Jesus Christ

Catholic Girl Journey

Brothers and sisters

“Brothers and sisters,” how many times have we heard that during Mass? Have we heard it so much that we no longer grasp the full meaning of those titles?

Addressing a Christian community as brothers and sisters is not a recent trend. It goes back to the earliest days, and is evidenced in Paul’s writings. In some letters, he even repeats it more than once. It is a way to equalize all before God since we are all His children. The writer or speaker is putting himself on the same level as his audience.  It’s also a way to help us recognize that we should love everyone, as we are all one family. The tradition continues today; most letters from a bishop to the members of his diocese start in that same fraternal way.   

At Mass we hear these words in the Penitential Act when we say, “ I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters…” We actually refer to the members of the congregation as our family members. We are reminded again as the Liturgy of the Eucharist begins and the celebrant urges us: “Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.”

We claim our familial bond with God through the person of Jesus, His Son. Since we are children of God and Jesus is God’s Son, that would make Him our brother, correct? Have you ever considered Jesus as your brother? When we acknowledge Him that way, He recognizes and validates our relationship with God. As we receive him in the Eucharist, He is even more present in our lives.

I’ve heard it said that we cannot merit heaven by our own actions, and if we were to stand before God and be weighed on the scale of justice, we would be found lacking. But when Jesus stands on the scale beside us, His merits far surpass our deficiencies. Can you imagine standing before God and having Jesus right next you, pleading for your entry into heaven? When I think of it that way, I want to participate more fully in the family of God.

So, my brothers and sisters, the next time you hear yourselves addressed that way, I hope you take a moment to reflect on deep meaning those words convey regarding your relationship with God and with each other.

 

Catholic Girl Journey

At the garment’s hem

I’ve always admired the woman who suffered from a hemorrhage in Mark’s gospel (Mk 5: 25-34). Even when most of the world would call her situation hopeless, she had such a strong belief in Jesus and his power to cure her.

I can’t imagine what her suffering must have been like in that era. Day after day with no relief, weak from her illness, she sought aid, only to be left worse. The story indicates that she “exhausted her savings in the process,” so while she may have been a woman of means, she was still subject to adversity. But she did have the gift of hope, as she kept going to “doctors of every sort.”  It was this hope that brought her to Jesus. However, it was her faith that ultimately healed her. She did not seek an audience with Jesus, nor did she cry out to Him. She did not even reach for His hand, just the hem of His garment. At that brief moment her fingertips brushed over a few threads, she was healed.

The moment the woman was healed, Jesus asked who touched Him. Trembling, the woman explained the story. Jesus was not angry with her, rather He wanted an interaction with her. In curing the sick, Jesus spoke with them and touched them; it was a personal exchange. Jesus soothes her fears by calling her ‘daughter’ and telling her to “Go in peace and be free of this illness.”

My daily struggles are but a mere inconvenience in comparison to stories like that of the unnamed woman in Mark’s story. Yet I still seek relief from those challenges. I do turn to God in thought, prayer and action, knowing it is He that sustains me. As I approach the Eucharist, I know that Jesus is present: body, blood, soul and divinity, in the tiniest of crumbs of the host or a single drop of the precious blood. In that moment, I am like that woman seeking healing with the slightest of touches. The encounter is enough to bring me peace. It may not solve all my woes, but it does give me the strength to keep moving forward.

Catholic Girl Journey

Got Jesus?

I heard an advertisement for a Christian radio station indicating we needed Jesus because of the troublesome events occurring in America. I disagree with that logic.

Do we need Jesus in our life? Yes! Always and all the time. Is that because life is full of heartache and trouble? No. We need Jesus because His life, death and resurrection are the bridge we can use to become closer to the Triune God. God should be the center of our universe, the reason we get up in the morning and the passion to do everything to the best of our ability. As the Catechism teaches, “He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength.” (CCC 1) We need Jesus not because of things happening around us or to us, but simply because that’s what we were created for: relationship with God.

So how does one “get” Jesus? To seek Him, is to take action. We cannot merely sit by and expect to experience Him. Actions include reading the Bible, attending Mass and praying. They can also include getting to know other people, since there’s always a little bit of Jesus in every person. We can also seek Him in the world the Father created. From the tiniest little insects to the massive redwood trees and everything in between, all reflect God in some way.

One has to take action in order to be able to know Jesus. It’s in absorbing our experiences that we can start to get a glimpse of Him. He can be both an old friend and a new acquaintance all at the same time. When we are not focused on Him, it’s not that the Lord has abandoned us, but rather that we turn our backs to Him. Making the effort to search for Jesus is the only way to focus on Him and to get to know Him.

