No Walls

IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATING YOUNG PEOPLE IN JUSTICE AND PEACE

2012-01-02T17:11:00.000-05:00

VATICAN CITY, 1 JAN 2012 (VIS) - In the Vatican Basilica this morning, Benedict XVI presided at a Eucharistic celebration for the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God. The Mass was concelebrated by Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B.; Cardinal Peter Kodwo Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace; Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu, substitute for General Affairs; Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States; Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, and Bishop Mario Toso S.D.B., secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. The ceremony also marked today's forty-fifth World Day of Peace, which has as its theme: "Educating Young People in Justice and Peace".

Extracts from Benedict XVI's homily are given below:

"On the first day of the year, the liturgy resounds in the Church throughout the world with the ancient priestly blessing that we heard during today's first reading: 'The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace'. ... In order to be blessed, we have to stand in God's presence, take His Name upon us and remain ... in a space lit up by His gaze, diffusing grace and peace".

"The shepherds of Bethlehem had ... the experience of standing in God's presence, they received His blessing ... in a stable, before a 'babe lying in a manger'. From this child, a new light issues forth, shining in the darkness of the night. ... Henceforth, it is from Him that blessing comes, from His name - Jesus, meaning 'God saves' - and from His human face, in which God, the almighty Lord of heaven and earth, chose to become incarnate, concealing His glory under the veil of our flesh, so as to reveal fully to us His goodness.

"The first to be swept up by this blessing was Mary the virgin. ... Her whole life was spent in the light of the Lord, within the radius of His name and of the face of God incarnate in Jesus, the 'blessed fruit of her womb'. ... The mystery of her divine motherhood that we celebrate today contains in superabundant measure the gift of grace that all human motherhood bears within it. ... The Mother of God is the first of the blessed, and it is she who bears the blessing; she is the woman who received Jesus into herself and brought Him forth for the whole human family".

"Mary is the mother and model of the Church. ... The Church also participates in the mystery of divine motherhood, through preaching, which sows the seed of the Gospel throughout the world, and through the Sacraments, which communicate grace and divine life to men. ... Like Mary, the Church is the mediator of God's blessing for the world: she receives it in receiving Jesus and she transmits it in bearing Jesus. He is the mercy and the peace that the world, of itself, cannot give, and which it needs always, at least as much as bread".

Jesus Christ, the path of peace

"The Church too, on the first day of the year, invokes this supreme good in a special way; she does so, like the Virgin Mary, by revealing Jesus to all, for as St. Paul says, 'He is our peace', and at the same time the 'way' by which individuals and peoples can reach this goal to which we all aspire".

"'Educating Young People in Justice and Peace' is a task for every generation, and thanks be to God, after the tragedies of the two great world wars, the human family has shown increasing awareness of it, as we can witness, on the one hand, from international statements and initiatives, and on the other, from the emergence among young people themselves, in recent decades, of many different forms of social commitment in this field. For the ecclesial community, educating men and women in peace is part of the mission received from Christ, it is an integral part of evangelisation, because the Gospel of Christ is also the Gospel of justice and peace".

"In the face of the shadows that obscure the horizon of today's world, to assume responsibility for educating young people in knowledge of the truth, in fundamental values and virtues, is to look to the future with hope. And in this commitment to a holistic education, formation in justice and peace has a place. Boys and girls today are growing up in a world that has, so to speak, become smaller, where contacts between different cultures and traditions, even if not always direct, are constant. For them, now more than ever, it is indispensable to learn the importance and the art of peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, dialogue and understanding. Young people by their nature are open to these attitudes, but the social reality in which they grow up can lead them to think and act in the opposite way, even to be intolerant and violent. Only a solid education of their consciences can protect them from these risks and make them capable of carrying on the fight, depending always and solely on the power of truth and good. This education begins in the family and is developed at school and in other formative experiences. It is essentially about helping infants, children and adolescents to develop a personality that combines a profound sense of justice with respect for their neighbour, with a capacity to address conflicts without arrogance, with the inner strength to bear witness to good, even when it involves sacrifice, with forgiveness and reconciliation. Thus they will be able to become people of peace and builders of peace.

"In this task of educating young generations, a particular responsibility lies with religious communities. Every pathway of authentic religious formation guides the person, from the most tender age, to know God, to love Him and to do His will. God is love, He is just and peaceable, and anyone wishing to honour Him must first of all act like a child following his father's example. ... In God, justice and mercy come together perfectly, as Jesus showed us through the testimony of His life. ... Jesus is a way that can be travelled, open to everyone. He is the path of peace. Today the Virgin Mary points Him out to us, she shows us the Way: let us walk in it!".

HML/ VIS 20120102 (1090)

You can find more information at: www.visnews.org

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V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.

When We Need To Slow Down

2007-03-24T00:54:00.000-04:00

The Lord is my pacesetter; I shall not rush;

He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals;

He provides me with images of stillness,

which restore my serenity;

He leads me in ways of efficiency

through calmness of mind, and His guidance is peace;

Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day,

I will not fret, for His presence is here;

His timelessness, His all-importance will keep me in balance;

He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity

By anointing my head with his oil of tranquility;

My cup of joyous energy overflows;

surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruit of my hours;

For I shall walk in the peace of my Lord, and dwell in His house forever.

INSTA WORLD

2007-03-24T00:40:00.001-04:00

Do we give God a chance to work in our lives? Or do we expect instant results? We live in the what I call the "INSTA syndrome", instant coffee, instant oatmeal, instant mash taters, instant everything. We want what we want, and we want it right now!

When a web page takes five seconds to load, we get upset. When we have to wait in line at the supermarket, we get irritated. And if we're in line at the bank behind an elderly person, we quickly forget that we will be old someday too. Unless we kill ourselves from our own impatience first.

Something to think about, your status in society reflects whether you have to wait or make others wait for you. The lower your “status”, the more you have to wait on other people. The most "important" people make others wait for them.

God is the most important being in the entire universe. He's at the top. So it stands to reason that all of us have to wait for Him. But that's not how we like it, so we get all worked up and try to hurry him along.

When we don't give God a chance to work out a solution and insist on an immediate answer, you're telling Him to obey you, to hurry up because your way is best. Some people get through their entire life and never learn that lesson. They think that God is like their bell-boy.

Genesis tells us that God created everything in six days, and on the seventh day he rested. Don't you think this all-powerful being could have created everything in one day? Sure he could have! But God did not rush, and he won't allow us to rush him either.

If you ask God to act in your life, you may try to impose a deadline on him. You may believe that the opportunity of a lifetime has come up, and if you don't get God's intervention right away, you'll miss it altogether.

Fortunately for us, God knows the future. In my own life, I have prayed those kinds of desperate prayers. God knew what was best for me, though, and looking back, I see the wisdom of his delay. And sometimes, what I thought was the opportunity of a lifetime would have, instead, turned out to be a lifetime of misery.

Many of us want a "drive-through" life, but nothing worthwhile can be done in a rush. Fast food may be fast, but it's certainly not the tastiest, most nutritional meal you can eat. If we don't give God a chance to do things his way, in his time, we risk stepping outside his will ... into failure.
When you give God a chance--both time and opportunity to work--you're obeying him, and obedience always brings blessings.

So don’t give up, take it slow and give God time to work. Remember He who began a great work in you, will be faithful to complete it.

