph. O what passed between Jesus and Mary at the moment of their meeting! We know the joy of a mother and a son meeting after a long separation.” [1] "In Communion we receive an unfailing pledge of immortality. ‘He that eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, has everlasting’ eternal life. We lose our temporal life. But it is not a life worthy of the name; it is only a halt on the journey to true life.” [2] MEDITATION: The mystery of the Assumption speaks to us of the resurrection of the body. “The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son’s Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians.” (CCC, 968) Just like Mary has been taken up into Heaven, body and soul, we live in the hope of the Resurrection, in that “unfailing pledge of immortality” we receive in Communion. In the book “Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament”, St Peter Julian explores the life of Mary in the Cenacle in the early years of the Church. He writes: “The Blessed Virgin had so powerful an attraction for the Eucharist that she could not live away from It.” [3] It is sometimes hard to imagine that Our Lady’s love for Jesus could grow even more than when she stood at the foot of the Cross, but we have to remember that love, being from God, if nurtured, can always grow. Mary’s love for Jesus, nurtured by Holy Communion and Adoration, grew until her longing “snapped her thread of life” and she “died of love”. When we meditate on Our Mother being taken up into Heaven, into the loving arms of the Father, and reunited with her Son, we are filled with hope. She is always our mother, and as such, she is interceding for us, and she is teaching and encouraging us. Let us then imitate her, remaining close to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Let us receive Him often with great love and adore Him in the Tabernacle. Let us see His Body, glorious but hidden in the Host, and remember that He wants to sow the seed of His own Life in us, and raise us with Him on the last day. SEND: When you meditate on the mystery of the Assumption think of Mary receiving Communion from the hands of the Apostles. Think of how she loved her Son and longed to be reunited with Him. Ask for the grace to receive Him always with an ever increasing love and hope in the resurrection. [1] Eymard, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament p. [2] Eymard, The Real Presence, p. 237 [3] Eymard, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament p.34 By Ivonne Hernandez St Peter Julian Eymard's Words: "...God is all love. This gentle Savior pleads with us from the Host: "Love Me as I have loved you; abide in My love! I came to cast the fire of love on the earth, and My most ardent desire is that it should set your hearts on fire." Oh! What shall we think of the Eucharist at the moment of death or after death, when we shall see and know all the goodness and love and riches of it! " [1] MEDITATION: The mystery of the coming of the Holy Spirit speaks to us of the love of God. The Holy Spirit, loud as a mighty wind, descended upon the Apostles and upon Our Lady in the form of tongues of fire. He doesn’t always make so much noise when He comes. This is the same Holy Spirit who during Mass quietly transforms the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Our Lord, and comes gently into our hearts to set them on fire with the love of God. The action of the Holy Spirit during Mass is quiet and gentle, like the dewfall. That moment when, through the ministry of the priest, the Holy Spirit changes the gifts human hands have made into the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, is almost too elusive for our senses. Just like the precise moment the sun rises gives way to the fullness of light, the coming of the Holy Spirit gives way to His full power and action. This quiet and gentle Presence brings the fire of God’s love with Him, because He IS God’s love Himself. In one of the Eucharistic Prayers we hear the priest say the words, “Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall…” Once Jesus is present on the altar we can almost hear Him speaking to our hearts: “Open to me, my sister, my friend, my dove, my perfect one! For my head is wet with dew.” (Song 5:2) He brings the dew of the Holy Spirit with Him in the Eucharist and knocks at the door of our hearts. He wants to fill us with His love. How can we welcome such a guest? We can unite our prayers to the priest’s and ask the Father to send His Holy Spirit upon us to transform us and make us holy; to make us a fitting dwelling for His Son. Thus when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist we can let His Love fulfill his most ardent desire, to penetrate deeply into every recess of our beings and set our hearts on fire. SEND: When you meditate on the Coming of the Holy Spirit think of Him acting gently and quietly in your heart. Let go and trust in Him. [1] Eymard, The Real Presence, p.167 |
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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. |