Saint Margaret Mary - September 26, 2010 - Eric

What's Happening:
These weren't the exact words that were used, but the message was clear "...you're wasting your life." This came from a person who has the power to make me listen, who probably knows me as well as any, so listen, and consider I have. It has weighed heavily on me all year long.

I was talking to Brianne about this on Sunday, and she asked a question that I hadn't quite managed to consider on my own. What is 'wasting' your life? A large portion of me thinks that this should be a very easy question to answer, but I'm struggling coming up with anything that makes sense on the subject. The first thing to figure out is who is actually qualified to judge whether I am wasting my life or not.

Well certainly my mother thinks she is qualified ... but the actual answer is that God is the decider as to whether or not I have wasted my life. So in that regards, I can probably back off feeling bad about myself and concentrate on doing the best I can to follow the will of God. How is this accomplished? We have the scriptures, the example of the lives of the saints, the church, prayers, our friends, and our personal relationship with God to rely on to help us.

That makes it sound a lot better. God has planned ahead, and He will make sure that I will have things to do that are important to Him. All the tools I need have been given to me, the thing that is up to me is to choose what to do. Will I choose the world, or to prepare myself instead for God's kingdom? As I've said before, I don't have a plan B, I'm aiming for Heaven (thank you Marcus). As for my friend with the harsh words? That person got me thinking, and I'm thankful for both the thoughts, and the conclusion.

Lord, guide me into a life spent in pursuit of you and your Kingdom, not just for me, but for all.

We probably could have grabbed at least *one* more person to get in the photo with us, but here we are: Frank, Joe, Ron, Patrick, Teri, Jen, Me, Brianne, Lindsay, and Frank.

Location and Architecture:
Saint Margaret Mary, 6116 Dodge Street, Omaha. Where it all began... I like night Masses. Well, I like day Masses too, but I think it's enjoyable to see a church all lit up on the inside at night. Saint Margaret Mary is a beautiful church. It has many of the elements that I love in a church. All kinds of nooks and crannies, wood and stone everywhere, and good lighting.

The tower at sunset.


Looking south from the altar.



Details of the church.


I like when I can capture exactly what I want to capture in a picture, now we can argue if it's art or not.


The first one of these I have seen with Marcus on it, also Kevin is in there too.

I took plenty of shots, including some from the parish festival. You can see all of my pictures of Saint Margaret Mary's parish here.

Chicago:
As I said last week, I went home to Chicago. It was a good time, I visited with my mommy, did some Mass Chaos worthy things, and on Wednesday I took the train down to Chicago. I met with one of our FOCUS missionaries, Shannon.

We met at the Ghirardelli ice cream and chocolate shop near the Water Tower and walked to Oak Street Beach. I experienced an ice cream tragedy when my cone broke and the ice cream plummeted to the pavement. It was my first chance to talk to Shannon one on one, and she is a quite impressive person, I am more and more certain we made the right choice in supporting her and Amy.

I had a few minutes between dropping Shannon off at the subway and meeting my friends for dinner, so at her suggestion I dropped by Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. It was very nice split in my day, the quiet of the church versus the busyness of walking all over downtown. The Cathedral itself was very impressive, stone columns supporting an ornate wood ceiling. As I told Shannon, I had never been there, because during the time I was living in Chicago, I was not interested in my faith. I feel like I missed out on so much, fortunately, I won't be missing out any more.

Shannon clued me in to look for the Tabernacle. Unfortunately, it's the only picture that came out well.

On Friday, I went to church at the parish closest to my mothers house, Holy Apostles. This is a 'new' church, i.e., it was not there when I was growing up and going to Marian Central, the only Catholic high school in McHenry County. It is a rather uniquely designed church, the closest I've seen here in Omaha is Saint Vincent de Paul, but it wasn't that large. Mass was in the chapel, but afterward, I took a few pictures.

Those are statues, not people.

Gospel:
"But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.'"Luke 16:29

I believe this is one of the quiet, but pivotal items in the Gospel's. Jesus says here, through Abraham, that God has already given us every tool we need for passing judgment and entering Heaven. The way that I see this passage is that there isn't going to be much use in standing before God and saying "I didn't know" ... well, yes you did.

