Humility

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;             
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever."

Our wait for Christmas cheer to chase away the gloom of the long winter nights, cheerless cold and damp are coming to an end and the Church presents to us the words of the Virgin Mother of God.  In this prayer of Mary, we hear things that help us see how great she is and how humble she is.  She proclaims how great God is, she calls Him her savior.  How can God be the savior of Mary who was born without original sin?  Did she even need a savior?  The answer of course is, "Yes, Mary needed a savior."  I have addressed this in this blog before, but just to refresh our minds I will show how Mary could be both sinless and still require a savior.  

We must remember that God has always been and He will never have an end.  He is the one absolute in the universe He created from nothing simply by willing it.  He lives outside of the constraints of time and space and lives in the past, the present, and the future (as we see it) all at once.  The Mother of the Son being sent to Earth could have no taint of sin for in effect she would be carrying God inside of her for nine months, in effect, being a tabernacle or perhaps we could call her a human Holy of Holies as she was where God on earth was dwelling. No sin or evil can be in God's presence and that is why the Mother of God needed to be free of the taint of sin.  This was granted to her by God based on the merits of His Son dying on the cross for the sins of man.  God the Father could see this happening clearly and preserved Mary from sin.  Where we were drawn out of the pit of original sin, our bodies bruised by the fall, Mary, was carried over the pit and her soul received no injury from Adam's sin. 

Mary's life was both the same as any other young virgin in her neighborhood.  She would have been taught how to be a homemaker and would have been given the skills to turn a house into a home.  On the other hand, Mary would be quite different than her contemporaries.  From her conception, which came about in the normal way through the passion her mother and father had for each other, her soul would be pure white and this soul would take up residence in her and she would be turned towards God from the first day of her life to her last breath on earth.  She had in her the same free will that all of us were born with but she would be more inclined to say "Yes" to the things God asked her to do.  She could have refused the job of being the Mother of God but was not likely to. 

Well, this is all very well and good for Mary but what does it mean to ordinary people like you and me?  True, we were born under the shadow of original sin and we bear its mark in our soul to this day. This original sin of Adam, however, was removed by our baptism.  On the day of our baptism, we became sinless and we too could use our free will to live in the way God wanted us to live but all of us eventually had moments of weakness where we turned away from God.  This is the difference between us and Mary.  She was, from the day of her conception, able to use her free will to do the things that God asked of her without thinking of herself.  We on the other hand very often look to our own comfort and our own ambition because we exercise our free will to satisfy the "me" that resides inside of our soul.  Mary's first thoughts would be how to serve "thee." 

So in a matter of days, all of our planning for Christmas will bear the fruit of the effort we put into it. The real question will be, have we converted this holy day into a commercial feast or have he taken time to consider what Christmas really means?  

Have you lost someone you love to death recently?  A mother, father, sister or brother?  Perhaps a grandparent has passed away or maybe a close friend?   It is possible that they went right to heaven but maybe not.  We cannot judge the soul of another person, only God can. Purgatory is a place of preparation where the vast majority of us will begin our eternity as we purge those things that are incompatible with the Glory of God.  I am not saying this to be mean, just reminding you of what might be.  I would urge you to pray for the poor souls in purgatory, by name if you think someone you love is there. Your prayers will not be wasted because if the soul you are praying for is not there, the prayers will be applied to another.  Please, in these closing days of Advent, wrap a beautiful present for someone in Purgatory and pray for them.  They will be your forever friend if you do so.   Remember where they are today you someday also you may be. 

Elijah and John - Prophets of Israel

In those days,                                                                                
like a fire there appeared the prophet, Elijah
whose words were like a flaming furnace.
Their staff of bread he shattered,
in his zeal he reduced them to straits;
By the Lord's word he shut up the heavens
and three times brought down fire.
How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!
Whose glory is equal to yours?
You were taken aloft in a whirlwind of fire,
in a chariot with fiery horses.
You were destined, it is written, in time to come
to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD,
To turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons,
and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob.
Blessed is he who shall have seen you and who falls asleep in your friendship.(Sirach 4:8- 1-4, 9-11)

As they were coming down from the mountain,
the disciples asked Jesus,
"Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"
He said in reply, "Elijah will indeed come and restore all things;
but I tell you that Elijah has already come,
and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. 
So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands."
Then the disciples understood
that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
(Matthew 17: 9A, 10-13)

