Baby Cakes and NFP: the truth about family planning and birth control.

When you hear the phrase "Natural Family Planning" you might think one of a few things: doesn't work, calendar/rhythm method, babies.  This is what I thought. I thought "safe sex" was when you used some form of "protection" to prevent pregnancy or STDs. What I couldn't tell you was why I needed "safe sex" in my marriage where sex was meant to be. Why did I need protection from my husband who I promised to give myself freely to without reservation? There isn't one form of contraception whether hormonal or barrier that is 100% (not even tubal ligation or vasectomy). No matter what you choose you are "playing the odds." 99% effective...84% effective.... 10% effective... These are all numbers for commonly used methods.

What my husband and I wanted was not protection from each other, rather we wanted a loving marriage that honored God but we weren't ready for children. I was finishing PA school and he was working as a golf instructor which together didn't add up to a financial situation that would accommodate children. We live far away from any family and we truly couldn't afford a baby. We learned how birth control would not only ravage my body, increase my risk of breast, liver and cervical cancer, but also led to the conception but denied implantation to babies. If they do implant many times they are starved and suffocated to death due to the thinning of the uterine lining. These truths blew my mind, how were women signing up for this stuff in the form of a pill, vaginal ring, patch, arm implant and shot? Because they don't know the truth.  I knew if I thought eating genetically modified food was bad, I'd be a hypocrite to take birth control and I knew that no matter what I thought, those babies were precious and the idea of children not living without me even knowing a medicine I was taking was killing them broke my heart. How could I be against abortion, against the starving of children in 3rd world countries, and against the abuse of all people and take a medication that did this? I stopped immediately.

Then, I did what any determined woman who wanted intimacy with her husband but could not have a baby would do: research. I learned and read and absorbed so much and stumbled across natural family planning. It was challenging at first but now is the most amazing thing that we could have done. It has brought us so much closer in our marriage and has allowed us to learn much more about sex being a gift not a right.

Sex is a gift not a right.

Now 2 years later we have no children (other than our four legged fur baby - Gracie Lou.) It's not that we don't want them we absolutely do (hello baby fever) but while I know there is never a "perfect time" to have a baby the last 2 years were definitely not the time. We had to get a little bit more stable in our marriage and in our finances. Had we been able to afford it I would have been overjoyed to have a baby on our honeymoon. Our first year of marriage was my clinical year of PA school so my hours were busy and rotating through 9 different medical specialties each with varied demands. Now I'm one year out of school and working and my husband has a good job. We know that God will call us to  parenthood sometime and while we haven't been able to say "we are ready" just yet we have allowed God to determine our readiness by being open to life. (Note this does not mean just "winging it"). We are faithful to practice what God declares in his word "the denial of ourselves for the purpose of prayer."

So how does NFP or what I would prefer to call "Fertility Awareness Methods" work? There are several methods to use. Some of the most popular are Creighton, Billings and Sympto-Thermal. I'll be honest and tell you we use Billings and it has worked for us. You can find more info on it here:
http://www.thebillingsovulationmethod.org

Essentially you monitor cervical mucus to monitor fertility and during the time of peak fertility you abstain from intimacy. Through NFP I can enjoy the marital intimacy with my husband but I can also trust God with my fertility, avoiding with just reason. Note: the catholic church is clear that couples should not limit family size out of selfishness. We won't restrict children to get to go on more vacations. We wouldn't say having a boy and a girl means we're "done" as if babies come in sets and once you collect them all your good. We follow the principles of the billings method and through God's grace He has not given us more than we can handle in the form of a baby up until this point.

Ok I know what your thinking...NFP for two years? She must just not be able to have a baby...or they must never be intimate. Both are wrong my friends. The effectiveness of billings is here: http://www.thebillingsovulationmethod.org/how-effective-is-the-billings-ovulation-method™/effectiveness-in-preventing-pregnancy.html

As you may know...or can read about in my conversion story... my knowledge of birth control led me to the catholic church but many non-catholics use this. Mother Teresa taught this to women all over the world. Sadly many catholics do not follow church teaching on this issue which confuses the masses but know this : The Catholic Church has never allowed any form of contraception. In fact, up until the 1930s NO CHURCH allowed or promoted contraception. 

God knits every baby in their mother's womb. No exceptions.
In a culture that makes babies a convenience, they make pregnancy seem like a formula.
Add the ingredients...get the baby. 

The most important thing I share with women on this topic is the understanding that making a baby is not like baking a cake. You do not put the ingredients in the oven and get one. A couple who has natural sex with no protection could not get pregnant for quite a while without any medical abnormality on either persons part. God is the giver of life and there is no "planned pregnancy" as even if you are TTCing or (trying to conceive) you are praying and hoping but you have NO CONTROL. In a world obsessed with instant gratification and being in control this is challenging so we step in with methods that hurt babies and women to stop and speed up the process.  We treat making a baby like a process where if you put in the right ingredients you then get a baby. However, ask any woman who has struggled with infertility and been told "you and your partner have no reason you shouldn't be pregnant." They will tell you it doesn't work like this. They will tell you that each child is a gift. In a culture where fertility is a disease then babies will be an inconvenience, a side effect of the "disease." The treatment? contraception and abortion. This is an awful reality.

When couples understand that God has called them to "be fruitful and multiply" (Gn 1:28) and trust God with their marriage and their fertility they are going to trust Him to give them only what they need. When a couple understands that sex is not just for physical pleasure but a spiritual experience to glorify God and renew your marriage vows they know that putting anything between you separating the "one flesh."

Matthew 19:6 says "Therefore, what God has joined together no human being must separate." God has joined sex to marriage. He's joined babies to the gift of sex. As husbands love wives like Christ loves the church we have to ask ourselves would Christ ever sterilize His love? No. Christ loves us freely and fully without limit or exception. Friends lets love our spouses in the same way. Let's love God in this same way.

Finally friends, NFP can be used to attain pregnancy and not just avoid. If your TTCing check it out it might HELP but remember all babies come from God and there is no magic trick or pill to getting pregnant. It can even be used if you have an "irregular" period, PCOS, or other condition that affects your ability to follow a normal cycle. Friends there are several methods for NFP: Creighton, Billings, Symptothermal.. ect. Please look into the true methods and DO NOT rely on a phone app as NOT ONE works. You are not a computer ladies, you are a woman and that app is only going to take a guess. You would have to know your body, follow the guidelines and take a leap of faith knowing whether your using it to avoid or TTC it's all in God's hands.

It won't be easy friends to trust God but it will be worth it. I know for my husband and I it has completely improved our communication, our understanding of each other, and has allowed us to honor God with our marriage and our lives without exception.

Note: I am not a certified NFP instructor but if you have questions I'm happy to answer based on what I know from my experience and research.

Thanks friends.
<3
Anita

Our Lady of La Leche and Baby Ariana

On October 11th 2014 I traveled to St. Augustine with my husband and one of my best friends, Suzanne. I had a heavy heart as we drove up as baby Ariana, a sweet infant in the NICU of South Carolina was in critical condition. God had blessed her with life on 9/17/14 and she was given to Brianne and Daniel to love and care for her for a short time. We at the time had no idea what God would plan from there but we knew that He had a plan. She has been beautiful from her first day and while all I've seen are pictures and updates I loved her as if I knew her personally. Knowing it was the feast of Our Lady of La Leche we had to go to the shrine just a few hours away and pray for Ariana. We had to pray for Brianne and Daniel. We had been storming heaven with prayers and asking all the angels and saints to join in with us and each day we celebrated to know she was alive. As doctors tried to give up Brianne and Daniel didn't, they fought for care, food and water for her, they asked for some positive news and asked for love and compassion. They were ready to take her no matter what whether healthy and happy or in a wheelchair, on a feeding tube, on a respirator, they loved without limits. They knew she was perfect no matter what happened. They knew she was created by a loving God and they cherished being entrusted with her care for as long as God allowed it. For Paul and I, other than giving and praying that's all we could do and on this day we were both teared up offering to God all of our intercession. Praying for comfort, praying for peace, praying His will to be done. 

As we got there and I got on my knees in the warm little chapel the stories hit me:

My friend who loves babies so much whether human or furr babies and she and her husband are struggling with the weight of infertility. I know God's promises. His timing.

The coworker who is so sweet and she and her husband have the cross to bear of infertility as well. 

It came flooding back sitting in that restaurant with a friend telling me she lost a baby through miscarriage. 

