Gen X: Pentecost

Remember this?

I seem to be moving through this Gen X article really slowly. It keeps nagging me to continue on so maybe I should listen!

Today it’s all about Pentecost.

Pentecost is a Christian celebration. Back in the day there was this guy named Jesus. He died for us and our sins. We celebrate His death and resurrection on Easter Sunday.

50 days after Easter Sunday is Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost is the celebration of when the Holy Spirit came down and descended on the Apostles.

I try to put myself into the story at that point. Here I am, an Apostle of Christ. I’ve already witnessed His death and I’m totally confused as to this new-found Resurrection thing that He’s done. Things are just starting to settle down and life is trying to get back to normal when BAM! The Holy Spirit comes with tongues of fire upon us. We’re all speaking languages we do not understand coming from our mouths but can hear someone else speaking our native language. I imagine the Apostles were like “WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?!”

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. Acts 2:1-6

Gen X: Sanctifying Grace

Continuing on my Generation X explaination of Catholic terms, the next term to be discussed is Santifying Grace.

Grace is a difficult concept to grasp for those who are not familiar with it. It’s also a little hard to describe. Grace isn’t a tangible item that you can see (much like faith, and belief), but it is a gift from God.

There are several definitions of the word grace, but the grace that is being discussed quite simply means: a gift from God. It’s kinda like a little booster shot. You go to the doctor to get a vaccine but occasionally need the booster shot to keep the illness at bay. That’s kinda like what a grace is. Graces are gifts from God that help us to get closer to Him. They assist in the sanctification of our souls so that we may someday hopefully, be able to stand before Him in Heaven.

Catholics believe there are two types of grace: Actual grace and Sanctifying grace. Sanctifying grace is the grace that most Christians (I think) can agree on. This is grace received upon baptism/justification. It’s infused by the Holy Spirit so that we may be holy children of God.

The best thing about sanctifying grace is that it is a part of your soul as long as a mortal sin isn’t committed. It serves as a bond so to speak, to our God. It’s what keeps us yearning for Him more and more.

God is always showering us with graces, but it’s important to remember that they are gifts and not to take them for granted. We are human, and in our humanness we fall – we sin – we disobey, and anything that is a detriment to your relationship with God, damages your soul.

Thankfully Jesus invented the Sacrament of Reconcilliation (or confession) and He is a Forgiving God.

“How deeply you’re connected to my soul”

There is a song written by Shania Noll entitled “How Could Anyone?”

The song is a bit repetitive but it has significant meaning to me. Here are the words:

How could anyone ever tell you,
You are anything less than beautiful
How could anyone ever tell you,
You are less than whole
How could anyone fail to notice
That you’re loving is a miracle
How deeply you’re connected to my soul

There’s some music in the background, but it repeats. This song has touched the lives of many women who have taken part of a lay movement called ACTS (which stands for Adoration Community Theology Service).

Today when trying to come up with a blog title, this song came to mind.

How deeply you’re connected to my soul

Whenever I’ve heard this song, I’ve always thought of my friend Sandy who would sing it in my ear while hugging me. Today though, I find myself thinking of my grandfather.

Today is his birthday – his 10th one in heaven. He would’ve been 75 today. Even though it’s been 10 years since he’s walked this earth, he is still terribly missed. It’s a bittersweet occasion (every May 18th and January 16th when he died) because while my humanness and selfishness wants him to be here with me, I know that he is in such a better place – at Home where he belongs.

My grandfather was the first person to really immerse me in my Catholic faith. My mother would bring us to mass – not every Sunday – but I always remember my grandfather going – sometimes daily – and he always had a set of rosaries close by. He was such an example of faith to me growing up.

I know that he is with me today – and every day. He is a heavenly being – not just bound to heaven. There is a whole spiritual world that goes on around us that we usually cannot see.

