It's the destination and not the journey that matters.

When my wife and I were married we went to Riviera Maya, Mexico for our honeymoon. We got up before the sun rose and drove to the airport. There we boarded a plane and took a four and a half hour flight to Cancun. Our travel agency met us at baggage claim and ushered us into an air conditioned bus. Once everyone was loaded we departed for the resort.


The trip to the resort did not take us through the nicest of neighborhoods. We passed through neighborhoods where people were living on the streets or in one room shacks without doors. There was no running water, bathrooms, or sanitation. Garbage collection and disposal was non-existent. Seeing how some people scratched out a miserable existence makes one appreciate the many blessings we have in life.


The resort was a gated paradise in comparison to the neighborhoods we passed through to get there. There was plenty of food and drink. The beaches were pristine. We didn’t have a worry in the world when we were there. We had all we could do to just drink piña coladas from our hammocks beside the ocean.


This trip was a microcosm of life. We are born, journey through life, and then reach our destination. As with any trip it is good to begin with the end in mind. Where do you want to end up? Far too many of us meander about searching for a destination. I want to be rich with a big house and a fancy car. If we achieve that then what? There is always more we can gain.


A Christian’s destination should always be heaven. The journey to get there will always be through some bad neighborhoods. For some, the neighborhoods will be worse than others but no one reaches heaven on golden roads through the country club estates. Suffering is the currency of love and heaven requires suffering. Even Mary, the most perfect of our race, suffered tremendously. Why should we expect better?


Faith is much like the bus we rode to the resort. A strong faith allows one to travel through the bad times with hope for we know what awaits us. Without a destination or a bus to get you there you are left to meander in the bad. This is the true definition of misery.


In the circles I frequent I interact a lot with people who can only see the sky falling down around us. Pope Francis is the anti-christ who is going to bring about the end of the Church. This bishop is dividing the Church this way or that. The end is near. We’re all doomed.


I don’t know about them but I have read the end of the book. I know who wins. We have been told this sort of thing would happen and not to be taken away by the signs of the times. We are told that Jesus is the head of the body, the Church. He, himself, told us that he would be with us until we reach our destination. If these things are true and I truly believe them then what do I really have to fear? If Jesus is driving the bus and he takes us through bad neighborhoods maybe it is because there is something he wants us to learn. Maybe he wants us to grow to be more than ourselves. Maybe he wants us to change. Throughout all of human history God has used flawed and broken people to bring humanity a little closer to himself.


An angel is a messenger from God. An angel always begins the message they are to deliver in the same way. “Do not be afraid. May the peace of the Lord be with you.”


Hate is driven by fear. Do not be afraid. Jesus is in control and we are on a bus bound for paradise. There will be bad times but they are there to strengthen our faith and bring us closer to God. Trust in the Lord and he will get you safely through the tempest.

MAD Men and the Nuclear Option

It was a beautiful, sunny day. Whips of white clouds hung lazily in the air while people bustled about, oblivious as to what was about to happen.  31,000 feet above them the bomb bay doors opened on Enola Gay. The command was given, Little Boy was released. Forty-three seconds later, at 8:15am on August 6, 1945 the first atomic weapon was detonated above Hiroshima, Japan, a city comprised mostly of civilians.



Three days later, on August 9, 1945 a second atomic weapon, the Fat Man, was dropped on the civilian population of Nagasaki, Japan. The devastating attacks broke the back of the Japanese empire and brought about the end of WWII. Japan surrendered six days after the second bomb was dropped.



This would be the only time that atomic weapons will be used in war. The Allies justified the action with the claim that the number of lives saved on both sides of the war far exceeded that which would have been lost had a long, drawn out ground war on mainland Japan would have taken place.



The attacks gave birth to the nuclear arms race where the United States went head to head against Russia to see who could build the greatest nuclear arsenal the fastest. This in turn gave birth to the concept of mutually assured destruction (MAD). It was the idea that no country would ever use atomic weapons in war because the opposing country would retaliate in kind and there would be mass destruction and death in both countries.  As of the spring of 2019 the world wide inventory of nuclear weapons was known to be just under 14,000 weapons, with more than 90% of those being owned by the United States and Russia.



Hollywood had a hay day with this idea, producing dozens upon dozens of movies about a world pushed to a nuclear war and the aftermath that follows.



Recently, Pope Francis commented that the use of nuclear weapons was an immoral action and must be added to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He is not the first pope to speak out about nuclear weapons. Saint John Paul the Great and Pope Benedict also have spoken out against nuclear weapons. Pope Francis not only said that the use of nuclear weapons was immoral but that the mere possession of the weapons is just as immoral.



The concept is actually quite easy to understand. If an action is immoral then threatening to do that action to another is just as immoral. Killing is immoral, it is sinful. Threatening to kill another is therefore also immoral and sinful. The act comes with a greater punishment but the threat also has consequences.



War is also bad for it brings with it the death of innocents and brings out the worst in humanity. There is such a thing as a justified war. Deliberately targeting and attacking innocent civilians in a war is never justifiable, even when it saves more lives than it takes. You can never use an evil act to justify stopping a greater evil.



That is the concept Mutually Assured Destruction is based upon. If you destroy my country’s civilian population I will destroy yours. MAD makes the threat of an immoral action, which in itself is an immoral action, to discourage an immoral action. It is a zero sum gain when it comes to eternity. The threat and the action both separate us from God.



Is the United States a moral nation? Most within the United States would like to think so. But how can we be considered moral when we use many immoral means to protect ourselves. A moral nation must lead the world by doing that which is upright and good. Threatening to destroy the world’s population is anything but upright or good.



Perhaps the moral thing to do is to dismantle our nuclear arsenal and show the world that no matter how bad things get between us and our enemies we won’t resort to the mass destruction of innocent civilians. What do we really have to lose by doing this? Do we really have to worry about a country wiping us off the face of the earth in a massive nuclear attack? If Mutually Assured Destruction really works then when there is no worry about retaliatory destruction there is no reason to be armed to retaliate. The opposite of MAD is therefore also true.

