By: Rick Hernandez

Not too long ago, I found myself gazing at a bowl of soup. I know that it sounds odd to use the word “gazing” here, but that is what it was. It was no mere “looking” at my bowl but a deep contemplative inspection of the meaning of this food placed in front of me. This was just an ordinary bowl of soup, yet for me, in those few minutes, it contained both the strength of a thousand memories and an awakened power of recognition.
 
In a flash, I remembered when my grandmother fed me as a child. This beautiful and faithful woman cared so much for me. I could not name it at the time, but I can see how much love she put into making those dishes. Now I can see that being included in her thoughts about what to make validated my dignity, especially as a child.
 
I remembered the countless times my mother and father fed me, caring so much for me, and how much effort they put into making sure I was appropriately nourished. They wanted me to thrive, to grow into a good and healthy man. For a moment, I felt a deep sadness because, at the time, I could not look beyond the regularity of the mundane to acknowledge their efforts. That day, gazing at my soup, I was able to recognize their love, and I was moved to offer a prayer of thanks for them from the deepest part of my heart. They gave me so much, expecting nothing in return.
 
I remembered the many times I was sick or lonely and the many dear souls who went out of their way to bring me food and companionship. Oh Lord, there was so much love there too!
 
I remembered how my wife and I have fed our children and how we aimed to nourish them. Soup is not their thing, but we tried to provide them food to help them thrive. Yes, there was always real thought and intent, a beautiful mindfulness behind our actions.
 
Remembering all this, I could not help but shed a few tears at the table… for I recognized that true love was present there.
 
Our Lord Jesus loves us so much that He has left himself as nourishment for us along our way to Heaven. He has left us the recipe for receiving His love, which is to share in His bread and wine, the true Flesh and Blood of the Lamb of God. We are to share this selflessly with our brothers and sisters. When we share of this simple yet majestic banquet, we are united in love to all of His mystical body, the members of the Church.
 
After so many times attending Mass, it is possible that for some of us,  its perceived value could become diluted within the regularity of the mundane. We must fight this! Every time we receive our Lord, we are precisely what we are called to be, one with Him who loves us. Each time we receive Him must become a landmark moment in our lives, a memory to cherish, a treasure of grace to go back to. It is more than worth of shedding a tear or two.
 
What a grace it is to receive the gift of tears! It speaks of our hearts recognizing His love.
 
At His table, we are received. There He nourishes us because He loves us! And He is always there for us, ever-present, door open, food served, ready to create memories of shared time in relationship. Should we not take Him up on the offer?
 
That day at the table, I re-lived so many loving memories that my heart became mush. With tearful eyes, I looked at my wife and children and was overwhelmed with the thought of how many more meals I will get to cook for them or how many more times we will be sharing together at the table. Any table that we share is now in my heart a table of plenty, a table of love.
 
I remember that just after that experience, I became rabidly hungry, yet I ate mindfully and purposely slow, for I wanted to taste the love that we were sharing for as long as possible. Oh, my precious Lord, please do not ever let me forget the taste of your Love!
 
Let us pray: Our most loving Lord, you are the God of Plenty, the God of Love. Let us share from your banquet and satiate our hunger for You. Helps us to share You with everyone at our table. Amen.
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By: Laura Worhacz

“If we could have seen in spirit the birth of Mary, have seen this sun coming up out of the ocean of God’s love!” - Saint Peter Julian Eymard (Eymard Library, Vol. 8, page 30)

Dearest Eucharistic Family,
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The above quote is so beautiful; it reminded me of so many people who have been in my life to bring me hope, who have exemplified God’s love. People who have helped me behold, hold on to trust in God. I am grateful for each of you who bring others to, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”. How we need to behold God. To affix our existence to His presence. In today’s Gospel Jesus is called CRAZY! He certainly lived out His humanity beholding Heaven, held in His Father’s will. He came to redeem, to bring justice through mercy, and to heal. I imagine, like Mary in the above excerpt, we need to rise out of the water, to keep our soul longing for the eternal through baptism. Like a magnetic force, Mary brings us to the Eucharist. Her example is there for us to follow.

We may seem out of our minds by beholding God, His Word, and the way of the Cross through love. Yet we must and do strive to live for the will of God. Perhaps our Eucharistic lives will be strengthened by our charity. The power of love will attract others. Mary, through the Eucharist, imbued with God’s love, attracts souls looking to be healed. We take hold of her hand. As we go through ordinary time, think of the people in your life that have been an example of faith, those people who have brought us closer to Christ, those who may seem a little crazy for preaching and teaching. May our love draw others to the invitation of God’s Divine Healing. We are stronger together in a Communion of God’s love.

I have been bringing the Eucharist to a lady homebound with an illness. As I was sent from Mass, Father told me to bring a message of hope and let the sick ones know they are loved, that their suffering is seen by God. This message brought joy and a smile, interceding to change an ordinary day into a day beheld by GOD.
 

The other day I was listening to a podcast with my headphones as I walked into the kitchen to grab a drink. My husband started talking to me, but I didn’t hear him. After I noticed his flailing arms signaling to me, I paused the podcast and removed my headphones. He couldn’t see the ear pods hidden behind my long hair and grew concerned over why I was ignoring him. Imagine if I hadn’t seen his attempts to grab my attention and had gone back to the bedroom… I might have never known he was trying to talk to me. How often do we do that with God? How often are we listening to everyone and everything while not even noticing Him trying to talk to us?

Anyone who has been married for a while knows that it is often the little recurring everyday annoyances that make marriage challenging. Family life presents us with constant opportunities to practice the virtues of patience, kindness, and humility; it is truly a school for souls. And in this school, as well as in any other school, we tend to overcomplicate things and lose sight of the simple truth.

“You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

Only… that means no less, no more. Simple, right? That is always the way it is with God. We are the ones who complicate things. In our efforts to justify our behavior, to accommodate our will, we twist and turn the truth until we are so tied up in knots that we can not tell which direction is up.

In the footnote for this Scripture passage (NABRE) we read:

• To do justice refers to human behavior in relationship to others. To love goodness refers to the kind of love and concern which is at the heart of the covenant between the Lord and Israel; it is persistently faithful. To walk humbly with your God means to listen carefully to the revealed will of God.
  

So yes, this is simple, but it is not easy. We can only do what is required of us when we “walk humbly” with God, when we listen carefully to the revealed will of God. Humility is tied to listening; it tells us which way is up. We are down; God is up. He knows what is best. And He reveals His will to us… if we only listen.

I was thinking of the example of the Holy Family and how they listened to God. We know we have in Mary an example of perfect humility, of perfect receptivity to the will of God. There was no obstacle between her and the message of the angel. And, as much as I want to be like her, I know there are still many obstacles in my heart that make it difficult sometimes for me to listen. So I also look at Joseph, who had his own plans for how to solve a difficult situation. God waited until he was asleep to speak to him. I don’t think it is a coincidence that in times of worry and anxiety the first thing to go is a good night’s sleep.

“It is in vain for you to rise early and put off your rest at night, To eat bread earned by hard toil—all this God gives to his beloved in sleep.” (Psalm 127:2)

What if instead of trying to find a solution to every problem on my own I would give Jesus my burdens and let Him be my God? What would happen if I shut down the noise of the world and open my ears to Him? Perhaps I would find it easier to “do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with my God”.