Justice ... Some Food for Thought

A letter written to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace:

Hello,

I offer this letter to you as some food for thought.

I am a convert to the Catholic Faith. My conversion was in the summer of 1988 and I was welcomed to the Catholic Family at the Easter Vigil of 1989.

I come from a background of no faith, and many forms of being abused by my biological parents as well as many others.

Jesus has taught me the meaning of Justice and fairness. He has brought priests and lay people into my life that helped to develop my sense of Justice.

I see that our Church is very much on the forefront of Justice for the Poor, the helpless, the Unborn, and others.

However, there is currently a situation of injustice at the hands of one bishop towards his priests in a diocese here in Canada. One of the priests affected by this is someone very instrumental in bringing me closer to Christ, and is the key to the healing of my person.

I trust him implicitly and explicitly with myself, and with my young family.

He is not capable of doing what he has been accused of. His bishop has not given him any form of due process canonically or civilly. I ask you, is this Just?

I do not believe so, and it is a cause of great scandal to me to see the pain and anguish an innocent priest is being put through by his Bishop.

I realize that you may not have anything to do with this process, as I believe it is the C.D.F. that takes care of these things.

However, I still need you to understand that there is something happening right now in our own Church, the false accusation of priests, their faculties removed, and then their being laicized without due process that is a cause of great scandal to those of us who know these priests.

It breaks my heart.

Peace to you in Jesus and Mary,

J.

We speak metaphorically about pendulums when we look at many things. It swings one way, then back the other way, eventually settling down in the centre. When it comes to justice for our priests, the pendulum has swung very far in the other direction.

The current "justice" system's application when a priest is "accused" by certain members of the episcopate is cruel and unjust. Period. Having to minister in an environment where one false whisper can trap a priest in this situation is unjust. Imagine living with that kind of pressure in your day job. How many of us would keep it?

I do hope and pray that we are better able to deal justly with those accused, and with those who level the accusations. I do hope that we can better facilitate the healing and forgiveness that is needed to mend this terrible wound on the Heart of our Mother the Church, Her priests.

Pax vobis (Peace be with you)

J.E.

When we get behind the wheel, what do we teach our children?

Right now in our jurisdiction, to be cautious, we must look both ways before starting into an intersection on a green light. It seems that people here have a penchant for running the red light well into it. The same is true for those turning left who are left hanging in the intersection because late amber light runners speed up instead of stopping.

Since I do a fair amount of driving around for business purposes, I see a lot of collisions due to individuals running reds and ambers, and have had a number of close calls if it had not been for me waiting to look both ways for the "all clear".

My dad was hit by one such fellow on Monday. Fortunately, it looks as though he is going to be okay, but his car is a write-off. The fellow had driven right through the red light long after it had changed. Please pray for them that they suffer no long term pain from their accident!

When we get behind the wheel, with our kids in the car or not, do we realize that our actions have consequences? Do we recognize the awesome responsibility that we have when we are in control of 4,000 pounds of hurtling steal, aluminium, and plastic? And, the more power that our 4,000 pounds of steal, aluminium, and plastic has, do we use it responsibly or do we use it to hurl ourselves around with disregard for others?

There are a number of times where we have broached the subject of being faithful to the "little things" in our lives. There is a link below to a blog search will bring those blog posts up.

Driving is one such activity where the "little things" are so very important. In my opinion, it is in the car, where we can live the illusion of being isolated - almost indestructible - from everyone else, that some of our deepest seated strengths and weaknesses/wounds can show through.

Here are some common driving situations that can demonstrate where our heart is truly at:

• When someone uses their turn signal to change lanes do we slow a bit to allow them in or do we speed up to squeeze them out?
• Do we use our turn signal indicator as a bully tactic to push our way into an opening by not giving the other driver a bit of time to make their own mind up?
• Do we hit the gas when the intersection control light turns amber/yellow?
• Do we run reds, especially on left turns?
• Do we speed through school zones (some jurisdictions have them, some don't)?
• Do we turn in front of an oncoming car to get in front of them despite the fact that there are no more cars behind them?
• Do we speed?
• Do we look at our police officers and bylaw enforcement officers as "the enemy"?
• Do we offer a negative play by play of traffic and our frustrations with other people's driving habits when family is with us in the vehicle?
• Do we let the sun go down on our anger and language while we are in the vehicle (Ephesians 4:26)?
• Have I taken the time to get to know the performance characteristics of my current vehicle on dry or wet pavement, gravel/dirt roads, snow covered or icy roads, in any type of inclement weather?
• Do I know the outer limits of my vehicle's performance in turns and on various grades?

