“I’m not that interested in ‘mass’ communications. I’m much more interested in what happens between this person and the one person watching. The space between the television set and that person who’s watching is very holy ground.”

Social Media in the Marriage and Family

The traditional family unit has been negatively hit from so many directions in our world in recent times.  Now state and federal courts are, at a few homosexuals’ constant and indignant urgings, adding to the destruction of the traditional and healthy institution of marriage by passing legislation redefining marriage to allow same-sex couples to enter this institution.  It completely shocks and amazes me how these educated and elected individuals can be party to the destruction of the central and so necessary human structure.  But, alas, the members of traditional marriage have sadly and selfishly been part of the destruction of marriage, too with spousal abuse, divorce, and infidelity. How can we possibly protect marriage when many of our own members do not seem to respect it.

Now, enter social media, the smartphone and all the other electronic hand-held gadgets that are supposedly making our lives more organized. Calendars, memo pads, apps out the ying-yang, games, exercise videos, the list goes on at the touch of a button in your hand.  You can look up information in a split second, order books, tickets, reservations, check the weather, find your way through town, and play games online with people you don’t know all at the press of a button or a call out to Siri.  Convenient and simple, eh?  Distracting?  Maybe, depending on who you ask.  Some say that modern technology has made our lives more complicated rather than organized and less stressed.  How much information from the information highway does one need in a 24-hour period?

In all the talks and articles I’ve read, mainly they involve controlling or monitoring the children and young people in the family.  Important as that is, however, the marriage has been affected by online activities as well.  Now we have new friends, old acquaintances, school chums from way back, and even co-workers included in our lives at a more familiar level.  Anyone of these “friends” can be contacted quickly and frequently without too much effort.  So now, not only the children, but married couples are involved in separate and, very often unknown to each other, online communities and friendships. According to an article I read on Psych Central.com, many attorneys search Facebook primarily for infidelity evidence and inappropriate behavior meriting the onset of a divorce.

Physical affairs are one thing, but what might catch us off guard is the emotional affairs that take place online….innocent, right??  NO!  We are learning more and more about emotional affairs having an impact on today’s marriages and relationships on a very negative level.  At neck-breaking speed, we can be “with” someone emotionally online and not think badly of it…..it’s just talking, right?  No, it’s investing time away from the spouse, being more intimate emotionally with another and that will take it’s toll on the relationship, by becoming physical eventually.  I, personally, have seen this happen to a few friends, it is devastating!

So, how do we combat this new invader?  By setting up online rules that both spouses will agree to.

• Trust is essential for good and healthy relationships, but once broken, it’s extremely difficult to regain.  By having all passwords available to each other, this can really help keep things up and up with each other.
• Use best judgment in “friend” selections.  People you probably shouldn’t be friends with online are unmarried friends and co-workers, really though, why do you want coworkers as friends anyway, you work with them….give it a rest off hours!
• Have a “off-line” time with family….turn the phone and computer off at night…..enjoy the people you are with!   Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI talked about online evangelization, but that our online activities should not REPLACE our face to face relationships!
• and of course, be considerate of your spouse; if there is someone they are not comfortable with you being friends with online, by all means, respect their wishes don’t friend them.  No explanation is necessary, but if there is, you are married or in a relationship!

On a positive and personal note, my knight and I live far from family and Facebook has been great for us to catch up with those we love.  Now we’re connected with family members we don’t get to see but once a year, even from his cousin in Germany, how fun is that??  We both have iPhones and have learned to text via the teens in the house, so we use our phones to check in and text throughout the day, “Hope your day is going well, love you!”  He’s silly and sends me pictures of his lunch so I know what NOT to make for dinner…..and I usually get a heart and “hows your day going?   It’s a good feeling that we can use online and smartphones to our advantage in a good way.

The most important thing in the world is your family, without them, life isn’t quite fulfilling, and we need to protect the traditional institution of marriage for our family, our society, and our future.  Our online activity should reflect our priorities.  There’s a great deal of great stuff online, but there is also a great deal of evil.  Keep your shields up and profiles low.

Copyright 2013 Ebeth Weidner

What’s the right answer?  What is the right way to handle a small situation like this?  It is a hard call, since this student probably has no problem losing pens and pencils and asking for more.  The parents aren’t aware that this student doesn’t have enough pens and pencils to get through the school day, much less the week.  They are completely unaware that this is happening all the while, I am having to purchase more and more pens and pencils for my student on a weekly basis.  Should I call the parents and explain to them what is happening?  What would happen if I did call them?  Would be ashamed or would they shame me for calling and disrupting their evening with a petty complaint about their daughter?  I remember a neighbor walking his dog and allowing this huge black dog to proceed to pee on my freshly planted mailbox garden.  I simply said, “Please don’t!!, please don’t…my son just planted there!”  It was MY yard, My mailbox, and MY garden, and his response was, “It’s an animal, lady.”  I said, “It’s YOUR animal, keep him away from my flowers!  I have two dogs that never pee or poop on any one’s yard but our own!  Do the same for me!”  He calmly said something like, “Get over it.”

Silly me, I was right and in the right, and this neighbor was wrong and in the wrong, but I was made out to be the bad guy.

How far have we gone from the reality of right and wrong?  Definitively and concrete right and wrong, black and white, fair and unfair, true and false, real and pretend?

What has happened?  I’ll tell you and it’s a very simple answer that will cause you to react very critical at first, but maybe you’ll see after you think about it for a time.

We have forgotten to give credit to the source of this teaching of right and wrong:   Jesus.   Jesus taught us to be kind, loving and forgiving to each other.  Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches,without me you can do nothing.”  “Love one another, as I have loved you.”  “Forgive, seven  times seventy times”

Our family watched a movie the other night called, “Time Changer” about a  Bible professor from 1890 going forward in time to the present via a time machine and the things that he sees!  He wrote a manuscript where he stated, “Science and scientific finding do not make the statements in the Bible true. Scripture is always true and never needs verification. Scientific support of the Scripture only means the science is true. Because we know the the Scripture already is.”  But the argument from the other professor is:

Without the authority of Christ, mankind is merely left to compare ideas. A morality becomes a matter of opinion. One person says it is wrong to steal, the next person says it is not. No standard is set.

This scientist travels into the future 100 years to see the damage his manuscript does in the way people think, even in churches.  Without giving credit to Jesus, who taught the “golden rule” we have no real and concrete reason to believe and respect the truth.

When we do not think about Jesus as being real and His teachings real, we lose sight of what is truly right and wrong.  When we forget that sin is real and that evil is real, we forget and lose sight of what is true reality.  As the saying goes, “Jesus is the reason for the season” but He is also the reason to believe in natural law of behavior, of right and wrong, the reality of sin and the damage sin causes mankind.  All through the New Testament, Jesus is forgiving, talking, and saving us from our own sins.  Sin is bad, damaging, and real.

Today, with so much violence, immorality, divorce, sex, and redefining things of natural law, look around and see the damage that it does to so many and realize that sin was never discussed in this matter; the right and wrong of the situation never defined and Jesus never mentioned.

Copyright 2013 Ebeth Weidner

Marriage: Why I Never Bad-Mouth My Knight

Last month, my knight and I were blessed to celebrate 20 years of marriage.  Call me crazy, call me just a hopeless romantic, but I LOVE my husband!  Yes, I refer to him as my knight because he is just that amazing in the way he treats me; holding doors for me, getting the car door for me, making sure I have enough cash, gas in the vehicle, and little things in between.  He is the spitting image of his father, who was the perfect knight in his marriage of 61 years.

Through the years, I have met other women, friends and co-workers, who made it their hobby to complain about their husbands; some bitterly, I might add.  Listening to their list of complaints and character flaws, I would hear the anger and bitterness in their voices.  What was so weird was when I had the opportunity to meet these dreadful creatures called husbands, they rarely resembled the descriptions I was provided.  I’ll never forget one lady that I knew through selling Tupperware who threw a huge Christmas party for all her sales force (of which I began part of) at her home.  When I arrived, a son answered the door and took my coat, another lead me to the group, her husband made sure everyone had drinks, food, and were comfortable, all the while our host lead the meeting and celebration without a worry.  I was in a daze by what I saw and what she had described to me for months as worthless heaps that made her life nearly unbearable.

Always reading books and articles on family living and all things related, I came across an article talking about how one can talk themselves out of love.  Wow, does that make sense!  Just as you can self-talk yourself through a trying situation, you can self-talk yourself out of something, too.  Negativity breeds negativity just as easily as positivity breeds positivity…..same process.

From the get-go, in a relationship, respect and mutual admiration should be the front runner for each other.  I know the difference between a good marriage and a bad one, believe me!  Being raised under the umbrella of a miserable marriage where my parents rarely spoke kindly of each other and arguments abounded quite frequently, I see now how much pain and tension it transmitted throughout the family.  I don’t know when it when downhill, but it did and after 26 years of marriage, my father had had enough.

Both my 2 brothers and I watched as the anger, bitterness, and disrespect ruined our parents, which is sad to see that today, both are in their early 80′s, alone, and fighting all the disabilities of aging without a spouse to weather these trials with.  Would they have changed things, if they could see what was before them?  I don’t know, I don’t ask.

Basically, start at the very beginning, at the starting gate, be respectful and show admiration for your new spouse.  Recently, Steve Crowder, a young newly-wed and FOX contributor began writing about his marriage and his thoughts are noble and very needed in this day in age of doom and gloom concerning marriage and traditional family life.  I share his article here.  He is saying exactly what I have been saying all along about marriage and spousal love and respect.

Copyright 2013 Ebeth Weidner

What better way to do that than adding extra time with the sacraments of confession and Eucharist?  Christ gave Himself to us totally and completely, even to the humiliating and horrid death on the cross. During this time of Lent, we can find time in our busy schedules to give a part of us to Him, yes?  Let us examine the sacrament of Christ’s Passion:

The Eucharist is food for the journey

And as they were eating, He took bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them saying, ‘Take; this is my body.’(Mark 14:22)

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. (Mark 14:23-24)

That is what our Catholic Faith demands of us that we believe. If we believe this, we are Catholic. If we do not, we are not, no matter what people may think we are.~Fr. John Hardon

In his encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistica, Pope John Paul II shares with us,

I have been able to celebrate Holy Mass in chapels built along mountain paths,on lakeshores and seacoasts; I have celebrated it on altars built in stadiums and in city squares… This varied scenario of celebrations of the Eucharist has given me a powerful experience of its universal and, so to speak, cosmic character. Yes, cosmic! Because even when it is celebrated on the humble altar of a country church, the Eucharist is always in some way celebrated on the altar of the world. It unites heaven and earth. It embraces and permeates all creation. The Son of God became man in order to restore all creation, in one supreme act of praise, to the One who made it from nothing. He, the Eternal High Priest who by the blood of his Cross entered the eternal sanctuary, thus gives back to the Creator and Father all creation redeemed. He does so through the priestly ministry of the Church, to the glory of the Most Holy Trinity. Truly this is the mysterium fidei which is accomplished in the Eucharist: the world which came forth from the hands of God the Creator now returns to him redeemed by Christ.

Pope John Paul II saw the wonder of the Eucharist and Christ’s redeeming gift in a very deep and pure fact of our existence. It is very difficult to believe in something that is not tangible, viewable, and responsive in the way we humans enjoy daily in every moment of our lives. As a sit here pondering my own beliefs on the Eucharist and what God has done for me in my life, I cannot but think that faith is what we have which opens ourselves to God and His work within us.

Come then, good Shepherd, bread divine,
Still show to us thy mercy sign;
Oh, feed us, still keep us thine;
So we may see thy glories shine
in fields of immortality.
O thou, the wisest, mightiest, best,
Our present food, our future rest,
Come, make us each thy chosen guest,
Co-heirs of thine, and comrades blest
With saints whose dwelling is with thee.
~St. Thomas Aquinas

Copyright 2013 Ebeth Weidner

Everyone of us belongs, there is not one single life set at a higher or lesser scale in the bare facts of human life. I don’t care who says otherwise….it’s not so.

Just think about this:  “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”

We are all baptized in to one body…one society…one world.  ONE

“But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honour to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.”

Do you see this?  “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it.”   Do you see that if one member sins and lives under many sins, the entire body suffers under the same many sins.  Sin is a hurt, a pain, and it truly is damaging to self and others around.

Like throwing a pebble in a still pond…..the ripples spread out far and wide causing tension in the quiet pond.  Disturbing the calm and beauty which is desirous and best.

