Did an Angel Drive my Car?

I wonder if I had a direct encounter with the supernatural world on Wednesday night.  Today’s feast of Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel and Saint Raphael reminded of Wednesday’s crazy series of events.  The short story is that I accidently took the wrong medicine before dental surgery. 

Each time I see the dentist, I take four tables of antibiotics to prevent any infection that might occur in my replaced hip.  I thought I only had antibiotics in my medicine cabinet and took four pills without looking at the pill container.  It was only after feeling lightheaded and sick that I asked the dental assistant to call my husband to pick me up.

My husband noticed that the pill container contained codeine.  After my dentist assured me that I hadn’t overdosed, I spent the afternoon quite ill, dosing on the couch.  At dinner, I only drank water and still felt awful as I laid back on the couch.  I agreed that I would go with my husband at 8 to pick up my car.  Neither of us wanted to leave the car in the parking lot over night.

On the drive to the parking lot I was not sure how I would manage to drive the three miles back to the house.  As I got in the car, my stomach felt queasy.  I got behind the wheel, took a deep breath and started the car.  I knew my husband was following me and would pull over with me if I needed to stop.  Yet, as I pulled out onto the main road, I didn’t have any problem driving.  I was cautious, but did not have any difficulty turning or stopping.

Sooner than I knew, I pulled into my drive way and parked.  I sighed and got out of the car. As I walked to the mailbox to get the mail, I began to feel awful again.  My husband got out of his car and commented on how great I drove, as I threw up on the grass.  I was so weak that I was

I can only think that I must have had some supernatural assistance to get me home safely.  Did my guardian angel assist me in that time of need?  Some will say it might have been adrenaline or just my own nature. Others will deny the existence of thrones, dominions, angels and archangels.  On this day, when we remember our supernatural friends, I am thankful to the angel who might have been driving my car on Wednesday.

               

An unexpected milestone

                On Monday, I turned 55 years old.  I didn’t think of 55 as being a milestone.  Yes, 50 was a time to celebrate and to evaluate.  Months in advance, I let my husband know that I wanted to go away with him for a weekend.  We had a great weekend in Sanibel Island, although I think we lowered the median age of people at the resort by about 10 years!

                

                What has my attention about 55 is that it feels like I turned 50 just a few months ago and that means that I’ll be 60 before I know it.  I’m not worried about growing old or facing health issues or even death.  I am more cognizant about how I am spending my time.

               

                 In the past five years, what I want out of life has changed.  Some of this is from life experiences. It was in my 50^th year that God swept me back to Him in the most marvelous, loving way.  Three years ago, my in-laws moved in with us. Two years ago, I accompanied my Mom on her final journey on this earth and last year was at the deathbed of my father-in-law.  My husband and I survived one job lay off and are currently in the process of experiencing another.

               

                 I find myself wanting fewer things as I want to spend more time with my family and friends.  Television, except for watching sporting events with my son or old movies with my husband is a thing of the past.  After years of collecting things, I’m more inclined to give away items.  I want to travel more, find new ways to enjoy the outdoors, be more selective in my volunteer hours and find extra ways to pray.  And I want to continue to make friends of men and women of all ages.  I have good friends who are 26 and 88.  They variety of ages adds richness to my days.

               

                  I want to follow God’s path for my life.  I’m more inclined to try new things now than in my 30’s or 40’s, am not worried about what others think of me and have found a creative part of me that I’ve not experienced.

               

                  I think more now about the amazing role models I’ve had in my life for aging.  Mable, the 82 year old baker who I worked with on weekends at Eden Glen restaurant as a college student, was the first “old” person (other than a grandparent) that was my friend.  I learned how to bake from her, but I also watched as she lived an active and full life.

              

                  My Aunt Mary is now 88.  She and husband have been great role models for how my husband and I want to live our retirement years.  Since his death two years ago, (she married him when she was 19) she has been an amazing example of how to live as a widow.  When I went to visit her earlier this month, she was complaining about aching joints.  She planted mums in her garden the day before!

                

                Watching the joy and energy of our beloved, aging Pope Benedict XVI is a life lesson in itself.  He has no retirement age.  His papacy has changes as he is not able to travel quite was much as before, but his desire to be the shepherd of his flock is as vigorous as ever.

                

                At 55, I don’t wish to be younger, or old, but to enjoy each day to its fullest.    That might be the best gift of this milestone. 

               

God in the marketplace?

I am reading “God in Action” by Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I, Archbishop of Chicago.  It has been on my bookshelf for several months, but with the upcoming elections, it seemed like a good time to read it.

Yesterday, I read the chapter subtitled, “Business as a Vocation from God”.  For me, the words leapt off the page.  He writes, “There’s a distinction and a separation in law between religious institutions and political institutions, but not between faith and society; the first 150 years of this country’s history bears witness to health interaction between the concerns of society and the influence of faith.” [i]

Cardinal George goes on to write that secularism, (my pastor may make the case for relativism), has become the public religion.  Any areas dealing with faith are considered private and no longer have value in the public spheres, especially the market place.  This becomes a significant problem as the gift of faith calls us to something beyond what and what we currently are. 

He then references the Trappist monk Thomas Merton[ii] in discussing “false selves” – masks that we use when interacting with others.  We might have the “boss mask”, the “mommy mask”, the “pious mask”, etc.  The masks represent a role that we play in various parts of our lives.

Yet as we spend more time with God, His unending and merciful love unifies everything in our lives, including our work, making us integrated persons who are free to act according to His will for us.  As we answer the call to follow his will, as our faith grows and deepens, faith no longer is a mask, or something that happens at a certain time and space, but is grafted into ourselves. 

My “take away” from this reading is this: once our unified selves enter the business world, tension is then created because we may be asked to take off our “faith masks” to conform to what is expected in specific situations.  Our work, the way that God calls us to use the gifts He has given us, will be transformed when we bring our unified selves to the market place.  As we labor, not in drudgery, but in joy, conducting our actions in His name, others will notice.  We will bring His love into the marketplace and who knows that will result!

Thank you Cardinal George for allowing me to realize that business is one place that I may put “God in Action”.

---

[i] God in Action by Francis Cardinal George, Commerce as a substitute for war, page 155

[ii] If you haven’t read Merton’s “Seven Story Mountain”, put it on your Christmas list.  It is well worth the time to read this story of conversion.

Fruit of a Teacher's Strike

              There is much celebration in Chicago this morning, as students and teachers go back to school after a teachers strike.  I have been following the news on this event as I can still vividly remember a teacher’s strike in the Detroit school system.  About forty five years ago, in the 1960’s the Detroit teachers strike lasted more than two weeks.  I was 9 or 10 years old.   An experience I had during the strike had an important effect on me.   

               

                As a child, September was my favorite month of the year.  School began in September and not only did it mean new classes and teachers and a chance to see friends that I didn’t see over the summer, but also new school supplies and clothes.  It is also my birthday month.  I was more than a little distressed that school was delayed.

                

                During the second week of the strike, a friend invited me to come to her church.  The church decided to host a Bible school until regular classes resumed.  I was delighted to accompany her.  At some point during that week, we studied the parable of the sower.  I’m not sure which Gospel reading was presented, but the idea of sowing seeds that would or would not survive in various soils came alive for me.

                

                In fact, to this day, each time I listen to the parable, I think back to that lunchroom and how I didn’t want the Word gobbled up by birds, or to sprout only to not have roots to live, or to get choked.  Of course I wanted the Word to increase thirty or sixty or one hundred fold.  Then, as even now, I stop and think about the kind of soil I have been in the recent past. 

                

                  I would like to think that most of the time I am the “good ground”, and yet I can think of times when I am not.  Certainly, at times I may not hear the Word because I am distracted by thoughts such as:” Do I have enough lunchmeat in the house for sandwiches for tomorrow?” or “How am I going to complete the work for a client and get to my son’s football game?”

                

                  Other times, seed does not sprout because of the business of my life, or seed gets choked because of my preoccupation with grasping for the things of this world. 

                

                   This particular parable is a critical reminder for me to be diligent in hearing the Word, absorbing it and allowing it to produce fruit.  After all, “I did not choose Him, but He chose me to go out and bear fruit that will last.”

                

                   On this crisp fall morning, as children in Chicago are roused out of bed early to begin another year of education, I like to think that maybe some of them had a positive experience over the past two weeks that will have an effect of their lives, even 45 years from now!

