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Conclave Art

Posted by eph21920 on May 7, 2025 in Creation, Faith, New, Pope, Priest, Relationship

Today I watched some of the proceedings of the cardinals entering into the conclave. I was amazed at the incredible artwork that the cardinals would be viewing during their time in the Sistine Chapel. As they pray and contemplate who the next man will be to head the Catholic Church, they will be reminded of God’s relationship with them and us from Creation to the Last Judgement. They will be reminded of their own priestly commitment and responsibility to follow God’s calling. What a tremendous burden they are bearing. But, guided by the Holy Spirit, they will provide us a new spiritual “Papa”.

I Found God today thinking of and praying for the cardinals during the conclave.

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Conclave Staff Oath

Posted by eph21920 on May 6, 2025 in Connected, Faith, Humility, Pope, Sacrifice, Service

As the conclave gets ready to begin, there seems to be much speculation and misunderstandings of the process. I wanted to know more about the event and learned some interesting things today from the Vatican site. For example, today officials and staff involved in the upcoming Conclave have taken an oath of secrecy. The oath was taken by all individuals—both clergy and laity— who will be present for the conclave. This group includes the Secretary of the College of Cardinals, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, seven papal masters of ceremonies, two Augustinian religious assigned to the Papal Sacristy, religious personnel of various languages for confessions, medical doctors and nurses, elevator operators of the Apostolic Palace, staff responsible for dining services and cleaning as well as florists, technical services staff and those responsible for transporting electors from the Casa Santa Marta to the Apostolic Palace, members of the Swiss Guard assigned to surveillance near the Sistine Chapel, the Director of Security Services and Civil Protection of the Vatican City State, and some of his collaborators. The oath includes a solemn promise to maintain absolute secrecy regarding all matters directly or indirectly related to the voting and scrutiny for the election of the Supreme Pontiff, with a perpetual obligation unless expressly authorised by the newly elected Pope or his successors. I never knew this took place and was in awe of the commitment of these people as well as the humility and love of service they must have.

I Found God today in a group of people committed to their faith.

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Expanding Hearts

Posted by eph21920 on May 5, 2025 in Answer, Life, Past, Present

I have been listening to a podcast based on Father Jacques-Philippe’s book, “Interior Freedom”. Today’s reflection seemed very meaningful to me as my brother and I were just talking about the importance of trying to live in the present moment. Honestly, it takes a tremendous amount of self-discipline for me to live in the present. All too often I can re-live my past mistakes or hurtful actions that have been done to me. At the same time, I can easily be consumed with worry for the future of myself and others. Sometimes I find myself worrying about things that don’t even really matter. In his book, Father Jacques-Philippe writes:

“We can’t program life in advance, but can only receive it moment by moment. All we have is the present moment. Here is the only place where we can make free acts. Only in the present moment are we truly in contact with reality. The present moment is rich in grace and holds immense reassurance. This is where God is present. We do not commune with God in the past or the future, but by welcoming each instant as the place where he gives himself to us…Living in the present permits our hearts to expand.”

I Found God today in reminder to live in the present moment.

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The Planets Live

Posted by eph21920 on May 4, 2025 in Connected, Creation, Family, Happiness, Joy, Music

I was super excited that today was the symphony. My sister got tickets for The Planets by Gustav Holst. Unfortunately, my sister wasn’t feeling well and wasn’t able to come. We were quite sad about that. My son’s fiancee, her mom and I went. The seats were great, the sound was wonderful, and the concert was amazing. What I realized about this particular suite was that the first few notes were blaring, bold, and almost startling. As it went through the different movements, there were stark dynamics and tempos. I was glad I listened to the CD a couple days ago as I think it helped me to listen to the live symphony in a different way as I watched the musicians perform. At the very end of the piece, I heard the voices join the instruments. Quietly and almost unnoticeable at first, then louder, then quiet again. The final notes were that of the voices only fading to silence. I felt like I had to hold my breath until the conductor moved to take his final bow. After the concert, I drove my son’s fiancee home. She talked about how much she loved it and how much she misses playing in a musical group. She said she has always been impressed as to how each individual is doing their own thing, yet all together they create something beautiful. When one person sings or plays an instrument well, all eyes are on them and they are the star. But being in a group means you have to have a certain sense of humility. One should not stand out above the rest. If everyone does their part the way it should be done, the result is amazing. And so it is with life. If each person realized their gifts and talents and how to use them with humility, we could make a beautiful world indeed.

I Found God today experiencing an amazing concert.

