Monday, January 31, 2011

Memorial of Saint John Bosco, priest

Today was the Memorial of Saint John Bosco, priest.

This society is fragile. There are many people in need of so many things. Some need food, clothing, shelter, health care. Often society hides these individuals, or encourages that these people be ignored, be forgotten. Each day there are new reasons for prayer, new reasons for reflection.

There might be a person crying and yelling while having a cell phone conversation on the sidewalk in front of you. There might be a businessman using all types of profanity in a conversation at the next table during lunch. There might be a toddler running around a bookstore, playing peekaboo with their parents. All these people need our prayers, need our compassion, need our love.

We must always remember to include everyone in our prayers, especially the strangers and those who are most in need.

Rescue us, Lord our God, and unite us, your children with love and obedience that we may love and respect ourselves and our neighbors. Lord please help us learn to rejoice in your kindness, goodness, mercy and to offer praise and glory to your holy name.

Each day we struggle with sin and pettiness. Each day with prayer and patience we can gain strength and wisdom to avoid sin.

The purpose of our lives as Christians is to prepare for eternal salvation in the kingdom of heaven by being loving, obedient servants of the Lord.

As Christians we should display humility, charity, obedience to God in all of our actions and our words.

Lord our God
help us to serve you with our entire beings and to love all neighbors as you love them. Help us be humble and loving, help us to put our faith into your hands. Each day let us focus our hearts on loving God and leading a life of goodness, holiness, and kindness. Help us remember that each day is an opportunity to prepare for the kingdom of heaven. Please grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son.

Remember to give thanks to the Lord each day. Remember to offer praise to the Lord, Most High.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

I have a Prayer

The kingdom of heaven is a beautiful phrase to hear, a beautiful goal to seek. An idea of heaven is a central part of Christianity. Each Christian attempts to obey the words and laws of God. The reward for this obedience is heaven. Within our spirituality heaven has an important place. The Beatitudes in St. Matthew's gospel present a certain spirituality of fairness and social justice as taught by Jesus Christ. The language is beautiful to read. It is easy to meditate on these Beatitudes for hours. Learning how to live them is a little more difficult but a certain behavior pattern is presented.

Being Christian often means letting go of some conveniences, letting go of some ideas, letting go of some sins. Being Christian often involves some form of sacrifice, involves doing something just because their is a true, honest need. Each day there are opportunities to do good, to live the Beatitudes. Each day each Christian struggles to do the right thing. From each struggle the body of the church grows stronger, from each struggle the individual Christian can grow stronger in faith, stronger in love with God, stronger in love with all humans.

Both the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes are there to guide people on the correct path to God. Both direct those who follow and obey the words to a special type of enlightenment, unencumbered with desire for pleasures of the flesh, a special type of love for God, for self, and for other human beings. When a person learns to live without selfishness, without greed, without envy, without malice the world will appear differently.

At one time or another we all will need to have mercy in our lives. Either a colleague or a friend will need us to show our mercy, our compassion or we will need it from someone. This society provides each member with different levels of status and power based upon wealth and other variables. God does not see the different levels. We are all his children. He requests that we ignore the differences and treat each other with respect, with love.

Heaven waits for those with humility, obedience, charity. With patience and the guidance of Holy Bible and other good books, our spirituality will allow us to live lives of righteousness, will allow each day to be a reason to rejoice in the wonder and mystery of God, will allow each Christian to discover those who are Blessed and living among us.

We live in a visual time. We live in a verbal time. Our society is filled with special effect laden movies. We have come to expect all types of sound bites from politicians. We have come to expect all types of speeches. We are prepared for everything to be taken out of context, to be deconstructed.

We live in age of dreams, an age of commercials in glorious living color on television, on the internet, and in the cinema before the latest special effects move in 3 - D starts. Yes, we all have dreams.

Isn't time that someone takes the time to breathe, and to say, "I have a prayer."

The Beatitudes are the perfect path to use to follow Christ, to find your way into daily prayer and reflection.

"I have a prayer..."

Lessons

Each Christian is asked to remember his or her imperfections. Each Christian is asked to remember his or her fears and weaknesses. Each Christian is asked to remember his or her sins. Each Christian is asked to give all these things and so much more to God, and to ask for forgiveness, to ask for strength, to ask for God's grace and love.
People are foolish. People make mistakes. People make assumptions. People forget this and that. Pop culture creates the illusion of the Divine Right of the Rich, the Famous, the Over-Exposed. Magazine covers and television talk shows are filled with people talking, talking, boasting, boasting. Everyone has a fabulous vacation house in the South of France. Everyone has a fabulous favorite sushi roll. Everyone has a life filled with goodness, hair extensions, tight jeans, touch screen smart phones.
In the eyes of God, every human being is equal. No one is better simply because of wealth, lineage, power.

It is important that as Christians, each day we remember the life and death of Jesus Christ. His ministry is a guide for righteous living, righteous decision making. His ministry is filled with social justice. His ministry challenges each Christian to live lives of compassion, charity, and mercy. His ministry challenges each Christian to learn how to be a better Christian, a better servant of the Lord, a better human. His ministry encourages us to prepare for our eternal life each day of our lives by doing little things, quietly, gently, humbly.

As Christians we will learn to develop the confidence which asks us to avoid bragging, avoid boasting. As Christians we will learn how to give glory to God. As Christians we will learn how to praise God.

Wisdom waits with lessons for each Christians. Lessons of goodness, holiness, kindness. Humility is important for each Christian. We must always remember our imperfections, our fears, our weaknesses, our sins. We must always ask God for forgiveness. Patience will develop over time. We must learn to develop and share understanding and compassion for all humans. Our choices in life might help lead another on the path to redemption, righteousness, and sanctification.

Humility for All

Each Christian has one real purpose in life, one simple purpose in life. This purpose is easily hidden within our loud, brash, neon bright, rain forest scented, Corinthian leather accented society of abortion, drug addiction, death penalty, child abuse, gun violence, and all consuming greed. The one real purpose challenges all this, all the chaos, all the mayhem, all the craziness that can be created and condoned within this crazy world filled with angst, anxiety, intolerance, hatred, bigotry, and fear.
Modern, capitalist society encourages each member of the society to make acquiring different items the purpose of life. The easier it is to be seen, the more this society can understand it. American society no longer values individualism, consumerism controls the cultural conscience. Humility is often viewed as an unwanted, uninvited guest only allowed to be seen occasionally and very briefly. Each American is encouraged to be a king, a superstar. Pop culture encourages each member of this society to behave with indifference to their neighbors, to question and challenge the faith of those members of society who do not believe exactly the same way, to challenge the faith and fidelity of those who do believe in God.

Believing in God is often not fashionable, barely tolerated. Believing in God opens Christians to ridicule.

