Gaining Sight

Cats don’t see very well. They rely upon their sense of smell and hearing, much more than their eye sight, to get along in the world. In fact, they see better in the dark than in the daylight. They are naturally near-sighted, so things in front of them can be missed. At night, their vision sharpens, and with the quieting of the day’s activity, they also hear more acutely. They are night roamers, comfortable with stalking, playing and eating in the dark. They never seem to trip or get lost when other creatures, like we humans, need the light to find our way.

The Feast of the Epiphany reminds us that we need to follow the Light. The magi knew this well, and it led them on an adventure whose destination was unknown. They didn’t know where they would end their sojourn. They only knew for whom they were looking. Their search took them to Herod, the enemy of the saviormessiah, though at first they didn’t recognize him that way.

They were so consumed by their search for the light, that they didn’t notice Herod’s darkness. In fact, it was Herod who helped them find the light despite his sinister motives. The magi were so intent on following the light that they accepted help from whomever they could get it. How are we following the Light of Christ in our life’s journey? Are we even looking for the light, or are we content with accepting the darkness that is sometimes all around us? Do we ask for help in finding the light? Do we use even the agents of darkness to help us by offering an example of what we don’t want to do or be?

We rely upon our sight as a primary sense. We have to look at everything, good and bad, pleasant and unpleasant, virtuous and sinful, to navigate a course through this world that follows the Light. After all, Christ came to redeem it all, not just the worthy, but sinners, prostitutes, the poor and the sick, outcasts and unbelievers. They all came into the Light in various gospel accounts, and showed us how God works in this darkened world.

The Light exposes sin, but then forgives it. It invites people on the outside to come close and find a place where they belong. It embraces the lost and forsaken, and it patiently guides the seekers and doubters. To live in the Light of Christ is to live with arms outstretched to others, encouraging them to join us on the shared journey that leads to the One who saves us.

So don’t be afraid of the Light. Nothing will be seen that cannot be redeemed. If we get lost, the Light will reappear to set us back on course. Just look for it, ask for help to see it, and then follow. Only cats thrive in the dark.

Monsignor Statnick

Homebody

Baxter is a homebody. He likes familiar surroundings where he designates special places that are always available to him for certain activities. When I take him out of his accustomed environment, he gets anxious. He doesn’t feel safe. He has to check out the new place, sniffing his way from object to object, corner to corner. He usually tries to find a dark, secluded hiding place for a while—under a bed, in a closet, behind a couch. When Baxter gets used to a new living space, he comes out of hiding and begins to follow his old routines there. He marks out certain spots for naps, observing the outdoors, and quiet lounging. He gets comfortable again and relaxes. I know that Baxter feels at home at last when he lies on his back, with his belly exposed, sound asleep--a funny picture of pure peace.

The holidays are a time for coming home. We seek the familiar, the tried and true, the safe and secure. We like traditional foods at this time of year, the tastes that remind us of our childhood and the family that nurtured us. We have certain routines we keep from year to year, the people we visit on certain days of the season, the activities we do together, even the movies we watch and the songs we sing. We celebrate the season by repeating certain customs that have come to us from others through the years.

But the holidays also hold changes each year. Loved ones who have died are not at the table or around the tree this year. New marriages and new families within the family may change the routines. Children call for many adjustments in schedule. Distances may prevent some people from sharing the festivities as they once did. The new and unfamiliar invade our holiday celebrations. But that is not always a bad thing. New faces bring new company and ideas to the family. New schedules may prove more convenient and comfortable to keep. Traditions from other heritages enrich our own and broaden our appreciation for the various ways to celebrate Christmas.

When Christ was born, He came from the ancient tradition of the Jewish faith where the promise of salvation was first announced and the figure of the Messiah first introduced and developed. In His birth, Jesus brought to this heritage a new dimension, not one that wiped out the past but fulfilled it. The Messiah would win salvation from sin and death for us by becoming one of us, by accepting the dignity and limitations of our human condition and showing how it can become transparent to the divine mystery Who assumed it. Ultimately, this messiah would die on the cross and rise again to transform our condition into the new creation of the Kingdom of God.

In celebrating Christmas,God continues to work through Christ in the same way. As webuild on the traditions of the past to incorporate the new realities of our world today, God is with us to guide our journey. Cherish the heritage we share in faith and family, but keep it alive by opening our minds, hearts and relationships to new ideas, attitudes and experiences with others. The first Christmas worked that way, and it marked the beginning of God’s ongoing work in the world. When Baxter figures out how to marry his old routines with a new environment, he is at peace. When we do the same to celebrate Christmas and to follow Christ faithfully in our way of life, we too find peace.

Cat Time

While the rest of the world is in a rush to get everything in order for Christmas, Baxter’s pace remains the same. He runs for food, but otherwise, he strolls to what interests him. When I come home, when he seeks a different resting place, when he wants a drink from the spigot or his nightly brushing and treat, Baxter doesn’t rush. His is a regular, slow, measured pace. He knows that what he is looking for will be there when he gets to it, so he goes about his routines slowly and calmly. Nothing pushes Baxter to pick up the pace. He sets the pace and keeps to it.

God works in the same way. He doesn’t get caught up in the world’s frenzy, but He knows what He wants and stays steady in His pursuit of it. God desires one thing only, for us to accept His love into our lives. He offers His love constantly in many different ways through many different circumstances.

When we are hurting or ill, when we are strong and successful, when we celebrate life’s bountiful goodness, and when we suffer loss and disappointment, God is there, not with answers or reasons always, but with a care and presence that bring a deep meaning to both the best and the worst that life has to offer. He doesn’t push His agenda. He offers it simply, quietly, respectfully, but relentlessly. Love never fails.

This is the message of the Christmas story. Come to the manger. Come to the manger when we are tempted to give up. Come to the manger when we are tempted to get our way no matter what it takes. Come when we feel betrayed. Come when we are lost and don’t know where to turn. Come when we doubt others’ trustworthiness or fear their ambitions. Come to the manger with whatever we have to bring from our lives. Put it down. Leave it there, and take with us the love divine that is offered without terms or conditions.

To come to the manger, we must step out of the frenzy of our world, and stop to look and listen to what God is doing for us. No need to run here. A slow, steady pace brings the promise of salvation to us as God brought it to the world in the birth of the Christ.

Baxter got it right this time.

Christmas Disturbances

Baxter has a hard time with Christmas. It is not that he’s a scrooge, but he is a rather rigid personality. You see, Christmas changes Baxter’s normally staid and predictable world. Things are different at this time of the year. We move furniture to make room for strange objects like Christmas trees. We add lights in the windows, decorations on table tops, shelves and counters. We play Christmas music and have more guests drop in. Baxter’s roost is remodeled and invaded, and he is at best confused by it all and at worst annoyed by it. He may hide under the bed to avoid the disruption until it’s gone, or he may attack the Christmas tree trying to drive the intruder away. In the end, Baxter goes into his Christmas funk until it all returns to normal after the New Year.

The first Christmas was quite a disruptive event if you think about it. Elizabeth felt her baby kick when her cousin visited with unexpected good news. Mary and Joseph had the plan for their life together turned around, and they had to travel away from home when the baby was due. The lights in the heavens set the shepherds and the magi wondering and wandering to find the child announced by these strange signs. Herod was disturbed to hear that another ruler was in his territory. No one felt comfortable with Christmas at first. It disturbed their settled lives and released new dynamics between God and humanity.

This is an uncomfortable Christmas for us as well. The world situation is very unsettled. Many people feel a low grade anxiety. What more can happen and where might it occur? Will we ever feel safe with each other again? Why can’t we just go back to the way things used to be?

Jesus’ birth changed the world of His day, and it is meant to continue to change our world today. Not like terrorism which generates fear, suspicion and desires for vengeance, but like a surprise birthday party, which brings people together unexpectedly to celebrate the goodness and blessings a human life can hold. Who would have thought that people cared that much to go to all the bother of setting up the surprise? Who could have imagined that God so loved the world that He gave us His only begotten Son? But He did. This surprise will save us from any threat we face, if we trust enough to live by the message and Spirit it contains.

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom He favors!” This doesn’t mean that God is on our side to kill our enemies, but God is on the side of all who want to work for His goodness and love to become incarnate in our world. This desire drives all of us beyond our comfort zones. While our instinct may tell us to run and hide or to attack the stranger, God’s grace calls us to reach out by working to understand each other more, by caring for the needy who are driven by desperation, and by helping build relationships which turn strangers into friends. Such arrangements may disturb our narrow minds, our stingy hearts or our cliquish circles, but they will bring a promise of a different world where peace is possible.

Baxter waits for Christmas to be over, so that his life can return to normal. Hopefully, we wish for Christmas to never end, so that the new life in Christ will change what we think is normal.

Massage Therapy

Baxter loves to have a massage. His favorite spots are behind the ear, the jowls, under the chin, and the lower back in front of his tail. When he crawls on my lap and I begin this spa treatment, he falls into ecstasy. His eyes roll back and he purrs ceaselessly. He falls into a trance, and he can’t get enough of the feeling of pleasure and contentment he experiences. He eventually falls asleep for a few minutes, then he awakens suddenly, full of energy. Baxter has been recharged by the short interval of relaxation I provided him.

Advent is a time when God massages our spirits. Sometimes they can get beat down by the harshness of our world. We get selfish to protect ourselves from being exploited. We get rude and pushy to fit into the fast pace and competition around us. We harden our hearts to not have them hurt by another’s thoughtlessness. We become like our surroundings to survive in this cat eat cat environment in which we sometimes find ourselves.

