A GRAIN OF WHEAT

I’ve been reading a lot recently about religious life. For some reason, whenever I think of holiness one of the first things that comes to mind is the Carthusian monk praying the divine office. No one knows that he is there except for God. What is it about religious life that gives these people such a strong prayer life and closeness to God? Is it the cloistered lifestyle, or the diligent practice of prayer, or the silence observed at crucial points (if not all the time)? While I do think that all of these things help facilitate a growing relationship with our Lord, I don’t think that they are necessary in achieving holiness.

Take the religious view on work for example. Religious view work as a mix of penance and prayer. They are obedient to the Father and are glad to work. Just about every activity performed by our religious brothers and sisters is a form of prayer. Now, how hard would that be to integrate into the lives of us lay people? Probably not that hard if we could but be obedient. I have often found that money is not always a very strong motivator, but God sure is. I don’t get paid to do housework and give my wife a break, but if I am to reflect the love of Christ then I should sacrifice my own desires out of love. If you open your heart then you can find prayer in just about anything. There are so many opportunities to glorify God and to live as children of God, but how often to we take advantage of those opportunities?

Our religious brothers and sisters view themselves as the leaven of the world; when they sacrifice their own desires and are raised toward God then we all are raised. I certainly agree with this. I am so glad that our religious brothers and sisters are in perpetual prayer for our benefit. I also think that we are all called to be leaven. Whether religious, priest, or lay person, we should all take the world on our shoulders and lift it toward God. It is our duty and our calling.

I have never experienced blatant, face-to-face anti-Catholicism until yesterday. I was helping a nice older lady with her financial needs when she asked me what church I attended. Although I work in a very sterile corporate environment, I’m not shy about my faith, so I told her that I attend the local Catholic parish. She explained that she was a member of the local Pentecostal congregation and proceeded to invite me to her church. I very politely declined explaining that I have been a Catholic since birth and I really love my faith. So far, so good. There really was no harm in the invitation. But her next statement caught me off-guard. She leaned in and almost whispered, “Your priests don’t preach the truth”. Needless to say, I was taken aback.

Unfortunately, I was at work so I was unable to enter into a debate with this woman. I just brushed her off and sent her on her way. But I think her attitude is indicative of the strong anti-Catholic sentiment that is ever-present today, especially among protestants. I have been preparing for the time when I’d have to defend my faith, and I am very sorry that I was hindered from doing so in this instance (don’t get me wrong, I’ve always defended the faith, but not in a clear, learned manner). But I know there will be more attacks on my faith and I’m sure I will be given ample opportunity to put my knowledge to good use.

But, hey, in the future if you want to save me, just throw me a raft. I have the only Church founded by Christ that is handling the salvation of my soul.

Well, my wife had the ultrasound yesterday and we are having another boy! We are excited, to say the least. We also got to see that he is developing well and looks healthy. Now comes the mad dash to prepare for a new baby. I’ll have to put the cradle back together, put together the new crib, dresser, changing table…But it is worth it. I just thank God for the opportunity to work for my children. They truly are a blessing.

My wife and I are going today to get an ultrasound on our developing baby. This is our second child, so we have gone through this before. While we are extremely excited, we learned with our first child not to hope for one sex or the other (but the consensus of family and friends is girl). While finding out the sex is a primary source of excitement, so is seeing that our little baby is healthy. They really spare no effort in showing you things you never thought about seeing, such as the chambers of the heart, the kidneys, spine and brain.

I think that ultrasounds, while not necessary, certainly go a long way in helping you bond with your child before he/she is born. In an age where abortion on demand is rampant, it is nice to see what we are “choosing” to let live. In a way it is a choice; we are choosing to let God’s love work through us and manifest itself in the form of a new life. To be able to see your child in the first home of humanity, the womb, is a blessing indeed.

I’m in the process of reading A Place Apart, by M. Basil Pennington, O.S.C.O. The premise is to teach lay people (me) how to set aside a place and time for prayer. Fr. Pennington, a Trappist monk, is very adept at identifying the intrusions of life in the world and overcoming them. He recommends creating a space which is used only for prayer and reflection, whether it be a corner of your room or a local chapel. So that is what I’ve been trying to do lately. I bought two pictures over the weekend: One of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the other is the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I intend to place these pictures, along with other sacramentals, over my nightstand to create a place of prayer.

I really like the idea of having a chapel-like place “in-house”. I think that it is important to have a place of refuge from the world; a place where you can flee to God and seek peace. Of course I live very close to my parish, but you never know when temptation will strike or when you may feel the need to give thanks and praise the Lord. Plus, we all remember when Jesus said, ” Go to your inner room and pray”. So why not create your own space which focuses your attention on God? I love the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I’ve always felt close to it and that’s why I want it in my prayer corner. Of course, bare walls may be sufficient for some people. Whatever helps you pray, give it a try.

 God Bless.

In the small town in which I live, we have an elderly gentleman who uses his motorized wheelchair to move about town. He rides against traffic and has a safety flag and reflectors. Everyone knows him and everyone is more cautious when he is on the road. This wheelchair is his only form of transportation, since he has no family here and does not own a vehicle. Unfortunately, he was hit by a car this morning. A driver was pulling out of the bank where I work and did not see him coming. We called 911 and the first responders were on the scene within five minutes. His condition is unknown to me, but I pray that he will make a full recovery.

A co-worker and I were talking about the accident when she said, “Well, I’ve always said that he shouldn’t be driving that thing in the road. I knew this was going to happen”. She expressed no sympathy or compassion, simply aggravation that he dared to drive in traffic. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This co-worker of mine is a professed Christian, yet I cringe thinking about the lack of compassion.

I’m reminded of the man on the road to Jericho. No one wanted to stop and help him, whether through fear or indifference, and I think this story is still very relative today. We must begin to ask ourselves, “Who is my neighbor?”. We are called to love our neighbor as ourselves, but often we talk ourselves out of feeling compassion. Why? Are we jealous? Afraid? I don’t know. But today learned a good lesson on love. Loving your neighbor is rarely convenient and rarely rewarding in a materialistic sense. I am certainly going to try to truly love my neighbor. What if it were me in the road? What kind of help would I expect? What kind of prayers would I expect people to say for me? We need an attitude adjustment because I don’t want Christ to judge me how I saw that poor man judged today.

PRAYER FOR THE GRACE TO HELP OTHERS

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, let me sow pardon.

Where there is friction, let me sow union.

Where there is error, let me sow truth.

Where there is doubt, let me sow faith.

Where there is despair, let me sow hope.

Where there is darkness, let me sow light.

Where there is sadness, let me sow joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

St. Francis of Assisi

I recently found out that a guy with whom I graduated high school is going through the discernment process for the priesthood. I’m happy to hear that. I think that he will be a very good priest and I pray that he is led by God to remain a priest. 

Ever since I heard this, I can’t help but see him in a completely different light. I really believe that the Holy Spirit changes a person when he/she makes the decision to dedicate his/her life to the Church. And I don’t mean strictly an interior change. Often you can see a look of peace on the face of a religious person. I guess the demeanor of the person changes to match the peace of the spirit. In some cases. In ideal cases. I’m an idealist.

Have you ever met the Christian who believes in abortion? Or the Christian who thinks that homosexual love is moral? Or the Christian who hates someone because of the color of his/her skin? The Church, as we all know, is so full of sinners. Humanity, due to original sin, is imperfect and prone to sin. But is the fact that the we are inclined to be sinful a valid excuse for blatantly breaking God’s law? Doesn’t Christ expect us to struggle, and with His help, to overcome sin?

Certainly I am a sinner. I am ashamed in front of God and I constantly beg for forgiveness for my insolence. But it seems to me that some people wear their sins proudly. Whether they do so for political, social, or personal reasons, some people flaunt the degradation of human life with a proudness that is sickening to those of us who are trying to follow God’s word. These same people attend Mass weekly. While I’m sure they can use every grace they can get from the Mass, I doubt that they are really penitent for the sins they have committed. I only doubt because I don’t see an effort by them to change their words and actions.

Do you really want to follow your own path and hope that God will be merciful to you upon your death? Keep in mind that we believe in a living God, not a god trapped in the pages of Sacred Scripture. If you make an earthly kingdom your primary concern, do you think that God will let you into His Kingdom? What if you found yourself saying, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?” What do you think Christ might say? Not that I would ever put words into the mouth of the Lord, but what if he said, “I was there with you when you ignored me and led many girls to kill their children. No, you never drove them yourself, but you believed that they should do it. You did not pray for any of those children. You thought of my children as a burden. I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.” I know that I took some liberty with the book of Matthew. For that I am sorry. I just want to bring to light the fact that the teachings of Christ are alive and well and not confined to the pages of the Bible. For those of you who follow your own path, read Matthew 7:13-23.

            “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many.

We believe in one God…In one holy, Catholic and apostolic church. Or at least some of us do. Some of us pick up our cross daily and follow Christ. Others, well, they take the train. They try to circumnavigate the challenges of following Christ by ignoring the teachings of His Church. These people not only hurt themselves, but they also misrepresent the Church to the public.

I understand that people are very opinionated, but there is very little room for opinion in the business of salvation. The Church has laid out a very precise path for us. Who are we to question over two thousand years of experience? The Holy Catholic Church, the Body of Christ on earth, is concerned with nothing but trying to get all of us to Heaven. We must conform our will to the Church’s will, and therefore Christ’s will.

Whether you are homosexual, pro-choice(murder), or if you do not believe in the primacy of the Pope, I implore you to study Church teachings on these subjects. Your opinion may not change, but neither will the Holy Catholic Church’s opinion change. You cannot make your lifestyle more acceptable by trying to change Church teaching. You are hurting yourself and the Church if you do this.

I love all people and my intention is not to offend. I just don’t like to hear about people expecting the Church to conform to the ideas of a few, to just abandon thousands of years of doctrine. You are welcome to an opinion, but if you expect the Church to condone your lifestyle and give you the Holy Eucharist, then don’t you dare stand next to me in Mass and profess that you believe in “…One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church”.

How good it feels to be welcomed back into my Father’s arms. With tears of joy I take my place at His table, knowing that I don’t deserve it, but my Father’s mercy is abundant. After the world had inflicted deadly wounds on my soul, my Father healed me. I was made unclean by my sin; He cleansed me. I was weary; He gave me rest. I was hungry and thirsty; He gave me food and drink. Oh how good it feels to be home.