Praying ONLY for the knowledge of His will for us

For the last few months I have been found myself drawn into trying to learn how to discern God's will for me. After all, according to the 11th Step it is the ONLY thing we are supposed to pray for!

A few months ago I came across a tract by St. Alphonsus de Liguori entitled "Uniformity With God's Will". It has had an impact on my life and always digging deeper I had been looking for poem that St. Alphonsus had written that may have been the starting point for this tract.

In the Preface of the tract currently published by TAN it is written:

Prof. Candido M. Romano says this brochure was written probably in 1755, as appears from a letter by the Saint, under date of Nov. 2, 1755, to Sister Giannastasio, at Cava. Romano goes on to say:

“This (i.e. God’s will) was for Alphonsus a theme of predilection, a theme dearest to his heart. Just as St. Ignatius stressed ‘the greater glory of God,’ St. Alphonsus in all his works, gave prominence to ‘the greater good pleasure of God.’ Most likely the occasion that brought forth this treatise was the death, in 1753, of Father Paul Cafaro, C.SS.R., St. Alphonsus’ confessor and director. The death of this worthy priest deeply affected the Saint and he expressed his sentiments in a poem on God’s will. The wide acclaim it received may have suggested to him the thought that a tract on the same subject would be helpful to the souls of others. If this be true, his surmise proved correct, for the appearance of his subsequent pamphlet was greeted with instant favor.”

I am happy to report that I found the poem today and am looking forward to spending some time with it:

O WILL OF GOD! O WILL DIVINE!

'Tis Thy good pleasure, not my own,

In Thee, my God, I love alone;

And nothing I desire of Thee

But what Thy goodness wills for me.

O will of God! O will Divine!

All, all our love be ever thine.

In love no rival canst Thou bear,

But Thou art full of tenderest care;

And fire and sweetness all Divine

To hearts which once are wholly Thine.

O will of God! O will Divine!

All, all our love be ever thine.

In Thee all pure affections live,

To love Thou dost perfection give;

While ever burning with desires

The loving soul to Thee aspires.

O will of God! O will Divine!

All, all our love be ever thine.

Thou makest crosses soft and light

And death itself seem sweet and bright.

No cross nor fear that soul dismays

Whose will to Thee united stays.

O will of God! O will Divine!

All, all our love be ever thine.

To all the glorious choirs of Heaven

Their very bliss by Thee is given;

And Heaven itself deprived of Thee

Would be a land of misery.

O will of God! O will Divine!

All, all our love be ever thine.

Yea, to the lost who burn in hell,

If in their souls Thy love could dwell,

The very flames and torments there

Would seem but sweet and light to bear.

O will of God! O will Divine!

All, all our love be ever thine.

Oh! that one day my life may end

In closest bonds to Thee enchained

For thus to die is not to die,

But live, and live eternally.

O will of God! O will Divine!

All, all our love be ever thine.

To Thee I consecrate and give

My heart and being while I live;

Jesus, Thy Heart alone shall be

My Love for all eternity.

O will of God! O will Divine!

All, all our love be ever thine.

Alike in pleasure and in pain

To please Thee is my joy and gain;

That, O my Love, which pleases Thee

Shall ever more seem best to me.

May heaven and earth with love fulfil,

My God, Thy ever-blessed will!

Matt Talbot Statue arrives in Philly!

After an 8-month wait our 4' statue of Venerable Matt Talbot arrived in Philadelphia yesterday.

Timothy P. Schmalz is the sculptor. The original statue is a 10' one that currently resides at the Pro Cathedral in Dublin. A few weeks ago we received our order of miniatures (11 inch, 2.5 lbs.) that we are currently selling - contact me if you are interested in obtaining one! I will post an updated picture once we finalize the placement of the statue with votive candles, etc.

The Narrow Gate

     Currently reading "The Fulfillment of All Desire" by Ralph Martin (see my "Library Thing" in the left column) and finding it very enlightening, especially the references to St. Catherine and the visions the Father gave her of heaven and hell.

     According to Martin - and proven in many of his quotes of the saints writings - many of the saints often refer to Matthew 7:13-14:

            "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad

            that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How

            narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those

           who find it are few."

