Translating a World on the Edge

It’s hard to stand up against a robotic crowd clothed in mechanized and politically correct armor. It takes great courage to speak out, great courage to deliver the truth to those who see you as a threat, who will slap you down, and even try to destroy you for it.

Last Year, my husband and I were in Destin over Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. We went to Mass at the Catholic church closest to where we were staying and met a very interesting priest. Nearly twenty years ago, many of his congregation left his church for other churches in the area, saying that they were tired of listening to his preaching of politics. The priest told about the exodus of those parishioners in a Sunday homily. He said he’d never preached politics, never talked about a candidate or a political party–not even once during his time as pastor. He said what he had preached was morality.

And isn’t that a large part of his job as a priest?

Now, I ask you–what do you think? Politics or morality?

Preaching against abortion. Is that politics, or morality?

Preaching against the selling of a pre-born baby’s body parts. Is that politics or morality?

Preaching against sex outside of marriage because of God’s commandment that it is wrong.  Is that politics, or morality?

Preaching that marriage is created by God as a sacrament between a man and a woman. Is that politics, or morality?

Preaching that drugs harm not only the physical body, but the human soul. Is that politics, or morality?

Preaching that lying–especially under oath–is a sin. Is that politics, or morality?

You may be able to bring up other similar examples that are referred to as political, but are actually moral questions about what is good, honest and true.

Do you see an underlying–and current–problem here? Topics that have long been considered part of morality are, today, suddenly political questions where the answers are wishy-washy enough to be voted on as morally correct behavior. And worse— it is politically correct to adhere to them, even when the opposite is true.

Of course, this fuzzies up Truth. In fact, it tries to diminish it, using terms that intimidate or make a moral person seem small and petty.

What is the next step? A complete elimination of morality. An eradication of Truth?

Well, that bothers me. Does it bother you?

Today’s politically correct idea of morality reminds me of the fairy tale, The Emperor’s New Clothes. The people are propagandized with pre-planned slogans about how wonderfully dressed the emperor is–-and so they believe it. But in truth the emperor is parading around stark naked. And everyone is afraid to say so.

I think the priest from Destin was quite courageous. It’s hard to be one of the few standing against the crowd. It’s hard to be David fighting Goliath.

Photo by Rachose, MorgueFile.com, 2008

One definition of motive is a reason for doing something.

That ‘something’ may be good, not-so-good, or just plain evil. A good motive is easy to see. A not-so-good motive is often easy to understand as well. But it is rare that we can actually understand a truly evil motive. This is because we were created to be good–in God’s likeness, not Satan’s.

BUT…the Evil One (And yes, Satan is real) fiddles around with our motives, tells us that what we know we shouldn’t do, or have, is good for us. And because we are human and possess God’s gift of free will, we often excuse evil.

Satan is all about self, and selfishness is his motive; the same motive he polishes up in us.  And when he’s polished it enough, when we think we need his kind of good, then he can sell us anything.

Let’s talk about “need.” I spent twenty years in advertising; a cardinal rule is to find a need in the potential buyer, then create a campaign focusing on something that appears to fill that need, then put the cherry on the top with a deal that is too “good” to pass up.

Making something appear too good to pass up is Satan’s way, as well, and judging by his success rate, no one can fool a vulnerable buyer better than Satan. So, we let ourselves be pulled toward the good Satan presents to us, and then….we buy it.

What happens then?

We become poison to those around us. We try to lead them to our way. We don’t need God. In fact, we pitch Him–our Creator–out of our lives and start to think of ourselves as God.

This is why it is so important to guard the goodness God created in us by looking at the true motive behind everything we do. Is the action we are going to do in line with our Faith in God–or is it only Satan’s ploy?

Photo by Freebies, MorgeFile.com, 2016

Family messed up?
Finding fault with everyone?
Lying to cover up a habit?
Denying a former belief in God because it’s too hard to follow His rules?
Insisting on My Way or the Highway?
Thinking of cheating on your spouse?
Presently cheating on your spouse?
Feeling too guilty to smile at your children?
Ignoring those you ought to love?
Abusing those you ought to love?
Making addiction your God?
Slapping the helping hand of one who loves you?
Stealing?
Unable to control your anger?
Envious?
Greedy?

