Elisheba House

Join us for ADORARE2024’s Closing Mass with .

During National Vocations Awareness Week, and will be partnering together to provide 40 hours of Eucharistic Exposition at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Land O Lakes on November 7-9, 2024. For a detailed schedule and to sign up to be an Adorer before the Blessed Sacrament during the 40 Hours, please visit www.dospvocations.org/adorare.

For more information, please contact the Office of Vocations.
Contact: Jasmine Pujol
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 727-345-3452

Join us for ADORARE2024’s Closing Mass with Bishop Gregory L. Parkes.

During National Vocations Awareness Week, Elisheba House and the Office of Vocations will be partnering together to provide 40 hours of Eucharistic Exposition at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Land O Lakes on November 7-9, 2024. For a detailed schedule and to sign up to be an Adorer before the Blessed Sacrament during the 40 Hours, please visit www.dospvocations.org/adorare.

For more information, please contact the Office of Vocations.
Contact: Jasmine Pujol
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 727-345-3452

Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg

Today’s blog from Laura Worhacz 👇

Do This in Memory of Me: Be a Witness of My Love By: Laura Catherine Worhacz

“Take up your cross…” “Offer it up…”

What comes to mind when we hear these words? Do we have a correct understanding of the meaning of the cross? Or do we use this as an excuse, as justification for our lack of action in the face of injustice? Do we become victims, letting the devil use these words against us? The enemy will take anything, everything, twist it, and use it against us.
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“He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies.”
(John 8:44)

When the devil tempted Jesus in the desert, he used scripture (cf. Matthew 4:1-11). We should not be surprised when he tries to twist God’s Word against us. Our defense then is to know God so deeply that we will not fall for the deception.

A mom was quizzing her little girl. She asked her, “What would you do if a stranger comes up to you saying, ‘I am your mom’s friend. She called me to say she couldn’t pick you up today and asked me to bring you home.’” The girl said, “No. You are lying, my mom only has two friends, and you are not one of them.”

“Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:8)
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The devil will take one piece of scripture, take it out of context, and try to use it to divide us, to isolate us, to hurt us. So, when Jesus says to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24), it must be taken within the context of who Jesus is, and of who we are. This is the same Jesus who said, “A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

So, if we are to take up our cross, we must first learn to identify it. We do not want to mistake the attacks of the enemy for a cross. A priest once told me that when we do this, we end up giving the devil a “piggyback ride” and bringing him home with us. We feel powerless and victimized, which leads to resentment and a lessening of love. No, this is the time to put on the armor of God, to remember his promises, and to stand in the truth of our dignity as children of God (cf. Ephesians 6:13). What do we see when we look at Jesus on the Cross? We see sacrificial love.

“In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him.” (1 John 4:9)
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When those around us are suffering, and we choose to help carry their burdens, that is a cross. Every day, we choose to carry our cross when loving those around us costs us. With love, we walk the way of the cross… this is the way of love.

Ivonne J. Hernandez
“The Way of Love “
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The Way of Love By: Ivonne J. Hernandez

We are really looking forward to this! Sign up for an hour (or more) to adore our Lord during Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and pray for vocations. Contact us if you have any questions.

The Office of Vocations and Elisheba House invite you and your family to Adorare 2024. Adorare is 40 hours of Eucharistic Adoration for vocations.

Registration is now open! Register at dospvocations.org/adorare

During National Vocations Awareness Week, Elisheba House and the Office of Vocations (Diocese of St. Petersburg) will be partnering together to provide 40 hours of Eucharistic Exposition at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Land O Lakes. To sign up to be an Adorer before the Blessed Sacrament during the 40 Hours, please register through the link below. 👇

ADORARE ADORARE 2024 40 Hours of Eucharistic Adorations for Vocations Diocese of St. Petersburg

Rick’s blog for today:

“The past few months have been especially challenging for our local faith community and for me personally. We are mourning the loss of several cherished members, gone today from this earth, and their absence is deeply felt by all of us.

Beyond that, my last surviving grandmother and two other close friends are battling severe illnesses, constantly in and out of hospitals. Another dear friend, a priest, sits battling ALS and descending little by little into his last days. All this sits heavily in my heart. Can I ask all of you to unite yourselves with us in prayer for them and all who are battling illness at this time? It is easier when we face the struggles together, united in faith and hope, praying for God’s will to be done and for His mercy and compassion to be made present.

Despite all our help, prayers, and hopes, I acknowledge that the grief we feel is heavy and difficult to bear…”

Read more 👇

The Grief of Today By: Rick Hernandez

Your Heart’s Desire 2024 ❤️

Best part of our Your Heart’s Desire Eucharistic Healing retreat… overnight Eucharistic Adoration!

Our Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg is on fire! 🔥 Come Holy Spirit! Our Blessed Mother is gathering her children.

At every Mass I attend, I look up expectantly to the large Crucifix that usually looks over us behind the altar. In my thoughts, I am transported for a moment to the side of our Mother Mary as she is held by the hand of Saint John the Evangelist, experiencing together the Passion of Christ, and I see myself behind them, feeling so sad… It is a difficult image to process, but every time, among the pain and sadness, I end up feeling Hope because not only do I see the act of Mercy from our Savior, but also that he left us in the care of His Most Precious Mother. Oh, to be as Saint John holding our Mother’s hand!

And I can see the fear and nervousness in the air as the multitude, driven mad with angst, call out to us, asking us why we are there: “Are you also one of His?” And I see Mother Mary, face set as flint, witnessing to her son, our Lord, withstanding the shouts and the leering, and I see myself taking courage from Her steadfastness… “...Behold your Mother.” (John 27:2)

“Behold your Mother!” our Lord said, and I feel her right by me now as she was back then for John. And I imagine being like John, feeling protective of Mary in the middle of all that pain and suffering, witnessing together that most efficacious moment, the self-sacrifice of our Lord, His great Mercy overflowing in action for our salvation.

And I imagine us helping Joseph of Arimathea take down the body of our Savior from the Cross, and I immediately go back to our temple seeing that beautiful Crucifix covered in purple, waiting expectantly in the great silence because we now know what those three days so long ago meant and continue to mean… Can you imagine our Mother Mary during those three days? “Behold your Mother!”

And I see us taking Mother Mary home and having her be part of our families. I see Mary teaching us how to love Christ Jesus and follow His example. Can you imagine Mother Mary’s great joy on Easter day? Can you imagine us, the new family, overjoyed that our Savior had overcome death for us?

And I can imagine both the joy and the sadness when our Lord had to ascend to take His place at the right hand of the Father. “I have to go!” we hear from our Lord, and I believe our Mother Mary felt bittersweet happiness. She probably wanted to go with Jesus right then, but she would not let the early Church be an orphan, for her new mission was to mother us, so she stayed with us for a while longer. “Behold your Mother!”

And I imagine Mother Mary partaking in the Eucharistic banquet the same as we do today. Can you imagine Mother Mary yet again one with Jesus? Mary again united to Christ, but this time also one with us, united through the Eucharist as one body, one Church, one people, God’s people, and I tremble over that. I see new witnesses learning to witness from the first witness of Jesus.

A witness testifies to the truth, and Mother Mary testified to the truth of Christ with her very life. Mother Mary mothered the Apostles. If Mary Magdalene is the Apostle to the Apostles for leading them to see the empty tomb, then who is Mother Mary who watched over them but a mother to the Apostles and the Mother of the entire Church? And she is still doing this today for us, love for us present, her Immaculate Heart interceding for us, leading us by the hand to her Son, Jesus. “Behold your Mother!” She points the way to Christ.

Let us pray: ”Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly to you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer us. Amen.” (The Memorare Prayer)

The First Witness of Christ
By Rick Hernandez
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The First Witness of Christ (Behold your Mother!) By: Rick Hernandez

Elisheba House invites you to spend 33 days with St. Peter Julian Eymard, pondering Mary’s Eucharistic Heart.

Learn to adore from Our Lady and grow in love and knowledge of the Eucharist with Consecration to Jesus through Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament.

To learn more about our Eucharistic Marian Consecration, click on the button below.

Eucharistic Evangelizers Elisheba House Empowering Eucharistic Evangelizers

There is something lovely about new beginnings. In fact, many childhood tales end with the words: “And they lived happily ever after…” Like a newlywed couple driving out into the sunset with a string of cans tied to the tailpipe of their car, new beginnings bring us hope. There is still time to change; there is still time to grow. Perhaps the best is yet to come.

The beginning of a new year is a natural transition that invites us to take stock of where we are and where we want to go. We can do this as individuals, families, communities, and as a family of God.

“ I would greatly desire that we devote 2024, the year preceding the Jubilee event, to a great “symphony” of prayer. Prayer, above all else, to renew our desire to be in the presence of the Lord, to listen to him and to adore him… Prayer as the expression of a single “heart and soul” (cf. Acts 4:32), which then translates into solidarity and the sharing of our daily bread.” (Pope Francis, Letter to Msgr. Rino Fisichella for the Jubilee 2025)
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A symphony of prayer denotes that there are different movements and different parts. Each of our instruments, coming together as one, expressing the desire of God’s own heart.