Letter From A Friend

2007-03-14T21:46:00.000-04:00

I just had to write to tell you how much I love you and care for you. Yesterday, I saw you walking and laughing with your friends; I hoped that soon you'd want Me to walk along with you, too. So, I painted you a sunset to close your day and whispered a cool breeze to refresh you. I waited - you never called - I just kept on loving you.

As I watched you fall asleep last night, I wanted so much to touch you. I spilled moonlight onto your face - trickling down your cheeks as so many tears have. You didn't even think of Me; I wanted so much to comfort you.

The next day I exploded a brilliant sunrise into glorious morning for you. But you woke up late and rushed off to work - you didn't even notice. My sky became cloudy and My tears were the rain.

I love you. Oh, if you'd only listen. I really love you. I try to say it in the quiet of the green meadow and in the blue sky. The wind whispers My love throughout the treetops and spills it into the vibrant colors of all the flowers. I shout it to you in the thunder of the great waterfalls and compose love songs for birds to sing for you. I warm you with the clothing of My sunshine and perfume the air with nature's sweet scent. My love for you is deeper than any ocean and greater than any need in your heart. If you'd only realize how I care.

My Dad sends His love. I want you to meet Him - He cares, too. Fathers are just that way. So, please call on Me soon. No matter how long it takes, I'll wait - because I love you.

Your Friend,
Jesus

Life - A Bumpy Ride

2007-03-07T22:25:00.001-05:00

Peter uses an eye-catching phrase to describe the excitement he and James and John felt on Mount Tabor: “ Lord it is wonderful for us to be here.”

It all started three years earlier when the Apostles met Jesus. It was a meeting that changed their lives. It was the greatest thing that could have happened to them. For three years they were with Him practically day and night. They ate, drank and literally walked the length and breath of Galilee with Jesus. They witnessed countless miracles, listened to numerous sermons, they were familiar with Him yet they did not know Him.

There are so many of us, husbands and wives, parents and children, living under the same roof, breaking bread on the same table, sleeping in the same room and we still do not know each other. Something goes wrong and we are astonished that that person could have done such a thing. We are amazed to know that the person is capable of such nobility and heroism. It is possible to spend an entire lifetime with someone and at the end still not know him or her, we can spend a whole lifetime in the Catholic Church and still not know Christ personally.

Jesus takes them up the mountain, there was nothing but rocks, stones, silence and solitude. There was nothing to distract or disturb them. It was easy for them to give Jesus their total attention. It was in that atmosphere of peace and quiet that Jesus reveals himself to them. Their eyes were opened and they saw Him in all His glory. He was transfigured and they were completely overwhelmed.

What a moment it was! They were so happy, they just wanted to stay there forever and never leave. “Let’s pitch tent here, away from the pain and suffering and ugliness of the world.” But Jesus’ work was not finished and theirs had hardly begun. So the vision ended and He led them down the mountain, back to earth to finish life’s work, back to face the challenges thy had not even imagined when they said “yes” to Jesus a short time ago.

We can all relate to this experience. Each one of us have had one of the rare moments of transfiguration., the first love, the proposal, the wedding day, the first child, graduating from school or college, getting your driving license, your first car, first pay check. We have been to the top of the mountain at least once. Life did not stop. Like Peter, when we have our moment, our response is to hold on to the moment, freeze time.

Let’s follow the plot. Moses and Elijah are speaking to Jesus, they are talking about the road to Jerusalem. It is the road that leads to Calvary and suffering and death. In this transfiguration moment, life was not standing still, it did not last forever, for anyone.

The feelings that a couple feel at the beginning of their relationship are not quite the same feelings, one maybe two years later. They may be better, hopefully deeper and richer. But they may also be worse. The feelings are never the same. We grow older, loved ones die, the job gets boring, the neighbourhood has changed. The “transfiguration” did not last. In its place we have a sense of loss, the loss of the wonderful, the loss of expectation.

The next stage begins here for those who persevere. It comes with reflection and prayer and often a lot of pain. It begins when we share the burdens with each other, with sympathy and wisdom. Life is not lived on the mountaintops but in the valleys. Slowly we begin to see a different light – the losses, the sicknesses, the disappointments, the addictions, the weaknesses and failures, the baggage we take on the journey. We catch a glimmer of what Moses and Elijah were talking about. It was necessary for Jesus to come down the mountain and hit the road to Jerusalem and climb Mount Calvary and carry on, beyond death to Resurrection, from suffering to transfiguration. It will be the same for us, we follow a crucified leader.

As life unfolds we come to understand that the price of the things e hold most dear is far greater than we had imagined in the beginning. Everything looked so simple when we said ‘yes’ or “I do.” The price of our lives and dreams become clearer, we experience the desire to ask for a refund, to run away and retreat to a place that is warm, comfy and safe. This is how we can “relate” to Jesus, we know He has gone through it all. He knows what it is to be worn out and afraid, to feel that you have had enough and cant take anymore, to want to run away and not come back. He tells us “Have courage, fear not. I am with you every step of the way.”

So we hit the road together. There is no avoiding the road to Jerusalem. It takes us up another mountain called Calvary, to certain death and beyond, to Resurrection and final glory. We should never forget the voice of God ringing in our ears saying to us “You are my beloved in whom I am well pleased.”

Life is not a straight line, but a series of hills and valleys. The desert experiences are simply the only way to the next oasis which is far more lush and beautiful after the desert crossing than it could have possibly have been without it.

Temptation

2007-02-24T23:32:00.001-05:00

A study on human behavior was carried out at Stanford University. Pre-school children were seated at a large table and a big fluffy marshmallow was put in front of each of them. The researchers said “Children, we’re going to leave the classroom for a short time. While we are gone you are not to touch the marshmallow. If you resist the temptation and wait until we return, you will be rewarded with an extra marshmallow. So what do you think happened? How did they cope with the temptation? Well, as soon as the door closed, some of the children could not wait, they grabbed the marshmallow and swallowed it. But some decided to wait. They had to put into action a strategy to deal with the temptation. One child knowing his strengths and weaknesses pulled his chair to the end of the room, thus removing himself from the temptation. A second child marched around the room singing a song. A third turned around, so that her back was to the marshmallow.

Temptation is part of the human condition. Only us humans can be tempted. A bird can fly in the sky but it cannot be tempted. A dog is man’s best friend but he cannot be God’s best friend in the way we are. To be human is to be tempted. The temptation of Adam and Eve in the garden and the temptation of Jesus in the desert is the story of every man and woman under the sun.

Saint Paul looked at himself and described the symptoms of temptation like this: “I do not understand my own actions. The evil I want to avoid I do. The good I want to do I avoid.” This is a remarkable analysis of the human condition. Men and women are never more credible than when they admit their mistakes. Unfortunately this kind of honesty is short in supply. When we do wrong we are quick to plead innocence, blame someone, anyone but ourselves. We are like Adam and Eve. When found out and confronted by God, they went straight into denial. Adam blamed his wife Eve, Eve blamed the serpent and the serpent blamed God for his misfortune.

Times have changed but human nature has not. We have a tendency to blame someone else and we are full of excuses. There is a failure to accept personal responsibility. It’s always someone else who drove me to do it! The implication is this: I am not to blame for my actions, you are to blame. Sadly we can go through life blaming others for our sins. Blaming others makes us feel better but it changes nothing inside us.

