The Most Beautiful Heart

A young man was proud of his healthy and beautiful heart. One day, standing in the middle of the town, he proclaimed that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered to have a look at his heart. His heart was smooth and shiny and looked very healthy. Indeed, the man had the most beautiful heart in the valley, everyone agreed.

The proud young man felt delighted and boasted his perfect heart, which everyone admired. Then, suddenly, a voice from the crowd said, “Your heart is not as beautiful as mine.” The young man searched for the person behind the voice, and an older man appeared in front of him.

“Show us your heart if you believe you have a more beautiful heart than mine.” said the young man. The older man carefully showed his heart. The crowd and the young man looked at the older man’s heart. The heart was beating strongly and healthily, but it was not smooth and shiny as the young man’s heart. Instead, it had scars all over it. It had places where some pieces of the heart had been removed, and other parts were put in. The other pieces didn’t fit perfectly, with several uneven edges. In some places, there were deep gouges where some pieces were missing.

The crowd laughed at the older man’s heart. “How can he claim that he has the most beautiful heart when it is all scared and uneven.” they thought.

The young man looked at the old man’s heart and laughed.” You must be kidding. Compare your heart and mine. My heart looks perfect and smooth, and yours is a mess of scars and tears.”

“Yes, your heart looks perfect, but I would never trade your heart with mine”, said the old man. “Every scar in my heart represents a person I have given my love to. I tear a piece of my heart and give it to them. Often, my loved one gives me back a piece of their heart that fits into the empty place in my heart. Since everyone loves each other differently, their piece of the heart may not perfectly fit my heart, so you can see some rough edges. These scars and rough edges remind me of the love we shared.”, he continued.

“Sometimes I would give a piece of my heart, but the other person may not return a piece of his heart to me. These are the empty gouges. But, although these gouges are painful, they remind me of my love for these people too. So do you now see what true beauty is?” asked the old man.

The young man and the crowd stood silently with tears running down their cheeks. Then, the young man walked to the older man, reached into his perfect young and beautiful heart, ripped a piece out of it and offered it to the man with trembling hands.

The older man gratefully received his offering, placed it in his heart, then took a piece from his old heart and placed it in the young man’s heart.

The young man looked at his heart; it did not look shiny and smooth like it used to. But, it was now more beautiful because he could feel the love from the older man’s heart flowing into him.

Catholics believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. When we stand before the Eucharist, we stand before Jesus - body, blood, soul, and divinity. He offers himself to us and when we eat the Eucharist he dwells within us. This is the greatest gift we can receive on this side of heaven – to be one with our God.

But God does not stop there. Through the centuries we have been presented with something known as Eucharistic miracles. A Eucharistic miracle is when a consecrated host transforms into actual flesh. The Catholic Church has officially recognized over one hundred Eucharistic miracles throughout history. These miracles often serve to strengthen the faith of believers in the doctrine of transubstantiation.

Thanks to the advancements of modern science, many of the Eucharistic miracles can be investigated. In every case the conclusion has been the same. The Eucharist, once simple bread, has transformed into flesh, and not just any flesh. It has become heart tissue.

One of the most interesting Eucharistic miracles is the Eucharistic miracle of Sokolka, Poland. On Sunday, October 12, 2008, a priest dropped a host during the distribution of Holy Communion. The host was placed in water and put into the tabernacle to dissolve. A week later they found a curved, bright red stain in the center of the Eucharist. They notified their Archbishop, who ordered the incident be kept secret. For three years they kept the host locked away inside a tabernacle.

After three years, the appearance of the host had not changed, so the archbishop ordered studies be done. Two samples were taken to two different labs for evaluation. Neither lab was told what the sample was of. Both labs were in perfect agreement on the results. The samples were heart tissue taken from a living person who was near death. What made this miracle different from the many others before it was that the structure of the heart muscle fibers was deeply intertwined with that of the bread, in a way impossible to achieve with human means.

