A Summer for Christ

I have been thinking a lot about my summer with Totus Tuus, mostly because I have  I have been working on Dennis and Father at my home parish to being it to St. John. I think that Vacation Bible School at our parish is so tame, timid, and fails to preach the gospel to the young people of our parish, the people who will soon be standing up for their and and the Church or will be leaving it the Church all together. It also fails because there is nothing for the middle and high schoolers. In Rediscovering Catholicism, Matthew Kelly write, "The ironic thing is that most young people are looking for someone who has the courage to look them in the eye and tell them the truth. Young people want above all to be their own person. But they want to be the-best-version-of-themselves. And they need and want guidance in their lives." This is why Totus Tuus works. College students stand up in front of a group of high schoolers and say, "The truth is, Christ is worth you whole life. Look at us, we have been broken, we are confused, we have no idea where our lives are going. But God is so important, He will be with us throughout the entire journey. Christ is so important that we are willing to give up our whole summer to tell you about Him." Totus Tuus teachers are willing to stand up in front of these high schoolers and tell them the truth and to give them guidance. This is how the Church will change and grow.

Quick Thought

I wrote a couple of weeks age about my struggle with the passage from Job made famous by the praise and worship song "Blessed Be the Name." Then on October 24, 2010, the Psalm response for Mass was

The Lord hears the cry of the poor, blessed be the Lord.

I have been struggling with this. With what I have just experienced (in my immersion trip, by visiting with my Hospice companion every week, etc.) it is easy to think that the Lord does not hear the cry of the poor.  But, maybe the Lord does hear the cry of the poor. Maye He calls people like me to answer and alleviate the cry whenever, wherever, and however we are needed. I think it is important for me and for humanity to stand up for this call: to hear the cry of the poor.

I'm Just Sayin'

"We can show that Catholic worship does indeed have a place where believers accept Jesus into their hearts as their personal Lord and Savior. When the Priest lifts up the host and says, 'This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,' the entire congregation confesses, in words from Scripture (see Mt. 8:8), 'Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.' And then we go forward to receive Jesus into our hearts--His body, blood, soul, and divinity."

 --from "Reasons to Believe" by Scott Hahn

"Lord, I am not worthy to receive you...

This is an entry from my journal from last summer, but I wanted to share it. This is something I was thinking about in Mass today.

June 15, 2009

So, my favorite part of the Mass is right after the Our Father and the Sign of Peace. We sing the Lamb of God and then kneel one more time before receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. The priest raises the Body and the chalice containing the Precious Blood and says "This is the Lamb of God. This is He who takes away the sin of the world. Happy are those who are called to His table." And we reply, "Lord, I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the word and I shall be healed." This line has, recently, really started to stick out to me. There is no why that I am worthy to receive that Body of our Lord into mine. I am a sinner who, despite her best efforts, will never stop sinning. Yet, Christ says it doesn't matter. Seek forgiveness and you shall be forgiven. He loves us even though we are not worthy of Him. He gave us His Body and Blood, not because we deserve it, but because He wants us to be with Him. This is why I could never really belong to another Christian denomination. Maybe another church has better youth-oriented worship. Maybe another church has more engaging sermons week after week. But, the fact of the matter is that no other church believes that the bread and wine is no longer bread and wine, but the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. How can I abandon a church whose core belief matches my core belief? The Church has its problems, just as any human institution will, but I will stick by it and pray for the betterment for all. I also think that this is a good prayer for every day. I have been asked before if I have "asked Jesus into my heart." Yes, I have. But I also think that it's important to remember that we are not worthy to have Him there. It is only through His grace, His words that we are even remotely worthy.