Here I am, Lord. I come to do Your will

Our Lady of the Angels

When I started this blog, I had the intention of using it to "talk my thoughts through" and strengthen my own faith. I had no idea it might actually cause another searching soul to ask me about my beliefs.

I had yet another pleasant surprise at the end of my workday today. One of the guys I am working with for the next two weeks came to me as I was leaving and said, “You know you left your blog up on the computer a while back and I took the liberty of reading it. I’ve been following it, as well. You’re a pretty good writer, and some of the content really makes me think.” (Cue the humility—I mean, I admit I’m pretty good with grammar and spelling, but as to content? I’ll let the readers decide.) He said he knew I was “into the whole going to church every day thing and all” from conversations we have had on truck transfers and he wants to talk to me some more about my faith. He is searching for some fulfillment in his life, and he seems to think I might have answers to some of his questions. I told him I don’t have all the answers and I’m not a full-blown apologist, but I will be more than happy to introduce him to my faith. He said he hasn’t practiced anything in quite a while, but he was “baptized” and raised Jehovah’s Witness, and he reads the Bible pretty often. I think we’ll tackle the “baptism” controversy early on in our discussions, given the fact that JWs don’t believe in the Trinity, hence a Baptism in the Jehovah’s Witnesses is invalid.

Anyway, his statement that he reads the Bible pretty often got me into a mini-conversation, as I was in a hurry to get to Lodi to check on Mom, but hey, if the Holy Spirit is calling you into action, it’s pretty hard to ignore Him.

I said it’s great that he is reading the Bible, but if he wants the whole, unadulterated, and unfiltered Truth that is found in the Bible, he should start reading the Catholic Bible. After all, the Catholic Church did introduce the Bible to humanity (through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the labor of St. Jerome). I asked him if he was aware that the JW’s had changed a lot of the words in Holy Scripture (and continue to change it periodically) to suit their needs. He said he had asked about that, and was told the changes were made to “update” the language. This worried him, because he understood that no one should be allowed to change the words given to us by the Holy Spirit. I reminded him the words are timeless, and don’t need to be “changed” or “updated”. I told him he could even try out a King James version, but he needs to be aware that it is not a complete Bible—that the Protestants took many books out and changed a couple of words in James to make their claims seem valid. I pointed out that the Catholic Church has used the same Scriptures in written form (the Bible) for over 1700 years, and in the form of “Tradition” (orally) in their liturgies since it was founded by Jesus Christ Himself over 2000 years ago.

Now that I think about it, I should have advised him to pray to the Holy Spirit before reading the Bible and to be sure and read the commentaries as well to get the true interpretation of what the words mean. And that the Bible alone is NOT the final word. The Word is Jesus Christ, and He leaves it up to His Church to interpret the Scriptures.

I am reminded here of Acts 8:26-39.
Then the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, "Get up and head south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route."

So he got up and set out. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, that is, the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning home. Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.

The Spirit said to Philip, "Go and join up with that chariot." Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"

He replied, "How can I, unless someone instructs me?" So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.

This was the scripture passage he was reading: "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opened not his mouth. In (his) humiliation justice was denied him. Who will tell of his posterity? For his life is taken from the earth."

Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply, "I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this? About himself, or about someone else?"

Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this scripture passage, he proclaimed Jesus to him. As they traveled along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Look, there is water. What is to prevent my being baptized?"

Then he ordered the chariot to stop, and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water, and he baptized him. When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but continued on his way rejoicing.

I really had no more time to talk today, but I look forward to helping Our Lord bring these searching sheep he has sent my way in the last few days to His Light. In the meantime, I’d better get busy on a “personal Bible study” so I am better prepared for the tough questions I know are headed my way. In addition to the study, I plan to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to fill me with the grace and knowledge I will need to spread His Word faithfully. I ask all of you to pray for me, too. I have confidence in my abilities, but are they up to this level of challenge?

One last piece of advice I would give to anyone who is really looking for the Truth. Go to a Catholic Church. Spend one hour in front of the tabernacle in silence. Don’t say anything. You don’t even have to kneel (unless you feel the need to). Just listen. Christ is there. He will do all of the talking. He gave us ears to hear and eyes to see. Use them.

Truth is a WHO

Our Lady of the Rosary

Blessed be Jesus Christ. He put another searching soul in my path again today. Just like a couple of days ago, I had an employee in my car who had to help me pick up a truck out of impound. I worked with the kid a few weeks back and I am impressed with his sincerity and honest questions.

We got in the car and of course Catholic radio was on. I also had to move my Liturgy of the Hours book and Word Among Us magazine off of the front seat so he could sit down. He no sooner sat down when he blurted out, "I've been thinking about becoming Catholic!" I said, "That's great!" and waited for him to continue the conversation. He said, "Now that I have a family I've been thinking a lot about joining a religion." I explained that the Catholic Church is the One, True Church. He said, "Whose truth?" I said, "Truth is truth. Do you mean whose version of the truth?" I couldn't believe what he said next. I have been waiting to use a line I heard Father Corapi use since I heard it. He said (I'm not kidding, it's the same way I imagine Pontius Pilate saying it), "What is truth?" I told him, the way Father Corapi said it, "Truth isn't a 'what'. Truth is a 'who', and the 'Who' is Jesus Christ." I explained that Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."(Jn 14:6).

I thought I would try a method of evangelization I hadn't tried before, but I know what works for me when I start to question my faith--I suggested he go to any Catholic church and spend an hour before the tabernacle. I explained how that is where the reserve Hosts are kept, which are the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. He didn't bat an eye. He asked me, "How can you be sure?" I explained John 6, and encouraged him to do as I asked and just go sit quietly in front of Jesus and he would find out for himself. I also told him not to go just once. It takes practice and patience to listen to God's voice through His Son.

Just as I was dropping him off, I realized I hadn't asked him what religion he was brought up in, and he said Islam, but he never really followed any religion. I asked him why he was thinking about the Catholic religion out of all the others, and he said he was impressed with the devotion he sees in Catholics, that it is more of an "inner peace" that he sees there.

