Come to Jesus. Only Jesus Saves!

Some people think it's hard to pray at all.  Others think it's complicated.  A papal homily demonstrates that prayer can be easy and simple.

John Thavis, blogger, posted a story told by Pope Francis. This story revolves around the holy name of Jesus.  Here is the story:

"A humble man works in the curia of Buenos Aires. He has worked there for 30 years, he is the father of eight children. Before he goes out, before going out to do the things that he must do, he always says, 'Jesus!' And I once asked him, 'Why do you always say' Jesus '?' 'When I say' Jesus '- this humble man told me - I feel strong, I feel I can work, and I know that He is with me, that He keeps me safe.'”

The pope continued: “This man never studied theology, he only has the grace of baptism and the power of the Spirit. And this testimony did me a lot of good too, because it reminds us that in this world that offers us so many saviors, it is only the name of Jesus that saves.”

Pope Francis went on to say that “in order to solve their problems many people resort to fortune tellers and tarot cards. But only Jesus saves and we must bear witness to this! He is the only one.”

John Thavis commented:

I hope someone is transcribing these sermons. They are always linked to the readings of the day, and seemed designed to provide food for thought at a very accessible level. Frequently, they underline how pastors can learn from people who have never had formal theological training.

Thanks to Msgr. Pope for video reference here.

Are All Things Good?

... all things work together unto good...

~ St. Paul in Romans 8: 28

Evil exists, or so it seems.  

Two terrorists recently perpetrated the horrific bombing that killed and maimed so many innocent people at the Boston Marathon.  A young mother gave birth to a baby boy, who became oxygen deprived and needed emergency care in a neonatal intensive care facility.   

How can one look at such bad things in the light of St. Paul's words?

St. Paul's words give me hope.  What appears to me as evil is truly evil.  Yet evil does not and will not have the last word.  No.  God, the omniscient one, sees a way to vanquish evil.  God, the almighty one, works his will.  Ultimately God fits the puzzle pieces of life into a whole that is good.

So, are all things good?  Not yet.  In the meantime, I wait in hope for the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God, a time when God's will will reign.

Thy Kingdom come,

Thy Will be done.

Amen.

The Story of the Ugandan Martyrs

Today is the memorial of St. Charles Llwanga and his companions.  I am reposting what I wrote about them two years ago.

Illustration of Saint Tarcisius, Martyr

To be a martyr is to witness for one's faith to the point of death.  In Catholic circles martyrdom is a sure sign of sanctity.  In the early centuries of Christianity, when the Roman Empire ruled the world, many Christians suffered martyrdom rather than to worship the Emperor.

The notion of martyrdom first captured my imagination when, as a child, I read the story of Saint Tarcisius in a Catholic school reading textbook.  Here was a young boy who loved Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament so much he preferred death rather than to allow the sacred mystery to be desecrated.  The drawing of his mangled body in the arms of the soldier who rescued him touched my heart.

Many Christians throughout the centuries, even until now, continue to die for the faith.  Today at Mass we remembered Saint Charles Lwanga and his companions who were martyred in Uganda in the late 19th century.  I had known very little about them.  Here is the tiny summary that appears in The Liturgy of the Hours for today:

Owing to religious hatred, many faithful Christians were killed in Uganda by King Mwanga during the years 1885 to 1887.  Some of them had enjoyed the good graces of the king at his court, and some were even related to him.  Among them, Charles Lwanga and his twenty-one companions, adhering steadfastly to the Catholic faith, were put to death, some by sword, others by burning, because they would not accede to the king's unreasonable demands.

St. Charles Lwanga and Companions

I've always been interested in knowing more about these 22 companions in martyrdom.  Fr. James Martin posted a riveting story of the events that lead to the deaths of these martyrs.  I trust you will find it as amazing as I did.  
Read the article here:  The Story of the Ugandan Martyrs

Receiving Jesus in Holy Communion

As a Catholic I believe what the Church teaches about the Holy Eucharist; that is, when consecrated by the priest at Mass, ordinary bread and wine are changed, through the use of the words that Christ spoke at the Last Supper and by the power of the Holy Spirit, into the body and blood, soul and divinity, of Jesus.  Catholics who understand this great and miraculous sacramental mystery revere and worship the Lord in his Real Presence.

