Walking the Path

I’ve been busy with work and got a bit lack on my reading. This week is the National Day holidays in China — they end tomorrow — and I’ve been able to catch up on my reading and finish the list.

Why Catholics are Right by Michael Coren
In the Fabled East by Adam Lewis Schroeder
The Bishop’s Man by Linden McIntyre
Extraordinary Canadians: Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine And Robert Baldwin by John Rolsten Saul
Jesus of Nazareth Vol II by Pope Benedict XVI
Bonus: The Lamb’s Supper by Scott Hahn
Nikolski by Nikolas Dickner
A Jesuit on Broadway by James Martin SJ
Bonus: Lord Have Mercy by Scott Hahn
Faith by Jennifer Haigh
Born With A Tooth by Joseph Boyden
Opus Dei by John L. Allen
Extraordinary Canadians Louis Riel And Gabriel Dumont by Joseph Boyden
Story of A Soul by St. Therese of Liseux

The Next Baker’s Dozen:
Currently Reading:The Fire of Love by Jose Luis Olaizola
First Comes Love by Scott Hahn
A Father’s Tale by Michael Obrien
Understanding Our Father by Scott Hahn
Marshall Mcluhan by Douglas Coupland
Covenant and Communion by Scott Hahn
Tommy Douglas by Vincent Lam
Swear to God by Scott Hahn
The Astral by Kate Christensen
Many are Called by Scott Hahn
The Confessions by St. Augustine
The Complete Stories by John Cheevers
Hail Holy Queen by Scott Hahn

Hopefully I’ll be able to finish this list by the end of the year.

J.

I haven’t written about my catechism classes and how the process is going for awhile, but that’s probably cause I haven’t had much news. I’ve been going through the classes and throughly enjoying myself.

We broke in the middle of June for the summer and are set to resume in October. At that time I’ve got four classes left and at this point it looks like I’ll be confirmed in mid-November. Then my path to the Church will be complete but this blog won’t stop as my walk as a Catholic will just be beginning.

God Bless,
J.

“It is finished.” Those are the words Jesus said before he died. They’re also where I am on this Rosary pilgrimage that I’ve been on for the last 20 weeks.

I started with the resurrection on Easter Sunday and have worked my way through the Glorious, Joyful and Luminous Mysteries. Now I’m on the last mystery of the sorrowful and it does feel like a pilgrimage. I’ve gone through the life of Jesus and I’ve got a new appreciation of his life on earth and his resurrection.

He died that we might be given the grace by our Heavenly Father, God, to become His children like Jesus. Jesus was willing to share his birth rite with the world. That’s Love. That’s obedience and when you think about it that adds a whole extra level to his mission than just being the new Adam and restoring the Garden of Eden in the Church.

Jesus gave up his life and went through immeasurable pain and suffering so that we might become Children of God. There is no way to say thank you for that. There is no way to describe that than to say that is simply amazing. Jesus did many amazing things on earth and left us with a Church to nourish us through our entire time here on earth, but allowing us to become literal Children of God was definitely the best of it.

Simply WOW!

God Bless and Have a Good Week.
J.

Jesus carries his cross. This is probably one of the most famous mysteries of the Rosary. Both Catholics and Protestants refer to it. Jesus carries his cross — he bears burdens so we don’t have to and to be an example to us. That with Christ we can face whatever challenge is put before us we just need to keep the faith.

And it’s probably the one point of the Christian faith I tend to forget the most. I need to always remember that Jesus is walking beside me and bearing my cross with me, like Simon the Ceyrene did for him. Jesus is always helping us just as he helped us to become children of God like him through his death on the cross.

He won’t every abandon us because he is beside us until death and beyond. Always watching over us always bearing our cross with us so it does not become a heavy burden for us. So that is always something we can overcome if we just have faith.

It is something that I always need to keep at the front of my mind.

Have a good week and God Bless,

J.

