Mikos and Issachar
Mike purchased a sporty two-door green Acura for me in 1990. This quickly became my favorite car. I never get attached to inanimate objects, this car was different because before, I was driving an atrocious turquoise van. We name all of our cars and the Acura Legend’s name was Issachar (is-a-car).
The Car Keys
Our 16 year-old son was invited to Colorado to visit some dear friends. On the day he was leaving he slept in. I yelled for him to get up, and when I looked at his ticket I discover that his flight was scheduled to leave in five minutes. Despite the fact that we live 15 minutes from John Wayne Airport (that is without traffic) we were going to be late. I made Mikos get up and get ready. We both needed a break from each other and I was not going to miss this opportunity. John Wayne Airport was much smaller then, and parking was right in front. Mikos did not want to drag his suitcase just in case he missed the flight. When we got to the counter, we were informed that the flight had mechanical problems and it had been delayed. I gave him the keys to Issachar for him to get the luggage. Just then the announcement was made that the plane was ready for takeoff. I was feeling a little guilty because of the mechanical problem, so I went upstairs to the balcony to see my son off. I could see that he was at a window seat and he was waving to me, but the wave seemed more and more animated and then I saw my car keys in his hand. It took over three hours to get this problem resolved. I called the office and was told that Mike was on his way to L.A. He had to be paged (remember those beepers?). Mike had to drive home and pick up the spare key and bring it to the airport.
The Helping Hand
Another incident with Issachar happened late September that same year. I had just gone grocery shopping, and as I pulled up, Mikos offered to help carry the bags in. This was so out of character for my son because he never before offered any assistance. Maybe he was changing or maturing. Nope! He was trying to impress his girlfriend, who was visiting that day. “Don’t worry Mom, I’ll put everything away too, ” he said. A few hours had passed when I went into the kitchen and discovered that Mikos neglected to put the ice cream in the freezer! It was completely melted.
The Smell of Death
Days passed and Issachar and I were driving to and from work. That September we were experiencing a particularly hot Indian summer. Issachar (the car) started to develop a strange stench. After about a week the smell became so caustic, when I would get in the car I wanted to throw up. I searched thoroughly for any leftover food but found nothing. I put the air conditioner on full blast and drove to work. I knew it was serious when I came to a stop signal and people would look at me in disgust. I looked back, shrugged my shoulders at them and said, “What?” At that point the smell was so putrid that I no longer smelled it. I had no idea that the smell was latching on to my clothing either. When I got to work one of the supervisors coughed a throw up sounding cough when I passed by. Waving his hand in front of his disgusted-looking face, he blurted out, “What is that horrible smell?” I had become immune to the sulfurous, foul air, apparently it had become part of my DNA! Nonetheless, I knew something was very wrong. I went into my office and did what every normal person does, lifting my arm smelling both armpits, but it all registered normal.
When I got home, Sonja was outside with her boyfriend. I opened the door and they both looked like they smelled death. I put my head down, raised my hands in question and told them that I did not know what was wrong but that everyone was telling me about the polluted smell. “Is there something dead in your car?” Sonja asked. It never dawned on me to look in the trunk and this frightened me because whatever it was, it has definitely gone to meet its Maker. We brought in the trash containers from the back yard to facilitate the transfer of the dead foreign matter. Sonja’s boyfriend opened the trunk and there it was, the rotting raw chicken that Mikos failed to bring into the house the day he was trying to impress his girlfriend. My eyes cried for what my nose was enduring. The three of us choked and gasped for any clean air to free us of this foul-smelling fowl.
Mike To The Rescue
It took weeks before everything got back to normal. This task fell on none other than Mike. After several car washes, air fresheners, and leaving the windows down he finally decided that it was inhabitable and safe for driving. Anyone that knows my husband Mike understands how meticulous he is about a clean car.
Years passed and Mikos was leaving for college in Santa Barbara, we handed down Issachar to him. As my son was leaving, a Bible Scripture came to me from:
Matthew 7:6 “Do not give that which is holy to dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine.” I knew that was it over for Issachar and it was going to be downhill from there; the car would never be kept clean as Mike kept it.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Dear Lord, Thank You for all that You have done in guiding our son Mikos. May we as parents understand the importance of teaching our children about You. Parents need You more than ever to raise healthy, productive, God-fearing children. May Your heavenly light shine upon them and give them guidance. Amen.
The Garden of Gethsemane
The 2,000 year -old trees in the Garden of Gethsemane still produce fruit.
The Garden of Gethsemane
The Hebrew meaning for Gethsemane is “oil press.” The Garden of Gethsemane is located in the Mount of Olives. This same oil was used in the lighting of the Temple lamps and for the anointing of kings. Jesus was called the Messiah, which means “the anointed one.”
In order to extract the olive oil from the pulp, it must be crushed three times. As Jesus goes into the garden to pray, He asked His disciples to stay awake and pray. Three times He found them sleeping. Jesus knew what He had to face: the agony in the garden. There He would be crushed like the olives for the weight of the sins of the world. In Jesus’ case, He was crushed until His sweat turned into blood.
Luke 22:44 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
44 He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground.
The Church of All Nations
I have visited the Garden of Gethsemane many, many times. With each visit I have received new revelation. This magnificent church is also referred to as the Basilica of the Agony. With the help of twelve nations, this church was reconstructed from 1920 to 1924. Of course the United States had a hand in this because we are truly a benevolent nation. The other countries donating funds were Argentina, Brazil, Chili, Mexico, Italy, France, Spain, England, Belgium, Canada and Germany. The Church of All Nations was built with 12 nations and, like the 12 apostles, the number 12 represents completion.
Walking past the olive trees is one of my favorite sites to visit. There are eight olive trees growing in the Garden of Gethsemane. Every year the extra virgin oil produced by the 2,000 year-old trees is blessed at the Church of The Holy Sepulcher. An interesting fact about an olive tree is that when cut, it will continue to grow. These century-old olive trees are still producing olives. From there the oil is distributed to local Catholic parishes.
As you walk into the small basilica, the focus is on the huge boulder located at the altar. This stone is believed to be where Jesus wept. To be at the same site that our Lord wept blood and to be able to pray and weep at the same spot is truly joyful.
I made my first trip to the Holy Land in April 2000. Walking down the path along the historical Mount of Olives Cemetery leads you to the The Garden of Gethsemane. Twenty-five years later, the walk would be a bit challenging. The world was a better place 25 years ago, and I always felt safe and comfortable traveling to the Holy Land. Our group would never miss visiting this holy site. I can remember spending so much time there in prayer. The Rock of Agony is surrounded by a crown of thorns made of wrought iron. Depending on who is guarding the rock, we could usually enter through the gates to kneel and pray. I could spend hours interceding for others; but sometimes, to allow others an opportunity to do the same, we were ushered out.
Olive Branches
Like all Catholic churches in the Holy Land, they are under the custodianship of the Franciscan order. The Franciscans will give you branches from the olive trees for the asking. I always remembered to ask for branches and shared them with whoever was traveling with us.
Our Agony
We go through the agony in the garden when we suffer a great loss, sickness, a child who has lost their way, divorce, loneliness or financial difficulties. At times we feel the same abandonment that Jesus suffered. Jesus needed to separate himself from His disciples to go to His Father. We, too, need to separate ourselves from the world to go deeper into our Garden of Gethsemane to be alone with Our Heavenly Father. We need to shut the world out in order to hear His voice. To me there is nothing more rewarding than answered prayer. This is when the reality of faith and prayer join together in unison and the outcome is praise and glory to God.
After much prayer, we see things much clearer. Suddenly that fear is lifted, and we can pick ourselves up, knowing that we trust Him for all of our needs.
Our Plum Tree
The plum tree in the backyard of our Santa Barbara home is bursting with fruit. The tree is withered and suffering from some type of fungus. Our renters propped up the tree with a piece of wood in order to hold up the branches. Our tree never received the memo that because it was old and diseased it could no longer produce fruit. Instead, it’s not only producing a bounty of fruit, the plums are delicious! Our house is currently being renovated; before that it was a rental property. So I never got to reap the benefit of the harvest. We will do whatever needs to be done to save the old girl but, in the meantime, we are enjoying the fruit.
My 73rd birthday is next week. Like the old plum tree, I continue to pray and produce fruit. Nothing is going to stop this old girl from growing closer to the Lord. God has opened so many holy doors for me to enter, and I know that there are many more to be discovered. I will remain a prayer warrior until my dying breath. Perhaps, like my plum tree, I will need to be propped up but no illness or violent spiritual storm will keep me down. And when I am ambushed by the Enemy, I will fight to the end. I know who my God is, and the victory always belongs to Him.
My Prayer
Heavenly Father, I pray for all those who are stuck in their Garden of Gethsemane. If they are too weak to pray, Lord, give them a sign of assurance that You are at their side. Lord, if they have not developed a relationship with You, appear to them in dreams and visions. Bring others alongside them to prop them up so that they can see Your beautiful face. Amen.
A Prince, A Shepherd, And A Prophet
Moses is one of my favorite prophets.
Our Impediments
At times I feel that my transparency could be misunderstood. Posting videos to promote this blog is part of the plan to reach out to others who need a daily dose of Scripture. Recently I shared that I speak with a lisp and that I suffer from tremors. After seeing the post, I felt a little uncomfortable. Did I share too much of myself? Once it’s on the worldwide web, it no longer matters what one thinks. That morning I went to Mass and as soon as I walked in the Lord revealed something so profound. “The Devil uses our faults to keep us down, but God uses them to keep us humble.” I felt a great sense of comfort in knowing that what I am doing is to win others back to Christ.
The Prince
Moses was born at a time of great persecution, where a cultural genocide was taking place. Because the Egyptians did not like that so many Hebrews were being born, they ordered all Hebrew male babies to be killed.
Exodus 1:22 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Through the providence of God, Moses’ life was spared. Not only was he saved by an Egyptian princess but his own mother was allowed to nurse him (Exodus 2:1-9). The princess knew from the outset that the baby wrapped in a Hebrew blanket was Hebrew.
Moses was raised in a palace with all his material needs met, but he knew he was Hebrew. He witnessed an Egyptian striking a Hebrew performing forced labor and killed the Egyptian. His life as a prince was over, so he became a shepherd.
The Shepherd
Moses was 40 years-old when he fled his life as a prince. He knew that the Egyptian king was after him. But Moses’ flight to Midian was also part of God’s plan for his life. There as a shepherd he met and married Zipporah. Their first-born son was named Gershom, meaning: “I am a stranger residing in the foreign land.” (Exodus 2:22)
The Burning Bush
Moses was comfortable being a shepherd; the last thing he wanted to do was to return to Egypt where he was a wanted man. But God had a plan–a big plan. God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him his commission. At this point in the narrative, Moses is asking, “Why me, Lord?’
What do you do when God gives you a commission? Do you ignore it or put it off for another day? For as long as I can remember, whenever something is asked of me if it requires a lot of sacrifice on my behalf, I put it off until God gets ahold of my heart. Then He guides me through what needs to be done.
The feeling of guilt always creeps into my spirit, “Did I do enough? Could I have done more?” Yes, there is always more we can do, but the little that we do can go a long way. A service of love is always received in gratitude. Rather than complain, make it a labor of love and the burden will be lifted.
Brian
God gave my friend Brian a commission. Brian is a school teacher, so he has several months off during the summer. His mother was having knee replacement surgery and she needed someone to help her with her recovery. When I heard that Brian was going to fly up north to help his mother, I was surprised. This is not an easy commission, it requires a lot of patience. Brian arrived the day after her surgery. This was the most crucial time of recovery when the patient is in the most pain and discomfort. Brian had to make sure that his mother’s knee was iced to prevent swelling. He has been preparing a few meals and running all of her errands. Certainly all this service of love has brought a mother and son into a new relationship, a special bond of love and dependence. In Brian’s words, “The role has reversed, and now I get to take care of my mother, who took care of me.”
Convincing Moses
Honestly consider all the verbiage that God had to endure to convince Moses to do what he was born to do. Our God is a God of great patience! Finally all is set and Moses first has to convince the Israelites. Even after God gives Moses props, a staff that miraculously turns into a snake or his hand covered in scales and then becoming completely healed. Moses continues to question his purpose.
The Speech Impediment
This was another excuse: “I’m slow in speech and tongue.” Moses did not want to speak because he felt inadequate. Even when God explained to Moses that He would put the words in his mouth, Moses asked Him to send someone else. In God’s anger, the commission was transferred to his brother Aaron. I find it interesting that all Jewish kings come from the lineage of Aaron.
Exodus 4:11-13 New American Bible (Revised Edition)
11 The Lord said to him: Who gives one person speech? Who makes another mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go, I will assist you in speaking and teach you what you are to say. 13 But he said, “If you please, my Lord, send someone else!”
The Prophet
God chose Moses and trusted him with the Ten Commandments. With all his hesitation, his speech impediment, his excuses of not measuring up to God’s expectations, God saw him as he was and used him in the most powerful way. The irony in Moses’ life is that he got to see the Promised Land but he never set foot in it.
Are you being called to help someone but do not feel worthy or do not want to be bothered? Do you know that each of us has been commissioned to do something out of our comfort zone? When you fulfill your commission, you will know the difference you make in others’ lives. And in your life as well.
My Prayer
Dear Lord, give us special graces to do all that You ask of us. Let us not put off what You have set aside for us to do. Give us special graces to accomplish the work for Your Kingdom. Amen.