The text messages from another that their princess went to be with Jesus due to early delivery.

The pictures of all the babies lost to abortion and the fight of Osceola County to STOP Planned Parenthood from claiming the lives of the innocent children. I prayed for the community as they not only stop abortion but that they would say YES to adoption, fostering, respite care, and love for the children that are unwanted or the families or are unequipped. 

The e-mails I have received of women who have read my blog and are stopping birth control and trusting God with their fertility. 

The close friends I have who have had struggles during their pregnancies and our prayers for health babies and health deliveries. 

The mommies who come in who hurt as they break their bodies to provide nutrition for their children through breast feeding. I prayed for strength for them and that they wouldn't give up. 

My own struggles of wanting a baby but trusting God to lead us to a place where we could even consider that. We are faithful to not use contraceptive but through just reason have been avoiding pregnancy and yet my heart so much wants to grow with love for a baby of our own. Praying that God would prepare my heart as I have no idea what He has planned for our family but we will take it. We will love the babies He gives no matter the cost and no matter how He gives them. We are openly a family that says - if you don't want your child please drop it off at our house. Your going to have an abortion? Give it to us instead. We don't know when God will use our openness but someday He might and we will welcome with open arms all the beautiful babies God will bless us with because each is just that: a blessing. 

At 25 years old, with only a four legged furr baby that sounds like a crazy thing to accept- as many babies as God will give us, but God has brought us there, both Paul and I and I know that it is by his design we have that heart and not of our own will.

In a society where babies are treated as an inconvenience and birth control treated as a right up there with the importance of air and water I sat in awe. In awe of how backwards we have become to name fertility as a disease with a treatment. To hear my patients say "my husband got fixed" as if he were "broken" before shocks me. Friends, these stories and more I contemplated on a tiny bench, next to my husband as I saw tears stream down his face in prayer. I knew without him even speaking he was praying for the same things I was and our afterward conversation confirmed it. It's amazing to have your husband be on the same page as you are, down to having the same prayer intentions without even rehearsing them. 

As I sat in mass and the Bishop Esteveze shared on the importance of Our Lady of La Leche. He explained that she is the first depiction of Mary that was celebrated in the United States. She features a breast feeding Jesus and provides intercession for healthy deliveries and babies. She provides hope for couples struggling with infertility and God answers prayers for visitors to this shrine every year who bring back their babies in thanksgiving. He shared how many couples struggle to get pregnant and how precious babies are. He charged the faithful to hear: babies are a gift, each and every one. 

As I sat there I continued to pray. The mass was beautiful with so many faithful there to celebrate the feast and so many children could be heard throughout the mass. It was beautiful among the words of the gospel to hear the babies giggle and cry. Their very presence blessed my heart as I prayed and listened. 

"While he was speaking a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed." He replied "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it" -Luke 11:27-28. 

Here we see Jesus not rebuke the mother of Jesus but emphasize her attentiveness to God's word and the need for our attentiveness. Jesus loved His mother and she was the first disciple so willing to follow where God called. She is to be blessed for her faithfulness. As catholics we recognize her call to "Do whatever He tells you." We don't worship her, but we don't ignore her. We are thankful for her example as we are thankful for the example of all the saints. 

I got out of mass and met Haley from Carrots for Michaelmas. She was a sweetheart and I encourage you to go check out her blog here: http://www.carrotsformichaelmas.com

Another faithful catholic family and it was so great to meet them. It was her blog I've used to encourage mommies that babies are welcome in our mass. Please read this post: How My Kid's Didn't Ruin Mass

As we walked the streets of St. Augustine I held my husband's hand. He wasn't feeling well at all and yet he was so selfless with his time letting Suzanne and I explore and never once complaining. 

Friends please pray for them and all the mommies and babies out there. Pray for healthy babies and healthy deliveries, healthy breast feeding, and healthy families. 

Friends let's love babies. Let's love women. Let's love families. Let's provide for the needs of one another and let's love the least of these, the innocent children. Let's stop hiding the struggle of women to conceive and let's stop treating fertility as a disease. Let's love without limits and let's trust God with our lives, our bodies and babies. 

For Ariana I will remember and celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of La Leche each year, to remember that no matter if you can't even speak or walk or eat you can be used as an instrument of God. 

"Naked I came forth from my mother's womb, and naked I shall go back there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!" - Job 1:21

Please be praying for Ariana just as we are. I know as much as He has challenged Brianne and Daniel He has given them so much. Faith, family, friends, love, Ethan, and He has so much more to give to them. So much grace for them. I see an amazing love for Him in them and I am so blessed to know them.  For now all I can do is ask you to pray for all involved. 

I pray that Our Lady of La Leche will intercede for Brianne and that in Gods timing that He will provide for them the desires of her and her husbands heart. 

<3

Synod on Marriage and Family: Tending the Vineyard

To begin we should discuss what a synod is: an assembly of the clergy and sometimes also the laity in a diocese or other division of a particular church. A synod is a gathering and the catholic bishops and laity are gathering in Rome.

This particular synod taking place in Rome today is part 1 of 2 that will take place in 2014 and 2015 to discuss the family and the crisis in family that has occurred. Pope Francis opened the synod with a prayer and an explanation of the expectations of the gathering. "Today the Prophet Isaiah and the Gospel employ the image of the Lord’s vineyard. The Lord’s vineyard is his “dream”, the plan which he nurtures with all his love, like a farmer who cares for his vineyard. Vines are plants which need much care! God’s “dream” is his people. He planted it and nurtured it with patient and faithful love, so that it can become a holy people, a people which brings forth abundant fruits of justice."

We see a call to follow God's dream for His people and in the new evangelization that call is for all of us who proclaim Christ to care for His vineyard. A special calling on the clergy is given to lead and guide but we are each called to be that holy people that the bishop of Rome is referring to. 

Pope Francis explained: "We too, in the synod of bishops, are called to work for the Lord’s vineyard. Synod assemblies are not meant to discuss beautiful and clever ideas, or to see who is more intelligent… They are meant to better nurture and tend the Lord’s vineyard, to help realize his dream, his loving plan for his people. In this case the Lord is asking us to care for the family, which has been from the beginning an integral part of his loving plan for humanity."

Not only are we called but we are challenged. As Francis further explained we are tempted by greed and many other things in our work to further the gospel but we must be repentant and let the Holy Spirit lead us. Francis explained "We are all sinners and can also be tempted to “take over” the vineyard, because of that greed which is always present in us human beings. God’s dream always clashes with the hypocrisy of some of his servants. We can “thwart” God’s dream if we fail to let ourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit gives us that wisdom which surpasses knowledge, and enables us to work generously with authentic freedom and humble creativity. 

My Synod brothers, to do a good job of nurturing and tending the vineyard, our hearts and our minds must be kept in Jesus Christ by “the peace of God which passes all understanding” (Phil 4:7). In this way our thoughts and plans will correspond to God’s dream: to form a holy people who are his own and produce the fruits of the kingdom of God."

Friends how much is this challenge also for us. How often do we thwart God by taking over and opening ourselves open to hypocrisy. I am so blessed to have a sweet friend, Jessie who was sharing just today with me how the convenience of hypocrisy is all around us and we must be strong and bold to stand up for our faith despite the consequences.  We can not be people of God and not proclaim Him with our lives and our families. We can't love Him and reject His plan for us. 

We see so much our world has let family fall apart. Talking with someone last week we learned she doesn't know one couple who has not been divorced. Reflecting on my own family I know one, but they are functionally divorced sharing separate bedrooms in their home. Circumstances happen: abuse, death, challenges, and the challenge of satan to destroy the family is prominent. With the increase of cohabitation, pre-marital sex, divorce and pornography being seen as normal and good, and "bad" being prudence and chastity we see a contradiction.  Friends, the hope of this synod is to remind us the importance of family and to receive an encouragement of our clergy and our world to support marriage and family. When you strengthen marriage, you strengthen family and when you strengthen family you strengthen the community. When the community is stronger the world is stronger. 

Friends start in your own home: your own marriage, your own family. This is step one to changing the world for the glory of God. We are called to live for Him in all that we do. 

You can read the full homily by Pope Francis here: http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2014/10/05/family-synod-full-text-of-franciss-homily-at-opening-mass/

I'm praying for you friends. Let our lives be a living offering to Him. Let's change the world and start by looking in the mirror. 

Friends let us be praying for this Synod that it will be a reminder to us and the world how important family and marriage is and what a gift these are from God. Let us be praying that the Holy Spirit will guide our families and our lives into truth and that we will be a people holy and righteous before God. 

Altar Call

As many of you know I grew up southern baptist. I remember each sunday amid the beautiful organ playing as we sang "I surrender all" or some other beautiful hymn, we would all get quiet for a moment to listen to the preacher. He would share a thought, a kind word, a reminder and then he would say.

"Now I know some of you haven't accepted Jesus. I want you to come up here and pray with me and accept Him as your savior." 

Each sunday we did this and we would celebrate anyone who went down to the front as we believed that they were choosing Jesus for their savior and then they were saved. Now as a child I didn't ask questions about this practice but I found it beautiful. People who were genuinely ready to love Him and accept Him walked down, met the pastor and He prayed for them. As we finished singing we stopped and were introduced to the person who now was to proclaim Christ and we waited a Sunday or two for them to be baptized so we could celebrate again. The words might change but the message was the same:

Come forward.

Accept Jesus.

Jesus Saves- let Him save you.

I remember the Sunday I walked up. I was nervous as I knew all eyes were on me but I knew God loved me and I believed Jesus lived, died and was buried and rose again from the dead. I knew He shed His blood to pay the price for me sins and I knew that if He died for me, I needed to live for Him. I was 9 years old and while I couldn't tell you all the theology behind what I believed I with my child-like faith was certain about the truth of Jesus. 

As an adult and now a catholic I see the priest call us to the altar every mass.  All of us. 

I grew up learning Catholics believed they could worked for their salvation and was told it's a gift you can't earn. Now as a Catholic I see how untrue that is- Catholics believe it is a gift too! Each day that I can attend mass I kneel and as a choir we say "Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the words and my soul shall be healed." These words echo the words of the Centurion in Luke (7:1-10) asking for the healing of his servant. Just as the slave was healed we too ask to be healed despite our sin and failures. We know this is a gift as catholics and we please Jesus with humility. 

We as a church are called:

Come Forward

Accept Jesus.

Jesus Saves- let Him save you.

As I approach the Eucharist, I know I'm approaching the throne of God. I bow and accept the gift and grace of Christ that He freely gives in the divine mystery of the sacrament. I leave my heart there with Him and wait for the next time I can come forward and accept Jesus knowing that He alone saves and knowing that His love alone will help me. 

Friends: whether your catholic or protestant we all have some sort of alter call. Some sort of opportunity to come forward and accept Jesus. I pray that as we accept Him that we will see how beautiful He is and how loving He is and none of us are worthy of the love He so freely gives us. I'm so thankful that every day the opportunity to come forward and accept Jesus is available in the Catholic Church and every day I rededicate my life to Him, asking each day for Him to guide me and grow me in holiness. 

Friends. Let's not become complacent to accept Jesus. Let's accept Him everyday, in every deed, in every word. Let us not simply stand for Him once, but give our lives to Him. Let us see in just a few verses early in Luke 6 as He says 

"Why do you call me "Lord Lord" but not do what I command? I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words and acts on them. That one is like a person building a house who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock, when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well build. But the one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed." - Luke 6: 46-49

Let us be a people that come to Him, listens to Him, and acts accord to His words. 

Let us all remember :

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;9it is not from works, so no one may boast.10For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them. - Ephesians 2:8-10.

Saved by GRACE, through FAITH, for good works. We can not separate these. 

So friends:

Come Forward

Accept Jesus.

Jesus Saves- let Him save you.

<3

Courage In Medicine

Dear Friends
From September 25-27th I went to the Catholic Medical Association Conference. It was an amazing event with 3 days of being surrounded with more than 600 providers, clergy and families discussing how to uphold the Catholic faith in the science and practice of medicine. We had some great speakers such as Cardinal Burke, Brandon Vogt,  Ashley Fernandez, Mary Jo Anderson, Bishop Noonan and Bishop Conley and Sister Mary Dreiger. There were even more than I can name, and more than that there were an abundance of wonderful people who love God and wanted to love people in the field of medicine. I wanted to recap some of the main themes of the conference.

1. Courage: Between good and evil there is no safe place to stand.

To be a christian health care provider requires courage. To be a christian requires courage. To be both requires.... LOTS of courage. So many challenges face a provider to uphold the hippocratic oath, to do no harm and protect life. So challenging it is to do this in a society that does not celebrate life, but rather treats it with carelessness. God is not looking for the best equipped. He's looking for the willing- Mary Jo Anderson. We were exhorted by Rev. Robert McTeigue to remember we are the God's servants first, providers second and the first is inextricable from the second. He encouraged endurance which he described as the stubborn and patient commitment to the greater good even in the face of the seemingly impossible. He also reminded us that courage is only possible for one who is vulnerable.   Ashley Fernandez MD, PHD pushed us to "Be the Anvil." He encourages us that the anvil helps to shape objects just as much as the hammer does but it does so through a strong unmovable force. The anvil lasts longer than the hammer and despite the pounding of the hammer provides the strength of the pound of the hammer from it's resistance. We are to be anvils in our society and hold up with strength the truth proclaiming Jesus Christ in our careers. We are to be immovable, strong and steady knowing that a dripping water hollows out stone not through force but persistence.  Finally Bishop Conoley urged us "You are called to be saints- nothing more nothing less."

"You must put on the armor of God if you are to resist on the evil day; do all that your duty requires, and hold your ground." -Ephesians 6:13

2. Conscience: Following the path of truth. 

Cardinal Burke began the conference sharing that our conscience is to lead us to what is right and true. Our hearts and our conscience need to be trained to Jesus and is a messenger for Him. Rev. McTeigue shared that our conscience needs trained so that we may formed good habits which are natural and humanizing by pursuing the cardinal virtues. There was a great deal of discussion on how America is stripping away the conscience clause to help protect those who do not want to violate their beliefs and replacing it with the mandate that we have to do what our patient feels is best for them.  We were challenged to be courageous and stand up for truth. Our fight against evil starts by looking in the mirror and conforming ourselves to study and prayer. Without true study and prayer we can not grow in faith and we can not be prepared to discuss the science behind the truth of things like abortion, contraceptives,  and end of life care. Truth is a conformation of the mind to reality and the truth does not constrain us. The truth will set you free. We were challenged to share the truth that hormonal birth control is abortifacient (meaning it causes abortions), that sterilization surgeries violate our hippocratic oath as they take a working system and breaks it. We were challenged to share that people should not be denied the minimum standard of care no matter how sick, injured or old. Finally we were challenged to see Christ in our patients and to remember "when you do for the least of these you do for me."

3. Challenge: " We live in a time that calls for sentinels and public witness. Every Christian in every era faces the same task. But you and I are responsible for THIS moment. Today. Now. We need to "speak out" not only for religious liberty and the ideals of the nation we love, but for the sacredness of life and the dignity of the human person, in other words, for the truth of what it means to be made int he image and likeness of God."- Archbishop Charles Chaput.

We were reminded of the challenges and called to defend the most vulnerable and pursue the direction of the new evangelization with passion. Dr Dutkowsky reminded us "The ground is never more level than at the foot of the cross. There is no separate cross for Downs Syndrome, Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy, ect." We were challenged to protect the weak, the sick, the injured, the least of these. Sister Mary Dreger reminded us "You are to be the model of the Divine Physician, You are to make Jesus known. A medical profession does not contradict the profession of christian." We were pushed to know it won't be easy and could challenge our lives, our comfortability, and our jobs. As our country moves from true religious freedom to merely a freedom of worship we are loosing and the only way to fight this is to work together (Freedom of worship only protects against practices in home and in church. It does not protect against public expression of worship).


The 3 days were incredible and it was amazing to be challenged, and encouraged to uphold the faith in my career as a PA. It can be difficult when you feel you are alone in this work but just from being back to the office one day I can tell those 3 days, even though I haven't had time to process all of it, have changed the way I see patients. I know God is sanctifying me through my profession and growing my faith. He is challenging me. He is growing me and He is asking me to have courage in medicine, grow my conscience and accept the challenge to define my life and my practice by Jesus Christ no matter the cost.

Finally, I was reminded the following:

Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are- St. Augustine

A righteous anger about how life is treated with a lack of respect by a culture that glorifies death. We are reminded not to conform to the pattern of the world and to take courage as we can provide hope. God blessed me today with a patient who told me just that "you gave me hope today" and the words melted my heart challenged me even more to provide the hope of Jesus Christ through love. 

