We got through Holy Week unscathed. We are all in great health and waiting for this coronavirus to be lifted. There was no news from Israel, nothing from the Via Dolorosa either. After our fish dinner on Good Friday Mike and I watched The Passion of the Christ. What a beautiful reminder of how much He loves us! I caught part of a radio broadcast with Monica Miller, the author of  The Theology Of The Passion of  Christ. I found it interesting that the character who played the part of Satan appeared to be asexual. Monica Miller stated in her interview that Satan’s sexuality was “blurred.” This gave me a deeper understanding of the inherent evil in society’s current confusion about human sexuality.  Mel Gibson did a beautiful depiction of this historical event, he but also paid the price for bringing this project to fruition. Satan hates this movie.

When I first traveled to the Holy Land it was mostly a spiritual sight-seeing trip, but  as the years passed it became a refueling of my spirituality. I can not wait to get back and revisit my favorite churches. I’d grown accustomed to the smells and sounds of the Holy Land. The entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher always makes my heart beat at a faster rate.

The Holy Land

I first portrayed the Blessed Mother on the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem in April 2007. I cannot recall how many times I have visited Israel, but it could exceed 20 years. And even if I could visit it today, the Holy Land, like the rest of the world, is now on lockdown.

My first trip to Israel was in the mid-90’s. This was one of the longest trips I have ever taken. Twenty-one days in total and covering most of the holy sites, was the adventure of a lifetime. After spending fourteen days in the Holy Land we traveled to Italy.

Preparing for any trip is costly, especially when you don’t have a real job. I had to depend on Mike and, as usual, he came through by paying for the trip and all the hotel accommodations. That left me with all the other expenses. I had two part-time jobs; one paid around $60 a month “yes, I said a month!” But the Lord blessed me for keeping that job for 12 years.  I worked as a Bible study teacher in the public schools; it was an honorable job that helped me pay my way to the Holy Land each year. I was also a private tutor, which paid much better. Through the travels I always brought back souvenirs for the students and shared rich stories with them about visiting where Jesus once walked. To many of these students, this was the only place that they were being catechized. Some students  were attending church on a regular basis,  but for others the small traveling chapel was their only church. I prayed that God would used me in a powerful way to open their minds to lead them in the right direction. I had the students once a week for one hour. To them I was Miss Lynda, but, to me they were small stepping stones, drawing me closer to God. Believe it or not, the money from these jobs was always put aside for my Holy Land trips. I was also blessed to have several dear friends who faithfully contributed to my missionary work in Israel. As this became my ministry, the Lord always provided the means.

 The Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Located a few steps from the entrance of the church is the Stone of Unction. This is where the body of Christ was placed after the Crucifixion. I’d rush to claim a spot to place the petitions and pray for those who requested prayer. The only manner of praying at this site is on your knees.  From there I’d walk upstairs to Calvary and, if the line was not too long, pilgrims can touch the spot where Jesus was crucified. Climbing back down the stairs, we made our way to the tomb of Jesus. Sometimes it was open and the lines were tolerable; at other times it was almost impossible to get through. On the back side of the tomb is another small cumbersome area, shrouded with deep reddish-black velvet drapes. There is room for one person to kneel and pray for a few seconds before being ushered out by the Greek Orthodox priest. I could spend an entire day at this church, finding little nooks to pray. It is by far one of the most enriching churches in the world. During Holy Week  the crowds were impossible to get through. Many of the pilgrims do not realize that the church opens as early as 6:00 a.m. My friend Pat and I once visited the church that early. It was magnificent to have the church almost to ourselves, so we prayed and left the petitions at the Tomb of Jesus.

Union with God

Since we in Southern California are on the same latitude as Israel, our weather is similar. The winds kicked up at night in Jerusalem and make a different type of howling sound, a lot more blustery, bringing in fine dirt through the old windows of the hotel where we stayed. My allergies are always on high alert in the Holy Land because of this. The Muslim call to prayer is always heard throughout the city; it’s a loud-sounding reminder to let us know that we are in Jerusalem. We share the Holy Land with Jews and Muslims. The Jews in the Holy Land are gracious in allowing us to share their holy sites. If you follow the rules of the guardians of  these holy sites, there is always peace. During Passover, if you visit the Western Wall, no one is allowed to take photographs. Sometimes when tourists take pictures, kind Jewish women ask you to stop. I love the Western Wall/Wailing Wall; this is the only original wall that was around in the time of Christ. As Christians we feel the special anointing of God, and we share with the Jews in experiencing a spiritual joy.

Staying At Home

While this pandemic keeps us hostage, we do our best to stay safe. My schedule is in disarray. I go to bed later than usual and get up around 8:30 a.m. instead of my normal 5:30 a.m. It seems to me that even when I go to bed later than usual, my sleep is disturbed with unrest. Nothing in our lives is normal. I’ve reached another level of understanding and am no longer so consumed with getting the virus. I just want this to be over. We’re still hunkering down, but it’s different and becoming less of a threat. Mike cooks every night; I can’t believe that I have my own private chef. Our meals are truly crafted with rich flavors and seasoned with love.

My Prayer:

Dear Lord, How much longer? Tell us what we need to do to change the direction of this virus. Please give us a sign that this will soon be over. You are a merciful God, and we are all Your suffering children. Help us to come out of this whole and with a better understanding that only You can change the world. What can we do but pray, and faithfully wait for Your healing? Amen.

Prayer

Did you know that the most searched word on Google is “prayer?” Yes, finally people are getting on their knees and asking for help. Did you also know that there is a St. Corona, and that she is the patron saint for pandemics?  Corona means crown in Latin and, according to the Center for Disease Control, the virus was given this name because of the crown-shaped spikes on its surface. How can you not see that God is allowing this?  He is in total control.

For over 18 years I have been teaching a Bible study in my home. We have become a core group of women who have grown together and know how to battle. Every night for the past two weeks we pray via FaceTime. We are doing our part for our families and friends and even strangers are added to our list. Together we are making a difference in our community, along with millions of others doing the same: praying.  We pray the Rosary with intention; we offer each decade for the  special needs of others. I also continue to include my grandchildren every day at 3 o’clock in the Divine Mercy Chaplet. They all know the response, “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and the whole world.” May they forever keep this prayer in their hearts.

Bible Facts

The following are Bible Facts from Brandon Gailee, a marketing firm:

• The Bible is not included in the bestsellers list because it would always be on top;
• 168,000 Bibles are sold or given to others on a daily basis in the United States;
• 20 million Bibles are sold annually in the United States;
• The percentage of Americans who own at least one Bible, whether it was given to them or; purchased, is 92%. Two-thirds of the owners, regardless of religious affiliation, say the Bible holds the meaning of life;
• The average American Christian owns nine Bibles and wants to purchase more. (I own over a dozen)
  

  

We are a nation whose foundation was based on One Sovereign God. America is suffering because we have lost sight of what this represents. Our nation was built on trusting God, yet some fight for what is ungodly and immoral. Hollywood will one day answer for their wayward ways, and how they have led many astray. We are to be united, but when Christians are subjected to lies and immoral acts, we pray. We are not in the front lines for the world to see because we are at the foot of the Cross, praying for God to intervene for those who are on the road to perdition. Do these famous or, to me, infamous people not see what is going on right before their eyes? Their hateful Tweets continue to poison the Internet. Any hateful statement made toward another human being is a personal attack against God because we are all his children. I have my personal opinions, but I would never insult anyone publicly; I share with good friends and pray for those people. God always shows me the errors of my way. We are just visitors and soon we will all meet our Maker. We will all be judged for every word that passes through our mouths. To those haters in Hollywood, you need to leave the judging to God, because you will be judged harshly for what you have spread. Words once written can never be erased, but you can still repent because we serve a merciful God. The mean-spirited media will continue to lose revenue for reporting half-truths. To God, a half-truth is still a lie. Let us all pray for this to finally end so we can get our lives back to some type of normality.

