True Meaning of Thanksgiving

Listening Faithfully Blog 2014 Post

18 “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18

In past posts I have talked about Thanksgiving in the historical sense, explored the religious meaning, and I have delved into both sides of the human drama, (that being of the Native Americans and the English Pilgrims), from a moral view. But this year I wanted to write about what it means in a more detailed manner from the general view of family.

The very word, “Family”, is the root that brought about the fight for freedom both here on Earth and in Heaven. In a broad sense God uses “family” as the template of every social group known to man. In every way we learn and grow from the bounty of our families. But this interaction is not exclusive to humanity rather almost every other bioligal life form that we know of on this planet thrives through lessons learned which both develop and mold such things as character, morality, compassion, survival, and even the idea of justice at some basic level. In the animal kingdom there is social order and hierarchical structures that are put in place to teach and which promotes the survival of the group or family. So in this broad sense family is the root of survival. But what does this hypothesis have to do with Thanksgiving, a man made tradition turned Federal Holiday? Well for this I share a deep secret found throughout the Christian Bible.

God is called the father! What is a father? In olden days a father was the head of the house, the disciplinarian, provider, protector, leader, mentor, teacher, and general supporter of all family activities. The same is true for Priests who are also called father for the same reasons but within a religious context. Thus, it is from the father our families find a foundation and in this we see God as the head of every family both secular and religious. This structure within our families is from the divine and is pre-programmed into us from the start. In our celebration of family we are celebrating our very nature which we share with the animal kingdom under God. Because we are all related we are told by God to give thanks for the many blessings we receive from the father that which is in heaven from which everything is given. So Thanksgiving is the celebration of both blessings we receive throughout the year and is a celebration of our families; the survival they provide on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis independent of our religious beliefs.

In examining Thanksgiving from this perspective I asked my fourth grade students to write seven sentences about what they are thankful for and it is not surprising to me that they overwhelmingly wrote about their families. Few of them wrote about God though I teach in a Private Catholic School. Still fewer mentioned their teachers and the support we give them. Rather the majority was focused on their families love, kindness, sacrifice, and the many things they receive daily from their families. Many of those things are the necessities of life in general. Their paragraphs became evident to me of how we are all programmed by God to need the same things from birth till death. At the core of this need is the family unit!

So this Thanksgiving I celebrate the family in all of its forms be it biological, religious, social, political, economic, traditional and non traditional, friendships, and in a global community of beings sharing the same Earth, the same resources, and sharing the same needs. For it is within God the father’s plan that we celebrate our shared blessings, our shared needs, as well as our differences. Thus, I say to you in Jesus’s name are we to love one another and to jointly celebrate the role our many different types of families provide as it is granted first from God the father who art in heaven.

Have a joyous Thanksgiving and remember to celebrate all things which are good that God has made.

I also ask that you keep the family and friends of our beloved sister Theresa Marie Mehan, born June 18, 1922 and who went to meet the Our Lord this past November 18, 2014 in your prayers this holiday season.

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Amen

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Special Prayer Request

Many times I receive a request for those who are ill and not expected to live past a given date. When this date is given loved ones begin to morn even though the family member has not yet given up on life. Then sometimes the person lives past that date by a few hours, days, or weeks. I truly believe death can be stayed for some if prayers are sent out in ernest and in a great enough number. So today I ask all of you to keep a good friend – well within her 90’s – who has been ill and not expected to live past this Thanksgiving in your prayers. Her name is Theresa, of which her family request all other information to be kept private. So in Gods name we pray this prayer together as one world community:

Prayer for a Small Miracle

Dear Lord, God in Heaven, hear my prayers and the prayers of your faithful who pray in Theresa’s name today, tomorrow, and for all time for a small miracle.

Hear my heart Lord, for it was you who gave Theresa life, allowed her to live within your heart; doing your will here on Earth, for this reason I ask of you a small miracle.

Hear my thoughts of grief Lord, for the life lived and richly rewarded by your humble hands, for this reason I ask of you a small miracle..

Hear my soul Lord, as I raise my eyes to you, pleading to breathe more life into Theresa so that she may be alert, happy, and be able to spend one last meaningful Thanksgiving with friends and family, for this reason I ask of you a small miracle..