Then God announces a time out. Advent speaks to the troubled human spirit. Israel stood wounded, humiliated, overwhelmed and weak under the Roman thumb. God touches these sensitive spots first with words. “Comfort, give comfort to my people,” says the Lord. Then He describes the treatment. “Lift the valleys and lower the mountains; shine light in the darkness; bend the spears into pruning hooks and the swords into plows; give birth to a child who will cause people to wonder again and work for peace.” Advent massages our spirits with a vision that reverses the toll that the negative forces around us exact. It gives us hope and the desire for true happiness again.

But we have to stop and allow God’s Word to touch us. We will never feel the effects of this treatment if we keep too busy or remain too fearful to let our defenses down. God can heal our spirits troubled by an anxious and threatening world, where we have become strangers to each other for fear that an enemy lurks in our midst. Advent is the ticket to the spa we call a creche. There God’s gentle touch opens our hearts to His grace by bringing the poor and the rich, the wise and the simple, all creatures, together to adore the wondrous mystery of divine Love incarnate.

Baxter knows when he needs a gentle rub in the right places to stay calm and peaceful. Advent provides us with gentle touches of God’s healing presence. Don’t miss them.

Fear

Two things frighten Baxter most - loud noises and changes in his surroundings. If he hears a loud noise, it will stop him in his tracks. His ears go up; he looks around; he might walk away from whatever he is doing. He is set on alert. If Baxter finds himself in a strange place, he has a different response. He cries and hides. He lets his discomfort be known to anyone in earshot, and then he finds a place where he is out of sight and often out of reach. Under a bed or in a closet are his favorite hiding places, although an empty box or large paper bag will do in a pinch. Fear causes Baxter to act funny.

Fear can cause us to act strangely as well. When we don’t feel safe about our surroundings and the people we are around, we aren’t our best selves. We become suspicious of others. We withdraw from interacting with them and engaging in activities. We fail to see all that is going on because we are always looking for something harmful to happen. So everything becomes a threat, and nothing can just be a harmless response. Fear plays games with us. It works on our imagination to see things through the prism of this emotion. Nothing is innocent or straightforward. We see and hear what isn’t there, and we miss many benefits and opportunities. Anxiety creates stress that has a broad effect on us, and we withdraw from many of the experiences that bring pleasure and meaning to our lives. Fear builds a self-imposed prison where we condemn ourselves to a lonely confinement.

“Fear is useless. What is needed is trust.” Jesus says these words when He is asked to heal Jairus’ daughter and members of the household think there is no hope for a cure. Fear kills hope, and without hope, we shut down. That is why we have to control our fear. We can’t just react to the threats our world poses. We have to measure them, take prudent actions to thwart them, and learn to live with some uncertainty. We can do this because our faith is meant to feed our hope and temper our fears. It brings to our lives the power of God’s goodness to transform hard hearts, to heal the wounds of sin and division, and to build trust again. The recent terrorist events of the past few weeks have tested this kind of faith. These tests can either kill our spirits or strengthen them. We must pray for the courage not to give into our fears but to build our trust in God and in people who believe in the true God of life and salvation. Bombs and guns will never rid the world of fear. Only a higher power, a stronger force can offer an alternative for our troubled spirits. All men and women who live in the grace of this divine mystery must work together to advance its effects in our world. Then fear will diminish, trust will grow, and hope for a better world will be restored.

A harmless noise or a new environment can set Baxter on edge. Cats are rather inflexible about those sorts of things. We are better than cats. Drawing upon our faith and how it can change our outlook, let us face our troubling world with trust in what the power of God can accomplish among those who hope in His love.

Closets

I came home for lunch last week, and I couldn’t find Baxter. After a quick review of his favorite resting spots, I was at a loss as to where he was. I kept calling his name, but there was no response. Finally, I stopped and listened. I heard this faint “meow”, but I wasn’t sure of where it was coming from. I went to the garage. No Baxter. I went to the spare bedroom. No Baxter. Still the “meows” continued. Finally, I opened the coat closet door, and he came running out. I don’t know when or how he got in there, but he was certainly happy to be free. For a few hours, Baxter was left confined in a dark closet, without food or water, and he didn’t appreciate the whole experience.

We sometimes do the same sort of thing. We closet ourselves, and we may not know how to get out. Maybe it’s a problem we have that we don’t want anyone to know we have. Maybe it’s someone in the family’s problem that we are embarrassed to admit. Maybe we are closeting a past secret that we are afraid to face or have discovered. Maybe we are hiding something good and useful, a talent we have that we don’t share because we aren’t confident enough of ourselves or sure enough of its worth. Maybe we have confined ourselves because we feel safe in the space we have carved out, and a bigger world is just so uncertain. There are many reasons we stay in the dark, hiding parts of our lives.

But darkness is where demons live. When we hide things out of fear, they take on a power that can control our lives. We spend a lot of energy making sure no one knows this piece of our story. We pretend that our lives are happy and complete, but there is always this underlying unease. What if someone finds us out? We are lost in our confinement, and we don’t know how to get out.

Jesus calls out the demons. He brings them into the light and forces them to speak. When this happens, their power is gone. Our problems are put into their proper proportion. We are not alone with them. Others share similar dilemmas. There are people and ways to help. Our fears, generated in isolation, are now dissolved in the light of our common, weak humanity. We need each other, and there is no shame in that. Whatever talents and gifts we have become tools forhelping each other and enhancing the life we share. We see both our problems and our treasures differently in the light of Christ. They are valuable occasions of grace, bonding us to one another through the mutual respect we gain when we serve others with the gifts we were given.

Baxter learned a valuable lesson from getting trapped in a closet for a few hours. He won’t find a cozy hiding space where doors can be closed, trapping him inside. We need to learn a similar lesson for ourselves.

-Monsignor Statnick

Wanting the Wrong Things

Whatever I am eating, Baxter wants some of it. His craving persists despite strict orders from the vet not to feed him from the table. He even wants things that are dangerous for his health, like chocolate. If it appears as food, Baxter’s appetite is stirred, and he won’t give up on his desire until I have eaten it all and placed the plate in the sink. Later, when I sit for another meal, he’s back again pawing at my arm, mournfully meowing, and plucking at my heart-strings with his soulful eyes. Nothing deters Baxter from wanting anything that smells like food to him. He is driven by his nose to fill his stomach, even if he just had his portion of kibble.

We can get caught in the same kind of fixations. Sometimes they are physical addictions to drugs, alcohol, sex or gambling. We can’t resist the need to engage in certain behaviors that bring us immediate pleasures and calm our cravings for a while. Sometimes our desires are more subtle, and therefore unnoticed. We can’t resist telling someone a tidbit we found out about another person. We can’t stop ourselves from finding fault in something when others are complimenting it. We can’t overlook someone’s annoying habit or mistake, but have to point it out for everyone to acknowledge. We get into a negative frame of mind to highlight what is wrong with another’s behavior or the situation other’s created. We want things to be perfect, and we won’t settle for anything less. We are driven, and we don’t realize it!

A lesson from Baxter may help in this case. What turns off Baxter’s food radar is a distraction. If he sees a bird fly pass the window, if he hears a loud noise, if he goes to the litter box, he forgets about his craving for a while. If we get involved in helping others, in donating our time and talent to a good cause, in advocating for the less fortunate, we loosen the grip that our self centered desires have on us. We begin to think about what the other person needs, rather than what we want or what we think they need. We change the focus to see situations more clearly and completely. We add other points of view to our viewpoint which broadens it and allows for more empathy and understanding. Our conclusions are softer, leaving room to modify them or even reverse them. Instead of measuring others by what we want them to do and be, we measure ourselves by how well we help them be better persons. Now our drive is going somewhere, rather than running in circles for our own self gratification.

Jesus was driven by His mission to fulfill the Kingdom of God. His drive led to the cross and from the cross to the resurrection and the release of the Spirit. It didn’t lock Him into Himself, but freed Him to reach out to the least around Him, and eventually, through His followers, to the least everywhere. This is how a disciple lives and channels his or her desires by the grace of Christian conversion. We learn to want the right things for others and forget about ourselves. Funny though, in the end we get more than we ever imagined possible to feed our spirits and become well fed disciples.

Straight Shooter

Baxter is easy to figure out. His needs are few, and he is pretty straight-forward in asking to have them met. He lets me know when he is hungry. He climbs on my lap when he wants to be cuddled, scratched and petted, and he jumps off when he has had enough. He sits in front of a door, crying and pawing at it when he wants me to open it. There is no beating around the bush with Baxter. What you see is what you get, and if he doesn’t get what he wants, he lets me know that he isn’t happy. He either cries up a storm or sits with his back to me, pouting.

We are so much more complicated in our dealings with each other, aren’t we? We hide our true thoughts and feelings not to offend, or start an argument, or interfere. We tell others their ways or words are fine, that we understand or even agree, when actually we are upset over what just happened, and we can’t fathom why someone says those things or acts that way. We camouflage our reactions, and others draw the wrong conclusions based upon them. This kind of hidden misunderstanding then extends the problem. When we deceive each other, we can’t advance in our relationships. We play ring around the rosy with each other in an effort to be “nice”. Relationships can’t grow and mature based upon deception. Only honesty provides the good ground for the seeds of loyalty and trust to take root.