We do a great disservice when we cover up outrageous and irresponsible behavior. When we get into trouble and are found out, our problems are compounded by well-intentioned family members and friends. They feel sorry for us, become over protective, make excuses, tell lies, cover-up, let us off the hook, bail us out and allow us to get off scot-free. We are given more lives than five back alley cats put together. Perhaps without realizing it and with the best intentions, they enable us to continue living a negative and destructive lifestyle. In this kind if world, our actions do not have consequences. It is easy to become accomplished manipulators without any sense of guilt. The chances are that we will remain in a permanent state of adolescence. Something to think about, maybe half of the prison population would have never ended up behind bars had well meaning people never covered up for their irresponsible and outrageous behavior.

Is there anything unique about being human? Well, man is the only animal that blushes or better said, man is the only animal with good reason to blush. What was the first thing Adam and Eve did when they realized that they had sinned was that they knew that they were naked. They were ashamed and hid themselves. They were blushing! When we sin we are not blushing, we are denying our humanity. We are being amoral. Nowadays we hear a lot about human rights. We stand up for our rights but it is not enough for us to simply proclaim our rights, we must go further and also proclaim our responsibilities. We are responsible for our actions unless we are criminally insane and morally incapable.

Think of how different the outcome would have been if Adam and Eve instead of running off and going into hiding and blaming someone else had turned to God and said “Forgive me Father for I have sinned.” Instead of it being the fall of mankind it would have been the rise of mankind. Let us stop pretending all is well and good. Let’s stop burying our heads in the sand. Let us confess to Papa God, “Forgive me Father, I’m not perfect, I’m no angel. I’m not as innocent as I look. I’m weak. I’m fallible. I’m a sinner. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa. Have mercy on me Father, a sinner.” This is being human and Christian. We are telling the truth and telling the truth is a sign of strength not weakness.

Temptation goes with territory, it goes with being free. We have choices and we are who we are because of our choices. Temptation is always a choice between two alternatives, good and evil. In the desert we see Jesus chose the tremendous, to lay down His life for his friends and to live for others not himself. There are things in life worth living and dying for. He invites us to follow His way. We know His way has been tried and know His way is sure.

Temptation offers us the opportunity, in the desert of life to choose what is good, noble and beautiful and to leave behind the world of instant gratification and opt instead for the less, not the more traveled road because that is the well trodden road that Jesus went down. This is the road that leads to the slow, painful death of ego, selfishness and self-indulgence which leads to the fullness of life and glory.

Lent- A Journey of Intimacy

2007-02-21T20:31:00.000-05:00

Lent is the springtime of the Church year, a period of preparation for Easter. God's gift to us in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the sending of the Spirit of life in all its fullness, but we know that there remains an undertow in daily life which carries us away into negativity and forgetfulness. Our lives become old again. We need an annual review.

Perhaps, however, it is not so strange that Lent has not caught the popular mood. Centre stage for us is our individual consumption of life, each of us operating on his own profile and image to produce a trimmer, more effective figure. If a person takes up religion in this mood, then it is because God is an asset in this process.

By contrast, the Christian faith promises new life, life in all its fullness to those who open themselves up to God, emptying themselves so that they can be filled with the life that flows from Him.

The Christian Lent is not a time for reinventing the self by a supreme effort. It is a time for opening up to God and seeing through some of the shadows inside us. Jesus the Anointed One faced a crescendo of temptations from desert, to temple wall, to high mountain. He saw through the daydreams about power and possession and emerged equipped by the Spirit for His work.

The Spirit drove him into the wilderness which is indeed a place for confronting oneself at depth. The desert is a great leveler and revealer. Lent is not about my digging about in my darkest self and dwelling there, it is about moving on more deeply into intimacy with God, coming home to God the source of all goodness, light and love.

Lent is the season of deepening intimacy with Jesus. An exciting time. Jesus came because of the great love for me, for all of us. Jesus stayed and Jesus died for love of me, for all of us. A pure gift from the Lover to us the beloved. What did we ever do to deserve this love? Nothing – again the irony. We have not earned this love, but are continually invited, coaxed and being lured into this rich and holy relationship. I will come to know, God will reveal my brokenness and that I am lovable and I will want to give back, to respond lovingly to this free love.

Lent is a time for reducing some of the chronic over-stimulation which is so much a part of modern living, a time when we protect ourselves a little more from the daily bombardment of images and stimuli, the pressures which keep us trapped on the surface. You will know the pressure points in your own lives, but now is the time for deciding how to use this Lent.

Perhaps by not reading so many newspapers, hearing so much, watching so much, consuming so much, so that we can be liberated from the sick hurry which dulls our capacity to hear the still small voice. Perhaps it is the time to live more simply in order to tighten up the drum skin, so that God's drumbeat can be heard more clearly in our lives. Perhaps it is a time for carving out some solitude so that we can become aware of those senses which are deadened in daily life. The choice is yours. You have to decide what is most relevant. Just giving up chocolate, which can be resumed in a great binge on Easter Day, does little good and can easily fill us with an unhelpful sense of spiritual achievement.

Lent is an opportunity for Springtime cleansing and we can encourage one another in observing it. Let us walk with Jesus these next 40 days, beg to share in His joys and friendships, as well as His sufferings, trials, and betrayals and to invite Jesus into our sufferings, trials, and betrayals, as well as our joys.

This is the good news of Jesus: Come with Me, walk with Me, eat with Me, laugh and weep with Me. And I with you. Be not afraid. Let Me tell you, about you. Listen with your heart. Come to me, I love you.

Praying the Beatitudes

2007-02-18T21:36:00.001-05:00

Lord Jesus, you said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Keep us from being preocuppied with money and worldly goods, and with trying to increase them at the expense of justice.

Lord Jesus, you said, "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth." Help us not to be ruthless with one another, and to eliminate the discord and violence that exists in the world around us.

Lord Jesus, you said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Let us not be impatient under our own burdens and unconcerned about the burdens of others.

Lord Jesus, you said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be filled." Make us thirst for you, the fountain of all holiness, and actively spread your influence in our private lives and in society.

Lord Jesus, you said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." Grant that we may be quick to forgive and slow to condemn.

Lord Jesus, you said, "Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God." Free us from our senses and our evil desires, and fix our eyes on you.

Lord Jesus, you said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God." Aid us to make peace in our families, in our country, and in the world.

Lord Jesus, you said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of justice, for the kingdom of heaven in theirs." Make us willing to suffer for the sake of right rather than to practice injustice; and do not let us discriminate against our neighbors and oppress and persecute them.

Amen

Love always

2007-02-13T22:48:00.000-05:00

Give love away, and you will have even more. Love like nothing else matters, for without love, it doesn't.

When you act solely out of self interest, you end up making yourself that much smaller. When your actions are sincerely guided by love for others, you are lifted up as much as they.

When love is attacked, it grows stronger. When love is denied, it becomes even more compelling. Love endures through the most difficult of times and the most hopeless of situations. By yielding, love overcomes, setting up a dynamic that cannot be defeated.

Think of your life as it was ten or twenty years ago. The details in your memory have likely faded, yet the love you experienced is stronger than ever.

Is there any truth that is greater than this? Love is, and will always be.

The Beatitudes

2007-02-11T02:28:00.001-05:00

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who are convinced of their basic dependency on God, whose lives are emptied of all that doesn't matter, those for whom the riches of this world just aren't that important. The kingdom of God is theirs.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.

