Friday, September 6, 2013

Military Action and the Serious Prospect of Success




Are you serious?  Considering that nothing in the history of the planet has ever gone well after military action in the Middle East.
www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/just_war_CCC.htm

What are the criteria for military intervention in another country?
According to Catholic Just War Doctrine, all of the following conditions must be met for the legitimate (moral) exercise of force:

1_the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;

2_all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;

3_there must be serious prospects of success;

4_the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.

Is everybody positive all the pertinent facts are known?
Exactly how is everybody going to be assured of a “serious prospect of successful military action”?
www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=4644 

Often observed, "Just follow the money".

Let us all continue to pray & fast for peace, beyond Sept 7th, and make it a habit.
Stay tuned in,

Tom at Queen of Peace Radio

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Blessing at 2013 FCWC

Just a word about the 2013 Florida Catholic Women’s Conference; Courage to Love.  Several ladies told me they had a wonderful grace-filled time on Saturday at the FCWC.  Everyone, including the guest speakers said it was first class, well run and lots of fun. 

One lady told me this week that she wished she had gone, too, but had waited too long to buy a ticket; and it sold out.  A reminder that good things fill up fast.

Just wanted to say thank you to the Diocesan Center for Family Life [DCFL.org] and to everyone involved in the organization and hard work putting it all together.  And super thanks for repeating to the conference attendees that Queen of Peace Radio is available on AM-1460 for all in the Jacksonville area.

May God continue to bless this diocese with excellent Catholic events like this in the future.

Tell others to tune in,


Tom at WQOP

Monday, May 20, 2013

So long, God be with you, adios, adieu, ciao.



Many years ago, I heard that whenever Hollywood wanted to increase television or movie viewership, they added a cute pet to the script.  Well, I certainly believe that. 
There is, also, the old philosophical question about whether a tree falling in a forest makes any noise if there is no one there to hear it?  You are now, probably, asking where in the world I am going with this?

I am very grateful to those of you who have been reading these blogs since I started last August.  It was my goal to provoke you to think about various issues that we deal with in our lives and to get you to examine them from varying viewpoints especially our Christian Catholic point of view.

Over time, the numbers of readers of this blog stayed at a low but not growing readership.  Then, on the Queen of Peace website, I posted a photo of the cat who hung around our station for a while and called it our guardian angel cat.  
Well, that drew lots of viewers and readers but the numbers for the blog stayed low.  I do like to think, however, the quality of readers was exceptionally high and bright!  However, without the hoped for increase of readership for these blogs, the return for the effort just does not make practical sense.  So, this is the last one here. 

However, I am very grateful to those of you who have been readers and to those who have, also, made comments.  I want, also, to thank Tom Moran, the station manager, who has found and attached his really insightful and clever graphics for each blog.  He has a special talent for getting graphics that cut to the core of the issues.  So, as I leave, I leave with big THANKS to you all.

Keep the faith, keep reading and keep thinking!

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

Ray Makowski, Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer


Sunday, April 28, 2013

The New Commandment




If we are accused of being Christians, will our actions prove us guilty of that charge?  Last month I wrote a blog trying to come to grips with the teaching of Jesus about forgiveness. 

Peter asked Jesus, “‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’  Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:21.  And, in His early teachings, Jesus reaffirmed that we should love our neighbors as ourselves. 

In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear that, at the Last Supper, Jesus amplified that teaching when He said, “I give you a new commandment: love one another.  As I have loved you, so you are also should love one another.  This is how all will know that you are my disciple, if you have love for one another.”  John 13:34-35.  

How do each of us live up to this reading and this new commandment?  Jesus says that love for one another will be the way we are known to be disciples of Him.  Not by our words will be known as Christians but, primarily, by our love for one another.  So, as to this love for one another, Jesus sets a really high standard for that love.  Not just in the prior Judeo teaching of measure as we love ourselves.  But, the measuring bar is raised in this new commandment to the level of loving one another as He loved us! 

In the measurement ‘as we love ourselves,’ we would not sacrifice ourselves for ourselves, would we?  In the new commandment, on the eve of His suffering and death, Jesus is giving us the measurement for loving each other to be as He loves us.  He, then, goes on to his suffering and death on the cross for us.  So, under this new commandment, we should be willing to love one another even to the sacrifice of our lives.  Are we really really ready, willing and able to live up to this commandment?  In light of this new commandment Jesus gives us at the Last Supper, the standard for forgiveness that He gave us and His prior reaffirmance of Jewish teaching of love for one another seem small and paltry.  It can simply but  humorously be viewed by the joke about who sacrifices more for us for our breakfasts - the chicken or the pig? The chicken just gives us the eggs but the pig gives his life so we can have our ham or bacon with those eggs! 

