Pages

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Thoughts of Elections


 

As the election results come in. People on both sides of the political parties are going to be freaking out. No matter who wins the election they will be upset/angry and challenge the results. Violence and protests could very well break out and innocent lives ruined because "the wrong person won". You can even expect to see calls to abolish the electoral collage. Even though that is what keeps things fair and in balance. It will not be an easy time for days and weeks on end. Sadly this cannot be helped. More so when we are living in a pandemic and people are getting weary of the restrictions and lock downs.

The results don't bother me. As someone who is a bit of a political neutral such things do not change how I feel and will not change how I am conducting my life. Who is president changes nothing with me over all. As a Catholic who is strong in the faith. I will pray for the conversion of hearts for all of our leaders. That they would be guided by the Holy Spirit instead of being driven by the temptations of the world. I will not invest my time in being overly critical. I will include them in my daily Rosary. So in that respect nothing will really change. In fact I will go so far to say that I don't care who you vote for. If your family and friends I will not disown you. I will not treat you with any less compassion. I don't expect people to agree with me and I hope people understand that I may not always agree with them. But that won't change how I feel. For me family is important and that cannot be abandoned.

If their is one change that I will make in all of this. It is the same one that I have been working on. Being even more of an evangelist for Christ in an age where Christ is being attacked and put down. Even worse being minimized by people who claim to be his followers. Seems to be this notion of "separation of church and state" which to me is a fancy buzz term "keep your faith private and out of the public." As a Catholic I cannot do that. I cannot keep my faith in Christ private. We have an obligation to live our faith and we must hold true to that faith. More so now in this current age. I end this post with a verse of wisdom and the best take when it comes to how I will live my faith: Isaiah 62: 1 "For Zion's sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet,".


Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Rising above fear


They say that the greatest thing the evil one was ever able to do was to convince the world that he no longer exists. That he is no longer a threat to our society or to our world. To that extent this is true. He has become nothing more than the mythical boogie man that children are no longer afraid of. Yet fear is something the evil one is taking a direct role in these days. As people no longer believe that he exists he is free to do what he pleases. Which includes putting fear into the hearts of those around him.

These days we are more afraid of the world around us than ever before. We are afraid of being close to one another. To give family and friends a hug or a handshake. To gather together in our homes and in our businesses. To even be together for the holidays. Worse we are afraid to gather together in the name of Jesus Christ in our church buildings. The reasons are clear. A house united cannot be destroyed. While a house divided can easily fall apart. The evil one does not want us to be united because to be united means that he cannot win. So he applies the tools of his trade to seek out and to destroy us from with in. Using fear and worry to rob us of our very peace and to use that turn us against one another.

The challenge in all of this is to find the path that allows us to rise above that fear so we can live our lives. To not give into this desire to be afraid of one another. As Christians the answer comes from scripture itself. In fact going though the Bible the one phrase that is shared and repeated in some variation is "do not be afraid". Though out both the old and the new testament. Even Christ says those words a few times. If we accept scripture to be true than we must accept that God is with us. Even when the storm it at it's worse. Perhaps with in our fear we can take the time to pray. It seems to be something that we have lost touch with during the challenges as of late. Prayers for healing. For peace. For unity. Along with praying for an end to the fear that overrides our better sense of judgement.


Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

More than an identity


I think one of the things that many people don't fully understand is that when I say that I am Catholic. It is more than a "label". It is a total embracing of a way of life that calls us all to be true disciples of Christ. By saying that I am Catholic it is accepting that their are rules and responsibilities that we must follow. The path of Christ is not always an easy road to be on. We are witnesses and in many ways evangelists for the faith when we live our daily lives. We truly embrace the faith and all that it means.

Which why I probably get irked with many "Catholics" who are in public office. They often claim they are people of faith. In their private lives, to some extent, I'm sure they believe that. However the actions they take and the things they support publicly often put that faith into legitimate question. More so when they are called out in public over the missteps. They want to have the best of both worlds. To embrace public life and elected office while openly supporting things that go directly against the teachings of the church.

