Listening is only part of our obligation

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

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

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

**Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2223 

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

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

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

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

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

Then, today

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

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

1000 down! ???? to go?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Easy does it!

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

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

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

We are called to be disciples

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

 

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

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

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

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

Spiritual Gardening

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

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

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

A fitting day

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

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

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

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

Amen

Courage, child!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Not enough just to hear the word of the Lord

It is not enough to hear the word of the Lord. Don't be mistaken - hearing the word is a good start. But Jesus is very clear in Matthew 7:21-29 , "Everyone who listens . . . and acts. . . ." We hear, we listen, we pray, and then from that fullness of the word, we act.

Elsewhere in the gospels we learn that what comes out of the mouth of a person shows what His heart is full of. We speak from our hearts, even our idle and simple words. If our hearts are filled with love, then every word brings love to the hearers. If our hearts are filled with venom, then even the most loving words are poisoned by it.

So too, are our actions, which are working words. If our hearts are filled with the word of the Lord and with love for Him, then our actions bloom in that love and make it present to the world around it. But, if our hearts are filled with ourselves, then no matter how many words we hear, we will not act on them because they are not at our center.

Listen to what God speaks to you today in the gospel, at Mass, in prayer. Listen to His words, and then act on them.

Finding our courage in the Holy Spirit

Mom sent me an e-mail the other day asking me to pick up a new scapular for her before I see her again on Sunday.  So I went shopping at the religious goods store here in Fresno this afternoon and bought several for her to choose from.  I also picked up a couple of DVDs to watch, since I don’t have cable.  One of the DVDs I bought and watched tonight was “Acts of the Apostles”.  I really enjoyed it.  It is a dramatization of the Acts of the Apostles using the actual Scriptures…word for word!  Nothing was added.  It starred Dean Jones (yes, THAT Dean Jones) as Luke, who reads his account to fellow travelers as they sail toward an unnamed destination. 

As I was watching, I was struck by the courage of Peter, Paul, St. Stephen (of course), and all of the other early Christians as they boldly continued to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ even through persecution and martyrdom.  So tonight I think about the same courage many Christians and martyrs for the faith are enduring even today, in our age.  I think of and pray for those in other countries who are persecuted far worse than we in the US are.   At least we don’t have tanks on our doorsteps or fighter jets in the sky shooting missiles at us to persuade us to give up our faith.

But we are in the “infancy” of a real battle for our rights to practice our faith in good conscience.  We need to join in our bishops’ plea for a “Fortnight for Freedom.” 

Please take a few moments every night for the next two weeks (up to and including INDEPENDENCE DAY) to say the prayer below.  We must not allow our government to force anyone or any institution to violate their conscience!

Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty

O God our Creator,

Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit,

you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world,

bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel

to every corner of society.

We ask you to bless us

in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.

Give us the strength of mind and heart

to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;

give us courage in making our voices heard

on behalf of the rights of your Church

and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.

Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,

a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters

gathered in your Church

in this decisive hour in the history of our nation,

so that, with every trial withstood

and every danger overcome—

for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,

and all who come after us—

this great land will always be "one nation, under God,

indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

What a (great) day I had!

Yesterday was Father’s Day.  It was really more than I expected.  When I was a young boy and I would ask my mom or dad what they wanted for their birthday or “special” day, their response would sometimes be, “Nothing.  I have everything I want, especially you kids.”  I would think “Why would anyone turn down a present?” 

As I get older (and older and older) I really understand what they meant.  It’s nice to get presents but it’s nicer just to have the family’s presence around me, and to know that I make a real difference in their lives.  The cards I received from Marilyn, Alicia and Lily, Sarah, and Mom had sentiments I needed to hear. 

I was able to spend a quality day with Mom on Saturday, and go to Mass. (Where the most magnificent Presence surrounds me every week!).

On Sunday Marilyn, Alicia, and Lily took me to see a movie—Madagascar3.  I didn’t see, nor did I even know about Madagascar 1 or 2, but it was pretty funny.  Then we went up to Sacramento to meet with (as Lily says) SarahandTony (one word) to have dinner at a very nice restaurant. 

It was a perfectly relaxing day.  I’d like to have more of those. Well, there's always NEXT Father's Day! 

