Happy Corpus Christi!
And other updates! :)
Hello friends! :) I look forward to writing my weekly emails to you all, and I keep all of you as faithful subscribers to my newsletter in my prayers.
Corpus Christi
This weekend, the Church celebrates Corpus Christi, meaning “body of Christ” in Latin; this is the time in the Church year where we celebrate the true presence of Jesus and celebrate His sacrifice given of His body and blood for the world.
This is one of my favorite feast days not just because it comes during a beautiful time of year as summer begins, but because I am reminded of the beauty of the body and of the reality of Jesus’ presence with us here and now in the gift of the Eucharist.
In Scripture, 1 Corinthians 10:16 reads, “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?”
Jesus is inviting us to participate, even in the smallest of ways, in His sacrificial love for us by uniting our own small sacrifices to the ultimate sacrifice of His body and blood. As writers, we make sacrifices in order to pursue what we love because we believe the creative work is what we are being called to.
Perhaps for you, the sacrifice is time, giving of yourself to your writing or other creative projects when you could be spending time doing something that feels more “productive”. And yet, it is in those quiet hours of morning or night, time when you diligently sit down to pour your heart into your creativity, that Christ seeks to meet you and recognize your sacrifice of time to use the creatives gifts He has given you for good.
Perhaps for you, the sacrifice is money, spending energies into creative projects where you are inspiring hearts, but sacrificing a greater income that could be gleaned by a traditional 9-5 job. He sees your dedication to the arts, to creativity, to the beauty of ministry through storytelling, and even if the monetary gain in this life is far less than others, the spiritual gain is abundant.
Perhaps for you, the sacrifice is the opinions of others, staying true to the unique work-life-balance before you, even if others don’t see the value in the creative fields.
What small or large sacrifices can you offer to Christ today, reminded of the beauty of the bodies we have been given to serve and to love in the creative ways He has called us?
*Sneak peek!*
I have really been enjoying working on my next devotional book these past few months, and I am including a short section from the introduction today for you to read! September 15 is the anticipated release date! Less than three months to go. :) Writing this book has helped me grow in my own faith, particularly as regards the highlighted themes of faith, humility, and bearing sufferings well.
I hope you enjoy this sneak peek, and consider preordering a copy today, or sharing with someone who you think might enjoy the book when it comes out.
A Primer on Humility
When one has humility, one understands oneself and others as they truly are—they know their utter dependence on God and their total weakness and inability to accomplish that which they would desire without God’s help, that is, without God’s grace. But humility is also completely confident and surrendered to God, not viewing oneself in a depraved or hopeless sense but with great trust and joy in what God can and will do in and through them because of His love and grace in their life.
The Scriptures also have much to tell us of humility. For example, James 3:13 says, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” Furthermore, humility and pride are polar opposites, according to the Scriptures. Proverbs 11:12 reads: “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”
Humility allows us to have wisdom, which is actually one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and gives us the ability to judge and order all things in accordance with the divine life in us and in the world, flowing from a loving union with God. As Thomas Aquinas notes, wisdom is a right judgment in accord with the eternal law, in other words, seeing things the way God sees them.
Wisdom, then, is what gives us an eye into the mystery and power of suffering. When one suffers, one needs the gift of true wisdom, made possible through humility, in order to see and trust in God’s overarching plan. A right eternal perspective provides us the grace to say, “God, your ways are not my ways, and your thoughts are not my thoughts. Higher are your ways above the earth” (Isa 55:9-11). God, your will be done.
When we are in in the throes of suffering, we might question, ask, doubt, and wrestle, but ultimately, we should desire to surrender through humility and to have “the mind of God,” so to speak. We should ask to see what, on our own, we are incapable of seeing. To cultivate the mind of Christ is a true remedy and way to understand hardships, pain, and suffering in new and unforeseen ways.
In everything, the good and the bad, God sees a way to work it for our good. For God, nothing is wasted, and nothing is without greater meaning and purpose. But do we truly believe this? Are we truly placing God at the forefront of our mind’s eye and our heart’s desire? Are we truly looking to be made sanctified by His grace through all that we face? Do we truly want to surrender completely and let Him transform us? These are some of the hardest questions when it comes to suffering, and this is the challenge: To have faith in God through all things from a place of humility.
Mary, our mother, be with us on our journey.
Time of Transition
Pray for me as I start my first day TOMORROW as the new Receptionist-Admin Assistant at my home parish! I am truly looking forward to this new position and being able to meet and greet those in my church community and to be able to serve them at the front desk.
This job also came at a great time because I am on summer break from my part-time writing coaching job at the Jesuit School of Theology, so I have extra time to spend getting acclimated to my new duties and responsibilities before resuming writing coaching again come September!
New Pet!
Last month, I adopted a Ranchu Goldfish into my little herd of animals! He is very large, and very inquisitive, and I am happy to say that after a month with him, he is doing quite well. If you watch my YouTube channel, you’ll see my little pets are part of my creative writing space, and it brings me much joy to be able to care for them.
[All my current pets are featured below! :)]
Do you have a creative companion? (besides the Holy Spirit, of course!) ;)
Praying for you as you begin your new job! And what a perfect release date for your Sorrowful Mysteries book: the Feat of the Seven Sorrows of Mary.