LET IT aLL sTART hERE
For Catholics who care...
Two months ago, I went to an estate sale in Danbury, Connecticut. Even though I had never been there before, when I entered the house I could sense immediately that this was once the home of a follower of Christ in the Catholic tradition. The owner was an older gentleman, and he began to approach me while I was studying a set of rosary that was for sale. (Like most Catholics, I LOVE religious articles like Miraculous Medals, crosses and statues of saints!) The rosary was fashioned out of mother-of-pearl, and the milk-white crucifix was embossed in silver giving it a holographic quality. It was exquisite even though it clearly had been repaired. As he stood next to me, the man volunteered to count the beads in each of the decades, because, to him, it simply wouldn’t do to have an incomplete rosary. But it wasn’t necessary for me to have a perfect set of beads. I could manage if one bead was missing. After all, a well trained Catholic school girl, could pray The Rosary on her toes! I was about to say as much when I realized that the man wanted to share something...needed to share something with me; the rosary was a just convenient vehicle. With reverence, he carefully arranged the rosary in front of us in a perfect oval, and fingered each bead, counting as he celebrated all that he knew and embraced about being Catholic. I listened closely, not wanting to miss a detail of his story. But, interestingly, several others listened as well. The man confessed that he had "taken a break" from Church…from God. But he also admitted that he was thrilled to be back! And I could see that his words were true. As he spoke I wondered, how many of the other eavesdroppers, had been “fallen away” Catholics--as Catholics who "took a break from God" referred to themselves. Some seemed just too interested in the details of his story and with his obsession for counting the rosary beads. They tried to look disinterested but seemed to know something of what he spoke of. His words were resonating within them, maybe even cultivating a seed.
I often speak to men who were once altar boys and served God in the Catholic parishes of their youth. In pubs or sometimes at work, men who know I am Catholic, albeit an "inconvenient one", are often excited and proud to share: “I was an altar boy.” I wonder why it is so important for them to witness to their Catholic past considering they openly admit to not having darkened the door of a Catholic church in years except for weddings and funerals? As I listened to them tell their stories about walking to church in a blizzard for 7 a.m. Mass or drinking the "holy wine" with their best friend in the sacristy, I was sure of one thing: It all started here! The Church gave them something to hold onto. A seed was sown that may be dormant…but not dead; waiting, but not giving up on its chance to germinate. The funny thing about them, is their unwillingness to admit that their turning away from God, or the Catholic tradition, only meant that they had chosen not to look upon the Presence of God as they once had. Nothing else had changed. If one chooses to open an umbrella to block the light and warmth of the sun from her upturned face, does that mean that the sun is no longer there? Of course not. God remains faithful. He is there even when we are not there with Him. As Fr. Michael reminded us in his homily on The Second Sunday of Advent: God has always kept His promises to those who believed. "Through Isaiah, He also promised to send a messenger ahead of the Messiah, to help prepare his people to receive their Savior worthily. That promised was fulfilled in John the Baptist. John the Baptist promised the Messiah would come soon to baptize with the Holy Spirit, and Jesus showed up shortly thereafter. Decades before that, as we’ll hear on Monday, God promised a humble peasant girl, through the angel Gabriel, that she would be the mother of this Savior, the Son of the Most High, who would rule over the house of Jacob forever. And through the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary gave birth to Jesus. Jesus promised his disciples that he would suffer and die, but would rise from the dead on the third day ... and He did! He promised to send them the Holy Spirit to help them continue his mission to the ends of the earth, and Voila! Pentecost Arrived ... in a rush of wind and with tongues of fire! He promised the gates of the netherworld would not prevail against his Church, and they haven’t. And yes, He promised He would come again in glory to judge the living and the dead ... and He will! But before that, there’s another promise, we must help him to fulfill. He promised to be with us always ... to the end of the age. His presence is indeed among us, primarily in the Church, and most profoundly in the Eucharist." What we must remember is that God keeps the promise he made to us at Baptism. It is through the Sacrament of Baptism that we are gifted something that can not be returned, replaced or exchanged. We are given the Holy Spirit and He remains with us always, even when we attempt to block the brightness and warmth He offers.
