Creatures of Habit

Most days, our lives are generally the same. Each day is woven together by a string of the routine and familiar. We set our alarm clocks to awaken at the same time, hit the snooze alarm the same number of times, get up out of bed on the same side, have the same breakfast each morning, catch the same train each morning, see the same faces who are following their same routines.

 

We are creatures of habit and it ain't pretty when things don't go the way they are "supposed" to go.  You know what life is like when your spouse gets up on the wrong side of the bed or when you just miss the 6:11 train or when the coffee cart isn’t there on the corner like it normally is!

 

There is something good about routines and habits. They help us make some sense of the chaotic, keep us moving in a good and orderly way, meet expectations and responsibilities and in our own little corners of the world way, give us a sense of control. Yet because we are fallen, even the good stuff can get, well, messed up. This can happen in extreme ways, such as obsessive-compulsive disorders in which the sufferer is compelled to wash her hands 20 times a day or must wear the color red at all times or someone must go to the gym every day and exercise for 3 hours, without fail. My own mother, out of fear of living alone with her small children, would patrol the house nightly to ensure that all of the windows and doors were locked and secured, not once, or twice, or even three times. She would do so all night long. The operative word here is “fear.”

  

Let’s face it: this isn’t a safe world. We need not read the terrible headlines screaming on the front pages to know that. Most accidents happen at home, which is considered by most to be the safest place on earth, a refuge from the cold, cruel world. Even Paradise wasn’t safe.  How could that be? After all, it was Paradise.  Yet, trouble walked in (or slithered in) and life hasn't been the same since.  Despite the most orderly 6-days of Creation, each element Creation coming into existence through the Word step by step, day by day, chaos and disaster were right around the corner and at the feet of Adam and Eve. No, this world has never been a safe place. And when our primordial parents made the choice to take that bite, we became all too familiar with fear.

 

Did you know that in The Bible. we are told don't not fear over 360+ times. That's quite a bit! In fact, we are given this direction even more than we are told to love!

   

How can this be? Are we not told that God is Love and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves? Isn't the life of the Christian one of sacrificial love? Well, of course. John tells us that: "In this is love: not that we have loved, but that God has loved us." We are also reminded by Jeremiah, "even if a mother should forget her child, I will never forget you." Yet, the Bible speaks more to us about relinquishing fear than of loving!

 

Let us consider the moment of the Anunciation, when the angel Gabriel comes to Mary: "Hail, full of grace...." She is then told to "have no fear" for the Lord had found favor with Her and he then spoke the words of what God had intended for Her: the conception and Virgin Birth of Emmanuel - God is With Us! In such a case, fear would be absolutely valid, indeed. Angels are beings from a higher spiritual plane and are brilliant and mighty.  Yet, it was not the angel or its presence, but the words spoken which troubled her.  We are told The Lord had His Eye on Her and He wanted Her to do something. I don't know about you, but I would have some anxiety about this. Yet, had She remained in that fear, would She have been able to say the most amazing words ever uttered by a creature, "Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to your word?" Mary heard the message that the Lord was with Her and She believed, She trusted, She wholeheartedly gave Herself to the Will of God. She looked not to Herself, but to the Lord through the words of His messenger and as a result, She conceived the Word Incarnate; Her body was literally inhabited by Love Himself.   Profundity and fecundity sublime! 

 

Fear, particularly in the form of worry and anxiety, is fostered when we look to ourselves for the answers, when we think we are in control of our world. As in the case of Adam and Eve, fear arose in them after they had eaten the fruit for they had looked to themselves rather than God for the answers.  This emotion (and many other terrible things) entered into the world as a direct result of doing just that. And then what did they do? They hid from Love Itself and then started pointing fingers at each other. They could not love for they had not first turned to God Who is Love.

 

Our Lord experienced this fear on our behalf during His Passion for He took on our sins and all of its awful wages. Yet, He did not look to Himself, but rather the Father to Whom He was obedient, even unto death, trusting at the moment of His death that He would be received into the Father's Hands. Even though His life looked like a complete failure to the world, He knew that life in the Father's Hands would bear much fruit. In this case, the salvation of all those who accept Him. It is through this Trust that salvation was won.

   

In this world filled with wars, rumors of wars, stress, debt, betrayal, illness and all other kind of human suffering, the question we must ask ourselves is, Whose hands are we going to put ourselves into? Will we look to ourselves for the answers? Will we handle it on our own and make our own choices? We are doing an awful lot of that and yet nothing is getting any better.  Rather, we find ourselves following our first parents in our choices and habits, even though they are a recipe for sorrow. 

Instead, we must cast ourselves at the feet of Our Lord on the Cross and in the arms of Our Lady of Sorrows Who, through obedience, love and trust, brought about the salvation of all those who will follow. 

