Let Jesus Love You!

07 Tuesday Jan 2025

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Bible Reflections, Love

Tags

1 Jn 4:7-10, Adoration, Eucharistic Adoration, Faith, Feeding the Five Thousand, Five Loaves and Two Fish, Jesus, Love, Mark 6:34-44, Prayer

In today’s Gospel, Mark 6:34-44, we read St. Mark’s account of Jesus feeding the five thousand. Jesus’ heart is moved with pity for the crowd of “lost sheep”, all those who are following Him, and His disciples are concerned about them going hungry. The disciples ask Jesus to dismiss the people so they can find food for themselves. Jesus responds by saying, “Give them some food yourselves”, which, of course, they see no way of doing with only five loaves and two fish between them.

In this passage we read about one of our Lord’s greatest miracles as he feeds thousands of people with so little food. We get a sense of the extent of His pity, His compassion for all people. Jesus knows they are hungry, that they need food. But, He also knows they are hungry for spiritual nourishment, hungry for truth and hope, and hungry to be recognized as people with dignity and value – things they’re not getting from the Romans and their own religious leaders.

Normally when I read the accounts of feeding the five thousand (or the four thousand in Mt 15), my thoughts go directly to what I can do to reach out and show love and compassion of my own to those who are suffering in some physical or emotional way, whether that is my wife, a child, a friend, or a co-worker. Nearly everyone struggles with life in some regard, and empathic compassion can bring comfort. Occasionally, though, I’m driven by feelings of remorse for being distant and realizing I haven’t loved as I should, or that I’ve ignored someone and haven’t made them feel valued.

It’s easy to place ourselves into the scene of this Gospel as one of Jesus’ disciples and wonder what we can do to better love someone else. But, we too often forget that, like everyone else, we also suffer in many ways. We fail to see ourselves as one of the five thousand and, while putting others ahead of ourselves is a good thing, we also need some love and compassion from time to time.

In the first reading for today, 1 Jn 4:7-10, St. John reminds us that “God is love”, and, “He [God] loved us and sent His only Son as expiation for our sins.” God loves me and He loves you. He has loved us for all of eternity. He loves us for who we are despite our sins. He loves us the same no matter how different we are from each other because He made us in His image. He wants nothing more than for us to be happy, and the happiest we can be is to be united to Him. He loves us in our relationships with other people, in the tiny blessings He sends and for which we are too often ungrateful. He loves us so much that He continues to give Himself to us in the Holy Eucharist! His love surrounds us each and every moment of every day but we are too busy with life to realize it. Consequently, it can be too easy to forget to put ourselves in His presence and actively receive His love.

So, today my post-meditation resolution was not to be intentional about finding a way to love someone else as they deserve to be loved. No, today I resolved to simply spend time loving Jesus and letting Him love me. My Holy hour of Adoration was at 4:00 p.m., and for an entire hour I gazed at Jesus in the tabernacle and let Him cast His loving gaze on me. I shared with Him what was on my heart, what I am struggling with, my concerns and desires. And then I let him console me with His love. It was a beautiful thing!

I’m sure you make time to love other people in some way. And, I’m sure you make time to express your love for Jesus in some way, either through personal prayer or time in Adoration. But do you ever intentionally make time to let Jesus love you, and all that is expected of you is to soak it up? If not, give it a try! You won’t regret it.

“Lord Jesus, You showed the extent of Your love for me by offering Yourself upon the cross to redeem me of my sins. You love me enough to supernaturally give me Yourself in the Holy Eucharist. Lord, You know that in my heart I love You. But help me to more frequently acknowledge Your love for me by spending time with You, by placing myself in Your presence, and letting You love me. Amen.”

(Let Jesus Love You!, was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2025 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.