     I don't know about you - but that goes against what I hear most people say these days about our loving God who could not possibly send one of his own to hell. Truth is, God does not send us to hell - we choose it!

     More to come.......

Second Philly Calix Day of Recolletion

     We had a Calix Day of Recollection yesterday (Saturday 3/31) in Grays Gerry that was just outstanding. Radio host Kathleen McCarthy gave two talks, one of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and another on Healing. The talk were great and touched many hearts (and souls!). But the Eucharistic healing service that followed the talk was nothing short of miraculous.
     With the lights turned off , Kathleen prayed out loud, Grays Ferry Calix Unit spiritual director Fr. McKay processed through the attendees with the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament. Two of us processed with Fr. McKay with candles. We could hear people sobbing as we stood in front of them. Afterwards I am told that the messages that Kathleen provided to a number of individuals were exactly what they needed to hear at this particular time.
     After lunch the Jesuit spiritual directors of the Media Calix unit, Fr. Tom and Brother Jack, gave a talk and fielded questions about the relationship between the 12-step recovery programs and the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius. For many it was the first time they had heard about this. Fr. Jim Harbaugh's book, The Twelve Steps and the "A 12-Step Approach to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius" was recommended as a good way to incorporate the exercises into a person's recovery program.
     We wrapped up with benediction, the Divine Mercy chaplet and confession.
     Thanks to all those who help put this day on!

Matt Talbot Icon

Recently searching the "blogosphere" I came across Terry Nelson's blog, Abbey Roads, where he posts regularly on current Catholic topics. He is also an artist and has created some work that I really, really like. In particular, and apt for this blog, is an icon he painted of Venerable Matt Talbot. Click here to see his blog entry for this painting. The blog where he displays his artwork is Up Your Street

Fr. Z's blog entry regarding Fr. Leo Dolan's funeral

Over at Fr Z's blog, What Does That Prayer Really Say, he passes along some information about Fr. Leo Dolan, author of a little booklet called "The 12 Steps and Catholic Spirituality" which is available from the store at the Calix website. Fr. Z points out that Fr. Dolan was "dedicated to the beatification cause of Matt Talbot"

I also found an entry on the Venerable Matt Talbot Resource Center blog  from April 2009 with addtional information about Fr. Dolan.

And finally a piece of trivia - Fr. Leo Dolan is known for obtaining the only known picture of Matt Talbot as related in this news article from Sydmey, Australia dated June 20, 1974.

Where is Everybody?

I stopped by my parish church yesterday around 4:10 PM. I was to meet someone there at 4:30 so having a few minutes I popped into Church since they have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on Tuesday's. I walked in and the Church was completely empty. Just our Lord in the monstrance on the altar and two flickering candles. I knelt there for about 10 minutes and the only thing I could think to say to Him was how sorry I was that there was nobody there to spend time with Him. With all that is going on in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (schools closing or merging, trials with priests beginning, and all of the other normal issues that people have) and no one there praying. Everybody has an opinion, everybody wants "somebody" to do "something" to fix it but nobody seems to be praying, at least not at that time in that place.

Time for a "Resurrection"

I know, Easter is still about 8 weeks away! In this case we're talking resurrection of my blog. I've got some  exciting stuff coming up in the next few weeks and missed sharing some other things in the recent past.

One of the upcoming events is the 5th annual "Men's Spirituality Conference", aka "Man up Philly", which is being held on Saturday March 3 at Archbishop Ryan High School in northeast Philadelphia. We anticipate well over 1,000 men will attend this year. I did a "pulpit talk" at all the Masses at my parish over the weekend and quite a few men said they would either sign up or consider signing up. Just being there will bring a joy to you that is hard to explain. To see this many men in one place who share a love for God and His Catholic church is both reassuring and invigorating.

Men have a very difficult time talking with other men about personal things. And nothing is more personal than a person's relationship with God. When we finally open the door just a little and begin to talk to other men about our faith we realize that we are not alone in our struggles: struggles to balance home and work-life, family and friends, and sometimes our faith and the rest of our lives. Learning that our faith is not a distinct part of our life but an integral part of every other part of our lives is something I have learned over the years. Learning how other men have started to accomplish this tells me that I can, too! Sitting at home watching TV, reading a book or hanging out with the family is not how I learned this. Stepping out and becoming a part of this conference, in addition to a few other activities in my life did!

All the details for the weekend can be found at http://www.manupphilly.com/. Please consider joining us for what should be the best conference to date!

Feast of the Assumption

On Sunday we celebrated the feat of Mary's Assumption into Heaven. The pastor at my local parish gave an insightful homily about a painting by Annibale Caracci depicting the Assumption. I am including the painting and his homily as I thought it worth sharing.

I. Many paintings of the Assumption by the great Masters like Titian and Rubens show Mary floating upward carried by angels. Her eyes rolled up to heaven, her ties to earth...and us, almost completely severed. Peoplestanding below look up longingly, reaching to touch her robe-but it’s too late. Mary has already left them behind. In these kind of paintings Mary is our mother-but remote; she seems untouched by our pain and need, unaware of our dreams. The paintings are lovely but somehow emotionally unsatisfying; glorious but a little unnerving.

II. There is a less known painting of “the Assumption” by Annibale Caracci which hangs in the church of Santa Maria del populo in Rome-which fittingly means St. Mary of the people. In this painting Mary looks different. Like a brave woman who traveled a unknown wilderness in her life. She has a clear gaze and looks straight ahead into a horizon the viewer cannot see. She has the look of a woman who has studied the map and learned every twist and turn in the emotional and spiritual path of her inner life, yet knows she will arrive safely right on time. The Virgin’s arms are outstretched like wings in flight embracing other people in the picture, carrying them along. A young man enfolded in her robe, I assume St. John, gazes at her face in awe, but her own eyes remain fixed on her destination...and ours.

III. Caracci’s Assumption carries a strong message. This is a woman we can trust; her life is a model for our won. We may never suffer her challenge or loss, but we can meet our own with her strength and courage. God may not ask of us what He asked of Mary, but our “yes” can resonate just as courageously in the face of life’s trials. May is as real as the woman Caracci painted 400 years ago. Her robes are generous enough to enfold us. Her vision is clear enough to guide us; her heart big enough to embrace us.

Never in a Million Years.......

Have you ever had a moment where you just step back and say "WOW! How did I get here?"

I had this happen this week as a direct result of a great weekend in Omaha, Nebraska of all places! Omaha was the site of this year's national convention of the The International Calix Society. Approximately 40 members of the Calix Society gathered at Creighton University in Omaha for a weekend of fellowship and talks about alcoholism, addicition. spirituality and the Catholc faith. The talks and fellowship were top notch.

On Friday evening we made a trip out to Boystown, where Fr. Flanagan began a fantastic ministry for boys in need of a "little" driection. The main thought I came away with is that this was one man's dream and today there are 500 boys and girls living in "family" settings at Boystown and many of them will be successful in life as a direct result of Boystown.

On Saturday afternoon is when the Calix Society has its anual business meeting to review the goings on of the society. Every two years they hold elections for the board of directors, president and vice president. A few months ago I had been nominated for the office of president and since there were no other nominees I have been given the opportunity to serve as president of this great organization.

The WOW moment is this: Almost 19 years ago my life was a wreck. I had reached "the bottom" of my desperate situation that consisted of drinking, lying, resentment, fear, anger, you name it! There was no time for God in my life and I didn't believe that God would ever want anything to do with me again. It was through divine intervention that I managed to find sobriety and through the twelve steps I made my way back to my Catholic faith and through both that I found the Calix Society. It's only three years since some friends and I started the first Calix group in Philadelphia. Since January 2007 we have expanded to 3 groups and are slowly spreading the word about Calix. This past weekend's events served as confirmation that Calix is now alive and well in Philadelphia and we are on our way to helping many Catholic (and non-Catholic) alcoholics and addicts achieve the great spritiual experience that is required to permanently recover from a "seemingly hopeless state of mind and body".