The samples were heart tissue mixed with bread. This is exactly what Catholics believe happens during transubstantiation. The bread literally becomes the body of Christ. Normally, the accidents do not change, that is the outward appearance remains bread. In this case both the heart tissue and the bread are present.

The heart of every parent is their children. God so loved the world that he gave his very heart for us. Jesus so loves us that when he offers his body for us to eat, he not only offers his body, but his very heart as well. When we hold the Eucharist, we hold the heart of the heart of God in our hands.

Jesus offers you not just a piece of his heart but his entire heart. Do you accept it and give yours back to him? Or do you boast of your perfect, shiny and smooth heart? The greatest of the commandments is to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength.

Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and bring it about that you walk in My statutes, and are careful and follow My commands.

- Ezekiel 36: 26-27

The stunning Eucharistic miracle of Sokolka

Why I am Catholic

On July 19, 1970, I was baptized by Reverend Mueller at the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Harvard, Illinois. I started attending the church’s Sunday school classes at three, spent two weeks in the summer in vacation bible school, and started going on Wednesdays when I reached confirmation age.

Confirmation years were tough to say the least. My parents had separated and then divorced. My mother listed her religion as Buddhist, although I think she cherry picked what she believed from multiple religions. The intellectual side of my brain was warring with the creative genius side of my brain, which resulted with me being one of the “weird kids". The church became a sanctuary where I could escape a strained home life, as well as the slings and arrows hurled by my normal peers.

On confirmation day we went from being children of God to adult members of the church. Mid-week school and vacation bible school became memories of our youth. We were now expected to actively participate in the adult service and were no longer allowed in the children’s classes. I missed the intimate instruction and really didn’t care for the service. My church life plummeted faster than a rock thrown down a well. Now an adult, church attendance was left up to me and I chose not to darken the doorstep of any church for a good eight years.

I stopped going to church, but I never lost my faith. Later in his life, my uncle became more and more of a Lutheran lay minister. It was even possible that he was being called to be a pastor. He asked me why I became Catholic.

The simplest answer is I was called to the Catholic faith by the Holy Spirit. My life was put on a path to intersect the life of the Church. The Holy Spirit softened my stubborn mind and hard heart enough to hear his truth. The more complicated answer is that I came to believe that what the Catholic Church teaches is true. I ultimately came to this conclusion –

If what the Catholic Church teaches is true, then no other religion in the world will suffice. If what the Catholic Church teaches is not true, then no other Christian religion will suffice and the only right religion would be Orthodox Judaism. Seeing I believe Jesus is the promised messiah and is the salvation and redemption of the world, Orthodox Judaism is ruled out.

If what the Catholic Church teaches is not true, no other Christian faith will suffice because all Christian denominations got their foundation from Catholicism and the faith’s founder changed the teaching of the Church that he disagreed with. It is just a fact that Jesus started the catholic Church. Luther started his church 1500 years later, replacing Catholic teaching with his own opinion. Did I want to be part of the Church that Jesus created or a church a man who disagreed with Jesus created? That cemented my choice and I sought to be part of the Church Jesus created.

When a protestant becomes Catholic, they lose nothing and gain everything. They gain more bible, more sacraments, sacred tradition that the Church believed from the very beginning, and they come into the Church that holds the authority of Jesus through apostolic succession. They gain a mother who loves them and intercedes with her son on their behalf, they gain a family in heaven in the communion of the saints, but most importantly they gain the body, blood, soul, and divinity of our Lord, Jesus Christ, in his real presence in the Eucharist.

When a Catholic leaves the Church and joins a protestant church they lose all of these things. They are not simply walking away from a man-made institution but they are walking away from Jesus himself. That is not only a lot to lose, it is a loss of everything that truly matters.

As I said above – if what the Catholic Church teaches is true, then all of these things are also true. If what she teaches is true, then the teachings on the Eucharist are also true. The truth of the Eucharist is the only reason to become Catholic, stay Catholic, or return to the Catholic Church.

