Tag Archives: Communion of Saints

The Ultimate and Original “Cloud”

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Before there was an iCloud to pull everything together, there was the “great cloud of witnesses” that Hebrews 12:1 says we are surrounded by.  The Feast of All Saints reminds us of this cloud and how all Christians, whether in this life or the next, are intimately connected in one Body with Christ as the Head.

One of my favorite things about being Catholic is that we do not view the Church as being just an earthly group of believers.  The Church on earth is called “The Church Militant” because we are waging a war against evil and spiritual wickedness.  Scripture calls Satan “the god of this world.”  As Christians, we are “in the world, but not of the world.”  It is a spiritual battle for souls here on earth and we Christians are spiritual warriors.

There exists a state of being between this life and Heaven where Christians may be purged of anything that cannot enter heaven, anything that is not pure and built upon Christ.  1Corinthians 3:11-15 describes this state of purging as a fire that burns away the wood, hay and stubble of our lives, yet leaves us saved with our good works of precious stones, gold and silver.  Since eternity is not limited by our time constraints, and God is outside of time, we cannot place any sense of time on this state of being.  Yet, few of us are perfect and ready to enter Heaven “right now” in this life.  We will be different in Heaven than we are “right now.” This means that a change takes place somewhere in between this life and Heaven.  Catholics call this state of being Purgatory, because it is a purging process.  Since the purging process is not a pleasant one (it is not easy to relinquish things our souls tend to cling to), the Christians in this state of purging are referred to as “The Church Suffering.”

Christians that are in Heaven are called “The Church Triumphant.”  This is the ultimate goal of Christianity, to triumph over Satan, sin, death and the evil in the world and in ourselves.  Heaven is where we are finally joined completely with Christ and “see Him as He is, for we shall be like Him.”  On the day of resurrection, even our physical bodies will be glorified and present with Christ.  No more sin or death.  Triumph!

All Christians are united in one body of Christ.  The Church Militant, The Church Suffering and The Church Triumphant are all the Body of Christ with Jesus as Head.  This is why the “cloud” that surrounds us is so awesome.  It is connected to us.  We in The Church Militant are not separated from Christians in The Church Triumphant.  Far from being dead, they are more alive than we are!  That is why we can call upon them to pray for us and intercede to God on our behalf.  In the same way that we ask other Christians here on earth to pray for us and with us, we can call upon the Saints in Heaven to do the same, for we are all one Body of Christ!  I am so glad to be able to call upon our mother, Mary, the Saints in Heaven, my earthly Christian brothers and sisters, and, most of all, Jesus, the One Mediator who makes it all possible by allowing us to share in His mediation through His One Body.  Thank God for “the cloud!”

Have a blessed Feast of All Saints!

Don’t Put Me On Display…Christian Love

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There’s an old song from the 1960s called You Don’t Own Me, by Leslie Gore.  It’s been covered by other artists and used in movies as well.  One of the lines in the song says, “Please, when I go out with you, don’t put me on display.”  This line came to mind recently when I was thinking about how Christians are supposed to love each other.  Scripture says that the world will know we are Christians by our love for one another.  The world is supposed to see us and remark, “See how they love each other!”

The girl in the song is upset because her boyfriend uses her to put on a show.  He displays her as a trophy.  His public affection for her is designed to make him look good to others.  What others see is not real but a display.  It is an illusion.  Contrast this scenario with couples that genuinely and obviously love each other.  Their concern is for each other, not for how others perceive them.  They are in love.  They are friends.  They treat each other with respect and kindness even when they disagree or feel angry.  Upon observing such couples, one naturally notices their deep love.  Many will remark, “I wish I had that.”  Those around them notice the love, not because the couples tried to be noticed, but because the love between them is real and desireable.

Christians don’t need phony displays of affection towards each other.  We don’t need the “kiss of peace” in public and the “kiss of betrayal” when backs are turned.  We don’t need a false ecumenism.  Don’t pretend to love each other because it looks good to others.  Don’t pretend to love others so people will think you are a great Christian.  Really love each other even in the midst of disagreements.  Really love each other and it will automatically have an appeal to the world because the world is thirsting for genuine love.  The world has a void that only the love of God can fill.  Christians are called to demonstrate that love.  Don’t put your Christian sisters and brothers on display.  Love them, even when it hurts.  Seek unity.  Where there is division, there is sin.  Where there is sin, there is disobedience to the faith and to the love of Christ.

Today Is The Feast Of St. Thomas (My Namesake)

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Today is the feast of St. Thomas, the Apostle, and the saint my parents named me after.  He is famous for being the doubter.  He was absent when the resurrected Jesus appeared to the rest of the Apostles, and he would not believe them when they told him they had seen Christ.  “I will not believe it until I put my hands in his wounds,” he said.  When Jesus appeared again, Thomas was there.  Jesus invited Thomas to touch his wounds and Thomas exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!”  Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me.  Blessed are those who have not seen and believe!”

I’m thankful for Thomas.  He allows us to see that God is patient with our doubts.  In fact, Jesus used the doubt of Thomas to encourage you and me in our “unseeing” faith.  We can’t see Christ standing before us or touch his wounds, yet we can believe he lives.  We see only bread and wine, yet we can believe that it is actually the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ we receive in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.  We can’t see Heaven, but we can believe Jesus has prepared a place for us because he said so.  We can’t always see the good that comes from our obedience to the Faith, but we know God does.

People are often hard on Thomas for his doubt, but Jesus wasn’t.  Jesus takes our crooked ways and makes them strait if we let him.  The lesson from Thomas isn’t that we should demand visible evidence for our belief.  The lesson is that the doubt of Thomas was God’s tool to encourage us in our faith.  “We walk by faith, not by sight.”  My own name reminds me of this daily.

The Rosary: Vain Repetition?

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The Church devotes the month of May to Mary.  As May approaches, it is fitting to contemplate her role in the life of Christ and the Church.  The Rosary is a prayer often misunderstood by Catholics and non-Catholics alike.  I’ve recently blogged about the appropriateness of praying to saints and Mary is included in that number.  I’ve also blogged about Mary specifically and her role in the life of Jesus and the Church.  The following video dovetails nicely with my previous posts.  Mr Jimmy Akin is an experienced Catholic apologist and master of explaining things clearly and respectfully.  If you have ever had reservations or downright objections to praying the Rosary, I hope you find this video to be enlightening.  Bottom line: every Catholic teaching is ultimately about Christ.  The Rosary is no exception.

Uh Oh, Mother’s Day Is Coming! WWJD?!

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Mother’s Day is just around the corner.  Not everyone can be a mom, but we all have a mom somewhere.  Some people have good relationships with their mothers and some people don’t.  Nevertheless, motherhood is certainly worth honoring. There is no other relationship quite like a mother-child relationship.  Even a mostly-stay-at-home dad like me can’t be a mom.  Moms are special.  Only mom’s can carry us in the womb, give birth to us, nurse us and connect with us in ways no one else can.  Even Jesus has a mom, and he’s God!

So, what would Jesus do for Mother’s Day?  Let’s begin with what Jesus would not do for Mother’s Day.  He would not disrespect his mom or be rude to her.  He would not ignore his mom.  He would not address her in a way that would downplay her significance in his life and ministry.   There are folks who actually teach from Scripture that Jesus did all these things.  Addressing such misconceptions is beyond the scope of this article.  Suffice it to say that Jesus, being God and a faithful Jew, knew all about the commandment to “honor thy father and mother” and he kept it perfectly.  If you are a Christian, that makes Jesus your brother.  The mother of my brother is my mother, too.  So, guess what?  Mary is your mother!

So, what would Jesus do for his very own mother?  Being God, I suppose Jesus would save his mother from sin.  Mary herself said, “I rejoice in God, my savior.”  God did save Mary from sin, but in a unique way.  One can be saved by being pulled out of a muddy pit, or by being prevented from falling into the pit in the first place.  That’s how Jesus saved Mary.  He allowed her to be conceived without original sin in the womb of her mother, Saint Ann.  This is what we call “The Immaculate Conception.”  Of course Jesus would do that for his very own mother.  What loving son wouldn’t if he could?  God can do it, so he did it.

Jesus, being the King of Glory, would also enthrone his mother next to him as the “Queen Mother.”  Again, Jesus being God and a good Jew would know all about the role of the queen mother in the kingdom of Israel. In the Scriptures we see Bathsheba taking her place as queen mother next to her son Solomon, the king of Israel.  In fact, people made their requests to Bathsheba because they knew Solomon would listen to her and grant her requests.  Solomon didn’t stop being the king; he just respected and loved his mother and her role in his kingdom.  That’s what Jesus does as the King of Glory (like when Mary came to Jesus at the wedding and told them they were out of wine).  That’s why we call Mary the Queen of Heaven.  Because we know who the King is, and we know who the King’s mother is!  Mary gets a crown from Jesus for Mother’s Day, not just a Hallmark card or flowers!

Jesus would not only save his mother from sin, he would save her from the corruption of the grave.  This is what The Assumption is all about.  Jesus took his mom up to Heaven to be with him.  We see other people in the Bible being taken up into Heaven body and soul, so, why not Mary?  Why wouldn’t Jesus allow this for Mary his mother?  If you could prevent your mother from turning to dust in the grave before going to heaven, wouldn’t you do it?  God can do it, so he did it.  It’s only fitting.

When Mary said, “All generations shall call me blessed,” she meant it.  Mary is: 1) the specially chosen daughter of the Father, 2) the spouse of the Holy Spirit, 3) the mother of the Son.  If the Holy Trinity offers her such honor and regard, how can we dare not?  Mary is the only “perfect” disciple!  She is the only human being that was with Jesus from his human conception to his throne in Glory.  Imagine if she would have said “No” instead of “Yes” to the angel Gabriel.  Mary’s “Yes” brought salvation to the world.  Mary is the New Eve.  Her obedience undid Eve’s disobedience.

Now, if you’re thinking, “That all sounds nice, but where does the Bible say all that stuff about Mary?”  My first response is, “Where does the Bible say that everything that’s true for Christians has to be in the Bible?”  The Bible makes no such claim.  Secondly, most of it is in the Bible but folks aren’t taught about it.  Instead they are taught that Jesus primarily brushed his mother aside.  Or, at best, they are taught that she was a virgin who gave birth to Jesus in a manger, but that’s it.

Fear of turning Mary into an idol of worship has prevented people from treating her as Christ treats her.  Christians are supposed to be Christ-like.  So, for Mother’s Day, be like your older brother Jesus!  WWJD?  If you are a Christian, what will you do for Mary, your mother?  Catholics don’t worship Mary as if she is God.  We simply follow the lead of Jesus in honoring and loving her.  There’s nothing like the mother-child relationship.  Knowing this, Jesus gave us his mother.  It’s OK to embrace her.  All she does is point us to Jesus.  What else would the perfect disciple do?

For more information about Mary and Scripture, I suggest reading “Hail, Holy Queen” by Scott Hahn.  A lot of information about Mary can also be found here.

And here’s a great video highlighting Scriptural points about Mary: Video