Attending the 8:35 a.m. meeting after Mass on Saturday was a clear indication that the visit with Mario was going to be blessed. I asked both Fr. Moneypenny and Fr. Eliardo for special prayer. On the way to the Norco Rehabilitation Center I tried to pray a rosary but got distracted by my wayward mind. I called my brother George to wish him a happy birthday and desperately tried to get back into praying the rosary.
Expect the Unexpected
I had no idea how long the meeting at church would last, so I made the appointment for the visit from 12:00 p.m. through 2:00 p.m. It quickly went downhill from there; I arrived at 11:10 but was told I had to wait until 11:30 for the 12:00 p.m. visit. The interesting thing about this is if I did not have an appointment and arrived earlier, I would have had more time for the visit.
Norco Rehabilitation Center–Our meeting spot
The officers check everyone, and we all must comply with their rules. They count our jewelry, go through the money we bring, then the magic wand is waved over our bodies. From there we move on to the next step. You meet a lot of interesting people, some are very friendly while others are extremely standoffish or angry. As for me, I always try to make small talk. While we were waiting for the final clearance I noticed two women who were carrying large, see-through bags with extra clothing, Their visit was overnight. I met a sweet young lady with her two young daughters. She had a clear purse with about four inches of one dollar bills. I had gone to Ralph’s Grocery store to exchange a twenty and ten dollar bills into one dollar bills. I also had about $15 in quarters.
Money bag
The Money
By the time I reached the second checking station, I realized that I had forgotten the other dollar bills at home. “I don’t think I brought enough money,” I said to the lady with the two girls. She quickly answered, “I’m giving you $10.” “No! No!” I answered. “Please, I don’t need it!” She insisted and gave me the money. The first thing I did was purchase a ticket for an opportunity to take a picture with Mario.
The Tables
At this point your shoes and belt come off to go through another security door. Once inside you go to the desk for an assigned table. “Can I please have a table in the shade?” I asked. Much to my surprise the officer said, “I’ll do my best, but looks like they are all taken.
There were several prisoners wearing bright colored orange vests to help us visitors. I asked one to get me The Good News Bible. Since Mario cannot get near the vending machines, I purchased fried chicken, with Doritos and Miss Vickie’s kettle potato chips. I placed the chicken in the microwave for three minutes while purchasing a Dr. Pepper for Mario. Table 19 was partly shaded.
Twenty-five minutes passed before Mario came out for the visit. In one of my other visits I mentioned a Jewish man and his sons who came to visit him. They sat directly across from me, and I heard or eavesdropped on a very interesting conversation. This prisoner is an attorney for people in the entertainment industry. He was instructing his visitors on how to handle certain clients. I pretended to peruse through the Bible until a horrible spirit of conviction came over me. I quickly opened the bag of Doritos and started munching on them.
Mario
By the time Mario arrived the chicken was cold and the Doritos were in my tummy.
Praise be to God Mario got all of his classes. Statistics, psychology, sign language, history, and English. He is most challenged with the statistics class but really likes the instructor. He received an 84 on his first test and was happy with the results. The college instructors come to the prison in person to teach and only the sign language class is virtual.
The Family
The kind lady who gave me the $10 was sitting two benches away from us. I told Mario about her giving me money and he quickly said, “You need to give her back the money!” “You don’t need to worry about it, look at all the money she has,” I answered. We could see the wad of money from where we were sitting. I made other purchases of a Payday candy bar, Knott’s and Famous Amos cookies. Again, Mario advised me, “You need to give her all the money you have!” I counted 12 one-dollar bills, but Mario wanted me to give her all the quarters as well. I made a hand gesture to get the lady’s attention and told her that I was going to give her back the money. “I’ll give it to you when we are out in the parking lot.” I told her. Can you imagine all the commotion it would have caused if I gave her the money under such scrutiny? It might looked like an illegal drug deal!
The Bible Study
I started with Proverbs, Chapter Two, about gaining wisdom from God. Mario was familiar with many of these verses. We also read most of the Book of Ephesians.
Proverbs 2:10-12 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
10 For wisdom will enter your heart, knowledge will be at home in your soul, 11 Discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you; 12 Saving you from the way of the wicked, from those whose speech is perverse.
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
Doing the Right Thing
In the neglected parking lot, I thanked the kind lady and handed over $12; the quarters are for my next visit.
The Tattoos
I noticed something different about Mario: he had tattooed skeletons’ bones on his fingers with profanity that he was getting removed! He mentioned that it would take six sessions to get the tattoos removed. He said the procedure is the most excruciating pain he has ever experienced. To me, this was welcoming news.
My Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, continue to move mightily in Mario’s life. Please join me in prayer for him to finally get his life in the perfect plan that God has for him. Amen.
The stories and history of the saints always lead to the path of Christ.
When our daughter Sonja was planning her wedding, I wanted to be sure that our friend, Fr. Pat from Ohio, would celebrate the Mass. Fr. Pat was a Jesuit priest. When he signed the marriage certificate, he wrote that he was from “The Society of Jesus” as his order. There was conflict with this information because it would not be the acceptable name for this religious order. Sonja had to go through some red tape to get this cleared up before her marriage certificate was released.
