Friday, December 25, 2009

Saturday, December 26, 2009

From Saint and Thought For Every Day
by Blessed James Alberione
St. Stephen
First Martyr

St. Stephen was one of the seven deacons chosen by the apostles to administer the goods of the Church among the poor. Because of his zeal and the "great wonders" which he worked, he was hated. The account of his martyrdom is proclaimed in today's Mass. Following St. Stephen's example, let us forgive and pray for our enemies.

What strikes me most today?

"Because of his zeal and the 'great wonders' which he worked, he was hated." Looking back, what a great honor for St. Stephen to be the first martyr. But I try to put myself in St. Stephen's position - how scared I would have been. The fact that the Church was so young (he was one of the deacons chosen by the apostles, so the Church was really young!), he did not have the benefit of 2000+ years of martyrs, miracles, Saints, papal succession, and worldwide growth of the Church. I would have been scared to death. This is only a greater testament to the incredible faith of this young man. I, on the other hand, have all the benefits of 2000+ years of Holy Mother Church - so why do I let it bother me when people question my motives for wanting to tell the world how much I love Jesus and His Church?
The truth is, when I doubt or question or worry that any of my words and actions are pointing to me and not Jesus, or any other thought that makes me want to back away from evangelizing, I hear in the back of my mind a replay of the reassuring voice of Daughter of St. Paul postulant Emily Marsh with a Buffalo accent say, "All for Jesus!" (I've heard others say this, but it's definitely Emily's voice on the recording in my mind).
(I sometimes hear a Polish accent message and sometimes a Kenyan accent message, but I'll save those for future blogs!)

What strikes you most today?
Click on "COMMENTS" below to share, especially if any "recorded messages" replay in your mind in times of need.
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 26, 2009 at 11:13 AM

    "All for Jesus." That message truly gives us the strength to do things we didn't think we could do. The Postulants have certainly learned it well! What a gift they are to our community.
    Sr. Rebecca

    ReplyDelete
  2. FSP PostulantsDecember 28, 2009 at 3:06 PM

    Thanks for reminding us, Dr. Mathews, of the reason we do all that we do! :)

    ReplyDelete

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"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

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"Fear not, I am with you. From here I want to enlighten. Atone for sin."

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Why?

Why a blog? Why St. Paul? Why do I think I have any business doing this?
We are all on a spiritual journey. We all want that journey to lead us to heaven, to eternity with God. For this journey, we need one another.
The journey so far has led me to read and learn about so many forms of authentic Catholic spirituality - Ignatian, Benedictine, Carmelite, Dominican, Franciscan, etc. My biggest problem was that I came to love each one tremendously. I began reading more and more, spending more and more time at the Daughters of St. Paul bookstore on Watson Road here in St. Louis. Who would have thought my greatest conversion story would take place in a bookstore? Mine was not quite as sudden or dramatic as St. Paul on the road to Damascus, but getting to know the Daughters of St. Paul affected me no less significantly.
The sisters are Eucharistic by nature. The first time I entered the chapel in their bookstore, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed and one of the sisters was on her knees, gazing at Christ, with an indescribably beautiful smile on her face. I had a glimpse of heaven. I knelt at one of the other kneelers and noticed on the wall behind the monstrance the words: "Fear not, I am with you. From here I want to enlighten. Atone for sin." I had that brief moment of absolute certainty that I was on the right path.
Over the last several years I have worked my way through as many books, CD's, DVD's and conversations with the Daughters of St. Paul that time has allowed. Time is at such a premium for all of us. Years ago we were told that with advances in technology we would have much more free time on our hands. We all know this has not been the case. Our lives are busier and more hectic than ever. Even if we are unable to find time to read good books, see enlightening movies or attend lectures and discussions, maybe we could all spend a little time on the internet supporting one another on our faith journeys. Many of you know more about many aspects of Catholic spirituality than I do.
Pope John Paul the Great called us all to a New Evangelization, to share the Gospel with the world. I am hoping we can all be St. Paul in this blog space by sharing Christ with one another and with others. St. Paul travelled to many foreign and often hostile regions to evangelize the world; we are fortunate to be able to use the internet to reach even farther and more quickly.
The idea of using today's means of social communication to spread the Gospel was given to Blessed James Alberione on the night between the centuries (December 31, 1900 - January 1, 1901). He was a 16 year-old seminary student adoring Christ in the Blessed Sacrament when a special light came to him from the Host. Following this, Blessed James Alberione became the founder of the Society of St. Paul priests, the Daughters of St. Paul, the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, Sisters of Jesus the Good Shepherd, Sisters of the Queen of Apostles, and numerous institutes that are also part of the Pauline family.
So what is Pauline spirituality? In my experience, Pauline spirituality encompasses all the teachings of Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and love of all the other spiritualities and Saints of the Church. It is the members of the Pauline family who are the happiest people I know! It is loving God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit with all our hearts and souls, through the intercession of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, and St. Paul.
So why St. Paul? I can relate to St. Paul. We first meet him in the New Testament as a sinner. He has a thorn in his side that God decides is best not to take away. I sometimes wish I knew what that thorn was, but it's probably better I don't know. I like to pretend it is one of my many weaknesses or faults. If St. Paul could go from persecuting Christ and His Church to becoming the person responsible for spreading the Gospel and establishing the Church in foreign lands, the least I can do is start a blog. I have been especially inspired by my two favorite bloggers, Sr. Margaret Charles Kerry, fsp, and a Pauline Cooperator named Rae Stabosz. I believe Sr. Margaret and Rae are doing just what St. Paul and Blessed James Alberione would be doing with the internet.
In future blogs (which will be shorter than this first post!), I would like to share writings of St. Paul, Blessed James Alberione, and many others. I look forward to others sharing writings from other Catholic spiritualities and writers. An especially Pauline way of sharing is to point out to one another what aspects particularly speak to each of us.
Another Pauline trait is to pray for one another. My prayer is that we support one another on our path to holiness. Our goal is to glorify God in all that we do - so let's do it!