God's Motives

"He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me."

~ 2 Samuel 22:20

Questioning someone's motives for their activities can become anoverriding response to those to whom we relate. Wrong motives can resultin broken relationships, poor business decisions, and falling out ofGod's will. Sometimes we do not know the motive of another person.

It is wrong for us to assume what their motive is until we have confidence that we know their intentions. When we respond or react prematurely, webecome judge and jury over them.

God has a motive for every one of His children. His desire is to bring us into a spacious place. He wants us to go beyond our borders of safety and security so that we might experience life at a level that goes beyond ourselves. What do you think of when you think of a "spacious place"? No limitations? A large, grassy field? Open air? These are positive images.

Sometimes these spacious places encourage us to step out in faith into areas where we've never ventured. Sometimes we need to be rescued by the Lord. When Peter walked on the water, God was invitinghim to a spacious place. He went beyond the borders of his boat andventured into a whole new world. He didn't have complete success in his venturing out, but it was a process that would lead him to the nextvictory in his faith walk with Jesus. Sometimes failure is what is needed in order to move us to the next level of faith with God. However,we must be willing to fail and let God rescue us.

The Lord delights in this process. His motive for His children is always love. It is always to bring us to a new level of trust and dependence on Him.

Why do Catholics observe the sabbath on Sunday instead of on Saturday?

The Lord's Day is rooted in the very work of creation and even more in the mystery of the biblical "rest" of God. Nonetheless, we look to the Resurrection of Christ in order to understand fully the Lord's Day. This is what the Christian Sunday does, leading the faithful each week to ponder and live the event of Easter, true source of the world's salvation.

Click here to read a full article on this topic.

Healing Love :

God, reveal to us all facets of your healing love and your will for our lives. Breathe through us, just for today. Let us feel your life-force within us. Amen.

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When Mary exclaims: "My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour", she already bears Jesus in her womb. She praises God"through" Jesus, but she also praises him "in" Jesus and "with" Jesus.This is itself the true "Eucharistic attitude".

- John Paul II, from "Ecclesia de Eucharistia"

Paradox of our Times

"Today we have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences,but less time;

We have more degrees, but less common sense; more knowledge, but less judgment;

We have more experts, but more problems; more medicines, but less wellness.

We spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get to angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too often, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

We talk too much, love too little and lie too often.We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.

We have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.

We've conquered outer space, but not inner space.

We've split the atom,but not our prejudice; we write more, but learn less; plan more but accomplish less.

We've learned to rush, but not wait; we have higher incomes, but lower morals.We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies, but have less communication. We are long on quantity, but short on quality.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men and shortc haracter; steep profits and shallow relationships.

More leisure and less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition; two incomes, but more divorce; fancier houses, but broken homes.

That's why I propose, that as of today, you do not keep anything for a special occasion, but every day that you live is a special occasion.

Search for knowledge, read more, sit on your front porch and admire the view without paying attention to your needs.

Spend more time with your family and friends, eat your favorite foods,and visit the places you love.

Life is a chain of moment of enjoyment, not only about survival. Use your crystal goblets. Do not save your best perfume, and use it everytime you feel you want it.

Remove from your vocabulary phrases like "one of these days" and"someday". Let's write that letter we thought of writing "one of these days".

Let's tell our families and friends how much we love them. Do not delay anything that adds laughter and joy to your life.

Every day, every hours, and every minute is special. And you don't knowif it will be your last."

Why don't Catholics pay more attention to Scripture?

In recent decades, the Church has encouraged its members to cherish the Scriptures and to make use of new methods of Scripture study. These attitudes were reaffirmed by the Second Vatican Council and subsequent Church documents.

More and more Catholics are learning to improve their understanding of the Bible through the benefits of historical research, literary analysis and the findings of archaeology. Church teaching has wisely steered Catholics away from literal-minded approaches and from reading the Bible as if it were a scientific textbook on the origins of the universe.

In short, more Catholics are reading the Bible today—and with a more solid understanding—than at any other time in its 2000-year history.

Click here to read a full article on this topic.

Trust :

God, I increasingly seek to trust you.I seek to surrender my will to yours.In the mists of my life, I seek your face.In the valleys and hills of my journey I look to you.Chart my course, be my driver.

Why do people remain Catholic if they quarrel with the Church?

Q:I relish an image of Church like a huge tent or umbrella under which everyone can fit. Sometimes we seem to be splitting our seams, but active Catholics stay because this is where we belong; this is home. It is a tension into which we can relax, a struggle that can be lived.

A:Somehow the Catholic Church holds it all in balance: the treasures of the Vatican art galleries and the poverty of the missionaries; the exuberance of the charismatics and the quietness of centering prayer; drums, guitars, trombones—and Gregorian chant.

Any other Church would have a million splinter groups: We contain it all. As James Joyce wrote, the Catholic Church means "here comes everybody." Sister Jose Hobday says her dad joined the Catholic Church because it had more riffraff than any other.

Click here to read a full article on this topic.

Unconditional Love:

God, I know that it is your will that I feel close to you. Show me your true nature, and keep my heart open to your words. I pray for the grace of knowing your unconditional love. Amen

Are there people in hell?

Although the Church definitely teaches the existence and eternity of hell, the Church has never taught that anyone is actually in hell.

That judgment is up to God alone. When we think of salvation using the "God is a loving parent" metaphor, the number of those we imagine to be damned is drastically reduced!

As the Catechism makes clear, the purpose of this language is to call us, the living, to responsibility and to respond to the love of God

Click here to read a full article on this topic.

Filled With Peace :

Lord, graft me onto your vine,Fertilize me with your life.Grow me larger, warmer; let my roots go deeper into your good earth.So that I am healthier, stronger in wholeness, filled with peace.

What Was Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh?

Q:One of the recent Sunday readings spoke of a thorn in Paul’s flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7). What was that thorn?

A:No one knows for sure what Paul meant when he spoke of the thorn in his flesh. Some speculate that he referred to carnal temptations. Yet Tomas O’Curraoin, S.P.S., in a New Commentary on Holy Scripture (Nelson), says that was certainly not the case. He suggests it was a chronic humiliating malady with acute attacks, such as “marsh fever.”

John McKenzie in his Dictionary of the Bible is just as certain Paul did not mean an illness. He says that some interpret the thorn to mean persecution by former coreligionists. Jerome Murphy O’Connor in the New Jerome Biblical Commentary says the passage is widely interpreted to refer to a psychic or physical ailment which, in Jewish tradition, would be caused by Satan or a demon.

But Murphy O’Connor rushes on to say the passage really suggests an external personal source of affliction. He writes that in the Old Testament thorns meant enemies. The thorn in Paul’s flesh is the hostility coming from within his own communities.

Pathways:

Precious Spirit,Headaches and heartaches sometimes haunt my days.At other times I can be with you in peace and calm and love.Show me the pathways through all of my life: the darkness and the light,The sadness and pain,The lightness of joy.

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A man has to go thru the following cycle in order to experience humility.
To be mad, then to be sad followed by to be glad
For it is when he has gone thru the madness and sadness of life (he goes out crying but return with joy) that he can be a true witness of Christ.

