Death Is Defeated
Self-preservation is the strongest human drive. Next comes the sex drive whose purpose is to continue life on this planet. We long to live on. We freeze dead bodies in hopes that they will live again. We pay for hair dye and face lifts, aiming at eternal youth. Not to worry. We ARE immortal. All it took was for a God to die. This is what we celebrate at Easter. By redeeming us, Jesus gave us the real hope of living forever. His coming out of his tomb alive after his execution assures us that everything he said was true—including his promise that all who believe in him will have eternal life. (more…)
Let a Picture Shape Your Prayer
St. Teresa of Avila, an expert on prayer, knew the power of a picture. Looking at an image of the wounded Christ changed her life. She taught that visuals can “awaken love.” Using the photo at the top of this blog, here’s an example of how prayer can flow from a picture. Some background: The shot was taken in Tiberius. I got up at 5:30 am to capture the sunrise and waited until a bird alit on a tree branch, but this herald of the dawn is barely discernible. (more…)
Blessings upon Blessings
Recent changes in the Mass have woken us up to the words said. What caught my attention is that twice we proclaim, “Blessed be God forever!” We do what we were created to do: We recognize God’s greatness and praise him with all the angels and saints. Bless is a two-way word. We bless God at Mass because he has blessed (gifted) us with the bread and wine that become Jesus. But bless also means to wish that God would favor someone.
You don’t have to be ordained to impart a blessing. A friend of mine blessed his two daughters before they went to bed. (more…)
Appreciating Being Alive
We just celebrated my mom’s 91st birthday. She bemoans her loss of independence and her pains. “Just throw me in Lake Erie,” she remarks. Yet she is anticipating another birthday party next year. And her family is glad she is still with us. I too am moving closer to the end of my life. This has made me reflect on how precious every day is. Because I live today, I can delight in the beauty of the full moon decorated with wisps of gray clouds this morning. I can enjoy Beethoven’s 5th symphony and the theme from the Titanic movie. (more…)
Jesus Is the Center
Blaise Pascal wrote, “Jesus is the center of everything and the object of everything.” In my research for talks on evangelization, I learned that most people who trade the Catholic Church for a Pentecostal or Evangelical church claim that it is because they are looking for a personal relationship with Jesus. This is mind-boggling because Catholics have unique opportunities for encountering the living, risen Jesus. (more…)