I had a friend of mine make a scoffing remark about whether I was going to “visit him at his grave” – complete with chuckle. And I had to pause and think for a minute. I’ve never understood why non-Catholics have been taught to believe that once someone is dead, they are dead and they can never hear you again. Yes, their body is dead but we are not just made up of bodies – we have a soul. It’s their soul that goes on living in eternity. Why would we not be able to communicate with the Body of Christ? They are baptized members of the Church – it is their soul that gets the graces – not their bodies. Even when you were baptized, it was your soul that received the blessings and grace and forgiveness and mercy of Christ – not your physical body.

While I don’t go around having full fledged conversations with “the dead”, I will talk to those who have passed (ie. loved ones, saints, etc). They are a part of my soul – part of the Body of Christ. I can’t see God. I can’t see Jesus. I can’t see the Holy Spirit. And while they are all of divine nature and are elevated to a different plateau then normal everyday folk, I still believe they are present and around me. I may not hear them speak my name, but I know within my soul that they are there. I believe the same to be true of those who have passed on before me – including the saints.

It’s the gift of faith.

Happy Birthday Pepere. I hope you are celebrating your 10th birthday in heaven with style! You are loved…

Planned Parenthood

Disclaimer: This entry contains adult sensitive subjects.

*There will be two posts today please make sure you read them both*

The debate of the year is about Planned Parenthood and whether the government should provide funding for it. Most Catholics are against the funding for multiple reasons with the biggest one being the fact that PP provides abortion services.

If you mention that one fact alone to those who do support it, they will berate you and point out all the other ‘great things’ that PP does for women in our nation. I will admit that there are a few services that they provide that can be considered good – such as cancer screenings and gynecological exams – but the bad far out weigh the good.

I came across this pie chart in my reader today and I knew I had to share it. I’m not sure exactly how accurate it is, and I do not stand by the facts as 100% truth. It does however, give a pretty good breakdown of where our tax money is going to.

According to this chart, abortion services are only about 3% of what PP funds each year. Don’t get me wrong, 3% of 11.4 million is a lot – a lot of babies dying each year. I can see why though pro PP’ers would argue that abortions are such a small percentage of their services.

The thing that alarms me though, that I never really considered (mostly because I never had a number to base any facts on) is the contraception piece. According to this chart, in 2009 35% of Planned Parenthood’s services was contraception. Not only is the Catholic church against abortions (for the mere fact of ending a life already in progress) but we are also against contraception. The usage of contraception is to prevent a pregnancy and while society tells us it’s perfectly okay – better to be safe than sorry – the Church teaches that it is in fact NOT okay.

The act of sexual intercourse is not one to be taken lightly. Women (and men) are not sexual objects. Yes, we all have desires (I know, I struggle with this often), but we are all created for so much more. We are a temple of the Holy Spirit. Each Sunday when we go to Mass, we have Jesus – His actual Body (and sometimes Blood) inside of our physical body as well as in our heart and soul. If we treat our bodies as if they are not of importance – that they are just another “thing” to use in this world, then we will be used. Society has us duped to believe that sex is this glorious fun time without any strings or consequences. Anyone who has had sex will tell you that every time one partakes in the act of a sexual union, a piece of them gets left behind.

Sex is something exclusive for marriage. It is a gift for your spouse – the gift of yourself. Doesn’t your spouse deserve it? Isn’t he/she worth it? When you treat sex as just an ordinary activity, like jogging for an example, you devalue not only yourself, but your relationship with your spouse. Contraception shouldn’t be used in marital relations – especially as a Catholic. God creates life. Contraception prevents it. We are not God. We don’t have the right to have that control.

Planned Parenthood also offers STD screenings and treatments. 35% of the 11.4 million serviced were tested and/or treated for STD’s. I think it goes without saying that you can’t catch STD’s if you aren’t having sex. If sex wasn’t treated as such a glorious “feel good” activity, would PP have a need to exist? If society had a conversion, and realized all the implications that sexual relationships have – all the heartache and all the medical implications and the pregnancy risk. If everyone viewed sex as the act of creating another life, and not the “it feels so good so lets do it” attitude, maybe Planned Parenthood would cease to exist, and the government (or us rather) wouldn’t have to be paying for services that are morally wrong.

