The Mass: More than a "Catholic Punchcard"

The mass. Such an intricate celebration, a joyful mystery, Heaven on Earth; yet something many of us Catholics (me included) take for granted as just part of the routine that makes up the structure of our earthly lives before our eternal one. 

I've grown up as a "cradle Catholic," and for most of my life the mass has been just something I thought we did because it was the thing to do on Sundays. I even so much as calculated that the mass happened to be the same time as two full Spongebob episodes, so if I could sit through that, then the mass should be a piece of cake! But, as most do, I got older and realized more so the true importance of the mass. Over the years, I've learned many facts about the mass, but it took me a long time to learn what it meant to experience the mass.

This is by no means me saying I know am perfectly in tune with the mass every time I sit in a church pew, because I definitely have my faults, and recently my heart has been in so many places that I've let myself be distracted during mass. And sure enough, our never-failing God sent me a huge wake up call, basically saying Ali, it's not enough to recognize that you're having a problem letting other worries take you away from the mass, it's time to act. 

This past Sunday at mass, we had a deacon visiting from Steubenville, Ohio, Deacon Ralph Poyo. This man had a beautiful gift of speaking to large crowds, and he had the whole congregation captivated during his homily. Though he had us all prepare ourselves and "get comfortable" for his long homily, throughout it all, he was calling us to become uncomfortable, to make the decision to refuse to let the mass be just another "punch in our Catholic punch card," but to be something that we enter into and allow God to speak to us through. 

He then used a beautiful analogy of the mass being like marriage. I know we're teenagers, but think about the future for a second and what you would picture a sacramental marriage to be like if it's what God calls you to. How many of you would want to be in a sacramental marriage with someone who didn't want to be in it with you? To come home and say "honey I love you" and not hear it in return, or to come to the dinner table when the spouse just doesn't want to. God doesn't want that here at the altar! He wants us to want to come to Him, to His altar. The Church, Christ's bride, that's us! We can't be stuck in an off again, on again relationship in the mass. We're called to a commitment, to give our hearts fully to our God. 

A year ago, by the graces of Confirmation, the Lord called me to become a Eucharistic Minister (which I highly suggest to any of you to prayerfully consider of you've received Confirmation). This past Sunday, I happened to be ministering the Blood at the back of my church. One of the things I love about serving is seeing the joy the Eucharist brings to so many people. As we know, we don't always have to receive the Blood which is perfectly alright, and this one particular lady happened to walk by me with her son who wasn't of age for Communion. As soon as they were passing by me, I hear the little boy, tugging his mom's hand and saying, "Get the drink, mommy! Get the drink!" It definitely made me smile, but it didn't hit me until later that that boy was showing me how our Father wants all of us approach communion and the mass. He wants us all to be filled with such joy and excitement at the opportunity we are presented with to fully encounter Christ, not only for ourselves but to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ to do the same. 

I can't promise it will be easy, relationships never are, but prayer doesn't help our relationship with God, it IS our relationship with Him! The mass is the highest form of prayer, so it is a perfect way to deepen your relationship with God. Developing a strong relationship with Him through the mass will be something you have to work for, but it will be worth it infinite times over.  Open your heart to a full commitment, allowing your heart, in whatever state it's in, to be transformed by God's living presence in the Eucharist at mass. 

"The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." Psalm 51:17

Thanks and God bless,

Ali

Prayer requests, comments, or just need to talk? Reach me at alimartinez11@gmail.com! 

Peace

Allow me to be vulnerable...

When I got into my car to head home tonight from a nice dinner with friends, I could not have expected the plan God had for me the rest of the night. I never expect it.

As I drove home, I found myself trying to talk as sincerely as I could with God, and I begged Him to free from my struggles. I let my faults break me down to the point where I was done. I worked myself up into a frantic mixture of despair and anguish, trying to hold onto my past encounters with God, in hopes that faith would gush out once again and bring me to tears, but no tears fell. 

I sat quietly, feeling confused and angry, mostly at myself for ever forgetting what The Lord had already given to me. 

