I’ve always identified with Thomas. 

Thomas was asked to do what the other disciples didn’t have to do. He had to believe sight unseen. Thomas might be the easiest apostle to relate to because many of us have experienced what it is like to live between faith and doubt. Almost everyone experiences some kind of doubt at some point in their faith journey. It’s part of the faith journey.

Faith is often seen as the opposite of doubt, but that is inaccurate. The opposite of faith is certainty; there is no room for faith where there is certainty. 

Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is one element of faith. Doubt forces us to rely on God because we don’t have it all figured out. 

In the ninth chapter of Mark’s Gospel, there is the story of a distraught father whose young son is possessed by an evil spirit. The boy's father has asked Jesus to heal his son, and Jesus told him to have faith, and his son would recover. Like the rest of us, the poor fellow had his doubts, so he said, “I’ll do my best, but while you’re attending to my son, please cure my unbelief.” The boy was cured; the father’s faith was strengthened by Jesus, who reminded him, “Everything is possible to one who has faith.”

The most excellent cure for doubt is a good prayer life that includes scripture reading. Ponder God’s word. Let it speak to you and use it to speak to God. Pray to God in the words of the psalms. Enter into the Gospel stories, try to imagine yourself in the reading. Visualize yourself as the person whom you see Jesus healing. Feel his hands rest upon you; hear his words as if they were spoken to you. Don’t read them as you read the morning paper but listen to them as part of your morning prayer. From my experience doing this, I can promise you that God will touch your heart and strengthen your faith.

The Saint Brigid Parish Stations of the Cross are Amazing

This Lent let's focus on the words rather than the images.

The first panel says:

We Adore Thee
O Christ
And
We Bless Thee
Because
By Thy Holy Cross
Thou Hast
Redeemed
The World

The cross of Christ is the greatest of all paradoxes. 

The cross was the darkest hour in history

yet it was the time of greatest light.

It was the most tragic event in the history of the world,

yet the most wonderful thing that ever happened. 

It was the saddest spectacle man ever beheld,

yet it was the most stunning defeat Satan ever suffered

   and the most glorious victory Christ ever won. 

He won by losing. 

He conquered by surrendering. 

We see man's hatred for Christ in the cross, 

yet we see Christ's love for man. 

There we see human vengeance as the crowds cried for His blood, 

yet we see divine forgiveness as Jesus prayed, 

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."

The cross portrays man’s sinfulness and God’s holiness;

 human weakness and divine strength. 

It demonstrates man's inability to save himself 

and God's ability and power to do this for him. 

The cross, from the human standpoint, is foolishness;

yet it is a revelation of the highest wisdom of God. 

💗

St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians that "for the Jewish people the cross is a scandal 

and for the Greeks (Gentiles) the cross is foolishness, but to those on the way of salvation -- 

Jew and Gentile alike -- Christ the power and wisdom of God!"

Make your Lenten prayers ... prayers for peace.

As we begin Lent, our 40-day season of prayer, sacrifice, and almsgiving in preparation for the celebration of Easter, I would suggest we offer our sacrifices and prayers for the people of Ukraine. We watch in horror as peaceful communities are turned into arenas of violence, families are separated, and young men young fathers pick up weapons. We see missiles destroy places of refuge and safety, and lives are abused, wounded, and lost, including innocent children. Millions must flee their homes with just the clothes they can carry. We all want to do something to help! And we can! As we begin our Lenten traditions, let all of us remember that prayer is powerful. Pray for peace! Pray for Ukraine. Ask God to pierce Putin’s heart.   

O God, author and giver of peace,
in whose image and likeness each of us has been created
with a human dignity worthy of respect on earth
and destined for eternal glory,
Listen to the cry that rises from every corner of this fragile earth,
from our human family torn by violent conflict:

Give peace in our time, O good and gracious God,
that peace which, as your son Jesus Christ told us
and as we have experienced in these days,
is a peace which the world cannot give.

To world leaders grant the wisdom
to see beyond the boundaries of race, religion, and nation
to that common humanity that makes us all your children
and brothers and sisters to one another.

To those who have taken up arms in anger or revenge
or even in the cause of justice
grant the grace of conversion to the path of peaceful dialogue
and constructive collaboration.

To the innocent who live in the shadow of war and terror,
especially the frightened children,
be a shelter and strength, their haven and hope.

And to those who have already lost their lives
as victims of human cruelty,
open wide your arms and enfold them all
in the embrace of your compassion, healing, and everlasting life.

Grant this through Jesus Christ, your son, our Lord.

Mary, Mother of all and Queen of peace, pray for us.

- Peter J. Scagnelli

“A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not.”   

---Seneca 

 

Hugs to all my dear friends recieving this blog.

I love you!

Happy New Year.

CAIN - The Commission (Official Music Video)

Thoughts about our Lady of Guadalupe

 

I feel so fortunate to have a devotion to Mary Jesus’ mother. We got our first look at Jesus' incredible powers came when Jesus performed a public miracle because his mother asked. He said it was not his time yet, but his mother asked for help. And he could not resist his mother’s request. That fact alone should encourage us to seek her assistance when we need to approach Jesus for help. 

Throughout history, Mary has visited humankind at sites around the world. At least 13 apparitions of Mary have been recorded. My favorite aspect of those visits is that her physical appearance always reflects the local culture. 

The two most dramatic examples of this are Our Lady of La Vang in Vietnam and Our Lady of Guadalupe. She appeared in Vietnam, when Catholics were being persecuted and killed, as a stunningly beautiful Vietnamese woman with the child Jesus. In the sixteenth century, Mary appeared in Mexico, and her face had the appearance of an indigenous maiden. The meaning of that is instantly evident; Mary is one of us – all of us!

Her appearance as an indigenous, dark-skinned woman is something all of us should embrace at this moment when race relations are so much on our minds. Millions of Mexicans, Latin Americans, and U.S. Hispanics can see themselves in her face. Her complexion is mestiza (i.e., mixed races), just like so many of them. Her face is their face. All people of color can realize how much she and Jesus value them through her appearance.
The work of artist Yolanda Lopez (seen above) is tantalizing as she portrays Our Lady of Guadalupe performing everyday activities such as sowing and running.

Mary is a sign of divine presence in history, and the beauty of what she tells us in her visits is that God loves all people. Prejudice in our society—and in the Church— is real. Cherishing the indigenous, dark-skinned face of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good step in forming a welcoming heart for all people.