Thomas Smith

And having done all to stand…stand therefore! (Ephesians 6:13)

Thomas Smith — Thu, 02 May 2013 14:10:54 +0000

Today’s saint Athanasius, “the champion of orthodoxy” was exiled three times by general councils or synods dominated by Arian bishops, twice by order of the Emperor. He was slandered, condemned by a false council, tried and acquitted of various absurd charges. In fact, Constantine and his successors considered Athanasius a trouble-maker.

But Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman called him ‘a principal instrument after the Apostles by which the sacred truths of Christianity have been secured and conveyed to the world’. Newman wrote “The body of bishops failed in their confession of the Faith…They spoke variously, one against another; there was nothing, after Nicea, of firm, unvarying, consistent testimony, for nearly sixty years. There was untrustworthy Councils, unfaithful bishops; there was weakness, fear of consequences, misguidance, delusion, hallucination, endless, hopelessness, extending into nearly every corner of the Catholic Church. The comparatively few who remained faithful were discredited and driven into exile; the rest were either deceivers or were deceived.”

Sometimes, and more frequently, standing up for the Truth about God, the human person, marriage, and life, means standing alone. Lord Jesus, by your powerful grace and thru the intercession of St. Athanasius, give us courage, strength, and perseverance to stand firm in faith (Ephesians 6:13).

For more on Newman and St. Athanasius, see http://www.newmanreader.org/works/athanasius/original/

St Joseph: the Laborer, the Craftsman, the Artist

Thomas Smith — Wed, 01 May 2013 17:19:21 +0000

Today, as I was reflecting on St. Joseph the Worker, I recalled a quote, “He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.” I think we can all agree that the most important “work” that Joseph ever accepted (in union with the protection of the Holy Family) was the shaping of the human soul of his adopted son Jesus. God saw in the heart of the man Joseph, a father that would “build” a son, helping him to “grow in wisdom, and stature, and favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52). Today’s saint undertook his noble work with the strength of a laborer, the skill of a craftsman, and the joy and care of an artist.

Let us join God in his work within us, that through the intercession of St. Joseph, Christ may be formed and fashioned in our souls and revealed to the world in our words and deeds.

Living the Beatitudes in the Year of Faith

Thomas Smith — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:19:24 +0000

I’m excited to announce that my new, FREE online 10-part series on Living the Beatitudes is ready to go! You can sign up here http://thecatholicyearoffaith.com/beatitudes

Mother of Jesus and Mother to us All

Thomas Smith — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 12:56:03 +0000

Happy Feast of the Annunciation! I am so grateful that Mary said Yes! Though still a mystery, she was saying yes to be the Mother of the body of Jesus AND the Mother of the Body of Christ- all of us! What a fruitful Mother! In 2005, Pope Francis (then cardinal) washed the feet of new and expectant mothers and said “Some of you are holding your babies in your arms. Others of you are carrying them in your womb. All of you are women who have chosen life. I, as a priest, am going to repeat the act of Jesus, and carry out a concrete act of service for women who have said yes to life. In washing your feet, I am washing those of all mothers, and of my mother, who felt me in her womb.” Thank every Mom and Dad you meet today for saying Yes to Life!

The Moment of a Lifetime

Thomas Smith — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 16:26:25 +0000

[Thomas] said to them, ‘Unless I … place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe.’ Eight days later, his disciples were again assembled in the house, and Thomas was with them … Jesus came and stood among them, and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side … ‘ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and My God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.’—John 20:24-29

The Apostle Thomas is my patron, and quite frankly, I think he gets a bad rap. He is regularly labeled as “doubting Thomas” because of his inability to trust the witness of his fellow apostles that they had seen the resurrected Lord. (Of course, none of the grieving apostles had believed the earlier testimony of Mary Magdalene, either (see Mark 16:10-11).

Though Thomas struggled to believe in the Resurrection the first moment he’d heard of it, he spent the rest of his life trusting in the Lord and leading thousands of others to faith in Christ. He died a martyr for his witness of the resurrected Lord. Catholics in India still celebrate a liturgy attributed to him.

No one deserves to be remembered exclusively by the one moment their faith flagged or failed. Jesus models the proper response. He sought out Thomas not to upbraid the apostle, but to meet him in his weakness, gently guiding his hand into the wounds of love. Thomas responded with the most explicit confession of Jesus’s divinity in the Gospels, “My Lord and my God!”

The story of St. Thomas’ restoration gives us hope and the final beatitude from Christ, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” (John 20:29).

Action Step

“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief” (Mk 9:24). Help me to encourage and strengthen those whose faith is failing, especially during times of grief or loss.

For more reflections like this, sign up for Ascension Press’s Year of Faith series – Faith in Action here

Welcoming the Year of Faith with Hope and Love

Thomas Smith — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 16:30:38 +0000

Open Wide the Doors of Faith!

During the Year of Faith, the Church invites us to grow in our personal faith, and to understand better the content of our faith, particularly the Universal Catechism of the Catholic Church, so that we might clearly and confidently share it with the world.

Thomas has created individual presentations as well as parish missions and full retreats using the themes from the year’s inaugural document Porta Fide and Rome’s suggestions for celebrating this exciting year.

Invite Thomas Smith help guide your parish community, staff, or group through the riches of our faith during this special year of grace.

