Do Everything with Love

By: Rick Hernandez

Often, when I am in Adoration at the Chapel, I feel small, young, malleable, open... I often get transported in memory to my childhood, when I would offer my help and presence to whoever needed it. I could only help a little, for I was little, but it was a true offer of self to the best of my abilities at the time. Yet, that little help could make a difference to someone. Even In the smallness of the offering, there was purity of intent, as it was given without expectation. I see that same smallness in the Host, in which I see Christ in all His Glory, yet hidden to those of us who only attempt to see with our eyes. In the hidden reality, the humble Host is neither little nor small. It is the King of Mercy disguised as bread, offering the fullness of his love and help to us, and with an even greater purity of intent than the child I remember.

“I am a little pencil in the hand of God who is sending a love letter to the world.” – Saint Teresa of Calcutta

Throughout life, we continue to grow, and even in our simplicity, we reach higher tiers of life. We are called to grow bolder in love, hope, and faith and gain greater knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. That wisdom which we glean from our Eucharistic life tells us that we are indeed small and that if we just embrace this, we can grow in humility and selflessness in imitation of Christ. Oh, that we may do all little things with great love, pure offerings to the Eucharistic King!

“Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant count as nothing… You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them.” - Saint Therese of Lisieux

​That smallness and simplicity in the almost routine things we do with love guide our steps, traversing slowly but surely on the way to Heaven.

“In this effort of love, do not always speak, but be silent at the feet of Jesus, be happy to see Him, look at Him, hear Him, know that you are at His feet. The true word of love is more interior than exterior. Please! Have courage on this road to Heaven!” – Saint Peter Julian Eymard

I am given a glimpse of Heaven whenever my children do these small kind things, giving of themselves to others without expectation and with great love. I grow thankful to Our Lord for this gift of recognition when I see His guiding hand act upon my loved ones, littleness giving back the gift of great love... which is not so little at all, for love of God and neighbor reigns supreme over all virtues. 

“In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.” – Saint Teresa of Calcutta

In my heart, often, while witnessing the routine and the mundane, I feel the hand of God operating freely in my life, His love and peace showing the way… I look up at my wall and at the Crucifix that adorns it…

“Let us look to the cross and be filled with peace, knowing that Christ has walked this road and walks it now with us and with all our brothers and sisters.” – Saint Teresa of Avila

​At every Mass, during the moment of consecration, there is a Cross and a Host... The Cross reminds us how much Jesus loved us then… The Host reminds us how much he loves us now... today… Death and life, sacrifice and gift, sacrificial love and nurturing gift... then and now, and for all time, even beyond time.

“Charity gave me the key to my vocation… I understood that the Church has a heart and that this heart is burning with love; that it is love alone which makes the members work, that if love were to die away, the apostles would no longer preach the Gospel, and martyrs would refuse to shed their blood. I understood that love comprises all vocations, that love is everything, that it embraces all times and all places because it is eternal!” – Saint Therese of Lisieux

How can we not adore Him who humbled Himself this way for us? How can we not accept this gift given to us as nourishment for the journey home? 

“My vocation is grounded in belonging to Jesus, and in the firm conviction that nothing will separate me from the love of Christ” – Saint Teresa of Calcutta

​Let us make God’s Love our vocation so that His Love may be shown to the world through our actions in life. Let us pray for vocations to the Priesthood that we may continue to celebrate the humility of Christ and His smallness in the Host, in the greatness of the Eucharist.
 
May we learn to live Christ’s example, that in our simpleness and smallness, with love and humility, we may live our thanksgiving fully, while we continue our journey home to Heaven.
 
Let us pray: Lord of all Creation, please help us to understand the importance of our every single task, that in the humility of daily living, we may lovingly offer you our simple, small, and humble efforts, that our vocation of love may be a good imitation of Your never-ending Love. Amen.
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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