Such is a habit worth forming.   

 

Consider how you might place your life in God's Hands and weave reliance on the Father into the fabric of your everyday life.  For those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose, even if you miss the 6:11!

A Thorny Issue

It was a beautiful mid-July day, a bit less humid than usual and so I impulsively decided that it was a day to do the things that I had been putting off....power-washing the exterior of the house and cleaning the dreaded windows!

After that was accomplished, I felt energized and went on to do some weeding.  There were two 4-ft tall stalks growing along the side of the house and every morning as I look outside the kitchen window, I see them, taunting me.   If I let them be,  I am convinced that eventually a boy named Jack would appear and decide to climb them.  So, again impulsively, I  decide to hack at them, armed with the kitchen scissors.  The right tools make all the difference....anyway, I encountered another type of growth which I didn't expect nor realized was present: brambles replete with thorns.  

In typical fashion, I started to go after them unprepared - this time, without any gloves (those who take on projects impulsively rarely are armed appropriately) and those thorns did what they were made to do:  they stopped me in my tracks.   Ok, I wasn't giving up and now armed with protective gloves and the kitchen scissors, I began the pruning process.  Despite wearing thorn-fighting gear and renewed caution, I found myself completely caught up in the thorns and various parts of my body being impaled on the small yet ferocious probes.  I was trapped and in pain.....and as I breathed in deep breaths of shock, all I could think about, other than my stupidity, was our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Call me crazy, but thorns always lead me to think of Christ.

His Passion - from the sublime fear of the Garden Gethsemane to the brutal scourging to His Walk on the Via Dolorosa to the Crucifixion and Death - is indelibly etched in the Christian mind.  It is through His Passion and His Resurrection on the third day that Jesus Christ, the Son of the God, the Lamb of God, saved those who know and love Him from sin and death.   Protestants recount this upon Bible readings and at Sunday services.  Catholics, in particular, remember and re-present His Sacrifice through the Mass where we are spiritually yet very concretely brought back to Cavalry to stand at the foot of the Cross.    Yet, despite what is actually taking place there, we can very much lose touch or become desensitized to the gravity of what our Lord underwent to secure for us eternity with Him, His incredible charity and mercy.    "This is My Body and Blood given up for you" recall His Passion and bring the Mass goers back to Golgotha.  Yet, many fail to comprehend the gravity of those words - the incomprehensible Sacrifice offered by God Himself -  and so much is lost.   Yet, all is not lost forever if we only but remember.

As a thorn pushed its way into my thumb, the suddenness and intensity of the pain rendered me unable to breathe.   Then another into my thigh.   Man, I was in trouble.  Fortunately, I was able to remain calm and work my way out of the sticky situation.

Once freed and recovered, I stood back and looked at the barbed wire.  Thoughts came to me of the ram on Mount Moriah, caught in the brambles; the sacrifice which God had provided to Abraham in place of Isaac.  That ram and Isaac, forever bound as  prefigurements of the Son Who is the Lamb of Sacrifice, Jesus Christ.

The Lamb of Sacrifice, the Lamb of God - the Crown He wore was not one of gold or evergreens, but of thorns, pressed down into his skull, in mockery and cruelty.  Suffering beyond comprehension.  Yet, unlike me who cursed and swore and did all I could to get out of the pain, He endured silently like a sheep being led to the slaughter, He Who alone is the Holy One.  He Who could call upon a legion of angels to defend Him (and, if human beings wrote this story, you know they would and kick some butt, too!), did not - no.  He through Whom all things were made placed Himself in the hands of His creation, from His Conception and Birth to His Passion and Death.  Imagine, that the instruments of His Death were members of His Creation!  Yet, instead of cursing and condemning, He implored from the Cross, "Father, forgive them.  They know not what they do!"   Stories of ancient nomads - oh give me a break.

Evening arrived, all of the gardening was done and I felt the stings and pangs from my interlude with the thorns.  None of them were terribly deep and so would not likely scar and there is always cocoa butter just in case.  In a few days, these nicks would heal and be forgotten, no longer a part of me.  Yet, Jesus Glorified retains His Wounds.  So real and vibrant are they that Thomas could put his hand in Jesus' side and exclaim, "My Lord and my God!"   Have you ever considered that Jesus  - the Son of God - is the only one in Heaven who will retain His Wounds?  In His magnificent justice and mercy, He retains them so that we can know and recognize Him as the Truth; that He will eternally be the Union of Heaven and earth, of God and man.   And God doesn't love us?