The reality of this new commandment is its difficulty to live and to deal with people who have wronged us and for whom we have held or still do have long-time grudges.  We can humorously think that it was easy for Jesus because, after all, He is God!  But, it is Jesus who proclaimed this new commandment on the eve of His suffering and death for all of us and for our sins.  Tough gig, isn’t it.  He didn’t not give any exceptions for neighbors who do or say things we do not like.  It is a broad, universal command by Him. 

Going around preaching how much we love Him, praying to Him, and telling other people to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior is meaningless unless we are first convicted as Christians by our own actions of loving each other as He loved us in his new commandment.  This sure tests our commitment to Jesus - will we only go part way and just donate eggs or go all the way in order to fulfill  his charge to us?  Remember, also, Jesus did not say this was a new suggestion.  He said it was a new commandment.
 
Pray for me in my quest to succeed in loving you and everyone by this standard in the new commandment and I will pray for your success. 

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this.   

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

Ray Makowski, Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer

Monday, April 22, 2013

Coping With Terrorism Again




Last week at this time, the annual Boston Marathon on Patriot’s Day occurred. 
A normally happy event was shattered by a couple of bombs being exploded in the crowds and killing several people and injuring several hundred.  After the shock of this event occurred and our prayers for the dead, the injured, the runners, the spectators and their families, we all thought who did this, why did they do it, will they be caught and brought to justice.  That began an intense week of pursuit and the involvement of over 4,000 law enforcement officers.  In a few days, a couple of suspects were identified and they were caught or killed within a a few days.

The initial speculation was whether Al Qaeda or Muslim terrorists were involved.  And, then, there was all the speculation that goes along with the implications of this idea.  It, also, brings forth all the ugly thoughts about jihad.  How should we deal with this, is our question including how should we feel and deal with Islamic terrorists?

Our Bishop, Felipe Estevez, properly asserted in his  9-11-2012  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?  Let me start with the teaching from our Lord, Jesus, that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.  So, despite how difficult this can be, let’s start our approach to Muslims from a prayerful love for them. 

Second, we should learn more about Islam and its followers.  We will learn that there are 2 major divisions of Islam, of which you probably heard, called Sunni and Shia. There are other minor divisions as well. Fortunately, 90% of all Muslims are Sunni which is the more the peaceful adherents to Islam.  The Shia, from my rudimentary understanding of this, believe that provoking an apocalyptic event will bring back the return of the Twelfth Imam and the ultimate rule of Islam.  Iran, to no one’s surprise, is an Shia theocracy and you hear its leaders speak of the return of the Twelfth Imam.  In addition, virtually all middle eastern Muslims have developed an antagonism to the West and to the United States specifically because of our support of the state of Israel and the Jews residing therein.

We now know that these misguided brothers were influenced by Muslim terrorists.  We will learn more as time goes by.  Meanwhile, we should learn more about Islam and the various different divisions and deal with all Muslims with prayer and love.  Yes, that is counterintuitive to our natural desires but, as followers of Christ, keep in mind His teachings about love.  And, remember to forgive, as He teaches, 7 times 70.

These are my thoughts.  Now, please let me know what you think.

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!
                                       
REM (Ray Makowski) Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

The Rewards from Joyful Giving





The theme of the Queen of Peace Radio spring 2013 share-a-thon that just ended was joyful giving based upon the idea that we should give with a joyful heart.  This was the same theme as the fall one.  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, also, encourage donors to give electronically via electronic transfers from their bank accounts or their credit or debit cards.  We wanted to follow up on the ideas from my last blog about giving because the listeners believe in this ministry.
Jerry Webster, George Barletta, Terri Micillo, Anne Webster
help appeal to listeners during on-air Shareathon.
Not only are we very grateful to our listeners and donors, we are, also, very grateful to the volunteers who help with these share-a-thons.  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, unemployed, 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!  During the slow periods, we had very enriching discussions about theology, history, the new pope and what his new papacy may bring, and what is going on in the contemporary church and in society in general.
Anne & Jerry Webster, Diane Herbert answer phones and talk with listeners.
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.
George, Diane, Ray, Tom in studio talking about the value of
knowing your faith and the value of Catholic radio.
So, everyone came away with rewards of immeasurable value - not in money - but of a great and deep spiritual richness. 
Chris Williams, George Barletta, Tom Moran, and Ray Makowski
with award from Catholic Radio Association / EWTN for 15 years
of evangelical zeal for souls. 
For this, we 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 past 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

Monday, April 8, 2013

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

Friday, April 5, 2013

Divine Mercy




This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday which celebrates the divine mercy of our Lord.   It culminates the Novena of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.  The story behind both is one of my favorite miracle stories. 

