The End

No, not the end of my postings, you're not that lucky, its the end of the liturgical season of lent.  We are currently right smack in the middle of Holy Week, the "week that changed the world."  Each of the daily gospel passages in church have to do with a someone's personal interaction with Christ. The people that have encounters are Cleopas, Martha, Judas, "a certain man," John, Simon of Cyrene, Mary, and Simon Peter.  The readings really help us to meditate on how we interact with Jesus and how we treat others, which should be like we treat Jesus.

If you notice to the right of the blog there is a link to daily readings and reflections (I hope you are diggn' the new layout).

Today, Wednesday, is sometimes called Spy Wednesday, not a day to spy on neighbors, thats Tuesdays. Spy Wednesday has this name due to Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, spied for the perfect time to turn on Jesus. In the Orthadox tradition they fast not only on Fridays but also on Wednesdays throughout the year for this reason.

Tomorrow begins the holiest 3 days of the year called the Sacred Triduum. There are alot of beautiful liturgical happenings during different masses such as the priest washing the feet of parishioners, a procession of the Eucharist, veneration of the cross, blessing of fire, and new members are received into the Christian faith.

Just as with any end a new beginning follows.  Lent is 40 days long but Easter is celebrated for 50 days.  The rejoicing always takes precedent over the suffering.  Life naturally ebbs and flows as we have all experienced with life's many ups and downs.  Lent is a very good time to take a look at the downs, the valleys, or the ebbs of life and turn them into new creations or new life.  All things are an act of love from God whether we can understand it or not.  How often do we look back and see blessings in past troubles or how well something turned out amidst turmoil.  The hard part is when we look ahead and see clouds or more valleys.  Faith is walking in the direction knowing its going to be challenging but also knowing that on the other side is rejoicing and joy.

“Search for the seed of good in every adversity. Master that principle and you will own a precious shield that will guard you well through all the darkest valleys you must traverse. Stars may be seen from the bottom of a deep well, when they cannot be discerned from the mountaintop. So will you learn things in adversity that you would never have discovered without trouble. There is always a seed of good. Find it and prosper.”

Phinding Phriends

The world would be a lonely place without friends.  But what really is a friend.  Looking back on my time here on terra firma I can say that I have had many acquaintances or people whom I know and who know me. But friendship, thats something deeper. If we take a look at what friendship really is, we begin to see something else.

Ive got about 250 "friends" on facebook which I would say is about average. I wonder how many of those people really care about me, its probably less than 5%, and thats ok.  Building friendship takes a lot of work and time, and to share that with 250 people would be more than a full time job.  They say (not sure who "they" are but "they" are always saying stuff) that someone with 2 real friends is better off than most,  I would consider myself better off than most.

Ive had so many people in my life come and go, stay and leave, spend some time and then depart.  We all serve some purpose in this world and people come in and out at different times of our lives but there have been some that have stayed a long time.  We've gone different routes and sometimes have dramatic differences but we are still friends, good friends.

So what really is this friendship, what makes it special?  Some would define it as companionship, but I would argue that friendship and companionship are two completely different things.  A true friend makes Christ present, whether they are a professed Christian or not.  They make sacrifices to be with you, they make sacrifices for your benefit.  They share kind words, they share their earnings, they share food, they share smiles, they share their time amongst many other things.  Friendship is sharing all that you have and receiving it from someone else in return.  Friendship, to me, sounds a lot like love.  But I think there are some differences.  Love goes beyond friendship.  When the reciprocal nature of friendship is lost, a person has a choice to let love take over or let the friendship die.  Love does not care about the outcome, it gives all for the benefit of another, it is a Christian example in the purest sense.

A friend of mine explained how its so easy to pick up where you left off with a friend whom you haven't seen in a while.  He said your real friends stay on your mind and you often think about them, your friendship lives on in your mind. After not seeing a true friend in some time, you can pick up where you left off because of the place they hold in your heart and mind.  This is a good way to know who really cares about you, if the conversation flows and everything comes natural, there is a good chance that that relationship is a keeper.