The readings today speak of two of the greatest prophets of all time. Elijah and St. John the Baptist.  Elijah lived during the twelfth century B.C. during the reigns of King Ahab, Queen Jezebel, and King Ahaziah of Israel.  He has had his hands full because the Israelites were undergoing one of their periodic movements away from Yahweh and His Laws and turning to worship idols and false gods. He called the people back to God.  He warned them that they were not going to be happy if they failed to return to God. And as he predicted a drought afflicted the land.  For three years not a drop of rain fell. There was, as he predicted, misery throughout the land.  During this time Elijah was fed by ravens!  Jezebel, who was not an Israelite, did not follow the Hebrew religion of her husband Ahab but rather moaned and groaned and nagged until Abab built a temple to her god, Baal.  Elijah decided to have it out with Jezebel and her false god once and for all.  He challenged the priests of Baal to a contest between Baal and Yahweh.  They would build two altars and the god who was real would reveal himself by consuming an offering put there for him.  It kind of was like the Olympic Games of the gods.  The holocaust was prepared for both contestants and the games began. The priests of Baal started chanting and dancing to no avail.  Elijah was a rooting section for them and encouraged them by telling them to chant louder because perhaps Baal was sleeping.  They were less than appreciative of this help and they started cutting themselves to show their devotion to Baal, still, nothing happened to the sacrifice on the altar dedicated to Baal.  After a while, exhausted, they gave up.  Now it was Elijah's turn.  The sacrifice was placed on the altar amongst straw.  Elijah called for the sacrifice to be drenched in water and it was.  The straw was really, really wet.  There would be no way that the sacrifice would be burned up with all of that wet straw on the altar.  The priests of Baal were very confident that Elijah would fail.  Elijah raised his eyes to heaven, uttered a brief prayer and boom, the sacrifice was burned up into nothing in a brief second.  The priests of Baal were astounded and the king ordered them to be taken away and executed for it was proven that they worshipped a false god.  

Sometime after this, his work amongst the people of Israel being done, Elijah was taken away in a fiery chariot and he left his mantle for Elisha who took over the job of being the Prophet of Yahweh. 

We are all familiar with the story of John the Baptist. He was the cousin of Jesus but it was quite probable that they did not know each other and only met one another when Jesus was baptized at the Jordan.  John was a man who brooked no nonsense. When King Herod indulged in adultery, John called him on it and let it be known what a jerk the king and his wife were for violating God's law.  Herod held a grudging respect for John and was loathe to do anything to him and turned a deaf ear to his preaching and condemnation.  But Herodias who actually was the wife of Herod's half-brother was ticked off to no end.  To keep peace in the house, Herod had John arrested and placed in jail.  This did not keep peace in the house at all.  Now John could be heard day and night condemning the king and his concubine.  At a party, the daughter of Herodias did a dance for the king that left him with his tongue hanging out and he rashly promised her a reward of up to half of his kingdom.  I guess he could not hold his liquor very well.  The daughter went to her mother and asked her advice as to what she should ask for, a trunk filled with gold perhaps?  Her own palace?  No, her mother said, none of these things.  She told her daughter to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter.  She went back to the king and delivered her demands.  He tried to talk her out of it but she insisted.  Since this had been done in front of all of his friends, he would appear to be weak if he did not fulfill his promise to the young slut.  Painfully, he dispatched a guard and John was beheaded and the head was brought to the daughter who brought it to her mother.  (Yuck!) 

These two men were both prophets of God.  They each displayed courage and fortitude and preached the truth of God caring not whom it might offend. They both took on the mighty and powerful in each of their times and in doing so prepared the way for the Messiah to come.  In this season of Advent, we can do one of two things with the time.  We can wait silently or we can become prophets in our own neighborhood.  We can make sure that the reason for the season is made known and that it is the time we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, who came into the world to save us from our sins.  The lights, the presents, the parties are all well and good but we need to make sure that we do not lose sight of why this feast if called Christmas which could be translated as Christ's mass.  Bring Christ to someone today and every day between now and Christmas.  Belay the happy holiday greetings and give out a hearty Merry Christmas.  Each time you say this it is like you are delivering a little sermon.  Jesus is coming and He is coming for me and for you.  Merry Christmas!  