Jesus understood this well. His words and presentation in the Gospels are direct and clear, and they match. He doesn’t say one thing and think or do another, nor does He say one thing to one person and change His tune when talking to another. Jesus embodies an integrity when He relates to others, whether that person is Pilate, a temple official, a tax collector, an adulterer, or a poor blind man. Because of this quality to His relationships, others recognize that Jesus truly loves them and they in turn can love Him. Trust allows love to flourish. Sometimes Jesus’ directness puts others off, as when Peter tried to stop Him from speaking about the suffering of the Son of Man, or when the rich man departed after Jesus told him what he had to do to be perfect. However, even in these challenging situations, Jesus never closes the door to those who want to stay connected. Peter is welcomed back after he denies Him. We don’t know what the rich man did.

So let’s think twice before we twist our words to say what we don’t mean, or go along with other’s actions to keep peace. Those are quick fixes containing long term break downs in the future. What may seem easy now creates hard feelings in the end. Our relationships are kept fresh and growing when they are straight-forward and honest, when they deal with issues as they arise, and when the parties involved want each other to know the truth about themselves. Truthfulness is the rock on which God builds His Kingdom in our midst. Without it, we sink into a swamp of lies and deceit which drown any hope for us to trust each other.

Baxter is easy to understand and deal with because, like Nathaniel, there is no guile in him. Let’s make it easier to understand and deal with each other by straight talk and actions between us. That is the only way we can hear and see Jesus in our midst.

Listening

I admit it. I talk to Baxter. We have conversations about various things: how the day went; what I am concerned about in the parish; what are my worries and anxieties; who is a delight to be with and who is less than that; what I am looking forward to. Baxter’s side of the conversation is rather limited. When is my next meal, where have you been for so long, scratch my ear, let’s play “fetch”, where is my “cat milk” or treat, make up the full repertoire of his interests. Nevertheless, we keep talking. I don’t get bored with Baxter’s concerns; maybe because they are so simple and straight forward. He has no hidden agendas. On the other hand, he seems to pay attention when I share with him my concerns. He’s a good listener. He doesn’t come to a conclusion before I have voiced my full story. He doesn’t shut me down by walking away or forcing his interests into the conversation. He sits in front of me or lies on my lap and quietly purrs, while I ventilate about my latest situation, dilemma or frustration.

Listening is a key to conversing. In today’s world with all of its sophisticated technology, we are not trained to listen. We are trained to look and find a quick and clever response. Short answers with abbreviated expressions or Emojis are the order of the day. We know how to convey information in tight packages of emails and text messages, but we don’t do a good job of communicating the human feelings and meanings attached to the message. Even exchanging pictures with each other doesn’t do it. We assume we know what the other means in what is displayed because of how it makes us feel. But we miss the subtleties, the nuances contained in a look, a tone of voice, a casual gesture. We can’t see the tears behind the smile, the pain hidden in the laugh, the worries dressed up in party attire. Only true conversation between caring persons reveals these tender dimensions.

Maybe we don’t know how to talk this way to each other because we don’t pray enough or pray well enough. Cor ad cor loquitur is a traditional description of prayer. Heart speaks to heart. In prayer, we open our hearts to God and God opens His heart to us. It doesn’t matter what is on our heart at the moment. Happy or sad, angry or peaceful, empty or full doesn’t register the quality of our prayer. The honesty and depth of our self disclosure does. In prayer we join our hearts to God’s, and in this meeting, we discover how much He loves us just as we are and how much we love Him, despite our weakness and sin. No matter what particular feelings we bring to the moment, this heart to heart conversation creates another feeling stronger than all the rest—trust, trust in God’s presence, goodness and care for us. On this trust we build our lives of faith, and without it, we simply engage in religious activities.

Prayer gives us a practice field for learning how to communicate genuinely, fully and deeply with each other. God is the best listener, and when we pray from our heart, His listening frees us to be ourselves. It gives us confidence to take these selves that God shows us He loves, and open them to others to create a relationship with them that is holy, because it is so careful, respectful and honest. How we are in prayer with God is meant to become the model for how we are with each other in the other moments of our lives. We pray well to live well, and we bring the stuff of our lives to prayer to learn how to live better.

Baxter is a good listener, but God is even better. Don’t be afraid to grow close to God in prayer, and He will teach us how to grow close to each other, no matter what life brings for us to share.

Monsignor Statnick

Sticky Stuff

If you own a cat, you can’t live without a lint remover. These ingenious inventions are simply a large roll of masking tape on a holder which allows you to pass the tape smoothly over almost any surface to pick up loose particles—lint, food crumbs, or if you own a cat, HAIR! If your cat owns you, this simple contraption is a must. If you don’t want to constantly look like a hairy version of Pig Pen from Peanuts, this device will keep you hairless without harm to most fabrics.

Cats are notorious for leaving a little of themselves behind wherever they have been. They rub against an object in their environment to leave their scent, claiming the thing as their own, and the streak of hair is an added bonus for those species that can’t smell the mark. There is no denying the splotch of fluffy follicles that stand out on the black pants, the dark rug or the door sill. Baxter was here and left his mark. Get the sticky roller to eliminate the evidence.

God marks us as well. In Baptism, He claimed us as His own, but unlike cat hair, nothing can remove His loving paternity over us. We speak of it as the character of the sacrament. We are a chip off the old block, or at least, we are meant to be when we have been initiated into the very life of God. We don’t wear this mark like a physical object—a tattoo, an emblem, a society pin. We wear it in the godly way we are called to live. With humility, for God made us who we are, and we didn’t deserve His grace or earn it in any way. With generosity and openness to others, for God calls all to His life and asks no questions about our pedigree for admission. With honesty and simplicity, for God forgives the past and allows us to begin again and again in our lives with a clean slate. There is no need to hide anything from our God who heals what keeps us from recognizing ourselves and each other as His children.

But there are often many sticky situations we encounter that can keep us from wearing God’s mark on us. We become so competitive with each other that we see each other as threats rather than supportive brothers and sisters. Our ambition and arrogance take over what we hold precious, and we ignore the weak, the poor and the lonely. Greed focuses our attention, and we can no longer see how rich we become when we share.

We hide behind titles and positions for fear that others will see our vulnerabilities and faults and know we share a common human core. All these tendencies are fostered by our world today, and they can roll over our character, wiping clean the living marks of a life baptized into the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection.

So be careful of the sticky stuff out there. Divine qualities will keep our baptismal garment clear of loose, worldly debris. Self-centered ones will remove the signs of grace in our midst, and create a harsh and hostile world around us. Stick to God, and He will keep you clean to share His life always and everywhere.

-Monsignor Statnick

Handle with Care

Charlie has a rough and tough side, like most dogs. He digs in the dirt, chases rodents, and loves a rigorous game of tug-o-war.

But, Charlie also has a sensitive side. He can seem almost fragile at times. When getting his nails trimmed Charlie is skittish. Taking a bath also causes some nervousness in Charlie. His most sensitive moment is if someone touches his tail. When the tail is brushed with a foot or other object, he jumps and whimpers as though injured.

It can be comical, but mostly Charlie’s sensitivities are an annoyance. Clipping his nails and giving him a bath become difficult chores because he acts so fearfully. When a foot brushes his tail, his yelp startles us and makes our hearts skip a beat. Most times, his bark is completely unnecessary because he hasn’t even been touched!

Although sometimes irritating, it is good that Charlie has ways of reminding us that he is fragile. We need to remember that he is our dog, and he needs our care. We have to be gentle in the way we love him because he is a living breathing creature. Sometimes we forget that with one another.

These days, it’s not really acceptable to be considered fragile. Being tough and strong are attributes that people pride themselves in.

What we fail to realize in that way of thinking is that being fragile doesn’t mean we lack value. Sure, when something is tough and strong it means you can abuse it and test it and it will last through all of that. But, I guess the question is, should we be testing one another like that?

We like to think of our relationships as strong, but really they are fragile. We like to think of ourselves as tough, but we’re actually delicate. We should take a moment to recognize that in our dealings with each other and ourselves we need to “handle with care.”

We can think of this strong versus fragile like this: The plastic cups in my cupboard get stacked and shifted in all kinds of ways. They fall and no one thinks twice. My crystal wine glasses, on the other hand, are placed in a special cupboard. They are treated with the honor and respect they deserve. The same goes for clothes, jewelry, and other things we own.

If we can understand the value of things, why do we have such trouble understanding the value of one another? Maybe, unlike Charlie, we learn not to cry out when we are being trampled on. Perhaps it’s because we’ve learned that others just get upset when we let them know we’re sensitive. Or, maybe, we are giving into the father of lies when we tell ourselves we need to be tough, and that we’re not as fragile as we seem.

Maybe that’s why we have such a hard time understanding the Gospel.

We hear about the weak and sick that Jesus healed and think, “isn’t it too bad that that person couldn’t help themselves?” Or, “it’s good that I’m not like that! I can take care of myself!”

I know that it is scary to share the fragile parts of yourself with others. It makes us vulnerable. Sometimes when that happens we cry out, like Charlie, to keep others from hurting us.

It’s only natural to try and protect ourselves. But, as usual, Jesus is calling us to the super-natural.

Jesus tells us we have to share ourselves with others really letting them in, and showing them that we care too. That means being vulnerable. That means showing our fragile side.

We have to remember that God made us this way. He is always calling us to love and care for one another. We need each other, because we are fragile and delicate. It isn’t shameful; it’s honorable.

So, be careful of stepping on tails. We all need to be handled with care.

Right, Charlie?

-Christy Cabaniss

Watch Those Bites

Sometimes I roughhouse with Baxter. I tickle his stomach and slap at his paws. I hold onto his tail until he goes after it. He rolls over and slaps back with his paws. He’ll jump at my arm or leg, and sometimes he nips at them. It is all in good fun, and after a few minutes I have to calm him down with soft words and gentle petting. Occasionally, I get a scratch or small cut from our antics together. I am sure to wash the wound immediately and put an antibiotic cream on it. I know that the love of cats won’t prevent an infection from happening, so an ounce of prevention is worth the effort.

