NO CRYING AT MY FUNERAL

NO CRYING AT MY FUNERAL

Saturday, December 24, 2016

PENTECOST, EASTER, GOOD FRIDAY, LAST SUPPER, MISSION, TEMPTATIONS, BAPTISM, CHRISTMAS

How come it took almost 80 years to understand that without Pentecost, etc, there is no Christmas?  Think about it.  How many rural children from small towns have been born in the history of humankind, in caves and in tents and in the humble house of the midwife and never had more of a reputation than that of the star who grew to be the king's valet?  
Isn't it true that we come to know the story of the valet only after he has developed a reputation of rendering topnotch service while living an exemplary, virtuous life for the benefit of one and all?
It is therefore because God, the Father of Jesus, made sure that there was someone to walk beside Jesus, to listen to Him, to see His life unfold, to laugh and to suffer with Him and finally to announce His Story to the world in Word and in Deed that we can truly know the story of His birth, Christmas.  
Today we stand before His crib so that tomorrow we can protect Him from the sword of Herod.  Today we stand before Him in full view of those who are too "busy" to pay Him heed. Today we stand with Him and the Angels, the Shepherds and the Magi, the Apostles and the Believers who know what the span of His earthly presence has wrought and who participate in it in fulsome willingness.

To you all, from Paul, Belle, Jo-El, Marc, blessings of peace and joy for continued life, constant in the presence of the Loving and Merciful Savior.

Monday, December 19, 2016

WHERE ARE MY GLASSES?

Two days ago I got this email from a friend who sends me a lot of material that is meant to remind me that I am older then he.

Yesterday my daughter e-mailed me again, asking why I didn't do something useful with my time. 
“Like sitting around the pool and drinking wine is not a good thing?” I asked.

Talking about my "doing-something-useful" seems to be her favorite topic of conversation. 
She was "only thinking of me", she said and suggested that I go down to the Senior Center and hang out with the guys.

I did this and when I got home last night, I decided to play a prank on her.

I e-mailed her and told her that I had joined a Parachute Club.

She replied, "Are you nuts? You are 78 years old and now you're going to start jumping out of airplanes?

I told her that I even got a Membership Card and e-mailed a copy to her.

She immediately telephoned me and yelled, "Good grief, Mom, where are your glasses?!

This is a Membership to a Prostitute Club, not a Parachute Club.

"Oh man, I'm in trouble again,” I said, “I really don't know what to do. I signed up for five jumps a week!!

The line went quiet and her friend picked up the phone and said that my daughter had fainted.

Life as a Senior Citizen is not getting any easier, but sometimes it can be fun.

I didn't really think that this was particularly funny, but it did make me think about life in our house.  I mean, real life.  So, as we used to say 70 years ago, I put pen to paper and described my daily life to my younger antagonist this way:

I don't know about you, but I spend about 10% of every day looking for my glasses.  Then I spend another 10% looking for my coffee cup.  I move from there to spending another 10% scouring the house looking for my wallet. I finally find it before I start spending the next 10% over-turning everything that is not tied down or glued in a search for my car keys.  All of the above happens before or after [I can't remember which] I have begun working at my computer for the day.  At that moment I start spending 10% of the day looking for the electronic files that I carried over from yesterday.  Finally, I have just spent 10% of my day scouring my memory for the completed items that I can remember are the fruit of my daily travails.  This is the detailed description of a typical day in the life of Puttss Dion.  I can't remember on what day I did this but the fact that I can see it in front of me means that I have found my glasses and have remembered to do it.  I didn't have to remember who sent it to me because his name is right up there at the top of the paragraph.  (Deleted to protect his anonymity)
I think I have accounted for about 70% of every day {I can't remember exactly how much}.  The reason I can't remember what I do the other 30% of the time must be because I am sleeping on the couch then.  It's easier to find than my bed!
After reading this, you'll know that crying at my funeral would surely be a giant waste of time... I will have forgotten who you are.  
You heard it here first, remember that!

