After His baptism, Jesus performs His first public miracle at the Wedding Feast at Cana. It would appear that He really chose this place because of the plea of His Mother, Mary. The scripture (John 2:1-12 ) makes it seem that He did not feel that His time had come yet, but because of the intercession of His mother, He changed the water in to wine.
The fact the first public miracle of Jesus happens at a wedding celebration tells us that marriage is of primary importance. Jesus himself chose to come in to the world through a married couple, Mary and Joseph. He chose to submit himself to them as His parents. In doing this, He blessed marriage and family life. Marriage is of primary importance to the world and especially to the Church.
This mystery also tells us that Jesus listens to, and answers the intercession of His mother. It was Mary who saw the need and came to Jesus with the need. At first Jesus tells Mary that His time has not yet come (to begin His ministry?), but Mary proceeds to tell the stewards to do whatever He tells them. I can’t help but to think that Mary knew her son well enough to know that He needed a little “push” to get going. How many of us parents know that sometimes our children need a little encouragement, to begin what they are called to do? Perhaps Mary knew that, and did it.
This mystery also tells us that Jesus and His disciples and Mary knew how to enjoy a good time. They knew how to celebrate. I think that Jesus would today tell us that a little wine (or beer or drink) can help us to celebrate, as long as we don’t have a problem with it, and that we can use it in moderation. Jesus often said that He wants us to have an abundant life and a joy filled life. I think that He loves us to have responsible parties. He does love community and joy.
We cannot stress enough that Jesus listens to His Mother and that she is very concerned with His people. Mary’s roll as both an intercessor and her concern for us, has been shown over and over again in the history of the Church. There is no doubt that we can pray directly to Jesus, however, isn’t it great to have His mother join us in prayer? He listens to His mother and heeds her call.
The very fact is that not only did Jesus act on Mary’s request at Cana, but He did so with over-abundance and great quality (he filled many large jars and even the wine steward said that the wine was the best). Doesn’t it make great sense to have Mary join us in our prayers so that we know we will receive above and beyond what is expected? This definitely builds up our faith, just as it did the disciples who were at Cana. Let us take a few moments to reflect on this.
1 – Do I call upon Mary to help me with her intercession?
2 – Do I expect Jesus to respond to my needs with abundance and even more than I ask for?
3 – Do I have great respect for the Sacrament of Marriage?
4 – Do I have great respect for healthy family life?
5 – Do I enjoy celebrating events with others?
6 – Do I expect miracles from Jesus to happen in my life?
7 – Do I drink alcoholic beverages in moderation?
8 – Do I offer encouragement (and perhaps a little push) to others to ger them started?
9 – Do I have concern for others and offer prayers for them?
10 – Do I allow the miracles of life (and those from the history of the Church) to build up my faith?
The scripture that portrays the 5th Joyful Mystery is Luke 2:41-52 which says; “Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.”
This Mystery causes us to think of many things. First of all, what was the boy Jesus like in those 12 years that we hear nothing about from the scriptures? Second, what was it like to be the Mother and step-Father of the Messiah, the Son of God? Third, did Jesus really know who He was? He readily called God His Father, did His human side know anything about His Divine side? What was the anxiety like for Mary and Joseph. All of these are things that we should ponder. In addition to that, let us question how this affects us in our everyday life.
1 – Do I take my children to Church festivals and feasts throughout the year?
2 – Do I readily mix family and Church together, especially in activities?
3 – Do I trust leaving my children with friends and relatives?
4 – How much anxiety do I feel when I cannot find my child?
5 – How well do I understand my children?
6 – Do I know my children well enough to be able to find them in a reasonable time?
7 – Have I taught my children to be obedient to me?
8 – Can I see how my children mature so quickly?
9 – Do I see my children grow in divine and human favor?
10 – Can I take some time and re-read these questions seeing myself as the child, and God my Father?
Before his conversion, Saint Paul was known as Saul. He was a Pharisee who was born in to a devout Jewish family and he was well educated in his faith. He described himself as being “of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee”. Saul, to say the least, was a good Jew who loved the Jewish law and followed it. He loved being a Jew and he saw Christianity as a threat to his religion, a threat that had to be eliminated.
The scriptures tell us that Saul persecuted the Christians and would enter homes looking for them, drag them out, and put them in to jail. He is even listed as being at the death of the first Christian Martyr, the deacon Saint Steven. The early Christians feared Saul and saw him as one of their primary persecutors. Saul hunted down Christians in Jerusalem and even received permission to go to Damascus to hunt them down. On his way to Damascus, something amazing happened. The risen Jesus appeared to him.
Acts Chapter 9 tells us; “ 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.” In Damascus, Jesus sent Ananias to heal his sight and to baptize him and to teach him the good news. Saul, after his conversion, became Paul. He would soon become probably the greatest Christian evangelizer ever. Paul experienced a profound conversion. He went from being a zealous persecutor of Christians to being a vessel of God’s grace and intense sharer of the Good News of Jesus.
Conversion, in the Christian sense, is turning away from what is not Jesus and turning towards Jesus. Conversion can be a very profound thing like Saul/Paul experienced, or it can be as simple as turning away from tv and reading more scripture. Throughout our lives, God is continually calling us to conversion. We are called to turn away from what is not leading us towards Him, and turning to things that do lead us to Him. We are called to transform ourselves in to the very image of Jesus.
Conversion can also be seen in the large sense of turning form someone who is not Catholic, to someone who is. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is a program within the Church to help non-Catholics do that. Over 50 years ago, I went through the RCIA program, and my life was changed forever. I was brought up as a Methodist and during my younger years attended Sunday School and Church. As I got older, I started to question my faith and by the time I was in college, I thought that religion was not important and that God was only a force that held the universe together. I married a good Catholic girl and was actually quite unkind as to what I said to her about her faith. After almost three years of marriage, we were quite unhappy. We knew that we loved each other, but there was something not right (my lack of faith). We were close to separating when God stepped in. Through some miraculous events, we were brought in to a Life in the Spirit Seminar. In the seminar, I experienced people talking about God as if He was someone who they knew and talked to. I still questioned that type of God, but I wanted a faith like they had.
The Life in the Spirit seminar is a series of weekly talks which talk about God’s love, his gift of Salvation, the need for repentance, the gift of His Spirit and it prepares the person to ask God to touch them and fill them with His Spirit. I still remember the fifth week night when my wife and I were prayed with to experience God and His Spirit. I had a remarkable experience of God loving me. For the first time in my life, I saw God as a person who loved and cared for me. There was no bright light or voice of Jesus like St. Paul had, but it was so very real for me. It changed my life forever. I had a real desire to know Him better so I began reading scripture and spiritual books. Since this all happened in a Roman Catholic church, I decided to look in to that faith. I started reading the documents from Vatican II and decided to become a Catholic. I went through the RCIA program and became Catholic. Our marriage was made anew and later on I received the call to become a deacon. God did so many marvelous things in our life. I still find God calling me to more conversion in my daily life.
For the season of Lent, which begins soon, I will be doing more articles on the call to continuing conversion. Right now I want to celebrate my major call to become a Roman Catholic. It has fulfilled me so much. In line with this celebration I would like to mention some famous people who have become Catholic. There are thousands more.
Actors: John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Jim Nabors, Faye Dunaway, Vincent Price, Susan Hayward . Patricia Neal and many others
Academics and intellectuals: Hadley Arkes (Amherst), Mortimer Adler (Great Books), Robert Bork (Yale) and G.K. Chesterton
Royalty; King Charles II (Great Britain)
Artist : Peter Paul Rubens
Heroes of the Old West: Kit Carson, Buffalo Bill and Doc Holliday
Musician: Dave Brubeck
Famed coach: Knute Rockne (Notre Dame)
Playwrights: Tennessee Williams and Oscar Wilde
Novelists: Ernest Hemingway, Evelyn Waugh, Sigrid Undset and Dean Koontz
Once in a while you come across a book that is not only interesting and inspirational, but is also something that is so needed for the difficult times we are in. Our House of The Sacred Heart is one of those books. It is a very interesting book. The writer is a gifted poet who is able to deliver both prose and poetry in a way that stimulates the intellect and makes the reader continue to look for more. I found it very difficult to put the book down. As if her writing was not enough (which it is), Moseley presents scripture quotes, words of wisdom and beautiful art work to further stimulate our very being. She tells so many beautiful stories about her family and the way she was brought up. These show us how the gift of faith, especially through the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, makes life bearable and even joyful during both times of trial and times of cheer. When I read her previous book, Sacred Braille, I thought to myself that this is truly a woman of faith. After reading House of the Sacred Heart, I now can see where that faith came from.
I also found the book to be quite inspirational. Now inspirational can mean many things from how God inspired the writing of the Bible to how a hero can inspire others to do good. This book is inspirational in both ways. Now I am not saying that Our House of the Sacred Heart is inspired like the Bible is, but I can say that the same Holy Spirit that inspired the writings of the Bible also inspired Annabelle Moseley to put together this book using her God-given (inspired) talent of writing and using the inspired scriptures and using artwork that everyone can see is inspired. For the foundation of her book she uses the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She takes the 33 titles of the litany and weaves stories around them from her family to help show what each litany means. At the center of the family stories is what she calls Our House of The Sacred Heart, or the Red House, which is her grandmother’s house. So much of what her family is, centers around that house. The house is so much more than a dwelling, it is where the faith has been taught and lived out. I particularly like the cover design showing the Red House. The cover was done by my talented friend, T.J. Burdick. I wonder how much it resembles the actual house?
This book is something that is so needed for this time. Our culture has seen family life being disrupted over and over again. It has also seen a significant decrease in people who find their faith meaningful or even relevant to their everyday life. This book shows, in so many ways, through examples from several generations, how important strong faith and strong family life is. It shows us that faith and family, together, can bring us through the darkest moments and can even bring us joy in the midst of difficulties. The book also shows us that our faith is definitely handed down from one generation to the next. This book can not help but to awaken any dormant faith within us.
