Reach Paradise

The Daily Examen

2012-02-12T10:39:00.000-05:00

I've been reading The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything by one of my favorite authors, Fr. James Martin.

He spends part of the book explaining the Daily Examen - a technique developed by St. Ignatius Loyola to help us see God in our daily lives.

St. Ignatius required the Jesuits to pray the Examen twice a day, but as Fr. Martin notes, even praying it once at the end of the day can have a very powerful effect on your spiritual outlook and the way you approach life.

There are many variations of the Examen - I wanted to share one of them with you here.

Step 1: Recognize you are in the presence of God.
How often we forget that we are always in the presence of God as we get caught up in the minutia and craziness of our day to day lives!

Step 2: Review your day, moment by moment.
Our days go by in a flash as we run from one task to another. The goal here is to take the time and review each day and reflect upon the events (and notice those things you hurried past, or completely missed). This step will help you with #3 and #4.

Step 3: Give thanks.
Thank the Lord for all the graces and good things you received throughout the day - large and small. (The first time I did this I could not believe how many times I overlooked God's presence in my day, or how many little things I should have been thankful for but almost missed.)

Step 4: Realize where you failed.
Where did you sin? Where did you miss an opportunity to do God's work? What drew you away from Him?

Step 5: Ask for forgiveness and resolve.
Tell God you are sorry for those times you let Him down, and ask for His grace to do better tomorrow.

This can be done at whatever pace you feel comfortable (Fr. Martin says even 15 min of quiet time can be enough), but the key is to give it your full attention and to do it every day.

It is a beautiful, but powerful, way to grow closer to God.

God Bless you.

An Epiphany Meme?

2012-01-29T10:19:00.000-05:00

I'm sometimes saddened that the Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord gets lost in all the post-Christmas hangover.

Heck, even this post is three weeks late.

But as someone, somewhere once said, late is better than never. So here goes ...

As most of you probably know, there are three Epiphanies that we celebrate on that feast day, and each serves as a powerful moment in time when Christ's Divinity is revealed to mankind.

The visit of the Magi
The baptism in the Jordan
The miracle at Cana

As I spent time reflecting on the power of each of those this month, I kept asking myself one question ... which would I go back to see live, if I could?

After weeks of debating, I know my answer. But I'd love to hear yours.

Would you choose to watch the Magi lay their eyes on the Baby for the first time? To see the expression on their faces when their interpretation was proven correct? To know how long they stayed, what they said, and how many of them there actually were? Or maybe just to see what the whole scene looked like and what was going on around them?

Or would you choose to be there when John baptized our Savior? To see what it looked like when the Heavens opened up? To hear God's voice boom down to His Son? Or perhaps just to see how many others were on hand to witness the event and how they reacted?

What about the wedding at Cana? Would you elect to be there to see Christ's first public miracle? To see how hard his knowing Mother nudged Him? To watch the expression on the servant's face? Or maybe just to see Jesus having fun at a celebration with His friends?

Post your answer in the comments section, and I'll do the same next week. In the meantime, feel free to pass along this question. There are no "rules" to this meme ... just have everyone post their answers in the comments section here so we can read them all and have some fun reflecting on the Glory of our Lord.

God Bless.

My Paradox

2012-01-22T09:50:00.000-05:00

A funny thing has happened to me as I've grown in my faith.

Sometimes I feel worse.

Let me explain...

When I was younger, I would show up to Mass each Sunday, put my token offering in the basket, and smile on the way back to my real life. If someone asked if I was practicing Catholic, I responded with an affirmative "why, yes I am! Just ask me on Sunday mornings!"

In retrospect, I was just going through the motions. At Mass and outside Mass.

But I was blissfully doing so. As far as I knew, I was acting just how God wanted me to. In my own ignorant mind, I was an excellent Catholic. Yup ... the Big Guy was surely smiling at me every day ... just pleased as could be.

Fast forward to today - and while I am certainly no model Catholic, I am light years ahead of where young Michael was.

Here is the irony though ...

The more I learn about our our religion and the closer I grow to God, the less blissful I sometimes feel.

Sure, there are times when I am the happiest person on Earth because I can feel God's love.

But there are other times when I sit there and ponder how much I have let Him down. How far I must be from His plan. How disappointed He must be in me every day.

And that is painful.

I didn't feel that way before my journey, of course. I didn't know any better.

Don't get me wrong, I would never go back. Just the opposite, in fact. I'm going to keep limping forward on this long but beautiful path.

