My New Friend Luke

Very few times in my life have I heard God's voice clearly and distinctly telling me what to do or where to go. At the moment, I can actually only remember one such time. [If you're curious, I was on a retreat and in the middle of spending an hour of prayer in Adoration. I was trying to stay focused on Jesus and keep my eyes on the Eucharist but, as always, I was having trouble. I complained in my prayer, "God I can't keep my eyes on you! I can't just watch you for an entire hour!" And I clearly and plainly 'heard' him reply, "If I were a television you would keep your eyes on me for an hour." Point taken.] But usually God's voice comes to me through the words of my friends, a passage in scripture, or the quiet, gentle nudgings of everyday life. That is how I came to know my new friend Luke.

1. It seems that the during the last few weeks the majority of readings from the gospel at daily Mass have been from the Gospel of Luke, or at least during the daily Masses that I've managed to get myself to. I've found myself smiling when I look up a bible passage for a blog posting and discover that it's from Luke. Also, for an extended retreat that I'm participating in at my church, I was instructed to read an account of Philip in the Acts of the Apostles. I read the account and an explanation in my Navarre Bible. Luke is the author of Acts, so I ended up reading a lot about Luke when I was supposed to be reading about Philip.

2. Ted and I have been talking about baby names. That's nothing new-we've been talking about baby names since we met. We decided upon a boy name and a girl name within the first few months of dating. We've moved on to discussing names we like for our third child, fourth child, fifth child, etc. Maybe this isn't healthy, seeing as how there are no foreseeable babies in our future, but we can't help it. And it's fun. A few weeks ago I mentioned the name Luke. Ted liked it-so did I. It has stuck with me longer than most names.

3. The combination of the two seemingly insignificant events left me with Luke on the brain. Last night, during my hour of prayer for the extended retreat, I stuck an extra book mark into my bible to get it out of my way. At the end of the hour, I remembered the book mark and decided to check to see where it ended up, always hoping to come across a passage that really speaks to me. Where did I find it? You guessed it. Luke. And not just anywhere in Luke, but the very first page. I'm getting the hint that God wants me to get to know this saint and his gospel.

Knowing that I should get to know Luke isn't enough for me though. I immediately started analyzing the situation to determine WHY I needed to get to know Luke. My first thought was: we're pregnant, it's a boy, and we're going to name him Luke. That one didn't last long because we already have a boy name and it isn't Luke. (Twin boys perhaps...."Beggars can't be choosers," Ted said.)

I then remembered that Luke is the patron saint of doctors. We've been blessed with a wonderful (even saintly) doctor and we probably don't pray for him as often as we should. God sent me Luke to remind me to pray for our doctor. Alright, we'll add him to our nightly litany!

But, as with so many other things in my life, it took my sweet husband to bring it all to light. On the way home from Mass yesterday we were discussing the gospel (which was, of course, from Luke!) and I told him about my increasingly strong devotion to Luke and the book mark in the bible incident. "Isn't Luke the gospel that tells the most about Mary?" he asked. Of course!! How could I have forgotten? Most of the stories from Mary's life are told in the Gospel of Luke. I had a flash back to a youth group meeting from my sophomore year of high school during which Fr. Mark said, "If you want to know Mary, start with Luke." That is my goal isn't it? To know Mary and become more like her. Thanks Ted! I think I'll start with Luke!

And it doesn't end there. Last night I started from the beginning and discovered that Luke's gospel is the only one of the four that relates the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth! Elizabeth is the mother of John the Baptist and Mary's sister. She was barren for many, many years until God blessed her with John. If it wasn't for Luke, we would never have known about the miraculous conception of John the Baptist or have Elizabeth as an example of woman struggling with infertility. Just another reason why I love Luke!

I'm so excited to begin Lent with the Gospel of Luke. I also hope with all my heart that God will someday bless us with a (second) son who we can name after this wonderful saint. But even if this never happens, I'm grateful that God has shown me a clear way to get to know my Blessed Mother more fully and given me a new friend in the process!

St. Luke, pray for us!

Let Down the Nets

The Gospel reading for Mass this Sunday was from the 5th Chapter of Luke, the story of Simon Peter becoming an apostle. Quick summary: Jesus asks Simon to take him on his boat and drop the fishing nets off the side. Simon, who had been fishing all night with no luck, says to Jesus "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as you say and let down the nets." Lo and behold-tons of fish!

Ted and I read this last night before going to bed. After he read it, I thought to myself "that's a nice passage," but Ted saw a deeper meaning (as he usually does-and not just when they're about fish) and related the story to our situation. Praise God for such a holy husband! Sometimes we feel like Simon Peter, fed up with Jesus' requests that we keep trying, keep going forward. Sometimes we just want to yell, "Master, we worked hard ALL YEAR and have NOTHING to show for it!" But Jesus replies, "Just go visit with this doctor.Trust me-have the surgery. Try this new medicine. I'll take care of the bills-don't worry." To which we respond, with the help of Our Mother, "We will do as YOU say and let down the nets."

Lord, I don't understand why you're making us wait. And I don't like not knowing what the future holds. I'm scared and a little angry and very confused. But I will let down my net. I will trust you to fill it. And I realize that you might not fill it with the things that I desire, but you will fill it with the things that I need. Master, give me the strength of Simon Peter. Give me the courage to trust you with all my heart. Amen.

Ora Pro Nobis

"What a cloud of innumerable witnesses surround us! So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end." (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Saints are one of my favorite aspects of the Catholic Church. We have thousands upon thousands of holy souls surrounding the throne of heaven praying for us and interceding for us-who are we to deserve this immense blessing? Some people may not understand the benefit of the Saints and some may even feel that they detract from our relationship with Jesus, but I think the previous bible passage says otherwise. The Saints are our friends that left the earth before we got a chance to meet them. Some were married, some were priests, sisters, or bishops, and some were even children. And many, many of them died tragic and brutal deaths for refusing to take their eyes off Jesus. They lived lives of great virtue, courage, and faith. And just like we honor and look up great Americans like Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln for their contribution to our country, we honor and look up to the Saints for their contribution to world.

The Church has a very specific process for proclaiming someone a Saint. We have "Patron Saints" for particular needs, countries, types of people, etc. If a Saint was involved in a certain ministry during their life (St. Gerard, for example, is known for his help of pregnant women in need) the Church will present this Saint to the faithful as someone to seek prayers from for a particular intention (such as a health pregnancy). We do the same thing when we "talk" to loved ones who have gone before us and ask them to help us through our day. A stay-at-home mom at her wit's end may offer up this request to her own mother who is now in heaven, "Mom-how did you do it? Just help me get through this day!" or if your son or husband is going out hunting you might ask your deceased grandpa (who loved to hunt) to keep him safe. I truly believe that death is not a barrier to meaningful interaction between those in heaven and on earth. We ask our friends on earth to pray for our intentions, why not also ask our friends in heaven to do the same. They're closer to Jesus than our earthly friends will ever be (this side of heaven of course). And Mary was closer to Jesus while on earth than any human being ever! He lived inside of her and nursed at her breast! She was there as He died on the cross and held Him in her arms before He was placed in the tomb. Surely Jesus will listen to the prayers of His mother-we need only ask! (I think I just understood, through my own explanation, why Mary is called the Queen of All Saints!)

Kimberly Hahn (a convert and wonderful speaker and writer) described the Saints in this way (and I probably won't due this justice): It's like we're all in a GIANT arena running a race of utmost importance. We're running "with determination" to Jesus and our prize is heaven. Surrounding us in the stands are all of the men and women who have gone before us and received their prize, our "cloud of innumerable witnesses" who kept their "eyes fixed on Jesus" while they walked on the earth. And they're cheering us on and encouraging us to keep going. And when we want to give up and when we feel overwhelmed, we need only look up at the stands and listen to the heavenly roar of those praying for us to find a path that can "rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way" of keeping "our eyes fixed on Jesus". Praise God for these holy cheerleaders!

I want to share the litany that Ted and I pray nightly for the blessing of a child and for our other intentions. If you don't already, I encourage you to find a few "cheerleaders" of your own to help you in your race towards Jesus.

Sts. Joachim and Anne (Mary's parents-Anne is Patron Saint of Christian mothers and women in labor)
Sts. Zechariah and Elizabeth (Parents of St. John the Baptist, barren for many years before conceiving St. John. Luke 1:5-25)
Bl. Louis and Zelie (Parents of St. Therese-we really like Saints who had lots of kids!)
Sts. Sarah and Abraham (Sarah was barren and eventually blessed with Isaac. Genesis 16-17)
St. Peter (Given the keys to the kingdom-he MUST have some praying power! Matthew 6:19)
St. Paul (Ted's grandpa's name and writer of most of my favorite books in the Bible)
St. Andrew (Someone told us he was known for helping infertile couples, and he's a fisherman)
St. Padre Pio (Awesome Saint who was more recently canonized)
Bl. Mother Teresa (Almost a Saint! She spent so much time helping children without parents. I feel like I really know her, I've loved her since I was in second grade (she died when I was in fourth). I am so grateful that she walked on the planet during my lifetime.)
Terri Schiavo (Not yet a Saint but probably in heaven. We ask for her intercession in the fight against euthanasia and the culture of death.)
St. Philomena (Patron Saint of those who can't get pregnant! Thanks Sarah!)
St. Ulrich (Also known for helping women get pregnant! Thanks J.B.)
St. Gemma (Beautiful, lesser known Saint who I really like)
St. Gianna (One of my favorites. She died because she refused to abort her child-incredible. And her face reminds me of my Grandma Rose.)
St. Gerard (Patron Saint of pregnant women)
St. Catherine of Sienna (The Saint who I've chosen as my Patron-there's not a St. Kaitlin...yet;)
St. Martin of Tours (Ted's Confirmation Saint)
St. Rose of Lima (My Confirmation Saint and Grandma's name)
St. Therese the Little Flower (A favorite of mine-her writings are so inspired and so simple)
St. Teresa of Avila (Another favorite-she's a reformed sinner so I can relate)
St. Theresa Benedicta (A Jewish convert who died in an Auschwitz concentration camp-her feast day is me and Ted's anniversary-August 9th)
St. Joseph (Jesus' earthly dad, Patron Saint of fathers and Christian families, Ted's middle name)
St. Joseph Cupertino (Patron Saint of students-not me anymore :) just Ted)
Our Lady of Lourdes (Appeared to St. Bernadette in Lourdes, France. Water from the groto-which we have!-is said to have played a role in many miraculous healings.)
Our Lady of Perpetual Help (One of many titles for Mary-and we definitely want her help!)

I'll end this ridiculously long post with a link to a song that I read about on Conversion Diary. I really like Matt Mahar-an awesome Catholic artist! The only you-tube version I could find it in Spanish-just the text, not the audio. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG75daBWPdQ

All you holy men and women, Ora Pro Nobis (Pray for us!)

Oh, and Geaux Saints! Beat dem Colts!