The Gospel of Matthew highlights this issue in 24th verse of the 6th chapter: "No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

To say that we are Catholic is to fully embrace Christ. That includes the very teachings of the church. It is not something we can pick and chose. More so when your in the public eye. To embrace the views of a party that run counter to the teachings of the faith. Comes across as embracing mammon instead of Christ. It also sends the wrong message to those who may be considering joining the church. That we are not strong enough in our faith when we embrace the sins of the world instead of embracing Christ. It is one thing to have a private issue with the faith on some element of it. But something else altogether to publicly reject the teachings for the name of a party. In that respect your trading Christ for another master.

As a Catholic in my own way I am a representative of the faith. So is everyone who publicly says as such. It is more than a culture. More than an identity. It is a way of life that is more important to me than the world itself. It would be nice to see more of us who call ourselves Catholic take that same road and truly, publicly, embrace the faith.

Posted by at No comments:

Saturday, July 18, 2020

The Risks of Following Christ





  Recently the news has coming out about attacks and vandalism at Catholic parishes around the world. This is not really unexpected given the current state of the world. However we should look at this though the lens of history and realize that this kind of stuff is not really new. It was not different in the days of Christ and it is no different now. The evil one does not like God or what the church itself stands for. Thus he will use any means he can to destroy us. Even in the Gospels Christ warns us several times that following Him carries risk. That not all will be accepting of the truth that He has given us.

  Seeing places of worship being destroyed is always a sorrow filled moment. The Catholic Church stands for something for more profound. Holding fast to the Gospels and all that Christ teaches. These lessons and wisdom passed down though the generations in the lives of the Saints. Not all accept this truth. They will hate and fear what they don't understand. If they did not then we would not have anyone who would be considered martyrs: Those who died for accepting Christ.

  We must remember that we are more than the buildings and the statues. If the suspension of public Mass during a pandemic has taught us anything is that our faith has to be deeper than the foundations of the buildings. Statues can be vandalized and topped. Churches can be set on fire and destroyed. They are a focal point for the faith but they are not the faith itself. Our faith lies in the path that Christ has given us in this life. Doesn't matter what happens around us so long as we hold true to the Catholic faith and not make compromises because the world demands us to. We have a commitment to Christ that goes past the world. When we commit to walking with Christ. Nothing should stop is at all. No matter what evil the world will throw our way. Much like the days of the Apostles we must be willing to face the hatred. Matthew 5:11 "Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me." True words to live by in an age where the faith is under more attacks than ever before.


Important Links!

Twitter: @kc8wzm


Posted by at 1 comment:

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

When we reject God




In this current age it seem that we have a deep desire to have a dislike for God. We see this every day the more we seek to remove Him from the public square. As a result things will get progressively worse with the state of the world. As a society we have really become spiritually bankrupt. With recent events we are starting to receive the rewards of that bankruptcy. When God is no longer the focus of our lives. The evil one seeks to fill that void we have willingly allowed to be created. We push God out of the way, and by that same understanding, turn our back to Him. 

It creates a path for the evil one to take advantage of the situation. This is because the world is no longer afraid of the punishment of hell. No longer understanding what it means. No longer afraid of sin that takes us down that dangerous path. Nor is the world afraid of the final judgment of our souls that awaits us. To even think about these things becomes for us an uncomfortable truth. The majority of people right now don't accept or believe that there is a spiritual war going on. We have lost sight of what is truly important. Replacing it by embracing the sins of the world. Instead of embracing Jesus Christ our Savior.

As followers of Christ we must remain strong and not give into supporting this sins of evil. For the reward for such actions is by no means pleasant. The gate to Heaven as always been a narrow path. While the road to hell is as wide as the rivers. It has always been our choice on which path we take. Taking the time to think about that fact should scare you more than anything else going on in the world right now.

