Ishpeming Catholic

Submission means to have Jesus as the Master of my life in absolutely every way.  It involves welcoming Jesus into every part of my life, body, circumstances, and relationships.  Submission leads to growth when my will and freedom is aligned with God's will and freedom.  I detach from the need to be secure, liked, and in control, and attach instead to the presence of Jesus.

Receiving Jesus' forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation involves taking time for self-examination and confessing your sins to a priest.  This practice then helps us forgive others, stop cycles of vengeance, and live into Jesus' forgiving heart.  To forgive is to condemn a wrong, yet spare the wrongdoer hatred, revenge, and self-righteous indignation by joining them to Jesus' own forgiving heart. 

Click here for the schedule of Confession times.

Jesus invites those with emotional wounds to enter his safe presence and seek the healing only he can give.  Inner healing involves opening ourselves, our memories, experiences, and emotions to God, and listening to Jesus and his word to us.

The practice of spiritual reading and study responds to the desire to know the truth more deeply and how it intersects with my life.  As I focus attention on the writings of masters of the spiritual life and the Biblical worldview, I can understand and apply God's truth to every part of my life.

The practice of humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.  Humble people let go of image management and self-promotion.  They honor others by making others' needs as real and important as their own needs.  Humility includes the practices of secrecy, hiddennes, anonymity, and lack of display.

Christian community exists when believers connect with each other in authentic, transparent relationships that encourage growth in Christ make evident Christ's love.  Practices of community include hospitality, encouragement, peacemaking, grouping, mentoring, and accountability.

The practice of simple living aims at loosening inordinate attachments to owning and having.  It seeks to uncomplicate and untangle my life so I can focus on what really matters most.  Simple living brings freedom and with it generosity.  It involves detachment from self-serving goals and agendas for success, money, power, ego, productivity, and image, and replacing these with wholehearted attachment to and trust in God.

Healthy chastity is rooted in a deep acceptance of, respect for, and protection of the glorious body God has given me and all other human beings.  Chaste behavior cultivates sexual purity and nourishes trust.  It honors God as we receive and honor our bodies and the bodies of others in thought and action.