I wonder if the poor souls in Purgatory celebrate Christmas?  I am sure that their love for Christ manifests itself of this day in a major way.  Please remember to pray for them.  They WILL remember those who pray for them and they WILL help you on the day you need it most.  Remember too:  As they are now, perhaps someday you shall be. 

A Great Promise

I am the LORD, your God, who grasp your right hand; It is I who say to you, 

"Fear not, I will help you."

How can we fail when we have a friend such as this.  The God of the universe loves us so much that He watches and will grasp us with His right hand and will keep us from harm.  He tells us in this reading from Isiah that we are to fear not for He will help us. 

Look around the world today.  If there ever was a time when we needed the strong right hand of God to grasp us and pull us out of the pit it is today. Mind you, the world is still a very beautiful place.  There are abundance and plenty all around us. The sun rises and sets as it always has, the tides of the ocean are regulated by the moon. Plants take in the sunlight and grow and are nurtured by God's mighty hand and the animals of the forest find their food provided for them.  Yet, God in his love has done so much more for those of Adam's race.  Time and time again he has come to the aid of His children and all of us while at first grateful, later we fall away from His counsel, forget His laws, and we wander off on our own way again.  Does God turn His back as we would to one who offended us greatly? No, with infinite patience, care, and love He extends His hand in friendship ready to accept any and all that want to return to Him. 

In this season of Advent, I ask you to be cognizant of the state of your soul. Are you wandering down a path that will lead to your spiritual ruin?  Do not give the devil a victory by thinking you have not sinned.  This lie is the evil one's sharpest tool and one that is used to separate man from God. When was the last time you approached the Lord in the sacrament of reconciliation?  A year ago? Five years? A quarter of a century ago?  It does not matter how long it has been, make plans to receive the mercy and love of our God in the confessional.  He knows your sins already, you will not be telling Him anything He doesn't know.  But to heal you have to tell Him what you have done and apply for His forgiveness and mercy.  He has never rejected anyone who has come to Him in tears and sorrow, even if it took years and years to come to the realization that sin was present in life.

Forgiveness and healing are but steps away.  Show your love and faith in God by admitting your wrongs and resolving to do right.  Then the coming Christmas holy day will mean more to you than it did when you were a child because you will know the love and mercy of the God of the universe and He will grasp you with His strong right hand and never let you go again.  

Today would be a great day to say the rosary for the Poor Souls in Purgatory, it is the memorial of St. John of the Cross. Please remember the poor souls, they cannot pray themselves out of purgatory, they need your help.  Remember, my friend, as they are, perhaps someday you shall be. 

First Sunday of Advent - Wait, Wait, Wait

He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.God is faithful, and by him, you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

It is really hard to believe that the first Sunday of Advent is already here.  It wasn't too long ago that I was welcoming in the new year with all of its hopes and dreams.  

There is nothing so hard as waiting.  Life seems to be the period where we go from the back of the line to the front of the line.  Did you ever get into a line at the supermarket where everything was it seemed to be moving nicely and then you hear the dreaded "price check on seven."  The person in front of you has four ounces of cumquats and is insisting that they were on sale but the register rang them up at two cents more a pound than the sale price. You want to reach into your pocket and give the person a quarter so that she will get the heck out of your way!  Waiting is hard.  Can you imagine how hard it was for the Hebrew people?  

The Hebrews in the first century had been waiting for the Messiah for a long time. While they were waiting, countries were having their way with them and they wanted to be free of foreign interference with their government.  So, imagine having to wait centuries for something to happen and you think that your wait in the supermarket line with that screaming little brat that wants one of every candy bar that he has seen was long!  In the next four weeks, we will wait as we pray and reflect on the place of Jesus in our life.  Each week we will get closer and closer to that great time when our Savior will appear.   

There will be a lot of preparing to be done over the next four weeks. The house will need to be made ready to receive guests, there will be presents to buy and wrap and meals to plan, people to pick up and drop off.  It will be a mad scramble for some of us. All the while we are exhausting ourselves with the needs of the body will we be considering the needs of our soul?  There is no reason why even one of us cannot take fifteen minutes a day in prayer especially if you make time when all of the work of the day is complete.  You need this time of prayer.  Here is the painless way of doing it.  

