

You might think that I’m behind but I’m not. There has been so much going on in the Church the last 40 + days that I just can’t get my head wrapped around it all. So, if I repeat myself here please accept my apologies.
If you walk up to or drive by St. Jerome Church in Fancy Farm the sign on the church says “Roll the Stone Away and See the Wonder God Can Do”. Woah! What stone will I not roll away? What am I hiding behind that stone? Better yet, what is God hiding behind that stone.
A friend of mine posted on social media “What if I told you that you already are everything you are trying to become?” Woah! Same message? I think so.
I’m one of these people that say “when all conditions are right then I’m going to do . . . “. So for most of my life I didn’t write because I didn’t have a computer. Then I didn’t write because I didn’t have the right pen. You name the excuse and I could come up with it. Every. Single. Time. But what I’m hearing from all outlets is that I already am a writer. Yes, I write blog posts. And yes, I write some for work. And yes, I have about 3 novels inside of me SCREAMING to get out. But do I spend hours writing? No, I don’t. I wish I did. But I always say “well, all conditions are not right”. I need to sit myself down in a chair and scream to myself “YES THEY ARE!”
When the disciples met up with Jesus originally I am sure they had no clue what He had in mind for them. If they had, would they have come? Would someone like Peter have put himself through all that he went through? Peter had to grow quite a bit to become the rock of the Church. And as much as we berate Thomas for doubting he had to have a good role model in Peter. The Lord tested him at every turn. What about John? Timid, precious John? John, who loved Jesus above all. Would he have followed Jesus knowing what he had to witness? Would any of the disciples have followed Him knowing what they had to suffer and how they would die?
But they came out of that upper room energized in faith. They all took to the streets to make sure everyone know about the Risen Savior. And the people flocked to them. Everyone couldn’t get enough of them.
Aren’t I called to do as the disciples did? Aren’t I called to live up to my potential? You knew that I was going to have to get Fr. Darrell’s sermon in here somehow, right? We are all required to live up to our potential. That might be just raising a child that will raise a child who will continue the faith. That might be writing a blog post as the Spirit hits. That might be going out and discovering a cure for cancer or diabetes or heart disease. We all have a potential to live up to. So my question is, on days, weeks, months, years, that I procrastinate or do something other than my potential, am I sinning against God? Ooooh, food for thought. My immediate answer would be “yes”, but isn’t God a lot more merciful than me?
So, if I all we have to do is live up to our potential then maybe that is something to strive for during this Easter season. And if I make it to Pentecost doing as He tells me to do then I should be able to make it for the rest of my life.
Yep, I’m energized to do that. I’m excited to do that. Listen here, all conditions are right.
Cynthia Elder
Everywhere I look and see these days I feel that I am being called to evangelize. I feel very comfortable being given that role, but. . . .
I don’t feel that I am worthy. Who am I? I’m an older, white, female (you notice that I didn’t say “elderly”). What do I have to offer? True, I have stories but I don’t have that one story that catapults me to the role of evangelist.
But then I hear this at Mass this morning:
“Jesus did not read the scripture, He let the scripture read Him . . . Let the scripture read you too.” Fr. Darrell
I am a firm believer that the Holy Spirit is in my life. There have been times that I do a very good job at something, and I know, for a fact, that the Holy Spirit is responsible. But I also know, that there are times that I work very hard at something. And although I believe that the Holy Spirit is there with me, it’s not all about Him. I’ve had some input into my accomplishments. In my life, it’s like I’ve always owned the things that didn’t go right but have always waived the things that did go right. I give credit for those things to anyone who has helped me, or to the Holy Spirit. I do appreciate it when those who are winning awards say, “First, I would like to give all glory to God”. I usually give myself credit way down the list. Honestly, I don’t think like that. Honestly, I think “Man, I have worked hard on this. I sure hope that somebody notices.” And when they do I’m all like “shucks, Ma’am, twernt nothin’.” But inside, I’m all like “you got that right, sister, it’s all about me!”
So, let’s get back to the evangelization thing. I’m Catholic. We don’t evangelize. Why would we even want to? That could have something to do that I’m a cradle Catholic, raised in a very dominant Catholic community. It could be that I was never around anyone who ever evangelized, other than a preacher here or there. There was no need to evangelize. We would have been preaching to the choir.
But, as I have gone through life I have found myself in the middle of an opportunity to evangelize and I’ve missed the opportunity. Or I’ve discounted what I had to say. That’s it more than anything, I’ve discounted what I have to say. And those who know me know that I have a lot of something to say. So, . . .