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

SAN BERNARDINO MASSACRE - 1 YEAR OLD

It was about 6:00 AM in Jerusalem proper,
not far from the West Bank, maybe 2 miles north of Bethlehem.  We had just awakened from a short night's sleep after 14 hour flight from Los Angeles. We had the first day of  our Christmas Pilgrimage ahead of us. A few moments after shaking the sand from our eyes, we turned on the television out of curiosity.  As the CNN "Word News Headlines" flared into view we were shaken by the announcement that a mass killing had taken place in San Bernardino, California.  We prepared for our day with one ear on the news and one eye on preparing ourselves for a day out of the room, starting with breakfast.
This event served as  the focus for our intercessory prayers for the next nine days.  Most of us lived within 30 minutes of auto travel from the location of this human tragedy.

One year later, we are headed back to Jerusalem, Bethlehem and the myriad other holy places located in that part of the world. Once again we will spend the early evening in the Nativity Square in Bethlehem to celebrate the lighting if the Christmas Tree on the first Saturday of December.  Once again we will be there with our heart full of prayer provoked and energized by the memory of San Bernardino.

We are now on the way to Bethlehem.  The major celebration of lights is coming into focus. The thirty foot pine tree at the head of the Nativity Square will be set ablaze with hundreds of multicolored lights. The square itself will be vibrating with multicolored people focused on the mystery of Christmas.  Hundreds of cell phones turned into YouTube cameras will be the source of worldwide "shares" flying through the satellites to friends and families.
The crowd will be cheering and happy.  In the heart of what is Judea, turned Israel, to West Bank, people will be joined in unity of interest if only for a short while.  There will be 40 of us standing together, a small cell of Catholic Christians shivering from the cool of the evening as well as from the emotion of being in Jesus' home town.
We assure you of our prayers.  We ask for yous.  We also remind you that the anniversary of the Mass Murder is on December 2.  the survivors are still deeply traumatized. Please pray for them and pray for those who are helping them to recover.

God bless you all.

Sunday, November 20, 2016

BELIEVE IN PROVIDENCE

king saulby zoharglait

Watch
We went to celebrate the Eucharist this morning and from the time that it took to introduce ourselves to the sacred environment we came to the realization that this is the moment of remembering that Christ is our king.
We started the Liturgy of the Word with a short reminder from the first book of Samuel, chapter 8 and following.  
This is the beginning of the story of how the Israelites got a king in the first place.  The story of the transition from being a loose agglomeration of tribes to a kingdom is one of the most captivating sections of the Bible.  I strongly recommend that you read it.

The first king that God gave them was named Saul.  This name means "asked" or "requested."  As it turns out, he was not a good king.  Until he came along, the "king" of the people was God Himself.  This was not working very well.  There were prophets and judges helping Him with the earthly organization, but it was not going well.  This was especially true when it came to organizing themselves for war.  They were getting badly beaten by the people who had kings at their head.  So they asked God, through his Prophet/Patriarch, Samuel to give them a king.  Long story made short, God gave them what they asked for.  As you progress in your reading, you will notice that it did not go well with Saul.  Saul committed a lot of sins.  A lot!  His final one was falling on his own sword.  
I am telling you this story (I wish I had more time) because it is a perfect example of getting what you had no idea you would get as a response to your request.  As you read the story, you will see that this guy was more interested in his own welfare than in fulfilling the will of God for the good of the people.  He was so bad that at a given point of the story God disowns Saul.  This was not a good start for the Chosen People.  
Enter, David, the ancestor of Jesus.

I am letting you decide whether or not you have parallels that you want to draw between the story of Saul and the actual time in which we are now living.  If you spend some time reading the historical story of Saul (It happens at about 1010 BC) you will see that the more things change, the more they stay the same.  You will also see that we must be careful about what we ask for.  You will also see that there is a solution, or at least a resolution of the situation.  You will also see that it is important to stay close to God in every aspect of our lives.  You will see that God is tough on Saul but sees to it that the people overcome the disunity caused by the failed king and come back together under the God fearing king David.

