A New Catholic Church

I am inspired by the new Pope.  I was watching clips from his investiture this morning, and I felt myself feeling fully Catholic again for the first time in years. I may have to start a new blog called "Christian Catholic."

I believe this man will make the Church what it is suppose to be, a place of gathering and worship for those who follow Christ.  By that I mean, those people who feel love for their fellow man and show it by acts of mercy, compassion, and love.

This new Pope gives me hope, and makes me want to get out there and actively do good works. That's called leadership. I pray to God he is for real.

Moving to Austin

I'm in the process of packing and moving to Austin, Texas. My house is rented, and I have two weeks to get it all done. I'll return to the blog as I am able. In the meantime, don't forget me. Thanks!

Our New Pope, Francis I

Our New Pope Francis.

Ok, I'll admit it. I'm excited for the future of the Catholic Church.  Pope Francis seems like someone who will lead the church out of its nightmare and into the footsteps of Christ. And he had me at hello when he picked the name of my favorite saint, Francis of Assisi.

Saint Francis was born in 1182 to a wealthy Italian Catholic family from the Italian town of Assisi. He fought as a soldier. He renounced the world at age 23 and took a vow of poverty. He is the patron saint of animals and the environment. If you have never read the Prayer of Saint Francis, here is a link. It is one of the most simply profound and beautiful prayers ever written.  Saint Francis Prayer

By all accounts, the new Pope, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoligo of Argentina, has modeled his own ministry on the teachings of Saint Francis.  According to AP reporter, Nicole Winfield, "...took the bus to work, kissed the feet of AIDS patients and prayed with former prostitutes, eschewing the luxurious residence that would have been his due as archbishop of Buenos Aires." See, Yahoo article: New Style of papacy: Pope Francis Pays Hotel Bill March 15, 2013.

Yesterday, when he took his official oath, Pope Francis I broke tradition by standing among the other cardinals and not sitting on a throne. This speaks volumes about who he is and how he is going to lead. It takes a lot of courage and confidence to break tradition in the Catholic Church. I think he is going to give the powers behind the power a run for their money!

Does the Pope Speak for God?

I don't know.  I am a confirmed Catholic convert. I started attending the Catholic church when I was in fourth grade: I married a Catholic; I raised my son Catholic, but I did not make my first communion and become confirmed until I was 22. That is another story.

As a child, I was in awe of the Pope, the Holy Father. I believed he spoke for God; I tried to be a "good" Catholic.

I have lived through six Popes.  I saw Pope John Paul II in Denver. I stood only about three feet from his motorcade as it passed on his way to the airport.  The energy emanating from his person was palpable. I loved that man. He was a good man. His story is fascinating. He was married. He was a member of the Polish underground during WWII. He was a published author. He was a humanitarian. He tried to do good in the world.


When he died, my heart broke.  I did not see how he could be replaced. And when Pope Benedict XVI was elected, I felt sorry for him. He looked so old and frail. He looked tired. "Why," I wondered, "couldn't they let him live out his remaining years in peace?" Thank goodness he had the sense to resign. He was just too old and tired for the job. He needs rest.

Who will be our next Pope? Well, there Cardinal Peter Turkson from Ghana; he looks healthy. Africa needs a lot of help. He probably has some solutions.  He would be a good choice. He has a kind smile.  But he would not be the first Black pope.  According to the Liber Pontificalis, three popes-Pope St Victor I (ca186-198), Pope St Miltiades (311-14), and Pope St Gelasius (492-496)-were Africans. (See The Liber Pontificalis. Texte, Introduction et Commentaire. Ed. Abbé L. Duchesne. 3 volumes. Paris: E. de Boccard, Editeurs. 1955.)

Then there is the hockey player from Canada, Cardinal Marc Quellet. I vote for him. Anyone who plays hockey is a fighter who can stand up to any kind of pain.  In today's church, he will need that kind of chutzpah. Besides, do you see that calculating look in his eyes? The man knows strategy.

Back to the original question, does the Pope speak for God? Well, I know that God speaks to all of us, but I do not think that any one man can tell an entire world what God wants.  Jesus did, but he was God in the flesh, and he was, well, Jesus.

 I believe that each individual must get their answer from prayer. That is just my opinion. I believe in the separation of church and state. The Catholic Church and Popes controlled the entire Western world, at one time, and we all know how well that worked out.

When We Aren't Inspired

Today I'm in Workaholic Mode.

Some days I just can't get out of myself.  Yesterday was one of them and so is today. I call it my "workaholic" mode. It is my "running away" distraction from that edgy part of me that is trying to avoid whatever it is that God wants me to deal with.

Yesterday was Sunday. I didn't go to Mass or church. I worked all day on the computer. I had planned to go the night before. I blamed it on Daylight Savings Time. I was supposed to move the clock ahead one hour before I went to bed. I told everyone else to do it. I wrote about it on Facebook. I forgot to do it.

I planned to get up at 8:00 a.m. in order to be at Mass by 10:00 a.m. When I realized that church had already started, I started beating myself up. The day went downhill from there. I worked all day instead. Has that ever happened to you? What is it that I don't want to see?

Today is much the same. Eventually all will straighten out. At least I have grown past the point where I think I have lost touch with God. I know today, from experience, that God is with me no matter how I feel.

