relationship with God

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Feeling fine

I know I’m dating myself, but in my youth there was a song from the band R.E.M called It’s the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine). As the liturgical year comes to a close, we are reminded about the end of times, and to make preparations for them instead of fearing them.

Honestly, the only thing I remember about the song is that refrain. It’s quite catchy and occasionally it will pop into my head and I’ll sing it over again a few times. But that line alone is powerful enough to reflect on, as it is in keeping with how we should approach the end of the world. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 24 contains Jesus’ teaching on the end of days. “You will hear of wars and reports of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for these things must happen, but it will not yet be the end. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be famines and earthquakes from place to place.” (Matt 24:6-7) From Jesus’ own words, it’s not just man-made calamities that will occur, but also those of the natural world. These tribulations will affect people at a survival level, and for those not directly affected, we are called to assist in whatever way we can. Those who are directly affected can say it is the end of their world as they know it. They will need to rebuild their lives, either in the same location, or travel elsewhere and seek to rebuild what they once had. It is not wrong to own property, furnishings, and clothes, we just need to have a detachment from them so that we are not crushed if we are affected by cataclysmic changes. When we are affected by disasters, we trust in God to lead us through and bless us as He sees fit to do so. That may be by generously giving us more than we need, or it may be giving us just enough to live without any luxuries, which may be less than what we’ve been accustomed to living.

Even without a declared war, violence can be experienced at any time or place. We cannot predict what another will do. We also cannot live in fear that something will happen, so we take proper precautions to be aware of our surroundings and be prepared for anything. Recalling back to my childhood, it seems the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me,” is no longer common sense. Saying the wrong word or addressing a person incorrectly may be the tipping point for some to use violence as a way to respond to the perceived injury. The current social climate is one of being wary about others, who may not see an act of kindness the same as you or I would.

Thinking about these items from my youth remind me that the world has changed much since the 1980s; some good changes, and some very troubling changes. As digital and technological advances make artificial intelligence (AI) commonplace, it is also leading our society into places we are not yet prepared to go. We do not know how this will affect us even five years into the future, let alone the future of children being born at this time. AI is neither good nor bad in and of itself, but rather the results of how AI is used will determine how much of a detriment there is on the human race. The more we become reliant on it and allow it to think for us, the further away from the truth we will find ourselves. AI will lead us to the end of the world as we know it and into a different world. It may be in our lifetime or it may be in the next generation, but things will definitely be different. No matter what the advancements are, the world will never be the same as it is in this moment, and we can never come back to this moment either.

Change can be scary. It can be overwhelming, especially when there is a lot of change all at once. It can make our heads dizzy trying to keep up with the new “normal.” God, however, does not change. He is eternal. His teachings are true no matter how advanced or rustic we are. He will always be there for us and seek to have a relationship with us, no matter what craziness the world showers upon us. As we conclude the year dedicated to the virtue of hope, we are reminded once again, that when we hope in God and trust in His Divine Providence, He will see us through our trials and tribulations. He doesn’t promise a world without suffering, but rather that the suffering will have purpose and meaning far deeper than we will ever be able to understand this side of heaven. Even when things seem so bleak and crushing us, through our tears we can say that we feel fine because we have faith in God. Our emotions do not dictate our belief, but are rather a barometer of how the world is affecting us. We can feel both scared at the changes in the world as well as courage to practice our faith. We can be angry at the unnecessary violence in our neighborhoods, towns, and cities, but we can also feel the peace of God and the need to share it with those we meet. 

When we are centered on Jesus Christ as our model, we can face the end of the world as we know it and feel not just fine, but joyful at the coming of the kingdom of God. He is our supreme good and all we need, both now and forever in eternity.   

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Four lasting things

In a homily on All Soul’s day, the priest mentioned the four last things: death, judgement, heaven and hell. However, my head got stuck on the word “last.” Why are these things last and why do we need to be mindful of them?

