The Darkest Hour

And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the boat was covered with the waves; but he [Jesus] was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us; we perish (Mt. 8:24-25).

 

This got me thinking on what we do in our darkest hours.  Would we pray, read the bible, or run away from the situation.  The apostles were very afraid in this situation.  They ran and hid from the storm because they thought they were going to die.  Then they remembered that Jesus could help them, who was sleeping in the boat.  They quickly ran down and aroused him.  Once up Jesus calmed the raging weather easily astounding the Apostles.  This situation can be easily related to our own lives.  When our life starts to get hectic and scary, we abandon all hope and run away and hide.  We lose focus of God who could guide us through our situation, but instead we focus on the problem instead.  And the more we focus on the problem, the worse it gets.  It gets so big that we can't handle them anymore and we lose control.  We tried so hard to maintain the problem, and then we become victims of the problem.  The problem consumes and we are no longer to resist and we completely submit to the problem.  

 

All hope seem lost, right?  Actually no, we can slowly rebuild ourselves by first, focus on other things than the situation.  We can do this by reading the Bible, praying, and get a group of friends that know what you are going through to assist you.  The saying power in numbers is very true, the advice that all of your friends can give and the help can be invaluable.  This may be how God works to help save us.  We can also ask for God's assistance, for there is nothing that is too big for him to help us with.  Finally, if we are honest with ourselves, we can see what we have done wrong and correct it.  We can escape the problem and recover from its oppressiveness.  All this cannot be done with out God, and once we escape our darkest hour, we have no one to thank but God.      

 

http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/d/dore/gustave/bible/chapter64.html

Guard the Key to Your Heart

"The Glory of God is Man Fully Alive" - Irenaeus of Lyons

 God is glorified in us when we live in Him. St. Irenaeus' quote resonates within me and in my life. When we step into the thing that we have been created to do, I believe that we are fully alive. If we are honest with ourselves, our desires, gifts, personalities and dreams all point us to the calling and purposes of God that was planned for us before we were even born. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” There is nothing better living our lives everyday with the sense that we were created for God’s glory.

John 10:10

At first, Irenaeus' quote seems to go against some theological ideas. "No," we say, "God's glory doesn't stem from man, God's glory involves Himself." However, this is an erroneous belief. We must examine the statement first. Glory: honor or reverence given to a worthy person. Man: this is humanity - anyone who has ever lived, including you and I. Fully Alive: to be truly capable of the utmost life; truly free, joyful, and walking in close companionship and communion with God. 

We all live in a basic sense: we eat, we breath, we have a physical life. Some are alive in a spiritual sense: we are saved and we have had our spirits renewed; we have companionship with God. However, few of us are fully alive: physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. Very few of us are alive in our inner self, our heart of hearts. Why? Because we lack joyfulness in our lives. We don't expect joy and we don't think we're special. We're shackled down by our past wounds, our past deeds; we are trapped by strongholds deep in our minds. This is not what the will of God is for us. This is not what Jesus died to accomplish.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. - (John 10:10 NIV)

What does John try to convey in his Gospel? The latter part confirms Irenaeus' quote; Jesus' mission, one that earns God glory, because of His love for us, is to give us life to the fullest,  to make us fully alive, in every sense. So, that brings the question: if Jesus' mission is to make man fully alive, then what does the thief want to steal, kill, and destroy? The answer can be found in the Old Testament: "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it" (Proverbs 4:23). The thief represents those opposing Christ's mission. Satan, the Thief, tries to remove all sources for that mission and to destroy the work of God.  He wants to steal your very heart. Then he wants to kill your heart. Finally, he wants to destroy your heart. Because God treasures and acts through your heart Satan has to destroy your heart to succeed in his plan. Your heart is what God lives in, and through Him you are saved. The heart is the key to a man. The human heart, unbroken from defeats, the past, wounds, and strongholds, is made aware of its faded glory; the key to Christ's mission of making us fully alive. 

Glory of God is Man Fully Alive

In our Theology II class a common term is "the glory of God is man fully alive," but what does this really mean.  Well I think that we can all a agree that God created the world and he did it to express his love for us.  St. Bonaventure tells us that "the world was made for the glory of God.  Not to increase his glory," which means that God did not create the world for his personal gain, but share his glory with the world.  God truly expressed his love for us by creating us, an action which he definitely did not have to perform.  So the Glory God is when he manifests himself and his goodness through creation.  God created us, human beings, to be in communion with him.  One problem, when Adam and Eve committed original sin, we had fallen out of communion with God and could no longer fulfill our one true task.  So God sent his only son to redeem us by sacrificing himself on the cross.  Again, this is God showing his enduring and  generous love for us, imperfect beings.  So it is the least we can do to act as responsible Christians and do our best to refrain from sin. 

The next step we must take to understanding the glory od God is man full alive now that we know what the Glory of God is.  Man fully alive is a person doing what God would want us to do.  Making the morale Christian decision and helping others.  An easy way to do this is when you are presented with a difficult situation, ask yourself "What would Jesus do?"  This ill usually get you going on the right track and you will often make the right decision. Now that we have an understanding what man fully alive is, we can begin to piece the phrase together.  So if the glory of God is creation and man fully alive is someone a good morale decision, when we put them together it takes on a new meaning.  The glory of God is man fully alive means that when a Christian is acting as God wants him to, then he is emanation the Glory of God.  I hope that this helps explain the concept of "The Glory of God is Man Fully Alive."

http://tracyboyd.org/blog/?p=390

Answering the Call

The call to be a priest is an extraordinary one.  Society today draws us away from God and focus us on material things.  Even if one tried to devote his life to God, all of the distractions like internet and our pace of life can often prohibit us from nearing the Lord.  To give up a girlfriend and possibly a wife for the call to chastity is often the hardest call that young people considering the priesthood face.  Those who do accept the call are greatly revered by all who see them.  They are trained to teach about the Lord and serve as our role models.  Brett Metzler expresses how he felt like he should give up being a priest and get married.  But when he prays to God, He reinforces the message to Ben that he should carry on and become a priest. 

http://www.ncdserraclub.com/images/heavencantwait.jpg

Fishers of Men

The priesthood is Christ's call for us to live closer to him by serving his people. In this calling, many are asked to sacrifice their lives to draw closer in a relationship with and through Christ. In essence, the priesthood is a unique way of life through which God invites a man to enter more deeply in relationship with him. Overtime, many have answered the call given to them by God. Their call brings them fulfillment. 

We are all searching for meaning in our lives. What has God called me to do? What will bring me happiness and help me grow in relationship with the One above? We cry out for understanding in the world around us - from our purpose, meaning and love found in our lives. We forget that God has never left our side. He hears our cries for justice, goodness, and for truth. He loved us so much he has became man in flesh and dwelt among us. He sent his son, Jesus Christ, to teach us how we may draw closer to himself. From Christ arose the priesthood. Through the priest, Christ is present in every aspect of the daily Church. Through the priest, Christ leads men and women to God. The world needs priests, because ultimately the world needs Christ.

