"I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands. They shouted aloud, ‘Victory to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’" (Revelation 7)
As I sat listening to the deacon proclaim this message, I thought...those are the ones I want to be numbered among! What an amazing day that will be! And then he talked to us about how we are all called to be in that group...and he gave a message about our lives being fit to God's will. He mentioned that St. Augustine once said...after reading about the ordinary people who lived extraordinary lives following the will of God...Why not me?
This made me stop and think that this is what I ask myself. Why not me? I need to stop the excuses of what my life is like each day and find a way to follow God's will...even during the hard times...maybe going so far to say ESPECIALLY in the hard times!
Now...as for how we celebrate this feast day in our home...
Normally, I would have set up a party (at church or home) to invite family and friends... parishioners...to celebrate with dressing up as a favorite saint. But...since we have only been here a couple of weeks, we found ourselves doing this alone this year. BUT...that was not going to stop us...and there are enough of us to have a party!...we decided to have our own celebration. (SIDENOTE: I did speak to the priest after Mass and told him I would love to sponsor a party for the parish next year!)
I gathered the children this morning and told them that they should choose a saint and be creative (We did in fact bring dress up clothes in our assortment of items during the move! Thank you God for this discovery earlier this week!) in making a costume.
They did an amazing job! Here is what we learned today:
Amanda was an impoverished version of St. Clare. She gave up a life of luxury against the wishes of her family to serve God. Amanda says she hopes that she has learned to trust God in her life.
Katy chose to dress as the fourth arch angel (traditionally known as Uriel) who is known as the angel of wisdom but he is also known as the one who checked the doors of homes throughout Egypt for lamb’s blood (representing faithfulness to God) during Passover, while a deadly plague struck first-born children as a judgment for sin but spared the children of faithful families. Katy learned that it is best to trust in God's will and be a messenger to the wisdom of God.
Sean dressed up as St. Jean Marie Vianney...who even as a child loved to teach the other children about prayer and the catechism...he grew up to be a priest who would help others repent of their deepest sins. Sean said he wanted to help teach others about God.
Henry donned the clothing of Maximilian Kolbe and learned that he was a priest who was arrested for giving out literature about the faith during the Nazi persecution and died in place of another man who had a family. Henry learned that he should be brave in difficult times.
Edward dressed as St. Francis of Assisi...who founded a new order of religious after a life of luxury and war...he helped to rebuild the Church. He hopes that he can use this example to be more helpful to the Church.
Brendan was the amazing St. Padre Pio who was a saint of our day who was forced to persevere through the judgment of others even within his own order. He was given the gift of knowing the sins of even the most hardened heart to help seek conversion. Brendan says he hopes to be as cool a saint when others read about him one day! Still needing to work on humility I think! LOL!
Zaira was little Rose of Lima who taught that humility and trust in God are key in all circumstances. From even a young age she cared for even the smallest of creatures not even wishing to swat a fly. She also kept herself in her self-made hermitage. Many would come to her asking to pray for their needs. We can learn to trust in God so meekly.
I dressed as Martha who spent more time in the kitchen preparing for the feast offered to Jesus and complained to him that Mary did not help enough! I often need to remember to take time to enjoy the feast instead of the preparation!After costumes were made, we were reminded of the list that Jesus gives for those who follow in God's ways...the eight Beatitudes found in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 5...I had the children learn these verses to hopefully recite to Michael this evening when he is home from work...we will also center our family game time around these verses.
The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12)
- Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.
- Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
- Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.
- Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
- Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.
- Blesses are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God.
- Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- Blessed are you when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven.
I have always admired your desire to put God first in your life. It is exemplified in your desire to hold to the feast days and make it all seem real to your kids. I have to ask you though, where you find instruction from God to hold certain people in higher esteem than others. We are told that those who do God's will ARE saints. We don't have to go through any special ceremony or have any committee consider if we're worthy. All we need to do is follow God's will. I would love for you to read a short blog post I wrote a year or so ago:. http://www.dandidow.com/2012/12/20/my-son-became-a-saint-today/
ReplyDeleteDiana,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you asked. I agree that there can be those who are not informed about the full teaching of our faith who follow our traditions incorrectly. It is sometimes quite disturbing what Catholics consider appropriate in remembering saints in their lives. The same can be said about the traditions we have with Mary (the Blessed Mother) which I am sure you also believe is odd or inappropriate for a Christian. It saddens me to think that this behavior is what is prominently seen as Catholic. However, the reality of Catholic tradition is quite different.
The tradition of remembering saints began in the earliest of times to share the perseverance of the faithful to new Christians. Those recognized were held up as way to show that it is possible to worship God as ordinary people in a world gone bad. Those early saints that were recognized were chosen because of the way they lived their lives. It was also a way to unify a people under one body by sharing common stories of faith. This tradition continued as more faithful came to know Jesus. Just as any organized body...there were some who began to disagree about who should be considered to carry on the example of faith so an organized effort to share good example brought about the tradition of examining the life of a person and the merits that were exemplified to share with others. I believe this was also a way to bring about stories to share specific virtues in their lives that needed to be shown to certain groups, as well as finding people within different cultures who could be used to related to for their own personal journey.
