Meditation is an ideal way to pray. Using God's word (Lectio Divina) allows me to hear, listen and reflect on what the Lord wants to say to me - to one of his disciples - just like He did two thousand years ago.
The best time to reflect is at the beginning of the day and for at least 15 to 30 minutes.
Prior to going to sleep, read the Mass readings for the next day and then, in the morning, reflect on the Meditation offered on this website.
I hope these daily meditations allow you to know, love and imitate the Lord in a more meaningful way.
God bless you!


Monday, June 4, 2012

Mk 12:1-12 Rejected But Never Lost

Mk 12:1-12  Rejected But Never Lost
Jesus said, “Have you not read this Scripture passage:  ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?’”
Have you not read this Scripture passage? How long has it been since you read this Scripture passage?  Actually, how long has it been since you read Sacred Scripture? 
The stone the builders rejected.  I have no idea how any Christian in their right mind could justify any law that goes against God’s stone; that is, the stone containing the Ten Commandments; or the Rock that is His Church.  How does a Christian reconcile abortion, euthanasia, and gay-marriage with Scripture or the Rock?  Is any civil law above God’s law?
Let’s say for a moment that today’s parable, of the man who planted a vineyard and leased it to some tenant farmers, was actually a powerful literary masterpiece describing God’s world leased to man and what we have done with it.  I don’t think I’m stretching it if I were to say  that all Scripture is a carefully worded masterpiece of a contract or living arrangement between God, His world and us.    
For example, God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; make and female he created them.” (Gen. 1:26-27).  We know from Scripture (and from science), that we came on to the world scene last, and even though we were last, we know, “the last shall be first.”  Hence, we were given dominion over the whole world and all that belongs to it.  Of course, like good tenants, we are obliged to respect not only God’s property rights, and all His creatures, but also His laws.  After all, it's His Creation.  It's His baby!  He built it.  He designed the rules:  the physics rules, biology rules, chemistry rules, etc… He holds the patents; we lease them.  Could God not have created all humans male? or female?  Why both?  Please don’t tell me because we needed someone to love.  That’s ridiculous.  Why both then?  Was it to make things clearer, a little more obvious?  That Human love is an image of God’s love because it creates life?
A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower.  Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey.  Recently, we’ve been working at a feverish pace to re-word or re-write our entire contract with God.  There’s no problem with this unless you don’t involve in the negotiations the Rightful Owner or a major signer of the contract.  I guess we could prepare something if we would only respect His Word.  We all know what He demands.  He chiseled a crucial piece of it in stone long ago.  He gave us His Son and His closest advisors to make it much clearer and to set the record straight.  And yet, don't you find it quite criminal (to say the least) to take away His property rights, His negotiating powers, His “God-given” rights just because He’s currently away? He's actually never away.  We just sent Him away!
In you, my God, I place my trust.  It shouldn't be hard to place your trust only in God.  Just take a look around you and see what we’ve become.  We are a bunch of spoiled rotten stinking little brats who, by definition, want more for themselves and less for others.  Just take a look at this morning’s news.  We are building three warships that cost 3 billion dollars a pop.  At the same time, we say we need birth control to stop the spread of unwanted children.  So, let me get this straight, do we want to spend 9 billion dollars on three ships rather than on unwanted children?  I know what you are saying, “That’s the way it is.”  No!  The real explanation is:  “That’s the way we want it.” Yep, spoiled rotten.  We have become the biggest hypocrites in the world.  In New York City, the spoiled rotten billionaire mayor wants to make supersized drinks illegal while at the same time make a little bit of marijuana legal for everybody.   How helpful of him!  Maybe that's how he'll get elected again.  So, he thinks the government needs to limit the choices we can make, except when it comes to being Pro-Choice.  Do you see what hypocrites we've become?  Do you see the type of people we've elected?  Does this guy really think we are that gullible?  I guess!  And he’s probably right, but he doesn’t have to be.  Every four years we have an opportunity to vote not only according to our conscience but, most importantly, according to God’s clear and unquestionable Word. 
It’s not hard to see why we should place our trust in God and in God alone.  It’s not hard to see why our ancient’s placed “In God We Trust”.    
Oh God, whose providence never fails in its design, keep from us, we humbly beseech you, all that might harm us and grant all that works for our good.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

22 comments:

  1. If everyone could please re-send your comments from this morning and afternoon I would greatly appreciate it. Unfortunately, I hit the wrong button on my phone and deleted them. Sorry for the mistake.

