Put to the test already!

As soon as I finished writing my last entry earlier this evening, I went to dinner.  As I am accustomed to do, I was solving crossword puzzles.  My cell phone was on the table right next to my hand.  I saw another hand reach over the counter and grab my phone!  I looked up to see who was playing a trick on me only to find out the young kid was stealing it!  I shouted "HEY" and he took off!  Of course, being in shock that anyone would be so brazen, it took me a couple of seconds to actually try and give chase.  No one else in the restaurant even attempted to help (not that there was anything they could do, so I'm not faulting them--they were probably amazed at the audacity of the thief as well).  I tried to chase the guy.  First, I tripped over my own two feet (I don't know why, other than I was probably trying to run faster than any fat guy should!)  I got to my feet, then my momentum made me tumble again!  My knees and my right elbow are scraped up and burning, my watchband broke, my watch has stopped--it's probably broken--and my cell phone is long gone.  I stopped the services to the phone, so the thief can't use it.  I also called the police, but they said there's nothing they can do (!!!????!!!). 

As soon as I got back to my apartment, I thought about my earlier blog entry, and the answer I gave to the woman who came to my door.

So I guess I'll chalk it up to being in the wrong place at the wrong time and pray for the misguided individual who has a worthless iPhone in his possession.  I'll pray that he someday understands that what he did today is wrong, that he confesses, repents, and goes to Heaven.  It's the least I can do.  Then, I'll go to Mass early in the morning and offer it up for they guy.  That's the best I can do. But right now, I'm going to bed.  I have to replace my phone tomorrow.

Listening is only part of our obligation

Sometimes they are whispers…..sometimes they are shouts.  Either way, listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and put your trust in Jesus Christ.  

Wow!  The Holy Spirit has sure been “whispering” and "shouting" to me big time this last weekend! 

Whisper 1—During a phone call with Mom the other day, she mentioned that she still reads my blog, “when you write them!”  Ouch.  I know I’m falling short on so many fronts.  “I am doing the best I can!” I tell myself, knowing full well that’s a lie.  I told Mom that I usually get my inspiration from the daily readings said at Mass.  Since I haven’t been to daily Mass on a regular basis lately, I haven’t been inspired to write much.   I blamed work hours, exhaustion, and any number of other reasons I couldn’t make it.  She pointed out to me (it’s her job, after all, as my mother to do so**) that the devil takes particular pleasure in diverting people who hope to grow closer to God away from Him.  I can do much better, and today’s entry is the first step in my new commitment to grow in my relationship with God and to share my discoveries with whoever is interested in reading or hearing about them.

**Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2223 

Whisper 2-- So-called “reality” TV is everywhere these days.  I have long been lamenting on this trend, explaining to anyone who would listen that it’s only because the shows bring the networks big money in advertising revenue that they continue with the drivel. The only one of these shows that I like is the program “Storage Wars”, but only because of the campiness of the characters on the show.  Marilyn and I get a kick out of some of the really stupid stuff the “bidders” say, either by mangling well known sayings or by spewing some really lame innuendoes.  Last weekend the ads promoting a couple of new “reality” shows—“Hog Wars” and “Extreme Fishing”—confirmed to me that, as a culture, we have sunk to the level of society that St. Paul describes to Timothy (Tim2: 3):

But understand this: there will be terrifying times in the last days. People will be self-centered and lovers of money, proud, haughty, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious, callous, implacable, slanderous, licentious, brutal, hating what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, as they make a pretense of religion but deny its power. Reject them.

Whisper 3—I answered the door to a couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses today, confident in my ability to counter their attempt to convert me with some nifty Scripture readings of my own.   The older woman of the two asked me if she could read me a Scripture passage, because she was concerned about all the violence and crime in Stockton lately.  I told her I had no problem with her reading me Scripture, because as a Catholic, I believe the Scriptures are the written Word of God.  The passage read she chose to read?  Timothy2, Chapter 3! (See above)  I don’t think it was coincidence.  Then she asked me what I thought we, as a society, should do about what she characterized as “the fulfillment of this prophecy”.  I responded that first and foremost—as taught by the Catholic Church that I belong to—we need to return to God through Jesus Christ, inspired by the Holy Spirit through prayer, repentance and fasting.  I think I stumped her.  Especially on the “fasting” part.  She took one look at me and must have thought, “What a hypocrite!” (Just kidding, lol).  She said she agreed, nodded to her partner in “evangelization”, thanked me for my time, and left.  Huh, who knew it was that easy?  Thank you, Holy Spirit, for Your help.