Read more about Calix in Philadelphia at http://www.philly-calix.com/

Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary

A couple weeks ago on Facebook I received, of all things, an invitation to consider making a Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary. Much has been written about St. Louis deMontfort and this consecration so I will not expound on it here. Except to say that on the day I received the invitation I also found the little book with the readings and prayers that are used in preparation for making the consecration. As of today I am on Day 16 of the preparation.

I also told a friend about the consecration. Little did I know that they, too, had previously made the consecration to Mary through the Militia of the Immaculata! I did that consecration back in the mid-90's but am really being drawn to do the deMontfort consecration and God knows I can use all the help I can get.

Merry Christmas to All

Just wanted to wish anyone that drops by here a Merry Christmas!

I went to our children's Christmas event back on the 16th. The event itself was great but there were a couple people in the pew behind me discussing how great it would be to wake up tomorrow and have it be December 26th! It reminded me of that movie "Skipping Christmas". It also made me very grateful to be looking forward to Christmas this year and celebrating the birth of our Savior.

May all of you find peace and joy in knowing that, indeed, our Savior has been born!

The Inexhaustible Cup

I took a few minutes this afternoon to run through a couple of the blogs that I frequent (see the list/links at bottom left). Since today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception many are posting article about Our Mother (Jesus' words, not mine! cf John 19:26-27). Over at "The Way of Our Fathers", Mike Aquilina had posted short piece entitled "Immaculate" to which a poster made a comment, "I’m sure you will find the 'Akathist to the Theotokos' of value, as well.


I tried to use the link but it was a dead-end so I started poking around at Monachos.net and found the right link. Give it a read, I think you'll enjoy it, too.

Then I did a Google search on "Akathist to the Theotokos" to see what else I could learn. I am not real familiar with the icons of the Orthodox Church though I find them beautiful. Our pastor had a beautiful one painted for our parish Church. So I started looking at the Google "hits" and found the beautiful icon above, Theotocos The Inexhaustible Cup. There is a wonderful story of recovery from "drunkenness" associated with the icon you can read here. The link also has the "Akathist", or hymn, associated with the icon which I think you will find equally beautiful.

I have been collecting religious items to eventually adorn the quiet room I intend to construct in my home and this icon will definitely be a part of it. Gotta run over to eBay now and find it!

True Freedom

Have you ever had one of those periods where a particular theme seems to be hammering away at you? I had that happen over the weekend and the theme was Freedom!

A couple of very close recovery friends and I travelled on Saturday to York, PA where we attended the monthly Calix Mass for the York group. We were blessed to have Bishop Kevin Rhoades, formerly of the Harrisburg Diocese and now with the Ft. Wayne/South Bend diocese of Indiana, as our celebrant.

During the two hour car ride the topic of freedom came up. Not the kind of freedom where a person is able "to do their own thing". Rather, the freedom to do what is right! Sobriety and Jesus Christ do exactly that. They give us the freedom to do the next right thing. Though we have the freedom to do whatever we want, whenever we want, addictions take away that freedom. When we are able to find the 12 Steps and a spirituality that works, we now have the freedom to do what God intended for us to do from the beginning of time! We must exercise that freedom wisely, praying always "for the knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out".

As the conversation wrapped up in the car I played a couple songs from Darrell Evan's greatest hits CD, one of which was Freedom! You can give a listen here and the lyrics are short enough that I will post them:

Where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom
Where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom
There is peace there is love there is joy
It is for freedom you’ve set us free
It is for freedom you’ve set us free

CHORUS:
I’m free, I’m free

We will walk in your freedom walk in your liberty
We will walk in your freedom walk in your liberty
We will dance in your freedom dance in your liberty
We will dance in your freedom dance in your liberty

Then we get to St. Patrick's in York to celebrate Mass. The Opening Prayer during the liturgy was:

"God our Father,
you loved the world so much
you gave your only Son to free us
from the ancient power of sin and death.
Help us who wait for his coming
and lead us to true liberty.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. AMEN!"

During Bishop Rhoades' wonderful homily he emphasized the freedom Jesus wants us to have. This freedom is not only gotten through the 12 Steps but, even more importantly, through the sacraments of the Catholic faith, primarily confession and the Eucharist.

