Do this in Memory of Me: Bless, Forgive and Live

By: Laura Catherine Worhacz

“Love that is made up of union and devotedness ignites a fire that is not meant to go out but to consume everything.” - Saint Peter Julian Eymard 

Dearest Eucharistic Family,
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In adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, these three words came to me immediately from Jesus: bless, forgive and live. Amazing that we have entered the month of November; it is a time to count our blessings. We are praying for the holy souls/the faithfully departed. This time of year also sets the scriptures to prepare us for the new Liturgical year. We think of and pray for all those who have gone before us. And also think of our death, hoping to be mindful that our purgatory begins now on this earth. Our communication with Heaven lives in our Eucharistic Lord most intimately. Jesus died for the forgiveness of sins. He remains with us in the Eucharist for us to live in this blessing, to forgive as He has forgiven us, and to live in the freedom of His miraculous love. We are blessed beyond this world.   
  
How do we bless as Jesus blessed?   
  
Forgive as Jesus has forgiven?   
  
Live as Jesus would want us to live?  
  
Saint Paul seemed to grasp the answer in his message of obedience and service in the world. As we read this aloud with conviction... 

Obedience and Service in the World. 
 
“So then, my beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work. Do everything without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world, as you hold on to the word of life, so that my boast for the day of Christ may be that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. But, even if I am poured out as a libation upon the sacrificial service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with all of you. In the same way, you also should rejoice and share your joy with me.” (Philippians 2: 12-180

This time of year reminds us of the importance of prayer. To recommit to set time apart to be with God. To rely upon the Holy Spirit to guide us in our days. Living in the Incarnation and partaking in a pattern of prayer like Mary will help us listen to God’s voice. Silence and setting a guard around our soul will allow us to be mindful of our eternal home and to be secured in our Father’s love.   
  
How often have we experienced a situation that tries to take over our thoughts and distracts us from blessing, forgiving, and living? It is a constant battle on many levels and in many situations. In prayer, we learn to bless every situation, forgive and live. Being mindful of prayer and obedient to the offering will always take us to the right way of living, and then pray for those who have gone before us and are with us now.   
  
Christianity shines like the sun when compassion rises from our human state. The frailty of our families and the brokenness of relationships have come to heights that we would never have expected—people living in heartbreak, guilt, and inner torture because of various situations. In Jesus’ love, we can be with the Kingdom of Heaven now. In our choices and the blessings of the Sacraments, we will remain in the grace of the present moment. In the mercy of God; bless, forgive and live.  

“Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”  (Matthew 18: 34-35)

​From one daily Mass to the next seems like an eternity for me, and the longing to receive our precious Lord Jesus is the most extraordinary grace of each day. The Church suffering, the Church Militant, we are on our way to the Church Triumphant, the fullness of Heaven, and the beauty that is ours by loving, blessing, forgiving, and living.   
  
Note: A partial indulgence can be obtained by devoutly visiting a cemetery and praying for the departed, even if the prayer is only mental. One can gain a plenary indulgence by visiting a cemetery each day between November 1st and November 8th. These indulgences apply only to the souls in purgatory. 
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Laura Catherine Worhacz

Laura Catherine Worhacz is a Lay Associate of the Blessed Sacrament and author of Consecration to Jesus Through Our Lady of The Blessed Sacrament. She is also the Director of Mothers of The Blessed Sacrament. She lives in Trinity, FL with her husband and their two daughters.