ONLY Hours till the BIRTH of CHRIST, 
and this is the 26th day of the ADVENT season.
“HO, HO, HO-ly God, We Praise Thy Name!” 

Quote or Joke of the Day:

A friend was coming out of church one day, and the priest was standing at the door shaking hands, when grabbed my friend and pulled him aside.  The priest said, “You need to join the Army of Christ!”  My friend said, “I’m already in the Army of Christ.”  The Priest questioned, “How come I only see you at Christmas and Easter Masses?”  He whispered back, “I’m in the secret service.”

Today’s Meditation:

Picture countless angels appearing to you singing praises to God, in your presence.  It would definitely ‘freak’ me out!  Divine beings, more holier ‘than thou,’ and greater than any human; recognizing the goodness and love that flows from God.  Jesus’ birth fulfills the OT prophesies of peace without weapons.  It would be great to think and live more of this aspect of God’s plan for mankind today, and get rid of all the weapons that can kill ALL mankind many times over.  I truly pray some politicians are reading this blog [pass it one].

God’s peace is more than the absence of war.  It also includes security and the well-being for everyone.  His plan of peace is all around us today, and is there just for the asking.  We are being invited to be in God’s family.  All we need to do, is to look for Jesus in everyone we meet; including those we do not like.  We also need to do as Jesus would do.  My wife once told me, “just act as if Jesus was looking over your shoulder.”  You know, actually, He IS!!! 

Pax et Bonum

Dan Halley, SFO

*****

Secular Franciscan Order (SFO) Rule #24:

To foster communion among members, the council should organize regular and frequent meetings of the community as well as meeting with other Franciscan groups, especially with youth groups. It should adopt appropriate means for growth in Franciscan and ecclesial life and encourage everyone to a life of fraternity. The communion continues with deceased brothers and sisters through prayer for them.

CHRIST-MASS Rosary

Welcome! The Rosary is a prayer reflecting and meditating on Jesus and his Beloved. Who is the Beloved? We are the Beloved Daughters and Sons of God. God desires a Christmas Dance with each and every one of us. It isn’t just about Christmas day or the season. It is about each and every day of the year that seems to circle and spiral up to the heavens and beyond. We call this “kairos” time.

The Rosary is a response to what Jesus said on the cross just before he died,
“Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your Mother!” Jesus was thrilled, even in pain to give us his mother and to ask us to watch over her. It seems that Jesus entrusts all of us to His mother, “Woman, behold your sons and daughters!” Jesus asks us to literally, “Take care of Your Mother!”

The Rosary is really like having roses bloom in winter; a miracle birth. Do you remember the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe? On December 9, 1531 Mary, the mother of Jesus the “Christ” appeared to Juan Diego, a recent native convert, on Tepeyac Hill, in what is now Mexico City. She asked that Juan Diego go to his bishop and ask that a church be built there, a “house for her son.” The bishop only believed Juan Diego when he opened his cloak with the beautiful roses he collected in the winter and the image of Our Lady appeared clothed in the Sun and standing on the moon in the most beautiful Christmas lights ever displayed. God, Our Father, loves and adores the Mother of His Son. Not only does God give us the “gift” of Jesus, His Son. God gives us His Beloved Wife; the mother of Jesus.

It seems that Mary and Joseph are still looking for a place for their newborn son. “While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” The Gospel According to Luke 2:6-7

When Jesus was born on the first Christmas Day over 2000 years ago, he was wrapped in basically, scraps and rags. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the House of God for all eternity. When Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you wish.” She said “Yes,” I will make room for God in my body, heart, life and soul.

Sadly, today we don’t even make room for babies that are in the womb. Today, millions of unborn children are slaughtered by abortion. These children are placed in garbage cans, incinerated, or used for scientific research. Over the years, God has used me to help bring healing for women and men who have participated in their children or grandchildren’s death through abortion. Naming of these innocent children and handing them to God and His Mother is a first step to being saved from the horrors of death. (Project Rachael) The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests!”

Because Blessed Mary made room for the birth of the “Christ-Mass,” God made room for her in heaven. Our Lady of Guadalupe was wrapped in the Sun and was held up by the moon. The book of Revelation described her as, “A great sign appeared in the sky; a woman clothed with the sun, and with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth…The child was caught up to God and his throne. The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God, that there she might be taken care of.”

On Christmas day, five years ago, I was in the war and desert of Iraq where Salvation History began. I was in between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers near Babel. The weather was dreary and it wasn’t a white Christmas. We didn’t have a church building, but we did have the Eucharist. We carried Jesus in our bodies as we traversed all the dangers. On that Holy Night, we believed that Jesus was wrapped in our poor bodies in the Body and Blood of Christ. We reflected on the stars brightly shining beyond the clouds. It was the night of our dear Savior’s birth. It was the best Christmas ever!

A thrill of hope
A weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks, a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees and hear the angel voices
O night divine when Christ was born!

Let us not celebrate just the birth day of Christ, but let us celebrate his entire life in his Kingdom on earth and in Heaven. Come home to the family of God. Live in the radiance of the Holy Family clothed in light and love. Let this Christmas be the best ever.

The Church believes that the Rosary is the Gift of the Sacred Scriptures. Every Mystery, every prayer, every decade contains the Whole Story of God’s love for us. God is Our Father. Mary is Our Mother. Jesus is The Son. We, the Church are the Bride. We are a family. The Rosary is a Family prayer and reflection. The Rosary is an Instrument of God’s Peace. Let us open our minds and hearts to the infinite and compassionate love of God.

Profession of Faith

Our Father!

