Gospel Thoughts Today: Scandals

Recently an article called "Give us Barabbas" by Fr. Michael Orsi, a Chaplain and Research Fellow at Ave Maria Law resurfaced from 2013. It is worth the read and still very relevant today:

Give us Barabbas

When Catholic institutions don't practice Catholicism, why call yourself a Catholic institution? Could it be to lure good, trusting Catholic parents into thinking their child will be safely immersed in their beloved faith while away from home? Are parents footing the bill for a prestigious Catholic education where they choose a man promoting abortion legislation in Ireland over their own Archbishop, Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley? Woe to those who lead their flock away from Christ.

In today's Gospel (John 17:11B-19), Jesus asks His Father to protect us from evil, and fill us with the Truth:

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely. I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the Evil One. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”

In Anne a lay apostle's book Serving in Clarity, she describes a day which began in darkness . . . then Jesus renews with His Light:

"I then considered the world where goodness is mocked and condemned. In its place the world elevates and applauds selfishness and base behavior. Those who truly represent Christ are targeted by even some who purport to serve Him because in their hearts they serve themselves. Such duplicity! Falseness! Contempt for innocence! How on earth are we to proceed in such an environment? I went to Mass seeking the One I cannot find. There was no Mass. A man also seeking Christ this morning winked at me and said, 'We should have read the bulletin.' His friendliness allowed the smallest bit of light into my heart. Jesus, who hides from me, began to speak. He said, 'Anne, come home to Me and write. The enemy plans destruction. I, in My mercy, plan salvation for My children. This consoles Me.' Back at home, I closed my eyes at the request of the Savior, listening to His voice. I experience no joy from this. It is like getting a telegram in the sense that I am denied any consolation from it. God wills this for many reasons at this time, the most important of which is that I must experience these moments exactly as other lay apostles experience them. I rested in my misery. Jesus told me to pray. I said, 'Lord, please give me renewed courage. Send me greater strength. Give me clarity in my role in the Kingdom on this day so that I may not disappoint You.' I lifted my head and began to write and as I did, I felt a return of courage and strength. I actually felt I could continue where prior to the prayer, I really felt I would lay my head down and quit. Jesus said this: My apostles will be sustained. Have no fear that I will allow an apostle to perish in battle. I will sustain My apostles with a constant stream of courage and strength in this new time, ensuring that each apostle desiring to serve will have exactly the graces needed to do so. Anne, these words should fill each apostle with joy."

Lay apostles, pray. There is scandal all over the news today. Some things we aren't too surprised about and saw coming. Others are just plain sad. Pray as Jesus did in the Gospel today asking for consecration in the Truth. Pray for those who know not what they do.

Thank you, Lord, for faith to meet the challenges and difficulties occurring in the U.S. right now. Guide my writing to speak what you would have me say.

God bless,
Bonnie

Lent Day 38 - Anything Can Happen

I believe in every message I've read from Jesus and all of heaven through Anne a lay apostle. As a matter of fact, I hold Jesus to His Words . . . to what He promises us as lay apostles. And, He holds me (and all lay apostles) to helping Him rescue souls through this mission. The graces and blessings I have received in spreading this mission have been beyond anything I could ever have imagined. A few days ago I received a random phone call from a good friend from high school. We keep in touch, but I hadn't talked to her in awhile. She didn't call for any particular reason. As we caught up, I told her I was going to send my book Can You Text Me Directions? to Pope Francis along with a personal letter asking for help and guidance concerning a situation occurring in our diocese. I know it is a long shot the Holy Father would ever receive my book. But I have faith that if Jesus wants it to happen, He will make it happen. So, my friend says one of her consultants went to Rome for her honeymoon. While on a tour of the Vatican, a nun befriended the couple and they have stayed in touch with her since. This nun happens to be close to Pope Francis. I could feel the tears well up when she said she would see if she could get this nun's address. With Jesus, anything can happen . . . 

In todays Gospel (John 10:31-42), Jesus attempts to "educate" again:

The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, ‘You are gods”‘?  If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and Scripture cannot be set aside, can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?  If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Then they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power.

He went back across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.  Many came to him and said, “John performed no sign, but everything John said about this man was true.” And many there began to believe in him.

In the Monthly Message of November 2007, Jesus urges us to be His Light on earth:

"Show constant compassion, never judgement, to those who do not understand what they lack. I am trying to show you, My beloved apostle, that you have begun a journey that must be taken by each person who will spend eternity in the family of God. If others delay the journey, that is their affair. My beloved apostles understand that this journey, the journey to holiness, is the most important journey they will ever take. This is your first priority, My friends. Continue to make your pledge and I will see to it that you become holier."

Lay apostles, I used to try to control everything in my environment . . . which I now see as thinking I knew how to do things better than God. My grip was so tight I finally got to a breaking point . . . I couldn't do it alone anymore. Then along came the Volumes. It's been 8 years since I read Volume One. Christ has shown me time after time that when I let Him have all the control, He can do miraculous things! Boy oh boy, I have seen a few miracles since 2006. So maybe, just maybe, my book will be in the hands of our dear Pope Francis some day . . . if it's His Will, anything can happen!

Thank you, Lord, for knowing what is best for me . . . keeping me humble . . . and allowing so many blessings in my life! 

