Guest blogger

A Lenten Reflection from the Uncatechized Catholic

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By: Desirae Sifuentes

Living in the Arizona desert, Lent has always held familiarity for me. The death themes of brown, sand, dust, dry… it’s a part of the Lenten season that never leaves. Jesus walked the desert for forty days, and I have many a time had the briefest taste of His experience when the temperatures go north of 112 and I’ve walked to my mailbox without water. The hot summer sun oppressively bears down upon me, and in the distance, an oasis looms that begs to quench my thirst. I know, despite how my eyes deceive me, I can chase that beckoning pool, but it’ll never quench my thirst.

It’s easy to understand the folly of chasing the mirage, and the wisdom of simply going home, but not every temptation is as simple to navigate as a walk to the mailbox. Some sins still get us. They promise wonderful things that only lead us deeper into the desert bereft of any relief. We wouldn’t chase sin if it weren’t alluring like the “oasis.”

A Time to Desert Our Sins

Lent is the season to confront the sins that entice us as we walk in our desert (without our dessert). In a season typically rife with talks about Jesus’ wandering, I want to contemplate the effects of sin and God in our lives by looking further back to the prefigurement of Christ’s wandering, when the Israelites wandered the desert.

Recall: God plagues Pharaoh until he releases the Israelites to Moses and they flee to the desert. After singing the Song of the Sea where they express gratefulness to God, they realize their conditions in the desert were lackluster. They start to lament that He and Moses had saved them at all, desiring the good ol’ days back in Egypt. God hears their ungrateful cries and provides them with food and water.

God Calls His People to Obedience

After this, Moses leads them to Mt. Sinai where God offers to enter into a covenant with them. If they obey His commands, they will become a “kingdom of priests,” or those who represent God. The Israelites agree, and God tells Moses many commandments on the mountain. These weren’t oppressive rules, but instructions of how the people and God would relate to one another, similar to wedding vows.

As God is giving Moses the instructions to build the Ark of the Covenant, the Israelites get impatient. They ask Aaron to make them the golden calf, violating the first two commandments and threatening the covenant. God says to Moses “God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in covenant faithfulness. He forgives sin, but will not leave the wicked unpunished.” (Exodus 34:6-7)

In the end, the Ark of the Covenant is built and set up within a tent as God commanded. The book ends with Moses trying to enter… and being unable to. As the representative of the Israelites, their unfaithfulness to the covenant is fracturing their relationship with God, and not allowing them to be close to Him.

Rules to Guide

In Leviticus, God gives the Israelites many more commands and instructions. God promises He will be very good to them if they are good to Him, but he will bring wrath down if they are not. The people hear this and do good. When we look forward to Numbers, we see Moses speaking to God from within the tent containing the Ark. This means the people had stayed close enough to God and made reparation to bring themselves closer to Him again!

It doesn’t last. In Numbers, as they walk through the wilderness of Paran, the Israelites complain and eventually riot saying they don’t want to go to the promised land. God says the Israelites can have it their way. They will not enter the promised land, only the next generation will in forty years. Later, Moses receives the same fate as he, too, offends God.

There’s still more rebellion from the Israelites, so God brings a punishment of poisonous snakes upon them. To remedy this, God tells Moses to make a bronze snake and hang it on a stick, so that whoever looks upon it would be healed.

Then the king of Moab asks a pagan sorcerer to curse them. Three times this sorcerer tries, but he can only offer blessings. While the Israelites are down in their camp grumbling and turning against God, He is with this sorcerer protecting and blessing them.

God is a Patient Father

Do you see the pattern? Time and again, the Israelites offend God, but He remains just and good to them. This is why these stories are so important and repeated so often throughout the bible. These stories illustrate that God will keep His word on his covenant promises, but He will also allow His people to separate themselves from Him and bear the consequences. This is true thousands of years later, and the words of Moses to the next generation in Deuteronomy are too.

As the new generation goes to the promised land without Moses, he speaks words of wisdom to them. He tells them many things, particularly to be more faithful to the covenant than their parents were. “Listen Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord alone, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all of your soul, and all of your might.” This prayer is called the Shemah, which means “Listen” in Hebrew. In Hebrew “listen” means more than to hear, you must respond to what you hear–or obey.

God Won’t Desert You

Today, it isn’t enough to read your bible, you must obey the will of the Lord. Similarly, Love means more than an emotion or feeling. It’s a wholehearted devotion to God, a decision to align your will, emotions, mind, and heart to Him. We’re called to this same alignment now. This quote became a very important prayer to the Jewish people because it concisely stated what we know to be true. We are a people set apart. Israel’s obedience to this would make them a unique people among the nations, as it makes Christians unique in the world now.

As the new generation will be intermingling with the idol-worshipping Caananites, Moses urges them to worship God alone. Idols degrade humans and destroy communities, but worshiping God alone leads to blessings and life. These idols are sin, like the mirage in the desert: enticing, and tempting, but they bring devastation.

