Send Your Rain/Reign

Rain rain go away,

Come again another day.

Little Johnny wants to play;

Rain, rain, go to Spain,

Never show your face again!

This is a popular nursery rhyme. This is the sentiment of many people right now in Northern California, as we have been pummeled by day after day of rain for about a week. It seems we have already forgotten that only a few weeks ago, the government was talking about, and instituting, water rationing because of the lack of rain. We were and still are in a drought. We need the rain.

I think it is no coincidence that we use the homonyms Reign and Rain when we talk about God. There are many songs that speak of God sending his rain as well as his reign. When our lives and souls become dry, we pray for God to shower us with the rain of his love and mercy. We beg for the Waters of Life reign over us.

"O God, you are my God, I seek you,

my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you,

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water." - Psalm 63:1

God lovingly complies and sends us his grace and blessings. Careful what you wish for, as the old adage goes. Living in the rain/reign of God is not always easy. There is a cost. Letting go of our desert ways and clinging to flow of the waters of our baptism brings challenges of dying to ourself. Sometimes there is a fear of drowning in the flood. Even with the promises of new life, we are afraid to die and rise to that new life.

Reign, Reign come our way

We need your grace this day

We kneel down and pray;

Reign, Reign! In you we trust,

Let your face shine on us!

Nothing New

Now, I know that my last blog entry was not some drastically new idea, but now I know where it was probably planted in me. Check out Philippians 1:21-26

Philippians 1:21-26

For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

Reaching for Heaven, Clinging to Earth

Do you ever have visions of your death? I am not trying to be morbid, I just sometimes think about dying. A lot of times it is while I am driving (What if I get into a car crash?) or traveling (What if my plane crashes on that trip without my family?). Sometimes I wonder if it will be a "good" death. Will I get killed helping someone else? Will I be martyred someday for standing up for the Truth. Will it be a stupid death like slipping on my dog's pee on the tile and cracking my head open. These thoughts lead me to think of Heaven (not so much the dog pee, but the other stuff). What will it be like? On some days I think I am sooooo ready to leave this world and move on to eternity. I realize in my heart that this world is not my home, it is just the place I live. I think my soul is sometimes homesick.

Then I think of my wife and kids. I suddenly feel selfish or sad or scared. How could I leave them? Yes, I am hear to prepare for eternity with God, but I am also tasked with making sure that they join me. I am not done yet. I love them too much and pray for as much time with them as I can get. I want to grow old with my wife. I want to watch my kids achievements and discoveries while being a safety net for them when they fall.

This life may be temporary, but it is filled with so many blessings and beauties. Sure, life can also be filled with suffering and sadness. We sometimes have to say goodbye to loved ones before we are ready, but that is really just our soul reaching for Heaven as we cling to Earth.

Vows and haircuts

Wow, what a year 2008 has been. I have been busy to say the least. I really had to throw myself into my work this past year, but I am now taking a much needed break. You know it is a good vacation when you lose track of what day it is.

Many people have been asking what happened to my hair? Did I lose a bet? Of course, I have been so remiss in keeping this blog that most of my readers (all 5 of them) may not have even seen my long hair and my new do.

I had not cut my hair for over 2 years, but I had a reason.

I was unemployed for 12 months (2 - 6 month periods) over 2 years in 2004-2006. I have now been with Digidesign for over 2 years. I had started there as a contractor and when I was offered regular, full-time position, I was also assigned to manage my first Pro Tools project (Digidesign's flagship product). I was honored and humbled that I was offered this project so quickly. I decided to offer up a this program to God. I decided to take a Nazarite vow. Little did I know that this program would evolve into the biggest release of Pro Tools ever and take 2 years. What a ride, and what a product. I am really proud of the work that our team did. It also is great to know that this product will be used to glorify God in the Christian music recordings that will be made with it.