Martin Luther disagreed with these teachings, teachings that the Church has believed since its beginning. He substituted his opinion in place of Church teaching and lead people away from the Church Jesus created to one of his own making. This wasn’t the first time the Church faced that problem.

“Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers,
“Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice,
you cannot be saved.”
Because there arose no little dissension and debate
by Paul and Barnabas with them,
it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others
should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders
about this question.

The apostles and elders, in agreement with the whole church,
decided to choose representatives
and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,
and Silas, leaders among the brothers.
This is the letter delivered by them:

“The apostles and the elders, your brothers,
to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
of Gentile origin: greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,
we have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we are sending Judas and Silas
who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols,
from blood, from meats of strangled animals,
and from unlawful marriage.
If you keep free of these,
you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’” – Acts 15: 1-2, 22-29

In this account we see supposed Christian brothers imposing their opinion in place of Church teaching. “You must be circumcised to be saved.” This was not brought to the people by the authority of the Church, but by followers who believed their opinion overruled the Church.

This question was put to the magisterium of the Church who ruled that circumcision was no longer required. This is a clear demonstration that Christ’s authority to govern the Church resided with the Disciples to whom he had given it. This authority resides today solely in the successors of those men, namely the Pope and his bishops.

Like the bothers who were demanding circumcision, Luther rejected the authority of the Church and taught his opinion in place of established Church teaching. He believed the authority of Jesus resided in every person and that every person could come to the truth on their own, inspired by the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, the Holy Spirit is not the only spirit who inspires and guides and this had led to tens of thousands of denominations of Christians that no longer have the fullness of truth and the tools Jesus gave us to live a holy life.

I am Catholic today because the Holy Spirit revealed the truth of the Catholic faith to me. He could only do this when I opened myself to hear him. I had to step outside my stubborn mind and hard heart. I had to set my opinion aside and listen to what he had to say. That was the hardest thing to do and is still a struggle today. What I recognize now is that when my opinion differs from official Church teaching, I am not just disagreeing with a man-made institution, but I am disagreeing with Jesus himself. It is up to me to figure out where I am wrong.

Faith is a personal journey and we all do not walk the same road. Just because my road is right for me it doesn’t mean it is right for you. I do think many are on the wrong road and do not know it. Maybe not so much the wrong road, but one that is not as good as it can be. The Catholic Church has the fullness of faith; a buffet table of goodness. If you’re more an ala carte kind of person there is nothing wrong with that. The only thing that matters is that we love and serve the same Jesus.

Thou Shall Not Covet

Americans are overly competitive people. We live by our rivalries. We pit one group of people against another in almost everything we do. Even worse, often times it is not enough to be successful. We cheer when people fail.

I just watched a gem of a movie. It was School of Life and starred Ryan Renyolds. School of Life is a 2005 film about a teacher who moves to a town and shakes the old school ways up a bit. I will list this as a must see. No spoilers here except to talk about one scene from the movie.

The junior high where Renyolds’ character becomes a teacher had not won a single game in any sport, ever. The coach was horrible and begged Renyolds to take over coaching the team. He transformed the team in a way that I wish every team could be transformed. He did not take a bunch of no-talent kids and turn them into winners. He took a bunch of ‘feeling sorry for themselves’ kids and filled them with joy.

He knew the kids could not win. That did not mean they couldn’t have fun. What he did was to have the kids cheer every time they did something right or wrong. They also cheered for the other team every time they scored against them. There was nothing that could happen in the game that the kids did not cheer for. When they cheered, they were full of joy and when they were full of joy they had fun. It didn’t matter if they won or lost. They won because they were happy.

And their joy and happiness were infectious. Soon the parents were cheering right along side their children. The games became something the entire school looked forward to instead of something they dreaded. That is what joy can do for your life.

A joy-filled person can cheer when someone else does well. Your success does not matter to mine. I don’t need you to fail so I can do well. I have no reason to demand that someone in power come and take what you have away to give it to someone else.

