Judas received the best spiritual teaching and guidance as one of Jesus’ apostles. And yet, he never took Jesus’ message to heart and betrayed Him. Remember that just listening to God’s Word isn’t the same as living God’s Word.
Judas received the best spiritual teaching and guidance as one of Jesus’ apostles. And yet, he never took Jesus’ message to heart and betrayed Him. Remember that just listening to God’s Word isn’t the same as living God’s Word.
The earliest saints were liars, cowards, and doubters. They were Jesus’ apostles. Remember that the next time you doubt your abilities to do God’s will.
The earliest saints were liars, cowards, and doubters. They were Jesus’ apostles. Remember that the next time you doubt your abilities to do God’s will.
Friends talk to each other and treat each other kindly. Have you been Jesus’ friend today?
Friends talk to each other and treat each other kindly. Have you been Jesus’ friend today?
Remember to call your mother today. But do not forget Mary, our heavenly mother. Honor her by praying the rosary and moving closer to her son, Jesus Christ. That would make her so proud.
In honor of Mother’s Day:
Remember to call your mother today. But do not forget Mary, our heavenly mother. Honor her by praying the rosary and moving closer to her son, Jesus Christ. That would make her so proud.
I came across an article on EWTN discussing the results of a study on why people choose to leave the Catholic Church. This article highlights the importance of attending Mass regularly as a child. I want to expand on the article and discuss why parents have such an awesome responsibility to correctly shape their child’s spiritual habits.
I came across an article on EWTN discussing the results of a study on why people choose to leave the Catholic Church. This article highlights the importance of attending Mass regularly as a child. I want to expand on the article and discuss why parents have such an awesome responsibility to correctly shape their child’s spiritual habits.
From the article:
The study, “Faith in Flux: Changes in the Religious Affiliation in the U.S.,” was made public Monday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
“The report highlights the importance of Mass attendance among children and teenagers,” the archbishop said. “Adolescence is a critical time in religious development and, as the poll shows, what happens in the teen years has a long-lasting affect. We have to help young people and their parents appreciate the importance of going to weekly Mass so teenagers know Jesus is there for them now and always.“
It should not come as any surprise that people who attend Mass regularly during their childhood will more likely continue to attend Mass as adults. I’m reminded of two old sayings — “practice makes perfect” and “use it or lose it.” In a previous post, I talked about spiritual fitness. I touched on how becoming spiritually fit is a lifelong process and cannot happen overnight after a single prayer. Similar to development in other areas of one’s life, starting good spiritual habits early provides a sturdy base on which one builds a strong faith. I also discussed how people who attend Mass regularly are more in tune with their faith because they make their faith a priority in their lives. Inversely, those who do not make faith a priority will often reject it either formally (by renouncing their affiliation with the Church) or informally by becoming a Catholic in name only. However, for parents this decision to leave the Church has much larger implications because of the dire effects it might have on children.
I had a conversation with a friend of mine who said that he would never force his children to go to Mass. I asked him if he thought regular Mass attendance was important to him. He answered that it was for him but he did not want to “force” his beliefs on his kids. I’m often surprised to hear Catholics who do not encourage or expect their children to attend Mass regularly. These parents say that they want to let their kids develop their own religious identity. On the surface that seems like a very politically correct and noble course of action. After all, one of the pillars of Western society is the freedom of religion. Shouldn’t people be free to choose whatever religion they want instead of having their parents’ religious dogma forced-fed to them? What’s wrong with that?
Not shaping a child’s religious development is similar to not shaping their nutritional diet and exercise habits. Good parents do not let their kids eat whatever they want whenever they want. They know that a child, when given complete freedom to choose their diet, would most likely live entirely off cookies, chocolate, cotton candy, doughnuts, and hot dogs. Heck, even I as an adult would rather reach for an Oreo instead of a carrot at times. But I know better and understand the dangers of consuming large amounts of junk food. However, children do not have the maturity to understand the long-term consequences of a junk food diet. Hence, it is the parents’ responsibility to introduce healthy foods to their children such as fruits and vegetables and educate them on good eating habits. Loving parents do not want to see their kids develop health problems (obesity, diabetes, eating disorders, etc.) before they start taking nutrition seriously.
