CONVERSION and LENT – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

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On January 25th I wrote about the conversion of St. Paul and how he went from being a good Jew who persecuted Christians to being a Christian himself. This was a major change and a significant conversion experience. For most of us, our conversion is not as dramatic as St. Paul’s. However, I do believe that we are all in need of continual conversion and Lent is the perfect time to do this. By continual conversion (or ongoing conversion) I mean that we recognize that conversion is an ongoing process where we hear the call of Jesus to be more like him. We don’t do this all at once, it takes time and effort to even try to be more like him. As Christians, we have the responsibility to follow our Lord Jesus and to try, to the best we can, to be Christ-like. I cannot think of any better time than Lent to try to accomplish this.

The last three weeks we have looked at the three pillars (or disciplines) of Lent; Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. Keeping in mind that these are essential to our growing close to the Lord, and thus being more like Him, we must keep these as our base. There are many other things that we can do to become more like Jesus. I would suggest that we take a look at these and try to put them in to practice also. Lent is definitely a time for us to turn away from sin and to be faithful to the Gospel message of Jesus. The Lenten season is filled with many graces, or gifts from God, to help us accomplish our goal. Here is a partial list of ways to obtain these gifts, or graces, from God. By doing these, we can’t help but to draw closer to God and to become more like Jesus.

1 – Read the scriptures: I would suggest using the Church’s readings of the day. This is easy to do, especially if you have access to a computer or smart phone. There are many smart phone apps to bring you the daily readings, and some that offer a commentary. Even an easy Google search for readings of the day can be done. Try to start with ones from Catholic sources like the USCCB (US Conference of Catholic Bishops); EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) founded by Mother Angelica; Vatican News; Catholic Online and others. Reading the scriptures and reading their Catholic commentaries will give you a familiarity with Jesus, so you can get to know Him and follow Him.

2 – Attend Mass as often as you can. The mass has two parts: The Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. In the liturgy of the Word we concentrate on the scriptures and in the Liturgy of the Eucharist we concentrate on the Pascal sacrifice and actually receive the Body and Blood of Jesus. We partake of His very presence and He leads and guides us to grow closer to Him. There was a famous nutritional quote from a nineteenth century Frenchman made popular in the US by author Adele Davis, “You are what you eat”. I personally think that this fits so well to the Eucharist. It helps us to become Jesus present to others.

3 – Attend a retreat. I you have the time and money to go to a retreat house for a week or more, that would be tremendous. However, if you do not, most parishes offer some kind of local 2 or 4 day retreat. If your parish doesn’t, don’t be afraid to attend a nearby parish that does. A retreat gives us the time to get away from distractions and to concentrate on Jesus and what He is asking of us.

4 – Spiritual reading. There are so many good Catholic books out there that can help you to grow more in your faith and to grow closer to Jesus.

5 – Do something Christ-like. Great examples of this are to help out in a Parish Outreach or some other organization that helps the poor. You can also visit people who are in nursing homes, hospitals, prisons, or shut ins within their own home. If you are an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, bring hosts with you to give to them (Catholics).

6 – Spend time alone in prayer. Jesus tells us to go to a place of quiet and to pray. The more we do that, the closer we get to him. Prayer can be anything from complete silent meditation to praying the rosary or chaplet of diving mercy.

7 – Spend time with other people who you know are living out the faith. The role of community, where like minded people of faith gather, is of extreme importance. This could be anything form having coffee with a friend, to attending a large prayer group.

8 – Be fillled with gratitude for all that God has given you. So ofter Jesus started His prayers by thanking the Father. The more we are filled with a sense of Gratitude, the more we will be like Jesus.

9 – Repent. Take a good look at your life and see the things that are not of God and determine to turn away from these things. Jesus started His ministry with the word Repent. The Sacrament of Reconciliation can be a big help with this, especially when there is serious sin in your life.

10 – Follow God. Make it a point to try to do what God wants you to do. Hopefully the more you are in prayer and follow the above steps, you will see what God wants from you. When you do find out, do it.

11 – Practice Humility. Jesus makes it pretty clear that He does not like people who think of themselves too highly. He loves people who are humble. His very life is all about humility. Think about how the Almighty, Powerful God humbled himself to become a man. We need to embrace this humility.

12 – Play religious, worship music. Music lifts the soul to new heights. When we play religious music, it lifts us up and helps us to embrace all that God has for us. Try it, you will like it.

Certainly there are many other ways to grow closer to God and to be more Christ-like, but since the scriptures love the number 12, I will stop there. Remember that God wants us to be His presence to others. Our call is to be more like Him. Our conversion needs to be ongoing.

FASTING: The Second Discipline of Lent – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

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Last week, on Ash Wednesday we heard the gospel telling us how Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving are at the heart of our Lenten disciplines, and I wrote about Prayer. This week we will look at the Second Discipline, fasting. It appears that fasting has become very popular in today’s culture for health reasons. HEALTHLINE says that fasting does many things to help the body. It promotes blood sugar control, fights inflammation, enhances heart health, boosts brain function, aids weight loss, increases hormone secretion, extends longevity and can even be an aid to cancer prevention. That all sounds, and is very good. However fasting can also help us in our Spritual Life.

Throughout history, many different religions have promoted fasting. Besides Christianity, it is used in Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Judaism and Taoism. For the Catholic it is mandated for adults on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and is recommended for all of the Fridays of Lent. Note: abstaining from meat is also mandated for the Fridays of Lent. In Catholicism, fasting usually means reducing the amount of food that you take in, so that the whole day is not beyond one meals worth. In contrast, in Islam, fasting usually means staying away from all food, drink, and sexual relations from sunrise to sunset for the days where it is required. They also devote one month, their month of Ramadan, to 30 days of fasting.

As Catholics, we fast in order to build our self-mastery, to embrace God more fully in our lives. During Lent, fasting (along with prayer and almsgiving) helps us to better prepare for the JOY OF EASTER! We even “fast” from singing ALLELUIA during Lent so that our EASTER ALLELUIA means more to us. We “fast” from singing the GLORIA and ringing the bells during mass. Our altars “fast” from having beautiful flowers on them. This is all to help us truly celebrate the heart of the Christian message which is the EASTER ALLELUIA, THE LORD IS RISEN.

Fasting should make our prayers more meaningful, more serious. It should show us how denying ourselves something physical can strengthen us in our spiritual life. It should teach us more about making a commitment to something, namely God and His mission for us. Fasting should also help us in detachment, namely giving up something that we may have become too attached to. When we have too many attachments, our life gets too cluttered and there is little room for God. Fasting helps us get back to what really matters in our life, our spirituality, our relationship to God.

The scriptures are filled with verses about fasting, both in the Old Testament (the Hebrew scriptures) and in the New Testament (the Christian scriptures). Our roots are in the Hebrew Scriptures so I would first like to include some to help inspire us in the need for fasting.

Joel 1: 12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

Ezra 8:23 So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.

Exodus 34: 28 So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

Nehemiah 1: 4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

2 Samuel !: 12 They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the LORD and for the nation of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

Esther 4: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

The New Testament also has many verses on fasting.

Matthew 6: 16-18 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Acts 14: 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

Luke 2: 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

Luke 18: 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

Luke 4: 2-4 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

Fasting is good for our bodies and for our spirituality. It can also be good for others. We will talk about that next week when we look at the third Lenten discipline, Almsgiving.