Vows and promises are important. They help define who we are. My wedding vows, for example, define me as my wife's spouse for life. God exemplifies this in the covenants he has made with us. This past Sunday, we heard of the covenant with Abram/Abraham Gn 15:1-6; 21:1-3) Whenever we see a rainbow we are reminded of God's covenant with Noah (Gn 9: 9-17. We recall our baptismal promises when we recite the Creed. At every Mass, we receive and take part in God's everlasting covenant with us in the Eucharist. Our faithfulness will never match that of our heavenly Father's, but I hope in some small way, I was able to honor Him in my work.

May God bless you and yours in this new year.

Grace and peace,

Scott

Time

I recently have had the honor of being introduced to the thoughts of a man with great perspective, Professor Randy Pausch. Prof. Pausch is best known for his Last Lecture, which he gave about achieving childhood dreams. He has even appeared on Oprah where he gave a condensed version of the lecture. So what has this got to do with time? Prof. Pausch has terminal pancreatic cancer and has been told that he will not be alive much longer. This makes his talk on time management all the more gripping.

I do not know Prof. Pausch (although my manager took a class from him), but his words have definitely touched my life. He has made me stop and think about how I spend my time and what is important to me. He has also reminded me that you are never to old to work on achieving your dreams. It is this that has reminded me that you have to make time for the things that are important to you. This blog is an important stepping stone to one of my dreams, so I am going to make time for it.

I have also been thinking about Time and God. During this time of Lent, I have been thinking a little more than usual about the person of Jesus and the time that he spent on earth. God, who is without beginning or end, chose to create time and step into it as a human being. He not only humbled himself in becoming one of us, but he did so at a time when life was really hard. Why choose to be human when there was no indoor plumbing? Why come under the oppression of Rome? Why at a time with no mass media?

I can't say that I can answer these questions, but I believe it probably has to do with faith, hope, and love. Jesus taught us about trust. Jesus taught us about sharing peace and bring healing. Jesus taught us about a personal encounter with our Creator. Our modern technology and conveniences are wonderful, but I think they sometimes get in the way of listen to God.

He also gave us a few good lessons about another aspect of time - patience. If you actually have been checking this blog on a somewhat regular basis. Thank you for your patience. It is very biblical.

This past Sunday we heard the familiar, yet still glorious, story of the raising of Lazarus (John 11:1-45). What a miracle! What a promise! What a gift of hope! Yet my pastor pointed out something I never really pondered before - the waiting. Jesus decided to keep Mary and Martha waiting because he still had work to do and "remained for two days in the place where he was." He knew when the proper time to go to Bethany would be. He knew his priorities and showed that with patience and faith that waiting on God is in our best interest. There is a time for immediate action and there is a time to wait in prayer and let God work his wonders.

So make the most of the time you have with your loved ones, you never know when you will be called home. Why spend your life on anything less than the gifts and desires God instilled in us. It is never too late to dust off those childhood dreams and re-prioritize our lives around what is truly important. Thanks be to God!

Church and State

So, I continue to be dismal at updating my blog. I really can't wait till I get a new lap top. That would enable me to write during my commute.

Anyway, it has been an eventful week. Election time is always an emotional and intellectual stimulant. This was a pivotal election. Unity has been a big issue in our country for quite some time. Remember 2000? Sure we united over 9/11. It is easy to unite in a common anger/grief during a time of tragedy. Anger is a better uniter than grief, just look at Katrina. I recently saw a bumper sticker that read "We are definitely not united and most of y'all are sitting". The truth of this statement brought many thoughts to my head. Are we sitting in apathy, are we sitting in protest, are we "sitting on the fence", or are we just struggling to get by and trying to keep up with this crazy world is just too much? To steal a defense from a lawyer friend, "I am just doing the best I can."

Something hit me on election night, when my son asked me who I voted for in one of the "lesser" California races. I could not remember the name of the candidate I voted for just an hour before. With so many different government positions to fill, I did not have time (or the desire) to investigate the candidates enough to make my choice. So in some cases, I gave my vote away by going with a recommendation. In other cases, I gave my vote away by just confirming judges that I knew nothing about. In still other cases, I gave my vote away, by not voting for any candidate. Now this is not to say, I gave everything away. I knew exactly who I wanted as Governor, and I did research the propositions (some more than others). These were the reasons I voted, but how much of this countries leadership and direction is determined by people voting for someone or something that they know nothing about. That can be as bad as not voting at all. I think that is why campaigns hit us so hard with ads and mailings and recorded phone calls. I had Arnold, Bill, and Al all call me in one night (I figure since they know my home phone number we are on a first name basis). They hoped that we would remember just enough to vote the way they wanted us to, based on hearsay.

