GOD IN THE STREETS

We are called to see Christ in everyone...everywhere...always...and...forever.

Sometimes, however, it is nearly impossible to recognize...to tune in to...Christ...in the person in front of us at a particular moment.

Anger...fear...sadness...misconceptions...mental illness...all these things...and more...blur the presence of Christ in the other we are encountering.

And so, we avoid....we ignore...we fight back...we lash out...in reaction to the other's behavior.

Yet, our faith is not re-active...but rather...pro-active.

Sure we will fall...sin...at times...and, we will have many excuses..."I'm tired"..."I don't feel well"..."it's not fair"..."he shouldn't have said that"..."she shouldn't have done that"..."it was supposed to be ME"...and on...and on...and on.

But, will we rise up...reconcile and move on...or...will we fall even further?

While the clip above shows Eucharistic Procession through the streets: the Real Presence of Christ in procession among us...in our everyday life, we encounter Christ in EVERYONE we meet...the good...the bad...the ugly...the infuriating.

The question is:

Will YOU recognize Him before it's too late?

Will I?

WE CAN'T TAKE IT WITH US

You can’t take it with you!

We have all heard this phrase time and time again.

And, we know it is so true.

We can’t take the stuff…the things…the detritus of this life…with us into the next life with Christ.

And, who would want to?

There is nothing man can make on earth…no matter how fabulous it may seem…that can compare to what God has ready for us in heaven.

No, we can’t take the stuff of this world into the next.

Neither can we enter the next world with the baggage of sin on our souls!

We don’t like to admit it much…but…

WE ARE SINNERS!!

We make mistakes…we do and say things that we shouldn’t…and we don’t do and say things that we should…every…single…day.

We are imperfect.

Jesus tells us in today’s gospel that if our hand causes us to sin…we should cut it off. If it is our eye through which we sin we should pluck it out!

And, what about our tongue…angry words spoken in the heat of a moment…gossip, rumors…telling our “friends” things that we know will hurt them...and sometimes cause them to re-evaluate everything they have ever believed…under the guise of “better they should hear it from me than someone who doesn’t love and care for them?!”

If that’s how we love and care for our friends…I feel sorry for our enemies!

Sins!

Over the last two weekends, the Level 2 children and parents came for gatherings. The first sacrament the boys and girls will receive in 2010 is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The children come up in the church…they are taught to bow as they approach the altar...as they will on their First Holy Communion Day...and sin is explained to them.

SIN…such a little word that causes so much terror and distress...in our lives...and...in our world.

Last week, one of the second graders raised her hand and said, “I don’t sin.”

Once sin was explained, the look on her face said clearly…that she too has sinned...at least once...in her seven years.

So, too… you and I.

The good news is, Jesus gave us a wonderful gift before he left us…The Sacrament of Reconciliation.

When we grow weary from the weight of the baggage of sin we carry with us…a few minutes of heartfelt confession with a priest...renews our soul...our heart...and...our conviction to live a life of love...so that we may be welcomed into the loving arms of Christ...and...granted eternal life.

When First Reconciliation Day comes…some of the children will be a little anxious…they are encouraged not to be nervous because when they are done they will be refreshed...and...renewed.

They will be given a new page upon which to write their future.

Some come out literally glowing!

And how about us?

Sometimes we feel weary…overburdened.

Sometimes we need to be refreshed…renewed…strengthened to resist temptation.

So I invite you to accept the gift Christ so graciously offers…the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

It is true…we can’t take it with us!

When we die…all the things we hold dear here on earth will be…disbursed…discarded…even destroyed.

Our soul will always be…either with Christ…or…in Gehenna.

In the Religious Education Program, it is our task to help you…help…your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews grow in relationship with Christ.

Each and every one of us is called to be a prophet.

Would that we take that calling seriously, and model by our actions, the things our words say.

We must...

Walk the Talk.

Why not…walk the talk…right into the confessional…and…show our boys and girls the importance of cleansing our soul…even as we nourish it each week…at the altar?

I promise you…that even if you are a little anxious…you will feel so much better afterward.

You will be refreshed…renewed…you may even…GLOW…with the mercy...and...glory...of God!

EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS

We should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, for He is our salvation, our life and our resurrection: through Him we are saved and made free. ~ Entrance Antiphon for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross ~

FAITH

Faith is a gift of God to man and it is, at the same time, man's free and total entrusting of himself to God.

