By: Laura Catherine Worhacz

​Dearest Eucharistic Family,

The above excerpt draws us into the mystery of our faith, the Cross and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our humanity seeks to belong to a family. We look for things to make sense. Heaven reveals consolation found in the Word of God and the Sacrament of the Eucharist. As we receive the Sacred Body of Jesus Christ in Holy Communion, all we have ever longed for is found.

My 20's were years without the fullness of the sacraments. I recall the interior turmoil that lived within the brokenness, covered by things that busied life to keep me from reality. The soul can be shattered, yet the exterior not always reveals this.

Jesus asks of us in Mark's Gospel, "What do you want me to do for you?" (v.10:46-52).

In this passage, Jesus heals the blind. He restores sight, tells us to take courage and to go, for faith has saved us.

I was blessed to begin my daily Mass journey at age 33. We find a home in our Catholic churches. We are bonded in a communion of love, sisters and brothers striving to help one another to see and grow in the virtue of God.

Illumination is here now, accessible through the Sacraments to bring forth life, here for us to live with Jesus. Shattered souls are made whole in love and constancy of faith, persevering to see more and more the glory of God. Clarity comes to us in our apostolic work.

St. Peter Julian Eymard, deeply contemplative, was aware that his existence was in the abiding presence of God.

St. Peter Julian knew he lived in a home that needed many repairs. There was much work; he lived to bring the light of faith, the eyes of Heaven, to believers now through the Eucharist. He longed for us to see what God allowed him to see. He had a divine vision and desired to set a Eucharistic fire to the earth.

In his work, he found his place in the home, preparing his room and the rooms of God's children. He found Mary; she brought him ever closer to Jesus, the Kingdom of Heaven. St. Peter Julian worked tirelessly. His contemplative life was brought to the fullness of life in his apostolic zeal for the Blessed Sacrament.

The journey begins with Our Mother, who welcomes us into the house of God. We come with luggage, bags filled with unnecessary items. Mary sets the suitcases down for us. She leaves them behind to take hold of our hands.

Mary is with us when we receive our garment of grace, new clothing. Our Lady is with us at Baptism, smiling with the angels of Heaven. The old dress is no longer needed; there is a new fashion that shimmers down the runway at home, the cenacle of our hearts affixed to the Altar of God. There is a spotlight on our souls that is glorified by a family that truly loves.

Every morning after Holy Mass, we are blessed at my parish, where the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament resides, to have Eucharistic adoration. We sing, "O Saving Victim open wide the Gates of Heaven to us below…."

We are living in our eternal home now through the Eucharist. A City of God moving with the grace of the Holy Spirit, where the children of God find a roof to cover. A glorious mansion is filled, and many rooms are still being prepared.

Humanity is troubled by its burdens like the above excerpt reminds us of, yet peace is here for us in the person of Jesus Christ. The burdens weigh upon us; sinful nature tries to destroy. God sanctifies us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation; the journey is ongoing.

We live in hope and long to draw others to walk this pathway to Heaven.

Divine vision.

Our Lady was troubled by the angel's announcement; peace came through her yes. Mary was blessed to live in the divine vision of God and longs for us, her children, to live the same blessings through the heart of the Eucharist.
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If we did not receive Mary's yes, the warfare St. Peter Julian mentions would be an oppression beyond our imagination. Mary has brought us to the divine vision. We live in the hope of trust, suffering, and grace. The glorification of God is given to us by the Life of Jesus Christ. Praise God!
 

I have always loved swimming. It is the one exercise I can do well despite the physical limitations I experience with CMT (Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease). I love everything about it. I love how the water feels against my skin and how the sun feels against my face. I love to go underwater, and for a few moments, experience the stillness and the silence. In the water, I am weightless and graceful.

​In the water, I feel free… free from wearing the ankle-foot orthoses that allow me to walk, free from the cane that helps with my balance, free from the walker and wheelchair that support me when I get tired. And even though I am grateful for all these devices that help me move and give me freedom, it feels great to be in the water… just me.

​I love to swim as fast as I can, for as long as I can, and feel my heart beating inside my chest, my lungs expanding, my muscles working. In those moments, my soul says:

This is what I told my husband when, after years of weighing pros and cons and making budgets and projections, I suggested it was time to take the plunge (pun intended) and build a pool in our tiny backyard. What could he say to that? …of course, he said yes!

You might be wondering why it took me years to decide to build it when swimming brings so much joy to my life. Two main things were holding me back.

First, the thought of the mess, noise, and disruption for months, especially since our bedroom window leads to the backyard. And second, our space is minimal, so to fit a pool, we would have to give up our beautiful, extended patio… a place we had enjoyed very much up till now. It took me a long time to be ready to give it up.

I settled for something good for a long time, even when my desire was for so much more. This is similar to what we experience in our spiritual lives.

