Radiant with Joy

The Secret to Intimacy with Jesus Christ

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
John 6:51

I feel closest to Jesus in the moments after I receive him in the Eucharist. As I kneel in silence, I genuinely feel him with me. I quiet my heart to hear him, letting his peace overshadow me. I picture him right in front of me, but in reality, he’s within me. With my eyes closed, hands folded, head bowed, and knees and back slightly aching from kneeling, I rest in his true presence. In this stillness, I feel closest to Jesus because this is the closest that we can get to him on earth.

Yes, I pray often, I read my Bible almost every day, I love praise and worship nights, and I go to Adoration whenever I can. All of these are awesome, but what strengthens my relationship with Jesus the most is receiving his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Eucharist.

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One of my favorite Catholic speakers ever is Fr. Mike Schmitz. I listen to his podcasts and watch his videos often, and I was blessed to hear him speak in person at SEEK 2019 and SLS 2020. One of my favorite talks of his is called “The Hour that Will Change Your Life,” and it truly did change how I viewed the Eucharist. In this talk, I learned that Jesus longs for not just relationship, but intimacy with us.

I know what you’re thinking, intimacy is an intense word. We tend to gravitate toward relationship because it’s safer and more G-rated. We can have a relationship with anyone, but intimacy is more exclusive. Intimacy is reserved for the most special and important people in our lives. It’s hard to wrap our heads around, but Jesus longs for not just relationship, but intimacy with us. He wants to know us and love us on the deepest, most personal level. He wants to completely enter into our lives, and he does this through the Eucharist. In the form of bread and wine, we witness Jesus’ sacrificial love as he offers his entire self to us without hesitation or reservation.

When I was really little, I didn’t enjoy going to Mass. It was boring to me and I would have rather played with my Barbie dolls. I have memories of whining about going to Mass while my mom was trying to dress me, do my hair, and buckle me in my car seat. However, all of this changed when I received my first Holy Communion. After I received the Eucharist for the first time, I LOVED going to Mass! I understood the Mass more, and I actively wanted to receive the Eucharist and be close to Jesus. Even today as I learn more about the faith, I fall more in love with Jesus and his Church.

Naturally, being away from the Eucharist because of the Coronavirus pandemic was painful. When I heard that churches couldn’t have public Masses because of the pandemic, my heart shattered. I longed for the Eucharist and I felt so far away from Jesus. Watching Mass on TV just frustrated me. Making an Act of Spiritual Communion helped, but it wasn’t the same.

The Secret to Intimacy with Jesus Christ: Reflecting on the gift of the Eucharist on Corpus Christi

A while ago, my mom and I heard of a Church that’s still doing public Masses not only on Sundays, but every day, and we’ve been going as often as we could. The first time I received the Eucharist again was a joyful reunion with Jesus. Going without the Eucharist for so long reminded me of how much I love Jesus. I don’t think I’ve ever really taken the Eucharist for granted, but now I know that I never will. If I learned anything from this forced fast, it was that I never want to live without Jesus

On the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, I couldn’t help but think of the Saints who risked their lives and died for the Eucharist. During these times, we have the opportunity to become like the Saints and express our devotion to the Eucharist, but are we doing it? In a world that’s saying the Eucharist isn’t essential, we’re listening by being compliant. People always talk about separation of Church and State, but the government is telling us that we don’t need the Eucharist. We’re allowing it to keep us away from the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus. As the cornerstone of our faith, the Eucharist should be the most important thing in our lives. If we truly believe that the Eucharist is the true presence of Jesus Christ, why would we let anything keep us from him?

The greatest love story ever told is the God of the universe humbling himself to the form of bread and wine to be with us. Every single time we receive the Eucharist, he gives us his entire self so that we might know and love him intimately. It’s the most perfect example of sacrificial love, and it should inspire us to make sacrifices in our own lives for his sake.

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This Sunday’s Gospel: June 14, 2020

John 6:51-58

Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my flesh for the life of the world.”

