Farm project

My latest farm project, making an anvil from an old piece of train track rail.
And a picture of the plans in case you want to build one as well.

Homily for the 4th Sunday of Advent

Once upon a time there was a woodcutter named Steve. Steve worked for a company for five years but never got a raise in his wages. The company hired fellow who was a famous woodcutter named Fr.John and within a year he got a raise. This caused resentment in Steve and he went to his boss to talk about it.

The boss said, "You are still cutting the same number of trees you were cutting five years ago. We are a result-oriented company and would be happy to give you a raise if your productivity goes up." Steve went back, started chopping harder and putting in longer hours but he still wasn't able to cut more trees. He went back
to his boss and told him his dilemma.

The boss told Steve to go talk to Fr.John that most famous woodcutter,

"Maybe there is something Fr.John knows that you and l don't." Steve asked Fr.John how he managed to cut more trees. Fr.John answered, "After every tree l cut, l take a break for two minutes and sharpen my axe. When was the last time you sharpened your axe?" This question hit home like the thwack of Fr.Johns axe and Steve got his answer.

But before we examine the moral of my little backwoods story lets take a look at today's readings.

Now David was king of a united country, Jerusalem was the capital, David set about building a house (temple) for the Lord. (First Reading). But the Lord pre-empted David's plan. Instead it is the Lord who will build a dynasty for David, a dynasty that will last for ever...

.... but Jerusalem was destroyed in 587 BC it seemed that the promise would not be fulfilled. Still, the hope remained that a Messiah would come from the house of David.

The expectation was fulfilled when Gabriel announced to Mary that she was to be the mother of the Redeemer, who, through Joseph, would be of the line of David. Gabriel's words echo the words of God's promise to David.

In the Second Reading Paul says that these promises made in Old Testament times have been fulfilled in the person and life of Jesus.

Today many still seek fulfillment and happiness through 'doing their own thing'. It's what I want that matters. They believe that happiness lies in having no commitments, no one to answer to, no one whose needs or problems will ever tie us down.

Last week fr.John talked to us about John the baptist and how he knew who he was and he knew who he was not. And how we need to know the same thing. In doing this self in-looking we also can learn (or discern) what God is asking of us.

Nevertheless, human nature being what it is, we have to be on our guard. There can be a lot of selfishness in the 'do your own thing' approach. It often means taking the easiest path in the belief that this is where freedom and happiness lie. But this approach is more likely to lead to slavery and unhappiness.

Here is an important truth: freedom, happiness, and fulfillment are more likely to be found in the acceptance of duty. However, for this to happen, a grim acceptance of duty is not good enough. It has to be a loving acceptance of duty. The more difficult the task to which we devote ourselves out of love, the more it will exalt us.

In this Mary gives us a great example. She didn't say to the angel, 'Sorry, but I have my own plans. I want to do my own thing.' She said, It's not what I want, but what God wants that matters. Let what God wants be done to me.' Mary made a complete gift of herself to God, and accepted the task he gave her. Even though she didn't understand all the implications of it, she trusted that God would give her all the help she needed.

In effect she was saying, 'I don't know what all this means, but I trust that good things will happen.' She trusted so deeply in God that she was open to all possibilities. She gave up control over her future and let God define her life.

Life imposes a lot of duties on us. Besides duties to ourselves, there are duties to others, and duties to God. Where would the world be if everyone just thought of themselves, and insisted on doing their own thing, seeking their own freedom, happiness, and fulfilled independent of others and of God?

Those who accept duty as Mary did, may not find happiness and fulfillment in the eyes of the world, but they certainly will find it in eyes of God. And deep down they will know it.
The greatest grace in life is when what we have to do is what we want to do.


Now... to get back to that world famous lumberjack.

So My Dear friends When did you sharpen your axe last ?

In other words you need to hone your tools that you need to understand what god asks of you.

When did you sharpen your sense of when your prayer time will take place?
When did you sharpen your knowledge of the gifts that God has given you.. last ?
When did you sharpen your Christian commitment last ?

You use all these things and many others in daily life, in your family life, in your job. And especially during certain times of the year that pose special challenges.

With Christmas come many challenges in the many family gatherings, the pressure we feel the give material gifts, the challenge to celebrate a special Christian day in a secular world.

So Keep your axe sharp, except your duties joyfully, keeping God and others in mind so that you have Blessed and joy filled Merry Christmas.

Christmas blessings from Deacon Steve

A beautiful thing!

Our beautiful row of compost! Hay, seaweed and manure and of course the secret ingredient.

Our Christmas Lights

Darkness comes early this time of year.

Christmas

Christmas is nearly here! We patiently wait to celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus. Remember folks... and be man or women enough to call it what it is. This is the season of CHRISTMAS! If we were living in Israel we would call Hanukkah ... yes Hanukkah. If we lived in Iraq we would call Ramadan... yes Ramadan. There is no good gained by calling Christmas "the Holidays". If your friends or family do not believe in Christ then you should respect them enough to send them a card on their chosen special day , whether it is Happy Hanukkah or Happy Chinese New Year. Do not disrespect them by turning their special days into a "nothing Holiday". Also respect Christian beliefs instead tearing the Christ from Christmas.

Have a joyful Advent, Steve

the wood cutter

Ancient Wood Cutter Parable

Steve, a woodcutter, worked for a company for five years but never got a raise in his wages. The company hired Chris and within a year he got a raise. This caused resentment in Steve and he went to his boss to talk about it.

The boss said, "You are still cutting the same number of trees you were cutting five years ago. We are a result-oriented company and would be happy to give you a raise if your productivity goes up." Steve went back, started chopping harder and putting in longer hours but he still wasn't able to cut more trees. He went back
to his boss and told him his dilemma.

The boss told Steve to go talk to Chris, "Maybe there
is something Chris knows that you and l don't." Steve asked Chris how he managed to cut more trees. Chris answered, "After every tree l cut, l take a break for two minutes and sharpen my axe. When was the last time you sharpened your axe?" This question hit home like a bullet and Steve got his answer.


So My Dear friends When did you sharpen your prayer time last ?
When did you sharpen your Bible study last ?
When did you Sharpen your General Knowledge last ?
When did you Sharpen your Christian Knowledge last ?

You use these things when you keep in touch your friends and neighbors and relatives....

So Keep your axe sharp in all areas of life.

"unknown author"

Beneficial Bugs

Here is a link to beneficial bugs that can help in your garden http://www.farmerfred.com/plants_that_attract_benefi.html. This a beetle on my porch, he was friendly but I doubt if he is one of the good garden bugs.

Home for a tractor

Finally we have a home for the tractor!

latest painting

My latest painting, of my friends house. A beatiful home in a beautiful setting.

For Sarah

Here is another picture for Sarah. This one is of my boss and foreman "Rex".

Favorite music video

I may have posted this before but I really enjoy watching, you can see it at http://www.franciscanfriars.com/gallery/Jan_2007.html it is called the "The Joy"

From the sketch book

This is a sketch of Raynards Lake, every fall the water level is low and makes a great place to go to look for artifacts.

Snow on Nov.22

All though it's a little early it is not unusual to have snow in November. I think it surprised the sheep as they are still eating green grass. It should melt in a couple of days.

Last Winter

Here are some pictures from winters past. Just to remind myself that winter can be beautiful and mystical!

Last Summer

I took these photos last summer, I already miss it! Winter is soooo long.

sketches

Here are a couple of sketches relating to the "Lord of the Rings" out of my sketch book I carry around with me.

Dostoevsky

Here is a paragraph from "The Brothers Karamazov" by Dostoevsky that speaks to our society and the trouble it is in. This is Fr. Paissy speaking to Alyosha.

"Remember, young man, unceasingly," Father Paissy began,
without preface, "that the science of this world, which has be­come a great power, has, especially in the last century, analysed everything divine handed down to us in the holy books. After this cruel analysis the learned of this world have nothing left of all that was sacred of old. But they have only analysed the parts and overlooked the whole, and indeed their blindness is marvellous. Yet the whole still stands steadfast before their eyes, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Has it not lasted nineteen centuries, is it not still a living, a moving power in the individual soul and in the masses of people? It is still as strong and living even in the souls of atheists, who have destroyed everything! For even those who have renounced Christianity and attack it, in their inmost being still follow the Christian ideal, for hitherto neither their subtlety nor the ardour of their hearts has been able to create a higher ideal of man and of virtue than the ideal given by Christ of old. When it has been attempted, the result has been only grotesque. Remember this especially, young man, since you are being sent into the world by your departing elder. Maybe, remembering this great day, you will not forget my words, uttered from the heart for your guidance, seeing you are young, and the temptations of the world are great and beyond your strength to endure. Well, now go, my orphan."

Ravens

Here is a pencil sketch from a few winters back from my studio window . The Ravens were waiting for me to fill the feeder.

Painting Season

Here is a sketch of our driveway a few summers ago.

Rebuilding

Here is another good article by David Warren called "Rebuilding"
http://www.davidwarrenonline.com

The Crises

Here is an article from Zenit about the financial crises. http://www.zenit.org/rssenglish-24130

RERUM NOVARUM and a new picture of St. Isidore

St.Isidore






excerpts from RERUM NOVARUM, ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII ON CAPITAL AND LABOR



The contention, then, that the civil government should at its option intrude into and exercise intimate control over the family and the household is a great and pernicious error. True, if a family finds itself in exceeding distress, utterly deprived of the counsel of friends, and without any prospect of extricating itself, it is right that extreme necessity be met by public aid, since each family is a part of the commonwealth. In like manner, if within the precincts of the household there occur grave disturbance of mutual rights, public authority should intervene to force each party to yield to the other its proper due; for this is not to deprive citizens of their rights, but justly and properly to safeguard and strengthen them. But the rulers of the commonwealth must go no further; here, nature bids them stop. Paternal authority can be neither abolished nor absorbed by the State; for it has the same source as human life itself. "The child belongs to the father," and is, as it were, the continuation of the father's personality; and speaking strictly, the child takes its place in civil society, not of its own right, but in its quality as member of the family in which it is born. And for the very reason that "the child belongs to the father" it is, as St. Thomas Aquinas says, "before it attains the use of free will, under the power and the charge of its parents."(4) The socialists, therefore, in setting aside the parent and setting up a State supervision, act against natural justice, and destroy the structure of the home.

shed-barns and sunflowers

Rebuilding the shed-barn.

Take a look at Mom and dad and their sunflowers.

latest artifact find

Can you spot the flint scraper?

New Office

Here is a photo of my new office

St. Isidores Farm

St.Isidore

Pius farmer. Married to St.Mary de la Cabeza. Their son died young; they became convinced it was the will of God that they not have children, and they lived together chastely the rest of their lives, doing good works. Accused by fellow workers of shirking his duties by attending Mass each day, taking time out for prayers, etc., Isidore claimed he had no choice but to follow the highest Master. One tale says that when his master came in the morning to chastise him for skipping work for church, he found angels plowing the fields in place of Isidore. Miracles and cures reported at his grave, in which his body remains incorruptible. He died the fifteenth of may 1108. His memorial is on the same day every year.
Farming is good for the soul.

Order of Canada

To Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean,


I have recently read in the news media that you have given the Order of Canada to Henry Morgentaler. This is unacceptable. I beg you to reconsider this award on behalf of all life loving Canadians. As Canadians we proclaim to support minorities and those who are on the margins of society. Who are more helpless than the unborn. The pro-choice movement fails to understand that the choice happens at the time a man and women join together. Even in unwanted pregnancies there are blessings to come, such is the case of my father. No life is worthless and Morgentaler should be called to answer for the many lives he has taken and made to answer for this. This award is for honourable Canadians, not someone as despicable as this man.


Your servant.


Rev.Mr. Stephen Bourque

Farming

An old John Deere tracter in the state of Wisconsin on a biodynamic farm.

article

Another good article by David Warren http://www.davidwarrenonline.com/index.php?id=889 sometmes I am ashamed to be a Canadian.

article

Check out this article from David Warren at his web page http://www.davidwarrenonline.com

Homily for the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul

Christ chose St Peter to be the first pope, to be, as he said in today's Gospel, "the rock" upon which he would build his Church.

• But this is the same Peter who denied our Lord three times the night Jesus was arrested, before the rooster crowed.
• He betrayed his Lord, Savior, and friend when being questioned by a servant girl.
• That's hardly the kind of dependability you would expect from a rock.
• It is said that Peter wept for this sin at least once every day for the rest of his life, until the tears wore two pale tracks down the skin of his face.

Christ chose St Paul to be the Church's first and greatest missionary.

• And yet, Paul started out as the leader of a violent persecution designed to crush the infant Church soon after Christ's ascension.
• But Christ chose him to announce the Gospel all over the ancient world, planting Christian communities in dozens of cities for almost thirty years.
• And he didn't choose Paul because he was such a great public speaker and charismatic leader.
• He was short, bow-legged, skinny, and had a weak and whiny voice.
• The Bible tells us that his critics despised him because "His bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account" (2 Corinthians 10:10).

How did these two men, so flawed, so human, become the two unshakable pillars of the Catholic Church?

What transformed them into saints, martyrs, and history-makers?

God's grace: the same grace that has kept the Church alive and growing for twenty centuries; the same grace we all received at baptism.

On today's Solemnity of St Peter and St Paul, and as we begin the Jubilee Year of St Paul, God wants to remind us that our success and fulfillment as Christians depends more on his grace than our efforts.

What a relief!

---

We see this truth dramatically at work in today's First Reading.

• King Herod, egged on by the same leaders of Jerusalem who had done away with Jesus, arrested Peter for spreading the Christian faith.
• And Herod puts him under maximum security while waiting for the trial.
• In his prison cell, Peter was secured by "double chains" - his wrists were chained to the wrists of the two guards sleeping right beside him in the prison.
• At the main entrance to the prison building and at the interior entrance to the lower section of the prison, more guards kept watch, just in case.
• This is why Herod had four squads of four guards: each squad was on duty for two three-hour shifts per day.

The Bible records all these details to convince us that Peter's escape was absolutely impossible, naturally speaking.

But what is impossible for man is possible for God.

• So an angel appears, the manacles fall off Peter's wrists, an angelic light guides him through the maze of dungeons, past the outer guards, and through the locked iron gate of the prison complex.
• Could Peter have done any of that if he had been depending just on his own smarts and abilities?
• Only the power of God could have freed Peter from the depths of that dark prison.
• What Peter had to do was belive, cooperate and obey.

We are Peter.

Our sins and selfishness are the chains that bind us to frustration and anxiety.

The devil and the sinful world are the guards that hold us back from spiritual freedom.

And by our own strength we can do nothing to escape.

It is God's grace, freely given to us in Christ, that

• forgives our sins,
• enlightens our confusion,
• strengthens us against temptation,
• and leads us to a truly fulfilling life,
• starting here on earth and reaching its pinnacle in heaven.

---

From our perspective here on earth, this seems like a paradox.

First God asks us to follow him and strive for the wisdom, holiness, and happiness that come from following him.

But then he tells us that "without him we can do nothing" (John 15:5).

St Ignatius of Loyola discovered a perfect formula for dealing with this paradox.

• He said that we should pray as if everything is up to God, and work as if everything is up to us.
• We all want to become mature, wise, joyful Christians.
• And so we have to pray, to seek wisdom and grace by meditating on the Scriptures, by receiving well the sacraments, by begging every day for God's help.
• But at the same time, we have to work at it.
• We have to take up our crosses each day: making an effort to overcome our tendencies to laziness, arrogance, impatience, self-centeredness, and over-indulgence.
• We have to pray for the salvation of sinners, but then we have to reach out to our neighbors with our words, our example, and an invitation to come and meet Christ.
• If we work without praying, we will be like dry riverbeds, because we won't have any of God's grace flowing through our lives.
• If we pray without working, we will be like stagnant, smelly ponds, because we will have no outlet for the grace we receive.

This week, and throughout the Jubilee Year of St Paul, which begins today, let's follow in the footsteps of Peter and Paul, who worked hard, but depended more on God than themselves.

Let's make St Ignatius' maxim our own: let's pray, each day, as if everything were up to God, and let's work so that Gods grace flows through us.

To my American Brothers and Friends

“Can a faithful Catholic be a good American? Can a good American be a faithful Catholic?”

I think “yes” would be my answer. A faithful Catholic for one thing
would mean that you practice your faith in the most elemental way
starting with your self and your homes. If America is indeed the land
of the free then we (as faithful Catholics) have a choice when we leave
home and head of to work. Do we follow the lost or do we strive for the
“eye of the needle”? The gov’t will do as it will in what ever country
we live in. Just because we are a minority does not make us any less
citizens. And yes we are a minority. When the secular world approves a
law contrary to Gods law we as Roman Catholics are obligated to appose
the law with a resounding no, thus participating as a legal citizen. If
we do not appose such laws are we not also saying I forfeit my right as
a citizen. I say “run the good race” and not only will you be a good
Catholic but also a good citizen.

biodynamics

Here's an interesting link to the world of Biodynamics

http://wn.rsarchive.org/Lectures/Agri1958/Ag1958_preface.html

St.Clements

St. Clements of Rome....in his letter to the Corinthians, he shows us the understanding he has of God as he relates it to nature and farming...