Wait for a time just before bed.  Turn off the TV, radio, stereo and most of all the smartphone.  Breathe in and out deeply a few times and sink back into your chair.  Clear your mind of everything and just think of one word, "Jesus."  Breathe in and out as you slowly say the name. Then imagine that Jesus is there with you.  He is sitting just opposite of you and He is ready to listen to you.  Pour out your heart, let Him know how you feel.  Let Him hear of your joys and sorrows, laugh with Him and cry with Him. After fifteen minutes (longer if you like) take your leave of Him and thank Him for the blessings He has given you in your life.  

There is no secret to prayer that you need to know except this.  Prayer is simply talking to your friend.  He wants this relationship with you!  He loves you with all of His Heart.  

Advent is a great time to help your relatives and friends who might this very day be in Purgatory.  He or she is not there you say, well, then pray for the people who need it most.  Your prayers will not go unheard nor will they be wasted. 

Watching Their Flocks By Night

The gospel tells us that the birth of Jesus was first made known to shepherds watching their flocks by night.  This presents us with an interesting fact about the birth of our Savior, he was born in the spring or summer time. Shepherds would not have been out in the fields in the cold of winter.  But it really does not matter when the birth of Jesus took place, summer, winter, spring, or fall, He came to earth to save us, one and all.  Let's look a little at these people who first were told about the birth of Jesus. 

To be a shepherd in ancient Israel was not a good thing.  Shepherds were considered chronically unclean. Due to the nature of their work they were unable to visit the temple or synagogue. They were not the most educated of men in a country that prized learning. In short if you were a shepherd in ancient Israel you would be considered a second class citizen, certainly higher than the lepers but not too much so. 

In spite of your lowly estate as a shepherd the announcement that the Messiah had indeed arrived was made to you.  What does that say about the Messiah? It shows that the Messiah was coming for all.  He did not appear on a golden cloud in front of the high priest or the Roman governor, no, he chose the lowest class to be the ones that would hear of His birth first. 

This is the first sermon preached by Jesus and He preached it without using words, just an example.  The King of the Universe, the Author of Everything came down as a very dependent infant, in a stable, placed in a manger, where animals came to get their food in a town called Bethlehem which means House of Bread. 

The sermon on the manger preaches volumes in it's silence about God's love for the poor. Pope Francis has spoken about this fact time and time again. We need to take care of each other and we have to realize that no matter how rich we are, no matter how well off we are, that in God's eyes we are but children.  

In this last week of Advent as we rush about maybe we should take time and make some provision for those who have nothing.  After all the Good News was made known to the lowest first. 

33,000 Protestant Denominations are out there each proclaiming that they possess the true message of salvation.  Against that you have one cradle Catholic that has thrown down the gauntlet and has challenged the Protestant to CONVERT-A-CATHOLIC. No one has picked up the challenge. Seriously, tell me where the Catholic Church has got it wrong, prove to me that I should be in your denomination and I will convert.  Click Here to get the ball rolling.   

Gaudete Sunday or We light the pink candle

Our wait is approaching its end. This Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent and is called Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means "joyful" and the Church reminds us today that our Advent season is approaching the end and that which we were waiting for is just around the corner. 

For the secular world the road to Christmas is paved with greenback dollars!  I remember back in August one of our local food stores put up their Hallmark Christmas ornament display and most other stores start the avalanche of advertising for Christmas in early November before Thanksgiving Day.  The Christmas Carols are piped in as you shop in the mall before the first frost. 

Advent at one time was a time, just like lent, of fasting and repentance.  When I was a child I watched that wreath in church grow brighter and brighter, knowing full well that Christmas presents were getting ever closer. 

On this Sunday we light the pink candle. The intention of this candle is to make our hearts warmer, to brighten our souls, to feel the joy of expectation that soon Christ will be with us.  Of course this marks our progress towards the feast but it also reminds us that the day of the Lord, the day he returns, is getting closer too. 

On this Sunday, my heart is filled with joy, I know I am loved so much that Jesus came to earth and died for me and for my sins,  I am joyful this day because deep in my heart I know that I am what God wants me to be or at least progressing towards that goal.  I am joyful because I know my ultimate fate and destiny is to be with God and the saints in heaven,  How can I keep from singing!

