Still A Slave To Opinion

A few weeks ago I was asked by my pastor to lead the Stations of the Cross. I was very happy - I love to participate in or lead any of the beautiful liturgical celebrations we Catholics are blessed with. Afterwards I asked my wife (who, as my most honest critic, once commented about my singing "you stunk!") how I had done. She said "It was very good". This made me happy. I am such a fool, when will I ever learn?

Lord Jesus, free me from my slavery and help me live the journey.

Peace
Deacon John the less

HOLY AND PROFANE

I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TWO WORDS THAT ARE QUITE FAMILIAR TO US: HOLY AND PROFANE

HOLY IS A WORD WE MOST OFTEN USE OF GOD OR TO IDENTIFY THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE OF GOD, PERFECT, PURE AND UNTAINTED BY SIN. BUT ANOTHER USE OF THE WORD “HOLY” IS TO IDENTIFY THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE “SET APART” FOR THE WORSHIP AND GLORY OF GOD. WE OFTEN USE THE WORD HOLY INTERCHANGEABLY WITH THE WORD SACRED. THINK OF HOLY OR SACRED SCRIPTURE, THE SACRED VESSELS USED FOR HOLY MASS. SACRED ART AND MUSIC, THE POPE AS HOLY FATHER. ALL THINGS WHICH ARE HOLY BECAUSE THEY ARE SET APART FOR THE WORSHIP OR GLORY OF GOD.
BUT, YOU MAY ASK, - SET APART - FROM WHAT?
SET APART FROM THAT WHICH IS SECULAR, OR NOT USED FOR THE WORSHIP AND GLORY OF GOD. IN OTHER WORDS, THAT WHICH IS PROFANE. ALTHOUGH WE THINK OF THE WORD “PROFANE” AS BEING ASSOCIATED WITH “OBSCENE” LANGUAGE, THE WORD DOES NOT MEAN “DIRTY” OR “NASTY”, IT SIMPLY REFERS TO THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE SECULAR, THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE NOT RELIGIOUS. THE DISHES IN YOUR CUPBOARD, CARS, CLOTHES, HOUSES, ALL SECULAR OBJECTS - ALL PROFANE.

WHETHER AN OBJECT IS CONSIDERED SACRED OR PROFANE WILL DICTATE HOW WE VIEW AND HANDLE THE OBJECT. CONSIDER THE CHALICE. THE CHALICE IS SACRED. IT IS TO BE MADE OF A PRECIOUS METAL. WHEN IT IS CLEANSED, IT IS HANDLED WITH GREAT CARE. ONLY SPECIAL -SACRED- CLOTHS ARE USED TO CLEAN IT. AND IT IS NEVER USED EXCEPT FOR THAT PURPOSE OF WHICH IT WAS DESIGNED. IF IT BECOMES DAMAGED OR BROKEN BEYOND REPAIR, IT IS NOT SIMPLY THROWN INTO THE TRASH. NO - IT IS SACRED, HOLY, SET APART FOR THE GLORY AND WORSHIP OF GOD.

