Lift High the Cross

15 Thursday Sep 2022

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Evangelization

Tags

Adoration, Faith, Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, God-moments, Grace, Jesus, Lift High the Cross

I have had the great fortune to spend this week at the Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kansas attending the Catholic Spiritual Mentorship Program as an alumni staff member. As always, it has been an absolutely awesome week! I received a text this evening from my spiritual director back home in Ohio asking me how my week is going and that he is praying for me. I responded that, once again, it has been an amazing experience in an amazing place with amazing people and I still have three days left! I added my thoughts about why it is that way, “It’s 100 people all seeking the same thing – holiness and the desire to help other men and women to do the same. It’s the spiritual friendship that is developed from that common desire. It’s communion with God and with each other! I wish you could be here, too.”

His response: “Amen! The Lord’s prerogative! His words at the Last Supper: ‘I pray for them, that they may be one…me in them, I in You, and You in Me, that we may all be one!’”

Did I tell you I love my spiritual director?

I wish each and every one of you could be here! We receive so many graces and feel the presence of Christ in so many ways, especially through our interaction with the students and staff.

Yesterday I posted Recognizing Miracles: How You Can Resurrect the Dead in which I suggested that the dead or lukewarm spiritual lives of people we know can be resurrected by our witness to the presence of God in our lives. I want to practice what I preach by passing on to you a special moment from yesterday.

Wednesday was the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, a feast that was first celebrated in Rome before the end of the 7th century. It commemorates the recovery of that portion of the Holy Cross which was preserved at Jerusalem, and which had fallen into the hands of the Persians. It was recovered and brought back to Jerusalem in the year 629.

At mass yesterday morning in the chapel we sang the hymn Lift High the Cross. The song’s refrain goes:

“Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim

’Til all the world adore his sacred name.”

The cross, that instrument of death which the Romans utilized to put fear in anyone who might think to counter their authority. The cross, upon which Jesus died for our sins so that we might have eternal life. The cross that, because of His resurrection, became a symbol of victory to all believers and, ironically, was used by Christians to thumb their noses at Roman persecution.

As I sang those words I thought how it explained our mission perfectly, to proclaim the love of Christ so that the world will adore Him.

Later in the day we were gathered in the chapel for Adoration and Reconciliation. At the end of the Holy Hour I lingered for a few minutes as the others processed out. When I bowed to take my leave, I looked up at the crucifix behind the altar and froze in wonder. I took this photo so that I could share it with you.

The shadow behind Jesus on the cross, which isn’t visible most of the day, struck me as an image of God lifting the cross high as if to say, “Here is my only Son Who gave His life for you! Adore Him and proclaim His sacred name!” Can you see it?

This is how God works in your life when you are open to receiving His love and reassurance that He is with you at all times! You see and feel His presence in so many and unexpected ways.

Ask our Lord to open your heart so that you may readily feel His presence, too.

I would love to hear of how you’ve seen or felt God working in your life lately. Please feel free to share by adding a comment. Thank you and God bless!

“Thank you, Jesus, for allowing me to feel Your presence in my life. ‘I adore You, O Christ, and I bless You, for by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world’. Amen.”

(Lift High the Cross was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2022 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

Ask and You Shall Receive

28 Saturday May 2022

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Prayer

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Charity, God-moments, Grace, John 16:23-28, Love, Prayer

(A reflection on the Gospel of John 16:23-28)

One night a week or so ago I didn’t sleep well and I woke up groggy and too late to go to 7:30 morning mass. In fact, I barely had time to get my act together and make it to 9:00 mass at another parish. I didn’t have time for my morning meditation and, because of the slew of errands i I had to run during the day, I knew I wouldn’t be able to fit it in until my Adoration hour that evening. So, my resolution for the day was the standard I use in situations like this: “Heavenly Father, grant me the grace to recognize and act on the opportunities you present to me today to be charitable to others. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

My first stop after leaving mass was the grocery store. As I pulled into the parking lot the skies opened up and it began to pour down rain. I decided to wait it out and lay my seat back and take a little nap until it stopped raining. I checked the clock to see what time it was and then closed my eyes. Three minutes later, just as I was about to doze off, I heard a knocking on my window. There, looking me in the eyes with her nose almost touching the glass, with either rain or tears running down her cheeks, was a young woman asking, “Sir, my car won’t start, would you mind giving me a jump?”

I immediately replied, “I don’t have any jumper cables” (which was the truth), to which she responded, “I do!”. I couldn’t very well say we should wait until it stops raining since she was already soaked to the bone, so I agreed to help her.