UNHAPPY WITH THE BAD PLACE YOU’RE IN?
WANT TO MOVE ON?

God is always calling to no matter what place we are in. He loves us. He calls us to come to Him. All we have to do is Stop, Look, Ask, and Listen.

Stop our behavior even for a short time.
Look around for a person of Faith, someone we admire who is not in the same bad place that we are.
Ask them questions–deep questions about their faith as it affects their behavior.
Listen openly to their answers.

Sin is a dark, unhappy prison. But freedom from sin is joy. And ours for the asking.

Photo by KellyP42, 2014, MorgueFile.com

Am I merciful?…Not always. Sometimes I turn my back and make judgments that are petty. There are times I express opinions that are hurtful because I haven’t considered the other person. There are times when evil is done to me and I won’t forgive it.

As an author, I am more merciful than I am as a person. When I write about a character, even an evil and unlikeable character, I show much more mercy than I do to real life human beings. In this Year of Mercy, I can change this. Especially during Lent I can change this. I can change from being dry and brittle and instead parody the God I believe in.

God’s mercy can make even the driest land become a garden, can restore life to dry bones (cf. Ez 37:1-14). … Let us be renewed by God’s mercy, let us be loved by Jesus, let us enable the power of his love to transform our lives too; and let us become agents of this mercy, channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish. –Pope Francis, Easter Urbi et Orbi message on March 31, 2013

We are all prodigal sons and daughters. We all turn away at times, and when we return we often take one step forward and two steps back when it comes to trusting our patient and loving God who shows us His mercy–and wants our mercy toward others in return.

Photo by GaborfromHungary, 2015, MorgueFile.com

Does love need words, or does it speak to our souls like music?

Think of resting in the arms of love? Peaceful? Yes!!!

If you’re in love with someone, and he or she is in love with you—are words always necessary? I think not. We can simply sit, or walk with, or just be in the presence of someone we love and not say a word–yet we know and feel their love, just as they know and feel ours. And without any audible word from them–don’t we often know what they’d like us to do?

Another example: The parents of an infant know what their child wants and needs without words. They just know. And then they provide whatever it is for the child they love.

So many times, silence is the language of love. And who loves us more that our God? So let’s be quiet and listen like a baby, so God can speak to our hearts.

For Catholics, Ash Wednesday (the day after Mardi Gras) is the beginning of Lent, which lasts for forty days. For every Catholic, it is a day to confront the inevitability of his or her death, and for that day, we wear the sign of that inevitability on our foreheads in ashes.

The ashes we receive on our forehead in the shape of a cross serve as an outward sign of our sinfulness and need for penance. The ashes also symbolize our mortality, a reminder that one day we will die and our bodies will return to dust. Traditional words when we receive the ashes are: Remember that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return.

So, Ash Wednesday is a time of self-examination, and of our faith in the promise of eternal life. Can we turn down the noise in our lives for forty days and listen to what God wants to tell us? Because if we don’t listen, we won’t hear him call us by name–our name. We won’t hear that we should not be afraid. We won’t hear that God is madly in love with each one of us. We won’t hear what we can do to change ourselves.

Is there something in our lives that might prevent eternal life? If there is, we have an opportunity to change it. We know who we are. We know we’ve done. Shouldn’t we examine ourselves and work on the problems we may have?

Forgive those things we have done
which have caused you sadness,
and those things we should have done
that would have brought you joy.
In both we have failed
ourselves,
and you.
Bring us back to that place
where our journey began,
when we said that we would follow
the way that you first trod.
Lead us to the Cross
and meet
us there.

http://www.faithandworship.com/prayers_Lent

Photo by jclk8888, 2014, MorgueFile.com

Responsorial Psalm for February 3, 2016, Daily Mass
Ps 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.

R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin.

R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

For this shall every faithful man pray to you
in time of stress.
Though deep waters overflow,
they shall not reach him.

R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.

R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

Most of our every day life, we act like children, worried about physical things like appearances. If only we could realize that our everyday life is our spiritual life, from the moment we wake until the moment we lay our heads on the pillow at night. Everything we do matters. Every person we meet is our brother or sister. Every situation we deal with is an opportunity for us to show what we are made of–and who made us.

