Jim Mahoney's Blog - Sacred to Etc.

Why Do This? - and Welcome!

(You can find the necessary disclaimers in the Profile section of the blog.)

Over time, the nature of this blog will inevitably evolve. I'm fully retired now which means that my interests have evolved also. I have absolutely no desire to be a culture warrior. I do have a desire to help people grow in their faith and journey with Jesus along the paths, often laden with rocks, of their lives. If I find things that might be interesting for you to read from other sources, I'll include them.

My plan is to make a post to this blog at least once a week, but often more. 

I have pretty much written these posts, hundreds of them, and just left them alone to grow like wild weeds available for anyone to pick, pick up, or do other things to it.  That no longer works for me.  So I will now keep on the blog posts from the past several weeks. Each post was written at a particular point in time - and often is not meant to be a permanent place in history. We are at a particular point in time where there is much division, seemingly intractable, among and between groups.  Personally, I'm not a culture warrior. If you want a culture warrior, there are plenty of places to find them.

I am grateful to the surprisingly large number of people who have found my blog helpful to them, more than I ever expected. I write this for them and hope to continue doing so. The number of times that someone has taken great issue with something I wrote are few. But like most people, I remember the attacks more than the accolades. Something that I always have to work on.

Often, I am unconsciously writing to myself - and if someone happens to want to read it, that is good. When I preach, I find that I am somehow preaching first to myself - to listen to the message of Jesus and figure it out so the Good News of Jesus can be shared.

In glancing at what I have written over the years, I am bemused at how much more personal and forthcoming I have been in the blog than in most other areas of my life. Go figure. I'm an introvert!

God bless. 

 

 

The Easter Season - April 22, 2022

if you have fish that live too long or flowers that refuse to die, then just give them to me (please don't - I don't have room). I truly do not have a green thumb, so flowers do not do well as my companions. The same is true of fish that I have tried to raise properly.  They just decide that I am an unsuitable companion for them - and they end up, on their own, ending their time on this earth.

We are in the Easter season. Yet, this does not seem like a life-enhancing approaching for my little blog. Perhaps true - or maybe just reveals my inner spirit.  I did have to make a special effort during the Holy Week/Easter not to appear sad or down. But that was my inner feeling most certainly.

Why? Quite simply, the constant drumbeat of photos, videos, and reporting from Mariupol formed a memory and image that I could not shake. These images involved real people. These tragedies were happening in real time, our time. The images were bad enough. What got to me intensely was the fact that this was a situation that truly seemed hopeless. I'm well aware of the theological truth that God will watch over us and bring us safely home- not necessarily in the short run, in the middle run, but most definitely the ultimate run. This is bedrock theology that, let's face it, makes it difficult to use for comfort in the short run or middle run.

What is happening to those poor people in the Ukraine is a monstrous evil. The people who have ordered these things are guilty of monstrous evil. Those who supported them are monsters - not a difficult conclusion to make. It becomes easy to stand on a soap-box and pontificate about Putin. That is easy. What is much more difficult is to keep in focus the suffering of all these people. To pray to Jesus on the Cross and ask him and his mother to intercede now, not tomorrow. With some unconscious or necessary interruptions, this is what I have been constantly thinking about and praying  for - during the last several weeks.

To Mary, the Mother of Jesus, who unties knots, this is a really big one. Help Ukraine. Now. Please.

Something practical to do:

There are many prayers to Mary who undoes knots. They express many different kinds of spirituality. Many are good. Some, I wince a little at the wording. So I'm making this free offer to those who read my blog:

(Exclusive offer to those who read my blog) If you would like a prayer card to Our Lady who Unties Knots, simply send me a stamped self-addressed envelope : Msgr. James Mahoney, Corpus Christi Church, 234 Southern Blvd., Chatham, NJ 07928. No Charge? You buy the stamp! We'll keep this offer going through the end of May.)

 

 

April 8, 2022 - Ukraine and Palm Sunday - Hard Not to Link

   

Kiev and Their Palm Sunday

In the 1980's, I visited Russia with a close priest friend. We visited Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Kiev . This was at a time when reforms made possible by Gorbachev were being implemented. Besides seeing a country shake off many of the shackles of the fading Soviet Union, it was a time to see how  progress was beginning to be made. It was fascinating to see inside the rapidly changing Soviet Union. In the past 50 days, I have often recalled that visit. It was interesting to talk with Soviet citizens and troubling to hear that they were less positive about Gorbachev then we were in the United States. 

Now as we enter into Holy Week, I find that, like most of you, I'm consumed with prayer for the good people of the Ukraine. What person of good will cannot pray for the courage of the people in the Ukraine. In our churches, we will hold palms and recall the journey of Jesus to the Cross. Here is a photo of Palm Sunday as seen in the Passion Play at Oberammergau:

Ah, the fickleness of humanity. A few days later, the crowds morphed from shouting Hosanna to "Crucify Him." It is possible that the people shouting Hosanna were different from those shouting Crucify Him. Hard to be certain. What is certain is that people experienced the full array of human emotions - and finally many of them centered on the ultimate message that good overcomes evil. That is certainly the focus of my prayers for you during this Holy Week. 

As I see what the monster has done who is behind the atrocities in the Ukraine, I can't shake from my mind what this person has allowed to happen in the Ukraine. I link the sufferings of Jesus on the Cross with the sufferings of the good people in Ukraine. I have found it so difficult to write a meditation for Holy Week because I keep picturing what happened in Kiev. Please, Jesus, let this stop. Let goodness win. It has to win.

 

So many images all clanging together. Each of them memorable. None can be trivialized. The path that Jesus took to eternal life went through the Cross. 

Focus on the cross this week. The prayers we say are real. "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son." "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?"

The tomb is empty. Jesus is risen. I believe this with all my heart.

 

March 13, 2022 - Evil Is Real

Raphael painted this picture in 1518 to show Satan being driven from the garden. Popular symbols in people's imagination were used to depict Satan. Sometimes, perhaps often, we have our own pictures of evil. Great painters like Raphael helped to influence our imaginations on what Satan looked like. In truth, we do not know. The picture of Satan as a little person in a red suit, horns, and pitchfork, are simply the imagination of greeting card companies -and have precious little to do with the reality of evil itself. 

Here are pictures of people identified as evil over the past few centuries.

 

 

 

 

 

And in sacred memory of the good people of Ukraine whose lives have been permanently destroyed by this despot.

 

This brief list could go on and on. Fortunately, and obviously, this list is far shorter than the list of incredibly good people. I am always saddened when political leaders are drawn to evil people. Evil is insidious. Evil is corrupting. 

Just compiling these few people's photos was sad. It reminds me to pray even more for people who are drawn to evil people. They have eyes to see and see not - ears to hear and hear not. Sigh. 

March 4 - We begin the season of Lent by thinking about evil

In Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, we see powerful of good and evil as seen through the mind and imagination of Michelangelo. The devil is reaching for us - groping for us - somehow pulling us in. This is a decent way to begin the season of Lent - because we are confronted by evil and ask God to deliver us from evil. The last days of Lent is our dramatic reminder that evil will no longer win if we can indeed turn away from evil in our own lives. Easier said than done, but it must be done.

I write this post in the first days of Lent, it is so easy to think of evil and that monstrous is causing in Ukraine. It is also easy to picture over and over again the people in Ukraine who are suffering and devastated beyond belief. We opened Lent last Wednesday by receiving ashes on our foreheads - and invited to be faithful to the Gospel. At the end of Lent, we will discover again the extraordinary truth that lies at the heart of all our beliefs - life wins. Death and evil lose. Thank God.

Let's join with each other during these 40 days. (author's note: I find Lent too long - but that is my problem and no one else's!)  But I'll stick it out for the 40 days since that is what is required. Lent gives us some difficult challenges - can we change enough to be faithful to what Easter is all about? Can we go on a tough journey of looking intensely at our "inner" selves to try to show the love of God in every thing that we do? Will we realistically acknowledge how far we each have to go before we really get the message of Jesus? (May this is why I struggle during the 40 days - this is actually tough!)

 

Here's an example of a "cute" devil. Sigh. I wish people would not make the devil cute. It trivializes the reality of evil. There should be nothing attractive about evil. So - we must try to stay aware of the reality of sin and evil during Lent.  I do think that people will now start to think of evil when they think of the monster who has brought such terrible things into our world.

Pray for everyone who is suffering because of that man's evil deeds. Pray for the people of the Ukraine who have fled their homes. Pray for all those who have fought for freedom and liberty and human dignity.

Lord, help us all.

(My intention during Lent is to write more frequently than once a week.)

February 27, 2022 - What the heck does praying do? - for Ukraine and Changing Putin?

I find myself questioning over and over what good does prayer do?  It may be because our world is facing the actions of a person who is capable of such monstrous evil.  This evening, I just came cross an article in America magazine that did not provide complete answers, but gave a way to understanding the need to pray and what prayer can do. The article is by Ashley McKinless and Father Jim Martin, two gifted members of America's staff. Here is the link:

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2022/02/24/prayer-ukraine-242464

The writing and thinking in America Magazine often filled with Aha moments for me - the Aha means a few things for me: I wish I had thought of that; Gosh, this is really good! I know people who will be helped by this (besides me).

This is such helpful writing on prayer and Ukraine. I hope that you find it as helpful as I did. Having a subscription to America is wonderful to have if you want to grow in your faith and find helpful ways to link your faith to your life. Even though it is a Jesuit publication, it is easy to understand!