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  2. Father Alfonse, I am not so thrilled with today’s meditation, especially when you write:

    "We are a bunch of spoiled rotten stinking little brats who, by definition, want more for themselves and less for others."

    Don’t you see anything good in society? Is everything hypocritical, doom and gloom, evil, wretched, and godless? Don’t you believe that maybe we are not all a bunch of spoiled rotten stinking little brats? Maybe a majority of us do try to place our Trust in God? Personally, I would not have used your description. Even if you were only talking of “we” in terms of our government politicians and law makers it still sounds tacky (childish!) I know I’ve mentioned before about tone and negativity. The words you use can be upsetting even though it is “the reality” of the world we live in. Reality always looks bad through the pessimist’s lens. Please take a look at reality through a positive lens even if you don’t agree with my reasoning……

    The New York Mayor’s Anti-Supersize-It-Soda Law is an attempt to get people to make healthier eating choices. It’s an unorthodox method to curb the obesity epidemic in America. (Not so sure if it will work but why not give it a try?) Legalization of marijuana may sound hypocritical and wrong in comparison to curbing bad eating habits. Think about how Americans smoke pot anyway. Legalization will free up time so our police force can fight true hard criminals. It will free up our already burdened judicial system and save tax payers money fighting petty marijuana criminals. In terms of the building of the three new warships, many of our fleet is retired due to age. They are simply not equipped with the latest technology. The building of these ships provides jobs for the unemployed in our struggle economy. These new ships are essential for the defense of our country that is not only a target of terrorists but now cyber criminals. You may not realize this, but the media fails to mention the increasing number of women who are now getting off of contraceptives because of the link to cancer and a whole list of side effects! Pro-lifers make up over 50% of the population now, more than it’s ever been since Roe v. Wade. Just the amount of ecumenical support against the HSS Mandate contraception law is astounding. Do all of these actions sound selfish? Don’t you see this reasoning as trying to help others and society?

    I honestly believe that we should not place so much trust in the secular Media: The news or the corruption that it feed us. We should not worry day and night, get angry and distraught, rant on and on about everything wrong with the world just because the Media bombards us with trash. Instead of trusting and relying on the handmaid of the devil (the secular media) it’s important to Trust God to make things right. Trust the Lord that he will give each one of us the strength, intelligence, and integrity to get out there and spread a positive message.

    -Jennifer

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  3. Of course I see the positive and the negative. But the point of the meditation is on the Gospel of the day. If Christ says, "Woe to you hypocrites." Would I tell the Lord, "why are you being so negative. Not all Pharisees are hypocrites."
    The purpose of the meditation is to take Christ's word of the day and apply it to today. So, if you want a better understanding of what I think, then read all my meditations and then you will get a better idea.
    You ask, "Do all of these actions sound selfish?" No. they sound ridiculous and for obvious reasons. I won't mention them unless I have to.

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  4. Yes, I know the purpose of your meditation very, very well. I read **all** of your meditations every single day and comment quite often. If you haven't noticed.... Oh well. I guess my reasons as "ridiculous and for obvious reasons" were disagreeable to you. No, you don't have to mention them. I get the point.

    Suggestion: Place the words of scripture "Woe to you hypocrites" within the biblical quotation at the beginning of the paragraph?

    Peace,

    -Jennifer

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  5. Oh my, Jennifer
    In reading your first comment, not knowing who was speaking, the word Pollyanna kept floating through my mind.

