Bad things happen to the good and the bad alike

Prayer for the Day

Father, through the folly of the cross you taught Saint Justin the sublime wisdom of Jesus Christ. May we too reject falsehood and remain loyal to the faith.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.– Amen.

Reflection

We all experience the death of friends and family members. Sometimes we are the victims of storms, crime, layoffs from work, and the list goes on. How do we endure it all? I read or heard somewhere that we should not question ourselves about what we may have done to offend God when bad things happen because there is the 'grace of the moment.' I’m not sure I understand completely, but my faith in the risen Jesus Christ helps me to understand what I need. And I like it that way.  I appreciate being on a “need to know” basis.  It keeps my stress down.

At one point, as we hear in John’s gospel, Christ said, "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now." (John 16:12) Christ had difficulty Himself enduring some of life's realities, such as the death of His friend Lazarus. We recall that He wept about His loss. (John 11: 1-45) Lastly we see how difficult it was to anticipate the sufferings He was to endure.

Acceptance of difficulties takes working through our emotions as a human. Christ embraced His own humanity; do we? What have we had to endure thus far? How have we succeeded in working through our own human reactions? Do we trust that we will be able to endure life's losses with the grace of God?

Do we really believe Christ when He told us that He would be with us always, until the end of time?

As I grow older, I recognize that the world is not a place made for simple answers to all of these questions.   There is no worldly or logical answer that can satisfy the mind’s need for understanding.  That realization can be horribly frustrating and easier to deny than accept.  But as St. Paul tells us, “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect”. (Romans 12:2)  If we can discern the Will of God, Christ provides us with the answer, offering us freedom from the weight of the questions.  He does not ask us to stop considering them, or to stop seeking wisdom, he is simply offering us respite from the impossible task of trying to reconcile the world with how we want it to be.  And even though there are no simple answers for us, all answers are simple for Jesus.

That answer is love.

We are loved and we are called to love.  If we accept the security that comes with such a profound revelation we can rise up as free men and women, open to face the challenges of the world, seeking wisdom with open minds and yearning hearts.

Something to do

Loyola Press has a fun (at least it was for me!) website where you find out who the saint is that shares some traits with you (if you're honest in answering).  I came up with St Therese of Lisieux!  Imagine that!  Another one of these quizzes I took a couple of years ago told me I was more a St Justine Martyr type of individual.  I guess it takes all kinds to make a world!  And apparently God loves them all!

An empty vessel of God holds more of the Holy Spirit

Prayer for the Day
Show me how to be like you, Mary. Some days I simply have no humility in my life. I don't want help and I don't trust that it will be there even if I ask. Your life and words are filled with such joy. You have the fears but have learned to trust in God. It's what I long for but never ask for.

Dear Lord, give me the grace to surrender to you. Let me trust that you are there for me. Hold me as close to you as a newborn is held by a parent. Teach me how to be humble so that with the same joy as Mary and Elizabeth, I can serve in the way you want me to.

Reflection

Each of the mysteries of the Holy Rosary offers us a wonderful opportunity to meditate upon the life of Jesus and His Blessed Mother.
May 31^st is the Feast of the Visitation, the second Joyful Mystery.   It’s a good day to recall how very quickly the presence of Jesus in the world became manifested. We see Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, showing us the perfect example of how a person filled with the body and blood of Christ will respond. She dismissed her own needs and concerns and instead quickly rushed off to be a comfort to her elderly kinswoman, Elizabeth.

“When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.” (Luke 1: 41-44)

My meditation on this Mystery tonight brought my thoughts to those who think the unborn child in its mother’s womb is nothing but tissue, without a soul.  The words, “the sound of your greeting reached my ears” got my attention.  A pregnant woman does not “hear” on behalf of the child.  The baby has its own ears and sense of hearing.  Think of all of those soon-to-be parents that talk or read to their babies or sing to them or play music for them while they are still in their mothers’ wombs in the hope they will excel in one of those activities!  When John the Baptist was still in Elizabeth’s womb, he heard the Mother of God’s voice and leapt with joy!  Doesn’t sound like the actions of “soul-less tissue” to me, but those of a soul filled with the Holy Spirit, just as all baptized Christians are. 

How full of the Holy Spirit are we?  It depends on us.  The Lord wants us to be vessels. In Acts 9:15 God refers to Paul as a "chosen vessel" unto Him, to bear His name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. We, too, are chosen vessels designed to be used and filled by God.

God chooses us to be His vessels, yet He will never force us to be used. Our God loves us so much that He gave us the thing called choice. We can even choose whether or not to believe in Him—the One who made us! We can choose to allow Him to use us. Once you make the decision to be used by God, then hang on because you are in for the ride of your life!  How quickly those filled with the Holy Spirit respond and know one another. What a great story the Visitation is!  What a great joy for those of us who sometimes seemingly travel alone in this world! Filled with the Holy Spirit we will never be alone, we will know and seek out those who need us and in finding them we will find God.

A simple(?) candle

Prayer for the Day

“Jesus, I believe that you care about every circumstance of my life, including the difficult ones. Help me to experience your love and reassuring presence as I face them today.”

