Thoughts about God, Religion & Church-Archive

Let^'s Pretend —from Mere Christianity C. S. Lewis	*I believe this excerpt from a book by the renowned British author and scholar gives us the roadmap to becoming true Christians in a nut shell. Try it, ... you'll like it.*
"What do we do next? What difference does all this theology make? It can start making a difference tonight. If you are interested enough to have read thus far you are probably interested enough to make a shot at saying your prayers: and, whatever else you say, you will probably say the Lord's Prayer. Its very first words are 'Our Father'. Do you now see what those words mean? They mean quite frankly, that you are putting yourself in the place of a son of God. To put it bluntly, you are dressing up as Christ. If you like, you are pretending. Because, of course, the moment you realise what the words mean, you realise that you are not a son of God. You are not a being like The Son of God, whose will and interests are at one with those of the Father: You are a bundle of self-centred fears, hopes, greeds, jealousies, and self-conceit, all doomed to death. So that, in a way, this dressing up as Christ is a piece of outrageous cheek. But the odd thing is that He has ordered us to do it. Why? What is the good of pretending to be what you are not? Well, even on the human level, you know, there are two kinds of pretending. There is a bad kind, where the pretence is there instead of the real thing; as when a man pretends he is going to help you instead of really helping you. But there is also a good kind, where the pretence leads up to the real thing. When you are not feeling particularly friendly but know you ought to be, the best thing you can do, very often, is to put on a friendly manner and behave as if you were a nicer person than you actually are. And in a few minutes, as we have all noticed, you will be really feeling friendlier than you were." And so, ... 'Lets all try to be a little more kind than we need to be.' It's a start ... There is nothing wrong in pretending to be better than we are when it is done for the purpose of actually becoming better than we are. The bonus is that it may be contagious. As Lewis said, "He (God) has ordered us to do it."

*"The Passion of Christ"* Don Plefka 3/9/04
. I have decided not to go to see Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of Christ". This decision is contrary to my original intentions. A commentary on the movie by Fr. Greeley in his Sunday column was the final impetus for my decision but I had been having thoughts about it prior to that. It is not that I disagree with Gibson's good intentions. And it isn't that I don't want to be reminded of the horrible death of Jesus. I am fully aware of that. However, to focus on just that narrow aspect of His life, is to omit things of great importance. The death of Jesus, as important as it is, would be meaningless if it were not for His Resurrection and the movie, as I understand it gives that event little notice. As a Catholic, I have a reminder of Christ's death and resurrection every time I participate at Mass. I do not need to be graphically shocked by a film depiction when I have the Liturgy of the Eucharist to personally experience every week. That was not always so with me. There were many years that I merely attended Mass. Participation by actively listening to the prayers of the presider and by joining in spoken and sung prayer have made a profound difference. But, my point is that we have the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and the miracle of His *resurrection at every Mass. In addition we share in it all by sharing His life in the Eucharist. A more intense reminder of His suffering, death and resurrection is available in the liturgy of Holy Week. For many Catholics the "reading" of the Passion on Palm Sunday is as close as they get to this "core" of our faith but it, like the movie leaves us in an uncompleted state until we get all dressed up for Easter Sunday. The Passion is thus detached from the glorious event of resurrection. But to come and participate in the liturgy of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil is to bring the Passion, Death and Resurrection vividly to mind and imbed it in our hearts as one inseparable event. I will be in St. Julie church for that three day liturgy. I will be there because in that liturgy I become united with Jesus in both His suffering and His glory.* There is another reason I will not see Gibson's film. I have come to know a smiling, loving Jesus who is at my side, giving comfort and assistance. I have a picture of Jesus in my heart which I do not wish to loose. Maybe I am a coward but it took me almost 70 years to find this Jesus. To see the Jesus to whom I refer click here.

Going to Church Can Be Dangerous Don Plefka 02/04/04
Each day during my time of reflection and meditation, I read a passage from "A Year with C. S. Lewis". The book was a thoughtful Christmas gift which, for each day of the year, presents a passage from one of Lewis's many books relating to theology and Christianity. One of these passages brought out a concept that was new to me and I think may be an important clue as to why many of us are reluctant to allow ourselves to get fully immersed in religion or to get involved at all. It probably is not due to a conscious decision on our part but a reaction to our subconscious desire to stay with what is comfortable and familiar. We are generally satisfied with ourselves. Our lives are relatively good and even though we would like to win the lottery (that would solve all our problems) or at least make more money, we have it pretty good. So, why rock the boat? Going to church could place demands on us that would bring us into uncharted territory. It could send us off into a new direction and bring a new level of living into our world. It could make us aware of spirituality and it may change the way we live or at least the way we evaluate our lives. Who needs it? So, many stay away from church. That, of course, is not the reason we give for staying away. Remember, I said it may not be a conscious decision. The reasons given for not going to church is that; "It is boring", "It is not relevant to my life", "I don't understand it", or "I can be a good person without being preached to". (I know because I have used some of these excuses myself.) And there are many of us who, in spite of these "reasons", find themselves in church anyway. We are there because of habit, because someone else expects us to be there, because we believe there is a God and He will send us to hell if we don't go, or because we are not sure about God but go just in case. (I know because I have had some of these reasons, at various times, myself.) However, while being in church, we are bored, see no relevance to our lives and would much rather be some where else. (I have been there.) We do not allow ourselves to go beyond being a reluctant member of the "audience". And then something happens. It happens to some at a very early age and to some later in life. It may be a conscious choice or gradual awareness. It my be that (as our pastor related in a recent homily) we come to an impasse in our lives and we realize that we are not in control. We hit the "Ctrl Alt Delete" keys of life and give ourselves over to the love (and mercy) of God. Once we begin to really participate in our liturgies, by listening to the readings (I mean really listening), by hearing and understanding the homilies, by joining in the prayers (both sung and spoken) and absorbing their meaning. we find that the boredom is gone. We find that there is meaning there. We find that although the readings do not always address our current needs they do relate to part of our lives that has happened or probably will happen. Once something has triggered the latch and has opened us to spiritual awareness, we find something unexpected. The time we formerly perceived as spent (as in wasted) in church has become time wisely invested in our well-being. What had been boring and irrelevant is now of primary interest and essential to our life. In place of our church attendance being an imposition on our valuable time it is now the most important aspect of our lives. And then the really miraculous thing happens. The thing we were trying to avoid overcomes us. We forget 'self' and really start to be concerned for others. We find time to volunteer a little and then a little more. There are things we become immersed in that we never dreamed we could or would do. As this develops we discover that rather than being an interruption to our lives, our spirituality has become an enhancement to our lives. We no longer 'give' an hour a week to God because we now know that our spirituality is our real life and not a separate thing. We work, and play with a different attitude and go to church anticipating the recharging of our spirits. There is a calmness, a feeling of satisfaction when we become one with a community of people who have been touch by God and who are no longer afraid to reach for Him. There may be turmoil and tribulation all around us be we now realize that we deal with it to the best of our abilities, giving it over to the hands of someone who can, ... God. So, we were right all the time. Going to church, and really becoming a Christian can be dangerous. It may radically change our lives. The miracle in it is that once done, we love it an wonder why it took so long to get here. *At least that has been my experience.*

