Heaven is for real

Is heaven real or is it just a figment of our imagination?  Is it something we believe or is it something we live out in our ordinary everyday lives.  Is it something we strive for or is it what keeps us in line?  It is right for us to fear something so wonderful?  It is right for us to think that only a select few will experience rapture?  God gave us freedom not only to make mistakes but to experience what life has to offer, in this world and the next.

There was a child by the name of Colton Burpo who told a tale of how he went to Heaven, met God, his Grandfather and even his sister whom he never knew existed.  How can a child recall with such vivid account what he saw and felt?  How did he know what his parents had never spoken?

Capturing faith in a bottle is not something we can borrow, it is not something we can steal or owned.  It is something to be savored, loved and carried with us throughout our life here on Earth.

Colton brought to us a story much like the story of Jesus.  Do we believe?  DO we take that leap into the unknown? Do we have the strength to find out or have we become so inundated with daily labors that we forget to live remained locked into our daily lives?

This child heard the songs of angels; he saw the beauty as something so simple. ‘Everyone is young in Heaven’, he is said to have told his dad in a conversation about his journey.  This is never more true – we are all children of God so it comes to reason that we would all be young in the eyes of the Lord and to each other.  We share these thoughts with God who is in each and every one of us.

When I hear stories from a child, they are more real and cherished to me than any accomplished author.  There is a phrase that comes to mind, ‘through the eyes of babes’.  God speaks to us through the heart and mind of a child.  A child born into this world from, by and for Heaven.  It took a child, much like Colton, on a starry night in Bethlehem to change forever the face of our world.  Looking into that child’s eyes must have been a sight to behold.  It took a child to see the simplicity of hope and kindness.  Must we too see, through our own eyes, the child in each of us?

To think as a child, to act as a child, to feel as a child is a rare gift God gives us all.  Do not be afraid on that last day at that last hour for He is always with us – we are never alone.

For this moment and for the rest of my life – yes, I say yes, Heaven is for real.

May your have a blessed Christmas and a joyous new year.  May your hearts not be troubled and may the wind be at your backs.  May His peace be with you, always.

By Our Hand

Bread from a bakery, milk from a farm, corn from a field, clothing from the wool of a lamb – all from the hand of another, honestly and lovingly made.  The time, effort and care ordinary people put into making extraordinary things is a true testament to how God’s hand touches us all. 

We are moved to action by a force unseen and are happy only when our creation produces abundant fruit.  By putting someone else’s needs above our own, we are practicing that noble art of mercy – a clandesdant meeting of labor, heart and love.

Work is not alien to us for it provides us with much satisfaction.  God reveals its true potential – much like the mustard seed, planted in rich soil & tended with sobriety, it becomes what it was meant to be, what He always intended it to be.

A famous sculptor once said, looking at an enormous block of stone, that “his image of what he had seen was always there, it just needed to be chipped away until its birth revealed its true shape.”

Our fascination with work comes from something deep within; an unseen motivation and urge to create.  Call it faith, bred into our bone, the idea that through trial, tribulation, exaltation & ecstasy we are brought to the height of fancy and brought down to earth by His guiding hand and gentle teaching. 

It is only what He wishes us to be that guides us on our journey through life.  Nothing we make on this Earth is not already an idea planted in our mind by God.

Can it be said, “What about all the suffering in the world and all the awful things that we do and create?  Is this the hand of our savior at work?”  Then how can we believe that anything so vile could come from someone so loving, so kind and forgiving?         

You must all remember that God does not put the bullet in the gun, He does not put the knife in the hand of the murderer and He does not create destruction.  It is man who carries this burden.  It is man who makes this decision based on the freedom that God gives to us all – the right to choose. 

To choose our path, our destiny and our hopes for a better world.  We have greatness within ourselves, guided by His hand and through our labors He uncovers what we were truly meant to be.

Our ability to survive, to adapt and to change is what makes each of us so uncommonly human.  For by our hand the world may someday live in eternal peace and by our hand the world’s suffering can be made to cease.

You just call on me brother
When you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on

I just might have a problem
That you'll understand
We all need somebody to lean on

May God bless you and keep you in your labors and may He bestow His riches upon us all.  May our works be at His command and may His peace be with you, always.

The Art of the Harvest

It takes 10’s of 1000’s of years for a single ray of light to reach us from a distant star.  Imagine the things that would or have occurred during those lifetimes.  Think of all hose worlds that seem so distant and alien to us being just as real & vibrant as our own - babies being born, families celebrating life and the death of a loved one.

We tend to look down when faced with such challenges.  We forget that there are so many who love & support us if we could only look up, up to the clouds in the sky, to the heavens above.

There are usually two kinds of people.  One who looks at these signs and sees miracles and the other, who sees them as just signs.  The question you should be asking yourself is ‘Which am I?’.

Looking down upon a field from the sky, we are witnesses to a unique form of art.  An art carved out of the very soil we cultivate.  They seem to be intricate designs and shapes of objects known only to the beings that created them.

Are they a map of some sort, a guide to a destination?  Are they a way of communicating their intentions to us?  Or could they simply be a sign from God?  Could He be speaking to us through these pictures about how we are to proceed as a people?  Could we also be speaking to Him, trying to convey a message of love and the hope about our dreams and to the beauty of the sky?

We plant the seed, watch it grow, tend to it lovingly and guide it on its way.  In the space of a season, it matures and becomes what it was meant to be.  We help transform it into a life all its own, like painting a picture, using all the colors of the rainbow to create a masterpiece of healing, nature and bounty.

Then, something truly amazing happens.  One night we go to sleep and wake up the next morning, walking out as we always do to tend to our land – but this day will be special, so special that it brings us to the very core of our faith.  We come across a section of field and suddenly stop.  We look out onto the field and see that some parts of it have been seemingly carved into a design, crops folded down onto themselves, disturbed but still growing.  Are we to believe that this is naturally occurring or made by some strange hand?

I leave that one up to you.  What do you think has happened?  And why can you only see them from the sky?  Do you believe, do you have faith?  Are you one to speculate on its whereabouts or are you one that sees it as just life taking place and transporting us to a place all His own – allowing us, for a brief time, to bask in the grandeur of its innocence?

I am one that sees this as a miracle, a miracle from someone or something with a greater purpose than our own.  You don’t have to be religious to be moved by it but it certainly does reshape how we think of Him and of how He creates the life that surrounds us.  We can be a most promising race, if we only allow ourselves to enjoy the passing of time and cherishing the one thing we all have in common – our faith that with all things – there is a time.

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time of war, a time of peace
A time of love, a time of hate
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven (Pete Seeger, Lyrics, Columbia Studios, 1965).

As spring leads into summer and summer bows to fall and as life gives way to slumber, we can all agree that what we are truly looking at is faith, faith that we are all a part of something truly special.  Such is the ‘art of the harvest’.

May the wind be at your back, may the sweet breezes from the fields penetrate your heart and may His peace be with you, always.

An American In a Strange Land

Sometimes, as I stand quietly staring into a crowd, I see so many unfamiliar faces.  At one time, when I was much younger, I did not feel so apart from others.

In today’s culture, we forget the many who sacrificed their lives to make this country a united one.  Don’t get me wrong, diversity is a wonderful thing otherwise Jesus would not have separated us by language.  He wanted us to appreciate the excitement of learning from one another and for us to become closer as a result.

But lately, in such an ever open society, it has become virtually impossible to distinguish foreigner from citizen.  Such is the path we have chosen as a nation.  We feel our way through life and let our emotions dictate our actions.  We strive to become something special, something apart from everyone else.  I recall what Saint John Paul II once said, “Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought”.

Not so long ago, we let our knowledge speak for us.  We used our wisdom to guide our decisions and strived to be as one.  In my father’s day, it was a necessity to share your food, your time and your lives for the greater good because, in that age, we needed each other as we needed the air to breathe. 

