Why I Am Catholic And Not Just Spiritual

It is very common to hear this line from your “average” Christian.

“I am spiritual, but not religious. I don’t need the Church, all I need is a relationship with Christ.”

At one point in time, I even held this point-of-view. But in my personal journey, praise the Lord, that I have also grown up and away from this very superficial point-of-view.

Here are some of my personal reasons:

1. Spiritual usually means that I just feel good about my own perception of God.

If God fits the mould that I imagine Him to be in, then He is not God. God, ironically enough, by definition should not even be definable.  He cannot be put into a certain view-point or a certain mould. That is why He tells Moses, “I am who I am”. (Ex 3:14) God is simply God. Period.

If I simplify God using my own personal finite cognitive skills, then God ceases to be infinite, which in fact is one of His attributes.

How then, can I come to know God? Well, through how He revealed Himself. He reveals Himself to us in a myriad of ways, from the beauty of nature to the razor sharpness of logic as well. I believe God has revealed and reveals Himself in us, when we discover this God-shaped hole in our hearts as St. Augustine would say. This inescapable emptiness that can only be filled with this infinite God. This infinite God who fully revealed  Himself in Jesus Christ. Which leads me to my next point.

2. Jesus was the Word made flesh. He was not just spiritual, but more importantly physical as well. (John 1:14)

This is where things get interesting. Christians, including me, like to spiritualize things. But God, though pure in spirit (CCC 370), created us in a very PHYSICAL world. We act as if anything that is physical is evil, but the reality it is not. For everything that God made is in fact VERY good.  (Gen 1:31)

And if Jesus is any example – he would be the best – since He is fully human and fully divine, He is also fully good. His humanity and physicality doesn’t take away from His goodness. Neither should our reality of being physically present take away from the innate goodness that God has made us to be. Jesus shows us the way, He integrates the spiritual and the physical. He does not differentiate between both.

This is why for us Catholics, good works are an integral part of living Christian lives. One cannot separate the follower of Christ from good works. Since the source of all good is God Himself. These good works were enumerated by Christ in the Bible. But since not all of those things He said were explicitly said, a lot of them were passed on to His followers – the Apostles and the disciples. (2 Thess 2:15) Which leads me to my next point.

3. I believe in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

The very same Church whom Christ established through Peter (Matt 16:18), the One(not multiple) Church that is made Holy through Christ and not by the people in it. The One that is sent to all peoples, and not just to a select few. The One Church that has a proven lineage that traces itself back to the Apostles and back to Christ Himself. The Catholic Church.

This may come as a shock to some of you, but the bible you know now was compiled by the Catholic Church. In fact the Catholic Church predates the Bible in that sense.

Which brings me back to my second point, remember the time Jesus said:

“While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” – Matthew 26:26-28

Jesus didn’t mean that in a figurative sense of partaking His body or drinking from His cup. He meant it not only spiritually but very much so literally and physically. And guess which Church takes this to heart?

This Church.

Which goes back to my first point, only is it in the Catholic Church that my faith is asked challenged to go beyond the confines of what comforts me. The Catholic Church challenges me to conform my will to something infinitely higher than me. Which is God’s will, because He has revealed Himself through this Church.

I think it would be a sad day if the fullness of God was limited to what I was comfortable with. I want a faith that doesn’t stop at prosperity, but actually challenges me to pick up my own own cross (Matt 16:24) and be crucified in it. I want a faith that tells me to say Yes to His will and say no to the limited world-view. I want a faith that does not want me to compromise Him for the sake of my own personal gain. I want a faith that transcends my limitedness.

Going back to its roots, Religion is taken from the word Religare which means relationship. My religion is the relationship which God has instituted so I can have a fuller relationship with Him. And like any relationship, try going about doing other than what the other person wants/needs and you’ll end up in a very unhappy and unfulfilled relationship. A relationship is about giving oneself to the other, religion is the giving of oneself to God – Catholicism is its fullness. Why would I give God something less than what He wants?

SHouT out Series: To the “Christians”

The Eastern MV Shout here in Toronto was two weeks ago, yet I’m still running on a Spiritual Hangover of sorts. Throughout the whole week, everything (for me) kept pointing to two things:

  1. I am the way, the truth and the life.
  2. Build Me

The Lord kept bringing up these two themes in my prayer time, my scripture reading, my conversations with fellow MVs, and even at my workplace.  I kept myself open to the Holy Spirit and made sure to be more sensitive to its leading. Sure enough, in the last twelve hours of the SHOUT, He showed me a glimpse of the greatness that He has been working on.

