Holy Week has very quickly become my favorite week of the whole year. Past the fact that it means Easter is coming VERY soon, the services themselves, and every part that they portray are the most beautiful mysteries that I've ever known. The Story of our Salvation is brought before our eyes during this week, beginning last Sunday on Palm Sunday.
Sitting in Church before the Chrism Mass the other day, I was praying and asking Jesus why of all people did He choose me for a certain thing. His response that He gave me in the quiet of my heart went something like this: "Daughter, to me, you are the only one." This response puzzled me for just a moment, but then the response slowly began making more sense to me.
Each person that God creates He looks at as if they are the only person He has ever created in the History of the world. And that's the way He loves us, like we are the only person He ever made. He looks at us like we are the only one. But yet He loves each one of us equally. This, at least for me anyways is something that is a little difficult to wrap my limited human mind around. How could anyone love me so much like there is nobody else in existence, but yet love each and every person just as much as He loves me? It seems like a contradiction, but of course God is God, and I am not. And God is capable of anything. (After all, He is love itself!)
We are entering into the week of the year that we as Catholics call Holy. It began this last Sunday with the Celebration of Palm Sunday, the celebration of Jesus entering Jerusalem, and then also the commemoration of Jesus' Passion on the cross. This is the first time in the year that we are reminded of that great love that took place so long ago. That's what this week is about. Love. In the purest form imaginable. And sometimes, love isn't all beautiful and painless. Sometimes love hurts, sometimes it is just painful.
The love we reflect on this week is the greatest form of love ever given to humans. Ever given to us. Ever give to YOU. You see, even if you were the only person in the world, and nobody else existed, Jesus still would have outstretched His arms and died for you. Remember, Jesus looks at each one of us as if we are the only one ever created.
So let us enter into these Holy Week mysteries with an open heart. Let us reflect on and embrace this beautiful gift of self that the Lord has bestowed on us.
I hope you all have a blessed Holy Week and a joyous Easter!
Peace to you,
Catherine
The Young Apologist
"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" and I said, "Here I am Lord, send me!"
- Isaiah 6:8
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
The Greatest Mystery
One of the hardest mysteries to comprehend known to humans: The Holy Eucharist. If you think about it, the belief in the Eucharist is a pretty mysterious thing. It is something that no, we don't fully understand, but yet it is totally and completely 100% true.
I was contemplating this mystery earlier as I was sitting in front of the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration earlier this morning. I have been to a variety of different types of Masses and Churches (Although I have never been to a Latin mass... But it's on my list of things to do!) And the difference in the way people approach the mass is tremendous. I've been to masses where the people sit, stand, and kneel at the different 'normal' times, and I've also been to masses where the people wouldn't kneel at all, or even masses where the people sat for the whole mass.
It is my personal belief that all those who are able should be kneeling during certain parts of the mass. (During the Consecration and right after the Lamb of God.) And this is why: If we could fully understand what is right before us, would we even think for a moment about standing? Right before our eyes is the very essence, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of the one who gave us the ability to stand.
If we could fully understand and all the 'blinders' were taken from our eyes to see the True Presence without a single grain of doubt would we be able to stand, or would we be too in awe of what is before us that it literally makes us weak. After all, if God stopped thinking about us for one moment, just one moment, we would cease to exist. We cannot exist without Him. Talk about power.
But even with all that power, God chooses to come down to us in the simple forms of bread and wine. He chooses to remain simple, because if He was to totally reveal Himself to us, we would be in such awe, and so petrified by His presence. He leaves it up to us to choose Him, because if He totally revealed Himself, there would be no choice for us. We would just automatically accept him.
That being said, why do we treat the Eucharist as if it is something totally normal? It is truly a divine gift from God, to be treasured, to be honored, and to be given the most profound respect by us humans.
That's why I choose to kneel at Mass. (and why I think everyone who is able should do likewise.) The Savior of the world is fully physically present before my eyes, (and enters inside of my very beings.) and deserves as much respect as I can possibly give Him in my human frailty..
