PathToHoliness

The covered lanai by our pool has become my new relaxation location. This morning for morning prayer it is wonderful since it’s raining. That may not sound like relaxation but it is. In fact, you can listen to what it sounds like below.

We’ve got a tree surrounded back yard filled with frogs and birds to listen to also. So Cindy and I are finding that when it’s time to relax (anytime) this is our go to place. I’m working on an outdoor kitchen area too!

Here’s the sounds of this morning: Sound of Morning Rain

The big move is over. We’re now in Florida and still have a lot of boxes to unpack. We’re also still deciding on a parish to join. Cindy and I have been attending weekday and Sunday Masses at several nearby churches.

Last Sunday we attended Mass at St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Cantonment, FL. This is a mission church and a very small one “out in the country.” It’s actually not far away at all. We’ve got about 5 churches within reasonable distance to choose from!

Besides selecting a parish to join I’m also seeking a new spiritual director. I’m hoping and praying for guidance on this. After seeing Fr. Bill in Missouri for many years I’ve got a feeling this will be a big change but who knows?

Here’s a phone photo of Fr. Barry Cole and myself during my recent retreat.

It was the first time I’ve met Fr. Cole and heard his meditation talks. Like all Opus Dei priests he has a great sense of humor. Thanks to John Lynch, Wespine Study Center, for taking the photo. Fr. Cole works at the Lincoln Green University Center at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

I got to visit with him before the end of my retreat and asked him to share some thoughts from a point he made in one of his talks. He talked about faith not being a private matter and that really stood out for me. I asked him to expand on that idea and what it means. We also talked about how important it is to study our faith so that we can talk intelligently about it with others.

You can listen to my conversation with Fr. Cole here: Interview with Fr. Barry Cole

Here’s an aerial view from the Weather Channel on my iPad, zoomed in from radar. By the end of the week we’ll have moved from Missouri back to my home state of Florida! We’re in the final stages of packing for the truck that is scheduled for Tuesday. This has been a roller coaster ride of emotions after we made the decision last year to go ahead and relocate to the place we eventually want to retire. Every step has had more than planned for difficulties but we’ve prayed constantly for guidance in our decision making.

We’ve attended Mass at a number of churches in the area we’re moving to and have not yet made a decision on which one to become members of. No hurry but it’s an important decision we still have to make. I will also have to find a new spiritual director so I’m asking the Lord to help me with that as well.

Our business will not change and in fact, this move may enhance it in several ways. So from that standpoint things are going to be much the same. However, we’ll miss seeing friends here and just have to make some new ones. I’m looking forward to it.

I’ve got a whole lot of thoughts I’d like to share from my retreat and will get started on that as soon as we get unpacked on the other end . . .

My annual retreat is my time to charge my spiritual batteries and by retreat time it always seems as if I especially need that. I’m not sure how many Wespine Center retreats I have attended now but I think it might be about 14 in a row. I’m not sure if this is my last either but so glad I could make it.

This Monday Cindy and I have a closing scheduled on a house in Pensacoala, FL. We’re from Florida and have been wanting to move back to our home state for years. We just decided the time was right. Let me re-phrase that. After much prayer we believe it is not only what we want but what God wants for us at this time. So who knows what my retreat opportunity will be next year. I’ll have to work on that.

I always take notes on retreat and will share one from one of today’s meditations. The priest talked about how people tell him they’re “struggling” with their prayer life. He says he asks them, “Does that mean you’re not praying?” The answer is usually yes. And he tells them, “Then you’re not struggling.” He says it’s better to say that you’re making an “effort” to pray but having difficulty. I just thought that was a great way to look at things since you can apply it to all kinds of situations.

All Catholics are called to witness. That’s part of being a good Catholic christian. Here’s an organization I just became aware of that takes the call seriously. I like what they’re doing from all I can see on their website. Catholics Called to Witness

Catholics Called to Witness is a faith-based organization dedicated to upholding and promoting the following three non-negotiable principles as stressed by Pope Benedict XVI, while encouraging the Catholic community to participate in the public arena.

I especially like their “Non-Negotiables.”

• The Right to Life »

Protection of life in all its stages, from the first moment of conception until natural death

• Sanctity of Marriage »

Recognition and promotion of the natural structure of the family – as a union between a man and a woman based on marriage

• Parental Rights »

The protection of the right of parents to educate their children

This is my favorite image of the Divine Mercy. I especially like the line at the bottom, “Jesus I trust in you.” How simple that is to say and how difficult it is sometimes to really feel that trust.

When that happens to me I’m trying to say more often, “Jesus I believe. Help me in my unbelief.”

Tomorrow is Divine Mercy Sunday again. If you need to know how to say the Chaplet or Novena you can find links to them in this post.

Let’s all pray for our Lord’s continuing mercy. I think we need it very much in our country right now.

I like an app that does one thing very well. The Evangelizo App fits.

Catholic service: Daily Gospel, the gospel, the readings, the saints, the prayers, in 10 languages : French, English, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, German, Arabic, Italian, Polish, Armenian

You can find it:

iTunes Store
Android Market
Mobile Browser Friendly Version

I’ve got it on my iPhone and Droid Razr.

Here’s an example of how social media is being used to help spread the Gospel as called for by Pope Benedict. I found a reference to it in today’s Vatican Information Service email which mentions a conference taking place in Rome titled, “From Parables to Twitter.” Not that sounds interesting all by itself. Here’s what ALETEIA is about:

ALETEIA is the first multi-lingual online community that offers Questions and Answers about the Catholic faith, life and society.

