2

Facebook @FloridaCatholic Nov. 13-19, 2020

YOUR ORLANDO COMMUNITY

Welcome to your first Diocesan Cemetery; located adjacent to San Pedro Spiritual Development Center!

To respect the health and safety of our guests and staff, we ask that you call 407-848-4057 to make an appointment to visit the Cemetery Office and to meet with a Memorial Advisor.

Queen of Angels Cemetery is Open!

1901 QUEEN OF ANGELS DRIVE, WINTER PARK, FL 32792 Visit the Queen of Angels section of

www.catholiccemeteriescfl.org

for an overview of our burial options and price ranges.

For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day."

JOHN 6: 4

0

OFFICE HOURS

Monday-Friday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Except for posted Holidays

14165-1113

FATHER BLAKE BRITTON

Special to the Florida Catholic

ORLANDO November begins with the celebration of All Saints Day. As we commemorate this great feast, it brings to mind a question Catholics are regularly asked, "Why do we honor the saints?" This is an especially perplexing idea for evan- gelical Protestants who emphasize a per- sonal and exclusive relationship with Jesus Christ. In the words of Martin Luther Solus Christus!" - "Christ alone!" We know that veneration of the saints is as old as Christianity itself. St. Paul regular- ly refers to the "saints of God's household" (Eph 2:19) while ancient Middle Eastern lit- urgies declare the devotion of the saints as the Church's greatest triumph. The problem therefore is not whether honoring saints is a Christian practice. History proves such. Rather, the deeper point of reflection is, why does Christianity honor the saints? Why has the Church gone through such great lengths to preserve the memory of these men and women? More im- portantly, what does the Church's love of the saints teach us about Christ and salvation? It is impossible to understand Christianity without the Incarnation. God became man and dwelt among us. He breathed, walked, ate, suffered, died. All of this so that he could unite himself with humanity and continue to dwell in our midst. Catholicism is not an abstract religion. It is a living faith. To be a Catholic means to meet someone. As Catholics we do not simply follow Christ, we become Christ. We share in His very life and He in ours: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me!" (Gal 2:20). This is why the sacraments are essential to Christianity. You cannot be a Catholic without the sacraments. The sacraments are the way Christ continues to act in the world and manifest his ministry of reconciliation. Through the sacraments, we touch Jesus and Jesus touches us; his incarnation is continued. The sacraments exist for one purpose; to glorify God and unite us to his glory. Thus, we arrive to the topic of saints. Put simply, a saint is someone who allows the grace of Christ in the sacraments to shine in their lives. They are physical reminders of God's love and salvation. The Church honors saints not for their sake alone, but for the sake of Christ. A saint is a testament to God's faithfulness and devotion. They are signs of hope, living proof that Jesus is among us and is working to make us holy. This is why the ancient Greek Fathers of the Church call the saints eikos , "icons", literally meaning, "windows of heaven." When we look upon the face of St. Teresa of Kolkata or St. John Paul II, we know that God is here. He is not up in the clouds or dis- tant from his creation. He wants to be with us and is tirelessly seeking souls through whom he can share his divine mercy. Furthermore, God did not come to have an exclusive one- on-one relationship with people. Jesus comes to establish a family, a community of brothers and sisters. "Lord, teach us to pray-" "When you pray, say, 'Our Father'" (Mt 6:9). Not my father or their father, but our Father. To be a Catholic means to be incorporated into a family, the biggest family in the world. Every baptized Christian is a member of this family. Through- out our 2,000-year history, there have been some who typify our family and embody its ideals. Siblings of whom we can be proud and hold up as models, aka saints. When the Church honors the saints, she does not do so as a servant worshipping a god, but as a mother showing off a child. She cannot help herself. She is overcome with pride and joy in her progeny. Mother Church also tells us, her younger children, to be like our big brothers and sisters. "If they can do it, so can you." We have saints from every walk of life; every race, gender, class, profession and background. Yet, they are all made one by their love for Christ and their adoption through the Church. This is why we are encouraged by the Church to join the saints in prayer. Not praying to them, but with them. Do you have to talk with the saints? No. But why not? Why wouldn't you want to talk with an older sibling who loves you and ac- complished what you are striving to achieve? How can it hurt to enjoy family? What danger is it to spend time with men and women who love Christ and can help me love Him better? Is God angry when His children work together and inspire each other? Isn't this why He came into the world? As we celebrate this month of saints, let us ask God to foster a sincere love for the saints, our brothers and sisters who have gone before marked with the sign of faith. Let us also work to develop a deeper appreciation of the saints and their role in our spiritual lives. After all, we are all one fam- ily in Christ, He who has destroyed death and toppled the barrier between heaven and earth. Let us never cease to look towards the saints as our example and companions on this journey of faith.

