Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Elisabeth Sullivan, Executive Director of the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education, via email in 2025. We have rearranged and edited some of the questions. This provides the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
You describe Catholic education as an “engine of evangelization.” Can you share a specific example of how a Catholic classical liberal arts approach has transformed a student’s or school’s understanding of faith and learning?
At one of our member schools, Holy Innocents School in Long Beach, California, the results were almost immediate after the pastor and principal welcomed ICLE in to form their teachers in 2018-2019. Fr. G. Peter Irving was intent on offering a deeply formative education to the children entrusted to his care in this low-income and socioeconomically diverse Catholic community. His new principal and teachers were devoted to their students and were keen to learn new approaches that would engage them with rich content and better pedagogy.
Principal Cyril Cruz reported that, once the teachers stopped teaching to the test, standardized scores in reading and math jumped dramatically. Both teachers and students were enlivened by a more substantive curriculum.
As one veteran teacher described the change: “It’s not just something that’s compartmentalized into religion class, but it really is the most coherent way to explain reality itself. And the purpose of education is to help our children be able to grasp what reality is, what truth is, and to be able to know how to live according to that truth in their lives. That’s what we call growing in wisdom and virtue.”
Editor’s Note: Post originally published on August 23, 2017.
Pius X was an influential successor of St. Peter at the turn of the 20th century. Born Giuseppe Mechiorre Sarto in 1835, he lived near Venice, Italy. Coming from a poor family of ten children, Giuseppe acquired an education aided through his keen intellect and high moral character. Eventually, he rose the ranks of the Catholic Church and became supreme pontiff in 1903. He led the Church until 1914.
To be honest, my initial knowledge about Pius X was overshadowed by his predecessor and later successor bearing the same appellation—Pius IX and Pius XII. However, the more I read and learned about the sainted bishop the more I gained an appreciation for what he offered the Church.
Marian devotion
Following the tradition of his predecessor, Pius IX, Pius X held a strong devotion to Mary. He dedicated an entire encyclical on the Mystery of the Immaculate Conception. The Italian pope definitively declared the significance of Mary in Ad Dieum Illum Laetissimum,
His Mother most holy should be recognized as participating in the divine mysteries and as being in a manner the guardian of them, and that upon her as upon a foundation, the noblest after Christ, rises the edifice of the faith of all centuries (no. 5).
Pius X lauded the intercessory nature and power of Mary throughout this encyclical letter. Safeguarding and passing on the teaching of the Church, the Italian pope cited his predecessor’s clear and definitive language on the importance of Mary. “By this companionship in sorrow and suffering already mentioned between the Mother and the Son, it has been allowed to the august Virgin to be the most powerful mediatrix and advocate of the whole world with her Divine Son (Pius IX. Ineffabilis) (no. 13), wrote Pius X.
Emphasis on the Eucharist
Pius X’s love and admiration for the Blessed Mother ultimately helped him grow in closeness with Jesus. As a result, it should not be a surprise that the saint held a deep reverence and adoration for the Sacrament of the Eucharist. If Pius X’s pontificate could be summed up in a single theme it would be the promotion of Holy Communion to young people.
In his encyclical letter, Quam Singulari the Italian pope lowered the minimum age to receive the Eucharist to seven years old. The ancient church allowed for children to receive the sacraments of initiation at a young age. Pius X condemned the error that delayed children from receiving the body and blood of Jesus until age ten or sometimes not until the adolescent years.
On Holy Communion for Youth
Over time this practice dissipated and the age to receive the Eucharist was increased. The pope wasted no time in chastising the error which distinguished the age of reason between receiving Confession and Holy Communion. He boldly proclaimed in his encyclical,
The abuses which we are condemning are due to the fact that they who distinguished one age of discretion for Penance and another for the Eucharist did so in error. The Lateran Council required one and the same age for reception of either Sacrament when it imposed the one obligation of Confession and Communion.
Therefore, the age of discretion for Confession is the time when one can distinguish between right and wrong, that is, when one arrives at a certain use of reason, and so similarly, for Holy Communion is required the age when one can distinguish between the Bread of the Holy Eucharist and ordinary bread-again the age at which a child attains the use of reason (Quam Singulari).
