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some back door catechesis

The Basiliaca of the Sacred Heart of Jesus -Atlanta, Georgia
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus -Atlanta, Georgia

Every time I read or hear today’s gospel I can’t help but think of Harry Potter fans worldwide getting a dose of evangelization that perhaps they weren’t expecting.

I love a good story, and I especially love a good story that is controversial — it makes you think. Or at least, it makes me  think. Some are opposed to the series as a kind of gateway drug to witchcraft. Others embrace it for it’s themes of love:

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13

It’s most powerful reference comes toward the end of the series in Godric’s Hollow, when Harry discovers a tombstone for Dumbledore’s family with the following engraved on it:

Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

That’s today’s gospel reading. It’s from Matthew Chapter 6, verses 19-21. Actually, today’s reading runs to verse 23. It’s a good thing to read and reflect on the whole piece, not just one isolated line. Content may be king, but context gives it power. You can watch a brief reflection on this scriptural passage here.

Where are your treasures? What does your heart follow?

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a little encouragement

 

Saw this on a holy card tacked up in an overfull cork board in my kitchen. Thought I’d share — how often do we let our fears paralyze us when a little leap of faith is all we need to achieve our dreams?

 

Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.

Saint John XXIII

 

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the struggle is real

The gift of grace increases as the struggle increases.

~St. Rose of Lima

I recently had an encounter with St. Rose of Lima while on a mini-vacation. Don’t worry, I don’t usually have saints come up behind me and tap me on the shoulder. I certainly wish  things were that easy.

It wasn’t like that — I’ve just had a lot of things piling up for discernment. I’ve often felt that a memo from God would make everything so easy. I could obey, or disobey, and it would be very clear either way.

So I found myself confused — a little lost even as I struggled to make some decisions on my own. I was on vacation but instead of relaxing I was getting more and more wound up. Finally, I just prayed for a church, any church, so I could go inside for a moment. To pray. To sit before the Blessed Sacrament.

My husband, aware of my anxiety, googled local churches while I went inside a gas station for some drinks. He was smiling broadly when I came back, and told me I’d get a nice surprise about a block down the road.

Sure enough, we turned down a side road and there in front of us was a quaint little church named after St. Rose of Lima. I got my wish and the peace that comes from prayer: Jesus I trust in you.

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