Catholic By Grace

Becoming God's Best Poem - even when you feel too busy

2012-01-12T08:41:00.000-08:00

“So much depends upon a red wheelbarrow, glazed with rainwater, beside the white chickens.” American poet William Carlos Williams wrote the poem. I happen to like it, but my husband just laughs and says, “That’s not a poem; it’s a sentence.”

John is right, of course; it is a sentence. I am right, too; it is definitely poetry. I guess I just like the simplicity. In my mind, I can see the wheelbarrow as it rests against the chicken coop and the rain bathes the wheelbarrow like an agrarian version of blessed holy water.

To me, it is the ideal of poetry, which should contemplate life, human interaction, and the complexities of our existence, like a pale imitation of faith and the spiritual journey.

As a Christian, I am that red wheelbarrow, overused at times, underused at times, and sometimes used for fun and frolic. Many times, I feel like I am overworked by the Master. I want to cry out, “Can’t I just go back over there by the chicken coop and rest a bit? Lord, aren’t you driving me a bit too hard?”

Then, I sometimes feel abandoned. Like the wheelbarrow, I am propped up beside a chicken coop and left to wait and wait, as the rainwater drizzles down and the chickens peck at the ground. The dog days of summer or the harsh cold days of winter stretch out before me, and I long for Jesus to take me for a joyride, letting some small child climb aboard, feet dangling as she throws back her head in laughter and the Master takes us both for a spin around the farm. I am happy to be used in this way. And the opportunities seem all too rare.

That is how it has been for me since my conversion. At times I am at rest – so much time to sit and reflect, time to contemplate God, my faith, and my purpose. But in those moments, I’ve often felt forgotten and even wondered if I would ever be used again for His service.

Other times, like now, I enter seasons in which I feel overworked – rushed about and pushed to the brink of my ability. I look back to the seasons of quiet contemplation, and I remember those days of rest with longing.

When I am most exhausted by seasons of active labor or feel forgotten in seasons of quiet contemplation, I am surprised and delighted when the Master decides that work and rest can wait. I can almost see the Master as He gently calls to me and says let’s do something else for awhile. Let’s have a little fun. I smile as He lifts a small child up and places her in my care, and we go for a joyride.

I hear the child’s laughter, and I am glad that so much depends upon a red wheelbarrow. So much depends on letting God use me in the way and in the timing of His great design. And that is the poetry of belonging to Him and submitting to His perfect will. That is the way my little life is transformed into God’s poetry.

Preacher's Daughter Caught Fighting in School

2011-12-29T20:21:00.000-08:00

God has a sense of humor.

I created an event on my FaceBook page. I do it every year.

Please join me in praying for Christian Unity during the Week of Christian Unity, which begins January 18, 2012.

I clicked on most of my FaceBook friends and sent out the invitations.

The "Accepts Invitations" started rolling in.

I just checked how many have agreed to pray. I had a personalized note from Penny. She said that she would pray throughout the week, even though she has to work.

Penny made me smile.

A few decades ago, Penny and I were in 8th grade together in a little middle school in Riceville, Iowa. I remember the day we were in art class. She was standing with her friends and I was sitting with my friends. Our friends were not the same. She was from McIntire, and I was from rural Riceville. She was a bit rowdy. I was a goody two shoes.

For some reason, she thought I was talking about her that day. I wasn't. But she thought I was, and that created a chemical reaction. When we lined up to leave art class that day, she accused me of talking about her to my friends. I told her I hadn't been talking about her at all.

She didn't believe me.

Really, I wasn't.

Yes, you were. (shove)

Without thinking, I shoved back, and wham. Preacher's daughter and McIntire girl fight in the doorway of the art room.

The two of us keep swinging until the short, overweight English teacher came out of her room and yelled, "That's enough!"

We stop fighting immediately. I burst into tears. Penny runs out of the school and holes up at her grandmother's house a block away. I don't remember very much after that.

Fastforward through a few decades, and there I am, sitting at my computer, smiling.

Penny has agreed to pray that the Christian world will be one. At peace. In accord. Strife ended. All on the same page. No misunderstandings.

Let the past be the past.

This is the kind of irony I love.

God, you have such a great sense of humor.

Penny, God bless you for praying - and for inviting me to be your Facebook friend. Blessed are the peacemakers. That's you, Penny!

And that's every one of us that says count me in. I'll pray. "Father, make us one. As you and the Son are one... so that the world will know that You have sent the Son of God to a crazy, mixed-up world."

But a world that is certainly worth redeeming. Now, go and invite everyone to join us in prayer, even the kid you fought with in 8th grade!

Amen, and amen!

Journal Your Way to God in 2012

2011-12-28T11:42:00.000-08:00

In 2003, I had a prayer journal. I started it about six months before I began my daily journal. The difference between a prayer journal and a daily journal is this: a writer captures his thoughts and fears and joys and experiences and dreams and disappointments in a daily journal while a believer documents his prayers and petitions in a prayer journal. Both are excellent ways to document spiritual growth, and I highly recommend starting some kind of faith-based journal in 2012.

I found my prayer journal from 2003 awhile back. I was surprised to discover that every request had been answered, but one.*

I had asked God for a very special thing - that He would restore my father's health. My father passed away on December 28, 2003. Not only had Our Lord not restored my father's health, He had called him into eternity.

That one unanswered prayer was not God's will. While there are probably many reasons why it was not God's will, one reason was that his death was the catalyst for my eventual conversion and journey to the Catholic Church.

Quite simply, if Dad hadn't died, I wouldn't have become a seeker. And Jeremiah is right when he speaks for the Lord, saying: Seek me and you will find me when you seek me with all of your heart.

Before that moment, I didn't truly seek God. Why? Because I thought I already had it all put together. Strange how the death of a loved one changes all that.

Prayer has been a part of my life for many years. I know that God answers prayer. I know that He does not answer prayers in the way we hope He would answer them - sometimes anyway. When that happens, it is because God has something far greater for us than our limited minds can conceive.

Like conversion.

Like eternity.

This blog is a reflection of my journey, a window into that precious daily journal that holds the full story of how I became Catholic by grace.

It has also become something of a prayer journal because prayer is essential in this faith journey. I read recently that St. Teresa of Avila said, "I am certain of it that Our Lord will eventually bring to the harbor of salvation, the one who gives himself to prayer."

There are many reasons why we should pray. This may be the most important one of all.

May you discover the joy of sacred writing in 2012.

Blessings!

*We ought to be persuaded that what God refuses to our prayer, He grants to our salvation.– St. Augustine

2012 Goodbye Laziness; Hello God's Plan

2011-12-27T16:23:00.000-08:00

We just checked in at Big Cedar Lodge in Branson, Missouri. It feels great.
It was a long road to this vacation - metaphorically and literally. I just finished a semester teaching ten different classes every day to four different levels of students. On the side, I tutored a fourth grader in Spanish. Oh, and I write for diocesan newspapers.

And I am a penpal via email to a number of potential converts.

And I am a mother and grandmother.

But I will let you in on a secret. I used to be very lazy.

I watched soap operas almost daily. Yes, it's true. (I gave this up about three years ago.)

I considered my day a busy one if I had one event on the calendar. Grocery shopping was an event - in my old life.

So, how did I go from being lazy to being crazy-busy and happy with that?

I have never felt more certain that I am in the center of God's plan than I do right now. And there's more than enough energy to go around when one can say that. I love what I do because I have the sense that this is what God has called me to do.

Miraculously, there is enough energy for all of it

Here's what I did (in case you are lazy and you want to lose that vice during the new year):

1. Be converted. Completely. Totally. Radically. (Try daily Mass attendance and reading the Liturgy of the Hours).
2. Pray.
3. Pray.
4. Pray some more.
5. Wait on the Lord. (What are you waiting for? Peace. Our Mother's gentle nudge. Our Lord's voice.)
6. Be ready to say yes.
7. And pray some more.

Then, the doors will open. You will feel the nudge. You will say yes to the invitations. And you will find that there is more energy. His grace is really, truly, actually, incredibly, mysteriously, miraculously sufficient for every good work.

Go ahead. Say the words. Goodbye Laziness. Hello Divine Plan. You have my full and complete yes.

Once upon a time, when I didn't believe in the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe...

2011-12-11T19:27:00.000-08:00

Over 20 years ago, I began my first teaching position at Beckman High School in Dyersville, Iowa. In spite of the fact that Spanish was my minor and I wasn’t a Catholic convert at the time, I found myself the only foreign language teacher in a small Catholic high school, teaching all levels of Spanish to about 160 students. I remember having little confidence as a teacher and even less in the subject matter.

I pulled activities and assignments from every possible place. Somehow, I came across a little story written in simple Spanish which I thought my upper level students would be able to translate. I considered the story nothing more than an interesting Catholic legend.

Thankfully, I did not propagate my misunderstanding, but rather simply assigned the story to my students and left religion instruction to the religion department.

In January of 2005, while nearing the end of my conversion to the Catholic faith, I received one of many “care packages” from Randy and Mary Hill, a married couple in the Archdiocese of St. Louis that had taken me under their wings when they discovered that I was converting. The box they sent to me contained a book on Marian apparitions entitled A Woman Clothed with the Sun by John J. Delaney. While reading a chapter on Our Lady of Guadalupe, I came across something that would take that little story out of the realm of legend and into the realm of absolute reality for me.

In 1990, while completing a college-level course on Latin America, I learned a couple of Nahuatl words (Aztec language), one of which was “cuatl” (pronounced kwah-tell, emphasis on first syllable). Translated, it means snake or serpent. The Aztec people even had a god named Quetzalcuatl, which literally translates to plumed serpent.

The book I was reading explained that the Aztec pronunciation of the word “Guadalupe” would have been something like kwah-tell lah-shoop-ay. So, when the Lady said her name to Juan Diego’s uncle, he would have interpreted the first part as snake because cuatl and guadal are both pronounced kwah-tell. What I didn’t know—which the book explained for me—is that the Aztec translation of the second half of that phrase literally means to trod on something. When I put it all together, I was stunned. In Nahuatl, the name Guadalupe means One who trods on snake! So when the Lady repeated her name for a poor, uneducated Aztec man, saying call me Santa Maria de Guadalupe, she was actually saying, call me Holy Mary of One who has trod on the snake. In Genesis 3:15, this is the name God reserves for Mary, the second Eve; so when the woman says her name, she gives the name the Lord planned for her from the beginning of time.

I have no idea how I overlooked the miracles behind the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe all those years ago. I’m sure it’s because I didn’t put together that cuatl and guadal have virtually identical pronunciations in Nahuatl, and I had never learned the translation for the rest of the compound epithet. Still, it amazes me that I could teach Spanish in a Catholic high school, assign the reading to upper level classes, and not know the whole story. It cuts me to the heart when I realize that I taught my students about the conquistadors, but not the miracle of eight million baptisms that occurred in the seven years following the vision. Some sources estimate that the actual number of conversions might have been closer to nine million (with the total Aztec population only ten million at that time).

I’ve promised myself that one day I will visit Mexico and see the five-hundred-year-old tilma that bears the image of Our Lady. I just wish I could gather all my former students together in one place and have another chance to teach them the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe. With uncensored delight, I would ask them if they have heard the story—the true story—of the Woman who converted a nation with the help of a few Spanish roses, a cloak called a tilma, and one very humble Aztec man named Juan Diego.

I urge you to read more about Our Lady of Guadalupe, and let the story speak for itself.

Santa Maria, mi Madre Nueva, gracias—por todos los milagros y las lecciones del corazon. Holy Mary, my new Mother, thank you – for all the miracles and lessons of the heart.

The Immaculate Conception? From total disbelief to utter amazement!

2011-12-01T17:28:00.000-08:00

Have you ever watched a television program that changed your life? Well, that’s what happened to me – but it took more than five months for the full impact to hit me. It began on July 16, 2004. I caught the tail-end of a Journey Home program (EWTN), and I was immediately drawn to that night’s guest. On a whim, I wrote Mary Beth Kremski and attempted to explain something that I didn’t completely understand myself – my growing desire to enter the Catholic Church.

I had been fascinated by Mrs. Kremski because she was a Third Order Carmelite – or at least that’s what the tag line at the bottom of the television screen said. I didn’t know what Third Order meant, but I knew that the authors of the books I had recently read were Carmelites. St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila – only they lived in the 1500s. I had no idea that there were Carmelites living and breathing today! What luck! I had to write her. I had so many questions.

We exchanged just one set of letters in August, and then the communication ended. I turned my attention to the local Catholic Church and decided to try RCIA class and see what would happen from there.

In December of 2004, the RCIA leader at my parish introduced the class to the Church’s teaching on the Immaculate Conception. I’ve come to the conclusion that our Blessed Mother was gently guiding me through this part of my journey, but at that moment in time, she seemed to be nothing more than one major stumbling block for me.

I announced to the entire class that I couldn’t accept that Mary was conceived without sin. I was willing to admit that Protestants had let the pendulum swing too far in the opposite direction, relegating Mary to a minor role in the Christmas story, but I felt that was in response to excessive Catholic Mariology. I explained that, while I believed the Lord could do that for Mary, I was convinced it was highly unlikely that he did do it. At that moment, I didn’t even have enough faith to say, I believe, Lord help my unbelief.

The terrible thought hit me then. Where does one go when she believes in Apostolic Succession, the Papacy, Purgatory, the Communion of Saints, and all Catholic Teaching, except the Immaculate Conception? What was the name of that denomination? I felt like Peter when he said, where else can we go? This is a difficult teaching, Lord, but I’ve nowhere else to turn.

After many attempts to help me understand, my RCIA instructor mentioned that I had the option of placing a petition before the Blessed Mother. If I had sincerely given myself to the task of understanding and I still couldn’t embrace this teaching, he told me that I could always ask Mary to show me the Truth.

As an Evangelical, I had placed many petitions before the Lord. That was not a new concept. And I didn’t have a problem with asking Mary to answer my petition. I just didn’t think she would do it.

I knew a lot was riding on this petition. The Immaculate Conception was the one obstacle that stood between my father (a Presbyterian minister) and the Catholic Church. In fact, if he could have resolved this issue, I’m convinced he would have converted to the Catholic Church thirty years ago. Before I made my petition to Mary, I prayed, “Lord, I will follow you wherever you lead, even if it is down a road my father could not take. I just want to get this right. And so, I beg You NOT to answer the petition I place before Your Mother if this teaching shouldn’t be embraced.” Then I turned my heart to Mary and laid it on the line:

Mary,

If you are as the Catholic Church says and if you love me, please answer this petition. I want someone to communicate with me by your inspiration. I need the communication to encourage me in the faith, and I don’t want it to be from Catholic friends at the school where I used to teach or my Catholic in-laws. I don’t want it to be from anyone in my parish. All of them—well, I have shared this struggle with some of them, and they may know through earthly tongues that I need to be propped up. Mary, I want the message to come from you to the ears of one who could know no other way. Please choose someone who, for me, would represent the Universal Catholic Church. Then I will know I am right where I am supposed to be and that the Church’s Teachings are ALL correct, terra firma, especially the Teachings about you. Please answer my petition before the end of the year—I know, that’s just two weeks.

This petition is rewritten word-for-word from my journal entry for December 12, 2004, the day I said the prayer. I knew it was unlikely I would receive a response. Almost as unlikely as the Immaculate Conception, I thought.

