It just occurred to me that Jesus taught His apostles the Lord's Prayer. And that means that they prayed this very same prayer that we pray, until they were martyred. Take it further, St. Augustine prayed it. St. Dominic prayed it. Yes, I know everyone prays it. Even people in Alcoholics Anonymous.
I didn't know people could be so united under Our Father...
The parish is having a "parish council election." Yours truly has been nominated. I'm trying to write a short bio. What do you think?
I may look familiar because I was a lector until COVID. Since I taught religious education for over 20 years, I may have had you in one of my classes. Maybe you participated in the Arise Spiritual Renewal Program, I coordinated for 3 years.
I've been around the parish for 40 years, including being on the parish council 3 times, serving under pastors, Father David Callahan and Father Brian Manning. God willing, I will serve under Father Bob Poitras.
As a Lay Dominican, I answer God's call.
Two birthday parties mentioned in the Bible are one by an Egyptian Pharaoh and Herod. The Pharaoh doesn't have a name but he threw himself a party in Genesis 40: 20-22.
The other birthday party is the one Herod had. He got very drunk and promised his step daughter anything she wanted, because he so appreciated her dancing for him. Unfortunately, she wanted the head of John the Baptist. Matthew 14:6
Here is a birthday party for my husband, when he turned 80.
The Women by Kristin Hannah is a wonderful story about a woman’s experience working as a nurse during the Vietnam War. It’s heart wrenching, and impactful. It brought back memories. The Vietnam War was during my young adult years. My classmates, friends, and their brothers were drafted to fight a war in a country they couldn’t even find on a map. Too many died there. An entire generation was impacted.
The story is about Frances McGrath. She lived a privileged life on Coronado Island, California. She was the California girl, the Beach Boys sang about. She was perpetually tanned, long blonde hair, and a surfer girl. Her family lived within walking distance to the beach. Her father was a conservative who expected his son to be a hero soldier and his daughter to marry and produce grandchildren. Her father’s study, had a “heroes’ wall” where the men in the family served proudly. Her mother was loving and popular at the country club.
When Frances’ brother, Finley, became a navy pilot, Frances conceived the idea of following him. She had just graduated from nursing school. She didn’t tell anyone, she thought she’d surprise everyone; they’d be so proud.
Only they weren’t. They were appalled. Young ladies don’t go to war. What could she do? She was committed. She had joined the Army because they would take her immediately–only two weeks of training. Her parents were angry and barely said goodbye.
Then the family received that dreaded visit from two uniform officers, telling them that Finley’s plane was blown out of the sky. There was nothing left of his body. They were told to put a stranger’s boots in the casket and bury that.
With her grief, and confused emotions in turmoil, Frances arrives in Vietnam. She only had two weeks training, where she learned to roll bandages. Luckily, two veteran nurses, Barb and Ethel take the rookie Frances, under their wings. She was completely unprepared to be a combat nurse. The three women become fast friends,soul mates,and sisters.
Frances starts in a ward where the soldiers were unconscious. But there is where she became acclimated to Vietnam. She eventually becomes a surgical nurse, working with Dr. Jamie Callahan. They become very close, but on his way home, his helicopter is shot down and he is killed.
There are many horrors. One of the worse was the realization of seeing all these teenagers dying, wounded, crippled, blinded, and then reading in the newspaper, “The Stars and Stripes”, that the US was winning the war. Clearly, they weren’t.
The nurses also treated the Vietnam citizens. The description of people suffering from napalm was abhorrent. -
I cried reading about the mother with her infant in her arms, fused together when napalm had been poured down on them.
It was clear that our government was misleading the public. The soldiers in Vietnam couldn’t believe what was happening. It was a stupid war. We shouldn’t have been there, in the first place. Make peace and leave, but Nixon pushed on, even into another country, Cambodia. The world was crazy. The soldiers’ fathers had been proud to serve in WWII and Korea. What happened? Presidents and leaders assassinated, protests, police brutality and war. Misleading the public is too soft a description. The United States government was lying to its people and killing a generation of its own.
