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
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