Father David Edwards says we should "focus on what we want to see grow." What a simple message. Yet is gives you all you need to have to get through each day. If you focus your mind on positive things, they will become the purpose for your life. So focus on God. Let Jesus Christ be your moral guide. Allow the Holy Spirit to work in your heart each and every day. Pope Benedict XVI recently delivered a powerful message about one of our most beautiful saints. St. Catherine of Siena, who entered the Third Order of the Dominicans at the age of 16, was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI in 1970. Benedict says that Catherine played an eminent role in the history of the Church. He also relates an extraordinary story about Catherine. "In a vision that was ever present in Catherine's heart and mind Our Lady presented her to Jesus who gave her a splendid ring, saying to her: 'I, your Creator and Savior, espouse you in the faith, that you will keep ever pure until you celebrate your eternal nuptials with me in Heaven.' This ring was visible to her alone. In this extraordinary episode we see the vital center of Catherine’s religious sense, and of all authentic spirituality: Christocentrism. For her Christ was like the spouse with whom a relationship of intimacy, communion and faithfulness exists; he was the best beloved whom she loved above any other good." What an incredible example. I am planning to deepen my authentic spirituality and to become much more Christocentric. Going back to the initial idea of this post, I plan to focus on my relationship with Christ because I want it to grow.
Jesus Came to End Death and to Build a Church
The twelve apostles chosen by Jesus formed the bedrock of the early Church , and their Catholic identity is deeply rooted in their direct relationship with Christ and the mission He entrusted to them. The Catechism of the Catholic Church highlights this foundational role, stating that Jesus "instituted the Twelve as 'the seeds of the new Israel and the beginning of the sacred hierarchy'" ( CCC 860 ). These men were not simply followers; they were handpicked by Jesus, lived intimately with Him, witnessed His miracles and teachings firsthand, and were specifically commissioned to preach the Gospel to all nations ( Matthew 28:19-20 ). Their unique position as eyewitnesses to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and their reception of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, established them as the authoritative leaders of the nascent Church, a reality echoed in the writings of early Church Fathers like Ignatius of Antioch, who emphasized the apostles' authority as repre...
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