Now is the time to find the confidence to be good. Now is the time to learn and to share the lessons of true, honest, loving humility. Now is the time for prayer. Now is the time to love God with the entirety of our lives. Each day presents opportunities for each of us to learn to do the right thing, to learn how to make the right decision, to love God. Now is the time to learn how to pray. Now is the time to learn how to speak in name of God, to speak only for the good of God. Now is the time to learn how to speak with love, humility, mercy.

Now is the time to accept and embrace the one real purpose that any Christian, any faithful, loving believer can have.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Notes on the March for Life

The number of participants in this year's March for Life is not important. The number of speeches given by politicians, religious leaders, and concerned citizens are not important. The March for Life is important because it asks each participant, each person who witnesses it to think about the sanctity of life, the beauty of life.

Being with a group of enthusiastic people praying and cheering against death, against abortion is inspiring and beautiful. Attending the rally and marching on the streets of Washington, DC should be a requirement for all Catholics. Seeing all the different people priests, nuns, seminarians, mothers, fathers, toddlers, babies in strollers, college students, high school students, middle school students is an uplifting experience. Hearing all the different sounds singing, chanting, cheering, laughing, talking, praying is an uplifting experience.

The March for Life provides a simple opportunity to bear witness to the beauty and mystery of our faith. For those who attend there is the possibility of doing the right thing, of doing the hard thing walking in the footsteps of Christ, believing in the value of all life, showing compassion and mercy to all.

Several people spoke about the culture of death that permeates the American society. Our culture revels in violence, real and imagined for movies and television. Death is no longer respected. Science has explained the mechanics of death. Abortion is just one sad symptom of our cultural death acceptance. All life needs to be valued, not merely our lives and those our loved ones. All life needs to be valued.

The March for Life offers hope to all those who participate. For the most part the speeches are hopeful, inspiring. There are a few dull speeches but the March for Life is not about speeches, it is about moving, it is about walking in large numbers, walking saying the rosary, walking holding hands in silence, walking saying the Lord's Prayer; it is about pushing a baby stroller, pushing a wheelchair; it is about people giving of their time to take a stand against an injustice of great proportion.

As long as abortion is legal we are all victimized by it, we are all prisoners of it, we are all touched by the deaths of the innocent unborn, and the consequences that affect their parents.

People from all across the country attend the March for Life. People from Alaska, Oregon, Nebraska, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Maine, New York, Florida were there. It is great seeing and hearing them and sharing this moment.

Many lessons can be learned during the March for Life. Many prayers can be offered. The March for Life always needs more participants. It also always needs donations.

Wonderful, amazing things can occur at the March for Life.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Simple Thoughts on Abortion

This week my imagination has been busy alternating between thoughts about abortion, snow, and being more productive. Other thoughts have been able to survive, even thrive for an hour or two to be replaced and forgotten. Abortion as a real world reality dominated my thoughts, caused me to rethink how I view the world. All other thoughts this week except those at the grocery store which were on a search and avoid corn starch syrup were filtered by an awareness of the impact of abortion.

I have always believed abortion to be wrong. In many ways it always seemed like a doomsday literary device, the crisis is temporarily averted but the danger remains, the anxiety, the angst, the depression remains.

Attending the March for Life on Monday was beautiful, inspiring. My mind was not prepared for all of the people present on the Mall or marching to the Supreme Court.

My day began with a beautiful Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle, then a journey on the Orange Line to the Mall. How amazing it was seeing all the young people walking near Federal Center South West! How wonderful it was watching them huddle together, listening to instructions, listening to prayers.

I had no idea what the Mall would look like. It was a cold January afternoon. I was dressed in several layers. I was carrying a big, black camera bag. My initial thoughts were centered on lens and camera angles and cold fingers and other things that photographers worry about whenever they pull out their cameras. There was a moment when I imagined that I was either F. Scott Fitzgerald or Ernest Hemingway or Howard Hawks or Frank Capra.

There was something all crazy and upside down about our culture, like a thirties screwball comedy without the happy ending or a sense of moral redemption or even a sense of cultural morals or ethics. Thoughts like these often flash into my imagination on days when I am being unnaturally quiet and anonymous.

Abortion remains the quiet anonymous aberration, the post sexual revolution paradox of the convergence of convenience, consequence, and responsibility. Abortion remains an instant polarizing conundrum. Everyone has a point of view, everyone is ready to argue this topic. Few people are ready to listen to what their opponents are really saying.

A fundamental shift in our culture will be needed to combat or stop abortion. All people must be educated on how to make good choices, how to avoid hormones and peer pressure, how to do the right thing. Our society provides mixed messages regarding sexuality. We are routinely told sex is good, encouraged to have sex. Each day our sexual openness provides new risks and dangers for us all. Sex has become just another consumer good, another commodity. There is nothing beautiful or sacred or mysterious about sex. For many sex is like a large order of french fries or a latte. Our culture encourages and allows us to use sex for instant gratification.

Hopefully with time our society will again value goodness, holiness, and kindness and encourage all its citizens to respect themselves, to have patience, to remember God and his laws. Our society likes to talk about Plato, Socrates, Einstein, Darwin. We like to talk about natural laws.

There is nothing natural about abortion. It is truly barbaric. It does not simply kill unborn babies. Abortion attacks the spirit of all those living, breathing, and praying. Abortion is an attack on our way of life, on our dreams, on our future.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Again the crowd gathered

At one time or another each one of us has done something which someone else either did not approve or that they said was stupid, unacceptable, idiotic or any of another countless derogatory words filled with displeasure. At one time or another each one of us have been the leader with people following us around, asking for favors, asking to be remembered. Sometimes our lives have been so crazy that simple family meals have been disrupted. And when that happens, we have to look out. A hungry relative will say something which will offend someone. A hungry relative will speak and say something which lets us know that they are unable to see the big picture. The only thing that they are concerned with is their current meal, the food right in front of them or what so and so just said. Their minds are limited to the here and now. I need food. Being human means at one time or another feeling like this. We will witness behavior in our daily lives. Maybe at a big holiday dinner or at work or at a wedding. Misunderstandings are always to be expected. Remember that we are all human, we all make mistakes. Your big picture may not be your neighbor's big picture.

Always be prepared for someone to say, "He is out of his mind." Be prepared and accept it graciously, lovingly. Remember that your are human. Allow being Christian to give you solace.

Prayer helps. Pray for tolerance, understanding, patience. Nothing is impossible. Prayer makes all things possible. Remember this always.

Give thanks to God each day. Offer praise to God each day.

At one time or another someone will ask us do you pray or how do you pray. At one time or another someone will ask us to remember them in our prayers.

