I was meditating the other night on our Lord's passion. Not technically doing the Stations of the Cross, but going through them in my head. I actually started with the Agony in the Garden. It is incomprehensible what our Lord did for us. He encountered more trials, tribulations, pain and suffering than we could ever imagine.
If you've seen the Passion of the Christ then you have some idea of what it must have been like to walk up to Golgotha. The noise, the crowds of people pushing in on you, soldiers pushing you to move when you haven't the strength to even stand. A man from Cyrene, Simon, is told to carry the cross for Jesus because His executioners want to make sure He dies on the cross and not on His way, but Simon does not want to carry it. He does so only because he is forced to. Hardly an act of kindness.
How does He carry on? How do any of us carry on when we are faced with our trials, tribulations, pain and suffering? Hope. If we can just continue on through our sufferings, things will get better. Jesus knew things would get better once He died for our sins, the ultimate sacrifice.
Oftentimes we think we are alone in all our sufferings and we can so easily fall into despair. Despair is satan's work though, to keep us down. We must always look for the light of God in all things, even in our sufferings.
As Jesus is struggling along His path to Calvary, through the noise, the crowds and the continual harassment by the soldiers an amazing thing happens - Veronica. Out of nowhere she appears and wipes the blood and sweat from his face. How small this act is, but if you've ever had sweat or blood dripping into your eyes, you know it burns, so this would have given Jesus a little relief, made it easier for Him see.
What small acts of kindness are done for you in your sufferings or times of need? Does someone bring you a meal? Send a card? Visit? Bring you your favorite tea for no apparent reason? Give you a hug or a pat on the shoulder?
More importantly, what small acts do you do for others to relieve them of their sufferings? Do you even think about what others might be going through and how you can help alleviate their pain? Give them hope in their despair?
A small act of kindness that may not mean anyhing to you or me, may mean the world to the person who received it. A small act of kindness may tip the scales in favor of hope, instead of despair.
Mother Teresa said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
Friday, December 7, 2012
Thursday, November 8, 2012
What?
My mother says she didn't raise us (my sisters and I) in any kind of faith because she wanted us to be able to choose for ourselves when we were older what was best for us. I always thought that a strange statement because how do you know what's best, if you haven't experienced the choices out there?
Having said that, here is what I recall from my childhood as far as faith goes. One of my very first memories was standing at the door of our duplex on Poplar Street. I was about 3 or 4 years old. I was crying because I wanted to go to church with my dad, who was driving down the street without me, and my mother told me I couldn't go.
I remember pictures painted on the walls, done by a friend of my mother. My mom thought they would be nice when people came over for her astrology or yoga classes or for transcendental meditation or past-life regressions.
We had a porcelain knick knack in the shape of a book and it had a meal blessing on it and I remember that we prayed that whenever we sat down to eat dinner together. It is the only time I recall our family praying together.
I also remember we had spirits in the house, some friendly, some not so friendly. Actually, it would be better to say that some didn't seem to be a bother at all, but I can remember not wanting to even walk by a room upstairs because it always seemed dark to me and as though red eyes were peering out at me, or rather, glaring at me. My mother is convinced it was my grandfather (her dad) standing at the end of my crib, but why would he have red eyes and be glaring at me? Besides, my room was down the hall and my little sister was in the crib, not me.
Anyway, I know my mother tried to teach me astrology and she certainly had us doing yoga. I can remember tarot cards in the house and crystals. I also remember, when I was about 7, a "healing pyramid" - which was a wood frame, pyramid shaped object that you were to sit under and visualize yourself being healed. I was given this "honor" at the age of 7 because they discovered that I was nearly blind in one eye, presumably since birth, and they were trying to heal me. According to the doctor I had only 5% vision in my right eye. I cannot tell you how many times I was subjected to sitting under this pyramid, but I hated it. Mostly because it was set up in the basement and I hated the basement but also because I thought it was dumb. Eventually I heard my mother saying that the healing pyramid had "cured" my eyesight, but I've never been able to figure out how. First of all, the doctor said my eyesight had increased to about 30%, but he was convinced it was because of the patch they put over my other eye, to make the "lazy" one work. The eye patch seemed a more logical explanation for the increase in my eyesight.