"The Truth of Christ needs not only be understood, articulated and defended but to be proposed joyfully and confidently." - Pope Benedict XVI. 

<3

It is NOT the Bible or Tradition it is BOTH.

Hello friends!

It's been a busy several weeks but I've missed writing and sharing.
Yesterday was the first saturday of a saturday morning bible study at my house. It's an varied group of some catholics, some protestants, some non-church attenders. Some are mothers of children, others are mothers for 4 legged fur babies. Some are married, some are single. All are beautiful women who God loves.

Why? Because ladies need to get together and talk and pray and share our joy and burdens with one another. We need community and we need the word of God.

Too often I meet people who tell me "I used to be catholic but then I went to/met/talked with ___________ and I started reading the bible and left the church." It amazes me because the very thing that led them away from the church, led me to the Church.  Similarly I meet protestants who say "I don't want to be catholic it's all about the bible not about man made tradition." The bible is a tradition and the tradition of the church is not made by man but by God it is just carried on by men.

My catholic brothers and sisters: PLEASE love the word of God. Please read your bible. After all, that book is a book that your church put together. Thank you for your love of the tradition of the church but please know the bible is part of that tradition.

My protestant brothers and sisters: thank you for your love of the bible, but my dear friends please do not reject the beauty of tradition.


Friends: it is not the bible or tradition: It's Both.

Origen, third century teacher of Alexandria proclaimed "You who are accustomed to attending the divine mysteries know who, when you receive the body of the Lord, you guard it with all care and reverence lest any small part should fall from it, lest any piece of the consecrated gift be lost. For you believe yourself guilty, and rightly so, if anything falls from there through your negligence. But if you are so careful to preserve his body, and rightly so, why do you think that there is any less guilt to have neglected God's word than to have neglected his body?" 

Friends Origen helps us to see that the word of God and communion with God are both Holy. In the bread and in the word there is a real presence of our Lord.

Friends we can not deliver the Gospel, the Good News, if we do not first possess it.

Why is tradition important?
Before the fourth century there is no recorded canon of scripture exactly with the same list of books found in Christian bibles today. Before then there were letters that circulated from the apostles and by and large they agreed on the four gospels, some of Paul's letters but things written by Peter, James, John the letter of Hebrews, Revelation, all of these were debated. Moreover, first century letters from Barnabas and Clement were considered inspired by some churches and not others. For these early christians they had to rely on tradition. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 "Therefore brothers stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours." 

When the final canon or list of books was agreed upon, there was no printing press and thus scribes had to spend hours copying pages. Just one copy of the bible took months and was quite costly. Literacy levels were low. These letters belong to the Catholic Church and were shared during mass. When the printing press was finally available it was so expensive to print that the average family couldn't afford the bible but they could read it at the local church (if they could read). Our world today of the bible being everywhere makes this hard to think of but if you were a christian before the bible all you had was tradition. Remember no where in the bible does it say 100% of what you believe must come from the bible. All we believe as Christians must align with the bible and not be contradicted by the bible but there is so much to know. The bible is part of the tradition of the Catholic Church.

Why is the Bible Important?

It is the inspired word of God that tells one continuous story over 1500 years, over 40 generations with over 40 different human authors with a variety of backgrounds (kings, poets, scholars, peasants, prophets, and prisoners) and from many different places (wilderness, prison, hillside, traveling), covering multiple continents and in 3 different languages (hebrew, aramaic and greek). God's word is living and active and it's also a beautiful snapshot of history.

The liturgy of the Eucharist is understood through the study of scripture and the mass is made up of the reading of scripture. When we hear the priest say "Behold the Lamb of God, Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb" we hear a fulfillment of the old covenant and the promise of the new. It is through the study of scripture we learn about these covenants, about the savior of the world, about the call to be a disciple, to study, and an apostle, to be sent. It's only through both tradition and scripture that we can understand more about our loving God who gave us so much rich beauty.

In the Catholic Church we read almost the whole bible every 3 years during mass. A new testament, Old Testament, Psalm and Gospel reading is part of our literature and our sermons (homilies) are much shorter. We stand with the reading of the gospel as we are being commissioned to go out and spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. We stand ready as a reminder of this. Every catholic church is reading the same scriptures each day as the rest of the world. For instance the scriptures I heard in mass today are the same that will be read all over today. This is helpful if you are on vacation or visiting a church you aren't missing what your church is doing as we are all one church. The homily will be different in each mass but it's aim is to remind you of how to apply the scriptures that are read.

In the Protestant churches, most use scripture as a part of each sermon/message given. Churches vary on how they do this and what's said in one church is not what is talked about in the next. Many times it is up to the Pastor, speaker or Elder what is spoken on.

No matter where you go to church they want you to have a personal relationship with Christ. (note: I did not say private, we are all the body of Christ and to be in community).  Many will say that they don't like religion and they believe only in a relationship but that's an oxymoron. Religion come from "religare" the latin word which means relationship (to tie or bind together). We all believe that a relationship is key, and that to blindly go through the motions is not what it is about. Let's stop fighting against each other and start understanding that we are after the same thing: to worship God and to know Him.  We can grow in our relationship both through scripture and tradition. They are our guideposts.

Friends I did not forsake my love of God's word for the my love of tradition when I became Catholic. I took my love of Gods word with me and it grew with the addition of tradition and history.

 It is NOT the bible OR tradition it is BOTH.

Everything Beautiful In The Church Is Veiled

I remember sitting in mass about a year ago and seeing an elderly woman with a white lace doily which she wore atop her head, and which she removed at the end of mass. I had never seen anyone do such a thing and wondered if maybe the mass intention was for someone who died that was dear to her, or maybe she got hot and that's why she took it off... or maybe she just liked lace on her head? As a protestant I NEVER saw anyone do anything like that. I thought it was pretty, but was too shy to ask her why she did it.

I then noticed a few times over the course of the last year seeing women with hats on in church. My very first mass a woman wore a hat and I couldn't understand how she could be so disrespectful (because I didn't understand I assumed like men, women shouldn't wear hats in church...assuming is usually a bad idea). I saw women with veils sometimes white, sometimes black, or other colors but there was usually only one woman who I would see do it and I usually saw it at a local shrine (a place for visitors). Just as quickly as I noticed, I dismissed it.

About a month or two ago, I started to notice that Mary, nuns, and various saintly women are always pictured with their hair covered. I wondered about the reasoning behind this as I know nothing in the catholic church is based on "just because I felt like it" but I never looked in to it. Then I saw an article: Veiled for the sake of angels . It gives a great overview and explained a lot to me but I wasn't sold on doing it.

It made me start praying about it. I wasn't even confirmed yet, I couldn't take the Eucharist so I figured I had time to think about it. I got Confirmed on May 17th (you can read about that here) and on that day walking up to the Eucharist truly the beauty of the moment hit me. It is indescribable what it is like to take the Eucharist. I grew up with bread and wine but it wasn't actually Jesus. While He was spiritually apart of it, it wasn't physically Him. I knew right away that how I respond to Christ should be different than I responded to the Lord's Supper in the Baptist church, or communion in nondenominational churches I went to. It was always important and special but now, it's a physical encounter with Christ.

So I went to Houston, TX to visit a friend and my grandmother. For 8 days I got to go to mass daily and it truly was an amazing experience to get to encounter Christ daily and it is something my heart yearns for now that I'm home and work prevents me from going to daily mass. My friend Kelly went with me and each day going with her was wonderful. It touched my heart so much to share something so important to me with a friend.  I had explained veiling to her and expressed that whenever we go to church we should always dress in a way that is ready to meet Jesus and that grew in my heart more and more.

The first mass we went to in Houston was a St. Matthew's Catholic Church. It was beautiful and God overwhelmed me with how sinful I am and I sat for some time on my knees in tears after mass and had nothing but tears for God. Tears of joy for my gratitude and tears of sorrow for my sinful ways, but God comforted me.

The second day in Houston we went and tried to go to Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church but a wrong turn meant we would have been 20 minutes late. Clearly, that's most of a weekday mass so a quick search and I found St. John Vianney Catholic Church and it s 5 minutes away. Mass was at 9 am it was about 8:20am at this time.  We were able to get there early and pray in a beautiful chapel and then went into the main church for mass. Sitting in mass I was so thankful to be in mass another day. A woman in her late 70s or so walks in wearing a veil to which Kelly says "see that lady is dressed to meet Jesus you should talk to her."  I thought about it and had talked myself out of by the end of mass. After mass she says "alright I'm going to pray in the chapel you go talk to her and left." So ... At that prodding I walked up and said "hello I wanted to ask you about your veil and just how long you have done it and what your experience has been." She starts off telling me that she lived up north and it was the normal at one time everyone wore it and then ladies stopped slowly wearing them, she says it really made her evaluate wearing it and she realized if she stopped it would be to follow the majority. She said the majority will more often lead you to hell than heaven. She realized Mary would have never walked in a Church without a veil and she wanted to follow mother Mary more than the lady next to her in the pew. She said that she gets a lot of questions and for her it's about honoring God as she remembers when a woman's hair was her crown and the world says our bodies are the crown and that's not of God. She told me the fearless are the ones who become saints and no one ever became a saint by holding on to her fears. She said that I should be an example as probably many women would veil and are afraid to be first. She kept emphasizing that following the world does not lead to heaven or to sainthood. I wasn't saying anything during this 5 minute or so talk but I felt overwhelmed by her words. Mary hadn't crossed my mind. Fearless sainthood hadn't either. We started walking out and I asked her name.  Mary Jean. She asked mine and then said "I'm glad you came to me. I encourage you to do it it will bless you as it brought my daughter back to the church as  she grew up with me veiling and she slowly fell away.  She came back saying she missed the reverence and peace and humility she felt at Catholic Church with her veil and Christ." She in her sharing probably told me 3-5 times to do it. So that wrong turn... Maybe not so wrong. Her words are still overwhelming to me and definitely pierced me and moved me to tears.

The next morning at Christ the Redeemer church I met Jacqueline who is a 20-30 year old mom with 3 little ones in tow. She wore a veil in mass and was a woman after my own heart who didn't remove her child from mass when he got a little fussy. So I talked to her- same question as for Mary Jean and she said "women are called to veil no one told us to stop and women just did but during mass we are lifted to heaven and in that we are before God so out of reverence and humility we are called." She pointed out men are Gods glory and women are mans glory and we need to embrace our unique femininity in a culture that pushes immodesty, in that we can connect with God . As she spoke I thought of Martha using her hair to wash the feet of Jesus and how beautiful that is, how reverent and how much glory that brought our Savior. She pointed out some churches in the area that require it and that as servants of Christ we are to be reverent in anyway we can and in mass as women veiling is a way we can do that. She explained with a heart that made you really think and left me with the question: If this honors God why wouldn't I do it?  I told her about Mary Jean.

These two women really rocked my heart and I know there is no coincidence that I met them.

The next day we went to mass in this small chapel and there were many women who veiled and I prayed that God would continue to grow in my heart the courage to veil. By this time I knew I wanted to do it but I was nervous I would distract people by veiling. I kept praying and I felt God continue to circle in my heart that everything beautiful in the Church is veiled: the chalice containing the precious blood, the alter, the Eucharist in the tabernacle, the priest in his vestments. It kept overwhelming my heart that during mass we are lifted up to heaven and how I wanted to present myself before God. While I know He accepts me and loves me no matter what I wear, I want to give Him my best, I want to save things just for Him just as I saved things just for my earthly spouse.

I ended up buying a veil at a Houston bookstore which was a leap of faith for me and decided I would try it. One week after my confirmation we went to St Francis De Sales church for a Saturday evening mass (Note: my confirmation saint was St. Francis De Sales.) I decided to go for it and wear a veil for the first time.  It was a gorgeous church and the priest had an amazing exuberance and was so welcoming and aiming to connect. I wore a veil and I was the only lady in church with one. No one asked me why or pointed. No grenades went off. In fact, mass occurred seemingly untouched. I did have several older ladies smile and nod at me. The homily was about how the grace of each sacrament should overwhelm our hearts each time we take part in them. Each time we take the Eucharist joy should overflow in our spirit as we physically encounter Christ. He shared if the sacraments don't amaze us, then something is wrong. So true.  When I shook the hand of the priest on the way out he asked me lots of questions such as my name and where am I from, what is my vocation, how did I find the church and when am I coming back. I am not sure if that's just how he is with visitors but the kindness was encouraging to my heart.  So while none of this is extraordinary ...the experience of wearing the veil was. There was a beauty and a humility that pierced my heart through the mass, and when I approached the Eucharist I could feel a difference. An overwhelming feeling of peace that I felt everyday that week, but it amplified. It felt natural and it felt joyful. It felt as if it was meant to be this way. Definitely a beautiful grace comes from this that is possibly as indescribable as the Eucharist. The church defines graces that come from sacraments and while veiling is not a sacrament if I had to guess at what grace would be assigned to veiling it would be the knowledge of pride. It makes me so aware of how prideful I am.  I would definitely recommend trying it. I understand better everything Mary Jean and Jacqueline shared with me. I see why the church changed it from being mandated to optional. Wearing a veil should be something you do out of honor and respect, out of humility and love of God. It shouldn't be forced but should be a calling and something you pray about and discern if you want to do it. It's a devotion and a gift.

I've had people tell me that Mary had to wear a head covering because of the time she lived in but I don't believe that. Mary was a Christian and that violated everything of her culture, to uncover her head would have been nothing short of the general pattern of the radical steps she and other followers of Christ were taking. She chose to continue to veil. While I may never know exactly why, I know she could have chosen the opposite.  I find it beautiful that she and many holy women before me have veiled.

“Woman, because she was created by being drawn from man’s side, is constantly trying to return to him. She desires the original unity of one flesh and one bone. The desire for unity between man and woman is a mirror of the relationship between Christ and the soul. As woman longs for union with man in human relationships, she is also drawn to unity with God. He calls her to become one with Him: to come under His side and become flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone. This occurs during reception of Eucharist. The covering of the head with a veil symbolizes the reality of woman sheltered in the side of her Source and becoming one with Him. She becomes covered and hidden in her Divine Spouse.” ~ St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church

There are many different ways to veil. A scarf, a hat, a pretty headband, a lacy large or small veil. Remember veiling is a devotion, there aren't rules, but there are some traditional guidelines. Traditionally married women wear black and unmarried white, but veiling is something you should do in the way you feel called no matter if it is black, white, pink, glittery, or however else you might want to wear it. However you do it, know that it is for the glory of God and to present yourself to Christ in a humble way. It's is NOT to attract attention, but some people might notice you doing it. Make sure whatever you do is for God and not for others. Further, don't let the fear of others stop you from what God is calling you to. Remember only the fearless are saints.

  I want to include some pictures of some beautiful women from a group I am part of on Facebook. They show some of the beautiful different ways to veil. Veiling is a calling and if you don't feel called to veil that's okay :) It's a choice, a gift and a devotion but I completely understand that many people are respectful and honoring to God and don't veil. For me I felt God leading me to it as I know when I stand before the Eucharist, before Christ's physical presence on earth, that everything about the experience is a heavenly encounter and I wanted to present myself in a way that would be different and would be special just for Christ.

If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me at beautifulgoodtrue@gmail.com
You can also follow me on Facebook for more content on this and other topics https://www.facebook.com/beautygoodtrue/

 Angeline in a stretch lace headband

Theresa in an infinity scarf

Valerie in a scarf

Mantilla from silverhilltreasures.com used with permission from Karen

I encourage you to pray about it and veil if you feel called in the way you feel comfortable. It's a beautiful devotion that has blessed my heart and I hope it will do the same for you. 

God bless,

Anita

Thank you to those who sent me pictures to share. I would love to add you to this post! Feel free to send your photos my way 

Those Graphic Pictures of Abortion Made Me Pro-Life

I remember growing up in a southern baptist church  and I was more than just a Sunday attender. Anytime the doors were open I was there until through middle school and then I started going to a non-denominational church and Lutheran church (different youth group activities) in high school. I knew what abortion was, that they terminated a pregnancy, but I had no idea how they did it. I remember telling people "I would never have an abortion, but I could see why other people might do it."

