The Mother of God and the Mystery of the Incarnation: She Who Is Full of Grace, Holy Ark, and New Eve
Sponsored
Catholic365 is sponsored by
Road to Purity
And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
Matthew 8:24–28
It can be tempting to believe that we can be good Christians without the Church. Especially in our society today, many men believe they can pray on their own, worship in their own way, and guide their own lives. They see the Church as unnecessary or even burdensome. But the truth is, without the Church we don’t fully have Christ in our lives, because the Church is his Body.
More than that, we need the Church to guide us, the ministry of her leaders to train us in the Faith, and the fellowship of her members to uplift and support us. The inevitable result of isolated Christianity is double-mindedness, hypocrisy, and vulnerability to falsehood and personal sin. Only in the Church can we reach out fully to Christ when waves of doubt and indecision threaten to overwhelm us.
Doubt can often do more damage than pride. It can keep us inactive in our faith or move us in directions contrary to God’s will for our lives. As we are tossed back and forth by our fear and indecision, focused on the size of the storms we experience, we lose sight of the light of God’s grace, which guides us to the safe shore of his love. God will give generously to those who come to him looking for the stability he offers in Christ. As we live out the Lord’s command to love, we grow into rock-solid men able to bring change to our world.
Questions for Reflection
What does being double-minded look like in your life? Where does it hold you back from trusting in Christ?
Where does doubt assail you? How can you invite Christ to calm the waves of your indecision?
Do you have a strong relationship with the Church and your Catholic brothers? If not, what keeps you from forming such relationships?
Praying with Scripture
The Scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” (Rom 10:11)
You can learn more about the To the Ends of the Earth Series HERE
You can watch and listen to this devotion HERE
Mark C. McCann is an author and Ministry Consultant with more than 30 years of writing and ministry experience. He has published articles for a number of Catholic magazines and websites including St. Anthony Messenger, Emmanuel Magazine, Liguorian Magazine, Catholic Stand, the Connecticut Catholic Men's Conference, and Homiletic and Pastoral Review. He recently published the 4-volume Catholic men's devotional, To the Ends of the Earth, as well as the 2021 Advent Daybreaks devotional and 2022 Lenten Daybreaks devotional with Liguori Publishing. He has also released his End Times novel series, Jacob's Dream: The Vision and Jacob's Dream: The Final Battle. He was a radio host and producer for 8 years at a Connecticut Christian radio station and has worked as a Catholic religion teacher/campus minister and a parish youth minister. He has also served the Norwich, CT Diocese as a Youth Ministry Director and Family Life Director. He currently lives in Connecticut with his Proverbs 31 wife, where together they have brought up three incredible children. He strives each day to live out his call to be a man of words. You can learn more about Mark and his writing at www.wordsnvisions.com.