The forgotten One

Image by hickory hardscrabble via Flickr

Father. Son. Holy Spirit.

Three persons – one God.

I pray to the Father a lot.

I also pray to the Son, but I can say I’ve never prayed to the Holy Spirit. I know a lot of people tend to over look the third person of the trinity. But why?

Is it because the Holy Spirit isn’t a “person”…or is there another reason?

What is your relationship with the Holy Spirit?

I’m interested to hear how others incorporate the third part of the trinity, into their lives.

St. Joseph – Pray for us #Catholic

March 19th. The feast day of St. Joseph.

Joseph, husband to Mary.

Joseph, father to Jesus.

Joseph, chosen above all other men to care for our Savior.

The angel came to him three times in dreams. I won’t focus on the significance of the number three – most people are aware about the symbolism of the number that runs rampant throughout the Bible.

Joseph was a simple man. A carpenter. Do you know of any carpenters in your life today? Or how about just men? Imagine, they were told that they were going to raise a baby that was created by him – or by any other man – but by the Holy Spirit. I don’t know how receptive I would be to the news that my soon to be wife is pregnant with a child that isn’t mine – how much more mind boggling do you think it was when the angel came to visit Joseph in a dream to tell him that the child in Mary’s womb is of divine nature!

Mind. Boggling.

I do have to say that I love the way that even in this one bible story, it’s clear that men and women need to be treated and dealt with differently. The angel Gabriel came to visit Mary while she was awake -  just doing her chores. Not Joseph though. Are men a bit more stubborn to get the message across to? Is that why the angel appeared to him in a dream instead of during awake hours?

Makes you wonder!

I commend Joseph, and while I’m not a male, I want to be more like him. He is a model father, but he’s also a man of obedience (much like Mary). He could’ve easily have run away – played Mary as an adulteress – but he didn’t. He instead, took Jesus in his arms as his own child and helped to shape Him into the man that He is (though I’m also certain that God had a big part in that!).

During my bible study with the teens (which is done next week – crazy!), the presenter, Mark Hart, was talking about Joseph. So often we look back at the nativity story, and just prior, as Joseph’s “big moment”. Not much more is said about Joseph after Jesus’ birth – sure there are a few mentions, such as when they were searching for Him before finding Him in the temple – but in the grand scheme of the Bible, Joseph isn’t mentioned all that much. Let’s think about him though. I mean, he was asked to spend his life with Mary, his sinless wife, and Jesus, God himself. Can you imagine sitting around the dinner table with both Jesus and Mary, while it’s your turn to say the blessing? Talk about pressure!

Today, on this feast of St. Joseph, may we all strive to be open to what God is asking of us. May we be obedient to the voice of God and may we pray that the young men of this world will seek him as a role model of obedience and love.

Wretched

“The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self; there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection except at the price of pain”                         St. Padre Pio

I’m a sinner.

A sinner unworthy of Christs’ love and even more unworthy of His calling.

God has opened my eyes to several of my weaknesses over the past few days…and I feel so sickened that my behavior isn’t always Christ-like.

Last night during  youth group, I was teaching on listening to God’s voice. Listening to hear Him calling you…to hear Him leading the way for you…to hear which direction He wants you to go in life. I was on fire…both literally, and figuratively. The words coming out of my mouth were plentiful, and the kids were a captive audience for 45 minutes (and would’ve been for longer had we had more time). It was such an awesome experience. To stand there and discuss discernment, even in my own life…and how I’ve heard God speak to me.

As I drove home, I realized just how much of a sinner I am.  Reflecting back on my journey and how I’ve heard His voice…I realized just how wretched I am.

The band Casting Crowns says it better than I ever can:

“Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth, would care to know my name, would care to feel my hurt. Who am I, that the voice that calms the sea would call out through the rain, and calm the storm in me. Not because of who I am, but because of what You’ve done. Not because of what I’ve done, but because of who You are…”

I am not worthy. I am a wretched sinner. Yet He loves me anyway. Yet He continues to use me and call me by name. It is because of His mercy and grace that I am able to even speak His name…to have faith in Him…to know Him. The gift of faith is one of the most precious gifts one could ever receive. What a blessing it is to have been given it.

