"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."
Today, begins the season of Advent. In the Gospel of Mark this morning, we hear the words of Christ, Our Lord and King, "Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gate keeper to be on the watch. Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"
Those of us who received the Eucharist this morning, were called to be like Mary. We were called to receive the body of the Lord into our very selves. May we be impregnated with the love of Christ that our good works before the sight of all men might point to the love of our Lord and Kind reigning from the throne of our hearts. Like the stable in Bethlehem, our souls are humble quarters for the birth of our Lord and King. Our heart too, is crude in the same manner as the manger, yet it is the throne Emmanuel desires to rule and govern our very lives from each day. Will we answer the knock at the door to our hearts this Advent, or will we be so filled with the anxieties plaguing the world during the holiday season that, like the inn keeper, we turn away our Lord and King because we have no room in our hearts for him?
Until Advent becomes our Little Lent in which we heed the words of the voice crying out in the wilderness, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!", the Christ-Child will find no room in our hearts. For we are called to be like Jesus and in response to our Lord and King, we must echo his words, "This is my body which will be given up for you." Will we carry our crosses and die each day to ourselves this Advent, embracing our cross out of love that we might offer ourselves in a fitting sacrifice to him who is Love and Mercy himself? Will we allow Christ to descend into the hell of selfish-love in each of our hearts that he may conquer the sin and death which plagues each of us? Will we submit ourselves totally to the the gentle hands of our Creator that he might mold and makes us into a new creation, in the hope the image of God in which we were created might be restored to its proper likeness?
Let us pray:
"Father, in the wilderness of the Jordan you sent a messenger to prepare people's hearts for the coming of your Son. Help me to hear his words and repent of my sins, so that I may clearly see the way to walk, the truth to speak, and the life to live for Him, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us, sinners!
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death! Amen.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
In the Image of God
We often hear the phrase, "You might be the only Jesus they ever meet," used when talking about evangelization. Today, I offer you a more difficult phrase, "You meet Jesus in everyone you encounter. How have you responded to Him today?"
"Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’" ~Matthew 25:34-40 (NAB)
"Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’" ~Matthew 25:34-40 (NAB)
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Our Story in God's Story
Sarah Babbs who is a contributor at Virtuous Planet recently wrote a blog post entitled, Good Wins (http://VirtuousPla.net/2011/10/24/4856/). The blog post was inspired by the debut of ABC's new show, Once Upon a Time. I too watched the first episode of Once Upon a Time, and I hope to continue to watch this new series. Read her post to get a better commentary on the show itself, and to more fully understand why I chose to blog on this topic as well.
G.K. Chesterton and J.R.R. Tolkien are two Catholic, intellectual giants who both reminded us that fairy tales can be instrumental in proclaiming profound truths. Babbs shares a wonderful quote from Chesterton at the beginning of her blog. I would like to share one from Tolkien:
“We have come from God, and inevitably the myths woven by us, though they contain error, will also reflect a splintered fragment of the true light, the eternal truth that is with God. Indeed only by myth-making, only by becoming 'sub-creator' and inventing stories, can Man aspire to the state of perfection that he knew before the Fall. Our myths may be misguided, but they steer however shakily towards the true harbour, while materialistic 'progress' leads only to a yawning abyss and the Iron Crown of the power of evil.”
The fact that the stories themselves are not true events, does not limit their ability to declare truth. I am huge fan of fairy stories and their modern off-spring, fantasy. In fact, I am currently re-reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. I have found the best stories contain shadows or echoes of the greatest story being told, and our own personal stories are a part of this story (Which is one reason I love stories within stories!).
We are all a part of the greatest story ever told, the story of God's love. The Old Testament gives us the first act in which we learn about God as creator, the fall of humanity from the Life of Love, and how God works to bring the world back into the Life of Love through his covenants with Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. He calls upon Israel to be his light in the world, and the Old Testament ends with the prophets declaring God will send them the Messiah.
The Gospels introduce us to the second act of God's story of love for his creation. We encounter the mystery of the Incarnation, and in and through this profound mystery we encounter God becoming man. In the life, death and resurrection of the God-Man, Jesus Christ, God reveals the fullness of his love to us. During the Easter Vigil, we rejoice with the Church in saying, "O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us so great a Redeemer!"
The rest of the New Testament ushers us into the final act. In Christ, we are called to enter into the story of God's love. We are not just called to enter into His story, we are called to enter into the very divine life of God, the Life of Love. St. Irenaeus proclaims, "The Glory of God is man fully alive!" He echoes the words of Jesus recorded in John 10:10, "I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly." Through Christ, the Father has sent out the call, "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28)."
May God grant us the grace to respond to the Lord's call to holiness, and enter into His story and life more fully.
