Well, what a morning it has been in Christchurch. A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck about 4.30am and there has been a huge amount of damage to buildings and roads. Thank God only a few people have been hurt.
I bet that a lot of people who woke up with the tremors and shakes felt scared and alone. My wife and my first reaction was to get our baby and huddle in bed to wait out the quake. I hope that families were able to stay together and give each other comfort and care.
The earthquake made me think of two things an relation to loneliness and friendship…
Last night I was at my cousin’s confirmation (congratulations to him and all the other candidates!!) which made me think the earthquake was an outpouring of the spirit! Bishop Barry talked about how it is essential to pray and establish a solid friendship with Jesus. In this way, we will never be alone.
It also made me think of a great blog I read the other day by the Archbishop of New York.
I was on the Jersey Shore, at the Villa Saint Joseph, in company with priests. At supper I had quietly admired one of them, now retired, and listened as he joined in swapping stories about past assignments and colorful incidents from priestly life. It was clear to me that this particular priest had worked hard for over fifty-five years –poor parishes, teaching, caring for the sick. He was an example of a senior priest who had “been in the trenches” and served Jesus and His Church faithfully.
Later that evening I sat alone up on the second-floor porch and enjoyed the sea-breeze. I also smiled as I watched the married couples and families walk along the boardwalk, and had to admit to myself that it sure would be nice to have a wife, kids, or grandkids here with me. Not that I was regretting my priestly celibacy, mind you, because I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I guess I was just imagining “what-if …”
And then I saw the old priest below me on the front porch. He, too, was all alone. He, too, was looking at the couples and families walking-by. And I felt sorry for him. This priest, who had given it his all as a generous, committed priest, there all-by-himself in a rocker on the front porch.
Down I went. Yet, as I approached, I saw his lips moving, as if he were in conversation with a friend; his eyes were closed, although he was not asleep, because the rocker was moving; he hardly looked lonely at all, because there was a smile there …
Then I saw the rosary in his hand, and the breviary (the book of daily readings and prayers, mostly from the Bible, which we priests promise to pray daily) open on his lap … and I realized he was enjoying the best company of all.
I went back upstairs and finished my cigar.
And recalled what Pope Benedict XVI had observed earlier in the summer when he had begun his own vacation, “No one who prays is ever alone.”
Both bishops have an excellent point.
Saints Agatha, Emidius, Francis Borgia and Gregory Thaumaturgus, patron saints of earthquakes, pray for us!
Mother Teresa, I would say, would rank as one of the most inspirational people who have lived (particularly over the past century), not only for Catholics but for non-Catholics alike. She would be one of the most well known figures in recent decades, and yet the life she lived was very simple, but made an effect on the whole world. Even some family members I know, who would never speak positively of anything in regard to religion, would speak highly of Mother Teresa.
How do they exactly get back to their primal roots at the lodge? Is it the way that all the staff are stereotypical beautiful women? The way men can expect on-the-spot back rubs on request, breakfast in bed and “sexy wake-up calls” from lodge staffers with a team of part-time models on hand to care for their whims. The site is full of sexually suggestive images of the staff doing different activities around the lodge.
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