Jack’s Winning Words 4/15/15
“The cemetery and the hut of the dying are my best meditation books.”  (Father Damien)  Where is it that you feel closest to God?  For me, it’s in private prayer.  For Fr Damien, it was when he was among the lepers who had been quarantined on the Hawaiian island of Moloka’i.  It was his “call from God” to minster to these people.  It takes a saint to see the face of God in the faces of society’s outcasts, the diseased and the the poor.  Where do you see God?    ;-)  Jack

FROM HONEST JOHN:  I loved to go into the sanctuary in the early morning for devotions.    I felt like a monk in the Middle Ages.   Now I use my library at home.====JACK:  A nurse that I know would always stop at the hospital chapel for prayer before she would go on duty.

FROM TARMART REV:  I experience His closeness while studying or hearing of Him from the Word of God . . . hasn't always been so, but of late, say the past five or so years, the previous entertainment from television has not been a part of my life any longer and sitting, laying or while driving, listening to a sermon or teaching from the radio, CD or in the presence of good Biblical expositor causes me to appreciate God on a higher level than before this time. Maybe comes with age...whatever, it has gotten my attention at the present more so than ever before.====JACK:  I'm reminded of the little boy who asked his friend: "Why does your grandpa read his Bible so much."  The friend replied, "I think that he's studying for his finals!"  I think that you're in a position to "ace" the test.

FROM MICHIZONA RAY:  My experiences of "presence" are mostly in the quiet places: the three-day silent retreats run by the Jesuits, the desert of the Southwest, and even while playing golf. For myself the conscious moments of true relationship with Jesus and me are the moments in between activity. I like to carry the same sense of presence into the activity; but much too often the functions of the activity become distractions themselves. Maintaining both requires my full and sustained attention.====JACK:  Some golfers are heard to shout, "O, God!"  Are they having a religious experience, or what?====RAY:  And I've heard even worse...and I don't think it had to do with religious stuff!====JACK:  That elderly lady on the current "That's not a Buick!" ad would probably say, "Oh, my!" if she dubbed her golf shot.

FROM ST. PAUL IN ST. PAUL:  the sad part of this story was the white man bringing his diseases to indigenous people who had no immunities for such diseases (measles, mumps, etc.)  but, of course, no one knew this at the time.  another sad example of unintended consequences...====JACK:  On NPR this morning I heard someone say that societal change (he was talking about gay marriage) happens whether we like it or not.  The American Indians found that out.  The Luddites fight a losing battle.  BTW, today is the date of Fr. Damien's death.  He died in 1889 at the age of 49, among the people he loved, sharing their disease.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  In the face of the newborn, in the face of my children and my grandchildren and in the face of the photos of my beloved ancestors.====JACK:  I like to see the many pictures saved on my computer, but I like the old photo albums with the black and white snapshots, attached with corner stickers.  ====JUDY:  We enjoy looking at the old black and white albums my family made.  They took a lot of photos, which surprised us when we went through them.  We even have photos from the first people (Danes) to come to America.  You would think they didn't have enough money for photos but somehow they had them taken.  Want to hear another fascinating family fact?!?   Our grandson Josh, who will be 16 tomorrow, goes down to Myrtle Beach with his church's youth group every year.  They just got back.  While on a walk with the group Josh stopped to thank a WW11 vet for serving and the guy recognized the dog tags Josh was wearing.  The guy asked to see the dog tags so Josh took them off and gave them to the fellow.  (The fellow was in a wheelchair).  The vet said, "I know Robert Chappel; he served on the LST with me.  Bob was a very good baker and a great gunner....he shot down 3 Japanese planes.  He was a hero."  Joshua wears my Dad's dog tags.  He was very close to my dad and misses him a lot.  What a shock!  Here the guy was on the same ship as my dad.  It's a small world!!====JACK:  That's an amazing story...and Josh sounds like an amazing young man.  Grandpa would be proud.
FROM CHESTER THE GOOD:  I don't, know that I "see" God, but I see his work all around me. ====JACK:  The idea of seeing God in others is shown in Jesus' Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:35-45)  35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.    36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.'   37 "Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?    38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?    39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?'    40 And the King will tell them, 'I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,  you were doing it to me!'   41 "Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, 'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his demons!    42 For I was hungry, and you didn't feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn't give me anything to drink.    43 I was a stranger, and you didn't invite me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me no clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn't visit me.'   44 "Then they will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?'    45 And he will answer, 'I assure you, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.'

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  Father Damien went to the same seminary (Leuven, OUTSIDE OF Brussels) in Belgium that our beloved Father Culeman from Sacred Heart also went for his studies before coming to Moline for our  new church.  Yes. it was all very inspiring.  Our nuns here in Tampa had a member of their order who went to Molokai to help Father Damien, and she was recently beatified in Rome.====JACK:  What I remember about Father Culeman was that he flew his own airplane.  Man, that was cool!

FROM JK IN CALIFORNIA:  I've been to the island of Molokai and seen the Leper Colony..... It's on the north shore surrounded by the South Pacific and prefect weather :-)====JACK:  It's a good thing for us to remember and honor saints who visit the sick and care for them...in Hawaii or in the slums of some city...or wherever.

FROM BS IN ENGLAND:  I think that you can see the face of God in a baby-----each one a miracle. ====JACK:  An experienced midwife has seen many baby faces.  How many do you think that you've seen?====BS:  I have delivered about 100 I suppose, as I went back to orthopaedic nursing.  My sister however must has delivered 1000 or  maybe more.====JACK:  That's a lot of little faces, and each one is special!