Our Lady didn’t make me wait very long. In the mailbox the next day was a letter from the woman who had appeared on The Journey Home the previous July. I had not heard from her since August when her one and only letter arrived. BUT, in December of 2004 she decided to write me a second time to encourage me in the Faith and let me know she was praying for me. Her letter was dated December 8, 2004. Above the date, she had hand-written The Feast of the Immaculate Conception. With tears streaming down my face, I read her two-page, single-spaced letter.

I had been ready to abandon the journey. I knew it would drive me crazy to teeter on the fence for very long. That’s why I had put a time restriction on the Blessed Virgin. That letter sealed everything for me. Like Thomas when he touched the wounds of Our Lord, all my doubts were gone instantly.

Mary is my Mother! And like the truest mother, she loves me and knows me better than I know myself. After all, she knew the very thing I would ask of her before I even asked it. Mary Beth Kremski’s letter had been dated four days before I made the petition, arriving less than twenty-four hours after my request for help. Our Lady proved herself to be the Immaculate Conception and a Mother with impeccable timing.

Catholics and Their Endless Rituals

2011-11-12T14:03:00.000-08:00

On Friday morning, the students gathered for opening prayer. They do it every day. We always end with the Pledge of Allegiance and a little chant. Do the right thing. Treat people right. Even if you don't feel like it.

Our little morning ritual is full of lessons for the convert.

Rituals matter.

They make us what we are.

We become what we say. We remember what we do repetitively. These things build community and they bind us together.

As Americans, we get a little misty-eyed when we hear the very young say the Pledge. When we look at them and see that right hand resting on a little beating heart, we hear those words fall from a little mouth, we see their eyes firmly fixed on the Stars and Stripes.

The entire ritual moves us. We are glad we have passed these things on to them.

On Friday morning, after the prayers and the pledge, one 7th grade boy picked up the flag and stand and carried it to the church for our Veteran's Day Mass.

This is where my worlds converge. I am American. I completely embrace the Pledge, the patriotic ritual, the repetition of the words and gestures we hold dear. They make us who we are.

How much more so those things we do and say as Catholic Christians. It is right to have rituals. They make us who we are. It is right to pray our prayers, so familiar that we can say them without stumbling at all. Our Father, who art in heaven...

It is right to fix our eyes on the cross - on the body that is suffering on that cross.

And we pass these things on to them.

There was a time I did not see the value in spiritual repetition. I did not understand the purpose for faith rituals. I thought these things stifled the creative inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

I was wrong.

If the pledge and the flag and a hand over one's heart can make us patriotic and help us to remember that we are proud to be American...

...then a prayer and crucifix and a hand making the Sign of the Cross can help us to remember whose we are... and why Our Lord died and rose again.

Rituals.

Repeated prayers.

They help us to remember. And then, we go out to be what we proclaim.

November 2011 Catholic by Grace Article

2011-11-12T13:47:00.000-08:00

My first encounter with the elderly and dying came when I was eighteen. I was a nurse’s aide for about five months. That’s how long it took me to realize I was not meant to be a nurse.

I dropped my plans to go into nursing, but the memories of the people I met in that Nebraska nursing home have stayed with me for nearly three decades.

I remember the stroke victims. The woman who spent each day repeating “Mana, mana, mana.” The man who was able to say a handful of words clearly. All expletives.

Another woman reminded me of Edith from All in the Family. She would nervously apply red lipstick when her handsome husband visited. I remember how much I disliked him as he stood there with his arm around his girlfriend and urged his adolescent daughters to give their invalid mother a hug.

I remember the woman named Mary who said she’d never had cross words with her husband of fifty years. I wondered if she was being honest. I still wonder.

And there was the man who demanded our immediate attention, saying he was related to William Buckley, Jr. I was only eighteen. I had no idea who William Buckley, Jr., was. I asked the other nurses. They hadn’t heard of him either.

The residents of that Omaha nursing home fascinated me. I wanted to sit with these people. Talk to them. Find out their stories. Was Mary a saint, or was her husband just easy to get along with? Had the man who swore a blue streak been a swearer before his stroke? Did “Edith” really think her husband would be impressed with her red lipstick? Did it kill her spirit to see him with a mistress, both of them standing near her like they had done their good deed for the year?

Was Mr. Buckley really related to the Mr. Buckley, Jr.?

The first floor of that nursing home was busy, sometimes downright chaotic. There was never a moment to sit and simply be with the patients. There was little dignity in getting old. And something in me said this isn’t right.

I remember one day in particular. Three patients had to be bathed before the evening meal. I gently washed a frail woman, the second of the three patients on my list. I did all the talking while she simply submitted to the process. She weighed almost nothing. I could lift her from the wheelchair to the bath chair and back again by myself. She looked at me quietly as I dressed her, putting on her gown and robe and slippers. If I hurried, I would get the last patient bathed before the floor nurse announced that the kitchen was open.

I wheeled the woman to her room and collected my final patient. A few moments later, the head nurse entered the shower room. She asked me if Lydia had seemed okay when I bathed her. “She was quiet, but nothing unusual. Why?”

The nurse told me that Lydia was dead. I was the last person who had touched her body, bathed her, spoken to her.

And I didn’t know anything about her, except her name.

In that moment, I knew that the elderly deserve more than the hurried care our society gives them. We are so advanced. And yet, we often forget the dignity of the human person.

The unborn.

The man in prison.

The cast-off wife with her lipstick-smile.

The one who spends all day saying mana, mana, mana or a string of profanity. The one who thinks about her deceased husband all day, every day.

I have decided that I want to go to a Catholic nursing home when I’m old. I want to spend my final hours and minutes in a place where I can go to Mass, where a nurse can wheel me into an Adoration Chapel, where I will be surrounded by rosaries and crucifixes and images of Our Lady. I want to pass from here to there with the faith and the faithful all around me.

As Catholics, we believe in the dignity of the human person. I plan to spend my final days in a place where the caretakers know that I am made in the image and likeness of God. And maybe, I will share a few words with a young nurse’s aide, and perhaps she will remember me with a smile.

October 2011 Catholic by Grace Column

2011-11-12T13:46:00.000-08:00

I wish I had a dollar for every time I felt like a newcomer to the Catholic Faith. I remember the prayer I wrote in my RCIA journal in 2005. Lord, I am going to look like I don’t know what I am doing as I fumble my way through this. I’m going to look like an idiot sometimes.

Like that first Lent when the Alleluia vanished from the Liturgy, and I didn’t realize that would happen. Or the many times the organist has played an unfamiliar tune to the Gloria. Suddenly, I can’t remember the words.

Like my First Communion, when I had to remember the order of bowing and saying Amen and crossing myself – when all I could think about was Jesus waiting as I walked the aisle so that He could come to me – and I to him.

Or the year I substituted in the English department at Immaculate Conception Parish and the teachers would meet before the students arrived. They would pray the Memorare. Little Mary Beth who was only in seventh grade took pity on me and printed out a copy of the prayer so that I would not have to stand in the teachers’ prayer circle and participate in fits and starts.

Like the time I attended Mass at EWTN and there was a lot of Latin. It seemed like I was the only one who was lost. I remember the embarrassment I felt. I was scheduled to be a guest on one of their programs later in the day, and I didn’t even know how to pray the Mass with them.

Like the time I visited St. Ignatius of Loyola School and bowed my head to pray with teachers and students in the gathering space – only to feel a tap on my shoulder from one of the teachers who pointed to the Crucifix on the wall. That’s when I realized everyone in the room was looking upon the Lord as they prayed, and I hadn’t noticed because my head had been bowed and my eyes closed (like I had done in my Protestant years).

Or the times I have written an article for the column and received a kind letter from an editor who wanted to help me edit the article so that it was more in line with official Church teaching.

Over and over, I have felt like a newcomer to the Faith. I still have moments when I can’t remember whether we stand now or kneel. And those momentary lapses in memory almost always come when I am the guest speaker or the teacher or the Catholic writer – the one who is supposed to know it all.

Lord, I’m going to fumble and stumble around sometimes as I try to figure this out. I’m going to look like a fool as I travel down unfamiliar paths.

Recently, I was talking to a priest. When he realized that I am a Catholic writer, he suggested that I write something about the changes in the Liturgy. “It will be hard for the musicians and some of the people. And it will be hard for priests. We’ll probably stumble awhile, as we try to learn the new wording.”

“Oh, Father! You’ll feel just like a convert!” I said and then I told him about my year in RCIA and the way I still feel at times.

The church secretary who was sitting near us smiled then. “Maybe that’s not such a bad thing. We all need to feel like a convert now and then.”

She’s right. But it’s not the end of the world. Every convert knows that you get through it somehow. Eventually, you learn. Almost immediately, you love. And the learning and the loving move in tandem.

Take it from one who has fumbled along many times. All will be well. Change is never easy. And this change will be particularly difficult for many. If you are a priest or a musician, offer it up for a convert who finds the entire Liturgy something of a foreign language. Offer it up for the one who longs to be part of the Church family, but feels like he will never fit in as easily as the cradle Catholic sitting beside him. Offer it up for the one who is trying to learn everything in just a few months of RCIA.

And I will let you in on a secret that every convert knows. You will look back on that part of the journey and miss it a little. You will realize that God was there. You knew it. You felt it. You relied on it.

I’ll meet you in the Mass. And we’ll learn together.

Ben's Story

2011-10-30T11:51:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, October 19th, Ben Johnson had a motorcycle accident in south Grand Forks, ND that resulted in a severed spinal column (between T5 and T6). As well he suffered from two broken ribs, minor lacerations, two small perferations in his left lung. He was transferred via air to the Hennepin County Medical Center where he is presently being treated.

Ben's senior picture

He has full use of his arms and hands as well as strong respiratory function. He has no feeling or movement below mid-chest.

Ben has been accepted to receive rehab treatment at Craig Hospital in Denver, CO. For the last number of years Craig Hospital has been listed in the top ten rehab centers in the United States. They specialize in spinal cord injuries and treat approximately 300 patients each year. We are very excited for Ben and the possibilities that await him there.

The plan is for Ben and Mary (Ben's mother & my cousin) to travel via air ambulance from Minneapolis to Denver this coming Wednesday. Nathan, Ben's dad, will be following on a commercial flight. The average rehab time is between 4-8 weeks.

Pray that all goes well up til Wednesday and that the travel goes well too.

Thanks again for all of your prayers.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/benjaminjohnson1/mystory

Please Pray

2011-10-19T16:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Catholic Faithful,

My cousin’s son is a high school senior, and he was just in a motor cycle accident. He has severed his spinal cord and is being flown to a Minneapolis hospital. Please pray for him.

My cousin and her husband are Assembly of God pastors. I saw my cousin just a couple of weeks ago. She said that her husband had attended a symposium at the local university where he was on a panel discussing faith topics. When he returned home, he told my cousin that he had more in common with the Catholic priest on the panel than any other person there.

Mary and Nathan Johnson and their son Ben live in Minot, North Dakota. They pastor http://freedomchurchgf.com/pages/staff

Many thanks,

Denise Bossert

God Made You

2011-10-16T13:55:00.000-07:00

The other day, I divided three boxes of Sculpey clay into seventeen separate balls and gave each student a lump of clay.

I told the students to form a creature - anything their imagination could think to create.

They went to work right away, and the classroom was abuzz with activity. The students carefully created figures, formed eyes, carved out mouths and showed off their handiwork to one another.

"Now, I want each one of you to look at your creation and imagine that it could suddenly come to life."

Their eyes danced with the mere thought of such a great thing.

"Imagine that you could name your little friend, that your little one could say your name, talk to you - love you back."

"That would be great!" one student said and the rest of the students agreed wholeheartedly.

To order, click here

"And imagine what fun you would have together." And then I paused.

"But what if your creature decided to hop off of your desk and run away. What if he picked up the toothpick you've been using and poked you right in the eye, and then jumped to another student's desk and decided to give someone else love and attention? What if he forgot all about you?"

They were ready now for the lesson. The real reason we had spent the entire religion class with clay.

"You are the clay creature, my friends. God made you. He loves you. He wants you to love Him back. But He will not force you to do it. He permits you to turn and go the other way."

Choose this day.

To love Him.

Your Creator.

The One who formed you and knows you by name.

Take your creature home. And every time you look at him-- remember.

We are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works that God has prepared for us in advance, that we should live in them. Ephesians 2:10

His Grace is Sufficient for Every Good Work

2011-09-10T16:59:00.000-07:00

I sent out the October submission today. Always thankful that God keeps using my little offerings.

My dear friend in Scranton was spared the flooding. They had to spend some time in a hotel (on higher ground), but they are back home safe and sound.

The school year is going great! Again, what a blessing to be able to share our Faith with the next generation!

Grace and Peace!

September 2011 Catholic by Grace Column

2011-09-04T13:38:00.001-07:00

We greeted each other in the narthex a few months ago. As it so often does, our conversation turned to the faith.

Margaret told me she had never thought of faith as a kind of journey - until she met me. Her life as a cradle Catholic was steady. Unquestioned. Loved. Still, it simply was. More like a state of being rather than a journey.

But she said it's different now. She senses that her faith has always been a journey whether she realized it or not. A journey has been taking place on a level just below her consciousness.

And she suspects that it’s like that for other Catholics, too. Her parents. Her sister. The countless people who stop by the parish office to sign their children up for religion classes or the youth athletic programs or to learn about baptism preparation or marriage instruction. It’s even like that for those who are there to make final arrangements for a loved one. The faith that they’ve been living has been a journey. Each event has been a kind of mile marker. The Sacraments have come to them at just the right moment, bringing just the right help for the journey.

It began when they were so young, they may not even remember it. Their parents carried them at first. Then those parents put their children on the path and took them by the hand. They walked together like that, perhaps for many years. Then, mom and dad let them run ahead. And their parents’ hearts were filled with great joy. They could entrust their grown children to the journey. It was a safe path in a world with so many unsafe paths.

“Maybe we’re all on a kind of journey,” Margaret said. Margaret sees it all. She’s the parish secretary.

That day in the entrance of the church, we talked in similes and metaphors, and our conversation was poetry and prose all mixed together. We eventually got around to the subject of music. In addition to being our parish secretary, Margaret teaches piano. Music is her second language. As we talked, I realized that it was my turn to learn a new metaphor for this life of grace.

Margaret's song - her life - has been a lovely piece of music, soft and beautiful, mostly pianissimo, in steady 4/4 time.

In contrast, my journey started out as a simple song. Like Twinkle, Twinkle. As for substance, it was mostly just a bare minimum theology. A tune that could be plunked out with one finger on a keyboard.

Jesus loves me, this I know.

The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me.

I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.

The theology was about as complicated as my daughter’s first-year piano music.

But then, a dissonance interrupted everything, and all I wanted was some resolution. I wanted desperately to stop those notes that didn't seem to go together. I wanted my simple Twinkle, Twinkle kind of faith once again. Instead, the music was loud and demanded my attention and cried out for chords that worked – a sound that made sense.

And then it came. The understanding and knowledge. Those beautiful gifts of the Holy Spirit. Right judgment. Awe. Reverence.

A complicated arrangement replaced the cacophony, and - for the first time - I experienced advanced dynamics that pulled at the soul and carried me higher. The music of faith transitioned into a movement of exquisite sweetness, made all the sweeter because it followed the dark dissonance.

