Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Thank God for Priests!

1 Timothy 5:17-18

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially
those who labor in preaching and teaching; for the scripture says, "You shall
not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain," and, "The laborer deserves
his wages."

--------------------
It can be a temptation of Catholics to take our priests for granted. It is
worth asking, when we do, how much we should like to have to shoulder the burden
of spending a large portion of one's life listening to the confessions of other
people. Not that this would necessarily be crushing. Few among us are mass
murderers. Rather, it would be numbing, because so many among us sin in more or
less the same monotonous ways. It's tough, of course, to confess any sin. But
we are only in the confessional for a few minutes. Father is in there off and
on for his whole life, listening to the same litany of human failure and
depravity. It takes a hero to do that and, if you haven't lately, why not thank
your priest the next time you see him? He is worthy of double honor. Then
thank God for him too and see if there is something you can do to support him
more consistently.


**************************************************

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Satisfaction!

--------------

Luke 19:8-9

And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I
give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it
fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since
he also is a son of Abraham."

--------------------
The idea behind satisfaction is not that you have to earn forgiveness by doing
something to buy it from God. Rather, the idea is that satisfaction - the
desire to do something to right a wrong we have done - is the natural outworking
(and reward) of penance just as the desire to kiss the beloved is the natural
outworking (and reward) of falling in love. A really penitent person does not
approach satisfaction as an onerous task, but as something that wild horses
couldn't restrain them from doing. Zacchaeus cheated a great many people out of
a good deal of money. When he repented of his sin and found forgiveness, he
couldn't wait to pay back the people he had cheated. And Jesus did not scold
him saying, "My grace is free. You don't have to do that." He rejoiced that
Zacchaeus had found salvation and that his salvation had burst out of him in an
act of love.


**************************************************

Monday, February 21, 2005

HOLIDAYS IN ARUBA, DECEMBER 2004 - JANUARY 2005

Jola and Dea, on the boat comming from De Palm Island Posted by Hello
Me and Antho Posted by Hello
Me and Anthony on the boat comming back from De Palm Island, Aruba Posted by Hello

Nancy

Posted by Hello

Dea

Posted by Hello
Dea Posted by Hello
Jola, Dea, Nancy Posted by Hello
Anthony Posted by Hello
Brandi Posted by Hello
nice tan! Posted by Hello
Cactus in our backyard Posted by Hello
Next to the cinema, Oranjestad Posted by Hello
Nancy at Pizza One Posted by Hello
Altar, Santa Filomena Church Posted by Hello
Santa Filomena Church Posted by Hello
Santa Filomena Church, Paradera; Aruba. Posted by Hello
Dea? Posted by Hello
Nancy and Dea in Lucy's appartement Posted by Hello
Our Lady of Fatima, St. Filomena church, Paradera; Aruba Posted by Hello
in the cinema Posted by Hello
Yummieeeeee Posted by Hello
Lucy Posted by Hello
Me and Mama Posted by Hello
Brandi and Dea Posted by Hello
Mama, Fabiola and Dea Posted by Hello