THERE'S MORE TO A JOB THAN $$$

I have been thinking a lot about the work that I have done during my life.  It has been an interesting period.  I say period because it has taken me across several weeks of introspection.  Not just because of the jobs I performed, not just because of the energy I expended in doing them but most especially the attitude that gave a soul to the process, the product and to the pay check that came as a result.
The work that I was asked to do around home was the process that taught me that it is not the money that is the most important reward for work.  Oh, don't get me wrong, I did learn that lesson by making the puerile mistake of asking for "pay" after a particularly hard session behind the home lawn mower.  I made the request just before supper on that fateful night.  My father looked me in the eye and simply said: "It's going to be on the table in five minutes.  Eat well."  I never again made the same mistake for anything that I did for the family.
As time went on, that event served as fertile ground for the growing understanding of the community benefits that work brings into being.  Not just around the house, everywhere.
I worked on the tobacco farms.
I dug ditches for an entrepreneur auto repairman's sewage sloughs.
I carried lumber for a construction company.
I worked in a printing company in a semi-technical department and got to be very good at it.
I worked as an indoor painter.
I worked as a switchoard operator for a telephone answering service.
I worked at a water filtration plant where I shoveled sand every day for two months.
I drove airport shuttle vans.
I drive non-emergency medical patient transport vans to transport people to and from dialysis.
I worked as an apartment manager.
I delivered newspapers.
I washed floors.  I had a regular clientele for about two years.
I taught theology classes - still do as a matter of fact.
I was a human resources director.
I work as a language translator.
I work as a pilgrimage travel organizer.
Everything I ever did in any field and for any person or company, I did as a result of a direct personal agreement for the person or company who was going to benefit from the fruit of my labor.  I never allowed myself to be separated from my employer, individual or company, by an agent.  The lesson that my father taught me stayed with me and grew and blossomed into the conviction that by my good efforts both I and the company would succeed and in spirit, if not necessarily in bodily presence, we would both profit by our relationship.
Yes, I worked for people, individuals and companies who did not share my understanding of life.  I would leave and go somewhere else.  I believe that work is a community process aimed in the same direction.  Just like a flock of geese.
I am convinced that many of the economic and social problems that we have are caused by the adversarial nature of our work relationships.  I have lived with that conviction for a very long time.
I pray that someday we will be able to overcome this "we vs them" relationship.  We have to find a better way to achieve the common good that we all say that we seek.  if it doesn't happen before my funeral, don't cry over the failure and surely don't cry for my departure.

COME, SHOW ME WHO I AM -- VIENS, APPRENDS-MOI QUI JE SUIS -- VEN, MUESTRA ME QUIEN SOY

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?
What does that make me?

I have just returned from a religious trip "pilgrimage" to Israel, also known as the Holy Land.  This time, while we were there we heard a little used invitation:
Come often, bring your Catholic friends so that we can come  to know who we are.
At this time of the year it was a deep thought presented to us who were there to visit Bethlehem as well as the rest of the territory.  We thought that were there to come to know more about who we are.  After all, we were visiting Jesus in His home town and we certainly did not have any influence on His understanding of Himself.  But then, I've been thinking, the people of Bethlehem, our hosts, what were they learning about themselves?  We had not yet heard the invitation stated above.  So, now I think, what are these tens of thousands of people from the four corners of the earth, including the Bethlehemites, learning about one another, including their own identity? 
I ask myself, what are the Muslims learning?  What are the Orthodox, the Catholics, the Protestants and others learning about themselves?  What are the Politicians, the Clergy, the Police, the Soldiers, the Students and the Teachers learning?

Belle and I were there, among them, along with 40 other pilgrims.  We were in close quarters, almost body to body, smiling at one another, helping young lovers glide through the pack, making sure that young children did not get separated from nervous parents, speaking in soft, conversational tones while trying to decipher the language coming at us from the brilliantly lit stage by the side of the huge creche.

We all learned something this peaceful night.  The home town of so many of God's important relatives, including His own Son, taught us all a lesson: When Jesus celebrates His birthday, everybody gets along, everybody smiles, everybody gets soaked with memories of loving peace that will never be forgotten.
Belle and I send this to all of you in that spirit. 

Nous venons de rentrer d'un «pèlerinage» en Israël, aussi connu comme la Terre Sainte. Cette fois, alors que nous étions là, nous avons entendu une petite invitation avec une expression surprenante:

« Venez souvent, amenez vos amis catholiques afin que nous puissions arriver à connaitre qui nous sommes. »

À cette époque de l'année, c’était la une pensée profonde qu’on nous a présentée juste un jour avant notre visite à Bethléem.   Pour la plupart, nous pensions que nous étions venus non pour apprendre aux Palestiniens à se connaitre, mais que nous puissions arriver à mieux nous connaitre.   Après tout, nous visitions Jésus dans sa ville natale et nous n’étions certainement pas de l’avis que nous puissions avoir aucune influence sur sa compréhension de lui-même. Mais alors, j’ai pensé, la population de Bethléem, nos hôtes, que faisaient-ils (Oh-la-la-  ca c'est une betise et demi!) font-ils pour apprendre plus à propos d’eux-mêmes? Nous n’avions pas encore entendu le défi de l'invitation indiqué ci-dessus. Donc, maintenant, je réfléchi, je repense, qu’est-ce vont ces dizaines de milliers de personnes qui viennent des quatre coins de la terre, y compris les Bethléemites, apprendre les uns des autres, y compris de leur propre identité?

Je me demande, qu’est-ce que les musulmans apprennent?  Les orthodoxes ?  Les catholiques ?  Les protestants et les autres ?  Qu’est-ce qu’ils apprennent sur eux-mêmes? Et les politiciens ? Les clercs ?  La police ?  Les soldats ?  Les étudiants et les enseignants ?   Apprennent-ils quelque chose de personnel a leur propre propos?

Belle et moi étions là, parmi eux, ainsi que 40 autres pèlerins. Nous étions à l'étroit, presque corps à corps, souriant les uns aux autres, aidant les jeunes amants à se glisser entre les corps rassembles, coude à coude, hanche a hanche,  faisant le possible pour que les jeunes enfants ne soient pas séparés de leurs parents nerveux, parlant dans des tons de conversation doux tout en essayant de déchiffrer le langage provenant à nous de la scène brillamment éclairé au côté de l'immense crèche.

Nous avons tous appris quelque chose le long de cette nuit paisible. La ville natale de tant de la parente importante du Fils de Dieu nous a enseigné à tous une leçon: Quand Jésus célèbre son anniversaire, tout le monde s’accorde, tout le monde sourit, tout le monde est trempé avec des souvenirs d'amour et de paix qui ne seront jamais oublié.

Belle et moi ensemble nous vous envoyons nos meilleurs souhaits de paix et de joie dans cet esprit.

Acabamos de regresar de un viaje de "peregrinación" religioso en Israel, también conocida como la Tierra Santa. Esta vez, mientras estábamos allí nos escuchamos una pequeña invitación profunda:

“Ven a menudo, trae a tus amigos católicos para que podamos llegar a saber quiénes somos.”

En esta época del año era una profunda reflexión que se nos presentó antes de ir para visitar Belén, así como el resto del territorio. Pensamos que estábamos allí para llegar a saber más acerca de lo que somos. Después de todo, estábamos visitando a Jesús en su ciudad natal y no teníamos ninguna idea de causar influencia sobre la comprensión de los Palestinos de sí mismo. Pero entonces, he estado pensando, el pueblo de Belén, nuestros anfitriones, ¿qué estaban aprendiendo acerca de sí mismos? Todavía no habíamos escuchado la invitación se ha dicho. Así que, ahora que lo pienso, ¿cuáles son esas decenas de miles de personas de todos los rincones de la tierra, entre ellos los de Belén, aprendiendo unos de otros, incluyendo su propia identidad?

Yo me pregunto, ¿qué están aprendiendo los musulmanes? ¿ Los ortodoxos, los católicos, los protestantes y los demás, que aprenden sobre sí mismos? ¿ Los políticos, el clero, la policía, los soldados, los estudiantes y los profesores que aprenden?

Belle y yo estuvimos allí, entre ellos, junto con otros 40 peregrinos. Estábamos en lugares cerrados, casi cuerpo a cuerpo, sonriendo a unos y a otros, ayudando a los jóvenes amantes deslizarse a través del paquete, asegurándose de que los niños pequeños no se separen de los padres nerviosos, hablando en tonos suaves, de conversación al intentar descifrar el lenguaje que viene a nosotros desde el escenario brillantemente iluminado por el lado de la enorme creche.

Todos aprendimos algo esta noche tranquila. La ciudad natal de muchos de los familiares importantes de Jesus,  nos enseñó a todos una lección: Cuando Jesús celebra su cumpleaños, todo el mundo se lleva bien, todo el mundo sonríe, todo el mundo se empapa con recuerdos de amante de la paz que nunca será olvidado.

Belle y yo les enviamos esto a todos ustedes en ese espíritu.

I AM WHO I AM, FROM THE WOMB TO THE TOMB

I AM WHO I AM AND JESUS AND MARY DON'T LET ME FORGET IT...

YOU SHOULD NOT EITHER.  SO, DON'T FORGET, DO NOT CRY AT MY FUNERAL.

The following is from Pope Francis...

"Our identity is not for sale.  Do not put it up for auction just because you want to be like everyone else. Uniformity of thought is the fruit of worldliness and leads to apostasy.  "The warning of Pope Francis on this morning Monday, November 16, at the St. Martha chapel came as a strong slap to the cheek not only of the laity but of the clergy as well. The Holy Father thinks of the World as a place where "it is forbidden to be different, where it is necessary for everyone to be equal," where "we change the name of religious holidays - Christmas of the Lord for example - to delete our identity."  He calls this “Uniformity of thought” and warns that it is the source of "destruction"

To explain the misleading effects of the Uniformity of thought, to which he applies the traditional name of Worldliness, the Pope went to the first reading of the day - an extract from the First Book of Martyrs of Israel - speaking of the coming of Antiochus Epiphanes, the descendant of Alexander's the Great, described as "a man of sin," who was seduced by unfaithful men, and ended by gradually imposing pagan customs in Israel.  He decreed that all the inhabitants of his kingdom were to form a single people in a unique Uniformity of thought.  It was controlled Worldliness.  It gradually began to seem so reasonable.  Look, “we are like everyone else, we are normal."  However, it turned into destruction.  If anyone was found with a book of the Law to conform to its rules, they threw the Book into the fire, tortured and killed the one who dared be different and  killed "the guilty" one. Thus began a real "persecution" against those who had the courage to resist.

Worldliness is indeed deceptive and contagious. 

Worldliness is to behave as the world does. It is "to auction our identity."  Pope insisted, "To be all the same" as those Israelites who "disowned their faith and moved away from the Holy Alliance." (1 Samuel 8:20 - Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.)  That’s how we arrive at apostasy and persecution. Worldliness is a "poisonous root" that leaves the Lord: "She goes off and slowly grows, is justified, rationalized and contaminates" the Pope explained.  And if "many evils come from there," he added, it is precisely because it is "misleading" and "contagious." Worldliness is the door to the Uniformity of thought - "everybody does it why not us?”   This humanism takes the place of Jesus, and destroys the specific Christian identity.

As he usually does, the Pope was true to his habit of inviting his listeners to personal reflection, inviting them to ask themselves the question, "What is my identity? Christian or worldly? Do I call myself a Christian because I was baptized as a child or because I was born in a Christian country where everyone is a Christian?”  He concluded with a special prayer for the Church, asking the Lord to protect her from "any form of worldliness," and for the Church and the Catholic faithful that they not lose their identity received through Baptism as desired by Jesus Christ, and not to reject it on the grounds of being like everyone else.

USA - UNITED STRONGLY AGAINST LIFE

Shame on them for killing these poor innocent souls.
We have to go over there and get rid of all those dastardly criminal mass murderers.  How can we stand by and not do anything about this?  Why aren't we  bombing them back to the stone age?  How can we stand by and allow vicious savages such as these to inhabit the planet?

It's easy for us to feel outrage at the human terrorist animals in the middle east and go quietly on our way as we are surrounded by the same kind of animals here at home. We don't hear the outcry from the halls of government to bomb our mass murderers back into the stone age. Not them.  It's not their fault that that they have anger management issues over other such emotional and mental unbalances.  Oh, and before I forget, I have to remind you all that this is the price that we pay for the great treasure of the freedom that we have in this country to bear arms according to our very constitution.

I and my spouse travel to Israel about once per year.  We lead pilgrimages to the holy sites.  Every year we get the same story from people whom we invite. They tell us that it is too dangerous to go to the part of the world.  Huh?  Too dangerous?  It's so dangerous that you can walk the city streets at night with no trepidation.  The mass murders in Israel can't compare with those we have here, yes, even on a pro-rata basis.  We are the champion murderers of the highly developed countries of the world.  Yep, American exceptionalism at its very best.

Before I leave the page, let me add the ever popular crusade of the "pro-lifers" to the mix.  They are not pro-life.  They are pro-gestation.  Once the baby is born, all bets are off.
Why don't they just say that they are anti-abortion?  Is it because then they would logically have to say that they are anti-capital punishment?  Would it be that they would then have to say that they are anti-war?  Or anti-drone?  Or, may lightning strike me!, anti-gun?  Or even for just a little bit of gun control legislation?

And finally, I will say this because no other commentator has dared to bring it before the camera... Oregon is a concealed weapon carrying state.  There were pistol packing students present on the campus in Roseburg when the savage killed ten people.  They did not, could not stop him.  One of those very armed students admitted so much before the cameras.  What happened there, Wayne?
Seems like the bad guy with the gun slipped one by the good guys with the gun.

I know that many of you will read this and your blood will boil. Good, let it simmer a while and then resolve that you will not shed one single tear at the news of my funeral.

POSSIBILITIES OF AN "IMPOSSIBLE" SITUATION -- WE'RE TALKING MARRIAGE

This may have made you smile when you first let your eyes fall upon it.  That's OK. When I was looking for something to depict what I want to present, I smiled at this and moved on to something more "meaningful" and less humorous.  Well, as you can readily see, I changed my mind.
I changed my mind because the humor depicted here is also a part of the solution that I intend to propose concerning those Catholics who are in the "Impossible Situation" of an invalid marriage surrounded by children who are being taught to be faithful to Sunday Mass attendance.  That in itself, is half bad.  It gets worse when the children get to be eligible to approach the altar of communion while Mama and Papa must refrain.
Those who for some reason, and there are many reasons, must sit by and pray silently by themselves in the pew while many around them go to the altar for communion are certainly in a challenging position.  For some it is because they are in a second marriage after a divorce following a wedding in the Catholic Church;  for others it is because they simply did not follow the prescribed path to get married in the Catholic Church.  This writing is not intended to suggest means to rectify the situation.  This writing is offered under the presumption that the person who is not receiving Communion is in a life situation that doesn't have an immediate solution within the laws and practices of the Catholic Church for the time being.  It's like the person in the picture above. He and his load are underway and there is nothing that can be done to make the situation better except to keep it going in the hope that all will end well.

There are lines of misinformation concerning the life situation of people who for one reason or another are caught in the margin of the Church doctrine concerning the Sacrament of Matrimony. Those who live in that margin are told many things by people of all walks of life about their situation.  It is understandable  that much of the popular information about the sacrament of marriage is marginally true and exact, at best.  It takes some fairly well informed specialists to master the intricacies of Church Law and Doctrine about Marriage.
That is why Pope Francis and his pool of leaders are looking for ways to simplify the intricacies and clarify the doctrine.  This is a huge challenge not only because the Church must not change the doctrine but is must also be careful that whatever it does will be easy enough for the faithful to understand that the change is in the practice and not the doctrine.
Whatever happens will require some intense communication from the rectories of the world.  First, the priests will have to learn and fall in line.  Then they will have to instruct the faithful.  Second, the faithfull will have to learn and fall in line.  The priests must be ready to provide the truth, pure and simple. The priests will have to be far more reliable than the media outlets.
In the meantime, you who must sit and wait, must also pray and join your heart and soul to Jesus, sacrificed on the Altar for everyone's salvation.  Use the moment for intense communion of heart and soul and you will be supported by the Lord Jesus Himself.  Stay focused; Hold Jesus' hand;  You're alone with Him beside you in the pew.  Take advantage of that and talk to Him.  He's there and He never turns a dear ear to those who direct their ideas and their love toward Him.  Mostly, remember, you are not condemned.  You are loved.  Take advantage of the moment and invite Jesus to invade you in Spiritual Communion.

So get ready.  Fasten your seat belt and leave your handkerchief at home because after this you won't be tempted to cry at my funeral.