By Ivonne Hernandez

1.     The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan

”In the Eucharist we find a remedy for our ills, and a payment for the fresh debts we contract daily towards Divine justice through our sins. Our Lord offers Himself up every morning as a Victim of propitiation for all the sins of the world.” [1] - St. Peter Julian Eymard

"Propitiation consists in making amends to our Lord and in consoling Him. That is what our mission as adorers largely consists in. We ought to make reparation; we ought to be mediators and penitents for the sins of men. The world is so wicked that there is almost greater need of reparation than of thanksgiving. John made reparation when he said: ‘Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him Who takes away the sin of the world.’ He preached and showed the atoning Victim. He wept and sorrowed over the indifference of men toward the Savior. Listen to his complaint: ‘There has stood One in the midst of you, Whom you know not.’“ [2] - St. Peter Julian Eymard


​​Meditation:
 
The mystery of the Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan speaks to us of reparation. The beloved Son of the Father opened up the fountain of Baptism for us by His death on the Cross. “Behold, the Lamb of God, behold Him Who takes away the sin of the world.” These words from John the Baptist are repeated at every Mass as the priest elevates the Eucharist. “Christ’s sacrifice present on the altar makes it possible for all generations of Christians to be united with his offering.” [3] Let us then offer Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament our adoration in reparation for our sins and those of the whole world.

 “The world is so wicked there is almost greater need of reparation than of thanksgiving”.  These words from St Peter Julian remind us that we can and must unite our offerings to those of Christ. “The law entered in so that transgression might increase but, where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more.” (Rom 5:20)  When we unite our lives to the sacrifice of Christ, our works, prayers, suffering and praise take on new value.  They are now, infinite in the power of God, the vehicle of that grace that will overflow where sin abounds. Evil and darkness are but the absence of good and light. God has placed each of us in our lives at precisely the time and place He needs us, so we can bring His light to the places that are still in darkness. By uniting every aspect of our lives with the Eucharist, we fulfill our priestly duties, received through Baptism, to sanctify the world and offer sacrifice to God.

We are all sinners, and in the Eucharist, “we find a remedy for our ills, and a payment for the fresh debts we contract daily towards Divine justice through our sins.”  By acknowledging our sinfulness and repenting we are able to receive forgiveness, but after our sins are forgiven, justice still demands reparation. The Catechism tells us that “the expiation of sins continues in the mystical body of Christ and the communion of saints by joining our human acts of atonement to the redemptive action of Christ, both in this life and in Purgatory.”  Let us then adore and console our Lord in the Eucharist, the One the world does not know. Let us unite our voices to John the Baptist and say Behold!
 

2.     Wedding Feast at Cana 

“Why is our Lord not my center? Because He is not yet the ego of my ego, because I am not completely under His control, under the inspiration of His will; because I have desires that are competing with the desires of Jesus within me; because He does not mean everything to me. … What am I to do? I must enter into this center, abide in it, and act in it, not indeed by the sentiment of His sweetness, which does not depend on me, but by repeated attempts, by the homage of every action. … Abide in our Lord. Abide in Him through a sense of devotedness, of holy joy, of readiness to do whatever He will ask of you. Abide in the Heart and the peace of Jesus Eucharistic. “ [4] - St. Peter Julian Eymard


​​Meditation:
 
The mystery of the wedding feast at Cana speaks to us of our free will. “Do whatever He tells you.” These words from Mary to the servants at the wedding echo in our hearts today.  They present to us a challenge and a choice. “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” (John 12:32)  From the Host as from the Cross He is always drawing us to Himself, drawing us near “to bind us with the chains of His love”, [5] and to fill us with His Peace.  It is up to us to accept His invitation, to make the Eucharist the center of our lives and to follow Him.