Annabelle Moseley has definitely written a book to inspire people towards a better appreciation of family life and a better appreciation or our faith. The book can be used in so many different ways. It is a great book for a person to read and appreciate by themselves. It is also a book that could lead an individual to make a Consecration to The Sacred Heart of Jesus. That consecration could use the book in the popular 33 day consecration method to do this. Moseley has included beautiful prayers at the back of the book to not only lead an individual to the consecration but to also do a Consecration of their home. I also believe that this book could be used in the parish setting by offering a group study that leads to the consecration. I certainly hope that this book becomes popular and that a large number of people read it. It is most interesting, very inspirational and certainly very needed for these difficult times. Do yourself, and your family, a favor and buy and read this book. You will be glad that you did.
SPECIAL ADDITION: The author has personally told me that: “I’m leading a Consecration to the Sacred Heart through my website! For those who sign up, they’ll get on each of the 33 days leading to their Consecration a brief daily podcast reflection that includes classic prayers to the Sacred Heart, contemplation of the Litany line of the day, and a brief soundbite to inspire deeper devotion to the Sacred Heart. The consecration begins on May 9th and ends on the Feast of the Sacred Heart: June 11th (on that day participants will get access to a Consecration Day-webinar and along with an author talk will be open to participant Q&A etc). For anyone who signs up, I will also offer a special parish Book Group “Meet the Author” zoom for any parishioners who have read the book… all they have to do is sign up and then email me at annabelle@annabellemoseley.com ” I think that we should all take advantage of this opportunity. I know that I am and have already signed up. I encourage you to do so too by using the following link. God is good.
Fifteen years ago, Today, the Love of my Life died of cancer.
On the evening of Sharon’s death, I was all alone except a friend who came over, probably for suicide watch. We were in my shop when I had my first experience of the odor of Sanctity. The shop completely and instantly filled up with the scent of the most beautiful, Heavenly perfume I’ve ever smelled. I kept asking my friend if he could smell it but he couldn’t. I even went outside and walked all around the shop to see if I could discover it’s source. It was several months later I gave my Life to the Lord and He delivered me from an 18 year meth addiction. I had not yet even heard of the phenomenon of the Odor of Sanctity but I had a conviction I had a Heavenly visitor that night.
About six months later I wept all over a mountain side that was covered with wildflowers. It was like a botanical garden. I was picking wildflowers with the intention of covering Sharon’s grave with them when I came out of the mountains the following day. As I was picking them I kept saying ”These are for You Baby.” I would instantly collapse into a weeping sobbing heap remembering all the lies I told her about my drug use and whereabouts. I was begging Sharon and begging God to forgive me for who and what I had become. I would recover and resume picking flowers again only to say “These are for you Baby” and Thud… I would collapse into a weeping, sobbing mess again… and again… and again. I finally had a feeling come over me that I was supposed to write something to or for Sharon so I gathered up my wildflowers and returned to my camp and started writing this letter to her. When I wrote the first line I looked up and saw what I call an angel. Honestly, I don’t know what it… He… She was but it was glowing and it looked like it had arms outstretched toward me. It just drifted away until it was out of sight. What I do know is that something Supernatural happened to me that day.
On the anniversary of Sharon’s Death I published what I started writing that day as a Tribute to her in local Obituaries.
“Baby, As long as I live, I will never forget your innocence of a child’s glee smile. It was Christmas time, several years ago and you were watching the Santa Clause you had just bought. I was setting behind you watching this five foot Santa articulating and singing thinking to myself: “I wonder how much this stupid contraption cost?” When you suddenly turned around and looked at me with that smile. That smile of enraptured delight just emanating from your expression. In my lifetime I have never seen such innocence and transparent childlike glee before. Not even close! It was like someone had opened up the window of your soul and right then and right there I saw your heart. That your heart was a true heart. A pure and simple and innocent heart and of more value than anything in this world.
I’m sorry I was a fool. I am so very sorry Baby. Seldom. Very seldom does a day go by that I dont break down and cry when I think of you. The way you were/are. I will never forgive myself for the things I did that hurt such a gentle soul. You were always so kind and generous and loving. It was something that just came so natural to you, like water flowing, like the sun shining, like clouds drifting. Even now I feel your love affecting and influencing my life, my health, my everything. I ALWAYS feel your gentle nudge in my heart. I will NEVER forget your kindness to me. Like the way you took your “storage” room and made it into a “Kevin” room. You made every little detail to the way you thought it would bring a “feel at home” and “make Kevin feel welcome here” essence about it and it did. I want you to know this. Like every endeavor you started you finished with a loving and caring touch. Like Jake’s “dog cabin” you built. With a front porch, breezeway, insulated with an electric heater and two double pane windows so Jake could look out. It was complete with a cedar shake roof and a weather vane on top. Not that Jake ever even once slept in it because you would say: “Tobyyyy Kitty, Jakeyyy, time go bed.” And Jake would instantly climb off the couch and head for the waterbed. I will NEVER forget all the love you showered on me, Jake and Kitty Toby. On EVERYONE Who’s life you touched you imparted a gracious essence of “you”. Like all the help you gave your Mom and Dad, Windy, Barb, Izzy, Jean and everyone else. Like the way you had Christmas and Birthday presents bought and made two and three years ahead of time for many of us. If a person or any creature was Sharon McCarthy Sterling’s Friend, they truly had a friend. A friend in deed. A friend in truth. I love you Baby. I know that God took you because one such as you has an intrinsic value and you will apply yourself to good works in God’s Kingdom, for His Eternal Purpose and for His Glory. I Miss you Baby. I will never forget you Sharon and I will never stop loving you. I long for the day I see you again, and I know I will, and when I do, if you don’t have a hammer or a saw or a paintbrush or a gardening trowel in your hand, I KNOW you will have that same smile of innocent childlike delight glowing on your face.
Luv, Me
“Jesus said unto her “I Am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live and he who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25 -26
There is a lot more to this that words just get in the way of expressing. How in living and in dying, Sharon has helped turn and continues to turn my life around. “Except a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies it abides alone. But if it falls into the ground and dies it brings forth much fruit. It’s a debt I cannot repay. It’s about how “the blinding light of God’s Grace can come breaking through with a sweetness that’s only tasted by the forgiven and redeemed.” If you or someone you love is traveling along that same dark and desperate path of drug addiction and sin that I once travelled, perhaps I can point you to Someone Who can and will help you. Someone doesn’t have to die to deliver you from Satan’s hand. Someone already has. I would feel and truly be blessed if I could humbly point you to that Someone. His Name is Jesus.”
On Memorial Day, two years ago I stood by Sharon’s grave and I asked God if it was wrong of me to have my conviction that she gave up her life for mine. Several minutes later a friend in Mississippi texted me a Bible verse “No greater love has anyone than this, to give up their life for their friend.”
On August 2018 While on a Pilgrimage to the Sharon Camp where I encountered God in 2006 I recorded this event:
“At sunset yesterday I picked a bunch of wildflowers and took them to the Sharon tree. I spent some time there praying and talking to Sharon and God.
Earlier, I asked God something I don’t recall ever asking Him before. If I could have some sort of a special visit with Sharon. I wondered if such a request was proper or even admissible, or perhaps what it even meant and why I was asking it? I didn’t know it would play out quite like this.
I told Sharon that largely because of her story I’ve pleaded for the lives of thousands of children. That every time I plead for a child not to be aborted, her child that was aborted did not die in vain. That every time I point post abortive women to God’s mercy, forgiveness and healing that it honors her and that her broken heart was not in vain. I didn’t understand why, but I found myself asking her if she greets these aborted children in heaven and if they are now her friends there? I then had the clearest visual of Sharon, surrounded by beautiful children, full of joy, walking through a beautiful meadow, she was beaming, looking down at them and they were all skipping and dancing looking up at her.
A few minutes later I remembered something that happened a couple years back. It was first thing in the morning and I picked up my Bible to start reading it. Normally I do my prayer time first so I laid my Bible aside. As I did I sensed the Holy Spirit say very clearly. “When you get done with your prayers I have a special Word from the Scriptures for you.” When I finished my prayer time and picked up my Bible the first Verse I laid eyes on was Isaiah 65:10 “Sharon shall be a fold of flocks”
I will never forget the way Sharon was sobbing the day she told me about her abortion. She was crying uncontrollably when she told me that she had always just wanted to be a mother.
I feel that we are somehow “In this Together!”
“Sharon shall be a fold of flocks.” Isaiah 65:10
We have a Strange and Merciful and Magnificent and Beautiful God!!!!
From its very beginnings, the Catholic Church has always followed the command of Jesus to go out in to all of the world and preach the Good News. That is the Church’s primary mission, evangelization. In order to do that the Church also has to maintain a community of believers who are continually learning more about the faith and their relationship to God and are continually receiving the gifts that God gives them to grow and complete their purpose. The Church, by its very nature, is communal. It is a body of people who work together to learn more about the faith, grow in the faith and then spread the faith. Jesus himself relied upon a group of believers, the 12 apostles, and the many followers and “the women” to start His Church and to spread the Good News. The need for community is strong and the benefits of community bring about strength.
The Church has had many different forms of community over the ages. For many years religious orders grew in large numbers and helped to accomplish the Church mission. Recently, especially in the Americas and in Europe, the number of people entering religious orders has decreased, but at the same time there has been an increase in lay people becoming involved with the traditional religious orders to work with them. I really believe that this has been a fresh wind of the Holy Spirit at work. I know of so many good Catholics who are part of “secular” or “third order” movements working with the traditional Franciscan, Dominican, Carmelite (etc) orders where they experience the gift of this community and continue the work of this community without giving up marriage or jobs or family. They continue the order’s mission right in the midst of today’s culture. They become like monks or sisters right within the workplace of everyday living. They also bring with them the fruits of these orders.
