Goodbye Blogger Returning to WordPress

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Dear Friends,

I have decided to return to WordPress as the Blogger website is a bit disappointing and is no longer sending out the Daily Thoughts as it used to do.

I am going to start blogging again. The past few months have been a bit challenging with my dad and his cancer diagnosis, but the Lord never fails to provide, especially in difficult times.

I will be heading over the mountains after the 10:30AM Mass and spending the Thanksgiving Day week with my family in Richland.

Have a blessed day!

in Christ,
Fr. Jim

Daily Reflection from The Word Among Us

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I thought the reflection today from the Word Among Us was very good and wanted to share it.

“Whoever loses his life will save it.” (Luke 17:33)

 

Have you ever missed the bus, lost your job due to downsizing, or felt forgotten by someone close to you? It doesn’t feel good to be left out. Imagine, then, what it must feel like to be left out of Jesus’ Sec­ond Coming. None of us wants that! But it’s unnerving, isn’t it, that we won’t know when Jesus will come again. We don’t want to miss it, so we have to be in a state of con­stant readiness.

The good news is that Jesus has made it easy for us to be prepared. He wants to see us ready! He liked to compare the kingdom of God to a banquet—the more people come, the merrier. Yes, there is a dress code, but we have all the clothes we need. Let’s look at three particular items that are vital to any spiritual wardrobe.

First, keep your conscience clear. Even small sins can cloud our vision of the Lord and his calling for us. That’s why it is important for us to examine our conscience and repent often. It’s also why we should make regular use of the Sacrament of Rec­onciliation, an excellent way to receive even more of God’s grace to resist temptation and grow in virtue.

Second, love others. Over and over, Jesus tells us to place the wel­fare of others above ourselves. He even commands us to love others as he has loved us. And since his love is unconditional, ours should be too. Keeping our hearts and our hands open especially to the poor and needy keeps us open to the Lord himself (Matthew 25:40).

Finally, stay close to Jesus. As you draw near to him, he will draw near to you. His love and mercy will become clearer, and you will find yourself changing to become more and more like him—and more and more ready for his return.

Time and time again, Jesus asks us to be ready for his coming. He wants to give us his inheritance of fellowship with God for all eter­nity. If we clothe ourselves with these three practices, we won’t have to worry; we will be ready in an instant!

“Jesus, I want to be with you at your heavenly banquet. I know that you make it possible, so help me to do my part today. I love you and all that you do for me!”

Rapidweaver

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I switched to a new website design program several months ago when Apple stopped hosting with Mobile Me. I am not sure how much longer Apple is going to support IWeb and there are rumors going around that they are going to stop making it.

I am now using Rapidweaver. It is a very easy to use and impressive program. You can by all kinds of plug-ins for it and it is extremely flexible. However, just like getting apps on your Iphone, there are very few free plug-ins, so you have to watch yourself. (I accidentally bought a plug-in I already had thinking it was a newer version!)

I have been revamping the Resources page with a much easier to read format. I have also posted some new resources. You can view them by clicking here.

Lessons in Prudence- Or the lack thereof

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Dear Friends,

If you caught the post from Monday evening (I have since deleted it) I wanted to take a moment to apologize and didn’t mean to alarm people. That should have been something I kept for spiritual direction.

It’s amazing how a series of events can temporarily fog your judgment and vision. It all serves to remind me that I have a long way to go before the virtue of Prudence and I are good buddies!

Thanks to some rest, wonderful Scripture readings, prayers, and good friends, I am in a very different place.

I still feel the Door Prophecy is important and wanted to share that as a means of encouragement to anyone who is feeling out of of sorts and wondering why God is allowing certain things to happen in their lives, the world, Church, etc. I really do believe special graces are going to be available for us and I don’t know about you, but I sure want to accept everything the Lord offers us “for such a time as this” (cf. Esther 4:14).

Here is the Door Prophecy:

I see these two massive doors, something like what you would see on a medieval castle.  These doors are swinging open and the Lord says this,

“I grant you access to a new place, I call you to a new land.

And these doors no man can open, they can only open at my word. 

But I grant you access and I open these doors wide for you and I call you to come in.

I call you to enter to a place that no one can go without my permission. 

But not only do I grant you permission, I call you to come here.

So I call you to come through these great doors. 

What the world cannot open with its wisdom, what the world cannot open with its might, what the world cannot open with its money or its power, to them it will remain shut but to those whom I grant access, the entrance is open.

Come into a new place my people, live in a new land, dwell in a new reality, enter into the place I have prepared for you. 

You do not have to wait until you die before you enter this realm.

You do not have to wait until you die before you can live in a heavenly reality.

Enter in here and now, for by my word and by my decree these doors are now open, and you have access. 

Enter in my people.

Enter in to the privilege that I have granted you that the world does not have access to because they do not know me. 

Those who know me, I open the doors and say enter in.”

Prayer Request

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My First Communion catechist, Kay, could sure use some prayers as she faces health problems. She was one of those bright shining stars for me as I grew up. She spoke with such love and affection about Jesus and her relationship with Him.

Thanks for keeping her and all those struggling with their health in your prayers.

Another Day of Work in the Vineyard

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The elections are over. I will refrain from commenting on the results and was reminded during Morning Prayer, that regardless of who won or what initiatives passed, the work of a disciple remains the same. Think of the countless souls who surround us everyday who don’t know the joy of claiming Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives. Think of the church going people who worship from a distance, not engaging with their hearts, and how dramatically things could change if they got baptized in the Holy Spirit. The Vineyard is in desperate need of faithful workers. Hopefully, we all rolled (or crawled) out of bed with an open heart and desire to do the Lord’s work for the day.

Politicians come and go. Jesus Christ is the same today, yesterday, and forever! I now have the privilege of celebrating this Truth during Daily Mass.

Have a blessed day!

Seattle Prep President Endorses Same-Sex Marriage

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Yesterday, I taped a show for Sound Insight with Dr. Tom Curran, Fr. Kurt Nagel, and Pam Gunderson. Before we began taping the show, it was brought to my attention that the President of Seattle Prep High School posted a blog on the School’s website supporting Referendum 74 which seeks to redefine the definition of marriage. I was extremely shocked and upset to hear about this. Why do parents spend thousands of dollars to send their children to Catholic schools so that the faculty and staff can actively undermine the teachings of the Catholic Church?

The weakest link in the Catholic schools education is passing on the Catholic faith. We can’t even get a good number of our parents in our Catholic Schools to actively worship and participate in Sunday Mass with their children. This has been a constant struggle since I have assumed being the pastor with a Catholic school.

I guess I should use this as an opportunity to thank my mom and dad for always making the Sunday Mass a priority in my life when I was growing up. Way too many of our children and youth don’t have this support in their lives today.

We need to pray for huge renewal in all of our church structures. May the Holy Spirit remove all of the people who “teach their doubt and speculation rather than the plan of God to be received by faith” (cf. 1 Timothy 1:4-5).