Faith is the docile listening to the Word of the Lord, that is the "lamp" for our steps and the "light" on our way.

If we open our hearts to Christ with confidence, if we let ourselves be conquered by him, we too can experience, together with the Curé d'Ars, "that our only happiness on this earth is to love God, and to know that He loves us."

Let us ask the Virgin Mary, always to keep alive in us this faith impregnated by love, which made her, the humble girl of Nazareth, Mother of God and model for all believers. ~ Pope Benedict XVI ~

FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD

At His Transfiguration, Christ showed His disciples the splendor of His beauty, to which He will shape and color those who are His: "He will reform our lowness configured to the body of His glory" (Philippians 3:21) ~St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae~

The homily I heard today was about "mountaintop experiences." The disciples certainly had a "mountaintop experience" on Mount Tabor...when Jesus was transfigured...right in front of their eyes.

Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” ~Mark 9:7~

While we were not present on Mount Tabor, with open hearts...we too, can recognize our own personal "mountaintop experiences"...those times, when God reaches through the firmament to grant us a glimpse of His Transcendent Glory...His Almighty Power.

Creation, in all it's wonder...from the coos of a newborn...the waves on the water...a beautiful sky at sunrise or sunset...a puppy's sighs...to a new bloom in the garden...reveal to me glimpses of God's Transcendent Glory.

These are MY "mountaintop experiences."

What are YOURS?

Free your heart...your mind...and...your soul, to recognize and savor the glimpses of God's Transcendent Glory all around YOU!

And, may our "mountaintop experiences" strengthen us to know...who it is...we are called to be...and...how it is...that God ultimately reveals Himself...in the fullness of His love.

THE JOURNEY

I began this blog and joined Twitter as a diversion...during the long hours...days...and...weeks of sitting...watching...waiting...and...praying...when my aunt was in the hospital in March.

It has become a place where I share my faith...my ministry...my life...and...my struggles with all three.

Not many of us live charmed lives...I know I don't. And, no matter how many letters you can write after your name...nor...what they mean...a life of faith is still a journey, with all the wonders...and...pitfalls, that any journey on earth can...and...usually does entail.

My route thus far has been circuitous at best. And, yes, the journey has been beautiful...and yet at times...exasperating...holy...and yet at times...insane...a great blessing...and yet at times...a great trial.

Some years ago, I was complaining to my confessor about how difficult some thing or another was for me...and, this was his reply: "You follow a God who carried a cross, was nailed to it, and died an undignified death upon it. WHAT Do YOU Expect?!"

Well, in a world of instant gratification...me, me, and more me...anything goes, etc., etc. we expect rainbows and baby kisses every single day. Yet, there is no rainbow without at least a little rain...nor...a baby to kiss without at least a little pain.

And so too, our faith journey will be strewn with good times...and...bad...baby steps forward...and...giant leaps backward.

The thing is, as in any journey...to stay the course...until the destination has been reached...the loving arms of Christ...as He welcomes us...Home!

DIGNITY

One's dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but it cannot be taken away unless it's surrendered! ~ Michael J. Fox ~


So...Don't...Surrender...Your...Dignity!


Don't Surrender To...

Abuse

Addiction

Entitlement

Threats

Illness

Overspending

Jealousy

Hate

Greed

Bullying

Fear

Ego

Unbridled Passions


Rather...Submit...Your...Very...Being!


Submit to the Holy Spirit...

To the dignity and peace that can only be found within YOURSELF

Within YOUR heart

Within YOUR soul

Within YOUR relationship with our Heavenly Father...as mediated through Christ...and...guided by the Holy Spirit!


Despite what the world tells us...

Dignity and peace do not come from what others do...or...say about...or...to us!

IF THEY DID...what a roller coaster ride our life would be...as we rode the wave of compliments...and fell into the pit of complaints...over and over...many times...every single day!

Dignity and peace do not come from external things...fancy cars...fancier houses...closets full of clothes and shoes...vacations across the world...fame...fortune...things...and more...things.

IF THEY DID...all those sporting that onerous bumper sticker: "Whoever dies with the most toys...WINS," would be happy and at peace...rather than working more and more hours...at more and more jobs...even at times...grasping at that which is not theirs...in the vain attempt to sustain the unsustainable.

