How I learned to mind my own business.

I just received this unique email................


"HOW I LEARNED TO MIND MY OWN BUSINESS"


I was walking past the mental hospital the other day, and all the patients were shouting, ' 13...13...13'

The fence was too high to see over, but I saw a little gap in the planks, so I looked through to see what was going on...........


Some idiot poked me in the eye with a stick!!!


Then they all started shouting, ' 14...14...14......'

Let Them Eat Cake ! ! ! !

Well, Father's homily today had the rapt attention of many!!


He spoke of sacrifice. He spoke of the widow who gave away part of her last flour and oil to a stranger. He spoke of the Gospel story of the old widow who gave her two coins. And, he spoke of not enough health insurance, and too many weapons of destruction.

As I listened, I became uneasy, as my priest's remarks became more intense with each passing minute. I reminded myself to 'sit down'. (Remember how everyone panicked during the storm while Jesus was asleep in the boat? I often try to remember that I need verrrrry often to sit and wait out the storm a little before Jesus peaks out of the corner of His eye and lets me know what the real situation is!) So for a little while, I started to watch the expressions of people in the pews. Nope, I wasn't alone. There were more than a few whom I thought ready to jump ship.

I understood Father's passion. Yet, I could not help wondering if, during an increasingly political homily, if we would be allowed to interact??? I finally smiled at the mention of "socialism". I recited to my nephew sitting beside me what I had learned about socialism. "Everyone should give according to his abilities, and receive according to his needs." WONDERFUL!! I have told people for years that TRUE socialism was very, very, Christian. But, to my nephew I commented that , Many, many current politicians cannot bring themselves to be as fervent about Christianity as they are socialism. I have never understood how they could think Socialism can come about without Christianity? I then realized that I was starting to walk to the front of the boat so to speak. So I mentally 'sat down', flashed a grand smile to a parishioner who was smiling at me, and prayed a little prayer.

I did walk out of church and chat for a few minutes with some parishioners. We talked a little about socialism and I said that Father was right. He had baked a great cake with the basic ingredients. War is hell, children should be protected at all costs, we should give of ourselves unselfishly. I was listening. I understood. I had sat down in the boat. Yet, the frosting that Father had chosen for the cake, left a bad taste in my mouth. You know, what they use to frost a cake so that it looks good in a magazine is nothing that you can really eat.

The New Normal

"I will give you back your health and heal your wounds, says the Lord. Now you are called an outcast----'Jerusalem for whom nobody cares." Jeremiah 30:17


While recently sorting out 'stuff' for my daughters to take to their new residences, I came across a book that someone had given one of them, "90 Minutes in Heaven." At first I tossed it in a box because there was absolutely no way that I could justify taking the time to read it. Yeh, I know, that's a lightbulb that has been going off lately, "If I have NO time for something, I need to make the time." I am almost through it, and of course have gleaned a couple of things to take with me on the Journey. So, from the opening of Chapter 14, "The New Normal":

"Some things happen to us from which we never recover, and they disrupt the normalcy of our lives. That's how life is.
Human nature has a tendency to try to reconstruct old ways and pick up where we left off. If we're wise, we won't continue to go back to the way things were (we can't anyway). We must instead forget the old standard and accept a "new normal."



Not trying to beat a dead horse, but of course I thought of the parish consolidation. Not because I can't move on,(God knows I'm trying!) but because people still blame some in the parish for not moving on in the direction they want. "Make our parish better!" goes the cry! Well, some are trying to make Transfiguration Parish into a new parish relying on their 'old' model. The model that the people in Kirby knew will not transfer to a larger urban parish. The model of the larger urban parish of St. Peter may seem to 'detached' for those used to a smaller form of interaction. A New Normal is a must in my mind.
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I must admit that when I wrote the Scipture verse at the beginning, I wanted to leave off the "Now you are an outcast" part because one of my sisters would say, "Karen give it a rest, noone is after the people of St. Mary's!" Ok, but I wrote it anyway because I really have let the persecution complex part go, and because I see "Jerusalem for whom nobody cares," part as thinking that to really accept going forward with the Lord, people may treat me and anyone else who ventures toward a New Normal as a type of outcast.

I think it was St. Francis who was out with his hoe in the garden when a fellow church member came out running saying that the Lord would be at the Chapel in an hour. Running to the Chapel, his friend yelled back to Francis that much need to be done and what would he be doing to get ready for the Lord's arrival? Francis, without looking up, said quietly, "Keep hoeing."


I often remember that story when others say "You HAVE to do this for the parish, to get ready to receive the Lord, to get ready for Him." I often wonder how they know that what I am already doing isn't what He wants?

How was your day at school?

I am not on staff at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.
I am not on staff at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.
I am not on staff at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.
I am not on staff at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.
I am not on staff at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.
I am not on staff at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.
I am not on staff at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.
I am not on staff at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.
I am not on staff at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.
I am not on staff at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.
I am not on staff at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.
I am not on staff at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.
I am not on staff at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.
I am not on staff at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.
I am not on staff at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.
I am not on staff at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.
I am not on staff at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.
I am not on staff at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.
I am not on staff at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.
I am not on staff at Transfiguration of the Lord Parish.

Age to Age

Age to Age we will love you.

Dawning light we will wake with you.

Into night we will follow you.

We will love you Age to Age.

A State of Denial

Ah..the Sabbath!

I made it to church on time, found the homily interesting, the music soothing, and the sincere smiles of the congregation endearing. My husband had to work, so I was to have a rather quiet Sunday morning by myself. A breakfast of eggs, toast, juice and a rare cup of caffienated coffee, coupled with the bulletin and yesterday's paper,!seemed quite inviting.

I dutifully poured in the cold water and unloaded three heaping scoops of aromatic Caffe' Verona into the coffemaker but the little red light on the coffee maker would not respond! Pushing that ON button for over a minute with the precision of an EMT giving chest compressions, I had to finally give in to the thought that my coffeemaker was dead. I stared in disbelief at the coffeemaker for a minute or so. How could I be denied such a small pleasure?! On Sunday! I finally went upstairs and unearthed a coffemaker that I had picked up years ago at a silent auction. I should have been elated that I still had a chance at having my coffee. Instead, I sullenly realized that my picturesque breakfast would have to wait until I actually read the directions, ran the new coffeemaker through two cycles, and transfered the water and the coffee from the old maker to the new.


As I patiently (?) waited to start the real coffee cycle, I wondered why I felt that I HAD to wait until the coffee was made before I made my breakfast. I really do not really drink much coffee. One reason for semi- abstaining is the fact that I understand that caffeine intake should be limited for most people for general health reasons. The second fact is that no one who knows me has ever offered my caffeinated coffee if they intended to stay in the same room with me for over five minutes! So for obvious reasons, I often have coffee alone or with one person. Now was the time for my coffee!

My needed coffee fix has something to do with the fact that I am coming to the stage in life where I am looking for chances to slow down. I don't drink coffee before work, or when I have responsibilities to fulfill (Although there were the several cups downed to get me through one verrrry active Confirmation retreat!). I guess I now associate coffee with having the time to sit and talk. Having a coffee allows me to signal society that I have stepped off to the side of the treadmill and am taking a couple of minutes to gather myself.

My niece teased me a couple of weeks ago because she saw a styrofoam coffee cup posed behind my makeshift altar in the parlor( she thought I had absentmindedly forgot to throw it out.). Peeking out behind a statue of an open-armed Jesus and other small pictures and artifacts, the cup stands there ever so stately as a reminder for me to slow down. Did I take time to pray today? Did I take time to let someone finish saying what they had on their mind? Did I slow down, take a sip and think of the small things that often get lost in the rat race. Can I allow myself the pleasure of a quiet boost?

No, I wasn't about to be denied coffee this morning. I needed to take a minute to replace what was worn out. A minute to read a new set of directions. A minute to welcome something new in my life. God would never deny me a minute, why should I?

Happy Sabbath! Do you have a cup of coffee waiting for you?!

Unleavened bread

Father's homily this morning was about service. He related how in Confirmation, ninth graders were expected to perform various service projects. A woman in a previous parish lamented how she failed to see how her daughter would be expected to do tasks for strangers when she never offered to do laundry, wash dishes or sweep floors at home. Father thought that maybe many kids needed to see adults in their parished performing service projects themselves. Although he wasn't delivering a scathing comment directed squarely at our parish, I thought about what he said. Are we really that apathetic? I could rattle off a list of so many people whom I've seen lend a hand to those in need, and a prayer as well! Yet, I had to wonder what would whet our appetites to serve in a more open manner that might subsequently inspire our youth to do the same?

There have been many references in the Bible about the great banquet. I remember once wondering how a speaker scheduled to speak on the radio was going to find enough material to speak for a half an hour for two weeks on the Great Banquet. I was then very impressed with the variety of references he made to our daily lives during that presentation. The speaker emphasized that a Great Banquet needs a host, food and guests.

I always thought that before the consolidation of our parishes a couple of years ago, each parish had offered great meals. Good basic nutrition with some really great snacks thrown in! Our potential participation level might be affected by the fallout from the hasty consoldiation of Transfiguration Parish. Could it be that we are serving a meal that might seem to many to be tasteless and unsatisfying? Noone wants to be a host? Noone wants to prepare food? Noone wants to be a guest? Do we have spiritual hunger in our parish that is going unsatisfied?

I looked at our bulletin a couple of years ago and thought that the menu looked great. But I also thought about how many were not attending. Were people who had once hosted banquets not qualitfied to serve anymore? Were the food (programs,events) that was once fed to many no longer deemed nutritional enough? Maybe many people no longer wanted to be a guest where they felt they were not wanted. I am not viciously condemming those who were on staff at the time. They were good people. Unfortunately they tried to throw a banquet on their own without being familiar with the local cuisine. Would you want to serve Chinese food in an Italian restaurent? Especially in an Italian neighborhood? People weren't afraid of change during the Consolidation, as much as they were denied opportunity. Transfiguration could not use the yeast of many small community bakeries. I never thought that many of those parishioners stopped serving, they merely stopped serving the institution and instead looked to serve individuals or small groups. The new restaurant that the Diocese wanted, could not serve as well as the Mom and Pop diners that had previously existed. Why should anyone be surprised that many left the table? Processed food is no real substitue for homecooking.

I did smile when Father looked up at the end of his homily about limited participation in parish service, shrugged, and said, "I may be wrong." I admired the fact that he seemed willing to take a good look at the menu. All great cooks used basic ingredients and then experiment. We should have been creating a menu that would truly feed the people of our parish. We could have satisfied the palates of so many. It is never to late to adjust. There are a lot of great cooks in the parish. I really don't think that they care where they prepare the meal or whom they cook for. I feel that people will serve others with gusto if they are encouraged to add their yeast to Transfiguration in a way which will nourish. Others can sample the meal as it is being prepared. When people taste something good, they recognize it and will want more! There are so many different ways to prepare and organize a banquet. Let's prepare for a true feast and not simpy curse a perceived famine.

We have a Master Chef and 'The Ultimate Cookbook! The willingness to reopen all of the local eateries and to develop an appreciation for different culinary tastes, will prepare the greatest of banquets at which we all may serve and be served.

Bon appetite !!!

The Key is ..................

St. Mary's Center now has new energy efficient doors. New doors require new keys. The Facilities Committee had to decide how best to distribute the new keys to its parishioners. One member wondered aloud how many old keys were 'out there'. Were there forty, fifty, or even more than sixty?? Enough keys were then ordered for staff and all committee heads. If more keys were needed, then more would be ordered at a later date.

As the expected remarks were made to me about how one was deemed worthy enough to get a key, I went to Father to discuss the issue. He asked for an example, but before I could finish my sentence he quickly asked, "Why do they need one?" Taken aback, I said as quickly, "I don't know why they might think they need one." The discussion was over. I left the office remembering how simple most problems can be dealt with. Yes, there were a lot of reasons someone may have wanted a key, but the basic issue was "Why did they need one?"

I spent the next few days floating that phrase in my mind. Only I wasn't associating it with those keys now, but with our church. "Why do they need one?" Why do we need our church? During all of the consolidation headaches, many, many parishioners wanted to keep their church. But could they actually answer that lightning round question, "Why do you need it?"

Thanks Be To God !

I have sat here at my computer for twenty minutes trying to find out what to technically call Salem St. Joseph's community and how many years they have been in existence. I know it has something to do with the 'historial society' or 'heritage foundation' and that the number 160 keeps popping up in my mind. Then, laughing at myself (which I frequently do...often with others....) I realized that I am 'allowed' to refer to Salem St. Joseph's and people will know exactly who I am talking about and that the number of years isn't really as important as the fact that they will continue to have celebrations for a long time.


So, I will write that the good people from St. Joseph's celebrated their heritage with a mass and a pork chop dinner today. I did not attend the mass but was able to partake in the dinner. I could not help smiling at the wonderful feeling of fellowship that greeted me as I walked up to the dining hall. I can only actually recite the names of a very small percentage of those parishioners present. Yet, I recognized them. I recognized the people who took the battle for their church to the courtroom and came back with not only their building, but their community as well. I recognized those who never gave up the notion that God did not forsake them because they had not blindly followed those whose only wish was that they fall in line. They heard their Master's voice and followed the Good Shepherd. I recognized a caring and dedication that I will never, never forget.

I recognized the Spirit. Thanks be to God.

The Lord is Kind and Merciful

The refrain, "The Lord is Kind and Merciful" made me wince today. At first I smiled when I heard the first few notes and thought, "Yes, He is." But then to mind came the friends and families, especially the mothers (two of them were a grade ahead of me in highschool), of the three young men all under 20 years of age who died this week. I thought, "Yeh, try to convince them that the Lord is Kind and merciful." (I'm glad the Lord can handle a little sarcasm.) When three young men and one 41 year old man die within days of each other via car and gun accidents, one has to pause.

But then Father Bob spoke enthusiastically in his homily of St. Paul's words "Thy grace is sufficient." Yes, there is suffering associated with those who follow Christ. But isn't suffering almost a necessary rite of passage to attain what most cannot readily see?

I remember a small verse from a hymn that I memorized once:

"When through fiery trials our pathways shall lie. Thy grace all sufficient will buy thy supply. The flame will not hurt thee, I only design, thy dross to consume, thy gold to refine."

Pray that those families and friends will grasp the Lord's hand and steadily walk through the flames. Pray that their faith will only become stronger when they come through this. Pray that they will be able to one day sincerely say, "Yes, the Lord is Kind and Merciful."