Life is all about choices. - *

Have you ever met someone whose negativity brings you down? I sure have. There are people who constantly leave a trail of trouble and dissension in their wake.

I ran across a thought from inspirational author Francie Baltazar-Schwartz.

You have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life. Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. The bottom line: it’s your choice how you live life.

At first glance, this quote seems like the kind of think I'd like to share with negative people. But as I reread it, it struck me that it has an important message for me as well. Look back to the first sentence of this post: Have you ever met someone whose negativity brings you down? I don't have to give my mood over to the control of other people. I have a choice about how I respond to them, too.

With God's grace, I hope to choose wisely today.

God’s message to women

When I created the heavens and the earth, I spoke them into being. When I created man, I formed him and breathed life into his nostrils. But you, woman, I fashioned after I breathed the breath of life into man because your nostrils are too delicate. I allowed a deep sleep to come over him so I could patiently and perfectly fashion you.

Man was put to sleep so that he could not interfere with the creativity. From one bone I fashioned you. I chose the bone that protects man's life. I chose the rib, which protects his heart and lungs and supports him, as you are meant to do. Around this one bone I shaped you. I modeled you. I created you perfectly and beautifully.

Your characteristics are as the rib, strong yet delicate and fragile. You provide protection for the most delicate organ in man, his heart. His heart is the center of his being; his lungs hold the breath of life. The rib cage will allow itself to be broken before it will allow damage to the heart. Support man as the rib cage supports the body. You were not taken from his feet, to be under him, nor were you taken from his head, to be above him. You were taken from his side, to stand beside him and be held close to his side. You are my perfect angel. You are my beautiful little girl. You have grown to be a splendid woman of excellence, and my eyes fill when I see the virtues in your heart. Your eyes - don't change them. Your lips - how lovely when they part in prayer. Your nose, so perfect in form, your hands so gentle to touch. I've caressed your face in your deepest sleep; I've held your heart close to mine.

Of all that lives and breathes, you are the most like me. Adam walked with me in the cool of the day and yet he was lonely. He could not see me or touch me. He could only feel me. So everything I wanted Adam to share and experience with me, I fashioned in you: my holiness, my strength, my purity, my love, my protection and support. You are special because you are the extension of me. Man represents my image - woman, my emotions.

Together, you represent the totality of God. So man - treat woman well. Love her, respect her, for she is fragile. In hurting her, you hurt me. What you do to her, you do to me. In crushing her, you only damage your own heart, the heart of your Father, and the heart of her Father. Woman, support man. In humility, show him the power of emotion I have given you. In gentle quietness show your strength. In love, show him that you are the rib that protects his inner self.

-Anonymous

Some folks have all the luck. - *

Catherine of Sienna said something that intrigues me: “To a brave man, good and bad luck are like his right and left hand. He uses both.”

One of the things that distinguishes the life of faith from a faithless one is the way we respond to challenges or crises. The faithful person faces them with equanimity, trusting that God will guide them safely through the storm. The faithful person knows that the Lord who created the universe has the capacity to create something constructive from calamity.

Let us look for the possibilities to be found in the midst of our problems.

What's that in my eye? - *

It's so easy to recognize the shortcomings of others, while with regard to myself, I have so many blind spots. Just so, I can often see just what others need to do to improve, while at times I seem powerless to make any spiritual progress. I notice the speck of sawdust in my neighbor's eye, but fail to remove the plank from my own (Luke 6:41-42).

Read what Thomas a Kempis had to say in The Imitation of Christ:

Endeavor to be patient in bearing with the defects and infirmities of others, of what sort soever they be; for that thyself also hast many failings which must be borne with by others. If thou canst not make thyself such a one as thou wouldest, how canst thou expect to have another fashioned to thy liking? We would willingly have others perfect, and yet we amend not our own faults.

Wise advice! - *

Our lives are often busy, and the pace is often frenetic. The problem of “burnout” has become endemic. Enter the words “manage stress” into Google’s search engine, and 12,600,000 results will appear.

Literally.

Over 12 ½ million results.

In Mark 6, Jesus sends his disciples on a missionary journey. On his instructions, they go out in pairs with nothing but the clothes on their backs and the sandals on their feet. When they returned, Jesus first recorded words to them were “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” And Jesus took his own advice: “Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35)

Take a few moment by yourself to refresh yourself today.

