My date with some Baptists in the boat of Jesus

A few months ago I was invited to speak to a group of men at their monthly prayer breakfast and did so this past weekend. The breakfast was at LakeWay Baptist Church in The Colony, about 8 miles away. 

There are some pretty significant theological differences between Baptists and Catholics so I wasn't sure if that would somehow be a hindrance to my presentation, but I was determined to be who I am and to let the Holy Spirit do the real work. 

Oh, their pastor was there too. He didn't run me off or rebuke me or anything so I guess the Holy Spirit being in charge worked. ;-)

Seriously, it was a great experience for me, and I believe the men enjoyed our time together as well.

I was asked to talk about my experience through Hurricane Katrina, and more specifically, how my faith sustained me and my family through that trying time. I did talk about those experiences, but also about the other storms, the various unnamed storms of life that are every bit as turbulent, dangerous, and even deadly.

When I was preparing, I set out to make some brief "bullet point" notes or outline to follow, but that's never really been my style. In fact, I always work backwards. I write out what I want to say, and then make the outline afterwards. But this time, I just left my presentation completely written out; all ten pages.

When I practiced, I found myself looking at the pages often, and that worried me. There's probably nothing worse than having a presenter read from notes. I think I was worried about what I might forget to say or that I would leave out something that was important.

In the end, as I said, I just asked the Holy Spirit to do the work, and all went great. My notes were there as a security blanket (I guess I will always have control issues) but since the presentation was very personal, I used them probably even less than if I had used an outline instead.

As we prayed afterwards, nearly all of the men picked up on the "storm" theme, affirming to me that all of us are facing some storm or another throughout our lives. More affirming though was that it was evident that the true message was delivered and received appropriately.

That is that we are in the boat of Jesus. It's His boat, not ours. When we forget that we are in the boat of Jesus, when we take our eyes off of Him and focus on the storm - how powerful it is instead of how powerful God is, and what it might do to us, how it might hurt us, what it might take away from us - we are in danger of drowning; in every way a man can drown.

As it turns out, there were a few things that I didn't say, some things I thought were significant, but in the end I guess they really were not.

But here's the point I actually set out to make with this post: I was moved by what I witnessed as the Holy Spirit working in these men's lives. It seemed to be reciprocal. Because we all opened our hearts to God and allowed Him to be in control during that time, not focusing on what separates us but on what unites us, we were able to allow Him to accomplish some new work in all of our lives.

My date with those Baptist Christian men in the boat of Jesus was a very uplifting experience.

Father, that we may all be One. +++

Jesus and Handy Manny

Until a couple of years ago, my son Brandon regularly watched an animated series on Disney Junior titled "Handy Manny."

Manny is a handy man of course, and he is always fixing what's broken around town. Manny relies on his assortment of tools to help him get the job done, whatever it may be.

There are some main tools seen in every episode, some tools that reoccur in several but not all episodes, and then some that are seen in very few episodes.

Manny and the tools hang out together in his repair shop until they get a call requesting help. Manny and the tools quickly set out to help whoever is in need.

Now the tools have diverse and unique personalities and characteristics, and I imagine if my tools were animated, I'd probably not put up with some of their shenanigans. But Manny just smiles through it, finds the best tool for the job, and together (sometimes with a little push, and sometimes with a little pull) they fix whatever is broken.

Sometimes, a tool may try to fix a problem on his own, without Manny's help. This always leads to disaster. The tool learns that he is just a tool, and it's Manny who needs to plan and direct the work. Sometimes, an overzealous tool learns that as hard as he might want to be the tool used to fix the problem, he may not be the right tool for the job.

Once everyone cooperates with Manny, things get fixed, and everyone is happy.

Isn't it the same way with Jesus and us?

We need to hang out with Jesus, but we live in a broken world where there's always work to do. And Jesus relies on us to Help Him get the job done. We are His tools.

And man, sometimes we can be real "tools" can't we? We certainly have diverse and unique personalities and characteristics, but Jesus always sees through who we are, finds the best in us, and uses us to accomplish His plan.

We have to be able to accept the frequency and the degree to which Jesus uses us in His plan. Sometimes we may be a little over-zealous. Sometimes, we may be slow to act. Sometimes we may think we can get the job done on our own, without Jesus, or maybe we try to fill a role that was meant for someone else.

But when we all learn how to better cooperate with Jesus, letting Him choose the right "tool" and using that tool for it's intended purpose, things get fixed, and everyone is happy.

There's one more part to the story that I think fits here.