My sophomore year of college at Florida Atlantic University there was a big commotion on the free speech lawn. All these huge banners were everywhere with pictures of bloody mini body parts over quarters and dimes. I remember standing there in awe. I couldn't' believe they were allowed to put this up, but moreover, I couldn't believe that this had been done. These tiny hands and feet and faces ripped into pieces. It broke my heart. I wanted to know who would do this and why? Reading a pamphlet they handed out this wasn't what I thought. See I thought maybe this was some injustice being done on the other side of the world in some poor savage country... but it wasn't. It was right here in the US this happens and it's called abortion. See it was the first time I learned that ending a pregnancy ended a baby. My churches never taught me and I wish I could tell you why it was never preached on. My family never talked about it but I think it is because they all knew it was wrong and maybe assumed I did too, I don't know. What I do know is the clicking of this is nothing someone had to explain to me. These parts were parts of babies and babies are precious. There is no good reason to rip them apart.

The pictures of these babies now break my heart. It breaks my heart that we aren't saving them. That we aren't supporting these women who are pregnant and loving them and caring for them and taking them in and providing for them but leaving them to deal with it on their own and that these women many times in desperation turn to this. For some it's out of fear: fear of a baby ruining their life, their finances, their dreams, but when we did we become a culture that allowed child sacrifice for the sake of fear.

I now see my logic of "I would never have one but you can" is terrible. Can you imagine if people started saying "I would never kill my wife but I would never stop someone else from doing it." Or " I would never kill my newborn but I wouldn't stop you from doing it." It is a statement of apathy. Of a willingness to be relative so that we don't offend anyone. Unfortunately, murder is offensive and life is the first inalienable right. Abortion kills a baby and wounds a woman, I wouldn't do it and I wouldn't want that to happen to anyone else no matter the circumstances.

In December of last year a friend on Facebook posted that an abortion clinic was coming to Osceola County. In March exactly where it was going became the forefront of knowledge and while at lunch at a local restaurant my husband and I learned about a city commission meeting coming up regarding this. I sat as we listened to Mayor Swan promise that there was nothing they could do, but if they could they would. I listened as doctors and citizens young and old shared with the commission that Kissimmee is a place for family and that this was not going to grow family. In the past several months I've found myself outside of the proposed site of Planned Parenthood Kissimmee overwhelmed with what could go on this building if we can't stop them.

Now as I stand and pray outside of 610 Oak Commons in Kissimmee FL I picture those banners from my sophomore year. I picture those babies being torn apart. I picture those moms coming looking for answers and 93.8% of these babies dying (according to PPGO annual report from 2012).Those opposed think I'm not for women and their rights but I am. I'm for women, I'm for babies. I'm for life. Our women deserve better than this. Our children deserve better than this.

Please friends be praying as the next few weeks are very important in our fight to stop Planned Parenthood. Please come to the City Commission Meeting at City Hall on Tuesday June 17th at 6 pm to ask the city to join us in coming up with alternatives to abortion.

Some might think I'm fanatical about this, but this is life or death for these babies. It's not just a cause to ask you to donate to but rather I'm asking you to just pray. Pray that we can save the babies and support the mothers.  I would hope that someone would fight for me and my life and the life of my child. I'm thankful my mom chose life and I pray that I can help other mommies choose life. If your pregnant and you don't want your baby please let me help you. Please let me care for your child or find someone who you feel comfortable with. Please let me help connect you to people who can help you like the JMJ pregnancy center or another in your area. Please let me pray for you and please know that your not alone.

Below is how they abortion a 23 week old baby. This is shocking to me, and heart breaking. Perhaps if more knew how they did it, more people would be Pro-Life.

I Can't Separate My Beliefs From My Medical Practice

If I were to introduce myself I would tell you my name is Anita and I'm a physician assistant. If you don't know what that is it's a member of the health care team that can diagnose, and treat medical conditions just like a doctor would, but we work as part of a team. We work with our doctors, we help fill the need and the gap.  As a PA I can take care of people, and I find that I am less involved in the business side of medicine. I love it but it has it's challenges.

What I might not say in my introductory sentence is that I'm also a christian. Being a christian greatly affects the way I practice medicine. I once was asked to separate my medical practice from my christian beliefs to which I had to say "I can't. I am trying to be kind to my patients, because God gives grace to the humble and He opposes the proud. I try to love my patients because God loves me and calls me to love others. I work hard because scripture tells me to work like I'm working for the Lord. So no I can't separate my beliefs from my practice." I have to tell you God definitely helped me with the words on that one because I wanted to say "what? is that really a suggestion?" God gave me grace and patience and love in that moment that I needed and so often He helps me with my patients. 

He helps me to comfort the man who's wife is in the hospital with Alzheimer's and she dying from what I don't know what as I ask him how He's doing and with a cracked voice he says "I don't cry" it's my heart that breaks. 

It's the man who comes in and has no one. He told me how his wife died and he drives around with her ashes in the passenger seat. I met him during my clinical year and I still pray for him because it took everything I had to hold in tears during that visit. It's God that helped break my heart for a man I never met. 

It's the lady who is living in a hotel because she can't afford anything and makes too little on social security to qualify for subsidized housing (yes you read that right so makes too little) and she's telling me that she doesn't understand how God can't see she needs help. It's the words He gives me to share with her that He hasn't forgotten her but loves her and has a plan. 

It's the woman who tells me the reason she is sick is because she doesn't believe enough, because she's been told the lie that if you have enough faith you won't hurt. It's having the courage to share the truth with her:  Jesus had more faith than anyone and He hurt. He cried. He sweat blood. It's not a lack of faith that causes illness. It's having faith despite illness that makes you strong. 

It's the girl who is full of anxiety because she's been treated like garbage by too many people and it impacts her daily life. She's not a christian, but will listen to me encourage her and says thank you when I tell you I'm praying for her. It's a thank you that's genuine, and the visit I forgot to tell her she asked me if I still pray for her which let me know even those who don't believe in God don't mind if I talk to Him for them. 

It's fighting for my patient, when someone else finds it easy to walk away. It's the specialists, and insurance peer to peers and the pharmacy calls, and the staying late that I do because I want to take care of people the way the Great Physician would if He had my job. 

It's the patient that I find difficult to be patient with, who at the end thanks me for being so kind. It breaks my heart knowing that I wasn't kind in my heart and her words feel like knives. It teaches me. 

It's the woman who says there is no way she is pregnant short of a miracle because she has PCOS and has tried for years.... and I get to share tears of joy that she is pregnant and it's not a stomach bug! It's God that helped me encourage her and has me still praying for that baby.

See it's my beliefs that make me the provider that cares about her patients more than I ever could on my own. It's the Holy Spirit that helps soften my heart and mold me to be the type of provider that isn't afraid to connect. It's God who helps me ask the woman in my office what she means when she says "things are tough my son" instead of avoiding it to keep a short appointment. 

It's God that helps me to keep integrity, to stand up for the truth no matter how uncomfortable and to  treat my patients like they are family. I've worked hard to learn names and not refer to people as "the guy with melanoma" or "the lady in room 2." I'm not perfect at it, but God has helped me. 

It's evident He helps me in the test I think to order that I've never ordered, but suddenly a moment from my clinical year floods my mind and I find myself doing the right thing. It's Him helping me with the radiology report that says "repeat in 3 months" for the CT, instead I do a PET scan going with my gut and it's positive for cancer. 

I wish I could tell you I am loving, kind and patient with each of the people I care for but I'm not. I fail. I get stressed about being on time, and get impatient and forget to do things, forget to call and ask how the patient I sent to the ER ended up doing, but I'm growing. I'm learning and I'm trying so much to let my beliefs shape how I care about people because it is only then that I will be a good provider. 

I pray that God continues to shape me and continues to help me love people. I pray He continues to help me uphold the oath I took to do no harm, and helps me to be humble enough to admit when I've made a mistake. I pray that He helps me to stand strong despite challenges that come with being a christian provider and that He will help me to trust that all of the people He puts in my care are His patients and I'm just is helper. 

There are patients I can do nothing for but pray for and that's a lot.

No one told me this but I've learned: no matter what area of medicine you go into your not just a persons medical provider, so often your their counselor too. It's God that helps me when they ask me the tough questions: why do bad things happen to me? why did God allow this? why did God forget me? Why did they hurt my son? Why did my husband die? Why did my insurance get canceled? Why did my disability get denied? It's these questions and more that I am so thankful that God helps me admit when I don't know and share what I do. 