But the paradox of it all really hit me this week.

Have any of you felt this?

God Bless.

P.S. In times like these, I like to remind myself how much God loves us no matter what. And this song by Jason Gray is perfect for doing just that. (Bonus points for being one of those catchy songs you can't help but tap your foot to as you sing along ...)

Are We Telling Our Story All Wrong?

2012-01-15T11:02:00.000-05:00

We love to romanticize everything.

Clean it up.

Make it shiny and beautiful.

We just completed the Christmas season where we sang of a beautiful star, a Holy Babe wrapped in perfect linens, and a confident, smiling Mary and Joseph. There were angelic shepherds, and perfectly behaved, fragrant sheep and cows. Heck, even a little kid played a catchy little ditty on his drum in the background.

As I wrote earlier, it probably didn't happen like that.

But it just feels all warm and fuzzy when we add some creative touches to it, doesn't it?

Well, perhaps we are doing a disservice to the real story and to our religion.

Anne, who is always teaching me new things, posted an article written by Bishop Hying in which he wrote:

"We cannot romanticize the Christian narrative without decreasing its potent reality. God comes to us in all of the messiness and lunacy of the real world to save us as we are, not to redeem some idealized version of ourselves."

I've been thinking a lot about that over the past two weeks.

The power of the Catholic story shines through most brilliantly in the ugliness of this world, not the cleaned up version of it.

God sent His only Son to us in the remoteness of Bethlehem, not the grandeur of Jerusalem. In a crowded, smelly stable, not a lush palace. And in a world full of sin, not the perfection of Paradise.

Mary and Joseph didn't go from wedding bells to cigars and baby announcements. They struggled with the reality of being chosen. Walked miles and miles through harsh terrain while pregnant. Were chased after giving birth to their Son far away from the "comforts" of home.

And our Savior did not come here on a cloud and banish all His enemies from an Earthly throne. He was born among the animals, grew up in a lowly town, and was beaten and crucified for teaching love.

Bishop Hying is right. Our world is not perfect. It is ugly and full of sin. And our Salvation happened within those realities ... not in some fairy tale we cannot relate to.

Ironically, it is through that lens that our story becomes more powerful, not less so.

(Thanks again, Anne, for that thought provoking post.)

God Bless.

The Hangover

2011-12-31T09:50:00.000-05:00

There is quite a letdown after Christmas, isn't there?

The adrenaline of the holiday rush has worn off.

Family and friends go their separate ways.

The radio stations stop playing joyous Christmas music.

The sparkling and twinkling decorations start to come down.

The cleaning is endless.

It's easy to get caught up in the Christmas hangover ... I know I do.

But ironically, the days after the first Christmas were filled with joy, hope and wonder. After all, it was from that day on that our Salvation became real for us.

Said another way, the birth of Christ was just the beginning of our eternal life, not the end of a commercial holiday season!

So yes, I still get caught up in the Christmas hangover. But now I use it as a barometer to measure how far off my perspective is.

The more "hungover" I am, the farther off base I am from what the Season really means.

Here's to a year filled with love, peace and Christ. May this one be your most Holy yet.

God Bless you.

A Savior

2011-12-25T10:32:00.000-05:00

A blessed Christmas to you and your families!

What Was it Really Like?

2011-12-18T11:59:00.000-05:00

I spent a lot of time this week wondering what that first Nativity scene was really like.

And after a lot of research, here are some interesting perspectives on that miraculous day.

1) The birth of Christ probably did not happen in December.

Luke's account alone helps us figure that out. He writes about the angel appearing to shepherds "keeping watch over their flocks at night". History tells us that December nights were pretty cold, and shepherds did not keep watch at night much past September.

Scholars also think it would have been odd for the Romans to require travel for census during the winter months. They most likely would have done it before the winter, but after the fall harvest. That would narrow the timing down to late September or early October.

2) We don't know when Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem.

Luke simply tells us that "while they were [in Bethlehem] the time came for the baby to be born. So the scene in the movie The Nativity Story, where Mary is in labor upon entering Bethlehem may or may not be true.

3) It's quite possible Joseph stayed with relatives in Bethlehem, and did not go looking for space in an inn.

The word that Luke uses, kataluma, was originally translated to mean "inn". But many scholars have since indicated the word means "a place where a traveler would sleep or stay". Back in those days, that usually meant an extra space or room in a house.

