Divine Mercy Sunday

I just came across this open on my laptop.  

http://www.christinagallagher.org/en/

Just in time for Divine Mercy Sunday, May 1, 2011.

Attending mass is guaranteed to be 100% less violent and destructive to yourself or others than rioting in the streets (I'm looking at you - Europe).

This holiday was given to the world by Jesus in words to another Catholic visionary - St. Faustina., canonized 11 years ago. 

Even people rioting in the streets need mercy, anyway.  It's not like you "turn to the darkside" forever just for chanting about how, "the (insert leader title here) is a poopyhead!" And people you love need your mercy more than judgement.  Who says we're to treat anyone with disrespect or derision - much less outright malice.  

It could stop people from rioting in the streets - Mercy.

Think about it. Are we heroes in distant desserts rolling around in our expensive tanks and SUVs covered with guns? 

They have their uses, but their uses probably should be limited to protecting pipelines for a massive influx of aid. Not just programs signed off in contracts, but actual, managed, tangible aid. Not "for-profit" GMOs or anything in-between, either. It would have to be about helping people, economies of scale, just policy. If basics can be corralled and mass produced for war (WWI and WWII, especially).  And once, sort of, with the Marshall plan.  (Yeah, we kept several nations from the grip of communism by that little bit of worn-out mercy (compared to the war effort - what was left over))

Imagine if we had done that with all the spirit and resources that we entered into war. Imagine if we had done that in late November 2001, all over Afghanistan? How many castoff Russian jets did they have running? (not so rugged as Kalashnikov)

Imagine if our mercy was faster than our anger. If we forgave our brothers before even deciding on a reaction. If we didn't typecast him as "the darkside" and make of him an entire race - or these days - military/political entity of indeterminate substance. 

If we talked to our children like adults, rather than abandoned them to the XBox or PetPetPark.

Thank you for your visit, Christina, even though I couldn't personally welcome you. I did have a good weekend demonstrating mercy to our children, who have all been to visit you in Ireland at some point.

Pray for mercy. 

Accept mercy.

Repeat.

Karl

Lenten sacrifice

It's not about coffee or beer or candy or vices any more. I've found I pick some pretty intangible things to sacrifice for Lent in recent years.

This year Barb and I are not raising our voices with our children - in anger. That's working out pretty well and the level of peace in our home is a beautiful payoff.

Then I decided I would have a work-related sacrifice. No more Cracked.com. But somehow that wasn't good enough, I had to go further. No more loafing online. I actually decided to do something rather than give something up - that's to try and be productive all day long at work.

So far that's not going as well.  Today I drank 3 or 4 cups of coffee - I lost count - between 9 and 10 a.m.  I worked like a Champ for about 6 hours, then ran out of work.  There was about an hour in there I was trying not to annoy the hell out of Rob, who sits next to me.

I've been grading myself too, so one hour down out of an 8-hour day is about an 82% - on 3 (or 4) cups of coffee.

Ouch.