J7: "I'm Gonna Serve My Lord"

As we continue to live this week, I offer this version of J7 presenting "I'm Gonna Serve My Lord":

 

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing each culture and brings to the rest of us in the world.

July 14th is the Feast of Saint Kateri

July 14th is the Feast of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American from the United States or Canada ever canonized in the Catholic Church. Born in 1656 in the Mohawk village of Ossernenon in today’s northeastern New York State, she was the daughter of a Mohawk chief and an Algonquin mother. Amid a time of upheaval for her people, she balanced love of her heritage with a full embrace of the Christian faith.

In 2023, Pope Francis spoke of Saint Kateri and how she incorporated service to the poor, sick, and elderly into a life of prayer and devotion to the sacraments. "Saint Kateri Tekakwitha's life is further proof," he said, "that apostolic zeal implies both union with Jesus, nourished by prayer and the sacraments, and the desire to spread the beauty of the Christian message through fidelity to one'S particular vocation."

Understanding Saint Kateri's personal vocation highlights how God speaks to us through the circumstances of our lives to set us on a path to accomplish great things and bring peace to those in our midst.  Kateri was just four years old when a smallpox epidemic devastated her village, and she lost both of her parents and her younger brother, who was her only sibling. Kateri survived the epidemic but with damaged eyesight and visible scars on her face. Adopted by relatives, she grew up practicing handcrafts and became skilled at making beautiful clothing and woven goods.

When she was 11 years old, Kateri met three Jesuit missionaries and was impressed with their message. At age 13, she refused to be married, later declaring, "I can have no spouse but Jesus." When she was 18 years old, she sought out and began to receive full formation in the Catholic faith.

Pope Saint John Paul II beatified Kateri Tekakwitha in 1980, and seven years later, he made a visit to the United States in which he mentioned her in his address at the Meeting with the Native Peoples of the Americas, where he said, "Even when she dedicated herself fully to Jesus Christ, to the point of taking the prophetic step of making a vow of perpetual virginity, she always remained what she was, a true daughter of her people, following her tribe in the hunting seasons and continuing her devotions in the environment most suited to her way of life, before a rough cross carved by herself in the forest. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the great gift of God's love, is never in contrast with what is noble and pure in the life of any tribe or nation, since all good things are His gifts."

Kateri's path was not without conflict and not always accepted by her people, but she loved her Mohawk culture and incorporated its fruits into her life as a Christian, inspiring others to do the same until her death at the young age of 24. She was canonized in 2012, 10 years after the canonization of Saint Juan Diego, whose tilma cloak, with its inculturated image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, remains a lasting sign of God's desire to meet people within the beauty of their own culture.  The apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe occurred just a little over 100 years before Kateri was born, foreshadowing the path she walked of loving Christ and her culture at the same time. May she intercede for us all so that we can grow in understanding and love for one another.

This essay is this week's "Light One Candle" column, written by Fr. Edward Dougherty, M.M, of The Christophers' Board of Directors; it is one of a series of weekly columns that deal with a variety of topics and current events.)

Background information:

The Christophers

Reflection Starter from Pope Francis

"Do not be afraid to aim for holiness and turn yourselves over to the love of God. Holiness does not mean performing extraordinary things but carrying out daily things in an extraordinary way - that is, with love, joy and faith." - Pope Francis

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of summer participation sports for children and for adults.

Fr. Michael Rennier on How to Make a Decision

"When I was a child, our extended family would often gather at a local restaurant to celebrate special occasions. My grandfather would never look at the menu. The waitress would hand it to him, he would thank her, and then quietly place it on the table. I asked him once why he never took advantage of scouting out all the options. His response was that my grandmother already knew what he wanted to eat and would order for him. This, to the best of my memory, was his tried-and-true method for getting exactly the meal he desired. It always seemed to work.

"For a long time, I thought it an exceedingly odd approach. I'It’s a luxury to have our choices narrowed down. Perhaps this is why we’ve convinced ourselves to delegate our choices to an algorithm. Like a spouse who knows us inside and out, the algorithm predicts exactly what we want and takes care of it with no fuss. The future is frictionless. No choices need be made. ve come to understand it much more, though, as time has gone on and restaurant menus have expanded in size and scope. I’m becoming my grandfather, and have found myself losing patience with reading menus that are as long as a victorian novel. The choices are too varied. . . .

"It's a luxury to have our choices narrowed down. Perhaps this is why we've convinced ourselves to delegate our choices to an algorithm. Like a spouse who knows us inside and out, the algorithm predicts exactly what we want and takes care of it with no fuss. The future is frictionless. No choices need be made. . . .

"Decisions are increasingly being made on our behalf. There's comfort in this. And yet, it doesn't feel quite right, does it?

"Having too many options is paralyzing but no one really wants to give away all their decision-making. . . ."

In a recent commentary, Father Michael Rennier reflected on some of the ways one can "overcome the tyranny of overwhelming choices in order to become the sort of person who makes decisions."

To access Fr. Rennier's complete post, please visit:

Aleteia: Fr. Michael Rennier: How to make a decision (12 JUL 26)

Reflection Starter from St. Josemaría Escrivá

"Understand this well: there is something holy, something divine hidden in the most ordinary situations, and it is up to each one of you to discover it." - Saint Josemaria Escriva

Andre Rieu: "Edelweiss"

As this blessed week draws to a close, I offer this version of André Rieu and His Johann Strauss Orchestra presenting "Edelweiss":

 

Thank Youi Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the continued newness You bring into our lives.

Fr. Joe Newman, OSFS, on Continual Newness

". . . Every day, God is doing something new.  One of the often-cited hallmarks of our Salesian Spirituality is its focus on the present moment.  We are invited to live this day well.  Every day carries a newness to it.  The truth is though, newness can be exhausting.

"I experience this newness and subsequent exhaustion every time I drive a rental car.  Where do I control the AC?  How do I turn on the lights?  Why are the windshield wipers moving?  All new.  All exhausting. . . ."

In a recent commentary, Father Joe Newman, OSFS, reflected on the blessing that newness, exhaustion, aging, wonder, confusion, curiosity, etc., are all signs that the Holy Spirit is at work.

To access Fr. Newman's complete post, please visit:

De Sales Weekly: Provincial Reflection: Continual Newness (9 JUL 26)

Reflection Starter from St. Benedict

"He who labors as he prays lifts his heart to God with his hands." - Saint Benedict of Nursia, whose memory the Church celebrates today (11 July)

"I Sing the Mighty Power of God"

As we continue to live this week, I offer this version of "I Sing the Mighty Power of God":