It is in this context that Jesus, the descendant of David and who is the Son of God comes and unifies the people, not just of David but of the entire universe.  He does so by being the complete opposite of human kings...first and foremost by being perfectly obedient to the Will of God.

I guarantee that if you take the time to read the story of Saul you will have a wonderful experience.  Your emotions will swing from joy to sorrow; from tears to smiles; from disgust to admiration and finally to satisfaction for having discovered another dimension of Sacred Scripture.  
Thank God for that and remember that no crying is allowed at my funeral.

Sunday, August 28, 2016

PAUL AND BELLE BEFORE THE POPE'S CHAIR

This is the seat of the Diocese of Rome - St. John Lateran
It is also the pattern for the architecture of the cupola of the basilica of Our Lady of    La Salette at the Holy Mountain where she appeared in France.


Dear Co-Workers in the vineyard!

Greetings from Rome! Paul and I ended our Jubilee of Mercy pilgrimage in the late afternoon yesterday, August 27.  We used the bus and our feet  for this holy pilgrimage. Thank God Paul knows the language, which bus to take, and where the other three basilicas are located in Rome.
   We began our pilgrimage on Wednesday, August 27 by  taking the bus to the Vatican where we prayed at the Holy door, made an hour visit to the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament chapel during which we prayed for each of you. From there we took the  bus to Trastevere, Old Rome, where, when we alighted from the bus, we walked to the church of St. Cecilia, the patron saint of musicians, who was beheaded because of her faith and prayed for our choir and all musicians.
The next day we visited the basilica of St. Paul outside the walls.  We entered through the Holy Door. We were blessed to have celebrated the sacrament of Reconciliation there. We spent some time there and then it was time to walk to get to the subway station totake the train for home (La Salette General House - Fr. Efren Musngi is director of the house) 
We were so happy to see him as well as Fr. Silvano, the General Superior, Fr. Adilson, all three of whom were with us when we attended the First International Encounter of the Laity at La Salette on Sept. 1-10, 2011. So it was really a happy moment for us to see one another again.😊
Yesterday, we visited the Holy Doors of the basilicas St. John Lateran and St. Mary Major. We ended the day with a visit to the Church of St. Peter in chains.   Of course for every Holy door we entered you were all included in our prayers.
This is the third pilgrimage we made here in Rome but this is the most meaningful of them all. It is a wonderful preparation for our mission at La Salette. Tomorrow we leave for the Holy Mountain where you will all be included in our daily mass and prayers.
I am sure that you will have an opportunity to go for a pilgrimage to Rome and to La Salette one of these days.

May you all be blessed by God as you continue His work.

Shalom,

BELLE AND PAUL
Isabel Marinay Dion, D. Min.
Adult Faith Formation
St. Christopher Church
​b​
, Moreno Valley CA

Saturday, May 7, 2016

VOTE FOR ME, I HAVE JOBS - IN CHINA

Vote for me because:
...I'll box you in with the best wall you've ever seen;
...I'll protect you from all the Mexican thieves, rapists and drug trafickers who assail us;
...I'll round up all the illegal aliens and send then back to where they came from;
...I'll bomb the shit out of Isis and wipe them off the face of the earth;
...I'll create more jobs than anyone else can imagine.  I am the job creating man;
...I'll tax companies who bring in goods that they manufacture off shore so highly that they will quickly return to the US;
...I'll protect you from Muslims by banning them from entering the country;
...I'm no longer self funding my campaign, so now I am like every other politician, I can be bought;
...I'm very rich;
...I'll make the world respect us;
...I'm bigger and better at the military than anybody else;
...I'll do better with women than Hillary;
...I'll make trade deals that will benefit us much more than what we have now;
...I'll cut taxes without increasing the deficit;
...I'm going to promote eminent domain to the hilt;
...I'm convinced that we have to have to have a president like me who was born in the United States;
...I'm the best at cutting deals;
...I'll absolutely apologize sometime in the future if I'm ever wrong;
...I have a great relationship with the blacks. I’ve always had a great relationship with the blacks;
...I am a traditionalist. I have so many fabulous friends who happen to be gay, but I am a traditionalist;
...I love Hispanics;
...I don't know anything about David Duke, OK? I don't know anything about what you're even talking about with white supremacy;
...I love the old days, you know? You know what I hate? There's a guy totally disruptive, throwing punches, we're not allowed punch back anymore. ... I'd like to punch him in the face, I'll tell ya"