I know it's not quite politically correct, but a little fear is a really good thing. I don't know if I fear God, but I do fear what He is capable of doing. God can pronounce judgment on us, and I for one do not wish to be eternally separated from Him. Even if the thought of eternal separation from God doesn't scare you, even if you think hell is only a concept, please notice that the rich man in the story (Luke 16:19-31) has no name. God has dismissed Him so completely that not even his name matters.

As we have learned in the last few weeks, God wants us to be with us, and will go to illogical lengths, like in the parable of the lost sheep, to make sure that happens. It is my fondest hope that He brings us all to His Kingdom, but why leave it to chance? God has provided every tool you need to make it to Heaven, more than just Moses and the prophets, use what God has given you, stretch yourself in living a God filled life, choose Heaven, I can't wait to see you there.

Heavenly Father, remember my name.

Prayers:
Please pray for:
Tom who is being deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife and two daughters.
Amy and Shannon for protection on their missions.
Frank who is looking for meaningful employment.
Kevin as he prepares for his final year of seminary and the priesthood.
Marcus as he has been accepted into seminary and will be discerning the priesthood.
My friend M., who is pregnant, please pray for her and her baby.
My friend S., who has been ill and fears it might be something serious.
Me, I applied for a new job.

Next:
Saturday, October 2 @ 5:00pm at Mass: Saint John the Baptist Parish, 215 North 13th Street, Fort Calhoun.

Peace, Eric

Saint Margaret Mary

Well, I suppose you've been wondering why I haven't been blogging. I guess I've taken somewhat of a hiatus from posting. I do have some back-blogs to post, but I felt it was more important to put the most recent one up before another week passed and this one would be really late too.

If I'm telling you how I am, I think lately it's been rather crazy. I'm getting over a cold I got as a result from dancing all last weekend. I'm on an antibiotic, and I'm waiting for it to do its work on me. I feel like I'm struggling with a lot of things lately, and I always feel glad when I go to church and feel like God is sending a message my way.

This week we went to Saint Maragaret Mary (123 N 61st St)

It was an evening mass, so I was unable to take pictures outside.

Our group for the week:

Joe on the bottom, then Left to Right: Frank. Ron, Patrick, Teri, Eric, Jen, Lindsay, Brianne, and Frank

This week's Gospel was from Luke 16:19-31 and is the story of Lazarus and the rich man. I know I mentioned at the start of the blog that I am glad when I feel like God is sending the message directly to me. I think it's a good reminder that God sees our struggles and intents, and we should strive for the good things now even though we may not see a reward in this life. The rich man wants to warn his brothers after he sees where his path lead him, but at that time it is already too late. Why should we wait until then to do good?

Saint Mary Magdalene - September 18, 2010 - Eric

What's Happening:
Vacation is what is happening. As many of you know, this past weekend was the big Lindy Hop event in Omaha, and so I spent the weekend dancing, about 30 hours worth. I met so many new friends, it was a great. Monday morning I packed myself up and drove to Chicago (McHenry) to see my mom.

It is a blessing to relax and meet up with friends, both old and new ... and to spend time with my mother. She is quite the character. She is trying hard to wait on me, but I am just so happy that I don't really want anything. Her dog is somewhat less happy, however. Breaking out of a routine is a good thing. It keeps your brain moving and healthy.

Lord keep me safe on vacation, help me to relax and enjoy this time, and return me to my home.

I knew it would be a small crowd. Joe, Teri, and Me.

Location and Architecture:
Saint Mary Magdalene, 109 South 19th Street, Omaha. We chose this parish for this weekend because it is the closest one to the dance events, Joe and I walked over. This parish doesn't have a website, so what I knew was next to nothing about it. It is beautiful on the inside. There is a chapel on the left side of the church that was used for Mass, and we sat there, so we experienced the oddity of not being able to see the priest at Mass. I loved the colors, and unfortunately, the camera could not capture them properly in the light.

The altar in the chapel.


The main church.


Details of the paintings.


One of the stained glass windows.

After Mass, the church cleared out pretty quickly so we had a chance to wander around for a while. You can see all of my pictures of Saint Mary Magdalene's parish here.

Gospel:
"No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."Luke 16:13

Ah, clarity. Jesus makes this really easy to understand. As anyone who has ever seen the movie Office Space knows, having more than one boss in your life is not a path to happiness. It is already difficult enough for human beings to not become compromised, so when we are asked to follow more than one direction at a time, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep focus. Something is going to be missed or set aside.

