"Spring Cleaning? But I thought the groundhog said 6 more weeks of Winter!" I'm sure that is what you are thinking, right? Well, I'm talking about a different kind of Spring cleaning, the internal kind. Stick with me here, Father had a wonderful analogy for today's Homily.
What do you do when you Spring Clean your house? You clean EVERYTHING, right? You clean under furniture, you throw out trash, you put everything back in it's designated place. It's A LOT of work. Why do we do it? When our house is cluttered and messy, it makes us feel overwhelmed and can even get us down. It feels good to un-clutter and thoroughly clean our living space. We feel like we've accomplished something, like a weight has been lifted.
Now, what happens 4, 3 and even 2 weeks after we accomplish this enormous task? We start leaving the junk mail on the kitchen island. We take off our shoes and leave them in the living room thinking that we'll wear them tomorrow. Tomorrow comes and we wear different shoes but leave yesterday's pair sitting where they are. We need to clean more often and be more diligent about it, right?
The same can be said for our souls. What happens to our soul when we sin? It gets cluttered and dirty. We feel down, overwhelmed and unworthy. How do we as Catholics conduct our Spring Cleaning? Say it with me, "The Sacrament of Reconciliation!" Yes, we go to Confession. I can hear what you are thinking right now. "What?! Go talk about my transgressions with some stuffy old Priest that doesn't have a clue about my life?!" No. Well, yes, but No. First, that Priest probably does have a clue about sin, they are human, too. Second, when you enter the Sacrament of Reconciliation, you are not confessing your sins to the Priest, you are confessing your sins to God. The Priest is just there to assist you.
Why do I believe this? In today's Gospel (Mark 2:1-12), Jesus says to the paralytic, "Child, your sins are forgiven." The Scribes around him start asking themselves, "Why does this man speak this way? He is blaspheming. Who but God can forgive sins?" Jesus' answer was to then ask them, "Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, pick up your mat and walk'? Then to prove his authority to forgive sins on Earth, he healed the paralytic right then and there telling him, "Rise, pick up your mat and go home." In the second reading (2 Corinthians 1:18-22), Paul tells us that God, through Jesus Christ, has anointed and put his seal upon Paul and the other Disciples with the Holy Spirit. I believe he is telling us that God, through Jesus, has extended His authority to the Priesthood to assist us through Confession.
When we go to Confession, we are cleaning house. Just like when we clean house, we feel a weight lifted when we are absolved of out sins. We feel like we are ready to face the world again.
With the start of the Season of Lent on Wednesday (yes, Ash Wednesday is this week!), THIS is the time to clean the slate and ready ourselves for the most important time of the year.
Disclaimer: These Sunday Message posts are merely my thoughts based upon today's readings and the Pastor's Homily. Remember, if you do not agree with what I write, that is your prerogative. We all have our own faith. I am simply resolving to do the best I can with what ever little I possess and doing what I can to lift poor spirits like mine.
Today's readings (Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46 , 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1) and Gospel (Mark 1:40-45) are all about making choices. As you know, or maybe you don't, Leviticus is all about the laws of Jesus' time. This particular law is about being "unclean", specifically having Leprosy and the casting out of Lepers. People who were visibly ill and afflicted were seen as cursed by God.
In the second reading, Paul urges people to embrace the example of Christ. He says, "…do everything for the glory of God. Avoid giving offense, whether to the Jews or Greeks or the church of God."
In the Gospel, a leper had faith that Jesus had the ability to heal him if he chose to do so. Not only did Jesus choose to heal him, he spoke and touched him against all teachings of the day!
How many of us, today, choose to learn from Jesus' example? We may not have many Lepers anymore, but there are plenty people who are treated as outcasts in today's world: homeless, gays, people who have left the faith, you name it, if they don't "fit in" they are "cast out."
One of the most notable people to embrace the choice to care for and bring the word of God to these outcast was Father Damien. Damien was a missionary to the Hawaiian Islands when the Bishop decided that the Leper Colony on Molokai needed spiritual leadership. The Bishop did not want to name someone to send so he asked for volunteers and Father Damien was the first to raise his hand. He spent 16 years caring for both the spiritual and physical needs of the lepers. It was 12 years before he contracted the disease himself. He died and was buried on Molokai. In 2009, Pope Benedict canonized him, St. Damien, Servant of Humanity.