“I am the wretch that the song refers to…”

Modesty

¹⁹Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? ²⁰For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.  - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Every Sunday at Mass, the Body of Christ is consumed in the Eucharist. Once consuming the Body of Christ, your body becomes a living, breathing, tabernacle. A tabernacle is the place where the consecrated hosts (the bread that has already been blessed into the Body of Christ) is held.

A living, breathing tabernacle. Meaning the Body of Christ is dwelling within us. A temple of the Holy Spirit. God dwelling within us. Usually you will find a tabernacle in the church is a “golden box”. Typically this box is beautifully made…very ornate. It’s a special “box”…fit for a king. All decked out in the finest of fineries. Designed to look similar to the Ark of the Covenant that God instructed Moses to build while on Mount Sinai. (Exodus 25)

Such an elaborate place for our Savior. Much respect is shown while Jesus is present in the tabernacle (which is every day with the exception of the night of Holy Thursday, and during Good Friday and Holy Saturday. His body is present again after mass is said during the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday). Respect is shown because Jesus is present. But what many people forget, is that once one receives communion, Jesus is present within US as well. If Jesus is present within us, shouldn’t as much respect be given to our body?

Living in a world today so full of sexual images, sexual tendencies, and many sexual innuendos, it’s often difficult to remove yourself from the immodesty the world gives and lures you towards. Society tells us that our body should be used to glorify our sexual desires, instead of glorifying God. Our bodies were not made to be sexual icons. Our bodies were made to glorify our creator. Our bodies are not our own…they are just temporarily on loan to us. What is our own however, is our soul. The more we try to demoralize ourselves, the more of a mark it leaves on our soul.

You may think that you don’t flaunt your body and make yourself a sexual icon, but take a look at the way you dress. About 85% of the clothes out there today, flaunt body parts that send off messages to those around us. Tight pants that curve tightly to your butt…a tight shirt to conform and show off your muscles/boobs…all of which is demoralizing to your body.

What do you need to change in your life to make yourself more modest? The way you talk or the things you do? The way you dress or look at others?

Lord, help us to be walking tabernacles. Help us to be respectful of one another, and mindful of the body that you’ve given us temporarily. Help us to use our body, not to glorify ourselves, but to glorify You.

The REAL meaning of infallibility

Infallible.

What does that really mean? Let good ‘ol Webster help:

1. incapable of error
2. not liable to mislead, deceive, or disappoint
3. incapable of error in defining doctrines touching faith or morals

In the Catholic church, we have a hierarchy of command…like in many organizations. At the head of command, is the Holy Father…also known as the pope. And by command, what I mean is the pope is the guy who is in charge of the churches teachings and keeping them enforced.

The pope, is man. He is human. He doesn’t have supernatural powers. He isn’t the authority of all things. He sins. He makes errors. As we all do. Catholics believe in his infallibility in regards to faith and morals. The pope is not infallible in geography, or mathematics or economics…just in faith and morals. Catholics believe that the pope is chosen with the intercession of the Holy Spirit. The process of “electing” a new pope can be tedious, but in the end we believe that the process is Holy Spirit driven.

The infallibility placed on the pope is a huge deal. Catholics are to obey what he says in regards to faith and morals, but if a pope were to attempt to teach a false doctrine, there are punishments…not by mortals here on earth, but from God…even to such an extreme as death.

An interesting tidbit: no pope in 2000 years has formally taught an error of faith or morals to the Church…it’s serious business.  The pope is the only member of the church with infallibility. No member of clergy (ie priests, bishops, cardinals, deacons) are infallible.

Now. Infallibility does NOT equal perfection. The pope is not, nor cannot claim to be perfect in his decisions or actions. Again, it goes back to the humanness of such a man…