As I mentioned, I had the privilege of making a short trek to Arlington with my fiance and his family to witness his cousin's ordination to the priesthood this past weekend. This event marked the first time I had ever attended an ordination (excepting his diaconate ordination the previous year), and I must say that it was one of the most beautiful Masses to which I have ever been. Seated in the balcony of the Cathedral of St. Thomas More next to my soon-to-be husband, I became acutely aware of God's Will active in my life and in the lives of those around me.
This awareness tends to overwhelm me whenever I sing O God Beyond All Praising, one of my favorite hymns. I have yet to sing it without tears peeping out from the corners of my eyes, and I don't expect this to change soon, especially as both my fiance and I plan on incorporating it into our own wedding Mass.
O God, Beyond All Praising
O God, beyond all praising, we worship you today
and sing the love amazing that songs cannot
repay;
For we can only wonder at every gift you send,
at blessings without number and mercies without
end:
We lift our hearts before you and wait upon your
word,
We honor and adore you, our great and mighty
Lord.
The flower of earthly splendor in time must
surely die,
Its fragile bloom surrender to you, the Lord
most high;
But hidden from all nature the eternal seed is sown
Though small in mortal stature, to heaven’s
garden grown:
For Christ the man from heaven from death has
set us free,
And we through him are given the final victory.
Then hear, O gracious Savior, accept the love we
bring,
That we who know your favor may serve you as our
King;
And whether our tomorrow be filled with good or
ill,
We’ll triumph through our sorrows and rise to bless you still:
To marvel at your beauty and glory in your ways,
And
make a joyful duty our sacrifice of praise!
Have you ever been to an ordination?
Are you familiar with this hymn?
How do the words stir your heart?
Hello Bonnie!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you decided to comment on our blog the other day, and stretch out a hand of friendship. I was truly blessed by your comment, and want you to know that I am very much impressed with your own blog and style of writing. I have read all of your posts, and am greatly intrigued to find out more about you. I realize you are a Roman Catholic, and this has lead me to ask you a very personal question (if you don't want to answer you are not obligated by any means!): Do you believe that you are a sinner and in need of salvation through Jesus Christ in order to be saved? Do you believe in purgatory? You see, I am a Reformed Presbyterian by faith, and the reason why I ask this question is because a close relative of mine used to be a Roman Catholic, and she believed that she only needed to be a good person to go to heaven. I don't get the sense that you believe this, from your writing, but I still would be very grateful if you could tell me what you believe, and why, since it is not often I meet a true Roman Catholic.
I was so happy to read your post about the audio books of J.R.R. Tolkien! Your thoughts on the joys of listening to a book over reading it from an electronic devise mirror my own sentiments to a T! Even reading a long blog post is annoying for me because of the irritation it gives my eyes to read from a computer screen. I am glad to know that my sisters and I are not the only ones who think alike on this subject!
I also gathered from your latest post that you will be getting married soon! Congratulations! I would love to see pictures of this momentous occasion! I hope that the wedding plans are going well, and pray that the stress of planning doesn't override the most important aspects of such a blessed time for you and your fiancé! May all joys be yours'!
Have a lovely day!
In Christ alone,
Jessica
The eldest sister & singer
Jessica,
DeleteThank you so very much for visiting! I don't mind answering your questions in the least; indeed, I am both honored and humbled for the opportunity to answer your questions and hopefully clarify any confusion.
In regards to your first question, Catholic teaching does state that we are all sinners, and that it is only through Jesus Christ that we have been redeemed. His Passion and Resurrection has allowed us the gift of life, despite our sinfulness. While one might try to follow Christ’s example in all things, it is impossible to do so all the time. Christ was perfect, and we are far from being so. As you rightly supposed (and seem to understand yourself), being a Christian is a difficult path sometimes; for Catholics, this difficulty comes from the necessity of both faith and good works in life. It is not sufficient to cultivate a personal relationship with the Lord—though it be a necessary start—one must also cultivate a relationship with God’s other children, as well. Performing truly good works for the glory of God and conscientiously living a life according to His Will—which means caring for others and ourselves in many varying ways—is the ideal goal for the Catholic Christian. Of course we do not always succeed. This is why I find the Sacrament of Confession so beautiful. This sacrament allows us to relieve ourselves of the burden of past sins in the presence of a priest who acts in persona Christi (in the person of Christ). Our sins forgiven and penance executed, we have a clean slate from which to begin again.
As to your second question, the answer is once again affirmative. Purgatory is a place of cleansing, a necessary stop for those whom God has welcomed into Heaven, but who have not yet achieved the necessary state of Grace to do so. It is often misunderstood as a place where one must stay until God has decided whether or not to send one to Heaven or Hell, but this is not so. While one can imagine that the time spent there is painful—as one has had a glimpse of Heaven and desires to be with God, but cannot yet—I also find it comforting that one has the opportunity for a final cleansing before eternal communion with Him. We regularly pray for the souls in Purgatory, that they may reside with the Father in Heaven in His time.
Thank you very much for your congratulatory wishes, as well! We’ll be celebrating our big day in the autumn, and I’d love to share glimpses of it with others who recognize the truth and beauty of marriage. You’re wish that the planning a wedding not override planning for a marriage is very astute, and a distinction that I repeat to myself on a daily basis. If you and your lovely sisters wouldn’t mind including “Jeffrey and Bonnie” in your prayers, we would both be so grateful! I hope you and your family had a lovely Fathers’ Day, as well!
Blessings,
Bonnie
Thank you, Bonnie, for so kindly answering my questions! Although there are several theological differences between us, as I have been learning from C.S. Lewis, it is better to put those lesser disturbances aside and be grateful for the greatest unity we share in the belief and faith in the saving death a resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As we learn of in Romans ch. 14-15, the Apostle Paul exhorts us to love one another and to not hold grudges against each other just because one eats of meat, and another of vegetables. I find myself having to remember this a lot lately in my journey, and am blessed to have the opportunities to practice such actions of love.
ReplyDeleteYes, I will indeed keep you and your fiancé in my prayers as the wedding day draws closer! I have watched many a bride through my novice eyes, and wondered at how some can be so steadily composed with ease and trust in God's handiwork, while there are others who are all anxiety and nervousness until the actual day. May it not be so for you!
Have a delightful day Bonnie!
Blessings in Christ,
Jessica
The eldest sister & singer