Category: Sacraments

Eucharist, 1st Comm, Confirm, Rec, Marriage,

Six Ways Sharing Our Faith Story Helps Us Grow

I was first baptized as a Protestant and later conditionally baptized as a Catholic (as was the custom before Vatican II). For me, the effects of baptism have been a tremendous source of joy. That’s when I was adopted as a beloved daughter of God, equipped as a follower, commissioned to witness, freed from original sin, made a temple of his glory, empowered by the Holy Spirit, welcomed into the Church, and lovingly placed into the river of my faith story.
My baptism gave me my identity in Christ and began God’s work in my life. May I never “dry out” and turn away from being his beloved daughter, whom he continues to transform.

Testimony: Learning to Love the Cross

When I look back to see how the Lord has been working all my life to draw me closer to Himself, I am reminded of a scene in The Silver Chair, one of C. S. Lewis’s Narnia Chronicles: two children have been sent by Aslan (the Christ figure of Narnia) on a perilous quest to rescue the lost prince of Narnia. Aslan gives them instructions on how to complete their quest but, in the hardship of their journey, they get so tied up in their own discomfort that they forget to look for the signs he has told them to watch for. Only after much struggle and danger do they happen to look back over the way they have come; now they can see clearly that a series of troublesome trenches through which they have struggled are actually a message carved in the earth, spelling out one of Aslan’s instructions for anyone to see who cares to look. What the children in the story couldn’t see at the time is plain in hindsight—but they have left it almost until too late before they look back.

A cross in the sky above Calvary Hill Cemetery, Dallas, TX (photo by Nancy Ward)

The radiant joy of God’s presence

“Look to him that you may be radiant with joy.” (Psalm 34:6)
Joy creeps into our lives as we develop an intimate relationship with the Lord in prayer. Like the early Christians, God created us to display his presence through our happiness and joy so that the world will see that something is different. We are radiant with joy because God loves us. This transformation comes through the indwelling presence of God himself. These moments of radiant joy help us cultivate the habit of practicing the presence of God. 

God’s presence dwells within us from our formation in the womb and then removes our original sin at our baptism. That sacrament eventually opens the door to the Eucharist, where we receive him ever more fully. Jesus calls us into a relationship with him through our baptism and shares his dynamic presence with us through every sacrament.

Testimony: The Scuba Diver and the Mermaid

In 2000, I was sitting in a megachurch with a juice box in my hand, wondering what had gone wrong. The worship service had a back-to-school theme, and the church was trying to shoehorn a communion service into it as well. Thus, the juice box. Even as an Evangelical, I took the Lord’s Supper seriously, although I was taught that it was just a symbol. I didn’t have the words to describe it then but, if I had, I would have called this sacrilege.

Testimony: God’s Catholic Answers

In my early forties, I hit the most trying times of my life. I experienced the death of both of my parents, lost a long-time job, and had a considerable amount of savings tied up in a real estate market that continued to plummet. Also, my oldest son could not attend pre-K4 because of disabilities related to fine and gross motor skills, and my marriage was probably not as good as it had been. At this point, God finally had my attention, and I was ready to let him mold me further.

I Make All Things New

“And he who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’” (Revelation 21:5)
When I was a child, I loved going to the Protestant church in our small New England town. I especially loved going on the first Sunday of the month when we received Communion. Our church taught that Communion was only a symbol of Jesus’ Body and Blood. I never understood what it all meant, but I somehow knew it was special. Over the years, my family drifted away from church, and I attended only sporadically. But when I did go, I still loved to receive Communion. I didn’t know why. I just followed my heart.

Prayer Companion: Name Your Battles

One way you can approach your day is to name your battles. The tasks may seem impossible and they may well be—for you. God does the impossible—through you. Because he lives in your heart, every characteristic of his nature is available to your nature.

Circumstances turn on a dime, but what is your constant? What no-matter-what tool do you have? Praise — in all things.

Balance that list of looming battles by listing the characteristics of God you need to help you through today. Then praise him for each attribute. Many were bestowed at your Baptism, Confirmation, or in the sacrament of Matrimony. They increase with every Reconciliation and Eucharist.