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markdohle

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Everything posted by markdohle

  1. Well said, we are called to the unity of Love in Christ Jesus. To listen with respect and when someone is abusive to gently withdraw from the conversation, for in reality it is not longer that at all.
  2. First of all thank you very much for your thoughtful response and respectful one as well. I live in the South, near Atlanta, so I am used to something a little more explosive from certain Christian brothers and sisters. I guess Mary is often used as wedges when it comes to the older branches of the Christian faith have with those who came after the reformation. We do call her Mother of our Lord Jesus, for that is what she is. A woman who brings a man or woman into the world is 'mother'. Jesus was fully man as well as God, so to call her the Mother of God makes sense to millions of Catholics, Episcopalian and Orthodox Christians. However I do understand you point and respect it. Here is a page that might help you to understand. Though I am not trying to change your mind, just too perhaps change your understanding a bit about another way of looking at Mary. http://www.catholic.com/tracts/mary-mother-of-god. Here in the South I have met many Christians who are Baptist, Methodist etc. Many agree with you, others do not. I met a Baptist Lady one day in our store who was buying a rosary. I asked her why she was doing that. She told me that every since she was a girl, before she met any Christian who had devotion to Mary, she was called to it. She would ask Mary to pray for her to draw her more deeply into her love of her son Jesus. She also told me that she never told her pastor. Not all non-Catholics agree with each other on what the Catholic Church is. Some believe that the Pope is the Anti-Christ, and that Catholic's are not Christian. I even read a pamphlet once that stated that not one Catholic has ever gone to heaven. Which is funny, because all the Popes have taught about the divinity of Jesus Christ, as well as the truth about the Holy Trinity, even though the church has had times when the papacy was more of a political seat of power and attracted men who only wanted political power and used it in a manner contrary to what Christ taught. Political power and religion when wed produce the whore of Babylon. I know my faith and Jesus is the center of my faith and my life. The catholic devotions to the Saints and to Mary are not idolatry because they are not divine nor do they have any grace or power apart from Jesus Christ. For us death does not separate, for those who die in Christ just go deeper in and higher up as C.S. Lewis said. In Hebrews 12:1 it talks about the cloud of witnesses that surround us. Having more fully the Mind of Christ, they are one with him and continue their work to bring all to salvation, just as we do on earth. I know that many here will not agree, which is fine. Agreement is probably impossible on certain points that are not central to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Thank you and peace Mark
  3. Thank you my friend. I believe that people seek God in different religions, yet in the end all must pass through the 'Word", Jesus Christ. My prayer is that all will embrace this God who loved us so much that he became one of us and died for each of us. Peace Mark
  4. I believe tattoos are neutral neither good nor bad. I have seen many that are faith expressions. However when people cover their whole body with them, I think that is going overboard. Today they are not any kind of statement that is counter cultural, since it is now main stream. I like tattoos, but not for me. If I see someone with demonic looking tattoos I tend to avoid them, for I believe what kind of tattoo is chosen says something about the one who wears them. One problem, they are very hard to get rid of. Since we are temples of the Holy Spirit, I believe they should be chosen wisely with the understanding that they just don't fade or go away.