In the 1930s, there lived in Poland a very humble nun whose name was Helen Kowalska.  She had very little education but was determined to become a nun and, after pleading her case, was accepted into the convent and was named Sister Maria Faustina. She usually performed the most menial of jobs.  But, she did so with a joyful heart because of her love for the Lord. 

Jesus started to appear to her and to speak to her.  He commissioned her to have a painting made of him in His Divine Mercy. With great difficulty, she was able to have an artist do so.  Jesus, also, directed her to keep a diary.  She objected as she did not think she was literate enough to do so.  But, she did at the direction of Jesus.  He, also, gave her the prayer for His believers to say.  It is called the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.  And, he directed that there should be a novena of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy beginning on Good Friday and ending on the first Sunday after Easter which should be known as Divine Mercy Sunday.

Well, we all can imagine how impossible it would be for an heretofore insignificant nun from Poland to consider persuading the Church to follow the directions given to her by Jesus.  Ah, yes, but that is the miracle, isn’t it!!!  She died in 1938 but not before telling her priest confessor everything and leaving behind her diary and the painting of Jesus.   Less than a year after her death, the Nazis attacked and conquered Poland and put it under a reign of terror until liberated in 1945 which was followed by the dictatorial rule of Soviet communists.  However, during this time the fame of Sister Faustina became well known in Poland as did the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.  It spread to a man who studied the priesthood during the Nazi regime.  The man was Fr. Karol Wojtyla.  As you know, this priest is well known to history as Pope John Paul II.

In 1959, the Church put a lid on all of this until it could be thoroughly investigated.  In 1968, Sister Faustina’s cause for sainthood began.  After an investigation, the papacy of John Paul II lifted the ban on the prayers of Divine Mercy.  He later declares that the Sunday after Easter be known as Divine Mercy Sunday.  In 1999, a second miracle occurred that is attributed to Blessed Faustina and  on Divine Mercy Sunday in April 2000 she was declared a saint.  Interestingly, Pope John Paul II passed away on the Vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday in 2005.

This is the fascinating and miraculous story of the prayers of Divine Mercy.  As you can see, these happened recently and in the lifetimes of so many of us. There is much more to this story but this is a thumbnail account for the purpose of this blog to get you thinking about it.


I might add as a point of interest to some that I really am a believer because I had a miracle as a result of the Chaplet and of St. Faustina.  But, that is a story for another day and time.

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this subject.   

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

Ray Makowski, Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer

Friday, March 29, 2013

Suffered, Died and Rose from the Dead




A young man from a small village named Nazareth suffered and died for our sins and rose again from the dead.  This man was, also, God incarnate.  All of these are mysteries which are hard to fathom and to comprehend.

We have faith in it and are very grateful to this Jesus who opened the way for our salvation and who opened the door to heaven for us.

The gospel readings of Palm Sunday tell us the story of His suffering and death.  The gospel readings of Easter tell us of his resurrection from his death.  The story is retold many times but what is very important is its real meaning for each of us and for all of us.  We ought to pray and reflect upon this great gift and mystery of salvaton.

The Messiah or the Christ later told the doubting Apostle Thomas blessed are those who believe but did not see His wounds and the resurrected Christ.  We believers some 2,000 years later fall into this category and are grateful for the grace of Christ in believing in this miracle of salvation. 

Every Holy Week and every Good Friday, we remember the events of our Lord’s days just before his suffering, crucifixion and death.  We Catholics, also, revel in His gift to us of the Eucharist on Holy Thursday.  This is so profound to us in our spiritual life that it is beyond real comprehension but not of our appreciation.  It is so wonderful to think that this lamb of God gave His body and blood to us during a most meaningful and holy time of the Passover and He instructed us to do it in memory of Him.  We believe at each Mass that the consecrated bread and wine become His real presence. We are invited and allowed to consume it as the Jews consumed the unblemished lamb at the seder meal as instructed by God through Moses and Aaron for their physical salvation on the night of terror when the first born sons in Egypt were killed by the angel of death.  Contemplate that - Jesus, the Christ, as the real paschal lamb. 

On Easter Sunday, as we remember and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, let us do so with great reverence and joy not only that He has returned from the death but for our salvation.  Celebrate Easter with great happiness and enthusiasm for He is risen and all that means!  Remember what He  was called at birth - Emmanuel - God is with us.  After His resurrection God is still with us.

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this subject.   

