Working through the pain, part 2

 

     I have found as a sufferer of Fibromyalgia, that those that suffer are rarely understood. No one that has not suffered can ever TRUELY understand what it is to suffer with pain twenty four hours a day. And knowing this, how can we understand the pain and suffering of those that suffer death from torture and injury? Can we truly understand the pain and suffering that Jesus endured at the hands of the Romans? I can't imagine, even with the worst days of my flareups, or remembering the pain of a broken ankle and childbirth, all rolled into one, could not equal the suffering that He endured for me in just five minutes of his Passion. I shiver at the thought! I would have fainted with the first strike of the cat-o-nine tails on my back! The Jews would never have punished anyone the way Jesus was punished that day. The maximum lashes to be given were never to exceed forty, so to ensure no accidental miss-counts, they would stop at thirty nine lashes. The Shroud of Turin in reverse photography shows the lash mark blood stains. But the Romans, who had perfected the methods of torture, had no compunction to stop so soon. If the Shroud of Turin is as real as I believe it is, our Lord was struck over 100 times!

How can we, as pampered Americans, who have outlawed all methods of corporal punishment, who have actually made the death penalty as painless as a needle in the arm, ever understand that kind of pain and suffering? It’s simple, we can't. With that understanding, we should be humbled, and with great humility, surrender ourselves to Christ's love. Anyone that would endure the unendurable for my sorry butt, deserves my un-dying love and gratitude. For myself, I am not a person to let pain stop me from living my life. I decided after a time of feeling sorry for myself, that I would not let it stop me from enjoying life, but it took a while.

Text courtesy of http://usccb.org/bible/index.cfm

I remember crying in my husbands arms shortly after my diagnosis, thinking that I would never be able to enjoy long walks on the beach, again, or playing with my children, and my grandchildren. I was seeing way into the future and crying about things that had not happened yet.

Fibromyalgia is one of those hard to diagnose problems, as the symptoms are similar to so many other conditions. Joint pain is similar to Rheumatoid and Osteo Arthritis. The Chronic Fatigue is similar to RA and Lupus, and Hyper-Thyroidism, heart conditions, etc. First they must test for all the things they have tests for, and then make a conclusion when everything else has been eliminated.

In time, I learned more and found that a person can have FMS for their whole life and it finally manifests itself fully after a stressful event or trauma. The doctor started me out on medications, pain relievers, muscle relaxers, anti-depressants, and because my blood pressure was raging high, blood pressure medicine. Yikes! I was feeling older by the minute! Eventually, I had to find ways to reduce my stress, changing jobs, changing meds, but the pain was always there. The fatigue never left me. I tried swimming in warm water, and I got a little better. I heard about an alkaline diet but I blew it off for over two years as hokum. Then one year, after meeting my son's Chinese in-laws, they made me see that eating right may be the answer. And I had six months to try it before my son's wedding. After two months of eating stir-fry veggies, cutting out meat, and eating more fruit, I was feeling so good I began to wean myself off the meds. I flipped out my rheumatologist, eventually leaving and never going back. God answered my prayers when I got out of my own way. (And I got to dance at my son's wedding!) I could have been off the meds years ago if I had listened to the people He kept sending to me.

original image owned by E.Fippinger

So, long story short, I am in control of my pain. It is my decision if I do not follow the proper diet, it is my fault if I let myself get stressed out to the point of causing a flareup. God didn't do it to me, He showed me how to manage it myself. Today, when I find myself unable to stick to my diet, for reasons not important here, I "offer it up" for Jesus. I offer my pain and suffering to him, to accept and use for good. I offer my pain for others needs, for my husband, for my friends, for my own time in purgatory.

 

Text courtesy of http://usccb.org/bible/index.cfm

Somehow, in knowing that my pain is accepted by Jesus, I find the strength to endure my flareups. I go on with my life, my church and job. I will never lie in bed and surrender to the pain, because to me, that is like surrendering to the evil one. The greatest gift we can give to God, is our suffering; and by putting on a smile and continuing to serve the Lord and loving others even when we hurt, we will receive our reward, if not in this mortal life, in the next life awaiting us in Heaven. Finding strength in prayer is not always easy, but Jesus is always there, waiting for us to ask Him for His Grace to endure. He is there for you. All you have to do is ask, and it shall be given you, knock and the door shall be opened. Open your heart and mind and allow him to come in.

Have you experienced pain and suffering? Has it caused you to doubt your faith? Have you left church and feel alone? Come home, come back, we will welcome you with open arms, and we will pray for you. Life can be good again, you just have to get out of your own way.

Blessings,

The Catholic Lady©

Greetings

Well, it has been a while since I last posted, and I am shocked at the number of views to my blog since I last posted. Thank you for reading my thoughts and shared insight.

I stopped for a while so I could concentrate on college courses I was taking online. They were extremely taxing, even though I was unemployed at the time, I was stressing out every week as the work grew more intense. My plan had been to go back to school for a degree in Biblical Studies, but the problem was I would have to take three semesters of tedious classes like Health, Microsoft Office, math, and Lord knows what else before I could take the first course in which I was interested. I must say, I discovered that one does reach an age at which learning becomes more difficult. Not to say I didn't do well. I got an A & a B+, as I wanted, it's just I always stress out when challenged, only to come through realizing it wasn't as impossible as I thought.

This discovered, I also looked at the cost, and I could not continue to justify the debt accumulation to reach the point I wished for, and decided to not continue. Now I have to pay back the loans while working in a theme park. At least I have a full time job again, that I love, and it doesn't stress me out. I've had to face the fact that companies do discriminate against older women regardless of laws. They can always give some reason for not hiring someone over 50, but the excuse will never be because they would bring up the average age of their staff therefore increasing their medical insurance costs, or the likelihood of health issues that may take the person out of the office on sick leave. No, a pretty smile and confident manner don't mean much once the gray hairs start to show and the wrinkles line the face.

I'm currently the oldest person working in my store where I work in the theme park. I have asked for opportunities to move up, and get promises of help, but when it comes down to it, the teenager that is not even legally able to drink alcohol is the one getting advice on how to get promoted. I could have a supervisor that is literally young enough to be my grandchild.
I'm sorry, but I can't seem to find a prayer for that situation! It's funny, but not.

Yes my friends, faith is very important, prayers are very important, but acceptance of life as it is can be the hardest thing of which to deal. Life is not fair. God is fair. He lets us make our own mistakes and find the solutions. Sometimes they, the solutions, are there, right in front of us, but we are too blind with our own self pity to see them. I've been blinded, I've wandered in the wrong direction, but I keep getting back up. I keep going.

Since I was old enough to know right from wrong, my life has been guided by so many variables. Each turn was a decision that I made, me, my decision, and therefore my responsibility. If I had made a different decision at any of those turning points, my life may have been different. Or, it may have just taken a detour and ended up in the same place. Only God knows the answer to that question. Free will. It is the gift that came with that forbidden fruit. If Eve had known the outcome of her actions, would she have taken that bite? If Mary had said to the Angel (Lk 1:38), "Let me get back to you" would the world be a different place?

Blessings,

 The Catholic Lady

"If God can work through me, he can work through anyone." St. Francis of Assisi

Beware of Internet Myths and other thoughts...

Internet myths and other thoughts...

You know them, those emails that get passed around, with all good intention, to lift you up and feel good. I get them a lot and this past year I have been personally sharing Christ's passion and carrying a cross. At times it is difficult to remember that we need only give Him our troubles and He will gladly carry them for us. We are all human and even some of our Greatest Saints had doubts and times of trouble when they cried out, "Why me Lord?!"

It occurred to me as I was reading a recent email that has been passed around, for quite a while it seems, that the scripture quoted didn't sound right, so I looked it up, and was amazed that the Scripture noted and the words did not go together. Hmmmm

This is what I received:

This is the actual verse: Esther 4: 13(12When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, )he had this reply brought to her: “Do not imagine that you are safe in the king’s palace, you alone of all the Jews." Now the point of this was to show how Esther's faith in God brought her up from a lowly station to Queen, and allowed her to save the people of Israel from certain death. But the words indicated to be the quote by the font used, is not a complete Bible quote either, not even in any one the dozens of versions of the Bible that are on the Internet. The quote I found is actually from a website, "Godlikeproductions" and I'm not sure it was the actual original post as the person who posted it may have copied it, (and because I found so many with the exact beginning) but it began as a couple of prayers, and with a quote from Jeremiah, not Esther. The Bible verse comes from the NIV (New International Version) which is very close to the New American Bible that we Catholics use: For I know well the plans I have in mind for you—oracle of the LORD—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.  This is from the letter that Jeremiah sent to the Elders of the remaining tribe of Israel in exile in Babylon. The Words in the quote were God's and this part was God addressing Jeremiah: oracle of the LORD. In other words instead of saying his name Jeremiah, God was addressing him by God's designation for him, Jeremiah was the Oracle of the Lord, the Speaker for/of the Lord. See, the "Internet" is just like the game "Gossip", where you start out with a sentence and by the time it makes it around the circle of friends, the sentence has changed. The same thing happens when folks copy and post bits and pieces of things they like from and email or post from a social network. So many people don't even bother to check to see if something is accurate before they forward it on to their friends and family. We MUST be vigilant in making sure that if we quote the Word of God, we get it right because not doing so can lead to more miss-information. Now here my friend was trying to lift me up, and the prayer was lovely in itself and when several people pray together, the words are lifted up to the Lord and He hears them, so I am blessed by the prayers that were lifted up for me, and I thank God daily for the wonderful friends that He has placed in my path, to bless me and for me to bless. Now here is a closing Psalm that my Pastor uses when beginning a meeting or bible/book study: Psalm 46:11 “Be still and know that I am God!     Father begins by asking us to be quiet and clear our thoughts, come to focus on now and leave those thoughts of work and worry and focus on being with God. After each statement we sit quietly for a couple moments.         “Be still and know that I am God!"         “Be still and know that I am"         “Be still and know"         “Be still"         “Be"    Try this the next time you read from the Bible, or Pray or meditate, and you will find it is a wonderful way to calm yourself and focus! Blessings!, The Catholic Lady ©

Dr. Scot Hahn's new CD set!

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Death penalty? Not for Christians

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Death penalty? Not for Christians

As I have written previously, in May I had the privilege to attend the 32^nd National Convocation of Jail and Prison Ministry. I’ve been busy with my college class work, and relearning things forgotten, and I have longed to get back to what I love, writing this Blog. The emotions have passed but the memories are there and I hope that I can convey the importance of jail and prison ministry and the call for the end of the death penalty.

One of the main topics, and the topic of the Keynote Speaker, Sister Helen Prejean, author of “Dead Man Walking” a Sister of St. Joseph of Medaille, is the Death Penalty vs. Life in Prison without Parole. Sr. Prejean delivered her Keynote address at the Holy Family Catholic Church of Orlando, and began with expressing how on the Crucifix image of Christ, “There are two arms on the cross and the Gospel of Jesus stretches us. On one arm is the perpetrator, some of whom have committed crimes so unspeakable, we can barely tell the terrible details of what they did to innocent victims. On the other arm are the victim’s families. And both sides are crying out for healing and justice,” said Sr. Prejean.

Christ loves us all and is calling all of us to him, asking us to repent.

The putting to death of a human cannot, in anyway, heal the victims and their families; only forgiveness can heal a persons heart. The father of a murder victim, who’s murderer Sr. Prejean was counseling, taught her that. He first had to experience his own transformation from anger and rage, to forgiveness, in order to save himself from the bitterness and hatred that was consuming him and robbing him of any future happiness. Sr. Prejean went on to say later that “He was the first victims family member who taught me forgiveness is not first and foremost to relieve the (perpetrator’s) burden of guilt; it is what you do for yourself so you are not overtaken by hate. It is God’s grace to save your life.”

When Jesus was teaching, Matthew 18: 21 Then Peter approaching asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22^* Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” (or seventy times seven, depending on the translation.)

Sermon on the Mount

The Holy Catholic Church has taught from the beginning:

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, on your part, live at peace with all. Beloved, do not look for revenge but leave room for the wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Roman 12:17-19

Blessed Pope John Paul II, wrote an Encyclical, on the belief that all life is sacred, from conception to natural death. EVANGELIUM VITAE, or Gospel of Life, a document available for all to read, I’ve included, for you, the link to the Holy See website file. The encyclical discuss’ every aspect of life from conception to death, including but not limited to unnatural conception, and euthanasia. For purposes of this blog post, I wish to point out a few portions, but I do recommend that if you have the opportunity, to read the entire document. I’m sure you will find it as enlightening as I have. Bookmark the link so you can return to it later, you will find the entire website is a wonderful place to explore the Vatican.

The encyclical is numbered for ease in locating portions and in number 7, it talks about the first murder, Adam and Eve’s son, Cain kills his brother Abel.  In Genesis chapter 4, Cain and Abel bring portions of their labor to the Lord God as burnt offerings. When the Lord God show’s he favored Abel, Cain became envious and lured his brother out to fields where he had tended the ground, and struck Abel, spilling his blood on the ground.

Cain leadng Abel to his Death, Tissot.