Hear my words O’Lord, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Almighty One Everlasting God of my heart, I beg of you to grant Theresa one last stay Lord, not for our selfish desires; rather so to allow Theresa to smile and pray with us one last time, for this reason I ask of you a small miracle…

Hear my words O’Lord of Lords – Master of all the Universe if it pleases you within your divine will; within your all knowing heart of hearts, I ask this small miracle on behalf of Theresa and all who love her dearly.

My God – My Prince of Life and of Death, I fear your wrath and am soothed by your all consuming love, I am humbled in your presences, and if you chose to bring Theresa home then Lord I pray it be quick and within your divine protection; for these reasons I ask of you this small miracle of life and of time for her to live among us for just a short while longer…

Lord I ask you to protect Theresa and keep evil from her door, keep sadness from her heart, and fill her with the holy spirit of your conviction and love.

Amen.

It is within God’s hands do we commit this prayer, and in His divine will to grant as we all pray daily.

May love and peace be with you all for all the days of your life.

Amen.

Taking the Rose Colored Glasses Off

18 “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’ 19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.” ~ Genesis 2:18-22

I love falling in love. I love how it makes me feel and the rush that it gives me. I love the intensity of love and the way it alters my perception on everything I am facing in life. I love the way love opens us up and allows us to see life from many different angles all at once. I love how this emotion takes us over making us consider accepting things we otherwise would not accept. I call this stage, “Wearing the Rose Covered Glasses”. Many times because we become so tuned into and taken over by this unrealistic love we refuse to take those rose colored glasses off and thus we stumble around in love and blind to the realities and to the dangers that are in front of us. We fail to recognize a rose from the snake which is wrapped around and covering the thrones on its stem. We ignore the fact that love and the act of falling in love is biblical! Therefore, I say to you before falling in love with another person go back and read the bible from Genesis because love as awesome an emotion it is again originates from God because He is love! We need to act responicable in our love with both God and the other person we have fallen for. Thus, I warn you all now that rushing in to grab the fruits of such a personal relationship that love can establish can quickly be turned into a sin! I write this mainly for the young who are exploring love for the first time, for those who have never acted upon their impulses, who are still pure in the body and flesh for to you the goal is clear. Your goal is to fall in love once so that you never have to repeat the process of dating, marriage, and having children, so that you never face divorce or rejection in your relationship and so that you never lose that Godly love you were blessed with in the first place. Many young people have unrealistic expectations when they fall in love or become infatuated with another human being. Many young people cannot discern real love from infatuation because they ignored the first step in establish a lifelong love relationship with their potential partner. Young people often rush in for the main prize that God reserved solely for those who have dedicated their lives to each other in holy matrimony. Only to then be disappointed when their relationship falls apart.

God’s First Gift Within Your Love Relationship

As Genesis indicates God made a partner for you; equal and ready to help you face life and all of its challenges. God created Eve from Adam not so that Adam could dominate her, subdue her, and imprison her, but rather so they could live within that perfect union called marriage as a team for, “There is no ‘I’ in Team!”~ Author unknown. Thus, if you first understand this simple concept then you can face life as a whole person, as a productive member of your society, loving member of your family, and a leader, teacher, and mentor to your children and all who you meet. God created mankind in His image and thus the image of God is love. We only have to take off the rose covered glasses to see ourselves in the light of God; in the light of purification and joy. Thus, marriage is sacred, it was created by God and anything outside of His will for our happiness and personal relationships is a sin.

What Is Acceptable

The fine line between the loving relationship God accepts and the one he does not is the absolute starting place. I say to you all now that everything in your life must be God centered. There will be some people who take this with a grain of salt and ignore this teaching and just run with their emotions. “But what do you have in that?” Nothing! Absolutely nothing! You cannot save yourself without God in your life, for He alone made you! God alone granted you the privilege of life! He alone granted you this time on this Earth to be happy and without Him you have nothing! Yes, you could become the wealthiest person on Earth, have the most handsome or beautiful spouse, the best kids, the best possible life and not believe in God, but what do you have after this life? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! For everything in this world is temporary and will not last, but your eternal soul will carry on, thus the love and respect, courage and faith, even the time you give to God is in full measure what you will receive when you are judged by Him. It is a stupid notion to think you can escape God and His prefect judgment. To love God is to not just be happy now but to also be happy later, to choose to be with God now is in reality choosing to be with Him later. To rejoice in God is not just to be fruitful now but to be fruitful forever and ever. The loving relationship you have now with God will spill over into your loving relationship you will share with your spouse, with your family, and with all whom you meet. Thus, with God your life is truly blessed and without Him in your life you will be eternally lost. As I see it and hope that you all see it too is that in reality there is no real choice between them. I choose to live with God, to be blessed all the days of my life, to live with Him now and forever so that all my relationships are also blessed by God forever. I say this to you because my friends I would hope that all of you would choose the same in and for your life.