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

Ray Makowski, Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer

Friday, March 22, 2013

Fickleness of Fame


This Sunday is Palm Sunday and, in contemplating what happened on that day and in the week that followed, I was thinking about the fickleness of fame.  Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem as a hero and was lauded and honored on His entry to the extent that the people wanted to cover the streets over which He traveled with palm fronds.  Then, in a matter of less that a week, the crowds turned on Him and would rather have Him punished than the criminal Barabbas not because He was the Son of God but because of the fickleness of crowds.

Over what seem innumerable times in history, crowds or mobs have turned on people because of misbeliefs and have resulted in persecutions, torture, and executions. They have done so against rulers, kings and emperors and have persecuted groups of people of all sorts of ethnic, racial and religious beliefs.  These persecutions against Christians occur even today in China and in some middle-eastern countries.  What is it about human nature that causes this?  I don’t know the answer but raise it for your thoughtful consideration.

Let me share some thoughts for you to consider.  In ancient Rome which was a democracy, when a person finished his year term in high office which was represented by a laurel wreath on his head, the wreath was taken from his head and burned.  The Romans would say sic transit gloria mundi - thus, goes the glory of the world.  They wanted to bring the former office holders down from any self-inflated egoism to normality and equality with all the other Romans and to remind them that they was not better than any other Roman.

In more recent history, President Lyndon Johnson won a huge election victory in 1968 riding of the sentiment over the assassination of his predecessor.  But, he became so unpopular because of his handling of the Vietnam war that he felt that he could not run for reelection 4 years later.  Then, his successor, President Richard Nixon won a huge reelection mandate in 1972, only to be removed by scandal over his lying to cover up the Watergate scandal and he resigned instead of being removed by impeachment in 1975.  So, the turn of public opinion doesn’t always have to be violent to have consequences.  In these two cases, there were logical reasons for the step-downs.

Jesus, on the other hand, was falsely accused, sentenced to death, tortured and then He killed in the cruelest of ways - crucifixion.  This happened as a result of the fickleness of fame - how a crowd or mob can turn against a prominent figure over lies and rumors. And that change can occur in a very short period of time.

We learn on the news that some prominent figure is accused of criminal or immoral allegations and it makes all the prime-time coverage.  But, we don’t hear that those charges or allegations turn out to be wrong.  That only makes a footnote weeks later after that person’s life has been irreparably and negatively impacted.  So, many of these thoughts in this blog occurred as a result of thinking about Palm Sunday and of reading the local news about the ongoing stories of local prominent people who are accused over what might be or might not be illegal.  Many have been prominent and have positively contributed to our community.  They have been accused.  But, if they are found not guilty, they will have been punished regardless.  So, the story of Palm Sunday and Holy Week should be a lesson to us all to withhold our opinions and not make judgments until we learn all the facts.   

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this subject.   

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

Ray Makowski, Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Habemus Papam!


These are the words that announce the election of a new pope and his identity.  In this case, it is Jorge Mario Bergoglio who will be known as Pope Francis.  He is the first Pope to use this name.
Francis is a most appropriate name as St. Francis Xavier was one of the founders of his order of the Society of Jesus and St. Francis of Assisi was an example of humility and showing by actions the evangelization of the Christian faith.

In a long time-honored tradition in the history of the Catholic Church, the eligible Cardinals who are qualified to participate meet in the Sistine Chapel to choose a successor to Peter as the Bishop of Rome and the head of the Catholic Church.  They do so in absolute privacy so they are free of outside influences to affect their deliberations and choice.  Much is made of the fact that this is done in “secrecy” but that is said blithely and ignoring the fact that the absence of undue influence is paramount so that the Cardinals can prayerfully make their selection of the new Pope.
Pope Francis is the first non-European to serve in this capacity since the 8th Century.  He is the first Pope from the Americas and from the Southern Hemisphere.  He is a Jesuit and leads a very humble life in a one room apartment and taking a bus to get to work.  Quite remarkable for a cleric holding the high office of Cardinal.  Now, what remarkable changes he will undergo as he follows in the footsteps of St. Peter as his successor in leadership of this Catholic Church!

Those are the basics about his background.  But, what are his positions on critical theological issues? According to Wikipedia, he vigorously opposes abortion and euthanasia as part of “the culture of death.”  Wikipedia, also, reports, “(h)e has affirmed church teaching on homosexuality, though he teaches the importance of respecting individuals who are homosexual. He strongly opposed legislation introduced in 2010 by the Argentine Government to allow same-sex marriage, calling it a "real and dire anthropological throwback". In a letter to the monasteries of Buenos Aires, he wrote: "Let's not be naive, we're not talking about a simple political battle; it is a destructive pretension against the plan of God. We are not talking about a mere bill, but rather a machination of the Father of Lies that seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God." He has also insisted that adoption by homosexuals is a form of discrimination against children. This position received a rebuke from Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who said the church's tone was reminiscent of ‘medieval times and the Inquisition’.