——–
I AM THE WAY. Everything He ever did always fell on one thing: love. This was his only motive, and so it should be ours as well. His way gives us the opportunity to pour out into the world the love which God has placed in our hearts. Jesus, even in His full splendour never failed to serve those around Him. The scene of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet always provokes such a strong emotion out of me every time I picture it; you cannot get any more personal than that. Each relationship he had with his followers was important. It is never a question of whether or not He can do much for us, rather how much we allow him to do things for us. His only desire is ours.

“Our neighbor’s spiritual need transcends every commandment. Everything else we do is a means to an end. But love is an end already, since God is love.” – St. Edith Stein

Christ said, “I AM THE TRUTH“; he did not say “I am the custom.” (St. Toribio)
Oftentimes our religion is accused of being too rigid and strict, however as St. John Paul II points out ‘Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.‘ The truth sets us free; Jesus is truth. Living out our life as God intends us to (re: ten commandments and the Beatitudes) frees us from our vices which chains us and weighs us down. 

“When we speak God’s word, Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” – Jeremiah 23:29

Speaking His word and declaring it with conviction allows God’s kingdom to be built right here on Earth. We must not be afraid to speak the Truth. Through our fearlessness, More people will come to know heaven even while they are still alive.

I AM THE LIFE.  The way of the cross is the way of life. The words ‘To live is Christ, to die is gain’ (Philippians 1:21) . Jesus did not suffer so that we didn’t have to, rather so that we KNOW how to because “apart from the Cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.” (St. Rose of Lima). When we share in Christ’s suffering, we allow His beautiful and most Sacred Heart to beat in unison with ours. We allow Christ to dwell in us thus bringing life to those we encounter as well.

“Before they were known as Christians, the first disciples of Jesus were known as followers  of The Way. The ‘way’ of Jesus is the way of self-giving service. When we serve our neighbour, our service makes God’s Word visible and believable. Like the apostles and first deacons, our service to others helps them to experience Jesus as ‘the way’, the one who teaches us the truth about ourselves and brings us abundant life.” – St. Philip Neri, May 18 bulletin

Praise God that He allowed me to come across all of these things in just one week. He sees my desire to understand Him and to know him, and now that He has shared to me this bountiful and beautiful blessing I have a responsibility to share it.
Lord, give us the courage to follow your way, conviction to speak the truth, and the joy to live the life you give to us. Amen.

reclaiming the past.

in my MV interview, I was asked about how I dealt with my best friend taking her own life. answering the question wasn’t the best feeling in the world and ever since that time, I’ve been grappling with the right word to describe the experience. by chance, I found it through my favourite Tumblr website. (:

Sankofa

Sankofa. it’s such a strange word. it’s not in the English vernacular nor is it a term that I would normally use in a day to day conversation. if you know me well enough, the very definition of the word is something I’m not comfortable with for it entails that I open up,  look to the past, and reveal wounds stored in the crevice of my heart as well as deep seated emotions I long to forget. after that day, I naively thought that would be the last of it and it would be the last time I get to explore that part in my life. but yesterday in class, I was forced to confront it again because we happened to discuss mental health and within that topic, suicide.  while not a pleasant feeling, I’d like to think that somehow, God was telling me to acknowledge what happened (yet again) so that I can finally see beyond it and focus on the good that came with it.

if I’m being honest with myself, I hated it. Not my best friend. I don’t know if I could ever hate her. But I hated what she did  and the implications that came with it. I’ve known her my entire life – play dates since we were three years old, Friday afternoons spent in her house, countless hours spent on the phone talking or texting. with all that under my belt, I thought I had her figured out. but obviously, I was wrong. because when I was told of what happened that February night in 2008, I’ve never felt so betrayed in my life. Ever.