Death connotes the end. If death is truly the end, then what about the other three items? For non-believers, there is nothing that comes after. The only thing that is last for them is death. However, for a believer, death is a transition. As humans we are a combination of body and soul. When we die, it is our body that ceases to be animated, yet our soul still lives on. As Catholics, we believe that our bodies will be resurrected and reunited with our souls and that the separation of the two in death is only temporary. Jesus, the Second Person in the Trinity, took on human flesh in order to die, or more specifically to give His life for all who would believe in Him.

Each of us will die at some point, no matter what methods we may take to prolong our lives, our bodies will eventually fail. Catholics have hope for the life to come, that is what comes after death. So is death really a last thing? Perhaps if we view death as the gateway to what’s to come, then death is not the last thing, but something that is lasting throughout eternity. Or maybe death is too much of a human word to use. Life and death are polar opposites and are really describing the physical state of an organism. Since we also have souls that transcend the physical world, death does not really apply to that portion of a human being. Even for believers, death and the thought of dying can be scary, yet we should not fear it because it is not the end, but rather a change. Perhaps what we fear is not death, but rather some of the other last things.

It would be easy to say the thing to fear is the judgement, but even that should not be a surprise to us. God has given us many resources: the Church, the sacraments, the Bible, and the saints just to name a few, that provide us guidelines and examples to follow and observe. If we choose to go against God’s will it is an active choice we make. Is it easy to explain away why we are not culpable? Maybe to ourselves, but God will not be looking for explanations, He will be looking at the fruit of what our choices brought about. As we are all sinners, a verdict will be that we have not followed God’s will. However, Jesus will stand beside us as our Advocate, pleading that His Passion and Death paid the price that we would need to pay. So why is the judgement one of the last things? Here again it is not something that is brought to an end, but rather the judgment that is rendered is one that is ever lasting.

The judgement will identify how we will spend the rest of eternity, either in heaven with God or in hell away from God. Our lives on earth, the choices we make, will lead us to either place. Like death and judgement, these are not the end, or a “last” thing but rather lasting things that will never end. If we spend our lives going against God’s will, why would we want to be with God in heaven, especially if we don’t take the time to get to know Him? Yet if we spend our time getting to know God, trying to do His will, and seeing Him in all of creation — especially in our fellow man — then our hope in Jesus and His Mercy will render a verdict for heaven, even if we need to make a slight detour in purgatory to dispel any remaining imperfections.

There may be four lasting things, but we will only experience three of them. In the month of November as the Church’s liturgical year comes to a close, she reminds us of these everlasting states. Her mission is to give us the tools so that our lasting state of being after a deathly transition and judgement is heaven, but she also reminds us that we have the free will to choose the alternative by the way we live our lives on earth. Our choices have lasting consequences. Choose wisely.

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God AND science

The current relationship between God and science appears to many to be an either/or: either there is a God and one can’t accept science, or there is only science and belief in a God is no longer needed. Yet a commercial for bedsheets has made me ponder if there is a possibility that the two can be reconciled. 

Science is the study of the natural world. In the beginning, many or perhaps even most scientists were Christians. They believed in an intelligent Creator that put purpose and logic into all of creation. Through observation and study, one could not only get a better understanding of the world in which we live, but also to God Himself, since He leaves a trace within all of creation. However, our modern times have seen not just a disregard for God, but almost a war-like mission to explain everything through science in order to disprove His existence. In Europe there is a huge machine, the Large Hadron Collider, built underground to try to re-create what would have been in existence just after the supposed Big Bang, the current theory of how the universe was created. One of the things this experiment is trying to find and understand is what scientists have called, “the God particle,” which would be used to explain away any need for God as the creator of the universe. 

Other fields of science, however, are diving deep into the properties of fabric. I remember when cotton bedsheets were touted as the supreme, then it became bamboo for a natural and sustainable option. Most recently I saw an ad for linen bedsheets. While they do share some properties with bamboo in that they help regulate temperature, the one benefit that drew my attention was the frequency of linen sheets. Frequency? Are we supposed to listen to our bedsheets? Apparently linen has a vibrational frequency and this energy is what gives the property of calming stress. Synthetic fabrics (aka man-made ones) have little to no beneficial vibrational frequency. Linen has also been attributed to having antiseptic and antibacterial properties, which may have been why it was so widely used in wound care for hundreds or thousands of years. In His creation, God has truly provided for our well being. It’s only now that we can come to appreciate it.

Modernity and science have both sought to make the world a better place, and in many ways each has. However, sometimes it has been at the cost of what nature provides. If scientists continue to try to disprove God’s existence and to recreate what God’s creation can provide, we may be creating more problems for ourselves in future rather than solving a non-existent issue today. God is not in competition with His creation. He has created all things so that we reflect His glory and give Him praise just by being who He has created us to be. 

The fall of humanity began with one man’s pride grasping for the ability to be godlike. And the secular world continues to repeat the same sin, just in different circumstances. Perhaps one day humanity will realize that all the data the scientists gather does not require a rejection of God, but rather praise for all the numerous and wondrous ways He has created the universe to support us and help us to grow closer to Him by discovering all the little details He thought of in its creation.

Something more than feelings

How are you feeling today? Happy, sad, angry, frustrated, holy, scared, lonely, peaceful, or mischievous? Perhaps it’s a mixture of several of those. Our culture today puts a lot of emphasis on feelings, but is there another perspective we should consider?

How many times have you heard someone say they “just want to be happy” either about themselves or someone they are close to? One can look at the term happy and say it’s impossible for anyone to just be happy. Life will always throw challenges our way. But what if you considered happiness and being happy as a state of being, rather than just an emotional response in the moment? Lasting happiness would then be possible. 

Perhaps happiness is an attitude that you cultivate. Instead of constantly chasing things that may make you happy, or give you happy feelings, maybe it’s having an appreciation for the world around you and finding delight in the details. If we appreciate the warmth of the sun and refreshment of rain, then no matter what the weather, you can be happy. If life throws the challenge of burned brownies your way, then maybe you appreciate that dessert is not a necessity after every meal, and that will make the next dessert more special when you do have it. 

If you are in a state of happiness, can you have other feelings? Of course! Your emotions are going to change from one minute to the next. Emotions are a response to the environment around you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pursue a state of being happy. You can cry and be happy at the same time. You can be angry and still be in a state of happiness. It’s what you do with your emotions that identify if you are pursuing happiness or some other state of being. Some may look at the world and only see the problems and they live in a troublesome state of being — anger, frustration, anxiety, etc. When you hyperfocus on the evils of the world, it makes it hard to see the light of Christ and the salvation that He brings to the world, even now. 

Being happy doesn’t mean that you don’t recognize the issues in your community, from local and national to global troubles. Happiness looks for a small way to ease the burdens of another, not to solve all the problems all at once. Just as you find joy in small ways, so too can issues be addressed a little at a time. Look at the work of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, she looked to make a difference as she helped one person at a time. Before social media was invented, the world knew who she was, even though she did not seek publicity in the care she was providing to the poorest of the poor. She saw the reflection of Jesus in each person she cared for, and in turn, cared for each person as if they were Jesus. 

You don’t need to feel happy to be happy. Actually, you are not called to be happy, you are called to be holy. When you pursue a life state of holiness, then joy, peace, and happiness flow through the grace of God into all aspects of life. God gifted you with feelings and emotions so that you can appreciate the blessings He provides and recognize when you fall short of His will and follow your own instead. While you can use your emotional responses as cautionary signals, you should not wallow in them, lest they become like quicksand and make you sink into one feeling that lasts a lifetime. Your feelings are just one part of the masterpiece that God has created you to be; reflect the Master’s work in all the abilities with which He has blessed you.   

Weapon of change

October is the month dedicated to the rosary. A whole month? Yes! The rosary has been touted as the most powerful prayer, especially when prayed daily. How can this prayer, that features the Blessed Virgin Mary, be so effective in our spiritual battles?

Living in a physical world, we often forget that there is also a spiritual realm active and all around us. Thankfully we each have a guardian angel to accompany us through life and assist us in our spiritual battles. The battles are not for the angel to take care of however, but rather they are ours to confront. This fight is ours alone, though we can seek our angel’s assistance. Sometimes, this means taking action to perform a corporal or spiritual work of mercy; other times, it means avoiding sinful actions.

A quick Google search on “who said the rosary is a weapon” provided quite a number of responses. The most prominent was from St. Padre Pio. “Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother,” is attributed to him. However, others who have proclaimed the power of the rosary include: Blessed Pope Pius IX, St. Josemaria Escriva, Pope Pius XI, and Pope Leo XIII.

In any war, soldiers are trained and practice handling their weapons until they are practically an extension of themselves. In our war against temptations, we train by praying the rosary, pondering deeply the mysteries within it, so that we can be strengthened for the fight. While the rosary seems to focus on the Blessed Mother because the majority of the prayers are the Hail Mary, the mysteries are about the life of Jesus. They focus on both the happy moments as well as the sad ones, allowing us to accompany Jesus throughout His whole human life. With each Hail Mary, we ponder the words of scripture. From Gabriel’s salutation at the Annunciation to Elizabeth’s greeting, when John the Baptist leapt in her womb, we are reminded that God has a plan for each of us. And by praying Mary’s prayer, we ask her to help us say yes to God like she did. 

The rosary is a vehicle for God’s graces to flow into the world. It most likely will not happen very fast, but the change is real. It starts with us, who are praying the rosary. Our attitudes, our decisions, and the way we conduct ourselves reflect the light of Christ. The effects ripple outward towards others, softly encouraging them to change their ways as well, learning to start saying no to sin and temptations. While we will continue to fall, the rosary will help lift us up to seek God’s mercy and guidance, returning us to the path that leads us to heaven. And when we’re disappointed that the intention we’ve prayed for does not come to fruition, we will be reminded that the rosary is not for our will to be done, but for God’s will to succeed, as He knows what is truly best for every one of us. 

Ultimately the spiritual warfare we are battling is for souls to get to heaven. The more we pray the rosary for our world, the more lives we can save from eternal damnation, including ourselves. That’s a powerful weapon, indeed!  

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Beautiful bad day

Everyone suffers from a bad day occasionally, though the definition of such a day can vary greatly from person to person. While it may seem contradictory,  positive words can describe a bad day allowing us to find beauty in them much like we do a good day.

I often think days we would describe as being bad simply illustrate that we are not in control. Recently I had a day that I would at least describe as a challenging, if not completely a bad day. I had in mind how certain events would go and they didn’t happen that way at all. Some circumstances I was confident wouldn’t be an issue ended up surprising me by being problematic. When confronted with events unfolding other than what was expected, it really throws off your whole outlook and you begin to question everything. When you add onto that the normal difficulties any day can serve up — dropping items, cleaning up spills, and so on — you can feel the weight of uncertainty and trouble practically anchoring you in place. Yes, I did call out to God and the saints for help and I know they were there with me all day even though my prayers weren’t answered in the way I wanted them to be. I know God answers all prayers, and it’s difficult when the answer is either “No,” or “Not right now.”

I firmly believe in God’s plan for me, even if I can’t always discern it. While I strive to be open and do His will, challenging days leave me bewildered. I reflect on the lives of saints, a number of whom had a sickly constitution and were rejected by multiple religious orders until they found an order that would accept their situation. They are usually described as being gentle and demonstrating great patience. Yet anyone who’s ever been ill knows how difficult it is to be nice to people when you’re not feeling well. They go on to do so many great and wonderful things, it’s no wonder that they are named a saint! But part of me wonders if they ever had a bad day, despite their condition. Yet, when you distill the whole of a person’s life down to just a few paragraphs, you’re going to highlight the best in a person. The bad days the saints experienced did not define their life, even if those days did shape and adjust the trajectory of their lives. 