Our prayer for Ukraine is Peace Peace Peace.

Don't forget to pray for the leader of Ukraine: President Zelensky. What incredible courage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 25, 2022 - Changing the world by our prayers - Do this with Pope Francis

 

Some personal comments - do you feel as helpless as I do about this war? We need powerful prayers sufficient to overcome monstrous evil. God help our hurting world.

February 24, 2022 - Pray

A time of monstrous evil

 

And Jesus wept.

Focus on the reality of evil and spend these days in prayer for peace.

 

A Time of War - Seeking A Time of Peace - February 18, 2022

At times, the reality of evil in our world is so overwhelming. This is one of those times when we have no recourse other than prayer. pray for all the world leaders who will help us seek peace. God bless them. God help them. Pray especially for the souls in Ukraine. 

My favorite religious devotion, other than the Rosary, is anything to do with Mary Who Undoes Knots. This devotion was popularized by Pope Francis. I am just fascinated with it. The theology behind is seems very sound - very helpful. It is helpful and nurturing.

I am copying here the entire Novena. You do not have to pray the entire novena. You can also just pray the prayer to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots right here below - or a different type of prayer at the very end of the novena. Obviously, you can pray the entire Novena if you wish. This is not an endurance contest of praying. It is prayer that focuses us on Mary who listens to us. Speak to her. Just say the major prayer rather than the entire novena if you do not have the time. You will still get her attention.

I have given out thousands of prayer cards over the years with the painting of Mary Who Undoes Knots - and the prayer which is part of the devotion. If  you want one or several, just ask me for them when I see you at church for my assigned Mass on weekends. (what a neat way to get you to come to church!!!!!  but always good to see you.) I''m not a mail order shop - and have no staff at all anymore, so will do the best I can if you request the cards, but no promises!)

 

 

Mary, Undoer of Knots Novena

Read this devotion to Mary, Undoer of Knots over 9 days…

Day 1

Dearest Holy Mother, Most Holy Mary, you undo the knots that suffocate your children, extend your merciful hands to me. I entrust to You today this knot (insert your prayer request here) and all the negative consequences that it provokes in my life. I give you this knot that torments me and makes me unhappy and so impedes me from uniting myself to You and Your Son Jesus, my Savior.

I run to You, Mary, Undoer of Knots because I trust you and I know that you never despise a sinning child who comes to ask you for help. I believe that you can undo this knot because Jesus grants you everything. I believe that you want to undo this knot because you are my Mother. I believe that You will do this because you love me with eternal love.

Thank you, Dear Mother.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in my life.

You know very well how desperate I am, my pain and how I am bound by these knots.

Mary, Mother to whom God entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of His children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life.

No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone.

Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot:

(insert your prayer request here)

I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all, You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution and with Christ the freedom from my chains.

Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Amen.

Day 2

Mary, Beloved Mother, channel of all grace, I return to You today my heart, recognizing that I am a sinner in need of your help. Many times I lose the graces you grant me because of my sins of egoism, pride, rancor and my lack of generosity and humility. I turn to You today, Mary, Undoer of knots, for You to ask your Son Jesus to grant me a pure, divested, humble and trusting heart. I will live today practicing these virtues and offering you this as a sign of my love for You. I entrust into Your hands this knot (insert your prayer request here) which keeps me from reflecting the glory of God.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in my life.

You know very well how desperate I am, my pain and how I am bound by these knots.

Mary, Mother to whom God entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of His children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot:

(insert your prayer request here)

I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all, You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution and with Christ the freedom from my chains.

Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Amen.

Day 3

Meditating Mother, Queen of heaven, in whose hands the treasures of the King are found, turn your merciful eyes upon me today. I entrust into your holy hands this knot in my life (insert your prayer request here) and all the rancor and resentment it has caused in me. I ask Your forgiveness, God the Father, for my sin. Help me now to forgive all the persons who consciously or unconsciously provoked this knot. Give me, also, the grace to forgive me for having provoked this knot. Only in this way can You undo it. Before You, dearest Mother, and in the name of Your Son Jesus, my Savior, who has suffered so many offenses, having been granted forgiveness, I now forgive these persons…and myself, forever. Thank you, Mary, Undoer of Knots for undoing the knot of rancor in my heart and the knot which I now present to you.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in my life.

You know very well how desperate I am, my pain and how I am bound by these knots.

Mary, Mother to whom God entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of His children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot:

(insert your prayer request here)

I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all, You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution and with Christ the freedom from my chains.

Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Amen.

Day 4

Dearest Holy Mother, you are generous with all who seek you, have mercy on me. I entrust into your hands this knot which robs the peace of my heart, paralyzes my soul and keeps me from going to my Lord and serving Him with my life.

Undo this knot in my love (insert your prayer request here), O mother, and ask Jesus to heal my paralytic faith which gets down hearted with the stones on the road. Along with you, dearest Mother, may I see these stones as friends. Not murmuring against them anymore but giving endless thanks for them, may I smile trustingly in your power.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in my life.

You know very well how desperate I am, my pain and how I am bound by these knots.

Mary, Mother to whom God entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of His children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot:

(insert your prayer request here)

I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all, You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution and with Christ the freedom from my chains.

Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Amen.

Day 5

Mother, Undoer of Knots, generous and compassionate, I come to You today to once again entrust this knot (insert your prayer request here) in my life to you and to ask the divine wisdom to undo, under the light of the Holy Spirit, this snarl of problems. No one ever saw you angry; to the contrary, your words were so charged with sweetness that the Holy Spirit was manifested on your lips. Take away from me the bitterness, anger and hatred which this knot has caused me. Give me, o dearest Mother, some of the sweetness and wisdom that is all silently reflected in your heart. And just as you were present at Pentecost, ask Jesus to send me a new presence of the Holy Spirit at this moment in my life. Holy Spirit, come upon me!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in my life.

You know very well how desperate I am, my pain and how I am bound by these knots.

Mary, Mother to whom God entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of His children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot:

(insert your prayer request here)

I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all, You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution and with Christ the freedom from my chains.

Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Amen.

Day 6

Queen of Mercy, I entrust to you this knot in my life: (insert your prayer request here) and I ask you to give me a heart that is patient until you undo it. Teach me to persevere in the living word of Jesus, in the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Confession; stay with me and prepare my heart to celebrate with the angels the grace that will be granted to me. Amen! Alleluia!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in my life.

You know very well how desperate I am, my pain and how I am bound by these knots.

Mary, Mother to whom God entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of His children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot:

(insert your prayer request here)

I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all, You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution and with Christ the freedom from my chains.

Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Amen.

Day 7

Mother Most Pure, I come to You today to beg you to undo this knot in my life: (insert your prayer request here) and free me from the snares of Evil. God has granted you great power over all the demons. I renounce all of them today, every connection I have had with them and I proclaim Jesus as my one and only Lord and Savior. Mary, Undoer of Knots, crush the evil one’s head and destroy the traps he has set for me by this knot. Thank you, dearest Mother. Most Precious Blood of Jesus, free me!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in my life.

You know very well how desperate I am, my pain and how I am bound by these knots.

Mary, Mother to whom God entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of His children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot:

(insert your prayer request here)

I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all, You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution and with Christ the freedom from my chains.

Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Amen.

Day 8

Virgin Mother of God, overflowing with mercy, have mercy on your child and undo this knot: (insert your prayer request here) in my life. I need your visit to my life, like you visited Elizabeth. Bring me Jesus, bring me the Holy Spirit. Teach me to practice the virtues of courage, joyfulness, humility and faith, and, like Elizabeth, to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Make me joyfully rest on your bosom, Mary. I consecrate you as my mother, Queen and friend. I give you my heart and everything I have (my home and family, my material and spiritual goods.) I am yours forever. Put your heart in me so that I can do everything Jesus tells me.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in my life.

You know very well how desperate I am, my pain and how I am bound by these knots.

Mary, Mother to whom God entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of His children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot:

(insert your prayer request here)

I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all, You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution and with Christ the freedom from my chains.

Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Amen.

Day 9

Most Holy Mary, our Advocate, Undoer of Knots, I come today to thank you for undoing this knot in my life: (insert your prayer request here). You know very well the suffering it has caused me. Thank you for coming, Mother, with your long fingers of mercy to dry the tears in my eyes; you receive me in your arms and make it possible for me to receive once again the divine grace.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, dearest Mother, I thank you for undoing the knots in my life. Wrap me in your mantle of love, keep me under your protection, enlighten me with your peace! Amen.

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exists in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exist in my life.

You know very well how desperate I am, my pain and how I am bound by these knots.

Mary, Mother to whom God entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of His children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with Your Son and My Liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot:

(insert your prayer request here)

I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all, You are my hope.

O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution and with Christ the freedom from my chains.

Hear my plea.

Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge!

Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me.

Amen.

Prayer to Mary Undoer of Knots by Pope Francis

Holy Mary, full of God’s presence during the day of your life, you accepted with full humility the Father’s will, and the devil was never capable of tying you up with his confusion. Once with your Son you interceded for our difficulties, and full of kindness and patience, you gave us example of how to untie the knots in our life. By remaining forever Our Mother, you put in order and make more clear the ties that link us to the Lord. Holy Mother, Mother of God and our Mother, to you who intie with a motherly heart the knots of our life, we pray to you to receive in your hands (the name of the person), and to free him/her of the knots and confusion with which our enemy attacks. Through your grace, your intercession and your example deliver us from all evil, Our Lady, and untie the knots that prevent us from being united with God, so that we, free from sin and error, may find Him in all things, may have our hearts placed in Him, and may serve Him always in our brothers and sisters. Amen.

 

February 11, 2022 - Prayers in Time of War

We are at a time when people of good will are holding their  breath. Will Putin order his troops to cross into Ukraine? Will he have the self-control to order his troops to turn around? Will the threat or sanctions be sufficient to dissuade him? 

Do you care about this conflict? You do if you care about democracy, if you care about freedom. We may be on the precipice of war - a preventable war. 

Would you join with me and all people of good will to pray for peace - that hearts can be changed - and that lives can be saved. 

What a scary time. Please urge your family and friends to join in prayers for peace - for the changing of hearts. We must. 

 

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us

February 4, 2022 - Those Who Confess the Sins of Others

I was galloping through the internet looking for some ideas about a particular topic. I came across a whole section about problems caused by poor grammar. This raised my curiosity so I read the section and learned some things that I did not know. I hope that I use proper grammar. If I don't, sorry about that. One of the great benefit is that I use spell check programs often pick out grammatical errors. I hope that they pick up my mistakes. An intriguiging point in the section is that some people really get bent out of shape when they hear or read bad grammar. Some people are so intense in pointing out the grammatical mistakes of others that there is a phrase that some use called "grammar nazis." (Nope that I did not capitalize "nazis." I do not wish to give any recognition to this horrible word.  Not being certain whether even using this word will draw unwelcome attention, I will move right to my point. (I'm in a cautious mood today which always happens the week before the Super Bowl.) But I digress. I want to make two points in this post: 1. People who feel the need to point out the sins of others should review the words of Jesus about judging. 2. If you're going to point out any grammatical errors I might have made, don't. I don't care. I really don't. How is this for a mellow beginning to this post! 

On the first point, I have one acquaintance who can always be relied on to correct something that I might have just said.  This person thinks that they know everything becasue they are well connected. He/she is wrong. He/she does not know everything. In fact, I know a lot more than he/she does. But who's counting? Do I have a point here? I generally do not correct what people say unless it is something that is really dangerous, so wrong that it is scary, or some other reason. I figure life is too short to be correcting other people. Very few people express their gratitude to me when I might correct something that he/she has just said. I will admit that, under my breath, way under my breath, I am calling the person unsavory names - and doing so with emphasis, glee and determination. I'm not going to be arrogant and say that I am never wrong or mistaken. Rather, I find the efforts of this person simply annoying and often what they say is simply not correct. One might well say that I should tell the person what I think about what he/she does. That is far too much effort than I care to spend on this with the person. So, I let it go.  I do resent this person's corrections. They might recognize themselves in this post, but I know that they do no read my blog, so the coast is clear!

On my second point, I don't care about grammatical errors that are not being picked up by software spell checkers. Save your time correcting me.

Is there possibly something spiritual in these gentle rants? I think so.  I began the process for writing this particular post backwards - I was thinking about people whom I really cherish. Then, I quickly morphed into people I do not cherish. (I am Irish so I tend to highlight the dark side) Why do I do this? I don't know. But I do do this. (don't correct this grammar!)

Generally, the people that I respect and love the most - are the ones whom I have known for decades. I am most comfortable with them. I value being with them. I do feel fulfilled when I am with them.  These are cherished friends - who have made the decades far nicer for me than they may ever know.

I am not comfortable with instant friends. It is just not my comfort zone. But longtime friends. What a gift. Not sure why I am focusing on this today, but it feels right to mention. If you have such friends, cherish them - and never ever correct them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 2, 2022 - The Well Went Dry - WIll be running again this Friday!

This graphic is a little over the top to explain why my writing encountered a dry spell! Two reasons:  First reason: I had somehow fouled up my password and could not get into my blog to have material saved. That happens. A very nice person in tech support saved me from this - and had the kindness to not mention that the mistake was totally mine. Given my approach to such situations, I stewed about this and was upset - and finally calmed down and realized that this in no way was the end of the world. Second reason: A genuine dry spell. Every once in a while over the years, I hit a dry spell. It ticks me off. I find it annoying. It will often last until I come up with a subject for the blog that keeps me going - the other reason can be if I'm really annoyed about something - it cuts off my creativity. My way I work through this is to go walking in malls. I find malls to be a great way to think.  You may not have noticed that it is very cold.  have  - and essentially would rather not go outside. I wanted to go to the mall, but that was also too cold. My best estimate is that the well will be working by Friday - and all of humanity will be saved! Sorry about that. Sometimes, it helps to be practical and not feel that the fate the world rests on me!So - next post will be on February 4.

But one last thing before I close this particular post - the new name for the Washington National Football Team - the Commanders.

I have always been intrigued by branding and naming.  I like the name of our local parish. It is a perfect name - and hard to have a better one - other than "Jim's Place!"

Is Commanders the best name they could come up with? Did Washington pay money for that name? Pay me money - and I'll come up with a better one in under a minute.  (Just a modest rant!)

See you Friday.

 

Being More Precise about Tasks for Retirement - January 22, 2022

Only Photo of Lincoln Giving the Gettysburg Address (find him?)

I have frittered away the time since I formally retired from everything. In that period, I really spent a lot of time just recovering from decades of working hard, frankly much too hard. I came to understand that there are no prizes giving for working like a dog constantly. Balance is needed - even if it seems such a pain in the neck. I've now starting thinking about what I shall concretely do during retirement. One part of retirement that I have already put into place comes from the practice of Transcendental Meditation - for reasons of health and focus. I really enjoy meditating, especially in this scientifically proven method.

There are many methods of meditation. I came upon Transcendental Meditation because it was an effortless approach. I have found that it has already given me insights, learning, and an awareness of how to relax and lose tension. I have now practiced this for twenty minutes, two times every single day.

I am studying the Scriptures more every week and will continue to do so. But I want to plunge into an area of learning where I only know surface things, and not really anything in depth. I'm starting with Lincoln because he is so fascinating, brilliants, and one of our top three Presidents according to most surveys. We have all been exposed to terrible presidents, now I want to learn more about the other kind, the great ones.

I'm fascinated by historians such as Doris Kearns Goodwin who would spend years getting to know Lincoln. I will begin with some of her writings and just continue from there. You'll know if I continue to work by quotes and insights from Lincoln in homilies and talks. I find that there are so many things I want to do, to learn, and just think about - that I worry there will not be enough time to do all that I want to do. I do know that I'll approach different areas of thought in different ways. My initial aim is not to write, but rather to grow - to fill in the blanks where I just do not know enough about certain important areas of life. One important thing is that I want to use this process to have fun - and why not.

I want to grow as a person now that I am truly in retirement mode. I cringe when I hear this phrase applied to people: dead at thirty, buried at eighty. I don't want that to be me.

Since the Cubs won the World Series, I am not searching for things of more consequence to do. One thing I realize - is that I love ideas, books, thinking about thinking. This may be why I am not trying consciouslyto focus and winow down my approach. I also need to make certain that I am not taking this project too seriously - because that might mean that I am not having fun. I want to enjoy my retirement - and the people who are most deeply part of my life.

Jim, stay focused: You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. – Dr Seuss

 

 

Being Nasty - Do they have a vaccine for this? - January 14, 2022

Lately, I have been running into a higher than usual number of nasty people. I have also been hearing from people in various walks of life about the nasty people they have been encountering lately. One of the kindest people I know is a merchant in local retail establishment. I was in the store when this person walked in. It was easy to tell that this was not going to be pleasant. Well, the nasty person stated right off blaming the merchant for some thing that he did not cause. Went on and an - and finally left in a huff.  I felt bad for my friend because I saw how upset he was.

I then shared with him a spiritual insight, "God will get him!"  He asked, "are you sure?" I said, "positive." He laughed. Then he shared that he was coming across a growing number of nasty people. He asked if I had seen this in my life. I sadly told him that, over the past five years or so, I had seen the percentage of people being nasty to each climb climb and climb.I observed that when people see "public" people just trash each other, with no accountability, things get worse. In families, when people see each other trash each other, it can have deep roots and cause emotional problems in later life. It gets complicated. I share with him the observation that a psychologist friend had shared with me, "all over-reaction is historical." There is a cause for being mistreating each other. It does not come out of nowhere.

I shared this insight with a person I work with who was known for erupting at people. He said, "I disagree with that psychologist. He does not know what he is talking about. (I have news for him/ He does know what he is talking about - and you are Exhibit )  My respect for this individual plummeted over the years. Are there no consequences for trashing other people? It is so sad - and causes preventable harm. These people need help.

At times, I deal with nasty people. Thankfully, not a large number. but enough to bother me. I come across large numbers of people in a variety of settings. I specifically pray for a lot of these people because I fear that they are causing harm. I ask God to help them because I do not have the opportunity or the clinical skills at times to make a wise intervention. It does bother me.

Actions have consequences. Screaming at family members, colleagues, even strangers has consequences. We do bear responsibility for how we treat other people. It is that simple.

