Feeling Left Out

Consecration to the Holy Family will take place on January 12, 2020 at Spirit of Christ Catholic Community. A week before the Consecration, families are asked to pray together, fast, and go to confession. This will encourage having devotion to the Holy Family.

Since my immediate family is out of state or in heaven, I wish I had known of this when my children were still at home. In retrospect I may not have done anything because I was having my own troubles with my religion, but now that I am older and more in tune with my religion, I wish my small family could be Consecrated to the Holy Family.

I looked around the church as the day of the Consecration was announced and wondered if there were others who felt left out of such a beautiful ceremony.

"As the family goes,

so goes the nation

and so goes the whole

world in which we live."

Pope John Paul II

The Feast of the Seven Fishes

As old as I am, you would think I would know much more than I know! A week before Christmas a friend of mine mentioned that her dinner consisted of seven fish dishes and every one would bring a fish dish to share. I asked her why and she said it was tradition in her family. I understood the tradition part because in my family our tradition is tamales, red chile, empanadas, and biscochitos.

On Christmas Eve I was invited to another friends home and was surprised when I saw salmon, smelt, shrimp, tilapia and baccala (cod), all fish dishes, prepared for us to eat. There may have been other fish dishes but those I mentioned are the ones I remember. I was told it is an Italian tradition that is eaten on Christmas Eve. I asked about the fish tradition and someone googled it. The seven fish have something to do with the seven sacraments of the church.

I looked it up on the Internet and found out that the number seven is mentioned in the Bible 700 times. Seven sacraments, creation took seven days, and there are seven deadly sins. It appears that in the early 1900's Italian-American families began to celebrate the feast as they remembered their old traditions from home.  Well live and learn!

For lunch today I ate the delicious salmon sent home with me after the party.  The glaze on the salmon, sort of sweet, is excellent for my taste buds!

More about the number seven!

"7 colors make a rainbow,

7 chords make music,

7 days make a week

7 continents make a world

7 beautiful letters 

makes us FRIENDS!"

Christmas Day

No matter how hard I tried to feel sorry for myself, there was no way I felt sad because my friends treated me like family! I did Facetime with my family and it was almost like being there with them!

This year I did not travel to California to spend Christmas with my family and I appreciated invitations from friends for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Aside from the invitations it was a special evening and day.

On Christmas day when I arrived at the church and drove into the parking lot, loud bells were playing Christmas carols. A special feeling wrapped me in the loud bells. This was the first time that I can remember Spirit of Christ Catholic Community having bells ringing throughout the neighborhood! How wonderful to walk from my car to the church and listen to the bells proclaiming the birth of Christ. It gave me a feeling of being welcomed into the church where mass would be celebrated!

Inside, the choir sang those Christmas carols that I have heard all of my life and the congregation joined in. People greeted me with a cheerful "Merry Christmas," huge poinsettia plants were placed all over the church and everything felt festive with lots of  red, green or gold.

The priest that celebrated mass is a Facebook friend who six years ago was ordained at Spirit of Christ. His homily left us with three ideas: Contemplation (gold), Appreciation(Frankincense)  and Celebration (myrrh). Paraphrased from his homily; The three gifts were left with Baby Jesus and these human acts are the three responses needed and are represented by the three gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh which draws us into the mystery of Christ and one another.

He mentioned how our Nativity was unusual because Baby Jesus is in the manger atop of a cross. I am not sure if it has always been that way or if this was a new Nativity. I know I have never seen the Nativity portrayed in that manner. Maybe I just never noticed!

After mass, there were lots of hugs among friends and all in all it was a special mass, a special priest, and a special day!

Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus

Twenty Five Chances To Win

One of my gifts this year was full of fun and anticipation! The card was called Holiday Gold and all I had to do was scratch off the covering over the numbers! Simple enough and so easy that this morning I began the scratching off to see what I would win.

I used an Andy penny to scrape away and with a hope in my heart for a $10,000 win I began scratching away at the card, I completed removing the covering of each number and then I uncovered my four numbers which were 32, 10, 34 and 18.

What a disappointment that not a one number matched. Up until the very end I hoped that at least one number would match. I would have been satisfied with the lowest amount which would have been $70! The saying  "The journey, not the arrival," is true in Lottery tickets. Every time a number reveals itself one can hardly wait to continue to the next number!

The good thing is that the money is used to purchase the card will go to maintain Colorado parks, trails and open spaces!

"It's like playing the lottery.

It doesn't matter how extremely

low the chances are of winning. 

you gotta be in it to win it!"

Oliver Markus

A Mexican Christmas Dinner

On Thursday, December 19, 2019, a group of women known as "The Chicks," got together at a friend's home for our annual Christmas celebration.  The table was set with homemade napkins and white candled ceramic chickens with wreaths around their necks.

The evening began with cocktails of Gin and Tonic prepared by the master bartender. When we sat down for dinner we enjoyed an enchilada casserole, Spanish rice and tamales from La Casita. For dessert we had a pink mousse, Christmas sugar cookies and caramel popcorn!

After dinner there was a gift exchange. We had decided that this year there would not be any gifts but no one seemed to listen because I got a yellow duck scrubber (it was supposed to be a chick to go with our name), a calendar with beautiful photography of animals, and an angel pin. I gave them each a snowman or a santa face that played jingle bells.

One of the group was in Hawaii and missed our Christmas dinner though two cute animals, Myra and Ester, joined in the fun ! (Names have probably been misspelled but phonetically they are correct!)

The older I get, the importance of friends is something I seem to need. This group of six gals is lots of fun and our conversations are always interesting! Trying to take pictures is hilarious, especially when it is a self-timed photo!

Thank you my friends for a great evening. I love my angel, calendar, and my duck scrubber and thank you so much for your friendship. I wish a Merry Christmas to my friends, the chicks! 

"Christmas is doing something,

a little something extra

for someone."

Charles M. Schulz

Surrounded By Donkeys

Today the homily at mass began by the question, "How many of you have heard of Nestor?" Of course no one knew and we all laughed when the priest said, "He was the donkey that carried Mary and Joseph."  The gist of the homily was how we neglect to notice signs from God because we do not look at the poorest, older, shabbiest, or saddest persons as being a sign from God. His comparison of helping those that need our help could be donkeys and a sign from God or we are donkeys extending a helping hand.

I remembered belonging to the Sodality of Our Blessed Mother at Regis College and volunteering at an orphanage on 32nd Avenue. When we entered the room filled with white cribs, I picked out the babies that were healthy looking, seemed happy, smiled, and looked at me with bright eyes. The babies who were skinny, unhealthy looking and never smiled, I ignored. Years later I realized that those dark, poor babies needed my love and attention much more than the rosy colored ones. I have never forgotten how unfair I had been and if I ever volunteer again I would go the babies that looked neglected. Those neglected babies were probably donkeys trying to get me closer to God.

This morning as I arrived at church I met two friends and their cheerful hellos and Merry Christmas wishes filled my heart with joy. After hearing the homily I realized my two friends were donkeys.  When a woman on our Board came over and sat with me she gave me a good feeling and was a donkey filling me with happiness.  The husband and wife who sat next to me gave me a warm hug and I couldn't help but think how lucky I was to be greeted by two lovely donkeys! Every hug I got after mass made me understand what the homily was all about. Sometimes, those actions of kindness or expressions of love come from donkeys and least expected, giving us a surprise. We can see the goodness of God through the donkeys!

The homily by the wonderful speaker inspired us all to seek out those that may need our help. It could be a hug, smile, a few kind words or a gentle gesture that not only gives the receiver a good feeling but the giver also gets a happy feeling. This is a good thing to remember during the Christmas season and probably for the rest of our daily lives. I believe that for the first time, everyone left the church happy to be called donkeys!

I went to the Internet and found out the story of Nestor. A poor little donkey with long ears who was ridiculed by other animals. A 1977 animated television show came out about the neglected donkey. It appears that the idea came from a Gene Autry song.  The little donkey is made fun of, loses his mother, roams around, is sad until St. Joseph acquires the donkey. Nestor then carries the pregnant Blessed Mother to Bethlehem. There is quite a bit more to the story but I am just giving the highlights of the life of Nestor!