On their mission, so to speak; on their way to the repair site, Manny and the tools run into Mr. Lopart. Mr. Lopart always has something that needs to be fixed, but although he lacks experience and skill, he always tries to fix his problems on his own.

In fact, Manny and the tools always offer to help, but Mr. Lopart refuses the help, sometimes indignantly, and of course makes things much worse than they were before.

There are a lot of Mr. Loparts in the world, trying to fix their own problems, failing to admit that they need help. Often times they are offered help but refuse to be helped. Yes, sometimes they are indignant as well.

Well, the way Manny and the tools handle Mr. Lopart is a lesson for us as well.

When Mr. Lopart refuses their help, Manny and the tools bid him a cheerful and well-meaning good-bye, and carry on with the mission they set out on. Each time though, that they come upon Mr. Lopart wrestling with a new problem, they always cheerfully and sincerely offer their help.

Maybe one day the Mr. Loparts of the world will accept the help of Jesus and His tools.

Repent, and keep sinning

A break from the norm to look at a few things Jesus did NOT say, but I believe some people want to believe he said.
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"I am a way, what you want to believe, and life for those already born."

"Seek first the things that will make your life more comfortable, and then the Kingdom."

"Render unto Caesar what belongs to God."

"Remove the plank from your eye, but leave the speck in your brother's eye."

"Let your light shine, but only in your own house or church, otherwise someone may be offended."

"Repent, and keep sinning."

"You have heard it said, 'You shall not kill', but I say to you 'You shall not kill unless it is a baby who is unplanned for."

Can We Break Through the Ice?

It's been ten days since my last blog post on Holy Saturday. During Holy Week, I blogged each day about the Passion of Jesus through the eyes of multiple witnesses.

We have experienced the Resurrection of Jesus and are now in the Easter season. But the reality of the world and its condition remains.

After the Resurrection, Jesus appeared repeatedly to His disciples. In some instances, they did not recognize Him. At first, this seems strange that those who spent years with Jesus did not recognize Him. But Mark tells us that He appeared "in another form".

There were the disciples who did not recognize Him, even as He laid out the prophesies before them, but they recognized Him in the breaking of the bread.

And Peter recognized Him when, as He commanded, they dropped their nets after a day of catching nothing and were unable to pull the fish (153, the number categorized by Greek zoologists, thought to symbolize the universal <catholic> mission) into the boat. Perhaps he remembered the first time he encountered Jesus, and the words, "I will make you fishers of men."

And the encounter with Thomas......

Yet, even after these encounters, and even after seeing Him  "lifted up, and a cloud took Him from their sight", it wasn't until Pentecost, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that they truly embraced the mission of Christ's Church.

During the fifty days between the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus until Pentecost, we should be reflecting upon our baptismal call and what it means to be Christians.

Easter Sunday has passed, but as I stated earlier, the reality of a broken world remains. There is no shortage of bad news and mind-blowing accounts of atrocities, along with threats and fears and all sorts of disease and ailments.

If we cannot see beyond these things, it will be difficult to recognize the risen Jesus, and we can lose hope.

Jesus is with us in the Eucharist, the Bread of Life. Do we recognize Him in the breaking of the Bread?

At the end of Mass, we are sent out to continue the mission of the Church. Do we leave worried about what  we "got out of" or did not "get out of" Mass? Can we possibly be so bold as to not recognize Jesus, brush him aside and wonder "What's in it for me?"

We should leave asking "What is it that God is calling me to today? Who is God calling me to today?"

I can certainly be guilty of focusing too much on the icy world around me. Perhaps you can say the same. These things are distractions from the Truth and the eternal reality.

The great news is that we don't have to rely on ourselves. We have the Holy Spirit to help us to fulfill our calling, to accomplish the mission of God, and to help us to see beyond our doubts to the Hope of the Resurrection.

Let's help the world to break through this temporal ice; to rise up and live in the Life of Christ!

Holy Week: That Should Be Me

It's Holy Week, and as I stated last Friday, my posts this week have been about the Passion of Jesus through the eyes of the witnesses.

Haven't been following?

Click here for Monday's post
Click here for Tuesday's post
Click here for Wednesday's post
Click here for Thursday's post

Dirty Duty Against the Divine

You've served in these crucifixion details before. So many, in fact, that you've lost count long ago. It's dirty duty....and you've loved every minute of it. After all, the scum you've been assigned to help execute are never real people. Roman citizens are above such a thing. No, this type of death is reserved for the lowest of the low, and they deserve everything you can dish out. And since you've been given command, become centurion , well, by your word, your men have dished out quite a bit.