I have been fortunate to be one of the people to do this. I have been a member of the Franciscan Deacons of Rockville Centre and I would like to share with you some of the experience I have had there with this community. To do this, I would like to share a little history of our group.
The Society of Franciscan Deacons of Rockville Centre started over a dozen years ago by three deacons of my diocese who had originally started in formation to become brothers in Franciscan orders. After some discernment during their formation, they felt the call to marriage and to work within the normal workplace. After many years of marriage and secular work, they then felt the call of the Holy Spirit to become Catholic Permanent Deacons. God’s Spirit later put upon their hearts the original call to Franciscan spirituality and they began meeting to discern how to answer that call within the life that God had called them to. After meeting for some time, they felt called by the Lord to make a decision to follow Franciscan Spirituality and meet together as a group. One of the members is a Canon lawyer and Judge in our Diocesan tribunal. He was able to use his canon law skills to develop a way to form a legal society of deacons who follow Franciscan spirituality. He then approached our diocesan Bishop who thought the idea was a good one and the Society of Franciscan Deacons of Rockville Centre was formed. It started with the three original founders and has grown to over a dozen members. I am so blessed to be one of them.
We meet together as a group once per month where we pray together the liturgy of the hours, talk about our journey with the Lord, plan charitable actions for the group and do a study together as a group. Sometimes we study a book, and sometimes we study a movies series such as Fr. Dave Pavonka’s Wild Goose series. We also go together on retreat every summer for 5 to 6 days. In the midst of all of this we try to grow in our Franciscan spirituality to strengthen our work as parish deacons and evangelizer’s of God’s Word.
All of us have to take the vows of the Third Order Regular Franciscans and have gone through the normal stages of community life, Aspirant (someone thinking of joining), Postulant (praying with the group and learning about the group), Novitiate (continued training and beginning of temporary vows, Solemn Profession (taking perpetual vow to be a full member). The vows for the Franciscan Deacons are centered on poverty, chastity and obedience. Since Permanent Deacons are usually married men who own homes and have jobs, these three vows are further explained. Poverty for us is embracing a simple lifestyle, especially regarding possessions. Chastity for us is being true to our marriage commitment. And obedience to us is continued obedience to our Bishop and to our faith. Part of our foundational training and additional training is learning more about St. Francis and Franciscan Spirituality. We have read and studied together several books on both Francis and Claire. The gifts that these two people brought to the Church are both simple and profound. Studying these two great people and their relationship to God has most certainly helped my spiritual life and desire to serve God’s people.
All of the religious orders emphasize prayer and community and we certainly do that in our meetings. We often have dinner together in a restaurant before our meetings and that helps the sense of community grow among us. Most orders also emphasize work of some sort. Now in our Society, we are all diocesan deacons who are assigned work within our own parishes (and the diocese) and this is seen as our main form of work. However, we also keep a tie with the Franciscan Society of the Atonement in Graymoor, NY. Several of the men in our group actually attended their formation there when they were thinking about becoming friars and brothers. We have a very close bond with the Friars of the Atonement and part of our “work” is with them. We often go up to Graymoor for weekends to help with the retreats and special days that we run. Several members of our community have advanced that by becoming Tertiary’s of the Atonement order. They still meet with us in our group but have expanded their connection with the Society of the Atonement.
I am so glad that the Lord drew me in to the Society of Franciscan Deacons of Rockville Centre. I have always loved St. Francis, even when I was a Methodist. I was actually ordained a deacon on October 4th, the Feast day of St. Francis. Our society has helped me form closer relations with my brother deacons and has helped me grow in my own spirituality and in my service to the Church. Yes, I am saddened by the lack of vocations that many of our orders are experiencing, but I am also thrilled with what the Lord is doing with “third order/secular” groups today in the Church. If you are feeling a need for more community especially as lived out by a particular Saint, I would suggest you seek out a “third order or secular” group near you. I know that my involvement in our group has greatly helped me in my walk with the Lord and has helped me to grow in my service to Him and His people.
I enjoy writing book
reviews of books that I have read and then posting them on my website. However, I didn’t feel comfortable writing a
book review for this book since I am one of the contributors to it. I did read the book and really enjoyed it and
would recommend it to my readers. For
the review, I turned to my friend, Steven R. McEvoy and obtained his permission
to post the review that he had written and originally appeared on his
website: www.bookreviewsandmore.ca . Steven
does a great job of reviewing books and you should check out his website. Here is his review of Epic Saints.
Epic Saints Wild, Wonderful, and Weird Stories of God’s Heroes
I love books like this one. I love reading about saints and
am currently reading books from 4 different series about saints. But what a
book like this does is introduce me to a few new saints, it gives me some more
information and examples from saints that I am more familiar with. This was an
EPIC READ that I could hardly put down. It is mostly eBook about specific
saints and But there is also a lot of great information about the process of
saint making, and the canon and calendar of saints. But the volume is not just
the work of Shaun McAfee there are several contributors. Those contributors
are:
Alex R. Hey
Sarah Spittler
Jessica Mcafee
Theresa Zoe Williams
Brooke Gregory
Deacon Marty Mcindoe
Shaun Mcafee
Laura Hensley
Mike Panlilio
Maggie Van Sciver
The essays interspersed through the biographies are:
Have Saints Always Been Canonized The Same Way?
What Is The General Roman Calendar?
Can These Stories Be Allegorical?
Are We Really Expected To Believe These Stories?
Why Are Some Saints Not On The Calendar?
What Is The Process For Canonization?
What Should We Do With Saint Narratives That Contain Errors Or Inconsistencies?
Why Are Some Canonized Quickly While Others Have Been In The Process For
Centuries?
Can I Become A Saint?
And on top of that are profiles of 74 saints. Shaun and the other contributors
do an amazing job or highlighting so many saints in such a short space. There
are almost a dozen saints I need to go find further readings on. And my son is
already looking forward to my rereading this book with him.
In this volume there are a few tales about dragons. Saints pulling practical
jokes and pranks. A bilocating death and many, many more stories of saints, of
Martyrs and holy men and women.
Though I will be honest with you, the pieces in this volume are so well written
you might have a hard time picking a favorite. And you will
definitely want to read more on at least some of the saints. An excellent read
that I highly recommend.
Love Is All About Giving – by Deacon Marty McIndoe
During this time around Valentine’s Day most of us are
concentrating on finding just the right gift for the one that we love. I certainly realize that giving to the one we
love is something that should be done constantly in our relationship with
them. But Valentine’s Day sets aside a
special day for us to do that. If we truly love someone, we want to give to
them at Valentine’s Day and throughout the year. It seems naturally built in to us as humans to
want to give. I think that is because we
are made in the image of God, who is the great giver.
We all know John 3:16 which says “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” This is the gift above all gifts. It is also the gift that keeps on giving, as the commercials say. I would like to take a look at this precious gift. To begin with, our very life is a gift given to us by God. It is a precious gift that should be held sacred. Secondly, the scriptures tell us that God formed us in His own image. This too is a precious gift. We, like God, are made to live throughout all eternity. We, like God, are also given the gift of free will. This is also a very precious gift, but one that has gotten us in to trouble. Unlike God we sometimes choose to be selfish and not loving and not giving. In order to remedy this, God decided that He would come to us and bring us the gift of salvation. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. He did this for a specific purpose, for our salvation and for our formation.
I have always been interested in Social Anthropology, where
we study the behavior of cultures, both ancient and sometimes
contemporary. I have found it extremely
interesting that almost every culture recognizes that there is a God (or
several gods) and finds it necessary to offer sacrifices to this God. This too seems to be built in to our human
DNA. We have a need to worship God and to
offer sacrifice to God. Jesus came to
the Jewish people who were accustomed to sacrifices and offerings to their
God. Jesus became for us the fullest
sacrifice for our sins. Jesus died a
horrific death so that our sins could be expiated and we could obtain eternal
life. His was the perfect sacrificial
offering. However, that is not the only
reason he came. If it was, he could have
been slaughtered by Herod as an infant, or one of the many times in the Gospels
where the people tried to kill him. Each
time He escaped because His time had not yet come. He had more to do.
I believe that one of the primary things that He wanted to
do was to start His Church. He wanted to
find and train the right men to do the job.
When He chose the twelve apostles He was making new the Jewish Kingdom
of the twelve tribes and starting the new Kingdom, the Church. He chose Peter as the “Rock” upon which He
would build this Church. All twelve
disciples were important, even the one who betrayed Him, but Peter was to be
the Head of them all and the Head of the Church. The scriptures are very clear about
that. Jesus spent three years in
ministry with them to train them and show them what would be called the seven
sacraments. When the time of their
training was completed, Jesus turned towards the means of His death. He wanted His death to be a renewal of the
Jewish Passover so He went to Jerusalem at the time of Passover. He walked right in to the hands of those who wanted
to kill him. He would become the new
Passover.
The death of Jesus on the cross is so much a part of the
Jewish Passover Feast that we cannot separate the two. Dr. Scott Hahn’s book, The Fourth Cup is one
of the best references for us to study this.
In this book he shows us how our redemption followed a plan established
by God from the very beginning of time.
When Jesus celebrated the final Passover (which we call the last supper)
with His disciples it really wasn’t completed until His death on the cross. During that Last Supper Jesus gave us an
extraordinary gift, the gift of His own Body and Blood and Jesus instructed the
disciples to continue to give this gift.
The Church that Jesus formed was to continue to celebrate His sacrifice
and continue to give out His body and His blood to His people. It has been doing that for 2,000 years.