"Nestor guides Mary and Joseph

through the storm, wrapping Mary 

in his long ears, and soon arrives in 

Bethlehem. They find a stable where

Mary subsequently gives birth to Jesus. 

Nestor finds his way back home 

where he is  considered a hero."

From the story of 

Nestor, the long-eared

Christmas Donkey.

A Weird Place To Lose Weight

It seems that since I was a teenager, I have struggled with trying to lose weight. When I was younger, in my twenties and thirties, I could shed weight fast and get into a size smaller than I usually wore by just fasting. After the fifties it became more difficult for the weight to decrease, so I would register at Weight Watchers and I was able to lose some weight. My own attempts would also work. Once I lost eighteen pounds by just the thought that everything I put into my mouth would turn to s--t.  Or I would put a rubber band around my wrist and when I wanted to eat something I shouldn't, I would snap the rubber band. The pain was supposed to keep me from eating.

Swimming I noticed that without lowering my intake of food, I could lose those stubborn pounds! When the water in the pool felt too cold for me I decided to walk but the fat was more stubborn than me! In my seventies I noticed that my middle was growing faster than any other part of my body. I counted calories, tried to eat healthier, but nothing seemed to help.

I began to feel like Tweedledee and Tweedledeedum and no matter what I did the stomach area seemed to have a mind of its own and continued expanding! In 2016 I began weighing myself daily
and noticed that I was fluctuating between four or five pounds. In 2019 my weight had dropped but I still looked the same. I could not figure it out because I was not doing anything different other than breaking an ankle and not eating as I normally would.

My last look at the scale I was almost twenty pounds lighter than the number in 2016. My clothes fit the same, though sometimes my middle felt snug in some of my sweaters and especially my jeans. When I purchased a new pair of shoes, I noticed that my heel seemed to slip. I have worn the Ecco brand for over fifteen years and the shoe is comfortable and fits perfectly. I thought there was a defect in the new shoes and was about to return them and noticed that some of my older and faithful shoes were also slipping.

The conclusion to this blog is that I have lost weight in my heel. Yes, just one heel! I guess I should be happy that some weight loss has happened, yet it seems to be in in a very odd place!

"Time wounds all heels!"

Groucho Marx

A Tamale Run

Every year on December 22 I drive to the New La Casita to purchase tamales for our December 24 Christmas Eve Dinner. Waiting in line for over an hour does not seem like a long time because everyone in line is in a festive and chatty mood. Some times you see the same people and catch up on their news.This year I decided to go earlier than usual and drove to North Denver on December 18.

It seems to me that traffic has doubled on the main roads, that the neighborhood streets have gotten narrower, that more cars are parked on the streets, garbage containers take up places where I might have parked in the past and lots of construction going on. I had the feeling I needed more eyes to watch out for parking spaces or to check the oncoming traffic. As I turned into a street, I did not see the construction road barrier in the middle of the intersection. I felt it before I saw it as I gently banged into it. I say gently because I barely touched it, yet felt the light bump. The barrier swung away from me and I was more embarrassed and I hoped no one had seen me. I backed up and drove as fast as I could to get away from the area and wondered if I should have tried to move the barrier back to how it was before I hit it! The thought disappeared and I did not return to the scene of the "crime."

Finally, after a few circles around the blocks, I found a parking spot about half a block away and walked to the restaurant. There were still no parking spots around the restaurant. There were about six people waiting and I was in and out in about twenty minutes. I noticed an addition of a large outdoor eating area had been added to the restaurant but today, no one was sitting outside.

Driving home I could see many new establishments with clean and new fronts but also some places that still look old and run down. North Denver has become a hosh-posh of new and old!

The tamale run has become a tradition in my family and even with all the trauma of driving to La Casita, at 3561 Tejon, I think their tamales are my favorites!

The more you weigh,
the harder you are to kidnap.
Stay safe, eat tamales!
From the Internet

December Twelve Celebration

Every year I try to stay up until midnight to watch Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration on her feast day. The sad thing is that many years I fall asleep and miss the musical greetings sung to Her by famous artists. This year I turned on my television at five-thirty in the morning and was able to see what was going on in Mexico, Los Angeles and Dallas, though I know other states and countries also join in the festivities like Guatemala and El Salvador. I had to flip around to find a station that carried the celebration and found KDEN showing Our Lady of Guadalupe being honored.

