There is just so little of us that can be considered our essence. The word “essence” is defined as the intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, and it derives from the Latin word “esse,” which means “be.” Our essence is who we are in our most intrinsic and indispensable way, as what we were created to be, how God sees us.
 
I was at a funeral recently, and there, in our church and in front of the beautiful altar, were the remains of my friend, cremated down to all that remained, a handful of ashes. My heart ached because I struggled to see him as when he was alive, and all I could think of at that sober moment was that this which we were able to see was not all that he was. His essence was and is much more than what physically remained of him. He is more than ashes.
 
Many of our loved ones have gone before us to see our Lord’s light. We celebrate their memories and what they left of themselves behind. We celebrate that which defined them, that which they shared directly with us. That little bit of them that stayed in us enriches our lives.
 
I lost my maternal grandparents when I was still young, but I kept in my heart all the love they had for me and the cherished memories from the short time we spent together. From all the wisdom they carried, I learned many lessons, and from that which was their essence, I learned to emulate the faith they wielded and embrace the hope they nurtured. I remember what they did for everyone; all of these things were who they were. Their essence stayed with me, and I carry a part of it in my heart, the part that allows me to see them as God sees them, in their most intrinsic way, the actual fabric of their being. I want my friend’s essence to live on like that in all the people he loved.
 
Yes, so little remains physically, but not much of this is needed, for what was truly important, the essence, lives in us. As I look back at the community attending my friend’s funeral, I see the many he served and loved. He was a humble man. Many people did not even know his name, but he was always the polite gentleman who joyfully opened the church door for them. That was the humble gift of self he would offer to God and the community every time he was around. In his very essence, he was a humble servant, and we can count ourselves lucky to have received from him the love and joy he shared from his relationship with Christ. The little bit of his heart given to us is still beating in each of our hearts.
 
My friend was Irish, and in the traditions of his ancestry, the bagpipes were playing. Our hearts were united in the heart of the song, reminding us that we would also be going home at some point. While we still can, let us take advantage of the opportunity and live our lives in the most essential way. Let us live to become as Christ sees us, how we were created to be in His image. Let us grow in love so that we can share it; may this love become a seed that blooms in all we touch. Let us grow in hope so that our friends may see the light of Christ. Let us grow confidently as people of the Eucharist. At the Eucharistic banquet, Christ is present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. We receive His most essential self during communion, and we pray that we may become what we eat. In the Eucharistic mystery, Christ shares himself personally with us. Let us take in His essence and live his love in thankful joy. Let us be Eucharistic and spread more of our joy in Christ to the world. May nobody ever confuse our essence with the handful of ashes that may be left behind.
 
Let us pray: Lord, we pray for the faithfully departed, that they may be sharing in the light of Your face. Helps us also, Lord, to grow into the people You envisioned, that we may be all be reunited one day in Heaven. Amen.

Dearest Eucharistic Family,

What a beautiful example we have in St. Joseph. As we commemorate his feast day each year on March 19th, it is an opportunity to rest our heads in a father’s love. St. Joseph is a spiritual father to us, God’s children. He truly teaches us humility and total submission to God’s will as the way to receive true joy on this side of heaven.

In my daily rosaries, I pray to Jesus through Mary with St. Joseph; and he seems to remain humble even in our spiritual lives. Beyond the veil is St. Joseph’s power in the Creator of the Universe.

I remember when Ray and I owned our first condo in the late 80s. It was time to sell in a poor real estate market. I offered a specific prayer daily to St. Joseph, and we sold in two weeks without losing on our sale. I feel bad now about burying St. Joseph upside down in a flowerpot outside our condo! It was the prayer, the faith, and the belief that St. Joseph would help us, and he did. It was time to move on, and a new door of grace opened. St. Joseph guided Ray and me to our next place of residence, where we providentially met our dearest friends in the Lord, true family in the Blood of Christ. I thank God for the gift of St. Joseph and the blessings to intercede through his fatherly care.

The Lenten Season is a blessing that I cherish more and more as the years pass by. We are already entering the Third Sunday of Lent, with Gospel encounters that profoundly touch our hearts. The Word of God echoes Jesus’ call to our humility.
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What door needs to close now so a new door of grace can open for us? What can we put to death to live more deeply in Christ’s love now through the Eucharist? In silent prayer, we find the answers to these soul searches, not so much in questioning but in purifying our interior through the whisper of God’s voice. Our brokenness, our longings for security, love, and holiness, are to be found in God alone. Humility will take us there to God’s heart. God’s language is calming, located in the interior cenacles of our existence. In the light of the Eucharist, we see as St. Joseph did through the lives of Jesus and Mary.

Our humility will be sought by the gratitude of our gifts, graces, trust, and faith in Jesus. 

On the Third Sunday of Lent, Jesus asks for the fig tree to be left for another chance to bear fruit. In this season, we have yet another opportunity to become more Christ-like; this is the purpose of our lives. To trim away the death, the dried branches, so the newness of life can blossom in our souls. St. Joseph’s humility raised him to the heavens in life by living with Jesus and Mary. St. Joseph beheld in the security of God Our Father’s love; nothing held him to this world. The stars surrounded his sleep, and God spoke to him there. St. Joseph feared the Lord in perfect love, and his humility was a virtue hidden through the dependability in Our Father’s love. St. Joseph became that same love for us. So, we shall, too, be in love with Jesus and Mary. Perhaps our humility in the Lord will raise us and others to new life this Easter.

St. Joseph, Guardian of the Eucharist, pray for us.

Has anyone asked you yet, what are you doing for Lent?

We might have come into Lent in a sort of automatic mode, where we follow the required practices of fasting and abstinence and decide that is enough. Maybe we have chosen to do better, to do more. Regardless though, I wonder if we might be asking ourselves the wrong question. Perhaps the question to ask is, Where is God leading you this Lent?

At the beginning of Lent, we hear how Jesus was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit. There He went to be tempted by the devil and ministered to by angels. Even Jesus, who is God, did not choose His own path. He chose the path set before Him by the Father. The Church sets a path before us, a set of rules that we must follow. This part is easy; we know who we follow. Anything more than that must be discerned.

What a temptation it is for us to make our own way! In a world of self-help gurus and self-realization promises, how hard it is for us to say, “My help comes from the Lord” (Psalm 121:2). How hard it is for us to trust and wait for Him to show us the way.

But remember… who knows us better than we know ourselves? Who knows the future? Who is THE WAY?
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Perhaps, falling for a misguided zeal for holiness, we ended up taking on practices and sacrifices that God did not intend for us. While the shadow of the ashes is still on our foreheads as we begin our travel through the desert of Lent, we should pause for a moment and examine who is leading us this way. And if the answer is not Jesus, let us turn around and follow Him… it is never too late.