How to Become a Saint: Step 3-The Secret Weapon

When I was in the Navy I had a security clearance.  I was allowed to know things that the nation felt was important to keep a secret for the security of the country.

So, with this post I'm, giving you a security clearance.  I'm going to tell you the big secret in how to become a Saint.  Make sure you are alone in a quiet place so no one else can hear this covert fact, the secret weapon to Sainthood.

Here it is. You are already a Saint.

Remember, we were all created in God's image.  We were not created to be Gods ourselves but God wanted us to be his companions.  We were created in God's image to be with Him in heaven.  So how is that not being born a Saint?

This begs the question why isn't everyone a Saint then?  Here is where we tend to go wrong.  In order to enter heaven and receive our Sainthood, we need to give our lives to Jesus and follow his will.  Jesus died for our sins, but he was also an example of how to live our life as humans.  He continues to look out for us and lead us on the pathway to heaven.

But we tend to forget this fact and lead lives away from God.  Even as believers we might forget Jesus during the week and try to make up for it by an hour on the weekend at Church.  We might ignore the Holy Spirit trying to warn us when we veer of the right path.  Through history, our Mother, The Virgin Mary, has come back down in visions to remind us of the glory we are entitled to.  But we choose to ignore her.

Our thoughts and actions take the glorified soul we were created as by God and turn it into less than a Saint.

But it's not too late.  Live close to God.  Follow the example of Jesus.  Hear the Holy Spirit warn us when we go off track.  Follow the lessons of Mary at Fatima and other motherly visions.

Do this and we can again become the Saints that God intended us to be, the Saints we already were before we made mistakes and jeopardized our Soul.  We were born as Saints.  Sainthood is our destiny.  We just need to not botch it up.  Jesus is infallible, so by faithfully living through Him it is impossible to mess up our path to Sainthood.  You just need to do it.

11/4/24-It's Election Day

Every leap year on the first Tuesday in November, in the United States, we make history.  We choose leaders who will guide the country until we get to choose leaders again.  Voting is a right that all citizens can exercise.  People have died defending this right.

I used to be into politics.  I followed the polls on election day.  I grew up with friends with varying opinions on politics and politicians.  But I think that even though we didn't agree all the time we were respectful of each other's feelings and choices.  We were able to discuss why we voted for what we did, without effecting our relationship.  I think when I was young people identified themselves as Americans first, then as members of what party or policies they supported.

Obviously, was not alive during the Civil War or The Vietnam War.  Those were times when the United States was divided over an issue or issues.  This division led to violent protests, assassinations, and even the dissolving of the country into a bloody war.  So I can't compare the political climate we face today with any other period in history.  But it seems as if we are at a crossroads as a country.

There have been many world empires in history.  The Greeks, The Egyptians and The Mongols have all been major worldwide powers in history who have had their confederations end.  One of the biggest and longest lasting was the Roman Empire.  The Roman Empire proper lasted for 500 years.   If the Eastern Byzantine Empire is included historians can argue the remnants of the Roman Empire were in parts of the world for another 1000 years.

So how does such a powerful, long lasting empire come to an end.  In "The Fall of the Roman Empire" it was theorized that there were an number of events that led to the ending of the Roman Empire.  A pandemic caused loss of population.  Climate change effected the ability to recruit for the military, to trade and grow food.  The Roman Empire faced a migrant crisis, political crisis and a financial crisis.  Political strife led to extorsion and corruption.  Religious dispute turned into moral decline.

I don't think it is difficult to see a reflection of the events that led to end or the Roman Empire in The United States today.  And that disappoints me.

I am proud to be an American.   I joined the Navy to be a part of the United States presence in the world.  On a submarine we were a projection of the tip of the spear of American sea power.  By bring out there we were defending the US from enemies, foreign and domestic.  I accepted the fact that given the situation I might have been asked to give my life in defense of the country.  The chances were small, but I think I would have been honored to do so. 

I still love this country.  It is the best country in the world.  Maybe in the history of the world.  But I miss being able to discuss issues without being worried about being shut down, socially ostracized or risk hurting someone feelings.  We should never be afraid to say what we believe.  It's part of being free.

  

We are supposed to have opposing opinions.  We are supposed to respect those opinions.  We are supposed to respect the people with those opinions.  We are supposed to be proud to be patriotic Americans.