The Immaculate Conception Don Plefka 12/08/03
As I write this on the feast of The Immaculate Conception during the season of Advent, I was prompted to reflect on my previous thoughts about Heroes. Many non-Catholics question the devotion we have to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and it occurs to me that maybe we should give this mostly Catholic practice some thought. Sometimes we simply go along with the crowd in our religious practices without giving thought to the theology of it. As Catholics (and Christians) we believe that Jesus is our Divine Savior, that He was born as a child to become the man who then died for us. Being a man, he was born of a woman and we believe that she was a virgin, fathered by the power of the Holy Spirit. This places the His mother in a very unique position, since Jesus is Divine. She is recognized as the Mother of God. No, we do not say or think that God did not exist before Mary or even that the Son of God did not exist before her. We know that the Son of God was "eternally begotten by the Father". When the universe was created, He was. But Jesus is God. Mary is the Mother of Jesus. So, ... Mary is the Mother of God. And so, Mary is a very special and unique person. As a young woman she was visited by an Angel and told that she had been chosen to be the Mother of the Savior of mankind. She accepted the words of the Angel even though it would be a tough sell, not only to Joseph to whom she was engaged, but to family and friends. She was in deed, an exceptional person to do this. It is also part of our tradition that it would be unthinkable for Jesus, God, to be tainted by sin of any kind. And so, we reason that his mother must not have been tainted by the Original sin of Adam and Eve as is the rest of mortal mankind. As a result we maintain that Mary was conceived free of original sin in anticipation of her future role as Mother of God. And so, ... Mary caries the name of "The Immaculate Conception". It is fitting that we celebrate this feast in anticipation of the birth of Christ because it, in a way, makes His birth possible.* We honor Mary as Mother of God and we honor her also as the first Christian. She accepted Him before he was born. She accepted Him in spite of the problems she knew were to come. You may say that Mary was not only the first follower of Christ but a hero in the true sense of the word. Also see "Heroes" * It does not have anything to do with the Conception of Jesus as some have come to erroneously believe. A conception would not be "immaculate" because it is a virgin birth. Sex is not "dirty" and does not "dirty up" the participants by it's nature.

God's Gifts - the Children Don Plefka 7/20/03	(Continued from left)
As I entered church the sound of young voices greeted me. The preceding week had been the annual Vacation Bible School and as usual that meant a group of the children were at Sunday Mass to sing the bible songs they learned. It is amazing! These kids, as young as four years, soak up the words and the melodies and sing out with enthusiasm that goes to their feet, hands and even their fingers. It's is like being at a Baptist revival meeting. Some SPIRIT was brought to our Mass that day. But that is not all that struck me that morning. Just before the readings and homily, the children are invited to go to a separate room for "Children's liturgy", readings of the day tailored to their young minds. This day there were even more kids than usual. They usually return immediately after the homily but on this day they were a little late. They came streaming back into the church as the "Offertory" of the Mass was well under way. How appropriate! The gifts of bread and wine had been brought to the presider and then came the children. These children who are gifts from God come into the worship space as offerings to God.	*What could be better than offering our children to God. Bringing them to church so they can learn of Him and know that He loves them.* We offer our children to God when we bring them up in an atmosphere of love, caring and sacrifice, a home in which the family members respect each other and their neighbors. We offer our children to God when we bring them to adulthood with God's values and not the culture of greed and selfishness. They are our offerings to God when they grow to responsible adults who will carry on the work of Jesus in their work, relationships with others and pass these values to their children. It is the task of parents, grandparents, and all adults, to live their lives in such a way that the children know that God's way is the right way. It is when they are in their formative years, the very early years, that they learn, no absorb and assimilate, the values of those who care for them and are their heroes. *Let us offer the children to God as is fitting, to someone who has provided such precious gifts.*

Good and Evil Don Plefka 5/20/03	(Continued from left)
It seems as though evil has a tight grip on things, a grip that is very tough to break. I don't mean only what you would call 'hard core' evil but even the mildly bad things such as small lies and deceptions. Once a person has embarked on a non virtuous path, no mater how innocuous it may be, it is extremely difficult to turn from it. I, for one, have been perplexed about this. My observation is not confined to the actions of others but also to myself. But I found a possible explanation in the science fiction "Perelandra" by C. S. Lewis. Of course you need to know that Lewis is recognized as one of the great authors of books on Christianity and that subject is one of the prime ingredients of his science fiction books as well. So, what does he say? I will paraphrase his words and even read between the lines, adding the theology that his words have awakened in my head. We are now living an imperfect human life and many truths are hidden from us as if our eyes are veiled and clay has been placed in our ears. Someday, when our human life is ended, the veil will be lifted and we will see clearly and our ears will be cleared and we will hear perfectly. We have all heard that from the Bible and other sources. Lewis compares it to the way we perceive things when we sleep, as a dream. (Continue at right)	He says, "... for it is waking that one understands sleep and not sleep that understands waking." When we sleep, our dreams are not the reality of life. Not only that, in our dreams, we can not understand the reality. Lewis goes on to say, "There is an ignorance of evil that comes with being young: ("young" in the book is the same as immature.) there is a darker ignorance that comes from doing it, as men by sleeping lose the knowledge of sleep." When we move into the sleep of evil we become unaware of our evil. We can not recognize evil any more than we can be aware of sleep when we are sleeping. When, however, we are living in a moral and virtuous state, we are very much aware, not only to the goodness of our actions but to the evil of what we did when we were not awake to the grace of God. The situation is bad enough when we slip into evil ways, but when we deliberately chose evil the condition is worsened. That is why evil is addictive. If we remain asleep we never realize that we are sleeping. The evil-doer becomes unaware that what he is doing is evil. We see examples every day in the bigoted, the slacker on the job, the cheater at the game, the person who selfishly believes that he is the most important person in all God's creation. We need to wake up out of our dream world.

