grandpa rascal

a word about the title...

2012-12-31T23:00:00.000-08:00

When my grandson was still a toddler, I used to greet him with "How ya doin', Rascal?"

Well, you guessed it! The name stuck--not for him, but for me. Now, my grandson, my daughter, my son-in-law, and sometimes my other daughters call me "Rascal". I get cards and packages addressed to Rascal.

So, all you grandparents out there, be careful what you call your grandchildren--it just may stick--to YOU!
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Discerning the will of God

2011-12-12T07:25:00.000-08:00

Who knows with certainty the will of God? Do we? The Catholic Church? the pope? bishops? priests? deacons? saints? mystics? seers? prophets? scholars?

The Catholic Church teaches that God's will can be determined through the Catholic bible and by tradition. We know from the Catholic bible that Jesus made Peter head of His Church. Jesus told Peter and His apostles that sins that they forgave are forgiven, and that sins that they didn't forgive aren't forgiven. What power! What responsibility.

The Catholic Church teaches that the pope is infallible when he speaks officially on faith and morals. We know from our Catholic educations that popes have only declared infallibility twice, both on matters of faith, one being that Mary was conceived without sin.

For me, discerning the will of God isn't as easy as some might have us believe. In trying to discern the will of God, I look to Scripture first.

The Catholic bible tells us that when Jesus was asked "what are the greatest commandments?" that He responded that there are two: love God with your whole heart, mind, and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself. Clear. Concise. Unambiguous. Because I know that Jesus is God, I KNOW that this is God's will. In the gospels Jesus speaks clearly and unambiguously on a number of issues--money, hypocrisy, adultery, feeding the hungry, taking care of the poor, etc. I KNOW the will of God on many issues from Scripture, because, God, Jesus, told us His will, clearly and unambiguously.

While Jesus speaks to us directly in Scripture on many faith and morals issues, He doesn't speak in Scripture to every faith and moral issue that arises--celibacy for priests, for example. Peter, Jesus' successor, was married; but, the Catholic Church says that it's God's will that priests be celibate. However, the Catholic Church hasn't declared its teaching on celibacy as infallible. So, is the Catholic Church CERTAIN that celibacy is the will of God? For me personally, I'm a LOT more comfortable saying that feeding the hungry is the will of God than I am saying that celibacy for priests is the will of God. Jesus told us clearly and unambiguously to feed the hungry, while He doesn't speak directly to us in Scripture concerning celibacy for priests.

I'm comfortable in saying that respect for the Eucharist is the will of God. The gospels tell us quite clearly of Jesus' love for the temple in Jerusalem. Ask Christians when Jesus was angry, and most will say when he drove the moneychangers out because they were desecrating the temple.

While Fatima is neither in the Catholic bible nor in dogmas of the Catholic Church, I believe that apparitions occurred there. I believe that an angel appeared to the children, before Mary appeared to them, and gave them this prayer:

"Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly. I offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference which He Himself is offended. And, through the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of poor sinners."

I believe that as Catholics we have a GREAT responsibility to the Eucharist which the Catholic bible tells us that Jesus gave to us, and, by Jesus' own words, tells us that the Euchrist is His Body and Blood. Our responsibility to the Eucharist includes preserving and protecting the sanctuaries of our churches from the "indifference, sacrileges, and outrages" that the angel referred to, and make them respectful, prayerful places conducive to worshiping God. Our responsibility to do so is based on Jesus' own actions, recorded in the Catholic bible, that show His great love for His Father's house.

Fort Sumter

2011-08-18T02:10:00.000-07:00

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Jenny, Kyle and I went to Ft. Sumter in Charleston, where fighting began in the Civil War exactly 150 years ago on April 12, 1861.

Ft. Sumter, built in 1829 in a series of coastal forts built following the war of 1812, rests on dredged fill from Charleston Harbor and is accessible only by boat.
It’s small, REALLY small. It’s AMAZING how CLOSE that Ft. Sumter is to Sullivan’s Island
and to James Island.

The 85 soldiers stationed at Ft. Sumter on April 12, 1861 were “sitting ducks” as artillery shells rained down on them from both James and Sullivan’s islands. After 34 hours of continuous shelling, that seriously damaged perimeter walls, and completely destroyed the main gates, and the resulting fires that completely burned their living quarters, and surrounded Ft. Sumter’s ammunition magazines, Major Robert Anderson and his men abandoned Ft. Sumter to the Confederates on April 14, 1861.

In the movie “Glory”, starring Matthew Broderick, Union troops, trying to retake Ft. Sumter from the Confederates, land at the lighthouse on James Island and move northwards towards Ft. Sumter. The volunteer guide told us that in the movie that the ocean is on the left, instead of on the right. Oh well, that’s Hollywood! (Other than that little detail, it’s a great movie.)

Visiting Ft. Sumter made history come alive!

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Fort Moultrie, on Sullivan’s Island, dates back to the War of Independence. Built of Palmetto tree trunks and sand, on June 28, 1776 Col. William Moultrie, and his 400 men, fought a day-long battle heavily damaging British ships attacking Charleston Harbor, forcing the them to retreat. Some time after the attack, Col. Moultrie was given the honor of designing South Carolina’s flag. His flag featured a white crescent moon on a dark blue background.

A palmetto tree was later added to his flag, representing the relatively crude walls (palmetto tree trunks) first constructed under his command.

Of course, no trip to Charleston would be complete without

Hope

2011-08-14T08:06:00.000-07:00

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Yesterday Kyle, Jenny and I went to the 5:30 PM Vigil Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah. Fr. Christopher D. Ortega was the celebrant and homilist.

Father Ortega spoke passionately of the Blessed Sacrament. He told us that Jesus, present PHYSICALLY in the Blessed Sacrament, loves us more than we will ever know, and wants us to spend time with Him in adoration. Before Communion Father Ortega reminded us “We don’t leave Mass after or during Communion. We are Catholics. This (Blessed Sacrament) is God.”

At a time when the institutional Church is more concerned with the inconsequential (changing words in the Roman Missal) instead of that which is REALLY important (increasing disrespect for the Blessed Sacrament occurring in the sanctuaries of our Catholic churches), Father Christopher Ortega is a beacon of Hope.
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Blessed Sacrament

2011-08-08T07:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Jenny, Shelly, Tim, Kyle and I attended Mass at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Norfolk. It's a beautiful church with a beautiful sanctuary. During his homily the pastor, Father Joseph Metzger, remarked that "...the sanctuary at times is quiet and at other times is chaotic." Blessed Sacrament's sanctuary before Mass yesterday was chaotic with all of the talking that was going on. However, Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Norfolk VA is NOT alone. The same can be said ("chaotic") of the sanctuary of our church, St. Gregory the Great in Bluffton, SC, and of most Catholic sanctuaries today.

What has happened to the Church of my youth? When I was young no one spoke out loud in the sanctuary before, during, or after Mass, except for the priest. Even in hushed tones, conversation about golf, restaurants, friends, etc. is inappropriate for the sanctuary of a Catholic Church, then and NOW. Those who engage in such conversation are disrespectful of others who are trying to connect with God in prayer, and, more importantly, they are disrespectful of the Blessed Sacrament.

I'm a sinner. Yesterday I visited to Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Norfolk, VA. I may never pass that way again. If I were able to say one thing to the parishioners of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Norfolk, VA, I would say this:

"Consider the Name of your parish. Jesus is present PHYSICALLY in your tabernacle, as He is in all other tabernacles in the world. Show respect for Jesus and for others who are in the sanctuary trying to pray. Please return the sanctuary to a place of quiet reverence, prayer, and respect. (Please understand that I am NOT speaking of infants and toddlers who are too young to understand the significance of the PHYSICAL presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.)

To those of my generation (born in the first half of the last century), You have a particular obligation to return the sanctuary to that which existed in our youth. Consider the POOR example that YOU give to young Catholics with your idle conversation about golf, restaurants, friends, etc. Be considerate of others who are trying to pray. Consider the unique PHYSICAL presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament."

Fatima Prayer
Most Holy Trinity
Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences whereby He is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners. Amen.
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103%

2011-05-24T10:01:00.000-07:00

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Here is a little something someone sent me that is indisputable mathematical logic. It also made me Laugh Out Loud.

This is a strictly mathematical viewpoint....it goes like this:

What Makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions: If:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.
Then:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%
and
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%
But,
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%
And,
B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%

AND, look how far ass kissing will take you.

A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%
So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty, that while Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it's the Bullshit and Ass Kissing that will put you over the top.
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Mepkin Abbey

2011-05-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

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On Thursday we visited Mepkin Abbey in Moncks Corner, SC. It’s an extraordinary place! Our guide gave the history of the land back to colonial days. Our guide told us that the property had been about 7,000 acres. She wasn’t sure if it was still 7,000 acres; but, she guesses that it is still several thousand acres.

Henry and Clare Boothe Luce, who was a convert, donated the property to the Charleston diocese in 1940s. Trappist monks moved there in 1949. They’ve opened beautiful, inspiring Mepkin Abbey up to all visitors of all faiths. Our guide told us that persons from every walk of life and every faith have made retreats there, which are free of charge.

What a wonderful example of Christianity! The monks have put aside privacy and liability concerns to open their home to everyone, just as Jesus would do. In a world so consumed with legal concerns, and selfishness, the monks have enriched countless lives, including ours, by allowing us to visit their home.

A slide show of our visit is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOt2mFKBdgI
Photographs of our visit are at https://picasaweb.google.com/101199968059939978678/MepkinAbbey02
Mepkin Abbey’s website is www.mepkinabbey.org/
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What?

2011-05-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

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According to generals and some others in Pakistan, we shouldn’t have “violated their sovereignty” in taking out Bin Laden. What? According so some, including the Huffington Post, other liberal media, and other liberals in the US, taking out Bin Laden wasn’t “legal”. What? These same people say that we shouldn’t celebrate killing Bin Laden. What?

If a terrorist kills scores of innocent people in our country, then we’re not supposed to take him out? Would I have a problem with an Israeli commando team coming into this country, unbeknownst to us beforehand, and taking out a terrorist who killed innocent Israeli citizens? Absolutely NOT!

I’ve got news for the generals and others in Pakistan, the Huffington Post, the liberal media, and other liberals around the world: THIS IS WAR, PEOPLE! In war, you take out mass-murderer enemies who murder innocent people. In war, you “cut off the head of the snake”. In war, it's “kill, or be killed”.

MANY psalms give praise and thanks to God, i.e., celebrate, for His delivering us from our enemies (http://www.lovethetruth.com/articles/psalms_and_enemies.htm). We should celebrate God delivering us from Osama Bin Laden. We should ignore those who suggest otherwise.
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Senior Texting Codes

2011-05-06T07:21:00.000-07:00

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ATD At the Doctor's
BFF: Best Friend Fell
BTW: Bring the Wheelchair
BYOT: Bring Your Own Teeth
CMB: Covered by Medicare
CUATSC: See you at the Senior Center
DWI: Driving While Incontinent
FWIW: Forgot Where I was
FYI: Found Your Insulin
GGPBL: Gotta Go, Pacemaker Battery Low
HGBM: Had Good Bowel Movement
GHA: Got Heartburn Again
IMHO: Is My Hearing Aid On
LMDO: Laughing My Dentures out
LOL: Living on Lipitor
OMSG: Oh My Sorry, Gas
ROFL.CGU Rolling on the floor Laughing and Can't get UP
SGGP: Sorry Gotta go Poop
TTYL; Talk to You Louder
WTP: Where's the prunes
GGLKI Gotta Go, Laxative Kicking In
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“We Catholics have it easy…”

2011-05-05T03:48:00.000-07:00

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“We Catholics have it easy. All we have to do is go to mass once a week, and we’re in (heaven).” I actually heard this in a homily at our church. I don’t think that the priest was kidding--I think that he really believes what he said! Jesus said that those who feed the poor, cloth the naked, shelter the homeless, etc. would see heaven, and those who didn’t wouldn’t. How can this priest reconcile his remark with Jesus’?

I have other questions. Which is more important—paying off a church mortgage in four years, or feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving shelter to the homeless, etc.? Jesus says the latter. Our church has raised millions of dollars from its parishioners to pay off its mortgage in four years. The amount raised for feeding the poor, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, etc. is a pittance compared to that amount.

Should my church be telling me what I should give to (pay off the mortgage), and how much ($10K)? How does our church reconcile this with Jesus’ teachings?

Catholic Relief Services has aligned with Caritas in taking contributions for the victims of Japan’s earthquake and tsunami. The money that they collect will not be used for emergency food, water, clothing, and shelter, but instead will be put into a bank account and used later for counseling. Jesus said feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless.

We’re all well aware of the pedophile priest scandal, including the cover-up. Does the church have the moral authority to tell me what I should do when it has done such a poor job itself?

I have questions. I’m looking to God for answers, not the church.
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Thank You, Lord

2011-05-02T03:48:00.000-07:00

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Today, when we learn that brave Navy Seals killed Osama Bin Laden in a daring raid in Pakistan, I'm reminded of a scene from the movie Patton. General Patton (played by George C. Scott) is at a temporary headquarters on Third Army's drive to Bastogne to rescue 101st Airborne soldiers who had been surrounded by German enemy for weeks. It was snowing.

-You want to see me, general?

-Oh, yeah, chaplain. I'm tired of 3rd Army having to fight Germans. . . . . .with supreme command, no gasoline. . . . . .and now this ungodly weather. I want a prayer, a weather prayer.

A weather prayer, sir?

Yes, let's see if you can't get God working with us.

Gonna take a thick rug for that kind of praying.

I don't care if it takes a flying carpet.

I don't know how this will be received, general. Praying for good weather so we can kill our fellow man.

I assure you, because of my relations with the Almighty. . . . . .if you write a good prayer, we'll have good weather. And I expect that prayer within an hour.

Yes, sir.

Next, the movie shows Gen. Patton outside, at night in the snow, praying the prayer that the chaplain wrote. The next scene (the following day) shows US fighter aircraft flying combat support in clear blue skies.

MANY psalms ask God to deliver us from our enemies (http://www.lovethetruth.com/articles/psalms_and_enemies.htm).

Thank You, Lord, for the brave Navy Seals who accomplished this mission. Thank You for delivering enemy Osama Bin Laden, murderer of MANY innocent people.

“ordinary”?

2011-02-19T08:09:00.000-08:00

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Tomorrow is the seventh Sunday in “ordinary” time. ...“ordinary”?

Jesus was fully human (He ate, He slept, He worked, He wept, He suffered,…) But, “ordinary”? NO! EXTRAORDINARY! He was found teaching in His Father’s house when He was a boy. God spoke of Him when He was baptized by John. He performed MANY (extraordinary) signs (miracles). He was transfigured with Moses and Elijah (God spoke of Him again). He changed bread and wine into His Body and Blood. He rose from the dead. He appeared to many after his resurrection. He ascended into heaven. He sits at the right hand of the Father.

We’re the ones who are ordinary. We talk out loud in church about golf, restaurants, friends, etc.--IN FRONT OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, while others try to pray. We leave mass while communion is being distributed. We say that we are made in His Image. I don’t think so.

Tomorrow should be called “the seventh Sunday in ‘EXTRAORDINARY’ time”.
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In His Image? REALLY?

2011-02-03T22:56:00.000-08:00

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I’ve been taught since I was a small child that God created man “in the Image and Likeness of God”.

Really? Greed, pride, dishonesty, arrogance, abuse, etc.?

Man has perverted God's Image. Instead of searching for God as God is, man has made God into what he wants. To suggest that we are made in God’s Image does a GREAT disservice to God.

Instead of talking in church, and leaving Mass during the distribution of communion, men should be on their faces praising God for His Infinite greatness and goodness. We should be begging God to forgive us for comparing ourselves to Him.
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fans, saints & miscellaneous

2011-01-16T09:42:00.000-08:00

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My nephew posted the following on his facebook page after his hometown team, the Atlanta Falcons, suffered a lopsided loss in the playoffs:

Paul: “you got to give it to aaron rodgers. even as a falcons fan, you just got to give it to aaron rodgers.”

A friend posted: “paul you are a terrible fan.”

I posted: “you're right, Paul! only diehard homies can't see that aaron rodgers and the packers were better last night...it's all about getting better...the falcons will be better next year... things could be worse--you could be a Redskins fan!

Not long afterwards, Jenny read in the newspaper that the beatification for Pope John Paul II is scheduled for May.

Dad was a free thinker. He didn’t let anyone else tell him how it is or how he should think.

Mom didn’t particularly like Dad expounding on his thoughts when they went “against the grain” of popular thinking, ESPECIALLY when they went against the grain of popular thinking in the Catholic Church. Jenny is a lot like Mom in that regard, when it comes to me expressing my view on popular thinking, including that of the Catholic Church.

I’m sure that Paul’s friend didn’t mean to slam him. But, I know my nephew. He’s a GREAT and KNOWLEDGEABLE sports fan. But, he doesn’t allow for his love for his home team to override his intellect, which is considerable.

I have NOTHING against Pope John Paul II. Clearly, he was a GREAT man and a GREAT pope. However, it has been a longstanding practice in the Catholic Church NOT to consider holy people for sainthood until they have been dead for a LONG time. That practice has changed relatively recently. That recent change has caused me to rethink the subject of saints.

The Catholic Church’s position is that it is proper for us to call upon saints in our prayers to God to intercede for us.

Most Protestants, to the best of my knowledge, do not ascribe to saints. As I understand it, Protestants feel that our prayers should be directed to God, and that we don’t need intercessors.

Personally, I don’t necessarily have a problem with the Church’s teaching on saints. But, I do have a problem with the new, revised process.

The Catholic Church has MANY canonized saints—MANY more saints than the calendar has days. Even doubling and tripling up on some days, there still aren’t enough days in the calendar to venerate ALL canonized saints with their own special day. Do we REALLY need any more canonized saints? Also, if we feel the need for an intercessor, then why not ask those who have died, and we know were good and faithful Christians, like our mother or father, grandmother or grandfather, godmother or godfather, etc., to intercede for us?

As far as the process of sainthood is concerned, why change the longstanding practice of waiting for decades after a person dies to begin the canonization process? Has shortening the process cheapened it? Has it become “political”? IMHO, these are valid questions. Maybe it would be better to suspend the process of canonizing more saints rather than to canonize more and more saints in less and less time. Direct our prayers to God. If we feel that we need an intercessor, then call on one of the MANY existing canonized saints, or your own intercessor, who you knew to be a good and faithful Christian.