Seeking and knowing the Lord are linked by loving. Love also involves action. It can be a prayer, a smile to a stranger or a hug to a friend. When we offer up our daily activities — no matter how small — we are seeking Him out, getting to know Him better and showing our love for Him. We are modeling Jesus’ total gift of self to God.

Invite Jesus into your life today, because you want Him in your life. He will give you what you need to get through life’s obstacles as He journeys beside you to the Kingdom of God.   

Catholic Girl Journey

Instant change

I was preparing to lector for a daily Mass, and the reading happened to be Paul’s conversion (Acts 9:1-20). Part of my preparation is to read out loud, and hearing this powerful passage made me take a closer look.

The writer of Acts does not shy away from bold statements, and the chapter begins, “Now Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord…” It’s clear that Saul doesn’t just dislike the disciples; he wants to put an end to this group known as The Way, even if it means killing all the followers of Jesus. However, the official letters he requested from the high priest were not for putting them to death, rather that, “he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.” Perhaps he had hoped that these followers could be reconditioned or convinced to return to the proper Jewish practices. Perhaps it’s this passion, this zealousness for God, that makes room in his heart for conversion.

Saul’s encounter with Jesus came in a blinding flash of light that caused him to close his eyes and fall to the ground. In this vulnerable state, Jesus spoke to him: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” The encounter leaves him blind, requiring his fellow travelers to lead him by the hand into Damascus. For three days, he was left in prayer, he neither ate nor drank. What must have gone through his mind during this time? There was probably a good amount of ‘what have I done’ during his meditation. But perhaps all the exposure to the disciples’ teaching started to sink in, including the debates Stephen participated in prior to his martyrdom which Saul witnessed. Is there a deliberate connection between the three days that Jesus spent in the tomb and this three day hiatus in Saul’s life? When he was baptized, Saul’s old life was washed away and new life in Jesus’ resurrection took root, so that “he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.”

Reading the twenty lines of this major transformation makes it seem like it happened in an instant. But it took Saul three days of being blind, praying, fasting to prepare for this baptism and his new life for Christ. He went from being the persecutor to being the persecuted. The results are the fourteen letters he wrote to the Christian communities, timeless messages that continue to be relevant to Jesus’ followers even today.

Catholic Girl Journey

The crown of Jesus

While meditating on the Passion of Jesus is never easy it is the third sorrowful mystery, the crowning with thorns, that I find the hardest to comprehend.

Both Matthew (27:27-31) and John (19:1-3) mention the crowning with thorns, but it was just one part of the violence against Jesus. The soldiers spat at Him, slapped Him and mocked His kingship. And Jesus allowed their actions.

To the soldiers, He was just another man who called himself a king. They were in a foreign country as unwelcome visitors. No doubt they had experienced a time or two when a person of a higher rank insulted or shamed them. So the soldiers took it out on their prisoners, especially Jesus, the so-called King of the Jews.

But with all that Jesus had to suffer: the agony of the garden, the betrayals by his friends Judas and Peter, the accusations of the Pharisees, as well as the crucifixion and death, why was this additional insult necessary?

Perhaps this irony of a crown of thorns is to help us reflect on how we treat Jesus as the king in our lives. Do we accept His rule willingly with all it entails? Do we trust that Jesus is working in our lives when we don’t see or feel it? Or do we worry and plan so that we can maintain control?  How many times have our actions been like the soldiers actions to Jesus, mockingly proclaiming Him as king? Or how many times do our sins like those thorns cause pain for Jesus?

Like the prodigal son, let us demonstrate our sincere sorrow for those times when we did not treat Jesus as a king. Let us seek Him in the Divine Mercy chaplet, praying “with great confidence to submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.”

 

Note: Novena to Divine Mercy begins on Good Friday, in preparation of the Feast of Divine Mercy on April 2nd.

Catholic Girl Journey

The journey of Christmas

Christmas is all about journeys. It starts out when Mary makes haste to visit Elizabeth. Then Mary and Joseph make their way to Bethlehem. The shepherds trek from the fields to the manger and the magi leave their far-off homes under the guidance of a star. What unites them all is that each  is a journey in faith.

Mary is greeted by Elizabeth with the title of ‘Mother of my Lord.’ Mary responds with her servant song. It’s the first of many journeys she will take with Jesus as he grows into a man.  These journeys all lead in one direction: to the cross, the tomb and ultimately to rising from the dead so as to pave the way to heaven for all of us.  Mary’s role is that of simply serving.

Joseph’s faith allows him to believe in his dream and to take his wife into his home and provide for her and for the child he knows is not his. He, along with Mary, will receive other visitors in Bethlehem. He will protect his family, leading them into Egypt until the threat to the child has passed.