I end my presentation of Donald Trump, republican nominee for president of the United States with this wonderfully high-minded reason why he thinks we should vote for him:  

"If Hillary Clinton can't satisfy her husband what makes her think she can satisfy America."

This from a person who is presently in his third attempt at getting marriage right.  maybe it is the "small hands" syndrome?

Don't cry at my funeral, friends.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

ANOTHER FUNERAL - FATHER JOVEN JUNIO

Joven Junio MS with ceremonial lei
The vitality of the man in the center will not be forgotten. His departure from earth has been required of him by the Eternal Father.  In the final and ultimate act of obedience, Joven Junio gave up his earthly life per the Divine Will.  
It was a quiet act.  There are no surviving witnesses.  There is but a box of remains and the memories that serve to connect us with him in the hope that through this connection we will also touch a corner of some angel's wing or maybe even the hem of the Savior's glorified garment.
I do not cry at funerals.  I do not mourn for the passing of people.   I see God's hand. Death has been with me for a long time.  I was about 6 years old when my father took me to visit his sister who had died at age 25.  He was not shedding tears and he explained to me that his faith made him see his sister happy by God's side. 
I do not see Jo-Jo by God's side, but I do know for a fact that he was a powerful apostle who was able to bring some who needed to be led to the presence of God.  I do give him credit for being one of those described in Sacred Scripture:
 19
"My brothers, if anyone among you should stray from the truth and someone bring him back, he should know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins." (James, 5; 19 - 20)

We all know that this is not the only act that Jo-Jo completed in his 57 years of life. The fact remains that he did bring people to God (I know first hand) and I am convinced that God will not forget that.

There are readers of these lines who know me and know that diplomacy is not my forte.  Jo-Jo found that out QUICKLY.  What I found out quickly was that he had answers.  He also quickly received my respect for his intellectual honesty.  If he knew that he had been introduced to a better idea, he accepted it even though it meant a change of mind for him.  I am unafraid to say that there are precious few people who have that quality.  He had it.  I respected him for it.  

I invite you all to thank God for the good that He was able to work in us through His servant Jo-Jo.  I invite you all to join me in praying for the repose of Jo-Jo's soul.

Lastly, don't forget, at my funeral, hold the tears.


La vitalité de l'homme au centre dans la photo ne sera pas oublié. Son départ de ce monde a été exigé de lui par le Père éternel. Dans l'acte final et ultime de d'obéissance, Joven Junio ​​a renoncé à sa vie terrestre par la volonté divine.
Ce fut un acte calme. Il n'y a pas de témoins survivants. Il demeure, mais dans une boîte de restes et les souvenirs qui nous connectent avec lui dans l'espoir que, grâce à ce propos, nous allons également pouvoir toucher le bout de l'aile d'un ange ou peut-être même l'ourlet du vêtement glorifié du Sauveur.
Je ne pleure pas aux funérailles. Je ne pleure pas pour le passage de la vie terrestre. Je vois la main de Dieu. La mort m'est connue depuis très longtemps. J'avais environ 6 ans quand mon père m'a emmené visiter sa sœur qui était morte à 25 ans. Il n'a pas verse une seule larme et il m'a expliqué que sa foi lui fit voir sa sœur heureuse aux côté de Dieu.
Je ne vois pas Jo-Jo à côté de Dieu, mais je sais qu'en effet il était un apôtre 
puissant  qui était en mesure d'apporter certains qui avaient besoin d'être conduit à la présence de Dieu. Je lui donne crédit pour ce qui est décrit dans l'Ecriture Sainte:
  