Matthew 12:36 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

³⁶I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak.

Jesus and the Pharisees

Do you remember the story in the
Gospel of  Mark Chapter 12? The Pharisees and Herodians tried to trapped Jesus in his speech with who to the pay census tax. Jesus’ reply was poetic:

Mark 12:16-17 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

¹⁶ They brought one to him and he said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They replied to him, “Caesar’s.” ¹⁷ So Jesus said to them, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” They were utterly amazed at him.

All of our American currency has the inscription “In God We Trust.” So we pay to God what belongs to God’s in this country! You can’t miss the inscription, it’s in the middle of every bill!

Back to Normal

I miss driving my car. I want to go to the grocery store and hand pick the fruits and vegetables, I want to go to Marshalls and Nordstrom Rack, I want my old life back. But mostly what I want is to be with my family and attend daily Mass.

Lucas and Jacob

Three times a week it was my responsibility to pick up my grandsons from school. We had our routine down to a science. Drive to get a snack or lunch, then to their home, where the pets were eagerly waiting to pounce all over us. The boys would pretend to do their homework while I took a quick catnap. As much as I tried to rest, either their dog or cat was all over me. Paco, the dog, would always know exactly where I was going to land on the couch, and would inadvertently jump in the exact spot I was going to rest my head. From there we would drive to my house.  I complained on a daily basis, so when Sonja arrived to pick up her tribe, I would rush them through dinner and almost kick them in the butt as they were leaving. Oh how I regret doing this!

Maddie and Wil

The call would always come from our son Mikos. “Hey mom, Jenny and I have been invited to Vegas. It’s a plus-one business trip, I was wondering if you could watch the kids?” My reply was always the same, “Of course!” But when I hung up the phone, I’d tell Mike not to make any plans because I was going to need help. These kids are on several teams, and only God can really figure out their schedules. Wil sometimes had basketball games as late as 9:00 pm, and Maddie had soccer games as far  Timbuktu. Aside from that, their dog Rosie is high-maintenance, God forbid she stay outside for five minutes. Oh, and she needs to be walked regularly. She’s a sweet golden retriever but she lives on our couch or on our laps. My other grandkids seem to feel left out when Maddie and Wil are over, so they plan a sleepover. All this creates an even bigger mess. Mike excuses himself early and goes to bed,  leaving me to fend for myself. With all the complaining that spews from my mouth, I wish we were having a sleepover tonight. Oh, and please bring both dogs! I will feed my grandchildren all the candy I can get ahold of and put up with the crazy sugar rushes and fights, and the dogs’ wrestling matches. The dogs’ jumping from the recliner to the couch and landing on my lap would be fine as well.

Mike

I married a tall, silent guy. Mike is an introvert. He knows when to speak because he processes what he is going to say before he opens his mouth. Mike works from home; by that I mean he is taking care of business. On weekends Mike has not stopped doing things around the house. He has painted the living room and downstairs bathroom, and is now prepping one of the upstairs bathrooms. We are out of paint but that didn’t hinder his plans; he ordered more online. Over the weekend he took on the task of trimming the hedge growing on the brick wall. I liked when he traveled — more time for me to relax. If I felt like it, I’d make my bed; I never put my clothes away either. Now I have to not only make the bed but the entire house has to be cleaned. I can put up with this routine, but the war movies are too much for me. Mike always gets to select what we watch on TV. If I make a suggestion, it’s always, “We’ll watch it for 15 minutes, and if neither of us likes it, we’ll stop and find something else.” Even with this I have to pray,”Please God, anything but Gladiator, Braveheart or Diners, Dive-in and Dives!”

My Prayer: Dear God, we are all at Your disposal. We need Your comfort and direction more than ever. Heal Your land Lord, and make us whole again. We wait for Your Hand to move upon this situation. Protect us and our loved ones. Amen.