It’s been a great many years of placing the pondering to paper, but it’s time to end the blogging.
When it’s time to renew, the site will expire.
I will be downloading all the pondering to save for my children, if they are ever interested in reading them, and let the website go.
I personally thank each of you for reading what I had to say and pray you have been brought closer to our Lord.
May He bless you and keep you.
Peace in our Lord,
Peg
There is only one God. Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
From a letter by Saint Leo the Great, pope
(Epist. 28 ad Flavianum, 3-4: PL 54, 763-767)
The mystery of man’s reconciliation with God
Lowliness is assured by majesty, weakness by power, mortality by eternity. To pay the debt of our sinful state, a nature that was incapable of suffering was joined to one that could suffer. Thus, in keeping with the healing that we needed, one and the same mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, was able to die in one nature, and unable to die in the other.
He who is true God was therefore born in the complete and perfect nature of a true man, whole in his own nature, whole in ours. By our nature we mean what the Creator had fashioned in us from the beginning, and took to himself in order to restore it.
For in the Savior there was no trace of what the deceiver introduced and man, being misled, allowed to enter. It does not follow that because he submitted to sharing in our human weakness he therefore shared in our sins.
He took the nature of a servant without stain of sin, enlarging our humanity without diminishing his divinity. He emptied himself; though invisible he made himself visible, though Creator and Lord of all things he chose to be one of us mortal men. Yet this was the condescension of compassion, not the loss of omnipotence. So he who in the nature of God had created man, became in the nature of a servant, man himself.
Thus the Son of God enters this lowly world. He comes down from the throne of heaven, yet does not separate himself from the Father’s glory. He is born in a new condition, by a new birth.
He was born in a new condition, for, invisible in his own nature, he became visible in ours. Beyond our grasp, he chose to come within our grasp. Existing before time began, he began to exist at a moment in time. Lord of the universe, he hid his infinite glory and took the nature of a servant. Incapable of suffering as God, he did not refuse to be a man, capable of suffering. Immortal, he chose to be subject to the laws of death.
He who is true God is also true man. There is no falsehood in this unity as long as the lowliness of man and the pre-eminence of God coexist in mutual relationship.
As God does not change by his condescension, so man is not swallowed up by being exalted. Each nature exercises its own activity, in communion with the other. The Word does what is proper to the Word, the flesh fulfills what is proper to the flesh.
One nature is resplendent with miracles, the other falls victim to injuries. As the Word does not lose equality with the Father’s glory, so the flesh does not leave behind the nature of our race.
One and the same person—this must be said over and over again—is truly the Son of God and truly the son of man. He is God in virtue of the fact that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He is man in virtue of the fact that the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.
I found myself tagged in a note today, from someone I greatly admire. Someone who lent me a merciful ear to listen to me and in kindness offered words to guide me on my parlous journey through discernment. This is the note. Thank you Father John P. Mack. From the note, dated: January 24, 2011
St Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor, patron of writers and journalists
From The Introduction to the Devout Life by Saint Francis de Sales; bishop
When God the Creator made all things, he commanded the plants to bring forth fruit each according to its own kind; he has likewise commanded Christians, who are the living plants of his Church, to bring forth the fruits of devotion, each one in accord with his character, his station, and his calling.
I say that devotion must be practiced in different ways by the nobleman and by the working man, by the servant and by the prince, by the widow, by the unmarried girl and by the married woman. But even this distinction is not sufficient; for the practice of devotion must be adapted to the strength, to the occupation and to the duties of each one in particular.
Tell me, please, my Philothea, whether it is proper for a bishop to want to lead a solitary life like a Carthusian; of for married people to be no more concerned than a Capuchin about increasing their income; or for a working man to spend his whole day in church like a religious; or on the other hand for a religious to be constantly exposed like a bishop to all the events and circumstances that bear on the needs of our neighbor. Is not this sort of devotion ridiculous, unorganized and intolerable? Yet this absurd error occurs very frequently, but in no way does true devotion, my Philothea, destroy anything at all. On the contrary, it perfects and fulfills all things. In fact if it ever works against, or is inimical to, anyone’s legitimate station and calling, then it is very definitely false devotion.
The bee collects honey from flowers in such a way as to do the least damage or destruction to them, and he leaves them whole, undamaged and fresh, just as he found them. True devotion does still better. Not only does it not injure any sort of calling or occupation, it even embellishes and enhances it.
Moreover, just as every sort of gem, cast in honey, becomes brighter and more sparkling, each according to its color, so each person becomes more acceptable and fitting in his own vocation when he sets his vocation in the context of devotion. Through devotion your family cares become more peaceful, mutual love between husband and wife becomes more sincere, the service we owe to the prince more faithful, and our work, no matter what it is, becomes more pleasant and agreeable.
It is therefore an error and even a heresy to wish to exclude the exercise of devotion from military divisions, from the artisans’ shops, from the courts of princes, from family households. I acknowledge, my dear Philothea, that the type of devotion which is purely contemplative, monastic and religious can certainly not be exercised in these sorts of stations and occupations, but besides this threefold type of devotion, there are many others fit for perfecting those who live in a secular state.
Therefore, in what situations we happen to be, we can and we must aspire to the life of perfection.
–From the Office of Readings, January 24
Father,
You gave Francis de Sales the spirit of compassion
to befriend all people on the way to the salvation.
By his example, lead us to show your gentle love
in the service of our fellow men and women.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. AMEN.