These are just some of the questions we can ask ourselves about our driving habits. I can remember one of my spiritual directors telling me that my relationships with others around me are a good reflection of my relationship with God.

I believe that our driving habits are also a facet of that piece of wisdom. Our call as Christians, is to live the Gospel of Love, to offer ourselves as witnesses to that love, to the Father's Love made visible in Jesus Christ.

When we get behind the wheel of a vehicle, that call does not diminish, nor can it be set aside. We must weigh our actions, that is our thoughts, words, and deeds against the responsibility of that call to Love laid upon our shoulders by Jesus Christ in the Golden Rule that is given to us in all three Gospels: Matthew 22:34-39, Mark 12:28-31, and Luke 10:25-27:

You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself. Luke 10:27

And:

We must do unto others as we would have them do unto us! Matthew 7:12.

For those of us with children, we must remember that our children are very observant. They can see, hear, and experience what happens to our demeanor, behaviour and spirit when we get behind the wheel. This goes for both how we drive and how we react to other's driving habits. There is a significantly long period of time for their experiences of us behind the wheel to take root before they are given the responsibility to drive! How can we expect our children to drive with due care, attention, and great responsibility if we have not done the same for them all those years?

And finally, as Christians we recognize that there is a spiritual dimension to everything, and I mean everything that happens in our life by our own doing or by others (Ephesians 6:12). This begs the question: what spirit or spirits do we cooperate with when we are driving?

Prayer: Father, bless us with Your peace and gentleness when we are driving. Help us to be stewards of Your grace on our roads. Instill in us Your spirit of forgiveness and kindness.

Thank You Father for the gift of the ability to move about freely with our vehicles. Help us to choose our vehicles responsibly, help us to be mindful of our impact on the environment, and help us to form our driving habits accordingly.

Here are some common vehicle weights (approximate) in pounds/kilograms by (class) :

• Ford Focus Sedan: 2,564/1,164 (Subcompact)
• Ford Focus Wagon: 2,707/1,228 (Subcompact)
• Ford Contour: 2,770/1,257 (Compact)
• Ford Taurus: 3,500/1,588 (Mid-Size)
• Ford Crown Victoria: 3,800/1,724 (Large)
• Chrysler 300C: ~3,921/1,778 (Hemi & AWD)
• Chrysler Caravan: 4,183/1,898 (Minivan)
• Jeep Liberty: 4,011/1,819 (SUV Compact)
• Chrysler Pacifica: 4,337/1,967 (SUV Midsize)
• Chevrolet Suburban: 5,219/2,368 (SUV Large)

2,000 pounds is 1 ton, so some of the larger sedans and most SUVs approach or pass the 2 ton weight mark! Makes the minivan class look like a misnomer eh? ;)

These are the base weights of the vehicles and do not reflect the actual weight of the vehicle when loaded:

• Gas: ~150-250 lbs depending on class
• People: 4 x 175 lbs is 700 lbs
• Luggage: 150 lbs+
• Towing capacity: 500 lbs to 10,000 lbs depending on class

We must be mindful of our vehicle's weight capacities and limits. There are some vehicles being sold today that exceed their allowable Gross Vehicle Weight with minimal people and luggage load and we are responsible to know that!

By the way, a recent study has shown that buying an SUV for our children's safety is a myth. One of the stats is especially important when driving an SUV: the higher centre of gravity leads to a significant increase in roll-overs. In a roll-over, children are THREE TIMES more likely to be injured or killed!

From the CBC online article SUVs no safer than cars for kids: U.S. study:

Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. children between 2 and 14, according to State Farm's website.

Wow! As a protective husband and father, this thought brings a whole new meaning to having the family in the car and my responsibilities to them and other people's families!

Pacis navigatio (Peaceful voyage),

J.E.

Blog search: Little Things

CBC online article "SUVs no safer than cars for kids: U.S. study"

An excellent article on merging: Highway Driving Etiquette

Busyness, a Thank you, and New Blog Features

Apologies to our regular readers for not being able to write and post anything over the last week. We have been extremely busy with catch-up in our business and our lives after the Christmas holidays!

Thank you to all of you who have been visiting our blog. It is reassuring and encouraging for us to see you visit and sit a while with our posts.