THE MOST PRODUCTIVE LENT EVER

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A look at Prayer and the Garden of Gethsemane

by Deacon Marty McIndoe

The Gospel that is read on Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, gives us three disciplines to use during Lent. They are Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. I personally think that the first discipline, Prayer is the most important one, because it can help us to determine how to put fasting and almsgiving to work for Lent. It is the one that puts us in to a special communion with God. After all, how can you grow closer to someone without spending time with him and communicating with him? For me, personal prayer starts off with praising God for all that He has done for us. I then often take to Him my intentions, and then I wait in silence for what He might have to say to me. Yes, I believe that prayer truly is communication. I speak to Him and He speaks to me. Sometimes we are so busy and our surroundings are so noisy that we don’t experience that. Lent is a great time to quiet down and listen to God.

Lent is a time set aside by the Church for us to work a little harder at becoming the person that Jesus wants us to be. The Church gives us many tools to help us do that, but I would like to share with you some thoughts on how to really begin. Whenever you read the Gospels you can’t help but to notice that Jesus, even when He is working hard in His ministry preaching and healing, takes time to go away from His disciples and His ministry work to spend time alone with God in prayer. Sometimes He goes up a mountain, sometimes He goes in to a desert, and sometimes He just goes outside of town. No matter where He goes, He finds a place where He can be alone with God in prayer. Jesus, by His own example tells us that we too must find time to pray. It isn’t enough to just work for the Lord, but we must also pray to the Lord.

Saint Benedict chose as a model for himself and for his follower the phrase, “Ora et Labora” or in English, “Prayer and Work”. St. Ignatius tells us, “Pray as if everything depends on God; work as if everything depends on you.” Both Saints, when they mention WORK are talking about the work that God calls us to, not just going out to milk the cows or whatever labor we have to do. Psalm 127:1 tells us, “Unless the LORD builds a house, they who build it labor in vain; Unless the LORD guards a city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” For a Christian, we cannot do anything without prayer to God. That is so true in our desire to become who God calls us to be. Before we start any endeavor, we must bring it to the Lord in prayer. We must listen to anything He tells us about it and we must do as He directs. We need His direction and Blessings on all that we do.

Lent is also a time to prepare us to better understand what Holy Week is all about. It prepares us to better understand Psalm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter event. Let us now pause for a moment and look at the center of Holy week, what happens on Holy Thursday evening. After Jesus celebrates His last supper (and Passover) with His disciples on Holy Thursday, He goes out to the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples to pray (and to be betrayed by Judas). Jesus knows what an ordeal He has to experience, and He knows that He needs the strength of prayer to do the work of the Father. He leads the disciples in to the garden, but then goes away, in solitude, to pray. It is a very difficult prayer for Him. He comes out of the prayer strengthened to be able to face the betrayal, the trial, the rejection of the people, the lashing, the carrying of the cross and finally the Crucifixion itself.

Since Jesus has set for us such a great example of going to a place of prayer, and at the time of His greatest ordeal, we must recognize that He does this to show us how we too need a place to pray and be alone with God before we face any of the work that the Father has for us. Lent is a time of work that the Father has for us and it must be a time of prayer. There is so much strength in prayer and we often forget about it and leave it by the wayside. I propose to you that during this Lent, you start taking time each day away from all you activities to pray. I also suggest that you find, or perhaps make, a prayer place.

Late last Spring, my wife and I went to visit one of my favorite authors, Annabelle Moseley, to have her autograph a book that I was giving to a dear friend of mine. While there, she told me about her new book which would soon be coming from the publisher. The new book was called, AWAKE WITH CHRIST – Living the Catholic Holy Hour in Your Home. She told me that the book talks about how important it is to have your own place of prayer in your home, your own Garden of Gethsemane. She showed me the one that she had made right outside her home in her garden. She also gave me a pre-publication copy of the book to read and to do a book review on. I read it and, like her other books, I fell in love with it. I purchased some books to give away and posted a review on Amazon (you can see it there). I would HIGHLY encourage you to get your own copy of this book as a way to start off your Lent. I think that you will find that it has practical answers on how (and why) to build a prayer place in your home. She even tells you how to do it for children. This book is not only an explanation of the importance of prayer, but it is a book to help us learn how to pray. It is a book that talks about how we need a special place to pray. It is a book that is perfect for LENT.

As she does with her other books, Annabelle refers continually to scripture and to the wisdom of the Saints to help us on our Prayer journey. Again, she also uses her poetic gifts to charge the book with poems and to lift us high towards God. Along with that, her love of gardening motivates us as we prepare our own Garden of Gethsemane. The practical explanations of how to make a prayer space (inside or outside), as well as how to make a Holy Hour is great for adults and for them to teach their children. Jesus, on the night that He was betrayed, said to His disciples, “Could you not watch one hour with me?” – Matthew 26: 40 This book will help you be happy to stay with Jesus for His Holy Hour. It will help you to have the most productive Lent ever.

Wisdom and Knowledge – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

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I began writing this on the Feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Church. It is also the day after we celebrate the birth of our Savior when, filled with joy, we sing, “Joy to the World”. God, in His Wisdom, had the Church put the two right next to each other. Christianity is not supposed to be just joy and it isn’t supposed to be just difficulty, it is both. Our everyday life is the same; joy along with difficulty. This last year has had more than it’s fair share of difficulties for me and this is my first time writing in quite some time. My wife has been ill for over a year, needing my care. In November she passed from this world in to the Father’s hands. She was a wonderful, faith-filled woman and she bore her suffering with great courage and dignity. She never lost her faith in the God who loved her; for all of eternity.

Martha was always teaching me something, and she continued to do that even after she passed. So many of the people that she knew, told me that my wife was truly a woman with a great deal of Wisdom. Several of the couples that attended our old “pre-cana” (marriage preparation) classes said to me that even after 30 or more years of marriage, they were still using some of the Wisdom that she imparted. Some of her previous co-workers (my wife was a Social Worker) mentioned to me that when they had difficulty figuring out something, they would go to my wife for her Wisdom. Some of our parishioners mentioned the same to me. That didn’t surprise me, because I did the same. My wife truly had God’s Wisdom in her. I miss that so much now.

I have always had a great memory and have always done well with school grades and on civil service tests. For quite some time I worked as a Computer programmer and Network programmer. I could beat just about anyone on Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit. Because of this, my wife always said that I was the smart one (knowledge). Truth of the matter was, I had a great deal of knowledge, but lacked Wisdom. The two are really quite different. I am so thankful that my wife had Wisdom. God knew what He was doing when He put the two of us together.

Too often Wisdom and knowledge are seen as the same thing. In truth, they are not. Wisdom is something that is given to a person from God. Knowledge is something you obtain yourself (God does give us the intellect to do so). Wisdom is a gift. Knowledge is produced due to your studying. The important thing is; Wisdom comes from God whereas knowledge comes from your own work. Don’t confuse the two. I love this comparison, “knowledge is understanding that a tomato is botanically a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put a tomato in a fruit salad!” I should mention that there is a Spiritual Gift called “Knowledge of the Lord”. This is a gift from God, that we may know Him. We are not talking about that right now.

So how do we obtain knowledge? It is simple, The dictionary says that knowledge is facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education. If you want knowledge, you work hard at education either through school or through experience. It is something that you do yourself, for you.

