CCD

 This year I was supposed to be a Catechist teacher for James' CCD class (he requested I teach his this year since I taught sissy's last year). Unfortunately the spot was already filled (James was sad, but he has some awesome teachers!) so I stuck with teaching Madeline's grade. Last year I taught the 2nd/3rd grade First Communion students...this year I am teaching 3rd and 4th grades. Fortunately we've been told that enrollment in religious studies at our parish has gone up! In the past many families pull their kids out of religious ed after they've received their Sacraments like Reconciliation and First Communion, I guess to them it's too much of a chore to bring their kids every week. But learning about our Faith should be a lifelong schooling! That's how I feel anyway.So James and Madeline will continue to attend all the way through receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation in high school until they are adults. Hopefully then they will decide for themselves to volunteer for different ministries, go to bible studies, etc.

Yesterday my students and I studied the chapter on "Christ Will Come Again", focusing on His ressurection, His second coming/final judgement and what we can do to "stay awake" in our Faith and lives for His second coming. I love this age group, because they are such in-depth thinkers. We talked a lot about this verse:

34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

It was great to hear all of their responses, thoughts and questions. Afterwards we made this poster to hang up in our classroom, they all helped color it. It reads:

Jesus Will Come Again
Name some ways you can “stay awake” for the second coming.

 Eyes open to serve God 
Being aware of our words & actions 
Participate in the Sacraments 
Listen to God’s Word

Lastly what was most awesome was that all of them understood these ways were not ways for us to earn our own way into Heaven, but proof of our Faith in Him and our responding to sanctifying grace! Some adults struggle with that concept, so I was proud my students "got it".

P.S. Had to share this cute conversation between Madeline and I as we walked from our car to CCD class. When we parked we saw that our priest, Father Kirby, had just pulled into the parking lot too. So when we walked by Madeline waved. :) As we kept walking she asked, "Mommy, what are those women called in our Church who are married to God?" "They are called nuns my dear, and we call them Sister So-in-so." I love that Madeline understands that priests and nuns devote themselves entirely to God and doing His work.

Journey Home: Interview with former Atheist

This is a great interview and worth listening to if you have some free time. I love Jennifer Fulwiler over at Conversion Diary, she is so well-spoken and a creative writer. Her conversion story is inspiring! And with all the hype in the media about Chick-fil-A and their stance on marriage, Jennifer wrote a blog post a couple of weeks ago that really ties into this topic when she went out to dinner with her gay friend and his partner. I truly agree with everything she said to her friend, and admire the loving and compassionate way she expressed it to her friend. You can read the post here, "A conversation with my gay friend".

Dear Friend's Wedding

 Yesterday our friends got married in the Church and we were honored to be a part of their celebration. We've known Melisa (she spells her name with one "s" and mine is with two) and Victor for 2 years now. Our daughters met in cheer-leading and have become best of friends. It's funny how things change as you get older. When you are a kid you make friends with your neighbors and schoolmates, after school you make friends with people you meet at work, and after you have kids you meet friends through the friends they make. :) Melisa and Victor asked us to stand in with them and be their witnesses as they received the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. Their family entered the Catholic Church this past Easter receiving the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion. We were happy to see them make this step and receive this grace giving Sacrament.

 

Ashleigh was so happy to see her parents get married. She sat and stood next to me during the ceremony and one time she said to me, "I can tell my mom and dad are crying." :)

 

Victor and Melisa wed at the Catholic parish in Kyle, St. Anthony. We are parishoners at Santa Cruz in Buda, the two are about 10 miles a part. Sometime we do attend Mass at St. Anthony's as well, it's a beautiful parish. So we were happy to meet and get to know their priest and deacon.

 Madeline took this photo. :)

 

The kids did great at the ceremony when Stephen and I had to stand up by the alter or do the readings. But of course the silliness started as soon as the ceremony was done.

 

My handsome hubby and beautiful daughter.

 Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Medina!

 The kids looked so cute, I love seeing them dressed up!

After their ceremony was a reception at their home. Many family pitched in to help make it so special and I loved all the details. We had a great evening getting to know their extended family. Lots of laughter and yummy food!