We have added some search topics to our side-bar that you can click on to bring up previous posts on the given topic. The ones we have chosen are topics that we touch upon frequently. If you have any suggestions for other topics please do offer them.

Please feel free to give the search topics a try, they are to be found just under the Google Search feature on our side-bar. The search results will open in a new window, so please add our blog to your pop-up blocker allow lists if you like.

Again, thank you for visiting and be assured that we pray for all of our visitors.

Pax vobis,

John and Lucille Everett

Women, Men, and Modesty

When I was in college in early 1990, I didn't see too many women in public dressing provocatively, for example by bearing part of their breasts. But these days, it seems the trend to show a little more than cleavage is growing and almost seems to be the norm. I must say that if I was single, it probably wouldn't bother me as much but being that I am married, it does bother me. I have heard a variety of perspectives on the root of this behavior. I have listed them as follows:

1. poor self image/low self esteem
2. the person wants sex
3. the person wants to simply attract the male of the species but may not realize or know better how their manner of dress affects the male. He may look upon the women in an objective manner. The original intent of the person dressing immodestly may not have been to attract the man in such a way.
4. the person is lacking attention

In the book called "The Decline of Males" the author Lionel Tiger (1999) discusses the contraceptive effects of the birth control pill. He further states that the pill inhibits the natural scent of women (that is their pheromones) because they no longer go through a monthly fertile phase. Therefore, without realizing it, the woman needs another method to attract the male so she tends to dress provocatively to garner attention from the male.

These are just a few perspectives that come to mind. Looking back, I haven't really been one to dress too provocatively. My reason would have related more to the above third point. While growing up, not knowing better I occasionally would wear the tight pants and short skirts. I could never really muster the ability to deliberately show my chest to the rest of the world.

The older I became the more I realized that dressing in a provocative manner would not attract the right kind of men. It would attract men who looked at me not for me but for my body. They only wanted one thing, and that was sex. The more I grew, the more I realized and tried to respect those wondering eyes by not wearing tight clothing. If I did, I would have an inner desire to cover my bottom with a longer shirt if the pants were on the tight side, or wear a cardigan over my top if it was a little too tight. The more fashion changed, the more it was difficult for me to find a top or pants that weren't so tight as to show my form per se and that bothered me. And yet, the more I wore the tighter clothing, the more the self consciousness of my clothing being too tight faded away. Basically, I became desensitized partly because that is all what the women around me wore too.

I remember a speaker named James Stenson who spoke at a family conference who said that by dressing modestly you are forcing the man to look into your eyes and not at one's breasts or some other part of one's body. It wasn't until I got married that I began to understand more about the male perspective on women who dress provocatively. My husband helped me understand in a deeper sense what males truly can think or do when they see a women dressed immodestly. Unless a man has trained himself not to look at a woman with a lustful eye, that is with an eye of innocence or purity, he should look away.

You have heard that it was said, "You shall not commit adultery." But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Mt 5:27-28).

I believe our bodies are sacred, temples of the Holy Spirit therefore must be guarded and covered modestly in a respectful way.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body(1 Cor 6:19-20).

By covering ourselves modestly we are reserving and keeping our sensuality as a gift for our future husband. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992) stated that:

Purity requires modesty, an integral part of temperance. Modesty protects the intimate centre of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness. It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their solidarity (2521).

As a married women, I wish more women around me would choose to dress more modestly because if not, it has the potential to turn my husband's head. I know that if his head does get turned he knows how to guard his eyes because he knows and I know he only has eyes for me but it took a long time for this to sink into my being. We women can be very protective and perhaps jealous of where our husband or fiance/boyfriend looks unless they keep reassuring us that they don't look at these women in a lustful way or they purposefully divert their eyes. As a woman, we must learn to trust the latter to be true. We must also learn to respect not only our bodies by dressing modestly but respecting those around us who may be tempted into sin.

Teaching modesty to children and adolescents means awakening in them respect for the human person (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2524).

(For the sake of simplicity I made reference more towards women and modesty but it also relates to modesty in men)

A recommended read and the book by Lionel Tiger. Thank you for supporting us!

Michael W. Smith Christmas Concert Experience

Wow! I'll say it again, wow!

What an amazing concert. Michael is such a talented musician and writer. He had two concerts here. We decided to get tickets to the second concert as we could get better seats.