So how do we obtain Wisdom? This is not as simple, since Wisdom is a gift given to you from God. You certainly can ask God to give it to you. Perhaps He will, but God doesn’t always easily give us everything we ask for. Since Wisdom is a Spiritual Gift, and St. Paul tells us that God gives us the Spiritual Gifts for the building up of the Church, I would suggest that if you ask God for Wisdom you should only be asking for it because you want to build up the Church. James 1:5 does tell us that if we want Wisdom, we must ask God for it. God knows our hearts, and knows why we ask. The scriptures do tell us that there are some other things we can do to obtain Wisdom.

Proverbs 2: 3-5 tells us that we must raise our voice for it, we must seek it like silver, and search for it as a hidden treasure. It would seem that God doesn’t like us to be lukewarm in what we do. Psalm 19:7 also reminds us that the more we devote ourselves to God’s Word, the more we open ourselves up to His Wisdom.

St. Louis Marie de Montfort speaks a great deal about Wisdom, and how to obtain it. He starts by quoting the beginning of the book of Wisdom Chapter 6 by saying, “Wisdom is better than strength and prudence is better than courage. Listen, therefore, kings, and understand. Learn, you judges of the nations… desire ardently to know my words, love them and you will find instruction in them… Wisdom is resplendent and her beauty never fades. Those who love her will have no trouble in recognising her; and those who seek her will find her… she goes around seeking those worthy of her, graciously shows her ways to them, guides them and provides for them with loving care.”

Montfort acknowledges that there are other forms of so-called “wisdom” – the “wisdom of the world”, or “natural wisdom” – but believes that these can never lead to real happiness. God’s wisdom, revealed to us in Jesus Christ, is alone able to do that. And so he sees Jesus Christ as the personification of that wisdom of God, which is “eternal” (having existed from all eternity) and “incarnate” (manifested in the human flesh of Jesus).

St Louis Marie speaks of the principal means to “acquire” and “preserve” divine Wisdom. They are, he says, four:

  1. An ardent desire (for Wisdom)
  2. Continuous prayer
  3. “Universal” mortification
  4. A loving and genuine devotion to the Blessed Virgin.

This last means (devotion to Mary), he says, is “the greatest means of all, and the most wonderful of all secrets for obtaining and preserving divine Wisdom”.

So then, why is Wisdom so important? As a gift from God, it is a means of building up the Church. It is a way that God can make his will known to us, so that we can do it. It is a way that we can understand things from God’s point of view. It is a way for us to see God at work through us and in the world. It gives us the ability to understand the divine truth and then judge and direct our affairs towards that truth. Wisdom perfects the virtue of love. The Catholic Catechism says that Wisdom “is a breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty”. Now I ask you, isn’t that something that you want?

If the answer to the above is YES, then I suggest you do the following (in summation of above):

1 – Love God: Solomon says that the fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom

2 – Ardently Desire Wisdom: desire it with all our heart

3 – Pray for the Gift of Wisdom: St. James tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).

4 – Study God’s Word: We must immerse ourselves in prayer and study of the Word of God

Do these, and Wisdom will be yours. God is good!

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” James 3: 17

An Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday morning – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

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The Church’s Liturgy of the Hours contains an Ancient Homily from an unknown writer. All clergy and religious read this every year. I personally think that it is so beautiful that everyone should have a chance to read it. For that reason, I am including it here:

The Lord’s descent into Hell

Something strange is happening – there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.

He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him: “And with your spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell.

Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated. For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.

I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.

The Fifth JOYFUL MYSTERY of the ROSARY – the FINDING OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE by Deacon Marty McIndoe

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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?

MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY the Fourth JOYFUL Mystery: the PRESENTATION – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

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In Luke 2: 22-40 we hear how Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the Temple to perform the prescribed rituals as to the custom of the law. We heard how Mary’a time of “purification” was over (not that she really needed it) and that she and Joseph would take the baby Jesus to the Temple. It appears that there was both a need for a purification ritual for Mary and a Presentation of the Lord as the first born son. Both were required by Jewish law. The purification of Mary meant that a sacrifice (two doves indicated their poor status) had to be offered. It was also customary for the first born male baby to be presented to God. This reflected the call from Exodus regarding the Angel of Death passing over the first born males of the Jews, but not the Egyptians. Joseph and Mary did both.

While going in to the Temple, they were greeted by two prophets. The first was Simeon who was led by the Spirit to go to the Temple at that perfect time. Luke relates that Simeon was a Holy man who had been told by God that he would not pass from this life, until he had seen the Messiah. Upon looking at the baby Jesus, Simeon immediately knew that He was the Messiah. Simeon then prayed the

Nunc Dimintis, sometime known as the Song of Simeon or Canticle of Simeon. This prayer says to God:

“Now, Master, you let your servant go in peace. You have fulfilled your promise.
My own eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all peoples.
A light to bring the Gentiles from darkness; the glory of your people Israel”.

This canticle is recited every day in Evening Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted – and you yourself a sword will pierce, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (Mary Queen of Sorrows)

About this time a prophetess by the name of Anna came. All of scripture only mentions four women prophets, and Anna is one of them. We were told that she was a very Holy woman who remained in the Temple day and night fasting and praying. She too immediately recognized the baby Jesus as the Messiah. She gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Luke then said, “when Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.”

There is so much to meditate on in this Mystery. Here are some questions to help us see how this Mystery affects each one of us:

1 – Do I diligently do all that the Church asks and even requires me to do?

2 – Do I include my immediate family in this?

3 – Am I comfortable in going, with my whole family, in to the Church?

4 – Do I see my children as both a gift from God and as a gift to God?

5 – Am I open to listening to the words of Holy men and women?

6 – Am I able to trust God, even when given bad news?

7 – Do I experience the wonder (and grace) of watching my children grow?

8 – Am I open to hear the voice of God, and to do what He asks me to do?

9 – Do I truly believe that every childs is filled with potential?

10 – Am I confident enough to share with another a “word” that God has given me for them?

THE MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY (added as completed)

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THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES:

1 – First JOYFUL Mystery – The ANNUNCIATION: https://deaconmarty.com/mysteries-of-the-rosary-the-first-joyful-mystery-the-annunciation-by-deacon-marty-mcindoe/

2 – Second JOYFUL Mystery – The VISITATION: https://deaconmarty.com/mysteries-of-the-rosary-the-second-joyful-mystery-the-visitation-by-deacon-marty-mcindoe/

3 – Third JOYFUL Mystery – The NATIVITY: https://deaconmarty.com/mysteries-of-the-rosary-the-third-joyful-mystery-the-nativity-by-deacon-marty-mcindoe/

4 – Fourth JOYFUL Mystery – THE PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE: https://deaconmarty.com/mysteries-of-the-rosary-the-fourth-joyful-mystery-the-presentation-by-deacon-marty-mcindoe/

5 – Fifth JOYFUL Mystery – FINDING JESUS IN THE TEMPLE:

https://deaconmarty.com/the-fifth-joyful-mystery-of-the-rosary-the-finding-of-jesus-in-the-temple-by-deacon-marty-mcindoe/

MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY: The Third JOYFUL MYSTERY: THE NATIVITY – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Angels, Apologetics, Blessed Virgin Mary, Church, Community, Death and Dying, Eucharist, Evangelism, Family, Fatherhood, Holiness, How to be Catholic, Jewish roots, Nativity, Relationships, Rosary, Sacraments, Saints, Scripture, Service, Sin, Spirituality

MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY the Third Joyful Mystery: the NATIVITY – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Thanks to St. Francis of Assisi, we are all familiar with Nativity scenes. We put them up in our homes, our churches and our communities. We know quite well the stories shared by Matthew and Luke about Joseph taking the very pregnant Mary to Bethlehem and not finding room in the inn and having to settle for a place where the animals made their homes. We know the stories about the angels coming to the shepherds telling them that the new born King had come. We know how the Wise Men came to offer their gifts to the newborn King of the Jews, We know that this new baby is God-made-man and our savior and our Lord, Jesus the Messiah. In the midst of the nativity story, there is so much symbolism about who Jesus would be. The very fact that Jesus was born in a town named Bethlehem is quite notable. Bethlehem literally means House of Bread. This Jesus would become the Eucharist, the Bread from Heaven. It is also notable that Jesus was laid down in a manger, which is actually a feeding trough for animals. This also points to Jesus being the Bread for the World to be eaten as the Eucharist. Jesus later says, “I am the bread of life; unless you eat my body and drink my blood, you will not have life within you.”

The shepherds are awoken by the heavenly Host of Angels praising God and who tell the shepherds to go visit the newborn King. They do so, and it is interesting that there is some (although possibly scant) evidence that the shepherds in the Bethlehem area were the ones responsible for the lambs to be used in the temple for sacrifice. Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. These shepherds, who perhaps were responsible for taking care of the temple sacrificial lambs, get to view the true Sacrificial Lamb, Jesus the lamb of God. One of the gifts that the Wise Men bring is Myrrh, which is used at burial time. Here at the birth of Jesus, we are reminded that He was born to die for us. The very Star that led the Wise Men reminds us of the divine plan that is present and how God leads us to where he wants us to go. The Wise Men’s gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh foreshadow Jesus’ roles as King, Son of God and Savior. The whole story of the Nativity reflects that Jesus is born to be among the common people, among the humble of heart, and around the poor. It is truly a reflection of the life of Jesus.

Questions to Ponder:

1 – Do I embrace humility the way Jesus does?

2 – Do I make room for Jesus in my home, and in my life?

3 – Do I offer a welcome home to others?

4 – Do I truly believe that Jesus, the Lamb of God shares his body, blood, soul and divinity with us in the Eucharist?

5 – Have I fully acknowledged that I am a sinner?

6 – Do I really understand that Jesus is my Savior and the answer to my sinful self?

7 – Do I understand that Jesus is the Lamb of God who died for my sins?

8 – Do I attend mass at least weekly to share in the remembrance of what Jesus did in His Passion?

9 – Do I offer prayers of Praise and Thanksgiving to God for all that He has done?

10 – Do I truly celebrate the real meaning of Christmas, and not just the social meaning?

MYSTERIES of the ROSARY the Second Joyful Mystery, the VISITATION – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Anxiety and Worry, Blessed Virgin Mary, Church, Discernment, Evangelism, Family, Holiness, How to be Catholic, Lent, Morality, Prayer, Relationships, Rosary, Scripture, Spirituality

This mystery recalls when the Blessed Virgin Mary went to visit her relative, Eliazabeth. It is based upon Luke 1: 39-56.

In this mystery, we are called to reflect upon how Mary, newly pregnant with Jesus, traveled to help her older cousin Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist. The gospel tells us that Mary went to the hill country to Ain Karim which is almost a trip of 100 miles from Nazareth. It should also be noted that Mary went from a lower elevation to a higher elevation where she climbed uphill 1,336 feet. The gospel mentions only Mary, but it is quite likely that Joseph also went to help protect her. We do not know for sure. It was dangerous country, filled with thieves. Nonetheless, Mary decided that she should go to help her older pregnant cousin.

The scripture also tells us that when Mary greeted the six month pregnant Elizabeth (who had in her John the Baptist), Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, told Mary that the baby within her had leaped for joy at Mary’s greeting. The word “leaped” appears also in scripture when King David “leaped” and danced before the Ark of the Covenant. Now, John the Baptist leaps before the new Ark of the Covenant, Mary. The scripture also says that Elizabeth, again mentioning that she is filled with the Spirit, cries out to Mary, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Sound familiar? Elizabeth also calls Mary the mother of my Lord. Elizabeth also blessed Mary for BELIEVING that what was spoken to her by the Lord, would be fulfilled.

Mary then said her famous canticle where she proclaims the greatness of the Lord and tells of all the wonders that were about to happen. She says that even in her lowliness, God has chosen to do great things through her and that because of this, people of all ages will call her blessed. She talks about the holiness of God and his greatness and his mercy. She also says that God will cast down rulers and thrones and lift of the poor. Mary spent three months with Elizabeth helping care for her in her pregnancy and birth of John.

Questions to ponder:

1 – Am I ready to respond to another person’s need, no matter what I am going through?

2 – Am I willing to take that long, and perhaps dangerous journey that God calls me to?

3 – Do I trust completely in God’s love and protection?

4 – Do I respect the gift of life, especially as it is shown in pregnant women?

5 – Am I a person who will go to extremes to protect that life?

6 – Do I help mothers care for their children by providing time or physical resources?

7 – Do I give praise and thanks to God for all that He has done?

8 – Do I hope for a better world and also take steps to work with God to bring it about?

9 – Do I trust and hope that God’s Word will be fulfilled in me?

10 – Do I honor and respect all mothers, especially Mary the Mother of our Lord, and our mother too?

MYSTERIES of the ROSARY the First Joyful Mystery the ANNUNCIATION – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Anxiety and Worry, Blessed Virgin Mary, Charity, Church, Conversion, Discernment, Fasting, Holiness, How to be Catholic, Lent, Miracles, Relationships, Rosary, Scripture, Trust, Uncategorized, Women

THE MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY – PRAYING THE ROSARY WITH FULL MEANING

Introduction Paragraph (repeated each session)

As we begin the Lenten Season, the Church asks us to use this time, in a very special way. to grow closer to Jesus and to all that He has for us. It tells us that there are three main “Pillars” to help us accomplish this; Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. After considerable reflection, I believe that the Lord wants me to write during this Lent about PRAYER, and one specific form of prayer, the ROSARY. Now there are many types and forms of prayer, but I truthfully believe that the ROSARY, when properly done, is one of the most powerful forms of prayer that we have. In my own walk with God within the Church, I have grown in my love of the rosary and in my knowledge of the power of the rosary prayer. One of the problems with people praying the rosary is that they do not always meditate on the mystery itself. This takes so much away from the prayer. It is not just enough to go through the hail marys and our fathers, we also must look at the specific mystery and reflect on that while we pray. The mysteries are very bibical and go through the life of Jesus. For that reason, during Lent, I am going to take one mystery at a time and talk about it so you can use it more when you pray the rosary. There are four separate mysteries of the rosary and each one has five parts. I will do them in the order of the life of Jesus, starting with the JOYFUL, then the LUMINOUS and the SORROWFUL, ending with the GLORIOUS. It has been a tradition to do the Joyful on Monday and Saturday; the Luminous on Thursday; the Sorrowful on Tuesday and Friday; and the Glorious on Wednesday and Sunday. I would suggest that you read each scriptural reference for each mystery and meditate on what was accomplished. I will also include ten (corresponding to the ten hail Marys of each mystery) points to ponder and pray about. These points are used to think not only about what the mystery celebrates, but also what it means to you in your life.

THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES – The First Mystery, THE ANNUNCIATION

This mystery recalls when the Angel Gabriel visited Mary and announced to her that she would be the mother of Jesus. It is based upon Luke 1: 26-38. and John 1: 14

In this mystery, we are called to reflect upon how the Word was made flesh. Luke tells us that during the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, an angel appeared to Mary. When the angel appeared to this young girl ,she was a virgin waiting to be married to Joseph of the House of David. The Angel Gabriel greeted her by saying, “Hail, favored one” (or blessed one) and this caused Mary to be “greatly troubled”. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for a very young woman to have an angel appear to her, let alone be told that she was highly favored by God. It must have caused considerable confusion and astonishment to Mary. She had no idea what this appearance and greeting might mean. The Angel Gabriel told her not to be afraid and then said to her something quite remarkable. He told her that because of her favor with God, she would conceive and bear a son to be called, Jesus. Mary quickly repsonded by saying that she had not yet been with a man, and how could this be possible? The angel then said to her, “the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.” Even though this must have been so much for Mary, she responded with her big YES to the Lord, “be it done to me according to your word”. With that, the angel left her.

Questions to ponder:

1 – How would I respond to a “call” from God to do something?

2 – Do I even listen to God enough to perceive a call?

3 – Would I be willing to do something God asks of me, even if it interferes with my plans?

4 – Do I consider myself too young, or too old, or too uneducated to be able to do God’s request?

5 – Do I truly apprecitate what Mary’s YES means to me and to world salvation?

6 – Do I really believe that Jesus was truly human and truly divine?

7 – Am I trying to learn more about the Incarnation (God becomes man)?

8 – Do I believe that angels are still ar work in the world today?

9 – Do I honor and respect marriage and family life?

10 – Do I understand that a baby, any baby can grow up and can change the world?

ALMSGIVING: The Third Discipline of Lent – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

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We have already, in the last two Wednesdays, covered the first two Disciplines of Lent; Prayer and Fasting. Today we look at ALMSGIVING, the third. Some people refer to these disciplines as the Pillars of Lent. The interesting thing is that these are really meant to be part of the every day Christian life. Lent emphasizes these to help us know better what following Jesus is all about. All three are complementary to each other and really should be done together. Today’s Discipline is very related to last weeks article on Fasting and we shall look at that shortly. First of all, it is important to define what is meant by ALMSGIVING.

In it’s simplest form, Almsgiving is defined as the act of giving charity to another. For the Christian, it is about sharing one’s blessings with those who are poor. It is about following what Jesus has asked us to do. Almsgiving isn’t always about giving things to the poor, it can also be about giving your time to the poor. Some examples of Almsgiving range from putting your money in to the poor boxes at church to giving time to people who are lonely and need someone just to talk to. Personally, I think that the example that Jesus gives us in scripture in his parable on the Judgment of the Nations by the separating of the sheep (those who practice almsgiving) from the goats (those who do not) serves as a great example. I will include that here:

Matthew 25:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.

”Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Jesus makes it very clear that our going to heaven is dependent upon how well we loved; how good we were at almsgiving.

Almsgiving is also found through out the Old Testament, the Hebrew Scriptures. One of my favorite passages is from the Prophet Isaiah (58: 6-11) where God speaks to His people saying:

Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking off every yoke? Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry, bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; Your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: “Here I am!” If you remove the yoke from among you, the accusing finger, and malicious speech; If you lavish your food on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then your light shall rise in the darkness, and your gloom shall become like midday; Then the LORD will guide you always and satisfy your thirst in parched places, will give strength to your bones And you shall be like a watered garden, like a flowing spring whose waters never fail.

We can see that both the Gospel Parable and the Old Testament Prophecy are a real challenge. Christianity isn’t made to be easy, it can be quite difficult, but it is how we can really obtain fullness of Life, both in this world and the next.

Earlier I mentioned that Fasting and Almsgiving are closely related. When we fast, we are giving up something, This allows us to use what we gave up to give to others in Almsgiving. For example, if we give up having that fancy coffee from the Baristo each day and take that $5 to $9 each day and use it to buy food for the poor, we accomplish both Fasting and Almsgiving. If we give up watching television each night for 2 hours and instead use that time to call or visit the sick, we accomplish both Fasting and Almsgiving. When we add prayer to this in order to know what to give up, and how to share our resources, and with who, then we move more in to building up of the Kingdom of God..

Prayer and Fasting and Almsgiving are great to practice during Lent, However, they should be continued during the ordinary times of our lives. The benefits that gives to us, and to our brothers and sisters is immeasurable.

The Conversion of St. Paul – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Apologetics, Church, Conversion, Converts, Diaconate, Early Church Fathers, Evangelism, Holy Spirit, How to be Catholic, Jewish roots, Lent, Life in the Spirit, Marriage, Saints, Scripture, Spirituality, Vocation

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

A CHALLENGE FOR ALL MINISTERS OF THE EUCHARIST – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

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A Challenge for Eucharistic Ministers, both Ordinary (Bishops, Priests and Deacons) and Extraordinary (delegated lay people) – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

We as Catholics know that the Eucharist is a very special gift that God has given to us for our spiritual growth. Jesus was very clear (read John Chapter 6) that we are called to eat His body and drink His blood so that we might have abundant life now and forevermore. We also know that the normal way for us to receive Him in the Eucharist is to attend mass at least one time per week on Sunday (or Saturday evening vigil). Unfortunately for many Catholics this is impossible due to advanced age or sickness. All of our parishes have a number of people that are not able to attend mass. They can watch it on TV, but they can’t receive the precious gift of the Eucharist unless we bring it to them. It is so important for us to reach out to them in their need for the Eucharist. We as ministers of the Eucharist should see this as part of our ministry. For those who are not Ministers of the Eucharist, I would suggest you seek out the Lord in prayer to see if He is calling you to do that. If so, talk to your local parish priest. None of us are worthy to be so close to the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, BUT God calls us anyway.

I bring the Holy Eucharist to the homes of about a dozen people every week after our 10:30 am Sunday mass. Most of these are people who used to attend mass regularly but now can’t due to old age or health impairments. They now watch the mass first on TV or Social media and are anxious to receive when I come to them. Every week they are excited to receive and so very thankful for being able to receive. I have one 96 year old woman that starts clapping for joy when she hears my knock on the door (her caretaker tells me this). As excited and happy as the people are who I bring the Eucharist to, I think that I get even more excited. It is a very reverent thing that we do in bringing the Eucharist to them, but it is also a very exciting and rewarding thing that we do. I do have a couple of people who are dealing with some form of dementia, but as soon as we begin praying with the sign of the cross, they know exactly what they are doing. It seems that the prayers and the Eucharist breaks through their dementia.

