Catholic Faith Space
|
|
|
Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church. Probably her most famous quote she is known for is “if you are what you should be, you will set Italy ablaze, which is commonly altered to “be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” I think this is a good quote to reflect on every so often.
Oftentimes, I ask myself if I am being who God meant me to be. I don’t know about anyone else, but for me, this is something I often have a hard time answering. How do we actually know if we are being who God created us to be? Maybe you too have had a hard time determining if you are living as the person God meant you to be. I think the best course of action is to place ourselves before God in prayer and ask Him to reveal the gifts that He has given us to use to share Him with the world, to set it on fire. God is calling all of us to holiness, to be like His son Jesus. And as we deepen our relationship with Christ and come to better know who He is, we will hopefully be filled with a blazing fire, a fire that cannot be extinguished by anyone or anything. And once we ourselves are on fire with His love, we can go out and spread that fire, sharing our faith and love of Jesus in our daily lives. It may sound like a daunting task, but by trying our best to live our faith and being authentic disciples of Christ, it may just ignite a small spark in someone’s life, igniting their faith and starting a fire. Even if we struggle with knowing if we are being who God created us to be, we can be assured of one thing: He is calling all of us to follow Him and to be a witness to Jesus and what He has done in our lives. He wants all of the world to know Him and to be filled with His love. Let’s go set the world on fire!
0 Comments
Today’s Gospel contains one of my all-time favorite lines from scripture. John 14:6 says, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” I think these simple, yet profound words, very clearly sum up who Jesus is. Thomas questioned Jesus, asking how the disciples would know the way if they do not know where He is going. We too might sometimes be like Thomas, questioning where to go. And we must be reminded that the answer lies in Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life.
There are a million different directions we can go when it comes to how we live our lives. And it seems as if the world is trying to pull us into every single one that is contrary to Christ. Jesus doesn’t just tell us which way to go, which path to walk down on the journey, but that He Himself is the way. To follow Jesus, the way, is to adopt a whole way of living that reflects who He is. And it is through this way that we come to know the truth. Each and every single person has a hunger for the truth, whether he or she realizes it or not. Contrary to popular belief, there is such a thing as absolute truth. And it is found in Jesus Christ alone. To acknowledge Jesus as the truth is to accept all of His teachings. If we call ourselves followers of Jesus, we must not be swayed by the influence of the secular world in terms of what to believe. Apart from Christ and His Church, we cannot know truth. It is by our knowledge and understanding of truth that we will find life. It is Jesus who not only gives us life, but also gives meaning to our lives. It is in Him that we find a deep and rich life- life that is full and abundant. Our relationship with Christ is the strong foundation on which our lives should be built. Without Him, nothing we do would matter. Our lives and very existence depends on Him. There are a lot of things that we don’t know. But what really matters is that we know where Jesus goes and we know the way because of our faith. We know that He has prepared a place for us and is drawing us to Himself. Jesus tells us, “do not let your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1). Today and every day, take this message to heart, and remember in all of the uncertainties to cling to Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life. When I was going into college, I was really scared about the prospect of having a random roommate. What if I got put with someone who had totally opposite beliefs or someone who was anti-Catholic? What if I got put with someone who was an angry feminist? What if I got put with someone who was going to party every night of the week and come back to the dorm room drunk on a regular basis or someone who was going to bring a boyfriend to the room at night? I had thought of every worse-case-scenario. But with some help from my older sister and the UWGB Catholic campus minister and club advisor at the time, I got connected with another Catholic who was looking for a roommate as well. Early that summer before we started our freshman year, we were able to talk a little bit and signed up to be roommates so that we were not left to the random selection we would have otherwise faced.
