Tag: communion

Vision of the Joyful Prince

Post author By SheilaLaSalle
Post date September 6, 2015
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It was dark. Crowds of people gathered behind the locked gates of prison cells. Many were well groomed and well dressed. Reading the newspaper, chatting among themselves, or looking at their phone, they appeared to be making the best of the situation. No one was especially happy or unhappy. Suddenly, there was a bright laugh from the far end of the prison. As the laughter increased, so did the light. I finally saw him, a joyful prince ran through the dungeon, laughing as he unlocked the prison gates, one by one. With each gate he unlocked, the prison became lighter. Repeatedly, he shouted you’re free! You can leave! You don’t have to stay here!

But many did stay. They didn’t recognize this prince and so they didn’t trust him. They were packed in with others that, regardless of their faults, were at least familiar. They knew the contours of the prison cell and there would be no surprises. They decided it was better to stay put. Some were so preoccupied with their cell phones that they didn’t even notice his arrival or the fact that he’d unlocked the gates.

One woman, clinging tightly to the edges of her fur coat, wanted to follow him but she felt glued in place. She thought, if he’d only reach in and grab me… As she thought this, he looked back at her and spoke to her heart. “I have freed you, I have set the place for you, but you must choose to follow on your own free will. No one wants a lover they have to drag out from behind the bars.”

It required all her might to take one step.

“I wouldn’t go,” said someone standing next to her. “When you get out into that light, you don’t know what you’re going to see-about the world or worse, about yourself.” She saw the prince dancing down the hall, unlocking other prison cells. From some cells, throngs of people rushed forth into the hall. Exuberant. “So what are you going to do?” the stranger next to her prodded.

She wanted to see the joyful prince again, and she wanted to experience the same joy of following him that she saw on the faces of others who chose to follow. She let the fur coat fall to the ground and took a step forward.

Some times after Communion, I see things. This story is from one of those times.

~Sheila LaSalle

Tags communion

Catholic Christianity Saints

High Jinx and Rule Breaking=The Making of a Saint

Post author By SheilaLaSalle
Post date August 15, 2015
1 Comment on High Jinx and Rule Breaking=The Making of a Saint

In 1926, when the churches were closed and priests went into hiding, Blessed Miguel Pro secretly served the Catholics in Mexico. He would arrive in the middle of the night dressed as a beggar to baptize an infant, bless a marriage, or celebrate Mass. He’d walk into the jail, dressed as a police officer and bring Holy Viaticum to condemned Catholics. When going to more wealthy neighborhoods to procure for the poor, he disguised himself as a successful business man with a flower in his lapel. In order to serve the spiritual and temporal needs of the people, he had to think outside the box.

Serving as a priest during this time required him to be both creative and daring. So it is not surprising to read that as a child his intense mischievousness and frequent practical jokes exasperated his family. A fearless sense of adventure was part of his nature and although he was very spiritual at a young age, this aspect of himself was not stifled.

On the day of his execution, he faced the firing squad without a blindfold, stretched his arms wide, forgave them, and proclaimed Viva Cristo Rey, “Long live Christ the King!”

Today, if Miguel were in an American classroom, he might be considered “naughty” or worse, slapped with a label: Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder. He might spend his recess time “on the wall” or in the principal’s office after causing trouble or a “distraction”.

Let us be careful not to label a child or assume their character is troublesome. For the qualities inherent in one prone to daring precociousness and high jinx are the same qualities it takes to be a servant of God, an ambassador for Christ, in the midst of persecution.

~~Sheila LaSalle

Tags communion, faithfulness

Catholic Christianity RCIA Spirituality

I’ll Take You As You Are

I grew up Catholic in the ‘70’s. My Bible came in chunks which were read aloud at weekly Mass. From time to time I talked to God, but I could better quote from the book, I’m Okay, You’re Okay more than any Bible verse. I went to confession on a fairly regular basis but was too self-absorbed to recognize the philosophical incongruence between my choice of reading material and my faith. Not until much later, after a failed marriage and numerous other mistakes, did I admit for certain I wasn’t Okay.
Despite the fact that I was far from Okay, I’d find myself compelled to share stories where Grace overrode the ugliness. At times I felt convicted, a hypocrite. But sometimes I’d hear that quiet whisper: it’s okay, I’ll take you as you are.

Who is out there to do His bidding but the flawed and scarred? Since no one leaves this life without their share of mistakes and pain we are all “eligible”.

Before Communion we say, Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed. Here is where we admit our brokenness and submit all we are to Love.

Sometimes I imagine I hear Him say, I will take you in your brokenness. I will take you in your weakness. I will take you with every scar. I will take you with every flaw. I will take you, not despite these conditions, but because they are part of the human condition and I love you.

~~Sheila LaSalle

Tags communion

Catholic Christianity

More Than Bread and Fish

In the Gospel of John, Jesus displays His ability to take even our smallest offering and multiply it a thousand times over. This is striking to be sure, but today a less obvious aspect of the passage had a grip on my attention:
Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining,
and also as much of the fish as they wanted. JN 6:10-11
Something about the word recline and the image of 5,000 people resting in the grass eating bread and fish captivated me. Why not sit? Why not stand in line to be served?
By the time of Jesus, the Roman custom of reclining at supper had been adopted in some Jewish circles. Bending the left arm in order to support their upper body, they were able to recline and eat with their right hand. Reclining indicated leisure and freedom.

Recline. That was the posture Jesus wanted the crowd of 5,000 people to be in when He served them supper. When He said, “Have the people recline” it was without exception. It didn’t matter who was in the crowd, what they had done or failed to do, all were fed until they were full. And being the good host He is, His gift was so plentiful that after everyone had their fill, there were leftovers!
Recline. Be free of the worries of the world. Savor the moment. Allow Him to nourish you. Recline and trust that He will make miracles happen in order to provide you not only with what you need, but enough to spill over so that you might share with others.

~~Sheila LaSalle

Tags communion, spirituality

Christianity RCIA Saints Spirituality

Mary Magdalene Showed Up

July 22^nd, is the Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene. According to the Gospel of John, it was Mary Magdalene to whom Christ first appeared and spoke to after His resurrection.

On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. … as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there… She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher…

Why Mary Magdalene and not Peter? I can’t even speculate the answer to that, but I believe we can find answers to other questions with which we grapple within the context of the original question: why her? Questions such as, how do I live, on a day to day basis, as a Christian within a secular society? How am I supposed to move forward in my life after tragedy and loss? How do I acquire that burning love or that burning faith that the disciples and saints shared?

Mary came to the tomb while it was still dark. Imagine what that alone must have been like. Consider the wilderness, the hungry, nocturnal wildlife roaming about the land. Her deep craving for Christ outweighed any fear, or struggle, or threat. Despite the darkness, despite her grief, she went to him. She showed up. Love knows no limits. When we struggle, encounter a tragedy or loss, those who truly love us show up. This is the love that Mary Magdalene displayed. And I believe this is the answer to the questions that we encounter from time to time.

How do I live, on a day to day basis, as a Christian within a secular society? Show up. Read scripture, pray. As Catholics, we have the privilege to engage in an encounter with Christ, in the highest form of prayer, on a daily basis: the Mass.

How am I supposed to move forward in my life after tragedy and loss? Show up. Even when our grief is blinding and every forward step feels daunting, we need to show up because that is the most surefooted path to a healing encounter with the risen Christ.

How do I acquire that burning love or that burning faith so many others have shared? Again, show up. We choose which relationships we do, or do not, nurture in life.

Reading on, although she spoke to him, Mary didn’t recognize Jesus until He said her name. Showing up, despite the unknown, despite our pain, despite our secular apathay is only the first half of the equation. Once we do show up, we must listen.

~~Sheila LaSalle

Tags communion, faithfulness, saints

Catholic RCIA Spirituality

He Knew You

Before He sang the stars into existence,
before He separated mist from the sea,
He knew you.

Before He broke the bread and took the cup
before He said, Do This in Remembrance of Me,
He knew you.

Before He carried a cross through dusty streets,
before iron nailed his palms and feet,
He knew you.

He knew your struggles, your search for refuge
and for your whole life,
He’s loved you.

He’s loved you whether you be saddened or elated
and for your whole life,
He’s waited.

He’s waited for this very day, for You
to come to His banquet, enter in and forever more
feast on Him.
Sheila LaSalle

Tags communion

Catholic Christianity RCIA Saints

The Persistence of a Saint

Post author By SheilaLaSalle
Post date July 2, 2015
No Comments on The Persistence of a Saint

Growing up, celebrating All Saints Day involved much more than dressing up in a costume on the first of November. For weeks leading up to the celebration, each student chose a saint to research and write a report. The culminating activity: dressing up as that saint on All Saints Day.

Upon entering the school library, girls with names like Theresa and Monica rushed to the saint section to find the saint that shared their name. Not a strong reader yet, I waited for them to select their books before I searched the bottom stack of picture books for a saint named Sheila. “Looks like I’m off the hook,” I told a friend, “there’s no saint Sheila.” Within minutes, most of my classmates heard my declaration, as well as the librarian, and I was instructed to choose a saint from the collection anyway. Book after book, every cover captured a smiling saint in the image of perfection. Clean and tidy. They must have been born perfect, I thought and I found it difficult to look at them. I was a tom-boy. I played Little League baseball, and spit. Scuffed knees and dirt under my finger nails was a badge of honor. I looked nothing like these saints, and I was far from having the patience of a saint, a term I heard my mother use to describe my older sister, named after Saint Catherine. Then and there, I determined that I was not born a saint, would never be perfect, and my mother knew it when she named me Sheila.

Not until I was far into my adulthood did I get to know any of the saints. I learned that they really didn’t start out wholesome and perfect. But what made them a saint was that at some point in their life they turned toward God, embraced the Trinity, and lived their life dedicated to Christ. It was this dedication that resulted in a holy communion with God in heaven. Around this time, I heard a priest define a saint as a friend of God, which is when It all began to make sense. If someone were to be with God after passing from this life, it stood to reason they would be a friend of God during this life also.

It requires a certain dedication to develop and maintain a friendship. Consider the effort we put into our friendships, the hours spent being together, the countless conversations. Over time, as we gain new responsibilities and are pulled in other directions, it requires a certain persistence if we intend for our friendships to last.

As a friend of God, saints also engaged in this behavior. Their faithfulness was more than keeping the commandments and being a “good person”. Their faithfulness was evident in their persistence and dedication to their relationship with Christ.

To be a friend of God and come into union with Him, it is not the patience of a saint we need to adopt, but rather the persistence and dedication of a saint.

Sheila LaSalle

Tags communion, faithfulness, saints

Christianity RCIA

When We Go to Mass

We go when we’re content, when we’re guilty and afraid. We go when we’re grieving and when we’re filled with joy. We go when we need to connect or reconnect with something larger than ourselves, when we need to remember that we’re not alone. But sometimes we go because there is simply no other place else to go. Because we have exhausted every other avenue in our search for completion; shopping, drinking, flirting, working, and we still come up short. We go because on some level we recognize that it is only through this connection that we ever come close to completion. Because when we go, we come into union with a divine essence that settles into the fibers of our heart and transforms us.