. The Climax. The Resolution. The moment when grace sings the melody and all instruments highlight her voice.

Faith is a journey. Grace is a song.

Whether we are aware of it or not.

How To Use Journey Home Episodes in Middle School and High School Classrooms: Mark Kurowski Lesson Plan

2011-08-07T11:52:00.001-07:00

I recommend setting aside two Friday's of the month for the Journey Home Lesson Plans. You will cover one convert during each of these Friday sessions. Here's how to do it:

Click on the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSdfCFgoEEw
Preview the whole show OR simply view the recommended times. (The minute-segments are the PRECISE segments that I show to my classes.)
Before the students view the suggested segments, pass out the following handout. You may cut and paste this handout and create your own document. The answers are given in italics. I recommend that you make one ANSWER KEY that contains the italicized answers and then delete the italicized answers and print a STUDENT COPY. Students will use their copies for note-taking while viewing the suggested segments.

I hope that your students enjoy these Journey Home episodes which have been distilled into a series of segments that will hold their interest while 1.)building up their understanding of the Catholic Faith and 2.)giving them a glimpse into the why&how stories of many converts. I will post another show and lesson plan in a couple of weeks. Love your Faith -- and give your middle school & high school students a reason to love it as well!

Journey Home Show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSdfCFgoEEw

First Segment: 0:00-13:30 and 20:00-21:30 and 22:32-23:41

Second Segment: 25:39-26:03 and 30:20-35:00

Third Segment: 38:40-42:40

Bonus: 46:25-47:30 How we, as Catholics, can help converts.

Bonus: 49:48-50:48 Mark describes what it was like to receive the Eucharist that first time (very moving clip).

Total viewing time: approximately 26 minutes

Convert’s Name: Mark Kurowski

1. What was this convert’s early faith formation? (Answers in First Segment)

There was no faith formation in this convert’s early years. His parents were divorced. He was the ninth and youngest child in the family. Even though the family did not have a formal faith home, his mother was pro-life and placed a high premium on living out her values. There was much anger in the children as they were growing up, and this convert battled anger issues. As a child, he wanted to make people happy, but he struggled with insecurity (due to the lack of a father’s love and presence in his life). His mother was a big part of his life, but he felt a mother “was supposed to love you.” His insecurity made him an angry kid with a foul mouth. He describes himself as “just a mess.” His grandfather tried to fill the void.

After his grandfather passed away, Mark had the same dream five times, in which his grandfather came to him and told him that God had something very important for him to do.

Mark went to Mass as a young teen – on his own – but nobody reached out to him, so the Catholic faith didn’t take hold at that point. In fact, Mark fell away from God and the pursuit of holy living. He did like to sing. In high school, a teacher invited him to sing in the church choir at the Methodist church. It was in that church that Mark had a kind of 1^st conversion – to Christ.

Mark sensed a call to become a minister. In this final portion of the first segment, Mark talks about the call and has a great quote about discernment by St. Ignatius of Loyola.

2. What event or thought process led to the beginning of the conversion process? (Answers in Second Segment)

Mark worked on a political campaign and met his future wife at that time. She was a Catholic. The two eventually married, and they bounced between churches for a while.

While in seminary, Mark wrote a paper about Wesley (Protestant theologian associated with the Methodist denomination). In the paper, Mark traces Wesley’s concept of sanctification to a Catholic monk by the name of Macarius. This patristic father explains that the path to holiness comes by putting into place holy practices in daily living. This is how we become holy people. Mark realized that the Book of Common Prayer (Protestant) is based on the Catholic tradition of the Liturgy of the Hours. At this time, many beautiful Catholic practices became part of his daily life.

3. What obstacle did this convert have to overcome? What stood in his way in the process of conversion? What event finally prompted him to enter the Catholic Church? (Answer in Third Segment)

This convert did not express describe obstacles to conversion. His journey seems to be a progression of revelations on the beauty of Catholic practices and the connections he made between Wesley’s concept of sanctification and the Catholic theology it was based upon. Mark and his wife moved to Gary, Indiana, where he served a multi-ethnic parish. There was a group of priests in the area who worked in this part of the city. They opened Mark’s eyes to the beauty of the Catholic Church and the writings of St. Justin Martyr on the Eucharist and the order of the Mass.

It might be helpful at this point to discuss the need for Holy Orders for the Consecration in the Mass. While the convert was beginning to understand the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, he does not point out the essential element of the priest and the indelible mark God places upon him in Holy Orders. Be sure to point out to students that the Eucharist comes to us in the Mass through the words of Consecration, spoken by a validly ordained priest.

If you have time, consider playing the two bonus clips and discussing the topics listed with the given time frame for each bonus segment.

Nearing the Assumption

2011-08-06T08:25:00.000-07:00

I had a terrible time with the Immaculate Conception when I was studying the Catholic faith - what a year it was - that year before entering the Church. But the Assumption of Our Lady was easy in comparison.

It just made sense to me.

Once I accepted that Mary was conceived without sin, full of every grace from the moment of her conception, the Assumption seemed obvious.

She would not - could not - suffer from sins' final destructive force. Of course, the Lord would want to reach down and lift His mother out of the world.

Of course, He would want to bring her to Himself. There is no way on God's green earth that He would let His mother's perfect body remain here until the end of time.

If we believe that Christ will return one day and receive the faithful, that He will raise the faithful from the earth and give them new, glorified bodies, then why in heaven's name wouldn't we believe that He would first do it for His own mother?

A perfect son (who also happens to be the Word of God Incarnate) would most definitely break through the veil that separates this world from the eternal world and call His mother to His side.

Certainly, He would not wait for the end of time. Not a chance.

And this is the final clue that the Catholic Church got this one right. It doesn't take a rocket scientest to realize that the Church has gone to great lengths to preserve and venerate the remains of every saint they possibly can. If the Blessed Mother's body had not been assumed into heaven, every Catholic would know where her remains were buried.

Why do we not have the remains of Our Lord's body? Evangelicals respond immediately by saying, "Because He is not here. He has ascended, and He will come again."

Ah, yes. They are right. But why do we not have the remains of Our Lady's body? It is not a coverup. It is not a clever game. It is really very simple and altogether lovely. Our Lord loved His mother so much that He broke through the great divide and said, "Come."

And the entire Church, the Bride of Christ, looks to this event as a sign of hope. One day, He will come for us as well. One day, the heavens will open and the Lord will say to us, "Come."

It is not too difficult to understand. Not too difficult at all.

How To Use Journey Home Episodes in Middle School and High School Classrooms: Mike Carlton Lesson Plan

2011-08-06T07:52:00.000-07:00

I recommend setting aside two Friday's of the month for the Journey Home Lesson Plans. You will cover one convert during each of these Friday sessions. Here's how to do it:

Click on the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yRcY9FQ6s0
Preview the whole show OR simply view the recommended times. (The minute-segments are the PRECISE segments that I show to my classes.)
Before the students view the suggested segments, pass out the following handout. You may cut and paste this handout and create your own document. The answers are given in italics. I recommend that you make one ANSWER KEY that contains the italicized answers and then delete the italicized answers and print a STUDENT COPY. Students will use their copies for note-taking while viewing the suggested segments.

Journey Home Show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yRcY9FQ6s0

First Segment: 0:00-5:02 and 6:05-7:04

(Terms for discussion: “River Tiber” and “Protestant” & “Protest”)

Second Segment: 8:30-14:30 and 15:20-16:31 and 17:00-18:32

Final Segment: 19:14-22:05 and 24:46-26:30 and 30:22-35:43

(Concepts for discussion: “Early Church Fathers” and “Where did the Bible come from” and “Church definition of Scandal – CCC# 2284”)

*Bonus Segment on the Blessed Virgin Mary: 38:00-38:57

Total viewing time: approximately 24 minutes

Convert’s Name: Mike Carlton

1. What was this convert's early faith formation? (Answer in First Segment)
Mike Carlton was raised Presbyterian, and his family has a Scottish background. (Note the connection between Presbyterian and the Church of Scotland) Mike was very active in his Presbyterian congregation as a youth. He had some friends who were Catholic, but he never thought he would become Catholic. Mike went on (Presbyterian) youth retreats and enjoyed those. When he was a teen, he heard the word “Protestant” and wondered why his faith heritage was associated with the word “Protest.” He went off to college and attended Presbyterian churches often, but he began to realize that the people he was meeting in college had many different kinds of beliefs, and he began to wonder why one person believes as he does and another believes something different, and so on.

2. What event of thought process led to the beginning of the conversion process?. (Answers in Second Segment)

Mike met his future wife in college. While planning their wedding, the question came up regarding whether or not they should have a wedding with the Eucharist or without the Eucharist (because his side of the family would not be able to receive the Eucharist as they were not Catholic). The couple decided to have a wedding without the Eucharist. Mike felt like outsider because of the closed Communion in his wife’s Church. At this point, Mike became overtly anti-Catholic.

PAUSE THE PROGRAM AT 12:20 and talk to the students about why we have a closed Communion in the Catholic Church.

“We believe this is really and truly the Body of Christ that we are receiving in Holy Communion. Only those who are in full Communion with the teachings of the Catholic Church may receive Communion. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our Faith. One must be in union with Our Eucharistic Lord and the teachings of His Church before receiving Christ in the Eucharist. For this reason, the Catholic Church has a closed Communion. It is the hope and the prayer of all Catholics that all people will come into complete union with Christ and His Church. God willing, this will happen, and when it does, the Church will receive them with open arms and invite them at that time to the Table of Our Lord. Other Christian communities have an open Communion. These faith communities permit everyone to receive the bread and wine (or grape juice). Typically, these Protestant denominations believe in a symbolic Communion – that the bread and wine do not change, but merely symbolize Christ’s Body and Blood. They also do not require that believers hold to a common set of beliefs.”

During the first 8 years of their marriage, Mike and his wife looked at different faith communities, but Mike was really looking for reasons to not be Catholic during that time of his life. He continued to feel like an outsider at gatherings/holidays with his wife’s family. They moved to Atlanta where his wife met some Catholic neighbors, and his wife’s Catholic “seeds” from growing up as a Catholic started to come out.

He continued to ponder the problem with so many Christians believing so many different things. He realized “two things can’t be true and yet opposing.” Somebody had to be right. Some had to be wrong.

3. What obstacle did this convert have to overcome? What stood in his way in the process of conversion? What event finally prompted him to enter the Catholic Church?

Mike decided it would be okay to raise the children in the Catholic Church, but he would never become Catholic. One day, he was running on the beach and felt the Holy Spirit say “search for truth but be open.”

He began studying the Early Church Fathers and started connecting the Catholic Church to the full Deposit of the Faith and combined that with reading some works by Dr. Scott Hahn. Even so, he still struggled with the scandals that were plaguing the Church at that time.

The final portion of his journey came when he was on his way home from Alabama to Georgia and, on a whim, followed a road sign that said there was a shrine ahead. He kept going, and the real journey ended at The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament where the final pieces came together. He was ready to come home to the Catholic Church.

*If there is time, play the bonus segment on the Blessed Virgin Mary and talk with the students about our veneration and devotion to Mary. Explain to the students that there are other Christian communities who do not have a place for Mary beyond her role in the Christmas story.

How To Use Journey Home Episodes in Middle School and High School Classrooms: Skylar Testa Lesson Plan

2011-08-04T13:21:00.000-07:00

I recommend setting aside two Friday's of the month for the Journey Home Lesson Plans. You will cover one convert during each of these Friday sessions. Here's how to do it:

Click on the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmoEUuT_XQY&feature=player_embedded
Preview the whole show OR simply view the recommended times. (The minute-segments are the PRECISE segments that I show to my classes.)
Before the students view the suggested segments, pass out the following handout. You may cut and paste this handout and create your own document. The answers are given in italics. I recommend that you make one ANSWER KEY that contains the italicized answers and then delete the italicized answers and print a STUDENT COPY. Students will use their copies for note-taking while viewing the suggested segments.

Journey Home Show

For class viewing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmoEUuT_XQY&feature=player_embedded

First Segment: 0:00-14:00

Second Segment: 15:34-17:50 and 19:33-20:30 and 22:30-25:55

Final Segment: 29:02-31:21 and 33:13-37:07 and 39:20-39:32

Total viewing time: approximately 29 minutes

Convert’s Name: Skylar Testa

1. 1. (Answers in First Segments)

Describe this convert’s previous faith formation.

Mostly non-denominational background

Faith formation of his parents - father: Catholic & mother: Jewish

The parents set aside their faith heritage and began raising their family as Jehovah's Witnesses.

One of the three sons had special needs, and the family turned to a non-denominational church to fill their need for a vibrant faith. Later, the family began attending another non-denominational church that was charismatic (very lively style of worship).

2. 2. (Answers in Second Segment)

What event or thought process led to the beginning of his conversion?

Skylar began acting. His manager was Catholic. Eventually, he met a group of actors/producers who were Catholic, and he joined their Bible study.

3. 3. (Answer in Second Segment, specifically in 22:30-25:55)

What obstacle did this convert have to overcome? What stood in his way in the process of conversion?

He was content right where he was. He felt happy with his personal relationship with the Lord. He describes it as being in a little boat that is comfortable--and it seemed unnecessary to jump from that little boat to the Mother Ship (Catholic Church) even though he was beginning to see some wonderful things in the Catholic faith.

4. 4. (Answer in Final Segment, specifically 33:13-37:07 and 39:20-39:32)

What event finally prompted him to enter the Catholic Church?

On Valentine's Day 2007, Skylar had jury duty. He had been given a book by Dr. Scott Hahn called Rome Sweet Home. It sat on the shelf until the day of Skylar's jury duty. Skylar took the book with him to kill time. He was given enough time to read the entire book, and just like that, when he finished the last page, they said he could go. They didn't need him anymore for jury duty.

He entered the Church.

August 2011 Catholic By Grace Diocesan Article

2011-08-02T14:21:00.000-07:00

I used to place a high premium on getting a good night’s sleep. On nights when I battled insomnia, I considered throwing the alarm clock at the bedroom wall. I tried every nesting routine that had been successful in the past, stopping short of walking in circles on the bed like a dog. When I didn’t get a solid night’s sleep, everyone knew it the next day.

I used to love eating in restaurants. Someone else made the meal. Someone else cleaned the messy dishes. When we had to rein in the spending, our eat-out budget got chopped. After about two weeks, I would simply have to go to Denny’s and get the Grand Slam.

I still hope for a good night’s sleep, and I still enjoy eating out. But something is changing. I’m craving a spiritual diet and rejuvenation time with God more than a meal out and blissful sleep.

I’ve learned to turn insomnia into prayer time. I’m learning to be okay with what is in the food pantry at home. I’m learning to offer these things up to the Cross.

The saints tell us that we can do little things for God. If we let God transform us in little ways, He will begin to transform us in all ways.

Every little sacrifice, every little suffering can become part of God’s redemption story.

Catholics have a phrase for this little act of faith. It’s called offering it up. I mention it to my family now and then. I’m careful about when and where I say it. It should never be said in place of a snippy get over it.

Offer it up is not the same thing as get over it.

The first phrase is an encouragement; it is filled with hope. It has the potential to transform the smallest thing into something good and holy and lovely.

The second phrase is a chastisement; it seeks to control and silence another person. It has the potential to destroy whatever is good and holy and lovely in these little moments of sacrifice.

