Spirit and Truth - All Posted Content

What is this all about?

shellymarstall — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:01:40 +0000

Never heard of Eucharistic Adoration before? Never tried it? That's ok. Everyone is welcome. Christ is the host really and we are His guests. He calls each of us to visit Him! Here's the scoop:

Who: Young adults in their 20-30s, single or married

What: Catholic community centered on Christ

When:

EVERY WEDNESDAY @ 7:00PM Maryville University in St. Louis (Huttig Chapel)
EVERY THURSDAY @ 7:00PM the Church of St. Bernadette in South County

Where: South/Central St. Louis (& across the country for that matter)

Why: To adore Christ in the Blessed Sacrament yielding community with Him & others

Create an account to blog!

shellymarstall — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 01:52:09 +0000

Dear young adults of the Saint Louis Archdiocese:

The Blog portion of the site is for us to share links, musings and tools to help each of us grow deeper in love with Jesus Christ and His Church. There are a lot of things that go into making a great website, and one of the most important is the involvement of all of you!

To contribute to the blog (without appearing as an anonymous blogger), you will need to create an account with the site. To do this, click the login tab and enter the necessary information to get started.

The S&T Core team is responsible for ensuring that all blogs, links and posts are in line with the teachings of the Catholic faith and the mission of Spirit and Truth. The website administrator reserves the right to remove any content that defames or slanders the Church, Her teachings, or the mission of Spirit and Truth.

The Cure

ron.garcia — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:33:06 +0000

If you are old enough to remember the song "boys don't cry," by the Cure, you are too old to be on this site! Just kidding. This song often comes to mind when I am alone in the silence in adoration. For those who haven't heard it the Chorus goes "I try to laugh about it cover it all up with lies, I try to laugh about it hiding the tears from my eyes, boys don't cry, boys don't cry." But boys do cry and they can cry, if they are willing to step out of the wading pool and cast out into deep waters.

I am talking about returning to purity. For 11 years I was a police officer. I wanted nothing to do with the Catholic faith. I occassionally attended Church. But, in all honesty, it really wasn't that interesting to me. I didn't like the music, infrequently listened to the homilies, and frankly just didn't get the whole alter thing. I had a pretty tough outter shell. I dealt with guys who sold dope all day and I didn't have time for what I considered weakness. In fact, I can recall one of the first times, I went on a call on my own, a five year old boy had been run over by a car. The blazer was going about 35mph and never saw the boy dart into the street from between two cars. As the first to arrive on scene, I stood over the boy, I will spare you the graphic details. I had never seen anything like this in my life. Horrified, I could feel a lump in my throat and the tears welling up in my eyes. Yet, I fought them back and began to do my job. A nurse was on scene attending to the boy, but, I knew the minuete I saw him he was dead. It is because of the hardness of our hearts(Mt. 19: that we stuggle to will the good for others, to love them without condition. It is because of the hardness of our hearts that we are afraid to let ourselves embrace the goodness and the dignity of every human being.

My heart was hardened by the choices I made both at work and in my personal life. There wasn't much about my life that was pure. I had wandered away from the objective image and source of authentic love, when I was 14. I had wandered into the myths of the world, my ears were itching and I thought that every incoherent rambling from some self proclaimed teacher was the truth(2 Tim: 4). Yet, try as I might I could not find any peace. My life consisted of very little quiet time. I was usually running all day every day. The clubs, sports, work, video games, dating, whatever I could do to fill up my time.

One day I decided to start praying the Rosary. I had never prayed before and in all honesty I wasn't sure that I wanted to be Catholic, but somehow, my mom had convinced me to take it up. Like St. Monica, I guess, she had seen enough misery come from her son's quest for worldly glory(see St. Augustines "Confessions"). Shortly thereafter, I began bringing my bible with me to work at night, I worked midnights, so there was always some quiet time. I began to read something from one of the gospels every day.

One night, I recall reading John chapter 6. In that chapter Jesus says six times, in six verses, six different ways that his flesh is the flesh of eternal life. "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him on the last day(Jn 6: 54). As the chapter continues, the disciples are in dismay at this teaching, so much so that many of his disciples "drew back and no longer went about with him(Jn. 6: 66)." I had grown up knowing the Church's teaching on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, but I had never really wrestled with it. I had always sort of dismissed it. I never thought for a moment, yeah sure that's true. For the first time in my life, I saw myself for what I really was, a guy not unlike the disciples, who had walked away from the foundation of everything in the Church without even giving it much consideration. I had turned my back on Christ!

The scales were beginning to fall from my eyes, I began to pray the Rosary more and more, I started trying to go to mass more, I started going to adoration when I could, and I really began to read more. I began to feed my mind with Catholic goodness, the first book I read was "the lamb's supper" by Dr. Scott Hahn. The mass changed immediately, I no longer needed music or a good homily(don't get me wrong they are nice), because for the first time in my life I recongized what was really happening on the alter. Jesus and I, one flesh, the marriage supper of the lamb? He wanted to give me his life(sanctifying grace), so, that I might be able to persevere in love. So that the wounds that I had accumulated over the years might be healed and I could come to know love His way. A freely given, total gift, that is always faithful, and gives new life to my soul.

