Just this morning as I was reading an article entitled, “The Future of American Catholicism,” by Russell Shaw on Catholic Exchange, I was compelled to help answer the question of what can be done to “turn things around.”  The answer from the author was “probably not much”, except that he makes mention of the Pope’s recent comments about the laity being “co-responsible” for the church’s being and acting and not merely as collaborators of the clergy.  I thought that this begged for clarification and outlining of how we can do that during this upcoming “Year of Faith.”

In the article there are two authors of books that Mr. Shaw writes about as worthy of noting.  Each has a different view, one of the church as having heresy within, in the book penned by Ross Douthat entitled “Bad Religion; How We Became a Nation of Heretics,” and the other written by Bill Donahue, “Why Catholicism Matters; How Catholic Virtues Can Reshape Society in the 21st Century.”   I will certainly be reading these two books as recommended by Mr. Shaw, but I am responding here to the question of what can be done as Catholics to be “co-responsible for the church’s being and acting.” I answered in the Comments Section after the article in the following way and with additional input, so I just decided to make my own answer to the article as my blog article, because it bears repeating in this venue.

What is the answer to the question of why heresy has crept in?  First of all let’s define heresy. Dictionary.com ( a source I use regularly) defines it in the first definition as “Opinion or doctrine at variance with orthodox or accepted doctrine, especially of a church or religious system.” That’s the basic definition.  However, the second definition is stronger and more to the point of what we are speaking about here and that is ”The willful and persistent rejection of any article of faith by a baptized member of the church.”  This is a serious matter!  What could cause a person, specifically a baptized Catholic, to REJECT an article of faith by their church?  If I may point to an example of a heretic, that would be a politician who claims to be Catholic and yet has a consistent, contrary voting record against what the church teaches based upon their own opinions.  The thought of it jars me and makes me want to do one of two things.  The first thing is to get as far away from them as possible. The second is to stay and battle with them. (Fight or flight).  By writing this article, I am staying to fight and counteract.

The origin of the word “heresy” is a word that means “choose”.  In other words, the heretic picks and chooses what he/she WANTS to believe and then abandons the rest of divinely revealed truth because they think it does not apply to them and they want to live as they want to, often times because these truths confront their lifestyles.  Some heretics leave the church, others choose to remain in the church to confuse and scandalize, and stir up dissent.  I would have to say, I respect the choice of the person who leaves rather than the one who stays.  Jesus respected the choice of those who left him after he revealed to them that he was “the Living Bread which came down from Heaven that a man may eat and never die.”  They could not accept that saying from him and he let them walk. They were the first heretics, choosing to reject divinely-revealed truth. Who did Jesus have left with him?  The Apostles, the TRUE believers and the ones who would carry His truth to the all of the corners of the world!

Back to the question of why one would even consider rejecting articles of Faith of the Church.  When one rejects truth, one’s intellect becomes darkened, because the act of rejecting divinely-revealed truth is the act of SINNING. Why is it a sin to reject something one doesn’t believe?  Because the source of the truth is GOD HIMSELF. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the TRUTH and the Life.” (John 14:16)  Truth and God are inseparable, so by rejecting the truth, God is rejected.  You cannot reject God and call that OK. Adam and Eve rejected God and His truth and they were banned from the Garden of Eden!  I would have to say that our arms are too short to box with God!  Fear of God is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, who is present within us if we are in a state of sanctifying grace. So, staying in a state of sanctifying grace protects us from ever rejecting divinely revealed truths.  Sin, on the other hand does not protect us. So let’s address that.

No doubt there is sin within us, but even more hurtful to the mystical Body of Christ is that there is this loss of the sense of sin.  If one thinks they have not sinned, one does not ask for forgiveness. (“If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us. 1John 1:10). Confession lines are way down, but communion lines are full.  Receiving the Body and Blood of the Lord without examining oneself for possible serious sin-and seeking forgiveness for that serious sin-is in itself a serious sin, (ie..sacrilegious communion, also see 1 Corinthians 11:18-29)  How many Catholics are in serious sin and refuse to address it because they think that confession to a priest is not necessary? One sin leads to another.  What usually follows is unbelief in the truth of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. The refusal to believe what God has revealed is sinful.  Each sin, especially SERIOUS SIN is a hole in our soul’s “wall of defense” and if there are enough holes, the enemy of our souls, (ie..the devil) can invade your soul without a fight. Get to Confession with good preparation and prayer beforehand and receive the Body of Christ with a clear conscience and clean soul!  In other words FREQUENT the Sacraments of Reconcilation and Holy Communion.  Don’t let the sediment of sin settle in your soul, or you could open yourself up widely to the evils pervading our culture. The devil is defenseless against a reconciled soul that is in a state of sanctifying grace!  There are not enough Catholics in sanctifying grace, or heresy would not even gain a foothold.

One of the major causes of people succumbing to heresy and ultimately leaving the church is the loss of faith due to repeatedly receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion without confession of mortal sin.  The Gift of Faith is precious and needs to be guarded or you risk LOSING it.  If you receive the Eucharist unworthily in a state of mortal sin, the Gift of Faith may be taken away from you. If you want to come to the table of the Lord to partake of His Precious Body and Blood, it means being free of the dirt of mortal sin!  Mortal sin makes you the ENEMY of God because you choose to love the sin more than you love HIM!  Though Our Lord loves you regardless of what you do, you still need to remove the wall of separation between you and Him that your mortal sin has created! Get out a good Examination of Conscience and prepare yourself here: http://www.keepingitcatholic.org/exam.html Beat feet to the confessional!  I know I am repeating myself in this paragraph, but it bears repeating!  REPENT and BELIEVE in the Gospel, (notice that “repent” comes before belief, so if you don’t repent, you will NOT believe). The obstinate serious sins in one’s life are an obstacle to belief.  We must first address the sin, because it is the obstacle to believing.

The second reason heresy seems to have made its way in is that Catholics in America DON’T KNOW THEIR FAITH!  Pope Benedict knows this and fittingly challenges us to participate in the “Year of Faith.”  If you don’t study the authentic Teachings of the Church, those not muddled by “opinion,” you will not know it when someone tries to put forth counterfeit teachings and you will fall prey to any wind of doctrine that comes along, which St. Paul warns us about! (Ephesians 4:14)  Familiarize yourself with the Catechism of the Catholic Church and reading the scriptures prayerfully and you will soon see how much you really don’t know.  There is SO MUCH, that it would take more than a lifetime to take it all in, but take it in we MUST so as to live out the faith powerfully in our lives and in the life of the Church.  Trouble yourselves to become knowledgeable and be able to DEFEND the Church’s Teachings!  We NEED defenders of the Faith!