Why Fast?

Q: I recently began fasting once or twice a week. Although I see this as reparation for sin and note that Jesus himself fasted, I am not satisfied with that explanation.

A: Any form of self-denial has two possible outcomes. The practice can remind me that following Jesus involves hard decisions and sacrifices or the practice can foster the illusion that I can obligate God to do something good to repay me because of my penance.

Having fasted in moderation to remind myself that following Jesus is sometimes difficult, I may be more ready not to respond angrily to someone else’s thoughtlessness, for example. Fasting can help me live in the truth about God, myself and other people.

Christians fast at times because Jesus said that his followers would do so (Luke 5:35).

Conversion of Heart:

Gracious Healer, God of light Life has left its mark upon me. I bear its scars.I want to change and heal, and be closer to you.I desire that whatever is holding me fast be loosened.That light will shine brightly Upon any darkness I have in my heart.That this sweet light will set me free.

In Silence:

God, you come to me in the silence,And I stop to listen, stop to hear you.Quiet down the chatter of my heart and mind.Help me listen to you all through the day.May my spirit become a cool and clear pool of still and silent water.

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Cast yourself with confidence into the arms of God. And be very sure of this, that if he wants anything of you he will fit you for your work and give you strength to do it.

- St. Phiip Neri (1515-1595)

Prayers to Conceive a Child

Q:In your November 1996 issue you had an item about St. Mary Frances of Naples as an intercessor for those who have been sterile. Can you supply a prayer for my granddaughters who remain childless and want to become parents?

A:I found no prayers for those who want to conceive. So I wrote two of my own which I offer to you and yours for their use if they wish.

Prayer to Conceive a Child:

"St. Mary Frances of Naples, in life and in death you have pleaded the cause of the childless and infertile. Through your prayers and intercession many thought to be sterile have conceived children and become parents. I (my spouse and I) now ask you to look upon me (us) as we ask your prayers and intercession that we may conceive and bring to birth a child who will serve and glorify God always and everywhere. Amen."

Prayer for a Child:

"Lord, despite the barrenness of Elizabeth and the advanced years of Zechariah, you answered their prayers for a child in a marvelous way. You favored them with the conception and the birth of John the Baptist. I (we) pray that you give me (us) the grace of conceiving and bringing to birth a child who will honor and serve you and your people all the days of his or her life. Amen."

Oh, Immaculate Heart! Help us to conquer the menace of evil, which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people of today, and whose immeasurable effects already weigh down upon our modern world and seem to block the paths towards the future!

- John Paul II

A Healthy Branch:

God, make me a healthy branch Of your ever-flourishing vine.I want the greenness of your love,Flowing into me. Refreshing me,Allowing me to see beauty and goodness everywhere.

Drinking From the Chalice

Q: I receive Communion regularly. But I receive only the consecrated bread. Is this acceptable? There must be many Catholics like me who feel uneasy about drinking from the chalice because of AIDS, even though there may be no basis for fear.

A: As you yourself seem to realize, there has been no scientific evidence to suggest that AIDS is passed by drinking from the same cup.

The greatest value of receiving both the host and the consecrated wine is symbolic. Together the consecrated bread and wine are fuller signs of eating and drinking and fuller signs of body and blood.

Anyone, however, who receives Jesus under either of the signs, bread or wine, receives Jesus wholly and entirely, body and blood, soul and divinity. Partaking of the chalice is optional. It is an opportunity for a fuller sign.

God’s Creation :

God fashioned a creation of uniqueness and beauty, and we are an important, vital part of God’s creation. Just as within the acorn is all the potential of the mighty oak, so within us is the potential of a unique and beautiful nature, a special spirit given to us alone.

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Life is beating against the school windows. You must quickly open the doors and go out to learn that no door must be locked against you.

~Margaret Bourke-White

The abundant life does not come to those who have had a lot of obstacles removed from their path by others. It develops from within and is rooted in strong mental and moral fiber.

~ William Mather Lewis

The life of the individual only has meaning insofar as it aids in making the life of every living thing nobler and more beautiful. Life is sacred, that is to say, it is the supreme value to which all other values are subordinate. ~ Albert Einstein

Trinity Sunday (Year A)

Ex 34:4b-6, 8-9
Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
2 Cor 13:11-13
Jn 3:16-18

Hello, I'm Franciscan Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite" for Trinity Sunday.
As a friar, it sometimes happens that when I've planned a trip by car that another member of my community asks to ride along. I confess it makes me stop and think: Do I want to spend hours in the car with that person? Traveling with another person means forming a relationship or building on one.

In today's first reading, Moses asks God to "come along in our company," to travel with the Israelites to the Promised Land. Moses admits they are "stiff-necked"—perhaps not the best traveling companions.

But in reality, it's God who's invited Israel on this trip. And God will supply what's needed to get them to their destination. Their relationship with God will be life-giving.

Today on Trinity Sunday, we celebrate a divine relationship—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Three divine persons, one God. Understanding how that relationship works may be more than we can comprehend. But understanding what that relationship means is essential.

Through the Trinity we have strength to live in relationship to one another. As today's second reading says: We're to encourage one another and live in peace—and the God of love and peace will, in effect, "come along in our company." Such a relationship is God's plan for us.

The Gospel tells us that in what is perhaps the New Testament's most famous quote, John 3:16—God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.

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Scripture:
•“The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.” (Exodus 34:6)

•Blessed are you who look into the depths. (Daniel 3:55)

•The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. (2 Corinthians 13:13)

•God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Reflection:
•In your life who has always treated you with kindness and faithfulness?

•If you were able to look past the superficiality that is the world and peer into the depth that is your being what would you find residing in that place?

•What is the only way out of the inherent conflict that is the world? How did you find this way?

When I consent to the will and mercy of God as it comes to me in the events of life appealing to my inner self and awakening my faith, I break through the superficial exterior appearances that forms my routine vision of the world and my own self, and I find myself in the presence of hidden majesty. It may appear to me that this majesty and presence is something objective, “outside myself.”…Yet this is a majesty that we do not see with our eyes and it is within ourselves.

It is the mission of the Word and Spirit, from the Father, in the depths of my own being. It is a majesty communicated to us, shared with us, so that our whole being is filled with the gift of glory and responds with adoration.

Where Is Veronica’s Veil?

Q: In the May 1998 issue, there is an excellent article on the Shroud of Turin. I would like to ask where is the veil that Veronica used to wipe the face of Jesus, and why isn’t it more well-known?

I read somewhere that the veil is stored in a church in Europe, but I cannot remember where. It seems that something as important as Veronica’s veil should also be on display. After all, this is the imprint of the face of Jesus, painted by Jesus himself. It would be a great service to believers and non believers alike if the veil were displayed.

A: In discussing Veronica and the veil on which Jesus is said to have imprinted the image of his face, it is im-portant to remember neither Veronica nor her veil is mentioned in the Scriptures. Are Veronica and her story a creation of Christian piety and devotion? Or was her story preserved and handed down in tradition by the early Christians? No one can really answer those questions.

