tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5835802964341399362024-02-07T16:15:23.127-08:00Baxter's BlogSaint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comBlogger261125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-59508554457245975242017-03-30T08:05:00.003-07:002017-03-30T08:05:38.167-07:00Blessed AssuranceBaxter has taken on a new routine. In the morning, after he has had breakfast, a few drinks at the spigot, and some litter box relief, he usually is planning on his nap. However, recently Baxter has added one more stop on his way to drifting off to sleep. He jumps on my lap, purring his heart out, and he wants to be petted and rest for a few minutes before going to his bed. At first, I couldn’t figure out the reason for this detour onto me. He used to just ignore me after his morning routine until he wanted something else to eat or drink. What’s with the cuddles, up close and personal? I came to figure it out.<br />
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Blessed assurance! Baxter needed a pat on the head, a rub under the chin and some quiet lap time to relax before he went to sleep. In his later years, he needs to know that we are ok, that I am there to take care of him and that he won’t be left alone to fend for himself. Baxter needs a boost in our trust so that he’s selfconfident as a cat again.<br />
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We are often in the same situation. Things change in us, around us, and among us, and we need to know where we stand with each other. We may not be able to do what we once were capable of doing. We may have a different schedule with more demands on our time. We may be physically weaker or emotionally distraught or both. We may have different demands placed on us at work or at home, and we are unsure of ourselves with these responsibilities. Whatever the reason, we need some reassurance that the anchors in our lives remain secure while other things may be changing.<br />
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God is our first anchor. When things get rocky, go to Him in prayer and worship. Listen to His divine message of faithful love and unending grace to face whatever life brings. Allow God in on your anxieties, lack of confidence, mistakes and failures, and He will place these into perspective. We are not alone. God walks with us through life’s changes to bolster our selfconfidence and show us how to persevere. Look for Him in the new circumstances we all face from time to time.<br />
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Those persons who love us are our second anchor. When circumstances change and challenge us, true love rises to the occasion with help and support, with encouragement and patience, with loyalty and sacrifices. With God as our shared foundation, we stand together through tough times. Sometimes we share the burdens; sometimes we challenge each other to rise to the new occasion and meet its demands. In all of this, we become the face of Jesus for each other, a sign that the first anchor is real and there for us all.<br />
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Baxter isn’t bashful about what he needs to carry on. We shouldn’t be either.<br />
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-Monsignor StatnickSaint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-81941668093485111722017-03-15T12:35:00.004-07:002017-03-15T12:35:34.033-07:00Nothing Changes, But...When the time sprung ahead last Sunday, I didn’t change anything with Baxter’s feeder. I was too lazy to go through all the steps of resetting the clock and the meal times. I figured he would just continue his usual routine with the same interval of time between meals. Of course, the world beyond Baxter’s feeder was operating a little differently. I was awake when his breakfast began now whereas in standard time I slept through it. But what should this matter to Baxter? The food is the same, in the same amount, offered at the same time for his biological clock. But that wasn’t good enough for him.<br />
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Since I am around now when he is waiting for his breakfast, Baxter wouldn’t allow me to proceed with my morning chores. He kept trying to intervene with my tasks, so that I would drop everything and get him his food. Even though everything was on the same time for his appetite, the setting had changed, and that mattered a lot to him. Why didn’t I pay attention to his needs now and focus on his hunger? While for six months of the year he is content to wait for his breakfast, now he has someone who could make an exception for him and stroke his ego. He wanted my attention, and he wasn’t happy when I didn’t give it to him.<br />
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We act that way sometimes as well. Nothing has really changed in the situation we find ourselves, but we want to get our way by gaining attention. We want to be made an exception and feel that we are special because of it. We think our needs should take priority over others, and we don’t like to have to fit into a standard procedure and policy. Especially when we have an audience to look and listen, we like to perform, to make a drama of our problems and concerns, and gain the attention of the moment. We like to be the star in our own play.<br />
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But God puts us in our place. There is no question that He loves us and is present to us at every moment. However, God will not dote on us, cater to our tantrums, or give into our egotistic demands. Instead, He reminds us to take our turns, play by the rules, and consider others as we go about our business. God calls us out of ourselves to take in the larger setting and the concerns it holds.<br />
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Daylight saving time allows us to enjoy an evening lit by the sun rather than our artificial light. God’s light shows us genuine needs and problems to be addressed, and exposes the false problems we create for ourselves from our selfishness. Baxter will survive the transition in time and eventually adjust to the new setting. Will we learn to live in God’s light and follow the Way it shows us, the way of Jesus, the Servant and Savior of us all?<br />
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Saint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-35125411374912687352017-03-09T13:23:00.003-08:002017-03-09T13:23:50.670-08:00Stubborn In Our WaysSometimes Baxter won’t listen. That usually happens when he either becomes impatient about something he wants or doesn’t want to hear that he can’t have what he wants. If he wants a drink from the spigot, Baxter cries from the tub. If I don’t respond immediately, he stands there and continues to cry unceasingly. He usually wins, unless I can get out of earshot of his racket. Begging from the table is another matter. If Baxter picks up the scent of some delicacy that delights his palette, he becomes very forceful in trying to get it. He will jump on the chair next to mine and pull at my arm to get a piece. If that doesn’t work, he will try to get on the table and nose his way to my plate. At that point, my voice gets stern with him and I quickly place him back on his chair. He settles down for a while until he can figure out how to launch another move for my food. Baxter can get stubborn about getting what he wants. He wants it NOW, and he wants it even if it isn’t good for him.<br />
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We can get that way too. We set our sights on something, and we don’t quit until we get it, and preferably as soon as possible. We get trapped by our desires. They begin to consume our lives. They take all our time and energy. They dominate how we relate to each other. They become the only thing we take into consideration when making decisions. That car, that house, that job, that relationship, or maybe just that way of doing something-I got to have whatever it is I want, and nothing will get in my way. This is the classic condition of the addict, but it sometimes marks all of our lives from time to time.<br />
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Lent is a time to free ourselves of the desires that weigh us down and keep us from wanting better things for ourselves. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are meant to change what drives us day to day. In raising our minds and hearts to God in a personal and mutual relationship, prayer is trying to show us something better to want. In consistently eating or drinking a little less, we shrink our appetite to taste more of what we do imbibe and appreciate it more. In sharing what we have, we realize what we have been given and grow in our thanks for life’s blessings.<br />
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In time, these disciplines cause us to be less driven but more satisfied. We move from quantity to quality. Less becomes more, because what we desire more and more we can’t buy or steal. We can only receive and accept it. Instead of feeding our appetites for various physical or psychological pleasures, we feed our souls with the food of happiness—genuine love, the taste of beauty and goodness, and gratitude for the richness of human life. These are God’s gifts.<br />
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Baxter’s life is driven by his basic instincts, and once he is hooked on something, he can’t see anything else. We are called to higher things, the things of God. His love makes us hungry for more, more of what makes life meaningful and full. Lent is the season when we tame our desires into Christian virtues that make us and our world better.<br />
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Saint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-15563352795813666252017-03-09T13:19:00.006-08:002017-03-09T13:19:54.671-08:00Moving WatersAs you know by now, Baxter likes to drink from a spigot. However, it is not so much the spigot, as the fact that the water coming from a spigot is moving and splashing. He doesn’t like calm ponds. He wants moving waters where the surface tension is broken and the waves or ripples show that something is happening here. In fact, Baxter is so intent on drinking only moving water that when he goes to his water bowl for a drink, he first pushes it around with this paw until he gets the required wave action worthy of his drink. As far as he is concerned, still water won’t satisfy his thirst, and he has to get it flowing before drinking it looks attractive.<br />
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God has the same attitude about the waters of baptism. Did you ever think about the fact that we can’t baptize someone in a still pool? The very act of baptism moves the waters and splashes them about. The waters stir when we baptize and the person who is baptized gets wet. We don’t enter the life of Christ neat and perfect looking. We come from the font with messy hair, maybe a little shaken by the shock of the cold water, and relying upon our family and friends to put us back together again. The ritual of baptizing physically disturbs us. And that’s the point.<br />
