 Many decades ago, I was going through some difficult times, and no matter what I did, I felt empty and aimless. I was angry and selfish and felt isolated and lonely, yet I could not identify how the latter was a consequence of the former. I was indeed isolated and lonely among many people because I lived mainly in my own head, and because of that, I could not empathize and connect with others correctly. I could not feel love as it was meant to. I always had the gift of disposition toward helping others, but it was, for me, an extension of my own thoughts and needs, as opposed to a conscious show of love and compassion. I did not understand how much my innate love for God and people had been corrupted by anger and selfishness until I found, during self-examination, that I did not care for anything other than myself. And at the time, even this caring for self was up for debate. Where had my love gone? Where was my gratitude? Why didn’t I care? To live unable to feel love for others is a sad and unfulfilling life. Like muscles that have not been used in a long time, my love and appreciation had atrophied over the years, and I had not even noticed until I had a real need for them. I needed to remember what I already knew but had forgotten.
There and then, I made my decision. I prayed to God for the first time in a while and promised to learn again to be loving, kind, grateful, and faithful. I was convicted to become a better person, but I told Him unequivocally that I would need His guidance, for I did not know the way...
I will not lie and say that this miraculously happened overnight or that my life changed immediately. No, too much self-damage had been done over too long a time, and this was no “Road to Damascus” miracle like it was for Saint Paul. Sadly, those miraculous shortcuts were not made available to me. The road to faith and kindness is as full of frustration and failure as it is full of fulfillment and success, and for us believers, it has to be transited, one day at a time. We must remember that the road is difficult but not impossible. The Father will provide what is needed, and the Holy Spirit is within us, so let us lean on the One who loves us.
To become the people of God that Christ calls us to be means we are sent to walk on the road of life daily. We need to experience the many little wins and losses, learn from every interaction, and share all of those with Christ. Every success and every failure is a pleasing offering to our Lord.
Eventually, with every affirmation of our goal, with every decision we make to be faithful and kind, our hearts are reforged, our faith enkindled, and our love mended. Patience, Kindness, Goodness, and Joy come forth as fruit of the Spirit and take hold of us. I am no saint; that is clear to me, but I want to grow to be one, and every affirmation of faith, love, and kindness gets us a little closer. It sometimes costs us some to be loving and kind, but Jesus also paid a price to love and save us. Would it not be fair then to, in gratitude, do as He did for us?
I pray daily that my life may emulate Christ’s, even if only a little bit. I pray that I may grow in kindness, love, charity, hope, and faith and go out into the world to do God’s will. After my day is over and I go to bed at night, I often think about my day, the many wins and losses, and the opportunities I had to grow closer to the goal of faithfulness, kindness, and goodness. I offer a prayer of thanks to God for the opportunities given and think of what I did with those opportunities. There is growth to be had that can help us advance on the goal of Heaven. We look back at our actions, but only to see what we can do better and whether there is any insight to be had. We must remember to be kind and gentle to ourselves. How can we grow to be gentle and kind to others if we do not afford ourselves the same? We are all a work in progress on our journey home.
The road to faithfulness and kindness is long and arduous, but it starts like any journey… with the first conscious step. Let us consciously invite Christ to walk with us. May we all be blessed with a fruitful road to Heaven. Let us pray: Lord, you know our lives, thoughts, and feelings. Please, let us see You as You walk with us in friendship toward the goal of eternal life with You. May we grow daily to be more faithful, kind, loving, patient, and joyful so that our brothers can see You in the way we live our lives. Amen.