Our spirit is the human element which gives us the ability to have an intimate relationship with God. Our spirit is the immaterial part of ourselves that connects with God, who Himself is spirit. And it is what gives us our likeness to Him. Also, it is our spirit, given by God, that reveals truth and enables us to worship God appropriately.

We always have God’s spirit, (the capability to act Godly) but we may not always show spirituality.( actual acts of Godliness)

We didn’t have anything to do with our own creation. We had no choice whether we were born or not. That’s interesting in itself–why were we born into this place, at this time? There must be a reason.

If our physical life is finite, but our spiritual life is everlasting, then the reason for our being born into this time and place would have to do with our spirituality—we are expected to actually do something Godly. Here and now.

We have a mission–an  every day mission–because God is an Everyday God , not just a Sometimes on Sunday God.

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” –Isaiah 6:8

Having a sister is being able to keep a childhood that you will never lose.

To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other’s hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time. ~Clara Ortega

Sunday, February 7, is my sister’s birthday. She will be…..well, I can’t tell you that, but I can tell you she means the world to me and always has.

In the picture, my sister, Mary,  is on my right. She’s the one with the less dainty, dark shoes–Mary’s big shoes, as they were referred to not only by our parents (who would never call them orthopedic) but by Mary herself, as in… “I’m gonna kick you with my big shoes!”  Yes, the shoes were a weapon!   Thank God, she only had to wear them for a little over a year.

Also in the picture, you will notice that Mary’s hair is cropped very short, while mine is much longer. This is not because her hair did not grow. It is because she was enthralled with her kindergarten scissors and how they snipped off  hair so easily–and quickly. In five minutes, the scissors took her from loads of natural curls to the same receding hairline as our grandfather.

Sisters annoy, interfere, criticize. Indulge in monumental sulks, in huffs, in snide remarks. Borrow. Break. Monopolize the bathroom. Are always underfoot. But if catastrophe should strike, sisters are there. Defending you against all comers. – Pam Brown

My sister, Mary, has long legs and arms. She played junior high basketball, twisted her knee and for weeks sat nightly on our kitchen table doing lifts with weights on her ankle to make it better, which she did. And afterwards, she was a force to reckon with on the basketball court, and in sisterly fights. Oh yes, we fought! But I rarely got in a punch because I could never seem to get past her long, long arms. She still has those arms–so wonderful now, for hugs.

If you don’t understand how a woman could both love her sister dearly and want to wring her neck at the same time, then you were probably an only child. – Linda Sunshine.

Mary was always, always first to the swing! See how she sits there so…superior?

This picture of course is First Communion. It was taken on the church grounds and insisted upon by my mother who had to demand that Mary take a break from chasing (and catching) all the boys in the First Communion class so the photo could be taken. What does she hold in those hands behind her back? Can’t tell you that either, but can you see how she is soooo ready to run after the boys again?

My sister was the Maid of Honor in my wedding, and has remained by my side ever since. I love her and wish her a very Happy Birthday on Sunday.  See you soon, Sister, for some more good times!

Photo by phaewilk, 2006, MorgueFile.com

There’s a special bond between a father and daughter. Between a Daddy and his little girl. Lots of love, lots of loyalty, lots of protection against a dubious world……if you’re lucky.

If you’re lucky, maybe he’s the one who could always make you laugh. Maybe he’s the one who showered you with compliments and confidence when he said, “You’re beautiful!” Maybe he’s the one who tucked you into bed at night and told you stories about grizzly bears and princesses. And I’m certain he’s the one into whose arms you sank when you took your first big jump into a swimming pool.

Fathers are extremely important to their daughter’s growth into a strong woman with convictions. A little girl sees her own worth in her father’s eyes, and she never forgets it. If she doesn’t see herself reflected as someone good, beautiful, smart, and someone he wants to be around–then look for problems. She will act out her lack in some way. According to many studies, she may ‘look for love and attention in all the wrong places.,’ the love and attention she didn’t receive as a child.

A daughter will often marry a man with traits like her father’s. Good traits, or bad traits.

If you’re a father, ask yourself this question: Do I want my daughter to marry someone like Me?

If the answer is no, you may have some work to do.