I look around and reflect on all that we have accomplished and what we are not yet willing to do.  We are young, impulsive, brash and egotistical.  As Jesus taught us time and time again, we need to quiet our thoughts, settle and steel our minds for what is and will be. 

We so desperately need to return to a place when we were neither Jew nor Christian, nor slave or free and be proud and together as a nation.

It is with a particular sense of both separatism and supplication that I find myself so melancholy living in this land – so rich with the history and the extraordinary everyday people that made being here so wonderful.  I am an American in a strange land, but by God’s grace and mercy, I am also proud, so very proud to be a part of something so wonderful and to be my father’s and most certainly, my country’s son.

And I'm proud to be and American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won’t forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA (Lee Greenwood, Lyrics, 1996, Curb Records).

May the wind be forever at your backs, may the Holy Spirit bring your love into this world and may His peace be with you, always.

Happiness

Summer, the sounds of laughter, the smell of food cooking on the grill, the long days and the starry nights – don’t we all remember those days.  Those days, oh those so perfect days that never seemed to end.  As I get older, I want so much to return to those simple times.  My life gets so complicated now and convoluted that I sit in melancholy.  As I say time and time again that is it not healthy to dwell on the past and forget to live today.  We must think like children and bask in the moment, minute by minute, day by day.  Theirs is a willingness to just be themselves and to be accepted.  If we all had such an innocent mind, there would be a lot less war and bickering.  Why is it that children, no matter where they are in this world, seem to talk and get along so wonderfully?  It is because God lets them see each other in a different light.  They understand that to prosper and to succeed they must first come to terms with what makes each of them so unique and special. 

This recalls to mind a message my mom tried to relate to me before her death.  I remember sitting in the backyard on one of our long talks.  She mentioned that to be truly happy, we had to first begin looking at ourselves.  We create the things around us, breathe the air around us and we make our own lives better for having love.  As I think about this now, I am reflective, wishing more than ever today that she could be beside me but I know that she is with me in my heart.

She said that happiness is the key to what everyone seeks.  We all want a life made for us by the divine love of grace and we receive it.  We give everything we have to make a better world for us and for our families.  Through our actions, we set the stage for the bigger song called life.

They say happiness is a thing you can't see
A thing you can't touch

 

I disagree
Happiness is standing beside me
I can see him
He can see me
Happiness is whatever you want it to be
Happiness is a high hill
Will I find it?
Yes, I will
Happiness is a tall tree
Can I climb it?
Watch and see

They say happiness is the folly of fools
Pity poor me
One of the fools

Happiness is smiling upon me
Walking my way
Sharing my day

Happiness is whatever you want it to be

Happiness is a bright star
Are we happy?

Yes, we are

Happiness is a clear sky

Give me wings and let me fly

Let me fly, let you fly

For happiness is whatever you want it to be

Yes, happiness is whatever you want it to be (Lyrics, Scrooge the musical, Leslie Bricusse, 1970).

 

This is for all those parents who made their marks on this world, through the happy eyes of their children and in all who seek His pleasure called peace.  As Saint Teresa once said, “Try to put in the hearts of your children a love for home. Make them long to be with their families.” In the end, all we have is what our children make of our world that we create around them. 

May He continue to shine upon us all and bring a ray of light into our daily darkness and may His peace be with you, always.

Your My Lady

A mother, a saint, a caregiver and a defender of the faith.  What do any of these things have in common?  What binds such women together and how is their journey shared?  Mother Mary, Saint Joan of Arc (whose feast day we celebrate this month) and my own birth mother sacrificed their lives for the betterment of others.   They freely gave of themselves without fear of want or retribution.  They contributed by shear drive of worth and love.  Mother Mary is our intercessor to Christ and we offer up our prayers to her each day.  My mother interceded on behalf of her children and stood up for them when they were tested.  Saint Joan of Arc gave her very life for her belief in a more just world.  The strength and character by which each of these women contributed to the people around them was nothing more than spectacular. 