     

St. Paul tells us that we can know God through His creation.  We look around and see its magnificence and words of the hymn come to mind, "Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the works Thy Hands have made.  I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed...How great Thou Art!"   Yet, there are more to St. Paul's words. Since it is through Christ that all of creation has come into being, we must see our individual life and its ups and downs in light of Him.  All of creation thereby takes on a new meaning, a renewed and eternal purpose.  By Jesus, the Son of God, becoming Man, He joins Heaven and Earth, God and man.   With His Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension (Glorified Jesus enters Heaven), we are now a new creation for He is the New Man that we are all called to be through Him.  I live this new life through worship and obedience to His Will for my life and by caring for all those whom I encounter. I see my life through His Life and even the seemingly most insignificant experiences are renewed.  Everything is an opportunity to encounter the Risen Christ.

Even getting caught up in thorns.

O Sacred Head Surrounded

How Wonderful is Your Life?

Thanksgiving is just two weeks ago and we stand on the precipice of what is commonly known as the holiday season, replete with all the cultural contributions and contrivances.   One of the better ones which emanated post WWII is the well-loved movie, "It's a Wonderful Life." To recap, it is the story of George Bailey, a man with dreams of travel and adventure who, step by step, puts his dreams on hold for the sake of others. Instead of “shaking the dust of this crummy old' town” (Bedford Falls), he marries Mary (“the kind who will help you find the answers”),settles down to raise a family and help keep the Building Saving and Loan afloat and out of the hands of wicked and ruthless Mr. Potter. He falls upon misfortune and he comes to the end of his rope, contemplates suicide and wishes he was never born. An angel-in-training is sent to help George understand just how vitally important his life was and how drastically different the lives around would have turned out without him. 

Yes, it is the stuff of great movie. Interestingly, the movie was not a box office success nor critically acclaimed. Director Frank Capra has stated that he made this movie for the downtrodden of life....for those who felt overlooked and worthless....the unseen, unwanted and forgotten.
 
George Bailey is given a blessing beyond blessings...to see what life would be like without him. Have you ever considered what life would be like without you?  I know I have had moments when I would just “die”.   At these moments, I really don’t want to die, I just don’t want to face whatever challenge or failure that is in front of me.   But what George asks for is something altogether different.  If you try to think about it, I think you will find that it isn't something we can really imagine for ourselves, at least not in its fullest sense. Like George, our vision is myopic. We see only from one perspective and whether we are in trouble or experiencing success, we really cannot fully know it unless we share it with others.  In fact, it is through the lives of others that George sees just why he was here and how all those choices he made impacted those around him and ultimately the future of Bedford Falls.
 
The interesting wish that George makes is that he wishes he was never born. Never born.  Here in the United States, over 60 million people have "never been born" since 1973. And the ending of these lives goes on largely unseen, done in clinics with the words "women's health" hung in the window. These 60 million+ are unwanted by their mothers or fathers. They have no names, no burial plots, no death certificates. How could they? They are the never born! They are therefore forgotten. Unseen, unwanted, unknown, forgotten, people. Hmmm, where have I heard these words before?
 
We cannot know with the great detail as was granted to George Bailey what impact these never born people would have had on society through their individual lives. Yet, we can know how their never-born status has had on the lives around them and at large. The voices of "Silent No More" will again be heard on the steps of outside of the Supreme Court this coming January, after the March for Life. These are the cries of women and men - mothers and fathers - who have suffered profoundly from abortion. The memory of their actions haunts them day after day. You cannot forget your abortion, the blood on your hands. Science tells us that after an abortion, fetal cells travel throughout the mother's bloodstream. (Lifesite.com).   

George Bailey’s dreams of travel to distant lands and making millions of dollars are never realized.   He chooses to remain, to assist, to give up, to attend, to work.   He sees his father’s battles with Potter from the time he was a boy and he carried it with him.  He saw the people of the town and felt the stories of their lives and wanted very much to help them realize their dreams, albeit much smaller than George’s!   In doing so, George lived and felt very deeply the humanity around him, and he lays down his life (sometimes begrudgingly) to provide hope.   George lets go of his fantasies and dreams of “more” and  he lives a life that is far more alive than he can imagine.  Painfully alive.   This is why it is such a wonderful life – not that it is all hearts and flowers and sunshine; not that there is wealth; heck, not even that we have friends; but that we human beings have the capacity and fullness of being through our Heavenly Father that we can both receive and give love; inasmuch as we do so, we become more and more like our Heavenly Father, we become more alive.  Painfully alive. 