When we go against natural law, against the Ten Commandments, or the two greatest commandments of love, we sin.  Sin is an act, a choice to go against good and kindness in a hurtful manner.  It does effect others, even to those whom we have not thought of.  We never know who is looking, watching, being effected by our own personal life choices….we will never know completely.  God made us this way, relationships are what we are made for.  Relational people, constantly interacting and reacting to each other.  That is who we are.

So when one lies about another, it is not just between these who people, which is the first ripple in the pond, but it effects those nearest to them as well….the second ripple, and so forth.

If you have seen the classic movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” with Jimmy Stewart, you will remember how many lives were affected by his not being born.  This is a perfect example of how one person can and does affect the society.   So does their sins.

Look through the New Testament and see that every single page consists of Christ forgiving and or talking about sin and our being saved from the effects of sin.  He came down and joined us for this precise thing, to free us from sin and save us from Satan.  Nothing has changed, the war is still being waged against sin, sin is still what we need to be cured of.

So, now do you know where your sins go?  Like the pebble in the pond, your sins go out into the community and causes tension, disturbing the body.  This is why in every parish, the priests strive to be available for confession.  Call your pastor today and make an appointment if you can’t make it on Saturday.

Do it for you, but do it for the Body.

Copyright 2013 Ebeth Weidner 

Do You Know Where Your Sins Go?

We are all parts of one body…one community…one society.

Every one of us belongs, there is not one single life set at a higher or lesser scale in the bare facts of human life. I don’t care who says otherwise….it’s not so.

Just think about this:

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”

We are all baptized in to one body…one society…one world.  ONE

“But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honour to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.”

Do you see this?  “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it.”   Do you see that if one member sins and lives under many sins, the entire body suffers under the same many sins.  Sin is a hurt, a pain, and it truly is damaging to self and others around.

Like throwing a pebble in a still pond…..the ripples spread out far and wide causing tension in the quiet pond.  Disturbing the calm and beauty which is desirous and best.

When we go against natural law, against the Ten Commandments, or the two greatest commandments of love, we sin.  Sin is an act, a choice to go against good and kindness in a hurtful manner.  It does effect others, even to those whom we have not thought of.  We never know who is looking, watching, being effected by our own personal life choices….we will never know completely.  God made us this way, relationships are what we are made for.  Relational people, constantly interacting and reacting to each other.  That is who we are.

So when one lies about another, it is not just between these who people, which is the first ripple in the pond, but it effects those nearest to them as well….the second ripple, and so forth.

If you have seen the classic movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” with Jimmy Stewart, you will remember how many lives were affected by his not being born.  This is a perfect example of how one person can and does affect the society.   So do their sins.

Look through the New Testament and see that every single page consists of Christ forgiving and or talking about sin and our being saved from the effects of sin.  He came down and joined us for this precise thing, to free us from sin and save us from Satan.  Nothing has changed, the war is still being waged against sin, sin is still what we need to be cured of.

So, now do you know where your sins go?  Like the pebble in the pond, your sins go out into the community and causes tension, disturbing the body.  This is why in every parish, the priests strive to be available for confession.  Call your pastor today and make an appointment if you can’t make it on Saturday.

Do it for you, but do it for the Body.

Copyright 2013 Ebeth Weidner

What Are You Waiting For?

… in the check out line at the grocery store?  Waiting as the gas fills your tank?   Are you waiting in line at the movies?  Possibly, waiting on some test results, either medical or academic?  Do you know someone who is waiting on their SAT scores like here at the Pillars household?  Kids are waiting to grow up, teens are waiting to drive cars, graduate out of high school, adults are waiting to retire, and possibly travel.

We are always waiting for something, aren’t we?  Waiting seems to be just another task to complete each day, so why is waiting any different that any other activity we do daily?  Waiting takes on a very exciting rush of both fear and joy when one is expecting a baby; as the baby grows there is excitement about meeting a new person.  I remember how it felt each time I was pregnant, being excited, but also wondering about this new person; the anticipation of the delivery, the baby, and the health of both.

Waiting, it is what we do as a member of this world, but do we do it well?  Do we do it with the proper frame of mind?  Grouchy, impatient, or patient and good natured, as we stand in line or sit with a phone in our ear?  Can we be comfortable in the waiting mode for however long the waiting takes?

Waiting can be hard, especially when we aren’t really sure why we are waiting.  

The season of Advent can be one of those times when we really don’t understand what we are waiting for.  On the one hand, the commercial world is telling us “why wait to decorate” put up your Christmas tree the week of Thanksgiving and they hold “Black Friday” retail sales to get us in the gift-giving panic mode even before Advent begins.  All the while the Church is telling us it’s not Christmas yet, and there is some waiting to do.  How do we go against the commercial tide that is everywhere around us to abide in the Church’s practices and calendar?

Advent also marks the new year in the Catholic liturgical calendar and as we all know new years bring new beginnings; a chance to start over and possibly do better than last year.  A new year brings new adventures, possibilities, and events to ponder and wait for with excitement and some cautious curiosity; if not a tinge of fear.  There may be plans now that will come to fruition this new year that are already being waited for.  But wait, there is more!

More to wait for, something you don’t hear about on the nightly news (ugh!), or in the newspaper, and it’s not a something, but a someone.  No, it’s not the baby Jesus, (or a sleigh full of toys being drawn by reindeer) that we are really waiting for, no.

It is the resurrected Jesus in total fulfillment of His saving glory.  It is the Kingdom of God that we are waiting for, the place of paradise that the thief at the cross spoke of.  It’s the Return.  That is what we are truly waiting for.

In our day to day lives, we strive for reachable goals:  meeting a deadline at work, getting the laundry done and finishing papers, jobs, chores, and assignments.  But there is a reachable goal that we hardly ever think of, much less strive for:  Eternal paradise, the Kingdom of God.

Christ came to us as a human child to bring us the Kingdom of God.  He came to fulfill a mission that came to fulfillment at His passion and resurrection.  He said he was preparing a room for us in His Father’s house.

In our busy days of waiting, are we preparing ourselves to be invited into these prepared rooms?

Copyright 2012 Ebeth Weidner

Celebrating Autumn

It’s fall, the leaves have changed color to a fascinating array of oranges, yellows, reds, and browns…..my colors. I’m a fall girl, a rusty, copper-colored hair girl with blue eyes and mid to light skin that burns easily in the summer months. Autumn weather just calls to me for a hike, or a walk, or just a visit to the garden.