                

A Crisp Tuesday Morning

        On a crisp Tuesday morning with weather, not unlike today, I took a rather unexpected walk up Rhode Island Avenue in DC with strangers.  We were walking from the business section of our Nation’s Capital to a Metro Station.  The streets will filled with traffic. Strangers stopped to offer us rides.  It was quiet.

        And then, the sounds of a plane cause us to jerk our collective heads up to the sky.  Oh, not a plane, but a helicopter. With a sigh of relief, we continued our walk. 

        This was not a normal Tuesday morning, but September 11, 2001.  We had been sent home from our offices after the plane crashed into the Pentagon.

        On that walk, I heard a person begin to sob.  She said, “One of the towers has collapsed.”  I immediately began to pray for the people in the tower.  I also had an image planted in my mind of thousands of angels hovering at the site of the Twin Towers, catching the souls of those who were dying that day.

        Many may remember the Franciscan priest, Father Mychal Judge, chaplain to the FDNY who was among those who ended their earthly lives that day.  This morning, I used a portion of his homily from the day before as a prayer.

        You do what God has called you to do. You get on that rig, you go out  and do the job. No matter how big the call, no matter how small, you have no idea of what God is calling you to, but God needs you. He needs me. He needs all of us. God needs us to   keep supporting each other, to be kind to each other, to love each other….        We love this job, we all do. What a blessing it is! It’s a difficult, difficult job, but God calls you to do it, and indeed, He gives you a love for it so that a difficult job will be well done..        Isn’t God wonderful?! Isn’t He good to you, to each one of you, and to me? Turn to God each day -- put your faith, your trust, your hope and your life in His hands. He’ll take care of you, and you’ll have a good life. And this firehouse will be a great blessing to this neighborhood and to this city. Amen.

        Good words to pray, no matter what our professions or stages in life.  He will take care of us and we will have good lives!

May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.  Saints from 9-11, pray for us!

Chasen' Every Wind

Saturday morning, I was driving down 13^th Street toward downtown DC, listening to the local Christian radio station.  A recent Toby Mac song came on titled “That’s Me Without You”.  I’m not a huge Toby Mac fan, but this particular song has a very catchy refrain. I’ve listened to it many times this summer and the lyrics brought to mind events of the past week.

Last week, a community of which my family is a part had members who made some inappropriate, immoral choices.  The behavior was dealt with by those in leadership.  Then the incident was discovered by the news, and the media descended.  I could not help but be saddened by the behavior and also to feel heartbroken for those involved.  While I’m sure they will recover, their lives will be forever changed due to their actions. 

In the song, Toby sings the following refrain to our Lord:

“Where would I be without you?”

“I’d be packing my bags when I need to stay,

“I’d be chasen’ every breeze that blows my way

“I’d be building my kingdom just to see it fade away

“It’s true

“That’s me without you.”

Although I’ve listened to this song dozens of times this summer, the lyrics came alive in the car. Were this young people “chasen’'” every breeze that blows their way” as they made the inappropriate choices? What could possibly have caused the individuals referenced above to make the decisions they did?  They definitely were only thinking of their own wants at the moment.  Not about how their actions would affect others or what consequences might occur with the behavior.    

This world and its riches are enticing, especially to the young. A lack of moral truth has allowed us to believe that we can get what we want, they way we want it, when we want it. And it can cause us to “chase every breeze that blows our way”.  Would these decisions have been made if they took an instant to pray about their actions? 

I’ll admit that I don’t take the time to pray before making the dozens of decisions that face me each day.  It is each to be busy “building my kingdom just to see it fade away”.  What might have happened if just one of the individuals involved stopped to pray and was given the courage to question the actions?

Later in the song, Toby sings about the fact that, “You rescued me.”  As we are in the early weeks of a new school year, I pray that the Spirit penetrate the hearts and minds and souls of the young (and the not so young) to realize that we should not “pack our bags when we need to stay”, but listening to His voice as we move through our days.

"Our hearts are restless until they rest in you"

Four years ago, I was captivated by St. Augustine after hearing a priest speak about the “God shaped hole”  in our hearts. He quoted St. Augustine in saying, “our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”  From that moment on, I looked to this wise and very human Saint for guidance.