Perhaps because of the census, the usual guest rooms/spots in Joseph's relative's house were taken or being used by elders. Or perhaps Joseph and Mary wanted some privacy and opted for more a private, albeit, unusual place.

4) Our Savior was born in a manger, but probably not in the stereotypical wood structure. And maybe not even in the storied cave-like structure.

Luke tells us Jesus was born in a manger. And pretty much everyone agrees this meant a feeding trough of some kind. (Although there are some that believe this type of structure was made of stone versus wood back in those days.)

It is important to note that many homes in Bethlehem in those days were split into two floors. The family lived on the upper floor, and the animals were relegated to the lower floor. Not only did that keep the animals protected, but in the colder months, the heat they generated would keep the family above warm.

It is in that lower area that the manger would have been located. Which means it's possible our Lord was born in a house.

That being said, scholars do think that some "lower levels" were actually built into caves in that area, so it is possible the manger was located in a cave-like structure.

5) Shepherds were pretty low on the social totem-pole, but were the first to visit and spread the word of our Savior's birth.

I don't know about you, but I had this romanticized image of shepherds based on nativity statues. Young, clean cut men with a snow white sheep hung tenderly around their neck and a perfectly carved staff in hand.

Not so.

Shepherds in those days were not trusted. They were unclean (spiritually and physically). They smelled. They were poor. They were low class.

And yet, these are the people that God chose to be the unlikely first visitors. Just as He chose a poor child to bring us salvation, He chose the lowest of society to be the first messengers.

6) The magi (however many there were) did not arrive the night of Jesus' birth.

First things first, nowhere in the bible does it mention how many magi there were. Because Matthew mentions the three gifts, common storytelling mirrors that with three wise men. But we don't know that for sure.

Second, most experts believe that the magi did not arrive until after Jesus was presented in the temple. There are clues in scripture that could support that conclusion, including Herod calling Jesus a child (not baby) after speaking to the magi, Herod killing children up to 2 years old instead of newborns, and the fact that Matthew tells us they visited Jesus in a house, versus the manger.

Does any of this change the importance of Christmas?

Of course not.

But it is fun to wonder what that magical day was really like...

God Bless you as we enter this final week of Advent.

A Gift

2011-12-11T10:46:00.000-05:00

I wonder if God holds each new day in His loving, caring hands...
Caressing it as only a Creator could...
Staring adoringly at it as only a loving Father could...
Excited as only the ultimate Giver could be.

I wonder if His Heart is overflowing with love as He prepares it for us...

If His mind is full of great anticipation as He sends such a beautiful gift to us each morning.

Does He wonder what beautiful things we will do with it?
What glorious things we will say about it?
How many times we will thank Him for it?

I wonder if we break His heart when we toss it aside.

If we make Him sad as we
Fill it with trivial things...
Miss the beauty in it ...
Forget to thank Him...
and take it for granted yet again.

(This post was inspired by Victor's at the Community of Catholic Bloggers.)

God Bless.

Let's Jump Back 2000+ Years ...

2011-12-04T11:58:00.000-05:00

You've been told that in just 21 days, the the Lord is coming in human form, to dwell among us.

How would you prepare?

How would you find Him?

What would you wear? Your best outfit to show respect? Or your most mundane one to show Him that material things don't matter?

What would you bring? Would a gift fit for a baby be insulting to one that is also God?

What would you do when you got there? Would you cry? Dance? Would you be speechless? Would you ramble on, wondering if a baby that is also a Deity could understand you?

How long would you stay? Just a few minutes out of respect? Or as long as you possibly could, since anywhere else you could go would pale in comparison?

Needless to say, we would all probably think long and hard about how we would get ready for such a day.

Now imagine you were about to become His Earthly parent ...

How in the world do you even begin to prepare for that?

This Advent season, as we prepare for the coming of our Savior, let us not forget the commitment Mary and Joseph made when they said "yes" to God. And I pray the Holy Spirit gives us the strength to do the same.

God Bless.

Sometimes Posts Just Write Themselves

2011-11-24T12:01:00.000-05:00

The word Eucharist, in Greek, means Thanksgiving.

A Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving to all of you and your families.

God Bless.

#Fail

2011-11-20T15:48:00.001-05:00

Amen I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.
Mt. 25:45

It was a weekday evening and I was at Penn station in NY waiting for a train home from a conference. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a woman holding a styrofoam cup shuffling from person to person. While I couldn't yet hear her, I knew she was asking folks for money.

And she was headed my way...

