service Archives - Amazing Catechists

Love For God = Love For Neighbor

Last Sunday’s Gospel Mark 12:28-34, is a challenge for us to examine what it means to love the other and also what it means to love our God.

In 2018, we have many opportunities to love with all our mind, heart and strength. The challenge is to prayerfully reflect, find and take advantage of the opportunities to love the poor, the victimized, the lonely, the sick, the orphaned, the immigrant and the marginalized.

How can we practically love God and not know our neighbor: their suffering, their pain, their fear? The gospel challenges us to do what’s right, help others even when it’s inconvenient or difficult for us, and to be a blessing in another’s life!

Teach Love for All People

To love another is to get to know them through the outstretched arms of Jesus.
To get to know another means it will take much energy, much strength, much of our heart to deepen and solidify that relationship.
To help another means vulnerability has to be offered to those we meet. It is in relationship building that we understand what it means to love: in the gifts and the challenges; through the hard stuff of life. In the circumstance of pain, we are called to love others in their own suffering; we are called to love in the moments of joy.

Bring Friends and Those We Meet From Different Backgrounds Together

What if your dinner table at Thanksgiving could include people from many faith groups or religious groups?
What if we could serve love and offer hope to another person in need of hope?

Volunteer: Serve the Poor

Each year we embark on a mission trip to a mission organization called Mustard Seed. In our encounter with the poor, we become wrapped up in their joys and pain.
Loving God and neighbor is a challenge to volunteer, to serve the poor and to receive the blessings of the poor as well.

Visit Places of Desperation

Visit prisons, detention centers, hospitals, impoverished urban cities, or rural areas.
Join mission trips to Third and Fourth World Countries

Theological Reflection

What does it mean to love God?

What does it mean to love our neighbor as ourselves?

How do we love our neighbors near and far: ones who are like us and ones who are not like us?

Ponder

Love for God and love for neighbor is our Catholic response to all who we will encounter today.

The Home Recipe for Sanctity: Blessed Anna Maria Taigi

By Gabe Garnica

We recently celebrated the feast day of Blessed Anna Maria Taigi, an ordinary housewife and mother to seven children ( June 9) and, as often happens with saints’ feasts, the timing could not have been better!

Bl. Anna Maria Taigi was an ordinary person with earthly responsibilities, a spouse, and children. She was vain and superficial in her youth despite not ever being wealthy, just as each of us can be from time to time. This wonderful woman came to sanctity and service of God from the same difficulties and concerns that each of us faces on a daily basis. Her self-reflection and interior illumination allowed her to see the poor state of her soul, and she undertook a life of obedience, humility, patience, and selfless service as the remedy.

Her strong interior illumination showed the state of her soul with the effects of sin and its misery before God. With that, she embarked on a life of obedience, mortifications, submission, patience, humility and self-renunciation. She developed in this effort, finding ways to fulfill her duties while practicing total submission to the Will of God. It became her mission to comfort others in as many ways as possible. Anna Maria balanced her efforts between the practical necessities of her earthly responsibilities and the spiritual necessities of her family, such as teaching her children how to pray properly. In addition, she devoted herself to the Church, and especially to the Sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion, attending daily Mass. She also had a special devotion to Our Lady and to the Holy Trinity.

Anna Maria is yet another example, like St. Therese The Little Flower, that sanctity comes not so much from what we do but, more importantly, how we do what we do. She became a renown healer and a great mystic, conversed with Jesus and Mary, and displayed various supernatural gifts from God, including the ability to see all things hidden in the present and the future.

Too many people disqualify themselves from sanctity by embracing the myth that saints are born saints, and that sanctity depends upon the age in which one lives. In truth, saints are made via love and service to God and others, and sanctity can arise in any age. Blessed Anna Maria Taigi reminds us that no matter what our state in life or vocation, we are called to replace self-love and self-will with the will of God. By kissing and embracing whatever crosses Our Lord may send us out of love, we will turn any cross into a ladder to Heaven. This holy woman turned the ordinary into the extraordinary simply through love of God and others. In this so-called modern world which increasingly has no time for God, Anna Maria Taigi comes as a reminder that any time without God is simply wasted time indeed.

2016, Gabriel Garnica

“Be with Me”

By Maureen Smith

When I was looking over the readings for Lent the phrase that grabbed me by the heart was from the Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday, “Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.” This phrase is one I hope to carry throughout Lent.

In the First Reading for today from the Book of Joel, we see that a fast is proclaimed. However, in the announced time of penance it is not “every man for himself.” Joel clearly instructs the congregation to come together to proclaim a fast and petition God for mercy for the whole community.

This Lent, we might take the opportunity to intentionally come together as a family, as a classroom, as a prayer group, etc. to acknowledge this Lenten Season and pray together for God’s Mercy. Together, we can talk about how we can all work to turn towards God and away from sin.

Typically, conversations around Lent tend to formulated around the question, “What are you giving up?” But my experience has been that this leads to competition and quickly takes the focus off of Christ.

Because Lent can very easily become about us and what we are doing, it might be helpful to structure our Lenten journey around those opportunities when we meet as a family, prayer group, or parish. The very act of coming together connects us with the One in whose Name we are gathered and makes us aware of the Presence of God in our midst. It is in this context that we often hear God’s voice calling us to conversion and transformation.

