Defending the Real Presence of Christ

This is the first of 5 posts I will be writing for the Roses for Mary Eucharist discussion.

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70% of young people in the Catholic Church no longer believe in the Real Presence of Christ. It is written off by them as a symbol. Interviewing many fallen-away Catholics and ex-Catholics, it’s not hard to see that they were never taught the Faith in a loving and meaningful manner. If the people teaching catechesis never emphasized the subject, we can’t completely blame that 70% for not understanding Who the Eucharist is.

I remember when I was in RCIA and surrounded by other people my age preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. I am no longer friends with any of them, and when I visit their profiles online, it’s doubtful whether they were given the same love for the Church and the Eucharist as I. Many people drift away after receiving the Sacraments of Initiation and forget that Jesus is waiting for them in the chapel. With nothing to remind them daily of Our Lord in Adoration, how can they remember?

There are still many young people who do believe in the Real Presence. Many try to keep their faith quiet because it is not welcome in this world—but that can no longer be. If we don’t start speaking up for Our Lord in the Eucharist, the next generation will have a greater percentage of nonbelievers.

What would be the point of His sacrifice if believers allow it to peter away into a distant myth? We were sent to make disciples of all nations. Why aren’t we?

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In the Gospel of John, chapter 6 is read by all Christians and misinterpreted by many. Non-Catholics twist the words of Christ into meanings that allow them to deny that the Eucharist is truly Our Lord. Some say that He is only speaking metaphorically about His Flesh and Blood. Others say He was simply saying “believe in Me.”

Read this excerpt slowly:

‘Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. ‘

John 6:53-56

Don’t ignore the command eat My flesh or drink My blood. Nowhere in the verses before or after this does it make clear that He is speaking metaphorically. Also, Jesus said clearly in other parts of the Bible to believe in Him; this discourse is not a ‘believe in Me’ discourse. It has a deeper meaning. He is trying to say something else, and it is a hard teaching.

Yes, it is a hard teaching (John 6:60)–and Jesus Himself lost disciples because they did not think He was speaking metaphorically. They did not think He was simply saying believe in Me. They knew that He was telling them to do something no man had imagined doing—and it frightened them. They could no longer accept how radical the life of a Christ-follower was becoming.

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People today are not much different when they deny the Real Presence. It is too radical of a teaching for them—it is too hard. Because if Jesus really means for us to eat His flesh and drink His blood, it would mean accepting the rest of it: a sacramental life, one of hardship, one in which the Church has a visible authority. A life in which the Bible can no longer be interpreted as one wishes.

They make up new interpretations and walk away. They reject what Christ told them to do. This is the truth of it.

‘Then many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” ‘

John 6:60

Why is this such a hard teaching for non-Catholics to understand? Read this verse closely:

‘Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, **you do not have life within you. ‘**

John 6:53 (emphasis mine)

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If you are following our discussion on the Eucharist through the Roses for Mary group, or if you have discovered this post while browsing, ask yourself these questions:

– What does Jesus mean when He says that unless you eat His flesh and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you? Could it have something to do with a popular belief, born-again Christianity, in which nothing is supposedly needed but a confession?

– Do you think that He meant these words to be a simple ‘believe in Me’? Explain your stance on this.

– Read the discourse on the Eucharist in John 6 closely and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you. Did anything Jesus say stand out? Comment and share what you received through Lectio Divina.

True Sisterhood

Family can be complicated. Many of us have estranged family members; some people are disconnected from their relatives for the sake of their mental (and sometimes physical!) health.

You might have a wonderful, supportive family with whom you make beautiful memories. Maybe your family is somewhere in the past, where they can’t do you any more harm.

It’s true when they say you can choose your family. If you’re a Christian, it’s not only a matter of picking people you like. Christians are united by the blood of Jesus.

That means you have sisters all over the place. What a gift from the Lord!

Think About It

This week, I started a group for Catholic women and Catechumens called Roses For Mary. The objective for this group is to welcome converts, giving them a firm understanding of the Catholic faith. I also want to make sure they know that—no matter what stage of life they’re in—they’re not alone.

As more ladies join and introduce themselves, I am filled with joy. Young ladies, mothers, new wives and unmarried women like me—we are coming together from across the world. We are united with the goal of learning about Jesus and His Catholic Church.

