Domestic Church – Page 3 – Joy of the Family

God is Love

Keep God as the focus of everything in your life, receive Him in the Eucharist and you will receive His grace, be healed, forgiven, and made whole because – God is Love!

Author: Beth Zanotelli, Family Life Coordinator for the Diocese of Palm Beach

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 begins with a list of characteristics describing love. Love is patient, kind, not jealous, not pompous, not inflated, not rude. The passage goes on to include that love does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, and doesn’t brood over injury. There is so much here, but to be clear, the opposite of brooding over injuries is forgiving those who offend us right away and from the heart. The list is not finished because 1 Corinthians continues by telling us that Love does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, which means it is willing to carry our load and sacrifice for each of us. To Love is to will the good of others. Love believes, hopes, and endures. Finally, Love never fails. What a beautiful description of God’s authentic love for His children.

God’s authentic love is far beyond what most of us are used to giving and receiving from one another. God loves us so much that he calls us to something greater. He welcomes us with open arms when we mess up and His love includes mercy and compassion. Even though we often fall short, we should not hesitate to ask Him for more than we feel worthy of receiving. In Matthew 8:8 the Centurion says, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” These are the same words we recite before receiving Him in the Eucharist. All He has to do is say a word and we are healed, forgiven, and made whole. We receive His grace as we receive Him; With His grace we can authentically love one another.

Keep God as the focus of everything in your life, receive Him in the Eucharist and you will receive His grace, be healed, forgiven, and made whole because – God is Love!

Here’s what the Scriptures have to say:

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 – Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things endures all things. Love never fails…

1 John 4:7-8 – Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.

John 13:34-35 – I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

What are You Searching For?

The Feast of the Epiphany, this year, observed on January 8, is the celebration of the Magi who come from the East to find the King of Kings, the Christ child, so they could worship Him. They were searching for the fulfillment of prophecy, but it is likely they didn’t know what they would find. They knew there was something great, they knew there was something more. “Do you see what I see?” A star, announcing the birth of Christ! St. John Chrysostom spoke of “the star that remained after bringing them to the place, in order that the child might also be seen. For there is nothing conspicuous about the place. The inn was ordinary. The mother was not celebrated or notable. The star was needed to manifest and illumine the lowly place, until they had reached their destination at the manger.” At the manger, they encountered the Christ Child! They worshipped Him and gave Him gifts.

We all have a desire for something more, perhaps a quest for greatness. We are all searching in our own way. To know God and to know that He loves us is our greatest desire. We need to have faith, the size of a mustard seed to find what we search for. We need faith to encounter Jesus, the King of Kings. We need to follow the Light. When we have the grace of faith, we can recognize and believe what has been with us all along! What does it mean to believe? St. Thomas Aquinas says that “believing is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace”.

The kings traveled from afar to find Truth, to find the Prince of Peace, to find the King of Kings! When they found Him, they worshipped Him, and they gave Him extravagant gifts. They took the message of the Christ child back to their homeland so that others might share the light of Christ. Pray that you will find Him! Pray that you will be a good witness of the joy of the Christ child, the Gospel, the Light of the World! Take Him with you to the ends of the earth to help others find what they are searching for.

Here’s what the Scriptures have to say:

Matthew 2: 9-10 – …and behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star.

Matthew 5:14-16 – You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.

Isaiah 52:7 – How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation, and saying to Zion, “Your God is King!”

O Come, Let Us Adore Him

“O Come Let Us Adore Him!” This phrase is heard so often during the Advent and Christmas Season. What does it mean to adore? If we break the word down, “adore” comes from the Latin “adorare” which means to speak to formally; to ask in prayer; to beseech. Let us Adore Him, is so much more than looking at the sweet newborn baby who is “adorable.” Perhaps the phrase should say, “O come let us pay honor to the One who deserves all praise”. Or better, “O come let us spend time face-to-face with the living God.” It might be best to say, “O come let us spend time gazing at Him in love and awe.”

When we make the sign of the cross – if done with reverence, it can be a moment of adoration, we can encounter His blessing and His love. Another sign of encounter is the incense that is used to show honor to the presence of Christ among us. Psalm 141 verse 2 says, “Let my prayer be incense before you”, the incense rises like our prayers to God. Incense is meant to call us deeper into worship of Our Lord.

