Idea Transcript
Happy Fall Parents! The leaves are in full-scale beauty right now and Halloween is just around the corner - as is All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Know anyone who you think is a saint in heaven? Many talk about their "angels" in heaven, but angels really are completely different - they are "spirit" only - no bodies. At death we temporarily lose our bodies and remain "incomplete" as human persons until our souls are reunited with transformed (think better!) bodies at the Second Coming. Angels have abilities we cannot now comprehend, but we have physical senses that they cannot fully grasp either. We are different, but have the same goal (at least the "good" people and the good angels do) and we work together trying to make God's Plan come to it's greatest fruition. Did you know that not only every person has their own angel assigned to be their guardian, their guide, but communities also are assigned angels - it says so in the Bible! These angels have the mission of guiding those in their charge to heaven, of encouraging them in the right direction and inspiring them, as God Wills, whenever they can. When we struggle through every moment, they are there. When we sleep, they are standing guard at our bedside, working to protect us from the darker spiritual forces that constantly seek to draw us into sin. It's tiring enough guiding my boys, and I get a break through sleep and them going to school. Can you imagine being with another person constantly? And then you having been in the presence of God, to try and guide others to it who have not been there and who struggle with the question at times of whether He really is there. How can we not hear them shouting out of love to help us believe what they know as fact? At any moment they can be in God's presence to intercede on our behalf. Remember that Christ warned, in the care of children, that their angels stand before God. But we can ask those angels for help when those children have us fully frustrated and befuddled. We can ask for inspiration to reach them and knowledge of when to "back off" and give a little space before approaching later. We can also speak with the angels of those whose company we might prefer to avoid, but can't. Those angels are pure goodness and if speaking to the person is difficult, remember that the angel is standing there, loving that person and seeking desperately to guide that person into God's eternal love. They are looking to us to, if not exactly help in the process, to at least not make it harder for them to carry out their 24 hour, 265 day, every year of their life task. So sometimes it might be easier to quell a bad reaction by considering the impact on someone unseen who broadcasts God's love fully. We have been told since we were little that God is close to us and with us always, but sometimes our human understanding struggles to understand us being "special" when everyone is special. When those dark thoughts creep in, remember that one who broadcasts the wonderful goodness of God DOES see you as special and remains with you beyond this life, escorting you all the way to judgment, and pleading for God's mercy on your behalf. This is what our Church teaches. Hopefully you find it as comforting and encouraging as I have, especially when sorrowful, lonely, or despairing times come. We ALL have God, in three Persons, at our side along with Mary our Mother, as do all people. But we also have one who is solely dedicated to us - helps to better appreciate that God really does think we're each special. God bless you and your families and have a wonderful week! -- Linda Bader, St. Thomas More Do I choose, as Adam and Eve did, the apparent good, or do I choose as God Wills, the real good? -- derived from lecture by Fr. Rob Jack
Cooking Up Conscience? What do a conscience and your dinner have in common? Neither come out quite right unless all the necessary ingredients are there! A quiche without the eggs is not really a quiche and a conscience without freedom is not a conscience. Read a better discussion of this than I can provide at: http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/philosophy/ph0062.htm
Fr. Bozada: Invest In Eternity My Dear People, The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure buried in a field. Once found, this treasure becomes the focal point of one’s life. Worth more than anything in this world, the treasure of everlasting life pays into our eternity. Think about that for one moment. “What else in your present life will last forever?” Absolutely nothing. There are no U-Hauls in Heaven. We take nothing with us into our caskets, except our corpses. So why not invest in the treasures that carry on into eternity? When we choose to focus on our future with the Lord in Heaven, we benefit both now and later. Jesus asked the Apostles, “Do you understand these things?” Then you must learn from my instruction. Be careful not to be deceived. Store up for yourselves a treasure in Heaven. Then you will grow in grace, now and into eternity. Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady, Fr. Mark Bozada May we always be ready to serve the Lord in what we say and do. From http://www.courageouspriest.com/fr-bozada-invest-eternity