«Mes frères, si quelqu'un parmi vous s'écarte de la vérité et quelqu'un le ramène, il faut dire que celui qui ramène un pécheur de l'égarement de son chemin sauvera son âme de la mort et sera tenu a l’abri d'une multitude de péchés." (James, 5; 19 - 20)

Nous savons tous que ce n'est pas le seul acte que Jo-Jo a accompli dans ses 57 années de vie. Le fait est qu'il a amené des gens à Dieu (je le sais par expérience directe) et je suis convaincu que Dieu ne l'oublie pas.

Il y a des lecteurs de ces lignes qui me connaissent et savent que la diplomatie est pas mon fort. Jo-Jo l'a constaté RAPIDEMENT. Ce que j'ai trouve rapidement de ma part était qu'il avait des réponses. Il a également gagne rapidement mon respect pour son honnêteté intellectuelle. S'il savait qu'il avait été présenté avec une meilleure idée, il n'avait pas peur de l'accepté même si cela signifiait un changement d'esprit pour lui. Je n'ai pas peur de dire qu'il y a peu de gens qui ont cette qualité. Il l'avait. Je le respectais pour elle.

Je vous invite tous à remercier Dieu pour le bien qu'il était capable de travailler en nous par Son serviteur Jo-Jo. Je vous invite tous à vous joindre à moi pour prier pour le repos de l'âme de Jo-Jo.

Enfin, ne pas oublier, à mon enterrement, gardez vos larmes.

No será olvidada la vitalidad del hombre en el centro de la foto. Se ha requerido de él por el Padre Eterno. En el acto final y definitivo de obediencia, Joven Junio ​​renunció a su vida terrenal por la voluntad divina.
Fue un acto tranquilo. No hay testigos sobrevivientes. No hay más que una caja de restos y los recuerdos que sirven para conectarnos con él con la esperanza de que a través de esta conexión también vamos a tocar una esquina del ala de un ángel o tal vez incluso el borde del manto glorificado del Salvador.
No lloro en los funerales. No lloro por la muerte de las personas. Veo la mano de Dios. La muerte ha estado conmigo durante mucho tiempo. Yo tenia aproximadamente 6 años cuando mi padre me llevó a visitar a su hermana que había muerto a los 25 años. El no estaba derramando lágrimas y me explicó que su fe le hizo ver a su hermana feliz al lado de Dios.
No veo Jo-Jo por el lado de Dios, pero sí, sé que es un hecho que él era un poderoso apóstol que fue capaz de llevar a algunos que necesitaban ser llevado a la presencia de Dios. Hago que darle crédito por ser uno de los descritos en la Sagrada Escritura:
 
"Mis hermanos, si alguno de entre vosotros esta desviado de la verdad, y alguno le hace volver, que deben saber que el que haga volver al pecador del error de su camino, salvará de muerte un alma, y ​​cubrirá multitud de pecados." (Santiago, 5; 19 - 20)

Todos sabemos que este no es el único acto que Jo-Jo completó en sus 57 años de vida. El hecho es que el llevo gente a Dios (Sé de primera mano) y estoy convencido de que Dios no olvidará eso.

Hay lectores de estas líneas que me conocen y saben que la diplomacia no es mi calidad mas evidente. De eso, Jo-Jo se dio cuenta rápidamente. Lo que descubrí rápidamente era que el tenía respuestas. También recibió rápidamente mi respeto por su honestidad intelectual. Si sabía que había sido introducido a una mejor idea, lo aceptaba a pesar de que significaba un cambio de mente para él. No tengo miedo de decir que hay muy pocas personas que tienen esa calidad. Él la tenía. Yo lo respetaba por eso.

Los invito a todos a dar gracias a Dios por el bien que él fue capaz de trabajar en nosotros por medio de su siervo Jo-Jo. Los invito a todos a unirse a mí en la oración por el descanso del alma de Jo-Jo.

Por último, no se olviden, en mi funeral, nadie llora.


Saturday, January 16, 2016

CANA, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE WATER - IL S'AGIT DE PLUS QUE L'EAU -- HAY MAS QUE AGUA



I venture to say that just about 90% of Christians know the story of the miracle at the wedding of Cana in Galilee.  Every one who knows the story knows that upon the request of His Mother, Mary, Jesus had the waiters fill six stone jars with water.  The description of the jars includes the clarification that their contents were used for ritual purifications.  These jars then had a religious meaning.  They were recognized as part and parcel of the religious rituals followed by those faithful to the Law of Moses.  In short, these were not just ANY stone jars.
The water though, was just ordinary water.  What other kind of water was there?  None.
No matter how ordinary the water, it was nevertheless required in order for the jars to fully reach their useful existence of providing the needed substance for the ritualistic washing.  When Jesus got involved with them they were at a low level of their being.  First, they were empty.  Then, there were but six of them, not seven which would have pointed to their completeness.  But the story is careful in pointing out that they were the imperfect number, six, not seven.

Now Jesus enters the scene.  Under His orders, the servants fill the jars with water.  The water becomes wine and that's what we all admire.  We forget that the jars are no longer containers for ritualistic washing.  They are dispensers of the best wine served at the wedding.  Jesus did not want these jars to be mere water carriers.  He wanted them to be admired as the containers of the spirit of His productive action.  He wanted to show that ordinary water in ordinary jars under the action of the Messiah become more than what they appear to the purely human eye.  The six jars came to their perfection by the initial sign that points to the Resurrection.  The jars don't contain water any more, they become the shell for the transformation from water to wine.  Just as the grave could not contain the body of Jesus, but provided the container within which the change could take place and blossom.

Consider all the "signs" of God and of Jesus and don't stop at the Bible's edge.  Keep coming this way and reflect on the many times that we are the containers in which the blossoming of God's work in this world takes place.  Don't forget the two children standing before the Beautiful Lady on a peaceful day at La Salette in the French Alps.  These two containers of "ordinary water" certainly are good examples of containers who were changed forever after Mary poured her Heart out into them and left them with the command to "make this known to all my people."

Fast forward to 2016, Holy Year of Mercy.  We must stay ready. We never know when it will be our turn to be an urn.
Don't spill your God-given water needlessly by crying at my funeral.