We cannot serve both God and the world, it's just not possible. One of our jobs is to reduce the number of distractions we have, in order to make it so we can clearly hear the voice of God. We each have our beliefs in how this is accomplished. (right after I use a movie as an example) I tend to avoid mass media and entertainment. I'm sure you have your things to avoid too.

Most of our lives are not filled with epiphany moments, we live day to day struggling to make small improvements in how we live, how we treat each other, and how we love God. My friends I invite you to pray about this, give it to God, and trust that he will teach you how to serve him first.

Heavenly Father, I pray that you help me to put you first and nothing else.

Prayers:
Please pray for:
Teri's mother who had surgery on her hand.
Tom who is being deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife and two daughters.
Amy for protection on her mission.
Shannon for protection on her mission.
Frank who is looking for meaningful employment.
Kevin as he prepares for his final year of seminary and the priesthood.
Marcus as he has been accepted into seminary and will be discerning the priesthood.
My friend M., who is pregnant, please pray for her and her baby.
Brianne, who has applied for a new job.
Me, I applied for a new job.

Next:
Sunday, September 26 @ 8:30pm confessions and 9:00pm Mass: Saint Margaret Mary Parish, 6116 Dodge Street, Omaha

Peace, Eric

Saint John's at Creighton - September 12, 2010 - Eric

What's Happening:
Opportunities. A friend of mine told me this about opportunities. "Every transaction is an opportunity" she said. This is one of the two most influential things anyone has said to me over the last few years, a sign with those words hangs right above my desk at work. I try to live them every waking moment. Even after prayerfully working at this for a couple of years, I don't confess to really understand these five words all the way through. The meaning is every time you meet anyone or have any communication, you have the opportunity to be Jesus in world ... it's a lot of opportunity, and a lot of responsibility. The question I ask myself is "How can I be Jesus when I am so wrapped up in me?" ... the answer is I can't.

The changes in me that praying and thinking about these words has wrought in me are extraordinary. I know I am a different man than I was before I heard them. I am calmer, more patient, and more encouraging. The oddest part is that although the focus of my life is becoming more 'other-centric', my life is better, God is really funny that way.

The opportunity we had this week is to go to Saint John's at Creighton University. In fact, I have had two opportunities to visit Creighton this week. The first was a dance on Thursday sponsored by the Creighton University Swing Society. I have had the opportunity to get to know quite a few Creighton students over the last six years through my swing dance hobby with the Omaha Jitterbugs and their association with the Creighton University Swing Society. In fact, Mass Chaos probably would not have happened without the Omaha Jitterbugs, Brianne, Joe, Frank, and myself all met there.

God provides us with opportunities after opportunities. What it is that we do with them is what defines us.

Lord, please bless me to see all that you place in front of me, and the grace to be your presence in the world.

Here we are at Saint John's: Brianne, Jillian, Ben, Jen, Patrick, Joe, Kat, Teri, Me, and Katie. Ah, college, we attended a 9PM Sunday Mass, and it wasn't even the last one of the day. This picture was taken as the lights were being dimmed.

Location and Architecture:
Saint John's, 2500 California Plaza, Creighton University, Omaha. Since I was at Creighton on Thursday, I took an opportunity to take some pictures of the outside while it was light out. It turns out there was no need to worry, there was plenty of light at night to get some good shots.

Creighton has a beautiful campus, and Saint John's is an important part of that beauty. The inside of the church is just as attractive as the outside, in fact I was amazed. I took some pictures as quickly as I could, but immediately following the Mass we attended, was a 10pm candlelight Mass ... so I didn't have the opportunity to look at the church in as much detail as I would have liked to do. I liked the space and layout of the church, the altar was not all the way to the back, but closer to the center, the pews were positioned at an angle, and the church does not look it was designed to maximize seating, but instead to center the space on the glory of God.

Here is the church during the day...


...and lit up at night


I like the Marian Blue candles.


Above the altar, I admit it, I'm a sucker for the stars.


How the church looked as they prepared for the candlelight Mass. You can see the rest of my pictures of our visit to Saint John's here.