The shopping cart corral was between her car and mine so I pulled out and maneuvered my truck close to her little sedan. By the time I got my hood opened I was already sopping wet. The young woman pulled her jumper cables out of her back seat and they were the shortest set of cables I’d ever seen, only about three feet long and they wouldn’t reach my battery. I repositioned closer to her car, reopened the hood and connected the cables, which barely reached, and soon we had her car started. As I disconnected the cables and closed the hood, she politely told me, “Thank you.”

I got back in my truck and pulled back into my parking spot. As I watched her pull away I realized the extent of my sogginess. I started to complain when it hit me that I had received exactly what I’d asked for, a chance to be charitable to someone else. I looked upwards and, with a chuckle, prayed, “Lord, you didn’t waste any time, did you!” In my imagination I could hear God, with a chuckle in His voice saying, “You asked for it so I gave it to you. Thank you, my son”, to which I replied, “You’re welcome….and thank You!”

This memory came back to me as I read today’s scripture. In today’s Gospel, John 16:23-28, Jesus tells us that “whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give it to you….ask and you will receive so that your joy will be complete.” This was nearly the last thing Jesus said to His disciples before He was arrested. It was His last request to His friends. He had told them He was going away but He would send the Advocate to be with them in His absence. He wanted them to know that He wasn’t leaving them alone and if they trusted in Him they would still find joy no matter what.

Jesus wants us to trust Him, too. He wants us to know that His Spirit is with us all the time and all that we have to do is call upon Him and ask Him for what we need. We please Him immensely when our request is for something good, something that is in line with making us like Him, something that leads us toward holiness.

If our request is for something that is not good, we might get what we ask for or we might not. We might get it to teach us a lesson, or we might not get it because we’ve sold ourself short and He’ll give us something even better. The important thing is to ask Him, to include Him in our daily lives, to trust that His generosity will provide the best for us and that it will complete our joy.

How often do you ask Him for help?

“Lord Jesus, I know that I don’t ask You for Your help nearly enough. You’ve told me that, without You, I can do nothing. I need to take that to heart and spend more time asking You for the good things in life like: loving my family and neighbors as they deserve to be loved, being more virtuous, and loving You more dearly by spending quality time with You in prayer. Come, Holy Spirit! Amen.”

(Ask and You Shall Receive was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

No Chance Encounters

16 Sunday Jan 2022

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Discipleship

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

1 Samuel 9, Calling of Matthew, Discipleship, Friendship, God-moments, Mark 2:13-17

The Calling of St. Matthew, Matthias Stomer, 1629

In yesterday’s first reading from 1 Samuel 9, we heard about Saul the Benjaminite who, while out looking for his lost donkeys, just happened to run into Samuel the prophet. Samuel had been told by God the day before that he would meet the man whom he would name as the new king of Israel at that specific time the next day. From Saul’s perspective, It was a chance encounter. From Samuel’s, though, it was God’s plan.

In yesterday’s Gospel, Mark 2:13-17, we read about Jesus calling Matthew, son of Alphaeus, to follow him. Matthew certainly wasn’t expecting to be called, but it was in Jesus’ plan to pass by his tax collection booth that day and invite him to be His disciple.

Jesus meets us in unexpected, memorable and life changing ways, also. Unfortunately, when He does, we can be quick to write them off as mere coincidences. I’ve learned, though, that most anything very far removed from the ordinary is God working in my life and not just a result of dumb luck. He’s calling my attention to Himself and His will. Sometimes it may only be a reminder that He is here with me, sometimes a reminder to be grateful for His providence, and sometimes He’s telling me I need to make a course correction. Sometimes it’s all of the above.

I had a little God-moment yesterday. An old friend, Joe, called me out of the blue. I hadn’t talked to him in many months, and only a couple times since he moved away five years or so ago. Joe and I first met ten years ago this coming April on a Christ Renews His Parish weekend, a retreat in which neither of us ever expected to participate. Joe was a lukewarm Catholic with little desire to grow deeper in his faith but attended to placate the man who kept pestering him. Me, I had never had any faith to allow to grow cold. I was simply at a low point and attended to get away from the stress of life for two days.

From the get-go, Joe and I hit it off. We became instant friends, both satiated with the Holy Spirit by the end of the retreat, and wondering where we would go from there. I chose to join the Catholic Church and learn more about Jesus, and Joe chose to begin living out his faith with renewed zeal. We were both on fire and our friendship kept each other stoked like a blacksmith’s furnace. Together, we went onto the next Christ Renews team. We met for lunch once a week and shared how God was working in our lives. We participated in a men’s small group at which we discussed the Gospel and learned more about our faith from other friends.