Just pick up a newspaper, a magazine, or turn on the television...the story is there for all to see...happening to all too many...all too often...all the time!


Christ surrendered HIS dignity...that we should keep ours...as royalty...sons and daughters of the KING! That is the only thing we possess...freely given by God...that will survive our death...and...all eternity.

So, as Catholic Christians, our bumper sticker should read, "Whoever dies with the dignity and peace of their soul intact...WINS!"


How are...YOUR...dignity and peace doing today?

Have...YOU...surrendered them to another's abuse...threats...or...jealousy?

Have...YOU...surrendered them to illness...or...fear?

Have...YOU...surrendered them to the opinion of another?

Have...YOU...surrendered them in...YOUR...own over-developed sense of entitlement...overspending...or...greed?

Have...YOU...surrendered them in the race for MORE?


As long as...YOU...are breathing...YOU...can reclaim...YOUR...dignity and peace...YOUR...very SOUL!

The question is...

Do...YOU...have the...FAITH...necessary to...submit...to the Holy Spirit...in order to do so?


Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ~ Romans 15:13 ~

"I THIRST"

I was watching a show called God is Good on Telecare the other morning. There was a sister on the show from Nebraska talking about her conversion, and subsequent founding of a religious order.

She was telling about how after she had been a Catholic for three whole months, she realized that she didn't even know the Blessed Mother. So, she decided to go to Adoration on Holy Thursday evening to spend a holy hour with Christ. She went on to say that she brought many books with her because she wasn't sure how she would spend a full hour in prayer.

As she sat praying, she began to meditate on Jesus' words: "I thirst."

The sister too, began to pray: "I thirst."

She envisioned herself with Jesus in the garden and she told him that she thirsted to know Mary. Soon a woman entered the garden in her meditation, and Jesus introduced that woman as his mother.

The story this sister was telling was faith-filled and beautiful. And, it got me to thinking...

For what do I thirst?

I thirst for:

peace,

justice,

righteousness,

guidance,

health,

love,

reconciliation!

And, just like the good sister, I find all of these in Christ!


How about YOU?


For what do YOU thirst?


How can Christ quench that thirst for YOU?

TELECARE TELEVISION

THE SOLEMNITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI

Eucharistic Miracles have been reported and confirmed for centuries. From the more famous: such as the Miracle of Saint Clare (1240 in Assisi, Italy) defending the convent against the Saracen soldiers; to, the more recent: the likeness of Christ crowned with thorns (2001 in Chiattakonam, India) appearing on the Sacred Host displayed in the monstrance during Adoration.

Here are two other examples across the centuries:



In the year 1345, King Casimar III the Great of Poland gave orders to build a church named Corpus Christi in honor of the Eucharistic miracle that was verified that same year. It had taken place in the village of Wawel, near Krakow. Some thieves broke into a little church (The Collegiate Church of All Saints), which was a short distance from Krakow. They forced their way into the tabernacle and stole the monstrance, which contained consecrated Hosts.

They got away, but when they figured out that the monstrance was not made of real gold, they threw it (including the Hosts) into the muddy marshland that was prevalent in the area. Priests from the church began a search, but they did not hold out much hope. When darkness fell, however, a mysterious light emanated from the spot where the treasure had been abandoned.

Bright flashes of light were visible for several kilometers. Frightened villagers approached the area and reported back to the Bishop of Krakow. The bishop called for three days of fasting and prayer. On the third day, he led a procession out to the marsh. There, they found the monstrance, and within it they found the Hosts, which were unbroken and were the source of the unusual lights. The people began to pray and to celebrate the miracle.

Annually on the occasion of the feast of Corpus Christi, the miracle is celebrated in the church of Corpus Christi in Krakow.

In 1948, in the monastery church of Rosano, Italy, another miracle occurred when the statue of the Sacred Heart began to bleed and weep:



From Bishop Luciano Giovanotti’s letter of
April 4, 1948:

“In the evening of April 4 1948, the first Sunday after Easter, during the chanting of vespers, people noticed for the first time that drops as if of blood were falling from the eyes of the statue."

In June of that year, another stunning and unexpected miracle occurred – the flow of blood. These events occurred repeatedly between 1948 and 1950 and were corroborated by many eyewitnesses, by the nuns themselves and particularly by the abbess, Mother Ildegarde Cabitza of holy memory.

