Building the City of God

As I meditated in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at my parish today, I came across a brilliant paragraph written by Thomas A Kempis in The Imitation of Christ. Indeed, the passage could serve as a wonderful morning prayer if one only had a few moments to spend with the Lord.

Every day renew your dedication to God, arousing fervent devotion in your heart as if it were the first day of your turning back to God. Pray to Him, saying: “Help me, Lord Jesus, to persevere in my good resolutions and in Your holy service till death. Help me to begin this day well, for up to now I have done nothing.

Let’s ponder: what good could come about if every Christian the world over would say, and live, this prayer on a daily basis? I imagine that the world would spin out of control from all the kindness, love, and joy that would be generated.

Hey, it beats the world spinning out of control from hunger, disease, murder, and moral relativism…

God Bless.

I know that Pride is one of the seven capital sins, but I am really proud of our parish’s RCIA team. I am proud to be associated with that team, and I am proud to be associated with each of the other members.

If you would like to examine (and listen to) the work that the Lord is doing in our parish, click here for a complete list of dates and topics with links to download each weekly session. If you are able to do this, please leave a comment so that I can pass the encouraging words along to my teammates!

God Bless.

We must learn it, folks! We must learn to trust Our Gracious God for all that we need for this life; and to lead us into eternal life. A quote from Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta should serve to make this point quite well:

Don’t give in to discouragement…. If you are discouraged it is a sign of pride because it shows you trust in your own powers. Never bother about people’s opinions. Be obedient to truth. For with humble obedience, you will never be disturbed.

God Bless.

For nearly three months, I have been involved in a study of the Gospel of Matthew, produced by Catholic Scripture Study International. Thus far, my group has completed lessons on the first nine chapters of this Gospel. I am learning more than I ever dreamed I would or thought there was to know about Sacred Scripture. Truly, this is a wonderful way that I have found to feed my hunger to know and love my Lord more deeply!

In addition to knowing Jesus Christ through Scripture, I have begun assimilating Thomas a Kempis’s The Imitation of Christ into my prayer life. I simply read a few brief passages at a time, and then meditate on them. Since I have begun, I have received lessons in humility, reminders not to become attached to worldly things and people, and advice on how to read the Scriptures and proclaim Him as Truth. I also learned that I must spend more time listening than speaking; I need to be formed more than I need to try to form others. I’m learning as I read and pray, and I believe that any of you would gain much insight by doing a similar thing.

Pray that faithful Catholics everywhere will recognize the need for ongoing formation in their lives; that they will continually seek conversion toward Our Lord Jesus Christ.

God Bless.

Recently, Pope Benedict XVI received the Archbishop of Canterbury (the head of the Anglican Church) at the Vatican under the auspices of ecumenical dialogue. Such meetings are typically little more than photo opportunities where vague niceties are exchanged; where there is little theological substance. Alas, the most recent successor of St. Peter seems to have redirected the prevailing winds. He reminded Dr. Williams that the Anglican Church, by virtue of its lack of authoritative teaching (my assessment), has created several theological and moral obstacles to reunification of the One True Church. Nonetheless, there is hope! Read the news release here.

My fellow Christians, let us pray that all Christians will one day be reunited under the authority of the Church founded by Jesus Christ.

God Bless.

As though anything less were to be expected, there are good vibes coming from the papal household. Yes, Pope Benedict and his posse rock!

First, a new book authored by the Supreme Pontiff will be published in the spring of next year. Apparently, it is a book that seeks to refocus the conception of the “historical Jesus” away from trends that have prevailed in recent years. Once again, the focus will be placed on Jesus as fully human AND fully Divine. I can’t wait to get my hands on this one!

In addition to a new book by the pope, Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa has written a review of a recent book that espoused the formerly-prevailing, heretical trend. Although the research of the Italian authors was conducted according to sound historical methodology, the conclusion (apparently) leads readers away from the authentic Jesus, who is the Lord of all history.

Check out the news release about the pope’s new book, and the full text of the review by Fr. Cantalamessa here.

