Day 16 – 1.5 hours      493.5 to go
I started my day with the Scott Hahn show, Supper of the Lamb.  He talked about the reverence we are to show during the sacrifice of the Mass.  Good stuff – I am in favor of more silence and less verbal fellowship while at church.  Actually, if I made the rules, we would have silence before Mass (people need to come early and talk to God, & then LISTEN) and then fellowship after Mass, while in church & in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle.
The morning office reading again was a warning to do everything we do without grumbling or arguing & “prove yourselves innocent & straightforward.”  Never act out of conceit, but be humble – there’s that H word again.  It looks like we as a church have had problems with too much pride and not enough humility for the last 2000+ years.
I also finished the chapter RECOLLECTION in the book by St. Alphonsus.  I will blog more about this chapter when we discuss @ the book study class.  I will say this – St. Alphonsus warned about talking when we have nothing to say and to think about we are going to say – that was one of my mother’s favorite corrections, “Michael, think before you open your big trap.”  Thanks Saint Mom – you were right again!
The DI chapter followed with the humility theme and reminded me of how Jesus would try to “flee as much as possible from human glory.”  The glory he was looking for was from His heavenly Father.

My chaplet was for the people of Haiti and my rosary was for Dan, Robert, Brian and Paul

Peace

Day 17 – 6.5 hours      487 to go
During the Magnificat (listening to Behold) while praying tonight’s Office my thoughts drifted to my father’s battle with Alzheimer’s and how suffering on earth becomes time in purgatory and it may be because God wants to grant the beatific vision to special people immediately after they pass from this world into heaven. 
Take Mrs. Lewis – she is 92 years old, has led a challenging faith filled life that included service to the church as a lay minister for her parish in Old Saybrook.  She was a vibrant, active woman who was well known and well loved in her community.  Her daughter is an exceptional person who loves her mother unconditionally and visits her often at the nursing home.  She played a fair game of tennis well into her 70’s and enjoyed entertaining at her home. 
Now she sits in her chair in the corner of half of her room, her entire day - other than physical therapy and an occasional lunch trip with her daughter.  She is so sad and she feels “useless.”  She has prayed for the Lord to take her for the last two years but as she finishes her prayer to be with her deceased husband, parents, and dear grandson Michael she immediately ends with, “but Lord, not mine, but Yours be done.” 
I really believe that she is serving her time in purgatory here.  As soon as she dies she will see the face of God and enjoy fully her eternal reward.
It is the only reasonable explanation to my Father’s declining existence.  A saint of a man has been reduced to a confused and frustrated victim of Alzheimer’s.  His capacity for conversation is gone.  His capacity to pray is gone.  He rarely smiles and he spends most of his day sleeping.  This is a man who was filled with awe and wonder and did the best he could to be a good father to my siblings and I.
He could only be serving his time in purgatory, here on earth – He, too will immediately be embraced by our Lord and welcomed to his eternal home in heaven.
I’d like to hear some opinions or proper theology on this idea.

Psalm 112 this evening was coupled with a verse from Ephesians chapter 5.  “Live as children born of the light.  Light produces every kind of goodness and justice and truth – the psalm starts with, “Happy the man who fears the Lord, who takes delight in his commands.” – you know, this verse just may be the answer to all of the world’s problems – if everyone simply loved God and loved their neighbors (his commands), then mankind would be happy and we can stop fighting wars and straighten out our economy by helping the poor of the world and end prejudice, injustice, and intolerance.  Light produces goodness and truth.  So, it seems that all we must do is stop worrying about what we don’t have and thank God for our glass being half-full and not half-empty.  The next verses in Psalm 112 are:”His sons will be powerful on earth; the children of the upright are blessed.  Riches and wealth are in his house; his justice stands firm forever.”
Sounds good to me – be an upright man and God will supply the grace needed to fulfill His Will.  Pretty basic!!!
The gospel for today was fascinating.  Jesus went from a beloved boy and young man in his hometown to someone who was threatened and rejected after simply telling those in the synagogue the truth…. But then He just walked through the crowd.  Did He rebuff his accusers as he walked through them?  Maybe He simply threw up His arms, shook His head at them and walked past them in confidence and in silent defiance of their threat.

Please pray for the mentally ill – they had a really tough day during the Friday full moon.

My chaplet was for the family of those who recently died in Haiti and my rosary was for my daughter Kate.

Peace