Building the Lego Church Project requires a lot of effort on my part.
Not unlike the challenges we face in our daily lives their is a high
level of challenge in the build. I'm doing this mostly by free hand with
no idea of how things will turn out. The vision that I see may take
some twists and turns. This kind of understanding applies to life in
general. Sometimes things happen that are out of our control. Int is in
these times that we have our faith in Christ. We have been given
the tools and resources to seek out the wisdom to find solutions to the
problems at hand. One of the most important tools is the power of
prayer. For us prayer is an amazing resource. It may not always give us
the "magical answers" it can however point is in the right direction to
help solve the problem in ways we might not even consider. A case in
point is during one of the project builds. Near the end of the build I
was reaching a point where some important parts were not lining up
correctly as they should. No matter how I looked I could not see the
problem. Spending time in prayer I discovered one of the beams was not
lined up properly on the board. It was just enough to throw things off.
Prayer did not fix the issue. But it gave me wisdom to look for
something I otherwise would not have noticed. In the same way having a
total faith in Christ is what gives us that ability to face our
challenges head on. Working on this project can create a lot of fear and
anxiety. Yet during those times of struggle I pray a lot for direction
and wisdom. Ideas will come and solutions can be found. It is a
reminder that prayer does have the power to move mountains if we allow
God to move with in us.
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A common thread in the lives of the saints is sacrifice. Many did as
Christ requested. Literally giving up everything. From friends and
family. To social status and wealth. Some even gave up their health.
Taking on suffering in the name of Jesus Christ.
We gain wisdom
through their eyes. Lessons passed down from generation to generation.
Even today they can still teach us about what it means to be Christian.
Many in this current age don't fully believe in the miraculous. They
look to things that they can touch and see. They do not believe that
true miracles can happen. In such ways that direct science can't fully
understand. The Saints believe in Christ fully. They believe that bread
and wine become the body and blood of Christ. The Eucharist that we take
part of at Mass. Many of the saints gave up their lives believing that
Christ is the Son of God.
When we ignore the teachings of our faith. We in our own way tell the
world that the saints died for nothing. That Christ wasn't Divine. That
our faith is just something for show with no deeper meaning. That the
miraculous is just a fantasy. Yet God calls us to live deeper lives.
That our faith in Christ should be absolute. That it requires us to have
the same unquestionable view that the child has. It makes sense given
that we are children of God. Doing this makes the sacrifice of the
saints have meaning.
In times of doubt surrender to Christ all
that troubles your spirit. For God knows your challenges. While the
saints serve a true witnesses for the Passion that we should have for
Christ.
Important Links!
When
you tell someone that you are a "cradle Catholic" their seems to be
this automatic assumption that as you get older the only reason you are
still Catholic is strictly due to the "indoctrination" you got from your
parents. This notion that a person is only belong to the faith due to
some kind of family legacy seems to minimize the fact that God has
always given us a choice in how we live our lives. Though out the Bible,
passages are written, about the choices that we make. You realize this
when in talking about Heaven that the gate to enter is narrow while the
road to hell is wide. As followers of Christ we have that ultimate
choice: To serve Christ or not to follow at all.
Each and every
Catholic who follows church teaching is on a unique journey. Even when
we have not always been on the right path. We have our missteps and we
seek mercy though God because he seeks to draw us closer. For myself
this journey with in the Catholic faith has been a rather interesting
one. While my faith has always been rooted in the foundation my parents
gave me. At the end of the day it has always been my own choice.
At some point as a cradle Catholic we will have to face the storm of
doubt. Moments in our lives when it can seem all to hard to fathom all
that God has done for us. The Catholic faith has a long and rich
history. To reflect on it and to accept it can be a bit overwhelming.
Sometimes we struggle with the belief that God gave us his only Son who
was handed over and put to death on The Cross! Let alone that Christ
rose from the dead! It requires a lot of faith to accept that reality in
this current modern age. Those who are able to ride out the storm and
remain faithful become stronger over all. Because they have made the
choice to embrace the truth.
When all is said and done. We as
children of God must make a choice. To turn away or pick up our Cross
and follow Christ. For me it was a choice that I made a long time ago.
The key point being is that the choice has always been mine to make. Not
anyone else. I am Catholic because I know it to be true. I made the
choice to accept that truth.
Important Links!