I think the shingle will be hung out. I’m giving you all fair warning. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t plan on preaching. I don’t plan on getting my soap box and letting you know of the evil you do and the wonders that I do. That’s not going to happen. But I am going to live my life out loud. I intend to look for opportunities to tell you of my beliefs and my perspective on faith. I think I’ve earned that.
I have often told myself that no one wants to hear what I have to say. But then I look at places where people have wanted to hear what I have to say. They’ve asked. Or they’ve commented on something that I’ve said. And, something else. I have an awful lot of life experience. Things have happened in my life, that has brought me my stories. I’ve lived a pretty full life, a pretty good life, a faith-filled life. No, I don’t have a story of conversion. There was no need for that. My stories are of the journey of life, of faith. And it’s the story with the Holy Spirit by my side. Sometimes I knew it, and lots of times I didn’t have a clue. But there are reasons that I am still here when there are times I look back and by all rights I shouldn’t still be here. I do give that credit to my guardian angel, or the Holy Spirit. I know it’s because of divine intervention.
I have often felt that God had a plan for me. Maybe I haven’t been ready. Maybe I keep looking in the wrong places for His plan. I do know that if I do as He tells me to do that He will reveal his plan for me, in His time. Maybe he’ll do that when I’m 80. I hope that He does it before then because I would really like to enjoy it.
So, Fr. Darrell, I’m going to continue to read the scriptures and maybe I’ll let the scriptures read me. Maybe that is part of the plan.
Get ready, because I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.
Cynthia Elder
It’s been awhile since I posted anything here. It’s not that I don’t have anything to say, you know I do. It’s more that it hasn’t been a priority. I think it’s time to change my priorities.
The readings at Mass this week were full of visuals: lots of trees and seeds and birds. I like these kind of readings, I can put myself right there. But that’s not the way Fr. Darrell went. He went political, which he seldom does. But it seems as though a. Man with HUGE authority went Biblical and got it all wrong.
Romans 13
You know, you can grab a line out of the Bible and use it to say whatever you want. Personally, I think Jeff Sessions, the Attorney General of the United States, citing this passage is hogwash. The way I read what he has said is that God appointed those in authority. HOGWASH, I say! If that were the case, as Fr. Darrell pointed out, then abortion would never be legal. And if you go down just a little further past this passage in Romans 13, you will see that it says “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”.
So, let’s go there.
Jeff Sessions was born in Selma, Alabama in 1946. This would mean that he was involved in all of the civil rights turmoil that happened in Selma in the 60’s. He was named after his father and grandfather (as he is a III). So, he was named after Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederate States of America and General Beauregard, the Confederate General who oversaw the bombardment of Fort Sumter, which started the Civil War. I’m just guessing here but I might wager that he was not all about civil rights back in Selma in the 60’s. I was just down there recently, saw quite a bit of what happened during the 60’s, never once heard his name mentioned. Never.
His family came over from England, maybe Scotland or Ireland. I guess back then we didn’t have closed borders.
Jeff Sessions has 3 children and at least 6 grandchildren. I wonder how he would feel if someone separated him, forcefully, from any member of his family? I wonder.
Oh, he’s a Sunday School Teacher.
I don’t advocate for open borders. But I will tell you this, as someone who is familiar with people from Mexico and other Latin countries, they are coming here for a better life. The poverty is extreme. Their lives in many ways are awful. They are looking for their children to have a better life than they have. I’m sure Mr. Sessions has worked his entire life to make sure his children’s lives are better than his. I know my parents did that. I know that I did that. How can we resent that?
But if the law says you have to deport them then don’t you dare take their children away from them. This hurts my heart and soul. How in the world can Mr. Sessions call himself a Christian, and a Sunday School Teacher, and, as a person of authority, allow that to happen? I cannot fathom anyone being okay with this. No one. Never.
Cynthia Elder
We all have opinions don’t we? Some are better than others. We all try to second guess our government. I have caught myself, on numerous occasions, critiquing television commercials. At every level sporting event we all turn into coaches. And we don’t mind voicing our opinions. Of course if ours is different than yours, we don’t want to hear it.
Can you imagine what it was like in Jesus’ day? I mean he travelled with twelve men. You know how men are. If there were twelve there then there were twelve different opinions. If women were travelling with them then they had their opinions too. They probably spoke most of those under their breath. I’m sure this happened a lot more than we hear about.
But in the Gospel this week we heard it more than once. Everyone had an opinion. The apostles tell Jesus that he doesn’t need to go back to Lazarus when they found out he was sick. Then when he died they tell him there was nothing more he could do. I’ll bet they grumbled all the way back to Judea. And then when he gets back Martha is telling him how she sees the situation and what he needs to do now. I especially like how she agrees with everything he says but doesn’t have a clue what he is talking about. If she hadn’t interrupted him with “Yes Lord, but . . . ” she might have been able to pick up on what the Lord was talking about. I wonder how often I do that. “Lord, I know you’ve got this but I’m going to worry about it a little more” or “Lord I know that you hear me but I’m going to . . . ”
Fr. Darrell asked us if we are believers during his sermon and then waited for our reply. The church was silent. Then he said “I guess not” and ended his sermon. I wanted to stand up and holler “Yes! I do believe!” But of course, that wouldn’t have been appropriate. If I didn’t agree with what he was saying I would have probably punched Jimmy in the belly and said something under my breath. Why would that have been appropriate? Of course, we could all tell Fr. Darrell what we think would be appropriate. That would probably go over about as good as the apostles telling Jesus what He should do.
I think we need to start a cheering section in the first few pews during Mass. I mean if we truly believe then we should cheer all through Mass.
So, a couple of things this week. I am going to continue to try to live the Gospel. Of course that does require reading the Gospel. If I ask the Lord to help me then I am going to accept His help. And if anyone asks me if I believe I’m going to shout it to the rooftops. I’ll leave the “hell yeah” out of it though.
Cynthia Elder
Who is my child of light?
When I think about this question my immediate response is the baby Jesus. We love the baby Jesus in our house, I think in most houses. And no one can deny that child as a child of light.
But there are others. I think of Elyse Carrico. Elyse is the youngest daughter of Susan Mills Carrico. No one can deny that child as a child of light. A room lights up as she walks through the door. I am sure that at times she can be a handful but because she makes you smile surely makes it all worth it. And she will always be a child. I think that is one of the reasons everyone falls in love with her the moment they meet her.
I think of Seth Karlson. Seth is the youngest child of Matt and Deanna Karlson, the grandson of Donnie and Veronica Wilson. He has Sanfilippo Syndrome which is non-curable. This in itself is so scary and frustrating. But Seth is so precious that it is only by some of his facial features that you even know that anything is wrong. Of course, his parents know day in and day out because they live with it. We don’t see it unless they come to visit from Texas or on Facebook. But Seth will always remain a child. God knew what he was doing though when he let Matt and Deanna have him. Deanna is a wonderful nurse and Matt is one of the most loving men I have ever known.
There are some children of light in the movies. I think a child like Shirley Temple or even Haley Joel Osment. When I watch a movie like “The Sixth Sense” I feel like he will forever be that young. And just seeing him in that movie makes me smile.
And then there are the children, the babies who have gone before us and will forever be a child of light. I remember two babies I conceived, but that did not make it to their birth. I know, in my heart is where they are now and will be until I see them again. But I remember my most precious granddaughter who lived in the womb longer than most and who got to go to heaven before she was born. In my mind and in my heart, she will forever and ever be a child of light for she is lighting my path to heaven.
Cynthia Elder
The readings this weekend at Mass had to do with the story of the Prodigal Son. But Fr. Darrell’s take on the reading was more like the prodigal father. And when he was talking this way he implied that the father in the story was the same as our Father in heaven. That made me think. He defined “prodigal” as “spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wasteful extravagant”. That made me think. And I think it was the point he was trying to make. I took it that God, our Father, is immensely extravagant. He’ll give us all that He has. He only asks one thing of us, to follow Him.
But then I started thinking about inheritance. The prodigal son asked for his inheritance early. I don’t think I could do that. If you were to get your inheritance before you were entitled to it, to me, it’s like asking for the person who is “leaving” you something to leave. Now, if I had a rich old aunt that I didn’t know about that was going to leave me a gazillion dollars, I might want a part of it right now. But I think I know about all of my aunts and I can tell you that none of them are rich. But if I did . . .
When my grandmother died, I inherited a small sewing rocker that I had bought for her. I had bought it at an antique store. She had been with me and told me about her mother having one of those. I was so proud that I was able to take my babysitting money and go back to that store and buy it for her. When she died, her daughter, my aunt, gave it to me. I treasured that little rocker. I still have it although I wouldn’t recommend sitting in it.