Today's detail began like any other, although it was disappointing that there were only three to "take care of" this time. Well, you would just make sure that they received "extra attention" along the way.

However, one of these wretches was a little different. At first sight, you really didn't think he'd make it the quarter mile or so to Calvary. Those fools who scourged him had gone too far, and you hoped they didn't ruin it for you and your men. That would be too bad since this one thinks he's a king. The governor's official charge to be hung over his head reads "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews."

Your men have learned well from you. In fact, after all of these years, you think they may have surpassed you in the level of punishment they deal out. You're not getting soft though. It's just that some of your men don't think clearly as they beat on the convicted and anyone who even thinks about interfering.

Like with this Jesus, you have to keep reminding them not to kill him too early. "Do you want to spoil the best part?" you ask, "He's practically crawling already!" 

He's no sooner moving before he's down again. You know he'll never make it, so you grab someone from the crowd and force him to help carry the cross.

Why Me?

You can't believe it! Why does this always happen to you? You are always in the wrong place at the wrong time. You don't deserve this. You have been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem with your boy. Now, the Roman centurion has forced you to carry a cross. Unbelievable!

The blood! You will be defiled by coming into contact with even a drop of blood. And that crossbeam is covered with blood. You wonder how this Jesus is even still alive....but only for a moment before you start wondering again how you always get into these messes.

The soldiers have no trouble pushing you around along the way. Thankfully, there is not much farther to go. You think you see Golgotha  but you're not certain. The blood from the crossbeam, from Jesus, has somehow covered your own face and, coupled with your own sweat, is now blurring your vision.

Finally you arrive, and you want to run away and clean yourself as quickly as possible, but you can't turn away now. You have heard Jesus praying as he neared the place that will be the end of him. Praying, not for himself, but for others....for those who showed him compassion....and those that spit on him. He prayed for those vile soldiers....and he prayed for you...by name. No, you have to see this to completion now. 

As you watch, you begin to pray for him......

That Should Be Me

"That could be me.....that should be me." is all that keeps racing through your mind as you've followed Jesus to Golgotha. While you wanted to just get away....get away before they changed their minds.

You still can't believe they chose you, Barabbas, over Jesus. And curiosity  in part, has driven you to follow. But only at first. Now, the drive to watch was something beyond curiosity, but you're still not sure what.

"That could be me.....that should be me."

The Roman soldiers don't waste any time when they get him there. They scurry away some poor fool who was forced to carry Jesus's cross. They give him a couple of "licks" for good measure. Simon, you think you heard them call him.

They rip off the clothes that Jesus has been wearing. Those wounds from the scourging had become adhered to his clothes, and now the wounds were all freshly opened again. It's not good enough for those Romans to crucify us Jews. They strip us naked, knowing how humiliating that is to Jewish men.

"That could be me.....that should be me."

They handle Jesus so roughly as they pull his arms out of their sockets to avoid the reflex action that would happen when they nail him to the cross.

"That could be me.....that should be me."

What is he saying? Abba? Yes, Abba. Why is he calling on his father like a child? Daddy

"Daddy, forgive them. They know not what they do." He says this over and over as they drive the nails deeper.

They're raising him up now, nailing his feet. He continues to forgive. The soldiers don't stop.

Jesus begins the agony of pulling himself up to be able to draw a breath, then letting himself down to be able to exhale. When he can't do this any longer, he will die from asphyxiation. What a terrible thing to experience.

"That could be me.....that should be me."

The soldiers are gambling for his robe.

His mother is there, and a few others who are weeping.

But the Jewish elders are still mocking him, and so are the Romans.

The elders are mad at the inscription on the placard above Jesus's head, but the Romans just laugh at them.

From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  Some of the bystanders who heard it said, “This one is calling for Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge; he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink. But the rest said, “Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him.” But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit. And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was happening, and they said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!” - Matthew 27: 45-54

Holy Week: Via Dolorosa

Come, all who pass by the way, pay attention and see: Is there any pain like my pain, which has been ruthlessly inflicted upon me - Lamentations 1 :12

Back on that retreat many years ago, it was proposed that Barabbas, curious as to the fate of the one taking his place, followed Jesus on the road to Calvary. My own human inclinations tell me that this is quite likely.

If you were Barabbas, would you have followed? If you did, what would you have seen?

There stands....barely.....Jesus; severely beaten from a scourging meant to bring him to the brink of death, covered with dirt, blood, and spit; a "crown" of thorns...large thorns...piercing his head and brow; eyes and face swollen, hardly recognizable.