n

How honoring the saints is a Christian tradition

SPLENDOR OF OUR FAITH

Father Blake Britton

Go Beyond affirms vocations

man shared their own faith jour- neys and sought to empower their peers to embrace their God-given vocations, inspiring a deeper rela- tionship with Jesus Christ. Olivia Anderson said it was re- freshing to "escape from the pan- demic" with her "sisters in Christ." Sitting in on the English presenta- tion, Harrison's story of physical and spiritual transformation was uplifting in a year of disease and election tensions. "It was nice to be able to have a ray of hope, light," An- derson said. The morning invited reflection of significant people who impacted the journeys of those present. An- derson welcomed the reminders of those who inspired her: her mother, grandmother, and other female mentors who walked alongside her. It was a reminder of the lives they have lived and to keep to the faith, walking in the path they have al- ready trailblazed." Anderson is confident in her vo- cation as a single woman. She said the morning was "an affirmation that as women - it doesn't matter what vocation you're in." Having lost more than 300 pounds, Harrison spoke of the pres- sures of looking and behaving a certain way as a woman. Anderson agreed, and finds solace in faith. It's good as Catholic women to be reminded that the final say about who we are, does not come from the culture. It comes from within, from God," she said. Presenter Lydia Britton is di- rector of religious education at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Orlan- do. She acknowledged, "We often expose our beauty and strength in mistaken and misconstrued ways, allowing ourselves to be judged by the norms and definitions society places on the value of a woman. This is both dangerous and de- structive." Katia Caban, a parishioner at St. Mary Magdalen, participated in the Spanish presentation with Britton. Britton shared her own story and spoke of the many roles women have as mothers, professionals, Christians, and children of God. Caban appreciated sharing with other women "the realization of the importance of our role - to be ourselves; to not have to compete with the rest of the world or other people's criteria." The Lord also made us in his image and we each have a mission. With our unique selves, we sup- port God's mission," Caban added. (Britton) inspired us to search within ourselves to find those roles and avoid the pressure of conform- ing to the world's criteria and to fo- cus on what the Lord wants of us." She also spoke of striking a bal- ance. Britton suggested following the example of the Blessed Mother who "accepted God's plan realizing that it was greater than any other plan she could have ever imagined for her life." She added, "It is only through Christ himself in the Eu- charist that a woman can discover and discern the best version of who she is intended to be. Our value as women comes from knowing that we belong to the Creator and in Him alone can we come to know our true purpose and be a light for the world."

n

More than125 women took part in the Diocese of Orlando Secretariat of Laity, Family and Life's women's conference, Go Beyond: Worth More at St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Altamonte Springs. (COURTESY) GLENDA MEEKINS

of the Florida Catholic staff

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS In- spired by Proverbs 31:10-31, the annual Go Beyond women's con- ference unpacked the Scripture's message of a woman's value and worth. The theme "Worth More" attracted more than 125 women to participate in person, Nov. 7 at St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Al- tamonte Springs and via livestream throughout the Diocese of Orlando. Speakers Lydia Britton, Liv Har- rison, and facilitator Rachel Bul-