All this only related to what I really want to write about. I want to write about how we seem to separate Church and State in our personal political lives, just like we do in our business lives. A lot has been written about the politics of Evangelical Christians. I think this has had a negative impact on the views of Catholic Christians. I think Catholics are afraid to stand up for our beliefs because we don't want to be associated with the "religious right". Catholics are generally more low key. I could argue this is really because a lot of Catholics are struggling with their faith and don't know if they want to be associated with their religion at all, but that is another blog entry (State of the Church?).

The problem with the "religious right" is that they are focused on the wrong issues. They have been drawn into the areas that divide our country the most and have taken the stance that God is on their side, so vote for this candidate or this issue. I don't believe they are necessarily evil hypocrites, and I do believe they are trying to defend against real issues. They are just not the core issues. We have all lost sight of God's will, especially when it comes to politics.

So what is God's will? I would start with these two principles:

1) I believe the primary will of God is His command to Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength, and your neighbor as yourself(Mark 12:29-31). Another way to look at this is Micah 6:8
2) Our primary social charge is to take care of those in need (Deuteronomy 14:28-29 and James 1:26-27)

We have forgotten these principals. This is not to say the issues of Abortion and "Protecting" Marriage and the war in Iraq are not important. I believe we are approaching them wrongly. We have forgotten the poor, the fatherless, and the widow. Some have begun to notice this and remind us, even in the "religious right".

I believe until Catholics reconcile our crisis of Faith and stand up for the forgotten as Jesus taught us by his actions, we will continue to let this great nation become more divided or maybe even worse become so luke warm that we will crumble in apathy. May God place conviction and compassion in our hearts and mend our nation.

Grace and peace to you all.

How Great is Our God

Wow! Gina, Christian and I just got back from Joyfest at Great America (local theme park). Gina and I have been going to this day of Christian music together for years. Chris Tomlin was the headliner and his set was the most amazing concert experience I think I have ever had. I have been to a lot of concerts. I have had a lot of "worship" experiences. I was blown away by this night. It all began with one of the few covers that Chris sings. It was very cool that this prominent worship leader, who has written more songs that are used in worship than I can count, started off with our friend's song "Your Grace Is Enough". Although I generally prefer Matt's version of the song, this rocked. I was blown away with the thought that here were thousands of people, most of whom not only don't identify with the Catholic faith but might even have some animosity towards the Catholic Church, singing a song by a Catholic artist - loudly! Praising God through the words and music of an awesome, loving, faithful Catholic. God's Grace is indeed enough. Now Matt Maher would be the first to say that he hates the walls of misunderstanding and bickering that divide God's people (so do I) and I was honored to part of this event that blew all that away and allowed us to worship the Almighty God as one Church for a couple of hours. Thank you, Matt, for the song. Thank you, Chris, for sharing it with even more people and leading us in WORSHIP instead of performing a concert.
It was a concert for God, and we were all the performers. This was made clear from the beginning when the screen used to project the lyrics for every song said just that. Chris Tomlin's music is such a gift to us, as is Matt's. It is so singable and approachable. He sang a couple of songs from his new album that I had never heard before but I was singing along with him instantly. I hope that I am able to sing tomorrow at Mass, I was singing so loudly. I couldn't help myself. How great is our God!

A little venting

Hi,

Yes, I am still alive and there are things going on in the world to which I have been paying attention. We have had the Pope getting everyone excited about his choice of words while addressing the need for dialog with Islam. We have had an archbishop excommunicated. We have had a sex scandal involving young boys and a senator. Not to mention a few other ideas that have floated around in my head based on some things I have read. So buckle in, this might be a bumpy ride.