“Now what happens?" asked the man in black.
"We face each other as God intended," Fezzik said. "No tricks, no weapons, skill against skill alone."
"You mean you'll put down your rock and I'll put down my sword and we'll try to kill each other like civilized people, is that it?”

Oh if such a world existed.

Modern Idolatry

God created me. He made me a white male with blonde hair and blue eyes. I am of above average stature and efficient at storing excess energy around my waist. He made me who I am. He fashioned me to be pleasing to him. I am to be a good steward of my body, soul, and spirit. I am not to be a good steward to please myself but to give glory to the one who created me.

Idolatry is placing something or someone in the place reserved only for the one who created us. Idolatry comes in many different forms. The original idolatry was committed by Adam and Eve. When the devil offered them the forbidden fruit he told them that it would make them like God. They could become gods themselves. That was their desire when they ate of the fruit.

It does not matter how close a people are to God. Idolatry is always present whether the people are aware of it or not. After God had freed the Jewish people from pharaoh they made a golden calf to worship. Idolatry is alive and well and taking on new forms today. God made me with blonde hair and blue eyes but I can change both of those if I am not happy with what he gave me. Today, a person can even change the appearance of their gender through hormone therapy and reassignment surgery. We no longer give the glory of creation to God but put ourselves first by choosing that which appeals to us instead.

Sometimes idolatry comes in forms so common we never even notice it. On Sundays during football season there will always be people showing off their pride for their favorite team by proudly wearing their jerseys to Mass. Seems innocent enough but we gather at Mass to worship God, not our favorite teams. Many of us plan our entire Sunday around, not our worship of God, rest, or communion with our families, but a sporting event. The purpose for which the Sabbath was created is put second to our love for a game, a team, or one of its members. It may not be Idolatry with a capital I but it is idolatry just the same. Think of it along the same lines as mortal and venial sin. Venial sins build upon themselves and make it much easier to make the jump to mortal sin.

I am going to steal from a homily my pastor gave a few weeks ago. Close your eyes and try to imagine what heaven is like. Are you in a beautiful place? Are you surrounded by all of your loved ones that have passed on before you? Are you in great health, looking the best you have ever have? Are you at a banquet with all of your favorite foods? What do you see when you think of heaven?

No open your eyes and remember what you saw in your vision of heaven. Look around it. Did you see Jesus there with you among the beauty and family? If you didn’t see Jesus in your vision of heaven you were not in heaven. No matter how beautiful your vision, without Christ you are in hell. Jesus is heaven. Heaven is the place reserved for the most sacred union between God and his children.

What do you place before God in your life? Where do you put your desires over his? What reasons do you use to miss attending Mass? What idols do you worship?

Cost, Worth, and Value

Every created object and action has a cost, a value, and a worth. These three things change drastically depending on the situation. Take for example a cup of water. When drawn from my facet it is virtually free. It is readily available and easily obtained. Supply is not lacking. It is not something I put a great deal of worth into. That same cup of water has infinite value to a man dying of thirst in the desert. Its worth is literally life itself. The man would be willing to pay any price to obtain it.

There was a time when I kept a great deal of plants in my lab at work. The outside wall of my lab was a south facing window. Even during the dreary days of winter my plants got plenty of sun. Each Friday I would water my plants before leaving for the weekend. The city water had a great amount of chlorine in it so I watered my plants using the bottled water the company provided for the employees to drink. One day I got a new coworker from French Congo in Africa. Friday came around and I watered my plants as I had done for years. My new coworker stood with his mouth agape and his eyes wide open. I asked him what was wrong.


In his village in Africa clean water was nonexistent. The local water source provided all of the water they used to drink, cook, and wash with. It was also their sewer system. Contaminated water is one of the largest causes of death in this world. Over 80% of disease in developing countries is caused by contaminated water. This man knew a value of water that I did not have. Back home his family didn’t have clean water to drink and here I am dumping purified, filtered water on plants. To him it was akin to giving dogs the remainder of a barely touched seven course meal while starving children looked on.


A great deal of time and effort has been spent over the past forty years to bolster our children’s self esteem. When I was a child, only the winning team got a trophy. For a child that trophy had infinite worth for we all knew the sacrifice it took to earn it. Modern thought is that we want every child to feel like a winner. In the formation years of sports we no longer keep score at the games and everybody gets a trophy for just showing up. Kids are not taught disappointment or how to act gracefully when they lose. Trophies have become much like the water from my faucet. Today, we are pushing the envelope with this ideology by demanding that children be allowed to choose their gender for themselves. Many believe that the ultimate expression of self worth is an ability to choose for ourselves something that we have no choice over. Boys do not become girls just because that is what they want to or feel that is what they are. Boys do not become girls through hormone treatments or reassignment surgeries. The current suicide rate for a pretreatment transgender is about 50%. The suicide rate post treatment is also almost 50%. Changing our outward appearance does not seem to change one’s self worth.


As Catholics we often confuse the words worth and worthy. Each Mass, before communion we restate the words of the centurion.

                “Lord, I am not worthy that you enter under my roof but only say the word and I will be   healed.”

We are not worthy of the Lord’s love for us but that does not mean that we are worthless. Each and every person is of infinite worth for we have been bought and paid for by the blood of God. Even the smallest drop of Christ’s blood is worth more than all of creation throughout time. And he did not give just the smallest drop of blood for us. He gave all of his blood for us. Our worth to him was so infinitely great that he willfully gave up everything in heaven and earth so that we may live with him.

This brings us to value. Value is the equation of worth divided by cost. Things of high worth and little cost are of great value. Things of little worth and high cost have little value. Jesus paid an infinite cost for us but he holds us with an infinite worth. So what value do we have for him? God has left the answer to that question up to us.


The more you live your life for Jesus the more value you bring to his purchase. The Saints in heaven, especially the martyrs, have an infinite value for they are the fulfillment of Christ’s infinite purchase. So it is only natural to think that the souls in hell have no value but this would be an incorrect thought. Even those in hell bring value to Jesus’ purchase. Love cannot be forced. For love to exist there has to be a choice. For love to exist we need to be able to choose something other than love. God is love and hell is the eternal separation from that love. The value of those in hell is that they are proof that love exists. For that we can be grateful.


