Building the City of God

Yes, I will continue to publish this column regularly. It did not die with my old blog. This week’s installment is inspired by the conversion story I gave at the RCIA meeting last night and my time spent in Adoration today.

The newest Catholic Word of the Week: MONSTRANCE.

Monstrances are sacred vessels used for Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction. They are crafted out of precisous metal (gold or silver), and have circular openings that allow for exposition of a consecrated host. Designs for monstrances vary from parish to parish, but they are always crafted to reflect light. This symbolizes the brilliant light that radiates from Jesus Christ, who is truly present in the Blessed Eucharist.

The ornate beauty of monstrances serves two purposes. First, Our Lord deserves only the most beautiful dwelling while He is present on this earth; He should not be left in a common, conspicuous place. Second, people are attracted to the beautiful art that surrounds Jesus; they must look at the Lord when they look at the monstrance.

After reading this, I challenge you to seek out your parish’s monstrance, preferably in Adoration. Get acquainted (or reacquainted) with Jesus Christ, who humbles Himself and comes before you so that you can know Him and love Him. I promise that your life will not be the same.

God Bless.

Pope Benedict XVI has spoken again regarding the confrontation the will surely take place between those who seek to proclaim the “essential contents of [the] Christian faith.” This time, the Supreme Pontiff addressed students and faculty at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and he reminded them that they should be on guard against “ambiguities” that weaken those essential elements.

Without a doubt, Pope Benedict’s message must be heeded not only by students and faculty at that institution. Every teacher and student of the faith, whether at a pontifical university or in a parish religious education program, should be wary of watered-down catechesis and theology. Truth, as revealed by Our Father in Heaven, cannot be compromised in any way, shape, or form. Nothing can be added or omitted according to the will of human beings.

In order to truly build the City of God on earth, humanity must realize that it is our responsibility to conform ourselves to God’s perfect law; not to conform God’s law to our own likes and dislikes.

Pray, brothers and sisters, that Truth will prevail over secular culture and “reason.”

It is unclear to me how people can “rationally” deny the existence and the benevolence of God. Quite simply, no other being–physical or spiritual–could work miracles as the Lord of Heaven and Earth has done and continues to do. There are no coincidences in this universe.

My friends, I received word yesterday that my wife’s uncle has been freed of all traces cancer. How is this evidence of God’s existence, you ask? How is it not simply a function of modern medicine?

The first piece of evidence is that he was healed at all. So many cancer patients undergo treatment that produces no results. Indeed, my own grandfather suffered that unfortunate fate nearly two decades ago.

There is still another reason to believe that miracles are the work of God’s hand: the pace at which he was healed. The diagnosis came less than one year ago. True, it seems as though it has been a long battle, but other patients endure illnesses of much longer duration.

True enough, modern medicine did have a role to play. However, the God I worship is greater than all modern medicinal technology, and He can act as he pleases through “ordinary” means such as human medical care.

There is no doubt in my mind (or the minds of his family members) that the results of the latest cancer screenings are the answers to many, many prayers. Healing was wrought because of the prayers of a community of faithful. God still listens to His faithful people!

So, let us celebrate healing and hope! Let us also pray that it is God’s will for this man to remain free from illness for the rest of his days.

God Bless.