Joy of the Just
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Prayers
  • Categories
  • Good Reads

TO WITNESS AND PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL

As Christians, we are all called to priestly and prophetic mission to share and proclaim the Gospel. We hope to share with others the good works of God in our lives and strive towards holiness through Mary and the Dominican Spirituality.
More Info

The Lord Himself is My Heritage: Reflections on Psalm 16

11/14/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Read Psalms, Chapter 16
Composed by: Sr. Joseph

This psalm brought tears to my eyes.  I began to question myself:  in my mind I wonder what is wrong with me?  Christ is everything I need.  There is no other God we can compare to Christ.  I trust in the God that I serve.  Keep me God, I trust in you; I am happy alone with you.  You put in my heart the Holy Spirit—what a marvelous love gift you gave to me!  Jesus Christ, provides for me daily, for He knows what I need.  And when I am asleep at night, He keeps my heart and lungs working, which gives me another opportunity to reach out to others and tell them the goods news of God.  I rise early in the morning “looking towards the hills from which cometh my help.”  My soul praises God with Alleluia praises.  This brings back a story to my mind.  One day, I was meditating on God’s goodness and my inner spirit was praising God with alleluia praises.  It was a marvelous thing to witness!  I cannot find the words to describe the great love Jesus Christ has for us all.  I can stand firm and tell my stories of how Christ worked in my life and I know He will do the same for others. Christ has always stood by my side.  When family and friends turned their backs on me, Christ was there.  A single mom raising five children and one of my sister’s kids, Christ was there!  When my aunt passed in my arms, and my parents passed away as well, Christ was there!  When I was going through my shadow of death, my burden was very heavy, but He kept a smile on my face; you see, Christ was there!  When I cried a river but never could find a name for the sorrow, Christ was there!  And before all of the above, Christ was there!  Even when I was in my youth and did not have time to reverence Him, Christ was there!  You see, we serve a wonder God.  I share my story because I know what God has done for me, He will do for others as well; as long as we serve Him.  And on the other side, if we do not serve God and serve other gods, we will bring great sorrow upon ourselves.
​

 Composed by: Sr. Catherine of Siena

Being in the process of discerning the call to the third order, the first verse seems to be a plea for the Lord’s help through the postulancy process. Since I believe my happiness lies in him and in doing his will, joining the order would be a good way for me to live in his will. The second verse seems to be in thanksgiving to the Lord for putting a love for him and his will in my heart, and an admiration for his religious faithful. And also for inspiring me to want to live like some of his faithful servants - the religious. The third verse seems to be a resignation from earthly gain and a total redirection of my gaze to the Lord as the ultimate prize in my life. The fourth verse seems to be in thanksgiving for the Lord’s guidance and direction in my life. And so I am thankful for all the Lord’s graces and I am reassured that he will keep me safe by his side. Thus, you will show me the path of life and I will find happiness at your side.  


0 Comments

Open Dialogue

11/10/2015

0 Comments

 
Composed by: Dominic
​

I grew up as an awkward teenager. I occasionally ate lunch in the art studio, reading AP biology literature and reviewing notes for anatomy class. Occasionally, I would "intentionally" socialize with my peers, eating lunch with them, catching up with recent happenings and playing card games in the hallway at lunch. I was quite a bit of a loner in high school, due to my one track mind, but I felt as though I could talk with anyone and mesh with different social circles without difficulty.

If there was one thing I felt sure and passionate about, it was about Christ. Jesus and the Catholic Church are controversial topics of discussion in modern day public schools. In my AP World History, while learning about European History, one of the topics was how the church changed history through the works of individuals. It was one of my favorite classes as it allowed for some interesting dialogues.


One of my high school friends messaged me recently.  He expressed his thankfulness for the dialogue that we had during my high school days. My friend explained how he's married now and has found the church. I remember talking to him about Jesus and how my plans for the weekend included going to Mass with my family. Although we lived differently, I enjoyed talking with him because he asked "WHY?"  Growing up in a charismatic Catholic community and being around those types of social circles, we don't necessarily ask these questions since we take Church teaching as gospel. It was in talking with others, especially those who did not believe or understand, that forced me to explain, ask bigger questions and dig further into the truth. It showed me how little I knew, but how much more that I wanted to know. 

I am thankful and amazed how finding love opens our hearts to the Lord and how He's able to use our desires to lead us to Him. Our hunger for truth and understanding leads us to asking questions we don't normally ask, either because we try not to think about them or because it challenges our present views. Open dialogue leads to curiosity about the truth, and truth leads us to Christ as it relates to ourselves. 
0 Comments
    Disclaimer: We hope that you enjoy the content of this website.  We are all journeyers on the road toward heaven and these are some of our thoughts and ideas.  None of us is a religious expert; we hope not to make any egregious errors, and we will try to be as accurate as possible.

    Archives

    April 2023
    September 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    February 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015

    Categories

    All
    Fragments Of Faith
    Inspiration
    Living Catholic
    Prayer
    Saints
    The Call

    RSS Feed

Contact Us

Submit
​Joy of the Just - Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic (Eastern Province)
Saints Philip & James Catholic Church & University Parish
2801 North Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21218
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Prayers
  • Categories
  • Good Reads