I was sent to a management course many years ago. The instructor had us do a group activity where she tied a balloon to everyone’s ankle with a piece of string. The instructions were simple. At the end of two minutes, anyone who still had their balloon intact would be the winner. When she said go it was a flourish of chaotic activity. Every one tried their best to pop the other’s balloon while desperately trying to keep theirs from being popped. The ones who lost their balloons ganged up on the few remaining. At the end of two minutes not a single balloon remained.

Then the instructor asked us one simple question. What were the instructions? Anyone who still had their balloon at the end of two minutes would be the winner.

Who said anything about popping the other balloons? We all could have been winners if we had just stood there and done nothing. Instead, our competitive nature kicked in and we tried to win by making the others lose. Worse, those who had already lost ganged up to make as many others lose as possible.

This is the mindset of the devil and one of the tools he uses to separate us one from another.

Do not fear when a man becomes rich,
when the wealth of his house grows great.
At his death he will not take along anything,
his glory will not go down after him. – Psalm 49: 17-18

Do not be envious at another person’s success. Do not allow your heart to covet what they have. Do not celebrate when someone fails and never wish ill on anyone. Instead, be genuinely happy for them.

Let Down Your Nets and Follow Me

"He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon responded and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they caught a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to tear; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, to the point that they were sinking. But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; and likewise also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him." – Luke 5: 4-11

"So he said to them, "Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something." So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea… And when he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me." - John 21: 6-7, 19

Both of these stories begin the same way. Peter spends the entire night fishing without catching a thing. Returning to shore with nothing to show for his hard work, Jesus tells him to lower his nets for a catch. Peter does as he was instructed and catches so many fish that his nets were beginning to tear. In the first story, Jesus tells Peter that he was going to make him a fisher of men. In the second story, Jesus tells Peter to take up his rightful place as leader of the Church. In both stories, Jesus tells Peter to follow him.

Like most parents, I get a great deal of joy sitting in the bleachers watching my children play their youth sports. We get to cheer for them when they do well and comfort them when they don’t. Mine is a position of observation and support. But when it comes to Team Jesus, we are not called to be just observers. We are called to be active participants.

Through our baptisms we become disciples of Christ. Jesus has a mission for each and every one of us. He wants us to lower our nets and trust that he will do the impossible. He wants us to trust in him and to follow him without fear.

Spoiler alert – Jesus is eternal. The past, the present, and the future are all the same moment for him. If he asks you to do something for him, he already knows the outcome and what you will need to succeed. There is nothing we need to fear no matter how difficult the request appears to be. There is nothing we cannot accomplish if we act in union with his will.

Let down your nets. Let go and follow him.

Guilty!

I woke as into a dream and found myself standing amid all of humanity, every person who had ever lived. We were in what appeared to be a courtroom. At the head of the room was the judge's bench raised high above the crowd. The son of man appeared before the bench shackled in chains. The devil entered the courtroom and took his place in the judgement seat. He sneered at the son of man who stood before him.

“You have volunteered to bear the punishment for the sins of all the people of the world.” The devil barked. “I demand them to plead for the crimes committed.”

“On the charge that you have failed to love God with your whole heart, how do you plead?”

“Guilty!” yelled all of humanity in one voice that rocked the heavens.

“On the charge that you have taken this man’s name in vain…”

“Guilty!”

“On keeping the sabbath day holy…..”

“Murder…..”

“Guilty!”

“Hatred….”

“Guilty!!!!!”

One by one the devil listed out every sin of mankind. One by one humanity cried out their guilt. When every sin had been listed the devil asked, “Does anyone wish to take this man’s place?”

The silence that followed was deafening.

“Does anyone wish to join him in facing the just punishment for these crimes?”

Again, not even a whisper was heard.

“Then he alone will bear the punishment due.” The devil was ecstatic. His joy could not be contained. “The punishment is death. How do you wish this punishment be carried out?”

“Crucify him! Crucify him! Crucify him!”

“Let it be done according to your will.” The devil slammed the gavel down and the trial was finished.

Jesus died for our sins. He bore the punishment for all of humanity. He did so out of love for us.