I think I handled myself pretty well and that I gave him the best advice he could recieve to an initial inquiry into what I believe and why. Time will tell if he takes the advice and finds the Truth he is being led toward. I did tell him to feel free to call me if he has any other questions. I'm sure that he wouldn't have had this conversation with me if Christ hadn't been calling to him. I am more than happy to be the instrument through which He works.

Producing the fruit of Christ

Our Lady of the Vine

(Jn 15:1-8) Jesus said to his disciples: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."

As I listened to today’s Gospel reading, I couldn’t help but think about my apricot tree. I love apricots. I planted two apricot trees about 30 years ago in my back yard, shortly after Marilyn and I moved in. We were told that we should plant two trees so that they would “cross-pollinate”—whatever that means. One of the trees has produced fruit every single year. The other produced fruit, but the apricots were never any larger than a large walnut, and the flavor was bitter. The apricots on this tree never seemed to ripen right.

A couple of years after we moved in we decided we needed an actual garage, and the poor producing tree was a casualty of the build. That was great, because I was tired of raking up the leaves and cleaning up the fruit that dropped off of a tree that may or may not have been “cross-pollinating” another tree. It certainly wasn’t good for anything else. It was like it didn’t know that it could be strengthened by the “cross-pollination” of the other.
I figured that since the trees were about 4 years old by this time, the better producing tree might be able to stand alone with proper pruning.

That first year without it’s “sister”, the remaining tree did produce fruit, but it looked a lot smaller than in the previous three years. Since I had never pruned the trees before (I was relying on the “cross-pollination), I asked my father-in-law to help me prune it—because he knew a lot more about this kind of thing that I ever did or ever will—and the apricots that next summer were the largest and sweetest they had ever been!

As long as I kept pruning the tree after that, it produced a good yield of good-tasting fruit. If I tried to rush through the pruning and made the wrong cuts, the yield the next Summer was again smaller and less sweet, and Marilyn and I would skip the pruning for a year in the hopes that the tree would “snap out of it”. Usually it resulted in a poor crop of apricots or worse yet, a branch would become so large and laden with small, worthless, sour fruit that it would fall off.

When I take my time and do it right, and show the tree some tender loving care, I can count on plenty of apricots each Summer. That’s because when it’s done right, new branches are formed, and I can “shape” the tree to produce more and more apricots.

I think today’s Gospel tells us the same thing. We are the branches of the tree of Christ. God “prunes” us based on our actions and deeds as well as what is within our hearts. We must produce fruit. We must not become like the fruit that was on that worthless tree I uprooted. The fruit that we produce is the same fruit that is produced by Christ—namely, keeping His commandments; that we love God above all else and to love one another as He loves us. When we forget that Christ is within us, and share Him with everyone around us, we forget what we were created for, and we become less loving, less caring, and as worthless as those apricots that I could never eat. Or, as St. John said so much better 2000 years ago:

(1 Jn 3:18-24) Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth. Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth and reassure our hearts before him in whatever our hearts condemn, for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in God and receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us. Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he gave us.

The Mother of all mothers

The most obvious role Mary plays in the Bible is as a mother. I consider her to be the mother of all mothers because she is the mother of Jesus Christ. Out of all the women in the world, God chose a common woman who lived in the little town of Nazareth who wasn't a woman of great wealth or stature. God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus Christ because she possessed traits of holiness, piety, and humility.

Mary teaches all of us the importance of trusting in the Lord. Her faith in God was tested when an angel of the Lord informed her that she would miraculously give birth to the Savior. Most women wouldn't have shown the trust she did. Most women wouldn't have believed the message. Mary listened to the angel with acceptance. She knew God had a plan for her. In today’s world, women should have the same trust in the Lord that Mary did. God has a plan for all of us just like he had a plan for Mary.

Mary showed complete trust in God when Joseph received a warning from a dream he had. The dream foretold that Herod wanted Jesus dead and urged them to move to Egypt. If Mary had dismissed the dream as nothing, Jesus Christ would have continued to be pursued by Herod, who wanted to kill him. Mary trusted the Lord to the point where she fulfilled his commands without question.

One of the most valuable strengths Mary possessed was her ability to persevere. She went through many trials in her life, but she never lost sight of the Lord. She used her complete trust in God and her strong will to overcome obstacles and setbacks.

An example of Mary's perseverance was the way she coped watching her son face persecution. She witnessed the men who swore they would never betray her son deny him in an instant. Peter denied he was a follower of Jesus Christ three times. Thomas declared he wouldn't believe in the resurrection of Jesus until he put his fingers where the nails were hammered in.

The persecution didn't stop with the betrayal from his own followers. It couldn't have been easy for Mary to watch her son being whipped, beaten, and ridiculed by the Roman soldiers and by the people he came to save. It must have been difficult for her to see him carry his own cross until he lost all his physical strength. She must have been horrified to see the nails hammered in to his skin and to look at the pain he was in. It must have been unbearable for her to see him hang on the cross only to experience a slow and painful death.

Despite all this, Mary persevered. Although she experienced times of sorrow and despair, she always trusted in the Lord. She never gave up. When something bad happened, she continued on because she knew it was all a part of God's plan.

Mary is undoubtedly one of the most influential women in the Bible who demonstrates holiness. Even though Mary was merely human, she put her best efforts into fulfilling God's purpose. Mary exemplifies the trait of piety in several different areas. Obviously, she was a motherly figure. It was her personal responsibility to raise Jesus Christ, an honorable and virtuous man. Mary's relationship with God was so holy that she is called Queen of All Saints. She trusted the Lord to the point where she would never question his authority.

Mary possessed a great deal of humility. She was not a woman of conceit with a proud nature. She was content being a servant of God. She took on the responsibility of raising the Messiah with dignity and enthusiasm. She thought of herself as unworthy of the task.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the women out there who have said “Yes!” to God’s call in their vocation of motherhood. May our Blessed Mother be a role model and inspiration for you, and may God bless you in your task. Amen.

Chances

Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth

I had to pick a young man up at one of the centers in Modesto today and drive him to Stockton to pick up a U-Haul truck for a customer who had made a reservation. As is my custom, I was listening to Catholic Radio on my way to Modesto and my hearing isn’t what it used to be, so I had it on quite loud. When the kid got in the car, it was way too loud, so I turned it down. It would be impolite to be listening to the radio when I could be speaking to this new employee and teaching him something, I reasoned. I said, “I’m sorry, you probably don’t want to listen to this.” He replied, “Actually, I was going to ask you to turn it up. The conversation sounds interesting.” It was tuned to Catholic Answers Live, and they were discussing virtue and grace.