So many people believe that having a baby will “ruin” their lives:  their dreams will be lost, their beautiful bodies marred, career goals put on hold, less money.  They believe that by not having another child, they will be happy, they will have….  Our culture tells us this constantly.   We must have, we must achieve our goals, must be successful.  We are constantly looking to go over the rainbow.  Yet, even Dorothy finds that her happiness is right in front of her and as the result of her wanderings and myopia, she nearly loses those around her and is herself nearly killed.   Stop and think about your life. What has made moments in it so memorable, worthwhile, heck even wonderful?   Guaranteed these moments involved someone you loved; moments in which you forgot about yourself and your dreams and demonstrated true love – compassion (to suffer with) – towards another.   These are the moments in which we are truly living, we are most alive, we are fully human.  Consider the words of our Savior, Jesus Christ, “He who seeks his life will lose it; he loses his life for my sake, will find it.”  “I came that they might have life and have it in abundance.”

The ultimate tragedy of abortion, I believe, is the lie it keeps on telling women, men, society at large.   The lie that if I “terminate this ball of tissue,” I will be happy.  I will find fulfillment.  I will be ok and no one will be hurt by it.   It perpetuates a state of disillusionment and detaches us from the reality of what it means to be a human being.   To be human is to love (for we are made by Love in Love to Love for Love) and to love, as our Lord Jesus Christ, shows us, is to lay down one’s life for others.   Anything else is contrary to love, contrary to what it means to be human.

And so our friend, George Bailey, sees what his life is all about – love of others – and he is saved and all because of a bumbling angel-in-training, Clarence, who cares enough to take a risk and dive in (literally).  He isn’t quite sure how or what he is going to do, but he listens to George, stays with him and step by step leads him to the Truth.  

We pray for all those who have suffered as a result of abortion, directly or indirectly.   In and through Jesus, there is forgiveness, hope and healing.      May there be more Clarences, who, though stumbling and bumbling, have the purity of heart to help shine light on the darkness that is “pro-choice.”    And for those little discarded ones, our Lord’s promise: “If even a mother should forget her child, I will never forget you.”

PS:  Frank Capra got it wrong at the end of this most wonderful movie.  The message from Clarence should have read, "No man is a failure who lays down his life for the sake of others."

I've Got Song in My Heart....

In the Book of Psalms, there are 150 individual "songs of praise" of which the majority are attributed to King David whom Sacred Scripture refers to as the "sweet singer of Israel" (2 Kings 23:1).

The Book of Psalms is the most widely-read Book of the Bible and it is no wonder:  filled with intense cries to God, the Psalms express the vast horizon of human experience and emotions, from fear to joy, desolation to fulfillment, despair to hope, failure to success, wantonness to holiness, death to life. They were (and continue to be) used by The Church extensively in prayer and praise, as well as for instruction and understanding of The Lord.

Jesus Himself prayed the Psalms.  In fact, Scripture records that, of all of the Old Testament, it is the Psalms that Jesus quotes most often - 11 times (followed by Deuteronomy, Isaiah and Exodus, in that order); arguably, most notably and palpably from the Cross, He quotes (Douay Rheims) Psalm 21:1:  "My God, my God, why have Your forsaken me?"   It is the tradition of the Church that He cried out not only these words, but the entire Psalm as He endured His Most Sorrowful Passion. 

In those times, a rabbi was only as good as his teacher and as such, would refer to him when giving a lesson. It was never on his own authority that the teacher would speak.   However, when Jesus spoke the Word, He did so with such authority as had never been heard previously (see Luke 4:16-30 and Mark 1:21-28).  He referred to no other authority except His Father in Heaven. 

After all, Jesus is The Word Made Flesh. 

"In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God.

He was with God in the beginning.

Through Him, all things came into being; not one thing came into being except through Him.

What has come into being in Him was life, life that was the light of men,

And light shines in the darkness and darkness could not overpower it."  - John 1:1-5

It would do us well to meditate on the power and majesty of The Word Made Flesh reading/praying The Word!  It is no wonder the demons would tremble at the sight of Him; that the raging seas would calm; that the deaf would hear, the blind would see, the lame would walk.   

Of all of the Psalms, there is likely none more beloved than Psalm 22 (Douay-Rheims):

"The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want!

He makes me lie down in green meadows;

He leads be besides restful waters, He refreshes my soul.

He leads me along the path of righteousness for His name sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil

For you are beside me.

Your rod and staff comfort me.

You set a table before me in the sight of my foes,

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows!

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life

And I shall dwell in the House of the Lord forever!"

It is no wonder why this Psalm is so beloved. Its rich and earthy imagery rises into a crescendo of faithful and trusting thanksgiving which both stirs and stills the soul...leading one to sing a song of praise!  Psalm 22 is often prayed in times of trouble for it reveals the saving Hand of God, The Good Shepherd who cares for His flock and will leave the 99 in search of the one lost sheep, the bounty of His love and intense interest and care for His little ones.