ANF01. The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus | Christian Classics Ethereal Library

Let us consider, beloved, how the Lord continually proves to us that there shall be a future resurrection, of which He has rendered the Lord Jesus Christ the first-fruits (1 Cor. xv. 20; Col. i. 18) by raising Him from the dead. Let us contemplate, beloved, the resurrection which is at all times taking place. Day and night declare to us a resurrection. The night sinks to sleep, and the day arises; the day [again] departs, and the night comes on. 12 Let us behold the fruits [of the earth], how the sowing of grain takes place. The sower (Luke viii. 5) goes forth, and casts it into the ground; and the seed being thus scattered, though dry and naked when it fell upon the earth, is gradually dissolved. Then out of its dissolution the mighty power of the providence of the Lord raises it up again, and from one seed many arise and bring forth fruit.

Saved by the Truth

Saved by the Truth

We are destined to repeat the fall. As our egos grasp onto any praise, we are falsely built into Gods. We will fall, filled with resentment because of the demands made by the ones who build us up. The builders will then be filled with resentment for us. This cycle is the work of the evil one just as it was in the Garden. It is in stillness we can find God and the courage to refuse our ego. This is painful and requires a letting go that we alone are not capable of. This is the Truth. This Gods way. God, true friends, and silence will lead to the Way.

Two Year Anniversary

After two years of full time ministry it is time to return to working the earth, in a responsible way. Here is a picture of my new office. Instead of the cell phone putting me on high alert.....only the sounds of the wood thrush to lull me into deeper mindfulness. St.Isadore pray for me (the farmer)....St.Ambrose pray for me (the deacon)

Prayer

To pray is to be in nature.

To pray is to work mindfully.

To pray is to meditate with God.



I have reclaimed my prayer life!

Prayer

To pray is to be in time with nature.
To pray is to live and work in nature.
To pray is to observe nature.
God bless our days.

Patron Saint of Farmers

ST. Isidore, May 15th

(1070-1130)

Isidore has become the patron of farmers and rural communities. In particular he is the patron of Madrid, Spain, and of the United States National Rural Life Conference.

When he was barely old enough to wield a hoe, Isidore entered the service of John de Vergas, a wealthy landowner from Madrid, and worked faithfully on his estate outside the city for the rest of his life. He married a young woman as simple and upright as himself who also became a saint—Maria de la Cabeza. They had one son, who died as a child.

Isidore had deep religious instincts. He rose early in the morning to go to church and spent many a holiday devoutly visiting the churches of Madrid and surrounding areas. All day long, as he walked behind the plow, he communed with God. His devotion, one might say, became a problem, for his fellow workers sometimes complained that he often showed up late because of lingering in church too long.

He was known for his love of the poor, and there are accounts of Isidore’s supplying them miraculously with food. He had a great concern for the proper treatment of animals.

He died May 15, 1130, and was declared a saint in 1622 with Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Avila and Philip Neri. Together, the group is known in Spain as “the five saints.”

Its good to know our patron saints!

Quote

"Whatever the endeavors and hopes of reason, the moralist without faith, the citizen without tradition, and the man without experience remain pitiful people, exposed to every sort of defeat." - Cochin

Isaiah 33

13. (Yaweh is speaking) "You who are far away,
listen to what I have done,
and you who are near, realize my strength".

14. (now the author) The sinners in Zion are panic stricken
and fear seizes the Godless
'which of us can survive
the devouring fire,
which of us will survive the everlasting burning?'

15. The one that acts uprightly
and speaks honestly
who scorns to get rich by extortion,
who rejects bribes out of hand,
who refuses to listen to plans involving blood shed
and shuts his eyes
rather than countenance of crime:

16. such a man will live on heights,
the craggy rocks will be his refuge,
he will be fed, he will not want for water.

Extortion

Ex*tor"tion\, n. [F. extorsion.]1. The act of extorting; the act or practice of wresting anything from a person by force, by threats, or by any undue exercise of power; undue exaction; overcharge.

I might add to this .....the act of asking for money, so that I (the person asking) do not become suicidal, so that I may not become depressed and buy drugs, or become desperate and commit a crime. This act of extortion is a learned behavior of the self proclaimed poor. It is learned from and supported by or social support system. One reason for this may be for the bureaucrats to appear as heroes and saviors of the poor.

Good site re: vocations, Priest , and Permanant Deacons

Hears a good site with lots of good info about vocations. It has links to good articles about Permanent Deacons.

http://romancatholicvocations.blogspot.com/2008/03/inside-clear-creek-monastery.html

Let the good times roll!

Nothing better than seeing a man on his new tractor!

In Memory

In memory of our good friend Gille Boudreau



Your work is done here; but you have much to do as you pray for us and intercede for us in the Kingdom of God, the Shepard's work is never really done. You are a good friend.

Things are better today

Last years daffodils .

Part of my Good Friday homily

An ancient tale tells of a country where everyone walked barefoot. Even the king had no covering for his feet. But in his castle, with polished marble floors covered with deep carpets, he didn't need anything to protect his tender tootsies.
One day, however, the king ventured outdoors. His feet encountered stones, twigs, and gravel. "Ooo! Ow! Ouch!" he cried. "This is terrible"
Then, being a compassionate king, with the welfare of his subjects always at heart, he issued a decree: "No one should suffer this pain. Take cow hides, and lay the leather all over the land, to protect the people feet from sticks and stones!"
Eventually, one of his advisers got enough nerve to suggest an alternative. "Sir, wouldn't it be easier just to cover the peoples feet?"
And thus, says the ancient tale, were shoes invented.
Like that king, we sometimes want to change the entire world, to protect ourselves from pain of one kind or another. Sometimes we need to hear the adviser's alternative: the change might better take place in us.

Jesus Christ, our Savior, true God and true Man, has experienced the absolute depths of human misery.
- When we contemplate his Passion we cannot doubt it.
- Isaiah didn't doubt it: "He was spurned and avoided... a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, one of those from whom people hide their faces..."

We have all felt like that at some time in our lives, because we live in a fallen world.
- We have all been sick, and betrayed, and hurt.
- And we have all caused pain in others.
- The effects of evil and sin have reached out and touched each one of us, just like ripples in the water reach to the shores when you throw a pebble into the middle of a pond. The pebble was original sin.

Jesus saved us by coming down to our level, by stepping into the middle of our pain and sorrow:" it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings he endured," as we heard from Isaiah.

He saved us not by illuminating suffering, but by suffering with us and for us, and by teaching us through his own example to trust and love God even in the midst of suffering.

Do we fully realize what this truth means?

It means we don't have to become perfect before we can become friends of God. It also means that, in Christ, we can go right into Gods presence just the way we are, with all our miseries and confusions and wounds and sins. We might ask this question.....Jesus' arms are outstretched on the cross, waiting to embrace who? Those that never sinned? Those who are already saints? No...... US. The Letter to the Hebrews understands this.

Listen again to the earth-shaking sentence that can free us from all fear and hesitancy in our relationship with God: "Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

This may be a challenge in itself as we go about our self absorbed daily business.. Have you ever noticed that when we set aside times to pray, we are presented with a great number of excuses why we don't have time. We must be courageous enough to resist the pressures and temptations that send us the messages not to pray. These my come in very subtle forms as in peer pressure, pressure to socialize, pressure to be a consumer and many more ways. We must understand that we cannot live without this reaching out to God.

On this day, this sacred Good Friday, let's join our hearts to those of all Catholics throughout, the world, and lets lift our eye's to this saving cross of Christ. This cross is the "Throne of grace" that God wants us to "approach with boldness" so we can "receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need".

When we approach and venerate the cross, let's do so not just with our feet ,hands and lips, but with our whole selves. In prayer, let's lay our own troubles at the foot of this cross, this throne. Let us lay the troubles of those we love at the foot of this throne. Let us lay the troubles of the world at the foot of this throne. Nothing would please Him more.

Remember the story of the King that tried to fix the world by solving ever ones problems by covering the land in leather. I am here to tell you as an advisor to reserve the idea that you can fix the world your self... but by coming to the cross you can help those around you by being better at approaching the throne yourself and asking God to help those who are in need of a protection and support.

No End

The Celtic knot has no end.
Just as the seasons continually come and go.
We are continually given a new day.
We must learn to role with the seasons.
We must leave the past and go to the future.
Never clinging to the past, nor predicting the future.
We must live in the center of the knot.
Stationary and still.

Easter

Easter brings about many feelings. Within we go through the full range of emotions from profound sadness to total relief. What do we do with all these feelings. Maybe we need to be thankful to God that we are at least aware enough to experience / participate in these most Holy of Days

Testing useing Scribe Fire

Just testing to see how this works with Blogger.

Psalm 127

When I begin work tomorrow I must remember these first two verses of Psalm 127. It is so easy to forget who I labour for (The Lord must do the work). Sometimes I think I am working for myself.

Psalms Chapter 127

1 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

Check out this site

Wow check out this site of sacred text. It's all there....

http://www.sacred-texts.com/index.htm

.....from viking legends to I Ching.

Message for Youth from Pope Benedict XVI

Benedict XVI to Youth: Don't Sell Your Soul

Hears Confessions of Young People Preparing for Sydney

VATICAN CITY, MARCH 14, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI told youth to be on guard against the possibility of selling or losing their own humanity, and encouraged them instead to stay open to the Holy Spirit.

The Pope spoke with youth Thursday when he presided over a penitential liturgy with young people from Rome in preparation for the 23rd World Youth Day, to be held in Australia this summer. He joined with hundreds of other priests to hear the confessions of the youth.

"At the roots of being Christian," the Holy Father told the young people, "is an encounter with an event, with a Person. This opens a new horizon and, with it, a decisive sense of direction." In order "to favor this encounter, you are preparing to open your hearts to God, confessing your sins and -- by the action of the Holy Spirit and through the ministry of the Church -- receiving forgiveness and peace."

"Thus," he added, "we make room in ourselves for the presence of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Blessed Trinity which is the 'soul' and the 'vital breath' of Christian life. The Spirit helps us to grow 'in an understanding of Jesus that becomes ever deeper and more joyful and, at the same time, to put the Gospel into practice.'"

Hiding an empty life

On this subject, the Pontiff recalled one of his own Pentecost meditations when he was archbishop of Munich and Freising, inspired by the film "Seelenwanderung," in which one of the characters sells his soul in exchange for worldly success: "From the moment he freed himself of his soul, he no longer had any scruples or humanity, providing striking evidence of how the facade of success often hides an empty life.

"A human being cannot throw away his own soul, because it is the soul that makes him human. [...] Yet he does have the frightening possibility of being inhuman, of remaining a person but at the same time selling or losing his own humanity.

"The distance between the human person and the inhuman being is immense, yet it cannot be demonstrated; it is what is truly important, yet it is apparently without importance."

Likewise, Benedict XVI continued, the Holy Spirit "cannot be seen with the eyes. Whether it enters into a person or not, it cannot be seen or demonstrated; but it changes and renews all the perspectives of human life. The Holy Spirit does not change the exterior situations of life, but the interior."

"Let us then," he said, "prepare ourselves, with a sincere examination of conscience, to present ourselves before the people to whom Christ entrusted the ministry of reconciliation. [...] Thus will we experience true joy, the joy that derives from the mercy of God, flows into our hearts and reconciles us to him. [...] Be bearers of this joy, which comes from welcoming the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and witness its fruits in your own lives.

"Always remember that you are 'temples of the Spirit.' Allow him to dwell in you and humbly obey his commands, in order to make your own contribution to the building of the Church and to discern the type of vocation to which the Lord calls you. [...] Be generous, allow yourselves to be helped by using the sacrament of confession and by the practice of spiritual guidance."

Psalm 36

Sin speaks to the sinner in the depths of his heart. There is no fear of God before his eyes. He so flatters himself in his mind that he knows not his guilt. In his mouth are mischief and evil, all wisdom is gone.
Psalm 36:1-5

Over two thousand years ago these lines were written. This is the truth also today. This the description of many people I have met while attempting to serve to marginalized. There is no help for the person described above. Save for a change of heart brought on by an awareness that they can ask for and receive from God a new heart. I have drawn a line in the sand today. I will no longer be a source of monetary help for these people. They may find that I can direct them to a source of material help but I will no longer be that source. Jesus never healed for the sake of healing, He healed because of the faith of those involved. I will try to do the same. It is very tempting to be the hero and provide for the material needs.

Easter (a new spring) is Coming

Spring is coming......I am sure it is. (Lambs from a couple of years ago at GLA's)

Barred Owl

If we are wrapped up in our own enclosed world.... we walk blindly and alone; without God.

The Joy

This my all time favorite music video. God Bless the Franciscans of the Bronx. Here is the address..

http://www.franciscanfriars.com/gallery/Jan_2007.html