The Areopagus 11-11-08
posted by Phil Lawson
11-11-08
After a 3+ month hiatus from The Areopagus I’m back. Amazing how much more busy life gets with two young children…as some of you veteran parents smile knowingly.
I’m currently reading a delightful book, “God’s Doorkeepers: Padre Pio, Solanus Casey & Andre Bessette” by Joel Schorn. Servant Books, 2006. All were humble men, often suffering from frail health, who were not much in the eyes of the world. Of particular note was Solanus Casey, born in 1870, who grew up in Wisconsin.
A few highlights:
From Brother Andre Bessette: (The sick would often come to him seeking healing—and in many cases their appeal was granted.) However, as his religious order also ran a school, people complained about the number of sick who might come in contact with their children through visiting Br. Andre. The story goes:
“A group of physicians declared Brother Andre ignorant and a danger to the public health. He responded, ‘They are right. I am ignorant. That is the reason why the Good God concerns himself with me. If there was anyone more ignorant than I, the Good God would choose him instead of me.’”
Another interesting tidbit, Padre Pio, who possessed the stigmata and died in 1968, is estimated to have heard 2 million confessions in his life. From 1918 to 1923, he would sit and hear confessions from 15-19 hours a day.
Phil’s Tidbits:
Our culture has a bad habit of elevating our politicians to cult-like status and then expecting them to produce miracles. (Of course promises made during campaigns do little to discourage that line of thinking.)
We do well to recall the words on the Psalmist…simply substitute “president, governor, senator, etc” for “prince” and you get the same result.
God alone is in ultimate control.
Psalm 146: 3-10 “Put not your trust in princes”
3 I Put no trust in princes, in mere mortals powerless to save.
4 When they breathe their last, they return to the earth; that day all their planning comes to nothing.
5 Happy those whose help is Jacob's God, whose hope is in the LORD, their God,
6 The maker of heaven and earth, the seas and all that is in them, Who keeps faith forever,
7 secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free;
8 the LORD gives sight to the blind. The LORD raises up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD protects the stranger, sustains the orphan and the widow, but thwarts the way of the wicked.
10 The LORD shall reign forever, your God, Zion, through all generations! Hallelujah!
Fortuitously, election day was also the feast of St. Charles Borromeo. He was an utterly remarkable man. My favorite story of him is highlighted below. It somehow seemed a fitting commentary on so many of our politicians today.
St. Charles Borromeo (1538-1584) Feast November 4th
Priest, Bishop, Cardinal. Gifted political and religious leader. Key figure in both the Council of Trent and its implementation.
-In 1559 he was wounded by an assassin, angry about the reforms Borromeo was instituting.
-In 1560 a famine struck the region and he fed 3000 men, women and children every day for 3 months.
-In 1576 he mobilized resources to aid the people of Milan during an outbreak of the plague. The clergy and religious joined him as he went through the streets caring for the stricken (the local government officials had fled the city). For almost a year, Charles cared for plague victims…
I recently had the pleasure of writing a guest column for the parish bulletin. Perhaps you will find as much inspiration out of the stories below as I did.
“I shall live in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life.” -Psalm 23
This Psalm reminds us of our eternal home and destiny, that is Heaven. While we look forward to that reality, we are not bereft of glimpses of Heaven here on earth. In fact, C.S. Lewis once said, “God gives us tastes of heaven here on Earth, but not too much, lest we stop desiring Heaven.”
How often we receive these tastes or see these glimpses of Heaven, especially in children! Take a look at the following true stories and see what I mean:
A 4-year-old was running very quickly past St. Peter’s, when our own Sr. Michelle asked him where he was going. He barely slowed down, looked at her and said “to heaven!” and kept right on running. Lord, may we always seek you with such energy!
Recently I was leaving the Church while Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament was ongoing. As I left, I noticed one of our high school freshman also leaving. As she walked out of the Church, she looked toward the Blessed Sacrament, smiled, and blew a kiss to Jesus. Lord may we all come to love you so much!
A 7-year-old parishioner had been dealing with pain in her ears. Her Mom took her to the doctor. Upon examining her, the doctor announced there was no infection but that she had some fluid in her ears. The young girl nervously looked over at her mother and called her over, whispering to Mom, “I’ve been putting Holy Water in my ears.” She had surmised that the Holy Water would help alleviate the hurt. She thought the Holy Water caused the fluid build up, which of course wasn’t the case. While she misunderstood what the doctor said, she very correctly understood that Holy Water is a sacramental that can be an instrument of grace and even healing! Lord, may we always trust in your goodness and care for us with the innocence of this child!
A 2 ½ -year-old parishioner recently went out into his yard and picked a flower. He then took it inside to give to his mother. When Mom went to accept the flower, the young boy indicated that Mom should bend down, where he then placed the flower behind her ear. Why? Because that’s what his Daddy always does. Lord, may all of us so richly share and emulate the fatherly love you have for us!
It is not without reason that Jesus said: “unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3
Phil Lawson, MTS
Director of Catechesis & Evangelization
God bless you! Phil Lawson For the latest info on St. Peter’s, check out the parish website: www.saintpetercatholic.com (You can also find old editions of the Areopagus here)
The Areopagus is a regular email for adults that includes various reflections, tidbits, news and events. Hope you find it fruitful!
If you would like to be added to this list, send an email to lawsphil@gmail.com
On the other hand, if you would like to be removed, send an email to the same address indicating that.
