St. Martin de Porres holds parish mission for Advent

Courtesy photo/St. Martin de Porres Parish

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Father Louis Guardiola, C.P.M. presents the Family Eucharistic Crusade at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church.

TAYLORSVILLE —St. Martin de Porres held its Advent retreat Dec. 2-6. Congregation of the Fathers of Mercy priest Father Louis Guardiola led the retreat. Confessions were held after the retreats each day, followed by Adoration. It was a wonderful way to begin our Advent season leading to the birth of Christ and deepening our faith experience.

One of my favorite moments was seeing Fr. Louis surrounded by the altar servers and their siblings and friends. The kids were seated on the floor around him, asking questions. No sooner did he answer a question than it was followed by another. It reminded me of the scene where children surround Jesus and, as his disciples are trying to shoo them away, Jesus responds, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” For such was this scene; the kids were hungry for his words of love and humility.

I loved the images that Fr. Louis left me with during the retreat. His talk on the Eucharist left me with a better understanding of the Mass. That not only was I partaking of the Body of Christ, which is an essential part of our Catholic faith, but that I became the Body of Christ upon consumption, holy, sacred and one in Him. That not only did I just consume the Eucharist, the Eucharist just consumed me.

Fr. Louis talked about the importance of spending time with Jesus in Adoration. He compared it to being judged and influenced by the company we keep. If we hang out with people of low character making poor choices, we, in turn, are seen similarly. Hanging out with Jesus in Adoration is something we do, but by spending time in His company, He transforms us. We become more like Him. During Adoration, we are not only with Jesus, but with the Holy Trinity.

On Dec. 8, we celebrated the Immaculate Conception and I found myself immersed in Fr. Louis’s portrayal of our Blessed Mother. He talked about how the Israelites wandered the desert, carrying the Ark of the Covenant, literally, taking God with them. Mary became the new Ark of the Covenant, carrying our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in her womb, and delivering Him to us. And I found myself thinking that since Jesus died for our sins, giving us the Holy Spirit, aren’t we now the new Ark of the Covenant, carrying Jesus within us?

So this Advent season, I’m seeing others and myself in a totally different light. As an Ark of the Covenant, I carry Christ within me. But so do you. Not only am I responsible for my body and its development and nourishment in order to grow in Christ, I am also responsible for the development and nourishment of others because we are all one body in Christ – holy, catholic and apostolic.

Caroline Costello is the director of religious education for St. Martin de Porres Parish.