This is called the Holy Place

Eternal redemption is the reward, our goal for creating and living with kindness and truth in our hearts. As Christians we must remember to give thanks and praise to God. We must always thank him for the many blessings he have given to us. We must always thank him for the many sacrifices he has made for us. The Passion of Christ should always be in the mind, heart, and soul of every Christian. We must remember that we are asked to avoid sin and to worship the living God. The conscience of each Christian must avoid the evil, fear, hate, envy; anything which would inhibit or block a relationship with God must be avoided. Prayer must be used in this time. The unblemished, loving offering of his life gives Christ an importance for all Christian; an importance and a model. We as Christians are asked to make sacrifices, to learn forgiveness, to cleanses our consciences of all vice, all evil and wicked thoughts. Satan waits to tempt everyone. No one is immune to temptation. With the help of the Holy Spirit and God we can learn how to avoid and to overcome temptation. We can learn how to nurture love, hope, kindness, goodness, holiness and truth in our entire being so that our soul may become filled with charity, humility, obedience, compassion, and mercy. Christians continually seek redemption; we continually pray for it for ourselves and for others.

Friday, January 21, 2011

and he might send them forth

How did Jesus want to share the Good News with the people? Did he create a Facebook page? Did he create an Youtube channel? Did he create a blog? As Christians we must remember that we have been summoned by God. We each have a special purpose, some special task which God asks us to do. We each will struggle with our task from time to time. We all need to pray to God. We are reminded to praise and give thanks to God. We also are asked to look inside ourselves, to search for and then to share all of our goodness, holiness, kindness, and love. Our daily existence does have significance. Our daily actions, how we choose to live our lives can be a silent sermon of hope, social justice, love, fairness. When we live with truth, kindness, and mercy in our souls we can preach without saying a word for God can be seen in each movement, God can be felt, faith inspired. We must choose to live our lives with that special purpose of love, unconditional and universal. We must choose to think of pleasing God with all of our decisions. We must remember that we are all asked to do something in the name of God. We must listen for the request. We must have patience. We must pray. Prayer is essential for the spiritual growth of all Christians. The more we pray and listen to God, the closer our bond will be with God, the closer our relationship will become. By Baptism we are appointed. We must decide whether we are going to take the challenge and follow the footsteps of God. With patience, humility, and prayer we can achieve all types of good works in God's name. We all are asked to try. How did Jesus want to share the Good News with the people? Did he create a Facebook page? Did he create an Youtube channel? Did he create a blog? Jesus did it simply by living his life, obeying the Ten Commandments, and treating everyone with fairness, social justice, love, and understanding. The miracles may have motivated people to seek him out but the miracles were done with love. Christianity is not just reserved for the churches and cathedrals. Christianity must be nurtured, must be allowed and encouraged to grow in the coffee shops, subway platforms, street corners, gin joints. Christianity must be everywhere that each Christian goes.
The image of Jesus on the mountain suggests that he took time to reflect on what was happening and that he took time to pray. He gave himself time to breathe, time to organize his thoughts as he decided upon the Apostles and summoned each one of them to join his ministry.
How wonderful it would have been to hear Jesus speak, to hear him speak Aramaic. How wonderful it is to hear that he renamed Simon. How amusing it is to hear that he renamed James and John Boanerges which translates as sons of thunder. Even as the Apostles are being organized to preach and given the authority to drive out demons Jesus provided a glimpse of his humanity, of the humanity he hopes that each Christian will continue to share.

Know the Lord

What is the reason that we are all Christians? What are we trying to do? How are we trying to do it? As Christians we are all asked to love and serve the Lord. We are given the Ten Commandments and asked to obey them. We are given the Beatitudes. We are given one additional request to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We are asked to praise and give thanks to God. We are encouraged to pray to God. What is the real purpose for all of this activity? What will happen to each of us if we do it with love in our hearts, kindness in our souls, honor and holiness in our minds? Our entire being as Christians is a preparation for our eternal life with God. Each moment of each day we are asked to work for our salvation. Each moment of each day we are asked to be compassionate, humble, merciful. Each moment of each day we are asked to work to please God. Our daily lives give us opportunities to serve God. We must work to establish, nurture, and protect a relationship with God. The most important relationship for a Christian is his/her relationship with God. Wanting salvation by itself is meaningless, completely worthless unless we want to know the Lord. Prayer is essential to this. We must learn how to pray. We must make time for prayer in our lives. Prayer filled with kindness, truth, goodness, love, holiness and hope can lead us to closer relationships to God. As Christians we must take time to listen for God's voice, God's gentle call. We are all living, breathing, articulating, gesticulating members of God's ministry. We must understand this with the entirety of our being and then use our lives to share the Good News with everyone with whom we interact. Our actions as Christians are often more important than our words. Each generation searches for something new, something improved. Each generation listens to the campaign promises. Christians have been given a better covenant with better promises. We simply have to believe. We simply have to remember our baptismal promises and try to live a better, more loving life of charity, humility, and obedience. Our purpose here is not to purchase the biggest house, wear the trendiest clothes. Our purpose is to love and serve God. Our purpose is to prepare ourselves for eternal life, to prepare ourselves for salvation.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Two Reflections

Each passage in the Bible is open to all types of interpretations. No two people will react or describe any event exactly the same. There will always be some variation. Jesus is the subject here. He is described as "holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens." This is very important for all Christians to read, hear, and have access to for further reflection. What makes Jesus special? How did the Early Church see Jesus? What are the implications for the Church today?

The role of Jesus is explained. His place in heaven is explained. Jesus is the "mediator of a better covenant". He is God's loyal, loving, obedient son. Jesus is a high priest who is seated in heaven. This is important for each Christian to remember. Heaven not the earth is Jesus' home; temporarily earth is the home of each Christian.

Jesus' ministry was always in motion. As word of his healing the sick and driving out demons spread, more and more people came to see him and hear him preach. It important to know that his followers came from throughout that region, not just one town. They were from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon, from beyond the Jordan. How wonderful this is to hear and reflect upon because this was all done by word of mouth. There was no Facebook, no Twitter, no cell phone, no television to instantly get the message out to the masses. This was a very personal ministry. People who witnessed the miracles or heard his preaching shared it with others. The word of his ministry had spread around the region so much that there were crowds around him, asking him to cure them. Even unclean spirits knew who Jesus was and would fall down and say "You are the Son of God." How amazing that is. How much pressure Jesus must have been under! He was busy doing God's work! He was healing, preaching, praying! He was there to serve God, offering compassion and love to the people.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Laws of the Sabbath

This account of Jesus in the synagogue presents a question which is directly applicable to modern, contemporary life. How do we respond when we see someone suffering and in need? Do we follow the rules, avoid the situation or do we act, show compassion, show love? Are we like the Pharisees watching, waiting to judge our neighbors or are we like Jesus who responds when he sees suffering?

We all want to be like Jesus Christ. We all want to show love, compassion. We all want to inspire faith, hope. Being like Christ is often difficult; it takes effort, prayer, patience, more prayer, more patience. Being like Christ does not happen overnight. It takes times. Jesus Christ wanted everyone to love each other, to be concerned about each other, to be able to show compassion. Jesus Christ calls each of his followers keep open minds, open hearts. We must always be ready to love one another without fear.

