BEAUTY OF OUR CHURCH: WE ARE ONE

By Deacon Clark Stiteler

Our Catholic faith is amazing. From the Eucharist, to the Sacrament of Penance, to unlikely conversion stories, and to the saints, our faith contains a dynamism that is unrivaled. Indeed, God is ever new and our faith helps to shine the true light on our everyday life. And, perhaps one of clearest signs of the amazing-ness of our faith is that of the what catholic means.

Catholic means universal. And, two weeks ago, the Lord blessed me with the opportunity to go on a week pilgrimage to Rome. There, the Lord showed me what the mark of Catholicism really means. Each night there was a gathering of people from all over the world to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis. That gathering included people of various ages, ethnicities, backgrounds, jobs, you name it. This is the beauty of our Church.  No matter where you are, no matter who you are, we are all one, catholic church. And we are all United in Prayer.

And, there was a beautiful image for all to see, that you couldn’t help but see. It was an image of Our Lady, entitled Mater de Ecclesia, meaning Mother of the Church. The image shows her holding the child Jesus. Our Lady helps unite all peoples, pointing us to her Son, who gives us himself, the sacrament of unity, the Eucharist. Please know of my continued prayers for each of you.