Hail Mary!
Hail Mary!
Hail Mary!

Glory be to the Father!
Glory be to the Son!
Glory be to the Spirit!

O my Jesus forgive us our sins.
Save us from the fires of Hell.
Lead all souls to Heaven,
Especially those in most need of your Mercy!

MYSTERIES OF JOY

Annunciation

Visitation

Birth of Our Lord

Presentation of Jesus by Mary and Joseph

Finding Jesus in the Temple

MYSTERIES OF LIGHT

Baptism of Jesus

Wedding Feast of Cana

Proclamation of the Kingdom (The Invitation)

The Transfiguration

Eucharist

MYSTERIES OF SORROW

Agony in the Garden

Scourging

Crowning with Thorns

The Way of the Cross

Crucifixion

MYSTERIES OF GLORY

Resurrection

Ascending to Heaven

Holy Spirit is Here!

Assumption

Crowning of the Queen of Peace

Kind of obsessed lately…

La Dama knit rosary, cross cakes, With Asian Stereotypes inverted cross tank, Ryan Noon Icelandic tee and sweater.

I’ve prayed the rosary this week. But, I’m new to the Catholic Faith and in my laziness I didn’t want to get my cheat sheet so I could do it the right way. Instead, I just mediated on the human life of Christ while I prayed the 50 Hail Marys.

I thought about His ten little fingers and ten little toes. I pictured His virgin mother, Mary, stroking his chubby cheeks and kissing His soft ear lobes like I do the babies in my life. I tried to see Him waddling as he learned to walk and scraping his knee when He tried to move too fast, too soon. I heard the sounds of Joseph, His foster dad, teaching God’s Son the carpentry trade. I tried to imagine what Mary felt as she gazed at his sleeping frame. I wondered what He dreamed.

I marveled at the generosity of God to trade His divinity for the weakness of human flesh. To allow us to borrow, if you will, His very self in the person of His own Son. I saw Jesus wake up early and meet the sunrise. To see it, like even He had never seen it before. From within Time, being in the very sandals of humanity. And I imagined His voice uplifted in favorite psalms and hymns of praise.

Jesus anticipated His ministry and His eyes were bright as He called the twelve to Him. He laughed with them over the meals they shared. He spoke tender words to the weak and ill and healed them with His touch. He happily played and skipped with the children following closely at his feet. He traded sleep for precious hours of  solitary prayer and to draw strength from His Father God.

And then, I chose to walk on further with Him. His fingernails were crusty when He gave the blind man his sight. He had dark circles beneath his eyes when He said to His followers, “My time is near.”  Blood  droplets appeared on His skin as He prayed in the garden, “May this cup pass from me? But not my will; Thine be done.” And at the sound of the armed soldiers approaching, His heart beat ferociously within His chest.

I went with Jesus on His earthy experience to Jerusalem, but the details are too gruesome to recall just now. Finally, He hung above humanity on the cross we nailed Him to. His physical suffering ceased at the prayer in His final breath. After 33 years as a visitor to His created earth and His created people; He cast Himself into the pit of hell with forgiveness still echoing from his silent,  swollen lips.

Sometimes, the effect of prayer is instantaneous, and sometimes it takes years to bear fruit. This is one of those times of a life changing personal epiphany.

This evening, I had forgotten my earlier prayer. I was just singing praise songs to my cats, who seem not to mind my carrying on. I realized through the singing of the lyrics, “When fears are stilled and strivings cease…” that I have permission to embrace my humanity. And that includes my wretchedness and my weaknesses.

It’s not necessary that I present myself to the world as a perfect vessel, for Christ to be glorified through me. Who among us can obtain perfection? Though we all wait for it. We’ll shine like stars, as soon as the cobwebs and closets are cleared out of our shameful life and we are deemed worthy to stand before our fellow men and women.

I fear that my secrets will be exposed. That people may search for the dirt in my life to get me down. And that will probably happen if God desires to use me to serve the many, as opposed to the few trusted friends I would choose to stay safe with.

That’s great! Go for it. Expose my imperfections. All the better if I never forget where I’ve come from and what I’m prone to do and to be. I don’t buy that Martin Luther mentality that I am just a pile of snow covered dung. No. I am a new creation, but I’m still human. I’m still weak and I still struggle with sin and temptation.

Praise be to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, because His Power is made perfect in our weakness. I am weak, but He is strong.

 He is strong. He strengthens me!  I will hide my life, my future, and my aspirations in Christ because He is strong enough to negate the trouble I’ve seen and will see. He approves of me. He makes all things well. He loves me just how I am, this moment, and how I was before, and how I will be as His perfecting work is carried out in my future.

If I knew the whole of what my God is asking of me, I know I would pass away the instant I caught a glimpse. The very passion of my heart tells me I’m in for a lot more troubles than those I’ve already known. But it also tells me of the joy in the trouble.

“Bless their labors with abundant fruit and may the souls to whom they minister be their joy and consolation here and in heaven their beautiful and everlasting crown.

“The Priestly Life in the mainstream culture. My passion–my utmost desire–is that you, my reader…my neighbor…my friend, will come to embrace your humanity, as well. Don’t wait til the “house is clean” to be a host or hostess. Because, if I’m okay being human and letting God be God, then I’m okay with you being human, too.

I don’t try to get ahead. I don’t pretend I’m what I’m not. I don’t try to be right. I don’t make myself comfortable, unless you are comfortable.

We are many people, but also just one. We share the same emotions, the same miraculous machine called the human body; and we share its vulnerabilities to injury and disease. We have the same fears, the same joys, the same desire to belong and to be loved, and eternity has been set deep inside each of our human hearts.

