I tensed a bit as I watched the clock on our rental car this morning. 9:06am. Mass was to began at 9:15am. The GPS on my iPhone said the Church was right there, across the street from where we stopped so Jay could run into a convenience store and ask for directions (yes, he actually did . . . he is such a manly man!). As I stared at the empty lot in front of me, which, by the way, we drove back and forth in front of several times before stopping, I figured this was not the church for us today. Last night I had researched all the Catholic Churches in Schaumburg, and we decided the 9:15am Mass would give us time afterward for a full day of exploring the area. Jay climbed back into the car and with positivity in his voice asked "what's our next option!" The church we were looking for was about 15 minutes away. So St. Marcelline's it was for the 10:45am service. As Jay and I walked into the church, I told him there was some reason Jesus rerouted us here. There was some message we needed to hear today. Or some people we needed to meet. First of all, the church was not your typical Catholic Church layout. The altar was surrounded (360 degrees) by pews and chairs:
Father Hal walked around greeting his parishioners with a smile and a handshake as Father Paul prepared to celebrate the Mass. I wasn't quite sure about the casual openness of the church, but when it came time for the sermon, WOW! Fr. Paul gave his sermon walking around and around that circle. It was incredible. As Father and the Eucharistic Ministers prepared for Communion, a song I have never heard began called "Christ Has No Body Now But Yours (Text: St. Teresa of Avila. Adapted by Steven C. Warner)." Here are the lyrics which brought me to tears:
Refrain:
Christ has no body now but yours, no hand but yours. Here on this earth, yours is the work, to serve with the joy of compassion.
Verse 1: No hands but yours to heal the wounded world, no hands but yours to soothe all its suff'ring, no touch but yours to bind the broken hope of the people of God.
Verse 2: No eyes but yours to see as Christ would see, to find the lost, to gaze with compassion; no eyes but yours to glimpse the holy joy of the city of God.
Verse 3: No feet but yours to journey with the poor, to walk this world with mercy and justice. Yours are the steps to build a lasting peace for the children of God.
Verse 4: Through ev'ry gift, give back to those in need: As Christ has blessed, so now be his blessing, with ev'ry gift a benediction be to the people of God.
OH MY GOODNESS!!! The clarity Jesus gave me through this song was very specific. Not that this was news to me . . . but the way He showed me the goal of my existence on this earth was profound.
In todays (Monday 7/27/14) Gospel (Matthew 13:31-35), Jesus communicates with the crowd in words they could understand:
Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. “The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’”
He spoke to them another parable. “The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”
All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables,
to fulfill what had been said through the prophet:
I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world.
In Anne a lay apostle's book Lessons in Love, she asks us to take a look at ourselves and question if what we are doing is nurturing holiness or our ego:
Refrain:
Christ has no body now but yours, no hand but yours. Here on this earth, yours is the work, to serve with the joy of compassion.
Verse 1: No hands but yours to heal the wounded world, no hands but yours to soothe all its suff'ring, no touch but yours to bind the broken hope of the people of God.
Verse 2: No eyes but yours to see as Christ would see, to find the lost, to gaze with compassion; no eyes but yours to glimpse the holy joy of the city of God.
Verse 3: No feet but yours to journey with the poor, to walk this world with mercy and justice. Yours are the steps to build a lasting peace for the children of God.
Verse 4: Through ev'ry gift, give back to those in need: As Christ has blessed, so now be his blessing, with ev'ry gift a benediction be to the people of God.
OH MY GOODNESS!!! The clarity Jesus gave me through this song was very specific. Not that this was news to me . . . but the way He showed me the goal of my existence on this earth was profound.
In todays (Monday 7/27/14) Gospel (Matthew 13:31-35), Jesus communicates with the crowd in words they could understand:
Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. “The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’”
He spoke to them another parable. “The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”
All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables,
to fulfill what had been said through the prophet:
I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world.