St Francis de Sales, early modern Roman Catholic bishop and doctor
St Francis de Sales is patron of writers and journalists.
+Live Jesus+
fjm
How often do you hear Catholics, or anyone for that matter, use the phrase, “I am living my faith”. Or, this is “my” faith?
What is “my” faith and is it truly aligned to “THE” faith in which I profess?
We hear our Lord say, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” at His calming of the storm at sea. Why do you supposes that is? Now, I suppose its due to their lack of faith. Such is the case with all of us, who live “our” faith, without even looking deeper into what THE faith is. We are drawn away with the changing tides of the world, through living “our” lack of faith, making it up as we go, and lose sight of THE faith that our Lord has given to us.
When we chose to live “our” faith, we are often tempted to, and often do, cast aside Truth for something other than the Truth, because it “sounds” good, rather than is good. We end up falling for anything that soothes our “itching ears“.
During this time of Christian Unity, may we adhere to THE faith and let go of the “presumptions” of what THE faith is. I strongly advise anyone to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church to find out what living THE faith is truly, and pray that Catholics come to the realization that living it, and not living what we think is it, truly brings the peace of our Lord. Live it!
St. Joseph seeks lodging…. May we all make room in our hearts for our Lord and our Holy Mother in this Year of St. Joseph. Through the intercession of St. Joseph. Amen.
Just listen.. From the beginning
Please Read: A Christmas letter from St. Nicholas to the accidental Arians of 2020
Jesus Christ is LORD, and nothing less than LORD.
My birthday is December 7th, the feast of St. Ambrose. On some social media sites, they have an app to have money donated for a specific cause that one has. Well, I have one, but it’s up to you to do it. I will leave this here until that day. Remember, we are entering into the Season of Advent. Be the Light.
For my birthday this year, I am asking that everyone donate what you can to your Catholic Parish, to be honest with everyone in your life, to see the good in others and when the bad is seen, that you see it within yourself first, knowing that our Lord can heal it if you ask Him, because He healed it in you and place yourself last. I pray it brings you face to Face with our Lord and you recognize Him.
“The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.” Psalm 24
“Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God.” Every created thing and everyone, is His.
I share with you today, a beautiful reflection via Elijah’s Breeze, of the Homily from Bishop Silvio José Báez O.C.D. – No Caesar is God — Silvio José Báez, O.C.D.
I must share this beautiful reflection from today’s Lectio Divina, through today’s Gospel.
“Jesus overcame the power of evil, Satan, who causes so much fear to people, He dominated him, seized him, conquered him, cast him out, eliminated him, exterminated him, destroyed him and killed him!” By this the Gospel wants to tell us: “It is forbidden to the Christian to fear Satan!” By his Resurrection and by his liberating action, Jesus drives away from us the fear of Satan, He gives freedom to the heart, firmness in our actions and causes hope to emerge in the horizon! We should walk along the path of Jesus savoring the victory over the power of evil!
Be not afraid to do the same. Fear nothing but our Lord. Have the courage that strengthens in Love, to conquer all that is holding you back from loving as you have been called to love.
Back in the early 70’s, I remember my mom and dad having a discussion about the Church and all the changes taking place. SSPX was brought into the conversation and keep in mind, if you didn’t live through this time, you can’t imagine the confusion for souls who didn’t understand what was taking place. My dad had asked my mom what advise my great uncle was giving. Keep in mind, my great uncle was a Catholic Priest, who was living in Communist Slovakia. My mom told my dad, he said: Stick with Peter. And we did.
We must not fear what our Lord brings about. It is His Church. He is the Head. We are His members.
Bishop Robert Barron has a GREAT video today, on the subject of Vatican II which I must share.
Novena to St. Peter
St Peter, now that we are aware of the pressures the priests and bishops, cardinals and The Holy Father of Mother Church are under, I ask that you hear my prayer for you to send protection, guidance, support and encouragement to them, not forgetting the seminaries and the Brides Of Christ. The devil has been strong in recent times, not least in the last century and the beginning of this one. I ask that you intercede and ask St Michael and the archangels to fight the battle which needs to be fought for them. The Devil hides within holes throughout the centuries and I ask that you help the angels to find the places no matter how well hidden where he lurks and meddles from.
I know you shall not fail for my having asked you and I know that my prayers will be answered. The devil so often commands the moment. We are blessed to know that the eternal is the essential and we place our faith and knowledge in The Truth that our faith blesses us to know.
For the love of Jesus and the loving balm of the Holy Mother, help Mother Church to save Human Dignity. Amen
I pledge to pray this every day for nine days – (or 54 days) and network this so that all Catholics are made aware of its existence.
Written article can be found HERE
Today is a good day, to read this from Venerable Fulton J. Sheen:
There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church – which is, of course, quite a different thing. These millions can hardly be blamed for hating Catholics because Catholics “adore statues”; because they “put the Blessed Mother on the same level with God”; because they say “indulgence is a permission to commit sin”; because the Pope “is a Fascist”; because the “Church is the defender of Capitalism.” If the Church taught or believed any one of these things it should be hated, but the fact is that the Church does not believe nor teach any one of them. It follows then that the hatred of the millions is directed against error and not against truth. As a matter of fact, if we Catholics believed all of the untruths and lies which were said against the Church, we probably would hate the Church a thousand times more than they do.