“In the Aparecida Document, a joint statement of the bishops of Latin America, Pope Francis I, as Cardinal Bergoglio, commented on the worthiness of individuals to receive the Eucharist. The text states in paragraph 436 that, ‘We should commit ourselves to ‘eucharistic coherence’, that is, we should be conscious that people cannot receive Holy Communion and at the same time act or speak against the commandments, in particular when abortion, euthanasia, and other serious crimes against life and family are facilitated. This responsibility applies particularly to legislators, governors, and health professionals’."
In light of these comments, his beliefs, and background, what will he do in his new, important and awesome position?  Obviously, it is too soon to know and anything stated is mere speculation of no more validity than tea reading.  We can only hope and pray that he will do what is right and provide the theological and practical leadership as Supreme Pontiff to guide the Church during this 21st Century of its existence.  After all, that is one of the first things that he asked of us as Pope.

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this subject.   

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

Ray Makowski, Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

70 x 7


 This is a blog about a subject that I have been pondering for a long time.  It is about the subject of forgiveness.  We all easily honor the two great commandments to honor God fully and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  But, we all have a great deal of difficulty in dealing with the corollary to the second commandment regarding our neighbors - and that is forgiving them.

I thought it was time for me to finally attempt to deal with this subject in light of the gospel readings of this past Sunday dealing with reconciliation.  We are taught about God’s Divine Mercy and we  go to confession to reconcile with Him in order to receive that divine mercy but how good are we at our human mercy and forgiveness of others?
One of my favorite saints is Saint Peter because he is so real and human in his mistakes along his own personal journey with Jesus. Yet, Jesus always forgave him and reconciled with him to the extent that He built His Church upon his leadership.  Peter asks Jesus, “‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’  Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.’” Matthew 18:21.

Wow, that is a staggering amount of forgiveness - nearly 500 times! Like the vastness of the size of the universe, this is very difficult to comprehend and very difficult to accomplish.  Yet, in perspective, we sin against God by breaking His Commandments and we take for granted His forgiveness, mercy and reconciliation with us so we can enjoy the reward of heaven in our afterlife.  And, He expects no less from us towards each other as He rightly would of the progeny of His creation.

So, we hear expressions such as “I will forgive but never forget.”  We get angry and hold grudges against those who have those who have intentionally or unintentionally done something we think is against us.  Or, we take umbrage and hold resentments against others for slighting us or for not giving us our “due” respect and honor.  Or, perhaps, we resent people who just do not like us for no apparent reason.  Or, we get very upset because a the driver of a car cuts us off or we make a driving error and receive an Italian salute.   Any or all of these “transgressions” call for us to forgive the other not just once or even seven times but seventy times seven.  This seems an ominous and impossible task and, also, it seems beyond our human ability to accomplish.  However, Jesus does not think so nor is it a suggestion from Him.  He tells us straightforward that this is what we must do.
What if we refuse or cannot?  Then it will constitute a big block to receiving God’s graces in our life and make it impossible for Him to grant us His divine mercy.  Forgiving perceived transgressors during Lent and beyond is much more important than giving up chocolate, desserts or whatever.  We must do it regularly so it becomes part of who we are as Christians.

Pray for me in my quest to succeed in forgiving and I will pray for your success.

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this subject.   

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

Ray Makowski, Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer

Monday, March 4, 2013

A Special Place in Hell.....


One of my first blogs last September began like this:

“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.”
At that time, I was thinking of the small things that priests, clergy and church leaders did and failed to do.  I was not even thinking about the bigger scandalous things like pedophilia, fornication and adultery. That there was a possible major rot at the core of our Church leadership was nowhere in my imagination at that time.  And, now, we learn that there may be a huge scandal of major proportions at the heart of our Church leadership.

Before I address this further, I want to point out that in Dante’s Inferno, as I recall, there was a special place in hell for those of high importance who betrayed the duties of their position.  We, in the Church, give the highest esteem not only to the Pope but, also, to the Cardinals and to the Archbishops, Bishops and Priests, who we follow as our shepherds in the faith and, in return, we expect them to lead by example - to lead exemplary lives as our Christian leaders.  As St. Francis of Assisi said to his disciples let’s go teach the faith and, if necessary, use words!
Over the last 40 years we, the faithful, have had to endure recurring stories of our clergy involved in sexual scandals of all sorts such as pedophilia, homosexuality, fornication and adultery.  Not only was that bad enough in and of itself but we, also, learned of the rampant scandal involving the sometime criminal cover up of these misdeeds and illegal acts by our bishops, archbishops and cardinals.  We kept praying that this would come to an end but it has not.  Now, we are learning that there is a possible widespread scandal of homosexuality in the Vatican among the hierarchy including Cardinals.  We learn about secret reports.  We learn about more cover ups.  We have the recent resignation by the Cardinal for Scotland and England in light of accusations, not by lay people but by 3 priests!  Once again, there is more secrecy at the highest levels.  Why?  Once the light and the law has been shined upon the misdeeds and unlawful activities of the clergy, the end of this has come to a near end.  I understand the need to protect the innocent from false accusations but can accusations made by priests against the hierarchy be ignored? 