In the monastery archives are preserved many sworn testimonies even of priests, preachers, and visitors, together with medical analyses of the blood, as well as finger towels and purificators soaked with blood. One of the most endearing testimonies is that of Monsignor Angelo Scapecchi, who later became Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Arezzo. From the archives we learn of the investigation of the Visitator, Father Luigi Romoli, O.P., sent by the Holy Office, who personally interrogated all the nuns, imposing the strictest secrecy on the community.

Subsequently, on November 14, 1950, the Holy Office ordered the statue to be removed so as to keep it in a secret location. It was brought back to Rosano in 1952. The community of nuns of Rosano lived these events with intimate joy and great devotion but with great reserve; so much so that, as we learn from the chronicles, they were not distracted from their daily duties. On the contrary, they lived their monastic life even more intensely according to the Benedictine motto: Ora et Labora.

The weeping and the flow of blood were considered inexplicable from a natural and human point of view. Bishop Giovanni Giorgis, saw in these events of Rosano an appeal from the Lord "to fidelity, reparation and prayer."

"[…] Beloved brothers and sisters, with great devotion and pride let us look back on the events that took place in our diocese fifty years ago and see them as signs of the Lord’s benevolence and love and an invitation to a serious and profound reflection.

With great ardor let us joyfully renew our devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. And as we receive this message, let us ask for the gift of an ever deeper conversion to His love, for the grace of an increase of apostolic fervor, as well as for the gift of numerous holy vocations to the priesthood and religious life, so as to make Christ the Heart of the world.

Looking at the Heart of Jesus, we will joyfully draw life from the fountain of salvation!”

These Stories Of Eucharistic Miracles And Others Throughout The Centuries May Be Found At: THE REAL PRESENCE OF CHRIST IN THE EUCHARIST

ANIMA CHRISTI

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.

Body of Christ, save me.

Blood of Christ, inebriate me.

Water from the side of Christ, wash me.

Passion of Christ, strengthen me.

O good Jesus, hear me.

Within your wounds conceal me.

Do not permit me to be parted from you.

From the evil foe protect me.

At the hour of my death call me.

And bid me come to you, to praise you with all your saints forever and ever.

Amen.

SAINT PATRICK'S BREASTPLATE

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through the confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the Judgment Day.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of demons,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of women and smiths and druids,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.

END OF LIFE ISSUES

As many of you know, since February 14, 2008 I was the caregiver for my Auntie Dee in her battle with Stage III Vulvar Cancer. My husband, sons, and I alone cared for her since last February, 2008 (she had been diagnosed at the end of January, 2008) as she had never married and had no children of her own.

Other family members were out of the picture for many decades for one reason or another. Plenty of anger over past hurts, excuses and blame to go around as in any large, dysfunctional family.

I was not a party to any of that, but just like Christ, I am the one suffering for the sins of the multitude.

Closer family members to me, turned their backs on my aunt and I when we found out I was the executrix and beneficiary of the will.

For many years, my husband, sons, and I assisted my aunt with different chores around the house and various business matters. At one point in 1999, Auntie Dee gave me power of attorney to assist her in a personal matter. I did, put the document in my safe where my aunt asked me to store it with her sealed will; and then, between raising two boys, going back to school for my Master's Degree, and working full time, forgot about it for the next decade.

That is until a telephone call from a screaming relative had me searching my safe at 9:30 at night on the 13th of February 2008. Ah yes, there was much yelling, gnashing of teeth, poison e-mails, threats, and bad behavior by many involved.

For my part, I had 2-3 minutes of quite vociferous anger, loudly voiced and colorfully charged, on a relative's answering machine. When I calmed down, I immediately went to confession and repented. It was a bad reaction to a horrible e-mail I had received.

Funny, but everyone, from attorneys to religious, who reads that e-mail and hears of my reaction to it, agrees that the reaction was understandable, even as I still wish it had been more politely articulated.

Now, those same family members, and two others who had NOTHING to do with my aunt for decades, are trying everything they think is in their power to prolong probate, and cost me many more thousands of dollars than I have already spent in helping my aunt over this last year and a half.

I'm sure they think their tactics will bring me to my knees.

I only kneel before THE GOD...not those who believe themselves to be gods!

As they continue to dig their heels in, they are wasting time and very limited resources that are sorely needed to pay medical, reverse mortgage, and astronomical credit card debts.

