One Simple Offering...

From A Catholic Woman's Book of Days, by Amy Welborn.

"Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh."
~Luke 6:21~
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Those images will never leave us. We sat, stunned in front of our televisions, seeing the unthinkable happen over and over again in the footage replayed and the images were seared into our souls.

One plane, then another. Still more. Buildings in flames, then, unbelievably, collapsing. A hell of flames and choking dust and debris. Worst of all, bodies falling. Our imaginations not allowing us to stop picturing the mothers clutching their babies, teachers holding fast to their young students; nor could we stop hearing the brave calls home with last words of love.

To believe that one day all this weeping could ever be overwhelmed by joy would require answering a radical and some might say bizarre, promise.

Jesus knows the weeping. And nevertheless, he promises.

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Lord, today we pray for all victims of violence over the past year. We pray for peace.

***

Thanks be to God.

As luck would have it...

Friday noc as we were traveling to INDY my Camry stopped running. Yep, on I-70 at 9:00 p.m. with a puff of smoke and a head of steam we came to a stop along the side of the highway. I have to boast a little about our insurance company, USAA. They were right on top of it. We had a tow truck there in about 45 minutes and Wes picked us up at Ron's (AAA-rated) Repair shop. Of course, the shop was not open on Saturday so we rented a car to get home. It's not my Camry, but it did get us home.

Well, Ron spoke to someone at Ron's and he told Ron that the water pump went our and so the engine had to be replaced. So, the Camry is getting a new engine and I am going to have to do some savings adjustments as we will be dipping into our "Ireland Trip" fund to pay for it. But, the good news is that the engine comes with a 100,000 miles warranty. We have gotten such good results from the shops we have had USAA refer us to that I feel certain that this one is no different. I'd like to say we were in good hands with USAA.

GOD is GOOD...all the time. And you can call it the "luck of the Irish" if you like.

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Thanks be to God!!!

The Finished Product

It is beautiful. Do you remember how awful it looked in the beginning? Well, here it is all done. Ron has worked diligently with the help of Roy to make the room look so lovely. Thanks to Laura. We had the pictures hung with her eye for structure and continuity. Today though Ron and Roy are putting in the treads for the stairs. This is much more precise then I thought it would be and of course, unlike yesterday when the weather temperature was glorious, it is hotter than Hades here today...I am so grateful for all that Ron has done. He not only removed all the wallpaper, but also painted the walls and ceiling as well. He was the one that put up all the new baseboards and moldings around all the doors...all the way down the hall. And the fruits of his labors are so beautiful. Please note all the pictures are not yet on the piano. That will require some arranging on my part.

Thanks be to God!!

Stewardship

This article was in this months issue of Ligorian Magazine I found it to be a valuable lesson on what I place value. It is short and a good reflection if you are willing to take the time to reflect on what or in whom you place value. The title of the article is the "$ale-vation of Our Souls" by Father Byron Miller of New Orleans.

An economics textbook I used in college noted that money captivates people. It is the only commodity that has no value in and of itself--it will not feed, clothe, shelter, or entertain us. It has value only when we use it. . .

The wise, stammering old Benedictine monk in the best-selling book Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul by Tony Hendra says, "P-p-possessions are the extension of the self, you see. . .The more possessions, the less likely will be your release from the p-p-prison. in our community, property is forbidden because it gets in the way of love and trust between its members. if every man had his own private property, the community would just be a collection of individual p-p-prisons, wouldn't it?"

Have we become a collection of individuals in prison with cable television and Internet access in each cell? The christian community know detachment from possession is the "Get Out of Jail Free" card that releases us from the imprisonment. . .Hard earned riches and even those won rather freely are worthy blessing from God. In theory, no harm comes from owning things or from the pleasure derived from their ownership.

Then why did Christ freely adopt poverty and simplicity when, as the Son of God, he could have easily chosen a more lavish lifestyle? Christ associated with those who had means, but his message called them to use their means for a greater end. The rich man in the parable is not condemned because of his wealth nor because he dressed and ate well. (See Lk 16:19-31.) When John Paul II visited New York City in October, 1979, he stressed that the rich man was condemned because he ignored the beggar, Lazarus: Christ does not condemn the mere possession of material good, but he does have harsh words for those who use their possessions selfishly without caring about their neighbor who lacks life's necessities. In essence, the Pope was saying that those who know how to detach themselves from their possessions and their power so as to put them at the service of the needy are blessed.

Christ commands us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strenght; that we should also love with our pocketbooks is implied. The second commandment is to love others as much as we love ourselves. (See Jn 13:34.) Love of God and others becomes two side of the same coin, for when we love one another God dwells in us and God's love within us is perfected. (See 1 Jn 4:12) Those who adhere to Christ's commandment of love "are not far from the kingdom of God" (Mk 12:34). Conversely, love of mammon over God takes us away from the reign of God, as demonstrated by the young man who "went away grieving, for he had many possessions." (Mk10:22).

*****

Enough said! Thanks be to God.

Light Reading

As I have been reading a lot this summer, and much of it thought provoking, and with Bible Study beginning in earnest again this week, I find myself rereading the book Bumping Into God By Dominic Grassi. It is thought provoking, but it is a book of individual stories that allows one to put it down and not have to read again the two pages before because you have forgotten where you were interrupted. It's personal and causes one to consider those places you have "bumped into God." So, maybe, give it a try.

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In gratitude for time to read I say,
"Thanks be to GOD"