Mary takes your concerns and makes them her own
Sponsored
Catholic365 is sponsored by
Road to Purity
The Mass has many beautiful and sacred parts. The Mass itself is holy, sacred, and sanctifying. There are parts of the Mass I believe are glossed over or treated as a ‘going through the motions’ type of action. The call to lift our hearts up to the Lord is one of those times I imagine we say it because we are supposed to reply with it, but we do not take the opportunity to truly experience it.
The purpose of the priest urging “lift up your hearts” and our response of “we lift them up to the Lord” is a great calling. It is a begging by the priest to take that opportunity, the one hour of Mass (or perhaps a bit longer), to focus on the Lord rather than all our worldly problems. Admittedly, it is difficult to ignore all the things which stress us, perplex us, trouble us, or cause us anxiety. The Lord is not calling us to forget about those things entirely. He is simply asking for an hour for our hearts, our intentions, and all of us to be focused on him.
“The priest virtually bids us in the hour to put away all cares of this life, and home anxieties, and to have our hearts on high with the merciful God. Then you answered, ‘we lift them up unto the Lord,” assenting to the injunction by the words which you utter. But let no such person be present as to say with his mouth, ‘We lift them up unto the Lord,’ but in his thoughts to keep his mind on this life’s cares. God ought indeed to be at all times in our memory, but if this is impossible because of human weakness, at that hour especially must this be our endeavor.
Then the priest says, ‘Let us give thanks unto the Lord.’ In very deed we are bound to give thanks, because He called us unworthy to so great grace, because He reconciled us being enemies, because He vouchsafed to us the spirit of adoption.” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem, On the Mysteries)
There are many things which weigh us down as we enter the doors of the church. You may have struggled with your children to get them out the door, dressed, and in the car on time to get to Mass. Your spouse may have just lost a job. Your bank account may be overdrawn and bill collectors blowing up your phone. You may have received a heartbreaking medical diagnosis. You may have just experienced a bad break up of a relationship. Whatever is troubling you when you enter Mass, the bid and calling to “lift up your hearts” is a pleading by the priest (and the Lord through the priest) to give your attention, your heart, and your everything to the Lord Jesus who can, and does, meet your needs. At that moment, for that hour, let the Lord be your everything. He hears you. It will change your perception and your life. The Lord changes everything.
Amelia Monroe Carlson graduated from the University of North Alabama with a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism. Being raised as a Methodist during her early years, it was not until she entered college where she began to take her faith seriously. She was baptized as a Southern Baptist in Muscle Shoals, AL and began immediately serving in international missions and in the church.
During college, she became the Co-founder of an International Ministry, where she spent time traveling and speaking to church groups and in large conferences. She authored a Bible study and traveled abroad on mission work. She sat on the Mid-South Interfaith Conferences in Mississippi, where she defended the faith and discussed beliefs with leaders of various religions.
After a business trip to Washington D.C., where she was introduced to a former Baptist who converted to the Catholic Church, she was placed on a journey to enter into the Catholic Church.
Amelia is a military wife and currently residents with her husband and daughter in Tennessee. She is a nine time award winning journalist, receiving press awards for various categories including investigative journalism, best news coverage, and best single feature. It is her desire to help Catholics, particularly Cradle Catholics, see the beauty in their faith which converts see and appreciate the fullness of truth which the Church has held and guarded throughout history. It is her desire all Catholics fall as much in love with Jesus as she is, and love the Church to a greater capacity than they could imagine.
Amelia taught PRE for 4-6 grade at St. Mary Catholic Church in Bolivar, Tennessee from 2014-2016. She served as Youth Director at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church in Somerville, Tennessee in 2017-2018. She now teaches 7th grade (1st year Confirmation) PRE class at St. Philip. She's also a writer and frequent podcast guest on Our Warpath.
She has a strong devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Francis de Sales, St. Padre Pio and St. Maximilian Kolbe.
To contact Amelia for speaking inquiries at conferences, retreats, or parishes contact her via social media on Facebook (Amelia Monroe Carlson), Twitter (@2_catholic ) or send a text to: (731)518-6923.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ameliamcarlson
Twitter: @2_catholic (Catholic ministry account)
Twitter personal account: @ameliamcarlson