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 Dearest Eucharistic Family, Remain in My Father’s Grace, Jesus’ message to me at morning Mass. The Wisdom of God remains in our hope and trust in Him. This side of the heavens, the tidal wave of evil, tries to consume us. From war consuming our brethren to the death of the innocent in the womb, the disgrace of defilement of children, realities beyond conceivable. Jesus reminds us to remain in Our Father’s Grace. With the Liturgy at the center of our lives, we live in the Eucharistic Kingdom of Heaven now. Living in the spiritual is a grace for faithful souls. We know Our Redeemer LIVES. We live in Jesus’ love on the way to eternal salvation. We hope to be driven with great zeal by our love for the reception of Communion, the Liturgy of the Hours, the universal prayer of our Catholic Church, and our Rosaries to aid and help others into the light of truth. Our shield and defense is our prayer. We must remain in the gift of the sacramental life. The Living Word of God teaches us. We need to hear it. Pray with it and try our best to LIVE IT. God’s grace is our hope to live in LOVE. What more is there? Is there anything more significant than to strive to LOVE more each day? We live in God’s grace by our dedication to the Liturgy, keeping the Eucharist at the center of our days. The crosses of life are indeed with us: destruction, sickness, and even death. Saint Paul reminds us that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ Jesus. The anguish of the heart is honest and keeps us on our knees in Fear of the LORD. Our Fear to LOVE ever more. God’s love is a mystery. The wonderment of hope must live in our hearts; otherwise, we will all despair.
Acts of the will help us to make choices that will bring healthy consequences rather than emotionally distressful realities. God invites us to live in AWE, awaiting what will come in the fullness of time. We are blessed to live in the Liturgy of our Catholic Church. Everything has a purpose. In November, we pray for the holy souls who have gone before us. This time of year helps us to remember our death, for God’s time is a breath. We are weeks away from the close of the Liturgical Year, soon to enter another Advent. Let us pray for a new birthing of Christ in our lives. The Holy Spirit is active and awaiting to channel graces of love into our world. Our souls are hurting and need prayer. We love God by coming to Him to pray for our salvation. In this, we learn to love others more. And to be on a mission with our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, to pray for her children, our brothers and sisters in Christ.
 I was watching a TV show earlier this week. A woman had just finished making a potato salad when her mother pointed out that as soon as she walked away, she would add some mustard, and then her brother would come by and add celery. Half-jokingly, the woman said, “Am I going to have to stand here and guard this potato salad?” Her mother replied, “Only if you think you are the only one who can make it right.” I think we can all relate to this; I know I do. I look at the world and have opinions on many things; I often think my way of doing things is better. It is easy to look at our neighbor, parish, workplace, or community and notice all the things we would do differently. We can get inside our own little heads and forget we do not have all the information; we forget that we are not in the other person’s shoes. In our neat little box, we identify what needs fixing. And then, we criticize. And, even if we don’t continue down this path and end up gossiping, judging, and who knows what else… How much time and energy do we waste? What if, instead of trying to take over the job of another, we ask, how can we help?
“It looks like a solitary sport, but it takes a team.” These words were spoken by Diana Nyad after achieving her lifetime dream of swimming (without a shark cage) from Cuba to Key West. She was over 60 years old when, in her fifth attempt, and with a team of about 40 traveling with her, she swam 110.86 miles in 52 hours, 54 minutes, and 18 seconds. As I watched the film Nyad, based on this true story, I was struck by how much each team member sacrificed to support Diana on her journey. But I was also struck by how much they each gained. The coach, the navigator, the kayak swimmers, the medic… each of them had a role to play, and in helping Diana complete her race, they completed their own race. “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” This is a lie. When we take over and do the job meant for another, we take away the means God has prepared for their holiness. We let pride lead and take the easy way out. Love plays its part, supporting and helping, not taking over and leaving the other behind. Even if it would be quicker and easier to do something by ourselves, there is great joy when we allow others to help.
(Spoiler alert!) One of the things portrayed in the film is Diana Nyad's growth in humility. The realization of how much she needed her team came about after much heartache and failure. She realized that while she swam in the dark, alone with her thoughts, others were watching her back, guiding the boat, providing her food and water, and keeping her safe; they were making the journey with her. Once she realized each person in her team, handpicked for their particular skills, was not disposable or easily replaceable, pride dissipated and she became grateful. Her role in this journey was hers alone, but she could not make it alone. She needed a team; she needed friends; she needed love.
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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. 
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