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

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.



ShareCatholic

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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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

Rape in the Bible?

On March 18, the first Mass reading happened to be one of my favorite Biblical stories. This passage from the Book of Daniel speaks volumes to the nature of sin, lust, sex, innocence, justice, human nature, and more. Please take time to read this Biblical story; it is quite remarkable. When you are done, I would also encourage you to read this blog titled, The Anatomy of a Sin as set forth in a lesser known Biblical passage. Monsignor Pope really breaks down the lessons from this story in steps that we take so often to fall into sin, because sin really is a process that becomes habit-forming once you have practiced taming some of your inhibitions. Ideally, if you can recognize these steps, perhaps you might find yourself in one of them and find it (it=God’s grace) in you to turn around and turn back to Him.

 

In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim, who married a very beautiful and God-fearing woman, Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah; her pious parents had trained their daughter according to the law of Moses. Joakim was very rich; he had a garden near his house, and the Jews had recourse to him often because he was the most respected of them all. 

That year, two elders of the people were appointed judges, of whom the Lord said, “Wickedness has come out of Babylon: from the elders who were to govern the people as judges.” These men, to whom all brought their cases, frequented the house of Joakim. When the people left at noon, Susanna used to enter her husband’s garden for a walk. When the old men saw her enter every day for her walk, they began to lust for her. They suppressed their consciences; they would not allow their eyes to look to heaven, and did not keep in mind just judgments.

One day, while they were waiting for the right moment, she entered the garden as usual, with two maids only. She decided to bathe, for the weather was warm. Nobody else was there except the two elders, who had hidden themselves and were watching her. “Bring me oil and soap,” she said to the maids, “and shut the garden doors while I bathe.” 

As soon as the maids had left, the two old men got up and hurried to her. “Look,” they said, “the garden doors are shut, and no one can see us; give in to our desire, and lie with us. If you refuse, we will testify against you that you dismissed your maids because a young man was here with you.”

“I am completely trapped,” Susanna groaned. “If I yield, it will be my death; if I refuse, I cannot escape your power. Yet it is better for me to fall into your power without guilt than to sin before the Lord.” Then Susanna shrieked, and the old men also shouted at her, as one of them ran to open the garden doors. When the people in the house heard the cries from the garden, they rushed in by the side gate to see what had happened to her. At the accusations by the old men, the servants felt very much ashamed, for never had any such thing been said about Susanna. 

When the people came to her husband Joakim the next day, the two wicked elders also came, fully determined to put Susanna to death. Before all the people they ordered: “Send for Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah, the wife of Joakim.” When she was sent for, she came with her parents, children and all her relatives. All her relatives and the onlookers were weeping.

In the midst of the people the two elders rose up and laid their hands on her head. Through tears she looked up to heaven, for she trusted in the Lord wholeheartedly. The elders made this accusation: “As we were walking in the garden alone, this woman entered with two girls and shut the doors of the garden, dismissing the girls. A young man, who was hidden there, came and lay with her. When we, in a corner of the garden, saw this crime, we ran toward them. We saw them lying together, but the man we could not hold, because he was stronger than we; he opened the doors and ran off. Then we seized her and asked who the young man was, but she refused to tell us. We testify to this.” The assembly believed them, since they were elders and judges of the people, and they condemned her to death. 

But Susanna cried aloud: “O eternal God, you know what is hidden and are aware of all things before they come to be: you know that they have testified falsely against me. Here I am about to die, though I have done none of the things with which these wicked men have charged me.”

The Lord heard her prayer. As she was being led to execution, God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel, and he cried aloud: “I will have no part in the death of this woman.” All the people turned and asked him, “What is this you are saying?” He stood in their midst and continued, “Are you such fools, O children of Israel!
To condemn a woman of Israel without examination and without clear evidence? Return to court, for they have testified falsely against her.”

Then all the people returned in haste. To Daniel the elders said, “Come, sit with us and inform us, since God has given you the prestige of old age.” But he replied, “Separate these two far from each other that I may examine them.” 

After they were separated one from the other, he called one of them and said: “How you have grown evil with age! Now have your past sins come to term: passing unjust sentences, condemning the innocent, and freeing the guilty, although the Lord says, ‘The innocent and the just you shall not put to death.’ Now, then, if you were a witness, tell me under what tree you saw them together.” “Under a mastic tree,” he answered. Daniel replied, “Your fine lie has cost you your head, for the angel of God shall receive the sentence from him and split you in two.” Putting him to one side, he ordered the other one to be brought. Daniel said to him, “Offspring of Canaan, not of Judah, beauty has seduced you, lust has subverted your conscience. This is how you acted with the daughters of Israel, and in their fear they yielded to you; but a daughter of Judah did not tolerate your wickedness. Now, then, tell me under what tree you surprised them together.” “Under an oak,” he said. Daniel replied, “Your fine lie has cost you also your head, for the angel of God waits with a sword to cut you in two so as to make an end of you both.”

