Courage

Friends of Faith:

I will be Courageous.

Jesus was crowned with thorns. Jesus stayed and ate with sinners while encouraging those sinners to change. Jesus told the Pharisees that it was better to speak the truth on the Sabbath, then to sit back and rest. He showed us how to be morally, ethically, and spiritually courageous.

I cringe whenever I hear someone say we should change something because “our culture says we should change, or the culture is different now than it was “back then.” I cringe when I hear “everyone else is doing it.” I cringe because the culture is far from seeming  to follow God’s design. I cringe because the culture contains obvious lies that conventional wisdom is working to convince us as “normal,” “realistic” or “equalizing.”

I am not afraid of change, but when it comes to changing morals I am glad that I believe in the Word of God, that I trust in the path that Jesus Christ walked ahead of me, and that I have a Church to help me discern the Holy Spirit’s guidance as to what the truth really is.

“Now the one who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a first installment. So we are always courageous, although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yet we are courageous, and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord. Therefore, we aspire to please him, whether we are at home or away. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others.” 2Cor 5: 5-11

I CHOOSE to be courageous. I CHOOSE to pray in public. I CHOOSE to speak the truth to defend Church (God’s) teachings. It’s NOT okay to sit back and rest, even on the Sabbath, if that means that someone will go hungry or to be bullied into believing that they will be punished for choosing to attend a church service before going to a game. I CHOOSE to walk by Faith. I CHOOSE to be courageous.

And I am confident in my prayer that God will put in my path spiritual mentors who will help me “see” the truth (God’s judgment) rather than the way the culture (individuals) wants or is judging me.

And when I am judged by the culture to be weak, old fashioned or even too conservative I will be courageous and accept the criticism with the hope of the promise of Christ Jesus.

Over my lifetime the Supreme Court has ruled that it should be legal to kill a baby because in the womb it’s not yet a person; that it’s not okay for teachers to encourage prayer in school or to sing Christmas carols yet we must make accommodations for non-Christian cultural needs; that marriage is something other than God’s design as the union of a man and a woman; that in the name of equality bathrooms must be open to whatever “sexual orientation” I determine myself to be on any particular day; and it has protected pornography as freedom of speech.

These are cultural lies. These “laws” do not make us free, these “laws” take away our freedom, our dignity, and our choice for God.

LORD, show me your way; lead me on a level path because of my enemies. Do not abandon me to the desire of my foes; malicious and lying witnesses have risen against me. I believe I shall see the LORD’s goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the LORD. Ps 27: 11-14

Heavenly Father, Please help me to be courageous, to discern your truths, to be open to hear and follow the Holy Spirit. Help me to be strong, on guard and to stand firm in faith. Help me to stand firm for the truth and to not be afraid to spread that truth to others with compassion, with mercy and with the confidence of Church teachings. I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Amen.

Don’t believe the lies the culture is impressing upon you. To walk by faith, not by sight means to follow the culture of Jesus, that which is unseen rather than the culture pushed upon us by the propaganda of popular media. Be hopeful and be courageous for our faith is being openly tested.

Blessings,

Charlotte

Peace on Earth

Friends of Faith:

It’s probably not often enough that I pass on the writing and intellect of someone who  speaks so eloquently the truth of Catholic teaching. I hope many of you will take the time to read this in it’s entirety.

PEACE ON EARTH

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
July 6, 2015
“Thomas More is more important at this moment than at any moment since his death, even perhaps the great moment of his dying; but he is not quite so important as he will be in about a hundred years' time. He may come to be counted the greatest Englishman, or at least the greatest historical character in English history. For he was above all things historic; he represented at once a type, a turning point and an ultimate destiny. If there had not happened to be that particular man at the particular moment, the whole of history would have been different.” -- G. K. Chesterton, 1929

Catholics celebrate the feast of St. Thomas More, the great English statesman and martyr, on June 22. But the actual date of his execution was 480 years ago today, July 6, in 1535. Henry VIII had him beheaded two weeks after the judicial murder of his friend and bishop of Rochester, St. John Fisher. Both men died for refusing to accept the king’s debasement of marriage in divorcing his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and adulterously “marrying” Anne Boleyn – who later followed them both to the execution block.

The difference in their deaths, of course, is telling. More and Fisher died for principle and kept their integrity. Boleyn was simply disposed of.

It’s easy to sentimentalize More’s life. Robert Bolt’s great play, A Man for All Seasons -- later a wonderful film – captures much of the saint’s humanity, intellect and warmth. But he was also a tough public official in a bitterly conflicted time alien to the modern temperament.  More did not die, as Bolt suggests, for the sovereignty of personal conscience. That idea would have been foreign to him. Rather, More died for the sovereignty of Christian truth as taught by the Catholic Church, which he saw as accessible to all persons and obligating all consciences. In that, he very much remains a saint for our times.

Others have already done a good job of deconstructing the Supreme Court’s June 26 Obergefell v. Hodges decision forcing “gay marriage” onto the nation. Legally incoherent and impressive in its abuse of judicial power, it will have huge implications for the way Americans live their lives. Anyone who wonders what “marriage equality” really means need only watch the fallout in our laws, courts and public policies over the next decade.

Persons innocent enough to imagine that the Church might be allowed to continue her social mission without growing government interference will have an unhappy encounter with reality.

Christians have a privileged calling to respect the God-given dignity of all persons, including those with same-sex attraction. That’s fundamental to Christian love and justice. We are accountable to God for the way we treat others.

But Christians also have a duty to think clearly, and to live, teach and work for the truth about the nature of human sexuality, the purpose of marriage and the integrity of the family. No court ruling can change that. And the last thing we need from religious – including Catholic – leaders in the face of this profoundly flawed Supreme Court decision is weakness or ambiguity.