We do know that Veronica’s name seems derived from the veil. It seems to come from the Latin words vera ("true") and icon ("image"). We do know from Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints that in the apocryphal Acts of Pilate Veronica is identified with the woman suffering from an issue of blood in the Gospel of Matthew.

We are told that by legend Veronica carried the image from the Holy Land to cure the Emperor Tiberius of an illness. And, according to the encyclopedia, the veil was seen in Rome in the eighth century. In 1297, by the order of Pope Boniface VIII, the image was brought to St. Peter’s.

Joan Carroll Cruz has several pages about the veil and its story in her book Relics from Our Sunday Visitor. She informs us the veil is still kept in St. Peter’s and from time to time has been offered for display.

Who Is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah?

Q: Please enlighten me on this prayer of St. Anthony: “Behold the Cross of the Lord, flee ye hostile powers of darkness. The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered.”

I have said this prayer many times in my life, but I do not understand when it says, “The lion of the tribe of Judah.” Who is this lion of the tribe of Judah?

A: You can read about Judah in Chapters 29 through 50 in Genesis. Judah is the fourth-born son of Jacob (Israel) and a child of Leah. When the brothers of Judah, jealous of Joseph, are ready to abandon him in a cistern, Judah persuades them to sell Joseph into slavery instead. Later, in Egypt, when Joseph proposes to make Benjamin his slave, Judah pleads to take Benjamin’s place.

When Jacob is near death and foretells the future of his sons, he prophesies: “You, Judah, shall your brothers praise—your hand on the neck of your enemies; the sons of your father shall bow down to you. Judah, like a lion’s whelp, you have grown up on prey, my son. He crouches like a lion recumbent, the king of beasts—who would dare rouse him? The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his legs...” (Genesis 49:8-10).

According to a footnote in the New American Bible, the prophecy is interpreted in a messianic sense. Further, the sons of Jacob and their descendants make up the 12 tribes of Israel. Among them Judah will be supreme. From the tribe of Judah comes King David and from David’s line Jesus Christ is born.

In Revelation 5 John describes his vision of the scroll and the lamb. No one is found worthy to open the scroll. Then “One of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed, enabling him to open the scroll with its seven seals’” (verse 5).

The lion of the tribe of Judah and the root of David are thus messianic titles given to Christ who has been victorious in the struggle with evil.

It Is Not Enough:

It’s not enough to attend Mass on Sunday; it is not enough to call yourself a Catholic. It is not enough to bring your child to be baptized….Appearances are not enough. God is not satisfied with appearance. God wants the garment of justice. God wants his Christians dressed in love.

A Dream:

God has had a dream of me. And for me, for all eternity. It is a dream of healing and a call,Of life abundant with grace. God fashioned me as an individual. To live an authentic life in community,A life based on love.

Why INRI?

Q: Older crucifixes have a scroll at the top, with INRI on it. Somewhere I read this was an acronym, meant ironically, “King of the Jews.” I also heard it was placed there by a wealthy Jew—connected with the story of the Wandering Jew. Most recent crucifixes do not seem to have it.

A: At the time of Jesus when a criminal was crucified, the reason or charge was placed on the cross. The Gospel of Matthew 27:37 tells us in the case of Jesus, “They placed over his head the written charge against him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Mark 15:26 reads, “The inscription of the charge against him read, ‘The King of the Jews.’”

The author of John relates, “Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.’ Now many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek” (John 19:19-20).

In Latin the inscription would read, “Jesus Nazarenus, Rex Judaeorum.” In Latin, the letter J can always be represented by I, so the letters INRI are the first letters of those words—a kind of abbreviation that is meant to remind us of the inscription and can fit the narrow confines of the crucifix.

John goes on to say that the Jews wanted Pilate to change the inscription to read, “He [Jesus] said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’ Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written” (verses 21-22).

So it was Pilate who had the sign attached to the cross, not “a wealthy Jew,” as you heard.

Does God Heal?

Q: One question. Am I unreal to believe in physical healings? With God all things are possible. He knew my name before I was born, surely he always cares. Scripture is full of healings! I expect to be healed. Am I a fool? I think not.

A: God does work miracles—among them miracles of healing. But by definition miracles are rare. They are worked for God’s good purpose and glory, to further his purposes. Obviously, they are not everyday events.

I’m sure God is present in your life and in the lives of the sick, and he responds to their prayers for healing—usually through human instruments like doctors, nurses, etc.

Pray with faith but in the spirit of Jesus in the garden, “Not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). The ultimate gift is the strength and courage to “come after Jesus” and take up our cross and follow him, offering our pain and suffering for the redemption of God’s people.

God has two arms: an arm of love and an arm of fear. With both arms he embraces the sinner who desires to return to him. If you want to be loved by him, love him and he will prosper you. And if you fear him, he will protect you from every danger.

- St. Bernardino of Siena (1380-1444)

Miracles:

Have within you an imaginary candle flame that burns brightly regardless of what goes before you. Let this inner flame represent for you the idea that you’re capable of manifesting miracles in your life.

~ Wayne W. Dyer

Courage:

Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.

~ Mary Tyler Moore

Laughter:

Laughter is the brush that sweeps away the cobwebs of the heart.

~ Mort Walker

The Will of God:

It is not the will of God for some to have everything and for others to have nothing. This cannot be of God. It is his will that all his children be happy.

Titanic

The Titanic was sinking, and there weren't enough lifeboats. So the captain had to persuade male passengers to jump into the icy waters to make room for women and children.

To the British he said, "You must act like gentlemen." They jumped.

To the Americans he said, "You can be heroes." They complied.

To the Germans he said, "It's the rule." They obeyed.

To the Japanese he said," It's the consensus." They obliged.

Then came the Singaporean and they just weren't budge until he came up with the appeal: "Free life jackets for those who jumped."

Justice:

Justice, according to the word of God…means action, the compassionate intervention of God, manifested in Christ, to erase sin in human beings and to give them the capacity to work as children of God.

Other Self of God:

Humankind is the other self of God. He has elevated us to be able to speak with us and share with us his joys, his generosity, his greatness. What a divine companion in dialogue!

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O Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, and our dear Mother! O all ye holyangels, who, by your adoration in our churches, make up for the little love which your God and our Savior receives from us, obtain for us the grace to comprehend a little the love of Jesus Christ in the Most HolySacrament.

- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Holy Scripture is the table of Christ, from whence we are nourished, from where we learn what we should love and what we should desire, to whom we should have our eyes raised.

- St. Alcuim (730-804)

Sales Tactics

The husband of a pregnant wife was thinking of buying insurance for his unborn baby.

So he asked Great Eastern Insurance and the agent said,"Don't worry man,we'll provide insurance right from the basket to the casket".

The man was impressed but thought that he should probably seek another opinion. He then approached Prudential Insurance. The agent replied,"Oh, we have a newinsurance policy which can protect your unborn child from the womb right up to the tomb".

The man was stunned but thought that maybe all salesmen like to bullshit and decided to see the agent from AIA Insurance.He told the AIA Insurance agent what Prudential Insurance and Great Eastern Insurance had to offer.