God Bless you all,
Catherine
I was contemplating this mystery earlier as I was sitting in front of the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration earlier this morning. I have been to a variety of different types of Masses and Churches (Although I have never been to a Latin mass... But it's on my list of things to do!) And the difference in the way people approach the mass is tremendous. I've been to masses where the people sit, stand, and kneel at the different 'normal' times, and I've also been to masses where the people wouldn't kneel at all, or even masses where the people sat for the whole mass.
It is my personal belief that all those who are able should be kneeling during certain parts of the mass. (During the Consecration and right after the Lamb of God.) And this is why: If we could fully understand what is right before us, would we even think for a moment about standing? Right before our eyes is the very essence, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of the one who gave us the ability to stand.
If we could fully understand and all the 'blinders' were taken from our eyes to see the True Presence without a single grain of doubt would we be able to stand, or would we be too in awe of what is before us that it literally makes us weak. After all, if God stopped thinking about us for one moment, just one moment, we would cease to exist. We cannot exist without Him. Talk about power.
But even with all that power, God chooses to come down to us in the simple forms of bread and wine. He chooses to remain simple, because if He was to totally reveal Himself to us, we would be in such awe, and so petrified by His presence. He leaves it up to us to choose Him, because if He totally revealed Himself, there would be no choice for us. We would just automatically accept him.
That being said, why do we treat the Eucharist as if it is something totally normal? It is truly a divine gift from God, to be treasured, to be honored, and to be given the most profound respect by us humans.
That's why I choose to kneel at Mass. (and why I think everyone who is able should do likewise.) The Savior of the world is fully physically present before my eyes, (and enters inside of my very beings.) and deserves as much respect as I can possibly give Him in my human frailty..
God Bless you all,
Catherine
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Confessions of a Sinner
I am a sinner. But I'm also a human, and in my description of my human qualities, is sin. But Jesus came to make me a saint, and with His grace, I pray that one day I may obtain just that; the grace to overcome my selfish sinful ways and dwell with Him forever in my Heavenly home that he is already prepared for me.
I love all the Catholic Sacraments, but one of my favorites (Next to the Eucharist of course.) Is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Jesus gave his Apostles the ability to forgive sins,(John 20:23) and it's been passed down through generations so that all the people may have the ability to experience God's grace in such a profound way. There is absolutely no experience that could compare to the experience of receiving God's grace in such a extraordinary way.
Protestants may argue that they don't need to confess their sins to another person. That they can confess their sins to God, and there is no need for doing any other extra things. Catholics believe in confessing their sins to God as well, but by means of the priest who is sitting "in persona christi" or 'In the place of Christ'. When we are sitting in the confessional, we believe that we are actually telling Jesus our sins.
There are also other things that we gain through our in counter with Christ in the confessional. We not only receive God's healing grace and mercy, we also learn a good lesson in humility. It takes a lot of courage to actually go and tell another human being what we did wrong, and how we've failed. It helps us to learn not to do what we did again. We also get wonderful advice on how to further our journey and to avoid the near occasion of sin.
Ask any Catholic about the "After Confession Feeling" and you are sure to get a smile. When one makes a sincere confession, it feels like an incredible weight has been lifted off your shoulders, and suddenly you realize that you have just been given a wonderful gift. I cannot think of any other feeling in the world quite like it. It's such a beautiful feeling.
God Bless you all,
Catherine
I love all the Catholic Sacraments, but one of my favorites (Next to the Eucharist of course.) Is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Jesus gave his Apostles the ability to forgive sins,(John 20:23) and it's been passed down through generations so that all the people may have the ability to experience God's grace in such a profound way. There is absolutely no experience that could compare to the experience of receiving God's grace in such a extraordinary way.
Protestants may argue that they don't need to confess their sins to another person. That they can confess their sins to God, and there is no need for doing any other extra things. Catholics believe in confessing their sins to God as well, but by means of the priest who is sitting "in persona christi" or 'In the place of Christ'. When we are sitting in the confessional, we believe that we are actually telling Jesus our sins.
There are also other things that we gain through our in counter with Christ in the confessional. We not only receive God's healing grace and mercy, we also learn a good lesson in humility. It takes a lot of courage to actually go and tell another human being what we did wrong, and how we've failed. It helps us to learn not to do what we did again. We also get wonderful advice on how to further our journey and to avoid the near occasion of sin.