So, I remind my family to offer it up when I really do hope and pray that they might do it.

My youngest daughter gets it, like she gets all these Catholic things. She gets it because she has no memory of a time before we became Catholic. She was only five when I converted.

Not John. Like me, my husband didn’t grow up in the Catholic Church. And he has never been the kind of guy to accept something that’s more fluff than substance. So, the first time I suggested that he offer it up, he chuckled and said, “I have no idea what that means.”

I quoted Colossians 1:24 and he said he still didn’t get it. He added a quick, but that’s okay. “I don’t have to get everything to know the Church has it right,” he said. Catholic theology went from one perspective (among many) to truth for him in 2008. Sometimes, though, he just likes to see if I’m up to the challenge of defending our new faith.

These are some of my favorite moments with John. He knows how much I like talks like this. But sometimes, it’s frustrating because mysteries can’t be contained in 800 word articles – or two minute conversations between husbands and wives.

“Just try it. You don’t have to get it to give it a try.” Sometimes, that’s all I can say. Sometimes, there are no words or great analogies.

“Sort of like fake it until you make it,” he says.

“No. More like ‘I believe, Lord, help my unbelief,’” I tell him.

John says, “Okay.” I smile then, knowing he’ll keep asking me for explanations when this comes up. Not because he thinks it is nonsense. It has simply become one of those little dialogs we have. It’s almost scripted. It’s the dance we do. And it is awesome.

A dialog between two lovers that somehow reminds us that we like being together and talking about stuff like this.

Kind of like offering it up, which is also a dialog between lovers. This time, it’s between the Beloved and the human soul. An offering of everything from insomnia to simple meals at home. Little things offered with great love. Moments we repeat again and again, like a divinely scripted dialog. Go ahead, offer it up.

What a Catholic Can Do When Another Is Grieving

2011-07-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

It was the beginning of a new school year, and the middle school and high school teachers at Beckman were beginning to fall into a familiar routine. David taught across the hall from me. He was a convert, so he was something of a translator between me and the Catholicity of our school. He’s the one who taught me how to make the Sign of the Cross so that I could open all my classes with prayer and not stand out as the foreigner, the Evangelical Protestant, in a world that was completely Catholic.

We both had small children of our own; I suppose that’s why the news at school that morning rattled both of us so completely. One of our fellow staff members had lost her infant son to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

We fought back tears, hugged each other, felt the flash of pain that came from remembering the first year of our children’s lives. How we’d checked them in the middle of the night, placing a hand on their chests or backs to be sure they were still breathing. How we’d wake them sometimes, accidentally, because they seemed so still that we couldn’t be sure. How the first birthday had been a celebration, a milestone that marked the end of that fear and the beginning of many different fears. We couldn’t imagine what our co-worker was going through.

What do you say to someone who is living your worst nightmare? How do you find words to match the empathy you feel in your hear? I chose to say very little. I prayed, and I hoped that Christ would intercede, because I simply didn’t know what to do or what to say.

Thankfully, Christ does intercede for us to the Father, so that every request, every praise, every thanksgiving is right. It doesn’t matter if our words are eloquent or break every grammatical rule in the book. When we pray, we have a Lord who edits our prayers so that they are perfect.

I’ve learned a few things since that year of teaching. I’ve learned that there are no good words to share that will ease another’s pain. I know this, because I have gone through my own season of mourning.

I’ve also learned that if I must go through pain or loss ever again, I want to do it as a Catholic. Even the most senseless tragedy – perhaps especially in the most senseless tragedy – there is a source of comfort in knowing that we can offer up our sorrow. We can stand with Our Lady and lift up our pain with her, and offer it all to Jesus

St. Paul said, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the Church.” I don’t understand this fully, but I believe Sacred Scripture has the words of truth and life.

I have come a long way from those early days as a non-Catholic first-year teacher in a Catholic school where I first made the Sign of the Cross.

And all that I have learned is somehow bound up together in that Cross, a mystery I understand better and better every day.

Thanks be to God.

Where Even The Shadow of Death Cannot Shake Us

2011-07-15T10:11:00.000-07:00

I wrote this in 2009 (http://catholicbygrace.blogspot.com/2009/10/where-even-shadow-of-death-cannot-shake.html). I didn't know that his name was Steve. I didn't know that he had Parkinson's Disease. I simply knew that he had a Faith I longed to have. The parish secretary sent me an email two days ago, to tell me the man I wrote about two years ago had passed away. I went to Steve's funeral this morning. In memory of Steve...

Here's what I witnessed and what I wrote in 2009:

On Sunday, during the parish dinner, a man choked on a piece of food. His wife stood up and put her arms around her husband and attempted to save him. In a matter of a few seconds, those of us working the floor of the hall noticed their crisis and called to a few large men to spring into action. One man made it to their table and took over. Almost immediately, the victim's air passage was cleared, and he could breathe again.

I know what it is like to choke on food. It can be absolutely terrifying. In those critical seconds, you wonder if this is it. You know that, unless something happens to change the situation, you simply aren't going to make it.

Oxygen is that important.

As I watched from a short distance away, I found myself immediately in prayer. But the only thing I could say was Jesus. Oh Jesus.

I've only prayed that short prayer once before. It was on the day I choked. In fact, it was while I was choking. In both cases, the name of Jesus became a plea for help - for help from the only one who really could help. Jesus.

It saddens me deeply when people use Our Lord's name so casually. In exasperation. In anger. In surprise.

This one who has died for us and who gives us His own Flesh and Blood so that we might live - this name we misuse. This name we defile.

We are told in Sacred Scripture that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

By this name, we are saved.

And even as I invoked the Holy Name of Jesus Christ in my one word prayer, Jesus, the man's air passage cleared and he began taking in deep breaths.

I have seen this man before. He comes to Mass every week, pushing a walker, making his way to the front to receive the Eucharist. Oh, he could stay home and nobody would think twice about it. God would even understand. Someone could bring the Eucharist to him. I don't know the name of his illness, but I do know that he can't be older than I am. Probably in his forties. But something has gone very wrong. He is frail. I've seen him collapse as he walked forward to receive the Eucharist. I have watched as ushers ran to help him back to his seat. I have watched as Father walked directly to him to bring Our Lord's Body to this one who suffers so greatly.

On Sunday, my husband was an usher at Mass. He greeted this husband and wife as they entered the narthex. John asked the man how he was. The husband didn't complain, though he was hunched over the walker and barely able to shuffle his feet along the floor and into the sanctuary.

The man replied that he was doing well. It was a good day.

And even though he struggles to walk, he comes to Mass.

Even though he risks falling in front of everyone, it doesn't seem to deter him. He still keeps making his way toward the Eucharist.

Even though he has a tendency to choke, probably due to the illness, he still comes to the parish dinner. He still breaks bread with all of us.

At Mass.

At the parish dinner.

In moments like these, I witness a portion of grace far greater than I have personally witnessed ever before. That kind of strength comes from God. No amount of personal determination and grit could account for the strength I see in this ailing and failing man.

And after I ponder this, I take a look at his wife. She is right there, by his side, as he enters the church, as he receives Our Lord. She is there behind him, using all of the strength her small frame can muster to wrap her arms around him and perform the manuever to rescue him from the brink of death. She is there with the napkin to wipe his mouth after the food and saliva run down his chin. She is always right there.

My friends, this is Catholic faith. It is richer and deeper and holier and more faithful and self-effacing than any faith I have ever seen.

It is the kind of faith that makes saints.

And I hunger for more of it. More and more of it. Until even the shadow of the valley of death cannot shake me.

As a Former Protestant, This Stuns Me... Stills My Soul... Makes Me Say, "I Have Seen A Miracle."

2011-07-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

Our Lady of Mount Carmel - the countdown!

2011-07-11T19:19:00.000-07:00

We have all these names for Jesus Christ. Lamb of God.Lion of Judah. Prince of Peace. King of Kings.Alpha and Omega. Light of the World. Ancient of Days.Immanuel.

Our Lord's mother has a few names as well.

I think my favorite name for Mary must be Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Last January, I shared my conversion story on the Journey Home program on EWTN. And I write about it every month for diocesan papers. But if you'd like to listen to the whole story, start to finish, go to the top of the blog and click on Journey Home from the menu.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel has her fingerprints all over the story.

July has always been my favorite month. It's my birthday month. It was my dad's birthday month. It was always marked by summer vacation and presents and lots of cake.

The most important day of July is right around the corner. It's not my birthday; it's not my father's birthday - although our lives were touched very deeply by the one we celebrate on July 16.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

She has ties to Elijah and Elisha.

To St. John of the Cross.

To St. Teresa of Avila.

To St. Therese.

And she used all of them to bring me home.

July 16. It's almost here!

July Catholic By Grace Diocesan Article

2011-07-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

In the spring of 2010, a tornado siren was simply a time to go downstairs – just in case. My husband’s parents hadn’t yet experienced the New Year’s Eve tornado that hit a Missouri restaurant where they were dining. My grown daughter hadn’t witnessed the Good Friday tornado from the back steps of our home while we were venerating the Cross. And Joplin, Missouri hadn’t suffered unspeakable loss from the deadliest tornado since 1947.

No. In the spring of 2010, a tornado siren just signaled a time for gathering downstairs. On one of those stormy nights in 2010, we all ended up in the basement. My husband checked out the food pantry and decided that a bag of chocolate chips would help pass the time. As we popped chocolate into our mouths and played with the dog, we talked. Somehow, we got on the subject of doubt.

Atheism and agnosticism.

John has faith. He believes in God, but he understands how some people just cannot believe in things they cannot see or touch. One of his friends has studied faith matters and philosophies and still says it’s not enough. John doesn’t agree, but he understands why his friend has doubt.

On one level, I understand it as well. The three cherry trees that died shortly after my husband planted them in the back yard are probably not experiencing any eternal existence. Since they weren’t capable of conscious thought, I don’t suppose they cared one way or another.

But humans are different. We have the ability to love another, die for another, forgive another, work with another. We have the capacity to scam each other, destroy each other, hold bitterness against one other, and tear each other apart.

We can bless. And we can curse.

We can rule over one another. And we can serve one another.

Even some of our illnesses set us apart. We can die from stress, suffer from mental illness, and find healing through the most extraordinary things. Like faith, hope, and love.

It is true that we know very little about what comes next. God acknowledges our limited human understanding in Sacred Scripture. Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, what God has waiting for those who love him.

Love. Maybe that’s the key. The most important thing separating us from a cherry tree just might be our capacity to love. Love points to an existence beyond the here and now. Our capacity to love links us to the One who is Love.

We live in a society that does not feel compelled to believe in mysteries like faith, hope and love. We study everything, except what lies beyond. We throw our efforts into our careers and our brains and our bank accounts. We complete degrees. We build houses. And we invest.

Many blindly accept that we cannot know what comes next. Or worse, that there is nothing to know about next things. But then a brilliant mathematician, scientist, and philosopher like Pascal throws out the challenge:

Okay, so it’s a gamble. On a purely rational level, we cannot know, Pascal says. For the ones who do not have faith, it is a toss of the coin.

Either way, we’ll find out. Pascal believed the better bet was on the side of God’s existence. That gambler has everything to gain and nothing to lose. Betting that there is no God is foolish. This gambler has everything to lose and nothing to gain.

Agnosticism, says Pascal, is not an option. Death is inevitable. So place your bets.

It is an interesting application of probability theory.

For those of us who have a faith which shapes everything we do, we have trouble understanding the thought processes of those who have no faith in God or eternity. How do we help them get from point A to point B? From no faith to at least some faith?

My husband tells me to have compassion for the one who cannot believe and to encourage him to try. Just try. Faith, no matter how small, leads to faith. Encourage them to say the word maybe. To drop the word impossible.

For we know that eternity is possible before we know that it is certain.

Like tornados. A remote possibility becomes a certainty. And everything changes.

John and I don’t casually look at each other when the sirens sound these days. Tornados have touched the lives of people we know.

I suppose there are many who think everything is a roll of the dice. God’s existence. Tornados that touch down. Lottery tickets. Blind dates. There are some things that are too important to get wrong. Like whether or not God exists. Like whether or not you should go to the basement even though a tornado has never touched down in your back yard before.

So, you bet on the tornado being real. You’re wrong? You have a little time with the family in a safe place. You’re right? You live to see another day.

And you bet on God being real. You’re wrong, you won’t ever know it. You’re right, and you gain eternal life with the one who made you.

Yes, there are some things that are too important to get wrong.

What To Buy For a Teen This Summer

2011-06-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

Want a gift idea for a teen like me?
Get the YouCat!

He left the Catholic Church because he wanted to study the Bible. WHAT?!

2011-06-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a part of the letters I have received from a gentleman who has left the Catholic Church.

Denise;

When I was in the seminary, we were taught that the Catholic Church rested on a three legged stool:

Sacred Tradition, Teaching Authority of the church, Sacred Scripture.

One of those legs is a lot shorter than the other two. That leads to a lack of balance. When I was very active in the Catholic Church, my wife and I tried desperately to get the short leg in balance. We were rebuffed at every effort. We are both extremely happy and at peace where we are.

There is sooo much more to Jesus. We have a much deeper relationship with Jesus, which has grown with our study of Scripture.

When I was 39 years old, I finally met Jesus, face-to-face as it were, for the first time. It was also at the time that I fell in love with the Scriptures. I have not been the same since. However, when my hunger for Scripture could not be satisfied in the Catholic Church, I began to look elsewhere. I now attend a congregation that focuses on Jesus and the Scripture. I find that narrow focus much more to my liking. Without minimizing the efficacy of the Eucharist, I find that studying the Scripture has brought me much closer to Jesus than I have ever been; and the more I involve myself in the Scripture, the hungrier I get for more. I suppose that the many focuses that the Catholic Church has serve it well; there are far too many for me.

I have learned so much about Jesus, I have become so personally related to Him through my study and devotion to Him in His Word, the Scripture. Jesus is the Word of God. The Scripture is Jesus, just as the Eucharist is. By taking in the Scripture, I receive Jesus just as I do when I receive Him in the Eucharist. I am being fed on the Word of God. I have found that I grow spiritually, much more with Scripture than I do without it.

The church, the Body of Christ, is one, under the headship of Jesus. The members of the Catholic Church who are trusting believers in Jesus, are members of that Body.

Because Jesus led me to search for a closer relationship with Him, I am not in grave sin. Because He is not leading me back to membership in the Catholic Church, I am not in grave sin. I certainly believe that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Jesus, and I cherish it's reception, I also am fed daily on His Word. That feeding has brought me closer to Jesus than I ever had been before.

My response:

Doesn’t it seem a little arrogant to say that you and your wife “tried desperately to get the short leg in balance” when you consider that the Catholic Church has existed for over 2000 years and she was founded by Christ, was gifted with the Holy Spirit and she was promised that not even the gates of hell would prevail against her?

But we do agree on some things.

The Church is the Body of Christ.

Jesus is the head of the Body of Christ.