  5. Amen, wonderfully said. Peace Mark
  6. Thank you. I love it here, a lot of great things talked about and shared. Peace Mark
  7. Simeon’s yes and ours (Our brother along the way) (I have a lot of respect for this site, so let me know if this is too catholic. Or delete it if you think it best) Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to be dedicated to God; Jesus being their first born son. Simeon, an old man, who had spent his life seeking deeper communion with God, as well as understanding the mysteries of his faith; was present that day praying in the temple. As he was on most days, praying and fasting before the face of God, living out his faith in concrete ways. He was very old and at the end of his life. I would think the way he is portrayed in the New Testament, as a man deeply immersed in God, loving towards others and always open to the Spirit of God, to truth, is not something that happened over night. We are seeing him portrayed after decades of struggle, and no doubt failure, yet continuing on his journey progressing ever deeper into the infinite’s embrace. So like most of us, his ‘yes’ to God grew over a long lifetime. We often see this in older men and women who make prayer an important part of their life. Perhaps starting off when much younger, slowly, giving bits of time to meditation, reading and pondering what their faith was calling them to, as well to the deep mystery of their relationship with what is called ‘God’. I have met many older men and women, from different faiths, most Christians, but Hindu’s, Muslim’s as well, and those who are just on a spiritual path, though one that is disciplined in its seeking. They all are the same. They have a focus, a lived experience; a way of being that can often be healing when near them. Catholic men and women as they near the end of their journey may spend hours simply saying the rosary, each unique in how they do it, but nonetheless in deep communion with God. The rosary lends one to pray for all of mankind, which is the focus of the Our Father as well as the Hail Mary. Or they may simply sit in front of the Blessed Sacrament in deep silence for hours each day. Older Jewish men and women as well as many Christians, find in the Psalms, the collective questioning, experiences and prayers of mankind…. as well as their own personal prayer to God, that they feel called to recite throughout the day and at night as well. Expressing the whole gambit of human experience and emotion, and praying not only for themselves but for all. Hindus, as well as Buddhist, who spend their lives seeking truth, mediating, chanting, as well move deeper in into the mystery that can’t be boxed in our owned by any one religious faith, or spiritual path…..it can’t be helped. For I believe that all of our seeking is an answer to an invitation that the infinite calls us to. So Mary and Joseph, young and inexperienced go to this wise man. He tells Mary, on this day of happiness in the new life that she and Joseph have brought into the world, no doubt delivered with tenderness and sorrow, that a sword will pierce her heart. I believe that most mothers, as well as fathers, understand what this sword is. The deeper the love the more painful the wound that it leaves, that never heals, but does not lead to bitterness but to greater love and compassion for their children. For Catholic’s and for Christian’s in general, Mary is the Mother of God. For some threads of Christianity, Mary has a central role and place as Christ Mother. How is it that she gave birth to the Messiah? I can only speak from my own experience of my relationship with the Eternal One. I have always sought God, even as a young child, which is not unusual. As I grew in this relationship, as well as my ability to respond to grace on an ever deeper level, it became ever more clear that there are aspects of my inner life, or my soul that are in rebellion with God. Not in an angry way, but something there, a wall that keeps me from becoming one with the Blessed One, the Eternal lover of us all. Perhaps this is needed, this struggle, for I am who I am today, with all of my ‘screwed-up-ness’ and all, because of these inner conflicts. I would not want to change any of that as I look back on my life. So my ‘yes’ to God is taking a lifetime to deepen, to allow grace to work on the other side of those walls, until one day the walls will no longer exist. When that day comes, then I to like the Blessed Mother will give full birth to Christ Jesus. I believe that within Mary, a gift from God, there were no walls, only openness, and a deep humility, deeper than any other human, of her complete dependence on the Infinite One, complete trust, that is taking me a lifetime to achieve. So Mary shows us what we are all called to. Simeon, at the end of his life, perhaps was close to giving his complete ‘yes’ to God. For Mary it was something already accomplished. She had total trust, she was not afraid of existence or pain or suffering, because of this total dependence on God that was gifted to her. In her humility, was her greatness, no block, no walls, only “yes, yes, yes”. So like Mary I believe we are all called to become pregnant with the Eternal Blessed One, to not fear, which is a long journey for most of us. It is I believe, when all is said and done, pure gift, all grace, it can’t be earned, it is always offered, and hopefully one day, all will accept it and receive it. Some are called early in the day, some in the mid afternoon, and others at evening and some in the lateness of the night. Mary was called and responded in the first moment of the dawn, and bore the hundred fold all the days of her life. Hence, her ability to become pregnant with God, the one who is beyond all image, all understanding, who is not a being, who has no form, yet, is revealed as Love eternal in human form, in Jesus Christ.