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food,
and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me
will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

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In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus reveals the truth about the Eucharist, the gift of his body and blood that we receive to gain eternal life. This reading contains one of the most important teachings of Jesus, that his Body and Blood are true food and drink. Of course, this didn’t (and still doesn’t) go over well with people. Does Jesus really mean that his Body and Blood are edible? Moreover, does he actually want us to physically eat his Body and Blood? Yes he does, and he spells out exactly why. Partaking in the Eucharist is essential for eternal life. Jesus is the way to Heaven and to the Father, so we get there through his Body and Blood. In John’s Gospel, Jesus often uses the word “abide.” I love to meditate on the word “abide” and what it means. It seems to linger sweetly when it’s said out loud. I love getting lost in thought about abiding with Jesus, being together with him, and us knowing each other so closely. He wants us to abide in him and he wants to abide in us. This is possible through the Eucharist, where he gives himself to us without reservation or hesitation. Every single time we receive the Eucharist, we intimately unite ourselves to Jesus’s whole self, his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. This is intense, and Jesus knows it. He knows that it’s hard to fathom and that we might not even want it for ourselves. But he gives us himself in the Eucharist because it’s the most perfect and beautiful way to express his infinite love for us. The crowds eventually turned away from Jesus because they didn’t understand, but the Twelve stayed because they couldn’t imagine going anywhere where Jesus wasn’t.

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Why Dancers are the Athletes of God

Let them praise his name in dance, make music with tambourine and lyre.
Psalm 149:3

This post is dedicated to anyone who shares a love for dance and cherishes it as an art form.

In my last blog post, I talked about beauty as a transcendental. I shared what it means to encounter God through beauty and to allow beautiful things to remind us of God’s presence, goodness, and creativity. We can encounter God through beauty in so many ways, like in nature, at Mass, and even through other people. One of the most profound ways to encounter God is through the beauty of art. Whether it’s through the hymns we sing at Mass or Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, it isn’t hard to recognize the Lord in art. Creating beautiful art is an effective and appropriate way of glorifying God, and through beauty, a deep desire of the human heart, we come to know him better and fall more in love with him.

Click here to read Beauty as a Transcendental!

The art form that I’ve dedicated most of my life to is dance. From taking baby ballet and tap classes in kindergarten to recently graduating with my bachelor’s in dance, this art form has always been a major part of my life. Although I have a few long-term goals, I admit that I’m not sure what my next steps with dance will be, but it’s so ingrained in my body, mind, and soul that I know it’ll be always part of my life. The Lord made dance part of my life for a reason, so whether I perform, choreograph, teach, research, or write, I know I’ll stay involved with it in some capacity. With the exception of liturgical dance, dance typically isn’t the first art form that people think of when sacred art comes to mind. I don’t have a background in liturgical dance to speak of, but I still encountered God and grew closer him throughout my training.

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Martha Graham, an American modern dancer and choreographer that I studied throughout college, claimed that a dancer is “an athlete of God.” However, we tend to associate athletes with sports and competition. Aside from competition teams, dancers don’t compete. Performances aren’t games with opponents to be beaten and points to be won or lost. We dance to create something out of nothing. There’s power in being part of something greater than yourself and making a special, magical moment for an audience. As an ephemeral art, dance only exists in the moment in which it’s happening. That’s why we cherish those moments and make every second count, because no dance is ever exactly the same.

I think another reason why dancers are the athletes of God is because we rely on our own bodies. The human body itself is a work of art, considering that it’s the last, most complex, and most beautiful part of God’s creation. Instead of paint, clay, or musical instruments, the medium of dance is the human body. Part of the beauty of dance as an art form is its diversity. The Lord made every body different, yet beautiful, and we all have different techniques and aesthetics.

Because of this, from time to time I struggle with comparison. In class, I tend to compare myself to other dancers and wonder why I don’t look like or move like another dancer. Comparison consumed me in high school. Before it became too destructive, I learned to replace my comparisons with joy. I recognized the gifts that God gave me and realized that I wasted them when I compared myself. I opened my eyes to my own beauty and worth as a dancer and to that of the dancers around me. I learned to celebrate each dancer’s uniqueness, knowing that the dance world is more beautiful with bodies, techniques, and aesthetics of all kinds.

Click here to read more about comparison in Comparing Flowers and How I Overcame Spiritual Comparison.

Any well-rounded dancer will tell you that dance training is more than just learning movement. Dance offers so many many beautiful gifts and teaches so many important lessons. Dance has helped me grow in discipline and patience, especially when working towards a goal. It made me a better team player as I grew in collaboration and listening skills. Dance is where I grew the most in critical thinking and problem-solving. Finally, dance has made me creative and intuitive as I learned the importance of artistry, originality, and self-expression.

