Saint Anthony - March 27, 2011 - Eric

What's Happening:
Traditionally, I have a difficult time staying upbeat during late March. This year is no different. I find it difficult to stay focused, and I try to talk myself out of doing things that I should, like going to church. I intentionally did not set my alarm for Sunday morning, thinking that I would just sleep through church and it would be fine ... no such luck, I woke up at 8:10 and made it to church on time.

Everyone struggles, I am certainly no exception. When I struggle, I tend to want to sleep, and housekeeping goes first. I have jokingly said that I could judge whether I was depressed or not by the number of dishes in my sink. Fortunately, over time we can develop coping methods to deal with depression.

I like to embrace it, and sit around and do nothing until I am sick of doing nothing. Once I am sick of doing nothing, I get up, clean, talk with friends, and the activity gets me out of the dumps. I have another thing I do too. I ask my friends to pray for me. I said I ask my friends to pray for me.

This is a great activity, one; you have to acknowledge to yourself that you are having a problem. Two; your friends want to be involved in your life, this helps them to be involved. Three; prayer works. Four; prayer really really really works.

Even when you can't find it in yourself to pray, you can find someone else to pray for you, ask, and you shall receive.

Frank, Luke, Patrick, Marilou, Beth, Morgan, me, Teri, Jen, Brianne, and Ron.
I think Marilou is planning a Mass Chaos takeover!

Location and Architecture:
Saint Anthony, 5402 South 32nd Street, Omaha. You can look at my pictures, but they don't really capture the richness of the blue and red that surround the altar. Colors can be an amazing draw, especially given that many Catholic churches use natural materials or muted colors behind the altar. I doubt that the ceiling of the church of the church is original, the HVAC system blows through the vents in the ceiling, it's a very creative use of space. Saint Anthony's Mass was mostly in English, but the second reading, some of the songs, and the Mass parts we're in Lithuanian. Many thanks to the gentleman who spent a half hour talking to us about the parish after Mass.

If you'd like to see the rest of my pictures from Saint Anthony's, you can click here.

Gospel
"The Samaritan woman said to him, "How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.)" John 4:9

Everyone has a group of people that they find particularly challenging to deal with. Maybe for some of us our challenge dips into dislike, or even hate. Even if we won't say it out loud, we think "those people aren't going to heaven". I certainly have my moments and people that I find it difficult to believe in their grace and salvation. Perhaps there are some out there with whom you wouldn't share a car ride with, or apartment building, or a water fountain.

Can you imagine? Jesus returns tomorrow, but instead of coming to you, He goes to speak with people who you cannot stomach. How would you react? The woman Jesus talks to at the well is so use to the disdain that she gets from the Jewish people that she cannot believe He would ask her for a drink.

For us Christians, carrying hatred for anyone, or any group of people, can only come back to bite us. Once you devalue the life of another human being with hatred, you set yourself up for disappointment when you come before Jesus. My friends, there are times in all of our lives when we feel the emotions of hate, but don't make it a destination, remember God loves every one of His children, and Jesus came for all, not just the people we think He came for, the Gospel shows the example.

Lord, help me love all your children as you have loved me.

Prayers
Please pray for:
The people of Japan.
The people of the countries in Southwest Asia and Africa in this time of revolution.
Tom who is deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife and two daughters.
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:
April 3rd @ 11:00 Saint Bernadette, 7600 South 42nd Street, Bellevue.

Peace, Eric

Saint John the Evangelist - March 20, 2011 - Eric

What's Happening:
Lent is a time for self examination. I think people don't like to examine themselves, because they don't like what they see. I would be one of those people. We're all really good at figuring out what is wrong with other people, but not quite as good at picking out our character defects. Looking at yourself can be fairly painful, no matter what stage of spiritual development you are at.

Twice already this Lent I've been unhappy with myself. I know this feeling, a friend of mine once told me that sometimes it is okay to wallow in being uncomfortable in your own skin. The rational part of my brain is understanding and knows that I am on a journey of self-improvement. It's another part of my brain however that leads to feeling bad about myself. Like every other Christian (person), I would like to live a perfect life, but it's just not going to happen.