If I were not a Catholic, and were looking for the true Church in the world today, I would look for the one Church which did not get along well with the world; in other words, I would look for the Church which the world hates. My reason for doing this would be, that if Christ is in any one of the churches of the world today, He must still be hated as He was when He was on earth in the flesh. If you would find Christ today, then find the Church that does not get along with the world. Look for the Church that is hated by the world, as Christ was hated by the world. Look for the Church which is accused of being behind the times, as Our Lord was accused of being ignorant and never having learned. Look for the Church which men sneer at as socially inferior, as they sneered at Our Lord because He came from Nazareth. Look for the Church which is accused of having a devil, as Our Lord was accused of being possessed by Beelzebub, the Prince of Devils. Look for the Church which, in seasons of bigotry, men say must be destroyed in the name of God as men crucified Christ and thought they had done a service to God. Look for the Church which the world rejects because it claims it is infallible, as Pilate rejected Christ because He called Himself the Truth. Look for the Church which is rejected by the world as Our Lord was rejected by men. Look for the Church which amid the confusion of conflicting opinions, its members love as they love Christ, and respect its Voice as the very voice of its Founder, and the suspicion will grow, that if the Church is unpopular with the spirit of the world, then it is unworldly, and if it is unworldly, it is other-worldly. Since it is other-worldly it is infinitely loved and infinitely hated as was Christ Himself. But only that which is Divine can be infinitely hated and infinitely loved. Therefore the Church is Divine. If then, the hatred of the Church is founded on erroneous beliefs, it follows that basic need of the day is instruction. Love depends on knowledge for we cannot aspire nor desire the unknown. Our great country is filled with what might be called marginal Christians, i.e., those who live on the fringe of religion and who are descendants of Christian living parents, but who now are Christians only in name. They retain a few of its ideals out of indolence and force of habit; they knew the glorious history of Christianity only through certain emasculated forms of it, which have married the spirit of the age and are now dying with it. Of Catholicism and its sacraments, its pardon, its grace, its certitude and its peace, they know nothing except a few inherited prejudices. And yet they are good people who want to do the right thing, but who have no definite philosophy concerning it. They educate their children without religion, and yet they resent the compromising morals of their children. They would be angry if you told them they were not Christian, and yet they do not believe that Christ is God. They resent being called pagans and yet they never take a practical cognizance of the existence of God. There is only one thing of which they are certain and that is that things are not right as they are. It is just that single certitude which makes them what might be called the great “potentials,” for they are ready to be pulled in either of two directions. Within a short time they must take sides; they must either gather with Christ or they must scatter; they must either be with Him or against Him; they must either be on the cross as other Christs, or under it as other executioners. Which way will these marginal Christians tend? The answer depends upon those who have the faith. Like the multitudes who followed Our Lord into the desert, they are as sheep without a shepherd. They are waiting to be shepherded either with the sheep or goats. Only this much is certain. Being human and having hearts they want more than class struggle and economics; they want Life, they want Truth, and they want Love. In a word, they want Christ.
It is to these millions who believe wrong things about the Church and to these marginal Christians, that this little book is sent. It is not to prove that they are “wrong”; it is not to prove that we are “right”; it is merely to present the truth in order that the truth may conquer through the grace of God. When men are starving, one need not go to them and tell them to avoid poison; nor to eat bread because there are vitamins in bread. One need only go to them and tell them that they are starving and here is bread, and the laws of nature will do the rest. This book of “Radio Replies” with 1,588 questions and answers goes out on a similar mission. Its primary task is not to humble the erroneous; not to glorify the Catholic Church as intellectual and self-righteous, but to present the truth in a calm, clear manner in order that with the grace of God souls may come to the blessed embrace of Christ.
It is not only the point of “Radio Replies” to prove that the Church is the only completely soul-satisfying Church in existence at the present day; it is also to suggest that the Catholic Church is the only Church existing today which goes back to the time of Christ. History is so very clear on this point, it is curious how many minds miss its obviousness. When therefore you, the readers of “Radio Replies” in the twentieth century, wish to know about Christ and about His early Church, and about His mysteries, we ask you to go not only to the written records but to the living Church which began with Christ Himself. That Church or that Mystical Person which has been living all these centuries is the basis of our faith and to us Catholics it speaks this way: “I live with Christ. I saw His Mother and I know her to be a Virgin and the loveliest and purest of all women in heaven or on earth; I saw Christ at Caesarea-Philippi, when, after changing Simon’s name to Rock, He told him he was the rock upon which the Church would be built and that it would endure unto the consummation of the world. I saw Christ hanging on a cross and I saw Him rise from His tomb; I saw Magdalene rush to His feet; I saw the angels clad in white beside the great stone; I was in the Cenacle room when doubting Thomas put fingers into His hands; I was on Olivet when He ascended into heaven and promised to send His Spirit to the apostles to make them the foundation of His new Mystical Body on earth. I was at the stoning of Stephen, saw Saul hold the garments of those who slew him, and later I heard Saul, as Paul, preach Christ and Him crucified; I witnessed the beheading of Peter and Paul in Rome, and with my very eyes saw tens of thousands of martyrs crimson the sands with their blood, rather than deny the faith Peter and Paul had preached unto them; I was living when Boniface was sent to Germany, when Augustine when to England, Cyril and Methodius to the Poles, and Patrick to Ireland; at the beginning of the ninth century I recall seeing Charlemagne