A Mormon once approached while I was walking through my neighborhood and started talking to me about his beliefs. I always enjoy talking to people of other faiths, especially the ones convicted enough to try and teach others what they believe at random. They are no real threat to my faith, so I feel very comfortable engaging in dialogue because I believe with all my being that the Church has the Truth.
Most of these missionaries feel just as invested in what they believe, so I never let the conversations go too far or for too long. Although these are wonderful opportunities to simply appreciate their passion and willingness to work for their cause, and continue to develop ability to speak with other faiths. It made me think, would I ever be brave enough to approach strangers on the streets to spread the love of God?
Lacking Catholic Evangelization
The Crucifixion By Velazquez
The Truth of salvation is awesomely beautiful, but we often act as if it’s a secret too precious to share with anyone.
When I truly came to know Jesus on a personal level, my life changed, and I knew the least I could do was live for Him because He died for me. Jesus has the power to change lives and bring peace, but we often tame His strength and power.
photocredit: flickr/drmillerlg
The concept of Church often seems overwhelming for those outside, but it can be just as daunting for Catholics too. Holy Mother Church is just like a good, aged wine that’s full bodied and complex in flavor. Once we’re acclimated, it’s easy to take for granted how good it is.
We know Our Lord will guide His Bride, The Church, and she will stand strong, even against the gates of hell. We have no doubt the Church will still be here if we don’t go out and get more people to come, and that has made us lazy. We Catholics are often too comfortable in the fact that we are the Church and we have Christ with us. Our comfort is so ingrained that we often write off evangelizing because of fears of offending people or simply being rejected.
This is about more than just trying to avoid the pains of hell, evangelization is a drive of knowing the goodness of the love of God. When we source of passion in His love, we don’t try to convert the world by trying to be right, but rather introduce the world to this desirable love.
Divine Mercy
Divine Mercy Image
On the Octave of Easter, we celebrate the great feast of Divine Mercy to remember His unfathomable Divine Mercy that desperately thirsts for all of creation to be renewed and brought to union with Him.
Divine Mercy offers us compassion in spite of our intentional rejection of God’s love through sin. As John Paul II spoke of a time of unprecedented evil, he reminds us Jesus comes with unprecedented Mercy.
“The law entered in so that transgression might increase but, where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more”
Romans 5:20
John Paul II
As we celebrate the this great Feast of Mercy as we prepare for the Jubilee of Mercy, we need to take time to reflect on how much grace and mercy we have received in our lives. We can’t keep His love and mercy from a world that needs it as much as we do.
“For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”
The Message of Divine Mercy
St Faustina
There are three main parts to understanding the message of Divine Mercy. Here are the ABCs of the message as summarized by EWTN.
A — Ask for His Mercy. God wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly, repenting of our sins and asking Him to pour His mercy out upon us and upon the whole world.
B — Be merciful. God wants us to receive His mercy and let it flow through us to others. He wants us to extend love and forgiveness to others just as He does to us.
C — Completely trust in Jesus. God wants us to know that the graces of His mercy are dependent upon our trust. The more we trust in Jesus, the more we will receive.
Sounds almost too good to be true, but that’s the power of this message. If you are curious, there are answers to common questions about Divine Mercy from the Marians of the Immaculate Conception.
Keep the faith, but don’t keep it to yourself.