The program is called Un Dia Nuevo (A New Day) and the festivities were interrupted by commercials of Tylenol, Walmart, Budweiser Beer, Amazon and Eggo Waffles but I patiently waited for Our Lady of Guadalupe to return to the screen! The masses of people at the Basilica shuffled slowly to enter and pass underneath the Tilma with Our Lady looking down at them. I have been at Our Lady's shrine twice and remember being body to body waiting to get on the moving walk-way that moves past the original Tilma. The love for the Blessed Mother by so many people is gratifying to see.

Mariachi groups were shown in Dallas, Los Angeles and in Mexico. Each group singing praises to Our Lady. In Los Angeles a parade with Charros on horses, Native dancers in colorful costumes dancing to the beat of drums, floats with large pictures of Our Lady of Guadalupe, people walking and carrying statues or pictures of Our Lady and flowers as far as I could see.

I decided to go to the nine a.m. mass at Spirit of Christ Catholic Community but when I arrived I noticed the parking lot was empty. I found out that mass would be at 5:30 in the evening and am happy to know that there will be a special mass for Our Lady of Guadalupe.

A brief story of Our Lady of Guadalupe: A poor native named Juan Diego walks to town, on his way he encounters the Blessed Virgin, she requests a church be built, no one believes him, after meeting him a few times she asks him to gather roses and take them to the Bishop, though it is not the time of year when roses bloom. He gathers the roses and places them in his Tilma (poncho), and when he opens his Tilma the roses fall out and Her picture is engraved on the Tilma! Then he is believed. Many miracles are attributed to Her and she is named as the Patron Saint of the Americas. She is portrayed by different artists yet she is always recognizable as Our Lady of Guadalupe.

"Dear Lady of Guadalupe,

known as our heavenly mother,

be my constant companion."

This evening I attended mass in the chapel at Spirit of Christ Catholic Community with about sixty-five persons. The courtyard was sparkling with the blue lights and the candelarias or as some persons call them farolitos. (Paper bags grounded with sand and a lit candle. As we walked into the chapel we were handed roses and before the mass began we took our roses to the altar and placed them in vases in front of Our Lady of Guadalupe's picture.  Mass had many hymns to the Blessed Mother and the priest told the story of Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe. After mass we were invited to the patio where we were served hot chocolate or coffee and we stood around a fire and chatted with other faithful followers of Our Lady. I could picture Our Lady of Guadalupe smiling down at us as we remembered her feast day

Viva Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe

Patroness of the Americas

Fideos

In Whittier, California there is a place that specializes in Fideos. This is the name of the Hispanic pasta that is fried with onion before adding tomato. When I heard we were going to drive for over half an hour to eat Fideos, I had a bit of a scoffing attitude. What could they possibly do to a pan of Fideos?

Once before we had taken the long drive on a Monday and the restaurant was closed on Mondays. My family really wanted me to eat at the Colonia Publica so on a Tuesday we took the drive to Whittier. Entering the restaurant surprised me at the small restaurant. A long hall like area with about ten tables against one wall. On the wall were huge charcoal like paintings of faces. A tiny bar with about four seats and another small area with tables and chairs for people to wait.

When we sat down at one of the tables, the experienced eaters got a small tablet and a pencil and explained to me I could put what ever I wanted in my Fideos. There were many choices to check and I would describe the meal as an Hispanic PHO. Fideos on the bottom of a delicious clear soup and some of the items we could add were chicken, corn, cilantro chutney, queso fresco, avocado, choice of cheese, chicken, jalapeno plus other items. We check our choices on the prepared menu and the waitress picks up the slips and in a few minutes the bowl is delivered to the table. It was soupy, different and very tasty!

People were coming in, people were waiting and the tables stayed occupied and that made me realize that it is a well known and popular place to eat.

In Spanish, Fideo means noodle.

