Social Civility Observations of the Basics for Christians

This blog arises from observations of the conduct of people in various social and business environments recently and from thinking about what it means to be a Christian.  Will each of us be accurately described as a Christian by our behavior?  Or, will we get to heaven and have St. Peter ask us why we failed to act as a Christian during our lives?

This is not a theological blog as much as it is a practical one.  What are the basics in social conduct for a Christian?  Dan Sullivan and Babs Smith, the founders of The Strategic Coach, have maintained that the basics of civilized human behavior lie are: always being on time, always saying  please and always saying thank you.  Simple enough, isn’t it?  But why do so many people, ostensibly Christian, not regularly do these?  This behavior does not even get even get into the 10 Commandments but arise from the from the second great commandment to “treat others as you treat yourself” or, put another way in the Golden Rule - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Yet, inexplicably, so many Christians put this aside when they leave church.  Perhaps, they conduct themselves by these principles with family and friends but not with others.

My observations include drivers cutting other drivers off while driving, people so busy with Ipods and  cell phones that they ignore the people around them and treat them rudely as a result, people always in a hurry (by the way, why are they in a hurry?) and cutting in front of others in line and numerous other un-Christian like behavior.  So, are all these people not really Christians or are they Christians who make the choice not to act as Christians?  I suspect that they think that they are Christian but get so self-absorbed in their own lives that they “forget” to act with the basics of social civility of all people and Christians, in particular.

I bring this up to remind everyone of these basics.  I know that we like and respect those people who treat us with the basics and we are appreciated more when we act by these basics.  So, let’s do it all the time. Let’s be aware of our actions, of our words, and act as Christians not only in the parking lot at church but, also, everywhere.  In other words, keep a high level of self-awareness of your social civility as a Christian.

Let me know what you think.

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

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

Attention to Priests, Clergy, Church Leaders: Incredible Impact!

This blog is being written as a notice and warning to priests, clergy and church leaders of all kinds.

You have an incalculable impact on the souls of all people - Catholic and non-Catholic alike.  Unfortunately, few of you will read this blog but I put it our there anyway in the hope that it will reach some of you.

The reason for this blog does not arise out of the actions of anyone in this diocese but from an event in a church in another part of this country.  However, it does move me to write this blog as I hear so many stories about the good and bad impact of this category of leaders.  In this particular instance, a new pastor was assigned to be the pastor at a really solid parish.  No sooner does he unpack than he immediately starts making changes of long-standing practices in the parish and even goes to the home of the volunteer, non-paid, head usher and threatens to fire him if he cannot control some of the parishioners.  At another parish across country, another pastor comes in and makes dictatorial changes that are offensive to the parishioners.  Fortunately, the latter was moved to an administrative, non-pastoral position. 

Over the years, we have all heard many stories of offensive actions and statements by people in this category who alienate and offend Catholics and non-Catholics.  These cause the non-Catholics not to come forth and the Catholics to leave the faith.  So, please, priests, clergy and lay Catholic leaders from all ministries pay attention - you have a great impact on people on a daily basis.  And, this impact affects their souls.  Here we are evangelizing to retain Catholics, to encourage non-practicing Catholics to regularly practice their faith, and to non-Catholics to participate in our wonderful faith.  Don’t undo these good works by acting like a bull in a china shop.  Watch what you say as well as do and, certainly, do not gossip or say frivolous things subject to easy misunderstanding.  Be the living example of Jesus in all respects with care and understanding in your works and actions. And, be aware of the impact that your words and actions have on anyone who observes and/or listens.

Let me know what you think.

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

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

The Rewards from Joyful Giving

The theme of the Queen of Peace Radio fall 2012 share-a-thon that just ended yesterday was joyful giving based upon the idea that we should give with a joyful heart.  We did not want to use guilt techniques to get people to give, to talk about such ideas as “your fair share,” or to induce people to give because there was a tax deduction.  Not at all.  We wanted to follow up on the ideas from my last blog about giving because the listeners believe in this ministry.