  8. Well said Willa, thank you for sharing your live giving experience with God's grace. Peace Mark
  9. Freedom If a river was free to leave its path, to be liberated from the restriction of its banks, it would become a destructive force and would eventually cease to exist. A river is a powerful force when it has direction and a place to go to. To simply do whatever we want soon gets boring and meaningless. To be a good human being, husband, wife or friend, takes direction and discipline. It is then that the happiness of a good marriage or a deep friendship is experienced. We are also called into the freedom of being a child of God. The freedom to grow in love allows us to shake off the shackles of self-centeredness that lead to isolation in the end. When we live out of our true image of being child of God we are free to build up, to support and when we can to heal those around us. Not to beat down or manipulate. The reward of love is to love more. The reward of self-centeredness is an ever shrinking world with ‘self’ as the reward. It is called hell.
  10. Good points, thank you for sharing. One of the hardest hurdles for many, and I am speaking from experience is that we give our emotions and feelings too much power. Trust in God's love and mercy is a choice that goes way beyond how we feel. I try to get people to live for today, and to take responsibility for self talk. Humility is after all 'truth', so I believe that Christ is calling us to that truth, the truth that we are children of God and that he so loved us that he became flesh for us. When people learn that, to trust in the love of Christ Jesus for them no matter what they have been through, or are going through, then they start to run the race with new found hope. I am speaking from hard experience......I guess it is one aspect of dying to self. Where I am at we have a retreat house, for the last three years I have been retreat master here. Before that I took care of our infirm and elderly for 30 years. Here is our web page: http://www.trappist.net/ Please no anti-catholic rants I have heard it all....about the pope being the Anti-Christ, about the church and the coming of some sort of alien messiah etc. I am a little gun shy. Peace Mark
  11. Thank you my friend. It can be a hard lesson to learn. Perhaps one of the graces of aging. Peace Mark
  12. People can forget that we can and do choose.....thank you for you comment. Peace mark
  13. Am I good enough (A lady really down on herself) I was talking to one of our retreatants a few months ago. She is very devout, loving and a caregiver. Yet when we talked she was really hard on herself, filled with revulsion and would not allow anything positive to be said of her. So as she was finished I asked her if she thought she was a humble person. She looked at me and though she did not say anything, I could tell that she thought that she was. So I asked her. What do you think Jesus meant when he brought out that we should love ourselves? She did not respond but continued to look down at the floor. What did Jesus mean when he said we should die to ourselves? Again she looked down at the floor. So I continued…self hatred and revulsion and contempt are not based on humility. For humility is based on the truth about ourselves and there is nothing deserving of hatred in you, nor do I see anything that would lead me to having feelings of revulsion or contempt towards you. When we hate ourselves, it is based on some idea that we can become perfect on our own, and that when we don’t, we fail ourselves. It has nothing to do with God or our relationship with him. It is not based on truth but is actually based on pride and self-centeredness. She looked up and said “What?” So I continued: “Jesus is calling you to allow his love and grace to grow in your heart, until you do, you will continue this cycle of self-flagellation to continue leading nowhere. Be like Peter when he was in the storm after he got out of the boat….look to Him, not to your-self, for when Peter looked to him-self he began to sink…..yet when he called out the Lord lifted him up”. She asked me: “What about my feelings towards myself’? So we talked about her learning to not believing everything she felt towards herself but to use scripture, to help her to depend more on the love of God and grace than on her own over concern about how she is doing. It will not be easy I said, death to ways of being, or to self take time and patience and of course reliance on grace. I told her that I was sorry if I seemed hard on her, but I felt that she was ready to hear what I had to say and hopefully she would grow in her trust of the love that Christ Jesus had for her. I also told her that I am speaking from own experience and struggles….both past and present. So we parted and I still think of her and pray for her.
  14. Thank you....yes God speaks to us in many and varied ways. Peace Mark
  15. Thank you, it is great being here with brothers and sister in Christ.
  16. "In the beginning was the Word, Jesus Christ". So yes it is the Word that saves. The book of Job for instance is not Jewish, but from the Arab wisdom tradition. Yet the Jews accepted it as part of the canon...why....because they saw the 'Word" in it. We are told not to judge for a reason, we really, really, suck at it. I pray for the salvation of all, if anyone is in hell it is the only place for them. It is a choice to go against the 'Word' which as Christians we know is Jesus Christ. All must go through him, yet we don't understood all of it I believe.