For me, the most important takeaway from dance is that it made my heart sensitive to beauty. Dance is the biggest reason why I’m obsessed with beauty as a transcendental. I involved myself in other art forms like theatre and music, but my consistent involvement in dance has opened my eyes to see beauty everywhere and recognize the Lord in beauty. I adore the feeling of moving to the full extent of my ability. When I watch dance, I’m always left in awe at the creativity of choreography and the beauty of the human body. I can’t help but thank God for dance, perhaps the most inherent art form. Learning about beauty through dance throughout most of my life is the reason why I rely on beauty for my ministry. The human heart responds so strongly to beauty, and whether someone is a trained dancer or not, they can always find beauty and meaning in dance. Therefore, dance is a perfect way to allow souls to encounter God and fall more in love with him.

Have you ever encountered God through dance? Let me know in the comments below!

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Beauty as a Transcendental

Beauty is a key to the mystery and a call to transcendence. It is an invitation to savor life and to dream of the future.
Pope St. John Paul II’s Letter to Artists

During one day of SEEK 2019, a FOCUS conference in Indianapolis, I attended a talk about beauty. I learned so much about beauty as a transcendental and why beauty is important. It all made so much sense to me, so I learned more about beauty and I looked for ways to incorporate beauty into my daily life and evangelize through beauty. I displayed more Catholic art in my room, I filled my laptop with Catholic stickers, and I wear bracelets with Miraculous medals and Benedictine medals almost every day. For a quartet that I choreographed my senior year, I chose Angus Dei by Samuel Barber as its score. When someone says “I like your rosary!” I tell them about where it’s from and how I love to pray the rosary. When someone asks me why I veil, I tell them about the beautiful reasons why veiling helps me grow in holiness.

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In the Fall 2019 semester, I gave a talk at a Rock Catholic meeting about beauty as a transcendental. I shared what it means to find the Lord in things that are beautiful and to surround yourself with beauty that reminds you of God. I found that people learned a lot and were able to reflect deeply on my talk because beauty is so relatable. Everyone appreciates beauty and we’re always drawn to beautiful things. It only makes sense that the Lord reaches us through beauty and we use beauty to glorify God.

If you don’t know what a transcendental is, it’s something that fulfills the desires of mankind while lifting our mentality from secular to non-secular things. They help us to think of God instead of the material world. Think of what it means to transcend, to move from one place to another. The three transcendentals, beauty, goodness, and truth, come in the form of earthly things to help us encounter God.

If you consult a dictionary, you might find beauty described as a combination of qualities that are aesthetically pleasing to the senses, like sight or sound. A theologian might add that beauty is a sign of God’s goodness and presence in the world. I’ve heard that beauty is the last remaining transcendental of our time, and as I observe our world, I realize that this is true. People neglect goodness out of selfishness. People reject truth out of ignorance. Interestingly, beauty is still widely appreciated, but our standards are way too low.

Beauty brings joy to the human heart. When stripped of beautiful things, we fall into despair because we’re deprived of things that are good and true. We especially need to surround ourselves with beautiful things that help us encounter God because this is the beauty that our souls thirst for. Appreciating this kind of beauty allows for contemplative beholding. We can grow closer to God by admiring his creativity.

In St. Pope John Paul II’s Letter to Artists, he quotes the poet Norwid and claims that beauty can change the world. This might sound superficial or impossible, but after contemplating on it you’ll realize how beauty can save the world. Knowing that beauty is something that all hearts long for, we can use beauty to evangelize. It isn’t hard to find the Lord in sacred art, hymns, or the Miraculous Medal. He softens our hearts so we can recognize his presence in beauty. When we share authentic, Godly beauty with others, they witness God’s glory, grow closer to him, and fall deeper in love with him. I do believe that beauty can save the world because it leads us to experience the goodness and truth that we desire, which is found only in our Heavenly Father. How can you share beauty and save the world?

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Why I Don’t Understand the Mystery of the Holy Trinity

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God who is and who was and who is yet to come.
Revelation 1:8

I want to write a blog post for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, but I feel like I’m not qualified. It seems like I have more questions about the Holy Trinity than information about it. I know that statement might discredit me, but this is the mystical nature of the Trinity.

Aside from the fact that it’s the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in one, the only thing that I can say with certainty about the Holy Trinity is that we can’t completely comprehend the Trinity. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a mystery.

