Open Letter of Thanks to Priests From Parents

+AMDG+

+JMJ+

This letter was presented to our parish priest, Father Peter, on the Feast of Epiphany, 2021.  The letter has been modified slightly to remind all of the priests God has placed on our path how grateful we are for their daily Yes. It truly matters. 

We have no idea the battles our priests wage for our souls daily. Please pray for your parish priest - all priests, and thank them often. 

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Dear Father,

Thank you, a truly heart-felt thank you for your daily, “Yes!” I know I say it a lot and will continue to say it – thank you. 

Your daily, “Yes!” opens heaven for my family and me, laying yourself down as a bridge between heaven and earth through your prayers, sacrifices, and the sacraments. Your, “Yes!” draws down grace upon grace for your sheepfold, nourishing us with the grace we need to continue to climb the mountain of holiness. These graces are unmerited, yet through you, God lavishes His love and mercy on our souls.  You give of yourself for our sanctification. And, in the immortal words of St. Mother Teresa, “You give until it hurts.” 

Through the Sacrament of Baptism, this blessed action of Our Lord in our tender children’s souls, the divine life was imparted in them. You are a channel of grace for the Holy Spirit, enriching our children with the new life of sanctifying grace, through the door of baptism, becoming members of His Mystical Body – cleansed of Original sin. 

Through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, you enrich our understanding of His word, with thoughtful, inspiring, and even challenging truths. You bring Jesus to us in the Eucharist, present Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity - the Source and Summit of our Catholic faith. Thank you for allowing us to receive Him with reverence. 

Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, you allow Jesus to lavish His love and mercy on our brokenness – cleansing our souls in His love and mercy. Thank you for making this available to us frequently. It matters. 

Through the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, you are a channel of grace, bringing spiritual and physical strength through the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for blessing us with this precious gift. Many sheep in your flock have been blessed by your generous “Yes!” in the Last Rites, bringing many of these graces together, equipping souls as they fall asleep in this world, only to awake in the hope of eternity with Our Lord. And I know this call requires you to avail yourself at all hours of the day and night. You give, and you give, enabling the Lord to bless us through you. Again, it matters.

Through the Sacrament of Confirmation, you allow the Holy spirit to enrich our children with a special strength, equipping them to be true witnesses of Christ, spreading and defending their faith by word and deed. Your zeal for God’s grace through the sacraments, and generosity for your flock, is changing the world, one soul at a time, refreshing us on our journey back to Him in an eternal family. As parents to seven of these precious souls, we find ourselves at a loss for words, as your generosity is supernatural and larger than life. 

As you promised at your ordination, you most assuredly “exercise the ministry of the word worthily and wisely”; “celebrate faithfully and reverently the mysteries of Christ, especially the sacrifice of the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation”; and I personally witness you strive to “pray without ceasing”; and “resolve to be united more closely every day to Christ the High Priest, having consecrated yourself to God for the salvation of all”. 

Thank you for living a life of sanctity, striving daily for holiness. Your flock sees and is inspired by your example. Your life in Christ is a witness for our children, should they be set apart and called into the priesthood or consecrated life as you have been. Your example is leading our children’s hearts to openness to God’s call, should this be His Will. 

Thank you for living out your call in Christ’s Church for love of Him and your flock. Again, it matters. 

Sincerely, in Christ, 

Nate & Kristen & Co. 

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 Source: Eucharistic Adoration for Priests: Catholic Priests: Bridges Between Heaven and Earth & The New St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism No. 1

Carry Your Cross and it will Carry You to Heaven

"If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me."  Luke 9:23 NASB 

At prayer group earlier this summer we were discussing the value of our crosses.  Our crosses can be  experienced as difficult trials, ordeals, and disappointments: marriages or friendships that have failed; the death of loved ones, jobs that don’t work out, our own or a loved one's declining health, futures that are yet unknown, our struggle to overcome our own temptations, weakness, or addictions, etc.1 In the beautiful work, Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence, we learn that each cross is lovingly given to us from our Lord to sanctify us (help us become holy - the saints He created us to become).  Our crosses also allow us to unite our suffering with Christ crucified for love of Him and souls (to intercede for souls), and to grow in the virtues of trust, love, patience, and hope.  There are a vast number of benefits our crosses provide - too many to count - these are a small sampling.

In the immortal words of St. John Vianney (The Cure of Ars), the patron saint of Parish Priests, and a personal favorite of mine (at least in the top 300),

"You must accept your cross; if you bear it courageously, it will carry you to heaven."

To carry our cross with joy, most of us can admit is not where we are in our faith journey - our crosses can be heavy and sometimes even hurt.  However, to accept our crosses (resign to them) and carry them with courage, asking for His assistance, in spite of the difficulty, this is what He desires.  He assures us that His yoke is easy and His burden light (MT 11:30).  The area where we struggle most is asking divine aid.

During our discussion at prayer group, a dear friend, Leah, explained that her daughter shared a wonderful illustration regarding our crosses that resonated, and think we can all benefit from (I suspect this pearl came from one of the joyful and beautiful sisters from Schoenstatt in Sleepy Eye, MN - thank you Schoenstatt sisters!):

A pilgrim was carrying his cross, and found it to be too heavy to bear for his journey.  His initial reaction was to find a way to lessen his burden.   He proceeded to shave a bit off of his cross, thereby making it lighter and easier to bear.  Each time the cross caused him discomfort, or struggle, he shaved off more, until the cross became very small and light.

He reached the end of his journey (the gates of heaven), and  found a tall and daunting wall.  Having no way to scale this wall, he observed other pilgrims as they reached the wall. Each pilgrim scaled the wall, employing the cross he had had carried on his own journey.

The pilgrim then asked another pilgrim, "How can I scale the wall, my cross is too small and is of little use?" 

The other pilgrim explained that because his cross is too small to be of any use, he must go back and help another pilgrim carry his cross and they can both use the cross to scale the wall.

The path to heaven is heaven, indeed.  But Jesus showed us what this looks like.  We must take up our cross (the crosses He has given us), daily, and follow Him.  This is our path to holiness - to Heaven.  If we try to avoid crosses, we will lose the opportunity He is providing to become more like Him, the saint He created us to be.

If we choose not to carry our cross, He gives us the opportunity to help our brothers and sisters carry theirs.  This too will help us grow in virtue and become more like Him.  The goal is not to avoid trials, but bear them courageously, with His grace.  This will carry us to Heaven.

 “You must accept your cross; if you bear it courageously, it will carry you to heaven.” St. John Vianney

AMDG

+JMJ+

He showed His love for us on the Cross - "while we were still sinners, Christ [suffered and] died for us" Romans 5:8.



Resources:
1.  https://brewsterbaptistchurch.org/carrying-cross/
Image - The Catholic Gentleman - https://www.catholicgentleman.net/

Luther and the Reformation - What Happened?

More than seven years ago, when helping lead youth group at our home parish, I asked the question of the youth:  "What types of things do you want to learn?"  The number one topic where they desired more information was:  The Reformation -  what happened?  The really great news?  So did I!

With God's grace, I was able to read, listen, watch, and learn all about the events leading up to the reformation, such that I could present to these interested youth the truth, as I understood it.

Here goes:

In the Gospel of  John, Chapter 17, verses 21 &  22, Jesus prays to God the Father before His Passion: 

“…that they may all be one; even as You, Father,

Are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us,

So that the world may believe that You sent Me. 

The glory which You have given Me I have given to them,

That they may be one, just as We are one.”

Of the more than 2 billion Christians worldwide, there are currently over 33,0006 different Christian Denominations.  We most certainly are not one.

A quote from Roland Bainton's book, Here I stand, A Life of Martin Luther:

“As a young man in 1505, Luther was traveling from his home to the University. During this journey, he encountered a thunderstorm. Fearful for his life, Luther cried out in fear to St. Anne these words, 'Help me, St. Anne, and I will become a monk.'”7

Bainton further eloquently penned: 

“The man who thus called upon a saint was later to repudiate the cult of the saints. He who vowed to become a monk was later to renounce monasticism.  A loyal son of the Catholic Church, he was later to shatter the structure of medieval Catholicism. A devoted servant of the pope, he was later to identify the popes with Antichrist. For this young man was Martin Luther.”1

Brief Church History:

• 33 AD  Jesus founds His Church -   Matthew 16:18:  I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it."  
• A.D. stands for Anno Domini, which is Latin for "Year of Our Lord," and it means the number of years since the time of Jesus Christ.
• The Church is one because she has as her source and exemplar the unity of the Trinity of Persons in one God. As her Founder and Head, Jesus Christ re-established the unity of all people in one body. As her soul, the Holy Spirit unites all the faithful in communion with Christ. The Church has but one faith, one sacramental life, one apostolic succession, one common hope, and one and the same charity. CCC 813-815, 866
• Between 33 and 36 AD – Conversion Paul (Saul) – Saul persecuted followers of Christ and had a major conversion on his way to Damascus, where Jesus said to him “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”  Paul becomes a Christian and proceeds to teach and preach all over (the Epistles or letters to Romans, Ephesians, Galatians, Philippi, Corinth, etc.) 1

• Year 64 AD – Peter and Paul are martyred -  Apostolic succession:  
• CCC 857, 869:  The Church is apostolic in her origin because she has been built on “the foundation of the Apostles” (Ephesians 2:20). She is apostolic in her teaching which is the same as that of the Apostles. She is apostolic by reason of her structure insofar as she is taught, sanctified, and guided until Christ returns by the Apostles through their successors who are the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter.  
• Matthias is elected to replace Judas – showing a hierarchy:  Acts 1: 26 says this: "And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles." John – elected replacement for Judas

• 610 AD – Muslim faith founded by Muhammad  - descended from Abraham, Muslims claim their identity with Abraham through Hagar and Ishmael rather than through Sarah and Isaac. Muhammad sought to give legitimacy to Islam by identifying with Abraham and his other son, Ishmael.

• 1054 – East / West Schism – occurred when a representative of the Roman pope excommunicated the patriarch of Constantinople and the patriarch excommunicated the Roman pope in return. That dual excommunication caused a formal split within the Christian church, dividing it into the Eastern Orthodox Church based in Constantinople and the Western Catholic Church based in Rome.  Disagreement on  Greeks  denial of Filioque teaching (the Holy Spirit proceeds from both Father and son, Greek Orthodox holy only from Father) and denial of Primacy of Roman Pontiff.
• Two attempts at reunion took place, one in 1274 at the Second Council of Lyons and the other in 1438–1439 at the Council of Florence. At both councils the Orthodox accepted the Latin papal claims and the doctrine of the Filioque, but the unions effected were mainly on paper. The masses of Christians, the monks, and the lower clergy were not ready for the healing of the schism.
• On April 7, 1453, the Turks took Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire came to an end. The separation of East and West was accepted as a reality by both Orthodox and Catholics. 9

• 1305 – 1377 - Avignon France Papacy:  Pope Clement V, a Frenchman settled in Avignon France in 1309, and lived very affluently.  There was unrest in Rome.  Pope Urban succeeded in moving the Papacy back to Rome for awhile.  Finally, Gregory XI did succeed (prompted by St Catherine of Siena) in the move back to Rome and died a year later. 1
• For five months after the election the cardinals acknowledged Urban VI, but they gradually began to have misgivings. Displaying a lack of tact and moderation, Urban declared his intention of reforming the church and condemned the cardinals for their luxury and idleness.  They therefore turned against him and on one pretext or another abandoned Rome.
• At Anagni on August 2, the dissidents published a manifesto in which they pronounced his election null and void, on the ground that pressure from the Romans had made a free election impossible.
• Denouncing Urban as a usurper, they elected a rival pontiff, Cardinal Robert of Geneva, on September 20, and he took the name Clement VII.  Thus the church was divided in its allegiance to these two men, who promptly excommunicated one another.  Unable to drive Urban from Rome, Clement established himself at Avignon in June 1379.
• Western European rulers were forced to declare themselves for either the Roman or the Avignon pope. France was the staunchest supporter of Avignon and was followed by Castile, Aragon, Scotland, and Savoy.
• England, Portugal, Hungary, the Scandinavian states, and the Holy Roman Empire supported Rome. Devout people in these realms usually followed their king's lead. Thus, for example, St. Vincent Ferrer and St. Colette favored Avignon, while St. Catherine of Siena and St. Catherine of Sweden favored Rome. 9
• 1378 – 1417 Great Western Schism  - Two Popes, two College of Cardinals: Avignon and Rome, and in 1409 there were three Popes, one in Pisa.  Ended with the election of Pope Martin V, this schism lead to the reformation.

• 1347 Black Death (Bubonic Plague) –“One-third of Europe’s population died – about 20 million people.”1   The good and holy priests stayed and cared for the sick and dying and thus were infected and died; those priests who did survive, survived because they did not stay to help the sick and dying, and remained to represent the Church.

Factors leading to Reformation- 

• Political Factors – “The nations were gaining power and wanted the church to have less.”1
• Philosophical Factors – 
• William of Ockham’s (1287 – 1347) -  Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) a Bible-believing Christian, asserted that God was the one and only first cause and authority—facts which God had revealed to mankind in His Word, the Bible.  This appeal to Scripture as authority was taken up and restated by Martin Luther in the Protestant Reformation a little less than two centuries later as the doctrine of Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone). That is to say, the Bible is the supreme authority in all it teaches. All else, and particularly human conjecture, is subordinate to and corrected by the written Word of God.10 
• John Wycliffe: 1330 – 1384 -  Denied the supremacy of Papacy and divine authority as well as scripture is to be interpreted each for himself 1 
• Wycliffe rejected transubstantiation, the Catholic doctrine that says the communion wafer is changed into the substance of the body of Jesus Christ. Wycliffe argued that Christ was figuratively but not essentially present. 11
• On the Truth of Holy Scripture, he asserted that the Bible contained everything necessary for salvation, without the church's additions of prayers to saints, fasting, pilgrimages, indulgences, or the Mass
• Jan Hus – 1372 – 1415 – 
• "Hus found himself agreeing with many of the points Wycliffe had raised. For example, Wycliffe considered Scripture to be the supreme authority, not the pope. He also opposed the sale of indulgences, Church documents which supposedly shortened or terminated a soul's stay in purgatory." 10  
• "An indulgence is the extra-sacramental remission of the temporal punishment due, in God's justice, to sin that has been forgiven, which remission is granted by the Church in the exercise of the power of the keys, through the application of the superabundant merits of Christ and of the saints, and for some just and reasonable motive.12  Click here and here for a better understanding of indulgences.  
• "The financial scandal surrounding indulgences... involved indulgences in which the giving of alms to some charitable fund or foundation was used as the occasion to grant the indulgence."12
• Hus also agreed with Wycliffe's plea for restraining clergy, who had become powerful landowners in Bohemia. Hus [correctly] denounced the sin of simony (the practice of using a church position to profit from selling pardons or church appointments.)
• Hus, [inspired by Jacobellus] viewed by many as a proto-Reformer, himself demanded that Communion be distributed via both bread and wine.13 
• Burned at stake in 1415. 1
• Religious Factors – Church clergy needed to be purified of immorality…  The 1484 conclave was deplorable in the annals of church history.” 1
• Remember, Popes are human too, and only infallible when speaking on Dogma (“To guarantee [God’s peop ble] the objective possibility of professing the true faith without error…Christ endowed the Church’s shepherds with the charism of infallibility in matters of faith and morals” (CCC 890).) 
• Popes had mistresses and children
• Nepotism – electing family into papacy
• Absenteeism – one pope entered the cathedral for the first time at his funeral
• Selling indulgences and other unjust means of obtaining money from laity
• Lavish lifestyles

Introduce, Martin Luther - 

• November 10, 1483, Martin Luther was Born in Eisleben Germany. His history was that of strict discipline by his father, and Luther became a Monk. During a storm in 1505, fearful for his life, Luther calls out to St. Anne for help and in return for his safety, promises to become a monk; contrary to his father’s wishes for him to become a lawyer.
• Luther struggles with scrupulosity – Due to his scrupulosity, he was driven to despair. "The reality is that Martin Luther suffered from scrupulosity, which is a tendency to see sin where it does not exist, or to see mortal sin where only venial sin exists. In psychological terms scrupulosity can be defined as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder geared toward religious matters. Anxiety can fill the mind of the scrupulous to such an extent that everything they do appears to them as sinful...
• Martin Luther describes his own scrupulous conscience as an Augustinian monk in his Commentary of the Epistle to the Galatians (1535), saying that:

'When I was a monk I tried ever so hard to live up to the strict rules of my order. I used to make a list of my sins, and I was always on the way to confession, and whatever penances were enjoined upon me I performed religiously. In spite of it all, my conscience was always in a fever of doubt. The more I sought to help my poor stricken conscience the worse it got. The more I paid attention to the regulations the more I transgressed them…'"

• Luther teaches Sola Fide  - Justification (one of the things God does for us by His grace) by faith alone vs. Justification by both faith and works.
• Sola Fide - Luther taught that this is "doctrine by which the church stands or falls.”  Luther believed that his (not the Church's) interpretation of St. Paul’s teaching is correct. 
• When using the term “faith alone,” it is describing how we are justified. The idea is that in order to come to God, be forgiven, and be declared righteous, you don’t need to do anything to earn your place before God except have faith in Jesus Christ. 8 
• Luther's interpretation (justification by faith alone) had never been taught, ever, in the almost 1,500 hundred years since Christ, a novum. Luther's interpretation was based on the following epistles:
• Paul to the Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
• Romans 5:1 - 5 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
• Galatians 2:16 - "Yet who know that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified."
• Throughout scripture we find that faith and works (obedience) are inextricably combined.  You cannot have faith without works.   In each of these examples, what would have happened had they not obeyed (performed works)?  Faith and works, in our walk with the Lord, cannot be separated.   

                          Old Testament Demonstrating the Dependency on Both Faith and Works:

• Genesis 2:15 – 17 – Adam & Eve "Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.'”  They had faith, but did not obey, perform the work..
• Genesis 6:13 – 14 -  Noah built an Arc -  "Then God said to Noah, 'The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.  Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch.'"  Noah and faith AND performed the works (obeyed).
• Genesis 12:1-4 -  "Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go forth from your country, And from your relatives.  And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse.  And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.'  So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him."   Abraham had faith, and he performed the works (obeyed).
• Genesis 22: 1-2   "Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”  He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”  Abraham obeyed God, lead his son, Isaac to offer him to the Lord.  Abraham had faith, and he obeyed - performed the work.  
• Genesis 26:2-3  -  The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you.  Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham.  Isaac had faith and he obeyed - performed the work.
• Deuteronomy 4:39-40 NIV - "Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time." Keep His words and commands - obey.
• Deuteronomy 11:26-28 NIV "See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse the blessing if you obey the commands [(obedience)] of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known."  Again, obedience  = works, and works are performed in faith.
• 1 Samuel 15:22-23 NIV -  But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king."  Obedience is paramount, with faith.
• Proverbs 3:1-6 NIV -  My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands [obey] in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.  Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."  Keeping commands is obedience, done with faith.
  
  
• New Testament Demonstrating the Dependency on Both Faith and Works:
• John 14:15-18 NIV- "If you love me, you will obey what I command.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."  Obedience is what the Lord commands, done in faith.
• John 14:23-24 NIV - Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.  He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me."  The Lord even equates love with obedience (works).
• John 15:7-14 NIV -  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.  "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.13
• The Lord can do no work in us without faith, indeed.  Without faith, we are lost, but we cannot deny God what He asks of us - obedience.  We are called to obedience, Fiat Voluntas Tua (Thy Will be done).  And these acts of obedience are born of our faith, through love.   Faith and works (obedience) cannot be separated.  
• 1684 - Luther removes books from bible that oppose his Novum, or new teaching of 'justified by faith alone'.
• “The canon of Scripture is the list of 73 books that belong to the Bible. The earliest writings of the Bible were likely composed in the 10th century B.C. The writing of Scripture continued until the first century A.D., when Revelation was complete.
• Luther adopted the Jewish list, putting the Deuterocanonical books (These include 1 and 2 Maccabees, Judith, Tobit, Baruch, Sirach, and Wisdom, and additions to the books of Esther and Daniel) in an appendix. He also put the letter of James, the letter to the Hebrews, the letters of John, and the book of Revelation from the New Testament in an appendix. He did this for doctrinal reasons, they did not agree with his teaching.14
• Scripture Removed That Did not Agree With Luther's Justification by Faith Alone:
  
• James 2:14-26: "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead."
• Gospel Mt 5:13-16 :Jesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth…Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds[works] and glorify your heavenly Father.” 
• Romans 2:13 - "...for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified."
• Romans 4:1-4:  What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
• Other biblical supports for faith and works or faith and obedience: (letter of law not spirit)
• Galatians 5:6 - "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love."
• 1 John 5:3 - "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."
• Ephesians 4:28 - "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with [his] hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth."
• Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
• Honestly, even the demons had faith, knowing that Jesus was the Holy One of God."  Surely faith alone cannot, in its entirity, save.
• Mark 1:24 - "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are-the Holy One of God!"   They believed (knew He was the Holy One of God).
• Luke 4:34- "Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are-the Holy One of God!"  They had faith (knew He was the Holy One of  God).
• Mark 5:6-7 - "When he [the demoniac] saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God's name don't torture me!"  Again, the demon knew He was the Son of the Most High God - had faith.
• Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone is the source of religious authority)  “The idea of sola scriptura is one that is very prevalent in Protestant denominations. Sola scriptura is the notion that scripture alone is the foundation of faith, and contains all revealed truth in Christianity.   A common misconception that our Protestant brothers and sisters hold is that since Catholics do not hold scripture alone as the source of religious authority, we therefore do not know the bible, and do not promote the importance of reading and applying the teachings of sacred scripture to our lives. However, this understanding of Catholicism is not correct.  
• The teaching authority of the Catholic Church is obtained both from Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Our Protestant brothers and sisters tend to overlook the importance of Sacred Tradition in an effort to hold scripture as their sole basis of faith. Catholics do observe Sacred Scripture with high importance, as it is the inspired word of God. It is actually through the eyes of Apostolic Tradition that scripture can be most fully understood, because they are so closely tied.  The Second Vatican Council on Divine Revelation, says:

"Hence there exists a close connection and communication between sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture. For both of them, flowing from the same divine wellspring, in a certain way merge into a unity and tend toward the same end.” 

• The composition of the New Testament in fact, was not begun until nearly two decades after Christ’s death, and the books were slowly completed during the span of about fifty years. During this time, Christianity was based solely on tradition. That is, the teachings that were passed down from Christ’s apostles, which were received from the lips of Jesus, or through divine revelation or inspiration. The Second Vatican Council on Divine Revelation, says: 

“For sacred Scripture is the word of God inasmuch as it is consigned to writing under the inspiration of the Divine Spirit. To the successors of the apostles, sacred Tradition hands on in its full purity God’s word, which was entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit.”  

• Christ instituted His Church as the authentic authority to interpret scripture, and to transmit, instruct, and explain the essential tenets of Christianity. It is in this way that the teaching authority of the Catholic Church utilizes both Sacred Scripture as well as Sacred Tradition to guide the faithful.”15

• Protestant support for Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone):
• Revelation 22:19: "And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll."
• John 20:31 - "These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31).16  
• 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be equipped, prepared for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16–17). 16
• Biblical support for Scriptura and Tradition:
•  John 20:30 - Note John 20:31 (above) refers to the things written, however, the verse immediately before it (30), "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of [his] disciples that are not written in this book;”
• Matthew 23:2-3: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses;  therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them."
• John 21:25:  "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written."
• 2 Thessalonians 2:15:  So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.'
• 2 Timothy 2:2:   "The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."
  

• Luther heads to Rome and sees corruption, selling indulgences and immorality of Papacy.

