Live Christ through Adoration

For us Catholics, there is no better , more profound and deeper way to express our personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ than to spend our very lives and time with Him in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, through which He gives us His flesh and blood. His real and awesome presence. Whenever we set foot in any Adoration Chapel, we are reminded of that biblical image of the prophet Moses, who falls on both knees trembling with fear before the holy presence of God, who manifested Himself through a "burning bush". Do we not, like Moses, also feel the same way whenever we recline ourselves before him in the Blessed Sacrament? " Were not our hearts burning...?" to quote the disciples on the road to Emmaus, every time we come to his table?

In the old testament, the Lord commanded Moses that "on the table, before me, you must place the bread of continual offering" (Exodus 25:30). And yet in the new testament, the reverse happened. It was no longer man who continues to offer the shewbread to God, but rather, it is now God who himself has become the "Bread of the Presence", who has given himself as the Bread of Life come down from heaven through the Jesus Christ who willingly offered Himself on the Cross.

As such, through the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus comes to us as Love. And because He comes to us as Love, we also go to Him with love and because of love. It is out of love for Jesus that we respectfully kneel and genuflect before Him, who comes to us in the humble form of the Consecrated Host. It is out of love for Jesus that we observe a sacred silence whenever we seek to adore Him in this Sacrament, together with fellow Christians. After all, it is in the silence that the heart speaks loudly and clearly. And most importantly, our personal relationship with Jesus deepens further every time we come face-to-face, heart-to-heart with Him through this Sacrament of Love. When we recline our heads on His chest like what the beloved disciple did during the Last Supper, the words of St. Augustine of Hippo come to its fullness: "Our hearts our restless and we will not rest until we find rest in You".

Resources:

The New Evangelization Resource Book (NERB)

Related article:

Live Christ Through Confession

Live Christ through Confession

When we avail of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we do not just go to confession, we make it a good confession. An essential step is to make a thorough examination of conscience. Here are some quick tips.

1. Think about  wrong actions that you have committed (sins of commission).
2. Think about good actions that you should have done but failed to do so (sin of omission)
3. Recall the gravity and number of times you committed both types of sins. Some confessors are particular with this and will help you realize how much hurt you have caused God and yourself.
4. Pray to the Holy Spirit for enlightenment and sincerity.
5. Read some pertinent Scripture passage which will help you rediscover the gravity of ones's sinfulness but more importantly, the greatness of God's love for you and His readiness to constantly forgive. 
6. Go over a set of questions concerning our duties to God, our neighbor and ourselves. These questions are patterned based on the ten commandments.
7. Immediately before confession, humbly and sincerely ask the Lord's forgiveness and grace to avoid sin in the future.
8. Try to identify the internal root causes of your sins.
9. Ask the Lord for the grace to make a sincere and thorough confession.

Live Christ

You have met Christ and your life has changed forever. Because of this encounter, you have been transformed. Unworthy as you are, you have been loved. You were once in the dark, now you are in the light. You were once hopeless, now you have become full of hope.

Because you have met Him, you have experienced in abundance His extravagant love that you cannot help but to love Him in return. To love Him is to do all that is pleasing to Him. To love Him is to let Him love you and to allow Him to take control of Your life. To love Him is to do everything for Him, no matter what it takes. You have met Him, and this has been the best encounter of your life. Now you know there is no other way but to live in Christ.

How exactly do we live in Christ?  The answer is: C.A.R.E:

1. Confession - Whenever we sin, we turn away from God and cause damage to ourselves and others because we upset the order established by the Creator, When we sin, we cause chaos or unrest, and these are the exact opposite of peace. Formally known as the Sacrament of Reconciliation, confession brings us a new life of grace whenever we decided to turn away from sin.
2. Adoration - For us Catholics, there is no better more profound and deeper way to express our personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ than to spend our very lives and time with Him in the  Most Blessed Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, through which He gives us His flesh and blood. 
3. Rosary - Praying the rosary daily especially with the family can work wonders in our lives. Through the intercession of Mary our Mother, we can be assured of the grace and mercy we needed through this life's journey.
4. Eucharist - The Holy Mass or the Sacrament of the Eucharist is the "source and summit of the Christian life" (CCC 1324). Whenever we go to Mass, we meet Jesus. He is truly present in Mass in the form of Bread and Wine through the mystery that we call transubstantiation. 

Resources:
The New Evangelization Resource Book (NERB)

Meet Christ in the Community

So you have met Christ personally! Now it is best that you have people around you who will lead you further in the road of falling more and more in love with Christ!

After Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, the apostles began preaching the Good News. And where people met Christ through their encounter with the apostles, there began the first Christian communities:

"Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day. They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common, they would sell their properties and possessions and divide them among all according to each one's need. Everyday they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with all these people. And everyday the Lord added to their number those who were being saved." (Acts 2:41-47)

Be part of a community!  Below is a list of Church Organizations you can join today:

