Lift your voice in Prayer: Love as Active

We are called to prayer. We are called to love.

So many times we are asked to raise or join our voices in prayer. How?

True, the great expressions of faith in our liturgies, songs and devotions are examples of this. But the core, the Eucharist is an act of love. The core of the liturgy and the core of Christian life is love.

The beatitudes:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, 4 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me.

Can they be given a core? Yes. Blessed are those who love. Who love God. Who love others. Blessed is love.

But love, far from passive is active. Far from calm, is a burning desire. It is love that led our Lord to come to us. Love that led Him to die for us. Love that leads our brothers and sisters to stand firm in the face of persecution.

And it is love that should cause us to lift our voice in opposition to persecution. To lift your voice in prayer is to lift it in love. It is to Pray. To write. To speak. To stand against harm to others.

Life itself is a prayer because it is alive with love. Guided by love. May the silent prayers in our hearts be joined to the active expression of the love of Christ toward others.

Love puts us in the heart and life of another through the One Body in Christ.

We are not only people sitting at a computer reading this.

We are a girl in Egypt preparing for her wedding who is kidnapped and taken away.

We are a husband waiting for the one you love, as the bridegroom waits in the Song of Songs.

We are a family who has a moment of joy turned to sorrow.

We are again at the computer, but can We go back to it unchanged? Love transforms us. It awakens our hearts. May the life in Christ move us to prayer and action.

For Mona Yacoub
For Marianna Rezk Shafik Attallah
For Tereza Ghattas Kamal
For Lydia Atef Atta
For Ingy Nagy Edwar

For all who suffer as they do.

We work in a good job, but We are also a Copt who can not get a good job because the ID badge names you a Christian.

We are in Church free from fear, but We are also a Copt who knows that you could get stabbed or shot leaving the service on Good Friday or any day.

We might attend a church at a building that has stood for 200 years, but We are also a Copt who must watch as a monastery that has stood for 1,400 years is demolished.

We donate for church repair, but We are also a Copt who sees their place of worship fall apart and get killed for trying to repair it.

We celebrate the Eucharist, the most holy event we share. But We are also a Copt who, as on September 19, 2003, watches as security throws the consecrated Host to the ground and steps on it.

We see children playing but you are also a handicapped Coptic child who sees the center devoted to helping them attacked, as in November of 2003 and again in 2004 and again in 2005.

We are all of these things and more (link)

We are and must see ourselves as one. Tell one person today what our brothers and sisters suffer. Tell another tomorrow. Do what you can.

Let our prayer be an active love that seeks to fill those who hunger and thirst for justice. And let us do it with the love of Christ, not with hate. Because love is the active force of a better world.

As St. Theresa of Avila wrote:

Christ has no body now but yours
No hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes through which He looks
compassion on this world
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

We are all one in the Body of Christ.
What love is too great for that heart to feel?
What good is too great for those hands to accomplish?

To write Congress and our politicians:

(link) House of Representatives
(link) Congress.org
(link) E mail and Fax numbers for Congress and state Governors

To write Catholic Bishops:

[(link) catholic-hierarchy.org] With your bishop will be a link to your diocese web page or other contact info. You can use the search bar to look anywhere in the world.

To help the suffering children in any way you can. Coptic Orphans (link).

If anyone has any other ways or events in support of our brother and sisters always feel free to email them to me and I will get them up here as fast as possible.

Being a Saint and The Music that God writes

What is a saint? What does it mean to be a saint? You'll get alot of opinions on those questions.

Fulton Sheen once said that there are two images for people: What God wants us to be and what we are. He has the musical score and then there is how we play that music. I've always liked that, and always thought that it was a good analogy.

In a piece of music, everyone has a special part. Without that part, the score is not right. Music takes practice to get right. It is a rare person who picks up an instrument or piece of music and plays it just right.

So were saints the ones who just could play it right from the start? No. I would think not. St. Augustine proved that. Saints practiced. But above all, saints struggled to see the music.

The score that God has written for each of us can be hard to see. It can be hard to understand. And it, like all great music, is hard to play.

Saints strive to see the music the great composer has written. They silence the worldly hearts inside of them and look for the divine music that is their particular theme in the greatest symphony ever written.

In this silence and struggle we can hear the voice in the whisper that teaches us the music. This inward journey is guided by Scripture, tradition, the example of Christ, the example of Mary, Joseph and all the saints. It is guided by our love for God and each other.

Following the examples of the saints helps us know what our part is in the score. When you hear one part of a symphony it helps you figure out the rest: especially if you've heard the main part of it before, if you know the theme, you can play the piece a little..you can practice if you know the basics. And we have heard it:

The soft introduction of Mary saying "Be it done to me according to your word."
The early anticipating music of Bethlehem.
The hectic fury of the flight into Egypt.
The wedding music at Cana.
The grand movement of a ministery filled with miracles.
The deep sound of the suffering of Gethsemane.
The contradiction of music in the courage of the accused who loves those who hate Him.
The dirge of a suffering mother.
The mournful building action of the crucifixion.
The Glourious crescendo of the Resurrection.

We have heard it.

What is it to be a saint?

It is to play the love song that God has written for His children.
It is to play our part in that song as our love song to God.
To be a saint is to play the music written by the hand of God.

My own experience with the virtues of St. Joseph

Then the LORD said, "Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will be passing by." A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD--but the LORD was not in the wind.

After the wind there was an earthquake--but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was fire--but the LORD was not in the fire.

After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, "Elijah, why are you here?"
1 Kings 19:11-13

All my life I wanted to be a priest. It really was all I had ever intended to do. I even enrolled in the seminary. For me the priesthood was in the whirlwind. It was the earthquake and the fire. But it was not the voice of God in the whispering wind.

What on earth does the above have to do with St. Joseph? It has to do with his virtues...in particular Fidelity to Grace and Interior Life. In God's mercy and wisdom my prayers were never, "make me a priest." My prayers were, "Tell me where to go." I, of course being human and very smart, knew that meant the priesthood. God, of course being much smarter, knew otherwise.

But how do you tell a human what you know? It is a problem we face with each other all the time.

God did it by a whisper. An insistent whisper; A continual whisper that was always in the fire and the earthquake; A whisper that St. Joseph helped me to hear. He helped me be faithful to Grace by leading me to an interior life focused on God.

Following these two virtues led me to many years of saying to myself, "ok...not a priest. Do not do the seminary. Go to Penn state."

ok..Penn State is done. Family things have happened that I am glad I was here for those. I've dated, I've lived. There is still the earthquake. Still the fire. Still...Still the whisper.

Now, I'm not being kind saintly Mr. great guy during all of this. There are times when I want to say, "Shut up...tell me clearly or leave me alone." And there are times when I do what I know I should not. But God gets you back on track and does not let one or two wrong turns derail His plan.

So maybe God wanted me to experience life so I would be a better priest. Still, not it.

I'm in the right place at the right time to give aid during family illnesses and deaths. And there where some friends need me, where I would not have been. God lets me see this to comfort me in my weakness. And St. Joseph helps me be faithful to God's plan and focus on God.

So I call to set up the phone in a new apartment. The lady asks, "do you want an unlisted number?" I want to say yes, but something makes me say no.

Later a friend from college calls. He found my number. He wants me to come to an Amway meeting. I don't like Amway. But I think, ok...why not. He does his pitch and I listen. His girlfriend knows someone that she goes to school with and after a few weeks of hanging out, I meet her. I've dated alot at this point. I've met alot of people in the 7 years since high school.

I see her and the earthquake stops. The fire and the whirlwind stop. And in my heart there is only the whisper, but now it is not whispering...it is a clear voice (Everyone, I'm not actually hearing voices...just want to say that :)).

Four years or so later that girl and I are married. Six years later, we've been married for two years. I could never have navigated the hundreds of twists and turns to get to her. God could have said, "Hey Dave...get to this point and be this person." I would have messed that up big-time if I had known where to end up.

I would not have known where to start. So many decisions made that sent me down one road or another. Things that happened that made me a different person than what I thought I'd be. But turns I didn't understand and sufferings I had cursed, put me in a place and a time as a man who was the person needed for this marriage.

A resounding affirmation: I am not the potter, I am the potter's clay.

And what did God make of the clay that thought he knew his form. He made just what the Catholic Church needs, a member of the lay faithful educated in the details of his faith.

People ask me, "If Catholic priests could marry, would you become a priest?" At this point, I'd say no. I know what a priest needs to do. I know what a married man needs to do. I am not a person who can do them both: Not to the level I believe God wants me to.

All I know is: Thank you St. Joseph for helping me to find the will of God by imitating your virtues. And thank you Mom for giving me a St. Joseph's day card when I was five.
(link).

The Agony in the Garden and True Submission to God

May God bless the most holy rosary; it leads me daily to greater love for Christ.

I was praying with the Mystery of the Agony in the Garden. This mystery has always led me deeper in my love for Christ. It is at once a human and divine moment; and in a way our Lords' most human moment.

He is suffering deep within His soul. He knows what His Father wills, but does not wish it. In a real way there is a moment of fear, a struggle with the acceptance of His Fathers' will. A great pain and an inward battle make the savior of the world to sweat blood.

