Friday Guidance from the Saints - IV

"Ignorance of Scripture

is ignorance of Christ."

-St. Jerome

c. 340 - 420 A.D.
Doctor of the Church - father of Biblical science
Patron saint of: librarians
Feast Day: September 30

Through the darkness shines the Light

Christ is eternal. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. At those times in life where we committed especially our worst sins, we kicked Him out of our life. But later, after seeking His forgiveness and reconciliation, He went back to those times in our life. He lovingly took us by the hand and removed us from those situations as He wiped away our sins in the confessional. He is eternal.

 

So then, for Him and for us, the past 24 hours must have seemed like the Passion all over again.

 

Last night, Christ was with us in the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, when the faithful begged God to help us. To change the future. To let peace reign. To let our religious freedoms be defended. To let marriage be defended. To let innocent unborn babies be defended. We were with Christ last night in the Garden; He was with us, begging to the Father to let these evils pass from us, but in the end, to accept whatever cup He gives us.

 

Last night, the mobs gathered to scream bloody hell with demonic passion. To those late-term babies in Texas, those ugly mobs yelled, “CRUCIFY THEM! CRUCIFY THEM!” Them, being the most innocent and helpless among us. Jesus was the most innocent among us when the Jews cried out for His death. The mobs screamed and hollered for the shedding of innocent blood.

 

Today, Mr. Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and 5 Supreme Court Justices took turns scourging Jesus at the pillar. Jesus is no friend of Caesar’s (the government’s); He is a voice that must be silenced. Nancy Pelosi denied the body of Christ, and by publicly scourging Him, denied her place in the Body of Christ. Five Justices denounced the God-given Truth about marriage. Each had a heavy hand today in ripping apart His Body.

 

But American citizens are not innocent either. Those who supported that Texas filibuster were there at the scourging, spitting in His face. They caused His tears to fall—not the pain from the whips—but the pain of being mocked and hated by those that He loves. They slapped Him, kicked Him, and knocked Him down. Every American (especially Catholics, who know better) who is celebrating the redefinition of marriage abused Him all the way up to Calvary. They, too, spit in His face, saying, "We don't need you!" They pushed Him over as He carried the weight of the world in that Cross. They mocked Him as He hung by the nails through His flesh, dying a criminal’s death.

 

My God, how can You endure it?

 

Just because Jesus’ Passion is eternal, and became very pronounced today, we can’t stop reading before we get to the end of the story! The bloodied cross is followed by the empty tomb! Jesus conquers sin and death right when the world seems darkest!

 

“I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” John 16:33

 

Indeed He has. And He is working right now. There is light shining in the darkness (John 1:5) for those who open their eyes. “But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” Romans 5:20

 

“Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” 1 Peter 3:15

 

My hope is in Jesus’ Resurrection. He conquered sin. He conquered death. As dark as things look sometimes, I have no reason to despair, ever. My hope is eternal because Jesus is eternal.

 

Jesus, have mercy on us! I trust in you!

 

 

Is being a cradle Catholic a bad thing?

Lately I've been hearing that being a "cradle Catholic" is bad. That it is somehow a derogatory phrase, or something to be ashamed of, or even that cradle Catholics cannot be saved.

It breaks my heart that this idea is out there because it couldn't be further from the truth. I am proud and blessed to say that I am a cradle Catholic. Yes, I was baptized as an infant--2 months old--and every day I realize more and more how special that is. I'm so thankful that I have been a child of God for all but 2 months of my life.

From our common beginning, our experience as cradle Catholics tends to diverge from there. Some are raised in extremely devout families, some never get to learn about their Catholic faith because their parents fell away, or if you're like me, you're somewhere in-between. By no means was I raised in a very devout house. Sure, I went to Catholic schools, we had Bibles and crucifixes at home, and we went to Mass some Sundays, but it although I learned parts of my faith, I never put those lessons into practice. I rarely prayed. I never went to Confession by my own free will. I never read Scripture on my own.



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This kind of nominal Catholicism is all too common in America, and it's probably why "cradle Catholic" has become somewhat taboo. But being born and raised Catholic is not in itself harmful. It becomes harmful when you do not foster your faith. When you don't seek to learn and put it into practice. When you become complacent in your faith. When you settle for mediocrity and only live your faith within four special walls for one hour for one day a week, then you do give "cradle Catholic" a bad name. That's what puts our souls in danger. I know because that's how I lived for most of my life! And now I look back at all the opportunities I squandered to share how much I love my faith, how the Catholic Church is the fullness of the Christian faith, and how I have a true relationship with a real person: Jesus Christ.