The whole assembly cried aloud, blessing God who saves those who hope in him. They rose up against the two elders, for by their own words Daniel had convicted them of perjury. According to the law of Moses, they inflicted on them the penalty they had plotted to impose on their neighbor: they put them to death. Thus was innocent blood spared that day. Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62

 

True Presence

One of the most difficult ideas to come to terms with in my renewed embrace of the Catholic faith (besides Confession) was the idea of the Eucharist. Growing up, we always had a rather light-hearted approach to the Eucharist: just the “bread and wine” or “juice and crackers.” I grew up in a church and community where there was no real reverence for the Eucharist. The priest just went through the motions during Mass. Everyone I knew received the Eucharist without Confession (I did not know that was a rule, even bound in Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:27 Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord.)—there was never a feeling of “being unworthy” to receive Him; it was just another part of the Mass. God forgive them, but I even saw my junior high/high school classmates take the host and put it in their pocket, or drink the entire chalice of wine.

 

Almost nothing truly instilled in me a sense of awe, wonderment, understanding, or love for the Eucharist, which is truly the holy body and blood of Christ Himself. It is not a mere symbol, but His true flesh and true blood.

 

Why do we believe this to be true? Well, it is clearly written in Scripture. Every Catholic should know where to find this: John 6, the Bread of Life Discourse. John chapter 6. It is a bit lengthy, so you can read the whole thing here. I have just included the key verses below:

Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (31-33)
 

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. (35)
 

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” (47-51)
 

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” (52-58)
 

Then many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you?  (60-61)
 

As a result of this, many [of] his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. (66)

 

Jesus said it Himself, and we certainly do not take Jesus to be a liar. Probably one of the most important things to know here is something that we do not see in English. The original word used for “eat” which I have underlined above, is the Greek word τρώγων (trogon) which literally means to “gnaw” or to “chew.” There’s really no mistaking “gnawing” or “chewing” for something symbolic. Whereas in English we could say something like “I ate up his words” meaning “I listened,” but we don’t say, “I gnawed up his words.” That just doesn’t make sense because gnawing implies something physical.

 

We can further prove from the passage that Jesus used strong and literal words for “eat” and “drink” referring to His own flesh and blood because the Jews that He was speaking to were offended and said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” By Jewish Law, this would be something very “unclean” to do, so it’s no wonder that they didn’t want to hear it. But instead of Jesus saying, “Wait, come back! You misunderstood me. I didn’t mean literally eat my flesh and drink my blood! I meant it symbolically, so that you can just ‘have’ Me, My words, My Spirit, in you, without any eating (gnawing).” Jesus didn’t say that and He did not retract His statement. He just knew that people would find it difficult, and “as a result of this, many [of] His disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied Him.”

 

So are we the disciples who think this is too hard and walk away from it? Or do we believe Jesus and follow the tradition of His Apostles? (If the Apostles and first Christians did not believe this saying to literally mean eating/gnawing/chewing His flesh and blood that give eternal life, they would not have even written it that way.) If you believe Jesus’ words, there is no need to do any “mental gymnastics” to try and justify His words in other, more complicated ways. As St. Augustine said, “If you believe what you like in the Gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself.”

 

I’m being a little harsh, but I will be the first to attest that coming to believe this through my complicated, overly-rational, educated mind was not easy. It is very tempting to be like the unbelieving disciples and walk away, discounting Jesus’ words. But this is because we have made ourselves too complicated. We are indeed overly rational. We are not what we are commanded by Jesus to be: like a child. Jesus told us that we have to have childlike faith. If you tell a child something, he or she does not try to complicate it. They just accept that what you say is true. So, too, should we accept Jesus' words for what He says, because of all the people to ever walk this earth, Jesus is the one person that we should never question.

For me at least, it still took time to try and "unlearn" my mind to become more childlike. I work on it every day in every aspect of my faith, but I could not do it without the help of the Holy Spirit, Who is the only means that we can come to know Jesus. (1 Corinthians 12:3 And no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit). It is that same Spirit that is called upon by the priest to turn the simple bread and wine into the body and blood of our Lord: "Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ."