But to be chosen to live in Christ requires sacrifice. Celibacy, poverty - being a priest is hardwork and needs determination. But somehow, the number of men wanting to become priests have steadily risen over the years. They are ordinary men who want to grow in their relationship with God. However, many attack God's institution. They say the Church is filled with pedophiles and homosexuals, but they forget to look at the world in which we live in; our society is broken. All around us lie similar dysfunctional people. Why? We have forgotten who we are; we are fallen, broken people, and unless we take courage and strength in our Lord we will not find our way back into the fold of God. We all feed on this brokenness. The good news is that we are seeing young men called by Christ to show us how the love of God can make us joyful and happy. May God continue to raise up fine priests who will continue to show us how to love.

What's Your Excuse?

And Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look upon God. Exodus 3:6

God wants to become closer to us to use us in his divine plan. However, it is hard to grow with God because of the frantic pace we view the world. Caught up with the business in our lives, maybe we are subconsciously running away from God. If we sit still and take a look at the world around us, God may fill our lives..

God came to Moses in the desert. Running from his past, Moses had ended up as a shepherd in the middle of nowhere. Little did he know that by running from his destiny it prepared him to fulfill God's call.

When God appeared, Moses hid his face from God, because he was afraid. This is common human reaction. God, being infinitely pure, counters our own imperfectness. Fortunately, God looks past our faults and sees our potential. He allows everyone to participate in his mission and uses us all.

But like us, Moses tries to makeup excuses to why God could not use him:

1. "Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11). Moses was in fact the best suited for his role. For 40 years, a Hebrew, he was raised as a son of Pharaoh. He was heard by both Egyptians and the People of God. 
2. "Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?" (Exodus 3:13). God told Moses, tell them I AM Who I Am sent you. Greater is He that is in us than he who is in the world. God gives us his ultimate authority.
3. "They will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say, Jehovah hath not appeared unto thee" (Exodus 4:1). Moses needed a sign that God was with him. God gave him a staff and the ability to work signs and wonders with it. God too will provide us with signs that he is with you. He will ensure you can accomplish his will.
4. "Moses said unto Jehovah, Oh, Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue" (Exodus 4:10). God told him. " I will be with your mouth and I will give you what to say." Jesus told the disciples that when they are tested  to not worry, for we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and it will act through us and inspire us.
5. "Moses said, Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” (Exodus 4:13). God became angry with Moses at this point. After all the assurance that God had given him Moses still makes excuses. But God relented and promised to send Moses his brother, Aaron, to help him on his mission. Before Jesus ascended into heaven he told us that he will send us the Holy Spirit, the helper, who will give us power and bring back to remembrance everything I have spoken or taught us. We are never alone.

Stop making excuses, follow God's lead, and watch God deliver you and your people.

Walk the Talk

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. --James 2:14-18 (NIV)

The world around us is surrounded with strife, but everyday we are either too busy to do any good or look the other way. Our culture has told us it is alright to only care for ourselves, to be inwardly focused to not care about those nearby. We are not striving to become more like Christ. This is something that we can change today. All we need to do is open our eyes and our hearts. Today I challenge you to make a difference in someone's life. Ask God to tug on your heart; allow him to build up compassion within you and feel the joy God fills in you by helping others and let him become an instrument of love to touch those in need.

No Matter What People Think About Me, I Know I'm a Human First

Ronald Davis is a man down on his luck. Living on the streets, he tries to survive everyday. He is like any one of us. But he gets humiliated, ignored, and insulted by those around him. Ronald has to deal with men  and women who will not give him the opportunity to improve his life; to turn his life around. All he asked for was a place to stay and a job to get him some food, but they all turn him down. Its the story of his life - no one wants him, no one wants to see him, no one wants to be him. Thankfully there are those who look beyond who we are on the outside and look at our true potential, as Children of God.

His fortune changed after his interview was sent to Reddit and seen by millions. I remember reading about him as his luck began to unfold. Hundreds saw their opportunity to give back to this man for the wrongs they have done to their own man. People scoured the streets of Boston - to deliver care packages; just to let him know there were people out there who saw the injustice and wanted to help. But this is not just Ronald's fight. There are thousands of impoverished children and adults throughout the United States in similar situations. They are on every corner, waiting for one of us to help deliver them to a better place. They are in your neighborhood, your parks, even in front of our own school. Sure we say we are 'Men for Others' but it disgraces me that we don't even try to help those around us.

While touring Harvard with the Strake - St. Agnes Choir, we saw the extent of poverty. Men and women lived in trash bags; one man was eating out of the garbage can. They would come up to us, begging for money, and I would feel sorry, then slowly walk around them. Looking back I was no better than those around me. We have our call to come closer to God and one way to do that is by showing others that we care for them - whether they are down on their luck or have just never been given a chance.

Human Dignity

I just watched a video of a homeless man named Ronald Davis who talked to the press about what it is like to live as a homeless man.  This really opened my eyes towards the hardship that homeless people.  When ever  saw a homeless person, I always said to myself, "Why doesn't that guy just get a job?"  Well this man answered that question, they can't.  He said when he walked in a business to apply for a job, they looked at him like he was crazy.  Then they would ask him for a phone number and they would call him.  The only problem is that he doesn't have one like the thousands of other homeless people.  It made me feel guilty for being so critical of these people, even though they have hardly any opportunities.  My view of the homeless has been changed completely.

Secondly, I never realized that the homeless are humiliated to ask for money.  When ever I saw a homeless person begging for money, I always thought of them as an inanimate person.  I never realized that it takes a great deal of courage for them to ask for money, and they only do it because they have to in order to make it another day.  Ronald Davis consolidated all the money he collected that day and if he had enough, he would buy a room for the night.  If not, he would just sleep outside in the elements.  Also, not only did he have to by a room, but he also had to buy food.  The money he received from gracious people was greatly appreciated and helped him survive.

Who is Welcome?

When the Church says that it is catholic, it means that it is universal and accepts all people.  She accepts every, and I mean everyone, despite who they are, what they may have done, or the sins they may have committed.  However, once welcomed to the church, one must follow the rule and guidelines of the Church.  It would be like a boy who has been welcomed to a soccer game with his friends.  Now he must follow the rules of the game to continue to play, he can not pick up the ball and run with it.  The Church is exactly the same.  Once you have entered the Church, one must make a conscious effort to stop sinning and grow closer to God.