I owe a debt of thanks to both the York group and Bishop Rhoades for driving home this theme for me this weekend. My prayer is that you will find His freedom, too!

iPhones.....Benefits for Catholics!

At a conference over the summer I dropped my cellphone (AT&T Tilt) and the LCD screen broke. I replaced the screen on my own but the keyboard still had issues and there were some other minor issues. I was soon due for an upgrade so I started researching phones again. I really liked my Tilt but was hearing great things about the iPhone. After about a week I took the plunge for the iPhone and am really glad I did.

I can't say that I chose it because of the great applications (apps) because my original necessities were access to my email accounts and GPS software. I had that down the first day I had the phone. It's the apps that I've found since then that really make the phone a useful tool. Here's some of them:

Divine Office - visit DivineOffice.org for information about this great app. For $9.99 you get the Liturgy of the Hours daily. This is great for the car and now I can pray Morning prayer on my way to work and Evening Prayer on my way home. I use either a bluetooth headset or a cassette adapter to play it through the car stereo. I intend to get this bluetooth device that will both serve as handsfree phone in the car as well as play the iPhone apps through the car stereo.

Mass Times - visit CatholicWeb.com or do a search for "Mass Times" and you'll find a free app called "Catholic Mass Times". It is a free app. It uses the built-in GPS to locate you and then finds the nearest churches for you. Click on the churches and you get addresses and times for Masses, Confession, Adoration, etc. Also, there are buttons at the bottom of the screen, one of which links you to the Saint of the Day and Mass Readings for that day.

3 Minute Retreat - visit LoyolaPress.com or do a search in the App Store. For $0.99 you get a nice little application that gives you a mini-retreat everyday. Having a tough day at the office? Pull out your iPhone and for 3 minutes you can retreat from work and focus on what's really important.

RC Calendar - in the app store do a search for "catholic calendar" and you'll see a free app from Universalis called Catholic Calendar. This will provide the Liturgical Calendar from 1970 to 2300! Select a day and it will provide a short read about the Saint of the Day along with the Mass readings. Unfortunately they do not provide the text of the Psalm.

iConfess - a nice little app for $1.99 that is a great help when doing an Examination of Conscience in preparation for Confession. You can keep notes and then use them when you go to Confession. Also has the prayers and everything you need to make a good Confession. Have to admit, when I first came across it that maybe they actually had an app that let you go to Confession via the phone :-)

So those are the five I have so far. There are many, many others for prayers, the rosary, bibles, thoughts for the day, etc. But these 5, and especially the first three are great helps to my spiritual life

Pope Benedict XVI - "Will you also go away?"

At the Sunday Angelus on August 23 Pope Benedict XVI gave the following talk on the 6th chapter of John's gospel. What I ran through my mind after reading it is that the question Jesus asks, "Will you also go away?", can be a question we ask ourselves all the time. When faced with difficult issues and questions in our own minds we can use Jesus question to remind us to use our informed conscience when developing our answers.

Here is the text of his talk:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
You see my hand, it is free of the plaster cast but it is still a bit lazy: I shall have to remain for a while at the school of patience, but we are making progress!

You know that for several Sundays the Liturgy has proposed for our reflection Chapter Six of John's Gospel, in which Jesus presents himself as the "Bread of life... which came down from Heaven", and, he adds: "if anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever: and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh" (Jn 6: 51). To the Jews who were arguing heatedly among themselves, questioning: "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" (v. 52) and the world still debates it Jesus replies in every age: "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you" (v. 53). We too should reflect on whether we have really understood this message. Today, the 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time, let us meditate on the last part of this chapter in which the Fourth Evangelist mentions the reaction of the people and of the disciples themselves. They were shocked by the Lord's words to the point that having followed him until then they exclaimed: "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?" (v. 60). After this, "many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him" (v. 66) and the same thing has happened over and over again in various periods of history. One might expect Jesus to seek compromises to make himself better understood, but he does not mitigate what he says. On the contrary, he turns directly to the Twelve and asks them: "Will you also go away?" (v. 67).