The Pharisees are a scary scared bunch. They view a miracle but instead of giving thanks, they leave and start plotting the death of Jesus. They used the law as the basis for their decision to persecute Jesus. The Pharisees are within their right to be concerned about enforcing the rules of the sabbath. There is neither fairness nor justice within their actions.

No matter what Jesus did in the synagogue that sabbath someone would have been upset. The Pharisees were there wanting him to do a miracle, to cure somebody. They wanted an excuse to kill him. Following the laws of the sabbath is commendable; however, the Pharisees behave without compassion, without love. Seeing the man with the withered hand did not have any impact upon them. There were specific rules for the sabbath which could not be disobeyed. This they believed. But, what good is there in following the rules of the sabbath or for that matter for being religious and saying that we are Christian if we are unwilling or afraid to show compassion, love, or mercy to all our neighbors. The Pharisees had the laws of the sabbath on their side but the laws of goodness, holiness, and kindness were against them.

In our daily lives as Christians, we should always remember this story. Our behavior should be filled with the bravery, compassion, and love of Jesus. Our hearts must be open, malleable, ready to share love and hope. We should do everything to avoid being like the Pharisees cold followers of the law with harden hearts, hate, and fear.

With prayer each one of us can have Jesus in our lives; with prayer, patience, and love we can all be like Christ willing and ready to help each and every withered hand we see.

Melchizedek, the Righteous King

Melchizedek and Abraham meet. Abraham gives him an offering. Melchizedek is described as righteous king, priest of God Most High, king of peace. What is this passage really about? Is it about the priesthood, life in Jerusalem before Jesus Christ, or is this simply something else? Is this another prophet, another description, another allusion preparing our minds for the story of Jesus Christ. It is perhaps to think about what facts are given, what facts are omitted. The author wants each reader to connect the Melchizedek with Christ. Melchizedek is called a "king of peace", "righteous king". There is a strong connection between Melchizedek and the life of Christ.

Each Christian is called to live a righteous life of social justice, fairness for all mankind. Peace and love are to be the hallmarks, the ideals that Christians strive for, that Christians pray for each and every day of their lives. There is an implicit request that the lives of all Christians be "made to resemble the Son of God" and that all choices be filtered with charity, humility, obedience; and that increasing goodness, holiness, kindness in both the interior and exterior worlds of actions and thoughts of all Christians be a goal. Each Christian must be reminded that they are called to be servants to God Most High, called to be obedient, called to be loving, called to be loyal.

Each Christian is called to be righteous; each Christian has the opportunity to live forever if we love and obey God.

You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 7:17

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

A January Reflection

We must remember to love and serve God. We must remember God's promise of eternal salvation. Each time we do God's work in his time, he will remember it. An eagerness in our actions, in our words is necessary at all times. We must remember to keep our souls nourished with goodness, holiness, kindness. Reading Holy Scripture and other good books can be helpful. Prayer and patience are essential. As Christians we can remember and be happy because of the promises of God. We should never slow down, but pattern our lives after those believers with believers with faith, obedience, and patience.

As Christians we are asked to grasp on to this hope of salvation and to hold it tightly, strongly.

The secular world likes to offer us temptations, sins, fears, doubts. There is always a new vulnerability waiting for us in the next room. The world is uncertain, unsafe, unclean. There is danger and deception. The secular world offers this with a smile and a catchy tune. We accept it quietly, calmly and continue with our lives. The secular world likes to challenge our belief, our faith. The structure and rhetoric of the questions are more important than any answer we can give them if we forget to answer from the heart with God's love, God's mercy, and God's wisdom.

We must always remember that as Christians we have a purpose. We are asked to love and serve God. We are asked to be obedient to God. We are asked to love our neighbors. These are very important. We must always be prepared to be questioned, mocked, ridiculed about our faith by those with presumed knowledge of our religion, its traditions, rituals, and customs. Let your faith and patience guide your responses.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Notes on the Gospel of Mark

No matter what we do someone is going to be annoyed, someone is going to object. How we react is important. With love as the center of Christian existence our actions and words are important. We are asked to be obedient to God. Each person has their own individual idea on how to do this based upon their individual prayers and reflections. The Christian life is a beautiful life of hope and mercy. There is time for happiness and mirth, time for patience and faith. There is time for sacrifice and suffering. As Christians we are prepared for many different, difficult situations. Hopefully, we each are at peace and happy during the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Each time we attend Mass, love, compassion, and mercy should fill our hearts, minds, and souls. We should strive to be more obedient, more humble. We should want to be loving servants of God.

Baptism has made us disciples of Christ. We must decide what this means to us as individuals and then find a way to serve God with reverence, with love. Christians are asked by Jesus to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. As children this is easier, as adults this love requires patience, understanding, sacrifice, and courage. As we share the Good News with others we must always remember the beauty and mystery of our Baptism, of being disciples of Christ, of being loving servants of God.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Notes Hebrew Chapter 5

As Christians, we are all asked to live a priestly life of service to God. The Sacrament of Baptism prepares us to offer sacrifices and praise to God. We are asked to love our neighbor, to be compassionate, to be merciful, patient. Although we are Christians, we are still human beings, still sinners. We make mistakes, we do wrong things. We must learn to forgive and to ask for forgiveness. The world is filled with ignorance, rudeness, temptation. Each Christian is asked to pray to God for individual guidance and for guidance for his neighbors. As we live our lives we must allow ourselves to listen for God's call. It is a honor to be asked to be his servant.

Reverence in daily life, reverence before God are equally important in the life of a Christian. Each day presents opportunities for us to glorify the Lord through our actions, our prayers. We must be prepared to do goodness each day. Love, as described and taught by Jesus Christ, is essential to our Christian identity. There is no time to be jealous, selfish when doing the work of the Lord. Seek only goodness, holiness, kindness. Share mercy, compassion. Give love freely, openly with patience and understanding without any thought of reciprocation. A life in God is all consuming, all embracing without start and finish points. We must remember that as Christians each action, each word are important. We are God's children, we are asked to be humble, loving, and obedient.

The secular world can make our lives as Christians difficult. We must learn to avoid temptation. We must also accept that our lives are not meant to be easy. There will be moments of suffering, moments of pain. With patience and prayer we can survive anything. Eternal salvation waits for those who obey God.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Notes on the Gospel of John

How would you react if you saw Jesus walking toward you? What would you say? What would you do? Would you be able to tell others about what you saw, what you heard?

John the Baptist had many choices on the day that this meeting occurred. He could have turned and walked away. He could have decided to take a swim. He could have pretended that he did not know what was happening, that he did not recognize Jesus, that he did not know the significance of Jesus. His reaction is a model for us all. He was humble. His actions showed that he was obedient to God, that he loved God.