The Blessing in Taking Your Time

I truly believe that taking your time – thus spending time – to understand, to learn, and grow in a friendship first relationship is the best avenue to building that skyscraper relationship that provides the loving, caring, and personal lifelong marriage relationship that we all crave. I say this because if you are not in a rush then you can learn to communicate, become comfortable within that communication and thus give the foundations the core attribute that is needed; or better known as “trust”. It is no secret I prize trust over everything else in my life after God. I would end any relationship if I feel I could not trust the other person. I would rather walk away than to live with a person whom I questioned at every turn. Trust is the core of all your relationships at every level of life, for it was intended by God that Adam and Eve implicitly trust one another to survive. What do you really have without trust? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! I have seen many people breakup because their trust was broken, marriages fall apart after decades because the trust was destroyed. I look at this word “trust” as like the “trusses” built into every building or bridge, you break them they fall and collapse in upon itself! Therefore, it takes time to build anything and this includes marriage relationships! I teach all my kids at school to be weary of, “so called friends” on the internet; people whom they have never met in person because this activity can lead to a very dangerous place. The question I pose to them is, “How can you really trust someone you don’t really know?” In this “How can you trust someone you have never met?” This extends into their life the older they get as they begin to examine and question all their relationships through a moral campus. It takes face to face connections, real life experiences where both parties see, hear, and understand each other in a real way. This teaching in some regard is contradictory to my own actions in my personal life where I have met people on the internet, became friends in the real sense of the word, and I have flown to various countries trusting the other person would be there when I landed and would fulfill their promise of taking care of me while I visited. I have created good relationships from this activity, but I have the experience of being in the Navy, traveling the world, understanding different cultures, and I can discern friend from foe. I present this without wearing the rose covered glasses, without expectations, without the fantasy younger people inter into their relationship with while trusting in a person they don’t real know nor trust. In the other sense of the word “trust” I have also befriended people who I seen, meet in person, and have been duped by them. Thus, “trust” should be something that takes time to build, takes time to affirm, and takes time to explore; in that time to earn.

The Promise of a Healthy Sexual Life

God made Adam, then he made Eve. This is a simple enough concept as it is implied that God made Eve to help Adam, to be with Adam, to love Adam. But this love Eve was given for Adam was also given to Adam when Eve was presented to him, flesh of his flesh bone of his bone, for they were one and the same within their love they held for each other. To have sex with your mate is to become one and to share in an action of passion that is either blessed by God or not blessed by God. Again I ask, “What do you really have apart from God?” Nothing! Absolutely nothing! This includes having sex with your partner, because if you engage in this activity outside of God’s blessing then it is not blessed. Sex for sex sack is not of God, for the promise of the fruits of marriage would thus be taken and spoiled. Too many people indulge their carnal cravings and live a never ending emotional rollercoaster that ends at the station forcing the rider to again wait in line to get back on the ride. “What do they have in their addiction to the highs and lows of the ride itself?” Momentary pleasure perhaps? “But what is that in contrast to a lifelong loving relationship with your equal?” Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Because God is eternal and we are made in his image we are also filled with a spirit that is also eternal, and thus to be with God is to follow God’s instruction for a pure heart, mind, and soul. To wait, to seek, to find, and to grow into a lifelong committed relationship is the only way to be filled with God’s love, and again this spills over to your spouse. “What then do you have if you are loved by another person with the same intensity as that of Eve’s love for Adam?” You will gain the very promise of God and will become filled with a burning love that no man could ever put asunder! For there is no rose covered glasses need within this relationship because it is real!

Amen,

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The Making of a Saint

²¹“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” ~ Matthew 7:21-23

The fact is you might think your saved, you might do all the right things according to man’s laws, you might lead a so called “godly life”, but the reality is the Gates of Heaven is your goal! Salvation through Jesus Christ is your goal! As Matthew points out getting to heaven has absolutely nothing what so ever to do with your works here on Earth! It has nothing to do with simply going to church every Sunday because everyone else does it, praying because everyone else does it, following the crowd because that is what you have been told to do! I like to think getting to heaven is much like becoming a living Saint, there is many steps because it is a process as everything in life is a process, and if you ignore that process then all your deeds however good if not rooted in God’s eternal love will be as nothing, will count as nothing, and Jesus will turn from you as if he did not ever know you. Thus, lets look at how people become Saints in our modern era, and then balance the process against humanity which is so flawed.

