From The Liaison

How Do You And I Handle Adversity?       [back to top of page]

How do we handle adversity? It seems that each of us handles it differently, depending somewhat upon our own set of strengths and weaknesses, successes and failures, and also upon our own individual place on the path to the perfection we will one day have in heaven. One dictionary defines adversity as a condition of unhappiness, misfortune or distress; an unfavorable or harmful thing or event. The simple answer to the question is “give it to God.” But it is not always easy to do that. Try it sometime when the adversity is a life-changing or life-threatening event.  It is not so easy to simply “give it to God” when in the midst of a situation such as an ugly divorce, a concern for our children or grandchildren whom we cannot control or a loved one who has rejected Christ. It’s not so easy when you suddenly lose a job and wonder how you will support your family, especially at an older age, or when under the influence of a serious illness or terminal disease. Yes, I suspect that perfect people automatically give adverse situations to God without hesitation or difficulty. But I don’t know any perfect people, do you? Is it possible that it’s okay to be imperfect here on earth … knowing that as long as we continue to strive for the perfection we will eventually attain it when we reach heaven?

Rejection and lack of self-worth are major influences in my life. I don’t know when they started to severely affect me, but I have, through inner healing prayer, learned that I was loved by my parents, even as far back as in the womb; rejection wasn’t by them. But I can clearly remember being forced in a corner of the schoolyard nearly every lunch period for a couple of years in grade school and being “beaten on” by one of the bullies in our 6^th grade class. He was among the group of guys who were the athletes, the altar boys, the “pillars” of the class, from the families who were the financial base for the parish … and I wasn’t. That sense of rejection continues to have an adverse effect on me nearly every day. But one interesting thing is that I have never felt rejected by Jesus. Praise God!! I have, from the time I became aware of his presence in my life, always been able to take my sense of rejection to him, knowing that he would take care of things in some way. He is sooooo good! Always! And to top it off, he gave me a wife who has helped me be healed in so many areas, with his unconditional love working through her.

But Satan, the deceiver, also knows and uses my (our) weaknesses, whether they be real or merely perceived. And he will take advantage of every one of those weaknesses to trick us, to distract us, in an effort to draw us away from God. His job is to attempt to distract us! But we have the Holy Spirit on our side, whose job is as Consoler/Paraclete (John 14:26) and Jesus, whose job is to be our advocate before the Father in heaven (John 14:13-14). Their power helps us keep our focus on truth, on the Gospel message of God’s love. Although Satan will keep attempting to distract, discourage and try us, but he will never win the battle when we have a close relationship to the blessed Trinity.

For me, it has become necessary, and normal, to go quickly running to the Lord if the adversity is “severe,” but not so quickly if it is not a real “disaster.” In times like those, sooner or later the Holy Spirit reminds me to pray about situations that are not being easily resolved by other means.

But recently, a traumatic event struck. I immediately ran to his tabernacle. I’ve prayed and  taken it to the altar at every Mass since then. I’ve repeatedly taken it into the chapel in quiet prayer, received prayer for resolve and healing and done most everything I can imagine to keep it from being the severe influence it seems to be having in my life and upon the responsibilities I have. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am loved, a child of the King, special in His eyes. But the feelings of “worthlessness” and sense of rejection and failure haven’t completely gone away yet. It sometimes seems that they are gone but they show up again at the most unexpected times. Now what do I do? What would you do? I’m sure that you have numerous loving suggestions to ‘fix me up,’ but read on.

And what about those times when we simply can not pray at all? Sometimes the distress is so severe that we forget to pray or are unable to pray until the “shock” has passed. Has that ever happened to you? Talk to those who have just learned that they have terminal cancer or a parent who recently lost a child. We find that it is not uncommon for some to be unable to pray in tough times like that. They trust that they are in the Lord’s hands, and in his hands they certainly are. But in those toughest of times, even in times not so tough, they are to be held up in prayer by their loving, prayerful community. Because that’s part of what community is for, they are not left alone.

A friend called early one recent morning to ask for prayer for his wife who was about to have surgery. He was in obvious distress on the phone and hurrying to the hospital, and couldn’t even focus on our phone conversation enough to be able to tell me what kind of (Continued Page 5)

surgery she was having or how serious the outcome may be. He simply knew that she needed prayer and that he could depend upon the prayer group to pray. And we did. It’s my job and yours to pray for our struggling brothers and sisters and to intercede for them whether they can or cannot do it for themselves. And they will pray for us when we are struggling.

We always have the assurance of the complete mercy and love of Jesus and we can simply cast ourselves at the feet of Jesus with the best patience and abandonment to his will that we can muster. Receiving the holy Eucharist, spending time in the adoration chapel, going to confession, the sacrament of the anointing of the sick, these are the best ways I know of casting ourselves at the feet of Jesus.