I thought best friends were supposed to wait for you after a therapy counselling session; not the reason why you’re talking to a therapist counselor in the first place. they’re supposed to reassure you that you’re a good friend but what she did made me question how I am as a friend because I was so racked with guilt  and the notion that I didn’t do everything I could to stop her from committing such an act. that was the year I graduated 12th grade and I had plans to visit the Philippines. at the last minute though, I backed out. how am I supposed to come home knowing that two blocks down my street exists her house? a house that once echoed with so much laughter and is now a seemingly empty one because her absence is too loud to bear? I couldn’t stomach the thought of bringing flowers and candles and going to the cemetery to be with her either. best friends are supposed to write maid of honour speeches for her wedding day, not a eulogy for her funeral.

in a few days, she’s supposed to turn 25. but because her life ended that fateful day in 2008, she will forever be 18 years old. what she did hurt me immensely and it made me feel things I did not know I was capable of feeling. dramatic as this this sounds, it felt like a part of me died too. despite all that, I wanna thank her.

the reason why I’m going into and studying to be a social worker is because I wanna try and make sure that individuals who might be feeling the same way she felt know that they have someone they can turn to. I wanna make sure that they are heard and their feelings are acknowledged; perhaps validated. I want to be the person that tells them it’s okay to feel the way they’re feeling rather than discount it because to acknowledge it can be the first step that is taken in order to deal with the underlying issues they may have. I’m discerning to be a full time worker because I want people to find peace in Christ. rather than feeling irreparable and dejected, I want people to hope in His light and in His love once more.

I read somewhere that pain doesn’t change you. rather, it reveals who you really are. so here I am reclaiming my past and in the process of doing so, understanding the reason why I’m discerning and why I’m doing everything that I’m doing right now. I’m figuring out who I’m meant to be in the future and what role I’m supposed to play for the society at large. it may not be the most ideal and some people might even say I’m defending what she did but what happened to her and the way it affected me pushed me to really look at life and pain in a different way. see, I used to think of pain as something that can bring you down and hold you back (and it did, for a time), but the grief I felt has allowed me to examine my values and even my vocation in life.

Speak to me Lord

There are times where I get this overwhelming burst of emotion after thinking too much about a particular thing. After thinking too hard about it, I start to get saddened by what it is, or what its current situation is, and eventually, I move on to thinking about another thing to take my mind off of it. I find myself in a constant whirlwind of emotions that repeat and never stop. My mind wanders too often into the things that I know my mind should not be in. Without me realizing, my thoughts, emotions and feelings start to get the best of me. Eventually, I start to worry, panic, and think of the many ways in where I can “fix” or make things better than how they currently are.

Almost all the time, I have many things that run through my mind. Especially before sleeping. My mind is filled with many thoughts, emotions and worries. Aside from having my personal prayer time, one of the other ways in where I keep myself grounded so that I do not act upon my feelings and emotions is to listen to non-secular songs. For as long as I can remember, I have had a playlist of reflection songs from Audrey Assad, Starfield, Casting Crowns, and Liveloud. Just to name a few. I keep this playlist going throughout my day/night or I repeat a particular song throughout the night that has spoken to my heart.

My choice of song most of the time goes something like this,


Speak To Me Lord – Anton Brosas

Take me to Your Holy place
A place to hear Your voice
Quiet my heart, make straight my path
Restore my soul, O Lord

I place my trust in You
I place my trust in You
Speak to me Lord, I pray to hear Your call
Speak to me Lord, as I worship and adore

Take me to Your Holy place
A place to know Your voice
Let Your love fall down on me
And Your spirit bring me peace

I place my trust in You
I place my trust in You
Speak to me Lord, I pray to hear Your call
Speak to me Lord, as I worship and adore

My Lord and my God
I surrender myself to You
My Lord and my God
I surrender myself to You (X2)

Speak to me Lord, I pray to hear Your call
Speak to me Lord, as I worship and adore
(repeat)

*A very beautiful prayer from an inspiring brother.

I woke up yesterday morning still having many things on my mind. I felt as though the Lord was doing all that He could to get into my thoughts and more so, into my heart. He was knocking but I was not answering. I could hear Him knocking but, being the stubborn person I usually am, I choose to not allow Him to come in. Knowing that if I did, He would occupy every thought in my mind. Making me forget all of my worries and all of the important things I have been thinking of.

Although I do trust in the Lord, there are many times in where I get weak and eventually start doubting myself, and most especially, the Lord. Very ironic with my song choice. The time that I ask for the Lord to speak to me is the time I choose to ignore Him. Its the time I choose to be ignorant and prideful. Thinking that, I have everything under control. This is one of the times in where I really have to humble myself and ask the Lord for an increase in faith, hope and trust. It’s during these times in where, I am continually reminded that, I am nothing and that the Lord is everything. The song continually reminds me of the posture I should have when I come before the Lord.