A potpourri post

I started several entries over the last few days, but time constraints (and my own lack of will-power) made it difficult to complete them.  Here's a sampling of what could have been great posts (IMHO):



I almost gave in today.  I did not want to abstain from meat.  I craved (of all things) a bologna sandwich for lunch!  On my way to Subway, I was actually dreading the fact that I would once again order either a tuna fish sandwich or a vegetarian sandwich.  “After all”, I said to myself, “it’s not a sin to eat meat on Fridays anymore.”  That led me to thinking about why I made the decision years ago to keep the Catholic tradition of meatless Fridays in the first place.  It’s not about me.  It’s about remembrance of the sacrifice Christ made for me on the Cross on that Friday 2 millennia ago.  So, tuna fish it was—“light on the tuna.” The bologna can wait until tomorrow.

********************************************************************

It often isn’t easy to speak to friends or family about our faith, but it is necessary.  Saint Paul tells us, “From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance” (2 Tim 4:8). I need to remember this the next time I'm a little uncomfortable talking to someone about my faith- in the end, it is all worth it.

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Having many things makes it difficult to depend upon God alone.  Being poor, and placing our lives in God's hands, allows us to keep everything in perspective and to give generously, "and not to count the cost.”

Lord Jesus, teach me to be generous;

teach me to serve you as you deserve,

to give and not to count the cost,

to fight and not to heed the wounds,

to toil and not to seek for rest,

to labor and not to seek reward,

except that of knowing that I do your will.

Amen.

-- St. Ignatius Loyola

We CAN handle the truth! (With Jesus' help!)

St. Paul tells each of us to "bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God."(2 Timothy 1: 1-3, 6-12) Every word in that directive is packed with meaning! Let's take a closer look at each word:

First, to "bear": This means to shoulder a specific burden, or to hold its weight.  Of course, this requires effort. Don't run away from carrying the inevitable burden that God requires of you as a Christian! Be a man of God - or a woman of God - and bear it!

What are you bearing?  Only "your share."  God wisely metes out only a share to you . . . not the whole thing.  And that portion is suited perfectly to you, even though you may not realize it. You may prefer something else - or something more - than Jesus intends for you to bear.  He gives you a particular "share" of hardship that is exactly the right type and size for you.  Sometimes a trusted friend or a good spiritual director can help you discern what "your share" actually is.

Next, the word "hardship. " Accepting Jesus and living by His commands - sooner or later - is always hard. It always requires sacrifice of some kind, big or small. You may want to do big things for God, but sometimes He asks for small sacrifices, the little things you think don't count. But remember: any difficulty, any sacrifice, always counts to God when we lovingly offer it to Jesus for the sake of His Kingdom. He will use it all, every tiny bit.

"The Gospel" is what it's all about. It is the ultimate Good News - intended to be lived, and shared with others.  It's for the sake of the Gospel that we bear hardship - and it's all worth it.

And finally, how can we possibly do all this? The answer, Paul says, is "with the strength that comes from God." Not our own puny human strength, thank goodness! Human strength is good, but it's not enough. You do it with the strength that God gives you - and that is always enough. You can count on it.

Not all rewards are fleeting

This may come as a surprise to some, but most of us are motivated by rewards.  When our children are good or do good things we usually give them some type of material reward, such as sweets, toys, or other simple items.  How many of us were thrilled in elementary school  to receive a gold star on a spelling test, or a maybe even a voucher for an ice cream cone at the local Baskin Robbins?

Even as we get out of school and enter the workplace, we still love it when we are rewarded with bonuses, paid time off, or other tangible incentives for doing just a little bit better than is expected. 

As we grow in wisdom (hopefully) we realize that these are not the rewards that matter. As adults, love, reassurance, realization that our families are healthy and happy, and an inner peace are some of the rewards that matter.

I think Peter was displaying this very human tendency when he asked Jesus how they (we) would be rewarded for following Him. (Mark 10:28-31)  Little did Peter know that one by one most of the apostles would experience martyrdom.

Promises of eternity, and endless friendship with God in the Holy Trinity, and all the saints and angels, are still difficult for us as humans to realize, but that's where our faith and trust come in. We are already experiencing eternity and God always holds us in the palm of His hand. What more could we ask?

What was I thinking???

