Faith on Fire

Friends of Faith:

I can’t say enough about the Alexander House retreat weekend. Being with Greg and Julie rekindled and energized us as well as fueled the flame we have for speaking the truth designed by God, lived by Jesus, and carried on by the Church and the Holy Spirit with conviction and courage.

Please check out this short clip on Facebook and share with your friends: https://www.facebook.com/gregnjuliealex/videos/10209954265082604/

The devil is still on this earth right where God sent Him (Rev 12:9). So, the evil of this world is nothing new. Nor are the effects of greed, the culture, political influences and the media that he influences and we are prone to listen to. The culture feeds us lies and half truths and quite honestly makes us feel as if it is a shame to mention Jesus at all.

And Jesus’ message hasn’t changed in over 2000 years. It is why we know that His message is God’s message and why we should speak the name of Jesus – louder, bolder and more courageously than ever.

Jesus said to them, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here." Lk 11: 29-32

We are being lied to about what equality is, about what we “deserve,” about what we can choose, and about who we are meant to be. Sin is made easy because it is normalized and legalized (contraception, abortion, gay union, euthanasia, pornography, speech that is “free,” entitlements without work or responsibility, sports “gods” who have Sunday morning ball games or practice (preventing us from attending Mass/worship service), prizes so that everyone wins, acceptance of the “rights” of all, lack of moral judgment, and the list goes on and on).

God gave us a set of “rules” (commandments) to live by. He designed marriage between one man and one woman (Gen 1: 27-28 & Gen 2: 18-25); life is a precious gift from God—it is not for us to choose the timing of when it starts or ends; Our call to holiness is to serve others as Christ served us – by dying – to ourselves and our selfish desires (Eph 5: 21-32); and the path to eternal life is not easy, it does not accept sin without repentance or is given lightly (Mt 7: 13-14).

Who am I listening to? Do I go out of my way to seek the truth daily in Scripture and prayer? Or does social media, the division of politics and the noise of the culture drown out my inner spiritual being and the soft spoken whisper of God’s voice in my life? Am I ready, willing and able to speak Jesus’ name because I know and give thanks for His glory and His story?

And am I living my life with an assured hope that when He comes “today” I am ready to face HIS judgment with repentance and without shame because I have been blessed in the peace and comfort of the wisdom of knowing I have given it my all to live in the Spirit and stay within His design for my life?

Lord, send your mercy and your truth to rescue us from the snares of the devil, and happy to be known as companions of your Son. We will praise you among the peoples and proclaim you to the nations. Amen

May your faith be on fire and ready to ignite the flame of anyone willing to listen.

Blessings,

Charlotte

Coming of the Spirit

Friends of Faith:

Appropriately for our family the next two weekends of celebrating the Ascension and Pentecost bring to fulfillment the Easter season and the gift Jesus left us here on earth – the Holy Spirit, His guidance and Our protector.

Jesus said to his disciples: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him. But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you. Jn 14: 15-21

While a greater majority may seek success, fame and fortune of this world, we forget or don’t yet know or understand, that it is not anything of THIS world that will give the greatest reward, but rather it is seeking to be Holy in God’s world that will give us the greatest reward, eternal life.

But the world does not willingly accept that it is not its own creator and boss. And reliance on God and resting in the Spirit are mostly foreign in our culture.

And yet, we are, more than ever, in this world, in need of the guidance of the Spirit and a renewed commitment to listen to and follow His commands.

Beloved: Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil. 1 Pt 3: 15-18

And while speaking the truth and striving to bring others closer to Him may mean that our character may be insulted by those who say we are “do gooders,” or “know it alls.” Or we may suffer the consequences, rudeness and chastisement of slander and character defamation despite our good intentions. It is still better to suffer for doing what is right, if it is the will of God, than to give in to worldly causes and/or political correctness.

If we look at what divides us as humans today: being called a Christian, seeking to protect human life and the dignity of marital love between one man and one woman, even the sanctity of keeping Holy the Sabbath – these are exactly the truth of God which are under the most attack and create much of the mental anguish and physical suffering we as His baptized faithful feel in our world today.

There is so much noise, there are so many lies, that it is extremely difficult to sort one from another, regardless of our human strength or perseverance.

So it becomes all that much more important to rely on the Spirit to guide us, console us, and protect us in EVERY decision we make. And It is these very graces that our family looks forward to on Andy’s ordination this week and as we lead up to Stan’s ordination in July.

Come Holy Spirit, Come. Fill us with Your grace and Your power. Anoint us with Your love. And may we be gifted with Your hope, joy and peace. Amen.

Let the Spirit guide you and may you be blessed with an ever more abundant Spirit. Thank you all for your prayers for those being ordained this Easter season.

Blessings,

Charlotte

Monday Morning Reflection

Be Holy

Friends of Faith:

Often times my goals are short sighted, or short lived, but the Lenten readings help me recall that my mission here on earth isn’t fame, wealth, power, prosperity or even happiness. As a Christian my true mission here on earth is to become holy.

The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel and tell them: “Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.” Lv 19: 1-2 (This verse is followed by the list of the Ten Commandments.)

In the New Testament Jesus gives us a greater commandment: “To Love one another, AS I have Loved you.” And his instructions and witness were on HOW I am to accomplish this task:

Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him.  And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food,  ….’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Mt 25: 31-42

As a Christian, a friend, a parent and a spouse it is good to be reminded that my goal shouldn’t be for WHAT I can achieve on earth, but for HOW God calls me to be for others. Becoming holy doesn’t happen because I am “good,” becoming holy happens because my actions help others see Christ in their lives. My true goal should be to achieve heaven, to think about HOW GOD will judge me when I die and to remember that I don’t know when my last day will be so I need to take every opportunity to love today. Being Holy is about living EVERYDAY as if it is my last day.

The Bible (Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth) is in fact full of ways to make me holy – none of them exclusive of any other. If we believe in one page, even one verse, then we must believe in the entire book.

God is a package deal. Not only did He leave himself in the physical words of the Bible, BUT his “word became flesh” in His son, Jesus, who instituted a physical Church to instruct and unify His people AND who died to redeem our sins. AND, finally he completed the “package” by sending the Holy Spirit to place himself into our hearts.

Becoming holy isn’t to pick and choose from a buffet line of offerings to say I am good at one thing or another or that I believe one thing, but not the other. Becoming holy is to be ready to do whatever God’s call is for me today even if it is something I don’t feel particularly good at, or want to do, or that take me by surprise, or happen unexpectedly (good or bad).

Not only am I called to be holy in and for myself, but my call is to be a witness, to lead and to bring others to holiness.

St Paul in his famous passage on marriage (Eph 5: 21-33) says that husbands and wives are to love each other as Christ loved us (he died for us) so that in doing so the other will be made spotless and unblemished – holy in his sight.

Wherever and whenever I turn in my reading and reflection, God’s Holy Word inspires me to do for others, be for Him, ask of Him and to be ready to receive Him as a WHOLE, so that I can become more like Him: Holy in his sight.

O LORD, my rock and my redeemer: Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart find favor before you. (Ps 19:15) Make my Lenten journey be one of holiness, wisdom and good judgment. Help me to recognize and not turn my back on the sick, homeless, naked or imprisoned, especially those who are struggling nearest to me. Thank you for giving me instructions and a Savior, Jesus, so that when I fail I can be redeemed. Open my eyes to understand, my thoughts to find wisdom and my heart to have the courage to choose Your goal for me, holiness, instead of living to achieve my short term desires. Amen.

Just as Moses spent 40 years leading the people to the promised land and Jesus spent 40 days in the desert before his death, these 40 days of Lent are my time to “wander” closer to holiness: to welcome, visit, feed, cloth AND love whomever, whichever, least of my brothers is set near, on, or even “coincidentally” in my path.

God, Jesus, Spirit. The Word, The Flesh, The Soul. The Bible, The Church, The Heart. Teach me to Love, Guide me to Love, Form me to Love. Holy, Holy, Holy.

Be Holy and inspire others to be Holy.
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

Community of Support

Friends of Faith:

I could say that the past three weekends have been an insight into the meaning of“community of support,” but what I realize is that it isn’t just one day, or one weekend, but rather it is everyday and every hour that my “yoke is made easy and my burden light” (Matthew 11:30) by the community of support God has placed around me.

Three weeks ago at the Valentine’s Date Night Archbishop Jackel’s instructed us as couples that it is our vocational calling as married individuals to “do whatever we can to help our spouses become holy.” Over the past two weekends”new CEW (Christian Experience Weekend) candidates were summoned to “go, make a difference.”

 

‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ …He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ Mt 25: 31-46

 

Daily I am reminded that I couldn’t be who I am without the help of those around me: Stan, family, my co-workers, customers, neighbors and friends who lend a helping hand and those who I don’t even know that pray for my spiritual, emotional and material needs.

 

God’s original and ultimate call to us as Christians is simple: to help and support each other – in every way possible – no matter what it takes, including our own sacrifice and suffering – just as He himself sacrificed by giving us His only son, Jesus who in turn suffered death on the cross for our sins (not his own).

 

Jesus Christ knew that his words alone would not carry forth without the Institution of the Church, and the Institution of the Priesthood—without the support of community.

 

“Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness….The Commissioning of the Twelve. Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus,“Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” Mt 10: 1-8

 

And in nearly every passage of the New Testament it is not just Jesus, or just one disciple who went forth to teach or preach, but rather they went together in small groups to share the message and to help one or another. Jesus is often heard asking the Apostles, “Come, follow me.”

 

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Mt 18:20

 

So too are we called to ask so that we may receive: First for God’s help – but then also for the help of the faith community around us – to gather two by two – in His name.

 

I know from not only the recent 10 months but from many times in the past I could not have survived or achieved without the help of God and others: first I call upon the gifts of the Holy Spirit which sustain me; next I have been given the gift of a spouse, Stan, who supports and serves me as much as humanly possible through the vocational calling of our marriage vows; and thirdly I have been placed by my baptism within a community of support—the Church—where together in faith we are joined with each other, and with the Saints and all who have gone before us (Rev 8: 3-4), to support each other in prayer, by listening ears and with helping hands.

 

Heavenly Father, Your creation of “two” is infinitely powerful. Thank you for each and every person you have placed in my community of support. Help me to also become more like you by being willing to give up my time and talents for those around me. May I become yours to serve in this community of support. Amen.

 

God in his infinite wisdom joins us together by our baptism into the Church, teaching us how to become reliant on one other.

 

From the creation of Eve as a helpmate to her spouse, Adam; to Christ’s search for and commissioning of the apostles as Priests; to our Christian community today –without each other we cannot survive (quite literally through the procreation/birth of humanity). And without the love and support of God and those He has created for us to help us we will wither and die.

 

So as individualistic as society seems to want us to be—we survive because of what God (divinely) and someone else (humanly) provides since none of us would be here without at least two others, our parents (so God created marriage).

 

I am called to make it my mission to share and become a part of His community of support by answering God’s call: to know Him, to Love Him and to serve Him (through you) rigorously and continuously.

 

I pray in hope that each of You will continue to grow to become a bigger part of His mission daily,

Blessings,

Charlotte

Tied Together

Friends of Faith:

“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The simplest of prayers. They are said at each Christian baptism (which is why all Christian baptism is recognized by the Church), but yet associated with Catholics when we make the Sign of the Cross.

I often wonder if we realize just how powerful these words are when we use them to bless ourselves; when we invoke the Trinity into our lives; when we tie together our baptism and Christ’s death on the cross: our birth into the Christian life and our redemption into everlasting life. A sign and a signing that we are given life thru Him.

“As followers of Jesus Christ, we are united to his passion death and resurrection. We take the sign of his cross on to our own bodies. This central symbol of our faith becomes the beginning point of our prayer, and its conclusion. It’s how we place boundaries in time and space that say, “Now I’m praying; this time belongs to God.” Our actual words, “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” reflect this delineation of sacred time and space, and recognize that all we are and all we do is connected to the mystery of the Trinity.

“In addition to beginning and ending prayer, the Sign of the Cross is used at other times as well, for example, when receiving a formal blessing, receiving absolution, and entering a church and blessing oneself with holy water. Generally speaking, it’s appropriate to make the Sign of the Cross any time you hear the words, “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (from USCCB, For Your Marriage.org)

This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and blood. The Spirit is the one who testifies, and the Spirit is truth. So there are three that testify, the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three are of one accord. If we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is surely greater. Now the testimony of God is this, that he has testified on behalf of his Son. 1 Jn 5: 1-19

Each time I hear this reading I am reminded of a decorative wedding plaque which says: “May our lives be bound together, made stronger when bound together by God, while two can be undone, three cords cannot be easily untangled.”

Three of one accord – Father, Son and Holy Spirit; Husband, Wife and God—our unity made stronger, made lasting, and bound together as one in prayer, thought and deed.

May we prayerfully and thoughtfully make our lives stronger, bound together with Christ in all we do,

Blessings,

Charlotte

www.morningreflection.blogspot.com

Wisdom of Age

Friends of Faith:

Wisdom of age says to “Know Him, Love Him and Serve Him.”

Marriage is the core reflection of God’s wisdom because He created marriage with a purpose to unify and procreate—to know each other, to love each other and to serve each other within a family.

Beyond this core are all other relationships – especially those of our neighbors and the “stranger.”

The wisdom of God is handed to us through Scripture and the 2014 years we have known Christ in our world.

 

So I found it interesting how the wisdom of 153 years of marriage (4 couples) without planning and yet profoundly developed the same theme in our Date Night panel discussion last night for our relationships—to know, love and serve each other in marriage.

The parallels from the following 6 wisdom of age “pointers” tie directly tied to our personal relationship with Christ – to know, love and serve each other AND Him.

1)Life isn’t about me – life is about we! When we marry we can no longer think just about doing something for ourselves, but rather if we are going to strengthen and build our relationship we need to make each decision based on the WE – how will this decision impact us, and how this decision serves our mutual purpose and each other. Likewise if we truly believe in Christ’s presence in our lives, then we will make our decisions based on how it impacts our relationship with Him—making our decisions based on Him, loving one another as he loved us.

2)Make Time for Each Other: You don’t build a bond with someone without taking time to be with them, physically, mentally and spiritually, so take and make time to continue to date your spouse for a lifetime. Likewise if we don’t make time for Christ for a LIFETIME then at some point our relationship with Him will falter. How much quality time do we spend with our spouse? And is spending time with God a priority?

3)Know Them—Communication and Education: In any relationship, but especially in marriage, we need to learn what matters, what impacts, and what is important to our spouse through continuing education and constant communication. By paying attention to details we learn what is important to each other because it probably isn’t the same as what is important to us because of male female differences and our life experiences. Likewise we need to grow comfortable with Christ to build a lasting relationship with Him. If we don’t know what He/She/They/Christ wants and needs from us then serving and loving them/Him is almost impossible. Knowing, loving and serving our spouse will bring us peace and joy, just as knowing, loving and serving Christ brings peace and joy to the world.

4)Let God lead you: Prayer for and trust of the circumstances God places us in. Marriage mirrors and strengthens our bond with God because it is the very bond that God initiated in Genesis to teach us about His love for us. When our faith is our stronghold then we are allowing God to take charge of our lives and through him all things are possible. Do you value the opinion of your spouse? Does God lead you in prayer together?

5)Expect Good: Too many times we blame, don’t take responsibility, or forget the reasons and purpose of our marriage. Likewise it can be in our faith or lack of it. We may blame God for our circumstances instead of looking to Him to help us make our choices in life. We can try to do marriage and life on our own, but without God our focus will become blocked by life’s circumstances instead of revealing to us the beauty God has created. If we have faith in God and accept Him and His creation as good, then he must have a purpose for the spouse and family He has given us.

6)Support of Others: Every couple who spoke of hard times in their relationships (illness, broken dreams, accidents) spoke of the faith and family communities who supported them and made those difficult times not only bearable, but true learning and enriching experiences. That is what Church is all about – a community of support—of knowing, loving and SERVING each other.

"Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father, knowing, brothers and sisters loved by God, how you were chosen. For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.” 1 Thes 1: 1-5

Heavenly Father Your wisdom is beyond all ages. Grant us Your mercy when we fail to know You, love You and serve You, especially when we fail to know, love and serve you through our spouse . Give us wisdom to learn through our marriages and our relationships the reasons for which you have created us. Thank you for the blessings of the bonds of marriage, family and the Church who You created as our community of support. Amen.

God is all knowing so it makes sense that He would teach us about Himself through others. Allow us to show our love for Him by the way we know, love and serve others.

Reflect upon what the wisdom of all age looks like—know him, love him, serve him,

Blessings,

Charlotte

www.morningreflection.blogspot.com