This provocative question is not only addressed to listeners in his time, but also reaches the believers and people of every epoch. Today too, many are "shocked" by the paradox of the Christian faith. Jesus' teaching seems "hard", too difficult to accept and to put into practice. Then there are those who reject it and abandon Christ; there are those who seek to "adapt his" word to the fashions of the times, misrepresenting its meaning and value. "Will you also go away?" This disturbing provocation resounds in our hearts and expects a personal answer from each one; it is a question addressed to each one of us. Jesus is not content with superficial and formal belonging, a first and enthusiastic adherence is not enough for him; on the contrary, what is necessary is to take part for one's whole life "in his thinking and in his willing". Following him fills our hearts with joy and gives full meaning to our existence, but it entails difficulties and sacrifices because very often we must swim against the tide.

"Will you also go away?". Peter answers Jesus' question on the Apostles' behalf, and in the name of believers of every century: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God" (vv. 68-69).

Dear Brothers and Sisters, at this moment we too can and want to repeat Peter's answer, aware of course of our human frailty, of our problems and difficulties, but trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit which is expressed and manifested in communion with Jesus. Faith is a gift of God to man and at the same time man's free and total entrustment to God; faith is docile listening to the word of the Lord who is the "lamp" for our feet and a "light" for our path (cf. Ps 119[118]: 105). If we open our hearts to Christ with trust, if we let ourselves be won over by him, we can also experience, like, for example, the holy Curé d'Ars, that "our only happiness on this earth is to love God and to know that he loves us". Let us ask the Virgin Mary always to keep awake within us this faith imbued with love, which made her, a humble girl of Nazareth, the Mother of God and Mother and model of all believers.

God Bless!

Cardinal Justin Rigali Addresses Addiciton in New Book

I recently learned that Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia, has written book entitled “Let the Oppressed Go Free - Breaking the Bonds of Addiction.” An August 6 article in the Catholic Standard & Times (Philadelphia's weekly Catholic newspaper) describes the book, its background and a possible "conference based upon the book and its topic of addictions through the lens of Catholic teaching, most likely to be held in Spring 2010 in the Philadelphia Archdiocese."

I am trying to get an update on the planning for the conference and hope to get the word out about the Calix Society and the success we are having in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Stay tuned for more information........

UPDATE: I actually found a copy of the book in the local religious store today (8/28). I'll be reading and posting a review in the next few days!

Choices

Have you ever had a theme seem to constantly come up over time?

Awhile back I had a friend call me out of the blue asking me if the alcoholic has a choice when it comes to the first drink.

The book "Alcoholics Anonymous", on page 24, states, "The fact is that most alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure, have lost the power of choice in drink". After much thought I came to the conclusion that the power lost is not so much in the "choice" but our ability to see more than once choice. As drinking alcoholics we have few choices when it comes to the drink, if we even have more than one. When things are going good we celebrate with a drink. When things are not going so good we drink for relief. When we are numb, we drink. We decide to drink because either the drink is the only choice or the choice we believe that will work for us in any given situation.

By putting down the drink and working the 12 steps of AA one of the first gifts we get is more choices. The first choice I added was ice cream! Seriously, though, I found I immediately learned there were other choices besides alcohol. As a result I began to make better decisions and better decisions helped me to not desire the drink.

Since then I have come to learn that life is nothing more than a series of decisions. I decide whether or not to get out of bed in the morning; whether or not to go to work; whether or not to go to Church; whether or not to eat and, more importantly, whether or not to eat healthy; and, greatest of all, whether or not I will take that first drink. All of these decisions determine whether or not I become happy, joyous and free! So sobriety isn't a decision, sobriety is what gives me more choices when making a decision.

Which leads to the reason for "blogging" this topic. Today's readings at Mass (Joshua and John) speak directly to choices and decisions. In today's first reading, Joshua makes the Israelites make a decision as to which god(s) they will follow and offers them a couple choices: "the gods your fathers served beyond the River
or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are now dwelling" or the Lord. They choose the Lord.

In John's gospel we continued the Bread of Life discourse. After Jesus tells them that (v53) "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you". Now his apostles and disciples must decide whether or not they will continue to follow Jesus. In the New American Bible v66 reads "As a result of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him". In addition, in v64 it states that "For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him". Many made the decision to no longer follow Jesus; and verse 64 may even imply that Judas made his decision to betray Jesus because he could not understand Jesus teaching.