• October 31, 1517 – Luther writes and distributes his “95 Theses" - 
• The 95 Theses are a set of propositions that Martin Luther proposed for academic debate. As the name indicates, there are 95 of them. They deal primarliy with indulgences, purgatory, and the pope’s role with respect to the two.
• Not all the Theses oppose Church teaching. Below are some examples of Luther’s theses and where they agree with Church teaching, as shown in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC): 
• "Thesis 1: When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent” (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.
• CCC 1431: Interior repentance is a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our heart, an end of sin, a turning away from evil, with repugnance toward the evil actions we have committed. 
• Thesis 2: This word [i.e., Christ’s call to repent in Mark 4:17] cannot be understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, that is, confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy.
• CCC 1427: Jesus calls to conversion. This call is an essential part of the proclamation of the kingdom: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel” [Mark 4:17]. In the Church's preaching this call is addressed first to those who do not yet know Christ and his Gospel. Also, Baptism is the principal place for the first and) fundamental conversion. 
• Thesis 3: Yet it [i.e., the call to repent in Mark 4:17] does not mean solely inner repentance; such inner repentance is worthless unless it produces various outward mortification of the flesh.
• CCC 1430: Jesus' call to conversion and penance, like that of the prophets before him, does not aim first at outward works, “sackcloth and ashes,” fasting and mortification, but at the conversion of the heart, interior conversion. Without this, such penances remain sterile and false; however, interior conversion urges expression in visible signs, gestures, and works of penance."18
• Pope Leo X responds to 95 Theses with Exsurge Domine – June 15, 1520
• In 1520, Pope Leo X published a bull known as Exsurge Domine (Latin, “Arise, Lord”) in which he rejected 41 propositions taken from the writings of Martin Luther up to that time.
• However, only a few of the rejected propositions came from The 95 Theses. Most were based on things Luther said in other writings.
• The Exsurge Domine rejected the following Theses along with propositions, which are formulated from things Luther said, but they are not verbatim quotations:
• Proposition 4. To one on the point of death, imperfect charity necessarily brings with it great fear, which in itself alone is enough to produce the punishment of purgatory and impedes entrance into the kingdom.
• Thesis 14. Imperfect piety or love on the part of the dying person necessarily brings with it great fear; and the smaller the love, the greater the fear.
• Thesis 15. This fear or horror is sufficient in itself, to say nothing of other things, to constitute the penalty of purgatory, since it is very near the horror of despair.
• Proposition 17. The treasures of the Church from which the pope gives indulgences are not the merits of Christ and of the saints.
• Thesis 56. The treasures of the church, out of which the pope distributes indulgences, are not sufficiently discussed or known among the people of Christ.
• Thesis 58. Nor are they the merits of Christ and the saints, for, even without the pope, the latter always work grace for the inner man, and the cross, death, and hell for the outer man.
• Proposition 38. The souls in purgatory are not sure of their salvation, at least (not) all; nor is it proved by any arguments or by the Scriptures that they are beyond the state of meriting or of increasing in charity.
• Thesis 19. Nor does it seem proved that souls in purgatory, at least not all of them, are certain and assured of their own salvation, even if we ourselves may be entirely certain of it.
• Thesis 18. Furthermore, it does not seem proved, either by reason or Scripture, that souls in purgatory are outside the state of merit, that is, unable to grow in love.
• Exsurge Domine said the following about the rejected propositions:

All and each of the above-mentioned articles or errors [i.e., all 41 of them], as set before you, we condemn, disapprove, and entirely reject as respectively heretical or (aut) scandalous or (aut) false or (aut) offensive to pious ears or (vel) seductive of simple minds and (et) in opposition to Catholic truth.18

• January 3, 1520 - Luther excommunicated when, after confrontation at the Diet of Wurms, he would not recant:
• At Wurms, Dr. Ecken questions Luther  “Do you wish to defend the books which are recognized as your work? Or to retract anything contained in them?   Luther responds: 

  “…I stand convicted by the Scriptures to which I have appealed, and my conscience is taken captive by God's word, I cannot and will not recant anything, for to act against our conscience is neither safe for us, nor open to us. On this I take my stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen. Martin Luther19

• In truth, Luther's 95 Theses were meant to begin a debate about practices such as selling indulgences and were not intended to found a new church. Both sides mishandled the crisis that followed, leading to the final split.20  Luther would not recognize the Lutheran church today.  
• Luther did uphold some key teaching that, due to private interpretation and many splits since his departure from Rome have been lost.  He believed in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, though still under the species of bread and wine.
• Luther also believed and taught the following on Mary, mother of Jesus: 
• “Christ was the real and natural fruit of Mary’s virginal womb.
• Christ was the only son of Mary.
• He believed in Mary’s Immaculate Conception which was not Dogma in the Catholic Church till 1854.
• She is full of grace, fully without sin.
• He affirmed her assumption into Heaven." 21
• 1530 – Luther founds Lutheran Church
• 1531 – Zwingli founds new protestant church in Switerland, independent of Luther
• 1531 - Our Lady of Guadalupe appears in Mexico, 10 million Indians converted.
• 1534 – Further splits After Luther, King Henry VIII English reformation
• King Henry VIII – married to Catherine of Aragon (the first Queen), wanted to divorce her because she had not produced a male heir and was enamored of Anne Boleyn, seeking marriage to her.  The pope would not allow an annulment.  He had St. Thomas More executed and started his own church, to which he declared himself the Supreme Head - the Anglican or Churhc of England.  
• Other denominations after split:
•  Anabaptist
• Baptist
• Presbyterian
• Puritan/Separatists
• Calvinists
• Adventists
• Pentacostals
• Methodists, etc.

Presently, of over 2 billion Christians, (1.2 billion of whom are Catholic), there are over 33,000 different Christian denominations. 

The night before Jesus was to undergo His passion, and be crucified for us, He prayed to God the Father… for you and me in the Gospel according to John, Chapter 17:

“Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:

“I pray not only for these,

but also for those who will believe in me through their word,

so that they may all be one,

as you, Father, are in me and I in you,

that they also may be in us,

that the world may believe that you sent me.

And I have given them the glory you gave me,

so that they may be one, as we are one,

I in them and you in me,

that they may be brought to perfection as one,..”

Again, there are currently over 33,000 different Christian Denominations…  we are most certainly not one.

In Summary:
Each of us is taught that our faith is the truth, and thus, for each person, it is their truth.  To judge somebody for their truth is not our place, Matthew 7:1 “Do not be judged so that you will not be judged”.   However,  I believe that the Catholic Church is the one true Church, handed down from Jesus to Peter, and lives on today through Apostolic Succession.  As my Act of Faith states:

O my God, I firmly believe that you are one God in three divine persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I believe that your divine Son became man and died for our sins, and that he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the holy catholic Church teaches, because in revealing them you can neither deceive nor be deceived.

We are called to love and be a light of truth.  Our protestant brothers and sisters love our Lord, no more or less than we do.  What they have been taught, is their truth.  

If you, like me, feel blessed beyond measure to have been born and raised Catholic, simply thank God and your parents; defend your Church if She is under attack or being misrepresented; if inspired by the Holy Spirit to teach about Her, do so…  as St. Francis of Assisi says, “Share Christ wherever you go, and if necessary – use words.” And, above all, choose love  - 

“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”  - Colossians 3:14

As Blessed Fulton Sheen teaches:

"There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church."

Key Terms:

Consubstantiation: Luther explained the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist in that “the substances of bread and wine remained present alongside the new substance of Christ’s Body and Blood.” 1

Transubstantiation:  CCC 1376 “The Council of Trent summarizes the Catholic faith by declaring: 'Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation.'”206

Sola Scriptura:  Bible Only - contains all of the material one needs for theology and that this material is sufficiently clear that one does not need apostolic tradition or the Church’s magisterium (teaching authority) to help one understand it. In the Protestant view, the whole of Christian truth is found within the Bible’s pages. Anything extraneous to the Bible is simply non-authoritative, unnecessary, or wrong—and may well hinder one in coming to God. 