The process for annulments in the Catholic Church has been criticized as being “political”. Some are able to get annulments relatively quickly, while others can’t get them at all. With some annulments it’s difficult to see what the “impediment” to marriage was when the couple were married by a priest, lived together for years, and had children together.

Like Dad, I find myself thinking more for myself the older that I get. When I was a child in Catholic grade school, I was taught that if you’re good that you go to heaven, and that if you’re bad, you go to hell. I have come to realize that this teaching was wrong. Protestants believe that our being saved has NOTHING to do with what we do, but is ALL about what God did for us. He sent His Only Son to redeem us, to pay the debt, and to open the gates of heaven for us. It’s ALL about Jesus, and what HE did for us.

So, when it comes to fans, saints, annulments, or salvation, I don’t need popular thinking, or ANYONE else, for that matter, to figure it out for me. Like Dad, I can figure it out for myself, thank you.

Ray Koenig, Jr.
January 16, 2011
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Christina Taylor Green

2011-01-10T02:54:00.000-08:00

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“Her life began on a tragic day, and ended on a tragic day. Everything in between was beautiful.”

What a beautiful way for a father to describe the short life of his daughter!

Christina Taylor Green was born on September 11, 2001, the day that many innocents died in a horrific attack on this country by fanatical Islamic terrorists. She died on Saturday, January 8, 2011 when a deranged murderer attacked Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and other innocents in a Tuscon, Arizona parking lot. Thirteen were injured, some gravely, including Rep. Giffords. Six died, including 9-year old Christina.

It is impossible to make sense of this horrible tragedy; but, I am reminded of Another whose earthly Life began and ended in tragedy. We may think of Jesus’ birth as a happy day, and it was, for us. But, the price of redemption for those who He loves was great. God became man. The Creator became like his creatures. Is what was glorious for us tragic for God? I think so.

“His Life began on a tragic day, and ended on a tragic day. Everything in between was beautiful.”

Could it be that God wanted one who bears His Holy Name to be with Him? I think so.

Pray for us, Christina, as you enjoy the loving embrace of Your Heavenly Father and Mother.
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"The Greatest"

2010-12-07T04:03:00.000-08:00

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I remember Muhammad Ali when he was still Cassius Clay. Was there “trash talking” before the “Louisville Lip”, aka “The Greatest”? Maybe so; but, Muhammad Ali made “trash talking” an art form. What few of us realized early in his career was that he could back it up.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Ali_1965.jpg/220px-Ali_1965.jpg

Muhammad Ali is controversial; he says what’s on his mind. He doesn’t worry about what other people think, how he looks to the press, to his fans, or to the public, the size of his opponent (including the US Government), or the odds against him. Muhammad Ali “trash talked”; but, he backed it up with great physical skills and a terrific work ethic.

Paul Koenig

2010-10-27T01:23:00.000-07:00

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My nephew, Paul, is a senior at Pius X HS in Atlanta. He's a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist. He's getting full scholarship offers from colleges that he hasn't applied to (e.g. Auburn). He's thinking of majoring in engineering. His sister, Mary, is a senior at Georgia Tech. His father (my brother) graduated in engineering from the University of Virginia.(Sorry, Karl, but I think that Paul favors GA Tech over UVA.)

Soon Paul will decide. When he does, I think that he should hold a press conference and invite the media, just like outstanding HS athletes do when they sign a letter of intent.

Congratulations, Paul. We are VERY proud of you.
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Dean Gallen

2010-10-17T02:59:00.000-07:00

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Dean Gallen was the dean of the School of Engineering when I went to Villanova University from 1964 through 1968. He was a brilliant man. Even better, he was a GOOD man. Here are some of the things that I remember about Dean Gallen:

During the first week or so of my freshman year at Villanova, there was an assembly of all freshman engineering students. Dean Gallen said: “I want you to take a moment and introduce yourself to the person sitting in front of you and on each side of you.”

After a few noisy moments, while we were introducing ourselves to each other, Dean Gallen called for silence. He said: “Only one in four of you will get a bachelor’s degree in engineering from here. Some of you will flunk out; some of you will transfer. For the one in four who does get an engineering degree from here, it won’t be easy.” Needless to say, I remembered what Dean Gallen said to us that day, during the next four years, and afterwards.

My first face-to-face encounter with Dean Gallen came during my sophomore year. I was struggling. I had struggled during my freshman year. Going into final exams, I worried about failing three courses: calculus, chemistry, and physics. I failed physics; I retook it in summer school. (Retaking physics during summer school is a story in itself, which I’ll save for another day.)

I vividly remember sitting in the back yard of our house on Quantico Street (Arlington, VA) with my Mom during the summer between freshman and sophomore years, and telling her: “I’m going back to Villanova this semester and give it EVERYTHING that I’ve got. If I don’t make it, then at least I can say that I tried my best.

After I received midterm grades for the first semester sophomore year, I scheduled an appointment with Dean Gallen. I sat in a chair in front of his desk. He had a folder with my grades in front of him. He asked: “What brings you here today?” I responded: “I need a 2.0 to graduate. I’ll never get there. I want to transfer out of engineering.”

As a side note, Dean Gallen’s son, Kevin, was in my engineering class. Kevin had a VERY high cum—close to 4.0. Dean Gallen said to me: “Ray, these midterm grades don’t count. If you’re between a C and a D, then your professor is going to give you a D at midterm to try to motivate you. I’ll make you a deal. You keep doing what you’re doing—keep studying hard—and I will PERSONALLY see that you get transferred to the curriculum of your choice here at the end of the semester, if that’s what you decide that you want to do.”

Long story short—I got my 2.0+. I can thank Dean Gallen for keeping me in engineering.

Another vivid memory that I have of Dean Gallen was his little “chats” our senior year. He told us: “The best students don’t always make the best engineers.” (Remember, Dean Gallen was a BRILLIANT and accomplished student himself, as was his son Kevin.) I will NEVER forget what Dean Gallen told us about the best students not always making the best engineers.

I will ALWAYS remember Dean Gallen. He was a GOOD man—a GREAT engineer, a GREAT dean, a good FAMILY man, and a good Christian.
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Fatima prayer

2010-09-19T01:24:00.000-07:00

Please pray this (Fatima) prayer with me:

"Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly and offer You the most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the earth, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference with which He Himself is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of poor sinners. Amen."

In our parish people leave by the scores while communion is being distributed. They talk out loud in the sanctuary about golf, restaurants, friends, etc. It’s shameful.

Please, God, forgive us for “...the outrages, sacrileges, and indifferences with which He is offended”.

May God have mercy on our souls.

Kyle, can you solve it?

2010-08-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

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http://hardeevilletutor.blogspot.com/

OK, Mr. Honor Roll, Science Award, can you answer the questions?

No cheating! I will quiz you on the answers when I see you in a couple of weeks!

Love,
Rascal
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Parable

2010-07-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

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If you don't know GOD, don't make stupid remarks!!!!!!

A United States Marine was taking some college courses between assignments. He had completed 20 missions in Iraq and Afghanistan .

One of the courses had a professor who was an avowed atheist, and a member of the ACLU. One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, "GOD, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform... I'll give you exactly 15 min."

The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, "Here I am GOD, I'm still waiting."

It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him; knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold.

The Marine went back to his seat and sat there, silently.

The other students were shocked and stunned, and sat there looking on in silence. The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Marine and asked, "What in the world is the matter with you? Why did you do that?"

The Marine calmly replied, "GOD was too busy today protecting America 's soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid stuff and act like an idiot. So He sent me."

The classroom erupted in cheers!
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more Great Granddad photos of WWII

2010-05-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

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Grandma found these photos in a small book of photos that Grammy had. To enlarge them, just click on the photo.

Great Granddad Floyd Johnston

2010-05-24T11:36:00.000-07:00

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Kyle,

Your Great Granddad, Floyd Johnston, served in the US Navy during World War II. He was assigned to LST (Landing Ship, Tank) # 55, where he saw lots of action carrying men, equipment, and supplies. For more about LSTs, google "LST". Following are some of Grammy's photos. (You can enlarge them by clicking on them.)
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The caption on the back of the top photo reads: "Dad's ship: LST#55". The caption on the back of the bottom photo reads: "Johnston, F.E., LST#55".
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top: no caption
bottom: "Ready for delivery".
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top: "Launching of L.C.T. 763 that was carried across by L.S.T. 55"
bottom: "This is the L.C.T." .
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top: "This is at the docks in New Orleans."
middle: " This was in Panama City, Florida."
bottom: "This is the Deck Force hard at work painting the deck.".
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top: "These are the ship's Officers."
middle: This is the Small Boat Crew".
bottom: "These are the Gunners Mates."
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top: "This is the Engineer Division."
middle: "This is Ship's Control."
bottom: "This is the deck force painting the side of the ship." .
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top: "LST's docked. reloading."
middle: "This was taken inland in France."
bottom: no caption .
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top: "Masler" (last letter "r"? I don't know what this means.)
bottom: "Dad's ship. Norfolk, US to So. Hampton, LeHarve, England, France, Germany, Italy, Norway"

conducive to worship?

