My fellow blogger, Fr. Austin Fleming, has an ongoing discussion on the topic of funeral Masses. It all started when Eunice Shriver passed and Fr. Austin decided to address the issue of Catholic funeral guidelines as set forth by the Church. The spectacle exhibited by the Kennedy family for Ted Kennedy was very much in line with his very large ego. But the conversation on the Concord Pastor (http://concordpastor.blogspot.com/) is very interesting. I am a huge proponent of fairness and I agree that the lavishness of Ted Kennedy's funeral could possibly create an entire new industry, the Mega-Funeral, complete with requisite Funeral Planner. But the fact is that the rules have now been annihilated and the excuse given is that it is up to the discretion of the local pastor. Fr. Austin's comments notwithstanding, the Catholic Church has not done a good job conveying to the observant what we are to expect when we lose a family or friend and must plan a funeral Mass. The limitation on having one person speak for no more than 5 minutes after communion and before the final commendation seems to be very cold. I understand that the focus should always be on Jesus in the form of the Holy Eucharist but the purpose for the Mass is to celebrate the life of the recently departed. In this instance, I think it is time that the Church took a look at the rules and alter them somewhat. A funeral is often a time when friends and family members are attending a Catholic Church for the first time. It is a great opportunity to illustrate everything that is wonderful about living as a Catholic Christian. I think we might be missing an opportunity here to evangelize. What do you think?

A friend at work lost his father and I went to the funeral with two colleagues. On the drive over, one of them mentioned that we would probably arrive around the time they were planning to say the rosary. This appeared to be a problem for both of them although they both admitted that they were Catholic. It made me think that something hurtful must have happened to them or, worse yet; they had come to replace God with the material world. I think it is probably the latter for at least one of them, as the accumulation of things is very high on her list. It made me turn to Matthew 19:23 where Jesus said to his disciples, “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” The disciples were alarmed and asked if anyone could be saved. Jesus answered, “For men it is impossible, but all things are possible for God.” I know some very wealthy people who have use their riches for good in the world. I am also aware of many that have not. I also know that I will revisit this conversation with both of my friends and reintroduce their Church to them. When we think about the larger problems of the world like war and poverty, we can see that abundant resources very frequently cause the fall of humans. Why are we drawn to things that are so short-lived instead of the eternal things? Reading about war in the Original Testament, I am amazed at how different the more modern day wars have become. They are invariably about money and power rather than right and wrong. I am not a pacifist but do pray for peace every day. I admire people who can bring calm while responding to the needs of the poor and needy. I think Mother Teresa was a terrific example of what I am talking about. She certainly kept her eye on the ultimate prize of eternal life with her Father in heaven rather than amassing tremendous earthly treasure. The eye of the needle is narrow indeed but nothing is impossible for God. The path is clear then. Work on your relationship with God and everything else will take care of itself.

When David repents for his sins in Psalm 50 (http://www.newadvent.org/bible/psa050.htm), his plea is so heartfelt and passionate, I cannot image anything but God smiling at his wayward son. I especially love the request repeated throughout the Psalm that asks God to "blot out my inequities." How often have you felt the same way? I feel like that often, especially when in all of my humanness, I repeat the same sins over and over. In verse 13 he says, "Cast me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from me." Can you imagine how dark it would truly be if God did not shine his face down upon us? That must be what is described when the darkness of the Valley of Death is described. The Holy Spirit is probably the least appreciated of the Trinity. We often praise God and pray to Jesus Christ but forget that the Holy Spirit is with us always. The third person of the Holy Trinity is also described as the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete, the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of Love. Because of the oneness of nature in the Blessed Trinity, the Father is entirely in the Son and in the Holy Spirit; the Son is entirely in the Father and in the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit is entirely in the Father and in the Son. No one of the three divine Persons is outside the other, for none precedes the other in eternity, nor surpasses the other in power, nor exceeds the other in any way. This indwelling of one divine Person in the others is called circumincession. The Holy Spirit is always hard at work for us and the sanctification of mankind is attributed to the Holy Spirit because He is the love of the Father and the Son and because the sanctification of man by grace shows forth God's boundless love. St. Augustine called the Holy Spirit the greatest gift from God and I have to agree.

All sin is social. That sentence was part of a reading I was doing yesterday. It made me stop and put the book down to think about what that means exactly. What I came to understand, with the help of the Holy Spirit, is that it goes directly to the fact that we are the Church on earth. We are the hands and feet of God on earth. All sin is social because we sin often as a world community. The stain of abortion across the United States and other parts of the world is a good example. Sin is the absence of goodness. Sin is turning away from God. There is no goodness in abortion because it is murder. But we as the church must replace the bad with good. How are we doing that in our community? Are we serving as the hands and feet of God in our local community to replace the sin of abortion with good? I finally was able to watch the movie Fireproof (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5lSu6GkC2k) this weekend. If you have not seen it, I would encourage you to do so. Some critics dismissed it because the producers used amateur actors. So what. The folks I saw in the film made up for their lack of acting experience by just being themselves. You could tell they were on fire for the Lord. They wanted to be the hands and feet for God on earth. The Love Dare is now a tool that is available for us to share with our brothers and sisters in Christ who are experiencing marital strife. I picked up a copy of the book (http://thelovedarebook.com/) and found it to be terrific. I have been blessed with a terrific spouse for the last 27 years and we are part of a trinity with God in everything we do. As scripture says, a cord of three strands is not easily torn apart. I challenge you to become the hands and feet of God in your community today.

When I started writing this blog, God placed on my heart a desire to share how we are all walking a very similar path. I am not saying that we are all exactly alike but I often feel that my problems are unique and that is just not true. In addition, I find that fellow Catholics have experienced similar events. I was guided by the Holy Spirit to develop a list of seven questions and I have been sending them out all over the U.S. asking for a response. I admit it is an unusual method and probably has made some of the recipients nervous but I am happy to say that Fr. Al Baca has responded to me and his answers will be the first on this topic. Fr. Baca is Pastor of St. Cecilia's in Tustin, CA. You can learn more about him here: (http://www.stcecilia.org/about/rectory.shtml). If you would like to participate, simply respond to the following seven questions and forward your answers to fellmananthony@gmail.com. Here are the seven questions:
1. What is the biggest challenge to your faith that you have faced so far?

2. What scripture do you find yourself turning to most often?

3. How do you think God is revealing his presence to us int he world today?

4. Do you have a book that you would recommend to people trying to develop their spirituality?

5. Why do you think bad things happen to good people?

6. What have you found is the most effective way to introduce the word of God to a nonbeliever?

7. Do you have a favorite saint and if so, why?

Here are Fr. Baca's responses:
1. The biggest challenges to my faith are always personal ones. I love and am grateful for the life God has given me as a priest but I see how there are times that I fail to live up to the possibilities. I really do believe we are all called to be saints and I believe the priest should lead by example. My challenges are always centered on developing better ways of being a priest for the Lord and His people.
2. There are a few scriptures that I turn to. The first is Psalm 27:4 – “One thing I ask, only this do I seek, to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” I would say this is my “life scripture.” The other is from the Gospel of St. Luke 1:37, “For nothing shall be impossible for God.” When I feel defeated or broken, this scripture gives me new strength and faith. The final one is from the wedding at Cana, when the Virgin says to the waiters, “Do whatever He tells you” (Jn 2:5). The best advice someone could ever give!
3. God reveals His presence in different and marvelous ways to us. He reveals Himself to us through the Word or the Bible and through the seven Sacraments. It is primarily through the Blessed Eucharist that we find God revealed most perfectly to us, in the reception of the Body and Blood and the adoration of Him. He is found in nature, in beauty, in music, in others, and especially in the body of believers, the Church. In the Church I find support, love and understanding.
4. When I recommend books I always begin with the Bible – “Ignorance of the Scripture is ignorance of Christ” (St. Jerome). I also love “The Confessions” by St. Augustine, “The Introduction to the Devout Life,” of St. Francis De Sales, “Friends of God,” by St. Josemaria Escriva, and Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings.”
5. The truth is that bad things happen to everyone. And if we are to imitate Jesus Christ as the Scripture encourages us to, then it would seem right that we should also share in His cross. The Lord always was clear with us that we would suffer and we only need to look at Mary, the Apostles and the Saints of every generation to see that this is a necessary part of our Christian identity. Suffering for us though is redemptive and as valuable as gold.
6. When ever speaking to someone who has no particular faith or a believer who is non-Catholic, I begin where they are comfortable and build from there. I always speak of Christ. I would feel odd not doing so.
7. I have many favorite saints! My top friends would be: St. Joseph, St. Dominic, St. Frances Cabrini, and Padre Pio. St. Joseph loves me and cares for me. He teaches me how to be a man. St. Dominic is the saint who inspires me most as a priest. His preaching of the Word, his miracles, his passionate love for Jesus move me. St. Frances Cabrini has been a special friend to all my family. She has worked great miracles for us and even my extended family has a great love for her. Padre Pio is just awesome! His life story is amazing. He makes me want to be a saint right now!

Do you have strife in your life? Do you know how to identify it? Most of the time, we are so busy doing the destruction in our lives, the Devil can smile and move on to the next person. I have very frequently focused my energy on negative reinforcement. I am constantly tearing myself down and creating doubt in my life. I have resolved that this will not happen any more. I have turned my life over to God and He is in control. When I see a situation and begin to process and form my opinions, I am training myself to think the Godly,positive way. I am looking at things through my "Jesus Glasses." How can this situation make me better and closer to God? How is the Holy Spirit working through me in this situation? I have also turned this into an ongoing mission with my fellow Christians. I have recently been fortunate to have a new friendship with a fellow Christian at work. Others warned me not to get caught in her Jesus web but I prayed I would. We agreed very early on that we would choose to be open and honest and focus on the areas where we agree rather than trying to find the places we disagree. It is making the Devil work overtime to create strife in this relationship but we are determined to keep it out. It is turning out to be a very fruitful and joy-filled relationship. Why didn't I do this a long time ago?

If your local Catholic TV station does not carry Fr. Cedric's show Live with Passion, you need to start a email, phone or letter petition. He is truly inspired by the Holy Spirit. His message tonight was about the scripture that tells us that His eye is on the sparrow and His eye is upon us. The scripture is a reference to a verse in Matthew 10:29 that says, "Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows." Of course God is not disparaging birds or animals but telling us something much more important. Why do we worry so much about insignificant things like money, looks, status, and reputation? God is taking care of that for us so that we can do his work on earth. We are the Church and he expects us to spread His Good News to everyone. I was upset by my Pastor's preaching yesterday in Mass and spent the last night and all day today praying about it. He was telling us how we need to prepare ourselves to receive the Lord in the Eucharist. I agree and to me this should focus on our spiritual health. Are we trying to become like Jesus Christ every day? Is our heart contrite? Have we relieved ourselves from the agony of sin? But my Pastor went one step further and decided to talk about how we should dress in order to come to Mass. While I understand his message of modesty, I think this type of message is often used for people to leave the Church and never come back. Many people cannot afford to buy "dress" clothing and I am sure they felt the sting of his words. I cannot imagine Jesus ever saying something like this. I am sure that the people who gathered to hear Jesus preach were dressed in all types of clothes and I am confident that He did not turn them away or admonish them. "Come as you are" has always been God's message. Our souls are beautiful to Him. It is also a reminder that I must always pray for my Pastor but especially in this Year of the Priest as declared by Pope Benedict.