    Father often takes the other side. I have to say in my experience of him, for years, he OFTEN surprises me with his answers. So often his answers are exactly the opposite of what I expected him to say. But at the same time, he is very predictable when his hot buttons are pushed.

    I think he is right on, in this instance. There is no reason for our government to spend tax money to regulate the size of soft drinks. Who the *&^% thinks that is going to reduce obesity? People may be fat but they are not stupid. It's not even worth the time to come up with all the flaws and ways around this ridiculous law. Smells a little like someone in the White House's 'master plan' to save America....Give me a BREAK!!! We're going to save America by reducing the size of soft drinks. What planet are these people from?

    You say people are going to smoke pot anyway. So we should just make it legal. Isn't that what got us into this Hell we're in with premarital sex, living together, abortion, and contraceptives? They're going to do it anyway so let’s make it easy. We can create a whole new industry if we make it easy, legal and without penalty of shame or guilt! We can make billions of dollars and make people believe they are being responsible. And at the same time we can turn God's rules on their head and show the world how out of touch God and all his 'peeps' are, we can turn this around and turn people against God!

    Justifying the building of bazillion dollar warships to give people jobs sounds like something else that would come out of the White House. I believe there are better ways to get Americans working again. Actually if you look at the history of our current administration, it is obvious that they do not want people working, taking care of themselves so the government can control the population by being their sugar daddy. LOL!!! Sad but too true.

    And birth control..........don't get me started.......yes I know a few who are not using hormonal birth control products, but they are not, not using birth control. You need to get the whole story. True the media won't mention it, but it's not what you think it is. The majority of those people are not giving up birth control for moral reasons, but for personal health reasons. Yes it's good, but it's not because they've converted to the side of God.

    Yes we have to trust God, but we can't put our hands over our ears, close our eyes and sit and pray out loud to keep reality from entering into ourselves.

    I'm not looking for a positive or negative spin, I'm looking for truth and yes as we know all too well, as learned from our society, we can put a positive spin on chopping up tiny babies ant throwing them in the trash.

    Yes we have to trust God, but that doesn't mean we sit and look around and wait on him to fix the crap that's going on all around us, knowing that in the end He will be the victor. We all know that, but the sooner we do our part the sooner the victory will be His.

    I'm sure this is totally out there, but I think it's possible that God is dragging this second coming out because he wants to get as many people on board as possible and the sooner we cooperate, the sooner He will come. I know that's just a theory, and probably a stupid one, but Hey, I'm ready for this 'game' to be over. I can't wait for Him to come! I’m ready to go home, even if it means a little time at the car wash!

    Okay, I have smoke rising off my keys now. But there is laughter in my heart.
    I wonder what this is about. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a goo goo eyed, worshiping fan of Father's. (No offense there) so I'm not standing between you and he with my arms outstretched like I've seen so many do on the blog.

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  6. Amen, Anonymous! Thank-you for your candid response. (Uh...I didn't mean to sound like a Pollyanna.). You made some great points. This is the kind of response I like to read. Not a response like Father directed towards me that was snippety making me look like I'm some stupid, ignorant woman. Saying what I wrote was ridiculous? I'm sorry but many people (liberals, non-Christians, non-religious, etc) think Father's message is ridiculous. They think God is a crack of $&@) and not to be trusted. I think one major reason people have been drawn away from the church is because of rigidity. These people are embarrassed when scorned, thought of as being ignorant when they believe in something contrary to what the Church teaches. They don't need to be judged or talked down to. Yes, they need to be taught the truth but in a loving way. I know this is off subject but it frustrates the crap out of me when I read the sarcasm and the harshness in Father's writings. It's not always there but when it rolls around I feel like throwing cyber stones. I don't think people want to be labeled as spoiled rotten stinking little brats even if it relates to our government politicians. That -/:$ me off! We all know that Father A prides himself on always being right. He's right again this time.. But, good Lord, any way to be pastoral and graceful? I guess not when he's offended by remarks contrary to his.

