Lost Today

 

Looking at my faith life today while doing the homework just showed how lost I can be.  I'm almost 60 (how could that be???) and I'm still searching.  What am I searching for?  Why search at all?  I hate the feeling of just drifting, of being out of control and that is exactly where my life is right now - or at least feels that way.  It's like my center is out of whack.  I try to calm my mind, quiet my mind yet the tapes keep running.  Job, kids, politics, Obama, it's a long list that I roll through, and I can do this in an instant.  It's endless.  No answers.  No path "home" looming out there and so I wander today - lost.

Obama administration attacks a Catholic College over contraceptives.

Despite consistent promises from President Obama, it appears his administration is intent on forcing a Catholic college to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives.  I suspect that is just the beginning.

Belmont Abbey College retains religious liberty law firm to defend itself against EEOC

Sep 10, 2009

Today, September 10, Belmont Abbey College retained The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a public-interest law firm in Washington, D.C., to join its legal team and help defend the school against the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

In July the EEOC accused Belmont Abbey College, a Roman Catholic liberal arts college in North Carolina, of discriminating against its female employees by not covering contraceptives in its health insurance plan.

Being Called

 

Susie and I were responsible for RCIA this Sunday.  We have Fred and Mark as candidates this year.  The subject was their call.  How had they received their call to become a member of the Catholic Church.  I brought to mind my own decision to become a member of the church.

I had been a part of a church all my life.  My mom was very religious attending church every weekend and teaching Sunday School as well.  We belonged to the Lutheran Church.  I taught Sunday School as well, belonged to the youth group and generally just say it as a part of my life.

After getting married, I always attended Mass with Susie.  However, I could never participate in communion and always felt a bit like I was outside looking in.  I'm not sure I every actually felt a call - it simply became time to become a member, to be able to fully lend my time, talent and treasure as well as fully receive Christ through communion once again.  It has been a good decision that, slowly but surely, brings me closer to God.  Is this a "call"?? I don't know.  It's the same with taking part in Lay Formation - I know it is the right time to do it in my life.  That certainty is what I see as my call.

Jairus' Daughter

 

Over our Lay Formation weekend we did, what was for me, a rather startling guided imagery process of Jesus going help Jairus’ daughter. I have done many guided imagery processes and find them unusually vivid. This was no different. I clearly saw the people following, saw Jesus’ clothing, smelled the dust, felt the warmth of the day, saw the desperation in the woman touching His robes and the desperation in the face of Jairus. While Father asked that I hear Jesus speaking He never did, but he looked directly at me a number of times. When he reached the door of the home he turned and looked directly at me. I knew I was supposed to enter with him. At that instant I had a realization that I am still chewing on: Jesus was absolutely powerless while on earth. He could not heal the sick, raise the dead, change the water to wine, make the deaf hear or the blind see. Yet, when He looked at me as he entered the home His face was the face of utter calm, confidence and faith. He knew He would help the little girl. He had faith that His Father would work through Him to perform the healing. He was a conduit for His Father’s power. It was His faith in His Father, his trust, his love that made it possible for God to work miracles through Jesus. I find this explains so much to me.

This was the instant that the visualization was ended so I didn’t get to see the actual healing. Yet, in looking at Jesus there was no doubt of the outcome, His faith and trust were limitless.

Here is an interesting link to the "Raising of Jairus' Daughter" that discusses the story more fully and broadens the context.