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The waters of life are living and moving. They engulf us when we enter into them, and they make us like them. They soak into us and change our demeanor and way of acting. They force us to move about because they change our body temperature and feel. They communicate a dynamic energy that disrupts our usual metabolism and can even cause us for a moment to gasp for breath. They grab our attention, and we can’t ignore the difference they make on us.<br />
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Lent is meant to renew this energy of baptism in us. Too often we drift into a stagnant pool of faith where we are warm and comfortable with our way of life. Lent stirs the waters around us to get us moving. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are paddles used to disturb the surface so that we can move through the waters with God’s lead. We are invited to dive more deeply into the meaning of our baptism. Being baptized is not just a status in the church opening us to the privilege of receiving the other sacraments. It is a call to become someone: to become a disciple in close relationship with Jesus; to become a minister who seeks to serve others and not just one’s self; to become a witness to the meaning that comes to life when touched by God’s abundant love and forgiveness.<br />
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So splash about a bit more this Lent when you think about repentance and renewal. Stagnant water breeds disease, but flowing waters cleanse and purify. Baxter is on to something with his quirky drinking habits. God is onto something bigger when He invites us into His life through baptism.<br />
<br />Saint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-30273162013237336042017-02-23T08:26:00.003-08:002017-02-23T08:26:22.718-08:00Understanding Each OtherThe other night I was intent on finishing some long delayed work at the dining room table. I was busily writing my thoughts and organizing the material, and Baxter kept hanging around. Since I didn’t have any food to offer him, I was wondering why he remained sitting at the foot of my chair. After a while, he began to meow loudly. I asked him what he wanted. I told him there was no food available now. But he kept meowing forcefully. I decided to ignore him, and after a while, he left the area. However, in a few minutes he was back, and he started his meowing again. This went on for several sessions—walking away, returning, meowing, walking away, returning, meowing . . . . All the while, I decided to ignore him and go on with my work.<br />
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Finally, his persistence and its annoyance caused me to stop, ask him again what he wanted, and then get up from my chair. Baxter took off for the bathroom. That was it. He wanted a drink from the spigot. I missed what he was looking for, because I was so absorbed in my own project. It just took a few minutes for him to lap up the running water and be wiped dry, and we were both happy again.<br />
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We catch each other in the same kind of predicaments, don’t we? We are so involved in our own concerns, work or interests that we can’t hear or see anything outside of them. Now, ours are not trivial matters. People are counting on us. We should be committed and conscientious about our responsibilities. Research has shown that multi-tasking doesn’t work. We can’t handle two or more things at the same time with equal quality devoted to each. So how are we to blame for missing the messages others want to send us? We have to stand up for what we believe and do our job.<br />
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Yes, but we are in this together. Even when we each have our separate roles to play, it’s not a one person play. It’s an ensemble of actors with God as the producer and director. That is how the story of salvation is written and presented, and we get into trouble when we try to rewrite the script or act it out differently.<br />
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When we get lost in our concerns, work or interests, we miss the dialogue between characters that gives the play energy and meaning. Not that our part doesn’t matter, it does. But it matters most when it fits into a whole drama of human beings searching together for what makes life valuable and purposeful. Being part of something bigger than ourselves makes our lives bigger than our individual concerns and interests. These expand into shared desires that we help each other refine and fulfill. Our church teaches this kind of theater as the “common good” where God is served when the most are served by many acting together.<br />
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We all need to lift our heads out of our private projects from time to time and hear what others are trying to tell us. At first, we may not understand them, but if we stop, notice each other, and listen to other’s concerns, we will form a relationship where our perspective and care will grow. Then we will begin to take their concerns, interests and responsibilities into consideration. It worked with Baxter, and we don’t even speak the same language. Just think what might happen with God’s grace between human beings who do.<br />
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Saint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-76422890542605854062017-02-15T12:43:00.005-08:002017-02-15T12:43:44.251-08:00The Cold ShoulderI got the cold shoulder from Baxter for a couple of days. I was away from the house a lot, and he didn’t take kindly to my absence. It was nothing personal, but Baxter didn’t see it that way. He didn’t greet me when I came home in the evening as he usually would do. He sat with his back to me when I was eating. He slept facing the wall with his least attractive end facing my direction. None of his signals was subtle. He was making me pay for what he viewed as a slight, a personal insult. How could I have ignored him for other things—like office work, recreation or ministering to God’s people? Of course, his needs for food, water and even pleasant music were attended to, but this wasn’t enough. He wasn’t the center of my attention for a few days, and this wasn’t acceptable.<br />
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We can get that way too. We want to be noticed. We want people to pay attention to us and our needs. We want to know that we matter to other’s lives. So we do certain things to send this message and hold others’ feet to the fire about answering it. Often our techniques are a little more subtle than Baxter’s, but they serve the same purpose. The message is clear: Give me your undivided attention and serve me on my terms. Anything less is ignored as trite and trivial, divided love and loyalty, or token obligations rather than true affection. We impose our terms of commitment, dedication and love on the other person, and refuse to negotiate them.<br />
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Jesus certainly called for total commitment, dedication and love from His followers. “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (Mt 10:37) Yet, He did not try to control or dictate to His disciples the specific terms of this pledge.<br />
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The disciples came from all walks of life—fishermen, tax collectors, politically and religiously left and right. Some were out spoken and almost impetuous—Peter and Paul—and some seemed mild mannered or even skeptical—John, Philip and Thomas. What they held in common though was a shared desire to seek God and God’s ways among us. This desire is what Jesus touched in each of them and what brought such a disparate group of persons together to form a band of followers, then a community of disciples, and finally a communion of life called the Church. The litmus test of their love and loyalty was not in what they said or even in what they did--some said challenging things and performed wrong-headed actions with Jesus. The key to their love and commitment was not abandoning their search, not losing their desire to discover God’s will and way for their lives.<br />
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In this divided world--and sometimes divided Church-- we live in today, we need to tap the root of our common desires. We want to know, love and serve God. From this desire, others flow. . We want a better world for our children where they can be safe and have a chance at their dreams. We want a fairer way to share the earth’s goods and a chance to develop our talents and skills. We want the Kingdom of God. To get there, we each and all have to relinquish our private little kingdoms where we try to control and manipulate others to serve our selfish purposes. We need to serve the common good, the desire planted in the heart of every human being for God to be with us, directing us to a better life for everyone.<br />
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This vision is beyond Baxter’s ability to see and pursue. So he fusses and pouts when he feels offended and ignored. He’s a cat. Because God made us different from cats, we can be better than that. Let’s start trying.<br />
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Saint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-70643240663841292412017-02-08T11:08:00.003-08:002017-02-08T11:08:35.943-08:00A Little At A TimeBesides his mellow and affectionate disposition, another sign of Baxter’s maturity is a change in his eating habits. He certainly still has his appetite, but he satisfies it differently now. When Baxter was younger, he gobbled down his food. As soon as the feeder would deliver a new portion, he would run to it and inhale it all. Within five minutes, his meal was over. Sometimes he would eat so fast that he couldn’t keep it down. It all got stuck somewhere in his esophagus, and there just wasn’t enough room to hold it all.<br />
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Now the picture has changed. Baxter still runs for his food, but he ingests it differently. He will chomp down a part of the meal and then stop. He goes for a drink of water and walks away for a rest or bathroom break. After ten or fifteen minutes, he goes back for a little more. This routine continues for perhaps three or four visits to the feeding station. After that, he usually leaves just a few morsels for a mid-morning snack. He paces himself through a meal, and I am sure his digestive track is grateful for this slower intake that allows time to process the contents.<br />