Believers are members of the Body of Christ, if they believe in Christ and follow His commands. (This is where we disagree because you say the Body of Christ is simply those who are trusting believers – and this is why I suggested that your study of the Bible include the Gospels, and most especially the words of Jesus). It is not enough to be a trusting believer in Jesus to be called His follower. “Not all who say to me, Lord, Lord will be saved. But only he who does the work of the Father.” “To the goats I will say depart from me for when I was naked you did not clothe me, when I was sick you did not nurse me, when I was thirsty you did not give me a drink, when I was imprisoned you did not visit me. And to the sheep, I will say to them, enter into your rest… for when I was…you did…” “Unless he is born of water and the spirit, he will not enter the kingdom of God.” “Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, there can be no life in you.” “If you eat my flesh and drink my blood, I will raise you up on the last day.”

Here’s the thing that stumps me. You certainly believe that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Jesus. You cherish its reception. (Your words) How could you ever be content to go without Jesus, knowing as you do that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ? How could you ever take a pass on the Eucharist in exchange for the written word – when you never had to give up the written word in the first place?

It’s like knowing that Jesus Christ is physically and spiritually present in one room of the house and you deliberately avoid that room because in another room of the house you know there is a letter that He’s written you and there’s someone in that room who can read that letter with great zeal and make it come alive for you.

And yet, in the room where Jesus is – really and truly – you will also find the written Word. And you will also find the ones who penned the written Word, too - Saints throughout the ages.

You choose the room without the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, your Lord.

I choose all of it. I choose Jesus Christ, physically present in the Eucharist. I choose the room with Christ and that room also has His Written Word. In that room, I find the Bride of Christ. Because a Bride would always choose the room of Her Bridegroom. She would not settle for a room that only had His love letters. Even if someone in that other room could read those letters with such passion that it was almost like having her Groom really there.

The Bride would want all of Her Bridegroom. Really. Truly. All of Him.

So that’s what stumps me. Why would you stop receiving the Eucharist, exchanging it for a teacher who is great at animating the written Word, though I’m sure he is very good at it?

You didn’t have to give anything up at all. You can have the Eucharist, the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, AND you can have His written Word. And you can even get the best Bible study teachers EVER – by reading the Saints.

You can have ALL that God wants you to have. The Word. And the Word Incarnate. Scripture and Eucharist.

As for me? I’m hanging out in the Bride’s room – with the Bridegroom. And I would guess that I’m enjoying the Bible as much as anyone.

Denise

Women With Low Self-Esteem - There is a way out!

2011-06-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

Question: I am a woman who struggles with low self-esteem. I know this isn't how God wants me to feel. So what do I do? Any recommendations?

Answer: Begin with the Encyclical by Blessed John Paul II. Mulieris Dignitatem http://www.wf-f.org/MulierDig.html. It's rather long and I recommend all if it but maybe scan down until you get to the section on the conclusion. Click on it and read the conclusion. Continue reading the document from the end to the beginning by clicking on the sections from the bottom-up.

Much of the world talks/writes in terms of high self-esteem and low self-esteem. Really, though, it's a matter of seeing ourselves through the eyes of the God who made us and knows us and loves us with a love we can barely grasp. I love how the Church talks about the dignity of the human person because we are made in the image if God. You have that dignity that belongs to each woman. The Church also talks about your feminine genius. You are meant to rise above the experiences that might seek to destroy what God has already blessed you with. Let the lover of your soul come very close by receiving the Sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation often.

Here are a few other suggestions. The first one is a link to a book on the Feminine Genius entitled God's Call to Women by Christine Anne Mugridge. The second link is a book called Healing the Original Wound by Fr. Benedict Groeschel. I like this one, because much of the agony women encounter comes from the fall. Because of the fall, our dignity as women has been compromised. That is not God's plan at all. He loves us. He chose to come to all people by way of a woman. The final link is to a book by Johnnette Benkovic entitled Full of Grace.

http://catalog.americancatholic.org/product.aspx?prodid=T55383&pcat=312

http://www.catholicfreeshipping.com/Products/cfs_gensym-245.html

http://womenofgrace.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=226

I am reminded of a quote by Pope Benedict XVI, writing as Cardinal Ratzinger in Mary: The Church at the Source. "Only a conversion to the Sign of the Woman, to the feminine dimension of the Church rightly understood, will bring about the new opening to the creative power of the Spirit, and so to Christ's taking form in us, whose presence alone can give history a center and a hope."

I know this quote doesn't seem to answer your question, but I think, in a way, it does. We are meant for more. A "more" that we can barely understand. I think Mary is a key to this. She was the first in the order of grace, and she tells us - in whispers - that we have dignity as women in the world (but not of the world). We are not meant to feel insignificant. We are meant to live each of our lives in the beauty of our feminine gifts, our feminine design, our feminine genius. We are meant to live and move and have our being in Christ - and walk with the steady peace of one who has discovered the dignity of the female person - made in the image of God.

Now, the writer in me has another suggestion. Buy a notebook. As you go on this quest, document your journey. What you're reading, what you’re thinking, what you're hearing. It is my experience that God takes us on these journeys for our own sake - and surprise of all surprises - also for someone else who will be touched and healed by what we find.

Please keep me up on what Our Lord of Life does in and through you, dear one. And don't forget to read the women saints. They figured it out. :)

Blessed journeying,

Denise

What We're Celebrating Today as Catholics

2011-06-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

On this day 60 years ago (Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, June 1951), the great German Catholic Cardinal, Michael von Faulhaber, Archbishop of Munich and Freising, laid his hands on the 24-year old deacon who would one day become Pope Benedict XVI and on his older brother Georg and 42 other young men, ordaining them to the priesthood.

One of the best faith clips I've seen!

2011-06-28T15:23:00.001-07:00

If you like this clip, see also: http://catholicbygrace.blogspot.com/2011/06/religion-teacher-and-moms-great.html

Fr. James Martin, S.J. "How well is the church reaching out to people in the digital age?"

2011-06-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?o=1000&article_id=12931

The Holy Father is Tweeting!!!

2011-06-28T13:38:00.001-07:00

Peter Kreeft on Silence, Solitude, and Slowing Down

2011-06-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

Here's your link: http://www.peterkreeft.com/topics-more/sea-prayer.htm

Religion Teacher (and moms): Great resource for reflection journals and prayer

2011-06-16T06:51:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of my favorite Youtube offerings for middle school and high school. They are great for setting up moments for reflection-journal writing or simply for prayerful moments. Liturgists, in general, these are NOT for liturgy. They are for informal moments of student/class prayer and reflection only. That said, they are really awesome clips, videos, novenas and skits. (Please let me know if any site becomes corrupt.)

Reversed Thinking Poem - this is tops!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgFU5Ak88-k

Fun Day starters:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PWv0PgzLoE&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-qv-SWm6GI&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQKvD0aqkf0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs6qZd_xP1w&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sP0yDQ4hGM&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UY5sZPU32s&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhmV0RzgfCU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYbIGS67xC0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlUqybC0Lg0&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMmSwr2iZAA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg5QRIBJ7Zc&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jss-ujnFLVU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1miH4mKaOL0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77EJ2zsPZRw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQg4wsWaLOw&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbjqAoJHqPs&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhunMW7FsyE&feature=related

Cartoons
http://www.joyfultoons.com/toons.html

Christmas Story on Facebook Social Media, friending Joseph

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sghwe4TYY18

Describe self and other TOB for middle school things

http://thetheologyofthebody.com/video/listing/10/46#

Three Minute Loyola Press Daily Retreats:

http://www.loyolapress.com

GREAT FOR ALL THE TIME!!!!!!!!!

1. You are my God—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ4tEFPuhYI&feature=related

2. Proof

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCP-SMlbGv4&feature=relmfu
I am a God Nearby by David Kauffman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAlRUwxFsjY

Before Adoration or Worship before Real Presence:

1. Made for Worship

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4rpKbH8XK8&feature=player_embedded#at=34

2. Word of God Speak by MercyMe—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JK_6osCH74&feature=related

3. In Christ Alone – Lauren Talley (Easter Season)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRaCyETqt8s&feature=fvsr

4. El Shaddai by Amy Grant—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkhS-IKmwm8&feature=related

5. Hallowed by the Name by Petra—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyjVUZX6sBg&feature=related

6. Take me in to the Holy of Holies by Petra—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G9P-qWKjvg&feature=related

7. Lamb of God by Twila Paris—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtDgb-6dl-g&feature=related

8. How Beautiful by Twila Paris—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qlZU66zmWj4

9. Majesty, worship His majesty—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AImp8cEBILg

10. Worthy is the Lamb by Hillsong—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SjIqzuyKPE&feature=related

11. How Great is Our God by Chris Tomlin—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZFN8TBfgNU&feature=related

12. Here I am Lord—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GINNh15cT08

13. You are Mine—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BHFvUvlKjwk

14. No Greater Love Matt Maher—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDun2Qhixo8&feature=related

Meditation Preparation:

1. Change my Heart oh God by Eddie Espinosa--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEtsHWFE6-w&feature=BFa&list=PL63C9064E651747FB&index=24

2. There is none like you by Lennie LeBlanc–

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON2Cis8SWrU&feature=related

3. Anima Christi—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3IKDOxrdnu8

4. Glory and Praise from the songbook—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YculmbiRhME

5. Make me a Channel of your peace—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI1Gst7pEqc&feature=related

6. You raise me up—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGK5ZYjZ6oY&feature=related

7. God will make a way—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hOjYR8UZT8&feature=related

8. You are my Hiding Place (this one ends around 4:00 and As the Deer begins)—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWYtujZjoUA&feature=related

9. As a Deer (begins around 4:00)—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWYtujZjoUA&feature=related

10. Above All—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6CK0Krm4rM&feature=related

11. I surrender all—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x2IpLSfqp8&feature=related

12. I will choose Christ—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKVDvEH4exU&feature=related

13. Lord I offer you my life—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaHC3pTHVow&feature=related

14. I lay it down Matt Maher—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPoxM0D_0n8&feature=related
15. Hail Mary, Gentle Woman

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

Beginning of Day:

1. Glory and Praise from the songbook—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YculmbiRhME

2. St. Patrick’s Breastplate (I arise today…)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJx_Lu4PymE&feature=related

End of Day:

1. Lifesong by Casting Crowns (not for Lent as use Alleluia)—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaia32TsPq0&feature=related

Mercy:

1. Come to Jesus (GREAT)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PANiveIKVX0&feature=related

Love:

1. Love by Petra

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plx5HLi7HHs&feature=related

2. Go light your world

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiSix6Stilo&feature=related

3. Carol King’s You’ve Got a Friend

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko_vnGuVMHA

Catholic Fun:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2zATJsCM6w

Mass:

1. Anima Christi—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3IKDOxrdnu8

2. I am the Bread of Life—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4CapSBM8UA&feature=related

3. One Bread, One Body—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6xIdDYiA9A&feature=related

4. You are my God—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ4tEFPuhYI&feature=related

5. Come to Jesus (Show a bit from beginning and skip to 3:48-4:39 for the rest)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfKr_MMEg3g

6. Come to Jesus (completely different from #5)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PANiveIKVX0&feature=related

7. Crucified with Christ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmB0u5BQ8BM&feature=related

Moses:

1. You are my dwelling place ( sequence on the life of Moses)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9UBxa_jRMo&feature=related

Confession:

1. Lead me to the Cross by Hillsong—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdq9Q8wJdjc&feature=related

2. Forgive Me by Rebecca St. James( PAUSE AT 2:11 and play the REST AFTER Confession)—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXwrSmfvXc0&feature=related

3. At Your Feet by Casting Crowns (AFTER Confession might work best)–

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT6lFcM-Fv8&feature=related

4. Come to the Water

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isve04xCYyY&feature=related

5. Come to Jesus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PANiveIKVX0&feature=related

6. Change my heart o God

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUjUvoynGMM&feature=related

7. Luke 18 reconciliation song (for 8th grade)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwTr-A5ZfNY&feature=related

Geography Class opener—

1. One Bread, One Body—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6xIdDYiA9A&feature=related

2. Go Light Your World—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiSix6Stilo&feature=related

3. Amazes Me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECxUupqLNQA&feature=related

Thinking about Religious life

1. “We Cry Holy”—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qPWZ6vaPBQ&feature=related

2. All to Jesus, I surrender

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x2IpLSfqp8&feature=related

3. Lord I offer you my life—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaHC3pTHVow&feature=related

Confirmation Songs:

1. Here I am Lord—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GINNh15cT08

2. Litany of Saints Matt Maher—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-labIH9tSg

3. You raise me up—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGK5ZYjZ6oY&feature=related

4. God will make a way—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hOjYR8UZT8&feature=related

5. Lord, I offer my life to you—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0ar5EfvAcU&feature=related

6. Crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20)--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmB0u5BQ8BM&feature=related

7. I surrender all

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x2IpLSfqp8&feature=related

8. I will choose Christ—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKVDvEH4exU&feature=related

9. Go Light your world

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiSix6Stilo&feature=related

10. Lord I offer you my life—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaHC3pTHVow&feature=related

11. This is your Chance (Michael w. Smith) on the girl who said I do at Columbine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgX0tghvz4A&feature=relmfu

12. Set me as a seal by Matt Maher—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy_TGOeESrw&feature=related

13. Holy Spirit come and fill this place by Cece Winans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SceRP-EHkKo&feature=share

Chant (brief 2-3 minutes) find more here: http://www.youtube.com/artist?a=GxdCwVVULXedDk7a-1fGmsNqTTSAf6b-&feature=watch_metadata

1. Kyrie Eleison—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6oM1iLJH6k

2. Agnus Dei—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zGyeRczFOA&NR=1

3. Pater Noster—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krrvQuesZRI&feature=related

4. Salve Regina—

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5p_U8J0iRQ&feature=related

5. Veni Creator Spiritus--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7uxX7zvO1I&feature=artist

Salvation History

Begin Salvation History with:

Michael W. Smith’s Secret Ambition

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vHedm6ycsY

1. Your Grace is Enough Matt Maher

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9yrlYk-Bao&feature=related

2. Nobody Else Like You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZb9G6XP2tk&feature=related

3. Because of Who you are

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiXW1wacjPE&feature=related

Easter:

Matthew Maher Christ is Risen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW6LOsslU2M&feature=related

Messiah In Passover

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYql8x8JIPk&feature=related

Novenas:

All days the same Novena to the Blessed Mother:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb4_qlkzwP0&feature=related

Day one of St. Therese Novena: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR0Vyg4tY3s&feature=related

Day one of Divine Mercy Novena: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoH1W9l_9kQ&feature=related

Day one of Holy Spirit gifts Novena: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSRTXTybsIc&feature=related

All days the same for Novena to St. Jude: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pexQPx6tPGc&feature=related

All days the same for Novena to St. Philomena:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-JfWP8k-E8&feature=related

All days the same Novena to St. Clare:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqgwY8-JboU&feature=related

All days the same Novena to St. Anthony of Padua:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW17h4h9WAs&feature=related

Skit on Lost Coin by Kris Bagley on a journey to find a lost coin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eArMg91DylY

June Catholic by Grace Article

2011-06-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

I attended an ecumenical prayer service for Christian unity last January. A Baptist pastor, United Church of Christ pastor, United Methodist pastor and our parish priest took part.

As we prayed together, my heart went out to the Protestant ministers. I see them, and I think of my dad, the Protestant minister. Simultaneously, I find myself overwhelmed by the great divide and the burning desire within me to be able to share in a meaningful way what I have come to love and cherish in the Catholic Church. But an ecumenical prayer service is not the right place for that. It is not a moment for apologetics; it is a moment for prayer. Father, make us one.