Love God and Love Your Neighbor

03 Sunday Nov 2024

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Bible Reflections, Hope, Love

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Catholic reflection, Charity, Eucharist, Eucharistic Adoration, Faith, Hope, Jesus, Love, Love of Neighbor, Mark 12:28-34, Sacrifice, The Greatest Commandment

Today’s Gospel was from Mark 12:28-34 in which we hear Jesus’ response to the scribe’s question about which is the first of all the commandments. Jesus replied, “the first is this: Hear; O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Hearing this at Mass this morning, I thought about the examples I see every day from young mothers and fathers, and grandparents, who lovingly, selflessly and tirelessly give of themselves for the sake of their children and grandchildren. I thought of social workers and those in the medical field who live the second commandment in their care for the physically and mentally ill. And then I thought of all those who fail to live this commandment because of their selfish desires for what makes them feel good, or what fits their schedule, over the needs of others. I think it’s a rare saint that can live this virtue one hundred percent of the time. Even the best of us are a mixed bag of charity and selfishness.

As I meditated on how I might love God and neighbor better today, I recalled one morning a couple weeks ago. After morning Mass, our priest exposed the Blessed Sacrament for that week’s day of Eucharistic Adoration. I lingered in my pew for a bit but then decided to go up to the Adoration chapel to kneel before the tabernacle and Jesus in the monstrance. As I approached the tabernacle, I found a young woman already there kneeling. I knelt behind her and as I did I noticed the printing on the back of the sweatshirt she was wearing. It said, “Dear person behind me, the world is a better place with you in it. Love, the person in front of you.”

“Dear person behind me, the world is a better place with you in it. Love, the person in front of you.”

I knew this young woman, or rather I know her parents better than I know her, and I knew that if her apple didn’t fall too far from the family tree, she meant the words that were on the back of her hoodie. I also knew her love for our Lord was strong. Did it make me feel loved? Yes, to a certain extent, but mostly it gave me hope. Hope from the affirmation that there is actually goodness in the world; hope that more people will respect the dignity of all humankind whether they are behind, in front, or on either side of them; and hope that I might grow in that respect, also.

Then, as I knelt there gazing at Jesus in the Eucharist, that in this particular instance, it was the Person in front of the person in front of me Who is the perfection of selfless love. He is our model. And it is by loving Him, and letting Him love us, that we can truly love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your endless love! Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice of love on the cross to save my soul. Help me Lord, give me the grace to love You and my neighbors as You love the Father and all the sinners for whom you were crucified. Amen.”

(Love God and Love Your Neighbor, was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2024 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.

You’re the Best!

23 Monday Sep 2024

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Bible Reflections

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Charity, Christ Renews His Parish, CRHP, Cursillo, Friendship, Humility, Jesus, Love, Mark 9:30-37, Matthew 7:5, Pride, Welcome, Who is the Greatest?

In yesterday’s Gospel, Mark 9:30-37, we find Jesus journeying through Galilee with His disciples on their way to Capernaum. Along the way the disciples are arguing about which of them is the greatest in the Kingdom. As I reflected on this passage, I could imagine how that conversation went. John tells Peter, “Hey, bro, you’re the best!”, and Peter replies, “No way, you are!”. Then James looks at them both and says, “Hey, Philip is the greatest!”, and Philip replies, “Uh uh, Andrew is!

What? You don’t think this is the way it went? You think their egos were claiming that they personally were the greatest in the Kingdom? Yeah, you’re probably right. Most likely, they each thought their faith was stronger, their actions were more charitable, they worked harder than the other. Not much has changed in two thousand years, has it?

Our pride does this to us. We have the need for accomplishment, to feel relevant, to feel worthy, to feel validated by our friends and family, our co-workers. And when we don’t get what we think we deserve, our egos self inflate as a defense mechanism. We may not tell another that we’re better than they are, but we certainly feel that way much of the time. We easily see their faults but neglect to see our own. Jesus pointed this out when He told us to remove the beam from our own eye and then we will be able to remove the splinter from the eye of our brother (Matthew 7:5).

But what if it wasn’t that way? What if we ditched our pride and put on a cloak of humility and actually recognized the positive attributes of others and praised them for their goodness? I’m not talking about false patronizing praise, the kind that makes you want to throw up. I’m talking about sincere, honest, heart-felt recognition for the dignity of the other, the kind of charity that values another over one’s self. It’s not just possible, it actually happens.