A posture of full surrender, total faith, hope and trust.

Lord, help me to fully surrender myself to your love. As I come before your throne, I ask for your loving  grace and mercy to humble this sinful heart of mine. Increase in me the capacity to love so that I may grow in Holiness towards you.
Mama Mary, intercede for me. Purify my hearts every desire so that they may be aligned with the Father’s will.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

Guard Your Heart

Guard your heart… we hear that said often and usually referring to courtship or lovelife and protecting yourself from a relationship that might not be beneficial for you.

Recently, I just came back from a blessed trip back home to Ontario. It was such a blessing seeing my family, which consists of my parents, sisters, brother in law, my nieces, brothers and sisters in the community, and one of my best friends. Not only that, I was able to see my GG, Norelle Rose Cuevas.

Praise God for all the joy, laughter, relaxation and time spent together with people I dearly loved. The challenge was, since I was in the comfort of my own home and province, there were so many times where I was tempted to let my guard down and not protect it from the evil one.

It can be hard at times especially when we get distracted from things that we might think bring us happiness, especially as a missionary. I was reminded during this trip that if we believe in Jesus and what He says, then we must give our whole heart to Him. No excuses. And not only we should give our whole life to Him but also ask His help to protect our heart so that it may be focused on His.

Ask to protect our heart so that it may be focused on His. Guarding our hearts should not only be towards courtship and lovelife, but also towards the evil one.

the question is, “What should I protect / guard my heart from?”

Lord Jesus, I asked through the intercession Mother Mary, to protect and guard our hearts from the things that bring us farther away from you, whatever it may be. Amen.

Let’s see

Come and see what God has done,
    his awesome deeds for mankind! – Psalm 66:5

This verse says a lot. Such as for us to be a witness to something big, and maybe for us to preview what heaven will be like.  God who is all powerful and almighty with all things done through Him has a special love for us that He will never get tired of us and will continually show us things that He wants us to see.  There is so much joy in this alone.  His love for us says it all.

Emmanuel

“It is a prayer and plea (on our behalf) and a promise and declaration on God’s part.” (Father Thomas Rosica) EMMANUEL – “God be with us,” being our prayer and our plea is also God’s way of whispering to us His promise, “I am with you,” in Jesus.

Jesus’ death and resurrection were not the only pieces of His love for us. It is not just through the sacrifice, but also through the very moment he was conceived in Mary through the Holy Spirit; His very existence. By bringing Jesus to us at conception and birth, it began the fulfillment of an eternal promise,

“Do not fear, for I am with you,
    do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my victorious right hand”
(Isaiah 41: 10)

“I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
(Matthew 28: 20)

He had already brought Himself down to live with us, and even through that sacrifice. But His love and yearning for us must be so great that He continuously chooses to live within us through His presence so intimately consecrated in the most Holy Eucharist, and in His very presence in one another, every day, every minute, through the breath of new life!

In every single being is the breath of God, and if we release ourselves from the default mindset of our perception of “waiting,” which is now often times understood to be the moments we idle or stay still like a sitting duck, we will begin to see that there is always a call to see and seek Him more deeply (no matter how grand or minuscule the “call” or moment may be). In this way,

YES, we will lament,

YES, it will be hard,

YES, we may falter,

YES, we may even fail at times,

But the acknowledgement of His divine presence everywhere around us will allow us to go beyond the face value of these hardships and sufferings and see the face of God instead. Which brings me back to the beginning of His call for me…

MISSION (whatever it may be for us) IS NOT JUST ABOUT ENDURING… IT IS LIVING.

The two go hand in hand. It is not easy. Unlike most other jobs, mission work is mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually draining if it is not done because of, for, and with the Lord! But if we allow His Spirit in some sort of daily “Pentecost,” then there is no stopping us. WE LIVE THROUGH ENDURING, AND WE ENDURE BECAUSE WE LIVE.

“At most, we are far from Him, but the path that joins us to one another is open. And this path is not a matter of space travel of a cosmic-geographical nature: it is the ‘space travel’ of the heart, from the dimension of world embracing divine love.”

EMMANUEL.

It is an ordinary, yet not-so-ordinary reminder of our needed plea and prayer, and His never-ending, ever fulfilling promise and declaration to us… We ask for His presence, and He was, is, and always will be with us.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us,
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us,

Amen.