Whoever wants to be great must be the least. Whoever wants to be first must be last. Look again at the human life God chose to live. There is truth in the words of Sacred Scripture. Truth is found in Love; for ourselves, our neighbors and our Three-in-One God. And Love is found in Acceptance; of ourselves, our neighbors and the proffered grace from our Three-in-One God.

People on both sides of the issue of Global Warming are thoroughly convinced that they are correct.  Both sides use scientific data to back up their claims.  Those who stand to make a massive amount of money off of this debate are relished with the controversy, but the following verses are what people of the world need to be prepared for and fear the consequences of ending up on the wrong side :

2 Peter 3:7 (New International Version)
7By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

Hebrews 10:26-27 (New International Version)

26If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

Hebrews 12:29 (New International Version)
29for our “God is a consuming fire.”

Revelation 16:8-9 (New International Version)

8The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. 9They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.

Revelation 20:15 (New International Version)
15If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

John 14:6 (New International Version)

6Jesus [Yeshua in Hebrew] answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

2 Peter 3     The Day of the Lord   (New International Version)
1Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.
3First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.[a]

11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.[b]That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

14So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul [Shaul in Hebrew] also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

17Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. 18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ [Yeshua HaMashiach in Hebrew]. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Hebrews 4:13  (New International Version)
¹³Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Archbishop Listecki

Praise be to God!  More and more Bishops are finding the moral courage to stand up unequivocally in support of Church teaching.  Archbishop Listecki captures the point so clearly: you can call yourself whatever you want, but if you refuse to follow the teachings of the Church you are not Catholic no matter how loudly you claim to be Catholic.

The Catholic Church is not about the people.  It is about God.  The Church does not change to suit the whims of man.  Man needs to change to suit his Creator.  This is a fundamental point so many “Catholics” fail to understand today.  They want the Church to be a “come as you are” affair and think they can pick and choose which articles of faith they want to follow – and think if they don’t like something, the Church needs to change it to suit their tastes.  This is an absurd position, which as the Archbishop says, “…is contrary to the Catholic Faith they claim to profess.”

Instead of demanding the Church change to suit our tastes, we need to pray for God’s grace to mold ourselves in accordance with His plan for us.  We need to partake regularly of the Sacraments – especially the often neglected Sacrament of Confession, and pray frequently, in particular the Rosary of Our Lady.

MILWAUKEE, December 15, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The incoming Archbishop of Milwaukee, Jerome Listecki, has responded to a campaign by “Young Catholics for Choice” to promote use of contraception and abortion among Catholic youth. 

Using media advertising the group is, says the Archbishop-Designate, “attempting to convey the message that Catholics can disregard Church teaching regarding contraception, abortion and human sexuality in general and remain Catholics in good standing.”  However, “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

“While people can call themselves whatever they want, it is my duty as a bishop to state clearly and unequivocally that by professing and disseminating views in grave contradiction to Catholic teaching, members of organizations like ‘Young Catholics for Choice’ in fact disown their Catholic heritage, tragically distancing themselves from that communion with the Church to which they are called,” added the archbishop.

Using language first employed by Catholic dissenters to Humanae Vitae, YCFC calls on Catholics to use an “informed conscience” to decide to use birth control and the morning-after-pill, also called “emergency contraception.”

 Their ad campaign states: “Young Catholics are having sex. We are using contraception and condoms. We are having abortions. We are bisexual, gay, lesbian, straight and transgender. And none of this makes us any less Catholic than conservative Catholics who speak out against us.

“The truth is, they don’t represent what the majority of Catholics – especially those of us in our 20s and 30s – think about sex. It comes down to Catholic teaching on conscience. Basically, every individual has the right and responsibility to follow his or her own conscience – and respect others’ right to do the same. With conscience and respect, good Catholic sex is not only possible, it’s already happening. “

The group, claiming to be a youth wing of “Catholics for Choice,” admits that it’s mandate is to “take action to counter the bishops’ impact both in the United States and around the world. “

Archbishop Listecki concluded his statement calling for prayers for the YCFC members.  “We pray that they may reconcile their position which is contrary to the Catholic Faith they claim to profess.” (source)

Week 3 of Advent

9 days till the BIRTH of CHRIST, 
and this is the 17th day of the ADVENT season.
“HO, HO, HO-ly God, We Praise Thy Name!” 

Quote or Joke of the Day:

God created woman from the side of man.
Not from his head to be above him,
nor from his feet to be trampled by him.
From his side to be equal to him,
from under his arm to be protected by him,
from near his heart to be loved by him.

http://www.oneliners-and-proverbs.com/   

 

 

Today’s Meditation:

And you, child [John], will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins … (NAB Lk 1: 76 -77)

Zechariah, awaken to the realization of the unique relation his son has with God, knows that John had been marked for a special role in the plan for salvation.  Zechariah was not an ‘average joe’ in his town.  He was a temple priest, and thus very familiar with the Old Testament, and its prophesies towards a new ‘Messiah’ to come.  

 I wonder if  Zechariah knew Mary’s child was ‘that’ Messiah prophesied in the OT?  Did he wonder why John was chosen as the prophet to tell the people of the Messiah’s arrival?  Did Elizabeth and Zechariah realize John’s future ending in imprisonment and death?  These questions, though they may have been in John’s parents thoughts, take a back seat to God’s love for mankind, and their faith and trust in Him..  