This is the kind of loving relationship you find when a group of Christians spend time together growing in friendship, getting to know each other on a deep level. Sure, they know each other’s faults but it’s because the person owning the fault has the self-knowledge and humility to share their weaknesses with their friends. And those friends, rather than rub it in, help the other overcome and improve. In a relationship like this, each knows their validation comes from the Lord, that they are a beloved son or daughter of God. And because of this, they can love as Jesus loved, placing another ahead of themselves without any anxiety about their worth.

Friendship like this can be found in small Bible study groups; with friends who frequently share hospitality; and, especially, those who pray together. It’s the kind of respect and love you find between members on a retreat team such as Christ Renews His Parish, Welcome, or Cursillo. It’s the kind of love that brought me to an encounter with Jesus and has helped sustain me for the last twelve years. It’s life-giving friendship that makes life worth living for everyone involved. Your parish probably offers opportunities to become involved in ways in which you can experience love like this. Get you some!

“Heavenly Father, thank You for the life to which You have brought me. Thank You for the men and women You’ve placed in my life who have invested in me and accompanied me on my journey to You. I pray for the grace to help others do the same. Amen.”

(You’re the Best!, was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

Evangelization Happens at the Pace of Relationship

11 Wednesday Sep 2024

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Evangelization

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Catholic, church, Culture change, Evangelization, Friendship, Jesus, Love, Love of Neighbor, Mercy, Relationships

In just over a week autumn will be here and summer will officially be over. With school starting, most parishes have wrapped up their festival season, had their parish picnics, and are beginning to prepare for the season of Advent.

Our parish family had its picnic in August. (Perhaps I need to explain what I mean by “parish family”. We have a priest shortage forcing our Archdiocese to combine parishes into parish families. Our “family” consists of two established churches whose boundaries abut each other.) To help transition from two parishes into one canonical parish with two campuses, we had one picnic for both churches.

I made it a point to wander around and meet people I didn’t know and to get reacquainted with folks I hadn’t seen in a while. I saw one couple whom I had not seen in four or five years sitting alone. They regularly attend the church that I don’t usually attend. They were eating their meal so I sat down with my plate of food and we reconnected. I asked them how long they had been parishioners and they replied they’d been there about nine years. I said, “You must know a lot of folks here, then.” They looked at each other and replied, “No, not really.” I responded, “That’s too bad, do you feel welcome here?” They again exchanged glances and replied, “No, not really.”

Sadly, this is not an uncommon sentiment by many parishioners. I’ve met too many people who feel the same. They’ve attended church for years but have made no real friends. People from the church I regularly attend have confided the same to me. My family has experienced this with our many relocations. And these days, because my wife and I travel often, we attend Mass at more than a dozen different churches each year and it’s rare that anyone takes the time to welcome our unfamiliar faces.

It’s easy for us to say that those who feel unwelcome are partly responsible due to their own introvertedness. But that doesn’t excuse the rest of us. We’re not all introverted, but even those who are can learn to be extroverted when called to be such.

By virtue of our faith we are all called to reach out to others and build up the body of Christ, the Church. In other words, we are called to evangelize. And evangelization happens at the pace of relationship. Relationships are begotten when we intentionally meet and get to know each other. Relationships build trust, and being trusted is essential when we are trying to proclaim the Gospel and bring others to, or closer to, Jesus.

Evangelization is often considered to be something we only do outside the church doors, to the un-churched. We need to change our thinking. We have to evangelize within our church family as well. At any moment, parishioners like those I met at the picnic may decide that if they don’t meet anyone this Sunday, they’re gone! Tragically, Catholics are leaving the faith in droves, partly because they do not feel welcome. It’s a problem our Catholic culture has to overcome if we want to survive. We have to get beyond the idea that our only responsibility is to attend mass each week and go to confession once a year. Our Creed says we are “One”. We need to start acting like we are all One family and loving the other as they deserve and need to be loved.

We are called to be merciful like Jesus was merciful. That includes practicing the Spiritual Work of Mercy of comforting the sorrowful. We can’t keep looking past people like they are invisible, rather we have to understand that many are struggling, and that not everything is copacetic in their lives. People going through a tough time need a listening ear. A friendly smile and welcoming conversation can turn a difficult day into one of joy and hope. The making of a new friend can end a life of loneliness. And personally, the next new person you intentionally meet might just be your next best friend, the someone you need but just don’t know it yet.

Make it a point to meet someone new this Sunday or at your next parish activity. Be intentional. Attend a different mass, sit in a different pew, look for that spot in a pew next to someone you don’t know. Then, after Mass, turn to them with an outreached hand and introduce yourself. When they respond, take the conversation from there, listening to learn more about them. It’s not that hard and you’ll be glad you gave it a try.

“Come Holy Spirit, rekindle in me and all those who have been Confirmed the virtue of fortitude to get out of our comfort zones and seek out those who need us. Help us to look beyond ourselves and commit to bringing the love of Christ to others. I thank You, Lord, for all those you have placed in my life who have reached out with a friendly hand and a comforting smile and made me feel a welcome member of our Catholic family. Amen.”

(Evangelization Happens at the Pace of Relationship, was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

“Do You Love Me More than These?”

17 Friday May 2024

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Bible Reflections

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Balance, Bible, Catholic, christian, Faith, Jesus, Jn 21:15-19, Love, Meditation, Mental Prayer, Order, Prayer, Rule of Life

In today’s Gospel, John 21:15-19, Jesus has just appeared to the disciples for the third time and has helped them catch a boat load of fish. He and Peter are sitting around a campfire on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias having a conversation. Jesus asks Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Over the years I’ve read this passage dozens of times and today my attention was not drawn to Jesus asking Peter to feed and tend his lambs and sheep. Today, I am pondering what Jesus means by “these”.

I imagine them sitting there together, and as Jesus asks the question, He is gesturing with His hands. At what are they pointing? Jesus could be pointing at the other disciples and asking if Peter loves Him more than the other disciples love Him. Or, He could be pointing at the other disciples and asking if he loves them more than he loves Him. Or, possibly, he’s pointing at the fish on the grill, the nets, or the boat and asking if Peter, the fisherman, loves those things more than Him.

I know that the Bible is God’s Word, and in it, especially the gospels, He is talking to us. He could be asking Peter for any of those reasons, but what is He asking us today in those questions? In the first possibility, it strikes me that one would have to be extremely judgmental and full of pride to think he/she loves Jesus more than other people love Him, especially one’s own friends. It’s a no-win question, “yes” and “no” are both wrong answers. Somehow I don’t think Jesus would put us in that predicament.

Answering the second option is also tricky. Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as He has loved us. Thus, to say we love one more than the other is, again, a Catch-22 situation, one that Jesus wouldn’t impose on us.

The third option, however, is certainly a possibility! Peter’s worldly life revolved around his boat, nets and the fish he caught. My life, and probably yours, too, is consumed with worldly things that too frequently eat up my time and draw my attention away from my Lord. For the most part, they are good things: work, family, relationships, food, rest, exercise, creating, admiring beauty, etc. They are all good things, either created by God or created from the gifts given to us by God. But, we get too attached to them in a disordered way. We become workaholics and fail to give attention not only to God but to our loved ones; or we neglect our work which then fails to provide the necessities for our families. Physically, we eat too much or too much of the wrong things, we exercise too much or too little. We spend too much time looking at our screens for entertainment rather than admiring what is truly beautiful or creating beautiful things.

Can you imagine yourself in that scene, Jesus asking you that question? Can you see His hands and arms spreading wide at all the stuff that draws your attention away from Him? It’s all good stuff in its own way, but you know you’re way too attached to it. And you know deep inside that it’s wrong, that it causes havoc in your life, that it’s the source of the imbalance and chaos that drives your anxiety and unhappiness. There’s a hole in your life that these things are not filling. It’s a God-sized hole that only God can fill.

How do you correct your course? The answer is creating a personal Rule of Life, that is, identifying the most important things in life and putting them first, ahead of less important things, then determining how much time ought to be spent on each of those things. I have a friend who considers a well ordered and productive life to be like following a recipe to bake a cake – you need the right ingredients (the things), the right amount or proportion of each ingredient, and incorporate them in the right order. Of course, time for Jesus in the form of prayer, especially mental prayer meditating on His Word, needs to be one of those ingredients. How much? Try just 30 minutes a day, preferably first thing in the morning, sitting with Him in silence and solitude, reflecting on His Word, loving Him and letting Him love you. That 30 minutes will change your life.

