Can Damien, Mother Marianne and Brother Joseph Inspire Saintly Work from Us?

OK, the ceremony is complete, the world now has affirmed the work of Saint Damien. Now, what is the rest of the story? Who is ready to step up and accept the Spiritual boost the Saints offer us toward action? The posting above is offered as a reality check. We in Chicago, we in Stauros USA know some things that Saint Damien knew. We both know God is asking each one of us to pursue a destiny. For now, Stauros USA and local celebrity Wayne Messmer are on a mission. We want Saint Damien to come alive and touch people. We want Saint Damien via the play: Damien by Aldyth Morris to awaken the story of Damien in Hawaii. More importantly, we want the play to inspire, invigorate, provoke, and otherwise move people to live in the light that brings hope to the hopeless. Who are the lepers who need our touch? Look around, and it is easy to see. Damien took care of 8000 men women and children, all abandoned and left to die. Are there 8000 more that are destined to be without God, unless–, we act? We must act now.

Wayne Messmer as Saint Damien

Check out this video about Wayne:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dATFUbrZw7Q

Wayne Messmer was shot in the neck by a robber. The bullet ripped and tore his throat. Wayne is well known for his reputation for being one of the greatest singer of our country’s national anthem. God healed Wayne to once again sing after his brush with death. Wayne is inspired to use his gifts reaching out to the “anawim”, those on the margins and the fringe. Wayne is teamed up with Stauros USA to tell the Father Damien story. Wayne knows deeply the frustration that can come when nobody cares. His gradndaughter suffers from a food allergy that forces her to adapt her life. Quietly, she suffers. Quietly behind the scenes researchers are trying to find a way for the struggle she endures to be cured. Wayne accepts the pain and struggle and uses the struggle and the suffering to empower a sense of action. THIS IS THE ESSENCE OF DAMIEN-GET BUSY FOR OTHERS–WHY? BECAUSE WE CAN, WE SHOULD, WE MUST–WHY? BECAUSE GOD LOVES US AND SENT US ON A MISSION TO SHARE LOVE, AND HOPE AND LIGHT.

Yes, We must study Damien and try to understand what made him tick. However, the studying must give way to action, get busy, get inspired, get motivated, get ready to tocuh even the lepers who are “unclean”  Damien refused to become a victim to the “system” Damien refused to give in to oppression from; government, from the powerful and strong prisoners in Molokai that were preying on the weak and vulnerable, from the Church and Chruch leaders that were apparently, not yet ready to step up and serve with him. Damien stood alone and with God’s Spirit and his mission and Holy Orders-that was sufficient to fuel his passion.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Gandhi and you and I internalize the gift that Damien gives in whispering to us now:

“will you help me touch the “little ones”, the broken children of God….those with AIDS, those who have cancer…those who are sick and dying,  those who are considering suicide, those depressed and those abandoned with no one to love them?

Check out the mission of Stauros: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSg7c7pnkLM

We pray: “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your spirit and we shall be recreated and renew the face of the earth.”

Hugs, and thanks, now let us give God the glory. Saint Damien, pray for us.

Amen. Deacon Don

Saint Damien is Alive and Spirited

Saint Damien is Alive and Spirited

Click below to watch a video that should change our lives

Anawim Damien-Saint Damien is Alive

Saint Damien is Alive: Celebrate!

 

Damien's Spirit is Alive

Nearly thirty years ago Robin Pendergrast, current owner of RFP Photography Inc. (Crystal Lake, Ill.) ventured into the rare and unchartered world of a modern day Leper colony. He crossed beyond the stigma and barriers of Leprosy and built a lasting bridge leading to ongoing contacts with the resident-patients located in remote Kalaupapa, Hawaii. Pendergast reached out and touched his friends and they embraced him to the extent that deep personal relationships grew. In particular, Pendergrast befriended Richard Marks, Alice Kumaka, Sister Richard Marie, and Ruth Friedman. As friendships grew, Pendergrast discovered an uncommon, hidden power tucked away in Molokai. Walking the journey over the years, he experienced the joy, pain and hardship stories that were a part of life in this extraordinary community. His kinship with these people illuminated the presence of a Spirit of Father Damien that is all about offering one another unconditional love and acceptance. Pendergrast discovered the universal truth that there is great life-fulfilling power in choosing to “get involved.”

 Pendergast now wants people of all ages to experience important lessons similar to the ones he has learned. He desires for every person to find individual ways to move beyond existing marginalizing stigmas that keep people apart. Pendergrast has assembled a team initiating a photojournalism and curriculum project that seeks to unravel and share the hidden mysteries and the amazing, sordid history and stories of over 8,000 persons with Leprosy who were harshly exiled and left to live and painfully die in cruel isolation.  The eye of the camera wants to reveal what really happened in Molokai. What catalytic actions by a few managed to reverse vile rejection and hatred of Lepers toward eventually forming a solid healing community? Who and what created the avalanche impact that morphed the paradise-gone-wrong-situation into a now classic case study which demonstrates how unconditional love in action can impact and transform even the most terrible disease and social catastrophe?. Can the Spirit of Saint Damien and the people of Molokai be a catalyst of goodness in the world today?

 This is the emerging story of how photographer/videographer, Robin Pendergrast came to know Kalaupapa and its people. His is an amazing tale of serendipity, tenacity and caring. Through a series of more than 15 visits stretching over 30 years, Pendergrast compiled a body of photographic work with more than 2,000 images that honor Kalaupapa’s thousands of residents, all living with leprosy. The photographic works juxtapose the beauty of the lush, secluded peninsula with the stark pain and separation of its past and present inhabitants.

All across the globe the fascinating story of Father Damien and the exiled Lepers of Molokai is already very well known. It has been over a hundred and fifty years since Damien’s heroics came to the rescue for those banished because of their incurable disease forced them to die alone on the remote isolated villages of Molokai. However, renewed interest in this miracle-making story offers fresh opportunity to increase awareness and invite selfless, giving lifestyle.

Just exactly how Damien and the partnering leaders of Molokai transformed a horrific circumstance of fear, epidemic and  chaos, into a grand miracle story of caring and love is a fascinating and captivating saga. The epic drama offers many important contemporary lessons worth learning for the ages. Well- known literary figures like Robert Louis Stevenson, Jack London, Mark Twain and a number of others have already immortalized Damien’s legacy. They leave behind a great body of literature chronicling the virtues of martyred self sacrifice. The canonization of Father Damien by the Roman Catholic Church on October 11, 2009 shines new light on an important story inspiring new hope for addressing suffering in the world.

 In Chicago, the Spirit of Damien is coming alive and catching fire once again awakening humanitarian action. Calling themselves “The Damien Project Team,” four individuals have grasped the powerful and compelling message and spirit of Father Damien. The project will produce an innovative documentary film and create and disseminate a curriculum that be used by schools to enliven volunteerism. The film will tell the great story of how Father Damien and his astounding humanitarian efforts countered and dealt with the hysteria and fear associated with the leprosy epidemic.

The details of the current story of the Father Damien Project begin in 1981.  Robin Pendergrast was a public relations executive and a volunteer firefighter/paramedic with the Northfield, Ill., Fire and Rescue. One day, he read an article in the Los Angeles Times that told of the Kalaupapa volunteer firefighters’ broken down fire engine. The island residents couldn’t get the old fire truck started, so they often had to push-start it with the colony’s garbage truck. They were unable to purchase a new truck; and because of the constant, strong trade winds, residents were highly vulnerable to fire. Pendergrast learned about the hardships of the modern-day Kalaupapa Settlement residents — who now reside in the area because they choose to, not because they are forced — through one of life’s odd coincidences. Many volunteers helped him restore the used fire truck to working order. Once the truck was operational, Pendergrast helped to procure transportation for it from Chicago to San Francisco via cargo plane courtesy of Flying Tiger Airlines.

The truck was then freighted to Honolulu and then barged to Molokai. On the morning of July 10, 1981, Pendergrast and others delivered the “new” fire truck to Kalaupapa. Living in the Spirit of Damien, a small but significant accomplishment continued the work of Father Damien caring for those isolated and cast aside. Pendergrast recalls, “The morning we delivered the fire truck was almost more than I could bear. I found that the event nearly broke my heart. I was happy for the accomplishment but so sad for the ongoing struggle of the people of Molokai. I sensed the pain that so few know about or care for people on the fringe.” Pendergast drove this fire truck off of the barge with great fanfare; and the people were stunned and amazed that this stranger from Chicago would do all of this for them. They felt, on some level, that something magnificent had happened. After the fire truck was delivered and the volunteers were trained to use it, Pendergrast continued to visit Kalaupapa residents and found other means by which to help them live more comfortably.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Pendergrast was able to bring Kalaupapa residents smoke detectors, CB radios, videotapes, VCRs and food. Many of these items were donated by corporations or bought through private donations. In addition, he established the Kalaupapa Fund, which was partially supported by the proceeds of a play, entitled “Damien, the Leper Priest of Molokai.” This one- man play, a soliloquy by Father Damien about his life and times, was produced and performed in several locations. Pendergrast is involved in producing the play and incorporating the photographic images within the story sequence. Through his work, Pendergrast asserts his belief that the inhumanities of yesterday’s leper colony mirrors, in principle and practice, the stigmatization and victimization of today’s AIDS patients.

Pendergrast will not admit that his small actions quantify his experiences at Kalaupapa with the many newspaper article clippings, stacks of letters from federal and state senators and representatives, a story on NBC’s Nightly News, and segment on the 1987 television show “Heroes: Made in the USA.” Pendergast says, “I will not be satisfied until I do my part to get people to get it. I desire for people all across the globe in this great world of ours to get in touch with the power of “The Spirit of Damien.” I believe that each of us has the ability to repair the world and make a difference…right now. It is not somebody else’s job.