I would like to point you to some resources I found out about while I was battling with Jehovah’s Witnesses about the reason why I would remain a Catholic for the rest of my life. Out of love for the Faith and out of the desire to help my fellow Catholics and searching non-Catholics, I want to share them.  This is so important because these people are going door to door trying to get and keep people OUT of the church and into their false doctrine dreamed up by an uneducated mere man!  Getting Catholics AWAY from the sacraments is the devil’s work, for without the forgiveness of sins and partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ Our Savior, Jesus tells us we will have no life in us. (John 6:53).  Where are we without life?  DEAD! Just read John Chapter 6, and you will see!  This is the scripture I pointed out to the Jehovah’s Witnesses as the basis of the reason why I will always remain a Catholic.  I will not walk away from this truth and I will spread it to the ends of the earth via my blog and through personal contact with everyone Our Lord puts me in contact with!

The three CD’s that I listened to in my kitchen while I was cooking and cleaning were from the Catholic Society of Evangelists: http://www.catholic-soe.org/

The first one was “Before You Leave,” by Gary Atencio,  though, as I go to the website, I do not see this CD, but you can get it here:

http://www.amazon.com/BEFORE-YOU-LEAVE-ONE-CD/dp/B002R1K9N8

This CD talks about reasons why people leave the church, then goes into the REAL reasons why you should stay.  It tells us why people need to be taught from a young age why we are Catholic (because Jesus Christ founded our Church, as opposed to some man or some woman).  I found this to be very compelling in just the one hour that it took to hear the entire CD.  I still listen to it to sharpen my apologetics skills.

The second was “Whose Bible Is It?” by Clayton Bower.  This CD goes into the origins of the bible and why the Catholic Church is not a “BIBLE-BASED” church and why Catholics should not use the King James version of the Bible.  I was fascinated by the information in this CD and it needs to be known by EVERY Catholic.  No church would even have a Bible if it weren’t for the Catholic Church preserving it throughout the centuries.

The third one is “How the Catholic Church is the Same and How It Is Different from Other Christian Churches” by Franklin Dailey, M. D.  This great Catholic who happens to be a physican breaks it down in understandable terms for the layman about how Jesus left us his church for our salvation after He ascended into Heaven.

There are other CD’s you can get from Lighthouse Catholic Media  and one is called “Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist”, by Brant Pitre.  Which goes into just what it says and it is fascinating to delve into.

Folks, fortify yourselves with the truth of the Eucharist and all of the beautiful teachings of your church. Practice the Sacraments and you will then be able to live the Faith vibrantly and authentically and others will be drawn to the Faith through that. Unfortunately non-Catholics see how politicians and other prominent so-called Catholics live their own way, apart from the Teachings of the Church and yet still call themselves Catholic.  People are NOT attracted to THAT because it scandalizes them. Those are the “fake” Catholics, the rebellious ones who still, as in the fall of Adam and Eve, view their own thinking as their own authority and take the forbidden fruit of distrust of God and  obstinate disobedience of His commands.  Pray for them, they NEED conversion and salvation.

Be empowered and consecrated in the TRUTH!  There is hope for the future if people will just get this message!  The message of repentance and conversion-the message of the Gospel that repentance comes BEFORE belief. The message of salvation that the Catholic Church has been made steward of by Our Lord Jesus Christ!

In my next blog entry, I will be featuring the “Five First Saturdays” Devotion as outlined by Our Lady of Fatima in 1917.  The message of repentance, reparation, prayer and devotion to her Immaculate Heart.  This is the month of the Rosary and Our Lady and I will also write about the Miracle of the Sun, so stay tuned!

Blessings to all,

Jackie Stutmann

http://archdioceseoftoronto.blogspot.com/2011/10/pope-benedict-announces-year-of-faith.html

I want to make everyone aware of the American Bishops’ call for prayer to every Catholic in America.  When our bishops call us to pray for our nation, we know that it is VERY necessary!  It is our duty as Catholics to participate in this call to prayer.  Earlier this year, we had the call to prayer in the “Fortnight of Freedom.”  I believe personally, as my friend Julie does, that the choice of Congressman Paul Ryan by Presidential candidate Mitt Romney was an inspired decision.  Congressman Ryan is a faithful Catholic and can help lead the fight against the assault on our conscience rights as Catholics and for Christians everywhere.

Now, a renewed call to further prayer in this “Novena to the Mother of God for the Nation,” is a clarion call in this crucial time of unrest and uncertainty.  I just received this particular word in prayer this morning, “clarion,” a word that I have not used before.  I looked it up on dictionary.com which means “clear and shrill call to action, like a battle trumpet.”  Truly I feel the Lord telling me to outline this call in this article, because he has provided this word to my thought process as I write.  “Clarion” is not a word I use every day, and so I know it is from something outside of my normal thinking, therefore uncommon, but very true and urgent and inspired.  As American Embassies and Consulates throughout the world are being attacked and mobs are protesting America, the CLARION CALL TO PRAYER is clear and present.

My brothers and sisters, ALL of our prayers are needed!  Take this call seriously, not just something we do IF we have time. This is our country, the land that we love.  Land of the FREE and home of the BRAVE.  “Home of the free BECAUSE of the BRAVE,” as it says in a recently received  patriotic note in my daily mail, with that phrase on it. There is something to be desired in the area of bravery in the current administration when compared to Ronald Reagan’s administration. When American interests were being assaulted during his time as president, a swift and severe penalty would be dealt with precision to our enemies. NOTHING is being done to address these terrorists who chose to execute their planned-out attacks on the Anniversary of 9/11, and continue even now.

This Novena to The Mother of God for the Nation Prayers can be found here for downloading so that all may participate:  http://www.religiousliberties.org/novena/

EWTN Global Catholic Television Network will present the Prayers for this Novena each day in the televised daily mass, starting on the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, and concluding with the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.  Depending on what your time zone is, be sure to check your local listings as to when the daily morning mass is televised.  Bishops will deliver homilies each day.  Here is the line-up:

http://www.religiousliberties.org/novena/coverage.asp

As in the prayer of the Memorare, “Never was it known that anyone who fled to Thy protection, implored Thy help or sought Thy intercession was left UNAIDED,”  we turn to our Blessed Mother in this time of need for our nation when no human remedy has helped us.  Granted, we should be turning to her in every need, not in just in crisis.  We know however, and have experienced how Our Lady has come through many times before, and I believe it WILL happen again.  Our nation is in dire need of Divine intervention and she is the one to turn to!

