Notes from the floor

In the book of Jeremiah, God talks about tearing down so he will build up. Also in Jeremiah, God presents to us the image of the potter and the clay. If the potter is not satisfied with the pot he is making he starts over. During these last few months, I have been torn down. At this moment, I am laying on the floor (figuratively speaking of course), totally broken, waiting for God to build up and make me into a different pot. The process of being broken was very painful. Right now, laying on the floor, I have nothing to do but wait. I cannot do anything outside of what God is willing for my life right now. So I wait. I wait to be built up. This period of being totally broken, of being "dead", is an interesting one. On one level I am powerless to do anything of my own accord. I can only lay here, surrendered totally to Jesus...waiting. On another level the only thing I can do, if you call it doing much, is pray. I pray to be built up again. I pray for patient endurance. I pray to not fall into despair. I pray for the Holy Spirit to come. Since this is Holy Week and next Sunday we will celebrate the resurrection, I am hoping that God will bless me with a bit of a personal resurrection. I pray that He will take my broken parts and pull them into His very being. If I no longer exist on my own that will be fine...I just need to know I am in His care. If I have Jesus, I have everything...because no matter who comes to destroy me - be it the Church, representatives of the church, my family, society, health issues....as long as I have Jesus, I have everything I need.

CATHOLICS - Wake up!

Maybe I'm the only one that realizes this, but do you know that the devil has infiltrated the Catholic Church? Have you noticed that there is a disconnect between the people of the church and the clergy? Why is that? It is partly because clergy are busier than usual due to the shortage of priests. I also think that the people in the pews are just as out of touch with Jesus and so what do we have? We have a church that is ripe for the devil to attack, and attack he has....with a vengence. He is doing such incredible damage to the body of Christ and we are letting him do it. By not doing anything, we are condoning his actions and saying "go ahead little devil, do what you will, we give up." You know I am right, don't you? This is my prayer and hope: that clergy will pray for at least an hour on a daily basis and totally surrender themselves to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. This is also my hope for lay people as well. If we only do that each day, our church would be radically different. Until then, the people will continue to have their souls waste away because their clergy have forgotten how to truly minister to their people. Until then, our clergy will be administrators and CEO's of parishes and will not understand the role of a shepherd. Until then, our church will continue to be attacked by the evil one...and someday, we will be accountable to almighty God for having let the little devil have so much power. If I am the only one on the planet, I will continue to surrender each day. If God allows me to be trampled on and broken by all that comes against me, then so be it...for someday He will tell me I have chosen the better part - to surrender and pray. It may cost me my life, but it will be worth it.