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THE PROCESS

The process according to the Catholic Church in becoming a Saint is as follows; (Click Here For Article).

In stage one Sainthood for the Catholics begin with the personal testimony of people who knew the candidate. Personal testimony much in line with the personal testimony given after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this the person who is being considered did something which affected people in a profound way, something that was earth shaking to those who were affected by them. It could be as simple as giving joy, or love, the taking care of those who could not take care of themselves, to being humble and gracious. In all of these things the list is to long to write here but the actions of the candidate surely moved many peoples hearts.

Stage two information is gathered and the candidate is examined from all angles, their sins, their weakness, their worst moments to their best moments, as their very character is examined in its totality.

Stage three even more discussion and evidence is gathered; specifically within everything they wrote or published. Every act as the complete picture is becoming clearer of who this person was in life and what they stood for.

Stage four is the active prayer life of everyone who knew them and the Church looks to see if other people are being brought to pray by the candidate after their death. In this stage possible miracles are weighted and the total affect of that person’s life finally comes into full view.

Stage five yet another miracle is required that proves God has elevated this person to a high place in Heaven.

In all of these stages the candidate is judged by his/her piers, family, community, by the Church, and the world. I call your attention to the act of judging as this is something God will do to all who breath and who die. For God’s judgement is final and absolute, the picture of your life is clear to Him from day one. Therefore, His judgement of you is also just. In this I can honestly say that the process of becoming a Saint in the eyes of man is flawed when compared to God’s judgement, however this process is as close as we can get if followed to the letter.

THE UNNAMED SAINTS

With all this said, I humbly offer that I truly believe that there are living Saints who are regular people who you see and do not know, whose name you will never hear, their ideas never published, and their works go unnoticed. These unnamed Saints I believe are placed here on Earth to purposefully go undetected while working God’s will. After all it comes down too working the will of God, believing in God, trusting in God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength – for that is the true path to Heaven.

ST. VINCENT

This past Friday I saw St. Vincent staring Bill Murray – a man deeply flawed who to a boy was a Saint. It reminded me of all the reasons why people are judged and who are really never given a fare judgement by other adults. But through the eyes of a child that judgement is justified in ways adults simply cannot grasp. I bring this up because Bill Murray’s character is called into question by everyone and like Saints of the past and present those who are considered though judged on a larger scale; nevertheless every aspect of their lives are looked at. Bill Murray’s character would be a good representation of a modern day Saint who goes unnoticed and undetected as he simply is going about God’s business here on Earth and like the movie suggests there is a wonderful activity as a teacher I feel everyone should do. That activity is simple and straight forward and yes very powerful if completed by following it to the letter!

PICKING A PERSONAL SAINT

Challenge – Think about the qualities of a real life Saint. (Though we cannot nominate everyone to be a Saint via the Catholic Church we can do the following in our own lives…) We start by asking this question: “Who do you know that would make a good candidate for Sainthood in your life”? When thinking about this remember Saints are flawed human beings and so it is necessary to look past their flaws as God often does. Here is the list of qualities needed:

1.) Humility – Saints exhibit humility never calling attention to their good deeds.
2.) Sacrifice – Saints make huge sacrifices for the betterment of others which is often not in their own personal best interest.
3.) Persistence- Saints never give up.
4.) Love – Saints show the love of God in their daily actions.
5.) Faith – Saints demonstrate faith, thereby teaching others to have faith.
6.) Forgiveness- Saints always seek peace and the making of peace through forgiveness.
7.) Trust – Saints give you their word, their honor, and trust and do so blindly always looking at the good in all people. Therefore, they are people you can trust with your heart.