There is romance in the story. She falls in love with a navy pilot, Ryeson, but he is also killed just before returning home. BTW, the life expectancy of a helicopter pilot was 30 days.
Frankie finally goes home to a different kind of war. Her friends and neighbors don’t welcome. Her parents are embarrassed by her. She finds a job as a nurse, but has to start by emptying bed pans–she who was a surgical combat nurse! Yes, she had a problem adjusting to this different reality, especially, when Ryeson appears again. Apparently, he didn’t die; he was captured and held in a prison camp. But their reunion wasn’t. I’ll leave it at that.
Eventually, she has a mental breakdown, but with the support of her friends, Barb and Ethel, Frankie puts back her life. She reconciles with her parents, even becomes a nurse again, but more importantly, she moves on.
What is the most frequently used name for Jesus?
Give up?
It is Son of Man. Here are some more names:
Advocate - 1 John 2:1
Alpha and Omega - Rev. 1:8, 22:13
Bridegroom - John 3:29
Chief Shepherd - 1 Peter 5:4
Chosen One - Luke 23:35
Eldest of many brothers - Romans 8:29
The First and the Last - Rev. 1:17, 2:29
First born of all creation - Colossians 1:15
Glory - John 12:41
Greater Covenant - Hebrews 7:22
Head of every man - 1 Cor. 11:3
Hidden Manna - Rev. 2:17
Hope - 1 Tim 1:2
Image of the Unseen God - Col. 1:15
Inexpressible - 2 Cor. 9:15
Israel's Comforting - Luke 2:25
God of Glory - Acts 7:2
King of Kings - Rev. 17:14, 1 Tim. 6:15
Lamb Without Spot or Stain - 1 Peter 1:19
Last Adam - 1 Cor. 15:45
Light of the World - John 8:12
Lion of the Tribe of Juda - Rev. 5:5
Living Bread - John 6:51
Lord of All Men - Acts 10:36
Main Cornerstone - Eph. 2:20
Man - John 19:5
Morning Star - 2 Peter 1:19, Rev. 2:28
Only Son of the Father - John 1:14
Perfect Copy - Hebrews 1:3
Power for Salvation - Luke 1:69
Precious Cornerstone - 1 Peter 2:6
Prince of Life - Acts 3:15
Radiant Light - Hebrews1:3
Righteous Judge - 2 Tim. 6:15
Rising Sun - Luke 1:78
Ruler of All - 1 Tim. 6:15
Second Adam - Romans 5:12-21
Son of the Blessed One - Mark 14:61
Spiritual Rock - 1 Cor 10:4
True Vine - John 15:1
The Way - John 14:6
Word Made Flesh - John 1:14
Time has been flying by me. I'm riding high with all my favorite sports teams winning. However, this cartoon has made me skid to a halt. It's a famous scenario. The Charles Schultz cartoon of Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown. Charlie runs to kick the ball and just at the last moment, Lucy jerks the football away, and Charlie falls on his butt. All. The. Time!
It just so happens that I have a granddaughter named Lucy. People are always comparing the cartoon Lucy to my granddaughter. It's funny. I did copy this picture and gave it to both granddaughters to paste it into their Bibles. I was thinking it would be a good reminder to not trust people, but rather, trust God alone.
Think again. Granddaughters said that you can't trust God because we don't think like God does. Well, duh!
What our reality is, is only what we see. God sees before our reality AND what happens after.
Think of God's promise to Abraham. Abraham was supposed to have so many children that he wouldn't be able to count them. Did he? No--yet he did. Abraham's reality v. God's.
Look at Hebrews 11: 39-40. "Yet, all these, though approved because of their faith, did not receive what had been promised. God had foreseen something better for us, so that without us they should not be made perfect." The heroes of the Old Testament died before seeing Jesus.
That's exactly what the "grands" were referring to. Charlie Brown may never kick that ball, because God has something better for him. How is Charlie to know? The reality is, Charlie is always fooled.
Actually, think again. Why can't Lucy, when in a magnanimous mood, let Charlie kick the ball? It's possible. It's certainly possible. She might. Hence, Charlie keeps trying.