St. Francis DeSales describes true friendship thusly: "Friendship varies according to these communications, and they vary according to that which people have to communicate. If men share false and vain things, their friendship will be false and vain; if that which is good and true, their friendship will be good and true, and the better that which is the staple of the bond, so much the better will the friendship be. That honey is best which is culled from the choicest flowers, and so friendship built upon the highest and purest intercommunion is the best. And just as a certain kind of honey brought from Pontus is poisonous, being made from aconite, so that those who eat it lose their senses, so the friendship which is based on unreal or evil grounds will itself be hollow and worthless."




Im very grateful for all of my friends, where ever they are.  Thanks for making my life what it is.

Success at last (quotes galore)

suc·cess

   [suhk-ses] 

1. The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted: attributed their success in business to hard work.

2.

a. The gaining of fame or prosperity: an artist spoiled by success.

b. The extent of such gain.

3. One that is successful: The plan was a success.

4. Obsolete A result or an outcome.

That is how the dictionary defines success, how do you?


This is one of my all-time favorite quotes: "To be successful in life you need to let others take the credit." - Ronald Reagan


And some others:


"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good." - Ann Landers


"Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value." - Albert Einstien


"My mother said to me, "If you become a soldier, you'll be a general; if you become a monk, you'll end up as the Pope." Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso." - Pablo Picasso

"Shaquille O'neal is rich, but the dude who signs his check..... he's wealthy!" - Chris Rock

Success means different things to different people.  I think for most it has something to do with possessions, money, or holding some sort of vaunted position.  But if you dont hold any of the aforementioned, are you considered to be unsuccessful or even a failure? 

Is success something we just give worth to and then enter the pursuit of attaining it.  Its quite a relativistic view but then again most things are in todays world, or so it would seem.  I submit to you that success is universal, it is the same for all. "A successful life is one lived in love and begun again in Love." - Mark (me) 'bout 10:04  "What profit is it for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life." - Mark(not me) 8:36 NAB

St. Theresa of Avila, the great carmelite nun says it best in my opinion:

“Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All thing pass; God never changes. Patience attains All that it strives for. He who has God Finds he lacks nothing:God alone suffices.”

“It is love alone that gives worth to all things”

March Madness

This March has been full of madness, and no Im not talking about Northern Iowa beating Kansas in the NCAA tournament. The weather we've had in the northeast has been incredible this past week, its been sunny and nearly 70 degrees for the last 7 days.  Today, more madness ensued in our nations capital when certain representatives buckled and voted to pass universal health care with no "real" amendments made to protect the unborn.  People are usually passionate about politics and its never a pretty discussion, so I will stay away from it, save for the next sentence.  I believe everyone should be afforded healthcare, I think most Christians share this view as it comes from the beatitudes. However, I dont want my money going to pay for the killing of innocent children. Okay, Im done.

So the big matchup, Value vs. Virtue.  This is a big competition and it seems to me that value is winning.  In todays world everyone wants the easy way out and that "everyone" includes me too.

If we are hungry we want to be satiated instantly, instant food, fast food, like McDonald's, which tastes o so good but is o so bad.  We can save some calories but get the taste, go with the XL diet coke.  Gettn a little round in the waste, lets take a pill, who needs the exercise?  Medication is necessary but Ive read a number of articles that talk about the over-medication of the US (here is a link). Could universal health care solve this, that remains to be seen.  And here, people illegal drug use is on the decline, HA!.

What did folks do back in the day do to get by?

The drug problem is a very interesting one.  Why is America so in love with both illegal and prescription drugs?  We are one of the most free, wealthiest, and beautiful countries in the world, why do we need so many drugs?  Latin America is thriving on the manufacturing of illegal drugs because the US cant consume them fast enough.

I believe that this comes down to perception, which has been a theme in a number of my posts.  We perceive something  to be true, when in fact, its a good looking lie.  We are so quick to buy into it.  The smiles we see on tv of the men and women sleeping around, making the big bucks, driving nice cars, wearing flashy clothes.  We think its real, we go after it, we wont stop until we get it.  When we dont get it, where do we turn, well I guess thats how we define ourselves.

Its amazing to me to hear all of the bashing Tiger Woods is taking.  I think it helps you understand who people are when they let you know how they feel about others.  Tiger Woods is a human being and what he did was awful but lets help him move on.  I scratch my head when people say bad things or wish bad things upon him.  Why would someone do that?  I take it as that person is jealous of the money and women that he had and cant believe that he would throw it all away.  Well maybe women, money, and golf isnt what life is all about, now thats a novel idea. Maybe we should feel sorry for him rather then saying "good for him" or wishing the same for someone like Bernie Madoff.  People were so bitter about he did, stealing is never ok but lets look at what really matters.  Is it that we are just jealous of what they have (had)?  Should we not feel bad for these men and pray for them that they find what really matters, finding God.