Are you a Catholic woman? You belong in this group too! Drop a comment and I’ll give you the link!

Sisters in Christ do not only share the bond of having parents in common. We understand the joy of the Christian life and have our eyes open to catch every blessing that He sends our way.

Sisters in Christ offer support and love, doubled in power by the presence of Christ in between them. They are committed to learning about God together, knowing that His goodness can be found everywhere. Sisters in Christ and daughters of the Church, the Bride of Jesus, together will raise a new generation of little Saints.

Do not wallow in loneliness; be encouraged to look for true sisterhood. Make sure you’re searching in the right place. Search where Love is present and ready to shower us with abundant gifts.

Pray Now

True sisterhood cares for the soul of the other. True sisterhood prays.

No matter what kind of blood family you have, find solace in your church family—and in your heavenly family, the Saints, who are always praying for you.

Ask God to lead you to those who will make up your true family. Pray that He will send honest people into your life who will remember you in prayer. This is true sisterhood.

As Jesus said about family:

“Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.””
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Mark 3:35

What’s Your Passion?

I have many pastimes which I adore. I am a novel writer–though this year I’m taking a bit of a break from that. I am a bookworm and I enjoy playing (easy) piano. I’m teaching myself watercolor and have recently found joy in baking.

All of these could be called passions. You have some, too. God gives us gifts, interests unique to us, talents we can take to the next level by sharpening them with practice.

What happens when we become so caught up in what we like to do that we forget prayer time? What happens when the enemy shifts our focus so that the devotion we owe only God is given to a hobby?

Pay Attention

Prayer can feel fruitless at times. If we don’t get what we want, cannot clear our heads, or just don’t feel like it, the temptation is to grab that paintbrush again. After all, when we practice painting we get better at it; how do we know we are getting better at prayer?

In the Bible the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. It has always been a struggle to disconnect from the world to hear God’s voice.

In my last blog post What Is Distracting You? I mentioned how the devil likes to ‘clang cymbals’ next to our ears to keep us from hearing God. Sometimes he doesn’t do that–sometimes he does something more cruel.

He causes us to drift away from God by loving our hobbies more.

You will find at the end of the day that hobbies, when given this power, don’t fill us. They do not possess the words to eternal life. They are not bread from heaven.

You’ll paint, be happy with something, paint, be unhappy with something–but when you turn to Jesus you’ll find He is always on time. He never fails to fill us.

Pray

It’s fine to have a hobby that you love, but make sure that hobby doesn’t take the place of God! Set aside time every day to connect with Him. Read about the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray.

Meditate on these comforting Truths:

““Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
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Matthew 7:7

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
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Ephesians 3:20-21

What Is Distracting You?

Sometimes I like to imagine the enemy creating noise to distract me from hearing God’s voice.

I picture that sore loser clanging cymbals next to my ear, rattling pots and tin cans like a naughty child making a mess in the kitchen. He knows he lost the battle for eternity, so he resorts to such things.

He does the same to all of us. He’s doing it to you.

Pay Attention

Sometimes his work is more subtle. He will remind you of things that make you feel irritated, robbing you of your concentration. ‘The carpet is stained.’ ‘The soup has spilled over!’ ‘We’re OUT of SUGAR.’ ‘I can’t believe I’ve used up the shampoo AND the conditioner.’

The enemy will whisper these things to send you into a panic. Then you will deafen yourself with worry while he sits back and laughs. Talk about playing dirty!

We have to remember what Jesus said: ‘Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to his life?’ (Matthew 6:27).

When we’re caught up worrying, we lose moments of life! Worry has no place in the life of a Christian.

Pray

Ponder these words spoken by Our Lord: ‘My sheep listen to My voice.’ (John 10:27).

Ask Jesus for help tuning out the devil’s pathetic cymbal-clanging. Listen instead for the voice your Shepherd. I promise He’s speaking to you.

Listen for Jesus’ voice. Don’t let the enemy confuse you away from your flock, which is what he intends to do.

Listen for your Shepherd.

The Faith of a Flower

There comes a time, when tending a garden, in which you notice seedlings emerge to sprout leaves. I can’t explain why some plants of the same sort grow faster than others. Better soil? More water? Good lighting?

Gardening changes your spiritual life. I have been dragging my feet here; I think I’m past the phase of telling stories based on others’ accounts. It’s like a flower growing. You go from knowing about Saints to knowing Saints–and trying to be one.