I have never been much of a diplomat. As I get older and presumably a little wiser (although I have learned that the two do not necessarily go hand in hand), I have learned the subtleties of communication and politics, but I am not always very good at them. Flattery is definitely not my strong suit, even with those I honestly care about, admire, or even make my heart skip a beat (just ask my wife). I do also recognize the beauty and importance of diversity of culture and thought, and that I certainly don’t have all the answers or can declare absolute truths. It amazes me at how cautious we all are about what we say about Islam. You may be saying, “Uh, Scott, they blow things up or cause riots when we tick them off”. To which I say, yes, there are extremists. Maybe even more than in other religions, and that definitely use large scale, publicized violence more often. That should not stop us from trying to engage people in communication and call out the things that are unacceptable in our point of view.

Speaking of extremists, Emmanual Milingo, the archbishop of Lusaka, Zambia, was excommunicated this past week for ordaining married priests in Washington, D.C. Marriage and the priesthood have been his main agenda for years now. He even went as far as getting married himself, but Pope John Paul II persuaded him to come back into the fold. Even now, the Church is definitely the religion of second chances (thank God), and Pope Benedict XVI is trying to give him another chance. Hear is an issue that is definitely causing a division in the Church. There are some that I am sure are applauding the "ordination". “It’s about time someone did this.” “I don’t see what the big deal is.” or “We wouldn’t have a shortage of priests if it weren’t for that celibacy rule from the dark ages.” To all of these, I say you do not understand the difference between a vocation and an occupation. The priesthood is not just an occupation. It is a vocation that also happens to be combined with the individual’s occupation – his daily work. I can see where it is easily confused, after all most married men have both a vocation and an occupation, so why would this be any different? The two are so intimately combined in the priesthood that they are impossible to separate. It is a matter of priorities. As a married man I can prioritize between my vocation as a husband and father and my occupation as a program manager. Allowing married priests as the norm (there are married priests that were ordain in other denominations) would be like endorsing polygamy. How do you prioritize between two spouses? I would argue you can’t without causing all kinds of misery, especially in modern culture.

Finally, we have Senator Foley. My first reaction was, you have got to be kidding me. The Co-chair of a committee that seeks to protect children is sending sexually explicit emails to kids? Not only is this appalling, it is almost laughably stupid? I am amazed that this took so long to come to light, but maybe I don’t understand the dynamics of this situation. I understand the fear and shame of an abuse victim, but this seems different. I guess it could be likened to sexual harassment. The boys were afraid for their futures if they turned in a well liked, powerful Senator. Still, I wish more of the bad guys/jerks of the world were stupid enough to give us a written record of their crimes/misconduct.

It is a crazy world. May God’s hand reach out and guide us and protect us. Wow, the commute must be making me a little edgy. This entry sounds more like my brother. :)

As for the other ideas I mentioned I will save those for now. They are both related to some good editorials in the San Jose Mercury News.

May God Bless us all with his grace and mercy.

God is Good

I have a really good excuse for not blogging this past week. I was on a wonderful retreat called Cursillo. I am exhausted. All I can say is that this showed me that God has won and the world does not stand a chance.

He was a beauty

Sure we all made fun of his enthusiastic accent and his boyish wonder. We all cringed a little when we saw him feeding the crocks while carrying his baby, which I am sure to him seemed as ordinary as a farmer that might go for a tracker ride with his child. I must say however, that I always get hooked when I am flipping through channels and come across Steve "the Crocodile Hunter" Irwin. He died today while shooting an underwater documentary after being stung by a stingray barb in the chest. I always thought he was a little crazy, but that is what enthralled me. My heart and my prayers go out to his family.

Work is for the person, the person is not for work

As we are about to celebrate Labor Day here in the United States, I must admit that this holiday means a little more to me this year. I am reminded about how blest I have been and how grateful I am that God has provided work for me. I hope that I am able to honor God in my work and in all that I do.

