"Where are you"....

"Where are you"....

"When they heard the sound of the LORD God walking about in the garden at the breezy time of the day, the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. The LORD God then called to the man and asked him: Where are you? He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid.” " ~ Genesis 3: 8-10

   In Genesis God calls out to Adam and asks “ Where are you?”.  Adam is hiding from God because he ate from the Tree that God asked them not to and is ashamed. The sin of Adam and Eve created a space between them and God. When God asks Adam that question I think that today that same question can be asked of us all. Not just as in the physical hiding but also spiritual hiding as well. We hide from God today in both the physical and spiritual aspects of our lives. Some it is more spiritual then physical and others it may be reversed. 

    There are many ways that we can physically hide from God. Before I get into the physical aspect I feel the need to state that I believe there is no place where God is not but it is in our desire to avoid or go to where we feel that He is not or is there. When we decide not to attend mass, we are physically removing or keeping ourselves from a place we know He is spoken about and has a noticeable presence.  It is a way for us to keep our minds and hearts from being with Him. We avoid that physical place because it is a reminder of the relationship we have with Him. Another way we can try and hide from God is  when we avoid those people in our lives that have that connection with God. We avoid them because they are also that physical reminder of God in our life. They may ask us that same question of “where are you” or “where have you been” and it makes us think about what was or what has yet to become that relationship with God. For me I must say that I did avoid some people because they were that reminder of God and I kept that distance and hid from them because of it. The physical aspect of hiding  is almost like the quote “ Out of sight, Out of mind”. When those physical aspects of faith are removed it is easier for us who want to stay hidden from God. We do not attend mass, we do not keep in touch with those people, we take the signs of faith in the home and pack them up, avoid shows or movies that have a message of God, etc..  

    When we avoid the places, the people and the things that physically remind ourselves of God then we are going to places that we feel God is not, we are forming relationships that God is not welcomed, and fill our lives with things that do not remind us of God. It makes it easier for us when we want to hide to have these other avenues and paths to take. We avoid that physical world of God and replace it with a complete secular life. No signs of God, becomes a way of life. I remember having a struggle about putting up the crosses I have collected over the years in my new home. I remember saying out loud to God “ Just because these are up does not mean we have a relationship. I just like the way they look and not the message behind them”. Who was I kidding?  I think it was a way for me to hold onto that physical sign without admitting it.  This happens not only to the ones who lead a life with God but those who never have had God in their life before as well. The world makes it very easy for us to avoid God out there. We have plenty of other avenues to take and paths to explore. We have to work to find the paths and avenues to God in the world, but the avenues and paths to sin are easy to find. Those who never had a relationship with God may not realize that they are also hiding from God. If they do not explore those other paths or avenues, they also are hiding. 

     The spiritual hiding from God is more painful and creates that great divide and keeps our souls from being in the light. Our souls naturally want to seek out and embrace God but when we hide it from the light we are slowing killing our soul. When we turn from prayer and conversations with God, that light starts to dim. We are hiding our souls in the dark and making it harder for our soul to cry out and ask us to refresh and restore itself with the graces and promises of God. We are removing what nourishes our souls. When we do not include prayer in our daily lives we are keeping ourselves from God. We may do that because we know that what we should be praying about, will not be the answers we want. That as long as we do not get that feeling of “NO” from God then what we are doing or about to do is ok. It is the hiding behind the statement of “Ignorance is Bliss”.  Just because you hid your soul from a connection with God and did not pray for an answer, does not make it right. Our souls want to do what is right and just. It is only in our hiding from God in prayer that our souls lack the force to guide us in right judgement. We are turning off that GPS in our souls to God. We are not recharging our souls to help guide us. 

      In spiritual hiding we are placing our souls in jeopardy and also our salvation. Our souls will guide us and lead us to God. It is who we choose to be that our soul will tell in the end. God seeks our souls to speak to and get His messages to us. He will not force it  but up to us to freely accept that connection. We may at times hide ourselves because we feel that we are so far from God and that we are not able to come back to Him. The second we open our souls again to Him and start that conversation and prayer our souls start to search for that path back to Him.  