Pax et Bonum

Dan Halley, SFO

*****

 Franciscan Saint of the Day:  Blessed Mary Frances Schervier

Born in 1819, Frances Schervier was a descendant of a distinguished family in the old imperial city of Aachen or Aix-la-Chapelle.  Her desire to enter a religious order was thwarted by the early death of her mother in 1832, when Frances was only 13 years old.  She was obliged to remain at home and attend to the household.  But she did not let these circumstances prevent her from caring in a very special way for the poor and the sick.  So lavish was her liberality that one of the old servants once remarked, “One of these days the child will have dragged everything out of the house.”  Later she was an active member of several benevolent societies of women and also of what was known as St. John’s soup kitchen, a charitable enterprise organized to feed the needy.

Frances joined the Third Order of St. Francis in 1844.  Henceforth she and four other young women resolved to lead a community life.  They found a dwelling at the old city gate of St. James, and took possession of their first religious abode on the eve of the feast of St. Francis in 1845.  Prayer and works of mercy were their principal occupation.  Mother Frances and her first companions – the number soon increased to 23 — received the religious habit on August 12, 1851, and a new religious family was formed.  Appropriately, she called the new congregation the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis.  The poverty of St. Francis and his love for the poor of Christ superseded everything else in the eyes of the foundress.  On one occasion she wrote to her sisters: “The impress of poverty and penance should mark even our chapels and churches, and be their distinctive feature.”

The first foundation of the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis in the United States was made in 1858.  Twice Mother Frances came to the US.  The first time in 1863 and the second time in 1868.  During her first sojourn in this country, she joined her sisters in ministering to wounded soldiers of the Civil War; and to the sick, the homeless, and the orphaned.  The second time, while visiting the various institutions conducted by her sisters, she also lent a helping hand in caring for the sick, aged, and the poor.

Mother Frances sacrificed everything for the poor out of love for God, and she was amply repaid by Him who cannot be outdone in generosity.  Her foundation increased visibly; and to this day it enjoys the special blessing of Divine Providence.  At her holy death on December 14, 1876, Mother Frances was mourned by thousands of daughters in religion, as well as by the poor; and was venerated as a saint. Unusual conversions and other remarkable events occurred even during her lifetime in answer to her trustful prayer; and since her departure from this world, such things have happened even more frequently.

from THE FRANCISCAN BOOK OF SAINTS
edited by Marion Habig, ofm
Copyright 1959 Franciscan Herald Press

(From http://www.franciscan-sfo.org website)  

Secular Franciscan Order (SFO) Rule #15:

Let them individually and collectively be in the forefront in promoting justice by the testimony of their human lives and their courageous initiatives. Especially in the field of public life, they should make definite choices in harmony with their faith.

Recently, I visited a local bead store and found these red tiger eye beads.  I had never seen (or even heard of) red tiger eye before.  They were beautiful.  I knew I had to use them in a rosary.  They are large and chunky, 8-10 mm in size.  I used “regular” tiger eye as spacer beads.  It’s a good combination.  I think Swarovski crystals would look good, too, as spacers.  Might do that in the future.  I used a copper center and crucifix.  I like their dark color with the red.

I hope you like it, too.  If you’re interested in buying it, just visit MichaelsRosaries.com.

Red Tiger Eye Rosary

My latest fossil stone rosary is purple.  Neat color.  The photo doesn’t do the beads justice.  Think purple…very purple.  I wasn’t really sure what to do with them at first.  I thought the glass beads looked good for the Paters.  There could probably be several good designs one could make with these beads.

Today is the FEAST of OUR LADY of GUADALOPE, Patroness to the Americas.  We are celebrating the appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary to an Aztec Indian (St. Juan Diego) on a hill-top, what is today part of Mexico City.  As a miracle, her image was imprinted on Juan’s cape made of cactus fibers, in vibrant colors and microscopic detail, for surpassing the capabilities of that time period.  Nearly 470 years later, this still pristine cape, is still hanging in a Cathedral in Mexico City: a cape that should only last, at most, 50-60 years.  For those that believe, there is no explanation necessary: for those that don’t, there is no explanation possible.

Also, today is the first day of the eight-day Jewish Feast of Hanukkah, also know as the festival of lights.  May I wish a festival celebration of your Jewish faith, as we celebrate the coming of our baby Jesus; the light of the new world to come with Him in paradise.

Week 2 of Advent

12 days till the BIRTH of CHRIST, 
and this is the 14th day of the ADVENT season.
“HO, HO, HO-ly God, We Praise Thy Name!”
 

Quote or Joke of the Day:

Those wonderful Church Bulletins!  Thank God for church ladies with typewriters.  These sentences (with all the BLOOPERS) actually appeared in church bulletins, or were announced in church services:

 

The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.

 

The sermon this morning: ‘Jesus Walks on the Water.’  The sermon tonight: ‘Searching for Jesus.’  

 

 Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale.  It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house.  Bring your husbands.

Today’s Meditation:
 

The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.  His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.  He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.  He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.  The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.  He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever. (NAB Lk 1:49-55)
 

Again, we have the theme of the mighty God corresponding to the lowly servant of young Mary.  This last half of the Magnificat, is further example that nothing is impossible for those who fear God. What does ‘fear of God’ mean.  The Islamic religion teaches God is a diety to be actually feared, and seen as a ‘ruler.’  I see God as a loving and magnificent diety, wanting His children to be with Him, in paradise.  In other words, I see Him more as a father than as a ruler.  Fathers sometimes have  to be strong, direct, and possibly even angry; but fathers also need to be caring, supportive, and humorous at times as well.  I believe the “fear” talked about in the Magnificat is meant more towards respect, and exaltation, more than actually meaning ‘making afraid.’