Moses instructs on God’s laws, which sound pretty average today but were radical and revolutionary for ancient Egypt. They’re better compared to similar rules at the time, like the Code of Hammurabi, where you can see how different circumstances, beliefs, norms, and people generally were back then. This gives a better understanding of how incredible these laws were, and how God was holding the Israelites to the highest standard they would be capable of back then. It’s the same now: Christians are called to higher standards than the rest of the world deems necessary. They make us weird, but the fruits speak for themselves.

Continued Promises

Moses continues: if they stay close to God, blessings will abound, but if they stray then exile will come to them. He urges them to choose life but admits he knows they will not after he dies. While this is pessimistic, it is also realistic. He says this because he knows them. Moses promises them that one day, when they’re in exile, struggling with venomous sin, they can always turn back towards God. He will welcome them back with open arms. For even when God rightly brings down justice, He transforms those just acts into life for those who look for healing, as when the Israelites looked upon the serpent.

Eternal truths about the relationship between God and man abound in this set of books. We constantly offend God and reap the consequences. He also constantly forgives us when we come back to Him. We don’t earn that forgiveness, He just gives it, if we want it. When we take that forgiveness and choose to live lives that ignore the mirage of the oasis, and instead keep our eyes fixed upon God, the blessings overflow. Our Lenten walks in the desert keep us keenly aware of the sting of suffering. Looking forward to Easter, what we truly see on the other side is the greatest promise of all: Heaven.

About Our Guest Blogger:

Desirae Sifuentes is a military wife, mom of 5, and theology student at Franciscan University. Growing up largely ignorant to her faith, she ventured off and found her way back home. This led her to passionately pursue her own catechesis. Now she’s sharing that journey, and how to grow, learn, and defend your catholic faith online at @uncatechizedcatholic.

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How The Jesus Prayer Impacted My Life

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By: Jackie Kierulf

Years ago, a friend invited me to a seminar on the Jesus prayer.

As a cradle Catholic, I no longer felt that attending mass on Sunday was enough. Over time, I joined a choir, attended several weekend retreats for young adults and made friends who were more active in parish life than I was, all intended to bring me closer to God.

When I was asked to join one of those friends to learn about the Jesus prayer it felt like another opportunity to enhance my faith and prayer life.

Our group met one cold winter night in downtown Montreal (Quebec.). Before the session began, I struck up a conversation with two religious sisters. At first I thought they were the speakers, but no, they told me, they had come to learn about this prayer, too. I thought that if these two nuns were eager to enhance their faith, there was hope for my own.

Origins of the Jesus Prayer

We learned that the Jesus prayer has its roots in Eastern Christianity. Whereas traditional meditation has the intent in the emptying of minds, the Jesus prayer, by the power of the Holy Spirit, is invoking the name of Jesus Christ to God the Father.

This makes total sense, because Christ IS the focal point of Christian prayer.

We have access to the Father only if we pray in name of Jesus (Catechism 2664). It is the one name that contains everything (Catechism 2666). In fact when we pray to Jesus, we not only invoke him but “call him within us.”

Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

We closed our eyes and pondered over those few words speaking quietly and repeating them over and over again.

In all prayer we strive to pray with an open heart and it is no different with the Jesus prayer.

Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner

Those words held more weight than I knew. As I continue to delve more into scripture and God’s promise of salvation that awaits each of us, those words paint a thousand more.

God Meets You in the Struggle

In our sinfulness and brokenness, God welcomes us through his Son. Like the heavenly prize that Paul speaks of, I too, despite my daily struggles, strive for that perfect spiritual life. Despite obstacles along the way, I press on, knowing the journey towards Him, though difficult at times, will ultimately bring lasting joy and fulfillment. That glimpse of eternal joy is a sliver in our present life, but it is by God’s grace that we experience those moments on our earthly journey.

I am often guilty of being blind to God’s promise of salvation, just as St. Paul was. When I think of God crying out to Paul, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 3:9), I know too well how many times I have offended God, not just by what I have done, but also by what I have failed to do.

The Lasting Impact of the Jesus Prayer

It’s been more than forty years since that night in Montreal. I still pray the Jesus prayer, striving to carve those words permanently into my spiritual life. I’m not always successful, but I like to think that perseverance, in spite of all the worldly obstacles we face these days, is what counts.

At mass, when the host and chalice are raised, I meditate on the words of the Jesus prayer. In that moment, the gift of God’s grace is both convicting for me as a sinner, and at the same time, comforting.

Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

I say those words slowly, over and over again.

When I do, I cannot help but examine my own heart:

Do I come before God in humility knowing that I need him?

Do I trust God as his adopted daughter knowing that he is with me, and that not my will but his will be done?