I don’t get cable television in the apartment I stay at in Fresno and, quite frankly, even if I did the quality of programming these days is not to my taste.  Is it me, or is everything “reality TV”?  By that I mean is everything written to come off as “real” life?  The only show I watch with any regularity is “Storage Wars” and I watch it simply because of its campiness and humor.  I’ve been in the storage business for about 20 years now, and the only thing real about those “auctions” is the locations.  Before that show came on, the average price for an auctioned room would be about $35.  Now, even the crummiest rooms go for about $100.  I actually made $13,000 at one of my recent auctions!  But the customer who owned the 5 rooms that were auctioned off owed us about $15,000 dollars, so it was still a loss.

All of that chatter to set up the fact that I bought a DVD player for my TV so I can watch what I want to watch when I want to watch it from now on.   I went to the catholic goods store here in Fresno to see what they might have.  My favorite TV channel is EWTN, and they are always promoting DVDs that are produced to help one grow in the faith.  I thought I might find something to watch tonight.

There was not much of a selection, I’m sorry to say.  I did pick up two movies, however.  The first is titled, “Mary of Nazareth”.  Since it is “Mary’s month”, I thought it might be nice to watch a Marian-themed movie.  The other DVD I bought is “Romero”.  I bought it because one of Sarah’s Facebook posts yesterday mentioned him, and he’s been on my mind ever since.

I got home after dinner and decided to watch “Mary of Nazareth”.  I figured since I bought it in a catholic goods store, it would be fairly orthodox and at the very least treat Our Lady with respect and reverence.  After watching it I didn’t quite know what to think of it.  I have certain perceptions of the Holy Family and I often think about what everyday life was like in their household as Jesus was “learning” His humanity.  This video took some artistic license that I wouldn’t necessarily agree with, but it was not against Catholic teaching as I know it either.  For instance the “courtship” of Joseph and Mary was a bit off from my interpretation of traditional catholic teaching.  And as with any film that is based on all 4 of the Gospels instead of just one, the parables and miracles and important messages of Jesus, as well as the Passion of Christ were all mixed up as far as the chronology of those events was concerned.  And it treated the whole Bread of Life discourse (John 6) with a Protestant viewpoint, and way out of chronological and biblical order.

On the other hand, the film was just what I needed to wake me up.  I’ve been pretty dry in the meditation department lately when saying my rosary.  As I was watching, I thought “This movie is supposed to be about Mary.  Why are they concentrating on Jesus so much?”  Sometimes I’m just so dense.  I’m the one who’s always spouting off about saying the rosary and why Mary asks us to say it.  It’s not about her.  It’s all about HIM. That’s enough for now.  I have to say my rosary.   

Sinners and slackers (all said in jest, of course)

Man!  Try to pay someone a compliment and what do you get?  "You'd better get to confession, Mister!"

I guess I was a tad generous with the amount of prayers I attributed to Mom in my post last week.  I figured she had said over 1 million prayers on behalf of her family over the last 10 years.  That was based on 5 rosaries a day.  Without getting into semantics, she clarified for me that she had days when she wasn't feeling well, or in a hospital, or had some other good reason for not saying more than one rosary a day.  Because she is a member of the Legion of Mary and consecrated to Our Lady through St. Louis De Montefort, she does say at least one set of Mysteries per day.  

So let's rework the numbers with just ONE rosary a day.  Remember there are a minimum of 66 prayers when a rosary is recited--53 Hail Marys, 6 Glory Bes, 6 Our Fathers, the Hail, Holy Queen, and 5 Fatima prayers.  Oops!  That's 71 prayers.  So 71 prayers times 7 days is 497 per week.  Multiply that by 52 weeks and you've said 25,844 prayers per year.  We'll go back 10 years (although I KNOW Mom has been saying the rosary probably since she could speak).  So in the last 10 years, she's only said about a quarter of a million prayers.  What a slacker!  (I only wish I could do as well.)

Will you accept His Grace?

Chapter 18 of the Acts of the Apostles speaks about how it is by grace that some people in Achaia came to believe in the Gospel.

That grace is involved in having faith isn't too hard to imagine, but why some people seem to have it and believe and others seemingly don't leaves me to question, "Why?"

Does God choose with whom He will share Himself, (which is a definition of grace), including some and excluding others? If so, how then would someone to whom God doesn't appear to give grace to ever hope to be saved?

The answer is simple and easy to remember, it is not just by grace that we are saved, but by our acceptance of God's grace.

Free will leaves us the terrible option to reject God's saving help that is always there, always eager to be poured out for us.  The fault then is never God's, but our own.