2010-03-11T04:57:00.000-08:00

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Sunday Mass is about to begin. I’m kneeling—trying to pray. Senior adults in front, behind, and either side of me are talking out loud. Other people are trying to get a seat, crawling over other seniors who have positioned themselves on the ends of the pews and won’t move. The choir leader is talking so loudly that she can be heard all over the church from the choir loft.

Announcements before Mass begin. The lector makes an announcement about the choir. The choir whoops loudly in unison, so that their whoop can be heard by the entire congregation above the other din. The congregation laughs and applauds.

Mass begins. People continue to talk. Cell phones go off. A child is screaming at the top of their lungs. People continue to come in late and crawl over other people trying to get a seat. Ushers seat people all through the readings. Cell phones continue to go off, people continue to talk, and children continue to scream all during Mass.

After they receive communion people file out of church in droves before the Mass has ended.

It’s the same thing every week. A conducive place for worship? I don’t think so.

PS I tithe RELUCTANTLY at SGG. If we were able to find an alternative place to worship, within a reasonable distance, that is respectful of Our Lord, and those who are trying to worship Him, and respectful of the example being given to children, then we would leave SGG for the new parish--in a New York minute, as they say. We would JOYFULLY tithe at the new parish.

PPS It's the relatively small, disrespectful, rude, minority that ruins SGG for the rest of the parish. They're the ones who talk out loud in church; who sit on the ends of pews and refuse to move in, forcing others to climb over them; whose cell phones are going off during Mass; who leave after communion; etc. Any ideas for how the majority can take SGG back from the disrespectful, rude, minority?

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From: "The Mystery of Faith, Meditations on the Eucharist", by Fr. Tadeusz DAjczer:
"Slowing down involves coming into silence. Within this silence, I can discover God. I can only live the sacrament of the present moment by this silence." pg. 45
"God is silence. When I try to be still, pushing my way towards the invisible one, I am entering the extraordinary circle of His amazing, saving, eucharistic presence. With this He will be embracing me more and more." pg. 47

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John, Chapter 6

66 As a result of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.
67 Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?"
68 Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
69 We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."

personal reflections

Do I see REAL, tangible evidence that my going to daily Mass is making me a better Christian? If not, then I must analyze why.

Could it be distractions?
- People talking out loud before and during Mass
- Able bodied fellow parishioners who plant themselves on the end of a pew and force other less able bodied parishioners to climb over them
- People leaving while communion is being distributed
- Fellow parishioners who butt in line during Penance services
- Fellow parishioners who are rude and disrespectful to guests and their fellow parishioners during parish presentations/meetings
- Not being able to hear or understand what’s being said from the altar
- The parish’s tithing priorities? Clothe the naked? Feed the hungry? Care for the sick?

I can’t change the rude, disrespectful, and unchristian behavior of others. I can try to "block them out". If I can't block out the distractions, and they are inhibiting my growth as a Christian, then I must remove myself from the “near occasions of sin”.

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Advent

2009-11-30T07:26:00.000-08:00

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First Sunday of Advent, Cycle C 11/29/09
Deacon Greg Sams

Since today is the first day of our new liturgical year, the year of Luke, we would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Just like any other new year’s day, we enter with a spirit of hope and expectations. We look forward to making our world a better place, our lives to be enriched, to changing the things in our lives that need changing. Maybe we promise ourselves all sorts of things, to lose weight, to quit smoking, to shoot under 100 on the golf course, or whatever. The New Year is to give us a new perspective on our lives. For the beginning of our new liturgical year, we need to refocus and examine our spiritual lives and determine what obstacles are keeping us from a more perfect union with our Lord Jesus Christ.

The word Advent comes from the Latin word Adventus which is translated from the Greek word Parousia. The Greek word Parousia is commonly translated as “coming”. When we hear the word Parousia, it is typically in reference to the Second Coming of Christ, the final judgment. The season of Advent is not only about preparing ourselves to remember the greatest event in human history, the birth of the Christ child, God becoming Man, but also to be hopeful and expecting for the second coming of Christ.

A Rabbi and Priest were arguing one day. The Rabbi was claiming that the Messiah has not come, and that when He did come, it would be the first coming. The Priest was claiming that Christ, the Messiah, had already come and the next time would be the second coming of Jesus. Right in the middle of this heated debate, Jesus showed up. So they ask Him is this your first coming or your second. Jesus answered with one word. He said “YES”.

I tell you that to tell you this, the word Parousia also translates as “Presence”. So in addition to remembering the birth of Christ and the anticipation of the second coming of Christ, we need to remember that Jesus is ever present to us. Every moment of our lives God is with us.

Our readings today give us insight in these three elements of Advent, the birth of a promised Messiah, the promise of a second coming and final judgment, and the presence of Jesus in our lives.

The first reading from Jeremiah gives the prophecy of God fulfilling His promise to send a redeemer into the world. His prophecy was to give his people hope. For during his time, foreigners had come and destroyed the city and the temple. Jeremiah prophesied that Judah shall be saved. God promises to redeem His people. The only way that redemption would be possible was for God to become Man. Not only to save Judah as Jeremiah said but to save all of us. God becoming Man reunites mankind and provides the key to open up the gates of heaven.

Paul’s letter to the Philippians tells of God setting aside His divinity to become Man. It expresses His love for each one of us. Paul wrote:

“Who, though he was in the form of God,
did no regard equality with God something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to death even death on a cross.”

We celebrate Christmas to Remember what God has done for us. He became Man that we could share in His divine life.

Yesterday, I had a Baptism at noon. As I drove into the church’s parking lot, I noticed that the parking lot was almost half full. I was a little confused. I knew that not this many people would be here for a Baptism. As it turned out, Fr Cellini was celebrating a funeral Mass. After the Mass, I began the Baptism Rite. It struck me how providential these two events were occurring back to back. At first I thought, wow, a beginning and an end. We prepare ourselves by our Baptism for the day that we die. Then it dawned on me that I was wrong. This wasn’t a beginning and an end. Rather, this was a beginning and a beginning. The child was being baptized to begin her life on this earth as a child of God. The deceased was beginning her life in eternity with God, made possible by her Baptism some 60 years earlier.

By our Baptism, we have the privilege of being brothers and sisters to Jesus Christ. So as we prepare during this Advent, we need to remember the dignity that has been bestowed on each one us as child of God and bring honor to that dignity.

Both our second reading and the Gospel, refer us to the second coming of Christ. We are given images in Luke’s Gospel:

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

People will die of fright. I don’t think I want to be her when this second coming occurs. Christ will return in all of His Majesty. The central question is will we be ready. Will we run and hide or will we respond as Luke tells us “to stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”

Not only do we prepare to remember Christ birth, but we must also prepare for the second coming. So how do we do this? After all the people of Luke’s time had seen the city of Jerusalem destroyed, they must have thought what’s going on. Here we have all of these devastating events happening, the destruction of our temple, and the persecution of the Romans, why hasn’t Christ come back for us? Just as Jesus said to His disciples, “only the God the Father knows the time.” Well some 2000 years later we are still waiting.

So what do we do? We prepare.

Luke tells us:

“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.”

Many say, well, I won’t be here for the second coming. It hasn’t happened for 2,000 years, so why bother. I have news for those who feel that way. When we die, we will experience the second coming. We will be face to face with Jesus Christ who will be our judge.

So Luke’s message is not only for the people of his time, but is for us today. As I look out on most everyone here, and as well as when I look in the mirror, the second coming may not be to far off. So we need to be about the business of preparing our souls.

There was this lady who was 60 years young and while she was out doing what ladies to so well, shopping at the mall, she suddenly experienced a heart attack. On her way to the Emergency Room her heart stopped and she found herself face to face with St. Peter at the Golden Gates. St Peter asks her what she was doing here, that she was not scheduled to arrive for another 25 years. So the lady was sent back and recovered from her experience.
While she was recuperating in the hospital, the idea came to her that since she was going to be around for another 25 years she might as well change a few things. So she ordered up a liposuction, a tummy tuck and face lift. Well after many weeks of surgery and recovery finally the day came when she was to leave the hospital. Now she had been totally transformed and no longer looked like she was 60. She was absolutely stunning and appeared to only be 30 years old. As she said good-bye to everyone at the hospital she stepped out into the street and was struck by a tractor-trailer truck killing her instantly.

Once again she finds herself in front of St Peter. She is really upset because after all she was supposed to live another 25 years. So she asks St Peter what happened to the additional 25 years.

St. Peter responded: Oh I’m so sorry we didn’t recognize you.

So the question is when we come face to face with the Lord will he recognize us; will our souls be healed and prepared to meet the Lord.

Remember early I said that another definition of the word Parousia was the word “Presence”. Christ is present to us now. Not only in the Eucharist and our other Sacraments, Jesus Christ is with us right now. The scripture says that were two or more are gathered, God is in the midst. There are obviously more than two of us here right now. We began in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. So Jesus Christ is with us right now. He is present to each one of us. He is sitting next to each one us right now. We need to live this truth. We need to live recognizing that Christ is with us always. The only time He is not is when we individually reject His presence.

It is good that we come to Mass and worship on the weekends, it is good to resist the major temptations in our lives, and it is good to pray. All these things are good.

Our challenge today, in recognizing Christ presence to us, is to go deeper into ourselves. We need to identify those things in our lives that are creating obstacles for a more perfect union with God now. We need to be a people who as Father Cellini pointed out, that are not half-hearted about our faith. We have the faith that Jesus Christ left the world; we should be shouting from the roof tops the good news of Christ birth, of God becoming Man.