crowned as king in matters temporal as Peter’s vicar was recognized as supreme in matters spiritual; in the thirteenth century I saw the great stones cry out in tribute to me, and burst into Gothic Cathedrals; in the shadows of those same walls I saw great Cathedrals of thought arise in the prose of Aquinas and Bonaventure, and in the poetry of Dante; in the sixteenth century I saw my children softened by the spirit of the world leave the Father’s house and reform the faith instead of reforming discipline which would have brought them back again into my embrace; in the last century and at the beginning of this I heard the world say it could not accept me because I was behind the times. I am not behind the times, I am only behind the scenes. I have adapted myself to every form of government the world has ever known; I have lived with Caesars and kings, tyrants and dictators, parliaments and presidents, monarchies and republics. I have welcomed every advance of science, and were it not for me the great records of the pagan world would not have been preserved. It is true I have not changed my doctrine, but that is because the doctrine is not mine but His who sent Me. I change my garments which belong to time, but not my Spirit which belongs to eternity. In the course of my long life I have seen so many modern ideas become unmodern, that I know I shall live to chant a requiem over the modern ideas of this day, as I chanted it over the modern ideas of the last century. I celebrated the nineteen-hundredth anniversary of the death of my Redeemer and yet I am no older now than then, for my Spirit is Eternal, and the Eternal never ages. I am the abiding Personage of the centuries. I am the contemporary of all civilizations. I am never out of date, because the dateless; never out of time, because the timeless. I have four great marks: I am One, because I have the same Soul I had in the beginning; I am Holy, because that Soul is the Spirit of Holiness; I am Catholic, because that Spirit pervades every living cell of my Body; I am Apostolic, because my origin is identical with Nazareth, Galilee and Jerusalem. I shall grow weak when my members become rich and cease to pray, but I shall never die. I shall be persecuted as I am persecuted now in Mexico and Russia; I shall be crucified as I was on Calvary, but I shall rise again, and finally when time shall be no more, and I shall have grown to my full stature, then shall I be taken into heaven as the bride of my Head, Christ, where the celestial nuptials shall be celebrated, and God shall be all in all, because His Spirit is Love and Love is Heaven.”.
Monsignor Fulton J. Sheen, Ph.D., D.D., L.L.D.
Via Radio Replies
July 20th is the Solemnity of the Prophet Elijah, the fiery prophet of Carmel.
If you would like to pray the Office with us, Carmelite Quotes is the place to find the Carmelite Proper of the Liturgy of the Hours. Please pray with us.
Here: 20 July: Our Father Saint Elijah
Also, if you would like to read more and learn more about the Carmelite Order and the Prophet, see Elijah, the Prophet of All Time written by Fr. Felix, O.Carm., also Elijah and the Carmelites
I recently deleted my twitter account, and in the next few weeks, will be deleting my Facebook page. You see, I have been sitting on social media for many years now, not just blogging here, but starting all the way back in 06, blogging for someone else. I have begun to feel like a parrot lately. I can go back all through the years, and recite the same things, over an over again. I don’t even have to write them anymore, as my comments on most everything have already been logged here.
Politics never changes. Its always political. Faith, our faith, in how we grow in it, changes us all the time, while our Lord, never changes. What more can I say all day long on social media, that I haven’t already said? Not much. What I can do, is put it more into practice in the ways I have been unable to in the past. Within my own “home”. Holy Abandonment is beautiful. It allows the soul to rest in our Lord, knowing that no matter what may come, may our Lord’s Will be done. My own “home” is what our Lord has entrusted me with.
So my days and time on social media platforms may not be a prevalent as past years, but my putting this faith into actions, I have been given, will be used where it is needed. In my home, in formation with my Carmalite community and in my parish.
Imagine my surprise today, to find this beautiful reflection in my morning prayer, in iBreviary. The words, echo my thoughts as I have contemplated this decision to leave. Our Lord is the Divine Master of all. What peace He has given to souls who seek Him.
From the book Way of Perfection by Saint Teresa of Avila, virgin
(Obras de la gloriosa madre Sta Teresa de Jesus, Tomo 1, Madrid, 1752: 30:1-4 pp. 526-528)
Your kingdom come
“When asking a favor of some person of importance would anyone be so ill-mannered and thoughtless as not first to consider how best to address him in order to make a good impression and give him no cause for offense? Surely he would think over his petition carefully and his reason for making it, especially if it were for something specific and important as our good Jesus tells us our petitions should be. It seems to me that this point deserves serious attention. My Lord, could you not have included all in one word by saying “Father, give us whatever is good for us?” After all, to one who understands everything so perfectly, what need is there to say more?
O Eternal Wisdom, between you and your Father that was enough; that was how you prayed in the garden. You expressed your desire and fear but surrendered yourself to his will. But as for us, my Lord, you know that we are less submissive to the will of your Father and need to mention each thing separately in order to stop and think whether it would be good for us, and otherwise not ask for it. You see, the gift our Lord intends for us may be by far the best, but if it is not what we wanted we are quite capable of flinging it back in his face. That is the kind of people we are; ready cash is the only wealth we understand.
Therefore, the good Jesus bids us repeat these words, this prayer for his kingdom to come in us: Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. See how wise our Master is! But what do we mean when we pray for this kingdom? That is what I am going to consider now, for it is important that we should understand it. Our good Jesus placed these two petitions side by side because he realized that in our inadequacy we could never fittingly hallow, praise, exalt or glorify this holy name of the eternal Father unless he enabled us to do so by giving us his kingdom here on earth. But since we must know what we are asking for and how important it is to pray for it without ceasing and to do everything in our power to please him who is to give it to us, I should now like to give you my own thoughts on the matter.