Blessed are those who know that all they are is a gift from God, and so they can be content with their greatness and their smallness, knowing themselves and being true to themselves. For they shall have the earth for their heritage.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are those who wear compassion like a garment, those who have learned how to find themselves by losing themselves in another's sorrow. For they too shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the merciful, those who remember how much has been forgiven them, and are able to extend this forgiveness into the lives of others. For they too shall receive God's mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are those whose hearts are free and simple, those who have smashed all false images and are seeking honestly for truth. For they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are the creators of peace, those who build roads that unite rather than walls that divide, those who bless the world with the healing power of their presence. For they shall be called sons and daughters of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those whose love has been tried, like gold, in the furnace and found to be precious, genuine and lasting, those who have lived their belief out loud, no matter what the cost or pain. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Prayer For The Gift Of Life

2007-01-26T23:43:00.000-05:00

Loving God, I thank you for the gift of life you gave and continue to give to me and to all of us. Merciful God, I ask your pardon and forgiveness for my own failure and the failure of all people to respect and foster all forms of life in our universe. Gracious God, I pray that with your grace, I and all people will reverence, protect, and promote all life and that we will be especially sensitive to the life of the unborn, the abused, neglected, disabled, and the elderly. I pray, too, that all who make decisions about life in any form will do so with wisdom, love, and courage.Living God, I praise and glorify you as Father, Source of all life, as Son, Savior of our lives, and as Spirit, Sanctifier of our lives.

Amen

PRAYER FOR THE UNBORN CHILD

2007-01-24T23:51:00.000-05:00

Almighty God, our Father,
you who have given us life
and intended us to have it forever,
grant us your blessings.

Enlighten our minds to an awareness
and to a renewed conviction
that all human life is sacred
because it is created
in your image and likeness.

Help us to teach by word
and the example of our lives
that life occupies the first place,
that human life is precious
because it is the gift of God
whose love is infinite.

Give us the strength to defend human life
against every influence
or action that threatens or weakens it,
as well as the strength
to make every life more human
in all its aspects.

Give us the grace...

When the sacredness of life
before birth is attacked,
to stand up and proclaim
that no one ever has the authority
to destroy unborn life.

When a child is described as a burden
or is looked upon only as a means
to satisfy an emotional need,
to stand up
and insist that every child is a unique
and unrepeatable gift of God,
a gift of God
with a right to a loving
and united family.

When the institution of marriage
is abandoned to human selfishness
or reduced to a temporary conditional arrangement
that can easily be terminated,
to stand up and affirm
the indissolubility of the marriage bond.

When the value of the family is threatened
because of social and economic pressure,
to stand up and reaffirm
that the family is necessary
not only for the private good of every person,
but also for the common good of every society,
nation and state.

When freedom is used to dominate the weak,
to squander natural resources and energy,
to deny basic necessities to people,
to stand up and affirm
the demands of justice and social love.

Almighty Father,
give us courage to proclaim the supreme dignity
of all human life and to demand
that society itself give its protection.
We ask this in your name,
through the redemptive act
of your Son and in the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

(Adapted from Pope John Paul II's homily of October 7, 1979.)

DIARY OF AN UNBORN BABY

2007-01-24T23:44:00.000-05:00

To view a video presentation of this click here

OCTOBER 5-- Today my life began. My parents do not know it yet, I am as small as a seed of an apple, but it is I already. And I am to be a girl. I shall have blond hair and blue eyes. Just about everything is settled though, even the fact that I shall love flowers.

OCTOBER 19-- Some say that I am not a real person yet, that only my mother exists. But I am a real person, just as a small crumb of bread is yet truly bread. My mother is. And I am.

OCTOBER 23-- My mouth is just beginning to open now. Just think, in a year or so I shall be laughing and later talking. I know what my first word will be: MAMA.

OCTOBER 25-- My heart began to beat today all by itself. From now on it shall gently beat for the rest of my life without ever stopping to rest! And after many years it will tire. It will stop, and then I shall die.

NOVEMBER 2-- I am growing a bit every day. My arms and legs are beginning to take shape. But I have to wait a long time yet before those little legs will raise me to my mother's arms, before these little arms will be able to gather flowers and embrace my father.

NOVEMBER 12-- Tiny fingers are beginning to form on my hands. Funny how small They are! I'll be able to stroke my mother's hair with them.

NOVEMBER 20-- It wasn't until today that the doctor told mom that I am living here under her heart. Oh, how happy she must be! Are you happy, mom?

NOVEMBER 25-- My mom and dad are probably thinking about a name for me. But they don't even know that I am a little girl. I want to be called Kathy. I am getting so big already.

DECEMBER 10-- My hair is growing. It is smooth and bright and shiny. I wonder what kind of hair mom has.

DECEMBER 13-- I am just about able to see. It is dark around me. When mom brings me into the world it will be full of sunshine and flowers. But what I want more than anything is to see my mom. How do you look, mom?

DECEMBER 24-- I wonder if mom hears the whispering of my heart? Some children come into the world a little sick. But my heart is strong and healthy. It beats so evenly: tup-tup, tup-tup. You'll have a healthy little daughter, mom!

DECEMBER 28-- Today my mother killed me.

author unknown..

From The Author Of Life

2007-01-24T01:41:00.000-05:00

God creates life.

The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (Genesis 2:7).

You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit (Job 10:12).

Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture (Psalm 100:3).

Isaiah 42:5: Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spreads out the earth with its crops, Who gives breath to its people and spirit to those who walk on it:

God’s Law Is Above Man’s Law

Acts 5:29: Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!"

Romans 12:1: Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship.

1 Cornthians 3:16-17: (16) Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? (17) If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20: (19) Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; (20) you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

God treats a fetus (baby) in the womb as a living person.

Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers? (Job 31:15).

Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast. From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother's womb you have been my God (Psalm 22:9-10).

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:13-16).

This is what the LORD says---he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you...(Isaiah 44:2).

Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you (Isaiah 46:3-4).

And now the LORD says---he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength (Isaiah 49:5).

The word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations" (Jeremiah 1:4-5).

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy" (Luke 1:41-42, 44).

God says murder is sin. (Abortion kills the fetus.)

You shall not murder (Exodus 20:13).

God calls us to protect the defenseless, including children.

Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked (Psalm 82:3-4).

Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done? (Proverbs 24:11-12).

God forgives those who had an abortion when they ask.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin (Psalm 51:1-2).

Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalm 51:9-10).

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense---Jesus Christ, the Righteous One (1 John 1:9-2:1).

They Call It "Choice", We Call It DEATH

2007-01-23T23:59:00.000-05:00

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations" (Jeremiah 1:4-5).

Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture (Psalm 100:3).

Human life begins at the precise moment when the two half-cells, the sperm of the man and the ovum of the woman, meet and form the first cell of a unique being who will never be duplicated in the history of the world.

The first instant of life occurs at the union of the egg and the sperm. This is why any harm of an embryo, irregardless of the maturity, is harming a human being. It is immaterial whether the brain is developed or not from the first moments (the first brain cells develop at the fourth week of pregnancy): the tiny being contains all the potential elements for his existence and development. The life of a unique human being has already begun.

Abortion is ending the life of an embryo, which is the life of a human being. Even though it is performed by a medical doctor, it is an act of murder.

The consequences are not neutral for the mother either. The forced opening of the cervix and the sudden end of the hormonal activity of the ovary, have a very violent effect which can lead to physical and psychological imbalances which we do not always take into consideration.

Abortion is often a short-term solution to a problem that remains unsolved. In many cases, the "unplanned pregnancy" is the fruit of a painful situation, perhaps a precocious relationship, a betrayed trust, a spontaneous action caused by loneliness, etc. Abortion is not the solution to the unplanned pregnancy. Often abortion only aggravates the inner suffering of the woman and man and its mark is, consciously or unconsciously, indelibly there.