Now for those of you that do not know Manhattan well - I'll interrupt this story with some background. Like any large city, it has its share of poor people. Very poor people. But it also has its share of people who pretend to be poor to get an easy couple of bucks. Like this guy.

And it is this latter group who have made me wary of wandering beggars. So I tend to donate to places I know help truly poor people, rather than risk getting played like a fool.

Ok, back to the story at hand ...

Not knowing if the oncoming beggar was a phoney or not, I quickly put my headphones in my ears and started looking intently at my phone.

"Sir, do you have any money to spare?"

I ignored her, hoping she would move on to the next person.

"Sir? Sir? I just want to eat tonight..."

I stared even more intently at my phone, as she gave up and moved onto the next person.

Shuffle ... shuffle ... "Ma'am? Can you spare any change?"

Crisis averted. Although anyone watching from afar must have been aghast at the scene they had just witnessed. The iPod I faked listening to, the phone I pretended to tap away on, and the computer strewn over my shoulder, could have paid for this woman's meals for months.

I glanced up for a second to see a woman near me deposit a dollar into the cup.

"Thank you ma'am. Thank you so much. May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you. May He always bless you."

With that, the beggar started shuffling away ... probably onto her next "victim". She paused for a moment to turn back and shake her head in my direction.

I saw Jesus right then and there in that woman.

Trust me, as bad as it is to know the Lord is upset with you, it is ten times worse to actually see it.

God Bless you.

Preparation

2011-11-13T10:47:00.000-05:00

Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober.

Paul's words today remind me of a homily I heard the other day about death and heaven.

The priest talked about our fear of death and asked for perspective.

Our lives here on Earth are gifts, of course. But this world is full of pain, sorrow, and sin.

Heaven, on the other hand, is perfection. It is love. It is beautiful. It is Paradise.

And yet most of us have one foot, if not both feet, planted firmly here. Worrying. Scared of leaving. Afraid of death.

Why?

Because we are human, yes. But mainly because deep down we know we have not followed Paul's reminder to its fullest.

We prepare for presentations at work. We prepare our meals for the week. We spend countless hours preparing for parties and celebrations.

But we are often remiss when it comes to being fully prepared for our Lord. We are half sleeping. Otherwise we would all be talking about how we couldn't wait to move on.

I paraphrased most of that, of course. The priest was much more eloquent.

I just wish it didn't feel like he was looking at me the whole time he spoke ...

God Bless.

Or I Could Pray Instead

2011-11-06T10:29:00.000-05:00

And the one poor child that saved this world,

And there's ten million more that probably could,

If we all just stopped and said a prayer for them.

- Better Days, Goo Goo Dolls

Ok, not the first band or song that comes to mind when you think about spiritual inspiration. But the other day, in an odd moment when my radio was not tuned in to the Christian Rock channel, this song came on and those lyrics echoed in my head.

I wondered how many things I could change if I said one more prayer a week.

One more a day.

One more an hour.

The world usually thinks about "change" in terms of money. Your $50 can help the parish support its retired priests. $10 can feed the homeless for a week. Just one dollar can get a child in Africa the medicine he or she needs.

Which inevitably leads to a tug-of-war in my head. Did I give enough to charity this week? How many kids could I have fed with the $4 I just spent on that latte? Who suffered because I didn't donate that one extra dollar?

Well, those song lyrics added a whole new dimension to the game. While we are all limited financially in how much we can give, the only true barriers to prayer are dedication and time.

What if I said one more prayer instead of surfing the net? Instead of watching that football game? Instead of arguing with someone?

How many people could I help that way?

How many souls?

God Bless.

P.S. Just to show you I'm a man of action, instead of proofreading this post, I said I prayer for all of you!

How Steve Jobs Made Me a Better Catholic

2011-10-23T07:37:00.001-04:00

An odd topic, I know.

But as I read all the articles this week about how Steve Jobs changed the face of music, entertainment, and personal electronics, it dawned on me that he and his products had a profound effect on my religious life.

For example, because of the iPod, I can carry around thousands of religious songs in my pocket and listen to them whenever I want. Walks are no longer silent, train rides no longer require me to listen to my neighbors, and plane rides are filled with musical praise.

Thanks to iTunes, I can download podcasts like the Daily Audio Bible and listen to them while driving, doing housework, or pretty much whenever I want to be filled with the Word of God. I can also stream religious radio stations from around the country right to my desk.

And because the iPhone made apps commonplace, I can get bible verses, daily mass times, the rosary, and Catholic TV all with the touch of a finger, filling any empty pause in my life with a dose of religion.