The U.S. Bishops have released a reflection for us entitled "A Labor Day Reflection on Immigration and Work". It has definitely reminded me that we always need to look beyond the politics and rhetoric of any issue and focus on people. The Gospel reading for today also got me thinking about my mindset and approach to life. It reminded me that tradition and law are wonderful gifts from God to help us find him, but ultimately the only law is the law of love that he writes on our heart. That does not mean we ignore the things that help us live with each other in a "civilized" world, but if we are only focused on the law, or the economy, or our fear, we will never listen to the voice of our Creator whispering in our hearts telling us we are all created in his glorious image. We all are precious in his eyes.

As you fire up the grill this holiday, or hit the department store sales, or go to work so that others can enjoy the day off, think about what a gift life is and what a gift work is, and praise God for all that he has give you.

New Beginnings

I started this blog back in the last week of March. My first entry was a new start. I have gone about a month without a post which is of course way to long. I have a good excuse. It was not that I had nothing to say or that I was having writer's block. I had been out of work for nearly six months, and I needed to focus all of my energy on my job search. Well I have achieved success. I started a new job at a digital audio technology company this past week. I am now ready to return to speaking my mind about all things Catholic and life in general.

The new job is not a full-time ministry gig like my last job, but it is at least somewhat music related and I have already been able to have a couple very open and wonderful conversations about my faith and ministry. I have a horrendous commute (total of four hours a day on trains), but I am starting to get used to that. The hardest adjustment has been being on such a tight schedule. Funny thing about the train is that it will not wait for me. The nice thing for my wife is that she knows exactly when I am going to walk through the front door. Kind of a cool thing is that I have started praying the rosary on the way home.

Other new beginnings are happening with the kids. My oldest son has started high school and is running cross-country. He is being put through some hard workouts. He is going to be in great shape. It is a lot of fun to see him mature and find his way in life. My other son has started kindergarten and my oldest daughter will be starting pre-school. Big changes for all of us. My wife says that she and our youngest are going to go take up ski-diving or something.

So, I hope I have not bored you to tears with all this. I say that as if anyone is still checking my blog after a month. :) I will continue with regular updates now that I am not so distracted with looking for a job.

Grace and peace,
Scott

This says it all

I don't usually like to post with just a link to another story, but to me this says it all. I may choose to comment on the politics in the Mid-East some time soon, but this story to me shows the very real, human impact of where extreme and violent ideologies lead. I know there are stories of this kind on both sides. Please take a moment to pray for a truly just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

Insomnia

Wow, it has been hot here in Northern California. I know it has been hot pretty much all over, but in most places that it is usually hot and humid the houses have air conditioning. We are spoiled here with the fact that even during the warm days of summer, it cools down in the evening so A/C is optional. That has not happened the last couple of days. Our house is so hot, I just can't sleep. So, I thought I would get up and add an entry to my much neglected blog.

The problem is that I am so tired, I can't even think straight. There is a lot to talk about (Israel and Lebanon, Bush's 1st Veto, etc). I just don't know if I can think straight enough to write anything worthy of the server space.

On the upside, I was blessed with a wonderful evening with my wife. We were able to have a date, thanks to a birthday gift and some free baby-sitting (thank you Andrew and Olga). It was a great chance to reconnect with each other. Word's cannot express the love I have for this woman.

Good night.

Courage

Wow, two posts in one day. I am trying to make up some ground.

The grace of God is amazing. After my last post, I decided to go to Mass this morning. I miss going to daily Mass and really need to start again. It struck me last night at XLT (praise and worship, preaching, and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament). That I have the opportunity to receive Christ in the Eucharist every day. I proclaim the real presence of Christ in the form of bread and wine (a huge stumbling block to many Christians), yet I choose not receive him everyday. I have a ton of "reasonable" excuses, but where are my priorities. Anyway, I went to Mass this morning and cried as we sang the opening hymn, "Servant Song".

What do you want of me, Lord?
Where do you want me to serve you?
Where can I sing your praises?
I am your song?