“It is, no big deal, we must get off our comfortable spot and get busy. Most importantly we must design and teach a curriculum that helps young people seize the opportunities they have for changing themselves and the world and making needed improvements. Isn’t that why we are here in life in the first place?” Pendergrast continues. Perhaps, we must all learn lessons from Damien, lessons we learn in school and make selfless service our “lifestyle,” simply because it is the right thing to do.

What would the world be like today if hundreds or thousands of individuals were drawn to be aware of the epic story of the people and leader, Father Damien of Molokai, and like him, became empowered to seize personal opportunities in their own back yard attempting to make a lasting difference in the life of others? What kinds of catalysts would it take to be inspired by the historical biographical life of a saint and capitalize on those heroic tales of accomplishment to find a way to mobilize one’s own imagination and take personal steps to invest in selfless service?  What can ordinary citizens do today to overcome evil, disease and bring forth goodness and love? Who, like the iconic Father Damien might be ready to hear the inner call and be ready to step up and reach beyond the obstacles and barriers to touch those who need a bridge over life’s troubled waters?  

Today, who will care for those starving? Who attends to those dealing with HIV and other circumstances that have caused them to be cast aside, called, unclean, untouchable and more? Father Damien’s remarkable life and story shines exemplary light on what one extraordinary person can do. However, going beyond a history lesson about a special saint and his legacy today invites each person to examine what he or she might do to make a positive difference. Father Damien alone did not conquer the catastrophic conditions that affected over 8,000 banished persons with Hansen’s disease (Leperosy). Father Damien led by example. He formed a community among those who sought relief from their physical and spiritual pain. Damien rolled up his sleeves and met the problem he saw and set about to get beyond the fear of disease and death. Damien openly confronted the much stigmatized ancient disease most call a fate worse than death. Damien’s one-person-at-a-time strategy worked. He gained solid ground as his reputation and mission caught on.

Looking back, Damien’s determined, persistent and sometimes irritating calls for help did not go unheard. Damien overcame his own depression, overwork, frustration, toil, exhaustion, and sense of futility. Somehow he stood tall and awakened each day, with documented attributions pointing to the power of his faith and conviction. From the time Damien left his home, seeing his family for the final time at age 23 — he accepted a religious calling deep within his soul to offer the gift of God’s abundant comforting grace to every person, Catholic, or agnostic. Damien’s biographies reveal that his mother was a great teacher having the wisdom to teach Damien and all her children about the lives of the Saints. Reading their stories Damien obviously internalized her lessons and put them into practice.

In the remote villages of Kalaupapa and Kalawao, Damien formed a magnificent caring community. Damien somehow transformed anarchy and chaos and so that each of the inhabitants lived with a revived hope. Damien was somehow able to bring to life a spirit of caring, an environment of song, and a place of peace, coexisting with the reality and agony of disease, loneliness and often painful death. After Damien’s death in 1888, some willing souls carried on the traditions he began in Molokai. They bonded together living and sharing in Damien’s Spirit. The legacy of Father Damien, the Leper Priest of Molokai, stands as a great illustrative example of what just one person can accomplish making a difference. Now the proud Church honors and calls him a “Saint.” The Roman Catholic Church and the world acknowledge the many miracles attributed to this rare individual. Tourists flock to the isolated land of Damien to get in touch with the spirit residing there noted with over 8,000 marked and unmarked graves of those sadly lost to leprosy.

Damien’s legacy is an ongoing lesson of tragedy turned to triumph. Religious educators  and civic- minded individuals must analyze what happened in Molokai and offer students an opportunity to see the power of the sleeping giant lying within every person:  the ability to respond to a call coming from without and within to repair the world, with small or large actions, never giving in to malaise, apathy, self absorption, or personal greed. The Damien Documentary Project Team accepts the important challenge of helping to reawaken the Spirit of Damien. The team envisions an awakening of a “sleeping giant” to give energy to birth a new flurry of volunteerism, vocation and caring about others.

Pendergast and the Damien Project Team plan to have the documentary and accompanying curriculum design ready to release in time for the Catholic Church canonization ceremonies in the Vatican by Pope Benedict VI. The hope is that a viable curriculum can be used by students and teachers to raise awareness to the opportunities that exist when people of all ages can live like Damien. The documentary seeks to be a fitting tribute to Father Damien, while casting light on lesser known key leadership figures: Mother Marianne Cope and Brother Joseph Dutton.

In his book, Saints: A Closer Look, Thomas Dubay, S.M. attempts to summarize and describe the constitution of saints. Saints, he says, “are men and women on fire, totally self-giving even to enemies, alive and vivacious, thoroughly honest and authentic, profoundly happy even in suffering, heroic in patience, humility, chastity and love. They surpass our human capabilities, which are why they are miracles of goodness and moral miracles.” Following the great acts of love demonstrated by saints each person is called to the stage platform of life called to be fires of love and beauty alive in an often deeply troubled and suffering world. Each person is called to live as Mother Teresa of Calcutta challenges, “Not to do Great things, but to freely give of themselves humbly doing small  things with great love. When asked if she could use some help by volunteers coming to aid her, Mother Teresa said, “Don’t come to Calcutta, find your own Calcutta and make your own kind of difference there.”

 

See the “trailer”: http://www.youtube.com/user/anawimdamien

Jesus-Teaches About Status and the “Little Ones”

Mk 9:30-37

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee,
but he did not wish anyone to know about it.
He was teaching his disciples and telling them,
“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men
and they will kill him,
and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.”
But they did not understand the saying,
and they were afraid to question him.

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house,
he began to ask them,
“What were you arguing about on the way?”
But they remained silent.
They had been discussing among themselves on the way
who was the greatest.
Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,
“If anyone wishes to be first,
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”
Taking a child, he placed it in the their midst,
and putting his arms around it, he said to them,
“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me.”: 30-37

HOMILY DELIVERED AT OUR LADY OF THE WAYSIDE ARLINGTON HEIGHTS SEPTEMBER 20, 2009

Last week-I got an email from a very proud grandpa and grandma-It was a extra nice birth announcement. Obviously, they were popping their buttons with happiness. The note started like so many: “Parents: Bill and Mary; Grandparents; Ed and Sue,– proudly announce that little Johnny came bouncing into the world at 11:31 September 16, at 7 pounds,1 ounce–a beautiful baby boy. Mom and baby are doing well. Dad too!

The E-mail went on to a surprise ending….”We offer prayers of thanksgiving.  Can we ask a favor? We invite prayers for the family. Johnny was born with Down’s syndrome. They close with….”We all eagerly can’t wait to discover the gifts that Johnny will bring our way.”

These pretty smart Christian Grandparents seem to really, deep down, get the heart Jesus’ gospel message: To meet life’s challenges it will take prayer and focus to keep the game of life simple enough to what to know, and do. Simple, innocent, al about optimism, focus on the “other”

Living the so-called game of living a “good Christian life” can be very daunting. We are taught and reminded the virtues of loving our enemies, forgive the unforgivable, avoid status and power, and be selfless like Jesus. How can you and I avoid the trap that the disciples described in today’s Gospel fell into,- as they argued about who deserved the title of being the greatest?

Jesus in Mark’s very familiar Gospel passage today points to the ideal of the innocence surrounding “little ones”. Jesus tries to help his disciples avoid the too tempting practice of human pride and personal aggression.  Jesus states the rules of the Christian game of life is to live for the other,- as he does. Jesus’ disciples aren’t immune to the sin of pride.

Many of today’s Kids seem to be taught by the global culture to be #1 in everything: first in the class; most likely to succeed; best job; most beautiful or handsome, best clothes, best toys, become the best mom and dad; compete to be the best and the brightest at everything. As Vince Lombardi preaches in the Gospel ethic of sports proclamation, “winning is not everything-winning is the only thing.” Wow!

How do we catch ourselves, in a fiercely competitive and, “status is everything” world of ours?, where lust for power and fear of the other and coveting what the other has, or imposing one’s beliefs- causes constant wars, over and over? How do we like a little child be innocent?

Perhaps we need the invention and aid of a spiritual mechanized Tom Tom Spiritual GPS to guide us and keep us on track?- How do we avoid getting into the rat race game where the ethic is:” He or she that accumulates and dies with the most toys,— wins?  Like a diabetic checks blood sugar level toward health we must find a way to keep on the proper path we seek.

 ”A young boy enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer, “This is the dumbest kid in the world. Watch while I prove it to you.” The barber puts a dollar bill in one hand and two quarters in the other, then calls the boy over and asks, “Which do you want, son?” The boy takes the quarters and leaves. “What did I tell you?” said the barber. “That kid never learns!” Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store. “Hey, son! May I ask you a question? Why did you take the quarters from the clever barber instead of the dollar bill?” The boy licked his cone and replied, “Because the day I take the dollar, the game is over!”

 Yes, I think the parents and grandparents who sent the announcement of good news point the light toward the innocence and hope of the little ones-Assuredly their beautiful attitude and sticking together in prayer points to an optimistic way for all.

 Deacon Don Grossnickle

What game are we grown ups—choosing to play?

Julie-Julia:Inspirational Message

Just returned from the fantastic film:  “Julie and Julia”: A tale of two cooks‎ . What a wonderful boost to the heart, spirit, and soul.  I found it absolutely heartwarming. I love it!