I asked him, “Are you Catholic?” To which he replied, “No, but I grew up standing next to my father, who played the organ at our Lutheran church every Sunday.” I said, “Oh, so close! Throw a couple of books back into the Bible, accept the authority of the Pope, and you’re in!” He laughed and said, “Yep! That’s me! ‘Catholic Lite’!”

He went on to tell me that he didn’t really practice the Lutheran faith, either, but was Lutheran “in name only”. He said the only organization that he ever really had anything to do with was the Boy Scouts. That started a totally different conversation. I think if we had more time, the conversation may have circled back around to the Church. Maybe next time! I felt Christ there with me and I was ready to try to answer any questions he may have had about finding the Truth.

After I dropped him off and got back in the car, I started listening to another program. The participants were talking about virtue and grace again! Or at least that’s the way I understood it. I think when I ask the Holy Spirit to guide my thoughts and actions each day He actually takes me seriously!

I often feel Christ standing next to me throughout the day, especially when things are a little tough, encouraging me to use my difficulty as a form of prayer. It makes it easier to work through the problem. I can imagine how hard it must be for those who don’t recognize Him. I don’t say it’s always been that way, but since I’ve been going to daily Mass, He’s a constant companion.

I got to thinking about people we know or who we are very close to who don’t appear to believe in God or Jesus Christ and may even be outspoken in their denial of Him. Are they denied the graces that God endows us all with? No. Everyone who has been baptized is given the graces to love and obey Him—they may simply choose not to acknowledge them, either through ignorance or hard-heartedness. Some of them may feel that Jesus has abandoned them. The cure might be just to stand next to them—after all, if He’s with us and won’t abandon us, surely He won’t hesitate to bestow His graces on those around us. And they will see Him working through the example of faith, hope and love we set as Christians which can certainly open their minds and hearts to accept Him on their own. Sometimes it takes years—but Our Lord is a patient and persistent Lord. All He wants is for everyone to come to Him.

And then there are those who want to go to Him, but can’t; those in hospitals and convalescent homes or homebound who can’t receive the Eucharist as often as they would like. I have decided, on the advice of someone I respect greatly, to speak to the priest this week to explore the possibility of becoming a Eucharistic Minister so I can take Jesus to those who need the presence of Christ the most. I’ll keep you posted.

Irony

Today's image is Our Lady of Good Success.

I found her during my trip to Ecuador last year.

The following editorial was in the Stockton Record this morning. I agree with the editors that the death penalty needs to go away, but for the very reasons I highlighted in red, not for the conclusion here.

You do the math: multiply 636 by $117,000. That comes out to $74.4 million, the amount California spends each year to house, feed and provide the numerous legal services each death row inmate requires.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California developed those shocking numbers. The ACLU claims that executing all those on death row would cost about $4 billion more than if they had just been given life without the possibility of parole.

But the ACLU numbers pale beside a 2005 study by the Los Angeles Times which put the per execution cost at $250 million.
Revised execution procedures have been released by state officials in a 42-page document that outlines what is to happen starting 45 days before the execution. The study results from a challenge by attorneys for Michael Angelo Morales, a convicted killer from San Joaquin County who's been on death row since 1981. He claimed the state's current three-drug lethal injection protocol was painful and constituted cruel and unusual punishment. Now begins a lengthy public comment period on the proposed procedures.

Whatever the actual number, there is no doubt it's at least in the tens of millions of dollars.

Can we really afford this? Has capital punishment simply become too expensive? That's the question being asked by at least eight of the 36 states with the penalty as they struggle to cut costs, increase revenue and staunch the red ink flowing from the recession.

That the death penalty enjoys considerable public support is without question. A 2006 Field Poll found that about two-thirds of Californians favor the death penalty, down from its highest level of 83 percent found by pollsters in 1985 and '86. Had the voters known the actual costs of capital punishment, likely the poll results would have been much different.

But this isn't about who supports it, the morality of the death penalty or the arguments about the techniques used. It's not about whether capital punishment deters crime. It's not about growing fears that we too often execute innocent people.

We're concerned about one thing: Money. And the question: Can we afford the death penalty?

We say no. California, with 636 condemned inmates - about 10 percent of all the nation's death row inmates - is notoriously slow in exercising the punishment. Capital punishment cases automatically are sent to the state Supreme Court, but that is only one step in what remains a long, complex, circuitous route between crime and punishment. With every step the costs pile up. More often than not, since death row inmates usually are without funds, taxpayers end up paying for the defense and prosecution.

Since it was reestablished by Supreme Court ruling in 1976, 13 men have gone to their death in California. (By contrast, Texas and Virginian have executed 540 inmates in that period, about 47 percent of total executions in the U.S..)

Since 1978, of the more than 3,500 men and women who received a life sentence without the possibility of parole in California, not one has been released (save those rare cases where individuals have been able to prove their innocence), the ACLU said.

There is little justice surrounding the death penalty. It is always delayed and delayed and delayed condemning the victim's family to twist in a sort of penalty purgatory. And there certainly is no justice for the taxpayers, who are paying the multimillion expense every condemned person represents.

California long ago should have ended this charade. Of 36 states with the death penalty, at least nine - Maryland, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, New Hampshire, Washington and Kansas - are considering ending the practice, and costs mostly are what's behind their actions.

We should join them. And then send those who otherwise would have found themselves on death row into a prison black hole from which there is no escape, no possibility of parole. And then tell them daily they're not worth executing.
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You know, the more times I read this, the more I am amused by God’s sense of irony. As a society, we break His first commandment over and over again daily when we worship the almighty dollar. That He would put the idea in someone’s mind to use the high costs involved with the death penalty as an excuse to rid ourselves of it is pretty humorous. Using one evil to eradicate another, so to speak. And to let the ACLU think it is their idea is absolutely priceless!

Is this a test?

Ever since I was robbed at gunpoint in my hotel room in Fresno on July 5th, 2001 at 4AM (Yes, I still remember it vividly), I do not like to carry cash, or stay in 1st floor hotel rooms and I will often prop up a chair under the doorknob of my 2nd floor room, “just in case.”

