I salute you from Smyrna, together with the Churches of God which are with me, who have refreshed me in all things, both in the flesh and in the spirit. My bonds, which I carry about with me for the sake of Jesus Christ (praying that I may attain to God), exhort you. Continue in harmony among yourselves, and in prayer with one another; for it becomes every one of you, and especially the presbyters, to refresh the bishop, to the honour of the Father, of Jesus Christ, and of the apostles. I entreat you in love to hear me, that I may not, by having written, be a testimony against you. And also pray for me, who have need of your love, along with the mercy of God, that I may be worthy of the lot for which I am destined, and that I may not be found reprobate. — Chapter 12.
First reading: Isa 55:1-3
Psalm: Ps 145:8-9, 15-16, 17-18
Epistle: Rom 8:35, 37-39
Gospel: Matt 14:13-21
The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
What an amazing thing it is to have life in Christ Jesus, for He feeds us and answers all of our needs.
All of our readings and today’s Gospel point to the fact that God gives us everything. We see God’s giving nature when we see the manner in which He gives us all the things we recognize as basic needs. Whatever our basic need the authors show them as being met.
In our first reading from the prophet Isaiah we recognize our lack, and God’s giving. We are thirsty, God sets the water before us and says come to the water. We have no money, we can come and receive grain and eat — for free. Without paying or cost we receive wine and milk! We shall eat well and delight in rich fare. In the end by listening to God, by heeding Him, and by coming to Him we receive the most precious gift of all — life.
The psalmist sings of God’s gifts. He declares that God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. God is good and compassionate to us, His works. He feeds us from His hand and answers all our needs: food in due season; the desire of every living thing.
In God’s giving we have the very same assurance St. Paul saw; that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. The sadness of the world and the powers of nature cannot match God’s loving gift to us. When we face anguish, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, angels, principalities, present things or future things, powers, height or depth, any creature, the sword, life or death itself, even all if they be combined against us are not enough to overcome God. God among us and with us in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Gospel story is well known. It exhibits Jesus’ power to feed us from our inadequacy. The few loaves and fishes equal our inadequate gift. In seeing Jesus’ use of our poor offering, our poor selves, we come to the realization that His love, His giving conquers all.
Brothers and sisters,
God speaking through Isaiah asks:
Why spend your money for what is not bread;
your wages for what fails to satisfy?
Looking closely we see that God lays all these gifts in front of us. He says: —Here’s the water.— Then He asks us to come and drink. There’s the disconnect. All the gifts are there, all the opportunities to take our fill are before us, but we have to do it. We have to go for the water that’s there.
We think that the problems we face in life are exactly the excuse we need to step over God’s gifts. It is the willful way we choose to ignore the water that’s right in front of us and to go in search of other water, water we think will be sweeter or more satisfying. We fail when we choose to drown out God’s gifts by failing to recognize that all fulfillment rests in God. When we reject total unity with God and His teaching we fail. We fail when we spend all we have, up to and including our everlasting souls, on the things that will not satisfy.
Friends,
Certainly we are in a tough position, with all the noise around us, all the choices that seem easier than choosing the water God gives, but as my older daughter recently told me, just remember to breathe. Each breath we take is a pause in the time line, a brief respite to focus on what’s right in front of us. What’s there is God’s gift.
Here we are, today, so let’s start. When we come forward to receive the Lord in the Eucharist we should just stop and breathe. Look at the gift presented to us. Breathe, pause a moment, and say Amen to the gift.
Recognize that He is feeding us and He is fulfilling our needs. His grace is transformative. In that moment and in its aftermath we are changed.
Change will come because God promises it. By choosing God’s gift we will recognize the moment and the gift. Thereafter we will recognize more moments and more gifts. We will begin to recognize that God is taking the meager gift we have to offer and that He is changing our small gift into a bigger, better, more perfect gift. In the end we will forget about chasing after that other water. Our unsettled hearts will settle on and in Christ. We will be fed by His word and our way of life will become all — in and for God.
By our conformity to God, by our transformation we become God’s gift to the world. Our transformed selves work within His Holy Church to spread the joyful message. It is the message Bishop Hodur proclaimed, that our Holy Polish National Catholic Church continues to proclaim, it is Christ’s message — see the gifts I have laid before you, the food that is everlasting. Come to Me, be healed, be transformed, be regenerated, have life and live forever.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.”
Amen.
The way of light, then, is as follows. If any one desires to travel to the appointed place, he must be zealous in his works. The knowledge, therefore, which is given to us for the purpose of walking in this way, is the following. You shall love Him that created you: you shall glorify Him that redeemed you from death. You shall be simple in heart, and rich in spirit. You shall not join yourself to those who walk in the way of death. You shall hate doing what is unpleasing to God: you shall hate all hypocrisy. You shall not forsake the commandments of the Lord. You shall not exalt yourself, but shall be of a lowly mind. You shall not take glory to yourself. You shall not take evil counsel against your neighbour. You shall not allow over-boldness to enter into your soul. You shall not commit fornication: you shall not commit adultery: you shall not be a corrupter of youth. You shall not let the word of God issue from your lips with any kind of impurity. You shall not accept persons when you reprove any one for transgression. You shall be meek: you shall be peaceable. You shall tremble at the words which you hear . You shall not be mindful of evil against your brother. You shall not be of doubtful mind James 1:8 as to whether a thing shall be or not. You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain. You shall love your neighbor more than your own soul. You shall not slay the child by procuring abortion; nor, again, shall you destroy it after it is born. You shall not withdraw your hand from your son, or from your daughter, but from their infancy you shall teach them the fear of the Lord. You shall not covet what is your neighbor’s, nor shall you be avaricious. You shall not be joined in soul with the haughty, but you shall be reckoned with the righteous and lowly. Receive as good things the trials which come upon you. You shall not be of double mind or of double tongue, for a double tongue is a snare of death. You shall be subject to the Lord, and to [other] masters as the image of God, with modesty and fear. You shall not issue orders with bitterness to your maidservant or your man-servant, who trust in the same [God ], lest you should not reverence that God who is above both; for He came to call men not according to their outward appearance, but according as the Spirit had prepared them. You shall communicate in all things with your neighbor; you shall not call things your own; for if you are partakers in common of things which are incorruptible, how much more [should you be] of those things which are corruptible! You shall not be hasty with your tongue, for the mouth is a snare of death. As far as possible, you shall be pure in your soul. Do not be ready to stretch forth your hands to take, while you contract them to give. You shall love, as the apple of your eye, every one that speaks to you the word of the Lord. You shall remember the day of judgment, night and day. You shall seek out every day the faces of the saints, either by word examining them, and going to exhort them, and meditating how to save a soul by the word, or by your hands you shall labor for the redemption of your sins. You shall not hesitate to give, nor murmur when you give. “Give to every one that asks you,” and you shall know who is the good Recompenser of the reward. You shall preserve what you have received [in charge], neither adding to it nor taking from it. To the last you shall hate the wicked [one]. You shall judge righteously. You shall not make a schism, but you shall pacify those that contend by bringing them together. You shall confess your sins. You shall not go to prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of light. — Chapter 19.
From a friend, Dr. Felipe Korzenny, Professor and Director of the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University
After three successful semesters, the online course in Hispanic Marketing Communication will be offered again this fall by the Florida State University Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication. The Center, headed by Dr. Felipe Korzenny, is pioneering education in Hispanic Marketing online to reach a national audience.
The online course is available to anyone interested and is particularly recommended for professionals currently addressing the Hispanic market, or those who would like to start a Hispanic marketing initiative. The online course is also available to Florida State University students not currently residing on the Tallahassee campus.
Cathy Colmenares, a former student states: “The Hispanic Market is constantly evolving so I took the Hispanic Marketing course at FSU to gain a deeper knowledge of trends, research, and resources. The course provides valuable case studies, research studies and insights from industry experts. The instructor not only facilitated interactive discussion throughout the online course, but also integrated offline discussion among students. As a result, I made numerous contacts that have proved beneficial in my role as Sr. Director of Integrated Marketing at Todobebe Inc.”
The Fall session has a duration of fifteen weeks (classes begin August 25 and end December 5) and includes topics such as cultural identity and its impact on consumer behavior, language use, Hispanic cultural insights for marketing, and case studies relating to Hispanic marketing. The course will also address research and marketing strategies.
A certificate of completion will be issued to all non-degree seeking students who satisfactorily complete the course, and eligible students can receive three hours of undergraduate/continuing education credit.
For application information contact Danielle Kress. Ms. Kress may also be reached by telephone at 850-645-5639.
From a NY Times article: Hispanics and Catholic New York. It gives an interesting historical perspective that mirrors the plight of ethnic Catholics among the Nativists, the desire for cultural connection, the insensitivity of some, and how life has evolved. A recommended read.
But let us see if this people is the heir, or the former, and if the covenant belongs to us or to them. Hear now what the Scripture says concerning the people. Isaac prayed for Rebecca his wife, because she was barren; and she conceived. Furthermore also, Rebecca went forth to inquire of the Lord; and the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples in your belly; and the one people shall surpass the other, and the elder shall serve the younger.” You ought to understand who was Isaac, who Rebecca, and concerning what persons He declared that this people should be greater than that. And in another prophecy Jacob speaks more clearly to his son Joseph, saying, “Behold, the Lord has not deprived me of your presence; bring your sons to me, that I may bless them.” And he brought Manasseh and Ephraim, desiring that Manasseh should be blessed, because he was the elder. With this view Joseph led him to the right hand of his father Jacob. But Jacob saw in spirit the type of the people to arise afterwards. And what says [the Scripture]? And Jacob changed the direction of his hands, and laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, the second and younger, and blessed him. And Joseph said to Jacob, “Transfer your right hand to the head of Manasseh, for he is my first-born son.” And Jacob said, “I know it, my son, I know it; but the elder shall serve the younger: yet he also shall be blessed.” You see on whom he laid [his hands], that this people should be first, and heir of the covenant. If then, still further, the same thing was intimated through Abraham, we reach the perfection of our knowledge. What, then, says He to Abraham? “Because you have believed, it is imputed to you for righteousness: behold, I have made you the father of those nations who believe in the Lord while in [a state of] uncircumcision.” — Chapter 13.
From the how much is too much category, the “conservative” Manhattan Institute for Policy Research (see their Wikipedia entry) under the guise of the “Empire Center For New York State Policy
You can go there and faithfully study every public employee’s pay. You can search by name or by agency. This is a trend among people posing as open government/good government types. Ohio went so far as to publish every public employee’s pay and home address until they were stopped.
You probably should avoid the site for awhile since their servers are getting bombarded. When I checked their site earlier today I found that their web programmers left a few of the pages, including the one for searching public payrolls, completely unsecured. Anyone could have deleted large chunks of the site through a simple to use interface at the top of the page. It is one of those really stupid things people do when they are in a hurry.
Of course most of the State’s citizenry could care less. They’re worried about larger more personal matters. This stuff generally appeals to government workers (especially those with a grudge against the boss), political hacks, folks with a ax to grind, and those wanting to track down people who have seized their assets because of tax evasion, who have arrested them, who have audited them, or who have evaded them only by obtaining a restraining order (the ex-spouses and stalkers).
Now, all this information is public and a state’s citizens have a right to that information. Prior to publishing this site any citizen could get the very same data by making a FOIL request. For those with bad intent that at least left a paper trail and was self policing. Now those folks can do it from the comfort of their home computer.
By the way, the Manhattan Institute (see the People for the American Way report on these folks) publishes the salaries of their highest paid employees and directors via their IRS filings. Here’s a copy of their 2006 Form 990. You will note that their Chairman, Lawrence J. Mone pulled down a little over $400,000 in salary and deferred compensation in 2006. Since 1998 he’s received approximately $200,000 per year! Of course they don’t publish their entire payroll. I wonder what their lowest paid secretary, receptionist, or bathroom cleaner makes?
Let us further inquire whether the Lord took any care to foreshadow the water [of baptism] and the cross. Concerning the water, indeed, it is written, in reference to the Israelites, that they should not receive that baptism which leads to the remission of sins, but should procure another for themselves. The prophet therefore declares, “Be astonished, O heaven, and let the earth tremble at this, because this people has committed two great evils: they have forsaken Me, a living fountain, and have hewn out for themselves broken cisterns. Is my holy hill Zion a desolate rock? For you shall be as the fledglings of a bird, which fly away when the nest is removed.” And again says the prophet, “I will go before you and make level the mountains, and will break the brazen gates, and bruise in pieces the iron bars; and I will give you the secret, hidden, invisible treasures, that they may know that I am the Lord God.” And “He shall dwell in a lofty cave of the strong rock.” Furthermore, what says He in reference to the Son? “His water is sure; you shall see the King in His glory, and your soul shall meditate on the fear of the Lord.” And again He says in another prophet, “The man who does these things shall be like a tree planted by the courses of waters, which shall yield its fruit in due season; and his leaf shall not fade, and all that he does shall prosper. Not so are the ungodly, not so, but even as chaff, which the winds sweeps away from the face of the earth. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in judgment, nor sinners in the counsel of the just; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” Mark how He has described at once both the water and the cross. For these words imply, Blessed are they who, placing their trust in the cross, have gone down into the water; for, says He, they shall receive their reward in due time: then He declares, I will recompense them. But now He says, “Their leaves shall not fade.” This means, that every word which proceeds out of your mouth in faith and love shall tend to bring conversion and hope to many. Again, another prophet says, “And the land of Jacob shall be extolled above every land.” This means the vessel of His Spirit, which He shall glorify. Further, what says He? “And there was a river flowing on the right, and from it arose beautiful trees; and whosoever shall eat of them shall live for ever.” This means, that we indeed descend into the water full of sins and defilement, but come up, bearing fruit in our heart, having the fear [of God] and trust in Jesus in our spirit. “And whosoever shall eat of these shall live for ever,” This means: Whosoever, He declares, shall hear you speaking, and believe, shall live for ever. — Chapter 11.
Now what do you suppose this to be a type of, that a command was given to Israel, that men of the greatest wickedness should offer a heifer, and slay and burn it, and, that then boys should take the ashes, and put these into vessels, and bind round a stick purple wool along with hyssop, and that thus the boys should sprinkle the people, one by one, in order that they might be purified from their sins? Consider how He speaks to you with simplicity. The calf is Jesus: the sinful men offering it are those who led Him to the slaughter. But now the men are no longer guilty, are no longer regarded as sinners. And the boys that sprinkle are those that have proclaimed to us the remission of sins and purification of heart. To these He gave authority to preach the Gospel, being twelve in number, corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israel. But why are there three boys that sprinkle? To correspond to Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, because these were great with God. And why was the wool [placed] upon the wood? Because by wood Jesus holds His kingdom, so that [through the cross] those believing on Him shall live for ever. But why was hyssop joined with the wool? Because in His kingdom the days will be evil and polluted in which we shall be saved, [and] because he who suffers in body is cured through the cleansing efficacy of hyssop. And on this account the things which stand thus are clear to us, but obscure to them because they did not hear the voice of the Lord. — Chapter 8.
Over the past two weeks I’ve been making my final moves to the Mac. I’ve been running Boot Camp with a copy of Windows XP because I needed to run a few programs. The things I delayed moving to the Mac platform were:
- Quicken
- Legacy Family Tree
- Paperport
- Publisher (I was using this to do my parish’s bulletin which our new pastoral administrator will do now. No need for this app because I have iWork)
- Homescan
I had delayed in moving these because they had tons of data and take a bunch of work to get moved.
Quicken to Moneydance
The toughest was Quicken. The Mac version of Quicken is notoriously difficult and not everything transfers smoothly. In fact there are no programs out there that convert Quicken data easily or cleanly (i.e., don’t be fooled by anyone’s claims).
The other issue with Quicken is that the Mac version is way past its prime. They keep discussing a new version “coming soon” but I still think that they have not invested enough in their Mac line to make Intuit the software of choice.
In switching you just have to look at the scale of difficulty involved in all the available options and read a lot of reviews, hopefully locating the one that entails the least amount of pain. I chose Moneydance 2008. It took about two days to clean up all the transactions (note that they went back to 1993!!!) In the conversion there was limited duplication of entries. The biggest, most significant problem was with accounts where balances were brought forward from an archiving process in one account (like a checking account) and where the same transactions were not archived in the second account. To clean everything up I created a “Prior Transactions” account and moved the unmatched and duplicate transactions there. At the end I simply zeroed the Prior Transactions account balance. Not very elegant, but it worked. I just have to accept it as a one-off problem. Note too that I did not delete transactions because doing so makes the situation worse. If you have any accounting background think “T” accounts and having unmatched entries.
In the end I am finding Moneydance easier to use than Quicken. There is less in-the way and you get a clearer picture of your financial status. Quicken had simply evolved into bloatware. A lot of fancy bells and whistles that get in the way. Moneydance is simply clean, inexpensive, core Quicken – the Quicken I fell in love with years ago.
Legacy Family Tree to Reunion
Genealogy programs tend to transfer data easily. Gedcom files are the standard and most of the programs on the market, whether proprietary or freeware, export and import smoothly. No problem here. 2,535 individuals, 1,896 families all cleanly transferred.
The Reunion interface is much like the Legacy interface so it lends to a sense of familiarity. I like Reunion’s Mac look and feel. It also makes taking stuff to your local LDS Family History Center or National Archives Centers easier because it ports to your iPod.
Paperport to Yep!
This wasn’t a bad transition. I used Paperport for years, probably going back to version 9 or something earlier. Can’t quite recall. Anyway, I used it to store those all-too-important documents like explanations of medical benefits, bank statements, appliance manuals, etc. It helps to keep the paper down and I really dislike digging through old file folders.
In the newer version of Paperport those items are all stored in pdf format, but the older Paperport files are .max files. Paperport 11 has a batch converter so I changed all the .max files to pdfs. Yep! stores pdfs and is a the sort of application any blogger would love. It used tags to ID documents!!! It is great because you can get to documents through a tag cloud. You can also use as many tags as you like to describe a document. It allows new documents to be scanned in and is really easy to use.
On importing all my existing pdfs it automatically tagged them using the directory structure of the imported files (I simple copied over the “My Paperport Documents” folder and deleted all the extraneous files, i.e., those that were not pdfs).
Others
Publisher is gone – as I noted above I no longer need it. I’ll use iWork (even though I have Mac Office) for all my document publishing needs.
Homescan is the last holdout. They’ve been promising a Mac version of their apps. I hope that they hop on it. Mac users – let them know. Actually I would think that they would want to capture the Mac demographic.