Suffering and struggle take such a toll on our outlook in life. When the going gets tough, so often we want to hide, get down and depressed and wallow in the fact that the whole world seems against us.

The deeper message in this film is that everybody faces suffering. Everybody faces oppression, and the ’system’ seems so big and powerful, and so darn good at beating us down.

Julia and Julie qualify as what I call, “ New Humpty Dumpty Souls”. The two personalities are so different, yet so alike in refusing to be beaten down. They each find a way to captivate the positive energy of friends and family to bounce back when the forces beat them into submission and despair.

They remind me of Damien the Leper priest of Molokai. The have fearless resilience to keep bouncing back against the wind.

My wife encouraged me to attend what from all appearances is billed as a “chick flick”. Wow, am I glad I went.

Each day I find myself fighting against the wind.

Right now, I am trying to form a new organization that reaches out to broken neck high school football players. It seems so futile, the subject is so depressing nobody wants to help me. (Poor me?)

Right now, I am trying to work on a documentary film that recruits young and old to get on the bandwagon to do volunteering as a means of helping others rise in the face of adversity (no helpers, no money-poor me?)

Right now, I am trying to boost the spirits of  those with cancer struggles. It is hard to keep praying for miracles. (Poor me)

Stop it. We each must find the depth of character to persevere-Like Julie and Julia.

I encourage everybody to enjoy the film, study it, learn what entrepenurial spirit is all about.

I pray that every person can be  a , “New Humpty Dumpty” person-refusing to give in, and always be open to reach out for loved ones and community to help raise you out of the quicksand of self pity.

Yes, friends, God works through people. Believe it.

Wishing you the blessings of cooking yourself a positive and optimistic attitude-no matter what!

Deacon Don

Never Alone:Never Suffering Without Resources

Stauros USA

This is my shortest BLOG ever:

http://www.stauros.org/Reading_room.html

Please review my assembly of books I have found to be helpful on the topic of exploring the world of “good suffering”

Enjoy the browse.

http://www.stauros.org/Reading_room.html

I am interested in your feedback.

Thanks to Mr. Jim Ludwig for the assistance in making this annotated bibliography .

Deacon Don
Executive Director Stauros USA

Commitment’s New Horizons

Owing to the life of Eunice Kennedy Shriver the founder of Special Olympics and much more: the world knows a little more about how commitment to others works, and how one’s beliefs and actions can have an impact far beyond anything of which we can dream,. Ideally full commitment requires not, 50 or 75% involvement, it seeks the whole heart and soul. Shriver was said to often be, “ a lone voice in a sea of misunderstanding.”  When others saw children with challenges, she always visualized and invested herself in possibilities.

 Eunice Kennedy Shrive knew deeply about personal challenge as her sister Rosemary was profoundly disabled. Perceiving her own gifts and freedom from limitations, Shriver was known to be tenacious and a true warrior for the cause.

Each of our three scripture readings today deals with the subject of commitment.

The first reading deals with the commitment of the people of Israel to God and the difficulty they found in living it out. The gospel points to the difficulty the disciples had in meeting the challenge by what Jesus said earlier about giving them his body to eat. The second reading shines a light on the commitment of two people in marriage. Jesus invites all of us to face our commitments and not to break them.

In preparing young folks for marriage today, I cannot help but offer them the guidance that marriage doesn’t so much cost a commitment, as it so often pays! Following Christ’s ways of selfless love sometimes requires husbands and wives through love and commitment to be a care giver, to comfort and carry the other at tough times. The mystery of married love grows and grows if nurtured in goodness.

 What is so hard about commitment? What do you find hard about commitment?

When I was a youngster, each of us 4 boys in the family had a job to do to help with mealtimes. Today, I can vividly recall the toil of peeling a mountain of potatoes, nicking my fingers with that darned peeler, and noisily grumbling about the easier lot the other boys had in only having to set the table, or clear the table or wash or dry the dishes. It was only in the youthful too-rare moments of insight when I could see my commitment of time, sweat and blood, was a big help gift, and was a love payback to my mom and more. My mom used to say, Donnie boy, the Lord loves a cheerful giver! Today, I wish I could peel a huge endless mountain of potatoes for my mom and take some of the heavy load from her once again.

 In personal ministry confronting that moment of tension of grumbling, or full giving commitment,  is the picture I hold dear.  How can I meet the challenge of Cheerful giving?

Today, like Eunice Kennedy Shriver we each can see unique personal opportunities for commitment in front of our eyes and are offered a decision to take action, invest ourselves, or, like the saddened faint hearted followers of Jesus in the gospel, head for the easy chair.

 I will close with yet another example mosaic of the kind of commitment Jesus invites us to in eating his body and being connected to God the father, in challenging times and others.

 In this beautiful commitment mosaic: I see the love of moms, dads and families, who care for disabled or paralyzed youngsters. I see husbands care for wives with Alzheimer’s. I see coaches cheer on Down’s syndrome persons and award them with a winning hug. I see youngsters, moms and dads cook, and clean, peel potatoes when no one notices, or is there to offer a little help for them. I see volunteers of so many kinds, I see Eunice Kennedy Shriver as great role model, as a relentless advocate to those that cannot advocate for themselves.

You have made a commitment to be here, and I have a hunch this assembly will not be the ones that run away when asked to peel potatoes, umpire, teach, or pitch in. I am convinced in the long run, commitment doesn’t so much cost, it pays!

Deacon Don Grossnickle

Father Damien is Alive and Well

Check out the documentary film trailer the Damien Project has lauched:

http://www.youtube.com/user/anawimdamien

I have the great opportunity to help build the documentary which seeks to enliven the Spriti of Damien to reach out to the Anawim-God’s “little ones” and touch them-no matter what!

We are looking for funding for the film that seeks to unleash a new viral spirit of caring and volunteerism.

We are working on creating a school curriculum design that will carry the Spirit of Saint Damien to today’s world via the youth and retired boomers.

(Canonization of October 11, 2009)

Damien enlisted the help of Mother Marianne  and Brother Dutton and so many others. News about Damien’s willingness to reach out and touch the 8000 exiled leper prisoners  of Molokai was a epidmeic of goodness on fire.

What can you and I do to sustain the Spriti of Damien?

 

More to follow.

Coping, Faith and Suffering: Lessons from Stormy Seas

 

Gospel
Mk 4:35-41

On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet!  Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified?
Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

“Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”

 The disciples in Mark’s Gospel are frantic. They awaken Jesus asking him to save them. The patient teacher reminds them that they already have been given tools to help them cope with situations like this. In the end, Jesus hears their pleas and blesses their request.

 “It is easier for ME, IF, YOU do it”. Youngsters might say this to get mom or dad to SHOW them, again and again. Kids so often reveal insecurities, not yet ready to stand on their own two feet. Perhaps Jesus was suggesting to his disciples -  that before they ask the master to calm the seas, the aspiring and learning faithful should at least try some things to cope on their own. Jesus wants us today to call upon him and be a team working together to address life’s joys and challenges. Jesus helps those faithfully-willing to pitch in and help themselves!

 Yes, It is Father’s Day today. We celebrate the gifts of fatherly: kindness, devotion and love. As a young boy, I fondly remember fascinating times of exploring my dad’s several toolboxes. You see, he was a carpenter by profession. “What’s this one for daddy? I pestered. What’s that one for? I like this one, how do you use this one? I asked.  Reflecting back, perhaps what I really cherished most was spending personal teaching and learning time with my father. I tenderly remember the lessons. Thanks dad! 

 The “coping saw”(hold up)  was one of my favorite tools of my father. For me, it has great emblematic meaning and significance. I can almost remember the day he began teaching me about the use of the coping saw. “The coping saw, Donny is a master carpenter’s fine tool he uses to make delicate saw cuts in tricky places. The master carpenter uses it to make everything fit together-just right—Repeat: “to make everything fit together, just right.” Today, I cherish the gift and legacy of owning his saw, and moreover, cherish his demonstration teaching lessons about coping in life.

 Each of us faces tough challenges of health issues and so many others. May our faith tools help us cope and make everything fit together-just right.

 Let us be reminded, Jesus invites us to be in the same boat close at hand with him. Jesus promises to tenderly hold us and reassure us and save us with his power. Jesus gives us the gift and tools of the Eucharist to strengthen us, empower us, and guide us spiritually to cope.

 Today, we celebrate the ideal role model of unconditional love of earthly and heavenly father’s and mothers. They teach us to use our faith and power to cope and journey toward heaven.

 We have been given life saving and life giving tools. Our job is to know when, and how to use them!

Stauros USA: Happy to announce that Stauros is linked closely with the National Catholic Partnership on Disability-US Bishop’s Conference

 

Please check out their web site

  

http://www.ncpd.org/node/508

Stauros Ministries Invitation: Access to the Land of the Bible

Stauros Ministries Invitation: Access to the Land of the Bible, August 17-28, 2010 is a trip for people with disability. Access to the Land of the Bible is a non-academic program of Bible study made accessible to persons living with disabilities. It is the realization of a dream by Fr. Donald Senior, CP, New Testament scholar, and Stauros U.S.A. founder, the late Fr. Flavian Dougherty, CP.   In the words of Fr. Senior, “For many people with disabilities, their suffering is not their disability itself but, rather, the barriers and negative attitudes society puts in their way. 

We named our program ‘Access to the Land of the Bible’ because we want to demonstrate that people with disabilities should have the same access to the sources of our faith as anyone else.” 

Stauros is launching a campaign to recruit 25 leaders in the disability “no limits” movement who have disability themselves and desire to attend a fantastic study tour of the Holy Land with one of the world’s foremost experts on the bible and New Testament:  Fr Don Senior, the current President of the Catholic Theological Union.