My Protestant friend, I invite you to take the Convert-a-Catholic Challenge. With 33,000 Christian denominations out there someone must know where the Catholic Church has gone wrong, why won't anyone tell me why I should leave the Church and join up with your denomination?  Don't you want to save me?  Click on the link below and tell me why I should quit being Catholic and join your church, which I will do if you can convince me.  

Hey Michael! Let's get you out of the Catholic Church and into my Church.  (Click Here to Email Michael)

Infinity

When I was a boy you could be sure of a couple of things in life. First you could be sure that on a summer day you would find all of the neighborhood boys playing baseball in Winslow's vacant lot.  The other sure bet would be that when the show Ben Casey came on you would find my mother glued to the TV set.  Mom did not watch much TV but she had her favorite shows and Ben Casey was one of them.  If you've watched the You Tube video that is attached you know how it started.  A voice while drawing symbols is heard saying "Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity."  

Today we are going to talk a little bit about the concept of infinity. Numbers are said to be infinite but that just means for any number you can think of you can add one to it and have a larger number. This concept is useful for mathematicians.  In photography you can set your camera to infinity. That does not mean you can actually see into infinity, no, it just means that you are using the lens at its highest capability. Time is said to be infinite, but that is simply the number concept dressed up in a new suit of clothes. By its very nature time had a beginning and it will have an end.  I want to talk about infinity as it applies to us and as it applies to God, our heavenly Father. 

For us humans infinity began at conception when God breathed  life into us and created us in material form, the body, and us in our true form, the soul.  Our material form, our body is very finite indeed. When you compare the time our human form exists against the thousands of millenniums before we existed and the thousands of millenniums yet to come, our existence is but a dot on the timeline.  When we die it will be the material part of us that will stop working and decay back into the dust that it was formed of.  Our soul on the other hand will continue to live.  We will know who we are and where we have come from.  We will be completely aware and we will remember every detail of our life. It will then become time for the judgement.  We will stand before God and Jesus.  If we were friends with Jesus, took up our crosses and followed Him, if we had mercy, if we fed the poor, housed the homeless, visited the sick and the imprisoned, if we endured persecution for the sake of the Kingdom, then Jesus will be our savior. If we did not do any of these things He will be our judge.  The judgement will be rendered as either; "Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the kingdom prepare for you by the Father since the beginning of time." Or we may may hear those dreaded words; "Depart from me, I never knew you."  

Either way our souls will be propelled to the eternal destiny that we ourselves worked for during our life. We will either be in heaven as one of the saints or suffering in hell as one of the damned.  (I am leaving purgatory out of this discussion as it is a temporary place where we are purified if necessary.)   We will be in either heaven or hell forever.  This infinite amount of time makes the seventy, eighty, or even one-hundred years we lived on earth very short indeed.  Therefore, I recommend that in this year of mercy we avail ourselves of giant portions of God's mercy keeping in mind just how long infinity (forever) is. 

God is Infinite. God always was and God will always be. Everything about God is infinite, especially His love for the creatures he created in His own image and likeness, the human race. God has infinite powers and has set the universe in motion and has written all of the laws that keep it in motion. God is not held in check by anyone or anything except Himself. He chooses in His infinite wisdom to be incapable of un-love. Every action he takes or has taken or will take, flows from the fountain of His love. Everything that he allows to happen in our life, either good or bad will eventually help us to attain eternal life with Him in heaven. 

God knows each of us by name and loves us and hopes we come to love Him and join Him in heaven.  As powerful as God is, he will never violate our free will. We can choose to be His friend or not by the decisions we make every day.   

God IS infinity. 

The Convert-a-Catholic Challenge is still on.  There are 33,000 or more Christian denominations out there each claiming to have the truth. There must be one brave man or woman able to step forward and "save" this poor cradle Catholic.  Prove to me where the Catholic Church has got it wrong and I will convert to your denomination.  Leave a comment below or click on the link to contact me by email. 

Michael, You gotta join my denomination  (Click Here) 

In this second week of Advent, I pray that Jesus Christ splits the darkness in your life and you come to Him as his friend and brother.

Feast of The Immaculate Conception - And No We Don't Worship Mary

People that are not Catholic are horrified that we Catholics have such a great reverence for Mary, the Mother of Jesus. They think that we actually worship Mary but nothing could be farther from the truth. Mary is but a created being and read her words in holy Scripture, they are always most humble and always point to Jesus and never to her.   In recorded history the first person to show such great reverence for Mary was Elizabeth and her baby St, John the Baptist who was developing in her womb. St. Elizabeth said that her baby leaped in her womb at the site of Mary who was carrying God the Son, Jesus in her womb. 

Prior to this visitation of Mary to her kinsman something wonderful happened to Mary.  The angel Gabriel came to her and spoke with her telling her first that she was "full of grace."  Remember that this is BEFORE she accepted the challenge to become the mother of Jesus. The angel Gabriel did not bring the grace to Mary, she already had it by gift of God.  Remember that this is at least thirty three years before the death of Jesus on the Cross.  We were all under the disadvantage of the original sin of Adam and Eve.  So then how could Mary be "full of grace?"

Mary was full of grace because of God.  God does not live in time or space, He has no limitations as to what He can do.  He knew that His Son Jesus would die on the Cross for the sins of all mankind and he applied the saving death of Jesus to Mary before the physical death of Jesus in anticipation.  So, Mary too was saved by the death of Jesus just as you or I was when Jesus died on the cross.

How can this be?  Maybe this little story will make it easier to understand. When you or I was born we had the stain of Adam and Eve's sin upon our soul. In effect it as if we were walking on a path and fell into a pit from which there was no hope of climbing out and where we were stained with mud and dirt from our fall. With the death of Jesus we were lifted from the pit and cleaned up and restored to grace by Jesus.  

Mary faced the very same challenge except for one thing.  Upon her birth she was carried over the pit in anticipation of the death of Jesus on the Cross. She never came into contact with dirt and dust and mud of the pit.  Mary was saved by Christ just as we were except she never had the taint of that original sin.  This was granted to her as a special favor of God for the woman that He hoped would become the Mother of God.

It is very important to realize that Mary was not robbed of her free will. She could have told Gabriel to "be gone."  This would mean that another would have had to be found to the mother of Jesus.  But Mary was predisposed to say yes. Her soul, her whole being was turned to God and she wanted with all her heart to do His will.  

So on December 8th every year we Catholics gather to honor the Mother of God.  With the great honor heaped upon her you would think that she could get a swelled head.  But no.  Mary speaks infrequently in scripture but when she speaks her few words speak volumes in proving her love for God and how very humble she is. Her most erudite speech comes at the Wedding Feast at Cana.  Recall that the party would end almost before it began because they had run out of wine.  Mary brought the matter to the attention of her Son and he asked; "What concern is this of mine?"  He wasn't quite yet ready to begin his public mission.  She looked at him and told the servants to "Do whatever He tell you to do." These words are the wisest ever written in the Bible. 

So on this day, even if you are not a Catholic, it might be a good idea to think about Mary, the Mother of God and her humility.  We Catholics honor her today because Jesus who lived a perfectly sinless life, who obeyed all the commandments, including the fourth commandment, "Honor thy father and thy mother."  As adopted members into the Household of God, Mary is our mother too and like Jesus we honor her as mother just as Jesus did.  If you non-Catholics out there have any problem with revering Mary, I suggest you that you take it up with Jesus because he started it. 

Still no takers for the "Convert a Catholic" challenge.  Certainly there must be one person out there, a member of one of the thirty-thousand plus denominations that can convince this cradle Catholic to give up the Church.  Accept the challenge by leaving me a comment or you can reach me by email by clicking on the link.

I Want To Convert You Michael

On this great feast of the Immaculate Conception which celebrates Mary being born without original sin, my hope for you is that you find the light of Christ in your life and that He may guide you to your heavenly home.  God bless you! 

With Great Sorrow - The San Bernardino Attack - The Christian Response

May the souls of those killed in San Bernardino rest in peace and enjoy the bliss of heaven. 

Normally I do not use this blog to comment on news stories. I prefer to speak about my faith, my Church, and my God. It is with burning sorrow that I reflect on the events that transpired in San Bernardino this week.  

Among the creatures that God loves the best are those that are those that disadvantaged in some way. The deaths unleashed by two  misguided and crazed followers of the prophet are made even more horrible because of the identity of the victims, people who were handicapped in some way.

I was awake very early this morning and watched the sun change the sky from dark black to beautifully bright.  The sight of this transformation reminded me of the hope we as Christians have.  No matter what happens the seeming victory of darkness is at best only temporary because Christ has won the victory when he spread his arms out between heaven and earth and died on that Holy Cross for all of humanity. 