“Dear Jesus, we both know there are many things that draw me away from You, things that cannot bring the joy that You bring to life. Thank You for helping me create a Rule of Life by which I generally keep all of “these” things in order, and first things first. Yet, I know I often slip-slide. Through my devoted prayer time with You, You give me the grace to correct my bearings when I drift off course. Amen.”

(“Do You Love Me More than These?” was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

Road Trip Reflections: Once in a Lifetime Grace

19 Tuesday Mar 2024

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Grace

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Dad, Death, Faith, Family, Father, Grace, Grief, Hope, Love, Road Trips, Trust

I returned home Monday night from what seemed like a twelve day road trip. Actually, it was two 16 hour roundtrips nearly back to back. Neither was one I looked forward to taking. The first was to be with my mother and siblings at my father’s bedside as he lay dying, and the second was to return for his funeral.

Dad was 91 going on 19. His physical body was ravaged from too many years of dialysis after kidney failure, but his mind was still sharp as ever, and his sense of humor intact in spite of his suffering. After being in a coma for most of a week, he awoke long enough to respond to a nurse when asked how he was feeling that morning, “Okay, I guess, but I’m not ready to go dancing yet.” I think those were the last words he said before passing two days later.

I had an eight hour return trip home after he passed, and on the way it occurred to me that, amidst the sadness of dad passing, we also received many graces that come only once in a lifetime.

It’s a rare occurrence that my brother, two sisters and I get together. We were all able to make it there and hold vigil before dad died. We stayed with mom at the hospital, told stories and relived old memories of good times with dad. There was a love present in that room that we probably hadn’t experienced in quite some time.

I sensed an unsettling grace in my silent gratitude for all that dad did for his family, especially the sacrifices he made which were not always convenient or understood by us kids – gratitude that should have been expressed many times but never was.

Between us all, there were dozens and dozens of friends and a few remaining relatives praying for us and for dad. Speaking for myself, I felt the outpouring of overwhelming love from each of them.

There was grace in the realization that God is in control, not us, and that one day we, too, will pass away. This grace is a gift from God that gives me power and strengthens my desire to live a faith-filled virtuous life so that I will be ready for that day.

I found grace in knowing that my grieving was a result of the love I have for my dad, and that, with God, nothing is wasted – my grief, offered up with trust, is being put to good use.

And, there was comfort and grace in the hope that dad is now with the only One in the universe Who loves him more than we do.

Returning to my home town for the funeral also brought more graces. I saw a few relatives I hadn’t seen in decades who came to comfort mom, and old classmates of my sib’s and I, who stopped by to offer their condolences.

Dad was a U.S. Air Force veteran from the early fifties, and he chose to be buried in the Missouri Veterans Cemetery. He received an honor guard farewell complete with rifles fired, and taps played beautifully by a disabled vet. Two Air Force airmen removed the flag covering dad’s casket and, after folding it perfectly, presented it to my mother with the words, “On behalf of the President of the United States….”. There was a flash of humorous irony in this as dad was a life-long, die-hard Republican and was probably rolling over in his coffin at that moment thinking about the current President. But, in the next moment I found some grace in the thought that he might be, at that very moment, being saluted by President Dwight Eisenhower under whom he served as a United States Air Force Technical Sergeant.

Off you go into the wild blue yonder…Rest in peace, Dad. I will love you always. Save me a place up there!

“Good and gracious, God, thank You for the gift of a loving father and for the virtuous example he demonstrated to his family. Thank You for the graces that came from being with him in his final days, graces that came through family and friends, and from remembrances of loving moments shared together with him. Amen.”

(Road Trip Reflections: Once in a Lifetime Grace was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

Fending Off the Peace Thieves

14 Sunday Jan 2024

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Peace

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Adoration, Eucharist, Eucharistic Adoration, Five Minutes' Peace, Love, One Hours' Peace, Peace

I hope everyone had a beautiful and blessed Christmas! This was the year our daughters spent Christmas with their in-laws. Thus, on Wednesday after Christmas we hit the road for a week and traveled to see them, my parents, and my siblings in Southeast Missouri, and as far west as Olathe, Kansas where two of my daughters and five grandchildren live.