Fear of the Unknown Don Plefka 05/13/03	(Continued from left)
Many of us find it difficult to focus on God, eternity or for that matter, anything spiritual. I think I found the reason in the opening chapters of C. S. Lewis' "Perelandra". He points out that we fear the unknown and that we most often see the unknown as evil or, ... see evil in the unknown. He reveals that we can deal with the unknown evil because we anticipate rescue by something good. There is a known result in the anticipation of our rescue. But, what if the unknown is good to begin with? Where then, does the rescue come from? We fear the unknown, even if it is good, and there is nothing to save us! The unknown we fear will not go away. It is a permanent thing which is beyond human comprehension and can not be removed. So, we don't want to think about it. We try to stay focused on the known, albeit an incomplete existence. It is all we want to think about. *(Continue at right)*	The secret is, I think, to get as close to god as we can. We need to try to know God even though it will be an incomplete knowledge. Being close to Him will take the mystery out and raise our comfort level, the later part being the most important. I spent a large part of my life trying to solve the mystery until I came to the realization that if there was no mystery, there would be no need of faith. As we become more comfortable in our relationship with God the mystery is not the important part of the problem. We get to know God by spending time with Him. Time devoted to prayer, church on Sunday, special liturgies and prayer or faith sharing groups all bring us closer to Him. We accept the mysterious as a condition of our humanity and once we realize that it will be gone when we are united with God it becomes unimportant. It may be difficult at first but familiarity brings comfort. And as comfort is increased we become as loving Father and Child.

Resurrection	(Continued from left)
**The following was taken from "The Faith Connection", an insert to our parish bulletin on Easter Sunday, 2003.*** "Some grubs at the bottom of a pond wondered why the grubs who climbed up the stems to the top of plants never came back down. They finally agreed that the next to do it should come back down and tell the others what they found. One of them decided to take on the task. Upon reaching the top he was astounded at what he saw. While he was looking around, amazed at the sight, something even more astounding happened to him. He turned into a beautiful dragonfly. As he flew over the pond he couldn't figure out how he could return to the bottom. He then realized that even if he could return, the other grubs would not recognize him." (Continue at right)	This is comparable to the change that we can expect when we make the transition from mere human to a true child of God. Heaven and our resurrected bodies are beyond anything that we can imagine now. That is why it is foolish to put so much importance on the material things and self pride of this state of being. We are living in the muck at the bottom of the pond. It seems like nice muck because it is all we know. We can't imagine anything better and get too attached to it. *We are not capable of envisioning what is to come. It is beyond our primitive comprehension. Just know that what is to come is glorious beyond our dreams.* *"The Faith Connection" published by RCL Enterprises. www.rclweb.com

*What comes first?* Don Plefka 03/31/03	(Continued from left)
This is always a difficult question because there are so many things claiming the first position. I am not considering here the outcome of a race or athletic event. I am not dealing with who is best at something or who has more authority. I am talking about our own personal choices in life. What has prime importance in our life? Where does God fit in? You could say that it is a matter of priorities. We chose to view things in relation to how important they are in our lives. Here and now survival usually claims the top position. But, survival of what? Or who? And what does survival mean? Again, these have different answers for different people and at different times in their lives. We usually put family first. Some of course are very selfish, abuse their spouses and children or are criminals. But let us only consider the "normal", "good" family. *We love our spouse more than anything and would do anything for him or her. We love our children and will give our lives to protect them.* *Placing family first is considered noble and sometimes self-sacrificing. Nothing is more important and unfortunately, sometimes this leaves God out in the cold.* . *(Continued at right)*	How can we put ANYTHING ahead of family? We feel that things need to be prioritized and while we are here on earth, it is our obligation to love and provide for family. To put God first would be to place spouse and family in a secondary position, saying that they are not (as) important. We our prioritizing our love just as we place priorities on everything else. However, there is something strange about love. Let's look at it. In the English language, "love" has several meanings. In the language of the Bible three different words were used. "Eros" was used to name sexual love. "Philia" was used to describe affection. But, when speaking of God's love the word used was "agape". Agape is the love that is unconditional and without limits. Eros is temporal to the extreme. Affections fade. God's love is constant and boundless. It, like God, is infinite. When given, it multiplies. C. S. Lewis said it well in a letter he wrote. (See Quote) When we place God first we do not love our husband, wife, or children less. God's love, multiplies our love. We share in his agape and extend it to our loved ones so that we love them far more than we could have without it. God is Love and as we become more like Christ our love overflows to others. Those we love on earth are flooded with love, a love that we could not have imagined possible. "When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased." - C. S. Lewis

*Becoming a Christian* Don Plefka 03/11/03	(Continued from left)
"If you believe sitting in church will make you a Christian, you probably believe that sitting in your garage will make you a car." For several years I thought that was a great comment on a lot of people who called themselves Catholics or Christians. Then I read "Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis and his statement: "It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad." *He, of course, was speaking of* the evolution of a man or woman into a Christian. Jesus was born, becoming a man in order to show us the way. He provided the example of what we can become. Lewis believed that it is as radical a transition from being an ordinary man to being a Christian man as is the transition from egg to bird. The goal is not just become Christ-like, which is difficult enough, but to be one with Christ. We can no more do that in our present state as an egg can fly. It is required that the shell be broken and we leave its comfort and security. It is required that we become different beings. The next step in evolution is only attained by the conscious consent and effort of each individual. Our evolution to our present state of humanity was not a conscious effort on our part. It happened without our consent. We are now thinking, rational beings who are asked to take the next step and go beyond ourselves. Or, we can refuse and die as ordinary "decent" eggs. We have the promise of the Kingdom of God on earth. It is possible to become one with Christ in this life. A few have done it or at least come very close. This is what Jesus came to tell us. He showed us that it can be done. Yes, he was God. (Either that or the beigest fraud that ever lived.) We say that for God, anything is possible and even easy. But Jesus did it as a man, a mere human. You only need to look at his prayers in the garden of olives and on the cross to see he lived a fully human life. There is help for us mere humans. God will send His Spirit to aid us, ... if we give our consent. After all, He did give us free will. There would be no merit in it for us if we were created perfect. We must want it and work for it. In his book, "Power Versus Force" David R. Hawkins speaks of bringing ourselves to a higher level of consciousness. The better person we are, the more 'selfless' we are, the more we raise ourselves to unity with God. And, the closer we get, the easier it becomes. Some say that they can be a good person without even believing in God. Others say they can be good and close to God without going to church. That is true to a certain extent. However, when we become one with Christ, it follows that we will be one with each other. So the state for which we strive is oneness with all. Being a community (of believers) is the natural state of our existence. It provides a common source of values and a common goal. It provides nourishment of spirit. (Continued at right)	There was a story about a person who said going to church was a waste of time because after years of doing so, he couldn't remember the details of any homily he had heard. Someone responded that after a lifetime of eating, he could not remember the details of any of the meals but he would have died without the nourishment derived from them. We are social creatures and the ideal is to contribute to the group and not try to drain the group for our own benefit. We gain nourishment by giving it. Hawkins goes a step further in saying that as we become more selfless we begin to tap into a common consciousness, a vast pool of spirituality and awareness that is not in the grasp of those at lower levels. He gives as an example, the case of many geniuses, scientists and inventers, as well as spiritual leaders and statesmen who have made remarkable discoveries, inventions or contributions to our societies. The best among them are almost totally unconcerned for themselves and have the welfare of mankind as their objective. (For their names, read the book.) This is, I think, exactly what is taught as the objective of Christianity. We all thought that the goal was for the individual to be good enough to get to Heaven. That is not the goal but is simply a by-product of reaching the goal. The goal is to join with God in the creation of the Kingdom and the Kingdom is created when humanity is one with Christ. This means that we are to be, as Christ was, totally selfless. Having said that, I admit that mankind has a long way to go toward that goal. I know because even though I firmly believe what I have written, I know I have a long way to go. But you can not get to a goal until you take the first steps. Because we have just started doesn't mean that we have failed or that God is not pleased with our efforts. Lewis gives a great example. The parents of a baby are overjoyed at the child's first steps even though they are unsteady and result in frequent falls. They know that the child will never have a firm steady gate or learn to run unless the first steps are attempted. So it is with God. This, I think, is an argument for Purgatory, a state of existence in which the imperfect man can evolve into the true Christian, one with Christ, ... a state of being that will present an opportunity for us to finish what has been started. So, we humans take the first unsteady steps and try to be Christ-like. We are Christians in the sense of being followers of Christ. Selflessness is the key and the method. Selflessness is love. As we cast off the shell of greed and selfishness that part of us will die and gradually be forgotten. We can then learn to run to the goal. We CAN strive to be Christian with God's help. ... Footnote: Maybe, (just maybe) in one or two hundred thousands (or billions) of years, our decedents will evolve into real Christians right here on earth. At that point, being one with Christ, the material universe will no longer be needed and will cease to exist as we know it. What will be left is the Kingdom of God. The "final Judgment" will sort out those who have refused to evolve.

