Did you know that judgment day occurs 7 days a week? I'm not talking about the 2nd coming, I'm talking about us, about me. I judge other people by some ad hoc method that only God knows who made it up. Maybe me. Maybe I adopted parts from my parents, fellow coworkers and friends. My judgments are based on skewed observations, misinformation and prejudice. I willingly judge others and usually find them lacking. Not measuring up to my crooked viewpoint.
I volunteered for the Shoes that Fit run on Saturday. I received a cool new T-shirt - bright yellow. Too small for me so I gave it to my lovely wife. A gift card good at the store which organized the Run. Gave it to the first person I knew.
I took some pictures of the runners as they passed the intersection that I guarded. My job was to ensure all runners could pass safely through the my intersection. I had such a GREAT time, I'm gonna volunteer at Christmas time. Maybe I'll have some spare cash to purchase a pair of shoes/boots or a set of clothes for a child that doesn't have that kind of item.
Wow, I'm volunteering. Never thought I would do something like this. Something so simple and yet something that can make a positive change to a little child. I suddenly realize that I had been very selfish. I used to think "why doesn't the parent(s) of the child get a job? Stop wasting our money to support them...
I could have been born into their world. No clothes for the winter months or a place to sleep other than a cardboard box. I was judging and I found their parent(s) lacking. I am small and mean spirited. I am less than they.
Somewhere along the way from being able to form my opinions, likes and dislikes I forgot that Jesus lived poor. He didn't own a house, a car. Didn't have a recognized job and lived off the goodness of people who accepted him as being their King. He associated with the poor. Though we often forget poverty and oppression, it is clear from the Bible that they are always on God's mind.
Matthew 19:20-23
20 The young man said to him, "All these I have observed; what do I still lack?"
21 Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."
22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven
Those are very powerful words. What is Jesus saying in these verses? Is he telling everyone to be poor in order to have eternal life?
Until next time may the peace of our Lord be with you.
Ed
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Prayer
Today is my Friday. After 4 days of being back to work I find myself not as frazzled as I had at the beginning of the week. The temp here in Des Moines is mild - barely hitting the 80's and dropping into the cool 50's once the sun goes down. I had to wear my leather jacket while riding the bike this morning. 70 mph makes for a very cold ride!
I'm looking for a breviary. I started with the Internet and read up on the Catholic Divine Office. WOW! Seven (at least) times of the day, not to mention the early morning or late evening prayers - Compline and Matins. I wondered when I'd get time to practice the guitar, work, relax and take a nap! I could do it on my days off, except this Saturday I'm volunteering to man a water station at the local Shoes That Fit run. Just two days for daily prayer is not gonna work. 7 times a day is not practical. I found an Anglican breviary and when I have the moola for it, I'll purchase a copy.
Why the emphasis on prayer? How else are we to communicate with God? I've tried adopting a "lets talk buddy" attitude in the past. He didn't seem to answer. I became tired of that form and stopped. I can see now that my former attempts were set up for failure because they were ill conceived and careless. God and Jesus aren't your 'buddy', they don't hang out with you. They are Father and Son. One needs to be respectful and prayer itself is not causal. It should come from the heart, not the head.
I pray the rosary at least once a day. 53 Hail Marys, 7 Our Fathers and the 5 mysteries. Lot of Hail Mary's huh? Praying the rosary helps me to focus on Jesus life, what he went through for us and its really awe inspiring to think that as man, he suffered like he did, but as Son, he willingly accepted what God had in store for him.
That willingness to put aside his human nature is over whelming. In my human frailty, I could never do that. I'm still selfish. The biggest change in me has come about in my work life. I'm more calm. I have a smile on my face, a kindness in the tone of my voice that I never had before. My lovely wife has sensed this as well.
Until next time, May the peace of Our Lord be with you.
Ed
I'm looking for a breviary. I started with the Internet and read up on the Catholic Divine Office. WOW! Seven (at least) times of the day, not to mention the early morning or late evening prayers - Compline and Matins. I wondered when I'd get time to practice the guitar, work, relax and take a nap! I could do it on my days off, except this Saturday I'm volunteering to man a water station at the local Shoes That Fit run. Just two days for daily prayer is not gonna work. 7 times a day is not practical. I found an Anglican breviary and when I have the moola for it, I'll purchase a copy.
Why the emphasis on prayer? How else are we to communicate with God? I've tried adopting a "lets talk buddy" attitude in the past. He didn't seem to answer. I became tired of that form and stopped. I can see now that my former attempts were set up for failure because they were ill conceived and careless. God and Jesus aren't your 'buddy', they don't hang out with you. They are Father and Son. One needs to be respectful and prayer itself is not causal. It should come from the heart, not the head.