Amen

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Silence As A Weapon

3 “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. 4 Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies.” ~ Psalm 141:3-4

I am not going to make this long nor am I going to mince words. God did not intend for us to use silence as a weapon against members of our families whom we disagree with, or friends who have made us mad, or children whom are being hard to handle as children often are. God did not intend for us to use silence as a weapon and exile people from their homes or to make them feel uncomfortable in their own skin. His desire was not to give people the most mighty of weapons to make others guess where they stand or force them to jump through hoops to earn affection! God did not give us tongues so as to not use them, rather he wanted us to voice our opinions respectfully! Likewise, love is not silent! If you have ever said to someone that you love them, then turn around and use silence the first time or second time or any time they have disappointed you, or made you mad, or upset you for any reason, well then you obviously did not love them as much as you thought!

God gave us free will to use as a guiding force to learn, to grow, to become more like Him. I have never known God to be silent in my life. I have wondered from time to time where He might have gone, why He may not be as vocal, but I have always heard His loving voice in my heart. I cannot say the same for some people in my life which will remain unnamed, as it is not my intent to single them out, but rather use their silence to show how irresponsible it is and how much of a waste of time it is to chose silence over forgiveness, over true love, over the opportunity to grow closer through your arguments. It is certain to me that God made all of us different, with our own thoughts, feelings, likes, and dislikes and each of us have a tongue to express these differences. It is a choice not to voice your feelings or to share them through communication! The notion you had no choice, well that is stupid! Recently I have been told by a friend they where silent because they felt they had no choice. My friends… you always have a choice! You always have the power to share or not to share, to give or not to give.

I do not pray to God to watch over my mouth to keep me silent, rather I pray that He watches over my mouth so I speak with respect, honor, dignity when addressing those who I disagree with. I do not pray to God to seal my lips, for this will happen at my death and I say to you all now that I am not dead and will not be dead for quite some time! I have a lot to say and a lot to share. There will be no one who I will allow to take my voice from me, no one will I allow to keep me so bottled up I react with silence!

Let’s explore this from another angle…. If I say that I love you then you can expect me to voice when I am happy with you, when I am disappointed with you, when I am upset at you and in that I may ask for some time alone but in no manner am I withdrawing from you and will use silence to punish you. You can expect the truth at all times no matter how painful that may be. I was given the opportunity and honor to love you and therefore I will guard that love with my voice, with my words, with my actions, with the truth! That my friends is what God does every day for every one of us here on this rock we call Earth! God is not going to sit on His throne in Heaven and look at you on judgement day and say nothing! Jesus is not going to defend you against Satan on judgement day with His proverbial silence! So why should I recoil from those I love and punish them with silence. To do anything that God would not do is not perfect, and therefore a sin. Silence as a weapon is a sin! Silence used to punish those you do not like is a sin!

¹⁵“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. ¹⁶But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” Matthew 18:15-17

Conflict is not settled through silence, rather it is settled by everyone knowing what everyone else is thinking and feeling. How could I ever settle an argument if I have no clue why your angry? Out of ever tool God gave mankind – mind reading – was not among them! Jesus could have never settles disputes had the two parties not come to Him first with their grievance. So I call it stupid for people to think the other person should know why, should understand, if no words had been exchanged which highlighted the grievance in the first or second or any place! At that point the angered party is just being willful which is also a sin! Why? Because God is love, and God is not silent, he does not lie, He does not alienate, He does not remain quite. Therefore, love is all about inclusion, forgiveness, mercy, and communication. Love is patient, it is kind, it is not quite, it is loud and sometimes obnoxious and painful, but more than anything else it is real and it is there with you every day for the rest of your life if you let it in. But silence is the mark of a hardened heart, and to be such a person is liken to condemning yourself to sin.

So I say to you all… be not silent, be not cowardly, be not weak, be not sinful, through away your ignorance, cast out your stubbornness and give in to the noise of love. Give your soul to the sharing of love, to the giving of your thoughts and feelings, for to do anything else is against your nature and against our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen

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Special Prayer For Robin Williams

It is not every day that a person with such talent, love, and energy is born and rises to such heights as our brother Robin Williams….

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The All-Consuming Passions of Mankind pt.1

The Differences between Love and Hate

In this first installment we will explore man’s definition of love, and in that the two all-consuming passions that utterly take us over and blind our reason forcing us to do both heroic and barbaric things to others depending on whether we feel love or hate for them. In reality there is a very fine line between love and hate and in our brain there is virtually no difference between them. That I know is a shocking statement in and of itself, but never the less this strange and scary construct has been scientifically proven to be true. But before we go there let’s begin with scripture and then apply man’s definitions we have created for these two all-consuming emotions. Let’s examine them biblically first then move into science.