St. Ignatius of Loyola
If you are not already aware, all universities with the name Loyola are rooted in the foundation of this Jesuit order. Ignatius of Loyola was born in Azpeitia, Spain in 1491. He came from a noble background, was the youngest of thirteen, and all he wanted in life was to be a knight. He was a womanizer and brave soldier looking for fame.
In the battle of Pamplona against the French army he was severely injured. A cannon ball ricocheted, shattering one leg and causing injury to his other leg. He returned to the family castle for his recovery.
The shattered bone on his leg was protruding so badly that he requested the bone be cut in order for him to walk without a limp. Without anesthesia, that part of the bone was removed. This surgery caused him to undergo a longer convalescent period.
This was the beginning of his spiritual journey. Ignatius requested reading material about knights but instead received books about the life of Christ. Through these readings he developed a love for Christ. He decided that as soon as he recovered he would travel to the Holy Land to kiss the ground where Jesus walked.
God’s Calling
Sometimes we must go through drastic measures in order for God to get our attention. Many saints walked this fine line with one foot in the world and the other on spiritual ground. As we all know we can’t do both because the foot in the world will always draw us back to our old sinful ways. When we surrender to the Lord, there should be no turning back. This was the case for Ignatius of Loyola. Though he went through great hardships and a painful spiritual journey, he persevered.
As soon as St. Ignatius’ health improved, he headed to the Holy Land, but first he visited the altar of Our Lady of Montserrat. In an all night-vigil, he prayed while standing or kneeling before Our Lady and resolved to leave his clothing and to dressed himself in the humble armor of Christ. He made a general confession in writing which lasted three days. St. Ignatius placed his sword and dagger on the church altar of Our Lady.
Manresa, Spain
In 1522 he entered into a period of ascetic, profound practices of prayer and fasting. He abstained from eating meat or drinking wine. St. Ignatius decided to let his hair grow without combing or cutting it; he also let his fingernails and toenails go unattended. It was Ignatius’ practice to beg for alms and pray in a nearby cave for seven hours a day. During this time of deep prayer he was tormented by his past sins. The torment was so bad that he wanted to throw himself into a large hole near his room. Realizing that it was a sin to kill oneself, he shouted to the Lord, “Lord, I will do nothing to offend You!” Finally after forgoing eating or drinking for an entire week, he received communion. The following week after confession he returned to grooming himself.
St. Ignatius on the bank of the Cardoner RiverOn the bank of the Cardoner River
The Holy Encounter
Once as St. Ignatius was walking and praying along a river bed, he sat for a while and experienced something profoundly deep. His eyes were opened to the supernatural. He began to understand both spiritual things and matters of faith. This was not a vision but an insight to greater clarity of his understanding. This was greater than an epiphany because it remained with him his entire life.
Education
Ignatius studied Latin in Alcala, Spain. In 1534 he enrolled at the University of Paris, where he met Francis Xavier and Peter Faber. They, along with four other men, were part of Ignatius’ great fruit. In 1534 St. Ignatius formed a new order “The Society of Jesus, ” also known as the Jesuits.
I’m amazed that today, in order to become a Jesuit priest, it could take as long as 12 years! This brings to my mind all the loonies getting their degrees online to become a pastor. The priesthood takes a lot of discernment and cannot be taken lightly. All religious leaders must be accountable to a higher authority or they will lead their sheep astray.
Born In Such a Time As This
Ignatius’ role in life came at the time of the Counter-reformation. This was part of God’s plan for Ignatius’ life. He was a disciplined man who wanted nothing more than to understand the spiritual matters of God. During this time many religious orders were influenced by political gain and corruption. St. Ignatius’ dedication to the strict teaching of Catholic principles would pave the way back to Christ’s teachings. The Society of Jesus was under the covering of the Pope, not a local bishop. In order to avoid any outside influences, St. Ignatius made sure that his order and direction came from the Pope.
We, too, are born in such a time as this. God strategically put us on earth at this time to make a difference. He knew how evil the world would become and filled it with Christians who are trained in battle attire. We are the modern-day warriors, who quietly bombard heaven on behalf of lost souls. We are a powerful army who go into the battlefield to get rid of all demonic forces on earth. Just as St. Ignatius, God surrounds us with like soldiers to conquer and reclaim our righteous, hallowed ground.
I leave you with two powerful prayers of St. Ignatius of Loyola:
Suscipe, the Radical Prayer
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, My memory, my understanding And my entire will, All I have and call my own.
You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it.
Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace. That is enough for me.
Amen.
Prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Anima Christi
Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O Good Jesus, hear me. Within your wounds hide me. Permit me not to be separated from you. From the wicked foe, defend me. At the hour of my death, call me and bid me come to you. That with your saints I may praise you.
It’s been a week of back and forth communication with godaddy.com, my host provider. After a four hour conversation with someone from a foreign country, I was assured last Monday that mycatholicroots.com would be up and running in 48 hours. Sometimes because we have no control over the situation, we trust in the services that we pay for. Godaddy opened another “ticket” which meant that now it could take as long as 72 hours. I had to take matters into my own hands and hired Keaton. Keaton, an IT specialist, was the one who got me out of this mess. In the future please know that if I have not posted it’s either because under the weather or the Blog is down
Christianity and politics can coexist but only if you follow God’s Ten Commandments
The Bible
The Word of God should be our only source for following and living a righteous life, but for many it is not. Some, including well-meaning Christians, have convoluted the Bible and have walked away from its original meaning. You cannot change the Word of God to make it what you believe to be right. Our guide is the written Word, and we, as Christians, should know the difference between right and wrong. There is clear evidence that this is a norm, a misguided way of thinking that allows us to believing that some sin is acceptable because society condones it.
Romans 12:2 New Catholic Bible
2 Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewal of your minds, so that you will be able to discern the will of God and to know what is good and acceptable and perfect.
The World
The realization that those who have stepped away from the true precepts of the Bible have joined forces with the secular masses who don’t have a belief system. The two can be compared because one is blinded by lies while the other is indifferent to the truth. There is more hope for the latter because at least they can have a fresh start. Those whose beliefs have been tainted by lies yet still believe that they are serving God have actually crossed over to the dark side. There is clear evidence of this because they are ruled by anger.
1 Timothy 4:1 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
1 Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the last times some will turn away from the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and demonic instructions
Anger
The media thrives on anger. This type of anger is deep-seated, almost as if it were coming from the soul. It is evident in all the protesters, all the women who demonstrate to protect their so-called “reproductive rights.” This anger is a spirit that has infiltrated our country, our states and our cities. The words anger or angry are mentioned in the Bible over 400 times. This is a lesson for us not to operate in anger. We need to take accountability for our actions and learn to humbly apologize for our angry outbursts.
James 1:19-22 New Catholic Bible
19 Remember this, my beloved brethren: everyone should be quick to listen but slow to speak and slow to anger.20 For human anger does not bring about the righteousness of God.21 Therefore, rid yourselves of everything sordid and of every wicked excess, and welcome in all humility the word that is implanted in you and is able to save your souls.
22 Be doers of the word and not just hearers who only deceive themselves.
Society and Anger
Those who continue to take a stand against the Word of God will reap what they sow. You will never convince a God-fearing, God-serving Christian that there are more than two genders. This lie has penetrated the hearts of many who now believe otherwise. My observation of those who have hijacked this stage of life in order to get their point across: they are always filled with anger. For instance, take a hard look at the protesters against pro- life and the pro-Palestinians; they are indignant and arrogant because their minds are filled with hatred. These two familiar spirits work together to tear apart our society; they are fueled with toxic poison from Satan himself.
Psalm 73:6 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
6 Thus pride adorns them as a necklace; violence clothes them as a robe.
The Light
Vote with your God-given conscience! Understanding the Word of God offers us a different type of light. This light exposes the lies. I will never return to my old ways of liberal thinking. We cannot allow social norms and accept sinful behaviors simply not to offend others or feel the need for society to be inclusive. I never vote for candidates who support diabolical attacks against Christianity. My support will be and forever remain based on Christian teachings.
Hebrews 13:8 New Catholic Bible
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
I stand for the protection of the unborn and marriage between one man and one woman. I come against all the demonic forces who are ruining the lives of so many of our youth. Those so-called medical doctors are pumping confused children with puberty blockers to help them transition to another gender, a process that will change their lives forever.
Those are those distorted political views of the Democratic Party. They no longer hide what they believe and have created so many laws, making our state a sanctuary for abortions. If you support these beliefs, you’re following left wing politicians down the road to perdition.
Our country is ruled by bullies, and the media have a major role in making sure they continue to give them a platform. This is why I rarely watch any news; it is twisted with sarcasm and opinions that are completely biased.
California
I drove to Long Beach to attend my friend Robert’s funeral service. The route took me off the freeway for a distance. I’m not familiar with this city, but the week prior I visited a friend’s home there. I found that part of the city charming, lined with really nice homes. But on the way to St. Anthony’s Catholic Church I felt vulnerable; and made sure all my doors were locked. The area that I drove through was really depressed; you could tell that Long Beach has taken a beating. So many homeless, or as the name has been changed to “unhoused.” Either way Long Beach has got to get it together for the Olympics because many events will take place there.
We need not concern ourselves with the unhoused because by the time the Olympics are in town the cities will be cleaned up. The politicians only work for recognition and the cutting of the proverbial ribbons.
Skid Row, Los Angeles
Los Angeles
In several of my past Blog writings I have mentioned that I headed a ministry to the homeless for 20 years. Each year the problem only got worse. Skid Row is the capital of this homeless population. This problem will continue as long as democrats are in charge. Los Angeles needs to be renamed: The City of the Lost Angeles.
Colossians 2:8 New Catholic Bible
8 Make sure that no one leads you astray with an empty and deceitful philosophy that depends on human tradition and worldly principles, and not on Christ.
My Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, lead all those who have lost their way back into your sheepfold. Remove the scales from their eyes so that they can see the true light. Amen.