Reflection

I just got back from St. Mary’s chapel at St. Francis of Assisi church here in Bakersfield where they have perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance.  I went there after dinner tonight to spend some time and say the rosary because I’m finding it harder and harder to concentrate on my prayers ‘out in the world’.  There are so many distractions!  The internet, television, cell phones, traffic—you name it, it’s distracting.  It’s a recent phenomenon, because there have been times I’ve been so engrossed in prayer while driving the long stretches of freeway between work and home that I wonder when I walk in the door at home how I got there!  Maybe I’m just becoming more sensitive to it as I try to grow closer to Jesus.  Could it be that I’m just getting older and grumpier?  Maybe it’s both.  Again, I’ve gotten off the topic I wanted to write about.   See?  I’m already distracted!

I was thinking about my Aunt Barbara today.  I don’t know why.  She must be thinking about me! Or maybe it’s a result of my conversation the other day with “Joe” about praying for the “living” who have already passed on.  Whatever the reason, I recalled a conversation I had with Aunt Barbara just before she passed away.  She was concerned that she wasn’t able to concentrate on her prayers because of all the distractions. She asked me if I could help her.  I had to ask myself, “Who am I? What makes her think I am knowledgeable or spiritual enough to give her that sort of advice?  I’m looking for a spiritual advisor of my own!”  But, she is my aunt, and I love her, so I asked her what was distracting her.  She said that she sometimes—probably most of the time—said several Rosaries and Divine Mercy Chaplets each day along with whoever was leading those devotions on EWTN television.  I said that maybe it was the TV distracting her.  Many of us need something to focus our eyes on so we can let our hearts loose in prayer, but oftentimes I get so caught up with the different accents or inflections of others’ voices that even they become a distraction.  She said no, that wasn’t it.  “In fact,” she said, “having someone else to pray with helps me concentrate more on the mysteries, because then I don’t have to worry about keeping track of where I am in my prayers.”

As we continued to talk, it was apparent to me that what she really wanted was to get to the next “step” in her prayer life.  We’re talking “saintly stuff” here.  You know.  The whole “ecstasy-float –above-the-floor, Jesus is standing right in front of me” stuff.  Now I KNEW I was out  of my league!  And I told her so.  But she persisted, so I came up with a suggestion that sometimes helps me get focused on my own prayers.  I don’t know if she ever tried it, but she sounded interested in any case.  At least she continued to speak to me, so I know she didn’t think I was crazy!  Here is what I told her:

First of all, I have to be in a place that is absolutely silent.   For me, that’s the adoration chapel or the main church if a chapel is not available.  Then I look for “THE” candle (the Sanctuary candle)—the one that is to be lit and placed next to the Tabernacle where our Lord is reposed. [Can. 940 'A special lamp is to burn continuously before the tabernacle in which the blessed Eucharist is reserved, to indicate and to honor the presence of Christ' (1983 Code of Canon Law.)] If I can’t be in a church, I have to use my imagination—that makes it a little harder, but not impossible.  Before I begin my prayers, I meditate on the Holy Trinity.  I use the candle and the tabernacle (or monstrance) to help me.  The candle that “protects” the tabernacle represents God the Father.  The flame that proceeds from the candle and “lights the way” represents Jesus, God the Son.   The warmth and peaceful feelings that emanate from the candle represent God the Holy Spirit.  It’s important to the meditation that I use only the candle that “lights” the way to the Tabernacle, because it’s a perpetual flame—in theory one that is never extinguished.  A new candle is supposed to be lit with the flame from the old one.  Hence, the perpetual flame, and in my meditation, the very symbol of the everlasting Love, Warmth, Light, and Protection earned for each of us by Jesus through His life, death and resurrection.  What about the tabernacle?  I did say I used it in my meditation as well, didn’t I?  Four words—The Blessed Virgin Mary! I thank her for saying “Yes” to the Father’s plan for our salvation, and giving birth to the Son who fulfilled the Scriptures.

This short (15 minute) preparation puts me in the proper frame of mind to pray the Rosary and meditate on Jesus' life and the promises of the Good News.  After all, it is all about Him, isn’t it?

Oh, and thanks for the memory, Aunt Barbara!

Focus! All you need is love! Really!

Prayer for the Day

“Jesus, I love you. I give my life to you, not as a slave dedicates himself to his master but as someone who opens his heart to a friend. Help me to see myself through your eyes.”

Reflection

It’s the Memorial Day holiday this weekend.  At my job, that means it is one of the busiest—and one of the most stress filled—weekends of the year (Independence Day and Labor Day are the other 2 ‘biggies’).  Every year, we are asked to do the “impossible”.  I say “asked”.  Actually, the impossible is expected, if we want to stay in business!  And every year, it seems, we succeed.  In the beginning, it’s our own mindset that tells us it’s impossible.  We succeed because we just do it “by the numbers”.  Unfortunately, sometimes we get so focused on following ‘the numbers’ we forget why we were given the policies and procedures in the first place—to make us successful.  If something appears to be in the way of our success, we have the ability to call for help in thinking through the problem.  Someone is always standing by to help us remember our primary service objective.

My immediate supervisor also happens to be my best friend, someone I can speak to plainly about my frustrations and concerns, so that makes it even easier to get back on track when I get lost. The friendship we share is the single biggest reason I get through this stress—Todd is one of those individuals who makes work “fun”.  We have found out so many times that it’s better to just get out of the way and let whatever is going to happen, happen—as long as we follow the rules.  And if someone isn’t helped in the manner they should have been in the first place, we’ll make it right.  I joke about this every busy holiday weekend.  “It’s one of the ‘Ten Commandments’ of U-Haul”, I’ll say, “Thou shalt not say ‘No’ to a customer!” (Even if logic tells you that you ought to).

