Basket of Water

The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading from his old worn-out Bible. His grandson, who wanted to be just like him, tried to imitate him in any way he could.

One day the grandson asked, "Papa, I try to read the Bible just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bible do?" The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring back a basket of water." The boy did as he was told, even though all the water leaked out before he could get back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, "You will have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again.

This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was "impossible to carry water in a basket," and he went to get a bucket instead. The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You can do this. You're just not trying hard enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.

At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got far at all. The boy scooped the water and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, "See Papa, it's useless!"

"So you think it is useless?" the old man said. "Look at the basket." The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was clean. "Son, that's what happens when you read the Bible. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, it will change you from the inside out."

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our gospel today is the Beatitudes, the foundation of all Jesus’ teaching (Matthew 5: 3 – 12). St. Matthew presents us with eight Beatitudes which describe the qualities that distinguish citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. The citizens of Heaven are the people who are humble and helpless and who put their entire trust in God, those whose hearts are broken and sorrowful, those who are meek, those who yearn for total goodness, those who are merciful, those who are pure in heart, those who are peacemakers and people who are persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ.

The Beatitudes challenge our way of thinking. They present a different set of values. They turn everything upside down. In our success driven and money-oriented world, the Beatitudes don't make much sense. How can people who are poor in spirit, meek, and persecuted be happy? For many people, Jesus could be talking about Astrophysics or something from a fantasy novel. In fact, some people do consider the Kingdom of Heaven as some kind of future, pie-in-the sky, other world.

The Beatitudes call us to holiness today, now, here in Peachtree City, Georgia. As Christians, we are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven and it is our responsibility to make the Kingdom of Heaven real and tangible here and now. Blessedness, true happiness comes when we acknowledge God our Father as the center of our universe. True happiness comes when we follow the advice of Zephaniah in today's first reading (Zep 2:3; 3:12-13) and we seek the Lord, seek justice and seek humility in everything we do.

Eternal God,

teach us the hidden wisdom of the gospel,

so that we may hunger and thirst for holiness,

work tirelessly for peace,

and be counted among those

who seek first the blessedness of your kingdom.

Let the spirit of Jesus be alive in us


now and forever.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God for ever and ever.

AMEN

Dr. Seuss

 

Bring Your Umbrella

One summer, a drought threatened the crop in a small town. On a hot and dry Sunday, the old parish priest told his congregation, "There isn't anything that will save us except to pray for rain. Go home, pray, believe, and come back next Sunday ready to thank God for sending rain."

The people did as they were told and returned to church the following Sunday. But as soon as the old priest saw them, he was furious.

"We can't worship today. You do not yet believe," he said.

"But," they protested, "we prayed, and we do believe."

"Believe?" he responded. "Then where are your umbrellas?"

The story applies to all of us. There are those people who leave their umbrellas at home. Throughout their lives, they are merely hoping their wishes and prayers will bear fruit, but they expect little.

Others expect their dreams and desires to come to pass. It is as if they journey through life always prepared for something to happen.

Today, how will you approach that which you are yearning for? Will you expect your prayers and work to bring about hoped-for results?

Will you bring your umbrella?

I Found the Answer in My Room

When I woke up this morning, I asked myself, 

"What is life about?"

I found the answer in my room.

The fan said, "Be cool."
The roof said, "Aim high."
The window said, "See the world!"
The clock said, "Every minute is precious."
The mirror said, "Reflect before you act."
The calendar said, "Be up to date."
The door said, "Push hard for your goals."
The floor said, "Kneel down and pray."

He Already Knows

A priest was teaching his weekly Bible class, and he asked the members how they'd introduce themselves to the Lord when they got to heaven. The first one said, “Lord, I'm Joan. I was married for 47 years, I raised three wonderful children, and I always baked the cupcakes for school. That's who I am.”

Another said, “Lord, I'm George. I was the biggest contractor in the county Almost all of my buildings were good and I tried to watch out for the little guys. That's who I am.”

And another said, “I'm Harry. I was the school janitor all my life. Kept the place real clean, and was never mean to the kids either. That's who I am, Lord.”

And so it went till finally it was the turn of the oldest man in the group. He spoke very softly: “I won't need to introduce myself,” he said . “The Lord already knows who I am."

Mistakes

A humorous story has it that a newly appointed young clergyman was contacted by a local funeral director to hold a graveside service at a small country cemetery in mid-western USA. There was to be no funeral, just a graveside service, because the deceased had no family and had outlived her friends.

The young pastor started early to the cemetery, but soon became lost. After making several wrong turns, he finally arrived a half-hour late. The hearse was nowhere in sight and cemetery workers were relaxing under a nearby tree, eating their lunch.

The pastor went to the open grave and found that the vault lid was already in place. He took out a prayer book and read a few paragraphs. As he returned to his car, he overheard one of the workers say, “Maybe we’d better tell him it’s a septic tank.”

Why is it we make our biggest mistakes in public? And some people can’t avoid it. Former hockey goalie Jacques Plante wonders, “How would you like a job where, if you made a mistake, a big, red light goes on and 18,000 people boo?”

But we should never give up our right to be wrong. Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment. It is your right to be wrong. “No (one) ever became great or good except through many and great mistakes,” said William E. Gladstone. Great mistakes are opportunities for great learning. And great learning makes for great living.

Now, that’s something I can get into. I don’t need to be a great person, just one who believes that his life is worth living well. And if that means I need to make some magnificent mistakes along the way, I’ll take that on as part of the price to pay.

You and I have a right to be wrong. And if we are to move toward great living, we might even have a duty to make great mistakes. Sometimes we can laugh them off. Certainly we can learn from them. And always, let’s just make sure the next mistake is one we haven’t made before.

Thy Will

As the day goes on, we can pause where situations must be met and decisions made, and renew the simple request: Thy will, not mine, be done.

Just saying it over and over will often enable us to clear a channel choked up with anger, fear, frustration, or misunderstanding, and permit us to return to the surest help of all – our search for God’s will, not our own, in the moment of stress.​

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today’s gospel, Matthew 4: 12 – 23, St Matthew describes the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. In these few verses, Matthew links Jesus’ ministry to Old Testament prophecy by stating that Jesus is the fulfilment of Isiah’s vision of a new king who drives away darkness and despair brining light, joy and rejoicing. Matthew reminds us that Jesus came to preach. And finally, the message Jesus proclaimed was "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Throughout his ministry, Jesus, called on the people of Israel to repent. St. Matthew used the Greek word, metanoia, defined in the Merriam Webster Dictionary as “a transformative change of heart; especially: a spiritual conversion.” Jesus challenged his listeners and he challenges us to change our way of thinking, to change our behavior, to change our hearts and to change our lives so that we can be good citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.

After he started preaching, Jesus began identifying his partners in ministry. In today’s gospel, he called Andrew and Simon and James and John. They all dropped whatever they were doing and followed him. St Matthew tells us in Chapter 5 of his gospel that we “are the light of the world” (14). Just as Jesus called Peter and Andrew and James and John, he calls us. The Good News is that we, the spiritual heirs of Saints Peter, Andrew, James, and John, can share this light with hundreds of people every day in so many ways. The even better news is that there is much, much more we can do to transform the world about us. It was, after all, Jesus who promised we will do greater works than he did; “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). We are all called to be apostles of light.

  

God our Father,

your Son invites us, gently but insistently,

to follow him as faithful disciples.

Open our minds to his light,

make us respond to his love

and entrust our whole being to him.

May his kingdom grow in each of us

and in the whole world, that he may lead us in hope

to the joy you have prepared for us in your home.

We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

Parable of the Twins

Parable of the Twins

Once upon a time, twin babies were conceived.

Weeks passed and the twins developed. As their awareness grew, they laughed for joy: "Isn't it great that we were conceived? Isn't it great to be alive?"

Together the twins explored their worlds. When they found their mother's cord that gave them life, they sang for joy! "How great our mother's love is, that she shares her own life with us!"

As weeks stretched into months, the twins noticed how much each was changing. "What does it mean?" one asked." It means our stay in this world is drawing to an end." said the other.

"But I don't want to go," said one. "I want to stay here always."

"We have no choice," said the other. "But maybe there is life after birth."

"But how can there be?" responded one. "We will shed our life cord and how can life be possible without it? Besides, we have seen evidence that others were here before us, and none of them has returned to tell us there is life after birth. No, this is the end. Maybe there is no mother after all."

"But there has to be," protested the other. "How else did we get here? How do we remain alive?"

"Have you ever seen our mother?" asked one. "Maybe she only lives in our minds. Maybe we made her up because the idea made us feel good."

So the last days in the womb were filled with deep questioning and fear. Finally, the moment of birth arrived.

When the twins had passed from their world, they opened their eyes and cried for joy — for what they saw exceeded their fondest dreams.

“What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard,

and what has not entered the human heart,

what God has prepared for those who love him,”

1 Cor 2:9

It's No Secret

The chimes of time ring out the news,

Another day is through.

Someone slipped and fell.

Was that someone you?

You may have longed for added strength,

Your courage to renew.

Do not be disheartened,

For I have news for you.

It is no secret what God can do.

What He's done for others, He'll do for you.

With arms wide open, He'll pardon you.

It is no secret what God can do.

There is no night for in His light

You never walk alone.

Always feel at home,

Wherever you may go.

There is no power can conquer you

While God is on your side.

Take Him at His promise,

Don't run away and hide.

It is no secret what God can do.

What He's done for others, He'll do for you.

With arms wide open, He'll pardon you.

It is no secret what God can do.

Carl Stuart Hamblen 1950

Holy Shadow

There is an old story about a man who is so good that the angels ask God to give him the gift of miracles. God wisely tells them to ask him if that is what he would wish.

So the angels visit this good man and offer him first the gift of healing by hands, then the gift of conversion of souls, and lastly the gift of virtue. He refuses them all. They insist that he choose a gift or they will choose one for him. “Very well,” he replies. “I ask that I may do a great deal of good without ever knowing it.” The story ends this way:

The angels were perplexed. They took counsel and resolved upon the following plan: Every time the saint's shadow fell behind him it would have the power to cure disease, soothe pain, and comfort sorrow. As he walked, behind him the shadow made arid paths green, caused withered plants to bloom, gave clear water to dried up brooks, fresh color to pale children, and joy to unhappy men and women. The saint simply went about his daily life diffusing virtue as the stars diffuse light and the flowers scent, without ever being aware of it. The people respecting his humility followed him silently, never speaking to him about his miracles. Soon they even forgot his name and called him “the Holy Shadow.”

Paradoxes of Catholicism

Support

Just as there are people that support us, we are a supporter to many people extending the cycle and giving back.

Behind each of us stands at least one supporter. This was once thought to be the spouse who ran the home while leaving the other spouse free to work. While this is still one valid scenario, most of us will find that we have other kinds of supporters in our lives. In some cases, our supporters are the people whose help allows us to do the things we're best at, see to our obligations, or pursue or dreams. In other cases, our support may come from the people who are there to help us through life's challenges by offering us their strength and bolstering our spirit.

Our support may come from our families and friends or from the people we hire--nannies, assistants, gardeners, healers, therapists, and advisors. Our supporters may be the mentors who help us express ourselves by listening to us as we share our thoughts and feelings. Our supporter can be the person sitting next to us at a networking meeting or the teacher from our childhood whose words still resonate in our minds. We have always had supporters around us whether we noticed them or not. No matter where the support comes from, few of us can make it through life without assistance.

As we take the time to acknowledge everyone that has every supported us, we can't help but feel grateful. Understanding our place in our human support system helps us see that just as there are people that support us, we are a supporter to many people. By gratefully accepting the expertise and assistance of our supporters, we can consciously and more easily build a life that we love. Thanks to our staff, groups, friends, and loved ones for all their support. We all need each other's support to thrive this world.

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

One of the most enduring images of my childhood in Ireland is the depiction of the apparition at Knock in County Mayo.  On August 21, 1879, Our Lady along with St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist appeared to fifteen people. To the left of St. John in the apparition, a cross and a lamb are on top of an altar surrounded by angels.  Unlike most apparitions of the Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Knock is silent.  She, St. Joseph, and St. John are silent in the presence of the Lamb of God.

In our Gospel reading today, John 1: 29 – 34, John the Baptist identifies Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”  The next day, John told Andrew and another disciple the same thing “Behold the lamb of God,” and they left John to follow Jesus.   By calling Jesus the Lamb of God, John the Baptist was identifying Jesus with the suffering servant described by the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 53, the Pascal lamb associated with the Exodus and the Jewish tradition of ritual sacrifice where a lamb was sacrificed in the temple twice a day to atone for the sins of the people.  The scripture scholar, William Barclay, says, “There is sheer wonder in this phrase, The Lamb of God….it sums up the love, the sacrifice, the suffering and the triumph of Christ.” 

Every time we come to Eucharist we pray, Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

Today as you say these words, remember what Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, did for us.  And also remember that as Baptized Christians, we are directed to share the love, sacrifice and peace that Christ shared with us with others.   Then we too can become “a light to the nations,” assuring that “salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49: 6). 

Merciful God,
you sent your Son, the spotless Lamb,
to take upon himself the sin of the world.
Make our lives holy,
that your Church may bear witness
to your purpose of reconciling all things in Christ,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. 

 AMEN.

Chains

“Let us not go over the old ground, let us rather prepare for what is to come.” -Marcus Tullius Cicero

Sometimes we hang on to the oddest things. For instance, many of us go to a lot of trouble to hang on to old guilt, old mistakes, old loneliness, old hurts, and old crimes. We fight like crazy to keep these little darlings near and dear. If we make a mistake, we feel we don't deserve to let go of the self-punishment.

The healthy and sober thing to do is let go of the past. We can cut the chains and shackles of the past that keep us from moving forward. When we cut even one link of that chain, we begin to move more freely toward health and self-love.

Today let me understand that I'm not helping anyone by holding on to the past.

Our God is a Mighty God! Worthy to be Praised!

From the Book of Daniel, that beautiful hymn of praise echoes all creation in praising His might and beauty:

Dew and rain, bless the Lord.

Frost and chill, bless the Lord.

Ice and snow, bless the Lord.

Nights and days, bless the Lord.

Light and darkness, bless the Lord.

Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.

Let the earth bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever. Give glory and eternal praise to Him!

Psalm 145:10 echoes that sentiment: Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord, and let your faithful ones bless you.

No matter where you are today, give thanks and praise to God, our almighty Father, and His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the glory of the Holy Spirit, both now and forever!  Amen.

Two Scenarios

 Imagine these two different scenarios in your life:

In the first instance, you have just experienced a religious high. Through prayer or some other religious or human experience, you have a strong, imaginative sense of God’s reality. At that particular moment, you feel sure of God’s existence and have an indubitable sense that God is real. Your faith feels strong. You could walk on water!

Then imagine different moment: You are lying in your bed, restless, agitated, feeling chaos around you, staring holes into the darkness, unable to imagine the existence of God, and unable to think of yourself as having faith. Try as you might, you cannot conjure up any feeling that God exists. You feel you are an atheist.

Does this mean that in one instance you have a strong faith and in the other you have a weak one? No. What it means is that in one instance you have a strong imagination and in the other you have a weak imagination.

Faith in God is not to be confused with the capacity or incapacity to imagine God’s existence. Infinity cannot be circumscribed by the imagination. God can be known, but not pictured. God can be experienced, but not imagined.

When the prophet Isaiah glimpsed God in a vision, all he could do was stammer the words: Holy, holy, holy! Holy is the Lord God of hosts! But we misunderstand his meaning because we take “holy” in its moral sense, that is, as virtue. 

Isaiah however meant the word in its metaphysical sense, namely, as referring to God’s transcendence, God’s otherness, God’s difference from us, God’s ineffability. In essence, he is saying: Other, completely different, utterly ineffable, is the Lord God of hosts!

Accepting that God is ineffable and that all of our thoughts and imaginative constructs about God are inadequate helps us in two ways: We stop identifying our faith with our imagination, and, more importantly, we stop creating God in our own image and likeness.

12 Rules

1. Do one thing at a time. No multi-tasking.

2. Do it slowly and deliberately.

3. Do it completely.

4. Do less.

5. Put space between things.

6. Develop rituals.

7. Designate time for certain things.

8. Devote time to sitting.

9. Smile and serve others.

10. Make cooking and cleaning become meditation.

11. Think about what is necessary.
12. Live simply.

Tools

“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.”

~Abraham Maslow

When we can take a long view of our problems, we can sometimes see that we're using inappropriate tools to try to solve them. What's necessary for us to do is to move away, to detach. That may show us a whole new context into which our problem fits, and in which it may not even be a problem.

Detachment is hard to achieve when we're deeply hooked into a situation. When we send ourselves drastic messages like "now or never!" we're pressing our noses right up against the problem - a position in which it's difficult to maintain a balanced view. To stop and say, "If not now, then perhaps some other time," unhooks us and lets us remember that life is richer and more varied than we thought when we were hooked.

Crisis thinking can be like a hammer - it flattens everything. This can be our way of trying to control the outcome of our individual struggle. But when we remember that we make up only small parts of one grand and beautiful design. We can surrender our problems to it.

To be a competent worker, we need to seek out the tools that are best suited to the task.

Forgiveness

"I once picked up a woman from a garbage dump and she was burning with fever; she was in her last days and her only lament was: ‘My son did this to me.’ I begged her: You must forgive your son. In a moment of madness, when he was not himself, he did a thing he regrets. Be a mother to him, forgive him. It took me a long time to make her say: ‘I forgive my son.’ Just before she died in my arms, she was able to say that with a real forgiveness. She was not concerned that she was dying. The breaking of the heart was that her son did not want her. This is something you and I can understand."

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Today we celebrate The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, liturgically marking the end of the Christmas Season and the beginning of Ordinary time. The baptism of Jesus is another epiphany, another manifestation of his divine being.  The Incarnation and Epiphany announced the birth of Jesus to the world.  With his baptism, Jesus launched into public ministry; God the Father announced to the people of Jerusalem, "Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan"(Matthew 3: 5) that Jesus "is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased"(Matthew 3:17). 

The significance of the Christmas Season is that God loved us so much he sent his son, Emmanuel, to be one with us.  The significance of the Baptism is that Jesus embraced his humanity and united with all of us sinners even though he was sinless.  And, Jesus accepted his mission “to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:15).  In the first reading today, Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7, the Prophet tells us how Jesus will fulfill all righteousness.  He will “bring forth justice to the nations.”  He will “open the eyes of the blind;” “bring out prisoners from confinement” and “from the dungeon” he will bring out “those who live in darkness.” 

Through our baptism, we share the mission of Jesus.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that “Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission” (CCC 1213).  Jesus gave the Church (the disciples, and us) our mission, just before he ascended into Heaven, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt 28:19–20).   This is an enormous task! Let us pray that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit will give us the wisdom, strength and courage to get it done.

God our Father, 

with Jesus you call us to be

your beloved sons and daughters

and with him you give us the mission

to become humble and dedicated servants.

Grant that we may not break

those crushed by sin and sorrow.

Help us to serve always the cause of right, 

to be eyes to the blind

and a voice for the downtrodden.

May we please you in all we do.

We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

Amen.

If

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;

If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!​

Lead, Kindly Light

Lead, Kindly Light, amidst th'encircling gloom,

Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home,
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou
Shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now
Lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years!

So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on.
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!

Meantime, along the narrow rugged path,
Thyself hast trod,
Lead, Saviour, lead me home in childlike faith,
Home to my God.
To rest forever after earthly strife
In the calm light of everlasting life.

Subtle Messages

It is interesting to reflect on the Scripture readings which follow after Easter. In these readings, it is noted that those closest to Jesus while he was alive were not able to easily recognize him after the Resurrection. Surely those who knew and walked and talked and ate with Jesus should be able to see him more clearly.

I wonder what this says about the rest of us who sometimes struggle to see God in our daily lives. Perhaps we have to look with different eyes if we are to see God’s hand working in our lives. Perhaps the messages are more subtle than a Hollywood production of Seas parting and trumpets blaring.

Maybe there’s hope for us!!

In Times of Need

A Love Story

John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose. His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name, Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort, he located her address. She lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond.

The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II. During the next year and one month, the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A romance was budding. Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn't matter what she looked like. When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting - 7pm at the Grand Central Station in New York. "You'll recognize me," she wrote, "by the red rose I'll be wearing on my lapel."

At 7pm he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he'd never seen. I'll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened: A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit, she was like springtime come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips. "Going my way, sailor?" she murmured. Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own.

And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her. This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful.

I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment. "I'm Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?" The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile. "I don't know what this is about, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!"

It's not difficult to understand and admire Miss Maynell's wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive. As someone once said: "Tell me whom you love and I will tell you who you are."

At the Start of this New Year

"Hope smiles on the threshold of the year to come, whispering that it will be happier."

~Alfred, Lord Tennyson

At the start of this New Year, we look back at what has been and we look forward to the future. Our path has been filled with healing and hope. Rewards have come to us each day. Now, looking toward the year ahead, we can't know much of what will happen, but we can recommit ourselves to our Healing and Spiritual Life. We can have renewed comfort and optimism that we will not be alone and that we will be able to handle whatever comes our way.

The start of a new year is a good time to make lists of the things we fear, the things we hope for, and the things we are grateful for. These lists serve as a kind of snapshot inventory of our attitude toward the world and our relationship with our God. They point a direction for us today and for the year ahead. We can put these lists in a safe place until next year when we will bring them out as a reminder of where we were and a measure of how far we've come.

Today I once again turn my life and will over to the care of God.​

Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord

Since childhood the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord has been one of my favorite celebrations of the Christmas Season. The idea of the wise men following a star to unknown places captured my imagination then. And it still does. The story of the Magi presents Jesus as the Messiah of the Gentiles (us) and to all the people of the world. When I was a child, it was an adventure story. There were good guys, the Magi, on an amazing quest, following a star to the far reaches of the earth. There was a really bad guy, Herod who wanted to kill the baby Jesus. And in the end, the good guys won. They found the baby Jesus, gave him wonderful presents, tricked Herod and then they returned home safely. This is a good story!

Looking at this story with adult eyes still excites my imagination. The idea of following a star across the world is a very romantic notion. Almost everyone has a star they want to follow. For some people that star might be the allure of wealth or power. For other people the star might be fame or the thrill of adventure. Still others seek love and will travel to the ends of the earth to find it. But this story isn’t about seeking love or self-fulfillment or achieving our dreams. The story of the Magi is about a journey of faith. These pagan astrologers represent all the people in the entire world including us. And so, this story is about us finding spiritual meaning in our lives. It is about our search for Jesus.

Like the Magi, we have to put aside our preoccupations and fixations. We have to drop everything to follow the new star, the Light of Christ. There is adventure in seeking and then following Jesus. We don’t know where He will lead us in our journey of faith. For me following the star, the Light of Christ, lead me to Peachtree City, Georgia. The journey here was not easy but I know that this is where God wants me right now. I don’t know where the Light of Christ will lead you. My prayer is that each one of you will seek the only star worth following and let it guide your journey to the Lord.

Father, we your people rise up in splendor,

for your light has come;

your glory now shines upon us.

We are grateful for this light,

who is Jesus Christ, your Son. 

 Make our lives radiant with that same brightness 

 and help us walk as one in your light. 

 Open our eyes that we may recognize you 

 in all the signs you send us.

All glory be to you, FATHER,

through your SON Jesus Christ,

who draws all people to himself

that together with the SPIRIT

we might give you praise,

forever and ever.

AMEN

Happy New Year 2026!

 Happy New Year to All of You! 

May You have a Blessed 2026!

May you get a clean bill of health from your dentist, your cardiologist, your gastroenterologist, your urologist, your proctologist, your podiatrist, your psychiatrist, your plumber, and the I.R.S.

May your hair, your teeth, your face-lift, your abs, and your stocks not fall; and may your blood pressure, your triglycerides, your cholesterol, your white blood count, and your mortgage interest not rise.

May next New Year's Eve find you seated around the table, together with your beloved family and cherished friends.

May you find the food better, the environment quieter, the cost much cheaper, and the pleasure much more fulfilling than anything else you might ordinarily do that night.

May what you see in the mirror delight you and what others see in you delight them.

May someone love you enough to forgive your faults, be blind to your blemishes, and tell the world about your virtues.

May the telemarketers lose your phone number, may the commercials on TV not be louder than the program you have been watching, and may your check book and your budget balance - and include generous amounts for charity.

May you remember to say "I love you" at least once a day to your spouse, your children, your parents, your siblings and your friends.

May The Promises in the Bible all be true for you.

And may we live in a world at peace and with the awareness of God's love in every sunset, every flower's unfolding petals, every baby's smile, every lover's kiss, and every wonderful, astonishing, miraculous beat of our heart.