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9/29/2019

God’s Whispers > Satan’s Screams...

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Emma Rose Taylor

Child of God and Life-Long servant

I have never been labeled as the “pretty girl,” the “skinny girl,” or the “athletic girl.” For the longest time those titles consumed me and to be honest, they occasionally still do. I have spent my entire life trying to meet the expectations that those around me have relentlessly thrown my direction, failing every single time. 

Social media tells me that I should either be a size 2 or super curvy, I resemble more of a chubby rectangle, so I don’t feel like I fit in anywhere. My various school experiences have taught me that Math, English, and Science were the most important subjects, but I’m creative, so I struggled to find my place. Society tells me that I need to make a lot of money and go to college to be successful, but I want to work in the educational field, one of the lowest-paid careers. Am I not choosing the right one? Occasionally, Satan screams in my ear, telling me that I need to fit in and be like everyone else to be happy, but God whispers that my uniqueness has a purpose in his grand plan.

I often find that Satan screams and God whispers, and we have to really be listening to hear the truth. I think for some of us, it is easier to stop searching after hearing the scream. Why pray when the “answer” is so prominent in your head? But that’s just it; God desires for us to keep searching as he wants us to choose a life with him and not the other way around. God does not create mistakes, even the seemingly horrible situations you are in. God created us in His likeness, so every scar, flaw or quirk, is of him. God is the definition of a gentleman; he will never push himself on you the way Satan does. He chose you and is waiting patiently for you to choose him back.

God is truth and once we decide to take a step back, pray, and hand over the reins, God will provide a sense of direction, and we must have the courage to trust in him. God does not desire for us to be consumed with this world. While it is our home, the home is temporary, and Heaven is where our soul belongs. 

 
 Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2) ​

​As Christians, we are called to different standards of behavior; standards that are not of this world. We are not called to be focused on our wealth and outwardly appearance but on our growing relationship with Christ. We are called to have the fruits of the Spirit and Christ in our hearts. We are walking testimonies of Christ’s love and each and every story is unique.

Every single person on this planet has a testimony as unique as their DNA. While the hills are high, the valleys remind us of where we were and where we are going. I struggle like all Christians to remind myself that I am created in the likeness of Christ. I must be kind because every negative thought or comment towards myself or others is an insult to our creator. 

I have homework for you today. Write down three personal praises to God in thanks for your gifts, talents, and vast opportunities. These compliments must be purely internal and not based on wealth, status, or physical attributes. As for me, I find this task to be very difficult.  Satan knows where his screams are heard the most, and I hear the screams when it comes to feeling worthless. Satan’s scream is different for everyone, but today pray, listen to God’s whispers and hear the truth.
 
Prayer:
Lord, I have been struggling to hear your voice. Satan’s screams have begun to overpower my heart and I desire for your whispers to be heard through the chaos. You are the bread of life and through you I become whole. I ask for healing, I seek the truth, and I am knocking for permission to enter under your roof. Hear my prayer Lord and reveal to me the gifts, talents, and unique qualities that you have provided me for the use in your kingdom. Amen.
 
My 3 Compliments:
1.  I am a Child of God: I have been chosen by God and play a part in his grand plan.
2.  I am full of life: I have energy, and I am able to show Christ’s love to all those I encounter.
3.  I am selfless: I have been given the capacity to place others’ needs before my own and desire to make everyone feel significant.
 
You are enough. You are important. You are worthy. You are beautiful and handsome and desired. You matter to God, and you matter to all those around you. You are full of so many amazing gifts and talents.   Do not let Satan’s screams tell you otherwise. Share the love God has given you with the world today. Spend some time in prayer. Who else in your life are you thankful for? For their gifts, talents and dedication to Christ? Physically write down three genuine compliments about someone else and hand your work to them.

​Be salt and light in someone’s life today and remember:  Take time to hear and trust in the whispers of God.

 
Go out into the world and do work for the kingdom of God!
​
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9/22/2019

hell is a door which is locked from the inside...

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Jonathan HelT

 “Hell is a door which is locked from the inside”- C.S. Lewis.
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​Our path through this earthly Christian life, though varied among us all, is all leading toward that one great end: Heaven. Each of us, together, yearn for the eternal presence of God, the Father, in Heaven. However, we may not often give enough thought to the eternal absence of God. Hell.

 According to St. Thomas Aquinas, there are four levels of Hell: Limbo of the Infants, Limbo of the Fathers, Purgatory, and Gehenna. Limbo of the Fathers, or ‘Abraham’s Bosom, was the location held by the holy men and women of the Old Testament, before ‘Christ’s Resurrection. Additionally, this is where Abraham held Lazarus, and the rich man called for a drop of water on his tongue (Luke 16;19-31). Purgatory is a place of the purging of ‘one’s sins before entering into the full grace of God. Purgatory is not a place of relaxation. In Purgatory, our sins are burned away, and our gaze is locked on to God so that we are as white as Christ before entering into heaven. Gehenna is what our Lord referred to as Hell in the real sense of the word (this is where you lock the door from the inside). The fires and cleansing of Purgatory pale in comparison to the absence of God and his love that is present in Gehenna.

Hell is real. There is no denying the existence of Hell. We understand that Hell (Gehenna) is the eternal separation from God. Not only will you be separated, but you will also be fully aware of your intentional defiance of His will. You will be in an agony of regret, forced to look upon Satan and his demons, and be scorched by spiritual fire. This spiritual fire casts no light and does not consume. The damned are tormented by the disconnection from God for all eternity. 

‘C.S.’ ‘Lewis’s describes Hell has having a door that has is locked from the inside. This is due to the fact that we are not predestined or condemned to Hell by God. What can we do to lock the door from the inside? What can one do to end up in Hell? Firstly, Hell can be a reality if we turn away and reject God. Second, we could face Hell if we commit a mortal sin, or many of them, and do not repent. When we reject God or when we commit a sin that goes unrepented, we stand the chance of locking the door from the inside. In doing so, we lock the door from the inside and choose our own will over the will of God.

We must be vigilant in our seeking reparation of our sins through the sacrament of Reconciliation. In Matthew 24:36, our Lord describes the day of judgment as “that day and hour no one knows.” Jesus knew of our mortal weakness and fallible nature. He gave his disciples the power to loose sins on earth and likewise in heaven. God yearns for us all to be in heaven with Him. He gives us the tools to cleanse ourselves before our earthly death. Confessing our sins with honesty, via intentional regret and humility allows us to rid ourselves of the possibility of slipping into the pits of Hell.

Just as Jesus gave the keys of the kingdom of heaven to Peter; we hold the keys to unlock the door to heaven or lock ourselves into the gates of Hell. God sends no one to Hell. We choose to separate ourselves from God and turn away from his love. If we fail to reconcile ourselves to God, by living life opposed to God’s vision for us and therefore living opposed to God at time of our death, then we turn away from God and lock ourselves into Hell. 

 Let us humbly respect and participate in the gift of the sacrament of Reconciliation. By dropping our guard, confessing our sins to the priest in the confessional, in persona christi, we become reconciled to God.  Through confession, we grow to have a true sense of sin, the damage it causes to ourselves, and our relationship with God. Let us receive the Eucharist as a pure vessel; as to remind ourselves that we are the true tabernacle that Christ intended. As Catholics, we have the gifts of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as handed down from Christ to Peter. Let us cherish our lives as we love our Church, our tabernacle and body, and the purity of spirit after a complete and justly rendered absolution of our sins. Let us hold these close and be ready for that “day and hour.” For, we do not want to be locked from the inside.

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.

Amen.



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9/15/2019

What a Child Taught me about Eucharistic Adoration...

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Jack DisPennett
Slave of Christ JEsus

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A few years ago, I volunteered on my days off at a Head Start center just outside of San Antonio, Texas, working with children ages three to five. There were two classrooms, one consisting of slightly older children, with the younger children in the other class. I would typically spend my morning in the east classroom with the older children, and they would lay down for a nap at around 10:30 a.m. After the rest, their school day would be over, and they would be dispatched home, leaving the classroom vacant for the afternoon class. It was my habit to leave the classroom after the children laid down for their nap, either to take a break before the afternoon session or to head right next door to help with the younger children.

But there was one little girl, we’ll call her Adelaide, though that was not her real name. She often wore her dark hair in a long braid, and she had slightly brown skin that, while dark by the standards of my monochromatic Midwestern home, would have been considered practically anemic by South Texas standards. She was one of the meeker children, possessing a soft, winsome voice, and a disposition pleasant enough that even adults who can’t stand kids would have found her tolerable. As Adelaide laid down for her morning nap, I’m not sure what wild currents of unease circled about just underneath the surface of her soul, but she would often look at me with pleading eyes and make this request: “Mister Jack, can you sit here for a few minutes?”

Sitting around on hard plastic chairs that are made for children is something I’d gotten used to, and I was happy to oblige her request. Indeed, in a complex world in which human beings can be seemingly impossible to please, it’s incredible to think that my mere presence could somehow help to bring peace to the heart of a little four-year-old girl. I would sit there for several minutes, not too close to her, but where she could see me, humbled that I could bring such comfort to another human being by such a simple action—and not really much of an action, really. She just wanted me to be present, to be visible. That’s all.

God’s grace was operating there, and I was an undeserving mediator of that grace. During that time, though I was volunteering with children, I was not really walking in the grace of God and had succumbed to sin in many areas of my life. I think that part of the reason God sent me to those children, or perhaps sent them to me, was to soften my heart and help me become more like a child.

When I think of Adelaide today, she’s one of many people I’ll never see again in this life. Perchance we’ll meet in Heaven. But little Adelaide, I want to be more like you. Not that I want to relinquish my adult responsibilities, or to return the affairs of my life to a youthful state of simplicity. But I want to realize that I have no strength, no grit, no toughness of my own to brave the storms of life. I need the Presence of another to see me through.

The Catholic faith—which I would not come around to until a few years later—taught me that not only did God make His divinity present to us in the Person of Christ, but He left us that Presence to abide with us until He returns again. As a Protestant Christian, I could believe that God heard us when we prayed; I could even comprehend and accept that God was present everywhere, as Scripture teaches us. But I didn’t yet believe in this truth that now sets me free, that in the Most Holy Eucharist, the Lord Jesus Christ is truly present for us; His Soul and Body, Humanity and Divinity, are entirely, truly, and physically present under the appearance of bread. 

The Eucharist reveals to us several things about God, things that had been foreshadowed to me in my experience with Adelaide. First, His humility, that He is willing to make Himself present to us at the words of the priest, whether the priest is worthy or not, whether the people are reverential or not, he still makes Himself present to us, day after day, in all Churches with Apostolic Succession where the Mass or Divine Liturgy is said. Just as I was willing to make myself present to Adelaide in the other children when I could have been anywhere else on a day off, Christ condescends a million times more to make Himself present to us, even though mostly the result is that most of us Catholics are cold towards Him and respond to His love with, at best, an ephemeral, circumscribed zeal.

Secondly, the Eucharist reveals Christ’s selfless love for us. The First Vatican Council teaches that God has no need of us. Thus, we add nothing to His majesty by worshiping Him. Similarly, Jesus gains nothing from being present in the Eucharist. In the Eucharistic elements, He does not maintain the physical senses He had in His human body. He does not suffer pain when His body is broken and eaten, but He is not able to gaze back with human eyes when we look at Him in the monstrance in adoration. He offers us such grace with His Divine Presence, yet in return, He receives no benefits at all and is often treated with cold indifference.

If I’m to become a child again, like Adelaide, this is my path: Through adoration of Christ in the Eucharist. He had always been there.  He was there at Church, I drove by every day, and in Catholic Churches all across the globe. Even now, Jesus waits for me. He came to this earth before I could also ask for him, and he’s waiting for me. When I come to Him, and gaze on my Creator, the one for Whom my soul was made, whatever weight of sin or anxiety that I bring into His Divine Presence is swallowed up by His Infinite Greatness. I get a sort of comfort from being near other human beings I love, just like Adelaide was comforted by my presence, but I must admit that it’s hard to be in the presence of a mere human being for very long without feeling the need to speak. But when we are in the presence of Christ, in the Most Holy Eucharist, we remember that not only is He God, He is God the Word; He is the spoken Word of the Father, who reveals the Father’s Nature and the Father’s Love for the world. Though we can pray any sort of prayer in His presence, such as the Divine Office, the Rosary, or any number of extemporaneous prayers, it’s best to just start out with silence. If I’m honest, silence in prayer is a discipline that I seldom practice, but when I do, I am quite humbled by Him. I’ll never hear Christ unless I make a better habit of listening. Little Adelaide and I were mostly silent during naptime during these naptime overlays, yet words of comfort were somehow spoken to that child’s heart. How much more will our Creator, the Second Person of the Trinity, who is True God from True God, be for us the Word of comfort from God, speaking most clearly and most profoundly in His silence.  


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9/8/2019

The Nativity and Childhood of Mary

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Claire Callahan
A sinner striving to become a saint. 

September 8th, 2019, the twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, is typically the Feast of the Nativity of Mary. However, this year, the day of the Resurrection of the Lord takes precedence over it. We celebrate her birth nine months after the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Later this week, we celebrate the memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary. This is the day to reflect on Mary before she became the Blessed Virgin and Our Mother. Before the most defining moments of her life, the Annunciation and the Foot of the Cross of Jesus. She was blessed and chosen, and we can learn much from her childhood. 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t often think about Mary as a child. Virgin, Queen, and Mother sure, but during this season of my life, God has me learning what it means to become childlike. To possess greater faith, hope, and love. It’s funny these are what we pray for on our rosaries. These virtues are exemplified in Mary because as a child, she practiced them! To become good at something, we must practice. She learned the Scriptures from her Mother and Father, and she humbly lived out her daily life with a purity of heart. We know this from her conception. But before we can say, “Hail Mary full of Grace,” I invite you to imagine Mary as a child. Did she laugh or cry easily? Was she full of energy and rambunctious? Would she help tend the lambs and animals around her home? Knowing more about her years as a young woman and Mother, I think we can say, she must have been a humble and special child. She was indeed full of Grace. A beautiful definition of Grace from Pope Francis describes it as the amount of light in our souls. Mary is the Morning Star (Litany of Loreto). We can look to her as a child. This is encouraging--she can help us regain our innocence and become more of who we are supposed to be. Children are not afraid to laugh or cry--they feel emotions strongly. Yet, they know that the mercy and love of the Father are more significant than all other considerations. Children trust freely, they have faith that things will be taken care of for them, and they hope for a better tomorrow! 
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"As young adults attempting to be childlike, we must make a choice. We must choose to have faith, we must offer to trust, and we must ask for the desire to pray."
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​Holy Scripture says, “And [Jesus] calling to himself a child, he put him in the midst of them, and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:2-4). As young-adults trying to be childlike, we must make a choice. We must choose to have faith, we must offer to trust, we must ask for the desire to pray. Daily we can turn, turn back to God when we fail to be “childlike.” We repent.  We take up our desire for purity of heart and strive anew. We can see the examples of children in our own families and learn from them about wonder and living in the present moment. Typically, they are not worried about the future, but instead are amazed at the flutter of the butterfly or new pair of light-up shoes! As a child, I do not believe Mary concerned herself with anxieties regarding her future. She would have enjoyed Anne’s cooking and Joachim’s hugs. Her birth changes everything. It is from Her we see the most exceptional example of “yes” resulting in the birth of Our Savior. If we want to obtain a childlike Faith, the Blessed Mother is one of the best examples we as Christians have. Her adult life was lived for ONLY for God and comes from the foundation of a humble childhood.


While performing my work at St. Joseph University Parish, I almost daily see the statue of St. Anne with the child  Mary. It looks as though Saint Anne was teaching, but by Mary’s gaze heavenward with her right-hand open and her left hand on her heart, she seems to be listening intently to the voice of God. St. Anne has a comforting, maternal arm around her daughter’s shoulder and in her other hand, a scroll of which is written in Latin.  The scroll reads “Egredietur Virga de Radice Jesse” which means, “And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root (Isaiah 11:1). Blessed Albert the Great remarks on these words, that the divine flower, that is to say, the Only-Begotten Son of God, was to be born, not from the summit, nor from the trunk of the tree of Jesse, but from the root, precisely to denote the humility of the Mother: by the root, humility of heart is understood” (Liguori, 307).   Mary body and soul has forever maintained her childlike faith and trust. Her humility and meekness are her greatest virtues, and it is from this childlike innocence that all other virtues spring forth. May each of us pray for the Grace of childlike faith and disposition toward God and neighbor. Living by the example of Mary our Mother, and with her intercession, may the peace of the Holy Spirit that stems from that indelible, all-encompassing, love of Christ, be with us every day of our lives.


​

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9/1/2019

Have You Made a Home for the Poor?

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KEvin Murphy
Son, Father, Husband, Law Enforcer, Fighter of Fires

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A few years ago, I was volunteering with the St. Joe's Samaritan Pantry. A gentleman walked up to me and asked if I would be willing to give him a ride home after he had received his disbursement of food. Being one of the few, if not the only male volunteering that day, I told him that I would. What happened next, I will never forget. As I drove, he proceeded to tell me about his life. He told me things that I had never heard anyone say. I was nervous because I had no idea how to respond. He was worried because he thought God was looking poorly on him. He opened his heart to me. But I didn't have to say anything. God put me there merely to listen to him. At that moment, God desired him to share part of his testimony and for me to hear and to let him vent his frustrations. As we arrived at his house, he thanked me for listening, and he went on his way. He was visibly relieved by having the opportunity to talk freely to someone who would listen. All I had to do is drive. I didn't have to say anything. I didn't have to carry anything. I didn't have to give him any money. I just had to drive and be open-minded, and all ears. 

In the past, I regularly took time out of my busy week to help with the St. Joseph University Parish pantry. Some would say that back then, I was a regular helper. As I think back to recent memory, I can not recall the last time that I took time out of my schedule to help. Why is that? As I sit here writing this, I am trying to come up with "good" reasons why I have been absent from the pantry. While the reasons that I came up with maybe "good" in my book, are they "truely right and just" in God's book? The various Terre Haute Christian communities do well serving Terre Haute's homeless population. Each parish has quite the extensive team to get their ministries to the homeless completed every week. But every Church is always in need of help at all points of the day. Why then did I stop helping?  

Today's Gospel tells us, "...the one who humbles himself will be exalted." One definition of exalted is to be "in a state of extreme happiness." This Gospel today (Sunday the 1st of September, 2019) reminded me of my time helping with the pantry. The story above is one of many stories I can share where I had a positive interaction with someone at the pantry. I would go home occasionally sore, but the physical soreness was nothing compared to spiritual growth that occurred because I trusted in God and took the time to help. I would leave the pantry, knowing that I made a difference. I kept wanting to feel that connection to Christ and his people, week after week. And it was easy! Sometimes, all they need is someone to see that they are there; that they exist. I can not begin to imagine what it would be like to have people go out of their way to avoid me in day to day life. Can you?  

God doesn't expect us to open the doors of our homes to all the homeless in our community. God has already created a home for them with the Church. We, the parishioners, the elect, are the Church. Just as we long to feel at home at our parish, they too wish to feel at home somewhere in this world. Through our time, talents, and treasures, we can do our best to give the poor a home. We may not be able to provide them with a permanent roof over their head. However, we can do miracles with just a smile or a helping hand.  

Next time you have the opportunity to volunteer to help the underprivileged, say yes. Regardless of how uncomfortable the idea is, know that God will provide you with the capacity to do his Will. Please remember that merely being present to those who are in most need, on behalf of Christ, could make a lasting impression that may last a lifetime.   

Learn how you can serve with FRAYAM for the sake of Christ and his people by clicking here...

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