WE LEARN IN SCRIPTURE THAT ALL CREATION IS SET APART FOR THE GLORY OF GOD. IT IS EASY FOR US TO EXPERIENCE THIS WHEN WE LOOK UP AT THE STARS AT NIGHT, WALK ALONG A FOREST TRAIL, SIT LISTENING TO OCEAN, OR WATCH A BEAUTIFUL SUN SET. IF WE LOOK WITH EYES OF FAITH WE CAN SEE THE HOLY - THE SACRED - IN GOD’S GREAT CREATION.
BUT I ASK YOU - WHAT IS MORE HOLY - THE SUNSET, THE CHALICE, OR THE CONVICTED DRUG DEALER?
“HATE THE SIN - BUT LOVE THE SINNER.” “ALL HUMAN LIFE IS HOLY AND SACRED FROM THE MOMENT OF CONCEPTION TO THE TIME OF NATURAL DEATH.”
THESE AND OTHER GREAT SAYINGS ARE ONLY CLICHÉ’S - WORDS SPOKEN WITH OUT REAL POWER - UNLESS WE POSSESS AND LIVE OUT THEIR MEANING. PERHAPS YOU’RE NOT READY TO SEE THE CONVICT AS HOLY AND SET APART - THAT’S OK, IT’S A JOURNEY WE LIVE, AND WE DON’T GET TO THE DESTINATION IMMEDIATELY. LIKE LEARNING ANYTHING THAT IS NEW, WE MUST START OUT SMALL AND AS WE LEARN WE WILL BECOME BETTER AND BETTER AT WHAT WE ARE TRYING.
TRY STARTING WITH THE OBNOXIOUS PERSON AT THE CHECK-OUT COUNTER AND SEE IF YOU CAN LEARN TOLERANCE. THE IMPATIENT DRIVER ON HIS WAY TO WORK AND SEE IF YOU CAN LEARN PATIENCE. YOUR SPOUSE - AND SEE IF YOU CAN LEARN TO LET OTHERS BE WHO THEY ARE - NOT WHO YOU THINK THEY SHOULD BE.

LIKE MOTHER THERESA WE MUST SEE EACH OTHER WITH THE EYES OF FAITH. THE POLITICIAN, THE PROSTITUTE, THE ENGINEER, THE DRUG ADDICT, THE PROPHET AND THE PRIEST. THESE ARE ALL TITLES OF WHAT WE DO, NOT OF WHO WE ARE - HUMAN PERSONS MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD.

HOWEVER, UNTIL WE CAN SEE OURSELVES AS HOLY AND SACRED VESSELS, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEE OTHERS AS HOLY EITHER.
ST PAUL ASKS US: “DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT YOU ARE GOD’S TEMPLE AND THAT GOD‘S SPIRIT DWELLS IN YOU? FOR GOD‘S TEMPLE IS HOLY, AND THAT TEMPLE YOU ARE.”
THE QUESTION NOW IS - HOW? HOW CAN I SEE MYSELF AND OTHERS AS HOLY AND SACRED - AS A TEMPLE OF GOD WHERE THE LORD MAY ABIDE? IT IS FOR CERTAIN A LIFELONG JOURNEY AND THE LORD HAS GIVEN US MANY HELPS ALONG THIS PATH TO TRUE LIVING. MOST OF THESE ARE FAMILIAR TO US - BUT LIKE EXERCISE AND A HEALTHY DIET, WE GIVE IN TO THE SIN OF SLOTH AND FAIL TO DO WHAT WE KNOW WE SHOULD. BUT IF TODAY, IT IS YOUR DESIRE TO BEGIN WALKING THIS PATH TO LIVE MORE DEEPLY THE MYSTERY OF LIFE, I BEG YOU TO CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:

FIRST AND FOREMOST IS THE SACRAMENTS -
* THE EUCHARIST - DO YOU PREPARE YOURSELF BEFORE RECEPTION, PUTTING YOURSELF IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD AND RECOGNIZING WHAT IT IS YOU ARE ABOUT TO RECEIVE? AFTER RECEIVING DO YOU RETURN TO YOUR SEAT AND LET YOUR EYES AND MIND WANDER - OR DO YOU MEDITATE UPON THE GREAT MYSTERY YOU HAVE JUST PARTICIPATED IN?
* DO YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE GIFT OF CONFESSION TO CLEANSE YOUR MIND AND SOUL? TO RECEIVE SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE AND DIRECTION?
* DO YOU READ HOLY SCRIPTURE MOST EVERY DAY? - EVEN IF ONLY FOR 5 OR 10 MINUTES - SO THAT YOU MAY BE CONTINUALLY REFRESHED AND GUIDED BY THE WORD OF GOD?
* DO YOU SET ASIDE TIME TO PRAY EVERY DAY? DO YOU SPEND TIME IN SILENT PRAYER - EXERCISING THE QUITE OF THE MIND IN - BEING OPEN TO THE VOICE OF GOD WITHIN YOU?
*DO YOU TURN OFF THE TV AND SPEND TIME READ SPIRITUAL BOOKS? BOOKS THAT WILL GUIDE YOU INTO A DEEPER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HOLY TRINITY?
*DO YOU PAY ATTENTION TO YOURSELF. TO YOUR REACTIONS, YOUR EMOTIONS, YOUR LACK OF HUMILITY?

