"If I Had Been Raised In A Different Culture..."

For my final semester I am taking Cultural Anthropology as my final elective.
It's a great class.
Part of the reason I am taking this class (as opposed to any other elective class that was offered) is my deep desire to learn more about the world around me. I live a very diverse neighborhood and this just fuels my desire to try to understand the people that represent lands foreign to me.
Some people eat bugs. But most people in the United States would probably avoid eating bugs.
I have chosen whom I am going to marry. Others come into a fixed marriage.
I chose to follow what Christianity teaches (to the best of my ability).
The question was raised about what would have happened if I were raised in a different culture.
What if I were raised in India?
The climate is different.
The culture is different.
But what about God?
Would I have been raised in a Hindu home?
Lets say that I had.
India is home to many religions and spiritual traditions.
I believe that if God wanted me to find him and the direction he would have wanted me to go in.
If I am to assume that a monotheistic religion is the right way then I assume that two of the most prominent monotheistic religions in the area I would have been drawn to either Islam or Christianity.
Many may doubt this. Many people say that if I were raised Hindu I wouldn't stray from Hindu culture.
But God lead me to where I am now.
I was raised to believe that the Catholic Church was almost all wrong. Nonetheless I was drawn to the Catholic Church.
Is there a perfect church? Not necessarily. But I finally feel at peace when I go to church (for the most part).
God never said life would be easy.
But he did promise to get us through it.
So no matter what God is always with us.
No matter where you're from God's reach is endless and eternal.  

"Give It Up For Jesus"

While Jesus was gathering his disciples he often asked them to give up their lives to follow him.
Peter was a fisherman. Matthew was a tax collector. Mary Magdalene was a prostitute.
There was a time when a man who was wealthy asked what he had to do to follow Jesus.
Jesus told the young man that he had to give up his riches. The man walked away sad because he wasn't ready to give his possessions.
Many of us have given up our preconceived notions about what God really stands for. I personally had to give up on prejudice toward gays and even The Catholic Church.
Maybe you had or have an idea about what God has called you to do only to realize God's plan may be vastly different than yours.
Maybe God is calling you to leave behind a group of friends that lead you to sin.
The ultimate desire of God for us is to repent and turn our backs from sin.
For God leads us not to temptation.
    

"Horror at the Checkout Counter"

    I'm used to seeing trashy things on the magazine rack at the checkout counter. Most of which involve celebrity gossip and bad airbrushing to make some of those celebrities look awful.
    Then the other day I came face to face with the cover of the latest issue of Cosmopolitan.
     The headline was, 52 Holy S**T Sex Moves.
    I was shocked. It wasn't because the article was talking about sex so much as the language they used.
    Pairing the word holy with a dirty word  is bad enough but when you (and children) see it right in front of them makes me scratch my head as once again shocked at just how low society goes when considering their marketing choices.
    Everywhere I go and on nearly every channel I see things that I find shocking and immoral.
     As a new year came  at midnight last night may I suggest a resolution for all of us?
   When we see something like swearing and sexual content on magazine racks or on TV for that matter perhaps we can send a message to the ad department or whomever is in charge of what we're seeing on TV.     But maybe the most powerful thing we can do is pray.
     We can pray that despite the decay of morality in this world that especially when it comes to our children we can ask that The Lord will protect our children from what is being thrown at them at the speed of a bullet from a gun.
     We can teach our children the true meaning of the word Holy. Lets define the word Holy.
Looking at my Thesaurus some synonyms include: blessed, clean, divine, godly.
      Webster's College Dictionary says: related to, belonging to, or coming from a divine being or power.
 So when raising children aren't the meanings of the word holy be something we should model and have our kids aspire to?
     The Lord says be holy as I am Holy. Holiness comes with action in which we do all we can to imitate the character of God.
 It is to rise above our sinful human nature and to be a light in a world of darkness.

"Dancing In Church?" (Messages From The Pulpit)

Isaiah 40:31
 "They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength , they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."
   The other day at Mass the priest told us a story of what happened when he was a kid at Mass. His mother was in the choir and being a little boy often found church boring. As a kid sitting still during church often seems impossible. The child's mother found a solution. Mom sent her son to hang out with his grandmother. Grandma was very animated during the worship portion of The Mass. She would move with the music in The Holy Spirit. It seems grandmas energy was contagious. During a song based on the quote from Isaiah 40:31 the boy who would become a priest made gestures of being able to soar with the eagles.
     So what's the point? While many churches tend to be a bit subdued when it comes to dancing. And that's OK.
     My point is that when we go to church we should get carried away in the Spirit in which worship was attended. It's meant to be a time when the music of the celebration of the anticipation of receiving Jesus in the Eucharist. It builds up our spirits to hear The Word of God through the scriptures and what the priest or pastor has to say.
    When you think about it waiting to receive communion sounds like the opening line of Isaiah 40:31. They who wait for the Lord shall  renew their strength.
     This reminds me of another scripture that says, "I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me."
    Spending time with God makes us stronger. For greater is he who is in me than who is in the world. For God has overcome the world.
     When God is our source of strength we can overcome any temptation or evil that may come our way. Through the Lord we can soar above our aches and pains and all that makes us weary.
     We find true strength when our walk is with The Lord.      

"The Good and Bad of The Basement"

  Recently I went to Mass in my churches basement which doubles as a church museum. We'd been holding it there this summer not only due to the fact that it's cooler down there but weekday attendance is a bit low.
   On that particular day on of my fellow parishioners who hasn't been to Mass very often gave his reason why.
    He doesn't like to attend Mass in the basement even if it doubles as a museum. His arguments made sense.
    He said that the main chapel upstairs was far more beautiful. With the stained glass, beautiful artwork, stations of The Cross, statues of the patron saints, the Crucifix, and the tabernacle which holds the host of the Eucharist.
     To be honest I don't blame him. Having something beautiful to look at while pondering the things of God and his kingdom can be nice.
     Certainly change can be hard. Whether it's moving from a beautiful chapel to a basement or moving from one city to another things change.
     New city means new neighbors. Now think of this, Moving from a large beautiful chapel to a small basement chapel can be similar.
     While upstairs the few people that attend are spread out quite a bit. Downstairs the setting is more intimate.
     I know that our pastor likes to see us as a close knit community in front of him while we celebrate Mass.
   I see his point. As a lector and someone who once saw myself desiring the role of Pastor/ Priest I know I would prefer to see more people at Mass.
     Just before Mass began I prayed for my fellow Christian. I prayed that God would ease his soul and help him to see the bigger picture.
     Some people would be lucky to have the option to worship in the first place. But there is a far more obvious piece when it comes to going to a place of worship. The most important part of worship is the one we are going to celebrate. For Christians that person is Jesus Christ.
     It's true that God is everywhere. No matter if you worship in a grand basilica, a basement, or in the privacy of your own home God is there.
    It also shouldn't matter if you are worshiping with hundreds, a dozen, or in solitude God is there. He appreciates out honest attention. He honors our prayers. And his presence can be felt if we just quiet ourselves an await his glorious arrival into our hearts and souls.        

"Zombies: A Satanic Obsession"

It's almost Halloween.
The TV is full of ads about where to get the best Halloween costumes.
One commercial has a baby dressed as a devil at the end.
Why?
I know people who have had miscarriages as well as stillborn babies.
I know how it sickens everyone that had to deal with these loses.
People claim there is no such place as hell. Is that why it's OK to dress a baby (who had no choice in the matter) as a demon?
Is that why Satan has become so popular?
If there is no hell then why bother creating it all around us?
Now let me get to zombies.
Zombies are what happens when evil takes over a dead body. The body now reanimated hunt the living in order to eat their brains.
Again why?
Why do we have charity events where people dress as the living dead?
Have you ever lost a pet? Did you cry?
Have you ever lost someone you lost dearly? Do you still cry? Do you still grieve?
Would you like to see your grandmother come back from the grave only to kill your family and friends?
Some people bring up Communion that takes place within the Christian church. They like to mention that the Eucharist is supposed to be The Body and Blood of Jesus who rose from the grave.
So lets mention it.
The sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross was a way of atonement for our sins.
His resurrection is proof that God has the ultimate power of death.
The Body of Christ is a symbol of eternal life. The Blood of Christ is what cleanses us from sin.
Cleanses us from sin.
It brings us back to God and our sins are forgotten.
It's the opposite of hell. It conquers death. It destroys the power of Satan. So much as we stop giving power to Satan by glorifying him with our entertainment.
Most people don't want to go to hell. Although there are those who are misguided who think that hell isn't so bad. Some think that hell is just one big keg party and orgy. Not true.
If hell is so great then why did Jesus and his disciples drive demons out of people?
And then when people were free of demons they were healed.
Being free of everything that Satan has to offer brings healing. When that happens you'll no longer wish to watch zombie movies.
The Lord warns us to depart from this wicked generation.
So won't you join me by doing so?
Please don't dress your babies like ghosts and goblins. Don't let your kids parade as flesh eating monsters. Especially if you are followers of Christ. It's not harmless. It's not funny. It shouldn't be entertaining.
In all things let us glorify God who created all things. That same Holy Spirit can rest within us.
       

"From Triumphant Entry to Innocent Martyr..."From Stranger to Best Friend"

During most of Jesus' life his message was met with confusion and opposition.
But through the many miracles that Jesus performed many people began to follow him.
The people which included his disciples, thought he was to be a miraculous new leader of the Jewish people.
On Palm Sunday the people of Israel lined the streets with palm branches at the height of popularity. Jesus was the man.
Then come Friday most of his disciples besides John had fled. The people had turned against him. They had been insulting him, spitting on him, and throwing stones.
Possibly the very stones in which Jesus said, "He who is without sin cast the first stone." They were hurling rocks at the only in human history that lived without sin though he had know temptation.
So the people perhaps were afraid that he would as many times before, would reveal their sins. So why not let him hang for their crimes.
And so they did. They watched as he was nailed to the Roman torture device which doubled as an execution device. Jesus was nailed to a cross.
Even while Jesus suffered for all our sins the people they mocked him while wearing his royal crown, which was made of thorns.
"You can heal everyone so why not come down from your cross? Show yourself."
When he died he indeed showed himself.
He showed himself again when he rose from the dead.
He showed death and hell who was in charge.
Now for many of us Jesus is a stranger.
You may know of Jesus but you don't know him personally.
Maybe you wear a cross but don't know the person it represents. Maybe you don't know the power of the one who died upon the cross.
Maybe you aren't aware that Jesus wants you.
As a disciple.
He wants you as someone like John who was an ever faithful companion.
Maybe Jesus wants to forgive you for once boldly proclaiming The Kingdom of God but you have turned from him.
As it was with Peter who denied knowing Jesus. He hasn't forgotten you.
Let The Holy Spirit rekindle renew the flame that was sparked when you first knew him and his healing touch.
Maybe you're like Paul who has been an enemy of God.
Jesus calls us all to allow him to be your best friend.