      God asks us all “ Where are you?” each day. Not because He is unclear where we are but we have to answer Him so we remain connected to Him. He wants to hear “Here I am” so He may show us the graces and paths for us. When we say this we are not hiding from Him but actively renewing our commitment to Him and our Faith. God wants to come to where we are and by also asking that question He is showing His care and concern. If He did not care, He would not ask. 

      There is also another way that question may be interpreted as and that is “ Where are you on your journey to Me?” Are you doing everything to keep that connection flowing? Are you on the right path to Him? Sometimes God may ask this so we take stock in our journey to Him. It should make us stop and make sure things are right in those areas in our lives. 

    It is such a simple question that God asks but it has so many ways we can answer it. We do not have to answer at all if we did not want to. We can remain in hiding from Him if we wanted to. Yet, that question will never stop being asked. Think about answers to the question of  “Where are you?” and answer it. Where are you in your Faith? Where are you in your relationships to God, Jesus, Holy Spirit? Where are you in your both physical and spiritual life? God will always ask you because He loves you and He wants to hear “Here I Am, God”.

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and know where you are and where you are going. He is waiting for you. 

St. Bartholomew

St. Bartholomew

Feastday: August 24

St. Bartholomew, 1st. century, one of the 12.

All that is known of him with certainty is that he is mentioned in the synoptic gospels and Acts as one of the twelve apostles. His name, a patronymic, means "son of Tolomai" and scholars believe he is the same as Nathanael mentioned in John, who says he is from Cana and that Jesus called him an "Israelite...incapable of deceit." The Roman Martyrology says he preached in India and Greater Armenia, where he was flayed and beheaded by King Astyages. Tradition has the place as Abanopolis on the west coast of the Caspian Sea and that he also preached in Mesopotamia, Persia, and Egypt.  Feast Day August 24.

Eusebius of Caesarea's Ecclesiastical History (v §10) states that after the Ascension, Bartholomew went on a missionary tour to India, where he left behind a copy of the Gospel of Matthew. Other traditions record him as serving as a missionary in Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, Parthia, and Lycaonia.

Along with his fellow apostle Jude, Bartholomew is reputed to have brought Christianity to Armenia in the 1st century. Thus both saints are considered the patron saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

He is said to have been martyred in Albanopolis in Armenia. According to one account, he was beheaded, but a more popular tradition holds that he was flayed alive and crucified, head downward. He is said to have converted Polymius, the king of Armenia, to Christianity. Astyages, Polymius' brother, consequently ordered Bartholomew's execution.

The 13th century Saint Bartholomew Monastery was a prominent Armenian monastery constructed at the site of the martyrdom of Apostle Bartholomew in the Vaspurakan Province of Greater Armenia (now in southeastern Turkey).

Truths of faith

Truths of Faith

"So Pilate said to him, “Then you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say I am a king.^* For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” 

       Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” 

When he had said this, he again went out to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in him." ~ John 18: 37-38

     Pilate’s question to Jesus “ What is truth” is something that we need to be asking ourselves in this day and age. With everything we read, hear and see, we need to be asking “What is the truth?”. The world today contradicts many messages of Jesus and that of our Faith. Those messages brings those “truths” into question and we may start to doubt and pull away from what we knew as true. We need to not just have that “blind faith or blind truth” and just follow all the time, but a faith that is based on the truths that we have learned and experienced in our lives, the lives of those around us, the lives of the saints and the life of the Church. 

     The world we live in today can not only twist, distort, misrepresent, and invent truth but can cause us to pull away from the truths in our own souls. This is where Satan comes in his full glory. He is the father of lies as we have read in chapter 8 of John. We are foolish if we do not see that Satan plays a role in the world today. Some say “that the greatest lie of Satan is convincing people that he doesn’t exist”. He makes that lie a truth to so many today. When we buy into that lie, he is able to start to work on the truths we believe and start to shred them till we can’t see what the truth was to begin with. 

     What are the “TRUTHS” of your faith? What are the “TRUTHS” about God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Mary, the Saints? What are the “TRUTHS” about the most Holy Eucharist, the Sacraments, the Priesthood, the Religious Life? What are the “TRUTHS” about the Sanctity of Life from Conception to Natural Death, Holy Matrimony, Contraceptives? 