G.K. Chesterton and J.R.R. Tolkien are two Catholic, intellectual giants who both reminded us that fairy tales can be instrumental in proclaiming profound truths. Babbs shares a wonderful quote from Chesterton at the beginning of her blog. I would like to share one from Tolkien:
“We have come from God, and inevitably the myths woven by us, though they contain error, will also reflect a splintered fragment of the true light, the eternal truth that is with God. Indeed only by myth-making, only by becoming 'sub-creator' and inventing stories, can Man aspire to the state of perfection that he knew before the Fall. Our myths may be misguided, but they steer however shakily towards the true harbour, while materialistic 'progress' leads only to a yawning abyss and the Iron Crown of the power of evil.”
The fact that the stories themselves are not true events, does not limit their ability to declare truth. I am huge fan of fairy stories and their modern off-spring, fantasy. In fact, I am currently re-reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. I have found the best stories contain shadows or echoes of the greatest story being told, and our own personal stories are a part of this story (Which is one reason I love stories within stories!).
We are all a part of the greatest story ever told, the story of God's love. The Old Testament gives us the first act in which we learn about God as creator, the fall of humanity from the Life of Love, and how God works to bring the world back into the Life of Love through his covenants with Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. He calls upon Israel to be his light in the world, and the Old Testament ends with the prophets declaring God will send them the Messiah.
The Gospels introduce us to the second act of God's story of love for his creation. We encounter the mystery of the Incarnation, and in and through this profound mystery we encounter God becoming man. In the life, death and resurrection of the God-Man, Jesus Christ, God reveals the fullness of his love to us. During the Easter Vigil, we rejoice with the Church in saying, "O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us so great a Redeemer!"
The rest of the New Testament ushers us into the final act. In Christ, we are called to enter into the story of God's love. We are not just called to enter into His story, we are called to enter into the very divine life of God, the Life of Love. St. Irenaeus proclaims, "The Glory of God is man fully alive!" He echoes the words of Jesus recorded in John 10:10, "I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly." Through Christ, the Father has sent out the call, "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28)."
May God grant us the grace to respond to the Lord's call to holiness, and enter into His story and life more fully.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Reply to: Ecumenism and the Stone-Campbell Movement
The SCM movement was heading in the right direction when it looked back in history to find the proper authority to bring about Christian unity. The one mistake they made was attempting to make Sacred Scripture the sole authority of the Christian life. We can use Sacred Scripture to aid us in coming to an understanding of where that authority resides. When we ask, how did we receive Sacred Scripture from God? We will realize he gifted it to us through his Church. Our next question is, how do we recognize this Church? Sacred Scripture again can give us a clue, it is the Church that upholds the teachings of the Apostles.
Now, we can use history as an aid to help us in our search for the Church. If we are honest, the Catholic Church is where the deposit of faith, the teaching of the Apostle, resides in the first thousand years of Christianity. We will notice the Church in the first thousand years of Christianity is vigorously defending the teaching of the Apostles from heresy. The Acts of the Apostles shows how the Twelve held the Council of Jerusalem to decide authoritatively the issue of whether or not the Gentiles must become Jews in order to become Christians. This was the first great trial for Christian unity. If we follow the history of the Church, they always held Councils when the unity of the Church was being compromised by opposing teachings of members of the Church. In these Councils, we receive the authentic and authoritative teaching of the Church that was entrusted to it through the teaching of the Apostles.
The next great trial of Christian unity reached its climax in the division of the Latin West and the Greek East. There were and are numerous factors which contribute to this open wound in the body of Christ. Ultimately, the definitive point of division is on Petrine doctrine, the role of the Pope as Successor of Peter. Does the Successor of Peter have the final authority in issues of faith and morals? If he does not have this authority, then the Greek East is the most authentic keepers of the Apostolic faith. If he does have this authority, the Latin West under the Pope, the Bishop of Rome and Successor to Peter, is the authentic authority.
What does this mean for Protestant Christianity? Either they left the one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, or they were justly protesting a corruption of the one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Either way, the body of Christ has an even more visibly open wound. I would suggest Protestant Christians ought to prayerfully seek God's wisdom in prayer. I believe a prayerful consideration can only lead them to the Latin West, the Catholic Church in union with the Successor of Peter, or the Greek East, the Orthodox Faith.
http://the3150.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/ecumenism-and-the-stone-campbell-movement/
Now, we can use history as an aid to help us in our search for the Church. If we are honest, the Catholic Church is where the deposit of faith, the teaching of the Apostle, resides in the first thousand years of Christianity. We will notice the Church in the first thousand years of Christianity is vigorously defending the teaching of the Apostles from heresy. The Acts of the Apostles shows how the Twelve held the Council of Jerusalem to decide authoritatively the issue of whether or not the Gentiles must become Jews in order to become Christians. This was the first great trial for Christian unity. If we follow the history of the Church, they always held Councils when the unity of the Church was being compromised by opposing teachings of members of the Church. In these Councils, we receive the authentic and authoritative teaching of the Church that was entrusted to it through the teaching of the Apostles.