Thirty percent vision is better than five percent for sure, however, one could hardly say I was cured in any event as I was still seventy percent short of full vision in the right eye (I've always had 20/20 vision in the left eye). I still have no depth perception, I only have peripheral vision in the right eye and really the only thing I can see is motion in that eye. If someone comes up on my right side I'll have no idea who it is until I look at them with my left eye!!
I do remember going to church with my dad, even after he and my mother divorced. I can actually remember going on Sunday mornings and evenings and then on Wednesday evenings. That didn't last for long. By the time I was 8 our step-dad adopted us and that was certainly the end of any church going in our house.
On occasion I would spend the night with a friend and would attend Mass with them on Sunday mornings. I never had a clue what was going on, but I didn't mind going. It was certainly a "small price to pay" to get to spend the night with my friends. Now I wonder if the parents of my friends weren't performing an act of mercy by ensuring I at least got into the presence of God, because it was not happening in our house.
I won't get into the whole story now of how I came into the Catholic Church, but I did eventually find my way. My daughter went to Catholic schools and has been confirmed. A few years ago my mother was visiting and made the comment again about how she never took us to church because she wanted us to be able to make up our own minds what was best for us. I told her that didn't make any sense to me. My mother was raised Catholic and yet, she made the choice to leave the Church and pursue other options. Did she not think her own daughters or granddaughter would be "smart" enough to make an informed decision?
In fact, my older sister and I have done just that (our little sister, Danielle, died 17 years ago). Despite not being raised in a Christian home, we have both found a relationship with Christ and our Christian faith is central to our lives. We both volunteer at our churches in many capacities.
What my mother doesn't realize, or doesn't want to admit, is that she did raise us in a "faith". New Age is a faith, though many will argue that point. It is a very self-centered faith, based upon what we can attain on our own, instead of being God centered and what we can attain in Him, with Him, for Him and through Him.
It is amazing how God calls us to Him. Thank You Jesus!
Having said that, here is what I recall from my childhood as far as faith goes. One of my very first memories was standing at the door of our duplex on Poplar Street. I was about 3 or 4 years old. I was crying because I wanted to go to church with my dad, who was driving down the street without me, and my mother told me I couldn't go.
I remember pictures painted on the walls, done by a friend of my mother. My mom thought they would be nice when people came over for her astrology or yoga classes or for transcendental meditation or past-life regressions.
We had a porcelain knick knack in the shape of a book and it had a meal blessing on it and I remember that we prayed that whenever we sat down to eat dinner together. It is the only time I recall our family praying together.
I also remember we had spirits in the house, some friendly, some not so friendly. Actually, it would be better to say that some didn't seem to be a bother at all, but I can remember not wanting to even walk by a room upstairs because it always seemed dark to me and as though red eyes were peering out at me, or rather, glaring at me. My mother is convinced it was my grandfather (her dad) standing at the end of my crib, but why would he have red eyes and be glaring at me? Besides, my room was down the hall and my little sister was in the crib, not me.
Anyway, I know my mother tried to teach me astrology and she certainly had us doing yoga. I can remember tarot cards in the house and crystals. I also remember, when I was about 7, a "healing pyramid" - which was a wood frame, pyramid shaped object that you were to sit under and visualize yourself being healed. I was given this "honor" at the age of 7 because they discovered that I was nearly blind in one eye, presumably since birth, and they were trying to heal me. According to the doctor I had only 5% vision in my right eye. I cannot tell you how many times I was subjected to sitting under this pyramid, but I hated it. Mostly because it was set up in the basement and I hated the basement but also because I thought it was dumb. Eventually I heard my mother saying that the healing pyramid had "cured" my eyesight, but I've never been able to figure out how. First of all, the doctor said my eyesight had increased to about 30%, but he was convinced it was because of the patch they put over my other eye, to make the "lazy" one work. The eye patch seemed a more logical explanation for the increase in my eyesight.