When a Catholic participates at Mass, the Church encourages those who are well-disposed to receive Holy Communion.  Only those who are Catholic, in the state of grace, and have observed the required fast may receive Communion.    It is also expected that the recipient will approach the sacrament prayerfully and show signs of respect in posture and dress.

The following video shows the right protocol for receiving Holy Communion.  If you are Catholic, I would encourage you to watch this short video, which is presented with both seriousness and humor.

Notice, Catholics do not "take" Holy Communion, but "receive" it, as the priest, Fr. Dave Dwyer, points out.

After receiving Holy Communion and saying "Amen," the communicant returns to his or her seat.  This is a time to pray.  Often, one prays by joining in singing the Communion hymn. Singing, I've heard, is like praying twice.  The hymn is usually Eucharistic in nature so there is food for thought.

Sometimes, after the hymn, the celebrant allows for a period of silent contemplation. When this happens I like to adore God with simple phrases, like, "I adore you, oh Christ, and I praise you, because of your goodness."  Following that I like to thank God with words such as, "Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to me in this holy sacrament."  When time permits I may pray for myself or for someone else or for a special intention.

The video is from Busted Halo, a website that has many features about Catholic spirituality.

Have You Met Saint Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi?

"Come and love Love!"

Saint Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi urged her fellow Carmelite Nuns with the above acclamation, and her words continue to inspire Carmelites even now.  She is the patron saint of Lay Carmelites of the Ancient Observance.

Today we celebrate the feast day of this little known saint of Florence, Italy (1566-1607).  She was a mystic with great devotion to our Lord in the Eucharist.  Daily she experienced raptures and ecstasies when she received Holy Communion.  (Her particular monastery permitted such frequent reception of communion, which was unusual at that time in history.)  In addition she had many other spiritual gifts, like cardiognosis, the ability to read hearts; wisdom, and common sense.  She was also gifted artistically and used her artistry to express her spiritual insights through drama, painting and embroidery.

The central theme in her spirituality (although not thought out in a fully systematic fashion) is love; we are created by God with love and by love, and such is the means by which we must turn to him; love is the measure of how far the soul has returned to God. The principal function of love is to unite the soul to God. The spiritual life is like a circle, inspired by love, which in God has both its point of departure and its moment of arrival.  Source:  Order of Carmelites Website

Most of us Carmelites don't have the degree of mystical gifts that Saint Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi had, but with our whole hearts we want to "love Love!"

This You Tube video tells more about this admirable saint from the viewpoint of a Jesuit priest.

Do Good. Avoid Evil. UPDATE

Sometimes I post the following words, or some version of them, on my Facebook status.

Its a beautiful day for doing good and avoiding evil!  

Let's do it!

Today's Gospel was short and to the point: Mark 9: 38-40, the Gospel account of Christ’s disciples trying to stop a man from outside their group from doing good.

Pope Francis gave a good homily about it.  The Vatican radio website has a report on what the Holy Father said.  Here are some highlights that resonated with me.

• ... “the Lord has created us in His image and likeness, and has given us this commandment in the depths of our heart: do good and do not do evil”
• ... "we all have a duty to do good. And this commandment for everyone to do good ... is a beautiful path towards peace."
• ... "this ‘closing off’ that imagines that those outside ... cannot do good is a wall that leads to war and also to what some people throughout history have conceived of: killing in the name of God. That we can kill in the name of God. And that, simply, is blasphemy. To say that you can kill in the name of God is blasphemy.”

Our good fortune of being Catholic is not an excuse for arrogance toward others who believe differently.  Let's work together for the good.