  17. St. Paul talks about putting on the Mind of Christ. So yes, the closer we come to the Lord, the more he lives in us, the more sane we become because we are living a life truly according to God's way. When we do this, the world will often think us insane and mental. It is a paradox. Only God as revealed in Christ Jesus can be the true center, for out of that comes all love and creativity. When we believe that we are the center, then truly we are living a lie and that will lead to deeper insanity and death. Peace Mark
  18. A Woman Prophet One of the brothers asked me drive him to the International airport to pick up a monastic guest. He has never been there and does not know the city too well, so I was glad to do it. It was also the one day a month that the community helps a woman out who lives in town. I go to Kroger usually on the last day of the month or one of the first three days. So today was my day to make my ‘run’. It takes about an hour, no problem and the community has known this woman for almost 30 years. She has some difficulties but is a strong woman in her own right. She does have a lot of interior struggles and lives in a long stay motel. She stays up and hopeful and I admire her for her courage and faith. So we left early, so I could do this errand. As we were pulling into the Kroger parking lot here in Conyers, I noticed a large van, painted black; probably 15 years old are so. It was covered with writings in large white paint. The sayings were about life, and how sacred it is. She had pleas for adults not to sexually abuse children, for husbands and wives not to abuse each other and a statement about having compassion for the women in the army who have been raped while over seas at war. I was taken back at first, for it was quite a shock to see this in a parking lot at Kroger’s. I walked over to the Van and read all of the quotes for I was fascinated by it. At first I thought that this woman or man might be suffering from a great deal of past abuse and it was a plea to be listened to and seen. So we went in and got what I needed. Some prescriptions and a few items that I always get for the nice lady we help. When we finished and were going back to our car I noticed the van pulling out. As it came close I decided to flag the van and it stopped and when the window came down I saw a beautiful, middle age woman behind the wheel. She gave me a very warm smile and asked what I wanted. So I told her that when I first saw the truck I was taken back, but after reading the message I thanked her for bringing these issues out in such a way that it would get people who would normally not think about this at all, to perhaps consider what she had written. I also asked her if she had some sort of ministry. She said no, but felt called to do this on her van. I thanked her and she smiled and drove on. I was touched by her gentle bearing as well as the love and compassion that were present in her smile. I believe people like this woman, who are often poor and unnoticed, are often used by God to speak out in a way that can shock….like the Old Testament prophets did. Was she crazy? No, just a woman in touch with a thread in our society that she felt compelled to say something about. How else could she be heard, how else could God use her voice to perhaps reach just one person, to get them to rethink the situations and maybe reach out to those they know who are in trouble and need help. In any case, I was thankful for this unexpected blast of reality about this woman’s deeply felt concern.
  19. Thank you, it is truly a wonderful dicipline. peace Mark
  20. This is a story about two people I met in San Diego a long time ago, who made a deep impression me. One left a deep impression, the other; well the impression was not helpful. Experiences long ago in a State far away When I was in the navy, way back in the late sixties, I was stationed in San Diego for a short time in order to go to yeoman school. A yeoman is one who works in administration; though I spent most of my Navy career in personnel work. Dealing with personal records etc, something I liked but certainly would not want to make a lifetime go at it. For me doing admin work is like trying to climb out of a deep mud hole while it is raining. No matter how much you do, the paper work keeps on covering you, it is endless, dong the exactly the same thing over and over again. I liked San Diego, though being in the Navy there was a very lonely time for me. Navy personal, which were between 18 and 22 years of age, were like grains of sand on the beach, we were everywhere, so most of us were invisible. The city back then was not too large, though very beautiful and I would like to just walk around the town and see the sites. The public transportation system was also great; no car was needed in that fair city. On Broadway there was a square where a lot of Navy personal waited for their bus to take them back to base. So I also spent a lot of time waiting for my connection back to school. It is about my presence there that is part of this story. While waiting, I quickly learned about a group from some church or another, who would go there a few times a week and preach to the men while they waited for the