This Is Why I'm Catholic

Christ beckoned to me from the Church, inviting me to receive Him through the Eucharist to which voices from ancient Christians bear witness. The veil between Heaven and Earth opens and He pours Himself out to us. We are filled through Him: Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.

Seeking God Together

When I was 14, I spent a very lonely six months in a new school 3,000 miles away from my home. The circumstances as to why I was there shall remain unexplained, but suffice it to say that when I got home, seeing my friends again was a great joy. After that experience, I made a vow to myself: I would do everything within my power to surround myself with friends, lots of them, wherever I happened to be. It was just too painful to be as alone as I was during those months.

CS Lewis said: "Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival."

I love the thought that friendship, like philosophy and art, gives great beauty and meaning to life; with that I do agree. However, for me, friendship is one of the great necessities of life. It IS about survival.

I believe God created us with an innate desire for connection. It's what causes us to seek Him and to seek out relationships with one another. On the grand continuum of our varying needs for intimacy, I'm guessing I would land deep on the far side of "yes." I love sharing my heart with others and hearing what's within theirs. It's one of my great joys in life.

Thankfully, in all the years since age 14, I've not had to live my life without friends. I am thankful for each one; some have followed me through the years... and some are just beginning to walk the path next to me. I love each friend, old and new, and the ones who point me to the heart of God are the jewels in the crown. I treasure them most of all.

Thank you, each one of you, for sharing the journey with me.

Planting Seeds

This morning I spent a lot of time planting seeds, not in my garden, but in my heart. I see prayer that way. CS Lewis has said that prayer is not about changing God, but about changing us. I find this to be true; the more time I spend on my knees, the more I am changed. And that's a good thing.

There is no more peaceful place to be than in prayer. When I ask for God to shed His grace upon my friends, my family, my parish, the world, I know He becomes involved in the lives of those I love, and that comforts me. All the cares of the world slip away and are replaced by the peace only He can give.

Prayer also brings thanksgiving. Being on my knees helps me see life more clearly and to understand how much He has blessed me. Whatever my physical circumstances, He lavishes me with grace when I seek Him. A never-ending font of spiritual blessings is poured from Heaven.

Sometimes it's hard to get to my knees, but once I'm there, I don't want to leave. It's good to know I don't have to, even when I get up.

"Pray without ceasing." I Thessalonians 5:17

A Stone in My Heart

One of my favorite scripture verses is Ezekiel 36:26: "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."

God has given me a heart of flesh; it beats within me for Him. However, within the tenderness of that heart lies a great stone. The very thing that is most important to me is what divides me from my family.

They don't share my faith.

How I long for them to be united with me in the pursuit of God! How I miss the times they were.

St. John speaks the truth when he says: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." (3 John 1:4)

Today at Mass, my heart broke, and within the break lodged a very heavy stone. I can only hope that my family will eventually make their way home. And, dear God, may that be sooner, rather than later.

A Sign of Love

Flowers are a sign of love from God, I think, a bit of "extra" He put into the world so we'd know He cares. I can't think of any other reason they're here than to grace our senses and reflect the beauty and generosity of God.

Flowers show me that God is extravagant.

I used to work in a florist shop, and the variety of shapes, colors, sizes and smells embodied in flowers seems endless. I loved being immersed in the headiness of it all on flower delivery day, when riots of color and fragrance graced buckets all over the store. Even now, the stunning beauty of a graceful arrangement can stop me in my tracks.

"The Earth laughs in flowers."

I've seen this phrase attributed to both e. e. cummings and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Either way, whoever said it, I couldn't agree more.

Thank you, God.

Of Mistletoe and Sin

(See the post below...)

Losing Weights

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1

Our picturesque spot in the world is made even more beautiful by many acres of oaks that line roadways and dot hillsides. In wintertime when branches are barren, green balls of mistletoe become exposed, hanging from the otherwise bleak trees like defiant bits of spring clinging to a winter landscape.

An overseas friend recently asked for photos of our native mistletoe (she's never seen it growing in its natural environment), so lately I've become fascinated with finding photogenic specimens on my drive to work.

But, alas! What I've discovered is that I'm a bit too late! Once the trees begin leafing out in spring, the mistletoe becomes hidden.

The thought of mistletoe warms my soul and makes me happy because it's associated with things I love: romance and Christmas. It's hard to believe that in actuality it's a parasite that saps health from its host tree, sometimes even killing it if it takes hold strongly enough. It reminds me that things are not always as they seem.

I got an inspiration while in the quiet of Eucharistic Adoration today. Like mistletoe on an oak tree, indulgence in sin depletes me of spiritual nourishment. Sin may start small and feel good, but I must not be fooled; its aim is to take over my soul. Like winter mistletoe, it may seem beautiful at first, as though it's dressing me up; or, like spring mistletoe, it may be hidden within the "leaves" of the otherwise goodness of my life, but, ultimately, it's a killer.

I had a friend in college who spent months training for a long wilderness hike. She walked everywhere (everywhere!) with weights on her ankles. The idea was that she'd feel unencumbered in comparison when she did her actual hike.

Those ankle weights remind me of "the sin that so easily entangles" that impedes my progress in the race. I long to "throw off everything that hinders" to run my race without handicaps! But it takes time, and encouragement, and strength, and will. I am thankful I can ask my "cloud of witnesses" to intercede on my behalf, the saints in Heaven that have gone before me. Each one of them struggled and overcame in this life, and they are there at the finish line, cheering all of us on.

I am also thankful for the "cloud of witnesses" in this life, those that run the race with me, sometimes pulling me forward, sometimes allowing me to push them. They make it feel more like the team effort of a relay. Though each of us must run our own race, we can help one another to the glory of the finish line!

Lastly and most importantly, I am thankful for our Heavenly Gardener, He who knows when it's time to prune the mistletoe.

"Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." Romans 12:9