St. Augustine, great saint, and holy man summed it up when he said "Nos fecisti ad te et inquietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat in te."  Which means "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you."

Just another day for drinkin

Happy St. Patrick's day everyone, oh and if its Thursday, happy St. Alexander's day, oh and if its Friday, happy and blessed solemnity of  St. Joseph's (Earthly father of JESUS) day.

In the Catholic tradition saints are remembered almost every day on the calendar. It reminds of those who have gone before us. Which date corresponds to which saint is based most often on when the person had died.  A day on which there is no celebration or remembrance of a saint is called a ferial day.  A day on which we celebrate a particular saint is called a feast day.  In some religious communities and circles they actually take this serious and actually have a feast or a "party."  But I would venture a guess that its not anything like what we see at the local watering hole on March 17th.  Now dont get me wrong, I love my saints, but puking in some shrubs doesnt sound like a good way to honor a holy and righteous evangelist like the great bishop St. Patrick.  A nice feast may include going to holy mass or enjoying a nice dessert and yes, drinks are suitable for celebration, but in moderation.  To keep the record straight, we arent worshiping these folks, just honoring them for how they lived their lives because of Christ.

Click here if youd like more info on the real St. Patrick.

The third type of day is the solemnity, not solemn like boring or quiet, but most joyous and exalted, no expense is to be spared, even the celebration of mass is different.  Each Sunday is considered a solemnity because we celebrate, commemorate and worship Christ.  There are a few other solemnities scattered through out the year and lo and behold there is one this Friday.  It is the solemnity where we celebrate the life of St. Joseph, most chaste spouse of the blessed virgin Mary and the protector of the Church, the protector of Jesus.  St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland and thats awesome (que the Notre Dame fight song), but St. Joseph, Earthly father of Jesus, thats big time!

This is another great example of lost tradition, St. Patrick's day has turned into a hedonistic ritual, something completely opposite of what he stood for, yet its day is counted down by so many.  What people dont realize is that there is a much more significant celebration which takes place 2 days later, and two more days after that.

Now Im not railing against the party goers but it is my hope that people start to understand why they are doing something be it religious or not.  We cant fully participate in anything if we dont know why we are there and the reason we are doing what we are doing.  There was an experiment done to illustrate similar events:

"Put five monkeys in a cage. Inside that cage, hang one banana on a string and place a ladder under it. Keep a garden hose nearby. Soon one of the monkeys will spot the banana and start to climb the ladder to get it. When he does, spray all of the other monkeys with cold water. Now, replace the banana.

After a while another one of the monkeys will probably go for the banana. Again, spray all of the other monkeys with cold water.

Monkeys are relatively smart, so pretty soon, whenever one of the monkeys attempts to climb the ladder, all the other monkeys will try to prevent him from doing it. When that happens, put away the cold water hose. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. Now hang a new banana over the ladder.

The new monkey will spot the banana and head for the ladder. To his surprise, all of the other monkeys will spontaneously attack him. After several more futile attempts, all of which will result in further beatings, the new monkey will no longer try for the banana.

Remove another of the original monkeys and again replace it with a new one. Now replace the banana. Again, the new monkey will make a grab for it. Like his predecessor he will be stunned to discover that all the other monkeys attack him. In fact, the previous newcomer will most likely take a particularly enthusiastic role in his replacement's punishment.

One at a time, gradually replace all of the original monkeys with new ones. Each of the newcomers will go for the banana. Each one will be attacked by the other four. Most of the new monkeys have absolutely no idea why they were not allowed to climb the ladder, or why they are participating in the assault on the newest monkey.

When all of the original monkeys have been replaced, none of the remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, not one of those monkeys ever approaches the ladder, why not? Because as far as they are concerned that's the way it has always been done around here."

I hope you all have a blessed feast of St Alexander tomorrow and a blessed solemnity of St Joseph on Friday.