Je me permets de dire qu’environ 90% de chrétiens connaissent l'histoire du miracle qui eut lieu aux noces de Cana en Galilée. Quiconque connaît l'histoire sait que, à la demande de sa mère, Marie, Jésus fit remplir six jarres de pierre avec de l'eau. La description des bocaux comprend la clarification que leur contenu était habituellement utilisé pour les purifications rituelles. Par ce fait significatif ces pots ont ensuite prit une signification religieuse. Ils ont été reconnus comme faisant partie intégrante des rituels religieux suivis par les gens fidèles à la loi de Moïse. En bref, ce ne sont pas seulement enfin de tout, rien que des jarres de pierre.
L'eau cependant, était tout simplement de l'eau ordinaire. Quel autre type d'eau y aurait-il? Aucun.
Peu importe que l’eau était ordinaire, elle était un élément nécessaire pour que les pots puissent atteindre pleinement leur raison d’être,  de contenir et fournir la substance nécessaire pour le lavage rituel. Quand Jésus fut impliqué avec eux, ils se trouvèrent au un niveau le plus faible de leur être. D'abord, ils étaient vides. Ensuite, ils ne furent que six, pas sept, ce qui aurait contribué à leur plénitude. Mais l'histoire est prudente en soulignant qu'ils étaient du nombre imparfait, six.
Or, Jésus entre en scène. Sous ses ordres, les serviteurs remplissent les pots avec de l'eau. L'eau devient vin, un événement que nous admirons tous. Nous oublions que les pots ne sont plus des réservoirs pour le lavage rituel. Ils sont des distributeurs du meilleur vin servi au mariage. Jésus ne voulait pas que ces bocaux ne demeurent que des simples porteurs d'eau. Il voulait qu'ils soient admirés comme les conteneurs de l'esprit de son Action productive. Il voulait montrer que l'eau ordinaire dans des pots ordinaires sous l'action du Messie peuvent devenir plus que ce qu'ils apparaissent à l'œil purement humain. Les six bocaux sont venus à leur perfection en jouant un rôle important pour le premier signe qui pointe vers la Résurrection. Les pots ne contiennent que de l'eau, pas plus.  Ils deviennent la coquille pour la transformation de l'eau au vin tout comme la tombe n’était que la coquille qui ne pouvait pas contenir le corps de Jésus.
Pensez à tous les «signes» de Dieu et de Jésus et ne vous arrêtez pas au bord de la Bible. Tenez le regard à l’avenir de cette façon et réfléchissez sur les nombreuses fois que nous sommes les récipients dans lesquels l'épanouissement de l'œuvre de Dieu dans ce monde a lieu. Ne pas oublier les deux enfants qui se tiennent devant la Belle Dame une belle journée paisible dans les Alpes françaises. Ces deux conteneurs « d’eau ordinaire » sont certainement de bons exemples de conteneurs qui ont été changées à jamais après que Mary avait versé son cœur en eux et leur a laissé le commandement de le «faire savoir à tout mon peuple. »

Faisons un saut rapide jusqu'en 2016, Année Sainte de la Miséricorde. Nous devons rester prêts. Nous ne savons jamais quand ce sera notre tour d'être une urne.

Ne versez pas votre eau donnée par Dieu inutilement en pleures à mon décès.


Me atrevo a decir que casi el 90% de los cristianos conoce la historia del milagro en las bodas de Caná de Galilea. Todos los que conocen la historia saben que, a petición de su Madre, María, Jesús dijo a los camareros que llenen seis tinajas de piedra con agua. La descripción de los frascos incluye la aclaración de que su contenido se utilizaron para purificaciones rituales. Estos frascos entonces tenían un significado religioso. Ellos fueron reconocidos como parte integrante de los rituales religiosos, seguido de los fieles a la Ley de Moisés. En resumen, no se trataba de cualquier tinajas de piedra.
El agua, sin embargo, era sólo agua ordinaria. ¿Qué otro tipo de agua estaba allí? Ninguna.
No importa cómo el agua ordinaria, que fue, sin embargo, necesaria para que los frascos de alcanzar plenamente su existencia útil de proporcionar la sustancia necesaria para el lavado ritual. Cuando Jesús se involucró con ellos estaban en un bajo nivel de su ser. En primer lugar, estaban vacíos. Entonces, no había más que seis de ellos, no siete que habría señalado a su integridad. Pero la historia es cuidadosa en señalar que eran el número imperfecto, seis, no siete.

Ahora Jesús entra en escena. Bajo sus órdenes, los criados llenar de agua las tinajas. El agua se convierte en vino y eso es lo que todos admiramos. Nos olvidamos de que los frascos hay contenidos más importates que para el lavado ritual. Son dispensadores del mejor vino servido en la boda. Jesús no quería que estos frascos sean meros portadores de agua. Quería que sean admirado como los contenedores del espíritu de su acción productiva. Quería demostrar que el agua ordinaria en frascos ordinarios bajo la acción del Mesías puede ser más de lo que parece a simple puramente humano. Las seis tinajas llegaron a su perfección por la señal inicial que apunta a la resurrección. Los frascos no contienen agua más, se convierten en la cáscara para la transformación del agua en vino. Al igual que la tumba no podía contener el cuerpo de Jesús, pero siempre que el contenedor en el que el cambio podría tener lugar y florecer.