John the Baptist is witness to a great moment. This does not scare him, this does not make him boastful. He understands his importance and the importance of Jesus. John the Baptist was able to find the right perspective, was able to look beyond his activities, his thoughts, his desires and see the Son of God. He had the courage to witness this event and to share what he saw. Being Christian gives each of us the opportunity to witness holiness and kindness in others. It is important that we are able to take the time to discover the right perspective. Our vision needs to be clear. Our hearts need to be filled with goodness, holiness, kindness. These three together can lead to love, can lead to God when our hearts are open and pure. These three together can give us courage and hope to share the Good News with others, to witness God's love and mercy in the lives of all those around us.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Notes on Isaiah

This reading from Isaiah is filled with great rhythm, great imagery, great phrasing. There is a wonderful musicality in the words, a wonderful movement of ideas, a wonderful mastery of rhetoric. Here is a dialogue with God. Here is a brief snapshot of a relationship between God and one of his believers. This snapshot should be a model for all believers, all followers of God. God shows his glory to his followers, to those who are obedient to him, to those who love him. Being a servant of God is a privilege, is a honor, is an aspiration for all, requires a special goodness of spirit, requires a special holiness of being, requires special kindness of thought. God will show glory to the chosen, to the faithful, obedient followers. Being a servant of God presents an unique responsibility and challenge to each believer. We have to learn how to live lives which will light the candle of hope in ourselves, encourage it in others. We have to learn how to love freely, generously, without fear, without restrictions. We must always believe in salvation. We must always seek salvation. We must always use all our thoughts and actions to encourage others to believe in salvation. Salvation is God’s greatest gift to each of us. The basis of salvation is love, God’s love, eternal and divine.

There is a yearning in each of us, a yearning for yesterday, a yearning for tomorrow. Within each of us there is mingling of future and past. The prophet presents both, commingles past with future to teach, to provide hope, to inspire faith.

Our duty, the duty and responsibility of all Christians is to obey God. We are asked to listen for God’s call and to act. We are asked to use our lives to share the Good News.

As believers we will be a light to others, a light leading to salvation.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

of erring heart

We have become partners of Christ if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end, for it is said: "Oh, that today you would hear his voice: 'Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion.'" Hebrews 3:14-15

Faithful. Glory. Honor. Faithful in all his house. Take care. Encourage yourselves daily.

These words leap into my imagination as I think of the building a relationship with God. Jesus Christ asks for our love, our mercy, and our honor. Good Christians are people filled with the faith and grace of God. These people are filled with charity and hope which they freely share. Their existence is one of serving the Lord, asking others to serve the Lord. Their existence reflects the hope of God for all human beings and for the followers of Christ. Their existence begins with simplicity of faith, with spirituality organic and growing, with solidarity for all human beings especially those who are forgotten, marginalized. Their relationship with God is the most important relationship in their lives. These Christians live quiet lives of great humility and sacrifice.

Each day is an opportunity to praise and exalt God by their deeds of compassion and mercy. Each day provides one more instance of their obedience to the teachings of God. With faith and courage each one of us can learn how to serve the Lord, each one of us can learn how to listen for the Lord’s voice. With prayer and patience we can learn the will of God when we allow ourselves to be loving, unselfish, quiet.

Modern life creates anxiety. Each day we are encouraged to be selfish, gluttonous, avaricious by the secular world. The flesh is seen as more important than the spiritual. Sometimes modern life seems dirty, dangerous. The media likes presenting images of all types of sin and vice. There is always the possibility of a passive indoctrination, animosity and loathing is encouraged, often heralded. Being good, following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ is often presented as weakness, being boring.

There is an intense need for cleansing now. Our society is unclean. Our faith can help us. Our love and obedience to God can save us. We must remember prayer. We must remember God’s greatest gift to each one of us.

We all need compassion, charity, humility, mercy, hope, civility, love.

We must be willing to help our neighbors with deeds and prayers. We must be willing to praise God with deeds and prayers.

The world is filled with demons, with evil. With God’s help we can survive and flourish. We must ask for help, we must obey his commands.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

gathered at the door

Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested. Hebrews 2:18

The thoughts of a Christian should center on God; should always encourage love, obedience, and service; should always be merciful. In fact our thoughts are often all over the place, filled with jealousy, anger, anxiety, selfishness, hatred. We are creatures of flesh and blood. This fact makes it easy for us to limit our understanding of God and to limit our relationship with God.

Human beings often impose all types of dichotomies onto life. Stop - Go. Black - White. Good - Bad. Life - Death.

There is both simplicity in this type of construction. There is also danger. In the search for opposites we forget or realign words to our own needs, often obstructing our view of God. Each flesh and blood action should be for the glory of God. Our flesh and blood existence is a chance to create a strong loving bond with God where we use our free will and show that we are obedient, loving servants. We must be able to share our love with our neighbors, show compassion, offer hope.

Our flesh and blood actions are important. We should not fear anything other than the Lord. We should not fear death. We should not fear our neighbors. We should not fear poverty, famine, disease. We are simply asked to believe and to remember that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ destroyed death. The aim of each Christian is eternal life with God.

The aim of each Christian is love. The power of honest, innocent, merciful love can do miracles. This love asks for patience, asks for prayer. When we act as Jesus Christ taught with social justice and compassion for all not just our loved ones but our enemies and those who might harm us, we are able to accomplish many things. We must always remember to give the power and the glory to God, we must remember to always give thanks and praise to God.

Reading about Jesus curing the sick, rebuking demons is very inspiring. Each of us in our own special way can continue this work by our daily choices, by our daily actions, by our daily prayers. When we honestly act in the name of God and allow ourselves to be his loving, obedient instruments nothing is impossible. When we love unselfishly, freely in the name of God, then we are doing what we were asked to do, then we are opening our hearts to the beauty of the world, then we are vulnerable; then we can encourage and inspire others to believe and follow the path of Jesus Christ.

When we use each word, each deed for the glory of God then we are truly being Christian. This is not easy. There will be many distractions and temptations. Allow prayer to give you strength, to give you encouragement.

Remember that Jesus Christ would cure illnesses, rebuke demons, and then go to a deserted place and pray. Prayer is essential for a relationship with God.

So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee. Mark 1:39

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Humorous Thought on Praying

The trouble about saying prayer, and the reason why a great many otherwise religious and educated persons retreat into crowded rooms of books or laughing faces with panicking pouts, their whole being intent on escaping this moment of intensity presents the seriousness and the silliness of contemporary thought with its fondness for difficulty and adversity, to many armchair generals and quarterbacks, prayer looks too easy.