The next great trial of Christian unity reached its climax in the division of the Latin West and the Greek East. There were and are numerous factors which contribute to this open wound in the body of Christ. Ultimately, the definitive point of division is on Petrine doctrine, the role of the Pope as Successor of Peter. Does the Successor of Peter have the final authority in issues of faith and morals? If he does not have this authority, then the Greek East is the most authentic keepers of the Apostolic faith. If he does have this authority, the Latin West under the Pope, the Bishop of Rome and Successor to Peter, is the authentic authority.
What does this mean for Protestant Christianity? Either they left the one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, or they were justly protesting a corruption of the one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Either way, the body of Christ has an even more visibly open wound. I would suggest Protestant Christians ought to prayerfully seek God's wisdom in prayer. I believe a prayerful consideration can only lead them to the Latin West, the Catholic Church in union with the Successor of Peter, or the Greek East, the Orthodox Faith.
http://the3150.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/ecumenism-and-the-stone-campbell-movement/
Friday, October 14, 2011
An Open Letter to Women
How should a woman be treated? It grieves me that those of us who are men do not ask ourselves this question enough, nor do we properly respond to the question in thought, word and deed. First and foremost, you are a person created in love by God and for God. As men, we are not called to be your end all and be all. Your beginning and end can only be found in God. Instead, we are called to be your help in the pursuit of that which is most beautiful, most good, and most true. Each man who encounters you, must answer that call to the best of his ability. In our weakness, we will fall short, but that does not mean our struggle is in vain.
Secondly, God created you as a woman. What joy Adam experienced when he first beheld Eve! For he discovered a helpmate, another person to aid him in his love for God. In women, we as men discover the call to not only love God, but to love our neighbor as ourself. What does this love demand? Reason cannot fully answer this question. God had to reveal it to us. Love demands, as men, that we are to make of ourselves a gift to the women we encounter. As men, we are God's gift to women, but not in a manner that is egotistical or self-serving. We are called to give ourselves in the same manner Jesus Christ gave of himself for us. Our gift of self, must be a gift that is sacrificial and pure.
Thus, we are called to help you become the best person possible. We are called to help, not hinder you, in becoming the best woman possible. We must live so deeply in the love of God that we love you with God's heart, see you with God's eyes, and embrace you and hold you up with the arm's of God.
Please forgive me for failing to always live up to this standard in my encounters with you. You are worthy of such love.
Secondly, God created you as a woman. What joy Adam experienced when he first beheld Eve! For he discovered a helpmate, another person to aid him in his love for God. In women, we as men discover the call to not only love God, but to love our neighbor as ourself. What does this love demand? Reason cannot fully answer this question. God had to reveal it to us. Love demands, as men, that we are to make of ourselves a gift to the women we encounter. As men, we are God's gift to women, but not in a manner that is egotistical or self-serving. We are called to give ourselves in the same manner Jesus Christ gave of himself for us. Our gift of self, must be a gift that is sacrificial and pure.
Thus, we are called to help you become the best person possible. We are called to help, not hinder you, in becoming the best woman possible. We must live so deeply in the love of God that we love you with God's heart, see you with God's eyes, and embrace you and hold you up with the arm's of God.
Please forgive me for failing to always live up to this standard in my encounters with you. You are worthy of such love.
Sunday, October 02, 2011
Hebrews 12:1
Hebrews 12:1 is a verse near to my heart. I first memorized it one summer when I attended Camp Joy. As a convert to Catholicism, I have been able to encounter a fuller meaning of the truth contained within it. St. Paul calls to mind the transcendent nature of the Church. Not only is God with us always, He is accompanied by the angels and saints in heaven, who witness the lives of the those of us running the race set before us. They witness our triumphs and defeats, both public and private. With this in mind, we are called to unburden ourselves of everything that hinders us from pursuing God. Through the aid of the Holy Spirit, may we be purged of those things in ourselves contrary to the love of God and neighbor, becoming more like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who desires that through Him, we may know the Father.
Holy Mother of God, pray for us!
St. Paul, pray for us!
Angels of the Lord, pray for us!
Saints of the Heaven, pray for us!
Holy Mother of God, pray for us!
St. Paul, pray for us!
Angels of the Lord, pray for us!
Saints of the Heaven, pray for us!
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