Besides the cooler weather, the festivities in the fall are amazing. A few weeks after schools start up and the flurry of buying school supplies and the smell of newly sharpened pencils have passed, the days begin to rush by in a furry. All the while the landscape quietly transforms into their fall attire, quietly. Before you know it, Halloween is upon us and the kids are all making their plans with friends about their “trick or treat” adventures. Our family goes to the local pumpkin patch and each family member picks a pumpkin to carve the night before the big day. In the past, I’ve made Irish soul cakes and salad for dinner while the kids work on the final touches of their costumes. My knight gets a few things out in the yard to entertain the children at the door, and the evening unfolds with fun costumes, candy dolling, and plenty of laughs.

The next morning we clean up all of last night’s evidence and think of the Saints we’ve studied throughout the years of homeschooling and beyond. Each member of our family has a favorite. We attend Mass and pray for those special in our hearts that are no longer with us, especially of my knight’s dad. Chet was an amazing father, husband, and man; we all loved him so. He was the glue that kept this family on an even keel and together.

Over the next few weeks music recitals, homework, exams, lots of studying for our daughters and long chats with our son 2 hours away fill the time between working, school, and teaching throughout the fall days. Soon it will be Thanksgiving, a family and friends time. Usually, we travel to the deep south for a grand time with my family, but this year we are staying home and our son and his wife will join us for the day. In the past, we have helped the local soup kitchen, but thankfully there are so many that help, we weren’t really needed. We will be giving food to the Catholic charity office, they are ALWAYS in need of food for their pantry. The many many blessings we have, must be shared.

Thanksgiving Day is yet to come, but is within a few days away; many things are happening in the world around us, things to pray about, trust in God about and even to be thankful for. God gives us what we need and sometimes a bit more, good or trial, and it is what we do with it that counts. Being thankful for the good and the bad is tricky, but necessary. With the bad….the trials and tribulations of daily life, this “valley of tears,” if you will, comes growth. Without the pain of hardship, there is no need to look for something better, something good, something to make the pain go away. It is during these times, that God wants us to turn to Him in supplication and trust. Sometimes, these hardships seem too much to bare, I know. Turn to He who knows us and has counted each of us has His own. He knows our wants and needs before they ever enter our minds and fall out from between our lips. He knows and we must celebrate that and be truly thankful!

From the Pillar household to your,

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Copyright 2012 Ebeth Weidner

A Catholic Woman’s Book of Prayers

Some of the perks of being a Catholic blogger all these years have been the friends I’ve acquired and the lessons learned from them. Stamina, fortitude, and grace, are the gifts of these friends during my short career as a writer of which I am forever changed. One of these new friends is Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, she has blessed me with several opportunities as a book reviewer to read a few of her many books: The Heart of Motherhood, Catholic Saints Prayer Book, and Prayerfully Expecting (which I totally forgot to write a review on). All three are wonderfully written with heart, soul, and love for the reader. Now with Mrs. O’Boyle’s newest offering, A Catholic Woman’s Book of Prayers, we are yet again blessed with her wisdom as mother and devout Catholic. Besides the precious messages and insights Donna-Marie shares in these books, I like the size of this and the Catholic Saints Prayer Book, it’s purse size as I like too… easy to carry with me when I am running errands, working, or just getting the many responsibilities of being a mom accomplished during the day.

A Catholic Woman’s Book of Prayers is small but packs a punch in prayers, meditations, and insightful reflections on the different aspects of being a Catholic woman in today’s crazy. Just 80 pages and eight chapters, this book is an easy read without being daunting in our busy schedules. Some of my favorite messages in the book are the prayers, here’s one for example:

Help me to discover my gifts, Lord

Dear Lord, open my eyes to discover my gifts as a woman. 
Open my heart to feel your loving embrace of me as your daughter affirming my dignity in your eyes.
Open my arms wide so they will stretch outward to others, loving and serving them with your love, Lord.
Help me to never lose sight of who I am and who You created me to be.
Thank you for the glorious gift of being a woman!

Both married and single women have the gift and responsibility of being a motherly influence to others in their paths and Donna-Marie points that out to us. We have many gifts that possibly we are not aware of until the opportunity presents itself. Donna-Marie shares some of her experience as a mother of five throughout the pages and prayers match some of the lamentations we may share with her as she discusses “Leaving the Nest”. Here our author/mom discloses a secret about our children as they leave, “Don’t worry, they’ll be back!” She shares how times are and can be for us moms with their children on the brink of leaving. Cherish them in our midst and cherish their growth and independence and then cherish their return as adults with wonderful memories then and now.

“Dear Lord, thank you for allowing me the beautiful blessing to raise children and help to mold their conscience. Please give me the grace, strength, and peace to release them when the time is right. Please surround them with angels and protect them from the snares of the devil, so that they will remain on the road that leads to life!”

On Prayer, she quotes Archbishop Fulton Sheen, as he reminds us:

There are not two kinds of answers to prayer, but three: One is “Yes.” Another is “No.” The third is “Wait.”

Sigh, I’ve been given the third answer WAY too many times and at times, I think it may be the only answer I receive. Prayer and patience and having our blessed Mother Mary as our example are highly encouraged here.

Dear Mary, please help me in my role as a woman who mothers others. Please pray for me to have the strength to never shirk my duties and grant me an extra dose of love to reach out with compassion to all in my care. When I’m tired, please allow me to rest my head against your sweet heart, dear Mary, safe within the folds of your mantle!

Our feminine genius is unmistakable and Pope John Paul II appreciated this element of being woman in his Angelus Address in July 1995, “In fact, woman has a genius all her own, which is vitally essential to both society and the Church.” Oh yea! We are gifted with a sense of sensitivity and strength like no other and Jesus was aware of this in His ministry. Mary Magdalene was the first to meet the risen Christ and Pope Paul II spoke of this: “This event, in a sense, crowns all that has been said previously about Christ entrusting divine truths to women as well as men.”

Donna-Marie believes in the feminine genius and gives us hope and encouragement that empowers woman that we are the culture changers our world needs more than ever today. She concludes that we must work hard to build a culture of Life. Prayer will be the help and aid for us as Donna-Marie leads us in prayer:

Dear Lord, grant me the wisdom and grace to understand my God-given gifts, my “feminine genius” so that I may use all that I have for your greater glory. Amen!

Thank you once again, Donna-Marie for your wisdom, your work is a true blessing to us all. I encourage all Catholic women to look for your books as a compliment in their journey as women, mothers, and mighty culture changers.

