Saint Adalbert's - February 13, 2011 - Eric

What's Happening:
I had to laugh as I walked up to the front of Saint Adalbert and saw the sign on the door. I immediately thought "skateboarding is not a crime", something that I thought of frequently as a younger man. Not that I am coordinated enough to actually skateboard myself, but I hung out with plenty of kids who could and did. We'd get chased off from wherever we were standing around, all the police in my little town knew us by name. I knew that my little group of friends didn't mean any trouble, even if we did manage to find it on occasion, but it was usually when we 'thumbed our nose' at the authorities chasing us off for not following the laws and rules.

Still, society benefits when the great majority of it's members follow the same set of rules. We as Catholics also benefit, greatly, from all being on the same page. We trust each other, and we trust the roles each of us has in the body of Christ. I take a good deal of comfort knowing that some of the smartest, holiest people are here to guide me, not just those that we count amongst the living, but also those who have gone before us to heaven, who left the example of their lives and writings to help us along.

I'm not a conflict person, but age has taught me that conflict is not necessarily a bad thing. As Christians and Catholics existing in the world, we know that our faith is not always appreciated in society at large, and we may find ourselves in conflict with others and authorities, not of our own choosing. When these situations occur, we should meet the issue head on with patience and love, but not backing down from what we believe. Wisdom is choosing when to engage in conflict, and when to take your skateboard and go somewhere else.

Me, Beth, Marilou, Brianne, Teri, Joe, and Tom.
In the next picture taken (almost) everyone was doing the thinker.

Location and Architecture:
Althought the outside of Saint Adalbert is unremarkable, The inside of the church is very attractive. It is extremely well lit, with beautiful, colorful stained glass, we have seen some amazing stained glass two of the last three weeks. I know I mentioned this about Saint Mary's, but I loved the fact that the glass is at eye level, and the detail can be easily seen. I have a friend who very much likes 'harmony' and 'balance' in most design, I think she would have enjoyed Saint Adalbert's, no one feature of the church dominated any other, and it was very peaceful.

If you'd like to see the rest of my photos of Saint Adalbert, you can see them here.

Gospel:
Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the evil one. Matthew 5:37

This Gospel reading (Mt 5:17-37) provides lots of opportunity to squirm in your seat, and I do every time I read it or hear it. I am hopeful that God will provide mercy on me, because I know if I wasn't guilty, I wouldn't squirm. It certainly is not a bad thing for us as human beings to squirm, we need to be reminded of our frailties, or if not we, I sure do.

This particular verse that I've put above is one that I've very much taken to heart and made a part of my life. The note on this verse says:

Let your `Yes' mean `Yes,' and your `No' mean `No': literally, "let your speech be 'Yes, yes,' 'No, no.' " Some have understood this as a milder form of oath, permitted by Jesus. In view of Matthew 5:34, "Do not swear at all," that is unlikely. From the evil one: i.e., from the devil. Oath-taking presupposes a sinful weakness of the human race, namely, the tendency to lie. Jesus demands of his disciples a truthfulness that makes oaths unnecessary. copied from usccb.org website

I really have tried to make my yes be a yes, and my no be a no, to be honest in all my words. This doesn't just make my life easier by not having to remember my stories I told to who. Hopefully it takes the burden off of the people I deal with because they don't have to worry about what I am saying either. Look, I know I am not perfect with this, let alone anything, but I know this is something that just by trying to do, it has changed my life for the better.

Listening to what Jesus has to say has changed my life, it will change yours too.

Prayers:
Please pray for:
The people of Egypt, and other countries in turmoil, that they can experience freedom, social justice, and peace.
Amy and Shannon for protection on their missions.
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.

Next:
February 20th @ 11:00 Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, 1423 Ogden Street, Omaha.

Peace, Eric