When we’ve done all we can and taken it to the Lord in sincere prayer, put on the armor of God against the attacks of the enemy, invoked the intercession of Mary and the saints and angels, when we’ve gone through the usual steps of dealing with adversity—denial, anger, bargaining, despair and finally, acceptance—we have to realize that it’s really all up to God.  And in all of this, it is important to remember that Jesus is always on our side. He will intercede to the Father for us and never allow us to encounter adversity that will not provide an opportunity for us to draw nearer to his sacred heart. He is always working with us to help us learn how to respond perfectly, with that perfect love that “casts out all fear.”

Father John Corapi teaches that God loves us beyond our imagination and He will constantly draw us to His perfection. We can fight against Him and make things difficult and painful for ourselves, or we can take the easy way out and submit to Him willingly and with docility. Either way, He will win us over.

On a radio program a few months ago was something that went like this: When trials come, it doesn’t matter how great the pressure. It matters where the pressure lies—whether it comes between my God and me or whether it presses me closer to His heart.

We recently heard a speaker who showed us in the Scriptures that one of the most powerful tools against adversity is the gift of tongues. And why not? Is it not the Holy Spirit within us praying a perfect prayer to the Father through us and on our behalf?

Adverse events hit us all. But “All things turn out for the good of those who love God and are called to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Ultimately, we each must throw ourselves on the mercy of Jesus as soon as possible as we work our way through our struggles.

I pray that the Holy Spirit will quickly remind us to do that, especially during the toughest trials. I pray that each adversity will draw us closer to the heart of Jesus. I pray that we can grow from each adversity and become more “perfect as my Father is perfect.”V

 Blessings,  

                                                                                                      Ron

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Know Your Faith

"Who Do You Say I Am?"     [back to top of page] 

When Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, others again, one of the prophets.” But Jesus asked them again, “But you, who do you say that 1 am?” It was then that Peter replied, “You are the Christ.” (Mark 8:27-29) Once again in our century people are asking who is Jesus? We have books, TV specials, and Hol1ywood-style “religious” movies that are supposedly providing answers to this age-old question. As Roman Catholics we need look no further than the Nicene Creed for the answer. This creed was formulated at a council convened in Nicea in 325 A.D. The articles of faith contained in the creed had always been believed in but in the early part of the 4th century, certain errors were circulating about the divinity of Jesus that made it necessary for the Church to state the articles of faith more explicitly.

“A priest of Alexandria named Arius began to question the Church’s teachings that the Father and Son were one. Arius’ teachings developed into a system we call Arianism. As Arius saw it, if we call Jesus the Son, he must have a beginning, since all sons come from their fathers.” (One Flock, One Shepherd – The teachings of the Catholic Church. Rev. Christopher M. Buckner. Lesson 17) As a result, Arius concluded that Jesus was only a creature and not divine. The Council of Nicea refuted this heresy and stated the Church’s teachings in very clear terms who Jesus is and what he accomplished for us. “Behind the repetition of what must seem like the same terms was the Church’s intention to make the profession of faith in Christ’s divinity unqualifyingly clear, not only in the fourth century but into the distant future.” (The Catholic Catechism. John A. Hardon, SJ. P. 128)

Here we are now in the 21st Century being bombarded with some of the same kinds of speculations on who Jesus really is. As Catholics we have over two thousand years of Church wisdom to rely on, and the Nicene Creed to help us reflect on the articles of our faith for answers. In order to truly appreciate the creed that we recite at every Sunday Mass, we may need to take another look at this statement of our faith. Set aside a portion of your prayer time to prayerfully and slowly recite the Nicene Creed taking time to ponder each article of faith. It would also help to look up the “Profession of Faith” section in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and read a few paragraphs each week. We can then offer praise to God the Father for sending His son Jesus to be our Lord and Savior.

“He participated in our infirmities, but not in our sins. He took upon Him the form of a servant without the stain of sin, and He raised the human without impairing the divine. The emptying of Himself was no loss of power, but a working of compassion.” (Pope St. Leo I – One Flock, One Shepherd. Rev. Christopher M. Buckner) “Who do you say that I am?” How do we answer this question for ourselves?V   

                                                                                                  Kate Elliott, DRE

                                                                                            Holy Spirit Church, Roscoe

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Joy In His Grace                 [back to top of page]   

   By Louise Hall

Many years ago in my search for joy and real peace, it soon became very apparent that what was really missing in my life was a personal relationship with Jesus. I decided to find him and so I searched for the church that really had him in their midst. I soon realized that the church that had him really had him in the Eucharist and in the tabernacle. So I knew that I had to learn of him and why he was really there.

