“In his mind a man plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps.”

We sometimes think we have it all figured out, that our lives will turn out just as we plan them. We’ll get married, have two kids, buy a nice house, and live happily ever after. We find out fairly quickly that this is not the case. It’s important that we also realize that what we want, isn’t necessarily the best for us. It might not be what we need at that moment in our lives. Perhaps it’s not what God wants for us. And of course who knows what’s best for us more than our creator?

In our prayers we should ask for God’s guidance. I continually pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the grace to do His will, not my own. Obviously this is not always an easy task. And more often than not I probably fail at it. The line between our will and His can sometimes become a blur and we may tend to get lost within it. Enter Psalm 37:23-24, which explains this exact truth:

“Those whose steps are guided by the Lord, whose way God approves, may stumble, but they will never fall, for the Lord holds their hand.”

He never sends us out alone. He is always with us, guiding us, encouraging us, and motivating us. It is up to us whether we put our faith in Him, whether we accept His help and His guidance. We need Him and until we can face that, the path on which we walk can seem treacherous. He reaches out His hand to us, but as His children we must accept it and with faith grab ahold.

“Walking with Christ is a difficult path.”

Personally I attest to this reality, but I have come to realize that walking with Christ is a difficult path. In contrast to the popular, yet unrealistic view of Christians as a happy-go-lucky tribe of hippies, Christians face the same issues as the rest of the world. But as Christians we believe and are witnesses to the fact that God helps us through our afflictions. He helps us to face our problems, to no longer live in fear, and to learn from our difficulties. St. Paul speaks of this truth in his letter to the Romans:

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access [by faith] to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not dissapoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” ~ Romans 5:1-5

I have reflected on this passage and the idea it supports. God is always at work within us. Although at times we are unable to see or feel His presence, through our faith we know that our life is in His hands. Now this doesn’t mean that we are His puppets, for we have been given the free will to do as we wish. A man I was on retreat with recently brought about the point that everything good in our lives are a result of God, but for everything bad only we ourselves are to blame. Most of the time we don’t realize God’s actions in our lives, but as Christians we look back and see His hand at work.

After accepting God’s call, our faith is often tested. The story of Job is a perfect example of this test. We may refer to it as Satan, the force of evil, or even bad luck, but either way we must depend on the grace of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I believe that God allows us to be tested, to suffer, to struggle, and to feel pain, in order for us to mature spiritually. It is necessary so that we may come closer to Him. He loves us too much not to allow us to grow. He knows our limits and just when we think we cannot go on any further, He proves to us that we can. St. Paul has no problem articulating this point and he does so many times throughout his writings.

“No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.” ~ 1 Corinthians 10:13

So my brothers and sisters in Christ, forget not your Father. Trust in Him and put your faith in Him. A father always wants what is best for his children, and so our Father wants for us. Jesus gave His life so that we would have access to the Father and only with Him do we walk in faith.

There is tension in the area because the mission lies on territory that is being fought over by Spain and Portugal. Since the Portuguese are pro-slavery, the Jesuits are fighting to convince a Papal emissary that they should be protected by the Church. Robert DeNiro, who stars as a mercenary and slave trader, hunts the native peoples and brings them back to be sold onto plantations as slaves. It’s a great example of how Jesus taught that God is love and through humility and fraternity any community can thrive. It also shows the evil of men, even men of God, and although the Church is capable of error and wrongdoing, it is the words and actions of those who call themselves the Church that decide it’s path.

The Mission won both an Oscar and a Golden Globe and was nominated for numerous others. The visuals are amazing of the enormous Iguazu Falls and the surrounding jungle. The film definitely keeps the viewers attention throughout and there are no dry or slow-moving parts. I would give this film a 4 out of 5 and I recommend it to all my visitors. I don’t want to give too much of the story away, so you’ll have to visit your local video store or library, or buy the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD at Amazon.com.