I absolutely love the song "Wait and See" by Brandon Heath (www.brandonheath.net). It is bringing me great solace right now as I walk my journey. As the song says, "He is working on my feet so they will walk straight." It is our natural inclination to wonder what is in store for us. I often find myself trying to make deals with God to see the future. Why do we do this? It is basically a lack of trust and that is sinful. As Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." I am trying to allow God to drive my life in all things. Everything about worry brings negativity into your life. It also puts wrinkles on your face. Heath continues, "He's holding my hand so he can lead me and teach me to endure." What a comforting visual that is for me. God holding our hands. It is a natural thing that we do all the time when we want someone to feel supported and loved. The human touch has been proven through research to help people heal and to make babies grow faster and more healthy. How much more does God's touch help us? The last line of the song says, "Now I am on the potter's wheel, he's molding me to fit his will, God's not finished with me yet." That brings me great comfort. Here is hoping that is does the same for you.

The recent furor over University of Louisville basketball Coach Rick Pitino's indiscretions are troubling to me. Whatever you think of him as a coach, I think it is admirable that he has come forward and admitted his mistake and apologized. I can only imagine what his family has gone through. What I am deeply troubled by is the sub-plot surrounding the abortion. Pitino is a declared devout Catholic. As you and I both know, many people that say that have also disavowed the Church's stand on life. I pray that the money Pitino gave was not used to abort the baby. I further pray that he intended the money for health care and not an abortion. I am praying about this ugly situation. A silver lining is that it is again making us think about how our decisions can bring about unintended consequences. It brings to mind Matthew 18:21-22, Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. We must forgive our brother Rick and leave the judgment to the Lord. Christians are called to be different in this world. That we find abortion to be murder runs against current thinking but does not make it less true. We must stand in the gap for Jesus on this issue.

I am not sure why we develop bad habits but I have one that is interfering with my life. I constantly put myself down. The Devil doesn't even have to work on me. I do his job for him (as C.S. Lewis would say). Fr. Jonathan Morris, in his book The Promise, offers the following as a potential solution and I am trying it now. He suggests that you try to remember the event that created this attitude in yourself. What was the one thing that started you down this road? He suggests that we remember not to institutionalize it in our minds but to reevaluate it as an adult and probably see how insignificant or inaccurate it was in the first place. Why have we let this event come to define who we are now? Perhaps we can then realize the blessings that God has bestowed on us. I am also trying another activity. Each time I begin to wrestle in my mind about my self worth, I am going to stop and think of a blessing God has provided. I am going to then thank him for that blessing. It is the whole "garbage in, garbage out" concept in reverse. I am going to chase the garbage out with goodness from God. I have a big opportunity this coming Monday. I prayed for God to open a door and he has. Now I need to walk through it and continue my journey. I ask for prayers from you. Give me words to speak Lord.

The current economic crisis in American and beyond has created an opportunity for us, as Christians, to take a look at how we are spending our money. If you saw the interview by 20/20 on Rick Warren, you will know that he currently tithes 90% of his income and lives on the rest. Now you might say, that is easy for him since he has the best selling non-fiction book besides the Bible. That may be true, but how he chooses to spend his money is admirable. I wonder if I would do the same? I don't usually buy tickets for the lottery but have thought about what I would do with the money if I ever won. I have very good intentions in this dream scenario. My prayer is that I would remember the poor and helpless in the unlikely event that my numbers were selected. I received a really nice prayer about personal finances this morning and wanted to share it with you. I prayed it and it brought me solace. "Heavenly Father, most Gracious and Loving God, I pray to you that you abundantly bless my family and me. I know that you recognize, that a family is more than just a mother, father, sister, brother, cousin, husband and wife, but all who believe and trust in you. Dear God, I send up a prayer request for financial blessing for me and my extended family of believers. And that the power of joined prayer by those who believe and trust in you is more powerful than anything! I thank you in advance for your blessings. God, deliver the person reading this right now from debt and debt burdens. Release your Godly wisdom that I may be a good steward over all that you have given me God, for I know how wonderful and mighty you are and how if we just obey you and walk in your word and have the faith of a mustard seed that you will pour out blessings. I thank you now Lord for the recent blessings I have received and for the blessings yet to come, because I know you are not done with me yet. In Jesus name. Amen!"