My habit of not carrying cash can sometimes prevent me from helping those less fortunate who are looking for a needed hand up. (Notice I didn’t say, “hand out”.) There is a man who stands outside of the Cathedral pretty frequently and asks the people going into Mass if they can help out with a few dollars to “help feed my family.” Most of the people pretend not to hear him, or tell him that they don’t have anything to give him, or in the case of an older lady last week who asked me to walk out of the church with her, they are afraid of him.

The first time I met him, I happened to have about 50 cents in my car that I gave him. He was truly appreciative. I expected him to leave or to stop asking people for help, but instead, he went in and attended Mass and received the Eucharist!

After Mass, he thanked me again and said that Father Armistead usually helped him out “between pay days” but Father was out of town. I told him I was glad I could help and wished I could do more. I meant it. But as I said, I just don’t carry cash. It’s a phobia with me.

Now and again, I may have a dollar or two that was change from a run to the grocery store with Marilyn, or change I picked up off the ground or found in returned U-Haul trucks at work and it seems every time I have this “extra cash”, this man is outside and needing money. The funny thing is, he doesn’t seem to be out there unless I do have some change or can help him in some way. So I give it to him—It’s usually not enough to really do me any good, anyway.

One morning, I saw the sacristan (I think his name is Don) giving him money. Once he got a few dollars, he was done asking anyone else. It made me curious why he didn’t ask me as well, and he said he hated asking for it in the first place and didn’t want to take advantage of my generosity. Again, this reinforced my belief in his sincerity.

There was the time that he was crying, on a freezing morning, standing outside. He approached me and told me since he had to buy diapers for the baby, he had no money left to ride the bus to the Bay Area for a job he had just secured, and he was going to be late on his first day! I asked him what time he had to be at work. He said if he caught the bus at 8 am, it would arrive in plenty of time. I asked him how much the bus fare was. He said $7.50 would get him to the Bart station, and he had a pass from his employer for the rest of the way. It didn’t sound exorbitant, so I believed him, and wanted to help. I did not have money that morning, but I told him if he would see me after Mass, I would get him his $7.50 by 7am. He went to Mass with me, and afterwards I went to the ATM and got him $20.00 so he could catch the bus the rest of the week.

A few weeks later, he was at Mass and Father Armistead was celebrating. Father invites members of the congregation to offer their own petitions out loud during the Prayers of the Faithful. This guy blurted out that he would like to pray for those who have lost their jobs due to the downturn in the economy, then wept. I just knew he had lost his job. After Mass, he asked for 25 cents so he could make a phone call to check on a laborer’s job he was hoping to get. I didn’t have any money, but I let him use my cell phone to make the call. He was absolutely devastated, but very kind in his response to his prospective employer, who obviously turned him down. I felt very bad for him.

There have been several times that I have simply had to say, “I’m sorry, I just don’t have anything today.” And it truly hurts when I have to say that. But God takes care of him. I have never seen him go away with nothing. You can generally depend on Catholics to take care of the poor.

I have become used to looking for him now whenever I go to the Cathedral. I hadn’t seen him for quite a few weeks until today. I remember saying a silent prayer last week, “Thank you, Dear Lord, for helping him find another job!”

This morning, I happened to have a $20 bill in my wallet that I got from Mom in reimbursement for paying for her prescription the other day. I was going to put it in the account I keep for her. But as I was parking the car, I saw my “friend” asking desperately for help from EVERYONE who was going into Mass. No one was paying any attention to him (or so it seemed to me). He looked absolutely frantic. He didn’t appear to even see me as I walked up behind him and handed him the $20.00. He cried, then said, “Thank You, God Bless You!” and made a move like he wanted to hug me. I put out my hand instead (another phobia—strangers hugging me) and he shook it with gusto. Then he absolutely RAN down the street to use the money for whatever it was he needed it for.

Today's episode got me thinking. Do you think Christ is using this guy to test the limits of my love for my neighbor? Or am I just gullible? I sometimes think that enough is enough. But how much is enough?

Jesus said, “Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.” (Mt 5: 42) Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan when teaching the Apostles how far we need to go in showing mercy and kindness to one another. (Lk 10:25-37) And we all know how boundless God’s mercy and kindness is towards us. I would feel like I did not appreciate the gift of compassion He has given all of us if I did any less.

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Since the month of May is dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God, I thought as a tribute it would be cool to publish a different picture of her somewhere in the blog. Today she appears as "Our Lady of Grace."

"Offer it up!"

When Mom and I were in the waiting room the other day, she was complaining a little bit about something or other and to make her feel better I tried to make a joke by telling her, "My mom, when I was little and wasn't feeling well used to tell ME to offer it up!" She smiled at my suggestion; one of those, "Well, whaddya know, the kid learned somethin' after all" types of smiles.

And wouldn't you know it, the way the Spirit moves in my life, I heard a talk about "offering it up" on the radio today. I had to smile at His sense of humor when dealing with me. I was saying it to Mom in (semi)jest, but He wanted to let me know that there really is such a thing as redemptive suffering.

There were a few things about the practice that I never really thought about before. As I meditated on it today during my rosary (and the topic fit right in with the Sorrowful Mysteries, by the way), I came away with a few revelations about myself.

First, when I offer something up, I am usually offering up some ache or pain. And I'm not really offering up " suffering"; I am offering up the ache or pain in the hopes it will go away. "Suffering" denotes a period of time. If an ache or pain comes on quickly and leaves just as quickly, is it suffering? Or just discomfort? And am I really "offering it up" for the benefit of the poor souls in Purgatory or for my own selfish reason that I just don't want to feel bad. I don't doubt that the graces gained by offering up my aches and pains are put to good use in helping those in Purgatory, but after offering up these pains, I usually forget about the discomfort, and, by extension, the reason I offered them up in the first place.

Second, when we were taught as children that redemptive suffering helped "the poor souls in Purgatory", it made Purgatory sound like a bad place. Hey! Everybody in Purgatory is going to go to Heaven! How does that make them "poor" souls?--they are eventual saints! The way I look at it is that if my suffering is turned into prayer and "buys a ticket" out of Purgatory for someone, when they "make the big time" they can return the favor. And their intercession will be a lot stronger for me than mine was for them!

The last thing on this subject is that I believe that those who have long illnesses or suffering here on Earth may be in Purgatory already. By the time Our Good Lord calls for them, they'll have already completed their temporal punishment for their forgiven sins and earned their ticket straight into Jesus' heart!

What about those who don't know Jesus? They suffer as well, don't they? Is their suffering a Purgatorial experience as well? I believe it can be. We say the rosary for the conversion of souls. We say the Divine Mercy for the salvation of mankind. Who else but God could come up with a fool-proof plan like this one to make sure all of His children come home? It boggles my mind.

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Post script:
I hope the above blog made sense. I am really tired today. I was up early yesterday morning and planned on going to bed early last night, but I came up with the bright idea of reading "selected" passages of the Bible as I said my rosary. While trying to "select" just the right passages to meditate on, I ended up reading (and I mean reeeealllly reading) all 28 chapters of "ACTS"!, and didn't get to sleep until about 2am, then got up again this morning at 6. I'm sure He didn't mean to make me "punch drunk" by inpiring me to continue reading, but that was the result. (ha ha)

Remembering the night sky

I was reading a National Geographic Magazine yesterday in the waiting room while waiting for Mom to be seen by the doctor. There was a story about saving energy and how some entire cities (Flagstaff, AZ is one) have enacted laws whereby they turn off all street lamps at a certain hour. They have noticed big savings in energy by doing this, but as a side benefit, they get spectacular night skies like the skies you only see when you are "out in nature".

It reminded me of all the campouts I went on when I was in the Boy Scouts. There were so many stars out that you could actually see all of the constellations at once without having to look very hard. Those of us who were going for our Astronomy merit badges would make sure we had a brand-new battery in our flashlights so we could aim the beams at the different stars that made up the constellations and amaze the younger guys with our knowledge.

You could even see some of the nebulae, or "clouds" around clusters of stars. And, once in a while, even a planet was visible to the naked eye. On particularly warm, clear nights we would beg the scoutmasters to let us "sleep under the stars". Shooting stars would occur about every 10 minutes and almost invariably someone would let out a sigh, or a gasp, or even a shout of "Oh, my God!" without realizing they were in fact praising the Creator for the view.

This reaction is natural. Anyone who has experienced a night sky like this knows what I'm talking about. Even the most scientific-minded individual must know instinctively that the universe didn't create itself. One can't look at this sight and not feel God's hand in all of it.

The most incredible thing about the sight is that it is the SAME night sky that has been viewed by Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, Noah from the Ark, Abraham on the mountain in the Land of Moriah, Jonah from the belly of the whale, and the wise men from the East (although in this case there was that one extra pesky star)!

They are the same stars that God told Abraham to count as a measure of the number of descendants he would father. Can you imagine that the number of people who have been born since the beginning of time probably does exceed the number of stars in the night sky? And Jesus sacrificed himself for every one of them and us. Absolutely mind-boggling!
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I caught up with Father Brandon yesterday before Mass. I thanked him for the nice "thank you" card he sent me in regards to the letter I sent to the school. I asked him if he knew whether Joey got the message or not, and he said the whole school got the message!--He used it as his homily at the kids Mass last week! He said it went over pretty well, and thanked me for writing it. Made me proud, and here I am trying to work on my humility.

How To Get More Out Of The Mass

I got up too late this morning to go to Mass. I intended to go to Mass at 5:30, but the Bishop was celebrating the Confirmation Mass at 7pm, so the 5:30 was cancelled. So I decided to spend some time in Adoration. At the chapel, there was a brochure with the title, How To Get More Out of the Mass. I figure if I give the author credit, I can copy it here. It is printed by Our Sunday Visitor and was written by Michael Dubruiel. I think it is a very good lesson for those of us who love the Mass but sometimes get:

• Bored, and are waiting to be "entertained".
• Sitting in judgement of those around us.
• Daydreaming about what we'll do later in the day.

THE SOURCE AND SUMMIT OF THE WHOLE CHRISTIAN LIFE

The Second Vatican Council taught that, for Catholics, "Taking part in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, is the source and summit of the whole Christian life; they offer the divine victim to God, and offer themselves along with it."

This concept of offering ourselves at Mass may be foreign to us. But without this attitude, we are likely to find that we are not "hungry" enough to enjoy the Eucharistic banquet that Our Lord has called us to share.

Our S. A. C. R. I. F. I. C. E.

Here are nine concrete steps to help us get more out of the Mass by focusing on the sacrifice we can offer with Christ:

S erve--Obey the command that Jesus gave at the first Eucharist.

At the first Eucharist, Jesus did something unexpected. He rose from the table and began to wash the feet of His disciples. The He told them: "I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done for you". (Jn. 13-15)

Bringing at attitude of service to the Eucharist is a way to fulfill Jesus' command. Rather than coming with an attitude of "what can be done for me" at Mass, we imitate Jesus, who came not to be served, but to serve...and we ask, "How can I be of service to the Lord at this Eucharist?"

A dore--Realize the great gift God is offering us!

We encounter the "real" Jesus at the Eucharist. We hear God's Word proclaimed in the Scriptures, and we receive the Body and Blood of Our Lord and Savior. Spending time adoring the real presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist outside of Mass can help us to better appreciate the intimate encounter that we are privileged to have with Him at every celebration of the Mass, when we become living tabernacles. Adoration helps us to approach him in a devout way and experience the great love that He has for us, as He comes to us in Word and Sacrament.

C onfess--Believe in God's power to make up for our weaknesses.

Focusing on the image of Jesus on the cross should remind us of how much God loves each of us, and horrible price of our sins. Think of the words that Jesus spoke from the cross:

• "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Lk. 23:24), expressing forgiveness.
• "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!" (Lk. 23:46), proclaiming trust in God.

If we want to get more out of the Mass, we need to be humble: we realize how we fail to live up to the great gift of God's love we have been given. We confess any serious sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to Mass, and we place all of our trust in God's mercy and love when we publicly proclaim at the Eucharist that we "believe" in Him.

R espond--Function as a member of the Body of Christ.