And so you ask : But what about the woman who can not take on this pregnancy? To be pregnant after being raped or after a passionate but passing "love", can be catastrophic but is this a reason to cause another? The murder of a human being, even at the stage of an embryo, is also a catastrophy. Moreover, it is not easier to endure. It is an action that can stay engraved (in the flesh) even more deeply than in the conscious memory and can provoke serious problems: guilt that will not go away, aggressivity towards the husband, male friends or males in general, anxiety during sexual activity which, from that moment on, becomes "dangerous", fear of never being able to be a "good mother" after having done this. The list is endless.

The Pro-Choice Movements begs to argue that once in the womb, the baby is not alive, its not a life. We spend millions of dollars searching for life on foreign planets yet we are blind to life in the womb! We believe that life is out there but deny that human life begins in the womb!

If a veterinarian were to inject saline into a sac containing an unborn puppy we would be up in arms. Or if a vet pulled out a baby kitten, feet first and punctured the back of its head it would be headline news for quite a while. Yet millions of innocent babies are killed this way every single year and we say nothing, it’s not in the news. Remember it is silence that kills and perpetuates evil.

What is the number one killer of every ethnic group on the face of the earth? Is it heart disease, perhaps cancer, maybe a violent death? Well it is none of the above, it is ABORTION. We know that Western civilization is under threat but it is threatening itself by allowing the murder of the innocent!

Let’s think about violent and unsafe places to be. A war torn country, in the way of a hurricane, in the path of an active volcano. Well let us consider the womb. A place that is supposed to be safe has now become one of the most unsafe and violent places to be. There is not such a place where we are more vulnerable! Someone in the blink of an eye can kill you and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.

Picture yourself in a bubble. Your happy in your bubble, you have everything you need in this bubble. Life is good! You see the person coming with the needle and on the syringe you see it labeled acid. Instinctively you try to stop them, you try to scream out to them but your cries go unnoticed. The needle is inserted into your bubble and slowly the acid starts falling in. It burns, it really burns! You try to move as far away from the acid as possible but its too late, its everywhere. Well this is exactly what a baby that is killed by saline feels. Saline has the same effect on a babe in the womb as acid would have on our skins.

The problem with abortion is not that we cannot see it, it is that we choose not to see it. We remain silent to the screams of the innocent ones being killed and ripped out of the womb. They have no voice but yours and mine.

What is there to do in a distressing situation? First know that there are solutions and that you are not alone in this trial. Young mothers have accepted to keep their babies thanks to people who helped them morally and materially. They are assured that their life is not ruined and often the child has been an essential step in their evolution towards a more mature, responsible life and the source of a real fulfillment.

If it seems truly impossible to accept maternity, there is a legal solution that is no way condemnable, although it may seem difficult at first. The young mother can choose to give up the child for adoption. This should be done through adoption agencies that have legal status and who will, in turn, find adoptive parents for the child. This is a courageous, clear-sighted and loving act for the child and we must raise our voices against all those who thoughtlessly condemn it. Let us realize too that there are thousands of parents in our countries who, each year, unsuccessfully try to adopt a child. There are high odds that a baby would be adopted into a loving family. In this way, the "unplanned baby" is not forced into a life of misery.

For the Lord, no situation is hopeless. If we see that we have committed a grave error, the forgiveness of God, given by the priest in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, will allow us to experience again peace and joy. Jesus did not come to condemn, He came to find the sheep lost among the thorns, place it upon his shoulders and heal it.

If you or someone you know is pregnant and in need of help please get in contact with or visit your nearest Catholic Church.

Star of Wonder, Star of Light

2007-01-03T08:25:00.000-05:00

The wise men left their homes in search of the star. They were searching for the truth, seeing the finger of God in the star, making an act of faith, following its path. In reality, God was seeking them. The on who led the wise men by the shinning star is gently leading us too. Jesus is our guiding light.

God is always looking for us. God hidden and mysterious is always taking the initiative, drawing us to himself as he drew the wise men. If we look up and be bold, we will find him.

I love this Abraham Lincoln quote: “I can see how it might be possible for someone to look down upon earth and say there is no God, but I cannot conceive how anyone can look up into the heavens and say there is no God.”

It seems that far too many of us wear blinders over our eyes. It takes something unusual to happen, a tragedy, a failure, an illness, a wedding, the birth of a child, the death of a loved one- something that breaks the monotony and raises our eyes away from life’s routine. We then become aware of greater possibilities and a call to higher things. But then we fail o respond and the opportunity is lost and the old routine continues. We have a saying here for this, “He keeps wearing the same old pants every day.”

In Matthew 2:1-12, we see how differently King Herod and his advisers reacted to the star and the birth of the Messiah. Herod reacted in fear. He was afraid the little child was going to interfere with his lifestyle, power, position and future. Therefore his first instinct was to remove the threat. His advisers were indifferent to all that as happening. They were too engrossed in the law and rituals that there was no room for anything that might interfere with anything they had to do.

Now look at the wise men. They knew that there was something more out there. When they saw the star they had a haunch that God was prompting them and somehow the star was connected with their search for meaning in life. They were rich, educated, talented and a success but despite all this they were restless and unhappy. Something was missing. They saw the star because they raised their eyes above the desks and the books and looked beyond, up into the sky, the place where stars were to be found.

What made them wise was that they were prepared not to simply star gaze. They were not content with ordinary life and they wanted more. They were willing to break their routine and set out on a madcap journey to follow a star. Their friends must have mocked them. Following a star? What on earth for? To set out in the face of ridicule, on what seemed like a fool’s errand, took courage, a lot of courage.

They left home, family, comfort and security and trekked through foreign lands, across barren deserts, hot days and freezing nights, going to places they had no inclination to go. The journey led them to Herod and then beyond to a village called Bethlehem. They had only a star to guide them but any star is enough if you know what star it is.

Stars were significant long ago and still are today. The word disaster comes from the Latin word meaning “to be disconnected from the stars”. Stars symbolically represent the great story. Our lives are a disaster unless we live under the stars, unless we live our little story under the great story. As long as we know that our little story is tied up with the big story, we will be sane and happy. But we have lost the connection between the little stories and the universal story. When we stop believing in the big story, we end up getting lost in insignificance.

I love to look at the nativity scene: the shepherds in the background the kings in the front around the manger, Joseph and Mary looking down at this precious child. God had come into the world as a baby. God is good and we are his creatures. We are good, the world is good, and we are all in God’s hands. The world may have bad people like King Herod and bad things happen to good people. We may end up homeless like Jesus, Mary and Joseph, refugees in Egypt, nonetheless the crisis will not last forever. Goodness not evil will always triumph. Once we get the message and realize that we are all the same, we go down on our knees with a sense of awe and wonder like the wise men and the shepherds, glorifying, praising and thanking God.

Like us, the wise men at the end of their search, great joy awaits us. The overwhelming joy of knowing we have been found by the one who all along was searching for us, though we never realized it, all the time. The end of the search is neither the discovery nor the joy. When we find the one who has been looking for us, everything is transformed. The only response is worship; worship is the highest form of prayer.

So then who are the wise men and women? They are all those who are not content with life as it is, who are willing to break the routine, to search for answers to life’s mysteries, who refuse to concede that life is meaningless and continue to search for answers and meanings despite the difficulties and discouragement. The wise persevere until it ends in joy and joy gives way to worship.

God is good, all the time. There is an infinite distance between God and all that is not God. While the mystery remains an embarrassment to many a modern mind, it is the pulse-beat of the prophets, saints and poets of every era. God can and will do anything as long as men and women are humble enough to acknowledge their need of him.

