Thanksgiving and You

The annual celebration of the holiday Thanksgiving is upon us again which has caused me to reflect upon it.  What is it to me and to you?  The title of this blog is to stimulate you to think about what Thanksgiving means to you. 

Since my birthday falls near Thanksgiving, I grew up in my early years thinking that everyone celebrated my birthday by giving thanksgiving that I was born! 

As I got older, I discovered that it was not all about my birthday to my great chagrin!  I learned that it had to do with gratitude to God for helping the Pilgrims to have a good harvest which allowed them to survive up until then and into the new year.  So, it was gratitude to God for survival and for the provisions for a new year. 

So, this time of year, I reflect upon my survival since the last Thanksgiving in terms of life, health and blessings in the way of family, friends, food, shelter and other blessings from Him.  Even though I have not received the things that I have hoped and prayed for, I am grateful to God for what he has given to me.  We all have seen illnesses and death suffered by ourselves, family and friends. Therefore, we are grateful for the health and healthcare that we do enjoy.  We have seen disasters throughout the world including as near as the Northeast and see on the news stories about people in need of electricity for heat, for shelter and for food.  We see the developing conflict in the Holy Land between Gaza and Israel and all the deaths, injuries, destruction and suffering.  Therefore, in contrast to those tragedies we must be grateful for not having natural catastrophes and for not having war and terrorism.

 We cannot take these for granted as New York City has learned from 9-11 and from the superstorm Sandy.  However, we can, must and should thank God for what we do have.

It is very disconcerting to have this wonderful holiday of depth and meaning turned into one of superficial self-indulgences.  Food, drink, football games, black Friday sales starting on Thanksgiving evening to get an earlier start of sales and, thus, depriving those employees and their families the opportunity to enjoy the day. Just as the consumerism and marketing have taken away the meaning of Christ out of Christmas, our society is diminishing the meaning of Thanksgiving by removing God as the focus of our thanks. 

Please reflect upon your blessings during the last year including your life, your health such as it may be, your intelligence and ability to just read this blog, and everything that you can recall.  Think of the meaning and fortitude of your tribulations during the last year.  Then, thank God for your survival and blessings and thank Him for the survival and blessings given to family and friends.  And, remember those who have passed in the last year and pray for them.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Let me know what you think.

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

REM (Ray Makowski) Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer

Are You Welcoming?

Over the years, I have attended Masses, weddings, baptisms, first Communions, confirmations, investitures, and funerals at many Catholic churches locally and while traveling for business and pleasure.  One of the common things that I have noticed and have been chagrined over is the fact that other attendees do not seem very welcoming to strangers.

And, then, many in the welcoming line, if there is a welcoming group, do not look at you or say anything to you while they “greet” you because they are engaged in conversations with the others in the welcoming line or other friends of theirs. Why do we fail in this behavior?  We are all going to a celebration of the Mass and the Holy Eucharist.  After I started observing this, I became very aware of my own behavior and found that I was, also, guilty of such behavior.  So, I started to smile and wave at other attendees as I got out of my car and walked into the church and as I left it to my car. I swear that some people mistook my welcoming behavior and thought I was some sort of freak and some women, of all ages, sizes, and marital status, thought I was flirting with them!

Over the years, this lead me to thinking about comments of Catholics who have left the Church for Protestant churches and the popular non-denominational mega-churches.  These wayward Catholics speak about how welcome they feel their and how nice the parishioners in those churches are from their welcoming committees to their new-member committee and the after-service snacks and socialization.  What is wrong with Catholics who constantly bemoan the loss of members and declining conversions and sustainment of converts?

I write this blog now to recommend to you the article in this current issue of the St. Augustine Catholic entitled “How Welcoming Are You” by Lilla Ross.  As the title suggests, she deals with this very topic.  She relates from a book by Richard McCorry entitled Company’s Coming: A Spiritual Process for Creating More Welcoming Parishes. He has traveled all over the country assisting parishes to become more inviting.  In doing so, he relates that his “common experience is feeling invisible.”

I can attest to that very feeling.  It is not unusual for a visitor to attend a Mass and never speak or have eye contact with another attendee.  This is so true.  We can go to a public social or entertainment event and not have such an isolated experience.  But, we Catholics are going to the celebration of the Mass so why don’t we make all other co-attendees feel the friendship and love of Jesus Christ?  The first step is awareness of this situation and the second step is self-examination of our own facial expression and actions. The third step is to make others aware of this situation. The final step is to change our behavior. And that is the point of this blog, the article and the book.

He directs us to the passage from I Peter 4:9: “Be hospitable to one another without complaining.”

Who should do this - everyone.  McCrorry writes that “best welcoming committee is the entire parish.”  You can learn more at www.catholichospitality.com.

Thanksgiving is upon us as is Advent, Christmas and the new year - what a great time to start!  Please join me!

Let me know what you think.

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

REM (Ray Makowski) Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasure

Why American Christians Slept

The title of this blog is a play on the name of a thesis later published as a book by a college student named John F. Kennedy entitled “Why England Slept.”  It was a study about England’s unpreparedness for war with Germany in 1939.  

I am sitting here a couple days after our national election and wondering why American Christians and Catholics slept during this election.  A substantial number did not sleep and worked actively in support of our Catholic beliefs.  But, look at the initial data - less Republicans came out to vote for Romney than they did for McCain;  73% of the non-Cuban Hispanic population voted for Obama; the majority of unmarried women voted for Obama; and, a large number of the Jewish population voted for Obama.  What is going on with this?

In my last blog and earlier blogs on voting, I encouraged people to vote for their beliefs and principles instead of persons and their parochial self-interests.  But, this did not happen.  I am puzzled.  For all of my life, I always heard the saying that people voted their pocketbooks. And, usually, the people in office during economic problems are not elected or re-elected.  Based upon that alone and the dismal failure of the administration in its first term, it seemed like a no-brainer that the incumbent would not be reelected.  So, why did not the Republicans get out and vote for their party’s candidate?  Did they so much believe in this saying that they did not think their vote was necessary?

The Cuban Hispanic vote went by a greater number than the non-Cuban Hispanic population for the challenger.  But, why did the non-Hispanic population vote so overwhelmingly for the incumbent.  They are mostly Catholic or fundamentalist Christians who oppose abortion.  So, did their belief in legalizing illegal immigrants so overwhelm their religious principles?  Apparently, it is so.

Why did single and unmarried women vote for the incumbent by some 63% of their vote?  So, they could obtain insurance coverage for contraception and abortion?  And, because they feel that the incumbent would do more for them?

Another puzzler, the incumbent’s policy towards Israel has been much cooler than in the past and very limp in regard to Iran’s development of nuclear weapons and missiles to deliver them.  Yet, I have heard that the American Jewish community supported the incumbent.  It appears to me that is similar to one lamb opening the gate to its cousin lamb’s pen for the wolf.

In the 1960 election, there was the question as to whether or not there was a latent as well as overt anti-Catholic sentiment in the country and, in fact, there was although very few people would admit it.  The question from this election is whether or not there was a latent as well as overt anti-Mormon sentiment reflected in votes against Romney or those who could not bring themselves to vote for him because of his religion and who would not vote for the incumbent.

Another thing that we wonder and, I am sure, they are wondering is why did so many Catholics not follow the leadership of the Church and why did so many fundamentalist Christians not follow the leadership in their respective teachers.  I am sure that they feel like the general who orders a charge only to look behind and discover that his army was not following him.  What is going on?

   

I closed my last pre-election blog by writing - “So, what do we stand for, if anything?  When I hear people talking about their own pedestrian issues instead of their Catholic beliefs, I think of the saying WIIFM - what’s in it for me!  So, the question is will people vote because of what’s in it for them and their pet projects while tossing to the side their religious beliefs?”

Now, we know the answer - WIIFM prevailed.  That is why America slept in this election.  Let us now pray!

Let me know what you think.

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

REM (Ray Makowski) Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer

Vote your conscience as a Catholic

I voted early the other day after waiting in long line that I have not seen in years.  Yesterday, I reheard the Bishop’s message urging Catholics to vote on this radio station.  Both of these events and what seems like an endless campaign brought me to thinking about the reasons we vote the way we do.  Let’s see - do you vote for a candidate because of his stand for unions and not for his stand favoring abortion?  Do you vote for a candidate for her stand for delivering universal healthcare but ignoring her stand on homosexual marriages and for her stand on compelling company’s to provide contraceptive devices and abortions contrary to Catholic beliefs? 

Do you vote for candidates because of their appearance and/or the way they sound?  Boy, if you do, you would have undoubtedly voted against Abraham Lincoln and you might not have like George Washington’s smile with his wooden teeth!

So, what do we stand for, if anything?  When I hear people talking about their own pedestrian issues instead of their Catholic beliefs, I think of the saying WIIFM - what’s in it for me!  So, the question is will people vote because of what’s in it for them and their pet projects while tossing to the side their Christian beliefs?  Regrettably, that is what happened 4 years ago when 54 per cent of the fundamental Christian and Catholic vote went in favor of the candidate who supported public funding for abortions!!!  How could that be?  It was because of their WIIFM.  Will that happen again in this election? 

Neither the Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, church leaders nor I can tell you how to vote.  But we all ask you to vote your Catholic and Christian beliefs when you do vote.  Vote for substantive and meaningful reasons based upon your values and beliefs and not just on superficial and self-serving interests.  By now, you most likely believe that you have heard it all if not too much and are tired of it all.  But, please keep foremost in your mind that your vote is meaningful or I would not be writing this blog on this topic.  You might remember the value of the vote when you think of President Burr, Gore, and Nixon instead of Kennedy in 1960.  Each of these people came within a hair’s breadth of being elected President.  So, voting does matter.

Please do vote and vote your Catholic and Christian values and beliefs in this and in all elections!

Let me know what you think.

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

REM (Ray Makowski) Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer