Divine Mercy Sunday

The week following Easter has been designated Divine Mercy Sunday. You may have noticed the banner I use for this blog. This is the Divine Mercy portrait that Jesus asked St. Maria Faustina Kowalska to have painted. The picture is a representation of how Jesus appeared to St. Faustina. Jesus one evening in her cell (bedroom). Jesus had one hand raised to give a blessing, while his other hand was touching his garment at the breast. From beneath the white garment there shone forth two rays of light. One light was red, which represents the blood of Jesus, while the other light was a pale light which represents water. Beneath Jesus the words "Jesus I Trust in You."

We are called by Jesus to trust in his most divine mercy which has its foundation in His perfect love for us. It is good that Divine Mercy Sunday should follow Easter since it is a solid reminder that dear Jesus, through a perfect and divine mercy, saved us and gives us eternal life.

Now, it is our responsibility in the world today to pray this Divine Mercy upon our world. When possible we ought to pray the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy at 3 pm each day. I try to do this when I can, but I don't often get the chance at that moment. Still, it is good to pray this chaplet when we can. If you are not familiar with the chaplet, I would recommend EWTN's site for Divine Mercy at: http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm.

Pope John Paul the Great made the Sunday following Easter officially Divine Mercy Sunday. This was announced during the canonization of St. Faustina on April 30, 2000. From my personal experience, I can assure you that God does provide a deep blessing when you pray the Divine Mercy chaplet. Divine Mercy will touch you for sure, as well as those for whom you pray.

CHRIST IS RISEN!

I wish all of you a blessed and joyous Easter! Live with the Spirit of Christ in you and greet one another in the love Jesus the Christ.

Almost There?

The thing about a spiritual journey is that...well...it's a journey. When I was young, and we were going on a day trip to the shore, my father would load up the '57 Chevy with blankets and some of our toys while my mother would pack sandwiches, snacks and something to drink. The four children would squeeze into the backseat and we'd all settle in for about an hour drive. Of course, when you are going somewhere fun, an hour drive might as well be a trip to Mars or Jupiter! And it never failed, about ten minutes into the trip, one of us kids would yell out from the back, "Are we there yet?"


Coming back to the Catholic Church was also my spiritual re-birth. That sounds strange coming from someone who left the Church and became a Protestant pastor, but it is true. The Catholic Church has such a treasure of spiritual life, that it is mind boggling when you stop and take a look at it. Within that great spiritual treasure chest lies many ways to develop a strong loving Communion with Our Lord. Coming back to the Church was another step on that journey to that holy union with God. Sometimes I stop and wonder how far I am on this journey and from time to time I want to yell out, "Am I there yet?"


I am not there yet. I get excited with anticipation of that full communion with my Lord and Saviour, but that also causes me to get frustrated now and again. Humans are so wonderfully made, and yet, so easily frustrated. I want what I want, when I want it! That is my humanity speaking. We travel on this spiritual journey through life and we think we know where we should be at any given moment. But, I think the journey to a full communion with God is more than just sitting and waiting to arrive. I believe the journey is also when we are given the time to become familiar with God.


When we got too antsy on our trips to the shore, mom would tell us to play a game along the way. One of those games was to look out the window of our car and spot something that began with the letter "A." after someone located that we would continue down the alphabet until we spotted something that began with the letter "Z." This was more than something to occupy our time until we arrived. This was also something to let us see the beauty of the world around us. This was to remind us that the trip to the shore included many wonderful sights of beauty along the way.


When I returned to the Church I discovered that there are many ways offered by the Catholic Church to develop a fuller communion with God. There are many routes within the Faith to forge a relationship with the Almighty. I have been inquiring into a few of the associations and third orders of the Chruch in the hope of finding a group that will help me see the beauty of God's world as I travel. I have discovered a path with the Confraternity of Penitents that uses the Franciscan Rule of 1221. For me, this association of the Catholic Church has opened my eyes to beauty of the journey on my way to Our Lord, while still reminding me of the place where our hearts will find perfect communion and rest.


How is your journey going? What do you see today that begins with the letter "A?"

Never Too Late to Confess

There is such a beauty in returning to the Catholic Church. I had been away for such a long time, I was literally overwhelmed when the priest I visited offered to give me the Sacrament of Reconciliation. For so many years that term "confession" frightened me. I grew up Catholic and I went to confession fairly regularly. I remember the queesy feeling as I approached the confessional. I remember feeling my heart pounding hard against my chest as I opened the curtain to the confessional box. Oh, and how could I ever forget the swirling of all those sins in my mind as the kneeler squeeked! When I was young it was so scary to spill out all of my sins to the priest.

But when I returned to the Church after twenty-four years away it was a matter of need. I wanted to unburden myself. I wasn't sure what to expect. There wasn't a fear of telling the priest my sins; the question was where to begin? I didn't know if I could possibly recall twenty-four years worth of sin. And here is where the priest is wonderful. The priest led me through the whole process. I did remember how to begin! "Please bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been twenty-four years since my last confession." After that the priest just listed groups of sins as they related to the Ten Commandments. I simply had to think about my past and answer yes or no to each sin that Father mentioned.

When Father finished the list, he gave me my penance and then gave me what I had absolutely longed for--absolution! Oh my! It is just such a great burden that gets lifted from one's shoulders when those words of absolution are pronounced.

In February, it was just three years since I returned to the Church. I have gained such a strong appreciation of the Sacrament of Reconciliation that I try to let no more than a month pass before I return to confession. There is an amazing spiritual strength a person gains with the frequent reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

If you are just returning to the Catholic Church or perhaps just thinking about it, I would encourage you to talk with a priest about this sacrament. Ask a priest what to expect and how he handles the sacrament when a person has been away for a long time. A priest once told a penitent who had been away for a long time that the saints and angels were rejoicing at the foot of God's throne when the penitient returned. Imagine that! I hope if you are considering a return to the catholic Church you will speak with a priest and take him up on the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I would love to know that the saints and angels are having a party because you are coming back!