Sometimes we roughhouse with each other as well. We use words to spar with one another. When it begins in jest, we usually know when to stop before our remarks get too cutting. We realize what we said and know how to put limits on its impact. However, when we get sharp with others because we are under pressure and irritated by the situation at hand, we begin to lose sight of the effects of our words. We can fail to see how others are responding to what we say, and we get on a roll that begins to run away with our biting comments. Now we can be in trouble. What we dismiss as meaningless remarks when we are calmer now wound those in earshot whohear the nastiness of our anger and frustration.

They back off, retreat from interacting with us, and draw conclusions about our character because they are hurt and afraid of getting hurt further. The situation becomes awkward, and everyone walks on egg shells trying to bring peace again.

Jesus in the Gospels is very conscious of the power of His words. He speaks pointedly and directly to others. His audiences may try to twist His remarks to their liking to trap Him or get Him on their side, but Jesus is always trying to clarify His intentions and meaning. He doesn’t back off from challenging others with the demands of God’s Kingdom, but He doesn’t do so to hurt them out of His own frustration. He wants them to reconsider their thoughts, actions and attitudes against the backdrop of God’s towards them. We are God’s children and should reflect our heavenly Father. Jesus’ words direct us to look at ourselves in this light and draw our conclusions based upon what our faith shows us, not what we want to see. Grace tames our anger and frustration to become an energy for good, rather than a force that unintentionally hurts others.

Still we are going to fail from time to time. A slip of the tongue, a quick barb, a habitual slogan may be heard before we realize we said it. That’s why the Gospel tells us to ask for forgiveness in the Lord’s prayer, and why we must forgive seventy times seven times. That is how we correct our grammar to follow the rules of God’s language. An apology can turn a biting comment into a sincere compliment, because with such words, we place ourselves at another’s service again. It can wash any wounds our words may create and keep them from becoming serious infections in our relationships.

When Baxter and I spar,it is fun. Our rough housing is a game that does no one any permanent harm. Be sure that the same dynamics come to play when we verbally spar with each other. God must have the last word.

-Monsignor Statnick

New Tricks

Baxter is a creature of habit. He eats the same amount of the same food at the same time each day. His sleep patterns are quite regular. When he gets his snack, gets brushed, drinks his “cat milk” are all notched into the twenty-four hour cycle of his day. There is very little variance in Baxter’s daily routine, and if there should be, he usually doesn’t take kindly to the change. Late for a meal, and he will whine and cry as if he were being tortured. Disturb his sleep, and he will find a place to hide in disgust over the affront to his peace and quiet. He likes his routine, and he sees no reason to alter it whatsoever.

On his recent visit to the United States, Pope Francis showed a different attitude and called us to consider how we might adopt it into our lives. To his security guards dismay, I’m sure, the Holy Father had no qualms about responding to the moment. If he spotted a child, a disabled person, or someone who caught his attention, he simply stopped his journey and recognized him or her with his care, a short conversation, and a gesture of affection. He didn’t allow the schedule, the plan or the rules to prevent him from personally ministering to those in need in some way. The Holy Father places people first in the Church’s mode of service, and God first in its reason to serve. We get to God by serving others, for it is in our authentically human needs that we discover the image of God incarnate. These don’t fit a set pattern of responses day after day. Some need physical support food, clothing, shelter, medical care some need more spiritual and psychological care companionship, affection, education, compassion, prayer. The works of mercy are both corporal and spiritual, but they are never routine and anonymous.

Robots can’t be disciples of the Lord Jesus. They can’t meet people as human beings, but only as objects of their assigned tasks. Disciples encounter others as fellow followers, looking for the God who brings meaning and purpose to their lives. The Church is the place where a culture for such encounters can be fostered and grow, so that one by one and multiplied by many, the atmosphere among people changes from mindless habits and routines to graced relationships, unique in their character but united in their shared roots in the Body of Christ.

Pope Francis gave us a glimpse of this vision of the Church. He challenged us to begin to build it each day by changing our routine ways of connecting to each other. Instead of thinking we know what others are going through, listen to them. Instead of assuming we know their point of view, talk to them and learn it. Instead of thinking the worst, give them the benefit of the doubt to show us something good. This isn’t easy. Routines are easy. Holy encounters call us to be thoughtful, open and generous towards each other, putting aside our egos and self-interest, our ambitions and anxieties to give grace a chance to work its transforming effects.

Cats can’t do that. They have to settle for being creatures of habit who live their days contented. We look for more from our lives, and it is possible. Not on our own, but sharing a common vision of God’s love in our midst and working together to embody that vision when an how we meet others, a better world can unfold. Maybe we can’t teach an old cat like Baxter new tricks. He is set in his ways. But Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and He invites us to try something different. We have nothing to lose, but new life to gain, if we follow in faith.


-Monsignor Statnick

A Spot of Light

I notice that Baxter seeks out the sunlight. Even on the warmest day of summer, he will find a spot near the window to allow the sun’s rays to land on him and warm his body. I guess it is his version of tanning. The light and warmth seem to bring Baxter comfort and a sense of well-being. He will lie in the sunlight for hours, dozing off from time to time, but often just soaking in the feel of the light. Touching him, I sometimes think he must be on fire, but he gives no indication of discomfort. He continues to stay in the light, content with the warmth and uplifting brightness it offers.

Cats’ body temperatures are higher than the human average. So when we feel warm, they may feel comfortable, and when we feel comfortable, they may feel cold. They need more molecules moving in their environment to meet their metabolism rate and feel at home. Sunlight generates warmth by moving molecules of air more quickly than they do in colder and darker conditions. Light and its warmth are friends of cats.

The light of Christ is our friend. Like the sun, when it shines it brings warmth to those it touches, and those who bear this light do the same. A bright smile coming from the heart can invite others closer. A comforting look or friendly gesture can break the ice of a strange or threatening situation. An act of kindness can melt a person who is angry or distressed. These are all ways that Christ shines through us, and they make all the difference in how we deal with each other, speak to each other, or regard each other.

Pope Francis has shown the power of this light when he passes through a crowd or meets with people. People encounter a genuine, caring human being in this successor of Peter, and through this lens, they see more than a man. They see the Spirit of God using our personal encounters to shine grace and blessing on those who meet in Christ’s name. As Pope Francis himself has said, it’s not about him. It is about how God is showing Himself to others through him.

How well do we take seriously that we are instruments of God for others? If we refuse to be bearers of light and warmth in our human relationships, God doesn’t have a chance to be seen and known. The darkness and cold of a harsh and violent world block people from seeing God’s love in their midst and feeling its warmth in their souls. God can’t touch others without our help. Our witness to God’s goodness, joy and peace changes the atmosphere around us and those we encounter at work, at home, or in social situations. We don’t have to say a word. People pick it up in the movement of spiritual molecules they feel when God’s presence is allowed to change the way we deal with each other.

Baxter knows that the light is friendly. He seeks out its warmth and comfort. Unless we bring Christ’s light--not our own egotistical glow--to others, they will go elsewhere, looking for warmth in this harsh and dreadful world. God’s love is warm and inviting. Don’t stand in its way, but be a beam of its light for others.

-Monsignor Statnick

Buttering Up

Baxter thinks he knows how to get what he wants. He charms me. Usually his wants center around his stomach, so he sets out to please and soften my will power when I am preparing to eat. He rubs his body against me, leaving a swath of hair on my pant leg. He lowers his head to spread his scent (which I can’t smell) on my arm or hand. He paws at me when I’m eating, hoping for a shared morsel. He softly purrs and stares longingly while I’m getting lunch or dinner. Whatever it takes to weaken my resolve not to feed him from the table, Baxter will use. He tries to butter me up so that I slip an unscheduled treat his way. He has no shame, if it gets him what he wants.

We sometimes take this approach to God. If I just do what I think will please God, I will get what I want. The Scribes and Pharisees did it with the law. The temple priests did it with the ritual rules of sacrifice. Jesus’ own disciples tried their charm with the titles they heaped upon Him: Messiah, King of the Jews, Teacher, Prophet. The crowds acclaimed His miracles and His feeding of the multitudes. Everyone tried to get into the act of getting Jesus’ attention by stroking His ego. They spared no flattery, if they thought it would work to their purposes. They did whatever they thought it would take to get the prize they were looking for—power, prestige, popularity, security, influence, titles, or whatever…

But God was not impressed. Jesus always preferred the honest sinner to the fake saint. He noticed those who were sincerely struggling to do the right thing for another’s benefit the widow’s mite, the centurion’s plea for his servant rather than those who strived for their own success Zebedee’s sons or the elder son in the prodigal parable. Charm doesn’t win Jesus over. Straight talk does. Recall the dialogue with the Syrophoenician woman for her daughter’s health. Jesus wants the best for others, but often people don’t know what is best for them. Like Baxter, they just want more and more of what gives them immediate pleasure without considering the consequences for their life and happiness. It is not what tastes good and satisfies now, but what nourishes our spirits with lasting meaning and ongoing hope. It takes a sincerely generous person to want these things of the spirit, not charm and manipulation.

Baxter will keep trying to charm more food out of me, and hopefully, I will resist his initiatives for his own good. Let us keep trying to do the right thing for others, so that we can’t resist God’s grace at work through us.