New Year Reflection

2006-12-29T11:14:00.000-05:00

It’s so natural for us to be looking back at the past year and forward into the future at the end of the old year and the beginning of the new one. We look back and take stock of the good, the bad and the ugly. We look forward in to the future with expectations and ask whether there are ways in which we can make life better and brighter and become more like what God intended us to be like when he made us. That’s the point…… what God intended us to be like and of course what God wants, more than anything else is our happiness.

Not surprisingly, on New Year’s Day, more than on any other day in the year, we wish each other happiness. It is a sincere wish. No matter who we are, happiness is what we want more than anything else. We seek it where we think it is to be found. We never give up pursuing it. It is the most common request of life. The natural desire for happiness is the driving force behind everything we do. It motivates our every action.

Right now, you are sitting in a certain position. In a moment, you will change your position because you are slightly uncomfortable. There will be the appropriate bodily movement until you find a more comfortable position that makes you happy.

This is the trouble with happiness. It never lasts for long and we want to be happy forever. God has planted in the heart of our being, a desire for perfect happiness and we will never be fully happy until we are perfectly happy. The happiness we crave is not to be found on earth because God is the source of happiness, has not put it down on earth. We were made for love of God and nothing less will ever satisfy us.

Happiness is an elusive concept. It means different things to different people. Health, wealth, fame, wine, women and song- you name it! The Christian philosophy is one of gratitude: being profoundly grateful, counting our blessings and thanking God for the gift of life and all that goes with it. We should be happy no matter what. This is the great secret to happiness. Be grateful, say to yourself: “how blessed am I, how grateful I am!” It is impossible to be grateful and unhappy at the same time.

There is something about gratitude that is extremely healing. Laughter comes easily to a grateful heart. Voltaire used humor and satire so brilliantly in one of his writings: “In laughter, there is always a kind of joyousness that is incompatible with contempt or indignation.” He was reminding us that it is virtually impossible to be sad and to laugh at the same time. It is virtually impossible to be grateful and sad at the same time.

Henri Nouwen says this on the spirituality of gratitude:

“To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all our lives-
The good as well as the bad,
The moments of joy as well as
The moments of sorrow,
The successes as well as the failures,
The rewards as well as the rejections.

- that requires hard spiritual work. Still, we are only grateful people when we can say thank you to all that has brought us to the present moment. As long as we keep dividing our lives….. we cannot claim fullness of our beings as a gift if God to be grateful for. Let us not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see in the guiding hand of a loving God. “

The Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkeguard shares some marvelous insight on these words of Nouwen when he says: ‘Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward.”

Be grateful for what you have, no matter what. The next time you want to complain about anything, remember, you may not have shoes but thank God you have feet! Find it in your heart to be grateful for whatever you have, no matter what and you will find happiness this coming year and beyond.

Family - What is it ?

2006-12-28T21:18:00.000-05:00

What is family? Freud once said that if you want to understand something, look closely at it when it is broken. Visit a prison and you will understand freedom. Visit a hospital and you will understand health. Visit a broken home and you will understand family life.

A family is more than ties of blood, the same surname, living under the same roof, eating at the same table, exchanging gifts and giving hugs and kisses on Christmas Day. It is something both messy and wonderful. Family is made up of imperfect, incomplete, flawed human beings of different ages, experience and maturity. At its best, it is mutual love, intense bonding and a commitment to drawing the best out of each other. Togetherness goes beyond sentimentality and self interest. It mirrors God’s commitment.

Family life is not some genie in a bottle you rub, make a wish, say the magic word and have a perfect family. It is hard work, it is at its best when each member is making his or her unique contribution. The essence of family life is thoughtfulness and consideration, compassion and forgiveness. It doesn’t happen automatically and it takes great discipline. Discipline comes from disciple, to follow Christ in his kind and gentle ways. Discipline is a special kind of love. It is love as in laying down your life for your friends, asking not what I can get but what I can give. Discipline is the key. Without discipline there is chaos.

All our relationships need “walls”. Where there are walls and boundaries there is giggling and laughter, playfulness and surprises, restraint and sacrifice, failure and sinfulness, understanding and forgiveness. The vocation of every family member is to bring light into the dark places. This is the only way we will know if we are really families or not. If this is what we are about, then ever so slowly, bit by bit, we will see one another emerging from darkness and getting better. We will see each other blooming and every new flower will feel like our own. We will still be frail and fragile, weak and wounded human beings, unfinished and rough around the edges. Life at home will still be messy and wonderful.

On this most Glorious Feast of the Holy Family, let us learn from the examples of Jesus, our Blessed Mother and Dear Saint Joseph, what it truly means to love selflessly. Jesus gave up everything to take on skin and lay down His life so that ours may be saved. The stakes we high for our Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph, but they loved selflessly. The more I am a disciple of Christ, the more He is in my flesh and blood, the more his presence is felt in my words and deeds, in my heart and body, in my laughter and humor, in my tears and sadness. The more my home will be a peaceful, happier and loving place, where everyone counts and I am dearly missed when not around.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, pray for us.

Christmas Creed

2006-12-24T05:25:00.000-05:00

I believe in Jesus Christ and in the beauty of the gospel begun in Bethlehem.

I believe in the one whose spirit glorified a little town; and whose spirit still brings music to persons all over the world, in towns both large and small.

I believe in the one for whom the crowded inn could find no room, and I confess that my heart still sometimes wants to exclude Christ from my life today.

I believe in the one who the rulers of the earth ignored and the proud could never understand; whose life was among common people, whose welcome came from persons of hungry hearts.

I believe in the one who proclaimed the love of God to be invincible.

I believe in the one whose cradle was a mother's arms, whose modest home in Nazareth had love for its only wealth, who looked at persons and made them see what God's love saw in them, who by love brought sinners back to purity, and lifted human weakness up to meet the strength of God.

I confess my ever-lasting need of God: The need of forgiveness for our selfishness and greed, the need of new life for empty souls, the need of love for hearts grown cold.

I believe in God who gives us the best of himself. I believe in Jesus, the son of the living God, born in Bethlehem this night, for me and for the world.

Christmas Reflection

2006-12-23T18:57:00.000-05:00

“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there as no place for them in the inn.” Luke 2: 7

There was no room for Him, the Inn was crowded and he had to be placed in a manger. Are we still shouting “No Room!” today? SELF is the Crowded Inn today and the manger is where SELF has been DISPLACED.

We have become so self absorbed that we lose all focus on the real reason for the season. Thoughts of what do I get my loved ones flood our minds. The Christmas parties, shopping for new clothing, the decorations, and our minds are racing a mile a minute. We clean our homes and make all these preparations but do we do the same with our hearts to prepare for this Blessed Season? Do we dust our hearts and remove the cobweb from our souls? Do we polish our spirits?

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Savior. His birth changed the world, the angel proclaimed to the shepherds “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord.”

When Jesus was born, there were mixed reactions. Some welcomed Him, some ignored Him, some rejected Him. There was no room for Him at the inn so the Son of God was laid in a manger where the animals were kept. Today we see the same reaction to Christ. Some welcome Him, some reject Him and some ignore Him.

What do we do to prepare for the King of Kings today? What will we get Jesus this year? The shepherds came from their fields leaving their flock to see Him. The Wise Men left their homes and security and made a very long journey to find Him. They brought Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. What will our gifts be?