This review was made possible with compliments of Our Sunday Visitor.

Order A Catholic Woman’s Book of Prayers and support CatholicMom.com with your purchase

Copyright 2012 Ebeth Weidner

Who Is Your Neighbor?

There are days and then there are days.   Have you ever felt like there was so much to say and do, and not enough time, concentration, or energy to accomplish half of your expectations? Lately, during my daily chores, blog ideas, article notes, and lessons pop into my head and I rarely write them down. I need a tape recorder.

Outside my world politically things are a mess, spiritually our society is lacking. The news is saturating with mundane information, rarely affecting us personally, but emotionally charging us all the same. We pause to ask, who is our neighbor? Who should we care about? Where are the boundaries of responsibility?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church shows us who are neighbor is:

2212 The fourth commandment illuminates other relationships in society. In our brothers and sisters we see the children of our parents; in our cousins, the descendants of our ancestors; in our fellow citizens, the children of our country; in the baptized, the children of our mother the Church; in every human person, a son or daughter of the One who wants to be called “our Father.” In this way our relationships with our neighbors are recognized as personal in character. The neighbor is not a “unit” in the human collective; he is “someone” who by his known origins deserves particular attention and respect.

Does this mean that some family in a far away state is our neighbor?  I guess so. Should we care about them and their recent tragedy? Yes, we can pray for them and offer their pain up to God. Should we lose sleep over it? No. Should we send money, only if you have it to give? Is there a time when we should just keep it local? I think so. Our society is so wrapped up with media info that I think we are losing sight of what is immediately around us.

Quiet time during the daily activities is a rarity for most, but in these crazy times in our country and world, it is most needed. God will help us know what to care about and what to leave to Him and others. God will help us find the peace that we need and with that patience follows. Everyone needs more peace within and patience towards self and others.

Do you take time for meditation and discussion with our Lord? I’m working on it.

Copyright 2012 Ebeth Weidner

The New Evangelization: Disciples Called to Witness

This part of the USCCB’s document, “Disciples Called to be Witness, the New Evangelization,” covers how and when we can evangelize without too much effort.    Through conversion and the methodologies of:  discipleship, a commitment to the Christian life, parish life, the liturgical life of the Church: popular devotions and piety, the Christian family, catechist and teachers of the faith, and religious experience we bring the Church to the world by our examples in these areas.  Last time I discussed conversion and promised a discussion on methologies of evangelization which will make it clearer how we all can be new evangelizers.

Through discipleship we serve as witnesses for Christ and His teachings.  Witnessing is a farther reaching act of teaching that traditional teaching.  When someone shares their own personal experiences about life it drives home to those how it looks and feels in real time not just from a book.  This makes total sense, too, as a new mother-to-be some years ago, I had symptoms that weren’t in my pregnancy books or from the doctor office, but hearing from other mothers who experienced same or similar symptoms, I was relieved and confident that all was well with my pregnancy.  When we share our understandings and experiences with Christ’s teachings and the teachings of the Church in positive light, we are planting seeds in those around us for future witnesses.

In order to do this we must first grasp these teachings personally through a firm commitment to the Christian life and active participation in parish life.   Without being committed to our Christian faith we cannot be active learner and teachers, but we cannot do this alone, “the Holy Spirit within the Christian community forms the person as a disciple of Christ.”  The parish must provide formed disciples, catechists and teachers to formally pass down the faith to its members, especially those who want to return to the Church.  “It is the responsibility of the parish community and it’s leadership to ensure that the faith it teaches, preaches, and celebrates is alive and that it is a true sign, for all who come in contact with it, that this truly is the living Body of Christ.”

Speaking of the Body of Christ, attending Mass and receiving the Eucharist as often as possible is crucial to a healthy spiritual life.  Praying the rosary, attending adoration, confession, and observing other holy practical acts of piety like meatless Fridays year round all provide a powerful witness to the faith.  They “form the basis of “Catholic Culture.”  The coming together in the Liturgical life of the Church as one gives strength and continued faith development for the Church family and those who seek to return.

In the Christian family or the “domestic Church” the sacrament of matrimony models the Trinitarian love of God for His children as parents nurture and care for their children. It is here in the home that faith develops deeper within the children.  Many children that I see today are not taught their faith at home much less experiencing it there.  Parents are so busy with their own jobs and responsibilities that they do not take the time to practice their faith at home.  This is a major problem because children are being basically taught to compartmentalize God at school or at Church only, so during the majority of their lives they are not witnessing God’s touch in all that they see and do.

Catechists and teachers of the faith must be teachers and witnesses of the faith!  They must believe and live what they teach or else they are scandalous.  These precious people provide a powerful witness to the Gospel and lay the ground for a culture of witnesses.  “A vibrant Catholic identity and active promotion of gospel values in Catholic schools help foster future generations of disciples and evangelists.”

“Discipleship is rooted in human experience.  It is through human experience that one enters into a dialogue with modern culture.”  The human experience provides the “sensible signs’ that help us come to know ourselves, one another, and God.”  These are the concrete signs and works of the Holy Spirit present in the Christian’s everyday life. Through retreats, bible studies, prayer groups, ecclesial movements give way to opportunities to grow and blossom in our faith and provide avenues of witnessing to each other.  With constant searching and participation in religious experiences, we can create a culture of witness that will continue to nurture our faith and the life of the Church as we go forward into the future.

Again, I’d like to share Justin Stroh’s mini podcast part 4b, he also mentions that catholic schools have been a mainstay in our country that pass on the values to our children.  It is a great gift, but it is declining in many parts of the country, however, we need to pray and support these fine institutions. However, this does not mean that we pay the tuition, send off each day to the Catholic school and not live the faith at home by attending Mass, etc.

Copyright 2012 Ebeth Weidner

The New Evangelization

Conversion Methodologies, discipleship, a committment to the Christian life, parish life, the Liturgical life of the Church (devotions and piety), the Christian family, Catechists and teachers of the faith, and the religious experience.

Once again, Justin Stroh, continues the discussion on The New Evangelization from the USCCB’s document called “Disciples Called to Witness.”  He divides this section into two parts since this chapter, though short, is longer than the others and covers all the venues of evangelization that I’ve listed above. Justin’s Part one, discusses the conversion.