Thirty percent vision is better than five percent for sure, however, one could hardly say I was cured in any event as I was still seventy percent short of full vision in the right eye (I've always had 20/20 vision in the left eye). I still have no depth perception, I only have peripheral vision in the right eye and really the only thing I can see is motion in that eye. If someone comes up on my right side I'll have no idea who it is until I look at them with my left eye!!
I do remember going to church with my dad, even after he and my mother divorced. I can actually remember going on Sunday mornings and evenings and then on Wednesday evenings. That didn't last for long. By the time I was 8 our step-dad adopted us and that was certainly the end of any church going in our house.
On occasion I would spend the night with a friend and would attend Mass with them on Sunday mornings. I never had a clue what was going on, but I didn't mind going. It was certainly a "small price to pay" to get to spend the night with my friends. Now I wonder if the parents of my friends weren't performing an act of mercy by ensuring I at least got into the presence of God, because it was not happening in our house.
I won't get into the whole story now of how I came into the Catholic Church, but I did eventually find my way. My daughter went to Catholic schools and has been confirmed. A few years ago my mother was visiting and made the comment again about how she never took us to church because she wanted us to be able to make up our own minds what was best for us. I told her that didn't make any sense to me. My mother was raised Catholic and yet, she made the choice to leave the Church and pursue other options. Did she not think her own daughters or granddaughter would be "smart" enough to make an informed decision?
In fact, my older sister and I have done just that (our little sister, Danielle, died 17 years ago). Despite not being raised in a Christian home, we have both found a relationship with Christ and our Christian faith is central to our lives. We both volunteer at our churches in many capacities.
What my mother doesn't realize, or doesn't want to admit, is that she did raise us in a "faith". New Age is a faith, though many will argue that point. It is a very self-centered faith, based upon what we can attain on our own, instead of being God centered and what we can attain in Him, with Him, for Him and through Him.
It is amazing how God calls us to Him. Thank You Jesus!
The Angels Around Us
We forget that the devil and his demons are angels - albeit fallen angels. They have not lost any of the abilities that God created them with, they just no longer use them for good. They live among us just as surely as the angels who remained in a right relationship with God. I might also remind you that the devil and his demons were cast down to earth, not to hell. They are living among us, though we cannot see them. They see everything we do and they remember it, to use it against us, to tell us we are not worthy of a relationship with God because of our sinfulness. Do not let them fool you, God's mercy is limitless.
I forget who the cartoon character was, but he was trying to decide between good and evil and good and evil were depicted by an angel on one shoulder and a little devil on the other shoulder. Of course one of them, the devil, promising fun and the other, the angel of God, promising only boredom and perhaps mockery.
Hermes, in The Shepherd said, "Every man has close to him two angels, the one an angel of holiness, the other an angel of perversion...and how then, O Lord, shall I recognize the workings of these two since they both dwell within me?"
I think St. Ignatius of Loyola answers this well enough when he says to look at the end results of our actions - if what we do leads to selfishness, hate, violence or things of evil then its origin is satan and the temptation should be avoided. If the end result is for good, then the source is God.
This does not mean we can do something evil knowing that God can bring good out of it (like bringing a new life out of the terrible act of rape or robbing a bank and using the money to feed the poor), but rather, what our intent is meant to be in our action.
Since evil does not cooperate with love in any way, rest assured that when you enter a church or an adoration chapel (the presence of Jesus) you do so with only one of these angels - which is why it is so efficacious to take everything to our Lord in prayer.
Jesus, I trust in You!
I forget who the cartoon character was, but he was trying to decide between good and evil and good and evil were depicted by an angel on one shoulder and a little devil on the other shoulder. Of course one of them, the devil, promising fun and the other, the angel of God, promising only boredom and perhaps mockery.
Hermes, in The Shepherd said, "Every man has close to him two angels, the one an angel of holiness, the other an angel of perversion...and how then, O Lord, shall I recognize the workings of these two since they both dwell within me?"