And then Joe changed jobs and moved a couple hours away. We lost touch, yet we kept moving forward in our own ways. Joe got involved in the small parish which he attends and started making new friends. I retired and began studying to become a spiritual mentor. Our small group slowly dissolved and I found new friends with whom to share my faith.

We talked for over a half hour, catching up with each other, our families, our faith. He called me because he thought of me and our Christ Renews His Parish journey together. He was giving a pulpit talk this morning to ask men to attend a weekend retreat and he wanted my prayers.

I told him I have a couple groups with whom I meet regularly and just last week gathered together some of the old guys from our first group. It was a fun reunion and we talked about resuming regular get-togethers. Joe said he misses those group discussions and would like to get a small group of friends from his parish together to share their faith. We talked about our prayer lives, and about the spiritual mentoring that I do, and he sounded interested in getting his own spiritual mentor. It was almost like old-times. Before we ended the call we vowed to stay better in touch.

After our call, I thought back to how our friendship evolved. We were both called to be on that retreat together. We had our reasons, but God had His own. It was not a chance encounter. Yesterday’s phone call wasn’t a chance encounter, either. We needed each other during that time to grow deeper in our faith which ultimately made us better disciples for Christ. We needed each other yesterday. It was like God giving a couple pumps on the bellows of that old furnace.

The Holy Spirit is still urging us to continue being disciple makers. And, because of this, we have the grace to know and accept that He puts Sauls and Matthews in our lives by His plan and not by coincidence. But, they don’t know that….not yet.

PS: My wife and I arrived at mass this morning just moments before the opening procession. Not wanting to walk down the aisle to our preferred seat, we took a spot in the back pew on Mary’s side, at the far outside end of the pew. As I sat down I remembered that this was Joe’s seat. He would always get there early to make sure someone else didn’t get it. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

“Heavenly Father, thank you for the friendships we have developed with You as the Common Denominator. Through them You give us the extra help we need to be disciple makers and bring our brothers and sisters to You. Amen.”

(No Chance Encounters was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

God Returns Our Generosity

29 Wednesday Jan 2020

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Generosity

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Encouragement, Generosity, God-moments, Joy, Mark 3:35

After writing today’s post, Please Pray for Our Priests, I thought I would write something a little less somber and with less gravity. I posted Looking for God Moments on Monday about an experience of grace I received the previous day. Well, the Lord didn’t wait long to bring me to another one of those moments. Let me tell you what happened yesterday.

On Monday night in a meeting with 13 other men, we talked about qualities we need to exhibit to imitate Christ. Two of those were generosity and forgiveness. With respect to forgiveness I mentioned that I easily forgive others and have never held grudges. On the other hand, I feel I struggle with being generous to others in the form of encouragement and affirmation. I’m not saying it doesn’t exist, just that I wish I were better at it.

Yesterday morning after reading the Gospel from Mark 3:35 where Jesus says, “Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother”, and knowing that the will of God is to love him and others, I recollected the discussion from the previous evening. I realized I could love others more effectively by improving my generosity and making others feel valued. My resolution for the day was to look for and take advantage of any opportunities that might arise.

Finishing my prayers, I noticed I had a notification on my FaceBook page saying that it was the birthday of my Tuesday afternoon Holy hour prayer partner. Since I would see her later in the day I saw this as an opportunity for which I had just prayed and resolved to take action. I found a nice blank note card and wrote an encouraging birthday greeting inside. Then later, just before I headed out the door to go to church for my hour of Adoration, I was looking for a book to take and read. I noticed in my book case that I had two copies of Henri J.M. Nouwen’s book, Life of the Beloved. Deciding that I didn’t need two copies, I thought one might make a nice birthday gift for my friend.

As I pulled into the church parking lot my prayer partner was doing the same. With book and card in hand I approached her and gave her my gift. The joy she showed in receiving the gifts bounced straight back to me.

She exclaimed, “How did you know?”

I replied, “Well I saw on FaceBook that it was your birthday.”

She said, “No, I mean how did you know I’ve been wanting to read this book and I planned to go to the bookstore after work tomorrow to get it so I can take it with me on a silent retreat this weekend!”

I replied, “Ha, I didn’t know. I just realized before I left the house that I had two copies on my bookshelf and thought that you might enjoy having one to read.”