In the past, when confronted with my character defects I would get myself into the fight or flight mode and want to argue with someone about it, or try to run and hide from God. Neither of which is particularly effective. Now I try to forgive myself, take a good look at how I got to making my bad decisions, and try to change myself and my habits to reflect who I want to be. No panic, no finger pointing, I just try to repent, turn away from my sinful self.

Frank, me, Marilou, Teri, Vesper, Patrick, and Jen.
Just pretend I've written a witty little comment here.

Location and Architecture:
Saint John the Evangelist, 307 East Meigs Street, Valley. The interesting, non-traditional ceiling tour continued this week. Saint John's is a smaller church with a square structure. The dais is higher than most, especially considering the size of the church, but it all works out to help make it the center of attention. The choir was absolutely splendid. What really struck us all was the stained glass, fairly modern in it's design, but also really an attention getter, brightly colored and excellently rendered.

If you'd like to see the rest of my pictures from Saint John's in Valley you can click here.

Gospel
"...'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.'" Matthew 17:5

God makes His declaration. Jesus is my Beloved Son. Jesus is fully human, He is a brother to us, but He is also different, He is fully divine too. Many people want to know how this works before they will believe it. Some of these same people will drive a car without understanding how it works, but we are human and illogical and inconsistent.

How Jesus can be both human and divine is a mystery. It's a mystery that we cannot fully comprehend. Human logic is insufficient to explain it, yet here it is, a foundation of our faith. Believing in something that you cannot prove requires an act of faith, and in this case, trust in God and His church.

When God declares Jesus is His Son, He calls us to listen closely to the words of His Son, and to live our lives accordingly. Fortunately we have the Bible for reference, we have His church to guide us, and the example of the saints to show us how to live. Listen to Jesus my friends. He is all around you, in the Holy Bible, in the Mass, and in the face of everyone we meet.

Prayers
Please pray for:
The people of Japan.
The people of the countries in Southwest Asia and Africa in this time of revolution.
Tom who is deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife and two daughters.
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:
March 27th @ 09:00 Saint Anthony, 5402 South 32nd Street, Omaha.

Peace, Eric

Mother of Perpetual Help - March 13, 2011 - Eric

What's Happening:
I know some truly miserable people. By miserable, I mean they are miserably unhappy, and they want you to be miserable too. I'm sure you know people like that too. Sometimes, I am fortunate enough to meet these people in a social environment where I can encourage them that they don't have to be that way.

There are times, however, you meet these people in an environment where you can do nothing about it. School, work, volunteer organization, or something akin, the point being, you can't say anything, you can't get away, and for lack of a better term you can't help. How do you maintain your love for people who want to destroy your peace?

My heart is torn for miserable people, so much of God's creation to enjoy, and yet they choose to or believe they are acting as they have to act. I wonder if they are missing God's love, if they are in a horrible living situation, or are they mentally ill? I know that I can pray. Since we have a God like ours, we are never truly helpless, because so long as we can think, we can pray, and if we can pray, we can help.

Maureen, Julia, Brianne, Frank, Teri, Beth, Morgan, Me, Marilou, and Joe.
Remember when Brianne used to complain about there being too many guys?

Location and Architecture:
Mother of Perpetual Help is probably the smallest parish that we will visit, and in being so it has it's own charms. I think it's even smaller than the Chapel at The Holy Family Shrine. The church itself is about as big as a house, the top floor is the church, and the basement has a social area with couches and a kitchen, making it seem even more homey and comfortable.

If you'd like to see the rest of my pictures from Mother of Perpetual Help you can click here.

Gospel
"He said in reply, "It is written: 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'" Matthew 4:4

You don't live because you eat bread, or drink water. For the matter you don't live on Burger King, filet mignon, or your momma's home cooking either. You live because it is the will of God that you exist. Without God, you can't eat, you can't drink, you can't even breathe. I may have free will, but my ability to choose doesn't mean that God can't overrule me at any time. God can make it so that I never existed.

Even though I have the fear of God, I don't have to fear. God made it so I will have everything I need, i.e. sufficient grace to get me through to the gates of heaven. God will give you enough grace to get to heaven too ... grace enough even to deal with miserable people too.

