That's what I want

I want Truth...

I want a church that does not bend truth to be morally relative. There can be only one Truth—not many different versions of “truth” that contradict each other.
 
I want a church that tells me I’m wrong when I think I’m right.
 
I want a church that does not change its teachings to fit the times or whims of some. (Romans 12:2)
 
I want a church that does not tell me my sins are okay just because “everyone else is doing it” or humans have “evolved” and “progressed” in their thinking. Just because the world says it is right, doesn’t make it right, and we can’t live a life of faith in that way. (James 4:4)
 
I want a church that will call me out on my sins, and not turn a blind eye.
 
I want a church that challenges me to lift myself to higher standards, not a church that lowers its standards to meet my selfishness.
 
I want a church that demands my time and effort, and challenges my will power and openness to grace.
 
I want a church that doesn’t let me off scott-free in my laziness and selfishness.
 
I want a church that will tell me it is gravely sinful and offensive to God to use contraception.
…to have pre-marital sex.
…to live with someone before you’re married to them.
…to get divorced.
…to have an abortion.
…to live for money and careers.
…to skip Mass on Sunday.
…to disobey your parents, laws, or anyone in authority.
…to lie.
…to covet or be jealous of the blessings of others while overlooking my own blessings.

I want One church...

I want a church that teaches one Truth and professes one faith, and admits that it will never have the authority to change them because the Truth came from Jesus Himself and not from any man.
 
I want a church that is fully united (Philippians 1:27), with a visible head and other church authorities, just like Jesus established.
 
I want a church that is visibly run by sinners, one that has a very imperfect past, and is not afraid to admit it. Wars, scandals, prying on the innocent—these are not events to shake my faith in a church, but rather strengthen my faith in it. What other institution in history could basically decimate itself from within and yet reign strong? And better yet, while fully holding on to the Truth? Not changing Truth to excuse even the sins of those who are in positions of authority? Not even the darkest of times could change the truth because the Truth is always True, even if people deny it. A broken church full of sinners that is able to remain unchanged in doctrine, Truth, and practice is truly a church ever graced by God, and surely the “gates of Hell will not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)

I want a church that is a family. My brother is Christ and my father is God the Almighty Father. The family doesn’t end there—but I want a church that gives thanks and honors the fact that our Brother gave us His Mother. Yes, I want a church that gives me a Mother to point me in the right direction, to comfort me, to guide me. And yes, I want a church that is both a family here on earth of brothers and sisters in the Lord, and a family in Heaven, all fully alive, praying for us and all connected in the Spirit.
 
I want a church that is truly a family. Where the head of this church can be called Papa. Of my place of worship, I want the one who teaches the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, passed onto him, to be “Father.” I want Brothers (monks/friars) and Sisters (nuns). My church should be one big family.
 
I want a church that doesn’t make me the center of my faith—I’m not the rock that my faith is built on, I’m not my own authority. It’s not just “me and Jesus” but the whole Body of Christ, and my concern is not just with myself and my own salvation, but for other sinners and their salvation (Galatians 6:2).
 
I want a church that I can be confident has supplied me and all of its followers with the necessary inspired Word of God: the full Bible. I want to know that what I consider to be Sacred Scripture includes every book necessary and is not missing anything.
 

I want a Holy church...

I want a church that teaches me how to truly worship, and not just “hang out” and “relax” on Sundays. Where Sundays are truly the Lord’s days and not my own. Where I fully humble myself, showing my humility and unworthiness with my body language and actions.
 
I want a church where almost everything we say and do at Mass is purely from Scripture and not made up based on what is current or fun. 
 

Church in Austria

I want a church that does not throw out ancient traditions because they are no longer “cool” or “what the people want.”
 
I want a church that tells me I need to pray, and often, even (especially) when I’m busy.
 
I want a church that teaches me to fast and sacrifice—to deny myself of bodily and earthly comforts on purpose for the sake of exercising my own spiritual muscles and for the sake of sinners.
 
I want a church that instills a true fear of God in me, and not one where Jesus is just my “homeboy” and “best friend.” He is also my Judge, Who counts my sins and Who will determine my salvation.
 

