Religious Sentiments

     Death. It's the big "D-word" that can make anyone uncomfortable. Even though we are surrounded by death (through mass shootings, wars, etc), it can be easy to fall into the mindset of trying to avoid thinking about our own eventual deaths. While some find solace in finding distraction from the uncomfortable truth of mortality, I believe it is important to frequently reflect on the fact that your days are numbered.      "Memento mori" is a popular Latin phrase which basically means "Remember that you will die." There is an established Christian tradition of reflecting on death, and this can especially be seen in medieval art featuring skulls.  To those accustomed to avoiding thinking about death, this concept may come across as morbid or dark. To put it bluntly, I personally believe it's foolish to try to escape the reality of death. Since I've started to adopt a "memento mori mindset," I have found that frequently reflecting

"Is it licit to throw away a life to resolve a problem?" - Pope Francis How would you feel if someone told you that you shouldn't exist? What would your reaction be if someone said that your life is expendable because of a circumstance which you had no control over? What would you say if someone said that another person should get to choose whether you live or die? Due to recent legislation in Alabama, social media has been abuzz with opinions regarding abortion. I've seen views from both of the two main sides in the debate. I have taken notice of a hidden message in the views of the pro-choice side which has disturbed me. Some may argue that women should not be forced to continue a pregnancy if they were raped. When one makes such statements, one is in effect telling those that were conceived in rape that they should be allowed to be killed if their mother elects to do so. One is essentially saying that the lives of those conceived in this horrible act are

"We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song." - St. Pope John Paul II Today is Easter Sunday. He is risen! As you celebrate the joys of Easter, I would like to invite you to reflect on one biblical figure's encounter with Christ after His Resurrection.  As followers of Christ, there are several things we can learn from Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene was the first to encounter Christ after His Resurrection; scripture tells us "When he had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons" (Mark 16:9). At first, she did not recognize the Lord until He revealed Himself to her: "When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus... Jesus said to her, 'Mary!' She turned around and said to him in Hebrew, 'Rabbouni,' which means Teacher" (John 20:14,16). The moment when she recognized and responded to Christ was

"The Eucharist is the sacrament of the presence of Christ, who gives Himself to us because He loves us." - Pope St. John Paul II Today is Holy Saturday, and we wait in solemn anticipation of Easter. As Holy Week has progressed, everything seems to have come to a strange halt as we reflect on Christ's death. The tabernacle is open and empty. Eucharistic Adoration is not offered at parishes. Mass is not celebrated until the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening. As someone whose spirituality is predominately centered around the Eucharist, this temporary deprivation of Christ's Eucharistic presence has brought me to have a deeper appreciation of the gift of His presence through the Eucharist. Being temporarily "deprived" of the Eucharist has made me realize that it's so easy to take Jesus's presence for granted. Since we as Catholics are around Him so often, we can fail to appreciate how much of a privilege we have. We can walk into our churches wit

"Nowhere other than looking at himself in the mirror of the Cross can man better understand how much he is worth." - St. Anthony of Padua Today is Good Friday. It is the day when we remember in a special way Christ's sacrifice for us. Through meditation on Jesus's death, I came to experience the love of God in a personal way. As someone who's struggled with self-hatred, I have come to see that I have worth because of everything Jesus went through for me.  I would like to invite you to reflect on some of the major events which transpired during the Passion. As you think of Christ's sufferings, view His Passion in a personal way by remembering that He suffered and died for you. The Agony in the Garden This scripture passage recounts Jesus's departure to Gethsemane, also known as the Mount of Olives, the night before His death. He took three of his friends (Peter, John, and James) to the garden with him. While he prayed, His friends fell asleep. Dur

"In the Eucharist, the Son of God comes to meet us and desires to become one with us..." - Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI Today is Holy Thursday. While there are many important scriptural events which we remember on this day, one of the most profound events we believe as Catholics is the Institution of the Eucharist which occurred at the Last Supper. Here is one scriptural account of the event: “Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.’” - Luke 22:19-20.  As Catholics, we take Jesus at His word and believe the Eucharist to truly be His body and blood - we do not hold it to be a mere symbol. I invite you to take time today to meditate on the meaning of this great gift Jesus has left us. Instead of leaving us a symbol of His presence in o

"The greatest love story of all time is contained in a tiny white host." - Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen I recently returned from the Florida Eucharistic Congress with a group from my parish. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the event, the Florida Eucharistic Congress is an annual gathering of Catholics which is hosted by the Diocese of St. Augustine. Each year's Congress is focused around the Eucharist, which Catholics believe is Jesus (you can read more about the Eucharist  here ). There are also many great guest speakers featured at each conference. A notable speaker at this year's conference was Fr. Robert Spitzer SJ from EWTN. This was my first time attending the Florida Eucharistic Congress. Over the course of the Congress, Christ touched an area of my heart that was in desperate need of healing. One of the personal sufferings I have struggled with lately is self-hatred. Like many, I can lend an ear to that overly critical inner voice. I had grown to