Prayers
Please pray for:
The people of Japan.
Tom who is deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife and two daughters.
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:
March 20th @ 10:00 Saint John the Evangelist, 307 East Meigs Street, Valley.

Peace, Eric

Saint Joan of Arc - March 9, 2011 - Eric

What's Happening:
A lot of little paragraphs.

Lent is here! Here is my sacrifice this year: no eating out. There are a few provisos, 1) the work cafe doesn't count as a restaurant. 2) Fish frys don't count. 3) I'll go out for fellowship after Mass Chaos, but no food. So there are my ground rules. No take out, no ice cream, no drive through, no pie, no convenience store food.

I forgot my camera for Saint Joan of Arc, so my pictures are off of my iPhone. I went straight from work. The group photo comes via Joe.

Last weekend I was out of town at a dance event in Des Moines, I didn't make it back in time for Mass at Saint Stephen the Martyr. I was disappointed for two reasons. First, I didn't make it to Mass with friends, and secondly, I didn't make Mass at all. The Cathedral in Des Moines was just a couple blocks from the hotel, but due to poor planning on my part, I didn't make it.

Frank, Teri, Me, Vesper, and Joe. Thank you to Mary for taking our picture, and Joe for having a camera.

Location and Architecture:
I arrived early for Ash Wednesday Mass at Saint Joan of Arc, and I had more than a few minutes to enjoy the quiet of the church before the service began. I think it's a great way to get to know any church, sit quietly and pray, or just listen. The church has the same type of ceiling we saw a little while back at Saint Francis of Assisi. The late sun streamed through the stained glass, and spread a soft color through the church. Father came in and turned on the lights, and a different type of beauty appeared. Everything here is subtle and peaceful, and enjoyed by me.

If you'd like to see the rest of my pictures from Saint Joan of Arc you can click here. Joe also posted some that can be found here

Gospel
"...so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you." Matthew 6:4

Oh goodness, in case you don't know me, I like to talk. It's not that I'm untrustworthy with your secrets, I'm pretty darn untrustworthy with my own. I like to share my life, be honest, and be open. I'm not very good about being quiet about it.

So I approach this Gospel reading with a little bit of 'hmmmm'. I try to approach it from the source of my motivation. I know it's not to draw attention to myself. I know it's hard to believe, but I'm not always comfortable being the center of attention, especially with people I don't know for certain. I struggle with it, but I think my heart and intentions are in the right place.

Early in my return to God I made a decision that my life belonged to Him, and regardless of what my financial situation, what I owned, what I could always share, is my story, which can be summed up in seven words: "Look how far God has brought me!". He can bring you far too ... and I have a tough time being secretive about that.

Prayers:
Please pray for:
Tom who is deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife and two daughters.
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:
March 20th @ 10:00 Saint John the Evangelist, 307 East Meigs Street, Valley.

Peace, Eric

Saint Stephen the Martyr

We are really closing in on the end here on our tour of the churches. This is the last stop before Lent begins.

This week finds us at Saint Stephen the Martyr (16701 S St. in Millard)

Our Group for the week: Left to Right; Bottom: Beth, Teri, Ron, and Vesper; Top: Frank, Tom, and Brianne

The Gospel: Matthew 7(21-27)

This week's gospel is one of those that can be a bit hard to hear. It starts out powerfully: "Not every one who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). It is a sober reminder that not just anyone who says they do works for the Lord is actually doing these things for the Lord. So, we should challenge ourselves to find our reasoning when we do works for the Lord. Are we building the house of the Lord up when we do our deeds in His name?

Saint Francis of Assisi - February 27, 2011 - Eric

What's Happening:
Lent is quickly approaching, and it's time to decide on a (last minute) sacrifice. A few years back I gave up fried foods, was amazed at how difficult it was (I was Mr. Crabbypants), but I made it, and ended up riding it to a 25 pound weight loss and the best shape of my life. I have also had my Lenten sacrifice be something I've added to my life, like extra prayer. I've also had good success with other sacrifices leading me into a change of habits and life.

