Jn 8:1-11 Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?" They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She replied, "No one, sir." Then Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more."
About the middle of last week I received, in my e-mail, a petition to send to my Bishop, the USCCB, and the Vatican pretty much demanding that something be done to those who are in a position of secular authority who use their position to further anti-life positions that are against the teachings of the Catholic Church and still present themselves for the Eucharist. We all know who we're talking about....the Nancy Pelosis, the Joe Bidens, the John Kerrys and any Kennedy. I have been struggling with this. While I feel very strongly that they should not be presenting themselves for Communion, making demands of the Shepherds is not the way to go. I have no doubt that our Shepherds are already in control of the situation. How many of us have planks in our own eyes? How do we know that these politicians have not already been informed of proper teaching by their Bishops and are simply choosing to ignore the pastoral recommendations at the peril of their own souls? I think I need to spend more time working out my own salvation before I start demanding others to do the same.
I was talking to Mom about this a little bit yesterday, and as I said, I am pretty conflicted on what MY role should be in the whole matter. I gave it to Jesus last night during my rosary. This morning at Mass, I think I was given my answer in the Gospel. I won't be sending any petitions to recommend anyone's excommunication. I will instead be praying for the conversion of their hearts, voting and encouraging others to vote for pro-life candidates, and trusting Jesus to be a fair and merciful judge.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
A loving Father
My sister-in-law Wendy sent the following story by Edna Ellison to me via e-mail today. I have been trying to find a way for a few days now to start this blog. I guess Wendy is my "angel" today.
MAGNOLIAS...........
By Edna Ellison
By Edna Ellison
I spent the week before my daughter's June wedding running last-minute trips to the caterer, florist, tuxedo shop, and the church about forty miles away.
As happy as I was that Patsy was marrying a good Christian young man, I felt laden with responsibilities as I watched my budget dwindle . ..
So many details, so many bills, and so little time. My son Jack was away at college, but he said he would be there to walk his younger sister down the aisle, taking the place of his dad who had died a few years before. He teased Patsy, saying he'd wanted to give her away since she was about three years old!
To save money, I gathered blossoms from several friends who had large magnolia trees. Their luscious, creamy-white blooms and slick green leaves would make beautiful arrangements against the rich dark wood inside the church.
After the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding, we banked the podium area and choir loft with magnolias. As we left just before midnight, I felt tired but satisfied this would be the best wedding any bride had ever had! The music, the ceremony, the reception - and especially the flowers - would be remembered for years.
The big day arrived - the busiest day of my life - and while her bridesmaids helped Patsy to dress, her fiance Tim walked with me to the sanctuary to do a final check. When we opened the door and felt a rush of hot air, I almost fainted; and then I saw them - all the beautiful white flowers were black. Funeral black. An electrical storm during the night had knocked out the air conditioning system, and on that hot summer day, the flowers had wilted and died.
I panicked, knowing I didn't have time to drive back to our hometown, gather more flowers, and return in time for the wedding.
Tim turned to me. 'Edna, can you get more flowers? I'll throw away these dead ones and put fresh flowers in these arrangements.' I mumbled, 'Sure,' as he be-bopped down the hall to put on his cuff links.
Alone in the large sanctuary, I looked up at the dark wooden beams in the arched ceiling. 'Lord,' I prayed, 'please help me. I don't know anyone in this town. Help me find someone willing to give me flowers - in a hurry!'
I scurried out praying for four things: the blessing of white magnolias, courage to find them in an unfamiliar yard, safety from any dog that may bite my leg, and a nice person who would not get out a shotgun when I asked to cut his tree to shreds.
As I left the church, I saw magnolia trees in the distance. I approached a house...No dog in sight. I knocked on the door and an older man answered. So far so good . .No shotgun. When I stated my plea the man beamed, 'I'd be happy to!'
He climbed a stepladder and cut large boughs and handed them down to me. Minutes later, as I lifted the last armload into my car trunk, I said, 'Sir, you've made the mother of a bride happy today.'
'No, Ma'am,' he said. 'You don't understand what's happening here.'
'What?' I asked.
'You see, my wife of sixty-seven years died on Monday. On Tuesday I received friends at the funeral home, and on Wednesday . . . He paused. I saw tears welling up in his eyes. 'On Wednesday I buried her.' He! looked away. 'On Thursday most of my out-of-town relatives went back home, and on Friday - yesterday - my children left.'
I nodded. 'This morning,' he continued, 'I was sitting in my den crying out loud. I miss her so much. For the last sixteen years, as her health got worse, she needed me. But now nobody needs me. This morning I cried, 'Who needs an eighty-six-year-old wore-out man? Nobody!' I began to cry louder. 'Nobody needs me!' About that time, you knocked, and said, 'Sir, I need you.'
I stood with my mouth open.
He asked, 'Are you an angel? The way the light shone around your head into my dark living room...' I assured him I was no angel.
He smiled. 'Do you know what I was thinking when I handed you those magnolias?'
'No.'
'I decided I'm needed. My flowers are needed. Why, I might have a flower ministry! I could give them to everyone! Some caskets at the funeral home have no flowers. People need flowers at times like that and I have lots of them. They're all over the backyard! I can give them to hospitals, churches - all sorts of places. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to serve the Lord until the day He calls me home!'
I drove back to the church, filled with wonder. On Patsy's wedding day, if anyone had asked me to encourage someone who was hurting, I would have said, 'Forget it! It's my only daughter's wedding, for goodness' sake! There is no way I can minister to anyone today.'
But God found a way. Through dead flowers.
Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.If you have missed knowing me, you have missed nothing.
If you have missed some of my emails, you may have missed a laugh. But, if you have missed knowing my LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, you have missed everything in the world.
May God's blessings be upon you.
During Lent, I have been thinking about the responsibility that we all have to pray, fast, and give "alms". Usually, praying and fasting is easy. It's the "giving alms" that always seems to be hard to do. It's not that the actual act is hard, but rather recognizing the opportunity.
Forgive me, Wendy, if I get this story wrong, but I am reminded of the time you went to a mall to shop for one of the holidays and you were the only one around to help a lady who had fainted or fallen. You thought at the time that you were guided to that particular place at that particular time to help that particular woman. She even called you an "angel". Do you remember it?
Another "almsgiving" story I have involves Sarah. She has always shown compassion for the less fortunate and misunderstood of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Years ago, when Sarah was about 8 years old, we (Marilyn, the girls and I) wanted to eat out and were in the mood for Mexican food. We went to a restaurant downtown that has very good food and is easy on the pocketbook (in fact, we still go there often). The only “drawback” is that it is in a neighborhood that most people would consider “dangerous”, because one is always confronted by a panhandler--which does not make the area “dangerous”, just “poor”.
Anyway, Sarah could not finish her meal, and asked the waitress to box it up so she could eat it the next day. On our way out we were approached by a disheveled man who asked for some money so he could “get something to eat”. My thought was “I just bet that’s why you want the money. To eat. Right. It’s probably to go down to the liquor store and buy a bottle of wine. I’m not going to help you kill yourself. So leave me alone.”
But before I could express those thoughts by simply ignoring the guy and walking along, Sarah said “Here, sir” and handed her leftover meal to the man! He was so hungry he opened it right there and “wolfed” it down, proving that he was, indeed, hungry and not just another drunk. He thanked Sarah for the food, said “God Bless you”, and moved on. I was so ashamed of myself for that day, but thankful to God that he blessed me with such a compassionate child.
Many of us look the other way when Jesus presents us with an opportunity to help our neighbor. The only asset we need to fulfill this commandment is Love.
And speaking of love, I've given a lot of thought to yesterday's first reading (2 Chr 36:14-16, 19-23). It speaks of our Father's inexhaustible and unmatched love. His love is like that of a father who tries to teach his son how to play baseball. He spends time to teach him the basics like how to stand, how to hold the bat, how to watch the ball and when to swing. Then, as the child is learning, there are many times his son "forgets" the lessons and the result is a strike out. Dad may become frustrated and discouraged at times, but he still has confidence that his kid will eventually get it. Then comes the day when "Junior" hits it out of the park and all of the misses are forgotten! Oh, what joy! It's the feeling I had when Sarah gave her meal to the homeless man.
We, the children of God, have been taught (through Scripture and Tradition) by Jesus Christ all we need to know to get to Heaven. And a lot of times we "swing and miss" at the "pitches" our Father sends our way. Does He give up on us? NO. He sends the Holy Spirit through the Sacraments to help us recognize the "fastball right down the middle" and we hit one out of the park by using our time, talent or treasure to love Him by loving our neighbor.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Cornerstones
Gn 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a
Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was the child of his old age; and he had made him a long tunic. When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons, they hated him so much that they would not even greet him.
One day, when his brothers had gone to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem, Israel said to Joseph, "Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem. Get ready; I will send you to them."
So Joseph went after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan. They noticed him from a distance, and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him. They said to one another: "Here comes that master dreamer! Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns here; we could say that a wild beast devoured him. We shall then see what comes of his dreams."
When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from their hands, saying, "We must not take his life. Instead of shedding blood," he continued, "just throw him into that cistern there in the desert; but do not kill him outright." His purpose was to rescue him from their hands and return him to his father.
So when Joseph came up to them, they stripped him of the long tunic he had on; then they took him and threw him into the cistern, which was empty and dry. They then sat down to their meal. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead,their camels laden with gum, balm and resin to be taken down to Egypt. Judah said to his brothers: "What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood? Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites, instead of doing away with him ourselves. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh."His brothers agreed. They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.
Ps 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21
When the LORD called down a famine on the landand ruined the crop that sustained them,
He sent a man before them,Joseph, sold as a slave.They had weighed him down with fetters,and he was bound with chains,
Till his prediction came to passand the word of the LORD proved him true.
The king sent and released him,the ruler of the peoples set him free.He made him lord of his houseand ruler of all his possessions.
Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
Mt 21:33-43, 45-46
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: "Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.' They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"
They answered him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times."
Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,and it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit."
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.
Both of the readings today and the Psalm are tales of cold-blooded evil and how God uses this evil for the eventual greater good.
In the case of the tenants of the vineyard, greed was the reason they wanted to kill the owner’s son. They didn’t want to give up what they thought was theirs, even though they knew it wasn’t.
Joseph’s brothers were envious of the attention their father paid to him, and they were probably afraid of losing their inheritance. So greed probably played a part in their evil as well. And how cold-blooded were they? After throwing Joseph into the cistern, they sat down to lunch as if nothing had happened!
The chief priests and Pharisees didn’t get it. The brothers didn’t get it. They thought that getting rid of the “troublemakers” would make their lives easier and they could go back to the way things were. What they didn’t know was that God sometimes allows evil acts to occur so that His love and mercy can become greater!
In Joseph’s case, we all know the end of that story. Israel undergoes a great famine and Jacob’s children are forced to go to Egypt for food. Who has God blessed and made the high mucky-muck in charge of the graineries in Egypt? God has humbled the aggressors, but shown them mercy at the same time, allowing the family to reunite.
As for the Pharisees and chief priests who got rid of Our Lord by crucifying him, look at the good that came out of that! All sins erased once for all, everlasting happiness for all who believe in Him and follow His commandments, and extending His Covenant to all people, Jew and Gentile.
So for any of you who worry about the evil in the world today, remember that Christ’s mercy is already at work for us. Our job is to spread the word and help one another obtain that mercy. The cornerstone has been laid.
Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was the child of his old age; and he had made him a long tunic. When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons, they hated him so much that they would not even greet him.
One day, when his brothers had gone to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem, Israel said to Joseph, "Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem. Get ready; I will send you to them."
So Joseph went after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan. They noticed him from a distance, and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him. They said to one another: "Here comes that master dreamer! Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns here; we could say that a wild beast devoured him. We shall then see what comes of his dreams."
When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from their hands, saying, "We must not take his life. Instead of shedding blood," he continued, "just throw him into that cistern there in the desert; but do not kill him outright." His purpose was to rescue him from their hands and return him to his father.
So when Joseph came up to them, they stripped him of the long tunic he had on; then they took him and threw him into the cistern, which was empty and dry. They then sat down to their meal. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead,their camels laden with gum, balm and resin to be taken down to Egypt. Judah said to his brothers: "What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood? Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites, instead of doing away with him ourselves. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh."His brothers agreed. They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.
Ps 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21
When the LORD called down a famine on the landand ruined the crop that sustained them,
He sent a man before them,Joseph, sold as a slave.They had weighed him down with fetters,and he was bound with chains,
Till his prediction came to passand the word of the LORD proved him true.
The king sent and released him,the ruler of the peoples set him free.He made him lord of his houseand ruler of all his possessions.
Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
Mt 21:33-43, 45-46
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: "Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.' They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"
They answered him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times."
Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,and it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit."
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.
Both of the readings today and the Psalm are tales of cold-blooded evil and how God uses this evil for the eventual greater good.
In the case of the tenants of the vineyard, greed was the reason they wanted to kill the owner’s son. They didn’t want to give up what they thought was theirs, even though they knew it wasn’t.
Joseph’s brothers were envious of the attention their father paid to him, and they were probably afraid of losing their inheritance. So greed probably played a part in their evil as well. And how cold-blooded were they? After throwing Joseph into the cistern, they sat down to lunch as if nothing had happened!
The chief priests and Pharisees didn’t get it. The brothers didn’t get it. They thought that getting rid of the “troublemakers” would make their lives easier and they could go back to the way things were. What they didn’t know was that God sometimes allows evil acts to occur so that His love and mercy can become greater!
In Joseph’s case, we all know the end of that story. Israel undergoes a great famine and Jacob’s children are forced to go to Egypt for food. Who has God blessed and made the high mucky-muck in charge of the graineries in Egypt? God has humbled the aggressors, but shown them mercy at the same time, allowing the family to reunite.
As for the Pharisees and chief priests who got rid of Our Lord by crucifying him, look at the good that came out of that! All sins erased once for all, everlasting happiness for all who believe in Him and follow His commandments, and extending His Covenant to all people, Jew and Gentile.
So for any of you who worry about the evil in the world today, remember that Christ’s mercy is already at work for us. Our job is to spread the word and help one another obtain that mercy. The cornerstone has been laid.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
A prayer life
Psalm50: 23
Those who offer praise as a sacrifice honor me; to the obedient I will show the salvation of God."
Have you ever felt like “making time” for prayer was a hassle, or inconvenient? It happens to me all the time. But it was really brought home to me recently.
I look at my relationship with Jesus as a “marriage” of sorts. You know, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health and all of that. In fact, during my recent illness that put me flat on my back for 6 days with nothing to do but pity myself, I found little time for my prayer life. I was a miserable spouse. I wanted Him to make me well (and probably subconsciously even BLAMED Him for my illness), but I wasn’t talking to Him! It told me where I really stand when it comes to a prayer life.
After 3 days (coincidence?) I finally just said, “Please, God, let me get some sleep so I can start feeling better and pay more attention to YOU!” Within five minutes I was asleep, sure that He would take care of me. I just wonder why it took me so long to get around to asking.
At Mass today, the Psalm above was part of the response to the 1st reading. Of all the readings, the Gospel, and other prayers said today, this ONE LINE absolutely SPOKE to me! Prayer is supposed to be a sacrifice! The bigger the sacrifice, the greater the praise! But big does not necessarily mean grandiose. Sincerity and humility is what defines a true sacrifice.
You can be sure that I will be paying more attention to my prayers and making the time to speak with and listen to my Eternal Spouse, just as I make time to speak to Marilyn. After all, is not my Lord more important than anything in this world?
Those who offer praise as a sacrifice honor me; to the obedient I will show the salvation of God."
Have you ever felt like “making time” for prayer was a hassle, or inconvenient? It happens to me all the time. But it was really brought home to me recently.
I look at my relationship with Jesus as a “marriage” of sorts. You know, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health and all of that. In fact, during my recent illness that put me flat on my back for 6 days with nothing to do but pity myself, I found little time for my prayer life. I was a miserable spouse. I wanted Him to make me well (and probably subconsciously even BLAMED Him for my illness), but I wasn’t talking to Him! It told me where I really stand when it comes to a prayer life.
After 3 days (coincidence?) I finally just said, “Please, God, let me get some sleep so I can start feeling better and pay more attention to YOU!” Within five minutes I was asleep, sure that He would take care of me. I just wonder why it took me so long to get around to asking.
At Mass today, the Psalm above was part of the response to the 1st reading. Of all the readings, the Gospel, and other prayers said today, this ONE LINE absolutely SPOKE to me! Prayer is supposed to be a sacrifice! The bigger the sacrifice, the greater the praise! But big does not necessarily mean grandiose. Sincerity and humility is what defines a true sacrifice.
You can be sure that I will be paying more attention to my prayers and making the time to speak with and listen to my Eternal Spouse, just as I make time to speak to Marilyn. After all, is not my Lord more important than anything in this world?
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Old business, new prayer
Old business
I started this blog last Friday. Then I got as sick as I’ve ever been! I have never spent 6 entire days laying down feeling like I didn’t want to talk to anyone, get on the internet, watch TV, eat, or anything that would remind me that I couldn’t breathe, sleep or even think straight.
It started as a “tickle” in my throat on Friday afternoon. I thought it was harmless and would go away as quickly as it came on. I made plans to work in Stockton on Saturday morning, and play nine holes of golf in the afternoon. I didn’t wake up until 9AM on Saturday, however (after my boss called me –uh oh!), and I told him it was probably too late to get anything done and I was feeling really tired, so I would take the rest of the weekend off. He said I deserved it, so there I was.
Marilyn has been doing some required schooling in Merced for re-certification in some new imaging techniques, so she was out town. So instead of going golfing that afternoon as I had planned, I was really tired and decided to lie back down. I slept until late that evening. No lunch, no dinner, no TV, no computer. The problem was, I couldn’t sleep all night then. I spent all night simply thinking of how miserable I was starting to feel. I could hardly wait for 7 AM when I would get up and get ready for Mass and the theater in San Francisco with Marilyn and Sarah.
Marilyn, Sarah and I had tickets to see Wicked in San Francisco on Sunday for Sarah’s birthday. But when 7AM actually did arrive, I didn’t feel like going to Mass, the theater, or anywhere else. Marilyn asked Alicia if she wanted to take my place at the theater, but she just wanted to stay home with Lorenzo and Lily and see if I would need anything. God Bless her. So Marilyn was able to get her sister Vickie to go with them. Again, I lay down all day with no lunch, no dinner, no TV, no computer (other than to check my mail from work and on AOL—just in case Mom was trying to reach me.) I finished answering the mail (took all of 10 minutes) then called my boss to tell him I was really having a lot of trouble breathing and a cough had started so I wouldn’t be in on Monday. He said to take all the time I needed—a premonition? Then it was back to sleep again! I don’t even remember Marilyn and Sarah coming home!
Monday morning found me unable to take a deep breath. I left a note on the kitchen drain board for Alicia to read when she woke up to please call and make an appointment for me with the doctor. I listed my symptoms—there were 10!!! Anyone who knows me well knows I HATE going to doctors, so I knew this was serious.
When I got to the doctor, she confirmed that I had a pretty good case of bronchitis and prescribed an inhaler, a couple of antibiotics, and some painkillers for my headache, which had really become unbearable. I could hardly wait to be able to breathe and not have this damned headache anymore.
It took 24 hours for the medicines to do their thing, but once they did, it was a pretty rapid recovery, although I still today (Saturday) have some residual coughing and an earache.
There were only two good things that came out of this illness. I lost 14 pounds! I don’t recommend this method to anyone, but hey, at least I can wear some of my older pants now. The other good that came out of it was I had a chance to think of some really thought-provoking blogs for this week. I will begin with the one I was going to write before I got sick. Thanks to all of you for your prayers this last week.
New business
It is related in the annals of Clairvaux that St. Bernard asked Our Lord which was His greatest unrecorded suffering and Our Lord answered, “I had on My Shoulder, while I bore My Cross on the Way of Sorrows, a grievous Wound, which was more painful than the others and which is not recorded by men. Honor this Wound with thy devotion and I will grant thee whatsoever thou dost ask through Its virtue and merit. And in regard to all those who shall venerate this Wound, I will remit to them all their venial sins and will no longer remember their mortal sins.
The Prayer
O Loving Jesus, meek Lamb of God, I a miserable sinner salute and worship the most Sacred Wound of Your Shoulder on which You bore Your heavy Cross, which so tore Your Flesh and laid bare Your Bones as to inflict on You an anguish greater than any other Wound of Your Most Blessed Body. I adore You, O Jesus most sorrowful; I praise and glorify You and give You thanks for this most sacred and painful Wound, beseeching You by that exceeding pain and by the crushing burden of Your heavy Cross to me merciful to me, a sinner, to forgive me all my mortal and venial sins, and to lead me on towards Heaven along the Way of the Cross. Amen.
I started this blog last Friday. Then I got as sick as I’ve ever been! I have never spent 6 entire days laying down feeling like I didn’t want to talk to anyone, get on the internet, watch TV, eat, or anything that would remind me that I couldn’t breathe, sleep or even think straight.
It started as a “tickle” in my throat on Friday afternoon. I thought it was harmless and would go away as quickly as it came on. I made plans to work in Stockton on Saturday morning, and play nine holes of golf in the afternoon. I didn’t wake up until 9AM on Saturday, however (after my boss called me –uh oh!), and I told him it was probably too late to get anything done and I was feeling really tired, so I would take the rest of the weekend off. He said I deserved it, so there I was.
Marilyn has been doing some required schooling in Merced for re-certification in some new imaging techniques, so she was out town. So instead of going golfing that afternoon as I had planned, I was really tired and decided to lie back down. I slept until late that evening. No lunch, no dinner, no TV, no computer. The problem was, I couldn’t sleep all night then. I spent all night simply thinking of how miserable I was starting to feel. I could hardly wait for 7 AM when I would get up and get ready for Mass and the theater in San Francisco with Marilyn and Sarah.
Marilyn, Sarah and I had tickets to see Wicked in San Francisco on Sunday for Sarah’s birthday. But when 7AM actually did arrive, I didn’t feel like going to Mass, the theater, or anywhere else. Marilyn asked Alicia if she wanted to take my place at the theater, but she just wanted to stay home with Lorenzo and Lily and see if I would need anything. God Bless her. So Marilyn was able to get her sister Vickie to go with them. Again, I lay down all day with no lunch, no dinner, no TV, no computer (other than to check my mail from work and on AOL—just in case Mom was trying to reach me.) I finished answering the mail (took all of 10 minutes) then called my boss to tell him I was really having a lot of trouble breathing and a cough had started so I wouldn’t be in on Monday. He said to take all the time I needed—a premonition? Then it was back to sleep again! I don’t even remember Marilyn and Sarah coming home!
Monday morning found me unable to take a deep breath. I left a note on the kitchen drain board for Alicia to read when she woke up to please call and make an appointment for me with the doctor. I listed my symptoms—there were 10!!! Anyone who knows me well knows I HATE going to doctors, so I knew this was serious.
When I got to the doctor, she confirmed that I had a pretty good case of bronchitis and prescribed an inhaler, a couple of antibiotics, and some painkillers for my headache, which had really become unbearable. I could hardly wait to be able to breathe and not have this damned headache anymore.
It took 24 hours for the medicines to do their thing, but once they did, it was a pretty rapid recovery, although I still today (Saturday) have some residual coughing and an earache.
There were only two good things that came out of this illness. I lost 14 pounds! I don’t recommend this method to anyone, but hey, at least I can wear some of my older pants now. The other good that came out of it was I had a chance to think of some really thought-provoking blogs for this week. I will begin with the one I was going to write before I got sick. Thanks to all of you for your prayers this last week.
New business
It is related in the annals of Clairvaux that St. Bernard asked Our Lord which was His greatest unrecorded suffering and Our Lord answered, “I had on My Shoulder, while I bore My Cross on the Way of Sorrows, a grievous Wound, which was more painful than the others and which is not recorded by men. Honor this Wound with thy devotion and I will grant thee whatsoever thou dost ask through Its virtue and merit. And in regard to all those who shall venerate this Wound, I will remit to them all their venial sins and will no longer remember their mortal sins.
The Prayer
O Loving Jesus, meek Lamb of God, I a miserable sinner salute and worship the most Sacred Wound of Your Shoulder on which You bore Your heavy Cross, which so tore Your Flesh and laid bare Your Bones as to inflict on You an anguish greater than any other Wound of Your Most Blessed Body. I adore You, O Jesus most sorrowful; I praise and glorify You and give You thanks for this most sacred and painful Wound, beseeching You by that exceeding pain and by the crushing burden of Your heavy Cross to me merciful to me, a sinner, to forgive me all my mortal and venial sins, and to lead me on towards Heaven along the Way of the Cross. Amen.
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