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© 2008, Frederick S. Schaeffer, SFO
331. Just One Word
What brings someone to convert to
Catholicism, or for that matter, from one religion to another? Some
people suddenly get an inspiration, just one word from God,
when and where they least expect it, at a time when they are quiet
and perhaps thinking or praying. And for others it takes some great
event in their lives, maybe a fire, a snowstorm, a fall, a car
crash, a jubilee, a feast.... something that tells us, I really need
to do this now.
For King Nebuchadnezzar (see Book of
Daniel, Chapter 3 & 4), who fiercely persecuted Christians, it took
a miraculous event of three Christians who were put in a fiery
furnace and an Angel kept them from harm and they walked out
unscathed. They were Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, (see Liturgy
of the Hours, Canticle, Sunday, Morning Prayer - or Daniel
3:57-88,56 NAB only), three young men, who loudly sang God's
praises. When Nebuchadnezzar saw them unhurt, it was enough of
reason for this King to turn to God, to Jesus Christ. A great
Biblical story!
For Saint Paul, the call to conversion
came, as is described in Acts 26:14, "We all fell to the ground
and I heard a voice saying to me in Hebrew, 'Saul, Saul, why are you
persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goad.'" -
that was God calling Saul (he changed his name to Paul after his
conversion)... then, (Acts 26:15-18) "And I said, 'Who are you,
sir?' And the Lord replied, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.
Get up now, and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you for this
purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness of what you have
seen (of me) and what you will be shown. I shall deliver you from
this people and from the Gentiles to whom I send you, to open their
eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of
Satan to God, so that they may obtain forgiveness of sins and an
inheritance among those who have been consecrated by faith in me.'"
These are wonderful examples of
conversion by God's Word. For most of us, a conversion call isn't so
dramatic. I was away from the Sacraments for about 20 years. In
1984, after a very difficult time in New York with an elderly parent
who suffered from dementia, I was able to move to Florida to a
branch office of the company I worked for at the time, and meeting a
colleague who was Catholic, he invited me to help him in this
Catholic Parish to usher and help with the collection. After a few
weeks of this, I went to confession, and I was back. It was as if I
never left. So my call to conversion was God guiding this colleague
to invite me to help him in this work for the Parish.
It just takes One Word of God, one
little inspiration that evokes your curiosity, that stimulates
additional inquiry. Many parishes now have a program that will
gradually bring back a former Catholic, and it is very easy and
painless. And as for people of other faiths, the Catholic church has
another program, called RCIA (Roman Catholic Initiation for Adults),
and a similar program for children. (RCIC). The key to any
conversion, be it to the Catholic Church or any other church is to
talk to someone in charge, a pastor, priest, deacon, etc.
Be open to the Lord, listen to His
Voice in your heart, and obey that call always.
May Our Lord bless you and grant you
His peace!
Fred Schaeffer, SFO
11/3/2008
330. Dealing with Loss
Most people have
trouble dealing with Loss. A spouse has passed away, your best
friend is suddenly gone. When you're young you don't think about
losing someone, in fact, most likely, you think you are invincible.
Recently a High School student was felled by a speeding automobile.
I was amazed at the deep outpouring of fellow students, their
comments and their involvement in condolences, sympathy. They were
grieving. Some people, however, cannot grieve, cannot let go, and
for them dealing with loss is very painful.
When you're 65 or
older, many friends and relatives pass on, and you begin to wonder
if you're going to be next. So we stay as prepared as we can. We
attend Holy Mass more often, and perhaps join a Parish's lady's or
man's group. Such groups keep our minds focused and prayerfully
prepared for the inevitable. We pray for the deceased as He or She
prays for us from Heaven, and the loss is not so great.
If we are enjoying a
strong spiritual life, we need to guard against "losing the
Beloved." Jesus Christ living in us, is the beloved. We communicate
with Him every day, adore his greatness and his love for us, and we
are constantly aware that he is present in our lives. Losing the
beloved leads to great loss and loneliness, but prayer will overcome
this.
St. Elizabeth of
Hungary, patron of Secular Franciscans, said, "I would not want to
redeem his life (speaking of her departed husband), even if it cost
but a single hair, if it were against your will. Now I recommend
myself and him to your grace. May your will for us be done." (Year
2, Lesson 8)
So if you lost a
husband or a wife, or a son or daughter, please commend both the
deceased and the living (e.g. yourself) in prayer to our Lord.
Husband and wife, you remain a team even though he is in heaven.
Give yourself time to
grieve. If this means sitting in some corner and crying, please do
just that. Tears lead to wonderful healing. Our Lord prays with us
as we freely grieve. Then, take control again, and get on with life.
Put on a fresh face, and do something practical, but always return
to prayer. Keeping the mind busy always helps.
10/25/2008
Fred S. Schaeffer, SFO
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