1 Peter 4:12-13 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

¹² Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as if something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly.

The Disorder

I have lichen plantus, an autoimmune disorder; my condition was confirmed by a biopsy. It has been an uphill battle, and sometimes I feel like a hopeless case. Last week after giving me over 40 shots of steroids on the lesions of my arms, the dermatologist has referred my case to a skin specialist at UCI (University of California Irvine). The doctor also stopped the light treatments that I was receiving because they triggered itching.  For the last seven months, the condition has not improved;  there is no pain, just excessive itching and unsightly lesions. My daughter’s dog, Paco, suffered from fleas this past summer and, until they got the right treatment, the poor dog would scratch and cry at the same time. This is the only comparison I can make with my condition. I feel like a dog infested with fleas, but, unfortunately for me there is no relief.

The Treatments

From the beginning of the journey I have tried many home remedies. “You need to eat aloe vera!” This will help cure you, one friend said. The next morning after Mass, she brought me a large prickly branch of the homeopathic plant. As I cut the branch into smaller portions, the sap was slimy and made me gag. I did what I was told; I swallowed two fingers’ worth of the aloe vera while jumping up and down, screaming “I can do this! I can do this!” This caught the attention of my grandson who came running to the kitchen to investigate the matter. “Grandma, what is that?” Lucas pointed to the clear, jelly-like substance. I answered the first thing that came to my mind, “it’s elephant snot.”  I could not continue to swallow the slimy jelly. I felt like I had ingested a slug, so I put the aloe vera into a smoothie instead. Another well-meaning friend gave me liquid CBD. “Just put a few drops under your tongue before you go to bed. I did a lot of research on this, and I know it will work,” he said. It did not. I purchased some ginger root, cut it up and placed it on the lesions that I could reach, but that did not work either. I had holy water from  Lourdes, France and thought for sure that this would do it because I had received a healing in the past. But, sadly, I had no relief.  “You need to take a warm saltwater bath and this will do the trick!” said another friend. This just triggered more itching! I received a package from another friend in Colorado, who is in the CBD business. The package included some medicinal ointment and a slew of chocolate laced with CBD’s. There were no instructions with the candy, so I ate some, thinking it was part of the medicine. It made me feel a little drowsy and I fell asleep. When I woke up from my slumber my teeth were filled with cannabis seeds. I’ve tried turmeric in a soft chew, but to no avail. “You need to bathe in guava leaves, but you must first boil the leaves .” said another friend. With this suggestion I just got a visual of me boiling the leaves and carrying the water upstairs to the tub. I saw “accident” written all over it, so didn’t even attempt it. Then I had an epiphany: I remembered the holy oil that from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. This holy oil is almost impossible to come by because it is produced from the oil lamps in the tomb of Jesus. Only the Greek Orthodox have access to this oil. We were at the church  and as soon as I saw a man exit the private door of the Greek chapel, I ran to him and asked for the oil. He gave me a blank look and continued to walk away. I told the ladies I was with that we needed to wait. Sure enough, he came back and when I asked him again, he replied “How many?” We did not want to come across as greedy so we asked for seven bottles. I prayed for a miracle before lathering myself with the holy oil, but when I woke up all my lesions were still visible.

Wisdom 16:12 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

The Torment

Last week for the first time in months, I cried. I told Mike, “I can’t take this anymore! The itching is too much!”  He was making dinner, and looked at me with great compassion. He said, “It’s going to get better, you’ll see.”  “When? I yelled!” “Soon,” he softly answered.” At that point I did not care about my disorder; I was ashamed of my selfish behavior. I walked out of the kitchen and into our family room. I sat on the couch and thanked God for Mike, then  lifted my top and scratched my back.

Trusting God

The God that I serve will neither leave me nor forsake me. I am being tested, not only to trust God, but to develop patience. God knows how I suffer from impatience. Another lesson the Lord is teaching me is to offer up my suffering for others. My condition is not contagious, or life-threatening, and for that I am grateful. During the seven months with this disorder I had forgotten to invoke the army of saints to intercede on my behalf. I am calling on St. Rita of Cascia, the saint of lost causes or impossible cases;  St. Jude, saint of desperate situations; and St. Anthony, saint of skin diseases, to plead on my behalf. I am learning to suffer in silence and to offer up the discomfort for those who are experiencing life threatening trials. In the end the battle belongs to the Lord. Please pray for me.