The Roman soldiers continue to push him around, laugh at him, slap him, and mock him. 

They place the heavy crossbeam on his shoulders and give him a shove in the direction they want him to go.

If Barabbas was watching, I'm sure he was thinking "That could be me.....that should be me."

Just a Man and His Boy and a Lamb

You're nearing Jerusalem. What a great day as you travel with your young son, telling him about the great things God has done for His people....just as your father did with you when you were a young boy. 

Your son is so full of life....and questions too, as he asks "Abba, what will it be like? What will we see?"

Abba....how you love hearing him call you that....Daddy. He won't be calling you that much longer, as only little children use that term of endearment to their fathers. He is beginning to grow up, to become more responsible, and that's why you have put him in charge of the sacrificial lamb. "Keep your eye on the lamb my son" you remind him as the two of you walk along.

But as you near the city, you do not hear festive voices, but angry ones. You do not hear festive music, but shouting and cursing. What can this mean? What is all of this about?

You press your way through the crowd and cannot believe your eyes. Why today, of all days, are the Romans sending men to their death?

The first one approaches, begging for mercy, asking the crowd to take pity on him. They in turn laugh at him and shout all the louder.

The second one is coming now...and far from begging for anything, he is the one jeering at the crowd, cursing, and spitting at them. He cannot pass quickly enough.

And just as he does pass, the soldiers are stopping him and the first one too. Why are they stopping? Go already! Get on with it! Leave us so we can celebrate our feast!

Women, Woa Man, Woe Men, and WOMAN

You really can't believe this is happening. They're going to kill Jesus! Isn't this mob made up of many of the same people you saw shouting "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord?" The words they are using now are obscene and offensive, not words meant for a young girl to hear.

So you move closer to that group of women, hoping the crowd will have a little more respect around them.....they don't.

"Look! There he is!" you hear someone say.

There is a short pause of disbelief coupled with some gasps. For many, this is the first time they have seen him since yesterday or more. He's been beaten so badly...you can see drops of blood falling to the ground.

Suddenly, the women you are near begin to wail loudly As Jesus nears them, he finds the strength to tell them not to cry for him but for their children. He says a few other things you can't quite make out, and as the soldiers shove him along and hit him, you watch as Jesus falls to the ground, the weight of the cross falling upon him...driving him to the dirt.

The soldiers begin to argue among themselves. One of them is admonishing the others for hitting Jesus. He's not being compassionate though. He says they'll ruin "the fun" if Jesus dies before they get to crucify him. "He's practically crawling already, you fools!" you hear him say.

You seize the opportunity and run to Jesus....wiping his face with your rag....and the Author of Salvation is looking into your eyes.

You hear your mother screaming at you. "Veronica! Veronica! Get away from there!" Just then, one of the soldiers notices you, and makes a violent move toward you. A woman rushes in and pulls you away.

The soldier is cursing at you, while that same woman is now crying over Jesus....on her knees over him...sheltering him. He's saying something to her, but you can't make it out.

Another soldier moves towards her as a man pulls her away and she cries "Jesus!"

He responds, "Mother....."

You look at the rag you used to wipe his face. His image remains.

Just a Man and His Boy and THE LAMB

Why are they stopping? Go already! Get on with it! Leave us so we can celebrate our feast!

Oh...there's another one just over there. He's on the ground. Just a few yards from you. 

There's a girl wiping his face; they chase her away. A woman crying, screaming as if she were the one being beaten and led to death. She's rescued by another man as a soldier moves in on her. "Jesus!" You hear the woman scream. So, his name is Jesus.

The soldiers get this Jesus to his feet, and the procession begins again. He stumbles and falls....in front of you.

You son rushes from behind you to see what's going on. You don't want him to see such brutal reality and reach out to restrain him. Just then one of the soldiers detects your movement.

"You! Come here!" he screams.

"I'm just trying to walk away with my boy" you try to reason with him.

"No! You come here!" he insists, and places his hand on his sword to make sure you know he means business. He asks your name. You wonder if you should give him an alias, but decide it could mean further trouble for you, so you give him your name.

"Attention! Attention!" he announces to the crowd and the rest of the detail. 

"You! Simon of Cyrene........help him carry his cross!"
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It's Holy Week, and as I stated last Friday, my posts this week will be about the Passion of Jesus through the eyes of the witnesses.

Let's make the journey together. Along the way, I hope we are asking ourselves some tough questions. Who are you in the Passion of the Christ?