Jesus charges us to be very counter culture. My mother, God rest her soul, died in 1990 of lung cancer. Her disease did not start as lung cancer, it started as a growth on her shoulder.  She worked at a doctor's office and part of her employment benefits included care free care from the doctor.  Her doctor looked at the growth and without a second thought, without a biopsy, she gave my mother some medicated salve to put on it.  Six months later there had been no improvement.  My mother consulted her former employer and close family friend, another doctor, and he recognized it for what it was and immediately had my mother hospitalized.  She was diagnosed with lung cancer, pronounced terminal, and was placed on a course of chemotherapy to extend her life.  At her real doctor's suggestion she consulted a renowned surgeon who offered her hope and soon she was operated upon and the cancer was seemingly removed.  The doctor told her that there was no way that this surgery would cure the cancer, it would just buy her time.  The day came for the surgery and me, my two sisters, and my brother arrived at the hospital just as they were taking her down to surgery. We kissed her and she went into surgery knowing that she was loved.  They surgery was successful and the doctor told us that she probably had about a year to live, which was double the previous prognosis.  We went into the room where mom was awake and alert.  She could not talk as she was hooked up to a ventilator but she could write on a dry erase board that they had given her.  She was full of hope and so were we. Unfortunately, from that day she began to slide downhill and on post op day four she passed away, quietly with her family around her.  My heart filled with a rage against the doctor that had initially misdiagnosed her disease. For the very first time in my life I felt hate, raw, unrelenting hate of another human being.  Although I did not recognize it at the time I slid into a deep depression.  My symptoms included not really caring about anything.  Going through my day as if I were a robot. Not taking care of my personal business matters, reading the same book over and over again.  In essence I shut down the thinking part of my brain because it hurt too much.  

As a Catholic I believed, and still do believe, that the Holy Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord, the Resurrected Jesus.  I was in the habit each day as I was going to work to make the sign of the cross as I passed this Catholic church on my way to work because I knew what was inside that Tabernacle and that brick walls could not separate me from Jesus.  One day as I did this in a mindless manner, just by habit, God in effect sent me a message.  He told me to release that hate I held in my heart for that heartless doctor that killed my mother because He forgave me my many sins. I released the doctor from bondage and from that very moment a weight was lifted from my shoulders and I snapped out of the depression that was strangling me for over six months.  I forgave that doctor.  I still did not like her or what she had done, but I had forgiven her and granted her a full and complete pardon. I would not eat dinner with her, but I would not raise my hand against her.  From that moment on it has been impossible for me to hold a grudge.  If you've killed my mother and I have forgiven you, what more could you do to me that would be worse?

Okay, I've been going on for a while here and I want to get to the point of this blog entry.  There is a power in Christianity that does not exist in any other religion. That is the power to forgive.  When we are slapped it stings, it hurts, but when we do not retaliate and we turn our cheek and offer it up for further insult we give pause to our tormentor even if for a nanosecond. Christianity is able to break the cycle of hate, the cycle of an eye for an eye that most of the world thinks is what is mandated for us. 

In our present day where Muslim treachery is a fact of life we have to ask what we can do.  As Christians we must bring out our most powerful weapons.  Our weapons cannot be resisted by any force on earth.  These weapons are the weapons of peace.  We need to pray and pray hard for those afflicted by ISIS terror.  We must pray for the conversion of Muslims - yes - Jesus wants us all to be one flock.  We must forgive and live our lives in a manner worthy of a child of God.  We must ask God to move his hand and restore peace and tranquility to this wonderful garden He has given us to tend. 

The Convert A Catholic Challenge has not been taken up by anyone yet. 30,000 denominations out there against the Catholic Church - surely someone will take up the cause and attempt to convert this cradle Catholic to your denomination. You can begin the process by leaving a comment here or you can email me at 

michaeljspoula@outlook.com 

Thank you for dropping by and may the light of Christ light up the darkness in your life. 

