At the Feet of the Master

By: Rick Hernandez

“Where does your Hope come from?” I have been asked this question often enough that I can now answer quickly, clearly, and with no doubt in my heart. The Hope that I live is a gift… received at the feet of my Master!
 
As personal relationships go for most people, our loving Master is mostly unseen, mostly unheard, mostly unknown. It can be difficult for some, swamped by the pressures of the world, to believe in anything that requires faith. We can become so immersed in the struggle of daily living that we only have time to come up for air every once in a while. It can be a challenge to believe in a higher power and, even more, to invest time in someone who is not tangible, that is, up until the moment when the world’s answers to life questions become truly lacking. When life feels suffocating, hope might be scarce, but I say without a doubt that hope is the one thing we must always hold on to.
 
I read this story online a few years ago:

‘A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, “Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.”
 
Very quietly, the doctor said, “I don’t know.”
 
“You don’t know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?”
 
The doctor was holding the door handle; on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room with his tail wagging and an eager show of gladness.
 
Turning to the patient, the doctor said, “Did you notice my dog? He’s never been in this room before. He didn’t know what was inside... He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing. I know my Master is there, and that is enough.’

(Story from an Unknown Author)

Mostly unseen, mostly unheard, and mostly unknown, that is, until the moment we open our hearts and ears and listen to His loving call to relationship. We are all on a journey to meet Christ, and that journey is individually ours. Relationships are personal, which means we are directly involved. Jesus awaits us personally, and He is all in, so it is on us to give of ourselves in the same way.

“I would like to see you as you are belonging entirely to Jesus, the King of love, and you, his happy servant, his eternal spouse. Jesus, our good Master, has so few chosen souls, so few royal servants! You must count for a thousand, and serve him for ten thousand, by a fervent and generous eucharistic piety.” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard - Excerpt from a letter to Marie de Fégely de Vivy - April 4, 1862)

​But while on our journey towards Christ, we may not always feel as we think we should. Not having the happy or fulfilled feelings that we expect while living a good Christian life does not make us impostors, posers, or hypocrites. What it makes us is seekers. Ones who search. That is how we come to see the mostly unseen, hear the mostly unheard… It is how we come to know the mostly unknown.
 
When we ask God for more of Him, He has many ways to accomplish that for us. We must not shy away from asking of God. He wants to hear us!
 
This is our leap of faith, a humble gift of self, to be in relationship with our Master, whose Love is to be both received and shared.  
 
We look at our lives, even when they are difficult, and we sometimes think, “I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.” Another leap of faith, to move forward, we live, love, and hope… 

"[…] I can see that the storm is setting its thunder rolling over your head, and that your soul is troubled and discouragement would be quickly at your door, if God were not protecting the entrance. I understand that [the thought of] Heaven does not encourage you, because the idea of Purgatory darkens the path and divine justice frightens you. So, I will not tell you: Serve our Lord because he has a beautiful Heaven for you; but, Love our good Master because he is gracious and because he has a great love for you, because he created you through love, guided you in love and promised forever the mercy of his love.” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard - Excerpt from a letter to Mrs. Camille d’Andigné - August 7, 1864)

​We fight against despair with Hope. We fight against the storm in our souls with the gift of self.
 
And as I wonder upon the love our Lord and Master has for us, I do wish eagerly for a little more time with Him in His Blessed Sacrament, where we can be together in silent recollection, sharing a bit more in the discovery of who we are together. May we be reassured of being the beloved of Christ, that it may help us to dwell restfully in the love of our Lord and Master, but that our hearts be lit on fire…

“What did I wish for you this year? You surely know, the Eucharistic kingdom of our Lord in you. Notice that I did not say devotion, virtue, or even love, but the kingdom, that is, the gift of your whole self to this good Master to be his possession, his field, his heart, his life, and even his death. We must absolutely come to that; otherwise, you would only be like wood that is put close enough to the fireplace to be dried; it may smoke, cry, shout, be warm; it will never burn if it isn’t in the fireplace, assimilated by its power. Please, you know that in order to light a candle, we must take fire from the flame itself and not from the draft.” (Saint Peter Julian Eymard - Excerpt from a letter to Mrs. Natalie Jordan - Paris, January 8, 1864)

We hear it in our souls.

“What are you afraid of? An illusion? If my words sound like those in the Gospel, if they help you to be more humble, more obedient, more detached, more generous, more charitable, and more united to me, what have you to fear? My words are spirit and life. A tree is judged by its fruit. As for you, live in an attitude of conversation with me” (Christ’s words to Father Gaston Courtois)

May we continue to live in the fullness of Hope, learning at the feet of our Master. Amen.
​

Rick Hernandez

Rick Hernandez is a commonsense Catholic, Lay Associate of the Blessed Sacrament, and a Director for Elisheba House. He lives in Trinity, Florida, with his wife Ivonne and their children. He also writes for the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament's Daily Eucharistic Reflections and for Catholicmom.com.