God places holy desires in our hearts, desires to guide us to something greater, but we often let things hold us back. We know deep inside that we are created for more, that there is something that will bring us greater joy, but we hesitate.

​We look in our hearts, and we think, “This works well enough… I’m not sure if I’m ready to give this up. I hear a promise of Living Water, but… Do I really want the Holy Spirit to come in and dig a huge hole? What about the mess? What about the noise? What about the neighbors?” After all those questions, we might say to God, “Let’s not change anything yet… I think what I have now is good enough.”

Before the pool digging crew arrived, we removed the fence, the plants, and the patio pavers. We had to let go of what we had been holding on to, so we could make room for something more.

The process has been messy and has required our patience and the patience of those who live around us. At times we looked out and wondered if we made the right choice, but we looked at the pool rendering (which we kept by the back door) and held on to hope. And now, with just a few weeks to go, the hard part is over…we are close to our goal. The yard is still messy, but the pool is mostly finished.

​I squint my eyes and imagine it all done. I can see myself swimming, and I’m ok waiting a little bit more.

It is almost time for Pentecost. God wants to dig a big hole in our hearts, but it won’t be empty for long. He wants to prepare us to receive Him. We just have to deal with the mess for a time while He heals what is below.

He wants to fulfill our holy desires. He comes bearing gifts, Living Water, but we must be willing to let go of whatever is not from God. And then, when the hard work begins, and there is just a big ugly hole, we remember His Promise…we look at the Cross, and we hold on to hope.

The tears will be wiped, the dirt will be hauled away, and we will thirst no more. The Holy Spirit is coming… are we ready for more?
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By: Rick Hernandez

​​As a Eucharistic person, I often picture in my mind the time of the Institution of the Eucharist, especially when I hear the words from the Gospel according to Luke:

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​Remembrance? Who can have a more perfect remembrance of Our Lord than Our Lady, Mother Mary? This is not difficult to see. For her, remembrance meant the whole of her life with Jesus, every moment, every thought, every feeling, all the instances of motherly life.

For Mother Mary, remembrance is alive, true love in action, all the moments of joy and sadness.

It is the wholeness of her life, via her most perfect humility, that became Mary's sublime offering to God the Father. We know that along with her opening to the Holy Spirit and her caring for Our Lord Jesus, she also offered her life to mother the Church across all of time...

Our Lady knew we were not to be orphans, neither fatherless nor motherless… not then and not now. 
 
Saint Peter Julian Eymard gave Our Mother Mary the beautifully insightful title of “Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament.” From that first Mass in the Upper Room, Our Lord Jesus kept being with Our Lady in the same way that He is now with us.

As the “Lady of the Blessed Sacrament,” Mary is the most perfect example of the Eucharistic life in Christ for the Church. Mother Mary lived what it means to remain in Him who loves us, a perfect, intimate union achieved in the Eucharistic communion.

Saint John Paul II writes in his Encyclical “Ecclesia Eucharistia”:
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Mother Mary birthed Jesus, becoming the first one to know Jesus in the flesh, but she was also one of the first to become one with Jesus Eucharistic.  As Mary is, so we are called to be, one with Our Lord…
 
Today, so many of us struggle with recognizing Jesus in the Eucharist. Is it because we have not seen? Well, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed” (John 20:29). If we are called to truly recognize Jesus Eucharistic so that we may believe, should we not ask Mother Mary for help? She can help us see.
 
The Blessed Virgin Mary knows the way. Our Mother Mary patiently waits for us to seek her counsel. She is the Mother of Good Counsel. She holds the key to many Graces for us, for she is “Full of Grace” (Luke 1:28). We only have to ask... 

Mother of Mercy and Mother of Grace …Through Our Mother, we access Jesus’ Mercy and partake of His Grace.
 
Mother of Hope and Virgin Most Faithful …Through Our Lady, we access the fullness of Hope. We learn fidelity at the foot of the most faithful of the faithful.
 
Refuge of Sinners and Comfort of the Afflicted …The first adorer, Mary, teaches us, sinners, how to commune with Christ. As Mother, she comforts us, takes us by the hand to Jesus. 

I remember hearing as a child that Mary was the “Fountain of Grace.”

A fountain does not produce water; the water comes from somewhere else, but the fountain manages the water to create beautiful displays and to help combat thirst. Such is Our Lady, Full of Grace.

Mary manages the graces from Our Lord and displays them in the fullness of her beautiful life, an example to be followed, and yet, out of her love for God and us, she also distributes the graces so that we may not wilt. In this, as in everything she does, Mother Mary points to Our Lord Jesus.

​If we open our hearts to her, our Mother accompanies us on the road home, on the path to Heaven.

Gentle Mother, faithful servant, fearless general, Fountain of Grace. Our Lady has a great many titles, the greatest one being “Mother of God,” but I like to think that, as she looks upon her children in the world, her sweetest one is “Our Mother.”

Let us pray: