Every Friday during Lent  most Catholic parishes celebrate the tradition of Lenten devotion by prayer and reflection through the Stations of the Cross. Though I have known about this service, this last Friday was my first time experiencing this liturgy at St. Norbert. My sister Norma and I were both spiritually moved by the beautiful service. As each station was announced, I’d close my eyes and imagine what our Lord endured. The Via Dolorosa, also known as The Way of the Cross, is the most famous of all the holy sites in the Holy Land.

For years our ministry had dedicated and sacrificed to travel to the Holy Land to reenact the Carrying of the Cross down the Via Dolorosa. It was never easy to get our finances to make this annual trip. It took a lot of prayer and, after traveling over 20 years to the Holy Land, people did not understand why we had to go every year. I could never explain my calling other than it was part of my Christian obligation to participate in this historic pageant. After so many years of service, our director decided to step down and hand me the role of Mary, the Blessed Mother. So I know by heart and sight all the Stations of the Cross.

Accepting Our Crosses

At the First Station of the Cross Jesus is condemned to death. At the Second Station of the Cross He accepts the Cross. Life could not exist without trials because it is the manner in which we handle our crosses that we grow. I’ve had my share of crosses, but just when I’m ready to give up, the Lord comes to help me carry it. My burdens are lighter because of prayer, but that does not necessarily mean that I will be free of my crosses. In my Christian walk I’ve come to the realization that the closer I get to the Lord, the bigger the crosses. God has a plan for all of our lives. Once we master carrying the small crosses of life, He trusts us with the bigger crosses, the ones that make us stumble because of  their weight and size. It is never easy or comfortable to carry a cross because it’s a training in your Christian growth. Most of us don’t realize that we are in training because we are burdened with our crosses.  Some of the most difficult crosses to bear are conflicts with family members and co-workers. This can manifest in many ways with sibling rivalry, a difficult  in-law, and problems in  marriages.

The Third Station: Jesus Falls The First Time

At the Third Station just before Jesus meets His Mother on the Fourth Station of the Cross, He falls. We all fall when carrying our crosses. At this point, you have a decision to make: are you going to get up, or allow the cross to hold you down? If you decide on the latter, you will get stuck in blaming others for your cross. God gives us a free will to choose, and if you choose to stay down, your cross will eventually become part of your daily routine, something that you’ve made a crutch. You will use the cross as an excuse not to get up and finish the Via Dolorosa.

We all  struggle with people in our lives who cause strife. And unless you understand how to accept and love that difficult person, you are keeping them and yourself in a spiritual prison. We think of hurtful things that were said; we play them over and over in our heads. Or if you get a mean-spirited text message, you read it over and over again. We need to stop this behavior because it can keep us from receiving blessings. If someone in your life does not like you, move on and leave it to the Lord. If you get caught up in the drama, this little cross will hinder your spiritual growth. Pray for them and ask God to help you through this.

The Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Mother

The Fourth Station of the Cross is where Jesus meets His Mother. As I prepared for this small role, my friend Jim took the role of  Jesus. In the real life scenario Jesus has just gotten up from His first fall. His face is bloody and his body is covered with welts from all the beating. As Mary, I would gently touch his chin and turn it toward me and ask, “Why are they doing this to You?” I looked toward the crowd of onlookers and said, “Look what they have done to my Son! He is innocent, please help Him!” My dialogue was always improvised, but my tears were real. I could never fill the Blessed Mother’s sandals, but I believe that she would not have remained silent in the agony of seeing her Son in such pain. Jesus’ Mother Mary was there to support her Son, all mothers must follow her example by loving their children, even those who are difficult and hard to love.

The Fifth Station:  Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry His Cross

At the  Fifth Station of the Cross Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry His Cross. We are surrounded by Simons of Cyrene; they are our friends and family members who feel our burdens and come alongside us in prayer. They will spiritually help us carry our crosses in life because they love us and want us to be free. That does not mean that the cross no longer belongs to you; it simply means that, at times when it is the hardest, God will send down the Simons to help us endure the pain of the cross. We are never abandoned on this lonely path; the Lord is there every step of the way.

The Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

After Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the Cross, the Via Dolorosa transitions to a much narrower steep path. Many of the shops have boarded their doors to make way for the crowd. The Cross becomes heavier, Jesus’ face is covered with His blood and His vision is impaired. At the Sixth Station of the Cross, Veronica wipes His beautiful face. This is what we are to do to help our loved ones who are in so much pain that they cannot think or see clearly. The original Veronica’s Veil is believed to be stored in the Church of the Holy Face in Manoppello, Italy, where it is displayed daily.

Joel 2:28   New American Standard Bible

The Dream

This past Sunday morning I was awakened by this incredible dream. I quickly looked at my phone to check the time, it was 3:26 a.m. I knew I had to journal the dream, but I needed a pen and my purse was upstairs. This dream was too long for me to remember all the important details. I did not want to disturb anyone, so I got up and journaled the dream on the notes in my iPhone.

In this dream I was in a large airplane. I remember that my mother was one of the passengers; my friend Jane and a few others were on the plane as well. Sitting directly behind the pilot was a young child whose mother was Asian. The strange thing about this was I knew that there was a close relationship between them.  It seemed to me that the pilot was the father of the child. The plane was pretty empty, and as we were flying we hit a horrific rainstorm; it was unbelievably scary. The plane was equipped with a sunroof, which intensified the severity of the storm. As I looked up to the sunroof of the plane, all I could see was sheets of water pelting the plane. Suddenly the pilot was descending to a lower altitude to avoid the storm. I was concerned with how low he was flying the plane, when I noticed that it was about to taxi on to a country road. I still did not understand what was going on. As I watched the plane it was now taxiing on to a city street. The pilot opened the doors and told us to get out so that we could use the restroom in a department store. As I was exiting the plane, I asked the pilot, “What city are we in?” He answered, “Canton, Ohio.” This department store was really old and took up an entire city block. I got off the plane to make my way to the restroom, when I heard Jane call my name. She was on the floor above me in line for the restroom. I told her to wait for me because I did not want to get lost.  I picked up a loaf of bread and went to purchase it, but I needed to borrow money from Jane. I accidentally dropped the bread on the old wooden floor of the store. The bread became soiled, so I gave it to a box-boy. I got distracted and found a needle and thread to sew a tear in my pants. The pants are orange-reddish but I used navy blue thread. The line to the restroom is so long. I continued to sew the pants when I discovered that I’m doing it wrong. I started all over again, and by this time I’m lost and ended up in the laundry section of the store where people were washing their white garments. In a panic I ran back to the restroom and found that the line was much shorter. When I finished, I quickly washed my hands and headed out to the plane. When I reached the door, the plane was nowhere to be found. I was so scared and asked a stranger, “Do you know where the plane is?” He pointed and said, “It’s on 28th Street.” I ran as fast as I could to find the plane, and as I got to my seat I needed my mother to move so that I could get on the plane. The dream ended.

The Interpretation: 

Believe it or not, this was a warning dream for me.

Pilot – God

Child and Mother – Jesus and Mary

Plane – Missionary work

Sunroof – To allow the sun in, to shed light; to allow the Gospel or Evangelization

Rainstorm – Trials

Canton – A city in Ohio named after a city in China, which is now the port city of Guangzhou

Restroom – Cleansing

Tear in my orange-reddish pants – Holes in clothes that are worn out, new covering coming

Navy Blue Thread on orange-reddish pants  – Simple repair when done right , but I was not using the right color thread

Jane – Holy woman of God

My Mother –  An intercessor

Bread- The Word of God

Laundry room – Cleaning holy white garments

28th Street – 2+8= 10; Ten represents order, restoration, The 10 commandments

I did not share this dream with anyone in my family because I did not understand it at the time. I  praise God that I did take the time to journal the dream, because I feel that God is warning me. God is my pilot in all that I do, and He is allowing me to clean up my prayer life, ministry, etc. I am going to go through trials, but I will see them coming (sunroof), and I will know how to pray beforehand. Canton is a Chinese word, and God is calling me to pray for the Chinese Christians who are being persecuted (the mother of the child was Asian). The bread represents the Word of God. Recently I was ministering to several Protestants, but came across as arrogant by stating that the part of the Catholic Bible that I was sharing was omitted by Martin Luther. Even though I was kidding, these were hurtful words. God wanted to correct my behavior so that I would always be a loving witness to His Word. In the dream I carelessly dropped the bread and it became soiled. Though I was teaching, I was not a loving witness.

My Prayer

Lord, I thank You for allowing us to spend time with Mikos, Jenny, Maddie and Wil. They are growing up so fast, and this time spent together is precious for Mike and me.

We continue to lift up Ukraine and all the devastation that they are experiencing. I cannot imagine my family being forcibly torn apart like they are. I pray that this will be a short war, and that Your mighty hand will intervene on behalf of all Ukrainians.

Social media is inundated with “Pray for Ukraine” as if it were just a popular trend. But this war is real, and it is a war of good versus evil. Russia is an atheistic nation because it is ruled by an atheist. Ukraine, on the other hand, is 85% Christian. The majority of the Christians in Ukraine are Eastern Orthodox. In 1054 The Great Schism separated  the Western Church from the Eastern Church. The Eastern Orthodox separation was due to both political and religious reasons.

I always remember when visiting the Holy Land, and especially the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, how diverse religious groups are in control of different sections of the church. We always visited during Holy Week when the promp and circumstance is at its highest. When the Turkish guards lead the way for the procession of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, they  make an entrance that commands attention. The sound of the pounding staffs shakes the earth around you, and the pageantry from all the commotion is beautiful to experience. The Franciscans follow in their plain brown habits, making a humble entrance through the doors of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. As of today the Western Church (Roman Catholic) and the Eastern Orthodox have yet to overcome their differences. I respect both, but remain in my Roman Catholic roots.

The Divide

Our country is greatly divided. Our divide stems from a political stand off with each group digging in their heels on what they believe to be true. I am on the side of the Word of God and all that it represents. It’s no surprise to the rest of the world that we are perceived as fools. Our president has appointed Rachel Levine as Assistant Secretary of Health, but she is part of the division. In the United States, we expect these types of appointments, with the push to cover the U.S. with a cloud of dissension by accepting whatever the Left throws our way. The rest of the world is wondering why we have become so weak. We are the leaders of the Free World, but to the world, we seemed to have dropped our guard. The United States once stood for freedom and unity, but our petty civil war is causing world leaders to second guess our strengths. It is apparent that we need to pull up our bootstraps and take up our swords, for this spiritual battle is ongoing. What do I mean by this statement? Many Americans are not going to cave into the demands of our current government. We are a united front; Protestants, Catholics and Muslims alike are in one accord when It comes to our freedom. When I gave the example of Rachel Levine, it was to express the true fact that our president wanted to be the first to appoint a transgender and nothing more; it had nothing to do with her experience. Our country is compelled to accept these appointments, but the rest of the world is not desensitized to these forced ideologies.

With weakness comes the attacks, and Putin is no dummy, he sees all our internal conundrums and took advantage in attacking Ukraine. This new war is for Putin to annihilate all Christian beliefs. Putin may have all the power to take over this land, but it is God Who will see it through to the end. The people of Ukraine are fighting for their freedom and to protect their religious beliefs. God will be on their side.

We Pray

Prayer changes the path of the evildoers. As we see what is playing out before us with this unnecessary war, we can effectively change the direction of this war. God hears all of our prayers, and millions are praying for this war to cease.