I feel caught between what is and what should be. I feel the pain of it. I literally ache for the remedy.

As I prayed, I felt fully a preacher's daughter and fully a Roman Catholic. It was like being the child of divorced parents, and you finally have your parents in the room together. And that is wonderful, but your heart wants more. Your heart wants full reconciliation between those you love so dearly.

And it's even more difficult because you know that your Mother (the Church) wants it — though she may not have always known how to show it. You sense how close they are to reconciliation. And that just might be the hardest part of all.

I wanted to cry over what isn't. But I also wanted to thank God for even this much.

It is a cross, this standing-in-the-gap. I care deeply for Protestant clergy because I was raised in a preacher's home, and I can see my own father's face on the faces of those pastors. I loved being a preacher's daughter. I did not become Catholic to get away from being Protestant. I wasn't trying to leave anything. I became Catholic to receive more of Christ — all of Christ — in the Eucharist.

I love being Catholic. I am home. I see the full helping of goodness laid out before me — all that I share in this column and all that I keep quiet in my heart.

So I stand and lift high this cross — lifting it up to the cross of Christ.

And when I'm with my father's family, I tell them how wonderful our Mother is.

For the Quakers, I tell them that nobody is more active in social justice than Mother Church. Nobody knows contemplative prayer like Our Mother.

For the Wesleyans, I highlight the importance of sanctification and personal holiness. Nobody places a higher premium on these things than Mother Church.

For the Presbyterians, I affirm the Church's adherence to all that the Early Church Fathers taught. How she holds to the Creed. She's sacramental and liturgical. And she knows that everyone is invited to the waters of Baptism.

For the Assemblies of God family, I speak of the Holy Spirit. I remind them that Catholics believe in the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit. Catholics believe that we become sealed with the Spirit, always and forever when we are Confirmed, through the laying on of hands, through apostolic succession. The Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost and rested on Mother Church. We have always believed in signs and wonders.

We are saved by grace. Yes, we believe that.

Christ is coming back again and will raise us to new life. Yes, we believe that.

We love Sacred Scripture. And we believe the Holy Spirit guided Mother Church so that she would know what to include in the Canon of Scripture.

But where do you go if you want all of it, I ask my family and friends. Where can a believer go who wants social justice and is a contemplative, believes that sanctification and personal holiness are necessary, knows what the Early Church taught and holds it dear, is sacramental, liturgical, charismatic, believes in grace, knows that Jesus Christ really will come back again, and loves the Bible dearly?

Where is that church family?

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, because that Church does exist. Christ Himself founded her on solid rock. Where do you go if you want it all? You go home.

Dad, it's time to come back home. Mother is waiting. The children are waiting, too.

As Catholics, we believe that unity is possible. We've been praying for it for a very long time.

I see the pastors, and I think of Dad. I see the priest, and I think of Mother Church. And I feel like the child of estranged parents. There's joy, because I see them trying.

I look at the cross and think, now is an acceptable time.

Getting a Crown on a Tooth - how to get through it

2011-06-07T14:57:00.000-07:00

So you have a tooth that's needing the final restorative measure. A crown. You have exhausted the filling option. You aren't quite needing a root canal. But the thing needs a major overhaul.

And you're scheduled for a crown. First a drill around the tooth, removing all the minor repairs and existing decay.

Then a temporary crown.

And in two weeks - the final, personally-crafted crown will arrive and be put in place. You'll sigh deeply. That's over. And you will have managed to dodge the root canal.

Here are a few of my recommendations - just in case you are going in for this procedure.

1. On the drive to the dentist's office, sing praise songs. Yes, I mean it. I actually felt the joy of the Lord in my soul all the way to the dentist's office.

2. Don't arrive too early. You'll waste your spiritual benefits by turning to dentist office magazines. You want just enough time to sign in, sit down, and have your name called.

3. Relax. I have had only one panic attack in my life. It was when I had a wisdom tooth pulled. If I can get through this, you can. Now is the time for you to offer this up. I'm serious. Who do you want to offer this experience up for. Who do you want to shower with grace right now? Offer this little suffering up. Surely someone is working on a crown of glory, someone who is struggling right now. Somebody you know needs your intercession. Offer your crown for their crown in eternity. Or offer this up for someone you don't know; maybe there's someone who is at that last restorative measure spiritually. Offer it up for them. Just do it. Why let a moment like this go by? Rejoice in your suffer, for their sake, because it makes up for whatever is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his Body, the Church. Colossians 1:24

4. You'll experience some major drilling (what a terrible noise!), an impression of your tooth (that is really kind of a neat experience) and a temporary crown. The temporary crown feels great. The gums are a little sore. And that brings me to the next point.

5. Later that day, swish your mouth with warm salt water. The woman who fitted my temporary crown suggested it. It will reduce the inflammation of the gum line. And, it does seem to work. (I did take some Ibuprofen, because I have to go to a night class tonight. Not sure that I really needed it, though.)

You'll get through this. The important thing is to get through it - well. So, offer it up, with a joyful spirit.

All for the greater glory of God.

Blessings,
Denise

Don't you just LOVE Mary?!

2011-06-06T13:28:00.001-07:00

I keep reading all these Recommended Pages to the right on my Facebook page. And they are mostly Christian, because most of my Facebook friends are passionately Christian - and primarily Catholic at that.

And, today, I'm also reading more from St. Augustine - Book 8. And he's talking about St. Paul - how we can say I love St. Paul because we who are righteous or pursuing holy living recognize in this saint that which we are seeking and striving.

One who is not righteous, for example, or does not know or care what it is to be righteous would never say, "Oh, don't you just love St. Paul!"

But I notice that while my Protestant family and friends are "Liking" the Bible and God and a host of other Recommended Pages, they don't "Like" the Mary pages.

If you hang around Evangelical Protestants, you are likely to hear someone say, "Don't you just LOVE St. Paul!"

You never hear anyone say, "Don't you just LOVE Mary!"

So St. Augustine has me thinking. Is this because we didn't (as Protestants) recognize her as holy or righteous or even remotely approaching the level of a Saint Paul? Really? Is that it? No. I suppose it has more to do with a rejection of Marian theology, which they believe is excessive at best and heretical at worst.

So that makes me sad.

All Christians should rise up and call her blessed. Let's encourage them to say it. Just try to say it. She's holy, right? Righteous. Of course. Let that speak to your soul. It's not that hard, really. My goodness, look at her. She risked everything to say yes to God.

She could have been stoned to death.

She could have been left without the guardianship of a spouse.

She could have died of sorrow at the foot of the cross.

Don't You Just Love Mary?!

LIKE
LIKE
LIKE

Go ahead. Hit the LIKE button when you see it on Facebook. If you can say it about St. Paul or the Bible or God, why can't you proclaim that you LIKE LIKE LIKE Mary?

Or maybe, simply consider what one reader had to say:
“If you’re stumped or mystified by Mary, why don’t you pray to Jesus to show you, teach you, about Mary?”

Don't Forget Your Catholic VItamins - Vitamin C for Courage

2011-06-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

click the image and listen to the Vitamin C for Courage at Catholic Vitamins

Gotta Love St. Justin Martyr - he wrote down a description of 2nd Century Christian worship just in case we got to wondering

2011-06-01T18:52:00.000-07:00

Last Supper - Salvadore Dali

One of the primary questions many non-Catholics ask themselves when choosing a church is whether or not the worship style of that faith community is a good fit.

How structured is the service? Do they have old hymns or contemporary music? Do they have altar calls? Can one yell out a hearty “Amen” in the middle of the sermon? Or is worship more reserved? The prospective parishioner considers these things (at least subconsciously) and makes a determination based on personal preference.

As Catholics, our primary goal is to worship God in the way He wants to be worshipped. We adhere to a sacred liturgy that has been passed down through the ages. We simply don’t factor in personal preference.

While in RCIA class a few years ago, I read The Catechism of the Catholic Church. I was struck by the solid teaching on every page, but one passage on the structure of the Mass by St. Justin Martyr was particularly memorable (http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0126.htm, chapter 67).

With meticulous precision, this Church Father describes early Christian worship. Moreover, the rubric for worship didn’t just drop out of the sky in 155 A.D. St. Justin Martyr summarizes how the Church had worshipped God from her first days.

Here’s the kicker. Line by line, we see that St. Justin’s description of worship matches the structure of the Catholic Mass. It is, without a doubt, the same worship experience.

In 2010, I took a Liturgy class. We studied the changes to the Liturgy of the Mass over time. Studying the changes to the Mass over a 2000 year spread is a little like studying the changes that occur in rock formations. If I were to study the changes to Protestant worship in the last two hundred years, it would be more like studying the changing trends of the fashion industry.

The Liturgy of the Mass is all a matter of historical record, a record that dates back to just 55 years after the writing of some New Testament books! Even so, why don’t Catholics emphasize personal preference? God made us each unique. Why not let each one approach God on his own terms? What’s wrong with being trendy?

On a very simplistic level, worship begins with communication. When we want to communicate with someone we love, we figure out how they want to be approached, and we pursue them in the manner that they desire.

For example, I don’t like phones. Most people who are close to me know that I prefer to be reached by email. My children text each other. I’ve decided to learn how to text because that’s their mode of communication. My uncle doesn’t text or do email. When I want to communicate with him, I use the phone. Yes, I set aside my personal preferences and just make the call. The emphasis is on the one we seek, not on self.

And this should be our goal when we come together as One Body to worship God. We worship in the manner that pleases Him. Malachi chapter one prophetically described the Mass, saying, “Everywhere they bring sacrifice to my name, and a pure offering.”

What is this perfect offering? It is the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. As wonderful as all other forms of worship are, this is the pure and perfect offering.

The Book of Revelation magnifies what happens in the Mass by saying, “Worthy are you. . . for you were slain and with your blood you purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation. You made them a kingdom and priests for Our God. . .”

People from every nation come together to present a pure offering, giving to God what He most desires, the perfect Sacrifice of His Beloved Son. The text of Sacred Scripture in Sunday’s Mass will be the same text in a village in Africa or a cathedral in Paris or a hamlet in Germany. From the first Sign of the Cross to the final prayer, you will worship in the same way that Catholics in every country are worshipping.

We are, quite literally, on the same page. We are, quite literally, worshipping in unison. We are, literally, one Body in Christ.

Throughout the week, private worship can be expressed through personal preference. You can turn up the volume on you inspirational music or pray the Rosary or meditate while playing the piano (or a round of golf or a game of racket ball). But when we worship Him as one – those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation – we do it in the way Christians have worshipped Him for two thousand years, by praying the Mass and offering the Heavenly Father a pure and perfect offering.

Don't Forget Your Catholic VItamins - Vitamin B for Blessing

2011-05-30T06:29:00.000-07:00

Dear Catholic by Grace visitors, I want to let you know about Catholic Vitamins and to encourage you to check out their blog and podcasts. This month, CV will be featuring a segment I recorded for them on the vitamin B for Blessing.

Just go to Catholic Vitamins and click on the image. Here's your link: http://catholicvitamins.com/catholic-vitamin-b-blessings/

In Memory

2011-05-30T06:18:00.000-07:00

I had never posted anything my father wrote until last year on Memorial Day. I suppose that is odd, considering that I inherited my love for writing from him. So, in honor of Memorial Day Weekend (and in loving memory of my dad), I offer you one of his pieces - again.

Scripture: But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

I love ships. I don't get nearly enough exposure to them by living in landlocked Illinois. That's why I tour every historic ship in every port every chance I get. Last summer, I had my itinerary planned; I could hardly wait to step aboard. She was a thing of glory, had never known a losing conflict. But, after the War of 1812, outdated and outclassed, she was replaced by the new breed of steam-powered vessels. While the debate to scrap her heated up, Oliver Wendell Holmes asked the question, "Shall the harpies of the shore pluck the Eagle of the Sea?"

Old Ironsides.

Her name said it all. But, when I saw her, she certainly looked as though the harpies had been at her. All of her masts were gone, along with miles of rigging. The cannons which had studded her decks were no longer there. Her rudder lay on the edge of the pier like a large bronze whale, as if some denizen of the deep had tossed it ashore. All that remained was the hull, picked clean. She quietly rested now in dry-dock in the midst of refitting and refurbishing. It saddened me to look at her, the oldest commissioned warship in the world. Disappointed, I walked away.

Warships, war horses, or warriors all need a respite from the battles of life. As a matter of fact, that's why I happened to be in Boston. In a sense, I was in dry-dock. That realization hit me hard. Our ideal is to be at our fighting b est every second, never give up, burn out, or rust. Aren't we supposed to be like eagles, mounting up on our wings, never growing wear? But Isaiah tells us to "wait on the Lord." We don't always have to be strong. Sometimes we need to be stripped down to the water line of our soul and be renewed. That's true whether we are an "Eagle of the Sea" or an eagle just like me. Then, we can be made to soar again.
-Dennis Johnson
Artwork by Jennifer Bossert

A great quote by St. Philip Neri on his feast day

2011-05-26T06:46:00.000-07:00

We are not saints yet, but we, too, should beware. Uprightness and virtue do have their rewards, in self-respect and in respect from others, and it is easy to find ourselves aiming for the result rather than the cause. Let us aim for joy, rather than respectability. Let us make fools of ourselves from time to time, and thus see ourselves, for a moment, as the all-wise God sees us.

That was then. This is now.

2011-05-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

The marriage had crumbled, and I had to bear it in public, which made it even worse. I remember the day the senior pastor of our large United Methodist church invited parishioners to go to the altar railing and kneel in prayer. I had planned to just go and pray, but when I knelt, the anguish consumed me.

I cried and cried. I couldn’t stop. I willed myself to stand up and go back to my seat. I wanted to hide.

After the morning services, a woman walked up to me and handed me a small piece of paper. I read what it said. Jeremiah 29:11. Just the citation. The verse wasn’t even written down.

I should have known the verse. I was the wife of the associate pastor – or rather was the wife of the associate pastor. I had also grown up in a pastor’s home. But, I had no idea what this passage from Sacred Scripture said and I didn’t know why this parishioner had passed the verse on to me.

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, a plan of hope for the future. Seek me and you will find me when you seek me with all of your heart.

It was a lifeline.

It’s not what I expected. Many of the parishioners had interpreted my silence during the ten-month separation as culpability. Many believed I was at fault.

I hadn’t wanted to go back there – to that church or the community – where I was under a microscope. But time had passed, and it was obvious that the marriage was done. I had to drive from Illinois to Atlanta one more time. I had to go back to our house and gather my things. My children’s things. Pictures. The wedding dress. The memories.

I didn’t have a choice.

So, I spent that Thanksgiving break back in our house. I suppose I had passed my husband on the road. He was spending Thanksgiving in Illinois with the children – while I packed my life up so that we could all get on with the moving on.

The senior pastor and his wife were my quiet champions. They knew the story. And I think they appreciated the fact that I had not wanted our marital mess to destroy the good they were doing at Mountain View United Methodist church.

Becky, the senior pastor’s wife, begged me to go to church with her on Sunday. She told me she would be right beside me. I could sit with her and hear Stuart’s sermon one last time. I was torn between wanting to hide and wanting to be in that sanctuary one last time.

I don’t remember very much about that Sunday morning. I sat with Becky. And when her husband welcomed us to come forward and pray, I wanted to pray. I needed to go.