I think St. Ignatius of Loyola answers this well enough when he says to look at the end results of our actions - if what we do leads to selfishness, hate, violence or things of evil then its origin is satan and the temptation should be avoided. If the end result is for good, then the source is God.
This does not mean we can do something evil knowing that God can bring good out of it (like bringing a new life out of the terrible act of rape or robbing a bank and using the money to feed the poor), but rather, what our intent is meant to be in our action.
Since evil does not cooperate with love in any way, rest assured that when you enter a church or an adoration chapel (the presence of Jesus) you do so with only one of these angels - which is why it is so efficacious to take everything to our Lord in prayer.
Jesus, I trust in You!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Jesus sent the twelve to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, to cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and drive out demons. He did not allow them to take gold or silver or copper, no sack or second tunic, no sandals and no walking stick. Wow! Discipleship is certainly not for wimps.
We are benefactors to those twelve disciples and their work - their obedience to our Lord. Have you ever stopped to think about that?
What if those men were the men of today? How much proclaiming of the kingdom would there be, how many sick would be cured, dead raised or lepers cleansed. Would our world be completely taken over by demons?
What if they had complained instead because they couldn't take food with them and other items of comfort. Do you think we'd be where we are today?
These men sacrificed - died to self. Why? Because they had faith in Jesus - true God and true man. They knew His way was THE way.
Jesus has also sends us out and He tells us what to do. Are you being obedient? Are you using the talents He has given you to bring others to Him?
What holds you back? Fear of rejection? Lack of love for our Lord? Uncertainty as to what to do? If you don't know what you are supposed to be doing then spend time with Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and He will show you the way.
We are benefactors to those twelve disciples and their work - their obedience to our Lord. Have you ever stopped to think about that?
What if those men were the men of today? How much proclaiming of the kingdom would there be, how many sick would be cured, dead raised or lepers cleansed. Would our world be completely taken over by demons?
What if they had complained instead because they couldn't take food with them and other items of comfort. Do you think we'd be where we are today?
These men sacrificed - died to self. Why? Because they had faith in Jesus - true God and true man. They knew His way was THE way.
Jesus has also sends us out and He tells us what to do. Are you being obedient? Are you using the talents He has given you to bring others to Him?
What holds you back? Fear of rejection? Lack of love for our Lord? Uncertainty as to what to do? If you don't know what you are supposed to be doing then spend time with Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and He will show you the way.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Which thief are you?
There is a portrait in our adoration chapel entitled, "Night at Golgotha." In the portrait, they have just taken Jesus down from the cross and are carrying Him to the tomb. The two thieves remain hanging on thier crosses.
Jesus has borne His cross and He has left it - but has He? Does He still not carry that cross and suffer His wounds because we continue to sin and often refuse to carry our own crosses?
My eyes are drawn to the thieves. They earned their fate, they were not innocent.
We are those thieves. There is no denying it. But which?
Which thief are you? The "good" thief who humbles himself and admits his guilt and goes to our Lord? Or the other thief? The thief who ridicules holiness? He doesn't just deny Jesus, and thus the Holy Spirit, he mocks our Lord.
Is our world so different today? Has anything changed over the last 2000 years?
I meditate on the portrait and notice light peaking through the clouds and that light shines down on our Lord, and even, it seems, on the frontside of one of the thieves. He is allowed in the light now, he has been forgiven. In fact, that very day he will find himself in paradise. Jesus promised.
But not the other. He made his choice to deny Christ.
Today everyone screams about their rights; especially their right to choose. They're right. God has given free will - to each and every one of us. We have the right to choose, because God gives us that right.
We can choose to be the "good" thief - admit our sins, repent and ask forgiveness and mercy and live in the light or we can choose not to. It's our choice.
People say God is good and He loves us - He is absolute good and He does love us. I've heard people justify their lifestyles by saying God would never send them to hell. Again, they are right, He doesn't send us to hell. He allows us to choose with our own free will where we will spend eternity.
