"Where is God in the Storm" - Max Lucado

*Like many of you, I have spent the last few hours with an eye on the television screen. The devastation is stunning. Many questions are circling. “How long will this last?” “How extensive is the damage?” “Will the storm have an impact on the Presidential election?”

There is a more fundamental question that is surfacing; not on the newscasts, but in the hearts of victims and viewers. “Where is God in this storm?”

The disciples of Jesus asked an identical question. “Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side….He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now, when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.” (Mt. 14:22-24)

What we have seen off America ’s eastern coast, the disciples saw on the Galilean Sea . Tall, angry waves. Their fishing boat bounced and spun on the white-tops. The sky rumbled above them, the water churned beneath them. And I wonder if they asked, “Where is Jesus? He told us to get into the boat. Now we are alone in the storm? Where is he?”

The answer? Praying. “He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.” Jesus made intercession His priority. Did He know about the storm? Could He feel the winds? And see the thunder? No doubt. When He sensed the danger, He chose to pray.

He still does. He offers unending intercession on our behalf. He is “in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us.” (Rom. 8:34) He prays us through the storm. And, at the right moment, He meets us in the storm.

“…Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.” (Mt. 14:25) Jesus became the answer to His own prayer. He entered the turbulent world of His friends and reached out to them.

He is doing the same at this very moment. Through the steady hands of first responders. The compassion of physicians. The kindness of neighbors. The generosity of people like you. We see only a small portion of His activity. But we know this: He still steps into the super-storms of life.

This is a turbulent time for our country. Struggling economy. International conflicts. A divided electorate. And now, an unprecedented storm. Jesus met the disciples in the midst of their storm. Let’s ask Him to walk into the middle of ours.

"Listen To Our Hearts"

I'm working on an adoption slideshow and "Listen to Our Hearts" is the song my friends selected.  I've been listening to this song so much, I feel like I am praying it more than simply listening.  Of course, I connect to most of SCC's songs, so the odds were in my favor!  I've included the original version performed by Steve Curtis Chapman and Geoff Moore (a little dated), and then the Casting Crowns cover, which includes the lyrics.  Take a moment to listen/read and consider if this could be your prayer.





The song can be found here on the album "Listen to Our Hearts - Volume 2".

Inspirational Story

This has been a great story that has taught me many things during various struggles.  Author unknown:

There once was a man who was asleep one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Saviour appeared to him.

The Lord told him He had a work for him to do, and showed him a large rock explaining that he was to push against the rock with all his might. This the man did, and for many days he toiled from sunup to sundown; his shoulder set squarely against the cold massive surface of the rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling his whole day had been spent in vain.

Seeing that the man showed signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture - placing thoughts in the man's mind, such as ``Why kill yourself over this?, you're never going to move it!'' or ``Boy, you've been at it a long time and you haven't even scratched the surface!'' etc. giving the man the impression the task was impossible and the man was an unworthy servant because he wasn't moving the massive stone.

These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man and he started to ease up in his efforts. ``Why kill myself?'' he thought. ``I'll just put in my time putting forth just the minimum of effort and that will be good enough.'' And this he did or at least planned on doing until, one day, he decided to take his troubles to the Lord.

``Lord,'' he said, ``I have labored hard and long in Your service, putting forth all my strength to do that which You have asked of me. Yet after all this time, I have not even budged that rock even half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?''

To this the Lord responded compassionately, ``My friend, when long ago I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you to push against the rock with all your strength and that you have done. But never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. At least not by yourself. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me, your strength spent, thinking that you have failed, ready to quit. But is this really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled; your back sinewed and brown. Your hands are calloused from constant pressure and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your ability now far surpasses that which you used to have. Yet still, you haven't succeeded in moving the rock; and you come to Me now with a heavy heart and your strength spent. I, my friend will move the rock. Your calling was to be obedient and push, and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom, and this you have done.''

Celebrating the gift of faith

As you know, life is precious.  I learned this many times over when my niece, Tasha, was killed in a car accident on July 4th.  I was and continue to be so blest with supportive friends, family, and my amazing Church family.  I cannot express how much your words, thoughts, prayers, and hugs have meant to me.  Yes, there will be tears, but underneath the grief I sense the beauty of our Christian community.  For when I could not pray, you prayed for me.  And as I struggle, you pray with me.  And, when you stumble, I will pray with and for you.  

If I had been able to vocalize this two weeks ago, my prayer would have been similar to the one I found in a Catholic Study Bible:  “O God of the Weary, when exhaustion covers me like a blanket and I am unable to honor the promises I’ve made, send in a faithful disciple of prayer to stand beside me that I might feel their strength.  Let their faithfulness seep into the pores of my skin and silence the enemies of my soul.  When I begin to doubt the efficacy of prayer, surround me with people of faith.”  What I love the most is that I didn’t have to even formulate this prayer, and God already answered it with you.