This is why we need to prepare ourselves not with the things of this world or how we look, but with the surrender of ourselves. We need look within ourselves and begin to be true to ourselves.
Each one of us can make a list of the issues that we suffer from. We tend to hide behind various issues that create obstacles of our becoming one with God.

The obvious include all forms of addiction like alcoholism, drugs, or I have to have it mentality. But more subtle traits could include:

Always Right – I have been guilty of this. I used to argue with my wife until I simply wore her down. One day God spoke to me that if I wanted to be healed that I needed to give up the right to be right. So I did and our relationship has grown ever since. I always tell couples during a wedding liturgy that if they want to have a happy and long marriage that the man must give up the right to be right. Amazingly, the Bride always agrees.

Egocentric – Another malady that I struggled with prior to being converted into the Catholic Church. You see I was a self made man in love with his creator. It was all about me. Thank God for His healing of me from this obstacle. It is not to be all about ourselves, but it needs to be all about others.

Gossip – This is perhaps the most abused and common amongst us all. When we gossip, it is something that we can’t take back. It is a harm that can’t be healed. The phone rings and it is someone asking for prayers;

We need to prayer for Sue.
Sure what is wrong with Sue?
Oh, well Tom is having an affair.
Really! Who with?

You can finish the rest of the conversation. In the sacredness of prayer, we can become the greatest of hypocrites. We need to zip it up.

Cynic, indecisive, poor poor pitiful me (the martyr), procrastinator, the list can go on an on.

We can each make our own assessment and decide as we prepare for Christmas and experience these 4 weeks of Advent to change. To become what God created each of us to be. It is the time to remove the obstacles. It is the time to prepare and hold our heads high. It is a time to be able to sing to the Lord that “He alone is my hearts desire”.

We need to be enthusiastic about our faith, joyful in our hope, and generous in our love. This way we can have a deeper personal relationship with Jesus Christ and become what God created us to be.

By our surrendering everything we are to the love of Jesus Christ, we can participate in the divine life made available to us by the birth of Jesus Christ.
We can live as a people of Hope and hold our heads high as we wait for Jesus’ second coming and final judgment.

We can shout from the rooftops to the world that Jesus is alive and lives amongst us in every aspect of our lives.

Alleluia.
Praise the Lord.
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Love is a decision

2009-10-04T16:55:00.000-07:00

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My good friend, Deacon Walt Hollis, gave this homily on Sunday, October 4, 2009, at St. Gregory the Great church in Bluffton, SC.

Twenty-Seventh Sunday (B)

As we read the gospel, it’s clear what Jesus was being asked by the Pharisees, they questioned where he stood concerning marriage and divorce. He left no doubt about his position, emphasizing that marriage is a state of life created by God himself, a lifelong union between one man and one woman kept together by a pledge of love and loyalty made in the presence of God. It is a union that cannot be undone, so when a couple marries there is no power on earth, short of death, that can free them. “What God has joined together man must not separate.”

Today’s gospel calls us to reflect on the dignity of marriage and on the permanence of the marriage commitment. This is a question that is surfacing more and more in our times when Christians are bombarded from all sides with the worldly view that life-long marriage is unacceptable. Few beliefs set us so much apart from the world as Christ’s teaching on marriage, which directs us to obey God and not man.

Life is described as a journey, and marriage is two people making that journey together in partnership. The wedding day is but the starting point when the church blesses the couple and family and friends gather to celebrate and to wish them good luck for the road ahead. How much of today’s wedding preparations concentrate on how that love will continue to grow each day, or does it mainly deal with the wedding celebrations?

The sight of newlyweds pledging themselves to each other stirs something deep within us. It’s an acknowledgement to the community that their lives have taken a new direction through the power of love, which demands mutual respect and trust of each other. They are to understand that a marriage commitment is not just a mutual willingness to live together, but a commitment to accept the frustrations and disappointments that are an inevitable part of two imperfect human beings relating to each other.

It’s hard enough to make a go of marriage even when you give it everything you’ve got. If you only give part of yourself to the relationship, then you only have a 50% chance of success, the average in our challenging world around us.

TOTAL COMMITMENT IS REQUIRED. Some enter into a marriage expecting it to make their lives TOTALLY HAPPY; and when it offers pain and conflict they want OUT.

Together, newlyweds must go forward to meet the rough and smooth of life and to weather the storms that even true love cannot escape. The church’s blessing and family smiles are no magic wand to smooth the way for instant happiness.

Our family has a tradition that we have tried to pass on to others over the years. As the big day approaches, the to-be wed couple receives a gift of the “wedding cross”. You might have seen one, a cross with two interlocking rings at the center, representing God, the husband and the wife working together. It is placed over the Marriage Bed so each night the couple is reminded that it takes total love and commitment to make their vows to each other grow each day and God is there to help.

A good marriage must be created. It’s not so much about finding the right partner as being the right person. In marriage, the little things are the most important, like speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It’s having the capacity to forgive and to forget which means never going to bed angry. I deeply love my wife Barbara Diane however there are times when we disagree into the evening. Due to our commitment to each other we place a stop-loss on disagreements, remember that our love for each other is most important, and never go to bed angry.

A married couple cannot stand together and face the world unless their union is based on love. Love is what cements and binds that relationship together for life. It’s a hope and a trust that has to be lived down through the years no matter what life brings. Love can be easily reneged upon and then marriage fades away and dies. The solemn pledge, made at the altar of God, to love each other for better or for worse, should not trip lightly off any tongue.

God made us for love- to receive it and to give it. However, the ability to love is not something that is given to the couple on their wedding day with all the other gifts. Love is something that has to be learned.

THE REAL JOURNEY MARRIED COUPLES HAVE TO MAKE, AND NOT JUST COUPLES BUT SINGLE PEOPLE TOO, IS THE JOURNEY FROM SELFISHNESS TO LOVE.
It calls for a lot of maturity. When people totally commitment themselves they bring their strengths and weaknesses, loves and hates, hurts and wounds, hopes and fear. There is more depth to a relationship that has weathered some storms.
Please bow your heads and pray with me:

God, you created man and women for each other and given us the Sacrament of Matrimony as a sign of your love. Help all of us to grow in harmony with you and one another. We make our prayer through Christ our lord, Amen.
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a tribute to Grammy

2009-08-17T04:42:00.000-07:00

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My name is Ray. I’m Beverly’s son-in-law.

My first memory of Beverly is from 45 years ago. Jenny and I were in high school, and we were standing on the walk in front of her house on Madison Street in Arlington. We had just been on our third date and I had mustered up the courage to kiss her good night. And I did.

Then, from behind me, there was a tap on my shoulder. I must have jumped 40 feet into the air! I turned around. It was Jenny’s mom. She said, “Can I have some of that?” It’s a good thing that it was dark because I’m sure that my face was crimson red.

During the past 5 years, when I would tell people that my mother-in-law lives with us, I would always quickly add, “She has an attitude to die for.” That’s what I will remember most about my mother-in-law, Beverly—her attitude.

It ‘s not that she led a pain-free or a carefree life. Not at all. To name a few, Mom had lymphedema, bad knees, diabetes, kidney failure, and arthritis. She suffered with them for MANY years. She wasn’t rich. She worked inside and outside her home. She experienced firsthand The Great Depression and World War II, being alone, while her husband was away fighting. She was quite aware of all the evil in the world.

And yet, Mom had an “attitude to die for”. It was because of her faith. She knows the Bible. She knows that she is a child of God, that Jesus died for her, and that God wants her to be with Him in heaven. She understands that to her core.

Mom told me last week that she had “rounded the last bend” and that she was “headed for home”. Mom said, “It’s FINALLY my turn. I’m at the head of the line”. She was excited.

Mom is home now, and I’m happy for her. She’s finally with her Father in heaven, Who she’ll be spending all eternity with.

I learned a LOT from Mom, and from her attitude. I still have a LOT to learn, but fortunately for me, Mom lives on in her daughter, Jenny, who, like her Mom, has “an attitude to die for”. That’s quite a legacy!

Mom and Jenny are my “gifts from God”. He put them in my life so that through them I might know Him better.

Thank you, Mom, for your example. And thank you for your daughter, who continues your fine example of faith, hope, and love in a life well lived.
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Cool vs. nerd

2009-08-05T06:46:00.000-07:00

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Taunting has been around forever. It just seems like it’s worse now than ever before.

In school there were those who were “cool”, and those who were nerds. The “cool” were totally image conscience. They had to look cool, and sound cool, which usually meant that they didn’t say much (for fear of sounding “uncool”). They “went along with the crowd”, which is what being cool is all about (pack mentality).

Nerds, on the other hand, are distinctly uncool. They don’t particularly care about how others think that they look. They study hard. They’re not afraid to raise their hand in class and speak up when they’ve got the answer to the teacher’s question. They get As when the rest of the pack gets Cs (or worse).

Mature adults realize that there’s nothing cool about being mediocre, never taking a stand, and following the pack. After all, mature adults have seen how the cool end up working for the nerds.
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Semper Fi

2009-08-02T23:32:00.000-07:00

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On Friday Jenny and I went to Navy Federal Credit Union at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island.

