The Visit of Pope Francis - What it Means

I am anticipating the end of the visit of Pope Francis to the United States because at the time I wrote this he had just completed his visit to the maximum security prison and his next event will be the procession / motorcade / parade back to the circle where he will celebrate Mass, the final event on his whirlwind tour. 

I have to say that the man impresses me greatly.  He is a genuinely good human being who emulates the teachings of Christ.  How does he compare with John Paul II?  He doesn't compare at all to JP2.  But I mean this in a good way.  He is a genuine person.  His exterior mirrors his interior.  I think that he is much more practical than John Paul II was.  I think that he is a good politician, wise in the ways to use the world's leaders to accomplish the most good.  He has the common touch.  He is the Vicar of Christ on earth but he remembers at the same time that he is a man that must be completely open to the call of Christ in his life.  He is a man that will tolerate no cover-ups, no hankie-pankie with the Church's funds and demands complete and total honesty for all those that work with him.  On the other side of the coin he is a man that will make every attempt to extend mercy to others.

It is funny how the religious lunatics out there are claiming that this pope is the Antichrist.  They interpret the events of today in light of their erroneous exegesis of the Book of Revelation.  If Francis is the Antichrist, well, he certainly not acting as one.  He is humble and preaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ and tells us how to make the Gospel work in our life.  Last night he had the audience in the palm of his hand.  It was not because of the great oratory, fare from it. As an orator he is fair but not earthshaking.  His words and the way he set them before us were the words of a humble man stating simply what he knew to be true.  

The Catholic Church has come through some hard times.  A small minority of our clergy sometimes aided by their bishops caused the scandal of child abuse to tarnish the Church. The sun is starting to set on these events and the perpetrators are all receiving justice.  The Church has placed safeguards into place and has instituted a zero tolerance policy.  Francis is being used by God to breathe new life into the Church.  He is setting an example that we are to follow.  The example he is setting is not new.  He is living his life and following Christ by carrying his cross daily. 

What Francis has called us to do is to respect life, respect the family, and to take care of the young, for they are the future and to take care of the old for they are the memory who will pass on the family traditions including the teachings of the Church. 

We are called to a life that will not be easy.  The Church is a rock in the shoe of the world, a sore that will not heal because we point out the way of God, they way we are to live.  Today that is very dangerous because those in power, the Obama's of the world have no desire to see religion regain the control it had over the nation after world war 2.  It is easier, but unfulfilling to live the life of a pagan. The happiness thus attained is of a transient nature.  To live the life of a Christian is to live a life where you expend yourself to the betterment of others.  This is the true road to happiness.  I have never engaged in a ministry that once completed where I have not felt that I received more than I gave. 

I believe in one, holy, Catholic Church with Francis the First as the Vicar of Christ. 

Why Do We Need A Pope Anyway?

His Holiness Pope Francis I

Welcome Holy Father to the United States of America.  We Catholics are glad you are here!  But some of my Protestant friends see no need for a Pope.  As a matter of fact they say that the word Pope never appears in scripture!  Heavens to Betsy say it isn't true! 

Actually I have to concede the point that the word "pope" does not appear in scripture.  But a lot of words that we associate with God, Jesus and His Church do not appear either.  For example, the word Trinity never appears in the Bible at all yet mainstream Christians believe that God a single being in three divine persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  We use the term trinity to describe the unique character of God even though we do not understand how this can be.  

When Jesus began to build his Church He was well aware that He would not be on earth to guide it over the long years so he delegated a man to be in charge, to make the hard decisions, a man of rock, a man called Peter. How do we know absolutely that Peter was the man Jesus put in charge?  Well first we have the words of Jesus.  He tells Simon: "Thou art rock and upon this rock I shall build my Church."   Further on He gives Peter, and only Peter, they keys to the kingdom of heaven. Peter was therefore the first in a long line of men who would head the Church founded by Christ.  We know he was the one that the others accepted as head because when issues were debated, the debate ended when Peter spoke.  Also he is always listed first in any listing of the apostles while Judas is always listed last. 

But why do we need a pope at all?  Well every organization has to have a leader.  The Church too needed a leader once Jesus ascended to heaven. Peter was chosen. He made the hard decisions and his descendants through the years continued to make them.  

In the 1500's an evil arose and a man named Martin Luther attempted to pull apart what God had joined together.  As a result today we have over 30,000 Protestant denominations, each with a slightly different interpretation of the Bible, each claiming to be the carrier of the truth. 

The Catholic Church is guaranteed by the Holy Spirit that the gates of hell will never prevail against her.  The Pope is there to make the hard decisions.  When it concerns faith and morals it is he like Peter who relying on the Spirit proclaims what we should believe. 