Now, my version goes like this:  “O God of the Faithful, thank you for your presence in the Eucharist and in each person I meet.  Words cannot express my gratefulness for your servants.  I am in awe of your wisdom, for you have provided me with what I need before I even know to ask!  Help me to cling to You in all things, for without You, I am dust.  I echo the prayers of my ancestors, begging for unwavering faith in Your promises. ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield;  my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.  My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.’ (Psalm 28:7).  May my lifesong continue to praise You.”

I know that I won’t be able to pray this every day; there will be days of sorrow and days of pain.  But we know that for every thing, there is a season (Ecclesiastes 3:1).  This journey is not to be taken lightly or traveled alone.  So, for the gift of faith and the gift of my Christian community, I am thankful.  

Praying for Priests

This has been heavy on my heart for the last several days. No, this isn't a post about vocations or lack thereof. It's about our own Shepherds - our priests. Fitting, since we just celebrated Good Shepherd Sunday!  Consider just how many priests have touched your lives in some pretty big events:
-Baptism
-First Communion
-Confirmation
-Marriage
-Anointing

Then consider the interactions that you might have on a more frequent basis:
-Reconciliation - whether you go once a year or once a week, you interact with a priest
-Mass - at the least, you're probably attending Mass once a week, if not more - again, not possible without a priest
-And don't forget about the variety of events at which a priest is present - funerals, baptisms, graduations, weddings, parish council, school council, KofC, Deanery boards, and much more!

When I stop to think of all the priests I've encountered in my short life, I am amazed:
Msgr. Cyril Werner
Fr. Larry Wieseler
Fr. Jim Keiter
Fr. Frank Dvorak
Fr. Dennis Deguzman
Fr. Ed (formerly)
Fr. John Pietramale
Fr. Keith Rezac
Fr. Chris Grimmond
Fr. William Sanderson
Fr. Ron Noecker
Fr. Craig Loecker
Fr. Paul Hoesing
Fr. Paul Vasquez
Fr. David Korth
Fr. Mike Grewe
Fr. Dennis
Fr. Doll
Fr. Don Clary
Fr. Don Shane
Fr. Jose Chavez
Fr. Matt Koperski
Fr. Mike McDonald
Fr. Paul Colling
Fr. Joe Hannapel
Fr. Josh Brown
Fr. Harry Kurtenbach
Fr. Jon Sorenson
Fr. Kevin Vogel
Fr. Jeff Loseke
Bishop William Dendinger
Bishop Elden Curtiss
Bishop George Lucas
Fr. Antony Thekkera
Fr. Lou Nollette
Fr. Jorge Canela
Fr. Charles Torpe
Fr. Tom Weisbecker
Fr. Mike Keating
Fr. Mark Tassler
Fr. James De Anda
Fr. Allen Scheer
Fr. Corapi (formerly)
Fr. Neal Hock

Some I know well, some I have attended Mass and heard them preach, some were friends of my parents, and some are dear friends of mine. Some cross my path almost daily, and some I've met only once or twice. This is not to say that I'm an expert on priests, by any means, but I think we take for granted the role they play in our lives. Actually, I KNOW, we under-appreciate them. So along with forgetting the impact they have on our lives and in our world, we neglect to pray for them.

I remember when I was little, and my Mom would tell me to never say anything bad about a priest. I accepted it as a directive to follow obediently, but it's only more recently that I've wanted to know why.  And it's interesting some of the items I've found on the topic.  I've listed some sites at the bottom of this post that talk about this as well.  In the Catholic Catechism and the Baltimore Catechism, it reminds us that a priest is the 'persona Christi' and that no matter the human weakness present, a priest is to be honored for his connection to Christ.  Instead, help your priests by praying for them instead of judging them.  

I've included some prayers and links to even more prayers below. If you are so moved, please consider adding a prayer for priests to your daily schedule.

O Jesus, I pray for your faithful and fervent priests;
for your unfaithful and tepid priests;
for your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields.
for your tempted priests;
for your lonely and desolate priests;
For your young priests;
for your dying priests;
for the souls of your priests in Purgatory.
But above all, I recommend to you the priests dearest to me:
the priest who baptized me;
the priests who absolved me from my sins;
the priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion;
the priests who taught and instructed me;
all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way
(especially …).
O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart,
and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen


Prayer for Priests
O Jesus, our great High Priest, Hear my humble prayers on behalf of your priest, Father ____________
Give him a deep faith, a bright and firm hope and a burning love which will ever increase in the course of his priestly life. In his loneliness, comfort him. In his sorrows, strengthen him.  In his frustrations, point out to him
that it is through suffering that the soul is purified, and show him that he is needed by the Church, he is needed by souls, he is needed for the work of redemption.