bus. There would be between seven and ten men and women, who would accompany the preacher, sang some songs and would also encourage him in his teaching. I guess the only thing I could say about him was that he was a screamer, a very loud yeller, who seemed to think that the louder he was, the quicker people would listen to him. He also seemed to take it for granted that we were all lost and on the way to hell. I would at times actually stop and listen to him, and he would glare at me while preaching as if I was something contemptible, vile, and needed a good talking down to. I did not react but found it interesting that he thought that contempt, or at least a contemptuous tone, would somehow reach people. He did however get on the nerves of more than a few of the regulars who had to catch buses everyday from that stop. To this day I don’t understand how some preachers think that hells fire and brimstone will reach even a few people. For fear is cheap fuel for conversion. Causing either resistance or some shallow conversion that will not last. I was at the time a Christian, though I was young, just 19. However, his crude antics did not in anyway lead me to have the least bit of desire, for him to have any influence with my walk with God. He himself was I am sure filled with good will, and perhaps his yelling was based on a sincere desire to reach others, and my judgments were totally wrong. That could be true, even probable, for being a Catholic, at least at that tender age, I was not used to that kind of preaching, or some of the language he was using. In any case, in some way I found him entertaining even when not liking his style at all. Yeah inconsistent, but humans are complex beings, so I guess that is pretty normal. So I tried to give him a fair hearing, but in the end nothing that he said seemed to sink in. One Saturday afternoon I had to go downtown to do some business at the “Seven Seas” store and so expected to see the preacher when I reached the bus stop in the early afternoon, at about 2:30 PM. He was not there, which surprised me. So I sat down to wait for the bus, thankful that there was no back ground filibustering going on. There was another navy man next to me reading the newspaper and after a few minutes I asked him about the preacher. He gave me a smile, and then chuckled at bit before he said anything. “Well” he began, “this morning at about 11:30 AM, or so I have heard, he began yelling scriptures to a group of young men who had too much to drink and were making a lot of noise. It seems that the preacher said a few choice words to them, with scripture quotes to back him up. The young men, came over, listened for a short time and then beat him up pretty bad. They got away, but an ambulance had to come to take the preacher to the hospital, at least that is what I heard”. I thanked him, and after thinking about it, I was not surprised at what had happened, though I was saddened by it. It is one thing to be persecuted for what one believes, but another thing all together to be beat up for perhaps persecuting others. Often I thought the preacher over stepped when he took it upon himself to judge strangers on the basis that they were young, or were in the Navy. We are told not to judge for a reason; we simply can’t do it; we are really lousy at trying to weigh each other. In fact if have often found that the louder the preaching and the more angry it comes across, the more the preacher is either hiding something, preaching to himself, or lacks any real level of self knowledge, that would lead him to have compassion and empathy on those being preached to. So yes, if he was not beat up, I doubt that I would be remembering him after all these years. We can sometimes make ourselves into ‘straw men’, negative stereotypes easy to file and then forget. Sad to say, the preacher filled that to a tee. I had another experience a year and a half before in San Diego while I was in boot camp. At that time we got one Sunday off to go into the city to church. So I went in to go to the Catholic Church near downtown. I got off at the YMCA waiting for the second bus I needed to board to take me to my church. As I was waiting a group of older adults, perhaps in their fifties or sixties, approached me to talk; there were three of them. They knew of course that I was in boot camp. I had a shaved head; also my uniform was at least one size too big for me, so I was easy to spot. One of the women approached me and invited me to attend their church. She had a kind demeanor, spoke very softly and seemed sincere in her invitation. I told her I was catholic and I was going to my own church. She nodded and stated; “don’t we worship the same Lord”, so why not some with us. I declined with a smile, thanked her and went to mass. However, later, as I was pondering the experience, I found that I was deeply touched by her simple gentleness and also her courage in approaching me in that way. Over the years, her image has only become stronger in my heart, and I regret now in not taking up her offer. For I think I would indeed have liked to know her on a deeper level. I would imagine that I could have learned a great deal from her and would have welcomed her wisdom, since I was