Eternal Rest grant unto him O, Lord...

Requiescat in pace

Army Spc. Jason M. Johnston, 24 of Albion, NY, of the 82nd Airborne Division gave the ultimate sacrifice on December 26, 2009 in Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit with an IED.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon him.

May he rest in peace.

Time for a little laughter

If you don't know about "Jib-Jab",
and want to laugh your A$$ off,
you need to check out their annual Year in Review

Check it out, you won't be sorry!!

Goodbye 2009,
Hello 2010, let's hope it's better than last year!

Peace!

I forgot about "Uncle Jay". 
A friend send this to me, don't know too much about him, but this is pretty funny! 
Enjoy!

I just can't...

let my last post of Christmas Day be about death, so here is a little addition to the "Pearls of Sophia" for your pondering pleasure.

“It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you . . . yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand.”

~Mother Teresa

Requiescat in pace

Major Phillip Wise of the Salvation Army.

He was murdered Chritsmas Eve, outside of the community center where he worked with his wife, also a Major in the Salvation Army. 

His three children were witnesses.

Here is the story

A tragedy like this is awful anytime of year, at Christmas, and in light of this man's vocation, it makes this one all the worse.

My prayers go out to his family, friends and the Salvation Army.
I also pray that the people who participated in this cowardly attack see the error of their ways and turn themselves in.

SIGH...
Sometimes, as all you can say is 'wtf'?

Merry Christmas

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”

Today we celebrate the birth of our Savior. Our Lord, come to us, as one of us. As a vulnerable human child, God sent Jesus, our Emmanuel, to live our human experience, so that He could then teach us how to live. Christmas is so much more than the presents, the food, and the decorations. It is about the abundant love that God has for us. It is about having the faith to believe that a baby can change everything. It is about finding that little piece of the Divine in each and every human being. It is about celebrating that Incarnation, of God made flesh; it is about coming out of the darkness.

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.”

I have walked in the darkness for a very long time. Oh, there have been glimmers of light, shining through in people, I now know were sent by God, to be present with me, just as He is, but in a more tangible way, a way that I can see and touch and feel. That is the greatest give anyone can give, the gift of their presence. God did this for us on this day some 2000 years ago, He sent us His Son, His living presence among us. What an awesome gift! Let us rejoice today and everyday!

And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Merry Christmas to All!

Advent Reflections

It's the 4th week of Advent. It is the darkest few days of the year, my Dad died 3 years ago this week and I have been so sick I spent most of Monday and Tuesday in bed, only to go to work today and find a pile that will take me a week to get through.

It is times like this when my faith seems to be at it's lowest. 

Then I remember these words...

"Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

I wonder if Mary realized what an awesome gift her faith was. 

For me, that is all I want for Christmas this year.

O come, O Dayspring from on high

And cheer us by your drawing nigh;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death's dark shadow put to flight.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,...

Requiescat in pace

Staff Sgt. Dennis J. Hansen

A soldier with connections to our area gave the ultimate sacrifice last week. Staff Sgt. Dennis J. Hansen, originally from Ohio, stationed out of Fort Drum, was serving in Afghanistan when wounded, he succumbed to those injuries a few days later at a hospital in Germany.

Losing a loved one is never easy, it is especially difficult during the holiday season.
I offer my prayers to SSgt. Hansen’s family and friends.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

May he rest in peace.

Advent Reflections

Today is "Gaudete Sunday"

Brothers and sisters:

Rejoice in the Lord always.
I shall say it again: rejoice!
Your kindness should be known to all.
The Lord is near.
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.


In these words from this weekend’s second reading from St. Paul (Phil. 4:4-7) we are reminded that we are not in this alone. "The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all…,"

The dictionary defines anxiety as a painful or apprehensive uneasiness of mind over an impending or anticipated ill. And as much as I hate to say it, I seem to live here. I am often worried about the state of affairs in our community, our churches, our state, country and world. There is much too much violence and disrespect and not enough love and understanding. Anyone who was stuck in traffic on Thursday night knows that “common courtesy”, is unfortunately a thing of the past. (Side bar: This is Rochester, NY people; it snows here, sometimes a lot, real quick! Pay attention; turn on your headlights, clear the snow off your car and SLOW DOWN!) There is a lot to be anxious about. And add to that all the “preparations” that need to be done- the shopping, the wrapping, the cooking and baking, and it becomes very easy to forget about what is actually is we are really “preparing” for.