You attend a crowded Mass each week and consider that each occupant of the polished wooden pews is there just like you filling this hour before a sporting event, before an eating event, or before a shopping event trying to remember where the car is parked, where the keys are, if the doors are locked; the simple responses to the pulpit greetings frighten you; your slumbering brain is awakened and encouraged to request your tongue to make some audible, vocal sound, and your blood boils. A shimmer of honest resentment rearranges this old thought, reanimates that old thought of some ancient misunderstanding that occurred to your best friend’s grandfather’s father when he was thirteen and misbehaving during Mass. Mass participation often feels like the drab, damp precipitation of colorless unasked questions, absolute and protected with a juvenile recess in the mind where this and that snap and flash. You are asked to suffer each week bombarded by the following words, love, sacrifice, patience, faith, hope, mercy, sin, service, obedience, purity, penance. How you suffer, tight lips, tight cheeks, tight eyes, everything pulled and stretched like a rubber band, waiting to be released. You must listen to this reading, recite in unison that prayer. Mass prayer sounds beautiful, cohesive, intellectual. The the thought of private prayer scares and intimidates you. Your fear grows--slowly and painfully, and over time each day without private prayer allows you to construct a village, a moat, a castle, and a tower to remove the idea of private personal prayer from your modern skull altogether.

The Mass prayers are old and were created and preserved because somebody--not the general public, but the church leaders--wanted them. Each prayer you recite during Mass has a specific length, specific purpose, specific place in the liturgy. You are given the responsibility to create and preserve your private prayers. This simple fact sometimes scares, sometimes annoys, sometimes petrifies you from praying. Some people commission somebody else to write them a prayer or two. Some downtrodden creative creature with a MFA is cajoled into signing a contract: and, from that instant, his battles with the devil and his clients begin.

Early inspiration gives him a pleasing and ingenious words and phrasings. Full of optimism, he starts to write it, starts to recite it aloud. By the time he has finished an excellent first draft, he is informed that certain deceased family members must be included and at least three Latin words or phrases and at least two French words must be included and now prayers are needed for weekday and Sunday meals and bedtime, Federal holidays, religious holidays, and will he kindly create simple, contemporary sounding prayers accordingly? This baffles the author greatly. He is aware of the current animosity directed toward all the deceased family members, toward the living family members, toward the living family members in hiding; he is aware of the gracious and graceful gestures which both charm and soothe eyes of many casual observers; he is aware of barrenness in the zone where the mind and soul are located, there is no goodness, no holiness, no kindness playing there in any shape or form. And he had allowed for this in his original conception of the prayer, by making the prayer a gesture of almost perpetual silence punctuated with “Dear God, I give you all my love, all my hope, all my praise for allowing me to walk and talk these crazy days. Amen. The unfolding of the silence, could either add depth, breadth, or sense of great intellectual thought.

He takes a walk around two blocks, ties a clove of garlic around his neck, and starts to work to renovate his piece. He is discouraged at times, but somehow continues, perseveres. With almost superhuman diligence he conceives the only possible prayer which will fit the requirements and necessities of this job. He has finished the final draft of the prayer and is about to print it and send it to his client, when he learns from an intermediary that there is another slight hitch. Instead of being in ordinary paragraph form, it seems that this conversation with God has to be composed in old English, in iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme.

By this time our author has accepted his fate, decided to allow this thing to remain in his system: or, rather, he has worked so hard that he feels he cannot abandon the prayer now. He hunts through this thesaurus, that dictionary, these psalms, those verses, and at length finds new inspiration. The only proviso is that this prayer does not need to be big and bold and heavy, but one with a dash of levity, a hint of brevity. This prayer can be viewed as a introduction or potential contract. With notes for the prayer under his arm he staggers between church, coffee shop, bookstore, library. He reads the prayer--smiles--chuckles--thoroughly enjoys it. Then a cloud passes twitching his brow. He wonders if his clients will enjoy, if they will recite it while relaxing near the water cooler or if they will want a new version with a new twist, a contemporary vehicle in the style and vernacular of Pound, Eliot,Arnold.

Now, the prayer needs to have a catchy refrain or a trendy, instant catch phrase.

Returning to his client the author approaches them slowly, cautiously. He glances into his client’s face looking for tight lips, tight cheeks, tight eyes, tight forehead. He presents the prayer, waits for a response, watches as the eyes move above the paper. He wishes that he was on the lost on the Amazons River or lost in Paris. He waits. It is easy to be the critic, to find fault, to find deficiencies, to want more of this, less of that. The author waits for a reply with thoughts of shepherds, doves, and loaves dancing in his head. He waits with thoughts of penance, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, penuriousness. He watches each movement of the eyebrow, each movement of the pupil. He waits for signs of intelligence, artificial, natural, organic, or somewhere in between.

Prayer requires thought, patience, diligence, creativity. Prayer requires repetition. Prayer needs to become a part of your daily routine. Prayer can have lightness. Prayer can inspire thoughts of the Seine River at sunset in August as the streetlamps come on, inspire thoughts of serenity, inspire thoughts of peace.

If you need help with composing or saying your private, personal prayer, help is always nearby.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Imagination




And as I think about life, urban life with all the people, all the noise, all the visual cues, good and bad, I wonder how I am able to move around. There is so much angst, so much anxiety, so much to be thankful for.





Parades are like old habits. Each parade contains much that is familiar, much that has been seen before, much that has been heard before. Modern life is simply a private parade, an old habit, circular, never ending filled with repetition, filled with brass instruments, filled with rebellious balloons.




Each city has a place for silence, a place for introspection, a place for prayer, a place for the imagination.

A Short Response

Please keep the families of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and all the other people shot and/or killed in Tucson in your prayers.

This weekend there was much discussion of the events that occurred on Saturday in Arizona. The shootings, the killings were surprising and yet because our society is so violent not so surprising. There was a calm acceptance. The political landscape is filled with the nastiest, meanest verbal attacks on individuals and policies. American politics is no longer civil, intellectual, or expansive. In many ways the political language has been reduced to the language of the bootleggers and racketeers. The American people are now seen as a commodity, to be bought, sold, discarded as needed.

Our society is divided about how it feels about our individual lives. Life is no longer cherished. Revenge and selfishness are important. We no longer respect life. What we present in our movies, plays, television shows, books can influence people! What we legally allow under the law can influence people.

Our society is violent, anti-authority. It is shrill, selfish, greedy, anxious. Consumerism is more important than spirituality, more important than loving and serving God. Our society is filled with neon lights and all types of artificial noise. We are a people on the edge, a people on the verge. Sometimes we are able to rise up and do the right thing, serve God, share love, hope, mercy with our fellow man. Others we sink down, harm ourselves, harm others.

Each time there is a violent death we should be awakened, be concerned about the true state of our country. We no longer live in a peaceful society. We live in a society and world on the verge of war, on the edge of destruction. All it takes is one person.

We must remember to power and beauty of prayer. We must remember God’s love and sacrifice. We must remember to serve God each and every day of our lives. We must strive to be loving, loyal servants of God.

fulfill all righteousness

He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Acts 10:38

The secular world is filled with examples of bad behavior, bad decisions. In many ways badness, selfishness, greediness, anger, are encouraged by the media. Badness sells. Being bad is “ sexy ” in books, television shows, movies. The lessons and messages of goodness are hidden within the black wash of consumerism. Adultery, divorce, betrayal, disrespect, dishonor are viewed as acceptable, as normal. The secular world does not encourage people to be better people; the secular world encourages people to want more stuff, to spend more money.