This man, for the pope is only a man, is not worshiped or considered on a level with God by Catholics.  As a matter of fact Pope John Paul II went to confession weekly.  So the Pope can sin.  The only thing he cannot do is to proclaim a heresy as being true. We are guaranteed that what the Pope proclaims from the Chair of Peter, is the truth and nothing but the truth. 

So that is why we need a pope. As always I welcome questions about the Catholic Church or Christianity in general.  Hate mail will not be responded to. 

May the light of Christ bring you home. Amen. 

Storm Clouds Gather - A Modern Christian Writes a Psalm of Lament

STORM CLOUDS GATHERING

Today is the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time and the Church presents us with readings that tell us of storm clouds gathering in the life of Christ.  The first reading form Wisdom  tells us that there are those that will be plotting against God's Holy One to the point where they will put Him to death in a shameful way.  The second reading is from James and reminds us that discord and disharmony come from our propensity to covet what we cannot have and from our unbridled passions. In the Gospel, Jesus reminds us that He will suffer and die and after three days rise again,  Here is my "Psalm" of lament to My God. 

Hear us oh Lord for our fears are many. 

We are simple human beings my Jesus,

How can we be unmoved and unconcerned as we watch 

Daily the violent deaths that are inflicted on God's children,

By Isis And the Army of Satan 
And the followers of the False Prophet?

They sow death and destruction .

The people and land cry out. 

Their malevolent eyes and hands spoil the land. 

They kill, rape, maim, and martyr Your holy ones. 

They cannibalize their own followers as well.  

These followers of Satan take joy in murder. 

Day and night they water the soil with blood of the innocent.

Young and old, men and women, girls and boys and babies at the breast fall to their swords.

We look on in horror and ask; "What can we do?" 

The answer comes on the wind, 

The answer is audible to all of your servants, 

You call us to trust in you Lord..

Lord, fill my heart with trust in You.  

For You know the day of your triumph. 

On that day all things in the cosmos, in Heaven, on the Earth and under the earth will call You Lord. 

Let me trust again Lord in the Rainbow. 

Let my heart be lightened by the Star of Bethlehem.  

Let me trust that you will move your mighty arm when the time is right and bring all things under your subjection. 

Lord, let me work for the establishment of your Kingdom on earth. Let me be a brother to my brothers and to my sisters as well 
For we have but one Father.  
Let my example be one of patience and joy 
For I will wait in prayerful hope for your victory to be manifest. 
Let me last just one minute longer than your enemies 
Lord, for in that minute your strength and love will be forever written in the sky. 

Lord, I trust in You to be my Hiding Place, my Rock and my fortress. 

I hand to my enemies my body.
With my body my Jesus, with that they can do as they will 

But my soul, my soul, my soul Oh Jesus, that I give to you! 

I am your possession, 

I am your slave, 

I accept Your will for me and thank you for your great mercy.

All praise and glory and honor be to the Name of Jesus, a name of the Son of God our Father   

Amen

The End is Near...Again - The Fourth Blood Moon

Blood Moon - The End Is Near --- Again.

Well, it's been nice knowing you.  We survived the countdown of the Inca calendar which was predicted to usher in the end of the world. Actually the Inca's were just bored with the whole thing and decided that a couple of thousand years should give them enough time to continue making their calendar when the time was right.  In the mean time they had human sacrifices to tend to and solstices to time.  So when their calendar wound down what exciting things happened? Holy Nostradamus Batman, Nothing happened, nothing at all. 

In this latest End of the World event we are told that many things are coming together and this just has to be "the big one."  We should be getting ready for it. The first coincidence that is pointed out is that all four of these blood moons occurred at the start of a Hebrew festival.  This is not so odd since the Hebrews use a lunar calendar to set the days of their religious feasts and have done so since ancient times.  

Let's cut to the chase here. Is there any among us today that does not believe that the world is in a bit of a mess?  In America we are arresting teenage boys for building a clock.  In the middle east ISIS is killing anyone that they can get their hands on and the great powers are just watching while innocent men, women, and children, Christians, Muslims, Jews and anyone else that is drawing breath are being slain by ISIS.  There are earthquakes in diverse places, floods in others, and forest fires rage almost unchecked in the western United States.  The poles are giving up and beginning to melt as we increase our carbon footprint and poison our atmosphere with greenhouse gasses.  To keep it short, the world is going to hell in a hand basket.  We have problems on top of problems and we are tired of it all.  

Now I am a Catholic and I truly believe that Jesus is going to return some day.  Will it be on the day of the fourth blood moon, September 28/29 2015?  It could be, but then again it could be one thousand blood moons from now.  With all of the problems in the world it would be most convenient if Jesus returned today and fixed everything by creating a new heaven and a new earth.  Yes, that would be convenient, but I do not think that this is what He, in His mercy has in mind.  He has put us in a garden, a garden of plenty and has charged us to tend it, read Genesis if you don't believe me. The problems we have today will need to be solved using global cooperation and we may have to sacrifice to solve the issues. 