Pius X unified the Catholic Church by lowering the age to seven for Holy Communion. Children acquire countless graces from this sacrament to ward off evil.
Today’s world is as challenging to raise a family in the faith perhaps as any time in history. I am grateful I will have the weapon of the Eucharist to help my children fight the spiritual battles they will face daily.
Clarity of Truth
This year’s feast day of St. Pius X coincided with the epic solar eclipse. This saint and stellar event both elicit curiosity and awe. Truth has a penchant for grabbing people’s attention. Pope Pius X’s encyclicals are loaded with truth as the Italian pope acted as a guardian of Christ’s teaching. He wrote in Ascendi Dominici Gregis a lengthy refutation of the various errors and heresies surrounding his time. Pius X found the root cause of the prevalent heresy of his time—Modernism. He detailed this in his encyclical letter,
According to this teaching Modernism]…it is inferred that God can never be the direct object of science, and that, as regards history, He must not be considered as an historical subject (Ascendi Dominici Gregis no. 6).
In other words, the Enlightened Man never intends for faith and science to intermingle or coexist. According to the Modernist, a harmony between the two sources of man’s knowledge of God is simply a moral machination on the part of the Catholic Church.
From my experiences, the error of Modernity certainly eclipses truth [no pun intended!]. Creation is a revelation of God’s divine providence. Christianity is insistent that Christ became man. Knowledge through the senses is a path toward which God elects to reveal His grandeur. Amid cosmic events like the August 21st solar eclipse, humans grasp their small place in the universe. Despite our apparent insignificance, I’ve noticed that encountering God’s august nature can draw me closer to Him.
Wisdom from Pius to Guide Your Week
I discovered two concise quotes from St. Pius X to close my reflections on his life. The first concerns Mary [fun fact—the symbol of the Moon is traditionally associated with Her!] and the second relates to Christ—the true sun!
Of Mary he proclaimed, “ Let the storm rage and the sky darken — not for that shall we be dismayed. If we trust as we should in Mary, we shall recognize in her, the Virgin Most Powerful who with virginal foot did crush the head of the serpent.”
Regarding Jesus’ body and blood, the pope said, “Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to heaven.”
Sadly, I did not get to experience the fullness of the solar eclipse of 2017. Darkness did cover the earth in my location, but clouds and storms prevented me from actually seeing the unique event of the moon aligning with the sun. I am blessed that I had an increased encounter with the true Sun—the Son of God. I am grateful for the gift of St. Pius X the Eclipser of Error who made Eucharist a priority for young people.
Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Vivian Imbruglia via phone call on May 12th, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
How did you get into creating sacred icons?
It’s been over 20 years. My mother asked me to take an “art” class but I didn’t have time with my kids being in high school. But I heard a talk by my priest about honoring your parents and so I took my mother to this class on Tuesday.
I loved this sacred art class. I had such a love for this art and studied on my own. When our teacher left, I took over the class. I felt called to teach sacred iconography full-time and left my job. I put my trust in the Lord that God would take care of us. It’s been amazing! I just finished a huge altar piece and am now getting ready to begin an Adoration piece.
Your work is described as “writing” rather than painting icons. Can you tell me more about this?
This is how I learned in iconography you can’t take credit for anything you do. How can I say that I painted the Wedding of Cana, the Baptism of Our Lord, all these other stories from Scripture. It would seem rather arrogant to me to say I painted this scene. I am writing these stories anew. I feel incredibly underqualified to say that I am painting. In real iconography one never signs their name on the front. It is only on the back of the icon and the signature is in small letters.
I will hide the letters AMDG in the icon as a reminder to myself that this image I made is for the glory of God.
Could you elaborate on this spiritual distinction and how it affects your approach compared to other forms of religious art?
You have to live within your faith at all times. There were times I was struggling with a piece and I had a friend say, “When’s the last time you went to Confession?”. I have Gregorian chants in the background and don’t listen to secular content when I am working on the artwork. Your mind must be immersed in the holy. My husband is now a deacon and I have a lot of friends who share the same faith, so it helps to be in the environment that helps get me in the right theological soil.
You mention dialoguing with saints as you create their icons. Could you share a particularly memorable conversation or inspiration you’ve received during this process?
