My friend Jesus

This is a great passage to meditate on:

Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. "I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?"
"No," they answered.

He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught."

Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"
He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."

The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"

John 21: 2-19

I found it humorous when Peter decides to go fishing. So often after a deep encounter with Christ, we find ourselves scratching our heads and wondering what to do next—and here Peter is in that situation and he goes back to what he was doing before Christ---sounds familiar to what I have a tendency to do!

I love the image of Christ preparing breakfast for His disciples. When I prayed over this passage, I was struck with the very simple and very human relationship Christ had with the disciples. In my life I have struggled with seeing Christ as my friend. In my experiences I have seen Christ in more of a formal way, in more of a Godly way—which is good, because He was fully God and is deserving of that reverance… but so often I forget He was also fully human. He experienced a great desire to please those whom he loves- just as I do. We see here He was up very early in the morning to meet His disciples. I imagine He was so eager to suprise them and to spend time with those whom He loved… and He feels this very same way about all of us.

He greatly desires to be with us and to spend time with us ~ This makes me happy.

Update

After careful prayer, examination, and some advice from my spiritual guide—I have decided to adjust my Lenten fasts and sacrifices to aim more accurately at my true struggles. I decided to do this more than a week ago, which still does not give me much time to work on my new resolution. But hopefully my efforts will be pleasing to Our Lord.

Finally... some good media attention!!

Hello, I know I said that I wouldn't be on here until after Easter, but I just thought I'd peek in (After all, it is Sunday~ a day of rest!).

Plus, I couldn't help but share some exciting news: The following is an article that was published today in the Bremerton Sun... it is an article about the "40 Days for Life" that my parents are involved in---It's about time the local media awknowledged some work of the pro-life movement. The title is kind of odd, but I think the content is great.

Anti-Abortion Vigil May Spur Giving to Planned Parenthood

Those representing both sides of the abortion debate are divided over the impact of vigil protests as well.

By Andrew Binion, andrew.binion@kitsapsun.com

March 4, 2007

BREMERTON

Amid sporadic honks of support and an occasional middle finger of disagreement, almost two dozen people stood Saturday afternoon off Riddell Road, holding anti-abortion signs.

It was the second week into a 40-day vigil outside of the Planned Parenthood of Western Washington office, slated to run from Feb. 21 through April 7, every day.

Jack McGowan, president of Kitsap Human Life, a hub for religious and non-religious anti-abortion groups and activists, said the demonstrations are meant to coincide with Lent and raise awareness about the reproductive health care provider.

"People don’t know what Planned Parenthood stands for," McGowan said. "They don’t have any parenting classes at Planned Parenthood."

McGowan estimated that 150 people would stand shifts.

"We’re standing for those who can’t stand for themselves," McGowan said.

McGowan compares the group’s work to overturn federal and state laws and court rulings allowing abortion rights to the anti-slavery and civil rights movements. Life is, McGowan said, the most fundamental right. It’s a position, he added, that’s not a matter of personal perspective.

"It’s similar to saying, ‘I don’t believe in slavery, but you can believe in slavery,’" McGowan said.

Nina Mays, a data analyst from Bellevue, heard about the vigil on the Internet and made the trip to Bremerton last weekend as well. She said she will keep coming on Saturdays until the vigil ends.

"When people get an abortion it’s because they feel trapped, not because they are truly choosing it," she said.

Mays took the middle fingers in stride, but the honks of support concerned McGowan.

"Some people in the neighborhood are getting disturbed," he said.

Mendy Droke, a Planned Parenthood field organizer for Kitsap County, said the organization does more to prevent unwanted pregnancies than anti-abortion groups.

And Kristen Glundberg-Prossor, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of Western Washington, said that abortions account for about 2 percent of the patients seen. She said that the organization does cancer screenings, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, hepatitis testing and provides birth control as well.

Droke also noted that fund raising sees an uptick when there are protesters outside their offices, saying that the outrage supporters feel at the sight of picketers makes them open their wallets and checkbooks.

"Every one of the protesters out there will be raising money," Droke said.

Countered McGowan: "If enough people stand vigil, they will run out of contributors."