Only the true center of the universe can draw all things to Himself. Just like the planets revolve around the Sun and are held in its path by gravity, whatever we place at the center of our lives will pull us in its direction, and influence our path. When we choose other goods over the supreme Good, we are in reality worshiping false gods, like the god of money, the god of honor, the god of power, or the god of self. These lesser goods will pull us away from the path God chose for us, not because they are stronger in themselves, but because as we grow closer to them we distance ourselves from God. The nearer we draw to the Eucharist, the stronger we will feel its pull, and the less power these other “gods” will have over us.  We must make Our Eucharistic Lord the center of our lives, and we “must enter into this center, abide in it, and act in it.”

To abide in our Lord is an act of the will.  We must repeatedly strive to grow in virtue, follow the teachings of our Mother Church, and frequent the Sacraments, not only when we receive the sweetness of consolations, but especially when we do not. The enemy of our souls will continuously try to lure us with other goods, with promises of temporary relief and consolation, but we must “hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy.” (Heb 10:23)  We must remain close to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, receive Him often and spend time with Him. He will then draw us to Himself with the chains of His love and fill us with His Peace. We will learn to recognize His sweet voice and we will want nothing more than to follow Our Mother’s instructions and do whatever He tells us. He will then smile and say, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:2)
 
 
3.     Proclamation of the Kingdom of God

"All graces come from the Host. From His Eucharist Jesus sanctifies the world, but in an invisible and spiritual manner. He rules the world and the Church without either moving or speaking. Such must the kingdom of Jesus be in me, all interior. I must gather myself up around Jesus: my faculties, my understanding, and my will; and my senses, as far as possible. I must live of Jesus and not of myself, in Jesus and not in myself. I must pray with Him, immolate myself with Him, and be consumed in the same love with Him. I must become in Him one flame, one heart, one life with Him. …This life in Jesus is nothing other than the love of predilection, the gift of self, the intensifying of union with Him; through it we take root, as it were, and prepare the nourishment, the sap of the tree. "The kingdom of God is within you." [6] - St. Peter Julian Eymard


​Meditation:
 
The mystery of the proclamation of the Kingdom speaks to us of our center, our hearts. The Catechism tells us that “the desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself.” This same Word Who was written in our hearts before the foundation of the world, was made flesh, dwelt among us, and continues to dwell among us in the Eucharistic Kingdom of our hearts.\

Before the foundation of the world, God held each of our hearts in His hand and wrote in them the name of His beloved Son, marking us as His chosen people. This Word was etched in our hearts with the indelible ink of the Blood of the Lamb and sealed with the fire of the Holy Spirit. It is our center, our true identity. The Catechism tells us that “the heart is our hidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully.” (CCC. 2563) We all have a desire, a need to be known. Our hearts are restless, searching to be fulfilled.  
 
Who am I?  I am a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend. We define our identity in relation to others. It is through the mirror of a loving parent’s eyes that an infant knows she is loved and cherished. Since we are each made in the image of God, we should be able to reflect God to each other, but our mirrors have become distorted through sin. We walk through life as if through a house of mirrors, where we seem too tall, too short, too fat or too skinny.  We look at our neighbor through the same mirrors and their reflection is distorted too.

 It is only in the mirror of the Eucharist that we will find our true identity. It is here where we will hear the Truth spoken to our hearts. “You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139)  It is in that truth we will find rest and in union with Him that the Kingdom of God will take root in our hearts. “I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.” (John 17:26)


4.     The Transfiguration of Jesus

"Whereas on Thabor Jesus had rent the veil that covered His Divinity, here He conceals even His humanity and transfigures it into the appearances of bread, to the point that He no longer seems to be either God or Man, and does not act outwardly anymore. He buries Himself in the Species, which become the tomb of His faculties. Out of humility He veils His humanity which is so kind and beautiful. He is so united to the accidents that He seems to be their substance. The bread and wine have been changed into the Body and Blood of the Son of God. Do you see Him in this transfiguration of love and humility? We know that the sun exists even though a cloud hides it from us. Jesus never ceases being God and perfect Man, although hidden behind the cloud of bread and wine. Just as everything was glorious in the first transfiguration, so in the second everything is lovable. We see Him no longer, nor do we touch Him; but He is there with all His gifts. Love, grace, and faith pierce the veils and can recognize His face. Faith is the eye of the soul; to believe is really to see." [7] - St. Peter Julian Eymard


​Meditation:
 
The mystery of the Transfiguration speaks to us of transformation. The verb to transfigure is defined in the dictionary as to “transform outwardly and usually for the better.”[8] It is easy to see that in the Transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Thabor, where He revealed His glory, there was an outward change for the better.  St Peter Julian tells us that in the Eucharist Jesus “transfigures even His humanity into the appearances of bread.” How is this change for the better? Jesus always preferred humility to glory because His goal is to bring us near Him. If we look with the eyes of faith, we can see that this “transfiguration of love and humility” is the greatest transformation of all.  We can draw near to Him now, so near as to consume Him, thus beginning our own transformation into Himself.

In Matthew’s account of the Transfiguration, we hear that the disciples “fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Rise, and do not be afraid.’” (Mat 17:6)  Jesus put aside His glory once again to come down and take care of their needs. This is what He does every day on the altar. He comes down to us, no matter how far down we have fallen, to heal us with His touch and to take away our fear.  It is in the Eucharist where He brings “every spiritual blessing in the Heavens” (Eph 1:3) wrapped in a humble lovable package.  He brings us the gift of Himself.  We just need to look with the eye of faith and we will see His face.

The goal of this transfiguration is our own transformation. We are so thirsty for the glory of Heaven that often we are easily deceived and settle for less. We will go after anything that sparkles in the desert only to find it was all just a mirage. The fountain of living water is hidden, buried down deep in the well of the Species in the Eucharist.  It is here where our thirst will be quenched.  When we remain hidden in this well of love, we will be transformed ourselves, and we will say with Peter, “Lord, it is good that we are here.” (Mat 17:4)


5.     The Institution of the Eucharist

"ON THAT day, then, our Lord remembered that He was a father, and He wanted to make His will; He was about to die. What a solemn act this is in a family! It is, so to speak, the last act of one's life, and one that extends beyond the grave. A father gives what he has. He cannot give himself because he does not belong to himself. He bequeaths something to each of his children as well as to his friends. He gives what he prizes the most. But our Lord would give His very Self!

He became bread; His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity took the place of the substance of the bread which was offered up. We do not see Him, but we have Him.  Our Lord Jesus Christ is our inheritance. He wants to give Himself to everybody, but not everybody wants Him. There are some who would want Him, but they will not submit to the conditions of good and pure living which He has laid down; and their malice has the power to render God's bequest null and void. “ [9] - St. Peter Julian Eymard
 

Meditation:
​
The mystery of the Institution of the Eucharist speaks to us of our dignity as children of God. In the Eucharist Jesus left us both a new covenant and a new testament in His Blood. By the New Covenant in His Blood Christ restored our relationship with the Father, and in His last will and testament He left us the total gift of Himself in the Eucharist. It is by accepting this gift and by entering into a personal relationship with God that we can transcend the likeness of our earthly parentage and be transformed into the likeness of Our Heavenly Father.

 “Our Lord remembered He was a father.” These words from St Peter Julian invite us to see Jesus in a new light. In the Eucharist we have our God, Lord, friend, brother, teacher and spouse, but father?  Jesus answers, “If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:7)  Jesus brings every Heavenly grace with Him in the Eucharist; He brings us the Father and the Holy Spirit, who are always dwelling in Him. We are invited to enter into this heavenly relationship, to be caught between the gaze of the Father and the Son, in the embrace of the Holy Spirit. “The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God.” (CCC, 27) 

“I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me.” (2 Cor 6:18)  This is what God tells us from the Eucharist.  He gives Himself completely to us, and His desire is that we give ourselves completely to Him in return. During the Last Supper Jesus prays “that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us.” (John 17:21)  This is His Will for us. He wants to heal the wounds from our earthly parentage, and restore us in our dignity as children of God.  When we receive Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament and let Him speak to our hearts, we can hear the truth of who we are. “I have called you by name: you are mine.” (Isa 43:1)


[1] Eymard, The Real Presence, p. 147
[2] Eymard, The Real Presence, p. 287
[3] (CCC, 1368)
[4] Eymard, The Real Presence, p. 141
[5] Eymard, The Real Presence, p. 185
[6] Eymard, The Real Presence, p. 142
[7] Eymard, The Real Presence, p. 280
[8] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transfigure, 4/23/17
[9] Eymard, The Real Presence, p.42

By Ivonne Hernandez

1.     The Resurrection 

"It is true that the glory of the Saints and of the blessed is a flower that blooms only in the sunshine of Paradise and in the presence of God. This dazzling glory cannot be ours on this earth; people would offer us adoration. But we receive the hidden seed of it which contains it in its entirety as the seed contains the ear of wheat. The Eucharist deposits in us the leaven of resurrection, the source of a special and brighter glory, which after having been sown in our corruptible flesh will shine in our risen and immortal body." [1]  - St Peter Julian Eymard
​
“The last (effect of the Eucharist) is to make us share in His glorious Resurrection. Jesus Christ sows the seed of His own life in us; the Holy Ghost will quicken it and through it will give us a new life, but a life of glory that will never end.” [2] - St. Peter Julian Eymard
 
​Meditation:

The mystery of the Resurrection speaks to us of faith. We see in the Risen Christ the promise that we will rise up with Him one day, and in the Eucharist we receive the seed of that promise, of a life of glory that will never end.

“The Eucharist deposits in us the leaven of resurrection.”  Leaven is a pervasive presence that permeates everything, transforming it into something better.[3] The Eucharist, being the Risen Lord Himself, sows the seed of His own life in us, transforming us until we become what we eat.
We need to look for that little germinating plant in each other, amid the weeds in the garden, and be careful not to trample on it. We need to look for the saints God has placed in our lives, those whose flower is not yet in full bloom, but that might need our help to fertilize and tend to their garden. Helping each other to grow in Holiness as we remain close to the Eucharist and encouraging one another, we will then join St Paul when he says: “All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Cor 3:18)

It is this faith in a life of glory with Christ that keeps us growing here below.  It is this faith that sustains us when we remember that “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” (John 12:24)  We can’t skip over Good Friday to get to the Resurrection. We must patiently wait for the light that dispels all darkness. In the gift of Jesus in the Eucharist we have the hidden seed of the Risen Lord in its entirety. We have the flicker of light that will become dazzling in the sunshine of Paradise, in the presence of God.

 
2.     The Ascension 

"In order to keep the hope of Heaven in us and make it more efficacious, in order to have us wait patiently for the Heaven of glory and lead us there, our Lord has created the beautiful Heaven of the Eucharist. For the Eucharist is a beautiful Heaven; it is Heaven begun. Is it not Jesus glorified coming from Heaven to earth, and bringing Heaven with Him? Is not Heaven wherever our Lord is? His state there, although hidden from our senses, is one of glory, triumph, and blessedness. He has done away with the miseries of this life; when we go to Communion, we receive Heaven, since we receive Jesus Who is the whole joy and glory of Paradise.
​
Through Communion his soul ascends to God. Prayer is defined an ascension of the soul to God. But what is prayer compared to Communion? What a difference between the ascension of our thoughts and desires in prayer and the sacramental ascension wherein Jesus raises us Himself to the very bosom of God!" [4] - St. Peter Julian Eymard
 

Meditation:

The mystery of the Ascension speaks to us of hope, the hope of Heaven. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.” (John 14:3)  These words from Jesus can be applied to the Eucharist, as He, “in order to keep the hope of Heaven in us”, “has created the beautiful Heaven of the Eucharist.” 

In Communion Jesus comes down to us.  Love seeks His beloved. He knocks on the door and finding a contrite heart, a garden enclosed, in which to make His home, He lifts us up to Himself, “to the very bosom of God.”  In the Eucharist we find all the sweetness and delights of Heaven, for Heaven is where Jesus is. We get a taste of Heaven and it leaves us wanting more.  Our desire grows along with our hope each time we hear our lover speak and say to us, “Arise, my friend, my beautiful one, and come!” (Songs 2:10)

The Eucharistic presence of Christ endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist, usually around 10-15 minutes after receiving Communion. Let us keep this reality before our eyes each time we receive Him.  Let us give Him our whole hearts and minds for those precious minutes that the species are still in our bodies and we have Him, all glorious and immortal, with us. Let us let our minds and hearts ascend to Him like incense in the Heaven of the Eucharist as we patiently wait for Him to bring us with Him to the Heaven of glory.

 
3.     Coming of the Holy Spirit 

"...God is all love. This gentle Savior pleads with us from the Host: "Love Me as I have loved you; abide in My love! I came to cast the fire of love on the earth, and My most ardent desire is that it should set your hearts on fire." Oh! What shall we think of the Eucharist at the moment of death or after death, when we shall see and know all the goodness and love and riches of it! " [5] - St. Peter Julian Eymard
 
​Meditation:

The mystery of the coming of the Holy Spirit speaks to us of the love of God.  The Holy Spirit, loud as a mighty wind, descended upon the Apostles and upon Our Lady in the form of tongues of fire. He doesn’t always make so much noise when He comes. This is the same Holy Spirit who during Mass quietly transforms the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Our Lord, and comes gently into our hearts to set them on fire with the love of God.
 
The action of the Holy Spirit during Mass is quiet and gentle, like the dewfall.  That moment when, through the ministry of the priest, the Holy Spirit changes the gifts human hands have made into the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, is almost too elusive for our senses.  Just like the precise moment the sun rises gives way to the fullness of light, the coming of the Holy Spirit gives way to His full power and action. This quiet and gentle Presence brings the fire of God’s love with Him, because He IS God’s love Himself. 

In one of the Eucharistic Prayers we hear the priest say the words, “Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall…” Once Jesus is present on the altar we can almost hear Him speaking to our hearts: “Open to me, my sister, my friend, my dove, my perfect one! For my head is wet with dew.” (Song 5:2)  He brings the dew of the Holy Spirit with Him in the Eucharist and knocks at the door of our hearts. He wants to fill us with His love.

How can we welcome such a guest? We can unite our prayers to the priest’s and ask the Father to send His Holy Spirit upon us to transform us and make us holy; to make us a fitting dwelling for His Son.  Thus when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist we can let His Love fulfill his most ardent desire, to penetrate deeply into every recess of our beings and set our hearts on fire.
 

4.     The Assumption of Mary 

“Mary died of love. The longing to see her Son, and to be fully united to Him, snapped her thread of life. Jesus is about to accord her a grand triumph. O what passed between Jesus and Mary at the moment of their meeting! We know the joy of a mother and a son meeting after a long separation.” [6] - St. Peter Julian Eymard

"In Communion we receive an unfailing pledge of immortality. ‘He that eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, has everlasting’ eternal life. We lose our temporal life. But it is not a life worthy of the name; it is only a halt on the journey to true life.” [7]  - St. Peter Julian Eymard
 
Meditation:

The mystery of the Assumption speaks to us of the resurrection of the body. “The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son’s Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians.” (CCC, 968)  Just like Mary has been taken up into Heaven, body and soul, we live in the hope of the Resurrection, in that “unfailing pledge of immortality” we receive in Communion.

In the book “Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament”, St Peter Julian explores the life of Mary in the Cenacle in the early years of the Church. He writes: “The Blessed Virgin had so powerful an attraction for the Eucharist that she could not live away from It.” [8] It is sometimes hard to imagine that Our Lady’s love for Jesus could grow even more than when she stood at the foot of the Cross, but we have to remember that love, being from God, if nurtured, can always grow.  Mary’s love for Jesus, nurtured by Holy Communion and Adoration, grew until her longing “snapped her thread of life” and she “died of love”.

When we meditate on Our Mother being taken up into Heaven, into the loving arms of the Father, and reunited with her Son, we are filled with hope.  She is always our mother, and as such, she is interceding for us, and she is teaching and encouraging us.  Let us then imitate her, remaining close to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Let us receive Him often with great love and adore Him in the Tabernacle.  Let us see His Body, glorious but hidden in the Host, and remember that He wants to sow the seed of His own Life in us, and raise us with Him on the last day. 

 
5.     Coronation of Mary

 “Jesus led His Mother by the hand up to the throne of God. ‘Behold, O Father, her with whom You are associated, by choosing her to give Me My Humanity!’ —And the Father crowned her with her three most beautiful titles, Queen, Mother, Mediatrix. In Mary's diadem, three pearls are shining with dazzling brightness, namely, that of her humility, that of her poverty, and that of her sufferings.” [9] - St. Peter Julian Eymard
​
"THE tendency of love-----its final tendency-----is the union of two beings who love each other, the fusion of two into one, of two hearts into one heart, of two minds into one mind, of two souls into one soul. …We abide in Him, He abides in us. We are one with Him until the ineffable union that was begun here below by grace and perfected by the Eucharist is consummated in Heaven in an eternal and glorious union. Love lives therefore with Jesus present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. It shares all that belongs to Jesus. It is one with Jesus. The demands of our heart are satisfied; it cannot ask for anything else." [10] - St. Peter Julian Eymard
 
Meditation:

The mystery of the Coronation of Mary speaks to us of eternal happiness.  At the end of her earthly life, God gave Mary her reward: she will forever remain by her Son as Queen of Heaven and earth.  When we receive and adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in the company of Mary, we have with us a Mother, Queen, and Mediatrix, who will always lead us to Christ. “Mary, the exalted Daughter of Sion, helps all her children, wherever they may be and whatever their condition, to find in Christ the path to the Father's house.” [11]  This path to Heaven is found in the Eucharist, where love lives, and fulfills all the desires of our hearts. 

Mary’s diadems’ “three dazzling pearls” shine for us to see and imitate, as they light up the way for us to follow. The first two reflect the virtues of Our Lord’s poverty and humility in the Eucharist, and the third one, that of her sufferings, reminds us that she shares so closely in His glory now in Heaven because she shared so closely in His sufferings on earth.  We can see that these pearls do not shine on their own, but reflect the light from the Monstrance.  In that Monstrance is Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, the One we have been looking for, the One who will satisfy the demands of our hearts.

It is there our quest must end. “When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” (Mat 13:46)  We must let go of anything that divides our hearts, for the price for this pearl is our whole hearts.  Love dwelling in the Blessed Sacrament calls “Arise, my friend, my beautiful one, and come!” (Song 2:10), for the final tendency of love is the union of two souls.  This union “perfected by the Eucharist” will satisfy our hearts until that final day when we say, “Before I knew it, my desire had made me the blessed one of the prince’s people.” (Song 6:12)             


[1]Eymard, The Real Presence, p.276
[2] Eymard, The Real Presence, p.74
[3] https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/leaven
[4] Eymard, The Real Presence, p.275
[5] Eymard, The Real Presence, p.167
[6] Eymard, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament p.158
[7] Eymard, The Real Presence, p. 237
[8] Eymard, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament p.34
[9] Eymard, Our Lady of The Blessed Sacrament, p. 160
[10] Eymard, The Real Presence, p.86
[11] St John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater, 47

By Ivonne Hernandez