“The gift of the Holy Spirit creates the unity and universality of the Catholic Church, overcoming barriers of nationality and language and opening people's hearts to work with and serve one another.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI
Today I was blessed with the opportunity to attend the funeral Mass of one of my patients at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Garland, Texas. It is a Vietnamese parish and being there reminded me of the universality of the Church. The traditions and rituals of the Mass are present no matter what language they are spoken in. Bread and wine become the Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ in thousands of churches around the world every day.
Most of the Mass was spoken in Vietnamese but I was still able to understand what was happening because the Church is the same yesterday, today and always, Just as Christ is. The Mass was instituted by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper when he instructed the Apostles saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19). It brought me great comfort to be a part of the Catholic faith today as we shared our faith, our sorrow and our hope with one another. There was a choir at the Mass and their singing was so beautiful. The final song was Amazing Grace, and while I didn’t understand what they were saying, I found comfort in the words that ran through my head in English.
There were five priests concelebrating the Mass today and one of them was a Catholic priest from MD Anderson in Houston. David was initially treated at Children’s Medical Center but after he relapsed the family sought experimental treatment in Houston, hoping against all odds that David would be healed. This priest went above and beyond what is expected of him and came to be with this family on one of the most difficult days of their life, the day they buried their son. He was an inspiration for me, reminding me, that as Christians, we are called to always go above and beyond what the world expects from us.
Heavenly Father, help me to always be willing to give of myself beyond what the world sees as acceptable. Help me to live out my faith with love and compassion for those in need especially when I am weary and would rather divert my eyes from the needs of those around me and pretend like everything is ok. I know I can only do this with the help of your grace so help me to constantly seek you. I ask all this through your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
It is amazing and so comforting to be able to go into a Catholic Church anywhere in the world and be at home.
ReplyDeleteMy summer adventure has been to go to a different parish every Sunday. We visited about a dozen and even though we didn't always look like the 'regulars' or know the language, the songs, the customs and sometimes we stood out like a sore thumb, we always knew that we belonged, we knew what was happening, Jesus was coming into our presence in the Flesh and we were there at The sacrifice on Calvary.
You CANNOT find that anywhere else on Earth, and yet it is everywhere, in every country on earth.
I cannot imagine not having this 'home' on earth to go 'home' to where ever I am. I pray every day that those who've left 'home' will come to their senses, realize what they've left, repent and return.
Kelly,
God has big plans for you. You are living His plan for you every single day. And I'm pretty sure He's happy with your work.
(otherwise He'd fire you and send you an easier life.)