*Time to Pray for the Dead* Don Plefka 03/03/03	(Continued from left)
In his book, "Mere Christianity", C. S. Lewis does a great job explaining the concept of the way God can know what we will do in the future without controlling our actions. In other words, God knows what will happen without interfering with our free will. We see time in a single dimension as a straight line which starts in the past and ends in the future. We travel along that line and the present is a point someplace on that line. We can not go back and can not see the future until we get there. God on the other hand lives in the dimension that constitutes the paper on which the line is drawn. That dimension displays the entire line. Time does not exist for Him. And so, God sees every part of our time line as right now. Whatever we do and whatever choices we make are visible to God eternally and without any time limitation. He sees past, present and future at a glance. I have "known" for some time about the concept of a "timeless" eternity but this is by far the best way, I think, to visualize it. For a long time one of the practices of Christians, and Catholics in particular, did not make sense to me. Praying for the dead! I had a problem with the "time line". We are told that there is a judgment that occurs immediately after death. And then there is a "Final" judgment. People go to Purgatory to be cleansed prior to entering Heaven. The entire concept baffled me because I was hung up on the time line and the idea of a place to wait for the passport to Heaven. I was confusing the temporal world with the spiritual world. Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory are spiritual states of being, not material places. That doesn't make them unreal. The spiritual states are more real than the temporal state of existence. A clue lies in the term "temporal" or temporary. In addition we have the removal of time constraints in the spiritual state. Without time to confuse the issue, I now see that when a person is born to Eternal Life in the spiritual realm of God, time ceases to be a factor. Therefore, when I pray for that person a day, a month, a year or a century, after they have left this material existence, my prayer is heard by God exactly when it is needed. (Continued at right)	My prayer arrives at the instant of the person's death regardless of the place along the temporal time line at which it was said. God and the person for whom it is intended knows that someone cared enough for that person to pray for them ten, twenty, or twenty thousand times. The "purgatory" concept is still somewhat of a mystery even when acknowledged as a spiritual state of being as opposed to being a "place". It may even be more so when we strip away the effects of "time" because we are so accustomed to thinking of the time we must spend there. It seems logical that in dying, a person can not become instantly purged of defects of his spirit and a period of adjustment and cleansing is needed. And it may be that our prayers, do not change God's judgment but are a plea to the Holy Spirit to aid the individual for whom we pray in cleansing his own spirit. If so, it could well be that the effect would be instantaneous in eternity but some undetermined amount of time by our reckoning. We may be tempted to say, 'He or she was a good person and probably doesn't need my continued prayers.' Maybe that is true but the prayers will not go to waste. For God, seeing that the praying person cares and gives his precious time for the benefit of others will apply his grace to that person either now or at his death. In addition, the person who is the subject of the prayer will appreciate the effort and the thought and intercede with God for the benefit of the person who is remembering them. Besides all that, the very act of praying, for whatever reason, brings us closer to God since it is an act of recognizing His Lordship and an act of submission to Him. It is an admission of our dependence on Him. So, what happened to "Final" judgment? I think that a person's initial and final judgments may be the same. I take that theory from Jesus' words to the 'Good' thief, "This day you will be with me in paradise." There will be a Final judgment at the time of the end of the world but that, I think, is another subject entirely. I will continue to pray for the deceased every day. I hope someone does the same for me.

The homily of a visiting priest, Fr Len Husk, struck a cord in my heart. The Gospel of the day related the story of the man who entrusted various sums of money to servants and then upon his return from a long trip received and accounting of their actions. One servant, in fear of loosing the small sum, hid it away and returned it in full.

The point was that God doesn't give us talent and abilities without the expectation that we use them. In addition to these we have His Grace and the knowledge of God. We are expected do do what ever we can with whatever we have, be it great or small, to further the cause of God, ... to help build His kingdom.

Fr Len went on to relate a story of St Therese of Lisieux, "The Little Flower", who became a nun as a teen. There was an old nun in the convent who was a crotchety, complainer. (Nuns are human too.) The other nuns avoided her (very human) but Therese decided that she would go out of her way to be kind to this woman. After some time, the old nun approached Theresa and said, "I know you like me while nobody else does. What is it about me that you like?" The answer is not known.

The fact is that Therese is a saint because she did the little things. She did what she could. She didn't' work miracles during her lifetime and she didn't found a great order of religious women. She wasn't good to the old nun because of anything the nun was or did. She did it because she could ... and because of who she was.

After Mass, I waited until Fr. Len was alone and I thanked him for reinforcing my faith. I gave him one of my cards, the one with the motto, "Be a little nicer than you need to be".

Don't be nice to people because of anything they did, or did not do. Be nice to them because of you. Don't let the bad temper or negativity of another person govern the kind of person you can be. It feels good to be kind. It gives satisfaction to respond to grumpiness or even rudeness with a good deed or pleasant response. I think the good feeling may be a small token of God's reward for your actions. And, it may cause the other person, like the grumpy old nun in the story, to ponder the reasons for your action. It may change them for the better.

I am certainly not a saint, but "being a little bit nicer than I need to be" is something I can do. I hope it is contagious. Let's all try it!