Then there are the failures. Amongst others, giving up soda or giving up caffeine. One year I didn't make it until the first Friday ... talk about your humbling experiences. Jesus was fully aware of His fate, followed God's will, and I can't even go three days without soda. *sigh*. In my sacrifices that are successful, there is good news, I can change my habits and become less of a slave to earthly things. However, even in my failures there is good news, God knows that I am human, and frail, and yet He loves me so much that He sent someone who could do His will when I cannot.

Marilou, me, Teri, Vesper, and Ron. Joe and Frank were there, but Mass was so crowded they couldn't get in.

Location and Architecture:
Saint Francis of Assisi, 4521 South 32nd Street, Omaha. I've been told that I am very observant. However, the front door of Saint Francis of Assisi is less than 250 yards from the front door of my pet's veterinarian, I had no idea. This church is amazingly beautiful. If anyone were to ask you what a 'box' church should look like on the interior, this is it. Like Mary Our Queen, the design makes use of illusion to make the church look more open on one end than the other. The lighting is superb. The mosaic of the Risen Christ behind the altar is very nice. The location of the choir 'loft' is creative. The woodwork is fantastic. Stained glass, decorations, pews, it's all balanced, and it all works.

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

Gospel:
"Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?"" Matthew 6:27

My first thought here is to argue with Jesus. Well of course you can add to your span of years by worrying about your health, with exercise and proper diet you can ... and then I stop and laugh. I believe I am missing the point here, aren't I? It's a very difficult thing to let go of day to day worries and to let God provide everything that we need. We all work, we all fuss about our budgets, we try to be responsible, and we assign godliness to these activities, we are good stewards of what He has provided.

We worry about the economy, we worry about what the future holds for us, we worry about are relationships, our friends, our parents ... I'm sure I can all come up with fifty more things I worry about without straining too much ... and I think at this point in my life, I probably worry less than most people. I wonder what it would be like to completely let go, and not worry about anything.

God has a plan for each of us. This isn't always we want, and sometimes His plan involves the unpleasant, but it is what we need to get us (and possibly others) to Him, and heaven. Worry is not going to change this, all that is really necessary is to trust in God and do the best, most loving thing that we can do with what is before us.

Prayers:
Please pray for:
The people and countries of the Middle East that are 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:
March 6th @ 6:00pm: Saint Stephen the Martyr, 16701 S Street, Omaha

Saint Therese of the Child Jesus - February 20, 2011 - Eric

What's Happening:
Sunday was my first Mass in Spanish since high school. Then Spanish was a very mysterious language, and I would not have recognized any words. Now it is just maddening, I knew what the readings were, and I knew what the homily was about, but my brain won't work fast enough to translate it in real time. I don't speak or understand it word for word, but I get the gist of what is being said.

It makes me think of the Bible. I don't always understand what it is being said, it is written in the language of love. This is the language of God; love. I don't speak it very well, and many times I don't understand when it is spoken to me, but I get the gist of what is being said. The Bible, the story of God's love for us, is not written in our native tongue, but His. It tells the story of love, commitment, and forgiveness that we, as flawed humans, don't speak on our own, but we can learn the same way we learned English, Spanish, or any other language, by listening, by reading, and most importantly through imitation. We can learn to speak the language of love by imitating the actions of Christ and caring for those people right around us in the way that Jesus cared for us.

Lord, teach me how to speak with your love. Amen

Me, Jenna, Joe, Terry, Frank, and Marilou. A big Mass Chaos welcome to Jenna!

Location and Architecture:
Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus is tucked away in a corner of Omaha that I have never been to before, and that is a not an easy statement to make, although I will be making it again next week. Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus is on the middle floor of a three story building. The statuary and decorations are colorful, and the old altar against the back wall has amazing detail. Although there is no stained glass windows, the worship area is surround by natural light, bringing everything to life.

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

Gospel:
"So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48

Ugh! This was really the sound I made when I started to think about something to write about this. 'Be perfect'. How can I be perfect when A) I'm not. B) I don't wanna be. C) I'm still not? Jesus must have known that this is beyond my ability to accomplish on my own, right?