Mike and I were both in our thirties  when we met our best friends, Larry and Helen.  Mike and Larry were in the tortilla industry; they were competitors, but destiny would change all that. TIA (tortilla industry association) is an organization that brings tortilla manufacturers together, and that’s when we met Larry and Helen. TIA was having a semi-formal event, and, of course, I had nothing to wear.  I was in an awkward fashion stage; my choice of designers was between Gunny Sack and Laura Ashely. I heard that Gunny Sack had opened an outlet in Montclair, a city about 45 minutes from my home.  I drove to the shop in Montclair,  and I will never forget the black glittery dress with a full tulle bottom that I purchased from Gunny Sack. It was an ugly dress from the beginning, but I did not realize it until the day of the event. The dress was so tight that I had to get a girdle, and this undergarment fastened with the old-school hook and eye. Needless to say, this was going make for an interesting evening.  Honestly I have never been so fashionably uncomfortable in my life. My new shoes were too tight as well.  When I was introduced to Helen, I was tugging at my dress and felt that this stupid undergarment was partly unhooked.  Helen was wearing a beautiful suit, her heels matched perfectly, her hair and make-up looked like a professional had just put her together. After our greeting, I mentioned how very uncomfortable I was. Helen gave me an empathetic look, and turned to talk to Larry; that was our first encounter. My first impression of Helen was that of a sophisticated woman who wore feathered, heeled slippers around the house.  You can guess what her first impression of me was.

Proverbs 20:6 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

⁶ Many say, “My loyal friend,” but who can find someone worthy of trust?

Mike and Larry

As fate would have it, Mike and Larry were forming a strong bond. Though they were competitors fighting for their tortillas to have the best real- estate on the shelves at the supermarkets, they put all business aside and became great friends. They planned many dinner engagements and attended the same conventions without bringing  any strife into their relationship. While other competitors were out to cut your throat, Mike and Larry never displayed this type of behavior; instead they looked out for each other. Larry is gifted with ingenuity, and  Mike is a great thinker who will never make a decision without putting it to paper. These two great minds make for a wonderful alliance. Mike and Larry kept personal business to themselves, but always shared advice.

The Friendship Bond

During our physical and emotional trials, as friends we have always been there for each other. When I broke my leg, Helen took me to my doctor’s appointments. I reciprocated by taking her to her appointments when she needed surgery. We depend on each other for prayer, especially for our children. Our friendship has passed the test of time, and 29 years is proof of that. Love always prevails in a godly friendship because a good friend says the right words when you are hurting.

Proverbs 18:24 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Good Friends Make Bring Joy

A good friend makes you laugh, and by that I mean a good throw-your-head back laughter. Our first trip together was to San Francisco. While Helen and I shopped, Mike and Larry enjoyed Nordstrom’s wine tasting for $4 a glass. The wine was really an expensive brand, so Mike and Larry took advantage of the deal. We went to dinner at a popular Chinese restaurant and Larry ordered so many things from the menu (he still does this). I felt bad to leave so much food, so we had it packed up and gave it to some homeless people.

We have traveled to New York with our friends for many years. I remember on one of our first trips, Larry wanted to go out for dinner, but it was already past 9:00 P.M. I told Mike I was too tired to go to dinner, but Larry insisted on us going. He came to our room and made us go. In protest, I told everyone that I was going to dinner in my pajamas. This is when Larry and I started bumping heads. After three days, the four of us know that Larry and I were going to have disagreements on what we planned to do. Larry always wins, but to this day I still stand my ground. My words, “Why do we always have to do what Larry wants?”

On our first trip to Europe, I arranged accommodations for the hotels. I fell in love with the description of a boutique hotel in Florence, Italy. It was a converted monastery, but when we arrived  it was more like a gloomy Bates Hotel.  It was so noisy that we could not sleep. I told Mike to please go and complain to the front desk, but the noise got rowdier. Mike went to the room next door to tell them to keep it down. When Mike returned to the room, the countenance on his face had changed. “What in God’s name happened to you?” I asked. Mike could barely describe the trauma he had just experienced. He said that when he knocked on the door, a huge, naked Middle Eastern man answered. The man looked at Mike, and Mike took off running. Thank God Larry took charge, and the following morning we changed hotels and found a really swanky one.

Godparents 

We were having dinner at P.F. Chang’s in Newport Beach 23 years ago, when Helen announced that she had some great news for us. I sarcastically blurted out, “Oh my God, you’re pregnant!” Of course I was just kidding, but Helen was indeed with child. Larry and Helen welcomed their fifth child, Marcus, into the world. Mike and I were so excited to become Marcus’ Godparents. Marcus brought us all closer together. The dynamics of our travels changed and usually included baby Marcus. I had little patience for babies, but Marcus put my heart in the right place. Before Marcus was born, I would make ignorant remark like, “I don’t like babies.” I still am not the cuddly baby type of person.  We have participated in most of Marcus’ milestones,  and I can say that he is a fine young man. Larry and Helen baptized our granddaughter, Maddie, and Helen sponsored Sonja in her Sacrament of Confirmation.

Protect Your Friendships
For years I prayed for good friends. The Lord wants us to have friends, He speaks about this in the Bible. Friends keep us honest; they make us rethink our decisions. A good friend is hard to find, but when you find one, you must always protect the relationship. In this world of lost, lonely people, friends are extraordinary. I can say I have a hand full of good friends, people that I call on a regular basis for support and prayer. I cherish and protect these relationships because without my friends I would be a lonely soul.

