Holy Ground

There has been much debate over the years on wheter or not the 10 Commandments should be allowed to be displayed in public places by the government. For example, in a courthouse. Your taks is as follows:

Take a stand for either agreeing or disagreeing with the statement that The 10 Commandments should be posted in public places. Be sure to give at least three reasons for your stance.

In today’s world, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to find God.  It seems like every time I turn on the radio or tv or look at a billboard I am experiencing a lack of God.  It is easy to become immersed in what the world has to give.  When we become drawn to what the world has to offer, we begin to stray from our walk with God.  As Catholics, we are called to be a Christ to others, to be a reflection of the Father’s love for us.  This is not always an easy task – there are days when it down right feels impossible.  In today’s world we need to search for God, seek him out, and show him to others.  My challenge to you is to listen to the radio – not the Christian Music station – and find a song that when you really listen to it, it can remind us of God even if that is not what it was intended to do.  Share the name of the song and why it reminds you of God. 

My Song is “I Won’t Let Go” by Rascal Flatts

When you listen to the song think of it as if it were Jesus singing it to you.  Christ is with us as we go through life and it is our faith and trust in Him that will truly get us through those difficult times.  Remember to always keep close to Him and to those people who will lead you closer to him.  From John 15:   ⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Watch the video and they share with me what your favorite part of being Catholic is. 

Why are you Catholic?  The answer for most people is “I’ve always been Catholic”, or “That’s just what I believe.” But the beauty of the Catholic faith is something that has become a part of me.  Catholic is not something that I do, it is something that I am.  I spent from the age of about 10 until the age of 18 away from the Church.  I always believed in God, but I did not grow up in a home that had an active faith life.  I remember the first time I stepped into a Catholic Church while in college.  I felt at home and that I what I love about the Catholic faith – that I feel at home.  It is within the Church that I have celebrated the greatest joys in my life and found my way through the greatest sorrows.  It is the sights, the sounds, the smells, the people that I love.  It is the feeling of forgiveness in the confessional .  It is the beauty in the truths that are built on a solid foundation.  The truths that do not waiver with the times or change to suit public opinion.  It is the Christ crucified.  It is simply the Presence of God.

Last Valentine’s Day, my husband Tim and I went to a Mark Schultz concert and there was an artist by the name of Jason Gray who opened up for him.  (BTW – the concert was AMAZING!) Anyways, there was one song that struck me and it was called The Sound of Our Breathing.  I have been waiting since then for the release of his new album so that I could get it.  The whole concept of the song is that the very name of God is the sound of our breathing – when we are born the first thing we do is speak the name of God with our first breath and when we die that last thing we do is speak that name of God with our last breath.  If we look at things that way – every moment of every day we are speaking God’s name.  In our speaking His holy name, what are we saying and are other people recognizing it?  Take some time to think about all the words you have spoken over the last day – Have they been ones that are truly speaking His name?  Is the sound of your breathing- that of God?  If it is – keep up the good work!  But if you are like me and it is not always that way – What are you going to do about it?

Listen to the song and tell me what you think!

When I think of Holy Ground, I think of those places where I have really felt the presence of God. Places that remind me of His presence. It was the summer of 1997 when I was given the opportunity to attend World Youth Day in Paris, France. I had never before been out of the country and was thrilled to be able to get the opportunity. Boarding the plane with my good friends Amy and Father Timothy Whalen, who had been instrumental in my returning to the faith, and about 6 other people, we headed off to what I would call Holy Ground. Just being in the presence of the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, gave me the feeling of being on Holy Ground. To be able to hear his words and experience him praying the Mass was surreal. Praying with 1.2 million Catholics from around the world was nothing like I had ever experienced. I remember standing in Notre Dame Cathedral and feeling awestruck and silenced at its beauty and in the presence of God. Travelling to Lourdes, France, to the place where St. Bernadette lived and experienced her apparitions of the Blessed Mother, took my breath away knowing I was standing in the place a Saint stood.   To be  in the place where so many people experienced the healing waters of Lourdes reminded me that miracles still do happen today. It was in these places that I was called to prayer, called to meditation towards God. It is in these places and with these people that I have experienced Holy Ground. Since that time, I have come to realize that Holy Ground is where ever you stand. I have also come to realize that it is up to us to preserve that Holy Ground.

In the weeks to come, I will give some insight into standing on Holy Ground in your daily life.