Of the many joys that are found in the kingdom of heaven, the greatest seems to me to be the sense of tranquility and well-being that we shall experience when we are free from all concern for earthly things. Glad because others are glad and for ever at peace, we shall have the deep satisfaction of seeing that by all creatures the Lord is honored and praised, and his name blessed. No one ever offends him, for there everyone loves him. Loving him is the soul’s one concern. Indeed it cannot help but love him, for it knows him. Here below our love must necessarily fall short of that perfection and constancy, but even so how different it would be, how much more like that of heaven, if we really knew our Lord!”
Edit to add: 7/03/2020 2:00 PM
I have now, reactivated my twitter account as of today, as I received an email from the Coordinator of Lay Carmelites, Province of the Most Pure Heart of Mary, inquiring if I would take the position of Regional Formation Coordinator for the San Diego region. After much consideration, and truly, this being the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle, this is something I have been pondering for quite a while. Where, Lord, did You need me? That I may give You my all. What, Lord, are You asking of me? That I may give You to all. Social media, for me, had become a very loud place as I was trying to find that inner silence again. Sometimes, we get drawn into the chaos of the world, and our Lord truly is the only exit. I was unsure as to the answers of these questions and to be frank, that email from the Coordinator sat in my inbox for two days, without me even seeing it.
I have answered with a resounding yes to the coordinator and to our Lord. This latest encounter with our Lord, has definitely found me proclaiming, “My Lord and my God.”
With this yes, comes the challenge to keep my focus on our Lord, and Carmel. Looking into the deleting of some platforms, I have found myself turning them back on, as there are many souls who do seek our Lord, and in those platforms, a channel to Him has been established.
Racism is not reserved to white on black.
rac·ism/ˈrāˌsizəm/ noun
I can’t tell you how sick it makes me to hear, whites never encounter racism but perpetrate it. It runs in every culture. Just because someone may not have the same experience as someone else, does not make it not racism. Or what some had once called “reverse racism”. There is no such thing. There is only racism. What I am about to say is the reality of racism.
My family was forced to leave our former parish and school, because my daughter was bullied, bad, for not speaking Spanish. Keep in mind this was a few years ago. We didn’t learn of the bulling until she had entered into the third grade. We were astonished to learn it had been taking place when she began school, in kindergarten. We were told it was no big deal. It was a big deal. My daughter was picked on constantly, had her lunch stolen daily and was ridiculed without any care for her feelings. She began to struggle in school and was having a hard time concentrating and we were told, it was no big deal. So racism against white children, was no big deal according to the administrators. We were one of two ONLY white family’s in that particular school. When the decision was made to place our children there, I knew it was mostly Hispanic but it didn’t matter to me, it was Catholic.
We left a week later, and entered into a new parish and placed our children into the new school. STILL the minority among a majority of a mix of Chaldean’s and Spanish. Also Catholic. We have never been more happy in this new place. The child who was bulled at the other school, graduated two years ago with many friends and a joyful school experience she will never forget.
Life is hard! Humility is needed among ALL of us, no matter what color our skin may be and believe you me, HUMILITY toughens the skin no matter what color it is, to forget the hate and love anyway. I forgive them. I pray for them. When someone says that I need to walk in their shoes, I have. But it doesn’t matter to most, because what is said in return by most is that I’m white, which is a statement that is actually the heart of racism in itself.
Please read here, Cardinal Turkson: Racism driving some Catholics from Church. I am very saddened to see this article only address one aspect of racism. One point I need to make regarding this article is here:
“The Lord is calling the entire nation to repentance,” Purvis said. Catholics should examine their consciences to see how they might have demeaned their neighbor in thought, word, or act. Catholics can always ask God, “please show me my brokenness,” she said. “He will do that.” “Offering a concrete way for Catholics to fight racism, she said “Listen to people of color. Just listen.” We are all different colors. Does my “white” skin exclude me?
As Catholics, we are called to be of One Body. Skin tone doesn’t matter. Hair color doesn’t matter. Skin deep faith is not our faith. Our faith cuts deep in the heart where racism is not present and only Love exists.
From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop
(Sermo 47, 12-14, De ovibus: CCL 41, 582-584)
“If I wanted to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ
This is our glory: the witness of our conscience. There are men who rashly judge, who slander, whisper and murmur, who are eager to suspect what they do not see, and eager to spread abroad things they have not even a suspicion of. Against men of this sort, what defense is there save the witness of our own conscience?
My brothers, we do not seek, nor should we seek, our own glory even among those whose approval we desire. What we should seek is their salvation, so that if we walk as we should they will not go astray in following us. They should imitate us if we are imitators of Christ; and if we are not, they should still imitate him. He cares for his flock, and he alone is to be found with those who care for their flocks, because they are all in him.
And so we seek no advantage for ourselves when we aim to please men. We want to take our joy in men—and we rejoice when they take pleasure in what is good, not because this exalts us, but because it benefits them.
It is clear who is intended by the apostle Paul: If I wanted to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. And similarly when he says: Be pleasing to all men in all things, even as I in all things please all men. Yet his words are as clear as water, limpid, undisturbed, unclouded. And so you should, as sheep, feed on and drink of his message; do not trample on it or stir it up.