When Jesus purchased us at the cost of his own blood he did not make a onetime purchase. He made an investment in heaven. Investments are expected to grow, to increase their value. Our time on earth is given to us for precisely that purpose. We are expected to increase our value. We increase our value the more we live our lives for Jesus. We increase our value the more we grow in holiness.

How are you growing in holiness? How are you increasing your value for Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice? 

Doctor of the Soul

Five years ago I had open heart surgery. I had a quintuple bypass to open up a heart that was blocked at over 90%. My heart did not get that way over night and it did not happen without my knowledge. I had the usual symptoms that go with such blockages. I couldn’t climb a flight of stairs or walk through an airport without shortness of breath and my chest tightening up. I had minor chest pain and irregular rhythms all the time.


But I am a guy. Guys believe that if you ignore something long enough that it will fix itself and go away. I was also young and invincible. I didn’t need a doctor. Fortunately for me, things got bad enough that I did go see my doctor. He sent me straight in for an angiogram and ten minutes into that I was informed that open heart bypass was my only option. I was literally a heart beat from death.

Sin does to the soul what a clogged heart does to the body. Both will surely kill a person, but death from a clogged soul is far worse than just bodily death. The punishment for grave sin is eternal.


The good news is that, just as my doctor was standing by to fix my heart, there are doctors standing by to help repair the soul. They are called priests and the operation is called the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Jesus gave his authority to forgive sins to the Twelve, who in turn passed that authority along to their replacements. Every priest has that authority. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation Jesus uses the priest to clean a soul once clogged with sin.

“God, the Father of mercies,
through the death and the resurrection of his Son
has reconciled the world to himself
and sent the Holy Spirit among us
for the forgiveness of sins;
through the ministry of the Church
may God give you pardon and peace,
and I absolve you from your sins

in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

This is the prayer of absolution. It is the most powerful prayer a man can say, second only to the prayer of consecration. Through this prayer a priest, by the authority of Jesus, can grant absolution to sin and restore a soul to the state of Grace, the state it was in after a person was baptized.


Non-Catholic Christians do not have this Sacrament. They don’t believe it is necessary. Jesus died for our sins and so they are automatically forgiven. There is nothing anyone has to do to be forgiven. The problem with this belief is that it removes free will. The only sin that will not be forgiven is the one we do not wish to receive forgiveness for. Through Jesus’ public ministry we see him forgive sins. Each time he begins by asking the person what they wish him to do. He knows they need forgiveness but he does not automatically give it. He waits for them to ask for mercy.


God respects the free will he gives to us. If we do not ask him to forgive our sins and heal our souls he won’t do it even though he can. God sends no person to hell. We choose to go there when we choose something over his love for us.

Lines to receive our Lord in the Eucharist are long. Lines in front of the confessional are virtually nonexistent. Priests spend hours alone in the confessional waiting for people to come and be healed. There is little surprise then that recent polls tell us that 7 out of 10 people no longer believe that Jesus is present in the Eucharist. If Jesus is not in the Eucharist then there is no real reason to receive absolution of our sins is there? Our non-Catholic Christian brothers have no need for it so why should we?


Had I continued to deny that I was having heart problems much longer it would have ended in my death. Continuing to deny that our souls are in need of forgiveness will end in our damnation. Death is the doorway through with every man must pass regardless of his status or lot in life. Passing through that door with the stain of mortal sin leads straight to hell.

Doctors are standing by. 

It all begins by simply saying, “Forgive me Father for I have sinned.”

Nothing but a Thing

Faith is a thing. Church is a thing. Prayers are things. Most people have lives that are too full of things. Many have no room to add another. It becomes easy to give up church, a thing, for something like football, a thing that seems to give more enjoyment. One of the reasons people fall away from a faith filled life is because it is nothing more than an unused thing, like that treadmill collecting dust in the corner. A thing unused is a thing unwanted.


Christianity was never meant to be a thing. Christianity is a relationship. It is a friendship with the second person of the Holy Trinity, the person of Jesus. Jesus is an actual living, breathing person. He is not a concept or someone living in a distant place that we never see. He is an intimate part of every person. He should be the one we have the closest relationship with. Yet, too many of us don’t know him.


In my former life as a sailor I used to observe other sailors calling their loved ones from the pay phone on the pier. It would not be uncommon to see one of them just stand with the phone to their ear, not saying a word, for hours on end. Words were not needed. Just being connected to someone they loved at the other end of the line was all that was necessary. The phone was nothing but a thing that connected them together. Because it did it was something of great value.


The things of our religious life, our faith, going to Mass, saying prayers, are much like that phone. When we have a love relationship with Jesus those are the things that keep us connected. Because they keep us connected we treasure them.


It is my estimation that this is the real reason so many leave the faith. We teach them the rules of the faith. We take them to church. We get them to memorize the prayers. We tell them all about Jesus. At the end of the day they have a lot of knowledge but no relationship. It is like being forced to learn the rules of baseball without having a desire to watch a game. Avid baseball fans fall in love with the game first and then try to learn as much about it as they can. Modern evangelization goes about it backwards. We teach as much as we can about Jesus in the hope that one will come to have a relationship with him and love him. Sure, that works for some who were open and searching for the relationship to begin with. It doesn’t work so well for those who have no interest.


When you express your faith do you talk about the things used for the connection or do you talk about the person you are in love with? If you were to talk to one of those sailors as they left the phone booth on the pier they would tell you all about their loved one. They would tell you how beautiful that person was and how much they loved said person. Not one of the sailors would mention the cold, black, plastic phone with the shiny, square buttons. That should be a clue to us on how we should express our faith with others. When we talk to others about our faith do we talk about how beautiful our church is, our great our Mass is, or the prayers we pray every day? Without a relationship with Jesus they become nothing more but trivial, empty things. When we get someone interested in establishing a friendship with Jesus those things become treasured means of connection and communication.