He will miss his friends, His family and life itself. He knows that there will be a Resurrection. And still, the suffering that is to come is unwanted. He asks for the cup to pass from Him. But in the end He says, with all sincerity and love, "Not my will, but yours be done." It is true submission to the will of God. It is a moment where we are shown how to deal with our own suffering as a human being.

It is a lesson that in these last few weeks is very relevant to the world.


'Islam means “Peace” and "submission". It comes from the term 'aslama, which means "to surrender, resign oneself." In Islam, the fundamental duty of each member is to submit to Allah (Arabic for "the God") and whatever Allah wants of them. A person who follows Islam is called a Muslim, and this means "one who surrenders to God."

But what I've seen is people taking upon themselves Gods' tasks. It is not the given to mankind to kill for God. It is not given to humanity to smite nations in Gods' name. God does that, He has done that Himself and does not call upon us to do it. If we raise our hands it should be in the defense of the oppressed.

This does not mean we do not defend the weak. We are not idle bystanders in the story of salvation. Social Justice is a concern for us all. To uplift the weak and the suffering is the duty of all people. We are called to defend the name of God in peace. We are called to raise our hands in the defense of our brothers and sisters. If God wishes to punish a nation for blasphemy, He has proven He will.

There are principles for a just war in the Catholic faith:

1. the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;

2. all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;

3. there must be serious prospects of success;

4. the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition" [CCC 2309].

None of them say to fight to protect God. It is all to protect each other.

We are told:

To instruct the ignorant
To counsel the doubtful
To admonish sinners
To bear wrongs patiently
To forgive offences willingly
To comfort the afflicted
To pray for the living and the dead

We are told:

To feed the hungry;
To give drink to the thirsty;
To clothe the naked;
To harbour the harbourless;
To visit the sick;
To visit the imprisoned
To bury the dead.

And whatever we do to the least of our brothers, we do that to Christ.

But fundamentalist Islam does not submit to God, they try to usurp the authority of God. To defend God, we defend each other. To offend God, we kill each other. They oppress others and claim the rights and duties of the creator.

To submit to God we submit to the service and defense of each other. We submit to our suffering in the certainty that God has a plan and all things are part of it. We accept that even as we suffer, God will turn it to good.


When I was 10 my mother died. She suffered for a long time with cancer. I can honestly not remember a time when she was not sick. I asked her once why God would do this. She told me that her faith in God was not shaken by the suffering. God did not send suffering, but He turned it to good. And that if she had to suffer so that another person, who would lose faith would not, she accepted that.

That is submission to God.

Mother Theresa said:

Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love than in your own weakness.

To kill in the name of God while oppressing others is to believe in your own weakness. It is an effort to earn salvation through the blood of others rather than through the Love of God. It is submission to fear.

The Holy Spirit

It is kind of funny. A few years ago my wife's sister was given the sacrament of Confirmation. For Roman Catholics this is when we affirm our baptism and are anointed with holy oil. It is the adult acceptance of being part of the community and your duties as a Catholic. Most of all, it is where we receive the Holy Spirit.

We believe that at confirmation the Holy Spirit gives us the strength to live Christian lives. In the Eastern Churches I believe that this is done right after baptism.

When I was younger it was done around the age of 9. Now it is done at about 13-15. I am happy I was confirmed at age 9, since my mother died when I was 10 and it meant so much to her to be there.

But as my wife's sister was being confirmed, I found myself wishing that I understood my faith then as I do now. At least better than I did at nine years old, maybe confirmation at 14 or 15 would have been better. I wished that I could be confirmed again now so I could appreciate it better.

Yesterday I was looking at a catalogue I got in the mail. It had some confirmation gifts and first communion gifts. I put it in my book bag (working at a college, I carry a book bag to work), since one of my co-workers has a son who will be receiving first Holy Communion in May.

I though again about the confirmation from a few years ago and I realized (yes, sometimes it takes me years to realize things) that I could be confirmed every day. I just had to say to myself and mean it, "Come Holy Spirit fill my heart, give me strength." I had to work toward living the gifts of the Holy Spirit:

Wisdom
Understanding
Counsel
Fortitude
Knowledge
Piety
Fear of the Lord (This gift has nothing to do with servility or fear of punishment. The gift of fear of the Lord confirms in those who have it the virtue of hope and infuses profound respect for God’s glory and selfless love for God. It protects from sin through dread of offending God. Much like how we fear hurting or offending those we love)

It wouldn't be fully sacramental since I can not perform a sacrament on myself, but it would be the grace of God renewing the sacrament within me. That and the renewal of spiritual strength we get from the Eucharist will keep, and has kept, my confirmation alive in me for a long time.

This works for me, since I prefer to live my faith rather than beat people over the head with it.

Again St. Francis, "Preach the Gospel every day of your life, when necessary use words."