Thursday, July 27, 2017

Grace

Grace is one-way love, favor and forgiveness showered upon us individually, in abundance, for no apparent reason other than God desires to do so. It is completely sourced in God and not brought on by anything in us. We contribute nothing. This makes it difficult for us to understand and accept because it is so foreign to our character and experience. 

John Fischer

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

A Prayer for Justice


by Raymond A. Foss


We lift up a humble prayer
for peace, for wisdom
for justice in our land
for a mother fighting for her son
a son born of this soil of this land
a son with a disability, a handicap
a mother fighting for him
A mother fighting for others too
for herself, for those like her
those like us
A minister, a congregation
a church, a family
fighting for justice
sanctuary, refuge
knowing the way of Christ
the calling to the least, the last,
the lost, like them
A country large enough,
generous enough, to be gentle
to be kind, to be just
May that spirit of Jesus Christ
dwell in the hearts of our leaders
see through the letter,
the language of flawed law
rise above the law
to its spirit, our creed
our belief in justice
and do the right,
the inexpedient,
the just

Amen

Sunday, July 16, 2017

Church

How important is it for you to go to church each week?  I realize that many people attend church on Saturdays, but I think the majority still attend on Sundays.  No matter what day you attend, is it a priority for you and your family?  I was taught that there is no option not to go to church each Sunday.  The only way that you didn't go to church was if you were sick.  My wife and I have instilled the same principle to our children.  It becomes second nature.  Of course there are activities and events that come up that interfere with your normal church attendance, but you make adjustments and find another service or mass time to attend.  My oldest son has a job working at a country club and he usually works on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 7:30 am until 2:30 pm.  Does he missed church?  No, he goes to the 5 pm mass on Saturday afternoon.  Show God who is really first in your life.  Go to church and worship Him.  You will be blessed.

Sunday, July 9, 2017

Favorite Day

What's your favorite day of the week?  It seems like people talk about Fridays, because they get paid and it's the end of the work week for most.  Saturday would be a contender because it's a day off for most people and a day to do something fun or recreational.  Wednesdays could be popular for those who like the term, Hump Day and maybe take in a Happy Hour after work.  Thursdays would be popular for those who work 4 day weeks.  I personally enjoy Sundays because it is still the weekend, but its also a day of Worship and I enjoy going to church with my family.  Would anyone say Monday is their favorite day of the week?  You might if you love your job and can't wait to clock in to a new work week!  That leaves Tuesdays.  This day is probably overlooked and would not be expected to score high with too many.  Of course, there are no wrong answers!

Thursday, July 6, 2017

Format Change

Rather than having long periods of time where I do not post on my blog, I have decided to write shorter, brief posts on a more regular basis.  These may be random thoughts or comments similar to a tweet, but will be my own material, rather than posts which I found from other sources to share.

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Hot Dogs

Recap from the 4th of July weekend:  I ate 4 hot dogs, or 68 less than Joey Chestnut!

Really puts things in perspective!

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Encore


Morning has broken, like the first morning

Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird

Praise for the singing, praise for the morning

Praise for the springing fresh from the word

—Eleanor Farjean

Ever since I first read G. K. Chesterton’s work, Orthodoxy, I have been intrigued by the notion that God is still creating the world and everything in it. Chesterton proposed that just as a child delights in seeing a thing done again and again, so God delights in the “monotony” and repetition of creation every day. “It is possible that God says every morning, ‘Do it again’ to the sun; and every evening, ‘Do it again’ to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that ‘Do it again’ to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them…The repetition in Nature may not be a mere recurrence; it may be a theatrical ENCORE!” 
Is it possible, then, that every new emergence—every blade of grass, every butterfly, every billowing cloud—is a new and special creation invented out of God’s wisdom, excitement and artistry. He paints each pansy as it emerges in the spring, he colors every leaf in the fall. He ponders every act of creation, shouts “Encore!” and the whole business begins all over again, the business of creation that began “in the beginning,” and is still going on to this day.
David Roper

Sunday, July 2, 2017

An Ignatian 4th of July


On the Statue of Liberty we read
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"[1]
As we celebrate our nation's foundation, we might recall that first principle and foundation at the basis of our annual experiences of the Spiritual Exercises at White House.
Ignatius invites us, Christ challenges us, to acknowledge our true interdependence upon God and on each other,
to grow each year in the true freedom of service as persons for others, as a nation for others.
He invites us to pledge our allegiance to our crucified God, growing out of our preoccupations with riches, honor, pride,
to follow him in the humility, shame, humiliation
of his wondrous, compassionate love.
Our true liberty is freedom from inordinate attachments, freedom for unconditional love, especially of Gods' poor, huddled masses.
God's true fireworks are not just a one day spectacle in the sky and loud booms in our ears.
Rather, our mandate from the Spiritual Exercises is to go and set the world on fire, with Ignatius' "suscipe" prayer "take and receive" as our pledge of allegiance.
Edward B. "Ted" Arroyo, SJ


[1] Excerpt from The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus