Introspection or If God Looked In

Friends of Faith:

If God looked into me what would he see?

I have often said that what I write each week is really an introspection of my own, an examination of my own conscious. (And as usual I continue to be amazed by the “coincidence” of the Sunday gospel readings as they pertain to these introspections.)

I cannot write without seeing inside myself, without seeing my own inability to change the things about myself that from the “outside” look or seem to contradict the very things I write.

In one of those “wide awake” nights this weekend I wrote the following: “Sometimes we have to answer the tough questions and make tough choices, but often times it is not the choosing that is difficult but rather executing those choices. And our choices are these:  right or wrong, good or evil, heaven or hell, saint or sinner.

Only God can know me (and your) personal inner struggles, in our thoughts and in our prayers, as we seek to continually face the challenges which will allow the Spirit of God (our conscious) to guide us and change us for Him.

I am pretty sure, for some, my writings sometimes seem like a “bull in YOUR china closet;” meaning the ideas they contain seem to try to beat you, or break the very ideas that you hold nearest and dearest to your own heart.

It is humanly difficult to “break” or have “broken” a sin of the past by the Spirit who gives us the gifts of wisdom, understanding and awe at God’s greatest desire for our lives—to remain the innocent child he created.

I am also reminded with an ever growing humility, that I have been given something many others have not, and that is the gift of a great husband, a great friend. It is a gift to know that not only does Stan pray for me, but he is equally committed to God’s ultimate goal for us. We are blessed with joy in our marriage, and to share the knowledge that our intentions for each other are “right” and that we are willing to serve and be served by each other, for life, freely and faithfully. (This is God’s design for marriage.)

So, I pray, with the hope of God, that you understand where my writing comes from—not from a desire to change you, but from my own introspection, my own experience, my own sins and my own struggles to choose God—every time. It comes from a desire to change myself, so that I will be as He designed me to be—created in His likeness, a holy child of God.

"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother." He replied and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, "You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Mk 10: 17-22

I do have one other desire and that is that every one of us would share heaven together.

Yet God’s own words this Sunday pointed out: “Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." Mk 10:23-25

God did not say it would be easy to be human, because as humans we are sinners.

I know that I will often be challenged, emotionally and spiritually, with the failings of culture and our society.  And I struggle in my writings to contain my patience, anger and judgment of others. But I also know that I must become what I believe and that I am called to share my beliefs. (Blessed Pope John Paul II, The New Evangelization)

Therefore, my introspections are often challenging: a growing realization that I have been given unique gifts, and that I must use these gifts; but the more I use them, the more I am challenged by them: to change the wrongs in myself, before I point out the wrongs of others.

And of course this creates the challenge that I may be ostracized for sharing my thoughts, just as many of God’s followers were outcast.

So it is with great hope I continue Mark’s gospel: “They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God." Mk 10: 26-27

So here is my abbreviated and concentrated short examination of conscious (and long prayer) for myself this week—

God blesses me with an abundance of food: I choose to be healthy. Help me not eat everything I see, but instead to seek His true food, the Eucharist, at every opportunity.

God blesses me with an abundance of earthly wealth: I choose to be humble and thankful, making my decisions based on WWJD and not about money or gain for myself. Help me to give up control and seek opportunities for others without a “pat on the back” for giving away my time and treasures.

God blesses me with the opportunity to attend church: I choose to put God’s time first. Help me to focus on prayer and see church time as a privilege and an opportunity rather than as an obligation.

God blesses me with a talent to write: I choose to write about how God’s teachings influence my religious conscious, with the prayer that God’s voice in life and death issues will be heard above the culture of materialism. Help me to be guided and protected by the Spirit, and help my words to be charitable and tolerant. May I always write faithfully on God’s design for marriage (one man and one woman) and in expressing the need to vote for the protection of innocent, voiceless children and the freedom to make decisions based on my religious conscience. Amen.

“I prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. I preferred her to scepter and throne, and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her, nor did I liken any priceless gem to her; because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand, and before her, silver is to be accounted mire. Beyond health and comeliness I loved her, and I chose to have her rather than the light, because the splendor of her never yields to sleep. Yet all good things together came to me in her company, and countless riches at her hands.” Wis 7:7-11

May my own introspection guide you to see God’s Spirit in your life this week,

Blessings and thanksgiving for each of you who hear my heart,

Charlotte

 

 

In the Beginning

Women of Faith:

In the beginning… things always seem fresher, clearer, more easily definable, and it was easier to bear the burdens and sacrifices of our initial commitment.

So, it is good to look back at the beginning, because the beginning reminds us what our intent and purpose was before we were influenced by others, before we tired, and before our self-discipline was challenged.

In the beginning… our commitment is to lose weight so that we will be healthier; our commitment to God in baptism is to love, honor and serve him—as innocently and as trusting as a child; and our commitment to our spouse in our wedding vows is to overlook their faults and to love and serve them unconditionally and faithfully until death do us part.

In the beginning ….marriage was created as man and woman to be helpmates and partners of each other …. “The LORD God said: "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him."….. The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man. When he brought her to the man, the man said: "This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called 'woman, ' for out of 'her man' this one has been taken." That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh.” Genesis 2:18-24

In the beginning, children were esteemed precious, a gift from God, to be protected and received by all Christians. “The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said … And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.” Mt 18: 1-5 “For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." Mk 10: 13-16

Yet 3,000 innocent children will die today without a voice. Babies killed by abortion. Nearly ¼ of ALL pregnancies ended--over 50 million since abortion was legalized in 1973. (In comparison 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust.)

Will history say that the justices who legalized abortion under the Roe vs Wade decision were more murderous than Hitler? Will history say that we Christians allowed it to happen because we were afraid to be the voice of the unborn child. The argument has been “it’s the women’s right”! The answer is “It’s the unborn child’s right” to have the same right to be born as the mother did.

In the beginning our nation was created… “One nation, under God.”  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Declaration of Independence

And our founding father’s made this fundamental promise the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights. “Congress shall make no law disrespecting an establishment of religion, or by prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

Yet, today the leaders of our country are disrespecting our religious conscience and prohibiting our free exercise of religion—by forcing public laws upon us that go against God’s commandments. Instead of God being allowed to be “the way, the truth and the life”--our power and our conscience—we will be publicly penalized for obeying His commandments, His laws, instead of theirs.

The HHS (health and human service) mandate which is a part of “Obamacare” dictates that ALL business must provide insurance coverage for their employees that will include abortion and contraceptive coverage--regardless of the employers religious belief/s that abortion and contraception are against God’s commandments.

Every social justice, religious, and non-profit business which serves the poor and homeless—like Christian hospitals and schools and Christian social service agencies (Catholic Charities & Lutheran Family Service)--will face tax penalties so severe that they will be put out of business if they stand up for their Christian religious “conscience” and go against public law. A Christian conscience which understands that every child is a gift from God, created in His image, from the moment of the miracle of conception.

As Christians will be rebuked for not taking a stand and speaking up as Jesus rebuked his disciples, “I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out!” Lk 19: 40 What would it be like for stones to cry out? Imagine how the God of creation, the creator of marriage, and the God of new life, will deal with those who choose to ignore “right to life,” marriage and religious freedom issues which go against His commandments.

Heavenly Father, “You are the head of every principality and power.” Col 2:10 We pray for Your grace on all Christians who fight for You. Help us to remember that in the beginning You created marriage as one man, one woman; and in the beginning it was a blessing to have “a quiver full of children” (Ps 127:5) created by that union. Convert every politician and every citizen to the understanding that You are the real power and the truth and the giver of life. Give protection to the unborn; healing forgiveness and comfort to those who believed abortion was a choice; and bless all those who care for mothers and their babies. Amen.

This is a call to Christian action: To remember our beginnings under God.

Blessings,

Charlotte

Staying Focused

Friends of Faith:

With all the division of this world I often have a difficult time staying focused on my goal: God eternally in heaven. Does everything I do and everything I believe in—everyday—direct me towards that goal? (Eph 1:3-23)

I am personally pulled as to where I spend my time and money—how I honor God, serve our family, and accomplish the everyday tasks that seem to take on a life of their own. Am I putting my desires ahead of the plans God has for me? What is my focus?

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, …, that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love,  may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Eph 3:14-19

Christians (and non Christian believers) are divided by their personal beliefs, the beliefs of their neighbors, and God’s truths. Do I think I fully understand God’s truths, or do I continue to learn and discern God’s teachings thru the Church even when it is uncomfortable and might mean I have to change something I have professed or have unknowingly done wrong in the past?

"There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Mk 9: 38-42 (Oneness, Eph 2: 11-22) (Unity, Eph 4: 1-4)

This country (and therefore each of us) is pulled between life issues (abortion & redefining marriage) and money/economics. Am I willing to stand up for life first—choosing God over money?

“No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Lk 16:13 &Mt 6: 24

Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries. Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire. You have stored up treasure for the last days. Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. James 5:1-6

The world is divided by war and conflict, conflicts of people who want to become God by gaining power over more people. Does my focus rest on using my talents and treasures to serve others (the poor, the broken, the needy), or do I look to gain power because I have these same talents and treasures?

Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward. Mk 9: 43

Heavenly Father, You have created us ALL in Your image, therefore we are ONE in You. Help me to act as ONE for you—honoring you each day by my presence in Your house, and by giving You a presence in ours. Help me to focus every minute of my day on reaching Your heavenly height, the common goal. Be a part of every decision and every priority I set throughout my day. Thank you for the many gifts and talents you have created in me, help me to use them wisely for your glory. Amen.

Where has your focus strayed from God’s promise? What choices are you making that meet your needs, not his; that choose money over life; that use talents and treasures to gain power?

Our goal should be that we each help each other get there together. Undivided and Focused!

Stay focused on God, stay focused on heaven,

Charlotte

Count Your Blessings

Friends of Faith:

It is best in life to count our blessings, because from every pain or sorrow we have the choice whether to choose earthly hurt or heavenly peace.

From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. This need not be so, my brothers. Does a spring gush forth from the same opening both pure and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, produce olives, or a grapevine figs? Neither can salt water yield fresh... Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace. James 3:10-13, 16-18

We have been blessed for the past 26 plus years to have in my mom’s life a friend and companion. Her husband, John, gave her joy by allowing her to fulfill her desires to travel across the country and by growing her groups of both family and friends. Their greatest joys together were the times any of us gathered in their home (especially the rare times it was the entire family) or that they visited in ours. She sacrificed much and in God’s time she has been richly blessed. She continues to teach us what it means to COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS by choosing to be blessed with love after love.

We have been blessed to receive another dad when tragedy could have caused “disorder.” And we have received the fruits of being blessed by a father’s guidance, wisdom and attention. We were blessed with the comfort and peace of knowing John was taking care of mom (and she, him). He was truly a blessing to our family.

Our children have been blessed to have a Grandpa and Great-grandpa. He shared his time and love of sports and fishing with them and looked forward to their visits and the opportunities to listen to their chatter. We count their blessings to have learned the gifts of kindness, gentleness and service from them.

There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. A time to give birth, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them; a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces. A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away. A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. Ecc 3: 1-8

Heavenly Father, You have given us everything. Help me to choose to accept and count Your every blessing given to us, for only you know in what time we need each of your gifts. Thank you for the gift of John and all of our loved ones. May he and all the faithful departed rest in peace in the richness of your heavenly kingdom.  Amen.

www.hindthudekfuneralhomes.com (John Perkins 1933-2012)

Count Your Blessings,

Charlotte

Don't Kill the Messenger

Friends of Faith:

Have you ever worn a new outfit with a tag still attached? Who laughed behind your back, who told you it was there, and who helped you take it off?

Have you ever been “uncomfortable” speaking the truth because you were afraid of what the other person might think about your honesty?

What about the tougher issues we face—are we willing to be a “best friend” who reminds our friends of God’s moral truths (in kindness and compassion—when our friends ask) or do we ignore what we know is wrong (sin) because we don’t want to be the “messenger who is killed,” the faithful Christian friend who is “rejected?”

Would you be willing to tell a friend that it is not right to use a company car on personal time; to take “fringe benefits” home from the office without permission; or spend the night with someone of the opposite sex before they are married? How often do you speak against revenge, contraception, premarital sex, cohabitation, homosexuality and abortion?

And how do I react when someone tells me the truth? Do I become resentful, rebellious and revengeful towards the messenger—thinking to myself—“oh, now they are judging me?” Or do I accept the truth, take off the tag (change my way), and become grateful that someone had the courage to tell me of my blunder (sin). Do I say “thank you” for the honesty of a best friend? Or do I “kill the messenger?”

"Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it." Mk 8: 27-35

And what about those who don’t “feel comfortable” enough to tell us the truth, who gossip behind our backs about the errors they know we are making? Are they only willing to do or say the truth if it gives them a reward? Are they like the person who says “they have been saved” but who does nothing with the faith they profess?

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well," but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Indeed someone might say, "You have faith and I have works." Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. James 2:14-18

Are we only willing to be the messenger, the bearer and doer of difficult truths, God’s truths, when we see something in it for us? 

Ten of the apostles were killed for following Christ. Many prophets and saints became martyrs, including some at Columbine High School. And we were saved because Christ was crucified. They all said YES to being God’s messengers.

So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma. Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is fitting among holy ones, no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place, but instead, thanksgiving. Eph 5:1-4

Heavenly Father, you gave us your Son so that we might be saved. Help me to express my gratitude for his suffering by being truthful and honoring your commandments even when it is difficult and I am persecuted for my Christian convictions. Thank you for the spiritual gifts of wisdom and fear of the Lord which allow me to not fear being Your messenger. Amen.

Demonstrate your faith, but don’t kill the messenger—we are both the friend who needs to say the truth and the friend who needs to hear the truth.

Blessings,

Charlotte

 

Now or Later

Friends of Faith:

I open the mail to see how much the bills are, and I set the Health and Weight Watchers magazines aside for later.

I open emails that have catchy subject lines about bodily functions and the Christian reflection sits unopened--left for “later.”

I open the newspaper and read about crime and destruction, yet God’s “Good News” sits unopened for when I have more time.

So what made you read this NOW, instead of “later?” Did reverse psychology entice you to read this message?

Unfortunately God doesn’t work in reverse psychology, he works in the here and now truth.  But even the disciples and many of the saints did the reverse of what He asked at some point in their lives.

”He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it.” Mk 7: 36

Much of what seems dear to us is opposite to God.

We love the rich, yet God says he will bless the poor.

Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom
that he promised to those who love him? Jas 2: 1-5 (And the Beatitudes, Mt 5)

We pray in need, but God says to “pray at all times, for everything,” especially in thanksgiving for the gifts he has given us.

So what are the tough lessons I have yet to learn? What has to happen to make me change to be more of an imitator of Christ? When will God’s truth be now rather than “later?”

“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work... from the power of Satan in every mighty deed and in signs and wonders that lie, and in every wicked deceit for those who are perishing because they have not accepted the love of truth so that they may be saved. Therefore, God is sending them a deceiving power so that they may believe the lie, that all who have not believed the truth but have approved wrongdoing may be condemned. But we ought to give thanks to God for you always, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in truth. To this end he has [also] called you through our gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.” 2 Thes 2: 7-15

Heavenly Father, Truth for all ages, everything belongs to you. Help me to not deceive myself or to be a fool who is caught by my own vanity. Make me be a humble servant who understands that all that I have and all that I do that is good comes from you. Guide my tests and sufferings so that they bear the fruits of the Spirit by retaining good and banishing the evil in this world. Thank you for the fruits of the Spirit:  Goodness, Joy, Patience, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Kindness, Generosity, and Self-control. Amen.

Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Mt 25: 13

Now is the time! May you be ready and be blessed,

Charlotte

The "Commander" in Chief

Women of Faith:

My question today is soul searching, and yet I believe God has given us all the simple solution: Are we living by God’s commands? And the solution: WWJD!

What commands/laws have we created as humans because we “are” human?

Moses said to the people: "Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you to observe, that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. In your observance of the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin upon you, you shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it. Dt 4:1-2

God says we have a choice: good or evil, God or the devil.

God says we are all equal: not that we will be treated equally by the law, but by HIM.

So what laws protecting choice and equality are of God, and what laws protecting choice and equality are of man? Do our laws protect what God designed: Life and Marriage? Or are humans redesigning God’s commands?

This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts. You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition." Mk 7: 6-8

Do the laws we follow honor God’s Ten commandments? Or as the Ten Commandments have been taken off of the courthouse lawns, have God’s 10 been taken out of our moral and social compass, and therefore our human laws?

Is our government a god who is taking care of orphans and widows? Is everyone who proclaims to be “needy” really in need? What is it that we as humans really need? And have we determined that it is  government that will be the god to those who want to be taken care of, or is that the role we as humans, designed by God were given—to unselfishly take care of those in need?

All good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change. He willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.  Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world. Jas 1: 17-28, 21B-22

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming the mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. 1 Cor 2: 1-5

Our conscience is the soul God gave us as a “natural checkpoint” of right and wrong. What does our conscience tell us are the right things to teach, promote and most importantly to do?

He summoned the crowd again and said to them, "Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile. "From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy,  blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile." Mk 7:14-15, 21-23

Lord, I love your commands. From every evil way I withhold my feet, that I may keep your words. From your ordinances I turn not away, for you have instructed me. Ps 119: 97, 101-102

Lord God, Heavenly King, the Greatest Commander, may I DO what I KNOW is Your will. Help all who proclaim to be Your followers have the courage to defend the unborn (God’s orphans) and to take a stand against all who promote and allow abortion.  Help us to give encouragement to single mothers (God’s widows) who have been abandoned by fathers of unborn children. Help them to be guided to Pro-life centers who have the resources necessary to support them and their children. Thank you for Your most perfect gift, Life.  Amen.

Follow God’s Command!

Blessings,

Charlotte