LENT

Our family from New Orleans embraces Lent in grand style.  Schools are closed for a week during Mardi Gras. Parades are held throughout the week with people on floats, wearing masks, tossing beads to huge crowds. Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday in French) is in full swing, but after the party the masks come off. We are now entering into the the most holy of holidays for Christians, Lent.  We are to be in an attitude of repentance, and a solemn state of mind. Our churches will reflect this by not having flowers displayed during Lent. No Gloria or alleluias are sung during this season because it is a time of great loss (The Passion of Christ). On the fifth Sunday of Lent, sacred images are draped in purple as a remembrance of our sense of contrition. During this time we are called to prayer, penance, and almsgiving. We celebrate Lent in remembrance of Jesus being tempted for forty days in the desert by Satan. Forty is a significant number, because it represents testing, ending in victory.   The most important element of Lent is drawing us closer to Jesus through the Passion.

I struggle with giving up certain foods for Lent. This year I’m praying that I can get past a week of what I’m sacrificing. In the past, fasting came naturally, and many times I could fast for up 10 days. Now, just one day is a huge challenge. I remember that when I fasted, if I got past the third day, I knew that I’d gotten over the hurdle, and it felt natural to continue with the fast. I am asking God to help me with fasting during Lent. There are so many vices that I need to rid myself of that I can only accomplish this through the grace of God. Last year I gave up bread and sweets, but fell short. Lent is a time of a  deeper knowledge of God, and I pray that my sacrifice will honor Him.

I will be distributing the ashes at the 6:15 A.M. Mass, making the sign of the cross while saying, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Valentine’s Day

We have dinner reservation at a popular steak house on Valentine’s Day, a conundrum brought on by the convergence of Lent and Valentine’s Day falling on the same day. We are to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, but I guess our husbands kind of forgot. Our reservations are at 5:30 for two reasons: some of us are old, and that was the only time available.

Mike will be receiving a new pair of socks with a red background as his gift for Valentine’s. As you can, tell I am not the romantic one in the family. I’m a true believer of “it’s the thought that counts.”

1 John 4:19 New International Version (NIV)

What a perfect order,” We love because he first loved us.” We need Jesus to navigate us into what true love is all about.  Valentine’s Day is meant for expressing our love,  Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith and only He can fulfill the void in our heart.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, I thank you for the love you have for us; allow us to be in your presence during this holy season of Lent. Teach us to love as you love. Amen

Though we have traveled to Israel for years we  are foreigners to both the Israelis and the Arabs when we visit Jerusalem. Israel has the strictest guidelines  when entering their country. The authorities are trained to pick certain passengers in groups to scrutinize. Mr. Bob, always stood out because he was well over 6′ tall, and a lanky chain smoker. He had messy white hair, and always wore the same old work boots with white tube socks which  had no elastic to hold them up.  Mr. Bob had money but no desire to invest in anything worldly. He always traveled with just a carryon. Sometimes we would travel on trips of more than two weeks, but that did not matter to Mr. Bob because he was completely satisfied with his attire.

Our leader Joanne always travels with a lot of luggage, and she often asked Mr. Bob to carry her luggage like it was his. At the airport in Israel, the security personnel usually unlocks and checks all of our luggage. When Mr. Bob’s luggage was unlocked, all of Joanne’s personal belongings were exposed. with Jewelry, women’s tops, etc., it was pretty evident that this stuff did not belong to Mr. Bob. Joanne had already cleared customs and was on the safe side of the airport. I was behind Mr. Bob and watched the whole thing go down. The airport security asked Mr. Bob if it this was his suitcase. “No!” said Mr. Bob. I knew that this was going to be a long, drawn-out ordeal. “Did you pack this suitcase?, they asked Mr. Bob. “No!” he said. Mr. Bob was pulled aside for the shakedown. I just watched for a few minutes and then intervened to explain the truth. Once you get through customs in Israel you can take a deep sigh of relief.

We know the routine, in which we ask that our passports not be stamped when we land in Israel. We do this because if is difficult to travel to other Middle Eastern countries if you have an Israeli stamp. The customs personnel always ask questions as to why were are in their country. We tell them that we are missionaries. Things have changed and are more high tech, so now each of us is handed a copy of part of  his or her passport photo ID. Travelers like us need this paper to visit Bethlehem and to leave Israel.

Our ministry’s work in Jerusalem is to reenact the carrying of the Cross down the Via Dolorosa on Good Friday. I will never forget what happened to us a few years ago. Someone forgot to pack Jesus’s wig and the stage blood. The night before Good Friday, we always have a rehearsal to make sure that all participants in the pageant are aware of their parts. When our group leader, Joanne asked about Jesus’s wig and stage blood, we all looked at each other with great fear. Someone dropped a really big ball and forgot to pack it. That night I was assigned the task of checking everyone’s suitcase for the blood and wig, but no one had either. It was early Good Friday when one of the women traveling with us who wears wigs, and she offered to sacrifice one of her wigs for Jesus (literally). One problem was that  it was a blond wig. We needed hair dye, but it was a Jewish holiday so their stores were closed. Caleb, a longtime Arab friend of the ministry, heard of our dilemma and offered to help. “I have a cousin who owns a beauty shop just down the street,” he said. There was no time to waste so Jim ( team member) and I jumped into Caleb’s old car and headed down the road, with Caleb trying to sell us jewelry during the whole trip.