The In-laws

There probably is a movie called The In-laws that you could get from netflix or redbox listed in the horror section  It seems that in popular culture substandard connotations are often afforded to the in-laws, and thats a shame. The word itself may strike fear into the hearts of men and women alike, in some cases, for good reason.  But others say my sister-in-law this or my father-in-law that with positive intimations.  We make many generalizations about our in-laws and attach positive or negative feelings towards them depending on the few days a year that we see them.  There is a saying: You can pick your friends but you cant pick your family.

In-law is taxonomy for the species of your genus. No, Im not cursing at you, I mean that it helps us describe who is part of our family and how they are related to us.  "In-law" sounds kind of harsh, dont you think? Repeat after me: in-law, IN-law, in-LAW, IN-LAW.  You are related to someone by law, by rule, by paper. No wonder such poor feelings can be harbored, it sounds horrible right off the bat.  Why dont we just say we are related on paper!

In the Christian faith we are all related.  We are related through that which is stronger then blood, God Himself.  While we are at it, everyone, regardless of belief is related through Him whether they know it, like it, or believe it.  In Roman Catholic tradition the community, during mass, stands to profess their faith where they proclaim their beliefs as one unit.  The word catholic means universal and it appears in the creed  when stating that "We believe in one, holy, catholic (note the small c), and apostolic church (a.k.a. the four marks). We are claiming the universality of we, Christs body. But not only in a Roman Catholic's creed is this professed, but in many other Christian denominations including the Greek Orthodox. Most would shutter at the word while never claiming to be Catholic, but only catholic (kind of like an in-law).  This simply means that we believe in one church, one body of Christ, made up of us, and under one head, which is Christ himself.

We are all called to be the body of Christ, He can only have one body, all of Christianity is part of His body, we are one, we are to be fruitful and multiply in many ways.  Jesus words "I thirst," while on the crucifix are words of passion for his people, passion for the body, passion for His Church. We are not asked to be in-laws with people, we are asked to be brother and sister.  Those words carry huge implications but are spoken to us out of the heart of God through the mouth of Christ.  God is our Father, and we have been given the privledge to call Him that.  Why must we attach names like in-law or step or ex or best to people around us.  Wouldnt it be nice to refer to one another as brother or sister in Christ rather than brother or sister-in-law. After all, Christ calls us brother, sister. Say it with me this time but say brother in Christ, sister in Christ, family in Christ.  It seems those negative feelings peel away when we approach the In-laws as In-Christs.

Have a great night bro, peace to you sis, hopefully we'll see each other at the table tomorrow!

AAAAA CHOOOOOOOO!

So whats the deal with sneezing, youd think that every single person with a pollen allergy would be a saint by now.  Ive been really keen to this the past couple of weeks,that is, people saying "God bless you" or "bless you."  For crying out loud, children cant say God in the pledge of allegiance in school but this 3 word phrase gets tossed around more than the F word. If you pay attention, youll hear it more and more too.

It is like a wildfire, as soon as someone breaks the ice with a "GBY" its like the mute can speak, everyone and their mother chimes in with the phrase.  Whether you are in a classroom or in a meeting, it seems as if people are racing to get it out quicker and louder.  And heaven help us for the habitual sneezer who shoots 'em out rapid fire about 8 times in a row.  People will trip over themselves to get 8 "GBY's" out.

Folks, Im perplexed.  Saliva and snot is shooting out of a persons mouth and nose at over 100 mph, they should be saying "GBY" to US because they are getting their goods all over us!!


The phrase actually comes from the middle ages when the bubonic plague was spreading, well.....like the plague.  People would say "GBY" to the person that sneezed because it was usually a sign of impending death.  Wouldn't it be strange if someone say "GBY" to the person who just gave you the middle finger while driving (or the person you flipped the bird to, I know there is no one who reads this blog that does that) or to the person that just called us a nasty name or even to the person who just did something nice for us.  Instead, we save the "GBY" for the Mr. or Mrs. Mucous slinger.  Lets start a revolution and try to give some meaning back to a phrase that has become trite.