The two thieves remain on their crosses, just as we ought, until death comes. What comes after death for us is determined by what came before death.
Make a choice.
Do you mock holiness or embrace humility?
Do you live in the world or of the world?
Jesus has borne His cross and He has left it - but has He? Does He still not carry that cross and suffer His wounds because we continue to sin and often refuse to carry our own crosses?
My eyes are drawn to the thieves. They earned their fate, they were not innocent.
We are those thieves. There is no denying it. But which?
Which thief are you? The "good" thief who humbles himself and admits his guilt and goes to our Lord? Or the other thief? The thief who ridicules holiness? He doesn't just deny Jesus, and thus the Holy Spirit, he mocks our Lord.
Is our world so different today? Has anything changed over the last 2000 years?
I meditate on the portrait and notice light peaking through the clouds and that light shines down on our Lord, and even, it seems, on the frontside of one of the thieves. He is allowed in the light now, he has been forgiven. In fact, that very day he will find himself in paradise. Jesus promised.
But not the other. He made his choice to deny Christ.
Today everyone screams about their rights; especially their right to choose. They're right. God has given free will - to each and every one of us. We have the right to choose, because God gives us that right.
We can choose to be the "good" thief - admit our sins, repent and ask forgiveness and mercy and live in the light or we can choose not to. It's our choice.
People say God is good and He loves us - He is absolute good and He does love us. I've heard people justify their lifestyles by saying God would never send them to hell. Again, they are right, He doesn't send us to hell. He allows us to choose with our own free will where we will spend eternity.
The two thieves remain on their crosses, just as we ought, until death comes. What comes after death for us is determined by what came before death.
Make a choice.
Do you mock holiness or embrace humility?
Do you live in the world or of the world?
Monday, June 4, 2012
You think they're annoying??
You know all those annoying habits our loved ones and many others in our lives have?
Your spouse squeezes the toothpaste tube in the center or leaves the car on empty?
The kids fight with one another, change their clothes a hundred times a day.
Your mom calls everyday and just wants to know what you're having for dinner.
Your friend stops by and wonders why you can't break free to go for coffee (completely oblivious to the small children running around the house screaming).
The person in the grocery store stops right in the middle of the aisle, blocking people in both directions from getting by.
Someone asks you if all the kids with you are actually yours.
The kid behind you at the red light wants to share his idea of music with everyone in a 1 mile radius.
The old woman in the pew in front of you keeps turning and looking disdainfully at you and your cooing, adorable baby.
Your neighbor starts his day early by mowing the lawn at 6:00 a.m.
The children leave dirty dishes in the sink instead of putting them in the dishwasher.
Your sister says she'd love to help with dad, but she's just sooooo busy and "you don't mind, do you?"
The person in front of you has a "planned parenthood" bumper sticker on their car (what is WRONG with them??).
For some reason you are the only one who shows up to clean the church, even though 6 others signed up.
The lady in the bathroom stall next to you was talking on her cell phone and you thought she was talking to you and kept answering her and she got mad at YOU for interrupting her.
And on and on and on and on and on.........SIGH!
Why can't everyone be more like me? Loving, considerate, always thinking of others....you know.....perfect!
Hmmmm....perfect. Well, maybe not perfect.
Perhaps there might be one or two things I do that might annoy someone (who isn't as patient as I am).
I wonder what I do to annoy others.
Do I yell at the kids? Do I always treat others nicely? Do I return phone calls or e-mails and respond to others in my life in a timely manner? Do I help others or make excuses?
Do I??? ______________________________________ (fill in the blank)
Do I??? ______________________________________ (fill in the blank)
Do I??? ______________________________________ (fill in the blank)
Do I??? ______________________________________ (fill in the blank)
Do I??? ______________________________________ (fill in the blank)
Here's what you can do the next time someone annoys you:
1) Offer a prayer for them - after all, we never know what someone else is going through and it shows great charity to pray for our "enemies".
2) Forgive them, after you offer your prayer put the incident out of your mind, don't let it simmer inside of you.
