Awaken

Last Sunday was a reminder, catalyzed by intrigue. The Priest painted a picture at night with a number of scenarios; car horn, dog bark, phone rings with no answer. He spoke about how disruptions from sleep (or comfort) would have a natural reaction of frustration; he also spoke of when we choose to mentally acknowledge God instead of frustration this would be a supernatural reaction. God please awake us, so your servants can hear.

1 Samuel 3: 3 – 10, 19
3 the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down within the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the LORD called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6 And the LORD called again, “Samuel!” And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.”

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. 8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy.

9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, `Speak, LORD, for thy servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 And the LORD came and stood forth, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for thy servant hears.”

19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.

I pray imperfect but still received the perfect sacrifice

Mass in buffalo

Sunday was my last day in buffalo, NY; this day was 41 degrees and wet. 8:50 I entered the cold empty church and sat in the ice hard pew. After taking pictures of the intimidating alter I knelt on down to pray, my knees started to warm. This moment is always so amazing, the words spoken in my mind's forest creates a clearing in the path of life. Looking to my left I see the choir, one is holding a saxophone and the other at the piano. Mass starts, we stand, this amazing voice travels with the saxophone and weaves throughout. As soon as the acoustics kissed my skin a crackle creaked out of a speaker to my right. I was bothered for a second, but words and harmony focused my attention.

The priest spoke with a thick accent and my brain had to fill in the gaps. The readings began; the first was not understood. The second started and stated " Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. ". The Gospel spoke of how God made the the vineyard so the fruit shall be given to God. The fruits of faith are in this life because in the next we will know where the fruit comes from. We must live as a servant or a righteous tenant and always pray even if it is not perfect. After the readings I received the perfect servant.

Aug. 7: The first reading

"Then the LORD said, 'Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will be passing by.' A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD - but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake - but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was fire - but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave." -1 Kings 19:11-13

When we wait for God to speak to us or give us a sign, what do we listen for? What do we look for? We tend to wait on God to give us a large sign in front of our face and to speak to us loud and clear. But God has the tendency to come in the silence and speak softly......He doesn't always come in a strong wind, earthquake, or fire. Surprisingly, He often comes in the simple whisper.

Dear God, help us to remember to listen closely so we can hear your voice.....

July 31: Meals

The gospel today was about the 5 loaves and 2 fish that Jesus transformed into a meal for thousands of people. People eating a meal together is such a great thing. For some reason, people value meal time. The traditional family eats dinner together and discusses the events of the day. Date nights often consist of dinner at a restaurant. Groups of friends get together on the weekends to hang out at Buffalo Wild Wings. Why is mealtime so important to people? Because it brings them together to talk and get to know each other better.

Mass each Sunday is a meal too. Together, we Catholics receive communion, a meal that can bring us closer to Jesus and also to each other. This is why it is so important for Catholics to go to Mass. We need this connection with Jesus and other Catholics like we need connections with our family and friends.

Food brings people together :)

July 10 : Parables

The priest at Mass today gave us the definition of a parable. From what I remember, it went something like this: A parable is a simile or metaphor drawn from nature or common life that conveys thought. Hmmmmm.....so Jesus spoke in parables because He wanted us think! He wanted us to dig deeper into the truth. He wanted us to be able to relate His teachings to what we already know. Jesus is a genius :)

May 29: Second Reading

"Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence..." 1 Peter 3: 15-16




This verse stuck out to me at Mass today. Yes, we need to hope in God, but do we know why? And that applies to every aspect of our Christian faith--do we know why we believe what we believe? Can we explain and defend our faith? We need to be prepared for situations where our Christianity will be questioned.




I feel like I have been questioned about my beliefs quite a bit in the past five years. This challenges me to dig deeper into my faith to find explanations for the world's questions. Like Peter says, we need to speak with "gentleness and reverence" when explaining our faith. You don't need to argue and speak forcefully to be heard. Speak out of love and peace, and the Holy Spirit will be your guidance.

Power of the Priest--Sunday 22 May

Last Sunday’s first reading (Acts 6) dealt with vocations. The apostles, who needed uninterrupted time to pray and do God’s work, realized that not only does God’s work entail listening to Him and taking His word to the people, but to fulfill the human needs of the people as well. As a result, seven men were appointed to take up this other part of God’s work and fulfill these human needs, while the others went on with praying and fulfilling the spiritual needs of the people.

There are so many people capable of filling the human needs of the world, but how few can fulfill the spiritual needs of the world today! When I think of those whom I trust to influence, guide, lead, or challenge me, without question, they are often priests. Its seems strange at first but if you look deeper into the mission of the priest, his foremost job is to do all four of these things because he is called to do what Jesus would do. Though it is the authority of the Church that leads the people, the ones who are entrusted to carry it out are the priests. The ones with all the political pressure may be the faces we see on  TV, but it’s the parish priests who have the real, worldly pressure. It is the parish priest who has to lay it on the line to the faces he sees and personally knows, and who know his faults, and still tell them the hard facts about right and wrong and the teachings of the Faith—no matter what his personal feelings or habits may be concerning the matter.

The priest is so very important, crucial, he is so very powerful. He comes from such a long line of authority, and with power invested in him through the Catholic Church, it is easy to forget that he is human and he can fall too. With the level of responsibility a single priest has in bringing the Word and the teachings of the Church—untainted to the people—it is no wonder the Apostles wished to simplify their lives in order to spend extra time in prayer.