I also want to outline another “outside of myself” guidance that I received. I am a Rosary Rally Captain for the campaign “America Needs Fatima,” which holds Public Square Rosary Rallies all across the nation annually on the Saturday closest to the date of October 13th, which is the church’s Commemoration of the “Miracle of the Sun” at Fatima.  Rallies will be held in cities everywhere in the nation on that day in each time zone at precisely 12:00 noon, when the Miracle took place.  The date of the rallies this year takes place right on October 13th.  No coincidence indeed!  This is my third year as a Rosary Rally Captian and I asked Our Lady in prayer where she would like me to hold this year’s Rally in the city where I live.  In our city across from our firestation, we have the Firemen’s and Policemen’s 9/11 Memorial.  The image of this site came to my mind immediately.  This was in the middle of August, before all of the current turmoil happened!  Now I see the reason I received this inspiration is confirmed.  Please go to America Needs Fatima website, http://www.americaneedsfatima.org/rosary-rally-central.html,  to get information about the Rosary Rallies and where your local rally is being held.  If there is not one in your area, then please, I urge you to consider being a Rally Captain for your area.  Materials and a banner are provided to you for free either by mail or by downloading them at the website.

The Clarion Call to battle and prayer has been sounded by our bishops.  The kinds of evil we are facing as a nation are the spiritual forces of darkness threatening to engulf us if we do not pray and act.  If we think we are too busy to answer the call to prayer and that it really isn’t necessary, think of this quote:  English philosopher Edmund Burke said, ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’ Now more than ever do we need to take this to heart.  Respond, because you are part of the untold army of witnesses for the Lord!  WE pray, and the Lord of Hosts goes before us in battle!  Act in faith and confidence and believe He will act through Our Lady’s intercession!  O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee!

In Christ’s love,

Jackie Stutmann

I often think about how to speak with Christians of other denominations about the truth of the Holy Eucharist.  Faith in what Jesus says about His Body and Blood is a gift and I pray that our separated brothers and sisters will have the grace to see the truth of what Jesus says in all of the Gospels about his gift of the TRUE Bread from Heaven, Himself!

I feel more confident in God’s gift to me of being able to express myself in writing more so than in public speaking. The written word can be read and thought about and endures much longer, so I put forth this challenge to my brothers and sisters of other Christian faiths in the words that I write at this present time.  At the same time I would like to challenge my fellow Catholcs to ponder the Truth of the Eucharist and to share it.  Here goes:

Today’s Gospel highlights the challenge of the belief of Jesus’ words to His disciples about His Body and Blood.  He asks, “Does this shock you?”  It does shock some of the disciples because of their response, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?”  Jesus challenges them, “What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?”  In other words, “Would it be easier for you to believe, if you knew who I truly am?  Do you believe in WHO I AM?”

He then says, “The words I have spoken to You are Spirit and Life, BUT THERE ARE SOME OF YOU WHO DO NOT BELIEVE.” (emphasis mine).  Stop right here and think a minute; as protestants, which means in essence, “protesting;”  think if you are not one of those PROTESTING what Jesus is saying here in the Gospel of St. John.  Think to yourself, am I not one of those to whom Jesus is referring who DO NOT BELIEVE?  You believe in Jesus as the Son of God, the Messiah, but you do not believe in the truth of His words about His Body and Blood.  In John 6:53, “Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you.”   “Amen, Amen” means, this is the TRUTH. The TRUTH of the words of GOD, not just any man.

Allow me to challenge further, by putting forth the words of Jesus that CLEARLY debunk the fallacy of a figurative meaning concerning the Eucharist:  “For my flesh is TRUE FOOD and my Blood is TRUE DRINK.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood HAS LIFE ETERNAL and I will raise Him up on the last day.” John 6:54-55.

“The words I have spoken to you are SPIRIT and LIFE.”  BELIEVE THEM, in other words.  “It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail.”  Through the Holy Spirit this is made possible.  Brothers and sisters I challenge you to believe this Truth, because ETERNAL LIFE is promised to you based on your belief of what He says.  Think on this a minute or more..Jesus our Savior, with His great love and power as GOD, who you believe He is; why would he NOT want to share Himself with us as our food?  How could He not WANT to?  How could He NOT make this possible?  He can do all things.  All He has to say is “Let there be light” and there is light. So how could he not also say, “This IS my body. This IS my Blood,” and not have it be so? Nowhere in scripture is Jesus recorded as saying “This is a symbol of my body, this is a symbol of my blood.”  Think about this. Truth has spoken!  Jesus cannot deceive us.  He is our LOVING SAVIOR.

In this Gospel reading, which you can find starting in John 6:60-69 (and the many verses before), in whichever bible you have, the truth is the same.  You will read that the ones who did not believe in the truth of what Jesus was saying to them “returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied Him,” while Saint Peter and the other Apostles knew to believe beyond all doubt, because of WHO Jesus was.  “To whom shall we go?  You have the words of Eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

My dear Protestant brothers and sisters, protest NO MORE and BELIEVE as St. Peter and the Apostles did, because of WHO you profess to believe that Jesus is. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  He is GOD.  He wants YOU to believe. Immeasurable graces await you.  I invite you to explore this truth and what it means to you if you were to come to believe as St. Peter and the Apostles did and come to the fullness of what you are meant to experience, “God truly with us!”   It means ETERNAL LIFE.  Jesus came that we may have life and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10).  He is present in the Most Blessed Sacrament, contained in all the tabernacles of every Catholic Church in the world out of love for His people.  He is waiting for you.  Come and see!   May God Bless you always!

-Jackie Stutmann

There is something simple everyone can do each day to remember Our Blessed Mother. The blessings are immeasurable!  The Rosary is of course of the utmost importance, because Our Lady of Fatima requested that we pray the Rosary EVERY DAY for the conversion of sinners and for peace.  The Fifteen Promises to those who pray the Rosary are truly magnificent and we should all be promoting it. You can read about them at this link: http://www.ourladyswarriors.org/prayer/15promise.htm   Our Lady promises to aid us in all of our needs if we pray the Rosary and promote it.  St. Padre Pio called the Rosary THE WEAPON.  One day he was being troubled by the devil and called to his brother monks to get him his weapon.  They looked at each other wondering what he meant, and he said, “My rosary, my rosary, my weapon is my rosary!”

