Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado. Picture by Jerry Torres
The Holy Spirit inspired our blog.
Ash Wednesday
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
Emphasis mine Mt 6: 1-6 16-18
This year, I was drawn to; they have received their reward, Holy Spirit, and we just finished a book entitled Wingman, written by Adam Lazarus. It is the story of John Glenn and Ted Williams, who flew combat missions together in Korea.
What has this got to do with Ash Wednesday, you may be thinking.
Everything!
John Glenn believed in Jesus and tried to live a Christian life.
Ted Williams didn’t know the Triune God, was very coarse in his language and actions, hated the Boston Press, fans, family members, and was married three times.
You are thinking we are going to write about John Glenn.
Wrong!
Unknown to most people, Ted Williams spent his life helping sick children, even going to their houses and spending his money to bring them hope. Ted constantly went to Boston Hospitals via the back door and comforted the sick children. Ted also helped Korean children who were homeless, starving, and almost naked in Korea.
As Ted grew older, He forgave all the people he had hated earlier in his life.
Wingman reported Ted died in Peace.
Question: Did Ted beat the system by doing his will, not the Father’s? I believe he went to heaven but lived life in the “world” and never knew the Triune God and the Joy and Peace that comes with doing the will of God the Father.
Without knowing it, Unconscious Competent, Ted lived a Christian life, giving to those who needed his help and not asking to be thanked for what he had and was doing. Ted wanted total silence about what he was doing.
The book never said this, but we believe Ted felt Joy when he gave of himself, and Ted, the conscious competent in hitting ( he knew every aspect about hitting), was the unconscious competent in living his life.
Late in life, Ted was honored but reluctant to receive the honors.
I believe Ted received his reward when he died in Peace, a Peace that had alluded him during his life.
Remember, Jesus said from His cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Lk 23:34
This Lent, you have the chance to become a conscious competent (someone who knows what they are doing and why what they are doing will bring them closer to God) by taking our challenge and learning the prayers we discussed last week.
Receive your eternal reward, starting today, by living a life that glorifies God the Father in every aspect.
Prayer for Week One of Lent: Pray the “Nine.” Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control.
Join Team Jesus:
If you would like to protect your family, dumb question, pray Psalm 91 verbally.
My life changed after reading Peggy Joyce Ruth’s book, Psalm 91, God’s Shield of Protection, Military Version. Every day, I say this powerful prayer for everyone in our life, including the writers and readers of A Catholic Moment.
We pray that you will spend $8.89 on the pocket edition or $7.99 on the Kindle edition and spend a short time each day saying Psalm 91 to protect your family.
Sidebar:
A week ago, I thought, Holy Spirit, “Why did Jesus have to live as a nobody for thirty years?
I accepted thirty as a Holy Number – 3 x 10 = 30. Remember that 3 and 7 are two Holy numbers, and any number divided by three or seven could be counted as Holy.
I just happened (?) to be at a section in Jason Sobel’s book, Mysteries of The Messiah. Jason wrote: ( and we are being very brief).
The Ten Commandments connect directly to the Creation account on a structural level.
God sent Ten Plagues on the Egyptians.
God gave the Jewish People the Ten Commandments.
The Jewish Nation defeated Ten countries that would then become their promised land.
The sum of the numbers of Creation (10), Redemption (10), and Revelation (10) is 30.
Remember, The Jewish Rabbis had a numeric value to each letter of their alphabet; in the English alphabet, for example, car (c = 3, a = 1, r = 17) car = 21, which is why I find 10 in the above example, so interesting, and now further believe the Holy Bible IS INSPIRED.
Rabbi Jason Soble, again, the number 30 can symbolize a dedication to a particular task or calling. For example:
- The Levitical Priest begin their Priestly service at age 30.
- Joseph (OldTestimant) was brought before Pharaoh at age 30.
- King David was 30 years old when he began his rule over Israel.
- Jesus was age 30 when he started His public ministry.
As the Creator, King, Redeemer, and High Priest, Jesus fulfills Creation (10), Redemption (10), and Revelation (10) and helps us experience their fullness in our lives.
Wow!
The Holy Spirit asked me this simple question: Look what we, you and I, have learned.
This is why I enJoy learning about God and writing our blogs.
satan would have me, and you believe time spent learning more about a God of Outrageous Love is time wasted; nothing could be further from the truth.
Picture:
Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado. I think this rock formation looks like hands in a prayer pose. Picture by Jerry Torres
Please keep Snapping!
If you want a copy of the prayers we discussed, email me.
fprince101@gmail.com
Remember, if you want to submit a picture, no people, please, because we have to get permission from that person to use their photograph.
