Me and hundreds of other Catholic bloggers were on Pope Francis overload these past few days and rightfully so. His visit to Cuba and America, like his other visits around the world have brought hope, joy and inspiration to a hurting world. I equally loved these visits as well from Pope Benedict XVI, John Paul II and the earliest visit that I can recall from Pope Paul VI. That's pretty amazing if you think about it, the Papacy is two-thousand years old and Pope's traveling the world is only a 50-60 year phenomena.
My posts were kind of like a current events of what the Pope was doing, saying and planning to do next. I also post very frequently about Pope Francis throughout the year from his daily homilies, his Wednesday weekly audience and the Sunday Angelus.
If you were to glance at my blog frequently you may also note the frequency with which I post about the Saints, not the football team, the real deal Saints. I may also post about the happenings at my parishes where I have served, both St. Jane's and Most Holy Trinity and the activities surrounding my prison ministry at Rayburn Prison.
Any blog can get into the cultural, social and human dimensions of life and faith for that matter. It can give some, hopefully a small number of folks, the wrong impression. No matter what I choose to blog about, this blog, as well as my ministry is about Jesus Christ, my Lord and my God.
I believe beyond anything else worthy of belief that Jesus Christ is my Savior; He is everything He says He is in Scripture and He is my way to the Father. I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and is the 2nd person of the Trinity; a community of love shared with the Father and the Holy Spirit, three persons and yet one God!
I believe beyond a shadow of any doubt that Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God, is also truly, fully, completely present in the Eucharist. The simple gifts of bread and wine presented at every Mass become, through Transubstantiation, the real Body and Blood of Jesus. He is always present in the Eucharistic species. At Mass, as time is truly suspended, the sacrifice on the Cross by Jesus Christ is re-presented, not represented, in an un-bloody manner and concealed in the forms of bread and wine so all may do exactly what He commanded we do: eat my body and drink my blood. Not a holy suggestion, a command from Jesus my Lord!
I believe fully and totally that Jesus Christ died for my sins and paved the way for me to eternal life. I really believe that if I would be the last known sinner on this earth, He would still have gone to the Cross for me; so great is his love!
I also know with total assurance that Jesus Christ is truly present in the person of the Priest when I go to reconciliation and confess my sins. And when I physically hear the words, I absolve you of your sins, spoken by the lips of a priest, these are the words of Jesus Christ. It is Jesus who forgives me.
Jesus is my everything; it is He and He alone, who sustains and saves me, who feeds me with His Word and His Body & Blood, who forgives my sins, who dries my tears, who comforts me and gives me strength. It is Jesus who shows me the way to the Father and it is Jesus who left me my advocate, the Holy Spirit.
When we marvel about the richness of our faith, when we share our Catholicity, when we are amazed by the witness of the Pope, when we ask Mary to help us or pray through the Saints, when we participate in each and every Sacrament, when we wash one another's feet, when we visit the sick, the lonely and the imprisoned; when all of this is shared, don't be confused, it's all about Jesus Christ!
Jesus Christ, my all in all; my Alpha and Omega!
Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever!!
Jesus Christ, you are my life!
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