He had the local symphony orchestra playing with him as well. The orchestra had a few "solo" pieces to play at the beginning of the concert with Michael coming out with his band a bit later.

He played a lot of his Christmas music from both of his Christmas albums. I loved his sharing his experience of a heavy snowfall in Tennessee and the resulting song that he wrote, "First Snowfall". He then proceeded to play it. What an amazing piece of music. I could close my eyes and see the snow dancing and falling!

I am a long time fan of Petula Clark. I love her voice and the songs that she picked to sing. Michael sang a Christmas song that she had sung in 1969 called, "The Happiest Christmas". He played and sang the song so beautifully. He did indeed do justice to the original!

In the second set, he managed to play a couple of his popular non-Christmas songs. The one that struck me was the song, "Healing Rain". Wow. What a beautiful song. It speaks to me so clearly within my own experience of God's healing touch.

He also got us all to sing a number of Christmas carols together. The Glory of the Lord shone so clearly with all of our voices raised to praise the Lord's coming!

I must admit that I spent most of the first half of the concert, there was a 20 minute intermission, weeping for the sheer beauty that I heard and experienced in the music. Michael managed to convey the power and presence of God through his music. And, a lot of the music did not have any lyrics! The music moved the soul into a deeper communion with God. It opened us up to His working in us. Many times through the second set I was moved yet again. This concert was a powerful and deep experience to ponder and pray about.

Indeed, I would go and see him again!

Michael W. Smith's Web site.

An interview with Michael W. Smith.

Petula Clark's Web site.

Pax vobis,

J.E.

Emily's Hope - Book Review

I just finished a book called Emily's Hope.

What a neat book!

The story is about Emily, a character whose life we follow from a young age. We see some of the typical teenage needs and struggles that carry on into young adult life.

There is a parallel story that follows the life of Emily's Great Grandmother Katherine. Here is a woman who gets caught up in the liberation of women at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The book provides an excellent contrast between the world's view of the human person and sexuality and the Church's perspective on the meaning of the human person and sexuality. This contrast is done by sharing what is a very real story for many young teenagers and subsequently young adults today versus what can be considered a real attitude among the adult population against Life. The latter is a very real possibility for the teenager if they do not learn the true meaning of love and life.

Without giving away anything, the book is, in my opinion, a very good read. It is very well written. Ellen Gable's writing style is easy to follow as she takes the time to develop the characters and their environments. One is not left with any threads of the story left unanswered.

Something that is important to our family is what we could call a kid rating. This book receives a 5 out of 5. I believe that every teenager should read it. The book should be read by the children's parents as well. Together, they can sit down and talk about the various chapters. The book can be used as an excellent teaching tool for introducing our children to the Church's beautiful teachings on the Theology of the Body.

I also believe that our priests should read it. The book would provide some excellent and personal insight into the pains of living outside of the Culture of Life, and what the introduction and adoption of the Culture of Life can do for a person. There is plenty of homiletic material here for teaching the Theology of the Body.

And finally, couples considering marriage should read this book. I would even go so far as to say that this book should be mandatory for those preparing to marry within the Church. There could be some excellent teaching moments for the parish premarital preparation facilitators with their couples.

Pax vobis,

J.E.

You can find the book at Full Quiver Publishing.

True Healing from Abuse Starts in the Heart

We have heard and seen some a great number of people speaking about their experiences of being abused at the hands of some of our priests and religious.

We have also heard of a number of these victims who have, either alone or as a group, retained lawyers with the intent to sue whichever diocese that they were in at the time of their being abused.

As a former victim of abuse, I really question this. Why? Because, I know how difficult and arduous the journey towards healing is. I know how deep the struggle is to break free of being a victim and "just surviving" into living life and true freedom in Jesus Christ.

It takes a lot of work, an honest and blunt commitment with the self, and an even more painful and difficult step to forgive those who have abused us. This step is integral to becoming whole again. It is also the call of Jesus to forgive those who have hurt us before we can be forgiven. So, how can the forgiveness and healing process be brought about when embroiled in bringing up before the courts the terrible events of the abusive past?

Again, given my experience, this endevour would only succeed in driving the wounds that were a result of the abuse deeper into one's heart, mind, spirit, and soul. This, in turn would make the healing process that much more painful and difficult.