In Anne a lay apostle's book Lessons in Love, she asks us to take a look at ourselves and question if what we are doing is nurturing holiness or our ego:
"Some search constantly for evidence of
unholiness in others. I think this might be their way of trying to fuel or protect
their superiority or obtaining value for themselves in an unhealthy
way. Superiority is something that requires constant feeding, like an addiction. Just as a cigarette smoker needs a nicotine fix periodically, a superiority addict needs to look down on someone periodically. Anyone will do. Those around this type of addict will suffer the most but if the superiority addict must go outside of his inner circle, he is happy to do that. Reading the daily newspaper can work for him in a pinch, but one addicted to superiority will eventually find himself searching for reasons to condemn even the holiest souls. This should make our skin crawl with revulsion. Really. It should. I suspect that what is happening is that it is easier to snatch affirmation in small unhealthy doses this way than to actually look within, meet the eyes of Christ and take whatever affirmation we merit in truth while accepting the growth challenges that Jesus puts before us. I often wonder if these people think they are going to get into heaven by citing the unholiness of others rather than standing on their own holiness. Do they think Jesus will ask them to regale Him with stories about the darkness of the times and the sins committed by those around them? Jesus Christ knows the sins of others and instantly factors in all mitigating and aggravating circumstances in each life. The life we will be accounting for is our own. Jesus knew the law but He was not rigid because He applied it with love and mercy. Remember that the characteristics of the Trinity include gentleness, kindness, generosity of heart, truthfulness, eagerness to serve, prudence, and humility. Where do we find these things in the behavior of the Pharisees? Where do we find these things authentically in the behavior of the superiority addicts around us? Look at Jesus in this incident. He, in one situation, exhibits all of the above characteristics. Truly, the smallest bit of contemplation on the earthly actions of Jesus Christ will take the apostle far back into the study of the place that is the divine will."
Lay apostles, I am in awe today of the grace of being rerouted to a different church this morning. He knew what I needed to hear and He got me to where I could hear it. His message was loud and clear . . . nurture holiness by being My Body, My Hands, My Eyes on earth.
Thank you, Lord, for St. Marcelline Catholic Church, for Fr. Paul and Fr. Hal, for the beautiful music You chose for me to hear.
God bless,
Bonnie
way. Superiority is something that requires constant feeding, like an addiction. Just as a cigarette smoker needs a nicotine fix periodically, a superiority addict needs to look down on someone periodically. Anyone will do. Those around this type of addict will suffer the most but if the superiority addict must go outside of his inner circle, he is happy to do that. Reading the daily newspaper can work for him in a pinch, but one addicted to superiority will eventually find himself searching for reasons to condemn even the holiest souls. This should make our skin crawl with revulsion. Really. It should. I suspect that what is happening is that it is easier to snatch affirmation in small unhealthy doses this way than to actually look within, meet the eyes of Christ and take whatever affirmation we merit in truth while accepting the growth challenges that Jesus puts before us. I often wonder if these people think they are going to get into heaven by citing the unholiness of others rather than standing on their own holiness. Do they think Jesus will ask them to regale Him with stories about the darkness of the times and the sins committed by those around them? Jesus Christ knows the sins of others and instantly factors in all mitigating and aggravating circumstances in each life. The life we will be accounting for is our own. Jesus knew the law but He was not rigid because He applied it with love and mercy. Remember that the characteristics of the Trinity include gentleness, kindness, generosity of heart, truthfulness, eagerness to serve, prudence, and humility. Where do we find these things in the behavior of the Pharisees? Where do we find these things authentically in the behavior of the superiority addicts around us? Look at Jesus in this incident. He, in one situation, exhibits all of the above characteristics. Truly, the smallest bit of contemplation on the earthly actions of Jesus Christ will take the apostle far back into the study of the place that is the divine will."
Lay apostles, I am in awe today of the grace of being rerouted to a different church this morning. He knew what I needed to hear and He got me to where I could hear it. His message was loud and clear . . . nurture holiness by being My Body, My Hands, My Eyes on earth.
Thank you, Lord, for St. Marcelline Catholic Church, for Fr. Paul and Fr. Hal, for the beautiful music You chose for me to hear.
God bless,
Bonnie
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