MY LIFE - MY CAREERS - MY CUP OF TEA

Notice it says "mostly" original parts.  Original tonsils are gone.  Original eye lens are gone.  I'm only 4% Jewish according to my DNA, but I lost that original part in the early 1970's or so.  I don't have as thick a head of hair as I used to have and the original dark color has given way to grey.  I don't know how many teeth I have left, but whatever the number is, only 50% are original but even then they are only about 50% natural.  Have my original mind, but only half of its memory.  I have both original languages from way back when, but like my teeth the others are far from being original but when I get hungry on travel they do come in handy.

This morning after Mass about five of us declared that we were celebrating birthdays this week.  It was quite interesting to note that I was far from being the eldest.  
So here I am wishing you all a good life.  I pray that we will all be blessed with the kind of loving friendship that God gave to Moses along the way.  Of all the people who crossed the Red Sea out of Egypt, only Moses lived all the way through it and got to see the Promised Land before he died.  Then, some time later he got to accompany God to Mt. Tabor in a glorious victory celebration  with the Transfigured Lord, His Father and The Holy Spirit.  

That's what I'm shooting for, 120th birthday celebration with Moses and Our Heavenly Father.  Plus, I also expect that not a single one of you will shed a single tear at  my funeral.

This is the time when I had a REAL Thibault face!

MY TRIP TO NEBO WITH MOSES

It has been more than a month now since I and the small family that we are were granted the time and ressources to visit the land of my birth for what could be one last time.  It turned out to be more than what I thought it would be and less than what I had dreamt.  
Ever since I have been back home in San Diego I have been living in the shadows of the experience as connected with the experience of the great Patriarch, Moses.  Specifically, I cannot shake the recurring picture of Moses standing by the right hand of God for the last time, looking out over the gorgeous expanse of the Promised Land.  I keep visiting the vision day after day, each time with a deeper appreciation for the way that God was letting Moses know that this vision was the key to his passing through the Pearly Gates for having done God's bidding for so many years and through so many harrowing moments.  There is a great measure of merciful justice in the picture that we see when we visit and bask in the simple language of Exodus:                                                                                               

The VIEW, North over the Land of Milk and Honey

1  Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, the peak of Pisgah which faces Jericho, and the LORD showed him all the land 2 Gilead, and as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3 the Negeb, the plain (the valley of Jericho, the City of Palms), and as far as Zoar. 4 The LORD then said to him, "This is the land about which I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you shall not cross over."  5 So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the LORD, died as the LORDhad said; 6 and he was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; to this day no one knows the place of his burial. 7 Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated. (Emphasis mine) 8 The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days, till they had completed the period of grief and mourning for Moses. 9 Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom, since Moses had laid his hands upon him; and so the Israelites gave him their obedience, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

10  Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 in all the signs and wonders the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land,         12 and all the great might and the awesome power that Moses displayed in the sight of all Israel.  (Deuteronomy, chapter 34)

The story says that Moses himself brought himself there and that while He was there, he and God had their final recorded encounter.  When God announced that Moses would not cross over, I just know that Moses did not let that bother him.  He had it in hs sight, in his mind and in the depths of his being.  He knew that he was seeing more than any single other leader of God's people would ever see of this gorgeous land.  Moses knew right then and there that he had delivered what God had ordered and he would take the memory of it all with him as he was seeing it in the very presence of the One who had saved him from Pharaoh and the current of the Nile.  Here they were together, celebrating their victory together before the servant would reach the maximum of the divinely decreed human life span (120 years) and the Father Creator would go on preparing the way for His Son's mandate.

I have deciphered the eulogy found at the foot of the monument
"To this lad in rime, who e're thou art draw near.
Here lies the Friend most loved, the Son most dear
Who never knew joy but Friendship might divide
Or gave his Father Grief but when he died."

Believe it or not, I am sure that there is a connection between Moses and the tombstone just above.  It is a headstone that can be found in one of the many historically important graveyards of the city of Boston, Massachusetts.  I tried to make the contrast clearer, but was not very successful. This is the grave of John Hurd, Jr. Officer in the Massachusetts Regiment in the Continental Army.  He gave his life in 1784 for what was yet to become the United States of America.  He was all of 24 years old. 

This young man is one of the hundreds, if not thousands of young people who died for what we have today.  While I was standing there I was thinking of Moses.  God actually rewarded Moses by showing him that the goal had been reached.  John Hurd was never able to bask in the sight of the goal for which he fought.  