Women form an integral part of the Catholic Church today. Their position is due in part to the teachings of Jesus, even though we know that women have fought hard to earn the respect that they deserve. Jesus lived in a patriarchal society, where women were treated as property, but the New Testament takes them out of their unjust situation and gives them value and importance. In the letters of Paul (Philemon), which were the first writings of the New Testament, prove that there were female eclesiastic leaders in the first Christian communities. One of these women was Priscilla, wife of Aquila, who was well-trained in the scriptures and taught the communities in Ephesus (Acts 18:24-26). Priscilla was a leader in the primitive Church and she is proof that Jesus did not die in vain. Her position is the fruit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Today we are seeing women, that were always unnapreciated have taken the place of the men as leaders and servers in the Church. Now it is they that are in charge of the most important jobs and they serve with their hearts full of love and humility. After the Second Vatican Council we are in need of men that volunteer to serve, especially in high positions and women are showing us that they too are willing and able to do God’s will.

We can’t be sure what would have happened if the women hadn’t seen the need and taken action. I personally am grateful for these women, because they are the ones teaching catechism to our children. It is they who minister to the poor and the sick. And it is they who take charge in the necessities of our parishes, while we men are so preoccupied with ourselves.

The New Testament Message for Women

Women all over the world should see the Gospel and all of the New Testament as the solution to an age old problem. The message of Jesus is not taken lightly. Jesus is a radical and he was even more in his own time. Women have recieved a complete liberation from sexual discrimination thanks to the words and actions of Jesus Christ. It is for this reason that many cultures around the world don’t want the Bible in the hands of women, because they want to keep them under their control. They know that their wives and daughters would rebel causing many problems for they who are so comfortable in their positions of power, oppressing women.

Jesus teaches that women are equals and that they can do the same as men, sometimes even better. His vision has been preached to the “ends of the earth” giving encouragement to women and it’s important that they all accept his teachings and his doctrine if what they seek is freedom, peace, and happiness in their lives. It is the responsability and obligation of all Christians to proclaim the liberty of the Gospel to all the women in our families. It is also essential that Christian men share this message with our friends and coworkers, because it’s sad to see how much damage an oppressive man can do to his own daughters.

Every woman should be treasured and valued highly. Saint Paul believes this to be so and he asks men “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her (Ephesians 5:25-33).” Even the first generation after the resurrection of Jesus knew this to be true, but without the preaching of the Word and the teaching of the New Testament, women today can’t live the life that they deserve.

“When we begin to see that heaven awaits us in the Mass, we begin already to bring our home to heaven.”

In the Lamb’s Supper, Dr. Scott Hahn speaks to Catholics and all others inviting them to experience the richness of the Mass and to treat it as such. “When we begin to see that heaven awaits us in the Mass, we begin already to bring our home to heaven.” The author is disappointed that more Catholics don’t see the Mass for what it is, heaven on earth. To Dr. Scott Hahn the Mass is the eternal sacrifice of Jesus, the supper of the Lamb, the opening of heaven, and the key to understanding and interpreting John’s Revelation.

I personally found this book to be a quick read and as a Catholic convert it really opened my eyes to the Mass. Dr. Hahn goes way beyond what I learned in RCIA and even Bible Study and I’m definitely glad I picked this up. I recommend that all Catholics read this book, especially those who are feeling like they “don’t get enough out of the Mass.” As Father Benedict Groeschel explains in the foreword, the Mass is not like any other “religious service,” because “the Mass is not a religious service.” If you are interested in learning more about the Mass and want to see the book of Revelation for what it really is, I recommend Dr. Scott Hahn’s the Lamb’s Supper.

Photo by Tim Vickers

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”

Many times Jesus takes the initiative, seeing the situation of women and attempts to fix the problems of the jewish society of antiquity. The episode with the samaritan woman is one of the best examples that we can study (John 4:1-42). It all starts at a well, a well that seems to be the well of Jacob. Wells were very important in the Old Testament, showing up in the stories of Jacob, Isaac, and Moses, each time resulting in the courting of a future wife. It’s clear that John doesn’t name the woman, because she is a representative of the Kingdom of the North, Samaria. In effect, Jesus finds a woman, that symbolizes the people of Samaria, and begins to speak with her inviting her to the true faith in the God of Israel. The samaritans had intermarried with the pagans after their destruction by the syrians and the woman’s five marriages symbolize the five pagan gods that the syrians had brought and integrated into samarian society.

After their conversation, the woman becomes a disciple of Jesus, preaching his message to her people resulting in the conversion of Samaria. This simple task not even the apostle had realized yet, and they don’t believe faithfully in Jesus until after the resurrection. But this woman achieves it after only one conversation with him, clearly demonstrating the importance of women as disciples.

The Samaritan woman was an exemplary figure as a disciple of Jesus, who accepts his message, puts his teaching in practice, and invites her people to conversion. There is nothing more that Jesus could’ve asked of her. And if the twelve learned as quickly and easily as her, maybe Jesus wouldn’t have had to work so hard teaching them. And maybe that’s why he gave Simon Peter the name Kefas or “Rock,” for being so hard-headed.

Throughout the day I thought about the relationship that I have with my loved ones and how important it is to share our lives with the ones we love. This had been something that I had had on my mind for a while now, but had failed to attempt to change. I hopped on my bike and headed to the nearest parish so I could humble myself in Christ’s presence and ask for His forgiveness. As I knelt before the tabernacle and unleashed all of the feelings that I had been holding in for so long, I finally felt another level of peace with myself.

I have promised myself that I will try much harder to step away from my work and myself and spend time with my family. I have vowed not to let my passion for my work take control of my relationship with the people that I hold dear. It has been a humbling experience and over the past few years since my conversion to the Catholic faith, I can’t but thank God for helping me to learn from every difficult situation that I encounter. If we take a step back and look at what is really wrong in our lives, from stacks of unpaid bills, to troubles in the marriage, we can come to see that through prayer all of our pains are healed. That closeness and reliance on God the Father is the essence of our relationship with Him.

“Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will recieve.”

As Jesus told his Apostles in the Gospel of Matthew 21:22, “Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will recieve.” Obviously our prayers must be in accordance with the will of God, but I have come to learn that the more we pray the more the Holy Spirit guides us closer to the understanding of God’s will. I remember my first times praying for material possessions or freebies, but now it’s clearer to me that God doesn’t give handouts. Of course a father wants the best for his children, and in that way so God wants the best for us. But many times the children don’t necessarily understand this idea until they have grown up a little and matured. I believe it’s the same with prayer, after we begin to grow spiritually we better understand the fact that God doesn’t just spoil us with whatever we ask for. But He is always listening and the more we put our faith in Him, the more His glory begins to manifest in our life.

When we pray the Our Father we say “thy kingdom come, thy will be done,” and it’s important that we actually believe this. I pray that God help me to be less selfish and more selfless. To put Him first above all things and to lead as an example of a true Christian.

He used the example of the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea explaining that the Sea of Galilee is abundant with life, full of fish and plants. Then he spoke of the Dead Sea, which because of it’s extremely high salinity, is unable to support life. These two bodies of water which are spoken of throughout the Bible are connected by the River Jordan. As the water of the Sea of Galilee flows steadily out through the Jordan it reaches the end of it’s journey at the Dead Sea. Since there is no real outlet of the water from the Dead Sea it remains there and becomes a part of it.

The priest related these objects of nature with us as members of the Church. We as fully-initiated Catholics have been baptized and confirmed and through the sacraments we have received the Holy Spirit. Although our relationship with God is personal, the mission we are given as Christians encourages us to act. As Christ sent his disciples to preach the Gospel and convert the non-believers, so we are commissioned to follow him as well. If we don’t act on our faith and serve according to his will, we are like the Dead Sea. We have no life in us. We are as the disciples in the last chapter of the Gospel of John who returned to their former lives after the death of Jesus. Instead we should be empowered by the Holy Spirit to do the will of God, to follow the example of Jesus, and to be an integral part of his Church. As we do these things we become more like the Sea of Galilee. We are filled with life. And we share that life with others just as the water of the Sea of Galilee flows out through the River Jordan, the Holy Spirit will flow out of us as we share it with others.

The metaphoric approach of the priest in his homily really touched me. I instantly analyzed myself and thought about whether I was more like the Sea of Galilee or the Dead Sea. I share this reflection with you because I hope that you do the same. Take a moment and analyze yourself. Are you doing the Lord’s will? Are you making a change? Does the way you live your life have an impact on your family, your coworkers, your parish, your city, your state, your country… the world? This Pentecost we celebrate that gift of the Holy Spirit, but let us truly be as the disciples, to go out and spread the message of the reign of heaven as the Church has done for the past two millennia. To give is to receive. Give others the gift of faith and invite them to receive the gift of gifts… the Holy Spirit.

She has been called by many names: the mother of Jesus, Theotokos (God bearer), and the virgin Mary, but her real name is Mary. Her significance has been diminished due to the beliefs of the Christian denominations that have come forth out of the Reformation, putting her to the side to give all glory to Jesus. But even though this simple women is not spoken of that often, we can realize, basing ourselves in scripture, that Mary is a sign of the Church since even before it’s founding by her son Jesus.

Beginning with the Anunciation (Luke 1, 26), we can see the similarities between Mary and Abraham (Genesis 15), the “Father of the Faith.” God calls Mary through the mouth of the Angel Gabriel, who knowing of her fear, assures her of the divine origin of his message. Abraham also recieves a divine calling and they are both promised a great prize, for Abraham an infinite desendence and to Mary the Messiah as her son. Neither Mary or Abraham can believe that they’ve been chosen by God, but later they both humbly accept their vocation without knowing assuredly what it will cost. For this reason Mary herself is the “Mother of the Faith.”

Mary is the ideal disciple, always willing to do God’s will. Firstly, accepting the call as we have already seen. It is Mary who gives birth to the Messiah and it’s her that accompanies him during his humilation and death. She never doubts him or questions his methods of teaching, but rather she supports him in everything. Even though Jesus himself doesn’t recognize “his hour,” it is Mary that helps him to initiate his ministry, resulting in the first sign at the Wedding at Cana (John 2).

The willingness of Mary to serve, as well as her humility and simpleness, are the qualities and characteristics that make her a model, not only for women, but for all Christians. It is for this reason that she should be respected and venerated like the saint she is. Mary is the mother of God, the symbol of the Church, the perfect disciple, and the sign of the hope for the new era, the era of the universal Church of her son Jesus Christ.

Firstly, it’s clear that the jewish men in Jesus’ times thought of women as things. The jewish men could never imagine a women as an equal, they were considered impure in almost every way. For the Jews, the Law was God and the Law was oppressive to women. Who was he to go against God? That’s what the jewish men believed, and their beliefs guided their thoughts and actions without giving them the freedom to develop their own point of view. The Gospel of Jesus offered a liberation to women from three fundamental things: purity of the body, sexuality, and religious office.

The purity of the body was what God asked of them. Sin was something exterior, visible to all people. For example, the illnesses like leprosy (Leviticus 13 and 14) were the cause of impurity and the person was banned from entering the city. The illness and the impurity were contagious, so touching a sick person or being touched by a sick person was cause of impurity. Jesus changes this when he is touched by a woman with hemorrhages in Mark 5, 24-34. Being a woman, she couldn’t touch or even talk to a man in public. This woman was even worse because of her illness and she had been sick for so long, more than 12 years, in effect make her very impure. But Jesus, after being touched by her, doesn’t condemn her as the Jews expected, rather he heals her and congratulates her for her faith. He showed them that the impurity didn’t come from the body, but from the heart.

Women were a source of sin for the jewish men since creation (Genesis 3). Women caused carnal desires in the men and for that reason they blamed them of seduction and they made them cover themselves with veils in order to not provoke the men. Sexual infidelity was always the fault of the woman (Sirach 25, 13-26). She was the impure one and he couldn’t control his own sexual desires. The adulteress is the example Jesus utilizes to teach the Jews that both men and women are sinners and they both have impure desires and that they should control their bodies (John 8, 1-11). Again Jesus acts in contrary to what the Pharisees and Doctors of the Law were expecting, forgiving the women instead of condemning her. In addition to showing that he had the power to forgive sins, he also spoke to the woman in public, something very rare in those ancient times.

The Gospel itself makes it clear that women were not valued as a person (Matthew 5, 21). They were the property of the fathers, if not their husbands, and valued at the same level as a slave, an ox, or an ass, as stated in the ten commandments of Moses (Exodus 20, 17).