The AIA Insurance agent thought for a while, and then said,"Tell you something, we have one that is even better than Prudential Insurance andGreat Eastern Insurance.We'll insure your child from "erection to resurrection".

Love Mary!... She is loveable, faithful, constant. She will never let herself be outdone in love, but will ever remain supreme. If you are in danger, she will hasten to free you. If you are troubled, she will console you. If you are sick, she will bring you relief. If you are in need, she will help you. She does not look to see what kind of person you have been. She simply comes to a heart that wants to love her. She comes quickly and opens her merciful heart to you, embraces you and consoles and serves you. She will even be at hand to accompany you onthe trip to eternity.

- St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother

Servanthood:

To be like Jesus, we must first learn to serve others and love them for who they are (i.e. children of God) and not for the benefits we can reap from our services. Jesus’ death on the Cross is the most powerful sign of His infinite and selfless servic e for our salvation. How do we serve others daily?

Christianity:

Christianity is not a collection of truths that one has to believe, of laws one has to keep, a list of prohibitions.…Christianity is a person that loved me so much that he demands my love. Christianity is Christ.

Prayer:

Prayer is the peak of human development. Human beings do not have worth because of what they have, rather for what they are. And human beings really exist when they meet God face to face and understand the marvels God has done with them.

Reflection:

“But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” Do you believe God has more to teach you beyond what you already know? Do you want to learn more? (John 21:20-25)

Turn in Trust to Him :

"God often guides us by circumstances that are beyond our control. Perhaps he just wants us to slow down, to rely less on our own resources and turn in trust to him."

Pentecost (Year Cycle A)

Acts 2:1-11
Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34
1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13
Jn 20:19-23


Hello, I'm Franciscan Father Greg Friedman, with the “Sunday Soundbite” for the Feast of Pentecost.

Shortly after Easter one year, a woman in my parish who had been received into the Church at the Easter Vigil told me that how welcomed she felt in the Catholic family. The sense of openness and tolerance she experienced was especially important to her.

It’s a characteristic of Catholicism to see God’s goodness in all of creation, in various human endeavors, and in the cultures and histories of human beings wherever the gospel is preached. While we haven’t always lived up to that ideal, I was happy that my new parishioner experienced something of that spirit.

That universal dimension is also one of the themes of Pentecost. The dramatic story of the descent of the Holy Spirit tells us how the Holy Spirit can break down walls we may put up between peoples, races, cultures. What we see as obstacles, the Spirit can use to create a new unity, a reversal of the Babel story in Genesis, when people let human arrogance lead to disunity, as one human language fractured into many different tongues.

Today, across our world, a myriad of voices, different languages, and many cultural expressions will celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. Let’s join our voices with that Pentecost chorus.

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Scripture:

•And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit… (Acts 2:4)

•When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. (Psalm 104:30)

•For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13)

•Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19)

•And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22)

Reflection:

•Describe “filled with the Holy Spirit.”

•Explain “in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.”

•What is John saying when he writes, “he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’”?

The problem of forming Christ in us is not to be solved by our own efforts. It is not a matter of studying the Gospels and then working to put our ideas into practice, although we should try and do that too, but always under the guidance of grace, in complete subjection to the Holy Spirit.

For if we depend on our own ideas, our own judgment and our own efforts to reproduce the life of Christ, we will only act out some pious charade which will ultimately scare everybody we meet because it will be so stiff and artificial and so dead.

It is the Spirit of God that must teach us Who Christ is and form Christ in us and transform us into other Christs.

What is the meaning of the clothes the bishop wears at Confirmation?

The "special" clothes (called liturgical vestments) worn at Confirmation were originally "ordinary" clothes. The white garment (alb) that priests and bishops wear under their other vestments was the garment that ordinary Romans in the first and second century wore around the house during the day.

When they went out in public, they put on a tent-like colored garment (chasuble) over the alb just as you might put on a jacket over your shirt when going out.

The tall, pointed hat (miter) the bishop wears was originally just a hat. Little by little (in the 13th and 14th centuries), it became a sign that the one wearing it was a "high priest." In early days, priests and bishops got a special haircut (tonsure) and a round spot was shaved off on the top of their heads.

The little round hat (zucchetto) kept their shaved head warm in the winter Eventually, it too became a religious sign. The pope wears a white one; the cardinals, red; bishops, violet. When other priests wear one, it is black.

Why is oil used at Confirmation?

This one is a little trickier, because the origins of Confirmation's symbols are many and diverse. One source can be found in the bathing customs of the Roman Empire.

In our times, when you take a shower, you wash up and dry off. Drying off is understood to be part of the total shower. In the same way, the early Church saw Confirmation as a part of the Baptism experience. In Roman times, oil was a part of the bathing "ritual." A bath included both water and oil. The water ritual (Baptism) came to mean the washing away of sin, and the oil ritual (Confirmation) was interpreted to mean the sweet fragrance of God's presence: sanctifying grace.

We know that sin cannot be removed except by grace just as, for example, a vacuum cannot be removed from a container without replacing it (the emptiness) with something. The two go together. In the same way God's grace fills us with redemption and salvation. This grace, this presence of God in us, is the Holy Spirit. Confirmation is the Sacrament of the Holy Spirit.

What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit?

The biblical origin of these seven gifts is found in Isaiah (11:1-3) where he is foretelling the qualities of the Messiah. These seven gifts are the signs that the Messiah will be guided by the Spirit. Throughout the Gospels we see how these seven gifts form Jesus' personality and characterize his actions.

The relation of these gifts to the Sacrament of Confirmation becomes clear when we remember that the word Messiah (Christos in Greek) means "anointed." Jesus was "anointed," filled with the Holy Spirit at his baptism.

At Confirmation we are anointed with the Holy Spirit. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are the manifestation of the Divine Power active in the life of Jesus of Nazareth.

So what are they? In the order recited in the Rite of Confirmation: [1] wisdom, [2] understanding, [3] right judgment, [4] courage, [5] knowledge, [6] reverence and [7] awe.

The First Pentecost

The Greek traveler stood bewildered in the Jerusalem crowd. What was happening?

All about him Jews from many nations milled excitedly and pointed to a group in the center of the square.

The traveler had heard that the Jerusalem holidays were exciting, but he was not prepared for this. The crowd was electrified. What was that group up to? He tried to weave his way closer.
"You are drunk!" someone shouted at the group.

The traveler heard one of them, the big man with the gray-streaked hair, respond: "We are not drunk. We are stunned with joy because we have had an experience like Israel had at Sinai."
The Greek traveler wondered what he meant by that.

"Why not own up?" heckled another. "You've been to the wine bottle once too often."
Then the big man raised his hand for silence. The crowd fell quiet.

"Do not judge by appearances," he began. "Listen to our words. At Sinai, God called Israel to be a community of faith. God called our ancestors there to be a holy nation. That meant they should form a community that would worship God and live a worthy life. God also summoned them to be the light of nations, that is, to be a missionary witness helping all people to know God."

"I think I can agree with your first point," ventured a Pharisee in the crowd, "but I don't really believe God wanted us to be missionaries."

"My friend, you have forgotten the meaning of the story of Jonah," the big man remarked. "He was a preacher told by God to go on a missionary trip to Nineveh.