Diocesan/Partner News

CUSA
What is CUSA?  CUSA is an organization that provides a way for people with chronic illness or disability to care for others like themselves through an online or postal service Christian support group. To see seven video clips from 47 seconds to 7 ½ minutes in length on different topics related to disability by Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, Administrator of CUSA, go to the website at www.cusan.org and click on CUSA Videos in the left column.

Stauros
Stauros has a new free online Journal: Hope and Suffering Notebook.  See a preview at:  http://www.stauros.org/ejournal_spring_09.htm 
Stauros U.S.A. is a non-profit organization committed to helping people find meaning, hope and peace in the midst of suffering. Their mission is: to further education and dialogue on issues of suffering; to create opportunities for prayer, retreat, and reflection; to advocate with and give voice to persons who live with disabilities and suffering; and to build bridges of compassion among all who suffer, their caregivers, and the helping professions.

Bridge Building-What About Attacking the Isolation of Suffering?

Today, I want to BLOG about something that is bugging me: isolation among those who suffer. 

What if Stauros USA becomes an organization that actively promotes collaboration and sharing among advocates for all those cut off, isolated, and suffering? What if Stauros works with others to form a bridge extended outward to those ready to seek a way to rise amidst the adversity and challenges they face in isolation?

If there is one major thing I am learning over and over as I enter the University of Suffering for yet another daily lesson in the school of hard knocks,– it is that so many suffering people and care givers are cut off and isolated. Those who suffer are often cut off from divine and spiritual power and other resources that can address the suffering and offer positive change.

Why are so many cut off from sources of life-giving compassion, love, healing and resources of so many kinds?

Kenneth Jennings at Chicago Bears Camp Hoping To Organize Gridiron Warriors Organization for Spinal Cord Injured High School Football Players

I was just taught a good lesson in resource finding that I wish to share. For over two years, the five former football players I am working with have been trying to find legal help to help them form a charity. They envision forming an organization that reaches out to new spinal cord injured players. The founders are stuck, unable to do what it takes to do the work to form a 501 3 C charity. The specific limiting stumbling block and hurdle they face is no access to legal umph to get the paper work done. Last week, for some strange reason, I decided to send an email out to a few people I know and seek out the service (pro bono) of an attorney to get us out of the quicksand that was keeping them paralyzed.

Low and behold, as of today, just a few days later, the paralyzed boys who are the would-be founders,-have been offered a team of three law firms ready to help. A miracle? Yes-Indeed!

Over and over in my ministry work with paralyzed players I have learned that when a community awakens, and gets organized to provide outreach, miracles can happen!

One major problem associated with “suffering” is that some are cut off and isolated and not knowing where, or to whom to turn.

Another contributing factor in this isolation associated with suffering is that I notice so many people in a community are busy with their own affairs. In fact, some people are so involved in their own personal affairs and personal charities that there is little room to open their horizon to be in a position to reach out to somebody outside their universe.

I am struck with noticing the parochial nature  of the helping professions, charities, self-help groups, and ministries. Good resources are often inadvertently restricted to those in the know, or those connected.  

What if a global organization like Stauros USA brought to life a cyber place where bridge building could be empowered and brought to life to minimize isolation of the suffering?

I can envision bringing to life a forum where organizations can reach out to make connections with: deaf, blind, cancer, suicide, chonic illness, spinal cord injuries and a constellation of others living with suffering. Perhaps, in a well known place advocates and the suffering can come together to find better ways to connect and supply compassion, healing and resourcefulness?

What if Stauros USA becomes an organization that promotes collaboration and sharing among advocates for all those cut off, isolated and suffering? What if Stauros works with others to form a bridge extended outward to those ready to seek a way to rise amidst the adversity and challenges they face in isolation?

To that end,–As a start, I am going to begin adding web sites to this blog site  so that we can together make it possible for those making outreach,– and those seeking connections somehow via the internet be  brought together. Perhaps this humble blog under the umbrella of cyber resources can offer helpful and accessible resources to those who might be suffering in mind, body, or spirit and soul.

I envision a virtual  ”home depot” a large no-cost enterprise that tries to put all of the spirit building resources ina  place that is easily accessible.

Today, in my role with Stauros I want to set out and be a bridge builder and see what happens. I am a believer in possibilities? How about you and I see what we can do with God’s help?

Let’s create in this BLOG space,- a place where we can dissolve boundaries that prevent us from caring about the plight of individuals, and pitch in and activate a large community of compassion and caring? that reaches out to put an end to isolation, hoplessness and despair?

As a prayer, Deacon Don

Rediscovering Gems in the Jewelry Box of Life

Saturday I was having lunch in the community dining room of the monastery and met some wonderful friends for Stauros.

I met for the first time cheerful: Brother Ray Sanchez. Ray has a great history and wisdom derived from many years of being a chaplain to prisoners. I was immediately fascinated in the possibility of learning about his wisdom and insights all about being among the “captives”.

What is the spirituality of a prison and confinement? What is it like to minister in this environment?

I have a hunch Brother Ray has some fascinating stories to tell.

Another conversation turned to a couple of wonderful hours with Father Frank Keenan. Fr. Frank has been a chaplain at a local hospital medical center for many years. I learned that Fr. Frank has been writing passionately for a long time: reflections, articles and poetry.

He mentioned that finding an avenue to place his material is a challenge and hopes that others can share in this legacy. This is an untapped gift to share.

All day after savoring meeting and building new relationships with these wonderful ministers of Christ’s mission I felt awesome thanksgiving.

I felt as if I had discovered two “gold mines”,-not only for me, but I had discovered gems that can possibly be life changing and transforming for others. It will be my honor now to see if I can bring them further out into the light. 

The concept of re-discovering”gems in a jewelry box” helps me describe this moment of revelation and insight.

At home I have a jewelry box containing gold cuff links that came from my father and grandfather. In it I have a fancy watch; I have rings from college and such, and many tie pins. I don’t use items from my jewelry box very often,  and kind of unintentionally ignore them and tend to inadvertently under appreciate their value.

I am excited that the “jewels” I have discovered in the wisdom of experts in the theology and spirituality of healing and suffering wisdom can be shared. I dream they might become a source of great personal growth and change for others.

I am excited to see if my work with Stauros publications can somehow help others to learn about hope for the captives of life and help them learn about healing in the midst of great suffering. I am delighted that these dedicated servants of the Lord might share gems of wisdom bringing them out into the bright light of day and be enjoyed and appreciated in new ways.

I pray this morning in thanksgiving for opportunities ahead, that all of us might be fortunate in discovering and sharing “gold and jewels” we find.

Who Cares About Your Suffering?

So many ask the question: Where is God when there is suffering?

Am I alone in my suffering?

So many of us are working on a satisfying answer to this apparent riddle.

Travis Hearn and Mike Ditka

Today is a sad day, a friend of mine,-Travis Hearn, a young boy paralyzed playing high school football passed from this life. His broken neck never dampened his spirit. He loved all the people who approached him to pass along God’s love in the form of hugs and money and other gifts. Travis was a warrior and was a big proponent of faith convinced that God’s hand was there to compasionately touch and love him and guide him toward victory. (Even though his quadriplegia wouldn’t allow him to really feel any touch)

I will miss Travis in the days ahead. I was part of a throng of people who met Travis after his injury. We all quickly grew to admire how he faced the difficulties with such courage. Travis was working with me on a project to be ready to reach out and support a newly injured player and family. Travis and and four other boys who suffered spinal cord injuries playing high school football formed the Gridiron Warriors Alliance as an organization ready to pass along support and experience. In tribute to Travis we will pursue that goal of forming the alliance with renewed vigor.

God was there present to Travis in many ways. Travis struggled mightily trying to make sense and respond the best he could to horrific circumstances. I grew deep admiration as I saw rugged determination and optimism flourish from this boy with a giant smile and amazing spiritual resilience.

Today, in my moments of grief another friend sent me a powerful and inspiring email. In this message I am sharing below, he beautifully demonstrates to me  how God is present to those suffering:

 Here is what he wrote:

“………Yesterday was pretty cold.  As I was walking along the street, I came up behind a homeless man walking on the street in front of me.  He was hunched over against the cold talking to himself (or God?).  As I passed, I noticed his bare hands were tucked under his armpits.  I also found that despite my lack of pocket cash and overdrawn bank accounts, I was rich enough to give him my gloves.  After all, with my pockets empty, I had a warm place to put my hands!  And somehow, as he put the gloves on and we parted, it didn’t seem quite as cold?………..

 You and I are reservoirs of God’s love that can be passed along in the form of a pair of gloves or an encouraging word, or more.

God lives as we  pass along His goodness.

Peace be with you my friend. I pray that you may be touched by God in your suffering-you are never alone.

Deacon Don

 

Who Needs a Spiritual Home Depot?

When I am involved in a remodeling project I really like being able to go to a Home Depot, or Menards, or Lowe’s home center to gather everything I need.

Home Depot

 

 

Rows and rows of products are a delight. There are so many gadgets available to make the home improvement job a total success.

 

When I am involved as a volunteer construction worker in another person’s life remodeling project I wish we had a Big Warehouse full of tools and materials so that without delay work might proceed.

 

Earlier today, my good friend Annette called to tell me that her son, Rocky was in the hospital again. You see, Rocky broke his neck playing high school football in 2000. Caring for a quadriplegic son has been a great test for mom and an ongoing construction project.