What does a donkey have to teach us?

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off.

The moral of the story is: Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping and never giving up. Shake it off and take a step up. Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Forgive.
3. Free your mind from worries.
4. Live simply & appreciate what you have.
5. Expect less.

Author unknown

"There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." - *

Shocking, isn't it?

These words are the slogan of an advertising campaign launched by atheist cofounders Ariane Sherine and Jon Worth in Britain. The motto is being plastered on the sides of buses. And it has caught on. A fundraising effort for the so-clled Atheist Bus Campaign was launched, and donations to date total over $200,000. There are plans to launch similar efforts in Spain, Italy, Canady, and Austrailia.

As a Christian, I find these words offensive. I'm also surprised and disturbed that people are willing to contribute generously to this campaign. And I'm sad for those who set their sights so low that they can find some sort of satisfaction with glib, sarcastic slogans such as this. To me, it indicates a great emptiness.

It is precisely because of my faith in God that I'm able to "stop worrying and enjoy my life". I echo the sentiments of Edith Stein, who said, "I have an ever deeper and firmer belief that nothing is merely an accident when seen in the light of God, that my whole life down to the smallest details has been marked out for me in the plan of Divine Providence and has a completely coherent meaning in God's all-seeing eyes."

Indirection

Jesus never gives a straight answer. Tell us, his enemies demand, Are you the Christ? Frequently, He refuses to answer, and when He gives an answer, He says things like "You have said" and "You say that I am." Maddening.

Jesus could have pre-emptively silenced a century and more of scholarly debate with a simple declarative sentence. Something along the lines of "I am the Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of My Father before all world, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with My Father" would have been most appreciated.

When we step back, though, we realize that indirection is His regular strategy. He teaches in parables and riddles, responds to questions with questions of His own, speaks so darkly that even His closest disciples can't always tell what He is talking about. From beginning to end, Jesus is the One born of the Spirit, the elusive One who blows where He wills and then slips away.

This is in part a judgment on unbelief, so that "seeing they may not see, hearing they may not hear." But it also reveals the supreme modesty of a God who creates a world of such magnetic beauty that it can tempt us to idolatry, and then hides Himself away. Jesus' methods of indirection reveal a God who promises "seek and you shall find."

Source: http://www.leithart.com/category/gheology-christology/

Will you take the challenge?

Listen to these words from Joseph Telushkin. They contain a challenge:

Can you go for 24 hours without saying anything unkind about or to anyone? I often challenge workshop audiences to try to do so. Always, some people laugh nervously. They’re sure they can’t go a whole day without making an unkind reference about another person. “Then you have a serious problem,” I tell them. “Because if I were to ask you whether you can go for 24 hours without drinking any alcohol and you said that you can’t, that means you’re an alcoholic. And if you can’t go for 24 hours without smoking a cigarette, that means you’re addicted to nicotine. And if you can’t go for 24 hours without speaking unkindly about or to another, that means you’ve lost control over your mouth.”

If you are willing to carry out this experiment, check your watch. Resolve that until this time tomorrow, you won’t say anything negative about another person. (The only exception will be the very rare instance where it’s necessary to transmit such information: You learn, for example, that a friend of yours is about to date a man who beat his ex-wife.) Throughout the day, you will constantly monitor how you speak. If you need to criticize, you will restrict your criticism to the incident that provoked your ire and not engage in a generalized attack on the person who angered you. If you enter into an argument, you will argue fairly, without allowing your disagreement to degenerate into name-calling or other forms of verbal abuse. Throughout the day, you will not disseminate negative rumors. You will refrain from defaming groups as well as individuals. In other words, for a full 24 hours you will follow the Golden Rule, speaking about and to others with the same kindness and fairness you wish them to exercise when speaking about and to you. You will act as a person of good character, focused on helping people with your deeds and healing them with your words.

Are you willing to take the challenge?

A simple prayer

Often times, I find myself struggling to say something beautiful to God, trying to find words to express the inexpressible. At such times, I look for flowery language. Perhaps I even throw in an occasional “thee” and “thou”. I’m fairly sure that I don’t knock the socks off of God that way, though. I suspects he is more touched by simple, heartfelt prayers, such as this one from John Henry Cardinal Newman:

Jesus, shine through me and be so in me that every person I come in contact with may feel your presence in my soul.