As Catholics this is a very important lesson for us on the Eucharist. If the host/bread we receive in Church is only a symbol why didn't Jesus call out to all those that left him immediately following this sermon and tell them so? He knew they would not understand it and nothing he said would convince them that we needed to eat His flesh and drink His blood. Fortunately, the apostles, less Judas, did believe, Jesus celebrated the Last Supper, and in the Catholic Church we now have the Eucharist available every single day!

So take a few moments and think about how many decisions you made today and what the choices were when you made them. Were there choices available that you were not aware of? What did you base your decisions on? Were you happy with all of your decisions? Did you learn from any of them.

For me - I am starting to look at all the decisions that are automatic and determine what the other choices are. In doing so I can change my life in little ways, hopefully for the better!

God Bless!

Renewal and Recovery: Archbishop Charles Chaput's Address to the National Catholic Bible Conference

Was catching up with the latest news out of Rome via the Zenit website and came across a keynote address given by Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver to the National Catholic Bible Conference which was being held in his archdiocese. You can find that address here.

As I read this I thought about the "debate" we had in my backyard on the 4th of July regarding nationalized healthcare and the "fireworks" that took place. (NOTE: I will not debate that here!). But people are talking about the evening news, newspapers, CNN, Fox News, etc. The point being that they make time to watch these talking heads and sometimes can't give an hour each week to our Lord, let alone crack open a Bible on a daily basis (including myself some days!).

I would encourage you to read the address, especially how it so aptly refers to renewal and recovery. And in particular, renewal of ourselves first before we worry about the rest of the world. Archbishop Chaput writes, "Yet, Scripture tells us that 'while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father' (2 Chron 34:3). Here's the first lesson that I want to highlight. To renew the Church and the world we need to begin with ourselves. It's tempting to see the moral problems of the wider culture and want to begin there, outside ourselves, focused on others. But all authentic reform begins within our own hearts."

I encourage you to read the address and please submit some comments!

God Bless! Ken

St. Ignatius Thought For The Day

In today's meditiation from "Take 5: On-the Job Meditiations with St. Ignatius". Ignatius points to Proverbs 13:4 and I took a quick look online (www.usccb.org has the New American Bible online) at this chapter and found it extremely relative to how we attempt to live in AA and our faith. Specifically phrases like "hang
with the winners", "do good, get good, do bad, get bad", etc. I'll
include the short chapter here for you to ponder:


A wise son loves correction, but the senseless one heeds no rebuke.
From the fruit of his words a man eats good things, but the treacherous one craves violence.
He who guards his mouth protects his life; to open wide one's lips brings downfall.
The soul of the sluggard craves in vain, but the diligent soul is amply satisfied.
Anything deceitful the just man hates, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace.
Virtue guards one who walks honestly, but the downfall of the wicked is sin.
One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
A man's riches serve as ransom for his life, but the poor man heeds no rebuke.
The light of the just shines gaily, but the lamp of the wicked goes out.
The stupid man sows discord by his insolence, but with those who take counsel is wisdom.
Wealth quickly gotten dwindles away, but amassed little by little, it grows.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a wish fulfilled is a tree of life.
He who despises the word must pay for it, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.
The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that a man may avoid the snares of death.
Good sense brings favor, but the way of the faithless is their ruin.
The shrewd man does everything with prudence, but the fool peddles folly.
A wicked messenger brings on disaster, but a trustworthy envoy is a healing remedy.
Poverty and shame befall the man who disregards correction, but he who heeds reproof is honored.
Lust indulged starves the soul, but fools hate to turn from evil.
Walk with wise men and you will become wise, but the companion of fools will fare badly.
Misfortune pursues sinners, but the just shall be recompensed with good.
The good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the just.
A lawsuit devours the tillage of the poor, but some men perish for lack of a law court.
He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him takes care to chastise him.
When the just man eats, his hunger is appeased; but the belly of the wicked suffers want.


God Bless! Ken