His Amazing Grace

1945 U.S. Marines receive Communion from a Marine chaplain on Iwo Jima. 

On War: Joe Rosenthal and Iwo Jima, War pics

My friend shared this photo on her Facebook yesterday saying it was so beautiful, and I have to agree. As a Catholic sometimes I feel it's difficult to explain the indescribable love I receive from Communion, the Eucharist, to a non-Catholic. The Church teaches that Christ is truly present; His real body, blood, soul and divinity in the bread and wine offered daily at Mass. It's not just a symbol. The Early Church Fathers and Early Christians believed this, and this teaching has remained through today. Christ desires to be One with us, and through receiving Him in Communion we do become One.
A mystery of Faith...so thankful for His Amazing Grace.

 In Holy Communion we live the words of Jesus who said, "Abide in Me and I in you." (John 15:4) With Jesus abiding in us we have the strength to do good and avoid evil, and to help others to do the same. The Eucharist is to the Church what our heart is to our body. The Eucharist keeps the Church alive. The Eucharist is the heart of the Mystical Body of Christ.

Those persons baptized into the mystical Body of Christ can receive Communion daily, it is offered in every Catholic Church around the world, every day. Priests can also bring the Eucharist to those in need, those suffering, those nearing death. I bet these Marines in this photo were SO thankful to receive Christ at a time of utter chaos, despair and terror. I know the grace they received brought them comfort and strength.

Here are some beautiful quotes about the Eucharist...

"In a world where there is so much noise, so much bewilderment, there is a need for silent adoration of Jesus concealed in the Host. Be assiduous in the prayer of adoration and teach it to the faithful. It is a source of comfort and light, particularly to those who are suffering." Pope Benedict XVI 

 "What does the poor man do at the rich man’s door, the sick man in the presence of his physician, the thirsty man at a limpid stream? What they do, I do before the Eucharistic God. I pray. I adore. I love." St. Francis of Assisi 

"Unless we believe and see Jesus in the appearance of bread on the altar, we will not be able to see him in the distressing disguise of the poor." Mother Teresa 

"The Blessed Eucharist is the perfect Sacrament of the Lord’s Passion, since It contains Christ Himself and his Passion." St. Thomas Aquinas 

 "When we go before the Blessed Sacrament, let us open our heart; our good God will open His. We shall go to Him; He will come to us; the one to ask, the other to receive. It will be like a breath from one to the other." St. John Vianney 

 "Christ has no body now but mine. He prays in me, works in me, looks through my eyes, speaks through my words, works through my hands, walks with my feet and loves with my heart." St. Teresa of Avila 

 "If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion." St. Maximilian Kolbe 

"With all the strength of my soul I urge you young people to approach the Communion table as often as you can. Feed on this bread of angels whence you will draw all the energy you need to fight inner battles. Because true happiness, dear friends, does not consist in the pleasures of the world or in earthly things, but in peace of conscience, which we have only if we are pure in heart and mind." Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati

One Baptism

It's been awhile since I've written a post on my Catholic Faith. I was reading the blog from Bible Gateway yesterday and I had one of those "ah ha" moments. So I thought I would share.

I've gotten into several discussions with other Christians (non-Catholic) about Baptism and infant Baptism. We baptized both of our children when they were babies. We believe that baptism is the foundational Sacrament of the Christian life. “No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.” Christ makes it clear that baptism is a necessary part of our salvation. Here are some biblical references that support the Church's teachings on baptism:

"It is through the sacrament of Baptism that we become Christians, "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body" (1 Corinthians 12:13). Baptism also takes away sin: "Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins" (Acts 22:16). Baptism and Confirmation are the sacramental elements of being born again, and the normal means by which we receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells us in John 3:5, "Unless one is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God." And in Acts 2:38-39, Peter says, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Him."

All of the words I put in bold are why we chose to baptize Madeline and James as infants. I love knowing that they have received the gift of the Holy Spirit so early on in their Christian lives.

"The Holy Spirit is the dispenser of grace. At Baptism there is an infusion of grace. If the grace a baby receives at Baptism is nourished (in a Christian atmosphere) it grows; if not, it dies. The saving grace of God enables us to hear and accept the Gospel, not only as adults but also as children hearing it for the first time. That babies can benefit spiritually is clearly indicated in Luke 18:15-16: "Now they were bringing even infants to Him that He might touch them. And when the disciples saw it they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to Him saying, 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.'" Mark finishes the story in his account, "And He took them in His arms and blessed them, laying His hands upon them" (Mark 10:16)."