Janice and Matt: a true story - *

I apologize for the length of this post, but this story deserves to be told - and heard - in full.

Some time ago, I read a short but interesting novel called "The Five People You Meet In Heaven", by Mitch Albom. It starts with the unexpected death of a guy named Eddie, a man who works in an amusement park repairing rides. He sees a ride malfunction, and part of it plummets towards an unsuspecting little girl. He jumps to push her out of harm's way and, in the process, Eddie is killed.

Now Eddie wasn't anybody important - at least not in the eyes of the world. He wasn’t particularly educated, he wasn’t particularly likeable, and he certainly wasn’t rich. But after his death – one by one – Eddie found himself meeting a series of people whose lives he had touched, for good or for ill. In some cases, Eddie didn't even remember the person he had affected so deeply. So the premise of the book is that each of us is connected to other people and affects other people profoundly, often without even realizing it. And after reading the story, I began to think about people who had touched my life.

I'm a nurse, and I work with patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. Most of our patients have life-threatening illnesses such as cancer. Many of them are young. Many have young children. Most have had a series of treatments that have failed and – as a last resort – they come for a very intensive and risky procedure. We give high dose chemotherapy that completely wipes out the immune system in hopes of wiping out the disease. Then we "rescue" the immune system with bone marrow transplant.

One of our patients was a young woman named Janice who was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of leukemia shortly after the birth of her first child. She was very sick when she came to us. She grew worse in the weeks that followed. During that time, I grew close to Janice and to her husband, Matt.

Matt was a shy and quiet man. Like Eddie, he wasn’t educated or wealthy. He didn’t talk much – he didn't want to bother the nurses and doctors by asking questions. As Janice grew weaker, we encouraged Matt to become more assertive… to ask questions… to ask for help when he or Janice needed it. Gradually, he felt more comfortable with that.

Janice struggled with nausea and vomiting, and soon she was unable to eat. During the next few weeks, her kidneys, liver, and lungs – ALL of her major organs – began to fail. Her facial features were terribly distorted, and her beautiful long auburn hair was gone.. She was in tremendous pain. She could no longer get out of bed unassisted. Soon, she was so weak that she needed a ventilator in order to breathe. We increased her pain medication and sedation to give her some relief.

Matt was reluctant to talk about it at first, but I think he knew that Janice was dying. We all did. And there were tears shed by all of us, especially on the day that Matt brought their little baby in and laid her on the bed beside a mom she would never know.

After seeing the extent of Janice 's suffering and after numerous heart-breaking conversations with the staff, Matt decided that the time had come for us to remove the breathing tube and to allow Janice the opportunity to die if, indeed, it was her time. I was working with Janice that day.

After the decision was made, I talked with Matt about what to expect. I told him that the ventilator would be turned off, the breathing tube would be removed, and that Janice probably wouldn’t live long after that. I told him that she might have some noisy and irregular breaths and that her color would change. I told him that he could remain in the room if he wished but that I would stay with Janice and be sure she wasn't in pain. Matt decided to stay.

Janice lived for only a matter of minutes after the tube was removed. Her breathing was raspy and irregular, and her swollen body quickly turned blue. I made sure she was comfortable, but I worried about Matt. He was simple, quiet, and unassuming by nature. Often Matt had hung back from Janice – he’d always been reluctant to show affection in front of the staff.

But not then.

Not as she lay dying.

Matt stood close to Janice . He leaned close and held her hand. He kissed her lips as they turned blue, and he told her over and over that she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He told her repeatedly that he loved her. He told her that she didn’t have to worry – he’d take care of the baby and would make sure that their little girl learned about her mamma. Janice ’s life was slipping away, but Matt completely surrounded her with love.

It’s been many years since Janice died, and I haven’t spoken to Matt since that day. Frankly, I doubt he remembers me: all of his focus was on Janice and on the impact that her illness and death would have on him and their young daughter.

But I remember Matt.

I remember a man confronted with a tremendous challenge.

I remember a man who grew to meet that challenge.

I remember a man who – in the midst of his own grief – poured out love.

Faith versus works - *

One of the points of contention that sometimes divides Christians is that of faith versus works. What is required for salvation? Is it faith alone? Or are we also required to perform good works?

