As we receive more and more information on the swine flu, it is hard not to worry. Now we have to potentially make decisions on where to travel (or not travel), we have to remember personal hygiene on an hourly basis, and we have to be more concerned for loved ones.
God is in this, as He is in every concern we have. His love is there in sickness and in health, in worry and in stress. because of the very nature of stress, the Lord is left out of the equation sometimes - our brain only has so much room in it! But God will protect and provide, and we cannot understand the mystery that is God's will.
So, wash your hands, stay informed but not barraged with news, and say your prayers. God is great.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Newsweek's Provocative Cover Aimed at Christians
On their latest cover, Newsweek has just heralded in the "fall of Christianity," at a time when I feel that Christians are very strong in their faith. I did not read the magazine because I didn't want to give Newsweek my increasingly precious dollar, but I felt more amusement than anything else. (In a related note, by the way, magazine readership is falling down, too. :-)) A provocative cover - making you either want to smile or spit - is just what the accountant ordered.
Christianity will always be under attack. When Newsweek is just a faint memory in our culture, Christians will be meeting all over the world to celerate, worship, and lean on Christ. Newsweek and other media institutions are trying to make Christians feel like fringe elements or cult-like worshippers instead of what we are: the most vibrant, the largest, and the most loved faith in the world. Notice I didn't say "most loving," because we've got our human issues, of course. But "most loved," because no one can love us like Christ.
Better luck next time, Newsweek!
Christianity will always be under attack. When Newsweek is just a faint memory in our culture, Christians will be meeting all over the world to celerate, worship, and lean on Christ. Newsweek and other media institutions are trying to make Christians feel like fringe elements or cult-like worshippers instead of what we are: the most vibrant, the largest, and the most loved faith in the world. Notice I didn't say "most loving," because we've got our human issues, of course. But "most loved," because no one can love us like Christ.
Better luck next time, Newsweek!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Easter
Hi to all who are preparing for Easter!
Yesterday, my husband and I took our ten year old son to a Stations of the Cross service, where children acted out the different steps to Jesus's sufferings the day He was crucified. Children played the parts of soldiers, apostles, both Marys, and Jesus. I was particularly struck by the boy who played Jesus - he brought such an air of dignity and understanding to Jesus as He suffered, and in the last scenes, true to scripture, had to go shirtless and "nailed" to a cross. For anyone who knows about ten year old boys, this is the year that they get very self-conscious about their bodies, and yet this young man offered up his own unclothed torso to the mass attendees. That, I thought, is understanding Easter - a young boy forgetting himself and offering it up to and for God. In love for what Jesus went through, this boy acted it out - literally every step. And through this boy, Jesus reached out to all of us - the tired, worried, overwhelmed mass of worshippers, and made us halt right there, and remember what the biggest sacrifice in the history of the world has been.
When the actors quietly came up the aisles, they must have been instructed to remain somber, because as we appreciative adults and children in the audience tried to smile at them as they passed, they remained straight-faced and did not seem to be aware that we were there. A teenager extinguished a candle on the alter, and turned and walked away. We were unsettled; no wishes for a happy Easter, no closing hymn. The LIGHT HAD LEFT THE WORLD. And we could feel it. Tears sat in several people's eyes, as we quietly had to make our way out together - and yet alone.
Sunday, the light will return to the world, with Jesus' glorious Resurrection, as He came to fulfill the scriptures and come back to us. All of us. I don't want to feel the way I did again in that church. Thank you, Jesus, for your return.
Today, I have several small jobs that I really hate - cleaning the bathrooms, going to the store for dribs and drabs, laundry. I am going to do them gladly and offer them up to God - or more to the point, try to offer up the spirit with which I do these jobs to God - in thanks. How lucky I am to be able to do them, and to have an eternal future, thanks to Jesus.
Happy, happy Easter. Laugh and sing; the Lord has returned to us all.
**Special thanks to St. Jospeh's Catholic Church in Wakefield, Ma., and to the cast of the Stations of the Cross production. ***
Yesterday, my husband and I took our ten year old son to a Stations of the Cross service, where children acted out the different steps to Jesus's sufferings the day He was crucified. Children played the parts of soldiers, apostles, both Marys, and Jesus. I was particularly struck by the boy who played Jesus - he brought such an air of dignity and understanding to Jesus as He suffered, and in the last scenes, true to scripture, had to go shirtless and "nailed" to a cross. For anyone who knows about ten year old boys, this is the year that they get very self-conscious about their bodies, and yet this young man offered up his own unclothed torso to the mass attendees. That, I thought, is understanding Easter - a young boy forgetting himself and offering it up to and for God. In love for what Jesus went through, this boy acted it out - literally every step. And through this boy, Jesus reached out to all of us - the tired, worried, overwhelmed mass of worshippers, and made us halt right there, and remember what the biggest sacrifice in the history of the world has been.
When the actors quietly came up the aisles, they must have been instructed to remain somber, because as we appreciative adults and children in the audience tried to smile at them as they passed, they remained straight-faced and did not seem to be aware that we were there. A teenager extinguished a candle on the alter, and turned and walked away. We were unsettled; no wishes for a happy Easter, no closing hymn. The LIGHT HAD LEFT THE WORLD. And we could feel it. Tears sat in several people's eyes, as we quietly had to make our way out together - and yet alone.