 

 

 
Rocky Clark

 

Faith matters a whole lot to Rocky and Annette. At times I have had the honor to pitch in on some of the many remodeling project that are necessary to deal with Rock’s near total paralysis 24 x 7.

 

In frustration Annette says, “Deacon Don, I am so tired, I am so weary……But, Deacon Don….I thank God for the strength to somehow keep going”.

 

 

I give Annette some canvas gloves, we say a prayer, and then she must keeping hustling as there is no break. If Annette quits, the house crumbles in failure. Annette needs a spiritual cheerleader and encouragment to help her in the labor. We dream about going to the “Spritual Home Depot” to obtain the right equipment so that we can thrive.

 

In what aisle might we find the gutter repair materials that might catch Annette Clark’s private streams of tears?

 

In what aisle might we find the paint to create a happy face?

 

 

In what aisle the answers for prayers?

 

 

In what aisle is the glue that can hold them together when under all the stress and strain they begin to fall apart?

 

 

What “router” tool can be found to help make sense of the tragedy that came their way and now few seem to care about?

 

 

In what aisle can we obtain a loan to pay back taxes they are unable to pay? Is there an offer available: No payments until 2020?

 

In Annette and Rocky’s house, there is a 24 hour major construction remodeling project going on. Annette is the leader in remodeling and building up the hope necessary to support a broken heart. Rocky has had to remodel his whole life, his hopes, his dreams, his faith in God and his fellow man.

 

Annette and I constantly look for tools and building materials to keep the home from crumbling. Annette says, “It can get mighty lonely working alone.” Out of urgency the search continues to find a way to stop leaking pipes that drain any money in the system. Out of urgency the search continues for a miracle working shovel to move away the tax bill and other mail that ceaselessly comes.

 

 

What product in the Spiritual Home Depot warehouse can be used for the vermin pests that relentlessly eat away optimism?

 

I pray this day that Annette and Rocky can find the tools and materials that may successfully triumph and help them conitune to build faith in the midst of doubt and challenge.

 

I pray that good people can organize the tools and materials so that we, “construction workers” can do our job assisting with boosting hope and optimism, never daunted in our pursuit of building a dream house build on a foundation of faith.

 

I can see the mental picture of a “Spiritual Home Depot” with great big orange letters that warehouses everything one needs to keep building and building and building………

 

 

I believe that ….”With God, all things are possible”

 

 

With God the construction work continues. I believe through you and me…..God provides and stocks the “Spritual Home Depot.”

 

 

We pray that the faithful keep coming for a vist and go home happy to keep building and building and building.

 

 

May God bless Rocky and Annette and all who call upon the Lord God to help them build and remodel using the tools of the faithful.

Options in Suffering?

One of the very best books I have read lately casts light on the often dark clouds associated with human suffering. Take a look at this book to build personal resilience for today and tomorrow. Enjoy! I find Mark refreshing and very real!

 When You’re Falling, Dive…Artful Living in Times of Great Change

 Mark Matousek

ISBN	159691369X / 9781596913691 / 1-59691-369-X
Publisher	Bloomsbury Pub Plc USA
Language	English
Edition	Hardcover
List price	$24.99

From the Author/Publisher…..

“How people who have suffered trauma find an upside when they’ve gone to the brink-and back again. Do survivors of life’s greatest trials possess a secret knowledge? Is there an art to survival-a map for crossing the wilderness-or daily life? Why do some people blossom through adversity while others stop growing? Drawing on twenty years’ experience in this field, using stories, parable, and scientific data, acclaimed memoirist Mark Matousek gives the first-ever comprehensive look at this mysterious phenomenon of viriditas, the power of drawing passion, beauty, and wisdom from the unlikeliest places. Matousek interviews hundreds of well-known survivors-including Joan Didion, Elie Wiesel, and Isabel Allende-and experts such as Jon Kabat-Zinn, Jonathan Kozol, and Sogyal Rimpoche. He includes extraordinary testimonials, from a Tibetan nun imprisoned by the Chinese at age eleven and the women of Calama, Chile, digging for their “disappeared,” among countless others. Drawing insight and advice from these many heroic individuals, Matousek presents a chorus of wisdom for how to survive our own lives-the vicissitudes of being human-and prevail.
 
 
Notes from O-Magazine:   “After receiving a diagnosis of HIV and, several years later, the equally upending news that after all, he would probably not die of it, Mark Matousek discovered something about riding a spiritual crisis. In this new guidebook to keeping the psyche intact while being spun on life’s roulette wheel, he talks to survivors … as well as experts in brain neuroplasticity and psychological resilience. Through their stories, strategies emerge about how to not only regain equilibrium after a serious hardship but also manage the free floating ‘intuition of hidden yet imminent danger’ that afflicts many of us even in the absence of major trauma.” 
  
 
(Note: Deacon Don interviewed Mark by phone on August 27, 2008 at his home in New York.)
 
  
Deacon Don:
This is a “textbook” about preparing oneself to become resilient in spirit. The book offers brilliant case studies portraying people making heroic responses with acceptance, embracing their challenges and artistically crafting a unique artistic response. Why are these folks “heroic”?
 
Mark:
Oh my, they would bristle if anybody would be cliché and give them that title. Yes, they have gone deep within to draw from character and resourcefulness in response to a fall. Yes, they are like artists who take a canvas and create, use tools and imagination and express their inner hope and depth. Each of us has latent abilities that can be called forth.
 
Deacon Don:
Can a person become intentionally prepared to become resilient when their day comes to test their inner spirit?
 
Mark:
Absolutely, that is the essence of my challenge. Read, prepare, reflect and realize the temporary quiet of our lives will be broken with inevitable tests. To acknowledge and accept the idea of being thoughtfully preparing is essential.
 
Deacon Don:
I like the image of your book where you refer to times when adjusting to the vulnerabilities of a fall as you mention the life of a molting lobster to illustrate the process of growth.
Can you expand?
 
Mark:
Yes, the hard outer shell must go. During the change process for the lobster, exposed is a tender inner skin that will later harden. Change, transition and metamorphosis are natural processes. Our response to transition can spell the difference between a life of fulfillment and meaning and confusion, maybe even misery. Choices to reach out to those around can make a difference between fate and destiny. I favor those who can gather the inner strength to reach out, grasp realities, not become overwhelmed and bitter, but spend the limited time of life being constructive.
 
Deacon Don:
Do you think there is a “silver lining club” out there made up of incurable optimists?
 
Mark: Yes, I like the idea of an intentional pursuit that swims against the stream of hopelessness in favor of being strong and tapping into the spirit that is a relentless drive to rise.
 
Deacon Don:
Do you think Humpty Dumpty-style-pessimism gets in the way of making the most of a person encountering and forging a persona response to adversity?
 
Mark:
Yes, Humpty Dumpty is an at too simple myth that ignores the power of teamwork. Sure, there are many people who like to deny inevitable encounters they will have with suffering. Humpty Dumpty fatalism should become extinct as we evolve into a more resourceful and artistic human community of caring for ourselves and others.
 
Deacon Don:
Do you have any final suggestions to pass along for our readers about choosing to “dive during the fall of life”?  What is the essence of a good dive?
 
Mark:
 ”‘When you enter a storm in life, acceptance is the first step in turning a fall into a dive — full acceptance of your circumstances, including painful feelings, in order to move through adversity with grace.  Remember, you cannot transform what you have not first blessed.  Blessing doesn’t necessarily mean liking what’s happening; it means saying yes to life, rather than resisting the tough stuff so that we can learn from our trials.  It’s hard (if not impossible) to learn when we’re shut down, or blinded by anger and fear.  The art of diving (in times of trouble) enables us to penetrate beyond the unpleasant surface of catastrophic change, into the mystery that awaits us underneath. In diving we discover the wisdom hidden inside the darkness; the revelation of having to begin again; the self-renewal that can only arise when we let go our attachments — to the status quo, to what we think we deserve — and make way for what life has in store for us.” 

 Visit Mark at: 

http://www.markmatousek.com/ 

Unemployment and Suffering

 

This blog is contributed by Bill Smith, a great friend of Stauros.

Thank you Bill for offering hope for those suffering the heart rending challenges of unemplyment.

Deacon Don Executive Director Stauros USA

I wanted to write something about my experience being out of work.  The trials of unemployment and dodging collection calls, the fear of eviction and shame of not being able to meet one’s obligations or take care of one’s family.  It’s horrible.  I asked myself ‘How did I get here in such a horrific mess.’  The tears…fear…anxiety.  An almost hopeless sense of despair that seems to grip my every waking and even dreaming moments.  It hurts—I cry and pray.  And then an email alert popped up on my screen. 

 

A news article arrived telling me that in the two weeks of Israel’s operation in Gaza, 898 Palestinian people have been killed so far, and today, a Palestinian rocket hit an Israeli kindergarten filled with children and killing all.  I cannot imagine the incalculable loss and grief for those fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers families and friends and all those who lost someone.  It somehow makes my suffering quite a bit harder to feel…maybe I don’t have it so bad.

 

We’re taught to do unto others as we would have them do unto us.  Yet, I am here, bemoaning my lot in life and I haven’t done much to help relieve the pain of those so much more in need.  Not just those from the Palestine tragedy, but here, not a world away, but on my street, in my neighborhood, in my building.  There are those less fortunate who would gladly change places with me.  As I reflect on my sad jobless state, I do so from the warmth of a safety of a home overlooking the beautiful Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan.  How much would any of those touched by this latest military action give to change places?  What incredible gifts I have been given, and now, with some unexpected time off work, perhaps there is something I can do.