Fasting During Lent

My mom and dad are involved in organizing something called “The 40 days for life.” This is an activity involving prayer, concern, fasting, outreach, and vigil -- during the 40 days of Lent. This will take place in front of the Planned Parenthood facility in Bremerton, WA, during its hours of operation. This is such a wonderful event for their community. I hope that their event will be a catalyst for other “40 days for life” around Washington State and the whole country.

I spoke with my mom on the phone this morning. She was relating to me the importance of Lent as being a time of preparation for battle—And how often as Christians we go to fight the battle without the proper preparation and training.

I have never really thought about it this way… Upon meditating on her idea further, I thought about how crucial prayer, sacrifice, and fasting are in our Lenten journey (and in preparing for battle). Without these elements, Lent and Easter will likely have little impact on our souls. Jesus gave us different liturgical seasons that repeat year after year as opportunities to get back on track and radically conform our hearts to the will of His Father. When we pray, sacrifice, and fast… we are conforming our will to the will of God the Father. So Lent is kind of like a spiritual boot camp that prepares us to fight the good fight.

In the liberal Catholic Church today, I see many people using Lenten fasting as an opportunity to focus on third world countries around the world. I remember in my High school youth group, we did a 24 hour fast together and learned all about different cultures who were not as privileged as our own.

Please, do not misunderstand… I see the poor and underprivileged as people who need our love, compassion, care, attention, and physical/financial support. But I think that it is very seldom, that we as Catholics are catechized in the true meaning of fasting during Lent.

Because of this view on fasting, many people probably think “I am fasting to align myself with those who are hungry and starving.” Although this can be a good point to consider… I wonder if we fall back on that sentiment too often because that is what makes the most sense in our culture today. Fasting purely for love of God seems like a harder concept to grasp.

When Jesus went into the desert to pray and fast for 40 days—he was preparing for His Crucifixion and ultimate battle with Satan. He was not fasting so he could contemplate all of those who are hungry and have no food. He was fasting to maintain bodily control—so as to resist all temptations presented to Him.

I invite you to fast and sacrifice this Lent with me—for love of God. Let us focus on our spiritual “Drill Sergeant”—for He will train us for His purpose, so that we can successfully fight the good fight on all fronts: respecting all human life from conception to natural death, and leading those lives to heaven.

For this Lent I will be sacrificing the use of my computer, so I will not be able to publish any blogs until after Easter, but I do intend to write during Lent and post them later.

Peace be with all of you this Lent!

The Little Way

Upon the deepening of my convictions in the Catholic faith, reading about the Saints has greatly encouraged me along my faith journey. One such Saint is Therese of Lisieux. Her efforts in prayer led her to the philosophy of "the little way"--the idea that holiness is not determined by heroic acts or great deeds. She writes,

You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love at which we do them.

I have learned much about myself over the years. I often find that my main fault is that I am always looking to the future for happiness and holiness. I remember when I was in community college I worried about where I was going after that. Then after deciding to go to Western Washington University- I worried about deciding on a major. And keep in mind through all of this, I would always worry about my vocation (as I am sure many do). I prayed for all of these worries… but my focus was always on what I should do in the future. Near the end of my college life, I met my boyfriend whom I love dearly. We have been together for almost 2 years now and I truly feel God calling me to the married life, but now this call has just led me to more worries. As I see that marriage is not in my immediate future, I sit here now and worry about what God has planned for me and what I should do when my lease ends in September...

I could go on and on about all of my worries, but that only feeds in to this mindset that I am trying to battle. St. Therese’s “little way” is my weapon in this battle. I find such consolation in the fact that holiness is a daily activity, it is not a thing of the future but of the here and now. It is my desire to embody this sentiment more: I desire to give each moment to Our Lord, trusting that He will take care of me. I do not need to worry.

For my blog, I have chosen the URL wolffia because this is a plant that produces one of the smallest flowers in existence. This is to remind me that I do not need to produce something great for Our Lord to be pleased with me, I just need to do what He wills me. St. Therese once said this prayer:

Jesus, help me to simplify my life by learning what you want me to be- and becoming that person.

I leave you today with words from Christ himself (Think he was speaking directly to me?)

Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Luke 12: 22-34