When we adore the Lord in Eucharistic Adoration, we can increase our desire to receive Christ in the Eucharist at Mass. Pope Benedict XVI teaches us in his letter, Sacrimentum Caritatis, “In the Eucharist, the Son of God comes to meet us and desires to become one with us; Eucharistic Adoration is simply the natural consequence of the Eucharistic celebration, which is itself the Church’s supreme act of adoration.”

During prayer and reflection time, adore Him, adore Christ. Do we believe that He is truly present in the Eucharist? Do we trust Him with our whole life, our future? Could we trust Him more? Are we grateful for what God has done in our life? Especially during this season of Advent, let us be intentional in our prayers and take time to find Him, to spend time with Him and to Adore Him.

Here’s what the Scriptures have to say:

Psalm 95: 1-5 – Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord: cry out to the rock of our salvation. Let us greet him with a song of praise, joyfully sing out our psalms. For the Lord is the great God, the great king over all gods, whose hand holds the depths of the earth, who owns the tops of the mountains. The sea and dry land belong to God, how made them, formed them by hand.

Revelation 4:11 – Worthy are you, Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things; because of your will they came to be and were created.

Luke 4:8 – Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.’”

Ephesians 3:14 -19 – For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Blurred Vision

You know you need to do something, but you are suddenly distracted. Through your senses, the ordinary things of life can be a distraction; a sound, a smell, light/darkness, something touches you. And what about your own thoughts? Especially the daily news? How many times do you have a thought one moment and a second later you can’t remember the thought…something distracted you.

Just like in daily life, there are distractions that can keep you from the Lord; you try to pray but cannot focus, you are physically at Mass but mentally distracted by something that happened on the way to church. Hebrews, chapter 12, reminds you to “rid yourself of every burden and sin that clings to you and persevere in running the race that lies before you while keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.” When distracted by the ordinary things of life, or from personal failures or misgivings, you can lose your gaze on the Lord. Your vision becomes blurred, and you can become more attentive to things of this the world rather than the God who loves you.

KEEP YOUR EYES FIXED ON THE LORD!

Saint Peter is a great example of someone who regularly experiences “blurred vision”. In his profession as fisherman, he must catch fish to make money to feed his family. In one gospel narrative his discouragement is apparent when he comes up empty handed and tired after many hours of fishing. Jesus asks him to “lower his nets”. This is the moment he needs to trust Jesus! (Luke 5:4-5). But Peter, like many of us, is distracted, frustrated, with doubts about things happening in the world.

In another gospel narrative, when Peter and the apostles are in a storm, Jesus commands Peter to walk on the water. (Matthew 14:22-33) Peter begins with trust in his friend, but soon after he steps from the boat he becomes distracted by fear. His vision is again blurred.

But here is the beauty of God’s patience and mercy for us. When Peter is afraid and at his lowest, he meets the gaze of Jesus! In both stories Jesus responds in kindness. In Luke’s Gospel: “Peter, do not be afraid…”, and in Matthew’s Gospel: “Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him…”.

HE WANTS YOU TO TAKE HIS HAND!!

How beautiful is the gaze of Jesus. There is great tenderness in His eyes! Pope Francis says, “Brothers and sisters, let us never lose trust in the patience and mercy of God!” Listen and find courage in these words spoken so many times in scripture – “Be not Afraid”. When your vision seems blurred, when you have a sleepless night, or when you are caught up in the “stuff” happening in your life, take courage! Do not let these distractions rob you of HIS peace. Put on your safety goggles to protect you from blurred vision and “keep your eyes fixed on Jesus”! Be hopeful, have faith…follow Him.

Here’s what the scriptures have to say:

Hebrews 12:1-2 – Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.

Luke 5:10-11 – Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men. When they brought their boats on shore, they left everything and followed him.

1 Peter 3:13-22 – Now who is going to harm you if you are enthusiastic for what is good? But even if you should suffer because of righteousness, blessed are you. Do not be afraid or terrified with fear of them but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope but do it with gentleness and reverence keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.

John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.

Good Morning, Jesus!

St. Teresa of Calcutta also known as Mother Teresa said, “Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.” These words are a great way to understand and realize the importance of having a spiritual life. To put yourself in the hands of God…is to surrender your will to His. We need to say, “not my will, Lord, but yours be done.” Often our prayer life is full of whining and complaining, and of a laundry list of needs. Instead of asking, which we need to do, Mother Teresa invites us to listen to His voice in the depth of our hearts.

This seems like an easy task when Mother Teresa says it…she is a consecrated woman, who spent her life in prayer and service to others. What about the person who has fallen away from the Lord, or struggles to know God? How do we connect with God amid all the chaos and confusion of the world? How do we listen to the Truth in our hearts and renounce the lies the world tells us?