I’m spiritually aware enough to know I’m far from that goal.

It’s not about me anymore. This is not a just blog with dramatic tales. I’m grateful that they came easily to me for a time; and perhaps they will come again.

Instead of forcing stories that, for the moment, will not emerge, I can tell the truth. What truth I know better than my own? (And this relatively so. We are always in denial of our own flaws in faith.)

What was the water that caused awareness? Perhaps it was the daily Rosary I took up. It might be the pleasant weather; months of warmth manage to clear the spiritual vision. It might have been allowing God to show me my imperfection.

Plants do not grow well without a gardener to tend to them; left on their own, they become out of control and are not always healthy. Forest fires and poor weather make survival a coin toss. Maybe I am a plant, and God is the gardener, and the Rosary was Him pruning the dead branches.

I can tell my story now. It isn’t as impressive as the canonized Saints, but it’s something I know slightly better.

I hope the weather will also change to bless you!

Conversion Story: The True Mission

By Tony Hansen

I was raised in a loving LDS home that encouraged me to see God’s plan and love in everything. When I was 19 and in college, I felt God suggesting I go on my mission after that semester, despite my plans of going after graduating with a degree. I was sent to Ukraine and immediately fell in love with the beautiful icons in the Orthodox and Catholic churches. I now consider this the earliest stages of my conversion to Catholicism.

While on my mission, the mission leadership challenged us all to reaffirm our testimonies of the Book of Mormon by praying about it and asking God if it was true. I had always believed the Book of Mormon was true but never experienced what I would consider a spiritual witness of this fact. This began to bother me as I started to pray and look for a spiritual witness as I was instructed to by my church leadership. Being less of an emotional person made this even more frustrating as the vast majority of references to spiritual witnesses involve some form of emotional response. This lack of spiritual witness continued throughout my mission and after I returned home.

Upon returning home, I continued searching for a spiritual witness that the LDS church was true. Through 6 years of searching, the lack of the expected result slowly led me to stop wanting to attend church, read my scriptures, or even pray. I felt like I couldn’t claim to be LDS because I didn’t have the all important witness from God that it was true. At my sister-in-law’s wedding Mass, I realised that I wasn’t living as the man I had promised God and my wife I would be. I always wanted to be strong in my faith for my family and I simply wasn’t living that way.

To rectify this, I dove into my search with renewed vigor. I started rereading the Book of Mormon and the Gospels (always my favourite part of scripture) for the umpteenth time. I also tried to go in with a mind more open to Truth in general rather than trying to only reaffirm my LDS faith. While reading the sixth chapter of John, the same prompting that told me to serve a mission told me to think about why Christ would say “Verily, verily” (or as it could be translated “Truly, truly”) about eating His Flesh and drinking His Blood. At that moment, I realised I really only had 2 choices if I wanted to follow where Truth led me, Catholicism or Orthodoxy. Being raised LDS had left me with a strong opinion on the need for a leader among the Apostles, which the Papacy provides. In under half an hour, I had gone from being an inactive LDS to researching what I needed to know and do to become Catholic.

After several weeks of study, I decided to tell my wonderful wife that I thought I needed to become Catholic. Her loving response was to laugh at me for several minutes. Before we even got engaged, the plan was always for us to attend both her Mass and my LDS services and to never try to convert the other. She couldn’t believe that I was converting on my own. Throughout my journey into the Catholic church, she made sure to constantly challenge me and ensure that I was converting for the right reasons and not because I just wanted a new church or that it would be easier to attend the same church or that I thought it was what she wanted. I frequently say I became Catholic despite my wife because she took longer to convince that it was the correct decision than I did. The next big steps were getting over being raised non-Trinitarian, praying to Mary and the saints, and telling my family I was converting, especially my mother who had converted from Catholicism to LDS before my birth.

After another month of study, I finally gathered my courage to pray to know if I should become Catholic. Despite all the other signs, it was important to me to get the spiritual witness I never found in the LDS church. I was blessed to receive this witness and also the gentle encouragement to share this with my family. My wife also gave me her support and I made several phone calls that day. First to my Catholic in-laws so that I at least had someone happy for me. Then I called my mother and father. I am very blessed to have such wonderful parents who, while disappointed I was leaving the faith they loved so strongly, expressed their sincere support of me and even went so far as to offer to not share their faith with any of my future children if that’s what I want. Now I just needed to assure myself of the truth of my final questions about Catholicism.

Mary and the saints was probably the easiest hurdle after Transubstantiation for me to get past. I already had a good belief in the righteous dead supporting us, a version of Purgatory, and most of the Marian dogmas (the Assumption and Immaculate conception also made sense once explained to me). Once I learned that praying to saints is completely optional, I thought I was golden. Then reading Kimberly Hahn’s experience in Rome Sweet Home made me realise what role Mary and the saints can actually play in our lives. The Trinity was much harder to wrap my head around until I heard an RCIA instructor on YouTube explain it as the Father’s perfect self-knowledge begat the Son and the Spirit proceeds from Their perfect love. Before then, everyone had tried to use analogies that always left me more confused than before. Once the Trinity made sense, I contacted our local parish to start RCIA.

In RCIA, I was known as the one who already knew all the answers and would sometimes have to correct the catechists. I also chose to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church from cover to cover during the Advent and Lent preceeding my baptism. Being able to finally partake of Christ after over a year of knowing it is something I need to do was and is one of the sweetest moments. Since being baptised, I have volunteered my skills developed in the LDS church as a cathechist with RCIA and my wife and I have been the RCIA coordinators the past 2 years.

Guest Post: Visions of St. Hildegard of Bingen

The Six Days of Creation from Scivias

By Phillip Campbell

One of the most exceptional saints of the 12th century was the German nun, St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179). Though St. Hildegard spent the majority of her life confined to the abbey of  Disibodenberg on the Rhine, she was one of the most creative and prolific minds of her age. Besides governing the community that would be her home for 40 years, Hildegard wrote treatises on botany, medicine, theology, and the arts. She composed poetry and music and corresponded with popes and princes. In this article, we will take a very brief look at the creative energy of this exceptional soul.

Hildegard’s most notable work was Scivias, Latin for “Know the Way.” Hildegard took ten years completing Scivias, a book that details Hildegard’s private revelations. The themes of Scivias are broad, dealing with salvation history and the progress of the soul towards God. 

The original manuscript of Hildegard’s Scivias contains 35 gorgeous illuminated drawings taken from the text. There is significant debate over who created the actual illuminations, or whether they were even produced during Hildegard’s lifetime. Regardless, the images assuredly capture the spirit of Hildegard’s visions: vibrant, colorful images of the spiritual journey of the soul, often framed as intricate mandalas. They reflect Hildegard’s profoundly creative mind and marvelously encompass the eternal and the temporal within each image. Their depiction of three dimensional space is also unique. Though the Scivias illuminations do not use conventional perspective (the method would not be rediscovered in the West until over a century later), they have their own internal way of depicting space, usually with mandalas within mandalas. The illuminations of Hildegard’s Scivias have become more popular than the actual text itself.

Hildegard of Bingen, ‘Scivias: The Trinity’ – The Culturium

We could also cite Hildegard’s prodigious musical output. Throughout her life Hildegard composed around 151 songs, 82 of them for the Ordo Virtutem, the earliest morality play and the earliest surviving musical drama not associated with the liturgy or a particular feast. In addition to the Ordo Virtutem she composed around 70 other songs for liturgical settings.

Hildegard’s music is distinct from other medieval liturgical chants in what has been called the ” improvisatory nature” of her melodies. Most high medieval chants follow very predictable melodic movements, whereas the melodies of Hildegard are freer and more elaborate. Her choice of verbiage is also more lush and unconventional, perhaps reflecting her lack of formal Latin training. There is a stream-of-consciousness feel to her text, which is filled with colorful images taken from the natural world—jewels, flowers, fountains, gardens, light, the sky. Her words have a certain vibrancy to them; consider her beautiful description of the Holy Spirit in her hymn “O’ Holy Spirit, Root of Life”:

 O Holy Spirit, root of life,
creator, cleanser of all things,
anoint our wounds; awaken us
with lustrous movement of your wings…

O Holy Wisdom, soaring power,
encompass us with wings unfurled,
and carry us, encircling all,
above, below and through the world.