LIFE IS A JOURNEY, A GRAND AND MYSTERIOUS JOURNEY. BY THE MERCIES OF GOD HE SENT HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON TO LIGHT OUR PATH AND SHOW US THE WAY. TOGETHER WE TRAVEL THROUGH LIFE. IF WE SEE EACH OTHER AS SACRED AND HOLY TEMPLES OF THE LIVING GOD RATHER THAN PROFANE - SECULAR BEINGS, WE WILL LEARN FROM EACH OTHER AND GROW MORE HOLY EVERY DAY.
Peace
Deacon John the less

HUMILITY

Humility is an oft misunderstood word. What we often think of as the manifestation of humility is not humility at all. In truth, humility is difficult to see because it does not stand out or call for attention. Humility starts not with thinking less of oneself, but with surrender to God. Surrender to His call for us to become holy. Without humility, no progress can be made in the interior life. It is the necessary ingredient to becoming fully human. It is the meeting point of God and man. If pride is the reason for the fall of humanity, humility is that which will redeem us. First with the humility of Jesus Christ in His incarnation and sacrifice - and then in us. Humility is difficult to see because it is so simple. God became man and came into the world in humility, and who noticed this poor infant? Pride on the other hand stands out, it feeds on being noticed. Pride can manifest itself in the lowly or the mighty, in belief that we are better than we are as well as belief that we are less than we are. Because pride is easier to see than humility, here a some evidences of a lack of humility gathered from various sources, most notably from St. Josemaria Escriva.
- To think that what we do or say is better than other.
- To always want to get your own way.
- To argue stubbornly whether we are right or wrong.
- To give opinion when not requested, even to the realm of gossip.
- To look down on another’s point of view Not to be confused with disagreeing with another. You can have a disagreement without looking down on the other person.
- To use ones self in conversation as an example.
- To speak poorly of ourselves in the hope of being contradicted. (Fishing for complements)
- To make excuses for our self when corrected (or caught).
- To be sad or angry when others are held in higher esteem than ourselves. (instead of rejoicing in their success)
- To refuse to perform lowly tasks.
- To seek to stand out.
- Taking pleasure in another’s misfortune.
- Always assuming the worse in another’s actions. (We make excuses for ourselves but not others)
- Being afraid or ashamed to ask a questions of another when we don’t know.
St. Paul is a good example of humility. He was an apostle uniquely chosen by Christ. He stood on that authority given to him by God Himself. When necessary for the expansion of the Gospel he made that clear, and yet he worked for his own wages. When he saw St. Peter living a moment of hypocrisy, he told Peter to his face that he was in the wrong - and yet, he went to this same man to receive his blessing , recognizing in Peter the authority given him by Christ Jesus. The words of St. Paul reflect a man of true humility. “I am what I am, by the grace of God.” In other words, Paul was saying that he held himself in no higher esteem and no lower esteem than God had willed him be. In Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians he states that Jesus “did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at.” When he walked this earth Jesus was God, and yet He wasn’t “in your face” God. Although He rightly could have demanded of all He encountered to bow down and kneel before Him, He did not. He simply was God, and those who lived in humility were able to clearly see Him as such.
How do we overcome our inclination to pride and become men and women of true humility? Here are some helps.
- Prayer, prayer, prayer. When busy or not, in good times and bad, while receiving good “feelings” from God or not, always pray.
- Regular sincere confession of one’s sins. To God yes, but also to another human person.
- Develop an openness to real criticism. Be open especially attentive to what your spouse, parents, children, and others who are close to you say.
- Know yourself. Pay attention to your reactions to others, your words, your behavior, and your thoughts. Use the evidences given above as a guide. Don’t focus on others, you can’t change them (why should you?) you can only change yourself. Recognition and acceptance is the first step, the rest will simply fall into place.
Peace