Of course Jesus understood this. The main problem is B) I don't wanna be. As long as I keep working on B), God certainly can and will work on A) and C). Effort is a large part of the grade, so get cracking and try. If you know something is wrong, talk about it, or do anything different to get yourself out of your bad habits. You can be who you and God want you to be, desire and prayer will get you there.

Prayers:
Please pray for:
The people and countries of the Middle East that are 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 27th @ 12:00 (noon) Saint Francis of Assisi, 4521 South 32nd Street, Omaha.

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

Saint Matthew the Evangelist, Bellevue - February 6, 2011 - Eric

What's Happening:
Mass Chaos is now 3/4 of the way finished, and I've found myself caught up in "what's next" scenarios. I've received questions from friends, and I've caught myself thinking about it myself. I guess it's in human nature to consider the future, and the past for that matter. When I took my first psychology class, I remember being taught that a child only is concerned only with the present, an adult is concerned with the future, and the elderly are concerned with the past. I think it's fairly accurate about the smallest children, but adults are more complicated than that.

Thinking too much about the future is not super productive, there are so many factors that are completely outside of our control. Certainly, as adults, we have to plan for what we're going to do, and prepare for many contingencies. Not just for ourselves, but for others, such as family or coworkers. However, our thinking about the future should not take us out of the present. Likewise, the past is outside of our control too, even more so than the future. Considering the past and what could be different is probably as ineffective of a behavior as we engage in. While it's important to learn the lessons that our experiences teach us, but dwelling on the past is as ineffective behavior as we engage in.

I think that I've learned to try keep myself in the present, but not like a small child would. A small child is in the present, but it's all about me and mine (yes, I know adults like this). I try to keep it in the present, but without a focus on myself, the focus is on God, the of His wonder of creation and how to serve other people, not in a global manner, but instead what is right in front of me. I get to enjoy the moment and worries disappear ... and hopefully I hear the voice of God in the stillness of the here and now.

Teri, Ben, Marilou, me, Beth, Frank, Brianne, Frank, Jen, Lindsay, Patrick, Joe, and Vesper. Now imagine people packed this close together in Culver's when we went for lunch.

Location and Architecture:
Saint Matthew the Evangelist, 3605 Looking Glass Drive, Bellevue. I learn something new every week, Saint Matthew's meets in the gym at the school, so the pictures were taken don't have any stained glass, or permanent fixtures. Does the building make it a church, or do the parishioners? Saint Matthew's calls itself a Catholic community, not a Catholic church, and the Diocesan website says Parish. Obviously as Catholics we are concerned about authority and legality, but at some point, the building is not as important as the love as the parish community. Even without a permanent building, Christian love was tangible in the gathering of His people. On a personal side note, the church history tab on the parish website says the parish became official on May 6, 1996, which is the day after I came back to church.

You can see all of my pictures of our visit to Saint Matthew the Evangelist in Belleuve here.

Gospel:
"Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father." Matthew 5:16

I have a difficult time with this because I understand my own position as a sinner. I know that there are people who are wonderfully supportive of me who might argue with me about this, but I know my desires, I know my thoughts, and I know my history. Although I understand that I have good facets to my personality, I have plenty of space for improvement. Additionally, I don't always do the best job of tooting my own horn.

So how do I, as a sinner, let my light shine before others? Considering that the word here that Jesus uses is "must", it's not optional. So somehow I have to overcome my sinfulness and let my light shine. There is one easy way to do that, it's just to simply talk about what God has done for you.

I'm now approaching my 15th year since I walked back into church. My friends, I was so clueless that I went back to church because I thought my ex-wife needed to go, not because there was anything wrong with me. I lived everyday in fear, self centeredness, and drama. God has brought me so far, out of my fear, out of my self destructive behavior, and replaced the drama with serenity.

In retrospect, I can see how badly I lived my life then, and how much better it is now. There is only one reason I've come this far, and that is having a God who is personally interested in me and my life. If it were my will alone, I'm not certain I would have changed at first. With God guiding me, not only have I changed, but now, I look forward to what He wants me to be. God is really good.

Lord help me to be your light in the world.