I went back to Massachusetts on the occasion of my 80th birthday.  I was there with my beloved spouse, the one whom you know as the "Voice from the Kitchen." (Isabel by name)   We had our two loving sons with us, Marc and Jo-El.  We spent a good part of two days with near family and two days in Boston.  Yes, I felt like Moses.  Now all I need are 40 more years to fill out the divine quota.  Especially the part that says that Moses was still spry at his age.  (Verse 7) 

One way or the other, I announce and decree once again, in the names of John Hurd, Moses and our loving Father Creator, there is to be No Crying at my Funeral.

R U HAPPY NOW THAT GOD KNOWS YOUR NAME?

23 DANI (DONI?) NICE WORK!

I have been on this earth for going on 78 years now.  I guess I still have a lot to learn. Since when are church pews qood advertising venues for those who want to make a mark for themselves, or should I say a mark of themselves?  I really should not be surprised since this is the crowning glory in a long history of immorality in this neighborhood.  

Ten years ago we came to this parish of St. Christopher upon the request of the priest who was then the pastor.  He said that he needed help.  That, as it turns out, was an understatement.  The amount and quality of help that was needed was more than one couple could begin to supply.  Not only was the functioning of the organization in need of great improvement, but the city in which the church is located needs more help than the church does.

Over the ten years of our stay here we have learned that anything that is not anchored to the core of the earth or locked deep into a mountain cave somewhere, will disappear. Simple locked doors and bolted collection boxes are not sufficient security.  There is nothing that can be protected from theft in this neighborhood.  Nothing.

Now it appears that the inside of the church is going to have to be guarded by trained Kodiak Bears living inside.  Looking at the name on the pew it looks like metal detectors and body X-Ray scanners are next.  Naturally, since this is a church, we have to expect things like this.  After all, we have been warned by the Apocalypse that there are places like this on the way to the Pearly Gates.  You just have to make it through and hope that the mighty angel will scoop you up and swish you away from the evil malefactors. 

23 DANI (or is it DONI?) is in fact making it challenging for us to try to find the key to the path leading to the way how to make any good come out of this hideous vandalism.  So far, it has been 12 or 14 hours since I have been trying to find out where the good thread is to be found in order to weave a nice warm blanket out of this Bison Mane hair.  Maybe ol' DANI was just devising a new prayer scheme; maybe working on some new runes that would make it easier for God to decipher when we earthlings need to communicate; it might be possible that he/she(?) was in practice mode to be the next Mr.Buonarotti. That may be a little far fetched because the Pietà moment is gone and Moses is no longer in style.   I have a clue that indicates that DANI has high ambitions.  Notice that the "i" has the dot on top of it?   This individual was in no way being rushed.  This bit of meticulosity shows that there was plenty of time and that the art was the true object.  So look for some good in all of this we must, but for the time being the one good that I would like to find is the neck of the buffoon who vandalized the church pew.

Despite my boiling blood, I nevertheless urge you to pray for the witless specimen who defaced the furniture and pray for me because I am still looking for the good that is going to come out of this.  

I have to find it if I want to be sure that you won't cry at my funeral.

REDEMPTION

REDEMPTION ҂ PAYMENT

REDEMPTION = REWARD

REDEMPTION = LIFE PROCESS

Consecration of Firstborn.

1

The LORD spoke to Moses and said:

2 Consecrate to me every firstborn; whatever opens the womb among the Israelites, whether of human being or beast, belongs to me.

3 Moses said to the people, “Remember this day on which you came out of Egypt, out of a house of slavery. For it was with a strong hand that the LORD brought you out from there. Nothing made with leaven may be eaten.

4 This day on which you are going out is in the month of Abib.

5 Therefore, when the LORD, your God, has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perrizites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you will perform the following service in this month.

6 For seven days you will eat unleavened bread, and the seventh day will also be a festival to the LORD.

7 Unleavened bread may be eaten during the seven days, but nothing leavened and no leaven may be found in your possession in all your territory.

8 And on that day you will explain to your son, ‘This is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’

9 It will be like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead, so that the teaching of the LORD will be on your lips: with a strong hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt.

10 You will keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.

11 “When the LORD, your God, has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, just as he swore to you and your ancestors, and gives it to you,

12 d you will dedicate to the LORD every newborn that opens the womb; and every firstborn male of your animals will belong to the LORD.

13 Every firstborn of a donkey you will ransom with a sheep. If you do not ransom it, you will break its neck. Every human firstborn of your sons you must ransom.