Ask any Catholic about the "After Confession Feeling" and you are sure to get a smile. When one makes a sincere confession, it feels like an incredible weight has been lifted off your shoulders, and suddenly you realize that you have just been given a wonderful gift. I cannot think of any other feeling in the world quite like it. It's such a beautiful feeling.
God Bless you all,
Catherine
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
I believe in God... Because I believe in Truth
I’ll begin this post with a simple question: “What is Truth?” Truth is ‘what is’. If something is true, than logically it cannot be false. For something to be true, we do not have to know that it is true, like that it is true, or prove that it is true, rather it just is true whether we want to admit it or not. If it has not been proven false, than there is still a possibility that it may be true; even if the evidence might point against it. But remember that something that is objectively true is always true, for every single person that ever walked the earth.
So looking logically at what I hold to be a truth, that is the existence of an all knowing, all loving God, we have to take a step back for a moment. God cannot exist and not exist at the same time. Ether he does or he doesn’t. There isn’t any other option. He can’t partly exist ether. Based on the other things that I pointed out in this text, I believe fully that yes, in fact he does exist. And if what I believe holds truth, than it is false that there is no God. However, vise-versa is also true I suppose. If there truly is no God, then I (and billions of other people.) are insanely crazy. Also remember; for something to be true, we don’t have to believe that it’s true, or even like the fact that it is true. It just is true.
The way I see it, everyone in this world is seeking to find out what is true. Even the atheists who claim there is no God have a ‘truth’. They claim that the ‘truth’ is that there is no God. Where does this desire to know the truth come from? Of course human are curious being, but if there is no God, why do we have to we have to waste so much time trying to falsify his existence? What difference would it make? If there is no God, than all the billions and billions of people who ever believed in him were delusional.
Was there a man that walked this earth named Jesus Christ? In fact, historical evidence does point to the existence of Jesus Christ. By logic, if he did exist, than in fact it is impossible for him to not have existed. He could not have existed for some, but not for others. Now if you ask people if Jesus was a good person, most will agree with you that yes, Jesus was a good man. But in fact, Jesus was one of two things: he was ether a good man, and fully God, or he was insanely crazy. He could not be both.
Jesus came onto this earth claiming to be God. If there truly is no God, this claim would be insanely crazy. If in fact Jesus was God, than the fact that God exists is undeniable. In the same way, if it is not true that God exists, than myself and billions and billions of people that have come before me are not good people, we are crazy delusional lunatics that are running loose around the world.
God Bless you all,
Catherine
So looking logically at what I hold to be a truth, that is the existence of an all knowing, all loving God, we have to take a step back for a moment. God cannot exist and not exist at the same time. Ether he does or he doesn’t. There isn’t any other option. He can’t partly exist ether. Based on the other things that I pointed out in this text, I believe fully that yes, in fact he does exist. And if what I believe holds truth, than it is false that there is no God. However, vise-versa is also true I suppose. If there truly is no God, then I (and billions of other people.) are insanely crazy. Also remember; for something to be true, we don’t have to believe that it’s true, or even like the fact that it is true. It just is true.
The way I see it, everyone in this world is seeking to find out what is true. Even the atheists who claim there is no God have a ‘truth’. They claim that the ‘truth’ is that there is no God. Where does this desire to know the truth come from? Of course human are curious being, but if there is no God, why do we have to we have to waste so much time trying to falsify his existence? What difference would it make? If there is no God, than all the billions and billions of people who ever believed in him were delusional.
Was there a man that walked this earth named Jesus Christ? In fact, historical evidence does point to the existence of Jesus Christ. By logic, if he did exist, than in fact it is impossible for him to not have existed. He could not have existed for some, but not for others. Now if you ask people if Jesus was a good person, most will agree with you that yes, Jesus was a good man. But in fact, Jesus was one of two things: he was ether a good man, and fully God, or he was insanely crazy. He could not be both.
Jesus came onto this earth claiming to be God. If there truly is no God, this claim would be insanely crazy. If in fact Jesus was God, than the fact that God exists is undeniable. In the same way, if it is not true that God exists, than myself and billions and billions of people that have come before me are not good people, we are crazy delusional lunatics that are running loose around the world.