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How do we take in the nourishment life offers us? Do we savor its taste, aroma and satisfaction, or do we absorb it just to survive? We can go about our days just getting things done, because they are necessary for our work, our families or other obligations we have assumed. At the end, we are exhausted and frustrated. Tomorrow, it all starts over, and sleep is simply a recharging station we use to have the energy to get through another day. This approach can leave us feeling empty, while our schedule is full. We go through the motions of a full life, but interiorly we are queasy and upset. The stomachs of our souls are growling for genuine nourishment.<br />
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Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) To grasp the rich life Christ offers, we need time to take it in, to reflect on what is happening in the light of faith. We want to see ourselves as characters in the story of God’s saving mystery in Christ. This understanding is only possible if we sit quietly and look at the particulars of our lives slowly and carefully. The deepest meaning where God is knitting our lives together is not caught on the run, gobbling down experience after experience, and feeling overloaded. This level is disclosed in bits and pieces with time to fully digest the details where God is often hidden.<br />
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Sometimes the scene is dark and bitter, and we are tempted to spit it out and move on. At other times it is light and sweet, and we want to overindulge in it, filling our outlook with self-importance and self-pride. Only with slow and careful reflection on all of it, do we see the true picture where God’s grace was upholding us, guiding us, nourishing us and moving us along. Bit by bit we see a pattern, a hidden and holy presence, a movement that is transforming us. At feeding time when we are starving for soul food, we often miss this divine milieu, but in the quiet of the night, with time to digest the<br />
day, we can savor its nourishment and allow it to build up our strength and vitality.<br />
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In the German language there are two words for eating, fressen and essen. Fressen is what animals do when they tear into their meals to get as much as they can for fear that another animal may come and steal it. Essen is what human beings do when they have overcome their fears and take time to dine, to share nourishment and savor its goodness. Maybe Baxter is becoming a little more human in his eating patterns. Maybe we need to become a little more human in our pattern of life. Plato attributes to Socrates the line, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” To nourish our spirits, we need to take the time to digest what God gives us in the course of our lives.<br />
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Saint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-84606709630157177092017-02-01T13:20:00.006-08:002017-02-01T13:20:54.973-08:00The JittersBaxter has a case of the jitters. For all of his calmness and laid back attitude, a strange noise can cause him to stand on alert, speak nervously and run in the direction of the sound to see what’s up.<br />
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The other day he was on my lap, and I was using my iPad. A ping sounded from the iPad alerting me to a new message. Baxter became agitated. He sat up, looked out the window and then jumped off my lap with murmurs of trouble and concern. It was all nothing, but I couldn’t convince him to settle down. Once he gets frightened and upset, Baxter doesn’t return to peace and tranquility quickly or easily.<br />
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Many of us are in the same boat. The aftermath of 9/11 with all the subsequent terrorist episodes that we have heard and seen on the news has set us on edge. We are suspicious of the stranger, especially if their habits and appearance are not like ours. Our suspicion can lead further to mistrust of anyone different. We feel threatened by the unfamiliar, and this threat gives rise to fear.<br />
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When we are afraid, we don’t usually make good judgments. Fear clouds our perceptions so that we see everything through its fog. We draw a conclusion about someone or some situation, and this idea, in turn, leads to other similar conclusions— until we see threats and enemies around every corner. We make our world a compound where we can feel safe, and everyone who is not part of our world we want away from us.<br />
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How do we stop ourselves from getting trapped in this prison our fears can create? The gospels give us some guidance. Jesus often enters a scene where people are upset about something that just occurred—a storm is raging; a woman is caught in adultery; a young man just died; a tax collector wants to see him; a paralytic wants to get close to him. What is His typical response?<br />
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First, Jesus does something to slow everyone down. He asks some questions to clarify the situation. He speaks to all the parties involved. Then, Jesus says something to help people see the situation from another perspective. Finally, He acts to avoid or heal the harm and remove the threat it poses. Jesus defuses the fear by giving people time to think, to listen to each other, to understand the situation differently, and to do something to better it. In this movement, people come to recognize the power and grace of God at work in this man.<br />
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In this troubled world these days, we need to be Jesus for each other. We need to help each other calm our fears. Jesus shows us the steps to take. Let us follow in His foot-steps to find a better way. Baxter, don’t worry.<br />
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It’s just the iPad.<br />
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Saint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-39325618360592202232017-01-25T12:12:00.002-08:002017-01-25T12:12:41.345-08:00Sweet SixteenIn a couple of weeks, Baxter will have a birthday. I consider Valentine’s Day his birthday, since I don’t know the actual date. He was four months old when I got him, so I counted back and picked a day that I wouldn’t forget. Sixteen is old for a cat. If the rule of seven is in play for him, that means that Baxter is 112. He looks good for that age! He still gets around, jumps into the tub, demands meals and treats, and is always on the lookout for stray felines trying to hone in on his territory. He gets excited about these things, but otherwise, Baxter has mellowed with age.<br />
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He spends more time on my lap. He allows me to pet him at my will, dry him off after lapping the water from the tub faucet, and rub his belly when I come home for the evening. He even tolerates my bothering him when he is sleeping. Purring is his usual response now to all my interventions. Baxter wears old age well.<br />
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How about us? How are we dealing with ourselves and those we love as we age? Getting older can bring out both the best and the worst in us. Like Baxter, it can help us to mellow as we discern what is important in life and what is best left to pass unattended or unnoticed. Not everything is worth our time and energy. We don’t have anything to prove to anyone at this stage. We have made the mark that we have to offer, and hopefully, we can appreciate both the value it holds for others and the limits it has. We can’t solve every problem. We can’t please all people all the time.<br />
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We can’t accomplish everything we wish we could in a day, a week, a year, a lifetime. But we do make a positive difference for others and our world, and then we leave it to the next person, the next generation to add their contributions. In these ways, aging brings peace and comfort, and so strengthens our bonds with each other.<br />
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On the other hand, getting older can be a hard fact of life. We have to face our limitations, and this can make us anxious and upset. We don’t look the same as we did in our twenties. We sag, shrink and grow soft. We can’t work as long and hard as we did ten years ago. We forget things more easily. We can get trapped in our regrets about the past. We begin to fear what might happen and feel vulnerable. We worry more about our health, our children, our finances, our deaths. “Getting old isn’t for sissies,” as George Burns is alleged to have said. It makes us face ourselves fairly and squarely, with our warts and weaknesses, and sometimes this picture upsets us.<br />
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But our God is eternal, ever ancient, ever new, as Saint Augustine wrote. He embraces us in our whole lifespan, and He brings wisdom to bear on our growing older. Keeping the God Jesus revealed in focus, brings two dimensions to both the positives and negatives of growing older.<br />
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First, God wraps our lives in divine peace. He embraces what we have done to better life in this world and includes it in His bigger picture of the Kingdom of God. The significance of our lives isn’t measured in worldly terms of monetary, professional or social success. It is magnified by how it fits into God’s work of saving the world, and we don’t understand that full picture until our lives are over. Mary is a prime example of how a human life reflects the glory of God.<br />
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Second, God accompanies us through the diminishment and darkness of aging. We never face the fears of growing old and dying alone. As Jesus’ suffering and death show us, the Father is with us. At times, we may not feel His presence or may wonder why certain experiences have come our way. Jesus prayed through just such doubts and confusion. However, His passing reveals that God never abandoned Him, never caused His suffering, never was embarrassed by the shame and physical weakness Jesus faced. In faith, we hold onto this picture as the source of hope for ourselves as age takes its toll.<br />
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Baxter and I are getting old together. He deals with it through instinct and the training he got by living with me. We can deal with our latter years better through deeper faith in what we claim to believe and learning to allow God to guide us to the end.<br />
<br />Saint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-65440736722479410412017-01-18T14:00:00.002-08:002017-01-18T14:00:45.856-08:00Full of SurprisesPacking Christmas away each year is never as much fun as preparing for the holiday. When taking down the tree, unplugging the lights, and storing all the various decorations, a little melancholy filters into the moment. All the anticipation is passed. The memories seem out of place after the season. The atmosphere is colder, both outside the front door and inside our attitudes and outlook. It seems like such a long stretch of time until spring and the uplift of warmer temperatures, flowers and bright colors. Now is the gray time of the year. Aside from the hopes of a Steeler Super Bowl, there isn’t much to look forward to.<br />