During the first week on campus, there was a welcome week for freshmen with tons of events for us to attend- some required and others optional. There were student leaders on campus who were in charge of helping out and encouraging us to go to as many events as possible. After lunch one of the days, there was some sort of Sex Education event. My roommate and I did not really want to attend this event. However, we were sort of pushed into the room and told to just go in by some of the leaders standing outside the room. We agreed that we would go but that if it was weird, vulgar, inappropriate and went against our beliefs, we would leave. Within the first five minutes, we looked at each other, not even having to say a word, and we got up and left the room filled with several hundred other students. And in that moment, I knew God had put a true, faith-filled person in my life who was not only going to be a great roommate all four years, but also a great friend who I could walk with in my faith. As I reflect on my years in college and the time since then, I am filled with gratitude for the faithful, Catholic friends that God has placed in my life. Regardless of our age, we all need friends who will walk with us in our faith, friends who have the same values as us, and who will hold us accountable. The journey is not easy. But, God makes it possible in the form of good friends. He provides people in our lives to walk with us, because He knows we cannot do it on our own. We need people who will pray with us and for us. We need people who will encourage us and lift us up. We need people who will challenge us and push us along when we get a little lazy or unmotivated in our faith. We need people who will help us when we think we’re doing good, but when they know we can be doing more to grow spiritually. Whether it’s a note from a friend letting you know of prayers for you, a suggestion from a friend to read a certain spiritual book, or a text from a friend saying, “See you tomorrow? :)”, asking if you will be at early morning eucharistic adoration, there are countless ways that friends can help us on the journey. Pray for good, faith-filled, and holy friends. We truly do become like the people we surround ourselves with. And if we want to grow deeper in our faith and closer to God, being around people who want the same things will help us. God sees and hears our desires and will provide if we ask Him. Over the years, I have prayed for strong Catholic friends in my life and I have seen how God has answered these prayers in the form of placing some great friends in my life. If God has put holy and inspiring friends in your life, thank Him. And if you’re searching for more of these kinds of friends, keep praying. We all need prayers, we all need encouragement, and we all need people to keep us accountable in our faith. We are all on a lifelong pilgrimage, a spiritual journey, that can be challenging and difficult at times, but the great thing is, we don’t have to walk alone. I googled the word trust, not because I don’t know what it means, but because I was curious about the actual definition and what we are really saying when we say we trust someone. The first definition that came up, from Oxford Languages, is as follows: “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.” As the Church celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday, we were reminded of the devotion to Divine Mercy that Jesus gave to St. Faustina, and the powerful image, with the message, “Jesus, I trust in You.” These five simple words pack a powerful punch. To trust Jesus means to firmly believe that He is reliable, He is truth, He is able, and has strength. If we trust Jesus, it means we are not afraid to entrust ourselves to Him because of who He is. Do we firmly believe that He is who He says He is?
“Jesus, I trust in you” has become a favorite prayer of mine over the last several years. Throughout the day, at random moments, I find myself praying “Jesus, I trust in you.” When I’m driving over bridges or through busy traffic, before a meeting or big project at work, when I have to do something I’m worried or nervous about, or when He calls me to say “yes” to something. The five- word prayer has become a sort of natural response to whatever is going on around me, almost like a subconscious reminder of Who is in control. It is a reminder that whatever is going to happen in the next month, the next week, the next day, the next hour, or the next moment, we need to entrust ourselves to Jesus and sincerely say, “In the unknown and in whatever is next, I trust in You.” We will fail many times at trusting in Jesus. But I believe that the more we sincerely pray, “Jesus, I trust in You”, the more it will sink into our hearts and help us to surrender ourselves to Jesus and live lives fully dependent on Him. When we say, “Jesus, I trust in You,” we are telling Him that we trust He will give us what we need, rather than what we may want. When we say, “Jesus, I trust in You”, we are telling Him that we know He will always walk with us. When we say, “Jesus, I trust in You”, we are telling Him that we love Him above all else. And the greater the trust we Have in Him, the deeper peace we will experience. Jesus deeply desires for each and every single one of us to trust Him. He is inviting us to a deeper relationship with Him, by way of greater trust. It is a life-long practice that we need to continue to work on. Let the phrase, “Jesus, I trust in You” become a regular, daily prayer. These five simple words can change everything. May you pray them sincerely and experience a deep trust in Jesus! In today’s (Thursday) gospel, the disciples are with the resurrected Jesus. One line that caused me to stop and reflect as I read it is, “While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?” (Luke 24:41). Although the disciples were startled by His presence and a bit hesitant, they experienced joy and amazement that the risen Lord was standing before them. Are we too filled with joy and amazement by the resurrection of Jesus? We should be.
The resurrection of Jesus changes everything. And without it, our faith means nothing. The resurrection is what gives us hope and gives meaning to our lives. And this should be cause for us to lead lives marked by joy and a sense of amazement, not just on Easter Sunday, but as we continue throughout the Easter season and every week after. We must allow the resurrection to change and transform our lives. The disciples went forward and continued to be witnesses for Christ. And we too must be witnesses to Christ and to what He has done in our lives. Because of the resurrection, we can share the reason for our hope, joy, and faith with others. The resurrection of Jesus should change the way we live. It helps us to focus on the power and glory of God, instead of the sins, weaknesses, and problems in the world. The reality that Jesus defeated sin and death by rising from the dead should inspire in us a desire to share this good news by our words and actions. Today, and every day, may we continue to be filled with joy and amazed by Christ’s resurrection! |
AuthorStriving to share hope, joy, God's love, and all of the good stuff, one blog post at a time. Categories |
RSS Feed