Speaking of commandments, God gave us ten of them through Moses.  The first thing we need to understand about a commandment is that it is possible to do. It may seem impossible, but it is possible.  The second thing we need to understand is that a commandment comes from one in authority, one who has the power to see it through and make it happen.

Maybe the reason we have so much trouble following the Ten Commandments is because we get lost; there are ‘too many rules’ to remember.  Thanks to Jesus, He broke them down to Two (although he didn’t abolish the Ten, he simply ‘condensed’ them)—to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength and to "Love one another as I love you." (John 15)  Remember, if it is a commandment, then it is possible.  And it comes from the One in authority, the One who has the power to see it through and to make it happen.

Nothing happens without God's help. If God tells us to love one another as He loves us, then He stands by ready to make it happen. Loving is not as hard as it might seem. All we need to do is let God love through us by the grace of the Holy Spirit.  In other words, we need to get out of the way. We need to take all of our dislikes, prejudices, notions, and ideas and put them aside. We need to let Jesus be present in us for others.

Next time you are faced with a situation in which love is called for but is too hard for you - step out of the way and ask Jesus to come in and do the loving.  Let Jesus within you be a light for this person whom you find it hard to love. With God, all things are possible. You'll find as well that you will be able to give this person exactly what they need to lead them to the same light and joy.

Like the light from the Easter Candle at Easter vigil, the solitary flame will spread throughout the darkness and make of it a beautiful light. One person at a time, we illuminate the world when we allow God's love to shine through us. Let's make it our first priority - to light today one candle, one life, one more person to share the light.

Trying a little bit of apologia

Mary, with the Child Jesus and the Saints (Boccelli)

Prayer for the Day

“Lord, I don’t want to do anything to separate myself from you! May my obedience be inspired by love, and may my relationship with you bring me greater and greater joy!”

Reflection

The Scriptures at Mass this week continue the account of the Acts of the Apostles, in which Peter confronts the Apostles with the truth that Gentiles also have the right to salvation under Christ! It seems a bit silly now to us that there would have been any doubt.

The Gospel reading Thursday is a small excerpt of the fifteenth chapter of St. John. Nice as this segment is, there are even juicer words if one reads farther. For example, “You are my friends, if you do what I command you. I shall not call you servants anymore, because a servant does not know his master’s business, because I have made known to you everything I have learned from my Father.”  And even farther, “What I command you is to love one another.”

This morning one of my friends, a co-worker, wanted to borrow my car so that he could go to the bank (His transportation was a pick-up truck that had a specially built trailer for hauling more trailers and it was loaded to the max).   I told him, “Sure, if you don’t mind that it has no air conditioning and the radio is tuned to a Catholic station!”  That statement was the start of a conversation about the recent ‘rapture’ nonsense.  I mentioned that Harold Camping was, in my opinion, one in a long line of false prophets that are scattered throughout the Bible, even in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 28).

My friend (I’ll call him “Joe”) said—I think (or at least I hope) he had tongue-in-cheek—“He has it all figured out mathematically.  Don’t you think we (meaning mankind) have become more sophisticated in our knowledge than we were 2000 years ago and so are able to ‘find’ things in Scripture that may have been hidden to early Christians?”  I took a deep breath and asked the Holy Spirit to be with me as I tried to give him an answer, because I’m not an apologist and often have to use the “I don’t know but I’ll get back to you” approach in defending my faith.

I told him I believe in John 15—“I have made known to you everything I have learned from my Father.”  I further stated that I’m wary of anyone who interprets Scripture to suit his own needs and that I believe Jesus gave the authority to speak for the Church to the Apostles and their successors (Matthew 16: 13-23);  in other words, the Catholic Church.  To which he replied, “That’s one crazy bunch of people, those Catholics”.  I asked him what he meant.  He said “they have some funny and strange teachings.”  I told him it amazes me how much people THINK they know about Catholic teachings, and to give me an example of a funny or strange teaching. 

He said, “They pray to Mary and Saints and all that!”   I countered by telling him that the Scripture exhorts us to pray for one another, even for the dead, and that we don’t stop praying even when (if) we get to Heaven!  He said, “They can’t hear you.  They are DEAD!”  I said, “Haven’t you read where Jesus said, ‘Faith in the resurrection rests on faith in God who "is not God of the dead, but of the living."' (Mark 12:27)?

He said, “Only Jesus came back from the dead”.  I said, “Yes, that’s true.  Jesus is the only One who has a Resurrected body in Heaven.”  (And as a Catholic I believe that the mother of God was assumed into Heaven body and soul and as such holds a unique distinction from the rest of us [she didn’t “die”, she “fell asleep”]—Although I didn’t include this bit of information when speaking with Joe.  I don’t know why not—I probably wasn’t inspired to do so at that time!)  “But the souls of the Saints and His Mother are there and who better to ask to pray for you and those you love?”  He just kept arguing that everybody except Jesus is DEAD until Judgment Day, and that the only way to the Father is through Jesus!  Not through Mary or the saints or anyone else!  I agreed that we are to go to Jesus for all of our needs and I do, but I personally feel I need all the additional help I can get from those who are closest to Him right now! 