When a debutant comes down the stairs for the first time at a ball, all eyes are cast upon her and she exerts a radiance and glow.  Such was the attention that these women commanded.  When they entered a room, all eyes were on them.  When they spoke, it meant something.  When they acted, it meant something.  When they offered up a prayer, it meant something. 

No one is more moved by reflection than I am.  I look back on my childhood as one of a carefully orchestrated plan.  Each step in my life was a careful contribution to a verse played out on life’s stage.  Each actor was a player in my upbringing and each role, a performance on a grand scale.  I was to find that each day I would offer up myself to someone or something, no matter how slight or miniscule, whether it simply be to time, element or person. 

We base our lives on this sense of accomplishment for it is a dish best served warm, in the heart of Christ and in the mind so many wonderful women.  Is it such a coincidence that God refers to things in the feminine realm – a bride, a womb, a beginning, the first witness?  It is this respect for the power of divine grace that these women bring their unique gifts to the banquet of life.  These women became something larger than themselves and forever changed the way we approach life.

As Saint John Paul II once said, “A woman is strong because of her awareness of this entrusting, strong because of the fact that God "entrusts the human being to her", always and in every way, even in the situations of social discrimination in which she may find herself. This awareness and this fundamental vocation speak to women of the dignity which they receive from God himself, and this makes them "strong" and strengthens their vocation.

Thus the "perfect woman" (cf. Prov 31:10) becomes an irreplaceable support and source of spiritual strength for other people, who perceive the great energies of her spirit. These "perfect women" are owed much by their families, and sometimes by whole nations. 

They are independent, united and together in their belief in Christ and in a better world.  As I sit here in tears thinking about the times my own mother and I had together and the way she influenced my life, I am reminded by the ending of a song written by Lionel Richie. 

In my eyes I see no one else but you
There's no other love like our love
And yes, oh yes, I'll always want you near me
I've waited for you for so long

Lady, your love's the only love I need
And beside me is where I want you to be
'Cause, my love, there's somethin' I want you to know
You're the love of my life, you're my lady!

This one is for you momma, for you are and always will be, my lady.  May God bring His graces to all the wonderful women in my life.  May the wind be forever at your backs and may His peace be with you, always.

I AM 16670

Is it a number?  Is it a place on a map, an image ingrained into the very fabric of society, or an idea brought into the world so long, long ago.  For me, it is a moment in time that has forever changed my outlook on life.  It gives me much pause for reflection of a pure sacrifice, of a time when men willingly gave their lives for a righteous cause and to the many sufferings placed upon the human spirit.  They asked not for notoriety but to simply live their lives as Christ would have envisioned, through service to their fellow man.

What continues to amaze me is the heart and pace at which good is performed.  We do not read about it in the news or in a magazine.  It is something done in the middle of the night or in a whisper.  We are as oblivious to its presence as we are to the majesty of its action.  But, it is here, in our everyday lives and in the world in which we now exist.  In our pressing need to have our lives so polished and busy, we forget about those who are marginalized by society and are in desperate need for the simple things in life – a warm smile, a heartfelt embrace, a welcoming hand or a forgiving grace.

Such was the life of one man and in the transforming power of his prayers.  His dedication to our mother Mary was a light by which others would follow.  There are countless stories of how this ordinary man became something much larger than himself.  Placed into situations by tragedy and happenstance, this man carried out the miracle with a dose of adrenaline and heart.  He was humbled by the sight of another and he would say for us not to forget the countless others that gave their lives so that he and we could carry out our own destiny.  Even the man he saved dedicated his life to carrying on the mantle of servant, telling the story of his savior throughout the rest of his life.

Franciszek, a simple polish sergeant, did not know at the time of his impending salvation.  But isn’t that much like us, that we are blind to the ways of the Lord and to the eternal world He represents.  Perhaps that is how He wants it, because to Saint Maximilian Kolbe it was the journey, not the destination, that dictated how he approached his faith and in his total love for our mother Mary and Christ.