                            

God questions Cain asking him where his brother is and when he denies any knowledge, even asking, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (I used to wonder where that line came from, having forgotten.) The Lord rebukes him, tells him he will never plant and grow in the soil again, and banishes him to the land of Nod, east of Eden, where he will wander all his life. He could have struck him dead! Why, if God can be merciful to a murderer, can’t we do the same? Every life is sacred.

The Encyclical continues in #8, As Saint Ambrose writes: "Once the crime is admitted at the very inception of this sinful act of parricide, then the divine law of God's mercy should be immediately extended. If punishment were forthwith inflicted on the accused, then men in the exercise of justice would in no way observe patience and moderation, but would straightaway condemn the defendant to punishment. ...God drove Cain out of his presence and sent him into exile far away from his native land, so that he passed from a life of human kindness to one which was more akin to the rude existence of a wild beast. God, who preferred the correction rather than the death of a sinner, did not desire that a homicide be punished by the exaction of another act of homicide".

God had continued to have mercy on Cain and put a mark on him that would warn others not to kill him. Ours is not to kill, but to punish and rehabilitate, even if that means keeping them away from people for their own protection and that of the public. We must not, as followers of Christ, condone the death of a human being, no matter how heinous they may be. The official response of the Roman Catholic church upon the news of Osama bin Laden’s death: “Faced with the death of a man, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibility of everyone before God and man, and hopes and pledges that every event is not an opportunity for a further growth of hatred, but of peace.”*Fr. F. Lombardi, Exec. Dir. Of the Vatican Press Office, May 2, 2011.

                                   

Stained Glass Window

It is a reality that in these days, it is difficult to find the grace to forgive someone accused and convicted of a horrible crime, and many will say “Kill him for what he did!” I’ve heard this sentiment within my own family. It rips my heart every time I hear it, and I remind them of what Christ did for us. People who felt as passionately about the Law of God, who believed with their whole beings, that Jesus deserved death, death on a cross, for what they believed was blasphemy against God. Knowing that He died on that cross, for our failings, our lack of faith, our sins, us, who had not been born yet, yes even those who sinned yesterday and killed an innocent person, Jesus has already forgiven them! He calls them and us, “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect. “Romans 12:2

 We have but to follow his example and pray that they will accept his forgiveness and be changed! They have a chance, until the moment of their death, to find the Lord and we should rejoice when they do! Jesus loves sinners!

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for loving me, a poor sinner, not worthy of your gift, that I might have eternal life with You in Heaven, and grant me the Grace to extend that love to everyone I meet. Amen,

Blessings!

The Catholic Lady©

They get what they deserve...

They get what they deserve...

Recently, I was privileged to attend the 32^nd Annual Convocation of Jail and Prison Ministry, in Orlando, Florida. It brought new ideas to light about the lives of the incarcerated. Over the three days of the convocation sponsored by the Society of Saint Vincent DePaul, I learned first hand from the volunteers, the families, the clergy and the formerly incarcerated.

I learned about the lack of rehabilitation, the lousy food, forced labor, loneliness, desperation and the permanent scars of incarceration. I found often times because of the way our laws are written, people can be labeled for a major crime when in fact they simply made a mistake in judgment at the wrong time and at the wrong place.

St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church, Queens, NY

Our pastor at my church has been involved in prison ministry for many years and his interest is beginning to influence the members of our parish. My natural curiosity has led me to find out more about it, as one of the things Jesus asked us to do is to visit those in prison. Jesus was teaching the parables of the ten virgins and the parable of the talents, and then he began to talk about his second coming. In Matthew 25: 35-46 we read:

Jesus is teaching: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’

Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’

And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’

Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’

 And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Many people have no problem feeding the poor. Many people have no problem caring for the sick. Many people give clothing and money for the poor to clothe and house them. But why is it so hard to visit those in prison?

This is one of the things Jesus taught to the multitudes, it was one of the things the Apostles and Paul taught in Hebrews 13: 3  Paul wrote: 

Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment, and of the ill-treated as of yourselves, for you also are in the body.

The Apostles were imprisoned many times, and many were convicted and killed. On one occasion Peter was in prison, Acts 12:5 : Peter thus was being kept in prison, but prayer by the church was fervently being made to God on his behalf.

Not all people in prison are despicable. Not all are murderers and pedophiles and rapists. Would it be easier if they were all thieves? Or frauds? Or prostitutes? Would you be able to visit them and offer them comfort and prayer or bring them communion?