"In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." -Barack Obama

My hope is that we can go back to remembering what we have in common as Americans to strengthen the republic rather than be ashamed of events in our history that divide us.  We are still a young country, and may have made mistakes in our growth.  But rather then erasing them we should learn from our past, lest we make similar mistakes in the future.  And the best wat to do so is to get back to respectful discussion and considerate debate.  Maybe this can even lead to a word that seems to be foreign in politics today: compromise.

In any case, if you haven't voted yet, you should try to get out today if you are registered to do so.  It's our responsibly as citizens of The United States to do so.

And whatever the results of this vote are hopefully we can have a fair and just election.  And that the transfer of power will go without incident.  And that we can get back to making this country great again.

"If we love our country, we should also love our countrymen." -Ronald Reagan

 

 

How to Become a Saint: Step 2-Your Sainthood Team

On All Saints Day I was watching some various homilies and thoughts on the day from the experts on faith and Catholicism.  One of my personal favorites is Father Mike Schmitz.  His 2023 homily really struck a chord with me.  I will summarize parts of the sermon here, but I encourage you to get it straight from the source by clicking this link.

Father Mike likened becoming a Saint to an Ironman Triathlon.  Immediately, I was interested as 20 years ago I finished the 2.4mi swim, the 112mi bike and the 26.2mi marathon run and heard those words "You are an Ironman."  The rules have eased over the last 15 years ago, but it used to be very strict.  An Ironman race started at 7am with thousands of people starting the swim together and in order to be considered a finished you needed to cross the finish line by midnight.  That gives 17 hours to finish the race and be an official finisher.

When it gets close to that midnight time limit it became tradition for people who had already finished the race to return to the finish line to cheer on the final racers for the day.  Father Mike talks specifically about an Ironman Canada, but I've seen and heard of this happening numerous times late in Ironman Triathlons.  With the stands at the finish line full in the last half hour of the race, the announcer says he hears about a racer who is struggling, 2 miles down the road, but has only 15 minutes to finish the race to be an official Ironman.  Running 2 miles in 15 minutes is not impossible, but remember this a person who has been going non-stop since 7am.  So finishing the race is definitely not a certainly.  So  people then leave the stands to go down the road to encourage and run with this individual.  Over the next few minutes more people go to meet the racer and encourage him.  They want this person to experience of becoming an Ironman like them. 

When the racer gets near the finish line and makes that final turn they have a crowd of Ironman behind them helping and encouraging them to finish the race so they can hear the words, "You are an Ironman."

So how does this relate to Sainthood?  Like becoming and Ironman becoming a Saint is a race.  The racecourse is life.  And like the Ironman we have a team behind us, helping and encouraging us to finish the race.  All the Saints who have already finished before us are there running with us to the finish line.  We are never trying to run the race of life alone.  Pushing us to the finish are St. John, St. Joan of Arc, St. Pope John Paul, and all the Saints.  Your own Sainthood team.  The Saints want you to experience becoming a Saint like them.

We just need to follow our team's encouragement to get to the finish line, with the crowd of Saints behind us, where St. Peter says the words, "You are a Saint."

 

How to Become a Saint: Step 1-Finding Flaws

This year in my goal to better understand and become more connected to my faith, I have completed a couple of cycles of the Marian Consecration.  It is a way of completely devoting one's life to the Virgin Mary and offering oneself to Jesus through Mary.

As I understand the idea for committing to Mary as a way to reach Jesus was first started in the 1600's by French Priest St. Louis de Montfort.  More recently it was reestablished by St. Maximilian Kolbe (who should be the patron Saint of Beard-Growing) in the 1920's and 1930's.  In either case there is a series of 33 days of daily reflection before praying to commit to Mary.

In the case of St. Kolbe's consecration the daily prayers always included "...become a Saint.  A great Saint."

This was always uncomfortable to me to say.  I'm not a Saint.  I'm definitely not a great Saint.  I have faults.  I have made mistakes.  I have spent parts of my life distanced from Jesus.  I can't be a Saint.

Or can I?

I think the first step to becoming a Saint is the realization that even the Saints we admire probably had faults.  St. Paul was a Roman who persecuted Jews and early Christians.  Before his conversion St. Augustine pursued a life paganism and had a child out of wedlock.  St. Pelagia and St. Mary of Egypt were well known seductresses.  

More recently, in the 1800's, Bl. Bartolo Longo described himself as an atheist and  "Satanic Priest."  During his beatification St. Pope John Paul called Fr. Longo the "Apostle of the Rosary."  That's quite a turn around.

