The Lord has given me the grace to remain neutral when it comes to political views on my Blog.  If you truly follow God and believe in His word, your heart will lead you to a more conservative point of view. But when President Biden proclaimed Easter (the highest of The High Holy days of all Judeo-Christianity) as Transgender Visibility Day, was a clear message from the pit of hell. Please remember this proclamation when it’s time to cast your vote.

He Is Risen

Despite the fact that the Enemy would attempt to rob us of our Easter celebration by these atrocious, offensive words spoken by our president,  this will never change the fact that Our Lord gloriously rose from the dead!  Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God, watching all the sinful behavior of the president and his ill-advised cabinet members while they make these disgraceful proclamations. So as much as I do not want to pray for our current president, I will pray for God’s will to be done in his life. Lord have mercy! I will say no more on this disgusting matter.

Mass

I attended Holy Saturday Mass and stayed to pray the second day of the Divine Mercy Novena (more on that later). As I was about to make  the great escape, Helen, the Divine Mercy leader, asked me to stay and help set up the flowers for Easter Sunday. It has been 40 days since flowers have adorned our sanctuary; the scent of the flowers filled that altar. We did our best to organize the white Easter lilies, pink hydrangeas and pink Kalanchoe lican flowers symmetrically. Despite our humble effort, someone with a better eye for floral design will most likely change them around.  We did our best.

The Miracle Of The Red Egg

As I research about religious holidays, in most cases it will always lead me to a  historical action of a saint. In this case it is Mary Magdalene. She was the  first person to see our Resurrected Christ. When she ran to tell the disciples about her encounter, they did not believe her. This did not hinder her faith because she had her own ministry of reaching out to others. She was, after all, a woman of wealth and that opened many doors for her, including a trip to meet Emperor Tiberius in Rome.

St. Mary Magdalen had much to share with the Emperor.  She denounced Pilot’s treatment of Jesus during His trial. More importantly she wanted to proclaim Our Lord’s Resurrection.

The Red Egg

According to tradition Mary Magdalene held out an egg and said to the Emperor, “Christ is Risen!” With this announcement the Emperor mocked her claim and, like the disciples of Jesus, he did not believe her. Right before his eyes the egg turned red!

St. Mary Magdalene showed  boldness before powerful men, and she understood her role as a woman in the times of Jesus. She spoke truth, and that is one of the most important roles we have when people of power do not believe. It is no surprise that she is called “Apostle of the Apostles.”

Why The Egg?

Another tradition is that Mary Magdalene brought a basket of boiled eggs with her to the tomb of Jesus on Easter morning. This may have been a meal for herself and her companions. While at the tomb she noticed that the eggs changed  to bright colors. some red. This may be the reason she presented the egg to the Emperor, expecting that Jesus would perform the same miracle.

The Easter Egg

Whether you choose to believe these traditions or not, the symbol of the Easter egg originated  from the Christians in Apostolic times. The Easter egg symbolizes “Christ’s Resurrection” and the rebirth of all mankind. It offers us hope in these troubled times.

Divine Mercy Novena

Since visiting the shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow, Poland, I’ve had a special devotion to St. Faustina. To add to this wonderful experience, Mike and I were in Rome and witnessed her canonization. Believe me when I say I had no idea that she would be canonized that day, but for the providence of God, we were there!

This novena is different from any others because Jesus dictated this prayer to St. Faustina. These are Our Lord’s words! I will be praying this novena for nine days, ending on Divine Mercy Sunday, which is the first Sunday after Easter.  Of course anyone can find this novena on the internet, but allow me to review the prayers.

Day One

On the first day of the novena we are to pray for all mankind, especially all sinners. I added several people who fit this description and prayed for them throughout the day.

Day Two

We are to pray for the souls of priests and religious. Those who have dedicated their lives in service to God are always in the line of fire from the Evil One. They need to be  constantly saturated in prayer .

Day Three

On this day we are to pray for all devout and faithful souls. I fall into this category but I also fall from the grace of God. Yes, we need prayer to stay on the right path and to win others by our example. Pray for me!

Day Four

On this day we are to pray for pagans and those who do not know God. We associate with these precious individuals who have not yet found their way. During this novena I will shed light for them to follow in the footsteps of Our Lord.

Day Five

On this day we are to pray for heretics and schismatics. A heretic is someone who does not want to conform or rejects the doctrines presented by the church. A schismatic is someone who causes division within the church. We are experiencing this within our Catholic church right now.

Day Six

On this day we are to pray for the meek and humble souls and the souls of little children.

Day Seven

We are to pray for the souls who especially venerate and glorify My mercy. We know who these special saints in the making are, they spend hours in a day in prayer. They are immersed in God and their gift is perpetual prayer.

Day Eight

On this day we are to pray for those who are in the prison of Purgatory. We pray for the repose of their souls. We do this because when you die,  you must be cleansed of all your transgressions before you enter the Pearly Gates.

Day Nine

On this day we pray for those who have become lukewarm.

I went to visit my nephew Mario in prison.

Preparing For The Visit

It all started in September while Mario was in Chuckawalla Prison in Blythe. I had to get the ball rolling by submitting an application to visit. Blythe is a three-and- a-half -hour drive from my home. I did not want to drive alone because by the time the visit would end, it would be nightfall. I prayed and asked Rong, another nephew, if he wanted to join me. Rong was so accommodating he agreed to take me. That meant that he needed to get government clearance as well.