There is something very radical in the teachings of Jesus Christ. The teachings ask each one us to think before we act. The teachings tell us it is better to love each other than to be greedy. Sharing is beneficial to both parties. Social justice is attainable and beautiful. To follow Christ involves prayer. We must take the time to evaluate the situations that we find ourselves in, we must take the time to make the right decision.

Christians are not afraid of going against society, Christians are not afraid of ignoring the secular world. The world is often dangerous and evil. These are sometimes camouflaged, hidden by rhetoric, or the trappings of wealth, fame, power. True love, universal and unconditional, remains unwanted and targeted by the secular world most of the time unless there is a natural disaster or other calamity which the secular world wants to use.

How do we live our daily lives? How do we live our Christian lives? What is important to us? What is the most important item in our lives? How important is God to us? Each day these questions in one form or another might pass through our minds each time we make a decision.

As Christians we are reminded about the importance of loving our neighbor as we love ourselves frequently. We each are given opportunities to share our love with others, with others who need it, with others who might reciprocate it. We can share our love, not share our love. The decision is ours.

Each day provides us with opportunities to increase our faith, to make it stronger, to make it more visible to ourselves and others, to make it more elemental to how we live each day, how we conduct ourselves with family, friends, strangers, and other acquaintances. Our lives are filled with all types of anxiety, some natural, some man made. There are always things to annoy us, things to worry us. Life is filled with many things to keep us from following in the footsteps of Christ; there are many diversions to keep us from being good; there are many distractions to keep us from praying.

Finding time to pray to God is both beneficial and important for all Christians. Establishing a strong relationship with God is a necessary part of all Christian lives. We must allow ourselves time to listen to God; we must encourage ourselves to obey God. This is a lifelong mission.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

has given us discernment

So this joy of mine has been made complete. John 3:29

Being Christian is a journey to warmheartedness. It is a journey to love, a journey of faith, a journey of loyalty, a journey of confidence. The destination is a close relationship with God. Being Christian is a journey of sacrifice.

Patience is a necessity which all Christians need to possess. Anxiety can cause doubt, can impair a person’s judgement.

Simplicity is a Christian’s best friend. Learn how to love unconditionally; learn how to love all mankind universally. The love that Jesus wanted us to share with each other is more broad, more powerful than romantic love and infatuation. Keep love simple, keep love humble.

Learn who is your beloved in Jesus Christ. Allow yourself to be silent, to look for goodness, kindness, holiness in yourself and in others. Remember that a Christian life is a journey. Remember to avoid complaining, remember to remain alert. As Christians we should always be ready to accept God’s request for us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, accept God‘s request that our lives be filled with charity, compassion, humility, and obedience, and accept Jesus Christ as the only begotten son of God who will lead us to eternal life.

Each Christian is asked to believe and embrace love universal, love unconditional. It is important that we learn how to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. It is important that we learn how to praise and petition God. It is important that each Christian learns how give thanks to God. Having a close relationship with God is the primary goal of Christianity. Love, universal and unconditional, is a vehicle for faith, hope, mercy to be shared. This form of love is difficult to master. It requires a selflessness, it is completely unselfish. This love is simple, youthful, fair; the basis for this love begins with the social justice teachings of Jesus Christ.

Universal and unconditional love prepares each Christian to remain in a state of welcoming to all people encountered, especially those in need. As Christians we must be prepared to welcome God into our lives.

Pureness in thought and deed will help us find righteousness, help us move closer to God. Christian morality starts with obeying the word of God. We must honor and praise God with our entire lives. Our hearts, minds, and souls must become incorruptible to sin.

If we observe anyone sinning or if we ourselves are on the verge of sinning always remember to pray. Prayer does help. Use prayer to walk on the right road, to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.

Learn the power and beauty of self-appraisal. Always seek to improve all your activities done for or all the activities in the name of the Lord. Examine yourself fairly, learn from your vulnerability, learn from your fear. Be fair, be just. Remember that you are human. Accept that you might fail, accept that you might sin. Learn to forgive both yourself and others.

This is a great expedition of faith and hope. Allow it to be your life’s great purpose and pilgrimage.

Always remember Jesus and the Apostles preaching and baptizing in Judea. Let your life proclaim that Jesus Christ is the true son of God and he is the true God.

Friday, January 7, 2011

he would withdraw to deserted places to pray

Listening to the Liturgy of the Word should be an active process, the entire mind should be engaged with each word that is spoken during this time. The Bible is filled with activity. People are always moving around, obeying God, disobeying God. The people in the Bible are always up to something. Although the Bible does not mention texting, email, smart phones, the people of the Bible knew how to communicate with one another without using a telephone or Facebook or Twitter or Youtube. The People of the Bible were good at getting the message.

Jesus was a very busy person. He was always on the go, moving from town to town. His ministry involved motion, involved going to the people, involved listening to the people, involved serving the people. Jesus did not limit his ministry to one neighborhood in one town. He was in Nazareth, Capernaum, Bethabara, Cana, Galilee.

Two Thousand years later there is something magical, something powerful in the names of these places and the connection to Jesus. His ministry moved from the countryside to the synagogue to the countryside. His ministry moved along country roads and city streets.

His message was simple love God and love each other. His message was radical then, and is still radical now.

Even with all the moving about from town to town Jesus always found time to pray.

Christianity asks each believer, each Christian to spread the Good News, to share their blessings and gifts with others, to praise and love God each day. Christianity asks each believer to join a journey of goodness, holiness, kindness, to join a journey of faithfulness and loyalty to God.

It is important to always be attentive, to always be listening for the voice of God. Being Christian often involves a period of discernment, of contemplating, praying reflecting on how to move closer to God, on how to serve God.

Each day there are signs of the Holy Spirit in our lives, encouraging us to pray, encouraging us to help others, encouraging us to avoid temptations and distractions. Each day there are signs of the Holy Spirit directing us toward God, directing us to the path of Jesus. Each day there are signs of the Holy Spirit asking each of to be active Christians, loving and serving God, loving each other unconditionally.

Even with our busy lives of work, family, friends, volunteer activities, each Christian should find time to pray.

Each day I wonder what Nazareth, Capernaum, Bethabara, Cana, Galilee were like when Jesus was alive and moving from town to town. Each day I wonder if there is something more that I could be doing to love and serve God.

A sense of courage is needed. A sense of humor is required. Simplicity is needed. Love is required. Being Christian requires active listening, active participation. Being Christian requires gracious words, loving deeds.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Do not hip-hop into hardheartedness

A sense of courage is needed. A sense of humor is required. Simplicity is needed. Love is required.

Poetic license did inspire and encourage this poetic reflection on a homily given at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle.


Do not hip-hop into that harsh hardheartedness,
Truth shall burn and smoke and pry open thoughts moral
Pray, pray for the advance of gentle goodheartedness.

Wisdom’s shadows can create lightheartedness
With words hallowed, silence hesitant yet choral
Do not hip-hop into that harsh hardheartedness.