I'll come back to this topic from time to time. There are so many things to be shared about this. I raise this topic today because I just want to plant a seed - shouting and screaming can have deep roots in another person's psyche. If you think that this is not true, then you may not be thinking. If you're worried about your screaming at people in your home or in other places. it might be time to think about getting some help. We can all use help. We can all be in denial. Is this you? If so, think about it. Is this the way that God wanted your family life to be? Your work live to be? It does not have to be this way. Please don't think that you are not hurting anyone!

 

 

From Snow Days to Gratitude - January 7. 2022

Remember times like these?

Last night, I looked out the window and saw the snow coming down. I immediately recalled the magnificent great work avoidance project known as "snow days." It was a simpler world then for most people. I loved snow days.  Whenever there was a judgment call aout having a snow day, I always opted for the snow days. I remembered having a big smile on my face when I was at my office in Clifton. The location of that office meant that I could go skiing frequently up at Great Gorge, as it was then called. Great Gorge was all lit. In under an hour, I could leave my office in Clifton and actually be on the ski lifts heading up the mountain. It was a freeing time, a fun time.

The nice thing about skiing is that you were forced to concentrate totally on the skiing or else you would crash into something. I remember having my worst ski accident. Ripped two ligaments apart in my knee, the MCL and PCL, I believe. Required more therapy than I ever wanted. Avoided having surgery. Grew to grimace at rehab, but the rehab folks were first rate. Just reminders that we were not meant to fly, sigh. My present state of conditioning is adequate. I have given up hopes of a professional career in ice skating or skiing. Just getting around without canes or crutches is fine with me for as long as possible.

Part of this is a function of zip code, but my various wears and tears over the years were helped by some wonderful doctors. I always feel blessed to live in an area where there is access to such wonderful doctors - who are often great human beings as well. 

The snow day today caused me to do a lot of reflecting on things that happened to me during winters over the years. The different parts of the world where I skiied, the extraordinary scenery, and just the feeling of peace which ski areas always brought to me. Gratitude is really on my mind today.

I had a little scare this week. I have been thinking about the news reports on how quickly the latest variants are spreading among the population. Since I do have the medical condition of Worried Well, I wondered if I had escaped being affected by this latest plague. I was also thinking about how to be as certain as possible that I would not give COVID to anyone. I dug out the 2 home testing kits for COVID that I had obtained six weeks ago (when they were still easily available on-line.  Read the instructions. Did the test. I looked at the results and uttered an unsavory word. Positive for COVID. Used the second kit and obtained the same results. Used same unsavory word. Spoke with my doctor and asked him what to do. He told me what over-the-counter medications I should take. He also suggested self-quarantining for five days which I began immediately. When I hung up, no more unsavory words, but time to pray.

 

Re-scheduled a few things that I had to do this week. My focus at various times this week was gratitude. I was asymptomatic. No symptoms. No discomfort. No pain. Just my customary worrying. Knowing about the millions of people who have had COVID and suffered or are still suffering, I just prayed with gratitude many times this week. How blessed I am.

When my quarantine ends in a couple of hours, I'm going to go skiing, rappeling, and will climb up the buildings of my apartment complex. Perhaps not. But whatever I do, it will be done with gratitude.

 

 

  

New Year's Resolution - Yes or No? - December 31, 2021 - (actually January 2, 2022)

Every year, I make New Year’s Resolutions. By the 2nd week in January, I have stopped keeping them. By the 1st of February, I have forgotten what my resolutions were. I did these things while still being easily able to sleep at night. 

If I'm going to do something spiritual for Lent, this would seem to work in place of a Lenten resolution = yes? When the rational side of my brain takes over (not a frequent occurrence!), I can usually come up with reasonably good solutions to life's problems. Not always, but more often than not. There are those times when I come up with  burst of insight, throw caution to the wind, and really figure out something difficult.  New Year's resolutions do not have the spiritual baggage of Lenten resolutions - at least they seem to be carefree. Is this possibly why I never seem to complete them? Possibly.

On this topic, as well as many parts of my life, sometimes I do overthink things. Sometimes, I can make things much harder than they need to be. Sometimes, I can just plow through things and get them done. I am usually a jumble of different ways to accomplish different thingsl

The more I think (which means the more I type) I am starting to wonder whether my approach on New Year's resolution is all wrong. I am a devotee of planning devices. I may be the best customer that Franklin Covey ever had! But sometimes, I can overdo it. In retirement, I am trying to simplify my life. I am trying to ruthlessly down side. To do this, I am slowly going through every book, every piece of paper, every article of clothing, every little thing in my little apartment that I have accumulated for more years than I care to count - and trying to figure what makes me happy, what makes me wise, what makes me less tense - and what brings me peace. 

As I ruminate (isn't that a pompous word!!!), I'm starting to feel more comfortable with drastically simplifying my approach to resolutions. I have decided that I need resolutions. I need to keep these as sign posts for my life. But I do not need to obsess over them. I can just do them - and maybe (I hate this phrase) I need to go with the flow.

I have been thinking about the approach that I used when I went on Outward Bound when I was in my early 30's. I had heard a lot about Outward Bound. I had friends who went on it and really liked it.So I did a cursory amount of reading and signed up for the Outward Bound Hurricane Island school up in Maine. It was one of the most transforming events in my life. I was woefully, ridiculously unprepared - but somehow survived it. I was hoping that a relative or friend would be in some type of difficulty and I would have to leave. And it did happen. I went on the survival course, was on a pulling boat with a group of adults of varying ages.

Why am I boring you with this information from many decades ago? Simple, I want so share why I packed a small washcloth on this three week trip. The packing instructions said to bring either a small washcloth or a bath towel. I thoughtfully reasoned that this would mean that towels and other things would be provided. Actually, no. All I had with me was one small washcloth for the 3 weeks. I had gone through the doctoral research on OUtward Bound Effective training, the benefits of the entire approach. Nothing in my research indicated that I would be on a three week trip in the wilderness with only a small washcloth. I also brought a rechargeable razor with me. The instructor said that this was the first one he had seen on their courses. I felt special.

The ocean was about 50 degrees. At night, the mosquitoes were so loud that their noise kept people up. Fierce rains for a couple of days. I did the rock climbing, the rope courses, the rappelling, and every blasted thing they did. I complained throughout every exercise - sometimes just to myself, never to an instructor or another participant. I learned my lesson quickly. I had rappelled halfway down a cliff - and now had to climb up the cliff using the rock climbing techniques they taught us. I had reached a point on the cliff where I did not feel I could climb any higher back up the cliff. I shouted up to the instructor, "I can't climb any further. Would you throw me another rope so I can get up to the top. He shouted down that he felt sorry for me, but lunch was going to be served in 45 minutes and they had no rope to give me. I silently prayed the prayer of the really ticked off. In 30 minutes, I finally mastered going up the cliff = and reached the top just in time to join the other for lunch. I chose now to speak to the instructor for the rest of the day. But sulking really accomplishes very little on Outward Bound. I kept at it. In my life, whenever I come across a problem or challenge that seems just too daunting, I go back to that 3 week course on Hurricane Island - and I realize that there is precious little that I cannot achieve if I focus. This has been a major assist to me in so many areas of my life.

If I could succeed at Outward, then I could succeed at most things in life that I had as challenges. Some things I genuinely failed it, but not for lack of trying. But those are few. They are frustrating - and I have not given up.

My focus for this post in terms of resolutions is now quite simple. I cannot believe that I would let the task of establishing a resolution for the New Year rattle me. Frustrate me a little, perhaps. But really rattle me. Nope. That is ridiculous. I now have a resolution in mind. It is admittedly easier than rappelling or swimming 100 yards off the pulling boat in 50 degree water. Piece of cake. I've been on Outward Bound. I'm an Eagle Scout as well!End of story.

To this day, I really regret not having a camera for those three weeks. They were not allowed. Sigh. So - who would believe I actually did this? I do - and sometimes, that is enough.

I was there. On my oath as an Eagle Scout!

A private question for me:  If recalling the Outward Bound experience has been so positive for me, why does it seldom occur to me to actually do this? Could it be that I'm human? Sigh.

 

Santa or Jesus? Who do you prefer?

Liturgists are people who are scholars and students of liturgy, of the Church's worship. Liturgists sometimes feel that people in parishes, particularly pastors, trample on the finer points that liturgists believe are important. This is why a popular (but probably insensitive) joke raises the question: what is the difference between a liturgist and a terrorist? You can negotiate with terrorists. It is insensitive, but it makes an often valid point. I selected the above graphic of Santa kneeling by the tree as a clear description of the issues. Those who are trying to be pastoral get frustrated when the liturgist does not appreciate everything that has to be done to bring people into Church, to bring them closer to God. At the same time, pastoral types often just push aside any valid arguments which may never address the reality. Franklyi, the above graphic does little to address the discussion.

What's the point? The liturgist would maintain that you should not mention Christmas until you get real close to the end of Advent. The liturgist just does not look churches decorating early for Christmas. There are good and valid points on both sides - and there clearly are sides. As a pastor for decades, I understood the liturgical principles, but sometimes I may not have always agreed with the use made of those principles. I want to see people drawn into Church. Some day, I will expand on these ideas in a longer article, but today is not the time. What is the time is what to do about Christmas as our world is approaching a galloping pandemic. I don't know about you, but I find this scary, more so each day.

