"Its been a while"

Sorry folks, its been a while.  Ive been very busy with a number of different things but I expect to slow down soon and have some more time for this.  I hope you are still tuning in every now and again.  Readership has dropped off, probably because of no new posts, but I hope for the few out there that these posts are interesting and/or enjoyable to you.

Today is Father's Day.  It can be a great day for some and a miserable one for others, depending on your upbringing.  It is thought by some that the relationship you have with your father mimics or mirrors that relationship you have with the Heavenly Father.  Yes, we often communicate well with Jesus, but what about the Father.  Do we really have a good relationship with him, do we have a good relationship with our own father.

Piety is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  What piety actually refers to is right relationship with the Father.  Its a gift not often prayed for and overlooked.  We would do well to ask the Holy Spirit to increase this gift in us.

Why do we call God father.  There are many misconceptions and thoughts when this question is asked.  Many think that God is a man. Well that is partially true in the personhood of Jesus Christ but not of God the father. Some think God the father is some old dude with a sweet white beard, WRONG.  God the father is neither male nor female, He is pure spirit having masculine traits are ascribed to Him. Therefore, we call Him Him and not Her.

Its really unfathomable who God is, but I actually know this. It would take too long to write in this blog so....I wont.  Only kidding, I only know that God is looking out for me (us) and calling me (us) to Himself through His son and by the Holy Spirit.

On this day we should not only thank our earthly fathers but also our Heavenly One. If our earthly father has passed, or we wish he would (kidding), we need to get past that and focus on the Fatherly relationship that can mend any other relationship by the nature of its goodness.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY

You're the best.....around!

Remember that line from the best movie of all time, The Karate Kid.  You really are the best, you are the best you. Nobody can be a better you and you cant be a better somebody else.  You are who you are and thats the reality of it.

So often we get caught up in tying to be better than one another, being someone were not, thinking about a different lifestyle, and the big one, thinking everyone should think like you do.  Im not pointing the finger at you, yes you, sitting on that couch, in that chair. Im talking about the human condition, which includes all of us.  I think one of the most interesting things about people is that we see ourselves in each other.  The things that drive us nuts about other people are things we dont like about ourselves. Maybe this doesnt make sense at first, but as a good friend once said to me, "take a step back and look at yourself."  I find myself, many times over, complaining about one thing or another or being bothered by something someone is doing.  Its not 5 minutes later that I notice myself doing the same exact thing.  You get a good idea of who a person is by what bothers them, its true.

This is the great thing about being a people of communion and community.  We exist for each other, we are all part of the whole.  It is us who makes one another better, stronger, and more virtuous.  What a great gift this is to one another from the One.  The hard part is being able to love one another, not only to tolerate, but to correct one another out of love for the other and not to make them like us.  Everyone can take criticism, albeit some better than others, but its hard to dole it out lovingly.

The more crap we root out of our lives the less we will be burdened and the less we will burden others.  It is only in the communal interaction with each other and in the light of faith that these issues can be wholly destroyed and be made in to pillars of our lives.

You're the best......around. Nothing's ever gonna keep your down. You're the best!!!