    -Jennifer

    p.s. Father, you must be enjoying that new iPhone....right?

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    1. Oh my....I'm a little stunned at the nastiness The inferred expletives? Was that really necessary? I know you are a daily reader and commenter so I'm a little surprised you are taken aback by Father. I like his refreshing take. Everything can't be candy coated in life. Being a priest doesn't mean you can't have an opinion. We have gentle and gracious priests and we have magnetic and "say it like it is" priests and everything in between. I like variety! Maybe you should take a break from commenting if it works you up so much? I see this blog as one method of meditating on the readings. I don't see it as a place to wield anger.

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  7. Personally Fr. Alphonse, many, many times the words you choose are "upsetting," but I'm thankful you use them. When the news reports these stories, they are bland, the same ol' same ol'. But your words make me pray harder and try harder to become more like Christ. I offer some words from Abraham Joshua Heschel's book "The Prophets," as he describes the language style of the OT prophets:

    "...its style is charged with agitation, anguish and a spirit of nonacceptance."

    "Prophetic utterance is rarely cryptic, suspended between God and man; it is urging, alarming, forcing onward, as if the words gushed forth from the heart of God, seeking entrance to the heart and mind of man, carrying a SUMMONS AS WELL AS INVOLVEMENT.(my emphasis) Grandeur, not dignity, is important. The language is luminous and explosive, firm and contingent, harsh and compassionate, a fusion of contradictions."

    "His images must not shine, they must burn."

    "He is a 'polished arrow' taken out of the quiver of God (Is 49:2)."

    Sometimes it is NOT easy to read your blog, but a lot of us count on you - our knees hit the ground with more and more meaning and with compassion greater than our own small worlds. Trust in Him alone grows. And hopefully our spoiled butts get in gear and respond. Keep up your holy work!

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  8. Thank you Father A for speaking the truth. You inspire me to strive to reach higher understanding. As always, we (family) all read your blogs and find them very inspirational. Thank you!

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  9. Jennifer,

    "That -/:$ me off! We all know that Father A prides himself on always being right. He's right again this time.. But, good Lord, any way to be pastoral and graceful? I guess not when he's offended by remarks contrary to his."

    I am far from one of his fans. (I learned that lesson). So I am not going to say he's right if I don't believe he isn’t. Why is it okay for you to criticize him but he is not allowed the same?
    “making me look like I'm some stupid, ignorant woman. Saying what I wrote was ridiculous?”

    "In my perception", you are taking everything like he's talking to you personally. And maybe he was in his remarks but I believe his original post was fine and accurate. This country is filled with spoiled brats who've been riding the coattails of the blood of past generations and we are very close to becoming a ‘has been’ as far as a Christian nation. We are out of time for political correctness and tolerance for wrong behavior.

    Sarcasm can be hurtful, especially when it is pointed at a particular person, (learned that too), but it does have a place. And I believe his use works well.
    ” I'm sorry but many people (liberals, non-Christians, non-religious, etc) think Father's message is ridiculous. They think God is a crack of $&@) and not to be trusted. I think one major reason people have been drawn away from the church is because of rigidity. These people are embarrassed when scorned, thought of as being ignorant when they believe in something contrary to what the Church teaches. They don't need to be judged or talked down to. Yes, they need to be taught the truth but in a loving way.”

    The point of Christianity is not to accommodate those who oppose it. If people are drawn away from the Church because of rigidity, they need to talk to God. If they feel embarrassed and scorned and thought of as ignorant because they choose not to accept the Church that Jesus left to teach them truth that is their problem. They need to overcome their feelings of inadequacy. And yes they are ignorant. And the remedy for that is to be taught the TRUTH. Being judged is different from being corrected. That often gets confused. And what is loving? Is watering down the truth and sugar coating it to make it more appealing a loving way?