Above the Mount of Olives gift shop was Caleb’s cousin’s shop. The shop was filled with Arab women getting beauty treatments. The women did not take kindly to our intrusion, which was a culture faux pas. Caleb did all the talking, and for $6 we left with a container of brown hair dye and a brush for applying the dye. When we arrived, Joanne nervously yelled,  ” This is not enough!” Jim and I had to return to the beauty shop, but this time Caleb was not around. We ran up and down hills for perhaps over a mile. We walked into the shop and the atmosphere was cold with the air being thick with anti-American glares. I start to explain that we needed more hair dye. A strange woman got up from her chair and started yelling at me. I could not understand one word, but I recognized that it was not a welcoming speech. Her black eyes and wet hair looked eerie. My intent was to get the hair dye because the retribution back at the hotel would be worse than this attack. Caleb’s cousin was no longer friendly, and she too wanted nothing to do with helping us. Using my hands to express my desperate need, I pleaded with her to please make us more solution. Again, the other creepy woman tried to talk her out of it. I knew Jim was praying because Caleb’s cousin finally agreed to help us. As she handed the solution to us she said it was now $20. For just a few seconds I wished I could speak Arabic so that I could give her a piece of my mind, but we did not have a minute to waste. We did not bring any extra money so we had no cab fare, and therefore  had to run back to the hotel.

The stage blood was another drama that we had to handle. In the kitchen of the hotel, Victor (team member) and I  got together with some of the waiters and cooks to figure out how to make blood. The only ingredient they had was something that resembled Kool-aid. We mixed it with water but it looked too watery . We kept adding more of the red dye until it slightly clumped up; that was all we could do.

By the time the bus arrived to take us to the Via Dolorosa, I was exhausted. I applied the fake Kool-aid on Joseph, a man from Croatia who was playing the part of Jesus. Joanne was so upset because the took on the color of pink with red. We did our best and saved the day, because we came to do our work for the Lord and nothing was going to hinder our calling.

It took three years to be certified to teach adult catechism. As I returned to my service to God as a Catholic (after leaving for 15 years), I had to acclimate to the calling.  Sunday, January 14, 2018, was my second class of teaching catechism, and the lesson was to reflect on the reading (1 Sam 3:3b-10,19, Psalms 40:2, 4, 7-8, 10; 1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20 and John 1:35-42). We are all called to serve God; to some, our calling comes early in life and to others as adults. The adults in the class are all making a commitment to serve God as Catholics, and this is a one year process, in which catechumens must attend RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults). These catechumens are not influenced by peer pressure or parents because it is truly a calling at this time of their lives. Each of them has a story, but the common bond is the love for God. Some are moved to tears of joy as they share their experiences, some to tears of pain that lead them to where they are. It does not matter to God where we are when we say yes because He always there waiting. The Holy Spirit is patient but is also referred to as the Hound of heaven, which means that God never gives up on us, we are the ones that do that by not giving up our sinful nature.

About two years ago a friend of mine attended a non-Christian wedding in which the bride and groom were unequally yoked. The person officiating the service asked the bride if she wanted to become the same religion as her husband. A few words were exchanged and she was yoked into her husband’s belief.

It’s not that easy to serve God. A commitment is more than simple words, it’s when your mind, heart, and spirit come together in agreement that what you are feeling bring a sovereign sense of peace.

Before I teach each class, I have to be prayed up, be in the Spirit, and have a clear understanding of the Scripture. I want to be certain that what I am teaching is in alignment with the Word of God.

Before attending the classes to become a teacher, I wanted to become an Eucharist Minister (EM). To become a EM, a person must attend a meeting and training. I remember the night before I was to give out communion when I could not sleep. I wanted to make sure that what I was doing was pleasing to God. I kept thinking that I might trip coming down the the few steps or that I was just unworthy of the task. Mike  was sitting next to me when it was time for me to go up. He nudged me and said, “Don’t trip.” Such comforting words to a mind that was racing with many doubts. It has been almost three years and I continue with my service as an EM, participating in daily  Mass. I was explaining to the catechumens that as an EM, if there is any wine left over in the cup we must consume it ourselves. Why? Because it has been  consecrated and represents the blood of Christ. Jesus instituted the New Covenant in the Upper Room at the Last  Supper. Jesus first washed the feet of his disciples and then gave them the Bread and Wine. This is mentioned in all of the Gospels, because it is of utmost importance.

Matthew 26:26-28King James Version (KJV)

²⁶ And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

²⁷ And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

²⁸ For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

As a teacher, I am also being catechized with these studies. We are in “Ordinary Times” which means it is not a part of Advent, Christmas, Lent, or Easter.  The Latin meaning of ordinary is “in order or sequence.” The first week or Ordinary Times was in celebration of the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. All Sundays have the numbers in the titles of what we celebrate. I am learning this for the first time.

Wherever you travel in the world, the Catholic Mass will have the same reading, the communion rituals, etc. You do not have to know the language because we already know what to expect.

My Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, I pray for those that are still in limbo and asking if you are real. Reveal yourself to them, let them understand that with You in their lives all things are made better. Give them hope in their uncertainty and allow them to feel Your perfect love. Amen