I see this scientific fact of escalating pandemic just shattering any sense of peace of mind that people hope to have as they approach Christmas. Some researchers point out that the new variants may not be as devastating to people as former variants. I just don't know. I go through the scientific research. I listen to conflicting viewpoints of sane and brilliant people - and I still don't know.

I do know this. Many people are scared. While every day is a time to cling to God - it seems like every day is a time to cling and hold on more closely to God - and each other. If the variant is as bad as some are predicting, we need to stay close to God and each other. If it is not as bad, stayling close to God and each other is never a bad thing.

I spend a decent amount of time in prayer and meditation every single day. I'm going to increase this. I'm going to pray harder and for more people each day. We do need to get back to the core of our faith - God = Jesus - Mary - and the Church. There are some groups that are hellbent on just making political points about the Church. They should know better. They should be ashamed of themselves for doing nothing to help people. That is why we are here. I know that is why I'm here. Join me if you agree. I suspect that many do. We are here to help each other - not to push each other away from the Church and each other.

This will be an interesting time between now and Christmas. May we all hold on to the plaintive cry trying to take care of Linus:

 

 

Next Post will be up tomorrow - sorry about that! - Dec. 19, 2021

I have yet to address one Christmas card. Too many things have intruded. Another exercise in humility - getting tired of these lessons??

So behind in so many things. I guess that is good - in retirement, I have never had to sit idle. But I am frustrated that I have not begun addressing my constantly growing list of projects for my retirement. Oh, well. There are certainly worse problems in the world.

It is never too late to be good - never too late to be sorry - but someday, it maybe too late. So listen to Santa

 

 

War on Christmas - give me a break!- December 10, 2012

 

I have hesitated to get into ridiculous exchanges on the internet. I do believe that there are some people on the internet who should not be allowed to operate heavy machinery. (Ok, you can also make a valid argument that I should hnot be allowed to operate heavy machinery.) Over the past few years, the internet has been subjected to some publicity seeking nuts who have announced that there is a war against Christmas. We, the devout faithful, must mobilize against this war. Give me a break. There is no war on Christmas - worthy of its name. Some of the bloviators on the web have repeated the "NEWS" of this war over and over again. 

As someone with a vested interest in religion and a deep love of Christmas, I would simply make several thoughtful arguments:

People who say there is some type of organized war against Christmas are essentially idiots. Don't they have the intelligence to notice that there are just a smidgen of things on the internet that are ridiculous and do not deserve the time of day. Why  be taken in by idiots? Are you an idiot? No? Good for you. I hope that I'm not either.

Have I mentioned that people who write such things are idiots? If not, let me repeat myself. They are idiots.  Sensitive point, it is possible that I am insulting idiots. Sorry,  but I cannot think of a better word. Idiots. I have this fleeting thought that I might be a little harsh in this post. Well, actually, I do have a problem with people who abuse folks who might now knot things with these lies about Christmas. They should be ashamed of themselves.

A theological point:  Jesus, Mary, and Joseph do not need our help in the fake war against Christmas. The Son of God can take care of himself. The blessed Mother can take care of herself. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus can take care of himself as well.  It is nice that some people feel the Holy Family needs some protection. Well, the sincere people are obviously very good people. Just a word of reassurance to them: Christmas is fine. Anyone who declares war on Christmas need to go stand in the corner for being an idiot. 

I'm now going to summon a warrior angel to take care of those who declare war on Christmas.  Would you mess around with this angel? I don't think so. Nor would I.

Now for some real religion instead of bombast, here is a prayer for protection to pray to Saint Michael:

 

 

 

 

We're in Advent now - do you care? We should! - December 3, 2021

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

We're almost into the 2nd week of Advent. The 2nd of the 4 candles will be lit this weekend in the Advent wreath. For most people, what they observe at this time of year is not so much Advent, but rather getting ready for Christmas. Yet, we are supposed to deal with Advent - what can be said?

Advent essentially is a time of preparation - the first part is to focus on our preparation for the Kingdom of God. The seoncd part is to focus on our preparation for Christmas. Often, there are themes assigned to each week:  Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.  Remember these things - and you will know more than most Catholics!

Stores seem to have mastered how to deal with the four weeks before Christmas. In fact, they mastered this for two months at least. Christmas decorations are up. Christmas cards and wrapping paper is for sale. People are working on their cards, candy, cookies, invitations, and every possible thing that can be done to make this season special - even if we're not being liturgical.

In the parish, I always found it so hard to focus on Advent - for the simple reason that preparing properly for Christmas is a stressful conitnuous activity. Anyone in Church ministry who is not exhasted and drained by the time Christmas is over has simply not had much to do. I've been retired the last couple of Christmas celebrations = so I was not exhausted like in past years. But did have a couple of masses each Christmas - which was very welcome. 

As of this writing, I have not written a card, have not even bought cards to write and send. I don't have a list of things that I want to give people. And so many other things that I have not done. As I look about the apartment where I live, I just grimace in a kind-hearted way. Not one sign of Christmas on the inside or the outside. It looks like an atheist lives at my address.  Sigh. Must do something, but don't yet know what.

Oops, I just looked inside an LL Bean carton - opened it. Yeah - I now have my Christmas decoration? A kind soul sent me a Yule log. Now I have to find a place to put it - which I will do later tonight. This now motivates me to go into the garage tomorrow and take down the storage container with Christmas stuff - there is some Christmas hope left yet.

Could this be the spirit of Advent - now morphing into Christmas?  Why not? I like it.

I am going to try to prepare in a simple way for Christmas - especially to prepare in gratitude for all the people who have been so good to me. I spend at least an hour a day in prayer for lots of people. I will pray harder for greast family and friends.  We live in a hurting world - that needs prayers and patience and joy. I will do my part.

Happy Advent. Merry Christmas.

 

 

 

My favorite Holiday? - November 26, 2021

 

Two days down - two days to go - and Thanksgiving weekend is finished. To this point, I had a rather wonderful two days. I'm not looking for trouble, but if the Thanksgiving week ended right now, I would be happy.  It has always been my favorite holiday. Much more than Christmas or Easter. Now before you reach for your pitchforks to burn me at the stake for such an obvious religious heresy and sign of atheistic indifference - first, get a life - and ask yourself why I might not like Christmas or Easter. It has everything to do with the practical life of a busy parish priest. Any priest worth his salt is going to be exhausted after Christmas or Easter. The crowds are large. The pace is brutal. So many things can go on. It is anything other than relaxed - and if there is always one individual (usually difference ones over the years) - who present problems and discomfort, and goodness knows what else.

My favorite holiday (in a negative way) was the Christmas celebration during one of the Christmas Eve Masses when a guy stormed out of church and came out to where I was standing in the atrium.  Then he said the following to me in a tone that was less than joyful and also less than soft, "I come once a year to Mass and I can't even get a seat." He had absolutely no idea how crazy he sounded. I said softly to him, "Merry Christmas" and walked away from him. Never saw him again. Wherever he is, I hope he is happy.

In the past several two weeks, I've had a few things happen that were profoundly happy. I'm not sharing them with you because I'm an only child and not good at sharing! But suffice to say that these things brought a huge smile to me - and the events bringing smiles continued through today. If more events occur on Saturday and Sunday, I won't object.

I'm praying with lots of gratitude today. I'm always praying that I do not forget to express my gratitude to God - which sometimes I do, to my dismay. I pray every single day for each of you - and once in a while I forget to pray for me - which is part of gratitude so I have to get better at it. But, right now, for this moment, I'm grateful. I'm happy. I'm mellow. 

I'll take it.

(personal note: One thing that causes me to lose my state of being mellow is when someone comes up to me or contacts me and just shares how upset they are at so and so in the church who has said something or done something or not said something or not done something os is not responding to an issue the way that they feel it should be done. If someone unloads on me about some other person in the Church, I no longer will feel responsible to answer them.  As of this moment in time, I hereby decide that I am no longer answering or even commenting on such topics. The Church is composed of 1,200,000,000 members. None of us can be responsible for what 1.2 billion people in the church are capable of doing. This might be self-evident, but my inadequate approach to such things has given me far more stress than you might imagine. So - I ain't going to play the person's game. I am responsible for myself. If you have a problem with someone else, then go seek out that person in the group of 1,200,000,000 who comprise the Church. I am just not going to let people get me down who brings up things about other people - that I have nothing to do with. I cannot tell you the number of people who come up to me and just unload about others and question me - i.e., how can the Church allow this, how can this happen, and so many other things. And then they walk away - and just leave me with this new fresh delivery of stress in my life.  

Now this might seem petulant, but I prefer to call it healthy. The more than I type these words, the better I feel. I am retired. I have now ended allowing other people the ability to make me tense. I wish I had thought of this decades ago. I never felt that I had the right to make other people feel tense. It does not have to be that way. This is not a perfect solution to a problem that is other quite complicated. But it is a practical way get my life on a smoother path. I feel good about it. My doctors tell me that I have to address stress in my life. Well, here is one way that I'm trying to be healthy. I had unrelenting stress for 48 years. Enough!)

 

  

Too tired - Time to Reflect on Something Nurturing - November 19, 2012

During this past week, in addition to some meetings at the parish, I watched a decent (indecent?) amount of television. I was riveted by the coverage of the two ongoing trials. Frankly, I had some conflicting emotions. But this is our system of justice. I was really gripped by the subjects that came up during the trials. Race, violence, vigilante justice, self-defense, and so many other things. It was exhausting to end the day still watching the coverage of the trials.