My uncle's wife told me that the living room furniture and a credenza in the house were worth a fortune. The furniture is scratched and threadbare. An appraiser came in and told us that it is not worth the cost it would incur to refinish it. That credenza hasn't been in the house since the late 80's as far as I can remember. My aunt had sold it, and many other knick-knacks and furnishings after my grandfather had died, when she was no longer getting his social security money each month, and before she took out the reverse mortgage.

Something my uncle's wife or her children would have known if they had ever bothered to put the past behind them and tried to rekindle relationship there.

It was really a pleasure to hear my uncle's wife basically tell me I was less important than the furniture; even as she told me she was a good Catholic woman who goes to church every Sunday.

I told her I teach good Catholic women; and more than that, I lived the good Catholic woman's life this last year plus, through service to my aunt. The telephone call ended rather quickly after that exchange. Can you imagine that?

In the midst of this debacle, I have recently had to make some decisions with the help of a probate attorney. It is with a very heavy heart, and only after consulting clergy and attorneys, that I must have a summons served not only on the two cousins, who probably wouldn't have known my aunt if they had fallen over her; but, on my own mother.

A woman whom it seems, since she has not contacted me nor have I been allowed to contact her, under threat of an order of protection, has forgotten she has not one but TWO DAUGHTERS!

And the younger daughter, the "accident" is the one she has thrown under the bus!

ME!

The worst part of it all, is that the cancer was not what killed my aunt. She was actually doing quite well with that after two surgeries and radiation. Even going out shopping on her own on the town jitney or with my husband or I or my older son; and, ordering materials for a new kitchen floor that she intended to, and very easily could have, installed herself with minimal assistance, had she not fallen and broken her hip this past March.

Yes, that 5 year prognosis was looking pretty good, and she might still be with us today, and I would not be in the middle of this insanity, if she had not needed a hip replacement and complications arose. Even still, she rallied enough to be discharged to a rehabilitation center for physical therapy, to learn to walk again. But, then an infection took hold and in her weakened condition, things spiraled downward very quickly.

My aunt spent the entire month of March in the hospital with the hip fracture, surgery, and recuperation. She spent two more weeks in the rehab facility before I got the call early one morning that she had been rushed to the emergency room. I couldn't imagine why. When I had left her the night before she was sleeping soundly and peacefully.

I was in no way prepared for what I encountered in the last bay all the way around the half circle on the left side of that emergency room. I had been told on the telephone that Auntie Dee was unresponsive; but, I could never have been prepared for it.

She lay like a wounded bird on that hospital bed, tiny, her back arched in pain, her mouth open, moaning and gasping for air. Her eyes open but unseeing. I spoke her name and told her I was there; but she didn't seem to understand.

My younger son had gone to the hospital with me; but, I alone was allowed to see my aunt. I guess I looked like I was going to drop to the floor as I spoke to her because all of a sudden there were strong arms around me guiding me to a chair. A gentleman with the kindest eyes I had ever seen was asking me if I was okay.

What does Jesus teach us in Holy Scripture?

That we must see Him in the poor and vulnerable that we serve. Well, in this instance it was I being served and He came in the form of the janitor..the kindness of strangers!

Since February 2008, Auntie Dee and I had relied heavily on the kindness of strangers. And, I thank God for each and every one of them every single day even, as I lament the destruction of one part of my extended family.

During the entire time I was assisting my aunt over the last year plus, many times, I would say to the secretaries or volunteers who drove my aunt to appointments when I simply could not be absent from work, that I wish I had a mother to talk things over with...to ask advice...to help with the decision making.

But, that was not to be.

And, so I sought expert opinions, talked things over with my aunt explaining everything to her. All she kept saying to me was, "Rosemarie, I want to live. Help me live."

Each time, I would promise her I would. And, I really thought that we had bested the situation. We went for opinions, second opinions, I researched, called everyone I could think of and I believe in the bottom of my heart, that if she had not fallen that Auntie Dee had a good chance at the magic 94 years (the age my grandfather died), if only she hadn't have taken that one misstep that ultimately ended it all!

"If only's" like "used to be's" "...just lay on the floor 'til you sweep them away."

And then, you are faced with situations that you have to learn how to deal with in a hurry. Kidneys stop working, certain things begin to happen that can be prepared for given the right resources; and, the ability to foresee the need to study those resources before the inevitable happens.