I pray the rosary at least once a day. 53 Hail Marys, 7 Our Fathers and the 5 mysteries. Lot of Hail Mary's huh? Praying the rosary helps me to focus on Jesus life, what he went through for us and its really awe inspiring to think that as man, he suffered like he did, but as Son, he willingly accepted what God had in store for him.
That willingness to put aside his human nature is over whelming. In my human frailty, I could never do that. I'm still selfish. The biggest change in me has come about in my work life. I'm more calm. I have a smile on my face, a kindness in the tone of my voice that I never had before. My lovely wife has sensed this as well.
Until next time, May the peace of Our Lord be with you.
Ed
Monday, August 23, 2010
Aug 23 2010
George, how was those tomatoes? . George is my brother in-law and is a super duper dude. He's just not a farmer, but he tries. He did have a tractor at one time, that was cool but he sold it. Not cool. His wife, my sister, is a Presbyterian minister and one super duper dudess. I'm the fool of the family. I have just returned to work after a long time off; during that time my sister, Pastranne visited me at my home. Picked her up at the airport and from the time I picked her up until the time I dropped her off again at the same airport we talked non-stop. Literally. Stopping only for sleep or chewing food. Wow, my jaws ached! I have never ever communicated with another human like I did with her. It seemed like 50 some years went zooming by without notice. I time traveled back to my childhood, teenage years and young adulthood. For the first time ever, I really connected with a sibling. My soul was laid bare and upon examination I realized that God was lacking. There was no grace in my heart. No wonder I found it hard to make friends and often influenced people in a negative way. People would say "Cheer up Ed!" I wasn't feeling anger or anything. That should have been my clue that something was wrong with me. I wasn't feeling anything. I wasn't feeling a true love for my family or my wife; I was just going through the motions. I wanted to control things as I blamed others for what was wrong in my life. I have a beautiful wife. Stunningly beautiful. She is me in female form - the same viewpoint, the same desires. I nearly lost her. I thank God for waking me up and taking me by the hand and showing me that He is there, that he loves me and wants me. I finally surrendered to His will. I didn't get a letter from heaven. I didn't get a dream, or an Angel with trumpets. An incident that I am not willing to tell yet changed me. I got rejection. First thoughts when I had regained my senses were "Damn it, not even God wants a shit like me".
Then I began to think. My sister, Pastranne showed me the light. Showed me the truth of the lie I was leading. I now know that God wasn't finished with me. He has yet more tasks for me to do while I am on this earth. I don't know what those are. It may be earth shattering, or it may be nothing more than being kind to another human being. All I know is that once I let Him back in, my face has been one big smile - it some times hurts, but that smile is there to stay. I don't go to church, but I'm in the market. I was born and raised Catholic and I stopped going to church when I was a young man. I still believe in the Catholic church and her teachings, but I won't go back. I will find another church to worship at. I'm going to start my worship by my treatment of others. God will speak for me, my mouth is tired and needs to be silent to allow Him to speak.
My heart needs to be heard. I have a friend who is going through a difficult period. He is a lovely young man and he needs some support. I can see myself in him as I used to be. Hurt, lonely and frightened. So while he is undergoing treatment for his heart, I will be there by his side and will let God work his miracle on my dear friend. After all, I need a movie buddy!!
Its time for bed. Good night. God bless.
Ed
Then I began to think. My sister, Pastranne showed me the light. Showed me the truth of the lie I was leading. I now know that God wasn't finished with me. He has yet more tasks for me to do while I am on this earth. I don't know what those are. It may be earth shattering, or it may be nothing more than being kind to another human being. All I know is that once I let Him back in, my face has been one big smile - it some times hurts, but that smile is there to stay. I don't go to church, but I'm in the market. I was born and raised Catholic and I stopped going to church when I was a young man. I still believe in the Catholic church and her teachings, but I won't go back. I will find another church to worship at. I'm going to start my worship by my treatment of others. God will speak for me, my mouth is tired and needs to be silent to allow Him to speak.
My heart needs to be heard. I have a friend who is going through a difficult period. He is a lovely young man and he needs some support. I can see myself in him as I used to be. Hurt, lonely and frightened. So while he is undergoing treatment for his heart, I will be there by his side and will let God work his miracle on my dear friend. After all, I need a movie buddy!!
Its time for bed. Good night. God bless.
Ed
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