-Monsignor Statnick

Pauper

Pauper came to live with us sometime in November of 2000. We named her Pauper, because we already had a cat named “Princess”. I thought it would be funny to pair them off as ‘the Princess and the Pauper’. Princess was chosen. Pauper chose us. She had been hanging around outside the house for a few days and I told my children, who were young at that time, not to feed her. They ignored me. We already had a cat and I wasn’t interested in a second. So, I left on a business trip only to call home and have my wife tell me “I let that cat into the garage. It was really cold here last night, and I felt bad for her.” “That’s fine,” I said, “but that cat cannot come into the house.” When I arrived home, I found Pauper sleeping peacefully in our sun room. Princess was not amused.

For a while, we didn’t know if Pauper was a boy or a girl. She doesn’t like to be touched and does not like to be picked up. If you have ever seen the picture of the ‘angry cat’ on the internet, that could be Pauper. Had I realized years ago that there was a market for this feline miserableness, I could have made a small fortune on coffee mugs and shirts bearing her likeness. Her gender was confirmed when we took her to the vet for shots, an ear cleaning, and to be spayed or neutered – we weren’t sure what procedure would be required. We were quite surprised when the vet told us that she was already spayed. From that, we concluded that she may have been somebody’s pet. Perhaps they didn’t like her demeanor. Maybe she hissed, bit or scratched a child and was shown the door. She might have been a feral cat who just didn’t want to spend another winter on the streets. Despite her demeanor, Pauper found a home with us.

I am sure we all know somebody who shares personality traits with Pauper. They are the ‘feral people’ who are out in the cold because they don’t know the love of the Lord or the warmth of a faith community that cares about them. Perhaps something has happened in their life that we just don’t or can’t understand. Maybe they feel unwelcome. What can we do, as a community of God, to show our concern and welcome them back into His home?

I ask these questions because recently, the Diocese of Greensburg asked the regional Pastoral Councils to focus on evangelization. The objective is to invite lapsed Catholics to come home. There are many reasons people don’t come to Mass. Some of those reasons are personal and some are just misunderstandings. You can also factor in the busy work and activity schedules for some. In case you haven’t noticed, attendance at weekly Mass across the nation is down. It’s a serious problem and it affects our parish as well. If we don’t start reversing this trend, the impact can be very profound on the future of the local church.

We will never know why Pauper was displaced from her first home, if she had one. She is about 15 now and despite her dislike of Princess, she seemed lost when Princess passed away. Pauper has a very good life that she reluctantly shares with Pumpkin, who joined our home after she was abandoned. How can we show those in our community that we have a strong, welcoming, and vibrant parish life? We can start by inviting them to come in out of the cold to share with all of us the love of our Lord and to join us in the celebration of the Eucharist.

Cliff Gorski
Pastoral Council

A letter to the Saint Sebastian parishioners...

September 2015

Hi Everyone!

It has been over a year since I have had a chance to write to you. During that time I made one of the best decisions of my life. I joined the choir! You know, singing in the choir is such an uplifting experience for me. I am able to “sing to the Lord” during Mass and enjoy the camaraderie of the choir members. What is even more important, I recently read where singing in the choir is good for your mental health as well. Doctors at a leading university were able, through experimentation, to show that people who sing in a choir tend to “feel better” as a result of immense endorphin production in the brain. I am not sure HOW it happens, but, hey, that is a good thing as far as I am concerned. And I know that happens to me!

So, with these benefits, all as a result of choral singing, why not come and be part of the Saint Sebastian Choir? We sing at the 11:00 AM Mass on Sundays and practice Wednesday evenings. Everyone is asked to attend as often as possible. However, if work, or another commitment conflicts, it is OK to miss practice. Gene, our director, is a very understanding guy!!

So, let me close by saying it is great to write to everyone again. And yes, it is great to be able to be part of such a great group of people. Finally, Saint Sebastian choir practice begins on Wednesday evening, September 9 at 6:29 PM. If you like to sing, and if you are high school age or older, please make a “note” about September 9. It really will make you feel good! God bless you all!

Sincerely,

Joyne de Kwyre

Obsessed!

I think it has been well established that Charlie leads a privileged life. He has many toys to play with, and of course he has his favorites. Of all his toys, Charlie really loves his life-like stuffed rodents best.

He finds no greater satisfaction than to carry a stuffed chipmunk or squirrel around the house in his mouth. He loves the thrill of ripping it to shreds, removing it’s stuffing, and finally getting the squeaker out so he can silence the creature once and for all.

That is, until I got him a swimming pool.

For Vacation Bible School this year, one of our Son Treasure Island games warranted a child’s swimming pool. (Only $4 at Walmart!) I promptly purchased it, and then brought it home for Charlie.

He was unsure at first, but it is clearly his favorite now. We can hardly keep him from it. As soon as he goes into the back yard, he steps into the pool and splashes and plays. He would literally be out there for hours if we let him.

It’s actually really inconvenient for him to be playing so obsessively in the pool. He gets soaking wet and filthy. Getting him dried off is a problem, and we are all concerned about his coming indoors wet with the air conditioning blowing. He’s moved passed really liking this toy to being obsessed with it. Some might even say he’s addicted to the pool.

Of course, Charlie is a dog, so he doesn’t have rational thought to know better than to constantly play in the water.

We on the other hand do. But, many of us find ourselves in the throes of obsession. Sometimes, that obsession even leads to addiction.

I don’t just mean the common addictions, either, like sex, alcohol, or drugs. What about folks who are addicted to work, or who become clean freaks?

All addiction starts out as something we find pleasure in. Often it is something that is supposed to be good for us. Whether it is a medication to help with pain, a way to show pride in one’s home, or the way we support our family, when taken to the extreme these things can be harmful to us.

Addiction is literally defined as something pleasurable or healthy which becomes compulsive to the point of interfering with our daily life. Think for a moment. Work, cleaning, the desire to be the best, all of those can become addictions just as much as drugs or alcohol can.

Sometimes we get lost in the thing. Other times we drive ourselves to it. Either way it is the same, something has come between us and our relationship with God and those around us.

It’s one of the reasons we have the ten commandments. God knows we have the tendency to take things too far. Jesus gave us the beatitudes to remind us of the same thing. The stuff of the world is not here to control us. Keeping our relationships at the center of our lives can help us to remember that.

It’s part of why we go to church, right? To remind ourselves that we are not the bosses or in control, God is. That can be a tough pill to swallow sometimes. We like control, it makes us feel safe and secure. It’s what leads to those addictions. We think we are in control, but it’s exactly the opposite of that.

God calls us back to himself. He calls us back to each other. We aren’t doing anyone any good if our entire focus is on the stuff. As a matter of fact, addiction makes us unwitting attackers to those around us. Literally the thing we think is good is hurting those around us.

So just like we have to call Charlie out of that pool, God calls us out of our sinful life. It’s not just for our benefit either, but for those around us. Ready to come in, Charlie?

Who rescued whom?

We adopted Charlie from the Humane Society of Westmoreland County. Before he was our dog, Charlie was a stray. He is, what some folks call, a rescue dog.

No one is sure what kind of life Charlie led before he was picked up, but he must have been a stray for at least some time. He was found digging out of trash cans, and was under nourished and under weight.

On his very first visit to the vet as our dog, he weighed only 34.5 lbs. After his first year we had him up to 38 lbs., and our vet was pleased that Charlie was thriving in our care. These days, we sometimes get scolded for feeding him too much, and we work to keep his weight just under the 40 pound mark.

He lives a life of luxury now. No hunting for food, no worries about where he will rest his head. He always has a steady supply of toys and treats. Yes, Charlie has definitely been rescued from the scary life of a stray. But, he wasn’t the only one who was rescued!

I’m not even sure what I did before that dog came into my life! He makes me smile. He makes me laugh. He lets me cuddle him when I’m sad, and helays by my side at the end of the day. Charlie greets me each daywith a doggie smile and a wagging tail. That dog makes me happy!

I’ve seen the bumper sticker many times, “Who rescued whom?” I definitely need that for my car!

Charlie eases my stress level when I’ve had a bad day. It’s actually been shown in studies that having a pet helps with depression and improves over all health. Charlie has certainly had a positive influence on me! It’s hard to stay upset when you have such a cute guy wagging his tail and wanting to play or snuggle!

The great thing about a pet is, they don’t keep score of who is rescuing whom. They never worry if you’ve done more for them than they have done for you. Pets are just happy to love and be loved.

We don’t do as well, do we? Sometimes we get so caught up counting what we have done for others that we forget to count what they have done for us. Sometimes we forget the benefit that others are in our lives.

We are so blessed that God doesn’t do the same! Jesus forgives us again and again when we fail. One of our biggest mistakes, though, is thinking our failure is only in not loving Jesus. We forget that we are supposed to love one another, too!

It’s funny that throughout the bible Jesus keeps telling us to love one another, but we just don’t seem to get that part. We like to focus on the part about loving God, but not loving each other.

When God gave us the ten commandments, they were about how we treat God, but they are also about how we are supposed to treat one another.

When Jesus was teaching the disciples, he constantly told them that the way you love God is the way you love others. That doesn’t just mean the homeless person, or the kids with cancer, either. It means your very own spouse and children, even when they don’t help with the chores. It means loving your next door neighbor, even when she gossips about you. Those are sometimes hard things to do, but forgiveness is part of love.

Remembering that your spouse loved you when you acted unlovable; or that your children see you as a hero, even when you don’t feel like one; remembering that your neighbor showed you kindness when you needed it--those are the things that help us to see the face of Jesus in those around us.

Keeping our focus on the positive helps us to see more positive. Remembering that we haven’t gotten here alone, but with the help of others, reminds us that we aren’t just the rescuers. It helps to realize that through others, God is rescuing us. So Charlie, who rescued whom?

- Christy Cabaniss
  Parish Minister

The Routine

Pet life has a rhythm and routine to it, and Charlie’s life is no different.

Every day when he wakes up, his first desire is to be outside. Not only does he take care of his doggie business, he “checks the perimeter” to ensure no rodents have infiltrated his yard. After that, he gets his morning meal. From there, he follows me to the bedroom to sigh and mope as I get ready for work.

Once I’ve left, I have it on good authority that Charlie regularly checks the back windows for invaders and alternately naps throughout his day. If there are people home, he will pester them from time to time to go out and verify the safety of our yard.

When I return home from work, he expects to be let out. He then has his dinner at 6 o’clock. Around 8 he has a game of fetch or tug-of-war. Then around 9, Charlie retires for the evening. It doesn’t matter who is up or what they are doing, he goes back to the bedroom and sleeps.

Day after day, this is the routine of Charlie’s life. He doesn’t seem at all dissatisfied with it. When things are different, like when we have company, it is a stress to his little doggie system. He has to get extra sleep in to accommodate all the excitement his body has experienced. Overall, though, he enjoys his routine life and is happy for it to remain that way.

We have routines too. Time for work, time for play, time for our social activities. Some people even have their meal options scheduled. Spaghetti night, taco Tuesday, soup on Fridays, etc.

As human beings, we refer to ourselves as creatures of habit. Mostly, I think that phrase is said in a deprecating fashion, but what’s wrong with some order to our lives?

I was recently on vacation, and attended Mass at another parish. Everything was different even though it was the same Mass. The church building was brand new and very contemporary. The parish was made up of so many cultures of people with different accents and styles of clothes. Even their music options were different than what I am used to.

Sometimes, I really like to go to a totally different Mass in order to force myself to focus on what I am doing and how I am praying. But this time, it wasn’t a good thing.

I was in a bad mood that morning, and I wanted the simple rhythm and routine I’m used to so I could talk to God about my problems. Instead, I was so distracted by everything being so different. It made me uncomfortable. I was out of sorts, and felt as if not one minute had been spent with God.

What a great life lesson, right?

How often are our routines disrupted? How many times have we been longing for that simple routine only to be left with sickness, death, unemployment, the list could go on and on!

Are those the times that God isn’t around? Is it in those difficult moments that God is punishing us? I don’t think so. They are just the twists and turns that are our journey.

Sometimes we are thrown off by these disruptions, and sometimes they realign our lives. Both are opportunities to see God at work in our lives, either through those we are able to help or through those who are helping us.

Life isn’t always about being the helping hand. Sometimes we need to be helped. Disruptions to our routine can make that uncomfortably obvious. It can be humbling to realize we aren’t perfect, but after all isn’t that what going to church is supposed to be about?

God calls to us in many different ways, and sometimes it can be in those disruptions to our routines. Hopefully, going to Mass is a good disruption for us. A way to realize we are more than just our habits.

Right, Charlie?


~Christy Cabaniss

We All Need to be Rescued

Psalm 82:4 "Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."

Lucy and Kennedy are two of our adorable and faithful dogs. Each dog was in need of rescuing for different reasons. As a puppy, Lucy was being raised by a foster family looking to place her in a loving and permanent home. All it took was one look and we knew she was the dog for us. For Kennedy, her early months were darkened by abuse and neglect until she was placed in our path to begin the emotional and physical healing process in a safe and caring environment.

All of us need to be rescued from time to time. Some need rescuing from addiction, depression, self doubt, financial loss, the loss of a loved one, health issues, employment concerns, a fractured marriage or loss of faith and purpose.

Fortunately, God provides relief from all our troubling circumstances when we put complete trust in Him. We are reminded and encouraged by the words of Psalm 23 that remind us that the Lord is our shepherd and that we shall not want.

Ezekiel 34: 11-12 "For this says the Lord God; Behold I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out as a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness."

We can find constant comfort in knowing that we all are part of God's flock and that we shall fear no evil under the protection and guidance of the Great Shepherd. Just as sheep sometimes wander away from the flock and become separated from the safety it provides, we also lose our way, become troubled, question our faith and worry what tomorrow will bring us. Just as the shepherd seeks out his lost sheep, God seeks us out during our "lost" times and rescues us from danger and despair.

The Bible describes the inspiring story of Peter while in jail awaiting persecution at the hands of King Herod. The night before his execution, an angel of the Lord appeared and rescued Peter from prison. Peter remained faithful even though he faced a dire situation. Escaping his prison cell seemed an impossible task. But Peter quickly learned that with God all things are possible. He was delivered from certain death and continued to preach of his faith in God to his fellow brothers and sisters.

As Christians, the term rescued also means saved. We experienced the ultimate rescue through our loving and compassionate God sacrificing His one and only Son so that true believers shall not perish but receive the gracious gift of eternal life. With a personal relationship with God, we experience unconditional love, complete forgiveness and absolute acceptance.

Through God's example, we realize that we are being molded by the Master in the image of His Son Jesus so that we can love and care for one another just as Christ did while on earth.

Indeed, we have our own unique stories of being rescued from one circumstance or another. With these experiences, we become closer to God through a strengthened faith and heightened joy and peace by knowing we are special enough to be saved and not to become a hopeless victim.

Lucy and Kennedy needed a shepherd and the Lord brought them into our home, reminding us that we all have been rescued by someone and that God calls each of us to follow his perfect example by lending a supportive hand and gentle heart to anyone in need.

Hebrews 13:16 "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."

-Clinton & Carol Rhodes, Parishioners

Speak!

Charlie is a dog. That means that he can’t use words like people do to communicate. Despite the lack of words, he is pretty good about getting his point across.

When Charlie is excited he has a much different bark than the one he uses when he’s upset. The happy excited bark is high pitched and short. His angry bark is lower and has a bit of a growl to it. When Charlie is not happy about something you are doing, he gives a low guttural growl and when he is annoyed or disappointed he has a growly kind of sigh. Sometimes, he even seems to make some talking sounds when he is asked a question and he wants to get a point across.

Charlie also has soundless ways of communicating. Of course the wag of a tail can indicate pleasure, but when the wag is slow and the tail held vertical it can mean he is on the offensive. When he is excited to see me and wants my attention, he jumps up on me so I will acknowledge him. At other times, when Charlie is feeling sad or bored, he comes over and snuggles in my lap. He has so many different ways of communicating that the lack of words isn’t usually a problem. Of course, it would be pretty cool if he could use language to tell me what he’s really thinking!

Do we use our words the best we can when communicating? I think, maybe not. Words can be beautiful and uplifting, but many times we use words to be hurtful and nasty. Sometimes, we withhold words to wound one another.

Perhaps, we aren’t aware of the damage we are doing. Maybe we expect that people “know” what we really mean. It’s possible we’re not aware of how negative our words are. Sometimes we don’t grasp the harsh ways others interpret our words. The negativity hurts and the unkind words leave scars. Those around us withdraw, and we are bewildered wondering what happened.

When Charlie barks harshly at me he gets squirted in the face with a water bottle. I don’t think we would get a very good reaction if we were to use that same recourse with one another.

What we can do is speak kindly. We can tell each other that the words being used are harsh, inconsiderate, or un-loving. We can try to be more peaceful with not only our words, but with our tone.

We don’t only use words with one another, though. We also use them to communicate with God. Or, at least, we should.

Sometimes we let the words be the mundane recitations of rote prayer. And, sometimes, we don’t even say those.

Are we afraid of telling God what is really going on with us? What we are really thinking and feeling?

The thing is, God knows us. It’s not like the communications between Charlie and me. The Lord knows our hearts and he knows what is going on in our heads. It’s us that has to fess up to what we are hoping for, what we are fearing, and what we are ashamed to say. Because we know, once we say it out loud, it’s real. Once we put it out there, we can’t take it back.

That’s a vulnerable place to be, and that can be scary. There’s no question whether or not God will accept us, though. The question is, do we still accept ourselves? Jesus says we should, because he still accepts and loves us in spite of ourselves. One of the beauties of our tradition is that we are always forgiven.

We just have to speak.

~Christy Cabaniss Parish Minister

Pope: Marriage is brave promise to love like Jesus, not showy ceremony.

VATICAN CITY (CNS)  A Christian marriage isn’t just a big ceremony held in a church with nice flowers and everyone wearing fancy clothes and taking lots of pictures, Pope Francis said.

Marriage is an act of faith between a man and woman who are both fragile and limited, but courageous enough to follow Christ and seek to love each other as he loves them, the pope said May 6 during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square.

“Men and women, courageous enough to carry this treasure in the ‘earthen vessels’ of our humanity, are an essential resource for the church and for the whole world,” he said. “May God bless them a thousand times for this!”

The pope continued a series of talks about the family by focusing on the beauty of Christian marriage as a sacrament that builds up the church and the world.

A Christian marriage “is not simply a ceremony that you have in church with flowers, the dress, photos. Christian marriage is a sacrament that takes place in the church and is also something the church does, ushering in a new domestic community,” he said.

All Christians “are called to love each other like Christ loves them,” and to be at the service ofeach other, he said. But the love between husband and wife is given greater, even “unthinkable,” dignity when St. Paul says the love between a husband and wife reflects the love between Christ and his church, the pope said.

Just as Christ loves his church, every husband, too, must love his wife and give himself completely for her, he said.

Looking up from his text, the pope asked all of the married men in the crowd if they fully grasped what was being asked of them. Such responsibility and a commitment to offer so much love and dignity to a woman “is no joke, you know; it’s serious,” he said to applause.

While the analogy between husband-wife and Christ-church may be imperfect, he said, its spiritual significance is “revolutionary, and simple at the same time, and within the means of every man and woman who trust in God’s grace.”

This love has been inscribed by God in the human creature, “and with Christ’s grace, countless Christian couples, even with their limits, their sins, have achieved” it, the pope said.

The selfless, reciprocal, fruitful and indissoluble union between a man and a woman is part of God’s original plan and “the sacrament of marriage is a great act of faith and of love,” he said.

Marriage “gives witness to the courage to believe in the beauty of the creative act of God and to live that love that drives one to always go beyond, beyond oneself and beyond one’s own family,” he said. “The Christian vocation to love without reserve and without measure is what, with Christ’s grace, is at the foundation of the free consent that constitutes marriage,” the pope said.

The pope said the church is intimately bound up in every Christian marriage and it is edified with each union’s “successes” and suffers with every failure. “But we must ask ourselvesin all seriousness: Do we fully accept we as faithful and pastors, too  this indissoluble connection between the relationship of Christ and the church with the relationship of marriage and the human family? Are we willing to seriously take on this responsibility? That is, that every marriage takes the path of the love Christ has for the church? This is something huge.”

Such a path takes courage,and that is why whenever “I greet newlyweds, I say, ‘Look, the courageous ones!’ Because you need courage to love each other as Christ loves the church,” he said to applause.

At the end of the audience, the pope noted May 8 marked the70th anniversary of the end of WorldWar II in Europe.  He said he hoped humanity would “learn from past mistakes.” Given the “current conflictsthat are tearing apart” certain parts of the world, the pope asked all leaders to commit themselves to “seeking the common good and promoting a culture of peace.” Among the tens of thousands of faithful present in St. Peter’s Square was a large group of Chinese Catholics from the Diocese of Wenzhou.

The pope met with them before the start of the audience after he gave indications to Vatican security to deviate the popemobile’s usual route through the square and head to where the group was standing, sending a few undercover Swiss Guards scurrying when the vehicle did not take its expected turn.  The pope descended from the popemobile to greet members of the large and enthusiastic group of pilgrims who waved Chinese and Vatican flags. They vigorously shook the pope’s hands or grabbed at him while he smiled and blessed a few babies.

Also in the audience was a uniformed delegation from the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team. The Globetrotters performed for Pope Pius XII in 1951, St. John XXIII in 1959 and Pope Paul VI in 1968. They met St. John Paul II a number of times and even awarded him “honorary player” in 2000.



Copyright (c) 2015 Catholic News Service.

Reprinted with permission from CNS.
http://www.CatholicNews.com

http://cnstopstories.com/2015/05/06/pope-marriage-is-brave-promise-to-love-like-jesus-not-showy-ceremony/ 

Pope says ‘scandal’ of inequality, fear of marriage must be addressed.

VATICAN CITY (CNS)  Two millennia after the “Gospel of the family” defeated an abusive social practice that humiliated women, the “radical equality” of spouses in Christian marriage must now bear “new fruit” in society, including “the right to equal pay for equal work,” said Pope Francis.

This “disparity” between men and women in the workplace is “a pure scandal,” Pope Francis said April 29 during his weekly general audience.

Continuing a series of audience talks about marriage, the pope began by saying Jesus demonstrated his great fondness and solicitude for marriage and family when he changed water into wine at the wedding at Cana.

The love between man and woman in marriage is “God’s masterpiece,” the pope said, straying from his prepared remarks. Though Jesus’ message to married couples is always the same, “many things have changed” since then, he said.

Today there are fewer marriages, more marriage breakups, and fewer children, the pope noted. Family and marital bonds are broken with “always greater frequency and speed,” and children are always “the biggest victims,” he said.

The pope said that if a person, since childhood, experiences marriage as a temporary bond, then “unconsciously” he or she will tend to live that way, too.

Though young people rank family first as a social indicator for happiness, he said, many give up on the idea of “an irrevocable bond” and of a long-lasting family life.

“For fear of failure, many do not even want to think about (marriage),” Christian youth included, he said.

“I believe we need to reflect with great seriousness about why many young people ‘don’t feel’ like getting married,” the pope said. Why do they “often prefer cohabitation” and why do “they have so little faith in marriage and family?”

The pope dismissed economic difficulties as a major factor, “even if these are truly serious.”

The argument that marriage has changed in recent decades because of women’s emancipation “is not valid either,” he said.

“This is an insult. It is not true,” he added, straying again from his prepared remarks. “It is a form of chauvinism that wants to dominate the woman” and that follows in the footsteps of Adam who blamed Eve because he ate the apple.

“Poor woman,” the pope said. “We must defend women.” “In reality,” the pope continued, “almost all men and women would like permanent emotional security, a solid marriage and a happy family.”

The pope said the fear of failure in marriage is perhaps “the greatest obstacle to welcoming the word of Christ, who promises his grace on the marital bond and on the family.”

“The most effective witness to the blessing of marriage is the good life of Christian spouses and their families. There is no better way to communicate the beauty of the sacrament,” he said.

“Marriage, consecrated by God, safeguards that bond between man and woman that God has blessed since the creation of the world, and it is the fount of peace and goodness for marital and family life,” he added.

The pope also spoke of “an abuse” at the time of the early Christians, “which was the right of husbands to repudiate their wives,even with the most pretentious and humiliating reasons.” This practice was “then considered to be normal,” he said.

“The Gospel of the family, the Gospel that proclaims this sacrament (of marriage) had defeated this culture of habitual repudiation,” he added off the cuff.

“The Christian seed of radical equality between spouses must today produce new fruit,” he continued.

“Therefore, as Christians, we have to become more demanding in this respect. For example, backing to the right to equal pay for equal work; the disparity is a pure scandal!” he said. “At the same time, we must recognize the motherhood of women and the fatherhood of men as a treasure that is always precious, especially for the children’s benefit.”

He urged Christians to be unafraid to invite Jesus to their “wedding feast” and into their homes, so that Jesus may “safeguard the family.”

“When Christians marry ‘in the Lord,'” he continued, “they are transformed into an efficacious sign of God’s love. Christians do not marry only for themselves; they marry in the Lord for the benefit of the whole community, all of society.”

Copyright (c) 2015 Catholic News Service.

Reprinted with permission from CNS.
http://www.CatholicNews.com
http://cnstopstories.com/2015/04/29/pope-says-scandal-of-inequality-fearof-marriage-must-be-addressed/

Long Term Commitment

You have heard me say many times that our Charlie was a rescue dog. I don’t know if I have ever explained his adoption process.

Via petfinder.com I found a 9 year old golden mix named Charlie in Youngwood. I had a late evening planned at the office, so for my lunch break, I had Robert meet me at the shelter so we could see if this Charlie was the dog for us.

When we arrived, the lady in charge had me fill out an application, which was actually pretty complicated. I needed to include my social security number, place of work, and three personal references. They wanted to know who lived in our house and their ages. How we would discipline our new dog was also required information. They wanted to know if our yard was fenced, and how much time the dog would spend outside. I also had to sign a contract that said that if for any reason I felt the dog was beyond my capacity to care for, I was to return the dog to them at the shelter.

Although that Charlie was not to be our dog, we were approved as possible pet parents. I feel certain that the complex application helped us to eventually adopt OUR Charlie from the shelter in Greensburg.

I often hear from people how complicated it can be to adopt a dog from a shelter, because the shelter staff really wants to keep these animals safe and well cared for. What’s difficult is an application can never cover what having a pet is really like. For instance, having a fence seems like a safe way to contain a dog, but not Charlie. He has to be supervised when in the back yard in case he decides to jump said fence. No application can fully anticipate the specific needs of a pet.

Unfortunately, we often apply an application mentality to our relationships with one another. Dating sites are prime examples.  If someone meets all my criteria, then they are suitable to date or even marry. We expect our kids to live up to application standards as well. They have to be able to “check all the boxes” so to speak. Even when we think we are living outside of others’ standards, casual conversation can bring up those feelings of guilt when we’re not keeping up.

This approach to relationships creates a superficiality that lacks the depth that characterizes intimate relationship. Feeling that we will only be loved if we meet outside standards builds a level of uncertainty and distrust into our relationships. Not being assured that another will be with you through thick and thin creates insecurity, which leads to pain and hurt.

God’s love is unconditional, but how can we even begin to understand that when we constantly put standards on our love of one another?

Relationships can’t be relegated to simple expectations and returns. Love is to desire the best for another and we should be seeking that in the context of the other, not according to our own wants or standards.

That puts a whole new spin on marriage. We shouldn’t be looking for a person who meets our standards, but instead  be the person who strives to love beyond standards. We don’t look for the best spouse, we attempt to be the best spouse possible. When we stop putting all kinds of requirements on each other to earn love, we can be free to love as Jesus taught us. And really, isn’t that we are supposed to be about?

Marriage is supposed to be our human example of how Christ loves his church. We have to be willing to let go of all the superficial conditions to love each other fully. Being loved unconditionally creates assured and trustful relationships. No application could ever create that.

Charlie is a special dog, with special needs. He is loved for his doggy self, not for what I knew about him through our application process. We would do well to put down the standards and love each other as we are.