It seems like almost every Saint has a story of being distanced from God and a conversion that led them to return to their faith.

So maybe I can be a Saint.  Maybe we all can.

Being a Saint is not about being flawless.  Becoming a Saint is about working on flaws and using them to become perfect.

I want to end on this thought from one of those flawed individuals who became a Saint and a was named a Doctor of the Church, St. Augustine:

"There is no Saint without a past, no sinner without a future."

Let us realize our flaws and figure out how to use them to become Saints, great Saints.

All Souls Day-How to Get Out of Purgatory

Today is All Souls day.  It is a day for us to remember those who have gone before us, especially those still in purgatory being purified prior to being allowed to go to heaven.

As a Catholic we believe that all souls live on forever.  After the earthly life has ended all soils go to one of 3 places. 

The first is Heaven. This is where we will be reunited with God-Our Creator, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and all the Saints. This is a return to paradise for those whose souls are ready to receive the joy of Heaven.

The second option for souls is Hell. This is for those souls who do not merit ever being together with God. They live in eternal damnation apart from God.

The third option for deposition of a soul is purgatory.  I think this more of a Catholic specific belief but it is basically a place for those souls to be purified prior to entrance to heaven.  The Catechism of the Church says “All who die in God's grace and friendship l, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed ensured of eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.”

It would be interesting if getting out of Purgatory was as simple as getting out of jail in Monopoly, rolling doubles or getting a card from the chance pile, but it's not. It's our job on earth to help the souls waiting for entrance to heaven.

And that's what we should be remembering on All Souls Day.  Pray for and ask for indulgences for those undergoing the purification in Purgatory.  That they may go on to the joy of heaven.  And when they do they will remember us who have prayed for them so when we undergo the test they will be on our side defending us.  It's like we will have our own heavenly character witnesses waiting for us when St. Peter asks us if we are ready to go through the Pearly Gates.

So today I pray for all the soils in Purgatory, that they will be undergo a quick purification and proceed onto to not of eternal life in heaven.  Especially for the souls of those who have made a personal mark on my life with Jesus. 

Dad. Grandma. Frank Thornton. Captain Pavis. Herb and Mary Dean. Dr. Pezanoski. And Anyone I've forgotten.

11/2/24-Funny Old Man

It has been a while since I wrote about the men in my life who I have looked up to as role models.  There is four or five men who, as I look back, I hold them responsible for me becoming me.

Unlike my Dad and my Step-Dad,  in this case I know the exact time I met this man.  It was January 26th, 1990, I was supposed to go on a first date to a high school basketball game.  I was driving down the street trying to find the house where my beautiful young date lived.  Before Google Maps and GPS this was a more difficult task than it is today.  I considered giving up and just going to the game, but after driving around for a while I eventually found the house. Unfortunately, she had already given up on me and driven herself to the game.

After finding the right house, I went to the door and was met by an intimidating young man, who I later found out was my date's brother.  I was told my date had already left.  In the background I heard a man yelling from the couch that turned out to be my date's father.  I don't remember what he said but it was made quite clear that if I was going to spend any time with his daughter he was going to keep his eye on me.  And I better be good for her or I would have to answer to him.  I left a little concerned for what I was getting myself into, and went to the game to meet my date.

It hopefully is obvious that my date eventually became my wife, Cindy.  And the man I met that night was John De Mars, her father.  Over the following months, I became totally infatuated with Cindy, so it became important I was acceptable to him.

I found myself spending time at their house.  Even though I was supposed to be spending time with Cindy or helping her study, I somehow always found myself on the couch watching a movie or some sporting event with her Dad.  I felt an instant connection to him.  The sarcastic humor, the endless knowledge and the stories of his life experience made the time waiting for Cindy to figure out algebra pass more quickly.

When March rolled around I truly found Mr. De Mars in his element.  He stacked TV's all over the living room and split the cable so he could watch all the NCAA Basketball Tournament Games.  We now have picture-in-picture TV's or multi-view streams to do the same thing, but he was truly ahead of his time.

After a year or so Cindy and I made our first real purchase together, Bob the Beagle.  It was Cindy's Dad that took care of him and trained him.  We nicknamed Mr. De Mars "Funny Old Man" because that's how Bob probably saw him. Bob eventually became our first "child."