1. Legion of Mary - is a lay catholic organization whose members are giving service to the Church on a voluntary basis in almost every country.  Membership: This membership is open to Priests, Religious and lay people who wish to associate themselves with the Legion by undertaking a service of prayer in its name.
2. Neocatechumenal Way - is an organization within the Catholic Church dedicated to the Christian formation of adults. Membership: It is made up of a "post-baptismal catechumenate" (or baptismal catechumenate if the members have not received the sacrament of baptism), an ongoing education in faith and a service of catechesis. From the initial catechesis, it typically takes several years and passing through stages of faith formation in the local communities, until a member reaches the renewal of the baptismal vows (or the baptism).
3. The Block Rosary Movement - is the gathering of a group of families living in the same district or neighborhood.Membership: Every Catholic family is considered a member as they are part of their community, and encouraged to participate during Mary’s visitation in the neighborhood.
4. Holy Name Society - The Holy Name Society is a fellowship of Catholic men whose primary objective is to beget due love and reverence for the Holy Name of God and Jesus Christ.Organization: They attend Mass; Celebrate Communion together as a group on the second Sunday of each month at 9:00 am Mass, and hold monthly general meeting on the following Monday.
5. Knights of Columbus – called “the strong right arm of the Church”, it is the world’s largest Catholic family fraternal service organization.Membership: Catholic men 18 years of age or older who join the Knights belong to a council, or local unit. Many 18 to 22 year olds first join the Knights of Columbus in a college council. Membership in the Knights of Columbus is open to men 18 years of age or older who are practical (that is, practicing) Catholics in union with the Holy See. This means that an applicant or member accepts the teaching authority of the Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals, aspires to live in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and is in good standing in the Catholic Church. Members who have been in the Knights for six months and have attained Third Degree membership are eligible to join the Fourth Degree Knights

Resources:
The New Evangelization Resource Book (NERB)

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Meet Christ

Meet Christ through Prayer

Meet Christ through Scriptures

Call to Serve

Catholic Reads

Every true lover of God should have a strong desire to study theology. Have you ever heard of the word "amateur"? Well, amateur is French for "one who loves", from the Latin "amor". In short, theologizing means loving the Lord with all of our minds. As this is the case, then we should have to put in effort to learn the Faith. We start by simply reading and reflecting on Catholic books.

Firs and foremost, we need to read the Bible which is the source of all knowledge and teachings about our Faith. But aside from the Bible, here is a listing of some of the good Catholic books to read:

Catechism:

• Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)
• Catechism for the Filipino Catholic (CFC)
• Compendium of the CCC
• Compendium of the Social Doctrine
• Katesismo para sa mga Pilipinong Katoliko (KPK)
• YOUCAT (Youth Catechism)

Discipleship

• Be.Li.Ev.E! A response to the call to the new  evangelization in the Year of Faith by Frank Padilla
• Fishers of Men: An urgent call to proclaim the Good News by Frank Padilla
• Renewing the Face of the Earth by Frank Padilla
• Servant Leadership by Frank Padilla
• The Defects of the Saints by Jesus Urteaga
• The Way, Furrow, The Forge by Saint Josemaria Escriva

Mary

• Catholic for a Reason 2: Scripture and the Mystery of the Mother of God by Scott Hahn
• Preparation for Total Consecration by Saint Louis de Montfort
• The Divine Call of Mary: Lessons for Mary, Lessons for us by Shirley Sullivan, PhD, FRSC
• The Greatest Marian Titles: Their history, meaning and usage by Anthony Buono
• The Secret of the Rosary by Saint Louis de Montfort

By and About the Pope

• A Year with John Paul II: Daily meditation from his writings and prayers by Fr. Jerome Verez
• Francis, Bishop of Rome: A short biography by Michael Collins
• Francis, Pope of a New World: Andrea Tornielli
• Jesus of Nazareth 1 by Pope-emeritus Pope Benedict XVI
• Jesus of Nazareth 2 by Pope-emeritus Pope Benedict XVI
• Light of the World, the Pope, the Church, and the signs of the times by Pope-emeritus Pope Benedict XVI
• On Heaven and Earth by Pope Francis
• Jesus of Nazareth 3 by Pope-emeritus Pope Benedict XVI

Encyclicals and Apostolic Exhortations

• Caritas in Veritate (Love in Truth)
• Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel)
• Evangelii Vitae (The Gospel of Life)
• Lumen Fidei (The Light of Faith)
• Spe Salvi (Saved in Hope)
• Verbum Domini (The Word of God)
• Apostolicam Actuositatem (Decree on the Apostolate of Laity)
• Christefidelis Laici (The Lay Members of Christ's Faithful People)

Prayer

• The Enneagram and Christian Meditation by Gerry Pierse, CSSR
• The Body at Prayer by Anselm Grun, OSB and Michael  Reepen, OSB
• The Essential Guide to Catholic Prayer and the Mass by Mary DeTurris Pousf
• The Gospel of Contemplation by Sr.Mary Niere, OCD
• The Mystery of God's Word by Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap
  

The Eucharist

• Catholic for a Reason 3: Scripture and the Mystery of the Mass by Scott Hahn
• The Eucharist and Mary by Bishop Teodoro C. Bacani, Jr., DD
• The Eucharist, Our Sanctification by  Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap
• The New English Translation of the Roman Missal: A catechetical by Anscar Chupungco, OSB

Vocations

• Living the Priesthood by Most Rev Mylo Vergara, DD
• Living the Episcopacy by Archbishop Emeritus Leonardo Legaspi, OP

The Church

• The Good News Church by Most Rev Teodoro C. Bacani, Jr., DD
• The Essentials of Catholic Spirituality: Living and Breathing our Faith by Fr. Joseph Classen

Apologetics

• The One-Minute Apologist by Dave Armstrong

Resources:
The New Evangelization Resource Book (NERB)

Related Articles:

Meet Christ

Meet Christ through Prayer

Meet Christ through Scriptures