Recall that Jonah resisted the call at first until God overcame him. Jonah was an example of how Israel, too, resisted the call."

"Who is that man?" the traveler asked of no one in particular.

"His name is Peter," a tradesman replied.

"He is their leader," said a woman nearby.

A young woman in the crowd, moved by Peter's sincerity, asked, "How is it you were speaking in a language we all could understand when you burst upon us here in the square? How did you manage to unify all of us who speak so many different tongues?"

"Perhaps I can explain this best to you," Peter answered, "by comparing this to the old story of the Tower of Babel. That was a tower of human pride that resulted in a breakdown in communications. The people at Babel could not understand each other.

Our Master, Jesus, asked us to spend time in prayer to await his Holy Spirit. We followed his word and meditated for nine days in the Upper Room. Into that tower of prayer this day came the Holy Spirit, whose greatest work is to bring all people to unity in Christ. At Babel, people babbled. Here we speak a message that will unify people in mind and heart."

"Is that why you said you've had an experience like that which Israel had at Sinai?" asked an elderly man.

"Exactly," replied Peter. "The difference is that what happened at Sinai was but a shadow of the promise and reality that has happened here today. It is because of Jesus, who died and rose for us, that it has happened. Because of him and his Spirit, we really can be a community of faith and a light for the nations."

"How can we have this experience?"

"Is there any hope for us?"

"Go on, tell us more."

"As I look out over the vast crowd in this square," answered Peter, "I think of a world full of dead bones. I know that my comrades and I must go into this valley of the dead and bring life. Don't you remember the story of Ezekiel and the dry bones?"

[God] said to me, "Mortal, can these bones live?" I answered, "Lord GOD, you know."

Then he said to me: "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!…I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin,...and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD."

The traveler listened to Peter's voice as it carried over the square. It is like a wind, he thought, bearing good news to the world.

On that Pentecost day, Peter asked the people to repent, to change their way of life, to seek a new life in Christ. And they did respond. The Holy Spirit of Jesus moved into the valley of dry bones and brought three thousand to life.

A new Church began!

"Your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams," Peter exclaimed.
That's what happened. The young let loose a flood of heart-expanding ideals across the earth. The old suddenly realized that their dreams of a happier tomorrow were no longer foolish thoughts, but a reality come true.

Each day is a gift...A glimmering miracle to turn dreams into reality.Our acts are immortal.Each day harvests a chance to Love...Daydream... Dance! Sing! Laugh! Create! Breathe! Live Deeply!Come... Open your heart...Learn from the past,celebrate the moment, and look to the future.Relax... Celebrate each day with me!

Isn't the Sin Already Forgiven?

Q: If a plenary indulgence is the total remission of a person’s temporal punishment due to sin, what does “temporal punishment” mean?

A: Going to confession recently is a condition for gaining any indulgence for oneself. I can gain an indulgence for someone deceased only if that person was truly sorry for his or her sins.
You may ask: Doesn’t going to confession wipe out the sins confessed? A sin can be forgiven and yet still continue to have a harmful effect. That’s what the “temporal punishment due to sin” idea addresses.

Once I commit a sin, that sin has a life of its own—no longer totally under my control. If I knew you and told a lie about you, I might later repent of that lie and be forgiven in confession.

Unfortunately, that lie would have a life of its own. Even if I went back and told the truth to each person to whom I told that lie, I could never guarantee that my efforts would undo all the damage caused by this lie. The truth may never reach everyone who heard the lie!

When I was in grade school, one comparison used in this regard was letting feathers out of a pillow on a windy day. Once they were out, I could try to collect them, but chances that I would be 100 percent successful are slim.

Another example from my grade school days strikes me as still valid. If I put a baseball through your window, I may be very sorry and you may forgive me—but you still have a broken window!

Depending on my age and other circumstances, you may expect me to put in a new window or pay someone else to do that. Saying “I’m sorry” is great, but it does not restore things to the way they were before I broke your window. If my contrition is genuine, it must include trying to undo the damage I have done.

There is always damage between the time I sin and the time I repent and begin repairing the damage. My sin may have encouraged others—and may still do so even after I repent.
All this is not to make people feel crushed by guilt but to be realistic: My sins, your sins, anybody’s sins have a life of their own, a life which does not instantly cease when a sinner repents and is forgiven by God.

The teaching about purgatory recognizes that a person may not be ready to meet God and enjoy the beatific vision at the moment of death. Some purification may yet be needed. This is why for centuries the Christian community has prayed and continues to pray for its deceased members.

Broken Love and Holiness:

"When the heart embraces another person, we know that we must prepare ourselves for sorrow, for at some point the circle of love will be broken.…How we handle the separation from a loved one or the sorrow we feel in difficult times will be the gauge of what degree of holiness we have attained."

Death & New Life

Our life is a series of mini deaths and new life. God gives us a lifetime of practice tests for what is to come. We pass these tests when we surrender ourselves to God by letting go of the old, dead and dying... and receive the gift of new life that only God can give to us. Through surrendering God is able to shower his Grace upon us. In this grace is contained the new seed that we plant, which in the darkness of the cold dark earth, this seed breaks open and God works his goodness from there.

We see life in a very micro world, where God sees it in micro and macro. We fear these deaths and God gets excited about them. For it is in our deaths (dying to bad self nature) that God does his best work.

This life is just an experience of a foreshadowing of what is to come. A shadow!! Next time you get a chance, study a shadow. Try to touch a shadow. Try to control a shadow with your hand. Who is in control? The person in charge of the light. Who is in charge of the light? God is.

Author - Unknown

Florence Nightingale

"Live your life while you have it. Life is a splendid gift. There is nothing small about it."
~ Florence Nightingale

There was nothing small in how Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) lived and shared her life. Born on this day in Florence, Italy, she was raised in England and defied her wealthy parents to become a nurse, single-handedly elevating the profession to excellence and helping to reform hospital sanitation procedures.

"Heaven is neither a place nor a time," she once said. She became a national heroine as a nurse at Scutari Hospital in Turkey during the Crimean War (1854-1856). With compassion, she tireless walked the hospital halls at night, carrying a light. Wounded soldiers called her the Lady of the Lamp-- her light has come to symbolize the care and concern for the sick and wounded.

Horrified by the hospital's unsanitary conditions, she documented with data, charts, and statistics the proof that lives could have been saved if military and city hospitals practiced better sanitation methods.

"It may seem a strange principle to enunciate as the very first requirement in a Hospital that it should do the sick no harm," she wrote in Notes on Hospitals (1859).

In addition to her exhaustive research, Nightingale initiated sanitary improvements and purchased supplies with her own money, saving thousands of lives. Hailed as a national heroine, she was the first woman to be given the British Order of Merit and once said, "I think that feelings waste themselves in words; they ought to be distilled into actions, and into actions which bring results."

A Simple Conversation:

"Prayer should not be complicated. It is a sit-down with someone we love and who loves us. Basically it is a simple conversation, with few words and a lot of silence so as to enjoy each other’s company."

True Love:

"True love is not loving a perfect person but loving an imperfect person perfectly."

