This moment

What does God want me to get out of this moment?

A very wise person (who happens to be my sister) encouraged me to ponder this question after I called her wanting a magic wand to solve life's questions and problems.  I had arrived at an impasse, and there was really nothing I could do but wait.  Not my action of choice, especially at that moment.  I was frustrated, anxious, irritable, tired, and confused.  She managed to put things in perspective when she shared something she had read, which her spiritual director had shared with her.  (Thank goodness for spiritual directors!)  As I was contemplating my feelings, next actions, and life in general, she suggested that I stop and ask myself, 'What does God want me to get out of this moment?'

Maybe it was the opportunity to practice patience.  Or so I could be motivated to think about things differently.  Maybe it was so I would call my sister.  I don't know the answer, but I do know that there is a very valuable lesson for me.  The only way I will discover the answer is to be in conversation with God.  To look at this situation through God's lens gives me a whole new perspective.  Rather than feel helpless or frustrated, I can grow, if I am willing to let go.  I guess that's why people say, 'Have faith.'  We may not have all the details, the road map, or a Sherpa to guide us, but we have God.  Sometimes we have to let go of our small plans to receive better ones.

So, I will live in the moment, and do the best I can, while God prepares and molds me.  It's not easy, but it will be worth it.
  

Mah-waige (aka marriage)

I just returned from festivities celebrating the Sacrament of Marriage yesterday.  My good friend married a great guy, and it was an absolutely beautiful day, in so many ways.  I knew I wanted to come back and reflect on the event some more, and I started thinking how I wanted my post to go.  How could I possibly do justice to such a beautiful sacramental celebration?

I admit, I gave it a lot of thought, and borrowed some inspiration from other blogs, such as this one.  For while we all know lots of great wedding movies or wedding scenes from movies, nothing can top the Princess Bride:



Of course, the video really has nothing to do with the celebration in which I participated as far as characters, accents, or backstory, but I couldn't resist a reference to the classic line, "Mah-waige is what brings us together."

Marriage is what brought all of us together yesterday; friends and family, neighbors, co-workers, extended family, young and old.  We came together to witness the beginning of a new family.  I was privileged to be a lector for the ceremony, and I proclaimed the first reading, which was from Genesis.  The words took on a whole new meaning, as I directed them to my friends.  ". . . and the two shall become one flesh."  They have become a new creation in the eyes of God and the witnesses present.  They are no longer separate.  She was glowing the entire day, and he was beaming as much as I've seen any guy beam!

In my attendance at many, many wedding ceremonies, I am amazed at how my perspective of love is deepened.  I remember one particular homily that was given at a wedding, and the priest recommended that the people who were present at the liturgy should stay close to the couple because the couple was overflowing with God's grace, especially today (the day of their wedding).  He said when the sacrament of marriage is celebrated, God's grace is even more abundant, and that it would be spilling over the couple.  Thus, the recommendation to stick close and experience some of the overflowing grace!  I love that imagery; God pouring a pitcher of never-ending graces on the couple as they administer the Sacrament of Marriage to each other.  How amazing is that?  Sign me up, please!

So, along with the funny clip above, I have one other piece I wish to share - the lyrics to another song by Francesca Battistelli - A Hundred More Years.  I wish this as a prayer to my friends, that the joy, grace, and love they experienced on their wedding day may last for a hundred more years.

Hundred More Years

Album: Hundred More Years
Artist: Francesca Battistelli

Diamond ring and 12 red roses
Everything she ever wanted
All those dreams and now they’re finally here

She’s so young and he’s so perfect
They waited for love and it was worth it
She wants to feel like this for a hundred years
All of this life still yet to live and they can hardly wait

(Chorus)
They can laugh
They can cry
The future looks so beautiful and bright
They can dance
Under the moonlight
‘Cause God is smiling down on them tonight
And she wants to stay right here
Make it last for a hundred more years

She’s got blue eyes just like her mother
Three years old, he’s crazy for her
He wants to freeze this day before it disappears

She’s spinning like a little princess
Making sure he’s gonna notice
He could watch her twirl for a hundred years
She’ll grow up and she’ll leave home but until that day

(Chorus)
They can laugh
They can cry
The future looks so beautiful and bright
They can dance
Under the moonlight
‘Cause God is smiling down on them tonight
And he wants to stay right here
Make it last for a hundred more years

And it’s only time
But it flies right by
And today is sweeter than we know

And so they dance
Under the moonlight
‘Cause God is smiling down on them tonight
And they want to stay right here
For a hundred more years

Words & Music By: Francesca Battistelli / Ben Glover

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