I received a phone call from Mario informing me that he was being transferred to Norco. Norco is only one-half hour from where I live. Mario insisted that we wait until the transfer for the visit.

Visiting  Rules

Mario suggested that we not make an appointment,  that it would be easier if we showed up around 9:30 a.m. for the 10 a.m. visit. This was our first time at this facility; since  we were not certain of the protocols we got in line. Of course it was the wrong line. By the time we figured out what to do we were one of the last ones in.

Miss Know-It-All

I suffer from know-it-all syndrome. Although I read through the dress regulations and was confident of what to wear, I got it wrong. As Rong and I sat, we witnessed a woman being turned away because she was wearing green. In a low voice I told Rong, “She has double green, her undershirt is green too!” Poor thing! She was sent back to a small building to change into proper attire that is provided by the facility .

When it was our turn, the officer looked at me and said, “You can only wear one bracelet. You need to take one off.” I did, and Rong had to lock it in his car. Then it was time for the second inspection, where they wave the wand and check the clear plastic bag we use to bring money.

I had a total of $54, twenty dollars in quarters and the rest in dollar bills, but I also had a five-dollar bill. An officer in a tightly wound-up bun looked at me sternly and said, “You can’t wear blue, you need to change!” I responded, “Change? I have no other clothes.” She pointed to the same building that the green sweater lady went to.

Poor Rong, I was holding up everything! We walked in and I explained that my stylish mock navy blue turtleneck was the wrong color. This lady looked at me and said  what I was wearing was an acceptable color. I did not have time for a tit for tat conversation, so I asked the lady for an appropriate top.

I was getting upset because we were holding up Mario as well. The lady brought out a dingy black t-shirt along with a gray one. I changed into the black one and walked back for the final inspection. Again, the same woman officer opened my plastic bag of money, found the five-dollar bill and said, “You can’t take five-dollar bills in!” So Rong had to make another run to the car to drop it off.

The Visit

Mario had mentioned that if weather permitted we could sit outside on some picnic tables. With only two options, Rong and I decided to sit outside. As I was handing my driver’s license along with personal information, I asked the lady officer if we could sit outside, but if  it got too cold, could we come inside? “No! Once you pick you stay for the entire visit.” Her authoritarian voice made me realize that this is not an ordinary visit.

The Food

While other inmates and their families were settling in, Rong and I noticed the various food choices. Rong, a novice visitor, had only brought $20 in quarters.

We were assigned table 47.  I brought $20 in quarters, and the rest in dollar bills.  Literally, I was Miss Money Bags with all the dollar bills and quarters totaling  a whopping $49. We were set.

I told Rong to purchase fried chicken. That took all his money! Remember the Snapple drink? You don’t see it  advertised or displayed on the shelves of grocery stores any longer. Not to worry because this was the main drink available to us. We ate fried chicken, munched on Doritos, and for dessert Mario had Hostess chocolate-covered donuts and cheese cake. It was a sweet picnic!

Mario 

Rong asked, “Can we hug him?” I was not sure either, because at some facilities that is not permitted.

We watched as other inmates arrived.  They were warmly greeted with loving arms, so we did the same. Mario stands over six-feet tall; he is handsome with a beautiful shade of brown skin to match the deep hue of brown in his eyes. I love how he sometimes covers his mouth when laughing.  It had been a while since our last visit, so we were all in a state of rejoicing,

The Bible Study

Yes, that was the plan! So when I went into the building to ask for a Bible, another inmate helped me find the “Good News Bible.” I asked for a piece of paper and pen to take notes. I  also asked, “Can I take the notes with me?” “Not really,” he answered. But what I heard was, “Yes, be careful.”

The Apostle Paul

We read from the Book of Acts the transition of Paul. Mario was familiar with this story and added that St. Paul was many times in prison, and how he wrote many of his epistles while in jail. We also read about how God used St. Paul until the very end of his life. The Holy Spirit encompassed our little area as we continued to discuss godly matters.

Mario’s Plan

Mario talked about the last time he was released and found a job at the Staples warehouse. He worked  for three weeks, but after a background check he was fired. Without work and no real direction he fell back into his old lifestyle.

With the piece of paper in hand, I told him that he needed a plan when he gets out. “Give me five things you want to accomplish when you get out.”

1. Praying that I should go to a transition home;
2. Enrolll in DUI classes (this has been on his record for over 15 years);
3. Get a driver’s license;
4. Find a job; and
5. Get off parole and live a normal, simple life.

I believe that this time Mario will accomplish these hurdles and that he will live a normal, simple life with a great story to tell.

Saying Good-bye

It’s never easy to leave, especially when the visiting hours were scheduled for a 3 o’clock departure. But because we are in a controlled environment, the call for us to exit was at 2 o’clock instead.

We could hear the tiny, loud voices of children saying, “We love you, Daddy! See you soon!”  As we waved our last good-bye to Mario, a few yards away we could see and hear the Little League baseball game that was taking place at the sports complex. It was a paradoxical experience.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, I pray for Mario and all the other incarcerated individuals who need another chance in life. Lord, You created Mario for a purpose, and with dignity. Please help Mario accomplish his plan. Speak to him through Your Word, and, when he is discouraged, appear to him in his dreams. Amen.