Sola Fide: Justification by faith alone - Faith and no works may be described as the Lutheran view. "Esto peccator, pecca fortiter sed fortius fide" was the heresiarch's axiom, and the Diet of Worms, in 1527, condemned the doctrine that good works are not necessary for salvation (Newadvent.org – Catholic encyclopedia)

Faith and Works:  Faith shown by works has ever been the doctrine of the Catholic Church and is explicitly taught by St. James, ii, 17: "Faith, if it have not works, is dead." The Council of Trent (Sess. VI, canons xix, xx, xxiv, and xxvi) condemned the various aspects of the Lutheran doctrine, and from what has been said above on the necessity of charity for "living" faith, it will be evident that faith does not exclude, but demands, good works, for charity or love of God is not real unless it induces us to keep the Commandments; "He that keepeth his word, in him in very deed the charity of God is perfected" (New advent.org – Catholic encyclopedia)

Apostolic Succession:  is the method whereby the ministry of the Christian Church is held to be derived from the apostles by a continuous succession, which has usually been associated with a claim that the succession is through a series of bishops.
CCC 813-815, 866 The Church is one because she has as her source and exemplar the unity of the Trinity of Persons in one God. As her Founder and Head, Jesus Christ re-established the unity of all people in one body. As her soul, the Holy Spirit unites all the faithful in communion with Christ. The Church has but one faith, one sacramental life, one apostolic succession, one common hope, and one and the same charity.

Scripture and Tradition:

What is Tradition?  In this discussion it is important to keep in mind what the Catholic Church means by tradition. The term does not refer to legends or mythological accounts, nor does it encompass transitory customs or practices which may change, as circumstances warrant, such as styles of priestly dress, particular forms of devotion to saints, or even liturgical rubrics. Sacred or apostolic tradition consists of the teachings that the apostles passed on orally through their preaching. These teachings largely (perhaps entirely) overlap with those contained in Scripture, but the mode of their transmission is different. 

They have been handed down and entrusted to the Church. It is necessary that Christians believe in and follow this tradition as well as the Bible (Luke 10:16). The truth of the faith has been given primarily to the leaders of the Church (Eph. 3:5), who, with Christ, form the foundation of the Church (Eph. 2:20). The Church has been guided by the Holy Spirit, who protects this teaching from corruption (John 14:25-26, 16:13).  - Catholic.com - http://www.catholic.com/tracts/scripture-and-tradition

Private Judgment of scripture:  Each individual has the final prerogative to decide for himself what the correct interpretation of a given passage of Scripture means, irrespective of what anyone—or everyone—else says. If anyone or even everyone else together could tell the believer what to believe, Scripture would not be his sole authority; something else would have binding authority. Thus, according to sola scriptura, any role Tradition, a Magisterium, Bible commentaries, or anything else may play in theology is simply to suggest interpretations and evidence to the believer as he makes his decision. Each individual Christian is thus put in the position of being his own theologian.  James Akin - © 1996 by James Akin. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 1996 by James Akin. All Rights Reserved – Courtesy of EWTN

Scrupulosity: is a psychological disorder characterized by pathological guilt about moral or religious issues. It is personally distressing, objectively dysfunctional, and often accompanied by significant impairment in social functioning. It is typically conceptualized as a moral or religious form of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), although this categorization is empirically disputable. Wikipedia

+JMJ+

+AMDG+

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References:

1. Luther’s Sermon on Matthew 19:13-15. “What Luther Says,” 1:485-486 (entry 1440). 

2.http://beggarsallreformation.blogspot.com/2010/08/luther-only-unbelief-causes-damnation.html

3. Let Your Sins Be Strong: A Letter From Luther to Melanchthon. Translated by Erika Bullmann Flores.

4. http://www.unamsanctamcatholicam.com/history/historia-ecclesiae/79-history/383-glosses-reveal-a-gnostic-luther.html

5. M. Reu, Luther’s German Bible: An Historical Presentation Together with a collection of Sources (Ohio: The Lutheran Book Concern, 1934) 174-175 [link]

6. http://www.philvaz.com/apologetics/a106.htm
7. https://catholicexchange.com/from-scrupulosity-to-lutherosity-part-1
8. https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/faith-and-works-0
9. GreatSchism.org
10. https://apologiaway1.wordpress.com/2018/12/29/william-of-ockham-the-first-protestant/
11. Learnreligions.com
12. https://www.catholic.com/tract/myths-about-indulgences
13. http://www.seekgod.org/bible/obedienceblessings.html
14. EWTN Copyright 2013 - Answer by Rev. Mark J. Gantley, JCL on 5/1/2005
15. Catholic Company
16. Catholic Answers
17.  http://www.ninety-fivetheses.com/theses.html
18. https://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/the-95-theses-8-things-to-know-and-share
19. Excerpts from his account of the confrontation at the Diet of Worms
20. Catholics, Lutherans jointly to mark Reformation anniversary”
21. http://www.freewebs.com/luteranos/LUTHERS%20MARIOLOGY.pdf 

Living and Dying to Become a Saint - Toolbox for Sainthood

By Kristen M. Soley

What is a saint? 

Can you name some saints, maybe your patron saint? 

What words come to mind when you hear the word saint?  Holy, loving, martyr, generous, brave, selfless, virtuous, etc.

Miriam Webster defines Saint as:

·         “One officially recognized especially through canonization as preeminent for holiness

·         One of the spirits of the departed in heaven

·         One eminent for piety or virtue”

To be considered a Canonized Saint in the Catholic Church the following criteria must be met:

·          Demonstration of having lived heroic virtues (Chastity, temperance, charity,  diligence, patience, kindness, humility)

·         Two miracles through the saint’s intercession and/or

·         Martyrdom

Are all the Saints the same?  No.  Each lived a completely different life, within the parameters of his/her own vocation.  St. Monica was called to be a wife and mother; St. Nicholas and St. Patrick were called to the priesthood, St. Joan of Arc, unmarried, Blessed Mother Teresa, sisterhood. Etc.

Who, Me?

Who is called to be a saint?  All of us are called to be saints.   

We may not be called to lead battles such as St. Joan of Arc or teach, preach and die martyrs such as Sts. Peter and Paul, or to heroic charity such as St. Nicholas and Blessed Mother Teresa.

Your path to sainthood may be discovered, one diaper at a time, one load of laundry load at a time,  one web site at a time, one patient at a time, one lesson plan at a time, one sale at a time, or one customer at a time, etc.  

God wants to meet each of us right where we are.  We need not start today with taking on some huge ministry or making any great sacrifices.  You are right where He wants you and this is where He will meet you.  

Chances are good, if you are reading this, God has entrusted you with the privilege and responsibility of bringing little souls to Him as a parent, likely through the vocation of marriage.   Yes, being a Mom and / or a Dad is just as much a call to sainthood or holiness if you will, as being called to the priesthood, sisterhood or brotherhood.  In fact, if God has called you to being a parent, it is the best and most sure path to sainthood for you. 

My family understands this call, and that each of us plays an instrumental role in getting each other to heaven (sainthood).  God hand-picked my husband and me to lead our children back to Him in an eternal family, with His grace of course.  Furthermore, He hand-picked each of our children to help get their siblings and us to heaven.  

In a family comprised of parents, children, and siblings, there is enough love, sacrifice, suffering, and service to make great saints.  If any of you have cleaned a baby and their crib after he took off a dirty diaper during nap time, or endured the flu, where, as my friend Teri calls the war cry “Hit the bucket!” you understand. 

With this in mind, our family ends our morning-prayer time by asking the question “What’s our mission?”  To which we all reply “…to get each other to Heaven!”  Then we ask “What are we going to do today to get each other to heaven?”  The typical responses are, “be kind and share, give right-away obedience, build up the Kingdom of God, do the right thing even when it’s difficult, and to be gentle.”  Then we close by all putting our hands in, team-style, and yell “Go team Soley!” 

Called to Sainthood, but I am a sinner?

Yes, yup, and me too…  We need God; with a capital N.  My confessor explained that we all suffer from the human condition, which is a tendency to sin.   We are prone to sin and are constantly fighting this tendency.

Even St. Peter, the first Pope, the rock upon whom our Church was built, denied Christ on Good Friday.  He was weak, a sinner.   It took him, along with many of the saints that followed him, time to trust God, to truly surrender all to Him.  We are no different.

St. Augustine lived the first 29 years of his life a non-Christian, living for the world.  St. Edith Stein was an Atheist before converting to Catholicism.  St. Frances of Assisi was the life of the party.  My point?  Were these saints always perfect?  Did they sin? 

God continues to give us examples of the sinners; the weak, who, with the gift of faith, and God’s grace, overcome their faults and weaknesses.  They become great in the kingdom.  All these saints were just like us.