Where Mary was the Church is.

Where Mary was the Church is.


Where was Mary? She stood at the foot of the cross while her son paid the price of sin for all humanity.


I have stood alongside Mary at the foot of the cross on Calvary. I have seen the Lord upon the cross and I have participated in his crucifixion.


The latest polls tell us that seven out of ten people who call themselves Catholic no longer believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Even sadder is the number of clergy who no longer believe in the real presence.


For them, the Mass has ceased to be the Sacrifice and has become a service, a memorial, or a recreation. It is just something you have to go do on Sunday, if you can get yourself out of bed to go. It is something your parents drag you to. It is something your aging grandmother believes in like magic. Oh if she could only get with the times. For far too many Mass has become anything but what it truly is.


We are a modern, enlightened people. We believe in science and everything we see on Oprah. We have lost sense of the supernatural around us. Obi Won said it best, “It surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds us all together.” Ok, maybe old Ben wasn’t talking about the supernatural but he was accurate in describing the supernatural.


The supernatural is real even if we cannot see it. If more people could see the reality of the Mass we would not have enough room in our Churches to fit everyone who wanted to be present for it. Mass acts as a conduit between time, space, the natural, and the supernatural. It is called the Sacrifice of the Mass for that very reason. Through the Mass we are transported to the foot of the cross on Calvary to stand with Mary, John, and all of the angels and saints throughout all time to be part of the single greatest act of love that will ever take place. This is not a re-creation. It is not symbolism. It is not metaphor. It is reality. It is a reality veiled to our human eyes because to see it removes all doubt. It ceases to be a matter of faith and becomes a matter of knowledge.


Remember this at Mass when you are sitting there and find yourself bored, mind adrift to meaningless things. Remember this when you are not fully present because you are thinking about that Facebook post or something a family member did to upset you. Remember this when you show up to Mass in flip flops, shorts, and a T-shirt. You are not only in the presence of all God’s creation, his angels and saints, and all of your loved ones who preceded you. You are in the presence of Christ upon the cross who died to redeem all humanity. In that moment where heaven touches earth upon the altar Jesus comes off of his cross and becomes fully present in the Eucharistic bread offered as our sacrifice to God.


Seven out of ten practicing Catholics no longer believe what they cannot see before them. As for me, I will stand with Mother Mary on Calvary, first weeping, then rejoicing as the resurrected Lord comes to me and says, “Take and eat. This is my body which was given up for you.”

Called to Love

I had just landed at O’Hare, returning from a recent business trip. I thought I would grab a coffee for my bus ride home so I headed to the Starbucks by baggage claim. There I was approached by a young lady. She wasn’t very attractive. She had a strong, square jaw and an Adam’s apple. It really came as no surprise when the first thing she said to me was, “So, I just came out as trans to my family and my parents didn’t take it well.”


The thing that was most apparent to me was the pain behind her eyes. I sensed a good soul, but one in great turmoil. The people who should have loved her the most rejected her as an abomination, as so many in our society do. She was kicked out of her home and was trying to make her way to live with an aunt and uncle in Colorado. She had next to nothing. She was alone and she was terrified.

At that moment I was presented with a choice. I could avoid this person the best I could. I could wave her off, get my coffee, and rush off to catch my bus. I could be the priest or the Levite and walk on the other side of the road to avoid a beaten traveler. I am sure she was used to people reacting to her that way.


Or, I could be the Samaritan and show compassion to someone in need. The key word in that sentence is “someone”. This was a person, a person with dignity. Dignity is God’s thumbprint on the human soul. Then I thought of the woman at the well. Did Jesus avoid her or did her treat her with dignity?


I don’t normally carry cash so I couldn’t help with her getting through the day or getting that flight to Colorado. But I could buy her some coffee and something to eat. More importantly I could treat her like a person and not as something repulsive.


“Lord, use me as an instrument of your will. Use me as an empty vessel, a lantern, to carry the light of your love to those still in darkness.” This is part of my prayers after receiving the Eucharist. The Lord was going to take me to task on this.


I took the time to have a conversation with her. She got to share some of her sorrow. She gave me a hug and we went our separate ways. I would like to think we both profited from the exchange. My biggest mistake was in not remembering my cardinal rule. I didn’t ask her for her name. Our names define us. It is important to ask for a name. It is one way in which we recognize a person’s dignity and recognize them as a person.


Transgenderism is the hot topic these days. Those who support it consider it this generation’s civil rights fight. Those who oppose it find it silly in the least and downright repugnant, worthy of death, at the extreme. As I sat waiting for my bus I questioned why anyone would choose to put themselves through this. Then, in his usual way, the Holy Spirit offered an answer. They are simply trying to feel whole in the only way they know how.


People with gender dysphoria absolutely believe that they are living in the wrong body. The source of these feelings does not really matter. They are presented with a multitude of choices, none easy to live with; deny it, hide it, accept it, embrace it, attempt to rectify it, flaunt it, bear it, or end it. Which one can truly make them happy? Which one can make them feel whole? What if none of them can?


As Christians we believe that we all have crosses that we are to bear. We would see gender dysphoria as one such cross. There is a belief that one should embrace this cross and stay true to God’s commandments and the natural law. That is impossible for even those with the strongest faith to do let alone someone who has no faith or has never had a personal relationship with Jesus. Each responds to the cross they are given in the ways they know how. For some the only way they can find is to try to become that which they think they are.


Jesus did not command me to love only the perfect, sinless people. He did not command me to love only those who sin the way I do. He commanded me to love everyone in the way God loves me.

It is often said that the Church loves the sinner but hates the sin. It is true that all sin is bad. We are also told not to judge the sinner but only the sin. Judgment of the person is reserved to God alone. Judgment of the sin can only be done with full knowledge of all of the circumstances of the action. Who among us can claim to have such knowledge?