Today we live in a world where death is the rule of law.  We butcher each other in the name of God and think we are doing holy work.  We murder babies in the womb and we are the first generation where a child is not seen as a gift from God but rather as an encumbrance to our freedom.  I pity us if Jesus came back today because he would be coming as the Just Judge and all of His enemies will be placed under His feet are you so sure you are His friend?  

Do you know the story of the return of Jesus when He separates us into sheep and goats?  The sheep he sends to heaven and the goats he sends to hell.  The sheep cooperated with God and did good, helped their fellow creatures and in doing so ministered to God Himself and thus displayed great love and were welcomed into heaven.  Not so for the others, not so.  Oh they believed alright that Jesus is Lord, they see Him as savior and sang His praises every Sunday but they did not minister to Him. They called Him "Lord, Lord" but He knew them not.     

I guess what I am saying here, first of all to myself, is to be careful as to what you pray for. Today is the day of mercy, Jesus is there waiting for you and me to turn to Him and to do His will by ministering to His people and therefore ministering to Him. He is looking for us today also to be the counter-culture warriors that the first century Christians were.  They praised with their mouth but they sacrificed with their body as well.  

Do things for others in the name of Jesus without expecting any reward and offer these sacrifices of time and treasure to the King of Mercy for when He comes again He will be the King of Justice and He will know which of us are sheep and which of us are goats. 

Please remember I will answer any question about the Catholic Church or Christianity in general, hate mail will go unanswered. 

May the Lord Jesus Christ light your way this day as you go about your business and may he bless you and enable you to be a soldier for His kingdom. 

In Silence There Is Strength - The Power of Prayer

Be still and know that I am God. 

We all have within us the power to approach the Throne of Grace with our humble requests day or night, in a crowd or alone.  In a church or in a prison.  More than that we have a need to pray.  We have an unconscious desire to be one with God.  This is why we have this urgent urge within us, we want to be close to the one whose love has always been there for us. 

Prayer from God's point of view is not necessary, He does not need to hear from us to be satisfied. It is His will that we have the opportunity to pray but he does not force us to do so. He wants to be our friend but only if we want to be His. 

I imagine that there are some people who go their whole life without once thinking of God or praying to Him. These are the saddest of all creatures for by exercising their right to turn their back on God, they chose a horrible destiny. 

For some of us foxhole prayers are the norm.  When life presses in and the storms of life close in, God gets called upon as sort of a Mister Fix It. Once the problem is solved our conversation with God stops until the next storm or urgent need crosses our path. 

Some people pray the prayers learned in their youth, prayers that come to mind and are said by rote.  These people are the first that are engaging in prayer, real prayer.  To pray by rote using words written by others is not a bad thing if it expresses the love you have for God and/or the needs of your soul. 

Still others never use memorized prayers.  They speak to God as if he is a friend.  They share all of the needs of their heart, they pray for others and for others needs, they praise God for His goodness. This group is where many devoted followers of the Lord spend their life.  It is not a bad place to be, it is just not complete. 

For prayer to be complete it has to be a conversation.  In a conversation between you and your best friend do you both speak at once?  No, one will speak, the other will listen.  And then the pattern is reversed.  In this way one friend communicates with another,

Prayer is to be communication, not just a one way "here's what I need Lord" sort of thing.  We must get in the habit of listening for God's response to our prayers.  Silencing ourselves, our minds, our bodies, this is a difficult proposition.  We are too used to being the one in charge.  After all, God needs to know what our needs are, doesn't He?  Of course He knows us better than we do ourselves so He knows our needs already and discerns needs from wants. 

I think that while prayers of petition are good, that there is another way to pray that is superior to all others.  In this type of prayer  we simply meditate on the goodness of God and then we silence our mind and soul and let the light of God penetrate to the deepest recesses of our soul. This type of prayer is called contemplation and it is difficult but not impossible to do.  The secret is very simple but complex.  After thinking of God for awhile, just stop and enjoy the radiance of God's love for you in absolute silence of mind and body.  In your mind do not even imagine what God looks like, you just listen in silence for one minute, two minutes, or longer if you can.  First attempts will be difficult because your mind is used to being involved in everything that you do and it will try to shatter the silence because it sees this type of prayer as another task it needs to help with. Reign it in and tell it to be silent.  At the beginning you may not manage as long as a minute.  If not, do not be discouraged. Ten seconds of listening can be worth more than two hours of speaking. In the case of distractions where the mind in spite of your attempt to quiet it busts in Thank God for the brief moment where you tried to listen and then try again later.  The trick is to never give up. 