 

Maybe I can poke my head in a shelter tomorrow between interviews.  Can I help?  Perhaps there is something or someone tomorrow that can use my gifts outside of the job I am looking for.  Maybe God has a job for me in mind that I wasn’t expecting and might have otherwise missed.  And, I don’t want to disappoint that lead or disregard that recruiter.  Even if the pay isn’t really there, the benefits are infinite!  This job lead comes from the source of all knowing and all love. 

 

My mother passed away several years ago.  Several years before that, she sent a letter to me which somehow was lost unopened among my personal things.  Recently, during a move, I found the box with her unopened letter.  I recognized her handwriting and felt her warm attention on me as though she were standing next to me.  Inside was a brief note saying simply, ‘Billy, perhaps some day you will be able to use this.  Love, Mom.’  Enclosed was a prayer card with a picture of Christ on one side, and on the other was the Prayer of the Unemployed.  When my Mom sent the note, I was gainfully employed, owned a business and had several years salary in savings.  But today, with savings gone and no job prospect in sight, the prayer is relevant beyond what I ever could have thought.  I can picture my Mom’s knowing eyes affirming that all things come in His time as if she meant for me to get it now.   

 

So, from my Mother, and in His time, I’ll share the little prayer.  I hope it means as much to you as it does to me.

 

Dear Lord Jesus Christ,

You wanted all who are weary to come to You for support.  Lord, I am worn out by my inability to find wage-earning work.  With the changing job market, guide me in this pursuit to opportunities with a future so that there is not an immediate recurrence of this ordeal.  Day after day, my worry and fear grows as the rejections of my applications mount.  I am able and willing to work – but I cannot find a worthwhile job.  Please help me to obtain one soon.  Until I find employment, ease my worries regarding my financial situation and help me to take advantage of the time available to get closer to you.  Let me realize that there are other ways to bring about Your kingdom on earth besides salaried work.  Help me to make use of them for the time being so that I may continue to grow as a person for Your greater glory.  Amen.

 

So tomorrow I have a job.  I’ll visit those to whom I might be of some service.  I’ll keep my eyes, ears and heart open because I now believe being gainfully employed doesn’t always require having a job.  My prayers are with you always.  – Bill Smith

-Discovering Wisdom to Unlock the Mysteries of Suffering

Role Models? Bees Gather Nectar to Make Honey

What if when suffering circumstances come our way we had ready access to practical wisdom to assist in formulating our response?

What if we had a helpful and compassionate guide, a reliable compass, a map to help us negotiate the jungle of information and mis-information available on the expansive topic of human suffering?

What if when hopelessly stuck in paralyzing quicksand we could call out and a friendly voice would offer advice to assist in a timely escape from our imminent peril?

When despair threatens to overwhelm  the last bit of optimism left after battles to cope with suffering’s grip leaves us spent…..,who can you call?

My prayer is that no person should face the tough challenges of suffering alone.

Further, nobody should have to formulate a personal response to the presence of suffering without access to good resources.

Are there good resources out there that can make a difference in building a person’s ability to bounce back after a fall?

Are there keys that alone, or in combination, can unlock the pathway one might aspire to accomplish: “good suffering”?

Who are the experts that have refined pearls of wisdom from the ages that point light on suffering’s dark side?

What authoritative libraries exist from psychology? philosophy? spirituality, theology? and healing technologies including medicine and pharmacology?

What if there were a community dedicated to the study of creatively forging avenues on which to travel the rocky roads of suffering?

Who are the leaders of good thinking?

What does the bible and holy writing have to offer those who suffer?

May the word go forth throughout the land: If anyone has wisdom to share about “good” suffering…Please bring it to our attention at Stauros USA.

 

We will share the good news via our E-magazine-Stauros Hope and Suffering Seeds of Light, and or via our new Stauros Hope and Suffering Notebook.

http://www.stauros.org/

 

Alone and Suffering

Yesterday, I experienced a new version of what it means to be alone. It was horrible. I particpated in the funeral of one of my best friend’s from high school.

With my friend’s sister standing shaking next to me, we stood alone looking at Tony’s open casket. The Ukrainian Orthodox Priest chanted mystical prayers and waved incense. Tony was only a young 62. The room was so big and we were so alone.

Thankfully, eight members of Tony’s church choir stood there at the mass joining the chants and songs of the priest. Today, the Church was his family and friends combined. I was deeply sad that there were so few attending.. Stark aloneness. Pitiful.

Later,we stood alone at the grave as his coffin was lowered into the earth.

I offered prayers of thanksgiving for the church, and the priest and the choir members that were there being family for the homecoming celebration and Christian Mass of the Resurrection.

My friend Tony and I had experienced a great  four years in high school. That was way back in 1962-1966. We grew up in Chicago. Over the years a annual phone call bridged the distance and communication gap and brought us back together for a few moments of happy reminiscing. Lately now, acute diabetes ravaged his poor suffering body with no mercy.  Tony was alone to suffer. Tony was alone to die.

Looking back 25 years or more, I recall carrying his mom and dad’s casket to the cemetery as a pall bearer. What an honor. Now, I did the same. Friends do that service, tearfully on a mission.

I write this blog as a way of praying for Tony and his sister. I want them to never have to be so alone. Where were the friends and neighbors? What happened along the way that Tony became so isolated? Tony was a good and kind person, gregarious, and fun loving. How did he become so alone? His sister assured me, “Tony was just shy.”

I conclude this tribute to Tony praying a re-dedication to the mission of Stauros USA–

1) No one should ever suffer alone,–

2) No one should suffer without access to resources that might help in bring hope and meaning to difficult circumstances.

May God continue to guide and inspire Stauros. May we serve all with compassion and be Seeds of Light for all.

Suffering and Discipline-Guest Blog Marie Smith The Cello Bard

On Discipline and Suffering:

A Perspective-Body:Mind:Spirit:Soul

 

Discipline. I’m a cellist. I didn’t get to be a cellist by magically waking up one day able to play Dvorak. I started with Twinkle Twinkle when I was nine and kept going. Every day. When my friends wanted to go out to play, I practiced. When my friends wanted to go to a movie, I practiced. I had a single minded devotion to the cello at an early age. I loved the way it sounded and felt to play. I still love the way it sounds and feels to play. Practicing was, and is, the best part of my day. I learned to defer immediate gratification for something bigger. I played the cello because it pleased me to do it. Wasn’t about the applause. It was because it brought me joy. Thirty years later, I still get a huge kick of joy in my practice room when I nail a high D with my third finger and feel my spine tingle in it.  No one forced me to practice, in fact I got told to stop by my parents. Do your homework, Marie! Go to bed!

 

Irish Proverb: There is no luck, except where there is discipline. 

 

I was in the Chicago Civic Orchestra — Training Orchestra for the Chicago Symphony, as a kid. I got to play under Sir Georg Solti on stage at Orchestra Hall. How did I get there? Did I walk in and audition? Yes. However… 

 

This was my life in freshman year of high school at age 14

 

5:30  AM Wake up. Practice scales for 20 minutes. Practice etudes (Study pieces)

6:30  AM  Practice Bach

7:00  AM Shower, dress, eat breakfast, hop on school bus with cello. Finish homework.

8:00  AM orchestra rehearsal

9:00  AM English Class

10:00 AM Study Hall. Study? No. Practice Sonata in practice room? Yes.

11:00 AM return to school 

3:45   PM eat snack

4:00   PM Practice concerto

6:00   PM wolf down dinner

6:15   PM practice concerto

9:00   PM practice orchestra parts

10:00 PM Parents tell me to stop practicing. “DID YOU DO YOUR HOMEWORK!” Oh No! Oh No! English paper is due. Oh no! Set down cello. Do homework.

11:00  PM Fake together some stuff for school. Read Hamlet? To do or not to do? Not to do! Skip algebra, too. Do that on the bus…

12:00 AM Fall asleep

 

Next day, wake up and do the same thing.

 

Saturday:

 

5:30 AM wake up. Practice for next 12 hours.

8:00  PM Attend concert with buddies in Chicago. Can’t believe we got tickets to see U2!!!!  Sing along! (“One man come in the name of love..”)

11:30 PM Curfew? Ummm, no. Dance and scream at concert! YAY! U2! This is so cool! (“Sunday Bloody Sunday!”)

1:45 AM Come home to angry parents!  ”CURFEW! YOU ARE GROUNDED!”  So? I saw U2! That was worth getting grounded for a month! Coolest concert ever!

2:00 AM Snooze.

 

Sunday

 

5:30 AM wake up. Practice for next 12 hours

 

Every… single… day… didn’t matter if the moon was full, half full, blue, or harvest. This was what I did. I practiced nine hours a day on weekdays, 24 hours on weekends. 

 

THEN I auditioned for the Chicago Civic–Training Orchestra for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. That’s how I got to sit under Sir Georg Solti’s baton, an experience I will never forget. Solti was way cooler than that U2 concert! It’s also how I got to attend a high school for the performing arts. “There is no luck, except where there is discipline.” 

 

Intense self discipline does make it possible to survive tough situations, because I know how to keep going even when I want to quit. I have no idea why those NFL players took off their life vests. I don’t know what was running through their minds. I haven’t been tested in open ocean. I do know that I’ve been tested in other ways and discipline helps a ton. It really does.

 

Speaking of discipline, it’s Monday. That means I need to take my chemo pre meds, cram some food in my gut, and hope and pray that chemo doesn’t knock me on my butt until Friday like it did last week. I suffered a ton with it last week and right now I’m afraid to enter into the tunnel of chaos again. But I will because my life demands that I do this. My cello likes when I play him, and my novel just got a whole new plot twist added to it, and.. and I got hired to do some freelance writing, and I’ve got pamphlets I need to get moving on, and… and I have shows coming up in April and.. and I have a life that’s worth chemo tolls for!  