My new 3-session parish mission Discovering the Beatitudes as Pathways to the Kingdom has been enthusiastically received from the hundreds who have already experienced the profound invitation of these eight gifts. Friend Bishop Ricken has also recommended the Beatitudes as one of the 10 ways we can live the Year of Faith http://www.usccb.org/news/2012/12-150.cfm

Check out my Year of Faith topics here: http://gen215.org/talks/

Holy Land 2012 – A Journey w/Jesus & Mary

Thomas Smith — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:31:13 +0000

I’m excited to announce that I have partnered with friends Fr. Mike Gaitley (author & director of the Association of the Marian Helpers) and uber-evangelist Kelly Wahlquist (Assistant Director of the Evangelization and Development Office for Parish Evangelization for the Association) to co-lead a special Marian-focused Holy Land Pilgrimage this September 5-14th, 2012.

Fr. Mike’s two books (Consoling the Heart of Jesus and 33 Days to Morning Glory) have been life-changing for me , so I am especially excited for him to share his spiritual insights in the Holy Land, and Kelly is one of the most passionate Catholic women and evangelists I know. We will enjoy daily Mass with Fr. Mike, pray the Rosary at the locations of the Mysteries, and I’ll be opening up the Scriptures “on location” spanning from Caesarea Philippi in the north to the fortress of Masada in the south, and all the significant cities in between including Capernaum, Caesarea Maritime, Cana, Nazareth, Ein Kherem, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and more.

The pilgrimage will also help support the awesome work of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception who spread devotion to Divine Mercy around the world. Our pilgrimage will begin at JFK, so we can reach out to as many people nationally as possible. Space is limited, so prayerfully consider signing up soon.

See the flyer below for details and itinerary. Please don’t hesitate to contact me through the contact page on the website with additional questions you may have, and consider sharing this with friends and family members who may be interested in joining us!

Click -> PILGRIMAGE FLYER

Consecration means Transformation

Thomas Smith — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 15:09:56 +0000

On the Feast of the Annunciation this Monday, over 1,000 people across the U.S. will be consecrating themselves to the Blessed Mother using the new curriculum from Hearts Afire Parish Programs based on Fr. Michael Gaitley’s latest book “33 Days to Morning Glory.” You can learn more about it here www.allheartsafire.org . I am excited to be part of this new initiative and re-consecrating myself to our Lady again (you can never say “Yes” to Jesus through Mary too often). I made my first consecration back in 1999, and “33 Days to Morning Glory” has re-invigorated my passion and understanding about this very important spiritual act. I see it echoed in so much of what we do in our Catholic lives and liturgy.

Recently in the Mass, during the Offertory, I watched two mothers bringing up the bread and wine to the priest and had a little epiphany: “This is exactly what our Lady does for us! Like these beautiful Catholic moms, our Mother brings all of our offerings to her Son Jesus, the High Priest.” In a way similar to the Presentation in the Temple (Luke 2:22-40), Mary also brings us to the place of worship and sacrifice.

As Mass continued, our priest prayed, “make holy these gifts we have brought to you for consecration that they may become the Body and Blood of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ.” Another epiphany! In the New Covenant and Christ, consecration means more than simply being set apart for God, in a fuller sense, it means being transformed into Christ! In the Mass, the ordinary bread and wine will become the bread of life and our spiritual drink – Jesus Christ himself. In Marian consecration, we are being set apart for service AND are being transformed into Christ! (Romans 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:18; 1 John 3:2). And like the Eucharist, we are transformed to be shared. The world is looking and longing to see Jesus. May this upcoming consecration, help them to meet Him in us!

Coffee, Prayer & Fulton Sheen

Thomas Smith — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:31:14 +0000

I am a big fan of the Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, one of the 20th century’s most cogent and successful communicators on both the Gospel and the human condition. He further endears himself to me by what he say about prayer and coffee. The context is his excellent little book “The Priest is Not His Own,” and the chapter is on “How to Make the Holy Hour.” After encouraging the priest to make a Holy Hour of prayer BEFORE his morning Mass, the good Archbishop advises an early cup of the dark brew. Continuing, he asserts:

“The average American is physically, biologically, psychologically & neurologically unable to do anything worthwhile before he has a cup of coffee! And that goes for prayer too. Even sisters in convents whose rules were written before electric percolators were developed, would do well to update their procedures. LET THEM HAVE COFFEE BEFORE MEDITATION.”

Add to his voice, the wisdom of the prophets and the comfort of the Psalms:

”Awake, awake! Rise up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk to the last drop, the Lord’s cup” - Isa 51:17

“You prepare a table before me…my cup runneth over.” – Ps 23:5

Finally, Rev. 3:15-16 makes it clear: our Lord likes his coffee either iced or pipping hot!

Joseph was filled with promise and power, not aged and infirm- Fulton Sheen

Thomas Smith — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:20:56 +0000

‎”But when one searches for the reasons why Christian art should have pictured Joseph as aged, we discover that it was in order to better safeguard the virginity of Mary. Somehow, the assumption had crept in that senility was a better protector of virginity than adolescence. Art thus unconsciously made Joseph a spouse chaste and pure by age rather than virtue…To make Joseph appear pure only because his flesh had aged is like glorifying a mountain stream that has dried. The Church will not ordain a man to the priesthood who has not his vital powers. She wants men who have something to tame, rather than those who are tame because they have no energy to be wild. It should be no different with God.

…Joseph was probably a young man, strong, virile, athletic, handsome, chaste, and disciplined; the kind of man one sees sometimes shepherding sheep, or piloting a plane, or working at a carpenter’s bench. Instead of being a man incapable of love, he must have been on fire with love….Instead, then, of being dried fruit to be served on the table of the king, he was rather a blossom filled with promise and power. He was not in the evening of life, but in its morning, bubbling over with energy, strength, and controlled passion.” - Archbishop Fulton Sheen