Ultimately, I could not put a price, a dollar value, on what happened to me. And, ultimately, what I yearn for is to hear the sincere request by those who have abused me to forgive them. It would be so refreshing to let them know that I have indeed forgiven them. All I would need to know is that they have realized that what they did to me was wrong.

In the healing process though, this last point is not that important. What is important, and the whole healing process is contingent upon it, is that the process must start in the heart! It is the heart that is the footstool of the soul into this world. It is the heart where one must learn to deal with the wounded emotions that heal last. It is there, that one must learn to discipline the mind and the thoughts that would tear one away from the extreme pain of the healing process. It is the heart where Jesus wants to reside.

"Look, I am standing at the door, knocking." Revelations 3:20

For those of us who have been abused, it is the heart that we must discover! We must discover it so we can open it to Jesus!!!

It is in the heart where we will realize that His Most Sacred Heart also beats with ours, bears our wounds, and as we will discover within the healing process, our heart is nestled within His!

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us and heal us!

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us and envelop us!

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us and consume us with the fire of Your Love!

Pax vobis,

J.E.

By the way, after reading this, does the bishop's Zero Tolerance policy really work towards healing and forgiveness???

Catholics in Business

My overall sense of the Church's teaching on us being involved in the business world is to foster community. For those of us who own our own business, this essentially means to build a family with the employees, and for those who work for an employer it is to build their relationships with the other employees and their employer.

So, to use an analogy, the employer and the employees are indeed like a family. When this family has strong interpersonal relationships, founded on mutual trust and support, the community around them benefits.

The care and attention that would be given to their extended family, that is their clients, would in turn be founded in that mutual trust and support. The clients would know that they are dealing with a healthy organization. They would also know that they were getting the best the company had to offer. There is no mistaking someone who is joyful in what they are doing and at peace with why.

The fruit of this inner company attitude is an ability to foster long term relationships with their clients. Consideration for their client's needs would stem from a genuine interest in the client's well being. And, like any family, the company would do their best to protect their extended family, their client's interests.

Another fruit of this inner company attitude, is the sharing their success with those beyond their clients. It is reaching out to those less fortunate and bringing the Light of Christ to them. It is being generous with the company's time and resources.

St. Joseph represents someone who, in business, would have lived that ideal. In business as a carpenter, he was an upright man. He would have always given his clients a little more than they paid for. His attention to detail would have been second to none. He would have given good value in what he produced with his hands, tools, and heart. It was imperative that he do so, for his personal dignity, integrity, and the well being of his own family depended on it.

St. Joseph, pray for us. Pray for those of us who run a business. Pray for those of us who are employed. Help us to be the best we can be for those we serve. Help us to give glory to God in the work we do. Teach us to use all of the instruments of our work as holy objects. Thank you St. Joseph for interceding on our behalf!

Pax vobis,

J.E.

A Lesson in Reality

Sometimes I need a reality check. I think we all do to some degree or another.

I was researching a topic and stumbled upon a site that talks about Dissociative Disorders. They used to be called Multiple Personality Disorders.

That probably triggers a curiosity about the topic that I was researching eh? The research stemmed from something that I needed to do that was very difficult. It was essentially a letter to my past.

For the most part, through the healing grace of Jesus Christ, the strength and perseverance of my adoptive father (long story), the guidance and healing touch of two fantastic psychologists - one a priest and the other a layman (many years), and the support of some very close friends that I have come to heal much of my past.

You see, I still bear many physical scars on my body from the abuse that I experienced when I was growing up. They are a constant reminder of that past. I also bear the mental/emotional scars from the huge volume of emotional and verbal abuse that spanned many decades and still happens sometimes to this day. There were other forms of abuse as well.

So, I was kinda feeling sorry for myself, and falling into a depression.

I was jarred out of it when I came across the Dissociative Disorder site. Why? Because people who have these disorders experienced abuse on a magnitude exponentially beyond what I experienced.

The first thing that hit me when I found that site, was the need to pray, to plead, to beg God to protect people from being abused in any way. The next, was to reach out and share some of my experiences with the hope that others will find that hope! For, there is hope, and it is found in Jesus Christ, in finding a supportive friend or a group of friends, in good professional counseling and prescription drugs if need be, and in discovering that once the wounds were healed, those scars could be a source of comfort for others.

When we speak of walking in the footsteps of the Master, there are hundreds of thousands of us who have lived, are living, and will live the Cross, Passion, and eventually Death through the abuse we have experienced. And the hope: we will live the Resurrection!