Words is easy

On July 13th of this year, while getting ready to paint my shed, the ladder I was standing on fell out from under me and I went straight to the ground. I broke both leg bones just above my left ankle and shattered my ankle. I'd only been ordained as a Catholic Deacon for 2 months and was just getting used to being on the altar. That was 4 months ago, and today, for the first time in 4 months, I was back on the altar as the Deacon of the Mass. I can't tell you how nervous I was. When I get nervous my hands shake and my stomach gets queasy. Then I tried to take to heart all those things I've been writing these past months. I looked into my self and asked the question: "Why are you so nervous?" The answer was obvious: I was nervous about messing up in front of all those people - especially Father Newman! And why nervous about making a mistake? Well, I have this tendency to perfection, this desire to please, and of course - to be recognized.
It was not easy for me to put this all behind me, but by my being aware of it and acknowledging it my nerves settled down - not completely - but significantly. The only person I needed to please was my Lord Jesus Christ, and frankly, he didn't really care if I made a mistake - He knows me! The second thing I did was to try and focus while I was on the altar to be present - in the now. I tried not to think about what was next, what I would do, how I would say it. My focus was to just be. During the reading of the Gospel, I said one word wrong. Usually I would dwell on the mistake while continuing to read - usually causing me to make another mistake. Not this time. I had said the word wrong, it was past and I moved on, forgetting about it.
For today, I learned a good lesson, and I will continue to put into practice those words which are so easy to say, but take practice to live. It's not hard, no no no, but it does take practice. So here are some of these ideas I've been writing about in a nutshell. It's handy to summarize them so they can be readily brought to mind when needed - which is almost always for me.
1. Be the same person always. If you act, talk, behave differently in different groups (think about your parents, co-workers, church family, etc.) at least one of your personalities - if not all of them, is a fake.
2. Don't let what other people think of you (or what you think they think of you) dictate your behavior. Act as you are, don't react to other's opinions, because then you're their slave.
3. Similar to #2 above, when being observed by another or others, focus on what you are doing, not on their watching. You don't have to prove anything to them. Succeed or fail on your own terms, not theirs.
4. Success is not what others tell you it is, success is what you say it is. What ever you are doing for success, do it for the joy of the act itself, not the goal, not the end.
The journey is just beginning, I've so much to share, so much to learn, so much to experience. Thanks for coming along with me.
DJtl

The Red Pill or the Blue Pill?