The truth is...the Catholic Church realized that there are many un-named saints in our lives and that is what brought about All Saints Day. This feast day is designed to show that we are all called to be saints....just as you mention in your blog....and I mention in mine as well...that if we accept the rite of baptism and its promises than we should be living the virtues that Jesus emulated in his walk on this earth. If we truly accept this call than there should be no question. I am sure you have pictures of family members who have passed into eternity...you do not get rid of those pictures once a family member or friend die. And, when looking at those pictures, you might mention that their lives were amazing examples of Christian life. This is just as we believe we are doing when we show pictures of saints and remember the stories of their virtuous life.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, there is Hell...and many people...even those baptized who have fallen away from the will of God...have the possibility of ending up there. Jesus talks of Hell himself (Matthew 23, Mark 9, Luke 16 to name a few) and many times he was relating this to people who should have been considered among the 'chosen.' The Church has NEVER acknowledged anyone condemned to Hell...this is not the decision of the Church to judge a soul...only that there is the belief in Hell and that if not following God's will is in a way choosing this eternity. Even those deemed virtuous are not being judged but again examined to determine if the Church should recommend the exemplification of a person to admire. Could the Church be wrong...not knowing the heart or intent of a person who appears virtuous? I am sure it is possible and choose to set my belief that God would not lead the Church astray in determining a person to admire. Ultimately, if the person takes back to the teachings of Jesus and his way then they would appear to be examples to follow....where as someone who did not lead a virtuous life would be someone not to follow. Just as anyone seeing an alcoholic relative should not deem that life acceptable to follow (even if they were considered baptized a Christian). Not to judge if that alcoholic relative was in Hell but that we should not live that lifestyle.
The only real guarantee of heaven is that we accept Jesus and then we must continue each day to pledge to accept God's will in our lives. That is why examining ones fruits at the end of their lives, and recognizing that we can ask those closest to God for petitions before the throne of God is so important in our tradition. Just as we ask each other to pray for our needs...I have no problem asking a saint in heaven to ask God for assistance. We are not praying to the saint to offer favor but asking them (in their proximity to God) to ask for favor to be shown to us. Can I just as easily as k my dear sweet Aunt Margie (surely in heaven by her amazing Christian life and not recognized by the Church) to ask favor for me from God...oh yes...and I often do ask those who I feel are close to God in heaven from my own family to beg for my needs before God. In return, I also beg on my knees to God myself for my needs....after all...I pray that I will one day be a saint myself as I try so hard to walk in God's will.
Do I fall short? Yes! Did the saints (named through tradition) fall short? Yes...at times they most likely were not at their best. This is one thing that I try to show my children...the failures of saints...sounds odd to some who want to only see the virtues...but I like to show that they are human...the comment made in my blog...ordinary people living extraordinary lives through the grace of God...that is what I want my children to realize...no sugar coating...we all have sin that needs to be confessed so we can continue walking in Christ. The key is walking in the right direction...bump in the road...then move along the path again...those bumps do not keep us from sainthood...we are given the grace to make it past the bump if we choose to continue and then our journey comes to an end and our sainthood is accomplished in heaven.
ReplyDeleteThat is what makes a saint...the goal in heaven....that is why I say we are but saints in training here...we can only be saints by definition if we are in heaven...when we die in God's grace by accepting Jesus as savior...and confess in the end...we can enter into sainthood.
I hope that makes sense...feel free to ask for clarification if needed. I truly believe that Christians of all faiths believe the basic truths but have issue with vocabulary and expression of our traditions. I am glad we can be open and share together...even miles apart. And, thanks for reading my blog...I never thought it would be used to help others understand our family and traditions...I am humbled by those who continue to read about our crazy life.
God bless,
Michelle
Thanks for getting back with me so quickly, Michelle. You wrote a very well thought out explanation. Thank you for taking the time.
ReplyDeleteThere were a few things I had questions about. First of all, I couldn't help but notice that there wasn't any scripture used to support what you were saying. While I'm not one that thinks you have to quote me a passage that is very obvious to both of us where it is or what it says, I would really appreciate scripture for what you are saying in this explanation. You did tell me what Catholic tradition says about the subject but my goal is not to be a Catholic but to be a Christian. From what I've read in the Bible, the New Testament provides all the information I need to know to become a Christian. If I want to become a Baptist or a Methodist or a Catholic, I'm sure there are other things I need to do but I want to simply be a Christian -- like Paul and Peter and Steven and Aquila and Priscilla, etc. God tells me that His scripture is all I need in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. He says that all scripture is given by inspiration of God and that it is profitable so that the man of God may be complete. Nothing else is needed -- just the inspired word of God.