In Mark 2:17 Jesus assures us, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." 

Jesus came to heal the sick.  He came to heal us. 

You might say “My sin is too great.  God could never forgive me.”  As my spiritual director assured me, “God is relentlessly pursuing us and loves us dearly!”  His love for us is greater than our sins, as Jesus shared with St. Faustina.

Let me demonstrate how God’s love for us does not change, even when we sin.   This is how I taught my children.  I placed a crucifix on a table and stood facing Jesus.  I then explained that “Let’s say I commit a venial sin, maybe I lie or tease somebody.”  I then took a step away from the crucifix, still facing Jesus.  Then, I said “Now I commit another venial sin.  Perhaps, I hit my sibling.”  I took a larger step away from Jesus, still facing Him.  “The more venial sins I commit, the easier it becomes for me to offend Him with sin and, thus I then commit a mortal sin; a grave sin.”  I then took a large step away from Jesus AND turned my back to him, now facing away from Him.

The point of this lesson is who moved, Jesus or the sinner?  

Just like the greatest of saints, God never left them.  They, for a time, turned their back on Him, but came back!  They asked for forgiveness and were lovingly welcomed back into God’s loving embrace. 

A great example of this is the prodigal son.  In Luke 15, in verse 20 we read how the Father receives his son, who had moved out and squandered his inheritance in a sinful existence.  Broke and homeless, this son returns to his father for forgiveness and a place to live “But while he [his son] was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”  He threw a grand celebration for his son’s return. 

That is exactly how God feels when we return to him, when we ask for forgiveness.  He is simply waiting for us to turn around and come back.  He will meet us, with a loving embrace.  He has never left us and has been anxiously awaiting our return. 

So yes, me, but how? 

Do you remember your Catechism?  St. Joseph’s Baltimore Catechism! 

According to the New St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism, God made us to “Show forth His goodness and to share with us His everlasting happiness in heaven.”  And in order to gain the happiness of heaven [sainthood] we must “know, love, and serve God in this world.” 

·         Know

·         Love

·         Serve

So that’s it!  All we have to do is know, love and serve God within the parameters of our vocation to become a saint?  Sound simple? It is, but it is not easy; it is, in fact heroic! 

Know God - Knowledge of God

Speaking for my husband and me, we really started “getting to know Him” within the last eleven years of our lives.

Many of you may have a story similar to ours.

I am going to flashback 30 years…  Yes, my husband and I were both catechized, through the Catholic Church’s CCD program in our home towns:

o   The programs were good and the volunteers all were sincere. 

o   We learned what was needed to receive the Sacraments. 

o   We memorized the prayers and truths without seeing how they are employed in daily life. 

o   We did this, simply because “that’s what you do.”

o   It was good, not bad, but it didn’t stick. 

 Is that your experience as well?

This lack of really knowing God, made it easy for us to stop going to Church in our college years.

Two years after Nathan and I were married, we baptized our first child, Andrew.  Up to that point we had been going to church when it was convenient for us, but were always grateful when we went. 

 Nevertheless, we decided we should go to Mass more regularly after he was baptized because our parents always brought us when we were young, we just promised we would at his baptism, and  Andrew was baptized in front of the entire congregation at our church and now people knew who we were and might notice our not being there.

We began to hear God calling us, and decided to bring Him back into our lives.  We agreed that we wanted to get to know Him.  We chose to give Him a simple Yes to His constant call.  When we did this, he began to transform us.  He has answered so many prayers and has proven His unending love for us, time and again.  It is said that God cannot be outdone in generosity.   We have found this to be indisputable. 

OK…  So, how can we really, really, get to know God?  I have some good news!  Getting to know Him is not difficult.  He is, as I mentioned earlier, “relentlessly pursuing us all of the time.”  The trick is, being open and available for Him, to let Him in!

The best way to do this is to invite Him; ask him to come into your heart.   Before each of our children receives their First Holy Communion, we encourage them to formally invite our Lord into their lives, personally.   They sign, date, and frame a card with a simple prayer that personally asks Jesus to come into their heart.

If you would like to get to know God, this is the place to start.  Click this link to print a commitment card.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Please come into my heart, and be the Lord of MY LIFE.  

Be my God and my Savior.

Please send me your Holy Spirit to make me your disciple.

Thank you for giving up your life for me.  

Now I give my life to you.

   Again this is the best place to start getting to know our Lord.

What about Love?

Back to my trusty Baltimore Catechism, love is defined as “to want only what is good for another.”¹   Love as a virtue is defined as “the theological virtue which makes us able to love God above all things and our neighbor for the love of God.”¹  

We know Love is one of the three Theological virtues (faith, hope and love).  In 1 Corinthians 13 and 16 St. Paul teaches, “…the greatest of these is love… Let all that you do be done in love.”

It is not what we do, but how and why we do them, that make them great.  If we do all things for love of God, they will be great; for the Kingdom, for our families, for us, for all whom are affected by our actions.    It is one thing to wash the floor, and altogether another to wash the floor for love of Him.  We can spend our entire day loving God through our actions and through those whom God has placed on our path.             

You can love God through your spouse, your child, your co-worker or the person at the checkout.  You can do this, simply by choosing to love, even if your friend was short with you, or your child accidentally broke the DVD player, or the checkout lady was grumpy.   Choosing love is always the best solution.  Remember, love is a choice.  Love begets love and when you respond lovingly you spread a heavenly fragrance, a reminder of Jesus’ love, everywhere you go.  

Some of the best advice I received regarding love is to assume everybody’s motivation is for good, not evil.  You would want people to assume the same of you, wouldn’t you?  Even Jesus on the cross in Luke 23:34 assumed the high priests and scribes “knew not what they were doing” as He begged His father to forgive them. 

You have no idea why the checkout lady was grumpy; maybe her child was just diagnosed with cancer or her husband just lost his job.  Maybe your friend was short with you, because her child was bullied at school that morning.  Maybe your child broke the DVD player, trying to help a younger sibling remove a toy he jammed in there.  Assume the best in people, Jesus did, even those who were responsible for horrific death. 

Watch how the people around you begin to respond when you employ this new outlook.  As I said, love begets love.  Imagine if your spouse asked you to do something, and it was a very important thing.  You had fully intended to do so, but right when you began this task, you could not find the tools to do it.  Then when you did find the tools, you sat down to begin the task at hand.  Suddenly the doorbell rings, a friend stops by to drop off that kitchen gadget she borrowed.  After this friend leaves, your toddler falls and scrapes his knee, followed by an argument between the two oldest children.  At this point your spouse walks in the door, asking if the requested item is complete. 

How would you feel if, upon learning that you were unable to finish the task, he/she assumed you tried your best, but something must have happened, in lieu of assuming that you disregarded their wishes?  You would be relieved, yes?  Now look at it the other way, what if when your spouse learns that you did not complete the task, without even asking why it was not complete, simply assumes it was a complete disregard for his / her wishes and storms out of the room?  You are likely going to be crabby with them, the children, and pretty much everybody else you encounter, for the rest of the day.  Again, love begets love and it is a choice.

There are many ways to live out Love of Lord.  Try lovingly greeting your family first thing in the morning, even if they wake up earlier than you would have liked, or smiling, even when it is difficult.  Try speaking in a soft and gentle voice, when you’d really rather scream at your spouse or children.  Try overlooking a fault of your spouse or child, if this fault does not endanger their soul.  In lieu of pointing out a fault, compliment them on something they do well.

When you begin to embrace every part of your day with this outlook, each task, each encounter becomes more joyful and easier, even the difficult ones.  Jesus teaches in Matthew 11:30 “My yoke is easy and my burden light.”  

Love begets love. 

In our home, we begin every day with a short prayer to help us center our daily activities on love of God: 

“Dear Lord, I will work for love you, pray for love of you, and play for love of you.  My whole day will be a loving prayer.”

If you can start your day by deciding that all you do is for love of our Good God, everything becomes more meaningful, and even the hard things become less difficult.

St. Therese of the Child Jesus - Doctor of the Church and Greatest saint of modern times wrote, "I know of no other means to reach perfection than by love. To love: how perfectly our hearts are made for this! Sometimes I look for another word to use, but, in this land of exile, no other word so well expresses the vibrations of our soul. Hence we must keep to that one word: love." 