Another saint-recommended practice is that of The Three Hail Marys.  According to Tradition, in an apparition, Our Blessed Mother revealed her promise to St. Gertrude to those who pray the Three Hail Marys.  “To any soul who faithfully prays the Three Hail Marys, I will appear at the hour of death in a splendor of beauty so extraordinary that it will fill the soul with heavenly consolation.”    St. Leonard preached the devotion of the Three Hail Marys to be prayed morning and evening in honor of Mary Immaculate, to obtain the grace of avoiding all mortal sin day and night.  He assured his listeners:  “Those who remain faithful to this pious practice will most certainly receive the grace of eternal salvation.” * The information I am including in my blog on this topic is being taken from one of my favorite books, “Prayers and Heavenly Promises” by Joan Carroll Cruz.*

Saint Alphonsus Liguori suggested that the Three Hail Marys be prayed while kneeling  and that after each Hail Mary we should pray this wonderful gem:  “By thy pure and Immaculate Conception, O Mary, make my body pure and my soul holy.”  * Take the advice of the Saints and start praying!  They had to know something if they became saints, right?

The devotion was also promoted by Fr. John Baptist of Blois, who founded “The Confraternity of the Three Hail Marys.”  Pope Leo XIII (the pope famous for the Saint Michael Prayer that he received after a vision at the beginning of the 20th Century), granted an indulgence to those who practiced the devotion and then Pope Benedict the XV raised the Confraternity to the rank of an Archconfraternity. * This devotion then, is significant!

Imagine the graces that come from even ONE Hail Mary prayed with devotion!  It is the Angel Gabriel’s Salutation to Mary at the Annunciation.  It is music to Our Lady’s ears to hear from her beloved children the words of the Angel reminding her continuously of the greatness of the moment when she was to become the Mother of the Messiah, the SON of GOD!

There is MORE!  These are three more Promises of Our Blessed Lady to those who pray the Three Hail Marys in honor of the Blessed Trinity.  This is how I pray them with the promises themselves as part of the prayer before each Hail Mary:

“I offer these Three Hail Marys in honor of the Blessed Trinity and to give thanks for all the graces and privileges granted to the Blessed Virgin Mary and for those given to us through her intercession.  I pray for the grace to avoid mortal sin this day (and night) and for the grace to become a saint.

The first Hail Mary will be in honor of God the Father, whose omnipotence raised Your soul dear mother so high above every other creature that after God you have the greatest power in Heaven and on earth.  In the hour of my death, you will use that power of God the Father to keep any hostile power far from me…Hail Mary..by Thy Pure and Immaculate Conception O Mary, make my body pure and my soul holy.

The second Hail Mary will be in honor of God the Son, who communicated His inscrutable wisdom to you, Dear Mother..in the hour of my death you will fill my soul with the light of that wisdom so that all the darkness of ignorance and error will be dispelled…Hail Mary…By Thy Pure and Immaculate Conception O Mary, make my body pure and my soul holy.

The Third Hail Mary will be in honor of God the Holy Spirit, who filled your soul with the sweetness of His love and tenderness and mercy..in my last hour you will then change the bitterness of death into divine sweetness and delight..Hail Mary…By Thy Pure and Immaculate Conception O Mary, make my body pure and my soul Holy.”

Another way to pray the Three Hail Marys and information relating to the devotion:  http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/three.htm

I share the great news of this devotion because I want us all to be “gluttons” for graces!  Also be sure to pray the Three Hail Marys slowly and with great devotion, preferably in front of an image of Our Lady so you will be able to focus on the meaning of the words, and they will fill your heart with love and gratefulness at the magnificence of her promises!

One last thing that I just remembered..another prayer is one I pray just before praying the Three Hail Marys..as a greeting to Our Lady and to get my spiritual “cogs” turning.  “Hail White Lily of the Glorious and Always Serene Trinity.  Hail Brilliant Rose of the Garden of Heavenly Delights.  O You by Whom God wanted to be born and by whose milk the King of Heaven wanted to be nourished.  Nourish our souls with effusions of Divine Grace.”   I then go into the Three Hail Marys.  This prayer also has a promise attached to it:  “I will appear at the hour of death to those who salute me thus, in such glory that they will anticipate the very joys of Heaven.”

It all comes down to gratitude to Our Lady.  When we are grateful for all the graces she gives us, because she IS the Mediatrix of all Graces, and the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, we will obtain great graces for such sacrifices and remembrances of her that are filled with love.  You can be sure that she will not be outdone in generosity!

Our Lady of all Graces, pray for us, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ thy Son!

Amen.

Your Friendly Neighborhood

Catholic Blogger,

Jackie Stutmann

One of the great things about summertime NOW to me is Vacation Bible School.  That’s not because I got a “vacation” from my kids for a few hours!  No, this time, I chose to be part of it and be there WITH my kids, and I am so glad that I did..let me tell you why.  Of course it was a definite preference to having to deal with who gets to use the computer first and who has been on too long, etc.. Two computers, seven children, and I am sure you get the picture I was coping with. So not only was VBS a welcome alternative to the usual routine, but it was also something unexpected..a real spiritual retreat!

Last time, I just dropped my children off and picked them up at the end.  How boring. Now, I don’t knock the parents who cannot stay and be part of it, but I am recommending that if it is possible to be involved in some way and stay with your kids, I know that you won’t regret it!

I am convinced that God gives us our children so we can experience again what it means to be a child, and in the process renew us in our faith.  Vacation Bible School is not something I will ever want to miss again just from this one experience.  Even when my kids are grown up and past the age, I will be a part of this.  Ok..ok, WHAT IS IT about VBS that made me feel this way?  Well, I volunteered to be one of the group leaders, one who helps “shepherd” the children from one station to another so that no one gets lost or forgotten.  I had outstanding help from some of the great teenagers in our parish who also volunteered to help in VBS and we got the job done.

I was impressed with everyone involved in this endeavor, starting with our Director of Religious Education, Mrs. Laura Mack.  Mrs. Mack’s enthusiasm is amazing and contagious.  She loves what she does and she emanates love for each child who comes to VBS.  She also inspires her team and there are many who come to help her make VBS an experience the kids (and all involved) won’t forget!  It is just astounding the abilities of people to organize and get things together and accomplish the vision!  I am rather challenged in that regard myself.  I am content to follow until I get a handle on things.  Mrs. Jean Bauer, Mrs. Mack’s right hand assistant is there faithfully lending an irreplaceable hand in preparation and set up and assuring the smooth running of everything.  I want to learn to do this as well. Some day I will once my kids are a bit older perhaps.