He did so because we demanded it from him.

Room or Tomb

The Resurrection

“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in gleaming clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why are you seeking the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise from the dead.” And they remembered His words, and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest. Now these women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe the women. Nevertheless, Peter got up and ran to the tomb; and when he stooped and looked in, he *saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.”

Luke 24: 1-12

The accounts of the resurrection in the various gospels have Jesus appearing to many people when he rose. Some say that Mary Magdalen was the first to see the risen Lord. He appeared to the Eleven, to five-hundred of the brethren, and to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. The one person that scripture never says Jesus appeared to was his mother, Mary. Some naturally believe she would have been the first person he would have appeared to. Others use it as a jab at the Holy Mother to say that she wasn’t really that important in the grand scheme of things. There is much speculation as to why it is not written. I will offer mine. This is just a personal belief, not one taught by the Church, but I don’t believe it goes against any Church teaching or tradition. This is just food for thought and nothing more. Take it with a grain of salt.

Through the divine mercy of God, Mary was conceived without the stain original of sin, immaculate in body, soul, and spirit. The Church teaches that this freed her from the desire to sin and is how she remained sinless through her entire life. Having an immaculate heart gives Mary the capacity to love as God loves; to love sacrificially and without limit. It is through this capacity to love that Love himself became incarnate in the person of Jesus. Through the immaculate heart of Mary came the Sacred Heart of Jesus and through the Sacred Heart of Jesus came the immaculate heart of Mary.

Mary’s immaculate heart is what enabled her to say yes to the offer to be the mother of God. She gave no thought to herself or what saying yes to that offer would mean. She only wished to do the will of the Father. When she presented Jesus in the temple, she was told by Simeon that a sword would pierce her heart. The heart of every parent is their children and in hearing Simeon’s prophecy I am sure Mary pondered what his words would mean for the baby she held in her arms.

Twelve years later, Jesus would be lost for three days and then found in the temple. Losing a child is every parents’ worst nightmare. O the joy that must have filled Mary’s heart the moment she saw her son in the temple sitting among the teachers. Jesus returned home with her and she treasured all that was said about him in her heart. Scripture does not mention Jesus and Mary being separated like that again until his crucifixion. Everywhere Jesus was, there was Mary.

Mary had perfect faith in the promise of God. Like Abraham with Isaac, Mary believed that if her son were offered as a sacrifice, God would raise him back up. It is my speculation that Mary was not with the women who went to the tomb on Sunday morning because she was the only one who was there when her son was resurrected from the dead. She was the first person he saw when he came out of the tomb. She was the first person to hold him when he came back to this world, just as she was the first person to hold him when he first came into this world, just as she was the last one to hold his lifeless body after his death. The immaculate heart that was pierced by a sword was the first one healed by the risen Christ. Mary was there because she had perfect faith in her son’s promise.

Mary is also not listed as being in the upper room where the Disciples hid for fear of Jewish persecution. She was not there offering support or trying to ease the guilt of betrayal they were feeling. She was not there being comforted by them for the loss of her son. I believe that instead of cowering in the upper room, she waited in joyful anticipation for the promise to be fulfilled.

This is what makes Mary is the greatest example for the Church and for each of us. Mary is the pinnacle of God’s creation and the greatest member of our race. She is what God wants us to become. She shows us what we are capable of achieving. It is true that Mary received special graces that we have yet to receive, but instead of those graces we were given the Blessed Mother to model our lives on.

Not only can we do these things, but these are what we are called to do as Christians. In giving Mary to us when he was on the cross, Jesus made Mary our mother too. From her immaculate heart we receive unconditional and sacrificial love as she draws all her children closer to her son. And with a mother’s love she intercedes on our behalf with her son who intercedes for us with the Father.

In as much as a father is the head of a family, a mother is its heart. A father guides and leads. A mother nurtures and comforts. The immaculate heart of Mary is the immaculate heart of the Church and through it we learn to give a mother’s care to those in the most need. Being able to see others through the eyes of a mother, especially through the eyes of the mother who held the baby Jesus tight to her bosom, enables us to live fully Jesus’ command to love one another as he has loved us.