When my father died my mother inherited everything. We didn’t know there was anything to get. About a year or so before my mother died she started giving everything away. She put our names on everything. What she didn’t divvy up, we did not long after she died. We had all of the furniture to get rid of, just all kinds of things. It seems strange to me now, but I ended up with quite a bit. Through the years I have lost some of those precious items but other things I still have. It’s a shame that I have allowed the memories of those items diminish. Sometimes you just have to move on. Every once in a while I note a table that Mom got from her aunt or a pair of earrings and I remember what Mom used to wear those earrings with. They’re nothing special except I can still see her wearing them, some 30 years later. I kept Mom’s Evan Picon red suit too. It was a size 6. It’s been awhile since I’ve been a size six. I wanted to give it to my daughter one day. If I had made up my mind that I wanted to do that then I should have taken better care of the suit because when I pulled it out for my daughter to wear it for senior pictures it had all kinds of moth holes in it. Oh well, it still made me smile. Just like my son wore my daddy’s suit coat for his senior pictures. Again, moth holes; again, it didn’t matter. He looked so much like my daddy in that jacket.
But if God promises us the kingdom of heaven, do I expect that I will go around putting my name on the bottom of items I want? I don’t think so. You know, I’ve never wandered what I would do if I am lucky enough to make it to heaven. I’ve never considered how my existence will be. I just want to be there. I just want to be welcomed in. It doesn’t matter if the streets are lined with gold, I won’t care. All I want is the streets to be lined with those who have gone before me. I want to see my grandmothers again. I want to sit down and analyze my life with my mom and dad. I want to hold my precious granddaughter Lucy in my arms, for all eternity. And I want to bask in the glow of the Father and His Son.
I know that God has been extravagant with me. I know that He has given me anything and everything that I need. He might not always answer my prayers but He knows what’s good for me, and what’s not. Now if only I could figure that out then I feel that I will be welcomed into His arms. Because when it comes down to it, that’s all I could ever want.
Cynthia Elder
“No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’, except by the Holy Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:3
On the first Pentecost a huge wind came upon the house where the apostles were hiding. And then, tongues of fire came to rest on each one of them. And then they left the house and everyone who heard them understood them. I always took it that the apostles were speaking in all languages but it was the people who were able to understand everything that they said. Wow.
Catholics believe that when we are confirmed that the Holy Spirit comes into us. At that time then we become a “soldier of Christ”. I learned that when I was confirmed in the 3rd grade. I may not have always practiced that but I have always believed it.
Through the years though I know that the Holy Spirit has been alive in me. I can feel it when He descends upon me. I can feel it right before I serve as Lector during Mass. I can feel it when I watch my children practice their faith. I can feel it when I attempt to influence others in my faith. I can feel it. And it’s not just a feeling. It’s physical. In other situations I would consider it to be butterflies. But when I am professing my faith those butterflies take on a whole new meaning.
Right now I feel those butterflies in my arms, not telling me what to write but encouraging me to write. Writing is pretty scary. I can understand how scared those apostles had to be. They saw what happened to Jesus. And yet they were told by Jesus that they had to go out, put themselves out there, to teach about Him. I’m sure they were sitting there going, “yeah, right”. I can remember when I made up my mind to do what God asked me to do. It was only then that He made me write. Writing is one thing, letting someone read it is something completely different. But when He had me to write, He also put people in front of me that I could ask to read my writing. I remember my son, who is a writer, and a teacher, proofread my writing. I had to go back to him and tell him I wasn’t looking for an editor, I was looking for his opinion. I let others read what I had to write and most didn’t comment at all. That was good for me. A no comment meant to me that they didn’t hate it. Subsequently I have gotten good comments out of those people. But those silent opinions made me realize that maybe I could write, maybe I did have something to say. And so I have decided that it is my writing that the Holy Spirit wants to see out of me.
He wants different things out of different people. In that 1 Corinthians reading this week at Mass it goes onto say “As a body is on though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.” In order to accomplish all that we need to do for Christ we must all take our talents and put them out there. I claim a “hand” in that body. You’ve got to have a “hand” to write. I could see my youngest son saying “I get the mouth”. He’s not much of a writer but he has a lot to say so give that boy a microphone.
I have always liked the image of the tongues of fire. I took a picture years ago of a confirmation class at Youth 2000. We had all the kids lined up with the monks who put on the retreat. You can see orbs in that picture, over some of the kids’ heads. I thought that was so interesting. If that doesn’t make you believe I don’t know what would. Honestly, when I dug out that picture I thought there were more. It’s still pretty cool.
What’s more important is that we do have the Holy Spirit in our lives. He’s there, whether we feel Him or not. Sometimes life will squash him down but He’s still there and given the right opportunity He will make His presence known. We just have to be open to listening to Him.
Cynthia Elder