After Jesus died and ascended back to heaven, He gave another
gift to us all. He gave us the gift of
the Holy Spirit. This gift of the Holy
Spirit was given to strengthen us and to continue to help us in all that God
calls us to do. The gift of the Spirit
has been lavished upon us. Though the
Sacrament of Baptism, the gift of the Spirit is placed within us. In the Sacrament of Confirmation the fullness
of the Spirit and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are made manifest. Through the gift of the Sacrament of the Holy
Eucharist we are given the very body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus. We are empowered by Him and called to be
formed in His image. In the gift of the
Sacrament of Marriage and the Sacrament of Holy Orders we are again empowered
in to the Vocation that God calls us to.
When we are sick, the gift of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick
brings us healing. And when we turn away
from God and turn to sin, the Sacrament of Reconciliation forgives us and brings
us back to Him
All of the gifts that God gives us continue through the
precious gift of the Church. The Church
gave us the gift of the Bible and helps us to understand it. The Church gives us the gift of Tradition which
was (and still is) so venerated in Jewish life.
Tradition helps fill in what the Bible hasn’t given us. It helps us to understand where we have come
from and helps us to see that we are still the same Church founded by the
Apostles with Peter as the head. The
Church gives us the gift of its hierarchy, which continues (literally) what
Jesus has taught us. The present day
Pope is the 266th man who has sat on the chair of St. Peter. All of our bishops are spiritual descendents of
the twelve disciples. We can trace the
lineage of ordination right back to the early Church. As.000
great as the Church is, we are all still human
with human weaknesses. We have had some “bad”
Popes and Bishops, yet the Church continues on.
No other institution on earth has remained for 2000 years. Jesus was right when He said that the gates
of hell will not prevail against it.
In summary, God is the great giver of gifts that keep on giving. Our salvation is a precious gift that we celebrate every time we celebrate mass. Jesus, body, blood, soul and divinity is always present to us in the Eucharist. The Church is always present to us as Jesus’ own body here on earth. The Church is always giving us the gifts of the Sacraments and of God’s grace. The Church is always proclaiming the scriptures and teaching us how to live them out. There is no doubt that God has given us every good gift, and they keep on giving.
I’M CATHOLIC. NOW
WHAT? By Shaun McAfee – a book review
by Deacon Marty McIndoe
Shaun McAfee, founder of EpicPew.com, blogger at National
Catholic Register, contributor to Catholic Answers Magazine and many other
Catholic resources has written a new book published by Our Sunday Visitor. Personally I think that this is the best book
he has written; and I really enjoyed his other books. When I first saw the pre-publication
announcement for this book, I immediately put in an order for it. The title and description led me to believe
that this book would be a great resource for my parish RCIA program. I have been involved in the RCIA (Rite of
Christian Initiation of Adults) program for many years and know that those who
have gone through it need a really good resource book to continue their journey
after the time in the program has finished.
After reading this book I not only realized that the book is perfect for
that, but that the book is perfect for all Catholics on their journey of living
out the beauty of the Catholic faith.
The author of this book is a convert and has gone through
the RCIA process to become a Catholic.
How I wish that all of the people who go through RCIA become as good a
Catholic as Shaun and his wife have become.
Shaun’s overall knowledge of the Catholic faith and Catholic Theology (he
has a graduate degree from Holy Apostles College) is amazing. The way he lives out that faith with his wife
and family is even more amazing. Faith
is made to be put in to action and Shaun certainly does that. I have followed Shaun and his family on
Facebook for almost six years and although I have never met him in person, I
see the faith filled life that he leads.
That faith filled life pours over in to this book. Shaun tells us all the things we need to know
to be a good Catholic and he gives us personal examples of how to be a good
Catholic.
This 335 page book consists of 100 chapters that give us a
lot of information on the Catholic Church and why we do the things that we
do. I find it very refreshing that he
takes the times to not only tell us the things that we should be doing to be a
good Catholic, but also tells us why we do those things. He often refers to the Holy Scriptures as
well as the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
He also uses stories from the early church Fathers and the Saints to
explain. Besides that, he gives us plenty of personal examples
from his own life. He covers just about
everything that you can think of that speaks of Catholicism. He not only covers different topics but also
gives us things to do. For example, not
only do we learn about Baptism, but he also gives us ideas on how to celebrate
our Baptism day. He talks to us about
the priesthood and then encourages us to invite a priest over for dinner.
Shaun’s section on BEING A MODERN CATHOLIC has so much
richness to it when discussing evil, relativism (a must read), marriage,
sexuality, abortion, euthanasia, immigration, gossiping, giving, and
consumerism. His discussion of the
current sex abuse scandal and cover up is enlightening. He deals with all of the current issues in
the Church today. His way of facing
these issues clearly shows the HOPE that we as Catholics are called to
have. Shaun ends his book with a section
on EVANGELIZATION: IT’S FOR EVERYONE. The
chapters in this section remind us of our calling as Catholics to share the
Good News that we have received. He
explains the “New Evangelization” and encourages us to reach out to those
around us, especially to our children.
I highly recommend that ALL Catholics read this book. The book covers serious subjects but is very
easy to read. It is informative as well
as interesting. It is a wealth of
information on the Catholic faith. This
book is not only for those who have just recently come in to the Church,
although it is great for them, but it is for all of us on our journey towards
Jesus in His Church. We can all benefit
from the explanations and the suggestions that Shaun makes in this book. As I write this, we are approaching the
LENTEN season. I highly suggest that
every Catholic get this book and read it and study it and live it out for
Lent. It might be the best thing that
you ever did for Lent.
WOMEN AND THE POWER OF GOD – by Deacon Marty McIndoe
In Genesis we read, “When God created human beings, he made them in the likeness of God; he created them male and female.” Even though we call God “Our Father”, and Jesus was a man, I believe that the true likeness of God cannot be seen by just looking at the masculine; nor can it be seen by just looking at the feminine. To truly see the image of God we must look at both the masculine nature and the feminine nature of humankind. Throughout the scriptures there are plenty of examples of both but there does seem to be preponderance of the masculine. Too often the women of scripture are in the background and don’t get the attention that they deserve. This is probably due to social and cultural partiality. I want to bring to the reader’s attention some of the women of Scripture that show God’s power at work. Since there are so many, this article will be in three parts. One, the women of the Hebrew Scriptures; Two, the women of the New Testament; and Three, women Saints of the Church.
PART I – POWERFUL WOMEN OF THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES
EVE: In the creation
account, Eve is seen as the mother of the living. She is also seen as Adam’s companion and
helper. In Christian traditions, Eve is
the one who led Adam astray by sharing the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge with
him. When God confronts Adam about his
disobedience he blames not only Eve for his transgression but also blames God
for giving him Eve. Eve in turn blames
the serpent for tempting her to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. While it is easy to think of Eve as being
weak because of this, we must remember that Eve had to be a strong woman. She, according to the Genesis account, was
the first mother. She had no one else to
be an example of what motherhood was all about.
She had no mother to show her how to take care of her children. She had no other women friends to help
support her. In the Genesis account she
was the only mother. It is in her that
humanity receives life. The Church
traditionally recognizes Eve as a Saint, along with Adam and celebrates their
feast day on December 24th.
SARAH: Sarah was the
wife of Abraham and is the first woman mentioned in scripture after Eve. She had to be a strong woman to accompany
Abraham on his long journey to the Promised Land. She also was a woman with a good sense of
humor. When God told Abraham that he and
Sarah would bare a son, even though they were a century old, Sarah
laughed. However, she also was a woman
of faith because she took God at His Word.
The letter to the Hebrews tells us that, “By faith even Sarah herself
received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she
considered Him faithful who had promised.”
Can you imagine how much strength she would have to have to bring up
children at her age?
SHIPHRAH AND PUAH:
These two women were Hebrew mid-wives in Egypt who were ordered by
Pharaoh to kill the newborn Jewish boys when they were born. Pharaoh felt that the Jewish people were
getting too strong and too powerful so he ordered the midwives to kill the baby
boys. Shiphrah and Puah knew the sanctity of life
and did not do this and lied to Pharaoh about it. They knew that their stand on life could cost
them their own life, but they were strong enough to follow their conscience. They are a great example to us of people who
hold life sacred and of people who can stand up to an evil government through
civil disobedience. Because of them,
many Jewish lives were saved, including Moses.
SOBEKNEFRU: Was the
daughter of the Pharaoh who had ordered the Hebrew children killed. She is the woman who found the baby Moses
floating in a basket. She had the
strength and courage to go against her father and raise Moses as her own
child. Fortunately, she used Moses real
mother, Jochebed as the nursemaid.
Jochebed must have had a lot of strength and love for her son Moses to
disobey Pharaoh and keep her son alive.
MAHLAH, NOAH, HOGLAH, MILCAH AND TIRZAH – THE FIVE DAUGHTER
OF ZELOPHEHAD: Zelophehad was a
descendent of Joseph who left Egypt with Moses and died in the wilderness. He had five daughters and no sons. Under the Jewish law only sons could inherit
the property of their father. The five
daughters of Zelophehad went to Moses and Eleazar and petitioned them to change
the law. Through divine intervention, God
told Moses to give the land to the daughters and to change the law so that if
there were no male offspring, the estate could go to the daughters who would
rightfully own it. Because of the vision
and persistence of these women, Jewish law was changed forever. They had the strength to stand up against the
established leaders and fight for equality.
God honored their fight.
TAMAR: Tamar was
married to Judah’s son, Er. Er was a
wicked man and died and Judah asked his other son Onan to provide offspring for
Tamar (a Levirate union) so that the family line would continue. Onan slept with Tamar but because he didn’t
want her to have a child, he kept “spilling his seed on the ground”. Onan was more interested in a larger share
of Judah’s estate, than continuing the Family line. Tamar knew that it was necessary for the
family line to continue so she disguised herself as a prostitute and slept with
her father-in-law, Judah. He did not
recognize her. From that Union she
brought forth twin sons to continue the family line. The one son, Perez is an ancestor of Jesus. Even though Tamar’s action seems odd in today’s
world, Tamar received a great deal of respect from Judah for the bold thing
that she did. Not only was she strong
and bold to do this, but she was very bright to come up with a way to prove
that Judah was the father (read Genesis 38).
Because of her strength and cunning, the Davidic line continued on.
RAHAB: Rahab, who is
listed in the genealogy of Jesus, is a most unlikely person to be an
ancestor. First of all, she was not a
Jew but was a pagan Canaanite. Secondly,
she was a prostitute. Rahab lived in the
city of Jericho and when the Jewish people were ready to attack that city
Joshua sent in some spies. Rahab, was
quite intelligent, perceptive and well informed. She recognized the two Jewish spies and told
them that she had heard of their God and how He had set His people free from
the Egyptians. She told the spies that
all of the Canaanites were fearful of the Jews and their God. She even spoke a phrase of faith by saying, “For
the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below”. She told the spies that if they could spare
her and her family, she would help them.
Rahab went against her king and and her country and religion and she hid
the spies in her home. Because of this,
they were able to obtain tactical information.
The Jews conquered the city and spared Rahab and her family. Rahab later married a Jewish man and
continued the Davidic line to Jesus.
RUTH: During the time
of the Judges rule of Israel, there was a famine in the land. Elimelech and his wife Naomi left their home
in Bethlehem with their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion to go to the land of the
Moabites and escape the famine. They
were there several years and Elimelech died.
Both sons had married Moabite women.
Mahlon married Ruth and Chilion married Orpha. After about ten years both sons died and
Naomi decided to go back to her homeland.
She told both widowed daughters in laws to return to their families and
to remarry. Orpha did return to her
family, but Ruth decided to stay with Naomi and go back to Bethlehem. Ruth said to Naomi, “For wherever you go, I
will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and
your God my God.” Ruth went with Naomi
to Bethlehem. It must have been very
difficult for Ruth to leave her homeland and her family and to travel to an
unknown land. Her relationship to Naomi
and the witness of faith that Naomi provided gave her the strength to do go to
Bethlehem. There Ruth supported herself
and Naomi by gleaning in the fields of a man named Boaz. Boaz had heard of Ruth’s loyalty to her
mother in law and saw her great kindness.
He also saw her as a hard working woman.
Boaz was a close relative of Naomi’s deceased husband Elimelech. He bought the land that Elimelech had owned
and married Naomi. Together they had a
son named Obed and a grandson named Jesse who would be the father of King David.
HULDAH: Most of the
time when we think of Prophets, we think that they are all men. In the book of Kings, there is one female
Prophet named who was most important to the Jewish heritage. She was one of seven women prophets (Sarah,
Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail and Esther) mentioned in scripture. The scriptures tell us that Hidlah was a prophet
who the priests and royal officials would often consult. She could tell them of their fates and the
fates of surrounding nations. She spoke
stern commands to the leaders and was seen as someone who could determine if
writings were from God or not. When they
were rebuilding Solomon’s temple, a script was found and brought to Huldah to
determine if it was God’s Word. Huldah
declared that it was God’s Word and that the temple and people would suffer because
they had failed to follow it. She told
King Josiah that because of his repentance he would be spared. Her prophecies about destruction came
true. Huldah was a woman who could stand
up to anyone, commoner or king. She was
well respected for her gifts of discernment and was a woman who helped turn the
people back to God through repentance.
We can see that God chose these women, and many more
besides, to help continue the Line of David and to help bring people to
Him. Even in the Middle East several
thousand years ago, when women were seen as subservient to men, God used their
strength and their cunning and their faith to help build his Kingdom. This concludes Part I on the Hebrew
Scriptures (Old Testament). In a few
days we will take a look at Part II, Women of the New Testament.
Ever since we started hearing about the film on how Abby
Johnson left the abortion industry, my wife and I have been talking about
seeing it. I wasn’t completely positive what the theatre release was going to
be for the film, but over the last week, my wife kept seeing that it was going
to be in a theatre close to our home. At the beginning of the week, we decided
to go see the film on Thursday night. Not knowing what to expect, we entered
the theatre, watched the previews, and then, as the film began…our senses
were shocked.
Without giving away too much of the film, one of the first
scenes in the movie is a pivotal scene. It’s a scene that stays in your mind
throughout the film, and it rocks you again as the storyline of the film
catches back up with that scene. As I reflect on what we witnessed last night,
I can see very clearly the scene and still feel the raw emotions that came
pouring forth from my eyes and my heart. The last time I had tears in my eyes
in the film this much was when I watched the Passion of the Christ.
Tears poured from my eyes and down my cheeks for nearly ¾ of this film.
I found this film difficult at times to watch, but also
realized that it must be seen by as many people as possible on both sides of
this debated subject. The film is truly a testimony of love, mercy and
forgiveness. Although I could put into words exactly what I mean by those three
points, it would be better if you went and saw the film yourself. I can tell
you that my wife and I held hands nearly the entire film, especially in the
scenes that are truly hard to endure. Thoughts of my unborn child growing in my
wife’s womb flooded my mind different times in the film and I often looked over
at my wife and her bump/belly.
As a Catholic man, who is now a husband, and soon-to-be
father, one point that kept coming back to me (and my wife and I talked about
it in the car on the way home) was the unshakable support and love that Abby’s
husband gave to her, even loving her and marrying her when they had opposing
views on Abortion. I personally know Doug, and although I don’t know him
incredibly well, what I do know of him was reflected in this film perfectly. He
is the unshakable foundation of his family and rock that always has Abby’s
back.
I highly encourage
you to see the film this weekend. Opening weekends and the first week for
films are important because it will determine if the film will remain in the
theaters on a long-term basis. If you have children that are 17 years of age
and under and you are hesitant to bring them to this film, let me say that the
“R-Rating” this film was given is a farce. I have seen more graphic images in
PG-13 films than what is in this one. Furthermore, there are more graphic
images of aborted babies online than in this film.
If you have the means to do so, I would also encourage you
to support 40 Days For Life and Abby’s
organization, And Then There Were None.
Get involved with your local Pro-Life activities and pray, pray, pray for end
to Abortion.
I actually purchased this book about a year and a half ago
but due to selling one home, putting things in storage for 17 months and then
moving in to a new home, I “lost” it and recently found it and read it. What an interesting book! I am so glad that I finally found it. I believe you will be glad too when you find
one and read it.
THE TABLE is a book that jumps back and forth from biblical times
to modern times. The link is a very
special table that the grandfather of Jesus made as a result of a miracle. It seems that blessings and miracles and
peace seem to follow the table and those who own it. I really don’t want to give you a complete
synopsis of the book because there are a number of surprises in the book that I
don’t want to spoil for you. Suffice it
to say that the table that Jesus’ grandfather made was not only a miracle in
its time, but continued to bring miracles to people who struggled with everyday
life.
I found the book to be difficult to put down. It was intriguing on so many levels. Deacon Lambert is a great writer who knows how
to weave a great story. The characters,
whether they are from the biblical time, or from the modern time, are
interesting, very human, and very likeable.
I especially liked how he portrayed Jesus and His family. Some of the writing made me feel like I was
reading an expanded Gospel that was written to fill in some of the details left
out by the scriptures. He did the same
in writing about the early Church figures.
When reading about the biblical times, you actually felt like you were
there.
The figures in the modern time were wonderful. They were people that you could most definitely
relate to. Their fears and hurts and
successes were ones that we too could have experienced. In the midst of both tragedy and elation, the
characters were so very human and believable.
I found myself rooting for them at the various parts of their life and
tearing up for them at their difficult times.
This book certainly brought out many emotions for me.
This historical fiction provides not only great
entertainment, but also serves as a way to grow spiritually. It is a book for all people, but most
certainly will speak very loudly to Catholics with its description of the mass
and sacraments. You cannot help but to
read this book and see God at work in the lives of the characters and transfer
that in to your own life. God is very
much alive and at work in this book. I
see it as a great gift for those who have fallen away from the faith. They will find the book so interesting that
they can’t put it down, and at the same time have their own spirituality
awakened. I believe that this is the
first published book by Deacon Dennis Lambert.
I am anxiously awaiting another one by him.
From Selling Abortions To Sidewalk Counseling – by Doug
Johnson
For the entire 8 years my wife was involved with Planned
Parenthood, her primary job was to sell an abortion to every pregnant woman who
walked into the clinic. Even as a volunteer, Abby’s job was to make women feel
safe and comfortable as they walked through the doors of Planned Parenthood for
their abortion. No matter what her title was, the push was always for abortion,
because that is where the money is. When she was an escort, get them in the
door. When she was working the front counter, smile, tell them the protesters
are nuts, and get the money. When she was in charge of community outreach, Abby
was passing out condoms to coeds, giving “sex ed” talks that resulted in new
customers, and doing everything she could to normalize abortion. Finally, when
she became the clinic director, here’s your abortion quota, Abby!!!
Abby’s first priority and passion project when she left the
abortion industry was praying outside of clinics and sidewalk counseling. It
wasn’t speaking or writing a book. It wasn’t her movie or starting a ministry
to help other clinic workers leave the abortion industry. All that came later.
What really motivated her was the opportunity to come face to face with women
and sharing the truth about abortion. To tell them what really happens behind
the doors of an abortion clinic. She racked up a lot of hours in that first
year. I’m not sure why, but it was well over a year before I ever even got to
see her live and in action outside of a clinic. The first time I saw Abby get a
save… I was in awe. I was inspired. I couldn’t have prepared for how powerful
that moment would be and the impact it would have on me supporting my wife
moving forward.