I felt I had put up a pretty good defense of the faith but I could see there was still a lot of confusion in his mind (fueled by an un-spoken anti-Catholicism and perhaps a bit of a closed mind) and we were supposed to be working anyway.  I told him I would be more than happy to spend as much time as he wanted off company time if he wanted to continue the conversation, because I love speaking about my faith with others.  Another friend who was with us listening to the whole conversation finally chimed in and said, “That shows!” with a tone of respect in his voice that told me he was somewhat interested in and possibly swayed by my (the Holy Spirit's--Praise be to God!) responses to Joe’s questions.  It really made my day and all I could think about the rest of this afternoon was my Prayer for the Day last Thursday.  God listens and answers.  And helps you when you feel you can’t do it alone (Mark 13:11, Matthew 10:19).  Praised be Jesus Christ! Alleluia!

Spiritual Gardening

Prayer for the Day

“Jesus, I am so grateful for your love and mercy. Help me to remain in you, Lord, so that I can become more and more pure and fruitful!”  Amen.

Reflection

In the days after Easter we have been hearing about the early Church.

Little by little, the apostles and disciples branched out and spread the faith throughout the known world. During His earthly life, Christ had prepared His followers to do so, even telling them what they should wear.

 In John 15:5 we hear Christ telling His followers that "He is the vine, and they are the branches."  One thing we know about vines and branches is their dependence on one another. Without the vine, the branch will die, and yet without the branch the vine will not grow.

Christ lives forever, but without the mission work of those who came before us, we would not have our faith today.  It is up to us to continue passing on the Good News, beginning with good Christian example in all that we do.  If we can achieve that, questions about the faith will follow.

“He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit.” (John 15:2) 

On Saturday (it may have been Sunday—all of last week is a blur to me now), Marilyn decided that it was time we pruned the bushes in our front yard that separate our yard from the neighbor’s driveway (and boat).  We have been debating the issue on and off for quite some time now, because a lot of the shrub was dead, but the healthy parts were really healthy but out of control.  I wanted to get rid of them altogether, and plant something more pleasant, less itchy and easier to maintain.  Marilyn is still thinking about this solution but in the meantime we decided some major pruning was in order.  After we got rid of the dead growth, the plant actually looked like it was thriving. 

Always on the lookout for ideas for my daily blog, I couldn’t help but equate the dead branches with sin and how they had been holding back the true beauty of the shrub.  It’s still itchy and irritable and a little out of control, but with a little more pruning and cultivation I think we can probably save the shrub and even enhance it with other features planted or placed around it.  All it took was getting rid of the ‘sin’ and allowing the plant room to grow properly in the way we intended in the first place.

In the same way, clearing away the sin from our souls by a good confession and penance allows us to grow closer to God.  While we too may remain a little ‘itchy and irritable’ and ‘out of control,’  a soul that is less cluttered with dead growth enables the Holy Spirit to take over and ‘enhance’ us with graces that will make us more fruitful in our devotion to Christ.  And of course a little ‘watering’ by Our Blessed Mother through the daily recitation of her Rosary doesn’t hurt, either. With this TLC, we should be able to once again bear good fruit through our witness to others and be found a little more worthy of the salvation gained for us by Jesus on His Cross.

Washing dishes

Prayer for the Day

Dear Loving Father,

You are the perfect example of fatherhood, and Jesus is the perfect example of what a Son should be.  I ask for the ability to keep in mind what my true mission as a father and a son is really about, the willingness to endure the path on which this mission calls me and for the strength to be proactive in times of challenge and hardship.  Amen.

 Reflection

I  took a week off from work to spend some time with Mom and help her get to LA for a visit with my brother and sisters-in-law.  Because of several obstacles that seemed Providential, we didn’t get to go.  It was nobody’s fault, just bad timing.  But Mom kept apologizing for “ruining” my vacation and “keeping me from my family”.  I had to remind her that I took the vacation to focus on her needs, and that Marilyn and the girls understood.

I wanted to find the right words that would explain why it didn’t bother any of us that I took a vacation to be there for her and it took Father John’s sermon this morning to explain it simply:  “I want to wash the dishes.” 

Father said he saw a movie a few years back that was about a couple who were always bickering about everything.  He said it was painful to watch, because the outcome seemed inevitable and was a reflection of a lot of relationships these days.  He couldn’t remember the movie’s title.  With the help of the internet, I found the title and in the process discovered why I hadn’t seen the movie—when I saw the ‘trailers’ for the movie, I thought it was condoning a lot of values I don’t agree or identify with.  I digress. 

The title of the film is, “Break Up”.  In a scene from Break Up, the nervous Vince Vaughn angrily reproaches Jennifer Anniston: ‘You wanted me to wash the dishes, and I’ll wash the dishes – what’s the problem?’ She replies: ‘I don’t want you to wash the dishes – I want you to want to wash the dishes!’

What a way to assure Mom that I am in no way upset about the way this week turned out, nor do I ever feel “obligated” to attend to her needs!  I do it out of love.  I don’t visit every week because I feel I have to.  I come over out of love and gratitude for who she is and what she has done for me.  I WANT and look forward to the visits.

We can extend that same feeling to Mass attendance.  We shouldn’t go because we know Jesus wants us to, or that it is a precept of the Church.   We should go because our love for Him creates a desire in our soul to show that love and thank Him for His gift of salvation.   

