Living the Mysteries

As I was listening to the Gospel reading at Mass this morning (Luke 20:27-38) I began to consider how the early Church Fathers would have approached the topic of the resurrection of our bodies as they taught the neophyte, the newly Baptized. When our Lord was, as Scott Hahn puts it, given the riddle of the seven brothers and childless widow Dr. Hahn says "...God's Law wasn't given to ensure the raising up of descendants to earthly fathers. The Law was given, as Jesus explains, to make us worthy to be 'children of God'--sons and daughters born of His Resurrection. "

The following is a sermon by St. Leo the Great called Pilgrims on Earth.

Introduction: St. Leo urges us to see heaven as our true home and to live here as if we were just passing through. These are the marching orders that mystagogy gives us. We are to live in the afterglow of the Ascension and in anticipation of Jesus' coming. We proclaim in every Mass: 'Christ will come again!' and He comes to us again, in every Mass!" (Scott Hahn and Mike Aquilina)

And so, dearly beloved, let's rejoice with spiritual joy, and let's gladly give God the thanks He is due. Let us freely raise the eyes of our hearts to those heights where Christ is. Hearts that have heard the call to be lifted up must not be held down by earthly desires. Those who are made for things eternal must not be occupied with the things that perish. Those who have begun the way of truth must not become entangled in the snares of falsehood. The faithful must make their way through these temporal things, keeping in mind that they are pilgrims in the valley of the world; and, even though they find some attraction along the way, they must not sinfully embrace them. but bravely pass them by. . .

Let's resist this deadly evil and 'aim at charity' (see 1 Cor 14:1, CCD). . . By this path of love, Christ came down to us; by it, we too, may ascend to Him. And to Him, with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Living the Mysteries
by Scott Hahn and Mike Aquilina

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And so it is that we, too, must travel the road of the neophyte. For which one of us can truly say, "I have nothing more to learn. I have all the insights. I need no more instruction." It certainly is not me. And now I see that my trek "home" is just as our Lord told the Sadducees. "They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise." (Luke 20:36)

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Thanks be to God! Amen!!

The Traveler is Home

Do you member my remark about the neolithic-looking meteorites? Sure you do... Well, Ron's home from his great adventure and has brought home some beautiful works of celestial art.

I guess from what he tells me these are rare finds and the joy is seeing what is on the inside not what is on the outside. And the privilege of the first to see the handiwork is also awe-inspiring.

This meteorite, though not apparent in this photo has what is called "an inclusion" or void in the middle. This is a picture he took of the outer edge of it.

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A "slice" of another meteorite has complex geometric designs. When etched and polished I am assured it will be an even grander work of art.

And whose art might that be? I think that is easy...I only have to go back to Genesis chapter one for that answer.

All glory and praise to God who makes all things.

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Thanks be to God.

Are You Ready for This?

I have been ever so careful all week not to close the back door behind me when I took out the Duchess...This morning at 5:30 a.m., for some unknown reason, I closed that very door behind me. Imagine my surprise when we tried to go back into the house!! No, we were the only ones in the neighborhood up at that hour. Yes, I had on my heavy robe and slippers. No, there is no key under a stone by the back door ( but some kind of arrangements will be made now). I did not...I repeat, I did not panic, even though the garage door opener was in my locked car outside the garage. So, I decided Duchess and I would sit on the front step until we saw a light go on in a neighbors house. But salvation came in the guise of the paper delivery man. He had a cell phone and I was able to call the Ackerman house and Roy came to unlock the front door. Whew. They live 30 minutes away, it was 43 degrees outside, but I was able to sit on the step and watch the sunrise and say my morning prayers with much gratitude in my heart and relative comfort, for though it was chilly there was no wind...God is GOOD, all the time!!!

Ron will be home tomorrow from his "adventure" and I will be truly glad...I've had about all the excitement I can take for one week...

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Thanks be to God!!!!!

Latin Is a Dead Language.

St. Mary-or-the-Wood College, Indiana

I had taken two years of Latin in high school and that was our favorite excuse when exams were returned and we hadn't done as well as we had anticipated. I have this wonderful book now, written by Archabbot Lambert Reilly, O.S.B of St. Meinrad, IN. It's called Latin Saying for Spiritual Growth. Let me share this with you, because I have found there is Life in words in whatever language they are spoken (or not spoken...anymore.)

Cor gaudens exhilarat factem

('A joyful heart light up the face')
Salomo

St. Teresa of Avila says, "Deliver us from frowning saints!" This doesn't mean that we are to be Pollyannas, blind to the harsh realities of life; but it does mean that in our hearts we know that whatever happens, the Lord is dealing with us as we should be dealt with.

When we realize that whatever we are experiencing is something to help us along the road to eternal life, we can bear it, and we can bear it in hope. That inner hope then finds its way to our countenance, and we'll live the truth that Paul expresses in Romans when he says, "We rejoice in our suffering, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope" (Romans 5:3-4).

The joy in our heart that we experience when we realize that the Lord loves us and would never leave us will reflect His light for all to see.

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Thanks be to God.

I CAN'T BEILIEVE IT!!!

~~~Sam, the Protector~~~

At about 3:30 this morning I was awaken by sounds made by Sam. At first I thought he had just gotten stuck under the bathroom sink again or leaped up onto the hamper and tried to sit in the window sill (but forgot the window was closed). Well, that wasn't it and I couldn't even find him so I went back to bed. Then I heard the noise again and so I got out of bed again and went to the kitchen thinking he had no water or he was "batting" about the feeder because he couldn't get the food to come down. Well, that wasn't it either. About ten minutes later into the bedroom he prances with something that "squeaked". OH, my GOODNESS. Sam had caught a mouse!! No bigger that a small Jalapeno pepper, he sat there on the floor in front of the closet preparing his meal. Then he did, yes he did, he began to eat it...Well, needless to say I had to leave the room. When I returned about 20 minutes later Sam passed me in the dark hall appearing to be quite content and proud of himself. As for me, I crawled back into the bed, pulled the covers up and went back to sleep with a strange feeling of security knowing now I didn't have to set out the "winter" traps.

Oddly enough, I had seen him bear his prize moles to us so we could see and praise him for a "job well done", but I never saw him devour them. But, as he proved this morning he is more that a pretty cat or "that lazy cat". He is a valuable member of the family. He keeps us safe from "little" rodents, this Mouser Extraordinaire.

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Thanks be to God!