As I was going through my bad day, I started to wonder if I was allowing God to be God? What can I learn by letting things unfold, even if it seems to be more work for me? Is this an opportunity to practice humility? I have a list of chores that need to get done and I expect to do them a certain way, but when a bad day interrupts my plans, how gracious am I to allow it? If this bad day was a test, then I failed miserably. I don’t like using bad language, but a bad day seems to rewire my brain so that at every challenge some ugly word is spoken aloud. I feel totally frustrated and like I have absolutely no patience left. Yet I know, despite not feeling one sentiment of peace, God is with me through it all. 

Looking back at what happened and how I reacted, I do feel guilty for not handling it better and definitely felt unworthy to pray to God. But that is exactly what Satan wants us to believe. He possesses the remarkable ability to discern our difficult days, and he intensifies them with his own distinctive, unconventional perspective. Perhaps this is really the true test of a bad day, not so much how we handled the events themselves, but the perspective afterwards. Do we continue to turn to God? Do we allow the remorse of our actions and responses lead us to Jesus for mercy, forgiveness, and peace? Or do we cling to how bad of a day the events were and how miserable they make us feel? 

Bad days are an inevitable part of the human experience. They also provide valuable opportunities for self-reflection and strengthening one’s faith and reliance on God.

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Catholic test drive

While meandering through the rabbit hole of YouTube, the algorithm served up two suggestions for me that were intriguing. Can faith, and the expression of it through a particular religion, be tried on or tested out?

Our world is very secular and every denomination claims to have open doors to those who are interested. The Catholic Church has a whole process around the entrance for converts: Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA). However, in the two videos I watched, these individuals weren’t necessarily interested in converting. They were more interested in having a better understanding of Catholicism and what it means to be a Catholic. The first person I watched took a very studious approach to his experience, while the second person’s perspective was one of a challenge. It was the second one, in particular, that made me think that the approach to religion was being equated to testing-driving a car. I know God calls people in many ways, and perhaps even if neither person converts, could these 30-day challenge videos encourage others to “try” Catholicism? 

Protestant Goes to Mass for 30 Days Straight

YouTuber Nash Georgiev posted his video a few days prior to when I watched it. I was impressed that he read several books in preparation for attending Mass. His goal was to understand Catholicism better, and, potentially, to be able to argue against the teachings based on his experience. In his thirst for knowledge of the faith, he seemed to be getting tired of the trite and repetitive brush-offs Protestants use to dismiss anything Catholic. Through his Bulgarian heritage, he was familiar with Orthodox Churches, and took time to appreciate and explain the symbolic details of the architecture in the Catholic Church he attended. Even with all the preparation Nash did — including reading parts of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, he was still confused as to what was happening at Mass. While he noticed that the congregation participated and responded to the priest, he wasn’t quite sure how to follow it. He also mentioned, of course, the amount of movement required during a Mass; the standing, the sitting, and the kneeling. If he was taking this “adventure” on by himself, it made sense that he was confused. While every Mass is open to anyone to attend, having a basic understanding of the actual actions, or someone who can explain in real time, is needed in order to see the fruits of attending. 

There were three main impacts that Nash indicated in his video. First, he was surprised to hear that Catholics pray for unity for all Christians. He had never heard another denomination do that. I think he expressed it well when he said he felt as if “Mother Church [was] waiting for her rebellious children to come home.” He also expressed how the Bible came to life within the act of worship, since so many prayers are based on, or directly from, Scriptures. What seems to have touched his heart is the reverence he saw Catholics giving to the Eucharist. As he was summarizing his experience, he expressed hesitation in participating in the symbolic communion service at his Protestant Church because of the depth of belief Catholics have in The Real Presence.