God welcomes all peoples to his Church, but once admitted, the must change their ways.  Say a drug addict were to join the Church.  The Church would love him, support him, and respect him, but she would expect him to abandon his unhealthy habits.  Also, if a couple who has just chosen to abort a child were to join the Church, this would not change the love for them and the way she would treat them.  The Church would help them come to realize what a grave mistake they made and grieve with them in their deadly decision.  When people say the Church is for all people, it really is.  Now matter what condition, race, or faith you come from, the Church will love you, respect you, and treat you the same as any one else.

http://www.henkeldiversity.com/2010/03/26/report-on-equality-between-women-and-men-2010-bericht-uber-die-gleichheit-zwischen-mannern-und-frauen-2010/

The Woman Priest

Recently in Kentucky, a woman by the name of Rosemarie Smead was ordained a priest in a small group that has defected from the Roman Catholic Church.  She said she can no longer wait until the Catholic Church allows women priests and she must act now.  Also, she had to have been ordained by a priest or a bishop, who has gone against the rules of the Church.  Both of these people claim to be still be members of the Church, but has carried out the actions to be separated form the church, schism.  If Jesus had wanted a woman priest, he would have made a woman one of his apostles.  People argue that men were the dominant figure back then and Jesus could not have made a woman an apostle.  Jesus could have easily done this, he broke so many other rules and traditions, what was holding him back?  The answer is nothing, if Jesus had wanted a woman as an apostle he would have done it, but this was not part of God's plan.  Jesus was a man and all of the apostles were men and God intended it to be this way.  The Church follows God's will and only allows men to be priests.  Rosemarie Smead is going against God's will by becoming a priest, but she remain a nun.  As a nun, she can participate in God's will as fully as she can but the office of the priest is reserved for men.  One can only pray that she understands why God desires it to be this way.
        
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/29/woman-priest-ordained_n_3174277.html

Why the Church Teaches What It Does

Long ago Jesus began his earthly ministry and founded the Church. He gave his authority to her and she was told to go and spread the Good News, teaching what Jesus taught her.

In today’s world, there has been rising controversy towards women ordination, married priests, and homosexuality. Even now, many hope for a change in the Church with the coming of the new Pope, while the old one has stepped down. What many do not understand is that the Church cannot ever change. In the Ordinary Magisterium, part of the Church’s Deposit of Faith - its teaching authority on Earth - she may only affirm the teachings given to her by God and can never change or create new doctrine, only reaffirm. Some may point to changes in the Liturgy as signs that the Church has the power to change the way we pray and take part within it, but that never changes the underlying grace behind these words. It changes as culture changes, to help bring us to God in every circumstance - even the Sacraments are just visible signs of grace. The grace behind the signs are what really matters to growing in communion with God. THIS is what the Church can never change. As such, the same teachings given by Christ represent this hidden grace and help us become closer to God in all of our lives.

Who Can Receive Communion?

The Sacrament of Communion is the most prominent because we receive the Body and Blood of Christ. It strengthens us in our fight against sin and draws us closer to God. The Sacrament of Communion gives us grace to resist sin in every aspect of our lives. "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever" (John 6:53–58). This encounter we have with Christ has been entrusted from Jesus to his Church, and it is only through his Church that we are saved.

There are five requirements the Church has for those who wish to take Communion. First, you must be in a state of grace. Second, you must have been to confession since your last mortal sin. Third, you must believe in the doctrine of transubstantiation. Fourth, you must observe the Eucharistic fast. Finally, one must not be under an ecclesiastical censure. If you have offended someone you must repent your sin before you can participate in Communion; otherwise it is futile. Transubstantiation literally says that the bread and wine are actually transformed into the actual body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ, with only the appearances of bread and wine remaining. Only after fulfilling these requirements and are a member of the Universal Church can you participate in Communion.

My Church believes that everyone has the right to participate in Communion, to help them grow and be transformed in God. The United Methodist Church’s Confession of Faith states: “We believe the sacraments, ordained by Christ, are symbols and pledges of the Christian’s profession and of God’s love toward us. They are means of grace by which God works invisibly in us, bringing to life, strengthening and confirming our faith in him. Two Sacraments are ordained by Christ our Lord, namely Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.”

On transubstantiation, we believe that the change is spiritual. They signify the body and blood of Christ for us, helping us to be Christ’s body in the world today, redeemed by Christ’s blood. We pray over the bread and the cup that they may make us one with Christ, “one with each other, and one in service to all the world.”  Anyone may participate, but you remain your right to choose to not receive Communion. It is the Lord’s Supper, not ours, and it is Christ who invites you. As our ritual puts it: “Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another.” We do not refuse any who present themselves desiring to receive. Whether you should receive Communion with us is between you and God. Two thousand years ago Jesus ate with sinners and those whom others scorned. He still does. None of us is worthy, except by God’s grace. Thank God we don’t have to earn worth in God’s eyes by our goodness or our faith. Our sacred worth is God’s free gift. No matter what we have done or what is our present condition, if you want Christ in your life you are welcome at his table. Communion provides the opportunity for you to confess your sins, to receive forgiveness, and to indicate your intention to lead a new life.

Children may also receive Communion. We remember that when some of Jesus’ disciples tried to keep children away from him he said: “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs” (Mark 10:14 NRSV). You may say they do not understand the importance of their actions; however, neither do any of us. It is a wonderful mystery, and children can sense wonder and mystery. Children cannot understand the full significance of family meals, but we feed them at our family tables and at Christ’s family table. Young children experience being loved by being fed. They sense the difference between being included and excluded at a family meal. They have the faith of a child, appropriate to their stage of development, which Jesus recognized and honored. Indeed, he said to adults: “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it” (Mark 10:15 NRSV). More information can be found in the book, United Methodists and Communion. We believe anyone who has the desire to change and to grow in God should be given the right to have Communion.

The Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano

The Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano is a miracle where the Host turned into the flesh of Christ.  In the small Church if St. Legontian, a Basilian monk was performing the mass.  He had trouble believing the Jesus's real presence and thought that the Eucharist represented Christ.  When he held up the host to consecrate it, it transformed into the flesh of Christ.  Also, all five goblets of wine were transformed into red, sparkling blood.  The flesh and wine has been preserved today, left out with nothing to preserve it.  The flesh can be seen today and is said to look brown, but when lit from the back, a rosy color emerges.  The blood over 1,200 years has changed to a mustard yellow color.  Several scientific test were performed on the blood and flesh in 1970-1971 and in 1981.  They examined the flesh and determined that it was true flesh and belongs to the human species.  They also discovered that it is the flesh of the heart and found that the myocardium is thicker than the rest of the heart, just as it is in a normal heart.  They then tested the blood and confirmed that it is indeed human blood and they found proteins that would normally be in the blood of a healthy human being.  Finally, the most convicting evidence is that the blood type, AB, is the same as the blood on the Shroud of Turin.  This miracle shows that the hosts and wines are truly the body and blood of Christ, but they may not look like them in appearance.  So next time you are taking communion and you wonder if you are really consuming the body and blood of Christ, remember this miracle.        
   

