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My! This year is already going too fast!! I’m going to have to just keep it short because too much is going on.

I got a new computer at work. It has one of those duo-core processors and it’s a desktop instead of a laptop. That meant I had to set up a new computer desk with a place to put the monitor at a downward angle so I don’t have to bend my head and neck way back to be able to see the screen. I used this kind of desk at Sacaton, and loved it. It will take me a while to get things set they way they should be, but it will be nice once it gets straightened out. Of course the 500 or so customizations I did to all the programs and menus in Microsoft office don’t transfer to this new machine — and therefore have to be set up all over again — but that’s life in the fast lane even on Kauai.

This has been a week with a lot of changes. The SpEd department — Crucita is the Department Head there — is having their external review this week, and some of the irregularities that Crucita has tried to correct have not been corrected due to the recalcitrance of some of the teachers. We are hoping that the review will prompt school administrators to look deeper into the practices that resulted in these irregularities.

I’m cleaning out the office, reorganizing files, trying to get ready for that big day when JCAHO arrives, and this means moving literally tons of paper in and out of storage. We’re finally implementing the Records Handling Policy I drafter about two years ago. Whew! As the expression goes “Easier said than done.”

Tommy and Maria have qualified for special assistance from a couple of agencies in Phoenix and are looking forward to getting a place of their own — renting an apartment — so they won’t have to stay with Tommy’s mom any longer. The kids are doing great, and William is looking forward to starting school in the fall. Charles Lee will be right behind him next fall. Miranda is gaining weight, and her hip joints are maturing nicely; she only wears the brace at night now.

Tim is still in Portland and is reportedly doing OK. He has started teaching violin again, has a semi-steady gig in town, and has rented a room on his own — a big deal believe it or not and a sign of real progress.

This is such a beautiful time of the year here on Kauai. We’ve been out whale-watching a couple of times and seem some really exciting incidents of whales playing and courting. The kittens are enjoying the cooler weather, too (all the way down to a chilly sixty-eight in the evenings). Advent season is over and Lent is early this year, so we’re looking forward to another season of sharing in our Parish. Regrettably or friend and associate pastor, Fr. Al Rubadello, has been transferred to another parish to help out with the administration there; we’ll miss him a lot. We learned much from his insightful homilies and comprehensive knowledge of liturgical practices.

My mom is now in a “regular” nursing home, and that’s good. It looks pretty unlikely that she will be able to handle an assisted living community, so my brother Dave and his wife Paula are working toward getting her into the VA nursing care center. You’ve probably heard about the excellence achieved by VA hospitals, and we feel it would be a good place for Mom to live comfortably. The Medicare rules make it very difficult for her to enjoy having some of her most familiar things close at hand, and there have been some highly annoying high-jinx from my sister’s oldest daughter that are very taxing. Still, it’s good to see that Mom is feeling better, and I’m very grateful to Dave and Paula for their courageous tenacity. Take a second and offer a pray for them — thanksgiving for their contributions and strength for their battles with Heather and Medicare.

I’m still contemplating that seven-part series on reconciliation. I think I need to work on it a little more, though, before I send it out. Meanwhile, I hope you’re having a great Friday as the beginning of a fun and blessed weekend. See you in the MOON! I thank God for you every day; I ask Him to bless everyone I’ve ever loved, everyone who’s every loved me, and anyone who’s ever loved them. There are also prayers that are more specific than those general intercessions, so if you’ve got something that you’d like to throw into the mix, a need, or a testimony to share — send it. Meanwhile, I am so happy YOU are part of my life!! “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

chick

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Last week I encouraged you to meditate on Prov 3:5-6. Today I want to add a couple of other verses (Prov 3:5-8) and share my thoughts with you. It’s a long one, so my apologies in advance.

Proverbs 3:5-8

“5. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths. 7. Do not be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn your back on evil. 8. Then you will gain renewed health and vitality.”

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Have you ever had a difficult decision or an important choice to make and wished you knew how to make the right choice with certainty? Of course you have! We have all been through that. It is an essential part of human life to decide. We are created to be choosers. We call it free will. It is one aspect of our lives that demonstrates we are created in God’s image. The difficulty arises because we are unsure about whether or not we can trust ourselves to make that decision correctly, and that is recognition that we really don’t know everything after all. You may recall something I wrote for you several years ago, “If you really knew as much as you think you know, you’d know it’s not enough.” Well, something to that effect anyway.

Our ability to choose is a gift from God. It is He who knows what is best for us because only He knows everything about us. Everything. He has given us intellect, reason, knowledge, and we can use those attributes to gain understanding and wisdom. That’s good if we recognize that our understanding wisdom will be imperfect because it will always be incomplete.

Even though our understanding and wisdom is imperfect, it can still be enhanced by conferring with wise counselors, and even more so by God’s word both in print and as spoken in our hearts. This is what we call, “Seeking God’s Will.” I’m thinking back to another previous message about what we want from God. It seems that for the most part men want to know the mind of God and women want to know the heart of God. God wants US to forget about that stuff and focus on the Love of God. He encourages us to give Him primacy in all things — a difficult task for us because we are generally more inclined to give primacy to ourselves.

When we focus on ourselves more than on God, our values and priorities are skewed toward temporal things rather than eternal joy. In another passage in Proverbs (16:1-3), we read

1. We can gather our thoughts, but the Lord gives the right answer. 2. People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives. 3. Commit your work to the Lord, and then your plans will succeed.

The cool part is that these ideas apply to ALL our plans and ALL our decisions. When God is an integral part of everything we do, success — doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason with the right outcome — is the result. =Even when we do wrong things or things wrong, we can DECIDE to change that. I know there are moments in my past which demonstrate that I can be spectacularly and tragically wrong. But I also know that God’s infallible integrity is the basis of his justice as well as his love. Because of that justice and love, there is mercy, and from mercy comes hope. Hope leads to faith, and faith unites us with the heart and mind of God.

Now, if you’re tired of my preachy Aloha Friday cards, you can choose to delete them. They may or may NOT RESONATE with your life, and so you can ignore them. From time to time I just find this bubbling up inside of me because of the joy I feel. Sharing that bubbling and that joy with YOU just seems like the right thing to do. Thank you for your love, and especially for your patience with this note. May God richly bless you and everything you think, say, or do. He will, you know, whenever He is part of every though, word, and deed. And even if something goes terribly wrong, even if your decisions are unfruitful, He will always return to restore order whenever you invite Him.

Aloha nui loa kakou!

chick

You can use this calendar to find dates of Fridays in 2007

http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/?year=2007

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The “W” in Christmas

Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience.

I had cut back on nonessential obligations – extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending.

Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.

My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six year old.

For weeks, he’d been memorizing songs for his school’s “Winter Pageant.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell him I’d be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there’d be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation.

All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.

So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor, and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song.

Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as “Christmas,” I didn’t expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment – songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes, and good cheer. So, when my son’s class rose to sing, “Christmas Love,” I was slightly taken aback by its bold title.

Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snow-caps upon their heads.

Those in the front row- center stage – held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song.

As the class would sing “C is for Christmas,” a child would hold up the letter C. Then, “H is for Happy,” and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, “Christmas Love.”

The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her; a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter “M” upside down – totally unaware her letter “M” appeared as a “W.”

The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one’s mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her “W.”

Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen.

In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities.

For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear:

“C H R I S T W A S L O V E”

And, I believe, He still is.

Amazed in His presence…humbled by His love …thrilled with His Grace…filled with His Spirit.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved

Have a wonderful Christmas. I will see you again after the beginning of the new year.

Aloha nui loa. Hau‘oli Makahiki Hou
PS: Happy Birthday MCT!!

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Happy Aloha Friday !!

If you’re spiritually alive, you’re going to love this! If you’re spiritually dead, you won’t want to read it. If you’re spiritually curious, there is still hope!

Why Go To Church?
A Churchgoer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. “I’ve gone for 30 years now,” he wrote, “and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons… But for the life of me, I can’t remember a single one of them. So, I think I’m wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all.”

This started a real controversy in the “Letters to the Editor” column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:

“I’ve been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this… They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.

Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!”
When you are DOWN to nothing… God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible, and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

When you go to church and come back home saying, “there was nothing in it for me. I’m not being fed there,” try asking yourself if you fed anyone else while you were there. If you’re not feeding someone, you’re not going to be fed.

All right, now that you’re done reading, send it on! I think everyone should read this! When Satan is knocking at your door, simply say, “Jesus, could you get that for me?”

Mahalo and a tip-of-the-hat goes to C.W. for sharing another great lesson. As you prepare for this season’s celebrations, be sure to include not only nourishment for yourself — physical and spiritual — but also nourishment (physical and spiritual) for the poor, the oppressed, those suffering as a result of violence (victims and perpetrators), and the homeless and orphaned. “Whatever isn’t given is lost. It is what we decide we can live without that makes us unique.” Oh, and don’t forget to say a little prayer for the rest of the MBN, OK?

Peace, Hope, Joy, and Love

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved

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Seeing Eye

A man was flying from Seattle to San Francisco. Unexpectedly, the plane stopped in Sacramento along the way. The flight attendant explained that there would be a delay, and if the passengers wanted to get off the aircraft, the plane would re-board in 50 minutes.

Everybody got off the plane except one gentleman, who was blind. The man had noticed him as he walked by and could tell the gentleman was blind, because his Seeing Eye dog lay quietly underneath the seats in front of him throughout the entire flight. The passenger could also tell the blind man had flown this very flight before because the pilot approached him, and calling him by name, said,
“Keith, we’re in Sacramento for almost an hour. Would you like to get off and stretch your legs?”

The blind man replied, “No thanks, but maybe my dog would like to stretch his legs.”

Picture this:

All the people in the gate area came to a complete standstill, when they looked up and saw the Pilot walk off the plane, even wearing sunglasses, with a Seeing Eye dog!

They not only tried to change planes, but they were trying to change airlines!!

True story… 😉 🙂

Have a great day and remember….

THINGS AREN’T ALWAYS AS THEY APPEAR!

Make it a great weekend!
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved

chick

Today I am 60 years old. Not a big deal since I have been “near-60” since I was 19. Today I want to share with you something the Holy Spirit has given me. It is “Today’s Healing Word.” It is a long essay! but it is something I find continuously amazing. IF you listen you truly can hear God speaking. Here’s what I heard – some of it at least.

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What is the Healing Word?

          Some of the events and places in our lives are so beautiful that each time we experience them we are surprised by how truly beautiful they are. I can recall when my friends and I were driving back for Christmas vacation from my first year of college in Michigan and seeing the Rocky Mountains to the west of Denver. As I got closer to Denver, they seemed to rise up out of the plains. The excitement, delight, and surprise grew more intense with each passing mile. A sense of wonder overwhelmed me and finally tears of joyful awe ran down my face and over my smile. I had forgotten how huge and beautiful the mountains were, and yet they were there all the time just as beautiful and just as huge. They had not changed. I had. Coming back helped me to remember.

          Beautiful moments and beautiful places sometime surprise us like that even when we’ve only been away for a month, a week, or even a day. The Mass is one of those beautiful moments that is always more than I can anticipate or remember. One of my favorite parts of the Eucharistic Celebration is the prayer, “Lamb of God.” That is the first point in the Mass where we, the faithful, are actually speaking to the Real Presence. It is like seeing the mountains rise from the plains. Jesus is really there, really as beautiful, really as loving, really as real as life itself. He is always coming back to us in the Eucharist to show us how much he loves us, how available he is to us, and how wonderful he is all the time even when we do not remember.

          In our parish, as in many others, the Eucharistic ministers are gathered before the altar during this prayer. As we speak to Jesus in prayer, helpful hands take hundreds of hosts, each conveying the fullness of Christ, and distribute them to several ciboria. “Bread, blessed and broken” is prepared for sharing. At the end of this short and beautiful prayer where we ask Jesus for mercy and peace, the Priest elevates the Host, showing us the Lamb of God. “This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are they who are called to his supper.” John the Baptizer announced Jesus using words like these. It was the first public acknowledgement of Jesus’ mission. Again, the beauty of that moment is overwhelming as we contemplate the fullness of his Grace. Jesus is right there in front of us. So beautiful. So amazing. Then we all pray together again. As we look up at him in adoration, we pray this beautiful and amazing prayer, a prayer of faith asking to be healed:

“LORD, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word, and I shall be healed.” (in 2006. Today we say

LORD I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof

But, only say the Word and my Soul shall be healed.

Have you ever heard that healing word?

          Silence was what I used to hear when that prayer was offered during Mass. I have always believed that somewhere in Heaven or history, somehow in Theology or Doctrine, someone knew that healing word. Each time the faithful uttered that prayer, that word was spiritually given in response. Just as I had forgotten to see how beautiful the mountains are, I had forgotten to listen for his healing word for me. But what would it be?

     If, like the Centurion whose words to Jesus are the basis for this prayer, I asked Jesus for healing, what is “the word” he would speak? Would he just look at me, see the weakness of my faith and say, “Yeah, right.”?

     I think not. When the Woman from Canaan reminded him that even the dogs get the scraps from the master’s table, He did not withhold his blessing and healing. Jesus knew just what to say to her to give her healing for her daughter as well as for her own distress.

      The LORD knows all our needs. He knows all of us by name all of the time. He knows what we want and how much that often differs from what we need. Much has been written and preached about how we offer to do his will and then list our specifications for doing that. All of us can recall at least one instance when we ignored his tender call and ended up stranded in the brambles. If he knows how many sparrows there are in the world, and knows all the names of all the stars, then he must also know the names and places of all the atoms in our bodies. He has created all of us, and each of us is uniquely created. Perhaps, then, the healing word invoked in our prayers at Mass is unique as well.

      All of us need healing from the damage caused by sin. Some of us are nursing broken hearts, broken spirits, or broken bodies. Some of us are struggling to help our faith blossom under adverse circumstances. Some of us may be doing just great and know that God is working freely in our lives. “Only say the word, and I shall be healed.”

      What do you imagine Jesus would say to you if you asked for healing? For some people, he might say, “Done!” Recall that the prophet Isaiah told us, “by his stripes we were healed.” (Is 53:5) All the healing we will ever need has already been accomplished through Jesus. It may not be manifested in our daily lives in ways that we can test with our senses. It may be something that is done spiritually first, and only gradually shows in the physical world. The healing is complete, nonetheless, in the eyes of God.

     We didn’t even have to ask for healing the first time. It was a gift of Grace offered on our behalf to Adam and Eve. When our first parents sought their creator after that, he had another word of healing for them, and for us as well: “Come.” He called Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees, promising to walk behind him and be his God. Abram, for his part, promised to walk beside God and be the first of his flock. God called his children out of Egypt, inviting them to follow him as Moses walked beside him. God led them through experiences that healed a whole nation and brought them to spiritual and physical healing in the promised land. When the people forgot the magnanimity of God’s blessings, he called out prophets to chastise and correct them. Finally, he called his Son to come to us and complete what we could not seem to get started. Now his Son calls us to come to the Father through him. He is asking us to get up off the kneeler, as an act of faith, and come to the altar to receive the sacrament which memorializes the reason Jesus came to us as an infant in Bethlehem.

     In the Nativity account given to us in Luke’s Gospel, we learn how the angels and shepherds rejoiced. When we are filled with sorrow or doubt, when life seems just too difficult, the word of healing just might be, “REJOICE!” In Philippians 4:4, Paul tells us, “Rejoice in the LORD always; and again I say, rejoice!” We have a hope, a blessing, which the world cannot offer or understand. All of the Saints from Abraham’s time to today have found delight in the promises of God. What great healing there is in joyously accepting the gift of salvation! When we joyfully accept the gift of his love, all heaven joins with us. We receive Jesus’ promise that we can ask in his name, and we will receive so that our joy may be complete (John 16:24). Jesus invites us to follow him joyfully into the Kingdom.

      We often hear evangelists urging us to accept Jesus’ invitation to lay aside our own lives, take up our cross, and follow the Master. Sometimes, though, we are hindered by stubbornly clinging to our own idea of what salvation is. We want to love God, but we limit the amount of Grace we will accept. “I am not worthy to receive you” is part of the prayer quoted above. That is true. In the parable of the Wedding Feast (Mt 22:1-14), the king says, “The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come.” Worthiness has absolutely nothing to do with God’s Grace. It should never prevent us from accepting God’s healing of our lives. So very many of us have received the invitation to the Feast and refused to attend because we were not “good” enough. The word of healing in this case might be, “Enter.” How wonderful it is to know hat God loves us so much that his invitation is not based on worthiness, but rather on willingness to enter the feast of his love, the Eucharist!

      Still, we must be ready to join in the communion of the Saints gathered around the altar. Coming to the Eucharist unrepentant is merely pretending that we understand the glorious mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection. It is exalting ourselves rather than worshiping God. Though none of us is worthy of God’s unmerited favor, he nonetheless expects us to honestly accept his gift of love. Jesus told us to settle things with our neighbors before we approached the altar. Forgiving each other, and ourselves, is a crucial step in receiving forgiveness. When we complicate our situation by believing God won’t notice that we still have not reconciled our differences with each other and with him, we insult the creator of all good gifts. In this situation, the word of healing could be, “Repent.” There is no limit to the number of times we are allowed to repent just as there is no limit to the number of time that God will lovingly welcome the repentant sinner.

      All of us sin because all of us are imperfect. Scripture assures us that the “wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, his Son.” (Rom 6:23) Eternal life is life that is always renewed, always full to overflowing. Healing is God’s way of restoring wholeness to life. God’s healing restores wholeness eternally. How do we get eternal life, eternal wholeness? We believe in the power of God’s love. John 3:16 tells us that God loved us so much that he sent us Jesus so that whoever would believe in him would not die but have everlasting life. In Romans 10:9-10, Paul tells us that by believing Jesus is Lord we are justified, and by proclaiming our belief, we are saved. Can we be healed if we do not believe, know with unassailable certainty, that God can and will heal us? How wonderful it would be to hear, “Your faith has made you whole.” And yet, God is so generous that often a single step taken in faith is all it takes. For some of us, then, the healing word is, “Believe.”

     Sometimes, though, in our day-to-day journey, our lives seem so ordinary that even a single step seems pointless. Each day is just as unremarkable as the day before, and there is little reason to believe that tomorrow will be any different. That is not the kind of exciting life we envision when we think of “eternal life.” If we are healed by his stripes, shouldn’t our lives be filled with rejoicing? Shouldn’t we be bubbling with faith, hope, and love? If God has loved us and really healed us, how could we possibly be bored? Well, actually, we can’t; but sometimes we forget. Sometimes we listen to that fallen angel’s lies: “God doesn’t always love you. Look what happened to me! One little mistake and ZOOM; right out of Heaven! Yeah, life’s tough all right. He’s probably forgotten about you by now. You know, he’s always more interested in people who ignore him.” Well, of course those are all lies, which is what we’d expect. God never forgets us, remember? “A mother would forget her nursing child before I would forget you.” (Is 49:15) Sometimes the word of healing is as simple as “Remember.” That’s what the Eucharist is all about: “Do this in remembrance of me.”

          At other times we are weighed down with burdens we do not understand, pain we cannot endure, hopelessness that swallows all our joy in remembering Jesus or anyone else for that matter. Matthew 11: 28 -30: 28  “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. 29  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. 30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Sometimes when we hear that we cry out to Jesus, “Your yoke? Your burden! No thank you. I have enough of my own to carry!” In this passage Jesus is telling his listeners they can free themselves of the burden of the law – sin and death – and take up instead a life of obedience to his law of love. When we do that we find it liberating to be free of the effects of sin and free to share the life and love of Christ with him and with everyone. Our burdens are lightened, so “Lighten” can be the healing word for those of us who suffer much. To lighten is to relieve of a burden in whole or in part, to reduce in weight or quantity, to make less wearisome, to become more cheerful, to make light or clear, to make (as a color) lighter. God will lighten every burden, lessen every care, wipe away our tears, and vanquish our despair. For each of these we give to him, he gives us in return Grace beyond our wildest hopes, a gift we cannot earn. Our life work is sharing our life.

     When we look at the lives of those who have given their work life to the Master, we can see how that decision brought tremendous change into their lives. Think about what happened to the Apostles, especially Matthew and Peter. Matthew worked as a tax collector. His own people hated Matthew for his collaboration with their oppressors. When Jesus spoke the word of healing to him, it was, “Follow.” This was the same word of healing for Peter. Peter followed Jesus in life, through death, and into Heaven. Countless Saints have found that their lives could only be made completely whole by following Jesus. Many learned that they could follow without a map or even a clearly marked road. They learned to rely on Jesus for everything.

      That kind of trust seems to come easily to the persons who heroically took up their cross to follow him. Yet, when we read the biographies of these grace-filled children of God, we see that often they, too, struggled with doubt, sin, pain, and sorrow just like we do. How could they have endured so much without trusting that God would make it all come out right in the end? Sometimes it’s easy to believe in God. We know he’s “out there” somewhere. That kind of mystical hopefulness is not very comforting when we need help. Knowing God is there is one thing. Trusting God to be here is something else entirely. If you know God, but don’t necessarily trust him, “TRUST” may be the word of healing for you. That’s especially important if God is asking you to do something that does not make sense in our worldly perspective. As your trust in God deepens, your understanding of the difference between The World and The Kingdom validates your trust.

     Because of this, another word of healing often associated with “trust” is “obey.” Jesus commanded us to love one another. We must obey his command. “Whoever loves me will keep my word.” (John 14:23) If we love Jesus, we will want to love each other. Sometimes it seems too simple. Just love Jesus, and you will be empowered to keep his commandments to love each other. The reverse of this also seems simple. Just love others the way Jesus loves them and you will be loving Jesus. Thus, the word “Love” can be a word of healing, too. It is not as simple, though, as “feeling love” for one another. Love is not a feeling. “Like” is a feeling. Love is an action. We must act on our love, not merely express it or feel it. While it is true that loving Jesus and loving others are inseparable, they are inseparable acts, not feelings.

      Speaking of feelings, what does it feel like to be whole, to be healed, to be filled with eternal life? How can we ever tell if our prayer to be healed has been answered? Again, the answer is in the Nativity narrative: Peace. The angels carried the message to us from God. The shepherds, the Holy Family, radiated peace. Paul tell us that by rejoicing in the LORD and depending on him, by constantly giving thanks, we will come to know that peace which surpasses understanding. (Phil 4:4-9) In this peace we are able to exalt God under any circumstances. We know that The Word is true. He told us Himself he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (John 14:6)

     John begins his gospel by telling us of Jesus’ coming as The Word Incarnate. The name “Jesus”, like the name Joshua, means “the LORD is salvation.” When we know with absolute clarity that Jesus is LORD, we are healed. Jesus may speak one or many words of healing for us in our lives, but if he is Lord of our life, each word he speaks will have the desired effect: We will be healed, made whole in the sight of God. Even if we never hear these words as if spoken out loud, we can be open to their effect by accepting God’s gift of Grace. It is a gift. We cannot buy it with our “good behavior.” It is not for sale. It cannot be a gift unless we accept it.

      Without acceptance, a gift is just an offer. If we do not use the gift, its effect is limited. All of us have already been given all the Grace and Love there is. There is more than enough to make completely whole every person that ever lived. It is so beautiful and so huge that sometimes we forget. We do not see the Lamb of God, the Real Presence, elevated before us unless we look through our Father’s eyes and see his Son. We do not hear the healing word if we forget to listen with our heart and spirit. We do not taste and see the goodness of the Lord unless we expect and accept the healing we are promised when we pray, “Only say the word, and I shall be healed.” Whatever word God speaks into your heart at that moment, honor the giver by accepting the gift. And once you’ve accepted it, use it.

     A few years ago, I decided I would make an effort to hear that healing word I prayed for during Mass. All during that time, I have found that listening often opens me up to insights that are unexpected. Sometimes a word would come to me, but by the time Sunday afternoon rolled around, I could not remember what the word of healing was. I began to write them down. That led to listening to the Mass and the homily with a more discerning ear. God really can speak to us through the persons, places, and things around us. I found that taking notes made a lot of sense. When I go to a class to further my education, or a workshop to learn a new skill, I take notes. I realized that it made sense to take notes while I am in the presence of Jesus, too. What he and his ministers have to say in their words and actions can help me in my pilgrimage. “Ask and it shall be given to you. Seek and you shall find. Knock, and the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7)

          “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” (Revelation 3:20) Jesus opens many doors for us. He also asks us to open the door for him, the door to our hearts. When I was a child we sang a gospel chorus called “Into my heart.” It was a melodic prayer inviting Jesus to  come and dwell in our hearts forever. That closeness to him is thrilling. Sometimes the healing word in “Enter.” We can ask Jesus to enter our hearts, and he asks us to enter his joy. In Matthew 25:21, Jesus shows us that our reward for doing his will is to “enter into the joy of your master.” If you received an invitation from the master of all creation, would you ignore it?

          “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” (Psalm 95:7-8) How can we hear except we listen? If “Listen” is your healing word for today, then you know Jesus has spoken healing words to you. Claim them as your own, but share them with the Kingdom. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) Everything that is yours is yours to give away. In this case, the healing word might be: “Be thorough!”

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Here are some additional thoughts from Sunday, February 3, 2008 based on Homily Notes from a homily by Fr. Alfred Rubadella at St. Catherine’s of Alexandria Church in Kapaa.

Fr. Albert Notes 02/03/08

There are two kinds of personalities associated with inflicted pain: Masochists and Sadists. Masochists derive pleasure from being emotionally or physically abused. Sadists derive pleasure by causing physical or mental pain to others. Some people try to claim that Christians are being asked to find pleasure in their own pain and suffering. One might ask, “Am I going to be enjoying my suffering?”

God is not asking us to enjoy the pain in our lives but to find meaning in human suffering as a new meaning an purpose in life.  How can that be? What it is:

1^st It is communion with the suffering of Christ – all of it – including especially the outcome of that suffering: His resurrection.

2^nd We can share in the suffering of others, some of whom endure more than we do and some less than we do. Remember the adage about “I complained because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.”

3^rd We can be in solidarity with others and with Jesus because we know our pain and suffering can be shared, can be offered up with his as an act of love to God our Father. This is because when it is shared it is somehow lightened, somehow lessened, somehow dealt with because it is shared.

It is what Jesus taught us – to share everything with him and with others. Give God an offering of even all our pain, illness, suffering, sorrow, doubt, fear, everything we have that is hard to bear; all we can do is give it to God who asks us to place it before him as part of our life in him.

Today’s Healing Word: Lighten: To relieve of a burden in whole or in part, to reduce in weight or quantity, to make less wearisome, to become more cheerful, to make light or clear, to make (as a color) lighter. God will lighten every burden, lessen every care, wipe away our tears, and vanquish our despair. For each of these we give to him, he gives us in return Grace beyond our wildest hopes, a gift we cannot earn.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved.

➡

chick

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Some of us don’t drink coffee, but the symbolism is so spot-on; just replace “coffee” with your favorite drink.

Life is the Coffee!

I'm crazy about coffee and coffee is crazy about me!

After all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.”

“Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases, it’s just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups… and then began eyeing each other’s cups.”

“Now consider this: Life is the coffee, and the jobs, houses, cars, things, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us.”

God brews the coffee, not the cups . . . enjoy your coffee.

“Being happy doesn’t mean everything’s perfect, it means you’ve decided to see beyond the imperfections.”

Live in peace and peace will live in you.

Do not hold your peace. Be held in Peace.

Happiness is not found in having what you want. Happiness is in wanting what you have.

Some people think they have to have fun to be happy. Truth is, you have to be happy to have fun.

Whatever is not given is lost to everyone who could have used it.

What we do says who we are. Actions speak louder than words.

If you were me, then who would I be?

Kudos to my dear Friend, Francee, for the text and to The Coffee Blog (http://www.brewed-coffee.com/) for the photo.

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Choosing – –

LET IT REALLY SINK IN – THEN CHOOSE.

J. J. is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, “If I were any better, I would be twins!”

He was a natural motivator.

If an employee was having a bad day, J. J. was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, “I don’t get it!

You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?”

He replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or … you can choose to be in a bad mood.

I choose to be in a good mood.”

Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or…I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.

Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or… I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life. “Yeah, right, it’s not that easy,” I protested.

“Yes, it is,” he said. “Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood.

You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live your life.”

I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

I saw him about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, “If I were any better, I’d be twins…Wanna see my scars?”

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

“The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter,” he replied. “Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or…I could choose to die. I chose to live.” “Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?” I asked.

He continued, “The paramedics were great.

They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read ‘he’s a dead man’. I knew I needed to take action.”

“What did you do?” I asked. “Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,” said J. J.. “She asked if I was allergic to anything.”Yes, I replied.’ The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled,

“Gravity!!”

Over their laughter, I told them, “I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.

” He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude… I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything because our attitude is what sets our altitude and our capacity for gratitude.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34.

After all today is the tomorrow you worried about Yesterday.

You have two choices now:

01. Delete this.

02. Forward it to the people you care about.

You know the choice I made.

The good Lord didn’t create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes and politicians come close. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved
chick