If there are many homosexuals among the hierarchy, it causes me to wonder if that is the reason that the Church leadership has not taken a more active role in opposing same sex marriages as the Church admirably does in fighting abortion.

In my very simplistic view, the Church of Jesus doe not consist of the buildings including fine churches as well as the Basilica of St. Peter nor of the hierarchy but of all of us as members of the Body of Christ.  So, if there is a fever or a cancer in this Body, we are all affected and have an interest in learning about it and treating it even if it means treating it even by surgery if necessary, to save it and to nurture its health.

Give us the transparency we are entitled to have.  Secret knowledge as a basis of Christianity in the form of Gnosticism was repudiated in the early Church as a heresy.  So, let us know what is going on in the heart of our Church leadership today.  Maintain the confidentiality of the innocent but don’t continue with the scandalous behavior of covering it up.

I just happen to think that there may very well be a special place in hell for any Church leaders who engage in either this despicable behavior and those who assist in the cover up of it.

As I said in my prior blog, where does it all end?

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this subject.   

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

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

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Reflections on Pope Benedict


All the news over the last days about the last this and the last that regarding Pope Benedict’s last days in office caused me to think about who he was and his last day as Pope.

We first knew him as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger as he gained international respect and notoriety as the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under Pope John Paul II.  As we learned more about this man, we learned that he was an impressive scholar and author as well as a musician of sorts as his hobby.  We learned that he made significant scholarly contributions to Pope John Paul II in his writings including encyclicals and other matters of faith.

It is very interesting to note that he did not expect to be elected Pope and was looking forward to his retirement back to Regensburg, Germany, to study, to write and to play music with his brother who is a priest including at Masses in his brother’s parish.  Yet, as the saying goes we plan and God laughs.  Our Lord had a much different plan for Cardinal Ratzinger.  The high respect and esteem for him was demonstrated by election as pope on the second day of the conclave.  And, most of us have referred to him by his papal name, Pope Benedict, ever since.

Being the successor to Pope John Paul the Great had to be a very unenviable positon.  Nevertheless, Pope Benedict found his niche.  He has made further scholarly contributions to the world.  He, also, continued to make ecumenical outreaches to other faiths as well as to the orthodox.  He came to the capital of our country and won us over.  And, not to be overlooked but to be applauded, was his apologies to those people who had been abused by the clergy and to offer aid and assistance.  That was way overdue and he, certainly, gained a great deal of respect from many including me for this act.

In these last few days, he reported that, upon election to the papacy, one loses all his privacy.  So, he thinks that his retirement must be in a form of seclusion in order to maintain a degree of privacy that he will not have were he to even try something simple such as taking a walk in Rome.  Undoubtedly, the paparazzi and all sorts of people would surround him.  We understand this loss of privacy and that goes with this very public position.

As he retires from his position as our Pope, let us thank him for what he has done on our behalf and forgive him for whatever mistakes we perceive that he made.  Let us hope that we will be able to learn from his further scholarly contributions.  And let us pray that he may have many wonderful and healthy days in the winter of his life.  May God bless you, Pope Benedict!

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this subject.   

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

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

Friday, February 22, 2013

Where does it end?


A number of years ago, I made the dubious speculation, which I really did not take seriously at the time, that the same arguments made to promote homosexual marriage could be used to in favor of polygamy and for other “relationships.”  To my great surprise and dismay, my speculation is becoming reality.  As I was driving yesterday and listening to the news, it was reported that the lawsuit in favor of polygamy continues in a federal court.  I could not believe it and was thinking, to paraphrase Ronald Reagan, here we go again!

