Yesterday I woke to the rather unpleasant news that old friend and Catholic blogger Lisa Grass has been diagnosed with Cancer.
Lisa is a convert to Catholicism and the primary driver of her conversion was the Eucharist.
I just sat there when he kneeled but stood up when he stood up. I didn’t yet know there was really a good reason to kneel. I don’t remember the homily at all. It wasn’t good or bad to me. I just don’t remember it. Finally came the consecration. “Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my Body,
which will be given up for you.” Um….WOW. Then the second part: “Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.” BINGO!! This was it! This is how! This is what it means in the Bible where Jesus says you have to do this! This is how!!! Wow! I had to contain my excitement. After all, this was a Catholic Mass and I couldn’t stand up and say “Hey, everybody, etc.!”I was literally trembling in the presence of God. I didn’t know what to do. I mean, God is here! Everyone started filing up to Communion and, to me, it was like they were filing up to the gates of heaven. What came next may seem trivial but it meant a lot to me. There was a man in the pew behind me and he had a little girl with him. She said, “Daddy, she didn’t go to Communion.” He replied, “That’s okay.” She said again, louder, “But Daddy, she didn’t go to Communion.” He said, “It’s okay. She doesn’t have to go if she doesn’t want to.” It then hit me. I can do this! I can become Catholic and go receive our Lord in Communion! It’s up to me! I can do it “if I want to!”
Lisa decided that she wanted to and pursued her faith with a strength and purpose that is be worth emulating and like the good Catholic she is her faith as Stacy McCain notes in his fundraising plea for her, comes complete with works:
When I was covering the Louisiana primary, and got busted in the notorious speed trap town of Livonia — they towed my rental car! — it was Lisa who drove all the way down from Kentucky to Louisiana to bring me back home.
That’s quite a drive to take on for a person that you have pretty much only exchange emails with, even if gas prices were not at Biden levels.
I reached out to Lisa to ask if she needed anything she replied that for now all she needed was prayers. Lisa understands that the truth of the phrase from Flannery O’Conner who said:
People think faith is a warm blanket when in fact, it’s the cross.
and the instructions of Christ
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
Matthew 16:24
This is the Cross that Jesus has given her and like the cross of Christ it’s given to her but it can help save others. When we pray for Lisa, as she asked we do a spiritual work of mercy for her and bring ourselves closer to God. It is an act of faith, but what about works?
Stacy McCain is not a Catholic but when it comes to works to repay a debt of gratitude he’s on it:
Lisa’s diagnosis sounds very serious and her chemo treatments will cost $10,000-$20,000 per month, some of which should be covered by insurance, but still this is an ordeal for her. Lisa helped me in my hour of need, so everything y’all could do for her would be greatly appreciated.
I highly endorse all aid that you can spare for Lisa, both via faith and via works.
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