-jm
Posted by at 1 comment:

Saturday, June 20, 2020

A Rush to Judgement on Disability




When I look at my own life though the challenges I face. The biggest problem that I tend to run into is this rather quick rush to judgement about me due to the nature of my disabilities. Though out the course of my life I've had some pretty nasty stuff directed at me as the years have moved on. People are constantly questioning my motives. Or even worse they don't believe me because I don't fit into those narrow boxes of what people who have a disability should look or act like. It has lead to harassment and at times discrimination. 

Going to school was a challenge because I was picked on and bullied a lot. I had to endure so much in school because for some reason the kids felt that I was different. That didn't get any easier as an adult and even now I still face that kind of discrimination that is often overlooked and at times justified. Often by well meaning people who don't realize that such actions and words are noticed. Sometimes they hurt even when that is not their intention. It seems that having a disability, especially an invisible one, still has some kind of stigma attached to it.

Everything that is negative being thrown at you can easily wear you down. If your not careful it can lead you down to a very nasty place if you let it. By the Grace of God I am still standing. As a Catholic I have been able to rely on my faith during some of the more challenging moments of my life. Though Christ I have learned to try, as much as I can, to take the high road. Doing what I can to not hold on to the anger. I realize that some people just don't understand. They do not know what it is like to live with a disability. More so if it is one of the ones not easily seen. They will also be the ones who won't take the time to try and understand. In Matthew 5:7 it says: "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." Part of taking that high road is to follow that wisdom: I have forgiven a lot of people because of their ignorance. My hope is that by talking about what I've faced that I can open up people's eyes a little bit. I pray that people would have some empathy before they make that kind of a rush to judgement. 


Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels:

Monday, June 8, 2020

Going to Mass





On Sunday I had the chance to attend Mass for the first time in almost twelve weeks. It was probably for me, one of the most difficult, and anxiety inducing moments I have had. The anxiety was not related to the virus or fear from it. Rather it was from all the "social distancing rules" that were in place. In many ways it was heart breaking because of the looks on everyone around me. Some of us, and with good reason, are very afraid. At the same time we had such a look of sad children.

During my time at the parish I was lost in my own thoughts. I spent some time in prayer reflecting on many things. During that time I was reminded that God has guided me (and everyone) though many storms with in our lives. That God has remained with us. Even when the boat has been tossed about. It seemed all too fitting given the recent events as of late. I am well aware of the issues with Covid. The protests over the death of George Floyd. The riots and devastation of innocent lives in the aftermath. I am also fully aware that some people fully support, and embrace, such violence and feel that it is the only solution. Yet even with all that going on. Sitting inside the church I am reminded of God's endless love. 

Going to Mass brought with me a clarity that I have not felt in a very long time. What we are seeing right now, with the restrictions, is only temporary. With in time we will have Mass with out limits. As I was praying the thought came to mind: What if God wants us, during this time, to put more of our faith forward. I mean after all are we not true witnesses to what God has done for us? Can we put more of our efforts into asking God to reawaken in us a spirit of hope? I'm sure some will get upset that the churches are starting to reopen. After all the last thing the evil one wants is for us to give any kind of Glory to God. Anyone who knows me understands how important my faith us. The Mass is important to me and I will ride out the storm! I will give Glory to God in all things! And I will keep the prayer that God will change things for the better, sooner than later, and refuse to give up hope on this. 



Important Links!

Twitter: @kc8wzm

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Saturday, June 6, 2020

People Wonder





People often wonder how I can have such a strong faith in a world that seems to have lost it. How I can talk about the power of prayer in the face of things that should destroy the human spirit.

My answer is this: When I look though out my entire life. I've seen the events that have shaped me. I've seen so many things happen that seemed to be completely impossible to overcome and yet have seen turned around thanks to those who are willing to put their faith forward. I have seen what Surrendering to Christ can do for those who believe in HIM! I have seen too many things go from bad to good thanks to asking God for help. 