A great entry, and a profound response

Sister Mary Martha has the best take on the non-event of last weekend that I've found yet.  For Catholics, all of this 'rapture' nonsense should at least get us motivated to examine our consciences daily (a good time for me is right after my evening rosary and before I go to bed) and go to confession as often as necessary (which for me is as often as POSSIBLE). 

I thought one of the comments (by 'womanNshadows') to Sister Mary Martha's blog was quite profound:

"so many lost people in this world clinging to anything they hear, putting their faith in words that are not His words, the words of Jesus. if only they could put their faith in Him and not someone standing directly in front of them, someone who is actually blocking their path to the light."

Crybaby

After Lily was put to bed tonight, I turned the TV as usual to EWTN to watch the Mass.  Tonight’s Mass also included the ordination of two of the Brothers to the permanent diaconate.  Things were going along swimmingly until I watched the bishop as he laid his hands on the young men.  It sounds crazy, but it was as though I saw the Holy Spirit descend upon them!  Then I lost it.  I don’t know what came over me.  I cried with the same tears I cried when I got married and when my children were born.  They were the same tears I cried when my children and Godchildren were baptized.  The same tears of pride as when I witnessed the accomplishments of my children.  Why?  I don’t know these men!  I don’t know anything about them, other than that they have been under the direction of the priests at EWTN, and that they have committed their lives to the service of others for the glory of God!

Prayer for the day

“Thank you, Father, for letting me see and hear what many prophets and saints longed for. Thank you, Jesus, for revealing God’s face of love. Come, Holy Spirit, and bring me to a deeper and deeper knowledge of you.”

Reflection

As Scripture says, "To those who love God, all things work together for good."  In Acts 6:1-7, we are told about an incident that could have been a serious division in the early Christian community but actually did become the cause for an important development in its growth.

There were two languages spoken by the new followers of Christ. Those called Hebrews by St. Luke spoke Hebrew and Aramaic, while those called Hellenists in this passage spoke Greek and often followed Greek cultural practices. Tensions were bound to arise since each group had different ways of thinking and acting.
All this came to the boiling point when the Hellenists felt discriminated against in the care given their widows. Very wisely, the Twelve decided to formally establish a new ministry of "table servers" (later known as deacons), so that they could devote themselves entirely to prayer and preaching. They imposed hands on seven men of outstanding reputation (Recall that Stephen, the patron saint of this blog, was one of those chosen). Actually, when the Holy Spirit came upon them, they did much more than wait on tables. In this way, God used a crisis in charity to further the effectiveness of the Church in spreading the word.

"What goes around comes around!"  This crisis in the early Church is similar to the crisis facing the Church of our day. Because of the shortage of priests, the role of deacons and commissioned lay ministers is emerging as an ever more integral part of the Church of the 21st century.  It is why I take my role as a Eucharistic Minister to the hospitalized and home-bound so seriously. 

 The Holy Spirit is urgently calling more and more faithful Catholics to assume a new level of leadership in the life of their local parishes. In conjunction with the beatification of Pope John Paul II, there are signs of a "second spring," a new flowering of faith and works within a restructuring of both liturgical and community life under the authority of the "Rock of Peter”.   Praise God!

The first Letter of St. Peter (1 Peter 2:4-9) uses the image of "stone" or "rock."  Peter, referring to Isaiah's prophecy, tells us that God the Father long ago had established His son, Jesus, as the "cornerstone, chosen and precious."

 Peter, with warm and welcoming tone, urges us to come with hope and trust to the living stone of salvation, and there to become ourselves a holy temple. Of course, there's a price to pay. Through our own sufferings, we offer sacrifice and praise to the Father along with the Son. We do this through our baptism and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Just as many have rejected this rock of salvation to their own condemnation, so too, if we attempt to bypass Christ, we will ourselves stumble and fall. Peter quotes Isaiah as his authority for referring to Christ as a stumbling block to those who reject Him.  All this will become clear on the (real) Day of Judgment.

The Gospel of John (John 14:1-12) contains the farewell address of Jesus to His apostles at the Last Supper. Here, He tells them not to be afraid, for after much trial, the kingdom with its many dwelling places will be theirs.  A good teacher loves students who ask a lot of questions.  We're forever indebted to Thomas who complains to Jesus that he doesn't know the way to the kingdom. In answer, Jesus gives us one of His most quotable quotes: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me."

We could spend a lifetime exhausting the meaning of that sentence.  It's "Christology" in a nutshell.  It means that we'll never walk alone, that God will guide and protect us against evil on the journey, that we'll always be able to know the difference between good and evil, right and wrong, and that, best of all, if we are faithful to the end, we will live life to the fullest.

Sharing can be hard

Prayer for the Day

Help me, Jesus, never to be discouraged but to be strong in faith and in love. I trust that you have overcome the world and that I can overcome in you. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the power of your love!

 Reflection

 It can be difficult to share the Word of God with strangers. People can be reluctant to accepting a foreign faith or belief. Sometimes they are down right hostile towards anyone trying to alter their reality. It may be because a person's faith life is so essential to who they are as an individual, but whatever the reasoning Paul and Barnabas weren’t afraid to share God’s love. (Acts 13:44-52)

They were great missionaries for the early church and won far more souls than I could ever hope to. The funny thing is that the hostility they met didn’t come from the Gentiles, but the Jews. Paul and Barnabas were preaching for the salvation of all, not just the Jews, who believed they were the chosen people of God. The Jews who heard the words of these great disciples of Christ grew jealous, as if there wasn’t enough salvation to go around. But Paul and Barnabas did as Jesus had commanded them, shaking the dust from their feet in protest and moving on.

The jealousy of the Jews in this story is horrible, but I’m sure we’ve all seen a hint of the same selfish thoughts in ourselves. I know I have struggled with this in my heart. I begin to get prideful and arrogant in my faith, thinking God is going to bless me more for my righteous deeds and service to Him. I begin to look more like the Pharisees of Jesus’ time than his faithful disciple. This is something I have to be very vigilant in guarding against, as Christ has called me—actually, all of us—to move away from our self-centeredness to become others-centered. We can also learn something from how Paul and Barnabas react in this situation. Rather than getting disgruntled and condemning these people, they simple walk away. We have all met hostility for our faith and beliefs at one time or another. In those instances of evangelism where we find hardness in others' hearts, it sometimes is enough to just walk the other way. Knowing that you have planted seeds of faith in them, no matter how rocky the soil, your persecution and suffering can be united with Christ's on the cross.

Jesus speaks of His perfect unity with God the Father in John 14:7-14.  The communion within the Holy Trinity is so great that those blessed to see Jesus in the flesh are truly seeing God the Father. This is a hard reality to grasp, a great mystery of our faith. The amazing part is that we are offered the same encounter Jesus’ disciples experienced every single day. It is overwhelming to think of the countless blessings each of us experience in our daily lives. However, one of the greatest blessings given to each and every one of us is the true presence of our Lord in the Eucharist. In gazing upon the precious Body and Blood of Christ in Mass we are in communion with Jesus and God the Father in the same way His disciples were thousands of years ago. And our good Lord does not stop there; He allows us to receive Him that our stony, jealous hearts can be made more like His perfect heart. By this heavenly food our souls are nourished so that we may become more like our Creator and Savior. Jesus encourages us, promising that we will do great things with our faith; all we need to do is believe in Him.
What is our calling as disciples of Jesus Christ? Do we sometimes forget? Are we navel-gazing as the world continues in darkness? When we bring the light of Christ to the nations, we fulfill our calling. When we point people to Jesus, we point people to God. Blessed John Paul II said it well in words meant for us but that surely also apply to our mission to our neighbor: “Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ.”

Humbling

Just finished reading through Mom's blog again.  She hasn't posted anything in over a year!  I know she has plenty to say, but she just can't seem to get in the "blogging mood".

Yet I am humbled to see that, despite my pretty regular postings, Mom has had over 40,600 "hits" on her blog!  I have only about 2600 (of course, I changed my 'counter' a couple of times and had to start over--but the numbers were only double-digit when I changed them) and I started my blog way before she did! 

See Mom?  People are interested in what you have to say! 

Lucky me

Several times in the last few weeks I’ve been told how “lucky” I am that I have a job.  One guy said I was “lucky” to have such a loving family.  Another told me I was “lucky” because I got Sundays off.  To each and every one of these assertions I’ve responded, “I’m not lucky—I’m blessed!”  And “I don’t believe in luck.  I believe in Providence.”  If I had the time—I should make the time (I should probably confess this weakness, too)—I would have explained why I believe Providence, not luck, is why I have the job, the family, the time off to worship God. 

Luck is defined as “good fortune”, or success that seems to happen by chance.

Chance is the arbitrary distribution of events or outcomes. 

So “luck” is something that seems to happen by chance rather than as a logical consequence of a prior act or occurrence.

One guy went so far as to tell me I should “thank my lucky stars” after I told him I felt blessed, because not everyone is blessed.  It seems odd that I should thank one of God’s creations rather than the Creator Himself, don’t you think? 

And while I don’t put myself anywhere near the stature or holiness of St. Paul, where would he have been if he were not blessed?

If there were such a thing as “luck”, St. Paul would have to have one of the luckiest men in the history of mankind.  He was “lucky” he got knocked on his rear by a “random” flash of light.  He was “lucky” he regained his sight.  He was “lucky” to avoid death by beatings, shipwrecks, lynch mobs, and imprisonments.

Prayer for the Day

O glorious St. Paul, after persecuting the Church you became by God's grace its most zealous Apostle. To carry the knowledge of Jesus, our Divine Savior, to the uttermost parts of the earth

You joyfully endured prison, scourgings, stonings, and shipwreck, as well as all manner of persecutions culminating in the shedding of the last drop of your blood for our Lord Jesus Christ.

Obtain for us the grace to labor strenuously to bring the faith to others and to accept any trials and tribulations that may come our way. Help us to be inspired by your Epistles and to partake of your indomitable love for Jesus, so that after we have finished our course we may join you in praising Him in heaven for all eternity.

Amen.

Reflection

The story of Saul’s conversion (Acts 9:1-20) on the road to Damascus is a constant reminder of the choice we make when we accept Jesus as our Savior.  Saul was on his way to destroy and kill Christians, claiming “murderous threats” to the brothers and sisters of Christ. But while he was on his own mission, set by his own expectations and goals, Christ revealed a key revelation: Saul’s path was not up to Saul to determine, but to God alone. Many times during our days we often become so wrapped up in our own life, dilemmas, crises or even pride that we forget our true calling of life. It is not that we be glorified through our works, but for us to be transparent for God to shine through us. Just as Saul was physically blinded by the bright light of Christ, ironically he then saw his purpose: to proclaim the Word of God and that only God can provide us with unconditional love, grace and salvation.

