Uncovering Mysteries of the Eucharist

As of late, I have been diving deeper into the Catholic faith, uncovering mysteries that lie within the Sacraments. Today, I would like to discuss a few points about the source and highpoint of our faith: the Eucharist. CCC 1324.

We know that we receive Jesus in Holy Communion. But what, exactly does this mean? For much of my life, I have been drawn to the Eucharist, but only recently have I began to understand more about what it means for us.

A passage that has really helped put into perspective my attitudes toward the Eucharist comes from John's gospel.

Jesus says, "I tell you solemnly, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day." John 6:53,54.

When receiving Jesus, we take on His divine nature. CCC 1374. God cannot be present in the state of sin, and so when we receive the Eucharist, we receive His great mercy and are cleansed of venial sin. Free of sin, Jesus resides in us as we go forth into the world. CCC 1394.

Furthermore, While celebrating the Mass, we are not just celebrating with others at our parish or even all the faithful around the world. We are also celebrating the same Mass with the angels and saints in heaven.

"Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding in his hand a live coal which he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. With this he touched my mouth and said:
         'See now, this has touched your lips, your sin is taken away, your iniquity purged.'" Isaiah 6:6,7.

There is only one Mass and that Mass is praised in heaven. When we go to Mass, we are joining in on the Mass of Heaven. When we receive Jesus, we experience heaven. CCC 1370.

"He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him. As I, who am sent by the living Father, myself draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will draw life from me." Jn 6:56,57.

Heaven abides in Jesus and when we receive Jesus, we receive the Communion saints in heaven. CCC 1396.

Discussing this Communion in his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul states, " The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread."

After discovering this reality, for me it brought ever more meaning to the Lord's prayer. I began to have a better understanding of what the Father means by "Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven."

Jesus calls us to center our lives on Him and live as Saints on Earth. We are not supposed to wait until we die before experiencing His glory and being Saints. That life begins here and now.

In a way, we often separate our lives between this life and the next. However, for me, I can no longer think this way. We only have one life and that life is eternal. We cannot wait until Purgatory before we cleanse ourselves and seek heaven. This is something that we should seek to do now. Because now is heaven and heaven is now, and failure to seek God on Earth is a failure to seek His Glory in heaven.

FIRST TEAM 4 VLOG UPDATE!

VIDEO BLOG! Who would've thunk that Team 4 could do video updates?! Anyway, this is Callie updating for Spiritus. I got too lazy to type and decided uploading a video might be fun!

Happy Feast of Christ the King! Viva Cristo Rey!

Blessed are the pure of heart...

"Blessed are the pure of heart for they will see God."
Matthew 5:8

God has a HUGE plan for every single one of us!! As Pope Benedict XVI says, "we were not created for comfort, but for greatness." God calls us on to greatness, he wants to see us do awesome and magnificent things.  I absolutely love this quote by Pope Benedict XVI, but sometimes I don't really feel strong enough to do what God calls me to do.

This ministry is extremely rewarding in the sense that I get to spread God's message to students all throughout the state of Wisconsin, but I also have taken so much from the students themselves.  I have truly discovered God's presence in each person I see on retreat. And it blows my mind the way God works.

This ministry also does have some costly side effects to it: lack of sleep, maybe some stress, and most of all spiritual warfare. We are going out and being Jesus to students that may have never experienced Him before which does not make Satan a happy camper.  So we face certain battles and struggles we need to overcome. But this is our Catholic faith!! Jesus overcame the cross, and we are called to fight these battles, whether physical or spiritual.

But I have found the only way you can truly be strong in fighting this type of warfare is by being pure of heart. Purity is our strength and our weapon! Which is why Satan has been attacking it and reducing it to a meaningless idea in society.

Purity, especially in today's world, seems to be an outdated and bizarre concept. "Just do what makes you feel good," or "YOLO" have become the anthem cries of our modern world. But as Catholics we are not called to be in the world.  Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your minds." As Catholics, we are called to be different!

Saint Joan of Arc, (one of my patron saints and my home girl), was 19 years old when she was called by God to lead the French army into battle. 19 years old! Even from a young age, she felt a strong and huge desire to remain pure of heart her whole life, this was the only way she truly felt close to God. Even after her father made plans for her to marry, she refused and said the only person she is fit for is God. This purity is what lead her into battle.  This purity is what kept her strong as she was martyred by being burned at the stake.  This purity is why allowed God St. Michael, St. Margaret, and St. Catherine appear to her and give her words of counsel and guidance. This purity is why Joan of Arc is a saint! She was called for greatness by God and her purity allowed her to accomplish this.

Our world is growing darker by the day. But we are called to be that light. We are called to be so much more than another generation in this society. We are called to live a life of greatness for our God. And the only way for us to accomplish this is through purity.

So my challenge for you is to pray for this virtue. Pray for the strength to live out purity. Pray to understand why this is such an awesome weapon in time of battle.

God can only speak to us if we are pure at heart. We can't accomplish His will if we do not live out and understand this wonderful virtue.

St. Joan of Arc, pray for us!

The Beauty of Busyness!

I am writing this post in the midst of a busy week for SPIRITUS. We are so blessed to see a ton of students on many different retreats throughout this week! This past weekend the team traveled to Kaukauna, Plainfield, Neenah and Manawa to lead retreats for some wonderful students! 

It is during weeks like this, filled with many retreats, that I realize what a blessing this ministry is. The opportunity for our team to reach out to over a hundred students in the span of a week is awe-inspiring for me. We are given so many moments to teach students what God has so graciously taught us about His love and mercy, and also to listen to the joys and sorrows that each student is facing in their own life. There are so many opportunities to connect with students whether it is talking about deep faith issues, or through fun activities and song. While long days of retreats can be draining, I have found that the more time that I spend with students, the more energy I have and the more confident I am that SPIRITUS is exactly where I need to be. It is truly a blessing. May God keep blessing our team with amazing students on retreat and continue to show us the beauty of busyness!