So today I will take advantage of this mood and work on learning more about the technical aspects of blogging. I will add links to interesting and relevant pages. I will create a list of books that have inspired me. I will go to other sites and learn from them. I will pray. I will meditate. I will listen.

Only God Can Heal A Broken Heart

With God, All Things Are Possible

I have a broken heart.  I've had it since I was very young.  My mother broke it, and ever since I've been looking for someone or something to heal it.

I saw this when I got very quiet and allowed God to speak to me during my time of prayer and meditation.  What is the difference between prayer and meditation?  I heard it described like this:  "Prayer is when we are talking to God; meditation is when we are listening to God."

Jesus said, "...the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:21. We make conscious contact with God through going within ourselves.  We develop a personal relationship with God through prayer and meditation where we touch the infinite that dwells inside us. We feel with our hearts and see with our mind. We reach in for God, not out.

How do we pray or meditate?  Well, there are many books, articles and classes on the subject.  Find what works best for you. For a long time, I could only recite memorized prayers. I felt blocked.  That was because I thought God was outside of me, or was aloof, or didn't want me.  All of these are subjects for another time.  It was when, at Billy Graham's urging, I asked Jesus to come into my heart did I get it that God was a real, living entity with whom I could connect. Now I can't live without that connection.  Here is what I do.

I listen to soft, ethereal piano music while I direct my mind to God and look inside of myself.  I pray and ask for what I need or give thanks.  Sometimes I just converse and talk to Him. Then I relax and listen.

Sometimes I am on reclining on the couch.  Sometimes I'm sitting on the couch.  Sometimes I'm in a lotus position on the floor.  Sometimes I'm on my knees.  (Once I was praying it while driving. Not a good idea. You should have seen the look on the policeman's face when I gave my explanation for why I wasn't aware of my speed but assured him that my eyes were open. He gave me a warning ticket.) The point is, God doesn't care where we are when we come to Him. Prayer is for us. God already knows all about us.

I have certain books and the Bible close at hand. I open up and read; I may read a lot or a little.  It depends. Then I get quiet again and reflect on what is coming to me. Now, with this blog, I am writing it down sharing with you.

Today, I saw that I still had a broken heart. It seemed healed when I fell in love and got married. It seemed healed when my son was born. It seemed healed when I danced. It seemed healed when I raised my hands in ecstasy in church. It seemed healed when I laughed with friends. It seemed healed when I looked with awe at the beauty in nature I saw during my travels. What I thought was a healed heart turned out to be just a momentary distraction. 

I fell  out of love. Friends moved away. Loved ones died. Every time I felt my heart break again. I blamed it on the person or situation. My heart hasn't been breaking over and over. It has never been healed from the original hurt...my mother's rejection.I have never allowed God to heal it.

Today, He showed me that only He can heal a broken heart. Only then will I be whole and stop trying to make other people and situations responsible for my heart. But I have to allow Him to heal me. I have to open myself up to Him. I thought I had, so what do I do now? I take it to God in prayer.

My Path

Christian - Other is a blog for all of you out there, who, when asked to check a box on a form, have to select "Other" to describe your Christian belief.

I am a Christian. What does that statement mean? It means different things to different people.

To me, it means I am a follower of Jesus, the Christ; that I try to be one with him and incorporate his teachings into my life as I deal with people and situations.

How do I accomplish this? I follow my heart and pray for guidance.

I've tried to fit into many different denominations; I'm "papered" in three of them.  I've studied oriental religions and metaphysics. There seems to always be some man-made interpretation or teaching that conflicts with the teachings of Jesus or my conscience. After many years of trying to be a "good Christian" as defined by others, I've allowed God to direct my path.

My path is this:

I worship God and commune with Him in the sacred space of the Catholic Church; I believe in the Holy Sacraments of Confession and Communion.  I love the mystery, awe, and presence of God that I feel when I worship in the Catholic Church.

However, I believe in the Bible-taught way to salvation of the Protestant Church. I do not believe that any organized religion has the right to dictate the way of salvation for me. I do not believe that I need a priest to intevene for me.

I do  not believe that a priest has the power to forgive my sins. I believe I have a direct relationship with God, who forgives my sins; I believe that Jesus is my mediator. I believe Jesus died and shed his blood on the Cross for me, in atonement for those sins.

I believe that we are all one in God and, that as such, we have the God-given power to change our thoughts and so change our lives. I believe that God wants us to rise above our limited illusions and experience a glorious life on earth; to do that, we have to rise in consciousness. To achieve that rise, I allow God to show me the way.

I learn from many different teachers. Into my belief system, I incorporate the teachings of Buddha and other enlightened people whose philosophies help me to know myself and how to "be" in this world.  I learn from average, everyday people. I learn from the sick and poor, the rich and the famous. I learn from my own experiences.

I see no limitation in the way He teaches me as long as He is with me. I am drawn to many ways of communing with Him and connecting with Him. I believe He draws me to those ways.

This is not an easy walk. It lasts for a lifetime. LIfe, while beautiful, can be very difficult. I stumble and fall over my humanity constantly, but my Lord is always with me to pick me up, dust me off, and comfort me.

So there it is. I am a Christian. I am a Christian because Jesus the Christ is my Savior, God in the flesh, and the Indwelling Holy Spirit.

In Him I live and move and have my being.