About this time last year I received a phone call from my cousin Leo. Leo was getting married to Susie on October 13, 2018. This would be Leo’s first marriage, linking him to his long-time companion of over 10 years. Leo is 70 years old.

I could never forget this date because this is one of the dates that the Blessed Mother appeared to the Children in Fatima, Portugal. October 13th is also the birthday of our grandson Lucas, who turned nine years old.

On the day of the wedding I tried on several different outfits and walked downstairs for Mike’s opinion. With one quick glance, Mike gave me a thumbs up. Note to self: Never ask a man for wardrobe advice while he’s watching football.

As we were driving to San Bernardino, Mike asked me to put the address into the navigation system of my car. I had no idea that the car was equipped with this device. I pressed every single button until a map of the 91 Freeway popped up. At that point a voice from hell led us to exit every single street off the freeway. In a panic, and with Mike raising his voice to “Shut the thing off!” I pushed all the buttons again, but to no avail. Mike finally exited the freeway to get gas in a scary part of town, and to silence the voice of the navigational device. Nothing worked;  even when we turned on the radio, the music was interrupted by an eerie cry telling us to exit. We were so preoccupied with the commotion that we arrived early to the wedding.

The Elks Club is located high on a hill in San Bernardino.  The city’s flickering light added to the romance of my cousin’s wedding. As we walked in we were warmly greeted by Delia, our oldest female cousin and sister to Leo. We selected an empty table dressed in an array of fall colors, near the dance floor. We waited for other cousins to join us. The San Diego clan arrived: Nellie G., Roxie and my 90-year-old Tia Esperanza, then my cousin Ricky, his wife Maria and my 94-year-old Tia Maria.  My Tia Maria is the last of the Lopez Family, and we make it a point to try to visit her often.

You are never too old to say,”I do” to the one you love. Leo and Susie looked very content, and we were all blessed to be part of the most important day of their lives.

We are a large extended family, as my mother comes from a family of 10, which produced 52 first cousins. To see many of my cousins in an environment of celebration was heartwarming. I have not danced like this in quite some time. Mike had several of my cousins dancing with us as well. We danced to Chubby Checker’s “The Twist,” we danced the Jerk, along with the “Wooly Bully,” and “Night Fever” by the Bee Gees.  My cousins Nellie P. and Elvia jitterbugged like they did when they were young girls. My adorable cousin Sandra got so overheated on the dance floor that she wore a menu around her waist and pulled it out, using it as a fan in order to cool herself off. My Tia Esperanza danced with her daughters and put us all to shame. I pray that when I am 90 years old I can still shake a leg the way she did.

With my hair soaked from all the dance moves, at 10:30 Mike announced that it was time to go home. I walked out of the hall dancing, saying my good-byes as we left.

As soon as we backed up the car, the navigation device started again; this weird voice was telling us to exit. This was driving me crazy, so I asked Mike to please make it stop, but nothing would shut the system down. I tried to drown out the voice by mentally singing different songs in my head, but this made me feel even crazier. As the 45-minute drive home was a torment, I finally gave in and surrendered the commotion  to God. I hated my new car and wanted to trade it in as soon as possible. I reminded  Mike that I had to teach a class of Catechumens Sunday morning, and that I was hoping this problem could be resolved by then. Mike fixed the annoyance, but never again will I use the navigation in the Prius.

Ecclesiastic 3:1-4

Everything Has Its Time

3 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

I have mentioned in past Blogs about my affiliation with a radical group and how I allowed my mind to be altered.  I wanted to make a difference in the world and I had all the right tools to accomplish this task. I was all of 18 years old, but in reality did not have a clue.

César Chavez was making his rounds at different colleges, and my Uncle Gilbert was one of his good friends who worked and traveled alongside him. I boycotted grapes for as long as I can remember because of the injustice to the farm workers. I liked César Chavez and believed in everything that he stood for. Something else I recalled about César Chavez:  he was a gentleman and a nonviolent civil rights leader. Instead of violent protests, he would go on hunger strikes. In a recent article, Delano Grape Strike and Boycott  written by Inga Kim, she stated that César Chavez went on a 25-day hunger strike. While César Chavez fasted, a Catholic Mass was said daily in Delano, near the windowless room of an adobe-walled gas station where César Chavez was staying. The first thing César Chavez ate to break his fast was communion.

I, on, the other hand, I thought that I needed to be heard. This era was the beginning of the feminist movement. Women were burning their bras in protest; I never did that, but I had a passion to truly change what was wrong in our society. Right when I was ready to sign on the dotted line, and buy into all this mindset, I met Mike.

The whole passion of my life took another turn and saved me from myself. We married, and the rest is a long history of my transition into the person that I am today. I am still passionate, but it is different and deeper that I had ever expected. My anger is righteous because I have the mind of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:16 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)    ¹⁶ “For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

I’m angry about a lot things. I’m angry about the Catholic Church and all the sins it is steeped in. I will continue with my letter campaign and will not give up until every sex offender is removed from our Church. It may take a lifetime, but I will not back down. And I will remain a faithful Catholic. I pray for the holy priests to be protected from this abyss that they were led into because of negligence from the hierarchy.

I’m angry with what is happening in our public schools, and how parents are being forced to adhere to these “new” sex education laws without their full knowledge and consent; their children are not even able to opt out of these classes.  I believe that everyone should be respected, but please do not shove your distorted, ungodly beliefs into the minds of my grandchildren; they are too young to comprehend this propaganda. Parental rights are quietly being taken away, and we need to defend them.