"Merit does not consist in doing or giving much. It consists in loving much."

As Blessed Mother Teresa said, “We cannot do great things, but we can do small things with great love." 

She also said, “Spread love everywhere you go first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor. Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.  Be the living expression of God’s kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.”

Serve -  “…To serve God is the primary obligation of human beings, personally and socially, to be done in acts of worship and prayer; and in acts of virtue as prescribed by the natural and revealed laws of God.” ³

The best teaching I have learned on service is through Blessed Mother Teresa.  She was taught by her mother, while holding up her hand she explained, ‘The Gospel in five fingers’ – “You did it to Me”.4  Each word represents one finger. 1.You 2. Did 3. It 4 To 5. Me. This is taken from Matthew 25:40 “…'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”

We are His hands and feet, here in this land of exile, such that He can love through us; through our love and service.  When we serve others, remember whom you are serving.  You Did It To Me!

Try seeing Jesus in everybody God has placed on your path.  Would you yell at Jesus?  Would you cut Jesus off on the highway? Would you wish your house messy if Jesus were to visit?  Would you look at inappropriate things online if Jesus were standing behind you?  Would you serve yourself before Jesus at your dinner table? Jesus is in everybody, even you and me. 

Remember “You did it to ME.” 

Your sainthood toolbox:

Now that you know what a saint is, that you are called to be one, and the path you need to follow, knowing, loving, and serving God, you will need your sainthood toolbox.  The following is not a complete list of tools, nor are they in perfect order of importance, but I did my best to highlight them as they have guided me on my own journey. 

Tool #1 – Faith –  In Hebrews 11:1 we learn that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  You can neither know, love, nor serve a God that you do not believe in.

As Pope Francis assures us, “We do not become Christians in the laboratory, we do not become Christians alone, and with our own strength, but faith is a gift, it is a gift of God that is given to us in the Church and through the Church.” 

If you do not have faith, remember it is a gift, pray for it.  If your faith is not strong, pray for an increase in the gift of faith, daily.

 
Jesus said to St Faustina “…But for Me to be able to act upon the soul, the soul must have faith. “(1420) --St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in my Soul

Tool #2 - Holy Spirit – Oh the Holy Spirit - my friend.   

 
Earlier in my faith journey, I was struggling, a lot; with sins that seemed impossible for me to overcome.   Try as I may, I could not prevail.   Nine days before the Pentecost Sunday, years ago, I began a novena to the Holy Spirit (which is now my battle cry to which I turn in times of need).   It starts like this:

“Dearest Holy Spirit, confiding in your deep personal love for me, I am making this novena for the following request if it be Your Holy Will to grant it. __________________ ..." 

Well, my request was to overcome sin, so I had confidence that it would be His Holy Will. 

I continued to pray this novena for my specific intention long after Pentecost Sunday (more like a perpetual novena), with absolute faith.  As God promised, one day, I no longer had attachment to the particular sin of my prayer; truly.  After years, and years of struggling, God took it away… because I believed, and I asked.   He has proven His faithfulness to me in this way, time and time again.

The Holy Spirit also sustains us in our vocation, on this pilgrimage back to Him.  As much joy as we find in our call to parenthood, there too is suffering (worthwhile, but suffering nonetheless)… We are busy parents with busy children, who are perfectly behaved for their age.  In Luke 9:23 we are reminded to “…take up our crosses daily and follow Him.” That is the path to sainthood, and it is built in to our vocation; little children, little worries, big children, big worries.  

A great confessor once said “as a parent, we ought not to seek out crosses or sacrifices, as we have many that are built in to our vocation.”  We love, and because of this great love for our children, we do suffer.   We suffer when they are rejected, when they make bad choices, when they get hurt; again, we have crosses. 

Many saints have found that with faith and the Holy Spirit, their crosses become lighter and even sweet.  We are assured, as the Baltimore Catechism instructs “He sends us our daily crosses so that we can walk in the footsteps of love after Christ, our Good Shepherd.  It is the Holy Spirit Who gives us the power to carry these crosses and even to love them.” ¹

Tool #3 – The Church and Sacraments – I once read that the path to heaven (sainthood) can be likened to climbing a mountain.  Similar to our climb up this precipitous and daunting incline, we will become weary, thirsty, and may even lose hope.  To overcome these obstacles we need things like water (sacraments), rest (prayer), and to remain focused on our goal (hope).  The sacraments are a panacea, or remedy in our climb to holiness. 

Receiving Jesus in the Eucharist is a wonderful sacrament.  However, God does not require us to go to daily mass; He only requires that we go on the Sabbath.   Our vocation at times does not even afford for us to attend daily Mass.   What matters most is that, if God makes the time in your schedule to go, go.  If not, not.  Go to Mass on the Sabbath and to daily Mass as often as you can. 

As St. Frances of Rome says, “A married woman must leave God at the altar to find Him in her domestic cares.”  Your home can and should become your domestic church.   If you cannot go to daily Mass, find Him in your home; that is where He would like to meet you.

The sacrament of reconciliation is also a powerful and grace-filled sacrament.  I really struggled with going to confession early on.  I figured, “why should I confess my sins to a priest if I can go straight to Jesus.”  

Francine Morrisette provided a good answer “Catholics do ultimately confess their sins to God because God is the only one who can forgive sins. The priest is simply a human extension of Christ’s priestly ministry.  He is a human intermediary who hears and forgives sins on His behalf.” ²

In John 20:23 Jesus taught his apostles “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”   This is a tradition that we Catholics honor.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church also affirms this “Since Christ entrusted to his apostles the ministry of reconciliation, bishops who are their successors, and priests, the bishops' collaborators, continue to exercise this ministry. Indeed bishops and priests, by virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, have the power to forgive all sins "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." CCC 1461

We try to receive this sacrament monthly, if God wills it.  Every time leave we chuckle about how white and clean our souls are… and to my husband I privately say… now if I can just avoid the going home I will remain sin free for longer!

Morrisette also explains “Confession/Reconciliation is the sacrament of conversion and forgiveness; it gives peace, pardon, and a new beginning to the one who receives it.”  ²

Holy Matrimony is also a powerful sacrament.  The sacrament of Holy Matrimony is the only sacrament that is administered by the couple rather than the priest or bishop. Holy Matrimony is a covenant between a man and a woman whereby they give their free consent to enter a covenantal partnership that is permanent. The marriage, "by its nature is ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring."(CCC1601)

My confessor put it perfectly.  In our marriages, each of us brings such different, but complimentary gifts into our homes. We, as wives are to respect and honor our husband’s judgment in matters of the head. Our husband, in turn, should respect and honor our judgment in matters of the heart.

God works through our spouse as a channel of grace for us, and we wives, in turn, are a channel of grace for our husbands.  As I mentioned earlier, our spouses were hand-picked by God to lead our families to heaven.  If God trusts them, we should too. 

I encourage you to hold your spouse in prayer, daily.  Wives, feel free to join me and  many wives in a virtual prayer group for our husbands.  I Promise to Be True

Tool #4 – Mary – Mary, my Mother (and yours)!  I am humbled to admit, that even as a life-long Catholic, I spent much of my life not having a real comprehension of why Mary is to be honored as she is, and why she is so important in our walk with Christ. I could not even defend her to my protestant brothers and sisters when asked why we Catholics “pray to her.” 

I gained understanding in Holy Scripture.  In Exodus 20:12 God commands "Honor your father and your mother.”   Well, if Mary is Jesus’ Mother, He must have honored her.  In 1^st Corinthians, 11:1 St. Paul encourages us to live as Jesus lived.  “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. “  Jesus honored Mary, thus we too are called to honor her.

With confidence, we are able to receive Mary as our mother.  In the Gospel according to John (19: 26-27), during his crucifixion, Jesus addresses his Mother “Woman, behold your son.”  Then he said to the disciple “behold your Mother.”  As Catholics, we believe in that statement from the cross, Jesus gave Mary to us, as our Mother and gave us to her as her children (to care for us, guide us and love us as our Mother and for her to care for our souls as her children).

For many of us, our biggest struggle with our walk with Christ is our inability to totally surrender our will to His Divine Will. Mary could.  Her yes, or fiat, brought us our Savior.