Gathering as a community enables us to remember our dependence upon each other and upon God as we recognize our own needs and those of others. We can so easily desensitize ourselves to our longing for God. We operate on autopilot, forgetting to call upon the Lord for help. We forget that he is always upholding our existence, always ready to come to our aid. But the Liturgy this week reminds us of our desire for God to be with us, and of the reality of His continuous presence among us each day.
With our brothers and sisters in the Lord, let us invite Him into our joys and sorrows. Let us recognize the needs of others and petition the Lord for His mercy. We do this each week at Mass during the Intercessions, but is there space for this kind of prayer at home at the dinner table or before bed? Do we pray with our neighbors, co-workers, friends, and those God puts in our lives? These experiences can be very humbling and nerve-wracking, but never once have I regretted praying with others, especially with the sick and the dying. It is less about saying the right thing and more about “being with” the person as God has promised to be with us.

By strengthening ourselves in prayer, we can make this Season of Lent a time of evangelization. Because we recognize our own need of Communion with God and others, we can see the longing in the hearts of others who may have less opportunity for connection. It is not up to us to save or fix others, but God does ask us to be His witnesses, His disciples, His conduits of grace. By being with someone, by recognizing the goodness in his or her soul, we reflect back to that person God’s presence in his or her soul.

When we pray with others we exercise our baptismal roles as priest, prophet and king. We are able to call upon the name of the Lord and invoke His intercession as we have the Spirit within us who knows how to pray, even when
we do not. We are able to testify as prophets to God’s promise of salvation and His love for all people. We who are children of God and co-heirs with Christ in God are able to ask “anything” of Him. Do we have the courage to do this? Do we ask God for the eyes to see and the ears to hear those around us who need someone to accompany them?

This Lent, I encourage you to ask yourself how the Lord might be calling you to community. Where is He asking you to be with others and where is he calling you to serve? How can you help bring God’s love and mercy into that community? How can you bring that love and mercy into your own heart in order to transform it into a version much like Christ’s own Sacred Heart?

“Even if a mother should forget her child, I will never forget you…”

By Maureen Smith

This past week I had the opportunity to serve a young woman in a crisis pregnancy. Although in the end she chose to go through with the abortion, and although it was a heartbreaking experience for the many people involved in ministry and prayer, I am grateful that I was able to be a small part of this ministry.

I thought I would share a few of my thoughts and reflections.

First of all, I was blown away by the generous response of all of those I reached out to for resources for this woman.

So much love for one mother and her child.

In a few days, because of the friends, using mostly text messages, this woman had multiple job opportunities, places to live, families to adopt the baby, and other practical needs. There were those I had lost touch with for a few years, but all awkwardness and reservation was consumed by the love for this woman who they will probably never meet.

I was tempted part way through the week to be prideful in my “networking skills.” But coming before the Lord I saw this sin for what it was and the reality of what I was doing. This was not about me, it was not about me proving I could be successful at this particular project. This was about being an instrument, if God saw it fit to use me. Plus, it was really through those who responded to my message that the real miracles were taking place.

I was inspired by the love poured out for these two souls, and it brought tears to my eyes seeing so many people put their lives on hold for the possibility of assisting someone who might not choose to receive their help.

So many prayers were offered, and I was struck by the amount of generosity and love that was given for this pregnant woman.

And when the news came about the final decision, we all grieved. But the ministry kept going, and it seemed the prayers and love only increased.

In the hours and moments of waiting to see what she would decide, knowing I would have to tell the almost 100 prayer warriors the update, I looked at the Lord, asking him how he could let us do this to him!

Every day he watches us, sends us guardian angels to guide us carefully along the right path, and places so many miracles in our lives. And yet we do not have eyes to recognize them and often miss them. But he still waits for us, still loves us, arguably even more because his heart is “sorrowful unto death”–since he is not closer to us.

I am reminded of the Prophet Isaiah’s words, “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you. See, upon the palms of my hands I have engraved you; your walls are ever before me” (Is 49:15-16).

This is our faith, that God will never forget us, he will never let go of us, even if we falter, even if others abandon us.

This week was not only one of grief but of hope. Of course I feel much consolation knowing that the child now lives in the tender embrace of Jesus and Mary.

I also have great hope in the mercy and love of God, because if human love can stretch the hearts of so many zealous, yet imperfect, souls, then how much more does Our Lord’s Heart swell with compassion for all of us who are in great need of His Mercy?

I am forever grateful to all of you who prayed and continue to pray for the woman and her child, and I am certain that the graces from those prayers and offerings will indeed touch that woman’s soul, even if we never get to see the fruit. To all of you, I pray that in Heaven this woman will be able to thank you personally and tell you of the great things that your prayers and the love of our Heavenly Father have done for her.

Does the Catechism Have Any Wisdom for My Summer Vacation?