In talking about the hungry against the rich, was Mary talking about Israel (as a whole) versus the gentiles, or just the Jewish Christian population at odds with the gentile people?  Or, could it mean the poor and sick versus the healthy, proud, and arrogant?   I really don’t know: it could be all three examples.  I believe there is too much materialism in this world today.  I think God wants us all to be good stewards of our earth, and of all creation on this earth, including the human race.  I also believe we will be judged on these issues at our final judgement.

No covenants with God ever expire, that I know of.  God has though, swept away the old and built anew, such as with the stories of Adam and Eve, and Noah’s Ark.  God can build anew, upon the promises of Abraham.  He is doing this, through Jesus, as redemptive suffering was needed to reclaim God’s peoples.

Pax et Bonum

Dan Halley, SFO

*****
 

Secular Franciscan Order (SFO) Rule #12:
 

Witnessing to the good yet to come and obligated to acquire purity of heart because of the vocation they have embraced, they should set themselves free to love God and their brothers and sisters.

Listenning to music via your headphones while running is a practice, although not recomended due to road safety reasons. Runners claim music gets their mind out of the pain, it puts them in a running grove more quickly, they don’t hear their heavy breathing, and they recover faster.

Recently an article in Multisport Magazine featured Patrick Concepcion (organizer of local Condura) telling that he prays the Rosary while running.

Being inspired by this, I recently downloaded podcasts of Praying the Rosary from Itunes. I recently incorporated this in my routine and have been praying it before runs. Honestly it is the most I have prayed the Rosary in a month! I look forward Condura’s 21K next year where I would probably be praying the entire 20 Mysteries at the race. After the Rosary, then its back to regular music programing – 80’s, Rock, Nuwave, pop, Tagalogs, movie/tv themes, love songs etc etc.

If you are interested to download the mp3s just search on the Pray the Rosary podcast in Itunes. After downloading, pop in your music player and listen on.

By the way, it also beats traffic!

Week 2 of Advent

14 days till the BIRTH of CHRIST,  

and this is the 12th day of the ADVENT season.

“HO, HO, HO-ly God, We Praise Thy Name!”

Quote of the Day:

 A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.

Today’s Meditation:

And Mary said: ”My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.  For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.  The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.  (NAB Lk 1:46-49)

Do you remember watching your child accomplishing something special:  scoring a goal, playing an instrument in a concert or recital,  getting that ‘A’ in a class. or even earning their driver’s license.  You are so happy and excited for them.  Your love has transcended to others.  Your joy has nothing to do with you, but for another.

This is exactly what Mary is experiencing at this moment.  She is ‘with-child.’  Her baby is God!  She is not excited about what she is doing: what her role in salvation history is to be for all mankind.  She is excited that God is interacting with all mankind through her, a poor and humble girl of no stature in society.

God could have just  appeared, with an army of angels, and ‘taken over’ the planet.  Instead, God chose to work through the meek, mild, and nondescript people of society.  This appears to be a theme in salvation history.  God works in mysterious ways, and sometimes these ways are beyond reason or possibility – true miracles of faith.  It is true the meek will inherent the earth: God’s meek and humble people.

 Mary, being learned in OT literature, knows that this moment parallels 1 Sam 2:1-11: ‘The Song of Hannah”.  I always find it so exciting to find ways the OT plays into the NT.  ’Scripture -caching’ is my little word for hunting, and finding these similarities that renews the old into the new, such as this one. 

Pax et Bonum

Dan Halley, SFO

*****

Secular Franciscan Order (SFO) Rule #11:

Trusting the Father, Christ chose for Himself and His mother a poor and humble life, even though He valued created things attentively and lovingly. Let the Secular Franciscans seek a proper spirit of detachment from temporal goods by simplifying their own material needs. Let them be mindful that according to the gospel they are stewards of the goods received for the benefit of God’s children.  Thus, in the spirit of the Beatitudes, and as pilgrims and strangers on their way to the home of the Father, they should strive to purify their hearts from every tendency and yearning for possession and power.

Week 2 of Advent

15 days till the BIRTH of CHRIST,  

and this is the 11th day of the ADVENT season.

“HO, HO, HO-ly God, We Praise Thy Name!”

Quote of the Day:

 God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

Today’s Meditation:

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.(Lk 1:41-42)

John was the last prophet before Jesus’ ministry life.  John knew, even prior to his birth, that the infant in Mary’s ‘belly’ was destined to be the Savior and Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament.  Elizabeth’s son will bring in the reign of the true Christ, and will suffer for his faith.  Mary’s son will bring redemption and salvation for all, and will also suffer for OUR faith!

I would love to have been there to see an old woman, and a young girl, both carrying in their wombs the essential people needed for the future of mankind, both on earth and in heaven.  The bible verses tell of [neonatal] John’s reaction upon meeting the [neonatal] Jesus for the first time, and there is biblical verses telling of Elizabeth’s and Mary’s reaction; but the Gospels do not record Jesus’ reaction, in the womb. 

Was he excited, as John demonstrated?  Did he elicit any emotions at all?  Every time I am exposed to these verses, these same questions come to mind.  I guarantee that if I am allowed, these two questions will be answered by Jesus some day.  I have a list of questions, and these are just two, on my very long list.

Pax et Bonum

Dan Halley, SFO

*****

Franciscan Saint of the Day:  Bl. Peter Tecelano

Blessed Peter, a Franciscan mystic and tertiary who lived around 1287 is a native of Campi, in Tuscany; and he worked as a comb maker in Siena. After his wife passed away, he entered the Franciscan Order as a tertiary and served in a Franciscan hospital as a nurse.