God Bless.

Stewardship is a word that is vastly misunderstood in Catholic culture these days. Therefore, this post will serve not only as an exposition of stewardship as a tool in transforming our Church. It will also serve as the latest installment of the “Catholic Word of the Week.”

So often, people assume that stewardship applies only to their finances. Those people are wrong! (Sorry, there is no real charitable way to say that.) Stewardship ends with finances; it has its beginnings elsewhere in the lives of individual Catholics (and other Christians, I’m sure).

The International Catholic Stewardship Council is now making a concerted effort to “foster an environment in which stewardship is understood, accepted and practiced throughout the Catholic Church.” There are few things that modern Catholics need to better understand than stewardship. (That they must attend Mass EVERY week, and that the Eucharist REALLY IS JESUS are two.)

So, what is stewardship, you ask? Quite simply, stewardship is the practice of taking proper care and making proper use of the gifts that God has given His people. Christians are to be good stewards of their souls and bodies, their time and talents, and…yes…their possessions and resources. However, a person cannot be a good steward only in only one area of his life; he must be a good steward over his whole existence.

My friends, let us begin to be good stewards by focusing on the ways in which we can give back to the Lord a portion of the things He has already given to us. Take time every day to pray; exercise as much as possible (guilty!); get involved in a ministry in your parish; and, just maybe, begin to write a check to the church every once in awhile. When people begin to take these simple steps, lives will begin to change!

God Bless.

Earlier this afternoon, I was blessed to have read the following quote from Pope John Paul II.

Open your hearts to Christ and go our to meet Him; quench your thirst at His spring. He offers a water that will satisfy your thirst for truth, for joy, for happiness, and for love.

Without a doubt, the statement above is true! I know from personal experience.

Before my conversion of heart began (an certainly before I found full communion with the Catholic Church), I thirsted for truth, joy, happiness, and love. For several years, I believed that I had these things. However, once I took the smallest sip from the spring of Christ’s truth and love, I knew that I had been fooled (and foolish!).

Since my conversion began, since I have opened my heart to Christ and gone to meet Him, I have found the only Truth that truly quenches my thirst and satisfies my hunger. There is
no greater joy, happiness, or love to be known this side of the New Jerusalem in eternity.

God Bless.

Fellow Christians, I exhort you to pray for all of the bishops of America as they convene in Baltimore this week for the annual meetings of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. This year, there are several important items on the agenda, issues that are vitally important to the holiness of the Church in our nation.

Pray that these men will enter into the proceedings faithfully and prayerfully. Pray that they will be guided by the same Holy Spirit that was granted two millennia ago to prevent the Church from falling into error. Pray that they will not refuse to listen to the voice of the Lord, and that they will remain united with the Supreme Pontiff in Rome.

Ongoing coverage of the meetings can be found here, here, here, here, and here.

Holy Apostles, pray for our bishops, who are your successors on earth.

God Bless.

Each November 10, the Universal Church celebrates the feast of Pope St. Leo the Great. He is one of the greatest popes and teachers that the Catholic Church has ever known for two primary reasons: his seminal, definitive teaching on the dual natures of Christ; and his defense of right doctrine and truth against several heresies.

Anyone who is interested in learning more about this Doctor of the Church’s catechesis and Christology must read only one document: letter number 28, otherwise known as “The Tome.” The letter, in fact, was used as the definitive point of reference for the Council of Chalcedon, which dogmatically declared that Christ was fully human and fully divine in one person. How important this letter is to the history of Christendom! Indeed, every faithful Catholic ought to take the twenty minutes required to read it.

In the same letter, Pope St. Leo the Great expressed his distaste for heterodox teaching by directing it toward an Eastern priest, Eutyches. The pontiff’s critique of the heretic and his followers reminds a reader of what is taking place in our Church today. And, it should serve as a model for how contemporary popes ought to handle heresy (with reason, clarity, and love).

Fellow Christians, read the words of this beloved saint and get acquainted with the Real Jesus Christ! Pope St. Leo the Great, pray for us!

God Bless.