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The post-Christmas doldrums don’t bother Baxter. He is a creature of habit, strict habit, unrelenting habit. If I miss a feeding time or his nightly brushing and treat, he is incensed. He doesn’t like to have his world disrupted. If I move his water dish or mattress to another spot, he is suspicious, cautious about using it and gives into the new setting only reluctantly. Baxter doesn’t like anything to shake up his world and alter his routine. His life is steady, and he wants it that way. Christmas is an unnecessary interruption as far as he is concerned, and if it is over, he couldn’t care less.<br />
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Christmas brings excitement to our lives because it surprises us. God surprised Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and the magi with the birth of His Son, but that is just the beginning of the story. He continues to surprise believers with people, events and experiences that didn’t have a place in our lives before. Some of these might be wonderful from the start like a new baby, a new friend or a new activity we love. Other surprises may throw us for a loop at first— that cancer diagnosis, that unexpected death, the drugs we found in our son’s room. Nevertheless, all of these are reminders that the Word has taken flesh and continues to dwell among us. We have to look for this meaning when we face such surprises.<br />
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Happy surprises are not just good luck. They are blessings and signs of divine providence. Disorienting surprises are not just bad luck. They are challenges to our vision of faith, calling us to go deeper into the mystery of how God’s love supports us even in life’s adversities and pain. We have to be open to surprises as the experiences God uses to keep the meaning of Christmas alive throughout the year.<br />
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Baxter, you don’t know what you are missing by insisting on your rigid routine. The God who made us and loves us has a surprise in store for all of us. He showed it first in Jesus. It’s not just luck, good or bad. It’s life, full of grace.<br />
<br />Saint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-10862480093891877122017-01-11T09:24:00.006-08:002017-01-11T09:24:55.829-08:00Surviving DarknessThe extra darkness at this time of the year doesn’t seem to bother Baxter. He exhibits no signs of increased depression—he sleeps and eats the same amount. He isn’t more lethargic than usual. He goes about his life in the dark about as well as he does in the light. Maybe that’s because cats see better in the dark than we humans do. It probably has something to do with their hunting instinct and stalking their prey at night. Sharp night vision allows the astute feline to snag a snack before the critter realizes it is caught. Of course, Baxter wouldn’t know that. He has never worked a day in his life for a meal.<br />
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Seeing in the dark is a skill we humans might do well to develop. I’m not talking here about physical sight, but about another set of eyes, those of the soul. Our souls look at life and want to see the meaning it holds. Where did it come from? Where is it all going? What brings genuine happiness? Where do we fit in the big picture? These questions provide us a viewpoint to uncover the source and sustenance behind a meaningful life, but to focus these lens of our soulful eyes, we need to be able to see in the dark.<br />
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So much of what we encounter in living is often difficult and even negative. We struggle with closeness and understanding in our relationships, especially those that we stake the most upon—our marriage, our family, our close friendships. We face dishonesty, cut throat competition, and deceit in the workplace. We worry about paying the bills, safety on our streets, and the life threatening influences on our children. Terrorism seems possible anywhere these days, so that we live always a little on edge with each other. How can we make something meaningful out of such a dark and disenchanting picture?<br />
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We have to learn to see through the dark. All of these anxious experiences can blind us to seeing anything more than threat and conflict. The eyes of faith have a broader and deeper vision. In faith we counterbalance human vice with human virtue. Though there are destructive forces in our world, there are also constructive ones— persons who genuinely want to help make others’ lives better, to work together for a common good, to share their talents and resources so that many may benefit. These hints of light live in the midst of the darkness, but they are not extinguished by its negative effects. Their presence keeps hope alive. Their influence develops the same vision in others. Their attitude is contagious, softening hardened hearts, neutralizing cynicism, and lowering defenses to allow people to come together as a community.<br />
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We who claim Jesus as the Lord must be these sparks in the darkness around us. Otherwise, our actions and attitudes contradict our profession of faith. We know the Creator and Savior who pronounced His world “good” and loved it unto His death on a cross. How can we give into the darkness and hide in it? If we do, we become catty cooperators with its forces in our world, hunting for what we can get out of it, not witnesses to what God’s love can put into it. Living in the midst of this broken world, our faith sees beyond the problems and fear to the promise of a faithful God who saves and recreates us.<br />
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Baxter sees in the dark to get to his feeding dish. Our faith can see through a dark world to be fed on the grace of our good and loving God.<br />
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Saint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-30900163473865944492017-01-04T07:57:00.000-08:002017-01-04T07:57:18.324-08:00Taking Down the DecorationsBaxter is not much of a Christmas person. Aside from wanting to eat the tree, he usually ignores all the lights and decorations I use to mark the season. So taking down the tree, unplugging the lights, and packing away the ornaments and crèche figures seem to have no affect on Baxter’s disposition or routine. He goes about his day in the same way with or without these appointments. They make little difference to his outlook or life style.<br />
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For most of us though, taking down and packing away the signs of Christmas is a chore we would rather avoid. Preparing for the holiday is fun. We recall traditions that hold warm memories. We anticipate seeing friends and relatives whom we miss. We look forward to delicious foods and festive activities that we may indulge in only once a year. But then it is all over, and we pack it all away until next year with a sense of sadness and remorse. Too bad we can’t carry on Christmas throughout the year.<br />
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But we can. Although we place the signs of the season out of sight for eleven months, we don’t have to store away the reality behind these markers. God is with us. He comes to save us. His Word has become flesh, and so we can see God’s grace whenever human nature discloses a nobility and graciousness that reaches beyond the self-protective selfishness of its sin. These revelations of divine love decorate our lives and our world throughout the year, but we don’t acknowledge, use and cooperate with them. Their signs are not obvious in the news. The excitement they carry is often dulled by the drudgery of the daily routine. But they are there, decorating the human heart with openness, generosity, care and forgiveness. These lights are not added to our surroundings to brighten our world. They come from within us to enlighten us with insight into our problems and energy to work together to solve them. These are the light of Christ we carry always as baptized Christians.<br />
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So put away the trappings of the Christmas season until next year, but keep the meaning of this time alive by using its grace that we have been given each day. Baxter may not notice the difference, but we humans will. A world lit from within by God’s grace working through us creates a different place where we can all live better lives.<br />
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<br />Saint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-61561695497228702302016-12-28T09:09:00.003-08:002016-12-28T09:09:29.552-08:00The New and the OldThe other day a person on our parish staff was telling me about their cat’s adjustment problems to a new home. The change was causing him to be anxious and to act in less than friendly ways. Baxter has been a blessing to me because he never fell into this problem. He has gone through five moves in the course of our life together, and each one he managed with aplomb. Of course, he would case the joint at first, figuring out where he wanted to sleep, explore, eat his meals, and have his bathroom. I usually accommodated his wishes, because it made a change in our living situation so much easier to handle.<br />
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Soon after each move, Baxter would settle into his routine. After a month, no one would ever know he didn’t live all of his life where he was. He found a way to fit his needs and desires into the new situation. Of course, I have been the constant in Baxter’s life through all these changes. No matter where we might be and with whom we might be living, we were together. The schedule might have to adjust a bit. The surroundings may be more noisy, less private, bigger or smaller in living space. Still, we were in it together, and that gave both of us confidence to figure out how to make it work. Faithful and true relationships anchor our lives.<br />
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We need to take time to think about how we best mark transitions as we face a new year. Everything will not be exactly the same in 2017. At this point, we may not know what the changes will be, but we can be sure there will be some. They may be large and dramatic like a new baby, a new job, a new marriage or the loss of a loved one. They may be just minor adjustments like a new house, a new friend, a different schedule for school or a new favorite restaurant or TV show. Whatever changes in the year ahead though, we don’t have to become anxious and upset about it.<br />