Tenga en cuenta todos los "signos" de Dios y de Jesús y no se detenga en el borde de la Biblia. Sigue viniendo de un lado a reflexionar sobre las muchas veces que somos los recipientes en los que el florecimiento de la obra de Dios en este mundo tiene lugar. No se olvide de los dos niños de pie ante la señora hermosa en un día tranquilo en La Salette en los Alpes franceses. Estas dos contenedores de "agua corriente" sin duda son buenos ejemplos de los contenedores que se han cambiado para siempre después de que María derramó su corazón en ellos y los dejó con el comando de "hacer saber a todo mi pueblo."

Un avance rápido hasta 2016, Año Santo de la Misericordia. Debemos permanecer listo. Nunca sabemos cuando será nuestro turno de ser una urna.
No derrame el agua dada por Dios innecesariamente llorando en mi funeral.


Friday, January 8, 2016

IS MY PAST FAIR GAME? YES and NO.

Once you've read this, you will not have to be reminded not to cry at my funeral.

Welcome to the 21st century.  It's a fun place to be if morality is not one of your basic preoccupations.  The world of politics has always been fodder for the feedbag of those who like to have inane conversations over at the Ol' Waterin' Hole corner of Main and Dwight.

People running for public office have made a career of making promises that they know they can't fulfill; they have forever been inventing facts to suit their present needs and in countries with a free press they are fond of reviling those who make them spend what it takes to buy the morning paper after listening to a bit of news on the car radio on the way to work.

It used to be that we the people wanted to hear the inflated false promises and the stories from out of the conjured environment of the past which produced five star results for each of the stump-masters.  Yes, we would hear the occasional insult or false judgment aimed at a rival, but we took some and left some and moved on.

This year is different.  The personal insult is the stump speech du jour.  The reviving of the bankruptcy, the inept first degree relative, the sexual fun and games of the spouse and the worst government appointee EVER x 2!  Now there is something that I want to mention here that has become a part of our lives when it should not.  Like, making the rival's past "fair game" in exchange for the stated recognitiion that, of course my past is fair game too.
Fair enough, right?  You voted for x,y and z and I didn't.  Black and white.  Done.
Ok, fact for fact.  Done and done.

Fine so far.  But that is not where it stops.  Now we hear the repititious reminder of immoralities past that are intended to make the speaker appear to be more competent for the office sought than for the one sullied by past sins.  These reminders, once again, are in fact reminders of historical facts.  We have the idea that if the speaker is not lying, then it must be all right to maintain this line of attack.  After all, the beneficiary of the practice of fellatio and the wife of such a predator cannot in any way be competent to be the "Leader of the free world."  Really?  Hmmm.  

You think that's bad.  What about being the brother of the guy who lied about WMD's and took us to war in Iraq.  Wow, that's really a sign of your egregious incompetence to be the Commander-in-chief of the US military.
Not only is that kind of talk devoid of any logic, in Catholic speak, it is sinful.  It is the little named sin called "contumely."  This is the sin of the one who wilfully intends to harm the well being of another by publicly talking about the sin(s) of the other.  In this case, the sins of the one rain down upon you because, you know, blood is thicker than water.

Yes, this is a serious sin.  It is in fact a serious lack of respect for the life of the person being attacked by historically ascertainable immorality.  People who practice this form of speech show a lack of respect, a lack of compassion, a lack of mercy and a lack of a need to live in the peaceful and loving company of fellow human beings.  To continually abuse people with this kind of abuse is far, far from being pro-life.  It is the style to be protective of the life in the womb but the minute you're in the light of day, watch out!  To treat people this way is to act opposite to the law of love that we all know and that we are all very fond of quoting in season and out.  

So, you Catholics, other Christians and every other human being, keep yourselves attuned to what you hear in this world.  Instead of looking for the comfort of something being "Fair Game," look for Love, Mercy, Piety, Gentleness, Justice, Patience, etc.  Do it.  I dare you.
So did Jesus, don't forget.