The reason for my speculation years ago was how I have observed court precedents get greatly expanded over time to cover all sorts of unanticipated situations if only logic and not other factors such as common sense, morality and ethics ignored.  For example, when the Fourteenth Amendment was passed after the Civil War, I do not think any of its proponents would have anticipated that it, along with the Commerce Clause of the federal constitution would be used as the legal basis and rationale for the radical expansion of the role of the federal government into all aspects of our lives.  After all, the role of the federal government was never meant to intrude into our personal lives but to protect us from the intrusion of the government for such basic rights as the free exercise of religion.  But, the federal courts have used those Fourteenth Amendment precedents and other precedents to override state laws against homosexual marriage.  And, now, the precedents and arguments for homosexual marriage are being used to legitimize polygamy and to overrule state civil and criminal laws against polygamy.  Where does it end?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “The parties to a marriage covenant are a baptized  man and woman....”  Paragraph 1645.  That seems pretty clear what God and His Son have taught for thousands of year.  But, the courts have ignored that.  In paragraph 1645, it states “Polygamy is contrary to conjugal love which is undivided and exclusive.”  Seems pretty straightforward as well.

If my memory serves me correctly, in considering a law to admit Utah to statehood, Congress told Utah that statehood for Utah would not go forward unless and until it abolished polygamy which had hitherto been legal.  After all, Brigham Young had many wives.  After Utah abolished polygamy, its statehood dreams became reality.

There are already groups who want to legalize marriages between adults and children with no age restrictions. And, there are groups who seek polyamorous relationships (multiple wifes and husbands in to one relationship) to become legal.

Let’s look at other considerations about this.  Abraham, David, Solomon and others of the times had multiple wives.  Using the historical precedent of Abraham, Muhammed had multiple wives and polygamy is tolerated among many Islamic nations.  So, if we render the free exercise of religion to Islam as part of our irrational view of tolerance (see my earlier blog quoting Bishop Sheen on the subject of tolerance), and our irrational view of homosexual “marriages”, then, polygamous relationships in this country would be legalized.  The federal judge in a polygamous lawsuit asked the question, what would be the difference between a legalized polygamy and a man having several different households with women who he lived with?  In other words, immoral relationships with multiple concubines or mistresses but each in a separate residence?
Does this sound totally unreal?  It does to me.  What has happened to the moral glue that held this country together over all these years?  It is being undone and our country and the western world is becoming undone.

Once again, where does it all end?

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this subject.   

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

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






Thursday, February 14, 2013

Papal Resignation

On Monday morning, I awoke way too early and could not fall back asleep.  So, I checked  my Kindle Fire to see if anything new was going on. Oh, did I get a surprise - 5 minutes earlier, stories started to break that the Pope resigns.  But, these were just headlines and I was wondering if it was true or just unsubstantiated rumors.  At 7, the national morning shows were reporting the story and more information came out about it.  Wow, what a surprise!  It was reported that the last Pope to resign had occurred some 600 years ago.

In my opinion, this resignation or retirement of an aged and ailing man who is our Pope is a very positive modern precedent.  Just in the last hundred years, the lifespan of people in western countries has increased dramatically as a result of better diets, the availability of food, and better health care.
However, life longevity has not removed the infirmities caused by aging.  We discovered over the last few days that Pope Benedict had a pacemaker.  So, it helped keep him alive and active but it did not remove other ailments of aging alone and the normal fatiguing.


For a normal healthy person, the position of the Pope involves a great deal of activity in performing normal pastoral duties as the head of the Church as well as the administrative duties which involve papal appointments and diplomatic duties and the overseeing of the Vatican and functioning as the spiritual leader of over a billion Catholics. And, I am sure that what we see is just the tip of the iceberg.  He, also, must study and prepare messages to his flock and to lead the clergy not to mention the study and drafting of encyclicals.  The duties are almost overwhelming even with all the staff that he has at his disposal.

The Church, like many governments and businesses, puts age limits on officer holders.  For example,  bishops must resign at age 75 and cardinals who are 80 and older are not allowed to participate in the conclave to vote for popes.  We watched Pope John Paul the Great go from a very young and energetic pope to an invalid who suffered greatly before his death.  What view of him do we remember - I like to remember his energetic early papacy rather than his last several years.  But, I am old enough to remember his election.  Tens of millions of Catholics did not know him in his early years.  He made the choice to die in office and we all learned a great deal about prayerful suffering.  However, I certainly would have welcomed his retirement to enjoy in peace the last days of his life without all the stresses of that position.

Pope Benedict wrote a couple of years ago that he would resign the position if he could not continue to carry out his duties as a result of ill health. In that writing, then, he stated his intention but it was not given widespread coverage at that point as no one, apparently, thought it would happen. Keep in mind that his predecessor died at age 84 and he is now 85

Leadership often requires making different and controversial decisions.  I think it is refreshing for this pope to recognize his human frailties and to retire due to his declining health.  He is a very cerebral and holy man and this time of retirement will allow him more time to pray, reflect, discern, study and write.  He has written so much that is beneficial so we will enriched all the more from additional writings from him.

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this whether or not popes should resign..  