Jesus, bless us with humility and gentleness. Thank You Jesus for the gift of this life, for indeed life is a gift.

Pax vobis,

J.E.

The Dissociative Disorder site I came across.
Speech of Mother Teresa of Calcutta to the National Prayer Breakfast, Whatsoever You Do...
That Scripture from her speech title is Matthew 25:31-46.

True Freedom or Addiction?

What is the meaning of freedom?

Some will say that it means that they can indulge in whatever they want whenever they want to. Drugs, drinking, sex, partying, living life to the "fullest", and the list goes on. This is, to me, the essence of the "freedom" being preached in the various forms of media as well.

When I was out and about, sometimes living my life on the street in my late teens early twenties, I watched people around me destroy themselves doing some pretty crazy things. In a way, it was those "lessons" that taught me to stay away from things like hard drugs and some of the lifestyles those individuals were living. Believe me, my guardian angel still worked very hard at keeping me from death and destruction!

I am going to be over simplified here, but, what is the essence of addiction? To me, it is the inability to say, "NO!" To put it another way, it is the loss of control over one's life or some aspect of their life.

And that brings me back to those who claim they are living a life of total freedom. If one is totally free, then one should be able to say no to anything. I have heard it said that there is no reason to say no in the first place because what they would say no to is something they want. Oh really?

The first step in the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Step program is to recognize that one is powerless over their addiction to whatever it is.

So here is the challenge to those who claim to be truly "free". When the next opportunity comes to drink, take drugs, have sex (matters not if the person is known), smoke, or pick a fight, or (name your poison), try and say no. Try and abstain.

Then, be honest with yourself and examine the thoughts and feelings that hit you when the decision to say no happened. They may surprise you. And, if you end up doing whatever it is anyway, I hope and pray that at some point step 1 will become a reality. Believe me, I have been there.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr

Pax vobis,

J.E.

Alcoholics Anonymous web site.
The 12 Steps at Wikipedia.

Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!

Yes, for us Canucks, it is Thanksgiving today!

Father, we thank You and praise you for the gift of Your wondrous creation! We thank You most especially for giving us the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You Father for willingly giving Him to us with the full knowledge that He would be crucified by us.

Thank You Jesus for redeeming us! Thank You for the generous gift of suffering and then dying for us. Thank You for showing us the way, the truth, and the life. Thank You Jesus for the gift of the Sacraments that deepen our relationship in You.

Thank You Holy Spirit for dwelling in us. Thank You for inspiring us to open ourselves fully to a deep, loving, and meaningful relationship with the Father and Jesus. Thank You for bringing us closer to the Father and Jesus through the gift of Your action in the Sacraments, Scripture, and the Church.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, thank You for the gift of love that we share in You. Thank You for the gift of our marriage and the fruit of love in our marriage: our children. Thank You for the roof over our heads, for the cars that get us to and from the places we need to go, for the food that we eat and the clean water we drink. Thank You for the warm clothing we wear.

We praise You Most Holy God for the many blessings You bestow upon us in this life. Thank You for calling us to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Thank You for the daily Crosses we bear and the sharing we have in the suffering of Jesus. Thank You for all of life's events and the people that You place on our path, the good and the bad.

We give glory to You Most Holy God by our lives.

The Everetts

House of D - Movie Review

We watched a new release DVD called, "House of D" directed by, and starring David Duchovny of X-Files fame.

What a neat movie!

Duchovny plays Tom Warshaw as an adult, and Anton Yelchin plays Tommy Warshaw as a young kid turning 13 in 1970's New York, New York.

When the movie starts, Tom has a son who will be turning 13. To Tom, that is the age where one goes through a rite of passage. So, he sits down with his wife, to share with her what happened to him when he turned 13.

From there we are introduced to Tommy (Tom's younger self), and his best friend Papass (Robin Williams) who is slightly mentally challenged. We share in some of their adventures as well as some of their struggles. Many laughs and some tears too.

We also share in the many good and bad things that happen to and around Tommy.

Without giving away anything, the movie is, in my opinion, very well acted and directed. The cinematography is very well done, with each shot capturing the mood and beauty of the moment.

The story is excellent. There are many of us who can relate to the younger Tommy as well as how he deals with events as they unfold. There may be even more of us who are in the position of the adult Tom that need to reflect on how we have or have not dealt with our past. The story holds its focus very well, keeping us very much involved in the young Tommy's world. I found it very easy to be immersed into the story as it is very believable.