The author of the epistle of James addressed this question in rather strong language in James 2:20-22: Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works. He concludes this chapter of his epistle by saying: For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

It is all well and good to say "I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior". But true faith is life-changing. Faith means, in essence, that we have fallen in love with God. We demonstrate this by striving to please him.

Start the morning right! - *

St. Francis de Sales began each morning by offering the day – and himself – to God. It’s a fitting way to begin, by asking to be guided by the Holy Spirit rather than by selfish tendencies and desires. Some 3 centuries later, members of Alcoholics Anonymous were encouraged by their founder to do the same. This is the prayer he proposed:

God, I offer myself to Thee, to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy power, Thy love and Thy way of life. May I do Thy will always. Amen

- From the "Big Book" of Alcoholics Anonymous

Lighting the path

Go ahead fearlessly. God will give you for each step as much light as you really need, and perhaps no more. You may see from here to the next corner, and there the path seems to turn down into the dark. Go that far, and more light will come. Do not wait until you see light on all the road before you; most of us never do see it. The Greeks used to wear lanterns on their shoes: it would throw light about three feet ahead of them, and then they had to take one more step to get three feet more of light. So it is with finding the will of God.

– Samuel M. Shoemaker

Padre Pio’s Prayer After Communion

Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You.
Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often.
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You, I am without fervor.
Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light, and without You, I am in darkness.
Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will.
Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You.
Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much, and always be in Your company.
Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.
Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is, I wish it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of Love.
Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late and the day is coming to a close, and life passes, death, judgment, eternity approaches. It is necessary to renew my strength, so that I will not stop along the way and for that, I need You. It is getting late and death approaches. I fear the darkness, the temptations, the dryness, the cross, the sorrows. O how I need You, my Jesus, in this night of exile!
Stay with me tonight, Jesus, in life with all its dangers, I need You.
Let me recognize You as Your disciples did at the breaking of bread, so that the Eucharistic Communion be the light which disperses the darkness, the force which sustains me, the unique joy of my heart.
Stay with me, Lord, because at the hour of my death, I want to remain united to You, if not by Communion, at least by grace and love.
Stay with me, Jesus, I do not ask for divine consolation, because I do not merit it, but, the gift of Your Presence, oh yes, I ask this of You!
Stay with me, Lord, for it is You alone I look for. Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will, Your Heart, Your Spirit, because I love You and ask no other reward but to love You more and more.
With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart while on earth and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity.
Amen

Lessons from my garden - *

Left to itself, the nature of my garden is to grow weeds. In other words, character defects are part of my nature.

Absolutely no effort is required for me to grow a healthy crop of weeds. Character defects do not require nurturing in order to grow and thrive.

Getting rid of weeds, on the other hand, requires time & effort & energy & commitment. Developing good qualities requires work; it does not come easy.

It's important to be realistic when planning a garden. Some things require special conditions in order to thrive. I may admire certain characteristics in others, but they may not be possible for me at the moment.

In places where the ground is hard-packed and dry, it is difficult to pull weeds or to plant desirable growth. God cannot work when I am stiff and unyielding; willingness is essential.

One of the best ways to get weeds is to surround yourself with them. Be selective about the company you keep, the things you watch, the books you read.

The weeds in my garden are quite capable of choking out the desirable growth I wish to grow there. It's easy for character defects to grow out of control if I'm not persistent in my efforts to work on them.

If I am vigorous and regular in my efforts to reduce the number of weeds in my garden, good plants will eventually overshadow most of the weeds. It's possible for my assets to be more obvious than my flaws if I keep working at it.

Weeds left unattended for long periods are quite difficult to get rid of. Longstanding defects of character will be the hardest ones to change.

Some weeds have roots which run deep. These require special treatment or they'll come back.
Some defects of character may trace back to my past. I may need to work on childhood issues to get rid of them.

There's no need to get rid of every single weed. Some of them are attractive or serve a useful purpose. Easy does it! Be gentle in your judgment of yourself and others.

I'm unable to remove certain hard-to-eradicate weeds on my own; for these, I'll need help. For some defects, I will need the help of God or of another human being.

Having weeds is nothing to be ashamed of: everybody has them! Having defects does not separate me from the human race: it makes me part of it!

The thick tangle of undergrowth took years to develop, and it will not be gone overnight. The process of spiritual growth will take years; in time, though, beautiful things will happen.