During the slow period of yesterday during a storm front moving over the station studios, the volunteers, me included, had an opportunity to discuss our faith, works, theology, history, current events regarding the encroachment of the federal government on our First Amendment Rights and its implications, the trends of recent years regarding attendance at church services and trends of family life, marriage, divorce, living together, same sex union and a myriad of other topics.  Afterwards, Tom and I lamented that we had not broadcast this impromptu discussion on air since it was so broad-ranging, thoughtful, intelligent, and scriptural.

 It impressed us about the very high quality of talent, education and training of the volunteers who come to answer the telephones to take your calls and pledges.

 They are authors, business executives, entrepreneurs, some highly educated and intelligent as well as all of us from all walks of lives including mothers, students, retirees, immigrants, cradle Catholics, revert Catholics, and non-Catholics - a real richness of the range of the composition of our Church and community.  What a richness! 

All the volunteers, not only were they financial donors to Queen of Peace Radio but, also, they were giving of their valuable time and talent.  Interestingly, they were not there to get a take-away from their help but they were there because they  believe in this ministry and knew of the value and impact that it has on them as well as other listeners.  In the process of giving, we all had an incredible unintended reward from God - we were all enriched by each other and the experience of our involvement of being in the process of soliciting money for this ministry. We heard from our listeners who told us wonderful stories about how this Catholic radio station brought to them messages to help their faith from all ranges of belief, Catholic and non-Catholic alike.

So, everyone came away with rewards of immeasurable value - not in money - but of a great and deep spiritual richness. 

For this, I thank God and we, the Board of Directors of Queen of Peace Radio, thank everyone who participated in this share-a-thon and, in particular, we, again, give special thanks to Tom Moran, our General Manager, who always overcomes the obstacles to produce another successful share-a-thon as he did again this week.

Let me know what you think.

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

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

Gratitude

Thank you.  Thank you for your support of this lay Catholic radio ministry!

In the next few days, we will be having our semi-annual share-a-thon to ask you again for your financial support to keep this ministry on the air.  This is not a capital campaign where we can show you the fruits of your donations.  It is a campaign to ask you to pay for the bills such as utilities, payroll for one employee, the monthly mortgage payment and the other many bills such as our contract radio engineer who keeps our signal going out to you and the maintenance expenses.  All of these add up quickly and significantly but, nevertheless, we run a lean and mean operation that is often cited to others around the country on how to run a high-quality Christian Catholic radio ministry on the cheap.  Come to the station during the share-a-thon this week to see for yourself. We have now been doing this for over 16 years and are very grateful for your support.

The results or ROI (return on investment) are amazing and miraculous.  And, this last statement comes from a critical and analytical person as me who will always ask “prove it” or “where’s the beef?”  The results are not financial but are inspirational and soul-saving.  We can not measure the number of people who daily get spiritual comfort from our ministry not to mention the converts and reverts that we have had.  It does not measure the many people of all faiths who listen.  And, we know that because many of these people have told us by calling in or by writing to us.  And, most of those have also contributed to our support.

I, with all the hats that I wear for this ministry, do not ask you to contribute to sacrifice, to get tax deductions, to shame you or to guilt you.  But, you will hear me ask, implore, and beg of you to contribute because you believe in it and because of your faith and your firm conviction to spread it - to evangelize your faith.  A reading this weekend was from James 2: 14-18 from which I partially quote “What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works?...So, by faith itself, if it has not works, is dead.”  Therefore, I ask you to support this ministry with your time, talent and treasure.  Come to help us during these share-a-thons or in other capacities to joyfully assist us.  And, of course, we welcome your financial support.  Please show your belief in this ministry and your faith by making a contribution.  For each of you listeners and supporters, we appreciate you and treasure you very much and we are very much grateful for you and what you do.

Let me know what you think.

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

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

9-11-12 Deja Vu

A few days ago, we took the time to reflect upon the events of 11 years ago.  Then, the actions of that anniversary have shocked us all over again.  Is this deja vu all over again as the famous Yogi Berra would put it?  The Muslim world in the Middle East is in an uproar ostensibly over a movie that may or may not even exist which allegedly is critical of the prophet Mohammed.  Demands are made from abroad to curtail the First Amendment rights of Americans to prohibit criticism of Mohammed or the Muslim faith.