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

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

Friday, February 8, 2013

Lent


It seems as though Ash Wednesday and Lent are coming upon us very early this year.  So, this got me to thinking about it.  It is very interesting that Ash Wednesday comes shortly after last Sunday’s Gospel reading where Jesus was speaking to his home synagogue in Nazareth.  And, he tells the congregants after reading from a scroll of Isaiah that today that passage of the Scripture has been fulfilled in their hearing.  Soon, his neighbors said in essence, hey, wait a minute isn’t that the son of Joseph?  Of course, their meaning was that they knew his parents and saw him grow up and Jesus could not possibly be the Messiah.  Soon, their discontent became anger and they tried to throw him off the top of the hill.  How would we react if someone who we saw grow up, who was the son of poor parents and whose father was a laborer, got up in Mass and made the same claim?    Would we accept him or her as a prophet or holy person or would we do, as the Nazarean congregants, and scoff him or her out of the church?


As we have our so-called fling on Fat Tuesday, do we ever think why this is done?  It is because the next day is to begin 40 days of deprivation to commemorate the 40 days spent in the desert by Jesus as he fasted and prayed.  In paragraph 540 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church it says of this, “By the solemn forty days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert.”  So, on Fat Tuesday, people seem to believe they need to self-indulge before the 40 days of fasting. 


Of course, the culmination of Lent is the remembering of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus for our sins. So, these forty days offer a proper time to reflect upon Him and our lives as well to reconcile with Him through the Sacrament of Penance.  Again, as during Advent, it should be a reminder to take a break from the hustle and bustle of our  daily routines and activities of our lives, to reflect upon the life and death of Jesus as well as our own lives and to contemplate where we are and should be going as good Christians and Catholics.  Do we walk the talk, as the saying goes?

Let me know what you think.

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

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

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Commencement.


    It is customary to call graduation from a school or a course of study the commencement for the obvious reason that the occasion not only marks the end of that course of study but, more importantly, the beginning of the rest of the student’s life thereafter.  We should, also, call retirement from a job or a position a commencement.

    Can you imagine leaving your native country in the 1950s to arrive in Florida to commence your career as a priest and devoting over 50 years in that vocation?  Can you imagine starting a new parish from nothing and building it up over 43 years and serving as its sole priest and pastor?  During that time, you observed the bad and the good - from birth through death, tragedies, suffering, family and personal travails as well as triumphs.  You observed the change of the country through these years and you observed the change in your city and community as well as the change of your parish.
Throughout it all, you saw Bishops come and go as well as Popes come and go and the changes from  pre-Vatican times through post-Vatican Council times.
   
    As I reflect upon the life of my pastor, the pastor of Prince of Peace parish, for all these years, who retires today, I think about his life and his experiences.  Fr. Michael J. Larkin now embarks upon his commencement into his life of retirement.  And, he does so with my profound respect and gratitude for is service to the Lord in his vocation as well as the gratitude of all of his parishioners, former parishioners, and all who have had the opportunity to have known him.  He brought to all of us his joy of life, his smile, his positive and uplifting attitude as well as his comforting and healing personality as he served the Lord in his capacity as one of His shepherds. 
    The service of this wonderful holy man has been the ideal of a parish priest and pastor.  Those who taught him had a great student and he learned well from them.  He has a distinctive voice and laugh that is unmistakable.  He lead us not only by his homilies and teachings but, also, by his example.  He willingly was available 24/7 to minister to the sick and to be there to administer to the dying.  He readily spent untold hours over the course of his lifetime saying Mass in nursing homes and working with his Extraordinary Ministers to bring the Holy Eucharist to all Catholics in hospitals, rehabilitation centers and nursing homes in our parish. He devoted endless hours to evangelizing to inactive Catholics and non-Catholics and to converts and to reverts.  He was there to minister those who were undergoing marital problems and other family problems.  He was always happy to be there for everyone who wanted the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  And, he loved to spend time with his parishioners for a nice meal and conversation.  He was a man in every sense of the word - he love sports including football and he was no stranger to a golf course or two.  But, he was  in no small measure a man of God.

    Those of us who have known him as our pastor, priest and friend will miss him greatly in that capacity as our pastor and priest.  But, we also wish him the very best as begins this new life of his and hope that he gets the very well deserved rest and the enjoyment of his new life. And, of course, we hope and pray that we have that, more than occasional, personal encounter with him in the future. 

    I feel very confident that when he gets to heaven he will be told by our Lord “Well done, good and faithful servant” and there will be a place waiting for him.

    Please join me in saying prayers for this remarkable holy man and priest who stands as a shining example for all of us.

Let me know what you think.

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

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