I love to go there. While Jenny was in the credit union, I stayed outside watching the recruits drill. A master sergeant came up to me and explained that I was watching Echo Company, and that they were in their third week of training. He said that they were doing well, and that before long they would graduate. I thanked the sergeant for his service to our country. He responded as so many do when I thank them, “no problem, sir.”

We ate lunch at Subway in the bowling alley next to the credit union. It was like family. The employees at Subway, the Marines, and the families of Marines were all having such a good time. They laughed and kidded with each other just the way that families do.

I never go to Parris Island that I’m not touched deeply by what I see. We owe so much to the those serving in the military, and to their families. Their service is not easy in so many ways. But they serve with such grace, and joy. God bless them, and God bless America.

Semper Fi!
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Partisan politics

2009-07-13T02:00:00.000-07:00

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Have you “had it” with partisan politics? I have. It seems to me that in a perfect world that there would be no political parties. We’d vote for candidates based on their qualifications, their vision, and their ability to lead. I can name politicians on both sides of the aisle who are good finger-pointers and poor leaders. But what’s the point? You can too.

I have a dream. I dream that in the next election that voters would THINK instead of acting like robots. What is the candidate’s vision? What is their record in accomplishing their vision? Have they been effective leaders? In my dream-world problem solving would be the standard and not constant, and counterproductive, political party bickering and pettiness. In my dream-world HUGE sums of money wouldn’t be spent in campaigning for office WAY BEFORE the election. We would decide who we were going to vote for by each candidate’s WRITTEN position on the issues. Campaigning would take WEEKS instead of years, and campaign costs would be small. Oh well, one can always dream.
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Thank God for our freedom

2009-07-08T04:42:00.000-07:00

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Father Wodecki, the parochial vicar of our parish, is from Poland. On Sunday he said that we should thank God for our freedom. Sometimes we take our freedom for granted, and it takes someone with a different perspective, from a country where their struggle for freedom is more fresh, to remind us of the wondeful gift of freedom that God has given us in the USA.
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What is Independence Day?

2009-07-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

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Is it Wil Smith saving the planet from invading aliens from outer space? Is it partying at the beach, or picnicking in your own backyard? Is it fireworks?

Independence Day is celebrating our nation’s freedom. It began 233 years ago today in Philadelphia when 56 brave men (including our own Thomas Heyward, who lived right up the road) signed a document that declared our country’s freedom to the world. Maintaining our freedom over these past two and a third centuries hasn’t been cheap; MANY have sacrificed dearly for it.

So, let’s celebrate freedom today. Thank God for the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, and for all who have defended our nation’s freedom, especially those who were killed or wounded in war. Thank God that He allows us to reap the benefits of this great nation. God bless the USA.
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1968

2009-06-28T07:38:00.000-07:00

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1968 was a landmark year—for our nation, and for Jenny and me.

The Vietnam War was at its height, and there were protests from coast to coast. There were civil rights’ marches and protests, both peaceful and violent. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. There were riots, and the 14th Street, NW, corridor in Washington, D.C. burned. I remember National Guard troops being on Memorial Bridge, and other bridges into D.C.

I graduated from Villanova in 1968. Michelle was born on October 29. Within a week or so my draft notice came. I would spend the next two years in the Army at Ft. Benning, GA.

Every year has its highlights and its lowlights. 1968 will be a year that will always be indelibly imprinted in my memory.
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Freedom

2009-06-23T04:42:00.000-07:00

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The wonderful thing about being retired is that I get to decide, on a daily basis, what I choose to do, and with whom I choose to associate.
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REMEMBER OUR SOLDIERS PAST & CURRENT…AND PRAY FOR THEM!

2009-05-25T00:28:00.000-07:00

"Your call, Son"

2009-05-04T04:52:00.000-07:00

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The Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Three distinct Persons in One God.

Could it be that The Father said to The Son: “I want you to decide. I want You to be born a human, and to live as a human. Become One of them. Then decide. Are they worth it?”

And He did. When He was born, they tried to kill Him. When he “went public”, they hated and hunted Him. They finally captured and killed Him, but only after false witnesses railroaded Him before a “kangaroo court”. They tortured Him for His “crimes”.

And then He gave His final answer. He said: “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
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WET PANTS

2009-04-18T05:12:00.000-07:00

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Come with me to a third grade classroom...... There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives...

The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer --

'Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat.'

He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered...

As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.

The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!'

Now... all of a sudden... instead of being the object of ridicule - the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful...but as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie.

She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. You've done enough, you klutz!'

Finally,at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus...the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, 'You did that on purpose, didn't you?'

Susie whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too.'

May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good..

Remember.....Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.

Each and everyone one of us is going through tough times right now, but God is getting ready to bless you in a way that only He can. Keep the faith.

My instructions were to pick four (4) people that I wanted God to bless, and I picked you.

Please pass this to at least four (4) people you want to be blessed and a copy back to me.

This prayer is powerful, and prayer is one of the best gifts we receive. There is no cost...but a lot of rewards Let's continue to pray for one another.

The Prayer:

Father, I ask You to bless my friends, relatives and those that I care deeply for, who are reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of Your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain... give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubt...release a renewed confidence through Your grace. Where there is need... I ask you to fulfill their needs. Bless their homes, families, finances, their goings and their comings. Amen.

(If the Lord lays upon your heart to send this to more than four '4' people, you are truly blessed).
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He is risen!

2009-04-12T00:13:00.000-07:00

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“And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow.” Mt 28:2-3

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Christ The Lord Is Risen Today

Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!

Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Lo! the Sun’s eclipse is over, Alleluia!
Lo! He sets in blood no more, Alleluia!

Vain the stone, the watch, the seal, Alleluia!
Christ hath burst the gates of hell, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Hail, the Lord of earth and heaven, Alleluia!
Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail, the resurrection day, Alleluia!

King of glory, Soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, Thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing and thus to love, Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
Unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

But the pains that He endured, Alleluia!
Our salvation have procured, Alleluia!
Now above the sky He’s King, Alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

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Love, betrayal, torture, death

2009-04-10T02:01:00.000-07:00

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The most significant event in the history of man.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him."
John 3: 16-17

“And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’”
Lk 22:19

“Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, ‘The one I shall kiss is the man; seize him and lead him away under guard.’ And when he came, he went up to him at once, and said, ‘Master!’ And he kissed him. And they laid hands on him and seized him.”
Mk 14:44-46;
Mt 26:49-50

“And they all forsook him, and fled.”
Mk 14:50; Mt 26:56

“Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him.”
Jn 19:01

“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabach- thani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ And some of the bystanders hearing it said, ‘Behold, he is calling Elijah.’"
Mk 15:34-35

“Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!’ And having said this he breathed his last.”
Lk 23:46 (See also Jn 19:30)

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Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?

Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?

Negro Spiritual
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King of Glory

2009-04-05T06:20:00.000-07:00

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The King of glory comes,
the nation rejoices.
Open the gates before him,
lift up your voices.

Who is the King of glory;
how shall we call him?
He is Emmanuel,
the promised of ages.

The King of glory comes,
the nation rejoices.
Open the gates before him,
lift up your voices.

In all of Galilee,
in city or village,
He goes among his people
curing their illness.

The King of glory comes,
the nation rejoices.
Open the gates before him,
lift up your voices.

Sing then of David’s Son,
our Savior and brother;
In all of Galilee
was never another.

The King of glory comes,
the nation rejoices.
Open the gates before him,
lift up your voices.

He gave his life for us,
the pledge of salvation,
He took upon himself
the sins of the nation.

The King of glory comes,
the nation rejoices.
Open the gates before him,
lift up your voices.

He conquered sin and death;
he truly has risen,
And he will share with us
his heavenly vision.

The King of glory comes,
the nation rejoices.
Open the gates before him,
lift up your voices.

Text © 1967, William F. Jabusch. Administered by OCP. All rights reserved. Music: Trad. Israeli Folk Song.
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an email from a friend

2009-04-02T13:13:00.000-07:00

As we are nearing Easter this is a good reminder of what Jesus did for us.

At the age of 33, Jesus was condemned to the death penalty. That was then the "worst" death. Only the worst criminals were sentenced to death like Jesus.

And with Jesus things were worse, because not all the criminals condemned to death received nails on their hands and feet. Nails... big nails! Each was 15 x 20 cm long, with a point of 6 cm. Another point was sharp. The nails were driven into the pulses, and not into the palms, as we are accustomed to hearing. In the pulse, there's a tendon which extends to the shoulder, and when the nails were being hammered, that tendon broke, obliging Jesus to reinforce all the muscles of His back, so that He could breath as He was losing all the air from His lungs. In this way, He was forced to support Himself onto the nail carved into His feet, which was bigger than those carved into His pulses, for both feet were carved together. And, as His feet could not endure for a long time without tearing, Jesus was forced to alternate that "cycle" so that He could breath.

Jesus endured that reality over 3 hours. Yes, over 3 hours! Long time, isn't it? A few minutes before He died, Jesus was not bleeding anymore. He was simply pouring water from His cuts and holes. When we imagine Him injured, we only picture Him with injuries, but His wounds were true holes made into His body. He had no more blood to bleed, He only poured water. The human body is composed of nearly 3.5 liters of blood (for an adult). Jesus poured out all 3.5 liters of His blood; He had three nails hammered into His members; a crown of thorns on His head and, beyond that, a wound inflicted by a Roman soldier who shoved a spear into His side.