Gospel:
"I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance."Luke 15:7

This week's Gospel readings, Luke 15:1-32, includes the parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and the prodigal son. That's some heavy hitters, but here at the end of the parable of the lost sheep is the expression of what it is like in Heaven when anyone turns to, or back to God. The reason for all this joy? God is just crazy in love with each and every one of us.

What does a someone who is crazy in love want? He or she wants to be with the object of their affection forever. This isn't just any person however, this is the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of the Universe, yet despite His power, He cares for each of us with a love that we are only able to understand in small glimpses. Our God is not like us, He is patient, respectful, any forgiving ... He is the Good Shepherd, the Finder of Lost Souls, the King who runs to His lost son.

My friends, you are human. You are flawed. You are compromised. You cannot save yourself. But God knew these things about you when He created you, yet He loves you shamelessly. He wants you to be with Him forever. Who else has a God who, when we finally run out of things to distract us from Him, when we fail to the point of death, when we have no other place to turn ... when we turn back to Him, he comes running to us ... God comes running to us.

Heavenly Father, I pray that you help me to stay close to you so neither of us has to run to the other.

Prayers:
Please pray for:
Teri's mother who had surgery on her hand.
Tom who is being deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife and two daughters.
Amy for protection on her mission.
Shannon for protection on her mission.
Frank who is looking for meaningful employment.
Kevin as he prepares for his final year of seminary and the priesthood.
Marcus as he has been accepted into seminary and will be discerning the priesthood.
My friend M., who is pregnant, please pray for her and her baby.
Brianne, who has applied for a new job.
Me, I applied for a new job.

Next:
Saturday, September 18 @ 5:15pm: Saint Mary Magdalene's Parish, 109 South 19th Street, Omaha

Peace, Eric

Saint Joseph's in Springfield - September 6, 2010 - Eric

What's Happening:
Really, I don't have much to say this week. Thank you to all who were praying for my mother, she is up and walking AND feisty. I intended for Mass Chaos to be a picture taking journey for me, it has turned into a people meeting journey for me. This week I met Brianne's father's parents, Pat and Don. It was a very interesting discussion, and it's easy to see why I like that family so much.

Here we are at Saint Joseph's: Frank, Teri, Me, Joe, Kevin, Pat, and Don. Line of the week courtesy Father Gutowski "So, has anyone called you 'Roamin' Catholics'?"

Location and Architecture:
Saint Joseph's Parish, 102 South 9th Street, Springfield. One of the nice things about some of the smaller out of town parishes is how full they are. We were reasonably early and still had to look for seating. The church is modern, of non-tradition design, and clean, with the focus of the church on the altar. There was a lot to like about it.

You can see the shape of the church here.


The Risen Lord behind the altar.


A more traditional piece of stained glass over the entry way.

There aren't very many more, but you can see all of my pictures from Saint Joseph here.

Gospel:
"In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple."Luke 14:33

Well ... I guess I know some people who consider themselves Christian who would actually be quite surprised and upset by this passage. Jesus lays the groundwork in this past Sunday's readings for exactly what is discipleship. Discipleship is everything.

Jesus lays out, again in so few words, exactly what he expects. So, go ahead, put it on the table. Whatever it is you have, bet it all on God. Go ahead, shove it all in, make it available for God. Your possessions, your time, your money, your family, all of it. It is so simple a concept, and so hard to execute.

This is the Christian journey, anyone can call themselves a follower of Jesus, it is that easy to be one. But oh the work that God makes you do once you claim Him. It can be frightening, awesome, exhilarating, and peaceful all at once. If the cost for belonging to God is everything you have in the world, then what is the reward? The reward is like the cost, it is too everything, being close to God for all eternity.

Lord, please teach me to let nothing come between me and you.

Prayers:
Please pray for:
Teri's mother who had surgery on her hand.
Tom who is being deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife and two daughters.
Amy for protection on her mission.
Shannon for protection on her mission.
Frank who is looking for meaningful employment.
Kevin as he prepares for his final year of seminary and the priesthood.
Marcus as he has been accepted into seminary and will be discerning the priesthood.
My friend M., who is pregnant, please pray for her and her baby.
Me, I applied for a new job.

Next:
September 12 @ 0900pm: Saint John's at Creighton University

Peace, Eric