Then, as she gave me a quick hug, I looked upwards and thought, “Lord, this is your doing. Thank You for the grace to be more encouraging today and thank You for Your generosity and affirmation for doing the right thing.”

I can’t make this stuff up, folks. God is good and He must chuckle to Himself when He shows His love to us in surprising ways such as this.

“Good and gracious God, thank You once again for Your great love and generosity. You never fail to deliver in surprising ways. You encourage us to keep our eyes, ears and hearts open looking for the God-moments that You bring. Amen.”

(God Returns Our Generosity, was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2020 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

Looking for God-Moments

27 Monday Jan 2020

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Grace

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

God-moments, Grace

One simple thing I’ve learned since I’ve been Catholic is that when I’m not living in the present moment and not opening my heart to the special graces God offers me, I seldom see them. On the other hand, when I anticipate and look for them, I frequently experience what I once called coincidences but have since learned to call “God moments”. Today was one of those days when I felt His presence because I was ready for it. I want to share it with you.

To begin, my resolution after prayer this morning was to try to be a “light” for someone I would encounter today and help draw them closer to Christ. I didn’t know how I would do that but I prayed I would seize the moment if I had the opportunity. The problem was I didn’t plan on leaving the house except for attending a Marriage Encounter meeting tonight.

I discovered mid-afternoon that I needed a head of cauliflower for a recipe I was preparing for dinner. I drove to my favorite grocery store only to find they were sold out of cauliflower. Standing in the checkout line with a few other items I needed, I thought it was an inconvenience to have to go to the other grocery store just to buy a head of cauliflower. I consciously thought, “But, if that’s what God needs me to do, then that’s what I’ll do.” And, I thanked him for it.

The produce section of the second store is just inside the front door so I grabbed one of only four heads of cauliflower they had (and wondered what was up with a run on cauliflower in late January!) and headed for the checkout. But, then I thought of one other item I wanted so I dropped back a couple aisles to get that. On the way, I ran into a friend from our parish and we chatted for a moment. On the way back to the checkout I ran into another friend from church and we chatted for another moment. And, then, as we were finishing our conversation another friend from church, along with his daughter, walked down that same aisle and greeted me. Actually, he and I were more like acquaintances than friends because we’d only met and talked to each other a few times over a weekend last September.

Oddly enough, about a week ago, this gentleman had been on my mind for two or three days straight and I wasn’t sure why. During our encounter last September we had exchanged phone numbers so I texted him this message: “My friend, Jerry Robinson here. We met last September on your Welcome weekend. I hope this finds you well. For some reason that God may only know, you’ve been on my mind the last few days. So I thought I’d reach out to you and see how you’re doing and ask if there’s anything for which I can pray for you. If there is please let me know and I’ll include your intentions in my prayers. God bless you.” I hadn’t thought about him since, and he didn’t reply to my text.

So today, we greeted each other warmly and, a little sheepishly, he acknowledged receiving my text and apologized for not responding. I introduced myself to his daughter and I learned that she will be graduating from high school this spring and is discerning which college to attend. Her dad mentioned they were doing the financial aid thing and looking into scholarship opportunities and I commiserated with him about that process and my familiarity with it having put four of my own daughters through college.

I sensed he was perhaps a little stressed about his oldest child (and a daughter, at that!) heading off to college. I mentioned how it’s not easy when your first born flies from the nest and he readily agreed with me. I asked the daughter about which colleges she was considering and we talked about that for a moment. Then, needing to wrap the conversation up, I mentioned to her that I hoped she will keep her faith once she gets to where she’s going because the pressure to do otherwise can be so great. And, I told her I would pray for her discernment and success wherever she decides to go. With that, I glanced at her dad and saw in his eyes both relief and gratitude. I knew that feeling. I’d been there before.

I don’t know when he and I will talk or see each other again but I believe that, by the grace of this God-moment today, we will be more than acquaintances the next time we meet. I believe that God wanted me to pray for this man and his daughter and thus put him on my heart. And, even though he may not have known how to ask for prayers for the one thing weighing heavily on his heart, I believe we were brought together in that grocery store aisle because the Lord knew my friend needed some reassurance to trust in Him.

“Good and gracious Lord, thank You for Your omnipresence, love and generosity! You answer our prayers when we remain in You, especially when our prayers are directed with charity toward others. Lord, You meet us where we are and use us to bring others closer to You. Thank You for the opportunities that You provide for us to serve You. Amen.”

(Looking for God-Moments, was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

Tuesdays at Five

05 Wednesday Sep 2018

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Evangelization, Faith, Prayer

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Action, Evangelization, Faith, God-moments, Prayer, Thanksgiving

Every Tuesday evening at five o’clock after my Adoration hour, I meet with a small group of two to three other men to share our faith over the last week. This summer when the weather has been nice we’ve met on the bleachers in the shade of the trees behind the baseball field backstop at our parish school. We take turns talking about our progress in piety; the sincerity of our study to learn and grow our knowledge of our faith; any action we’ve taken to help others grow closer to Christ; and to relate any close God-moments we’ve had where we’ve seen or felt God’s presence at work in our lives. We also take this opportunity to help hold each other accountable.

Yesterday, it was my turn to go first. I shared that my prayer life had improved from a couple weeks prior, and, uncharacteristically for me, my study had taken off like a jackrabbit. I’d read four books in the last week – one on meditative prayer, one on life in the Spirit, a short book on devotion to Mary, and Pope Paul VI’s encyclical, Humanae Vitae – as well as listened to some of my classroom lectures. I had a couple action items worth honorable mention, and concluded that I’ve struggled lately with actively recognizing when God has been working in my life. I simply haven’t had any tremendous revelations to speak of.

Next up was my friend Mike. When he got to his study sharing he confided, with a wink in his eye, that he used to read a blog called Reflections of a Lay Catholic but for some reason it’s author had stopped writing. He added that, in fact, he would often get some of his weekly God-moments from that blog site.

Of course, his comments were intended to be a friendly jab at me for slacking off in my writing and they were taken as such. Nevertheless, I made a mental note to double down on living in the present so that I might better realize, when they come along, those small God-moments about which I often write. After my other friend, Paul, finished his sharing, we, as always, held hands, prayed for special intentions, and then together prayed the Lord’s Prayer.

During the forty-five minutes that we sat there sharing, the parking lot had filled up with the minivans and SUVs of soccer moms and their sons eager to get on the field and play. When the three of us finished our prayer we stood and walked to our own vehicles. Mine was the farthest away and as I neared my pickup truck a young mother caught my attention and told me with a sincere smile, “That was a beautiful display of your faith, the three of you praying together in public. I am so glad that my ten-year old son got to see that! Thank you so much!”

I didn’t know what to say other than, “Thank you!”. I think, but can’t say for sure, that I babbled something about doing that every Tuesday evening. I know I said, “Thank you!” more than once and I know at least one of those expressions of gratitude was not just back to the young woman but to the Lord above for creating that special moment and for allowing me to experience it.

Before driving away I sat in my truck and reflected on what had just happened. I thought about the Gospel passages from our daily scripture this week from Luke, chapter 4, the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, and how He calls us to minister as well. I thought about the quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the Gospel at all times. And, when necessary, use words.” I thought about how I often fail to use words as much as I should in proclaiming my faith, but, in this case, I was grateful for the affirmation that my actions spoke so loudly.

I thought about how, just possibly, that ten-year old boy might remember, years down the road, the moment when he saw three old men sitting on the bleachers praying together, and that he may decide to do the same. I thought about the young mother who’s faith may have been severely shaken in light of the current crisis in the Church, but may have just had that same faith reawakened. I thought I will probably never know but I can hope that good will come from it.

Finally, I took a moment to give thanks again to God for allowing me to experience that moment, for showing me that small acts done with love and gratitude are especially appreciated.

And, this morning, I give thanks to God again for giving me the fodder I need to post again in Reflections of a Lay Catholic so that my friend Mike will have something to read for his daily inspiration.

“Father, I love You and I know You love me. You are there for me each and every time I turn back to You after journeying away. Thank You, Lord, for my faith in You and for allowing me to share it with others. Please, Lord, let this ministry be efficacious in bringing others closer to You. Amen.”

(Tuesdays at Five was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2018 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

A Light Silent Sound

15 Friday Jun 2018

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Daily 100, Prayer

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

1 Kings 19:12, God-moments, Meditation, Prayer, silence, solitude

It can be exciting when God lets us know of his presence in those profound experiences when He deals us an “ah-ha!” moment. He certainly gets our attention. But, I’ve come to long for that “light silent sound” (1 Kgs 19:12 NAB) such as Elijah heard on Mt. Horeb in today’s scripture passage. It’s truly a special feeling to be in my place of silence and solitude, in morning prayer and meditating on His Word, and hear God speak to my heart, telling me what He desires of me that day. It’s the perfect start to a day!

(Daily 100: A Light Silent Sound was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

God is a Techie….and I’m Not

31 Thursday May 2018

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Generosity, Prayer

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

Answered prayers, Generosity, God-moments, Prayer

Before I retired a year ago, I did much of my writing from hotel rooms. I was usually away from home one or two nights a week. It was during the two to six hour drives in the evenings from home to my destination that I often became inspired as I reflected on a particular scripture passage and how it related to my life, or an encounter with someone, or even the words to a song. Then, upon arriving at the hotel, I’d stay up late and write my thoughts down into a reflection and post them.

Circumstances have changed since I retired. I still have frequent inspirations but I’m finding it difficult to make time to write. I stay busy during the day with a plethora of activity and I prefer to spend my evenings with my wife instead of behind a computer screen. I try to make notes to myself about blog ideas but by the time I get around to writing them I’ve either lost the gist of the inspiration or it’s been so long that it’s no longer relevant.

Two Saturdays ago I was driving from Ohio to Southeast Missouri to visit family. Since Sunday was Pentecost and the end of the Easter season, I was thinking about the Gospel passages I’d read during Easter. There were three prominent and distinct messages that struck me, but, I couldn’t write them down while I was driving, and I knew I wouldn’t have time when I reached my destination, either. They were good ideas and I didn’t want to lose them! A little frustrated, I uttered, “God, why do I always have these inspirations when I’m driving and I don’t have time to write them down? Give me a break or help me figure this out, would you, please!”

I stopped briefly somewhere in Southern Indiana for a bio-break, to stretch my legs and to grab a burger for lunch. I opted to eat in rather than get it to go since it would give me time to answer some emails and texts I’d received since I left home. As I was replying to an email on my iPhone, I accidentally hit that little microphone icon next to the space bar and up popped some squiggly business at the bottom of the screen and I noticed that what I was muttering to myself was showing up as text.

It took me a second to figure out what was going on. In all my years of using my iPhone, I’d never tapped that microphone button before. Not even by accident. I didn’t know what it was for. Well, I mean, I know what a microphone is, of course, but I didn’t make the connection as to why it was there. I’m from that generation that half way wants to realize the benefit of technology but the other half, in fear, says, “Don’t touch anything if you don’t know what it does!”

Then it hit me. I could dictate messages to myself with that little bitty button! I could record my inspirations as I was driving and then all I would have to do would be to decipher them when I eventually found time to write. I thought, “Wow! This opens up a whole new world!”

And then I realized what had really happened. Just minutes before, I had asked God, albeit in frustration, to help me figure out what to do. Out of His kindness, He didn’t waste any time answering my prayer!

In the final three hours of my drive, I took advantage of that little technological marvel and, putting my inspirations into words, I dictated messages to myself. Now I just need to find the time to put them in coherent sentences and get them out to you. Stay tuned!

“Good and gracious God, you never cease to amaze me with your generosity! I thank you for the many times you’ve revealed yourself to me in seemingly insignificant ways as well as the times you’ve driven me to my knees in awe. Abba, Father, I praise, adore, and glorify you and give you thanks for all the many blessings you’ve bestowed on me and my family. Amen.”

(God is a Techie….and I’m Not was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)
©2013-2018 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

Pops, MoM and Mercy

12 Monday Sep 2016

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Bible Reflections, Love, Mercy, Road Trips, Scripture, Thanksgiving

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

God-moments, Love, Mercy, Prayer, Prince of Peace

In yesterday’s post, A Joyful Hour, I said my wife and I are on another road trip from our home in Ohio to Kansas City and then on to Rapid City, South Dakota. We made it to our daughter’s house safely Saturday evening, enjoyed a nice home cooked dinner and some special time with our two grandsons before they had to go to bed. Our grandson Jack is 20 months old, and Eddie is two months old. I slept well that night and I looked forward to the next morning and a full day of fun with the little guys.

When my first grandchild was on her way almost two years ago, my daughters asked what I wanted to be called as a grandfather. I had thought long about this and one thing kept coming to mind. A friend from Lake Charles, Louisiana, who is a big duck hunter and retriever trainer, told me you should always name a dog with a one syllable name. That way they can remember it easier. Well, in my way of thinking this seemed like a good idea when it came to young children, too. If I went by a one syllable name it would be easier for the little ones to remember it and say it. So, I chose Pops.

When I awoke in the morning I said a quick prayer knowing that it was going to be a good day. I made it to the breakfast table, poured myself some coffee and waited for Jack to announce he was ready to get out of his crib. Before long, my son-in-law, Joe, brought him down the stairs, stood him on the floor and the best thing ever happened. Jack turned around, saw me, hollered, “Pops!”, and came running to me and gave me a hug. What a fabulous way to start my day!

We ate breakfast and then dressed to go to Mass. While at our daughter’s we usually go to the Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Olathe. But, Prince of Peace has been busting at the seams because of the growth in the south Kansas City area and the diocese has decided to build a mission church which will actually be closer to her house than Prince of Peace. The name of the new parish has not been decided yet but we were thinking on the way there that it ought to be called Mother of Mercy parish. Mother of Mercy, aka “MoM”, as opposed to “PoP” for Prince of Peace – get it?

This was the second Sunday for the mission church to celebrate mass in their temporary location -the gymnasium of the Madison Place Elementary School. The altar was set up on the stage with row after row of folding chairs on the gym floor. Melinda, my daughter, Lisa, Jack, and I got there just in time to get seats. The engineer in me quickly counted the number of seats in each row, multiplied by the number of rows and estimated the number of people standing in the back and I came up with roughly 550 in attendance. Not bad at all for the second week of a mission parish!

Until the parish officially gets its name it will be called the New Johnson County Catholic Church. But, I like MoM better so that’s what I’m going to call it for now.

The priest at MoM was a jovial and, I suspect, a very likeable young man. I thought he will probably be a good priest to draw the young families in the area into his flock. I was particularly impressed with his homily about the Gospel reading for the day, Luke 15:1-32, which includes the parable of the Prodigal Son. Although I’ve read this passage many times and heard several homilies about the Prodigal Son, today was the first time I ever fully understood why the brother was so upset about the attention the father was lavishing on the returned son.

I knew that the Prodigal Son, upon demanding his inheritance from his father, was basically wishing his father dead. The father, out of his love, gave his son what he desired. But, it never occurred to me that the robe, ring, sandals and fatted calf which the father gave to the returning son came from what was left after he had been given his half, in other words, the half that was designated for the other son. Seeing the situation from that perspective I thought how I might be a little upset, too, if I was the brother. The priest explained that the father in the parable, when asking his son to celebrate and rejoice the return of his brother with him was actually asking him to forgive and be merciful. I always thought the brother was just a selfish jerk.

Then, having broached the subject of mercy, the priest reminded us that it is the Jubilee Year of Mercy and what is expected of us during this time. But, what it did instead was play to my guilty conscience and reminded me that I wrote a blog post way back in March of this year about The Jubilee Year of Mercy and I promised that I would write more and elaborate on mercy, how we can be merciful and how God is merciful to us. Here it is the middle of September and I still haven’t followed through on that promise. I still have time I thought, and late is better than never.

The rest of the day was spent playing with Jack and holding and getting burped on by Eddie. We went to the Deanna Rose Farmstead in Overland Park where Jack got to see pigs, cows, horses, ducks and, his favorite, chickens. Back at home, Lisa prepared a superb dinner; we Face-timed with our daughter Mary and her two month old son, Patrick, and our daughter, Sara, and her daughter, Elsa; and we wrapped up the day with a board game which I lost. All in all, it turned out just as I thought it would when I rolled out of bed in the morning – perfect.

On Monday we plan to drive for about 12 hours to Rapid City, South Dakota to spend a week with more family. I’m looking forward to the drive, the time spent with Melinda, and the opportunity to contemplate how I can improve my relationship with Jesus. Pops is not looking forward to leaving Jack and Eddie behind but I know I will see them on the return trip in two weeks when we come back for Eddie’s baptism. All in all, I know it will be another good day.

“Dear God, I give you thanks for all your many blessings: for family, and especially for children and grandchildren; and for the opportunity to see more of this magnificent country we call ours, a country in which we can still worship you freely like I did this morning. Lord Jesus, I pray that tomorrow as I meet people on this road trip I will see You in them and that they may see You in me. Holy Spirit, I pray that You will guide me and steer me away from any temptations that might come my way. Amen.”

(Pops, MoM and Mercy was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

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Indirect Grace

12 Tuesday Jul 2016

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Christian Community, Faith, Fear, Grace, Love, Prayer, Thanksgiving

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Christian Community, Faith, God-moments, Grace, Love, Prayer, Rosary

It’s been a good day here in Eastern Kentucky. We worked hard repairing the bathroom floor, tub, and toilet for a gentleman. During the work and at breaks we learned his story. And we came together as a team, teaching and learning woodworking and plumbing skills and getting to know each other.

