Annulment Questions?

Staff members of the Archdiocesan Metropolitan Tribunal will be available for confidential consultation and to answer questions regarding the investigation into the possibility of nullity of the marriage bond (annulment process) at the Cathedral of St. Paul 239 Selby Ave, St. Paul

February 22, Ash Wednesday, during and after each Mass 7:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.

Personal administrativo del Tribunal Eclesiástico estarán a su disposición para consultas en español sobre el procedimiento de nulidad matrimonial.

651.291.4469 http://www.archspm.org/tribunal-annulments/

Something happens, however, when we encounter people who follow Christ’s example and lay down their own lives. We grow in holiness, unity, understanding and goodwill. We don’t merely receive something good from those encounters; we are transformed by them. We become more like Jesus because of them.

This is the secret we discover in the lives of the saints. They show us that the Christian life cannot be lived apart from Christ because he is the one who lives it, in and through us. If we are to give our share in the divine life of God a real chance, we must focus on nothing other than Christ Jesus himself. He must be our alpha and omega, the beginning and the end of how we live. Everything else our faith engenders and expresses is good, but it is not God. When we realize that Calvary is the only hill worth dying on, we become more willing to sell all we have for the pearl of great price.

The need for humble examples of Christian discipleship is great — more so, perhaps, than ever before. Our world, so driven by image and influence, is starved for authenticity that goes deeply beyond all the “things” of Catholicism. It is good that we love our Church, but we must love Jesus even more. And we must learn to do so visibly. Jesus is not just the founder of an ancient and venerable religion, but the living Word of God, the cornerstone and foundation of our lives. This is not an abstract metaphorical principle, but a sacramental and incarnational reality — one that can take concrete shape in us every day.

And so, we must be ready to own all our sins, faults and weaknesses. We must show the world how to seek God’s mercy, ask for our neighbor’s forgiveness and surrender to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. We do that when we abandon ourselves and choose Christ over all else.

Wolfe is a sinner, Catholic convert, freelance writer and editor, musician, speaker, pet-aholic, wife and mom of eight grown children, loving life in New Orleans. Her column, “Called to Holiness” appears bi-weekly at OSV News.