Do I persevere in prayer, by praying without ceasing so that through prayer I strive to become more like Jesus, even in moments of dryness and distraction?

We may strive to do all of these things, and sometimes we may do them well, and at other times fall short. It is a battle of prayer that so many saints struggled with, but never gave up by asking for God’s grace through their faith and trust in him.

Prayer brings us closer to the Father

St. Teresa of Avila says of contemplative prayer that it is “nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who loves us.” (Catechism 2709).

We need to remain open to God’s promise of salvation that awaits each of us in the heavenly kingdom. But it is only when we pray from the heart that we will receive His gift of grace and begin to forge that ultimate relationship with him.

Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

May we respond to God our Father’s call to prayer, by the power of the Holy Spirit and through his Son Jesus Christ, with unwavering faith, hope and love.

About Our Guest Blogger:

Jackie lives in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Her publications include Blessed (Calla Press, 2023), Stories of Faith (Our Sunday Visitor, 2020), Hello and Goodbye (Dribbles, Drabbles and Postcards, 2022), and Birthdays 2022 (Grief Dialogues Stories, US). Besides writing, Jackie enjoy hiking, reading, and traveling. You can find Jackie’s work at  cherishingthedeathprocess.com  and at fromsimplewordstorealstories.home.blog. 

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4 Ways Faith Helps with Holiday Stress

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By Samantha Smith

The holidays are a time for family, friends and celebration. Decorations, special treats and activities bring us joy as we bring the year to a close and prepare for a new one.

Despite the festivities, the season also brings holiday stress. We are easily distracted and overwhelmed with expectations and traditions that can negatively impact our mental health.

As Catholics, we are called to see past the commercialism of the holiday season and focus on the many blessings of our lives, including the birth of Jesus. Thankfully, our faith provides many opportunities to focus on what makes this season important for our faith.

Read on for five ways faith can help with your holiday stress.

Spirit of Gratitude

Gratitude changes everything
Gratitude changes everything (and so does coffee, unless you’re a tea drinker.)

Even though our modern Thanksgiving differs from its historic origins, it is still a day when we gather with loved ones to share a meal and express gratitude for how God has blessed us throughout the year.

However, gratitude is not solely meant for Thanksgiving. It can be done daily in a journal or added to your prayers. Additionally, studies have shown that gratitude has many health benefits, such as improving sleep and mood. It also helps with anxiety and depression, which can be heightened at this time of the year.

To help with holiday stress, thank God for three or more blessings in your life each day. Be intentional with your daily blessings and track how it improves your mood and stress. Consider continuing this practice throughout the year.

Practice Patience

Patience this Holiday Season

Commercialism tends to impose the holidays upon us way before the actual date arrives. Decorations, treats and holiday-themed products hit stores early, encouraging increased spending and a longer holiday season. By the time the holiday arrives, it’s no longer enjoyable and you’re ready for the next one.

The holiday season can also highlight what we are missing in our lives. Children await Christmas with much anticipation for special gifts under the tree. Singles are longing to share the holidays with a spouse. Parents with infertility issues are longing for the day they can celebrate with their own children.

God teaches us the importance of patience throughout life. Patience describes love (1 Corinthians 13:4), is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and is an instruction from God throughout the Bible.

Patience is a requirement of faith. God asks us to wait for his divine timing for the desires of our heart. As all of us enter this season of busyness and stress, ask God to give you patience for yourself and with others. While the holiday season is filled with anticipation, it is also important that we patiently wait for what is in store for us.

Rituals and Traditions

The Catholic faith is full of rituals and traditions that we practice throughout the year. And the holiday season is no different.

Catholics celebrate the season of Advent for four weeks leading up to Christmas. Our Christmas season lasts until Epiphany, which is in January of the new year. We celebrate the Nativity of Our Lord on December 25 with nativity sets in our homes and churches until the Christmas season ends. On January 1st, we celebrate the feast of Mary, the Mother of God.

All of these seasons and feasts have their own traditions and rituals, which help to keep the holiday season in perspective.

Having an Advent wreath and calendar are both reminders to wait on the Lord and to do good work in this season of waiting. Because Christmas doesn’t end on December 25, we keep the light of Christ shining brightly in our homes and with all we encounter. We are also invited to celebrate other aspects of the holiday season, such as the three kings at Epiphany and mother Mary on the first of the year.

Having rituals and traditions eases holiday stress because of their continuity and stability. They bring us comfort and something to look forward to each year. Embrace these Catholic traditions in your holiday routine. Do a couple of things to get started so you don’t overwhelm yourself or your family.

Community Support

Holy Family
Ask the Holy Family to give you comfort during times of loneliness this holiday season.

The holiday season can heighten feelings of loneliness and isolation, especially for those who live alone, are mourning the death of loved ones or in a transitional period of their lives.