In the movie “The Matrix” Keanu Reeves plays the part of “Neo” Anderson, a computer programmer for a major corporation who spends his off time hacking into secure networks and selling their secrets to his customers. One night he receives a message that ultimately leads him to meet up with the leader of an underground resistance group. It is here that Neo is told that his entire life: everyone he knows, everything he does, everything he sees is nothing more than a computer program that is downloaded into his brain while he lays unconscious. To make matters worse, the entire human race is in the same condition, except a few freedom fighters whose goal is to free the human race from this slavery to the “Matrix”. At this point he is handed two pills, a blue one and a red one. If he takes the blue pill he will forget he had this encounter and return to “live” in the false dream world he has believed as reality his entire life. If he takes the red pill he will wake up and know reality for the first time. It‘s not an easy choice. Neo “lives” a fairly comfortable life. He has a good paying job, friends, co-workers, and an apartment in New York city. If he takes the red pill, he will wake up and can never return to this so called “life“. Ultimately he takes the red pill and wakes up to find himself in a capsule surrounded by tens of thousands of other unconscious people, all in these little capsules with cables plugged into their brains. Neo unplugs the cable feeding the program into his brain. Life for him is never the same. The parallels of the opening sequence of this movie to our lives truly amazes me. Like the human race in the Matrix, we are programmed from childhood. We live our lives according to the programming we receive. We are asleep! We believe we live in freedom, but actually we live in slavery and fear. Slavery to all the people around us. Afraid of what they may think about us, or what we believe they think about us. All of our actions, our words, our thoughts and feelings are dictated by others, not ourselves. “Not me” you may proclaim. “No one tells me what to do or what to think, I’m totally my own person.” Perhaps, but more likely you’re in a deeper state of sleep and simply can‘t see how enslaved you really are. Consider for a moment little children. Little children brought to a playground by their mothers. How easily they play together. They don’t care what the other child is wearing. They don’t care what the other child’s sex, race, or weight is. If one of them has snot running down his nose or farts in the sand - no one takes note, no one cares. No one, that is, until they get to a certain age, and they begin to receive their programming, Until then, they haven’t “learned” that it’s socially wrong. No look at us - all grown up and programmed all our lives. We worry about what to wear, about what style our hair is. We’re embarrassed when our stomach grumbles and God forbid we get a pimple on our nose. Does what we wear or how we groom ourselves dictate who we are? Is a movie star or other famous person a better person than others? Does having seen them make us better? Than why are we so anxious to tell others of an encounter with one of them? Why rush to have our picture taken with them? Maybe it’s not a movie star for you. Maybe it’s a race car driver, a quarter back, or the Pope. Does your encounter with this person change who you are? Then why boast! To get credit, that’s why. Our programming tells us that others will be jealous - and we’ll be one up on them. So we boast, and we gloat - taking great pleasure in the delight others have in us. But does it really change who we are? If someone tells us we’re really good at something, does that change who we are? Then why should we be so proud of such a compliment? “Because it makes me happy, feel good about my self” WHY? I’ll tell you why. It’s because we’re enslaved - addicted even - to the opinions that others hold of us. It doesn’t matter if we enjoy the thing that we’re good at, as long as others pat us on the back and build up our pride. And if we really enjoy something, but others tell us we’re terrible at it, we no longer enjoy it - we quit. Perhaps you’re still not convinced we’re slaves and live in fear of other peoples opinions. Consider something more: We all can read. We all hold conversations and tell stories about this and that to our friends and loved ones. It’s not hard - in fact, it’s quite enjoyable. Then tell me: Why is it so hard to read a passage from a book or give a talk in front of a crowd. And the bigger the crowd, the terrified we become. So terrified in fact that many people can’t bring themselves to do it. Why not. It’s an activity we do most every day. The reason is - we are enslaved. We afraid of what all those people watching us will think of us. What if I make a mistake? What if I stumble over my words? What if… what if I really realized it doesn’t matter what they think of me - because their opinion of me doesn’t change who I am. Well then, I’d be on the road to freedom. I’d be waking up. I’d be beginning to realize that if they think I’m great, it doesn’t mean I’m great. It only means that in their opinion I’m great. If they think I’m bad - again, it’s only their opinion. Neither position changes who I am. Why do we allow the opinions of others to dictate our happiness? When I was a little boy I loved to play baseball with the neighborhood kids. We had a great time. When I got old enough, Dad let me join a little league baseball team. It’s been 40 years and I can still remember it like it was yesterday. I’m up to bat and the focus of all eyes are on me. I remember the sound of the breeze blowing through the little ear holes in the helmet. The sun shining brightly. The players and the crowds shouting this and that. The catcher telling me I was no good and couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn. Balls that I could have easily hit in our little back yard games went flying past me. I learned to hate baseball. The joy of the game no longer mattered - all that mattered was hitting the ball. A Chinese proverb says that the archer shooting by himself has deadly accuracy. Put him in front of people and his accuracy wanes. Put a prize of gold in front of him and he can’t even hit the target. Why do we choose to enslave ourselves this way. Simply put: we’re comfortable being slaves. We can’t imagine our lives not being dictated by others. Not succeeding in their eyes, not making the goal, or being uplifted. It’s like being in a nice warm bed on a cold winter morning. We don’t want to get up. We’re comfortable where we are, all cozy in our nice warm bed. If we get up, it will be cold and uncomfortable, so we stay in bed. But in this example, we know we can’t stay in bed forever. We know that after we go through the cold, after we light the fire and brew that first pot of coffee there will be enjoyment and greater pleasure than we had in our nice cozy bed. So we get up, we endure cold that we despise so much, but soon, we are there - in front of the warm fire, sipping our hot cup of coffee while the morning sun glows softly upon our face. We are alive and experiencing the great pleasures of this life. We must also remember that it’s a two way street. We dictate to others as well. We tell them what is good and bad, right and wrong. We tell them when they should be pleased with themselves, when they should be happy or angry, disappointed or glad. We are programmed, but we also program others. Freedom comes when we get rid of our programs and also stop trying to program those around us. Unfortunately, it’s not so simple to get rid of the programming in our heads, to wake up and be free. But there is a way and it takes humility and honesty. Honesty with the one person it is most difficult to be honest with - ourselves. We must begin to pay attention to ourselves. When we get angry we must honestly analyze ourselves and recognize what in our selves allowed us to be angry - or happy - or sad, you pick the emotion. With negative emotions, the first reaction will be to blame another person. “Mike made me angry because he wouldn’t do the dishes.” No - Mike didn’t “make you angry”, you allowed something Mike did or didn’t do to make you angry. And you reacted to that - allowing your expectations on how Mike is to behave to dictate your emotional response. With positive emotions, our first reaction is usually to reward ourselves - based of course upon the level of “positive feedback” we receive from others. Awareness. Awareness of ourselves, of our emotions, our attitudes, and our reactions to various situations. Awareness and acknowledgement - this is how we dump our programming. This is how we learn who we are, who God created us to be. This is how we find freedom. It’s that simple, it’s that hard. Begin to pay attention to yourself and you’ll be absolutely amazed at what you discover. Don’t try to change, don’t try to correct, simply be aware and acknowledge - the change will come of it’s own accord and you will learn what it is - finally - to be free.
DJTL

An "Integer" is a Whole Number

I'm a child of the 70's - of an education system that was in flux. In turmoil may be more accurate. It was the decade following the 60's revolution and new ideas on how to educate children in the midst of the new found "freedoms" were abundant. So it may not be much of a surprise to those of you who went through this tumultuous time that I did not learn what an integer was until I took my first college level math course - at the age of 35. That single lesson opened up a whole new understanding to me, yes about math, but more importantly about what it means to be human. Integer, what a wonderful word. It comes from the Latin in meaning "not" and tangere meaning to "touch". Untouched, undivided, whole, complete in itself. If you think long and hard about this word and grasp its meaning it won't be hard for you to see that God is an integer. He is untouched, undivided, whole, complete. One of these words may need a little explaining: Untouched. What does it mean to be "untouched"? Certainly it is not relating to physical touching. A number is a concept, not a physical thing. You can't touch a number. You can touch the symbol of a number, like 1 or 538, but you can't touch the number. If you touch 1 apple, you touch an apple, not the number 1. So then, what does it mean here to be untouched? I propose that to be untouched in this sense is to be uninfluenced when acted upon by an outside source. When an integer is acted upon by another integer, it remains an integer. 11 x 5 = 55. The 11, acted upon by the 5 becomes 55, all remain integers. But when an integer is acted upon - or influenced by - a non integer, it no longer remains and integer. 3 x .25 = .75. "But wait a moment", you may say. "4 x .5 = 2. The 4 is acted upon by a divided, split, partial number and it remains an integer! Your proposal is all wrong!" Yes, you are absolutely correct - when we're talking about math. But I'm not talking about math here - I'm talking philosophy, human relations, individual growth - call it what you want, but it's not math. So if you will, stay with me for a while longer and perhaps we'll agree in the end - and perhaps not - it doesn't really matter. If you benefit from what I present here, and it helps you become a better person that's great, if not, that's okay too.
Integrated: I've been told most of my life that I should be an integrated man, and most of my life I had no idea what that meant - not until I learned and began to understand what an integer is. Integrated comes from the same root as integer - so, an integrated person is a person who is "untouched, undivided, whole, complete". I would like to say I'm integrated, but I'd be lying. In fact, I don't know that I've ever met a person who is truly integrated. What does it really mean to be integrated, it means to be like God, to be perfect, undivided, whole. It's easy to pick out those who are seriously divided. The man who curses like a sailor at work, but holds his tongue in front of his wife, children, mother. The woman who attends church and volunteers to feed the homeless, but at home is a terror to her own family. Which is the real person? The crude or the civilized man? The outstanding citizen or the intollerable mother and wife? Who knows? Not even the individual knows them self! Why, because they are divided. It's so easy to see division in others, but if our goal is to become an integrated person, observing the division in others is the least of helps. We must examine ourselves, our actions, our attitudes. When we closely and honestly observe our behaviour we'll begin to see that we behave differently within different groups of people. At work, at home, at church, at the bar, even when we are alone. You pick the place and the people - observe not others, but yourself, and you'll begin to recognize the masks you wear. Observe, that's all you need to do, and as you observe you'll begin to recognize your divided self, to see that your acting differently with different groups. You won't have to work at changing, you will simply change because you'll begin to understand that the different masks you wear are only put on to enslave yourself to the opinions of others. You won't have to "change" because slowly, over time, you'll begin to recognize the chains. These are the chains we freely put on that enslave us to other people. Chains we put on, chains we can take off. Observe and acknowledge, that's all you must do, the rest will happen because you will begin to want to be yourself, not who others want you to be (or what you think they want you to be). Perhaps at this point you don't think your a divided person. Perhaps you're not. Perhaps you're an integrated person. I don't know. But my experience is that it's more likely that your a sleeping person. Comfortable in your nice warm bed, refusing to get out into the light of day. Making true observations of our selves is not fun. It is like getting out of a warm bed in the cold of winter. But staying in bed is not living! We must get up, deal with the cold, put on the pot of coffee and start the fire. It will take time to warm up the house, but when we do then we will be alive!
One final word on my comparison with numbers. We are all created by God to be integers, to be ourselves in ourselves. We are also called to help each other, to give one another a helping hand, a step to becoming whole. But there is only one among us all that is a perfect integer, only one who is simple, undivided, only one that is one perfectly and totally- and that is God.
DJtl

The War Goes On

This is from a talk that I gave this morning at our men’s ministry - The Pillars of Christ. While it was given to men, it applies no less to women. Let us never forget that some of the greatest warriors of the Old Testament were women.
Brothers - it is so easy for us, - living our lives in peace and security, - going to work today as we did last week, as we will next week, - raising our families, - watching TV, - enjoying the company of friends, - and yes, going to church… it is so easy for us to forget, forget that we are at war. Battles are raging, people, - real people who laugh and cry, people with families, jobs, homes, - are being maimed and killed everyday. There is an enemy out there. The enemy is real. The enemy wants you, your wives, you children, you moms and dads dead! The enemy has no mercy, no love. Anger and hate permeate his very being - and he will stop at nothing to see his goal met.
No, - I’m not talking about al Qaeda here, nor am I talking about the war in Iraq. The enemy I speak of is Satan and his army of demons. The battle is not for territory won by the killing of bodies, but a battle of pride won by the destruction of souls.
The parallels though are striking. Most of us live seemingly untouched by the temporal war being waged in Iraq. We probably don’t think a whole lot about it as we go through our daily routine. The war seems a world away. Some of us are a little bit closer to it. We may have friends - or perhaps the children of someone we know over there. Even closer, some may have family there. - Hardest of all are those whose parent, spouse, or child is fighting for our freedom, our security. But for must of us, this isn’t the case. So it is in the battle against Satan. We don’t think much about it. Seemingly, it’s worlds away, not having much effect on our day to day lives. This, I believe, is one of Satan’s greatest tactics. Brothers, - we are - right now - living in the midst of a great battle, - an eternal war, with consequences much more dire than the temporal war being waged in Iraq. For the victory, -- or defeat of this war has eternal consequences. So effective has this tactic of Satan’s been, that many today not only doubt, - but actively proclaim and teach, - even from the pulpit, - that Satan and demons do not exist. Yes brothers, there is a war going on. A war to bring to the gates of hell your wives, your children, - everyone! - every human being! And we, - especially we as men, as the head of the family, as the high priest of the domestic church, - we are the warriors on the side of light. Listen carefully to the words of St. Paul given to us. St. Paul’s great battle cry concerning this war we wage:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace’ above all taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” (Eph 6: 10-18a)
Notice St. Paul’s words: “For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. “ To be warriors, we must prepare for battle. We must practice everyday for the fight. Bat as St. Paul says, our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual world. So how do we prepare for the engagement?
*Gird your loins with truth: We must, above all, be immersed in Holy Scripture. Holy Scripture is our battle plan, our strength, our guide. We cannot hope to defeat the attacks of Satan with out a thorough knowledge of the scriptures. We must read scripture everyday!. We must also study, even the basics, of theology, - the study of God. And salvation history: Salvation history did not stop at the last period of Revelation, - no, salvation history continues to today. As warriors, we must know the history of our struggle for freedom, we need to study church history.
*Put on the breastplate of righteousness: You cannot be a man divided. You can’t be a different person at work than you are at home, than you are at church. A man whose friends know as a gentleman, but whose family fears as an angry tyrant. An outstanding member of the parish who at work curses and takes part in vile humor. NO - you must be a whole man, - an integrated man, - a man of integrity!
*Shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace: What is the equipment of the gospel of peace? Prayer, - mass, - the sacraments, - spiritual readings, - meditation, - contemplation: Take Jesus Christ as your example. Jesus who fasted and prayed in the desert before he went into battle with Satan. Jesus who was tough on the leaders, but spoke with tender compassion to those who were in need of God’s mercy. And yet, - never compromised the truth, never watered it down. “Go therefore - and sin no more.”
*Take the shield of faith: A shield is for protection! In spiritual warfare, our faith, our trust in God, is our shield. We must believe in His ultimate victory over evil, over our enemies, over our own weaknesses,. In times of doubt, - and these times will come, we must, with the father of the possessed boy, cry out to our Lord: “I believe! Help my unbelief.”
*Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: A warrior of light must be open to the Holy Spirit’s action in His life. If we are, His strength and guidance will well up within us, giving us strength in times of fear and weakness. We cannot fight our enemies alone. Our strength comes from God. If we do not prepare and practice for spiritual warfare daily, - we will lose the battle, - and with it, our souls.
I encourage you brothers to read the psalms often. The psalms are full of the prayers of grate warriors. Warriors preparing, fighting, and calling on the Lord god for help. The psalms will teach you, - They will encourage and strengthen you. When in the Psalms you read the words like “enemy” or “nations” or “those who seek me harm” think not of persons, but of those spiritual enemies you battle: lust, - sloth, - foul language, - pride, - vanity, - pornography, - what ever it may be, that is your enemy - that is the nation trying to defeat you and send your soul to hell, - that is your battle.
Take for example Psalm 118: 5 -14: “Out of my distress I called on the Lord’ the Lord answered me and set me free. With the Lord on my side I do not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side to help me’ I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. All nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I cut them off! They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in the in the name of the Lord I cut them off! They surrounded me like bees, they blazed like a fire of thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off! I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.”
The Lord is not looking for weak, soft candy men. God needs men who are warriors, - men prepared for spiritual battle as the Psalmist says: “Blessed be the Lord, my rock who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. My rock and my fortress. My stronghold and my deliverer. My shield and He in whom I take refuge.” Brother, - let us daily prepare, let us daily fight the good fight, - with the Lion of Judah, as our leader, - the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.