A woman in the Bible was healed by simply touching the hem of His garment because of her faith. Imagine what kind of effects His body and blood can have on us if we believe with that kind of faith! Holy Communion is a Sacrament, so it is a visible sign of an invisible grace. We might just be able to move mountains with a deep yet simple understanding that what we receive is His flesh and blood, His Spirit, and to be open to His special graces. Don't walk away from Him because it is too hard to accept, but rather pray to understand better, accept it, love it, and be thankful for it!

 

Am I "saved"?

Are we all “saved”? Is Heaven guaranteed to us simply from one baptism in our earthly life, or by sometimes professing the name Jesus Christ? Why are we here, and is this it? A day like today beckons such questions.

 

No one on earth really knows the “true” meaning of life or why we are all born, only God knows, but I have some ideas. We were made for Heaven. We were made by the pure, unconditional, unfathomable, bursting-at-the-seams love from God. We were not made merely to perish, but to have Eternal Life. That means our soul. Our soul was infused into our material bodies through the Giver of Life, each of us endowed with free will but stained by original sin. Our aim is for Heaven, although God fully respects our decision to choose Salvation through our free will; and to choose it daily by acknowledging that we are sinners in need of a Redeemer and to make a conscious decision each day whether to live for Heaven or Hell.

 

So, again, am I guaranteed to go to Heaven just because I was baptized? How convenient that sounds! I did one thing and suddenly I can never be found with fault, my eternal salvation is secure, and I am off scott-free! This makes no logical sense because we sinners can abuse this idea to no end. Hitler himself was “born again” and baptized. Does that mean that his life and deep, deep mortal sins are negated by this one-time birth of grace? So many baptized persons use the rest of their lives for evil, even denouncing Jesus and rejecting their Heavenly home through their own free will. Upon death, if they still do not throw themselves at the Mercy of Jesus, God cannot force salvation upon them because God does not interfere with our free will, even to the point of watching His beloved children perish.

 

“So then, my beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” Philippians 2:12

 

Work out your salvation, because it is not a one-time punch of the “cruise control” button or a guarantee. Do it with fear and trembling, because God is immense and just, but all-loving and merciful. If our salvation was a guarantee, Jesus’ work would have been a lot shorter and far less complicated. All He would have had to say is, “Be baptized in My Name and then just live your life and wait for death. I’ll see you later.” If our goal in life is to attain Heaven, we must work for it, not just have it handed to us. That is why Jesus left us with: 

 

commandments to follow every day (to name a few...)

“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me"

Luke 9:23 & Mark 8:34 & Matthew 16:24 

 

"Jesus said to them, 'Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.'" John 6:53-56

 

“Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15

 

"By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did" Luke 13:3

 

"But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you" Matthew 5:44

 

"I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another." John 13:34

 

the will of the Father

"For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him [on] the last day.” John 6:40

 

and the Church

^"And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.'” Matthew 16:18-19

 

We can do nothing on our own. We must seek God’s help daily and offer up our struggles. We must continually focus our will and heart to Heaven, while admitting our shortcomings and purifying ourselves. Each time we sin, we incur a debt. God may forgive our sin, but we still owe back the debt. The Bible says, “[N]o unclean thing will enter [Heaven], nor anyone who does abominable things or tells lies.” (Revelation 21:27) Almost none of us are “clean” upon our death. We are marred with our past sins, riddled with that debt, still full of that desire to repay God for the pain and offense we caused. If any of us can gaze upon the Face of God on our Judgment Day, just waiting for Him to spout off our sins like a grocery list and then open those Pearly Gates, then we’ve got it all wrong. We cannot look into the Face of Love, hearing all of our offenses and transgressions, and not feel such a deep sadness that we would immediately throw ourselves to the Feet of Mercy, begging God for forgiveness and some means to make it all right again. God is Just, and for that, we have Purgatory. We purge and purify our souls, making retribution for our wrongdoing and making ourselves clean again. It’s as if throughout our earthly life, with each sin, we throw another dash of paint on our “angelic robe” that we are to wear in Heaven. On our Judgment Day, we see just how dirty our robe is, and spend our time in Purgatory to make it clean and fit to enter Heaven, where all is clean, bright, and white. Our human minds, with our understanding of what is finite and the linear nature of time, cannot fully comprehend "what" Purgatory is, but by faith, we are guided to understand that it is necessary for Heaven.

 

Why do I bring any of this up? Well, three years ago today, my father passed away. Of course it’s nice just to assume that our loved ones fly right to Heaven, but we can’t just assume that. To assume that is to paint Christianity as full of roses and rainbows, all happy-like where no one ever gets their feelings hurt and we are just bystanders even though we all get a trophy in the end. I am just as sure that my father died with the love of Jesus in his heart as I am sure that he also died with sins on his soul, like many of us would if we were to fall dead right now. So, is that it?--No way. Not if we believe in salvation, Eternal Life, and our participation in the Body of Christ, connected through the Holy Spirit.