All this without mentioning the humiliation He passed after carrying His own cross for almost 2 km, while the crowd spat on His face and threw stones (the cross was almost 30 kg of weight, only for its higher part, where His hands were nailed).

Jesus had to endure all this so that you and I can have free access to God. So that your sins and mine could be "washed" away. All of them, with no exception! Don't ignore this. Do not believe that He only died for others (those who go to the church or for pastors, bishops, etc). He died for you and for me!

It's easy to pass jokes or foolish photos by e-mail, but when it comes to God, sometimes we feel ashamed to forward things like this to others because we’re worried at what they may think.

Accept the reality, the truth that JESUS IS THE ONLY SALVATION FOR THE WORLD. God has plans for us. Now think on this: May God bless your life!

During the next 60 seconds, stop whatsoever you're doing and seize this opportunity! All you have to do is:

1. Simply pray for the person who sent this message to you: Lord, you know better than I the life of _________. I ask You to bless him/her in all realms and make him/her prosperous. Take care of his/her family, his/her health, his/her work and all his/her plans for this year. Lead him/her not into temptation, but deliver him/her from evil. In Jesus' name, Amen.

2. Then, send this message to 10 people you love. Ten people will pray for you, and in turn, you will cause ten more to God for other people.

3. Think a moment and appreciate the power of God in your life, for doing what pleases Him. If you are not ashamed in doing this, follow Jesus' instructions. He said (Matthew 10:33): "But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."

Yes, I love God. He is my source of life and my saviour. He keeps me alive day and night. Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him 'I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me'. Philippians 4:13.

This is the simple proof. If you love God and you're are not ashamed of all things He has done for you, send this to those you love.

2009-03-29T02:52:00.000-07:00

just ONE question?

2009-03-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

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Lk 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end."
But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
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;
for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.

When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that she was going to have a baby, Mary had just one question. Drawing on her earthly experience, she asked “how is this going to work?”

If I had been Mary, then I’d have had MANY more questions:
What am I going to tell Joseph?
What am I going to tell my parents?
What will my friends and neighbors say?
Will I be stoned?
He sounds pretty special. I’m just a girl. Who will help me take care of Him?
Where will He lead me?
Am I up to it?
Who will give me strength?
How will I persevere?

After about an hour or more of my questions, I’m sure that the angel Gabriel would have said to me: “you know, I gotta go. See ya!”

The difference between Mary and me is summed up in her response to Gabriel after he answered her ONE question: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."

Mary, you are TOTALLY obedient to God’s will. I am not. Please ask God to forgive me for all of my questions, and for my disobedience. Ask Him to send me the graces to be more obedient, like you. I ask these things in the Holy Name of your Son, Who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
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more than respect

2009-03-17T07:23:00.000-07:00

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If you were invited to dinner with the President, a king or queen, or a head of state, would you leave before dinner was over, while others are still being served? If you were invited to a state ceremony, would you chatter away about golf, restaurants, shopping, friends, etc. in the presence of the head of state?

Compared with God, heads of state are insignificant. Earthly kings reign over earthly kingdoms that come and go. God reigns over His vast Kingdom that lasts for all eternity.

In His house, God deserves more than respect. We should be dumbstruck in God’s presence—unable to speak, on our faces, filled with wonder and awe that we are in the Presence of the our Creator, Almighty God of the Universe.

“How Great Thou Art”

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

All lyrics are property and copyright of their owners
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Villanova University's Daily Lenten Reflections

2009-03-05T05:29:00.000-08:00

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http://www.villanova.edu/mission/lent.htm?page=0305.htm

First Thursday of Lent - March 5th
Readings: Est C: 12, 14-16, 23-25 // Ps 138: 1-3, 7-8 // Mt. 7:7-12

Today's readings focus clearly on 4 truths: Choose recourse to the Lord alone: Perhaps, only in the darkest moments in our lives, do we really rely only on Our Lord for strength. When all else earthly fails us and when all other sources of earthly strength seem to vanish, do we turn to Our Lord for strength and guidance. Here, by these choices, we see our own weaknesses and failures emerge. For, recourse to Our Lord should not be our last path to internal strength, but instead, our first. Recourse to Our Lord should be the first arrow that we select from our quiver; not the last.

Praise of God leads to Strength from God: In our prayer life; perhaps, we should consider who we're praying to! God, Our Father, is the creator of the Universe and the source of our personal salvation. If we seek strength from God to confront our most difficult moments, it seems appropriate to, first, offer praise to Him with a clear understanding that we're NOT on the same plane with God. We're the creatures. He's the Creator. Praise of God sets the proper initial 'prayer tone' through which we can ask for strength to live our lives in courageously, in accordance with His will, not ours.

The Power of Prayer is endless: When we select recourse to Our Lord first, offer praise to Him and ask for strength from Him through the infusion of the Holy Spirit, nothing is beyond our capabilities. Countless miracles are occurring every day everywhere on this earth. Simply because we, as mortal humans, don't recognize them or choose not to do so because we're blinded by our own self praise, does not mean that they're not occurring. Miracles are manifestations of answered prayer and testaments to the endless power of prayer when requests of Our Lord are founded on praise of Him and on strength from Him. Prayer is as essential to our spiritual lives as water is to our physical lives. And, the power of prayer, like our eternal spirits, is endless.

The Golden Rule guides our lives: "Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them", Mt 7:12. Recourse to Our Lord through praise and through the request for strength fills our hearts, minds and spirits with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. And, through these gifts, we feel the emergence of the "Golden Rule" in our lives. And, in this Golden Rule, we find the second of the great commandments given to us by our Savior, Jesus Christ. The first great commandment, centered on Our Farther in Heaven, is evident from the first 3 phrases listed above and the second great commandment, centered on love for others, flows from the first 3 and is manifested in the "Golden Rule". We need not 'learn' the Golden Rule. Through a genuine, soul centered search for the truth, we 'feel' the Golden Rule etched on our hearts by the very hand of God, Himself.

God answers all questions for us and is the source of all understanding. We, simply, need to ask and it shall be given; to seek, and it shall be found and/or to knock, and the door shall be opened unto us. Mt.7:7.

Frank Falcone
Civil & Environmental Engineering
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Prayers for the Kolbush family

2009-03-03T10:26:00.000-08:00

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In our lives there are those who have a profound impact on us. In my “top 5” is the Kolbush family.

I still find it painful to think back to the time when Jack was sick and died. We prayed so hard for him. God works healing miracles, and I was sure that He was going to heal Jack. He was so sick. I struggled with “God’s Will” when Jack died.

My faith and my hope are small when compared to the faith and hope of the Kolbush family. They witnessed, and they continue to witness, the REAL meaning of faith and hope. This life is transient. Jack is in his eternal home with God. Hopefully, someday we will join him.

Please pray for the Kolbush family—Jack, his mom, his dad, his brother, and his sister.

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"You can't handle the truth"

2009-03-01T03:55:00.000-08:00

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Jack Nicholson is a good actor. In the movie “A Few Good Men”, he played Colonel Nathan Jessup, the commanding officer of a Marine detachment at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. Tom Cruise plays LTJG Daniel Kaffee, an inexperienced U.S. Navy lawyer who leads the defense in the court-martial of two Marines.

In my favorite courtroom scene, an agitated Col. Jessup yells at LTJG Kaffee, “You can’t handle the truth!”

I find that to be the case a lot. We can’t handle the truth—the truth about things that we’ve done, the truth about our biases, the truth about ourselves. When confronted with the facts, we can’t handle the truth--much less speak out in defense of it.
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For those who talk in church

2009-02-26T06:47:00.000-08:00

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Try talking with God, instead of each other. You’ve got the rest of the day, when you’re outside church, to talk with others. Besides, some of us who are trying to talk with God find your chatter about golf, stores, restaurants, friends, etc. distracting.

Open the Eyes of My Heart Lyrics
Artist: Michael W. Smith

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You

To see You high and lifted up
Shinin' in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love
As we sing holy, holy, holy

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You

To see You high and lifted up
Shinin' in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love
As we sing holy, holy, holy
(Repeat two more times)

Holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
You are holy, holy, holy
I want to see you

Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy
You are holy, holy, holy
I want to see you
(Repeat five more times)

Denial isn't just a river in Egypt

2009-02-22T04:51:00.000-08:00

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"See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil."
Does that make the evil go away?
"Don't confuse me with the facts."
Does that make the facts go away?

We don't like to deal with ugly, including our own biases and errors. We'd rather put our hands over our eyes and ears. Speak out to right a wrong? Forget it--it's easier to put our hands over our mouth.

Being in denial (not the river in Egypt) doesn't change facts, and it doesn't make ugly pretty.

"All that's necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing."
Edmund Burke
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Prayers for Judy

2009-02-21T01:44:00.000-08:00

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Judy is my baby sister (she's in her 50s). Judy has von Hippel-Lindau disease, a genetic disorder that spawns multiple brain tumors.
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Here's a note that Judy wrote to me after one of her surgeries:
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Dear Ray,

God loves us so much and He wants us to trust in Him totally and completely. It is getting easier for me to do just that. I trust that He only wants what is best for me, surgeries included (and this was the fifth not that I'm counting!). Thank you and everyone for all the prayers. I'm so very blessed.