And then... In the moment of my greatest weakness, I knew that every thing would be alright. I prayed aloud, 

"It's going to be ok. It's ok. I am at peace."

I was truly at peace. As far as I know I'm not bipolar, so what I felt must have been a gift from the Spirit. So I prayed for more, asking the Holy Spirit to come, giving Him permission to work in my life. What He told me was that I could be at peace, and still struggle. That the struggles of this world will not be taken away until the end of my days, and that I could have peace, knowing that then, I would be truly free.

I served a special 10:30pm mass when I got home, still feeling at peace. During Father's homily, he spoke about how God promised us that He would always be with us, but He never promised to take away the struggles of this world. Then, towards the end of his homily, he said softly, 

"It's going to be okay." 

Brothers and Sisters, do not despair. Do not be afraid. The Lord our God will give you peace when you call upon His Spirit, and He will never, ever, leave you. 

"Behold, I make all things new."

Rev. 21:4

Alex

      

Quite the Jokester

God's got a lot of ways to communicate with us down here on Earth. We've seen a burning bush, pillars of smoke, angels, a bright star, booming voices, apparitions and visions. The list goes on and on. He uses methods of communication like these to convey important instructions and keep us headed in the right direction. It's quite a serious business. However, I can't help but wonder if God just loves getting a good chuckle in sometimes.

I'd like to share with you a little event that happened a few weeks ago. I was working in New Orleans for a few weeks, staying with my aunt and uncle, and witnessed my aunt get some sickness. She was coughing and fevery and absolutely miserable for two whole weeks. Germaphobe that I am, I tried my best to avoid getting sick. I thought I had succeeded. But then, my last week, I left work early--shivering, sore throat, and headache. As I lay in my bed battling a fever after having been away from my home and parents for weeks, I pleaded with God.

I know there are a lot of worse things in the world....but please make it stop. I can't handle a two week illness. I have meetings next week. I have things to do, people to see, places to be. Please God! 

Finally, after three miserable days, I told Him, I will pray the rosary TWICE tomorrow if I feel fine by then.

Much to my surprise, God complied. I was not expecting that. I knew He was the God who conquered giants, but I didn't think He'd actually stoop so low as to conquer germs. So night rolled around and I pulled out the Laudate app on my phone to pray the rosary (side note: best Catholic app on earth. Get it). But it didn't take long for the mere presence of my phone to sidetrack me. And then I fell asleep, rosary un-prayed and God unhappy.

I put it off a few days more, sometimes because I forgot, other times because I wasn't in "prayer mood." I hadn't prayed the rosary in forever, so to me, it just seemed boring and monotonous. Motivation to follow up with my promise was scarce.

Then God reminded me that I had promised. "Not so fast. You're not getting away with it that easily..." I could just picture Him saying.

I walked into my room after arriving home from the trip and was immediately confronted with a not-so-subtle reminder that God was still waiting for me to fulfill my part of the bargain. There, sitting on my table, was an unfamiliar rosary. I asked my mom about it, and she told me that she had found it in the laundry and assumed it was mine. Well, it most definitely was not mine, nor was it anyone else's in the household.

I see what you did there, God...clever, very clever. Okay, you win. Message received, loud and clear.

I started praying...

And to my surprise, the rosary is awesome! I wasn't expecting to re-discover a great form of devotion. So thank goodness we've got a Father like that who keeps us honest and holds us accountable! If it weren't for Him, I'd still be sick, miserable, and under the impression that the Rosary is boring!

Thank you for reading and God bless,
Faith

Maintaining Your Identity

Being a Catholic isn't something we reserve for Sunday. It's part of our identity. As a member of the Church, we are expected to strive for sainthood every day. 

But it's easier said than done, especially when we live in a culture that seems to glorify everything that goes against our morals.

At times, it feels like everywhere we turn, someone is telling us that the Catholic way is the wrong way. Empty relationships. Meaningless partying. Destructive outlets. Life mottos of YOLO...That is what we're told is "normal." That is what we're "supposed" to be doing. Jesus doesn't care what you do Saturday night, as long as you're in a pew Sunday...