 

 "He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection in mind; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin." 2 Maccabees 12:43-46

 

To cease praying for someone or to cease praying with someone (for example, asking a saint to pray for you, and then joining your prayers together to Jesus with that saint) seems to be an indication that one does not believe in Eternal Life, like they just don't exist anymore. I don’t know where my father’s soul is right now, so I pray for him. I pray for mercy and forgiveness. I pray that if he is in purgatory, that his soul may become so clean and white, that I may see him again someday, the way God made him. I pray for those souls in purgatory, as they feel the agony and weight of the debt they incurred as a child of God. We are all connected in the Spirit, and each of us can have a profound effect on each other through prayer. Jesus teaches us that life does not end when our mortal bodies die. So if you could, please pray a special prayer today for my father, and for all souls in purgatory. 

 

 

 

Eternal Father,
I offer Thee the most precious Blood of Thy Divine Son,
Jesus,
in union with the Masses said throughout the world today,
for all the holy souls in Purgatory.

Amen.

Advent

Advent is probably my favorite season of the year, although in most years past, I have probably treated the Advent season more as the Christmas season. The Christmas decorations went up fast and there was nothing else to wait for. Although most of the decorations went up early again this year (after Thanksgiving), I'm taking a whole new approach to the season of waiting and the season of hope. The first Sunday of Advent was the first day of the new liturgical year, but I also embraced and anticipated it as my new year, the year where I say goodbye to the past me who wasn't the most faithful Catholic, and looking forward to the new year ahead where I have devoted my heart to Christ for the whole year, and the year after, and the year after...

The season of Advent is about waiting for Jesus. I'm awaiting the Baby Jesus' arrival to earth, while also awaiting His second coming. The waiting and "coming" of Advent is this twofold anticipation. I must really use this season to prepare my heart and soul, as if Jesus' second coming could be any day now. Will I be ready? Rarely are any of us truly ready, but are we doing everything we can to prepare our hearts? That is the goal.

The Catholic Church has some beautiful Advent traditions to help us on this journey. I didn't grow up with most of these traditions, but I'm determined to make them a staple in the Evans household. Not only are these great educational and spiritual exercises for my husband and I, but I hope they are just as memorable and valuable to our future children!

 

Here is what my husband and I are doing/will do this Advent season:

 

1.       The Advent Wreath
This is probably the most common tradition of all. A simple wreath with three purple candles and one pink candle, but this is more than just a decoration or centerpiece. The four candles follow the four Sundays of Advent. My husband and I have made it a point to eat dinner at the table every night. Before we eat, we turn the lights out and then light the appropriate candle(s) while singing. On weekdays, we sing O Come O Come Emmanuel and on Sundays, when we add a new candle, we sing the good ol’ Advent Candle song that we remember from our childhoods. "Light the Advent candle one..."
 
2.       The Empty Manger
Advent is a time to prepare for Jesus’ coming, so it doesn’t make much sense to have a full nativity scene, which even has the baby Jesus already in it. Sometimes we humans don’t notice something until it is gone. Is the full nativity scene just another Christmas decoration? Seeing that empty manger reminds me of Who should be in it, and I’m looking forward to the day when I can make the crèche “complete.”

3.       The Jesse Tree
Aside from doing this my 6th grade year, this is new to both of us. The Jesse Tree covers Christ's ancestry, from Adam and Eve to Mary and Jesus, and relates Scripture to salvation history. Each day we read certain passages from Scripture and then draw and hang an ornament with an image that represents the Scripture we just read. This is another tradition that I hope will become a big hit with our children in the Evans household someday!

4.    St. Nicholas Day
St. Nicholas Day already passed and I wrote about my day here.

5.    St. Lucy Day
This was a day I never heard of either, but I love traditions, and especially traditions from other countries. I think it really shows how universal (catholic) the Church is! St. Lucy (Lucia) was an Italian saint and Italians have their own traditions for her feast day. However, I was drawn to the Swedish tradition for her feast day, so this year, on December 13, I will bake a braided bread in the shape of a wreath. In Sweden, the oldest daughter wears a white dress and a red sash and stockings and brings coffee and bread to the family at breakfast. Perhaps since I am the oldest (and only) daughter of my family, I can hold this tradition until I have a little one of my own.

6.    Daily Scripture, meditation, and prayer
I picked up a small book at our local Catholic bookstore with daily reflections of the Daily Readings, a meditation topic, and a prayer. My husband and I do this every morning before we get ready for work. It has been a nice (and new) way to read through Scripture and pray before I really start my day.