In conversion, a person is somehow led to Christ either by a friend, family member, or something they heard or read; whatever that influence is, the person is now open to learning more about Christ and the Church.  Conversion is something that happens deep in the heart of a person, it touches them in a way that spurs their interest and desire to learn more.  At this point and only at this point do we have hope for them to come fully in communion with Christ.  But until that time, we still have work to do for each and every person we meet.  We have to be examples of faith and love for Christ, in our actions and words.  One never knows when someone is looking!  What brings one person to loving Christ won’t have the same meaning and/or impact for another.

Once the process of conversion has brought an individual wanting to learn more about Christ, we have to begin to nurture this interest with information, love, faith, and prayer for them.  Catechesis is crucial as a gradual and livelong process of conversion, drawing new believers into a deeper relationship with God.

The Methodologies are based on “the proclamation of the faith from Sacred Scripture and Tradition and their application to human experience, or they are based on human experience examined in light of the Gospel and teachings of the Church.”

The document, “Disciples Called to Witness” by the USCCB, discusses the many methodologies:

• Discipleship
• A commentment to the Christian Life
• Parish Life
• Liturgical life of the Church (devotions and piety),
• Christian family,
• Catechists and teachers of the faith,
• and the Human experience.

In the next part, I will share Justin’s part b and I’ll share my take on these aspects of methodologies as well.

Till then!

blessings!

Copyright 2012 Ebeth Weidner

Historical Context of the New Evangelization

Justin Stroh’s second part of his 6-part series of mini podcasts talks about the three popes who saw and initiated the New Evangelization.

Pope Paul VI:  Ten years after the close of the Second Vatican Council, in 1975 he issued Evangelii Nuntiandi in which the pope stated that the Church “exists in order to evangelize, that is to say in order to preach and teach, to be the channel of the gift of grace, to reconcile sinners with God, and to perpetuate Christ’s sacrifice in the Mass, which is the memorial of his death and glorious Resurrection.”  Pope Paul VI explained the process of evangelizing and that there were two groups that needed to be focused on, those of whom haven’t have never heard the Gospel (ad gentes) and those faithful who have left or are no longer practicing the faith.

Bl. Pope John Paul II:   “No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples.”  Blessed John Paul made evangelization the focus of his pontificate saying,

“Evangelization occurs most effectively when the Church engages the culture of those she evangelizes.”  He wrote an encyclical Redemptoris Missio, in which he provided the three circumstances in evangelization:  (1) preaching to those who have never heard the Gospel (ad gentes), (2) preaching to those Christian communities where the Church is present and who have fevor in their faith, and (3) preaching to those Christian communities who have ancient roots but who “have lost a living sense of the faith, or even no longer consider htemselves members of hte Church and live a life far removed from Christ and his Gospel……”

For Bl. John Paul II, One’s vocation to holiness is strengthened through the gifts of the Church, namely the grace of hte sacraments, prayer, Scripture, and the Church’s teachings and traditions.

Pope Benedict XVI and the future of the New Evangelization:
Secularization has caused a serious crisis for the faithful, not to mention how much harder it will be to evangelize those still waiting to learn of the Gospel.  In 2010, the pontiff established the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization to help promote the unchanged mission of the Church against the cultural secularization confronting man and the Church.  The pope noted that the Church is being challenged by “an abandonment of the faith — a phenomenon progressively more manifest in societies and cultures which for centuries seemed to be permeated by the Gospel.  The New Evangelization is not a single formula meant for all circumstances; first and foremost, it is a personal “profound experience of God.”

Copyright 2012 Ebeth Weidner 

For starters, in our current situation only 23% of Catholics attend Mass each week, below are the many reasons why the other 77% didn’t.  Surprisingly, it’s not due to current controversial issues.

One of the most important thing we need to be doing as Catholic parents is spending time with our families, especially and most importantly on Sundays!  You can listen to Justin’s mini podcast, part 1/6 here

Copyright 2012 Ebeth Weidner

Some of you may have seen the reality show called “Sister Wives” about a guy who has “married” 4 women and they all live happily with their 17 children.

Now they believe that they are all married, however, only one legal document exists with the first wife, all the others are “spiritual” unions.  BUT in this arrangement, all four women have the same wife rights and responsibilities.  From what I saw of this series, Kody Brown, the husband/spiritual partner goes to an undisclosed job each day and the four women wife/spiritual partners do the cooking, cleaning, child rearing and grocery shopping. Two of the women also work outside the home in order to keep this group of people afloat financially.

When I first discovered the program, my initial thought was, “Wow, does this guy have it made!”  Interviews with he and the four women all seem so systematic and content.  Some have been raised in this type of mentality, so it is what they know and expect for their own lives.

But is it truly a marriage?   The secular dictionary definition simply states that it is a union between spouses, the “rite or form used in marrying; any close or intimate union…”  Nothing more

In studying Pope John Paul II’s work on “Theology of the Body”, however, he discusses marriage in a far  deeper and complete way with the first 4 originals in the story of creation, solitude, unity, nakedness, and sin.  God created us and inspired the story of creation in the way that we have it, I firmly believe.  In the story of creation, He creates two original people to be together has partners and helpmates.  God also creates them in a marvelous place providing them with all their needs.  During this time, they are naked, no need for covering themselves in this place.  The symbolism of their being naked is a telling of itself.  In marriage, of which God also created, a couple is soul mates, companions for life, and complete each other, essentially.   A most perfect union of two people, sharing their lives, love, and creation.  They are able to create fruit from their union, thereby making a lasting perpetual testimony of their lives in their children.  Humanity depends upon this union and is carried on as the fruits of their love and cooperation.

There can be some confusion about the Original Nakedness that the late pope speaks of, but that may be due to modern man who seems to think of self rights and privacy pertains to individual freedoms; even within a marriage.  Secrets and unspoken tidbits of ones life not shared but kept in a dark place within the self.  As with Adam and Eve after their encounter with the serpent and the original sin, they found themselves ashamed before God, covering themselves at the sound of His voice.  Now there was something to withhold, keep from and ponder alone, a dark deed.  Their relationship with God has been forever changed; new emotions have been created, anger, disappointment, and a broken heart.

Couples come with their own personal baggage, more so now with the complicated circumstances of modern times.  Both have secrets, good and bad, and as the relationship blossoms, the desire to share intimate facts of their lives becomes more important.  The shedding of their past ‘clothing’ is necessary to  truly be accepted in the relationship, the innate desire to be “naked” with no secrets and completely open tightens the bonds of the relationship; no secrets, no dark tales or deeds to hide. Each one begins to trust and respect the other as the person of their affection.

