We have all told a lie at one time or another.

Lying is first mentioned in Genesis 3:1-24 when the serpent deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden.

God Is Truth

God knew when He created the human race that by nature man would fall short. So to better understand this subject of lying is to know that God is truth (John 14:6-7). The basis of  Christianity and why we are Christians  is because we believe in God’s truth. Truth is fundamental in our walk with Christ; we should all be seeking His direction in every area of our lives.

One Of The  Ten Commandments

Thou Shall not bear false witness is the ninth commandment. To the Lord the truth is so consequential that He made it into a commandment.

God Is Our GPS

On Sunday I gave  our grandson Lucas and three other friends a ride to the movies. Lucas entered the address on Waze, an app for driving directions. Waze got us there but because, I was not accustomed to using this app, I could not shut it off. All the way home it continued to inform me to make a U-turn. There was little I could do to stop the noise. Finally when I got home, Jacob, our other grandson, shut down the voices that were driving me crazy.

Although  I knew my way home because of this device, I got a little disoriented. “Am I going the right way?” I asked myself. If we truly believe God is our modern day GPS,  the Holy Spirit will alert us to all the untruths that penetrate our minds.

Teach The Truth 

The students I teach have been well catechized about telling the truth. I remind them, “If you are lying, your heart will beat faster. That is God reminding you to always tell the truth. Remember the Devil is the Father of Lies.”

When a parent or role model lies and their lies are accepted as truth, this becomes problematic. People who lie, especially compulsive liars, lack conviction deep within their souls. They have become so accustomed to their lies that it’s part of their nature. This habitual behavior is all they know. So perhaps it may not be a generational curse, but is it a learned behavior?

For instance, if a child’s father was an alcoholic and beat the child’s  mother, this abusive behavior could be passed on to the child. It’s the same with lying.

The Danger Of Lies

When we owned our tortilla factory the position of Human Resources fell under my responsibility. I did all the hiring and disciplinary action if we had problems with employees. I hired a friend of ours to deliver our product out of state. This person was a long haul driver.

Whopper Lies

One day I was notified that the man I had hired, this personal friend, failed to show up for work. When I called him he told me that his pregnant wife was in a car accident. I felt so bad and totally dismissed his absence. In those days we had handwritten applications with phone numbers for emergency  contacts. I was concerned about  his wife and the welfare of their baby. On his application he had listed his mother-in-law as a contact. When I called his mother-in-law and asked about her daughter, the woman was confused. She told me that her daughter was never in an accident and that her daughter had just left her house.

The Outcome

This unsettling news about this  horrific lie did not sit well with me. So I called out the lie to the driver. But instead of being apologetic, he became enraged. Shortly after that incident notes were left on my desk with images of tombstones with my name written on them saying R.I.P.  Needless to say the man was fired. This happened in the 90’s and messages like these were not considered that threatening; nevertheless, this man’s actions made me very uncomfortable.

2483 Lying is the most direct offense against the truth. To lie is to speak or act against the truth in order to lead into error someone who has the right to know the truth. By injuring man’s relation to truth and to his neighbor, a lie offends against the fundamental relation of man and of his word to the Lord.

2484 The gravity of a lie is measured against the nature of the truth it deforms, the circumstances, the intentions of the one who lies, and the harm suffered by its victims. If a lie in itself only constitutes a venial sin, it becomes mortal when it does grave injury to the virtues of justice and charity.

2485 By its very nature, lying is to be condemned. It is a profanation of speech, whereas the purpose of speech is to communicate known truth to others. the deliberate intention of leading a neighbor into error by saying things contrary to the truth constitutes a failure in justice and charity. the culpability is greater when the intention of deceiving entails the risk of deadly consequences for those who are led astray.

I believe that The Catechism of the Catholic Church overview offers a deeper meaning on the dangers of lying.

 

This is From Psychology Today

Our Lord taught us the Our Father (the Lord’s prayer) as a guide to deeper prayer.

The Lord’s Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9-13  (NABRE)

⁹ “This is how you are to pray:

This powerful prayer covers many aspects, such as leading  us to understand God’s holiness. His kingdom will have no end. God’s will will be done on earth and heaven. We thank Him for our daily bread. We ask forgiveness for our sins and those who have sinned against us. Above all it keeps us from sin and evil.

Pater Noster Catholic Church

Pater Noster Catholic Church is located on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. Within this holy site is a cave where Christians believed that Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer. This church is within walking distance from the Seven Arches Hotel where we stayed on our missionary journeys.

We prayed in the cave at Pater Noster and left some of our prayer petitions for the Carmelite nuns to collect and pray over. Unlike other holy sites, there is a small fee to enter this hallowed ground. This Byzantine church’s walls are covered with plaques made of tile framed in flowers. On these plaques are written the Lord’s Prayer in 140 languages. I can never remember where the English version of the prayers is located, but I always found it.

Bethany

The Mount of Olives is a few miles from Bethany, where Jesus must have made His way on foot to visit His friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Because Bethany is located in a Palestinian section of Jerusalem, only a Palestinian Arab guide could drive us to visit the site of the Church of Saint Lazarus and Lazarus’ tomb.  The church is surrounded by a Palestinian neighborhood and directly across the tomb is a home with a mustard tree. The owners of the home wait for us to finish visiting the tomb before approaching us to sell mustard seeds. This is the only place that I know of where you can purchase these biblical seeds. (Matthew 13:31-33)

We have on several occasions celebrated Mass with a wonderful Franciscan priest from Africa. On our last visit the church was preparing for the Easter Vigil. I asked the kind priest how many parishioners he had. His response was that there were only five Catholic families that are registered and attend Mass. Palestinian Christians are in the middle of all the conflict between Hamas and Israel. The war affects everyone in the Holy Land.

The grounds of the church are meticulously kept, but as soon as you leave the area of the church, the city looks abandoned and neglected. And that was before the current war.

Confirmation

Volunteering as a confirmation teacher at my parish has brought many things to light. For instance, I discovered through an ice breaker game that five of my students did not know the words to the Lord’s Prayer. Despite the fact that they are all baptized, and have completed the Sacrament of First Holy Communion, they did not know the prayer. So instead of blaming anyone, I will make sure that these students memorize The Lord’s Prayer.

First Holy Communion

I also teach a group of students preparing for the Sacrament of First Holy Communion. The ages of my students in this class vary; there are several fourth graders and also a few seventh graders. When the class started last September, many of these students did not know the Lord’s Prayer as well. For this reason I gave them copies of the Our Father, along with the Hail Mary, and instructed them to memorize the prayers. To illustrate the importance of these prayers, each week a different student opens and closes our sessions with both prayers.

The Bible

This is my favorite book. I will always refer to the holy wisdom of God’s inspired words when teaching my students. You can never go wrong with Scripture because it always leads us to do the right thing.

How I Pray

I pray at different levels.  I begin with an opening prayer of praise and thanksgiving. These prayers may range from a simple petition to protect my loved ones to bombarding the heavens for something that’s troubling my heart. To get clarity from God, I go to Adoration. This is my happy place; it’s where God meets me. Any decision big or small I take to the Father. Of course I make wrong decisions that could lead to costly mistakes, but it’s usually because I did not pray beforehand.

An Example of How I Pray

I praise You and Honor You, Lord. You know the desire of my heart is to (special intention), but until I hear from You I will not move forward. Father, give me a sign to help me make this decision. If You open the door, please provide the means for this undertaking. Dear Jesus, You know of my impatient character; please give me special graces to wait for Your reply. Amen.

Eucharistic Adoration

Being before the Blessed Sacrament (the body of Christ) is my highest level of prayer. My mind is at ease, so all my thoughts are yielded to the Father. On my last visit I prayed a rosary and prayers from a small pamphlet I carry in my wallet. These prayers cover most of mine and others’ needs. In addition to these prayers I ask God’s will to be done in my life.

Although the drive is 20 minutes away from my home, nothing is more fulfilling than the emotional charge I receive when leaving Adoration because part of Him is with me. You do not need to be Catholic to pray at an Adoration Chapel. St. Martin de Porres in Yorba Linda, California, has perpetual Adoration. During Lent the Blessed Sacrament is exposed in the sanctuary of the church during the day.

My Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray for all students who do not know You. Lord, surround them with angels, both human and supernatural. May they hear Your still, small voice and answer the call to serve You. Amen.

Before visiting Mario I flew to Arizona to visit his mother Norma.

Arizona Bound

It was a short trip, two nights to be exact. My sister Norma works weekends, so I planned the trip accordingly. The main purpose for this visit was to meet Gabriel, my niece Maggie’s baby.

The Laundry

Norma and I always have a great time together. We have a lot in common; we are both insecure drivers, always asking Jesus to intervene on our behalf. When I arrived I was wearing a really cute, comfortable outfit, but some of the chicken tostada that I had for lunch stained my top. I wanted to wash it so that I could wear it home. Norma had just put a load in the washer and suggested, “I can throw it in with my laundry, I just started the load.” I got a flashback about all the bleach stains on her black pants and answered, “No, I’m okay.”

While Norma was getting her clothes out to transfer them  to the dryer, she noticed her black pants with a lot of white residue. “Oh my gosh, my pants are still dirty! I need to wash them again.” Then she pulled  her mophead out of the washer. She had forgotten to get the mop out of the machine when she threw in her dark colors. I breathed a sigh of relief!