I know that many non-Catholic Christians view our Church's teachings on this subject as crazy talk. They maybe feel that nothing occurs when being baptized except for an outward expression and symbolism of an inward faith. I will have to disagree, there is an infusion of grace that takes place. It's a mystery of faith, but it happens! So my "ah ha" moment was when I was reading the Bible Gateway blog post on the Nicene creed. There is a line in the creed:

"We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins."

There it is, acknowledgement that even the early Christians (325 A.D.) believed in the same teachings as the Church on baptism. Not sure why I haven't had this "ah ha" moment before as I recite this creed aloud every time I go to Mass. I've read text from Early Church Fathers that support the Church's teachings on baptism...but many non-Catholic Christians do not look to the ECF's writings. This creed however is one of the most important and influential creeds in all of Christian history.

I am so thankful for God's saving grace.

*references from staycatholic.com

Madeline's First Holy Communion

This past Saturday Madeline received her First Holy Communion, and it was a beautiful celebration! Both of Madeline's grandparents and her Godfather flew in for the special occasion. 

Along with Madeline, all of my other students from this year also made their First Holy Communion. 

Don't they all look so pretty and handsome!?

We had many family and friends attend, which made it that much more special for Madeline. Here she is with our Oom Folly (my mom's brother) and Tante Patty. They drove out from Houston with Tante Xenia and Oom George (pictured below). So happy they all made it out!

My friend from high school, Erica, who just moved out here to Austin from CA came with her family. Along with several of our neighbors and friends from around town (unfortunately I didn't get pics of everyone). We appreciate them all making it out!

And here's our baby girl, back home after Mass at Church.

I told everyone to bring their kids swimsuits. So they could jump on the trampoline and run through the sprinklers in our backyard. Here are Madeline and Sara. 

It was a fun after party with yummy food and good company!

Thanks to all who came and who sent something special to Madeline for this wonderful celebration. She truly felt all of your love and prayers!

Burst into tears...

This morning I took Madeline to Church because she needed to go to Confession. It is instructed that all First Communicants go to Confession before receiving their First Holy Communion - Madeline receives that in 6 days. When you go to Confession, Christ works through the priest to forgive you of your sins and you receive amazing grace from the Holy Spirit. Your soul is also cleansed which is the best state to be in before consuming Christ for the first time. This was her second time making the Sacrament of Reconciliation. She knew exactly what she wanted to confess, and did just fine talking with Father Kirby. 

At the workshop I brought Madeline to a few weeks ago, Father Charlie encouraged the parents to go to Confession too before their child makes their First Communion. So I did, because I needed too - it has been way too long since the last time I went to Confession. And so I said to Father Kirby...

"Bless me Father for I have sinned, it has been a really long time since my last confession..."

And then I burst into tears. I couldn't hold my emotions back. Thankfully Father Kirby had such calming, comforting and peaceful words to say to me. I felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow because I was a sinner, an overwhelming sense of gratitude because I felt the Holy Spirit pour His graces upon me, and an overwhelming sense of joy because I knew my Savior is the reason my sins are forgiven. I also felt a weight lifted off of my shoulders as I was able to confess sins that have been weighing heavy on my mind and heart. I truly believe that is why Christ instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation for us.

In John 20:21-23, we find Jesus saying the following to his apostles: "'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.' And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.'"

The Apostles handed down this authority to their successors, so everyone could receive this Sacrament, this gift, through the ages. It is easy to understand why someone might not want to go to Confession. While we don't mind admitting that we are not perfect, we often have a problem admitting to specific faults. Admitting them to our priest is even less desirable. But we need not fear, for he is also a sinner. Let us remember also, that God is there to help us. As the scripture says, He gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5). We seem to have a natural need to confess. Quite often we will discuss our misdeeds with a friend. Why not discuss them with a priest, as Jesus commanded, and receive forgiveness as well as consolation?

Busy Saturday

This Saturday marked the day for James' last soccer match of the season. SMAYSO put on a big tournament that day, had bounce houses at the soccer field and face painting. So it was a fun way for the kids to end the season. We brought along James' best buddy, Aaron, so he could see James play and join in on the fun festivities too. 

The kids all got medals from the league after their last game that day. One of the other parents bought them all plastic trophies, and I personalized them with their names. Here they are with their coach (a Texas State University student) and James is 2 over from the coach. The coach was about 6'6", so he looked like a giant to the kids.