14 And when your son asks you later on, ‘What does this mean?’ you will tell him, ‘With a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of a house of slavery.

15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, the firstborn of human being and beast alike. That is why I sacrifice to the LORD every male that opens the womb, and why I ransom every firstborn of my sons.’

16 It will be like a sign on your hand and a band on your forehead that with a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”

                                                                Exodus, chapter 13

Redemption is not a one time payment that gets us off the hook because the Son of God died for us.  Redemption is a continual relationship with the Son of God who like Isaac and Moses was given a higher form of life that He shares with us at every moment of our existence.

Redemption does not come from the sacrificial act of dying for us.  No.  Even that is not a high enough price for us to be redeemed.  We are redeemed in the fulfillment of the law dictated to Moses that the first born human son had to be redeemed.  God would have violated his own law had He sacrificed His first born Son, once and for all.  How could we be redeemed by an act that would be a disobedience of the law by the very one who had promulgated it?

Abraham could not sacrifice Isaac for the good of the descendants of his father because Abraham did not have the authority to raise Isaac to a universal, life giving existence.

Moses had to live a human life for the salvation of the people so that they could all get their reward.  Moses did not just save the human lives of the people, but continues now, by the Grace of God, to serve as a spiritual sign for their well-being.  Sadly, they do not recognize the life that being redeemed gives.

It has a special meaning when we call Jesus the Lamb of God.  He is the One Human Being whom God Himself sacrificed as His first born, unblemished male offspring.  God did what he could, and the real mystery of redemption is that God the Father found to a way to sacrifice His First Born Son, redeem His human sons in the process and exult His Son and His people to a new level of life beyond the sacrifice. 

Yes, Jesus, human and divine, was sacrificed and redeemed by His Father and in the process they redeemed their people. 

This is not a difficult conclusion to reach for the human who is open to listening to the words of Jesus peppered all through the Gospel.  There are at least two ways to say that “Whoever saves his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will save it.”  (Matt. 6:25 | 10:39 | 16:25.

Mark 8:35 and Luke 9:22 – 27)  It is sure that in that mix there are some first born males to be found.  Also, for sure, some first born females are a part of that wondrous mix.  ALL of whom are told the same thing, that it is in and through the sacrifice of Jesus joined to ours that we are redeemed.  God the Father and God the Son have shown us the way to do it.  You heard me right, it is a WAY to do it, not a $1,000,000,000,000,000.00 ransom.  It is the WAY to the LIFE lived in the LIGHT of the TRUTH. (John 14, 6)

You see, our Redemption is the complete package of Sacrifice and Resurrection.  Our Redemption is a life consecrated and dedicated to God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Our Redemption is the grace of living life in an on-going relationship with The ONE who gave His life so that He might find a better one.  By doing this He taught us that His promise is true, “Lose it to Find it.”

This is not a single historical event that took place in a small country of the Middle East 2,000 years ago. This is the on-going, dynamic history of Salvation that has been going on now for thousands of years.  God, His Son and His Holy Spirit are outside of history.  We err when we use history to define God.  We err when we reduce the existence and the acts of Jesus to carpentry and ransom aimed at “Redeeming” us.  Redemption is much more than being sprung out on bail.  Redemption is participating in the sacrifice of the Lamb in obedience to the Father (The Holy Eucharist) in order to have the spiritual strength and enlightenment (Their Holy Spirit) to live a life of missionary zeal as their apostles in their company.

It is a rare moment when I write more than 1,000 words.  One of you got me going on this the other night.  I figured that if I write something long enough, I’ll have time to do something else while you all spend time reading this.

Before I call down God’s blessing of peace and joy on you all I insist on reminding you to not even think of crying at my funeral.

My daily life is filled with many thoughts.  There are so many that I cannot hope to act on every one of them.  However there are some that capture me so much force that I cannot let them escape without comment.

I have many biblical heroes.  I visit them and revisit them often in the course of a week.  It is my way of praying.  When I am sitting there sipping tea and talking to Abraham, Noah or Moses, I can’t help but be moved toward God.  Samuel, Nathan and Elijah are very special to me as well. 

When I analyze it while standing in front of the mirror after a shower, I always come up with the same conclusion:  I love these people because they were not afraid to talk to God frankly.  He talked to them frankly and they talked back to him the same way.  That is captivating in itself.  However, what I find much more captivating is that after the conversation, all my heroes did what God asked of them.  It didn’t matter how well or how badly life was going for them.   When God wanted something, He knew whom He could trust.  It is so penetratingly powerful to see the will power that these heroic individuals called up in order to obey their loving Heavenly Father.  