O loving Mother Mary, Mother of Priests, take to your heart your son who is close to you because of his priestly ordination, and because of the power which he has received to carry on the work of Christ in a world which needs him so much.  Be his comfort, be his joy, be his strength, and especially help him to live and to defend the ideals of consecrated celibacy. Amen.
+John Joseph, Cardinal Carberry (d.1998)  Archbishop of St. Louis 1968-1979


Year for Priests
Prayer card
50 Prayers for Priests

I cannot vouch for the accuracy or authority of the following sites, but they were interesting and helpful to me.
Catholic Exchange
Carmelites
Prayerbook

Good reminder

'Nuff said!

Book recommendation

Taken from an email forward:

You asked me to suggest a book for you to read.  Read these: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  Then, when you are finished, read them again. 

Here's Some Great New Catholic Music

I just downloaded Catholic singer/songwriter Donna Cori Gibson's latest single FREE! She's giving away the first song from her new album \"The Way of the Cross - a song for each station\" for free, but only for a limited time so download it while it's still available. It's worth a listen. Download it here.
           

Something new . . .

I don't know why it's taken me so long to post about music.  Music is a major part of my life, and it is how I most easily communicate with God.  Whether I am angry or frustrated or joyful or excited, there's a song that fits.  This one is a good reminder that it is not on our own merits that we are saved.  And thank goodness for that!

Romans 5:8 states, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  So, in God's eyes, we are free.  Free to make decisions, both good and bad, but also free from the chains and the bonds of sin!

I love how this song invites us to stop dwelling on the past mistakes.  Every day that we say 'Yes' to God, we get another chance to start anew.  Our God is a God of second chances.

Even the everyday stuff counts . . . .

Bible study tonight, and I'm thinking, I'm too busy. I know, I know, but I still thought it. So, we're studying Sunday's readings, and the first reading is about leprosy in the Old Testament, how anyone had to live apart if they had leprosy. The psalm went, "I turn to you, O Lord, in time of trouble and you fill me with the joy of salvation." (No, there is not an equation of sin = sickness) Second reading talked about not alienating others, and being open. Gospel was Jesus touching and curing a leper (hint - touching the leper was a big no-no).

The reflection was about how we are drawn to Jesus because he loves us no matter how 'diseased' we are. We are reminded to be welcoming to all, and to consider who are the outcasts in our lives. It can be emotional, physical, or mental separation. We are to embrace them as Jesus would.

So, it's my turn to read, and I'm still disconnected from the moment (aka - 'self-alienated' perhaps??) and this is what I get to read: "When we are sick and in pain, when we are experiencing alienation or loneliness, when we are overwhelmed with everyday challenges, we tend to seek the presence and help of another who understands what we are going through. At other times we are the one whom hurting people seek. Sometimes we need Jesus to touch and heal us. Sometimes we are this Jesus who touches and heals others." (Living Liturgy 2012 - emphasis mine)

Wow - that made me take notice.  Everyday challenges can be alienation, too.  Like feeling too busy for bible study?  Guess that was my neon sign for the day!

God, You knew me before I was born, and You hold my life, my talents, my struggles, my joys, my pain in your strong embrace.  Help me to turn to Jesus when I forget this, and help me to be like Jesus when others forget You.  ~Amen.

Ordinary time is NOT ordinary

Taken from Living Liturgy 2012:

These thirty-four weeks of non-festal time are named "Sundays in Ordinary Time," first, because they derive non from a feast day as such (they use to be called Sundays "after Epiphany" or "after Pentecost") but from the mystery of Jesus Christ. These Sundays, then rather than celebratings a particular saving event (such as Christmas, Easter, pentecost), actually celebrate the whole mystery of Christ. For this reason, every Sunday might also be called a "cominical" feast day, that is, a day celebrating the Lord (from the Latin Dominus, Lord).

Second, they are called "Ordinary Time" because they are numbered or "counted time" (from the Latin word ordinarius and its cognates, which mean "according to order," "regular"). Although the Latin is translated from the editio typica (the official, Latin version of our liturgical texts) in English by "ordinary," we must not think these Sundays are prosaic or unimportant. In fact, they make up the longest liturgical season of the year, the church's teaching time. This is the time when, Sunday after Sunday, we walk with Jesus through a gospel and learn what it means to be his followers, what it means to hear and heed his call; and we learn how to come to deeper relationship with him.