But how do we remove the pride and ego that blinds us from God’s grace? Well, it comes from accepting that Jesus is the only way to live, and that without Him we will die of hunger and thirst (John 6:52-59).  Just as our physical body requires nourishments to survive, our spiritual body requires the same satiation needed to nurture our faith. To fully accept Christ’s Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist is to know and ultimately believe that we are weak and defenseless by ourselves. Men alone cannot save themselves, but only through the love of God. When we can come to terms with our imperfections and tell God in regular confessions that, “I am nowhere near perfect, but that’s okay because You love me no matter what,” then we can truly begin to live for the perfect and wonderful purpose that is Christ. Praise to the Lord, not because we are filled with flaws and weaknesses, but because we are the only beings created in the pure image of God. No matter if you are in the depressions or the “highs” of your lives, know that you will always be taken care of. God may use the mysterious and the unknown to make wonders out of your life. All you have to do is to open your eyes and look within your heart.

A model of worthiness

Prayer for the Day


You became not only the Mother of the Redeemer, but the Mother of the redeemed as well. We come to you today as your loving children. Watch over us and take care of us. As you held the child Jesus in your loving arms, so take us in your arms. Be a Mother ready at every moment to help us. For God who is mighty has done great things for you, and His mercy is from age to age on those who love Him. Our greatest fear is that in time of temptation, we may fail to call out to you, and become lost children.  Intercede for us, dear Mother, in obtaining pardon for our sins, love for Jesus, final perseverance, and the grace always to call upon you, Mother of Perpetual Help.
Amen.

Meditation

Mom and I were looking through some of her CDs and other things stored in an ottoman in her living room. One of the items I found was a notebook that had belonged to my brother Tom. All of his papers have long since been removed, but I found about 10 pages of a journal that Mom had started about her life’s story. She has told some of it on her own blog, but there is some new stuff that the family might find interesting, so I have volunteered to “type it up” (does anyone “type” anymore? I’m dating myself!), then get it out to the family. One of the tidbits that she wrote caught my eye—primarily since it was written in the margin—was one she told me about before, but I had forgotten: “At my Baptism, I was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, and until I was two years old, I wore only blue and white!”



I thought that would be a good topic for a blog entry on its own. Then, when playing with Lily tonight, she was putting my shoes on her feet and I would grab at them and remove them, saying, “THOSE ARE MY SHOES!” and she and I would laugh and do it all over again. When we put her to bed, I started reading the bible passages for tomorrow and when I read Acts 13:25 (see also Mark 1:7) it made me ponder;

Is anyone worthy to unfasten the sandals of Christ?

This question brought to mind a story I heard somewhere about the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. She is pictured holding the baby Jesus in her arms. One of His tiny feet is bare, while the other has a dangling sandal that has been unfastened but not quite removed from His little foot. If anyone is worthy to unfasten the sandals of the feet of the Son of God, it is Mary, his mother.


She was specially prepared by God, through her immaculate conception, to be sinless, and therefore worthy to bear God's Son. Although she was without sin, at the same time, Mary was completely human. So, like any human mother, she cared for her little baby.


Just think! Mary put on and took off Jesus' little sandals. She probably unfastened them every day. God had prepared her to be worthy of that little task, and so many others. She did all the things a mother does for her baby. Except this baby was God—The Son of God, as well as her own human son.


Meditating on Jesus' tiny sandal pictured with Our Lady of Perpetual Help may be an appropriate digression from Paul’s discourse in Acts that I read tonight, since this is the month of May, traditionally devoted to honoring and understanding Mary. And understanding Mary is well worth doing. Because when Mary's role is clear, Christ's role is clear also. Mary always points us to her Son.

Mother of Perpetual Help, you have been blessed and favored by God.

We all need a bit of "Get up and Go!"

Prayer for the Day

Isaiah 6

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" "Here I am," I said; "send me!"

Isaiah 6:8

Reflection

In Acts 8:26-40, the angel of the Lord speaks to Philip and says, "Get up and head south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route."

 Now, that's a pretty specific command. Not only to get up and go, but exactly where to go. The angel didn't say why. And Philip didn't question why. (Would you question an angel of the Lord, after all?) The Scripture simply indicates Philip's response: "So he got up and set out."

We don't know what Philip was doing. Was he sleeping?  Having a “bit of the grape” with friends? Or taking care of something he considered important? Whatever it was, he put it aside in order to "get up and go," at the direction of the angel. He didn't lollygag around, waiting and wondering if it was worth taking the time or making the effort. He just obeyed.

The result was a wonderful, but unlikely scene. The Ethiopian eunuch is seated in his chariot while traveling home from Jerusalem. And as he journeys he is reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah. As we subsequently learn, he is reading without understanding the meaning of what he is reading. When I thought about this scene it struck me as strange. Today I can't think of anyone who, while going on a journey, would pass the time on a plane or train by reading a book that they couldn't understand. Obviously the next question is why was the eunuch reading Isaiah of all things?

It seems the Lord had prearranged the whole scenario, almost like a piece of ripe fruit ready to be harvested. All Philip had to do was obey the angel's command to get up and go. The Lord took care of the rest as it unfolded, and as Philip continued to obey Him.

