Pioneers of the Catholic Church in Canada
There is no evil to be faced that Christ does not face with us. There is no enemy that Christ has not already conquered. There is no cross to bear that Christ has not already borne for us and does not now bear with us. St. John Paul II
I was at mass yesterday for the feast of St. Joseph. It is a special day for me for many reasons. He is the patron saint of Canada where I live and there are powerful prayers for his intercessions. I think often of the faithful Catholics who must go against society to live with a certainty. A certainty that Christ really is our rock. Living our Catholic faith is a sign of contradiction. Salmon swim upstream and go against the current. As Catholics, we go against the current. It is not an easy task to do. Being ridiculed by others around us, peers, family, or friends, is not easy to accept. However, at some point we might be asked to take a stand or even draw a line in the sand. How we respond to a challenge might show our true character. St. Joseph showed his true character with the certainty of doing God’s will. There must have been some opposition or questions surrounding his betrothal to Mary. But he went ahead with certainty.
The closer one approaches to God, the simpler one becomes. St. Theresa of Avila
Despite growing up in a Catholic family and surrounded by Catholics at school, being Catholic is never easy. When I go to daily mass, I see many elderly people attending and it makes me wonder what would be attractive to people to increase the need to go to daily mass. I left mass the other day and an elderly woman looked over at me and asked, “How do people go about their day without mass?” I was left without an answer.
A good man is not a perfect man. A good man is an honest man, faithful and unhesitatingly responsive to the voice of God in his life. St. John Fisher.
Someone such as John Fisher, who defied authorities and the people around him stood for faith. He was so weak when he was led to die that he had to be supported. It was incredible that he would not give in even though it was easy to do. I think often of these many saints who gave up their lives for Christ. The early Christians under Nero suffered in a terrible way but they never renounced their faith. We have much to learn. They are the ones on whose blood the Church grew stronger. I do not want to be someone who buckles under pressure. It is very important to stand firm. When I think back to St. Joseph’s mass March 19th, I think of how he trusted. I want that same trust for my life.
“All the evils of the world are due to lukewarm Catholics.” St. Pope Pius V