“In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.” (Romans 8:26)
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Many voices are trying to get our attention, but God speaks in the silence of our hearts. This is why prayer begins with listening. It is God who begins. It is God who speaks. We must learn to recognize His voice.

“‘If you knew the gift of God’(Jn 4:10). The wonder of prayer is revealed beside the well where we come seeking water: there, Christ comes to meet every human being. It is he who first seeks us and asks us for a drink. Jesus thirsts; his asking arises from God’s desire for us. Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God’s thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2560)

His asking arises from God’s desire for us…

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)
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Wherever we find ourselves this new year, whether in the midst of suffering or great joy, let us remember to raise our hearts and minds to God. Let us ask for the grace to become better listeners, to listen to each other, as we sing a hymn of praise to God.

The Sound of His Voice
By: Ivonne J. Hernandez

The Sound of His Voice How can we answer Pope Franci's invitation to make 2024 a Year of Prayer?

From Rick Hernandez:

I have been off social media for a while, but I really wanted to share this little reflection, written for the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament and Emmanuel Magazine:

Jesus knows who we are. He calls us the same as he called the disciples, and he does this constantly. Do we hear him?

During Mass, I sometimes hear him clearly, "What are you looking for?" He asks me... and I look up at the moment of Consecration with expectation. In my impatience, I ask that this be the day that my heart, mind, and soul are gifted with the complete understanding of him who loves us, that I may comprehend his mystery and majesty and see his Kingdom among us with my own eyes... Oh, that I may be perfected in Christ! But it does not happen this way... Instead, during Holy Communion, Jesus gently and lovingly chooses to rearrange little sections of my heart, mind, and soul, and caressing tears flow slowly from my eyes...

Little by little, he teaches me patience. His hand reorganizes my mind and does a bit of housekeeping in my soul. He strengthens my heart. Step by step, over a lifetime, patiently and lovingly, the Heavenly Artisan shapes me. And I hear it again: "Behold, the Lamb of God..."

I look at the Host and hear deep within my soul, "What is the rush? Who becomes wise instantly? Who learns to love in just a moment? Just be with me..."

Instantly, I am reminded that love is patient and that wisdom comes from understanding and knowledge. It all takes time, a lifetime even. And I think of the Hebrews, who impatiently waited for the Messiah for centuries and then failed to recognize Christ when he walked among them. Our time together with Jesus is precious; let us recognize it as such.

Let us give Christ the time to continue working on us and slowly transform us. It is for our good.

Let Us Pray:

Lord, in the Eucharist, we meet you. Sanctify us with your presence in us. Transform us so that we may always be your holy people. Amen.

“Jesus was born in a human stable, into a poor family. Simple shepherds were the first witnesses to this event. In this poverty, heaven’s glory was made manifest. The Church never tires of singing the glory of this night.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 526, The Christmas Mystery)
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The Catechism continues with a quote from the Kontakion of Romanos the Methodist:

“The Virgin today brings into the world the Eternal
And the earth offers a cave to the Inaccessible.
The angles and shepherds praise him
And the magi advance with the star,
For you are born for us,
Little Child, God eternal!”
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"Oh, how we like to romanticize! We turn a dirty, smelly stable into a picture-perfect Christmas card. We then run ourselves ragged, trying to reach for a mirage. Yet the mystery of this night lies in the reality of our lives. Just like Jesus came and few saw Him, He comes to us hidden within human hearts.

Halfway through the Advent Season, I found myself with an unquiet heart. I had a hard time living in the contrast of what I wanted the season to be like, to feel like, and what it was. I wanted time to pray and ponder, seeking purple vestments among the Christmas lights. The sounds of Christmas everywhere I went felt like a cacophony to my seeking Advent heart. The liturgical and the popular clashing once again brought unrest to my mind. Why can’t the world follow the correct times? That question was the entrance into my prayer time. And, before I even finished speaking, I felt the answer in my heart. A reminder that Jesus comes into the reality of our lives.
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O Holy Night
By: Ivonne J. Hernandez

O Holy Night The poverty of the manger is not a picture-perfect Christmas card, but rather an invitation to welcome Jesus into the chaos of our real lives.

“I look at the world and have opinions on many things; I often think my way of doing things is better. It is easy to look at our neighbor, parish, workplace, or community and notice all the things we would do differently. We can get inside our own little heads and forget we do not have all the information; we forget that we are not in the other person’s shoes. In our neat little box, we identify what needs fixing. And then, we criticize. And, even if we don’t continue down this path and end up gossiping, judging, and who knows what else… How much time and energy do we waste? What if, instead of trying to take over the job of another, we ask, how can we help?” Ivonne J. Hernandez

A Team Sport What does marathon swimming and holiness have in common?