http://www.christusrex.org/www1/apparitions/pr00026.htm

What Would Jesus Do

Have you seen those bracelets that people have that say WWJD.  In case you haven't, it means What Would Jesus Do, and it is a great way to stop and consider your actions.  When ever presented with a difficult situation, just say, "what would Jesus do," to yourself and it will often guide you to the correct decision.  These bracelets give us a great opportunity to evangelize in our everyday lives.  The WWJD also can be reworded to better suit our day to day lives, but we can also use the words to take on a more selfish meaning.  We could say, Lord help me to be more like Christ, but this limits us to just act like Christ.  The gist of the saying is to do as Jesus would in a given situation. Jesus is a great model for our lives, he gave his life to us.  We are now to follow in his footsteps, we should aspire to be as much like Jesus and we can possibly be.  The idea of the phrase is to act as if Jesus was working through you, not just to follow behind.  We are supposed to be the example of Christ and act like we were Christ himself.

       http://scribblesandscratchings.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/wwjd-the-wrong-question-perhaps/

Rain

Today we received a lot of rain, and it still continues.  The rain has run through every crack of houses, buildings, and trees.  Also, it has soaked the ground and provided the city with some very much needed water.  We can compare the rain that has deluged our city with the grace we receive from the Holy Spirit and the sacraments.  The grace runs through our body and purges us from sin, then it soaks into our bodies, filling our bodies with the sanctifying grace.  The sacraments are a way that God draws us closer to him and the way that we can accept him.  God wants us to be with him, its up to us to accept him.

http://ladyilonwick.wordpress.com/2011/05/24/rain-rain-go-away-please/

Draw Near to God

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you (James 4:8).

We come closer to God through worship. "God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). We all try to lead our own lives but forget who is in charge; God always makes sure to leave clues to help guide us on our path to Him. Our relationship with God is not focused on our relationship with God through others, but it is our direct relationship, in love, when we dedicate time in our lives to meditate on God that we are drawn to Him. We must focus on God.

However, if we fill our lives with the message of God, but do not act upon it; if we read the Bible and spend time in prayer but do not focus on what it teaches us or try to fix our lives, we are hypocrites. We could spend every waking hour listening to the homilies of priests, in fact, even devote our lives to God and still feel empty. We may be able to quote directly from the Bible, but if we do not understand what we are taught, we are not coming closer to God..

Many people around you say they are Christians, but the truth is, they are hypocrites. They do not devote their lives to understanding and drawing closer to God. Even myself have felt times of dry spells, where I feel the time I have set aside for God just seems to be futile. Many believe their prayers go unanswered, but that is because they do not seek to grow in relationship with God. The Scripture says, "Draw near to God, and He WILL draw near to you." We still may feel lost; but by seeking out God we ARE drawing closer to him. He helps to comfort us in the midst of difficult circumstances. In sorrow, he provides hope. In doing so we come closer to God as his children.

In time spent reading the Bible and in prayer, we must devote our time to focus on God. One way to focus on him is to ask how we may come to better know him in every aspect of our lives. He will help us by revealing himself to draw us even further into communion with him and will help us to put him before us everyday. By having a thriving relationship with God, and time spent seeking to learn and understand how God acts in every aspect of our lives we create a thriving relationship with the Lord.

The Unity of Boston

My brother and his school are taking their annual eight grade trip to Boston.  Due to the events last week, we were unsure that he would be going on the trip, but they decided to go.  As one might expect, we are all a little worried and on edge about them being there at such a time.  His teachers have made a website where they can post all of the pictures that they took that day.  It is a bit reassuring to see that everyone is having a good time and being safe.  One thing stood out to me in the pictures they took, the pictures of the people unifying against the bombings.  There are buses and subway cars that say "We are one Boston" and sidewalks covered in chalk writings about the bombings that even stretch 7 feet up onto walls of buildings.  The final picture I saw was a small memorial that people had erected against a fence blocking people from the scene of the incident.  While it was small, it was very moving and exemplified the emotions that the people felt.  All of the pictures showed me that while the city was shaken by the incident, they still stand strong and unified.  We could all learn a lesson or two from Boston.  Everyone dropped all their differences and unified against these horrible acts of terror.  As members of the Church united in Christ, we should all put our differences aside and stand up together against the forces that persecute the Church.

http://regisboston2013.tumblr.com/

SWAP (Students with Amazing Potential)

http://studentswithamazingpotential.com/

SWAP, Students with Amazing Potential, is a ministry created by Chapelwood United Methodist Church to serve at-risk teenagers in the Spring Branch School District. The students who participate are selected by the counselors at their various schools. Volunteers from Chapelwood, including my parents and myself, meet with these students on Saturdays once a month. For my sophomore service project, my family and I became SWAP mentors. Two or three mentors were assigned to a small group of teens. The mentors council and befriend the students and potentially nurture them for through the rest of their school years.

The theme of this year’s SWAP program was “Legacy”. The message we were trying to convey to students was that they all embody many positive traits that have been given to them by their ancestors, including their parents. These traits could be talents, physical characteristics, or cultural traditions. The second part of the message was for the students to value these traits and to build on them so they have a positive legacy to pass along to others. God gave all of us vocations in life to help in his glorious mission. By recognizing theirs they become more fit to lead, to serve, and to be men and women for others.

The activities we shared with the students supported the overall theme. We made scrapbooks, talked about the environment and conservation, encouraged their talents theatrically and athletically, and also performed service projects with them at a local Hispanic church, Esperanza. There we helped paint the Church and participated in worship with them.

I believe this project guided me to become a man for others. It was easy for me to see the positive impact that the SWAP mentors, particularly me as a young man, had on these students. The project was also consistent with my longer term goal to have a positive impact in the communities where I live and work. The project also strengthened my Christian foundation by following Jesus’ call to serve those less fortunate than ourselves. These students are all God’s children and deserve every opportunity to have the fullest and most complete lives possible. By serving them I grow in my own call to be a man for others.

It was very rewarding to participate in SWAP with my parents.  We share the common desire to serve our God and the world. We built some family memories from these projects and they will continue to affect us in how we view the world and help us praise God’s glory. We plan to continue to participate in community service activities as a family unit and with our church. I feel that I myself have grown over the past year as I prepare my heart and soul to be a servant in God’s community and I hope to continue to be a servant for the rest of my life.