Been away from the Church for awhile? Don't know what to do to come back, help is available.  You ARE missed.  For help go to this website: CATHOLICS COME HOME

Answers To Prayer

What do you think is the definition of prayer?  Is it when one of God's children approaches the throne of grace and asks for something that they need?  Perhaps it is not that, perhaps it is when we simply immerse ourselves in God and tell Him how much we love him?  Is prayer when you pray for a friend undergoing surgery that he is returned to health?  Prayer is all of these things and more.  Mother Angelica said something once that I have always remembered. She says, and I am paraphrasing here that prayer, no matter what kind of prayer is asking God if He loves us and his answer to our prayers is always; "Yes, I do."  But what about His answers to prayer? Does God actually take the time to listen to what you (I mean you personally) have to say to Him and then take the time to respond?  The answer to this is yes, God answers all prayers. Every prayer that we send up to heaven is carefully considered in the light of what will be best for us and for our salvation. God wants all of us to be with Him in heaven. If you pray for something and this something will be of value in the goal of getting you into heaven the answer will be "Yes" one hundred percent of the time.  If what you want does not aid in your journey, the answer will be "No." We all like when the answer is yes and we all are mighty disappointed when the answer is no. But there is a third answer to prayer that is probably the hardest one of all and that answer is "wait."  Let's face it we live in an age when the push of a button will get us whatever we want at the moment we want it. The word "wait" has very little meaning in our life and we have the devil of a time dealing with it. But God knows best what will help us and what will hinder us and He answers every prayer with one of those answers. The wait response is sometimes why prayer appears to go unanswered.  We want what we want when we want it.  God wants to give it to us when we are ready to receive it. So trust in God to know what is best for you.  Keep praying, keep asking for sure but remember that God will do for you what it takes for you to make your ultimate goal and that goal is eternal life in happiness with Him in heaven.

During this season of Advent, the nights get longer and darker until the Light of Christ arrives in our lives on Christmas day.  May the light of Christ guide you to Him this day and may the example you give in your life bring your family and friends with you.  

The Convert A Catholic Challenge is still open. There must be some reason why you are not a Catholic, tell me about it, make your best case, who knows, you may "save" me yet!  You can start by making comment below or send an email to michaeljspoula@outlook.com

A Non-Traditional Christmas Carol ?

Christmas Day is almost here.  Our houses are decorated, presents are wrapped, the family is gathering and our season of joy is about to begin.

In A Christmas Carol Scrooge eventually promises to keep Christmas in his heart all year long.  That is a worthy sentiment and a good thing to do.   But is this enough?  We carry Christ brightly and tightly in our heart but do we introduce him to others?  We need not stand on a street corner and shout his name, we only need to express His love by sharing our love.  Think about this as you open your presents this Christmas morning and resolve to share the greatest gift of all, Jesus the Lord, through your actions throughout the year.   

2nd Week of Advent / Getting Ready

Today, Sunday, December 9, 2012 is the 2nd Sunday of Advent which is the period that the Church asks us to prepare for the upcoming Christmas Feast Day.  We human beings are always getting ready for something.  For example we are getting ready for work, for school, for the big meeting, for the big test and so on.  The Church asks us to ready ourselves to greet Jesus when He comes.  Some of us prepare for the Christmas feast by shopping, sometimes to excess as we find out in January.  We prepare by decorating our homes with light up Santa Claus figures, reindeer figures, blinking lights and so forth. All of this is good and proper and fun, and we should do these things, except we might want to watch what we spend for gifts.  We should do more too.

The season of Advent should impel us to ready our hearts to receive the King of Glory.  Along with all of the other decorating, we should take time to decorate our souls.  We should spend a little bit of time each day in prayer, we should spend a few minutes reading the Bible, we should think about our lives and how we can improve them.  Then we should decorate our souls with ornaments of charity, garlands of prayer, and the bright lights of contemplation.  If we do this Christmas will arrive and we will feel the joy the shepherds felt that glorious night when God came to Earth to experience the very life he gave us.

Saturday was the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception, who is the Patron Saint of America.  It celebrates the special favor that was granted to Mary by God.  God, who is not limited by time or space, applied the grace of the Cross of Jesus to Mary and preserved her from the very moment of her conception from original sin.  God rescued us when we fell into the pit of original sin because of the disobedience of Adam and drew us out.  For Mary, she saved her by not allowing her to fall into the pit in the first place.  This was His will and His pleasure and a special gift to the young girl who would become the Mother of God.

May God be with you this week and may he be seen through the kindness you grant to those around you.