Though not recorded in Scripture, it is certain that our Lord prayed this Psalm.  Reflect for a moment on our Lord "singing" this Psalm during His Agony at Gethsemane...."You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows"  or as He bore the Cross unto Calvary..."Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.." or as He hung on the Cross..."You set a table before me in the sight of my foes..."   These very words written by Him and through Him as The Word, now prayed by Him as The Word Made Flesh, the God-man, both God and man....like us in every way, except sin and yet Divine, during His Passion.  Again, another point of contemplation and meditation.  

The reality of our Lord is beyond our comprehension and yet as the Baltimore Catechism tells us, we are given this wonderful gift of life "to "know, love and serve God."  To know Him is to love Him;  to love Him is to serve Him; to serve Him is to know and love Him.  In praying the prayers written by The Word, the songs of praise which He not only wrote but prayed and sang, we are given a most excellent way in coming to know Jesus Christ and when we pray, when we sing, we do so in unity as The Body of Christ, together in through and with Him and all who believe.  

Many inspired and lovely hymns have been written based upon the Psalms.  I include one selection here based on Psalm 22. 

The song of the lips is most lovely when it is first a song in the heart.  In praying the Psalms and hearing the Word of God, I pray that the music of your heart may be stirred, igniting the deep desire which has been placed within each of us for our Almighty and Eternal God. 

How awesome is it that the Creator of the human heart has also given us the words and means with which to stir and enflame it with love for Him, the Author of the human heart!

It just makes me want to sing!

The King of Love My Shepherd Is

I've Got My Head in the Clouds

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us, and persevere in the running the race that lies before us." - Hebrews 12:1

When the leaves change hue and the pumpkins abound, Catholics know that it will soon be November 1st, the day the Church celebrates all those tested and faithful men and women who have gone before us, the countless souls who "have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb."   -  Revelation 7:9

These are the everyday people, those recognized officially by the Church as Saints and those countless people who have not been officially recognized but are known by God to have loved Him and served Him during their earthly lives. Coming from all walks of life, societal position, nationality and race, they lived lives of faith, hope and charity in spite of personal circumstances, sinfulness and human weakness.  

In our culture, we have extolled the accomplishments of those who succeed in the things of man. We have the business heroes such as Carnegie, Ford, Gates; the sports heroes like Thorpe, Ruth and Jordan; the heroes of music such as Mozart, Presley and Pavarotti; the heroes of the arts such as Michaelangelo, Picasso and Max; the heroes of innovation, such as Carver, Edison and Gates; the heroes of adventure such as Earhardt, Roosevelt (Teddy) and Branson; the heroes of liberty, such as Jefferson, Anthony and Parks.   The list goes on and on and it is right and good that we admire such accomplishment, for in doing so, we ultimately give praise to God for it is from Him that these abilities are granted.  We also recognize these men and women for using these gifts so effectively and in doing so have brought joy and inspired generations.

Yet, achievements in the things of this world and those who achieved them will, in time, be forgotten and fade away, for all things of this world are passing away.

The saints whom we honor on the great Feast of All Saints, though many have been successful in the things of this world, excelled in the lasting things, the things of God.   And what are those things of God? 

Here are some ideas given to us by Jesus Himself:

"Repent!  The Kingdom of God is at hand."

"Go and sin no more."

"Your faith has saved you!"

"Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me." 

"Anyone who wishes to follow me must deny himself, pick up his cross daily and come after me." 

"Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."

"Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and these things will be given to you." 

"I desire mercy not sacrifice." 

The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew Chapters 6 & 7 detail the life of the disciple, the pathway of the saint.   As the Baltimore Catechism tells us, God made us to "know, love and serve Him in this life so that we can be happy with Him in Heaven."   That means that everyone of us has been created by God to become saints.  Not sure what you are doing here?  Let me say it again:   Our purpose, yours and mine,  in this life is to be saint.  A saintly woman of our times, Mother Angelica, advised us, "We are all called to be great saints.  Don't miss the opportunity!"

I know, I know...this all seems very highfalutin' and most difficult to attain...yet, if God made us to be so, well then it is something that must be possible for He is a loving God and wants our ultimate happiness and fullness of being.  As Jesus tells us, "Nothing is impossible for God."

I think many of us, both those who are in the Church and those who are not, are confused about being a disciple, a follower, a lover of Jesus Christ (aka a saint).  We think that we have to become someone else, that we have to walk around being miserable, not smiling, that we can't eat or smile or laugh.   I know when considering the Saints, I have often felt discouraged because I am not like them, at least the ones I have read about. However, I must remember that God Himself created me and is well-aware of everything I think and do, even before I am!  Don't believe me?  Read Psalm 138 (139 in non-Douay Rheims Bibles).   He knows the gifts and abilities He has given me.  He knows of the shortcomings and temptations that are mine, all mine.  He knows my temperament.  He even knows that I don't like lima beans and eggplant!  He KNOWS... and so He does not expect me to be Teresa or Francis or Anthony or Joan. He wants me to be me, but as He created me to be - free, living as a child of God!! As St. Irenaeus stated, "The glory of God is man full alive and the life of man is the vision of God."

