We Need His Mercy. By: C.C.

         Given recent events in our Catholic Church it is not difficult to understand that many people within and outside of the Catholic faith have many questions to ask. I am quite sure that beyond these questions there are immense criticisms and various emotions that naturally arise when concerning events within the Church present themselves. I have recently posted a quotation from Archbishop Fulton Sheen who presents a very important statement. Sheen writes, "There are millions who hate what they perceive to be the Catholic faith". Sadly, a false perception of the Catholic faith is one too common among many people and most importantly among those who are indeed Baptized Catholics. I can not begin to speak of the many people I encounter that sadly lack the understanding of what it truly means to be Catholic and what the faith is all about. I do not claim to have an understanding beyond anyone else, or claim to have aided in writing the Catholic Catechism, but I do know that the basis of my Catholic faith is to love. I know enough to understand from the Scriptures that I am not to judge another without looking first at myself. And I know that the Blessed Eucharist unites each of us and fills me with immense strength, love, joy, and devotion. And I strongly feel that in the face of adversity, doubt, and unrest, it is important to reach more for the truth of our faith, and yearn to rid of any ignorance. Potentially the beginning of what I write here may appear in itself to be judgemental , and so if that is the case I ask that you please forgive me. Too often it seems that the moment something unsettling occurs within our Church the response is to run and flee, to denounce God, and religion all together. To me, the only thing unsettling in these circumstances is the reality that our faith is not firmly rooted. How easy to judge another. How sad to not take into account the frailty of our human condition and our thirst, hunger, and constant need for a loving and merciful Father in our lives. How quick we are to deny the importance of the Eternal Life and lose sight of reaching purification of our souls on the account of one who has fallen. We all fall, as Adam fell. We are forgiven through God's loving mercy, and we are called to rise in faith again. When our Priests fall we stand pointing fingers of judgement, opposed to closing our hands in prayer. These events are extremely disturbing, but these acts are not isolated events found only in the Catholic Church. Yes, Yes, Yes, I know that the most common response to this will be "But, as priest..he has a role to uphold as a leader of the Church and has made a vow to be holy", or something along those lines... I have heard them all and wish that I could truly redeem for those who come to me with questions everything that they need settled to return to the pew and to The Blessed Eucharist on Sunday.  However, this is one that the Holy Spirit must assist with greatly! And, in taking into account the common response by those who find themselves with this issue, I think it is fair to say that if we each understand the importance of our roles within the Church, even as laity, we would come to understand that we too have made this vow to be "Holy". For those of you who are married and have been called to that vocation, it is truthfully a sacrament that is to be treated with the same reverence that we expect from our priests. Yet how often do we blindly enter this and act with little emotion to the numerous amounts of infidelities, lust plagued men and women, and a complete distortion of what marriage means. One needs to recognize that the brokenness and sin that we are often faced with in our Church is one that is and can only be healed in drawing nearer to Our Lord and our faith. We all sin, we all fall, we all need our Lord and Blessed Mother, all the Angels and Saints to help us. This may be difficult for many to understand, and potentially the wounds are far to deep at this time. However pray then first for your own healing from these wounds, for understanding, for a humility of heart, and for the truth of the Catholic Church, the truth of the faith that is love, joy, peace, and beauty to be redeemed. I have been blessed to know many wonderful priests and I pray that each of you are also given the chance to know this. Today I was very grateful to read the homily of Fr. Ray Suriani through which he shares a message about looking at the "Best" in our Catholic Church.(I will post a link to his homily at the end of this posting).  I pray that what I have written is not received with animosity. May God have mercy on me and all of us as Sinners. I end this post with yet another poem that I have written about God making a way through all of the mess that we find ourselves in as a Catholic Church. (C.C.)

http://fatherrays.blogspot.ca/2012/05/saints-best-of-church-whose-lives-were.html - Fr. Ray's Homily

God Will Make A Way. By C.C.:
He will make a way
despite the evil that plagues
despite the pain within
He will make a way through all this sin.
He will bless His Shepards
to lead an honest flock,
He hears the cries of His Sheep
not one has He forgot.
And though times may be trying
It seems that all is lost
We must do our best to protect Her
despite the worldly cost.
One voice raised to the Heavens
simple words upon this page
the situation of our Catholic Church
has caused my righteous rage.
Yet still I believe He'll make a way
a way through all of this sin;
restoring Her to the Church He created,
but, with you and I it does begin. 

“There are not more than 100 people in the world who truly hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they perceive to be the Catholic Church.” (Archbishop Fulton Sheen)

I have recently written this poem dedicated to our Catholic Church..

