New Years Eve, Jesus and COMPLACENCY: 12/31/19 at 5:38 AM

Water, Jesus and New Music Coming

Snap On Tools, Jesus and Personal Power: 12/28/19 at 5:31 AM

Vacation, Jesus and Looking at the World: 12 27 19 at 8 21 AM

Back to Reality, Jesus and Going Forward: 12 26 19 at 5 52 AM

Children, Jesus and How to Act: 12 23 19 at 5 53 AM

Flashlights & Lighters, Jesus and Dancing: 12 21 19 at 6 03 AM

Treasured Gifts, Jesus and Serving: 12 20 19 at 5 51 AM

The Pause, Jesus and Answered Prayers: 12 13 19 at 5 52 AM

Being Tired, Jesus and the Lost One: 12 10 19 at 6 06 AM

In This Hell

Don't Give Up Don't Go

7/27/2019

God thank you for the lessons I have learned from this week...
1) I should not fear being persistent in my requests to you
2) Though I am imperfect Jesus still loves me
3) Ask out of my needs not wants for God loves me and will tend to my needs

Help me to walk away from self love and instead love others through service and compassion. 

In Jesus Christ's name I pray, amen.

My Life: 6/19/19 at 5:12 AM

My Life: 6/18/19 at 4:58 AM

This is Personal

Video 2.4 “This is Personal”  (6:53 minutes)

This is one of my personal favorites. Click the link below to watch the video

- What is holding you back?

- Life is a journey. Where are you going?

https://dynamiccatholic.com/confirmation/program-view/session-2/

Why We Need Boundaries

Old Testament God vs. New Testament God

Hungry for the Truth

Video 2.3 “Hungry for the Truth”  (4:23 minutes)

- Is there such a thing as right and wrong?

- How do lies make you feel?

- The 10 Commandments are the answers to the questions of truth

Watch the video and find out!

https://dynamiccatholic.com/confirmation/program-view/session-2/

Stinking Thinking

Video 2.2 “Stinking Thinking”  (3:54 minutes)

Ways of the world

- Individualism = what’s in it for me

- Hedonism = pleasure it all

- Minimalism = what is the least I can do

- Relativism = what’s right for you isn’t right for me

What is God’s way?

https://dynamiccatholic.com/confirmation/program-view/session-2/

Do All Good People go to Heaven?

Do All Good People Go to Heaven? (11:04 minutes)

A interesting and tough video to think about. 

- Does good mean, "you're not Hitler?"

- 4 Things that you need for eternal life.

- Have you received an invitation?

- What about those that have never been introduced?

How Does Purification Work?

I really liked this video (11:25 minutes long) Fr. Mike talks about becoming what we are made to be, a saint, and this happens through purification. In purification there are two forms and it is really simple. To be faithful to God’s will.

Active Purification

1) Being faithful to disciplines we have accepted in our lives

2) Actively removing things in our lives that prohibit the growth of God’s will in our lives.

Passive Purification

1) Lovingly submit to our circumstances

2) Lovingly submit to the defects of one’s own character

Do You Want to Be Well?

Thought provoking idea that I had never really contemplated before. Short video definitely worth the watch

Turn the Other Cheek/Accept Bad Things?

via GIPHY

Had a great time at mass last night, which I know might sound pretty nerdy and weird. But father last night talked about the idea of how Christians are supposed to turn the other cheek and forgive. He talked about how this is really a countercultural idea. But his explanation was pretty interesting. The two big things that we need to learn as Christians, is to forgive into also, accept the bad things that happen to us in our lives.
As far as forgiving, when we decide to hold on negative feelings toward someone who has wronged us it robs us of our happiness. I can't tell you how many times I have seen one of my children get upset because one of their siblings has hurt them, and then they turn around and allow that negative action to hold them in an unhappy place. In conjunction with that they have a tendency to share that unhappiness with others and many times it is passed on to others by "getting even" with everyone else. I wish that I could say that this was limited to children but as I watch adults around me to those "professionals" in cable news and politics it seems to regularly be the same. Jesus encourages us to forgive so that we can heal. So that our happiness and love will not be taken away. He wants our relationships to mend because we're stuck on this planet together and we need each other to make things work. We need to love each other if we are going to help each other get through life and conquer evil in our lives so that we can get to our true life waiting for us in heaven.

As for accepting the wrongs that have entered our lives, well that's just as hard. The world tells us to get justice, to get even. Fact is though no matter how much "justice" I get, it won't change the fact that something bad has happened to me. Someone spills coffee on me, okay, spills it on my favorite outfit when I have an important date, grrr okay. Get a flat tire because I had to swerve out of the way of someone and ran over a sharp piece of trash in the road, unacceptable an now I am running late. Finally get to the doctor and find out I have cancer, what?!?!?!?!? and my life is totally blown. No matter what we do we can't change the past. We can't change what is done to/for us. BUT, we can CHOOSE to love in every situation. When we choose to love in difficult times we have a better chance of sharing love with all we meet, and let's face it, this world needs love way more than anger and hate right now. The things that God allows to happen in our lives are there to help us become better, stronger and a more loving person. I know that's counter to what many think. Many think that if God loves us then he will protect us from the bad stuff. That's true but not in the way we think. God protects us from the bad stuff that will condemn us to hell. Cause really this life is temporary, the real deal is heaven. This life is kinda like training, a pilgrimage. The catch is we have to believe in God and we have to follow his way. We live in an age when even many Christians polled will say that they don't believe in God. That's the catch. That's the starting point. We have to go toe to toe with God and decide if we believe in him, and that starts with a conversation with him. We have to open our eye, ears, mind and heart (most importantly) to God and hear his case. This can be hard because again God often runs counter cultural to the world, because after all the world is often run by evil, the Devil. But if we can open out hearts to his love and follow it we will find a peace and love unparalleled. Then the next step is to share that love with those who do evil to us, forgive them and accept the bad things that they have done/do.