Where does your faith place you? Do you cower in the upper room with the Disciples in fear of what the world will do to you or do you stand with Mary at the tomb joyfully anticipating the return of the Lord?

My heart is full because the tomb was empty.

Choices

If the essence of God could be captured in one thought, it would be that of sacrificial love. God has power. God has knowledge. God is the source of all truth and all holiness. God is sacrificial love. For love to exist there has to be a choice. If I were forced to love you, I could not love you.

The angels were created out of love, but for the purpose of service. They were created with full knowledge of who God is. They did not have the choice to love or not love God. They were given the choice to serve God or serve themselves.

God went a different route when he created man. Man was created with no knowledge of who God is. God then courts us, revealing himself to us, so that we come to know and love him. God woos his beloved in the hope that we may come to love him as he loves us. The choice is always ours to make.

During the season of Lent and throughout holy week we will be given a number choices to make. Each choice is intended to draw us ever closer to God. Many of these choices will go seemingly unnoticed by us. In the end, the choices we make during this time will determine where we will spend eternity.

It all begins with the feeding of the 5000. Jesus miraculously multiplies the loaves and the fish to feed a multitude of people. This was done as a preconfiguration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist he would shortly institute. Jesus went off with the Twelve to rest and pray. The people followed because they longed for more.

This begins the bread of life discourse where Jesus tells us that his body is true food and his blood true drink and if we do not eat his flesh and drink his blood that we have no life within us. Jesus had just given them a preview on how he intended to do this, but they could not understand. Unable to accept his teaching, the people left him in mass numbers.

Jesus was heralded as a king as he entered into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The people looked for him to fulfill the messianic prophecy to return and free Israel from the occupying Romans. Many became disillusioned and disappointed when he didn’t fulfill this prophecy in the way they expected. Their hearts grew cold as even more turned from him.

Then came the night in the garden when Jesus was betrayed with a kiss by one of his closest friends. When the temple guards seized him the rest of his inner circle fled, leaving him alone and rejected. His closest friend, Peter, publicly denied ever knowing him. Pilate presented Jeus to the people, giving them the opportunity to have him released. The people chose Bar Abbas instead. Jesus was finally crucified along side two other criminals, one to his left and one to his right.

The Triduum is the most powerful three days in all of human history. It starts with a simple Passover meal. Jesus teaches the Twelve how to serve each other sacrificially by washing their feet. He establishes the priesthood and institutes the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. He fulfills what he began with the multiplication of the loaves and the fish, and revealed to his disciples how he intended to feed us with his body and blood throughout all time. We are given the choice to eat of the flesh of the son of man each time we attend a Catholic Mass. We can take him at his word, or we can walk away from him because this teaching is too difficult for us to accept.

As we stand amid the crowd when Pilate offers the choice on who to release, we get the choice to make Jesus the Lord of our lives or if we want the world to be lord over us. Do we accept Jesus into our hearts or do we demand Bar Abbas with the rest of the crowd?

On Good Friday we are presented with the most important decision we will ever have to make. In a rock quarry just outside of the city gate, Jesus was hung upon a cross. He took upon himself the punishment for the sins of all humanity and offered up for us greatest of all sacrifices. On his right and his left were two men who were also being executed for their crimes. The good thief turned towards Jesus and sought forgiveness. The other thief turned from Jesus, mocking him.

On the cross of Christ hung the salvation and redemption of the world. Through this sacrifice the gates of heaven were opened and the offer of eternal life with God in heaven was given. This is an offer extended to us through sacrificial love and because it is an offering of love it comes with a choice.

The cross of the good thief represents God’s offer of mercy. To die upon that cross means to have a turning of the heart back towards God. One must be truly sorry for the sins they have committed. One needs to be contrite and ask for God’s forgiveness. That forgiveness depends on our willingness to forgive each other. Lord, forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us. If we want 100% of God’s mercy, we have to be willing to give 100% of our mercy.