Now back to the Sister Wives situation, how can Kody do this with all four women?  What he holds dear and private with Meri, his first and only legal wife, is not the same as his private details with Robyn, or Christine, or Janelle.  There are secrets and private things that are naturally not shared with the other three “wives” so Kody can never be totally “naked” with any of these women.  The bonds are not totally fulfilled and complete, the line of trust can never be wide open no matter what they may say.  Oh I know, there are no perfect relationships in this imperfect world, but this situation makes it all that more complicated, to say the least.

As far as the children of this (these) relationships are concerned, what examples are being transmitted to them?  I suppose that is another topic all together.

Copyright 2012 Ebeth Weidner

As human beings we are relational creatures, we thrive on interaction; we know this from the story of creation in the bible. Adam found himself alone, but not happy about it. God saw that he was not happy and in fact alone, so He created Eve as a companion. Yes, there are those who live alone, but surely you see them surrounded by friends and loved ones often. So, it’s hard to see someone not belonging somewhere in some place in their world. Sadness and longing are true and painful emotions to experience even for a brief moment, but to continually feel these emotions can have lasting effects on a person. It breaks my heart when it is one of my own loved ones. Well-meaning relatives can try to help, but forcing friendships can hardly be successful.

The basic problem here is the common threads of character, conscience, and moral values, these traits are what brings and keeps relationships strong and lasting. These classmates are bad; however, they have a different set of common values that my child doesn’t share. My parents always told us kids that we needed to be careful who we made friends with because as the old adage goes, “you are who you hang with”. This couldn’t be truer! So who do you want to develop a friendship with? Who are the people that you would want your children to associate with? As parents and mentors to the next generation we have a responsibility in this area to teach and guide our young charges in the direction of positive and good character. For these qualities is what will attract them to others. A bit daunting, you say? Oh yes, but a job that must be done for the good of these young people and for the whole of society.

How is a conscience developed? How do we mentor and guide those in our care? Words are one way, but the best way is by example. Forming a good conscience is imperative for a successful life and relationships, but the conscience is not a haphazard thing, it does take work.

The function of our God-given conscience is to be that “little voice” in the back of our head guiding our decision making. The conscience helps us to do well and avoid evil and bad decisions according to our development. One must have a full knowledge of the principles of right and wrong and of moral truths. This knowledge is the result of purposeful teaching and guidance by prayer, study of the sacred scriptures, and examples. If our children do not see us, as their parents, in prayer, reading the bible, and worshiping our God at Mass, where will they see these activities?

So many parents think this is too hard, or they don’t have time to do these activities, but we must guide our children in these activities. At the school, the principal scheduled the Stations of the Cross for the end of the day on Fridays of Lent, of the 40+ students and teachers, only a small handful consistently attended and prayed together, again during May on each Wednesday, the rosary will be prayed at the end of school, again, only a handful of students show up to pray together. It is our responsibility to instill the desire and respect of prayer and devotion. Our two daughters attend these prayerful times consistently and wish their peers would follow suit, but they know that it is not their priority. So, moral decisions are made and seen have come to fruition, our daughters are blessed, and they bless those around them by example.

Still the dichotomy exists, my heart breaks for her, but after some discussion neither of us wants her to change. The best thing we can do is continue to pray for her and know that she is planting seeds of witness and love for others around her to see. Who knows, she may be developing a friendship in someone right now that will last a lifetime from her classmates, she is most certainly developing a wonderful relationship with the One who counts the most, Jesus.

Copyright 2012 Ebeth Weidner

This is Holy Week; the last lap of the Lenten marathon in our effort to go deeper in our faith,  grow stronger in our spirituality, and to get closer to God; now Christ’s passion is upon us.  We have been talking about death, an aspect of our lives that we tend to avoid at all costs for the most part.

If you have been attending the Stations of the Cross on Fridays during these weeks, you relive the passion of Christ and if you have gone more than once, you relive it over and over.

Does it get any better, easier to hear?  Do you picture this event as a bystander in the crowd? Have you ever tried to put yourself in the place of Mary, watching her son in the midst of His passion?  Could you bare it any better than she?

How about Veronica, have you ever thought about her role?  I totally admire her!  Here on the road to Christ’s crucifixion, she fights through the angry crowd, probably shoves a guard or two getting to Jesus to wipe His face.  Her love and devotion, mourning and terror overwhelm her to the point of action!  How many of us have had a surge of emotion overwhelm us to the point of action?

In the middle of Wal-Mart 17 years ago, my knight, son and I were shopping; I left them with our infant daughter to go across the store for diapers.  From a good distance as I was returning to them, I saw our infant in her carrier in the middle of the aisle with no one guarding her, instantly I began running towards her.  I know I bumped several people and moved a few carts (shoved??) aside to get to my helpless, unguarded infant. When I got there, both my knight and son were down the other end of the aisle immersed in a toy or something and totally not watching (guarding) the baby!!  I was not to be argued with at that moment and they knew it.  I took control of the situation immediately and from that point on, believe me!

Not so for our beloved Mary, she had no control over this situation; she had to let it happen…”Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me (or for this instance Jesus) according to thy word.”  She was given the heads up long ago about this day by Simone in the temple, but could this day be given to someone else?  Could she have another day with him?

God’s plan must be carried out and Jesus knew that and would have fought her about it anyhow.  The Incarnate knew His purpose, knew His role, and knew that this day was coming and was preparing for it.  Mary was totally helpless at that moment of time as she basically was her entire life; her faith was strong enough to carry out the plans of God for her.  As a human, though, it could not have been any easier, however.  Oh no!  Jesus was her life; He was her child for 33 years, which is a very long time to be so bonded to have it taken away.  Yes, he was in ministry for three years and she probably didn’t see Him much, but she knew He was still her son near or far away.  I am the mother of a son who lives over two hours away, I don’t get to see him but a few times a year now, but I know he is there and still my son.

During this week, we will be talking more and more about the Passion of Christ, how he died so cruelly at the hands of an angry, zealous crowd. There will be no happy talk, just death which is way too hard to talk about much less contemplate it for an entire week, don’t you think?