Her verses about the Virgin Mary are equally rich, as in the famous Ave Generosa:

I behold you,
noble, glorious and whole woman,
the pupil of purity.
You are the sacred matrix in which God takes great pleasure…

Your flesh held joy,
like grass upon which dew falls,
pouring its life-green into it,
and so it is true in you also,
o Mother of all delight.

It is difficult to do justice to the creative scope of St. Hildegard’s work in a brief essay like this, but hopefully this will encourage you to study more about this remarkable woman. Her music is widely available commercially and on YouTube. So, put on some of her chants, peruse the beautiful artwork of the Scivias, and lift your mind and heart to things heavenly, letting the Holy Spirit carry you, “wings unfurled…encircling all above, below, and through the world.”

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Phillip Campbell is a nationally known Catholic educator who has authored or edited over 20 books specializing in historical subjects. He is best known for his Story of Civilization series from TAN Books and is the founder of Cruachan Hill Press. Information about Phillip and his work can be found at http://www.phillipcampbell.net. 

Three Royal Catholic Saints — Part II

The Saints are often judged in terms of how well they lived poorly. Humility and poverty are virtues which should rarely be judged externally. They are traits of the soul. The fact of owning wealth or a title won’t bar you from the goal of sanctity any more than being a pauper will get you to Heaven.

The royal Saints of the Catholic Church are examples of how someone can be Christlike without always dressing in sackcloth. Many were great leaders, skilled in battle, powerful in spirit to rule and protect their people. They did all of this in the name of Christ; it is His kingdom that matters in the end.

I have already covered three royal saints here; the topic fascinated me, and I decided to do more research on them. Here are three more royal Saints from all over the world. These kings and queens chose to use their power for the greater good.

St. Alfred the Great

Alfred the Great is not only a saint in the Catholic Church, but he is a prominent figure in ancient history. Born in 849, he was King of Wessex, a devout monarch who fought for the Christian faith as much as he did for his country.

In 853 he traveled to Rome and became friends with Pope Leo IV, who adopted him as a godson. Alfred did not let the gleam of a royal title blind him to what we are called to do–be little Christs on earth.

A great scholar, Alfred translated many classics for his people. He desired to serve his flock spiritually in other ways, but was unable to, as most of his reign was spent in conflict with the Danes. 

Alfred protected his flock, never forgetting that the true King is Jesus. Like St. Alfred, we might find ourselves doing something other than we had wanted with our lives and talents; no talent is wasted if it is used for the Lord.

St. Clotilde

Conversions to the True Faith are always reason for celebration. Historically, when a King or Emperor converted to a different faith, their people were affected in dramatic ways. Sometimes it led to good things; others, it leads to more trouble. 

The conversions of Constantine and Clovis are examples of how the leader of a tribe can guide his people home. When the Frank ruler King Clovis I became a Catholic, it set off a wave of conversion among his people.

According to the historian Gregory of Tours, Clovis converted after winning a battle against the Alemanni, a rival German tribe. His wife, Clotilde, was already a Catholic. She was the granddaughter of Gundioc, King of Burgundy. She was later a great influence on her husband’s faith. How she must have prayed when he was baptized! We can imagine she was praying for him long before that battle.

After the death of her husband, Clotilde became renowned as a devout and humble woman. The people trusted her with their troubles and sought in her spiritual guidance until her death in 548.

St. Hedwig

The first female monarch of the kingdom of Poland, St. Hedwig was also the aunt of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. Her father, Louis the Great, arranged for her to marry William of Austria and live in Vienna. When King Louis died, however, plans were changed–and the marriage called off. 

In order to appease the Polish people, Hedwig was crowned ‘king of Poland’ on 16 October, 1384. She married the Jogaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1386; he was chosen as her husband in order to please the nobility. A pagan by birth, he signed a pledge to convert to Catholicism in order to marry Hedwig. Legend says that she only agreed to marry him after a great deal of prayer.

Hedwig attended daily Mass and had a great devotion to the Virgin Mary. She had a chalice engraved with a prayer which placed Poland in Our Lady’s protection; that chalice is now in Warsaw Cathedral. In life, she interceded for her people to make their lives better; after she died, many miracles were attributed to her. She was canonized in 1266.

Conversion Story: “You Are God’s Child Too.”