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When I first learned about the Holy Trinity, I thought I knew it all, as kids often do. I was probably in CCD classes preparing for my First Holy Communion when I learned that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are the Holy Trinity. Three in one. Boom. Next topic. I didn’t get why people grappled with this concept when it was so simple. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are three separate entities and the same simultaneously. I didn’t understand the complexity of the Trinity until I got older.

The first few times I heard that the Holy Trinity was mysterious, I somewhat rejected it. I knew, or so I thought, what the Trinity was, so how could it be a mystery? As I learned more about theology, I finally realized that I didn’t know as much about the Trinity as I thought. As I studied morality and theology of the body, dove deeper into Scripture through Bible Studies, and made my Marian Consecration, numerous questions about the Holy Trinity surfaced that have never crossed my mind before. I would write them here, but many of them are so abstract that I can’t describe them as efficiently as I’d like to. Especially through college, I’d rack my brain trying to understand facets of the Holy Trinity, but I could never reach the answers that I was looking for.

In the end, I had to resolve that the Holy Trinity is a mystery. By it’s very nature, I’ll never be able to understand it. It’s humbling for me to admit that I don’t understand something, but it’s even more humbling to admit that I can’t understand something. But faith is greater than knowledge, and this is an instance where I need to rely on faith rather than my own understanding.

If you relate to this experience with the Holy Trinity, I hope this post showed you that it’s okay. The Holy Trinity will be a mystery to all of us until the end of the age. Regardless of its mystical nature, my relationship with the members of the Holy Trinity changed for the better, not for the worse. I know for certainty that I love the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Like Proverbs 3:5 I let my faith and not my own knowledge or understanding guide me as I surrender myself to the beautiful mystery of the Holy Trinity.

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This Sunday’s Gospel: June 7, 2020

John 3:16-18

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

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This Sunday’s Gospel comes from Jesus’s conversation with Nicodemus. Nicodemus came to Jesus at night and asked him about what it means to be born again. In Jesus’ response, he says one of the most iconic verses in the Bible. John 3:16 is widely quoted to show God’s love for us and to profess Jesus as our Savior. This verse reminds us that God sent Jesus into the world out of love so that we might gain eternal life through him. I like to think of John 3:16 as the Gospel in a nutshell because it’s a beautiful and succinct way of describing Jesus’ ministry and our hope for eternal life. While it may begin as a “feel-good” Gospel, this reading ends with a slight sting. Jesus’ mission wasn’t to condemn the world, but we condemn ourselves if we don’t believe in him. When I reflect on this Sunday’s Gospel, I think of John 14:6, which reads “No one comes to the Father except through me.” It isn’t enough just to know that Jesus is our Savior. We have to turn to him and believe in him with our whole hearts. Believing that he’s the only way to the Father and eternal life with him, we can place our restless hearts in Jesus and share in his unconditional, everlasting love.

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5 Fruitful Ways to Practice Intercessory Prayer

Pray, hope, and don’t worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.
St. Padre Pio

Intercessory prayer, or praying for others and their intentions, is so important. With so many people asking us for prayer intentions and knowing that the Lord wants us to pray for our brothers and sisters, we know that intercessory prayer is powerful and crucial. Regardless, sometimes it can get overwhelming if we’re not sure where to begin. I regret to say that for a period of time, I stopped praying for others simply because I didn’t know how. Fortunately, I learned a couple of great ways to pray intercessory prayers, and now I pray for others more than I ever have. Hopefully, these 5 forms of intercessory prayer will inspire you to become a prayer warrior.

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1 Spontaneous prayer
Spontaneous or improvisational prayer involves praying “off the cuff.” Instead of reading a prayer or preparing what you’re going to say, you make up this prayer as you go. Essentially, you pray about whatever’s on your heart and let the words flow. Spontaneous prayer unfolds naturally as your bring your intentions to the Lord. I like to pray this way as soon as I hear a prayer request. When someone asks me to pray for them or when I read of a prayer request on Twitter, I immediately stop what I’m doing to pray a Hail Mary, or I bring the intention to the Lord and pray from my heart.

2 Write down your prayer intentions
Writing down my prayer intentions helps me to remember them and to make time to pray for them. I recommend writing them in a place where you’ll see them multiple times a day. The best place to write down intentions is in a notebook, on a notecard, in a prayer journal, or in a planner. Wherever you keep your intentions, bring it to your Holy Hour or your time spent in prayer so your prayer list is close at hand. During your time in prayer, you can write down and read through your intentions so you can pray for them by name.

