theROCK

The Price of Eggs

The price of eggs is crazy! That was the opening comment made by my sister as we sat around the dinner table contemplating Easter. My sister, who has no children, graciously opens her house each year to a mad-cap day of Easter egg hunts, morbid consumption of candy, and overactive grandchildren who are shaking off their indoor winter doldrums to traipse fresh new spring mud into her house.

This year, we all watched the price of eggs skyrocket and heard or experienced restaurants charging an “egg” fee to bills. Fortunately, the price of eggs have reentered earth’s orbit. We wondered whether people would dye less eggs this year. With eight grandchildren, we are usually into the third dozen before colored dye marks every work area.

What’s with dyeing eggs anyway? (Nothing like a few extra dollars out of your pocket to reassess a life-long tradition.) Easter has always heralded the end of winter; a time for humankind to experience new life, from the daffodils pushing their way up despite our cold weather, to the tulips which in their beauty come and go so quickly. Christianity has absorbed many of the pagan springtime traditions and “repurposed” them as signs of Jesus’ resurrection. The Easter egg is one of them. Eggs have been an ancient symbol of new life. Christianity has revalued this oval wonder to symbolize the resurrection of Jesus; new life, forever. According to some sources, decorating Easter eggs is a tradition dating back to at least the 13th century. One explanation for this custom is that eggs were formerly a forbidden food during Lent, so people would decorate them to mark the end of penance and fasting and eat them on Easter as a celebration.

According to Good Housekeeping magazine, early Christian missionaries dyed the eggs colors to represent different aspects of the Easter story. Yellow represented the resurrection, blue represented love, and red the blood of Christ. Cracking a hard-boiled egg is opening the tomb. I guess the question is, did you dye less eggs this year because of the cost?

It makes me reflect on the cost Jesus paid for our sins. What is the price you would pay for salvation? What response can you offer to a God who paid with his only Son to bring us back to him?

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live in righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed (1Peter 2:24). This Easter, ponder the price Jesus paid and the trivial distractions which we think are so important, such as the price of eggs. Have a blessed Easter!

Come Back to the Cross

Two years ago, as our mom began her journey home to God, she held court in the ICU room. There were conversations with spouses, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. One by one the five of us, her children, entered alone to listen. A strong and loving woman with remarkable faith, she chose her words carefully so there could be no argument. Arguing was pointless, you were not going to win, besides, she was usually right. She opened her prayer book, instinctively brought to the hospital, and handed me the prayer "Come Back to the Cross."

Dear Lord, you became man, suffered, and died to win salvation for all souls.

Look graciously on the souls of those who have drifted away from You and the faith.

Grant them Your grace to see the errors of their ways and return to the fold of Your care

Teach me to stay close to them during this trying time and strive to convert them by action and prayer more than by words that may antagonize.

O sweet Jesus, I trust You to do everything to bring Your children back to You. Amen.

Mom said, “Michael, you need to get them back to Jesus, get them back to His Church. Get the babies baptized.”  Thanks mom. That isn’t too daunting. But isn’t this what we are ALL called to do? Is there a better time to start than Lent? Is there a better image than THE Cross? You share your favorite restaurant, movie, recipe…why not your faith?

In my early 20’s, I was lost, distracted. Working Sunday mornings was a good rationalization. I was busy. God would understand. Decades later, a framed prayer in my office reads: “Lord, I shall be very busy today. I may forget Thou, but do not Thou forget me.” Yep, it was mom’s, She is still teaching me.

Add these prayers to your daily conversation with God. Share it with those who need to see it. Seek the lost or distracted during this Lent; family, friends, or acquaintances. God will provide the words.

LISTEN to their story…it is still being written and Jesus has the lead role.

SHARE your story of how Jesus is your rock; how He gives you the strength to face the challenges of this world.

PRAY WITH them. It may be awkward at first, but both will move past it.

JOIN them during the Triduum and at Easter. Join them the Sunday after Easter.

There are three players in this story, Jesus, the lost, and those called to “Be Christ” and walk with the lost (that is all of us). Thankfully, all is possible with and through God. He gave His only Son for us. The least we can do is give Him our hearts and tell His story.

More Than a Feeling

As a Catholic revert, it often breaks my heart to watch people take the Eucharist so lightly. About 4 years ago, when I still considered myself a non-denominational Christian, I attended an adoration night with my new Catholic friend. I had grown up Catholic, and I was even part of Life Teen in high school, so I was familiar with adoration. I never felt like I actually felt or experienced Jesus though, so, I concluded it couldn’t be true. At this point, I thought whatever denomination you were didn’t really matter, as long as you love Jesus and show that to others.

So, at this adoration night 4 years ago, I remember when the priest brought Jesus around. I thought to myself, “I’ll give this one more chance.” The priest brought the small host in the monstrance over. I looked at Jesus and he looked at me. I still didn’t feel or experience anything spectacular.

In the coming months, I dove head first into Catholic theology, Church history, and studied the Scriptures deeper than I ever had before. I couldn’t figure out what Jesus meant by, “this is my body, this is my blood.” Was he really serious? As I learned things I had never known before, I couldn’t deny the true Presence of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. It was real. He was really, truly, present. For so many years, I had been wrong. All because I couldn’t “experience” Him there.

So often in my life, I have let my feelings guide my faith. I have learned that faith is far more than a feeling, although sometimes I do experience feelings. Faith also takes understanding, learning, and knowledge. Jesus does not ask us to blindly follow him. I realized encountering Jesus is a gift, not something to be strived after. I had a heart posture of, “Prove that you’re real,” instead of “Jesus, show me who you are and how much you love me.” Now I have a confidence and assurance that my Savior is present, whether or not I can feel him there.