It was going to be a normal Saturday with my wife. We were
headed to the Austin area in Texas for some reason or another. Who knows?
Probably to see friends and maybe do some house hunting. Before we could get to
the fun stuff, we needed to stop and drop some materials off with volunteers
outside of the Whole Women’s Health in Austin. There were a couple of familiar
faces outside the clinic praying, and they told Abby that they were performing
abortions that day. Whelp, our leisurely day was going to have to take a pause.
It was go time for Abby.
“Ok. Then we are staying until the last customer
leaves.”
Now, I had zero experience in this department. I could pray,
but I wasn’t about to try my hand at sidewalk counseling. I stood back by the
road and watched Abby go to work. The CONFIDENCE she had to call out to
everyone that walked in? I was blown away. She knew what to say, how to say it,
and how to respond to anything that came her way. I mean, I have always known
Abby is a bad-ass, but this was just a cool moment.
We had only been there for about 30 minutes when a couple
pulled into the lot and parked right behind the fence facing the sidewalk. A
woman stepped out of the passenger side and made a b-line for the building. Her
head down and she was clinching her purse. My wife didn’t have an opportunity
to say anything to her because just as she was scurrying off, her husband was
pointing a finger at us and the first words out of his mouth where…
“You know what? You guys are assholes! You are wasting
you’re time and you can’t change my mind!!”
At first, I took this as a personal affront to my wife. How
dare this dude address my wife and the other women like that?! Fortunately, I
had seen my bride handle confrontation before. Still, I positioned
myself just close enough to hear the conversation, but not close enough to
escalate things. Besides, I could tell that he was only being protective of his
wife. I’m sure he told his wife to hurry in while he distracted us. He didn’t
actually want to get into a fight with anyone. Either way, if he was just
running interference, he chose the wrong gal to wag his finger at, because it
was Abby’s turn to talk.
I don’t remember any exact words. I don’t even remember if
Abby started with her experiences in the abortion industry, or if she asked if
that was his wife, or if she asked him why he automatically assumed that she’s
an “asshole.” She may have started out asking what year his Camero was.
My memory picks up somewhere in the middle. Abby managed to keep him engaged in
idle conversation and it didn’t take long for his aggressive tone to fade. I
remember him saying that the woman was his wife, this wasn’t their first
abortion, and that he was a professional MMA fighter. Then I remember Abby
asking him about the medallions he wore around his neck. They were saints and
they were given to him by his aunt. Abby asked him what his aunt would think
about him being here for an abortion, and he said she would be pretty
disappointed. I’ll never forget the next thing that came out of his mouth…
“I actually DON’T want her to have an abortion,
but it’s up to her, right?”
In my brain, there were thousands of voices yelling, NO!!!
It is not just up to her!!! That is your wife and child in there. That is your
family. If you’re a fighter, then why don’t you go in there and fight for your
family. I bet she is in there waiting for you to man up and lead. Tell her you
want a family. Tell her you’re committed . Just say something. Anything!! Don’t
just leave her alone to figure this out.
Abby handled it much better than I would have. She asked him
if he had told her about his objection to her getting an abortion. He said, no.
Abby told him, “You need to share your feelings with her. She is your WIFE
and this is a conversation you need to have before it’s too late. Go be her
husband. She needs you.”
They didn’t say much more before he went in to talk to his
wife. About an hour later, they walked out holding hands and looking very at
ease. She still didn’t say anything to us, but she smiled at Abby as she got
into the car. He looked like he was going to get into the car without saying
anything, but he paused. He told us that they were going to lunch and they
weren’t coming back. They had decided AGAINST getting an abortion. Abby just
smiled and congratulated them. He nodded at us and got in the car. They drove
away, and we never saw them again.
I was in such awe of what I had just seen. My wife, a woman
that had spent so many years selling abortions had just saved a life. So this
is what conversion and change of heart looks like. So this is what it looks
like when God recruits you and you accept. You get to save lives.
On a side note: I HATE that even in an equal partnership, men feel silenced about abortion. I guess that’s why I remember this story so well. Men should have a say on the issue of abortion. Not just pro-abortion men. Not just anti-abortion men. ALL MEN!!! Maybe if we stepped up our game, women would feel more supported and never even consider abortion if they knew we were committed. I believe women should lead the conversation, but that doesn’t exclude men in their responsibilities regarding families and abortion.
One Beautiful Dream by Jennifer Fulwiler – review by Deacon
Marty McIndoe
When I heard that Jennifer Fulwiler had published a new
book, I knew I had to have it and read it as soon as I could. A few years ago, I read her book,” Something
Other Than God”, and absolutely loved it.
She is a gifted writer and her second book continues to show how gifted
she is. I found it hard to put down,
funny and thought provoking. Her
subtitle to this new book is The Rollicking Tale of Personal Passions, Family
Chaos, and Saying Yes to Them Both. The
subtitle is a great description of her book.
It tells the story of her raising six children while trying to write a
book.
For those of you who do not know Jennifer’s story, she is a
former atheist whom God touched and led in to the Catholic Church. You should read her first book “Something
Other Than God” to find out this great story.
Jennifer is also a daily radio host on Sirius XM channel 129 as well as
a noted speaker and columnist. She also
describes herself as “Mother of six with zero of the skills needed to manage a
home”. I would add that she is a gifted
writer with an ability to describe life situations in ways that can only make
you laugh, and sometimes cause you to shed a tear.
The beauty of her new book is that not only is it funny and
interesting and hard to put down; it shows us all how it is possible to
accomplish a sense of personal accomplishment in the midst of being a good,
albeit struggling, parent. I love what
the book does for both men and women who find it hard to balance family life
and work life. It shows how you can
incorporate both into personal satisfaction.
This book will definitely challenge any man or woman who puts work ahead
of family. However, it does show that a
true balance can be made that will be very satisfying.
To be perfectly truthful, when I first started reading this
book I thought it was mainly a book for women.
I even said that to my wife and told her that I knew she would enjoy
it. However, after reading the book for
a while, I saw that it is for men and women.
Jennifer describes how her lifelong desire to write a book seemed to
interfere with her sense that God was calling her to have a large family. On many occasions her husband Joe was the
needed instrument to help her learn to be able to do both. At the same time Joe had to learn how to
balance his work (and advancements) to fit in to their family life. Personally I see Joe as a real hero in this
story. There is no doubt that Jennifer
is the one who had to struggle and work so hard, but it was with Joe at her
side and often encouraging her. This book
does so much to show what marriage and family life is supposed to be, even the
messy parts of it.
The book also shows how Jennifer discovers that family is
not just her and Joe and their six children, but extends to grandparents, great
grandparents and friends and neighbors
and even to young girls ringing the door bell and running away (usually at the
most inopportune times). Jennifer learns
that she can’t do everything by herself and it is then that family life begins
to grow. She learns how to involve her
children in her writing career. She also
learns how to involve other family and friends in what she does. In doing this she discovers that having a
large family is a lot more than giving birth to many children.
I love how Jennifer is able to make us all laugh at some of the disheveled things that life throws at us. I also like the way her faith comes forth without being preachy. She shows herself in her weaknesses and in her strengths and we can’t help but to love her in both. In an age where many couples have no children, or only one or two, this books delights us with the interactions of six children and the fulfillment they bring to their parents. Jennifer is often confronted by friends and strangers for having such a large family. I find this so sad. Large families are a real gift that society doesn’t seem to appreciate any more. Jennifer and Joe wanted a large family and God gave them one. Jennifer and Joe use Natural Family Planning and Jennifer does a great job sharing how NFP has been a positive influence on their marriage. This book certainly shows us how two people, working together in the gift of marriage, can find both personal fulfillment and family fulfillment. There is no doubt that this is a book that I would highly recommend reading. It is printed by Zondervan. I bought my copy on Amazon Prime.
Our Lord knew that life could be difficult at times, as well
as joyful. We were created not to be a
person just to ourselves, but rather a person who reacts with other
people. This way we have someone to
share the joyful moments with as well as someone to help us in the difficult
moments. In our relationships with
others we often form communities. These
communities can be a source of sharing great joy as well as a support for times
when life is difficult. Communities can
take on different forms. I recently was
contemplating the gift of community at a time when very good friends (and
members of one of our communities) lost their daughter. It was most difficult for our friends, but
the gift of community really came forth.
I would like to share with you some of the ways that I have experienced this
community in action. My hope is this
will help you to better appreciate the gift of community in your own life. The old adage; “it takes a village to raise a
child” is an old African proverb but certainly relates to all of us today. I would change that a little to say, “it
takes a community to raise and support a Christian”.
My first experience of Christian Community happened in
1972. My wife and I started going to a
Catholic Charismatic prayer meeting.
That experience brought me to know Jesus and His Church and the gift of
community. The prayer group was one
where I experienced joy, teachings and support.
We met every week and I looked forward to going every time. We prayed together in the church and often had
a teaching there; afterwards many of us would go over to the diner across the
street just to socialize. Because of my
relationship with that prayer group, and with Jesus, my marriage became what it
really needed to be. My wife and I grew
in our relationship as we grew in our relationship in the prayer group and our
relationship to Jesus and His Church. My
wife and I had difficulties having children and this weighed heavily upon our
relationship. The prayer group was a
great support to us and I believe it was through the prayers there that we
received the miracle of our daughter.
The prayer group always shared with us our pains as well as our
joys. It was quite a gift.
We continued in weekly prayer groups until the early 1980’s
when we were invited to join a prayer community called “My people”. This continued in the same way as the prayer
meeting, but with closer ties of friendship.
We prayed together and we did things to have fun together. The friends that I mentioned earlier are part
of that community. All of us watched our
children grow in to adults and then watched as our children had children. It was a source of great joy. At the same time there were many
difficulties, from run-away teenagers to car accidents to deaths of spouses to
all sorts of things that happened.