By getting more involved in parish life, you will ease those lonely feelings and be surrounded by like-minded people. This provides a sense of belonging that will lift your spirits.

Connect with your faith community during the holiday season by attending Mass and making the effort to meet someone new. Volunteer with a ministry to help someone in the community or give Christmas gifts to a family in need.

Holiday stress may come each year, but the Catholic faith provides us opportunities to focus on God’s love and the birth of Jesus. May our faith bring comfort and joy to you and your family this holiday season.

About Our Guest Blogger:

Samantha Smith is a Catholic blogger and copywriter. You can follow her blog at spiritandsparkle.net.

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The Challenges of a Catholic Attending a Secular College

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By: Erica L. Cerasale

Deciding on which college to attend is a large part of a high schooler’s life. So much time and pressure are spent boosting our GPA, participating in extracurriculars, and volunteering so that we get accepted into our ‘’dream school.’’

I was not one of those people.

My GPA was good, but I didn’t have to put in much effort to earn it. The only extracurricular activity that I was involved with was theatre. And for volunteering, I spent some summers helping the public library in my town plus being one of the leaders for Vacation Bible School at the local church.

I applied to four colleges in my state: a private Jesuit university, a private Catholic university, and two public state universities. I ended up deciding on attending Western Connecticut State University. It’s public state college about 45 minutes from my hometown. I picked WCSU because of the financial aid they awarded me, its smaller size, and the opportunity to have a fresh start.

When move-in-day finally arrived, I was surprised at how quickly I adjusted to college. In a matter of weeks, I was able to walk around campus without getting lost. Plus, I had found a group of friends to hang out with.

The Life Changing Experience of the Newman Center

Around the end of September, however, my entire life was changed when I was introduced to my university’s Newman Center.

The Western Connecticut State University Newman Center

The Western Connecticut State University Newman Center.

At the time, I was a Catholic at surface level. I was raised in the faith as a child and attended religious education classes. I also received the sacraments of First Holy Communion, Reconciliation, and Confirmation. However, I did not have my own personal relationship with God. Daily prayer was something that I did not partake in. Nor did I attempt to go to Confession or read the Bible.

The only time that I thought about Jesus was once a week.

Four FOCUS missionaries resided at the Newman Center. It was the first time I witnessed young adults live out their Catholic faith. All the missionaries prayed daily, went to Mass daily, and received Confession often. What was more amazing was the fact that they interacted with others in a welcoming manner. Not only that, but everything they consumed, said and did was for the glory of the Lord. Their actions reminded me of this Bible verse:

Finally, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. ―Philippians 4:8

Challenges of Being a Catholic in a Secular College

As I spent more time at Newman, I got to experience many things that I have never experienced before: engaging in fellowship, attending a Bible study; being in the presence of the Lord during Adoration. By learning and growing in faith, I realized that I must do a very important thing; the most challenging thing that I have ever done (or ever will do): being of the Word and not of the world.

Attending a small, secular, state school has made this no easy feat.

Being a Catholic at a college where faith isn’t a priority in many students’ lives can be frustrating. I have encountered the following challenges along the way:

  • Questioning whether I should wear my Miraculous medal or the shirt with Our Lady of Guadalupe on the back out in public instead of during a time when I’m in my dorm room more.
  • Whispering the rosary at night, hoping that my roommates don’t hear me and call me out on what I’m doing.
  • The awkwardness of discussing with classmates why I haven’t seen an episode of Euphoria because ‘’that show is something that I am not a fan of.’’
  • It’s watching some of my friends outwardly (and proudly) state that a woman has the right to decide what to do with her body, even if meant killing the innocent human being that was inside her.

Honestly, there have been times I’ve been upset and wished I attended a Catholic university. In the moment, it seemed ‘easier’ to be surrounded by people who were just like me.

Living the Christian Faith is Worth It

But walking with Christ has never been (or never will be) easy. If it was, then we wouldn’t be able to grow in our faith. The temptation to go with the crowd and abandon my beliefs is something that I will always have to fight against.

But it is something that’s worth fighting for.

No matter what my peers say about the Church, I will continue to advocate for Her. I have experienced faith, fellowship, love, and servitude, and I know just how beautiful it can be. More than ever, college students are chasing sin to fulfill the emptiness in their hearts. But what they don’t realize is that those desires of being seen, wanted, and loved can be satisfied in Christ.

The Lord wanted me to attend a secular college so I can discover Him in a non-traditional setting and to become a vessel of His love for the campus community.

For a girl who never obsessed about which college to attend, I ended up at the school where I was meant to be. And that’s all because of Jesus.

About our guest blogger:

Erica Lynn is a third-year Communication and Marketing student at Western Connecticut State University and is Secretary of her college’s Newman Club. Erica is passionate about fellowship and the power of social media to evangelize within the Church. Follow her on Instagram @_catholit_ to see more Catholic content.

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