Prayers:
Please pray for:
The people of Egypt, and other countries in turmoil, that they can experience freedom, social justice, and peace.
Tom who is deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife and two daughters.
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.
Me to be free of this back pain.

Next:
February 13th @ 9:30 Saint Adalbert, 2110 South 32nd Avenue, Omaha.

Peace, Eric

Saint Mary's Omaha - January 30, 2011 - Eric

What's Happening:
I had a pretty amazing weekend, and I'm quite worn out. I feel so blessed to know so many amazing people and have the opportunity to do so many things. About 12 or 13 years back I went through a phase where I wouldn't leave my house. I sat in the house, doing nothing, and liked to complain to anyone who would listen, and God, how dull my life was and how I didn't have any friends.

I particularly liked to be bitter about being romantically lonely, and yet I didn't dare leave my own house nor meet anyone new. Don't get me wrong, I prayed about it plenty, but the longer it went, the more entrenched I became. I basically ended up telling God that I would believe that He had someone for me when He put someone at my door, and I refused to do anything else about it.

I went to the July 4 fireworks show at Roseblatt, and as it was back in the day, I had a pager. However I lost it somewhere on the ground in between the stadium and parking lot. I spent a couple stressful days paging myself, and wondering if I would ever see the thing again. Three or four days later, at 12:30am, I got a call from a young woman who found it. She said she would deliver it, and that her and her friend would bring it right over. Now it can be easily debated whether this was a good idea or not, but it is what happened. They returned the pager, and I thanked them very much.

It was several hours later (yeah, I worked nights at the time) that I realized what had happened. After telling God what to do, and how to do it ... He did. I could practically hear God and all the saints and angels giggling at the joy of the conversion of my bitterness to joy. As I meditated on this, I realized that I didn't have to make it so difficult for God to bring joy in to my life (meaning I'm the difficult one, not God), I could take joy in what was right in front of me.

My friends, difficult times will come to all of us. This being said, opportunities for joy will come to us all too. In fact, more joyful and amazing things will come in to your life than bad ones. You have to be brave enough to go where led, do the best with you have in front of you, have a great attitude, and above all trust God.

Beth, me, Marilou, Frank, Lindsay, Brianne, Kat, Joe, and Frank. It was nice to be back with my friends at Mass after a week off.

Location and Architecture:
Saint Mary's, 3529 Q Street, Omaha. Okay, I admit it, I've driven by Saint Mary's in Omaha, oh about a thousand times, and never gave it much thought. The cross on the front of the church that incorporates a stained glass window is cool, but I actually thought the church itself was closed. Happily I was wrong, the inside of this church is gorgeous. It's got those nooks I love so much, plus paintings, statuary, and the stained glass may be the most interesting I've seen yet, and assuredly the most accessible, since it's at eye level.

You can see all of my pictures of our visit to Saint Mary's in Omaha here.

Gospel:
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." Matthew 5:7

A few years back, I contemplated on each of the beatitudes for a while. I admit that some seemed difficult as to how to incorporate some of them into my daily life. This one, however seems to me to be incredibly easy to understand.

"I desire mercy, not sacrifice". The sacrifice here is meant to be an altar sacrifice, but I think of it in another way. What or who are you willing to sacrifice to get what you want? It's really easy when things are going well to turn a blind eye to those in need, I mean things are going well for me, right? Or how about when we point the finger at the other guy in order to preserve what we have? We are all too ready to sacrifice another to keep what we have, but Jesus calls us to sacrifice what we have, even our lives, for the good of another.

It's easy to close down our hearts and concentrate on the faults and circumstances of others and not see that they too are just as loved by God as we are. Being merciful is to acknowledge that everyone needs help, mercy is giving the other guy all the breaks you would like to have yourself. Mercy is praying that God brings every one of us to heaven, as we wish to be brought there ourselves.

Prayers:
Please pray for:
The people of Egypt, and other countries in turmoil, that they can experience freedom, social justice, and peace.
Tom who is deployed to Afghanistan, and his wife and two daughters.
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 6th @ 11:30 St. Matthew the Evangelist, Bellevue, 3605 Looking Glass Drive, Bellevue.

Peace, Eric