Click here for Monday's post
Click here for Tuesday's post
Click here for Wednesday's post

So you don't make the Sign of the Cross?

The very first prayer that my mother taught me was to make the Sign of the Cross, saying as I did so, "In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit".

Now, I have noticed that many Christians do not make the Sign of the Cross, and I'm curious as to why one would be reluctant to do so.

After all, making the Sign of the Cross is an outward sign which tells others "I am a Christian. I am in this world, but I am not of this world. I belong to Jesus. It is by this Sign that I have been grafted on to my Savior  thus making me an adopted child of God."

The Sign of the Cross.......THE Cross

• reminds the Christian that all that we do should be done in God's Name
• is the altar of the New Covenant
• is the tree of death which became the tree of life
• is the means by which Jesus revealed His kingship, and by which God's kingdom is established
• is the instrument of our salvation
• is a reality of our responsibility for the pain which Jesus suffered for us
• is a reminder that we are to take up our own cross daily
• is a reminder that the Cross paves the way to follow Jesus
• is the way that leads to holiness
• and so much more

Isn't it time that we once again remind the world of the great contradiction; the Cross, our true HOPE?

The sign of the cross, on the threshold of the celebration, marks with the imprint of Christ the one who is going to belong to him and signifies the grace of the redemption Christ won for us by his cross. - Catechism 1235

The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father. The sign of the cross strengthens us in temptations and difficulties. - Catechism 2157

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Guest Blog: The Truth about Christmas

- by L. Cowell

Christmas is not about joy, peace, love, or happiness; best wishes, dreams or hope, family love, friendship or any other squishy feeling. I love all those things, but if that was all it was about, I could much easier get all that from hugging a teddy bear. It's also not about trees, bells, tinsel or other sparkly things. Material things are wonderful and have their place, but they don't define Christmas.

And most of all, Christmas definitely is not about making it mean whatever we want. Christmas is about one thing only, the birth of Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity; born out of the love for all mankind. He came to teach us how to be fully human, how to be what we were created to be. Only when we embrace the Truth that He is, will we then know true joy, peace, love, and happiness. Only then will our best wishes, dreams and hope have meaning.

Only then will family love and friendship be aright in our lives. If we allow Him to define us, we then truly will be whole. In giving up ourselves, we gain all.

This Christmas, lose yourself in Jesus Christ the Person. And know True Love.
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L. Cowell is a Catholic wife and mother. She writes from Pittsburgh, PA.

Soul Wars; Let "The Force" Use You, Luke; A New Hope

Today is the Feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist.

In the epic movie "Star Wars; A New Hope" the hero, Luke Skywalker, hears the voice of friend and mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi telling him, "Use the Force Luke." Luke channels and thus controls the power of the Force to combat the Evil Empire and its agents. Among these is the feared Darth Vader.

In the following episode, "The Empire Strikes Back", in a very dark moment, Luke learns that Vader is actually his father. It is in this moment that Vader tells Luke, "Search your feelings Luke. You know it to be true." Luke thought he was ready for the confrontation with "the dark side", but Vader knows that Luke has not properly trained as a Jedi.

Who can forget Yoda's admonition, "Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will."

Being a fan of the entire Star Wars series, I have become fond of many quotes (And aren't those light saber battles the best?). I admit, almost anytime I hear the name Luke, the "use the Force" quote pops into my head. So this morning as I prayed Morning Prayer on this feast, I could not overcome the "thoughts in my head".

Unlike the hero in Star Wars though, Saint Luke does not "use the Force" in an attempt to control it, thus bringing about his own will. No, Saint Luke allows himself to be used by the true Force, Almighty God.

As Christians, we are all called to allow God to use us to His desire, His plan for us and the world. There may be nothing new in what I have said here, but I think it deserves a true "search" of our hearts (not our feelings).

I think we can be guilty of trying to "use" God sometimes. You know, when we are praying in any manner other than "Thy Will be done". Guilty? I sure am.

The Holy Spirit, our friend and mentor, is speaking alright. But we are not being directed to manipulate God to fight our own battles. We are being directed to be used by God in the battle for souls. And it is not in "feelings" that He speaks to us. It is in our hearts.

Like the Jedi, we Christians must also train for the battle. It is important that we seek to properly form our consciences, lest we find ourselves unfit and not ready for the confrontations of life nor the ability to properly discern when "the dark side" is distorting the truth.

God wants us to know that He is our Father. But He wants us to choose Him freely, not manipulated by the feelings or emotions of a moment, but by life-long conversion. And He wants us to know that He is more powerful than "the dark side". He has the power to save us from being "forever consumed". It is God Who truly gives us a new Hope.