God is very much in love with you.  He sent His only Son to redeem you by the Blood of the Cross.  An honest search will help you find your way home to Him in the Catholic Church.  Please remember that I will answer any question about the Catholic Church or Christianity in general.  Hate mail will go unanswered. 

May Christ find a dwelling place in your heart this day and may He light your way as you walk the narrow path towards your heavenly home.  God bless. 

How To Be Like Jesus

The Cost of iscipleship

There is one way and one way only that we can become like Jesus and that is specified in the Gospel of Luke:

Then he said to all. "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me."

If you have been a Christian for any length of time this is a familiar passage to you.  Luke 9: 23 is a challenge for each of us and is another call for the Christian to be counter-culture.  But what exactly does it mean to take up a cross daily?  It can mean many different things.  

Just being a Christian in this world of ours can be a major cross to be carried.  I think of our brothers and sisters in the East.  The soil of those far away lands have been enriched with the blood of people, Catholics and Protestants, who refused to deny Christ.  The modern martyrs show what the ultimate cost of being a Christian is. If our Lord and Master was killed, can we expect anything less? 

In the United States we do not as yet face the death sentence for being Christian but we do face ridicule for not going along with the beliefs of the majority. This is how we take up our cross and follow along with Jesus.  We must cast away selfishness and replace it with selflessness. Jesus came and even though he is a King and can command us, he chose to come to earth as a slave and to serve us. 

So to serve the Lord is to reject the wisdom of this world in favor of True Wisdom, Wisdom which comes from God.  So to become more like Christ requires us to deny our very selves and carry our cross daily with Him.   But what are these crosses? 

Mother Theresa tells us what these crosses are and that is to do small things with great love.  So I believe we are called to watch for the opportunity to offer comfort to a small child who has fallen. Or to give bread to the hungry or clothes to the naked, or visiting the sick or those in prison.   As Scripture teaches us, what we do for the least we do for Him. 

Remember, I will answer any questions you might have about the Catholic Church or Christianity in general.  Hate mail will not receive a response.   God bless you and keep you and may Christ light the path for you on this day. 

Leaving The Church - Not Me - No Way!

St. Michael the Archangel

I was born on November 3, 1952 and based on my size and the fact that I was two months premature I was baptized immediately because there was no guarantee that I would live.  Obviously I did survive and have thrived over these almost sixty-three years.  I was formally baptized on February 14, 1953 even though I had been properly, legitimately, and fully baptized at birth.  I am literally a cradle Catholic, having taken no more than a dozen breaths or so before the cleansing waters of Baptism cleansed my soul of original sin.  I was given the name Michael Joseph. I know this is all the stuff that great movies are made of (not).  But I wanted my readers to know that I have never known a day when I was not a Catholic. 

I have three siblings, two younger sisters and one younger brother. They don't have very much to do with me, why I do not know, but I am sure that their reasons are good.  My two sisters and I attended Catholic grade school.  I have to say that I never saw a nun hit a child but some of my classmates said that this went on back in the sixties.  Anyway we were brought up in the Catholic manner, we received (or in my case offered) a good education and we all learned the Baltimore Catechism (still available for free on Kindle)  and we received our first communion and confirmation. 

Of the four of us, as far as I know, I am the only one that practices the faith.  I know for a fact that the sister that was born right after me goes with her husband to "Willow Creek" a feel good, "Church of Whats's Happening Now" place very far removed from the Catholic Church.  My baby sister practices no religion and has been vocal about how she dislikes memories of her school years. 

Being the only one that has remained Catholic makes me wonder, why?  Comparing my experience in Catholic school to my sisters experience you would think I would be the one that left the faith in the dust of the past.  I did not have a good relationship with many nuns.  You see they expected me to do homework and I was not very interested in meeting their expectations. I had a learning disability and this caused frustration which caused me to dislike extending the school day by doing homework. 

I did, however, pay attention to religion class.  I remember the story of how Jesus went after the one lamb and carried it back on His shoulders.  I always got excellent grades in religion.  During my youth I did rebel and stop going to church for awhile, but there always was inside me the feeling that Jesus was near and eventually while I was still in high school I returned to the Church. 

To leave the Catholic Church is a thought that frightens me. I know that even if I were to run away from home I would still be a Catholic.  There are so many benefits to being a Catholic including the assurance that I do not have to guess at what Scripture is telling me, I can be sure of what to believe.   I also have the benefits extended to me by virtue of the sacraments especially the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist. 

This blog over the next couple of months will explore the Church and all of the things a Catholic receives that people who are languishing in the denominations, such as Willow Creek, do not 

So tune in and see what you have been missing! 

Please remember that I will answer serious questions about the Catholic faith - hate mail will be ignored.