Well, these new attacks and protests which appear to be led by Al Qaeda leaders to avenge the death of Osama Bin Ladin again put strains on the Western World and the relations between non-Muslims and Muslims.  Our Bishop, Felipe Estevez, properly asserted in his recent 9-11 message that we, Catholics, reject extreme ideologies while embracing all people of all faiths.  How should we view and deal with Muslims when they seem to embrace terrorism against us?

A couple of days ago, an American of Egyptian birth who immigrated here over a quarter century before, called the Neal Boortz radio show to apologize, on behalf of all mainstream Muslims, for the attacks of 9-11-01 and the attacks of this week.  He explained with great clarity, as did another Muslim caller, that the majority of mainstream Muslims reject terrorism and such extreme actions.  He pointed out that these extremist are not correctly taught Islam and do not know it well at all.  But, they are duped by their leaders into emotional anti-Israeli and anti-American frenzies to further the agenda of their leaders. 

The problem we have had in being more loving towards our Muslim brothers and sisters may lie in our media.  Our media loves to show conflict in order to get readers and listeners.  So, they, apparently, do not consider it important to report on how the vast majority of Muslims do not support extreme terrorist activities.  It is vitally important to the cause of truth and for us to have the correct view of Muslims to know this. 

The second danger we have is to give into demands that we change our American way of life, especially, our First Amendment rights to free speech, to shut down any criticisms of Mohammed the prophet or Islam.  All religions from Judaism, Protestantism, Catholicism, Judaism, Buddhism and many others have all been subject to media criticisms and inaccurate accounts.  But, it is a small price to pay for the greater good to protect our rights to protest the government openly when it infringes on our other First Amendment rights to the free exercise of our religious beliefs.

We must have fortitude to get through these times and we must, as our Bishop directs, to embrace all peoples of all faiths. Again, pray for those who suffered and died and for their families and friends, and assess your own reaction and your own faith.

Let me know what you think.

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

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

9-11-01 Turning Point in American History

We must take time on this anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, to remember the victims and the family and friends of the victims of those attack and to contemplate how it changed our lives forever here in the world.

There are turning points in history that make dramatic changes in the way the lives of people and countries function thereafter.  I will not needlessly enumerate them.  9-11 is, obviously, one of those times.  Many of us remember growing up under the constant, immediate threat of nuclear war and annihilation as the West and the Soviet Union engaged in the “peace” policies called mutual nuclear annihilation!  Looking back, that really appears insane, doesn’t it?  Yet, those were the governing policies of the time of thousands of nuclear weapons.  Amazingly, in the late 1980's early 1990's,  the Soviet Union collapsed of its own weight and discredited godless communism called Leninism and Stalism.  For the first time in several generations, those of us who lived then could breathe a sigh of relief and sleep without that subconscious fear.  We were able to live that way and deal with the post-Cold War period and the so-called peace dividend very happily.

Then, the surprising and shocking attacks of 9-11.  We all remember where we were and what we were doing when we found out.  Who would do such a thing, we asked ourselves, and why would they do it?   For days, we sat before our television sets in shock and wonder about all this. Even all air travel was grounded.  What was going on? Our whole country seemed to come to a halt. 

As we slowly recovered from the shock, we became aware that we now lived in a world where two oceans could not protect us, where the rules of traditional wars between countries no longer applied to massive paramilitary attacks, where airline travel was dramatically changed, where enemies who hated the Western World and the United States, in particular, where these enemies tried to live highly secret lives, where the names Osama and al Qaeda were new and foreign to us, and where our confidence and security was seemingly shattered beyond recovery.

These were, indeed, times that “tried men’s souls.”  Did we have the spiritual faith to help us cope and to deal with this new world?  We thought we did, but it seems, we have slipped back into old habits as time has gone by.

Remember, pray for those who suffered and died and for their families and friends, and assess your own reaction and your own faith.

Let me know what you think.

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

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

Behind the Blog

I thought that I would explain this blog and my process of choosing topics. 

In late July, Tom Moran, our station manager, and I were discussing social media and how we could engage our listeners to become more involved.  In the process, we discussed blogging and whether or not it would work.  Since Tom is so busy with station activities, I volunteered to try my hand at it since I had never done it before.  So, please excuse my inexperience at this new venture for me.

Also, please note that the content of the blog is mine and mine alone.  Neither the station nor the board of directors is responsible for anything in its contents.  They are just kind enough to let us give it the go.  If there are any errors in content, they are mine and mine alone.

My choice of topics is based upon current events affecting our Christianity and Catholicism.  I look at sources such as the diocesan magazine, diocesan events such as the Bishop’s recent auditing sessions which was the subject of my first blog, messages from the Bishop, and topics that I come across while discussing matters with friends, colleagues, my study group, and people with whom I come in contact.

So, there is no planned or preprogrammed list of topics.  I like the flexibility because if it is on someone’s mind now it, probably, is a subject on the minds of others as well and is worthy of a blog.

So, if you have an idea for a future blog, let us know by emailing us at the station and I will consider it for a future blog.  I am, now, always looking for material for this blog.

Once I write a blog, I email it to Tom who, with his genius and great creativity, somehow finds a really good graphic that epitomizes the blog content.  For his help, I am truly very grateful.

Some friends comment on my blogs directly.  However, I really do wish that everyone would share their thoughts with everyone by commenting on the contents of the blogs on the blog site.  Just click the comment key and write away.

On a lighter and more humorous side, some people now ask me if I am going to enter the priesthood!

Answer - NO.  That train left the station a long time ago for me and I just never had that blessed calling from God.  But, I do very much honor and respect all members of the cloth from this blogging ministry more than I ever did before.

Thanks for reading and commenting!

Let me know what you think.

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

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

Indulgences, Purgatory. Really?

Well, I have been thinking about this for some time as a blog topic and really would like to hear what you think on the subjects.  First, there is Purgatory which is described as a place or state where a soul goes to be purged and cleaned of the stains of sin during his or her lifetime.  Second, there are Indulgences which are a form of grace to help us to get into heaven and be with God for eternity.  I know there are a lot of people, including Catholics, who say “What?  Really?  Are you kidding me?”  What about Christ dying on the cross for our sins and the fact that I should have been saved by accepting Him as my Lord and Savior?  And, what about my Faith in Him that saves me?  Well, we know the questions and I am not sure that I can adequately deal with the answers in a blog so I do not pretend to do so here.  I am just raising the issues for your thoughts and consideration. In my last blog, I addressed the issue of an all-just God and the myth of an all-loving god who does not punish. 

God, through the Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, manifests His Divine Mercy as revealed throughout history and, pointedly, through the apparitions of Jesus to St. Faustina.  Jesus, spoke of His love for us and of His desire for all to be saved.  He instructed us to say the Chaplet of Divine Mercy that He gave to St. Faustina and directed us to set aside the Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday.  Well, for all those who don’t believe in punishment and reward, I am sure you will not believe this as well.  You will have to explain yourselves on Judgment Day.

Back to the topic, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2d. Ed.) discusses this topic in sections 1030-1032 which states: “1030   All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.

“1031 The Church give the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.  The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence (1439) and Trent (1563).  The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire...” The Catechism defines “(a)n indulgence ..as..a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven...(cc §1072).  “The forgiveness of sin and restoration of communion with God entail the remission of the eternal punishment of sin, but temporal punishment remains.”

(cc §1473). 

If you don’t believe in God or create your own god in order to escape the laws and commands of the real God, you certainly will not accept these long-standing teachings of the Church.  Many were put off by the abuses of selling indulgences in the past.  But, consider this, do you really think those who abused this doctrine escaped severe punishment?  Do you seriously believe that those who purchased them were pure in heart enough that these indulgences were really granted? Do you really think that your repulsion for those abuses justifies your rejection of Catholicism?  Think about this blog and

Let me know what you think.

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

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

Sin, Denial, Repentance and Punishment

Actually, this should be entitled, “The Denial of Sin, Repentance and Punishment.”  In reading and thinking about the subject of sin in the modern world, I am amazed at the widespread denial of original sin, punishment for sins committed during our lifetimes and the need for reconciliation and repentance.