We stayed with Mary who has two sons, ages seven and four, both very busy and demanding boys. While staying with them, I came across a children’s book called Five Minutes’ Peace¹. When Mary and her sisters were toddlers in the late 1980s, I read this book to them frequently. It is a story about a mother elephant, Mrs. Large, and her three elephant children. Mrs. Large gets up one morning and finds her children eating breakfast in their trashed-out kitchen. She decides she needs five minutes’ peace so she prepares her breakfast, grabs the morning paper, and heads for the bath tub. Of course, the kids ask why she’s taking her breakfast to the bathroom and she replies, “Because I need five minutes’ peace from all of you!” Then, no sooner than she settles into her bubblebath, the kids begin coming in and disturbing her peace. The first comes in to play a tune on his recorder. The second to read a few pages of her book. And then, the baby with his toys, which he throws in the bathtub and jumps in after them. Soon, the four of them are in the tub together. Mrs. Large has enough, gets out of the tub, dries off and heads for the kitchen still saying, “I need five minutes’ peace from all of you!” In the kitchen, she receives exactly three minutes and forty-five seconds of peace before the kids come to join her.

The story ends before we learn whether or not she put each kid in separate corners with their trunks to the wall. I tried that once with Mary and she peeled the wallpaper off the wall.

We are all a Mrs. Large at various times in our lives. It’s often daily! Parents are harried by their children, employees by their bosses, teachers by their students. Circumstances out of our control cause us anxiety, plans get sidetracked, schedules get delayed. Things break down and bills pile up. There is no end to the plethora of things that can steal our peace.

You walk away like Mrs. Large and the peace thieves follow you. What can you do to keep your sanity?

Instead of looking for only five minutes’ peace, go big and shoot for 60 minutes instead – a full hour. Impossible you say? Not so. Every Catholic church, yours included, has a tabernacle in which the Body, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus resides in the consecrated Eucharist. Jesus is there waiting for you to come to Him, to spend an hour with Him in Adoration and lay all your worries, pain, frustration, and suffering before Him so He can exchange it with His peace and love.

One hour of Eucharistic Adoration where I sit before Jesus and pour out my heart with love for Him is the best way I know to retrieve that stolen peace. I turn away from my troubles and focus on loving Him. In return, He loves me…and I let Him. I feel it, and I soak it up. When that hour is up, I am refreshed far more than any bath or shower can provide.

Be like Mrs. Large. Walk away from the frustrations, but walk to Jesus. Spend an hour with Him. He’ll renew your soul and make all those troubles seem insignificant.

“Dear Jesus, thank You for being there for me, for waiting patiently for me to come to You so that I can adore you and receive Your love in return. You take away the sins of the world. You take away our troubles, too, and You replace them with a supernatural peace that can only come from You. Amen.”

¹Jill Murphy, Five Minutes’ Peace, New York, NY, Penguin Putnam Books, 1999

(Fending Off the Peace Thieves was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

Unexpected Grace

23 Saturday Dec 2023

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Grace

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Answered prayers, Grace, Love, Prayer

This is the year our three married daughters spend Christmas with their in-laws. Our youngest daughter, Grace, who is unmarried, and who has traditionally came home for Christmas, informed us a couple weeks ago that she is scheduled to work both Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas and, thus, would be staying in Nashville for Christmas. Then, much to our surprise and delight, she told us last weekend that she would be off work Tuesday and Wednesday of this week and would be coming home Monday night!

Unfortunately, thinking I had no reason to do otherwise, I scheduled work related meetings for Tuesday and Wednesday that prevented me from spending any quality time with Grace while she was home. But, before she left early Wednesday afternoon, I decided to take a couple hours off and come home for lunch and spend at least a little time with her. On the drive home I prayed, “Lord, I am thankful that Grace could come home for a couple days, and I’m thankful for the little time I’ve been able to spend with her. I just wish we’d been able to have more quality “father/daughter” time together. Amen.”