Cathedral in Moscow, Russia

I want a church that produces saints. Ordinary saints and proper Saints that lived radically in love with Christ and neighbor. Ones that I can imitate to grow closer to God. (1 Corinthians 11:1)

I want a church that understands that I am human. I see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. I can better understand the glory of God through all of my senses, not just with my mind. (Romans 1:20)
 
I want a church that plays on my sight. One that adorns everything in beauty, creativity, and majesty, which all evoke my sense of something special, something holy, something greater than myself. One that is filled with pictures and statues to help me to understand and remember.
 
I want a church that plays on my hearing. Speak to me the written and spoken Word of God. Assemble choirs in such perfect harmony that I believe in angels. Play music that is so beautiful and reverent that it brings tears to my eyes. Let me hear, “I absolve you from your sins and you are forgiven,” so I may know with confidence that Jesus gave this power and it is through Jesus that I can be forgiven each time. (John 20:21-23)
 
I want a church that plays on my sense of smell. Bring out incense to let me know that I am in a holy place and that I am in the presence of Something Divine. (Revelation 8:3-4)
 
I want a church that plays on my sense of taste. We have been commanded to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:9). We have been commanded to eat the bread from Heaven, which Jesus said is His own flesh and blood (John 6). We have been commanded to eat this bread-flesh and drink wine-blood this in remembrance of Him (Luke 22:14-20). So, feed me (John 21:15,17).
 
I want a church that plays on my sense of touch. Christ became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). He made Himself touchable and tangible, so too should His church be. Give me things to hold. Give me things to help me pray. Give me things to understand.
 



I want a Universal church...

Mass in Africa

I want a church where the teachings,
prayers, and worship are the same all
around the world, because we are all part of
the Body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:27)

I want a church that I can visit anywhere in
North America, Europe, South America, Asia,
Africa, or Australia, and the only difference will
be the language. Everything else will be familiar
to me, from the gestures to the structure of the 

Palm Sunday in India

Mass, to the symbols and prayers, and
everything in-between. Even in an exotic
culture, I want to feel completely at home
surrounded by family.
 
I want a church that levels the entire world
with the same church calendar, Holy Days,
beliefs, and practices, no matter the language
or cultural differences.

I want a church that will teach me how to

Women praying the Rosary in China

interpret Scripture the right way—with the
full inspiration of the Holy Spirit, combined with
unwritten traditions of the Apostles and earliest
Church fathers, and thousands of years of
learning and upholding the right interpretation.

I want a church that doesn’t leave Biblical
interpretation up to me (really, what do I
know? Even if I live to be 100, I can’t learn more than
Christ’s church), but to those in proper authority, to teach everyone the one and true meaning of each book, chapter, and verse.
 

I want an Apostolic church...

Priest Ordination

I want a church that has a fully unbroken line of apostolic succession. One where Jesus Himself breathed the power of the Holy Spirit onto the Apostles (John 21:22), our Church fathers, who through a continuous laying of hands, conferred this Holy Spirit to all Church leaders throughout history to the present day, to give them ecclesial authority. (2 Timothy 1:6; 1 Timothy 5:22; Hebrews 6:1-2)
 
I want a church that was founded by Jesus Christ and built upon the rock that He established as the cornerstone. (Matthew 16:18)
 
I want a church that was not founded within the last 500 years by any regular Joe with his own personal interpretation of the Bible and his own set of rules and truths.
 

College of Cardinals

I want a church that is not a democracy, where leaders are not chosen by individuals to fit their whims and twisted understanding of Truth, but by qualified individuals who have received the Holy Spirit.
 
I want a church that doesn’t mirror part of its Sacred Scripture off of another religion that denies that Jesus is the Christ—I want the whole Old Testament. The one used by the Apostles and earliest Christians.
 
I want a church that I can be confident is teaching me the Truth, because that Truth remains unchanged from the very foundation.

 

The Nicene Creed, written in the 4th century, still recited at every Mass:

 

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, 

maker of heaven and earth,
 of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God, 

born of the Father before all ages. 

God from God, Light from Light, 

true God from true God, 

begotten, not made, consubstantial 

with the Father; 

Through him all things were made. 

For us men and for our salvation 

he came down from heaven, 

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate 

of the Virgin Mary, 

and became man.

For our sake he was crucified 

under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried, 

and rose again on the third day 

in accordance with the Scriptures. 

