Re Liturgy

Praise the Lord, O my soul,
Let all that is within me praise His Holy Name!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit!
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.

Lord-God, I thank You for all the ways You have given us to give You worship and praise.  Thank You especially for giving us the means to commune with You, most especially in the Celebration of the Eucharist.

Receiving You in the Celebration of the Eucharist is indeed "the source and summit" of my living.  Thank You Abba for Jesus.
Thank You Jesus-Christ for all You have done to make it possible for me to Live in You, and for sending us Your Holy Spirit.
Thank You Spirit for Your ever-faithful Presence; please guide me and guard me until I reach Heaven, my true Home.

Praise the Lord forever!

Victory In Christ

USCCA, Chapter 13
I believe in the resurrection of the dead, and life everlasting.  I believe Christ's death and resurrection means He has saved everyone from their sins and from the power of death.  However, for each person to enjoy eternal life in Christ, they must accept His self-giving love, His Life. 

Exactly when and how the Lord will execute the Final Judgment, I don't claim to completely know or understand.  I do know that because I live in Christ, I can trust Him for my eternal destiny.

Lord I pray for every human-being that has ever lived, that lives now on earth, and that will yet be born.  I pray that Your mercy on them will be experienced by them in coming to recognize and receive Christ.  Lord, forgive us for all the times we make it difficult for each other to see Christ.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.


Thanks be to God Who gives us the victory in Jesus Christ!

Blessed Is She Who Has Believed

USCCA, Chapter 12
Re Mary

I joyfully and gratefully recognize the sacramental relationship between Eve, Israel, Mary, Church, and yes, me!  God wants my fiat too! 

  ⁴⁵ And blessed is she who believed that there would be^[e] a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Thank You, Lord, for all the ways You bring us Christ.  Thank You especially for Mary's profound and complete willingness to be Your "handmaid".  Her perfect trust in You both humbles and nourishes me. 

Hail Mary, full of grace!  The Lord is with thee.  Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

And blessed am I because of your Yes to God! :)

Four Marks

Four Marks

USCCA, Chapter 11
The four marks of The Church are:
One
Holy
Catholic
Apostolic

1st, by "The Church," we mean the entire Body of Christ, not just Roman Catholics.
2nd, by "Catholic" we mean "universal;"  this makes the first point clear.

I think that recognizing, acknowledging, and embracing the Truth of these "four marks" gives us a great context of humility!  If we really believe we ARE One, Holy, Universal, and connected with the First Believers, how could be act disrespectfully toward one another?

Pilgrim Flock

USCCA, Chapter 10

My preferred images of The Church are sacramental and relational:
The Body of Christ
The People of God
Pilgrim
Mother
The Sheep of the Good Shepherd

The image that most resonates with me at this time in my life is Pilgrim.  I see us as on a Journey Home.  Heaven is our Home, and Earth is mostly a desert where we wander, and yet, because the Lord loves us and never abandons us He provides us with Manna, with Life-giving Water, with oases along the way; and He "pitches His tent with us."  :)
 

One For All, All For One

USCCA Chapter 9
First, I need to review: 1) What are the GIFTS of the Spirit, and 2) What are the FRUITS of the Spirit, and 3) How do they relate?  [Also, do I know what Spirit Gifts the Lord has given me?]

GIFTS
Knowledge
Wisdom
Prophecy
Faith
Healing
Working Miracles
Discerning Spirits
Speaking in Tongues
Interpreting Tongues
(I Corinthians 12:7-11)


Knowledge
Wisdom
Understanding
Counsel
Fear of the Lord
Fortitude
Piety
(Catholic Catechism)


FRUITS
Love
Joy
Peace
Long-suffering
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control
(Scripture)

Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Long-suffering
Mildness
Faith
Modesty
Continence
Chastity
(Catholic Catechism)

No wonder I'm confused!  Catholics and Protestants count and name them differently!

At any rate, I believe the relationship between the Gifts and the Fruits is this:  every Christian receives one or more Gifts and they are meant to be used in service to the whole Body of Christ; the fruits should be evident in every Christian, at least eventually, as they grow in Christ; i.e. the Spirit's Gifts produce the Fruits.

I believe I have been given the Gifts of Faith, Prophecy, and Discernment of Spirits.  (By Prophecy I mean that I can see where things are leading, I have long-distance spiritual vision; I don't mean the even more rare gift of foretelling the future.)  In Catholic terms, I think these would be Fear of the Lord, Counsel, and Wisdom; although, I'm not sure the definitions of each are exactly the same.  I'm just naming, according to the lists, which Gifts I believe I've been given.

Which of the Fruits does my life reveal?  Hmm... I think, by God's Grace, my life exhibits all of them from time to time, however, I definitely struggle with each of them at times as well!  Thanks be to God for His Grace!  Thanks be to the Lord for His long-suffering continence!!!