Pulling into our driveway, I saw her car and remembered she had mentioned that her driver’s door window would not roll down. I thought the problem was perhaps simply a blown fuse. So, I unlocked her car and found the fuse box under the steering column. and, after getting down on the ground and contorting my body into an unnatural position, I determined that the fuse was not blown. I reinstalled the cover, and then began the process of reversing my motions to get up off the ground.

Well, at my age (and size), that’s no longer easy to do. I suppose I used the door arm rest to leverage myself up and, in doing so, I hit the door lock button. Without thinking, I shut the door and, of course, the keys were in the car. Grace’s spare key was in Nashville, Tennessee.

Having paid outrageously for a locksmith in the past, I turned to YouTube for advice on how to unlock a locked car door without a key. Obviously, there must be many Subaru Outback owners who have locked their keys in their cars because there were several videos to view. I learned all I needed were two tools: an inflatable pillow called an air jack, which, when deflated, can be inserted between the door post and the door, and then inflated by pumping a bulb by hand; and a long crooked rod with a hook on the end, and “presto”, the door is opened.

Obviously, Grace wasn’t going anywhere soon so I invited her to go to the hardware store with me and purchase the air jack. Forty minutes later we were back home. She inserted and inflated the pillow while I crafted a coat hanger with a hook to fit between the gap. The coat hanger was about six inches too short and too flexible. I found four one-foot long, one-eighth inch diameter rods that I had saved from somewhere (because you never know when you might need something like that), and I connected them with electrical tape. But, they were too stiff to make a hook on the end.

Grace’s keys had slid off the console onto the passenger’s seat and the buttons on the fob were facing upwards. Grace had the ingenious idea that we try to use the rod to push the unlock button on the fob. We relocated to the passenger side and reinserted and inflated the air jack. The rod reached the fob with about three inches remaining on the outside of the door – too little to hold onto and control the rod’s movement – but still enough to grab onto with a pair of pliers. After another thirty minutes of maneuvering, getting just the right kinks in the rod, and taking turns, I was able to land the end of the rod on the fob’s unlock button and apply enough downward pressure to release the lock! Hallelujah! Amen!

Grace had a five hour drive ahead of her so she hurried and packed her things into her car. After hugs and goodbyes, she headed home and I headed back to the office. On the way in, I thought about the grace I’d just received, about how I’d spent an unexpected extra two and a half hours with my daughter, working together solving a problem, each of us gaining some experience and, best of all, some valuable “father/daughter” time together. I had prayed for that time, and God delivered, not in a way that I could have expected, but He delivered none the less.

“Heavenly Father, thank You for answering prayers in unexpected ways. Thank You for this opportunity for Grace and I to work together, for the time to talk and enjoy each other’s company. And, thank You for the grace to know of Your presence in the moment. Amen.”

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

©2013-2023 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.

Heart Emoji Colors for Catholics

26 Monday Jun 2023

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Love

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Agape, Emojis, Eros, Friendship, Heart Emojis, Joy, Love, Philia, Reconciliation, Sorrow, Storge

A good friend and I often text each other about parish functions and she occasionally includes a colored heart emoji within her text. A couple months ago she responded to a text of mine and it included a blue heart emoji. I couldn’t remember ever getting any message with anything but a red heart emoji so I wondered, “why blue?” I did an internet search on what the different colored emojis mean and, whoa!, I wasn’t prepared for what I found.

The first site I went to indicated that a blue heart alluded to a desire for BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism). I won’t even mention what the other colors signified. Then I realized I was looking at a site devoted strictly to sexual connotations. (Don’t get any ideas, we are both happily married to our own spouses!) Continuing on to two other sites, I read where blue indicates trust, confidence and loyalty. Phew, that sounded much better!

In perusing the various sites I found that each color has a general, but not universal, loosely accepted meaning. For example: Green might mean jealousy; Purple, sensitivity; Yellow, happiness; and, of course, Red universally means true love; but there are no consistently recognized conventions for each color.

Well if that’s the case, I thought, why can’t I devise an emoji color scheme for Catholics? It might catch on or at least keep my good friend out of trouble.

The heart symbol is synonymous with a feeling of love for something. In our faith, we know that love means more than just a feeling, and love takes a different form depending on the object of our love. To begin, we can fall back on the four types of love expressed by the Greeks: Eros, or Romantic love; Storge, or Familial love; Philia, or Friendship; and Agape, Unselfish love for mankind (enemies included) because they are simply children of God.