However, we were able to experience it all together. We were able to lend support to each
other. Over and over again, God used
this community to bring His loving support to us.
Over the 40 years that this community has existed, some
members retired and moved away (down south).
Every year we have a community retreat and most of those who moved away
come up for that retreat here on Long Island.
In some ways it was as if they never left. We were, and are, all one community. Those of us who still live on Long Island
still meet regularly for our community prayer meeting. We also maintain other social ties to one
another. Last month, when we heard about
the sudden death of one couple’s 45 year old daughter, we were devastated. However, the community pulled together to
support them in so many ways. Even those
who moved away came up from the south to be there for the funeral. We stayed with the family at the funeral home
the whole time they were there. We were,
literally, “there for them”. I could
tell how much it was a support to them.
I also noticed at the funeral another example of
community. Our friend’s daughter was an
EMT for a local ambulance company. They
too came out in great numbers each day of the funeral. They also provided a funeral dinner for
everyone after the last service. Their
support was encouraging to all of us and especially to the parents. We saw that many parishioners from our
friend’s parish came too. The funeral
mass was quite full. After the mass, the
hearse drove past the hospital where our friend’s daughter worked in the
Emergency Room. It seemed that every
worker in the hospital came outside to give her their last goodbye. It was amazing to see how such a tragic loss
of a young woman could also show so much good from the people around her. Community is quite a gift that God uses to
support us.
We can find community in our families, in our local parish,
in our work, in our neighborhood, in our volunteer agencies…….in so many
different places. Sometimes we need to
work on building these communities into something that God can use to help us
all experience life with its joys and with its sorrows. Anything that is good, takes a little work.
I would ask you to look around at the communities that you
are part of and give thanks to God for them.
Perhaps you can find ways to grow closer to each other in these
communities. Perhaps you can see in your
family and in your co-workers ways to grow in community. Church groups can be a fantastic way to
experience community. My wife and I,
besides belonging to the “My People” charismatic community also belong to the
Teams of Our Lady group in our parish.
We cherish those monthly meetings with them and the gift of community
there. I cannot picture life without these
communities. Proverbs 27:17 tells us, “As
iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”. We
really need community to bring out the best in us. Hebrews 10;25-25 tells us, “ And let us
consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in
the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the
Day approaching. “
When we are in community we can experience better what it
means to be “the people of God”. 1
Peter 2:9-19 tells us, “But you are
a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession,
that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his
wonderful light. Once you were not a
people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but
now you have received mercy”. Community
is also where we all can experience being the “body of Christ”. Matthew 18:20 tells us that, “For
where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” I Corinthians 12:12-13 says, “Just as a body,
though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with
Christ. For we were all baptized by one
Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we
were all given the one Spirit to drink”.
My friends, let us all drink of the one Spirit and use all the gifts that God gives to us, especially the gift of community.
Today (originally published Jan 4th) is the memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first Native born American saint of the Catholic Church. She was born in New York in the year 1774 to a wealthy and prosperous Episcopalian family. In 1794, she married a young successful man by the name of William Magee Seton. They would have 5 children together. Due to unforeseen circumstances, he lost his fortune and eventually his health. They traveled to Italy to find a cure for his physical ailments, but in the end, he died while living in Italy.
During her time in Italy, she became familiar with
Catholicism through some friends and eventually made a Profession of Faith in
the Catholic Church on March 14, 1805. Her family and friends back home were
completely opposed to her becoming Catholic, but she persevered through it all.
After returning home, she found herself in financial ruin because her family
and friends shunned her decision to become Catholic.
After receiving an invitation from a priest, she established
the first Catholic school in Baltimore in 1808. In 1809, she created a small
community of religious sisters in Emmitsburg, Maryland. At first, they were
known as the Sisters of St. Joseph, but eventually changed their name to the
Daughters of Charity. From the moment, she became known as Mother Seton. Her
small religious community grew exceptionally in 100 years going from Baltimore
to New York, then to Cincinnati, Halifax, New Jersey, Greensburg, and St.
Louis. From there, the community continued to spread West. They have been in my
diocese, Phoenix, since 1933.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton died on January 21, 1821 in
Emmitsburg, Maryland. She was beatified in 1963 by Pope St. John XXIII.
On September 14, 1975, she was canonized by Pope St. Paul VI.
Below are 10 Quotes from the great American Catholic Saint
known as Mother Seton –
1. Devotional Reading: “Give some time, if it is
only half an hour in every day, to devotional reading, which is as necessary to
the well ordering of the mind as the hand of the gardener is to prevent weeds
destroying your favorite flowers.”
2. Faith, Hope, and Love: “Faith lifts the
staggering soul on one side, Hope supports it on the other. Experience says it
must be, and Love says let it be.”
3. Going to the Catholic Church: “I will go
peaceably and firmly to the Catholic Church: for if Faith is so important to
our salvation, I will seek it where true Faith first began, seek it among those
who received it from God Himself.”
4. Heaven: “The gate of heaven is very low; only
the humble can enter it.”
5. God’s will before our will: “’Thy will be
done’ – What a comfort and support those four little words are to my soul. I
have repeated them until they are softened to the sweetest harmony.”
6. Parental Advice: “If I had to advise parents,
I should tell them to take great care about the people with whom their children
associate…Much harm can result from bad company, and we are inclined by nature
to follow what is worse than what is better.”
7. Penance: “Penance is the purifier of the
soul.”
8. Suffering: “This is not a country for
solitude and silence, but for warfare and crucifixion. You are not to stay in
his silent agonies of the Garden at night, but go from post to pillar, to the
very fastening of the Cross. If you suffer so much the better for our high
journey above.”
9. Illness/Suffering: “I never experienced so
keenly the presence of this beloved Lord as I have since I have been ill. It is
as if I were seeing the good Jesus, Him, and His holy Mother, here, continually
seated at my side, under a visible form, to console me, cheer me, and to
encourage me throughout all the hours of my long and painful suffering.”
10. Serving God: “This union of my soul with God
is my wealth in poverty and joy in deepest afflictions.
When you read the Bible, you can sometimes see a hierarchy in the way things are listed. For example, each list of the twelve apostles shows Peter first and Judas last.
There’s another hierarchy you can find in the Old Testament: the Ten Commandments. The initial three, often depicted by themselves on one stone tablet, deal with our relationship with God. And the very first one is the most important: “I am the Lord thy God; Thou shalt not have other gods before me.”
Further down the list, we see the hierarchy still in play. “Thou shalt not kill” is obviously more important than the prohibition against adultery, which is greater than the one against stealing, which in turn is more important than not lying. And you can see how those are of more concern than coveting, whether of your neighbor’s spouse or goods.
But then there’s this one Commandment that seems—at least by today’s standards–to throw a monkey wrench into the whole idea of such a hierarchy.
“Honor thy father and thy mother.”
It’s the fourth Commandment, right after keeping the Lord’s day holy and right above “Thou shalt not kill.”
Really? Honoring one’s parents is more important than not committing murder?
Yet that’s where God chose to place that Commandment. And God doesn’t make mistakes.
You’d never know, by watching any current television program, that God gives it such weight. When, for example, is the last time you saw a TV show in which a child honored his parents?
Instead, parents, it seems, are supposed to honor their kids, bending over backwards to win their children’s affection. Nowadays parents—especially conservative ones—are portrayed as idiots who need to learn how to love. A parent is supposed to not only accept but honor his child’s life choices, even if he is constantly breaking the sixth Commandment by having sex without the benefit of marriage. Anybody who doesn’t is portrayed as a cruel, doddering old fool standing in the way of true love.
Of course we should all show respect for each other, but I honestly don’t think parents honoring their kids’ sinfulness is what God had in mind when He wrote that Commandment, and especially when he chose to place it where He did.
But I digress. What I should really be looking at is how well I myself have kept that Commandment.
I have to admit I went through those ridiculous teenage years in which I thought my parents weren’t terribly bright–as if my life experience was so much greater that I knew better than they did. Mom and Dad, whom, when I was little, I had accepted as almost God-like, suddenly didn’t know their right from their left. How lucky for them that they had a teenage daughter who could set them straight.
Of course, as I got older, I realized I was the one who hadn’t been so bright.
As Mark Twain once put it, “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.”
Both of my parents are gone now. Dad died in 2001, and Mom followed him five years later. Sometimes I wish I could go back and show them the honor and respect I should have.
After all, God seems to think such honor is very important indeed.
If we asked most Catholics who Mary’s parents were they would probably answer Anna and Joachim. But if we look in the Holy Bible there is no mention of Mary’s birth or the name of her parents. So how do we know their names? The simple answer is through tradition. As Catholics, we believe that God reveals His truths to us through the Holy Bible AND through tradition. Tradition was sacred to the Jews (we all know that great song from Fiddler on the Roof) and is also sacred to us. St. Paul tells us to “stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter” (2 Thess. 2:15).
On September 8th we celebrate the birthday of Mary. This is exactly nine months after we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th. This feast was celebrated no later than the 6th century. An eastern Saint, St. Romanos, a deacon who composed numerous liturgical songs, wrote a hymn celebrating the birthday of Mary. The hymn was quite popular and used in liturgies to celebrate the birthday of Mary which helped lead us to the feast day. The Eastern Churches first celebrated it and then within a century the Roman Church celebrated it. St. Romanos relied heavily upon the apocryphal writing, The Protoevangelium of St. James, in composing the lyrics to his hymn on the Nativity of Mary.
As an apocryphal writing, we must realize that the Church decided that this book was not inspired as scripture and it was not placed in the canon of the bible. However, this writing has been seen as a good source of tradition from the earliest times of the Church. Most scholars believe that it was composed around 145 AD. Because of this, and the language structure, we know that St. James did not write it. However it came from an area where St. James had followers and there may be some things passed on from him in the writing. In view of all of this, and with a certain amount of caution, I would like to share some of the points covered in the Protoevangelium concerning Mary and her birth and upbringing.