8 “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.” ~ 1 Peter 3:8-9

The Perfect Example of Love

The simple message carried throughout the Middle East and into Europe in the decades after the death of Christ by His disciples was a very basic one, “Love one another.” The absolute “Love” of God or “Agape Love” was the example and is today the hardest to achieve. I have to think that God would not have shown us such a perfect love if we as mortals could not attain it and in that we look to Jesus who throughout all the hateful things others did to him and others he loved never once acted out with anything in his heart other than this agape love of Gods. So with that said we can extrapolate this purest of all love is attainable and should be our starting point in our search for the true definition of what Jesus really meant by;

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34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” ~ John 13:34

Love Defined

It has been long debated what love is, how we should love, what love looks like, how to handle heartbreak, and the strong emotion love overwhelms us with. We have undoubtedly struggled with this concept we call love and in our rational mind love makes us do things which makes no sense to our personal well-being but rather fulfills a basic need all people are born with from the start. This struggle all people contend with in both their personal and professional lives is further complicated with our struggle to understand an equally overwhelming emotion known as hate. Hate presents the same questions as does love and it appears as strongly in our hearts as does love. One could even argue that hate is loves evil twin who twists loves goodness into a pool of unrecognizable film of darkness. Therefore, love is an emotion which is equal to hate, and the line which divides them is much thinner than we could have ever imagined. It boggles the mind how love could be at the root of a hateful act, and vice-versa, how hate could ever be linked to love. In an attempt to explore this paradox we must first start with the modern definition of love;

Love is defined as –

A profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
A feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
Sexual passion or desire.
A person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.
(Used in direct address as a term of endearment, affection, or the like): Would you like to see a movie, love?
A love affair; an intensely amorous incident; amour.
Sexual intercourse; copulation. ~ Found online at http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/love

First Form of Love

Each of the seven definitions covers a huge realm of emotions, feelings, and actions that are linked to other emotions that help to build this intense feeling of love. An example of this is found in the first definition: a profoundly “tender” – (the word “tender” is different than the word love and is uniquely described as being: weak, immature, easily moved, soft, young, delicate, not strong or hardy, and or gentle. ~ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tender ). This word “tender” must then be viewed as nothing more than a supporting feeling of love linked in our actions for or against others while always playing a minor role in the background.

Example: I can argue in a “tender” way and thus be perceived as not being strong or weak on the argument. I can console another person “tenderly”, and thus be perceived as being soft and delicate. I can have a crush on another person and thus be perceived as being young or immature in my actions towards them, even biased when compared to others. None of which equals the emotion of love, but are qualities found in love. I could easily argue with my girlfriend or wife in a tender way so as not to hurt their feelings, I could console them softly, and act childish in my actions in private and when defending them become very bias because of my love for her. This extends to our children and other family members. We say this is love but in reality it is the expression of love in its weakest or mildest form.

So being “tender” is the first act of showing a growing emotion for another person and consequently the step to becoming vulnerable and complete exposed. It is proceeded by the second definition of love: a feeling of warm personal attachment – (here again we now are part of something bigger than ourselves and this most basic of emotions fulfills a primal need programmed into every person on earth by our creator – the need to belong. ~ http://listeningfaithfullyblog.com/2009/04/18/reflections-1-a-real-relationship-with-god-relationships-series/ )

In this first ever blog posting of Listening Faithfully I try to point out how we are hot-wired from the start by God in order that these emotions should guide us to serve our Lord emphatically. However, the love that manipulates our choices and decisions are profoundly linked to first becoming willingly subdued to the strong over powering emotion of love. Therefore, the first sign of this would be to do something for someone else that in reality you would not have otherwise done and in this your actions are “tender”, others may perceive you as being silly or weak and even soft. This perception can be both good and bad and carry with it a diverse volume of consequences, both unintended and intended.

Example: The irrational act of giving flowers or presents to a person you’re infatuated with without knowing their true feelings for you first – spending money you probably should have kept – defending a person even if it puts you in a weaker position with others – and my personal favorite, the games we play with ourselves when trying to justify these actions either to ourselves or others who have called us out on it. However intense the act of being “tender” is in our own mind we are in reality sending signals out to the world like a probe in search of love – to test if this new connection will fulfill our most basic needs of belonging.