In his lifetime, he was reputed to be a deeply mystical and holy individual, and was credited with miracles. He was beatified in 1802, in part because of miracles reported as occurring at his tomb. (from Catholic Online)

(From http://www.franciscan-sfo.org website)

Secular Franciscan Order (SFO) Rule #10:

United themselves to the redemptive obedience of Jesus, who placed His will into the Father’s hands, let them faithfully fulfill the duties proper to their various circumstances of life. Let them also follow the poor and crucified Christ, witness to Him even in difficulties and persecutions.

Is Russia testing its weaponry during Marian dates or are its weapons frequently tested and simply failing during Our Lady’s feast days?

Last December 8 2009, Feast Day of The Immaculate Conception, millions of Norwegians were startled to see a strange light formation over Norwegian skies. According to news agencies this was created by a malfunctioned Russian ICBM fired from the White Sea. I believe them and my concern is this – why on this very day (Feast of The Immaculate Conception)?

See images of Norway strange light formation here.

A few months ago, in October 7 2009, Feast Day of The Most Holy Rosary, another bizarre sky formation was witnessed by millions in Moscow. The phenomenon happened in broad daylight which some say could have been the effects of a Russian weapons test.

Scroll down to see my previous post on this phenomenon.

For many Christians today, the thought that the leaders of the Protestant Reformation believed in the Immaculate Conception of Mary or her bodily Assumption into heaven would seem ludicrous, even more bewildering would be the devotions many of the Reformation’s leaders had for the Blessed Mother. Believe or not it, they did. In this month of December when Catholics celebrate three feast day’s commemorating the Mother of our Lord, perhaps it is time to remind our separated brethren of the truths their founder’s believed.

Sometime ago when I was writing my book, The Tide is Turning Toward  Catholicism,  I showed a friend of mine, who is an Evangelical, a homily about the Virgin Mary delivered in the 1500s. I asked him who gave that homily, “probably some pope,” he exclaimed. No, I said it was Martin Luther. He replied, “Dave I trust in almost everything you say, but I am going to have to call you out on this one. I mean isn’t that what the Reformation was all about, ending superstitions like those about Mary?” His mouth dropped when I showed him the passages. I am sure many of today’s Evangelicals, especially of the Calvinist lineage, would have the same reaction.

He also had the same reaction when I told him that most of the leaders of the Reformation were that era’s liberal thinkers. They were the radicals of their time. My friend, again very astonished, reminded me that Evangelicals are by and large very conservative in their viewpoints. I told him so are LDS members (Mormons.) I asked him if he thought Joseph Smith was a conservative. “He was a wide eyed crazy liberal,” my friend replied. I think he got the correlation, but I am sure it was a hard idea to swallow.

While the leaders of the Reformation, by and large believed in the Catholic Church’s teachings about the Blessed Mother, it didn’t take long before the next generation of leaders became even more rabid against the Church resulting in not only the diminished role of Mary but in the desecration of the many monuments built to her in what became Protestant countries. The sad tale of Walsingham, England was epitomized in the poem The Wrecks of Walsingham by Sir Philip Howard. The devotional site was destroyed by an angry mob. Seeing images of the Mother of Jesus taken away, battered and destroyed one cannot help but think that the persecuted Catholics of that era might have uttered Jesus’ admonition against those who harm the little ones, “better that he would have had a millstone hung around their neck.”

Modern Catholic Apologetics details the prominent role the Early Christians knew Mary had by Scriptures verses such as Luke 1:26-34. In this verse Kecharitomene (hail full of grace) would have known by Greek speakers as a very rarely used phrase that describes an event of unparalleled magnitude. Jesus referring to his mother as “woman” would have been strange to say the least (John 2:1-12, John 19:25-27.) Yet, he was referring to the “woman” who is the mother of us all.  Remember it was because of the Blessed Mother that Jesus performed his first miracle. You also might recall that later, near the very end of that same gospel (John’s Gospel,) Jesus reminds John that while he is to care for his mother, in essence by calling her woman, Jesus is reminding us that she is the mother of us all. The woman of Genesis 3:15 who would bring the redeemer into the world is the same woman whose heel would stomp at Satan’s body and all of his empty promises. Yet, most Evangelical Bible scholars are taught this is some sort of modern Catholic invention, instead of the truth that this teaching came from the Early Church Fathers.

Some years ago when I was just out of Graduate School and working a job that had odd hours and not much joy in my eyes, I took solace in the words of the Rev Charles Stanley, who seemed to be on a few talk radio stations as I traveled over 40 minutes each night on my way home. The dearth of Catholic radio and the occasional need for something other than Led Zeppelin to sooth my nerves steered me to Dr Stanley. He would often comment on liberal Christians who didn’t believe in certain key teaching of Christian doctrine. “If they won’t believe it, ask them what else they don’t believe,” chimed Dr Stanley. What else they don’t believe, indeed! Sadly, for Dr Stanley and his faithful it would not only be the role of the Blessed Mother but something extremely key to Jesus Himself; the Eucharist. It was John chapter 6 all over again, and they walked away.

If anything the loss of Mary to any Christian is a travesty, especially Evangelicals who are by and large very sincere people who take their faith very seriously. If most Catholics took their faith as seriously as most Evangelicals, we would all be better for it. For the 16^th century Dutch critic of the Catholic Church, Erasmus, the idea that 1,500 years after the fact, the Catholic Church was in need of a German monk to change all what was known to be holy seemed ludicrous. The fact that the Blessed Mother, who was revered by all leaders of the Reformation, needed to be by and large abolished seemed a sign of sheer madness. I recall hearing one woman who came into the Church exclaim, “Even as a young woman I recall thinking if this woman was a virgin and bore the messiah, why is it that we only trod her out once year.  Surely God would continue to use someone this special. We ought to look at her as the Catholics do.”

Imagine you had a friend who was blind and loved a good bottle of wine. He didn’t ask for much in life and didn’t complain about his situation, but he loved a good bottle of wine. He would travel near and far to find a wine shop that catered to his acquired tastes. What if he later found out that there was a wine shop right next door? It would have met all of his needs with far less the hassle. He would feel cheated, and so will our separated brethren when they find out what they were missing.

I recall a talk the Catholic convert and traveling speaker Steve Ray gave describing a conversation he had with his wife after they came into the Church. While exclaiming her joy at entering the Church, she said she felt a little cheated for having never known the truths of the Catholic Church and the beauty contained within the Mass and the simplicity of the Blessed Mother, earlier in life. “Why didn’t someone tell us sooner,” she frustratingly exclaimed. Someday there will be millions of faith filled Christians who will say the same thing. We can do something about it; we can approach them with love and explain the 2,000 year Teachings of the Catholic Church and the special role of the Mother of Jesus. If that doesn’t work, we can always pray and ironically enough we have a special form of prayer for just this kind of emergency. It is called the Rosary!

Week 2 of Advent

15 days till the BIRTH of CHRIST,  

and this is the 11th day of the ADVENT season.

“HO, HO, HO-ly God, We Praise Thy Name!”

Quote of the Day:

 On the sixth day, God created the platypus. And God said: let’s see the evolutionists try and figure this one out.

Today’s Meditation:

And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. (NAB Lk 1:36) 

Gabriel was one busy Archangel.  Besides appearing to Mary, he first appeared to Zechariah and his wife, Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth.  Unlike Mary, who immediately accepted God’s gift of pregnancy, Zechariah did not.

Zechariah questioned the possibility of his elderly wife getting pregnant.  He was immediately made unable to talk or speak (in Lk 1:63 he needed a tablet to answer what name to call their baby), and stayed that way until after the birth and circumcision of John (the Baptist).

God is a merciful god, but also a God of swift judgement.  Mary said yes, and was rewarded with the crown of a queen, in heaven.  Zechariah resisted, and was immediately struck with an infirmity.  I believe this is what will happen to all of us upon our earthly deaths as well.  Those living a true christian life, filled with the virtues God so dearly loved will find an immediate reward in heaven.  Those with ‘deadly sins’ on their souls on their death, are doomed to a horrible existence in hell.

Pax et Bonum

Dan Halley, SFO

*****

Secular Franciscan Order (SFO) Rule #9:

The Virgin Mary, humble servant of the Lord, was open to His every word and call. She was embraced by Francis with indescribable love and declared the protectress and advocate of his family. The Secular Franciscans should express their ardent love for her by imitating her complete self-giving and by praying earnestly and confidently.

Today is a HOLY DAY of OBLIGATION.

 It is the “Feast of the Immaculate Conception.”

Week 2 of Advent

 

 

16 days till the BIRTH of CHRIST,  

and this is the 10th day of the ADVENT season.

“HO, HO, HO-ly God, We Praise Thy Name!”

 

 

Quote of the Day:

  

 Man’s way leads to a hopeless end: God’s way leads to an endless hope.

 

Today’s Meditation:

 

But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”

(NAB Lk 1:34)

   

In my thirty years as a paramedic, I was privildeged to assist in the delivery of a dozen or so babies.  All the ’soon to be mothers’ had some level of fear with the situation of delivering outside the warm and aseptic environment of the local hospital.  Most of these young ladies were under age 25, but I treated one GIRL who had just turned 13 delivering a full-term (40 week) pregnancy.  To make the matter worse, this was her second pregnancy; the first ending in an abortion.   

I am sure Mary had some fear as well.  How would she be treated by Joseph?  How would her own family treat her?  How would the local society think of her being pregnant, and not married?  Would Joseph, or the local priests, have her stoned to death for adultery?  She was a young girl of about 15: did she understand the physical aspects of pregnancy? 

There were many unanswered questions and concerns.  But Mary, with little hesitation, said “yes!”  She gave herself totally to God – body, soul, and heart!  She was destined to become the new Ark, for the new covenant to come, through Jesus Christ.  She was to become the new Eve, bringing a new life for all people, through Jesus Christ.  Mary was to become not only the mother of God, but also the mother of all humans on earth.  

 

 

Hail Mary, full of grace.  The Lord is with you.  Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your Womb, Jesus.  …  Amen.

 

 

Pax et Bonum

Dan Halley, SFO

*****

 

Secular Franciscan Order (SFO) Rule #8:

 

As Jesus was the true worshipper of the Father, so let prayer and contemplation be the soul of all they are and do.  Let them participate in the sacramental life of the Church, above all the Eucharist. Let them join in liturgical prayer in one of the forms proposed by the Church, reliving the mysteries of the life of Christ.

Today is a HOLY DAY of OBLIGATION.

It is the “Feast of the Immaculate Conception.” Week 2 of Advent

16 days till the BIRTH of CHRIST,

and this is the 10th day of the ADVENT season.

“HO, HO, HO-ly God, We Praise Thy Name!”    

Quote of the Day:

The church is prayer-conditioned. 