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Think about the relationships that sustain us. We carry them with us through the changes ahead, and they will help us deal with them. They provide perspective on what may at first seem overwhelming. They provide comfort when the familiar gives way to the strange and uncertain. They steady us when the ship of life may begin to rock, and they assure us that we have what it takes to get to the shore again.<br />
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God is the source of all these life-sustaining relationships we rely upon. He is the cement binding faithful and true friendships and family ties. He is ever present through the changes life brings, assuring us of love, care and affection through those who sustain us through life’s transitions. God is the quiet, hidden presence we take with us wherever we might be. His mystery is malleable to fit into the changing circumstances in which we may find ourselves in the coming year.<br />
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Don’t be afraid. We are never alone or totally lost. God knows us as His children, and He will never abandon us no matter what may come our way. He moves with us and lives with us in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. He makes the new familiar, and the familiar fresh when He is allowed to share our lives.<br />
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So Happy New Year, whatever it holds for us. We can make it because the God of Jesus is with us, holding us in the palm of His hand, close to His heart, wherever another year of living takes us.<br />
<br />Saint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-48728714520656738162016-12-21T10:18:00.001-08:002016-12-21T10:18:43.842-08:00Short Term Memory LossBaxter seems to have a lot of patience. When he wants a drink from the spigot in the shower, he jumps onto the side of the tub and sits there until I come along. Sometimes he jumps all the way into the tub, and sits there. Of course, if I don’t come along too quickly, he will start to call me. I suppose that he is saying: “I want a drink.” “Pay attention!” “Where are you?” If I don’t get to turn on the faucet for some reason, he will eventually stop yelling and jump out of the tub to settle for a few licks from his water bowl. When this happens, he doesn’t seem to hold a grudge or set out to ambush me at the next opportunity. He just forgets about it and moves onto his bed for his next nap. Baxter isn’t one to hold a grudge when he doesn’t get his way. There are benefits to having a cat’s short memory.<br />
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What about us? How do we handle past hurts, insults or snubs? Do we hold onto them until whatever gave rise to the affront is settled? Do we hold onto the infraction and bring it back whenever the opportunity arises for us to do so? Once speared by another, we keep them on the hook for as long as possible, rubbing their noses in what they did, and never allowing the dust to settle on the disrespect we were rendered. We like to be hurt and offended. We refuse to forget and move on. We mark off our lives and their relationships by the wounds we bear and refuse to let heal.<br />
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Lucky for us, God has a different approach. If He would hold a grudge and never forget, never move beyond the betrayal, never allow the scars to form and be forgotten, Christmas would never have happened. Rather than turn His back on humanity’s sin and infidelity, God comes closer to us, so close as to become one with us in our sinful, frail and distorted condition.<br />
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Jesus is the sign of God’s short memory and persistent desire to connect with us. Like an unwanted kitten we might push outside to fend for itself and we find at the door the next time we open it, God won’t go away despite our insults and rejection. He settled for a manger to be born, if that were what it took to come close. He accepted lowly shepherds and unknown strangers for visitors, if they were the only ones who noticed His incarnation. Our humble God will never give up on His stubborn, arrogant and disrespectful children. He just keeps forgetting the wrongs we inflict on Him through each other and embraces us again.<br />
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This Christmas, what do we need to forget, so that we can celebrate the birth of divine love in our midst? Baxter always comes back for another drink from the spigot, no matter how often it might be dry. He knows that eventually refreshing, lifegiving water will flow for him, if he can forget about the times it didn’t. The same holds for us. A shortened memory of life’s hurts will allow us to drink deeply of life’s blessings, and to realize God’s unrelenting love for us.<br />
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That’s the true meaning of Christmas and the gift that is offered to each of us. Will we accept it?<br />
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Saint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-47801787289486407712016-12-14T09:28:00.001-08:002016-12-14T09:28:53.873-08:00Seasonal Affective DisorderStudies have shown that our disposition is affected by the seasons of the year. Some people respond to the turn to winter with despondency that can lead to out-right depression. With the shortened days and longer nights, a person’s body can begin to withdraw.<br />
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He or she sleeps more, eats more carbohydrates, feels lethargic and aimless. One psychically hibernates, avoiding social situations and losing interest in activities which normally he or she enjoys. The lack of light in winter has been shown to affect some people with these symptoms, and medical personnel sometimes recommend “light therapy” —exposure to an artificial light that simulates the sun— to help combat the affects of the season.<br />
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Baxter doesn’t seem to have this problem. He always sleeps a lot. His appetite is always on the hunt for delicious tidbits. His habits are steady season to season. If he is depressed, he is depressed all the time because his behavior doesn’t change much in the course of a day, month or year. He follows a cat’s life style—set on getting what he wants to make himself content and comfortable and not worried about anything or anyone else.<br />
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Christmas isn’t made for cats. It is a human celebration. Christ counters the cold and dark of winter with the warmth and light of God’s love made real in the human condition. This is how we are called to celebrate the season, by making God’s love tangible to others. Our gift giving, the special foods we share at this time of the year, the holiday parties, the Church’s liturgies are all ways that we can see, taste, hear and feel the warmth of God’s love.<br />
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Our charitable efforts also fit in here. Through them, God touches us and those in need with a sense of His generosity and care. When we are instruments of divine mercy and compassion, we get as much, or even more , than we give . We act like God. We don’t try to measure others by what they deserve, because no one can earn genuine love, especially divine love. We all just try to be grateful, and from that gratitude, we share in concrete ways what we have all been given. That is the seasonal affective order which offers soul therapy through every time of life.<br />
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Winter in these parts can be harsh and bitter, but a wintry attitude can do more damage. It will starve our souls, make us harsh towards each other, and leave us alone with a bitter taste to life.<br />
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If we need psychological help for depression, get it, so that God’s grace can build on a healthy nature. If we need spiritual healing to be open to Divine Love Incarnate, seek the Sacrament of Reconciliation and spiritual direction. Don’t act like Baxter.<br />
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God made you for better things.Saint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-66798672221784195942016-12-07T07:09:00.001-08:002016-12-07T07:09:56.371-08:00Who We are Matters MostI made a mistake with Baxter. I began to give him a little something from my table. Now I have created a monster. If anything I am eating appeals to him, Baxter is there throughout my meal pestering me for some. He will paw my arm, sit and stare, meow, and make a general nuance of himself, hoping I will give in and drop a little morsel his way. Now Baxter doesn’t need this food. He has plenty of kibble and snacks to keep him nourished. But the smell of my lunch or dinner seems so much better to him. He can’t resist satisfying his desire for what I have.<br />
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This happens to us as well, doesn’t it? We see another person’s car, house, clothes, phone or whatever, and we want what they have. We envy their possessions, and we set out to get the same or something better. Why do we do this? Why can’t we simply admire another’s possessions, compliment them for their quality, and be satisfied with what we have? What moves us from admiration to envy, compliments to criticisms, satisfaction to discontent with our things? We overvalue stuff.<br />
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The stuff we own can take on an importance that is far beyond the monetary value it holds. We see it making a statement about us. Stuff can become a status symbol of who we are, how successful we have become, and how important we are to the community around us. It tells others to look at me and see what I have become. It tells ourselves that we are better than some people and we have to compete with others to get ahead of them. It’s an external measure of how we compare to other people on the socioeconomic ladder. It tells us where we fit with others and where we have to go to make progress.<br />
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Jesus cuts through all of our status symbols. He never measures a person by what they have or don’t have, but He looks elsewhere for what gives value to a life. He admires and compliments people for their character and its qualities--faith in the centurion who believes in His power to heal, generosity in the widow who gives her last penny, persistence in the Syro-Phoenician woman with a sick daughter, humility in the sinful woman who washes His feet. There are many others. Jesus admires people for who they show they are, not for what they have and flaunt before others. He chides the Pharisees for their concern over the size of their phylacteries and fringes, and for seeking places of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues. It’s not about stuff. It‘s about what we are made of.<br />
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The baby in the manger was the Word made flesh. Nothing on this earth could have greater value, yet many people in His day had more possessions, higher social standing and greater esteem from others. Yet, He is the Savior. Stuff won’t save us; only a person can, the person of Jesus, born poor and homeless, but rich in the divine virtues He would share with His followers.<br />
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Be prosperous in what matters this Christmas season. It will make us all rich and successful, no matter our bank accounts, for we are God’s children too.<br />
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Baxter, you can’t have people food. You are a cat!Saint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-77565989710049028392016-11-30T06:00:00.000-08:002016-11-30T06:00:06.885-08:00We Have What We NeedA few Christmases ago I thought I bought Baxter the perfect present. I could tell that his age was beginning to show on him, because in the winter, he started to lie next to the heating vents for warmth. So I saw in a pet catalogue what I thought was the perfect Christmas gift for Baxter—a heated bed. It wasn’t cheap, but I thought Baxter deserved it for his many years of putting up with me. So I ordered it on line, and when it arrived, I thought it was just right for him. It was a well padded mattress with a plush covering, and when I plugged it in, it became a gently heated bed fit for a king. I was so excited to set it up in one of Baxter’s favorite spots. I just knew he was going to love it. Soft, warm and cozy, this gift would create the perfect spot for an older cat seeking warmth on a cold winter day. I was wrong.<br />
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Baxter has never used the luxury bed. The closest he came were a few, curious sniffs. I tried placing him on the mattress several times, but after a few seconds of boisterous protest, he would hop away. I tried plugging it in and leaving it on while I am gone during the day, thinking that he would make a friend of the soft spot. No deal. The heated pet bed remains pristine to this day--untouched by feline paws, clean of all shedding, in newly packaged, mint condition. Baxter prefers his old, cruddy, stained canvas mattress by the window and the heating vent when he needs a dose of warmth.<br />
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We sometimes make the same mistake with ourselves and each other as I made with Baxter. We think we know what we or others need to make life better. Sometimes it is a superfluous thing like a heated pet bed. Sometimes it’s dangerous items like drugs or crime. Sometimes it’s sinful activities like adultery or ruining another’s reputation. Whatever its particular characteristics, we look for a simple way to make ourselves or another happy, and most often it fails. Happiness isn’t that simple.<br />
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Happiness is a network of relationships we hold in life. These involve God, ourselves, others and the world at large. God sets the context for all the other connections we need. He is the glue binding together the various aspects of our lives into a meaningful whole. As Catholics, we believe that God desires to permeate all the other relationships we need and cherish, and when He does, these become sacraments, signs and instruments of God’s grace embracing our lives and drawing them forward towards a fuller life with God. Jesus as the Word Incarnate is the first sacrament of this union between God and humanity, and in His Spirit, we, the baptized, continue to incarnate God’s grace by the way we connect with each other. Respect, responsibility, and reconciliation make space for grace to grow between us. Without these, we smother each other in comforts that may please us for a while but never finally satisfy our longing for belonging, peacefulness and love.<br />
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Baxter didn’t need a heated pet bed, and he knew it. He had a safe place to live, food, and companionship. This is a complete world for a cat. Our world needs more--the love of God shown in our love for each other characterizing the way we live together. That’s a Christmas gift everyone can appreciate and use when they receive it. Forget the luxury items this Christmas. Give the basics and everyone will be happy.<br />
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-Monsignor StatnickSaint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-294218782881664442016-11-23T10:24:00.002-08:002016-11-23T10:24:13.599-08:00A Sense of ThingsBaxter has a sense when things are not right. The other day I was lying on the couch not feeling well. He would usually jump up on my belly and fall asleep for a while until he decided that sleeping on the floor next to me was better. However, this time he just touched his paw to my side and went under the coffee table to rest while I slept on the couch. He seemed to know that I was under the weather, and he respected my need for some space and undisturbed quiet. Baxter stood by wondering what was wrong withthe usual picture without adding to its disquiet.<br />
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Do we have a sense of each other in our day to day dealings? Often, we go about our usual business without noticing the people who are involved. We have a job to do and we do it. We are concerned about the results, and we want to get things accomplished. In the wake of all this concentrated effort at producing a product, we can forget why we are doing the job and who’s to benefit. We work for people. Whether we are constructing a building, cooking a meal, caring for the sick, keeping financial accounts, fixing a car, calling a parish bingo or engaging any of a thousand other jobs done today, people are meant to benefit from our work, and the product of our effort should somehow make other’s lives better. As Christian believers, we don’t work just for a pay check. Of course, we need a livelihood, but our jobs involve more. We are helping to build the Kingdom of God in our world.<br />
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Work brings people together both with co-workers and clients. It provides us with common goals that are meant to unite us around a common task. It calls for more than individual achievements, though these are often necessary. It calls for a shared effort that uses the talents of everyone involved to do something that benefits others. Our work is meant to carry on God’s work in the world. God’s job is to call us to Himself by linking us to each other. When we connect together in some effort, we gain a sense that something bigger and better than ourselves is at work here. This is a hint of the holy among us. God works between us, among us, and through us as we share a common task to extend the goodness of creation. When we work this way, it helps to avoid the drudgery, the ongoing conflicts, the back-biting and extreme complaining that can poison a workplace. We are in this together—God, me, us—for others’ good. There is no better formula for meaningful work that enhances our lives through its service.<br />
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Baxter’s job is to be a cat. He does it well because he has a sense of the other person in his cat world and respects him. We work best when we respect and welcome those we work with and those we work for, because God is at work with all of us.<br />
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-Monsignor StatnickSaint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-50373711174261052322016-11-16T06:40:00.002-08:002016-11-16T06:40:50.353-08:00The LookCats have mysterious stares. Sometimes, Baxter comes up close and just looks me in the eye with a very disconcerting gaze. If I blink or turn away, it doesn’t distract him. He remains fixed with his focus. I wonder what he is looking for but the answer isn’t obvious. He doesn’t give any clues about his disposition or his intentions. He just stares until he has had enough. Then he jumps off my lap and goes about his routine cat business.<br />
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Staring at another person is usually regarded as impolite. It intrudes upon one’s personal space and intimidates another. It is usually regarded as threatening to one’s privacy and respect. As children, we are taught not to stare for these very reasons. Of course, kids can make a game of staring. Who will flinch first? But generally, we don’t tolerate another’s stare for very long. We usually break it with a question. Can I help you? Do I know you? What’s your problem? Stares are not the stuff of polite society.<br />
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How do we feel about God’s look at us? I remember the big eye in the triangle that adorned the sanctuary ceiling of my boyhood church. I never liked that look. It was too much like a stare. It gave the sense that it knew everything about me, and it was waiting to catch me out of line. Its expressionless viewpoint had me looking for the worst in me and wondering how I could keep it a secret. Where could I hide from the all-knowing judgment of God? Maybe that’s why I seldom looked at the picture and took the back pew in the corner whenever I was praying alone in the church. Stares are intimidating, and coming from the Almighty, they are downright scary.<br />
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The God of Jesus looks at us differently. Sure, He sees our sin and failings, our littleness and frailty, but like a loving parent, these traits become terms of endearment to Him. His forgiveness trumps our sin and failings, and the strength of His love protects us in our weakness. He doesn’t look for the worst, but the best in us.<br />
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After all, we are His children, and so we are made in His image and likeness. God sees His love in us and smiles at the unique twist we each have given that love. He wants to encourage us to live by that love, to use it in our dealings with each other, and to teach it to our children. That’s the divine gaze, the look of the Good Shepherd, happy to see His sheep thriving under His watchful care.<br />
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So, Baxter, stare all you want. I can’t be scared by you. A cooler cat watches over both of us, and His look is a blessing for all on whom it falls.<br />
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-Monsignor Statnick<br />
<br />Saint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-75972469096351171922016-11-11T08:12:00.000-08:002016-11-11T08:12:13.581-08:00Standard TimeWe fell back one hour last weekend. Standard time began for us. All the clocks were reset to reflect this move to a later start to the daylight with an earlier start to the sunset. This is the dark period of the year when eventually there will be virtually no evening or dawn. There is simply day and night. The daylight shrinks from now until after the winter solstice. Many of us go to work in the dark and return from work in the dark during this season. People with seasonal affective disorder get depressed. Most people just hunker down and hope for a mild winter, waiting for hints that the ratio of light to darkness is beginning to switch, and the light is winning out.<br />
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Baxter seems unaffected by this change. He can’t tell time, so changing the clocks means nothing to him. He sleeps so much that day or night isn’t really that important to him. Chunks of the day and chunks of the night are always unconscious periods for him, so the amount of total light most often goes unnoticed. In fact, since he sees better in the dark, Baxter probably enjoys the longer nights. He can inspect more during his nighttime prows when I am fast asleep.<br />
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As long as his feeder goes off on schedule, Baxter is satisfied with whatever the clocks register as the time. That is just a number to him without any meaning.<br />
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What do we do with our time? Unlike Baxter, we have a sense of time passing. Do we make the most of the time we have? We can make ourselves the victim of time always complaining that there is not enough of it, that it has passed us by, or that each day is endless, full of the doldrums and its boredom. But time is what we make of it. Do we make something good of it by filling the time with service? Days and nights are long when they are spent alone and disengaged from others. Time drags when we have no meaningful work to do. Meaningful work is work that contributes to the betterment of others’ lives. It can be paid or unpaid, on the clock or off it, skilled and learned or simple and rote. But if it contributes to making something better for others, it makes the time we spend at it full and satisfying.<br />
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We declare when we bless the Paschal Candle at the Easter Vigil that Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. To Him belong all times and seasons. Christ is meant to fill our days and nights no matter what time is registered on the clocks. He is there when we spend the time for others, whether that is in direct service to the needy and poor, the confined and dying, our families, our communities or our church, or it is in prayer for others, in time given to visit and listen to others, in work that makes more than a paycheck, that makes a better world for us all. Christ lives in time—standard or daylight saving—whenever His disciples use their time to make His presence and power tangible in the good they do for others.<br />
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So as we get used to Standard Time for the next five months, let us measure its passing not as Baxter does - waiting for the next meal - but as God does waiting for the next opportunity to save a piece of the world by offering our loving service to it.<br />
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-Monsignor StatnickSaint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-66765738601179405912016-11-02T07:54:00.000-07:002016-11-02T07:54:13.798-07:00Cat MilkMost cats are lactose intolerant, even though many cats love milk. Baxter loves his milk, but I am sure to give him the kind for cats with the lactose removed. I don’t know if he knows that difference. He certainly wants his little dish of the stuff every morning before I leave the house, and he licks the bowl dry when he gets it. This cat milk doesn’t look very appetizing to me. Its color is beige and its consistency a little thick, but those things don’t seem to matter to Baxter. He is happy with his milk fix each morning, and I am happy that his stomach stays settled after he has had his daily portion.<br />
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We humans also find ourselves in the same predicament at times. We like something. We even crave it, but it isn’t always good for us. Sometimes we can find a substitute or a modified version of what we desire that allows us to indulge without harming ourselves too much. Think of sugar substitutes for people with diabetes, or non-alcoholic cocktails for those with alcoholism. However, sometimes we ignore our condition and just satisfy our craving. At first, this approach may cause no problem for us. We don’t have any immediate symptoms of our intolerance, and we feel satisfied after a bit of indulgence.<br />
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Who doesn’t enjoy a sweet, gooey treat, or a relaxing drink at the end of the day? What’s the problem?<br />
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The problem is that we are not facing our condition squarely and adjusting our lives accordingly. We pretend that everything is the way it was in the past or the way we want it to be now rather than the way it, in fact, is. We convince ourselves that no harm is being done, and we deserve these moments of pleasure and enjoyment. For the sake of some momentary satisfaction, we don’t take the longterm consequences into account, and we may not even look at what is happening now. We just do what we always did, what we want now, and refuse to look at the full picture of our behavior.<br />
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Jesus challenges this outlook in the gospel accounts. He constantly asks people to look at the big picture, the long view, the attitudes that we hold and their effects. Think of the Samaritan woman at the well. It’s not about satisfying a physical thirst but a thirsty soul. Recall the story of the miraculous catch of fish. It’s not about an abundance of physical food, but the abundance of people looking for God. How about the parable of the prodigal son? While the two sons are focused on what they can or cannot get, the father wants only to love them unconditionally.<br />
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So often in the gospels, people give into lesser desires so that they cannot discover their true hearts’ desires for love, forgiveness, meaning, purpose and hope in their lives. These satisfy us in ways that no passing pleasure can, and they lead us beyond the immediate situation to consider ourselves in the light of eternity.<br />
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Baxter found a way to enjoy milk without its nasty side effects for him. We are called to find a way to enjoy life without indulging ourselves in behaviors that may satisfy us for the moment, but in the long run, harm us. Jesus is that way, and He invites us to follow Him.<br />
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Saint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-19729333175914588522016-10-26T08:31:00.002-07:002016-10-26T08:31:42.643-07:00Favorite PlacesBaxter has his favorite places. Most of these have to do with sleeping spots—his mattress under the window, the TV table with a blanket on top, my bed. Some are places to sit like my chair at the dining room table or the window sill facing the side yard. When he is in the mood, Baxter wants to explore the basement. Then he lies on the old couch down there to get away from all the street noise upstairs. All of these spots are places where Baxter feels safe and secure, warm and comfortable, and he can stay in one of these places for hours, waking and sleeping, occasionally changing positions, but always at peace.<br />
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Where do we go for peace? In the noisy, crowded and hurried world we live in, a quiet, comfortable spot is not always easy to find. We recreate in places where we can shop or watch a game or listen to music, but these are often like the rest of the world. They are loud with a lot of people speaking over the sounds and elbowing each other for a place at the table. It is fun to be together with all the excitement being shared, but it is still much like the everyday work world we face. The only difference here is that we can dress down, don’t have to report to anyone, and have no deadlines to meet. These places are relaxing, but in a charged way.<br />
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Come home, and often the same atmosphere prevails. While the decibels may be down, the noise is still there with the televisions, phones and music devices, and the activity is still nonstop. With emails and text messages we are never away from our work, our friends and family, and all the demands for our attention from advertising. Then there are the robo-calls soliciting our attention and support for all sorts of causes. Is it any wonder that we feel homeless at times, unable to find a place to relax, to be quiet with ourselves, and be undisturbed with our own thoughts and reflection?<br />
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Maybe we need to do a little remodeling. It doesn’t necessarily involve physical construction. Rather, to get the space we are looking for we need to adjust the space we are in. Turn off the phones, computers, television and all other electronic devices. We need to find a way to quiet our living space, turn off the demands for our attention and enter into ourselves. It is almost impossible to be in touch with God and our soul’s desire for Him when we can’t be at peace. Opening our spirits to the holy mystery that can’t be readily heard or seen requires us to relinquish the sights and sounds of this world for a while.<br />
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Take a tip from Baxter. Make a favorite place in your everyday world where God can speak, you can listen, and peace can be found.<br />
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-Monsignor StatnickSaint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-66399521256634434752016-10-19T06:48:00.002-07:002016-10-19T06:48:31.702-07:00Our Soft UnderbellyCats are very protective of their underbellies. They usually guard them literally with claws bared. Their stomachs are very sensitive, and they keep them hidden from any third party intrusion. They know they are vulnerable in this area, so they let no one near for fear of harm. Baxter was that way for a long time. However, more recently, he has begun to roll over on his back and look for a scratch on his stomach. He starts to purr when I pat his pure white underside, and he continues his pleasant disposition as long as I am soft and gentle in my approach. When he has had enough, he jumps up and walks away, and I have to respect the boundaries he sets. Baxter has come a long way in relying upon me and trusting in my care for his well-being.<br />
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We all have our own soft underbellies--things about us that we are sensitive about. Maybe they come from past hurts, experiences that directly wounded our relationship with someone due to an insult, a betrayal or a disagreement that remains unresolved. Maybe they come from our expectations of ourselves or others. We have certain unwritten rules of how others should talk and act, and when they don’t meet these rules, we are offended. Of course, the other person may not know the rules, and not even realize they are offending us.<br />
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Maybe our sensitivities come from our backgrounds. We all carry the baggage we inherited from the way we were raised. Some of this baggage is heavy. We react to situations and people not out of the present relationship, but in terms of what we felt and understood from our pasts. This can cause a problem. We automatically begin to protect ourselves based on what we learned from an earlier unpleasant experience. The person presently in our life isn’t aware of our past, and so he or she cannot understand where we are coming from and why we are acting as we do. There’s no trust here, and the relationship is always weighed down for unclear reasons.<br />
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These sensitivities don’t just affect our family and friendships. They also influence our spiritual relationships. How we connect with God and with the Church come from past personal experiences, from what we learned either formally or informally, and from the religious background we bring to our present faith life. We may have been hurt by a personal tragedy and blame God for it. We may have encountered someone in the Church who was rude and intolerant, and we write every church person off because of them. We may have expected God to do certain things for us, and feel disappointed and betrayed that He didn’t come through. We may feel betrayed by the Church because some of its members have failed gravely and were dishonest about it. We may feel threatened by God or abandoned by Him because of what we were taught about God’s ways from our backgrounds. We may feel dismissed and disrespected because of the way authority was exercised in the Church. Whatever it might be, the effects are clear. We feel distanced from God and a stranger in God’s house. We are afraid to become vulnerable to the love and care of our God, and to allow God’s people to express this love and care towards us.<br />
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We can learn from Baxter. First, it takes time to build or rebuild trust. We cannot slough off the past in the blink of aneye. It takes time for feelings to heal, for ideas to change, for relationships to grow. Second, put the past behind us and live in the present. Take new people at face value, unless they become two-faced to us. Forgive the past, and we will release the power of grace in the present moment. Third, dare to think differently. There is always more to God than we at first imagine. God does not rescue us from life’s pain and loss. He saves us from allowing that pain and loss to sap our lives of meaning and caring for each other. Loving despite the hurt is what Jesus showed us on the cross. Finally, don’t be afraid of the feelings. We have permission to be angry, confused, frustrated or hurt when others take advantage of our vulnerabilities. Read the Book of Lamentations, the Psalms, or Jesus on the cross. Just don’t get stuck there. God can empathize with our pain, but He won’t allow us to wallow in it. Resurrection follows suffering and death as the powerful mystery of life.<br />
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Baxter has learned to expose his tender underbelly to a loving touch. We can too, and it’s God’s hand on us.<br />
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-Monsignor Statnick<br />
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aSaint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-52346669659887132062016-10-12T08:34:00.005-07:002016-10-12T08:34:53.229-07:00Slowing DownBaxter is slowing down. He is fifteen years old now, and I can see how time has changed his pace. Although he can still have an episode of chasing his own shadow or a piece of kibble, generally he walks his way through the day.<br />
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He moseys out to get his cat milk in the morning. He lets spiders live rather than use them as his toys. He also has become much more docile. He lets me pet him whenever I like,and when he has to have his monthly flea medicine, he just lies down until the vile of liquid is squirted onto the back of his neck. He still likes to jump into the bath tub for a drink from the spigot, and onto the bed for his afternoon nap. He still gets excited around dinner time, and perks up at strange sounds. But all in all, Baxter is slower, calmer and friendlier in his later years, than he was as a young cat.<br />
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Aging has its pluses and minuses. The symptoms of physical wear and tear become obvious. There is stiffness when we stand up at first. Stairs may take longer to negotiate and produce some heavier breathing on the ascent. We become helpless without our glasses, and we have to turn up the TV or radio to hear it clearly. All of these physical changes slow us down.<br />
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God may be sending us messages here. Now we have to notice ourselves and our surroundings more carefully. It’s an opportunity to see what we may have never noticed before. Smell the roses, and also discover the hidden garbage. Maybe we need a few attitude adjustments along with adjusting our motor skills.<br />
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Instead of getting frustrated, enjoy the slower pace life is calling us to live. Learn to appreciate what others do for us rather than finding something wrong with it. Waiting for something or someone isn’t always bad. It teaches us patience, and that things can take their own course without jeopardizing anything. Think about what we do have—the people, the memories, the fruits of our labors—and give thanks.<br />
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Since many things don’t have to get done in a hurry, be flexible about how they get done. My way is not the only way. Pay attention to what is important, and don’t fuss about the little things. Loose ends don’t unravel unless we pull them. Others aren’t perfect; we aren’t perfect; only God is perfect. Praise God, and love the imperfections. They are the hooks God uses to draw us to His saving grace.<br />
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Looking at Baxter getting older, I see myself as well. We can get angry about what’s happening and frustrated with the limitations it places upon us, or we can embrace the opportunities our slower pace and reduced drive offer us. We can connect with each other more sincerely and less defensively. We can fill our hearts with gratitude for the blessings we may have never recognized. We can let God be God, and accept our humanity with humility and dignity. We can grow in “wisdom, age and grace” just as Jesus did.<br />
-Monsignor Statnick<br />
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Saint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-583580296434139936.post-45126759230532365392016-10-05T07:42:00.002-07:002016-10-05T07:42:54.255-07:00A Creature of HabitBaxter is a creature of habit. You can almost set your watch by his daily routine. He rises with the sound of the feeder exposing a portion of food for his breakfast at 4:30 AM. He gets a drink of water twice after he has had his share of kibble-- I guess to wash it down. Then it’s a bathroom break and a rest on the bedroom rug before he makes his move to the cat mattress for a serious hour and a half nap. Before I leave for Mass though, he will get up while I’m having breakfast for his slug of “cat milk”. What he does while I’m gone for the morning is a bit of a mystery. I expect he sleeps for a good portion of the morning, but I also suspect that he has a few tricks up his paw that he keeps hidden from me. I think he might roam the dining room table when I’m not around because he knows that he is not supposed to be up there. I also think he explores the boxes in the spare room where my old tax returns are kept. He wants to find out if he’s getting his fair share of my assets.<br />
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We all have habits to get us through the day, week or year. Some are obvious to anyone who knows us. Others may be hidden from view. Habits keep our life steady. They create an order to our activities. Because we don’t have to think about them, they allow for less effort in getting things done.Getting ready for the day in the morning, and ready for bed at night usually involve a routine that we follow out of habit. Weekly, I gather the garbage for pick up on Mondays. Every four or five weeks I get a haircut in the same style from the same barber. The holidays have longstanding habits associated with them. We call them traditions. Certain foods, festive gatherings and decorations are all a regular part of our celebrating certain seasons. We don’t have to wonder what we will do this Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc. We know the ritual.<br />
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The Church uses habits as well. The liturgical cycle is fundamentally the same every year. We are asked to develop a habit of Sunday Mass, regular participation in the Sacrament of Penance, daily prayer, almsgiving and service to others. Even the teachings of the Church are meant to form a habit of mind that sets our thinking in a certain direction when issues arise. These habits are meant to incorporate us into God’s ordering of life, because through these activities we participate in God’s actions in our world. Yet, there is a catch.<br />
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Habits are the first step in forming us as disciples, but they alone won’t get us to a life style of discipleship. The ordering of our actions to God’s ways has to be internalized. We have to understand the reason for these habits, allow them to change our sentiments and attitudes, and use the values they embody to set our priorities. Habits of religious behavior are meant to shape our characters as persons of faith. When religious practices become more than mindless routines, they mark us as virtuous people. We do what we do because these actions show who we are and reinforce our faith in what we can yet become with God’s grace.<br />
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Baxter’s instincts lead him to a regular habit of living. It’s his survival technique. Our desire to find God leads us to form habits, but these practices are meant to help us grow as persons who reflect the holy mystery in our lives, and continue to seek its love and understanding. They are habits of the heart—not gross instincts—that in time are meant to form a person who thinks, feels, decides and acts as God would in our world.<br />
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-Monsignor StatnickSaint Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235025110406787689noreply@blogger.com