He ascended into heaven 

and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 

He will come again in glory 

to judge the living and the dead 

and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, 

the Lord, the giver of life, 

who proceeds from the Father and the Son, 

who with the Father and the Son 

is adored and glorified, 

who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. 

I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins 

and I look forward to the resurrection 

of the dead and the life of the world to come.
Amen.

.

The Moon reflects the Son

One of my favorite aspects about Catholicism is our devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. We are the lucky ones who acknowledge and embrace Her as our Mother! Of all the differences between Catholics and other Christians, this is the one disagreement that I least understand. Devotion to our Blessed Mother is not only biblical, but logical.

Loving and venerating our Blessed Mother is not the same as worshipping her. We never worship Mary; we only worship God. But of all the humans to ever walk the earth, Mary holds the most special place of them all. She gave birth to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! She is literally the Mother of God. All of us have earthly parents. Those of us who accept Jesus Christ as our Savior also recognize that we have a Heavenly Family--Christ our Brother, and God our Father. It only makes logical sense that because Christ is our Brother, that His Mother would also be our Mother, as His Father is also our Father. Lucky for us, too, it is written in Scripture, that Jesus gave us His Mother. When He was dying on the cross, overcome with pain and exhaustion, and very near to the end, He looked down to see John, Mary Magdalen, Mary His Mother, and Her sister Mary of Cleophas. St. John recounts:

When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman, behold thy son. After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own. (John 19:26-27)

He commanded Mary to become the Mother of all men. He commanded all men to embrace Mary as their spiritual Mother. Thank you, Jesus!

Let's back-track a little and go all the way back to the Old Testament. In the Book of Isaiah, Mary's own existence and role in history was prophesied. "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel." Isaiah 7:13-14. No one can deny that this virgin was Mary. I love to look at St. Luke's first two chapters about Jesus' birth and Mary's importance in history. Particularly, let's first look at the annunciation and the visitation:

And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth,To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: Because no word shall be impossible with God. And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. And Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda. And she entered into the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she cried out with a loud voice, and said: Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord.

I added emphasis to a few parts here. For one, as I stated above, Mary is the virgin prophesied by Isaiah. Mary was no ordinary woman, for Gabriel says, "Hail, full of grace...blessed art thou among women." Mary was full of grace and blessed among all women! God's own messenger said so!

We believe that Mary was conceived and born without sin. This makes some wonder if Mary did not need Jesus to be saved, but that is not true. Mary was just saved first, while we are saved second. Or to us an analogy: sometimes children may play around a well, and only after they fall in do they need to be saved. This is our fall and saving from original sin. However, sometimes a child may also go near a well, and he may be saved before he ever falls in. This was Mary's saving. Later in the Gospel, Mary also confirms that she was saved when she said, "my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior." She needed to be saved from Her sin first because She could not have been born with sin. She had to have been a perfect human, the new Eve, to be the only one who could bear Jesus, God, the New Adam. Those who deny Mary's sinlessness must not truly believe that Jesus was both fully human and fully Divine. A sin is any "offense against God." A woman who has even the slightest offense against God on her soul, cannot possibly bear He Who is God. She had to have been perfect in order to give Jesus a perfect human nature. Just as God the Father gave Jesus his Divinity, so too did Mary give Jesus His perfect humanity.

We also know that God created Mary, as He creates all of us. Logic would tell us, too, that God would have wanted a perfect Mother for Himself. Mary was the only mother in history who was created by her child. Who wouldn't want to make the most perfect, beautiful, kind woman possible to be their mom? "Before I formed thee in the bowels of thy mother, I knew thee..." Jeremiah 1:5.  

Now let's continue in Luke's Gospel, where we left off. After Elizabeth's greeting to the "Mother of [our] Lord," Mary, too, was moved by the God Who was within Her and exclaimed her beautiful Magnificat:

My soul doth magnify the Lord.
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name.
And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him.
He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy:
As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.