Let’s put another spin on it for a moment.  When we talk about fasting, almsgiving, and prayer; basically we are talking about dying to ourselves.  Giving up things that we take for granted and enjoy like giving up chocolate, TV, or the computer.  Fasting from meat on Fridays, abstaining from eating an hour before and after Mass each day we attend Mass, donating to the poor, giving to the rice bowl, or just making an extra offering to the basket each week during Lent, praying more, finding a devotional to follow during Lent; which is a popular activity here at the Pillar household.  All these activities are about dying to self.  Dying to our own selfish desires may take some thought, but we can do it.  Just think about some of the favorite things that you enjoy; a hot shower, that beloved morning cup of coffee, dessert after a good meal, going to the mall, spending an hour or more on Facebook, playing games on your smartphone or online; how about letting others in line first, not taking the last cookie in the jar, saving the last swig of milk in the frig for the next person , purchasing something new for someone else instead of yourself are all small things, but enough to make a difference for this week.

Take the challenge to die to selfish things this week, think before you do something and see if possibly this could be done for someone else instead.  Possibly attend Mass for someone else, offering the needs and concerns of another for that hour before our Lord?  There is a beauty in giving, giving it up, and offering an activity for others.  Mary gave her entire life to God and His plan. In studying the lives of the saints, they too gave so much of their lives to the service of others and especially to God.  They returned their sufferings and trials to God knowing that in this dying to themselves they were blessing God and others around them.  In our dying to ourselves, we are not working solely or in a solitary moment, but with and for those around us.  Nothing we do is a solitary act, we are never alone, we affect others in one way or another…always.

Some say it’s too late to get it right since they failed to accomplish what they planned to do during these 40 days; but they are wrong!   Many families will make this week as quiet and solemn as possible to allow contemplation and prayer.  We can all make a difference one day at a time, one act at a time, one moment at a time.

This is my prayer for my family and for you as well.

Ebeth Weidner is a Catholic wife, mom, and Master Catechist, writing, sewing, being a mom, and trying to keep it together….most of the time! To see more of her work check out her blog.

In each of us, I firmly believe we are called to be more than ordinary. Bl John Paul II told us “be not afraid,” as Christ told us. Norman Vincent Peale told us to expect miracles, all through our history we see how ordinary people did extraordinary things and accomplished momentous feats. Why the mere study of the saints tells us of ordinary people rising to the call of duty. Are we called to do the same? Of course we are, and it is that call that we must search and listen for? Yes, we are being called, but it is the tricky thing of listening and hearing that fails us. I, for one, am the worst one for sitting down and meditating on prayer. Just a few minutes a day could bring forth the calming solace that lends itself to hearing the call. But alas, we are but ordinary, yes?

How do we accomplish beyond ordinary? Well, first we have to want it; we have to aspire to it. We have to feel uncomfortable in our skin as ordinary people for enough time as to make it unbearable to wake up another day in ordinary. At some point in one’s life, everything will seem too ordinary and too safe, and too boring. At that very moment we will taste the inevitable flavor of desire to go deeper and beyond ordinary. That’s when we must seek God’s call and listen for it calmly in prayer.

The Lenten season is a good time for this and I pray for you and for me that we will calm down, be not afraid, and listen for the miracle of God’s call.

Copyright 2012 Ebeth Weidner
Photo credit: bosela from morguefile.com

Mr. Horton lived in the subway tunnels of NYC where he found his solace and peace.  He had a reputation of being a gentle kind man, a prolific artist, and loved music.  He shared his story with a lady who eventually helped him write a book, “Pitch Black.”  In it he shared what he learned living in the tunnels, where he found his creativity and some rules of thumb that we can all take a lesson from, including:
Always carry a light.
Anything you need can be found in the garbage.
Always have more than one spot.
And, always have a way out that is different from the way in.
The Church teaches and I believe that God is in everyone; He was truly in Anthony as well.  Yes, he had problems, don’t we all in one degree or another.  But in these few rules of thumb in his book, I see God’s presence and love in this man’s life.

God is truly in all of us, so during Lent many of us make great plans to be closer to Him.  In the process, we  test the body’s will power, decision making, and discipline of time management.  All in all, we want to be different, more of something and less of something else.  So we make plans each Lenten season reading books and finding inspiration for our journey.  Making plans for myself, I’ve been inspired by Mr. Horton and his rules of thumb:

- ”Always carry a light.” Carrying the light of Christ with me through the tunnels of life, finding the good in everyone and every situation that come into my path.  I’m not the nicest person at times and this needs to change.

-”Anything you need can be found in the garbage”.  Knowing that there are adversities everywhere, that I do make mistakes, but through Christ’s love for me I can make a garbage moment or attitude better through prayer and faith in Him; I’ll make that my mission of change.

-”Always have more than one spot.”  There are more places to be than just in the present, remembering where we have come from and knowing how we got here, being humbled by the hard lessons of life, can continue to change our hearts and minds.  The pain of a situation is the strengthening of the character for the future.  The martyrs gave us that lesson through the ages. I’m not just in the here and now, I’m a compilation of where I have been and where I am headed.  We are not promised tomorrow, nor a rose garden, but we are promised the hope of something far better before us.  Christ is our hope, and I must keep my eyes on Him in whatever or where ever I am.

-”And, always have a way out that is different from the way in.”  At the end of this season of Lent, will I have a different outlook than I did when I entered?  Will I come out a better person, a changed person?  That is my goal, just like the paralyzed man who wanted to see Jesus so bad that his friends made a hole in the roof for him to be lowered.  Through his faith and determination, he was cured and instead of leaving the same way he came in, he went out the front door, forever changed.

Changed forever, ending up much different, closer to God, a better person, than when I came into Lent.

Copyright 2012 Ebeth Weidner

I can’t get that out of my mind……..  Of all the reasons to murder someone!  It takes me back to the stories of the wild west where hot-shot bandits and outlaws would come into town shooting up people, places, and things just to get attention and lay down their law. How these outlaws would kill a man, just to watch him die, for no other reason than vain recreation because he could and get away with it.

For a time, that is.  I have always heard and it is a proven theory that if you live by violence, you’ll die by violence.  Just another nugget of proof of the Divine Creator.

So now we have women (and men) who come into town with unwanted people in their lives and they “shoot them down” for no other good reason than vain inconvenience, because they can and get away with it.

Is there a difference in these scenarios?  Well, one is in the law books as illegal with a list of conditions and levels of punishment, the other is perfectly legal without much regulation, basically.  Both leave a person with a sense of power and control over the human condition…

…for a time.

Copyright 2012 Ebeth Weidner