- Sue Roth

A woman is healed! - *

My favorite Bible story is recorded in all 3 synoptic Gospels. It tells of Jesus’ miraculous healing of a woman who had been bleeding. Mark’s version says, “She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.” Jewish law as outlined in Leviticus 15 clearly indicates that this woman would have been considered unclean throughout these long years of bleeding. So she was weakened from years of blood loss, had undergone unpleasant medical procedures, had spent herself into poverty, and had been ostracized by her community because she was considered to be unclean.

Desperate, she braved the crowds and snuck up to Jesus so that she could touch the hem of his robe, knowing in her heart that she would be healed as a result. And indeed she was – immediately!

The next part of the story is the one that I puzzled about for a while. Jesus turned around, faced the crowd, and insisted on knowing who had touched him. Imagine her embarrassment! For 12 years she had been required by law to avoid contact with others, and now she was being exposed in the midst of the crowd! Why would Jesus do such a thing?

Now healed, this woman was finally able to be restored to her community. Jesus wasn’t trying to embarrass her, but to make it clear to those who witnessed this healing that this woman was restored to health and could now be restored to her community. Jesus came to reconcile us to God, but he also demonstrated here – as he did when he touched and healed lepers – the importance of being reconciled to our fellow man.

By the way: an inmate I correspond with painted this scene for me. His interpretation is displayed on the website today.

An alternate version of the Footprints poem:

One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there was seen.
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore.
But then some stranger prints appeared,
And I asked the Lord, “What have we here?”
“Those prints are large and round and neat,
But Lord, they are too large for feet.”
“My child,” He said in somber tones,
“For miles I carried you alone.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait.”
“You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk of faith you would not know,
So I got tired, I got fed up,
And there I dropped you on your butt.”
“Because in life, there comes a time,
When one must fight, and one must climb,
When one must rise and take a stand,
Or leave their butt prints in the sand.”

- Author Unknown

He is risen! - *

Have you ever wondered about the origin of the word “Easter”? It actually comes from Old English and refers to the Great Norse or Saxon Mother Goddess “Istra” or “Eostre”. So the word “Easter”, though now clearly associated with our Christian faith, actually comes from pagan roots. Things aren’t always as they seem.

Similarly, just because something is called “Christian” doesn't necessarily mean it is. Put another way, Laurence J. Peter said, “Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to the garage makes you a car .”

Today, as we remember what Easter means to us, let us also reflect on what it means to be a Christian. Then, let us strive to reveal this in our lives.

The darkest day - *

I know that witnessing the events of Good Friday must have been agonizing for Jesus’ followers, but Holy Saturday must have been even more difficult. Imagine how their faith was tested on this day. One of their own had turned against them, betraying Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Jesus, the man they’d grown to love and trust, had been arrested, publicly humiliated, and crucified. There was no doubt in their minds that he was dead. They were no doubt in fear that they could be subject to a similar fate. The events of the past 24 hours must have devastated them.

Scripture does not make it clear how the disciples passed their time in the hours after Jesus’ death. But clearly they didn’t expect the resurrection. In Luke 24:11, we read of their reaction after the women told him that the tomb was empty: “But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.”

I pray for faith to remain faithful in the face of darkness.

A reflection on the Cross - *

"How precious the gift of the cross, how splendid to contemplate! In the cross there is no mingling of good and evil, as in the tree of paradise: it is wholly beautiful to behold and good to taste. The fruit of this tree is not death but life, not darkness but light. This tree does not cast us out of paradise, but opens the way for our return.

"This was the tree on which Christ, like a king on a chariot, destroyed the devil, the lord of death, and freed the human race from his tyranny. This was the tree upon which the Lord like a brave warrior wounded in hands, feet and side, healed the wounds of sin that the evil serpent had inflicted on our nature. A tree once caused our death, but now a tree brings life. Once deceived by a tree, we have now repelled the cunning serpent by a tree. What an astonishing transformation! That death should become life, that decay should become immortality, that shame should become glory! Well might the holy Apostle exclaim: Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world!"

From a 9th century sermon by Theodore the Studite

You shall never wash my feet! - *

Today we remember the event recounted in John 13:1-15, where Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. Imagine what went through their minds – the man they’d chosen to follow took off his outer garments, wrapped a towel around his waist, knelt down, and proceeded to wash their feet.