At the Eucharist we become one with Christ, and He promises: "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you". (Jn. 15:7)

We "abide in Christ" by the way we respond while at the Eucharist.

Every celebration of the Eucharist provides us with a variety of ways to respond to Christ in the way we pray, sing, and move with the community. Some of these require sacrificing our personal tastes and likes for the good of the whole (maybe you don't like the choice of music, or find it difficult to offer a sign of peace to those next to you). When we participate fully in the Eucharist by our responses, we keep in mind that we make up the one Body of Christ.

I ncline--Listen intently to the Word of God.

Inclining our ears to the Lord is one way of offering the sacrifice of our thoughts, in order to first listen to what God has to say. It puts us into a posture of readiness. When we hear, "A reading from...," we raise our level of attention, because the God who created the universe is about to speak to us through the Scriptures.

F ast--Bring a hearty appetite to the Eucharist.

In the Eucharist, we are fed with the Bread of Life. As with any meal, having a hunger for the main course greatly enhances our experience. Fasting creates a hunger for the Lord.

I nvite--Open ourselves to a relationship with Jesus.

When Our Lord walked with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, at one point He "appeared to be going further." The disciples invited Him, "Stay with us" (Lk. 24:29). This is the perfect sentiment to foster in our lives not only throughout the Eucharist, but at all times: we open our hearts to an encounter with Jesus.

C ommune--Become one with Christ.

Jesus revealed God as a communion of divine Persons--the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He invited His followers to be a part of that communion. He told them: "I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you" (Jn. 14:18-20).

Entering into this communion with Jesus is never a solitary act. If you want to get more out of the Eucharist, you will offer yourself, "die to yourself", and enter into communion with Christ as you receive His Body and Blood, and as you worship with His Body, the Church.

E vangelize--Share the Lord with others.

At every Mass, we experience something to be shared with the world. The word "Mass" is derived from the Latin dismissal ite missa est, which literally means, "Go, you are sent." The Communion that we experience with Our Lord at the Eucharist sustains and prepares us for a mission--to bring Christ to the world!

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When I got home tonight, there was a "thank you" card from Father Brandon for the letter I sent him (see my post of April 17th). It was handwritten and very nice to receive. It pretty much made my day.

Real Super Heroes

I sometimes wonder if one of the gifts the Holy Spirit gives to me is the gift of precognition. I don't say this as a matter of pride, just as curiosity. It is just weird that, as I said in a couple of earlier blogs, there are times when I will be thinking of something deeply and then I'll hear a sermon or some other speaker say something that is spot on what I've been thinking about.

When I woke up this morning I wanted to go to my usual 6:30 Mass, but I remembered I had a meeting in Fresno, so I decided to wait and go to the 5:30 in Lodi when I returned. Anyway, as I have said so often before, the days I drive to Fresno or Bakersfield are the days I have plenty of time to ponder things--usually my faith. Today was no different.

I no sooner got out of my driveway when I was thinking about my blog tonight and I had the idea to write about one of the greatest gifts Jesus left us on Holy Thursday--the priesthood. Here's where my statement about being precognitive comes in: On my way home, I'm listening to the radio and they say that Pope Benedict has declared this next year (beginning June 19th) "the Year of the Priest", and that he has plans to name St. John Vianney the patron saint of all priests, not just parish priests. It was a very pleasant surprise to hear this, because I think it just may help sway more grace-filled young men like Fr. Ware and others in our diocese into this blessed vocation. This move by our Pope is also a good one in that it serves notice that "yes, we had a problem with a small percentage of the men who abused their gifts, we have apologized, we are making reparations and have perfomed pennance, and it's time to get back to doing the tasks that we were commissioned by Christ to do".

When I was a kid (and even now) I loved comic books. Like all kids (I hope I wasn't strange) I wanted to be a super-hero because they could do really cool things and helped people simply because that's what heroes did. But I knew it was just pretend and nobody really had super powers.

Today I finally realized that I've known actual super heroes all of my life. Think about it. Most of the time, they're just mild mannered shepherds. Then when they are celebrating Mass or hearing confessions or administering one of the other Sacraments, they allow Christ to take over their actions and they actually ARE in personae Christe, or in the body of Christ. While in this "altered" state, they can't leap tall buildings or outrun trains, but they can do MUCH, MUCH MORE! They (through Christ) confect the Holy Eucharist, forgive sins, anoint the sick and lead people closer to God! Take a hike, Superman! I'll take a good priest any day.

Good priests are not going to fall off of a tree. I've heard of a lot of different ways that Bishops are coming up with to get young men interested. On church in Bakersfield has the prayer for vocations on the front cover of their missalettes and are said after every Mass. Another couple of churches have perpetual adoration chapels. A church in Modesto is concentrating on an all-male altar server program in the hopes that it will encourage the boys to a vocation. I think all three of these programs are good ones. Spending an hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament at least one time per week is going to be my commitment.

A PRAYER FOR PRIESTLY VOCATIONS
O Lord, my God, You renew the Church in every age by raising up priests outstanding in holiness, living witnesses of Your unchanging Love. In Your Plan for our salvation You provide shepherds for Your people. Fill the hearts of young men with the spirit of courage and love that they may answer Your call generously. Give parents the grace to encourage vocations in their family by prayer and good example. Raise up worthy priests for Your Altars and ardent, but gentle servants of the Gospel. Give the Church more priests and keep them faithful in their love and service. May many young men choose to serve You by devoting themselves to the service of Your people. Amen.

Thoughts on daily Mass

I have so many things I wanted to talk about this week, but I really don’t have the time or the patience to write them all down. I’ll try to tackle a few of them though.

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I try to go to Mass every weekday morning—and Sunday, of course. I like the 6:30am Mass, because it is usually over by 7am and I can go to work and not feel like I am late. If I could find a Mass on Saturdays that fit my work schedule, I would attend every day. I love the Mass so much. I can’t say I have always loved it. In fact, there were Sundays that I only went because of the obligation every Catholic has to attend. But now I find that I feel sad when situations arise and I am unable to go.