I have often said, "I'm not a Rosary person". Something happened recently, or rather, as very often happens, a series of things happened recently that may change that.

I have recently become an RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) catechist and we meet at my home each Tuesday evening. Prompted by the Pope's announcement of the addition of another set of mysteries to the Rosary, a candidate said he knew nothing about the Rosary and asked for information. So I did some research and had a little information ready for him for the next meeting. The day before the meeting I received an email from a friend who mentioned that she had renewed interest in the Rosary and that there was an excellent computer program called The Virtual Rosary.

I, of course, looked it up, downloaded it, and became aware of things I had never understood. (Another situation in which I didn't understand every thing I knew about a subject).

I must have been introduced to the Rosary in grade school but I don't remember. All I knew was that it was complicated because you had to memorize these "Mysteries". Then you thought of one of them and repeated a series of prayers while fingering the "magical" beads and of course forgot the "Mystery" about which you should be thinking. To top it off, all this took a long time. I had a picture in my mind of old ladies in black fingering their beads while their lips moved in rapid repetition of their prayers. I never understood how mindless repetition of a prayer got anyone to heaven or accomplished anything. Some of these misconceptions have disappeared over the years and I know that to those who have taken the time to learn, the practice of saying the Rosary can bring them closer to God. So, for them, it was good.

As soon as I viewed the Virtual Rosary I understood. The developer of the program is to be commended for presenting it in all of it's beautiful simplicity. To start, the day of the week is selected and the program chooses the Mystery subject for the day. A window appears which includes a button, the name of the mystery and the decade number. (Decade - a series of ten meditations) Below that is a space for the current prayer to be said. Below that is a space for the part of the mystery, from the Gospel, for that particular bead of the Rosary. A representation of the Rosary is displayed with the particular bead highlighted. A brief instruction is also displayed as necessary.

The 'fore mentioned button "Begin" is pressed and the first prayer and mystery is displayed. The button changes to Amen and pressing it takes you on to the next bead. Now for the great part ... At each "Hail Mary" a different Gospel verse is there on which to meditate. All this time, you have the option of listening to beautiful music.

The Rosary is, in fact, a beautiful way to meditate on the life of Christ and the Gospel. At each bead, you take as long as needed to let the word of God sink in and then follow it with a Hail Mary, which in itself is a beautiful prayer and reflection. There is nothing "magical" about the beads, they are only a way to keep tract of where you are.

The Virtual Rosary program is a great way to learn about this great prayer. It can be found at www.virtualrosary.org

And about the big objection of my younger days, ... at this time of my life, I am not as miserly with the time I spend being close to God. I will have to get one of several Rosaries that are in the house and use it along with the Virtual Rosary, then maybe I may become a "Rosary person".

As you may know, I own a number of prints, pencil sketches by Jean Keaton. Her sister, Mauree, who takes care of the business end of things for Jean sent a couple advance copies of new sketches depicting Jesus with dogs. They wanted my opinion before placing them on their web site, their fear being that some people may be offended.

In each of these sketches I continue to be captivated by the expression of love on the face of Jesus. Jean has given us a picture of the soul of God, a god who so loved us that he sent His only Son to show us the way to Him.

For so many people God is visualized as a stern judge who looks for, and records, our mistakes, ... waiting for us to fail. I don't believe God is like that at all. Why would God create something for failure?

We build something to succeed and if it doesn't, we fail with it. God will not fail, it is against his nature. (If I can presume to define God's nature.) He wants us to succeed and, I believe, continue His creation using the resources He has provided. He wants us to love each other, and all His creatures, and all His creation. It can not be any other way!

Animals, and dogs in particular, will turn on us only if threatened or if trained by humans to do so. Based on these beliefs and the very nature of dogs to love humans, unconditionally, I believe that Jesus must love them. Do we trivialize Jesus by picturing the mutual love of Him and an animal? Hardly.

Jean's sketches all depict a Jesus who is loving and compassionate. It is universal and unlimited. Let us not place limitations on God's love. Go ahead Jean, publish these sketches and touch the hearts of everyone with the love that shines through your talent.

At every mass we profess our faith in the resurrection, not only of Jesus but of every man, woman, and child, from the beginning to the end of human history. For many, it may well be that when we recite the words of the creed, `we look for the resurrection of the dead,' we give them little more than passing attention.

Then comes the day, which has come to everyone here, when the words, ` we look for the resurrection of the dead,' take on a deep personal meaning, because we have laid to rest someone we love. We look for the resurrection of the dead now because life without that expectation would lack meaning and completeness. At moments like these we are forced to draw seriously on our faith and to explore its meaning with our hearts as well as with our minds.

At moments like these the holy spirit of god draws especially close to us because our defenses are down and because we now not merely profess, but really experience, our need of him as comforter. It is one of the graces that those we have loved in life bequeath to us when they go before us on the road to god. The holy spirit, whom the gospels speaks of as the `first gift' of Jesus to those who believe, comes to us as `the best of comforters.' the comfort he offers us is not a superficial thing removing from us the sorrow and sense of loss we feel. Belief in the resurrection does not relieve us of our grief. Nor should we expect it to come automatically. The affirmation of faith which we are asked to make is too profound and important to be easy.

To all appearances death is a very final thing, and we should not feel that our faith asks us to think otherwise. Faith in the resurrection does not remove our tears; it allows them to glisten faintly in the light that lies beyond, the light in which god himself lives. It is that light where god himself lives. It is that light which helps to explain and give meaning to the sense of incompleteness, the heart-hunger, the instinct within us all that we were made for more than even the loveliest and worthiest of earthly experiences.

Life is a series of journeys, concluding with the greatest one of all, when we have done everything that can be done and now must give ourselves over into the hands of god who made us, and who, through Jesus, has taught us to think of him and approach him as abba, father.

He has given us a strange, beautiful, and frightening world to live in. As Christians we believe that he shares our life in this bewildering world by sending his son to be one of us. Jesus spoke often about the need for the seed to fall to the ground if there was to be a harvest. That is a difficult teaching; but it responds exactly to our experience of life with its blend of light and shade, joy and sorrow, which can be so hard to understand and accept. Instinctively, we would like it otherwise: light without shade. But that is the condition of eternity, and here below we have no way of knowing what such an existence might be like.

God's own son, at his father's bequest, took upon himself the dark journey of death. On the third day his father raised him from the dead. The Christian church, from the very first moment of its existence, has believed and preached that what had happened to him, will happen to us. Jesus was separated from the one he loved most only to be reunited in a more true, beautiful, and holy way. We shall be raised to new life, because he took on himself the experience and the pain of death. That is why, although we mourn the departure of those we love, we do so in the knowledge that we are also celebrating their homecoming. But we need to remember that they in turn wait for us to celebrate our homecoming. They wait for us in the new light, in the new dawn.

"Death is not extinguishing the light,
but putting out the lamp ...
because the dawn has come."

Mike tells us that he adopted this reflection
from a piece by Augustinian, Gabriel Daly, OSA

The Catholic Church has made mistakes. More specifically, Priests have sinned and the bishops have compounded the sin by trying to hide the problem. Some of them persist in this error.

Providing information regarding un-prosecuted crimes to responsible authorities should be done so the allegations can be investigated properly. Cases which have been sealed by the courts should be reopened to determine if the offending priest has been allowed to continue to be a threat to others. Instances of private agreements between the parties where secrecy has permitted the priest to be a continued threat should be investigated and if needed, be brought to trial.

There are those who want the members to withhold their donations as a means to force the bishops to divulge all the information the church has regarding these crimes. They say, 'don't give your money to bishops who are not doing their job', and some say, 'don't give your money to pay for law suits against priests who commit crime', or 'withholding your money is the best way to show you are angry'. Before we decide to do this, we must think about the reasons we donate in the first place.

I refer you to this week's article: " My Church ... Sharing Christ's Gifts, ... What would it be like if ..." The Church will be hurt. And, ... WE ARE THE CHURCH. The ministries of the church will be hurt. The education programs will be hurt.

The bishops are going to get their salary anyway but most of them will be hurting because they know the work of God is suffering. The attorneys and victims will still get their money because it will be awarded by the courts. That money will be taken from the funds which would normally support the church, leaving it in an even worse financial position.

Who would be hurt the most by withholding donations? You and I will! The good works of the church will! OUR church needs our support more now than ever.

The table fellowship of Christians implies obligation. It is our daily bread that we eat, not my own.

We share our bread. Thus we are firmly bound to one another not only in the Spirit but in our whole physical being. The one bread that is given to our fellowship links us together in a firm covenant.

Now none dares go hungry as long as another has bread, and he who breaks this fellowship of the physical life also breaks the fellowship of the Spirit.

Back when I was in the navy, I went to a Saturday afternoon movie it a town near the navy base. I was in uniform and as I left the theater, a little girl, probably about 8 years old was walking in and would have passed within a few feet of me. Suddenly, another, about 11 or 12, ran to her, and pulled her away shouting, "Get away from him! ... He's a SAILOR!"

Guilt by association! Or just a mistrust of an entire group due to the actions or reputations of a few. Many priests are feeling the same reaction that I did so many years ago.

When that happened to me, I wanted to just disappear. I felt that everyone was looking at me. I felt that I would be stoned if there were any stones around.

Some priests have sinned. They have betrayed a great trust given to them and because of this their sin is even greater and it tarnishes their fellow religious. Other evils have resulted from their transgressions. When members of a group fall, the first reaction of the leadership is to try to protect the group. This applies to police departments, political parties, and organizations of every kind. Bury the problem and pretend it doesn't exist is the first order of business. The church is no different.

These same reactions apply to governments, government agencies, political organizations, businesses and social groups of all kinds. Police and prosecutors refuse to admit errors when there is the possibility that innocent people are convicted of crimes. Governments wage war rather than admit to error. Businesses deny knowledge of problems and claim to have no responsibility for mistakes. This is wrong! It is worse than wrong, it is stupid! My boss and mentor at Kelso-Burnett Co, Harold Roberts, told me that when (not if) I make a mistake, the first thing to do is admit it and seek help. Help will be there for me, not condemnation. That has been good advice to this day.

We are often guilty of the basic flaw of "Guilt by Association". We as individuals, apply guilt to an organization or group based on the evil actions of individuals. How does a black person feel when snubbed? How does a person in Middle Eastern clothing feel when avoided? How does an Anderson employee feel when his customer cancels his account. How does a priest feel when another pedophile priest is denounced? And, ... how does a sailor feel when a girl drags her little sister out of his path?

At a recent meeting of the Parish Life Board we were asked to brainstorm the problem of the lack of participation by Catholics in the life of their parish. By coincidence, I had just submitted my church bulletin article for March 10th, 2002. In that article I mentioned that it wasn't until we were jolted by a very serious crisis that Anne and I became aware that we owe something to God and began our involvement in the parish community. (See article.)

Why did it take so long? We certainly must have been aware of opportunities to volunteer and we must have known there was a need. But, speaking for myself, I intentionally avoided involvement in our parish. I figured that my $5.00 donation every week was enough to fulfill any obligation. I reasoned that my obligations to my family were paramount to obligations to strangers, if indeed, there was an obligation to them.

Religion for me was related to getting to Heaven. I was living, as best I could, by not breaking any of the Ten Commandments. I felt sorry for the unfortunate and contributed to charity so someone could help them. And, I went to church every Sunday. But, there were more than enough demands on my time as it was. I worked long hours to provide for my family and I deserved any free time I could get!

Then, I lost the control that I thought I had. Anne was sick and getting worse. She had diabetes and the complications of the disease were showing up. She had pain and was tired all the time. She was sure that all her problems were due to the diabetes. Several family members died early from the same thing. She was depressed and becoming more so. She was a miserable person to live with and I wished I could escape and thought of various dreadful ways to do it.

She had so many pains that she neglected to mention all of them to her doctor. When she finally did tell him of a pain that was keeping her awake all night, he sent her for a series of tests. The cardiologist asked, "When did you have your heart attack?" A few days later in February of 1986 Anne had bypass surgery.

In the days prior to surgery, Anne had a transformation. She resolved to put her life into the hands of God. Due to the diabetes, she was expected to have a difficult time and a slow recovery. However, a Chaplin, after visiting her said, "I have never met anyone with a greater faith in God. She helped me a lot." Her recovery was better than anyone expected and she was truly a new person. She became a joy to live with again.

It wasn't long afterward that she hesitantly volunteered to teach Religious Education. She had never gone to a Catholic School and she didn't know if she knew enough. But Anne decided that she needed to share herself and her abilities and she knew that the Holy Spirit would guide her. When Anne expressed an interest in joining a Renew Small Group I said I would go with her. She needed my support to get started and I knew I could always get out of it by working late. Once started, I never missed a meeting. We came to know some great people and I came to recognize my spirituality.

Our, and especially my, involvement in ministry grew and so did our appreciation of life. The next fourteen years of our marriage were the best. They were filled with love for each other and our family. I discovered that the more I gave, the more I received. That includes the weekly monetary donation to the parish. I found that it wasn't about religion, it was about spirituality. Religion is merely a human aid to personal spirituality. And spirituality is an awareness of a personal relationship with God and His need for us to live in communion with our fellow beings. We are our brother's keeper. And, we are dependent on our brother.

