Must have a personal relationship

Tonight, I am going to attempt to blog. Right now my house is filled with chaos. The boys are excited and anticipating the first snow of the year. Unfortunately, the storm has not arrived as anticipated by the weather man. So, every 2 seconds somebody is jumping up and looking out a window to see if the snow has started. Then the soliloquy's begin. "When it snows I am going to...." Needless to say, today's schoolwork is still in progress and I do not see it being completed any time soon. The other distractor seems to be the Matt Maher CD "Alive Again." If they are not talking about the impending snow they are singing lyrics from the CD. There is like this non stop chatter, singing, chatter thing going on. I am severely craving some quiet.

There is a restlessness in the house tonight. Even the cats and dog are in on it. The dog keeps looking out the window, maybe wondering what her pups (the boys) are looking at. The cats, who are usually very quiet and rarely seen, have been running around the house chasing each other. So, when the cats run by, the dog has to follow chase. Ever seen a Great Dane chase a cat around a house. It may seem amusing to an outsider, but very nerve racking to me. Kind of like a "bull in the china store" syndrome. So, for me tonight, concentration is at a premium.

Nonetheless, I will attempt this thought I have been pondering since Mass on Sunday. First of all, it is a small world. I am currently on assignment in Heber Valley/Park City UT. I have been trying to find a Catholic church to go to. Went to the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City. It is a beautiful Cathedral, the artwork in a southwest flair . Interesting architecture, artwork, but very impersonal and a long drive up and over the mountain.

Went to the church in Park City. That will be a one time experience. Did not appreciate the priest being openly disobedient to the Bishop and the Catholic Church. After his homily was about how he is openly gay and we are free to worship any way we want, he then wondered why there were not many kids enrolled in the RCIA program. Uh, duhh!!!!! Still scratching my head how this priest has been able to remain in the priesthood.

So, on to the little Catholic Church in Heber City whose only Mass is bilingual. I have to admit, I wasn't really all that thrilled about going. But, I believe it is important to spend time with God, and that communion is necessary to keep one's life in step with Christ. So, we went. And guess what? Just like Goldilocks, this one was just right. It was similar to my Parish in China Spring, TX, which is small. close knit, but very friendly to visitors. The Priest a young hispanic fellow who was obviously not an English speaker as his native tongue. He was little difficult to understand, but very personable, and the fire of God was within him and that made me very happy. After Mass I had a chance to speak with him and found out that a year ago he was a Priest in the Diocese of Austin, TX. HELLO! That is the Diocese where my Parish is located. Reminded by God that this world is smaller than we think. We reminisced for a few minutes about things back in TX. He reminded me of Fr. Guajardo at St.Philips in China Spring, TX. Very welcoming and very approachable.

During the sermon he mentioned to the congregation how we needed to have a personal relationship with God and that we need to teach our children to be prayerful and to lead by example. This Priest was not preaching to the choir. I believe whole heartedly. One must have a relationship with God. A prayer life. A way of knowing spiritually that God exists not just intelectually. St Anselm, in not so easy language, discussed how one must have a relationship with God. "True knowledge, which is never the fruit of aseptic thoughts, but of a contemplative intuition." - St Anselm.

I believe we need to have a prayer life. One can know all about God, read all about God, hear all about God, but will never "know God's existence" in their own life if they do not have a prayer life.

As parents it is even more important we have a prayer life. Our children are constantly watching us, deciding which behaviors they should follow. It is very difficult to tell a child to be prayerful and "Christian like" when we as parents don't even have a prayer life and we disregard our Christian beliefs and live a life "of this world." If we want our children to be followers of Christ we must lead them to Christ, and we lead them by example.

Dust off the Bible and open it. Read from it. Discuss it. God fordbid, a Catholic should memorize a verse or two like our Protestant counterparts. Learn the Ten Commandments and live by them. My boys are far from perfect, but they do have a moral compass unlike their peers. It is difficult to keep this compass pointed in the correct direction "The world," teases them and entices them and at times they do not know which path to take. They have given into temptation, but forgiveness occurs and then a frank and open discussion about why it is wrong in a Christian manner (10 Commandments) occurs. Living a life according to God, the Commandments, a family prayer life and setting an example will show your children how to have a relationship with God. We, ourselves, must have a prayer life and relationship with God, first.

So, my conclusion for tonight is. PRAY. At times, like tonight in my household, it may be difficult to find time for prayer, or soothe the savage, restless souls. And, of course, one can not spend all of their time in prayer, but one must incorporate it into their daily life. Right now I am praying that is snows before bedtime, because I do not think I will have the ability to get these boys into bed, otherwise. Second, One never knows where God wants us to be, so we must leave ourselves open to HIm to guide us. He guided us to St Lawrence Catholic Church in Heber City, UT which I honestly did not think it was going to be a good fit. But hey, what do I know. Obviously, God wanted us there. The Priest invited my boys to alter serve, since St. Lawrence didn't have any alter servers and my boys have been altar servers at St. Philips. I guess this will be our place of worship while we are on assignment here in UT.

Come snow, come.