Mother Teresa gives us more wisdom when she says, “We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature—trees, flowers, grass—grows in silence; see the stars, the moon, and the sun, how they move in silence. We need silence to be able to touch souls.” If God is a friend of silence, imagine his reaction to today’s noisy world. It is difficult to find a moment without technology buzzing, blinking, or pinging. How many conversations do we have each day that are interrupted by technology? God wants us to “grow in silence” or perhaps to be silent so we can grow!

It has been written about Mother Teresa that the first thing she did everyday was to say, “Good Morning, Jesus”. She would say this before she got out of bed, maybe even before she opened her eyes. It seems like a simple beginning to a new day and a simple beginning to a spiritual life. By saying “Good morning, Jesus”, you acknowledge the relationship that matters the most! Try saying, “Good morning, Jesus” out loud before you get out of bed. Try it for 10 days, after 10 days check and see if your prayer life has increased. Check and see if you have a closer relationship with God, and then keep saying it for another 10 days. Build new habits and good habits for the rest of your life by starting simple and doing things that are natural.

Here’s what Scripture has to say:

Matthew 6:6-8 – …when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8: 26-28 – In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.

1 Kings 19:11-12 – Then the Lord said, “Go outside and stand on the mountain before the Lord; the Lord will be passing by.” A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the Lord – but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake – but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was fire – but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.

True Freedom

*Author: Catherine Loh, Diocese of Palm Beach*
*Director of Marriage, Family Life, Faith Formation and Youth Ministry*

As we enter the month of July, we prepare for Independence Day, July 4^th, when we celebrate the founding of our country and our hard-won freedom from tyranny at the hands of a foreign monarch. That hard-won fight enshrines not only our national freedom, our right to self-determination as an independent nation, but also our individual civil and religious freedoms.

Freedom is an alluring concept, but what is it exactly? A common dictionary definition asserts that freedom is “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.” Ask the average person on the street “what is freedom?” and the likely response is “to do whatever I want.” But is this really what true freedom is all about?

As Catholics, we know better…or rather, we should know better. We are told that true freedom is the freedom to choose the good, but how are we to understand that notion? If it is true freedom, how can there be supposed limits? Doesn’t freedom mean to choose what I want, regardless of the implications?

Let us look at what the Catholic Church has to say about true freedom. The Church teaches in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that freedom “is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility” (CCC 1731). So far, so good. The Catechism continues: “Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude.” (CCC 1731). There lays the “catch.” While we might like to think that true freedom is the ability to choose whatever we want, good or bad, true freedom can only be perfected, that is to be truly free, when it is directed toward God. Otherwise, it becomes subjected to evil, enslaving us to sin, and is no longer free.

Thinking about our first parents, Adam and Eve, we remember that they fell into Original Sin when they were tempted by the devil in the Garden of Eden. They had a free choice to make: to follow God’s command to not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:16) or to disobey God and succumb to the suggestions of the devil (Genesis 3:1-6). They were given the freedom to choose, they chose poorly, and now we all must live with the consequences of that decision.

When original man “preferred himself to God” (CCC 398) and “let his trust in his Creator die in his heart” (CCC 397), he abused his freedom, he “preferred himself to God” (CCC 398). By this free choice, man lost his original holiness and harmony and placed himself at odds with God, becoming a slave to sin, and plunging the world into the consequences of sin. This abuse of freedom is exactly what Jesus came to set aright through his suffering, death, and resurrection, to restore our relationship with God.

How can we respond appropriately to this great gift and once again attain true freedom? We were all created in the image of God, for friendship with Him, but we can only live this friendship in free submission to Him. As created beings, we are subject to the Creator and to the laws of His creation and “to the moral norms that govern the use of freedom” (CCC 396). Until we unite our will perfectly with God’s own will, we always have the possibility of choosing evil over good. Every time we choose evil, we diminish our freedom and enslave ourselves to sin.

Now, each of us faces many choices daily. As long as our actions are voluntary, our freedom makes us responsible for our actions. We do well to remember, according to the moral law, we do not have the right to say or do anything we desire. Our exercise of freedom must be just, exhibiting love of God firstly and secondly, charity to our neighbor who we are called to love as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31). True freedom is only found in the service of what is good and just. The more we choose the good, the freer we become (CCC 1732-1733).

Let us remember that it is for “freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1). That freedom comes at a great price and must be grounded in the One who set us free otherwise we succumb to an illusion that is in truth, no freedom at all.

Here’s what the Scriptures have to say:

John 3: 16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Galatians 5: 13 – For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another.

Mark 12 :30 – 31 – …and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Transformation

Author: Beth Zanotelli, Family Life Coordinator for the Diocese of Palm Beach

Have you ever heard of Milk Weed? It’s the plant that monarch butterflies eat. You can buy it at almost any plant store. You place it in the ground and miraculously within a few weeks you can witness an amazing transformation of caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. The life cycle of a butterfly is one of the many beautiful things God created. The butterfly lifecycle has lessons and symbolism that each of us can draw from. Silly though it may seem, this transformation is like the work of Jesus. The most obvious similarity is Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. On Easter Sunday, the glory and beauty of the Resurrected Christ emerges from the tomb. There are no direct references to butterflies in the Bible, but did you ever ponder the new creation God desires from you each day? What if you allow Him to transform your life?

An early stage of the butterfly life cycle is the caterpillar, creeping, and eating. This creature transforms completely into a beautiful flying insect. It is completely changed in appearance and in the way it gets from one place to another. The caterpillar goes from crawling and transforms into a butterfly that flies! In Romans 12:1-2, St. Paul urges “by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” When you seek to do God’s will, letting go of earthly pleasures and allowing your life to be a sacrifice for others, God transforms you. If you allow this transformation, you will put on the newness of life. You will see the life that God desires for you.

Another similarity to the life cycle of a butterfly is its nourishment. The caterpillar feeds on a weed. In the end, it has eaten the entire plant, growing huge by feasting, but it still longs for more. After the caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, there is a new feast. Now the butterfly feasts on the sweet nectar of flowers. When the Lord is allowed to enter and transform your heart, to create anew, you will long for the sweetness of eternal life with Him, the salvation of heaven! “So, whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away: behold, new things have come!” Corinthians 5:17.

Come to the banquet God has prepared for you! Feast on the Eucharist, the Living Bread of Life! Allow the Body of Christ to transform you from within. Seek forgiveness and healing. When you reconcile with others you reconcile with the Lord. As you continually die to sin you will be united with Christ in His life, death, and resurrection so you can join Him in Eternal Glory.

Here’s what Scripture has to say:

2 Corinthians 3:18 – All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Romans 6:4 – We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.

Acts 2:38 – Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit.”

Most Fully Human

As we journey closer to Easter, many people are preparing to enter the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. They are preparing to receive the Sacraments of Initiation beginning with Baptism. As with infants and children who are baptized, we the faithful, are called to accompany each other and especially our children who are newly baptized. We are called to welcome them into the fullness of our parish communities. It is the faithful who are to help them to know and understand the commission passed on to them at their baptism and to gradually shift themselves from, simply being the receivers to becoming joyful givers and doers! We are called to help each other become the person God created us to be.

In St. John Paul II’s Gaudium et Spes, he reminds us that the Church teaches, that we are most fully human when we give ourselves to others and when we receive from others (Gaudium et Spes 24:3). In the Theology of the Body, we learn that God gave us bodies so that we can understand ourselves more deeply. Our bodies teach us truth. Our bodies can give us warning signs. Perhaps we need more sleep or need to drink more water. It is important that we respond in a right way from the start. We need to practice patience and learn self-mastery from a young age to guide us as we mature and grow.

When we live our lives as a gift, that is, when we sacrifice for others and live as we were created by God, we are most fully human. When we live as we are created, male and female, we learn how to live a life that fulfills God’s purpose for us – we will be happy and fulfilled. When God created us, he made us male and female, in His image and likeness. God created us in His image of love. God’s creation of man and woman is very good! Today let us live God’s plan, let us restore what is broken, and let us find out the truth about who we are and what we are called to be, people who receive and give love through our bodies and our bodily actions! Let us be most fully human.

Here’s what the scriptures have to say…

Ephesians 2:10 – For we are His handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.

Wisdom 13:5 – For from the greatness and the beauty of created things their original author, by analogy, is seen.

1 Peter 3:3-4 – Your adornment should not be an external one: braiding the hair, wearing gold jewelry, or dressing in fine clothes, but rather the hidden character of the heart, expressed in the imperishable beauty of gently and calm disposition, which is precious in the sight of God.

What is Truth?