Mass and Adoration

Lent is very important to me, so I wanted to be sure to attend Mass. We attended the 8:30 a.m. Mass. When I found out that All Saints Catholic Church has perpetual Adoration, I asked Norma and her grandson Eli if they wanted to go into the Adoration Chapel. Eli said that he loved the Mass and Adoration. Although this is about 20 minutes away from Norma’s home, she frequently goes there.

All Catholic churches have Adoration. For instance at my parish it is only on the first Friday of the month. So to say that I was excited is an understatement. I love being before the Blessed Sacrament. You can feel the holiness in knowing that you are in the presence of God.

Bible Study

Norma planned a dinner of mole.  Mole is  chicken prepared  in a sauce made with chili pepper, spices and chocolate. We also had potato salad and mixed green vegetables. My sister lives in senior cottages. She fixed a plate for one of her neighbors. Norma is so generous with her meals.

Our Bible study followed dinner. This grateful neighbor joined Jacob, Norma’s other grandson, Eli and Norma for the Bible study.

Chapter thirty-seven of Genesis describes Joseph and his eleven brothers. I love this story. Joseph went through so many trials.  He was sold into slavery, then thrown into prison for a crime he did not commit. Joseph’s prolific life is still a testament but the Lord was at his side the entire time. We look to him as an example of fortitude in knowing that with God we will prevail.

Meeting Baby Gabriel

I finally got to meet Gabriel, my niece Maggie’s baby. We met halfway for dinner and had the most delightful time. I had a Margarita and started talking too much. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a lightweight when it comes to alcohol. Maggie, Gabriel and baby Gabriel were an added joy this visit.

The Confirmation

Before I left for Arizona, I made an appointment to visit Mario. I attended Mass and the Gospel on Friday was from Genesis 37. I had planned to read that same chapter to Mario! This is how God works in my life; He always confirms my plans to alleviate any doubt I may have. Norco, CA  is about 30 minutes from my home. From past visits I discovered that St. Mels Catholic Church has Adoration every Friday. So before the visit I drove to Adoration, which is located seven minutes from the prison. I Asked God for total surrender and for our visit to be led by the Holy Spirit.

The Line

Normally I’m the first to arrive at the facility, but since I  had attended Adoration a line had formed. I quickly became the clothes police telling two women that they did not meet the prison dress code, so for about two seconds I felt empowered. One lady from Delano had driven five hours to visit her son. She did not bring any money with her. The rest of us know better because part of the visit is breaking  bread with the person you are visiting. I felt bad for her.

Then I witnessed something that I can’t erase from my mind. A husband and wife were sitting in front of me (I was standing). Then the man plucked a hair from his wife’s chin. I was so disgusted by this action that I looked away.  But when I lifted my head, they were examining the hair! Lord, please get this vision out of my head!

The Checkpoints

We go through two clearances. The first one is minimal; the officers check your ID and make note of the jewelry you’re wearing. They also check the money you bring and use a hand metal detector. From there we formed another line to pass through double gates.

This is the second checkpoint. We sit and wait for our names to be called. At this point we must remove our shoes and belts and get a stamp on the inside of our right wrists. They double-check your jewelry,  then we must walk through a metal detector. Usually these officers are indifferent and rarely have eye contact with us, but the next set of officers are a little more personal. I always feel that we, the visitors, are treated like inmates.

As I hand in my ID, I ask for an outdoor table in the shade. Even though my words are ignored, my request is generally honored.

Table Thirty-One 

I purchased all the food we are going to eat before Mario arrived.  As I passed the lady from Delano, I was convicted because I had all this food in my hands. When Mario arrived I got up and purchased water and a package of Oreo cookies for her and her son. Table thirty-one was perfect.

Bible Study And Buttercup

I had so much to share with Mario about my visit with his mom. I told him about the mop and then I remembered that Norma had wrecked her car. “How did she wreck the car?”  Mario asked. “She ran into her garage!” I answered.

I read from Genesis 37 and though Mario is familiar with the story we both received new insight. We discussed all the text but still could not quite figure out how long Joseph was in prison. We came to the conclusion he was imprisoned from three to eight years.

Mario talked about the puppy he’s training. He is in love with Buttercup because  she brings so much joy to his life. He is training Buttercup to become a service dog. Buttercup will remain with him for several more months.

Great news to report: Mario will be up for parole in mid-July! Please pray for him to do well.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, I thank You for the visit with Norma. Lord, we are asking for favor that  Mario will be paroled in Arizona. Heavenly Father, let this transition be guided by You. I pray that all inmates would seek You for guidance and walk humbly before You. May they never feel abandoned. Amen.