Sunday, the light will return to the world, with Jesus' glorious Resurrection, as He came to fulfill the scriptures and come back to us. All of us. I don't want to feel the way I did again in that church. Thank you, Jesus, for your return.
Today, I have several small jobs that I really hate - cleaning the bathrooms, going to the store for dribs and drabs, laundry. I am going to do them gladly and offer them up to God - or more to the point, try to offer up the spirit with which I do these jobs to God - in thanks. How lucky I am to be able to do them, and to have an eternal future, thanks to Jesus.
Happy, happy Easter. Laugh and sing; the Lord has returned to us all.
**Special thanks to St. Jospeh's Catholic Church in Wakefield, Ma., and to the cast of the Stations of the Cross production. ***
Monday, April 6, 2009
The Eleventh Hour - Jars of Clay
Enjoy this video of one of my favorite artists, Jars of Clay. An energetic hopeful song of faith and trust. Have a GREAT day!
Deirdre
Friday, April 3, 2009
First: TGIF!!!!!
A big thanks to Mark Shea, who runs a very widely-read bog at www.markshea.blogspot.com; check him out, please! He kindly promoted this blog, and answered some of my blogging questions, so go read him asap; it's worth the time. Mark is Catholic, and so am I, and he is interested in writing about the modern-day Catholic. He is also finishing production on a Christian film, so he's a busy dude.
Many visitors of this blog will not be Catholic; even at Opine Books I am the only Catholic. In Christian news this week, many are protesting President Obama's scheduled visit to Notre Dame University on the grounds that his policies are so at odds with the Catholic world view and moral imperatives re: abortion, stem cell research, etc. What do you think? Give us a shout and let us know by posting your comment. Should ND retract their invitation?
Have a great day, and may God reach you in an unexpected way today.
Deirdre
A big thanks to Mark Shea, who runs a very widely-read bog at www.markshea.blogspot.com; check him out, please! He kindly promoted this blog, and answered some of my blogging questions, so go read him asap; it's worth the time. Mark is Catholic, and so am I, and he is interested in writing about the modern-day Catholic. He is also finishing production on a Christian film, so he's a busy dude.
Many visitors of this blog will not be Catholic; even at Opine Books I am the only Catholic. In Christian news this week, many are protesting President Obama's scheduled visit to Notre Dame University on the grounds that his policies are so at odds with the Catholic world view and moral imperatives re: abortion, stem cell research, etc. What do you think? Give us a shout and let us know by posting your comment. Should ND retract their invitation?
Have a great day, and may God reach you in an unexpected way today.
Deirdre
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
No Part-Time God
Hi Everyone,
First off, we have a book going out to our first responder, so congrats to her! We hope she comes back often, and we appreciate the willingness to "jump on in."
Secondly, today I have been thinking about the dual roles some of us (including me!) play in life. How easy it is to believe, and to sense our closeness to God, when we are in church. The music swells, the pastor or priest strikes all the right chords, your children or grandchildren are sitting next to you, quiet and beautiful. "This is the truth," you think to yourself. It has the unmistakeable gut feeling of authenticity; of wonderous reality.
Then, the harsh light of the next day comes, and the overwhelming things begin. The cell phone rings as you are trying to get off to work, CNN blares bad news from the living room, and you realize at least a few bills are overdue. You may get laid off soon, along with the rest of the world, and some of your relationships are strained. Inside, you feel a hollow drop. Where did the peace from yesterday go? Is it only in church? How do you get it to follow you out the church door?
I don't know the answer; one of the great things about a blog is the exchange of ideas. Is it more prayertime, or less self-focus? How do we live like Christians every day, not just in our actions, but in the level of peace in our lives? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, out there in the wilderness. Being Christian seems to be not only in the knowing, but in the searching.
Sincerely,
Deirdre
PS: the first to respond to this post gets a copy of "Exhausted Rapunzel" from Opine Books!
First off, we have a book going out to our first responder, so congrats to her! We hope she comes back often, and we appreciate the willingness to "jump on in."
Secondly, today I have been thinking about the dual roles some of us (including me!) play in life. How easy it is to believe, and to sense our closeness to God, when we are in church. The music swells, the pastor or priest strikes all the right chords, your children or grandchildren are sitting next to you, quiet and beautiful. "This is the truth," you think to yourself. It has the unmistakeable gut feeling of authenticity; of wonderous reality.
Then, the harsh light of the next day comes, and the overwhelming things begin. The cell phone rings as you are trying to get off to work, CNN blares bad news from the living room, and you realize at least a few bills are overdue. You may get laid off soon, along with the rest of the world, and some of your relationships are strained. Inside, you feel a hollow drop. Where did the peace from yesterday go? Is it only in church? How do you get it to follow you out the church door?
I don't know the answer; one of the great things about a blog is the exchange of ideas. Is it more prayertime, or less self-focus? How do we live like Christians every day, not just in our actions, but in the level of peace in our lives? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, out there in the wilderness. Being Christian seems to be not only in the knowing, but in the searching.
Sincerely,
Deirdre
PS: the first to respond to this post gets a copy of "Exhausted Rapunzel" from Opine Books!
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