And as we cooperate with the Grace of God more and more in our lives, we are able to wield the real light saber, the light of Jesus Christ, not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, the powers, the world rulers of this present darkness, and the evil spirits in the heavens.

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This "episode" is dedicated to my son Joel.

Failing at Family, Working at Perfect

Did you ever feel as though no matter how hard you were working to be perfect, that you just keep failing your family? Honestly, I feel like that a lot.

In general, there are many people in my extended family that I wish I had better relationships with. Heck, I think I could do better in this area with every single member of my extended family most if not all of the time. But it is with my immediate family that my struggles overtake me the most. 

I think the urge these days is to think that we are so flawed that we can't ever be perfect, so we blow off the idea that we should even try.  But his inclination to lower the bar so to speak is why I think God always raises it.

In Leviticus, God says

For I, the LORD, am your God. You shall make and keep yourselves holy, because I am holy. Leviticus 11:44

And Jesus tells us

So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48

It's always easy to pick and choose who I want to measure myself up to, but Christ reminds me that it is He that I am to be measured to. When doing so, it's always evident just how little I truly "measure up" and just how much I really need Him.

Why oh why does it seem as though the more time I set aside for prayer, the more time I examine myself in the light of Christ, that something always "comes up" and that "old me", the short-tempered, impatient, rush-to judgement me comes blaring out like a raving lunatic?

Yesterday there seemed to be a lot of "pressure" to get the children dressed, get Brandon to school, and to get the van to the dealership (with Monica tagging along of course). There was a moment there, like so many others, that I could see so clearly what Kendra and the children were all doing so wrong, thwarting my plans at making a productive day out of a potentially boring and futile one.

Of course, I lost my cool. Of course I had to let them all know that I knew what a conspiracy they were all a part of in hindering my wonderful plan. Of course I had to, once again, set a bad example for my family.

Accused or Convicted

Of course I began to feel accused of what a worthless husband and father I can be so much of the time. Of course I heard a voice telling me "You're trying to be perfect, but you're always failing your own family."

Well, while the facts about my reactions and their lack of Christian example are correct, I thank God that I am learning to sift through those accusatory voices, remembering that accusation of itself is not from God, while true conviction surely is. .

And this is the entire point of this post. That the voice of God is usually a "whisper" of conviction just beneath the "noise" of the accusation.

Brushing aside the accusation, I was able to hear the voice of true conviction, telling me that while it's true that I fell again, falling is not the same as failing. Falling is an opportunity to stay down or to get up. Failing is choosing to give up, to stay down, to quit trying.

Jesus loves Rocky Balboa

We have the greatest example in Jesus falling, but continuing his torturous journey to Calvary. Or if you're goofy like me, you might even have a flashback to the Rocky movies with Mick telling Rocky, "I didn't hear no bell!" Hey, the Lord works in mysterious ways.

I see so many great things in my family, and I know that God is working in all of our lives. I know that his enemy hates us and wants to keep us distracted from God. But I thank God, that even in all of my FALLings, He is there to remind me to keep working at perfect.

Jesus Married Already Yesterday's News

(Getty/AFP photo / September 20, 2012) 

Yesterday's news of the finding and translation of some "ancient papyrus" supposedly transcribed to read that Jesus was married is already being classified a dupe. I have to wonder if any of that will matter to historian Karen King who got her five minutes of fame yesterday.

Oh the secular press had their field day reporting this, among them Reuters who quotes King as saying;

"Christian tradition has long held that Jesus was not married, even though no reliable historical evidence exists to support that claim." 

Ah yes, because there is such a need to prove what does not exist rather than what does.

And I had plans to discuss this in great detail with references to just a few popular Catholic blog posts like Fr. Z's "A note about the Mrs. Christ papyrus fragment", and Jimmy Akin's "Does New Document Prove That Jesus Had a Wife?", which took on the issue in completely different ways.

But alas, my plan was foiled! While going through this morning's reading list, I saw Susan Brinkmann's post on Women of Grace "Ancient Papyrus Proving Jesus was Married Declared a Fake".

Well, I guess we Christians don't have to go out burning buildings down in protest after all.

On another positive note though, the local news interviewed several non-Catholic Christians last night. A couple of them actually refereed to:

"Scripture and Church history" and what has been "handed down to us".

How about that? Scripture and Tradition and a vague reference to the Magisterium!