The hard part of spending time with Mr. De Mars was his health.  He was dealing with physical decline the entire time I knew him.  We spent many evenings at the Naval Hospital ER.  I could see how uncomfortable and weak he was at times.  I could see the strong, virile man in him and I wish I could have seen that. 

This relationship continued for the next few years until I joined the Navy.  A life-long Marine I hope he was proud of me even though I chose the Navy over his beloved Marines.  Unfortunately, I would never see or speak to him again, as he passed away while I was in training in Florida.

This begs the question, even though we only interacted for a few years, why do I consider him in such high regard to call him a role model?

There are a few things that I gained from him.

1. Commitment to the Nation.  Serving in Vietnam, he could have felt negatively towards the country.  He could have held the United States as responsible for his physical problems.  But I never felt anything other than pride in our Nation from him.  The same pride I feel for this country.
2. Commitment to family.  One thing I never realized in my courting of Cindy is how close their family was and is.  He would never speak negatively of his family or his children.  It was because of the way that their family grew together that when Cindy and I got married I felt as if I was not just joining with Cindy, but gaining sisters and a brother, aunts and uncles and another mother.
3. Commitment to self.  It was obvious that Mr. De Mars was a physical shell of what he once was.  The physical toll of daily life must have been difficult.  But I never once heard him complain.  He did the best he could with his limitations.
4. Commitment to Cindy.  Cindy loves her father more than anything.  And I could see that he loved her as well.  A lot of him is reflected in her personality.

I hope I have the commitment to nation, family and self like he did.  But most of all I hope I can have just a fraction of the commitment to Cindy that he had.

This has been awkward to write because I keep having to write "Mr. De Mars" even though I don't think I ever called him that.  When he passed away it was only a few months before Cindy and I got married.  I wish I could have just once gotten the chance to call him "Dad."

All Saints' Day: The Story of a Non-Saint

On November 1st we celebrate the best of those of us who have lived on earth, the Saints.  We can use the day to remember people who have lived their faith above all.  The Catholic Church has many Saints and it is not hard to find one that we have a connection to, either by the way they lived or by things they were associated with.  Some lived 100’s of years ago.  Some have only passed on recently.

I would like to take the time to remember the story of someone who is not a Saint, but whom I look up to for intercession often,  Father Vincent Capodanno.

Born in 1929 of Italian immigrants, Vincent Capodanno was called to the faith and joined the Maryknolls, a Catholic missionary group just shortly after World War 2.  He eventually was ordained a priest in 1958 and completed missionary assignments in Taiwan and Hong Kong, fulfilling academic and emotional needs of the people he worked with.

In the mid-1960’s Father Capodanno found a different calling, to join the Chaplain Corps of the Navy and administer to those fighting for our country.  In 1966, after receiving his commission in the Navy, he was deployed to Vietnam, serving with the U.S. Marines.  Though he didn’t have to, Father Capodanno felt it was important to live among and to be as close to the front line Marines as he could be.  He spent time among them giving confessions, consoling the grieving and helping the suffering.  He was affectionately known as the “Grunt Padre” in honor of the way he lived as a Marine.

On September 4, 1967, Father Capodanno was involved in a major battle.  According to accounts he didn’t have to be there, and was asked to head back to safety by many of his fellow Marines.  But Father Capodanno didn’t leave.  He felt his duty to the men and to God was too important.  He continued to console the men, helping the wounded to safety and offering last rights as necessary for the dying.

It was there he gave the ultimate sacrifice.  Unarmed, he was shot 27 times, and died on that battlefield.  He gave his life as a Marine and faithful servant of God.

Posthumously, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.  He has had chapels named in his honor, especially those associated with the military.  In 1973 the Navy named a ship in his honor.

In the Catholic Church he has been named a “Servant of God.”  This is a step in becoming a Saint in the Catholic Church.  I don’t know if he will ever become St. Vincent, that’s up to the Vatican, but he is a Saint to me.  I ask for his prayers often.

"May God, who has offered strength through the hands of His only Son, Our Lord, and the Christ's many servants grant me the favor of His healing hand through in intercession of His servant, Father Vincent Capodanno, priest, missionary, and chaplain, who always sought to heal and comfort the wounded and dying on the field of battle.  May I be granted this request on my own field of battle.  I pray in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

My personal battlefield might not be in the jungles of Vietnam, but I still depend on Father Vincent Capodanno to give me strength to fight my personal battles, wherever and whatever they may be.