    I believe I understand your perception because you are taking his words personally. Maybe you are embarrassed by what the Church teaches because you know people who oppose it and you don’t want them to be offended. If the truth offends anyone, then it offends them. It is not our job as Catholics to go around making the Church look good or appealing to recruit new members or keep old ones. We don’t need to skip over the difficult doctrines and focus only on the feel good ones to draw people in. That is the job of Protestants. We have JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF in the flesh and if that is not enough, then it is their loss. We should do all we can to educate them so that they too can be in the presence of Jesus in the flesh, but we don’t need to stoop to marketing ploys that make the Church ‘look good’ to prospects.
    I believe Father’s blog audience is generally Christians, Catholic Christians and he is a Catholic Priest after all. So I would expect his words to come from that perspective.

    My points are not to attack you, but I sense a little animosity in your words and I also detect a little hot and cold vibes from you that come across in your various posts and even within the same post.

    Maybe you should send your posts anonymously. It’s not the chicken way out. It may protect your feelings of being attacked or judged.

    Benedicamus Deus!

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    1. Dear "Benedicamus Deus",
      “If they feel embarrassed and scorned and thought of as ignorant because they choose not to accept the Church that Jesus left to teach them truth that is ”THEIR” (my emphasis) problem. THEY (my emphasis) need to overcome their feelings of inadequacy. And yes THEY (my emphasis) are ignorant. And the remedy for that is to be TAUGHT (my emphasis) the TRUTH. Being judged is different from being corrected. That often gets confused. And what is loving? Is watering down the truth and sugar coating it to make it more appealing a loving way?”

      WOW! I am so glad that YOU have got it all together! I am saddened by your words… really I am. May I ask you, WHO is going to teach them the TRUTH where they can hear it? I somehow don’t think it will be you. You sound like you would not even give THEM the time of day. Are we not our brother’s keeper? “They are ignorant, inadequate, and THEY have got a problem.” I don’t want to misconstrue your words… I would really like to meet you. I would like to hear YOUR story of how you converted yourself to become this great sinless, truth-filled person. I am not being facetious, I promise you….. please just re-read your words and tell me Who gave you the grace to understand His Words. Was it not another one of Christ’s brothers or sisters that somehow, someway showed you how much they Loved you? Were you ever moved by someone else’s Christ-filled Love?
      “My points are not to attack you, but I sense a little animosity in your words and I also detect a little hot and cold vibes from you that come across in your post.” I’m just sayin’ …. this is what I feel in Your words. You are my brother. I somehow know you in Christ. Please, let’s ask God together for the grace to see the other side of the story…. you know, there ARE two sides to the story. Maybe I am wrong, please pray for me too.

      You are correct: we DO NOT need to sugar-coat, but to me, pure water by itself tastes pretty good…

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  10. Sorry. Again I lost a comment by accident. If you see that your comment has not been posted, please resend it. Thank you.

    As for the comments. I would like to say that I don't find anything wrong with chewing and spitting on a reflection. What I don't want to have happen is that we chew and spit each other out.

    If you re-read my comment. I never called anyone ridiculous. This is what I wrote: "You ask, "Do all of these actions sound selfish?" No. they sound ridiculous and for obvious reasons. I won't mention them unless I have to."

    How did anyone go from "these actions sounding ridiculous" to "you sound ridiculous" is very impressive. But not very accurate.

    Let me mention one reason why these actions are ridiculous. First off, Mayor Bloomberg is concerned about health. Right? But then turns around and wants to approve drugs. Maybe he wants to use the police in a better capacity. But it is no longer for health reasons. If we use arguments that are not consistent, then everything is acceptable. EVERYTHING. But if we are concerned about health, then we should also be concerned about the health of those who would be legally introduced to soft drugs and the negative impact they have on health.
    What I am trying to say is that it would have made more sense to say we want to limit soft drinks and introduce hard drugs for the same reason: that being, we want to lower the weight of our police force and allow our police to not make so many arrests. That would have been more logical. Unfortunately, it would still be ridiculous and for obvious reasons. I can think of better ways for the police to focus on criminals rather than speeding tickets or parking violations. Why drugs? Why soft drinks? Why not traffic violations, hamburger sizes, popcorn kettles, etc....