He was quoted as once saying that “the most deadly poison of our time is indifference”.  It is true that when we pray, we lift up our hearts to Christ through her intercession.  This is something many of us choose to ignore because the reality of not having a direct connection to God is frightening.  We are reluctant to accept the fact that many voices can be united in a single prayer.  Maximilian knew this to be true.  In fact, he dedicated his life to this pursuit. 

The love of the divine was his greatest achievement and his crowning glory.  As Jesus rose from the dead to become our redeemer, Maximilian stayed on earth just long enough to become a redeemer for his fellow man.  It is unfortunate that we will always be just like #16670 to an ignorant few.  But remember, we are all one in the eyes of Christ.

May this Easter find you much joy.  May Spring bring warm memories and may the wind be forever at your backs.  May His peace and Maximilian’s peace be with you always.

  

Dance With Me

As I sit here in front of God and contemplate what is in store for me in the coming months, I sometimes feel a bit of fear and trepidation.  Not only do I feel wary about the future but of the consequences of what I may say and do today.  Feeling this way in no measure constitutes a dereliction of my duties to my family and to Christ but is a constant reminder of why I seek forgiveness.

Looking at yourself in a mirror can be frightening and at its worst, self-fulfilling.  We can make things happen to us that end up in the results we seek.  So be careful of what you wish for, you just may get it!

This journey of self-reflection is probably what Jesus went through during his 40 nights in the desert.  It is what we experience each day as we go through our lives.  Jesus reminds us not to live in the past but to embrace the moment.  He looked at life in such a way, as innocent as a lamb but with the heart of a lion.

Maybe our journey can begin with this simple step.  Sometimes we forget about the simple things in life that are so meaningful to us that we lose sight of what is truly important – the warmth of home, family, friends and relatives long departed.  Those who are marginalized by society need us just as much.  You must remind yourself that is not about you, but it most certainly is all about Him.

If there is one thing Jesus asks us to reflect upon during Lent and this Easter season is of our own fallibilities and how we can better serve others.  It is in giving that we receive and in receiving that we become close to Him in His divine message.  For faith, hope, love and charity demand no less.  He invites us to be a partner with Him on our journey called life.  Jesus is asking, “Come and dance with Me”.

Dance with Me, I want to be your partner
Can't you see, the music is just starting?
Night is falling and I am calling
Dance with me.

 

Let it lift you off the ground
Starry eyes, and love is all around

I can take you where you want to go
Dance with Me, I want to be your partner
Can't you see, the music is just starting?
Night is falling and I am calling
Dance with me (Orleans, Lyrics, Asylum Records. 1975).

Let Him lead us to that perfect place and guide us on our way.  May the wind be forever at your back, may His love be with you throughout the year and may His peace be with you, always.

For Love

They say that great men are forged by fire and that it is the privilege of lesser men to ignite the flame.  I disagree.  I believe it is by our sacrifice and by our love we contribute to the people we are today.  Our families are so inundated with distractions that we forget the important things needed in everyday living.  It is the small things we do for each other that count and that each and every one of us has a role to play in the makeup of our friends and our children.

They also say that the family is dead in society today, a fact not lost on countless pundits who deem to express their opinions on a mind-numbing basis.  For us to survive we must block out the white noises we hear from all sides and to come to a place where the only voice we hear is God’s.  With our busy schedules, it can be a daunting task but we must make the time to sit and reflect.  He speaks to us in whispers and in the eyes of our children and we need to be ready for His message.

It is not for us judge one another but to understand.  The next time you argue with your spouse or son or daughter or neighbor or friend, think of the power of three simple words ‘I forgive you’ – words that can change a world.  It is together that God unites us in a bond that no one can take away.  We are blessed to have the support and love of our family, let us pass that on to others who seem to be struggling in society. 

So much of the way we react to unfamiliar environments is built into our human nature.  We are afraid of people and things that are different from ourselves and rather than to try and understand, we mock and ridicule.  Our self-righteousness can be something that drives us away from learning about others.  God sets each person on par with one another, not to separate but to bring us closer together as a family, in love, in peace and in harmony.  Much like music, it gives us a better appreciation for what we have and for those less fortunate. 