I have to admit that my mind often wandered as I worked today. I don’t think it kept me from working safely but, unfortunately, I did make a couple saw cuts in error. No, my mind wasn’t always on my work; rather, it drifted to those two new, less than a week old, grandsons whom I have yet to see. So, this post isn’t about our mission work – more will come on that later. This post is kind of a Paul Harvey “Rest of the Story” kind of story about a lesson I learned.

On Sunday I posted in Miracles that my daughter, Lisa, gave birth to her second son on Thursday of last week, two weeks early. On Wednesday morning she went in for an ultrasound and the doctor, after seeing something that didn’t look quite right, recommended inducing labor and delivering the baby as soon as possible. The situation was not life threatening to either mother or baby but it was best to introduce baby Edward to the harsh reality of life outside the womb. I claim I didn’t get the message that it wasn’t a serious issue. My wife says otherwise. But, let’s not go there.

Wednesday afternoon I left on an overnight trip to southern Indiana for business, about a four hour drive. I had a lot of time to worry about Lisa and the baby and all that could go wrong. Memories from a year and a half ago came streaming back to me of how her first son, Jack, had complications after birth and we thought we might lose him. I remembered how I prayed to Jesus with everything I had for Jack’s health. And, I remembered how, after a series of God-moments (see Put Your Faith Where Your Prayer Is) including praying the rosary and asking for the Blessed Virgin Mary’s intercession to Jesus, I was suddenly overcome with joy like I had never known, joy that instantaneously brought me a peace that broke me down to crying tears of Thanksgiving. I felt Jesus assure me that Jack would be just fine.

I wanted that same feeling last Wednesday. I wanted it so bad that I prayed continuously as I drove. I prayed two rosaries and I prayed, “Jesus, I trust in You” until my throat was dry. But, the more I prayed, the more I became discouraged. Nothing was happening. It wasn’t working. I felt ashamed of my inadequate faith.

Desperately wondering what to do next I decided I needed prayer support, someone who would and could pray for us. I remembered that day 18 months ago as I was driving from Cincinnati to Kansas City to see Lisa and young Jack. I remembered receiving a phone call on that drive from a good friend, a mother with four children of her own, and one of the best prayer warriors I know. I remembered how her words brought me such comfort which, I believe, eventually brought me to placing my full trust in Jesus.

I called her and I reached her on the second try. I explained my predicament and my worries. I confessed that even though I was repeating, “Jesus, I trust in You” over and over, I really wasn’t feeling very trustful. Once again her words helped calm me as she reminded me to simply trust in His will; that my daughter and baby are in His loving hands; to accept His Grace; and that He will not give us anything we can’t handle. She said she would pray for me, Lisa and her baby.

A few miles further down the road I received a message from my friend that she, her husband (also a very close friend) and their four children had just prayed, as a family, a decade of a rosary for us. She told me that she found her prayer very peaceful, that she had a calming peace thinking of me driving and praying the rosary. She reminded me again to lean on and have faith in the Blessed Virgin’s intercessory prayers to Jesus, and that she knew Mother Mary was holding Lisa’s hand. When I arrived at my hotel, I messaged her back thanking her and her family for all their prayers. While I had not yet had that moment of divine revelation that everything was going to be okay, I at least felt better. I was mentally exhausted and, going to bed, I immediately fell asleep.

That was the best night’s sleep I’d had in quite some time. When I awoke on Thursday morning I did something I’d never done before. I don’t know where it came from but I uttered, “God is with me. How can it be anything but a beautiful day?” As I was clearing the fog from my mind I realized I knew Lisa and baby would be just fine.

A short while later I talked to my wife. It was at this time I heard her explain that the complications with Lisa’s pregnancy were nothing to get excited or worried about.

Then, I had another revelation. I realized that my fear had been keeping me from accepting God’s Grace. I thought, “He’s probably been intent on getting His Grace to me one way or the other. If I wasn’t going to accept it directly, He would have to get it to me indirectly. So, He brought my friend to mind knowing I would trust her, that through her she would help me hear Him.”

Now it all became clear: It wasn’t Lisa or her baby who needed help. It was me.

That’s God working through the power of Christian Community.

“Lord Jesus, thank You for Your love and for continuing to shower me with Your Grace. Thank you for blessing me with friends who love me and care for my spiritual welfare and pray for me to grow closer to You. Help me to get past my fear so that I may fully trust in You. Amen.”

(Indirect Grace was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)