Traditionally, the Feast of Pentecost is considered to be the birthday of The Church. Despite what historical revisionists will try and assert, there was only ONE Church on that day in the Upper Room, and it was a Church made up of the Apostles, the Disciples and The Mother of God.
Today, sadly, because of Original Sin, there is The Church and there are a myriad of denominations. There are people who have tried to rewrite history, to ignore it, to make it all about how horrible the Catholic Church has been. That stuff hurts, believe me, but it does not change the Truth.
Jesus Christ, second Person of the Holy Trinity, founded ONE Church. He gave The Apostles the authority to forgive or retain sins, to consecrate bread and wine in the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of He who opened the gates of Heaven, to confirm, to baptize, to marry and to bury. And, in order to keep His promise to never leave us orphans, He conferred upon them the power to ordain other men to serve us, His flock.
Jesus gave us His mother to guide, pray and love us. He gave us the magisterium. He gave us the Holy Scriptures. He gave us Sacraments and the Divine Liturgy.
He gave us the means to experience Heaven here on earth.
We would be fools to ignore these gifts, but so many of us do. I did - for a long long long time. And when I came Home to Rome, I was shocked to find my Father coming to greet me with open and loving arms. No anger. No disdain. His love and His mercy for me, a sinner, was ready to be poured out on my like an ocean.
I ask, today, for continued prayers for my soldier. Ryan leaves Tuesday to join his unit in Germany. He may be able to come home before he is deployed to Afghanistan but he has chosen to go now and start his training with them. It hurt, at first, but I think he made a wise and mature decision. He will be going into battle with these men. He needs to bond with them.
I also ask for prayers for a brave brave woman - my sister, Lee Anne. She is facing a tough road but she is walking it with grace, dignity and her head held high. Her Father is a King....she is behaving like a Princess.
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle....and please keep those who try to harm us because we are Catholics, because we are women of faith, because we do not bend to social pressure to shut up and be good (by the standards of the world) and because we have the strength to look our men in the eyes and say, "NO you may NOT do that" - please, keep them in prayer as well.
They need it. Especially if they keep making us mad.
ok, kidding....
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