by Mary Ann Zimmerman
Do you ever think about the men and women that have been canonized by the Pope as “saints”? They were people who chose to live holy lives. Some came from wealthy families and chose to give their wealth away to the poor. Others came from poor families and lived simply. Some lived as hermits. So what is holiness? Is it something we can touch? Living the Christian life is doing “small things with great love” (as Mother Teresa of Calcutta said). Whatever we do for others is following Jesus and the mission of the Church. Reading Scripture builds a relationship with our God. Through Scripture you will come to know how much Jesus loves us.
Prayer is also an intricate part leading us to holiness. We are all on a faith journey making our way toward heaven. We can live with that goal in mind or not because God gave us free will.
From my own experience leaving the Church for a long time was the worse period of my life. God had a plan for me, though. One day a friend and I went to the office conference room to eat lunch. There was a group of people already using the room but they invited us to stay. So we ate lunch at a side table. She and I chatted quietly but then, my ear began to lean toward listening to what the other group was talking about. It was a Bible study! The facilitator talked about a loving and merciful God. This statement caught my attention. I thought God was a punishing God and if you messed up you were not going to heaven. I returned to that Bible study the following week and continued for many more weeks. I began reading the Bible often. I chose to return to the Catholic Church where I received forgiveness and peace. You and I can choose to be holy men and women of God by creating 'Holy Moments'.
Do someone else's chores. Teach someone how to pray. Tell someone your faith story. These are Holy Moments. (Matthew Kelly's book from Dynamic Catholic.)
My prayer for you is to encourage you to read the Bible starting with the Gospel of St. John. You can also start by reading scripture for Sunday. The Sunday Missal for 2021-22 church year contains the Mass and readings for the year. They will be available for purchase in our gift shop and online store in mid-October.
We have Bibles in our gift shop and online store. Click here.
Pray, Hope and Don't Worry - Padre Pio
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