It's good to note that you and I agree on many things. One in particular that you mentioned was about Hell. Yes, there is Hell just as there is Heaven. It is a fearful thought that what we choose to believe and how we choose to react to that belief will determine our eternal destination. We can choose to study God's word for ourselves (like the Bereans in Acts 17:10,11), learn to use it wisely (as Paul told Timothy in 2 Tim 2:15), praying to God for wisdom (James 1:5) and courage and strength to follow His will. Or we can put our faith in people who claim to have done the same thing. Why would anyone want to put their eternal destination in some man's (or men's) hands through traditions passed down through the ages. Why not go straight to the source -- God's inspired word? Like you said, it is possible that the Church (the Catholic Church) could be wrong. Why take a chance like that? We should all read the Bible for ourselves, praying for God to give us an open heart so we can see what it is He's telling us -- not looking for proof of what we've always believed.
The New Testament was given to us through the inspiration of God. The Hebrew writer tells us in the first couple of verses of his book that God used to speak to mankind in various ways but has chosen to speak to us in these lastdays by His Son. Jesus Himself says that all authority was given Him (Matthew 28:18). Jesus was made "head over all things to the church." (Eph 1:22). Jesus told His apostles that whoever receives those that He sends receives Him (John 13:20). In Eph 3:3-5, Paul tells the Ephesians that what he teaches was revealed to him and the other apostles by the Spirit. So, God, who has all authority because He is the creator gave all authority to Christ who revealed what He wanted us to know by the Spirit to the Apostles. You might want to read 1 Corinthians 2:9-13 as well. Jude 3 tells us that what we needed for salvation was "once for all delivered to the saints". There would not be anymore revelation. We have the gospel of Jesus Christ in its entirety. So we can study it and find out for ourselves what we need to do to be saved. That is the whole point -- to spend eternity in Heaven with our Creator.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that Jude 3 also says something about the saints. He says that it was all delivered to the saints. If Jude delivered truth to the saints, how come Catholic tradition teaches that one can only become a saint after he has lived a good life and died and gone to Heaven. Was Jude writing to people who were already in Heaven?
The same things is true for the letter Paul wrote to the Philippians. He was not writing the letter to all the Philippians but to certain Philippians. Specifically the saints, bishops and deacons. Why were there saints in Philippi if you can only become a saint after death?
In Ephesians 2:19, Paul tells the "saints who are in Ephesus" (Eph 1:1) that they are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Saints are members of the household of God. Does that only happen after death? If so, why were there saints in Ephesus?
Paul writes the church of God in Corinth and calls them sanctified in Christ Jesus (set apart), called to be saints... (1 Corinthians 1:2)
You said you were a "saint in training" and that saints are only found in Heaven. I'm not sure where you are getting your information on that. I may be wrong but from what I can tell the only reference to saints in Heaven now is in Revelation 5:8. It says that the "prayers of the saints" are there. That means the prayers of the saints that were in Ephesus, Corinth, Philippi, Huntington, San Antonio. Those who have been sanctified by putting on Christ through baptism. Not a rite of passage or ritual ceremony but humble obedience to God that has followed repentance of our sins, confession that Christ is the Son of God and baptism (immersion) into water that connects us to the blood of Christ so our sins are washed away. Then, we are sanctified, set apart, a saint, a priest, a Christian, a child of God.
As you titled your blog "Why Not Me?" That's a good question. Why not you? Why are you waiting for something that can and must happen now? Once you die, you can't go back and say, "Oops, I was wrong. I should have become a saint back on earth the way God told me to." By studying for yourself and following God's plan as laid out in the New Testament, you will become a saint -- now!
One more thing. The Church as you describe has power to make decisions for its members. That's not what the Bible teaches. The church as described in the New Testament is a group of people who have been "called out" (ekklesia) from the world and have chosen to follow Christ. Christ is the head of the church. He died for her. She belongs to Him. He decides who will belong to the church and how they will enter into it. He didn't designate His authority to anyone except the apostles who simply taught and wrote what was divinely inspired to them. Nothiing else. No one else has been given that privilege because as was stated earlier, it was "once for all delivered to the saints". Nothing has changed since then. No matter what an organization such as the Catholic Church says. I choose to believe God's inspired Word over man's fallible word.
ReplyDeleteIf we follow what the New Testament tells us, we can be Christians -- just Christians. Not a Baptist or a Methodist or a Catholic. Just a Christian like Paul was, like Peter was, like Stephen was, like Aquila was, like Priscilla was, etc.
Again, I appreciate your desire to do what's right. I appreciate the time you have taken to share your beliefs on your blog and personally to me. I know eternity in Heaven is very important to you. I implore you to read and study on your own. Ask questions of those who have shared the Catholic traditions with you. Ask me questions. Be like the Bereans and search the scriptures to find if what I'm saying or if what they are saying is true.