Learning to be Quick to Listen

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...

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...

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 ...

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 bec...

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...

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 wo...

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 th...

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 ...

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...

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...

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 bles...