My Soul Sings

Posted on January 16, 2020 by the Bouchers
Alleluia!

Do you sing in the shower or in your car? Do you hum or whistle? Do you have a playlist of over one hundred songs, or multiple playlists? Music is all around us: in stores, in elevators, at doctor’s offices… Music also stretches back thousands of years: as a guide for working in the fields, or on a ship; as a way to worship God; or as a means for expressing sheer joy. Songs are a very important part of being human.

Certain songs can even reflect God’s touch on our hearts and souls. For example, when Therese was walking down the street after the devastating death of a good friend, she turned on her radio. The first song was “Turn Around Look at Me.” It gave her instant peace that washed over her every time she heard it. This phenomenon is called anchoring. Young Harry often sang the hymn, “How Great Thou Art,” with his uncles on the back porch. He later sang this “anchoring” song to himself as a young soldier.

The Bible is filled with stories about celebrating God’s covenant of love  through music. The Israelites sang after they were spared from slavery (Exodus 15:1 -20). The whole book of the Psalms encourages singing as a form of prayer, fit for every mood and occasion. Psalm 96 invites us to, “Sing a new song to the Lord!” and Psalms 136 to 150 do the same. Best of all, the shepherds on Christmas day did not hear a speech or a sermon. They heard angels singing the good news.

What does this have to do with sharing faith? Here are some pointers.
1. Include religious music in your playlists and as a part of daily prayer. Sing hymns aloud.
2. Consider any song that “anchors” you. Ask where is God’s voice in this? What is God saying?
3. Play religious songs while you have guests in your home or passengers in your car. If you are not sure how comfortable they might be, ask permission to do so.
4. Post a link to a contemporary religious hymn on social media and share a brief statement about how God touches you. Ex: “This song gives me a deep peace. It reminds me that God will help me.”
5. Invite someone to a Christian music concert. Share what the music meant afterwards.

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How to Become a Christmas Evangelizer

Posted on December 8, 2019 by the Bouchers

Jesus was born to minister to the lost sheep of Israel and beyond. He told his disciples to do the same. He did not tell them to sit tight and wait for the lost sheep to come back. This same call to make disciples continues today. And during this Advent/Christmas season, our calling takes on the flavor of imitating Mary, who watched and prepared for the birth of Jesus.

We too can be instruments of new spiritual birth within our families, neighborhoods, and even our country. A first step is to watch for the presence of Jesus among us. Another is to reach out (to evangelize) grounded in the truth that the love of God, by its very nature, overflows with the slightest cooperation on our part. Here are some simple ways to share your Christmas faith during the Advent/Christmas season:

• After you wrap each gift, hold it in your hands for a moment and pray for the person who will receive it.

• Display a Christmas creche in your home, yard or office. “The Christmas crèche helps us to relive the history of what took place in Bethlehem… It touches our hearts and makes us enter into salvation history as contemporaries of an event that is living and real.” [Pope Francis, ‘The Enchanting Image.] Consider reading this document, as well.

• Pray with Christ-centered Christmas carols that proclaim the Gospel message, as a way of saying “Yes” to the presence of Jesus in our midst. Pray a single phrase from a different carol throughout each day of Advent/Christmas, as if it was written for your family.

• Invite someone to come with you to view a parish nativity display, a Christmas Carol event, or a Christmas liturgy.

• Send a Christ-centered Christmas card with a personal message about your spiritual hopes for the person receiving it. For example, “I am praying for a new outpouring of the peace of Jesus in your home this year.”

• Discuss what family or friends think of the statement, “Keep Christ in Christmas?” Share what this means and ask about practical ways that this be done.”

• Make a donation to Church-sponsored charitable organizations, as the levels of poverty increase in our country.

There are many definitions for (Christmas) evangelizing, but they all revolve around the “glad tidings” that the angels announced on that first Christmas. God has become flesh among us! He has come as Emmanuel, Savior, Prince of Peace, Shepherd and Bread of Life (in a lowly manger). People around us need to experience Jesus in these ways. And we can help by sharing these ‘glad tidings.’ And we can do so in confidence because God’s Word “does not return to heaven without accomplishing what it was sent to do.” Isaiah 55:11.

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Every Death is a Train Wreck!

Posted on November 15, 2019 by the Bouchers

No matter the person’s age, or the circumstances. No matter the relationships left behind, every death is a train wreck! We received this warning outside of an Intensive Care Unit. It was jarring but emotionally true.

Every human life is so uniquely irreplaceable that each death can cause both an array of emotions and the shattering of beliefs about an afterlife. But each passing is also an opportunity for growth and for evangelizing. Here are some pointers.

  1. Know your own understanding of death. Do you really espouse the Apostle’s Creed statement, “I believe in the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting!” Have you ever gently shared these words with someone who is grieving?
  2. Grappling with death includes an extended process of questioning, so ask and listen,” What are your hopes for her or him, now that this has happened?” An end to suffering? A reunion with deceased family? Meeting Jesus, face to face? Or even: “There is no hope, only regrets and loss!”
  3. Be aware and non-judgmental about a wide array of beliefs. Some believe there is no afterlife. Some think that only the person’s spirit survives: through reincarnation, or channeling, or a kind of limbo. Still others believe that both body and soul are resurrected into heaven or hell (as a reward or punishment).
  4. Since the exploration of our vast universe, many are baffled by Biblical images like: a heavenly choir of singing angels, the New Jerusalem, the “Father’s House,” or even Jesus ascending into heaven. If so, ask, “Where and what is heaven for you?” And remember. It is a gift to believe that the gracious love of God can both fill and defy all time and space.
  5. Finally, it is hope in the face of death that is the most powerful invitation to faith. St. Edith Stein experienced this unspoken invitation when she encountered a friend’s widow. Many others discover this when a believing loved one dies in peace. Before Lois became unconscious, she shared a glorious vision of a taller-than-life Jesus in shimmering robes. As she looked closer, she saw deceased but rejoicing family members entwined in these robes –her dad, her cousin, her grandmother. “All of my fears melted!” she explained with a smile. And we realized that Lois’ impending train wreck, called death, was now simply a matter of switching tracks. Alleluia!
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