But I should have stayed where I was.

I shouldn’t have gone to church that morning at all.

Because the entire façade crumbled. And I couldn’t stop crying.

Nothing made sense to me. I felt rejected by my husband and misjudged by many who adored my husband, the associate pastor.

And I had no choice but to remain silent and cling to whatever faith I had left. Jeremiah 29:11. Denise, I do have a plan for you. Hope for a future. Seek me. And if you seek me with all of your heart, I promise, dear one, that you will find Me.

That’s what I found when I held the little paper in my left hand and thumbed through my Bible with my right hand a few hours after that worship service. That’s what the verse meant to me that Thanksgiving weekend of 1995.

In 2005, I entered the Catholic Church. The story of my conversion is here on this blog. If you’re interested, you are welcome to read it. In 2005, I realized Jesus Christ really did have a plan for me – and I was only just beginning to comprehend it.

Hope for a future.

A place where I could find Him.

He was waiting for me. And I would walk another aisle in another church in another state after a decade passed…

And I would find Him, after seeking Him with all of my heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13 would come to pass after all.

If you know anything about me, you know that I am a Catholic writer, speaker and teacher. You know that I experienced a failed non-Sacramental marriage to a United Methodist associate pastor. You know that I am Catholic now and that my greatest joy is the Eucharist.

My strength.

My hope.

The Source and Summit of my faith.

The other day, I turned back to Jeremiah 29:11-13 and I had to smile. I’m still learning. God is still teaching me. And a few days ago, He taught me a lesson on how to read Sacred Scripture.

As a former evangelical, I read passages (like this one from Jeremiah) from a personal point of view. God was talking to me. Only to me.

And that’s not wrong. It’s just not all there is to it.

The other day, I read the passage again from an ecclesial perspective. Just as God had spoken to Jeremiah of old, while having the entire People of God in mind as the audience, I realized that the Lord had spoken to me in 1995 – while having the entire ecclesial Body of Christ in mind!

It was a new thought for me.

How many verses had I read with only me in mind? How many verses could I reread and see that the Lord had His entire Body in mind?

Every promise, every blessing, every teaching, every encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ in Sacred Scripture is for the Body of Christ.

I suppose that former evangelicals like me don’t realize that right away. We were taught to experience Sacred Scripture on a personal level – and that is true and good.

But we former evangelicals need to realize that Jesus Christ speaks to the whole Body. We can learn a thing or two about being ecclesial by reading the familiar verses with a new perspective.

And, I suppose that cradle Catholics can learn from us. Sacred Scripture is for the Body of Christ, the Church, but it is also for you, dear one. Yes, the Lord speaks to you.

Maybe we could exchange glasses for a while.

I need to see what you have always seen when you read the Bible.

And maybe, just maybe, you need to see what I have seen. He has a plan for you. A plan of hope. A plan with a future that is good. Seek Him for yourself, with all of your heart. And He will come to you… personally.

Three Favorite Verses

2011-05-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Amanda Rose at Little Steps Along the Way for tagging me in my first ever blogging meme. A meme (rhymes with dream) is a blog post topic that is passed around, shared. This time around the theme is:

"Three Favorite Scripture Verses."

The rules are:

1.Write a post on your three favorite verses from the Bible and why you like them.
2. Link back to this post.
3. In your post tag three other bloggers to carry this theme forward, link to you and tag additional bloggers.

My Three Favorite Verses:

John 6:54-55 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

The Eucharist has become the center of my life. My greatest joy. My strength. My source of wisdom and guide for discernment. Life now, and hope for life eternal.

John 17:20-21 I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.

When Our Lord prayed on the night He was betrayed, the night before His death on my behalf, He prayed that we would be one. This prayer haunts me. It is becoming my life's prayer. If I stand before His Throne one day, this will be my prayer at Heaven's Altar. May we be one, with a unity that exists between the divine Father and divine Son - so that the world may know Jesus Christ - and believe. True, holy, perfect and visible unity among Christians throughout the world.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart...

This third "favorite" verse changes for me, depending on what God is saying to me. Today, Jeremiah 29:11 is on my heart. It has always been a favorite verse, but lately, I am seeing this passage through ecclesial eyes - and not simply through my own lens. The promise remains true for me personally, but I am beginning to see this (and other verses) through the view of the Church. And this shift in vision is helping me to see how I fit into that ecclesial body, that organic whole -just as the Lord was speaking to all of Israel (and also speaking to Jeremiah personally). Likewise, the Lord speaks to me personally, but I cannot limit this message of hope (and its promise) in my life only. It also matters to me in the context of the whole Body of Christ.

You are invited to share your favorite verse (or two or three) below in the combox, but be sure to say WHY you love it, too!

I tag bloggers:

Sharon at Holy Writing
Jennifer at A Catholic Mom after God's Own Heart
Celeste at A Perpetual Jubilee

Please Pray for Olivia and her family.

2011-05-20T19:01:00.000-07:00

Olivia is one of our Confirmation students. Her father passed away today - unexpectedly. Olivia was Confirmed just two days ago. It is difficult to know that one of your students is facing something so tragic - so soon after the Sacrament of Confirmation. I find myself telling God that she's barely gotten used to walking with the Holy Spirit. My heart aches for my student. Pray that she will sense the Holy Spirit's presence. Come, Holy Spirit. Send your Spirit upon Olivia to be her helper and guide. Give her the gifts you promised just two days ago, especially courage. Give her courage.

Amen.

What You Can Learn When You're Choking to Death

2011-05-20T07:26:00.001-07:00

So Stephen Hawking says Heaven is a fairy tale. And there's some group who believes the world will end tomorrow.

On 3/21/04, I almost choked to death on some salad while eating in a Ryans restaurant in O'Fallon, Illinois. The trusty-Heimlich Manuever failed to do the job - until the seventh or eighth attempt. In that moment, I knew that there was more. I had always believed there was more. But in that moment, I KNEW it. I suspect most people know God is real and eternity comes next - when death is imminent.

Yes, the world will end. God only knows when. And there is an eternity waiting, though the brilliant Stephen Hawking says there isn't (keep in mind that the brilliant Blaise Pascal came to the conclusion that the Stephen Hawkings of the world were making a terrible bet in letting everything ride on their no-God, no-Heaven position.) Really, though, it all comes down to this.

Everything ends.

The only one who beat the death-trap is Jesus. So His life/death/resurrection is the real question on the table. I'm with Pascal. Everyone has to enter a bet. The only wise bet is to let it ride on Eternity's existence rather than nothingness. As for the end of the world predictions, they are a waste of time. We don't know when it will be over any more than we know when we will take that last breath. And we're not meant to know. Probably because we'd get too busy with holding up signs and driving cars that say the world is ending, and we would forget to feed the hungry, nurse the sick, clothe the naked, and so on. We have work to do. Heavens, do we ever have work to do! You simply never know when a piece of lettuce will get stuck in your throat. In that moment, you know that the world (for you) is done and that eternity is well on its way. And that's all that matters right about then.

Until then, we need to stay on-task. And the key to that job is also found in this same Jesus Christ.

Lessons from The Little Red Hen

2011-05-20T06:38:00.000-07:00

The Little Red Hen had a strong work ethic.

She is not to be confused with Chicken Little, who thought the world was ending because an acorn fell on her head. That poultry-character ran up and down the roads telling everyone that the sky was falling.

No, I'm talking about the Little Red Hen. She was in the mood for some bread. She asked all of the farm animals if they would be willing to help her to make it happen. Gather wheat. Grind the wheat. Mix the dough. Knead the dough. Shape and bake the dough. Nobody was interested in helping.

But when the bread began to bake, the aroma of fresh warm bread filling the air, suddenly there were animals everywhere. Who would like to help me eat this bread, the Little Red Hen asked. Suddenly, she had takers. Everyone wanted a piece of the bread.

I always thought The Little Red Hen seemed a bit bitter. She told the lazy animals that they had not helped prepare the bread. And now, they could not eat the bread.

I thought she could have given them a lecture and then cut them a slice anyway. Make it a teachable moment. But that's just my opinion.

The whole story of The Little Red Hen got me to thinking.

In almost every parish, there are a handful of people who do 90% of the work. But the priest doesn't say, only those of you who helped me in this work may partake of the Eucharist. No. He holds up the Lord Jesus Christ and tells us to come. Eat. Taste and see. The Lord is good.

And sometimes, he reminds us that we are to do better next time. We are to remember that this moment of nourishment is so that we can have all that we need to do the work of God. To plant the seed. To harvest the crop. To offer back the fruit of our labor. And then to come to the table and share in the Bread once more.

So that it can keep going like that. So that we can keep growing like that.

It reminds me of two verses. Together, they make up the teachable-moment lecture. Proverbs 10:5 says A son who fills the granaries in summer is a credit; a son who slumbers during harvest, a disgrace. Luke 10:2 tells us that The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.

There is so much to be done.

Many will say that they are doing the work. They write and speak and blog and twitter. I, too, have said this to myself - and to God. Lately, I am realizing that a lot of people want to work in this corner of the field. This is the primo job in the minds of many on-fire Catholics. And that is good. But it is not good if that same writer, speaker, blogger, tweeter is unwilling to work in the other areas of the field. In the U.S. (unlike many other places in the world), there is something very appealing about sharing the Gospel with the masses. Americans like the platform. (In some countries, the platform gets you killed. Suddenly the primo job is not quite as appealing.)

I'm no different from other Americans. I like having articles out there. I like getting reader feedback. And a handshake after a talk. And an invitation to come back next year. But things are shifting for me lately. I still feel that God has a work for me in this corner of the field, but more and more I am realizing that it is not at the exclusion of other parts of the field. Other rows. Other fields. And perhaps even other seasons and crops.

It's time to expand the work. Share more of me. Use muscles I haven't used in a while. It's time to do the tough work, the behind-the-scenes work.

Who would like to help? The Little Red Hen asks.

Send me.

Well, don't come back to us saying you've figured out the Trinity!

2011-05-19T12:58:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a class this summer on the Blessed Trinity. I shared that with a priest in an interview a few weeks ago. I recently signed contract and will be teaching there in the fall.

The priest leaned back in his seat and chuckled. "Well don't come back to us saying that you've figured out the Trinity!"

I laughed. I knew where the priest was coming from. The Trinity is a mystery. And with all of the mysteries of God, we study, we ponder, we get it in dribs and drabs, and then we sit back and marvel at the mystery that remains mysterious. And we are filled with a desire to study and ponder even more - though, ironically, we realize with more certainty that we will never fully understand.

There is a story about St. Augustine and the Trinity. It's worth retelling.

The story is told of St Augustine of Hippo, a great philosopher and theologian. He was preoccupied with the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity. He wanted so much to understand the doctrine of one God in three persons and to be able to explain it logically. One day he was walking along the sea shore and reflecting on this matter. Suddenly, he saw a little child all alone on the shore. The child made a hole in the sand, ran to the sea with a little cup, filled her cup with sea water, ran up and emptied the cup into the hole she had made in the sand. Back and forth she went to the sea, filled her cup and came and poured it into the hole. Augustine drew up and said to her, “Little child, what are you doing?”
She replied, “I am trying to empty the sea into this hole.”
“How do you think,” Augustine asked her, “that you can empty this immense sea into this tiny hole and with this tiny cup?”
She answered back, “And you, how do you suppose that with your small head you can comprehend the immensity of God?” With that the child disappeared.

About a year ago, I had a dream. I dreamed that Jesus told me that the Trinity was like the number one to the third power.

1x1x1

...it still equals 1.

It is the closest I've come to getting it. One God. Three Persons.
Father. Son. Holy Spirit. >God

Waiting for Pentecost

2011-05-16T16:25:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about Pentecost Sunday and the Descent of the Holy Spirit. Jane Mellinger writes of Ives Congar: "he insisted that the role of the Spirit is to unify these diverse individuals and gifts into one ecclesial body." I've been toying with the thought: Christian unity once again depends on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Do you ever feel like you are standing in front of a door, and you've expended a crazy amount of energy trying to get the door to open. Your intellect is spent trying to figure out what's wrong with the thing. Your energy is used up trying to turn the knob and push the door in and out.

And the really horrible thing of it is this. You are meant to get into that room. You have to get into that room.

The problem is, you've tried everything. So you sit down and cry for awhile.

I pray for Christian unity. A lot. And this year, something clicked. I didn't come up with it. I figured it out while reading something by Ives Congar.

There is only one way that Christian unity will ever happen. By the Power of the Holy Spirit. So simple. The key was in the story of Pentecost. The whole thing is waiting for the new outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

I have prayed the prayer Come Holy Spirit. I have prayed it many times. But I have always prayed it for myself.

Or for my Confirmation students.

What if I began praying this prayer with one petition in my heart? What if I waited on the Holy Spirit, as those first disciples did? Come to us. Create and renew.

Ives Congar, I don't know you very well, but perhaps you would pray with me.
Blessed John Paul II, please pray as well. I suspect you're already doing it. But it doesn't hurt to ask again.
And all who truly wish to see the Body of Christ restored to full, visible unity, please pray.

Come, Holy Spirit.
Fill the hearts of the faithful.
Enkindle in them the fire of Your love.
Send forth Your Spirit,
and we shall be created,
and You shall renew the face of the earth.

A Lesson on "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep"

2011-05-16T12:25:00.001-07:00

I got to thinking about that little prayer: "Now I lay me down to sleep."

I did a some research, and it seems that the prayer was included in a 18th Century New England Primer, which became the foundation for education prior to 1790. The New England Primer was published between 1687 and 1690 and was based on the The Protestant Tutor (published in England).

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
if I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take.

The underlying theology of the prayer reveals that the Evangelical-assurance-of-heaven is a relatively new theology. The question posed to many Catholics today by Evangelicals is this: "If you die tonight, do you know that you'll go to heaven?"

Most Catholics would say (rightly so) that they entrust their souls to the mercy of God. Jesus is the guardian of the soul. I entrust myself to His mercy. But no, I don't know I'll be saved in a take-it-to-the-bank kind of way. Who does? I have to keep going and growing. I have to run the race well. And even then, I plan on hitting my knees when I enter eternity. I will cry out, "Lord, have mercy." Kyrie Eleison.

"But don't you want to know for sure" the Evangelical replies.

Here's the thing, Protestants in the 18th Century didn't even believe in those kind of absolute assurances. If they did, the prayer wouldn't make any sense, would it? The prayer wouldn't have been written and it certainly wouldn't have been included in a primer for students. Instead, there would have been a prayer that followed more closely the Evangelical prayer of salvation. And it wouldn't have to be prayed every night. Interesting.

Truth doesn't change. What prayer is your best bet? Kyrie Eleison. And that prayer is timeless and trustworthy.

May 2011 Catholic by Grace Article

2011-05-16T08:54:00.001-07:00

It was 1979. Bruce Jenner had won the gold medal almost three years earlier, and now he had everyone running. He smiled for the Wheaties cereal box and promoted the concept of jog-a-thons as a fundraiser idea. I was the class treasurer that year. Junior prom was two years away, and the fundraiser sounded like a good way to generate some cash so we would be able to put on a prom for the seniors that would really wow them.