I'll finish with a story that father told last night. There was a family who's father/husband was killed by another man. Riding in the car the little boy asked his mother if the man who killed their father/husband would be allowed into heaven. After a long pause the mother explained that if the killer asked for forgiveness and turned his life over to God then yes, he would be allowed into heaven. The little boy replied by saying that if that was the case then he didn't want to go to heaven for he wouldn't want to be in the same place as the man that killed his father. The mother explained though, that if the killer asked for forgiveness and turned his life over to God then he wouldn't be the same person anymore. He would be someone new, someone different.

Each moment of each day we have the opportunity to be someone new, someone different. We can choose to love or we can hate. We can hold on to pain or let it go. We can choose to be happy or sad. It's not always easy. It's not always fair, but their can always be God's love in our life if we choose to allow it. The choice is ours.

Thank you Fr. Dong

And if you read this far, thank you, and please go out and love today, and that's all I got to say about that.

A Change is a Coming...

This is a quick reflection on the gospel reading I read today. With Jesus a change has come. It was hard for the people of his day just as changes come when we allow Jesus to walk in our life today. Are we ready for him? Will we let him in? Will we walk through life open to love and God, or will we want to hold on to our old and current ways?

Fr. Dong Homily 1/20/2019

Thought I would share this homily recording of our pastor Fr. Dong. I thought it was really good. Please disregard the my whispering children. They are in the process of learning to be quiet at mass and doing pretty good. :)

Today is going to be a doozy

Jesus,

Today is going to be a doozy. Give me the grace I need to be wise and do the right thing. Remove the obstacles that will keep me from choosing the loving path. Help me to trust You Mary and the Saints. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton please pray for our schools that our children may find the way to Jesus.

In Jesus Christ name I pray amen

I want to be a man of Mission

God,

Please help me with my mission today. I don't always know what it is. Give me the grace to see. I wish to follow you because you are the way. Help me fight the world and its many distractions.

Jesus Christ name I pray amen

Do I speak? Do I Sin?

God,

Thank you for another day, I love you. Give me the grace today to deny temptation. I am not perfect and I sin. I want to remain in you always for there I find peace and happiness. Help me to be a better man and proclaim what I know is true.

In Jesus Christ's name I pray, amen.

What's With Mary Dude?

Jesus,

I love you very much. Today being the first day of 2019 it is easy to be tempted to look on the year past in the year coming forward. Please give me the grace to focus on today, and not just today but every other day. Help me to live in the moment, do your will, and love your way. 

In Jesus Christ name I pray, amen. 

As I reflect on the various scriptures and quotes that I get via email in the morning part of my mind reflects on the journey I have taken with Mary, the mother of Jesus. It wasn't that long ago that the thought of praying to Mary would seem a bit wrong. I mean after all as a Christian I'm supposed to worship God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and be a good member of the church. In the past praying to someone other than God seemed to like worshiping something else. It took a while to wrap my head around the idea. But then it was explained to me like this, there are times when I feel trouble and I ask others to pray for me, praying to Mary and asking for her intercession is just the same. 

 For me the plots second a bit though, what was explained to me that Mary could do more than just pray for me. In fact it was even suggested that I look to her as mother, for after all she was the mother Jesus. I thought it would be rather harsh to say a quick yes or a quick no. I took some time with this idea. And I'll be honest I really got nowhere, mostly because I didn't pray about it. But then something happened, something horrible happened, I came face-to-face with the problem in my life which it seemed regular actions by myself and my typical prayers went unanswered. At a moments of complete desperation I turned to Mary in prayer. I started praying rosaries (if you are unfamiliar I would recommend looking into the rosary it's not just a Catholic thing). While praying the rosary I would meditate on various moments in Christ life. Some of those moments, like the announcement and the visitation, made me ponder Mary's walking life with Christ. Not only did my appreciation for Mary's journey deepen, but something amazing happened. I won't say that I conquered my temptations, I still fight with him this day, but somehow praying those rosaries, contemplating Christ life, and praying with Mary gave me peace and success over my temptations. 

 I suppose I could spend quite a bit of time on trying to figure out exactly how all this works,But the fact of the matter is some things, in regards to faith theology in Christ, are meant to be left the mystery, at least that's how it seems to me. So I focus on the day, or at least I try to. Trust me I say this laughing out loud myself. I try to focus on the day in the moment that I am in. I'll be honest I'm not always successful. I'm not a good example of a Christian. I am a sinner trying to become a better man. But in seeking God's way, and trying to walk along the path of righteousness and his will I find a peace and love I'm paralleled. 

I even look to the other saints for help, such as St. Joseph Mary Tomasi. Not only do I find hope and help in Saints that seem to have dealt with similar issues of my own, but I see that no matter what walk of life I come from I can find my way home to God. 

Saint Joseph Mary Tomasi,

Please pray for the church this day, please pray for all those Christians who are lost. Help them define their home in there Church services. It's too easy to look over the amazing things that happen during in the average church service. You saw the beauty in it, pray for us that we may see it as well. 

In Jesus Christ name I pray,

Amen. 

Let Me Be Amazed

God, 

I love you. What you have done and do each day is amazing, yet I too often take it for granted. Please give me the grace to be amazed each day, and help me to transform that amazement into love of You, others and self so that I may shine with your love and share it with others. 

In Jesus Christ's name I pray, amen.