ELISHEBA BLOGLaura, Ivonne, and Rick share their experiences and reflections on living a life centered on the Eucharist.
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ELISHEBA BLOGLaura, Ivonne, and Rick share their experiences and reflections on living a life centered on the Eucharist.
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Week 4 theme: "Mother of Adorers" READING -TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY- Consecration to Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament St. Peter Julian Eymard, Library Vol. 7 Pages 149-153 (Or pages 145-149 on the online book. You can find the link here:) http://archive.org/stream/monthofourladyof00eymauoft#page/145/mode/1up St Peter Julian Eymard's words: Chapter title: The Eucharist the Center of Mary's Life Mary shared the Eucharistic life of Jesus. Love desires a life in common with the Beloved. ...She had always shared His life of suffering, consequently with good reason she would live the Eucharistic life of her Divine Son, which is the crown of all the others. Mary lived, by means of the Eucharist, a life altogether interior and hidden, silent, separated from the world, with Jesus for her only witness and confidant. ....she had but one desire, to love Him still more,... "My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in God, my Savior." This Eucharistic contemplation is more active than passive. It is the soul giving itself incessantly to God, under the ever new and ever livelier impression of His goodness, under the ever-increasing action of the flames of His love, which purifies it, detaches it from all earthly things, and unites it more intimately with the Well-Beloved. ...Prolonged prayer costs little or nothing, because freed from all things, it can follow its Savior whithersoever He goeth; nothing urging or calling it elsewhere, it can then study the profound mysteries on which it meditates. It sees things as they really are in Jesus Christ; recollection and contemplation strengthen its sight and render it reflective and penetrating. ....perfect must have been Mary's contemplation before the Blessed Sacrament, with the great light of her faith, the purity of her life, the perfect love of her heart......(Mary) drank in long droughts of living waters of grace and of love. She forgot the world about her in order to remain alone with Jesus; for it is a characteristic of love to isolate itself more closely to the beloved. Let the adorer, united to Mary Adoratrix, apply himself with patience, with constancy, to the virtue of recollection, to the exercise of the contemplation of Jesus Christ; studying at first to know Him rather than enjoy Him; for love comes of truth known, and the grace of enlightenment is of more value than the greatest grace of sweetness and consolation. Truth remains, but sentiment passes. Oh, happy the soul which penetrates, as Mary did, the sublimity of this mystery of love, who desires it, who asks it without ceasing, who incessantly exercises itself in it! The Kingdom of God is within it! Practice-Often pray to God for the perseverance of persons consecrated to Jesus in the cloister and in the world. Aspiration-O Mary, like new-born babes, we ask of thee our spiritual milk, Jesus Eucharistic! MEDITATION Mary "had but one desire to love Him still more;" "My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in God, my Savior." In this chapter St. Peter Julian is preparing us for a life after our consecration preparation. Where do we go from here? Our lives need to remain in "common" with the Beloved. Our Lady's commonality is to continue to share in the suffering of her children, to rejoice with them, to live in the depths of the heart of Christ with them. We, her consecrated children, like our Mother who adores, will share in the sufferings of the whole body of Christ as we adore Him in the Blessed Sacrament. The sorrows of others become ours, hoping the intercession of our prayers will bring consolation. "And if one member suffer any thing, all the members suffer with it; or if one member glory, all the members rejoice with it. " (1 Cor: 12:26) In our Eucharistic relationship with Jesus we shall receive a confidant and friend; that will be everlasting. We too will become sanctified by our hidden, silent life, a life separated from this world. We will become active rather than passive for the love we absorb from Jesus will be not be kept. A life in God will become an offering. We "isolate" our security by purifying and strengthening our relationship in prayer to then let it be reflective and penetrating to all those we encounter. "A characteristic of love to isolate itself more closely to the beloved." Mary gathers her children in her likeness; we try to make the Eucharist the center of our lives. With Jesus as our center He will become our spiritual food: Jesus Eucharistic, our confidant and friend! So fitting that this chapter is close to the conclusion of our preparation days. St. Peter Julian tells us that, "happy the soul which penetrates, as Mary did, the sublimity of this mystery of love." The mysteries of Mary's love remain in her gift of the Most Holy Rosary; praying the Scriptures, the life of her Son, Jesus Christ. Consecration preparation needs to embrace the importance of our continued life in Christ by keeping the Rosary, after our Eucharistic prayer time, sacred. We conclude the little insight we have touched on with the first set of all the mysteries of the Holy Rosary. The first shall be last..."So shall the last be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen." (Matt:20:16) We ponder the first set of mysteries now for they are our continued life in the Eucharist after the Crucifixion. The Annunciation, the Incarnation of Jesus Christ sustains us with His life when we Receive Him; He lives on in us. We announce Him to the world. Jesus calls us like Mary to humble service. At the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus fulfills the Incarnation by handing His life freely to the Divine Will. Mary's humility at the Annunciation is not left without consolation. It is rather blessed all the greater with the conquering of our Original Sin. Jesus' agony restores our life in the Promise of God our Father. Pride is taken by humility, selfishness is conquered by love, and love is offered to redeem us. The blood Jesus sweat is given to strengthen us to "stay with Him one hour". Pray to make a promise to commit to a weekly Holy Hour after your consecration day. This would be a gift of love offered to God. We pray next the Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan; this is our entrance into the family of God. We must keep our Baptismal promise alive by our Eucharistic dedication. Jesus and the Father are one, so we too are one with the Father through our life in the Blessed Sacrament through Baptism.We are His beloved children, who are not abandoned but loved. Our Eucharistic life should bring us into the life of the Triune God, where all of our security exists in the reality that we are Beloved children of the Father, in and through the life of the Son. Finally, the Resurrection is our "Theological life of Faith, Hope and Love." Here our continued consecrated