Isnt it strange how things catch on and stick around and we do things when we dont even realize we are doing them.  This goes for the many great traditions and Traditions of the Catholic faith. So many people just go through the motions or criticize from the outside because they dont understand the true beauty of what's actually taking place. Im not going to name them all or even a few, there are great books that can help you understand the beautiful intricacies of the mass as well as the other wonderful pius practices that are preformed. I will, however, touch on one of my favorite overlooked traditions.  During the mass, right before the consecration (when the bread and wine actually become Jesus's body, blood, soul, and divinity) the community stands to sing "hosana,"  this is what the Jews sang as Christ rode in on the donkey before he was to be sacrificed.  Its such a beautiful mirror and re-presentation of the sacrifice of Christ and we are made present as Christ humbles Himself, not by riding into church on a mule, but by coming to us in the appearance of food, bread and wine.

Next time we have to say those the magical words, lets try to mean what we say, and say what we mean.

God Bless You!!

The divine 2 by 4

Yes, we all have been hit by one in one form or another, whether we realized it was divine or not.  Its one of those moments that leaves you scratching your head or trying to stop the bleeding, depending if God was feeling like Babe Ruth that day.

I always thought God was going to tell me what I should be doing or give me some signs, and I think we all ask for these things to happen but God is God. He will do what He wants because He knows whats best for us.  First off, we really need to take some quiet time each day to let God speak to us, to rid ourselves from the constant noise we deal with 24/7.  God is not going to verbally talk to you (He may, but if thats the case, you probably arent spending your time reading my blog), its more like a quiet pull in some way, a tug on your heart.  But, as the title proclaims, if you arent listening, which most people arent, myself included, God breaks out the big stick and gives you a whack.

The whack that we get sometimes is not what we expect or what we even want but it sure does leave a mark. Sometimes, and I would say more often then not, it comes in a way that shocks our system, produces a deep pain, a throbbing contusion.  We may not know even know what it is but we know something is up.
It seems that the home run swings come from situations that challenge our very being and strike us at the essence of who we are.  In hindsight, they are such beautiful events because we are asked to work on or be virtuous in the thing that is directly opposite to who we are.  I always expected that God would go with my flow and make it easy if I followed  Him, but from what I found, it has been the exact opposite.  You would think that doing the right thing would be easy, at times difficult, but never painful or wrought with struggle.  It is so counter intuitive, and so it is with the folly of the cross. To be a Christian is to take up ones cross and follow on the path to our own crucifixion, the crucifixion of our desires, our wants, our needs, our imperfections, our everything.  God wants our lives, in no simple terms, He wants everything.  Thats a tall order, but the reward, and more importantly the reason for carrying the cross makes taking those lumps feel like the sweetest kisses compared to the crosses our world would like us to bear.

"My yoke is easy and my burden is light" Matthew 11

"My burden is heavy and the yolk is runny" Me- Isnt that how life feels sometimes?

Im so glad that God is smarter than me.

Shorty numero deuce (yea, Im tri-lingual)

Sorry again, its been a busy week but I wanted to post a little here and there until I get some more time to post.  Hopefully in between doing brain surgery and tagging great white sharks I can write about what else goes on in my life.  For those of you who dont know me please keep thinking Im a brain surgeon and a big game hunter! In reality my life is like the rest of yours, its filled with stuff. How we approach that stuff depends on our perspective.  What life is really about is relationship.  Relationship with friends, coworkers, loved ones, pets, and God.

In this blog I set out to talk about a Catholic Christian life and the joys to be found living it.  Hopefully thus far you ve learned a bit about me and the Catholic culture.  Stay tuned for more posts. But until then I leave you with this poem.

Dreamt author unknown


Sing choirs of angels, sing the song of Mercy.

O how I wish my dream was complete,
The dream of men both stubborn and smart.
This fathomless peace to us imparted,
If only we should heed the master.
How great the mercy of the King
To grant us a fire of cleansing heat.
Why is it that the Dove Divine should swoop,
Swoop to a man so wretched as I.
How I’ve chased the Dove away,
Seeking shade under the wings of some foul.
The light here has shown all, the light of Love.

Sing choirs of angels, sing the song of Love.

His peace will soon be mine and mine His.
Here in this land of the forgotten unforgotten,
I love the pain that is endured for His love.
If I only could go back and tell all the world,
Tell of the golden light burning away
The smeared stain of the fall.
This pain wrenches me, my heart spilling with love
Only longs now for the One whom it belongs.
Soon I hope to wake from the slumber,
The slumber that cleanses, Love Divine, it knows not time.
I learn love moment by moment, time does not bind.
The horizon!
Breathtaking!
The Dove is near!

I now sing with you angels, the song of Peace.