I had to read up on Saint Philomena about ten years ago. I learned she was known as the wonder-worker. My grandson was being tested for autism. I was talking with her and received a call from a friend who had a prayer request for her aunt. My friend called me back saying that her Aunt Ella received a vision from a woman in blue. Many times I had conversations with the saints. For example, I go to Saint Michael the Archangel. I had a relic and blessed salt and asked him for his guidance on a car ride (I’m not a fan of car rides). He was instrumental in protecting me during this occasion where a car was coming directly from us from the wrong direction, my husband swerved and went between two semis. There were several fatalities. But in hindsight I learned that Saint Michael protected me and my husband.
Many of your icons incorporate physical elements like sand from holy sites or blessed water. How did this practice develop in your work, and what impact have you seen it have on those who receive these icons?
This is really interesting, I was working on a piece about Saint Oscar Romero. I took this dirt my priest gave me from El Salvardo where a massacre took place. I mixed it in the paint and put the 24 carat gold over the paint as a symbol of these individuals going to Heaven (as martyrs). We were blessed to have a first class relic of Oscar Romero in the icon.
There’s a sense of awe and gives people something to think about. Having the relic present while I am writing the icon is incredible and a blessing.
The eyes seem particularly important in your iconography process, as you pray specifically that they will “draw in” the right viewers. Have you witnessed any powerful encounters or conversions that stemmed from this spiritual connection?
Oftentimes my images go and I don’t see them again. I pray that those who need to see it will be drawn in. It might be an image of Divine Mercy or a particular saint. That’s the prayer: that those who need to see it will see it. I ask the Lord “Give me the grace to see the eyes.” The eyes are like the soul of the icon.
There was an image of “Eucharistic Jesus” the eyes have drawn people to see Jesus truly present in the Eucharist. It was originally written for a retreat; now it is hanging in the Adoration Chapel, Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Altaloma, CA. During the Eucharistic Revival we reprinted (10 x 8 frames) and gave one away to a family each week. We gave the families pamphlets about Eucharistic Adoration. So that image really helped a lot of people learn about Jesus in the Eucharist. For over a year we gave out images to families and ended up giving about 1,000 images.
As Catholics increasingly seek to strengthen their domestic churches, how have you seen your icons transform family prayer life and devotion in homes?
I make a point to ask families that if someone walked into your home would they know you are Catholic. Have at least an image of the Sacred Heart. It’s kind of been my thing to spread the beauty of our faith through my images. People have forgotten the beauty of our Catholic faith and made our homes the domestic church. Especially when I speak at marriage retreats. I ask how you can fight with your spouse in front of an image of Jesus or have something inappropriate on TV when you have the Blessed Virgin Mary in the living room.
If Jesus walked into our homes today would he see a picture or image of Himself? If not, then you should get sacred art or statutes to remind you of Jesus, Mary, and the saints.
For those interested in learning iconography as a spiritual practice, what advice would you give about approaching this ancient tradition with the proper reverence and understanding?
We don’t see a lot of Catholics doing this. Our Greek Orthodox brothers and sisters aren’t always the kindest with us on this matter. Read about Catholic sacred art. Think of iconography as windows into Heaven. Icons are a small window into Heaven. I try to write as much about the saints on my website but research any way you can. Learn about the saints! Again think of it as a window into Heaven and wanting that for your home. Remember that we are not only looking at the saint but they are also looking at us!
Icons are prayers.
About Vivian:
Vivian Imbruglia, a devoted wife and mother of two, serves alongside her husband, Deacon Tom, at St. Peter & St. Paul Catholic Church in Alta Loma, California. She is also a loving grandmother to five. As a cradle Catholic, Vivian discovered her passion for iconography and sacred art over two decades ago. Since then, she has created over 200 icons and sacred artworks that have been featured globally. Guided by the Jesuit motto, “Ad majorem Dei gloriam” (For the greater glory of God), she incorporates the letters AMDG into all of her work. Her mission is simple: to spread the beauty of the Catholic faith through images.
Today the voice of God reaches out to us with gentleness and urgency: “My son, my daughter, I love you so very much and am always with you. Come and be with me and together our hearts shall be one; one with the Father and the Holy Spirit.” These words are not faint echoes from a bygone past; they are spoken anew to us this morning, right here, right now. The God who created us, who called us into being, wants nothing more than to draw us into the unity of His love; a unity that isn’t abstract or far away, but living and real, made present in the Holy Trinity.
We are invited into this divine community, not as spectators, but as partakers: believers who are blessed, nourished, and transformed by the Body of Christ. In John’s Gospel, Jesus says, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever.” With these words, He speaks right to our deepest hunger—a hunger for meaning, for belonging, for love that lasts.
The Living Bread: God’s Self-Gift of Love
What is this living bread? It is nothing less than the self-gift of God. The living bread is the love of our Father, poured out in the life, teachings, miracles, and above all, sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Each page of the Gospel is God’s heart opened to us. In Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection; the Paschal Mystery, we see the price God was willing to pay to bring us home. Through this mystery, we are offered the forgiveness of our sins and reconciliation with God. We are no longer strangers, but children brought back to the heart of the Father.
But God’s self-gift does not stop at the cross or the empty tomb. The living bread continues to nourish us through the Holy Spirit, who breathes new life into our hearts. The Spirit empowers us with grace, gives us gifts for service, and fills us with peace, hope, and the promise of eternal life. The living bread is not only something we receive, but something that transforms us from the inside out; shaping our relationship with God and with one another.
Christ in the Eucharist: Present, Transforming, Sending
And then, in an act of love almost too much to comprehend, Jesus chooses to remain with us in the Eucharist. He is present in every Mass; not just in spirit, but in body and blood, soul and divinity. The bread and wine become for us the living bread come down from heaven. When we kneel before the altar, or quietly adore Him in the tabernacle, we are not alone. We are face-to-face with the One who loves us beyond words. And every time we go to confession, it is the living Jesus who forgives, heals, and restores us.
Yet, the living bread doesn’t stay locked away in the church. It goes with us. It surrounds us in the faces of those we love, the stranger we meet, the person who needs a kind word or a helping hand. If we look with eyes of faith, we see the light of Christ shining out from the hearts of those around us. The living bread is shared whenever we love as Jesus loves; when we forgive, when we serve, when we say yes to God’s will.
Photo courtesy of Damian Chlanda.
Becoming What We Receive
This is the heart of the new covenant: “Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” This is not just a promise for the future, but a way of life for today. Through the Eucharist, we are drawn into the unity of the Holy Trinity, and into community with one another. We become the Body of Christ: His hands, His feet, His heart in the world.
Think of the miracle in Luke’s Gospel, when the disciples were overwhelmed by the needs of the crowd and thought there wasn’t enough bread. Jesus took what they had, blessed it, broke it, and gave it; and all ate and were satisfied. God’s love is like that: immeasurable, abundant, always enough. When we trust Him, when we give what little we have: our love, our time, our simple yes; He multiplies it and satisfies every hunger.
Sent Forth in Love and Gratitude
So, my dear children in Christ, let us live the bread of life. Let us allow ourselves to be loved by God, to be transformed by His presence, and to carry that love into the world. Ask the Holy Spirit each day to help you become what you receive in the Eucharist; a living sign of Jesus, a bearer of His love and mercy.
And always remember: “My son, my daughter, I love you and am always with you.” Go out with love. Give praise, thanksgiving, and glory to our Father in heaven, and love those around you as He loves you.
Blessed Carlo Acutis once said, “Not me, but God.” His words echo deeply in my own spiritual life. This blog is not about me, but about the work of the Holy Spirit. I choose to remain anonymous because the voice behind these reflections isn’t what matters — the One speaking through them is.
I am a lifelong Catholic with a deep love for Scripture, the sacraments, and the quiet ways God speaks through everyday life. Live the Eucharist was born from my desire to share how the Gospel and the Eucharist shape not just my Sundays, but every step of the journey.
My hope is that these reflections bless you, challenge you, and draw you closer to Jesus — truly present in the Eucharist and profoundly present in your daily life.
In 2019, the Catholic world was shaken to its core.
A study found that the majority of Catholics believed that the Eucharist was just a symbol. Despite there being errors in the research, the warning bells were loud enough. And the Church took notice.
Since then, we’ve seen something beautiful flourish. Last year, the National Eucharistic Congress was held in the United States. Eucharistic processions happened around the world. And here in Sydney, our Archbishop is leading a procession expected to draw over 20,000 people.
This is amazing progress. But even still…
We’re still missing something.
The early Church had such a rich and beautiful belief about the Eucharist. It was deeper, more transformative, and more profound than what many people hold to. Yet today, much of it has been forgotten by us.
A true ‘Eucharistic Revival’ must revive this truth. And that is what we want to do today.
The Eucharist Is Love Himself
To understand Jesus in the Eucharist, you have to understand who God really is.
Scripture gives us two big claims;
“God is Triune.”
“God is Love.”
These two claims baffle many Christians. Personally, it took me years to understand what it meant. But once I did, the Eucharist made a lot more sense.
Here’s what I realised; if you think about love, what do you need for it to exist?
Well, obviously you need a lover. But this lover needs someone to also adore, ‘the beloved’. And then both of them can love each other deeply.
God is like this.
The Father is the Lover.
The Son is the Beloved.
The Holy Spirit is the Love between them.
Yet, they all fully possess the same nature.
This Eucharist that you are receiving isn’t just Jesus. It’s Love Himself. And when you receive it worthily, you are swept up into this divine exchange of love.
A Mystery Lost in Translation
But for us English speakers we run into a problem.
Our language is inadequate. We say we ‘love’ chocolate, our friends, and God, we are all using the same word. To the Greek New Testament writers, that would have been unthinkable.
The Gospel writers use a very specific type of love when talking about God:
Agape.
Agape is not just love. But it is a total, sacrificial, self-emptying love. The kind of love that doesn’t hold anything back.
This is the love God is.
You see this love most clearly on the cross. And we can also see that in the Eucharist.
“This is my body, given for you.” (Luke 22:19)
“My blood, which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:20)
The Eucharist is more than simply a ritual. It’s Jesus pouring himself out specifically for you.
You Are What You Eat
Many Catholics just stop at level one:
“Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.”
Whilst that’s true, for the early Church there was more to it than just that. It was about transformation. It was about becoming like God. A process they called theosis.
When you receive the host, you’re not just receiving Christ. Christ is receiving you. You are giving yourselves to each other.
This is the self-sacrificial love that I was talking about before. And the more we partake in this love, the more we become like the God who is Love itself. We become like cleaned mirrors that clearly reflect the likeness of God. (Gen 1:26)
This is the very point of the Eucharist… and even the Incarnation. The great St Athanasius went as far as to say that “God became man so that Man might become like God.”
The Eucharist is something that consumes you with God’s love. And there is no one who knew any of this better than St Ignatius of Antioch.
The Man Who Became the Eucharist
St Ignatius of Antioch was one of the most famous and earliest Christians. As a bishop, he couldn’t stand when people said that the Eucharist was just symbolic.
“They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins… They who deny the gift of God are perishing in their disputes” (Letter to the Smyrnaeans 6:2–7:1).
This is what many faithful Catholics agree with and even use in apologetics.
However, St Ignatius of Antioch’s love for the Eucharist doesn’t end there. In the year 107 AD, he was arrested for his faith and sent to Rome to be massacred.
Honestly, what the Romans did to St Ignatius should send shivers down your spine. But he wasn’t paralysed by fear. He knew that he would eventually be torn to pieces by hungry lions and… looked forward to it.
It wasn’t because he hated life. But because Christ had offered himself, and this was Ignatius’ opportunity to love him in return. This was a masterclass in theosis.
He became like the Eucharist.
“Suffer me to be the food of wild beasts, which are the means of my making my way to God. God’s wheat I am, and by the teeth of wild beasts I am to be ground that I may prove Christ’s pure bread.” (St. Ignatius, Epistle to the Romans 4.1)
This is what the Eucharist received well does to you. It fills you with a love so deep that not even death can overcome it. St Ignatius’ love is beautiful and an example to us all, but you’re probably thinking…
What about us now?
There aren’t too many lions in the US or Australia. And martyrdom isn’t that common anymore. But that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.
The Eucharist still calls you to the same love. To become a living sacrifice, even in your everyday life.
“Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.” (Romans 12:1)
There are millions of ways to live this out. But here are just a few ideas to get you started
Work with diligence
Choose to forgive and offer your resentment to God
Pray with your whole heart
Offer your Sundays to God
Practice a consecration to St Joseph or Mary (or even both!)
Give some of your time, money, and talents to charity and the Church
Discern whether religious life (eg. being a nun or priest) is worthwhile for you
Be honest with people about your failings
Go to Confession and offer your sins to God
In short, give everything to God and hold nothing back. You were made to be a total self-gift.
This Corpus Christi, when you march down in the procession, be proud. Be proud that our Eucharistic Lord gives himself wholly to you. But also be proud that God allows you to offer yourself to him.
And in the end, you can truly be called a “good and faithful servant”. (Matt 25:23)
References and Further Study
Augustine. “On the Trinity”. Augustine: On the Trinity: On the Trinity Books 8-15. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2008
Ignatius of Antioch. “The Epistles of St Ignatius of Antioch”. The Epistles of St Clement of Rome and St Ignatius of Antioch. New Jersey, Paulist Press International, 1946
“Wasting Your Life”. Fulton Sheen: Family Retreat, hosted by Ven. Fulton Sheen.
Edalat Hope is a Catholic blog writer for ‘Virtue Books and Gifts’, an apostolate dedicated to deepening the love of God across Australia and beyond. His aim is to help make accessible the classic spiritual works and practices that have formed saints for generations. https://www.virtuebooks.com.au
My son, my daughter, I love you so very much and am always with you. Come and be by my side and together our hearts will be one; one with our Father in Heaven and the Holy Spirit. “Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; to God who is, who was, and who is to come.”
Today, as we gather to reflect on the mystery and beauty of the Trinity, we hear the gentle, insistent call of God’s love. It is a love that does not waver, a love that does not leave us orphaned or alone. “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love him.” Paul’s words to the Corinthians remind us of something we so often forget: that the wisdom and plans of God are far beyond anything we can imagine, and yet, through the Holy Spirit, He reveals Himself to us in ways both simple and profound.
Our Father in Heaven loves us immeasurably, not because of what we have done, but because we are His children. Today, we stand before the mystery of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It’s tempting to treat this as just a theological idea, something abstract, something reserved for scholars and catechisms. But the Trinity is not a puzzle to be solved; it is a relationship to be entered into. The grace of the Trinity is given by the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. “The Father is Love, the Son is Grace, the Holy Spirit is their bond of fellowship, O Blessed Trinity.”
We say in our Creed: “We believe in one God.” Not three gods, but one God; above all things as Father, through all things as the Word, and in all things as the Spirit. This unity is not cold or distant. It is a unity that welcomes us in, that makes space for us, that draws us into the dance of divine love and communion.
In the Gospel, we hear Jesus preparing his friends for what’s to come: the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The disciples didn’t understand, not yet. They couldn’t imagine how the story would unfold; how suffering, death, and resurrection would become the path to new life for all creation. But Jesus promises: “When he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth.” The Spirit will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears from the Father and the Son. He will declare to us the things that are coming.
And so, just as the disciples were sent out to build up the Body of Christ, we are sent too. How do we do this? Not by our own power, but by the grace of the Holy Spirit. God’s love enters our hearts and radiates outward; a quiet, steady light that touches others through our words and actions. Heart to heart. The Spirit transmits the Father’s love, through the Word of Jesus, into our own lives, so that we can share it with those around us.
The Holy Spirit nudges us; gently, persistently, toward a life that reflects the Gospel: loving God with all our heart, body, mind, and soul, and loving our neighbor as ourselves. When we allow the Spirit to move in us, we build up the Body of Christ, here and now, in our families, in our communities, in every ordinary moment. By saying yes to God’s will, we help create the kingdom of heaven wherever we go.
Living a Trinitarian life is not just about prayer or coming to Mass; though these are essential. It’s about letting that love spill over into every part of our lives: in acts of kindness, in forgiveness, in charity, in the way we greet a stranger or comfort a friend. Through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, we are strengthened to be Christ’s presence in the world. Our words and actions become echoes of the love of the Trinity. And in return, we receive the gifts of the Spirit: joy, peace, love, happiness, reverence.
