Cristo 2: Radical Radiance
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For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. – I Corinthians 11:26 (RSVCE)
Sitting in the pew after morning mass, I noticed two individuals quietly making their way around the perimeter of the sanctuary praying before each of the fourteen Stations of the Cross. The words of an evangelical pastor under whose pulpit I sat for a decade came to mind. He often would say, “Preach the Gospel to yourself every day!”
At the time, I had tried stalwartly to follow that mantra, repeating phrases like, Thank you, Lord, for dying on the cross for my sins. But somehow it felt thin and inadequate as if more substance was needed. As I sat watching these two faithful individuals pray through the Stations, I realized they were doing in a practical way exactly what that Protestant pastor had advised.
Now I view my inability as a non-Catholic to follow that well-meaning pastor’s directions as a matter of having too few tools in my spiritual toolbox. Attending daily mass preaches the gospel to oneself every day when receiving communion – the essence of Catholic life. When “we eat this bread and drink this cup,” we are proclaiming the gospel unto ourselves as well as others. While silently gazing upon the crucifix or upon the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration, we are proclaiming the Lord’s death unto ourselves. When reciting the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary or when walking the Stations of the Cross, we are experiencing the gospel.
It’s easy to see why I struggled to follow that pastor’s words. I was seeking the completeness of the faith with a half set of tools. Now, I truly preach the gospel to myself every day not only with words but in deed and in truth through the sacraments and devotions of the Catholic church.
Thank you, Jesus, for bringing me along to the place of fullness through the Church. Thank you that the gospel is the very fabric of Catholic life.
Reflect: Which of the sacraments or devotions makes you feel the most connected to the gospel?
Check out Lisa Livezey's photo devotions at lisalivezey.com/olivetree
Lisa Livezey writes from Pennsylvania where she found her way to Rome via the Anglican Ordinariate. She is the author of Minding Mom: A Caregiver's Devotional Story (En Route Publishing) and contributes to the National Catholic Register, Guideposts books and devotionals, and more. Her weekly photo devotions found at lisalivezey.com/olivetree are viewed worldwide and utilized by Visio Divina prayer groups. Lisa is a wife, mom, and grandma, volunteers in church and civic settings, and serves on the executive team at Heart of the Father Ministries. She credits her husband with giving her name alliteration and sometimes on summer weekends can be spotted sailing the Chesapeake Bay alongside her spouse.