St. Paul then tells us, “…but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.” In other words, we need to talk to God. And share with Him all of our worries, our fears, our hopes and dreams. We need to praise and thank Him for all He has already given us and pray for the grace to see His hand at work in our lives.

As we reach this mid-point of the Advent season, let us take the time to look at what makes us anxious and worried, and offer those things up to God in prayer. “Fast” from the shopping, wrapping, baking, whatever for a day and spend the time contemplating the Nativity story. What was it like for Mary? For Joseph? What will it be like for me, when we celebrate the coming of our Emmanuel, God-with-us, the Word made flesh? Thank God for all He has done for us so far and for all that He will do. Share our time, our talent and our treasure with those less fortunate. Love more, criticize and condemn less.

God is sending us our Saviour, let us Rejoice!

Happy Advent

The Peaceable Kingdom?

Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox.

The baby shall play by the cobra's den, and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea. On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, The Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.

Isaiah 11:6-10

The book of Isaiah has always been one of my favorites from scripture and I have reflected on this passage many times in my life. This passage was the subject of a daily meditation from the Henri Nouwen Society and got me to thinking and reflecting on it again. (As a side note, I am currently doing the 19th Annotation of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. It has been a wonderful experience so far, and has given me a whole new appreciation for the use of scripture and one’s imagination as very powerful tools for prayer.)

It was a tradition that we bought Dad a new ornament every year and along with other gifts and acquisitions that my Dad made throughout the years, I have amassed quite the collection of ornaments. While decorating the Christmas tree this year, I noticed that many of my ornaments are angels, depictions of the nativity and the lion and the lamb.

A powerful image, the lion and the lamb. I remember seeing one version of Edward Hick’s painting at the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, and also saw a later version in the National Gallery. Wonderfully deep, rich and symbolic paintings, and also an image that leaves itself open to a wide variety of interpretation, from the “cute-sy” to the somber.

As we come to the middle of the Advent season, the days get shorter and the nights longer, and as I reflect on the experiences of the past couple of years, I have seen this passage in a whole new light.

As I look around- in my church, in my community, in my workplace and seemingly, ingrained in society itself, there is a division that runs deep and wide.  We are about as far from the “Peaceable Kingdom” as Pluto is from the sun!

We have “red states vs. blue states”, “liberals vs. conservatives”, “orthodox vs. progressive”, etc, etc, etc. What we don’t have (at least enough of it to make a difference) is any attempt to look at what binds us together, that we are all beloved creations of a merciful and loving God.

As we enter more deeply into the mystery of the unfolding incarnation this Advent, I think it is wise to remember and celebrate our commonalities and set our divisions behind us and work toward the “peaceable kingdom” that Isaiah describes and so many have rendered so beautifully through the ages.


Happy Advent!

Advent Reflections

As we start the second week of Advent, we hear the words of John the Baptist calling us to repent and seek forgiveness for our sins, and then he reminds of Isaiah the prophet’s words, “Prepare the way of the Lord…”

Prepare. This is a word that will be heard a lot the next few weeks.

"I have to prepare for that party at work."  

"I have to prepare Christmas dinner for 14 people this year."  

"Our Christmas preparations are not going as planned; we don’t even have a tree yet!"

These are many of the things that seem to take the forefront in this time of Advent.

And with all the preparations for Christmas that keep us hurried and harried, I wonder

What am I doing to prepare myself to receive the gift of the incarnation?

Do I need to seek forgiveness from someone? To give it? Do I need to make amends for something I have done, or not done? Do I need to celebrate in the joy of reconciling with someone or mourn the fact that I must reconcile with myself that the reconciliation that I pray for may never come? Can I love and accept all that I am, good and not so good, solely based on my faith that I am a beloved creation of God, created in His image, to be His face to all I meet?

Advent is a time of waiting. A time of anticipation. A time in which to listen to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit, stirring deep within my heart. A time of emptying out all off the clutter that fills my soul, so that I may receive the present of God’s presence on earth as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

It seems to me that this is the most important preparation I can do for Christmas this year.

Happy Advent!