Again, I make a few emphases. The first statement is Mary's purpose. We don't look to Mary for the sake of looking to Her, but for Her to magnify Jesus, to make Him bigger, more important, to grow our love for Him, to point us in the right direction. Mary is like the moon. The moon only reflects the sunlight. Without the sun, the moon is just another rock. But with the sun, the moon becomes radiant and bright. We see the moon best when we are in the dark, but we also see the moon during the day. The moon takes nothing away from the sun, but just reflects its light. So, too, is Mary the Moon, reflecting the light of Her Son. Without Him, she is but another woman. With Him, she is the Mother of all mothers, the Mother of God. Her prophesy is that all generations may call Her Blessed. So it is written, so it shall be done. Did you know that even Muslims consider Mary to be "most blessed" in Heaven? Her nearest "rival" is Fatima, the daughter of Mohammed, but even upon her death, Mohammed said and it is written, "Thou shalt be most blessed of all the women in Paradise, after Mary." She is mentioned at least 34 times in the Qu'ran, where Her perpetual virginity and sinlessness are taught as truth. Mary may very well be the one common link to bring peace between the Muslim and Christian worlds. Martin Luther, considered the father of the Protestant Reformation, also held Mary to a high regard. In his famous 95 Theses against the Catholic Church, number 75 suggests that violating (or failing to respect) Mary is one of the greatest sins man can make. (75. To consider papal indulgences so great that they could absolve a man even if he had done the impossible and had violated the Mother of God is madness). It can't make Jesus very happy for His brothers and sisters to ignore, or even violate, His own Mother. When we visit a friend's home and family, we do not ignore their mother. Just because we came over to see our friend, it is no reason to ignore their mother! That does not land us in good favor with the mother or the friend. It is more suitable to have conversations with their mother. Even more chivalrous is to do something nice, like bring her flowers! Our friend would not be upset because we are paying attention to their mother instead of them. It would please them more than you showed such respect and love to the person they love so much.

The bond and love between Jesus and Mary was unlike any human and spiritual love that this world has ever known. Jesus the God loved Mary because He loved everyone, and especially She who was full of grace. Jesus the man loved Mary because she was His Mommy! Likewise, Mary's soul purely loved Jesus because He was Her God. Mary the Mom also loved Jesus because He was Her Little Boy! Her only Son of the flesh. We don't stop loving a family member just because they have died, and neither did the love between Jesus and Mary end. For 30 years, ten times longer than His time with His disciples, Jesus was subject to Mary as His Mother. He began His Ministry at the request of His Mother at the wedding at Cana. Jesus cannot refuse the request of His Mother, just like none of us can disregard our mothers' requests. So we turn to Mary to intercede for us and guide us. As She did in Cana, She will tell us, "Do whatever He tells you." She understands the anticipation of receiving Him and seeing His beautiful Face, as She did for nine months before His birth; She can help us to build such anxious anticipation. She understands what it is like to lose Him, when She lost Him at the Temple. She was frantic and felt a darkness without Him; She can help Her children when we, too, lose Jesus in our lives. At Her request, Jesus performed His first miracle and began His Ministry; she can intercede for us. Her requests are powerful and who can refuse their own mother?

My hope is for Catholics to increase their love and devotion to Mary, our Universal Mother, and for other Christians to "behold thy Mother" and "call her blessed." The Church has beautiful prayers for Mary. Of course, we have the Hail Mary (note that most of the prayer is derived from the Gospel of Luke from above):

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee! Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Another prayer I have fallen in love with is the Memorare:

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who feld to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

Of course the ultimate prayer to Mary is the Rosary. Rosary means "crown of roses" and it is a sort of spiritual boquet given to our Mother. It's an incredibly powerful prayer. During each decade (ten Hail Marys), you meditate on various mysteries, and most are about the life, death, and ministry of Jesus. The vast majority of the Rosary is based in Scripture, and it is no more a vain repetition of prayers than it is a vain repetition to tell a loved one "I love you" over and over again. We can never spend enough time in our lives meditating on Jesus and telling Him (or our Mother!) "I love You." The times that I have sincerely asked Mary to teach me or enlighten me through a meditation, my request was answered, and I entered deeper into the mystery, learning something so profound that I never knew before. I can attest to the power of the Rosary. It is something that I pray with my husband every night, and it is like a meal to my soul.

Growing in love and devotion to Her can only keep you on the right path, as any mother would try and steer their children in the right direction. The moon will enhance the beauty of the daytime sky, and shine brightest when you are in the darkness.

Blessed Mother, Our Lady, Queen of Heaven, pray for us!

And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars: And being with child, she cried travailing in birth, and was in pain to be delivered... And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with an iron rod: and her son was taken up to God, and to his throne. Revelation 12:1-2,5