Internet

A Fun Lamp

In the 60's I remember how popular Lava Lamps were and many of my friends had them. While I was in California visiting my family this year, my granddaughter came home with a small lamp. What fun watching the glob of red float slowly up the lamp and form different shapes as it dropped down again. We spent quite a few minutes, or longer, watching the lamp and its unusual blobs moving up and down the glass tube.

Curiosity made me go the Internet to find out more about the Lava Lamp. It was invented in 1963 by an English man named Edward Craven Walker. The lamp was popular from 1963 until some time in the 1980's when it lost its popularity. The original name for the lamp was Astro Glow or Lava Lite 

and the most expensive light was mentioned that it sold for $15,000.  A 4' lamp holds 10 gallons of lava formula so who knows the size of the $15,000 lamp! Lamps are now made in China can now be purchased in Novelty stores or through Internet companies with the price ranging from $12 - $40.

The only quote I found about a lava lamp:

 "Boys are like Lava lamps, 

fun to look at but not all

that bright!"

Internet Quote

Train Rider Beware

For the first time I took the G Line train to Denver Union Station and made an easy transfer to the A Line that would take me to the airport. After spending Thanksgiving with my family in California my return trip was also planned to be by train where I would hop on the G Line to Arvada from Union Station. Well, the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.

The flight from California to Denver was uneventful though a little bumpy. We arrived to DIA a half hour early but the doors of the plane to let us off would not open. We waited for about half an hour and then I rushed to the RTD travel center below the Westin Hotel. The escalator was not working so many made their way to the elevator. The workers tried to keep the area clean of freshly fallen snow but it was slippery in spots.

I purchased the $5.25 ticket and waited for twenty-eight minutes for the train to arrive. Luckily, there were seats indoors to wait and to keep travelers out of the biting wind. I had time so I took the elevator up to the area where Christmas decorations had been placed to take a picture.

The A Line train arrived and we were on our way to Denver Union Station.
When we arrived I hurried and rushed to catch the G Line on Track 7. The going was rough because of the freezing spots of water and newly fallen snow. One of my biggest fears is falling so I took tiny steps and prayed that I would not fall. Waiting on Track 7, I was the only one at the deserted, waiting area. The whole area was silent I felt as if I was the only one alive in the whole world! Finally, a train clanked up but the Out Of Service made me wonder if it would return to Arvada.  At twelve-fifteen I called RTD and a message came up:
Train Out of Service. next train will begin running at four-thirty in the morning.

I had no choice but to slowly make my way to Union Station and enter the large, warm waiting area. A few people sat waiting for their train, some wandered around and some were sleeping in the seats. I called to see if I could get a taxi but all I got was a busy tone. At the Crawford Hotel, where I was directed by a security person, the desk clerk called a cab and told me to wait. I thought I might just stay at the station until the G Line would arrive later that morning and maybe nap in the upholstered seats. Yet, I wanted to get home and decided to wait for the cab. By two-fifty five I decided to call the cab company myself and this time a dispatcher answered and said he would send someone to pick me up. It arrived in about twenty minutes.

 When the driver got me to Old Town Arvada the meter was at $32.50. I told him I had $28 and he said that would be all right but then I found four quarters so he ended up with $29. I got in my car, drove home and I was very happy to be home! The only warning I have for train riders is to make sure you know when the last train leaves Union Station!

"Know how to travel

from your town to a

nearby town without

 car, either by bus or rail."

Marilyn vos Savant

A Friend From My Past

What a shock and surprise to hear from a friend letting me know that Irma, another friend, had passed away. Since I have been gone from that place of employment for almost twenty years I had lost track of many of my past fellow employees. I believe what surprised me was the picture sent along with the message.

I recall the lunch date in 2009 when the picture was taken. I was meeting a friend for lunch, and Irma joined us.  That was also the last time I saw her. I like the picture because it is probably the only photo I have of her and I am thankful that it was sent to me.

The memories I have of her are how we would see each other almost every day at work and I do remember she was a sweet, kind and dedicated co-worker. Her celebration of life will take place on November 21, 2019, at three in the afternoon but I will not be able to attend. Yet, she will be in my thoughts.

Rest in Peace, Irma.

"The company of many

doesn't erase the loss

of one.

Picturequotes.com

Makes Me Wonder

I know I have many memories scattered throughout my brain and stuck in the creases of the all knowing wrinkled mass in my head! Yet, sometimes I wonder where memories disappear and are gone forever. The other evening I decided to watch the movie, Dr. Zhivago. I believe I have seen it twice, once at a theater and once on video.

What I remember of the movie was the home covered in snow, frozen window panes, the sleigh ride the snow covered landscape and handsome Omar Shariff. I knew it was a love story plus I love the theme song of Laura.  What a shock when I began watching the movie and had no clue as to what was going on. It was as if I never watched the movie. I did not remember that Dr. Zhivago was a physician, that Geraldine Chaplain was the actress he married, the horrible wars, the cruelty, the affairs, the horrific train ride, that Julie Christie who played the part of Anna married the leader of the red power or the ending of the movie. In fact, most of the movie had disappeared from my brain.

The whole movie made be wonder if this is what happens to people with dementia or Alzheimer's. Does part of their life just disappear and they can never recall it again? It is a scary part of losing one's memory and I found myself wondering how I could have forgotten 85% of the movie. Hopefully, five or ten years from now if I decide to watch the movie again, I will remember the story line, but who knows?

It made me wonder what else has been erased from my memory and if something has been erased I hope it is a movie or some non-important memory. What I have been told or read about memory loss, and the one thing that gives me hope, is as long as I can function normally doing my every day things, I should not worry.

Nothing lasts forever.

There isn't any memory,

no matter how intense,

that doesn't fade out at last.

Juan Rulfo

Music Mission With John Angotti

This mission meant more to me than others I have attended. One reason is that the speaker is not a priest and he is easier to identify with when he speaks of his family. Been there, done that, runs through my head as he explains his relationship with his children.

He began the session with a hymn to Mary and some of the phrases I remember were: Let us pray, Hail Mary Full of Grace, and Holy Mary, Mother of God. His voice is easy to listen to and I loved when he said that the congregation is the choir at mass and not the singers around the piano. The song Make Me a Channel of Your Peace, brought a lump to my throat. He had us all sing  the St. Francis Prayer and as I listened to the many voices, it sounded like a choir of angels. Amazing how a group of people can sound so beautiful and I would take a guess that not many are musically trained!

"If you are not looking for something, it is hard to see," he said as he put a video on for us to watch.
A bunch of young people seemed to be playing basket ball and I watched them move around on the floor. After the video ended, he asked, "How many saw the bear walk across the screen?" I had not seen the bear and I don't think anyone else saw the bear either. When he slowed the film, sure enough, a bear strolled across the screen!

Speaking on "mean" parents he said that sometimes we have to be a parent and not a friend and discipline our children. Tough love is important to let the children know you are trying to help them. A parent's most important job is getting their children to heaven.  I am not sure I was a good parent because my thought was to make them get through school. Sometimes I sluffed off on being a good parent because my priorities were not getting my children to heaven! How could I direct my children in the right direction when I was not even sure that there was a heaven!

I liked when he said that we are made in God's spiritual image and not in his physical image. That made sense to me. By using the notes on the piano, he explained how we think we are one note but in reality we are another note. Made me think of how in my imagination I pictured myself as a great mother, my home filled with my children's friends, baking cookies, etc. Reality was I worked every day, did not trust some of their friends so I did not want them in my house when I was not around, and my hands were full with fixing dinner for them and no times for cookies!  The speaker mentioned that each person comes from God and their note is important because all notes are important in music and life! The talk on labeling people hit home for me. I know that in order to improve who I am, I must be more accepting and stop labeling persons by how they look!

A skit with five persons showed us how we do things by ritual. We need to know why we do something and we need to know what is done at mass and why. If we do not understand the rituals we miss what mass is all about. The majority of people attending mass follow the tradition of what was learned as a child. I realize now how important the classes that are offered are to make us understand why and how things are done during mass.  He mentioned that using the word trust instead of believe would  help us see our prayers more clearly. Another point was how important it is to forgive past hurts so that we can move forward. He had us all get our cell phones out and text some one and tell them we forgave them and loved them. I can just imagine what the person on the other end of the call was thinking to get such a text!