After a 3+ month hiatus from The Areopagus I’m back. Amazing how much more busy life gets with two young children…as some of you veteran parents smile knowingly.
I’m currently reading a delightful book, “God’s Doorkeepers: Padre Pio, Solanus Casey & Andre Bessette” by Joel Schorn. Servant Books, 2006. All were humble men, often suffering from frail health, who were not much in the eyes of the world. Of particular note was Solanus Casey, born in 1870, who grew up in Wisconsin.
A few highlights:
From Brother Andre Bessette: (The sick would often come to him seeking healing—and in many cases their appeal was granted.) However, as his religious order also ran a school, people complained about the number of sick who might come in contact with their children through visiting Br. Andre. The story goes:
“A group of physicians declared Brother Andre ignorant and a danger to the public health. He responded, ‘They are right. I am ignorant. That is the reason why the Good God concerns himself with me. If there was anyone more ignorant than I, the Good God would choose him instead of me.’”
Another interesting tidbit, Padre Pio, who possessed the stigmata and died in 1968, is estimated to have heard 2 million confessions in his life. From 1918 to 1923, he would sit and hear confessions from 15-19 hours a day.
Phil’s Tidbits:
Our culture has a bad habit of elevating our politicians to cult-like status and then expecting them to produce miracles. (Of course promises made during campaigns do little to discourage that line of thinking.)
We do well to recall the words on the Psalmist…simply substitute “president, governor, senator, etc” for “prince” and you get the same result.
God alone is in ultimate control.
Psalm 146: 3-10 “Put not your trust in princes”
3 I Put no trust in princes, in mere mortals powerless to save.
4 When they breathe their last, they return to the earth; that day all their planning comes to nothing.
5 Happy those whose help is Jacob's God, whose hope is in the LORD, their God,
6 The maker of heaven and earth, the seas and all that is in them, Who keeps faith forever,
7 secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free;
8 the LORD gives sight to the blind. The LORD raises up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD protects the stranger, sustains the orphan and the widow, but thwarts the way of the wicked.
10 The LORD shall reign forever, your God, Zion, through all generations! Hallelujah!
Fortuitously, election day was also the feast of St. Charles Borromeo. He was an utterly remarkable man. My favorite story of him is highlighted below. It somehow seemed a fitting commentary on so many of our politicians today.
St. Charles Borromeo (1538-1584) Feast November 4th
Priest, Bishop, Cardinal. Gifted political and religious leader. Key figure in both the Council of Trent and its implementation.
-In 1559 he was wounded by an assassin, angry about the reforms Borromeo was instituting.
-In 1560 a famine struck the region and he fed 3000 men, women and children every day for 3 months.
-In 1576 he mobilized resources to aid the people of Milan during an outbreak of the plague. The clergy and religious joined him as he went through the streets caring for the stricken (the local government officials had fled the city). For almost a year, Charles cared for plague victims…
I recently had the pleasure of writing a guest column for the parish bulletin. Perhaps you will find as much inspiration out of the stories below as I did.
“I shall live in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life.” -Psalm 23
This Psalm reminds us of our eternal home and destiny, that is Heaven. While we look forward to that reality, we are not bereft of glimpses of Heaven here on earth. In fact, C.S. Lewis once said, “God gives us tastes of heaven here on Earth, but not too much, lest we stop desiring Heaven.”
How often we receive these tastes or see these glimpses of Heaven, especially in children! Take a look at the following true stories and see what I mean:
A 4-year-old was running very quickly past St. Peter’s, when our own Sr. Michelle asked him where he was going. He barely slowed down, looked at her and said “to heaven!” and kept right on running. Lord, may we always seek you with such energy!
Recently I was leaving the Church while Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament was ongoing. As I left, I noticed one of our high school freshman also leaving. As she walked out of the Church, she looked toward the Blessed Sacrament, smiled, and blew a kiss to Jesus. Lord may we all come to love you so much!
A 7-year-old parishioner had been dealing with pain in her ears. Her Mom took her to the doctor. Upon examining her, the doctor announced there was no infection but that she had some fluid in her ears. The young girl nervously looked over at her mother and called her over, whispering to Mom, “I’ve been putting Holy Water in my ears.” She had surmised that the Holy Water would help alleviate the hurt. She thought the Holy Water caused the fluid build up, which of course wasn’t the case. While she misunderstood what the doctor said, she very correctly understood that Holy Water is a sacramental that can be an instrument of grace and even healing! Lord, may we always trust in your goodness and care for us with the innocence of this child!
A 2 ½ -year-old parishioner recently went out into his yard and picked a flower. He then took it inside to give to his mother. When Mom went to accept the flower, the young boy indicated that Mom should bend down, where he then placed the flower behind her ear. Why? Because that’s what his Daddy always does. Lord, may all of us so richly share and emulate the fatherly love you have for us!
It is not without reason that Jesus said: “unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3
Phil Lawson, MTS
Director of Catechesis & Evangelization
God bless you! Phil Lawson For the latest info on St. Peter’s, check out the parish website: www.saintpetercatholic.com (You can also find old editions of the Areopagus here)
The Areopagus is a regular email for adults that includes various reflections, tidbits, news and events. Hope you find it fruitful!
If you would like to be added to this list, send an email to lawsphil@gmail.com
On the other hand, if you would like to be removed, send an email to the same address indicating that.
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