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    1. Dear Father Alfonse,

      I've been chewing and spitting in private, away from this blog, in order to reflect. Wow...So much dissection and discussion. I'm a little surprised at how this thread has developed over the past 24 hours.

      I know the actions sound ridiculous and illogical from your viewpoint. But, do you think that quite a number of people believe in this reasoning? I assume you agree that not everybody trusts in God and that hypocrisy is at the root of so much wrong with America, especially our government.

      One additional point I'm sure you are cognizant of: A majority of your readers are Catholics and probably have met you in person. However, I'm sure there's a demographic out there who may be non-Catholics, maybe even atheists, reading your words. This is when I feel it's important to share alternative viewpoints without the fear of being ripped apart to shreads. Not everyone can be in line with your righteousness 100% of the time. I tend to like to think a little out of the box and from various angles. Yes, it may appear illogical, irrevelant, and maybe annoying to other readers, including yourself. Thank the Lord for the freedom of speech and the expression of opinions.

      Will all of this controversy about super sized drink and marijuana laws really mean anything at the end of time? Will hypocrisy ever go away? Is it possible all of this nonsense is part of God's plan? I see all of the media influence as a way of challenging us to reflect on what is really important in life: Jesus Christ.

      Blessings,

      -Jennifer

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    2. Here is an interesting article I just found. http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2012/06/06/pope-benedict-knows-that-this-is-the-age-of-addiction/

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    3. Excellent article....Much to think about especially the point about the growth of Protestant Church in the Latin America and their emphasis on drug rehabilitation. Why the Church is so lapse in this effort? The Technological advances fueling addition, targeting pleasure center beyond our comprehension is frightening. Very interesting thoughts...Something I should reflect on this week as I post on my own blog. Thanks for sharing. ;)

      -J.

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  11. LOL!!!LOL!!!!Speeding tickets???? I guess that's a little closer to home for some of us than super sized drinks and smoking pot!

    Thanks for the laugh. I needed it!!!

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  12. I regret you were so deeply offended by my words.

    Yes, it is their problem if they choose to reject the Church. It is their problem because no one else will be standing with them when their day comes to stand before the Lord. That is their problem alone.

    Yes they need to overcome their feelings of inadequacy. It is ultimately our own responsibility to take the abuse that caused our feelings of inadequacy into our own hands and do whatever it takes to heal those wounds so that we can be strong and confident with God’s grace which we must accept for this to happen. That may require counseling or some other tools that God has given us. Standing behind excuses for our feelings of inadequacy will never give us the self-assurance and empowerment it takes to feel good enough, to feel valuable, to feel enough self-love to seek what will ultimately save us, Jesus. The Church He left is the best way to find Him. It is the only place on earth that He is truly present bodily.

    Your sadness is unfortunate because your interpretation of my words was not as it was intended. I have often had my feelings hurt by the words of others whether they meant to hurt me or not. I did not mean to hurt you.

    The Holy Spirit is the bearer of all truth and he uses all kinds of avenues to motivate us to find that truth. Often it is not in ways that feel good. Often anger is what motivates us into action.

    And for the record, I cannot believe that God does not give every person the grace to find His truth and His Church. We do have to do our part, cooperate with His grace.

    My conversion is similar to Father’s. It was the words against the Church that led me to learn the truth about the Church. Those words made me angry and defensive, so I took the responsibility to learn what I did not know so I could either accept or reject the Church with the knowledge of what I was accepting or rejecting

    I am always happy to lovingly but without compromise share the truth about the Church. I too was once ignorant. And it was not my fault, at least to begin with. The Church and the adults who should have catechized me failed to do so. So I knocked, I sought and I found.

