Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.
- Hebrews 11:1


Welcome to the Eternal Catholic. Here on these pages, I hope to provide you with some spiritual insight that will not only enhance or enrich your life, but perhaps even give you some food-for-thought by way of words, music, videos and more. Please visit often, and be sure to subscribe using the "follow by Email" box below so that you won't miss any new articles! Blessings to each of you.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Is It Worth It?


Have you ever accidently broken something that was your favorite thing, maybe even your most prized possession, something that you valued a great deal? If so, your immediate reaction was probably, shock, disbelief, disappointment or even anger. I sometimes think of someone who owns a classic car. The kind you see that you just know was probably either kept in that condition from the start or maybe restored at a great deal of time, cost and effort. (I recently read about one car, A 52-year-old Ferrari, that sold at an auction for $34.65 million). Then, one day they are driving down the street and get into an accident, the kind that totals the car and it is destroyed beyond repair. Personally, every time I see a car like that driving down the street, I can’t help but think of that exact scenario and imagine that if that if I owned a car like that I would probably never drive it and I would do everything I could to protect it, the same way most of us do with our most valuable possessions. 


Now, imagine for a minute someone taking that classic car and destroying it on purpose. We’ve all seen movies where someone intentionally wrecks an expensive or even “classic” car. Remember the scene in the 80’s movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” where Cameron “accidently” pushes a 1961 Ferrari 250GT through a glass window and launches it down a cliff? I’m sure that car lovers around the world gave a collective gasp when they saw that scene. 

So, what do you value the most? Would you ever destroy it on purpose? Somehow I don’t think you would. 

Now let me ask you something else. What do you value as a Christian? If you have a strong faith in God, would you ever do anything to destroy that intentionally? I can’t help but think of the innocent victims in this world who have been harmed by someone and in turn that harm caused their faith in God to be destroyed, not by any fault of their own. (By the way, we need to pray for these innocent victims).

Recently, while attending the Stations of the Cross, I started thinking about Jesus’ crucifixion. In particular, I was thinking about His hands. How many miracles did He perform throughout his ministry with his hands? Throughout scripture, we read stories of Jesus curing the deaf, blind and sick, with his hands. At Mass, there’s a line in one of the Eucharistic prayers that I absolutely love that describes Jesus' hands as holy and venerable *. But what did man do to those hands of Jesus? Drove a nail straight through the middle. Hands that brought life to so many (and still do today) were destroyed in an instant on the cross. 

There is a web site you should check out called, “These Hands Bring Me Jesus”. One of the things you can see there is a photo gallery of priests hands, in particular, hands holding and consecrating the Eucharist. It is very inspiring to say the least. When you see these images, you might even see your own parish priests’ hands in a whole new light. In fact, the next time you see a Priest, Bishop or Deacon, think about his own ordination. He was ordained by a, laying on and anointing of hands

When you really start to think about it, a Catholic Priest, is given the authority to change ordinary bread and wine, into the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ with his hands. So now I ask you, how much are those hands worth? As far as I’m concerned, EVERYTHING!

And the next time you take a look at your most valuable possession, ask yourself, “is it worth it?”


Blessings everyone.


* Full Definition of VENERATE:  to regard with reverential respect or with admiring deference2:  to honor (as an icon or a relic) with a ritual act of devotion

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