The spiritual diet is formed in a very similar way as the nutritional one. Parents have a responsibility to make sure their children develop spiritually healthy habits. That includes routine prayer, following the Commandments and laws of the Church, and attending Mass regularly (for starters). Parents must set an example for their child’s spiritual development, not leave it in the hands of a child that would often rather watch television and play video games instead of praying and attending Mass. At times, that means forcing the child to put down the game controller, get dressed, and go to Mass. It’s the spiritual equivalent of not letting a child leave the dinner table until all vegetables are eaten. The child may not like it, but you know that ultimately it will benefit him/her. Children, teenagers, and even young adults often need some guidance and motivation in their spiritual lives since they do not always have the maturity to make such important decisions on their own. And when it comes to faith, making poor decisions can be devastating. Moving away from a healthy, spiritual lifestyle can lead to drug abuse, sexual addiction, and a whole host of other damaging behaviors. With those possible dangers, some of them with permanent consequences, would any parent want a child to learn the importance of faith and spirituality the hard way?
I find it interesting how teaching and encouraging good nutrition, exercise habits, thinking skills, work ethic, and common decency are viewed as good parenting while passing along a good spiritual lifestyle is viewed as brainwashing. Nutrition, exercise, work, and studying can be difficult at times but we do them because we know they help make life more fulfilling. And yet, when the Church (or any organized religion) challenges Her members to lead faithful and moral lives that is seen as being unreasonable, unrealistic, and outdated. We often want to tell the Church to “lighten up” instead of stepping up to the challenge and really pushing ourselves and others to answer God’s call. For parents, stepping up to that challenge is doubly-important because it sets an example for children.
The “Faith in Flux” study states:
When people were asked to choose why they left from a list of possible reasons, the number jumped from 21% for Catholics who became Protestant, and 27% for former Catholics who are now unaffiliated with any church. Other reasons for leaving the Church, such as disagreement on doctrinal matters, figured much higher.
These results reinforce the importance of teaching children strong spiritual habits. I’m wondering from that study how many of the 27% who are no longer affiliated with any church did not attend Mass regularly during childhood and incorporate God’s Word in their lives? I bet many of them grew up in a household where their parents did not place a high priority on Mass attendance, learning their faith, receiving the Sacraments, and prayer. In fact, taking a relaxed approach to faith can be even more damaging to a child than not practicing any faith at all. Children grow up with misconceptions when parents live in a way that contradicts the Church’s teachings. These misconceptions develop into frustration, confusion, and ultimately abandonment of the faith entirely.
Of course, I’m not a parent so what do I know about shaping a child’s spiritual development? To be honest, I imagine that trying to pass on my Catholic faith to my kids will be one of the scariest aspect of parenthood. I want my children to be spiritually healthy and lead good and happy lives free from a lot of the evils that take root in so many people today. I want my children to feel the joy and fulfillment that comes from a life that recognizes and admires God, Jesus Christ, the Saints, and the Catholic Church. But until I face that trial I can only look at my parents’ example and hope to imitate them as much as possible. They taught me the importance of:
Thanks Mom and Dad!
Our Mother Mary asks us to make God’s peace our highest priority and through prayer she can help us obtain that lofty goal. I interpret the peace that Mary talks about as being a little different than the conventional notion of peace. Mary’s peace is where we try to obtain a heart centered around God’s truth. Often, I feel like the greatest war is an internal and personal one waged inside our minds and souls.
Here is a new message from Our Lady at Medjugorje on April 25, 2009:
Dear children! Today I call you all to pray for peace and to witness it in your families so that peace may become the highest treasure on this peaceless earth. I am your Queen of Peace and your mother. I desire to lead you on the way of peace, which comes only from God. Therefore, pray, pray, pray. Thank you for having responded to my call.