God bless,
Bonnie

Pope Francis, A Beautiful Soul

Time magazine's Person of the Year? That was a shocker . . . only because it is such a liberal magazine. There is so much good in the world, and our pope is a living example of how each of us should live our lives. This beautiful soul has shot "selfies" with young people; washed the feet of prisoners; and Huffington Post has stated, "Pope Francis is a good man for all religions." No wonder even atheists are listening . . . love, joy, respect . . . who wouldn't want to hear what he has to say! He asks questions of us, giving us much to ponder. This is one of my favorites: 

"If God is like the merciful father in the parable of the prodigal son (see Luke 15:11-32), what is God waiting for you to do in your life right now?"

When I read yesterdays Gospel (Luke 5:12-16), my mind went immediately to this picture of our beloved Pope Francis:

It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do will it. Be made clean.” And the leprosy left him immediately. Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but “Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” The report about him spread all the more, and great crowds assembled to listen to him and to be cured of their ailments, but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.

In Anne a lay apostle's book Whispers From the Cross, she directs us to remember the importance of our Holy Father:

"People drowning out the voice of the Holy Father through rebellion and disagreement are pulling against God Himself. How can we advance without the power of unity? It cannot be done. Consider a herd of cattle and the effort to move them to another place. A unified forward momentum is necessary and all efforts at advancing the herd go to this objective, which is, keeping the cattle moving in the same direction. God wills renewal. We are charged with participating in this renewal. In order to do our part we must make sure that we fall in behind the Holy Father in a spirit of humility and unity. There will always be those claiming to be savvier than the Holy Father, or better informed, or more sophisticated. Often they do not say this outright but imply it with subtle reproaches that signal arrogance and superiority. It can be difficult to sift through these things when those who rebel possess great learning. Those of us lacking such study can find ourselves intimidated. But we should not be. We should feel confident in the leadership of our Pontiff and offer our simplicity and lack of sophistication to the Lord, who will honor our fidelity with dignity and holiness. When someone claims to be more ‘in the know’ than our Pope, we must be very alert indeed. There are those who will argue, “He is just a man and he does not always lay claim to infallibility.” To this I would respond “True. He, himself would say the same, but he is the only person chosen to lead as Pope at this time.” He is certainly more chosen than I am to lead the Church and this statement applies to every other person on earth."

Lay apostles, Pope Francis has made a significant impact in our world, opening the eyes of even the media to the beauty of our Faith, and what being a Catholic should "look" like. Listen to what our Holy Father is saying . . . for he is leading us to our ultimate destination.

Thank you, Lord, for blessing us with not only Pope Francis, but all the good men who have preceded him as Your Vicar on earth. 

God bless,
Bonnie

Woe To Those Who Lead Their Flock Away From Christ

I received a link this morning to an article called "Give us Barabbas" by Fr. Michael Orsi, a Chaplain and Research Fellow at Ave Maria Law (thanks, Dan D.!). It is worth the read:

Give us Barabbas

When Catholic institutions don't practice Catholicism, why call yourself a Catholic institution?Could it be to lure good, trusting Catholic parents into thinking their child will be safely immersed in their beloved faith while away from home? Are parents footing the bill for a prestigious Catholic education where they choose a man promoting abortion legislation in Ireland over their own Archbishop, Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley? Woe to those who lead their flock away from Christ.

In todays Gospel (John 17:11B-19), Jesus asks His Father to protect us from evil, and fill us with the Truth:

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: “Holy Father, keep them in your name
that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely. I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the Evil One. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”

In Anne a lay apostle's book Serving in Clarity, she describes a day which began in darkness . . . then Jesus renews with His Light:

"I then considered the world where goodness is mocked and condemned. In its place the world elevates and applauds selfishness and base behavior. Those who truly represent Christ are targeted by even some who purport to serve Him because in their hearts they serve themselves. Such duplicity! Falseness! Contempt for innocence! How on earth are we to proceed in such an environment? I went to Mass seeking the One I cannot find. There was no Mass. A man also seeking Christ this morning winked at me and said, 'We should have read the bulletin.' His friendliness allowed the smallest bit of light into my heart. Jesus, who hides from me, began to speak. He said, 'Anne, come home to Me and write. The enemy plans destruction. I, in My mercy, plan salvation for My children. This consoles Me.' Back at home, I closed my eyes at the request of the Savior, listening to His voice. I experience no joy from this. It is like getting a telegram in the sense that I am denied any consolation from it. God wills this for many reasons at this time, the most important of which is that I must experience these moments exactly as other lay apostles experience them. I rested in my misery. Jesus told me to pray. I said, 'Lord, please give me renewed courage. Send me greater strength. Give me clarity in my role in the Kingdom on this day so that I may not disappoint You.' I lifted my head and began to write and as I did, I felt a return of courage and strength. I actually felt I could continue where prior to the prayer, I really felt I would lay my head down and quit. Jesus said this: My apostles will be sustained. Have no fear that I will allow an apostle to perish in battle. I will sustain My apostles with a constant stream of courage and strength in this new time, insuring that each apostle desiring to serve will have exactly the graces needed to do so. Anne, these words should fill each apostle with joy."

Lay apostles, pray. There is scandal all over the news today. Some things we aren't too surprised about and saw coming. Others are just plain sad. Pray as Jesus did in the Gospel today asking for consecration in the Truth. Pray for those who know not what they do.

Thank you, Lord, for faith to meet the challenges and difficulties occurring in the U.S. right now. Guide my writing to speak what you would have me say. 

God bless,

Bonnie