I think we often look at the life of the faithful Christian in the wrong way.  It isn't about being bogged down and punished, all sad and miserable.  As St. Teresa of Avila prayed, "God save us from sour-faced saints!"  Rather, it is about being free - free from the weight of my own sinfulness, free from self-absorption, free from vain and empty desires that will not bring me lasting happiness, free from the opinions of fickle mankind, free from my own fears, free from the hurts others have caused, free from the desire to hurt others or seek revenge, free from believing that my worth as a human being is based upon how much money I have or how many letters I have after my name, free from all those things that trouble my mind and prevent me from living and loving as He created me to do!

The life of the saint, the path of discipleship, is about turning away from (repenting) the things that are heavy and burdensome (sin and disordered desires) and turning towards Life Itself: Jesus Christ, He Who came to set us free from our sins so that we may be like Him, to have fullness of life, to live in the Kingdom of God and to share in His Life!  No longer living "according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit" which is the giver of life and peace, we are children of God, thereby heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if we are willing to follow Him for love of Him. 

The life of the saint is not a walk in the park.  Jesus never promised us a rose garden. 

For, though we are redeemed by Christ, we are still living here in this broken world and suffer the effects of sin..."all of creation is groaning in labor pains even until now...and we await the redemption of our bodies." - Romans 8:22, 23.   There will still be labor, much labor, for the one who desires life with God. Yet, this labor will not be for things that will pass away, but rather, in cooperation with Jesus, for our own salvation and that of the world, so that we will be united with Him here in spirit and, after this life,  in Heaven eternally:  to see the Face of God and dwell with Him forever!  While Jesus is the Redeemer, in His incredible Love He desires that we share, take part  in His Plan for our salvation.  He doesn't need our help, but wants us to have a share in His joy.  A good way to help explain this is as follows:  Say a father has a heavy cart to push.  His child asks if he can help.  Now, Dad does not need his help...he is Dad, after all.  He's strong and he's got this, but he knows and loves his child; that in "helping" Dad push the cart, this will strengthen the child's character, sense of self-worth, give him a sense of accomplishment and self-sacrifice and nourish the bond of love between the two.   Well, if we who are wicked know how to give good things to those we love, how much more our Father in Heaven, who alone is good, will give to us!

People work long back-breaking hours to attain the goods of this earth.  Now, there is nothing wrong with using one's abilities and earning a good living.  This is admirable, but we must remember that trophies tarnish, monuments crumble, records are broken, memories fade and operating systems break down.  To place our life's worth and all of our time and energy into the attainment of life's pleasures will only bring temporary gratification for that is the way of this world.  Nothing lasts and we are doomed a life of frustration, constant striving and unrest and we say to ourselves, "is that all there is" if that is where our hearts lie.

The Saints we honor on All Saints Day knew this and they based their lives upon it.  They did not work to attain earthly accomplishments, but in their everyday lives, whether a housewife or a King, they "sought the Kingdom of God and His righteousness" for the love of God, for the good of others and for the hope of Heaven. They did not do this alone, but rather by placing their burdens upon the Lord as He so gently commanded: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, my burden light."- Matthew11:28-30.  In doing so, they faced challenges great and small, seen and unseen, overcoming themselves and the opposition of the "world and the flesh."  Many suffered terrible martyrdom, but most suffered the everyday disappointments and hurts that we can all relate to in our own lives.

We are each called according to the Plan God has for each one of our lives.  "For I know well the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare and not your woe, so that you may have a future of hope."  Jeremiah 29:11   The Saints, in trusting the Lord, knew that "all things work for the good for those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose." -  Romans 8:28   

This good is ultimately to share in the Life of God, both in part while here on Earth and then, in its fullness in Heaven.  "At present, we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face." - 1 Corinthians 13:12

As in Heaven as on Earth, the saint will receive recognition of his striving love.  Not a trophy or medal, but a new name inscribed in white stone chosen and known only by God  (see Revelation 2:17).

But even more so, he will receive the ultimate crown of victory:  eternal life with God in Heaven where "God Himself will always be with them (His people).  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order and passed away." - Revelation 21:3-4

All the Saints in Heaven, thank you for your witness and example. for you are the heroes of eternity. Pray for us that we may follow the path that our Lord has chosen for us to come to know, love and serve Him in this life so as to be happy with Him forever in the next.  Pray for the Exultation of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.  

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you.  Save souls. 

St. Laura, pray for us.

St. Ann, pray for us.

St. Teresa, pray for us.

