I've found the pearl

Mt 13:44-46
Jesus said to his disciples:“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”
I have found the pearl. Now I have to sell all that I have to buy it. Are we talking money here? No, obviously not. What I think Jesus is talking about is our attachments to this world. There can be nothing that takes priority over our commitment to He Who Created All Things. We have to "sell" our pride, our hubris, our very souls and give ourselves to Him, completely.

How do we "sell" these things?

By following Jesus' teaching in Matthew 22:37-40, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."

What did Jesus mean when He said "The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments?" These commandments are the basis for the Ten that Our Lord gave to Moses. All ten of the commandments given to Moses can be followed by simply following Jesus' Two.

Can you imagine a world that followed the Greatest Commandments unconditionally? No wars, no abortions, no pain, no suffering---Wait!!! We're talking Heaven here, right?

A fork in my right hand

There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal Illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things "in order", she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. The woman also requested to be buried with her favorite Bible. Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very important to her. "There's one more thing," she said excitedly. "What's that?" came the pastor's reply. "This is very important," the woman continued. " I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand."The pastor stood looking at the woman, not knowing quite what to say. "That surprises you, doesn't it?" the woman asked. "Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor. The woman explained. "In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I alwaysremember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork'. It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance! So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?'. Then I want you to tell them: "Keep your fork....the best is yet to come". The pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman goodbye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She KNEW that something better was coming.At the funeral people were walking by the woman's casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing and her favorite Bible and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the pastor heard the question "What's with the fork?" And over and over he smiled. During his message, the pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. The pastor told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either. He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you oh so gently, that the best is yet to come.

The name will change, but not the content

As you may have noticed, I changed the name on my blog today. I heard the words "Road to Emmaus" today while listening to the radio and realized that it pertains to a lot of how the world is today. Christ is so close to us. He is risen! He is among us every day! Most of us see Him, but so few recognize Him! I am fortunate that I have a job (and a boss) that allows me the time to spend some time in front of the Blessed Sacrament each week and go to mass most days and actually taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

A couple of other changes have occured to this blog. You can now "google" The Road to Emmaus and the search engine will find me. And anyone can leave comments. I will read each one. I only ask that you be charitable. I realize that some who read this blog will disagree with my beliefs. Please, understand that you won't shake my faith in God or the religion that Christ established over 2000 years ago through the Holy Spirit. My goal is to SHARE my faith with others and join in meaningful prayer for the glory of God. I am willing to instruct or advise others based on my understanding of my faith, but I am not an apologist, so take it easy on me. Thanks and God Bless you.

Short (Mass), but Sweet (Grace)

I have been trying to visit different churches for my daily mass, and 6:30 am is the best time for me, but not all parishes have mass at this time. I was on my way to St. Francis of Assisi church in Bakersfield this morning when I had a change of mind and decided to go to St. Phillip the Apostle, instead. I was really running tight time-wise, and was dismayed when I found St. Phillip's parking lot torn up for repaving and the daily masses had been canceled this week. I actually got angry that the church would deprive me of my daily Eucharist! However, as usual, the Holy Spirit had my back and reminded me that there is a 7am mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help. I was thinking it would put me 1/2 hour behind schedule for the day, but I find my days go by so much smoother with the Grace I receive from the Eucharist, so I drove clear across town (no small distance in Bakersfield) and made it in time. I think the priest went to seminary in Indianapolis! I have never before been to a 12 minute mass (homily included--in fact the homily was so to the point that I am still thinking about it). I am not use to saying the prayers and responses without pauses or breaths. I am not saying it was less than sacred, but I like to take the time to think about what is going on in the Liturgy, not just go through the motions. The good thing is that I was put right back on schedule for the day, and I had Jesus with me the whole time!

Now, as a follow up to my post about not being afraid to die. It occurs to me that we should be looking forward to it. As I heard someone say on TV last night (I think it was Father Corapi), our best times on Earth are not even blips on the radar compared to the happiness we will find in Heaven. Now that's something to shoot for.

A seed planted?

On Thursday, my best friend said, "When it comes to stuff about God, you're pretty knowledgeable, right?" In my own humble way (lol) I said, "It depends on what you're asking." So he asked me if porn was a sin! I told him that yes, I believe it is. He asked me if looking at porn would send him to Hell. I told him that simply looking at porn would not be a sin, but the thoughts that it MUST provoke in a person certainly would be sinful. Looking at porn was the means to tempt him to sin further. Then he asked me if self-gratification were a sin. I told him that is why I said porn leads to further sin. Self-gratification bypasses the plan God has for us to use our sexuality to procreate. Also, that by looking at porn, he is helping those who are cheapening their own self-esteems by participating in the medium. I told him that he shouldn't be concerned if it were sending him to Hell, but rather that any sin is hurtful to God. I also told him that God is a loving and merciful Father, but one would have to pay the consequences for his sins. Then I told him the good news--that as a Catholic I believe that all sins (save one) can be forgiven through confession and the performance of penance. I am hoping that I planted a seed. He professes that he believes in a Creator, but follows no religion. Several times now, he has opened conversations with me about my beliefs. I wish I were stronger in my apologetics so I can help him more. I think the best thing I can do for now is to continue to go to mass as often as I can, keep saying the rosary, and pray for his conversion. And hope that God keeps His Spirit burning in my friend's heart, even if at times it is only a flicker.

Afraid to die? Not me! Ready to die? Not me!

Mt 8:23-27As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. They came and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm. The men were amazed and said, “What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?”
At about 5 or 6 years old, I remember crying to my mom and asking, “Does everybody die?” I wasn’t prepared for her answer. She told me the truth—that is everybody dies, but nobody knows when, except God, so I didn’t need to worry about it. But I did. Unless I could fall asleep or be busy with something else. It certainly didn't help when she made us say the Rosary. I dreaded that sentence in the Hail Mary, "Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death." I have since learned the true meaning and power of this prayer and regard it as a very dear friend.
We used to visit Grandma and Grandpa pretty regularly. We had to drive past Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery to get there. I got pretty good at recognizing landmarks and knew when we were getting close. I would always hide my head and try to think of something else or fall asleep—even the thought of dying terrified me. Eventually, though, I stopped being preoccupied with the thoughts and grew out of them.
The Gospel reading brought these memories back. While I was meditating on it, I realized that even though these men had who they believed to be the Messiah in the boat with them, they were still afraid of death. The lesson He taught them is the same lesson we can learn today. If we truly have faith in His love and mercy, we have nothing to fear. It’s interesting to me that these men who were afraid of death in the boat are probably the same men who later gladly gave up their lives to preserve the faith (except John, who we know died a natural death). I can only hope to be as brave when my time comes. What I can say is that I no longer fear death. But I'm not sure I welcome it, either. There is a lot more I can do for the Lord before I am called to my rest. Lots and lots of prayers to say.