"Advent, this powerful liturgical season that we are beginning, invites us to pause in silence to understand a presence. It is an invitation to understand that the individual events of the day are hints that God is giving us, signs of the attention he has for each one of us."

---Pope Benedict VXI, Homily at First Vespers of Advent, November 28, 2009

 

 

Are You Hot or Cold?

I sincerely wished that today’s readings fell on a Sunday or Holy Day, so that most Catholics could hear them. Actually, the ones that need to hear these readings may not even be at Sunday Mass to hear them anyways! So, in case you did not attend Daily Mass today, here were the readings:

Reading 1: Revelation 3:1-6, 14-22
I, John, heard the Lord saying to me:

"To the angel of the Church in Sardis, write this:

"'The one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this: "I know your works, that you have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Be watchful and strengthen what is left, which is going to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember then how you accepted and heard; keep it, and repent. If you are not watchful, I will come like a thief, and you will never know at what hour I will come upon you. However, you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; they will walk with me dressed in white, because they are worthy.

"'The victor will thus be dressed in white, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name in the presence of my Father and of his angels.

"'Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

"To the angel of the Church in Laodicea, write this:

"'The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the source of God's creation, says this:

"I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, 'I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,' and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, and white garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed, and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise. Be earnest, therefore, and repent.

"'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. I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself first won the victory and sit with my Father on his throne.

"'Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 15:2-3a, 3bc-4ab, 5
R. (Rev. 3: 21) I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.
He who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heartand slanders not with his tongue.
R. I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.
Who harms not his fellow man,nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
By whom the reprobate is despised,while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R. I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.
Who lends not his money at usuryand accepts no bribe against the innocent.
He who does these thingsshall never be disturbed.
R. I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.

Gospel: Luke 19:1-10
At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house." And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner." But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost." 

Really, the emphasis is on the passage from the Book of Revelation, and I made my own emphases in the bolded print. First, we see that God is calling us out on our hypocrisy and misunderstanding. All of us would claim to be alive, because our bodies are, in fact, alive. But we can easily be “alive” on the outside, but dead on the inside. Many of us have voluntarily or inadvertently “killed” our own spirits, stifled our souls, and are only living as animals… with a biological, living body, and nothing more. God is trying to tell us to look in the mirror! We are not as “alive” as we claim to be! But in every harsh word and reality check from God comes the hope. He says that it is never too late for any of us. “Strengthen what is left.” It is only after our death on this earth and after being cast into Hell that it is “too late.” There is always “something left” that we can cling to and strengthen. “Remember then how you accepted and heard; keep it, and repent.” Surely, all of us have felt something in our lives that turned us to God. Even if it was for a short while, surely all of us have had within us that glimpse of true faith. We have that memory in us so that we can go back to that time and re-do it and then make it stick. 

Next is my favorite part. This should be the alarm clock going off loudly, without a snooze button. It should be the annoying smoke detector that won’t seem to turn off. It should be the emergency broadcast system on your TV that keeps interrupting your show. This should be the wake-up call. "I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” It has been written for almost 2000 years, but this is such an important time! The modern world is becoming increasingly secular and it doesn't want to hear the Truth. Even in the United States, our most cherished freedom, religious freedom, is threatened. It is time. No more “Cafeteria Catholics.” The “a-la-carte Catholics” and “Camouflage Catholics.” The “ChrEasters,” nominal, non-practicing, and lukewarm Catholics. The Catholics by name or association instead of by action and lifestyle. Jesus doesn’t want them. They leave a bad taste in His mouth, and He spits them out. It is not good enough to just call yourself a Christian or a Catholic, and maybe practice it for one day a week within the walls of a church. It's not enough to post on Facebook that "God is good! :)" and leave it at that, without constant prayer, without constantly striving for spiritual perfection, without constantly having God on your mind, and without that deep desire to love everyone and bring others to God. Christ should reside in every fiber of your being. 

His words may sound harsh again. But as before, and as always, with every reality check comes the message of hope. "'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.” If someone looks in the mirror and sees someone who is lukewarm, that is great! You can’t change something that you don’t acknowledge! But upon acknowledging, you have a decision to make. Do you then hear Jesus behind the door, knocking for you to let Him in? He knocks at the door to your heart. He is always there to rush in and greet you with loving arms, but only if you hear the knock and open the door. Do you open the door, or continue to ignore His knock? Or even yell at Him to go away? Will you be hot with love, with a heart set on fire by the Holy Spirit? Will you be cold and try and live without the love and mercy of God? Or will you continue to stand still, dragging your feet in the mud, going neither here nor there?

Well..?

God love you!