UPDATE

I understood Pope Francis' homily in the light of my understanding of the teachings of the Catholic faith.  However, the Holy Father's words from his homily were taken out of context.  Some publications interpreted his words as meaning "good atheists" will go to heaven.

Catholic teaching says Christ redeemed everyone, but that does not mean that everyone will be saved.  I read an excellent explanation of Church teaching on this subject by Brandon Vogt at a new website, here.  This quotation summarizes Catholic teaching:

Catholics believe Jesus Christ died for every human being without exception. This redemption has nothing to do with our goodness, and everything to do with God's overwhelming generosity. Redemption is universal, salvation is not. Redemption is a proposal we must accept and salvation is the result.

Sister Lucia, Fatima Visionary, and the Call to Faith

Early photo of Sister Lucia

While I was at Mass yesterday morning, I noticed a meditation written by Sister Lucia Santos, the Carmelite nun who was the eldest of the three children who saw Our Lady of Fatima in 1917.  

It is a meditation about faith, which appears in the May 2013 issue of Magnificat.  Here are her words, highlighted in blue, followed by my thoughts.

The first call which God addresses to us through his messenger is ... a call to faith:  My God, I believe. 

Our faith journey begins when we can profess our faith in God's existence.  It is my impression that fewer and fewer people are willing to take this initial step.  I feel sad about this lack of faith in God and pray daily that everyone will come to know and believe in God.

Faith is the basis of the entire spiritual life.  It is by faith that we believe in the existence of God, in his power, his wisdom, his mercy, his work of redemption, his pardon and his fatherly love. 

Faith as a theological virtue is infused in those baptized "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Most Catholics want their children baptized as soon as possible.  I was baptized within three weeks of my birth.  My daughter was baptized the day after she was born.  Some Christians think that baptism in infancy is too early, because the child is unaware or doesn't understand.    While this may or may not be true, I have faith that God can communicate with anyone at their level of understanding.  God communicates, through grace, his very presence in all the baptized.

It is by faith that we believe in God's Church, founded by Jesus Christ, and in the doctrine the Church transmits to us and by which we shall be saved. 

Some people are able and willing to profess belief in God, but not in God's Church.  Some do believe in the Church but not in all that the Church professes and teaches.  Why?  What blocks them?  Probably there's no single answer.  

It is the light of faith that guides our steps, leading us by the narrow way that leads to heaven. It is by faith that we see Christ in others, loving, serving, and helping them when they are in need of our assistance. 

I like to think of faith as a light, a light that illuminates the darkness and helps us see the truth.  There is an expression, "the eyes of faith."  There was a time in my own faith journey when it was difficult for me to "see" Christ in others.  It didn't stop me from loving, serving or helping them, though.  People like Blessed Mother Teresa have been a good, saintly example to those of us who are blind to Christ's presence in others.

And it is also our faith that assures us that God is present within us, that his eyes are always upon us. They are eyes of Light, almighty and immense, which extends everywhere, sees everything, and penetrates all things with the unique clarity proper to the Divine Son alone, as compared with which the sun, which we see and which warms us, is no more than a pale reflection, a fragile spark emanating from the Light of the immense being which is God.  

When you're up and about, do you sense God's eyes looking at you and noticing you?  There was a time when I was constantly aware of this.  Although my belief in God hasn't waned, I don't have the awareness as constantly as I once did.

Faith generates confidence and is a comfort, especially when there's such an assault on faith from secular and diabolical forces.  Sister Lucia's sun analogy is very apt.  The physical sun, a tiny piece of creation, yet so luminous, is a mere speck compared with the power of the Creator of all. This puts reality in perspective.

These few lines penned by Sister Lucia inspire my own faith and motivate me to read more of what she has to say.

Although I found Sisters words in Magnificat, they are an excerpt from the book "Calls" from the Message of Fatima.   It sounds like a good book for spiritual reading.  Although out of print, used copies are available.