Click here to read Holy Hour How-To’s

3 Pray the rosary
You can offer your rosary for just one of your intentions, or you could pray it with all of them in mind. While this may sound overwhelming, it’s not that hard. One way is by bringing all of your intentions to the Lord at the beginning of your rosary by praying for them by name. If you want to get more intentional, you can pray each Hail Mary for a different intention, cycling through your prayer list. This intercessory prayer method can also work for the Divine Mercy Chaplet if you pray for a different intention with each “For the sake of his sorrowful passion” prayer. Additionally, you can pray each station in the Stations of the Cross for a different intention.

4 Fasting and mortifications
Although they’re not technically forms of prayer, fasting and taking on mortifications are powerful ways to intercede for others. We know about fasting from Lent as the practice of giving up food or a certain kind of food for a period of time. I’ve found that mortifications are a lesser-known and lesser-practiced way of interceding. They involve giving up something that isn’t food for an intention, like staying off of social media, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or sleeping on the floor. Fasting and mortifications give us ways to make sacrifices throughout the day. We can use these practices to offer up our inconveniences and sufferings for our intentions and for the people we’re praying for. They’re not supposed to be easy; in fact, sometimes they’re downright uncomfortable and hurt a lot. When fasting and mortifications get hard, use the pain as an opportunity to pray for your intentions and offer up your suffering. Jesus made suffering holy through his Passion, so you can unite your suffering to his for the sake of your intentions.

5 Fruitful Ways to Practice Intercessory Prayer

5 Make a depth chart
If you have a lot of people in your life who are growing closer to God, a depth chart is a useful thing to make! A depth chart lists important people in your life and organizes them depending on where they are in their walk with the Lord. It also gives you a visual of your role in spiritual multiplication I learned how to make a depth chart from FOCUS missionaries because they use them to keep track of and pray for the students they encounter. Their depth charts have categories for new contacts, growing disciples, and disciple makers, just to name a few. When Courtney, who’s my discipler, was preparing me to be a disciple maker, she helped me make a depth chart of my own. I still use it during prayer and I refer to it when I need to check in with my disciple, Morghan and the other girls I pray for.

The first section of your depth chart is for people who bring you to life. Here, you can list men and women who inspire you and motivate you in your faith journey. They’re holy people who lead you to holiness and Sainthood. The second line is a place to write your own name to remind you to pray for yourself. Underneath your name, list three people who you closely invest in. For this section, focus on people who you’re close to and you know very well. These can be friends, disciples, or anyone who you invest deeply in by consistently meet with them and helping them with their walk with the Lord. Finally, at the bottom of your depth chart, write no more than twelve people to pray for and reach out to. These can be new friends, more close friends, co-workers, or anyone else you encounter. These people aren’t exactly disciples because you’re not investing yourself quite as much in them, but they’re still a priority. This section is for people that you pray for and talk to every so often, but still care deeply about.

If you want a template of the depth chart I just described, I made a free printable of one for you! You can find it and download it at the end of the blog post!

There are so many ways to practice intercessory prayer, but I hope these are enough to get you started! No matter how you pray for others, the most important thing to do is just show up to pray. Bring your intentions wholeheartedly to the Lord, and he’ll take care of them according to his time. We might not see the fruits of our prayers during this life, but we still pray in faith knowing that our prayers matter.

depth-chart-printable Download

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Why We Have to Set the World on Fire

I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning!
Luke 12:49

What does it mean to set the world on fire for Jesus? Does it mean that the whole world knows him? Maybe it means that the whole world loves him, or that the whole world follows him. To be on fire means to have a strong faith. Souls who are on fire for Jesus have faith that burns for the Lord, and it can’t be extinguished by any external force. Souls on fire follow Jesus closely and intensely. They go to great lengths, sometimes even changing their schedule or routine, to make Jesus their first priority. They follow him so closely that they resemble him in their thoughts and actions. In Luke 12:49 Jesus states that the world isn’t on fire yet. It wasn’t on fire during Jesus’ time, but if you take a look around, you’ll see that today the world is on fire, but not for Jesus.

The world is often on fire with violence and hate. This kind of fire breaks hearts and makes Jesus weep. The world can be on fire for secular things, like trends and pop culture. Although some of these things are harmless, they take our attention away from Jesus and prevent us from fixing our eyes on Heaven. Instead of these fires, the world should be burning with an unquenchable love for Jesus Christ.

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After Jesus said he came to set the world on fire, he said he didn’t come to establish peace, but to divide. When I read this, I stopped and let the words sink in. This isn’t the first time that Jesus startled me. I typically associate him with peace, so I was confused to hear that Jesus came to divide. It made me realize that the decision to choose to follow him is a polarizing one. It can separate us from friends, family, and loved ones, but it’s worth it. Moreover, it’s necessary for our salvation.

I don’t think Jesus exactly encourages us to distance ourselves from those who don’t follow him, but I think he mentions division to show the importance of following him. What we gain from being his disciples is greater than whatever we lose, but it still hurts to be divided from loved ones. To prevent this, we can encourage others to be disciples with us. If we’re on fire for the Lord, our sparks will fly and ignite those around us until they’re engulfed as well. As intimidating as this sounds, this is Jesus’ will. He calls us to make disciples of all nations, so we have to help those around us encounter the Lord, however that might look according to our place in life.

I realize how difficult sharing the Gospel can be. We live in a world where everyone wants to be left alone to do their own thing. But the reality is, Jesus doesn’t call us to leave people alone.

We live in a world where no one wants to be bothered, corrected, or told what to do. People tend to take things too personally or get offended too easily. They think they’re being attacked instead of loved. They think they’re being judged instead of called to holiness. I’ve seen too many people who would rather remain in sin than repent and receive God’s grace and mercy. Sometimes it’s their ignorance that prevents their conversion, which is sad, but sometimes they’re aware that they’ve fallen and their stubbornness keeps them away from God. This scenario is far worse and far more heartbreaking. These people are the ones who are likely to say:
“Leave me alone.”
“I’m not hurting anybody.”
“My body, my choice.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
Although it may be difficult, these are the souls who we need to fight the hardest for because they need saving the most.

Jesus himself didn’t, and still doesn’t, leave people alone. He didn’t pray, fast, and do his own thing while he let everyone else do their thing. He certainly didn’t keep his religious views to himself. Disciples have to resemble their discipler, so like Jesus, we have to reach out to others. The Great Commission isn’t a suggestion; it’s a requirement.

We can’t set the world on fire with love for Christ without letting a few sparks fly first. Jesus desires that the world be set ablaze for him, but many of us have yet to ignite our own hearts. This is where the term “lukewarm” is appropriate, and I’m sure you can relate when I say I used to have a lukewarm soul. As a “cradle Catholic,” I’ve had the advantage and disadvantage of growing up in the Church. I only consider it a disadvantage because there were times that I practiced my faith only because I “had” to. I prayed and went to Mass because I felt obligated to or because my parents expected me to. Fortunately, I fell more in love with Jesus in high school, especially when I got Confirmed. In college, my faith ignited as I was surrounded with a strong Catholic community. I’m overwhelmingly blessed to have graduated with my faith on fire, but when I look at those whose faith has been extinguished during those pivotal four or more years, my heart breaks.

Lukewarm souls know of Jesus, but they don’t have much of a relationship with him to speak of. They follow him, but not closely enough. I say this from experience, but I’m glad that my lukewarmness dissolved and was replaced by a faith on fire. It’s true that there are too many lukewarm souls out there, but it’s easy to reach them and set them ablaze. I know from experience that some don’t think holiness is possible for them. They see people with strong faith and they don’t think they can be like that. They feel disheartened from trying to grow closer to God because it feels impossible for them. This is where testimonies are powerful. In these moments, we can share our stories to save lukewarm souls. I can vividly recall a few times when someone’s story got me out of a faith slump and gave me the strength to lean on the Lord. In turn, I shared my testimony with a few friends, and they felt inspired to follow Jesus more closely. If we show people that lukewarmness isn’t ideal and can be overcome, they’ll use our testimonies to spark their fire for the Lord.

We can set the whole world on fire for Christ, and we can start with ourselves. Our souls should thirst for Jesus the way that he thirsts for us. We should yearn for his love and forsake whatever tries to separate us from it. Once we’re on fire, others will quickly catch flame from the way we enthusiastically follow the Lord. Setting the world on fire might sound like a daunting task, but it’s possible and crucial for holiness and Sainthood. Let’s make our souls burn bright for the Lord and take as many people to Heaven with us as we can.