Yes there is room for the tree and the goodies that we associate with this season but we must focus on the true meaning of the season. The birth of the Christ Child should be the focus of our celebrations so that out hearts may be turned to Christ now and always. The light of Christ is meant to put us in touch with a great virtues and move us to become more grateful and generous. Christmas is meant for us to focus on God’s purpose for us even as it unfolds before us.

The Christmas Story is about real life then and now. The real people courageously struggled to survive in the ‘rat race’ of their time as we do now. It is about how much each one was willing to give of themselves, no matter the stakes.

Our homes are the connection to the Christmas story. Home is where the heart is. Christmas is not the same if we are not home. Christmas is God in flesh, warmly moving into our homes, moving into our hearts. Do we have room in our “Inn”, is it crowded or is there room, a manger heart? How do we move from the crowded inn syndrome to the manger heart? Grace. Self is displaced and God’s love fills every room. We are humbled knowing that He who we have been searching for has been walking beside us and became God in skin so that He may give his life so we may gain ours. Such joy and gratitude erupts within us that our response is awe and wonder, we fall to our knees in humble worship. This is Christmas.

“Off to one side sits a group of shepherds. They sit silently on the floor, perhaps perplexed, perhaps in awe, no doubt in amazement. Their night watch had been interrupted by an explosion of light from heaven and a symphony of angels. God goes to those who have time to hear him"-- and so on this cloudless night he went to simple shepherds."

“Were it not for the shepherds, there would have been no reception. And were it not for a group of stargazers, there would have been no gifts."-- Max Lucado

So what will our hearts be like this year, the Crowded Inn, “No Room No Room!!” or will we have manger hearts “Come Lord Jesus Come, there is ROOM!”

I wish you all a Season filled with joy and happiness..
May those you love be filled with the joy of this special day.
May Jesus and His Mother Mary glow within your hearts.
May we never feel compromised about what this season truly
means to us all who celebrate the Birth of Our Savior
and may we never forget the "reason for the season."

To those who do not celebrate Christmas, I wish you
the same love and joy for all who celebrate in other
ways, for other reasons ~ all with the same simple message.
Be joyful in your expressions of what you have been taught to
share. May your Holidays throughout the year be filled with
the same love and kindness that you should experience on your
very special Holidays. Be joyful in your ability to be able to
express words that you wish to express and do not allow anyone(however small minded) to change the joy that you feel.

And may the spirit of that wonderful birth that brought our Savior to us
be in your hearts all during this season and the rest of the days to come
as we wait faithfully and stand together in love until His return,

forgetting all pettiness, unforgiveness, ill will, envy, strife, malice,or anything that would hinder us from working side by side as we laborin the Kingdom! Let us remember that we are fellow laborers in Christ! And there is no room for competition ...
We are a Team, and a Family!

Let us judge each other with the standard of God's love!

We may not always agree or even be pleased with each other in every

instance, but we can walk together in the oneness of our faith in
Jesus Christ, our Messiah, and Lord!

Merry Christmas!

Silent night, Holy night - The Incarnation

2006-12-23T12:00:00.000-05:00

The birth of our Savior was not an impressive event. There was no fuss that night, no trumpets were sounded to announce the birth and there was no fanfare. Yet something so incredible was happening, the world would never be the same again. On this most sacred night, Almighty God stepped out of eternity and into our time. God became more like us so that we could become more like him.

That night, some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep. Shepherds in those days were not very nice people. People did not trust them and were afraid of them. This is why the shepherds usually lived outside the cities.

Yet they were the first people to whom the new of Jesus’ birth was announced. The Incarnation, God made flesh.

The Incarnation, a strong word, not gentle or mild, nor nice and cozy. It leaves nothing to the imagination, it means God in flesh. We catch an intimate glimpse of God in flesh when we gaze into the crib. On this never to be forgotten night, “the word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” He still dwells among us, present tense. What do I mean? How does God take on human flesh in a real, physical and tangible way today?

God with skin

What was the reason for the Incarnation? We all need someone who has skin. We tell people that God is everywhere and so He is. But how do we know God in a real tangible way, unless we experience him in flesh and blood?

How is God in flesh today? Today we are the body of Christ. God lives in our flesh today. This has been the Christian faith from the very beginning, the Incarnation is ongoing and it is a mystery to be lived today.

The Incarnation is now. Christ is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. Saint Patrick expresses this so beautifully on his breastplate:

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

This Christmas story makes some shocking demands on us. God who gives up everything to share in the suffering of humanity- to enter the squalor of poverty, to identify with the blind and def, the sick, the prisoners, the broken, the lonely and depressed. This remains deeply puzzling to our age, we have “matured” beyond the messages of faith and belief and only value success and riches.

The Incarnation is Christ in me, Christ in you… in the streets, in our homes, where we work, in our relationships, in our conversations, in our crying and laughing. We are not one person at home, one at work and one in Church.

G.K. Chesterton expresses this beautifully, “Joy is the gigantic secret of the Christian.” The gigantic secret is that Emmanuel, God-is-with-us, is a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. We are to be the manger. Unless Christ is born in my manger or your manger, Christmas is no big thing. It is insignificant. When Jesus is born in me, hope burns brightly and everything else fades into the twilight. The roof can collapse, the heat go off, friends turn their back on us, and our popularity can wane. But you know what, it’s all right. The crisis will pass, all will be well. Wins and loses don’t matter, all that matters is following the quest. This quest for us is Jesus. Jesus in my flesh is of no importance unless He is of supreme importance.

The Christmas Story

2006-12-22T17:45:00.000-05:00

Faith- The building blocks of life

Where would we be without adversity? Adversity is the stuff of life. Without it we could never rise to the occasion, we would miss out on greatness.

We live in a tough world, its not easy to be a disciple, more so if one is young and restless. God will not insulate us against adversity it is an essential part of life. Jesus did not enjoy immunity from pain or suffering and neither will we. Just because God does not do things the way we want Him to, He may not be living up to our expectations, He may not be ‘our type” of Messiah, He tells us not to lose faith in Him and to trust Him.

The birth of Jesus was indeed a divine event. With it came great confusion for Mary and Joseph.

Mary

She was a teenage virgin girl living at home, betrothed to Joseph. One night an angel appears to her and tells her she is blessed and highly favored. She does not understand what is happening. She is then told that she will become pregnant and give birth to a son, the promised Messiah. How could she, a virgin become pregnant? The Holy Spirit would come upon her and through the power of God everything that she was told would come to pass. She trusts her God and says I am the handmaid of the Lord, let everything you have said be done unto me. Her greatness was her faith, when she said yes to the Lord.

Mary is living at home still and can’t hide her pregnancy for long, what were her parents to think? The Holy Spirit made her pregnant? Remember they are all Jews, they have no idea of the Blessed Trinity. There was no Holy Spirit in their belief. Here is our Blessed Mother, unwed and her betrothed Joseph was not the father. The embarrassment, the shame, he would save her from it. The punishment for this was death by stoning, and Joseph would have to participate.

Joseph

Joseph finds out that Mary is pregnant. Joseph was a good man, he did not want to shame Mary or put her to death. He would send her away quietly, he knew what the law required and did not want this to happen to her. He prayed about it. An angel came to him in a dream with a message, “Don’t be afraid to take Mary home as your wife.” Joseph was asked to make a great act of faith and he made it. He immediately took Mary home.