In the contemporary Western world, there are so many people who are caught up in a mythical god who they believe is so all-loving that he could not have condemned more than Adam and Eve to original sin and who will not punish us mere mortals for sin.  There is no Satan and evil that would condemn us to eternal punishment, they say.  In these beliefs, how can they proclaim themselves to be Christian?  During His life, Jesus told us about Satan and his evil ways and temptations.  Satan even tempted Him.  Jesus told us about eternal punishment and referred to the place of eternal fire as “Gehenna” which He mentioned 11 times.  He offered us a solution by instituting the sacrament of reconciliation and he authorized the Apostles and their successors the power to forgive us our sins with prescribed repentance.

But, as humans, we can talk ourselves into rationalizing the teachings of Jesus away by creating a new theology of an all-loving god.  We are very good at denial. However, this is so self-deluding it is amazing that intelligent people can even think it.  The Trinity which, obviously, consists of Jesus, teaches, through Jesus, his Apostles and their successors, about sin, repentance and punishment.  Not only is the Trinity all loving, but it is all just.  Being all just, there are consequences to sin and that can include eternal punishment in the fires of Gehenna.  But, no, these new age deluders say, an all-loving god would not do such a thing.  They ignore the fact that an all-just God would.  He did not give us His Commandments as suggestions but as commands.  He, also, gave us free will which is manifested by our actions. He did not send Jesus here to endure His sufferings and painful death by crucifixion for no reason. He and His disciples taught us that there will be consequences for our actions.

Jesus said:  Not every one who says to me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?" And then will I declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers." (Matt. 7:21-23)

What are your thoughts about this?

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

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

Faith

In his recent letter to his flock, Bishop Estevez in The St. Augustine Catholic magazine entitled “The Year of Faith - A Time for Renewal” writes “On October 11, we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the beginning of Vatican II by beginning a ‘year of faith.”  In a follow-up article entitled “Opening the door of Faith” by Lilla Ross, she states, “In the new year, you’re going to be hearing the term ‘new evangelization’ - a lot.”   This will be the “ focus” of this year of Faith for the Church.  She informs us that this is a term coined by Pope John Paul II.  This new evangelization will be a mission of the Church to help Catholics “renew our confidence in the truth of our faith” according to Ralph Martin who is the president of Renewal Ministries, she reports.

Coincidentally, my study group began a study of a book by Charles Colson and Harold Fickett entitled, “The Faith Given Once, For All - Jude 3."  Colson reports that he asked in a middle of a talk, “What is Christianity anyway?”  He reported that the response was “painful silence” before there was a response.  The corollary in the Year of Faith is for Catholics to answer the question to ourselves and to others “Not only what is Christianity anyway but, also, what is Catholicism?” Of course, we start with the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed.  But, it is much more.  And, do we live that faith?

In a segment of Chapter One entitled “Postmodernism and the Death of Truth, they write “(w)hat’s really at issue here is a dramatic shift in the prevailing belief of Western cultural elites; we have come into a postmodern era that rejects the idea of truth itself.  If there is no such thing as truth, then Christianity’s claims are inherently offensive and even bigoted against others.  Tolerance, falsely defined as putting all propositions on an equal footing - as opposed to giving ideas an equal hearing - has replaced truth.

“Millions acquiesce to the all-beliefs-are-equal doctrine for the sake of bettering their social position in our values-free, offend-no-one culture.  But, to succumb to this indifference is not to accept a tolerant or liberal view of Christianity; it is to embrace another religion, a belief in some supreme value - perhaps, tolerance - but not in the God who is and who has spoken.”

In such a world, we must know our Christian and Catholic faith by continuing to renew our knowledge of it and to teach it and evangelize it to all of our brothers and sisters.  We cannot become victims to those beliefs that are hostile to us by anti-Christians and those modern anti-theists.  In order to better withstand the assaults on our Christian faith and in order to increase and strengthen our faith, we must continue to study and renew our faith daily.  This can be as simple as listening to Catholic television programs and Catholic radio such as Queen of Peace Radio.  After a lifetime of Catholic education, I still learn more about my faith and its richness.  I hope that you will, also.

What are your thoughts about this?

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

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