Recollection and the Returning Catholic

I have been reading the autobiography of st. Teresa of Avila. She speaks much good about our need to recollect. So, I had been away from the Church for a while, but I never remembered hearing about recollecting anything! Needless to say, since St. Teresa mentioned it, I had to investigate. It is such a confusing word for such a wonderful life-giving exercise.


To recollect is simply to remind yourself of the presence of God within your life and within all that you say and do. Now, I shouldn't really say 'simply,' because recollection is a lifelong process of seeking God within your life and often requires effort on your part. The benefits, however, are legion. There are two degrees of recollection. The first is an active recollect in which we place ourselves in solitude before God and place our attention before Him. This requires only the ordinary graces God gives us. The second type of recollection is a passive recollection and this requires special graces given by God which places us before Him.


As a returning Catholic, I know that I need God's help to get through my daily life. I know what it was like to be without the feeling of God's presence in my life. I am not saying God was not with me, but I was not intentionally aware of God in my life. And this makes all the difference in the world. As I practice the presence of God in my life, I pay more attention to the needs of others around me--for the sake of God. I am not perfect, but I am certainly more aware of God drawing me in certain directions. I am also aware, more than ever before, of God's love surrounding me and protecting me in every situation.


Once again, I wish that I had know all these things years ago. I am just happy now that I did finally learn about it. Perhaps God will bless my years in the desert. Now I have the gift of recollection to get to know and love God on a new level.

OUT OF DARKNESS

We live in a world of opposites. If there were no opposites, we would never be able to understand relationships. Would there be only good? Would there be only hot? Would there be only light? Our God has distinguished opposites to help us live find eternal life where we can experience the positive aspects of all that is.Can I truly appreciate a warm summer day if I did not have to experience the frigid winter? Could I ever really appreciate good health, if I had not suffered the pain of a herniated disk in my back? And could I ever completely appreciate the unconditional love and light of God had I not left His light and wandered in the depths of darkness and dispair?

Most certainly there is darkness in the world. That old addage of misery loves company applies to the darkness. Those who reside in the darkness I doubt like it, but they cannot see the way out and they do not want the loneliness of darkness...so they will try to pull anyone they can into the darkness with them.


Think of being trapped in a dark cellar with no electricity. Someone upstairs discovers that you are down they and opens the door and you can see that there is electricity and light upstairs, so you walk toward the light, hoping to escape the darkness. Unfortunately there is no light switch for the basement, so you must stumble and you fall many times as you do not have enough light to escape. You fall so often that you tire out and get frustrated. You cry out that you want to give up trying! So, the person from upstairs gets a flashlight and comes down to rescue you.


From that crude analogy, I would suggest that if the person upstairs has no flashlight or avery weak flashlight as he tries to go down and rescue you, he might easily stumble and fall himself and be in te same predicament as you. But, if the person upstairs is wise he will be prepared and come to rescue you with a strong flashlight and guid you to the safety of the lighted upstairs.


My point in all of this is that if we are to combat the darkness and not fall into the pit is to prepare ourselves if we are to bring others to the light. If we don't have a flashlight (faith and love) that is strong enough, we cannot help another who has no light (faith and love) at all. We do need the Church, because the Light of the World, Jesus Christ, gave the Church that light to pass on to all of us. We need to strenghten and prepare ourselves in and through the Church if we are to be Christ for our world.


As we conclude a week that saw a change of power in the White House, a wonderful March for Life on Washington, D.C., and still so much darkness throught the world, let us let's us be about the task of strenghtening our light through our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!

Preach It!

I have been studying the Order of Preachers (a.k.a. Dominicans) for a while. At first, I had difficulty warming up to them. One of their primary charisms is preaching. This seemed too intellectual and not spiritual enough for me. But, the more I studied them, the more I came to appreciate them and love the order. My problem was that I failed to understand the real depth of preaching! And I must confess that it was a failure I had when I left the Catholic Church and briefly became a Protestant pastor. I needed to expand my understanding of "preaching" to include both the verbal and non-verbal aspects of it.

There is a tremendous amount of deep spirituality involved in true preaching of the gospel message of Jesus Christ. It is meant to be for all Christians of every walk of life. Preaching must include how we preach with our lives. By that I mean we must express the gospel message of God's love for us through our daily living. Too often we can miss opportunities to share our faith with others by forgetting the object of our love and faith--God! How often have we maybe done the opposite and taught people that God is not real or with us?

Most people are very observant when it comes to how we react under many kinds of situations. If they know we are Christian, we are especially scrutinized. "Oh look! And that person says they are a Christian, but look how she/he acts!" When we are put into situations that are stressful or require us to be dilligent, fair, just, or compassionate, how do we respond? Do we just jump in and do what is expected, and if it gets too frustrating, do we pack it in and quit?

Do we pray about the situation and ask God to become a part of all of our actions? This requires lots of practice! Many of us do not initially think about God as we are confronted with a situation. Many of us wait until we are in REAL deep before we ask God for help. Usually, we have already become frustrated and ranted and cursed and created a scene that is anything but a gospel message. But, if we turn to God in all parts of our life and we pray to God and ask God to be in our lives, we can become a preaching moment for anyone who is having trouble with their own faith life.

Their is a very deep spirituality in this kind of preaching, and it is available to anyone who would simply include God and prayer in their lives throughout the day. For a returning Catholic like me, the Order of preachers has taught me a valuable lesson for my faith and how I live it.