I thought Nash did a wonderful and respectful review of his 30 days attending Mass. Not even all Catholics attend daily! Perhaps with his newly open and receptive heart, his faith journey may lead him home to becoming Catholic.  

I Lived Like A Catholic For 30 Days

YouTuber Jacob Giron started his video by giving the count of how many Christian denominations there are. He posted his video about a month ago, and while he claims to be Christian, he didn’t seem to have any particular way to practice his faith. He mentioned his Catholic friends being disciplined in their prayers and Mass attendance and was using this 30-day challenge to see if Catholicism was right for him. There were three things he felt makes someone a Catholic: Mass, prayer, and confession. He was very eager to try all three, including confession!

Jacob began by talking with a priest, which I thought was an appropriate way to start. However, I think he was a bit disappointed that he didn’t receive a checklist of what to do and in what order. The first few days were focused on prayer. He pulled out his Bible and looked up the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew’s Gospel, and while he explained that he knew it, he also admitted that he never used “recited prayers.” Rather than going to Mass every day, Jacob’s attendance was limited to Sundays. It was rather humorous to hear him try to explain the kneelers. While I admit I did cringe when I saw him chewing gum when he entered the Church, he was cognizant to feel he was underdressed for Mass. He did talk with one of the parishioners who helped give him a bit more understanding of the Mass. Jacob seemed impressed with the unity of the Catholic Mass, in that all the Catholic Churches use the same Scripture readings around the world for any given Sunday. 

I wasn’t surprised at Jacob’s reflection on confession. Since he isn’t a Catholic, he really wasn’t prepared for the sacrament. His expectation was to just talk with the priest and seemed to be surprised at the ritual of it. While priests often do give pastoral counsel during confession, it’s usually when a person is prepared to confess specific sins, because they have reflected on what they have, or have not done. Without this approach, as well as proper remorse for one’s sins, one can’t fully receive the graces from the sacrament. In his summary, Jacob indicated he was not ready to make a commitment to becoming Catholic and still had many more questions. 

While the approaches and the intentions seemed to be different for each man, I’m not convinced a 30-day challenge is a good idea for faith and religion. Faith is a journey and it’s also a relationship; both with God as well as each person we meet. Our chosen religion is how we express and practice what we believe. I don’t think you can try-on a denomination to see if it fits you. The Catholic faith and its practice is for you to be molded into the likeness of Jesus, imitating Him and having a relationship with Him. Faith changes us into the best version of ourselves. To look for faith and a religious expression to be anything else, is wanting to play at being God. 

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Wealth beyond measure

The juxtaposition of an enormously large lottery drawing and last Sunday’s Gospel message where Jesus spoke of handling wealth, I find most fascinating. It seems to prompt one to reflect not just on money, but all possessions and our relationship to them. 

Last week as I was creating some test content for a website at work, I found myself typing in, what I thought at the moment, silly sayings. Since the content is merely for testing purposes, it’s not important what the words are, however, I do like to use actual sentences, so that the tests sufficiently measure the functionality of the application. For the headline, I wrote something like, Want to get wealthy fast? Perhaps it was all the talk about the lottery that my subconscious had me write that. However, the short paragraph that followed has haunted me until Sunday’s Gospel. “Give it all away. Seriously. When you give everything away, then you’re left with only what you need. Then you’re as wealthy as you need to be and you are freed from any attachments to possessions.” When I finished typing that into the test system, I was surprised at what I wrote! Where did this come from? Certainly not me!