The Pharisees had knowledge that the woman had committed adultery. She had been caught in the act. The Law was clear on what her punishment had to be; death. Yet the just judge gave her mercy and compassion. Only he knew all the circumstances. Only he knew her heart.


How often do we become like the Pharisees and judge a person, like the woman at the airport, based solely on what we see? I do not know the circumstances of her life that led her to make the decisions she has made. I know neither her heart nor where the road she is on leads. Only the just judge knows these things. He did not relegate judgment of that person to me. He has only commanded me to love her has he has loved me.


Try to remember this when you look upon someone who has same-sex attraction, who is transgendered, a pedophile, or who is different than you. God has given them dignity. He loves them and he wants us to love them as well. When you can see Jesus dwelling in another first and foremost is when you can truly begin to love a person without reserve. That is the only thing that can begin to heal this broken world in which we live.

Let's get to the heart of the matter.

Since its founding circa 33AD the Catholic Church has taught that consecrated bread and wine become the actual body and blood, soul and divinity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is the real presence of Christ to his bride, the Church. The Church teaches that the Eucharist is the source and summit of our Catholic faith.

It is disturbing then that every poll taken points out that fewer and fewer Catholics still believe in the real presence. This is especially evident in the growing number of empty seats in the pews during Sunday Mass. If people truly believed that Jesus was actually in Church and that he had brought with him eternal life in paradise for those who believe in him we would have lines out the door. This is the belief the growing Church in Africa has where it is not uncommon to find people walking eight miles in all sorts of weather and danger just to receive him.

There have been a number of “public” revelations that I believe has fulfilled our understanding of the real presence.

In 1996 a consecrated host was found discarded in the back of a Church in Buenos Aries, Argentina. The priest put it in a dish of water to dissolve and put that in the tabernacle. After a few days the host started changing form instead of dissolving. The Arch Bishop of Buenos Aries ordered an investigation. The bishop at the time was Arch Bishop Jorge Bergolio. Most people recognize him today as Pope Francis.

An independent investigator was called in and he took samples to more than one laboratory for analysis. None of the labs were told what the samples were of at the beginning of the investigation. All labs, the lab in Buenos Aries, the one in California, and the lab in New York, all reported the same thing. The sample they received was heart tissue. The scientist who did the study on the sample in New York was a well known pathologist who could tell a lot about how a person died based upon the condition of the heart. He reported that the person whose sample he was given had been greatly tortured and that the man had still been alive when the sample was taken.

What amazed the scientist was that the sample he examined was still alive. When they compared notes from the other labs they found the same conclusions and notes that the sample was alive. These investigations began over two years after the host was placed in the tabernacle after finding it discarded.

God will not force us to believe something if we do not want to. Every miracle comes with the ability to disbelieve. Those who disbelieve this call it a hoax and nothing more than a sham put on by a priest who was trying to become famous or gain money for his parish. But this miracle is not alone. There are many like it. We have the miracle of Lanciano, Italy that happened in the 8^th century which can still be viewed today. Then there is the Eucharistic miracle of Sokolka, Poland. In that miracle the host started to turn to flesh and was shown to be inseparably joined to the bread of the host. There are many, many more of these miracles on record.

The interesting thing about all of these miracles is that when analyzed they all are found to be the same thing – heart tissue from the left ventricle. The left ventricle is the life giving ventricle. It is responsible for pumping oxygenated blood to the entire body.

If these miracles are indeed true then we get much more than just the real presence when we receive the Eucharist. Church teaching is correct, we do receive the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus but we receive him in the fullest manner possible. I am not just holding Jesus when I hold the Eucharist. I am holding his very heart in my hands. We have such a loving God that he will allow us to hold his very heart in our hands.

If the thought of that does not rock you to your core then it may be better for you to join one of the many thousands of non-Catholic Christian churches where communion is nothing more than a symbol or remembrance of the Last Supper. It is far better to eat mere bread while remembering Jesus than to take into your body the very heart of Jesus thinking he is nothing more than bread.

The Art of Distraction

As I sit down to pray the Liturgy of the Hours my mind is flooded with things of a critical nature that need my immediate attention. There is this great, incredible urge to put down my breviary and attend to those things first. I try to focus and press on, trying not to speed up my reading as to get done hastily.

About a half of the way through I start to get some peace of mind. The words start to flow and I become engrossed in the prayers. As I begin the concluding prayer I am awash in contentment, as if I had just finished running a marathon or have just finished a really good meal.

Now, on to those things that just couldn’t wait. I sit and think and for the life of me I can’t remember what they were. They were so important just fifteen minutes ago and now I have no clue.

This is the game I play with the devil several times a day. He doesn’t want me to pray so he fills my head with every excuse he can think of to keep me from doing it. Sadly, some days he is successful. Some days I get to the end of the day and realize that I have not spent this time with the Lord and I instantly feel like that fat kid who decides to eat an entire banana cream pie instead of going to the gym.

Then there is the guilt, which comes from him as well. It is not bad to feel guilt when we have done something wrong as long as we know that Jesus is always ready to forgive us if only we ask with an honest heart.

“Lord, I let the devil beat me today. Please forgive me and fill me with your strength as not to do the same thing tomorrow.”

That is the way the devil works. God speaks to us in a still, small voice that we have to listen for to hear. Knowing this, the devil will fill our day with as many distractions as he possibly can so we will miss God’s voice when it comes to us. I find no coincidence that as we have become more connected through our computers and cell phones that we have also become a less godly society. God is no longer in our government, schools, and places of work. He is barely in our families or our churches.

The more connected we become through social media the less connected we actually are with our neighbor. The things that used to bring us together in celebration now are experienced as likes on a webpage. We are losing touch with each other.

God created the world in six days. On the seventh day he rested. Did he have to rest because he was tired? Absolutely not. God rested to teach us the importance of rest. He set one day aside so that we could set everything aside for one day and enter into his rest. It is the day that we are called to worship him and spend time communing with one another. Of course, these days that day looks just like the rest. The devil fills that day with as much distraction as the others to keep us away from God.

Only you can put down the cell phone, the TV, the sports, or anything else occupying your time on that day. The devil surely won’t stop the distractions for you. It has to be a conscious action on your part to ignore him.  Take the time to listen for that still, small voice. God has something very important for you to hear.

To Lead or not to Lead?

It is not my place to disagree with any Pope when it comes to faith or morals so what follows is a theological disagreement with the recent change that has been made to “Lord’s Prayer”.

Pope Francis has recently approved a change to a phrase in the “Lord’s Prayer”. He changed the phrase, “do not lead us into temptation” to “do not let us fall into temptation”. His reasoning behind that is that God would never lead us into to temptation and he would never tempt us himself. The problem here, it seems, is that scripture does not seem to support that idea.

The first place to start is by looking at the prayer itself in the language it was written. Did we misinterpret the words as we have done in other places? In this case the answer is no. The original Greek does say, “do not lead us into temptation”. So we do have the right translation.

So, the next question we have to answer is if the Pope is correct in stating that God would never lead us into temptation. Does scripture support this idea? Again, the answer is no. Let us remember that the word temptation is synonymous with the word trial. A trial and a temptation are the same thing, at least scripturally.

The three synoptic gospels are very clear when they describe the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry.    

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

– Matthew 4:1

                “Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness.” – Mark 1:12

“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil.” – Luke 4:1

The spirit in these passages is the Holy Spirit, or God. So it is very clear that God does lead us into temptation. He is not the one doing the tempting. If God did the tempting it would be entrapment for he knows exactly where we would fail.

In fact scripture is full of references of God testing man. God tested the Israelites for forty years in the desert –

“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.” – Exodus 16: 4

“You shall remember all the ways which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” – Deuteronomy 8:2

Why would God lead us to temptation? It isn’t for his sake. God knows our weaknesses. He knows where we will sin if tried. God allows us to be tested so that we know where we are weak. We cannot grow in holiness if we do not know where we need help. When you purify gold you heat the metal until it melts and then the impurities can be removed. Temptation and trial do much the same thing to us. It allows our impurities to surface so we can ask God to help us purge them from ourselves. When we say no to temptation we strengthen our free will and it becomes easier to resist the devil. Temptation is only a bad thing for those of weak wills who cannot resist. Resisting a temptation is the spiritual equivalent of going to the gym and running on the treadmill. The more you do it the easier it becomes. This is also the same reason we fast.

My real rub to this change is that the Pope has changed the words of Jesus. As stated at the beginning of this harangue, three of the four Gospel writers give us the text of this prayer as handed down by Jesus himself. In the original language used, Greek, they use the words, “lead us not into temptation”.  In fact every translation used by the early Church, to my knowledge, wrote the words that way. If Jesus wanted us to say, “let us not fall into temptation” I think he would have used those words somewhere.

For any Pope to change the words Jesus gave us to teach a theological opinion that is not scriptural I believe to be in error. Now, Pope Francis did not do this on his own. He only approved what has been in the works for almost twenty years. I cannot claim to know the mind of the Magisterium so I look forward to reading the commentaries that are sure to come.

Fulfilling the Law

Jim took a job as an assembler in a furniture factory. His job was to put together a set of drawers that would be sold in the factory outlet center. The factory gave him a work area and all of the parts he needed to put together the set of drawers. Included was a set of instructions on how they wanted the drawers put together. Jim assembled the first set of drawers. It failed QA for many reasons. He tried again and again but the work of his hands was rejected. Over and over his work failed inspection.

Jim’s manager recommended to the owner of the company to let Jim go. He just couldn’t understand the instructions he was given and therefore could not do the job he was hired to do. The owner was a master carpenter who started the business from nothing. He decided that instead of letting Jim go he himself would spend a couple days working with Jim.

The next three days the owner spent with Jim showing him how to build the dresser. He walked him through each step showing him how the step was to be completed. At the end of the three days Jim not only knew how to build the dresser but he no longer needed the instructions. His work was of the highest quality. Jim moved through the ranks of the factory until he himself became a master carpenter.

We translate the word Torah to The Law. In our modern thinking we view law as a set of rules that we are to follow to the letter. The Pharisees viewed the Law in much the same way. They made it possible to be Jewish without the Temple by strict observance of the precepts of Torah. But if we look closer at the original words used a better understanding of Torah would be Instruction. Halakha (Jewish) Law literally means “the way in which to walk” or how to live a righteous life. Torah was given to man as an instruction on how to have a right relationship with God and with each other.

Like Jim, the Jewish people had problems understanding exactly what the instruction was telling them to do. Christians believe that Jesus is the Torah incarnate, the Law living among us. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. Jesus came to show us how to live out the Law the way that it was meant to be followed.

The thing that is missing in the legalistic way the Jewish people apply the law is agape, sacrificial love. St. Paul tells us that even if we have faith to move mountains if we do not have love we have nothing. Sacrificial love is the key to understanding the Law. We were given the Law by Love and through Love so we could love God and one another perfectly. The Ten Commandments are not simply a list of “thou shall nots”. The Ten Commandments defines the marriage covenant between God to his people and to his people with each other. The Ten Commandments tell us how to love one another.

Take for example the commandment, “Thou shall not kill.” The legalistic interpretation of this would be not to take another person’s life from them. When this command is lived to its fullest it takes on a much deeper meaning. When you are living this command through love it is not enough just to not harm someone. The fulfillment of this command is to love and care for everyone you have contact with. We are called to serve each other’s needs to the best of our ability. We are called to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the widow and orphan. We are to do so without concern for a person’s age, color, sex, or their location on a map. We are called to care without regard to the cost. We are called to love our best friend and our greatest enemy equally. This is what it means not to kill.

When we look at the Law through legalistic eyes we are often asking ourselves what the minimum we can do and still be within the Law. When we live the Law fulfilled as Jesus taught us to do we will always ask, “What more can I do?” No matter how much we give there is always more we can do. The work of Jesus, of sacrificial love, will never be complete on this side of heaven.

With every commandment given to us by God, whether that is the Ten Commandments or the two simplified commandments give to us by Jesus, ask yourself, “What more can I give?” Then let God direct your heart.

Full Circle

In ancient Rome when a baby was born it would be placed at the feet of the father or who the mother wanted the father to be. The man would look over the baby and if he wanted it he would pick it up. That baby would forever be his. If the father did not want the baby it would be abandoned. Most of the time the baby would be left in a conspicuous place so that someone would find it and give it a home. Babies were left on the door steps of the rich or left by farms in hope the farm owner would take the baby in and eventually make it a farm hand.

It was not uncommon that someone would rescue the abandoned babies. Many times these babies would die due to exposure. Babies who were born with defects would often be thrown out with the trash. When the Christians came to Rome they found this practice barbaric. They began to actively seek out these abandoned babies to give them a chance at life. They established orphanages to care for them.

In many ways this world has come full circle on those times. Instead of the father it is now the mother who determines a baby’s worth. If a mother wants the new life growing inside her it is fully protected by the law from the earliest stages. If the mother does not want the life she is free to have it killed and removed from within her. Some places in the United States have gone as far as to allow that baby to be killed even as late as post birth. Instead of going straight to the compost heap we now pick over the corpses of these murder human beings to harvest any part that we can use for another purpose. What remains is then disposed of with less concern than throwing out an empty plastic water bottle.

The blood of these innocents scream out to God for revenge. Justice is drawing near.

Dignity is the thumbprint of God on the human soul. God is the author of life and therefore the only one with authority to take life. Every great evil that has happened throughout human history began when dignity was ignored and a group of people were viewed as less than human.

Today, this dignity is being ignored at both ends of human life. We live in an age where it is thought to be merciful, compassionate, and responsible to end the lives of the unwanted unborn and to grant death with dignity to the sick and elderly.

As Christians we are called to recognize the dignity God has given to every human being and to know that the authority to take life belongs to God alone. Defend the dignity of every human person from conception to natural death.

RadTrads

In the Catholic faith, a derogatory word for "radical traditionalist." This generally involves the following things: 

1) Rejection of Vatican II
2) Rejection of the non-Latin mass
3) Rejection of the authority of the current bishops and pope

 One of the common arguments used in almost every discussion about the things we do as Catholics is, “That is the way it was done in the early Church.” The argument is meant to convey that things were better in the early Church, more holy, and closer to God. The problem with that argument is that we have very short memories. To some five hundred years ago was the early Church. In a Church that is two thousand years old what is considered early?

On September 11, 2001 nineteen terrorists enacted the greatest act of evil against homeland America. That, of course, was the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. using hijacked commercial jet aircraft. Of these people, who knows more about the events that happened that day –

1: A person who was present in the towers and escaped the tragedy.

2: One of the many first responders who worked so valiantly to save lives.

3: Someone watching the events unfold from the window of their apartment nearby.

4: Anyone reading this blog entry today.

 It is obvious that we know more about the events of September 11^th today than anyone who was present when it happened. Time and distance have given us that ability. The same is true for our Church today. When an artist creates a masterpiece, whether it be a painting, a sculpture, or some other piece of art, they do not begin with the finished product and work backwards. They begin with a thought and the raw materials. They begin with an empty canvas, piece of marble, or slab of clay. Then they work forward, one small step at a time, until the visions in their minds become a reality before our eyes.

One of Michelangelo’s greatest creations is the Statue of David that he carved out of a solid block of marble over seventeen feet tall. When asked how he could create such a masterpiece he said, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

The same is true about God’s masterpiece of the Church. It was not complete when Christ went back to the Father on Pentecost. In fact, the Church was barely more than a blank canvas on that day. God has been perfecting his masterpiece ever since. This will not be complete until Jesus returns to usher in the new age.

Those who wish to return to the ways things were only wish to do so in part. No one, not even the most staunch radical traditionalist, wishes to return completely to the way the early Church was. They are very much like “cafeteria Catholics” in the way they pick and choose the parts of the early Church they wish to go back to. I will offer just one example of this.

In the early Church you could go to confession only once in your life. Your sins were forgiven when you were baptized and then you got only one other opportunity to receive the healing sacrament of reconciliation. This led people, like the emperor Constantine, to wait to receive either of these Sacraments on their death beds. For some waiting meant missing the opportunity to receive the Sacraments and they died in a state of mortal sin.

In the early Church confession was not made in secret to a priest. Confession was public. You stood in front of the entire congregation and confessed your sins. Absolution came from the priest but brought severe penance with it. You were thrown out of your parish for a period sometimes lasting for years. You had to don sackcloth and ashes and sit at the steps of the Church to beg for forgiveness. Readmission to the Church was a slow and gradual process. What did this lead to? Did people leave the Church in droves over it? No, they didn’t but there were many sins that weren’t reconciled until the final moments of someone’s life.

No one I have ever talked to has expressed the desire to return to the ways of this early Church. If the argument that the early Church was more holy and closer to God shouldn’t we want to return to this form of confession as well?

God is still perfecting his masterpiece. He is doing so in the way he started to in the very creation of the Church. Jesus chose twelve men to be the leaders of his Church. He chose one to be head of the others. These were the original bishops and pope. To them he gave his authority over the entire Church. These men ordained additional men to assist them in this task. Then they ordained replacements as their days grew to an end. This is our Magisterium. God will continue to perfect his Church through them.

Each and every single member of the Mastierium throughout all time has been broken and sinful men. The perfection of the Church does not ride on them. The perfection of the Church comes through Christ alone through these men. We have Jesus’ promises that even the gates of Hell would not conquer the Church and that he will be with us always until the end of time. Broken men at the helm cannot destroy the Church. Some will say that they have tried to do so for two thousand years and yet the Church remains.

Trust in Jesus to be faithful to his promise. Fear not the direction the Church appears to be going in. Christ is still very much in charge. Treasure and enjoy this masterpiece that he is creating for all of us.

Women Deacons

There has been much debate, speculation, and downright argument among the faithful about the possibility of women being ordained deacons in the Catholic Church since Pope Francis took up that question back in 2016. Both hope and fear are through the roof as we wait for the definitive answer from our Holy Father.

I have read many articles, commentaries, and opinions on this matter. As with most things in this day and age the feelings are strong and all over the board. I, too, have found myself with strong feelings on this matter. And then I noticed the question that no one has bothered to ask and that changed the way I will respond to this subject.

What does God want for his Church?

In the arguing back and forth I have yet to see either side ask what God wants for his Church.

So how can we possibly know what God wants in this matter? For me that is simple.

Jesus selected twelve men whom he set apart to be the leaders of the Church he himself established. He gave to these men all of his power and authority to act in his name and to lead his Church on earth. Those men ordained other men to assist and eventually replace them in their work. These men became the first bishops and formed the Magisterium. They are the only ones who have been given the authority to speak for Jesus.

We believe as Catholics that the Pope speaks infallibly, that is without error, when speaking on matters of faith and morals, from the chair of Peter, when in unison with the Magisterium. How will we know what God’s will is on the matter of ordaining women to the Permanent Diaconate? We will be given the answer by the Pope only after a long and prayerful deliberation with his Magisterium.

When that answer comes it is a guarantee that one side or the other, or even both sides, will not be very accepting of the answer given. I am positive that we will see every kind of low and despicable behavior come forth from those who believe that the Pope got it wrong.

Each Mass we pray in unison the Lord’s Prayer. We pray it twice a day when we pray the Liturgy of the Hours or Christian Prayer. There is one petition in that prayer many of us, including myself, seem to say without thought.

“Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

God communicates his will through those he has chosen and given his authority to. For the Roman Catholic Church and those in union with her that would be the Pope and the Magisterium. My opinion on this or any matter of faith and morals simply does not matter. I am welcome to have an opinion and to question, to seek understanding, but when that opinion differs from that of the Church it is wrong. When we hold an opinion contrary to the official teaching of the Church we don’t disagree with the Church or the Pope or the bishops. We disagree with Christ himself.

If the Pope were to announce that women are to be ordained Permanent Deacons I will be among the first to welcome them with open arms and be grateful for the service they give to God’s people. The world sure could use more people with a servant’s heart.

At the beginning of creation God made known his plan of salvation and redemption of the human kind to the angels by becoming human himself. This drove a multitude of the heavenly host to rebel against God for they felt slighted God so loved man. How many will turn their backs on their vocations if he calls women to the diaconate? How many will turn their backs on the Church if he doesn’t?

Stand or Kneel - A Second Thought

The Pharisee and the Publican

      “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 18: 9 – 14

Hold hands, raise hands, fold hands for the “Our Father”. Sit, stand, or kneel to receive the Eucharist. Receive in the hand or on the tongue. Traditional Latin Mass or Novus Ordo. These are just some of the arguments we Catholics are having with each other these days. The discussions are always passionate, usually heated, and many times end in uncharitable behavior by all involved. This is hardly the unity Christ prays for, for his Church. The divide is widening, all in the name of reverence.

Christ is about unity, not division. If there is something dividing the Church, even perceived reverence, it is not of Christ. It is of the devil. Yes, the devil uses normally holy things, like scripture and reverence, as tools to get us to sin. Any evil thing can be justified by a verse in scripture if scripture is improperly used. Perceived reverence is also sinful if it causes scandal, division, or malice of any kind. True reverence raises one’s heart to God. False reverence is calling on the Church to do as you do because of how you personally feel.

“The prideful one was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: those receiving in the hand, standing, at a Novus Ordo Mass.”

We learn in the Screwtape Letters that our posture makes a difference in the way that we worship.

“At the very least, they can be persuaded that the bodily position makes no difference to their prayers; for they constantly forget, what you must always remember, that they are animals and that whatever their bodies do affects their souls.”

The Screwtape Letters, Chapter 4

Knowing this the Church has a general instruction on the proper postures we are to use when we come together in unity to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is never a “Jesus and me” moment. It is always a “Jesus in unity with his bride, the Church, throughout all of eternity” moment. We show this eternal unity in our postures, our actions, and our words. The Mass is celebrated throughout all time in every language on the planet combining language from the Church from its very conception. We offer this Mass as one unified body all at once. It is not a time to stand alone.

So, is there a correct posture we should be using when we celebrate Mass? The answer to that is absolutely, positively, and unequivocally yes. It also does not involve our hands, our tongues, or our knees. In fact, the only part of our bodies that really matters is our hearts. If our hearts are in the wrong posture then it does not matter what position we place our bodies in.

The old Baltimore Catechism defined prayer as:

“Prayer is the lifting up of our minds and hearts to God, to adore Him, to thank Him for His benefits, to ask His forgiveness, and to beg of Him all the graces we need whether for soul or body.”

That is about as good a definition of prayer as one can find. True reverence raises one’s heart to God. It is never prideful. It is never boastful. Nor does it demand others do likewise. It does not make claim to be better simply because of outward appearance.

Who does God love more; the man who receives Him in his hand while standing or the man who receives the Lord on the tongue on his knees? Those who argue about this question ad nauseam fail to realize that with God there is no competition. He loves us all perfectly. The greater question is which one loves God more? That is a question that cannot be answered by simply looking at outward appearance only and God alone is the only one who knows our hearts.

True reverence begins in the heart and then radiates outward. If you want to show reverence in your worship do as your bishop instructs. He has been given the authority of Jesus to lead His Church. If you do not know what the proper posture is ask your pastor. If, on the other hand, you have been called by Christ to a more reverent posture cherish the gift of love you have been given. It is yours. It has not been given to everyone. Don’t expect everyone to share in this gift.

This is the reason why the Church has a general instruction on posture and not a definitive instruction on it. The Church recognizes that Christ calls some of us into a deeper union with him and she would never deny anyone of this gift by demanding they conform to a single posture or liturgy.

God has given us many treasures. Instead of arguing which is better or more reverent we should be concentrating on those things that help us elevate our hearts closer to God.