 

So, I will pay the chemo toll.

 

Hopefully without too many tears. I’ll wake up tomorrow around 5:30 PM. That’s Tuesdays. I hate Tuesdays. But, I love Wednesdays – Mondays, so it’s worth dark Tuesday. I’m heading into a cave now. Ten minutes from now, my brain will evaporate from anti nausea drugs blurring my thinking and I’ll be in a fog. Sigh. I’m off to do what I gotta do.

Father Damien Of Molokai-Suffering Saint

Father Damien Canonization: October 11, 2009

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.  John 15:13

Stauros USA  is most pleased to celebrate the life of Father Damien. Father Damien’s efforts, his vocation, his dedication to a life of selfless service is very much aligned with the mission of Stauros USA and International.

We share a great message: What Would Fr Damien be Doing Today…..

From the Hawaii Catholic Herald  (With Permission)

 Journey to a Canonization: April 3, 2009

This is one of an ongoing series of articles related to Blessed Damien who will reach the ranks of sainthood on Oct. 11 Damien’s work continues in India By Patrick Downes | Hawaii Catholic Herald Question: If Father Damien were alive today, where would he be? Answer: Perhaps in India, where Hansen’s disease has stubbornly stepped into the 21st century despite the drugs that should have halted it decades ago. The saint-to-be actually does reside in spirit in the eastern Indian city of Bhubaneswar at the Damien Social Development Institute. There leprosy and its savage effects are combated with standing and mobile medical clinics, rehabilitation programs, nutrition programs, housing projects, vocational training and education. The institute’s stated vision is “To eliminate human sufferings in order to revive and enhance the spirit of equality and dignity.” It also participates in the worldwide campaign to eliminate Hansen’s disease. The institute was opened as the “Damien Institute” in 1979 by Sacred Hearts Father William Petrie, an American whose priestly vocation was inspired by a biography of Father Damien he read as a boy. Father Petrie came to India in 1975 to work with Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity at a Hansen’s disease facility in Shantinagar, west of Bengal. Mother Teresa asked the priest to turn his attention to those with the disease, particularly the impoverished, in Bhubaneswar where he started his program. The Damien Clinic, the institute’s main medical clinic, treats hundreds with a team of doctors, a pharmacist, a lab technician and others. Mobile clinics two or three times a month bring services to a number of leprosy communities and houses, and to dozens of slum areas. Rehabilitation programs deliver wheelchairs, crutches, hearing aids, and walking sticks for the blind to those that need them in surrounding villages. A nutrition program provides school children in one leprosy community, many whose parents provide for their families by begging, one balanced, nutritious meal a day. The Damien Social Development Institute helps young men and women gain vocational training as tailors, mechanics, paramedicals, drivers, weavers and electricians and also runs an interfaith hostel which provides food and board for male students attending a local college. The institute is a project of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts, Father Damien’s congregation, and many of its department supervisors are priests of that order.

Interest in Fr. Damien Film Documentary?

Let Us Tell The Story of a Wounded Healer and Prophet

There is growing interest in producing a documentary film that tells the deeper story about Fr Damien and Mother Marianne in Molokai.

I am in touch with a group that is moving ahead to tell the great powerful  story of the people and the community life from the “inside.”

Much more is known about the: triumphs and struggle, spirituality, humanity, suffering, compassion, discrimination, isolation, despair, and hope and so much more. The inpiring story needs to be told right now as the time is right and so many are open to hear and respond to challenges for changing the world for the better.

People of all ages can benefit from looking deeply into what really happened in that time and progressed to the present in that tiny geographically isolated piece of paradise.

The story of Father Damien and others is an ongoing drama played out in a world where suffering healers, servants, and prophets are much needed among all God’s people.

Please Pass on the word, The Father Damien Celebration Alliance is seeking sponsors for creating and distributing a documentary film. This film will proclaim the good news of suffering for the people of this world now, and serve to create the kind of world where Leprosy, discrimiation, suffering is embraced with a whole new attitude of compassion and love.

Let the river  that brings healing water to the world begin to flow outward today. Please  join your prayers and connections to enliven this project.

May God bring to life a revelation and story beautifully told that will transform the world for the glory.

You may contact me via the Stauros USA web site: http://www.stauros.org/

Deacon Don

Fr. Damien: More Than Saint-More than Prophet- More than Martyr

Honoring the contributions of Father Joseph Damien de Veuster for his service to humanity, and for other purposes. (Agreed to by Senate)

 104th CONGRESS 

1st Session 

S. RES. 125Honoring the contributions of Father Joseph Damien de Veuster for his service to humanity, and for other purposes.

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

May 25 (legislative day, MAY 15), 1995

Mr. AKAKA (for himself, Mr. INOUYE, Mr. DASCHLE, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. SIMON, Mr. MURKOWSKI, and Mr. LEAHY) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

 RESOLUTIONHonoring the contributions of Father Joseph Damien de Veuster for his service to humanity, and for other purposes.

Whereas Father Joseph Damien de Veuster was born in Tremeloo, Belgium, on January 3, 1840;

Whereas Father Damien entered the Sacred Hearts Order at Louvain, Belgium, as a postulant in January 1859 and took his final vows in Paris on October 7, 1860;

Whereas, after arriving in Honolulu on March 19, 1864, to join the Sacred Hearts Mission in Hawaii, Father Damien was ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace on May 21, 1864;

Whereas Father Damien was sent to the Puna, Kohala, and Hamakua districts on the island of Hawaii, where Father Damien served people in isolated communities for 9 years;

Whereas the alarming spread of Hansen’s disease, also known as leprosy, for which there was no known cure, prompted the Hawaiian Legislature to pass an Act to Prevent the Spread of Leprosy in 1865;

Whereas the Act required segregating those afflicted with leprosy to the isolated peninsula of Kalaupapa, Molokai, where those afflicted by leprosy were virtually imprisoned by steep cliffs and open seas;

Whereas those afflicted by leprosy were forced to separate from their families, had meager medical care and supplies, and had poor living and social conditions;

Whereas in July 1872, Father Damien wrote to the Father General that many of his parishioners had been sent to the settlement on Molokai and lamented that he should join them;

Whereas on May 12, 1873, Father Damien petitioned Bishop Maigret, having received a request earlier for a resident priest at Kalaupapa, to allow Father Damien to stay on Molokai and devote his life to leprosy patients;

Whereas for 16 years, from 1873 to 1889, Father Damien labored to bring material and spiritual comfort to the leprosy patients of Kalaupapa, building chapels, water cisterns, and boys and girls homes;

Whereas on April 15, 1889, at the age of 49, Father Damien died of leprosy contracted a few years earlier;

Whereas the Roman Catholic Church began the consideration of beatification of Father Damien in February 1955, and Father Damien will be beatified on June 4, 1995, by Pope John Paul II in Brussels, Belgium;

Whereas Father Damien was selected by the State of Hawaii in 1965 as one of the distinguished citizens of the State whose statue would be installed in Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol;

Whereas the life of Father Damien continues to be a profound example of selfless devotion to others and remains an inspiration for all mankind;

Whereas common use of sulfone drugs in the 1940’s removed the dreaded sentence of disfigurement and death imposed by leprosy, and the 1969 repeal of the isolation law allowed greater mobility for former Hansen’s disease patients;

Whereas in the mid-1970’s, the community of former leprosy patients at Molokai recommended the establishment of a United States National Park at Kalaupapa, out of a strong sense of stewardship of the legacy left by Father Damien and the rich history of Kalaupapa;

Whereas the Kalaupapa National Historical Park was established in 1980 with a provision that former Hansen’s disease patients may remain in the park as long as they wish; and

Whereas the remaining patients at Kalaupapa, many of whom were exiled as children or young adults and who have endured immeasurable hardships and untold sorrows, are a special legacy for America, exemplifying the dignity and strength of the human spirit: Now, therefore, be it

 Resolved, That the Senate of the United States recognizes Father Damien for his service to humanity and takes this occasion to– 

•  
  (1) celebrate achievements of modern medicine in combating the once-dreaded leprosy disease; 
  (2) remember that victims of leprosy still suffer social banishment in many parts of the world; and 
• (3) honor the people of Kalaupapa as a living American legacy of human spirit and dignity.

Father Damien Wished He Knew: Leprosy Facts

Today's Damien Society Battles The Disease

 Visit the DAMIEN SOCIETY WEB PAGE: http://www.damientheleper.org/

FACTS ABOUT LEPROSY, OR HANSEN’S DISEASE:

Q. What is leprosy, or hansen’s disease?  A. It is a chronic disease, mainly affecting the skin and nerves. Untreated, it can permanently damage the skin, nerves, limbs and eyes. It is caused by a bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae, which incubates in the human body for two to four years. The microbe was discovered by Norwegian physician Armauer Hansen in 1873.

Q. What are the symptoms? A. Early symptoms include reddish or pale colored skin patches that may have a loss of feeling; bumps and thickening of the skin; loss of feeling of the hands or feet.

Q. Does leprosy make fingers and toes fall off? A. No. The bacillus attacks nerve endings and destroys the body’s ability to feel pain and injury. Without feeling pain, people can easily injure themselves. Injuries become infected and result in tissue loss. Fingers and toes become shortened and deformed as the bone is absorbed into the body.