How can we as Christians learn from his example? Maybe there is someone you pass by every day and pretend not to see them. Maybe there is someone in your school that others make fun of or ostracize for some reason. Maybe there is a local Nursing Home where the residents are neglected and starved for some company. Reach out to someone today and let them know someone cares.
God cares.
Disclaimer: These Sunday Message posts are merely my thoughts based upon today's readings and the Pastor's Homily. Remember, if you do not agree with what I write, that is your prerogative. We all have our own faith. I am simply resolving to do the best I can with what ever little I possess and doing what I can to lift poor spirits like mine.
I apologize for missing a few weeks of the Sunday Message. We are now settled in our new home in Lubbock, TX. So here's a question for y'all: What do you look for in a parish? Since I returned to Church as an adult, I have belonged to two parishes that felt like home: St. Joseph's in Richardson, TX and Immaculate Conception in Wilmington, NC. Because of these exceptional parishes, the bar has been set pretty high. Both of these communities welcomed me with open arms and quickly became like another family to me. They offered a lot of opportunity for service. I joined the choirs and both sang and played the violin. The priests both were dynamic speakers with messages that felt were tailor made for me. Leaving these churches was hard but I still keep in touch with the people I met and still love.
When moving here to Lubbock, I researched the options for Catholic churches and found that there are three in the area. Having lived here before, I wanted to visit St. Elizabeth's first. It is the parish that caters mostly to the University population but has many families that attend, as well. It also has the added advantage of having the same name as my daughter (which would make her happier about attending Mass) so it was the first Mass we attended in our new city. I was first struck by how much the church itself has grown! They now have multiple sanctuaries, Parish Halls and a classroom building or two. The people were nice and welcoming. I can't say I really cared for the style of choir, though, and music is a big influence on my choice of Parish. However, when I was reading the bulletin, I noticed that they were advertising a convention at a church that I hadn't heard of before. It really stood out to me and as I am a believer in signs coming from heaven, I took it as one.
When I got home, I looked up Holy Spirit Catholic Parish and found out that the reason I hadn't heard of it before was because it was established the year AFTER I moved away from Lubbock. The bonus, it is just down the street from our house. Upon attending Mass the next week (last weekend), I knew this was where we would be attending. I liked the message from the Monsignor and the Deacons. I liked the music and choir and again, there was a sign for me. Before Mass, one of the Deacons stood up and asked for the congregation to take more part in the music. The choir isn't very big (only about 10 members) and it is a large sanctuary. He wanted people to either sing out more or to join the choir. I don't have a problem with either one. As a matter of fact, when I joined in singing, I noticed people turning around and looking at me. That means one of two things, I'm either horrible OR they really aren't used to people singing out. I don't think I'm that loud but when there aren't people around you singing for the glory of God, you kind of stand out. I knew that this was a place that I could serve in this manner. I went on Monday to fill out the registration paperwork and sign the girls up for CCE (Catholic Christian Education).
Why am I telling y'all all this? The Gospel and Readings this week tell us that Jesus found his strength to heal and proclaim the good news through prayer. They also tell us that he did not heal and save us so that we could prayerfully thank him (although we certainly should), he saved us so that we can serve and help spread his good news to others through our actions and service to one another. How do we do that? Well, for me, it means to use the talents and gifts that God gave me. I have been musically gifted for as long as I can remember. I'm not being conceited by saying this. I'm not saying that I'm Jascha Heifetz or Faith Hill, I'm just good with music. When I sing or play my violin, I am honoring this gift. For quite a few years, I denied this gift. I didn't play my violin, I didn't sing in any choir, I really didn't do much musically at all. I have found in the past year that I was doing a disservice to myself and my God by doing this. Music is a part of me and it was given to me for a reason. I just had to realize what that reason was and now I know, it is to SERVE others through my music.
Music isn't the only gift I've been given. If you have found this blog, it's probably through a search for photographers. I LOVE to find beauty in everything. It was an easy thing to do in Hawaii, as anyone will tell you. It wasn't even really hard in North Carolina for the past 6 months. But now God has set a challenge in front of me. Now I need to find the beauty in Lubbock, TX. If you have ever driven through West Texas, you will know that you can't get much different from Hawaii than West Texas. It is flat, dry, and brown. Oh, and COOOOLD in the winter! I am up for this challenge. HE has already shown me beautiful sunrises and sunsets. I will find the beauty in other places, as well. But how will I serve through this gift of art? By continuing my association with Shoots for a Cure.