The Church in the Life of the Faithful

The Church plays a major role in the life of the faithful through many aspects. It is in the Church that we are brought to God. The Church provides us with the law of Christ, passed down through his Apostles. The Sacraments help to sustain us on our journey to better understand God. Finally, we are inspired by the saints and all those before us who came from the Church to hep guide our own lives. Our lives revolve around seeking holiness, to find Christ. By seeking Christ we find ourselves amongst others seeking Christ and helping many find their way. That is the Church, and her Apostles are our guides. The Church is the People of God, filled with the Spirit; "For those who believe in Christ, who are reborn not from a perishable but from an imperishable seed through the word of the living God, not from flesh but from the Holy Spirit, are finally established as a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people . . . who in times past were not a people, but are now the people of God." We are bound together in the Mystical Body of Christ, which shows that the Church is an important part of our everyday lives.

Sacraments help to sustain us on our journey to better understand God. They sanctify man and give worship to God, but they ultimately lead us on our path to communion. It draws us closer to Christ and strengthens God's will which helps us to live like Christ. Because sacraments are instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, Christ shared the sacraments as the primary means of building communion between God and man.

We are called to be living witnesses to Christ. First, each of us must live by the teachings of Christ, which were passed down by the Apostles through the Church; second, we must fulfill our duties to the best of our abilities not only by our example that we as Christians are called to evangelize those around us, but also by being prepared to witness Christ at every opportunity.

The Church helps to lead us to God. The Church helps us to fulfill our mission and inspires us to help others in theirs. The sacraments help to put us back on track with God and act as guides to draw us nearer to him. By being witnesses to Christ, we fulfill our Universal Call to Holiness and help in our mission to evangelize the world. As such, the Church participates fully in every aspect of our lives.

He must become greater; I must become less

He must become greater; I must become less.
The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard. . .(John 3:30-32).

One day, St. John's disciples asked him about Jesus, saying, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him." John told his followers that he himself could only fulfill his role God has provided him, and then he reminded them he was sent ahead of Christ. John showed that his call in life was not to reveal or bring glory to himself. God has a role for everyone in his plan; John's call was to allow Christ to be revealed through him. Christ must become the greater than himself, in life, direction, and purpose.

I struggle with my life, purpose and direction. I am often confused, discontent and frustrated. Trying to please   God's will leads me to just become more confused as I try to unravel his ultimate plan for me. Sometimes during prayer it gets hard for me to just talk to God. At Church or abroad, I often hide my true feelings, try to act macho, and try to stand on my own; I don't need God to help me, I'm fine on my own. Everyone struggles with giving up their problems to God. We must learn to give up our lives, in prayer and in heart, to God's plan; then we may find peace in our world.

Perhaps we would like to be as certain as John was in knowing his own life purpose. For what we are to do and God's purpose for our lives is something we want to know, but as we said, it is so very difficult and confusing. Perhaps we could look to John the Baptist's and Jesus' example to help us, for they both seemed confident of their calling.

Jesus saw His purpose clearly - He was to reveal God to us. Many things take place in this revelation. As God is revealed to us, we discover Him for who He really is and how our viewpoint of His person has been distorted by opinion, bias, guilt, pride, fear, and sin. We know that at the time Christ came, He came to God's chosen people, and He came with a purpose of revealing to them who God really is. Why does God need to be revealed to his own people? The true representation of God has been distorted, even to those closest to Him. That distortion has caused people to fear God, distrust Him, disbelieve Him and hide from Him, like Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden. We must learn to recognize God; he is our friend. Christ came to allow God to reveal Himself through His Son. Jesus did so by becoming less, so God could be exalted.

John the Baptist went throughout his life on the same implication; by becoming less, Christ would be able to reveal God through him. John was able to make it possible for others to see God in Him by pointing others not to his own accomplishments, but to Jesus.

There are three beliefs that will help us find out God's plan for us:

1. We shouldn't seek out his plan for us out of selfishness. If we do we will surely miss. We must look out and see how we can help others to grow closer to God.
2. We must become less and allow Him to become greater. Unless we become second in our own lives we will see nothing but ourselves, our desires, and our goals as we consider where we should be in this life. 
3. God still wants to reveal Himself to us and He can only do it through humble and selfless hearts. 

Many in this world still need to hear the Good News. We must live lives that do not exalt self, but allow God to reveal Himself through us. "He must become greater; we must become less."

Operation Thanksgiving

Early this year around the time of Thanksgiving I had the pleasure of helping Holy Cross Lutheran distribute frozen turkeys, vegetables, and other grains to the people in the area struggling to cook a Thanksgiving Dinner in the area.  I arrived early in the morning to find the volunteers scrambling to prepare the food for the flood of people arriving.  The first thing they had me do was move bags filled with packages of rice, cookies, chips, and other dry foods to the door where they would be handed to the people as they arrived at the first station.  Then they had me move around bags of produce and frozen turkeys to a table so that at the second station they could easily hand them out.  About two hours after we started, they ran out of turkeys and sent a man to buy about 100 more and the whole operation stopped.  When the man got back we unloaded his minivan that was completely filled with turkeys in every spot imaginable.  We then continued the assembly line until we ran out of turkeys and then we gave them chickens.  Soon after, we ran out of chickens and we could only give that last remaining people the produce and the bags of grains.  At the very end we were completely out of food and every person who came was very appreciative for the food and everyone had a smile on their face.  This was a great experience where I discovered the true joy that you can receive from helping people.

http://dumais.us/newtown/blog/?cat=128&paged=2

Tragedy in Boston

Tragedy struck Boston two days ago during the Boston Marathon as you may have heard. If you have not there was a bombing during the Boston Marathon which also happened to be Patriots Day.  There were two blasts that killed at least 3 people injured 141 others.  The bombs were planned to go off at the time the most runners would be crossing the finish line.  While very few runners were hurt, the majority of people hurt or killed were in the stands.  Among the dead is an 8 year old boy who was with his mother and sister who are in critical condition.  The President is calling this an act of Terror but also highlighted the heroism and bravery of the officers and fire fighters who saved those injured in the blasts.  They quickly took the debris off of the wounded, and got them into ambulances as fast as they could.  The entire city worked together to get through the tragedy.  While these events were so devastating, the courage of those who saved the injured and the bravery of the city can ensure us that we are all safe.    