    We are supposed to teach and share the truth with our brothers. However we are not responsible for their accepting, believing, rejecting or their eternal salvation.

    Yes it is obvious that they are either ignorant or are willfully rejecting the Church and her teachings. Yes they do have a problem if they remain ignorant or willfully reject the Church. If they are WILLFULLY rejecting the Church, they are risking their eternal salvation and if they are WILLFULLY ignorant, they are not taking advantage of all the resources that are available for them to learn the truth. Today, there is no reason for anyone to be ignorant of the Church, not in this country. There are books, classes, the internet……all available to people no matter how rich or poor they are, no matter how educated or uneducated they are. Willfully choosing to remain ignorant while they are rejecting is also putting their soul at risk.

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  13. You have completely misconstrued my words, but that is understandable from the position of defensiveness that I perceive in your words to Father as well as to me and because my intent and sincerity is not conveyed with the written word.

    Nowhere in my words did I say or imply that I have it all together. That is your judgment of my perception of myself. Any truth that I am filled with has come from the Holy Spirit and my cooperation with Him. There is plenty of truth that I cannot grasp and have not as of yet grasped. I know I have a very long way to go. Are there things in the Church that I do not understand? Yes! Are there things in the Church that I do not like? Yes! Are there things in the Church I do not believe or accept? No. And I’m not sure where you got the impression that I was claiming to be sinless. That too is your judgment of what I believe about myself.

    I have re-read my words and I stand by them. I do not feel shame or regret for any of them.

    All grace comes from God. That’s where I got mine. I would have to say not one of my brothers or sisters led me to the Church in any way. I was never filled with anyone else’s Christ filled love until after the beginning of my ongoing conversion.

    Your sense of animosity from me is your own mistaken perception. I’m not sure about how my words come across as hot and cold, but that is your sense. The hot and cold vibes I perceive from you come from the words you often have for Father. Sometimes you are all mushy and praising of him and other times you are criticizing him. That’s all I meant.

    Like I said before I regret that your perception of my words are not how I meant them at all.

    I do see your side. I was once there.

    And for the record, I did not perceive Father’s words in this particular blog as negative or positive. He was simply relaying his perception of what is going on in society. And I happen to agree with him……this time. The truth can just be negative because it is awful and evil at times.

    I will continue to pray for you.

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    1. Dear Anonymous (June 6, 2012 10:34 am),

      Just to clarify: I never replied to your original post. That was the other anonymous. (It would be nice if people at least put down fake names so we can distinquish from one another.) I accept your opinions and do not wish to discuss any further. Thank-you for your prayers.

      God Bless,

      -Jennifer

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  14. I’m so glad you asked about my conversion. First of all the Holy Spirit works through everything, the good, the bad and the ugly. I have no animosity.

    You are wrong, I would give them the time of day and I would lovingly share the TRUTH about the Church.

    My conversion in a nutshell is that I grew up with Baptist, Catholic haters all around me, including my dad’s family. I was told I was not Christian and going to hell. The parish that I went to ‘religiously’, including CCD did not teach me otherwise and neither did my mother who took us to church.

    When I was in my 20’s someone tried to get me to join her ‘fun’ Bible Church where people knew Jesus, loved Jesus and didn’t have all those harsh archaic rules to follow. All that was required for my salvation in her church was to accept Jesus as my Lord and savior, have a Bible, believe what I interpreted it to mean to fit my own beliefs and lifestyle and renounce the Catholic Church and all her false teachings.

    But by the grace of God, I decided to do research to see what I was leaving before I left. And by the grace of God, I started with history, which was definitely the grace of God because I hated history. What I learned about the truth of the origin of the Church led me into finding out more and more. I studied apologetics on my own for about 10 years but I honestly did not truly fall in love with Jesus until I got to know him about two years ago and that was also by His grace.

    I was abused and hurt very deeply by a priest. For a minute I considered leaving the Church but that would be stupid for me to leave Jesus Christ in the flesh because of one man who is fallen and acting out of his own brokenness.