*Adapted from a Homily by Deacon David Zanotelli*

“…What is truth?” John 18:38. In the world today that question is something with which we are all challenged. This year, on the Solemnity of Christ, the King at the end of the Church year, the Gospel reading was a dialog between Pilate and Jesus; Pilate was seeking the truth. In John 18:37, Jesus says, “you say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” This is not the first time Jesus speaks of truth. In John 14: 5-6, Thomas asks, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus says he came to testify to the truth. An example of that truth that Jesus proclaims with his own life…life begins at conception. How did Jesus “testify” to this truth? Well, it’s quite simple and profound. In fact, it is such a fundamental truth in our faith that our Apostles Creed allows you and I to testify to this truth ourselves! As we profess the truths of our faith, we say… “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord, who was CONCEIVED by the Holy Spirit…” Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, “Christ the King”, became a precious child, at the moment He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb!

There is another truth that Jesus came to proclaim. Through our Baptism, we are all adopted children of the King of Kings. If you were born female in the likeness and image of God, you are truly a daughter of the King of Kings. If you were born male in the likeness and image of God, you are truly a son of the King of Kings. Not only are each of us a son or daughter of the King of Kings but each and everyone of us is an irreplaceable, indispensable, unrepeatable gift! Yes, YOU are indispensable to God’s plan for the universe. You cannot be replaced! You cannot be repeated. You reveal a beam of God’s glory that no one else who ever lived or ever will live reveals in this world!

Become what you are – an irreplaceable, indispensable, unrepeatable gift from Christ the King!

Here’s what the Scriptures and our faith have to say:

John 18: 37-38 – So Pilate said to him, “Then you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

Ephesians 6:13-14 – Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and having done everything, to hold our ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truthy, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate.”

YouCat (Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church) – Based on CCC 781-786 What is unique about the People of God? The founder of this people is God the Father. Its leader is Jesus Christ. Its source of strength is the Holy Spirit. The entryway to the People of God is Baptism. Its dignity is the freedom of the children of God. Its law is love. If this people remains faithful to God and seeks first the kingdom of God, it changes the world.

Dare to be Different

*Author: Beth Zanotelli, Diocese of Palm Beach Coordinator of Family Life*

“Freedom’s goal is to lead us to flourish not to fail. Freedom’s goal is Truth, Beauty and Goodness.” These words from the September Joy of the Family Blog, are still ringing the bells of conscience and still ringing the bells in the pursuit of excellence. God has given us the gift of Free Will! Essentially, God is Pro-Choice! That’s right God is Pro-Choice! The difference is that God desires us to choose what is good and true so we can truly flourish as human beings. God gives us the ability to choose, however, He also gives us the 10 Commandments and the Beatitudes for us to form and live in good conscience. It is the good choices we make that set us apart and give us strength to love one another and serve one another. When we make worldly choices, we are only thinking about ourselves and most often we fall into sinful choices. G. K. Chesterton said, “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.” Dare to be different and make Good Choices! Dare to swim against the stream of our culture.

So how do we choose what is Good? How do we pursue excellence, that is, Truth, Beauty, and Goodness? In today’s world how do we make choices and act in ways that are faithful and honor God? Again, remembering the Beatitudes and the 10 Commandments, the Catechism gives us the wisdom we need for good choices. First, we must be sure that the action of our choice is Good. Even if the intention is for the best…the action itself must be Good. Second, our actions must be with good intention. We should always have in our thoughts helping and serving others, not our own selfish intentions, or the intention to hurt or wrong someone. An example would be to befriend someone only to get ahead or to benefit in some way. The third way to make sure our choice is good is to be sure that no matter what the circumstances of your action, if it is a sinful action, it is not good, period. Pope Benedict XVI said, “Truth is not determined by a majority vote.” How can you dare to be different? How can you show that Christian freedom is different than how our culture views “freedom” today?

Here’s what the Scriptures and our Catholic faith have to say…

Galatians 5: 1 – For Freedom Christ set us free; so, stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

1 John 3:19-20 – We will know by this that we are of the truth and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.

Galatians 5: 13– For you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love.

CCC 1742 – Freedom and Grace. The grace of Christ is not in the slightest way a rival of our freedom when this freedom accords with the sense of the true and the good that God has put in the human heart. On the contrary, as Christian experience attests especially in prayer, the more docile we are to the promptings of grace, the more we grow in inner freedom and confidence during trials, such as those we face in the pressures and constraints of the outer world. By the working of grace, the Holy Spirit educates us in spiritual freedom to make us free collaborators in his work in the Church and in the world.

Proverbs 16:9 – The mind of the man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.