Jesus saved us from death through his passion, death and Resurrection. He also told us that we must do as he did. But he did not serve alone. Jesus "went out to a deserted place. and there he prayed." He prayed privately for the strength to serve daily.
What are your gifts from God? How will you use them to serve?
Disclaimer: These Sunday Message posts are merely my thoughts based upon today's readings and the Pastor's Homily. Remember, if you do not agree with what I write, that is your prerogative. We all have our own faith. I am simply resolving to do the best I can with what ever little I possess and doing what I can to lift poor spirits like mine.
What is Epiphany? Webster's Dictionary defines "epiphany" as:
(1) : a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something
(2) : an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking
or (3) : an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure.
We are taught, in the Roman Catholic faith, that Epiphany is the revelation of Christ's divinity to the Gentiles, through the visitation of the Magi (Three Kings) and the official end of Christmas Time (formerly known as the Season of Christmas.) Where did the Magi come from? What brought these Wise Men from the East? What was their intent?
Matthew 2: 1-12 gives the only account of the Magi of the four Gospels:
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage."
When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage."
When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.
On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another path.
Matthew identifies the Magi as coming from the East. Traditionally, it is believed they came from Babylon, Persia and India. Their intent was to pay homage to the child born to be the "King of the Jews". The result of their coming and spreading the news of His birth, however, was Herod's "Massacre of the Innocents." By no means does this put the Magi at fault. Their intent was good not evil.
Which leads to the question: How do we determine if an act is good or evil? According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, there are three moral determinants: The act itself, the intent of the act, and the circumstances of the act.
A friend of mine on Facebook posted something earlier today that made me think a little more about this. She said, "Sometimes we mistakenly assume that an action we take is okay because we believe it is. We do not take the time to think about how it would effect another person, mostly due to the fact that in our minds there is no reason to think our actions would hurt anyone else." While this is true, does it make that action morally evil? I am not sure. I think it honestly depends on the action.
To use Fr. Chris' analogy from today's Homily, let's say that you need to go to the ATM at 9pm on a Saturday night. You are all by yourself, you put your card into the machine and punch in $100 for withdrawal. The machine gives you $300. When the receipt comes out, it says $100 not $300. What would you do? The bank doesn't open until Monday morning and then you'll probably have to stand in line for a while to be able to talk to the teller and explain what happened. That seems like a lot of trouble to go through and, after all, it isn't YOUR fault the machine malfunctioned, right? If we use our three moral determinants, we know that the right thing is to return that money. What is not yours, you may not keep for as the Seventh Commandment tells us, "Thou shalt not steal."
If we go back to my friend's thoughts, one of the things to keep in mind about our actions and their effect on others is that, at the base of all actions should be Love. The Love of oneself, the Love of others, and most of all, the Love of God and Jesus Christ.
Disclaimer: These Sunday Message posts are merely my thoughts based upon today's readings and the Pastor's Homily. Remember, if you do not agree with what I write, that is your prerogative. We all have our own faith. I am simply resolving to do the best I can with what ever little I possess and doing what I can to lift poor spirits like mine.
Note: We will be moving next weekend so I won't be attending Mass. I will try to get my Sunday message up, but may not have internet for a couple of weeks. Look out Texas, here we come!
I've been missing the beach a lot lately, so I thought I'd drag the girls with me for a New Year's outing. Of course, I took my camera with me to do some people watching since I haven't done it in a long time. As always, most of my pictures were from watching my girls enjoy the beach in their uniquely different ways. One daughter loves to dig and build…
…while the other does gymnastics and jumps for joy!
My youngest is so full of joy and happiness that it just bubbles out of her. Her giggles will have you rolling with laughter, her smile can not be resisted. She is my little model.
There weren't many people to watch today, but I did see some people and critters enjoying the warm-ish day. I wish I could have captured the enormous squadron of pelicans that flew by as we left the beach, as well. That was impressive!
I love playing with backlight and flare. We were at the beach at the perfect time for it, too!
The girls are anxious to see snow, but in lieu of that cold white stuff, they thought they'd make angels in the sand.
All in all, it was a nice visit to the beach. I got to purge some creativity and they got to purge some energy!
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