Catholic Faith Space
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I recently read an article that discussed a study about religious affiliation in the United States. The number of people who are identifying as religiously unaffiliated is growing rapidly. Referred to as religious “nones,” this group includes those who describe themselves as atheists, agnostics, or “nothing.” This study, released earlier this month, revealed that around three in ten Americans fall into the religious “nones” category. Reading this reminded me of one of my favorite quotes, from St. John Paul II, which says, “It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you.” If we’re not seeking Jesus, we will be left disappointed and unsatisfied with the things of the world that we are chasing.
As a Catholic, my main goal each day is to seek Jesus in all things so that I can grow closer to Him. Of course, I often fail at prioritizing this goal in my life, but it still is my number one goal. What do people without faith seek? What are their goals in life? If the only goals I was striving to reach were ones regarding power, money, status and other worldly successes and pleasures, I feel as if I would often find myself hungry and yearning for more, for something deeper. What or who are people without faith living for? I ask this not in an attacking way but out of genuine curiosity. Not having any sort of faith would mean not having any real reasons to live in a certain way and doing whatever we want. We can fill our lives with everything we could possibly dream of and all the things we would ever want. But what happens when that is not enough? What happens when we are let down, hurt, disappointed, or experiencing changes in our lives? We will find ourselves feeling empty and searching, with no one to turn to and nowhere to go. When we seek Jesus instead, we will find that we have everything. A life with Christ does not mean that we will not be disappointed, hurt, or let down at times. However, the difference is that He will never be the one to cause these feelings. When we seek Jesus, He reveals to us that He is complete love, joy, goodness, and everything in between. He knows our hearts and is the only one that can fill the empty spaces. While more and more people are trying to find their happiness in nothing, may we all live in a way that shows that it can only be found in Jesus, who is everything.
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I have a friend who teaches at a Catholic school. This Catholic school held adoration with the main prayer intention being for the unborn. This resulted in parents becoming angry and arguing with administration whether it was appropriate to discuss the sanctity of life at a Catholic school. Hearing this was quite sad, yet, these kinds of situations occur all the time. Whether it’s people who have fallen away from the Church, people who are Catholic but only believe some teachings ,or the media, a common mindset is, “how dare a Catholic church teach Catholic beliefs?” We cannot pick and choose what we believe. We must walk boldly and confidently in the opposite direction of the world.
Sometimes, people will blatantly disagree with various teachings of the Church and act like the Church is wrong and must change and bend to meet their own personal ideas and attitudes. This often presents itself in phrases such as, “I’m Catholic, but…” or “I was raised Catholic…”. These types of phrases usually indicate misunderstandings, being misinformed, and poor catechesis. The problem is, so many barely scratch the surface when it comes to the Catholic Church. They briefly glance at the beliefs and teachings and see them as rules and requirements that must be followed, rather than as a way of life that allows us to follow God’s will for our lives, live more fully, and experience true joy. When we examine what the Church teaches and strive to see the world through a lens of faith, what we believe makes sense. There is a reason for everything that we profess. How do we help those who may be Catholic but disagree with certain beliefs? While we cannot change any minds ourselves, we can help open that door. We can strive to be that strong Catholic example in the lives of others, especially for those who may not have had anyone like that at specific or formative times in their lives. Nothing will change by being forceful or arguing angrily. It is by our love and authentic Christ-like lifestyles that will make a difference. Jesus, thank you for giving us the Church that is filled with good, true, and beautiful teachings. Help us to have the courage to go against the ways of the world. Fill us with wisdom and knowledge so that we could help others understand the truth and lead them closer to You. May we always strive to enter more deeply into the Church and move farther away from the lies of the world. Amen. Think about the moments where you have been the most at rest and filled with peace. Think about the environment that you’re in during these times. Think of the sounds that you hear, or maybe don’t hear, around you. What do you see? Bring yourself to this place right now. Maybe you’re in a chapel, in adoration, sitting in your big comfy chair at home, in the mountains, or by flowing water. Have you made time and room for these restful and peaceful places recently? Have you made time and room for Jesus? As we journey through this last half of Advent, we must be working on opening our hearts and lives to Jesus, who is peace Himself.
The world does not want you to be quiet and calm right now. According to the world’s standards, if you’re not busy, stressed, and rushing around to get ready for the “perfect” Christmas, you’re not doing it right. There are parties to attend, gifts to buy, food to prepare, and decorations to hang, all which are good things when we don’t allow them to make us lose our focus. During this remaining time of Advent, we should be emptying ourselves of our distractions, selfish desires, and anything that is taking up space meant for Christ. We must be slowing down and listening in a world that seems to be always moving faster. To really stop and listen is a spiritual exercise that requires a great deal of discipline. It will not simply happen on its own. We have to be committed and enter into those places and spaces of prayer and silence. It also takes patience- to wait, listen, and watch. Advent is a time of waiting, listening, and anticipation. By the time Christmas arrives, we should not feel burned out and ready for the holiday to be over. We should be prepared and renewed in our faith, ready to allow Jesus to come into our hearts more fully, so that we can love Him and others more deeply. We should be filled with the hope, love, joy, and peace that only He can offer. Jesus, thank you for giving us this season of preparation . Help us to seek out the quiet and peaceful places so that we can listen better and become more like You. Lead us away from the temptations to be sucked into the noise and chaos. May we use this time to prepare to welcome you into our hearts with humility and joy. Last week, I asked my 8th grade religion class where they had seen Jesus in the last week. I asked them to reflect on that question for a few minutes so that we could go around the room and share. Immediately upon asking the question, they shouted out, “What do you mean? This question doesn’t make any sense! We don’t understand!” This got me thinking about how there are so many people who see Jesus as just a man who lived and died 2,000 years ago and who died on the cross a long time ago for our sins. This mindset makes Jesus irrelevant and outdated. However, this could not be further from the truth. Christ is with us always, alive and moving in our lives and He wants to have a personal relationship with each and every one of us.
Our task is to learn to recognize that Jesus is present in the moments throughout our days. This takes faith. The stronger our faith is, the easier it becomes to be aware of His presence. He is continually loving us, speaking to us, and calling us to love and serve Him. We must continually seek Him and invite Him into our lives. To have a relationship with the God of the universe who created us and loves us changes everything. It allows us to be fully alive and to live more abundantly. It allows us to love others better and see the value and dignity of every person we encounter. We can experience Jesus every day if we open our minds and hearts to Him. Whether it’s through the people around us, inspiring words we read or hear, or a situation that we witness, He is there. We can only begin to recognize Jesus in our lives when we spend time getting to know Him more. Jesus is more than just a statue hanging in church. He is working in our lives and in our hearts, as long as we invite Him in. Jesus is always present in our lives, it’s just a matter of us recognizing Him. Jesus, thank you for your presence in our lives. Help us to see you and hear your voice in the noise of the world. Give us a desire to deepen our relationship with You so that we could become more aware of your constant love for us. Amen. |
AuthorStriving to share hope, joy, God's love, and all of the good stuff, one blog post at a time. Categories |
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