Happy St. Joseph's Day!

Today's Readings

"He believed, hoping against hope, that he would become the father of many nations, according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be. " - Romans 4:18

Today's GregBlog is just like Greg... Short, sweet and happy to be a Dad!

It's the Feast of St. Joseph, a decendant of King David, a child of Abraham, the earthly father of Christ, and devoted husband of the Blessed Mother Mary, and by all accounts the "greatest Italian to ever live." LOL

If fathers give life to their children, they also pass on ways to live those lives.  My Dad gave me Lionel Hampton, and a great "why not" view of living.  Abraham gave life to his children, and passed on an attitude of unfailing hope in God's divine plan.  King David gave his children a renewed kingdom of strength in the faith that God would lead them into the future.  Joseph, inherited the life of Christ, chosen by God to accompany the Holy Spirit and a Blessed Mother in the proclaimation of the reality of everlasting life, one day at a time, raising Jesus in the ways of the faith, and the values of a productive day's work.

Abraham "hoped against hope", and God prevailed!

David promised to share a kingdom, amd God prevailed!

Joseph protected his family, and God prevailed!

Mr. Ed shared his love with Greg, and God prevailed!

Greg sits here with his beautiful wife Karen, and his amazing kids Michelle and Megan, knowing that... You guessed it... God will prevail!  Today's celebration is the feast of a father's love for his family, and maybe that's why today's feast is truly a FEAST!  So breakout the pasta and meatballs, the fruit and the pastries, and toast your family with a nice glass of Chianti... St. Joseph, pray for us!

When You've Only Got 100 Years to Live...

Today I am taking part in the celebration of the life of a wonderful woman who spent 95 years on this planet. As she is laid to rest, (after such a long and full life, who wouldn't want a little of that), I know I will be thinking of the time I have left, and the living I plan to do!

As we approach the Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, there are, and will be a lot of messages sent about LIFE being a beautiful choice... I can't help but pray for and desire a similar long and full life for everyone who can swing it! May all life on this planet have 95 years to do great things for one another like Marguerite. May God bless the way we LIVE!

What Are You Doing on the Sabbath?

“The Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath." (Matthew 12: 8)

The weekend is here so what are you doing on Sunday? Going to Church? Sleeping in? Taking that walk or run? Mowing the yard? Playing with the kids? Working?

Certainly, going to church is a must, but whatever you are doing, you may take time to give it up to the Lord who made Earth and sky. You may consider adding in the extra few minutes, or even an hour of quiet. You should try and prioritize relaxation, rejuvenation and worship! As Jesus said, the sabbath is not a day to be worshipped, but rather it is a day TO WORSHIP. We were not made for the sabbath, the sabbath was made for us! So we need to use it for what it was intended... Worship!

There are a lot of thoughts out there on what constitutes worship, and I will not spend a lot of time here debating what it is or what it is not. I will offer that while one can worship alone, our Christian worship, Muslim worship, and the worship of all organized religion seems to thrive on gathering in a community to praise and give thanks to God, Allah, our Creator.

So, you guessed it... All I’m saying is GO TO CHURCH! But I am not saying it with a veiled threat in mind, because the sabbath was made for you, and you have to make a point to utilize it for what it was intended to be... a day of worship! So head to your place of worship, and sing those songs with the congregation! Go to the Eucharist! Pray those prayers out loud and join the person next to you, as you pay homage to the Lord of Hosts! We are God’s people, the sheep of His flock!

If anyone make you feel uncomfortable or unwelcome, let me know... I’ll take care of them! But I bet you’ll see some smiling faces, and shake a few warm hands! Give it a shot and make the sabbath your own!

Maintain!

Build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. (Jude 17: 21)

As we enter this “Ordinary Time” of mission and work, we must prepare ourselves to be willing to keep preparing. To build the faith within each of us, so that The Faith can be built in our world, calls for a life of prayer, patience and persistence!

Prayer: It only takes a moment to recognize that we’re not alone, and that the Lord is with us, listening and responding to us in real time. Acknowledge Him and His presence in your life. Take time to communicate with the God who loves you! Formality has its place, and there are times when formal prayer may be necessary, but on average, a morning hello, or a recognition that those times when we “talk to ourselves” is actually the ongoing conversation with the Almighty. We are people who need to be heard (that’s the whole point of this Blog thing in society don’t ya’ think?); and we have a God who needs the same. So pray!

Patience: The solution is not always immediate. The reward is not always evident. The outcome is rarely known. “Love is patient” (1 Cor. 13), and so are we. If we’re gonna get anywhere in this life, then we need to remember that good things come to those who can wait for them. Its never been about “what you get” out of life; its about getting there, and the stuff we learn on “The Way”. So be patient!

Persistence: Actually, I just needed another “P-Word” to make this blog entry complete. Its that “three” thing. I guess the Trinity has a grip on me! So, since we’re here, living a life of prayer and patience, then we should be persistent as to what we want to see happen. If we’re about building a Church on Earth, then we must see it through! If we’re about raising a family, then we know its never perfect, and we live through the highs and the lows together! The “Parable of the Persistent Widow” offers a great example of how we need to approach this building of The Faith in the world:

Then he told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, "There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, 'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.' For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, 'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'" The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18: 1-8)

So, pray, have patience and be persistent; and maintain your composure, for we have a Church to build!

50 Ways to Get Through Easter... Impulse!

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” (John 14: 27)

Easter Day #31: Impulse!

Have you ever had to act on your gut instinct? How did it go? Did you succeed? Did it turn out better than you thought? Did you fail? Did it hurt? What did you learn?

Answers to questions like these are definitely the building blocks of a spiritual journey, for walking a path of faith always requires that you act on an IMPULSE from time to time. Yes, there are plans to be made, and recipes to follow in life, but every now and then our faith requires us to go with our gut IMPULSE. We’ve all heard the phrase, “it just felt like the right thing to do at the time.”

There’s an inherent risk in going with your gut, and that is what makes it likely that there will be hardships ahead. But when you act on an IMPULSE that is rooted in a life of Christ, you tend to do the right thing more often than not. We have been promised that the “Peace of Christ” has been left with us to use and to share in our own journey. Some choose to embody this peace, while others put it on a shelf and retrieve it when needed. Still others, take it for granted, and never really add it to their routines at all. To the ones who embody it, their IMPULSE is most certainly one of peace. To the ones who retrieve it, the IMPULSE may or may not be peaceful, depending on whether or not there is time to remember “to get it off the shelf”. To the ones who ignore it, the IMPULSE is most certainly uncertain at best.

May the peace of our Lord be with you always!

Let us act on an IMPULSE and pray for the currents, coastline, wildlife, and people of the Gulf Region. There is an oil slick still being fed by a leak that needs fixing. The north wind is doing its part today to keep things off shore, but we are facing a potential environmental catastrophe that calls us to act. If your IMPULSE is to pray, then pray! If it is to collect degreasing soap and rags to send to the coast so that they are ready to respond, then collect! If you have no IMPULSE to do anything, then please consider re-reading this post, and try one of the two options listed here. Thanks!