only at the beginning of my walk with the Lord. In fact I guess I still am. So the preacher who yelled made little difference my life, even though I had to hear his haranguing over a protracted period of time. While the gentle lady, who seemed to be filled with compassion touched me deeply. Perhaps it was Christ who touched me, for I certainly responded on a very deep level, despite the fact, that the fruit of the short exchange took some time to surface. This morning as I was praying I thought of her, and I can say that there was genuine love for her in my heart, for I feel, like Christ she saw me and had compassion and empathy for my common plight. A young man just out of High School, in boot camp, lost in a city of a million other very young lonely sailors. Funny thing, I am sure she forgot all about our exchange, for I was one of many, while she was one among many. Yes unknown to herself she planted some deep seeds in my heart. Christ could judge, because he truly saw, perhaps that is why he was kind to most and loving to the weak. Saving his anger for those who were the religious ones; perhaps it was anger that they needed in order to be reached; for Christ could make that call. While Christians often get it backwards, coming across in a harsh manner to those that Christ only showed love and compassion for. Preaching or witnessing can be very self revealing to those who listen, perhaps that is why it is often fruitless for many. One touch by a lady filled with Christ compassion, beat out hours of preaching by a well meaning but harsh judge. We are always planting seeds. No matter whom we are, believer or non-believer, what we say and do to one another has long lasting consequences; my experience is just one example. So I pray for my lady friend whose name is known only to Christ. She is probably gone now, for if she was alive she would be near a hundred years of age, yet she lives in my heart and I love her. As a catholic we are taught that the body of Christ is one, so those who pass on are still connected to us, and yes we also pray for those who pass over. For the love of Christ, His grace is still at work; it never stops. For we are called to an infinite journey; travelling ever deeper into the mind of Christ, eternally expanding in the love of the Spirit, and an every deepening intimacy with the Father. Yes God is one, and we are called into that unity.
  21. Sorry for my 1ast response, I don't know why I misunderstood your post.....getting old. IN some books written about NDE's, they do talk about this. This is there findings, at lease for some.... if someone has a negative experience it is often shoved under. Or he did not have one. Not everyone has an NDE when the come close to death, or die for a short time. The way he acts, his heart seems to be open for he seems like a loving honest person. Pray for him, perhaps that is why he came into your life. Peace Mark
  22. Whooo? Yes I find the sounds of owls haunting and beautiful.....if I was a mouse it would be something different altogether ;-). Peace mark
  23. Oh yes, i knew that I was projecting my own human experience on to the bird. I agree, animals are not burdened with the self awareness we have......it it is also our greatest dearest gift from the Lord. Peace Mark
  24. The threads of our lives (Journaling) Sometimes when I think of God, the image of a weaver comes into my mind. Then I imagine and infinite number of threads being brought together to make some sort of tapestry. All kinds of threads; some thick, others so thin that you can barely see them, some of the strings so strong that they can’t be broken, and others so fragile that the gentleness touch would destroy them unless handled with the greatest of care. Colorful strands, as well as plain. Some beautiful and sleek others so knotted and twisted that it would make one think that they should be cut out entirely, yet are not. All threads are used to make tapestry unique and priceless. I sometimes think that when we take the time to journal about our lives, to write honestly and without artifice we also partake with God in bringing our threads to light and working with them. When someone sits down and simply allows his thoughts to flow, what comes out of that exercise can be a revelation for the writer, for it is then that the many events of our lives, our struggles and often unconscious reactions can be brought to light. It is a slow process, yet writing in a childlike transparent manner before God can bring healing in ways that were before unthinkable. Our thoughts, our emotions and our deepest fears are areas of our inner lives that need to be brought to light. So we journal, we weave with God, we learn to look with wonder at what comes out and are grateful for the ability to at least in some small way to see the tapestry of our lives. There is no right way to journal, but humility is needed. Some share what they write, others don’t, it does not matter, for each person is unique. The paradox is that the more we see the tapestry; no matter how limited that is, we learn that our struggles are for the most part common to all and in that we learn to have empathy and compassion.
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