St. Mary Magdelene, pray for us.

All you Saints in Heaven, pray for us.

Now, for your enjoyment, a little Louis Armstrong and his band.....

When The Saints Go Marching In

Rolling in the Deep

We've all heard the expression, "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." I think it is attributed to John Lennon. Or was it, "We make plans and God laughs." Regardless, most of us go through our lives with a certain course charted, routines to follow, disciplines to maintain, jobs to do. And quite often, we go through the motions of our lives and often get so caught up in our routines that we could almost walk through the day blindfolded. Routines are not bad; they certainly serve a purpose and help to keep things in order. Yet so often, we keep doing the same things over and over again, that life can become like white noise; humming along, our awareness becomes dulled to possibilities.  I am sure it was no different for the disciples of Jesus Christ. 

Consider Peter and the others when Jesus came onto their boat and told them to try something different -  "Go cast your nets out into the deep."   Now, they were tired after having been out all day and probably not in the frame of mind to haul back out there onto the sea just to be disappointed. Let's not get our hopes up! The Scripture does not indicate it, but I imagine there was some pretty foul language  and grumbling coming out of Simon's mouth. After all, he was from Galilee (those from that region were not highly regarded) and a fisherman - a tired fisherman to boot! Think about how you feel at the end of a hard day. Do you really want to hear someone tell you that you did it wrong and need to go try it again, but this time, go out even farther? Do more?  Again? Poor Simon. I think he gets a bum rap. We hear that he is impetuous, impatient, arrogant and narrow-minded. Ok, that may be true, but despite this, he was open enought to feel that there was something to what Jesus said and he obeyed. Later in the Scripture, Simon  now Peter says, "Where else shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life!" Despite all of Peter's flaws, he was well aware of himself and that Jesus was the Christ, even if he didn't fully understand. And so he obeyed, in spite of all his fisherman's knowledge and experience and his exhaustion and disappointment.  And his fledgling faith was rewarded:  his nets overflowed with fish to the point of nearly breaking. Imagine the joy, the wonder and the fear that came over him! He sees all this fish and he can hardly believe it, being no fool, but a seasoned fisherman. He knew those waters...how could this be?

Oh boy, now he was in trouble. Moments before he was cursing under his breath and giving Jesus a hard time,  and now he receives this gift, this generous underserved  and unexpected gift.  "Depart from me, Lord for I am a sinful man." Yes, albeit uneducated and narrow-minded, Simon got it right there and his fear was just for fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Simon knew who he was before the Lord and Jesus knew Simon - He knew that he would build His church on this rock. He also knew that this rock would betray Him at the moment of greatest need. By listening to Christ, by taking his boat out one more time to cast into the deep, Simon received his call: to be a disciple of Jesus, to be a fisher of men. Despite his knoweledge and experience, despite logic and commonsense telling him to end it for the day, despite his terribly tired body and weary mind, he listened and followed the word of Jesus and so the course of his life was completely altered. "I will make you fisher(s) of men." 

It makes me wonder how many calls I may have missed along the way. Caught up in what I know, my old familiar routines and time restrictions, have I missed opportunites to cast out into the deep and encounter the Living Christ? The spiritual life is replete with contradiction. It is when we have the least that we are expected to give. When we do this, we allow God's grace to flow through us to others. His strength is made perfect in our weakness.  Simon and the others were exhausted and I am certain, to say the least, incredulous. I imagine them saying in Aramaic "Who the heck does this guy thing he is?!" Yet they listened. There was something about Jesus. Was it the way He looked, the sound of His voice, the look in His eyes? I imagine it was all of those things: strong yet gentle; compelling yet comforting; commanding yet vulnerable. He was Love in the Flesh. Love is pretty hard to resist. Real Love, that is. This Love that went all the way to Calvary was present for all time, even before time and brought the world into being just by uttering the word. I imagine that Simon found it hard to resist this Jesus, but I think we need to point out that Simon saw something. He stopped and listened. He took a moment to observe and see what was going on. He slowed down for a moment to actually listen to this stranger was telling him what to do. That's the key. He stopped and listened. Impetuous, seasoned and tired Simon listened; he was open to allowing this man in, for some strange and wonderful reason. Jesus is the same today and tomorrow as He was yesterday and so if we are to know this man, our Savior, we must stop and listen; look for signs and direction particularly when we are at a less than best. Christ doesn't come when we are happy and on top of the world...He comes to the poor, the downtrodden, the tired and the lost for it is when we are empty that He comes to fill our nets and to bring us joy that is beyond that "on top of the world" feeling that we get every once in awhile. He meets us in the deepest, darkest places of our lives, of our hearts where we so rarely like to go. It is cold there and a bit scary. Yet that is where we meet Him....if we only stop and listen long enough.

