Day 73
Lauren and Nanny
color while
Fr. Carl talks
about confirmation
Lovely
Miss Lauren chose her Nanny to sponsor her for Confirmation. How delicious!
The
Catholic Church has deteriorated drastically since the 1962 Encyclical
decimated the ranks of the priesthood and membership in the Orders of Nuns. Not
just some inane opinion; in 1960 the U.S. boasted a population of around 230
million of which Catholics comprised roughly 95 million; in 2017, that
membership is down to about 65 million in a population of 325 million.
Something is definitely
wrong, somewhere! But, the girls wanted to be confirmed, so the family
undertook aiding them on their way to Salvation and the children completed the
journey.
These
young ladies are quite sophisticated and little, if anything, escapes their
understandings.
To
declare that the “instructions” leading to one of the church sacred
“Sacraments”, namely, Confirmation, left much to be desired and managed to
raise important issues of events within the church for our confirmands. Their
reverent piety for the Deity survived, the church lost them.
A
running joke among family members relates how Miss Lauren and her Nanny, Lady
Candice, took up coloring in children’s drawing books to absolve themselves
from the tedious droning of the priest who displayed a “satisfying” persona to
the lay-powers that be. Not exactly the kind of Christian-example necessary to set the soul of a holy pre-teen on
fire.
The
parish vacated a perfectly good church building in the center of town at the
behest of four (4) members out of some 1,500 who demanded a new facility. Uh!
Huh! Not common public knowledge. With an “evil” promise to never come begging
for additional funds for the project, some parishioners were “shaken-down” on
several occasions. So much for the power of prayer!
Personally,
I wish them well; God needs followers now, more than ever before. They have the
right to behave in any manner they choose; so do I! I choose not to participate in blaspheme or
heresy. Amen! I’ll not judge others, neither shall I ignore the obvious Truth!
Any lie, no matter
how well-crafted or skillfully obfuscated is, in the end, still just an evil-lie!
How
does that old axiom go: Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on
you!
So,
Miss Lauren did the right thing and gained in her sacred pursuit of Salvation! Amen!
And,
she and Nanny and the rest of the family enjoy the tale of “Coloring for
eternal-Love”!
Amen!
Plus:
Old Times
Received
a letter from a friend today; I had heard that his health had treated him badly
and so I had sent him a “cheer-me-up type scribe as we had once been fairly
close and I had lost touch.
His
“high” intelligence rang through in his words; he has enjoyed a pleasant enough
life and even took up flying (that surprised me as I was the “rebel, rascal,
rogue of the pairing).
I
had originally written to him to encourage him with a good attitude toward the
conditions resultant of age, but also recalled that his birthday was January 10
and so commented on that.
We
traverse many lanes in this life-endeavor encountering myriad pilgrims along
the way; seems that it is sometimes good just to say “howdy” through a space of
time past. Amen!
I
got the distinct impression that my old friend is searching for some “life”
answers to delicate issues and cannot put a peaceful finger on them. Such
energy must be somewhat disconcerting.
Three
times I have found myself in that “near-death experience” of the proverbial
tunnel. (I dismiss such sacred measure on a wretch like me by joking that they
sent me back, all three times, didn’t want me over there, either). No “church”
can help you at that late point; hopefully their teaching already prepared thee
for that inevitable journey patiently awaiting each of us.
Yesterday,
I wrote in my blog that “religion” is each person’s most personal treasure.
Such “reverence” is strictly between the “believer” and the Deity, exactly as
it should be. The only “answer” to any query is simple and honest: Truth! To find the “key”, listen with
an open heart, an accepting mind and a free spirit. Praise! Honor! Glorify! God! In every instant: thought, word and
deed. Make such worship “habit” without thinking. The sacred “rewards” are
self-fulfilling.
In
condensed focus: Refuse lies, embrace generosity, live free, practice Love!
Live!
Love! Laugh!
Focus contemplate!
Vigilant be! Not
one future be ever late!
Faith!
Family! Freedom! Might
just be all there really---Is!
In one eternal
instant the only mercy-blessing will be…His!
Amen!
Best wishes!
Friend Ron! Good luck! Longevity! God bless!
Carl
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