As Christians we should all be striving for a holy life. Before we receive the coveted title of saint, we must go through life’s journey. My journey is solely mine; no one can join me on this expedition. I had to endure many hard lessons to reach the maturity I have today; the journey continues from my childhood until now. As a child I learned many lessons; growing up in Brawley, a sleepy, small farm town protected us from the dangers of the world. I knew which side of the playground to stay on. A handful of bad kids isolated themselves near the chainlink fence to sniff glue. The teachers were oblivious to this activity because they were unaware of the potential harm.  Besides these were Mexican boys, so the teachers were indifferent.

Two Johns

After my parents separated I felt a sense of freedom; joy returned to my heart and though our mother feared the uncertain, God always watched over us.  I liked two boys named John. John Number One was the first boy I went on a group date with.  He lived within the city limits, so when he came calling, he had a long distance to walk because I lived in a rural area. For my birthday that summer, John gave me an album “Aftermath” by my favorite group, the Rolling Stones.

I must have lied to my mother because I went to the movies with a group of friends.  This was the first time a boy kissed me. It was not a memorable experience because I was not ready to be a girlfriend. The entire situation was awkward. I didn’t really like this John as much as I liked the other John.  In my small middle school mentality I thought for certain that I was going to marry John Number Two. When we moved up north to be near my mother’s family,  John Number One’s life took a cruel turn; he became heavily involved in drugs and died of a heroin overdose at the age of 15.

I often wondered why John Number One’s journey took such a tragic turn. What makes the human heart fall into such a deep abyss? Why did God allow this to happen to him? I thought of his family and how they must have suffered after losing someone in such a tragic manner. The Enemy was present during John’s journey. He deceived John into believing his high with heroin was acceptable and pleasurable. He thought the euphoria that the drug provided would give him pleasure and fill the void that was missing in his life.

Back in the 60’s heroin was a scary word, so  when anyone talked about this addiction it was done in secret. All that I knew about this heinous drug was that once you got hooked it was over. It was over because back in the day, there was little help, if any. Rehab facilities were only for the very wealthy, not for people like us. If you were going to kick the habit, it was done “cold turkey.” One of my older cousins became a heroin addict. After much struggle, he took the “cold turkey” road and this changed the trajectory of his life.

Walking Away From The Enemy

My cousin moved up north and started a new life. He started a new career and became an excellent handball player. He beat the odds and won the respect of many. He was lost but he found his way back. I know my aunt had spent many hours in prayer on behalf of her wayward son. Because she never gave up, her prayers  pulled him out of that pit of despair.

Smoking Weed, Marijuana, Cannabis

Today because of the Enemy’s many disguises, it’s tough to walk away from this drug. In California smoking marijuana is legal but the facts and side effects about this drug have not changed. It deadens your brain cells; but don’t worry because it’s also used for medicinal purposes. If you’re young, the temptation is there for the taking.

According to WebMD, smoking marijuana is dangerous; one in ten people who use it become addicted. The statistics are higher if you are a teen; one in six will become addicted.

California’s Weed Laws

After researching I found it interesting that all these cannabis laws were written by Democrats. They continue, working diligently to turn our state into a pit of hell. AB 2188, a new law known as NORML will go into effect in January 2024. This law will protect the rights of the pot-heads at work. NORML was written to prevent any discrimination by their employers. No more urine tests!

The University of California Berkeley operates a cannabis research program. According to its director, Ted Granthan, California has only 8,000 permitted cannabis farms but the scientists have mapped over 15,000 cannabis farms in Humboldt County alone. How can our state regulate so many illegal cannabis farms? They can’t and they don’t! This cannabis is sold on the black-market. Where do these growers of cannabis get water to irrigate their crops? In Northern California many of these farmers get water from the over stressed streams to water their plants, without any regulation of water usage.

Cannabis Farms

As I write this Blog, I now have a greater understanding as to why our state is inundated with the highest homeless population in the country. When I served the homeless on Skid Row in Los Angeles, most of them smoked pot. The streets reeked of marijuana.

John Number One started his drug  journey with pot and quickly graduated to heroin, the mother drug from Hell. Now in my old hometown of Brawley, hemp is being grown.

We can’t walk in the darkness, yet we are clouded by the dissension of those who fail to walk in the light. Jesus is the ray of heavenly light, and He has all the answers. (John 8:12) He is the consolation and strength for those who seek Him. For this reason, it is our responsibility as Christians to pray for our elected officials more than ever. It does us no good to fuel the fire of anger at the morass that our beautiful state has been dragged through. We were once a safe haven noted for our state’s natural beauty. Her golden skin is now tarnished with the sins of our lawmakers.

My Prayer

Lord, I ask that You bring the luster and beauty back to our Golden State. I pray a mighty hand of conviction on any lawmaker who is not representing the proper needs of our state. Lord, place in our hearts a spirit to pray for all of our political leaders. Amen.

The Retreat

This past Saturday was filled with promises for our Catechists; from 10 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. 125 children were under our care. We had three charismatic speakers: Karina, Tanner and Gwen. Each of them offered both spiritual and practical lessons. Their gifts encompassed one word: love. How did Jesus remain in their hearts? They are all in their mid-twenties, yet the love of God prevails in their spirits. How did they escape all the fiery darts of the Enemy? The answer is twofold; they have prayer warriors interceding on their behalf and they, themselves, are grounded in God. This does not necessarily imply that their lives are without challenges; it simply means that they are better equipped to release their problems through prayer or to discuss them with spiritual friends. They figured out long ago that they are never alone and that the Lord is ever present in their lives. Through every season God is there for them.

Being Grounded

We have a well-rooted tree in our backyard.  The deciduous tree has many emotions. In the fall, the leaves shed and without notice; they turn into brilliant hues of red and brown. This natural occurrence has to take place in order for the tree to give out beautifully scented, white blossoms. These blossoms not only adorn the tree, they blanket the ground. From there the tree remains a staple in our backyard, providing shade during the hot summer months. We experience similar seasonal changes; we go through difficult times, shed tears, dust ourselves off, and wash our faces. How do we know it’s going to get better? we can only have that assurance if we are grounded in God. Because of our faith in God, we not only have hope that difficult situations will get better, we trust that they will soon pass. Those who get stuck in life’s rut and refuse the change of seasons in their lives will remain spiritually stunted.  God gave us nature as a metaphor for the seasons of our lives. After the leaves fall  a great wind clears the way. In order to produce the sweet fragrant blossoms, we must shed the old leaves.

Shedding is Forgiving

If you have become that person who sees only the faults of others and cannot understand why they do not change, you may be the problem. You may be stuck in a season of unforgiveness because you are carrying luggage filled with rocks. Each of these heavy rocks has the names of the people you are angry with and refuse to forgive written on them. Your negative self-talk has consumed your thoughts, and it pains you as to why you’re misunderstood. It is never the intention of God to see anyone suffer alone, but it is a season for you to reflect on your life, surrender your emotional pain to God and allow Him carry that heavy load. The seasons, like our lives, are a cycle. The choice is so simple and the task so easy; one by one, leave these burdens at the foot of the Cross. Allow yourself to arrive in time to catch the perfect blossom. Visualize it!  Place it in the heavenly bouquet for God’s glory.

Luke 23:42-43   New American Bible (Revised Edition)

⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³ He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

The Foot of the Cross

²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” ²⁷ Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

Consider the words He spoke to his Mother and to John. He asked John to take care of her. Jesus focused on the needs of His Mother, He was honoring her even as He was dying on the Cross.

Gwen

Of the three special guest speakers, I know Gwen personally. This young lady is an inspiration and she will prevail in every area of her life because she puts God first. I’ve witnessed her heart in action and the love that she has for these Catechists is remarkable. When her future husband enters her life, he will be handpicked by God. The Lord gives us the desires of our heart when we remain faithful to His word (Ps 37:4). Gwen certainly has done this. Gwen led the Catechists into the art project. The project was based on Luke 11:9-13.

Luke 11:9   New American Bible (Revised Edition)

⁹ “And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

It was enlightening to see the artwork because the Catechists expressed their moods. One of the girls in our group drew what looked like an abstract, a mixture of colors splattered on the 8 by 11-inch canvas. She explained to me that her life was, “A big mess!” I replied, “A big colorful mess with a lot of hope.” She smiled and asked if I wanted her painting, while the other girls chimed in with the same offer. My quick response, “Oh – you girls all have grandmothers, I’m sure that they would love to have your drawings.” These young adults expressed themselves freely during this retreat, through prayer, art and fun and games. It was a treasure in my heart to be part of molding their spiritual direction. We ended the retreat with Mass.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, what would we be without You in our lives? I thank You for all that You do for those who put You first. May our community of believers grow so they can  reach out to all lost and hurting souls. I praise Your Holy Name in knowing that You hear the cries of Your people. Bless us, Lord, with the gifts you have set aside for us.  Allow us to empty all of our burdens at the foot of Your Holy Cross. Amen.

This past Saturday the catechists for our class were required to help with food distribution. This is an intricate part of St. Norbert’s parish services. This organization is under the direction of a lady named Mary, who knows exactly what needs to be done. Her team is organized and ready to delegate anyone who is there to help. As the students arrived, they were quickly put to work. We had a lot to accomplish before the rain arrived. The first assembly line was filling the grocery bags with cans of chicken broth, black beans, corn, and chopped pineapple, followed by dry beans, rice, spaghetti, granola bars, and cereal, 200 bags in total. Then it was time to fill the bags with fruits and vegetables: potatoes, onions, carrots, bananas, oranges, and tomatoes. In addition to this weekly service, special bags are made for children, with snacks provided by the parishioners. Once a month St. Norbert puts together packages for the seniors, and we also give out diapers for families with babies.

The students naturally adjusted to the role of servanthood. The rain arrived just in time to drench the volunteers; they were running to the cars to hand out the groceries. Although constant rain wreaked havoc on the volunteers, not one person complained. We worked from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Reaching Young Souls

To reach the youth, we must pray diligently against the works of the Devil. It takes two years to complete the Sacrament of Confirmation at our parish, and as volunteers we have many obstacles against us to reach the hearts and souls of these teens. We need  strong, relatable leaders to guide them through this maze of confusion. It’s not an easy task to mentor a generation who has grown up during a counter-cultural revolution.  Many of them have believed elements of this world view as acceptable norms. An example of this is the promotion of abortions as “reproductive rights.” We, as a team, work to bring the Word of God to them in truth. Every good team must have great captains, and we at St. Norbert were blessed when Abraham joined our team.

Abraham is the director of our Youth Ministry. When I first met him, I saw something special in this young man’s kind eyes. Abraham was raised in the bay area of San Francisco by a family of devout Catholics. His upbringing included attending meetings several times a week with his parents, who where spiritually connected to their parish. How did he know if this piece of the puzzle would be a right fit for him?  Abraham prayed and discerned which direction to take in life. His top priority was to remain faithful  because church life was like his second home. He prayed about going into the priesthood but God had other plans for him. He was certain of one thing and that was to teach religion to the youth. He had many prayerful decisions to make, and one of them was to be married. After Abraham and his beautiful wife Luciana married, they settled in Southern California. Luciana received her tenure in teaching, so this was one of the deciding factors to stay in Southern California. This was also an answer to the direction they would take in life. They both followed their dreams, and God granted them great favor.

Abraham had been offered a position at another parish before he interviewed with St. Norbert. He wanted to be certain that our parish was the missing piece of the puzzle for his spiritual journey. Before making his decision he and his wife prayed about the first offer and waited until the interview with St. Norbert. After one interview, Teresa, the director of Faith Formation at St. Norbert, offered him the position. She, too, had a team (including me) praying for the right candidate to fill that post. Abraham has the heart to serve in this not too highly regarded position. This is why it’s a calling from God; there are no career experts directing people into this type of job. Unless you’re in seminary, these positions are not on the radar of job seekers.

I’m grateful for Abraham because he comes with a world of modern knowledge; he’s social media expert, tech savvy and young! Being young is a prerequisite to reach the youth because they can relate to him and he can better understand the negative influences challenging this generation. Part of Faith Formation requires the anointing to oversee spiritual growth of those discerning Confirmation.

“The best job in the world is working for God!” Abraham Gonzaléz

I saw an interview with Rita Moreno, a 91-year-old actress, who recently starred in a movie. I’m 71 and God is still using me to teach and spread His wonderful gospel. Nothing will hold me back from my calling, and I pray that at 91 I’ll still be able to fulfill my part in the work of God.

My Prayer

Lord, open the floodgates from heaven and pour out Your Holy Spirit on our youth! Help all who are involved in Faith Formation to be moved by Your Spirit as we teach. Lord, You are the Great  Puzzle Master, and many are still waiting to be placed in that special part of the puzzle You have set aside for them. I pray for all who continue to question Your existence. Lord, reveal Your love to them and bring them into Your Kingdom. Amen.