Besides bringing the Holy Eucharist to the home bound, I always bring a copy of the weekly bulletin and try to share with them something about the homily. All of my people watch the mass on TV and have heard a homily, but I like to share what was said in our local parish. They seem to have a need to continue their connection to the local parish. The bulletin and the sharing on the homily help to do this. I also try to share anything that is going on in the parish. The home bound seem to really love this. After they receive and the prayers are done, I try to take time to sit and talk with them. I have found that many of the people I bring communion to do not have a lot of visitors. They need personal contact and we can help provide that.

It is so easy to for both Ordinary and Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist to JUST see the mass as their ministry. My challenge to all is that you expand your Eucharistic ministry to include visitation to those who can not attend mass. For those of you who are Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist you will hopefully find that visiting the home bound and bringing the Eucharist to them is a ministry that is very very important and rewarding. There is no doubt that EM’s are a big help in the Church at mass every Sunday. However, many have not used their ministry in reaching out to those who can not go to church. Not only are the home bound missing out in receiving the Lord in the Eucharist, but those who are able to bring the Eucharist are missing out in a very important ministry. It is a much needed, and very rewarding ministry.

I would thus challenge all ministers of the Eucharist to visit the home bound on a regular basis. You will definitely reap the rewards of your ministry by doing that. For those of you who are not Eucharistic Ministers I would encourage you to pray about becoming one and then go visit your parish priest to talk to him about it. If you do become an Eucharistic Minister, then make sure that you remember to serve the home bound members of your parish. The Eucharist is a very special gift that God has given to us. It is an honor to be part of His plan to bring His Body and Blood to His people.

Our House of the Sacred Heart by Annabelle Moseley – a book review by Deacon Marty McIndoe

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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.

Here’s the link: https://www.annabellemoseley.com/consecration-to-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus/

Saint Joseph: What a Special Gift – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Angels, Anxiety and Worry, Blessed Virgin Mary, Church, Demons, Fatherhood, Healing, Holy Spirit, Jewish roots, Lent, Pope Francis, Saints, Service, Spirituality, Teaching, Vocation

St. Joseph – What a Special Gift

Today, March 19, 2021 is the Solemnity of St. Joseph occurring within the Year of St. Joseph as proclaimed by Pope Francis. This is such a special gift to the Church. For me, it is a real gift since I today completed my 33 day Consecration to St. Joseph as detailed in Father Don Colloway’s book Consecration to Saint Joseph – The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father. A few years ago I did a 33 day Consecration to Jesus through Mary and was so happy with what it did for my Spiritual Life. When Pope Francis declared this year as the Year of St. Joseph, I decided to do a consecration to St. Joseph. I am so very glad that I did. My wife and I have been doing this together using Fr. Colloway’s book and listening to his video every day on YouTube.

Father Colloway’s book has been fantastic. It is probably the best $14.95 that I have ever spent. After I fully complete the book, I plan on doing a review. His 33 day daily video series has also been amazing. Putting the two together has been wonderful. This has been one of my best Lents because of this 33 day consecration exercise. I have learned so much about St. Joseph and have come to really appreciate the gift that he is to the Church and to me personally.

St. Joseph has been in the background for so many years of the Church’s history. Many of the Saints have sung his praises, but, in general, the Church has kept him in the background. It wasn’t until a few years ago that Pope Francis added the name of St. Joseph to the Eucharistic liturgy. I still remember seeing my pastor write in the name of St. Joseph in to the book (we are a poor parish and wouldn’t order a new book just because of one insert). St. Joseph is known as the protector of the Church, but even that didn’t start until about 150 years ago. This year has been named the Year of St. Joseph by Pope Francis and the Church is celebrating it world wide. There have been a number of books, such as previously mentioned, and it would appear that St. Joseph is finally getting the attention that he should have. The timing is perfect.

2020 and 2021 have been difficult years due to the COVID pandemic. Other political changes have made life more difficult for the Church and I think that bringing out the riches of St. Joseph at this time is very appropriate. There is no doubt that the more we learn about this “silent” Saint, the more we can learn what he can do for us. Through these 33 days of consecration I have learned so much about St. Joseph and now appreciate him so much. I definitely see him as my Spiritual Father. It makes so much sense that not only would Jesus share with us His Mother, but would also share with us His earthly father. In today’s mass we read the Gospel about finding the 12 year old lost Jesus in the Temple. As I was reading it I was really “hit” by the verse where Mary said to Jesus, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” and Jesus said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” What hit me was when Mary referred to Joseph she said your father (small f) and when Jesus replied He referred to God His Father (large F). Jesus had two Fathers, one in heaven and one on the earth.

Joseph was Jesus’s father here on earth. Joseph took care of Jesus and protected Him, even moving to Egypt to avoid Herod trying to kill Jesus. St. Joseph nurtured Him and taught Him and loved Him probably better than any father cares for his own flesh and blood son. Jesus called him daddy, abba, and I can only imagine the great relationship that the two of them had. Jesus must have admired Joseph tremendously, especially for his love and devotion to Jesus’s mother, Mary. I can only believe that God chose Joseph as the “father” of Jesus because of what a great man that he was. I can only believe that Jesus and Joseph were closer than probably any other father and son. It is so important to honor a man who was given such a great honor as caring for the God-Man, Jesus.

In his book, Father Calloway is continually giving quotes from the many Saints who have had a great devotion to Joseph. They honored him as well as sought his aid in the many difficulties in their lives. Everyone needs a good father to look up to as well as to receive help from. Saint Joseph has been given to us by Jesus and it is important for us to see the gift that Saint Joseph truly is. We can most definitely use this precious gift. I would like to share with you just a few of the numerous quotes so that perhaps you will see how precious this gift is.

“This flower of Israel (St. Joseph) had the faith of Abraham, the piety of David his ancestor, the wisdom of the prophets, a patience more heroic than that of Job and Tobias, and a zeal greater than that of Elizah for the glory of God.” – Blessed Gabriele Allegra

“The holy example of Jesus Christ who, while upon earth, honored St. Joseph so highly and was obedient to him during his life should be sufficient to inflame the hearts of all with devotion to this saint.” – St. Alphonsus Liguori

“If you want to know St. Joseph’s obedience, look at how he rose at night at the angel’s voice and, giving no care to hunger, hardships, or cold, went to Egypt where he led a hard life until the next command of God” – St. Joseph Sebastian Pelzcar

“Truly, I doubt not that the angels, wondering and adoring, came thronging in countless multitudes to that poor workshop to admire the humility of him who guarded that dear and divine child, and labored at his carpenter’s trade to support the Son and the mother who were committed to his care.” – St. Francis de Sales

“Those who are devoted to prayer should, in a special manner, cherish devotion to St. Joseph. I know not how anyone can ponder on the sufferings, trials, and tribulations the Queen of the Angels endured whilst caring for Jesus in his childhood, without at the same time thanking St. Joseph for the services he rendered the Divine Child and his Blessed Mother.” – St. Teresa of Avila

“To be faithful as humble collaborators with the divine plan over our lives, we need, along with the protection of the Virgin Mary, that of St. Joseph, a most powerful intercessor.” – St. Pope John XXIII

“The Church invokes St. Joseph as her Patron and Protector through her unshakable trust that he to whom Christ willed to confide the care and protection of His own frail human childhood, will continue from heaven to perform His protective task in order to guide and defend the Mystical Body of Christ himself, which is always weak, always under attack, always in a state of peril.” St. Pope Paul VI

Ite ad Ioseph – Go to Joseph

SHARON by Kevin Williams written 11/22/20

Abortion, Anxiety and Worry, Converts, Death and Dying, Drug Use, Family, Forgiveness, Healing, Marriage, Morality, Prayer, Pro-Life, Relationships, Resurrection, Scripture, Service, Spirituality, , , , ,

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!!!!