While watching the trials, I was trying to come up with a focus for this week's post. I finally came up with something that I have been thinking about - and will be the first to admit it is not the most spiritual choice or even the most interesting choice i could come up with. I'm not going to act on this quest, but first I had to go through a short process to figure out what would be best for me. I'm only sharing this with you because I have now definitively unequivocally unalterably have come to a conclusion which would be the answer to this question: Should I get a pet? 

NO. no. no. I need to convince myself that this is the right answer. Now back to a regular size font!

I put my best analytical skills on this question. After an entire half hour of proper reflection and research, I came up with the realistic intelligent answer: I don't need a pet. It is that simple. If I want to see a golden retriever running around or doing tricks, this is why God made You Tube videos of golden retrievers. You do not have to take You Tube out, to the vet, you don't have to feed You Tube. There is no compelling reason why I should get a pet. I am at peace with this life-protecting decision. I truly do not need a pet. The "cons" far outweigh the "pros."

In this process, I spent a good half hour in seeking out the reasons to get a pet or not get a pet.  I checked out every breed of dog that was smaller than a golden retriever. Amazing that a Great Dane was highly recommended for a pet - but the author did note that this breed was a bit large - and they slobbered. Realizing I did not want a slobbering dog removed a number of breeds from my life. I also did not want dog that did a lot of barking - that is not considerate of my neighbors. I also did not want a dog that shed a lot of hair. So strike those breeds off.

I then moved dogs off my life and considered cats. Cats certainly did not bark. They often shed. They are delightfully annoyingly independent. I feel that a cat would not carry on a coherent conversation with me. So strike out cats.

I then considered getting a fish. Sadly, I thought of the time in my life when I was convinced that I want to have a few fish.I had ten fish. Gradually, over the course of a few weeks, each fish chose to go home to God - I found them, one by one, floating on the top of the water. Strike out that breed. I have too many problems with abandonment.

Time to look at birds. My conclusions about birds is that they are noisy filthy feathered creatures, especially parrots. Strike out birds.

My choices were rapidly narrowing. I found a site on the web that mentioned some types of small pets: snakes, bugs, reptiles, ferrets, and other frightening questions.

Well, I get it my best shot. I considered the possibility - looked at my own patterns of life - and finally came up with a decision that gave me some peace. NO PETS.

If I come across someone walking a golden retriever, and, if given permission, I will happily pet the golden. I will always remember my two goldens, Marsi and Deedee. They brought me so much happiness. They were truly angels with four paws.

Are You Arrogant? I hope not! I hope I'm not! - Revised edition of November 12, 2021 post - November 13, 2021

(note from Jim: I have been a little unsettled over the draft of the post I wrote in yesterday's blog. Nothing that I wrote was untrue. Nothing was something where I did not say what I thought. Yet I was still unsettled as of late this afternoon. So I practiced my meditation again, considered each word that I wrote, changed some phrases, added some nuances, and, in several cases, made what I had written even stronger. It is a great feature to use the delete button and make ample use of editorial rewrites.)

Over the years, I have sprinkled in some thoughts about arrogance into this blog. While it may not make the history books, I do consider arrogance to be one of the causes of bad things happening in the religious world, the political world, and every other kind of world that there is. When there have been bad problems in the Church, you can hear me muttering (if you can read my mind) - the word Arrogant - over and over. I might under my breath simply also mutter an arrogant unsavory word about a subject of my ire. The church of my ancestor's origins was a Church often following the clerical practice of arrogance. The Church in the US  seems at times to make many of the same mistakes made in the Irish church, but hopefully we are getting better.

This also happens in priests from other countries than Ireland and the US. Lately, I have heard more cases about younger priests lacking the smallest smidgen of pastoral sensitivity. They are right - and the people must listen to them. Where is the care of souls? Where is the concern that Jesus showed to the wayward sheep who had wandered. I see the seeds of this in priests who may come from countries in addition to Ireland and the United States. These younger priests generally believe that the people in the parish are there to listen to them, to serve them - and have no possible understanding that their arrogance drives people away. It is an ugly thing. 

I believe that, as priests, we are given a special responsibility to take care of our people - to treat them with care - and to look at them like Jesus looked at sinners - with compassion, with forgiveness, and with love. If a priest does not seem to care about such attitudes, he is doing harm and not doing good - what, may I ask, is he doing in the priesthood?

When some priests, (hopefully not a large number) arrive in a parish, they like to change things. Some are eager to change their parish and make it reflect the customs of their parish of origin.  I am really aghast at their ignorance of a very simple piece of data: The only new person in the parish may very well be the new priest. Everyone else is the same. Arrogance seems to be a fallback posithat many of these priests have. The new priest has not been part of the development of traditions, relationships, and memories. A priest who arrives in a parish, regardless or age or country of origin, and starts to change things is simply not a pastoral associate, but a pastoral menace. I heard of a parish where several staff members had this mantra: we keep nothing old - everything must be new. Slowly, the parish began to crumble. No surprise. What came across to the people was not excitement that things were "happening" - no, what people saw was arrogance. Great effective ministry is a continuous stream of new things, old things - and gradually the parish begins to grow. A parish is the composite of relationships - past and present. When you ignore the customs and traditions, you are ignoring the very heart of the parish. The ancient principle, Make haste slowly, was in these priests' training, but they forgot.

 

 

I could go on and on because I can just see the mental soapbox being wheeled out for me to stand on - a bad sign. But it is an even worse sign to ignore the past and the traditions and just make everything different. When new priests arrive, whether as pastors or parochial vicars, they are told not to change anything for the first year - except for reasons of law or safety. The ones that follow this caution care about their people. The ones who do not follow this caution care about themselves. Strong words? Harsh words? Parish ministry is both art and science. Parishes flourish when their parish priests care enough about their people to make haste slowly, to respect the past, and bring people gingerly into the future. It is not that hard to do.

Remember this - violating this caution of taking time to change things and to assess things together with your people - comes across to the people simply as arrogance. Not a good thing.

I could go on and on - but I do not want to have my blood pressure monitor explode if I continue on this subject. Remember the tortoise and the hare. We have far too many priests who think that there are the hares, when in reality, they will end up losing the race. 

This is the principle to follow: slow is fast - fast is slow. It really works. Here is a Jim principle: if you think you know everything, you are wildly mistaken. Listen to your people. They have to listen to us - so we must return the favor!

To make this topic even more pertinent, - these "throw caution to the winds" approaches also happen in politics and many other areas of life. The Church is not the only sinner in this regard.

God love them all.

There are compelling reasons why Navy Seals follow these principles. They work.

Interesting - I removed far less from my first draft than I would have imagined. So, that is good, I guess.

In no way am I against using traditions from various ethnic groups. This can be a welcome variety into parish life. I was pleasantly surprised at my former parish how much people enjoyed some of the traditions from other groups, i.e., Oplakti wafers - and I know that they would have welcomed parish events which highlighted food from many different groups.  I'm open to every type of cultural addition - but please do not ask me to eat a Codfish taco. 

We're all in this together. We have so much to learn form each other. Arrogance helps no one's learning. 

If you observe a priest who is arrogant, just try to forgive him, even try to help him. As we all know, the problem is when the priest will not listen to anyone. 

I'll touch on this topic a few more times over this year. Our people deserve sensitive pastoral care. Can a priest read the words of Jesus about the lost sheep - and not think that this applies to his parish as well?

This is all I have to propose tonight. Going to sleep early. Sigh. 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

 

 

 

 

Even I need a break from political news! - November 5, 2021

On the one hand, I enjoyed the chance this past week to watch many of the election returns during these past few days. But on the other hand, I come to Friday of this week just exhausted. It took a couple of days to figure out what had happened politically this week. It seemed quite hard to understand that New Jersey, usually blue state, might be turning a little red. Governor Murphy was supposed to win easily according to early polls. That did not happen. He squeaked through, however there may be recounts. Who knows what will happen. I don't.

As a faithful student of politics in the Garden State, I was stunned by the fact that Senator Sweeney, the leader of the NJ State Senate, was defeated by a person who spent less than $200 to win this particular political prize. This story should have received much more attention in the press. Once again, they did not consult me. I think this is really big news. (OOPS: Just read today's New York Times - They had an article about Senator Sweeney on page one, above the fold. Interesting that such a major story was not given more prominent attention earlier than three days after the election.)

As a faithful observer of the rest of the nation, I was intrigued by the fact that, after tough election, the incoming governor and the outgoing governor of Virginia appeared together and exchanged best wishes for the future. It shows that some people still do have class in politics. We have given too much attention to those who don't. Both of these politicians showed class and maturity. You could use these as examples for good civics lessons. Thomas Jefferson had it right:

 

 

A governor, a president, heck, even a priest or a pastor, is not a king of emperor. He is a servant, a public servant.

During my prayers today, I did pray hard for political leaders and church leaders. So much is being nastily politicized. This is a disgrace. Why do we even pretend that this is right.

I was fortunate to have time today to watch the funeral of General Colin Powell. How blessed we were to have this good man involved in our government. Very few negative voices have been raised in the last week denigrating Colin Powell. How refreshing.

Lots of topics and themes are circulating, or clanging, in my mind.  Stated to focus on next week's post. I hope that it will be helpful. Already research that has been helped to me - so hope it will be helpful to you.

