theROCK

Come Back to the Cross

Two years ago, as our mom began her journey home to God, she held court in the ICU room. There were conversations with spouses, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. One by one the five of us, her children, entered alone to listen. A strong and loving woman with remarkable faith, she chose her words carefully so there could be no argument. Arguing was pointless, you were not going to win, besides, she was usually right. She opened her prayer book, instinctively brought to the hospital, and handed me the prayer "Come Back to the Cross."

Dear Lord, you became man, suffered, and died to win salvation for all souls.

Look graciously on the souls of those who have drifted away from You and the faith.

Grant them Your grace to see the errors of their ways and return to the fold of Your care

Teach me to stay close to them during this trying time and strive to convert them by action and prayer more than by words that may antagonize.

O sweet Jesus, I trust You to do everything to bring Your children back to You. Amen.

Mom said, “Michael, you need to get them back to Jesus, get them back to His Church. Get the babies baptized.”  Thanks mom. That isn’t too daunting. But isn’t this what we are ALL called to do? Is there a better time to start than Lent? Is there a better image than THE Cross? You share your favorite restaurant, movie, recipe…why not your faith?

In my early 20’s, I was lost, distracted. Working Sunday mornings was a good rationalization. I was busy. God would understand. Decades later, a framed prayer in my office reads: “Lord, I shall be very busy today. I may forget Thou, but do not Thou forget me.” Yep, it was mom’s, She is still teaching me.

Add these prayers to your daily conversation with God. Share it with those who need to see it. Seek the lost or distracted during this Lent; family, friends, or acquaintances. God will provide the words.

LISTEN to their story…it is still being written and Jesus has the lead role.

SHARE your story of how Jesus is your rock; how He gives you the strength to face the challenges of this world.

PRAY WITH them. It may be awkward at first, but both will move past it.

JOIN them during the Triduum and at Easter. Join them the Sunday after Easter.

There are three players in this story, Jesus, the lost, and those called to “Be Christ” and walk with the lost (that is all of us). Thankfully, all is possible with and through God. He gave His only Son for us. The least we can do is give Him our hearts and tell His story.

Change

Are you still scrambling with what to give up for Lent? I decided to give up coffee and 6 hours later found myself unable to do that. Knowing God’s forgiveness, I reflected more on what I need to do that will change my heart. For we know that prayer, fasting and almsgiving is the church’s invitation for us to enter deeply into the mysteries of the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord. But there is more to just “giving something up.” It is about CHANGE and adopting the life of Christ given to us. 

We see little signs of change in nature: buds on the trees and bulbs beginning to bloom in spring. It’s a reminder for us that new life emerges from the dormancy of darkness. Journeying with the Elect (those to be baptized at the Easter Vigil) and witnessing their change is truly a gift. We see how Christ is active in drawing them to himself; their hearts open for the many God-winks in daily life, their eyes open to see how God is working in their lives, and their ears open to the voice of the  Holy Spirit.

Fr. Dennis said we should not come to Communion unless we want to be changed. As we walk toward the altar to receive Jesus, He enters our lives in a tangible way and changes us into his image. That change may be small but it is effective. What change do we seek? What change do we need?

Prayer allows us to ascend the mountain as Jesus did in the gospel account of the transfiguration and to hear the voice of God. Imagine what it was like for Peter, James and John to witness our Lord’s transfiguration, to reflect on the experience, and later to share it with others after his death. It changed them forever and cemented their deep relationship with Jesus. 

Reflecting on the change we need in our lives, let us think about where we fail. Could it be our judgement of others or harboring grudges? Could it be our selfishness or self-absorption? How effective can we be when we allow the noise of the world to overpower us? Practicing little virtuous habits will result in big changes in our lives.

God chooses to work through us, as flawed as we are, to share Jesus with others. Come away from your busy life and spend some time in prayer, in silence, and encounter the One who loves you unconditionally. Bring your brokenness, your lack of faith or even your sinfulness to Him who wants to change you with his Love. 

Joyful Witness

Our VISION: To be a spiritual home that radiates the love of God, overflows with the power of the Holy Spirit, and joyfully leads others to Christ.

“Proclaiming Christ means showing that to believe in and to follow Him is not only something right and true, but also something beautiful, capable of filling life with new splendor and profound joy, even in the midst of difficulties. To be evangelizers of souls, we need to develop a spiritual taste for being close to people’s lives and to discover that this is itself a source of greater joy. To be Mission is at once a passion for Jesus and a passion for His people.” ~ Pope Francis

Does this quote from Pope Francis enlighten your understanding of the last part of our vision statement?

The Body of Christ, the Church grows through witness; a particular kind of witness – one that is joyful and also authentic. It is this type of witness to Jesus that will lead other people to seek, know, and become Christ.

Fr. Ben J. Cameron, C.P.M. in his article, “Joyful Witness to Christ or Proselytism?” shared what his idea of witness includes: 

• Evangelization: bringing the Gospel to those who have not received or accepted it yet.
• New Evangelization: bringing the Gospel again to those persons and societies that had once embraced it, but have essentially lost the Faith.
• Catechesis: education and formation of those who have the Faith so that they grasp it more deeply and live it more authentically.
• Apologetics: being ready “to give reasons for the hope that is within you” (I Peter 3:15), which can be a powerful way of bringing people to Christ and our Catholic Faith.
• Christian Charity: a life which is truly based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and His Church should be attractive to others, and lead them to Christ.
• Martyrdom: the martyrs are the ultimate witnesses to Our Lord Jesus Christ; the word “martyr” means “witness,” and the willingness to die for Christ has led many, many souls to embrace our Catholic Faith – “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christians,” as Tertullian said in the second century.

Pope Francis has called each and every one of us to live and witness to Christ much more authentically and joyfully. And this joyful witness to Christ will attract other people to the Church. In the 17th century, St. Francis de Sales said that you “attract more flies with a teaspoon of honey than with a whole barrel of vinegar.” A true joyful witness will attract many persons to the truth, beauty, and goodness of our Catholic Faith.

May we all be such joyful witnesses, leading other to Christ!