The Eucharist: An Everyday Miracle
On Saturday I spoke at my community’s Solemn Eucharistic Adoration for five minutes. I thought I would get more mileage out of the talk and use it for my post this week! I hope you find it inspiring. . . .
At one of our schools, a teacher was taking her little ones to chapel. As they passed classrooms, the teacher said, “Children be very quiet, so quiet that no one knows we are coming, not even Jesus.” As the children filed into chapel, suddenly one little girl called out, “Surprise!” She knew Jesus was there.
Pagans worshiped gods of stone and wood, and we wonder how they could do that. Well, some people wonder how we Catholics can worship bread and wine! Because are blessed with the gift of faith. We believe that Jesus is really, truly present physically, sublimely in the Eucharist. We call this miracle the Real Presence. It is real, not fake news. When Jesus says, “This is my body. This is my blood,” we take his word for it. A Protestant woman once remarked, “If I believed what you believe, I would go down the aisle of church on my knees.” Author Annie Dilliard observed that we should all be wearing crash helmets to church. But for us, who experience the Eucharist every week or even every day, it is easy to take this miracle for granted. We get used to it and forget how stupendous it is. We are like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Jesus was walking right alongside them, but they didn’t realize it. Today let’s deepen our awareness of the Real Presence, of Jesus who accompanies us on our journey. Let’s rejuvenate our Eucharistic amazement. (more…)
A Review of Heart to Heart with Mary, Thanks to a Friend
http://catholicmom.com/2018/02/15/heart-heart-mary-lent/
Centering Prayer for a Centered Lent
As we hear the latest news reports, we might wonder, Where is God in all of this? As we struggle with personal calamities or are heartbroken by hardships our loved ones are facing, we might ask, “Where are you, God?” The answer to these questions is God is omnipresent–living and active everywhere. As Paul said, “In him we live and move and have our being.” Becoming more conscious of this truth is a good goal for Lent as we strive to renew our spiritual life. One place where God dwells is in the deep center of our very selves. Jesus promised, “I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you” (John 14:20). St. John of the Cross lamented that we seldom give thought to this mind-blowing mystery. Coming in touch with God in our hearts makes us more aware of his hand at work in the world. It also brings forth in us the fruits of peace and joy no matter how stressful our life. A prayer practice that cultivates being sensitive to God at the core of our being is centering prayer.
One day a woman called who was incensed that I taught centering prayer in one of our textbooks. She argued that it was dangerous, something newfangled fad imported from Eastern religions. I explained that it was a solidly Catholic prayer method rooted in the tradition of church fathers and desert father and recommended by saints of old. It is a beautiful, profound way of praying. After a teacher taught it to her thirty-five seventh graders, on written evaluations only two students said they didn’t like the experience. Others said they would like to do centering prayer again. A Sister in our health care center confided that she prays this way for 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon and loves this way of praying. So what is centering prayer?
Centering prayer is a channel opening to contemplation, the highest form of prayer in which God overwhelms us with his presence. It flows from the idea that God dwells within us. St. John of the Cross said, “O thou soul, most beautiful of creatures who longs to know where the beloved is, thou art thyself that very tabernacle where he dwells.” We believe that through baptism, God has taken up residence within us. I like to compare centering prayer to an elderly couple sitting together for hours not speaking but basking in the steady flow of their love for each other. During centering prayer you might not feel like you are doing anything and consider this a lazy way of praying. But something is happening, just as when you sit peacefully in the sun and get tanned…or burnt. God is at work in you. Here are the steps.
- Find a quiet space where you can be alone.
- Think of a word or phrase that you can say when your mind wanders. It might be “I love you,” “Jesus,” or “My Lord and my God.” This you will use to bring your mind back to God like a tug on a kite string.
- Sit upright and close your eyes to focus inwardly. Relax by breathing slowly three times.
- Empty your mind of all other thoughts and any worries. Focus on God living deep within you and ponder his love for you. Be present to God and rest in his presence.
- When you are aware of thoughts other than God, repeat your prayer word to bring you back to the center. Don’t stop to think how you are doing. Give God all your loving attention.
- When you are finished, pray a prayer like the Our Father or Glory Be in order to transition out of this deep prayer.
Praying centering prayer will help you cope with the turmoil of your life and the world. More importantly, it will also deepen your relationship with God.
Have you ever prayed centering prayer? What was the experience like for you?
If you haven’t prayed this way, why not try it and then share what you thought of it?
Origin of Creation: How Did the Universe (and You) Begin?
As you watch a program about the millions and millions of galaxies that lie beyond our own, or when you are adrift in the daze before falling asleep, you might wonder, “How did everything begin?” The answer is, “No one knows.” This lack of knowledge, however, does not stop creative human beings from proposing theories. Currently I’m working on a book that had me investigating how people explain the existence of the universe. Now at the outset of this post, since it is Valentine’s Day, I state the Christian position: All of creation is a tremendous act of love from God, who is best defined as love. It is an overflowing of his divine love. God fashioned us, his children, in his likeness and created the world as our home. Just how God did this remains a mystery, since no one was present to make a video of it.
So far, scientists have advanced the Big Bang theory, in which some 13.8 billion years ago a tiny point of energy and matter began expanding and continues to expand at ever increasing speeds. Some scientists theorize that eventually the universe will begin reversing. For thousands of years people without powerful telescopes have imagined how the world began. The ancient Babylonian myth discovered in Iraq (Enuma Elish) tells of the greatest god Marduk who slew the ancient god Tiamat and formed heaven and earth from her body. Then Marduk killed Tiamat’s husband and from his drops of blood made human beings—whose purpose was to work for all of the gods. This story is not very appealing.
Even less appealing is a Chinese story: Chaos formed into an egg and from it emerged a hairy giant, Pangu, who formed heaven and earth. When Pangu died, his body became various parts of the world. His breath became wind and clouds; his hair, stars; his left eye, the sun; his right eye, the moon; and so forth. Guess where human beings came from? The fleas on Pangu’s body!
By contrast, the two Jewish and Christian creation myths found in the Bible’s book of Genesis are quite beautiful. They explain the universe as the handiwork of the one God. In the first account, God is majestic and powerful and creates everything in six days just by his words. God blesses the man and woman, puts the earth into their care, and announces that everything is very good. In the second account, God is warmly human-like. God shapes man from the dust of the earth and breathes into him. God plants a beautiful garden and places the man there. Then, concerned that man has no similar partner, God, like a surgeon, puts the man to sleep, removes a rib, and creates woman from it. When this first couple disobeys, God doesn’t annihilate them, but gives them a second chance to live with him forever.
We may never learn exactly how the universe began, or how we came to be. Look how long it took to come up with the theory of evolution. What we
do know, though, is that the world is ours to marvel at, enjoy, and preserve for future humans beings. The Creator is reflected in his creation: God’s power, goodness, and beauty. God keeps everything in existence and continues the work of creation through us. Furthermore, creation draws us to God. As Pope Francis noted in his encyclical Laudato Si’: “In the heart of this world, the Lord of life, who loves us so much, is always present.”
When have you experienced creation making you more aware of God’s love and presence?
Here is a good video to jump start your Lent:
Lent: Time for Spring Cleaning
Are you weary of snow, slush, and black ice? Are you tired of putting on layers of clothing to protect against the cold? Take heart! Spring is March 20—only a few weeks away. Then it will be time for spring cleaning, when we move the sofa and wash the windows. We are quickly approaching Lent, which is called the springtime of the soul. It’s a time to do some serious spiritual cleaning.
The undertaking will not be difficult because we have a willing partner. The Gospel recounts that once a leper said to Jesus, “If you wish, you can make me clean,” and he heard, “I do wish it.” And at Jesus’ touch, the man’s body marred with ugly sores became as good as new. We too can appeal to Jesus to help renew us, and we can be confident that he will respond eagerly. (more…)