Something that is important to our family is what we could call a kid rating. This film easily receives a 4 out of 5. I agree with the PG-13 for the film, and that parents should check it out before inviting their kids to see it. I would not have a problem with early teenagers watching it.

The movie provides many themes and scenes that provide an invitation for conversation with our children.

Pax vobis,

J.E.

You can find the movie at Amazon:

House of D - US

House of D - Canada

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Millstone

"But anyone who is the downfall of one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone hung around his neck." Mark 9:42

Everything we think, say, and do has consequences.

Jesus here reminds us that He is very protective of His little ones.

We are His little ones!

And thus, we must take care of each other! We must also protect each other!

Pax vobis,

J.E.

Heroes

We just finished watching a movie on Terry Fox. What an amazing human being. Indeed, he was and still is a hero for many people.

With courage, determination, and the will to make sacrifices for others he accomplished a lot. His legacy is very much alive and well today.

Who today can be said to be a hero? One who will leave such an indelible mark upon the psyche of humanity?

I think that those who have given themselves in the service of their country and its citizens are. Whether in the military, reserves, police force, or fire fighters. To me, these people are very much deserving a thank you and most especially our prayers.

Suggestion: next time you are in a restaurant or coffee shop and see some of those who risk their lives for us, buy them their meal if you can afford it. Do it anonymously, or do it with a thank you. However you do it, give them a gift. They may one day save your life, or even give their life to save it.

Pax vobis,

J.E.

Ownership and Responsibility

One of the lessons that I was taught very early in my Journey with the Lord was to evaluate my use and or abuse of the gift of creation. By that I mean that I needed to realize that I was totally responsible for any and all of my thoughts, words, and actions towards His creation. Those thoughts, words and actions were mine, and mine alone and I needed to start to take responsibility for their consequences.

Prior to my conversion, and then for a while after it, I lived in a world of denial. I passed the buck and placed blame anywhere else but with myself. I thought that people's poverty was their own fault. I lived in my own little world with the people I allowed in it, and reasoned that everything beyond this little world didn't matter one iota. Everything beyond my little world couldn't have any effect on me and anything I did in my little world didn't matter to the rest of the world.

At some point, Jesus' call in the Gospels to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned, and shelter the homeless began to sink in. (Matthew 25:31-46)

If I kept on living in my little world, working for whatever I needed to consume, I would essentially be ignoring His call. I began to realize that I was in some small way responsible for the world around me too. If I kept everything to myself then my brother or sister on the street would continue to go hungry. If however, I gave them a couple of dollars to buy a coffee and sandwich then perhaps I have done my part to respond to His call. And, I also realized that it was not my place to make any assumptions about how that person would spend the money!

"In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me." Matthew 25:40

It is the Lord who speaks to me in the person asking for change. It is the Lord calling to me in the one who needs me to lend a compassionate listening ear, and it is the Lord calling to me to visit him in the nursing homes and hospitals.

How I choose to answer the call is my responsibility and no one else's.

Pax vobis,

J.E.

Duc in Altum - Put out into the Deep!

2. The Internet is certainly a new “forum” understood in the ancient Roman sense of that public space where politics and business were transacted, where religious duties were fulfilled where much of the social life of the city took place, and where the best and the worst of human nature was on display. It was a crowded and bustling urban space, which both reflected the surrounding culture and created a culture of its own. This is no less true of cyberspace, which is as it were a new frontier opening up at the beginning of this new millennium. Like the new frontiers of other times, this one too is full of the interplay of danger and promise, and not without the sense of adventure which marked other great periods of change. For the Church the new world of cyberspace is a summons to the great adventure of using its potential to proclaim the Gospel message. This challenge is at the heart of what it means at the beginning of the millennium to follow the Lord's command to "put out into the deep”: Duc in altum! (Lk 5:4). Message of the Holy Father for the 36th World Communications Day. Pope John Paul II, Sunday May 12, 2002.

It is our responsibility to respond the call of our Lord to witness to our faith. And, in my experience, there is no more important a place to do it than in the realm of technology and the Internet.

What a beautiful and awesome responsibility it is for us Christians to bring His Light into this place! How wonderful it is to share the love that we have for Jesus Christ, for our brothers and sisters, and for our selves than to lay bear our souls to the world.

The Pope John Paul's original message can be found here.

Pax vobis,

J.E.