      

      Can you answer those questions? I am not saying spout out Theological answers but the “TRUTH” of what that Theology has done to your soul. Not to list Biblical Quotes but The “TRUTH” of the Bible that has planted the seeds of a true faith in your heart.  That stir of your soul when you sit before Jesus in Adoration and the “TRUTH” that you see before you.  The “TRUTH” in your tears as you cry out and pray to the Trinity. That loving “TRUTH” when you hear the heart beat of a unborn Child. The feeling of “TRUTH” when you hold your rosaries and ask for Mary to intercede for you. There are many “TRUTHS” of our Faith. The “TRUTHS” come from our hearts, minds, and souls so we may express them to those who are seeking the “Truth”.

    Paul writes “ Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” ~ 1Peter 3:15  Give them the truths that are within you. Share the truths of your faith and your experiences of the truth.  It is so important in the world today for us who know the truth to be able and share it with those who not only seek it but don’t believe in it. 

     Know the “TRUTHS” that lies within your soul so you may be able to share them. Learn the “TRUTHS” of the faith so you can stand up for the faith. Seek out the “TRUTHS” in the Bible and the Theology. Understand what the “TRUTHS” are so you may be able to shed light on the lies that are out there in the world. 

      I ask that we all take the time out and sit down and list what the truths are and how and why we believe them to be the truth. A time may and will come where your faith is questioned and it will be in the truths that you have in you that will keep you prepared and ready. I will pray for the Truths to shine bright so that we will never lose sight of them for us all and ask you to do the same.

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and may you Know, Learn. Understand and Seek the truths in your faith. 

St Philip the Apostle

St Philip the Apostle 

Feast Day: May 3

   Philip the Apostle was one of the earliest followers of Jesus Christ. Some scholars speculate that Philip was first a disciple of John the Baptist, because he lived in the region where John preached.

Like Peter and Peter's brother Andrew, Philip was a Galilean, from the village of Bethsaida. It's probable they knew one another and were friends.

Jesus issued a personal call to Philip: "Follow me." (John 1:43, NIV). Leaving his old life behind, Philip answered the call. He may have been among the disciples with Jesus at the wedding feast in Cana, when Christ performed his first miracle, turning water into wine.

Philip recruited the skeptical Nathanael (Bartholomew) as an apostle, leading Jesus to reveal that he supernaturally saw Nathanael sitting under a fig tree, even before Philip called him.

In the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus tested Philip by asking him where they could buy bread for so many people. Limited by his earthbound experience, Philip replied that eight months' wages would not be enough to buy each person one bite.

The last we hear of Philip the Apostle is in the book of Acts, at Jesus' ascension and the Day of Pentecost. Another Philip is mentioned in Acts, a deacon and evangelist, but he is a different person.

Tradition says Philip the Apostle preached in Phrygia, in Asia Minor, and was martyred there at Hierapolis.

Retreating

   Retreating

"Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect." ~Romas 12:2

     There are two different ways one can look at the word “Retreat”. From the religious angle it is “A period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, or study” and from a secular angle it is  “The act or process of withdrawing, especially from something hazardous, formidable, or unpleasant”.  One is seen as backing down and the other is to re-energize our minds, heart, and mostly our souls. Yet, as I saw both of the definitions I think really they need to be combined. 

     When we, Christians, go on a retreat, we are withdrawing from the world and the things in it that are hazardous to our faith and our relationship with the Trinity. The reason we are “retreating” is because the world has taken a toll on us and on our souls. We need to take that time and pull away and refocus or set our compass back on the “True North, God”. In the world we are constantly bombarded with different things that pull us from focusing on God. It may be the constant noise from the TV, Phone, Computer, Radio, or the different images that puts our focus on material things, or talk of things that go against what we believe and feel. I think if we feel that those things do not affect our faith or connection to God, then we are worse off then we think. The best way I think I can explain this is think of what you eat. Whatever you put in your body, will affect it. If you eat junk you will feel sluggish, gain weight, and feel sick. Yet, if you have a balanced diet you will have energy, stay fit and feel good. So, why do we think those things that enter our mind will not affect how our soul is? This is why we need to “retreat” from the world and be less of the world. 

