How Can I Ever Thank You, Lord? Lenten Reflection

The following reflection came to me as I prayed the Rosary meditating on the Sorrowful mysteries on this Friday of the third week of Lent 2014.

As I began the Sorrowful Mysteries, I reflected on the loneliness our Lord must have experienced during his Agony in the Garden; the unimaginable stress he must have suffered in bearing the sins of all mankind, past, present, and future. And I thought, “How can I ever thank you, Lord? You did this for me!”

 

You, Creator of a universe so vast that its boundaries, if any, will most likely never be known to science, the one and only omniscient God who did not have to leave your Heavenly throne, be born in a filthy stable, and live, work, and experience human joy and suffering for thirty-three years to experience our humanity because You knew our human experiences from the beginning. “How can I ever thank you, Lord? You did this for me.”

You, Creator of a universe so vast that its boundaries, if they exist, will most likely never be known to science, did not have to suffer the unimaginable torture of being scourged, flesh being torn from your body, organs and bones exposed, soaked in blood, with every vicious blow, but you did for me.  “How can I ever thank you, Lord? You did this for me.”

 

You, Creator of a universe so vast that its boundaries, if they exist, will most likely never be known to science, did not have to be spat upon, beaten beyond recognition, mocked, and nailed naked to the rough wood of the cross in the presence of your Mother and close friends, but you did it for me. “How can I ever thank you, Lord? You did this for me.”

Lord, may I never take your eternal gift of love for me for granted. In times of weakness and temptation, may I always recall the price you paid for my sins. There is no greater love than yours! I am sorry for the pain I’ve caused you. Please forgive me and have mercy on me, a sinner!
 

Amen.

 



 

Have You Ever Wondered About the Candles in Church?

Rely on His Mercy!

Our fallen human nature prohibits us from remaining free from sin, even when we strongly desire to do so. Our daily sins, our thoughts, our words, what we do, and what we fail to do, are numerous on a daily basis. Ask for God's grace, try to refrain from sin, but most importantly, acknowledge and rely upon God's mercy always! If blessed with the opportunity to do so, the most important words we can ever utter on our death beds are simply the words, "Jesus, mercy". Saint Padre Pio, as he was approaching the time in which he would draw his last breath, continually prayed the words, "Jesus, Mary".

Surges of the Heart and Looks Turned Toward Heaven

 

I love St. Therese of Lisieux’s definition of prayer found in (CCC 2558). She says, “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” The beauty of prayer as described by St. Therese of Lisieux, and by the Church, is that the “surges of the heart,” the simple looks turned toward heaven,” come spontaneously to those who are humble enough to acknowledge their dependence upon the loving and merciful care of a Heavenly Father.

Prayer is a gift from God to those humble enough to acknowledge dependence upon His love and mercy and respond with praise and thanksgiving (CCC 2559). It is a covenant relationship with God as we come into communion with the love of the Trinity and our brothers and sisters in Christ (CCC 2564). Effective prayer stems from the heart. “According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain.” (CCC 2562)

Jesus, Our Friend

 

When you come to know Him, and grow in your relationship with Him, you will soon realize He is the most trusted, loyal, and faithful Friend you’ll ever have! He may be the only true friend you'll ever have!

The Big Bang - Who was there before it? Who put it all into motion?

 

The creation of the vast universe, billions upon billions of galaxies, containing billions upon billions of stars, the universe in which we live upon this tiny planet we call earth, is an awesome thing to ponder!

Unlike a man-made bomb, which explodes into existing space, the “Big Bang” explosion created even the space into which it exploded and expanded. Space did not yet exist.

Today, astrophysicists estimate that the temperature of the entire universe at just a tiny fraction of a second after the “Big Bang” explosion was 1000 trillion degrees Celsius. Even the cores of the hottest stars in today's universe are much cooler than that. As mere humans, we lack the ability to begin to even imagine the intensity of such force, energy, and heat!

Man looks to science for proof of God’s existence. But science has its limits.

With regard to the “Big Bang” theory, science has the authority to tell us how things are only from the moment of the explosion until today. Science has no legitimacy, no power to tell us anything about what happened or Who was there prior to the explosion. It cannot tell us why the explosion took place in the first place. That is the province of religion and spirituality, and the legitimate authorities on that subject are the great saints and prophets, and all to whom God has revealed such knowledge.

Why Infant Baptism?

Catholic Church doctrine concerning infant baptism often comes under attack from those who believe that a person should be of the age of reason and make a well informed choice to be baptized. In the following article from his weekly article found in The Quiet Corner section of The Rhode Island Catholic, Father John Kiley brilliantly sheds much light on the most important reason for infant baptism. Father John Kiley writes the following:

National Public Radio featured a discussion of religion among millennials, young adults born just before the turn of this century. One speaker decided to wait before introducing her own children to any specific religious tradition, allowing them to be exposed to diverse spiritual experiences and then arriving at their own religious conclusions as they approached adulthood. The Catholic practice of infant baptism seemed presumptuous to the speaker, coopting a believer’s opportunity to make an informed and mature choice regarding one’s eternal destiny. Millennials are certainly not alone in this thinking.

Some dedicated American Baptists have long postponed baptism into a believer’s grown-up years in the hope that a mature, adult decision will be spiritually more fruitful than a ceremony conducted long before a believer has even reached the age of reason.

William John Hammann was recently welcomed into this world by his parents Joshua and Shannon and brought to St. Francis Xavier Church in Brooklyn, New York, for baptism. Ritually welcoming the child into the Christian community was my honor as the infant’s second cousin twice removed. Friends and family gathered from Brooklyn, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, Indiana, Connecticut and Rhode Island, including the baby’s great-grandfather. Young Will was happily sedate during the celebration, especially enraptured by the flame of the baptismal candle. Admittedly, the new born had no notion of what was taking place amid the marble and stained-glass of this splendid parish church. Whether his grandfather retired NBA coach Jim O’Brien presented him with a basketball or his grandmother my cousin Gail offered him a new winter outfit from L.L. Bean to mark this occasion would not have registered at all with baby Will. Confirming the radio remarks of the millennial, William John Hammann was clueless that he was being cleansed of original sin, becoming a son of God, a temple of the Holy Spirit, a Christian, and a member of the universal Church.

But young Will’s ignorance is precisely the glory of Catholic infant baptism. A small community had gathered in that Brooklyn baptistery not to celebrate William John Hammann’s love of God but rather to celebrate God’s love of William John Hammann. From all eternity God’s Providence determined that William John Hammann would enter into this world and be welcomed by a believing family. When God created Adam and Eve he knew that eventually history would evolve into this happy ritual in Brooklyn. When God announced himself to the early Jewish community he knew that eventually William John would benefit from this ancient revelation. When Jesus Christ became man and established his Church, God knew that Christ’s spiritual legacy was destined for William John Hammann. From eternity and through the centuries, God’s love worked its way into the life of William John. And through the pouring of the Church’s baptismal waters, this love of God was made actual and tangible and perceptible to the Church community gathered one Sunday afternoon on Sixth Avenue in Brooklyn. Baptism is first and foremost a celebration of God’s love for the young believer. God must always be primary. Now the Christian community, both Church and family, must bring the young believer’s love for God to fruition.

An older generation knew that children learned their religion at their mother’s knee. Nowadays that saying might be politically corrected by observing that children learn their religion at their mother and father’s knees. And not only mother and father, but a child’s whole environment – family, friends, neighbors, parish, school, even toys and entertainment – must speak of the love of God to the child. When prayers are part of the home, when Mass is part of the week, when Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter, are family observances, when Bible stories are told and saints are invoked, when parish life is part of family life, when the poor are assisted and justice is a concern, when evil is repented and temptations are resisted, then the love of God celebrated sacramentally at Baptism and First Communion and Confirmation is nurtured practically in everyday life. Parents, family, friends, parish and the universal Church can give the new baptized a daily experience of the inexpressible love that God has for his chosen soul. Through an active Christian lifestyle, God will transform the clueless infant into an alert believer.The above article can be found at http://www.thericatholic.com/detail.html?sub_id=6210