 

Today’s Meditation: 

But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” 

(NAB Lk 1:34) 

Working thirty years as a paramedic, I have had the priviledge of assisting in a dozen or so births.  Some, soon to be mothers, were very young (one being a GIRL of just 13 years of age), and most were less than 25 years old.  All were obviously afraid, having their child outside the warm and asceptic hospital environment.  A few concidered the situation as an inconvience that had to be dealt with: and  I actually did take care of one young lady who denied her pregnancy; and continued to deny the baby was hers – even with the umbilical cord still attached between the baby and herself!  Apparently, miracles do happen!?

One of my favorite quotes to my kids is about birth control.  I tell my boys frequently to be careful: and that sex should only be between a man and a woman that are married in the eyes of the church.  We frequently talk about the urges that they are experiencing; and societal problems (such as the peer pressure) of premarital sex.  I have a very open dialog with my boys, and feel proud that my sons can come to me about any matters.  At the end of most talks I say jokingly, “Remember, no form of birth control is 100% safe: even abstenace failed once!”

I hope you do not take offense at my bezzarre sense of humor.  If so, I truly do appologize.  The angel Gabriel coming to Mary, a virgin, proved that God is almighty, and that through Him ANYTHING is possible.  It also makes sure no one else could claim Jesus as their direct son, eliminating the air of suspicion about His lineage with His followers.  Joseph could rightly claim him though, as His son via marriage; and both Joseph’s and Mary’s lineage were traceable back to Abraham, thus fulfilling Old Testament prophesies about Jesus being the Messiah.

Pax et Bonum

Dan Halley, SFO 

***** 

Secular Franciscan Order (SFO) Rule #8: 

As Jesus was the true worshipper of the Father, so let prayer and contemplation be the soul of all they are and do.   Let them participate in the sacramental life of the Church, above all the Eucharist. Let them join in liturgical prayer in one of the forms proposed by the Church, reliving the mysteries of the life of Christ.

68 years old America was attacked at Pearl Harbor; and 92 years ago today, America declared war on Austria Hungary, bringing us into WWI.  Today, let’s pray for all victims of war; and past, present, and future soldiers. 

Tomorrow is a HOLY DAY of OBLIGATION.

 It is the “Feast of the Immaculate Conception.”

Week 2 of Advent

 17 days till the BIRTH of CHRIST,

and this is the 9th day of the ADVENT season.

“HO, HO, HO-ly God, We Praise Thy Name!”

Quote of the Day:

 Man’s way leads to a hopeless end – God’s way leads to an endless hope.

Today’s Meditation:

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

(Lk 1:30 NAB)

I love the infancy narratives of Luke’s Gospel.  I have read it to my children many times, ususlly during the CHRISTmas season.  Saint Francis loved this section of the gospel so much that he created the first living nativity scene in the year 1223 at the town of Greccio (Italy).

Would it not be the perfect gift to have a messager of God telling you that God is pleased with you?!  Mary’s initial reaction of surprise and fear are only natural.  An angel, being perfect in nature, has to be one of such beauty as to place any mear human in a state of awe.  I know angels are ’spirit’ in nature, and have no real bodily form; but the form an angel of God takes, to be seen, is what I am talking about.

I love Mary’s next reaction.  She places her body, soul, and heart in the hands of God, and accepts the gift, and responsibility, God is granting her: to be the mother of God Himself, in the form of Jesus.  In doing so, Mary not only becomes the mother of God, but also the mother to all mankind.  Now that is “AWEsome.” 

“Hail Mary, full of grace,  the Lord is with you.  AMEN!

Pax et Bonum

Dan Halley, SFO

*****

Secular Franciscan Order (SFO) Rule #7:

United by their vocation as “brothers and sisters of penance” and motivated by the dynamic power of the gospel, let them conform their thoughts and deeds to those of Christ by means of that radical interior change which the gospel calls “conversion.” Human frailty makes it necessary that this conversion be carried out daily.   On this road to renewal the sacrament of reconciliation is the privileged sign of the Father’s mercy and the source of grace

what strikes me
is the resemblance between
the pile of wire rim glasses
and
the pile of bodies

my grandma
tells scraps of stories
but the image
i remember most
is pots of soup
so deep and heavy
she could not
carry them
alone

she never told me
if they gave her stripes
shaved her head
took her photo
naked
with a number plate

wide columns
of saturday new york times
report
theft of the
wrought iron banner
over auschwitz
claiming
arbreit macht frei
(work sets you free)

some small piece
like a bit of bone
liberated

some small part
no longer
negotiated
like borders
whose shifting
mimics
the tides
borders
whose arbitraryness
mimic nothing
i know

ten years ago
i walked under that sign
doing the math:
1998 minus 1944

staggering
at the sliver
of a time gap

back pack slipping from shoulders
lunch and water zipped inside
some of us
did not know
how to eat
in the presence
of ghosts
still starving

after a bus ride
through country
so familiar i ached

in the place
she calls
the old world
lace curtains
railroad track crossings
potatoes
for sale
at the side
of the road
and even though
i could not speak the language
i knew the sounds
and they were a version
of coming home

ten years ago
i confronted
mountains of
shoes
suitcases
hair

i prayed
even though
i didn’t know
how

then
praying looked like
meeting
every set of eyes
on the infinite wall of photographs
each face
a rosary bead

praying looked like
digging around
through red backpack
for a pen
when the words
clung
stubborn
to the warmth
of
my ribcage

praying was a quiet
deeper
and more layered
than the quiet
beyond
a confessional door

i remember
the black wall
through metal bars
here,
here,
here,
is where we set candles
to soften the image
of a firing squad
gunmen
aiming
into the eyes
chests
skulls
of hollowed humans
barely able
to hold themselves
up

tenacity
standing in for
atrophied muscle