No one told me that there would be challenges to maintain and have integrity, or to stand up for life but God has given me the strength and worked out the details. I won't go into all those challenges in this post but know that if your being challenged to keep your beliefs at work your not alone. It might be in a big way, or a small way, but don't give up!! :)

So friends, if your in the health care field don't separate your beliefs from your medical practice. I don't talk about God in every patient room, but I use the love He has shown me to love and encourage my patients to steward their health, to offer up their suffering, to not take their family for granted, to find joy, to trust that it will all work out in time and to know that even the ones I have to help sign up for Hospice are encouraged that life is beautiful and each day is a gift no matter what that day looks like.

If your a patient somewhere look for a provider who cares, who spends time, who listens and who looks at you and not just the computer screen. Know that your provider is a person too and don't forget to encourage them, they might need it. Maybe you can show God's love to your doctor who doesn't know Him because we can't tell patients not to talk about things :)

Friends no matter what your job: work like your working for the Lord. Love People. Love God. Show the world the beauty of the christian faith as they will never see it as good or true if they don't believe it's beautiful.

I'm sure it's a challenge to be a christian in any field. What are some of the challenges you face? How do you get through them?

<3

Anita

Is the Eucharist Scriptural or Just a Tradition?

Since I posted my conversion story (here) and since I started telling people I was becoming Catholic, I've been asked many times questions that involve the same topic:
Why? What's the difference? How did you have your first communion when you became Catholic when you grew up baptist? What's the biggest difference between Catholics and Protestants? What is the Eucharist? How did you come to believe Jesus was really present in the Eucharist?

Those questions are a small sample of what I've been asked...but probably the most important question has been: Where is scripture does it say Jesus is present in the Eucharist? This was my question. I didn't care if 2000 years of tradition said it was Jesus, I came from a Protestant church and it had to be in the bible for me to believe it. Now I know the church came before the bible, the church put together the bible and determined what letters were inspired and what weren't but at the time of me studying about the Eucharist the bible was the only authority I would submit to and the bible led me to believe the tradition and the Church. (Note 1 Timothy 3:15 claims that the Church is the foundation and pillar of Truth, the bible never claims to be the authority but the Catholic Church does not teach anything contrary to scripture. )

So to understand we would have to go back to some of my first mass experiences. I had agreed to go to mass, because at the time I felt that the protestant church I couldn't go to - they didn't stand up for the unborn, they can't agree on doctrines and they are all founded on the bible and led by the Holy Spirit but going in different directions. I love my protestant friends and I wanted to go to protestant churches just to be with them but if I was to be obedient to where God was leading me I would have to at least consider the Catholic church. That to be said- I was determined to find something wrong with the Catholic Church....so I was considering it with a bias. If I could find something wrong well then at least I could go anywhere because they were all wrong.

Many things aren't divisive in the catholic church. They believe in Jesus, they care for the poor, the believe in charity, they have a hierarchy but so do many churches, they love babies, they believe in eternal life.... none of this was that crazy or outside of what I believed just maybe they explained some of it a little more. What I couldn't understand was the Eucharist. My husband told me "It remakes present the sacrifice of Christ." to which I heard "They are re-sacrificing Jesus?!?!! Don't they know Hebrews says that His sacrifice was once and for all. Heretics." ...And I was ready to leave it at that. See I didn't actually want to know the truth I wanted to believe what I wanted to believe. But the more I prayed the more I felt God really challenging me at least to know why I don't believe the Eucharist. So I began researching it and reading whatever I could.

I did a post a while ago on the historical writings about the Eucharist. Here. 

I want to go through Scriptural support in this post. Brace yourself. I'll try and be concise but it might be long.

1 Corinthians 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a communion in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break is it not a communion in the body of Christ? 

This verse baffled me. Paul writes that it is a communion which means coming together to 1. He didn't write that we are in communion with each other when we do it, nor did he write that when we do it to call it communion. He said is it not a communion in the blood of Christ? Is it not a communion in the body of Christ? He says this as if it were obvious. Remember the new testament was written for Christians.

1 Corinthians 5:7-8 Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the feast! 

Here Paul recounts that Christ is our Passover lamb but what does that even mean? If we look back in scripture to Exodus we see the Passover instituted:


The Passover Ritual Prescribed.

1The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:2 This month will stand at the head of your calendar; you will reckon it the first month of the year.3 Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth of this month every family must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household.4 If a household is too small for a lamb, it along with its nearest neighbor will procure one, and apportion the lamb’s cost in proportion to the number of persons, according to what each household consumes.5Your lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish. You may take it from either the sheep or the goats.6You will keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then, with the whole community of Israel assembled, it will be slaughtered during the evening twilight.7 They will take some of its blood and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.8They will consume its meat that same night, eating it roasted with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.9Do not eat any of it raw or even boiled in water, but roasted, with its head and shanks and inner organs.10You must not keep any of it beyond the morning; whatever is left over in the morning must be burned up.

11This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, you will eat it in a hurry. It is the LORD’s Passover.12 For on this same night I will go through Egypt, striking down every firstborn in the land, human being and beast alike, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt—I, the LORD!13 But for you the blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the blood, I will pass over you; thereby, when I strike the land of Egypt, no destructive blow will come upon you

14This day will be a day of remembrance for you, which your future generations will celebrate with pilgrimage to the LORD; you will celebrate it as a statute forever.15For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. From the very first day you will have your houses clear of all leaven. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day to the seventh will be cut off from Israel.16On the first day you will hold a sacred assembly, and likewise on the seventh. On these days no sort of work shall be done, except to prepare the food that everyone needs.17Keep, then, the custom of the unleavened bread, since it was on this very day that I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. You must observe this day throughout your generations as a statute forever.18From the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month until the evening of the twenty-first day of this month you will eat unleavened bread.19For seven days no leaven may be found in your houses; for anyone, a resident alien or a native, who eats leavened food will be cut off from the community of Israel.20You shall eat nothing leavened; wherever you dwell you may eat only unleavened bread.

Promulgation of the Passover.

21 Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and procure lambs for your families, and slaughter the Passover victims.22 Then take a bunch of hyssop, and dipping it in the blood that is in the basin, apply some of this blood to the lintel and the two doorposts. And none of you shall go outdoors until morning.23For when the LORD goes by to strike down the Egyptians, seeing the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over that door and not let the destroyer come into your houses to strike you down.

24“You will keep this practice forever as a statute for yourselves and your descendants.25Thus, when you have entered the land which the LORD will give you as he promised, you must observe this rite.26 When your children ask you, ‘What does this rite of yours mean?’27you will reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice for the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt; when he struck down the Egyptians, he delivered our houses.’” Then the people knelt and bowed down,28and the Israelites went and did exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.

So some important things to point out: 

1. A lamb without blemish was to be sacrificed. 1 Peter 1:19 " but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."

2. They were to paint the doorposts ( note growing up all I remember learning about was this part...not number 3). Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace-

3.They were to eat the lamb and God spent a lot of time explaining how and where and to eat it. 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the feast! 

4. This day will be a remembrance - 1 Corinthians 23:26 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for  you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Now I would have given you 1, 2, and 4 as a protestant but number 3 I would have said... well thats just crazy until I read what Paul said in Corinthians in the aforementioned verses. This wasn't enough to convince me though. 

In the old testament I found: 

Leviticus 7:15: The meat of the thanksgiving communion sacrifice shall be eaten on the day it is offered; none of it may be kept until morning. 

- According to levitical law Aaronic sacrifices had to be eaten to bring you in to full communion with God. Christ is our sacrifice.

Nehemiah 9:15- 15 For their hunger you gave them bread from heaven, and for their thirst you brought water for them out of the rock, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you swore to give them. - God provided for them bread from Heaven. - Jesus is the bread of heaven (john 6)

Psalm 78:24-25 24 he rained down on them manna to eat, and gave them the grain of heaven. 25 Mortals ate of the bread of angels; he sent them food in abundance.- Jesus is the bread of Heaven (john 6).

Ezekiel 2:8-10; 3:1-3 8 But you, mortal, hear what I say to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you. 9 I looked, and a hand was stretched out to me, and a written scroll was in it. 10 He spread it before me; it had writing on the front and on the back, and written on it were words of lamentation and mourning and woe.; 3 He said to me, O mortal, eat what is offered to you; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel. 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. 3 He said to me, Mortal, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it. Then I ate it; and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey. - Ezekiel was to eat the word of God which in John 1:1 we see Jesus is the Word of God.

and several more. Honestly if I listed all the eucharistic foreshadowing the post would be infinitely long.

