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Friday, April 30, 2021

Reflection 4/29



 The Catholic church has an impressive rich history and teachings that are rooted in Christ. Dived into deeper with the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC). We also have the advantage of the communion of Saints. Many of whom wrote on the matters of life within Christ.

We are called to live holy lives. Those lives emulated by the Saints. The road is not an easy one to follow. Many of the teachings of the church are harsh and unforgiving. At times we as Catholics struggle with those teachings. Challenges to our very faith and at times our very identity. More so when we feel that leaders have abandoned us in that walk with Christ. 

It is easy to be discouraged when we see this unfold in front of us. Leaders that seem to have no regard for our faith while they push an agenda that clearly is not of Christ. A deep sadness and anger over takes us when we see this play out. Because of our love for Christ and our love of the Church. We feel that it is some how tainted and stained with what we see.

Yet this is not the first time we have seen this kind of stuff play out. Though out the history of the church. Many who considered themselves Catholic went down paths that were very far removed from what we hold to be truth. Yet even with all that the church has remained firm. Even as we struggle within this current world that has made a greater push to reject God in all areas of public life. Leaders will come and they will go. Still the Catholic church remains like the tree with it's roots deep into the Earth.

The greatest sadness that we have is when Catholics openly support things that go directly against Christ. While it would be easy to lash out with anger. It would be far more worth the effort to pray for them. That the Holy Spirit would guide them and that we would be more encouraging so that more would be drawn to Christ. While are living in troubling times and have leaders who are less than ideal. God has shown us many times how strong the church truly is. Perhaps now is the time to remember an important saying: "Jesus I trust in you." -
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Sunday, April 25, 2021

Of Prayer and Bricks


 One of the aspects of the Lego Church Project build is the large amount of prayer that goes into my work. Often times is though my work that I am praying. With each brick I place and each section I build. I am praying with my hands. I pray for the hopes and dreams that we all have. I am taking all that is on my heart and putting it into the bricks that I am working with. It really isn't unlike when we come to the church and we carry with us our own struggles and personal conflicts as we sit down readying our hearts for the Mass.

As I'm working on the build my thoughts are constantly traveling around the various issues that I see. I see the weariness in our eyes as we contend with the chaos of the world. The challenges of getting a loved one to Mass. The desire of all of us to see our parishes grow. Not just in the number of people who make the Mass a priority. But also growing deeper in our faith. I'm also praying for those who face challenges daily that we never know about. Or those, like myself, who deal with some kind of disability. Lastly I'm also praying for vocations. Since we need more people to answer God's call. 

The prayerful aspect is something that I don't always get to talk about in great detail. However it is also extremely important aspect of what I do with the Project. It is a prayer for our future. As the challenges of the world often become more extreme. It is a desire that everyone should be welcome in our parishes. That no one should be looked down on or judged for their level of faith, personal struggles, or disability and challenges. These are the things that I pray for when I'm working on the project build. That we would all desire to draw closer to God and to live our lives as Saints. -



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Thursday, April 22, 2021

Have you prayed for your enemies?


 "Have you prayed for your enemies today?" This was a question recently asked on twitter by Fr. Joseph Krupp. It is something that I've been thinking on. The short answer is yes. Not that I would really consider myself to have any real "enemies" in any sense of the word.

I've clearly over the years of my life have had conflicts with various people. Disagreements over matters of life, politics, and in some rare cases the Catholic church. Sometimes these disagreements have gotten way more out of hand to the point that in rare cases. Relationships fracture. Over time some of those have been mended. Though the amazing power of prayer. Some of those conflicts have been resolved in ways not even I could expect.

A classic example is that many years ago now. I managed to get into a major conflict with one of the residents in the complex over my riding around with The Trike. It got pretty heated and cops got called on me. In most cases it would be understandable that I would hold on to some resentment or a personal grudge. However I spent more than a few months praying for this person. Over time a peace has developed between us and we now get along pretty well. Enough that I make it a point to check in with them to see how they are doing and to offer to pray for various issues.

Questions like the one Fr Joe asked are a good way to remind ourselves of how important it is to pray for those we have disagreements with. For you never know where God will take things. That our prayers should not be limited to just the people in our lives we care about. Or even those who ask for prayers. God calls us to love everyone. Even if we disagree with them. -


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