    We need to put ourselves on a “Spiritual Diet” or a “Spiritual Cleanse” from time to time. We can do this by going on a retreat. It can be a day, weekend or a week at a time. It is a way to get rid of that noise in our lives that gets in the way of hearing God’s voice speaking to us. Pulling back and away from the world will be refreshing to you. I will also go a step further and say that silence can play and even should play a  major role in this retreating. There are different kinds of retreats out there. Some are ones that are focused on building up the community of believers, silent retreats that focus more on turning inward, and some are a combination. 

       Until this past Lent I have never gone on a silent retreat. I was apprehensive and thought at first this was not for me. I like that connection to people and I need to talk to have that. You find something in common with the people on the retreat like job, hobbies, sports, music, etc... and that helps you connect. I must say after going on a silent retreat, I was wrong to think I wouldn’t get that connection or enjoy it as much as the other. Both styles of retreats or a combination are good and none are better then the other. Each plays a different role and connects us differently as we need at that time. 

      The “Silent Retreat” for me gave me that time to fully disconnect from the world and all of the noise and distractions. The phone, computer and tv was turned off. Facebook and the Internet were never opened. That gave me that physical disconnect to the world that I needed. You also can get that on a regular retreat, but you get something extra on a silent retreat. With not being able to talk to others, those questions of job, family, hobbies, etc... are removed and you are able to leave all of those facets of life on the back burner and allows God to be up front. Whatever stresses from the job, family, etc are not kept up front by conversations. It does become about that connection between your Mind, Heart and Soul with God. You will be surprised what comes to the surface and how you hear God when it is just you and Him. There is that weekend of silence and you are not putting God on a time restraint by saying “ Ok, I can give you 15 min of silence now before the game starts or I have to answer the phone can I put you on hold God, or on a commercial break lets talk quick”. 

   I was able to pull away from everything around me and just listen to my Mind, Heart and Soul in relation to God. It was easier then I thought to be “in” silence. You can go to listen to speakers, attend prayer services, mass and adoration. You can speak in regards to prayers and mass, just not have conversations with others. I must say that I welcomed that silence and even embraced it. That complete silence is something that I did not realize was needed and beneficial. That focus becomes easier and easier as the weekend progresses. I came to new understandings and decided that I need to try this “silent disconnect” from the world. 

    We can not always get away for a weekend or even a full day let alone a week but try to do it at home for a few hours. Turn everything off. Ignore it all or if you feel you can not do it at home then go for a walk or sit by a lake or the ocean. Turn off the phone and just sit and allow the silence to take over. Focus on God. Talk to Him. Ask Him questions. Seek and look deep into your soul. What do you see? Any seeds that are taking root? 

     Retreating from the World will give our Soul the chance to repair, heal and grow. Our connection to God, Jesus, Holy Spirit and the faith will grow and strengthen. Find a retreat and take that chance if you never went on one.Try out the different ones and see what ones fit and work best for you and in you. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and take some time and be silent with our God. 

St. James the Disciple

St. James the Disciple

  Over the next few weeks I want to include the 12 Disciples into the blogs. Reflect on their lives and the lives they left so that they may follow Jesus. Try and connect with them and see where your lives are similar and then ask yourself “ How have you left your life behind and followed Jesus?”

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and may St. James inspire you to follow Jesus. 

Feast day: July 25

Patron of Laborers

For James there was no indication that this was the day that his life would change. The dawn for him was not the bright beginning of a new day, but the end of long fruitless night of fishing. As James sat mending his nets in the boat with his brother John and his father Zebedee, he must have watched in wonder as his partner Simon brought in nets loaded with fish he had caught at the command of Jesus. Was he shocked when he saw Simon and his brother Andrew walk away from this incredible catch at a word from this same Jesus?

As he watched Jesus walk toward him followed by Simon and Andrew, did he feel curiosity, fear, hope, envy? Jesus didn't pass him by but, stopping by their boat, called James and his brother John to do just what Simon and Andrew had done. Without argument or discussion, James and John left their boat and even their father behind, and followed Jesus.

The first thing James saw after he followed Jesus was his teaching with authority in the synagogue and the cure of Simon's mother-in-law.

We all know that Jesus was the focus of James' life from then on, but it is also evident that James held a special place in Jesus' life.

He was chosen by Jesus to be one of the twelve apostles, given the mission to proclaim the good news, and authority to heal and cast out demons. To be named one of the twelve James must have had faith and commitment.