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"Live your life while you have it. Life is a splendid gift. There is nothing small about it."
~ Florence Nightingale

"We should live our lives as though Christ were coming this afternoon."
~ Jimmy Carter

"All I can say is what I've always said: If you break your leg, stop thinking about dancing and start decorating the cast."
~ Warren Zevon

"Love not only motivates, releases and purifies the spiritual gifts, love also authenticates them."
Writer - unknown

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Unity:

Jesus prays to His Father that we be all united in His Truth and Love. To contribute to this unity we must first deepen our own unity with Jesus. Begin by living a more reflective and prayerful life. This will help us to be more authentic and thus be a source of unity.

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Total Surrender to God :

Love is not a matter of feeling holy, but is a total surrender of oneself to God and his will. We learn that such love will constantly be tested, because it is based on trust of the beloved.

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Our Lady was full of God because she lived for God alone, yet she thought of herself only as the handmaid of the Lord. Let us do the same.

- Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

How Many Saints?

Q: Can you tell me how many saints there are?

A: That is a difficult question to answer. In the first eight or nine centuries there was no formal process of canonization. People were recognized as saints because of a kind of popular acclamation. People were believed to be saints because they had been martyred for the faith or they had lived very holy lives.

Often their graves became places of pilgrimage and prayer. We have no idea of how many people’s holiness was not recognized. That is one reason why we have the Feast of All Saints.

Sometimes the recognition of holiness was particular to an area or community. Sometimes the reputation for sanctity spread beyond national borders.

It was not until 993 that the first official canonization took place. It was then that Pope John XV declared Bishop Ulrich of Augsburg a saint.

The original edition of Butler’s Lives of the Saints, published between 1756 and 1759, had 1,486 entries. The 1956 revision contained 2,565.

Butler’s Lives is now undergoing another revision. Since not all the new volumes have yet been published, I cannot tell you how many biographies or saints will be listed.

In any case I doubt that anyone will claim it is a complete and exhaustive listing of all the saints or people who are claimed to have been saints.

There is also under way a revision of the Roman Martyrology by the Congregation for Divine Worship. The Martyrology is an official listing of saints’ feasts.

Wounds of Christ :

The five wounds of Christ belong to all the baptized. We have accepted that our feet be nailed by going only where God directs us, that our hands be fastened by the good we do for our neighbor and that our hearts be pierced with love.

“Sent by Jesus”:

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that He has “sent” us into the world, and that His Father will “protect us from the Evil One.” We are each challenged to make God’s Truth known courageously. God will protect us and give us the Truth to make Him known. Are we doing this today?

Confession:

Confession heals, confession justifies, confession grants pardon of sin.All hope consists in confession. In confession there is mercy. Believe it firmly. Hope and have confidence in confession.

- St. Isidore of Seville (506-636)

Ability Versus Availability

"His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor His delight in the legs of a man; the Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love." ~ Psalm 147:10-11

Do you ever feel so skilled in what you do that you require little help from others? Perhaps you may feel that you are more skilled than anyother in your field. Does God need your skills and abilities in order toaccomplish His purposes on this earth? The answer is NO.

One thing God does not need is our skills and abilities. However, He does give us the privilege to exercise our gifts and abilities for His service. That service may be as a computer technician, a secretary, an ironworker, or even a lawyer. God calls each of us to our vocations towork unto Him.

To believe that He needs our skills to accomplish His mission on earth would be to lower our understanding of anall-encompassing and all-powerful God. The psalmist tells us that His pleasure is not in our strength and ability, but His pleasure is in the attitude of the heart.

It is what we find in the heart that helps determine whether ability is translated into availability. You see God is looking to and fro throughout the earth for a man or woman who is fully committed to Him. A man or woman who is committed to fearing the Lord and placing his hope in His unfailing love is the person God seeks to support.

"For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him" (2 Chron.16:9a). When our agenda becomes His agenda, we can expect God to fully support all that we do.

If we want to see our skills and abilities multiplied a hundred fold,then we must make them completely available to His service. Where are the opportunities in which God is calling you to be available to Him?Next time someone asks you to be involved in some activity, before you say yea or nay, make sure you check in with the Master of our decisions to ensure that your gifts and talents are being used, as He desires.

Who May Celebrate Benediction?

Q: May anyone other than an ordained priest celebrate Benediction? May a nun?

A: According to Canon #943, the minister of exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and the eucharistic blessing is a priest or deacon.

In special circumstances an acolyte, extraordinary minister of Communion or another person deputed by the local ordinary in accordance with the regulations of the diocesan bishop may expose the Blessed Sacrament for adoration. At the end of the period of veneration, that person may return the Sacrament to the tabernacle.

Only the priest or deacon, however, may bless those present with the Blessed Sacrament.
A religious sister could be one of those deputed to expose the Blessed Sacrament.

A Reader’s Opinion:

In responding to a letter about the forehead-lips-heart crossing before the reading of the Gospel, you missed a great opportunity to show that child the intimate connection between our Mass and God’s Word, the Bible!

My Bible tells me that the crossing is representative of the cleansing Isaiah received with the burning coal as provided by one of the seraphim, during his vision of God. The notation in my Bible regarding Isaiah 6:7 says: "In the Roman liturgy, the celebrant at Mass makes reference to this incident just before he reads the Gospel."

In addition, that chapter also holds the most wonderful explanation of why we sing, or say, "Holy, holy, holy Lord" before the consecration. The celebrant says that we will now "join the choirs of angels in singing...." It’s such a joy to realize that we are actually singing with the angels surrounding God’s throne!

Be severe toward yourself, indulgent toward others. Have scrupulous exactitude for everything regarding God: prayer, meditation, Mass,administration of the Sacraments. Unite your heart with God. Remember always that God is eternal and work courageously in order one day to beunited with him forever.

- Bl. Damion of Molokai (1840-1899)

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Respond to Divine Grace:

To become a saint, even a lower-case one perhaps only known to God, we must make a generous response to the divine grace and gifts that we receive. He will inspire us to do the good that he expects of us.

To See You....

Many say their most painful moments are saying good-bye to those they love. After watching Cheryl, my daughter-in-law, through the six long months her mother suffered towards death, I think the most painful moments can be in the waiting to say good-bye.

Cheryl made the two-hour trip over and over to be with her mother. They spent the long afternoons praying, soothing, comforting, and retelling their shared memories.

As her mother's pain intensified and more medication was needed to ease her into sedation, Cheryl sat for hours of silent vigil by her mother's bed.

Each time she kissed her mother before leaving, her mother would tear up and say, "I'm sorry you drove so far and sat for so long and I didn't even wake up to talk with you."

Cheryl would tell her not to worry, it didn't matter, still her mother felt she had let her down and apologized at each good-bye until the day Cheryl found a way to give her mother the same reassurance her mother had given to her so many times.

"Mom, do you remember when I made the high school basketball team?" Cheryl's mother nodded. "You'd drive so far and sit for so long and I never even left the bench to play. You waited for me after every game and each time I felt bad and apologized to you for wasting your time." Cheryl gently took her mother's hand.

"Do you remember what you would say to me?"

