Empty or full? If I am full, then I am happy, right? If I am empty, then I desire to be filled? Nature abhors a vacuum, so if nothing is there, something will fill it? Is any of this making sense?
If we are discussing my stomach, than indeed, I am happiest when I am full. However it doesn't seem to ever stay that way, I keep having to fill it and fill it and fill it, and then I come to find out that some of the stuff I put in there isn't even good for me, huh? Did you know ice cream is fattening? That doesn't seem right to me. Don't even get me started about empty, sheesh, my car, my bank account, my patience ... my calendar is always full at least, but that leaves my available time, you guessed it, empty.
Deep in my heart, hidden under all those layers of things that I try to fill myself with, I have a secret desire. That desire is to be close to God, to be filled with God's love. How do I fill myself with God's love? By emptying myself of all the other desires I have.
Congratulations to Keith and Micah Kansiewicz. I had the honor of attending their wedding this past weekend. May God bless you with peace and love.
Brianne and I got together and planned out the next couple of months ahead. Summers tend to be busy, and with several of us trying to juggle work schedules to get us all there at the same time, we figured it would help to plan ahead. You can find out where we will be by clicking on the calendar on the left.
In one of those fun 'small-world' type of stories, a few years back, the above mentioned Micah Kansiewicz introduced me to one of the archdiocesan seminarians, Kevin Vogel. Kevin is serving in West Point during this summer, and it looks like Mass Chaos (or at least me) is going to make the trip out to Saint Mary's in West Point to support Kevin in his journey to priesthood.
Me, Brianne, Patrick, Teri, Ben, Joe, Ron, and Frank. Brianne wants to know why there are not more ladies.
Location and Architecture
Saint Thomas More, 4804 Grover Street, Omaha. Hmmm, something looks different, well because it is different. Saint Thomas More has a roof supported by suspension. It has more in common with a suspension bridge than your usual church architecture. It's quite different, and lends itself to some spectacular lines that you cannot really get from a supported roof. It also makes the floor space you can get out of the same size building increase dramatically. Yes, it presents it's own issues, particularly with maintenance, and as the Deacon said after the Mass, it leaks. It's pretty rare to see a suspended roof on any structure that is more permanent than a tent, so it's worth a visit to see.
You can see all my pictures from Saint Thomas More here, including many from the parish festival we attended.
Simon said in reply, "The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven." He said to him, "You have judged rightly." Luke 7:43
I almost cried when I heard this reading on Sunday, well, I would have, if had let myself go. I certainly spent enough time in my life denying God and trying to fill myself up with all kinds of things that were not good for me. When I turned around and found God standing there waiting for me, I was overwhelmed ... for years. Even after I quit being overwhelmed, I still didn't let myself be forgiven.
Why? The answer to this question is the same for myself as it has been for every human being who has ever pondered the question. I somewhere in my brain I wouldn't let go of my sin, I felt I had to earn my way out of it. This is, of course, a falsehood, the 'earning' of my forgiveness was accomplished long before I appeared on the scene. I recall the first time that I dared to consider the possibility that I was forgiven, it was so thrilling, I could have jumped halfway to the moon. I suddenly understood the extent to which God loved me.
Reconciliation is not for God's benefit, the torn curtain and the passion of Jesus show us that nothing stands between us and God except for ourselves. God gave us forgiveness to remove what we think stands in between us and Him. If you really want to live a sin free life and be close to God, don't try to be perfect on your own, and then approach God. Go get yourself right with God, be close to Him as you can, and you'll find that He changes you to be more like Him, and like His son. Perfect yourself in His love.
Prayers:
Please pray for:
Tom who is being deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife and two daughters.
Kevin as he prepares for the priesthood.
My friend B., who is struggling with herself lately.
My friend R., who does not know how to change her life.
Heidi as she prepares for a mission trip to Haiti in July.
Me, I'm pretty burned out on the job lately.
Next Week: Saint Robert Bellarmine
Peace, Eric
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