    Now, a side note, it took me a while to get to the point of forgiving and looking at his side of it for me to heal. I am no saint!!!! ………………..yet, hopefully one day I will be.

    Hopefully that answered all your questions and cleared up some misunderstandings.

    Benedicamus Deus!

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    1. Dear BD,

      Thank you, thank you, a hundred times thank you!! Your honesty wins my heart! I am constantly telling my kids: I know that we all sin, we do things we know we are not suppose to do, but don’t ever lie to me – we can and will get to the bottom of things if we trust each other, tell each other our inmost secrets and fears. Jesus will be there w/us to guide us… where 2 or more are gathered, there am I… we RELY on His presence.
      1st of all, I’m not Jennifer! Notations to her I can’t respond.
      2nd, honestly, thank you for praying me… I need it.
      Lastly, you write well. I understand why you feel the way you do… w/what happened to you from your early childhood, to the conversion, to the abuse, to your faithfulness. But my brother, (I think), I believe that b/c we are the body of Christ, when a toe hurts in His Body, His entire Body feels it, does it not? When you were hurting, there were sacrifices and prayers offered for you by Our Church that you were not even aware of! Think about Saul’s conversion… he did not “do” anything by himself that converted him. That is one main reason that Our Church has captured me. It gives me a reason for suffering in this world! The greatest paradox of our society - offering my sufferings and sacrifices that I do not understand for others in His Body – loving my crosses, my sufferings and offering them up to Him Who only knows what to do with them. I do not even know who I am loving when I offer up my sufferings… the beauty and mystery of Christ! But, I do know it is for Christ’s Body and that is enough for me.
      I would still like to meet you one day. Maybe, if we continue to live His Words radically, we will meet in heaven…. Only through His grace!

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  15. LOL!!! I am so confused about who’s who. I did think I was conversing with Jennifer all this time. Sorry Jennifer. And with Father’s learning curve on his new phone, that has even made it more confusing! LOL!! I’ll have to think about that fake name thing..... OK, I’ve thought about it. I don’t like it. I’ll stick with anonymous or I might get confused about who I am.

    I definitely agree and understand what you are saying about the body of Christ. I guess what I was saying is that there was not anyone on earth that I knew or came into contact with that inspired my conversion.

    Actually now that I think about it, I know exactly who was praying for me for my conversion and it was someone in heaven.

    One day on my way to Church, after I had gone through CRHP and was on fire for the faith and hungry for it all, my SD calls it gluttony for Jesus. I had been with my family, sister, mother, etc., and they were criticizing me for going to church so much and being 'too' religious, even though I really didn't try to evangelize them. They could see the change in me and didn't like it.

    Anyway, I was driving to church thinking about how angry they made me. I was thinking, "How dare they? Here I am praying for their butts, trying to get them to heaven and they not only don't appreciate it, but they are chastising me for it. I'll show them. I'm not going to pray for them anymore!” Then I thought about my conversion and wondered who was praying for me. It wasn't my mom; she was the one who told me I was getting too holy going to church so much even though she's the one who brought me up Catholic. I couldn't think of anyone else who would pray for me. Then, just as that thought crossed my mind, my daughter, who died at birth 17 years before popped into my mind. SHE was praying for me! I had so often in the months after her death, asked God what her purpose was. Why would he give her to me just to take her from me? At that second, I knew her purpose was to pray for me and to get me in His arms and in His Church.

    Then my next thought was, dang she's in the face of God and it took her that long! How long is it going to take me to get my family there?

    BTW: I’m not a brother, I would (in the olden days when a person’s gender was determined by their sex organs and chromosomes not their preference), be a ‘sister’.

    Thank you for your compliment on my writing. God has given me many gifts. (I'm not bragging. I have no sense of direction, I'm technologically inept, I don't do details....) I just have to figure out what He wants me to do with them.

    Who knows we may already know each other:)

    Benedicamus Deus! (God Bless You in Latin)

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