Father Tom's Kids

The "Fr. Tom's Kids" Program pairs sponsors with orphans and needy students. Sponsored kids are provided a year of school fees, boarding, school supplies, basic medical care, uniforms, and books. Most of Fr. Tom's Kids are orphans whose families are victims of HIV/AIDS. Also prevalent is Burkitt Lymphoma, which is native to Africa. Those who have living parents prove to be too much of a burden to their families and are brought to the school. The school is Our Lady of Grace in Kisumu, Kenya. The mission is run by the Dominican Friars.

Besides the basic care, education is most important. Education is the ticket for a good job and to become a useful citizen. Education is the foundation for creating a more just society. Educated people are empowered to work for peace and justice against the current corruption in their part of the world. Ecuation trains informed leaders and enables those to raise their families out of the poverty cycle.

How about helping out. To sponsor a child, we're asking $ 75 a month. But just a tax-deductible donation to the Fr. Tom's Kids Program is wellcome. To contact the Dominican Friars in Kisumu, Kenya, please contact their Missions Director in the US:

Dominican Friars Kisumu
c/o DOMINICAN MISSION SECRETARIATE
141 East 65th St.
New York, NY 10065-6607

Director of Lay Preaching

Yours truly has been asked to be Director of Lay Preaching. Wowza!

It's not an honor, yet. My friend, Bob, has set up a site for Lay Dominicans and has asked me to Direct that part of it. The site is under construction.

What shall it include? What do you think?

I think it'll be about "How" not "What"? I think it's boring when preachers put up their homilies. There's even sites where people give a Talk. This site will be different. People will give suggestions, tell what works, and what doesn't.

This is going to be fun.

Mindfulness at the Dentist

What a joke? I still say the teachers of mindfulness and those that think that stress is cause by the future are wrong. The premise is wrong. It's more stressful to be hit with the unexpected present: accidents, unexpected happenings, and just plain "life", than the future.

Who worries about the future? Or rather, why would anyone worry about stuff that may never happen? Like I said in my previous posting, turn it over to God. He's the only One Who can use the bad to make good.

This was all brought to mind, today, as I sat in the dentist chair. I wasn't that worried, or anxious. The dentist was fitting me for my bridge. No pain involved.

Then he took a hammer. That's right a HAMMER! That tool that you hit a nail with. He took a hammer and started smacking my teeth with it. Now tell me honestly, would that cause stress, or would you be thinking about tomorrow's stress? The dentist was trying to loosen my temporary bridge. See if you can practice mindfulness with a man smacking a hammer on your teeth.

Good Lord. Thank God I'm Catholic and believe in redemptive suffering.

Stress Two

Part Two of my Stress Class was today. I understand what they're trying to teach me, but it doesn't apply to my situation. Today we worked on being present to the moment. (They must have read Flannery O'Connor's The Habit of Being.) The idea is that thinking about the future is causing the stress. What lies ahead is worrisome and causing anxiety. So if one focuses on the present, the stress is lessened.

Wrong.

The present is causing the stress. The future is retirement, or vacation, or the next day--a new day away from the stressful present. Think of a woman in labor. What could be more stressful than that PRESENT. Ugh. What keeps her going is the future. She's probably thinking of 24 hours from now this will all be done and I'll be holding my baby, far away from this STRESSFUL PRESENT.

We also talked about attitude. We should be grateful. We should notice in our "present" all that we have to be grateful for: flowers, weather, etc. I can't find fault with this attitude. But I'll add my philosophy: Always expect the worst. That way you're always prepared. Percentage-wise, I know the worst is unlikely to happen, but if I'm prepared to handle the worst, then I can handle anything. So actually, I'm an optimist because the worst, which I expected, didn't happen, thus I'm happy. I'm an optimist because I'm a pessimist.

Besides, if one is religious, all they have to do is hand over all their concerns to God. Let Him handle it. Religious people know that everything is according to God's plan. He's in charge. Whatever happens, the good, the bad,... is all part of the grand scheme of things. We only see our little part of it.

That's what I'm grateful for: believing in God, being a pessimist, being able to blog, for my kids, for my husband, for my health, ...oops, we're only suppose to list four things a day.

....to be continued

How to Write a Psalm

Last weekend, I learned how to write a psalm. It is actually helping me to pray better because I am really focused. Let me show you how to write a psalm.

Psalms are like our usual prayers. They are either praising, asking, or thanking. Psalms, however are written in parallel verses connected together by concept. The writing style in Psalms follow a distinct format called parallelism.

One concept is synonymous parallelism. One thought is stated and the next line states the same thought with different words, i.e.: Psalm 1:5

Therefore the wicked will not survive judgment.
Nor will sinners in the assembly of the just.

Another: Psalm 2:3
Let us break their shackles
and cast off their chains!


Another style of verse is antithetic parallelism. One thought is stated and the next line is the opposite, i.e.: Psalm 1:6

The Lord watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.


Another: Psalm 20:8
Some rely on chariots, others on horses,
but we on the name of the Lord our God.

One more type of psalm is synthetic parallelism. One thought is stated and the other verses develop that thought, i.e.: Psalm 1

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
Or stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of mockers
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night

There you go. What do you think?

Try writing using one or more of these methods. What did you notice?

I bet your praying has never been better. Aren't you really focused on praising, thanking, asking, or interceding? Writing psalms were be the perfect activity for Adoration.

I owe my Beloved all,
Yet I forget and sin.

Beloved, I believe
I want to believe more.

Mmmmmmmm. Remember it's the intention that counts. Trying to pray is prayer.

Abortion and Health Care

Thanks to Speaker Pelosi, who held the door open for Rep. Stupak to offer an amendment on the floor to restrict federal funding for abortion services, even in private health insurance plans. The vote was 240-194.

Stupak . "It applies the Hyde amendment — which bars federal funding for abortion except in the case of rape, incest or the life of the mother — to the health care bill."

The amendment is saying that government money can't be used for abortion. The government-administered health plan — often called the public option — will not cover abortion, unless a doctor certifies that a woman is in danger of death without one, or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.

If you get your health insurance through the government, or with help from the government in the form of a tax subsidy, your plan will not cover abortion. In this case, you would have the right to buy extra coverage — with your own money.

If you get your health insurance through your state, as in Medicaid, your state could buy supplemental abortion coverage for everyone it insures. And 17 states already do this under Medicaid.

The Exchange: The next section of the abortion amendment deals with the exchange. That's the government-administered service where people can buy insurance and join a risk pool. One of the reasons health care is so expensive for people who don't get it through their work is that they're not in a large risk pool. The bill tries to group them together and cut costs for everyone.

Private insurance companies that offer a health plan through the exchange are allowed to cover abortion. But if they're going to, the companies must also offer another plan that is identical in every way, except that it does not cover abortion.

So, say you're buying insurance with your own money, and you get it through the exchange. You can choose a policy that covers abortion, or one that doesn't. But if you're getting help from the government to buy that insurance — in the form of a tax subsidy — you may not choose a plan that covers abortion. You are still allowed to buy a supplemental policy with your own money.

Private Insurance: The Stupak amendment does not apply to private insurance bought with private money. It is also not close to becoming law. The Senate bill does not have similar language, though lawmakers on both sides of the debate are now looking at it.

The bill is being crafted by democracy. That's how the people exercise their voice.

I'm proud of the Democrats for Life and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Lithuanian Franciscans

This weekend I was in Kennebunk, ME for a meeting. It was held at the Franciscan Guest House on the grounds of St. Anthony's Monastery. The place was beautiful. The weather was beautiful. I was blessed in so many ways, even though a proposal I put forth was shot down. But I refuse to be down about it. The good outweighs the bad.

I renewed many friendships. I made new friends. And my socks were knocked off by a coincidence. I knew nothing about this place. It is run by Franciscans from Lithuania. Guess what. I'm half Lithuanian.

Who knew?

I was so blessed by seeing facial similarities, bone structures, a language (which I don't speak) I haven't seen in years. I just felt the presence of my mother and grandparents and other relatives all around me. And this the Feast of All Souls. Wow! Lord, thank you for all my Lithuanian relatives. Have mercy on them and give them my love.

The blessings continued. It was 60 degrees. In Maine! In November! So I went for a walk around the place. I saw a Lithuanian Wayside Cross, which looks nothing like a cross. That's the picture, above.

I saw this sculpture that I saw at the World's Fair when I was a senior in high school. It was designed by Vytautas Kazimieras Joynas. It represented the Church Militant (us), the Church Suffering (purgatory), and the Church Triumphant (heaven).

There were many other shrines, sculptures, monuments and a scenic view of the Kennebunk River. The blessings continue.

Naturally, there's a gift shop. In the Icon area I was specifically looking for the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. We're talking about Icons in my Arise Together in Christ group. We're just interested in them; it has nothing to do with our faith sharing program. But I was telling the group about the sandal falling of Jesus' foot, in that icon. I've been looking for that picture to show the group. And I did find a holy card of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, but the sandal falling isn't distinct. I was telling my friends about it and we looked all over the gift shop and didn't find anything better.

We went to brunch. While eating, a lady came over to me and said, "I overheard your conversation in the gift shop. I found this and am giving it to you." It was a 2" x 4" icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help and the first thing one notices is the sandle trailing off Jesus' foot.

She turned around and left. I called after her, "Please stay and eat with us." She rushed away, shaking her head "no". I didn't see her again.

I am so unworthy of God's benevolence towards me.

I'm awed.