I fill my mind with Scripture to continue my resolve to remain calm through the vicious storms over which one day we will have victory.

Now let’s talk about politics: this subject enrages me because our country is better than this. I am a Republican because I am Pro-Life; and that will never change. Do I like President Trump? I cringe every morning when I hear what he has tweeted, but he is Pro-Life, and for that I am grateful. I will not make excuses about my stance in politics, but you will never see me attack anyone in office on social media. I have respect for all human beings, even the ones that I do not agree with, and especially the unborn. I read hateful social media threads on both the left and right of the spectrum; these peoples’ opinions are so removed from the things of God.  We are never to put another human being down, we called to pray for them. If you are really serving the Lord, ask Him for peace and He will gladly oblige.

Job 38:4-5 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Here God is explaining to Job that He is God, and He will always be God! Sorry Hollywood, God did not die and put you in charge!

The “Me Too” movement has taken on twisted life of its own. I don’t want to hear about another famous person being victimized. Your stories deserve to be told, but for God’s sake stop with the public outcries. Go to your clergy (a holy one) or make an appointment with a God-fearing counselor, and stop blaming all men.

So yes, I’m mad as hell, but my anger is contained and controlled with prayer, a lot of prayer.

I’m eating grapes again, and I’ve stopped reading self-help books written by New Agers.  I am not advocating social, or political, rights for women equal to men. I could never work as hard as my husband, never! God made man the head of the household, not woman. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but the last time I checked the Word of God, clearly states that. Men are our protectors, NOT our enemies, as radical feminists would have you believe. Despite the fact that Mike cooks a good share of our meals, I proudly serve him because he is the head of our household and deserves this respect. If you want to be treated like a queen, treat your husband like a king.

Ephesians 5:22-25 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

²² Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. ²⁴ As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands. ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…

In a recent Harvard study, researchers discovered that U.S. Christianity is growing stronger. We are, after all, still “one nation under God.” With all the divisions and confusion, we are remaining steadfast in our beliefs. If you attend church more than once a week, believe in the Word of God, “The Bible,” and pray, you develop an unwavering strength. According to this study, our country enjoys “persistent and exceptional intensity” with religion.

God gave us a intellect to discern and search for truth. Attending church helps families because Jesus is in the ministry of keeping families together. This includes single parents, who can also experience the same benefits when the family is ingrafted into a solid Bible-based church. If God blessed you with children, it is your responsibility before God to give your children the gift of understanding the positive benefits of being raised with a belief in God. In order for a child to experience a balance in life, he must be taught early on how to pray. Children must be taught that they have a family in God. As parents it is your duty to instill these golden nuggets early on in life. Whatever you share about God stays in their little spirits. If a child is lacks teaching about God, statistics clearly state that he will walk away because his  faith is weak. How can we expect children to hold on to things that they were never taught?

Do you want your children to be happier and healthier? In another Harvard study from the T.H.Chan School of Public Health, researchers found that people in their 20’s attending religious services or praying daily in their youth reported greater satisfaction and positivity in life. This report followed 5,000 youth in a span between 8-14 years. This study analyzed variables such as   maternal health, socioeconomic status, and a history of substance abuse or depressive symptoms. People (ages 23-30) who attended regular church services at least once a week in childhood and adolescence,  reported 18% higher happiness as young adults than those who did not attend religious services. They were 33% less likely to use illicit drugs, and 29 % were more likely to volunteer. These statistics are not surprising to me because when you put others before yourself, you understand the Christian role of servanthood. You are too busy serving God and doing God’s work to get caught up in drug abuse and the problems that come with not serving God.

Psalms 119:9 (NKJV ) How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to Your word.

Those who prayed or meditated on a daily basis were 16% more likely  to report being happier as young adults. When there is a balance of God in the lives of our youth, they are 30% less prone to having sex at a young age. Forty percent of young adults who pray regularly  did not suffer sexually transmitted diseases.They do not suffer from low self-esteem or cave into peer pressure, because they are equipped with the Spirit of God as their guide.

When I taught Release Time Christian Education (a Bible-based program for public schools) I was amazed that more parents did not take advantage of the program. It was important for me to instill into the fourth-grade and fifth-grade students that they could get through life better with prayer. From my twelve years of teaching, I know that their little lives were altered for the better, because the Word of God was etched in their souls.

Junior was a fifth grader who had recently lost his mother. When I was walking the children back to class, Junior pulled me aside to tell me that he was having suicidal thoughts. I prayed with him and reported the incident to the principal of the school. I thank God for this program that made such a difference in Junior’s life. In another instance, the Lord revealed to me that a fourth-grade student was being emotionally abused, and she requested special prayer. Other students shared personal accounts with me, and I directed them to God and prayed for their needs. Some students had mothers with cancer, some had close relatives in prison, and they were operating in fear of the unknown. God’s comforting words guided all their uncertainties. Programs like Release Time have been around for over 60 years, and they remain focused on training children the way they should go.

Isaiah  40: 30-31 (NKJV)

³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;³¹ but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

My Prayer:

Dear Lord, help all parents understand the importance of Your teaching in the lives of their children. Allow them to see that only You, Lord, who can make a difference. Be the light for all families seeking direction. May Your divine mercy fall on all those who are struggling in raising rebellious children. Be their guide in their hour of darkness, and bring all souls into heaven, especially those in most need of Your mercy. Amen.