The cross of the other thief represents the Justice of God. If we choose not to turn to the Lord with a contrite heart and choose love of self over love of God, we will receive God’s justice for what we have done in our lives. We will be given that for which we deserve. Hell is our final destination.

We get to choose which cross we get to die upon. Our choice becomes binding at our deaths. We will be asked one question when we are called to stand before our Lord at the end of our days.

“Do you love me?”

More important than our answer to that question will be the cross that we bear when asked it. Jesus said to deny ourselves, pick up our crosses, and follow him. We will be found carrying the cross of mercy for the love of God or will we be found being the cross of love of self and worldly things.

That is a choice only you can make.

The fiery crucible in which true heroes are forged.

If you ever get the chance to visit the holy land or a middle eastern city and venture out into the marketplace you might come across a silver or goldsmith working his trade. It is quite interesting to watch. They heat a crucible with an intense fire until it is glowing red. Then they drop the ore containing the gold or silver into the crucible and it begins to melt. As it melts some of the impurities in the metal float to the top and are burned off. Others drop to the bottom. What you are left with is pure silver and gold. When the time is right the smith pours off the liquid into whatever mold he is using. If you were to ask the smith when he knew the metal was pure and ready to be poured, he will tell you that when he can look into the liquid and see his face the metal is ready.

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

- 1 Peter 1: 6-9

It is no coincidence that there are many places in scripture that refers to our faith being tested like gold in a furnace. We are allowed to experience pain and sorrow, temptation and suffering, so that our faith in God may be purified. We all were made in the image and likeness of God. That image was veiled when sin entered the world. You could say that the image of God was covered over by the ore of sin. It has never been lost. It lies deep inside us waiting to be uncovered.

Just as gold ore needs to be purified before it can be made into a beautiful necklace, our souls need purification before we can stand before God. Nothing imperfect can enter heaven. Likewise, nothing perfect can enter hell. Life is the crucible in which we are placed to be purified. The trials and sufferings of this life are the fire of God’s love that slowly purifies us. When God can look into the crucible and see his image in us, we are ready to spend eternity with him in heaven. We have been given this life to reclaim that image in which we were made. Recovering that image always results in a loss. When we give up our earthly attachments we will be less than what we were going in, but what is left behind is far more valuable.

God does not delight in our suffering. It was not the plan he had for us. God allows us to suffer so that our imperfections can be known to us. He knows our imperfections better than we ever could. We do not know where our faith is weakest until we are tested. It is only then that we can reach out to God and ask for his healing hand in our lives.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

- Ezekiel 36: 26

Suffering is the currency of love. We only love someone in as much as we are willing to suffer for them. That is what makes the crucifixion the greatest act of love mankind will ever know. Currency is only as good as the thing it is spent upon. Money hoarded in a jar under the bed is utterly useless. Suffering, being the currency of love, is just as useless when kept for one’s self. Catholics believe in redemptive suffering. St. Paul said that he makes up in his own body that which is lacking in the sufferings of Christ on the cross. What could possible be lacking in the crucifixion? Quite simply, our participation in it.

When we unite our suffering with Christ’s, it is taken up to heaven and offered for the salvation and redemption of mankind. The Father takes our offering, blesses it, and returns it to us as his grace. This gives our suffering far greater purpose than just the purification of our souls. We get to participate in the sanctification of the world. When done out of love this greatly pleases the Father.

Suffering is not something to be feared or avoided when it is understood properly. It is God’s loving hand trying to get you to heaven. Offer it to him as your personal sacrifice, united with Jesus’ crucifixion. If you are capable and willing ask God to allow you to bear the suffering for another who may not be able to bear it for themselves. It is a great act of love to suffer for another and love is never waisted with God. When you suffer ask God to help you bear the suffering with dignity so that you can be the example to others of what the face of redemptive suffering looks like.

May God look into the crucible of your life and see his image therein.