Our program was called “Promise Island” a tropical and relaxing place where the kids learn about the promises of God, which were made a very long time ago, but meant for us here today too.  “God’s promise is forever, it will never change,” we sang in the title song.  Music is a VERY big part of the program that we all loved.  The songs were catchy, contemporary-sounding and very upbeat.  The kids were given a CD of the soundtrack of the program to take home and listen to and that helped them learn the songs quicker. I found myself singing the songs and liking them so much!  I plan to get a dvd of the program so that we can re-live it all over again and my girls can learn to do all the motions that go along with the songs. They truly enjoyed the songs and dancing to them, and I just relished watching them and all the other kids enjoy learning and singing about God.  We gathered each morning for a “seaside celebration” so that we could be introduced to each promise for the day and hear a bible story that illustrates each of God’s promises.  At the end we would gather once again, which was a great send-off for the day.  My kids and I played the songs in the van every day while we traveled around town doing things.  The only difficulty I had with them was which song to play first and of course they each liked diffferent songs!

My daughters Lizzie and Theresa at VBS

Day 1- God’s Promise is “I am with you.”  We heard the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednago (the story can be found in the Holy Bible in the Book of Daniel, Chapter 3).  King Nebuchadnezzar had a golden statue of himself made and commanded the people to worship the statue in place of God.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednago were faithful to God and REFUSED to do this, so the King had them thrown into the fiery furnace.  An amazing thing happened while they were in the furnace.  They weren’t being burned!  Also, the king asked his subjects, “Did we not throw THREE men into the furnace?”  “Yes, King.”  Then why do I see FOUR men moving around in there?”  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednago came out of the fiery furnace unharmed and this miracle caused the King also to believe in God.  God’s promise is, “I am with you.” We sang in the song that goes along with the story, “We don’t have to worry, we don’t have to fear, God is always with us, God is always near.”  This was my older daughter’s favorite song because it had a hip/hop sound to it. Each of the four “stations” we went to would repeat the bible story and the promise and we would take part in an activity that re-inforced the theme for the day, which was making snacks and projects and playing games. Each of the stations were named different names, “Funtime Falls”, where the kids would get to enjoy being physical and run around in the gym after hearing the story.  The first day we went through hoops of “fire”.  In “Lifeguard Lagoon” we saw an actual set-up of the fiery furnace where the three men were thrown in  and the shadow of the three men along with the shadow of God, who was the fourth man in the furnace with them. In “Project Pointe”, we made sun visors to protect our eyes from the sun.  In “Coconut Cafe” we made a vegetable snack representing the scene.  Four baby carrots as the flames, broccoli florets as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednago and cauliflower as the Lord in the furnace with the three men.  Ranch dressing made it all very delicious!

Day 2 -God’s Promise is ” I care about you.” We made hearts with the names of special people who care about us and put them on the cross because they signify God’s care for us.  The Bible story we heard was the story about Lazarus being raised from the dead by Jesus.  Jesus was friends with Mary, Martha and Lazarus.  One day Lazarus became very ill. A message was sent to Jesus about Lazarus and he traveled to where Lazarus was to help him, but Lazarus had already died.  Mary and Martha still believed that Jesus could help their brother even now. Jesus was their friend and cared very much about them and he performed a miracle by raising Lazarus from the dead.  How very happy Mary and Martha were!  They knew that Jesus truly cared about them and their brother!  Now I don’t remember everything that happened in every session because of trips to the bathroom with my five year-old so I may need to skip over some parts.  I know in Project Pointe we made a “comfort bunny” to remind us of the comfort of friendship and God’s care.  In Coconut Cafe we made a snack of a pretzel stick wrapped in a tortilla to represent Lazarus.  In Lifeguard Lagoon we saw a “tomb” with “Lazarus”, wrapped in bandages who came out to greet us and say how happy he was that Jesus brought him back to life.

Day 3 -God’s Promise is: “I will give you what you need.”  The bible story was hearing about how Jesus forgave and healed the paralyzed man on the stretcher.  His friends could not get into the house where Jesus was, so they made a hole in the roof and lowered the man down to Jesus so he could be healed.  The most important thing Jesus did for the man was forgive his sins.  Only God could do that and the people did not believe that Jesus could do that because they thought he was only a man.  But then Jesus healed the man and the man could get up and walk.  The people were amazed and believed in him.  In Coconut Cafe we made smores..graham crackers with chocolate frosting, stuck teddy grahams around the crackers to symbolize the paralyzed man’s friends and a marshmallow in the middle as the stretcher and another teddy graham to symbolize the paralyzed man.  The kids really loved that snack of course. In Lifeguard Lagoon we saw the man in the stretcher on a pulley and played a “needs vs wants” game. In Project Pointe we made a scene cutting out the figures of the paralyzed man and his friends and of Jesus and gluing them onto the scene. A string was then threaded through the stretcher of the man so that we could move the man on the stretcher up and down on the paper.  In Funtime Falls we played a house game with hulahoops that had the kids running to find a house every time the whistle was blown, but because there were more kids than hulahoops, one child was without a house. It was to demonstrate how the paralyzed man may have felt when he could not get into the house that Jesus was in because there was no room. It was very hot and humid during the sessions so the children really looked forward to the spritz of water on their faces that they got at the end, which was fun and got everyone giggling.  The song we sang was “God gives us all things, our God is big, he’s so so big, our God is good he’s so so good, He gives us all things.”  This song was catchy and upbeat for sure!

Day 4 -God’s Promise is:  “I will save you.”  The bible story we heard was of course the story of Jesus suffering and dying on the cross for us and raising from the dead.  We wrote our names on the life preservers to remind us that Jesus saves us.  I have to say the song we sang for this promise was my favorite..”God loved the world so much that he gave us his only son. He came to free us and save us and give his life for everyone.”  The words may not be exactly that, but it was my favorite song.  In Coconut Cafe we ate cookies that were baked especially lovingly by one of our own parishioners, Mrs. Toni Belmont. She baked a pair of hands with hearts in the middle signifying Jesus’ love for us in suffering his wounds. I really loved that!   So much time and effort went into doing that.  We all signed a card of thanks to her for providing our special snack. In Project Pointe we made a necklace with a cross, hearts and beads.  In Funtime Falls we played a game of tag while holding hands. In Lifeguard Lagoon we heard the story of Jesus on the cross and saw the tomb where he rose from the dead.