9 Comments
Charlene Caramore
12/17/2014 07:54:44 am
Thank you, Evelyn, for reminding us that our Lord keeps his promises. Father Barron's Advent reflections have been on waiting for the last few days--how Abraham waited for the birth of Isaac, believing in God's promise even though he was an old man past his prime. The children of Israel waited 40 years but God kept his promise and they did get to the Promised Land. I think it's easy to forget that, as you said, God is there with His promises but where are we? We're the ones who stray. We walk away from His marvelous light. Both of my sons were altar servers but now as men, they don't go to church. I'm pretty sure that the one still believes in Christ but I'm not so sure about the other. And he was the one as a child that was so spiritually alert. I know that we all have to find Christ and fall in love with Him in our own time and in our own way. I did. But waiting is tough and that's what Advent is all about. I guess that we need to pray that those who once knew Christ but now seem unwilling to follow Him will return, even if it's at the moment of their last breaths. There will be much rejoicing in Heaven when they do.
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Jackie White
12/17/2014 08:40:41 am
My two step daughters were away from the Catholic church for years. One for 30 years and one for about 20 years. They are both back and I am so happy. One is very active in her parish and the other is a very good practicing Catholic. I believe in the power of prayer and had been praying for their return.The 12 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren are not practicing at this time. Will not stop praying for them ever. One day hopefully before God calls me to Himself,( capital H) the joy of their return will be felt.
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evelyn
12/18/2014 12:35:04 am
Hi Jackie! I love that you are regularly "blogging" with
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jackie white
12/18/2014 03:29:52 am
Evelyn,
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evelyn
12/18/2014 12:40:42 am
Charlene...I wanted to host a state wide "Altar Boy Appreciation Day" to thank these men who think they and their service to The Lord and his people went unnoticed. I never forgot. Have you?
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Charlene Caramore
12/18/2014 10:17:06 am
I will. This blog has given me so much to think about. Sometimes I need time to process it. I do think it's important to recognize the work of those who give their service especially in Mass. I know that some feel that all they got was criticism and serving at Mass is a pretty scary thing. I would never be able to do it even though I've done practically everything else that I can do in the liturgy. I feel badly that my boys have some negative memories about serving although I'm sure they have positive ones too and I pray they'll remember them. I know I'm rambling and not thinking too clearly tonight but I guess what I'm trying to say is that people may not trust because they've been hurt in the past by the church or they know people who have been hurt. We need to pray for healing of hearts and healing in our church. The priests' scandal has been a great challenge to evangelization--not insurmountable but very damaging. Trust has been undermined and that's a major issue in terms of why people may not be willing to follow us. The other reason that comes to mind in terms of why people may not be willing to follow Christ is that it involves change and some people just don't want to be told what to do. We know that turning toward Christ is not only life-changing but life giving. But it's also scary. I love Jesus and have given my life to Him but doing His will is a daily struggle--one I'm willing to do and I love doing, but it's not easy, especially at the beginning.
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Sharon Ruetenik
12/18/2014 12:54:52 am
I am one of those individuals who has only set foot in a Catholic church while passing by. On entering, of course, all the rituals (the holy water, the genuflecting) immediately return and I can hear the stories of my grandmothers about saints and the hand of God gracing their lives in moments of tragedy or even an ordinary bad day. Many of my family left the church because of the inconvenience of attending mass especially after my grandparents' death-no place to gather. And many of my relatives stopped believing in God when struck with personal heart break-the death of a sibling or a child. During this season I need to reclaim my place in the faith so pervasive in my grandmothers' lives. I have started simply-repeating the Hail Mary at any given moment of the day. Perhaps it will be the first step to gaining full faith and peace in my life.
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jackie white
12/18/2014 02:58:40 am
Sharon,
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evelyn
12/18/2014 01:42:30 am
Wonderful Sharon! A stunning reply. Thank you.
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