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How We Participate in Pentecost

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Acts 2:3-4

I sometimes think about getting a small, black-line minimalist tattoo of a flame. I would have it on my shoulder to symbolize the Holy Spirit descending on the disciples as tongues of fire at Pentecost. When someone would ask me what it meant, I’d tell them about how the Holy Spirit rested on the disciples’ shoulders at Pentecost so that thousands of people would be baptized and know Christ on that day. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get a tattoo, but if I did, I’d use it as a way to evangelize.

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When I read Scripture, I like to contemplate how people felt as Biblical events were unfolding. Because the disciples were so human, I like to imagine how they reacted to hearing the parables or what was going through their minds when they witnessed the miracles. Reflecting on the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, I think the disciples experienced a whirlwind of emotions.

In the upper room, I’m sure many if not all of them were sad that Jesus was no longer, physically, with them. After watching him ascend into Heaven, I’m sure they looked around and wondered, “what do we do now?” even though Jesus literally told them what to do, which was the Great Commission! Retreating to the upper room, I’m sure they were afraid and anxious as they worried about what was coming next. I can only imagine that their fear intensified when they witnessed the Holy Spirit in the form of fire, but I don’t think their fear lasted long enough to question what was going on. When the tongues of fire rested on them, I believe they were filled with peace. Now that they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they were ready to take on the mission that Jesus commanded of them. They enthusiastically left the upper room and spoke in tongues. They shared the Gospel to people from several countries, and their witness inspired 3,000 people to be baptized and follow Christ in one day.

What’s important to take away from Pentecost is that the disciples didn’t just receive, they also acted. When the Holy Spirit filled each disciple, they didn’t stay in their upper room. They emerged and allowed the Holy Spirit to help them share the Gospel. Because of their actions, 3,000 people were baptized. I find it so fascinating and inspiring that in one day, 3,000 people chose to follow Christ because the disciples took action in response to the Holy Spirit.

What do we do when we’re filled with the Holy Spirit?

Although it might seem like the disciples lived in a completely different world, we aren’t that different from them. We follow Christ and strive to be like him, which is what it means to be a disciple. Moreover, we receive the Holy Spirit on when we make our Confirmation. When the bishop seals us with the gift of the Holy Spirit, we become full members of the Church and soldiers of Christ. We also receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit so we can share the Gospel like the disciples. Jesus calls us to take part in the Great Commission as well, and we can make disciples of all nations with the help of the Holy Spirit.

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When we receive the Holy Spirit, do we act on it, or do we remain idle? Do we use the gifts of the Holy Spirit to share the Gospel, or do we keep them to ourselves? Especially on Pentecost, we should strive to be like the disciples and allow the Holy Spirit to make us a witness of Christ. This begins with praying and staying open to receiving the Holy Spirit. Begin your prayers with come, Holy Spirit, and say this mantra throughout your day. This will help you stay open to the Holy Spirit’s gifts and graces. You’ll constantly feel those gifts renewed in you as the Holy Spirit remains in you. If we participate in Pentecost by welcoming the Holy Spirit, we can become more perfect missionary disciples.

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This Sunday’s Gospel: May 31, 2020

John 20:19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

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This Gospel reading is from the Mass during the Day readings for Pentecost Sunday. It gives us a beautiful image of the Trinity as Jesus appears to the disciples after his Resurrection. The Father sends the Son into the world, and he gives his disciples the Holy Spirit. Meditating on this reality reminds me of how intertwined the Trinity is. In this passage, Jesus knows that he won’t physically be with his disciples much longer, and their ministry will begin soon. He gives them the Holy Spirit to help them and guide them. Now that they have it, they have the gifts to continue Christ’s ministry. First, they receive it when Jesus breathes on them after his Resurrection, but they receive the Holy Spirit again on Pentecost in the form of fire. After this intense descent of the Holy Spirit, the disciples speak in tongues to add 3,000 people to the Church. Like the disciples, we’re constantly open to the Holy Spirit which leads us on our mission. As followers of Christ, we also have our part to do in the Great Commission. Our own mission might not resemble that of the disciples, but we still rely on the Holy Spirit to help us make the Gospel known to all whom we encounter.

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