That is why, when I saw the following link on Twitter tonight from @disability, I knew I must share it with you. It's hard to think about, but those we love are finite on this earth. When a health crisis occurs we must be ready not only for our loved ones and their comfort, but for our own well-being as we watch and help them pass from this life to the next.

Whether you are facing the situation now or not, please take a look at this information and prepare yourself. Hospice didn't have time to prepare me; because things turned so fast for Auntie Dee. And yet, if you read past posts here you will see much of what is on this link I have discussed, as it was happening with my aunt.

We don't make things easier on ourselves when we stick our heads in the sand!

I pray, you might never need to use the information listed there. But, please click on the link, gird yourself with the knowledge you may need to help your loved one pass comfortably.

More importantly, I beg you if you have hard feelings over past hurts, GO TO THE PERSON WHO HURT YOU...IF THE HURT IS SO BAD YOU CAN'T BEAR TO EVER SEE THAT PERSON AGAIN, PRAY FOR THEM AND FOR YOURSELF. DON'T LET IT FESTER FOR DECADES OR WORSE FOR YOUR ENTIRE LIFE!!

AND, PLEASE, PLEASE, DON'T TAKE IT OUT ON A THIRD PARTY THROWN INTO THE MIX NOT OF THEIR OWN ACCORD. ALL YOU ARE DOING THEN IS PERPETUATING THE HURT AND SPREADING IT FURTHER.

OH, IF YOU THREATEN SOMEONE WITH AN ORDER OF PROTECTION (ESPECIALLY IF YOU DO IT IN WRITING) OVER REAL OR IMAGINED THREATS...REMEMBER, YOU JUST GAVE UP YOUR RIGHT TO COMPLAIN THAT THEY DO NOT CONTACT YOU!!

NEVER WRITE NASTY E-MAILS ON YOUR WORK ACCOUNT WITH YOUR NAME, YOUR ORGANIZATION'S NAME, AND YOUR FUNCTION BOLDLY EMBLAZONED ON THE BOTTOM...PEOPLE TEND TO SAVE THOSE.


PARENTS:

LOVE YOUR CHILDREN EQUALLY!

DO NOT TAKE SIDES!


AND, EVERYONE:

CHECK YOUR PRIORITIES:

FLESH AND BLOOD...HEARTS AND SOULS,

SHOULD ALWAYS TRUMP

NUTS AND BOLTS...DOLLARS AND CENTS!


If, in your life, they DO NOT...then, Re-Evaluate, Re-Assess, and Re-Connect with those whom you have thrown away.

In the end that is what you will be judged upon NOT credenzas, NOT bank balances, NOT control, NOT ego...but, how well you loved through the hurt, real or imagined, that you endured.

May God Bless You and Yours and Keep You Safe.

CANCER CARE: END OF LIFE ISSUES

AWARENESS TEST

I had to take this test twice!

I was so busy counting the number of passes made, I missed the 800 pound gorilla (alright...much smaller man in a brown bear costume!) in the room.

How many times are we like that with God?

We know that God is present always and everywhere...in each of us made in His image, in the whole of creation, and in the very air we breathe.

Yet, how many times as we go through our day, do we miss opportunities to: Greet Him...Thank Him...Praise Him...Ask His Assistance...Open Our hearts To Him...Open Our Very Lives To Him?

Probably many more times then we would care to admit!

Did you notice the sunrise this morning?

GOD WAS THERE!

Did you hear the birds singing outside your window?

GOD WAS THERE!

Did you kiss your spouse as you took your leave of each other, for another day of work and errands?

GOD WAS THERE!

Did you see how high the grass has grown?

GOD WAS THERE!

Did you call your child over and over again to hurry and wake up so he wouldn't be late for school?

GOD WAS THERE, TOO!

Did you lose your patience with someone and give them a piece of your mind?

GOD WAS EVEN THERE!

He is with you every second of every day...watching over you...guiding you...supporting you...loving you.

Why not take a little time today and enjoy the peace that comes with the awareness that God is with YOU in this moment...the next minute...the next hour...the next 4 hours...tomorrow...next week...next year...your entire life.

God is always here with you...watching and waiting for you to become aware of His Presence.

What are YOU waiting for?

Talk to Him...enjoy the peace He offers...bask in the glow of the love only He can perfectly bestow upon you.

He already knows you better than you know yourself...let Him in...He will teach you wonderful things about yourself, others, and the entire world!