God Bless you all,
Catherine
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
"Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
"Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Those are the words taken right from scripture (Genesis 3:19) that are said as the ashes are being placed on foreheads on Ash Wednesday. (Which happens to be tomorrow.)
This placement of ashes on the forehead is an outward sign that without God, we are nothing. It also reminds us that this world is not our eternal home and that we were made for more. Our bodies will eventually 'return to dust' and we will (God willing.) be in heaven with our Father. Ash Wednesday is also one of my favorite days of the year because it's one of the only day you can walk around and know exactly who the Catholics are.
Lent is the beginning of a beautiful journey towards the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. A time for growing deeper in our relationship with Christ. It is symbolic of the 40 days of fasting and praying that Jesus did in the desert. For us, Lent is a time to really step back and reflect on the life of Jesus and that cross that he endured for the sake of our salvation.
A common question that Catholics typically ask each other during this time of year is "What are you giving up for Lent?" While giving up things is all good, it is only good if it is for the right reasons. The real question we should be asking is: "What are you doing this Lent to grow closer in your relationship with God?"
These little 'sacrifices' we make can come in several forms. They can be things like giving up facebook, to giving up sleeping in your bed, to making more time for prayer or reading of Scripture, to giving up complaining, to fasting from certain foods... The list goes on. There are no 'guidelines' to how you should seek to draw closer to Christ.
Lent is a time of prayer, fasting, and repentance in preparation for the Salvation of the world. As the Ashes on Ash Wednesday remind us, it's not about us, or how many sacrifices we make. It's not about what we do, it's how we do it. It is about our relationship with Jesus Christ and how we choose to better our relationship with him through our actions.
So I encourage you, Brothers and Sisters, to dive deeper into this Lent then you ever have before. Don't ask yourselves: "What should I give up for Lent this year?" Instead ask yourselves the question of: "What can I do to further enter into my relationship with Jesus Christ this Lent?"
God Bless you all!
-Catherine
This placement of ashes on the forehead is an outward sign that without God, we are nothing. It also reminds us that this world is not our eternal home and that we were made for more. Our bodies will eventually 'return to dust' and we will (God willing.) be in heaven with our Father. Ash Wednesday is also one of my favorite days of the year because it's one of the only day you can walk around and know exactly who the Catholics are.
Lent is the beginning of a beautiful journey towards the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. A time for growing deeper in our relationship with Christ. It is symbolic of the 40 days of fasting and praying that Jesus did in the desert. For us, Lent is a time to really step back and reflect on the life of Jesus and that cross that he endured for the sake of our salvation.
A common question that Catholics typically ask each other during this time of year is "What are you giving up for Lent?" While giving up things is all good, it is only good if it is for the right reasons. The real question we should be asking is: "What are you doing this Lent to grow closer in your relationship with God?"
These little 'sacrifices' we make can come in several forms. They can be things like giving up facebook, to giving up sleeping in your bed, to making more time for prayer or reading of Scripture, to giving up complaining, to fasting from certain foods... The list goes on. There are no 'guidelines' to how you should seek to draw closer to Christ.
Lent is a time of prayer, fasting, and repentance in preparation for the Salvation of the world. As the Ashes on Ash Wednesday remind us, it's not about us, or how many sacrifices we make. It's not about what we do, it's how we do it. It is about our relationship with Jesus Christ and how we choose to better our relationship with him through our actions.
So I encourage you, Brothers and Sisters, to dive deeper into this Lent then you ever have before. Don't ask yourselves: "What should I give up for Lent this year?" Instead ask yourselves the question of: "What can I do to further enter into my relationship with Jesus Christ this Lent?"
God Bless you all!
-Catherine
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
The Love of Jesus
This morning, I spent a considerable amount of time in Eucharistic Adoration. Being that today is Valentine's day, I was very happy to be able to spend it with my Eternal Lover. I am not single, I am in an everlasting relationship with Jesus Christ.Eventually all other romances are going to fade away. There is only one romance that will forever remain; the relationship one has with Jesus Christ.
But yet, he gives us the beauty of human relationship. Why? To help each other grow in holiness and lead one another to the Father. The ultimate goal God gave to each and every one of us is to be with Him in heaven, forever. That is what each of our hearts ultimately longs for. The love that only Jesus can give us. We have human relationships to help us along our path to heaven.