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Hiking

Posted by eph21920 on May 3, 2025 in Creation, Family, Fun, Happiness, Weather

Our Spring weather has been very erratic. Warm, windy, rainy, and even a little snowy. But today was absolutely beautiful. The temperature was mild, the sun was shining, the wind was calm, and the sky was a gorgeous deep blue. When I woke up this morning, I thought it would be a good day for a little hike. I haven’t been on a real hike for months and have been in physical therapy to help heal some pain in my back. My brother was here and he thought a hike sounded like a good idea too. We decided to go to one of the places we used to visit often when we were younger. The traffic was heavy on the way there. It seemed most of the city was out and about. We drove to the base of the mountain canyon and started up the twisty road with many other cars. The plan was to stop at the first pull off that had space available. We didn’t get up too high when we came to an open lot. From there we found the trailhead. We decided to start by going uphill. We just took our time, noticing the stream and flowers and butterflies and birds. Since I’m not in the greatest shape right now, we went almost a mile, then turned around and went back downhill. That was enough for me. I was so happy to be outside hiking with my brother.

I Found God today enjoying being outside.

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Passing Along

Posted by eph21920 on May 2, 2025 in Connected, Death, Faith, Family, Grateful, Life, Past, Present

The intention for Mass at my church today was for my mom since it is her birthday. Our friend who my mom played piano with for so many years came to church with me. The Psalm 27 seemed particularly fitting, especially the response, “One thing I seek; to dwell on the house of the Lord.” During the homily, the priest told a story of a composer – also fitting. Giacomo Puccini started writing the famous opera Turandot. Before he was able to complete the work, he was diagnosed with cancer. He begged his friend Arturo Toscanini not to let the piece die. Puccini did pass away and left the opera incomplete. Another composer, Franco Alfano, finished the opera under the guidance of Toscanini. Now, one of the scripture readings was of the Apostles carrying on Jesus’ work after he had died. Therein lied the connection. As I pondered the message, I thought about how I could continue my mom’s work. I am not a good musician, so I cannot pass her piano and organ playing talents along. But she was also instrumental in teaching me about my faith, of which I am ever grateful. I think I can do my best to take the faith she handed down to me and share it with others. Perhaps that is my part in keeping our connection, giving meaning and purpose to our lives, those lives she impacted, and those whose lives I may be able to touch as well.

I Found God today pondering how I may continue my mom’s work.

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Whatever Happened to the Sun

Posted by eph21920 on May 1, 2025 in Children, Connected, Creation, Life, Past

As I continue to go through things in the house, today I sorted out a box of memorabilia that included school papers and such from me and my siblings. It was fun to see our drawings and thoughts we had as children. I came across a couple stories that I had written. One I remember vividly as it was based on a dream I had, which I still remember. In the dream, the sky was dark during the day, but the moon was visible and glowing brighter. A tornado of sorts formed high in the sky – seemingly above the stars. As the tornado spun, the stars began to swirl as well, eventually getting sucked up into the tornado. Suddenly there was a big flash of light. When everything settled, it seemed that the moon was now our new sun. It was a wild dream. I created a story around it and wrote it in my best cursive on wide ruled notebook paper. It was entertaining to read and remember a younger me. And, yes, I got an A.

I Found God today remembering a younger, creative me.

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Excellent Editing

Posted by eph21920 on April 30, 2025 in Family, Happiness, Life, Opportunity

My grandson came over today and told me about his recent trip with his school. The attended a high school journalism convention. During the event, he edited a video segment as part of the competition. He said that he got excellent ratings on the piece and was very proud of that. It was good to see him excited and passionate about the subject.

I Found God today in my grandson’s excitement.

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Praying for Cardinals

Posted by eph21920 on April 29, 2025 in Begin, Connected, Faith, Prayer, Priest

Today a friend shared with me that she was praying for a specific cardinal during the conclave. The church surely needs our prayers at this time. A friend of hers created a website that randomly selects a cardinal for you to pray for and gives you ideas on how to do that. I thought it was a great idea, so I did it as well. I’m praying for Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer who is the archbishop of São Paulo. At the time I’m writing this, there are almost 219,000 people praying and the number is growing. Here’s the site:

https://praycardinal.com/#adopt

I Found God today joining thousands of people praying for the cardinals.

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Peace in Remembering

Posted by eph21920 on April 28, 2025 in Birthday, Faith, Family, Grateful, Grief, Love, Peace

Today is my dad’s birthday. I was happy to be able to go to church this morning and pray for him. I also prayed for my daughter in law and her family as yesterday was the anniversary of her dad’s death. I prayed a rosary, went to Mass, and spent some quiet alone time just being in God’s presence. It felt very peaceful, which I was grateful for. It is a difficult season as my parent’s anniversary and birthdays all come in a couple of weeks. This afternoon I spent some time putting together a photo album of sorts which I shared on social media. Looking through the photos of the past made me laugh and cry. I was also moved by the obvious love my parents had for each other and that was good for my heart. I took comfort in friends and family. My sister said she was going to have ice cream for dinner as a tribute. Ice cream was my dad’s favorite. I thought that sounded like a great idea and joined in. It was a somber day, but I was grateful for the peace.

I Found God today in peace during a somber time.

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