Anytime I meet an unwed, pregnant woman, I always think back to Joseph and Mary. Like Joseph we should not be rushing to pass judgment on the girl. Pregnancy is a blessed state, inside or outside marriage, it is always an act of God. Intercourse is a human action, the act of man and woman. She may have done something wrong but she has also done something right. We know that she had intercourse and we know that she did not “do away” with the baby. Thank you God for that woman, for giving her the courage and the strength to go through with the pregnancy. Surround her with loving and supporting family and friends to help her bring this Godchild into the world and bring him or her up in the world.

This blessed event tested the faith of two extra ordinary people. It was their faith in God that got them through it. They believed God’s messenger, “Mary do not be afraid”, “Joseph do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife.” God did not do away with the problem, rather he gave them the strength to bear it. They came through it all without falling apart because they believed God’s word. Their faith meant everything to them, it got them through tough times. It made the difference.

Do we hear God’s messenger today? Whatever our situation, however tough it might be, the message has not changed: “Do not be afraid, Emmanuel-God-is-with-you.” Nothing is impossible to God, what is impossible to us is possible to God because God is master of the impossible. Faith makes the difference.

God is near

2006-12-18T00:07:00.000-05:00

Too many of us think of God as someone “out there” or “far out there.” We cry out in our prayers “Lord come to me and save me.” There is a story of a master who says to his students “I will give an orange to anyone who can tell me where God is.” One of the students replies “I will give you two oranges if you can tell me where God is not!” The moral of the story is God is everywhere, there is no place that God is not.

God is already here, we are the ones who are not here. We don’t know how to be here, we are not here to complete the relationship, the dialogue and the conversation. We are always running to the future or living in the past, we are anywhere but here, NOW! Here just seems to be too boring and inadequate. When we are doing the dishes we are thinking about that rude sales clerk. We do not notice the way the water bounces off the glasses, the lemony smell of the soap or the smoothness of the plates. I mean why should we, its just mundane, boring stuff!

Many of us will never reach the state where we are fully awake to the present and can see the magic of everyday experiences for any length of time. We are slow to recognize that living in the NOW reduces stress, reduces our pulse rate and lead us to inner peace and a more enjoyable life.

There is a simple technique that brings us into the present. Our body is the secret, our body is always in the present, simply be aware of hat your five senses are telling you. Be aware of breathing in and breathing out without trying to change it. You can do this anywhere. When you are out walking, instead of thinking, feel the sun on your face or listen to the sound of the leaves fluttering. The body is rooted in the present but the mind is a flirt. It darts all over the place, the past and the future.

Living in the present is not easy, it takes practice. It’s like reminding yourself to stand up straight.

We are temples of the Holy Spirit, if God lives in us shouldn’t we wake up full of the Spirit and live in that constant awareness all day long? There can be no relationship with God without a determined effort. The everyday hustles of life push aside thoughts of God. How then do we keep from forgetting? Can it be that we put God in this box or special place and we can only find Him there? Sitting on a bus may seem an unlikely place to find God, but remember God is where we are. What can be more natural than keeping in touch with God ho is with us all the time? Scripture tells us” Be still and know that God is with you.” Musicians say that what makes music is the silence between the notes. God is found in the silence, He is present invited or not. God does not ask us for much, the smallest heartfelt remembrance will always please Him.

God is nearer to us than we think. He is found in the hustle and bustle of our lives, in crowded buses and trains, noisy homes and offices. We meet Him not only in church but in the supermarkets, waiting at the doctor’s office and in the airport. The ground we stand on is holy ground. The space we occupy is sacred space. We are called to be disciples in the hustle of our daily lives, we are not meant to be one person in church and one person at home.

Broken Record?

2006-12-15T21:21:00.000-05:00

The Prophet of Advent, John the Baptist, tells us to “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” For over two thousand years the Church has been playing John’s record but it is not an easy one to listen to. To most of us it is a broken record. We pay little or no heed because it calls for change and we are creatures of habit. We like being stuck in our ways.

Repentance is both uncomfortable and inconvenient in its demands. The word itself gets a bad press with overtures of gloom and doom. When properly understood it is good news. Often good news is overshadowed by bad news and it is only in hearing the bad news that we do appreciate the good.

Change of lifestyle

Repentance is a radical call for a change of heart, a change of values and attitudes. There is far more to saying “I am sorry, I am wrong, please forgive me.” It implies a change of conduct and a new way of seeing God, self, neighbor and all of life.

The call to change is not merely for the prodigal sons and daughters who have neglected God and his commandments; it is also a call to those who have tried to be faithful to God. It calls for us to be challenged, for us to move out of our comfort zones and change our way of seeing the world. Repentance opens a door for us, all we have to do is pass through the door.

A lifelong journey

Repentance is the call for us to be more than we are. It is something we arrive at later rather than sooner. We all have a past but that does not mean that we do not have a future. It involves the long haul, a lifelong process. It is something we come to with patience, perseverance and most importantly the grace of God.

Repentance calls for a lot of patience. In our fast paced world, the “instant syndrome”, we live in, patience is not one of our strong points. Patience is a virtue, it is like an acquired taste. It does not happen overnight. When we break a bone, the healing process proceeds at its own pace, independent of any opinion and wish. We may want a quick fix but the natural world is at work and we will do well to learn from it.

We do not grow physically overnight nor do we grow emotionally or mentally overnight. Growth consists of a long, very involved process. We grow gradually over our lifetime. Just as physical growth cannot be forced, so spiritual growth cannot be forced without damaging ourselves. Grace builds on nature, it does not destroy it.

Peace of mind is the infinite result that patience brings about. Patience gives us the stamina we need to stay the course and come to repentance and the kingdom of peace, justice, love and truth that the kingdom of God promises to those who are faithful to the journey that stretches through time and into eternity.

A Wake Up Call

2006-12-10T01:34:00.000-05:00

The Great Temptation

We live in a future culture, a state of mind that says: Tomorrow, tomorrow I will do it. I will turn to God tomorrow. I will apologize tomorrow, I will be happy tomorrow, I will make peace tomorrow, I will give up wine and women tomorrow, I will study for that exam tomorrow. The list is endless. It’s as if we are saying “as soon as I get though school I will start living.” We get through school and say “when I get a job I will start living.” We get the job and then we say” when I get married I will start living.” We get married and have children and say “ as soon as the children have grown up an leave home I will live.” All this time has passed and we realize we don’t know what it means to live and we will most likely die with out ever having lived.

Henry David Thoreau wrote “Oh, to reach the point of death only to find out that you haven’t lived at all.” Think about it!!

Being a tomorrow man or woman is one of the greatest temptations. It is the temptation to wait until tomorrow to do what needs to be done today. We wait for the stars to be in their right orbit to make a move in our lives. We wait until the financial situation improves, the house is built and the baby is born. We go on waiting and in the meantime life passes us by like a ship in the night. we are left behind, we have not lived, we have merely existed.

Life Is Now

Life is not yesterday nor is it tomorrow. Life is NOW. God is not tomorrow, God is not yesterday, God is NOW. Love is now. Forgiveness is now. Peace is now. You cannot produce it but if you come into the present, into the now, you will experience all that life has to offer you. Everything seems to have changed once we reach this realization yet indeed no change has taken place. The world has not changed; the sun still rises and sets every day. We simply see it with new eyes!

Let us remember to live in the now, the present. When we eat, eat, when we sleep, sleep, when we look, look. The fact is hardly anyone does this because hardly anyone lives in the present. It is in the present that we find God and find life. This is why Jesus, St. Paul and the Church urges us to wake up….. wake up before it is too late and we end up dying … without ever having lived.