To go through all the scripture of the new testament... I'd have to write out almost the whole new testament but I think it can be summarized into John 6 and then explaining some of the misnomers about John 6:


The Bread from Heaven

22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the lake saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.24 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ 26 Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ 28 Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ 29 Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ 30 So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”’ 32 Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ 34 They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’

35 Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; 38 for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.’

41 Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ 42 They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’ 43 Jesus answered them, ‘Do not complain among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ 53 So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’ 59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

The Words of Eternal Life

60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’ 61 But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, ‘Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But among you there are some who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. 65 And he said, ‘For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.’
66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.67 So Jesus asked the twelve, ‘Do you also wish to go away?’ 68 Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.70 Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.’ 71 He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot,[i] for he, though one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

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Now let me say right now I could do an entire post on just John 6 and one day I might, but it was reading and praying over this passage that led me to all the other verses. It was asking God to show me what this meant. God taught me a lot and I'll make some quick points about it.

1. Manna is the prefiguring of Christ in the Eucharist. 

Manna is the bread of heaven, the bread of angels and in Jewish tradition it was rained down from heaven from the heavenly temple to the ground.  (Exodus 16 describes this) This bread fed the Israelites as they wandered in the dessert for 40 years and was so special to them they kept it in the tabernacle.  Manna actually comes from the word " man hu" meaning "what is it?".  It was a miraculous bread from heaven that they couldn't explain. It was a miracle. Remember back in Psalm 78 God commanded the doors of heaven to open and he gave the bread of angels.  This manna was so special they kept it in the tabernacle with the 10 commandments and the Rod of Aaron. The Jews had obligation to see the face of God and they fulfilled this by lifting the Manna up on a table and visiting the bread of Heaven. As I learned more I realized how close this is to the Eucharist, where catholics each day go and visit Christ in the Eucharist in adoration and consume Him at mass. It was amazing to me how Jesus fulfilled the promise of the Manna in the old testament and then met the Jews requests John 6:31-34 "31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”’ 32 Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ 34 They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’"

2. Jesus was very clear He was not speaking symbolically. If you read the first 5 chapters of John each time Jesus says something that people don't understand and they misquote, misunderstand or misspeak He corrects them. In John 6 however, Jesus doesn't leave any room for interpretation:

48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ 53 So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’

Verse 55 tore my heart and soul apart" For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink." I couldn't find anyway to twist that into "symbolic" or "possibly not true." But it was my next point that I think really drove home the point.

3. Jesus again, was very clear. John 6:60-69:

60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’ 61 But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, ‘Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But among you there are some who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. 65 And he said, ‘For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.’
66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.67 So Jesus asked the twelve, ‘Do you also wish to go away?’ 68 Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.

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So Just as in the first 5 chapters of John there is a clarification asked for "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?" Can you imagine? Your Jewish and Jesus just told you to eat His flesh and His blood. You know you can't drink blood thats against the law, and eat His flesh? He must be crazy or He must be establishing a new covenant. He doesn't even say "Yea thats what I meant I'll give you time to soak it in. He's bold He says "Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?" And we know He does ascend (see Acts 1:6-12). It's amazing how He responded and it changes everything. He didn't correct himself. He didn't say it was a symbol. In fact He says "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." No where in the bible is the

Spirit symbolic. The people knew He wasn't joking or lying or speaking in code because what did they do ? They turned their backs and no longer went about with Him. They left Him! So He turned to the 12 and said "Do you wish to go away?" It's as if He was challenging them: you leaving too? I'm not backing down on this one. But Peter beautifully says "lord to whom can we go? you have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know you are the Holy One of God."


It's only possible for Christ to be present in the Eucharist through God. Through a miracle. If he wasn't God it would just be bread and wine. But God can do anything including turn bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ and He does each day in the Catholic church.

4. Jesus taught them to pray for this:

Matthew 6:9-13
‘Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us
13 And lead us not to temptation but deliver us from evil

Give us this day our daily bread. What does that mean? Am I asking for the steak I hope to have for dinner? Am I asking for the cheerios that I had this morning? Am I asking just that God would provide food and drink in the midst of praying for so many spiritual matters?

1. Gods will
2. FOOD?
3. Forgiveness
4 Grace
5 Protection from sin
6. Protection from Satan.

For me number 2 in this list just never seemed to add up. The word in the greek for daily is epiousios. Epi means on or above. Ousia means "being substance or nature" So Epiousios is most closely : Supernatural or Supersubstantial.

This isn't a new idea of this either. For example:

Saint Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem (313-386) wrote " Common bread is not super substantial, but this Holy Bread is supersubstancial"

So how much more does this list fit for what we pray for?

1. God's Will
2. Christ's presence.
3. forgiveness
4. grace
5 protection from Sin
6. protection from Satan

For me there was no denying this. I couldn't twist my way out of it. I couldn't find one verse that said "Communion is symbolic," or even one word that I could take out of context to say that.

I'm sure there will be a lot of comments but the ones I've come across in conversation:
1. "Isn't Jesus speaking about Him Spiritually being in Eucharist not Physically?

Paul wrote: 1 Corinthians 10:16: The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a communion in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break is it not a communion in the body of Christ?

2. "Jesus says He is a lot of things: a door, a vine, ect. So how do you know He's being literal?" 

As I spoke above He is pretty clear in John 6 that He is literal, but we can see that He is not literal in the various other places He calls himself a door or a vine.

in John 15 He calls himself the Vine. No one asks Him if He is literally the vine as they do in John 6.
In John 10 He calls himself the door but again no one asks Him if He is literally the door as they do in John 6.

They know He isn't kidding or speaking metaphorically in John 6 and they quiz Him on it, they walk away from Him because He is serious.

The most important thing is to remember Luke 1:37: For with God Nothing is Impossible
God definitely has the power to do this miracle and it is so beautiful.

3. "You believe in re-sacrificing Jesus? don't you know He was sacrificed once for the forgiveness of sins"

This was a struggle for me. Hebrews is clear the sacrifice is complete, and catholics would agree. The mass however is a sacrifice in that it remakes present that sacrifice, meaning we have the presence of the sacrificed lamb through a miracle of the Holy Spirit. Now remember the jews were to put the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and eat the lamb. The mass is called an "unbloody" sacrifice meaning we aren't re-killing Jesus. That's what it means when the Catechism says "the sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice." That's also why the Eucharist is termed the "unbloody Sacrifice," because the bloodshed was in the slaying of the Lamb, not the eating. In the Eucharist the Church is as it were at the foot of the cross with Mary, united with the offering and intercession of Christ. Catechism-1370. Catholics are not repeating the sacrifice of Christ but rather celebrating that He offers Himself on our behalf for eternity to the Father. It is because the death of the lamb was sufficient that we celebrate the Eucharist.

Protestant early church historian J.N.D Kelly writes that in the early church "the Eucharist was regarded as the distinctively Christian sacrifice...Malachi's prediction (1:10-11) that the Lord would reject Jewish sacrifices and instead would have a "pure offering" made to him by the Gentiles in every place was seized upon by Christians as a prophecy of the Eucharist. Didache indeed actually applies the term thusia, or sacrifice to the Eucharist... It was natural for early Christians to think of the Eucharist as a sacrifice. The fulfillment of prophecy demanded a solemn Christian offering, and the rite itself was wrapped in the sacrificial atmosphere with which our Lord invested the Last Supper. The words of institution "Do this" (touto poieiete), must have been charged with sacrificial overtones for second-century ears; Justin at any rate understood them to mean "Offer this"... The bread and wine moreover are offered "for a memorial (eis anamnasin)of the passion." a phrase which in view of his identification of them with the Lord's body and blood implies much more than an act of purely spiritual recollection (Early Christian Doctrines 196-97)

When I was part of various parts of the protestant church I could never understand how Jesus was to be everything for me. I could understand how He could fulfill me spiritually but being such physical people there was no physical way to connect with Christ. Now that I'm Catholic, I can physically encounter Christ through the Eucharist. Christ promises to never leave us, to be with us to the end of the age and He is, both Physically in the Eucharist and Spiritually. How beautiful. It's a miracle that it turns in to the true flesh and true blood of our Lord Jesus Christ through a miracle of the Holy Spirit.

In the Eucharist is contained His body,blood, soul and divinity and it's to that Catholic kneel, bow, and genuflect.

I know this is a lot to take in and you might have questions. Don't hesitate to comment or e-mail me at beautifulgoodtrue@gmail.com


God bless you.
Love,
Anita