"I would say I didn't come to see you play, I came to see you."

"And you meant those words, didn't you."

"Yes, I really did."

"Well, now I say the same words to you. I didn't come to see you talk, I came to see you.

"Her mother understood and smiled as she floated back into sleep.

Their afternoons together passed quietly into days, weeks, and months. Their love filled the spaces between their words. To the last day they ministered to each other in the stillness, love given and received just by seeing each other.

A love so strong that, even in this deepened silence that followed their last good-bye, Cheryl can still hear her mother's love.

Being choked by wealth....

"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income...." ~ Ecclessiastes 5:10

Workplace believers are especially susceptible to a trap in their spiritual lives - one to which others may not be so susceptible. That trap is wealth. Scripture tells us that if we are having our basic needs met for food and clothing, we are considered to have riches. Jesus cautioned us against living a lifestyle that required more than our basic necessities.

However, it is clear that Jesus was not against wealth, but against a dependence on wealth. Jesus continually taught that a dependence on anything other than God was evil. Whenever Jesus determined that money was an issue for an individual, He addressed it and found that the individual could not let go. This was true for the rich young ruler. When talking about what he must do to inherit the Kingdom, Jesus told him to do the one thing that would be the most difficult - to give away his wealth and follow Him. Jesus was not saying this was what every person must do, only the rich young ruler, because Jesus knew this was his greatest stumbling block. For others of us, it could be something else Jesus would ask us to give up (see Mt. 19:16-30).

In the parable of the sower in which He describes four types of people, Jesus also gave us another example of the problem money creates for any follower of Jesus.

A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop - a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown (Matthew 13:3b-8).

The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful (Matthew 13:22).

Much like the frog in the boiling pot, if we are not careful we gradually begin to acquire and walk the treadmill of material gain. Those around us begin to expect more and more. Soon we begin expanding our lifestyle. Before we know it, we are worrying about how to take care of what we acquire. Our emphasis becomes what we own versus our relationship with Jesus and His Kingdom.

One day I woke up and realized I had a cold heart toward God. Apathy toward the things of God became apparent. I was still going through the motions of service toward God, but with no power. We wake up to realize Christ is no longer Lord of our lives, much less of our money. The greater independence money gives us, the less dependence on God we need. Christ talked much about money in the Kingdom because He knew how much of a problem it was. This is why we have so few who are bearing 100, 60, or 30 times what is sown.

Do you have the same hunger for God that you once had? Has financial blessing had an adverse effect on your passion for Jesus Christ? Ask Him today if your heart has grown cold as a result of financial blessing. Ask Him to keep you hungering for more of His presence in your life.

Flee the Shadows of Doubt :

There are no timid saints.…Those aspiring to holiness make every effort to flee the shadows of doubt that can creep over us when we review past failure or insecurities.

7th Sunday of Easter (A)

Acts 1:12-14
Ps 27:1, 4, 7-8 or Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
1 Pt 4:13-16
Jn 17:1-11a


Hello, I'm Franciscan Father Greg Friedman, with the “Sunday Soundbite” for the Seventh Sunday of Easter. How often do we promise to pray for someone we care about? Did you know there’s a special prayer for each of us, prayed by Christ himself?

Today we read from John’s Gospel from what known as the “Last Discourse.” At the Last Supper, Jesus speaks to his disciples about his coming absence. Scripture scholar Raymond Brown tells us that Christ’s words, addressed to his intimate circle of followers, can also be understood as the Risen Jesus speaking from heaven to all those who will follow after him.

Today’s selection, near the end of the Discourse, is a prayer of Jesus, addressed to the Father. It sums up Christ’s work on earth. He’s revealed God to the disciples and they’ve entered into a relationship with God, in and through Jesus. Now, he prays for those who will remain “in the world,” after he has returned to the Father.

We’re the subjects of this prayer as much as the original disciples were. We remain “in the world.” We need support and affirmation to continue living out the word entrusted to us by Christ.

Elsewhere, the Lord assures us that the Spirit is his gift to us, providing the support we need. We pray for that gift as we approach next week’s Feast of Pentecost.

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Scripture
•After Jesus had been taken up to heaven the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. (Acts 1:12)

•Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks. (Psalm 27:8)

•If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. (1 Peter 4:14)

•Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. (John 17:3)

Reflection
•How do you know Jesus the Son of God and how do you know God?

•What does your heart speak? Where does your glance seek?

•Is there any other way to be blessed by God except to be insulted in the name of Jesus Christ?

•How far can you travel on a Sabbath day’s journey? (Hint: How far do you travel when you receive the Eucharist and where do you arrive?)

The man who communicates loses himself in God like a drop of water in the ocean; it’s impossible to separate them anymore…. In these vast depths of love, there’s enough to lose yourself for eternity. - John Vianney

Mother's Day: What Does It Really Mean?

On Mother’s Day three years ago I had an epiphany. Two months earlier I had spent nine days next to my infant son Alex’s hospital bed as he lay there suffering breathing problems and hooked up to IVs and oxygen. I was feeling completely helpless as a mom. For the first month after we came home, we were advised to avoid having him around people, leaving us virtually housebound. As May rolled around, Alex finally began to get stronger.

On Mother’s Day, my husband confessed that, because of how hectic our lives had been, he didn’t have anything to give me for Mother’s Day. It was then that it hit me: I didn’t care about store-bought gifts. The best Mother’s Day present I could have asked for was wriggling around in my arms.

So why do I tell that story? Well, I guess because I had come to realize that this holiday has become just an excuse for increased sales of cards and flowers. And I say that as someone who had griped at my husband for what I felt was his less-than-adequate recognition of my motherly achievements with our first child.

As a mom, I try—and mostly fail—to emulate the epitome of motherhood as far as I’m concerned, the Virgin Mary. In short, when most people these days ask, “What Would Jesus Do?” as a mom I ask, “What would his mother do?”

And it is in that spirit that the holiday of Mother’s Day was founded in the first place.

How it Began:

The celebration of Mother’s Day dates back all the way to ancient times, but the idea of the celebration was first kicked around in 1872. Julia Ward Howe, author of the words to the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” proposed Mother’s Day as a day dedicated to peace.

But it was Ann Jarvis of West Virginia, however, who really pushed for a national day to honor mothers. On the second anniversary of her mother’s death, Jarvis asked her mother’s church in Grafton, West Virginia, to celebrate a day to honor mothers.

Her mother had died on the second Sunday in May. The church obliged and the following year, the city of Philadelphia joined in the celebration. Thanks to a campaign by Jarvis and her supporters, by 1911 almost every state celebrated Mother’s Day. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made it a national holiday.

Other countries also celebrate Mother’s Day, but some on different days. In England, Mothering Sunday is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent.

Back to its Roots:

I’m not alone in thinking it’s time we got back to the original intention of this holiday. According to Nancy Twigg’s book Celebrate Simply: Your Guide to Simpler, More Meaningful Holidays and Special Occasions (Counting the Cost Publications), at one point Ann Jarvis became so fed up with how commercial the holiday had become that she actually filed a lawsuit to stop one Mother’s Day event from taking place.