This day is so over crowded with 'love' and romance, and going on dates. It often leaves so many of us feeling left out because we don't have a 'special someone' to spend the day with. Jesus is always there, longing for us to love him. But are we too busy thinking about how lonely we are without another person to acknowledge his Holy presence? I was pondering that today. We complain about how 'alone' we are. But yet, if you think about it we are NEVER alone.
Jesus just longs for us to love him, but he gives us the free will to choose not to. He is ultimately the Lover of our Souls, the one that is always there. Plus, He's perfect. There is no way he's going to break off our relationship with Him. The only way we can damage it is by our own free will.
So on this Valentine's day, join with me in praying for those that truly feel like they are alone. That they might truly see their worth, and just how loved they are.
God Bless you all,
Catherine
But yet, he gives us the beauty of human relationship. Why? To help each other grow in holiness and lead one another to the Father. The ultimate goal God gave to each and every one of us is to be with Him in heaven, forever. That is what each of our hearts ultimately longs for. The love that only Jesus can give us. We have human relationships to help us along our path to heaven.
This day is so over crowded with 'love' and romance, and going on dates. It often leaves so many of us feeling left out because we don't have a 'special someone' to spend the day with. Jesus is always there, longing for us to love him. But are we too busy thinking about how lonely we are without another person to acknowledge his Holy presence? I was pondering that today. We complain about how 'alone' we are. But yet, if you think about it we are NEVER alone.
Jesus just longs for us to love him, but he gives us the free will to choose not to. He is ultimately the Lover of our Souls, the one that is always there. Plus, He's perfect. There is no way he's going to break off our relationship with Him. The only way we can damage it is by our own free will.
So on this Valentine's day, join with me in praying for those that truly feel like they are alone. That they might truly see their worth, and just how loved they are.
God Bless you all,
Catherine
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
What the Eucharist Means to Me
The Eucharist means many things to me. It means spiritual nourishment for my body and my soul. It means communion with other parts of the Body of Christ, but most importantly it means a very special and intimate encounter with my Lord, my Savior, my Creator, and my Divine Spouse, Jesus Christ.
The Eucharist means consuming into my body the very essence, (Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.) of the one who gave me everything that I have; the Creator of the universe. It means my Lord and Savior is intimately entering inside of me. Reception of the Eucharist means belittling myself to the reception of something much much greater then I could ever imagine.
For me, it also means taking part of the sacrifice that happened so long ago on Calvary. It gives me a chance to enter into the mystery of the sacrifice of the cross almost two thousand years after it happened. By taking part in the Holy Sacrifice it means giving my life over completely to Jesus, it means surrendering my very being to His Holy will and His divine plan for my life. It reminds me that I have been set apart, chosen for the furthering of Christ’s church here on earth. It also means that I am member of the Body of Christ. Connected in a very special and divine way to all the other members of God’s Church; both on earth and in Heaven. It means that as one of Christ’s chosen daughters, I have a very special and unrepeatable role to fill here on earth.
God Bless,
Catherine
One more note, two posts a week has become too much of a challenge for me to do with school and such. For here on out (at least until the end of the school year.) I will be posting once a week on Tuesdays.
The Eucharist means consuming into my body the very essence, (Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.) of the one who gave me everything that I have; the Creator of the universe. It means my Lord and Savior is intimately entering inside of me. Reception of the Eucharist means belittling myself to the reception of something much much greater then I could ever imagine.
For me, it also means taking part of the sacrifice that happened so long ago on Calvary. It gives me a chance to enter into the mystery of the sacrifice of the cross almost two thousand years after it happened. By taking part in the Holy Sacrifice it means giving my life over completely to Jesus, it means surrendering my very being to His Holy will and His divine plan for my life. It reminds me that I have been set apart, chosen for the furthering of Christ’s church here on earth. It also means that I am member of the Body of Christ. Connected in a very special and divine way to all the other members of God’s Church; both on earth and in Heaven. It means that as one of Christ’s chosen daughters, I have a very special and unrepeatable role to fill here on earth.
God Bless,
Catherine
One more note, two posts a week has become too much of a challenge for me to do with school and such. For here on out (at least until the end of the school year.) I will be posting once a week on Tuesdays.
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