As part of my job search, I belong to a professional networking organization called ProMatch. There is a part of our meetings that we can ask for and/or offer connections. I use this part of the meeting a lot, and have often thought of asking if anyone would like to join me in prayer during the break. I came close one day, I even had a quote from Jeremiah that I was going to share. To my shame I have always wimped out for various reasons. Today, I did not wimp out. God gave me the grace to make his presence know and several people joined me to pray for the well being of the members of ProMatch and the economy in the San Francisco Bay Area. I was thanked for my courage, but it was not my courage, but God's grace.

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)

Rejection

It is fascinating to me how much our self-esteem is based on others' acceptance of us. That has been my experience. Even those that say, "I don't care about what others think," tend to say that to try to convince themselves or impress you. I am not saying that we all blow with the wind of public perception. There are plenty of people that have no power over us, because we don't let them. However, we all have a group of people that we relinquish this power to. For me currently, it is my family and recruiters/hiring managers. I know that the right job for me is out there, and that God will provide for me. I know that he is the only one that I need even try to please, and that he will love me even when I stumble.

Father grant me your grace and your peace and the faith to know your love.

Sts. Peter and Paul

I meant to write about this yesterday, but it was a busy day. Yesterday was the feast day for St. Peter and St. Paul. These guys are my heros (as they should be for every Christian). I think they are the perfect example of what Paul wrote about to the church of Corinth (1 Corinthians 12). Their gifts, their experiences, and their approach to sharing the Gospel were completely different, but they both proclaimed "Jesus is Lord" by the same Spirit.

Sts. Peter and Paul are my heros because I can relate to them both. I read about them in scripture and I can see a little bit of myself in each of them. Peter tried so hard, and every time he thought he had it figured out, he screwed up. Remember the whole "get behind me Satan" remark, and of course the denials. Even as the Church was growing, Paul had to correct him about his treatment of the gentiles. Yet, despite all of this, Jesus chose him, because he saw the real potential of this fisherman. I sometimes wonder what God sees in me. Does he see the potential of an Apostle or does he see a man that will always struggle with comfort and fear? I stumble often, and it is usually when I think I got this disciple of Christ thing figured out.

Paul was a know-it-all with a temper, who was humbled by God. My wife often calls me "Mr. Right", not only because I am the man that she married, but because I too can come across as a know-it-all. What can I say, I just happen to be correct a lot of the time, and if I don't know something, I generally will admit it. I know that sounds arrogant, but I am not trying to be boastful. See just like Paul. :) Paul conquered whatever fear might have held him back and just did it. This is not to say he jumped into danger without thinking. He was not stupid. He accepted that danger was part of the job description and trusted that God would protect him and sustain him, and God did.

Anyway, both of these men gave their lives for the Gospel. One was our first pope, the other was our first great evangelist. Through the intercession of these two great Saints, I pray for the grace to boldly proclaim the Gospel of Christ Jesus to everyone I meet as they did.

Clarification

Okay, so about my last entry. Yes, I realize that a portion of this money is going to programs I absolutely disagree with (i.e. Planned Parenthood). My point is that here is a man that has decided to give his billions of dollars of wealth away to a cause he believes will better humanity. I am sure (and I pray) that God will find away to use the Gates Foundation and its vast financial resources to do good for humanity.

You Can't Take It With You, and You Don't Want to Spoil the Kids

This week the second wealthiest man in the world, Warren Buffett, decided to team up with the wealthiest man in the world, Bill Gates to give away his fortune. Two things caught my attention in an interview about this about this:

1. Those that are given the wisdom and blessing of managing this kind of wealth need to look at the bigger picture.

"I always had the idea that philanthropy was important today, but would be equally important in one year, ten years, 20 years, and the future generally.

And someone who was compounding money at a high rate, I thought, was the better party to be taking care of the philanthropy that was to be done 20 years out, while the people compounding at a lower rate should logically take care of the current philanthropy."

Not that his motives were all about others

"I was having fun - and still am having fun - doing what I do. And for a while I also thought in terms of control of Berkshire."
"So if I had engaged in significant philanthropy back then, I would have had to give away shares of Berkshire. I hadn't bought those to immediately give them away."