Day 5 – God’s Promise is:  “I will answer you.”  We heard the story of St. Paul and his companion, Silas who were put in prison for talking about Jesus and the salvation he offers us.  One day when Paul and Silas were singing and praising God while in prison, there was a great earthquake, so great that the doors of the prison were shaken and broken open.  The prison guard was afraid that the prisoners had all escaped and that he would get into serious trouble for it.  He thought he would rather die than to get punished for it and tried to hurt himself.  St. Paul urged him NOT to harm himself because all the prisoners were still there with him, they did not try to escape.  The prison guard was very grateful, but released them anyway and became a Christian because St. Paul and Silas told him about Jesus and he was baptized. The guard cared for St. Paul and Silas, and his whole household was converted!  St. Paul was praying and God answered him!  I really liked this story because it shows that even when we are in situations that are seemingly not good, God is there, reaching out through us to help those who do not yet know him.  All we need to do is pray and praise God for His goodness and mercy trusting that he will act!  In Project Pointe we planted flower seeds in a pot of soil, just like St. Paul and Silas did in the heart of the prison guard and look at the beautiful thing that happened..a man was converted to believing in Jesus.  When we plant seeds, we too shall reap a beautiful harvest.

I must mention here that we have a seminarian spending the summer with us at our parish. His name is Daniel Zinger and he was a great addition to our Vacation Bible School.  He prayed with us and taught us about our guardian angels and the saints, like Mary the Mother of Jesus, (and OUR mother too!) and St. Philip Neri, the Patron Saint of joy and laughter.  Daniel taught us a song that St. Philip sang often named “I Prefer Heaven” in Italian.  I will try to write it out phonetically.  “Parad-dee-so, parad-dees-o, pref-ee-aro  parad-dees-o.”

Of course the name of this blog is named after that very phrase and I remember seeing the scene in the movie when St. Philip taught the boys he was caring for that same song and that is what inspired me to name this blog after the phrase “I Prefer Heaven.”  When we have a choice to make that is difficult, we must remember that each choice can lead us to getting closer to Heaven, and that is what we should prefer.  This phrase helps me alot! .

Daniel also made us laugh acting in the daily skits he performed for us with Mrs. Mack and the girl whose character was named “Maddie”.  Daniel played the character of Hunter, the electronic gadget-carrying guy who can’t seem to unplug from his dependence on technology even while on vacation.  Maddie was trying to get him to notice the beauty and wonder of all that surrounded them and he was trying to get her to see the advantages of each of the gadgets he had with him.  The island lady, played by Mrs. Mack, gave them lessons about the island (and how to live technology-free) and even saved Hunter with a life preserver who thought he was drowning in the pool. I liked her lesson about the ant plant.  Ants depended on the plant for food and shelter, and the plant also needed the ants to produce nitrogen in order for it to live.  An interdependence for both the plant and the ants. God gives us what we need! The island lady eventually agreed that technology wasn’t so bad and decided to take Hunter’s advice in the end to start a blog about her experiences with Hunter and Maddie on the island.

We sang the Italian song “I Prefer Heaven” with all of the children for our pastor, Father PHILIP Hearn, (namesake for St. Philip Neri and the Apostle Philip too). A very special thank you for his go-ahead for this project for the kids!  I think I speak for everyone when I say how grateful we all are for this loving thing that was done out of love for his flock of lambs at St. Mary’s/St. Peter’s.

I was impressed with how everything came together and how much the kids remembered what was being taught. It was a multi-dimensional approach to teaching and I will certainly take that with me when I begin teaching classes again for catechism this fall.

Most importantly to me personally is what I have retained myself, thinking about all the bible stories that were featured and remembering that the promises of God were to me and to my children. (Read Acts 2:39).  When I am challenged in life, I need not fear, God is with me, cares about me, provides all that I need, saves me and answers me.  I can recall many, many instances of this in my life in the past and especially now.  It is a simple, uncomplicated faith…the faith of children. Our Lord tells us to accept the Kingdom of God like little children so that we may enter into it.  (Matthew 18:3).  We adults like to think we are mature in our faith and make things more complicated than they should be. We are loved by God and we love God.  God makes promises to us and when we believe what He says and we act on it, we see extraordinary things happen.  Vacation Bible School was a magnificent experience for all involved and I am grateful that I chose to stay with my kids this year and go through it with them.  I am a better mother and a better Catholic for it.

Thank you to all of the countless people who came together to make it happen.  God works through all of you and I plan to be with you all again next year.  Oh, and a special thank you to Mrs. Colleen Zumbrun and Mrs. Connie Cushman (pictured below respectively) who took  the memorable photos to capture all of us who were there. They are precious and appreciated! Thanks Colleen for supplying the camera for the pictures and making the pictures available. She too was one of the group leaders.

Vacaction Bible School, there is something in it for the child in all of us. Dive in and take the adventure!

My daughter Theresa and me at VBS

Lovingly,

Your Friendly Neighborhood Catholic Blogger,

Jackie Stutmann

Here is the link to information about Adventures on Promise Island:

http://www.vacationbibleschool.com/about/

This weekend in Catholic Churches in our local communities and throughout the world, we will celebrate the Solemn Feast of the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  The Gospel to be proclaimed this weekend, which billions of Catholics will hear, focuses on the origin of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper of Jesus with His disciples.  Our Lord’s words, in the Gospel of Mark (14:22-24) become the words of priests everywhere at the Consecration, “This is My Body, This is my Blood.”  By these very words, the Holy Spirit acts to transform the elements of bread and wine, which are elevated by the priest, into the very Body and Blood of Jesus.  This has been the consistent teaching of the Church for over two-thousand years.  It is a pivotal feast because the Eucharist is what our Catholic faith is based on and what sets Roman Catholics apart from members of other faiths.  It is required of Catholics to believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.  One excellent way that Catholics can express their thanksgiving to God for the gift of the Holy Eucharist, is to spend one hour or more per week in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

The word “Eucharist” actually means “thanksgiving.” Adoration is putting our belief into action.  We witness to the Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament by OUR presence with Him. We would ordinarily spend time with someone we love without thinking about it.  We should then make the same effort to spend time with the God who created us, loved us enough to die for us and is the Lord and giver of time itself.  It is often challenging for Catholics these days, with all of the activities and heavily scheduled days to set aside time to be still.  We NEED time to focus on God without distraction and a lot of noise.  If we think we cannot possibly find time to adore our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, then we are TOO busy. Our priorities need re-arranging and we need to in fact TAKE that time first, and then work everything else around our appointment with the Lord, because He tells us, “Without me you can do nothing.”

In Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, there is around-the-clock prayer before the Blessed Sacrament with adorers coming to and from every hour.  I think of the prayer of the Our Father, “Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”  In Heaven there is eternal, UNCEASING praise of God by all of the Angels and Saints.  Would that Christ Our Lord were adored in every community perpetually!  I urge everyone to find a Perpetual Adoration Chapel in your community and sign up for your special hour with the Lord.  The benefits are literally out of this world.  Keep this appointment  faithfully, because being in the presence of the Lord is more important than anything else in the world!  All of our earthly appointments cannot be as important because when we come before the Lord, He will truly know you and you will know Him and all of your Holy Hours before Him will come to Heaven with you.  Our Lord will welcome you with open arms because you loved Him and cared to make that sacrifice of your time to be with him in prayer and adoration.  Spread the word too, because being a “marketer” for the Lord, meaning getting people to think about what it means to take time out to be with God and encouraging them to do it also brings great blessings!

On this Most Solemn Feast, I pray this prayer,

“May the Heart of Jesus, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, be praised adored and loved with grateful affection, at every moment in all the tabernacles of the world, even until the end of time.”

A very Holy Feast of Corpus Christi to all!

The Holy name of Jesus is so holy, so perfect and pleasing to the Father, and I would like you to know how to pray it effectively through this two-fold prayer:

“Every time I say “Jesus” I wish to offer to God the Infinite merits of Jesus Christ, His Passion and Death, in union with all of the Masses being said all over the world, for the Glory of God, my own intentions and the peace of the world.”

This prayer is one that I pray each day.  I then PRAY the name of JESUS repeatedly throughout the day.  It is a prayer that you can pray all day, every day for your  intentions after praying the prayer above!  It is so simple and so effective.  Did you also know that PRAYING the name of Jesus repairs or makes reparation for blasphemy and the profaning of Our Lord’s name?  There are many times when I have heard those around me saying the name of the Lord in vain or in a disrespectful way and I just pray the name of Jesus, and I will sometimes make the sign of the cross over myself and pray, “Mercy, My Lord Jesus, mercy.” or “Pardon and mercy Lord, through the merits of your Holy Wounds.”  Many times they cease doing it.  I will also claim the protection of the Precious Blood over that person or persons.

I am soon going to be a Benedictine Oblate, which is the lay person’s order of the Benedictines. The word OBLATE means “offering.” Lay Benedictines offer EVERYTHING in their lives in union with the Benedictine Order throughout the world.  In fact, this coming Wednesday I will be going to Mount Savior Benedictine Monastery in Pine City, NY to be blessed for just this purpose!  I am pleased to have come to this point by the grace of God.  The major theme of the Benedictines is “Ora et Labora” which means, “Pray and work”.  I am a stay-at-home mom and as I am completing my tasks around the house or helping my children, I am praying the name of Jesus all the while.  It is so simple and so rich at the same time!  I will tell you that the devil, our adversary HATES the name of Jesus.  St. Benedict was famous for defeating the devil.  The Saint Benedict Medal is one of the most indulgenced medals of the church.  I highly recommend wearing the Medal of Saint Benedict.  I wear mine attached to my Brown Scapular.  The only time I take it off is before bathing.  I place it back on myself before applying deodorant to remind myself that protection from the devil is first before deodorant protection!

Prayer to Saint Benedict:

Glorious St. Benedict,  sublime model of virtue,  pure vessel of God’s grace!  Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet.  I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God.  To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me.  Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and my neighbor.  Inspire me to imitate you in all things.  May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His Kingdon. Amen.

Another practice I recommend is having an intention/thanksgiving for answered prayers book.  This way, all you need to do is mention “those intentions in my book of intentions”, whenever you pray at Mass, or in groups or on your own.  It shortens the time of having to mention each intention you are praying for because you write down each intention in the book whenever you are asked for prayers or hear of some prayer need.  I periodically go through and write thanksgiving prayers for those which have been answered, and add new intentions as needed.  Pray the name of Jesus all day for your intentions, and of course the Glory of God and the PEACE of the World!  Ora et labora!

There will be more to come as the summer begins.  I will try to write more on my blog because I will have more free time for contemplation and I enjoy writing!  That’s all for now!  Blessings to you all who read this blog!

-Jackie Stutmann

Pentecost is coming and I am joining in prayer and preparation with the  people over at www.praymorenovenas.com. They have a  great email reminder service that sends you an email each day of the novena to  make sure you are on top of the prayers!

There are more than 15,000 people praying together this time around and I  would love if you all joined me in prayer as we prepare for the coming of the  Holy Spirit.

Find the Original Here: Novena to the Holy Spirit http://www.praymorenovenas.com/novena-to-the-holy-spirit/#ixzz1uHf3TXPm

It is always good to pray Novenas especially in union with EVERYONE IN THE WORLD who may also be praying it, because together our prayers are strongest and answers to our prayers quickest!  You can comment on this website about your own personal petitions for the Novena and I don’t mind sharing mine also with my readers, because we can ask God that all intentions of those who are praying the Novena be answered.

My own personal petitions are for the Holy Spirit to move the hearts of the faithful in our community to be adorers for Perpetual Adoration, which we are trying to get started in our city.  This is what I have been working on since February with the Planning Committee, which is why I have not had much time to blog, but that will be changing in the very near future as summer approaches.  I will be writing about Perpetual Adoration, so stay tuned, as another informative article (and with God’s grace also inspiring) is on the way!  In the meantime, let us pray for each other’s intentions to be granted in this Novena to the Holy Spirit!

I would just like to write about what I think is happening in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Originally I did support Rick Santorum because of his absolutely correct mindset of how and why government needs to work, and the fact that he is truly a FAITHFUL CATHOLIC politician.  Before I knew of Rick Santorum, I didn’t think it was possible for the words faithful Catholic and politician to co-exist. For Rick, CATHOLIC comes first. He truly understands the role of right government, and that is to protect the God-given rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but NOT at the expense of abandoning your faith!

Take the likes of Nancy Pelosi,(please!) former speaker of the House of Representatives. Her despicable act of defiance against the church in standing by the Obama Administration and  the HHS mandate of Catholic and other religious Institutions to comply with the laws that require them to cover costs for contraception, the Morning After pill, abortion “services” and sterilization procedures, makes her an automatic enemy of the church. Publicly standing against the teachings of her own church, (for which I pray her bishop swiftly acts to discipline her), she is a stark contrast to Rick Santorum, who stands FOR the teachings of the church.  Catholics and and the world take note;  Nancy Pelosi is not a Catholic.  She is protesting, that makes her not Catholic. A Catholic by definition accepts ALL the truths that the Catholic Church teaches because they have been revealed by God, who can neither deceive nor be deceived. (taken from the Act of Faith prayer).

Ok, now that we have the definition of Faithful Catholic put forth, and the example thereof, I will get back to my original story about my support for Rick Santorum for President.  Admittedly, my concern for Rick was that perhaps the American people would not see that Rick is what we need  in a president.  Just the same as what happened in 2008, when Mike Huckabee, a faithful Christian Governor running for president was passed over and overshadowed by the prospect of  having the first black president in Barack Obama.  Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum would be the ideal Conservative Presidential ticket in my mind. Before Rick Santorum surged last night, I liked the idea of Newt Gingrich as our president. A Reagan Conservative, having had experience creating jobs and balancing the budget, and having a strong stance against the enemies of America made him a good candidate in my opinion.  I had migrated to Newt because of what I was hearing from him and I still do like him. I think that all of the candidates are pretty exceptional and much better than Barack Obama.

Now that Rick Santorum has won three states in one week, I am once again hopeful  that Rick is making his message heard with good old-fashioned hard work and talking with people face to face, addressing their modern concerns, offering concrete solutions.

Contrast that with another candidate that prefers to spend his millions in attack ads against the other candidates, basically seeming to “buy” elections through negativity, at the expense of trashing another individual’s character.  I am not naive, I know that in politics there is going to be some mud-slinging, but I think I speak for most Republicans when I say that this race seems to be particularly brutal in this regard.  I want to hear the candidates on the issues, and what their plans are to turn things around. I am immediately turned off by rancor and attacks.  I like gentlemanly behavior thank you!

In Rick Santorum, I see a type of young King David, youngest son of Jesse, the youth that no one expected would be candidate to be king, coming up with his slingshot to defeat Goliath with his ONE smooth stone to deliver that fatal blow between the eyes!  Rick Santorum has the confidence, not in just himself, but in God, to be the Lord of the Battle.  Who dares to come against the Lord of Hosts? David came against Goliath IN THE NAME of the Lord of Hosts and he defeated him!  I am renewed in my support for Rick Santorum, knowing he has the confidence to confront the giant of what faces him and the rest of the country in November, the prospect of another term with Barack Obama.

I believe Rick can do it, but now we must rally the faithful to start coming behind Rick to support him!  Where are all the faithful?  Come forth and get involved, because this is the election of our lifetime, and we cannot take it standing idly by watching and waiting for others to do it!  All it takes for evil to flourish is for good people to do nothing!  It is our American civic duty to participate in the political process of our country, and to affect the outcome for the better with the power of our vote.  Catholics come forth, there is power in unity, a power that can overcome the greatest odds. Pray, sacrifice, get involved, and expect to see the miraculous!

St. Andrew the Apostle was one of the first disciples to follow Jesus.  He was first a disciple of John the Baptist. St. John the Baptist pointed to Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”  He said,  “This is he of whom I said, ‘After me there comes one who has been set above me because he was before me.’  And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:20-34).

St. Andrew wasted no time and followed after Jesus, on the word of St. John the Baptist, believing without a doubt that Jesus was the Messiah.  Jesus, aware that he was being followed, turns and asks Andrew and the disciple with him, “What is it you seek?”  Andrew, so persisitent in wanting to know who this magnificent man is asks, “Rabbi, where are you staying?”  “Come and see,” Jesus tells them, and they went with him to where he was staying.  St. Andrew is one of the first to be called/invited to follow Jesus.

St. Andrew also did not waste any time spreading the Good News because he went eagerly to let his brother Simon, a fisherman, know that ”We have found the Messiah!”  He brings Simon to Jesus, who then gives him a new name, “Cephas” which is interpreted, “Peter”.  We know the rest of that story, don’t we?  I am imagining the greatness of the realization of what St. Andrew was feeling at that time.  What wondrousness to think that the long-awaited Christ, the Annointed One , foretold from the scriptures has come at last!

“WE HAVE FOUND THE MESSIAH!”  What a joyful triumph! What feelings of relief, of thankfulness to God that St. Andrew must have had, and the deep desire to share this news far and wide!  I will forever be grateful to St. Andrew for those words he uttered, because they are rich food for meditation and taking in the fullness of this truth to my heart.

I also think about St. John the Baptist, and how he must have LONGED to follow Jesus, to abandon everything and just BE with the one whom the Father had sent to save his people! Jesus was THE ONE he had come to prepare the way for. He even had the undeserved privilege (in his own words, see Matthew 3:14) of baptizing Jesus, after which the Spirit of God descended like a dove and came to rest upon the head of Jesus.  And this was the sign told to John by the Father to look for with His Annointed One.  From that point onward, John would never be the same and his work took on new meaning because now he knew without a shadow of a doubt that the Promised Messiah was already here! With what renewed conviction he must have been baptizing all those who came after Jesus. Among the crowds of people coming to be baptized, Jesus went unrecognized, and yet He was WITH THEM!  GOD WITH US!

St. John the Baptist  was then arrested and imprisoned, but his work was still ongoing in that he would give witness with his life to the sanctity of the marriage bond, for which he was imprisoned when he confronted Herod about his unlawful marriage with his brother’s wife.  The blood of the Martyrs is the Seed of Faith.

St. Andrew too suffered martyrdom by crucifixion like Jesus. I found a quote on the EWTN online library, When the apostle saw his cross at a distance, he is said to have cried out,
“Hail, precious cross, that hast been consecrated by the body of my Lord, and
adorned with his limbs as with rich jewels. I come to thee exulting and glad:
receive me with joy into thy arms. O good cross, that hast received beauty from
our Lord’s limbs; I have ardently loved thee; long have I desired and sought
thee: now thou art found by me, and art made ready for my longing soul; receive
me into thy arms, taking me from among men, and present me to my master; that he
who redeemed me on thee, may receive me by thee.”

http://www.ewtn.com/library/mary/andrew.htm

What a great saint!  It is my honor to highlight about him in my blog.  There is one other great thing about St. Andrew that I wish to share, and that is his Novena.  It is called a Christmas Novena, though it is not the traditional nine-days.  It goes from today, St. Andrew’s Feast Day, right through to Christmas.  Here is the beautiful prayer:

“Hail and Blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the Most Pure Virgin Mary, at midnight in Bethlehem, in piercing cold.  In that hour vouchsafe O My God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Savior, Jesus Christ and His Blessed Mother. Amen!

Tradition has it that if this prayer is prayed 15 times each day in honor of St. Andrew, that the petition prayed for will be granted.  St. Andrew, Apostle and Martyr, Pray for us!

May God Bless us all with a spiritually fruitful Advent Season.