Over the last couple of months a phrase continues to come up in prayer, “Jesus our cornerstone”. So what is a cornerstone? In an article by new studio architecture the admin shared “In relation to architecture, a cornerstone is traditionally the first stone laid for a structure, with all other stones laid in reference. A cornerstone marks the geographical location by orienting a building in a specific direction.” Jesus as our cornerstone, orients us to the direction of eternal life. Are you being built on the cornerstone, the one sure foundation? As disciples we strive to place Jesus as our foundation, which we build upon through our participation in Liturgy, Prayer, and the Sacraments. We are then asked to take this life giving nourishment into our lives in how we engage with our family, friends, co-workers, and people we interact with throughout our days. We are challenged to be witnesses to others not just on Sundays at Church but everyday of the week regardless of where we are or who we are with at the time. We are human and God will work with and through our different personalities, quirks, gifts, and talents. No one is perfect in how they live out their faith and to be able to accept and recognize this can help us to grow in spiritual maturity. When we can orient ourselves towards God in humbleness we can open ourselves to a deeper understanding and awareness of how our faith should be lived. And this is a life long journey of continuing conversion. One of the first Catholic podcasts I listened to was Catholic Stuff You Should Know. I actually listened to this podcast when I drove down to Dallas, Texas two years ago for a Vocation Awareness Program. Catholic Stuff You Should Know is made from Diocesan priests from Denver who are a part of an association called Companions of Christ. Their love of Christ through their mission, friendship, and fun banter comes across to all those who listen. They helped me to see that priests and sisters are “human” which is shown through their humor, honestly, vulnerability, and how they hold each other accountable. That Jesus calls each one of us to different vocations in life because Jesus knows us better then we know ourselves and what we are capable of each and every day. They helped me to realize as I began my journey that I could be me and even though the call had been unexpected and I felt unprepared that “Jesus does not call the qualified but qualifies the called”. I remember one podcast where one of the priests shared his vocation story and he expressed how he had a challenging past but God chose him and he said yes. And now he is doing the work of God as one of His Shepherds. Just hearing his story impacted me. It helped me to see how God works through all types of people and so I said yes. Yes to continue to follow the discernment path to fully see what God is asking of me. Then there comes a time in discernment when you need to take a big step. For me, that step was to call my first Religious Order, which I will admit was intimidating for me. You are making a call to someone that you have never met before and you have know idea what to expect. One day I was listening to talks from the SEEK conference and Dr. Sri spoke about Mary. It was this talk that propelled me to let go, trust in our Lord, and with Mary by my side to make that first call. There were many more ways that God worked through other talks, writings, priests in and outside my diocese, and so much more that led me to the acceptance into the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity. Of course there are some challenge walls in my path at this time but God has shown me so many people that have been a blessing in their prayers and support to help me one step at a time come closer to being able to enter. How quickly my life changed in two years and how all of our lives can change when we stop pushing back against what is being asked of us and allow ourselves to be open to Gods plans.
We never know how our words and actions can impact the life of another. Maybe it’s a podcast, a writing, an invitation, or simple hello, that can change someone’s life or help them to take a single step in a direction they never thought they would see themselves heading. Recently at our parish the plan for “Encountering Christ and Making Disciples” has been revealed to the parish from our pastor and parish council. The one part that really struck me was “Authentic Friendship”. To engage one another, not only on Sundays, not only at church activities but to make intentional time to spend together during the week and see what can grow from a simple start. When I think back to my time at Neumann College I see how authentic friendship is a big part of what brought me home to the Catholic faith. God was not a part of my life when I entered Neumann but God worked through the events that happened during that first year to reach me through others. To be invited, to feel included, as I slowly grew closer to our Lord. Many of the friends I made at Neumann will never know the impact they had on my life. But they were part of planting a seed through their openness and faithfulness to our God. Their living witness as Catholics and through building a friendship with me, they helped me start down a path of transformation that led me through R.C.I.A.. Isn’t our God Amazing in how He changes lives and sometimes we don’t even know the part that we played and may never know!
When we make the choice to allow God to work through our lives we start to build on “Jesus as our cornerstone”. With the strong foundation, our lives can be infused with so many graces and mercy from God. And at times we may fall or go off path but when we refocus on the cornerstone, we can then build again. For me it has been a continual learning process of learning, taking chances, making mistakes, falling, getting back up again, and allowing our Lord to refine me and chip away the rough edges as I grow deeper in relationship with Him. And He has shown me the importance of mentors, community, family, and friendships. I know I have people in my life who “have my back” and I also have theirs. How amazing it is when we can understand the unconditional love from God for each one of us and strive our best each day to turn that love towards others as we are each called to help one another become Saints.
Challenge: Invite someone at your parish that you do not know well for a cup of coffee or to an event? Or maybe a simple conversation after church? Then maybe a co-worker or a neighbor.
FYI – Some Great Catholic Podcasts that I enjoy: *Abiding Together (Great podcast for Women) *All Things Catholic (Dr. Edward Sri) *C.NA Editors Desk (Catholic News Agency) *Catholic Stuff You Should Know *Clerically Speaking *Creedal Catholic (Holy Apostles Parishioner Zac –Theology/Apologetics) *Every Knee Shall Bow (Apologetics) *Fr. Mike Schmitz *Godsplaining (Dominican Friars) *Lanky Guys (Out of Boulder – Sunday Reading reflections) *The Liturgy Guys (About Catholic Liturgy)
*What God is Not (Fr. Michael’s new podcast from CSYSY)
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