We become true children of God when we trust Him, obey Him, and let Him shape us into people of the New Covenant: people of love, people of relationship, people who walk the path toward a righteous life by building the Body of Christ around us.
My son, my daughter, I love you, and am always with you. Go out with love. Give praise, thanksgiving, and glory to our Father in heaven always. And remember: love and serve those around you, as I love you.
Blessed Carlo Acutis once said, “Not me, but God.” His words echo deeply in my own spiritual life. This blog is not about me, but about the work of the Holy Spirit. I choose to remain anonymous because the voice behind these reflections isn’t what matters — the One speaking through them is.
I am a lifelong Catholic with a deep love for Scripture, the sacraments, and the quiet ways God speaks through everyday life. Live the Eucharist was born from my desire to share how the Gospel and the Eucharist shape not just my Sundays, but every step of the journey.
My hope is that these reflections bless you, challenge you, and draw you closer to Jesus — truly present in the Eucharist and profoundly present in your daily life.
United by the Spirit: Living the Peace, Forgiveness, and Love of Pentecost
My dear brothers and sisters,
Today, let’s linger for a moment in the quiet afterglow of Pentecost. Imagine yourself in that upper room: doors bolted, hearts pounding, shame and fear swirling after the chaos of the cross. The disciples have every reason to shrink back, unsure if they even belong in the presence of their Lord. And then, suddenly, Jesus is there. Not with words of blame, but with a message that lands like a soft blanket: “Peace be with you.”
He doesn’t ask for explanations or apologies. He shows them his wounds; proof that love survived the grave. Their fear melts into joy, because in that moment, forgiveness is not just a concept. It’s a person. It’s Jesus, alive and loving them as fiercely as ever.
This is not just a story for that one locked room. It’s for every one of us who’s ever felt ashamed, unworthy, or afraid to stand before God. Jesus says, “Peace be with you,” not as a suggestion, but as a gift. He meets us in our fear and calls us beloved. “My son, my daughter, I love you so very much and am always with you.”
But Jesus doesn’t stop there. He breathes the Holy Spirit into his followers; not only to comfort them, but to send them out. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” The Church’s mission is born right there, in the space between fear and forgiveness. The Holy Spirit fills that room, and suddenly the disciples are changed. They’re no longer hiding. They go out and speak in every tongue, sharing the Good News with the world.
You don’t need to be a perfect person for the Spirit to work wonders through you. The disciples were ordinary people: full of doubts, regrets, and rough edges. But when the Holy Spirit comes, those locked doors open wide. The Spirit meets us as we are, and gives us the courage, the words, and the love we need to build up the Church and the world around us.
The Spirit’s gifts aren’t just for a chosen few. Each of us receives them in unique ways: through our personalities, our strengths, even our weaknesses. Some of us build up the body of Christ with patience, others with kindness or faithfulness, still others with gentleness or self-control. These are the fruits of the Holy Spirit, growing quietly within us, lighting up our hearts so that we can share God’s love with everyone we meet.
And what is this love? It’s mercy that knows no end. It’s forgiveness that wipes away every sin. And it’s the invitation to join Jesus; not just in his suffering, but in his resurrection, in the joy and hope of new life.
So as we go out today, let’s remember: Jesus is always with us. The Spirit is alive in our hearts. We are called to forgive, to love, and to serve; not because we are perfect, but because we are loved.
Let’s give glory to our Lord God by living this truth. Let’s love our neighbor, forgive as we have been forgiven, and build a community where the light of the Spirit shines bright. And always remember these words: “I love you, my son, my daughter, and am always with you.” Go out with love, give praise and glory to our Father in Heaven, and love those around you as God loves you.
Blessed Carlo Acutis once said, “Not me, but God.” His words echo deeply in my own spiritual life. This blog is not about me, but about the work of the Holy Spirit. I choose to remain anonymous because the voice behind these reflections isn’t what matters — the One speaking through them is.
I am a lifelong Catholic with a deep love for Scripture, the sacraments, and the quiet ways God speaks through everyday life. Live the Eucharist was born from my desire to share how the Gospel and the Eucharist shape not just my Sundays, but every step of the journey.
My hope is that these reflections bless you, challenge you, and draw you closer to Jesus — truly present in the Eucharist and profoundly present in your daily life.