We should pray daily to be the parent that Mary was; patient, humble, obedient, and disciplined.  She is an example we should truly desire to follow in our walk with Christ; to have the faith to say yes no matter what the circumstances.  She said yes knowing that to be pregnant, “betrothed to Joseph, but not living with him yet,” often times resulted in stoning; she could have been killed for her obedience.  

If we could be that obedient and surrender our will to God’s as she did, imagine the parent and partner we could be and the beautiful service to our extended family and community, all to glorify God and His Kingdom.  

A local priest recently shared this wisdom of Mary in his homily, "We can't lover her too much.  We love her correctly when we love her as much as her son, Jesus Christ."

Tool #5  – St. Joseph – The picture of obedience.  St. Joseph did not speak one word in Holy Scripture.  It is not his words that are to inspire us; it is his prompt and humble obedience to the Will of God.

In Matthew 1:24 Joseph learns that Mary is pregnant, out of wedlock and decides to privately divorce her.  In his sleep an angel appears to him and assures him that this child is of God, verse 23 “to be called “Emmanuel, which translated means, “God with us.” ²⁴ And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife… and he called His name Jesus.

Later on, In Matthew 2:13-14 we find the Holy Family asleep and “An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.’”  What does Joseph do?  In verse 14 “So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.”

This example is to highlight the kind of man chosen as Jesus’ foster father.  Joseph was selected by God himself and foretold in scripture to come from the line of David.   This is the kind of man God called to lead the Holy Family.  This is the kind of man called to lead our families.

Tool #6 -  Prayer & Obedience –

“Prayer is to our soul what rain is to the soil. Fertilize the soil ever so richly; it will remain barren unless fed by frequent rains.” -- St John Vianney

How often do you talk to your best friend?  Mine is my husband, so, usually all day long (via phone, text, and of course in person before and after work). 

You cannot have a close relationship with God unless you both talk with and listen to Him.  This conversation is simply called ‘prayer.’  

The Bible – “Bible before breakfast and bible before bed;” start with the Gospels.  If the goal is sainthood (and it is), the answer to every questions lies with these amazing pages.  I started with the book of Matthew, years back and made that a key part to my Lenten prayer.  I have since made the Gospels the center of my morning prayers.   

The Rosary – In 1917, in Fatima Portugal, Mary instructed three young children, “Say the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world.”  There are also special graces that accompany those who pray the rosary.  

Years ago, when I was working outside the home, I started praying the rosary in my car.  I bought a rosary CD from Lighthouse Catholic Ministries and could follow along very easily and it was incredibly efficient!  I later happened upon a great booklet entitled “Let’s pray the rosary, not just say the rosary.”   I gained a great love for the rosary as a result of both of these great resources.

Obedience is a result of having heard God’s will for you, through prayer and… here comes the hard part - doing it!  In Luke 8:21 Jesus enlightens the crowd, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it." 

“We must do the will of the Father, keep our bodies pure, and observe the commandments of the Lord, for this is the way to obtain eternal life”.  -- Sermon of the second century

It would be far more fun to read a great book or check email, than iron a shirt or clean the ceiling fan blades. Nevertheless, we are called to obey within the duties of our vocation.  Acts of obedience glorify God and please Him greatly.  As Jesus told St. Faustina “My daughter, know that "You give Me greater glory by a single act of obedience, than by long prayers and [sacrifices].

Tool #7 – Eucharistic Adoration – Spending quiet time alone with Jesus can be very transformative.   

I did not even know there was such a thing until I attended a Steubenville Youth Conference in 2002. Eucharistic Adoration is a gift; a true treasure in our Catholic faith.

Remember Jesus came for us, for the sinners, and remains with us in the Eucharist to sustain us until we meet Him again in an eternal family.  Again, Jesus taught us, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."  (Mark 2:17)  We are the sinners, He came for us.  Give Him your worries, troubles, sickness.  Spend time with Him and place these things at His feet “…for My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  (Matthew 11:30)

I have spent countless hours with Jesus, both in front of the tabernacle, as well as in an Adoration Chapel.   During these hours, I either pray the Stations of the Cross, the rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, read the lives of saints or other spiritual reading.  Sometimes I just sit with Him.   I always bring my troubles to Him and He consoles me in some way, but typically nothing extraordinary.

However, I had worked outside the home until our fourth child was to be born (Charlie).  My husband and I agreed that I would no longer work outside the home and be a stay-at-home Mom.

I was afraid that I would not do a good job; terrified really.  I lacked patience.  I stopped in at the Eucharistic Adoration Chapel, on my way to my contract, and wept. Entreating Jesus, I told Him,”I can’t do this; I am scared I will not do a good job with these precious gifts you have given me!”

Jesus approached me and He laid his hands on my head and gently spoke.  He said “You are right, you cannot do it alone, but with Me you can.””

As Blessed John Paul II assures us “Jesus in the Eucharist … remains with us sacramentally to travel with us along our ways, so that with His power, we can cope with our problems, our toil, our suffering. – International Eucharistic Congress 1980, John Paul II 4

There are many local parishes that have daily, weekly, and even perpetual adoration available.  At St. Mary’s in Waverly we have adoration 24 hours per day Monday – Friday. 

I have included a link for more information about Jesus' real presence in the Eucharistic - The Real Presence.

 “He [Jesus] is in our midst, He dwells with us, full of grace and truth. He restores morality, nourishes virtues, consoles afflicted and strengthens the weak.” Pope Paul

Tool # 8  The prayer of quiet –  Turn off the TV, music, Facebook, texts, and email.  For awhile each day, sit quietly with our Lord.  Try to remove extra noise from your day, little by little.  I assure you, the more ‘quiet’ you surround yourself with; the more capable you will be of hearing God in your life.   Turn off your radio at your desk, and even in the car on your commute.

In relationships, quiet works as well.  I tell my children, think, pray, and then speak.  There are at least three reasonable responses to any situation or statement.  Positive feedback and / or silence are oftentimes the most difficult for us all; at least this is true for our home.

For example, “Oh look, the sky is clear and blue today!”  Response, “no there are some clouds, hello!”  If your response does not benefit the person, help the person avoid sin, or build up the kingdom, remain silent. 

Tool #9 - Lives of Saints - Read about their lives and get to know them.

When I asked my spiritual director how I could grow in holiness, he suggested that I add the lives of saints to my spiritual reading.  Their stories are steeped in wisdom.

I am able to learn about the lives of saints with my children in the car (I listen) while they listen to and watch great stories from Glory Stories and EWTN's My Catholic Family DVDs.

I also read aloud these stories to my children during "Snack and Bible" daily at 3:00PM.  I love the books by Amy Welborn (Loyola Press), The Vision Book Series, all of the books by Mary Fabyan Windeatt, and the Encounter the Saints Series.

To start, I suggest you learn about Blessed Mother Teresa, St. Therese (The Little Flower), The Children of Fatima, St. Faustina, St. Padre Pio, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Bernadette, and Blessed John Paul II).  Some of these saints bore the stigmata, could bi-locate, and even levitate while in prayer.  These lives captivate and inspire us.  Get to know one saint and you will want to get to know more. 

Summary

You now know what a saint is, that you are called to be one, and that the surest way to sainthood is through your vocation, with His Grace.  To become a saint, we must know, love, and serve Him; through our families, right where He has placed us.

There are many tools to aid us in our journey and I pray you employ them.  God is counting on it!  

We are all called to be saints, and once you get to know God, He will begin to show forth His generosity, to spoil you rotten.  You will find that the more you cooperate with His grace, and answer His call, the more he will shower you with His generosity.  God wants to show off, let Him.  He cannot be outdone in generosity! 

St. Francis of Assisi assures us:

·         Start by doing what is necessary

·         then what is possible

·         and suddenly you are doing the impossible

 

Sources

1 – Bennett, Father, New St Joseph - Baltimore Catechism, 1964, Catholic Book Publishing

2 - Suite 101 - Francine Morrissette

3 – Modern Catholic Dictionary - by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.

4 - Holy Heroes.com - Blessed Mother Teresa

 

In truth, this entire work was through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 

I am not that good.

+JMJ+