NAVIGATING THROUGH A COVID-19 LENT – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Church, Community, Eucharist, Fatherhood, Holiness, How to be Catholic, Lent, Liturgy, Penance and Reconciliation, Prayer, Relationships, Spirituality, Trust

Lent is a very special season of the Church where we are called to turn away from anything that is blocking our relationship to God. We are called to do whatever we can to grow closer to Him. Our God is a loving, kind and merciful Father who desires His children to be in a close relationship with him. Too often we gradually turn away from Him because of our busyness, preoccupation with other things (both good and bad), and the distractions of normal living. God’s desire is for His children to be close to Him. He is always close to us, but we often ignore that or cannot see that closeness. Lent is a time for us to try to get back on track. It is a time for us to slow down, stop being preoccupied and stop being distracted. Lent is a time for us to move closer to our Father who loves us so much, forgives us so much and desires us so much.

During Lent (and throughout the year) the Church asks us to turn towards him using three main tools, Prayer, Fasting and Alms-giving. These three tools were given to us by Jesus himself in Matthew Chapter 6. These three tools have often been called the Pillars of Lent. All three can have various means of expression and each individual has to discern the best expression for him/her within the situation they are in. This past year and in to the present year we have been experiencing many different ways of living out our lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people have had their lives completely turned around by loosing their job, having reduced hours working, or by working from home. Many parents have to deal with home schooled children for at least part of the week. We have lost the ability to gather together in large and close numbers and many families have lost their ability to be with each other even on special holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving and birthdays and anniversaries. Unfortunately, many families have lost loved ones due to COVID-19 and some have lost the ability to visit loved ones in nursing homes, hospitals and other institutions. There is no doubt that this pandemic has adversely affected our every day living. It will also affect the way we experience Lent. Some of this will be in negative ways, but some may actually be in positive ways.

One of the positive ways is that COVID-19 has given some people more time within their own home. Hopefully this additional time can give people time to slow down. Lent is definitely about slowing down our fast pace so that we can have more time for quiet reflection and prayer. I would like to try to take each of the three pillars and look at ways that we can use them to grow closer to God during this very difficult time.

PRAYER – We are called to be a people of prayer, every day of the year. However, during Lent we are called to find ways to expand our prayer life. The more we pray and the more we experience different forms of prayer, the closer we come to know the love of our heavenly Father. There are many forms of prayer and I would like to discuss a few. Personal spontaneous prayer is very important. For me it is the time that I spend in giving thanks and praise to God. I find that the more I give thanks to God for all the things in my life, the more I appreciate those things and feel closer to God. Praying with scripture is also a great way of experiencing God’s love and presence. Sometimes just taking a short scripture reading, perhaps one of the readings of the day, and quieting yourself and asking God to speak to us through that reading, can produce much fruit. Personal liturgical prayer is another great way to pray. This can be done by using some of the prayers that the Church has given us, such as the rosary, the chaplet of divine mercy, the liturgy of the hours, litanies, etc. These can really help us feel closer to God. Public liturgical prayer is also very important such as attending mass more often, attending Adoration and Benediction and other church prayers. Our churches all adhere to social distancing and to cleaning and are probably one of the safer public places to be. For Lent, try to attend mass or services as often as you can.

FASTING – Fasting has been part of the Christian life since the time of the early church. Even before that it was an important part of the Jewish tradition. Fasting, or giving up something, can definitely help us to grow closer to God. Sometimes when giving up food for a short time, the hunger we feel in our stomach can help us better appreciate the hunger that we have for God. But fasting is not just for food. Fasting can be from things in our lives that do not lead us closer to God. Often fasting is something that goes along with adding something. For instance, if you fast from watching tv for just one hour per day and take that one hour per day and add scripture reading and/or prayer you will see how that additional hour of scripture and or prayer can bring you closer to God. Also, fasting from something that you really love can be difficult but can help you build your own self control which can be useful in many ways.

ALMS-GIVING – Alms-giving is simply giving something that you have to the poor. It can be the gift of money, goods, or time. Both the Old and New Testaments (the Hebrew and Christian scriptures) stress how important it is for us to share with others, especially with the poor. In today’s COVID world I have experienced a new kind of poor (or needy). There are a large number of people who had great jobs or owned great businesses that all of a sudden, because of COVID have lost their jobs and their businesses or have at least had a reduction of income. They own nice homes and drive nice cars but can’t afford to put food on the table and can’t afford to pay their bills. These people, by all outward appearances do not need help but in reality are very much in need of help. Many of them are embarrassed to ask for help. We need to find ways to help them too. Personally I have found that the more I give to others who are in need, the closer I feel to God. I mentioned that giving can consist of money, goods or time. Money and goods are always something that you can get more of. However time is something that can not be replenished. Giving of your time, such as volunteering at soup kitchens, outreaches, or other charitable organizations is a real gift and a real sacrifice. At the same time it is the most rewarding.

SUMMARY – Remember that Lent is a gift given to you to help you get closer to our Father who loves us so much and wants us to be close to him. Jesus taught us the three Pillars of Lent that can help us do that. The more we put those Pillars in to action the closer we will get to God. COVID has taken so much away from us and we are really hurting from it. Now more than ever, we need to be close to God. I pray that you have a very fruitful Lent and that you better understand the great riches of being a son and daughter of the Father. I pray that you know the closeness that only a son and daughter can feel. May God bless you richly during this most Holy Season.

The Joy of Giving – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Charity, Church, Community, Discernment, Holiness, Holy Spirit, How to be Catholic, Morality, Peace and Justice, Relationships, Service, Spirituality, , ,

There is a popular Christian song that says, “They will know we are Christians by our love”. This is such a true statement. One of the best signs of being a Christian is being charitable. It doesn’t matter how many crosses you may be wearing or how many holy medals you may be wearing; the most important sign to others that you are a Christian is your love (charity). We show our love in our actions towards others. Jesus is continually calling us to recognize that we are supposed to be people who put love for others (especially the poor) in to all that we do. Mathew 5:25 tells us, “So don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others, so that the commendable things you do will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.” Also in Matthew (25:40) Jesus tells us that at the Judgment Day He will say to us, “When you cared for one of the least important of these my little ones, my true brothers and sisters, you demonstrated love for me” and “When you refused to help one of the least important among these my little ones, my true brothers and sisters, you refused to help and honor me. (25:45)” It couldn’t be much clearer, when we do for others, we do for Jesus and when we refuse to do for others, we refuse to do for Jesus. He will someday judge us on this.