On Wednesday night, at the Catholic Writers Conference in Dallas, TX, I was privileged to see, “Restless Heart.”  It is the first full-length feature film made about Augustine of Hippo and a gem in Christian filmmaking.  It portrays the fallen nature of Augustine, who was born to a devout Christian mother (Monica) and a pagan Father.  The acting was fine and the cinematography first-rate.

The challenge of capturing St. Augustine’s story in a 2 hour movie is daunting and director Christian Duguay’s product is understandable for both believers and non-believers.  The storyline follows Augustine from his birth and childhood in Thagaste (Northern Africa); to Carthage where he hone raw skills into brilliant oratory. He lives a dissolute life, even bringing his concubine and child to live with his mother.

He denies his mother’s believe in God at many times in his life, inspite of his father’s baptism upon his deathbed.  One of the most powerful scenes takes place in the public square, in front of his Mother and priest as he states that belief is foolish because it cannot be scene or touched.  Augustine continues to seek truth, not finding it in fame or fortune or pagan religions.

Augustine is eventually called to Milan to serve in the court and here he meets St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan.  It is Ambrose who sees the talent of young Augustine and challenges him.  The portrayal of St. Ambrose by Andrea Giordana is easily the most compelling performance in the movie.

In a series of scenes, Ambrose plants and then nourishes the seed of belief in Augustine, allowing him to see how is ambition, self seeking, immoral life leads to emptiness.  He helps Augustine to understand that seeking truth means finding the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. For me, the conversion scene was the least believable part of the movie.

Once Augustine understands the all consuming love and mercy that Christ has for him, he is liberated.  And that liberation leads to writing that still brings men and women to Christ today.  I now need to re-read his Confessions!  While seeing his life come to the big screen was entertaining, his written word is powerful and can't be replaced by a video medium.

It is a move that is best viewed on the “big screen”.  Private viewings of the movie are being sponsored by organizations and individuals throughout the country.  For a list of viewings, go to http://www.restlessheartfilm.com/movie-events.php. 

You can make that happen by hosting a theatrical screening in your area! To learn the steps involved in scheduling and hosting a successful screening of this amazing film, contact The Maximus Group at 1-877-263-1263 or RestlessHeart@MaximusMG.com. 

An Unexpected Oasis

I spent this past week in an oasis of Catholic goodness with individuals who are inspired to use their written talents to evangelize.  I have returned to life refreshed in multiple dimensions with a clearer perspective on several aspects of my life.  I nearly cancelled my plans to travel to Dallas to attend the Catholic Writers Conference on Sunday.  Why was I flying to this conference in spite of my too many obligations and the sudden news last week that my husband will be unemployed at the end of September?  Can I even call myself a writer? I didn’t have answers, yet boarded the plane on Monday evening.

My “writing” career began three years ago this month.  Ideas for several short stories had been bubbling in my brain and I began to write them.  It took me four months to finish the first and three weeks to finish the seventh.  I took classes at The Writers Center in Bethesda, MD to improve my writing.  In addition to the stories, I’ve written a series of memoir essays and began this blog a year ago.  All of my writing features the beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church.  So I would call myself a Catholic Writer!  

I encountered liturgy that woke up my mind and my soul, authors who shared their struggles and persevered to become successful, sessions that provided very practical advice on writing, publishing, marketing and encouragement that came in so many different directions.  We were told to “be not afraid” as we share our faith with believers and non-believers. And to give our gift of writing back to the Lord, it is His plan, after all!

Jeff Cavins spoke about the New Evangelization and his new program called Walking Toward Eternity.  Catholic Radio personality Teresa Tomeo shared her experience as an author and as someone who interviews authors. 

I was touched by homilies by Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFR, co-founder of the Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and by Bishop Christopher Coyne of Indianapolis. 

Restless Heart, a new film about St. Augustine was screened during the show.  Country singer Collin Raye sang and shared his story.  I met fellow lay Dominicans, have many new friends from around the country and spent time with the Lord in Adoration.  And we prayed, at the beginning of every session, sometimes at the end of the session.

That convention center, being baked by 100 degree temperatures, surrounded by Six Flags, Rangers Stadium and Texas Stadium was a cool place of refreshment this past week.  I’m still not quite sure why I boarded that plane, but I am glad that I did.

Are you are a Catholic writer? You should join us next year.