I have to admit, I never stopped to think about this until reading all the tributes this week.

But as article after article touted Mr. Jobs for filling our world with 24/7 entertainment and satisfaction, I realized that he helped me fill mine with God.

So thank you, Steve.

May your soul rest in peace.

God Bless.

Wow

2011-10-16T09:51:00.000-04:00

The answer Jesus gives the Pharisees in today's Gospel is nothing short of awesome.

"Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God."

What an answer!

Every time I think about how I would have stammered and stuttered trying to answer that pop quiz, I grow more in awe of Christ.

I mean, he totally slays them. It is such a perfect answer to an imperfect question. Even Matthew tells us the Pharisees were "amazed".

But this year, I saw this answer in an even greater light.

The first part of His answer was easy. People continued giving taxes to Caesar. But not too long after that, Jesus showed us what the second part of His answer meant...

He gave His Body and Soul back to His Father on the cross - ironically asking Him to forgive those who our Savior had admonished just days earlier.

A+.

God Bless you.

So THAT'S Why the King was so Mad

2011-10-09T10:50:00.000-04:00

I have to admit, I never quite understood why the King in today's Gospel reading was so mad.

Dont' get me wrong, I understood the point of the story, and the parallels to the Jews and Gentiles.

But the way I saw it, the King dragged these poor people off the street. How could he possibly expect them to have appropriate wedding attire? Wasn't he overreacting just a bit?

However, today I learned that in those days, it was customary for the King to provide wedding garments for his guests.

And that is why he was so insulted.

He invited them to a lavish party that they never deserved to be invited to, offered them entertainment they could get nowhere else, and unlimited food and wine to fill themselves with.

All they had to do was put on the clothes he gave them.

Instead, one gentleman felt like his own, unclean clothes were appropriate. And he was immediately deemed 'persona non grata'.

The parallels to God and His guests today are obvious, and since others will do a better job of writing about such things, I won't belabor them here.

But I do now realize I can no longer walk around in my own Charlie Brown Halloween costume and keep calling myself Holy*.

God Bless you.

*Ok, ok, I'll leave the jokes to Victor from now on.

Life Went On

2011-10-02T09:28:00.000-04:00

I remember Jim Bishop, in his book The Day Christ Died, wrote that as our Savior died for us on that cross, most people carried on with their everyday lives.

It's an image that haunts me to this very day.

Ironically, though, I never applied the same thinking to the day He was born.

Until I came across this 20ft x 10ft nativity scene at a church I visited last week...

I don't know how well the whole scene will show up (it was pretty dark in the church), but that is the Holy Family in the center near the columns.

What stopped me dead in my tracks though - and echoed images of Bishop's Good Friday - was the scene in the lower right...

That is a family eating pasta and enjoying themselves - a mere 50 steps from Jesus!

A realistic depiction of that day?

I don't know.

But it's probably safe to assume most people went on with their daily lives, oblivious to the Lord in their presence.

Kind of like 2011 ...

God Bless.

Are We Longing?

2011-09-18T23:27:00.000-04:00

St. Paul said to the Philippians in today's second reading (Phil 1:23):

I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better.

I almost skimmed past that statement without really thinking about it.

Are we really longing to depart this life?

Are we really?

Then what are we collecting all this stuff for?

Why are we worrying about all the things we worry about?

Why aren't we spending our time differently?*

Of course, I want to be in Heaven with Jesus as much as you do. But if aliens came down from outer space and looked at my life, there is no way they would say I was "longing to depart this life."

Not by a long shot.

God Bless you.

* Now that I am an honorary author over at the Community of Catholic Bloggers, I thought it would be fun to do two posts on the same topic. So click over to my post there to see the mathematical equation St. Paul inspired me to create .... then read the posts from the other authors for some actual good content ;)

Perspective: Forgiveness

2011-09-11T10:10:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago someone rear-ended my car. Nothing bad, just a few scratches. But the woman was texting or talking on the phone instead of paying attention, so I was steaming mad when it happened. I held a grudge for a good week until I finally forgave her.

A month ago someone tried to derail my project at work by fudging data. I was angry at him for days before I finally forgave him.

Ten years ago today, a group of terrorists killed thousands of innocent people here in the United States. Even though I was not physically affected, there is still anger in my heart, and I'm not quite sure I have completely forgiven them to this day.