So, we sent away for a jog-a-thon kit and passed out forms. The whole class was going to participate, and we begged family and friends to pledge a couple of bucks for every mile we successfully completed. Our class moderator, Mr. Canterbury, set aside a three-mile route through our home town and marked off the area with orange cones. The traffic was diverted in order to keep the runners safe. Sixty kids showed up in shorts and tennis shoes, ready to run, jog or walk. Three miles into it, I was done.

Some managed to run five or ten miles, repeating the three-mile route over and over again.

Darrin Ripley decided it was a good day to run his first marathon. We were in awe of him.

The folks who had made a per-mile pledge were not as thrilled with Darrin. Five dollars per mile adds up, especially when a freshman boy is trying to prove something to a bunch of freshmen girls – or maybe just trying to prove something to himself.

On Monday morning, the students turned in their earnings. I counted out the money. Darrin’s supporters had paid up. They probably swallowed hard as they did it, but Iowans know how to keep a promise.

I think it must be like that for some parents when their son or daughter discerns a call to religious life. The promise to raise one’s children in the faith suddenly has a higher price than expected. It makes eight years of parish religion classes or twelve years of Catholic education seem like a small sacrifice in comparison.

Some parents probably swallow hard as they dig deeply into their souls and promise to give their full support to a child who has discerned a call to the priesthood or religious life.

But I also think that there are some parents like Darrin’s dad. Mr. Ripley didn’t blink an eye when Darrin said that he’d run over twenty-six miles. Mr. Ripley was a coach – and he probably understood his son more in that moment than he ever had.

He probably smiled when he wrote that check to his son’s class at Riceville Community High School. Darrin turned the money in promptly that Monday morning, and we were in awe once again. The newspaper photographer came out to take our picture. I got to be in the picture because I was the treasurer. Darrin got to be in the picture because nobody else had even come close to running as far as he had. We’d won an award from Bruce Jenner and Wheaties. Our class of sixty students had come in third in the nation for Jog-a-thons that year.

And we gave the seniors one fantastic prom the year we were juniors.

In reality, though, the people who made good on their promise to pay had something to do with it. No matter how much we ran that day, we needed the support of those who signed our pledge cards.

And there’s a lesson in that as well. The faithful pray that God will send Mother Church more vocations to the priesthood and religious life. We make a pledge to support them, encourage them, and respect them for giving themselves so fully to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Moms and Dads, it’s time to encourage our children to follow God completely, even if the price is high. Even if the marathon ends with the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

It’s time for the faithful to sign their pledge cards and give their support. We do this when we remember to pray for vocations and when we make good on our promise to hold our religious up through prayer. We do this when we make good on our promise to respect them as one standing in the place of Our Lord. In persona Christi.

We aren’t investing in a junior prom. No, our celebration trumps all celebrations. We are investing in the future of Mother Church. We are doing all that we can to make sure the Mass is celebrated throughout the world and that the laity has access to the Sacramental life.

This is the eternal celebration. And it is worth every sacrifice.

God, Our Father, send us holy priests and more vocations to religious life – all for the Sacred and Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, all for the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, in union with Saint Joseph. Amen.

Presbyterian Pastors Who Are Ready to Change Denominations: this one is for you

2011-05-14T14:00:00.001-07:00

I lived to see it happen.

2011-05-11T09:23:00.000-07:00

Today, from Catholic Culture...

Following ratification by the majority of the nation’s 173 regional presbyteries, the Presbyterian Church USA has officially approved the ordination of active homosexuals to its clergy. In doing so, the denomination, which has 2.8 million members, abolished a policy that had required candidates for ordination to live “in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness.”

(Reprint of a Catholic by Grace article from 2009.)

(Not) By Popular Demand

It happened when I was in middle school. The Presbyterian Church held its annual General Assembly in Baltimore one year (1977) and Philadelphia the next (1978). My father was selected to be a delegate from his presbytery, the first year as a seminary student and the second year as a member of the clergy. It was my first encounter with the clash between conservatives and liberals within a faith community. I remember seeing picketers in front of the convention center where the delegates gathered to make decisions regarding the denomination and its trajectory. I asked my dad why the picketers were there.

They wanted the denomination to approve the ordination of practicing homosexual clergymen and women, he said. “They might do that?” I asked in disbelief.

“Most of the delegates are against it. It’s not going to be approved.” And the measure wasn’t approved – not that year.

But, like many denominations, the Presbyterian delegates decided things by vote, and the gap between the “conservative” and “liberal” delegates narrowed every year. The views of the culture were changing, and soon it would affect the stance of the denomination.

In 2008, the Presbyterian Church (USA) lifted a ban on ordaining gay and lesbian clergy. They passed the final decision on to individual presbyteries for local approval. To date, 80 presbyteries have voted against the measure and 56 have voted for it.

It is a story that is told and retold in every faith community but one. Truth changes with popular opinion. It not only affects denominational teaching on gay marriage and ordination, but it has affected denominational stances on women’s ordination, artificial contraception, and abortion.

I grew up in faith communities that viewed artificial contraception as practical and necessary, but a mere forty years earlier, no denomination supported it.

In my formative years, I didn’t know any denominations that ordained women. Then my dad switched denominations (Wesleyan to Presbyterian), and it was suddenly in vogue. Today, many of the most conservative denominations ordain women.

Likewise, abortion is up for debate in almost every faith community, with some viewing it as a fundamental right, some adamantly opposing it, and some refusing to take sides.

Change comes slowly in these faith communities, over the course of generations. But it does come. I suppose it is inevitable that the culture will impact the faith, but it should never change the essence of right and wrong. Truth is unchangeable.

There is only one Church that has withstood the changing tides of time. One Church that teaches the tenets of the Faith and never changes them once they are laid down as official Church teaching. It isn’t about being conservative or liberal, Midwestern or cosmopolitan. It is about truth. What is the name of this Church that holds her ground and will not be swayed by popular vote?

The Catholic Church. She alone is a solid rock.

You may say, that can’t be right – my senses told me that truth was over here or over there. Like St. Peter, there are times when we all say, this is a difficult teaching, Lord. But, with grace, we can say with St. Peter, you have the words of eternal life, where else can we go?

You're Good to Go

2011-05-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

The note my husband left for me this morning had one word written on it.

He had gently patted my side and told me to keep sleeping. He'd get our daughter on the bus this morning before heading to the office. I sighed my sleepy thanks and rolled over.

Before he left, he quickly jotted the word on a piece of paper and placed it on the counter in front of the coffee pot.

Ready

Yes! Coffee. He made me coffee! He knows my routine, how I walk straight to the coffee pot every morning and get it going because it gets me going.

He knows me.
He knows what I need.
And he made sure that it would be ready and waiting for me the moment I needed it.

How much more does God the Father know you.
He knows what you need.
And He has ensured that everything you need will be ready and waiting for you the moment that you need it.

It's ready.

Don't worry about not seeing it the second your feet hit the ground and you know the day (or hour) is approaching. By the time you get there, you'll see the writing on the wall. Ready.

Jesus, I trust in you.

You can do far more than you think you can!

2011-05-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

It's Mother's Day. In the United States, that's supposed to be a day when mothers are pampered. They get a break because they deserve it.

I had a present waiting for me this morning. A new NAB Bible. I have a tattered copy, one I bought for five dollars when the Marian Council was clearing inventory. It was paperback and bulky and I'd taken scores of notes as I made my way through those first few years as a Catholic convert.

It was about time for the new Bible.

And there were other perks this Mother's Day, but quiet rest wasn't part of it.

This year, my grown daughter moved back home with her two little boys. Five months and seventeen months. The house is rarely quiet. There's always a baby that wants grandma. There's always a dishwasher that is clean and a backlog of dirty ones to go in it. There's always a floor to clean, trash to take out, a meal to cook, and laundry. Lord, have mercy. The laundry!

She brought home her standard poodle. That makes three dogs in the house. If a bird flies past the patio doors, they bark.

And my husband still works from home. He hits the mute button to yell QUIET! and I do my best to silence dogs who, through years of ingrained instinct, simply must bark. A canine warning system of sorts.

And as I'm wading through all of this, I'm still trying to keep track of Jen. The tender-aged middle schooler. Clothes. Lunch money. Homework. Friends. Religion classes. Piano.

In between all of this, I'm wrapping up religion classes as well. Next year, I will probably be teaching and speaking and writing.

Yes, I hear the Holy Spirit calling. And He's saying, "You can do far more than you think you can."

Stop coasting. You know you've been doing that a bit. You think you need quiet time and deserve some peace. Well, you'll still get it. I'll always be waiting for you in the Adoration Chapel.

But right now, I have a lot for you to do. And you're ready. You are more ready than you realize.

You can do far more than you think you can do. Hold on tight. Grab my hand. I'll show you what I mean.

It is crazy how exciting this all is. I can't wait for this week. For this summer. For next fall. I mean it. I can hardly wait!

Open Letter to Kathleen Turner

2011-05-05T17:31:00.000-07:00

So I get this email today from someone who tells me that I'm to contact Kathleen Turner. He knows it, like Abraham knew he was supposed to leave Ur of the Chaldees, like Joshua knew how many times to walk around Jericho, like John the Baptist knew that his cousin was the Lamb of God. He was that sure.

He didn't know how I was to find her contact information or what I was to say, exactly. He simply knew that I was supposed to do it.

There are some who would have deleted that email tout de suite.

But my friend had me thinking. How hard could it be to find Kathleen Turner's email address. After a few googles, I realized that it is harder than one might think.

Then I wondered, what's her story. Is there a possibility that I have anything to say to this woman I only know from the big screen? Ms. Turner, I liked Peggy Sue Got Married. I'm like that about high school memories. Rather sentimental myself.

I saw Romancing the Stone. We still watch it when we see it listed on the Direct TV movie list.

That about sums up what I know about Kathleen Turner. So I did a little research. What, if anything, would I have to say to this star?

Kathleen Turner, the celeb spokesperson for Planned Parenthood. Well, I didn't know that.

Still working. Still on stage. Still travels and speaks. Good for you.

And then I hit the quote. Kathleen Turner has been in two shows in 2011, playing a Catholic mother in one and a foul-mouthed nun in the other. She calls this year her "Year of Catholicism".

Okay. Now I have a lot to say. Is it possible, Ms. Turner, that grace is trying to knock at your door? Is there a chance that you might be stumbling - even fumbling - along the journey of grace.

Because, if so, I do have something to tell you. It is the best Yes you will give. It beats every Yes you've ever given to anyone. To any thing. It's a do-over moment.

A Peggy Sue moment.

A chance to encounter the greatest Mystery humankind has ever encountered this side of eternity. The Eucharist.

So, Kathleen, if you're out there, pick up a Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Paragraph 30.

God has made us for Himself... and we are restless until our hearts rest in Him.

The greatest love story. The greatest Romance. God's love for the Church, built on the rock.

Romancing the Petra. I have found the rock. Kepha.

All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord

2011-05-05T08:05:00.000-07:00

The verse has been going around in my head a lot lately. All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes.

And I've been thinking about the things I wanted - the things I begged God for - but never seemed to happen.

Dad died anyway.

I didn't get either of the positions I dearly wanted last year.

The one I've prayed for still hasn't returned to God.

I suppose this verse is in my head because I'm living a deja vu. What I wanted last spring is again in play. A maybe. A prayer. A hope.

But I know that it didn't happen last spring and it isn't likely to happen this spring either.

All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord...

If God had given me what I wanted last spring, I would not have been available to do the Women of Grace program or the Journey Home program. I would not have been available to do all the radio interviews that have come along this year. What has it been? Ten? Fifteen?

That's when I began thinking that God had kept me free for these things. That all things really have worked out for my good.

But then, I realized something. I stepped out of my narcissistic view and thought about the verse from an ecclesial point of view.

I am not the only one who loves the Lord and not the only one who is called to serve Him

This verse is about me - but it is (more importantly) about all those who love the Lord, will love the Lord. It is about all those who are called according to His purposes, will be called according to His purposes.

And suddenly, I can see that it is possible - very probable - that even the worst things that could happen to me might just be the best thing to happen for another one who loves the Lord, who is called or is being called.

Maybe I'll be passed over for the very job I want. Maybe I'll suddenly drop from favor and nobody will read anything I write. Maybe I will be put on a shelf - and set aside for awhile. Maybe I will get a terrible diagnosis. Maybe I will not live to old age, or I'll lose all my money, or I'll be abandoned by those I love...

And maybe any one of these things that seem to render the principle null and void - the one that says that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord - really is activating the principle most completely and perfectly.

Because it might still be for my good - this thing that seems so terrible.

Moreover, it might be good for another - for many others - who are also called according to His purposes and love Him as much as I do. Maybe even more than I do.

We are an ecclesial people.

One Body.

And the narcissistic glasses must come off. For the good of the Church. For the good of the whole world.

May & Mother

2011-05-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

You know you're Catholic when...

I have a million of these sayings running through my head. But in the month of May, the one that plays most often is this: You know you're Catholic when you can truly say, "Blessed are you among women" to Mary (and about Mary) and not choke on it.

It's in the Bible. Yes, it really is. (Luke 1:42,48)

If you cannot say that Mary is blessed above all women and that all generations should rise up and call her blessed, then you are deliberately purging part of the Bible because it does not match your theology.

But here's the thing. It's not hard at all to say it. If you love the Bridegroom, you'll love the Mother.

It's May. You are probably planning to call your mom or send her a card this Mother's Day. Go ahead... you can say it... Mary, I'm just doing what all generations have done, you are blessed among women and you are the Mother of my Lord.

So you're not Catholic, and you don't consider Mary to be your Mother. If you tell your mother-in-law Happy Mother's Day, then you can tell the Mother of Our Lord (the Bridegroom) that she is truly blessed among women. If you think of it like that, you can wrap your mind around it.

But you're thinking she's not here. Mary's in heaven, you say. You feel a little silly saying anything to someone in heaven. That's too Catholic for you.

Do you know what I've noticed? My Facebook friends - who are mostly not Catholic - always post something on their wall when it's their father's birthday or their mother's birthday - or when it's Father's Day or Mother's Day - especially when that mother or father isn't here in the flesh. They still say it. They still post it. And they still hope and pray Mom or Dad will hear it. They say it (post it) because their heart demands that they do it. They ache to do it. It's just how it is.

Go ahead. Tell her she's blessed.

Because she is, you know. And every generation that came before this one has known it too.

It's the very Mary month of May. Honor the Mother of Our Lord.

My Favorite Podcaster - Fr. Leo Clifford O.F.M.

2011-05-04T10:09:00.000-07:00

http://copiosa.org/spirituality/franciscan_reflections.htm (the collection found here)

It's May - Mary's month - so I encourage you to listen to this podcast by Fr. Leo Clifford on Mary: http://copiosa.org/MP3/Clifford-20.mp3

Amen, Amen I say to you...

2011-05-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

I read the following definition of the word "Amen" today. If you think of it in the context of Holy Communion - that moment when we bow and say "Amen" as we receive Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament - then the definition is so profound the mind can hardly grasp it.

Amen

The word ‘mn (amen) embraces a variety of meanings…It includes the meanings truth, firmness, firm ground, ground, and furthermore the meanings loyalty, to trust, entrust oneself, take one’s stand on something, believe in something; thus faith in God appears as a holding on to God through which man gains a firm foothold for his life. Faith is thereby defined as taking up a position, as taking a stand trustfully on the ground of the word of God.

- Pope Benedict XVI