We are even told what opinions we should have. And then we are degraded and mocked for upholding our Catholic identity, for not going along with what society has deemed acceptable and normal.

But as Christians, we aren't called to follow what is normal. We strive to enter through the narrow gate. And it's narrow because the path is difficult. Not many stick around long enough to even reach the gate.

As teenagers, especially, we are constantly bombarded with temptations. We are tempted to see ourselves through the world's eyes, not through God's eyes. It requires much effort to change our focus, to put our spiritual needs before sensual pleasure and maintain our identity and integrity as children of God. It's hard to put Christ first, in front of our desires, our temptations, and the pressure to fit in. But Christ reminds us that we weren't made to fit in. We never have been. Early Christians were stoned, crucified, and tortured for their beliefs. Nowadays, not much has changed. Sure, we may not face this physical abuse quite as often, but we still are as "persecuted" as ever, just with a modern twist.

How then, can we stay motivated on our journey to Christ? How can we combat everything we encounter that wishes to tear us away from Him? Faith. It's not an easy answer, but it's imperative to our journey. We must trust that what God has in store for us is greater than any fleeting sense of bliss, any sensationalized act that rips us from His grasp. As Christians, we are called to be responsible and to be patient. What may seem like "missing out" can actually be what keep us on the straight and narrow.

In fact, we can even enjoy the benefits of our faith here and now. Who needs an empty relationship motivated by a skewed understanding of love when you could fall in love with the One who loved you so much He conquered death for your sake? Who needs to rely on drugs, drinking, partying, etc. to feel good when you can experience the most surreal and uplifting peace in the presence of Christ? And for goodness sake, if YOLO is even still a thing, who needs to only "live once" when you have the option of eternal life in Heaven with the Father?

No matter what other folks think, I'd say, as Christians, we get the good deal in these situations. And the awesome thing is that anyone can experience this love and joy if only they make the choice. Regardless of their past choices or opinions, all are open to venture down the path to Christ's doorstep. Sure, that path is tough sometimes, but it's our cross to bear. And after all, Jesus did turn the cross, a dreaded sign of a slow and painful death, into a global and timeless symbol for His conquering all death, all suffering, and all sin. Just think of what He could do with our crosses and our small sacrifices for His sake.

So fight the good fight of faith and be courageous. Standing out isn't a bad thing. Not in the long run. Standing out as a follower of Christ can help you and those to whom you witness pass through the narrow gate to Heaven.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect  (Romans 12:2).

Thank you for reading and God bless,
Faith
noah.faith@yahoo.com

Why I didn't go to mass today...

I've always been bad at taking medicine. Currently, I have to take eight pills a day for a certain medical condition, and it takes a real mental effort for me to not get focused on something else before I take my morning pills. It's not like I don't want to get better, it's just that I have other daily priorities that are typically a lot more exciting than taking my medicine.

When I woke up this morning, I decided I was going to go to Mass. However, here I am typing away at this blog. The title is is self-explanatory. Somehow, life got in the way of Mass...

I remember specifically thinking while driving to Mass today, how the Devil will give you 14 trillion reasons why not go to to daily Mass or Confession, and how I really needed to learn how to "take my medicine" without getting distracted by what may be more interesting or more important to me. And I still didn't get to Mass! I told myself I would get my daily errands done and then go to the later Mass, but once again, here I am. I forgot. 

I forgot? I forgot??? What? After the experiences I had with the living God, which truly strengthened my faith, I cannot remember to get to Mass and receive the body of the one who continually saves me?

An analogous situation would be if I knew that my medicine could heal me as long as I continued to take it regularly, but then I didn't take my medicine!

Oh wait. That's exactly what I do.

Brothers and Sisters, I come to you once again, as a sick patient in need of a healer. I was given a prescription. I tried it out and it worked, but now I just have to keep taking it, even when the remedying  effects are not so noticeable. Help me take my medicine.

Together, let's pray for each other, that when we get really sick in sin, we will look to the one who can heal us. 

"Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed."

Thank you so much for reading! 

May God bless you and keep you,

Alex