The Evolution of Love

Again, in all of this love is becoming stronger, our actions more manipulated, our ability to reason is more compromised, and this wonderful all-consuming emotion drives further into our heart and mind as it progresses into the next more powerful definition of love – that being: sexual passion or desire. In this stage of love we as human-beings are able to express the deepest of emotions – the power to share without fear of being compromised – the need of confession is realized as is the bond between two people is thus born into it’s infancy not unlike an impenetrable bridge made of iron and concrete. Sadly many people confuse the pleasures of this stage of love with the act of having sex which is a primal effort to pass ones genes on so as to insure the survival of one’s own lineage. In this confusion of feelings love becomes the act of having sex rather than the tenderness of giving flowers, or the soft manner we hold each other’s hand, or even the ability to argue softly with love in our voices. These pleasures are then lost as our bodies begin to crave carnal pleasure and our mind and emotions become detached from the true purposes of love. Therefore, what some would call love is in reality a sin and an abomination in the eyes of God. For no other reason is there so many divorces and children born out of wedlock. For no other reason is there the crimes of passion we see played out nightly in the news, and the broken hearts of children who are left wondering why their parents are absent in their lives. ~ For a deeper explanation Click Here

On the other hand when these emotions are handled in a mature responsible way with dignity and respect do we see the miracle of God in the faces of our children, is there the foundations drilled deep that support a whole productive and balanced family unit, and in this do we see couples love and honor each other until death do they part. But even this outcome is dependent fully on the trick of our minds and emotions that love weaves that allows us to do things we would not otherwise do with not clear benefits to ourselves but yet greatly benefits others around us. In this more complete definition offered by the bible do we find the root of love and also it evil twin – that of hate.

With that firmly rooted in your mind, I am always called back to the biblical definition of love – a definition where love is defined in a broader and more diverse way; one that goes far beyond the online dictionaries we have at our fingertips today and which I have quoted from in this posting.

“4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails.” ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

With this universal standard we can begin to understand what love really is and how powerful it can be. We begin to fully view the greatest gift of all and how it manipulates our thinking, alters our actions, and provokes both heroic and barbaric deeds. We literally scratch the surface of this gift given to us by God and yet just start to uncover the deepest consequences it holds for all man-kind.

Amen

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Dr. Kallay was my boss and God Mother at Ascension Catholic School and she has recently retired due to health issues. I am sharing the video I made on behalf of the Ascension Community to Honor her 11 years of service. CLICK HERE

Invitation To Pray: Prayer for the Sons and Daughters of Man

Prayer for the Son’s and Daughters of Man

4 “O God, you have declared me perfect in your eyes; you have always cared for me in my distress; now hear me as I call again. Have mercy on me. Hear my prayer. 2 The Lord God asks, ‘Sons of men, will you forever turn my glory into shame by worshiping these silly idols, when every claim that’s made for them is false?’ 3 Mark this well: The Lord has set apart the redeemed for himself. Therefore, He will listen to me and answer when I call to Him. 4 Stand before the Lord in awe, and do not sin against Him. Lie quietly upon your bed in silent meditation. 5 Put your trust in the Lord, and offer Him pleasing sacrifices. 6 Many say that God will never help us. Prove them wrong, O Lord, by letting the light of your face shine down upon us. 7 Yes, the gladness you have given me is far greater than their joys at harvest time as they gaze at their bountiful crops. 8 I will lie down in peace and sleep, for though I am alone, O Lord, you will keep me safe.” ~ Psalm 4: 1-8

~ Pray Silently ~

Dear Lord, O’ God, how I tremble before you, how I fall to my face and pray with such excitement. You hear my words before I can utter them and you answer my fears with resounding love and grace. I hear your voice in my heart; I feel your presence working throughout my body even unto my very bones. I so long for the silence within each day so I may spend it with you My Lord, My God. O’ How I fall into your arms through meditation as I lay still at night. O’ Lord, My God, I hear your voice calling out to me and I hear what you say, the questions you ask that I am afraid to answer for many of them lovingly convict me in my sin. I hear the might in your voice and feel your absolute authority over all your people; your child. I feel you chase away the evil which would attach itself to my heart; O’ Lord I am relaxed within your divine salvation. With this I testify to you my God, I know you work your will through me and I ask you to do the same for all your children. O’ Lord, My God, I beg of you to hear my prayer – baptize your elect with the Holy Spirit, Anoint our heads with your kiss, confirm your love with ever lasting peace, and forgive the sons and daughters of man. Reassure their mind, heart, and soul that faith in you is never lost, let them feel you as I do, let them know your sacraments lead to a positive change, and that this is your holy invitation to come home to your everlasting grace. I ask of you O’ Lord, My God to enable your children to once again believe. In Jesus’s name I pray, Amen ~ Brian Stark (2014, Jan. 18)

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Invitation to Pray: Prayer When in Distress

Prayer When in Distress

3 A psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom

“O Lord, so many are against me. So many seek to harm me. I have so many enemies. 2 So many say that God will never help me. 3 But Lord, you are my shield, my glory, and my only hope. You alone can lift my head, now bowed in shame. 4 I cried out to the Lord, and he heard me from his Temple in Jerusalem. 5 Then I lay down and slept in peace and woke up safely, for the Lord was watching over me. 6 And now, although ten thousand enemies surround me on every side, I am not afraid. 7 I will cry to him, ‘Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God!’ And he will slap them in the face, insulting them and breaking off their teeth. 8 For salvation comes from God. What joys he gives to all his people.” ~ Psalm 3:1-8

~ Pray Silently ~

Oh Lord, it is to you that I pray. It is to you I hang all of my hopes and fears upon, for it is only you who truly knows my heart. Lord, I call out to you as my redeemer; as my savior; for you have never left me when everyone else has abandoned me. Oh Lord, I know you see my struggles, my hardships, and all my difficulties I have endured. I know you have been there with me because I can feel you every moment of every day. Though my head is bowed, and I am weak from the fight, I have your assurance I will prevail. Though there are many who would bring me low, I have your promise that in that hour you will lift me high upon your shoulders. You will keep watch over me when I sleep and vanquish all who would come after me in the darkest of night. Oh my Lord, My God, with these truths I have no reason to fear or be in any distress, for you are with me and I am with you. For you give me your divine peace and holy security and it is through this I know I am truly saved. In Jesus’s name I pray, Amen ~ Brian Stark (2014, Jan. 16)

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Invitation to Pray – Prayer for our Nation!

Prayer for our Nation!

2 “What fools the nations are to rage against the Lord! How strange that men should try to outwit God! 2 For a summit conference of the nations has been called to plot against the Lord and his Messiah, Christ the King. 3 ‘Come, let us break his chains,’ they say, ‘and free ourselves from all this slavery to God.’ 4 But God in heaven merely laughs! He is amused by all their puny plans. 5 And then in fierce fury he rebukes them and fills them with fear. 6 For the Lord declares, ‘This is the King of my choice, and I have enthroned him in Jerusalem, my holy city.’ 7 His chosen one replies, ‘I will reveal the everlasting purposes of God, for the Lord has said to me, ‘You are my Son. This is your Coronation Day. Today I am giving you your glory.’” 8 ‘Only ask and I will give you all the nations of the world. 9 Rule them with an iron rod; smash them like clay pots!’ 10 O kings and rulers of the earth, listen while there is time. 11 Serve the Lord with reverent fear; rejoice with trembling. 12 Fall down before his Son and kiss his feet before his anger is roused and you perish. I am warning you—his wrath will soon begin. But oh, the joys of those who put their trust in him!'” ~ Psalms 2:1-12

~ Pray Silently ~

Oh’ Lord God in heaven; you who are the mighty one, I pray for your mercy, your wisdom, your forgiveness. Give your mighty hand rest against this Earth, against our leaders who have fallen into idleness and confusion. Touch their heart with love infusing them for all time with compassion for your children who are sick, hungry, tired, and weak. Show them their path is not righteous and holds no promise without your blessing, please Oh Lord, bring not your wrath to their plans but show them the blueprint of your mighty justice. Lord my God, lift up those leaders who hold your name in reverence, bless all they do in your name, help them lead as your will provides it, and show them ever lasting love and glory. Lord I ask for forgiveness against all my sins as I am a sinner who prays for other sinners.

Lord, I know your words are mighty, I know your ways are not mine, but I ask for your grace against my bones who you created, mold, and hold up against all adversity.

In these ways do I ask for you, Oh Lord, to hold together all your children, hold together all the weary, and hold in your hands all of us, giving your divine grace to everyone who asks especially our leaders… as we are all your children. In Jesus’s name I pray, Amen ~ Brian Stark (2014, Jan. 14)

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