You have listened to our Lord Jesus Christ as he taught his apostles: Let your actions shine before men so that they may see you good deeds, and give glory to your Father who is in heaven, for it is the Father who made you thus. We are the people of his pasture, the sheep of his hands. If then you are good, praise is due to him who made you so; it is no credit to you, for if you were left to yourself, you could only be wicked. Why then do you try to pervert the truth, in wishing to be praised when you do good, and blaming God when you do evil? For though he said: Let your works shine before men, in the same Sermon on the Mount he also said: Do not parade your good deeds before men. So if you think there are contradictions in Saint Paul, you will find the same in the Gospels; but if you refrain from troubling the waters of your heart, you will recognize here the peace of the Scriptures and with it you will have peace.
And so, my brothers, our concern should be not only to live as we ought, but also to do so in the sight of men; not only to have a good conscience but also, so far as we can in our weakness, so far as we can govern our frailty, to do nothing which might lead our weak brother into thinking evil of us. Otherwise, as we feed on the good pasture and drink the pure water, we may trample on God’s meadow, and weaker sheep will have to feed on trampled grass and drink from troubled waters.”
First Martyrs of Rome, pray for us
I received an email today, stating: ” Peg Pondering Again has been selected by our panelist as one of the Top 100 Catholic Blogs on the web.”
I am humbled, and would like to give a shout out to all on the list. Praise, glory and honor to our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Please check out
Having been on the receiving end of racism, as a white woman, pondering how I see today’s riots, and the lack of action to end them, I was asking my children, if they remember when they studied about Kristallnacht. Both my children do, and we talked about it, in regards to what we are seeing today. We prayed.
We know, that racism is not reserved to white people, rather it is a cultural cancer in all society’s.
As the riots continued, I watched social media explode with Catholics screaming, “I am Antifa”, to which I could only shake my head and pray for them. Communism is not something any Catholic should be cheering on, nor supporting. Let me share with you, where “Antifa” was conceived and how today, it is still the case.
“Antifaschistische Aktion (German: [ˌantifaˈʃɪstɪʃə ʔakˈtsi̯oːn]), commonly known under its abbreviation Antifa (German: [ˈantifaː]), was a militant anti-fascist organisation in Weimar Republic started by members of the Communist Party of Germany“
As a Catholic, a child of God, we know that ALL racism is to be condemned as it is born from hate for neighbor. Racism is a fear of others, who do not “seem” to be like you. When one sees our Lord in their neighbor, racism has no place, and is never allowed to grow. We are called love our neighbor as our self. Communists fear nothing, especially God.
Today, a friend share this, and I feel I must share it with you.
When Mobs Dispense Social Justice
Written by Adam Mill
June, 5th 2020
We should never place the race of one, over the race of another. ALL of us belong to the Human Race.
O God, Creator of the universe, who extends your paternal concern over every creature and guides the events of history to the goal of salvation, we acknowledge your fatherly love when you break the resistance of mankind and, in a world torn by strife and discord, you make us ready for reconciliation. Renew for us the wonders of your mercy; send forth your Spirit that he may work in the intimacy of hearts, that enemies may begin to dialogue, that adversaries may shake hands and peoples may encounter one another in harmony. May all commit themselves to the sincere search for true peace which will extinguish all arguments, for charity which overcomes hatred, for pardon which disarms revenge.
– St. Pope John Paul II
“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love
What is love? So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Act of Love
O my God, I love Thee above all things with my whole heart and soul, because Thou art all good and worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself for love of Thee. I forgive all who have injured me, and I ask pardon for all whom I have injured.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
Nothing can change what our Lord has already done. It is we who change and realign to Him. His mercy endues forever.
When our thought begin to imagine that we somehow presume to know more than we do, illusions kick in, and torment takes over, where peace once was. This is a trigger point, to keep in reference when we begin to fall back out of union with our Lord. What do I know? Is a question we should ask ourselves often. What I know, is that our Lord has promised to be with us until the end of the age. What I know, is that He doesn’t say what He doesn’t mean. Can I trust this? With my entire heart. This is not a time to rest in presumption of knowing our Lord. It is a time to delve deep into Him, spend time with Him, talk to Him, and learn to trust Him.
No matter what may come, our Lord is with us. He is with us when we freely choose to not follow Him. He is with us when we freely choose to follow Him. When we come face to face with ourselves, when we see we are no better or worse than anyone else, is when we can see the sins of all, right in the mirror as we look at ourselves. What then, shall we do at this moment? We offer to help our neighbor, not by condemning them in their sin, as our sin is no better, rather we accompany them as a friend, through their struggle with it, and try to help them to overcome it, as we have, through Christ. We do not justify the sin by continuing in it, rather, we give glory to our Lord, by acknowledging it, repenting from it, accepting our Lord forgiveness for it, and overcoming it. Never committing it again.
If since our Lord is with us, how can I justify fear of the terrible things that may come when I have ignored His call? I can not. What can be more terrible than the justice of God? Nothing. The wages of sin, is death. What can be more frightening than the justice of God? Nothing. Again, the wages of sin, is death. Notice, our Lord does not say which sins, but sin in general. Have I sinned? I know that I have. I am a sinner. Without the mercy of our Lord, the wages of my sins, have been laid out in front of me. Death.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” – If then I have received this gift from our Lord, what does this mean? I know that this gift did not come without a price. That price was the life of the One who loves with an eternal and everlasting love. The One who, as I said in the start of this post, He doesn’t say what He doesn’t mean.