This was James' last goal he made, too fast for my camera. The ball is already in the net and James' is standing next to the goal post posing for me to take a pic, and I think he was also debating and thinking about doing his celebratory booty shaking dance. LOL

As the volunteer team Mom, I got the kids these soccer cupcakes from Sam's Club and brought them pizza. I enjoyed being the team Mom which consisted of putting together a snack schedule and sending out email and reminders to parents. Many of the parents expressed their appreciation to me. I was glad to do it and give of my time. It was great getting to know all of these families. We had a fun season. And I think we'll be signing James up again, Madeline too next time.

After the soccer tournament one of Madeline's best friends, Ashleigh, was making her First Holy Communion. So we headed to Mass to see her receive this most special and holy Sacrament. She looked so beautiful in her dress and veil.

Here are all the Communicants from that evening. Every child looked so nice. It really was a special evening.  Madeline will make her First Communion in less than 2 weeks!

And here is Ashleigh with her parents, Victor and Melisa. The Medina family has really become great friends of ours and we were happy we could be there that evening to celebrate with them!

All evil needs is for good people to do nothing...

Today on Facebook the Catholic Church page made a post that really struck a chord with me. 

The post said,

We are all sinners right? Of course, thus why we need Christ our Savior. But as believers in Christ, as Christians, we are called and commanded to try to live and follow a path of goodness. We will all fail at times. But we should all have genuine concern for our family and friends when we see that their thinking and acting is contrary to the Truth. We should be moved by love to warn them and shouldn't back down because of human regard or purely personal convenience or adapt to the prevailing mentality.

How many of you have felt appalled by something a family or friend did, said or posted about? I'm sure most of us have experienced this, I know I have on several occasions. Most of us will probably not say anything, just ignore what was said or done...but as Christians is that really showing our love and mercy like God has called us to? Are we letting evil invade our lives because we don't want to feel awkward? 

I think the Pope said it best when he told us we should never be moved by a spirit of accusation or recrimination, we should always be moved by love and mercy. And our warnings should spring from a genuine concern for the good of the other. Granted it's not guaranteed your warnings will be received well even if done out of love and concern (this has happened to me, but I have no regrets because I know I gave warning out of love and genuine concern). No one wants to hear they are not doing the right thing. They may get upset at you. Don't back down, your loving efforts may help a soul get back on the path to goodness and truth! 

Lent: Bargaining time with God?

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday and our Ohana went to Mass as you can see above. I just loved the homily Father Matthew gave, so I wanted to post and share about it.

Father Matthew talked about how he perceived Lent as a kid which is also how some misinformed Catholics and non-Catholics may perceive it. He said when he was younger he thought Lent was a time that called us to bargain with God, to do good self-righteous deeds to get on God's good list. He also thought that the more pain and suffering (for example like kneeling on rocks for hours) your acts brought the better. Then as he got older and studied the Scriptures he realized his view of Lent was completely wrong. First and most important, there is never enough good self-righteous deeds we could do to earn Salvation from God because we are sinners and we will all continue to sin. Amen Father Matthew. Only His perfect and holy Son could, and He died for our sins. By Grace Alone are we saved. So why the reason for Lent? Why the ashes? Why the fasting? Why do Catholic, Episcopal, Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran Christians observe Lent?

In Old Testament times people used ashes as a sign of repentance. They did this as an outward sign of their inward posture of repentance. Check out Daniel 9:3-6, for an example "So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes...". Ash Wednesday begins Lent, a time when we stop and assess how we’re doing in our walk with God. We should try to assess our walk daily throughout the year. Once Lent is over we strive to continue with our repentance. Lent helps us identify spiritual areas in which we can grow and sinful areas that we need to avoid. To repent, put simply, means to turn away from sin and turn toward God. We use ashes as an outward expression of our need to begin again.

Lent is not one of those things we have to do its something we want to do. Father Matthew said last night we should embrace our sufferings with enthusiasm as they bring us closer to God. It's like an athlete training for a goal, they may suffer through all their practicing but the results bring them to their goal. What I am giving up, or fasting from, are behaviors or attitudes that keep me from getting as close to God as He wants me to be. They're different for everyone and it's meant to be a time of renewal, and making new and better habits that won't just be for Lent but for throughout the whole year.