Find words good, find words wise, find your kindheartedness.
Against another’s little deeds neither complain nor quarrel.
Pray, pray for the advance of gentle goodheartedness.

Those who seek the moon and forget greatheartedness
And live in selfish warm seas, stony reefs coral
Do not hip-hop into that harsh hardheartedness.

Death approaches, fear encroaches. And with wholeheartedness
in thought and speech marshmallow white be aural,
Pray, pray for the advance of gentle goodheartedness.

And melodious, mathematical softheartedness
Bless, motivate each heart, mind, soul with hope’s laurel.
Do not hip-hop into that harsh hardheartedness.
Pray, pray for the advance of gentle goodheartedness.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

The Time

Although New Year Parties and resolutions create a conversational mosaic of brittle, polite chit-chat, the post-Christmas times becomes a clatter of Madison Avenue jingles and video vignettes and newspaper inserts presenting smiling, happy, faces finding more sales, more bargains and more beautifully photographed stuff waiting to be purchased, waiting to be returned. How colorful and entertaining and predictable these advertisements are!

For many the New Year is a time of anxiety, a time of angst as one year ends and another begins. The problems of the old year carry over into the next year. There is a selfishness attached to some of the current contemporary New Year's rituals with so much attention being placed on anticipation and expectation. There is no time to be mellow. There is no time for repose. Tranquility and serenity are banished. Often there is little time for reflection between shopping, attending parties, recovering from the shopping, recovering from the parties.

The beginning of a new year requires each Christian to examine his conscience, to examine the good and the bad from the previous year, to examine the relationship with the people in his life, to examine the relationship with God. The central focus of each Christian might involve how to love better, how to love his neighbors, his family, his friends, and God better. The central focus might involve how to serve God better with his entire being, how to share God's love with all the people around him.

Serving God requires a special humility, a benevolent placidity which leads to a loving obedience.

This is the time for prayer, the time for silence. This is the time to use the Rosary. Loving and serving God are very important activities which take time, effort, patience. Saying that we love God is easier than showing it. As Christians we must learn to put God first.

Find the courage to be humble, to be patient. Find the courage to love, freely, unconditionally, universally without anticipating, desiring, or expecting anything in return. Simply allow yourself to freely, quietly love all whom you come into contact with. Let love for God diffuse all your fears, all your jealousy, all your anger. Let love for God lead you to the peace and quietude of devotional expression. Let love for God guide you away from temptation and sin.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Hear Them

Learn all you can about love; learn the meaning of love; learn the signs of love; learn all you can about Jesus Christ, his life, his times, his ministry, his death, his resurrection. Allow the knowledge about Jesus Christ guide you toward holy living. Learn how to lift up your soul and others. Seek and understand goodness and kindness. Fill your mind with the Good News and words from good books. Allow yourself to remain ignorant of about much of the secular world when it goes against the laws and wishes of God, when it blocks access to God with deceit, deception, distraction, diversion. Learn to confess your sins frequently as needed. Always strive to be humble. Always read and reflect on the Word of God. Search for ways to serve and to obey God. Remember that life begins with love.

Are you a member of God's flock? Are you one of the herd? Is this your weekly rendezvous? How do you consociate with God? It is time to be lionhearted for God, to display a bold dauntlessness defending the faith, to share a compassionate valiance in the name and glory od God.

Allow charity, humility, obedience to help create the hypotenuse of your relationship with God; explore the hypostasis of love, universal and unconditional; and seek the essence of goodness, kindness, and holiness within your soul.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Simple Thoughts

Being Christian is being part of a never-ending expedition. It is an adventure. It is a way of life. Words like morality, moralistic, morals, good character, incorruptibility, virtue are frequently mentioned. Being Christian is an exercise in charity, humility, obedience to God. It is not simply high ideals. It is action, it is reaction. It is prayer and reflection and hope. It is tears and laughter. Being Christian is an eternal struggle of good against bad. Being Christian is an intimate interior dialogue between the soul, the heart, and the mind. It is an argument. It is a choice. Being Christian is often difficult. Being Christian means saying yes to God, yes to sacrificing for God, yes to being obedient to God's wishes. Being Christian can be very public or very private. Being Christian means believing in and loving God. Being Christian means seeking out those others who believe and love God, too.

Courage is needed. Faith is required. Simplicity is needed. Love is required.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Getting the Right Steps

Now is the time to think of the International Date Line! Now is the time to wish that there was an International Prayer Line. Each Christian must always remember that God is always close by, that God is always waiting patiently whether we are in the Black Forest or in the Loire Valley or Palestine.

Now is the time to renew the quest for goodness.

Now is not the time to talk about morals; it is the time to create and to protect them. Each second of our lives should be filled with the charity, humility, obedience, and love which Jesus Christ preached about.

Now is not the time to talk about high ideals; it is the time to fill each moment of our lives with love and service for God. It is time action. It is time for prayer. It is time for righteousness. Whether we are in Death Valley, or listening to an anecdote about a vacation in the Great Sandy Desert, or looking at a photograph of the Painted Desert allow your eyes to discover the beauty, the mystery within each minute of your life. Allow yourself to accept God's love, to welcome God's call, to embrace humility, charity, obedience.

God is present in Aberdeen and Bethlehem. God receives prayers from Bangkok and Buenos Aires. Canterbury provides God with tales and reconciliation. God is present in London and Thunder Bay. God receives prayers from Saint Andrews and Sarajevo. Tokyo provides God with tales and reconciliation. God is present in Uranium City and Zurich. Where is God in your life?

Saturday, January 1, 2011

A Moment Please - January 1, 2011

It is great to begin a new year wishing everybody warmheartedness. It is great to begin each year with an expanding feeling of tenderheartedness. Now, prepare for the journey thru the next twelve months. Accept that each day will not allow you to feel "fine and dandy" but resist the temptation to complain. Now is the time to accept life, to accept all that is presented with great humility. Embrace pain and adversity with love and charity. Avoid anger and rudeness. Allow yourself to welcome the mystery and beauty of each moment of your life. Avoid rushing, avoid anxiety. Time does not stop for a slice of apple pie but you can. Always remember to pray. Always remember to praise God each and every day. Always remember to give thanks to God, each and every day. Always remember to love God forever.

Do not be afraid to be moral. Allow yourself to use the lessons of the Bible to develop your moral code. Love, universal and unconditional, is the foundation of moral integrity. Avoid jealousy, selfishness. Look to those who exhibit qualities of charity, humility, obedience, mercy, goodness, holiness, kindness, and love. Learn from those. A good character leads to honor, honor leads to virtue, virtue leads to God. Always move toward God.

Live a life that is favorable to God; listen for God's request; allow yourself to make loving sacrifices for and to God.

Let each second of your life be in service of God, each second be lived with the wonder and mystery and newness of a first pilgrimage, a grand pilgrimage of love, obedience, and service.