In my initial ponderings about what I wrote, I knew it to be the message that Scripture conveys. According to Bishop Robert Barron, that is exactly what the first Beatitude is all about: Blessed are the poor in spirit. Poor in this sense is meant to indicate an attachment to things, albeit money, material goods, or a combination of both. As I looked around my office, I realized all the stuff I have. For example, I have two beautifully hard-bound books that I used in my college classes — several decades ago — each encompassing the works of Shakespeare and Chaucer. Do I need these books? No. Do I ever look at these books? I can’t recall the last time I did so. Will I remove these books from the premises? Not unless I have to. They are nice books! I don’t see the purpose of getting rid of perfectly nice books, unless I need to downsize what I have. If something happened to them, would I replace them? Nope. So I don’t have an attachment to them, yet I insist on keeping them, which makes me think there is some sort of connection I have with them. Yet these are just two examples of the superfluous minutiae that I have.

“If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours?” (Lk 16:12) This line caught my attention during Sunday’s Gospel reading and sent me pondering down a whole different train of thought. What is really ours? What do we have that we have not received through the grace and blessing of God? While we may have worked to receive a paycheck to pay for our home, our furnishings, our clothes, it is the generosity of God that has allowed us to be able to work in whatever job we have. Indeed, it’s not just the items that surround us, but our very being itself that is a gift of God. Each breath and heartbeat is willed by God. Are we trustworthy stewards of all that God has given us?

As children of God, we are called to reflect what the Father does for us. He is lavish with His blessings and we are called to mirror that same generosity towards others. For some it may be spending time with them — a precious gift that we cannot make any more of — to listen and be present in that moment. Others may require a helping hand to complete a task. And still others may require food, clothing, or money to buy the essentials of life. As God blesses us in many ways with many things, there is no singular way that we give of ourselves to others. Rather, it’s looking for ways that we can assist. Some are called to serve food at a shelter, some are called to prepare the food, and some are called to purchase the ingredients. Each gives differently according to their capability and calling.

Wealth, in a pure secular sense, is fleeting. We all know we cannot take it with us when we pass from this life. However, the more we imitate God in the here and now, the better we will be able to recognize Him in heaven, because in serving others, we see in each person the image of God. True wealth, then, is not something we can measure because it is the Infinite God of Love.  

Basilica St. Andrews, Roanoke, VA

Basilicas, cathedrals, and shrines, oh my!

My parish offered a pilgrimage for the Jubilee of Hope to the Basilica of Saint Andrew in Roanoke, Virginia. It was like a mini retreat and we had a wonderful trip there. We received a tour of the basilica and the guide asked if we knew the difference between a basilica and a cathedral and if a church could be both. While I was positive that a church could be both, it got me wondering about the first question.

Growing up in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, I recall people using one of the following: the basilica, the cathedral, or the cathedral basilica. However, as I was thinking back to my time in Philly, I couldn’t recall the actual name of the church! There was a part of me that wanted to call it St. Peter’s, but I squashed that thought, as that would be the Vatican. I was partially correct. The name is the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul. But what makes a church either one of these designations, or both?

The easy one to start out with is the cathedral. It gets its name from the Latin cathedra meaning throne or chair. This designation is for the church that serves as the parish for the bishop, archbishop, or cardinal of a diocese or archdiocese. There is a special chair reserved for the use by the bishop on the altar of the cathedral. One may consider it the chief or main church of that diocese. If the diocese is large enough, there may be more than one cathedral serving that diocese, although each would be in a different location. 

It was interesting to learn what makes a church a basilica. First, it is a church of historical and architectural value and the designation can only be granted by the Pope. A basilica is tied to the Holy Father and is his home base to celebrate Mass when he travels to that region. The seal of the basilica will contain the crossed keys to indicate the connection with the Pope. Other signs of a basilica are the ombrellino, an umbrella-like structure made of red and gold fabric that originally was used to shelter the Pope, and the tintinnabulum or little bell, that is used to lead the procession when the Pope is celebrating Mass. The expectation of a basilica is to celebrate liturgical feasts with enhanced solemnity. They also serve as a place of pilgrimage and can bestow an indulgence when the specific criteria is met. 