http://news.yahoo.com/...injured-in-boston-marathon-explosions-slideshow

Rites of the Catholic Church

The Rites of the Catholic Church are different divisions of the Church specifically geared to different cultures and languages.  Each rite shares the same sacraments and apostolic origin, but differ in their external form.  The different rites in the Catholic Church are the Alexandrian Rite, the Antiochene Rite, the Armenian Rite, the Byzantine Rite, and the Chaldean Rite.  Each Rite changes the Liturgy and prayers to best suit the culture and language of the people in the specific Region.  The Alexandrian Rite came out of Egypt and languages included are Coptic, Arabic, and Ge'ez.  The Antiochene Rite was named after the ancient city of Antioch and services the languages of Syriac and Arabic.  The Armenian Rite can be traced back to the apostles and Armenian is it's liturgical language.  The Byzantine Rite was founded in Constantinople and is used widely in the Eastern Churches.  It includes the Albanian, Belorussian, Bulgarian, Greek, Hungarian, Italo-Albanian, Melkite, Romanian, Russian, Ruthenian, Slovak, and Ukrainian Churches.  Finally The Chaldean Rite is located in the Middle East and India, and its liturgical languages are Syriac, Arabic, and Malayalam.  The Church takes great care to specialize the liturgy to a specific culture so that it may resonate with them.
       The Church follows its call to holiness by specializing the mass.  It allows every person in the Church to understand the message and it can hold a special meaning in their hearts.  As members  we can follow our call to holiness by listening in the pews, understanding the message, and spread it to others.

http://nativityukr.org/who_we_are/rites_chart.html

Apolicity Mark

The Apostles were the followers of Christ sent out to preach his word. The Twelve Apostles were given the task of assisting Christ, the Son of God, in ruling his kingdom. They symbolically represent the rulers of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and were entrusted with Christ's authority and the Spirit to teach, sanctify, and govern in Christ's Church.

The Apolicity Mark is broken threefold, into the Apostolic Foundation, Apostolic Faith, and Apostolic Succession. The Church is founded by the Apostles from where the Church was established with Christ as the shepherd of his flock. After Christ ascended, the Apostles took on the role of shepherds and started the uninterrupted chain of succession that can be traced to Jesus. Bishops today are the successors of the Apostles, and the Church's Apostolic nature is found in them. The laying of the hands, found in the installation of a Bishop, represents this unbroken chain back to the Apostles. The Bishops are united into the call to carry on the Apostle's mission as shepherds on earth. Their role and mission are not the only things to be passed down. Their faith and the teachings of Christ are preserved and protected within the Deposit of Faith. Comprised of the Apostolic Tradition from the Bishops and the Teachings of Christ, Bishops have proclaimed Christ's Sacred Tradition to teach, sanctify, govern, and to help lead us all into a new life as we strive to be holy in God's love.

Catholic and Protestant views on the Virgin Mary & Saints in our lives

In class on Friday we were asked to look in on some differences between the Catholic and the Protestant Churches over the Virgin Mary, Saints, and Angels in our lives. According to Catholic Online, The Virgin Mary is:

The Mother, of God, Mother of Jesus, wife of St. Joseph, and the greatest of all Christian saints. The Virgin Mother “was, after her Son, exalted by divine grace above all angels and men”. The belief that Mary’s body was assumed into heaven is one of the oldest traditions of the Catholic Church. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception - that Mary, as the Mother of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, was free of original sin at the moment of her conception was proclaimed by Pope Pius IX in 1854 . Pope Pius XII dedicated the entire human race to Mary in 1944. The Church has long taught that Mary is truly the Mother of God . St. Paul observed that “God sent His Son, born of a woman," expressing the union of the human and the divine in Christ. As Christ possesses two natures, human and divine, Mary was the Mother of God in his human nature. Because of this role exemplified by her acceptance of Christ into her womb, her offering of him to God at the Temple, her urging him to perform his first miracle, and her standing at the foot of the Cross at Calvary Mary was joined fully in the sacrifice by Christ of himself. Mary is entitled to the title of Queen because, as Pope Pius XII expressed it in a 1946 radio speech, “Jesus is King throughout all eternity by nature and by right of conquest: through him, with him, and subordinate to him, Mary is Queen by grace, by divine relationship, by right of conquest, and by singular election.” Mary possesses a unique relationship with all three Persons of the Trinity, thereby giving her a claim to the title of Queenship. She was chosen by God the Father to be the Mother of his Son; God the Holy Spirit chose her to be his virginal spouse for the Incarnation of the Son; and God the Son chose her to be his mother, the means of incarnating into the world for the purposes of the redemption of humanity. This Queen is also our Mother. While she is not our Mother in the physical sense, she is called a spiritual mother, for she conceives, gives birth, and nurtures the spiritual lives of grace for each person. As Mediatrix of All Graces, she is ever present at the side of each person, giving nourishment and hope, from the moment of spiritual birth at Baptism to the moment of death. The confidence that each person should have in Mary was expressed by Pope Pius IX in the encyclical Ubipriinum : “The foundation of all our confidence. . . is found in the Blessed Virgin Mary. For God has committed to Mary the treasury of all good things, in order that everyone may know that through her are obtained every hope, every grace, and all salvation. For this is his will, that we obtain everything through Mary.”

Protestantism views differ from the Catholic in teaching of the Virgin Mary. My church, the United Methodist Church, has only this to say:

The United Methodist Church has no official stance or teaching on the Virgin Mary other than what is in Scripture and in the ecumenical creeds: the Apostles' and the Nicene. We affirm her role in God's gift of Christ to the world -- being the mother of Jesus, her care and nurture of him and her being a disciple. The Articles of Religion and the Confession of Faith, the doctrinal statements of The United Methodist Church, include statements of belief that Jesus was conceived and born of the Virgin Mary. 

The Immaculate Conception is different from the Virgin birth.  It is a teaching of the Roman Catholic Church that the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin.  It is a belief about Mary, not about the birth or conception of Jesus.

The Protestant and Catholic views differ on saints as well. The Catholic Church believes that saints are ordinary and typical human beings who made it into heaven. In the broader sense, everyone who’s now in heaven is technically a saint. Saints are human beings who lived holy lives in obedience to God’s will and are now in heaven for eternity. The classification or title of saint, however, is a spiritual pronouncement that the faithful can be morally certain that this particular person is indeed in heaven; prayers to and from the saint are considered efficacious. Instead of seeing or portraying saints as superheroes, Catholicism wants to present them as just heroes — ordinary people who made it to heaven. The idea is that if they could do it, so can others.

The Methodist Church takes a different meaning to the word 'saint'.

United Methodists believe in saints, but not in the same manner as the Catholic Church. We recognize Matthew, Paul, John, Luke and other early followers of Jesus as saints, and countless numbers of United Methodist churches are named after these saints. We also recognize and celebrate All Saints' Day and "all the saints who from their labors rest."  All Saints' Day is a time to remember Christians of every time and place, honoring those who lived faithfully and shared their faith with us.  On All Saints' Day, many churches read the names of their members who died in the past year. However, our denomination does not have any system whereby people are elected to sainthood. We do not pray to saints, nor do we believe they serve as mediators to God.  United Methodist believe "... there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human who gave himself a ransom for all" (1 Timothy 2:5-6). United Methodists call people "saints" because they exemplified the Christian life. In this sense, every Christian can be considered a saint. John Wesley believed we have much to learn from the saints, but he did not encourage anyone to worship them. He expressed concern about the Church of England's focus on saints' days and said that "most of the holy days were at present answering no valuable end."Wesley's focus was entirely on the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

John Wesley's belief was that Christianity should be Christ-centered. Explicitly, Methodism denies Purgatory, veneration of saints, relics, and prayer to saints—considering them to be distractions from the Christ-focused life and unfounded in Scripture. The Twenty-Five Articles of Religion states that "The Roman doctrine concerning...worshiping, and adoration, as well of images as of relics, and also invocation of saints, is a fond thing, vainly invented, and grounded upon no warrant of Scripture, but repugnant to the Word of God."