3) Ask God to reveal your faults to you so you can confess them, change them or whatever other action needs to be taken. Then ask Him to help you.
4) Praise God for the work He is undertaking in you.
5) Learn to laugh. Laughter is much better than anger and frustration. If you need help laughing, give me a call!! :)
Your spouse squeezes the toothpaste tube in the center or leaves the car on empty?
The kids fight with one another, change their clothes a hundred times a day.
Your mom calls everyday and just wants to know what you're having for dinner.
Your friend stops by and wonders why you can't break free to go for coffee (completely oblivious to the small children running around the house screaming).
The person in the grocery store stops right in the middle of the aisle, blocking people in both directions from getting by.
Someone asks you if all the kids with you are actually yours.
The kid behind you at the red light wants to share his idea of music with everyone in a 1 mile radius.
The old woman in the pew in front of you keeps turning and looking disdainfully at you and your cooing, adorable baby.
Your neighbor starts his day early by mowing the lawn at 6:00 a.m.
The children leave dirty dishes in the sink instead of putting them in the dishwasher.
Your sister says she'd love to help with dad, but she's just sooooo busy and "you don't mind, do you?"
The person in front of you has a "planned parenthood" bumper sticker on their car (what is WRONG with them??).
For some reason you are the only one who shows up to clean the church, even though 6 others signed up.
The lady in the bathroom stall next to you was talking on her cell phone and you thought she was talking to you and kept answering her and she got mad at YOU for interrupting her.
And on and on and on and on and on.........SIGH!
Why can't everyone be more like me? Loving, considerate, always thinking of others....you know.....perfect!
Hmmmm....perfect. Well, maybe not perfect.
Perhaps there might be one or two things I do that might annoy someone (who isn't as patient as I am).
I wonder what I do to annoy others.
Do I yell at the kids? Do I always treat others nicely? Do I return phone calls or e-mails and respond to others in my life in a timely manner? Do I help others or make excuses?
Do I??? ______________________________________ (fill in the blank)
Do I??? ______________________________________ (fill in the blank)
Do I??? ______________________________________ (fill in the blank)
Do I??? ______________________________________ (fill in the blank)
Do I??? ______________________________________ (fill in the blank)
Here's what you can do the next time someone annoys you:
1) Offer a prayer for them - after all, we never know what someone else is going through and it shows great charity to pray for our "enemies".
2) Forgive them, after you offer your prayer put the incident out of your mind, don't let it simmer inside of you.
3) Ask God to reveal your faults to you so you can confess them, change them or whatever other action needs to be taken. Then ask Him to help you.
4) Praise God for the work He is undertaking in you.
5) Learn to laugh. Laughter is much better than anger and frustration. If you need help laughing, give me a call!! :)
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Putting together random thoughts...
Did you ever hear something or think of something and it made you think of something else that might have some connection to that thought? Sometimes if you get enough of those random thoughts or sayings, they begin to form one whole thought in your mind; kind of like connecting the individual dots and coming up with a bigger picture. That happened for me recently. I'll tell you the "random" thoughts first so it'll make a little more sense.
#1 Brother Andre of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal visited our parish last fall and attended our Homeschooling Mass one morning and spoke to the children afterward. He told them about the rosary he wears on the rope around his waist and the symbolism that holds for him. He likes to have a big rosary, he said, because to him, it is like holding Mother Mary's hand. What a beautiful thought.
#2 For the last few years I have slept with my rosary in hand. Sometimes I fall asleep praying the rosary, other times, when I am too tired to pray, I just take comfort in knowing our heavenly Mother is close to me.
#3 I see people who have their rosaries in hand during Mass. It is beautiful to see their devotion to our Lady, but I always hope they are not praying the rosary during Mass. The Mass is the greatest prayer we can offer, so praying the rosary - which is also a beautiful prayer - during Mass, would take away from the Mass and Mother Mary would never want our attention turned from her Son to her. The rosary is not supposed to take us to Mary, except in that it leads us closer to her glorious Son.
While I have been in Kansas City I've been visiting different churches for Mass. Last night I had the pleasure of visiting St. Patrick's Oratory for the 6:00 p.m. Latin Mass. I love the Latin Mass, though I understand scarcely one word of it. That, coupled with the fact that I didn't have a Mass guide, led to my eyes wandering a bit. There was a beautiful statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus directly in front of me, which of course reminds me of my home parish, and just to the left of the altar, a beautiful statue of the Blessed Mother.
I don't know how long I stared at that statue of Mother Mary, long enough for the random thoughts above to shoot through my head and click into place. Mother Mary was there for the sacrifice of her Son and she is there every time and every where Mass is celebrated. If we allow her, she takes us by the hand and leads us to her beautiful Son.
So the next time you see me at Mass, don't be surprised to find my rosary in my hand - it's Mother Mary's hand, guiding me through the sacrifice of the Mass, closer to her Son.
#1 Brother Andre of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal visited our parish last fall and attended our Homeschooling Mass one morning and spoke to the children afterward. He told them about the rosary he wears on the rope around his waist and the symbolism that holds for him. He likes to have a big rosary, he said, because to him, it is like holding Mother Mary's hand. What a beautiful thought.
#2 For the last few years I have slept with my rosary in hand. Sometimes I fall asleep praying the rosary, other times, when I am too tired to pray, I just take comfort in knowing our heavenly Mother is close to me.
#3 I see people who have their rosaries in hand during Mass. It is beautiful to see their devotion to our Lady, but I always hope they are not praying the rosary during Mass. The Mass is the greatest prayer we can offer, so praying the rosary - which is also a beautiful prayer - during Mass, would take away from the Mass and Mother Mary would never want our attention turned from her Son to her. The rosary is not supposed to take us to Mary, except in that it leads us closer to her glorious Son.
While I have been in Kansas City I've been visiting different churches for Mass. Last night I had the pleasure of visiting St. Patrick's Oratory for the 6:00 p.m. Latin Mass. I love the Latin Mass, though I understand scarcely one word of it. That, coupled with the fact that I didn't have a Mass guide, led to my eyes wandering a bit. There was a beautiful statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus directly in front of me, which of course reminds me of my home parish, and just to the left of the altar, a beautiful statue of the Blessed Mother.
I don't know how long I stared at that statue of Mother Mary, long enough for the random thoughts above to shoot through my head and click into place. Mother Mary was there for the sacrifice of her Son and she is there every time and every where Mass is celebrated. If we allow her, she takes us by the hand and leads us to her beautiful Son.
So the next time you see me at Mass, don't be surprised to find my rosary in my hand - it's Mother Mary's hand, guiding me through the sacrifice of the Mass, closer to her Son.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Love
We become what we love. Say this out loud, "I become what I love." So, what do I love?
If you only love yourself and you don't know who you are (a beautiful child of God), then what do you become?
Not too long ago I was having a conversation with some women who have both experienced great tragedies in their lives. They were both shocked to find that they lost friends while they were going through these tragedies; friends they thought would be with them through anything.
One of the women lost her firstborn child in infancy. There is nothing to prepare you for this or help you through this here on earth. This tragedy takes strength that only comes from heaven. On the day they left the hospital, without their son, she was told she'd lose some friends. She thought that was ridiculous, her friends would all be there for her. Sadly, some weren't. It was too painful for them, what had happened, and they didn't know what to say or they didn't know what to do, so they baled. They left this woman out in the water and hoped someone else would throw her a life preserver. Fortunately, others did, but where were her friends?
Go through some sort of life changing event and you'll quickly find out who your true friends are - and even family.
Her friends loved their lives - whatever those lives were - and this tragedy of hers, and therefore her life, no longer meshed with their lives, so they let her go. I don't know how these people live their lives but in this tragedy, they put themselves first - above this woman and her hurt and certainly above God - who calls us to love.
Jesus tells us to love God with all our hearts, souls, mind and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. I wonder how that friend feels today, all these years later. Has she ever managed to reach out to another in love, unselfishly?
Another friend and her husband lost their business and of course all the money it had provided for them. Sadly, they lost many of their friends as well. They have wondered if those people were in their lives for them, or for their money. The probably will never get an answer to that question. Money is important to many people and in fact, for some, it is their god. If you don't have money, they don't have time for you. This was a dark time for them and they learned that losing those friends was much worse than losing the money.
Tragedy struck again for them when she was in a car accident and nearly lost her life. Fortunately she was the only one involved in the accident so no one else was hurt, but they weren't sure she was going to make it through (she did, beautifully).
This second tragedy had poeple coming out of the woodwork; some they knew and some they did not. Meals were delivered for over 6 weeks, money came in, gift cards, assistance at home, with the kids, rides to the doctor, etc. People surprised them with their generosity and people they didn't even know came forward to help.
People who love.
Love equals action and when you love, you will be compelled to serve, to help others. It doesn't matter if you know them or not, the love will compel you to action.
I believe there are two kinds of peole who serve - those who serve so they look good to others or get something in return and those who serve because they love. God knows the difference and the judgment is His.
Those who love serve with purity of intention (I've previously written on that, check the archives). They don't expect anything in return. They serve because they love. They love God and they love neighbor, and in that, they are ultimately loving themselves too.
So, what do you love? Do you love self? Do you love God? Do you love neighbor?
What does love compel you to do?
If you only love yourself and you don't know who you are (a beautiful child of God), then what do you become?
Not too long ago I was having a conversation with some women who have both experienced great tragedies in their lives. They were both shocked to find that they lost friends while they were going through these tragedies; friends they thought would be with them through anything.
One of the women lost her firstborn child in infancy. There is nothing to prepare you for this or help you through this here on earth. This tragedy takes strength that only comes from heaven. On the day they left the hospital, without their son, she was told she'd lose some friends. She thought that was ridiculous, her friends would all be there for her. Sadly, some weren't. It was too painful for them, what had happened, and they didn't know what to say or they didn't know what to do, so they baled. They left this woman out in the water and hoped someone else would throw her a life preserver. Fortunately, others did, but where were her friends?
Go through some sort of life changing event and you'll quickly find out who your true friends are - and even family.
Her friends loved their lives - whatever those lives were - and this tragedy of hers, and therefore her life, no longer meshed with their lives, so they let her go. I don't know how these people live their lives but in this tragedy, they put themselves first - above this woman and her hurt and certainly above God - who calls us to love.
Jesus tells us to love God with all our hearts, souls, mind and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. I wonder how that friend feels today, all these years later. Has she ever managed to reach out to another in love, unselfishly?
Another friend and her husband lost their business and of course all the money it had provided for them. Sadly, they lost many of their friends as well. They have wondered if those people were in their lives for them, or for their money. The probably will never get an answer to that question. Money is important to many people and in fact, for some, it is their god. If you don't have money, they don't have time for you. This was a dark time for them and they learned that losing those friends was much worse than losing the money.
Tragedy struck again for them when she was in a car accident and nearly lost her life. Fortunately she was the only one involved in the accident so no one else was hurt, but they weren't sure she was going to make it through (she did, beautifully).
This second tragedy had poeple coming out of the woodwork; some they knew and some they did not. Meals were delivered for over 6 weeks, money came in, gift cards, assistance at home, with the kids, rides to the doctor, etc. People surprised them with their generosity and people they didn't even know came forward to help.
People who love.
Love equals action and when you love, you will be compelled to serve, to help others. It doesn't matter if you know them or not, the love will compel you to action.
I believe there are two kinds of peole who serve - those who serve so they look good to others or get something in return and those who serve because they love. God knows the difference and the judgment is His.
Those who love serve with purity of intention (I've previously written on that, check the archives). They don't expect anything in return. They serve because they love. They love God and they love neighbor, and in that, they are ultimately loving themselves too.
So, what do you love? Do you love self? Do you love God? Do you love neighbor?
What does love compel you to do?
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