In July of 2000, Anne was born to Eternal Life. It was a shock but it was not devastation. We had discussed death often and it was, and is, not terrifying. I am grateful to God for the years with Anne and especially the last fourteen. Those last years had prepared me for her loss and they prepared me for these days without her. I have my family and we support each other. I also have my extended family in my parish and we also support each other. I could not survive without both families.

But, what took so long for that wake up call? Why did it take a terrible illness and near death to bring me to life? If the last fourteen years of our life were so good, why didn't we start sooner? I could use the excuse that wisdom comes with age and I had to wait for it, but there are many young people who seem to have found this spiritual wisdom. What if Anne had died in 1986, would I have received a wake up call or would I have fallen deeper in despair? I don't know.

It's not just about keeping the Ten Commandments and going to church once a week.
That will not get you to heaven!

Don't wait for the lightning strike or the sun to gyrate in the sky!
Read Mathew 25:31-46 and see what Jesus says about the last judgment, ... then act on it.

I sat down with a B&B to watch and listen to a DVD of the Beethoven Symphony No. 9 performed by Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic. I quickly became enthralled by the music and began to marvel at the magic of it. The more I thought about it, the more I became amazed at the genius of humanity.

There is the grand boldness of the brass, the intricate paths that shape the tones of the French horns, the musicians breathing life into the woodwinds and flutes, coaxing melodies out of the strings by stroking with bows and deftly adding emphasis and drama with the percussion. The creation of the instruments, the blending of their tones, into sounds so pleasing and moving is almost magical. And combined with all that are the voices of the soloists and the chorus. To that we add the genius of the composer who hears the music in his mind and is able to assign the notes to the right instruments. Cap all of that with the skill of the director who takes the genius of the composer and joins chorus and musicians into a moving experience.

This could not have happened by accident! The creativity of man can only be a reflection of the creativity of God. Almost as confirmation of this, the last movement of this performance includes the famous and often copied "Ode to Joy"? The chorus of human voices surging around the soloists only confirm God's creative gift of us, and to us ...

When the performance was finished I went back to listen to the 4th movement but this time, with the magic of DVD, I turned on the English sub titles. Beethoven had not only used his God given talent to create a masterful symphony, but he gave God credit and praise in the words of the "Ode to Joy" ...

"World, do you not know the Creator? ...
Seek Him in Heaven's vault!
He surely lives above the stars!"...
Brothers, above the starry vault,
A loving Father surely dwells."

"... Joy, lovely spark of Divinity,
Daughter of Elysium,
Illuminated by fire, we tread
Your heavenly sanctuary."

As the final notes faded, von Karajan's lip was trembling. It was as if he was as caught up in the performance as I was.

The magic doesn't stop there. We now have the technology to record faithfully both the sight and sound of these gifts of God. We bring it from the concert hall to our large screen TV's. We have six speaker sound sound systems which mimic the brilliance of sound of the concert hall. We have the ability to add sub titles which translate the sung German words into English or two other languages. This technology comes from God through the mind of humanity.

Yes, we find God "above the starry vault" but through His gifts "... we tread (His) heavenly sanctuary" in the comfort of our own homes.

We have a tendency to wait for God to give us faith or to want God (or something) to increase the little we have. We are expecting something dramatic, a blinding flash of light, an unmistakable sign that will fill us with faith and understanding. Many of us run off to distant places looking for signs and miracles. We would like to have the faith that some seem to have, but it doesn't happen. It probably will never happen! If that is so, how do others get it?

Let's use a modern parable. Joe has had a job at a very good company. His ambition is to advance and make lots of money. However, his superiors expect too much of him. They ask him to do things that "are not his job". If they paid him more, he would do more. So he just does his job and wonders why promotions pass him by.

Joan works for the same company and has similar ambitions. When Joan sees something that needs to be done, she tells her superior that she will take care of it, and does. Her job is limited only by her abilities. She constantly expands her value to the company and is rewarded for it.

Faith is similar. Many claim to have faith. But if we do nothing with it, it doesn't grow. Even Jesus' disciples asked Him to "... increase our faith." His response was to tell them that they had to work at it. They could not just do their assigned task and expect to be rewarded. ... So, the message is to take the faith we have, use it in prayer and service to others, stretch and expand it. Only we can increase our faith!

On 8/8/01 I went to Moraine Valley College to watch "Gems of Broadway", 45 minutes of skits performed by the school's Musical Theater Workshop. It was a four week class for children between 8 and about 16. Our granddaughter Caitlin was in the group. I was impressed by the fact that in this fast moving production, I detected only two instances of forgotten lines. I was also impressed by their universal pride of accomplishment and camaraderie after the performance, Asking for a group photo, exchanging email addresses and wanting to go as a group to the Plush Horse for ice cream.

There kids did not just attend a workshop, they participated in the work shop. It showed in the results. No, it was not GREAT theater, but it was enthusiastic theater done with pride of accomplishment.

Why am I so impressed? Because I see so many instances when people are urged, and even forced to attend school, a job, and yes, a church! And I see the results of this attendance, or rather, the lack of results. I will skip over attending school and jobs because the implications are quite obvious. I really want to talk about church.

I am guilty! For many years, I attended church. I joined with all the others who were bored and uninterested, easily distracted and complaining that we got nothing out of it. There was no sense of belonging, no sense of family, and no desire to see my fellow attendees between now and next week unless I knew them from outside church. But then, my attitude and my life changed. That story is elsewhere on this web site.

I no longer attend church! I participate in the liturgy along with many in communion with each other. I no longer go there with the sole purpose of doing my duty, fulfilling an obligation, or looking for a benefit. Oh, the benefit is there, but the prime reason for going is to participate. And, that participation doesn't end when the Priest walks out. I want to know the people, without whom there would not have been this liturgy. We have all contributed to the benefit of each other. (Just like the kids who participated in the workshop.) I am left wanting more!

From the rustic swing I looked at my beautiful home and as I sipped my coffee, the light breeze was just enough to delicately sound the wind chimes. I was content.

I watched the red wing blackbird and the cardinal at the bird feeder near the west fence. The expanse of lawn intervening was freshly cut and trimmed.

I could hear the bubbling of the small fountain near the roses and the statues representing Jesus and Mary

As is my practice on days like this, I had my morning visit with God, ...and Anne, and read from the inspirational booklet left by Anne.

In the book was a blessing which was meant for our grandchildren who were preparing to return to their studies. I give the blessing to them, ... for this is the reason God gives me life, ... To share His love and His many gifts in the hope that by the example of my life they will learn to love God and each other. I also give this blessing to our children, ... the three and, ... the three they married.

I picked up one of Kahlil Gibran's books, The Garden of the Prophet, which I had read several years ago. In re-reading it, a passage stood out as if I had never read it before. In this passage, Almustafa, the Beloved Prophet, relates the following parable to his friends.

"Behold, there was a man standing at the cross-roads with his hands stretched forth unto the passers-by, and his hands were filled with jewels. And he called upon the passers-by, saying: 'Pity me, and take from me. In God's name, take out of my hands and console me.'