It is from that holy communion of heavenly dwellers that our Blessed Mother Mary came to visit us one day 169 years ago in the French Alps.  She too was on a mission.  She came to remind us that obedience is the first and most important response to Faith.  Faith is a God given grace that requires our “Yes.”  Actually it requires two “yeses.”  Yes, God, I believe; Yes, God, I’ll do it.  She puts it very squarely on our shoulders, “Unless you submit, I will be forced to let fall the arm of my Son.”  That’s the key.  Obey.  If you really believe, obey.  From the moment of creation, we are called to obey.  Listen,

Adam, name all this stuff;

Adam, don’t eat from that tree;

Noah, build me an ark;

Abram, come and follow me, I want to show you where I want you;

Abram, circumcise all the males around you;

Abraham, go to Sodom and Gomorrah and take the righteous people out;

Moses, go talk to pharaoh;

Moses, tell my people to get ready to leave;

Moses, get my people out of there.

I could go on, but you get the point.  The entire relationship between God and us is one of give and take, take and give.  Get used to it, it was ever thus and it will be ever thus.  Live by it and live happily ever after, here below and there above.  That’s what our Mother says.  She should know, look what she did.  She was so good at it that even her Son gave her the honor of obeying her here below.  Let’s obey Him so that He will be so pleased with us that He won’t mind bending down to help us through the challenge of being human.

 LA FOI ET L’OBÉISSANCE SONT 

ENTRELACÉES POUR L’ÉTERNITÉ

Ma vie quotidienne est remplie de beaucoup de pensées. Il y en a tellement que je ne peux pas espérer prendre compte de chacune d'elles. Cependant, il y en a certaines qui me capturent avec tant de force que je ne peux pas les laisser passer sans commentaire.

J'ai beaucoup de héros bibliques. Je leur rends visite et je les revisite souvent au cours d'une semaine. C'est ma façon de prier. Quand je suis assis là, sirotant un thé et parlant à Abraham, Noé ou Moïse, je ne peux pas m'empêcher d'être trahi vers Dieu. Samuel, Nathan et Elie sont aussi très spécial pour moi.

Quand j'analyse le tout quand je me trouve devant le miroir, je reviens toujours a la même conclusion: J'aime ces gens parce qu'ils n'avaient pas peur de parler a Dieu franchement. Il leur parlait franchement et ils lui répondaient de la même façon. Ce qui est captivant en soi. Cependant, ce que je trouve beaucoup plus captivant est que, après la conversation, tous mes héros ont fait ce que Dieu s’attendait d'eux. Il n'y avait pas d'importance comment bien ou comment mal vie allait pour eux en ces moments la. Quand Dieu voulait quelque chose, il savait en qui il pouvait avoir confiance. Il est si admirable de voir la volonté que ces personnes héroïques exercèrent afin d'obéir à leur Père céleste .

C'est à partir de cette sainte communion des habitants du paradis que notre Sainte Mère Marie est venue nous rendre visite un jour il ya 169 ans dans les Alpes françaises. Elle aussi était en mission. Elle est venue nous rappeler que l'obéissance est la première et la plus importante réponse à la foi. "Oui."  La foi est une grâce donnée par Dieu qui exige de nous une réaction, un dynamisme. Elle requière deux « Ouis, » Dieu, je crois ;  « Oui, » Dieu, je vais le faire.  Notre Sainte Mère pose le défi de la foi très carrément sur nos épaules, «Si vous ne vous soumettez pas, je serai obligée de laisser tomber le bras de mon Fils. »  C'est la clé.  Obéir. Si vous croyez vraiment, obéissez.

A partir du moment de la création, nous sommes appelés à obéir .

Écoutez,

Adam, nomme toutes ces choses;

Adam, ne pas mange de cet arbre;

Noé , me construire une arche;

Abram, viens et suis-moi, je veux te montrer où je te veux;

Abram, circoncis tous les mâles autour de toi;

Abraham, va à Sodome et Gomorrhe et prends les justes en fuite avec toi ;

Moïse, va parler à Pharaon ;

Moïse, dis à mon peuple de se préparer à partir ;

Moïse, prends mon peuple et sortez de là.