By Carrie Rosolino

My conversion to the Catholic Faith, to any outsider, looks simple. I grew up Lutheran, married a Catholic, and that’s that. My experience, however, encompassed so much more than these simple facts; my journey was filled with signs and symbols and the assurance that the Catholic Church was the right place for me.

I met my husband while we were both students at Rhodes College in Memphis TN. I was only 30 minutes from home and my Lutheran church home, where I received my First Communion and was confirmed in 8th grade. My parents were weekly church attendees and had held various positions on the church council while I grew up.

It was natural for me to bring my college boyfriend to church with me, and I went to Mass with him sometimes too. But when we got engaged, I wanted to be married in my home church. We had to complete marriage preparation in both the Lutheran and the Catholic Churches, as we had a close family friend, a deacon, concelebrate our Lutheran wedding. Still- I never thought I would be Catholic.

Family Photo: Mike and Carrie with Lynnlee, 21, and Tanner, 19

I became pregnant with our first child in our second year of marriage. This baby was planned and loved, and we knew we wanted to raise our children in a church, but the question of which one now became more pressing. Since we had been married, we had attended both Lutheran and Catholic Churches in the small college town where we lived, but the Catholic Church was full of young college students and professors, while the Lutheran Church was full of people my parents’ and grandparents’ age. My husband was never going to become Lutheran, and so I began to consider converting.

One Wednesday during Lent, at about four months pregnant, I stopped by the Catholic Church, St. Boniface, for a Lenten service. I intended to tell the priest that I wanted to become Catholic after the short Mass, where only about seven people were in attendance. During the consecration, Father Jim, a former tax collector from Massachusetts, invited the small congregation to circle the altar. I didn’t join as I wasn’t going to receive the Eucharist, but Father Jim looked at me and invited me to the circle, saying “You are God’s child too.” Although I had already decided to join the church, this direct invitation seemed like a message that the church wanted me and welcomed me and my baby. It was the sign I hadn’t asked for, assuring me that I was making the right decision.

I went through a shortened RCIA program and was confirmed a Catholic at the Easter Vigil mass that year. My husband was my sponsor, and my parents were very supportive, wanting their grandchildren to have a solid church home like I did growing up. My mother and father-in-law attended my confirmation and were pleased by my decision. My mother-in-law had joined a convent at 13 and lived there until she took time to get her masters degree at Notre Dame at 30, and my father-in-law had been a Catholic Brother until meeting his future wife while getting his masters degree at Notre Dame. Their faith is still strong and sure, and they have been inspirational to me while raising my children in the church.

My journey isn’t over, but it’s been filled with signs that I’m on the right path. My husband has always felt called to serve the Church, so together we explored diaconate formation together when our two children were quite young. I was worried about leaving my children at home for one weekend a month, as wives are required to participate in the formation of their husbands.

I prayed, and finally, frustrated, I asked God for a sign. There was a Bible sitting next to me on the couch, and I opened it and pointed to a verse: Isaiah 61:5. This verse states, “They shall rebuild the ancient ruins, the former wastes they shall raise up and restore the desolate cities, devastations of generation upon generation. Strangers shall stand ready to pasture your flocks, foreigners shall be your farmers and vinedressers. You yourselves shall be called ‘Priests of the LORD.’”

My husband is now a deacon, ordained in 2015.

My conversion has given me job opportunities as well. When I was let go from a job in 2011, I decided to return to full time teaching, and our deacon connections during formation secured a position for me teaching middle school religion at a local Catholic school. That job led to a youth ministry position at my own parish, and I am currently teaching English at a Catholic High school. None of this would have been possible without that first gentle invitation from Father Jim, indicating that this was where I belonged.

Looking back, I see the work of the Holy Spirit in my life from the beginning of my relationship with my husband; I see the gentle prodding that led me down the path to my conversion. While my faith in God was never in question, how I practice my faith has changed drastically since becoming Catholic. I have learned to appreciate sacrament, especially the Eucharist, and I am brought to tears at every baptism, confirmation, and wedding that I attend. I take those tears as signs of God’s presence in my life, and I will always cherish my Catholic faith.

Poems & Church-Mice

This year I am aiming to write a poem a day, and most of them have something spiritual to them. Here are my last two; I think they are particularly cute. I hope you enjoy!

Check back as I share more while I make progress, and if you want to see them as I write them, follow me on Instagram— @mariellahunt!