Q. How is leprosy transmitted? A. The disease is not highly infectious. It is believed that M. leprae is transmitted via droplets from the nose and mouth, during close and frequent contacts with untreated, infected persons. More than 95 percent of the population has a natural immunity to the disease. People having completed treatment are considered free of active infection.

Q. How is it treated? A. Leprosy is curable, and treatment during the early stages averts disability. A multi-drug therapy – consisting of three drugs (dapsone, rifampicin and clofazimine) – kills the pathogen. Relapses are rare for patients in the United States who receive multi-drug therapy, which can take six months to two years.

Q. How many people have leprosy? A. In 2000, 738,284 cases of leprosy were identified worldwide; 91 in the United States. Between 1 million and 2 million people are believed permanently disabled by the disease. Ten countries account for 90 percent of cases: Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo,Guinea, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal and Tanzania.

Courtesy of CBS: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/03/22/health/main545392.shtml

American Idols: Damien; Cope; Dutton-Talents Given to the Lepers of Hawaii

Father Damien and Mother Marianne Cope

I love the whole concept of a talent search. The excitment of each week’s American Idol contest keeps me watching. At the same time my interests focus on others who merit the title: American Idol.

At the moment I am deeply engaged in reading about the drama that took place in Hawaii as Fr Damien, Mother Marianne Cope and Brother Joseph Dutton immersed themselves in giving their talents fully to those banished lepers in the settlement on Molokai. They too deserve MY title of being American Idols.

I am just finishing reading the excellent resource about these talented heroes as told by John Tayman in The Colony. I am so inspired that I have set out to forge a team of curriculum writers to prepare materials students and teachers can use in learning about the important contribution of these three and more. The “idols”  tended to the more than 8,000 poor souls quietly banished to this paradise location to suffer without the reality of a known cure for their cursed affliction. Life was impossible there, hositle, lawless, despair, much suffering and isolation leading to hopeless agony. God forsaken? God becomes present in these three and others who are unafraid to fully give of themselves with no reward or personal gain promised.

Father Damien: The Leper Priest of Molokai will be canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church on October, 11, 2009 in Rome. Mother Marianne’s cause is being considered by the Vatican.

Damien’s fascinating story points me to learn about what I call the “Hawaii Holocaust’. This little known Holocaust is rich with American Idol Heroes, talented missionaries of love and caring. The “Idols” now can be remembered for the self sacrifice they gave overlooking the peril that could come their way in contracting leporosy. Damien becomes a martyr for the cause of bringing more that religion to the thousands of lives he touched.

Damien brought hope to all. He brought spirituality for Catholics. He reached out to all the people looking for some meaning to explain the horrific circumstance that qualified them to be called, “unclean, outcasts” -all because some bacteria invaded their bodies.

My prayer today is thanksgiving for the times we are living in when we are open to exploring stories and circumstances that are “strange” “uncomfortable” and such. There is much suffering in the world. We might be temped to withdraw. Yet, so much deep understanding and wisdom awaits those willing to engage in the journey. Look for the American and World “Idols” who give their talents to entertain and transform the world.

Images of the Good Shepherd Support the Suffering

 Deacon Don Grossnickle Executive Dirctor Stauros USA

Jn 10:11-18

Jesus said:
“I am the good shepherd.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
A hired man, who is not a shepherd
and whose sheep are not his own,
sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away,
and the wolf catches and scatters them.
This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd,
and I know mine and mine know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I will lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
This is why the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.
I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.
This command I have received from my Father.”This is a homily I delivered at Our lady of the Wayside Catholic Church where I serve as a permanent deacon. I wish to share it on this Stauros BLOG in the hopes that it will strenthen the support necessary to deal with suffering.

This the second time this week I have had the opportunity to share the good news message contained in this homily.

 The first occasion was a session I had with a family member who just 2 days ago shared his diagnosis and pathology of an apparent  inoperable lung cancer. 

This week confronting the cancer and the uncertain days ahead we talked about the images we have about God. He and I discussed the power and reassurance of today’s gospel: The Good Shepherd.  We discussed and analyzed-What picture of God and the divine will be most helpful to him as he faces this fearsome life-crisis and test of his faith. What role will he allow God to play?

 One pastoral image you and I often view in our art galleries depictions of the Good Shepherd is a Jesus with a sheep worn around his neck, or, a sheep cuddled safely in the arms of the Shepherd. This soft picture of Jesus is a good one especially if we are looking for image of a kind and compassionate forgiving God who can comfort, reconcile sins, forgive and welcome one into heaven-even one who has been imperfect.

 An alternative picture is Jesus the aggressive defender of his flock-I invite you to imagine this picture: In the background are flocks of sheep grazing at peace on rolling green hills. But in the foreground a thief is attacking. The shepherd has pounced on the thief and is holding his shepherd’s staff across the thief’s throat, pinning him to the ground and slowly choking off his air, but the gasping thief is reaching up to grab the shepherd. It’s a horrifying, violent sight, and yet, the whole time, there in the background, blissfully oblivious to the whole thing, the sheep continue to safely graze. You get the picture-the good shepherd is fighting and looking out for us.

For my family member: what is really important is the great message of the gospel that says: I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me.

The Easter story clearly demonstrates a Jesus divine God who endures horrific torture on the cross so that he can be our good shepherd in good times and bad. This is the fighter the warrior that stands with us in times like fighting the wicked cancer, an evil thief that threatens to take our lives, our soul, our spirit. 

Friends: chemotherapy, radiation, and the horrors of suffering and all the trials you and I face–cannot separate us from the good shepherd. We receive the Sacrament of the Annointing of the Sick for strength and assurance of the power we have in standing with the Good Shepherd.

Jesus promises: “there will be one flock, one shepherd. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.

“We are in the arms of the Good Shepherd-

Alleluia!

Thanks be to God.

Suffering and Joy: Solving Puzzles of Life

 

Guest BLOG-By: “The Cello Bard”–Marie Smith

Been playing with my Rubik’s Cube lately. Yeah, that old puzzle box toy from the 1980’s that drove so many people crazy. Twist it around and around just a few times and none of the colors line up anymore. Solving it seems impossible. Sometimes my life feels like a mixed up Rubik’s Cube. Like no matter how I try I can’t get things to line up anymore. When so many different things in my life get messed up, I feel overwhelmed by it all. I look at the pile of unpaid bills, listen to my phone ringing all day long, and I wonder if I’ll ever get out from under all of this. But, working on solving my Rubik’s Cube has taught me a few things.

If I’m gonna solve my Rubik’s Cube the first thing I need to do is figure out which way is up. I usually solve it blue side up, so I look for side with the blue square in the center and tilt the cube so the blue square is on top. When my life is out of sorts, I know I need to take a few deep breaths and remember to look up. Doesn’t matter how messed up things are, I can always look up and center myself.

Interestingly enough, the steps to solving a Rubik’s Cube, and the steps to calming down when all is going wrong, are the same.  To solve a Rubik’s Cube, the next thing I do is build a cross. Link up the red and blue, orange and blue, yellow and blue, and white and blue edge pieces and form a blue cross on the top of my cube. One the cross is on top, the rest of the pieces fall into place.

When I remember to look at the cross, I remember Jesus taught us not to worry.

            Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink;
            or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food,
            and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds in the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more  valuable than they? 
            Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

                                    Matthew 6:25-27

Somehow all I have to do is remember that, and then trust that all the pieces in my life  will somehow fall into place. I don’t have to live in fear and worry.  It doesn’t add to my life.  One step at a time things will get better. I’m learning to celebrate every step in the right direction. Living in celebration feels a lot better than living in fear.

Visit Marie’s Web site: http://maries-cello.com

Entrepreneurs of Hope

 

I am immersed in many aspects of the world of suffering. I have come to be on the constant lookout for signs that signal hope. Hope is that great elixir and often elusive advantage that offers the spiritual strength one needs to strive beyond oppression. I am a “prospector” of hope. I set out to mine authentic hope so that I can pass along the “golden gifts” to those ready to accept them.
 
Springtime each season sees the dormant buds of shrubs and trees awaken back to life. Nature shows lessons about rising after death. Redemptive suffering envisions a reward coming with faithful hope. I wonder: Does Hope sometimes require an entrepreneur ready to creatively and persistently find and apply ways to unleash its power? Yes, I believe that to be true!
 
When the dark clouds of suffering dampen our spirits, what antidote can we apply that might shift the mood? Prospectors of hope become enlivened entrepreneurs who assemble resources and invent options. As if we are an alchemist each of us must reach into the apothecary of our hearts to match the spiritual symptoms of malady with some dosage that brings relief and hope through faith.
 
Each day I encounter and learn from inspiring human stories. Entrepreneurs of Hope look for signs and illustrations in the lives of others.  Today, I notice an exemplary young man diagnosed with cancer. He refuses to resign himself to despair and pledges to wage a battle he intends to fight. He implores God to be by his side.
 
I notice the divine strength and the entrepreneurial hope demonstrated by the role model of Jesus. Jesus proclaims with his martyr’s passion a stubborn defiance against the sting of human death. Yes, even when we walk in the valley of the shadow of death, a place that tests our fears, we can be consoled.

 

Friends, Entrepreneurs of Hope are resourceful, inventive, creative, and artistic and refuse to be mastered by obstacles. Entrepreneurs of Hope see options and alternatives, transmutations, modifications, transitions, and portals that offer positive change. Entrepreneurs refuse to accept slammed doors in their face, rejection, isolation, marginalization, and ostracism.  

 

Entrepreneurs of Hope know just when to call out for help and are adept at working in isolation or by forging teams.

 

I pray for those needing strength and love for the journey.