"Would rather that he were a beggar stretching forth his hand to receive -ay, a shivering hand, and brought back empty to his bosom - than to stretch it forth full of rich gifts and find none to receive."

The friends of Almustafa, did not understand the parable and left him. The meaning was, in fact, that the man with the gifts was the Prophet. His gifts were his wisdom and he felt that he could understand his rejection better if he were a beggar, rather than being rejected for offering something of value.

But, we can go deeper into Gibran's message. How often, people put great effort into spreading the message of Jesus and are rejected. It happened to Jesus Himself. How it can hurt to know that you have something of infinite value, which is offered for the taking, and see the gift rejected along with the giver.

Every day, people of all ages and conditions, some in great need, see the outstretched hand that is our churches and quickly look away, passing on by, not even looking to see if it is a beggar or someone offering a gift.

And, every week people of all ages and conditions enter the cross-roads of our churches. How many know and understand why they come? And how many understand enough to take the offered gift and use it to enrich their soul and the souls of others. Or, .. do they enter out of some misguided duty and close their eyes and ears to the gifts offered, and leave empty handed, no better than when they entered? Are they listening to and judging the sound of the music, ... or joining the prayer and adoration in the words of the hymn? Are they stumbling over the architecture or decoration of the building, or ... taking part in the liturgy that is church? Are they concerned about how the presider or reader says the words, or ... do they hear the words and take them to to be their own with a resounding AMEN? Do they see their presence there as an imposition in their lives, or ... an opportunity to receive God's gift and, in turn, share it with their brothers and sisters?

Many dedicated disciples of Jesus come to meetings of fellow ministry members and their talk is about their rejection. They have gifts. ... and these gifts are rejected! It is beyond their understanding. It is hard for them to accept that others do not see the jewels in their outstretched hands. The only consolation is that God has asked them to continue to offer His gifts. They will always be there, always in the outstretched hand, waiting for the ones in need to recognize the treasure there for the taking. It is the nature of God's generosity.

"Conscience is what leads a person to do right. A right conscience is created from the first lessons we learn about right and wrong. If we are never taught those lessons, we fail to develop a conscience. If we are taught them poorly or incompletely, we develop a stunted conscience. If we override our conscience and refuse to obey its inner advice, we develop a hardened conscience, and over time, we will live as if we don't have one. Without a conscience, our lives are lawless, immoral, and tainted - without character."

These words from God's Little Devotional Book for Men prompted me to think about all those children who are brought up in homes where parents, by their example, teach greed and selfishness. Anything is OK if you don't get caught. And if caught, shift the blame or lie to 'beat the rap'.

Parents who start to worry about the activities of their children and their morals when they become teens have missed the boat. It is too late! If parents live lives that reflect morality, kindness towards each other and love, when their children are infants, good consciences will be formed in them. A good conscience is not taught, it is grown and nurtured from the earliest years of a child. The teacher can not say "Do this" while displaying contradictory behavior and expect to get good results.

I thank God for giving me parents who, by their example, taught me well. I look at our children and grandchildren and consider our parenthood a success.

Today, on my 70th birthday, I re-read a piece from one of the booklets left by Anne. It was one of those things that all of a sudden turns on a light in your brain. In my middle years, I was hung up on trying to solve the puzzles of life and religion, and this effort in itself was keeping me from knowing God. There was a gradual awakening and my spirituality was allowed to surface. A part of the piece read today is relative to that awakening. I quote from the writing of Rev. Stephen Doyle, O.F.M.

"Problems are stone walls against which we bash our heads: Mysteries are oceans into which we plunge" He continues, " There's the clue: problems are to be solved; mysteries are to be lived."

One of my favorite expressions for a great part of my life had been, "I don't understand everything I know about this". I applied it to my job, but I could not apply it to my spiritual side. I kept bashing my head against the puzzles of religion, trying to apply logic to it until I discovered that it wasn't the logical thing to do. Spirituality must be lived. It is only then that understanding comes from within. And the deeper we plunge into it, the less of a mystery it becomes.

The title of Doyle's piece was "Suffering: Problem or Mystery" and it dealt with the way we try to explain the problem of suffering and pain in our lives. I lifted his words slightly out of context but, maybe not too far.

In his homily for the Second Sunday of Easter, Fr. Tony Puchenski put a different slant on the story of Doubting Thomas. He pointed out that most people feel that the story is about believing in God even though we do not have hard evidence of Him. But Fr Tony suggested that the story tell us more about the love that God has for us and the faith He has in us.

Think about it. What if you had friends who swore that they would always be with you but when you fell on hard times, they all disappeared. None of them were there to assist you and, in fact, they denied even knowing you. When you recovered, would you seek them out and greet them with "Peace be to you"? Jesus did.

Maybe that is what made Thomas doubt that Jesus had come to the Apostles. He just could not imagine that Jesus, after being treated like that could want to associate with them again. They may have even had thoughts that Jesus would want to strike them dead if He did come back!

I think that Thomas, when he saw Jesus, became aware of the Divine love and forgiveness and he proclaimed, "My Lord and my God"! Thomas was one of the first to fully realize that God has an infinite capacity for forgiveness. If only we could be as forgiving!

I came across an article about the Catholic Church proposal to name a patron saint of the internet. Catholics have been criticized for "worshiping" saints and even among Catholics there are misconceptions about their roll in our lives and in the church. It has little to do with miracles! This article states, in a very understandable way, one of the functions of saints.

" ... saints are like the Lord's lobbyists. You can pray directly to God, but His plate is usually pretty full with war, famine and pestilence. So Catholics come up with patron saints to serve as middlemen. While they don't answer prayers, they sympathize with your problems and try to persuade God to spend a minute to solve them."

Well put. ... In naming saints, the Church looks for evidence, in the form of miracles, to determine if the proposed saint has this kind of influence with God.

Another aspect of naming saints it that they serve as "roll models". We look at their lives and see what they did in situations that resemble our own life situation. How did the saint handle a particular problem? Or, how did the saint live and respond to the world's problems and pressures? This is another necessary part of naming a saint. The Church must have evidence that the proposed saint is a roll model for its members.

A saint is designated as a patron saint because a roll model is needed for people involved in particular activity or occupation, even when the activity or occupation did not exist during the saint's lifetime. In the case of the internet, St Isidore of Spain (560-636) has been suggested because he spent most of his life trying to compile all the world's knowledge into a series of books. I'm sure you can see the connection to placing the world's knowledge on the internet. So, when you are on the internet and you lose your connection, or it is too slow, say a prayer to St Isidore. He will understand because of the times he was afflicted with writer's cramp, ran out of ink, or broke his quill and he will ask God (at least) to grant you patience.

The World of Grandpa Don