By Pat Gohn

Here we are, well into July, and some of us are deep into vacation mode. Meanwhile, some of us are, at this moment, still pining for it. Given my own summer-like mood, I thought, why not write about the joy of summer? Surely, said I, the-catechist-who-loves-finding- cool-stuff-in-the-catechism, surely the Catechism must have some words of wisdom on the subject?! (But I couldn’t recall any, other than “keeping holy” the Sabbath.)

I decided to have a little fun with the search engine I use for the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

First search: “Vacation.” Result: No documents match the query.

Next search: “Summer.” Result: Nothing.

“Fun”? Nada.

“Recreation”? Zip.

“Relaxation”? Jackpot!

CCC 901 gives us this gem that I will paraphrase: Relaxation of the mind and body, if accomplished in the Spirit, can be offered up to God!

Got that? We can have some great “time off” and “down time” and still love God and serve Him! This is because all our works and activities can be done for the glory of God.

Let’s read CCC 901 in its entirety:

…the laity, dedicated as they are to Christ and anointed by the Holy Spirit, are marvelously called and prepared so that even richer fruits of the Spirit maybe produced in them. For all their works, prayers, and apostolic undertakings, family and married life, daily work, relaxation of mind and body, if they are accomplished in the Spirit – indeed even the hardships of life if patiently born – all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. In the celebration of the Eucharist these may most fittingly be offered to the Father along with the body of the Lord. And so, worshipping everywhere by their holy actions, the laity consecrate the world itself to God, everywhere offering worship by the holiness of their lives. [Emphasis mine.]

This understanding comes to us by way of our baptism. At baptism, Christians are incorporated into Christ and anointed as “priest, prophet, and king.” (See CCC 1241 and 1546.) And this priestly role of the laity sets us apart for worship. In other words, when we attend Mass, we join with the ordained priest to lift up our very lives as an offering to God in holy worship. We lift up everything in our lives… including our relaxation and rest!

But it doesn’t stop there…

Outside of Mass, when we live lives of holiness in our daily duties, in our comings and goings, indeed, we consecrate the world to God by our holy actions. Our daily life, in whatever we do, can be a form of worship to God.

This teaching is taken directly from the Documents of Vatican II, specifically, Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, paragraph 31:

What specifically characterizes the laity is their secular nature [meaning, they live and work in the world beyond the Church’s door]…

The laity, by their very vocation, seeks the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God. They live in the world, that is, in each and in all of the secular professions and occupations. They live in the ordinary circumstances of family and social life, from which the very web of their existence is woven. They are called there by God that by exercising their proper function and led by the spirit of the Gospel they may work for the sanctification of the world from within as a leaven. In this way they may make Christ known to others, especially by the testimony of a life resplendent in faith, hope and charity. Therefore, since they are tightly bound up in all types of temporal affairs it is their special task to order and to throw light upon these affairs in such a way that they may come into being and then continually increase according to Christ to the praise of the Creator and the Redeemer. [Emphasis mine.]

This means, that you and I are called – and led by the Spirit – to make God’s light and love shine in all the places and situations that life takes us… and that even includes your rest, your vacation, your time off. In fact, if you read the above closely, it is our “special task” to throw light on such affairs.

In this column, I’m suggesting that even our vacation time should bring light to the world. I’ll offer a few suggestions, but I’m sure you could name dozens of ways you and your families might shine your light of faith in less formal ways this summer, once you give it a little thought.

Here are a few easy suggestions…

Recreation in Creation: Delight in God’s creation! Get out into one our National Parks, or the myriad of state parks that are open to the public. Be a good steward and be sure to respect the environment whenever you go. Camp, picnic, ride bikes, or hike. Creation is God’s first gift to us… take time to marvel at its beauty and to share with someone how you “find God” in nature.
Get friendly. Show the world that Christians know how to have good, clean, fun – and lots of it! Christians should be experts at exemplifying a joie de vivre that is contagious! When my children were small, nothing said good clean fun outdoors like a laundry basket full of water balloons. Today, it’s a volleyball net in the side yard. With adults, try a progressive dinner, barbeque-style: Dips and chips at one house, hotdogs with crazy toppings at another, and good ole s’mores at a third. Lead everyone in a group grace and bless each home.
Laugh with the fam: Let your family time be a witness to the great joy of being alive! Play games, have a bonfire in the backyard and sing songs, tell stories, and put on silly skits. Mom and Dad, you go first! But remember to keep it light!
Pick and share something good: Even family outings can have a sense of generosity and service to others. For me, that means berry picking or apple picking at a local orchard and coming home to bake pies or muffins. Then we give away our pickings or baked goods to neighbors who would appreciate or benefit from them, especially our single and elderly friends. Better yet, invite them to come along if they are able!
Keep the Sunday Sabbath: Even when we are “off” on vacation and traveling far from home. Find a Catholic Church, chapel, or campus ministry wherever you are and attend Sunday Mass. See if there is a local shrine nearby, then consider your Sunday an opportunity to make a short pilgrimage there.

Let us praise and give glory to God for the goodness of summertime, and the chance to take a little time off. And let us be led by the Spirit – not by taking a vacation from God, but precisely by taking a vacation with God! May we relax and recreate through Him, with Him, and in Him! And offer our thanks and praise for such a gift.

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.” 1 John 4:9.