A Pope, a Chair, and a Swiss Guard

Today I found an article about Pope Francis and his generosity here. Swiss Guards are the Swiss soldiers who have served as bodyguards, ceremonial guards, and palace guards at foreign European courts since the late 15th century. The Guard has strict requirements for recruitment and they swear a strict oath of allegiance to the Pope they must hold with their lives:

(Italian version) "Giuro di servire fedelmente, lealmente e onorevolmente il Sommo Pontefice e i suoi legittimi successori, come pure di dedicarmi a loro con tutte le forze, sacrificando, ove occorra, anche la vita per la loro difesa. Assumo del pari questi impegni riguardo al Sacro Collegio dei Cardinali per la durata della Sede vacante. Prometto inoltre al Capitano Comandante e agli altri miei Superiori rispetto, fedeltà e ubbidienza. Lo giuro. Che Iddio e i nostri Santi Patroni mi assistano."

(English version) "I swear I will faithfully, loyally and honourably serve the Supreme Pontiff [actual Pope] and his legitimate successors, and also dedicate myself to them with all my strength, sacrificing if necessary also my life to defend them. I assume this same commitment with regard to the Sacred College of Cardinals whenever the see is vacant. Furthermore I promise to the Commanding Captain and my other superiors, respect, fidelity and obedience. This I swear! May God and our Holy Patrons assist me!"

Their unending commitment to ensure the peace and safety within the Holy See reflects their strength and love for the Church. As they describe themselves:

It is rare to see a melding together of tradition and modernity as it is realized in the Swiss Guards. Our core mission is traditional: since 1506 we protect the pope and his residence. Our mission has not changed in over 500 years. What has changed are the methods and strategies we employ to fulfill that mission, the guards that respond to this call and the environment in which we must accomplish our mission.

Clothed in the traditional renaissance uniform is actually a state-of-the-art trained Swiss security professional. Just like the Swiss mercenaries of the 16th century, he is convinced that Christ’s Church and his Vicar on Earth deserve, no demand, because of what they are to be defended  - “if called for, even by giving one’s own life for him.” These young men – then as now also share a certain appetite for adventure: living in an international environment, experiencing the camaraderie, becoming acquainted with the latest developments and practices in personal security, experiencing one’s faith more profoundly, a new language, “Bella Italia,” … In this Mediterranean climate it is not only sweet fruit that ripens but also faith, conviction, proficiency, friendship and joy of life.

Read the rest of the article here 

 Pope Francis interaction with the Guard reflects the changes that we hope will be brought to the Church. His simple act of kindness shows his dedication to purify the Church on its Pilgrim journey to be in communion with God.

Louvre Closed

The Louvre was closed today because over 100 its employees left in protest against the mass pick pocketing that has taken place in the Louvre.  The Museum has recognized the problem and due to the strike, they had to shut down the Louvre to address the problem.  In my opinion, the fact that this is a problem is quite saddening.  First, people shouldn't ever be pickpocketing and the fact that it has gotten so bad that they had to close the Museum.  It's no wonder why the pickpocketers flock to there, with 30,000 visitors a day, there is no shortage of unexpecting tourists.  These people who do this steal from people every day and do not follow the will of God.  God wants us to be truthful and respect all others.  While most of us would not steal money or expensive belongings from others, we can still relate this to our lives.  We shouldn't lie to others, cheat on tests or homework, or take anything that belongs to another.  God desires us to respect the belongings of others and live our lives to the fullness and promote man fully alive.

       http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/9411579/Pickpocketing-rife-in-UK-as-Olympics-loom.html

Ecumenism

Ecumenism is the task of working toward Christian unity. Since the beginning of the Church's ministry, divisions and disagreements have come up among Christians that threaten and seriously wound the visible unity of the pilgrim Church.We are all called to engage in ecumenism. Schisms are the greatest wounds to unity, being the most tragic. It involves entire communities of people who choose to separate themselves from Christ and his Church. In the history of the Church, there have been two main periods of schism. The Great Schism, creating the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Protestant Reformation. The Church has defined some principles for engaging in ecumenical work. First, each of us is called to greater conversion of the heart. Divisions are brought about because of sin, but the cultivation of virtue and holiness gives us unity in life and moves us toward greater Christian unity with others. Schisms are caused by misunderstandings and false interpretations. To find common ground we must spread the truth, that salvation comes through the Church.

Punishment

This week I was thinking about some of the dark things that have been going on in the world.  Then I remembered a sermon that the Pastor o my Church gave on Easter Sunday.  He talked about how Jesus died for our sins, but then went to go on to say that if a bad thing happens to you, it doesn't always mean that God has abandoned you.  God may let bad things in you life happen to test you and see how dependent you are on your faith and God.  Like in Jesus situation, he died on the cross and was testing his son, but then lots of good came out of his son's death.  Through Jesus' death, all the sins of every man and woman has and will be forgiven.  The same happens to us, but perhaps not on such a large scale.  God lets unfortunate events occur in your life, God is not always punishing you.  Sometimes it draws you closer to him and you learn life lessons from the incident.  The main thing to take away from this is that God loves you and always will, and just because he lets bad things happen to you it may not be because he wants to punish, but it may be because it may be because he wants to draw you closer to him. 

http://toscanyacademy.com/blog/education/291

Self-commitment

I just Louisville beat Wichita State in the Final Four and they kept talking about Kevin Ware who had a devastating injury.  They said that when he broke his leg that he was in immense pain and all he would say is "Just win the game."  Kevin showed extreme commitment to his team by doing this, he had a compound fracture and completely severed the bones in his leg and all he cared about was his team and the game.  We should all look to Kevin as a role model and mimic his selflessness.  In our call to holiness, selflessness and dire commitment are two things that are essential to living our faith and believing in God.  God calls us to be selfless and give things to the poor and help them to carry on.  Also, dire commitment for any cause, even a bad cause, is still good because you aren't doing it for yourself, you're doing it for your teammate or companion.  That is what God desires in all of humanity, the selflessness that compels you to fight for another and not yourself.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2013/04/01/kevin-ware-injury-joe-theismann-says-my-heart-goes-out-to-him/