Cereal and Your Heart's Desire

Several  years ago while doing grocery shopping,  I was suddenly dumbstruck as I turned down the aisle to pick out some cereal.  I stood and looked gapingly at the massive selection of all different kinds of cereals, hot and cold, healthy and unhealthy, name-brand and non-name brand and everything in between.    “How am I supposed to choose,” I cried aloud.  “ I just want cereal…”

We here in the US are blessed with tremendous largesse of well, nearly everything.  From Super Walmarts to the Internet, it is all out there and available.   Lush largesse looms largely in our lives indeed.

Lush, largesse…it gets me thinking about the beginning again.  Adam and Eve in Paradise.    What could be more lush than Paradise, the Garden of Eden?   The Garden of Eden brings to mind a host of images, smells, tastes, sounds-- an extravaganza for the senses.   Picture Adam and Eve before The Fall, walking around and surrounded by, well everything-- every form of life, every color, every sound.    The magnitude of this sensuality is nearly beyond imagination.  Put yourself there.   They had everything.  And yet….

Think about our lives today in the US.   The sights, sounds, tastes, smells, every form of life, every color , every sound.  The magnitude of this sensuality is nearly beyond imagination.   We have everything.  And yet….

It is largely believed that the first sin was pride.  Satan tempted Eve, telling her that God did not want them to be like Himself; to be gods.   We presume that sounded good to her ears because she went ahead and took that bite, with Adam following along right after her.  (Adam didn’t even put a fight!  And after all God did for him, you would think Adam would have a least tried to resist.)   Even though they were living in Paradise,  there is a hint that they wanted more than what had been was bestowed upon them.  Satan knew this or at least had some sense of it.  Perhaps while slithering around, he saw and sensed the longing.  They somehow opened the door to his malicious trick.  Remember:  Satan cannot come in where he isn’t welcomed.    Apparently, it didn’t take much to convince them that the grass was greener on God’s side of the street.

The temptation was that if they ate of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they would be like God.   They liked that idea, huh?   So if they wanted to be like God, well why didn’t they ask Him? It wasn’t like they didn’t know Him…Adam would take walks with God in the Garden.  They knew God.  Why didn’t they ask?  Why did they just take? 

Somehow, something occurred within them.  I wonder if part of the problem with Adam and Eve was having all of that lushness around them.   I wonder if they got caught up in it all and in each other.   They were having fun and enjoying all that was around them and yet they obviously wanted more of… something.   They wanted more.  They were not satisfied with all they had which was Paradise.  Had they been satisfied,  Satan would not have had a chance.  Yet, it seems that they yearned for more than what was around them, more than even each other.  

Reflect on that for a time.     They had this desire and instead of going to the One who brought it all into being, they listened to a snake and tried to take it for themselves.  They wanted to selfishly take from the One Who Freely Gives.  Sound familiar?

It makes me wonder if perhaps while tending the Garden and caring for each other, that they lost sight of God.   Perhaps the walks through the Garden had diminished.  Perhaps Adam was spending too much time alone with Eve.  Perhaps they were so engrossed with what they had, that they forgot Who gave it to them  and somehow, because they were working the land, they began to feel ownership of it.   They began to think it was theirs  and could do what they liked with it - even choosing to take the word of a snake.  They listened to one of the creatures over which they had been given dominion instead of God. 

Much like we do today. 

We have so much from food to technology to entertainment to adventure, etc.  I often say that in today’s world, we don’t “need” God.  Now, I don’t mean that.  I know that I am in desperate need of His Mercy and Love.  Yet, our world goes on like it doesn’t need Him.  We have forgotten from where it all has come and have this notion that somehow the answer lies within creation.  We therefore chase after more of the same, wanting more and more, but to no avail. 

I think that the moment of this awakening in Adam and Eve, when they realized they wanted more, could have been a tremendous moment for humankind, for had they turned to the Father and told Him of the inner desires of their hearts, they would have entered into a new kind of being with God.  He loves us like nobody’s business and well He knows what is good for us.  He would have given them His Life, Life in the Father.   

Reflect awhile on the Garden of Eden – both the one of our first parents and your own Garden of Eden. 

Are you still taking walks with God there in the garden?   Or are you perhaps spending too much time with work, leisure and even family?

What are your desire, the desires of your heart?   Have you told Him about them?  Or are you talking to snakes?

Have you thanked Him lately for the blessings in your life? For life itself?    Or do you believe that you deserve all of your success because of how smart, talented and hard-working you are?

"Our hearts are restless until they rest in you, O God." – St. Augustine.

There may be all kinds of cereal out there, but there is only one God.

Lord, may I exclaim, “All I want is You.” 

"I came that they might have life and have it abundantly."