            I have been ordained for over 30 years and my only focus has been on teaching Catholics the Bible, “ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ,” and understanding the mystery of the Eucharist and how “He is with us always.” I have taught the catechism for over 11 years since it was released in 1994. So you might say my ministry is to Catholics – teaching them the Bible, healing them in the Eucharist and teaching them the truths of the Catholic Church through the catechism.

I studied the Bible and noticed that if something was in the Bible once it was very important. In fact, the church often made a sacrament from that one statement. For example, in Acts 8 Peter and John go to Samaria and lay hands on the baptized converts and they receive the Holy Spirit, hence the sacrament of confirmation. I very quickly noticed that the establishment of the Eucharist by Jesus was in the Bible four times: Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and 1 Corinthians 11. That being the case, if once would cause a sacrament, just imagine what four times really said! I then knew that if I wanted Jesus I had to adore him and bring him to other Catholics. I then started to realize that his presence could and would heal others, so I started to pray with others before the Eucharist and miracles happened – sometimes instantly and sometimes slowly, but happen they did.

            When I came to Our Saviour Church in Cocoa Beach, Florida, I asked the pastor if I could start a healing service that had as the center the Eucharistic Jesus. He said OK, and so for six years we have been adoring Jesus and praying with people. But the real emphasis has been sitting with Jesus and letting him do for us whatever he wanted to do. People came in and just sat in front of the presence of Jesus and then we would pray over each person after a time of silent reflection.

            I received a confirmation of the presence of Jesus when I was asked by a woman to pray over her husband who was heavily into pornography. He had agreed to let me pray over him. I invited him to come to church, but he said no that he couldn’t go into church, he got sick every time he tried to enter any church. So I agreed to meet him at the school. I thought that I had better protect myself from any evil that he might have, so I put a host from the tabernacle in my pyx and put it around my neck in its case. I was there waiting for him when he got out of the car. He started toward the school and then stopped and yelled, “I can’t go in there. He has Jesus by his heart. I can’t go near him.” Then he left. When I had the pyx around my neck, I had put it inside my shirt. There was no way that he could have known that I had the pyx there. That affirmed to me once and for all the power and presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. I have dedicated my life to telling Catholics about the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and what a fantastic gift he has given us – his presence always and till the end of time.

One Tuesday a young woman, about 30, came in and came down the aisle very slowly. She finally got up to the front and sat down and looked very tired and dejected. When the prayer time came she slowly came forward and we prayed over her. After the service I asked her why she had come. She told me she had lost her job because she had fibromyalgia and couldn’t work at her previous job. I asked her how she felt after coming to the service and she said, “Very peaceful.” I said, “Well come back and let Jesus do for you what’s best.” The next Tuesday she was there again and again felt a lot of peace at the end of the service. After seven weeks she was absolutely a changed person. Her fibromyalgia was gone and she was able to do anything she wanted to. She had gotten a new job and looked great.

We also had a woman who had had cancer and had gone through treatment. She was in remission for three years, but then the cancer came back in her thyroid. She could hardly talk. In fact, all she could do was whisper. She would come and sit with Jesus every week, and after each service always felt very peaceful. The fourth week she came in with a big smile on her face and had tears in her eyes. She told us in a normal voice that she had gone to the doctor and he examined her and took tests and the cancer was gone.

        We don’t really ask anybody why they are there. We just let Jesus do for them what is best. In fact, now we don’t even pray over anybody during the service. The results of just sitting with Jesus have been so great, we know that all we have to do is adore, trust, pray and wait on the Lord.V

Deacon Gene Reilly, Our Saviour Church, Cocoa Beach, Florida, moved from the Rockford Diocese to Florida six years ago.       

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Come To The Well       [back to top of page]   

   By Nita Neu

Meet me at the well, won’t you? It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you, my precious one, and I miss you. Do you think of me often, as I never stop thinking of you?

How are you doing? I know of your failures, shortcomings, and frustrations. I know that you try, and I will give you my strength. You cannot imagine how much I really care for you ~ if you did, perhaps you would come and drink at the well more often. Meet me at the well, won’t you, and drink deeply, and receive new life, be satisfied and filled.

I will wait for you ~ won’t you come?

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Run Of The Little Ones    [back to top of page]

By Nita Neu

     She rings the doorbell,

   anticipation growing.

Then she knocks on the door,

   waiting to hear the commotion,

       the thunder of tiny feet,

           and the shrill giggles

              and pure sounds

                 of excitement ~ “Grandma!”

putting aside whatever they were doing,

   to greet Grandma.

The door opens, and there they are,

   so close to the threshold,

       they appear as though falling out.

My little ones are happy to see me,

   and my heart feels full of love for them.

What could be better than this?

   Such a reunion!

It is like this ~ when I run to meet You,

   O my God...

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