I want to share my post about my fasting during Lent last year...
"46 days if you count Sundays...


...which I did this Lent when I fasted from all beverages except for water. I thought I'd write a blog post of what I learned from this fast. "Fasting brings us to the realization that we depend on God to sustain us through all things, and that even when our own will fails, God's grace is sufficient in satisfying our hunger." I find much truth to this quote. It wasn't easy for me to only drink water, especially in the beginning of this fast. But when I thought I didn't have the will power, when my stomach turned from drinking water in the early mornings, I focused my attention on my dependence to God and fostering gratitude. I know that many people fast to "get something out of it" (like growing closer to God), but I learned that actually I should focus on what I need to respond to: awareness of sin, repentance, and bringing my body in line with what was happening spiritually. In responding, I did get something out of it. God is awesome.


"When I fast and I share in that fast with others for others, it is in that moment of giving up that I feel equal with all, especially the least among us." I could relate to this quote during my fast as well. I mean think about it - do you think the homeless and the poor are distracted in their thoughts of the planning and prepping of food? or the sensory pleasure of food? Instead of these distractions I bet more of their thoughts lead to praying and talking to God.


Jesus taught His disciples that prayer and fasting is powerful in casting out demons when He said, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting." Mark 9:29.


I'm glad I did this fast this Lent. I learned a lot, I prayed a lot and I listened a lot. And I recommend doing a physical fast to bring your body in line with what is happening spiritually."

was dead, and is alive again

It's been awhile since I've done a post about my Catholic Faith. I've been thinking about some things I've been wanting to post about. So since my hubby is napping on the couch next to me, I have some quiet time to write my thoughts down.

I had an embarrassing and somewhat sad thing happen to me recently about my Catholic Faith. I was having a conversation with a loved one. This person seemed to have forgot that I was a Catholic Christian. But we were deep in conversation when this person was telling me of someone in their life who was returning back to their Catholic roots. As the conversation unfolded, I quietly listened as that is what I felt this loved one needed...someone to listen to them. But then the conversation went where I wasn't expecting - some Catholic bashing in a belittling sort of tone. How embarrassed I felt for this loved one. And saddened. And shocked. I stayed silent and listened. It wasn't like I hadn't heard any of this before..."Catholics aren't really even Christians. They don't even read from the right Bible! They worship Mary and Saints and Statues." I was saddened because I knew this person probably learned these false, ignorant accusations and misunderstandings from their church or pastor. This person attends a non-denominational church. I've heard from many Protestants whom have shared that Catholic bashing comes up in their pastor's sermons. So. Incredibly. Sad. Never once in my entire life have I heard a priest ever bash any Protestants. In fact numerous times, too many to recall, do our priests ask all the parishioners to pray for the well being of others with different beliefs than ours. The conversation with this person went on to other topics. I felt like it wasn't the time or place to correct this loved one. I wonder if this person ever realized after the conversation that they said all they did to a Catholic? The ironic thing about it all is that this person has come to me in the past with their troubles and has said to me they felt like my Faith with God was strong and that I could help spiritually lift them up. I've been keeping this person in my prayers and asking God for His grace to help me in approaching this person in the future about all that was said.

Another topic about my Catholic Faith that I've been wanting to post about is how I am teaching and helping prepare Madeline and my other CCD students for their First Reconciliation, also known as their First Confession. It is at their age that the Church believes they are old enough to understand their sins and the importance of repenting. Today I took Madeline to a Reconciliation workshop at our parish. It's final preparations given to the students and their parents before they make their First Confession next week. 

I always like to show the Scriptural basis for the Church's Holy Sacraments. This being one of them, here are some scriptures that show how Jesus gave authority to His Apostles and their successors to hear our confessions and forgive us of our sins.

John 20:21 - before He grants them the authority to forgive sins, Jesus says to the apostles, "as the Father sent me, so I send you." As Christ was sent by the Father to forgive sins, so Christ sends the apostles and their successors forgive sins.

John 20:22 - the Lord "breathes" on the apostles, and then gives them the power to forgive and retain sins. The only other moment in Scripture where God breathes on man is in Gen. 2:7, when the Lord "breathes" divine life into man. When this happens, a significant transformation takes place.