A family is made up of many different things.  It is a group of almost anything the mind can comprehend.  It reminds me of the poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow entitled ‘Sermon of Saint Francis’.  Father tries to teach a flock of birds about the wonders of God. The birds flock to Saint Francis's parish every day to ask for food, and it is then that Saint Francis teaches them of these things. Although he does not believe that the birds understand him, Francis is able to bring himself peace by doing this.

By acts of kindness to those things or people we cannot fathom, we are bringing ourselves closer to what Christ had envisioned.  He wanted a world in which a life was so important that we could not conceive of any other kind of world.  His was a life of sacrifice, a sacrifice so important that He gave his very life.  When you give something up you love for the sake of another, do it for the right reasons.  Do it because you cannot imagine doing anything else.  Do it because your soul tells you it is right.  Give for your family, friends and to a people you don’t even know.  Do it because it is what makes your heart full, but, most importantly, do it for love.  For love is all we have in the end and it will be the greatest reward we will ever receive, overshadowed by God’s forgiving grace and gleaming light. 

May God bless you and keep you.  May God bless our family, our Christian family, for the strength and character to survive.  May the wind be forever at your backs and May His peace be with you, always.

Perpetually Yours

What does forever mean?  How do we measure something that has no time or place?  Webster’s Dictionary describes perpetual as being in constant motion, happening at all times and everlasting.  When we come to think of the many things offered to us by shear nature, do we understand what is taking place?  In our short lifetime, God offers us many opportunities to get to know Him and to become closer to Him.  Why then are we constantly struggling with this relationship?  Many of us go through life with blinders on and cannot see the water through the trees.  In today’s society there are so many obstacles placed before us.  Distractions seem to occupy our time and delay us in seeking out those answers we so desperately need.  In my limited capacity and in my time here on Earth, I have found it a necessity to find the time for reflection, to be by myself in a quiet place and to try and reconnect with the environment and elements that surround us.

Remember the song ‘Love is all around me’?  We adore our family, the color of the sky, the scent of a candle or our first car.  These things enrapt us and bind us together.  We are all part of the bigger picture and united by our common belief in everything that is good about each other.  It might be mind-boggling to venture that what we touch, feel or sense is God.  He is in the wood from the table from which we gather to eat, the grass under our feet and in the very air we breathe.  True love and not this puppy love so prevalent in our throwaway society is what Jesus preached so long ago.  “Won’t you spend an hour with me?”  It was His belief that contemplation was not only good for the spirit but for the mind and body as well.  It gives us the opportunity to recharge after a hectic day, to reflect on a past occurrence or to remember a time when we the world was young.  Call it ‘lumosity for the soul’.  We exercise our bodies, why not our minds?

Establishing that link with God brings much contentment, satisfaction and healing.  It also provides us with the many blessings bestowed upon the church faithful for this simple act of prayer.  St. Teresa of Avila once said that “To converse with You, O King of glory, no third person is needed; You are always ready in the Sacrament of the Altar to give audience to all. All who desire You always find You there, and converse with You face to face."

The need for such a connection to someone or something greater than ourselves has never been as grave as it is today.  We need to find ways we can bridge those gaps between gender, race, inequality, language, and ignorance.  We can sit together, side by side and without saying a word, come closer to understanding and recognizing the significance of each other.

Adoration allows us the freedom to worship without boundaries and without the limitations we so selfishly put upon one another.  For a moment in time, we are all equal before God, placing our sins and our prayers in place before His altar.  Frightening as this may seem, it becomes a release.  There has always been a true sense of calmness as I left the chapel.  It is not as hard to fill an hour as you may think.  In time, an hour is but a fleeting moment in the fabric of eternity.  To the people of Saint Matthew and to the world, believe me when I say that you will change.  You might not notice it at first, but to the people around you, you are a little kinder, a little more tolerant and a little more loving.  Take a little diversion from life and you may find yourself saying to Him – I am and always will be ‘Perpetually Yours’.

May you find revelation in the silence of prayer, may your hour before God be one of the best of your life and may His peace be with you, always.