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Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent

3/8/2023

Today is also the Memorial of St. John of God, Religious. According to the ORDO, "St. John of God was a shepherd, soldier, and entrepreneur before his conversion at age forty-two; laid foundation (1537) for the Order of Hospitallers [O.H], today numbering about 1,000 religious; patron of hospitals and the sick, of nurses and booksellers."

Reflection Questions:
1. In what ways have you seen the grace of God at work in your own illness or in the illness of someone else?
2. How have you contributed to the common good of society?
3. Where have you struggled to live in "right relationship"?

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Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent

3/7/2023

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Reflection Questions:

1. With what kinds of temptations are you struggling?
2. How do you see the Lord's prayer as a model for living?
3. In what ways are you persistent in prayer?

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Monday of the Second Week of Lent

3/6/2023

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Reflection Questions:

1. Are you making time for daily personal prayer?
2. Do you tend to criticize other people or encourage them?
3. How do you understand your call as a disciple of Jesus Christ?

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Second Sunday of Lent

3/5/2023

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Today's Gospel is about the Transfiguration of Jesus. According to the ORDO, "The custom of reading today's Gospel near the beginning of Lent may have come from an ancient tradition which held that the transfiguration of Jesus took place forty days before Good Friday."

Reflection Questions:
1. What motivates you to put your faith in Jesus?
2. How do you confront darkness or selfishness in your life?

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Why Do Some Survive--And Some Do Not?

2/28/2023

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Why do bad things happen to good people? I have been pondering that question most of my adult life just as philosophers and theologians have done throughout the centuries. There are no simple answers.

This past week there was a funeral for a 19-year-old daughter of a deacon. Alexis did not win the battle against cancer.

Although I did not know Alexis, it immediately took me back to 1986 when I was diagnosed with cancer at the age 25. Why did I survive when so many others have not. I continue to remember two young ladies in particular who were younger than I was and fighting for their lives at the same hospital as I was in, but they did not make it. Why have I been given nearly 37 additional years at this point, but they were not given that chance?

Sharon actually died on the day I got married to Margaret. Why did I get well, but this nursing student from the University of Missouri did not? I was visiting her in the hospital on Independence (July 4, 1988) weekend. We watched fireworks from the window of the hospital lounge area on the cancer floor which overlooked the Missouri River. I had no way of knowing that a few short months later her battle would end. She died that October.

I also met Gina in the hospital. I did not realize it at the time I first met her, but I knew her brother-in-law from high school. We played sports against each other. I did not make the connection until sometime later down the road. Gina was full of life. Sadly, her life was cut short as well.

In addition to these young ladies, I also had a neighbor whose life was cut short in an accident less than a week before my wedding. Patty was a beautiful soul.

All three of these individuals were younger than me. I can only imagine the grief experienced by the parents, siblings, and family members of these three beautiful people.

I don't have the answers to the big questions of life. I have simply tried to walk in faith and make my life count. I have attempted to dream as big as God's grace. I am sure I have fallen way short of that, but I hope I have been a faithful ambassador of Christ at least in some small way during these years of life. I hope I have been "Articulating Hope" during this sojourn of life.

I went for a walk this evening at 9:00 PM to get some exercise and pray. It was cold, but at least the wind was not blowing 40 mph the way it was earlier in the day. I used this time to pray specifically for all those battling cancer. Several people in my circle of family and friends have recently received a diagnosis of cancer, and I vividly remember the flood of emotions that come with hearing that diagnosis. One of these individuals is facing surgery next week. I prayed for a blanket of protection to surround him in the hospital.

There is no magic wand to make it go away. I can only offer my words of encouragement and my intercessory prayer for those who are hurting. To each of you carrying a cross of suffering of one kind or another, may you be filled with God's grace and strength during your journey! May the Divine Physician bestow His healing upon you!

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It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time

2/27/2023

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How many times have we done something that ended up not quite turning out the way we had planned? The memes we see on social media indicate it quite well. An event is captured on film that demonstrates a lack of common sense--to put it nicely. Then, the next frame says, "Hold my beer!" We see something even more catastrophic demonstrating even less common sense.

Thankfully, I have not recently done anything that qualifies me for one of those episodes. However, I did have an idea yesterday that was not my brightest. It was 48 degrees so I thought I would record a video outside for something different. I pretty much had Boardwalk Park to myself. There was a reason for that. The gusty winds made it quite uncomfortable. It also made it impossible to record a video, unless all you wanted to hear was the roar of the wind. Hmmm. I wonder if that would get more views than videos with me speaking. (I don't think I am going to try that experiment. I might not like the results.)

The end result was just some quiet time along the frozen lake. That was not a bad thing either.