Je pourrais continuer, mais vous voyez clairement ce que je veux dire.  L’ensemble des relations entre Dieu et nous est l'un des données et des reprises, des reprises et des données.  Is faut s’y habituer, il a toujours été ainsi et ce sera toujours ainsi. Il faut apprendre comment vivre dans ce rythme.  Qui vit selon la cadence divine vit heureux pour toujours, ici-bas et là-haut. C'est ce que dit notre Mère. Elle devrait savoir, regardez ce qu'elle a fait. Elle était si bonne et si bien ajustée que même son fils lui a fait l'honneur de lui obéir ici-bas. Obéissons-lui afin qu'il soit si heureux de voir notre façon de vivre qu'il ne s'en voudra pas de s’enfiler un tablier pour nous aider à relever le défi de bien vivre notre vie humaine.

GOD MORNING -- REEF LECTION -- aka DENIS DION

Reef Lection

It is said that plagiarism is the highest form of flattery.  Well, this is not really plagiarism, it is "copiarism."  This is the most dynamic way I have of saying "Amen" to the ideas found below.   
My brother's name is in the title.  Under the Pseudonym "Reef Lection" he puts out a short daily meditation.  He sends it only to a limited number of close friends and relatives and one enemy.  
For now, enjoy this special treat.  It's a keeper.
Paul Dion, enemy # 1  [(;-(-[


Book of Numbers 11: 25-29
Mark 9: 38-48

Two of the three Scripture passages chosen for today's Liturgy are remarkably similar.  In the Book of Numbers a ceremony takes place where Moses gathers a number of people.  At one point "...the Lord bestowed the "spirit"(taken from Moses) on seventy elders."  There are two other elders who were a part of the encampment who did not go to the gathering, but upon whom the "Spirit" was also bestowed, and went about the camp prophesying.  This did not set well with Joshua who had been Moses' aide since he was a lad.  He went to Moses and complained about these two guys.  They weren't doing anything wrong.  Just the opposite in fact.  Moses told Josh to cool his jets.  Hey, good is good, right?  In fact Moses says he wished the Lord would bestow the spirit on all of them.  Centuries later, undoubtedly by design, Jesus runs into the same thing.  Young John comes to Jesus to let Him know that there were some people who were chasing out demons in His name.  They were obviously people they didn't know and were not following Jesus day to day. Jesus says, "So what?  They are doing good aren't they, and they are invoking my Name to do it.  Isn't that just dandy?"  What Jesus actually said was, "There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me.  For anyone who is not against us is for us."  You really have to read these passages carefully and slowly to get the flavor of what Joshua says to Moses and what John says to Jesus.  There is definitely some jealousy there.  "These guys are stealing our thunder!"  I can truly relate to that.  For forty five years I worked in broadcasting, 25 in radio and 20 in television.  During those forty five years I made darn sure I got credit for whatever went out over the air with my voice on it.  In fact, I was fired from my last job in radio because my employer refused to pay me my "talent" fee.  We're talking $25.00.  During the 20 years I worked in television, I had to be very diligent on a daily basis to be sure they spelled my name correctly at the end of a broadcast when the "credit roll" comes up, and to be sure I was advised whenever a commercial with my voice on it was dubbed and sent to another TV station.  I got a one time "talent" fee for that.  Now we're talking even smaller potatoes, $6.50 per dub.  Over my 20 year tenure, I probably averaged $200.00 a year in "talent" fees.  Woohoo!  I was like a dog marking my territory and, God forbid, someone else should get credit for what I did, or, even worse, that I got no credit at all.  And for what?  Who even pays attention to the "credit roll" anyway?  Besides, most of the time it scrolls up so fast no one can read them anyway.  Pride!  Jealousy!  He's prophesying and we're not sure he should be!  He's healing and doing good in the name of MY Jesus.  How dare him/her!  What does it really matter.  Fortunately, that part of my life is behind me...way behind me, but I still have to ask myself if that kind of thinking still exists within me.  For example, How do I feel when I hear that you send these reflections out to other people that you know, and how do I know that you're not taking credit for them instead of me?  You know what?  I think that is just fabulous!  I truly hope you do that.  It does not matter whether I get the credit or you get the credit, because the one who should really get the credit in the Holy Spirit, for She is the author of most of these Reef Lections.  It doesn't matter whether it comes from me or from you or your neighbor.  What matters is that it comes in the name of Jesus.  Who cares where it came from?  When it touches your heart and brings you closer to Jesus, or to the Father or to the Holy Spirit, it is good!  And that is the essence of the message in the two Scripture passages for Sunday.  Whether from a bishop, a priest or minister, or deacon or a nobody, when it is done in the Name of Jesus, it is good, really good and worthy of His praise and glory!  Our job is to spread the Word anyway we can.  Alleluia!!!