My honest prayer to you right now... work

 

I have to be honest with you right now. After serving as my father's main caregiver at the end of his life, I find myself in need of a regular job again right now.

I survive (thankfully) on a monthly SSDI payment, which I earned working as an engineer before I became disabled.

Still, something in me says that I have more to offer in a normal working capacity, that can apply all the skills I've learned over the years.

And so, I am looking to restart my career at this age (59) and will keep you posted as to how I am doing.

A little Friday artwork

My little "art" piece that I just sketched up on my Surface Pro 7. 

Forgive my pretty simplistic work. I hope it gets my point across, though.

This is why we live now and hope to live in eternity with God, our family and friends, and all of creation.

Truly, You are the Son of God, Lord.

This is what I see when I worship in adoration in front of a Holy Monstrance with the Host.

Thank You for coming to be with us and to save us with this act of selflessness, kindness and love in order to set us free.

May it be a reminder of the Humility and Grace with which our Savior accomplished His Work in us, as we too are told to pick up our crosses as well.

 

Mental Illness: Seek God then seek people

My advice to you (and I am not a medical professional, just someone who has benefited from them) if you are having difficulties, is to seek God first and then go where He leads you.

Often, that will be into the hands of good people who can help you.

That is what I found out while pursuing a call to the priesthood way back when I was a young man.

I've always had a strong belief in God, even as a young child. He never disappoints us. He is a Good Father to us.

When in that seminary I discovered (no, I wasn't called to be a priest after all), that by devoting myself to doing His will for me, I found a great relief to the mental anguish and suffering that I was enduring since adolescence, long before I became a Catholic.

He led me to seek help for that pain within the mental health healing community. Medicine was my ultimate savior (small "s"). I know who my real Savior is, Jesus Christ.

Even Christ used physical, tangible things and objects to heal and forgive sins. This is a sacramental way of looking at life.

In any case, if you are experiencing difficulties. Seek God, seek help. He will lead you.

Just went to daily Mass

 

Shrine of Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted

Had the pleasure and privilege of getting to a daily Mass today at my favorite shrine. 

It is a beautiful, breezy day here in Northeast Ohio, and I just had to get out.

I prayed for my family and friends, and especially to be able to supplement my income soon with some kind of work.

I'm going to listen to a baseball game soon here and try to get some work done.

In all honesty, I should get around to cleaning up the apartment. My mom would kill me! LOL.

Have a great day.

Soft, gushy pablum or a hard learned truth?

I have had to learn some hard lessons in mutual respect and authentic Christian friendship over the years. 

Crucifyingly painful experience.

Believe me, it's never too late.

 

Is it a sin to pray for financial security?

 

A helpful biblical quote:

"Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and thus insult the name of my God."

~Proverbs 30:8-9

To perhaps expand on that, I came across this content:

No, it is not a sin for a Christian to pray for financial security, as the Bible explicitly encourages believers to bring all of their needs to God. [1, 2]

However, the Bible emphasizes that the heart's motivation behind the prayer matters deeply.

Why It Is Not a Sin

• Daily Bread: Jesus explicitly instructed believers to pray for their physical needs in the Lord's Prayer ("Give us this day our daily bread"). [1]
• Open Invitation: Scripture tells believers to present all requests to God (Philippians 4:6) and cast their anxieties on Him (1 Peter 5:7). [1]
• God as Provider: God is viewed as a loving Father who delights in providing for His children's actual needs (Matthew 7:11). [1, 2, 3]

When the Motivation Matters

• Needs vs. Greed: Praying for stability, provision, and freedom from debt aligns with biblical needs. Praying strictly out of greed, envy, or luxury is warned against (James 4:3). [1, 2]
• The Root of Trust: Financial security should not replace trust in God. The Bible warns against making money an "idol" or a false source of ultimate safety (Matthew 6:24). [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
• Purpose of Wealth: Desiring financial stability so you can take care of your family and generously bless others is highly commended in scripture (Ephesians 4:28).

Biblical Principles for Financial Prayer

• Pray with Thanksgiving: Acknowledge what God has already provided before asking for more.
• Pray for Contentment: Ask for peace in your current circumstances while seeking improvement (Hebrews 13:5).
• Pray for Wisdom: Ask for the discipline and wisdom to manage the resources you currently have (James 1:5)

The three main branches of Christianity

I know my book and website/blog are heavily weighted as Catholic (I think) in nature, but in actuality, my intention is not to convert people to my point of reference, the Catholic Church and its Magisterial Teachings.

It is my opinion that our main duty as Christians is not to convert but to bear witness to Christ, through our actions in serving others, through the sacrificial care and love for those less fortunate.

I am simply expressing what God has called me to in this lifetime.

I grew up Eastern Orthodox as a child and young adult and was given a solid grounding in Christianity and a Sacramental way of life.

I had a profound, private, spiritual awakening in college to Christ's sacrificial love through the heroic witness of a disabled fellow Orthodox friend.

I converted to Catholicism shortly after because it taught me, through the witness of the Saints and the Magisterium, how to live an authentic Christian life (not easy).

And finally, when I once found myself homeless for a short period of time, no one would lift a finger to help me except a good Protestant friend and then the local Protestant Christ Rescue Mission for a couple of months while I gathered myself back on my feet. 

(By the way, I was blown away by some of the expository Bible studies that some of the ministers there presented in the chapel.)

In no way was I tempted to abandon my Catholic Faith.

I learned over the years a profound lesson in respect. 

The respect that God has for us and the respect we should have for each other's boundaries.

I re-present here a Google search regarding what the three main branches of Christianity are:

Christianity is traditionally divided into three main branches: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism. These streams emerged from major historical events, primarily the East-West Schism (1054 AD) and the Protestant Reformation (16th century). [1, 2, 3]

These branches share core beliefs in the Trinity and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but differ in governance, tradition, and theology: [1, 2]

1. Roman Catholicism

• Authority: The Pope in Rome, who is the visible head of the church.
• Beliefs: Authority rests equally in Scripture and church tradition. Salvation comes through faith and the Church's seven sacraments.
• Leadership: Highly centralized and hierarchical. [1, 2]

2. Eastern Orthodoxy

• Authority: Decentralized; led by a group of autocephalous (independent) bishops (Patriarchs).
• Beliefs: Focus heavily on church tradition, the writings of the Church Fathers, and the decisions of the seven ecumenical councils.
• Structure: Autonomous national churches (e.g., Greek, Russian, Antiochian Orthodox) that are unified in doctrine and liturgy. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

3. Protestantism

• Authority: Sola Scriptura—the Bible is the only infallible source of authority for Christian faith and practice. [1, 2]
• Beliefs: Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone. Most Protestants observe two sacraments: Baptism and the Eucharist (Communion). [1, 2, 3]
• Leadership: Highly decentralized, resulting in a wide array of denominations (e.g., Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Pentecostal).