Hope, Forgiveness honor God: ‘Being Christian . . . has not changed’

Each September arrives with fall to do lists, summer’s lingering list of undone, forgotten, or postponed events. September releases angst in past tense, in present tense, in future tense. This month mumbles “never mind.” Summer newlyweds wait for their photographers to provide proofs and wedding albums. Students wait for instructors to provide course syllabi. Theater subscribers wait for the new season to begin. Strangers talk about autumn trips to London, Rome, Amsterdam. Strangers talk about the beauty of England’s West Country. Strangers talk about alternative evening activities in some cities. Strangers talk of the Catholic Church as the alternative experience. Many things are mentioned in conversations across the world in September. Each passing day becomes shorter and shorter. People go from interview to interview, city to city in search of work. People go from homily to homily in search of hope, in search of God, in search of love. God and Jesus Christ and the Apostle remain staples of Western popular culture, buttressed by Christmas and Easter. The lightness of God remains under attack. Darkness passes into the hearts, minds, and souls of many people creating dark times. This darkness fuels violence, drug addictions, racism, sexism. The light of truth, the light of God remains constant, remains a resource, a guide, a call to return to goodness, holiness, kindness. The light of God intrigues many, encourages many to become believers, encourages others to remain followers.

It was there that I first heard a voice deep inside of me whisper “Find and Share Your Christian Spirit", and naturally I was a little shaken up. Naturally I did nothing until I heard the voice again and again. It was both frightening and exhilarating. I was defiant and lethargic against an immortal chorus, immortal call of hope, call of forgiveness.

I subsequently discovered that this call is not unique to me. Each day all over the world, in every nation in every time zone in many hearts in many different cultures in many different individuals develop a vein of inchoate hope, a desire for goodness, kindness, holiness grows, a prayer for peace and health of all mankind travels through hearts, minds, souls kindling thoughts of universal and unconditional love, kindling thoughts of eternal life, kindling thoughts of salvation. This call maybe be pristine and delicate or heavy-duty rumbling loud. This call is personal, privately territorial speaking to the individual needs first in authentic tones, primal tones. I was reminded of my desire for salvation, my desire for spiritual cleanliness in God’s eyes. Mainstream yet underground my conversion continues each and every day as I learn more and more about God, as I wonder about what more I can do. I have youthful eyes, youthful ears, and a youthful soul as I include service to God more and more in my thoughts and daily activities. There are successful days, and less successful days. Days of hope, days of love follow me, protect me, guide me toward God, guide me toward the footsteps of Jesus Christ.

My journey is not unique; this provides hope as I seek my way toward God. Others have gone before me. Others have sinned. Others have asked for pardon and forgiveness. Asking for pardon and forgiveness from God is not always easy. But it can be done with prayer, reflection.

My rebellion leads me to God, leads me to compassion for my neighbors.

he saw and believed - December 27, 2010

Waking up can be a little difficult this time of year for many unknown reasons. This is also a time for remembrance and reverence for all holy people who have believed, lived, and taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This season asks each Christian to take a minute and count each blessing, each gift from God and to give thanks. The lessons within each reading point toward the universality of God's love. The message within each Mass presents the breadth of God's love for all of humanity. People on the right road will experience a little longing for Christ after hearing each Gospel reading. People on the right road will work to model their whole lives with a universal love, compassion, and sense of social justice. Each moment in their lives will bring more understanding, more wisdom. With effort each word of the Gospel can be understood. For the greatest gift of the season is developing the courage to be good, kind, and holy in the presence of both man and God.

Waking up can be a little difficult this time of year because everyone has something to complain about. This is not the time for heated discussions about God, the Eucharist, Jesus Christ, the Ten Commandments. This is a time for Love. This is a time for humility. This is a time to listen, not to be drawn into a paradox of excited opinion. This is a time for goodness, kindness, holiness. Each action of Christian, hopefully, will be pleasing to God. Rhetoric and grand speeches will not get a man or woman into heaven. Rhetoric and grand speeches will not make a man or woman holy. Rhetoric and grand speeches will fill the ears of the listeners with hollow sounds and unasked questions. There is always a need for penance, a need for Reconciliation with God. For some this time of year is a moment of extreme vanity when the spotlight shines on them, the parties they attend, the gifts they give, the gifts they receive. Although it might be difficult, please remember that this is a time to love and serve God. The true message of Christmas reminds each Christian of the necessity of patience and encourages each Christian to keep their gaze heavenward, to allow each step to lead them to the heavenly kingdom.

I will not be silent - December 24, 2010

Although the Christmas ideas and phrases are a mosaic from the Bible, the practice of Christmas becomes a clatter of Madison Avenue jingles and video vignettes presenting smiling, happy, helpful faces encouraging us to give a Mercedes, a diamond bracelet, a washing machine, a sweater, a toaster, or a magazine subscription. How colorful and entertaining the advertisements are! How amusing the lack of a true message is!

For many instead of being a time of hope and love, Christmas is a time of anxiety, a time of emotional vulnerability compounded by the media promoted messages of a homogenized, pasteurized peaceful Christmas gathering of loved ones who are happy to see each other and respectful of each other.

But the Spiritual elements of Christmas are interwoven with such delicate skill that the religious feeling will find you if you are open to hearing God's voice.

Christmas is a time of divine light, a time of seeking and sharing goodness. Christmas is a time to be humane, to remember and to develop our individual humanity.

Christmas is a time to be humble, to be patient, to wait. When our hearts and souls are clear, our mind can hear the voice of the Lord.

Christmas asks us to be at ease, reposeful. Christmas asks us to encourage others to be mellow, at-peace.

What is your Christmas bonus? Who and what made your Christmas list?

Did you have time to go to Confession? Did you attend Mass? What are the sounds and the looks of your Christmas? Hopefully, your Christmas will be filled with love, compassion, peace.

Is the time for Tom and Jerry, Rusty Nail, Hot Buttered Rum, Fallen Angel, Eggnog, or Bombay Punch?

I sometimes remember different parts of the Christmas meal, the Tabasco, Macaroni and Cheese, Nestle Chocolate Milk, and the Reddi Whip from different childhood Christmas memories.

Each one of us have different ways of seeing and experiencing Christmas. For some Christmas is a Salvador Dali canvas of intentions, ideals, and idolatry. For some Christmas is a Pablo Picasso portrait of being apologetic, applauding, apocalyptic, applicative and apple-polishing. For some Christmas is a Pierre-Auguste Renoir painting of dappled, diffused light encouraging memories delicate, delicious, delighted; encouraging thoughts deliquescent, deliberate, delineated; encouraging reflections, prayer, devotional time.

sending my messenger

Refining them like gold or like silver that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD. Malachi 3:3

There is something about the hurly-burly of Christmas, secular Christmas which suggests the need for the development of a peaceful routine of contemplation, compassion, prayer and monastic piety.

The entire season for many is about motion, searching for presents, attending parties.

The vogue of the season is to complain about this and that, to vow never to shop again or to start earlier. Secular Christmas dominates the popular culture, presents low calorie pleas for understanding, peace, love and high calorie demands to purchase, purchase, purchase.

Christmas is a time of hope. Christmas is a time of love. Christmas is a time of sacrifice. A true Christmas gift does not always come from the mall. It must come from the heart, from the soul. Self denial might be part of this gift, directed abstinence from some activity to promote spiritual growth.

Christmas does ask us to be different than we were yesterday; Christmas asks us to speak different, behave different, contemplate more. It is not the store purchases but the soul reflection which should be treasured and encouraged during this season.

Each Christmas present has the opportunity to be a sacrifice fly if it is purchased and given with compassion, hope, and love and if it is given to encourage and promote spiritual growth.

Each day during Advent and the Christmas season is an opportunity for all Christians to use the Cornell Note-taking system to evaluate their lives, both secular and spiritual, and find ways to move closer to God, find ways to serve God.

We all need a little sacrifice in our lives.

Spirit of holiness - December 19, 2010

When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. Matthew 1:24

Each year the true message of Christmas is submerged beneath more hype, more consumerism, more angst. Christmas is not about giving and receiving; finding the perfect present; getting the best deal. There is so much hype that the real Christmas story is hidden from view.

The birth of Jesus Christ is important but that occurs after two very important events which are not mentioned outside of Mass.

What are the two events? What type of implications do these two events have on contemporary life?

The Nativity scene is very beautiful, very powerful. The entire story about the manger is gentle, natural, believable. The world and the time of Jesus Christ is rendered in such organic boldness that everything always is fresh when the story is told.

The two events which are central to this story concern Mary and Joseph. For the birth of Jesus to occur, both had to say yes to God's request. They both had angel visitations. They both had reservations. They both put their faith in God, complied with God's wishes. Both Mary and Joseph obeyed God. They each had free will. They could have said no. They decided to say yes.

The true message of Christmas begins with two people doing as God requested. The true gift of the season is their obedience, their faith.

All Christians should remember the angel visitations and prepare their lives for the tasks which God may request to be done.

Christmas can be a time of spiritual renewal if time is left for reflection, discernment. The presents should not be the focal point of this season. The focal point should be finding ways to serve God. The focal point should be saying yes to God. All Christians should be attentive, patient, and listening for God's call. All Christian's are asked to serve, are asked to have lives with foundation of charity, humility, and obedience.

Christmas reminds each one of us of the importance of listening and obeying God.

The true Christmas story is about the spirituality of two individuals, the simplicity and beauty of both their faith in God and their unwavering obedience to God. Their acceptance of God's requests fulfilled prophecy and suggested the foundation of a mystical union with God. Mary and Joseph together present a purity of heart, purity of obedience, purity of compassion and love, purity of conformity to the will of God.

The true value of the Christmas story rests in the lessons of preparation, renewal, and acceptance that the season offers when the spiritual needs are nurtured. Christmas is a time to open up each heart, open up each soul, open up each mind for God and for God's work.

Christmas reminds each Christian of the importance of saying thank you to God, of praising God.

The perfect gift for God is our obedience to his will.

Snow

And there is snow and all types of commercials about last minute Christmas shopping opportunities. And there is a great for us to stop, examine our surroundings, examine our hearts, minds, and souls.

If we allow ourselves to be quiet, to be calm we might remember that this season is not about either giving or receiving the most expensive gift. Instead it is about sharing our love and hope with each other.

Modern life is filled with all types of conveniences and distractions. Living Christian lives faithful to the teachings of Christ is difficult sometimes because the simplicity of Christ's instructions is often in opposition the confusing maze of modern life in an industrialized, free market society. We have free will, government bureaucracy, scientific permission and explanations for all types of questionable behavior.

We also have God, when we choose to allow him in our lives.

During this season God should be on top of our list. What should we get God this year? What does God need from us? These questions we should ask ourselves each and every day.

The best present we have to offer begins and ends with prayer. We must remember to pray.