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  1 John 4:1 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Chapter 4

Testing the Spirits. ¹ Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

In my teens I looked forward to reading my horoscope. I was born in early August, which meant I was a  Leo.  I liked astrology and  what it represented: Leo’s were outgoing, Leo’s were loyal, and Leo’s were leaders. As I got older and wiser, I started to outgrow the desire for astrology. I married young and was too preoccupied to seek  advice from the stars, but it was still very much with me. From time to time, out of curiosity, I would dabble back into reading my horoscope. I read my husband Mike’s as well. I remember reading in Mike horoscope one day, that he would lose something of value. On that same day Mike lost his wedding band. When this happened, I started reading horoscopes again.

The Open Door

This was the mid-70’s and Cosmopolitan Magazine had an entire page dedicated to astrology. I gleaned what I wanted from the reading, never really took it to heart; but I was still intrigued with the excitement of what was in store for me that month. I had taken a sabbatical from the Catholic church and found a new, non-denominational fellowship. Unaware that I was serving two gods, I was told very firmly by fellow Christians that horoscopes were demonic. At first I believed that these people were overreacting, and I continued to read my horoscope. After all it was just for fun. But astrology was an open door to Satan and a personal invitation to allow Him access to your spirit.

Deuteronomy 18:10 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

¹⁰ Let there not be found among you anyone who causes their son or daughter to pass through the fire, or practices divination, or is a soothsayer, augur, or sorcerer,

Cold Turkey

I was growing by  leaps and bounds in my new-found “Born Again” religion, and the closer I came to understand Scripture, the more I understood the dangers in this practice of astrology. We are all searching for God, or some type of meaning for our existence, but some of us take different directions to reach our destination. The highway I traveled included this “New Age” passage. When you stay and visit, you become familiar with the company you keep and want to stay longer or return for another visit. That how’s it was with astrology and me. I thank God that I made a clean break. This seeming innocent practice is treacherous because it leads to other occult practices. Palm reading, fortune telling, psychic readings, mediums, and many other avenues also lead to the occult.

Fighting the Demons

During that time, I took a  short trip to New Orleans to visit family, and wanted to visit St. Louis Cathedral located in Jackson Square. There were so many obstacles in the way before you could reach the doors to the church. Tarot card readers were stationed in several different locations. I decided to fight against these demonic forces.  As I passed each card reader, I was silently  praying against their evil spirits. I felt great victory and thought myself a valiant warrior for doing God’s work against these demons. I walked into the church with great pride, and continued to pray. I was a baby Christian and believed that this battle was over.

When I returned from the trip, I became deathly ill. I had never been so sick. I was bedridden for a week before I decided to seek  medical attention. It took an entire month for me to finally recover from this mysterious illness. I realized that the illness was caused by praying against the evil spirits of the  all those tarot card readers. These demonic forces had strength in numbers, and I fell into their boiling pot because I was not equipped to fight these demons on my own. that was when I made the connection of how these attaching spirits are controlled by Satan.

New Age

The New Age umbrella is disguised as a feel-good religions. You are your own demi god and live in a world of confused people. This type of belief leads to relativism. Nothing can go wrong in your world because you control your own destiny. So many religions fall under this New Age banner and many are being led astray, including many well-meaning Christians. New agers engage in meditation techniques, Zen, Hinduism, Sufishism, and Indian religions. These groups mix philosophy with their own beliefs. To reach an altered state of mind, they use crystals, hallucinogenic drugs, yoga, and breathing exercises.

The following information is from Father Mitch Pacwa, an expert on New Age:

1. Monism. Everything in the universe is one. This includes all forms of life–material things and even angels. “There is no difference between us and the air, us and the rocks, and so on.”

2. Everything is God. God is in everything. God is everything. This is pantheism, the belief that everything is in the one divine nature. “We are God, the lights are God, the chair I sit in is God.”

3. We need to be enlightened through humanistic psychology. We must be made aware of our oneness and spiritual power. This is where many Catholics veer off course with things like the enneagram, a system of numerology intended to make a person perfect, better and whole by understanding personality types. “The way it is taught,” says Father Pacwa, “people try to save themselves instead of depending on the grace of Christ. People go from enneagrams to Eastern meditation to get out of their “personality types.”

4. Expect a New Age to dawn. It will rise “out of the ashes of the Western world view” (cosmic evolutionary optimism). They wish to displace Christianity with a great “collective unconsciousness,” where all “archetypes” dwell (that’s what New Agers perceive angels to be).

The High Priestess of New Age, Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey is the new spiritual icon of this age. She has been working overtime in promoting her New Age agenda. The books that she shares with her students are all New Age: The Secret, A New Earth, and  A Course in Miracles. Oprah has millions of followers, and is making a killing in her webinars. She is feverishly turning many Christians away from God with her New Age beliefs. It is difficult to discredit this powerhouse, but with God nothing shall be impossible.

Luke 1:37 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

³⁷ for nothing will be impossible for God.”