2. I was also struck by his lack of interest in leaving a dynasty for his children

"I still believe in the philosophy - FORTUNE quoted me saying this 20 years ago - that a very rich person should leave his kids enough to do anything but not enough to do nothing. [The FORTUNE article was "Should You Leave It All to the Children?" Sept. 29, 1986.]

I am a big proponent for Stewardship. As the Bishops of the United States laid out in a pastoral letter, stewardship is the response of a true disciple. It is a recognition that everything we have is from God, and in order to show our gratitude we offer a portion back to God. I have no idea if Mr. Buffett is a believer. I do know that he recognizes that he has been given a great deal of blessing, and in turn he now wishes to use this wealth for a greater good. If that is not God at work, I don't know what is. I don't necessarily agree with all of of the efforts of all of the foundations that will benefit from his donations, but I think it is a positive thing over all and a good example for others.

In his second letter to the Corinthians Paul lays out a plea for financial help (even back then they had money talks).

Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little."

Now I know most of us have not been given the financial blessing of Mr. Buffet and Mr. Gates, but most of us have been blessed with an income that provides for our needs and beyond. How have we shown our gratitude for that blessing? Have we given back an offering of our "first fruits" or do we give God our spare change?

May God bless you abundantly.

To Knee or Not to Knee...

The other day, I said I would comment on kneeling. The issue of kneeling or not kneeling during parts of the Mass is a subject of great debate. About a month ago (yeah, I know that I am late to the party), the controversy came to a new level of intensity when the pastor of a parish in Orange county warned parishioners that they could be in a state of mortal sin for kneeling after the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God). This is when we say "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you..." So to add to the controversy, apparently Orange Bishop Tod Brown (Orange being the diocese not the color of the bishop) backed the pastor, then asked for a retraction and backed the retraction which really wasn't a retraction (you still with me).

To be honest with you, this kind of thing frustrates me to no end. I think both sides need to rethink this issue, because they are both right (well I don't know about the mortal sin thing) and both wrong. Those that are compelled to kneel argue that "At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow..." and those that argue to stand site practicality and/or that by his sacrifice Jesus freed us of sin and made us worthy to stand in his presence. Both sides miss the point and more often than not, use their posture as a sign of their (self)righteousness. It is bad enough that the Church is divided into denominational groups, but we can't even find unity within the Catholic faith. And my brothers and sisters, that is what posture is really about - UNITY!

Here is what the General Instruction on the Roman Missal has to say about it.

Paragraph 42

The gestures and posture of the priest, the deacon, and the ministers, as well as those of the people, ought to contribute to making the entire celebration resplendent with beauty and noble simplicity, so that the true and full meaning of the different parts of the celebration is evident and that the participation of all is fostered. Therefore, attention should be paid to what is determined by this General Instruction and the traditional practice of the Roman Rite and to what serves the common spiritual good of the People of God, rather than private inclination or arbitrary choice.

A common posture, to be observed by all participants, is a sign of the unity of the members of the Christian community gathered for the Sacred Liturgy: it both expresses and fosters the intention and spiritual attitude of the participants. (emphasis added)

As for the issue in Orange county:

Paragraph 43

In the dioceses of the United States of America, they should kneel beginning after the singing or recitation of the Sanctus until after the Amen of the Eucharistic Prayer, except when prevented on occasion by reasons of health, lack of space, the large number of people present, or some other good reason. Those who do not kneel ought to make a profound bow when the priest genuflects after the consecration. The faithful kneel after the Agnus Dei unless the Diocesan Bishop determines otherwise.

With a view to a uniformity in gestures and postures during one and the same celebration, the faithful should follow the directions which the deacon, lay minister, or priest gives according to whatever is indicated in the Missal.

So if the local bishop determines otherwise, as much as an individual or group might dislike it, they should join their brothers and sisters in unity. I am not saying that you should not argue your point, I just wish you would find someplace other than the Mass to make your point. This goes for the Bishop that asked a woman to stand while she was receiving communion because she was making a scene. No, with all due respect, he was.

St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Philppians (Chapter 2, Verses 1-4 NIV translation)

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

This is not say that we just follow the crowd in blind obedience, but we do need to get over ourselves and be unified with Christ.