It isn't a question of whether this is true or not it is simply a question of whether we believe. Whether we are ready to let Him love us. When we allow Jesus to breakthrough to who we are interiorly, we find true freedom, true joy, we learn to love in a way that is different than the rest of the world. Not because we are special the offer is for everyone, but, because we cooperate with it, we recieve it with faith. It conquers our wounds and hearts that were once hardened by impurity, pride, and fear are repaired, re-created in Christ's image. We find ourselves in Him and in finding ourselves, we become more fully who we were created to be. He gives us the strength to fully experience emotion, we no longer need to hide the tears from our eyes, in fact, sometimes, when I recieve Him or I am in the silent prayer of adoration, this boy does cry. That is something I was afraid of even incapable of 9 years ago.

This didn't happen overnight, I had done a lot of things to my soul over a long period of time. I was prideful and I really needed to be convinced intellectually that their was truth in this. But Christ's grace brought me to my knees. We hope that by offering you a chance to meet Jesus in the Eucharist and the silence of your soul, praying with your peers, and zealous apostolic teaching, you will find him too. We hope that He will heal your wounds, help you to experience true love both in your mind and in your soul and then in your relationships. Because, when we feed our souls with His grace, our minds become more open to His life giving truth.

Please join us on Thursday evenings, we look forward to sharing this amazing gift with you!

Pax,

Ron

After the First Meeting

jeff.geerling — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:33:48 +0000

Thank you to all who came to worship the Lord this past Thursday!

I was amazed by the number of people who came, and was praying in thanksgiving during the time we had in adoration that there are so many young adults in Saint Louis who found time in their busy schedules—amid final exams, amid the stress of the workweek—to participate!

Sometimes in life, I forget the importance of carrying my devotion to the Eucharist (often waning, often only slight) to my daily prayer. Thursday's Spirit and Truth meeting brought a small bit of consolation during a week when many different stresses were impacting me at work. Adoration has always brought me peace and quiet, especially at times later in the evening (I am most definitely not a morning person!), and last Thursday was no exception.

If you weren't able to make our first meeting, rest assured that we would love to see you next week, or at any point in time! Check our Upcoming Events page to see when the next meeting will be, and try to make it if you can. It's definitely worth the effort!

My Best Friend

matthew.baute — Mon, 25 May 2009 11:43:35 +0000

What really impresses me about Spirit & Truth is that Jesus is at the center of this group, and of every evening. That being the case, all other things inevitably fall into their proper place.

It's been a privilege to sing for adoration a few times, and this past week I received a powerful image that brought home the sacrifice of Jesus' passion in a new way. I pictured one of my very best friends enduring the suffering of the scourging, the Way of the Cross, and the crucifixion. When he looked over at me in the midst of this awful torture, his eyes told me that this was for me, that it was my place that he had taken. This friend and I have known each other since Kindergarten, and things have come full circle as I recently attended the Kindergarten graduation of his daughter, one of my godchildren. So suffice it to say we've know each other forever, grew up together, and stayed with each other through thick and thin. We both appreciate this long-lasting friendship as a true gift.

It really brought home the personal nature of the Passion – that Jesus suffered and died for ME – just as I know my friend loves me and would do anything for me to get to Heaven. Jesus loves each and every one of us with a love that goes SO DEEP, but since we don't have a regular experience of talking with him, getting to know his personality, etc., it can be harder to relate the suffering he endured for us in a very personal way. I can see now that this is what prayer is all about! The Lord wants us to get to know him more and more deeply, just like a best friend.

May the magnitude of Jesus' sacrifice – his taking our place – give us a deeper humility and thankfulness. "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." –John 15:13

The Main Event!

ron.garcia — Tue, 26 May 2009 22:08:38 +0000

Every thursday night something happens, something sticks with me and when I leave I think of something that I wanted to share. Last Thursday was no different, we talked about our prayer lives and reality of Christ in the Eucharist. I didn't think of it at the time but, of course after I left I did. There is an excellent passage in the Catehcism that explains the miracle of Christ's presence in the liturgy.

In Thanksgiving for New Friendships!!!

shellymarstall — Fri, 29 May 2009 05:34:14 +0000

The Holy Spirit is really working to bring young adults together through Spirit and Truth. Each week, new people come to experience Spirit & Truth and find that there is something special about this group. It is such a joy to see how the fruits of our prayers during adoration are not only helping to deepen our relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but are also inspiring new friendships in each other. The men are playing basketball. The ladies will soon start having "girls' nights," and yes there are Cardinal games and pinics in the works. Hope to meet more friends soon.

How can I become more involved in the Spirit & Truth ministry?

shellymarstall — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 05:26:50 +0000

Spirit & Truth South Central has several committees which work to support the various aspects of each night as well as other events which we host throughout the year. These committees are:

Events: Help plan outside events, such as socials, picnics, potlucks, retreats, etc.
Music: Playing, singing, and/or planning worship music for weekly meetings and/or events.
Promotions: Help with internal communication (ie. managing website, email lists, coordinating announcements at meetings).

There is no experience needed and no specific commitment required. Help as much or as little as you can. For more information send us an email using the Contact page.

Greater Things...

ron.garcia — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:45:39 +0000

Don't ask me how this happens to me but I end up in the craziest conversations with people. I recently had a conversation with a friend who thought that Jesus teaching on the Eucharist as the sign of the new convenant was unclear. I was even chastised, "if you really believe that is Jesus, why aren't you just in Church recieving Him constantly." Think of that question being asked in anger and with dripping sarcasm. I did not repsond at the time. Mainly, because being an ex-cop the first thing that comes to mind isn't always the most fruitful.

Year for Priests!

shellymarstall — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:43:49 +0000