How long had the eunuch been wondering about that Scripture?  St. Luke, who wrote the Acts of the Apostles, tells us that the eunuch had made the trip to Jerusalem to worship. Somehow he had heard about the one true God and that the great temple at Jerusalem was the most sacred place to worship God. Since he was a very important and powerful man in Ethiopia, he was able to arrange to journey to Jerusalem to see the temple and to worship there. He must have been very impressed with the temple and sincerely worshipped there. During his stay at the temple, the eunuch had obtained a copy of the prophecies of Isaiah the prophet. He began to read the prophecies on his homeward journey, but since he was not familiar with the writings and customs of the Jews, he was unable to understand the meaning of the text. But he seems to have had a sincere desire to know and understand the book of Isaiah.

Would he soon have given up trying to understand it, if Philip hadn't come along? Why had the Lord chosen that particular day and time for him to be enlightened? Was it because He knew He could depend on Philip to obey Him?

We don't know the answers to those questions any more than we know the mysteries of how God works. But we do know that the Lord is in control, and that He wants to use us to help Him in His work - if we cooperate and obey Him.

No matter where you are, the Lord has a plan for you to carry out. You may reach someone that the Lord is preparing now for an encounter with Him, using you. Chances are good you won't have to run up next to a moving chariot to do it, but the Lord will let you know what He wants.

Be attentive to His voice, and do your duty of the moment, no matter how mundane, and God will use you. Even taking out the garbage could lead to a chance encounter, or walking the dog, or getting coffee at work.  Anywhere you may be, if you "get up and go" and make an effort, the Lord will use you.

Just be aware that there is more going on with most people than meets the eye. But the Lord knows, and when you "get up and go" as He wishes, you're part of His master plan.

You may not always know when or how God uses you, at least not in this life. But be faithful to your vocation in life, be faithful to your daily duties, or perhaps an unusual circumstance once in a while, and you can be sure God will make good use of you - for His Kingdom.

God has a plan for each of us

Prayer for the Day

Dear Lord,

Help me keep you as the center of my life.  Help me to realize you are the Giver of all blessings; nothing comes to me unless it goes through your hands first. Thank you for all the blessings you have bestowed on my life. Help me use these blessings to bless those around me. Guide me on the path you’ve created for me.  Soften my heart, Lord; forgive my sins and rid me of temptations.  Amen

Reflection

Acts8:1-8

There are some people in the world that most of the rest of us consider to be truly evil.  For example, I think  Osama bin Laden falls in this category. There may even be someone you know personally that you would label this way.  But we should be careful when we think that some individual is nothing but evil, and unworthy of redemption.

Take, for instance, Saul. This man was probably thought of by first century Christians as pure evil. After witnessing the death of Stephen, Saul actively stalked Christians of the infant church, raiding their homes and businesses and casting them into jail. It is probably safe to assume that much of this persecution was done very violently with no respect to the lives or property of the persecuted.

But nothing is impossible for God! This very man, seemingly pure evil, was taken by the Lord and made the greatest of saints. In fact, if it wasn't for the work of Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, many of us might not be Christian today.

If there are people you know who seem to be as evil as they come, pray for them and don't lose hope. God uses those whom He chooses, even the worst of us. How blessed we are to have an all-powerful, all-forgiving God!

Filled with the Holy Spirit

Prayer for the Day

Spirit of wisdom and understanding, enlighten our minds to perceive the mysteries of the universe in relation to eternity. Spirit of right judgment and courage, guide us and make us firm in our baptismal decision to follow Jesus' way of love. Spirit of knowledge and reverence, help us to see the lasting value of justice and mercy in our everyday dealings with one another. May we respect life as we work to solve problems of family and nation, economy and ecology. Spirit of God, spark our faith, hope and love into new action each day. Fill our lives with wonder and awe in your presence which penetrates all creation. Amen.

Reflection

After my blog about my encounter with (now Blessed) Pope John Paul II the other day, Mom told me that what she remembered about that day was that I was "filled with the Holy Spirit".   Now here we are reading about the Apostles and other disciples of Christ who were truly filled with the Spirit in the first days of the early Church.

For obvious reasons, I have a real interest in the account of Stephen in the book of Acts.  I have chosen him to be the Patron Saint of this blog and I have often asked for his intercession when I have felt that my faith needed a “pick-me-up”.   There are so many ways to reflect on his story, as found in Acts 7:51 and following;

"But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God."

He was filled with the Holy Spirit.  Can you imagine being so full of the Holy Spirit that there is no more room for fears or doubts or malice or more importantly, temptation and sin?  No wonder he was able to summon the same courage to ask God to forgive his tormentors in an echo of what Jesus did on Good Friday!  (Luke23:34)  “Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’.”

Reading the passage further, and I could be wrong, but it seems in all other references throughout the Bible (and in the Creed), Jesus is "sitting" and not standing at the right hand of the Father.

So why was Jesus standing there when Stephen saw Him? Perhaps Jesus was standing to welcome His first martyr into His glory. Maybe He was standing so as to encourage Stephen in his speech to the unbelievers.  Could it be He was standing to give Stephen strength in the death he was soon to suffer?  Regardless of why the He was standing, we know that He was there waiting for His faithful servant who gave all he had in the service of his Lord.