So with the original spirit of Mother’s Day and the example of our heavenly mother in mind, here are some suggestions for getting back to the roots of this holiday:

• Call your mom just to say “I love you,” even if you talk to her or see her on a regular basis. If your mom has passed away, honor her by taking flowers to her grave, fixing one of her favorite recipes or telling a favorite story about her.

• Give the gift of time. For years I struggled with what to get my mom for Mother’s Day. Then one year it dawned on me that my mom and I always would await Mother’s Day as the day to start planting flowers in our garden. So I suggested that, as her gift, I would come over on Mother’s Day and help her plant flowers in her garden. It’s now become a tradition that we both look forward to and cherish.

• Don’t forget the other 364 days a year. While it’s nice to have a day devoted to recognizing all that moms do, remember that you don’t have to save up your “thank you’s” and “I love you’s” for Mother’s Day.

• Think outside the box. Instead of a card or a gift, try to come up with a more personal, creative idea for your gift-giving. For instance, make your own card, stuff a box with little slips of paper containing all the things you love about your mom or fill a journal with all the lessons that your mom has taught you.

Happy Mother's Day

Our Lady Of Providence

Mother Day's Prayer

I love you, Mom.
I love your aliveness
your joy in living, your understanding,
your giving.
And what I love best of all is that you love me.
God of all Mothers, thank you for my mom!

"The loveliest masterpiece Of the heart of God Is the heart of a mother." —(Thérèse of Lisieux)

Disposing of Religious Articles

Q: What should you do with blessed religious articles (statues, rosaries) which are broken?

A: If they cannot be repaired and donated to someone else, burying them is recommended.

Why Bless Objects?

Q: My friend questions the custom of blessing objects such as cars, homes, crosses and other things. Why is that done?

A: I think that blessing such things is a fine custom as long as the person does not think that the blessing excuses him or her from using the object prudently. For example, having my car blessed does not mean that I can drive recklessly and be guaranteed not to have an accident.

Blessing objects is one way of saying that everything comes from God and should be used in harmony with God's intention, with respect for the rest of creation (human and nonhuman). We bless the food we eat, but we do not eat everything in sight! The virtue of temperance should influence all of life.

The General Introduction to Book of Blessings (U.S. Catholic Conference) says that blessings "refer first and foremost to God, whose majesty and goodness they extol, and since they indicate the communication of God's favor, they also involve human beings, whom he governs and in his providence protects.

"Further, blessings apply to other created things through which, in their abundance and variety, God blesses human beings" (#7).

Accepting Responsibility :

To attain holiness we need to acknowledge our own inadequacies and accept responsibility for whatever has gone wrong in our lives. If we still want to place fault with someone else, or on a circumstance that was beyond our control, then we are far from sainthood.

Does God Hear Our Prayer?

Q: Does God truly know, see, hear all, every second and everywhere? Do saints hear our prayers? Do they know what is happening to us? Does the Blessed Virgin see and know, or just hear?

A: Catholics believe that God is omniscient, that is, he is all-knowing. He knows everything. He is also omnipresent—he is everywhere. For more on the attributes of God, you can read the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

How God knows and is present differs from the way in which we humans know and are present to someone or someplace. Whenever we speak of God, we can only say, "It is something like." There is a vast difference between the divine and the human. The human attributes we assign to God are by analogy only. Theologians call this "the analogy of being." God is spirit; he does not have eyes, ears or tongue. How God knows and communicates with human beings is a subject for theologians to explain and ponder.

Yet Scripture and our own experience make it evident that God is aware of what is happening to his creatures and can act upon our senses to communicate with us.

In the Book of Exodus (2:23-24) we read, "As their cry for release went up to God, he heard their [the Hebrews'] groaning and was mindful of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."
Exodus will go on to tell of Moses' encounters with God in the burning bush and at Mt. Sinai. When Elijah restores the widow's son to life, the First Book of Kings (17:22) tells us, "The Lord heard the prayer of Elijah."

The New Testament, too, is full of instances where God sees, hears, knows and responds to the pleas of humans. Luke tells us both Zechariah and Elizabeth were "righteous in the eyes of God" (Luke 1:6) and the angel tells Zechariah, "Your prayer has been heard" (Luke 1:13).
Jesus' words on prayer, "Ask and you will receive" (Luke 11:9), presuppose God hears and is aware of our prayers.

The parable of Lazarus and the rich man takes as fact that the dead have some awareness of what is happening on earth (Luke 16:19-31). The rich man fears his brothers will share his fate, and asks to have Lazarus warn them.

The Church plainly believes the holy ones are aware of our prayers of intercession and that God responds to their prayers on our behalf. This is evident, for example, when the Church accepts as genuine a miracle following prayers to someone proposed for beatification or canonization.
The extent of what the saints and angels know of earthly affairs, and how they know, is again a question of discussion for theologians.

In speaking of the beatific vision (knowledge of God after death), Adolf Tanquerey calls it intuitive (not sensory) knowledge. He goes on to speak of other knowledge, secondary to the knowledge of God, that belongs to the just after death. He says the blessed see many other things, especially those which pertain to their own proper state—past, present and future.

The blessed will know the mysteries which they have believed on earth, and they will know the other saints. Scientists will have greater knowledge of the things they studied on earth. They will know more about the things that pertained to them in their former state of life. And, says Tanquerey, the blessed will look upon their parents and friends who are still living on earth and hear the prayers which are directed to them.

In the end, remember we are talking about the mysterious. We have no firsthand knowledge of these things. Therefore, outside of faith, we can only speculate and theorize.

Our Sins:

We usually think that sin and the mortal wounds it gouges out in our being are our misfortune alone. Whereas, in fact, God is so woven into our history and into our very flesh that our sin is God’s misfortune even more deeply than it is our own.

Taking Our Burdens:

In Christ everything is integrated. Failure, sin and death, which seem to be in radical contradiction to the flowering of life, are caught up in life. Christ accepted the whole of our human condition including the burden of sin, failure and death…in order to win it over to life.

Can Animals Go to Heaven?

Q: Can dogs go to heaven? I cannot tell you how much I loved my dog of 11 years, who died last January. I miss him still and want very much to know that I will be with him again some day. Is there any mention in the Bible or in Jesus’ words that animals are worthy of heaven? Can’t severely abused animals know anything better?

A: If all things have been created in and through Christ (Colossians 1:15-16), then I think you could make an argument that heaven will have to include rainbows, butterflies and dogs.

The Christian community’s reluctance to say this earlier may reflect Jesus’ concern that people not think of heaven simply as an extension of this life. Jesus said that at the resurrection those who are saved “neither marry nor are given in marriage” (Matthew 22:30).

In a way, the traditional teaching about excluding animals from heaven stresses the importance of human decisions. Pets can do things that please or displease, but they cannot be guilty of sin because they cannot choose in the way that humans do.

Once you acknowledge all of that, I think you can still say that if creation comes to perfection in Jesus Christ, then human beings may not be the only part of creation to share in that.

I think St. Francis of Assisi might agree with this answer and with our “Pet Blessing” Web feature this month at www.AmericanCatholic.org.