Basilica St. Andrews, Roanoke, VA

When I was chatting with folks outside of my parish about my trip to the basilica, most initially thought of the one in Washington DC. However, that church is not just a basilica, but also a shrine. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a place to foster devotion, in this case, to the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of the Immaculate Conception, since the United States is under her patronage via that title. A shrine is a sacred place and may contain a special relic, be on the site of a historical event, or the site of a spiritual event, like an apparition. When I hear the word shrine, especially as one who was raised in the Philadelphia area, I think of National Shrine of St. John Neumann and National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa. These are places for pilgrims to travel and learn more about the faith, and participate in the Mass or other events hosted by the shrine. 

There are 70 national shrines in the United States, and over 90 basilicas. These sacred locations are a wonderful way to explore the spiritual riches in your own backyard, or to venture out somewhere new and seek God from a different perspective. 

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Built by God

Are you building a hut, a house, or a mansion for God in your soul? Scripture has often used the analogy of a building to correspond to our relationship with God; and the same holds true even today.

When we imagine what a hut would look like, we think of something made out of necessity. It’s to protect oneself from the elements and not meant for longevity. While it may last months, maybe even years, without constant upkeep and reinforcements, it’s not likely to see a full generation of living. Most huts are built directly on the ground, so there is little-to-no foundation for support. When we only seek God in times of trouble, not recognizing Him at any other time in our lives, then we are building a hut-type relationship with God. It’s meant to be assistance to us as we weather the storms in our lives, but not meant to be everlasting. 

When building a house, no matter how modest, one of the first things that is done is the foundation. This can be something deep, containing an underground basement, or can just be a slab of concrete — something flat, and supportive. As Catholics, we have a wonderful foundation in the sacraments. Baptism is the most basic of all the sacraments and welcomes us into the family of God. It is also the initial pouring out of grace and the Holy Spirit upon our souls. How we respond, not only to this initial introduction of grace but through the whole of our lives, determines what kind of house we build for God in our souls. Some try to balance belief in God with the demands of the world. While faith is still the base layer for that relationship, the house will be modest, due to secular competition. When we embrace all that Catholicism has to offer, fully receiving the sacraments with the intention of building a stronger relationship with God, we make more room in our souls for God to effect change in us. 

Making time for morning and evening prayer, whether it’s following the divine office, a variation of it, or a simple Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be, we are inviting God into our lives and all our experiences. We are asking for God’s guidance to help us choose to do His will and to keep us from choosing the enticement of temptations. Yet if we seek to challenge ourselves to go beyond routine by making a retreat or adding additional pious practices into our lives, we continue to expand our relationship and make a larger home in our souls. When we seek to strengthen our relationship with God, we are asking Him to help us dig out all that keeps us from Him. It’s like seeking an experienced excavator who will look for the weaknesses in our foundation and repair them. This is not a simple bandage fix, but one that takes time, effort, and a whole lot of mess before the foundation is corrected and strengthened to add to the house. 

When we picture a mansion, we think of a huge house with more bedrooms and bathrooms than anyone could ever need in a single home. We would expect that, like a massive tree which has an even larger root system, a large mansion would have an extra deep and extra reinforced foundation.  When we think mansion, we think ultra wealthy and ultra luxury. Welcome to the homes of the saints! While they may have been poor on earth, they built a relationship with God that would outshine any grand architecture on this side of eternity. Not only did they embrace the sacraments and all the teachings and traditions of the Catholic Church, but they made God their focus during their life on earth. Regardless of their vocation, they pursued bringing the light of Christ to the time and place they were at that moment. They allowed God’s will to be accomplished through them, being His hands, His feet, His eyes, and His smile. The fruits of their labors are reflected as the many rooms in the mansions of their souls. 

Perhaps it’s not so much of what type of dwelling are we building for God in our souls, but what kind of building are we allowing God to create within us. When we cooperate with God’s will, we are allowing God to help us change to become the best version of ourselves. A hut, a house, and a mansion are all dwelling places. Let us begin by welcoming God into our humble abode and asking Him to dwell within us.