That is why when the storms seem to be at their worse. I know God will answer the prayers of the faithful. HE has done it countless times and has changed the course of many lives. How can we stand here and openly proclaim Christ as our Savior and yet not accept that God can and will change things for the better if we are willing to ASK. If anything we cannot allow ourselves to give into the fear and the doubts that the world will not change for the better. If anything we who proclaim Christ have the power. We have always had it. That power is our Faith in Jesus Christ. Prayer will help if we are willing to Ask God for help. I know I am.


Important Links!

Twitter: @kc8wzm


Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

A little Ducky





Every evening or so I take a short little ride in my apartment complex. Often times to clear my head of the events around me. In most cases I will once in a while see the random rabbit and that's about it. Nothing overly eventful taking place. The other night? Well I was in for an adventure. This started off with seeing a group of geese flying over my head as I started off. Then I ended up spotting a Mother duck and her ducklings. I followed them around for a little bit till they came near the one corner of the complex. That's when I saw the rabbits that are known to hang out. Some of the other residents in that section also saw the ducks. The one decided to toss bread (not a good idea) to the ducks and that's when the Sea Gulls decided to take advantage and ended up having a small gathering of them on the lawn. Mean while Mother Duck decided to follow the rabbits who wanted no part of anything and bolted. It was rather impressive and crazy sight to see. To think this happened after I had spent time in prayer with a Rosary. 




Posted by at No comments:

Monday, June 1, 2020

Easy to lose hope

 



It is very easy to lose sight and to lose hope while this crisis is going on. The news and social media does a rather impressive job of painting grim picture. Along with leadership that is doing best or worse they can depending on who is doing the talking. No matter how you look at things. It seems the news is constantly bad and will not be getting better anytime soon. It is enough for anyone to sight of any thing positive and to lose hope that anything will get better.

My own spirit has been troubled as of late. Both in part due to the slow opening of the diocese, the various (and probably needed) restrictions on the Mass. But also from the reactions of people who spend their days grumbling over what is going on. The frustration is high enough that people will lash out at anyone who challenges their view of how things are or how they should be. No matter what opinion you have.

One of the biggest questions that has been on my mind in all of this has been: "Where is our faith?". The question itself comes in the form of a rather stunning rebuke of Peter. This is recorded in the 14th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. Specifically at the end of verse 31: "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?". Many of us have probably been feeling more like Peter than we would ever care to admit. No one can be blamed given the current events. Still we must how much do we truly believe in God that He can and will change things for the better. Do we have the level of faith required for this? Or are we content just to let things remain and wallow in self pity.

For God to be willing to anything for us. It requires an amazing act of total surrender on our parts. A prayerful desire that we want the current storm to pass. That we want things to get better sooner rather than later. So they do not drag on endlessly. A deep faith and total trust in God is needed. For our faith in Christ needs to be with out any question or doubt. This is by no means easy. Given the current state of the world.

God has been tempering us for sometime. We have the choice on these events making us stronger in our walk with Christ. Or shatter our faith into total oblivion. If we want to be stronger. If we want things to change. Then we must commit to prayer and not give up any hope. Even when it seems that the news does not get any better. The choice has always been ours. We can either spend all our days an energy complaining about what is going on around us. To focus on all the negative aspects of our lives. Or we can put our faith in Christ above all else. Taking that time and effort and put it into deep, constant, daily prayer. We cannot do both. God sometimes asks us "Where is your faith?" If anything right now, this is very much the time, to show the world where our faith is at. Even with in the Bible and the lives of the Saints the message is clear: If we want things to change sooner than later we must surrender to Christ and put all of our energy into prayer. Amen?


Important Links!

Twitter: @kc8wzm




Posted by at No comments:

Saturday, May 30, 2020

From The Desk: 5/29




Granted I am by no means perfect in this. But I would rather be a bit of an optimist that God will do something profound in our lives during this crisis. That He would change things for the better sooner than what people say or think. Nothing is impossible with God. I have seen this countless times in my own life. It is, for me, putting my own faith into practice.