The obvious conclusion is that Jesus was demonstrating humility by showing the heart of a servant. But Jesus really didn’t need to wash everyone’s feet to demonstrate humility and service, did he? Nevertheless, when Peter vehemently objected, Jesus overruled him, saying "Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me."

Could there have been another message Jesus was trying to impart?

Let’s look at the story from a slightly different angle.

To receive help or service from others exposes our vulnerability, our inability to navigate through life without the assistance of others. When we refuse to allow others to serve us, when we do not acknowledge our dependence on each other, we are showing a form of pride. We also deny others the opportunity to feel good about rendering service.

The life of a Christian is, quite rightly, a life of service. But it is important to allow others the opportunity to serve, too.

What are your chametz plans? - *

At Sundown this evening, the Jewish festival of Passover begins, commemorating the release of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt.

God had sent 9 plagues to afflict the Egyptians to persuade Pharoah to release the Jews. Pharoah remained unconvinced until all firstborn Egyptian males – human and animal – died in a single night. The Jews had been instructed to mark their homes with lamb’s blood so that God would “pass over” and spare Jewish sons. They were to eat nothing containing chametz, referring either to a grain product that has already risen or a substance that can cause fermentation (i.e. yeast or sourdough). To this day, observant Jews will search high and low in their homes, removing anything containing chametz prior to Passover, eating nothing containing chametz throughout Passover. All chametz, and even the utensils used to cook chamets, must either be disposed of or sold to a non-Jew (although it may be repurchased after the holiday). This avoidance of chametz commemorates the hasty departure of the Jews from Egypt (as there was no time for bread to rise). It also symbolized removing "puffiness" (arrogance, pride) from our souls. Once Passover is over, however, the injunctions against chametz no longer apply.

As Christians, we are nearing the end of the season of Lent. Many of us have “given up something” for Lent. Perhaps we tried to eliminate certain faults. But what happens after Lent is over? Do we to back to the same routines? Do we forget the discipline of Lent entirely?

The End of Christian America? - *

The Newsweek article has a startling headline: The End of Christian America. (See http://www.newsweek.com/id/192583/page/4.) It summarizes findings from the American Religious Identification Survey and the Pew Forum poll:
· The percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 percentage points since 1990, from 86 to 76 percent.
· The percentage of people who say they are unaffiliated with any particular faith has doubled in recent years, to 16 percent.
· The number of voters with no religious affiliation grew from 5 percent in 1988 to 12 percent in 2008.
· The number of people who describe themselves as atheist or agnostic has increased from 1 million to about 3.6 million between 1990 & 2009.

Now consider another startling statistic: Since March 10, 2009, 48 people have died in highly-publicized mass shootings in the U.S. Policemen ambushed in Pittsburgh and gunned down in California. Elderly residents in a nursing home shot as they sat helpless in wheelchairs or lay helpless in their beds. Children killed by their father in Washington.. People mown down in an immigration services center in New York.

Is it a coincidence that we have seen an increase in the number of senseless and sensational murders in our country at the same time that we have shown a decline in our religious faith?

Isn’t it time for us to get down on our knees and pray for our country? And once we get off our knees, isn’t it time we stand up for our faith and remember the words, “In God we trust”?

A thought for Holy Week. - *

Mark 14:3-9 tells the story of a dinner attended by Jesus shortly before his Passion. While he was there, a woman brought an alabastar jar containing costly perfumed oil and annointed him with it. Many who saw this became indignant about this extravagance; the money used to purchase the oil could have been much better spent on the poor. Jesus defended her to the grumblers, saying, "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

Jesus acknowledged the loving action of the woman who annointed him, promising that her actions would be memorialized. Similarly, in Matthew 10:32-33, we read “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven."

As we approach Good Friday, let us not be afraid to acknowlege him as Lord.

Hosanna! - *

As a kid, I remember spending a lot of time pondering the fact that we remember the celebration marking Jesus' arrival to Jerusalem with palms and shouts of hosanna today on Palm Sunday, while just a few short days later the crowds would be shouting, "crucify him"! I couldn't understand how the crowd could make such a turn-around so quickly.