But giving to others, especially the needy, isn’t just about the judgment that we receive. It is also about our life right now. Jesus tells us in Luke 6:38, “Give generously, and generous gifts will be given back to you, shaken down to make room for more. Abundant gifts will pour out upon you with such an overflowing measure that it will run over the top! Your measurement of generosity becomes the measurement of your return.” I am not trying to preach a prosperity gospel like many do, because I know that so many of the Saints who did good works lived in poverty and extreme hardship. Rather, I believe that the gifts given back to us in generous measure are not necessarily monetary gifts or earthly gifts. They are gifts that transcend the everyday life here and lift our inner being up to heavenly places. We can, through giving to the needy, experience a sort of heavenly bliss. The goodness that we feel when we give to the needy can be absolutely amazing. Also, the closer we are to Jesus, the more grateful we become aware of His love for us and the more we want to do for others. St. John, in his first letter chapter 4 verse 19 tells us, “Our love for others is our grateful response to the love God first demonstrated to us.” We give to others because God has given so much to us.

Giving to others can be done in so many ways. Personally I think that treating all people with respect, even if you don’t agree with them or even dislike them, is a true form of Christian giving. Also, helping others to get ahead in life, even if it means going over you, is a form of Christian giving. Jesus gave us the “golden rule” in Matthew 7:12, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. When we really follow this rule we can find great peace and satisfaction. In doing this we can also help change the world for the better. Because of our human nature, being charitable isn’t always easy to do. However, God has given us both the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the fruits of the Holy Spirit so that we can. We need to rely upon these gifts, and pray earnestly, so that we can be a people of love and charity.

Unfortunately there are many people in this world who are living lives of extreme poverty. There are many homeless people in our communities and many households that cannot afford to put a decent meal on the table for their family. In our current COVID pandemic many people have lost their jobs or had their wages reduced. Many businesses have failed and we have a new form of poverty in our communities. We have people who own their own homes and have nice cars, but because of income loss they cannot pay their bills or buy decent food. For those of us who can, we can’t just stand back and do nothing. We are called by God to help others, and the first place to do this is in our own communities. It is important to try to find ways to help others. If you pray for guidance in this, God will put you in to the right places to help others. Start first with what you are familiar with, your own parishes and their outreach ministries. Then look to local community organizations that are helping the needy. Giving money and giving time to them is essential. One of the best ways to give is by volunteering to serve in these outreaches and community organizations. Not only do you help them to do what they are trying to do to help the needy, but because you are a volunteer you usually get a chance to interact with the people you are helping. Believe me, this is something that can be very good for you.

As an example, I have found several forms of charitable service in my community. Our own parish has an outreach ministry and I support that by giving both money and non perishable goods and special gifts for Christmas and Thanksgiving and the beginning of school. I also work with two local charities, Angels of Long Island and Carroll’s Kitchen to help bring food and necessities to those in need. I also work with several Veteran’s agencies to help veterans in need. Working with these charities brings me immense satisfaction and joy and peace. We are called to support charities by giving money, but more importantly, we are called to support them by giving volunteer time. Personally, I would have to say that I get a tremendous satisfaction from giving volunteer service to them. There is no doubt that I better appreciate the gifts that God has given me, but even more than that, the actual act of giving brings me such good feelings, that it is hard to describe. In ending, I would encourage you to seek out, through prayer, what God wants you to be doing. He wants you to love and serve others, but you and He will have to decide who those others are. Once you do this, you will be more fully living the Christian vocation and you will experience a new sense of purpose and fulfillment and peace. Truly, giving to others is also giving to yourself. Author Leo Buscaglia tells us, “It’s not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something. May I suggest that it be creating joy for others, sharing what we have for the betterment of personkind, bringing hope to the lost and love to the lonely.” St. Paul tells us, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2Corinthians 9:7

TRUST – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Anxiety and Worry, Discernment, Divine Mercy, Holiness, Holy Spirit, How to be Catholic, Life in the Spirit, Prayer, Relationships, Scripture, Spirituality, Trust

A few years ago I was made aware of the truths of Divine Mercy when I read Sr. Faustina Kowalska’s diary.   I have to tell you that it was life changing for me.   In it I learned so much about God’s Mercy, but I also learned so much about trusting in Jesus.   As a matter of fact, the very popular image of Jesus as the Divine Mercy has a saying under it, “Jesus, I Trust in You”.  This has become my mantra in life.  I say it every day, many times.  Learning to really trust in Jesus brings about a peace that no one else can give to you.   Trust is such an important part of our faith.  I would like to share with you some thoughts that I have on Trust and putting our Trust in our loving God.

Trust is nothing new to us.   We experience it every day, and in so many different ways.  My guess is that right now you are probably sitting down.  I would also guess that you just sat down in that chair with full confidence that it would support you.   I doubt that you looked at the legs to see if they were cracked and I doubt that you checked the screws holding it together to see if they were loose.   You just sat down in that chair fully putting your trust in it.  That is the type of trust that God wants us to have.   He wants us to embrace the different situations in our lives knowing that He is in charge and that He knows how to handle things.  Why should we have this trust in him?   It is simple, because His love for us is so great and He has revealed to us, through the scriptures and through the lives of the Saints that we need to trust in Him.   When we place our trust in Him, good things happen.   When we don’t put our trust in Him, we start to worry and worry brings about too many difficulties.  One of those difficulties is that you don’t allow God to be actively working in your lives.

In Proverbs 3: 5-6 we read, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”  Trusting in God allows Him to straighten our path.   It allows Him to work in our lives.  This doesn’t mean that God wants us just to sit around and do nothing while he leads us around on a leash.   What He does want is for us to place our trust in Him in every situation that comes to us and to ask Him to lead us and guide us and give us direction.   Part of this trust is to know that He does this in so many various ways and it is up to us to work along with Him on this journey.

In Jeremiah 17: 7-8 we read,   “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.  They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”   When we trust in the Lord and have confidence in Him we are given the strength needed to handle anything.    We know that a tree needs water to survive and when there is a hot and dry spell it will wither unless it receives water.   We who trust in God are like a tree planted near a stream or river.  Our roots go out to receive the water.  Whenever I hear this reading and others like it, I think of the water as being God’s Holy Spirit.   As St. Paul tells us, He lavishes the Spirit upon us.

So often the dark times of our lives can be likened to the nighttime.   Every night, when the darkness comes, we go to bed, close our eyes and trust that somehow our body will wake up in the morning, and it does.   This is a real form of trust, especially in the darkness.  Psalm 143: 8 reflects this saying, “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.   Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.”  Part of being able to trust is to know that God’s love for us is so great that He gives us every gift.  The more we show gratitude for His gifts, the more we can grow in His love and in trust.   I have come to realize that EVERYTHING is a gift.   Every breath that I take is a gift from God.   Every morning that I awake, tells me that God has given me another day.  Whatever comes that day is part of His gift to me and I can trust that He and I, working together, can get through anything.

When we know that we are in God’s presence, and personally I feel that presence in all things, then we can have true trust.   Psalm 91: 1-2 tells us “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”   The more we see His presence with us and the more we learn to trust, the happier we become.

There are so many scripture passages that tell us about our loving God who we can put our trust in.  I will share a few of these here with you for you to meditate on and to find your own way towards growing in trust of God.

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Matthew 6:26

So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.  What can mere mortals do to me?”  Hebrews 13:6

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:19

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  Hebrews 13:5

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.  Psalm 28:7

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres 1 Corinthians 13:6-7

A word of advice from me:   When you are hit by a storm, no matter what it is, don’t go to God and tell Him how big your storm is; rather, go to your storm and tell it how big your God is.   That is trust in God.  Please remember my favorite mantra, Jesus, I Trust in You.  The more you learn to trust in our loving God, the more happiness and peace you will have.