Posted by at No comments:

Saturday, May 9, 2020

Fear and Worry



“Worry is a weakness from which very few of us are entirely free. We must be on guard against this most insidious enemy of our peace of soul. Instead, let us foster confidence in God, and thank Him ahead of time for whatever He chooses to send us.” -Fr Solanus Casey

  The words of Fr Solanus still ring true today. Worry can open up our hearts in such way that it allows us to given in and be weakened to other forms of spiritual attack. In this specific case fear. Given the chaos going on right now it seems that we are living in a constant state of that fear. We are afraid of getting hit with a virus that is extremely dangerous to some people. We are afraid of inadvertently passing that virus on to someone else not not even realizing it. We live in fear that the lock downs imposed for our safety will never be release. Believers in Christ are also live in fear that we will never be able to return to any of our church services.

  While some fear can be healthy. The majority of it is not. Because much like many negative emotions it can open us up do deep spiritual attack and not even realize it. When we live our lives in a constant state of fear it can make us act in ways we normally would not. Making rational thinking people act in very irrational ways. In our quest to find resolution to a crisis we do things more out of direct reaction than by remaining calm and thinking things though. People often demand action when a crisis hits. Yet in that quest they give into fear and propose blanket actions that may or may not even come close to helping with matters at hand. When we give into that fear then we become a pawn in a spiritual warfare.

  The evil one does not want peace in our hearts nor does he want us to trust God. This is why he uses such tools to ruin our peace and our relationship with Christ. Even when the Apostles were tossed about in the boat. Even in their fear Christ remained with them and calmed the storm. He can also calm the storm with in our own hearts. Giving us much needed clarity to act in a much more rational way.

  Humans may never be able to completely remove fear and worry from our hearts. However Fr Solanus also gives us wisdom: "let us foster confidence in God, and thank Him ahead of time for whatever He chooses to send us." God and prayer are the answers to our own fears.

  We can still take reasonable actions to protect ourselves. While at the same time surrendering to Christ to give us wisdom on how to do things in a decent and compassionate way. My friends now is a time of prayer and it is something we need to be doing. For it will give us true understanding on not giving into the fear that is all around us.

Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

From The Desk: 4-29


Reading though social media can be an epic level dumpster fire at times. More so when it comes to people who get into endless debates over various things going on with in the Church. Some people only see the negative things going on and refuse to accept anything good is going on. They want to see God's wrath and judgement and will use every Bible verse and Catholic tradition to justify their view and any one that runs counter to that might as well be a heretic. It becomes endless cycle of doom and gloom to the point that you can tell the person it's sunny out and they will still tell you it is raining.

No where in the Bible did Christ tell us the road would be an easy one to travel. Even for those that stayed with Christ though Pentecost and after the road was filled with danger. Even in the early days of the Church the road was not easy. It never was meant to be easy. Sure we have had times of calm. But looking though our history we have had just as many times of storm. Yet the common thread in all of it is the believers never gave up hope. They did not always get to the point where all they see is bad things. They also focused on what is good and holy before the eyes of our God. Above all else they did not see everything as doom and gloom. Instead they put a total trust in God. Their faith in Jesus Christ is a lasting reminder of that trust. It is way too easy to see what is wrong in the Church. But despite what people think. It's not all bad. If we want proof of this? Look though our history. Look at the lives of the Saints. Each generation had to face some kind of storm. This one is ours. Surrender to Christ all that troubles us. Surrender to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit who guides us. Surrender and give Glory to God the Father. Though Him all is possible. Focus on that and not give into the darkness on social media. Amen?
Important Links!

Twitter: @kc8wzm
Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, April 12, 2020

Vigil Reflection




It is with in the tradition of the Catholic church that the evening before Easter Sunday we have the vigil. It is a time of preparing ourselves to celebrate Christ's return. Tonight however it is profoundly different. While the Mass is still being said. It is not filled with people looking to attend thanks to the ongoing crisis that is still unfolding. For me it is a humbling and sorrowful experience. The reason for this is that in a twist of fate. The only people in the church tonight are the ones sitting inside The Project. While they are still just LEGO figures. They truly represent where my own heart, and the hearts of millions, desire to be at. To be part of the active celebration. While many have argued that it is better to watch/stream the service from home. It is a poor substitute for being with Christ directly in the form of the Eucharist. Tonight we celebrate not as members of our parish communities. But rather we are more like the Apostles who scattered when they saw their teacher put on the Cross. We are locked away and hidden. Tonight for the first time in a generation. We see the resurrection from the eyes of the Apostles. We understand the fear and the unknowns. We seek out God for a better tomorrow. Knowing that something profound is on the horizon. That Jesus Christ is Risen! Alleluia!!!
Important Links!

Twitter: @kc8wzm
Posted by at No comments:

Thursday, April 9, 2020

Hope of Attendance





Some feel that when this crisis passes over us. That the churches will remain as empty as they have been for a long time. It is easy to see why people think that. Not sure about other Christian Paths. But their has been an over all decline in attendance of Catholic parishes. Even in my home parish I've seen the numbers slowly dwindle. The reasons vary depending on what is going on. Sometimes people just walk away from Christ thinking that they can visit on the Holidays. When in reality we need to make a stronger commitment to our faith and make Christ far more of a priority than He currently is.

One of the things that I often talk about is hope and the importance of prayer. In this case I have hope that this current crisis will be a wake up call that we can no longer take things for granted. That it will transform how we look at the Catholic faith and open up our hearts with a deep desire to receive the Sacraments once we are able to do so. A hope that we can use this as a giant reset. To make Christ a true priority and to fill our parishes once again. It is something that I pray about often. Unlike some who only want to see the negative in things. I want to remain hopeful that our parishes will see more attendance even long after the current storm has passed us. As we head into Easter. Let us pray for those who struggle in their faith. Who are having a very difficult time. So when the time comes. All can take part in the Mass once again.



Posted by at No comments:

Monday, March 30, 2020

From the Desk: 3-29

As of this writing the world is in the grip of the dreaded Covid-19 virus. Many places are shut down. Public attendance of Mass has been suspended for the time being. With no clear information of when that will change. For the first time in a generation, in many places in the world, their will be no public celebration of Easter. It is a time of great worry. Some are upset with the Bishops decisions in all of this. I for, one, feel that they are guided by the Holy Spirit. Below is a personal reflection of my thoughts on things.

Many people feel that with the suspension of Mass that this will be the end of the church. They question the logic of the Bishops and the reasoning of various leaders. Both in the secular and of the religious. Even in the last few days I've been trying to reflect on the events of this virus and how it impacts my own life. When this crisis first started I was like many who questioned the reasoning of our leadership with in the Catholic church. As I've learned more about how evil this virus is. Along with a healthy dose of personal prayer and reflection. I come to see better what it is the Bishops are doing. The reality is that the Bishops have a burden of leadership that far outweighs the understanding that I would ever hope to have. It is a realization that what is going on is more than my own desires and wants. Rather the entire world is facing a global issue that unless contained. It will destroy all that we hope to gain.

Even if we don't like the decisions being made with in the church. No matter how we look at things. God is in control and He has His reasons for all of this. What I have come to understand is while we wait for the return to the Mass. God is calling each of us to grow deeper in the faith. To develop a passion and craving for what is important vs our own desires. I personally feel this call in my own heart. A reawakening of sorts. A desire to stand firm in the face of the storm and to take on the sacrifice that God has asked of us. Many of us have grown stagnate in our walk with Christ and our relationship with God. We sometimes get too comfortable and go though the motions when we are at Mass. I see hope that this crisis will be a wake up call the church really needs. If current events have shown us. We can no longer afford to take things for granted. With in my own life I have faced many trials that God has put me though. To test and to temper my own understanding. What separates this challenge from the others is that this is one that we are all facing together. Soon the darkness will lift and we will see things return. Till that time we just have to ride out the storm.

-

Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)