John 20:23 - Jesus says, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained." In order for the apostles to exercise this gift of forgiving sins, the penitents must orally confess their sins to them because the apostles are not mind readers. The text makes this very clear.

Non-Catholics might view these passages to contend that Jesus was simply speaking about believers forgiving those who have wronged them. The Catholic Church teaches such a view is impossible. If we look closer to understand Jesus' statement "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." It raises the question, in what manner was Jesus sent to forgive? Mark 2:5-12 gives us the answer. Jesus said, "But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins..". So when Jesus said to His Apostles, "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." He was giving them authority here on earth. That authority, that gift, lives on through the Apostles successors. The second reason that John 20:21-23 does not refer to believers forgiving others who have wronged them, is that we are not given the option of retaining anyone's sins. In fact, our own forgiveness is dependent on our forgiving others. Jesus tells us this very thing in Matthew 6:14-15: "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Today at the workshop it was really stressed that when we confess to the priest, we aren't confessing and asking a man for forgiveness, it is God. The presence of Christ is working through the priest, "in persona Christi".

We also studied the parable of the Prodigal Son (Gospel of Luke (Luke 15:11-32) today as it is a great example to show us that we are all like the lost son, dead in our sins, but that our Father will always welcome us home, that He is "rich in mercy" and always ready to forgive. I had a lightbulb moment today that I think the famous painter Rembrandt had about this parable too. Even though the story is about the Lost Son...it's really more about our loving and merciful God, our Heavenly Father. One of Rembrandt's famous masterpieces is of the Return of the Prodigal Son, pictured above (bottom). In Rembrandt's earlier sketches of this piece (above top) he wants to show us the son's face of despair, and how desperately poor he looks. But in his final painting of this piece Rembrandt wants to depict what this parable is really about...a Father who is full of compassionate love and mercy. God who is love. The focus is no longer on how the lost son appears, we don't even see his face anymore. Instead the focus is on the embrace of a forgiving father. I am so very thankful that God gave His Church the gift of Reconciliation. I agree with St. Augustine when he said, "The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works."

Saints = Explanations of the Gospel

The kids and I went to Mass this evening (Stephen is working) as today is the feast day for All Saints. In the priest's homily he said something that makes perfect sense, "Saints are Explanations of the Gospel". Not only the inspiring words they may have said or written, but their exemplary model lives lived out for Christ: give love & charity to the poor, meek & humble, hunger & thirst after righteousness. If the Saints were asked: "Why are you in Heaven?" they would answer: "For having listened to the Holy Spirit." - St. John Vianney. 

Yesterday we had CCD class and I was throwing an All Hallows Eve party for my students and teaching them about the Communion of Saints. Hallow is the same word for "holy" that we find in the Lord's Prayer (Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name.), and e'en is a contraction of "evening." The word Halloween itself is a shortened form of "All Hallows Eve," the day before All Saints Day. I taught the students about our belief in the Communion of Saints. There are over 10,000 named Saints. The Catholic Church teaches that it does not, in fact, make or create anyone a saint. Rather, it recognizes a saint. Of course there are many unknown to us and the Church. "A saint is always someone through whom we catch a glimpse of what God is like -- and of what we are called to be. Only God 'makes' saints, of course. The Church merely identifies from time to time a few of these for emulation. The church then tells the story." 

click on photo to enlarge

So in class before we ate our party food the students made this Heavenly Family poster (I made the example above using 20 Saints from Happy Saints). I asked my students if any of them have ever been asked by their parents or someone close to them if they could pray for someone sick or hurt. They all rose their hands. :) I explained that is great, because we can all intercede for one another in prayer: For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” Matthew 18:20. Next I reminded them what they all learned several weeks ago about when we say the Hail Mary, what are we asking Mary to do for us? The students all answered, "pray for us sinners!" :) I have such great students! So I asked them, if these Saints that the Church has named are in Heaven like Mary and with God, do you think we could ask them to pray for us too? They all agreed, "yes, of course!". 

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1. 

While they ate their party food, I read them stories about 4 different Saints. They were all "wowed" and inspired. I could see the wheels turning in their precious little heads, and several of them told me the lesson or encouragement learned about what these Saints went through and did. It was awesome.

joy and peace in believing

The Catholicism Project

I am so excited about this TV series that will be coming out this Fall. Like Father Barron says in this trailer clip, "We need to tell our own story"...I feel like I am apart of this Catholicism Project as I volunteer as a Catechist this new school year for our Religious Education CCD once again. The thing in my life that brings me most joy and peace is my God of hope (Romans 15:13). I want everyone to have that joy and peace, especially my family. We can all know this God of hope by learning from His teachings.

Evelyn's childhood bracelet from when she received her First Holy Communion. Madeline will wear it this year at her First Holy Communion.

Joyfully, I will be a Catechist this year for Madeline's 2nd grade First Holy Communion class. I am so incredibly excited Madeline will be receiving this Sacrament of Grace this year. I can't wait to help teach these children about God's divinity and how He is so giving towards us. Also excited James will start his first year of Religious Education CCD this year. Bless his little heart, with all the big, complex topics he's talked about of late including God, I know he is ready and eager to learn and understand more about God.

Patron Saint Meme

Esther, the inspirational blogger at "A Catholic Mom in Hawaii"
tagged me for this new meme.

The rules are as follows:

"Assuming you are a saint, and your cause has been executed, your miracles confirmed, your date on the calendar established, all that is required is to select that of which Holy Mother Church will name you Patron (ess) of.

For this meme, you must name your patronage

and then tag 5 other people who would like to play along.

Linking your answer to your nominator's post 
would make it easier to get your answers."

Far stretch that I would ever be canonized as a Saint...um yes. :) But I will play along. And for those of you non-Catholics that are not familiar with patron Saints, here is a quick overview: A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person. We ask that the saints pray for and with us, "bear one another's burdens" (Galatians 6:2), "pray for one another" (James 5:16)? "all baptized into one body" (1 Corinthians 12:13)? The saints in heaven are still members of that body.

It would be neat if I was the patroness saint of Christian Unity Bloggers! :)

One of the Scripture verses that sticks out to me the most is:
"I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me." 
John 17:20-21

The Lord prayed for Christian Unity on the night before he died for us. The desire for Christian Unity originates in the heart of Christ. Because I love Christ, this is my desire too. There must be a change in the long-standing attitude of Catholic triumphalism so nothing can stand in the way of better relations with other denominations. Many Christians are now showing interest in breaking down the historic barriers between the Churches. Hallelujah!

I constantly pray for this. I also blog about it. My efforts include blogging about misunderstandings of the Catholic Church and reaching out to anti-Catholics on other blogs and having a dialog with them.

"Grant that we may be one flock and one shepherd. Do not allow your net to be torn, help us to be servants of unity." Pope Benedict XVI: Servants of unity

I would like to tag the following Catholic friends in this meme:

1. Sarah at Sassy Sarah's Space

2. Justine at Plum Parade

3. Kelly at Kelly's Little Angels (new soon to-be Catholic going through RCIA)

4. Elizabeth at Startling the Day

5. Allison at Rambling Follower

Misunderstood - Series Part V

A recent conversation with cousin Mickie on Catholicism's teaching on baptism in comparison to what her church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) teaches on it - left me thinking about this Misunderstood Series I blogged about and if I completed the series. Turns out I forgot to post Part V!

St. Peter's Basilica

To read my previous posts on this Misunderstood Series including my intro post, please click here.

Misunderstanding Assumption V
"The Catholic Church teaches that unless you're Catholic, you can't be saved and have eternal life in Heaven."

My goodness, if that statement were true, the Catholic Church comes across very arrogant in my opinion. Unfortunately many non-Catholics hold this opinion because they believe this is what the Catholic Church teaches.

"The Early Church Fathers taught that those outside of the Catholic Church had no hope of salvation. That is, if they heard the gospel and knowingly rejected it. However, they made an allowance for those who, through no fault of their own, didn’t know any better. They didn’t see God as being legalistic. Rather they saw a merciful God who judged men by what they did with what they had. Or as Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 4:5, men will be judged by the purposes of their hearts."

So what about the number of times throughout Church history that this doctrine was brought up? For instance in 1302 when Pope Boniface VIII wrote the following in "Unum Sanctum:" "That there is one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church we are compelled by faith to believe and hold, and we firmly believe in her and sincerely confess her, outside of whom there is neither salvation nor remission of sins…. In her there is 'one Lord, one faith, one baptism'" (Ephesians 4:5) (no. 1). It sounds as if what is being taught and said is: only Catholics can go to heaven or that Catholics are better than everyone else. Not true, here is why...

Cousin Mickie made such an awesome point when her and I were discussing our faiths, she said: "To be perfectly honest with you, I believe that my church, as I am sure you believe as well with your church, is the one true church on the earth today. Of course why else would someone attend a church if they didn't believe that!". Finally, I come across a non-Catholic who understands that we all (no matter what faith) believe our church teaches the Truth in fullness - and if so wouldn't that mean then we also know and understand the complete plan of salvation? That is simply what the Church is claiming.

But what does this mean for non-Catholics and being saved, is the Church saying they are doomed for Hell? No. Vatican Council II addressed this point in its "Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium)," "Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do His will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience – those too may achieve eternal salvation" (no. 16).

Many Bible Christians and Traditionalist believe God makes no exceptions. No allowances are made for people who don't know any better. The Catholic Church rightly portrays God as both just and merciful – as opposed to legalistic. We are not in a debtor/creditor relationship with God. He owes us nothing. Instead, we are in a Father/child covenant relationship with Him. He is just and merciful even to those who are affected by invincible ignorance.

St. Augustine's position is consistent with the Catholic Church,

"When we speak of within and without in relation to the Church, it is the position of the heart that we must consider, not that of the body…. All who are within [the Church] in heart are saved in the unity of the ark (On Baptism, Against the Donatists 5:28 [39] [A.D. 394]).

So my final thoughts for this Misunderstood Series - I urge all those non-Catholics not to judge the Church's teachings on what they think the Church teaches. But really take the time to investigate with unbiased resources. We as Christians need to work at uniting, not dividing. Differences are often stemmed from misunderstanding. Humans are all searching for the Truth. If we believers in Christ unite and become one the world may believe that God sent Christ to save us. John 17:20-21 

Matthew 14:27

“Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” 

So you're probably wondering why I have a Texas Football image to go along with this Scripture verse. On Sunday evening at Mass we had Seminarian from the diocese of Austin come visit and tell us his story. Jose was actually from Anaheim, California (right around the corner from where I grew up) and his family moved here to central Texas right before he started high school. Like many non-Texans he was not aware the Texans live, eat and breathe football. :) But when he started high school he said he was approached by the football coach...next thing he knew is he was living, eating and breathing football. Jose played varsity his sophomore year, and he aspired to play college ball. It was all he dreamed about. I believe he said it was his junior year he already started receiving scouting letters from many well known universities about scholarships to play ball with them. Then before starting his senior year and doing 2-a-days he injured a nerve in his back and was confined to a bed for several days before he could even get up and move. He said it was during this time that he prayed to God asking for guidance in his life and what to do with his life. He said he was surprised and afraid when he felt God speaking to his heart and encouraging him to become a priest...

Jose said he didn't understand the calling to become a priest. He wanted to play football, he wanted to one day have a family. He said he kept this to himself for several months before he finally confided in a priest. After doing so Jose saw a priest who was on fire about his vocation and inspired him. Jose questioned why he was afraid of this calling and not embracing it - “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” He now embraces it. 

I admire Jose. 

Taking a vow of celibacy in order to devote your life to Sheppard Christ's flock is not for everyone. To exercise this kind of self-control, to be holy in body and spirit, focus & dedicate on the affairs of our Lord and how to please Him rather than focusing on worldly affairs and pleasing a wife is an admirable vocation in my eyes.  Jesus and Paul advocated and practiced the vocation of celibacy. In 1 Corinthians 7 Paul endorses celibacy for those capable of it. In Matthew 19 Jesus teaches this sort of celibacy "for the sake of the kingdom" is a gift. Most are called to the vocation of marriage and some are granted to a call of celibacy. It is true that too often individuals in both vocations fall short of the requirements of their state, but this does not diminish either vocation, nor does it mean that the individuals in question were "not really called" to that vocation. After all, we all fall short and are sinners - even priests.

Here are the Seminarians this year in the diocese of Austin, they are at max capacity. So is the diocese of Dallas. Jose said NY Times once stated the Catholic priesthood is of old men, something medieval and dying off. Jose was happy to report it is quite the opposite. Men of his generation (he's in his early 20's) are responding to the call of priesthood. The servants of His Church will never die out as the Times claim. Thanks be to God!

"Every vocation becomes more agreeable when united with devotion." - Saint Francis de Sales