Integrity

Yesterday I went to the Mecum car auction where they have some of the most amazing cars you will ever see.  The had lots of old classic cars that looked great and newer cars that went very fast.  Looking at all of the classic cars made me think back to the times when people did the right thing when they weren't being watched.  It made me think of the integrity that people exercised and should exercise and by practicing integrity, you are fulfilling you call to holiness.  You do the right thing in God's name and you do it out of the goodness of your heart.  All people should be inspired by their conscience and the goodness of their hearts to help others and do what is right.  Now every time I see a classic car, it will remind me to maintain my integrity.

http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/1958-Chevrolet-Corvette-Pictures-c431_pi35792906

Saint Simeon

Saint Simeon Stylites the Elder was a devout Christian who lived in Syria from 390 AD to 459 AD. He is well known for his fasting and his faith to God. Born in Asia Minor to a shepherd, he joined a monastery at the age of thirteen. In later years, he lived for a year and a half in a hut with no food or water at all during the Lent fasting season. Hailed as a miracle, pilgrims around the region came to greet him. In order to get away from the ever increasing number of people who frequently came to him for prayers and advice, leaving him little if any time for his private austerities, Simeon discovered a pillar which had survived amongst ruins, formed a small platform at the top, and upon this determined to live out his life. It has been stated that, as he seemed to be unable to avoid escaping the world horizontally, he may have thought it an attempt to try to escape it vertically. Over the years he changed pillars, gradually getting higher; moving from originally four meters to fifteen. In the afternoons he allowed visitors and pilgrims to talk with him, share food and writing supplies, as well as spiritual advice. Simeon became so influential that a church delegation was sent to him to demand that he descend from his pillar as a sign of submission. When, however, he showed himself willing to comply, the request was withdrawn. Once when he was ill, Theodosius sent three bishops to beg him to come down and allow himself to be attended by physicians, but Simeon preferred to leave his cure in the hands of God, and before long he recovered. After spending 37 years on his pillar, Simeon died on 2 September 459. He inspired many imitators, and, for the next century, ascetics living on pillars, "stylites", were a common sight throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. His faithfulness helped him get through the toughness of life ans is an inspiration to all who are suffering.

Call to Holiness

God calls us to holiness. Keep in mind that he does not call us to live blindly; Jesus is the light to our world and guides us on our path to communion with God.

Our conformity to Christ involves a radical love that requires a gift of self. “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). By incorporating us into Christ, the Holy Spirit also makes us members of his body, the Church. Jesus sends us into the world to spread the Good News. Christ himself was sent out to preach to the world, and was persecuted for his message. We too are to follow in his footsteps, and we too will be misunderstood. Jesus himself said, "If the world hateth you, ye know that it hath hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love its own: but because ye are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, A servant is not greater than his lord. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no excuse for their sin."

What does it mean to be a "Child of God"? It means that we must follow and answer his call to walk with him and help to teach others about him so that they too may grow in communion in themselves. We comprise the Body of Christ, and it is from god that we receive our mission and call to holiness. “But now in Christ Jesus ye that once were far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who made both one, and brake down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in the flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; that he might create in himself of the two one new man, so making peace; and might reconcile them both in one body unto God through the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: and he came and preached peace to you that were far off, and peace to them that were nigh: for through him we both have our access in one Spirit unto the Father. So then ye are no more strangers and sojourners, but ye are fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief corner stone; in whom each several building, fitly framed together, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom ye also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.

I had the privilege of attending the National Catholic Educational Association opening liturgy. I, along with my brothers and sisters from the Strake & St. Agnes Mixed Chorus, led the laity in song throughout the mass. The NCEA's mission is: "Rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) is a professional membership organization that provides leadership, direction, and service to fulfill the evangelizing, catechizing, and teaching mission of the Church." Their job is to coordinate Catholic unity throughout America. This year's meeting was important because it was the first time ever to be held in Houston. Bishops and priests from local and far-away dioceses were all represented as over forty separate states were in attendance. It was both an honor and a joy to sing for the leaders of both the Church and for all the teachers who enjoyed this wonderful event.

Gay Marriage

As you may have heard,the rights for Gay Marriage are in trial in Supreme Court.  Thousands of people have flocked to Washington D. C. to show their support for the case.  I think it is fantastic that these people are showing such dedication for a cause they believe in, but I don't agree with what they are supporting.  Marriage is supposed to be between a man and a woman, who love each other are open to life and raising a family.  In a Gay Marriage, they may be open to life, but two people of the same sex cannot produce a child.  Also, in the bible we see the first marriage in the bible with Adam and Eve, was a man and a woman who love each other and are open to and produce life.  In a Gay Marriage there are only two people of the same sex and it doesn't follow the template that God gave us with Adam and Eve.  For this reason the Catholic Church is against Gay Marriage, because it's against what God told us marriage should be and it simply isn't natural.  People supporting Gay Marriage are not following their universal call to holiness because they are rallying for a marriage that God prohibits.  The bible even condemns Gay marriage as an immortal and unnatural sin(Leviticus 18:22)  and identifies homosexual sex as an abomination (Romans 1: 26-27).   God and the Catholic Church says it's wrong and I agree, Gay Marriage us unnatural and wrong. 

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What is a Saint?

At my time at Strake, I often wonder about saints. Why are there not more people like Mother Teresa? Sure, they were good people, called to be holy and to spread God's glory. However, we speak of them as if our own actions are incomparable to their lives. In fact, every life was made to reflect God's grace on Earth. We are all called to holiness, even the heights of holiness.  Scripture even says so, "This is the will of God, your sanctification" (1 Thessalonians 4:3). The Legion of Mary explains what it means to be a saint:

The answer usually returned to this question is: one who does extraordinary penances and works miracles. Now, this is an incorrect description, for neither miracles nor great penances are essential. The man who works a miracle does not raise himself in God's eyes by it; and, while penance in some shape is necessary, still the teaching of the Saints on this difficult question is encouraging. Thus, there is another definition of what a Saint is. It is this: One who, with the object of pleasing God, does his ordinary duties extraordinarily well. Such a life may be lived out without a single wonder in it, arouse little notice, be soon forgotten, and yet be the life of one of God's dearest friends. . . . Every person that is born is called to be a Saint. Take it as most certain that you - no matter how unfitted your life may seem for holiness - are being given graces sufficient, if corresponded with, to bring you to sanctity. We have already seen that nothing beyond our strength is expected; neither is sanctity the exclusive property of any grade or manner of life. Among the Saints canonized by the Church are kings and beggars, and representatives of every trade, slaves, hermits, city people, mothers of families, invalids, soldiers, and persons of every race and color.

Our everyday lives reflect the glory of God. By accepting God into our lives we make the world a better place. "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call" (Ephesians 4:4).