Let’s start with Eros, romantic, passionate love. No question about it, it has to be red.

The love we have for our family ought to be green. It’s fresh and fun and is always growing.

I like what others say about blue – a friend is loyal, someone in whom you have confidence, someone you can trust.

Yellow should be for Agape love – warm and caring for our fellow humans, and a love that desires the other’s good.

Orange makes me think of autumn leaves, pumpkins, and Thanksgiving. This heart should be used to express love and gratitude to someone for the gifts they bring, especially to show your gratitude for how God has worked in your life.

Purple is the color of the priest’s vestments worn during reconciliation and so this heart has to be used to express forgiveness from one person to another.

In Catholic tradition, the fourth Sunday of Lent is called Laetare Sunday, or Joyful Sunday, and rose colored vestments are worn. Thus, the pink, or rose, colored heart ought to be used to express joy.

And to wrap things up, the black heart needs to be used to express sorrow for another’s loss.

What do you think? We need some morality and consistency among Christians when using emojis. We can’t just attach any color emoji to a text or social media post without making it mean something. And, when the uninformed (the rest of the world) questions why you used a color that they think means something different, you can correct them and even use it as an opportunity to evangelize!

Share this with everyone you know. Let’s get the word out and take back the internet! Can I get an “Amen”?

(Heart Emoji Colors for Catholics was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

A Father’s Love

07 Wednesday Jun 2023

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Love

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

A Father's Love, God's Love, I Thirst, Love, Meditation, Prayer

Sunday night I posted Road Trip Reflections: Technology and Time Zones in which I mentioned I’d spent the weekend helping my daughter, Grace, relocate from Memphis to Nashville, Tennessee. It was a busy weekend with lots of strenuous physical activity, lifting furniture and heavy boxes. It was also tiring from the mental awareness required for driving almost 1,200 miles. By the time I got home I was exhausted.

As tiring as it was, I have to say it was one of the most pleasurable and fulfilling three days I’ve spent in a long time. It was an opportunity to spend valuable time with Grace. For the most part, it was just she and I working side by side, spending eight hours together in my truck, and sharing meals and life for a couple of days. We talked and I got a glimpse or two of what’s on her mind, what her concerns are, and what makes her happy. Even when we weren’t working or in conversation, it was nice just to be in her presence.

Grace is the youngest of our four daughters. The others are all married with children. None of them live close to us and consequently we seldom get to see them or our grandchildren. When we are able to get together, the days are centered around the grandkids, leaving little time to simply reconnect with my daughters. I love my grandchildren dearly, but I do miss quality time and good conversation with their parents.

There is a certain loneliness that goes along with being a parent once all the kids have flown from the nest and are living their own adult lives. While my head tells me it’s the way it should be, my heart still desires that closeness.

This morning, as I entered into my daily prayer and meditation, I invited the Holy Spirit to open my mind and heart to the Word of God, and I placed myself in His presence. As always, I could sense Him asking me to open up and share with Him what’s on my mind and heart. In that moment, I felt His extreme love for me, a beloved son. It was a love that I could relate to, much deeper, I’m sure, but akin to the love I feel for my own children and the desire to spend time with them. God wants to spend time with me. He wants to know what is on my mind, what are my struggles, what makes me happy (am I happy?), and how He can help me.

In light of my weekend with Grace, I thought how God must long for those similar experiences with us when we get to spend time together. And, I thought how sad and lonely it must be when we are too busy to spend time with Him in prayer.

God gave His only Beloved Son, Jesus, so that we would know His love for us and find unity with Him. Jesus reflected that love from the crucifix when He uttered, “I thirst”.

God thirsts for your love. Love Him by spending time with Him in prayer and daily meditation.

“Heavenly Father, I love You. And, as an adult father, I know Your love for me. I thank You for the grace to spend time with You each morning in prayer, for the conversations we have, for your gentle promptings when I need help. But, I know, too, that the world I live in gets in the way sometimes, keeping me away from You. I pray for Your understanding. Amen.”

(A Father’s Love was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)