 

 

 

Some Personal Priorities Starting to Emerge - thank goodness - October 29, 2012

The simple command of Jesus to love your neighbor as yourself is one of the most deceptively simple thing in the Scriptures. I think that many people have been troubled by this command. It seems reasonable to love God - and to love our neighbor. But then, the third part of the phrase: love yourself - well, easier said than done. This connects to what a psychiatrist mentioned to me decades ago. "For some people, to ask them to love their neighbor as they love themselves - is an awful thing to do to their neighbor."

It seems that, somehow, in the paths of many people's lives, they were taught/told that they should not love themselves. That would be selfish. That would be self-centered. And the most destructive feeling of all, you're not really worth it. An awful lot of people have a very low self image - that is really deep-seated. This shows up in all sorts of ways - relationships, ways we treat others, and a veritable plethora of other situations (I always try to use the phrase "veritable plethora" at least once a year. I can now cross that off my to-do list!)

Continually doubting oneself, making fun of oneself, just not accepting that a person might have value - all these and many more become part of the backpack of stuff carried by those who do not have a strong sense of self. I always remember the poster in the 1960's which was meant to raise people's self-image.  It featured a kid from an economically poor neighborhood who just made one statement, "I must be good because don't make junk!")

Gradually trying to change your self-image can be a really tough challenge. It can happen to people who compensate for their low self-image by being people-pleasers - always afraid to say no. It is so hard to switch when you have had to listen for decades to those claiming that you were never good enough - or even just good. (small confession: I've always struggled with a poor self-image, never felt that I had my act together.

This became a clear problem as I have gotten more into my retirement. It was very difficult  - and still is -figuring out a balance in my retirement. What requests do I say Yes to = what do I say No to? I have seen over time that I have to have some consistent guidelines - what do I say Yes to - what do I say No to? Do I have an obligation to do things that I would have agreed to do before I was retired?  I slowly have become a little more comfortable in saying No - not because I want to - but because I have to. (It was a very ego-deflating thing in some situations where I really struggled and finally said No - then i discovered that the people to whom I said No were more than able to get on with their lives and through a particular situation. These little snippets of self-knowledge do pop out more during retirement - a good thing.

I'm being self-aware when I just do not accept commitments that involve a lot of driving, especially at night. I have noticed that few couples who are kind enough to want me to witness their vows actually have as the first question in their planning for their wedding: Will Jim be too wiped out to deal with a wedding more than a 20 minute drive from his apartment? I might be able to do some wedding if someone else drives - but I have found that I am still wiped out in terms of energy, stress, etc. regardless of whether i drove or was driving. Saying NO has become part of self-care that I never used to be concerned about. SIgh.

All of this verbal meandering is about issues that I never paid any attention to over the decades. But, if I want to last a decent number of years, I have to take care of myself. Self-care is how I respond to Jesus' command to love God, neighbor, and self. I spent a lifetime not doing one of those three things - now I must make up for lost time.

 

 

 

The Honor of Public Service - October 23, 2021

 

Why was Colin Powell so highly respected? And respected by many different groups of people?

Since he died earlier this week, I was trying to come up with some reasons for the great respect that so many people had for him. People respected him from so many walks of life. It must also be said that there were some who did not respect him at all. These were in the distinct minority.

Until the last few years, I always thought that public service was an honorable calling. I was so dismayed to see how a certain type of person looked on public service as a way to enrich themselves and not think about making the world a better place. I have found it so helpful to think about Colin Powell as a public servant - who cared enthusiastically about making the world a better place. 

Look at Colin Powell's 13 rules for living:

1. It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.

2. Get mad, then get over it.

3. Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.

4. It can be done!

5. Be careful what you choose.

6. Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.

7. You can’t make someone else’s choices.

8. Check small things.

9. Share credit.

10. Remain calm. Be kind.

11. Have a vision.

12. Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers.

13. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

There are people who have come up with such lists for themselves. Some like Stephen Covey widely publicized principles for living lives of purpose and values. I study them and study them and try to apply them to my life. Colin Powell did this his entire life. A life well lived.

It is easy to get down (or at least easy for me!) about people who don't try to seek these inspiring principles. Colin Powell was someone who constantly raised others up. He made us better. How fortunate we are to have lived in the same world as Colin Powell. He was an authentic public servant. God bless him and his family.

 

A Dream that will never be - October 15, 2021

Personal confession: I was never adventurous. You think quickly, "surely you jest." No jest. Totally serious. I might be verbally quick, but physically quick and adventurous, not so much.

I did have a never spoken desire to go off into space and, naturally, return right back to earth. While everyone in popular culture this week was thinking about Star Trek, Captain Kirk, and the rocket which rose 63 miles up and then safely came down, I was thinking about Christa McAuliffe the school teacher who was on the spaceship Challenger today.  I prayed for her and her family this week, the other six astronauts killed with her.  I thought about their courage, going up into the wild blue yonder. I became fascinated with the idea of going up into space at the time of their journey. I never focused on how dangerous it was. I was glued to the TV. I was stunned and so sad when it exploded. My hopes of being an astronaut ended. 

President Reagan spoke words of majesty and dignity on that day: "The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.' " - Ronald Reagan, January 28, 1986  How hard not to think of the Challenger this week. 

William Shatner, who I watched for years as Commander Kirk on the Starship Enterprise had a successful, if brief, trip into outer space. I'm glad that it was successful. Who knows what new fronteirs we may someday reach or milestones we might reach or conquer. I totally understand those who were dismayed at the expense of the spaceships over the last few months. Maybe it is necessary to expand our frontiers. It would definitely be nice if we could channell the same energy and imagination into curing cancer, climate change, and so many other needs, but I digress!  I was glued to the TV this week.

 

Later that day, President Reagan spoke to the nation: 

"For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we're thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, "Give me a challenge and I'll meet it with joy." They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us.

We've grown used to wonders in this century. It's hard to dazzle us. But for 25 years the United States space program has been doing just that. We've grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we've only just begun. We're still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers.

And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them."

We need our dreams. We need to support those whose imaginations and brilliance can help our fractured and fragile world. During the time of the pandemic, we need things to remind us once again that there is a world beyond our world, that they are dreams that can still be met and challenges that can be faced. For even a little while, I don't regret focusing on Captain Kirk. It was fun. It reminded me of one of my dreams that will never be. Perhaps like Mr. Spock, we can each join in the prayer and hope: Live Long and Prosper. And even more importantly, "Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace." 

How can someone look at the pictures of our planet and doubt the existence of God? These pictures just deepen my faith.

 

 

 

 

I Ain't Arrogant! (I hope!) - October 8, 2021

(Time for some introspection)

One of the problems within the Church today can be leaders who are arrogant. I don't like arrogant people.Yet, before you start pointing fingers at me while I'm pointing fingers at other people - please remember - I hope that I'm not arrogant. Now here's the problem. Arrogant people do not think that they are arrogant.  I fear that arrogance is one of those things that are easy to recognize in others, but difficult to recognize in oneself.

When I hear about a situation in a particular parish (hopefully never a parish where I am at!!), often the first thing that come to my mind is that the leaders at that parish are simply arrogant. Follow my line of thought: I do think that one of the driving factors in the awful sexual abuse of children can come from arrogance. Please catch my distinction: I'm talking here about the church leaders who really messed up in straightening out the Church from this awful problem. Those who actually did the abuse were not just arrogant - they were troubled and sick people in so many ways.

Here is another example: what took place in Ireland and sexual abuse: can anyone really deny that the Church in Ireland years ago was simply arrogant. Can anyone listen to some Church leaders who are driving people away and not conclude that arrogance is part of their problem? Arrogance pops up a lot, maybe not all the time, but enough that it is one of these identifiable and, therefore, addressable problems.  

Why was Pope Francis so well received when he was elected pope? He was not arrogant. He was humble. 

Where do I fit into this topic? Good question. Until my life came to a screeching halt and I was totally retired (not completely there yet) - but I must confess that I worry about arrogance. I know that I'm verbally facile, quick on my feet. If I have offended someone, I do try to make amends. Looking back over the years, I think that this is an area where I try to do things right. In terms of arrogance, I try not to be, but seriously doubt that I am always successful, although I hope so.

I have often found it distressingly easy to pick out arrogant people. They stick out like a sore thumb - which is a shame because often they have no idea they are so obvious.

My preference would be to have none of the above qualities, but I probably do. My real preference is to live what St. Paul suggests. I've heard worse examples:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being Polite to the Pope - Is this too much to ask? - October 1, 2021

Father Thomas Reese is a thoughtful Jesuit. (Is there any other kind?) He has been editor of America magazine, columnist for the National Catholic Reporter, and a reporter for the Religious News Service. He has recently written an article for the National Catholic Reporter entitled "Five Rules for Disagreeing with the pope." If you want to read his article, here is the link: https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/five-rules-disagreeing-pope.

You may well wonder if such an article is necessary. Heck, yes. The level of vitriol that has come from the margins of the Church on both sides is really incredible. It is sad, but not remarkable when you consider the level of vitriol that has come from those in the political realm over the past few years.  What an appalling example for children when good parents try to teach their kids manners and to model the best types of civil behavior towards others. We have reached a point in our society and even in our Church when people of good will (defined as those who agree with me!!) are just fed up with the coarseness, the willingness to drag leaders down, the inability to seek to understand the other person's position, nd so many other points. 