Crux Spes Unica; The Cross, Our Only Hope

Crux Spes Unica; the motto of my high school alma mater (Holy Cross) means "The Cross, Our Only Hope". Indeed, we Christians embrace the paradox of all paradoxes in the Holy Cross of Jesus Christ.

What was a terrible instrument of death has become the glorious instrument of salvation. What was reserved for the lowest of the low has revealed the meaning of Christ's kingship. What once was an example of enmity and hatred has become an example of solidarity and charity. Reversing the failure in the Garden, in which Adam took for himself of the tree of life thus bringing death, Jesus the new Adam offers Himself on a tree of death thus bringing everlasting life. What once brought despair, has become our only hope.

Glory to you O Lord! For so far above our ways are your ways! So far above our thoughts are your thoughts.

Today is the Feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross.

The Council of Trent emphasizes the unique character of Christ's sacrifice as "the source of eternal salvation" and teaches that "his most holy Passion on the wood of the cross merited justification for us." And the Church venerates his cross as she sings: "Hail, O Cross, our only hope." (Catechism 616)

The Voices In My Head - Part 2; Counterfeit Conscience

In Part 1 I began to address the question, "How do I know if it is God speaking to me, or if it is all in my head?", touching on how and where He speaks, and how conscience is the messenger helping to interpret His voice for us.

But for the Christian, conscience needs to be trained.  It requires proper formation.  A properly formed conscience helps us to make choices based on reason, but in conformity with the Will of God.

When I was in the grocery business, we trained our cashiers how to detect counterfeit money.  To detect counterfeit bills, one does not study the counterfeit.  One studies the real bill, seeks to learn all that is possible about what a real bill looks like.  Properly trained to recognize the real bill, the one with true value, the cashier would be better equipped to recognize the worthless counterfeit bill.

It is also important to note that as cashiers became better equipped to recognize truth over counterfeit, the counterfeiters found better ways to trick them.  This brought on changes in the way money is printed; with special portraits, bands and shifting ink, among others.  Cashiers are now also given special pens to aid them in this effort.  Even as they become more and more equipped, given more and more tools to work with, the counterfeiters continue to scheme.

And so it is today, that we Christians have plenty of "tools" and "aids" at our disposal; much more so than our parents and grandparents and so on.  However, the "counterfeiters", the ones who seek to trick us into accepting false reason, are very good at their game.  More importantly, if we become lazy and do not use the tools at our disposal, we will most certainly be duped!

So it is clear to see, that the formation of the Christian conscience is a life long process.  We have to work at it and stay vigilant against the tactics of the enemies of faith.  Like counterfeiters, they seek to distort true faith, masking their lies with half truths.

Thanks be to God!  We have lots of tools.  We have prayer, which teaches us to place our trust in God and to cooperate with His Will.  We have the great gift of the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures and authentic blueprint of faith.  We have the Church through which we exercise our faith, are renewed and refreshed by the Sacraments and by which we join our prayer to the Body of Christ, whose head is Jesus in Whom all Truth resides.

Next time; more about avoiding counterfeit conscience and erroneous judgement.

Are you convicted, accused, or left alone?

While on retreat a few months ago, a conversation came up with a friend.  It had to do with our human nature of sinning, falling or straying from that perfect path that God has set out for our lives.  We talked about feeling convicted when we know we've done wrong and how we sometimes beat ourselves up over repeated failings.  That "beating ourselves up" part can really be better described as feeling accused.  True conviction most certainly comes from God.  However, feeling accused may be a different story.

Am I splitting hairs?  Well, for sake of the conversation, what we were talking about with regards to "feeling accused" are those thoughts of "See, you're not really a changed person." and "There!  You did it again!  You are so weak!" and "Some Christian you are!", etc.  Since accusation, by the nature I have described here, pulls us down, attempts to chain us to our sinful nature and attempts to cripple us from moving forward with God, it cannot be of or from God.

That conversation resurfaced in my thoughts this morning as I was praying and reflecting on God and how He moves in my life.  I received several affirmations through prayer, scripture, and from a couple of recent conversations with people.  Isn't that alone an affirmation of how God speaks to us?

When we feel convicted, we are feeling that tug of the Holy Spirit which helps us face the truth that we have sinned and need to be reconciled with God.  But even deeper, it leads to repentance and a desire to get back up and try harder.  Conviction calls us to dig deeper than "I have sinned" but to seek God's help in understanding "What in my life is God calling me to change to help me avoid this sin again?".