 

Half a century ago, during the Second Vatican Council, Pope John XXIII – now St. John XXIII - - wrote a powerful text on the nature of peace. In his 1963 encyclical Pacem in Terris (“Peace on Earth”), he stressed that “peace on earth -- which man throughout the ages has so longed for and sought after -- can never be established, never guaranteed, except by the diligent observance of the divinely established order" (PT, 1; emphasis added).

 

We need to consider his words carefully. No political power can change the nature of marriage or rework the meaning of family. No lobbying campaign, no president, no lawmakers and no judges can redraw the blueprint laid down by God for the well-being of the children he loves. If men and women want peace, there’s only one way to have it – by seeking and living the truth. And the truth, as Pope John told us more than five decades ago, is this: "The family, founded upon marriage freely contracted, one and indissoluble, must be regarded as the natural, primary cell of human society. The interests of the family, therefore, must be taken very specially into consideration in social and economic affairs, as well as in the spheres of faith and morals. For all of these have to do with strengthening the family and assisting it in the fulfillment of its mission" (PT, 16).

 

We cannot care for the family by trying to redefine its meaning. We cannot provide for the family by undercutting the privileged place in our culture of a woman and a man made one flesh in marriage. Nations that ignore these truths -- no matter what their intentions -- are laying the cornerstone of war and suffering. And this is not what God seeks for anyone.

 

It’s a good day, this July 6, to remember Thomas More and his witness. In the years ahead, may God give us a portion of his integrity, courage, and perseverance. We'll need it.” Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. July 6, 2015

 

May all of us draw strength and courage from knowing and sharing the truth to others—so that we may find true “Peace on Earth.”

Blessings,
Charlotte

Courage

Friends of Faith:

"My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they never perish." (John 10:27-28)

What does it take to hear the voice of God? Courage!

Am I afraid to seek God’s truth? Am I afraid to listen to God’s truth, or am I afraid to act on God’s truth when I find it? Or do I have the courage to respond to this gift of the Spirit?

I need courage to stand up and be a faithful Christian: to know him, to love him and to serve him. It takes courage to hear his voice, to follow his voice and to serve Him, by putting Him ahead of me.

And it takes even greater courage to lead others back into the fold of the sanctuary of God’s flock, to lead by example and speak up for His righteousness.

“Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.” Psalm 96:6

Nothing in this world is easy. Individually, there are always challenges and conflicts to do what is right (to follow the commandments).

But what is not from God is from the devil, so until we have the courage to turn to God, to resist what is easy (or looks easy, or a way to “happy”) we will remain an easy target for evil.

And as a society it takes each of us as individuals to change and to have courage:  to choose to forgive instead of becoming angry; to choose to seek God in church on Sunday morning instead of sleeping in or attending a ball game; and to speak the truth instead of being politically correct.

Courage means making a choice FOR God—listening for, hearing and answering His voice.

Heavenly Father, Your flock is blessed with the beauty of Your sanctuary. Help me to have the strength to bear the sufferings of difficult choices. Help me to listen to Your voice. Give me the courage to seek Your truth. Give me the courage to share Your truth. Allow me to find the strength and beauty of Your sanctuary. Amen.

We are all his sheep. He knows us and we know His voice, but we must courageously listen. Will we have the courage to choose Him? Or will we choose the easy way out?

He is waiting for us to follow Him.

Blessings, 
Charlotte

When Life isn't fair and I want to fix it

Women of Faith:
I texted to a friend this week: “I so want to help, but I know God is the only answer. Pray to forgive, pray to change, and pray to heal.”

I searched for hope and help and I was answered with my favorite prayer: “Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.” (Serenity Prayer)

And I thought: “Life is not fair. I should be able to change or help change more than myself.” So I searched for the wisdom to know “what is life, and what is me.” I searched for why I am not given control and why God is.

And as I pondered “how to help” he put answers in front of me with this week’s readings:

“Thus says the LORD: You say, "The LORD's way is not fair!" ... But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed, he does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life; since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. Ez 18:25-28

“...Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vain glory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others. Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus. Who, though he was in the form of God ... emptied himself, ....he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ... that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend... Phil 2:1-5

Life isn’t fair and I can’t fix it no matter how much I want to help. I can’t take away the pain or suffering. And it won’t help to worry about a problem that I can’t fix.

I can’t fix someone else’s heartache. I can’t heal someone who is sick. And I can’t fix the corrupt world around me.

I can only change my own reactions and feelings. I can only pray for His healing of others. I can only try to mirror Jesus’ example here on earth: by forgiving more (70x7), serving more, and always loving more—by being completely selfless in each and every part of my day, in each and every relationship in my own life. And hopefully by being a good role model in my own choices—by choosing what would be God’s will.

There is always some part of life that is “not fair.” But I am not given the power to fix it. I am only given the means thru the power of prayer to ask God for His grace, His compassion, and His loving mercy.

And I don’t have any control. I can only pray for His healing, His strength, and His courage so that I can be with Him for all eternity.

My hope, my strength and my courage are in Him, thru Him and for Him.

I can only trust that God will hear my prayers.

Heavenly Father: Your mercy is all powerful. Thank you for giving us Your son to be an example of selfless loving; an example of true compassion thru the mercy of His forgiveness; and an example of what it means to never tire in serving others. Help me to share hope with those who struggle to see you in their pain. Help me to change myself by forgiving others; help me to have the courage to accept what I cannot change and help me to have wisdom, patience and understanding that it is not “my will” but your will that is done. Amen

It is with deep humility and heartfelt caring that I ask God for His blessings in our lives so that we will truly know the Prayer of Serenity,

Charlotte