But two thousand years ago, a loving, innocent, Holy man by the name of Jesus was hunted, beaten, mocked, embarrassed in front of his loved ones, nailed to pieces of wood and left to die.

And he forgave them while it was happening ....

God Bless you, and prayers for those souls and families affected by the horrible events of 9/11.

My Attempt At Being Creative

2011-09-04T05:02:00.001-04:00

Preparation

2011-08-28T12:27:00.000-04:00

What a week for us Northeasterners!

First a 5.8 earthquake came out of nowhere and shook the very ground we walked on.

Then, we were battered with Hurricane Irene - the worst storm we have seen in 25 years.

Both events got me thinking a lot about preparation.

We had no warning an earthquake was coming our way. It just happened. There was no time to prepare, and most people did not know the proper procedure for staying safe.

By contrast, we all knew the hurricane was coming. It had been front page news ever since Irene set her sights on the eastern seaboard. That gave everyone two to three days to get ready.

And yet, despite that heads up, many people were unable to get the extra bottled water they were advised to get, the backup generators they wanted, or the D batteries most flashlights need. It still was not enough time to get ready.

And therein was a lesson.

Preparation needs to start well before the test.

Like these natural disasters, someday our judgement day will come. It might come unexpectedly like the earthquake. Or we might get a small warning like with the hurricane.

But the truth is, we should be preparing now.

Prayers for everyone affected by the events this week ...

God Bless you.

True or False?

2011-08-14T16:27:00.000-04:00

Circle one for each.

True or False: Jesus, in today's Gospel (Mt. 15:21-28), is not being sarcastic or mean. He is assessing and unveiling the great faith of a woman.

True or False: Jesus made her ask for help three times to gauge her conviction.

True or False: One lesson we can take from this is that the Lord is always testing our faith and love in Him.

True or False: Another lesson we can take from this is that we need to trust in God, even when we are not given what we want immediately.

Extra Credit: Show the parallels between the test in today's Gospel and the crosses we carry every day in our lives. Explain how you will change your behavior accordingly.

You will have the remainder of your life to finish this test.

(Unfortunately a woman from Canaan has set the curve.)

God Bless you.

Eddie Money and Today's Gospel

2011-08-07T12:18:00.000-04:00

Well if I could walk on water
And if I could find some way to prove
If I could walk on water would you believe in me
My love is so true
- Walk on Water by Eddie Money

In today's Gospel (Mt 14:22-33) Jesus calls Peter to walk on the water to Him.

We all know what happened. Peter tried, become frightened, and called for Jesus to save him.

Like the song, Peter's love for our Lord is strong, and he is always looking to prove that to Him.

But unlike Mr. Money, Peter didn't have to walk on water to get Our Savior to believe in him. He just had to trust Him completely.

Ironically almost every homily I have ever heard on this Gospel focuses on Peter's fall. His flailing and disbelief. The fact that he needed Jesus to reach out and save him as usual.

And while all this is true, and a great lesson in itself, I think it misses one of the most powerful parts of this story.

He actually walked on water for a few steps while he believed.

I wonder how much more could we do if we fully turned everything over to the Lord and just trusted in Him?

God Bless you.

Mercies in Disguise

2011-07-24T11:28:00.000-04:00

"And what if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can’t satisfy?"

- Blessings by Laura Story

This is one of my favorite songs on Christian radio right now.

It's message is such an important one. We just don't know everything about God's plan. And all those unanswered prayers, the pains, the sufferings .. they just might be part of a bigger plan.

A better plan.

Yes, it takes a good dose of faith to believe that.

But it does help when the message it attached to a beautiful song like this.

God Bless.

Dandelions

2011-07-17T09:21:00.000-04:00

When I was a kid I used to love those white puffy dandelions.

Technically they are a weed, but to me they were pure magic.

I used to love picking them out of the ground, blowing their seeds all over the lawn, and waiting for those yellow flowers to pop up everywhere. Amazing!

How a white puffy weed could turn into dozens of yellow flowers was beyond my comprehension at that age. It ranked right up there with caterpillars turning into butterflies.

Anyway, I thought about those puffy white weeds after hearing today's Gospel (Mt. 13:24).

I've always loved the parable of the wheat and weeds. It's such a clear explanation of why God does not rip out all the "weeds" of our society right now so that the world can be a better place. He does not want to pull out the good with the bad, Jesus tells us.

But I think there is another reason as well.

It's because He is always ready to give us a second chance.

After all, sometimes those weeds can turn into flowers.

God Bless you.