Whisper 4—When thinking about what Mom said concerning the devil, it occurred to me that my prayer life in general has been less than what even I expect it to be.  I preach a good line, but I haven’t practiced it in a couple of weeks.  When I realized this fact this morning, I said a quick prayer to the Holy Spirit, “Hey, a little encouragement would go a long way right about now!”  For a reason I now find obvious, I felt compelled to open a “Twitter” account to see what it is all about.  The first person I added to my list of “Twitter” friends was @cardinaldolan, the cardinal Arch-bishop of New York.  I have grown to admire this holy man since listening to him on XM radio the last couple of months.  His obvious love for Jesus Christ and the joy it brings to his life should be an inspiration to everyone!  Anyway, the first two “tweets” I read from Cardinal Dolan were as follows:

“If we say the Church is a place of joy, it’s people had better be full of joy.  For if we are not, we make the Good News a lie.”

Then, today

“Daily prayer is the foundation of sanctity.  Some prefer it in the morning.  Some, late at night.  However, whenever, wherever.  It’s a must!”

Now I have to put into action what I've heard.

1000 down! ???? to go?

I started this blog on April 20, 2008 with a single purpose in mind—to help me stay focused on the joy I feel in being a Catholic Christian, and to share that joy with anyone and everyone who happened to stumble across my humble attempt at journalism. 

From the very first entry on this blog, my plan was to show how God is in my daily life, no matter how simple or complex it may be on any given day and to praise Him for His constant blessings upon me.  I think I’ve had some good entries and some really bad entries.

I’m pretty proud of the fact that my “hit counter” has recorded hits from 116 different countries from all over the world and has been seen by over 6800 “unique visitors” in the 4 years I’ve been doing this.  This is small potatoes compared to the big name bloggers out there,  but more than I ever imagined in my wildest dreams!

And so I begin my 1000^th entry!  I really wanted to write something extraordinary, but then I thought, “Why start now?”  lol.   So you will have to settle for another of my short meditations based on the Scriptures and how I and hopefully all of us can try to use them to be a better Christian, serving God and one another as Christ taught us to.

If my humble little blog has helped even one person grow closer to Christ and His teachings, I give all the glory to Him, through the intercession of our mother Mary, Most Holy.  Amen

 “While speaking with the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him. Someone told him, ‘Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you.’ But he said in reply to the one who told him, ‘Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?’ And stretching out his hand to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.’” (Mt 12:46-50)

What Jesus is saying here appears almost dismissive of the ones He grew up with – the members of His family, who are at this moment within ear-shot of His words during this Gospel moment. He is telling His disciples, who represent all who follow Him (including us) that they are to Him as dear as His own Mother! He is committed to giving and receiving love of the caliber He shares with her! How would your Mother react to that?! It’s hard to get what’s going on here without realizing why Jesus speaks to His disciples this way – who represent us in that gathering around the Lord and all the others who follow Him. His words are direct and forceful, expressing a commitment to them and to us as brothers and sisters, when His own family, including His Mother – are within ear-shot.

What is going on, the reason Our Lord says these words, is that in God our Father’s eyes, they are His brothers. They are His Mother. His mission to them from His Father is embraced with such overpowering warmth and desire that He holds nothing back. He would (and soon will) die for them, He loves them so much. His words, far from being dismissive to His family, are precisely chosen. A stronger statement of love – love for one’s own family – cannot be found; and Our Lord’s words, in this moment of the gospel story, capture the essence of His mission. They are like a signature written under the one commandment He passes on to us: “Love one another, as I have loved you.”

In saying these words of love to the disciples so that everyone there could hear Him – and then living them in the performance of His mission, Our Lord demonstrates what I think is the most powerful commitment He makes to His Father and Ours: “Love one another, as I have loved you.” This is His particular mission, and it is ours too. We are called to lift the level of our love for others to the level of love which we thought only a family could enjoy. It’s what’s behind Our Lord’s words from the cross when He says, “Mother, behold thy son. Son, behold they Mother.” The bond between Mary and John at Golgotha is now and must be the bond we strive for with everyone that the Father places in our lives: the down and out, the well to do, our close circles of friends, our collaborators at work, the neighbors next door, and all those for whom we pray. Our adversaries too, and even our enemies!

I love my family, and I am called to love everyone else as much as I love them. This of course seems impossible. But it’s not. That’s what the grace of God is for. Nothing is impossible for God – living with us, through us, and in us. Christ gives us the way and the grace to do it if we rely on Him. Christ shows us how in His own love for all those men, women, and children – including ourselves – the Father places in His life. He died for them, as He does for us. And in His death, He makes it possible for us to die for love of one another, and for all those the Father places in our lives.

This superlative love is what the community of the Church is blessed to give to the world.

Easy does it!

Jesus tells us that all who are weary should come to Him. He eases all burdens. When He is our help, we need not pull as though we were the only ones pulling.

But too often, we read this to mean that with Jesus there is no burden. That simply isn't so. We all have our work to do in the Kingdom. We all have the little ordinary trials of life that form part of the cross we are to carry. We are called to work for God; we will have a burden to carry. We will have a plow to draw.

But, with Jesus yoked with us, we will hardly feel it because He will carry the most weight and He will be there to help us when we tire and stumble. Yes indeed, there is work for us in the Kingdom, but in all that we do Jesus is there--an ever present help.

We are called to be disciples

A reflection on Matthew 10:22
“You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”

 

Anyone of sound mind and in touch with world events will conclude that something is amiss with humanity. We needn't ask why the senseless killings, destructive addictions, jealousies, and hatreds are continually being "acted out." The reality of sin and our need for a Savior are obvious, yet thousands of years of mayhem still find us in denial, still seeking human solutions to the sickness within our hearts.

There is but one message in all of Scripture -- God's undying love, a tender, merciful love that is never forced upon us. Those accepting His love He rescues from their catastrophic stupidities, cleanses them, heals their wounds, imbues them with His truth and love.

Those living in Christ are disciples, called to share Him with others, a dangerous task; for unregenerate minds and hearts, mired in self and knowing nothing of God's love, despise being shown their wrongs, fear losing autonomy or forfeiting worldly pleasures. Those bearing the light of truth to the unsaved will incite their murderous rage.

What impels generation after generation to share the good news, to risk martyrdom? It is the love of Christ infused in true believers that impel them to seek populating His kingdom.

Spiritual Gardening

A reflection on Hosea, Chapter 10
Did you ever get stuck in a rut and feel lost? Or lose touch of your faith, of your purpose? It’s so easy to get caught up in the world, and when we succeed, to build off of those material achievements instead of giving credit to God. And yet when this happens to me, I convince myself that because I am attending weekly Mass and praying regularly my faith is still strong and I don’t need to make any life changes. It’s so hard to admit imperfections, and even harder to have the courage to face and fix them.

But like the Israelites in Hosea, when our minds are wrapped up in our own lives, our hearts are false. This pride only creates barriers and a lofty self-view. It may take destruction—some sort of rude awakening—to bring back the respect that God deserves.

If you’ve ever been in a thunderstorm, sometimes it feels as though God is pounding on some roof, shaking up the sky, and demanding our attention. His love is endless, but so is His might. He calls out from the storm “Listen!”  He wants us to seek Him and to love Him. And the time is now! Why wait? You may feel lost, or just lack the motivation it takes to build that relationship, but pray for strength to “break up for yourselves a new field.”  

A fitting day

Uncle Bob passed away today, on the First Friday of July, 2012.  The date doesn’t matter, only that it is the First Friday of the month—a day we, as Catholics, recognize as a day of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

As I reflect on Uncle Bob’s example to me as a Christian, I keep coming back to his devotion to the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  I recalled today how he led the rosary at my brother Tom’s memorial service.  I was struck by his sincerity as he recited each Hail Mary—he was even crying at times!  They weren’t tears of sadness about Tom’s passing, I remember thinking to myself, but tears of gratitude and hope that our Lady would intercede to the Sacred Heart of her Son for us on behalf of Tom and all of our other relatives and friends who have gone before us.

So I thought it fitting that I say my rosary this evening for a humble, loving, faith-filled servant of Jesus Christ and a shining example of Christ in my own life.

God our Father,
Your power brings us to birth, Your providence guides our lives, and by Your command we return to dust.
Lord, those who die still live in Your presence,  their lives change but do not end.
I pray in hope for my uncle, Robert,  for my relatives and friends, and for all the dead known to You alone.
In company with Christ, Who died and now lives, may they rejoice in Your kingdom, where all our tears are wiped away.  Unite us together again in one family, to sing Your praise forever and ever.

Amen

Courage, child!

I’ve been really sad the last few days after I found out that a very good man, my uncle Bob, is in the last few days of his life.  Although Bob isn’t aware of his influence on my life, Jesus knows—and I’m sure his reward will be great!

In case you’ve forgotten the gospel account (Matthew 9, 1-8):

After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town.

And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Courage, child, your sins are forgiven."

At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming." Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, "Why do you harbor evil thoughts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk?'

But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins he then said to the paralytic, "Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home." He rose and went home.

When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to men.

========================================= 

“Courage child, your sins are forgiven. . . .”

I think it’s interesting that this is the first response that Jesus makes. Jesus, being fully human, understood entirely the terrible position of the paralytic - the burden he was for those around him, and the sense of futility and frustration that the man himself felt.  So it is that Jesus knows the burden Uncle Bob has carried with his Alzheimer’s. 

And yet, His first response was, "Courage . . . your sins are forgiven." In this, Jesus is showing us where to look. He is pointing out what is the most important thing. No in matter what state we find ourselves in life, it’s good to recall that this is not all there is.

In fact, this life—beautiful, precious, and wonderful as it can be—is but the prelude, the great overture to the life to come. Should anything in this life get in the way of joining that future life, our priority should be to remove the obstacle.

Jesus does heal the paralytic. But more importantly, He points out to the man that the things of this world do not and should not come first.  Whatever it is we lack here, we will have there - full measure and overflowing. God loves us and is not ignorant of our present difficulties. He is there to help us bear them, and more important, to constantly point the way home - to show us always and forever that eternity is with us now and is our true home.