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"What is more personal than prayer, 'conversation with God'? ...we pray as members of a great community--and it is larger than we suspect--and we do not struggle alone to pray. Many invisible helpers--in heaven and here on earth--are with us and assit us." -Christoph Cardinal Schonborn

"All [the Apostles] with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren." Act 1:14

This weekend is the Search retreat for the Jackson Diocese. Please pray for all of us staffing, that our hearts may be open and that we may be vessels of Christ. But most importantly, pray for the new Searchers, that their hearts and minds my be open to the workings of the Spirit! Your prayers definately help!!!

Not your normal everyday..... table

I once heard it said that you should venerate the Altar as you would venerate Christ. The Altar in the church is a very special place. It normally is on the second highest, if not the highest, elevated part of the floor in the church. And this is rightfully so since it is where we recall the sacrifice made by Christ. This is the final and eternal sacrifice that is recalled, when Christ offered himself up, becoming the eternal Passover Lamb. Today, this sacrifice is manifested for us in the Eucharist, which takes place on that Altar in our Church.

The Altar, then, truly is a symbol of Christ which deserves to be venerated. I am not talking about a full genuflection or kneeling, but maybe just a keen awareness of its presence and a simple but honorable bow whenever it is being passed or crossed. This is not just a table but a place for the Eucharist to rest during the Mass and Adoration. And keep in mind that the Eucharist truly is the physical presence of Christ, not just a symbolic one. And there are very few places where we set the Eucharist down.

I heard from the same Priest that on Good Friday, when we strip the Altar bare, it is actually Christ that we are stripping as he prepares to be hung on the cross. It is this humiliation of his that he endured willfully for our sake. Why? Because he saw us as his best friends. And that is what friends do for each other—endure humiliation, even until death. And we thank him and honor him for this by venerating those things that remind us of him.

Where is the love?

“Peter, do you love me more than these?” (Jn 21:15)

This was the first of three “do you love me” questions from Christ directed at St Peter. And this one is the one that set the tone for the rest. When reading a short story, it is the first line that draws us in. The author of a short story knows that if he/she does not catch the reader after the first sentence then the reader probably won’t finish the story. So Christ, knowing he needed Peter’s attention, began with a full blast—“do you love me more than these”. Essentially, am I #1 in your life?

Personally, I do not think this is directed to only Peter. True, he was the one to inherent the keys to heaven. However, if we all wish to love Christ, no matter what vocation in life we choose, Christ must be our number one. He is the fulfillment of our joy and the key to eternal happiness. Simply put—HE IS GOD. He was there when the world was created and he will be there when the world ends. He is the Alpha and the Omega. So he should be our number one and number last.

So what for me would be the “these” that I have to love Christ more than? What is it that keeps me from loving Christ the most? What makes God take a backseat in my life?