The shepherds are awestruck as the angel makes his announcement. “Do not be afraid,” they are told. Whether it is fear of the angels or the curiosity of the message, they seek out the child in a manger. Their simple faith is rewarded when they find the baby Jesus, just as they were told, and respond by praising God.

The magi’s journey took them to a different country following a star. In the world around them, they noticed the changes in the night sky. Determining it meant the birth of a new king, they took it upon themselves to travel a long way to welcome the future ruler into the world. Their faith is rewarded when they find the child with Mary and pay Him homage.

Each journey is different. Each encounter with God is different. We cannot compare one with another, nor should we.  Each journey is important in its own way. Not all can be Mary or Joseph, but that does not mean their mission is any less meaningful. It’s when these stories are presented together as a whole that we see a marvelous picture emerging. The whole of humanity  is represented welcoming Christ into the world.  His journey on earth was just beginning in the Christmas story, but the story continues when each of us lays down our life to seek Jesus, adding our faith journey to all these others.   

Catholic Girl Journey

Walking on Water

St. Peter has become an important role model for me. You can see his journey of faith through the Gospels and Acts: from a sinner fisherman to the bold leader of the apostles.

My favorite passage is the one where Peter tries to walk to Jesus on the water (Matthew 14:22-33). So many focus on the fact that Peter had to cry out for Jesus when he began to sink.  “You of little faith,” Jesus said,” why did you doubt?” I’m not one to argue with God, but I like to look at the boldness of Peter. He asked Jesus to command him to walk on the water, then Peter actually got out of the boat! So let’s just stop a minute and think about this. The wind is blowing strongly, the water is thrashing about and the boat is rocking enough to make seasoned fishermen fear for their lives. Would YOU step out on the water?

Peter not only stepped out of the boat, but he started to walk to Jesus. Walking on water! How fantastic and frightening that must have been. But Peter starts to sink. Why? Did he realize what he was doing? Did his focus shift from walking to Jesus to realizing that this was a miracle? Did he recognize his sinfulness in the midst of what Jesus was allowing him to do?  Did he focus on the storm instead of on Jesus?There can be a lot of suppositions about this, but the most important thing was that he called out for help, not to the others in the boat where there were probably ropes and oars that could help in a material sense. He called out to Jesus – not just for help but to be saved.

I’ve walked on water twice, but it was frozen–once on the frozen Arctic Ocean and once on a glacier during a helicopter excursion. The experience is very surreal in a world of white ice and snow. But the water was firm and solid, nothing that would make me think there would be any movement. If I were in the same situation as Peter, I think my reaction might be to cling to whatever piece of wood that I could, craving that stability of earth. But Jesus does not want us to cling to what we know, he calls us to walk to Him, to walk on the water to Him. Our daily lives might not require walking on actual water, but sometimes it can be a metaphor for the challenges in our lives. How many times do we step out of the boat in faith? How many times do we have the courage to walk on the water toward Jesus? How many times do we call out for Him to save us? Andt how many times do we doubt that He can? Jesus, I believe in You; help my unbelief!

Hide me, Jesus

Within your wounds hide me. It’s a powerful phrase from the Anima Christi prayer. I never gave it much thought until I found myself saying that line as a prayer itself.

I fully admit that I am not perfect and need the sacrament of confession just as much as any other person. When I think about the wounds that Jesus suffered, I think about how my thoughts/words/actions or lack thereof, were a cause to those injuries. Jesus took on all sin (past, present and future) during his passion and death. So how can I, who helped cause those injuries, now ask to be hidden in them?

The wounds of Jesus do not go away after the resurrection, otherwise Thomas would not have been able to probe them. But somehow those wounds cease to be of pain because Jesus transformed them in His resurrection. He has taken His broken body and made it beautiful in His divinity.

Asking Jesus to hide me in His transformed wounds is asking Him to take my own broken sinfulness and transform it into something beautiful, to use it for God’s will. Often I get stuck in wanting to overcome and perfect myself for God; I forget I need His help. And sometimes His help is to allow me to make the wrong decision so that I can learn from it. Frustration often surfaces when I don’t seem to be improving. But even Jesus fell three times while carrying His cross, so how can I expect to perfect myself after just one fall?

Hiding in Jesus’ wounds means that I need to be very, very close to Him. One way of doing that is to let Him come into the less than perfect parts of me. He knows who I am and what my struggles are. He struggled and suffered as a man and I know He wants to help me in my struggles. What an amazing opportunity I have to get closer to Jesus by allowing Him to help me when I really need it.