This coming Sunday for some, today, we celebrate Christ’s Ascension. The Catechism states:
665 Christ’s Ascension marks the definitive entrance of Jesus’ humanity into God’s heavenly domain, whence he will come again (cf. Acts 1:11); this humanity in the meantime hides him from the eyes of men (cf. Col 3:3).
666 Jesus Christ, the head of the Church, precedes us into the Father’s glorious kingdom so that we, the members of his Body, may live in the hope of one day being with him for ever.
667 Jesus Christ, having entered the sanctuary of heaven once and for all, intercedes constantly for us as the mediator who assures us of the permanent outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
If we can not see Him, how can we then believe this? One does not need to see Him in the flesh, in order to believe. One must, however, see Him in the heart, through conviction of the Holy Spirit. That is when the fire within rages for Truth. What is Truth? “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” When the fire for Truth is ignited, one can only desire Truth. Truth about ones self. Truth about the world. Truth about sin. Truth about eternal life. In this way, we live Truth. When we freely choose to live Truthfully, there is everlasting joy which no one can ever take away. Which no one can touch. Because He is Truth itself.
“The Judgment of Solomon is a story from the Hebrew Bible in which King Solomon of Israel ruled between two women both claiming to be the mother of a child. Solomon revealed their true feelings and relationship to the child by suggesting to cut the baby in two, with each woman to receive half. With this strategy, he was able to discern the non-mother as the woman who entirely approved of this proposal, while the actual mother begged that the sword might be sheathed and the child committed to the care of her rival”
Happy Mothers Day to all who have had a child wrongly taken from them, had to place their child in foster care, or had to place a child up for adoption. You are a Mother who knows what it means to be a mother who suffers for your children. May our Lord bring you His peace and healing as I share in this pain with you. May you unite that suffering with our Lord, as He also knows what it means, to have His children taken away from Him through the allurement of sin. May you remember that our children, have only been entrusted to us to care and nurture. They truly belong to Him.
You will always be the mother of the child. Even if the relationship has been cut. Sometimes, like the prodigal son, they return, sometimes they do not. We know, and hold in our hearts, that one day they will return to our Lord. Pray for them, for that day, that they may recognize Him and not turn away again.
LITTLE FLOWER SHOW YOUR POWER IN THIS HOUR!!! (Repost via Fr. Dennis Brown)
Somebody reminded me that Saint Therese of Lisieux is the perfect patroness for our times since she died horribly of a respiratory disease.
When she was dying Thérèse was suffering violently at each breath she took, and she felt as though she were stretched out on “iron spikes.”
Later on, when she was in a state of exhaustion, she confided to Mother Agnes: “What would become of me if God did not give me courage? A person does not know what this is unless he experiences it. No, it has to be experienced!”
Towards the end she exclaimed, “When am I going to suffocate entirely? . . . I can’t stand any more! Ah! pray for me! Jesus! Mary! I will it!”
Pray, Therese for those who are dying of the coronavirus; that they may have the graces that you received and be comforted in the midst of their severe sufferings and for those who can may be cured and recover.
Read more details:
http://jameslau88.com/agonizing_death_of_st_therese_of_lisi…
12 years ago today, was the day I returned to the Catholic Church and never left again. Divine Mercy Sunday.
You see, the Sunday before, on Easter Sunday, after my girls seen that the bunny came, I went into the yard, and began to water the grass. As I smoked a cigarette watering the grass, cars began to enter into the parking lot behind our home, into the Protestant church. I laughed as I thought, what do they even do for Easter? They are not even Catholic! BOOM In that very second of mocking somebody else for doing something, I heard OUR LORD in my heart ask ME: “Where are YOU? WHAT are YOU doing?” Hearing that, KNOWING it was our Lord, rattled every bone in my body. It is only now, that I have come to understand thoes words, are in fact, what He said to Adam and Eve, after they were disobedient. As they hid from Him. The words gnawed at me for a week, and by that Holy Friday, I could not get to Mass quick enough. It was Divine Mercy Sunday, a day I never heard of before because although I was Catholic, I was LUKEWARM for my entire life. Not knowing the faith and not knowing our Lord. Only knowing OF the faith, and our Lord through other people who didn’t know it or Him, either. Seek, ask, and knock folks. Before you assume to know it, when you know nothing but assumptions. I pray more souls like I was, come to hear His voice, and do not harden their hearts. Blessed Divine Mercy Sunday.
JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU
There is talk today, of the nation opening back up, on May 1st. May is the month of Mary and just when this virus took hold of us, I was pondering how long this may last. Mama Mary came to my heart in the way of May Crowning. Corona means crown. I pray this is truly a breakthrough for everyone, to opening the Church again, with the faithful able to receive our Lord again. Queen of Heaven and Earth, pray for us.
O most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me herein and show me here you are my Mother.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us all
Make this go viral
The tomb is empty. He is not here. Nor should you be..
LIVE as He has and does still today.
Blessed Easter to all.
Every year, since our Lord blessed me with a family, I have been making an Easter Lamb Cake. The task usually begins on Good Friday, after Veneration of the Cross. This year, with the pandemic, and not being able to attend physically, was no different. I had watched some very moving services being live streamed all over the internet and when it was finished, I began the task of preparing for my family’s Easter.
The Lamb Cake tradition began in when I was very little, as my mom would always purchase one for us. It was always on the table for after Easter dessert. In the Midwest where I am originally from, they were always present during Holy Week in the grocery stores. You couldn’t walk into one without seeing a beautiful Easter display of them, surrounded by Easter Lilly’s. No so here in California.
