Mass Bulletin: March 24, 2013

From Msgr. Waldo's commentary in the bulletin:

"Never dismiss or ignore the SIGNS...SIGNS are always very important and instructive.  The SIGNS coming out of Rome with election and acceptance of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio as Pope Francis have been subtle and instructive: A plain white house cassock, his own pectoral cross, speaking to the cardinal electors as brothers, plain vestments, arrangement of altar appointments, black shoes and black pants under the cassock as we wear in the Americas and not the Roman-Italian custom of short pants and long socks.  Gone is the velvet and fur, fluff and jewels...in comes plain and simple; what I call “boy clothes” and engaging the people of his flock as a pastor does.  For the first time since the schism of 1054 with the Orthodox Catholic Church, the Patriarch of Constantinople-Istanbul will attend the inauguration liturgy of Pope Francis as will the Chief Rabbi of Rome, SIGNS.  Absolutely stunning.  The Eastern Orthodox Church has read some of the signs coming out of Rome under Benedict 16th and now under Pope Francis: the change in language of our creedal statement which we still struggle with in English… "consubstantial” and Francis’ work on the Commission for the Oriental Churches and now they choose to walk closer with us.  HOPE is the SIGN and it bears fruit.  Now please God, give Pope Francis the health and stamina he will need to put our Church back on track in governance, walking the talk, and living the mission."

I couldn't agree more. Msgr. Waldo spends a lot of time talking about the signs of these times - those that make us hopeful, and those that are worrisome. He leads us, his congregation, through these ups and downs with his own humility. It is beautiful to see this transformation taking place in Rome. And, it is exciting that the rest of the Church has also taken notice.

More than ever, I believe unity is possible. I believe God is working to bring us back together.

Terror

How do you stop the cycle of terror? Keep it at bay? Conquer it? Is that even possible?

In a world so full of evil, I feel like I'm always trading one fear or worry for another.

It all stems from the attempted break-in at our house at the end of August, 2012, and has been compounded by the never-ending stream of "odd" things that have happened since then.

Like, a few weeks ago (probably closer to a month), I came home and saw that the big, heavy bench had been moved 5 or 6 feet over to the very edge of the front porch. Although it would have been hard, someone could have used it to get onto our roof. It also appeared that one of the screens on an upstairs window had been tampered with.

Panic. Fear. Anger.

Fight or flight? I just want to leave and never step foot inside that house again.

And, just a few days before that, when Michael was on days off, there were two different nights when we <b>both</b> heard a series of loud thuds or bangs coming from in or right outside the house. I don't even know how to describe the noises really. All I can say is that it brought all of those feelings of terror, helplessness, despair, sheer panic, RIGHT back to the surface. I had multiple panic attacks that week.

Michael tells me I'm cynical; I believe that I'm a realist. I try to see all possibilities as clearly as I can. I want to measure my options, lay them out all nice, clean and pretty on a white sheet, and logically pick what makes the most sense.

But, in this case, I can't do that. The fact is, the last seven months has changed me. It's taken a toll on me - physically, mentally, emotionally. I am no longer the same person that I was and, currently, I am not the mother that I want to be. My kids are stressed. And, I'm a mess.

I pray every day for peace. I pray every day for God to give us a sign, to point us in the direction we are supposed to go. But, for the last seven months, all I have gotten back is more chaos, more strange or bad things happening, more stress.

I've been wondering lately if these things keep happening because this <b>is</b> God's sign, or warning really. Or, if I'm now just completely paranoid.
How do you know?