But even among the apostles he held a special place. When Jesus raised Jairus' daughter when all thought her dead, he only allowed James, John, and Peter to come with him. Even more important when he went up to the mountain to pray, he wanted James, John, and Peter to go with him. And it was there on the mountain they were privileged to witness what no one else had seen -- Jesus transfigured in his glory, speaking to Moses and Elijah, as the voice of God spoke from a cloud.

And with Simon Peter, James and John were the only ones of the apostles that Jesus gave a special name: Sons of Thunder.

To be singled out in these ways, James must have been a close and respected friend of Jesus.

It's no wonder then that James, along with John, felt that he had the right to go to Jesus and ask him to give them whatever they asked. As a mark of his love, Jesus didn't rebuke them but asked them what they wanted. They showed their lack of understanding of his mission when the asked that he let one of them sit on his right and the other on his left when he came into his glory. He replied that they didn't know what they were asking. They didn't see the cross in his future, but an earthly throne. Could they drink of the cup he would drink of? They replied that they could. He assured them they would indeed drink of that cup.

(Matthew has their mother asking for this favor for her sons. Despite the bad reputation their mother got for this, it should be remembered that she too had followed Jesus in his travels, providing for him, and was one of the women who stayed with Jesus as he was crucified when the apostles, including her son James, had fled.)

The other apostles were furious at this request. But Jesus used this opportunity to teach all of them that in order to be great one must be a servant.

James and John did show further lack of understanding of their friend and Lord when he was turned away by Samaritans. They wanted to use their newfound authority as apostles not to heal but to bring fire down on the town. (Perhaps Jesus gave them their Sons of Thunder nickname because of their passion, their own fire, or their temper.) Jesus did reprimand them for their unforgiving, vengeful view of their power.

But despite all these misunderstandings, it was still James, Peter, and John that Jesus chose to join him in prayer at the Garden of Gethsemane for his final prayer before his arrest. It must have hurt Jesus that the three of them fell asleep on this agonizing evening.

James did drink of the cup Jesus drank of, all too shortly after the Resurrection. Acts 12:1 tells us that James was one of the first martyrs of the Church. King Herod Agrippa I killed him with a sword in an early persecution of the Church. There is a story that the man who arrested James became a convert after hearing James speak at his trial and was executed with him.

New Day

New Day

“So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.”  ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17

 We gathered over the past few days to end Lent and begin the Easter Triduum. As Catholics we recognized the institution of the most Holy Eucharist given to us on Holy Thursday during our Lord’s Last Supper. The Eucharist becomes the central part of the mass and of the Catholic Faith. On Friday we gain strength from Jesus as we pick up our crosses and follow Him to Calvary. It is only when we die to ourselves that we are able to fully accept Jesus in our lives. Saturday we welcome new members of the Catholic Church through the sacred Sacraments. Then on Sunday we welcome the Risen Lord into our Church and Hearts. Through His resurrection we all gain new life. 

    For me this Lent has been a world wind and filled with graces and lessons. I do believe that I am not the same person I was just over forty days ago. New questions arose and new paths have been shown to me. I hope for you all that you also have changed in some way over these forty plus days. That Jesus has entered your heart, soul and mind in a new way. Take some time and look into yourself and write down those changes so you may see them. They do not have to be these great big changes, even the smallest changes help us move closer to Jesus. 

    Things will be settling down for myself since Lent is over. My “ Lenten Travels” as I will call it, are done and I will be returning to a “normal life” again. I now have to take all that I have learned and gained with the many talks, presentations, missions, retreat, conferences, prayer services and put them into action. Also I must understand that “Spiritual High” that I received from the silent retreat and kept for a few days and find that balance it gave me again. The up coming blogs will be reflecting on the lessons learned and the experiences from my Lenten Journey.  I ask for you to as well. Share with others what you have experienced. It is through our own faith experiences that 

we are able to share in the unity of the Trinity in our lives. 

     I will continue to pray for all our conversions of Heart, Mind and Soul and ask you to pray the same with me. This day starts our journey with the Resurrection of Jesus and continues in us as we now go out and share the word and testimony of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ. May the defeat over the cross bring new hope and life to you all these coming days and remember what you have gained. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and may we sing with the choir of angels that our Lord has Risen.