life is taken to an experienced life of Faith, Hope and Love. We live in and through the Blessed Sacrament with our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament by our side. Jesus is the center of Mary's life. He is the center of our lives. With Mary, Jesus will be Announced to us so we may share in His agony, with Mary Jesus will be Baptized in us so He may be Resurrected in us from His Eucharistic life into the fullness of the Heavenly Kingdom. With all of these gifts we will live this side of Heaven in the presence of God, who is the Father of the Mother of Adorers. Mary is our Mother of adoring, who brings us to the Promise of the Father in her Son, Jesus. St. Peter Julian is familiar with the Cross of Christ through his earthly pilgrimage. Mary "drank in long droughts of living waters of grace and love." We will apply ourselves with her in constancy to the obedience of our prayers with the same faith, hope and love she was graced to receive through her interior life. St. Peter Julian tells us that the sentiments will pass us by, but Truth will remain. "But now faith, hope, and love remain--these three. The greatest of these is love." (1 Cor: 13:13) Mary's obedience to the love of God made her perfect. She received God in her body, baptized Him with her love, agonized with Him in His pain and remains with Him in His Resurrection. We, her loving children adore Jesus, the Mother of Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament. Living out our consecration will be fulfilled by our constancy in prayer and recollection, taking it to the activity rather than the passivity of our lives. Blessed children of God we will be when we live in the Eucharist. St. Peter Julian sends us with this, "The Kingdom of God is within it!" SEND Make a perpetual promise to recite a spiritual communion prayer if you cannot get to daily Mass, the faith you place into the prayer is the grace you will receive from it. Continue to journal and prepare for a good and humble confession. Take some time to pray about The Kingdom of God living within you. For Week IV to accompany the daily readings please pray the Litany of the Most Blessed Sacrament. You may continue the prayers from the previous weeks, the Veni Creator, the Ave Maris Stella and the prayer to Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament. Ponder these words through your prayers this week: " In your prayer aspire to nourish yourself upon God... This is the secret of true prayer; to discover God's action and plans in His love for us! Then the soul cries out, 'How good you are, oh my God! What can I do for you? What could please you?' That is the flame which rises from the hearth. To attain such a living prayer, we must forget ourselves, or avoid seeking ourselves in any way in prayer. We must simplify the work of our mind by a simple and calm view of God's truths." St. Peter JulianEymard Paris, August 27, 1867 Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, pray for us. Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, have mercy on us. -Laura PRAYER Litany of the Most Blessed Sacrament Lord, have mercy. R. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. R. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. R. Lord, have mercy. Christ, hear us. R. Christ, graciously hear us. God the Father of Heaven, R. have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, R. have mercy on us. God the Holy Spirit, R. have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, R. have mercy on us. Jesus, Eternal High Priest of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, R. have mercy on us. Jesus, Divine Victim on the Altar for our salvation, R. have mercy on us. Jesus, hidden under the appearance of bread, R. have mercy on us. Jesus, dwelling in the tabernacles of the world, R. have mercy on us. Jesus, really, truly and substantially present in the Blessed Sacrament, R. have mercy on us. Jesus, abiding in Your fulness, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, R. have mercy on us. Jesus, Bread of Life, R. have mercy on us. Jesus, Bread of Angels, R. have mercy on us. Jesus, with us always until the end of the world, R. have mercy on us. Sacred Host, summit and source of all worship and Christian life, R. have mercy on us. Sacred Host, sign and cause of the unity of the Church, R. have mercy on us. Sacred Host, adored by countless angels, R. have mercy on us. Sacred Host, spiritual food, R. have mercy on us. Sacred Host, Sacrament of love, R. have mercy on us. Sacred Host, bond of charity, R. have mercy on us. Sacred Host, greatest aid to holiness, R. have mercy on us. Sacred Host, gift and glory of the priesthood, R. have mercy on us. Sacred Host, in which we partake of Christ, R. have mercy on us. Sacred Host, in which the soul is filled with grace, R. have mercy on us. Sacred Host, in which we are given a pledge of future glory, R. have mercy on us. Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. For those who do not believe in Your Eucharistic presence, R. have mercy, O Lord. For those who are indifferent to the Sacrament of Your love, R. have mercy on us. For those who have offended You in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar, R. have mercy on us. That we may show fitting reverence when entering Your holy temple, R. we beseech You, hear us. That we may make suitable preparation before approaching the Altar, R. we beseech You, hear us. That we may receive You frequently in Holy Communion with real devotion and true humility, R. we beseech You, hear us. That we may never neglect to thank You for so wonderful a blessing, R. we beseech You, hear us. That we may cherish time spent in silent prayer before You, R. we beseech You, hear us. That we may grow in knowledge of this Sacrament of sacraments, R. we beseech You, hear us. That all priests may have a profound love of the Holy Eucharist, R. we beseech You, hear us. That they may celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in accordance with its sublime dignity, R. we beseech You, hear us. That we may be comforted and sanctified with Holy Viaticum at the hour of our death, R. we beseech You, hear us. That we may see You one day face to face in Heaven, R. we beseech You, hear us. Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, R. spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, R. graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, R. have mercy on us, O Lord. V. O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, R. all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine. Let us pray, Most merciful Father, You continue to draw us to Yourself through the Eucharistic Mystery. Grant us fervent faith in this Sacrament of love, in which Christ the Lord Himself is contained, offered and received. We make this prayer through the same Christ our Lord. R. Amen. Description: Litany of the Blessed Sacrament: Written by St. Peter Julian Eymard, the founder of the Blessed Sacrament Fathers. This litany is ecclesiastically approved for liturgical use and has the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur.
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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. |