The message this time is clear — pray for peace. Our Mother Mary asks us to make God’s peace our highest priority and through prayer she can help us obtain that lofty goal. However, I know a lot of people probably think that they are too small to bring about peace in this world. After all, we are not leaders of nations or political groups. We cannot attend international summits and converse with the world’s presidents. So what can we do to create peace?
I interpret the peace that Mary talks about as being a little different than the conventional notion of peace. It is more than just the absence of war and hatred. Mary’s peace is where we try to obtain a heart centered around God’s truth. I feel that the greatest war is an internal and personal one waged inside our minds and souls. Often we live for all the wrong reasons — money, power, sinful desire, and other pleasures of the flesh. Living for these goals creates disunity within ourselves because we replace God’s permanent and real love with shallow imitations. We often hear stories about people who have all the money in the world and yet are not happy. This is because they do not have the peace that only comes from following God’s will. As Mary says, real peace can only come from God.
I’m reminded of a story involving Saint Francis. One day a fellow monk asked him what he could do to bring about peace in this world. Saint Francis replied that he could start by closing the door quietly. Saint Francis was cleverly teaching that peace begins with the individual and the conscious effort to live peacefully. How can there be peace around the world if we are not at peace with ourselves? The first order in building a lasting peace is to “clean house” spiritually. Mary’s last message was all about making room for the Lord. Where do we start? Mary’s answer is simple — in prayer. Peace starts with praying and being connected to God. Without that connection we can never achieve the true peace of God.
Let us pray that we find God in our prayers in order to bring real peace to our hearts and souls. May we have the courage to find peace, especially with those closest to us like our parents, family members, and friends. As the song says, “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.”
This rosary meditation focuses on The Fifth Luminous Mystery — The Institution of the Eucharist. This mystery goes to the core of the Catholic faith; that the bread and wine at Mass actually are TRANSFORMED into the Body and Blood of Christ. For Catholics, the Eucharist is not just a symbol, but is actually the very real presence of Jesus. The consecration of the bread and wine is no different than if Jesus, in human form, came walking through the doors of the church. And yet many of us receive Jesus regularly during Communion without appreciating the enormity of this gift.
This rosary meditation focuses on The Fifth Luminous Mystery — The Institution of the Eucharist. This mystery goes to the core of the Catholic faith; that the bread and wine at Mass actually are TRANSFORMED into the Body and Blood of Christ. For Catholics, the Eucharist is not just a symbol, but is actually the very real presence of Jesus. The consecration of the bread and wine is no different than if Jesus, in human form, came walking through the doors of the church. And yet many of us receive Jesus regularly during Communion without appreciating the enormity of this gift.
The consecration requires one of the largest acts of faith of believing Catholics. After all, it is hard to believe that a small wafer and some wine actually is Jesus Christ. There are many times when we receive the Eucharist on auto-pilot. Most of us probably wait in line, look around at other people and enjoy the music as if we were waiting for food in a cafeteria. But if Jesus, in His human form, walked through the door and spoke to us, He would have our complete attention. We would be reverent and attentive to everything He said. And yet, do we show that same reverence to His Body and Blood in the Eucharist? For most of us, no matter how hard we try, the answer would probably be no. If we really had even the faintest idea of the true nature of the Eucharist, we would not receive it so casually.
Since the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ, we physically embrace Jesus as He becomes part of us and we become part of Him every time we partake in the great, spiritual feast. We embrace Jesus by becoming sacred vessels of His Body and Blood. Think of the Eucharist as the fuel that empowers us to do God’s will and face life’s challenges. Like any living creature, we need energy to survive and flourish. Without it, we are like a car with an empty tank — unable to do anything or going anywhere. The Eucharist is spiritual energy that we need in order to continue on the road to Heaven.
How do we become part of Jesus every time we receive Communion? The word “communion” implies “community.” When we receive the Eucharist we are coming together as a community of believers in Jesus Christ. Receiving the Eucharist is an affirmation in our belief and faith in Jesus’ teachings and a public commitment that we will follow His will. Since the Church is the Lord’s instrument on earth, following Jesus and accepting His will means following the Church and Her teachings. As a community of believers, we each do our small part in carrying out His will and bringing His peace to the world.
When we pray this mystery, let us reflect and meditate that:
One of my previous rosary meditations was on The Second Sorrowful Mystery — Jesus’ Scourging. I discussed how I see suffering broken down into different groups; one of them being actively-persecuted Christians. Pope Benedict XVI also calls us to mediate on the persecuted Christians in our world. We are called to not only pray for them, but to really contemplate deeply how their experiences mirror the Passion of Jesus Christ. This article discusses how the strength and faith of persecuted Catholics around the world shows us the power of the Holy Spirit that is in all of us.
One of my previous rosary meditations was on The Second Sorrowful Mystery — Jesus’ Scourging. I discussed how I see suffering broken down into different groups; one of them being actively-persecuted Christians. Pope Benedict XVI also calls us to meditate on the persecuted Christians in our world. We are called to not only pray for them, but to really contemplate deeply how their experiences mirror the Passion of Jesus Christ. This article discusses how the strength and faith of persecuted Catholics around the world shows us the power of the Holy Spirit that is in all of us.
I think it is very easy for people in the Western world, the United States in particular, to overlook that many Christians around the world are persecuted in their countries. Many of us tend to see persecution as something from a previous era. The first image that comes to my mind is one of people being fed to lions in an arena while a Roman emperor watches. Not exactly a modern example now, is it? Perhaps we may not want to think about persecution and instead focus on happier topics such as our Lord’s resurrection. Many of us also have no idea what real persecution and suffering is. For those of us living in relative safety, persecution means receiving an odd look or a condescending comment if you tell someone you are a practicing Catholic. I personally have a hard time praying for the needs of people around the world who actually face the same threats and challenges as early Christians. And unfortunately, because I do not actively suffer for my faith, those who do are quickly forgotten during the course of my day. Sure, I may think about them momentarily during a small prayer, but sometimes their problems just seem too big and it is far easier for me to retreat to Facebook or television.
We cannot turn a blind eye to those who actively suffer because of their faith. Of course we must keep them in our prayers and help them any way possible (probably by supporting a charitable, relief organization) to relieve or eliminate their suffering. Charity is always a great way to put our faith into practice. But we also must remember the persecuted because they are a very real example of following Christ’s path. Their suffering and faith reminds us just how real and relevant Jesus’ teachings in our lives. Through their faith in Jesus Christ these people have the strength to overcome their hardships. By meditating and praying for the persecuted we not only give them the hope and power to overcome their terrible situation, but we also prepare ourselves for the difficult moments in our lives. If the persecuted Catholics in places like China, India, and the Sudan can find the strength to practice their faith then that should be a sign that ALL of us have that same strength. The persecuted are evidence that the God did not only come into this world thousands of years ago and then left us to fend for ourselves. Their perseverance shows that God has always been with us through the very real prescience of the Holy Spirit to give us the guidance and strength to overcome any obstacle this world has to offer.
Let us pray for those who live out the Second Sorrowful Mystery every day. While we may never know their suffering, they are proof on how strong our faith in God can be. Let us pray that we let the Holy Spirit penetrate our hearts and minds and guide us through whatever hard times we may encounter. We know that the world can be a cruel and difficult place, but at the same time we have faith that God will see us through it. While some events do not go as we wish, let us pray that we truly have faith that God has a plan for all of us that lead us into His Heavenly kingdom. While it is easy to say that we have faith in God’s divine plan when everything goes smoothly, the real test is to trust in God when life turns difficult. But if the faith of the persecuted Christians is any indication, we know we can endure whatever challenges the world may bring.
Here’s wishing you and your family a happy and glorious Easter. As the Catholic Church starts a new year, may we make a resolution to truly form a converted heart and follow the path of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
There was an interesting article on ETWN discussing the results of a Gallup poll of Catholics on various moral issues. The article breaks down the opinions between churchgoing and non-churchgoing Catholics. The results are as you would expect — churchgoing Catholics agree more with Catholic dogma than their non-churchgoing counterparts. However, I wasn’t so much interested in the results as I was in the notion of a non-churchgoing Catholic.