We are saved by our faith. Our true and genuine faith. When that faith is true, then we produce good works, because "faith without works is dead" (James 2:17). These good works become the litmus test for the love that we have for God and for each other (Matthew 22:36-40) and He will know us by our fruits (Matthew 7:17-20).

The best priests, bishops, popes, and church leaders can't make an ounce of difference if their words fall on deaf ears. We all need to take responsibility for our faith, to learn it, nurture it, grow it. Remove the weeds from our life that prevent it from growing (Matthew 13:1-9), water the seeds that we were given as infants at baptism, and let the Word grow within us! Only then can we change the world: it starts with me.

"When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child;

when I became a man, I gave up childish ways."

1 Corinthians 12:20

 

For a long time I settled for the faith I received as a child. It was still so simple and "nice" and rather shallow--it had no real teeth or roots. As adults or when coming into adulthood, why do we settle for the faith we were given as a child? When we get to college, we don't settle for the science lessons we learned in middle school: we seek to know more! When we've learned how to write a full sentence in grade school, we don't stop there. We learn how to write paragraphs and essays and research papers! As we get older, the answers we were given as children about life are no longer enough. We want to know the how's and why's. So why, then, do we settle for the knowledge that we learned as children about our faith? Why is it enough to learn about Jesus and His Church at an elementary level and carry it with us through adulthood? We can't stop learning and growing spiritually. It is a great disservice to ourselves, to our neighbors, and to God.

 

But don't become discouraged. Don't lose faith. Don't be ashamed to be a cradle Catholic--embrace it! Start with prayer. Ask God to soften your heart and change your desires. Ask for eyes to see the weeds that choke your original baptismal grace, and the strength to get rid of those weeds. It will get easy from there. You'll discover a zeal and a hunger to learn. You'll have more room inside yourself for Jesus and you'll truly begin to encounter Him. Only then will your life be transformed and your faith will grow into what you know it should be. Pray, and know that I'm praying for you.

 

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Friday Guidance from the Saints - III

"If people would do for God what they do for the world, my dear people, what a great number of Christians would go to Heaven! But if you dear children, had to pass three or four hours praying in a Church, as you pass them at a dance or in a cabaret, how heavily the world would press upon you."

- St John Vianney

St. John Vianney, patron saint of: parish priests, confessors

Feast Day: August 4

Friday Guidance from the Saints - II

"The Lord manifests Himself to those who stop for some time in peace and humility of heart. If you look in murky and turbulent waters, you cannot see the reflection of your face. If you want to see the face of Christ, stop and collect your thoughts in silence, and close the door of your soul to the noise of external things."

 ~St. Anthony of Padua

St. Anthony of Padua, patron saint of: Faith in the Blessed Sacrament; amputees; sailors; elderly people; seekers of lost articles; animals, especially horses; American Indians; expectant mothers; barren women

St. Anthony, pray for us!

The Hardest Decision but the Best Decision

Do you ever pray, wondering if God is even hearing you because it seems like He's not answering? Have you ever tried to read the Bible but you find it so difficult? Maybe it’s on your bucket list to read the Bible cover-to-cover, but when you started through the Old Testament, you just couldn’t let it sink in and you lost interest. I sure have been there.

 
 

But now in my very recent hindsight, and in St. Paul’s letter, I get it. I understand why I could not understand. Read (slowly) today’s first reading:

 

2 Corinthians 3:15-4:1,3-6

Brothers and sisters:

To this day, whenever Moses is read,

a veil lies over the hearts of the children of Israel,

but whenever a person turns to the Lord the veil is removed.

Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is,

there is freedom.

All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord,

are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory,

as from the Lord who is the Spirit.

 

Therefore, since we have this ministry through the mercy shown us,

we are not discouraged.

And even though our Gospel is veiled,

it is veiled for those who are perishing,

in whose case the god of this age

has blinded the minds of the unbelievers,

so that they may not see the light of the Gospel

of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord,

and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus.

For God who said, Let light shine out of darkness,

has shone in our hearts to bring to light

the knowledge of the glory of God

on the face of Jesus Christ.

 

 

I completely agree that my heart was veiled. I tried to read through the Bible (starting with the Old Testament, which I do not recommend—start with the New Testament!) but got perpetually stuck. It took almost 4 years to read through it because it was confusing and boring and I couldn’t understand why this was Sacred Scripture. But St. Paul spells it out perfectly for me, why I could not “see”:

 

1.  I had not turned to the Lord, and

2.  the gods of this age had blinded my mind

 

No, I had not turned to the Lord. Just because I was casually reading the Bible, doesn’t mean I had turned to God. Just because I went to church sometimes, doesn’t mean I turned to God.

 

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.” Matthew 7:21-23

I knew some of the Church's teaching, but many of them I just discounted (“Cafeteria Catholic”), and others I did not even deem important enough to know and understand. I was living for myself, doing what I thought was right, and justifying my sins to the point that I didn’t even know if they were sins anymore.

 

In not turning to God I had to turn somewhere else: the “gods” of this age. TV, internet, Facebook, smart phones, food, social events, sleeping, making/saving/spending money, shopping, working, you name it. Look at your days and pick out your most frequent habits. Do you check your Facebook very often? Do you feel mega stressed if you don’t have your phone on you? Do you watch TV or go shopping to fill the boredom and the quiet? Whatever you do habitually and devote your time, thought, and effort to, becomes your god; if it is not God Himself then it is probably something to take you away from Him.

 

These other gods make us selfish. They make us stifle our souls for the sake of the body. They become our veils. They distract us to make us turn away from God. And when these things lead us to sin (which they always do), we separate ourselves even farther from God. It's no wonder my prayer life was dead. How could I have expected to hear back from God when I didn't even know His Word (Jesus, Scripture)?

 

So then how did I fix it? It seemed daunting. It seemed frustrating. It seemed impossible. My “prayer life” was dry. Reading the Bible got me no where. I hardly felt anything “spiritual.” My own soul? grace?--what were they? But I still kept feeling that something was missing. Every few months, I would get that nagging feeling.

 

I had to take a leap of faith.

 

I had to throw myself completely to God. I had to set myself at the mercy of His will.

 

It was the hardest decision, but the best decision I ever made in my life. I gave up many of my old ways and I had to change many of my habits. I needed to recognize the "gods" in my life and slowly get rid of them and replace them with better things. Sloth and pride were my biggest downfalls--I needed to use my time better and to humble myself. But most difficult of all, my husband and I listened to the Church who said that using contraception was a mortal sin and contrary to God's laws and offensive to Him. So we stopped using it--in the middle of our new marriage. Yeah, that was tough. That took a huge leap of faith. But now our marriage is stronger than we ever could have imagined. Our faith life is alive, and it was truly the final veil that needed to be lifted. (I can't speak highly enough of using Natural Family Planning instead of contraception. I've written about it here and here.) Because I gave up my sinful lifestyles, I, for the first time, knew what grace was. I can't believe I lived so long without feeling grace. Without having a relationship with Jesus. Without following His teachings in order to be set free.

 

I am not without sin. I will struggle against it every day. But getting rid of the 'big stuff,' letting go of control and giving it over to God--that is what changed my life and set me on the right path. It's not easy. Sometimes it's not fun. But it is so completely worth it, to jump off the cliff of my own idea of control and fall into the loving arms of God.

 

Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:31-32

Brilliant Sunsets



Last night we had a fantastic sunset. My husband and I must have stared at the sky for over 30 minutes as interesting cloud shapes drifted by with colors changing and intensifying. Turquoise, orange, purple, magenta, pink. It's certainly not the first time I've seen such a breath-taking sunset (or sunrise), but every time, it feels like the first time. It's as if I'm looking at it through the eyes of a young child who is easily marveled even about the small things in life, and who is especially whisked away by great things. 



I know that the Author of Creation made such beautiful things for us. What a great reminder that as the entire sky, from horizon to horizon, can turn brilliant colors, so does our God richly bless us in all corners of our life! And how lucky are we that He shows His majesty and love to us through His creation!

But perhaps the most stunning fact of all is that, no matter how beautiful a sunset is, no matter how beautiful nature is, Heaven is so much greater. The things of this earth pale in comparison to the glory of Heaven! For as much as I love to bask in the brilliant colors of a sunset, I know that the joy of basking in the Father's glory will be infinitely better.

“What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard,

and what has not entered the human heart,

what God has prepared for those who love him,”

1 Corinthians 2:9

When nature takes my breath away, I have to remind myself that this is nothing compared to what awaits me.

Friday Guidance from the Saints - I

“Therefore, you must unite yourselves to the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ, both at the beginning of your conversion in order to obtain proper dispositions, and at its end in order to make reparation. Are you making no progress in prayer? Then you need only offer God the prayers which the Savior has poured out for us in the Sacrament of the altar. Offer God His fervent love in reparation for your sluggishness. In the course of every activity pray as follows: "My God, I do this or I endure that in the Heart of Your Son and according to His holy counsels. I offer it to You in reparation for anything blameworthy or imperfect in my actions." Continue to do this in every circumstance of life. And every time that some punishment, affliction or injustice comes your way, say to yourself: "Accept this as sent to you by the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ in order to unite yourself to Him."

–St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Today is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Read more about this devotion and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque here.