This is the first full week of Lent. Make it a good one. Be holy!

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Judging A Book By Its Cover

2/24/2023

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If you were traveling in another state and looking for a local restaurant, would you be enticed to go to this one based upon the outside appearance?

You now glance inside and see it filled with people. Are you feeling better about the opportunity to eat here? While I may still be a little apprehensive, one sign tells me it will all be okay.

Seeing this sign would fill me with great anticipation. I am getting fried food of some kind. This dining experience would make it a true vacation.

Top it off with some of that Southern Sweet Tea and I am set for a delightful dining experience. Sadly, I am just living the experience through photos once again. Panama City and Panama City Beach, Florida will be stops on my next trip to Florida.

Okay, back to the title of this blog post and our Lenten journey. Don't judge a book by its cover is a common phrase. Do we sometimes look at other people and judge them harshly by what we see?

Let's strive to extend grace to other people and give them the benefit of the doubt. We each carry crosses of one type or another. We can probably all benefit from a little less criticism and a little more encouragement and support.

During Lent, I will try to do several things in these pages:

1. I will try to encourage you in your journey;
2. I will ask you to ponder and reflect;
3. I will challenge you to grow.

Here is today's lesson. Complete the following sentences about yourself:

A. The five adjectives that best describe me are.....

B. My favorite way to pray is.....

C. One weakness of my prayer life is.....

The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the power of the Holy Spirit is with you!

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Eucharistic Revival--Or Just Another Program?

2/23/2023

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The National Eucharistic Congress is planning a big event for July 17-21, 2024. According to their website, www.eucharisticrevival.org/, it says, "At this historic event, more than 80,000 Catholics of all ages will gather in Indianapolis to reconsecrate their hearts to the source and summit of our faith."

I fully support this endeavor. Our Church is in dire need of revival. However, it would sure be nice to see someone address the elephant in the room with honesty and forthrightness. Who declared that the Church was nonessential in 2020? Who stood by and did nothing to refute that declaration?

If the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, how could we stand idly by and allow the government to say that people will have no access to the sacraments? We didn't even put up a fight. In my opinion, the Eucharistic revival needs to begin at the top. Do the bishops truly believe in the power of the sacraments?

I recognize that the bishops were in a very difficult situation. Protecting the health of the people was the perpetual mainstream media narrative being shoved down our throats. The lust for power and control by members of the government elite further exacerbated this situation. However, we need to acknowledge that the precedent has now been set and will most likely haunt us again down the road. The Church has been deemed nonessential in the eyes of the government. Walmart stays open. Your Church does not.

A little bit of candor would go a long way at this point. People were told for a year or more that the Sacraments were not essential. Now, the Sacraments seem to be very important again. Looking back in hindsight, would the bishops have responded differently to the pandemic knowing what they know now? I have no idea. The topic doesn't ever seem to come up at that level, at least in public view. What will be the response of Church leadership when the next societal shutdown happens?

Could we at least acknowledge the pain and anguish that God's people felt when the Church seemed to vanish at a time when pastoral care was most needed? Can we acknowledge that a lack of faith may have played a role in some of the decisions made? Isn't it true that rather than trust in the power of the Divine Physician, we catered to fear and government coercion in our pandemic response? Was there a balance between common sense protective actions and access to Sacraments that we failed to achieve?

We allowed people to die alone in hospitals and nursing homes without receiving the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick (Last Rites). Do we no longer believe in the power of the Apostolic Pardon that is contained within that Rite? Do we no longer believe in the power of Viaticum? Is food for the journey to eternal life no longer important? These travesties happened in Catholic hospitals and nursing homes just as they did in secular ones.

I invite you to pull up the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. In particular, I invite you to go to the page where the strategic plan is located.
www.usccb.org/about/strategic-plan

The fifth co-equal strategic priority according to their website is this:

• Pandemic Recovery: Promote the healing of the personal, spiritual, and societal wounds of COVID-19 through the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ, the Divine Physician.+

Once again, these are nice words. Hearing the words "Divine Physician," makes me wonder if we really believe that. If we truly believed that Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist (Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity), would we have allowed people to suffer and die alone without receiving the Divine Physician in Holy Communion? Would we have denied people access to the pardon of their sins through the presence of the priest who acts in "Persona Christi" in the Sacrament of Penance, or by administering the Apostolic Pardon during the Sacrament of the Sick?

The ripple effect of this goes into other components of our faith as well. If we examine the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy, we may find some other ramifications of the Church being declared nonessential. For instance, what does "Bury the Dead" really mean for us as people of faith? Is it just getting a deceased person placed into the ground, or is it much more than that? What are the shortcomings of this work of mercy if we only allow ten people at a funeral? Once again, we offered no resistance to these arbitrary restrictions.