Read the article if you want to learn more about Father Reese's insights. They are worth considering. I'm just going to list his points to you can think about them - hopefully it will encourage you to read his article. Here are the five rules he highlighted:

First, be respectful.

Second, if you disagree with a pope, be sure to emphasize the positive things that he has done.

Third, describe the pope's position accurately and completely; do not create a straw man that can be easily knocked down.

Fourth, never speak or write when you are emotionally upset.

FIfth, ask yourself,  would you speak this way to a parent or someone you love?

It is hopefully clear to many that these five rules can apply to the Church, politics, families, and any group that has experienced conflict. I have been thinking about this a few times over the past week. In the course of the week, I came across members of six families who mentioned to me that the ruptures created within their families by political discourse had gotten worse and not healed at all. We have all seen a time of political savagery over the past few years. The situation has been so super-charged in many families that, to even get together, there must be a prior agreement not to discuss anything in the political sphere. This is sad, but this is reality. Tom Reese is using his formidable skills as a journalist to suggest that we start looking at this within the Church. It is not a bad suggestion, especially when we remember that children mimic the behavior of their parents - what kind of thoughtful future we are making impossible? Sigh.

Sadly, the rhetoric from political leaders has influenced the ways in which people treat disagreements or conflict within families, within the Church, within so many areas of our lives.

Do you get in these situations?

 

I had to read this next quote several times to realize how insightful it is. Sigh.

 

How true this statement is - made by a person from the Emerald Isle which has been filled with so much bloodshed over the past century:

 

Maybe we should listen and learn from the example of Saint Francis who has far more to teach us than the folks who keep fighting and arguing and demonizing. Let Francis taming the wolf be a model for our interactions. Sigh.

 

 

 

Inside Baseball - but even more than that: We Can Learn from the Church in Canada- September 24, 2021

Over the years, I have admired a great deal about the Church in Canada.  Why, you ask? Well, their leaders seem sane, balanced, and thoughtful. They are seldom engaged in the "culture wars" which seem to preoccupy the Church in the United States. Speaking just personally, or more precisely, writing just personally, I have been impressed with the way that the leaders of the Church in Canada approach things.  Comparisons are always odious, but they do contain wise kernals of truth. I, as a member of the Church in the United States, would obviously never dream of making negative comparisons between the leaders of the Church in our country and leaders of the Church in Canada.  Would not do this. It would not be prudent  - to quote Dana Garvey parodying the 1st President Bush.

Well, we face a situation within our Church in the United States as we come up to another national election for the presidency.  The bishops, through their action arm, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, have presently been involved in a discussion with each other on allowing politicians to receive Communion if they disagree with the Church teachings on abortion. Frequently, the action of excomunication against the politicians has been mentioned. To say the least, it has been a spirited process.  The bishops seem divided once again on the proper way to offer guidance to our people as they approach another national election. 

Rocco Palmo, the author of the absolutely essential blog, Whispers in the Loggia, recently highlighted the differences in the way the Church in Canada and the Church in the United States offers guidance to voters. He had an insight, as he often does, which made a wise point: The Canadian bishops can issue documents and treat issues without acrimony or lengthy documents. If you wish to read his blog and savor his approach, here is the link: whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com.

Here is the one page document from the Canadian bishops presenting their perspective on issues involved in the upcoming election. It is solid, easily remembered, and coherent:

The Executive Committee of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops encourages all Catholics in Canada to vote in the upcoming federal elections. In preparation, the faithful should reflect on their concerns and aspirations, familiarize themselves with the different party platforms, as well as with the candidates in their respective ridings, and come to a decision about whom to vote for with a free and informed conscience.

When deciding which party to support or whom to vote for, every Canadian follows their conscience. That said, Catholics are called to discern their options on the basis of key principles of the Church’s social doctrine and according to their beliefs:

• respect for the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death;
• protection of religious freedom;
• healing and reconciliation of Indigenous peoples and communities;
• respect for the environment
• the struggle for the eradication of poverty;
• promotion of a fair and equitable economy for all;
• defense of the dignity of work and the fundamental rights of workers;
• establishment of peace domestically and abroad.

The democratic duty of every citizen to vote in an election is likewise a gift and an opportunity to exercise civic and social responsibility. By carefully considering our choices, we help shape the fabric of the society in which we live, as well as the legacy we are leaving to younger Canadians. During an election, Catholics can be faced with difficult choices. For this reason, in addition to informing one’s conscience, reflecting deeply and sharing with others, we encourage the faithful to invoke the Holy Spirit for an outpouring of his manifold gifts so that the electoral process and whatever lies ahead for us may be marked by enduring peace, justice, respect and social order, so that together we strive to build a brighter future for all.

17 September 2021

I like their style. It is genuine, compelling, and treats their citizens as adults. Not a bad approach to take. I wonder if they have brief homilies given by their priests also! I don't know.

Now what was produced in our country by the bishops' conference? Many different materials. There were voting guides, there were also competing guides from interest groups which made an effort to get them in parishes instead of the USCCB materials. I could not find anything even remotely close to the clarity and simplicity of the Canadian materials. Maybe they existed, but I spent a long time going through the USCCB website trying to find something comparable. What is my point in this rather lenghty harange?

It is precisely this:  Keep It Simple, Stupid. Have we forgotten the thoughtful guidelines given to us by Jesus - lamenting those who feel that they will impress God by the sheer multiplication of words.  It is applies to church documents. It should certainly apply to preaching - and so many other things done by our Church in this country.   

Often, in preaching, when I have written out a homily word for word, I usually have an end process where I go through the whole homily and, without any sentimentality whatsoever, I just start slashing words, sentences, paragraphs - that deviate from my main thought. It is not a bad method to use. It works to sharpen what I said - and it works even better when I take the time to do it.

I am standing today on a soapbox. That is OK once in a while. It is even fun. But it is about serious things - namely applying the truths of our faith to our lives. It is worthy of taking the time to be effective and to do it right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still Working on my Bucket List - Jeopardy is no longer on it - Sigh! - September 17, 2021

How many times am I going to be overlooked?

At least since Alex Trebek passed away, I have looked with fondness at Jeopardy. I'm fascinated by the show, tape its segments since I'm usually not able to watch it during its broadcast time and have mused about appearing on Jeopardy. At first, I was trying to find a way to appear as a contestant on the program. I thought to myself - "how difficult can this be. I don't know everything, but I know lots of stuff. It might be a way to warn some extra funds for my retirement. It seemed like a practical way to support my retirement. There was just one problem. The people who appear on Jeopardy are really smart.

My response to that self-assessment is the simple fact that, in many areas, I too am really smart. So over the past few months, I have watched Jeopardy and came up with some conclusions about my intelligence. I watch Jeopardy, answer the questions to myself, and mentally calculate on whether or not I would have won a particular segment of the show.  I begin each segment with enthusiasm. It is really fun. After a few months of this, I had to assess my dreams of being on Jeopardy. Here are my distressing conclusions! I am smart, but not in every area. There are certain categories on Jeopardy where I did not know one area. My knowledge in certain areas was limited and, shall we say, a bit spotty. I brooded about this situation and naturally tried to come up with reasons why the show may be rigged. I watched the unfortunate debacle the show was having in coming up with a proper replacement for Alex Trebik.

Then I came up with a new challenge to take up in my retirement - be a host for Jeopardy! How hard is it to read answers off a card? I could prep for the answers, could pronounce any of the tough words or languages properly, and try to appear moderately charming (I could read a pamphlet about this!)

Today, I had such a rude awakening. I learned that Jeopardy was appointing two people to be the hosts of Jeopardy through the end of this year: Ken Jennings, one of the all-time winners, and Mayim Bialik. Look at their photos at the start of this post. Don't they seem smug and self-satisfied? Bah. They came out of nowhere to now host Jeopardy. I'll concede that Jennings was one of the highest winners on Jeopardy- and Bialik was one of the "try-out" hosts who also appeared on a program about really smart people interacting with each other. I never cared for that show. My thoughtful response to their selection:  Boring.  The most obvious disqualification was the simple fact that they were not me. Sigh. I've lived with the public embarrassment of the standing of the Chicago Cubs this year in the race to the World Series. They were terrible. Now I have this latest humiliation. The only saving feature is that I have kept to myself my intense desire to be considered a host for Jeopardy.  

Do I have a right to be in so much turmoil about not being selected? My obvious conclusion is Yes. Although, I just had a distressing thought.  Does having just posted these deeply held yearnings to be on Jeopardy make me come across as a whining, self-indulgent toddler who did not get his way?

Is this me?

OK - tantrum over. Musings about being on Jeopardy are over. Those who know me best know that I can get on a rant, can carry on, and eventually, sometimes even quickly, work through things. Being on Jeopardy might have been fun. It would have been a hoot. But, let's face it - I have always wanted to be tall - and see how that is working for me.

There are times when I need a break. I need a break from dealing with some things that are just heart-braking. This post is simply a practical method I use sometimes to work past things. Sometimes it is helpful. Sometimes not. But it is helpful right now. This is why I wander in malls and other places to just clear my head - to straighten things out. More often than not, this approach works for me.  It is better than a lot of other methods and does not hurt anyone. 

No porpoises were harmed in the writing of this post, thank goodness. God help me. (And, thank you, God, for nudging me NOT to take myself so seriously)  

Here is my endpoint for this post: