In the outward sign of crossing our forehead, lips, and heart, we are asking that the Word of God to pierce our mind, lips, and hearts.
We cross our forehead so that the Word of God may be in our thoughts and purify our minds. We cross our lips so that our speech may be holy and incline us to share the Gospel with others. And we cross our hearts to invite God to strengthen our love for Him and others. All of this is so that we might know, proclaim, and love Jesus Christ all the more.
This raises an important question: how does a teen like Kyle find a way to be committed to sports, academics, and his faith while so many other teens struggle? In Matthew 6:21 Jesus says, "Where your treasure is, there also your heart will be." If our Catholic faith and our relationship with God is something that is truly a treasure in our lives, we then place it at the center of our lives.
Do we think we have to stop sinning so often or get our lives together (whatever that even means) before we can really come before Him? Yes, He’s the ultimate healer, and we get that (or at least we think we do), but right now…we’re just too messy. Too broken. Too sinful. Too lost. Too far gone.
Sometimes though, in order to welcome in the community God has in mind for us, we need to put in a little work on our end.
For a long time I faked having a relationship with Mary. Even after I had a relationship with God, and leadership roles at my parish I just didn’t give it much thought. I didn’t even know how to correctly say the rosary until I did summer missions in college. So […]
Who are you, then? As St. John Paul II said, “You are the sum of the Father’s love for you.” You are His, and every part of your life should be reflective of that.
Anxiety does not define you. The truth is that Christ longs to help us carry our crosses of anxiety and calls us to take real steps towards real healing. Within these steps towards healing, we are able to share our faith exactly how He calls us to and walk with others towards Christ and the Gospel.
I was the girl who showed up early to every Life Night, signed up early for every retreat, attended literally 6 Steubenvilles as a high schooler (how is that even possible?), and proudly carried my (somewhat intentionally) tattered Bible around with my everywhere.
Fear can often blind us from truth, and the truth is, decisions made out of fear are rarely the right ones.