Why Catholics are Right by Michael Coren
In the Fabled East by Adam Lewis Schroeder
The Bishop’s Man by Linden McIntyre
Extraordinary Canadians: Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine And Robert Baldwin by John Rolsten Saul
Jesus of Nazareth Vol II by Pope Benedict XVI
Bonus: The Lamb’s Supper by Scott Hahn
Nikolski by Nikolas Dickner
A Jesuit on Broadway by James Martin SJ
Bonus: Lord Have Mercy by Scott Hahn
Faith by Jennifer Haigh
Currently Reading: Born With A Tooth by Joseph Boyden
Extraordinary Canadians Louis Riel And Gabriel Dumont by Joseph Boyden
Story of A Soul by St. Therese of Liseux

Pain and suffering. That is what Jesus went through at the scourging at the pillar and the crown of thorns appears to be the topper to this.

It was probably a small pain in the overall scale of things, but it cause the blood vessels on his forehead to break and blood to drip down into his eyes so that Jesus couldn’t see.

The mystery reminds me of what we say when we saw “oh this is a minor sin, I’m okay.” Yes the sin is small but we have to remember – and I’m as guilty of this as anyone else – that it still hurt someone. Even if we feel our sin was internal and we only caused ourselves some brief discomfort we still hurt ourselves and somebody around us probably noticed and was pained for us if nothing else.

And of course, Jesus hurt it added to his pain on the cross. It pushed the crown of thorns down farther. Now Jesus excepts that willingly as he continually is sacrificing himself for us, but we should be aware that he is continually doing this and we willingly should not be adding to his burden.

Remember Jesus’ pain when you go out and live your life everyday and maybe you’ll stop yourself from adding so much to the burden — even if just a little bit.

Have a good week and God Bless,

J.

Why Catholics are Right by Michael Coren
In the Fabled East by Adam Lewis Schroeder
The Bishop’s Man by Linden McIntyre
Extraordinary Canadians: Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine And Robert Baldwin by John Rolsten Saul
Jesus of Nazareth Vol II by Pope Benedict XVI
Bonus: The Lamb’s Supper by Scott Hahn
Nikolski by Nikolas Dickner
A Jesuit on Broadway by James Martin SJ
Bonus: Lord Have Mercy by Scott Hahn
Currently Reading cause I borrowed it from the library: Faith by Jennifer Haigh
Born With A Tooth by Joseph Boyden
Extraordinary Canadians Louis Riel And Gabriel Dumont by Joseph Boyden
Story of A Soul by St. Therese of Liseux

This is a mystery that I really understood the impact of when I saw Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.

It’s considered a controversial movie, but what I got out of it was a sense of deep thanks and love for all that Jesus has done for us. The scene of the scourging at the pillar is quite graphic. Jesus is covered in blood and his skin is torn and ripped to shreds. And all that went through my mind when I watched that is he did that for us. He did that for me. How could I ever doubt him?

And I know that every time I doubt him, every time I don’t offer my sufferings up to Jesus then I put another lash on his back. If I offer up my sufferings to him then I take a lash for him and I grow closer to him and I learn more about what he went through for us. And I am ever more thankful.

Amen.
J.

I started the first sorrowful mystery today — the Agony in the Garden. Agony and dread is something we all experience. For me I experience it frequently — I worry and get stressed easily.

And every time I get stressed I realize — usually after I’ve gone through a lot of stress — that like Jesus in the garden I should trust in God. He is perfect and eternal love and he will make sure that I will stay on the right course and guide me to do the right thing if I trust in him.

I remember this every time I meditate on this mystery so like the psalms, this is not a mystery of sorrow but one of hope.

Trust in the Lord.

Have a good week and God Bless,
J.

Decided to make the list a dozen, so added one more bonus book:

Why Catholics are Right by Michael Coren
In the Fabled East by Adam Lewis Schroeder
The Bishop’s Man by Linden McIntyre
Extraordinary Canadians: Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine And Robert Baldwin by John Rolsten Saul
Jesus of Nazareth Vol II by Pope Benedict XVI
Bonus: The Lamb’s Supper by Scott Hahn
Nikolski by Nikolas Dickner
A Jesuit on Broadway by James Martin SJ
Currently Reading – Bonus: Lord Have Mercy by Scott Hahn
Born With A Tooth by Joseph Boyden
Extraordinary Canadians Louis Riel And Gabriel Dumont by Joseph Boyden
Story of A Soul by St. Therese of Liseux