I'm older now, and while I may not be wiser, I have had a little more time to observe human nature. And it becomes apparent that peer pressure exerts its influence from the cradle to the grave. Too often we take note of prevailing opinion and use that as the guide for our own thoughts and behaviors on issues such as abortion, the death penalty, political candidates, etc.. We listen to the voice of the media or of the crowd because that's the loudest, the easiest to hear. We let that to drown out our own conscience, our moral sense. We allow it to overpower the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Today, I will take some time to be quiet with the Lord, allowing Him to speak to me, to guide me, to help me plan my day.

A message from Mark's Gospel - *

When asked to cite an instance when Jesus got angry, the first thought to pop into my mind is his reaction to the moneychangers at the temple. But in Mark's Gospel, at least, he became angry much earlier and for a different reason altogether.

He entered again into a synagogue, and a man was there whose hand was withered. They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. He said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and come forward!" And He said to them, "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill? But they kept silent.

After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. - Mark 3:1-5

Notice that Jesus wasn't angry because the people were trying to catch him breaking with religious tradition. They may have been trying to gather evidence against him, but he didn't take offense at that. What really got to him - what angered and grieved him - was their lack of compassion. Furthermore, Jesus wasn't satisfied with just "feeling sorry" for the man with the shriveled hand. He followed up with action.

Most of us won't be able to work miraculous healings as Jesus did. But we can actively look for opportunities to serve the troubled people who come our way.

A morning prayer, attributed to St. Philaret of Moscow

O Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace, help me in all things to rely upon your holy will. In every hour of the day reveal your will to me. Bless my dealings with all who surround me. Teach me to treat all the comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul and with firm conviction that your will governs all. In all my deeds and words, guide my thoughts and feelings. In unforseen events, let me not forget that all are sent by you. Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others. Give me strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring. Direct my will, teach me to pray. And you, yourself, pray in me. Amen

The Cliff Notes New Testament - in 4 little words? - *

When asked what the greatest commandment of the Law was, Jesus responded by saying, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:36-40). His disciple and dear friend wrote in 1 John 4:20, "If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. And Saint Augustine said, "Love, and do what you will."

In other words, any action which proceeds from love is in keeping with the Law.

Or, if you want to sum up the message of the New Testament in 4 little words:

Love God.
Love Others.

Are we walking to the beat of a different drummer? - *

Toward the end of the 5th chapter of Galatians, Paul lists some traits that are associated with the "old life", then follows up by a listing he referred to as the "fruit of the Spirit"... love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. He concludes his teaching by saying, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit".

In our efforts to progress in the spiritual life, there will be times when we lose the rhythm, when we no longer keep in step. But over time, if we listen carefully to the voice of the Holy Spirit, our ears should become attuned to the music.

It's not MY fault! - *

Remember how Eve talked Adam into eating the fruit from the knowledge of good and evil? Well, check these verses:

The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. - Genesis 3:6-8

It's funny that I never noticed before that Adam was with Eve at the time of her fall. He could very likely have talked her out of it, and almost certainly he could have restrained her by virtue of his greater strength, but he was an "accessory before the fact". Furthermore, after watching her disobey, he did so himself. Then both of them pointed their fingers elsewhere, not owning up to their own sinfulness, but blaming Eve (in the case of Adam) and the snake (in the case of Eve).
Surely, "... all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Today, I hope to keep my eyes on my own behavior. I don't want to talk about or react to other peoples' stuff. Rather, I want to take responsibility for my own "stuff".

Learning to trust God... no matter what - *

Learning to trust God - for most people at least - isn't accomplished all at once, and sometimes even the faithful falter. It may be a matter of interpreting the sorrow that comes into our lives as evidence that God is withholding His love. Or perhaps we are unable to feel "connected" to God even when we try mightily to connect to Him through prayer, reading His word, attending church, obeying His commandments, and responding in love to those we meet. But there are countless examples of people who continued to reach out to God even when they couldn't find any evidence that He reciprocated by entering more intimately into their lives.

One recent example is Mother Teresa of Calcutta who, for the last 50 years of her life, was unable to sense the presence of God in her life. Many of the letters she wrote to her spiritual advisors - published after her death in a book titled "Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light" - tell of her anguish at the apparent absence of God in her spirit, and of her faithfulness in continuing to seek and serve Him nonetheless. She wrote: "...as for me, the silence and emptiness is so great, that I look and do not see, - Listen and do not hear - the tongue moves [in prayer] but does not speak... I want you to pray for me - that I let Him have [a] free hand."

At those moments when we struggle with our faith, may we follow her example.