Lux Mundi: June 2013

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

What to do when we don't know what to do

How do we decide what to do, when we don't have a clue on what to do? The answer is patience and prayer for those still waiting for their vocational call from God. Truly, that answer applies to everyone and every moment in our lives. When I don't know what to do I pray in silence and look up at the crucifix and ask for nothing. All I say is thank you. When I my mind is illumined by God's grace, I trust the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph with all my work and I leave it to there intercession and grace. My skill and wisdom account for little compared to their power and generosity. Happily, I give it all up to them. In the midst of indecision what will you decide?

"Idle hands are the devils work shop". If we don't have something to do, the devil will find something. Our moments of mental paralysis can be as big as moving from one home to another. On the other hand, it can be as small as deciding what to eat. God is God over all things big and small. He loves us for everything that we are. Contrary to popular belief, he has great interest in every moment of our lives. Those moments can be the least significant and God will take great joy in our humility in coming to him and will listen to our prayers. I say this because we forget about God. We forget about him because nothing exciting, substantial, or traumatizing has happened in our lives yet. We think of God as too big to care for the little things. More importantly and sadly, we think that it can be handled without God. Consequently, when that moment of indecision comes we don't know what to do. That moment during your indecisiveness is crucial to getting closer to God. Think about it. What is better for your soul? Is it TV or prayer, pizza or grace? Do not let the evil one trick one you into eating to satisfy yourself or your boredom. Do not let the evil one trick you into satisfying your soul with television or any material good. Retreat into the inner sanctum of your soul and converse with the Lord. Share with Him you pains and sufferings. Share with Him your joys and triumphs. Thank Him for making you forget the chores and the menial tasks. Thank him for allowing you misplace your keys so that you can't go out with your friends. This moment was given to you so that you may know and love Him. Converse with your favorite saint. Meditate on your favorite mystery from the Rosary. Read a spiritual book. Above all, spend time with God. Nothing is more important.

Matt 26:40-41

40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Luke 10:38-42

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Come Back to the Father

One time or another we have all strayed away God. Sadly, this is true but because of the Cross of Our Lord Jesus we don't have to despair. It is because of Christ Crucified that we are redeemed. Furthermore, it is his constant love and divine mercy that give us strength to persevere. His powerful example of love on the Cross gives us sorrow for our sins and gives strength to love as he loved. The Cross is the end of the road of every human being. We either come to the cross to mock the Lord or the embrace and love Him on the Cross. Which will you choose?

Christ on the Cross redeems us. He gave his life out of love so that we may enter into heaven. He gave his life so that we may never fear death. He died that we may love him. Many do not see this. Many fall away from God.Some people fall away because of love of the world and others because loving God became "boring". Some fall because they are afraid and others because they want to gain something. The reason doesn't matter. The question is not how they fell or will they fall. The question is: Will they get back up? Will you get back up? Will you come to back to God? Will you give up hope? Until our final breath there is time to become a saint. Until we stand in front of God for our judgement, there is time to repent. Do not be afraid to cry to the heavens in sorrow. Do not be afraid to reach for holiness. Do not be afraid to touch the Lord's garment. Do not be afraid to ask someone to pray for you. Do not be afraid to come back to God. Spend some time with Him. Go to confession. Let the words "I absolve you from you sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," resonate to
the very core of your soul. Let the well spring of Gods grace fill you to the brim. We are all suppose to be saints. Let this saying be written on your soul "No somos santos, porque no queremos ser" (We are not saints, because we don't want to be") Come back to the Father.

Prodigal Son, Luke 15: 17-24

And returning to himself, he said: How many hired servants in my father' s house abound with bread, and I here perish with hunger? [18] I will arise, and will go to my father, and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee: [19] I am not worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. [20] And rising up he came to his father. And when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and running to him fell upon his neck, and kissed him.

[21] And the son said to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, I am not now worthy to be called thy son. [22] And the father said to his servants: Bring forth quickly the first robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: [23] And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and make merry: [24] Because this my son was dead, and is come to life again: was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry

About Us

First of all we are all young people and proudly Catholic. We are a group of close friends in college and we are lively and practicing young men and women who have devoted our lives to the service of Christ and His Church in whatever way the Lord sees fit! That is partially the most exciting part of this group. We all went to high school together, and we met in our senior year. A string of circumstances brought us together to pray and discuss our faith. It was a truly incredible time! For now there are only a few of us working on this blog but we hope some others will join us as time goes on.

This Blog was my idea. I have been looking for a way to get involved in spreading the Gospel in a real and effective way for two years. I cannot stand being on the side lines. One day some inspiration came to me: A blog by Catholic youth for everyone. Since I can remember there has been a lack of an intense youthful presence in the Church. That is most certainly changing, and I want to be part of it! In my many experiences with catholic blogs, I have had to go to several places to read all the information and discussion I wanted, so my thought was to create a one stop blog, simple and easy, which has several “voices” with one directed sound. I don’t know if that makes sense. I want to have one direction with several different authors and perspectives but all young. I also don’t want the writing to be overly elevated nor obsessively analytical, which can sometimes scare people away. But we also can’t dumb down the faith; to do that would be an insult to the one true faith. That, for the most part was the idea! There are things similar, but none like what I was really hoping to do. One night I was blessed with this inspiration. But I have been frightened to take it on, that is one of my faults, misguided fear. The idea wouldn’t go away and I figured I needed to try but I couldn’t do it alone. There was only one group of people who could help me do this and so I enlisted the help of my friends; and here we are.

A little bit on our beliefs: We are most definitely and unapologetically Catholic. So, although this may be a cliche, if you need more information, google the phrase Nicene-Constantinople Creed. That should sufficiently point out our doctrinal backgrounds. One thing we do wish to express explicitly is our total reliance on the authentic authority of God, both in Heaven and on Earth. We commonly encounter that which is on Earth, although it is eternally united to that of the Lord! What we are saying is we submit ourselves to the judgment and guidance of the Holy Father and the Magisterium. That is of the utmost importance. Many Catholics today neglect authentic Revelation (i.e. Tradition) and authentic authority! But that is for another time!

We love Christ and His Church. We are not perfect, in fact we are sinners, and I particularly am quite the sinner! However we are striving for holiness and to live a saintly life so that we might in the next life be rewarded with entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven.

We hope you find your way to an informed faith through this blog. We don’t expect to reach millions but maybe a few will find us and be inspired, maybe someone will find us and through the grace of God find his way to authentic Catholicism. If but one finds this to have made a positive impact in his life, it shall all be worth it! But we will be careful; we don’t wish to have a negative effect on anyone!!!