So let us not forget to pray for our brothers the priests, they have such a powerful position to hold without room for error. It is in our best interest, and theirs, to uphold them in prayer, fasting, and support so that they may not fall, so that we may not fall.

May 22

From the Sunday Gospel:


...Philip said, 'Lord, show us the Father and then we shall be satisfied.' Jesus said to him,'Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? 'Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father, so how can you say, "Show us the Father"?...

When hearing the Gospel, I felt like saying, "Philip, come on! The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one. It is that simple!" But then I thought about it and realized how complicated that really is. I have been taught this concept since I was born, but if I had never heard about the Trinity until now, I would have been confused also. It is funny how when you are taught things when you are growing up, you just accept them and don't question them. For Philip and all of Jesus' disciples, it was hard to truly understand these new teachings.

As we grow up, we need to understand that not everyone grasps the teachings of Christianity as easily as others. If they haven't been raised in the Church, the Church's teachings can seem so foreign. I need to put myself in their shoes and be patient like Jesus was in helping them understand the Truth....

My Way or the Highway--Saturday May 14th

Remember when you were 9 years old and you had that friend who had to have everything his/her way? “You have to listen to me; I’m the boss.” If you didn’t, you probably wanted to tell that kid “whatever loser” and walk away. Later in life, you probably met some people whose actions weren’t very Christian but when you called them out on it, they said “Jesus and I are tight. We’re friends and He understands me, so my lifestyle is ‘ok’ with Him.”

In the Gospel today, Jesus says, like the 9 year old, “You are My friends if you do what I command.” So why is it that His followers didn’t ask for a compromise or say “whatever loser” and walk away? Why does this sound so different than “We’re tight; He understands me and is ‘ok’ with everything I do”? I think Jesus’ statement should give us a perspective on our friendship with Him. It is like no other.

Because we are friends with Jesus doesn’t mean we take His words with a grain of salt and treat Him like we might our other friends: walk away so He gets the point that He’s asking for too much. Our friendship isn’t supposed to be based on a mutual understanding that one side of the friendship is a comfortably-confessed slacker either. Jesus didn’t come to say “I know you are sinners, I understand that so please know I love you and keep doing what you do best; I’ll take care of the rest.” He doesn’t leave room for slacking off; He said He came to show the way (and He laid down His life as example) and He said “You are My friends IF you do what I command.” When you were 9, you probably weren't convinced you wanted to give up your say in everything so that you could enjoy whatever plans your friend wanted to be boss of, so it was hard to surrender your will to his/her discretion. Jesus basically says it's my way or the highway if you want to participate in My plans, so I guess there is just one question: will you be His friend and agree to His commands?

May 1: 2nd Sunday of Easter

"Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity." - Jesus' words to St. Faustina

I absolutely love Divine Mercy Sunday! It is one of my favorite Sundays of the year. When I read about God's Divine Mercy, I find it hard to believe that God can forgive so easily. I guess it challenges me to become a more forgiving person.

Today's Gospel was about "Doubting" Thomas. Because he wasn't there when the apostles saw Jesus alive, Thomas refused to believe without seeing. So, Jesus lovingly appeared to Thomas to prove that He rose from the dead. And what did Jesus say? Did He yell at Thomas and tell him he was an idiot for not believing? No. Jesus said, "Peace be with you." Wow, Jesus is just full of mercy! He was able to be loving and understanding, whereas many of us would have probably gave Thomas a hard time for being to ignorant to Jesus' divine power.

Let us learn to be merciful like the Lord!

Easter!

What would you say the ultimate power is? What gift would make you above all others? What I oftentimes see in movies is that people want to be able to stop death. Think Star Wars III for a moment. Anakin thinks he has every power but that one power that will make him truly happy--the power to stop death. He soon finds out that power is unattainable.

Jesus was able to conquer death! No other has ever done such a thing! Jesus came out of his tomb this Easter morning. Also, a few Sundays ago, Jesus was able to bring Lazarus back to life.....Jesus could bring Himself and others back to life. What a cool power!

Jesus has the ultimate power; Jesus is the ultimate being :)

Holy Thursday / Good Friday

Jesus to the apostles while He is washing their feet: "What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later."

Have you ever been told something years ago that you just finally understood recently? It seems like that has been happening a lot to me lately. Concepts that never really made sense to me now seem so clear.

Jesus knows that the truth is not easy to grasp. The Trinity, the beginning of the world, life after death.......things like this are complicated, and God doesn't expect us to fully understand all of the truths right now. We will understand more and more in life as we dig deeper into the Bible and the church's teachings, but we will not know everything until after we die. Although it doesn't all make sense now, Jesus promises that we will understand later.

I can't wait to truly understand all of God's truths! Yes, I believe in everything the Catholic church teaches, but some things are just difficult to grasp. I have so many questions to ask God! Someday everything will make perfect sense......

Jesus on the cross: “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.”

Here we go again. We humans can be so ignorant sometimes. We don't always know what we are really doing on this earth. We make mistakes. If only we could see everything through God's eyes, we wouldn't be so careless with our lives.

I challenge you: Try to see through God's eyes. Try to dig deeper into your faith to understand the truths. God knows what He is doing, and He want to teach you His ways. Put your faith in Him!