But there was a time in my life when I did not feel convicted nor accused.  I lived my life as I wanted, devoid of God.  The scary part is not feeling convicted or accused means that the enemy, the devil saw no need to accuse me or to "beat me up".  He had bigger fish to fry and since I was already in the vat, he could just let me set there while he looked for other prey.

But thanks be to God that the Lord does not just let us "set there".  He's always calling us to Himself.

It's easy now to see where my life was, where I was heading.  It's easy now to see what events in my life God was using to call to me, to bring me home to Him.  I see how He reminded me several times of His presence, of my need for Him.  I also see how God used other people to guide me back to Him.  Some, perhaps unaware of this.  But one person, who has become a very good friend, did know.  He had the courage to tell me the truth.  Oh, others had previously done so as well, but I can have a hard head and sometimes using a cardboard roller just isn't as effective as a sledge hammer.  I needed the sledge hammer, and this friend "let me have it"!

He said "You know you're going to hell, don't you?"

It was like a punch in the gut.  I was mad.  But I couldn't say anything at first.  I was too busy with those words spinning in my head, and then...hitting me straight in the heart.  "Wait, George.  Didn't you elude that accusation does not come from God?"  Well, you're right.  I did.  What "sounds" like an accusation was really the proclamation of the Truth.  (Yes, caps for the Truth, Jesus.)  The difference?  Again, accusation distracts us from God.  This proclamation of the Truth brought on conviction.

"You know, I guess you're right." was all that I could say.  Conviction.  Conviction brings conversion.

That was the beginning of true conversion for me.  So many things have transpired since then.  God is calling us all to conversion every day and every moment.  As a former pastor preached repeatedly, "Conversion is not a one time event or an experience, but a life long process of cooperating with God's Grace to transform ourselves more closely to Christ".

This morning's contemplation was brought on by what's going on in our world these days.

How do we respond?  Throwing around accusations surely isn't the way.  Do we just ignore our brothers and sisters by simply adopting the motto "live and let live"?  That's not exactly allowing God to use us, now is it?  We must proclaim the Truth, charitably but unceasingly.  Sometimes and some persons may require the use of a sledge hammer.  Some may require the cardboard roller.  Some may even need a gentle feather (or whisper).

But to discern what is needed to help others, we must first continue to be attentive to our own conversion, to be more Christ-like.

Many people will try to shut you up by using Jesus' words, "You hypocrite, remove the plank from your own eye."  Sure, but Jesus does not say "leave your brother alone".  The complete command from Jesus is "You hypocrite, remove the plank from your own eye first.  Then you will be able to see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother's eye."

Show me your identification please

For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh (Ephesians 2:14)

 It's Sunday morning, and soon the family will be awake and preparing to go to Mass.  I've been up for quite some time now, and was really wondering what "identity" this blog would take on.  There are some really great blogs out there.  Many are well-established, and most are devoted to specific topics.

Naturally, I began to equate my thoughts for A Talking Donkey with my own personal life and experiences.  Ha!  Suffice to say that this concludes trying to nail down a particular topic or thinking that this thing will not "evolve" (but hopefully in a good way).

Today's Scripture Readings at Mass lend an opportunity to contemplate "identity".  In the Gospel (Mark 6:30-34), we hear that when Jesus "saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd".  In the First Reading (Jeremiah 23:1-6), God says "I will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them".  In the Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 23), we proclaim "The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want."  What's all this about sheep and shepherds?


Well, first about the sheep thing.  Sheep are animals of prey and are not thought of as being too "bright".  In most regions, sheep have a tendency to group together in communities (flocks).  When flocks are of mixed breeds, they tend to form sub communities of like breeds, and even more closely within those that they are most closely related to.  Hmmmm.  Generally, they will follow the first sheep in their flock to move, and become stressed when separated from their flock.  (It's also interesting to note that in regions where they have no predators, sheep are less inclined to exhibit this congregational behavior.)


Understanding one's natural inclinations and tendencies, are a good first step in understanding one's identity.  God is not demeaning us with this comparison.  He is helping us to understand that we have become something lessor than what He created us to be.  God created us in His image (Genesis 1:27), but because of sin, we have fallen short. (Romans 3:23)

Paul reminds us in today's Second Reading (Ephesians 2:13-18) that our true identity is in Christ.  Speaking of Gentiles and Jews (from different flocks, if you will), he says that we are now one through Christ's flesh.  In Galatians 3:28, Paul says it more clearly; "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

It's pretty easy to forget who I am sometimes, a lot of times.  In fact, when I fall, the devil is really quick to "pull me over" to write that ticket.  It's a good thing that my id card has a picture of Jesus on it.