Eucharistic Revival will not happen just because we offer a program. It will happen when we start living our lives in such a way that demonstrates our belief in the power of God's grace made visible through the outward signs of the sacraments.

Finally, I recognize that the Eucharist comes to us through the consecrated hands of the priest. I am grateful for our good and holy priests. I am also grateful for those who excel in their ability to preach a solid message of faith in the homily. Apparently, many priests across the country have been enlisted to help preach the message of Eucharistic Revival between now and the event in 2024. Thank you for your service. You can see the list here:
www.eucharisticrevival.org/national-eucharistic-preachers

What is the role of the deacon in the Eucharistic Revival? We are supposed to have one foot in the sanctuary proclaiming God's Word, and one foot in the world being a minister of God's goodness in charity to others. That sounds like a perfect opportunity to be a witness of the faith out in the world after being nurtured by the Proclamation of God's Word and nourished by the Body and Blood of our Lord in Holy Communion at Mass.

Unfortunately, not one deacon from across the country is included in the list of Eucharistic Preachers. This is another missed opportunity by the Church to capitalize on the lived experience of the deacon in the secular world. The Eucharistic Revival that happens in the church building does not simply stay confined in those walls. The people are sent forth at the end of Mass to live it in the world. Is there not a solitary deacon in the whole country who has the faith, knowledge, and skill necessary to compose a homily with a message geared toward Eucharistic Revival and deliver it with power and conviction to God's people?

Lent is a time for renewal and growth. The journey never seems easy. I get frustrated at times. (You may have picked up on that in this post.) Someone asked me yesterday on Ash Wednesday, "What are you giving up for Lent?" We had a nice discussion about Lenten resolutions and penance. I then walked the Stations of the Cross alone after everyone had left church. I got to the ninth station where Jesus falls the third time. There it hit me. A lot of days I feel like wanting to "give up" rather than giving something up. Jesus demonstrates clearly what it means to take up one's cross. We have to keep going my friends. We can't give up. Our world is crumbling, and I want our Church to be a beacon of light and hope. It is up to you and I to help the Church shine.

My encouragement to you today is to take ownership of your personal spiritual journey. Seek out the necessary resources to help you. Surround yourself with people desiring holiness. Put on the full armor of God.

"Forty years I endured that generation. I said, 'They are a people whose hearts go astray and they do not know my ways.' So I swore in my anger, 'They shall not enter into my rest.'"

~Psalm 95: 10-11

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Ash Wednesday

2/22/2023

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"Turn away from sin, and be faithful to the Gospel."

Have a blessed and holy Season of Lent!

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How Are You Celebrating Fat Tuesday?

2/21/2023

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I dropped Margaret off for jury duty at 7:30 am this morning. She called me around 9:00 am and said, "Come get me. I am finished." We suddenly had a day in front of us with no plans. A ride into the mountains before the upcoming snowstorm sounded like a plan.

We stopped at a place right along the river. It was 48 degrees, quiet, and extremely peaceful. It wasn't the ocean, and it wasn't the warmth of the Florida sun, but the sound of the water running amid the icy patches brought a sense of calm that was delightful.

As we prepare to begin our Lenten journey tomorrow, please know of my prayers for each of you reading these pages. Wherever you are in your spiritual walk, be assured of God's love for you. Open yourself to receiving God's grace, forgiveness, and compassion.

In the top center of the above photo, you can see dead trees from a wildfire two years ago. Do you have wounds and scars from life? Please recognize that healing takes time. Those trees burned in the fire do not immediately return. Seedlings sprout and new growth eventually pops through the crust of the earth. Be patient with yourself if you are healing from deep wounds.

Have our hearts turned to stone? Have we become cynical with the way things are? What do we want to bring to the Lord in prayer? Is your heart and mine able to truly love God and neighbor?

Are we like the dormant trees in the foreground, or do we more resemble the evergreens? Are we stale and in a rut, or are we producing good spiritual fruit all year long?

Are we more like the ice in the river, or the water that is flowing freely? Are we trapped and locked up in the bondage of sin, or have we truly been set free by the waters of baptism?

When Easter arrives on April 9, will we be able to look back at Lent and say, "Wow! I have grown closer to the Lord."? Let's make it a great journey.

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Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent

Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent

Monday of the Second Week of Lent

Second Sunday of Lent

Why Do Some Survive--And Some Do Not?

It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time

Judging A Book By Its Cover

Eucharistic Revival--Or Just Another Program?

Ash Wednesday

How Are You Celebrating Fat Tuesday?

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