There was an interesting article on ETWN discussing the results of a Gallup poll of Catholics on various moral issues. The article breaks down the opinions between churchgoing and non-churchgoing Catholics. The results are as you would expect — churchgoing Catholics agree more with Catholic teaching than their non-churchgoing counterparts. However, I wasn’t so much interested in the results as I was in the notion of a non-churchgoing Catholic.
To me, a non-churchgoing Catholic is a contradiction in terms. It is like saying you are a non-cooking chef. Would you want to go to a doctor who was self-taught because he or she did not feel that medical school was necessary for his or her profession? Do you think an athlete who never takes time to practice will make it into the Olympics?
Like sports, hobbies, or a vocation, one’s faith requires time and dedication to have a greater meaning. To get the most from your Catholic faith, you have to listen to what the Church teaches either by reading Her official documents, listening to your parish priest, or listening to the Holy Spirit in prayer. In all cases, being a member of the Church requires active participation. Participation is so important that Mass attendance is a precept of the Catholic faith. A precept means that it is one of the minimum requirements of being Catholic. Other precepts can be found here. Note that a precept is something that is actionable, not a belief. The reason why actions and participation are so important to the Catholic faith is because they allow you to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ whose life’s work was publicly spreading the Word of God. Thinking of it another way, no one ever became a saint by hiding their faith. Being Catholic means living it publicly in our words, thoughts, and actions.
Our faith is rooted in celebrating Mass dating back to the secret meetings of early Christians during the rule of the Roman Empire. The Catholic faith was always meant to be something lived instead of a mere thought exercise. This is evidenced by people who have risked their lives throughout history by actively displaying their Catholic faith. While I’m not saying we should all become martyrs, the fact that so many people have risked their freedom and lives should put in perspective our flimsy excuses for not praying, fasting, or attending Mass.
Ask yourself, what do you DO that makes you a Catholic as opposed to someone of another faith or no faith at all? To me, that is a very difficult question to answer because 99.9% of my life is spent no differently than anyone else. While I believe in the major truths of the Catholic Church, do I live out these beliefs daily or are they merely phrases I recite mindlessly in prayers? Do my actions reflect my Catholic faith or defy them?
As we enter Holy Week, all Catholics, churchgoing and non-churchgoing, should take inventory of their faith. I know that I mentioned this in earlier posts about making room for God in our hearts and learning about the Catholic faith. Sometimes we have to be honest with ourselves and reflect on whether we are doing all we can to imitate Jesus. What positions of the Catholic Church do you agree with and which ones do you not? Regardless of what side you fall on, do you understand the reasoning and logic behind the Church’s position on many moral issues? After all, we don’t want to be blind followers of Church doctrine nor mindless detractors of issues we have not approached from all sides. On the issues where you and the Church disagree, do you stick to your beliefs because you have a fully-informed conscience or is it because it makes your life easier or you more popular?
It is no wonder why that Gallup poll shows that churchgoing Catholics are more in tune with the Church’s teachings. To look at it from the other end, it is not surprising that people who do not dedicate time to practice their faith stray from the Church’s teachings. It’s not that one side is brainwashed or the other side is more “progressive” and open to new ideas. It’s not that one group is good and the other is bad. We all have our shortcomings and sins that we need to correct. Looking at the precepts, I’m sure all of us have occasionally failed to live up to them. This is why we need the Mass so we can orient our “moral compass” and imitate the path of Jesus Christ. In addition to the graces given in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Mass provides us an opportunity to reflect on our Catholic faith. While technically we can reflect on our faith anywhere, the Mass sets aside time in our chaotic lives to really focus and listen to how God calls us to live.
Let us pray that we make time in our lives for God. We should pray for those who have rejected God’s Word either outright through their actions or have just lost hope because practicing their faith didn’t produce the results they hoped it would. Let us pray that we all have the courage and endurance to follow God’s truths even when they seem counter to our lifestyle or more difficult than we would like. Let us pray that in the holiest week of the year, as we accept many new people to the Catholic faith, that we remember just what a gift it is to have Jesus Christ in our lives.