As Jesus says in John’s Gospel, Chapter 16: 

"Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.  Until now you have not asked anything in my name.   Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

A simple prayer that Mary gave to us at Fatima to say at the end of each decade of the rosary embodies Jesus’ teaching here:

"O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell. And lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy."

 Who, O Lord, needs Thy mercy most? Those who would refuse Your help.

Crunching numbers

I’ve thought a lot this week about my Mom.  Not just because last Sunday was Mother’s Day, but because I’m grateful she’s such a warrior when it comes to prayers.  I drag myself back to the apartment some nights and though the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak as I try to get a rosary said.  At least twice this week, I have fallen asleep at about the 3^rd Mystery.  When I am startled awake in the middle of the night I try to pick up where I left off, but after the 2^nd Hail Mary I’m gone to dreamland again!

Mom, on the other hand, has a regular regimen.  She has prayed the Liturgy of the Hours every day for as long as I can remember.  She says a minimum of 4-6 rosaries a day, and the Divine Mercy prayers every day at 3 pm.  Every time I talk to her, she’s telling me about another Novena she has started to one particular saint or another on behalf of her children or grandchildren.   At her age (93) she considers it her “job”, and she has rarely “called in sick”.  When she has had problems keeping her schedule, she works twice as hard the next few days to “catch up.”

I have a few images that come to mind when I think about Mom praying for others.  When on a commercial airliner, usually while taxiing to the runway, the stewardesses will explain the safety features of the aircraft.  In case of the loss of cabin pressure, the oxygen masks will drop from the ceiling above you.  You are supposed to put your own mask on first, then help the others around you, especially the small children and elderly.  Her rosaries and novenas are not for HER sake, but for those of us who haven’t put our own masks on yet and expressed our love of God and neighbor through the prayers our Blessed Mother has asked us to pray.  And has Mom been busy!

  

I ran the numbers.  Let’s consider just the rosaries she has said.  She usually says about 5 to 6 rosaries a day.  Let’s be conservative and say 5.  That’s 35 rosaries a week, 140 a month or 1,680 per year.  I know she’s been on this regimen for at least the last 10 years (probably 20, but we’re being conservative, remember?), so that’s 16,800 rosaries said on the behalf of her family in just the last 10 years!  If you break it down to individual petitions—after all, a prayer is a petition for intercession—there are 53 Hail Marys,  6 Our Fathers, and 6 Glory Bes to every rosary, in addition to the Hail Holy Queens (1).  That’s a total of 66 individual prayers during each rosary.  Are you ready for the total number of prayers she has said in the last 10 years?  Drum roll, please……..     1,108,800. That’s over ONE MILLION prayers, boys and girls! 

That leads me to the second image I get when I think of Mom and her persistence.  As Jesus said in Matthew 18:10 our angels are not only with us every minute of every day but also face-to-face with God, Himself, presenting our petitions, joys and anxieties to Him. 

With numbers like these, I think George (that's what Mom calls her guardian angel) deserves a raise, or at least a new pair of running shoes! 

Her prayer life also brings me the image of the parable in Luke18:1-9.  You’ll have to look it up.  I’m very tired right now, and I haven’t said my rosary yet! 

A ten step program for happiness

As a child, I understood rules would help me make better decisions.  The commandments helped me determine right from wrong.  They were made up with things to do, and things not to do.  Willfully crossing some of those lines as a young adult did not bring me more happiness.  Eventually, and through the grace of Jesus Christ I wandered back towards following the commandments, and not too surprisingly I found happiness again.

Jesus summed up all of those commandments which have become ingrained in my being, when He said, “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.”  He simplified it, but it is not so simple to live.  Jesus reasoned no one has greater love than to lay down their life for their friend, and He called us and we listened we are friends.  He did lay down His life for His friends.  He further explained that He had passed on all the wisdom from the Father, as a friend He is helping us live so as to find true happiness.  This wisdom continues to be communicated through the Holy Spirit. We need to remember Jesus told us He would not leave us orphans.

But this commandment, “Love one another” remains my more constant failing.  Sometimes I fail to love my family, my friends, and other people who disagree with me on a multitude of issues.  With Jesus’ teachings and all the fine examples of earthly people who lived saintly lives, I still fail to follow this simple commandment.  So, I remain a student of this teaching, conscious of my shortcomings and observing others who seem to love the unlovable.  It has been the subject of many a confession session.  To be able to see “Jesus” in each person, as Mother Theresa did is still my dream.