And because I go every day, I have the opportunity to experience the Mass in several different churches, which helps to keep the celebration “fresh” and my love for the Eucharist grows more each day. It’s also a chance to see that the Catholic faith is alive and well. I have been attending daily Mass for almost two years now and I have seen the number of parishioners at the weekday Masses grow by leaps and bounds. For instance, while in Bakersfield I usually go to St. Francis of Assisi church. When I started going there about 2 years ago there were probably 20-30 people at Mass. Now there is probably 50-60 every day! And they have 2 Masses there each day.

The other thing I find interesting about attending different churches is that each one has it’s own “personality” as a parish. Some are aloof, some are really friendly—some have “fire and brimstone” preaching and others have “feel-good” preaching. What makes it really interesting is that God seems to speak directly to me in each homily no matter which church I go to.
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I receive the Eucharist only on the tongue. I have never received in the hand. And I think I’ve only received the Precious Blood out of the chalice just once in my entire life. I never felt worthy enough to actually hold the Eucharist, and I have a phobia about sharing the chalice with dozens of other people. Since it is His Blood, one would think that He would not allow any germs to go from one person to the next, but it still concerns me. I don’t think my hands will ever be clean enough to actually hold the Body of Christ—which presents a problem to me in that I have seriously been considering becoming a Eucharistic Minister. I have felt a call recently to ask Father if he needs help in distributing Communion to the sick and elderly in the hospitals and convalescent homes. St. Bernadette’s, where I go to Sunday Mass most weeks has a shortage of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and the plea in the weekly bulletin sounds almost desperate. But my feelings of unworthiness are holding me back. I guess more prayer is in order.
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After proofreading the previous two subjects it brought to mind another experience I love—and I don’t know why. Twice, while in Bakersfield I have been able to go to Mass on Saturday morning. The only church to offer a Saturday Mass is Sacred Heart. The priest there weighs probably about 325 pounds and it seems like he has a hard time getting around. But what I like is that he dispenses Communion by intinction. He has the Precious Blood in a little shot-sized cup in the middle of his (I can’t think of the proper name of the bowl or dish the Eucharist is distributed from right now, so I’ll call it a “plate”) plate. When you approach him and either kneel or bow profoundly, he announces, “The Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ”, dips the Host into the “chalice” and places it on the tongue. For some reason, both times I have received it this way, I felt more of Christ’s presence and more emotional—but it could just be the novelty of it. I don’t know. What I do know is that I felt as though Christ's love was burning in my heart longer than usual after Communion.
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I have a few other things I wanted to write about, but I have a lot of work to do, and I can’t spend any more time on this blog. Maybe next week. As a teaser, though, a couple of things I wanted to write about were my sin of pride (which I hope to confess tomorrow), my inability to go to confession last week (although I really did try—twice!), and a billboard that I saw advertising a local non-Catholic Christian church that displays a cross without the Corpus—and why I feel it’s important as Catholics to remember that although He is risen (Alleluia!) we still need a reminder of the pain and suffering he endured for us.

decor of prosapia (Latin)*

I thought I would title this blog today in Latin just for fun. The translation is at the end of the blog. But the fun comes in trying to see if you can figure it out by the substance of my entry today.
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I finally got to sleep in this morning! I've been waking up at 4am and on the road by 5am all week so I could get to work in Merced by 6:30. Merced isn't far enough for me to spend the night, so it's about an hour and a half there, then a 9-hour workday, and another hour and a half back home. I was worn out by Saturday.

Marilyn is the one who had to get up at 4 this morning so she could take Sarah to the San Francisco airport. She's on her way to Costa Rica! She enrolled in a two-week "immersion" class in Spanish. It's different from the class she took in Ecuador a couple of years ago in that this is with a private tutor 8 hours a day for 12 days. The course is geared more toward the type of Spanish she will need to deal with her clients. She is getting her regular salary, since it is for work, but we had to buy her flight and accomodations. She's worth it!

As I said, I woke up this morning at 7am (which, compared to the rest of the week was "sleeping in") because I wanted to get in the shower and be ready to take Mom to Mass before Alicia or Lorenzo got in there. When I got out of the shower, I was greeted by Lily (of course Alicia was holding her), who was smiling, cooing and giggling at everything. What a joy she is to have around! I thank God for her every day. I know she's going to be grow up to be special. She can't help it. Her Mom and Dad are pretty special, too.

Alicia said she was glad I was getting done early because she and Lorenzo and Lily were going to go to the 10 AM Mass and it takes a while for all 3 of them to get ready. I am so happy they are getting Lily started off on the right footing, spiritual-wise, as well as Lorenzo still showing a zeal for the faith.

When Mom and I were at Mass, I was watching a guy sitting across the aisle who was alone. An acquaintence asked him where his family was, and he said he had to work this morning and he was going to meet them in a few minutes. Sure enough, a couple of minutes later a woman and two young daughters showed up. The youngest rushed up to the guy and with great enthusiasm said, "Hi, Daddy!" He and his family acted like it was the first time they had seen each other in weeks! It was really heart-warming to see the love they exhibited for one another.

I took Mom to lunch then did a little bit of shopping for her before I had to start my trip to Bakersfield for a couple of days. The drive usually seems long, but I got caught up in a lot of the special programming Immaculate Heart radio was playing for Divine Mercy Sunday, and before I knew it, I was there. I think I said (or should I say "sung") 3 chaplets today!

When I got to Bakersfield, I was really hungry again. I wanted to eat some Mexican food, but I didn't want to go clear across town to my favorite restaurant, so I went to a little "homey-looking" place just down the street. I was curious why there were so many cars in the parking lot, and soon found my answer when I open the front door. It was packed! And the music was LOUD! A mariachi band was doing it's best to keep me from hearing myself think. But I stayed anyway--the crowd was made up of honest-to-God families! Abuelos, Abuelas, Tias and Tios, Mamas and Papas, ninos and ninas. And all were laughing and having a great time! I looked over at one table and there was the patriarch making the sign of the cross and leading his family in grace! And no one was staring or acting as if this was unusual! (Try doing this in a McDonald's!)

The marachis were done at 7pm, then karioke started! You haven't experienced karioke until you've heard it in Spanish and geared to families! I thought I was on an episode of Telemundo without the skimpy clothing! What a great end to a long day! It was fun!
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Have you figured out the title of my blog yet? The events of the day from the time I woke up until I was finally in my hotel room all reminded me of *"the beauty of family". I'm sure glad I got my "Lily" fix this morning! I'm going to miss her until I see her again on Thursday.