Relaxation

Baxter has a keen ability to help me relax. He crawls on my lap, or he just rolls over for me to pet him, and he begins to purr. Something about that sound and the funny vibration that accompanies it creates a peace and calm that is hard to resist. It is like a psychic massage, a soothing sound and touch that makes me forget the problems or concerns I might be carrying. It says: “Forget about the rest of the world for a moment. Concentrate on our time together. Listen to my peaceful sound and find your center through me. I won’t add to your burdens, but I will help you release them for now.” Add to this message a nose and head rub, and soon the world is all right again. The calm brings clear thinking and settled feelings. I am ready to start over.

Maybe episodes like this are part of the reason so many people prefer their pets to fellow humans. Pets help us decompress by giving us time just to settle down and forget about our troubles. They seem to sense when we need a time out, and they provide the opportunity to take one. At these moments, they don’t ask for anything for themselves except to be close to us. Their closeness gives us perspective on whatever is occupying our attention. It eases our anxiety and provides spaces for us to think again and differently about our issues. A purring cat invites us to pay attention and settle down.

God calls us to the same attitude and frame of mind. In prayer, He comes close to us and invites us to release our burdens, to forget about our troubles for a while, to feel the warmth of His love next to us. Prayer is not a time to solve our problems, but to drop them for a moment. Prayer helps us to recognize that before we have issues with which to deal, we first have appreciation to offer for the gifts what life contains. These come without any strings attached, simply because we are God’s children sharing His life in our living. We hold them in the packaging of our relationships, and we must package them carefully if we are not to damage our sense of gratitude for life.

So our prayer is meant to spill over into the way we deal with each other. Too often we are just problems for each other or functionaries who provide each other things that we need. Prayer shows us we are companions on life’s journey. We are meant to help each other over the rough spots, strengthen each other when we are weak, comfort each other when we are hurting. We do this not by solving anything but by paying attention, feeling close and allowing others to relax in our presence. This is the way we humans purr.

However, we get so wrapped up in our issues, in getting things done, in making demands on each other that we forget to pray that we learn to purr for each other. It’s the greatest service we can offer.

-Monsignor Statnick

Pope Francis and a few other authors have agreed to give Baxter a break for the summer. So this is the last reflection he will inspire until the weather cools and the new school year begins. Baxter hopes his feline frolics and foibles are helpful to his readers, but he has his agent looking for a new ghost writer to convey his wisdom. Baxter feels his present scribe is entering his dotage and might need to be placed out to pasture for his twilight years. If anyone is interested in applying for the position, please call 724-CAT-FOOD, and ask for “More Kibble”. (Baxter will do anything to circumvent his diet.) Happy summer and see you in September!

Graduation

It is graduation season. Pre-school, kindergarten, eighth grade, high school, college and post-graduate programs are celebrating their successful students and wishing them well for the future. A graduation marks a milestone in someone’s life. One phase is finished with the end of the ceremony, and another begins. It is a time to collect our memories from the past few years, and to face our futures, hopefully with confidence. We consciously move on rather than dwindle to an end.

Baxter has never gone through a graduation ceremony. He makes his transitions in life without much thought. He has passed from kitten, to young cat, to senior feline without fanfare or ceremony. It is not that he hasn’t learned some things along the way. He has developed his habits, his likes and dislikes, and his tricks to get what he wants from the repetition of routine and the lessons of trial and error. He just doesn’t look back on these experiences that taught him his life lessons, and he doesn’t seem to anticipate the future and where it might lead. He is a creature of the moment, imprinted with the past but not reflective about it or how it might lead him into the future.

This is what makes us different. As human beings we are meant to reflect and ponder upon our lives. We are not made to live from moment to moment without thought to what we are doing and where it is taking us. Our lives compose a history where what happens holds a certain meaning. However, this meaning is not self-evident most of the time. We have to plumb the experience for its deeper dimension, for the relationships that connect the pieces, for the God who was present quietly but powerfully while we lived through it. We have to become people who reflectively look back on our lives not in nostalgia to relive the past, but in confidence that we will discover a divine providence that will lead us into the future.

Our lives are not just a series of passages from birth to death, marked by the accumulation of years. They are a series of transformations, marked by ever deepening changes in our perspective and the character we bear in the world. As we live on faithfully and thoughtfully, these transformations are marked by grace more than our own talent, power, sin or failure. We see more and more of God’s hand with us, and we become more and more reflections of God’s work and word in our world. Salvation history continues as we understand the history of our lives unfolding in the path of faith.

As disciples, we all have one last graduation to celebrate. The ceremony takes place in a church. It takes a whole lifetime to meet the requirements of its credentials. It is marked with sadness for the good times that are over, but also with hope for the better times that lie ahead. The processional includes our loved ones, as we are led to the light of Christ at the foot of our casket. Marked by the blood of the Lamb from the moment of our baptism, we now join the great company of saints in glory, and we see the point of it all.

Baxter, you don’t know what you are missing. Happy Graduation!

Turf Wars

Baxter loves to look outside at the other critters with whom he shares this world. He is fascinated by birds and rabbits. He follows their movements with charged attention. He sees bugs as toys. He loves to reach for them and try to grab them in his paw. Then he may release them and bat them around. If they don’t get away, they usually get eaten. Baxter is not a vegetarian.

However, there is one of God’s creatures whom Baxter refuses to engage in any way except angrily. Another cat! Baxter will not abide a fellow feline on or near his turf. At best, he will have a stare down contest with the invader until they back away and leave the premises. At worst, he gets into a hissing, clawing, spitting fit, all intended to get the visitor to scoot in as quick and cowardly a fashion as possible. Baxter will have no one of his species sharing his territory. He claims sole proprietorship, and any other cat is not just unwelcomed, but thrown out in no uncertain terms. Baxter is very possessive of his sphere of influence.

Sometimes we are as well. We won’t let anyone else in or near what we consider our area of responsibility and expertise. We see them as a threat to what we do and who we are. We have the knowledge and experience, and therefore, the right to call the shots and do the job. We have been around a long time, and we don’t need any advice or assistance, unless we ask for it specifically. We are the champions of the cause, and we have notched up the successes of the past. We know best. What’s wrong with doing it our way?

It’s not God’s way. God is not an autocrat dishing out directions and marking off boundaries that no one dares to counter or cross. Sure, He has rules to guide our lives, and do’s and don’ts to follow. But they are for our own good, so that we are fair and respectful towards each other and learn how to build a better world, not to make God look good. God looks at us and sees what we can be, and He sets a place for us to live and work with others to become the persons God intended. That means we have to share our space and cooperate with others to do God’s work.

Our personal successes are not what will account for our lives before God, but how others’ lives were made better for our service to them and with them. “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” Christ is disguised in others when they cross over into our lives.

Baxter is excused for his possessiveness and territoriality. He can’t help himself. It is built into his instincts. We have no excuse. God made us to be open to His grace by serving one another, by sharing our time, talent and treasure with them, by allowing them to claim a space in our world. It’s not mine or yours but ours. It is not my way or your way but God’s way through us. When we learn these lessons, God’s work begins to become our own.

Sleeping Soundly

At first, I wasn'’t sure of where they were coming from, these strange sounds in the night. They were a mix of moans and groans, whistles and snores, sighs and heavy breathing. I looked everywhere for their source. I listened near the window, thinking they were coming from the outside. They weren'’t. I explored the basement, walked through every room in the house. Nothing. I checked out the refrigerator, then the furnace, even the chiming clock. No luck from any of these. I began to think that one of two things was possible. Either I was becoming delusional, or zombies were for real. Not wanting to believe that I was nuts, I looked for blood droplets on my pillow. No evidence. What was going on? Who could be at the bottom of these strange sounds in the night? I should have known, but sometimes we miss the most obvious explanation. Baxter!

When Baxter is sound asleep, he isn’t quiet. He make all these weird noises; I suppose to add sound effects to his dreams. He is in such a deep sleep that he is unaware of his noise making but any other creature trying to sleep can’t miss it. He releases a cacophony of sounds from the twilight zone while he blissfully floats in la-la Land. I admire his deep slumber and the utter abandon it conveys. However, the sounds of his peaceful rest create restless discomfort for those of us who have to live with it. Baxter doesn'’t realize it, but his deep sleep keeps others awake, alerted to the sounds his peacefulness generates.

We may have a similar situation in our spiritual lives. We are too restless and distracted to go deeply into reflection on our lives and encounter the God who is revealing Himself to us. We may be so frightened by the sounds around us, that we can’t listen to the silence within us. The world is a noisy place, and we get caught up in its shouts and threats. We may be so disturbed by the sound that others make in their habits of living that we can’t rest in ourselves and listen for the Lord. We don’t want to miss something interesting, so we are always attuned to what someone has to say or what we may overhear. We become focused on the external world so completely that we never enter our own interiority to examine what I truly think, feel and believe about myself, others and my God. We ride life like a wave, and we never dive into its depths to see what is living under the surface. We become spiritually shallow.

Deep sleep gives us a metaphor for how we are to rest in the Lord and contemplate His goodness. It’s not about trying to get to sleep and dream. Rather, it is about allowing ourselves to relax in the presence of God as to be taken away by the encounter. We forget where we are, what time it is, what others are doing, and simply fall into the embracing arms of our loving God. We allow God to take the lead, while we rest, while we let go of whatever is disturbing us. We focus on the moment in prayer, and we give no regard either to what happened in the past or what may occur in the future. We are absorbed in the present where God is with us in peace.

Like Baxter, Christians should make strange sounds in our world today. Not snorts and sighs or whistles and moans because we are asleep, but shouts of peace, forgiveness, compassion, justice and respect because we rest in the Lord. We have nothing to fear from those sounds.