December Globe Column

It was my turn to write again.  

Advent reflections to New Year’s resolutions

By Julie Storr
DCCW
Have you ever really thought about Advent? A few years ago, I started wondering what the very first Advent was like. You know the routine, Joseph and an expectant Mary on the way to Bethlehem to pay taxes. A Google Maps search says that Nazareth to Bethclehem is between 97 and 100 miles, depending on which route they chose. Joseph should also use caution as the route might be missing sidewalks and pedestrian paths. If we were going to walk it today, Google says it should take 1 day and 10 hours. I’m thinking Google’s idea of a day’s walk is different than mine.


So, how many miles can a pregnant lady make in a day? Did Mary “get” to ride a donkey? If so, was it a bumpy ride? What did they eat? Where did they stay along the journey? How many hours a day did they travel? Let’s be honest – they probably didn’t find many nice rest stops, either. I’ll bet Mary’s mom was worried. She couldn’t call Mary on her cell phone, either. Where was Mary on her Advent journey today? She wasn’t buying gifts, cleaning or making fudge. She was waiting. (Google also says it was probably 4 days of travel in Biblical times, in case you were wondering.)


No radio, no GPS, just the quiet travel to Bethlehem. Maybe Mary and Joseph sang. Maybe they talked about their visits from the angels (I’d like to have heard that conversation!). Did they talk about how this newborn would be like no other? Mary may have spent time in quiet prayer, asking God “why me?” then maybe Joseph said “why not you? Why not us?” “Will he be a good baby?” Mary could have even prayed “Lord, what were you thinking?” (I’ve prayed that one.) Or “Help me.” I pray that one a lot, actually.


Waiting. Joyful waiting to be more exact, that’s what Advent is about. Yet the season of joy, wonder and waiting seems to have become the busiest season, full of distractions. Baking, shopping, wrapping, parties, cleaning, travel, we quickly lose sight of what matters. Don’t despair! There’s still plenty of Advent left to make this season the most wonderful time of the year.


Try these ideas to add joyful waiting to your Advent and none of them are hard:
1. If you don’t already, attend one daily Mass during the week. Adding one more Mass to your week will bless you all the more. Let the Savior, born in Bethlehem (which actually means the ‘house of bread’ – cool, huh?) feed you with his love.
2. Find some time, at least once a week (every day if you can pull it off) for some quiet prayer –with the Blessed Sacrament in church if you can; a quiet spot in your home if you can’t. Ask Jesus to be with you and to show you what he wants you to learn today. Read the daily readings, use a reflection book. If you don’t have one, try the one at mycatholic.com/reflections. Maybe even try to think about where Mary was today or put yourself in the readings, as if the author was writing to you personally.
3. Add a good, solid Catholic book to your Christmas list (get another for your parish library!). Extreme Makeover by Teresa Tomeo is a good choice as you can use it for a book club or retreat. You can read about the saints, learn more about the Catechism, and discover something new about the Mass. God will reward you for it!
4. Turn off your distractions (like facebook, email or TV) and pray (not just say) a Rosary. This may help- www.how-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com . Tune in a Catholic radio station. If you don’t have a local one, you can find plenty on line (try www.fhcradio.com). And, at least a couple nights a week, have a technology-free dinner with your family. Light a candle, too. They’ll love it. Actually, they may wonder what you’re up to, but oh well.


Don’t stop when Advent is over, either. You’ve started some wonderful habits that will become New Year’s resolutions that are easy to keep and that will change your life.


While winter has arrived, the diocesan council is already planning for spring.
Our convention will be April 21 in Moville. Watch the Globe for more information.


And from all of us at the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, we wish you a wonderful and very blessed Christmas.

Kids.

I snagged this from my son's friend's facebook page. True story.

They were going "ghost hunting" one night and Zach's phone was on speaker. Apparently "J", the friend heard the conversation, too.

Storr: what if i get possessed?
Momma Storr: You won't.
Storr: How do you know?
Momma Storr: I have Holy Water!

good times :P

Adoration

I'm a friend of Fr. Calloway's on facebook, and he had this photo on recently. Amazing, isn't it? What do you see? Divine Mercy flowing from Jesus? A face on the Host? A miracle to behold, isn't it? The photo was recently taken during a Eucharistic procession in the Dominican Republican.

I've seen Melissa Ohden.  This 8 minute video is worth 8 minutes!

Wow. What a read. Calling all Catholics

Want a September freebie?

How about a free download? Christianaudio.com has a lot non-Catholic books able, but this month's free download also shows up for sale on Catholic websites. I'm off to the Endow retreat in a few days, this will be going along.

And I quote:

A family can develop only with a loving woman as its center.—Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel

Dancing with the 'Stars'

Found this at FoxNews today.  I was unaware that "Chaz" (formerly known as Chastity) Bono will be appearing in her/his new gender on Dancing With The Stars.  Fortunately, we never watch that show, but maybe if you do, now's a good time to stop.

Chaz will be dancing with a woman on the show in the upcoming season.  For teens who are in the throws of hormones and growing and fitting in, this is not a good time to add this to their concerns.  One would wonder if it's part of Chaz's plot for acceptance of this newfound "identity".

What makes Chaz a star, anyway?  Seriously.  I'd not heard much from the Bono's in a long time.  Is it a new transgender issue that brings on popularity?  If Chastity was so desperate to change identities, why not just stay out of the limelight and enjoy that newfound self?  Is it another issue of secular society doing what it can to avoid God?

It would be tough to have a child question their gender to the point of permanent change.  It would be tough to have to deal with questioning just what you're called to be.  In seeking out professional help, would they search for someone to take their side or to deal with harder issues?

Be prepared.  If it becomes "water cooler" conversation, how shall we respond?

Don't Let Your Kids Watch Chaz  -   click here for the Fox News article.

A new website find

The Catholic Lane

with columnists, authors and movie reviews, and politics and apologetics and more of things Catholic.  Check it out!

Great blog from WYD

Growing In Our Relationship With Christ
(A few simple steps)
Archbishop Peter Sartain
From the USCCB blog here


How does one strive to know the Lord? How does one become God's intimate friend? Perhaps these simple points will help.

Speak to God. Carrying on a conversation with God in prayer, the same kind I have with close friends, gives me a chance to tell him what's in my heart and on my mind. As in all friendships, honesty is required. Why lie to God?

Listen to God. Prayer is much more than getting things off my chest. It also involves quietly giving God the opportunity to respond. As St. John of the Cross once remarked, God speaks his everlasting Word in silence. In our noisy world, we must not forget that silence can be much more intimate than speech.
Read what God has to say. This is another way of saying, "Read the Bible." The bible recounts what God has revealed to us about himself through creation, history, prophecy, and most especially through the Son, his perfect self-revelation. And as Rabbi Abraham Heschel once wrote, the Bible is also God's book about man. We learn both about God and about ourselves by opening the Sacred Scriptures.
Learn the faith. Faith has an objective component: the truths we are to believe. By studying the Church's teaching, we give heart and mind to God.

Become true disciples of God's Son. The Father sent the Son so that we could abide in the deep intimacy they share. "Father, they are your gift to me... I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them" (John 17:24, 26). Jesus is The Way, and giving our lives in discipleship takes us to the bosom of the Father.

Commit yourself to a life of conversion. Being a disciple of the Lord Jesus involves allowing his grace to go to work in me -- to transform me more and more into Christ himself. This is entirely the work of grace, but God calls me to cooperate with grace. I am called to discover my sinfulness and repent. I am called to accept the gift of God's merciful forgiveness. I am called to change what needs to be changed in my life. I am called to do good and avoid evil, to relinquish habits and ways of living which are not compatible with faith in Christ and thus not compatible with Christ's living presence in me. The goal is to say, with St. Paul, "For to me, life is Christ!" (Philippines 1:21)

Call on the Holy Spirit. From the beginning to the end of time, whenever the Father sends the Son, he also sends the Spirit, because their mission is inseparable. The Spirit keeps us faithful and makes intimacy with God possible.

Seek out the presence and action of God. The sacraments are the public worship of the Church, but they are first and foremost the work of Christ. If we want to know God better, we look for opportunities to be where he is at work, especially the sacraments of Eucharist and Penance.

Love the Mother of God. As the first disciple, the Blessed Mother gives us the best example of giving oneself to God, and she is our powerful intercessor. She presents our need to Jesus ("They have no more wine") and directs us to him ("Do whatever he tells you").

Make friends with the friends of God. Reading the lives and writings of the saints reminds us that we are surrounded by great witnesses who insire us to live faith to the full. Likewise, surrounding ourselves in daily life with friends who share our love for God helps us stay the course.

"Do not give your heart to that which does not satisfy your heart," wrote Abba Poeman. Poeman was referring to the fact that we often amue ourselves and spend our time with things -- entertainments, conversations, etc. -- which can never nourish us because we were made for greater things. That which seems harmless on the surface can gradually erode the quality and depth of our commitment to the Lord.

Great Things

Happy Feast Day! August 15 brings the feast day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Today's Mass readings included the fiat, or Mary's response to her relative, the expectant and elderly, Elizabeth.

"For the Lord has done great things for me," Mary proclaims.

Great things. Hmm. What would Mary consider "great" "things"? Mary didn't have an ipod, a new phone, satellite TV, or probably even a book. I've been thinking about what makes things great.

Like us, Mary was given life. Mary may have had siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles. Those are great things. An angel's visit would be a great thing - to me, anyway. Mother of the redeemer is bigger than great in my opinion.

My great things, I've decided are life, a house, family, my faith, a nice day, my good ol' Malibu, a day with friends, a glass of wine. I think that even my little things are great things.

Be thankful for great things. Depending on how you look at it, even little things are great.

Anther great Brigid interview

And, if you're thinking of going to the Endow retreat, you can meet Brigid in Denver!

Mother Teresa:

The woman is at the heart of the home.  Let us pray that we women realize the reason for our existence: to love and be loved and through this love become instruments of peace throughout the world.

Watch TV on Wednesday! - II

Fr. Calloway's program got rescheduled do to the Casey Anthony verdit.

So, "Beyond Belief" got bumped to July 13, 9 PM CST.  Sorry for the confusion.

Free booklet

Snooping around on the K of C website, I found this ebook!

St. Benedict for Busy Parents

Whether you're a parent - or not - take this opportunity to learn about the writings of a great saint!

Watch TV on Wednesday!

Father Calloway, who will be a speaker at the Divine Mercy Conference in October, will be on the ABC series, "Beyond Belief".  The show starts at 9 pm local time (CDT).  This episode is "The Miracle Mysteries" and the host interviews those who claim to have seen Mary.

I have Father's permission to post this photo, too!

Bringing Jesus to the streets

The friar's reading:

“Jesus Christ is in every book of the Bible.

In Genesis, Jesus is the Seed of the Woman.
In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb.
In Leviticus, He is the Priest, the Altar, and the Lamb of Sacrifice.
In Numbers, He is a Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by Night.
In Deuteronomy, Jesus is the Prophet, like Moses.
Come and kneel before Him now.

In Joshua, Jesus is the Captain of Our Salvation.
In Judges, He is our Judge and Lawgiver.
In Ruth, He is our kinsman Redeemer.
In 1 and 2 Samuel, He is our Trusted Prophet.
In Kings and Chronicles, He is our Reigning King.
In Ezra, He is the rebuilder of the broken down walls of human life.
Come and kneel before Him now.
In Nehemiah, Jesus is our Restorer.
In Tobit, He is the Messenger of New Life.
In Judith, He is Weakness Turned into Victory.
In Esther, He is our Advocate.
In 1 and 2 Maccabees, He is the Leader who dies for God’s law.
Come and kneel before Him now.

In Job, Jesus is our Everliving Redeemer.
In Psalms, He is our Shepherd.
In Proverbs, He is our Wisdom.
In Ecclesiastes, He is our Hope of Resurrection.
In the Song of Songs, He is our Loving Bridegroom.
In Wisdom, He is the emanation of God’s thought.
In Ecclesiasticus (Sirach), Jesus is our security.
Come and kneel before Him now.

In Isaiah, Jesus is the Suffering Servant.
In Jeremiah, He is the Righteous Branch.
In Lamentations, He is our Weeping Prophet.
In Baruch, He is the Mercy from the Eternal One.
In Ezekiel, He is the One with the Right to Rule.
In Daniel, Jesus is the Fourth Man in the fiery furnace.
Come and kneel before Him now.

In Hosea, Jesus is the Faithful Husband forever married to the sinner.
In Joel, He is the One who Baptizes with the Holy Spirit of Fire.
In Amos, He is the Restorer of Justice.
In Obadiah, He is Mighty to Save.
In Jonah, He is our great foreign missionary.
In Micah, He is the feet of one who brings Good News.
Come and kneel before Him now.

In Nahum, Jesus is our stronghold in the day of trouble.
In Habakkuk, He is God my Savior.
In Zephaniah, He is the King of Israel.
In Haggai, He is the signet ring.
In Zechariah, He is our Humble King riding on a colt.
In Malachi, Jesus is the Son of Righteousness.
Come and kneel before Him now.

In Matthew, Jesus is God with us.
In Mark, He is the Son of God.
In Luke, He is the Son of Mary, feeling what you feel.
In John, He is the Bread of Life.
In Acts, Jesus is the Savior of the World.
Come and kneel before Him now.

In Romans, Jesus is the Righteousness of God.
In 1 Corinthians, He is the Resurrection.
In 2 Corinthians, He is the God of all comfort.
In Galatians, He is your liberty. He sets you free.
In Ephesians, Jesus is the Head of the Church.
Come and kneel before Him now.

In Philippians, Jesus is your Joy.
In Colossians, He is your Completeness.
In 1 and 2 Thessalonians, He is your Hope.
In 1 Timothy, He is your Faith.
In 2 Timothy, Jesus is your Stability.
Come and kneel before Him now.

In Titus, Jesus is Truth.
In Philemon, He is your Benefactor.
In Hebrews, He is your Perfection.
In James, He is the Power behind your Faith.
In 1 Peter, He is your Example.
In 2 Peter, Jesus is your Purity.
Come and kneel before Him now.

In 1 John, Jesus is your Life.
In 2 John, He is your Pattern.
In 3 John, He is your Motivation.
In Jude, He is the Foundation of your Faith.

In Revelation, Jesus is your Coming King.

He is:
The First and the Last.
The Beginning and the End.
He is the Keeper of Creation and the Creator of All.
He is the Architect of the Universe and the Manager of All Time.
He Always Was, He Always Is, and He Always Will Be Unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated, and Never Undone.

He was bruised and brought healing.
He was pierced and eased pain.
He was persecuted and brought freedom.
He was dead and brought life.
He is risen and brings power.
He reigns and brings peace.

The world can’t understand Him.
The armys can’t defeat Him.
Schools can’t explain Him and the leaders can’t ignore Him.
Herod couldn’t kill Him.
The Pharisees couldn’t confuse Him.
The people couldn’t hold him. [This is where the clapping begins]
Nero couldn’t crush Him.
Hitler couldn’t silence Him.
The New Age can’t replace Him.
And Oprah can’t explain Him away.

He is Life, Love, Longevity, and Lord.
He is Goodness, Kindness, Gentleness and God.
He is Holy, Righteous, Mighty, Powerful, and Pure.
His Ways our Right, His Words Eternal, His Rules Unchanging, and His
Mind is on me.
He is My Redeemer, He is My Savior, He is My God, He is My Priest, He is My Joy, He is My Comfort, He is My Lord, and He rules my life.”

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/every-knee-shall-bow-flash-mob

Bringing Jesus to the streets

The friar's reading starts with:

“Jesus Christ is in every book of the Bible.

In Genesis, Jesus is the Seed of the Woman.

In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb.

In Leviticus, He is the Priest, the Altar, and the Lamb of Sacrifice.

In Numbers, He is a Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by Night.

In Deuteronomy, Jesus is the Prophet, like Moses.

Come and kneel before Him now."

National Catholic Register's page has a transcript of the words said - click here

The Pope tweets!

I've not signed up for Twitter. But if the Pope did.  I can't think of one stinkin' thing important enough that I'd have Twitter followers, but I wouldn't mind following the Pope.

And, the Pope uses an iPad!

Click here



Actually, the Pope was also announcing the news website for all things Catholic - www.news.va

New Daily Prayer Book

Liturgical Press has a new prayer book subscription.  It contains Mass scripture readings, morning and evening prayer, a reflection, a lesson about a saint, the Order of the Mass and more.  The first edition is August 2011, you can order a free sample.

It's entitled Give Us This Day.  Looks like it's worth the free sample and then some!  It's available as a print or digital subscription (print subscribers have access to the digital subscription, also).  Have a look!  A paid subscription includes an 11x14 print of the Lord's Prayer from the St. John's Bible ($20 value and beautiful!)

The "once called Father" Corapi

Egad.  Can we find any more information at all about this topic?  Sad, it's a sad deal.  Yet, something doesn't feel right.

He trademarked Black Sheep Dog in April 2010.  He's just made his big announcement, yet his autobiography is almost ready for purchase.  I won't be spending money on it.

I am not the only one who's going to let things sift through before I jump on his bandwagon.  But he's a brave man, maybe he's thinking of heading down a political path to set this country aright.  I pray he stays true to the Catholic faith.  Holy Orders aren't just given to anyone.

Here's an interesting article about the whole mess and why some of what's been said just doesn't hold water.  http://markshea.blogspot.com/2011/06/analysis-of-holes-in-fr-corapis-story.html

Discern everything.

Prayers, please

While you're at it, please pray for Susan and her family.  Susan had been suffering from brain cancer and passed away this evening.  Susan was a great mom and will be missed by her husband and two sons, ages 21 and 17.

Her family was a Mass every weekend, she got her boys off to a good start.   Thank you, Susan, for being such a good example of a good mom.
Rest in peace.

And life goes on

It happened Friday.  You know the call -  the "this is the call you knew you'd get but didn't want to get today" call.  My sister called to say that our father had been admitted to a hospital in Sioux Falls and wasn't expected to live through the day.  Yeah.  That kind of call.

I knew that the 3 hour drive was too long - I'd never make it in time and he probably didn't want anyone there.  I did know that the most good I could do was to go to church and pray and my sister agreed.  (Remember, I'm the lone Catholic in this clan.)  Then, God's miracles happened one after another.

The man had not been a part of our family for almost 30 years.  My sisters and I got married, he didn't come.  Perhaps alcohol, pride and guilt kept him away.   There was no contact information on his charts.  The hospital did some searching through paperwork, found my sister's name and googled her to find a number to call to see if she was family.  My sister called his brother, who gathered the other siblings.  They met my sister at the hospital.  But he passed before family arrived.  That's when we found out that he'd been diagnosed with cancer a year and a half ago but refused treatment and hadn't told anyone.

I asked my sister about the time of his death, and naturally, it was about the time I started praying at church.  I prayed the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet and still felt restless.  So, I stayed and prayed.  And wished that Father would come, I really wanted to visit with him.  Within minutes Father came in the sacristy door, and after our visit, I left the church with a smile on my face.  All was well.

Saturday I had a commitment to speak at a prayer cenacle.  There's absolutely nothing more comforting that joining other women in prayer.  I knew as we prayed the Rosary together, that God had placed me in the right place and at the right time.  When I got home, I called a great-aunt back home to make sure that someone had called her.  We had nice talk and set up a date to see her when we're back home next month.  Another blessing - I'll get to reconnect with family I haven't seen in a very long time.  (My great-aunt is the closest Catholic relative I have!  She's 88 years old, can't let this chance pass me by.)

Today (Sunday) I asked Father to add my Mass intention to his list.  In a way, the Mass on this Holy Trinity Sunday and Father's Day, became like his funeral service.  Remember the readings?  The Old Testament reading was about Moses and his stiff-necked people.  The New Testament reading was from John 3.  For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

I believe in God's powerful and unending mercy.  Saint Faustina's diary reads that Jesus told her He would promise victory over enemies especially at the hour of death.

Our father was a holy man many years ago.  He left this earth a broken man.  And I'm thinking that Heaven is even more appreciated by those who live alone and die alone after years and years of hurt, anger, guilt, and disease.

A small private service will be at the family farm in a couple weeks.  His ashes will remain where he grew up.

Eternal rest grant to him, O Lord.

Here's the radio interview

Wow.  A great interview, indeed.  You can find the mp3 file here.

A word of warning:
This is a 2-hour file.  It will take some time to load.
The first part is with Heather, who works for the Diocese.  (Met her, she's great!)
Next they interview Tucker, who, at 17 is discerning the priesthood.  (Met his mom, she's great, too!)

The last part is our diocese's newest deacon, Deacon Patrick Behm.  A powerful interview, worth the time to be sure.

A new deacon is ordained

It was a life-changing day for everyone there.  Lois and I went to Sioux City last Saturday, June 5, to attend the ordination of a seminarian to become a transitional deacon.

Patrick has been special to the CCW as he was installed as an acolyte at our retreat in August 2010.  It's not the HE is special, (even though he is!) but what was special was how that 2010 Mass made us so much more aware of seminarians, the price they and their families pay, and the blessings that they and their families receive and give.

What really was thought provoking at the ordination Mass was the vows.  A transitional deacon is not a permanent state, it's just practice for his new role as a priest, which, for Patrick, will come to fruition next June.  Vows for a transitional deacon are a permanent vow to live a life of obedience, celibacy and prayer for the church.

They are consecrated, or set apart (which I think is totally cool), to be sacred ministers for the worship of God and for the sanctification of all people.  Bishop Nickless laid his hands on him - I cried.  Not tears of sadness, but tears of joy for a young man who has chosen a life that holds so much more than what the world offers.  Tears of joy and gratefulness for parents who have raised such a fine man.

Congratulations, Patrick!  I hope you're my priest some day.

p.s.  I'm waiting for the archive of Patrick's radio interview.  I'll post that link as soon as it's up!

ENDOW on EWTN!

In case you missed it, here's where you can find ENDOW's Brigid Sweeney on EWTN's Life on the Rock!

Top Ten List: Prayers

God has such great timing. Just when you think you're at the end of the rope, along comes a knot.

This is my current much-needed knot. Now, I can hang on!  It's from http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re1063.htm

10 Short, Spontaneous Prayers That Really Work

FR. ROBERT SPITZER

They allow grace to come into our lives precisely at the moment we really need it with prayers that we can easily remember. What follows are a number of spontaneous prayers that have been very important in my life.

1. "Help!"

Never underestimate for a moment how much God wants to hear that prayer. We often forget because we think it's too easy or that God wouldn't respond to something so simple. But Jesus taught us to call god Abba – my affectionate, caring father, or more colloquially, "Daddy." He responds to our cries for help, just like parents respond to their children.

2. The Hail Mary.

I don't know why this is so, but if you say the Hail Mary, you will have instant consolation. I used to try to figure this out intellectually, but I have to admit that I don't know why it's true – it just is. My father, who was not a Catholic, saw action in World War II, and he told me, "Whenever the bombs started flying, and people were diving for cover and thinking they were about to die, the one thing that brought me consolation was hearing those Catholic boys saying, 'Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee ..." 

3. "Lord, make good come out of this suffering."

Sometimes, suffering has neither speedy relief nor obvious meaning. I first became aware of my serious eye problem, retinitis pigmentosa, six months before my ordination. I was completely baffled, but I knew God's providential love would be operative through this challenge throughout my life. I began to pray, "Don't waste one scintilla of this suffering. Make some good come of it." The Lord answered that prayer by deepening my gratitude for what I do have and my understanding of what matters and what doesn't. He helped me to see that every moment counts in manifesting His love and presence, and gave me a deep appreciation for the Beatitudes. I frankly cannot imagine what my priesthood and apostolic zeal would be like without my little challenge. 

4. Offer it up.

When I was a child, I would complain to my mother about various things, and she would say matter-of-factly, "Offer it up." My general reaction was, "I'm always offering it up, and no good seems to come from it." It only occurred to me years later that the offering was not intended to be a direct benefit to me, but rather a benefit for the world to enhance the efficacy of my life and benefit me indirectly in the most important ways. One of the great mysteries of Christian life is that our suffering can, with Christ's suffering, help in the redemption of others. 

5. "I give up, Lord. You take care of it."

I discovered this prayer while studying in Rome, taking a class taught in Italian, a language I didn't know well then. The professor spoke Italian faster than the Italians – with a Spanish accent! I was sure I'd flunk the course, but in desperation I finally prayed, "I give up, Lord. You take care if it!" All the pressure I'd placed on myself was relieved by giving the problem over to the Lord, Who could make some good come out of my predicament. I became content with understanding my professor only partially, and I eventually started to understand him better. On the exam, I got to select which questions to answer and chose ones that pertained to the last parts of the course, thereby hiding my earlier confusion. I did quite well, thanks to the composure that came from trusting the Lord of love. 

6. Lord, I accept your forgiveness.

When I was in the novitiate, I slipped into the habit of not quite believing that God had forgiven me for my sins. I had a sneaking hunch that He was saying, "I wish I could forgive you, but you have far to go before you are perfect enough to be forgiven." This was the worst possible spiritual attitude, for I had conditioned God's forgiveness on being "good enough," yet I'd never be "good enough" without God's forgiveness and healing! Fortunately, my novice master recognized the insanity of my position. He gave me advice I've followed throughout my life: "When you ask for forgiveness, turn to God with the heart of a child who trusts unconditionally in his parents, and say, 'I accept Your forgiveness.'" 

7. "Make good come out of whatever harm I might have caused."

If we harm someone intentionally, we need to ask that person for forgiveness. But in trying to clear up harms and possible harms, we often find ourselves powerless. Sometimes, I give advice that I think will be quite fruitful, only to realize at 3:00 in the morning that I might have really blown it. At such times, when I pray this prayer with confidence and trust, I can sense the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of the people I might have harmed. My confidence is often confirmed when the "victim" comes up to me days later and says, "Fr. Spitzer, when you said X I really took it the wrong way. But the next day I woke up and got a very different insight into what you meant." 

8. "Lord, you are the just Judge. You take care of it."

I discovered this prayer after I had written a philosophical paper, and a colleague who didn't criticize it or ask questions when I read it publicly later criticized the paper behind my back and tried to damage my reputation. I addressed the criticism in writing, but my anger continued to grow. Every time I opened my breviary, I saw this person's face suddenly appear. I tried handling it on my own ("I'm going to stop thinking about this and forgive this person from my heart"), but this solo approach didn't work. Finally it struck me, "Why not let God help?" I said this prayer, and an unbelievable peace came over me. The immense reconciling love of the Holy Spirit cannot be underestimated. 

9. Prayer for enemies.

Throughout my career, I've seen how personal conflicts can intensify in emotion when people continue to think the worst about one another. When this happens to me, I begin my campaign to pray for those who are angry at me or who may be trying to harm me. At least three times a day, I ask that the Lord enter their hearts, show them His love, and bring them to Himself. The response is absolutely remarkable. A great majority of the time, the person for whom I was praying will show a marked decrease in hostility within days. He'll approach me and say, "I don't disagree with you as much as I thought I did. Maybe you're not such a rotten punk after all!" 

10. "Thy will be done."

Without a doubt, this is the most important prayer of all. Jesus teaches us this prayer in the Our Father and uses it Himself at the Agony in the Garden. It is the centerpiece of the Christian spiritual life and can be used in times of fear, temptation, anger, and trial. Indeed, it can be substituted for all the prayer listed above. Why? Because the will of God is optimally loving, optimally good, optimally just, and optimally salvific; and when the will of God is working through you, you become an instrument of His optimally loving, good, just, and salvific will in the world. There could be no more worthy a purpose for living than this.

Reflecting the Father on Mother's Day

I don't know who this woman is, but she's got a lot to say!

Happy Mother's Day.  May each Mother's Day bring us closer to our Blessed Mother!

Reflecting the Father on Mother’s Day
By Penny Young Nance
Published May 07, 2011 | FoxNews.com


Mother’s Day isn’t just a time for sweet cards and a kitchen wrecked from a gift of “breakfast in bed.” It is also a time of reflection on what for most women is our most difficult and momentous role in life and the lessons passed down from our own mothers.

This subject could easily fill a book, but here is just one question for our consideration this year, whether you are a mom or a daughter. The question I pose to my daughter, myself, and others is this: “On what do you base your value?”

We live in a society in which little or no imperfection is tolerated. As part of a piece I did for Concerned Women for America this week, I interviewed three moms of special needs children in an effort to honor those heroes among us. The interview underscored that our society practically worships both physical and mental perfection. Americans spent $12 billion dollars last year on plastic surgery alone in pursuit of that elusive idol. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, those numbers are up by nine percent — despite a deep recession. Our young women are bombarded daily with unrealistic images of the ideal woman on TV, magazines, and even shopping catalogs.

ABC news recently reported that one in five girls has some form of an eating disorder. One in five! What are we doing?

When my daughter was a baby, I called Victoria’s Secret and cancelled the delivery of their catalog to my home in an a very weak effort to push back against the false notion that airbrushed, surgically-enhanced, photo-shopped women were the attainable and ideal body to envy and ultimately imitate. It just doesn’t exist in real life, and if it does, it fades with time. Watching my daughter scan the magazine covers in the grocery store checkout aisle, taking in images of women that will never exist in real life, makes me anxious to continue to affirm her worth and instill in her that her worth doesn’t come from beauty, from men, drugs and alcohol, friends, or even achievement.

No. My child, your child, and all the special needs kids in this world were fearfully and wonderfully made by a loving God in His own image. From the beginning of time He knew who they would be and, despite their imperfections, He knew His plan for them. It doesn’t sound like a mistake anymore, does it?

So, to my daughter and us all, I want to say that you are a beautiful creation. Never undervalue yourself. In fact, for those of us who accept Christ, the Biblical principle is that we are actually the adopted “daughters of the King.” Therefore, we are to carry ourselves with the dignity due our station.

In a practical sense, this means that we both deserve self-respect and the respect of others. What a lesson. On college campuses all over the nation, the “hook up” culture would never exist if our young women understood their own incredible value. Our out-of-wedlock birthrates would plummet, and eating disorders would diminish if we could stop trying to vainly boost our young women’s self-esteem, but instead teach them self-respect based on their Creator’s view of them.

As my daughter grows up, I am trying to teach her our values. My husband and I work hard to continually encourage her, tell her she’s beautiful, and make sure she knows how special she is in God’s eyes.

In a world full of false expectations and a culture containing mine fields along the road to adulthood, our job as moms is fraught with danger. However, the best gift I can leave my children is the knowledge that the image they bear is not just mine, but more importantly, it is God’s.

Divine Mercy

Divine Mercy Sunday has quite a stragetic location.  The novena for Divine Mercy Sunday starts on Good Friday, the day that Jesus proved just how much he loves us.

We celebrate Easter Sunday.  Proof that there is no neverland.  Death has lost its victory.  Divine Mercy Sunday is just one week later.

This year, Divine Mercy Sunday had an interesting turn of events.  My morning started at work, actually.  I was honored to see 13 kids all dressed up, excited and so happy to receive their first Holy Communion.  The perfect start to any day.

Pope John Paul II is now Blessed John Paul II, the second major event of the day.  JPII taught us so much about life, human dignity, feminine genius, etc., that a lifetime of learning may never absorb it all.  A fan of St. Faustina, JPII was a cheerleader for Divine Mercy.  And what a gift God's mercy is.  And it's just way too cool that he was beatified on Divine Mercy Sunday.

As we were getting ready for bed, it was announced on TV that there would be a presidential press conference - with an unknown subject.  One could only speculate on that news, and those guesses were pretty accurate.  A man had lost his life.  A man with evil on his mind.  A man responsible for the deaths of thousands of people.

So what should we think?  Revenge is sweet?  Should we rejoice?  Should we be glad?  Should we be thankful that God loves us more than He loved the bad guy?  Wait a minute.  God does love the bad guy.  As much as he loves us.

This morning, we learned of another event that occurred on Divine Mercy Sunday.  A local child of 17 took his own life.  His facebook profile indicates that he'd been struggling.  His family now struggles with his loss.

As a parent of an 17 year old, I can only imagine the pain that family is going through.  How hard it must be to find the strength to take one more step.

Across the world, terrorists could be planning revenge.  Will they let hatred take over their thoughts?

May the mercy found first two events of our Sunday, heal and protect us as we muddle through the last two events of our Sunday.  Lord, have mercy.

Divine Mercy Novena - starts Today!

It's time!  Time to start your Divine Mercy Novena.

Don't have a copy?  Here's the thing for you.

Don't remember it every day?  Gotcha covered.  This one email's the prayers to you.

Pray.  Just do it.  We can use all the Mercy we can get!

Welcome home

This is a not-to-miss video.  Check it out.

Taking it a little too far?

A school in Seattle has decided to change Easter.  Easter eggs are now "spring spheres."

Remember the first time we saw Gina?  Remember the first thing she said?  Do you believe in Christmas?  Do you believe in Easter?  If you do, you have to accept ALL of the Bible, not just the part(s) you want.

Easter Spheres  Go figure.

Did you miss The Good Fight on EWTN radio last Saturday?  I didn't!  Actually, it was kinda like listening to myself.

Have yourself a listen and let me know what  you think.  It is 2 hours, just letting you know...

You can listen to the broadcast here.

If you'd rather download to listen later, click here.

When theology meets music?

Check out this video, aka Hahn Solo.  Scott Hahn joins Matt Maher at a recent concert at Steubenville.

My first recording

Last week I spoke at the Ecumenical Lenten Lunch at St Thomas. I tried out a new voice recorder, but it came out rather decent.

It's 13 minutes long and I'll bet you learn at least one thing about the Lord's Prayer.

You you can listen here

Consoling the Heart of Jesus

I'll be working on this book during Lent, so this video was a great and timely find!

Fr. Gaitley (from the Marians, you know, the ones who were in and are coming back to Sioux City for the Divine Mercy Conference) was on the show "The Choices We Face" on EWTN.  Great interview -enjoy.

How's Lent going? and some great finds!

I know, it's only the first day, but it's been hard to stay out of the kitchen.  Especially since I won't be home until almost nine for supper!

In the mood for soup?  Ave Maria Press has 40 Days of Soup!  Daily Lenten reflections and a new soup recipe every day.  I signed up for email delivery and am looking forward to those in my inbox.

Today's also the big launch day for the new New American Bible Revised Edition!  For your reading (or listening) delight, the USCCB has put together the Seven Penitential Psalms in text and audio forms will a commentary.  NABRE's will be available from a few printers, i.e. Tan, Oxford University Press, etc.

For all that's new in the Bible world, check out http://catholicbibles.blogspot.com/

The Basis of Civilization

Dale Ahlquist was a past guest at Santa Maria Winery.  If you didn't get to see him there, he's quite an expert on G.K. Chesterton.

Dale has some great points to ponder in a recent article, The Basis of Civilization.

Its time! Enjoy...

Lenten surprises

Raymond Arroyo of EWTN fame, has been working on producing the new Truth and Life Dramatic Bible audio. For Lent, he's giving away Mark!  Well, the book of Mark.  Take a listen - and a free download!

http://www.raymondarroyo.com/mark.html

Last year, the Belmont Abbey College released a booklet and CD of the Stations of the Cross.  They were so good that EWTN chose them to use on their station.

Belmont Abbey has them available again this year.  With the code "INSIDE CATHOLIC" (all caps, no quotes) you can set the set for $1 plus shipping.

http://www.belmontabbeycollege.edu/stations/insidecatholic.aspx

Another + for Catholic Schools

It's always fun to find something good about Catholic schools in the mainline media.  The headline on foxnews.com today said "Catholic High Schools Outperforming Public."

A 2009 comparison between public and Catholic school SAT scores show that public school students had an overall average of 496 points on the critical reading portion of the test while Catholic school students scored 533 points on the same portion. Catholic school students outscored their public school counterparts by an average of 23 points.

What makes the numbers more impressive is that Catholic high schools spend more than $2,000 less per pupil than public schools.

Unfortunately, a lot of areas in our diocese don't have a Catholic high school available.  But, I am glad I could send my kids to Catholic school for grades K-5.  Support our Catholic schools when you can. Having the boys at Poky Catholic was like being with family.

What does matter?

I was visiting with a friend about all the activities going on, such as 40 Days for Life, pro-life day at the capitol, pregnancy crisis center fund raisers and the list goes on.

These are important things.  But something feels like its missing.  DO NOT get me wrong.  These are organizations that matter and change lives of many.

While we were visiting, my friend replied to me that good deeds won't get you to heaven.  Only holiness will.

I've been thinking about that for a while now.  What does matter?  There are some awful nice people who don't believe in God.  Yet, some pious people seem to have good works follow everywhere they go.  Some don't.  There are some people who live for more events to go to.

But where does God fit in?  Is He lost in the shuffle?  Are we so busy looking for good deeds to do that we lose sight of God?

So, what should be the priority?  What does God care about?  Fr. R. had some materials on my desk last week, they were from In the Arms of Mary.  I decided to check out their website, here's their quote for the day:
What Matters To God
"You, and not what you do for God, are all that matters to Him." (from the book, The Two Pillars, pg. 36, which apparently needs to go on my reading list.)

As we prepare for Lent, remember that YOU are what matters to God.  Start planning now to make that your priority.  Plan on experiencing his love like never before.

Catholic Bibles - what to pick?

Check out http://catholicbibles.blogspot.com/  I love this website when I'm in a mood for looking at Bibles.

They've got a contest on - check it out!
http://catholicbibles.blogspot.com/2011/02/blizzard-contest.html

I was thinking about buying the thin line NRSV that came out in 2009, but still haven't decided if I need a portable Bible or an ipad or just a good version of any size that fits me.

Which reminds me...  I need to find a good easy-to-read large print Catholic Bible for a friend. Got any ideas?

A cheerleader-less Superbowl? G-L-A-D or S-A-D?

The Steelers and the Packers are among the few NFL teams that do not have a cheer squad.  If you need a nearly-bikini-clad woman to get someone interested in a football game, there's a problem somewhere.  You can see the whole article here.

Having been devoted to dance routines and back flips for so many years herself, Jamie Beckman said she’ll feel a pang of sadness that cheerleaders won’t be there as the Steelers take on the Packers. She does add however that she feels the cheerleaders associated with men’s sports have developed a “certain creepy, sexist feeling” given that the focus is often on young women donning bright stage makeup and midriff-baring tops, while projecting rah-rahs for the men, which potentially sets a dangerous example to young, impressionable girls. 

“Little girls should grow up with the drive and ability to pursue their passions, whether through sports or through something like dance, and if all they see the women on TV doing is wearing lipstick and waving pom-poms, then there's a problem,” Beckman added. “Will I personally miss the cheerleaders? I might — as a former cheerleader, I still love to watch the routines, and I still like catching the cheerleading competitions on ESPN. But I have to say, as I grew older and left my cheer career behind, I realized that during NFL games, when the cameraman shoots a blond cheerleader right before the station goes to commercial, it ain't because he's trying to capture her athleticism.”

Arms of Love - a great book

If you'd see my reading stack, you would know that I've read almost no fiction in the last few years.  I've mostly been reading books to keep up spiritually, so this book was quite a surprise.  Arms of Love was first recommended to me by Fr. Brad.  He also recommended it for my son, the dating teen-ager.

Fr. Brad told about this book at least a year ago.  I dilly-dallied around, finally ordered it.  I looked at it a while, then finally started reading it.  I put it down after about 10 chapters, knowing I'd have to finish it some day.

Well, the last time I saw Fr. Brad (a couple weeks ago), he reminded me that it was a good book.  A week later, I picked it up again, and couldn't put it down.  He was almost right - it's a great book! (Too bad I can't drive and read!)    Here's the website.

It's fiction, it's Catholic.  What a refreshing combination.  Joanie gets a new job at a TV station.  Brandon is the lover-boy looking for another girl to conquer.  This book is about chastity, courting, sacraments, true love and family.  And even though it's fiction, it's got quite a message for evangelizing.  

A bit of a warning, though.  I'm not sure everyone prays before the Blessed Sacrament before they go out for dinner on a date.  Some people struggle a lot in their journey to the Catholic faith, but not much here.  Parts like that seemed kind of hokey.  But...

BUT, those were the times that made me realize what little things I can actually do to increase my prayer time and to let others know that I will live what I say I am.  It also gave some great verbage to say when people ask about my faith.  So, through this novel, there was a lot to learn.

I could use your prayers for getting the son to read it, don't know how that will go over yet.

I'm wanting to order the sequel, Surrender.  There's a special when you order 10 books or more mix-and-match.  You in? 

The Summons

The summons came in the mail.  Jury duty.  What are they thinking?  I was just there - 12 years ago or so.  And right there on the paper is says: "Jury Summons  Do Not Discard."

I looked up the definition of summons.  Here's what google says:

• bidding: a request to be present; "they came at his bidding"
• an order to appear in person at a given place and time
• summon: call in an official matter, such as to attend court

Actually, if I don't fill out the form and sent it back, or if I don't show up, I'd get charged with contempt of court.  They'll come lookin' for me!

We have a song called The Summons in our music books at church.
"Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?"  Who, me?
"Will you go where you don't know and never be the same?"  Well that takes a leap of faith and it depends on where we're going.
"Will you let my love be shown? Will you let me name be known?"  Sure. when people ask me first.
"Will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?"  OK, that parts sounds pretty good.

How come we get our hiney's to jury duty, but when God calls, we pretend we don't hear.  Free will is a gift, but do we use our free will for things that REALLY matter?  What will it take for people to say "yes" to God when he calls them?  God has called you and me!  But unlike jury duty, when I just have to show up once (hopefully less) God's summons has me going back to him every day (or more often.)  I like it that way.  I sometimes call that "daily bread."

If we want His life to be grown in us and us in him, we probably should go and follow when he calls our name.  But it does take a leap of faith to answer that summons.  And it's worth everything.

Lord your summons echoes true when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.
In Your company I'll go where Your love and footsteps show.
Thus I'll move and live and grow in you and you in me.

When Scripture comes together

Well, it made a connection to me, how about you?  This is from Friday's reading from 1 John:

Beloved:
Who indeed is the victor over the world
but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

This is the one who came through water and Blood, Jesus Christ,
not by water alone, but by water and Blood.
The Spirit is the one who testifies,
and the Spirit is truth.
So there are three who testify,
the Spirit, the water, and the Blood,
and the three are of one accord...
Now the testimony of God is this,
that he has testified on behalf of his Son. 

Remember today's reading?  The Baptism of Jesus.  In this short bit of Scripture, there are three who testify, the Father, the Son and the Spirit.  God has testified on behalf of his Son.  The Spirit is there, too, in the form of a dove.

Not just that, it's a family reunion!  The Holy Trinity - all in one place.

Surely, John knew the significance.  I wonder if he was swept off his feet. I'd like to think that I would have been!  

May Jesus find a way to sweep us off our feet this week!

My column for the Globe

Prayer life feeling foggy?

I work 23 miles away from home.  I really don’t mind the commute at all.  The time is actually the perfect length to pray the rosary.  I’m in the habit now that when I get in the car, the Apostle’s Creed just rolls off my tongue, and I may even be just going to the grocery store.  I’ve been trying to practice “praying” the rosary instead of “saying” the rosary, which is what doing one day last week while I was driving to work in the fog.

Before I left home, I carefully planned the route – go east, turn south, giving me only one corner to find in the fog.  Can’t mess that up!  However, few miles out of town, I realized that I didn’t know how far down the road I was and I didn’t know if I’d missed the corner.   I looked for some familiar landmarks (like the clock barn –cant miss that!), but everything was hidden in the fog. A brief moment of panic struck.  I hoped I hadn’t missed the corner to turn south, but knew if I did, I could always turn around.

A mile or so later, there was my corner and I felt relieved that I now knew where I was heading - still the fog, but staying on the right path, confident that my destination was 14 miles ahead.  Even though I couldn’t see the landmarks, and I couldn’t see what was ahead, I knew all was well.  I had faith that the town was still there, and that no one had moved St. Thomas Church.  Later that afternoon a most beautiful thing happened.  The sun came out, the fog rolled away, the earth warmed.  The bright light and the blue skies made for a most perfect December afternoon.

I thought about that for a while, and I realized that sometimes prayer is like that.  Day after day, hour after hour, we pray, we look for God, and we wait to hear his voice, but it seems like we’re in a fog, feeling desolate.  We know He’s there, but we couldn’t tell by our senses.  Still, we forge ahead, hoping that some day we’ll break through and see or hear His sign.

Even if we’ve taken the wrong path and/or we miss the corner, we can always turn around.  Sometimes we call that “reconciliation.”  Even when praying with the Blessed Sacrament I don’t see or hear anything, but know in faith, that my soul has been strengthened.  Sometimes we need to get back to the Bible, the best map of all.  Then, once again we carry on.  Don’t lose hope.  It’s our faith in God that assures us that he is there.  It may feel like we have to wait a while (a longer while than what we’d like!), and we wonder if this fog will ever clear up.  Maybe God is using that time to remind us who is really in charge!  But have no doubt, soon the Son will shine and envelope us in His warmth and light and burn the fog away.  May 2011 bring you closer to Him who always keeps us close.

Family Life Advisory Board

We're on it.  We're looking forward to meeting the other board members, and we're excited about having the chance to be of service to the Diocese.  You can read the whole article here.


The Diocese of Sioux City’ Family Life Advisory Board has recently appointed new members that bring a well of experience and perspectives relating to marriage and family life.
Sean Martin, diocesan director of religious education, family life and youth and young adult ministry, said, “In the next year or so our task will be to discuss our current diocesan policies and practices regarding marriage preparation, comparing them with some dioceses across the country and make recommendations to Bishop Nickless based on our discussions.”
As stated in the board’s by-laws, the purpose of the Family Life Advisory Board is to be a consulting body recommending policies, practices and resources to the Bishop and the Office of Family Life pertaining to the needs of the Sacrament of Marriage and family life in the Diocese of Sioux City.
Martin pointed out that it is important to have a representation of all those in the Diocese of Sioux City involved in marriage and family life on this board.
“It is important that decisions regarding Diocesan Marriage and Family Life policies and practices are made in a collaborative effort,” he said.
The new members agreed to serve on the board for a variety of reasons.  
Father Shane Deman said, “Each day families are met with cultural challenges in maintaining a holy and healthy Christian identity.  Anything that our parishes can do to assist these families needs to be a priority.  Hopefully, new initiatives will be taken to help each Catholic household reflect to their local community a radiant love of Christ.”
Julie and Pat Storr said that while they don’t have all of the answers, they have been through a lot in their marriage.
“Our experiences as a team couple for Engagement Enrichment have been enlightening for us, also.  We've found that being a part of those events have strengthened our faith and our marriage,” the Storrs said in a written statement. “As parents, we want to pass on to our sons the importance of marriage and family life in the church.   That's our goal for our for the AFM Advisory Board, as well, and we're grateful for this opportunity.”
The family is the central structure of the parish, the church and the diocese.  With the challenges from today's society straining the family unit, they said it was more important than ever to do whatever they can to reinforce the family because when families are strong and thriving, so are churches and communities.