Corporal works of mercy are alive and well in the children of St. Anne's

I thought I would post, as my blog today, a letter I have sent to St. Anne's school for brightening Mom's (and my) day last week.
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Dear brethren in Christ,

On Holy Thursday last week there was a knock on my mother’s door. She is 90 years old. She had taken a tumble earlier in the week and was very sore and bruised not only physically, but mentally, too. Because even at her age, she is still very mobile and active and when she was restricted from leaving the house due to soreness and pain, it took a toll on her usual zest for life. She was quite “blue”.

She answered the door, and there stood Joey Long and another young man (his brother?) with a bag of cookies that he presented to her saying that he heard she was under the weather (how he found out is still a mystery to me) and thought that some cookies at Easter would cheer her up. He handed her the bag that said, “Happy Easter from Joey Long, 3rd Grade”. My mother waved to Joey’s mother who was waiting in the car for Joey to complete his mission of mercy and love.

I arrived at my mom’s home at about 5 o’clock as I had promised to take her and a neighbor to Mass and she related the story to me. Although she was in no shape to attend Mass that evening, she encouraged me to go anyway, so I met with her neighbor and the two of us went as planned.

During the Gospel reading at the Mass, I was moved to tears at the following passage:

"I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35-35)

I remember thinking to myself, “Joey Long and everyone who is responsible for teaching him the love he showed my mother tonight —from his parents, to his teachers and his family—must be true disciples of Christ.”

From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of my mom, I thank each and every one of you who have sown the seeds of love and mercy in Joey’s heart and especially Joey. I will remember each of you in my daily rosaries for the rest of this month as a small repayment for the joy you gave Mom that day.

With warmest regards and the love that is Christ,

Steve Farnsworth

God so loved the world......

I heard a good idea the other day from a priest during a homily--I can't remember who it was, but the idea was still a good one. He said he knew of a good and holy priest who was terrible at remembering specific people and the petitions they wanted him to pray for. So he would write them down in a notebook and place the notebook on the altar every day when he said the Mass. He said he could feel confident that God would read the book for him. Eventually, the notebook got so thick he had to start another....

I'm thinking about doing the same thing, except that I will carry the notebook with me and hold on to it while saying the rosary. Do you think that's an effective way of making sure I'm not making empty promises when I tell people I will pray for them, then forget to?
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Gospel means “Good News.” I find that’s pretty ironic during Holy Week. There are accounts of sadness, betrayal, pain, suffering, and eventually a very horrifying death. Every year during this week it’s hard for me to admit that I, through my sins, have a share in the reason why Jesus had to suffer and die.

This is also the time of the year when they show the television epic “Jesus of Nazareth”. While the movie has some flaws and takes a few liberties for the sake of entertainment, it has some moments that really make me reflect on my faith. I especially like the way it presents the parable of the prodigal son. The “righteous” Jews (the disciples) would not mingle with the friends and relatives of the tax collector, Matthew. They even tried to dissuade Jesus from consorting with them because of their questionable character. Jesus said to Peter (and this is the message that seemed to drown out all of the other dialogue for me), “I have not come to save the righteous, but those who are lost to the Father”. His disciples (including Peter) remained outside, because they still didn’t seem to get the message. Then Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son. At the end of the parable, Peter finally understood the message and entered the house of Matthew and embraced him as a long lost brother. I still cry when I think of the love that was shown in this scene.

I have a CD of Mel Gibson’s, “the Passion of Christ” (what Catholic doesn’t?). I can only watch this movie once a year for the sheer violence and gore. It makes me reach my limit of what I can watch. I weep over the suffering I have put my Lord through. The only solace I have is I know the hope that Easter Sunday always brings.

Which brings me to another topic. The word “hope”. When I say my rosary, I begin with the Apostle’s creed and the Our Father. The next three prayers are Hail Marys for an increase in the virtues of faith, hope, and love. Father Corapi was giving one of his lectures on the rosary and suggested taking just one word that is important and meditating on it. The other day, I thought, “What is ‘HOPE’?”


The best definitions I could find in the dictionary were these:
To place trust; rely
To look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence
To believe, desire, or trust.

The word is not to be confused with a “wish”. A wish might or might not materialize. When we hope, we have a confidence that what we look forward to will be realized. We hope for our salvation, because we TRUST in the mercy of Christ and we have CONFIDENCE that our hope is founded in that trust.

One last meditation for the blog this week. I was listening to Steve Ray, a converted Baptist minister on the radio today. He is very good at tying the Old Testament to the New. He was asked about the significance of the Crown of Thorns that our Lord endured after being scourged. Also, he was asked about Christs’ carrying of the Cross. He suggested the following passage from the Old Testament that was, in a way a prophesy of the New Testament:


Genesis 22:1-13

Some time after these events, God put Abraham to the test. He called to him, "Abraham!" "Ready!" he replied. Then God said: "Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you." (Relate this to John3:16)

Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey, took with him his son Isaac, and two of his servants as well, and with the wood that he had cut for the holocaust, set out for the place of which God had told him. (Relate this to John12:14)

On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar. Then he said to his servants: "Both of you stay here with the donkey, while the boy and I go on over yonder. We will worship and then come back to you."

Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the holocaust and laid it on his son Isaac's shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. (Isn’t this, similarly, what Christ did? He carried the wood on His shoulder to the site of the Sacrifice)

As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham. "Father!" he said. "Yes, son," he replied. Isaac continued, "Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the holocaust?" "Son," Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust." (And He did, in the form of His Only Begotten Son) Then the two continued going forward.

When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up his son Isaac, and put him on top of the wood on the altar. Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the LORD'S messenger called to him from heaven, "Abraham, Abraham!" "Yes, Lord," he answered. "Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger. "Do not do the least thing to him. I know now how devoted you are to God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son." (Then, centuries later, God would send His OWN Son to us out of love to complete this Sacrifice—Give glory to God!)
As Abraham looked about, he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So he went and took the ram and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son. (In my mind, a “thicket” can be construed as “thorns”. The ram was not caught by a leg, or his body, or a foot-- He was caught by his HEAD—hence a “crown” of thorns!)

What to do?

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.

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

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.

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.