The joy of conversion, Christian community, and the Catholic faith
Have you ever been hurt by someone you love and trust completely? The astonishment is often greater than the pain; you simply cannot believe that person did it. Jesus was one with the Father. He knows his Father is not abandoning him, but the real suffering of the cross brings out his anguish in these words. The Father has not abandoned Jesus. He will not remove the cross, but he will stay by Jesus and see him through his ordeal.
Lenten Series: The key episode in all of history is the death and resurrection of Jesus. No other event in history is remotely close in impact and permanence of effect. It was the reason he came to Earth, the fulfillment of his life. The Son of God became man so he could pay the price of our sins on the cross. His whole human existence pointed to this moment.
The scriptures record what Christ said while he hung on the cross. For all believers, his words are worth pondering. The seven last words of Christ are seven statements he made. They are the last teachings he gave to us and connect to his teaching on how we should pray.
During this pandemic, we’ve not been able to gather with many others. But whether we converse with our friends and family, neighbors and business associates from six feet away or on Zoom, are they so impressed with what we say and do that they want what we have? Perhaps they haven’t seen us recently and sense a change in our priorities, the delightful presence of something holy, a pervading peacefulness. They want to know the secret of our inner peace in a chaotic situation, our commitment to God and family when it’s inconvenient, and why we build our schedules around Mass and ministries. They may not recognize at first that they are seeking the same close relationship with Jesus that transforms all our relationships.
Open our hearts to Jesus. Give us the courage to speak his Name to those who are close to us, and the generosity to share his love with those who are far away.
We pray that every person throughout the world be invited to know and love Jesus as Savior and Redeemer. May they come to know his all-surpassing love.
I tell you, God is real! Jesus is real! I do not have to expound some grand quest of science to prove that God is real. He is real. I interacted with him. He loves me. He told me that. The bad thing he predicted really happened. My family was completely unhurt just as he promised. I saw Jesus in each person who visited us during that year to give us support. I watched Jesus explode out from their eyes. They looked like angels. I have never questioned the reality of God again. How could I?
It seems to some of us that the coming election is critical for the survival of our country. It is almost as if we are headed into a civil war. There has been an ongoing battle between good and evil, God’s love and light and satan’s evils. Catholic Canon Law speaks about the option between two forces, choosing the lesser of two evils. We may not like many things on either side. Which one would provide the best way forward?