When my children were very little, about four and five years old, I didn’t want them to miss out on what I always looked forward to seeing when I was young. My husband purchased a lamb cake baking mold for me, and the tradition began. Over the years, it became a way to do something special for us, to bond in a way only we could understand. While our Lord was placed in the tomb on Good Friday, and silence filled the earth, we began to mix the “spices” of joy and life by making something to celebrate our Lord’s resurrection for us as a family.
Good Friday night, I mix the cake batter and pour it into the mold. Placing it into the oven, as our Lord was placed into the tomb, and made His descent into hell. Its a means of contemplation for me as I make the cake. What was once batter, comes out as something completely different. Its quite funny really, when the bake time is actually 33 minutes, and that being the age of our Lord at the time of His Crucifixion.
When the cake is complete, it USUALLY breaks free of the mold, and emerges as the Victorious Lamb. This year, it did not. For some reason, the cake stuck in the mold, and I had to pry it out. It broke into several pieces, which upon looking at it, made me realize, I had to make another. Don’t assume it went to waste, as it would have been used to pick on for a snack after Good Friday was over. So, back to the mixing and pouring and baking. Pulling it out of the oven again, I remove it from the mold, and it sticks again. Breaking into pieces.
As I contemplated all these pieces, my first thought was to build a Franken Lamb Cake, using all the pieces I had to build one complete Lamb Cake. As I prayed, the story changed and the darkness of that story, was overcome by the Light. The two very broken lamb cakes, were to become one. The Marriage of the Lamb!
This morning, Holy Saturday, the task began to assemble the pieces together. As my children were still sleeping, with the rest of the world, I assembled the pieces, my contemplation of our Lord gathering all the souls together, liberating them from the bondage of darkness and bringing them all into Him.
I stood the cake upright, and the face fell off. So I picked up the intact head of the other and placed it firmly onto the body. Christ is the head of the body! Although the cake appeared to be very broken, it was in fact read to dress. Our Lord takes all our brokenness and fixes it in the most BEAUTIFUL and JOYFUL way, His. What we see in ourselves, and in others, our Lord sees much differently. Although we can not be there with Him, He is with us always.
The dressing of the wounded cake was complete, and my children were left in awe, after thinking there would be no lamb this year on our table. Much in the way they did when He was placed in the tomb. Much in the way that we as Catholics assume that our Lord would not be, with us this year, due to the pandemic.
“And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
The message is the same every year. Do not be afraid. Jesus Christ is LORD!
Much love to you all this Easter and for all time to come. He is RISEN INDEED!
Like the bud of the Lilly, waiting for the command to open and reveal its true beauty, so to, is our Lord’s glory, waiting to burst fourth from the tomb to reveal His love for us. To return from the dead and forgive us for putting Him to death.
Holy Saturday, in silence.
Pondering: ” And the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I confess to Almighty God…”, I falsely accused Him, I cursed at Him, I scourged Him, I placed a crown of thorns on His precious head. I mocked Him, I sided with the wicked and not Him. I shouted for Him to be crucified. I had Him put to death. I did not love Him as He loved me. In my neighbor, with my rock hard heart of stone – Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault” God our Father
“Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel’
His agony is over and His pain is now gone, all that remains is us, to think about what we have done and to repent of our disobedience and to pray.
Hosea 5:15b-16:2
Thus says the Lord,
In their affliction, they shall look for me:
“Come, let us return to the Lord,
For it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up,
to live in his presence.”
At every moment we carry in our bodies the death of Jesus so that in our bodies the life of Jesus may also be manifested (2 Corinthians 4:10).
If you find yourself pondering our Lord crucifixion today, and I pray you do, I hope you can focus on the moment our Lord was placed in front of the crowd, scourged, beaten and mocked. His flesh torn to pieces, the crown of thrones piercing His precious head. His face mangled and unrecognizable.
Is this what is done to a man with no guilt by the world who assumes to judge rightly? Daily. Why? If we are followers of Christ, can we say, that by doing this to our neighbor, we do it because we love them and because we forgive them, as our Lord has forgiven us?
When the good thief, crucified with our Lord, said, we deserve this, but He (our Lord) did nothing wrong, think of this in regards to how you, yourself do deserve this, as do I, because we are sinners, along with, just because we deserve this, doesn’t make it right and just to do it, as it has already been done, and continues to be done, daily, to the Man with no guilt, by us, without love, without mercy and without forgiving, to our neighbor.
“You did it to me”.
Its a good day to end practice. Pope Francis reminds us today, that the outstretched arms of our Lord are always there to welcome you, every time you stray from Him. I pray many do. I hope everyone does.
Today begins the Divine Mercy Novena. Day 1, starting at 3:00 PM. I hope many take advantage of this wonderful novena and open your hearts to His mercy.:
EDIT TO ADD:
Please watch, a beautiful video just posted by Fr. Mitch Pacwa on this Good Friday – The 6 Mockings of Christ. Beyond the physical and spiritual suffering that Christ endured for our salvation, He also experienced relentless bullying and abandonment. In this video, Father Mitch goes through a lesser discussed aspect of the Passion, tying it back to our modern day problems and how each one of us can learn to love more greatly, endure with patience, and become ever closer to Christ on this holy Good Friday, 2020.
Peg Pondering Again 