Holy Catholic Church. By: C.C.
She was built upon a solid foundation
of tradition and truth.
A faith deeply felt and understood
by most from youth.
Troubling for some;
locked into the Word they broke free.
Unleashing themselves from the Eucharist yet,
lonely She would not be.
Pulled out of sin, darkness, and despair
Was St. Augustine with his repenting prayer
Others tried to sway Her with their philosophy and science,
to that She responded with St. Thomas Aquinas.
The selfless love of Bl. Mother Teresa had the world in awe
so many ran to Her doorsteps now,
For surely it was Jesus whom they saw.
You see the fear has always been, and threatened unity,
But still She presses forward with strong leaders and laity.
The world would see the darkness and the wolves within
But our Holy Catholic Church lives on;
Surviving with truth through sin.
Though many may walk away, our pews will never empty
And in my times of doubt;
it's more than faith that kept me.
The truth of Her foundation and our Lord's unending love,
keeps Her so protected...
Her sword and Shield from above.

Peace Within. By: C.C.

"The parents of Saint Catherine of Siena tried by every means they could to put obstacles in regards to prayer and meditation in her way. Our Lord then inspired her to construct within her own heart a little interior "oratory" where she could mentally retire, even in the midst of exterior activity, and enjoy the solitude of her heart. Therefore, from that time on, she advised her spiritual sons and daughters to construct a small room in their own hearts and to dwell within it." (St. Francis DeSales)

There have been numerous Saints in the history of the Catholic Church who have shared their thoughts on the importance of interior life and the value of solitude as a means of attaining peace within our hearts. It is quite interesting to be writing about the idea of solace in solitude amidst a society that seems to promote and value noise and chaos as a means of truly `living`. One seems to be bombarded by the concept of constant company and perpetual activity in order to attain happiness and peace. In my opinion this does not at all add to ones happiness or peace, but rather aids in ones avoidance of self and will eventually lead to further brokenness. We must be alone to encounter our Lord. Many find the idea of prayer and meditation to be completely ridiculous. Potentially they may fear the power of the Lord in those moments, or they may ultimately fear the places within themselves that remain unvisited and unexplored. St. Catherine of Siena had parents that for whatever reason saw the threat of her quiet prayer and meditation, attempting by the use of distraction to take this peace away from her. How foolish to wrestle with the will of our Lord. St. Catherine took this resistance that faced her and further drew toward the Lord. In doing so we read about this ``interior oratory`` where she would retire and dwell, even amidst the most pressing of circumstances. Today, more than ever there seems to be an emptiness in so many people. There is a constant seeking for ``peace`` through means that are not at all inviting of a peaceful product. For those of us in faith we recognize this constant outward search for peace as an inward cry for our Lord. Our thirsting, our hunger, and our desire for peace can only be found in Him who is peace. In order to truly know this we can not fear the silence and solitude. We must not turn away from the importance of creating our ``interior oratory`` but, rather we must seek ways to build this place within our heart where we may encounter Him. A place where we can retire throughout our days and feel the warmth, love, and presence of God. A resting place, welcoming for our Lord to dwell. While on retreat, I came across this wonderful reflection written by an unknown 13th century monk. It is potentially one of the most comforting things that I have read. It is after reading this that I was truly able to understand the importance of the interior life, the reason for hardship, and the real presence of our Lord at all times. I find it particularly comforting that this unknown blessed monk speaks here to a woman. I pray that each of you find comfort through this. (C.C.)

`Reflection by an unknown 13th century monk`

"In me, in my most interior Jesus is present. All outside of our heart is only to discover the treasure hidden interiorly in the heart. There is found the sepulcher of Easter and there the new life. "Woman, why do you weep? Whom do you seek? Whom you seek you already possess and you do not know Him? You have the true, eternal joy and still you weep? It is more intimate to your being and still you seek it outside! You are there, outside, weeping near the tomb. Your heart is my tomb. And I am not there dead, but I repose there, living always. Your soul is my garden. You are right when you believed that I was the gardener. I am the New Adam. I work and supervise my paradise. Your tears, your love, your desire, all this is my work. You possess me at the most intimate level of your being, without knowing it and this is why you seek Me outside. It is outside also that I appeared to you and also that I make you to return to yourself, to make you find at the intimacy of your being, Him whom you seek outside."

Just a poem for today.....