The Protoevangelium does repeat many items found in the scriptures concerning Mary and the birth of Jesus. But it adds details prior to that not mentioned in the sacred scriptures. It tells us that her parents were named Joachim and Anna and that Joachim and Anna were unable to conceive for many years and that both of them became depressed at not being able to have children. It tells us that Joachim became so depressed that he went out to the desert to live in solitude in a tent where he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights pleading with God. At the same time, Anna grieved not having Joachim with her and not being able to become pregnant. She prayed that God would bless her as He had blessed Sarah with Isaac. The Protoevangelium tells us that an angel appeared to Anna and told her that God had heard her prayer and that “you shall conceive and bring forth; and your seed shall be spoken of in all the world”.
About the same time, an angel appeared to Joachim and told him that God had heard his prayers. He was told to go to Anna and that Anna would conceive a child. Nine months later Anna gave birth to a little girl and they name her Mary. The Protoevangelium tells us that at the birth Anna said, “My soul has been magnified this day.” The writings go on to say that Mary walked at six months old. When she was one year old, Joachim held a great birthday feast for Mary and invited the priests, scribes and elders and all the people of Israel. The priests blessed Mary saying, “O God of our fathers, bless this child and give her an everlasting name to be named in all generations”.
The Protoevangelium tells us that at the age of three Joachim and Anna took Mary to the temple to be raised there hoping that her heart would be captivated by the Temple. When they gave her to the priest he kissed her and blessed her saying, “The Lord has magnified your name in all generations. In you, on the last of the days, the Lord will manifest His redemption to the sons of Israel.” The priest put her down on the third step and the grace of God came upon her and Mary danced with joy and the people loved her.
The Protoevangelium goes on to tell us that Mary stayed in the temple until she was 12 years old. At that time the chief priest received a visit from an angel while in the Holy of Holies telling him to assemble the widowers of the people and that God would give a sign as to which widower He chose for Mary. When all of the widowers assembled the High Priest again prayed to God for a sign to show which widower would receive Mary as his wife. When a dove appeared and landed on Joseph’s head, the high priest declared him to be the one who was chosen. At first Joseph declined saying that he had children and was an old man and it wasn’t good for him to take such a young girl. The chief priest reminded Joseph that it was God’s will and Joseph said to Mary, “Behold I have received you from the temple of the Lord; and now I leave you in my house and go away to build my buildings, and I shall come to you. The Lord will protect you”.
As interesting as all this is, we must remember that the Church refused to recognize the Protoevangelium as sacred scripture. We cannot be sure of any truth found here, but as I said earlier, this is a very early writing that passes on at least some of the tradition handed down about our beloved mother, Mary. It might help us imagine a little better the life of the most significant woman who ever walked the earth (and rule in Heaven). Hail Mary full of grace…….
As Saint Augustine said, “She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley. Through her birth the nature inherited from our first parents is changed.”
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOTHER MARY….WE LOVE YOU
The wedding night of Sarah and Tobias by Jan Steen
One of the greatest dangers with new age thinking on the angels is actually as old as the oldest stories in the world. It is the confusion of earthly things with heavenly things; it is the confusion of the things that are below with the things that properly find their home above. And so one finds in the ancient world men bowing their heads and bending the knee to the very things that were beneath their feet. The soil, the stone, the wood taken from the tree; these very earthly items could and often did become idols because we mistook and misunderstood their participation in creation. And the more the thing from below seemed to participate in God’s beauty or power or knowledge, the more this confusion embedded itself in our common experience.
We still do this today don’t we? We find ourselves enraptured by the film and we forget quite easily that there is in fact a mind that brought it into being. Something captivates us about the human child, and we forget very often that it is only with the mystery of man and woman (and of course the hand of God) that this little one came about.
And when something evil stands before us, we can also and quite easily forget about its source, about its role in creation, and what it is meant to be but is no longer; and we can instead get lost in its beauty, its secret knowledge it too easily gives, and the power with which it enables us.
Think back to that creature Moloch, the being who demanded child sacrifice in the early books of the Old Testament. Think back to the Judaic understanding of what they called Mastema, a personality who seemed to walk among the heavens but only cast his thoughts to the destruction of those below. Think back to the Biblical Belial, who if the ancients were right, concerned himself with bestowing the greatest of knowledge on humanity to offend God and all his precepts. Think also of Tobias’ adversary Asmodeus, a powerful figure who according to tradition could topple even King Solomon, only to be bound in the end by the greater and more glorious figure of Raphael.
Why in each of these cases were people fooled? Why in each of these cases did men and women like you and I fall to their influence?
You see there it is again, we mistake the lower for the higher. Demons are angels by nature but now they have lost their footing. Demons are beautiful, powerful, knowledgeable, but now, far from being a signpost that leads to God, they are instead one of the greatest stumbling blocks for those who are seeking God on the path that is life.
Demons continue to fool people because of what they were made to be; but they lead people away from God by what we in our desperation want them to do for us.
And here is the great danger of not knowing your Faith. For an angel might propose a path that is different from the one Jesus gives; and simply because they still smell of heaven, you might make the mistake of following them.
Why can’t people discern the heavenly angel from the fallen, demonic one, especially in new age thinking and teaching? Why do people set up ‘angel altars’ and call upon these divine beings through mediums, and play a game with giants while we are all clearly out of our league?
It’s simple really. Too many of us continue to look down.
There is so much emphasis today on taking care of the body. I just read a statistic from STATISTIC BRAIN that says Americans spend about 24 BILLION dollars on annual gym and health club memberships each year. That is a lot of money! People go to health food stores and shop for healthy products. This is quite commendable. The body is a very special gift that God has given to us and we should take good care of it. What I find disturbing is that people are often very concerned with the physical body and forget about the true wholeness of who we are. We, as a person, consist of so much more than just the physical body. We have a mind that needs to be taken care of, and a spiritual side that needs to also be cared for. Unless we properly feed and exercise all three parts of our person, we will suffer. I would like to take a look at the body, mind and the spirit and how we can help them to grow healthy. I see three main things to consider: Intake, Avoidance and Exercise. I will look at all of these in relation to the body, the mind and the spirit.
BODY – The body is a wonderful creation. It gives us mobility, sight, hearing, touch, sex and reproduction and the ability to experience so much in God’s creation. Anyone who studies the body quickly realizes that it is a complex mechanism. God knew what He was doing when He created our body. It is up to us to keep the body what it is meant to be. In order to do that, we need to consider three main things:
1 – Intake: The foods and drinks that we take in should be healthy for us. We really should be eating whole grain foods, and lots of fruits and vegetables and nuts. There is a lot to be said for true organic foods as well as healthy meats. Our body also needs a great deal of water. Water not only replenishes the body but also helps to remove toxins.
2 – Avoidance: Fast foods, processed foods, “recreational” drugs, soda. Red meats should be kept at a minimum and only healthy oils such as Olive and Canola oils should be used. It is also good to keep alcoholic beverage to low or moderate use.
3 – Exercise: Walking, running, swimming and aerobic exercises are very important. Weight lifting is also a positive thing to do.
MIND – There is a saying that “the mind is a terrible thing to waste”. This slogan was adopted by the United Negro College Fund in 1972. It was actually one of the most successful campaigns in television history. The saying is so true. Our mind needs to be educated and stimulated. There is no doubt that the mind/brain is very complex. It, like the body, needs sustenance, avoidance and exercise.
1 – Intake: The brain/mind is made to take in as much information as possible. For me that means reading good books and studying various subjects. I take many various courses, both online and in person. I also read many different types of books and I love researching things on the internet.
2 – Avoidance: Pornography is a very serious assault on what the mind is meant to do. Spending time mesmerized in front of the television is also counterproductive.
3 – Exercise: When you are reading you are definitely exercising the brain. When you study for courses you are exercising the brain. When you just take time to think, you are exercising the brain. Things like cross word puzzles are great too.
SPIRIT – The “thing” that gives us our personhood is the Spirit or Soul. This is the most precious gift of all. With that we are like God in that we will live forever. The Spirit is ultimately what is in charge of the body and the mind. It works along with the mind to bring us thoughts and reason. It lifts us up to far above the ordinary. This Spirit needs Intake, Avoidance and Exercise too.
1 – Intake: There is no doubt that graces are given to our Spirit by the sacraments of the Church. Baptism starts the journey and the Holy Eucharist is food for the Spirit. Confirmation strengthens the work of the Spirit within us and gives us many gifts. The Sacrament of Reconciliation can lift the Spirit out of the difficulties that sin causes us. Holy Orders and Matrimony empower our Spirit to work in the vocation that God calls us to. Even the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick heals the Spirit as it heals the body. For me, the reception of the Eucharist each day is my daily bread that enlivens my Spirit. The sacrifice of the mass, and participating in it, again lifts our Spirit. The pondering of God’s Word in the Bible feeds the Spirit.
2 – Avoidance: We must stay away from the occult, even things such as Ouija boards. We must stay away from all the temptations of the Devil.
3 – Exercise: We should make ourselves available to all of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We should read and pray the bible. We should spend a considerable amount of time each day in prayer. Specialized prayers such as the rosary and divine mercy chaplet are great forms of spiritual exercise. The Church’s Liturgy of the Hours is a fantastic way to pray. I always recommend that people find a Spiritual Director.
In conclusion, we must remember that the Body, Mind and Spirit are all so interconnected that failure to take care of any one of them may harm the whole person that we are. Because of this interconnection, some things that I mentioned in one subject will actually help not only in that subject but in others as well. We are one unbelievable miracle and creation of God. We must take care of who we are.
Romans 12: 1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