Aleteia is a Rome-based private initiative of lay Catholics who wish to answer Benedict XVI’s appeal to spread the Gospel through new media. To this end, Aleteia cooperates closely with the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization.

Follow on Twitter or Facebook.

The Gospel reading for today is Jn 21:1-14. In it there is a very specific mention of 153 fish being caught in a net that did not tear. I’ve always wondered what the meaning of the number of fish is. Today our our Pastor told us what he had found from his own research.

Here’s a segment from the reading:

So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.

Apparently at the time of the Gospel what we would now call zoologists had categorized 153 species of fish. Therefore the subjective meaning of the number would be the bringing to Jesus all the people of the world. There is also significance to the fact that the net was not torn, meaning that Jesus’ love is large enough and strong enough to encompass everyone.

I’m sure there are other interpretations of what this number means but it’s the first time I can remember hearing this explanation and it not only makes sense but it really helped bring the meaning of this particular Gospel passage home to me in today’s Mass.

Happy Easter. Our Lord is risen and we have so much to be thankful for today. One of the first things I think of on Easter is what a priest said on a retreat I attended years ago, that Easter and the risen Lord is the greatest event in the history of the world. Nothing can compare to it. Think about it and you’ll understand why.

Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict, delivered his urbi et orbi in Rome yesterday. You can find the full text here. However, here are a couple of excerpts.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Rome and throughout the world!

May the jubilant voice of the Church reach all of you with the words which the ancient hymn puts on the lips of Mary Magdalene, the first to encounter the risen Jesus on Easter morning. She ran to the other disciples and breathlessly announced: “I have seen the Lord!” (Jn 20:18). We too, who have journeyed through the desert of Lent and the sorrowful days of the Passion, today raise the cry of victory: “He has risen! He has truly risen!”

Pope Benedict also had a message for those in strife torn countries like Syria.

May the risen Christ grant hope to the Middle East and enable all the ethnic, cultural and religious groups in that region to work together to advance the common good and respect for human rights. Particularly in Syria, may there be an end to bloodshed and an immediate commitment to the path of respect, dialogue and reconciliation, as called for by the international community. May the many refugees from that country who are in need of humanitarian assistance find the acceptance and solidarity capable of relieving their dreadful sufferings. May the paschal victory encourage the Iraqi people to spare no effort in pursuing the path of stability and development. In the Holy Land, may Israelis and Palestinians courageously take up anew the peace process.

We can only hope and pray that peace comes to that region as well as others in Africa and even right here in the United States where we’re seeing a real persecution of the Christian faith.

I thought this picture was very appropriate during the last week of Lent this year. I took it on the way home from Illinois last week. It’s the Effingham Cross which sits right off the highway at the intersection of I-57 and I-70 at Effingham, IL. It’s almost 200 feet tall so it really gets your attention.

The cross is a great symbol for us at this time as we reflect on the pain and suffering that Jesus experienced before being crucified for us. We all have crosses to bear in our lives and rather than let them become stumbling blocks we can turn them into opportunities to grow closer to our Lord. I got that opportunity last week when I crashed off my bicycle on a city road and broke a rib and injured by shoulder. I’m having to do everything with my left arm right now and I’m right handed. It is not fun. But as I was starting to deal with the reality of it I just offered it up to Jesus in union with His suffering and for all who are suffering right now, especially some form of physical discomfort or pain. Yeah, it’s not easy to do. It’s easy to feel sorry for yourself and I catch myself doing that. But I’ve made it part of my daily examination of conscience which reminds me why this is a blessing.

Last week Cindy and I attended Mass at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Urbana, IL. We got to see a college friend who has just started work in the area. It was great to re-connect after about 31 years! It was also nice to travel together again for work and have the time to weekday Mass.

Have you ever tried going to a weekday Mass? On a regular basis? Think it’s not possible? I thought so until I started doing it. Made it a priority and now if I can’t go I feel like my day is missing something. Something important. Which it surely is. One of the things I found is that I’m more productive in a day when I make it to Mass. Seems counter intuitive but that’s just the way God works.

For those of you who are wondering how you can use social networking and new media as a mechanism to evangelize in today’s digital world, consider an event like the 2012 CatholicConExpo. I’m planning to attend since those dates are open on the calendar right now. Here’s what the event is about.

At the Second Vatican Council, we are taught that Jesus Christ and He alone fully reveals man to himself. Jesus Christ, the Word Made Flesh, is the Perfect Communicator of God, His creation, His plan, and our place in it.

At CatholiCon 2012, we will meet Christ, The Perfect Communicator through the Church’s Liturgy, both Ancient and New, through the teaching of the Catholic Faith in the Theology of Communications Track, through the concrete skills of evangelization in the Content of Communications Track and through the nuts and bolts of making the tech work in the Methods of Communications Track.

The schedule is still being created at this time but you can go ahead and get registered now.

Happy Presidents Day. I’ve been seeing a lot of “stuff” on tv about this. Mainly because the tv’s are on in front of me when I’m working out at the YMCA. I don’t listen but some of them have captioning so you can get a sense of what’s being said. One item I’ve seen more than once is some pundit exclaiming that religion has no place in government. Well, that’s just plain wrong. Some of our greatest Presidents knew that as you’ll see in this Knights of Columbus video released for today.