Restful Heart. By: C.C.
My heart has found it's rest in You
no longer does it seek.
My soul has claimed You as my Lord,
of Your glory I will speak.
My eyes they long to see You in everyone I meet.
I have no fear of Satan now; for with You Lord,
his defeat.
Unworthy of Your mercy,
unworthy of Your hand.
You continuously console me
and lead me to understand.
I long to never offend You
or to forsake Your holy name.
My motivation for these days
is Your Eternal flame.

You Are Wonderful. By: C.C.

``Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering. `` (St. Augustine)

This quote from St. Augustine is one that has always grasped my attention. It is also one that came to mind while on retreat in Genesee NY. The idea of truly getting in touch with our inner most self is one that leaves many people uncomfortable. It is arguably this same fear of self- discovery that keeps many away from God, Church, and their faith altogether. Somehow we have established a fear of truly getting in touch with ourselves. We are scared of the silence, the past hurt, and ultimately the unknown that we may encounter. There is something which holds us back from venturing into the depths of our soul. In my opinion, this seems to be something very tragic and disheartening, and yet at the same time very natural. I too have battled with this very fear in the past. However, growing in my faith and walk with Jesus has truly allowed me to venture into depths of myself and discover things that I did not know existed. It often takes the hurt to heal, and exploration of self to find self. In this it is important to remember that we can not truly know ourselves until we seek Him who knows us best. We must surrender our fear to the Lord and find comfort in knowing that He longs for us to find joy, and that we are created by Him who wants us to become who were called to be. St. Catherine of Siena once said ``Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire``. I would like to suggest that in failing to become who we were meant to be and by repressing our truest self results in unimaginable misery. Perhaps this misery is not often felt all at once....but over time I can imagine it becoming something that causes a lot of unrest....Leaving us tirelessly seeking ``something``, when that which we seek is within us. One comes to recognize that the inner self is the most beautiful paradise. There is so much within to wonder at. Inside each of us there are the heights mountains, huge waves of the sea, and winding rivers. Today more than ever it is easy to hide behind the masks we put on to the world. The advancements in social media and technology allow us to create an identity that we want to believe ourselves. The bombardment of ridiculous status updates, photographs, and ``friend`` tallies has become our modern concept of someone`s identity. Potentially, some are comfortable living on this surface, having a false portrayal of identity controlled and calculated. The beauty of each of us rests upon our unique differences and not our manufactured sense of identity. It is time to truly get in touch with ourselves, to dive within and know our soul. We are so connected today in numerous ways and yet there is an abundance of disconnect. So advanced technologically, by means of communication, and through transportation..yet, somehow as St. Augustine says ``We pass by ourselves without wondering``. Lord tonight I pray that each of us can work beyond our fears and truly venture within ourselves to discover the beauty that is there. Help and guide us to recognize the things within that prevent this clarity. May we come to embrace the importance of reconciliation and see this Sacrament as a means of attaining purity of heart, mind, and soul. Lord forgive us for denying the people who You have called us to be. Help us work through the fears we have, the hurt that has occurred, and everything else that prevents us from being who we were meant to be. Holy Mother I ask that you continue to surround us with the warmth of Your motherly love and protection. Lord, may we someday find comfort and rest in knowing who we are through You. Amen. (C.C.)

"Yes, Lord" By: C.C.

"Mary said, 'You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said.' And the angel left her." ( Luke 1:38)

This simple sentence of surrender represents one of the most important moments of our faith. There is no denying young Mary's complete faith, love, and devotion to God. How often we struggle within our own lives to offer up the most simple things in our hearts. Here, through Mary, we witness a complete self denial and desire to fulfill God's will. It is profound really when one reflects upon the immensity of what this verse truly means. Thousands of years later we can still cling to this moment as one of inspiration and as a lesson in faith. I would imagine that Our Lady, despite her faith still battled with emotions of fear and worry at this moment when the angel appeared to Her. However, much greater than these emotions was her Love and yearning to serve the Lord her God above all else. Somehow She knew that following the path God designed for her was the most important thing. Unaware of all that awaited She trusted Him, faithfully saying yes to whatever was to come. Whatever His will was for her life she gladly accepted. Lord, tonight I pray that like our Blessed Mother we are able to trust our lives to You. We know Lord that You search our hearts and know us...help and guide us so that we can always walk the path that leads us to a closer union with You and Your will for us. Help us move beyond our emotions of fear and anxiety, trusting that in saying Yes to You is the way to Eternal Life and true communion with You. I pray tonight for those who are fervently seeking Your will, those in confusion, and also for those that find it difficult to trust in You. May Blessed Mother continue to comfort us on our journey with You, and may we continue this Lenten season with a sacrificial and surrendering heart. Amen (C.C.)