Love, Judy

Her youngest, Daniel, is in middle school (an old photo) and has Smith Magenis Syndrome.

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Please pray for Judy, her husband, Matt, their children, Daniel, Rosemary, Drew, and Rachel, for her extended family, and for all those who are praying for them.

Thank you.

more from Judy:

Dear Ray, ... What a story of faith. And its because of that faith and trust that your friends have, we are able to get up again and again to go on after an event in life flattens us. Losing a child has to be the worse. As hard as it is to believe sometimes, God is doing what's best for each of us always because His Love for us is beyond measure.. What joy and peace comes from holding on to that and never letting it go. ... I think all of us are inspirations to each other the way we handle the trials of life. Everyday, all around us, people are picking up their crosses and following Jesus up the road to Heaven. You know it's gonna be beyond words........Love you, Judy
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Prayers for Jual

2009-02-20T02:12:00.000-08:00

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http://jualsgems.blogspot.com/

Alex is my nephew and Jual is his wife. Ella, Pierce, and Ryder are their three small children.

Jual was diagnosed with breast cancer in spring 2007 while she was pregnant with Ryder. In September 2008 she was told that her cancer is in Stage IV.

Please pray for Jual, Alex, Ella, Pierce, Ryder, their extended families, and all who are praying for them.

Thank you.

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Prayers for Molly

2009-02-19T00:31:00.000-08:00

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2/17/09

Dear Friends and Family,

We had wanted to share with everyone how Molly was doing and what he have learned about her long term condition since her operation.

The great news is that Molly has been doing fantastic physically, and neurologically. We were home Monday evening from our Friday surgery and Molly hasn’t looked back. She is laughing, running, jumping she is back to the way she was prior to the tumor affecting her life. Other than one very small issue with one of her eyes, which an eye Doctor will be looking at soon, her doctors see no other current side effects of the operation. They also believe that they were able to remove the whole tumor and the follow-up MRI seemed to confirm this – and her next MRI in May will hopefully confirm this fact. Molly’s strength, and resilience has impressed everyone around her… including the many doctors that make up her Oncology clinical team.

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The only troubling spot in all of this is that they have yet to come back with a clear, definitive pathology on the Tumor. Samples went to two labs and the first came back as “Inconclusive” but mentioned the possible presence of a very different tumor than what we were hoping for. The second lab that received a sample of the tumor for testing – is a far more qualified clinical pathologist at John’s Hopkins and this Doctor is running a more detailed series of tests to try to nail down what exactly we are facing. But this is going to take even more time now…

We have been hoping for all along what they call a JPA; a tumor that if caught before it gets into such critical systems as the spinal cord can be treated with 95% effectiveness with just surgery… AKA removal of the tumor. All other options come with some elevated risk of either dramatically increased re-occurrence rates or malignancy both of which are far scarier than the first option for our sweet Molly. We will continue to pray for strength as we wait…. It shouldn’t be too much longer now… at most another week before we have a better idea of where we go from here.

Please keep Molly in your prayers…. and Thank You for all the incredible support to date!

The Quigleys (Jim, Kathy, Caitlin and Molly)

2/1/09

Dear Friends and Family….

This started off being a very difficult letter to write… but what a difference a few days can make….

On Thursday of last week – Kathy and I took our youngest girl Molly (2 ½) in for an MRI. It was intended to just eliminate “the worst case” scenarios for what was becoming an ongoing string of headaches that our baby had been suffering from over the last few months. Unfortunately, we had one of those moments that you never thing will happen to you even in your worst nightmares… The radiologist pulled us aside and explained to us that they had found a massive tumor in Molly’s brain… and that we needed to immediately admit her to the ER.. I can tell you in that moment… time was frozen and it seemed like our world came crashing down around us. You never think it will be you living through those moments and when it is – you only wish there were some way to switch positions with your precious little one…. In the end you can only trust that the lord has a plan.

We are happy to say… it is three days later… and what will go down as the worst moment in our lives was quickly followed up by a string of some of the best. Molly was scheduled for surgery the next day at 7:30am… and after 5 hours of operating our God sent Neurosurgeon told us that he thought they had removed all of the tumor and that he felt comfortable classifying it as low stage & benign (something we hope to have confirmed early this week when the final pathology report comes back). Molly came through the operation with flying colors and within a few days was talking, laughing, had a few bites of pizza this evening, and even took a few steps. Today we had more good news as the follow up MRI seemed to confirm that the tumor appears to be gone, and there doesn’t seem to be any permanent damage caused by the invasiveness and size of the tumor. Right now the plan is to be home sometime Tuesday or Wednesday which will make little Molly very happy as she is very anxious to play and spend time with her older sister Caitlin (3 ½). Molly will live her young life going through constant MRI’s to make sure the tumor doesn’t return but with that being said for now at least – God has given us the gift of our child’s life.

If you want to see how much of a miracle that is… take a look at the MRI image below that left us cold in our tracks…. You can see how large the tumor was how absolutely incredible it is that she is up and about today….

Our thoughts and prayers are with other families tonight who are going through this traumatic experience – many of whom have a much longer, harder hill to climb. For us we are grateful for every day we are Blessed with our precious miracles – this event gives us greater pause as we reflect on the time we have with our children and all of our loved ones….

Thanks for all of your prayers and well wishes – we have felt them all.

The left image is looking down on Molly’s head.. the item in white and the grey around it is the tumor… on the right is the side image of Molly’s head… and you see the tumor at the base of her brain in white. The other white material at the top - is the excessive spinal fluid caused by the tumor that gave Molly the headaches… those headaches ultimately saved her life.

Good news!

2009-02-18T11:51:00.000-08:00

Our history:
“When the LORD saw how great was man's wickedness on earth,
and how no desire that his heart conceived was ever anything but evil,
he regretted that he had made man on the earth,
and his heart was grieved.”
Gn 6:5-6

Our hope:
“In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Jn 1:1-5

Our salvation:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish,
but might have eternal life.”
Jn 3:16

God is good, WAY beyond our comprehension.

Yankees

2009-02-17T03:10:00.000-08:00

Being born and raised in Virginia, and living there all my life until I retired, I never considered myself a Yankee. That is, until we moved to Bluffton, SC, and I discovered that anyone who comes from north of Charleston is a Yankee.

We Yankees can be our own worst enemies. Many of us are rude, demanding, and disrespectful (not to mention, horrible drivers). On the other hand, the indigenous people here who are always saying “We don’t want to hear the way that you did things up North” would do well to remember that South Carolina ranks in the bottom ten percentile in the US in just about everything—education, poverty, unemployment, roads, etc.

So, Yankees, don’t be rude, demanding, and disrespectful. You’ll find that you’re treated better. And, Rebs, remember what percentile that you’re in. Listen up--you just may learn something from Yankees, and move up from the bottom ten percentile.

change

2009-02-16T05:38:00.000-08:00

It's not difficult to agree with President Obama--we need change. The collapse of our economy shows that.

We need deep change. When I was young, I was idealistic. Right was right, and wrong was wrong, and I knew the difference between the two.

Forty years in the business world eroded that idealism. Every day I saw dishonesty--cheating on expense accounts and timecards, exaggerating qualifications, inaccurate billing, etc. These weren't monumental lies--a dollar or two on an expense report, a half hour on your timecard, "puffing" qualifications statements, etc. "Everybody does it. So what's the big deal?" The big deal is that little cheats turn into BIG CHEATS, and an economy collapses.

Now that I'm retired, thankfully I'm getting some of my idealism back. I wish that it had been sooner.

grouches

2009-02-15T09:36:00.000-08:00

The assistant pastor at our parish spoke about grouches again today. It's the second Sunday in a row. He’s right on target!

It seems that our youth group volunteered to pass out cards for parishioner input after Mass. Some of the cards were in English, and others in Spanish. When one teen gave the wrong card to an old grouch, he jumped in his stuff. Talk about a grouch!

Do you suppose that these are the same people who can be heard all the way to the altar talking and laughing, while other people are kneeling in prayer? Are they the same ones who leave during communion? Are they the able-bodied people who sit at the end of the pews and force others to climb over them? I think so.

Grouches, get James Taylor’s “Shower the People” and play it every day. Do you think that it’ll make a difference?

Shower the People
James Taylor

You can play the game and you can act out the part
Though you know it wasn't written for you
But tell me, how do you stand there with your broken heart
Ashamed of playing the fool
One thing can lead to another; it doesn't take any sacrifice
Oh, father and mother, and sister and brother
if it feels nice, don't think twice

Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Things are gonna work out fine if you only will

(do as I say)

Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Things are gonna be much better if you only will

You can run but you cannot hide
This is widely known
And what you plan to do with your foolish pride
When you're all by yourself alone

Once you tell somebody the way that you feel
You can feel it beginning to ease
I think it's true what they say about the squeaky wheel
Always getting the grease.

Better to shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Things will be just fine if you only will

(what I'd like to do to you)

Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way you feel
Things are gonna be much better if you only will

Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel

They say you know the rain will fall
Like pouring down rain pouring down
Make it rain
Make it rain down love
Love, love, love is sunshine.

Make it, Make it, Make it rain down love
Love, love, love is sunshine
Say Everybody, everybody
Oh somebody, somebody gonna love someone
Love love love love
Things will be much better if you only will