          One of the first stories I heard was of a man whose father was a serial killer. Travis S. Vining was a victim as a child and as an adult, by a murderer who used his own son, and threatened him to keep him quiet when he thought his son may turn him in to the authorities. The child of a murderer, who buried memories to allow himself to live in a fantasy of normalcy. A man, who lived in pain, suffered bodily, because of suppressed memories and feelings, all because his father was a sociopathic serial killer. Travis’ discovery of faith and the Divine Mercy gave him strength and courage to reach out for help. He learned to forgive his father despite his continued fear of him, and began a ministry for the forgotten victims of major crimes, the families of the criminal, who suffer from unforgiveness, that website is: www.Victorythroughpeace.com. 

          We sometimes forget that the family of the victim is not the only family that needs comfort. The prisoners themselves often are tortured with guilt and we should be able to forgive them and have compassion for them. At the very least, we should pray for their immortal souls and for healing of their minds and hearts.The convocation was three days and there were multiple topics of which I cannot include in just one post, so I will concentrate on for aspect at a time. Today, I want to conclude with this suggestion: Pray for the imprisoned. No matter what their crimes, prayer can bring them peace and healing. Of course, not all people can be healed, and not all will repent their crimes, much like Travis’s father who sits on death row in Florida today. But our duty is to serve our Lord Jesus by following His instructions and His example of how to live for Him and with Him. 

 

         Now, before you rush out and head for the nearest jail, let me warn you that you should first seek guidance from someone in the ministry. The jail personnel will be watching you for professionalism and grace under fire. The prisoners will be watching you to see if you are what you claim to be and a miss-step in the jail can make you lose credibility with prisoners and the prison staff. Be prepared, study, and go with someone experienced.

Onward Christian Soldiers! 

Blessings,  

The Catholic Lady©

Love Sunday

Love Sunday

Last Sunday, April 28th, the fifth Sunday of Easter, is what we sometimes call "Love Sunday". Why, do you ask? Because that is the Sunday the Liturgy readings are on our Greatest Commandment, to love one another. 

Some call it the Eleventh Commandment; some call it the Greatest Commandment, Gospel Reading: John 13:31-33a, 34-35

 When Judas had left them, Jesus said,

“Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and God will glorify him at once.

My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. 

I give you a new commandment: love one another. 

As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.

This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Some might argue that Jesus didn't give a new commandment because of other talks in the Gospels like Matthew 22:36-40 where the scribes were testing his knowledge of the Law.

36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”

37 He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all

your soul, and with all your mind.

38 This is the greatest and the first commandment.

39 The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

40 The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

The two commandments were from two different parts of the Law. The first was given at Mt. Sinai to Moses on the stones, Exodus 20:2-3 and the second is recorded in Leviticus 19:18, 34, as Moses' teachings and explanations of the Ten Commandments. Some say that because it was recorded to "Love thy neighbor as thyself" in Leviticus it was part of the original Ten Commandments. But look at what Jesus said in the Gospel of John a bit closer and perhaps you will see a difference.

Jesus washes the feet of Peter

Jesus says to "love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another"!

How did Jesus love his disciple's? He called them to him; He humbled Himself to them as a servant; He died in total disgrace for them, (and us). He showed them to have compassion for children, women, cripples, lepers, sinners and prisoners. He taught them the real meaning of God's commandments, not the bogged down, great weight it had become for the Israelites.

It begs you to ask the question, how great is true love for another human?

To love a complete stranger may sound like Bazarro World, but that is what the "world" wants us to believe. As members of Christ's Mystical Body on earth, we are part of Him and He is part of us, and as He loved, we should love. 

We, let's use caps here, WE, must have compassion for children, women, cripples, prisoners, sinners and the sick and infirm. We must feed the five thousand, with the Word which was made Flesh. The fishes and loaves are now our alms and service, to be given to nourish our brothers and sisters in need. It doesn't have to be with just money and food; it can be with a visit to the hospitalized, the incarcerated, and the infirm left in nursing homes by their children. It can be with a Blog, or social network, a Bible study in your home or church, a CD talk that you pass on to someone because it may give them hope or inspiration.

Join the Club today

There are as many ways to love our neighbors, our brothers and sisters, as there are ways to make a sandwich, literally thousands of ways. Jesus just wants us to LOVE!

Can you love others as yourself? Do you need love? Do you crave meaning in your life?

Christ is calling you; we are calling you, to come to Jesus. If you need help finding answers to these and other questions, feel free to email or message me and I'll point you to someone close to you. Or pull out that smart phone and tell it to find the nearest Catholic Church. We'll leave the light on for you.

Blessings and Love,

The Catholic Lady©