I had an interesting discussion with a fellow Catholic the other day that continues to intrigue me. We began talking about Heaven and the afterlife as we were watching the movie Joshua. If you have not read the Joshua books by Joseph Girzone, I encourage you to do so. They are simple works that are calming and informative in plain language. Anyway, back to the conversation with my colleague; we began to talk about belief in God and an afterlife. She noted that she was very fearful and did not think she was ready to experience the afterlife yet. I told her that I was reading the Book of Daniel and that I found the message that God is always in control to be very comforting. She noted that she had not read that or many parts of the Bible. She noted that as a Catholic, she had never really picked up the Bible to read it unless it was an assignment in class and that most of what she remembers about the Bible is due to scripture readings every Sunday at Mass. I challenged her to begin to have a daily conversation with God by reading the Bible. I shared that since I had started my journey, the same scripture would say different things to me depending on where I was in my spiritual life. I suggested that she start her journey with a student Bible and work her up as she matured spiritually. She seemed very happy to have this instruction and I was certainly happy becasue I felt I had shared the Gospel of Jesus with another, which is ultimately what He implores us to do. I know the history of the Catholic Church and how for hundreds of years we were not encouraged to read the Bible because it was felt that we would misunderstand or misinterpret what it said. I am glad that the Church leadership has reversed that thinking but I am also convinced that many Catholics throughout the centuries since the founding of the Church have been reading the Bible themselves. It is a beautiful, living document that never fails to satisfy and amaze me. My hope is that my current Bible become so worn and filled with notes that I have to replace it by the end of the year. Then I know that I will truly be talking with God on a daily basis.
Born during the turbulent era of the French Revolution, Saint Jeanne Jugan rose above hardship and a lack of formal schooling to become a profound vessel of Christ’s mercy. After losing her father at a young age and working through her youth as a kitchen maid and nurse, her life radically changed one freezing night when she encountered a blind, paralyzed elderly woman with nowhere to go. Jeanne carried the woman back to her own home, placed her in her own bed, and began a lifelong mission of radical hospitality. This act of profound love blossomed into the Little Sisters of the Poor , a thriving community dedicated to sheltering and honoring the destitute elderly. Despite later facing heavy trials—including being unjustly sidelined and stripped of her leadership by a controlling chaplain—Jeanne accepted her obscurity and exile with a joyful spirit, resting her complete trust in God's hidden providence until her death in 1879. In our daily lives, Saint Jeanne Jugan invites us to lo...
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