Still waiting?

Do it NOW!

Do it OFTEN!

God is in the center of YOUR world...open your heart and meet Him!

Once you take that first step, the next ones will fall right into place!


From Saint Patrick's Breastplate:

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

♫♫ Christ The Lord Is Risen Today, Alleluia ♫♫

MY TIME AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

Death and I are no strangers. I was six when my then 18-year-old brother died three days after he had been in a car accident. I was thirteen when my uncle fell ill at work and died the following day. Six months later, I was fourteen when my aunt, his wife, didn't wake up one morning and the doctor said she had literally died of a broken heart. I was leading my son's cub scout den one wintry Saturday afternoon when the call came that my father had suddenly stopped breathing in his home; and, in the intervening years, I had lost two babies to miscarriage. No, death and I are not strangers.

The thing is, the death that I am used to is a sudden, shocking, gut wrenching kind that throws you off balance, into shock, and into a state of auto pilot as you navigate the twists and turns of choosing caskets, planning the wake and funeral, ordering flowers, and finally burial of our beloved. The kind of death that doesn't really hit you until the last casserole is finished, and the task of moving forward has begun.

The death I am meeting this week is so very, very different, and so very, very, very unkind.

This week, I am meeting firsthand, for the very first time in my life, the death of unrelenting pain and suffering. The kind of death that is seemingly as difficult to watch as it is to endure. The kind of death that leaves the patient writhing in pain and the loved ones drenched in a pain all their own: a pain borne of compassion, empathy, and a powerlessness that just tears your heart in two. The kind of death that Christ suffered on the cross, and the Blessed Mother, the disciple he loved, and those followers that hung around, witnessed at the foot of that cross.

As I stood at my aunt's bedside today, watching powerlessly as she writhed and moaned in a pain only she can know, I saw Christ. As her little body clenched, and her throat moaned with each new wave of pain, I recognized the same suffering that our Lord endured to free us from our sins, even, as my aunt has ceased to recognize me. As my aunt pulled at the light little blanket and hospital gown, whose even barely recordable weight was too much on her pain-riddled body, and her arms jerked outward trying to find release, she lay on that bed as Christ lay on the cross, naked and outstretched, as they nailed his arms and legs in place. As she rubbed her frail little fingers over her parched lips, I saw Jesus on the cross saying, "I thirst."

Yes, today, I witnessed Christ's suffering in the person of my aunt. It is very nearly too much for me to bear.

As I stood at the foot of my aunt's cross, her hospital bed, I prayed so many things at once. First, that the nurse (this one a true angel of mercy) would hurry with the pain medication the doctor has prescribed at three hour intervals. Second, that God in His infinite mercy would put an end once and forever to my aunt's unrelenting pain and suffering. Third,that my aunt will find peace in our Heavenly Father's Presence when her journey is finally done.

It dawned on me that these same kind of prayers must have been prayed by Jesus' loved ones, too. How shocked Mary must have been at the soldier mockingly giving Jesus a sponge soaked with vinegar. Because her kidneys have shut down, and there is a fear of aspiration, I too was shocked to learn that that mainstay of hospital comfort, the ice chip, is out of the question for my aunt. I thought maybe a wet cloth, but was cautioned that the infection coursing through her body is highly contagious, and that I should refrain from touching her, and even then, sanitize my hands promptly upon leaving her room or risk bringing the infection home with me. In some small way, I knew how Mary must have felt when she was not allowed the simple courtesy of comforting her beloved son.

This death that I meet this week, just as Jesus' death was so long ago, is one of unbearable indignity. A death so horrific that Our Lord Himself cried out: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"

Yet, it is through Christ's passion and suffering, and ultimate indignity that I find strength in the fact that God has not forsaken my aunt or I in this, our last earthbound journey together. It is in the promises of Christ that I find the peace in my heart to know deeply and completely that when my aunt breathes her last she will be in the arms of Our Savior and at peace at long last.

So, as the morphine began to do its job, I told my aunt, I loved her, and that we would do everything we could to ease her suffering and pain. And so tomorrow, comfort care and in hospital hospice will begin.

It is in the hands of the Risen Christ whom I know, and love, and have my being, that I faithfully place my aunt's eternal soul, knowing that when her unrelenting pain and suffering are over she will be joined for all eternity with Him in paradise.

Until then, May God's Will Be Done.