From the book Sacred Fire he read ten ideas to help us through life and mentioned that the holiest person we know is the most grateful. Forgiving and thanking are important prayers in our lives.

"I have found that

people relate both

to music and testimony."

John Angotti

On Saturday, November 16, 2019, the five o'clock mass was filled with people and music. It was the culmination of the mission and a concert by John Angotti and Myles Ogea, (Spirit of Christ Catholic Community Music Director), was to take place after the mass. What a performance by the uplifting music featuring voices, piano, sax, base, and drums. The music was happy and powerful as Billy Joel and Elton John hits were magnificently performed! There were over one hundred and fifty parishioners clapping and singing along with the exciting music. Myles transformed into an Italian crooner and I could picture him singing in a romantic nightclub.

Some of the songs were: Bennie and the Jets and Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, (Elton John), A Bottle of Red and A Bottle of White, Ride Sally Ride, Sweet Valentine and Route 66 (Myles), Piano Man, (Billy Joel) and Country Road were also on the program along with some songs I did not recognize.

John Angotti sang hymns that he had used during the mission which included Mary's House, Make Me A Channel of Your Peace and while we all held hands the words to Hold On and Somebody to Lean On were quite touching and moving.

The end of the mission, I am sure, was filled with more love than at the beginning because of the way John Angotti worked comedy, videos, and talks into his presentations.

The Spirit of Christ

is the spirit of missions.

The nearer we go to Him, 

the more intensely

missionary we become.

Henry Martyn

Missions Then and Now

For one whole week my parents would take us to the parish mission. The mission was about religion and to the kids it was boring. I remember falling asleep as I leaned up against my mother. It seems that those missions were given about twice a year. After the conclusion of the six day long mission, everyone went to confession.Yet, as I grew up I did not hear about missions being presented in the different parishes. I don't know if they were happening and I just did not pay attention or if they disappeared from being practiced in the churches.

At Spirit of Christ I have attended two Missions and found them interesting and much shorter than in the past. This morning I was impressed by the presenter; degrees in business, theology and music. John Angotti's Music Mission is music, jokes, and talks.  I must have been in the right frame of mind because he touched my brain and my heart as he explained love and forgiveness.

The mission began with everyone singing, All Are Welcome a beautiful hymn.  When he mentioned that what we all need or want is to be loved, I agreed, because that is a true statement. I guess we know the fact but never verbalize it but when the idea was spoken, it made it clear how important feeling loved is needed to feel good. The statistic that for every person that enters the Catholic faith there are six that leave the church surprised me. When he asked how many parents have children who do not go to church almost everyone raised their hand. My children do not go to mass every Sunday though they are honest, kind, loving, generous and willing to help those in need. As far as I can see, they are good followers of Christ. They just don't attend mass. I cannot be too upset with them for not following my tradition passed on by my parents and their parents.

I find myself attending mass and religious retreats to strengthen my faith so when the speaker said, "We do not come to church to get faith because we already have it and there is no one that can give you faith."  People attend missions because they already have faith.  That is why we attend mass and try to do what is right by following Christ's teachings, because we have faith.

"Alleluia," He said, "is the wrapping paper around the gospel and we get a hug from God at Communion." I liked those images.

The mission ended with a song of Mary and though I cannot remember all of the words some did stick in my brain; All are welcome in Mary's house, come all ye broken, to Mary's house, in our suffering and pain you are welcome at Mary's house. Help me, Mother of God.  The Hail Mary followed and as we held hands and sang Hold On we turned to our neighbors and told them we loved them. I find if difficult to tell anyone who is not my family that I love them, but today, I looked in their eyes and felt a love for those around me and told them I loved them. Their response was the same and I hope they felt as good as I did with those three simple words.

The thought I have is wondering if my parents felt more complete and had more understanding of life and love after the missions they attended and if they felt as good as I felt today.

Tomorrow is another day of the mission and I am looking forward to attending to see what more I will grasp in my mind and heart!

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"Where there is love

there is life!"

Mahatma Gandhi