An unexpected Evangelization Moment---Distributing Ashes on Ash Wednesday in Walmart

Honoring Lent                                                                                                           allevent.in.jpg

IT MAKES SENSE TO ME

By Larry Peterson

The USCCB states that evangelizing means bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human situation. So how can we everyday Catholics always be prepared to evangelize?

Our behavior and our actions and the words we use are tools for evangelizing. They show that we are Christian. Saying grace before meals while in a restaurant with family or friends or simply having an “I Love Jesus” bumper sticker on your car gives a powerful message. You get the idea.  

  

Many times things happen that are “in our face,” and we have only a moment or so to decide what to do; should we stay and help or keep on walking?  It is very easy to “ignore,” a situation, but that is not what the Good Samaritan did, is it?  What follows is an example of one of those unexpected moments.

I am an  EMHC, and on Ash Wednesday, on my way home after distributing ashes and Holy Communion, I decided to make an unplanned stop at Walmart. I did not have to go there; there was nothing specific I needed, but there was the store and the next thing I knew, the car was parked.  As I walked toward the entrance I decided I needed “double A batteries.” I did not need them but I guess I had to validate my being there.

Walking into the store, the express lanes were ahead and to the right.  Ahead and to my left was McDonald's. Outside McDonald's was a bench and sitting in it was an elderly lady I knew from church. We have been friends for a long time and her name is Rachel. I walk over to her to say “hi”, and she looks at my forehead and says, “Oh, Larry, it’s you. We forgot today was Ash Wednesday. We didn’t get ashes.” Let the unplanned evangelizing begin.

Rachel weighs about 70 pounds soaking wet and she is in her late eighties. Her husband, Jim, has Parkinson’s disease and is about the same age. They were both widowed and have been married for about fifteen years. I was still in my shirt and tie and wearing my EMHC cross. Next thing you know I am sitting next to Rachel praying with her and placing ashes on her forehead. When I finish I ask her, “Where is Jim?”

Jim was on the line in McDonald’s. The entrance was about fifty feet from where we were sitting. As I got up to find Jim,  I noticed there were about a half-dozen people standing there watching us. It dawned on me that there were some people wondering why I was smearing dirt on an old lady’s forehead. I simply looked at them all and said, “Hi folks, today is Ash Wednesday. You can Google it.”

I turned and headed into the restaurant. There is Jim, standing there about eighth in line with about ten more people behind him. The place is packed and the poor guy is standing there with his left forearm and hand trembling unmercifully. I walk up to him and he is stunned to see me. I say as quietly as I can, “Jim, I just gave Rachel ashes. Would you like to have them too?”

As I stood praying softly with Jim, our audience began to grow. By the time I placed ashes on his forehead more people were coming over to see what was going on. I did hear some people mention, “Ash Wednesday.”  

That was my impromptu queue. I turned and faced the gathering crowd and raised my hands in the air. “Hey everyone, today is Ash Wednesday. I am Catholic as are my friends here who I just happened to bump into. They were unable to get to Mass today so they are receiving ashes which remind us to “remember that we are dust and into dust, we shall return.”

I actually gave several more people ashes but then I had none left. I know a lot of people, religious and non-religious alike, watched the unscripted distribution of the ashes. It was an evangelization moment for sure and it all happened in less than fifteen minutes. I also know it had to be my guardian angel who helped me pull that steering wheel to the right leading me into Walmart.  

A sidebar to all of this; I never got the batteries.

 copyright© Larry Peterson 2019

Irving “Francis” Houle--an Average, Middle Class, Husband and Father from Michigan..He also bore the Stigmata

IT MAKES SENSE TO ME 

Irving "Francis" Houle--Stigmatist  mysticsofhtechurch.com

By Larry Peterson

 We know that St. Francis of Assisi was the first known person to receive the Stigmata and another stigmatist who was canonized in 2002 is St. Pio of Pietrelcina. We know him best as Padre Pio. St Catherine of Siena may be the best known Catholic woman who bore the stigmata and, for the most part,  those who have received the stigmata have been women. Then there is Irving "Francis" Houle, just a regular guy from Michigan.

Irving was born in northern Michigan, in the town of Wilson, in 1925. He was one of six boys and one girl born to Peter and Lillian Houle. The family prayed the rosary every day during Lent and their dad had them say the Stations of the Cross every Sunday after Mass. The Houle's were surely a devout, Catholic family.

When Irving was six-years-old he fell from a horse onto a railroad tie, broke three ribs and punctured his lung. He was rushed to the nearest hospital because he was hemorrhaging badly. The doctor thought the child would not survive. His parents quickly called his aunt, a Franciscan nun, Sister Speciosa, and told her what had happened.

The nuns all gathered together and began praying for Irving. The next morning the doctor was amazed to find that the ribs had moved away from his lungs and the bleeding had stopped. All Irving wanted to know was who was the beautiful man standing over his bed with His hand stretched over him. The bishop himself concluded that with such an incredible recovery, it had to be Jesus.

Irving's life was as stereotypical of middle-class-mid-western living as might be imagined. He graduated high-school in 1944 as World War II was raging. The very next day he joined the U.S. Army. He served in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and received the American Theater Sevice Medal and Good Conduct Medal. He was discharged in 1946.

Irving, living the traditional life of a young, Catholic man, married Gail LaChapelle in 1948 and they had five children, Stephen, Peter, John and twins, Matthew and Margo. Raising his family in northern Michigan, Irving worked for Montgomery Ward, a chemical supply company, and as a plant manager. He was an active parishioner at St. Joesph's parish and an active member of the Knights of Columbus where was a District deputy and a member of the Fourth Degree with the honor of being addressed as "Sir Knight". The Houle family could have been the subject of a Norman Rockwell painting.

Irving began calling himself "Francis" after the Stigmata began. It is something he just did and that is how people began to know him. But it was on Good Friday, April 9, 1993, that the Stigmata first began to show itself.  Francis told his brother and the priest, Father Robert Fox,  who wrote the book about him how Jesus appeared to him when Lent began on Ash Wednesday. He told them Jesus  said to him, "I am taking away your hands and giving you mine...touch them." 

On Good Friday, the swelling that had been obvious on the top and bottom of his hands broke open and began to bleed. Walter Casey, a retired policeman who had been appointed by the bishop to stay with Francis at all times, explained how every morning between the hours of midnight and 3 a. m., 365 days a year, Francis suffered the passion of Christ. Francis told him that the Blessed Mother had come to him nineteen times and during those visits told him that she would bring many people to him and him to many people.

It is estimated that "Francis" prayed individually over one hundred thousand people while he was still alive. Folks would wait for hours on end to see the elderly grandpa who bore the stigmata and would lay his hands on them. People would be crying and would touch him and kiss his hands. There is a saying, "slain in the spirit" and this happened to some people as they dropped to the ground at his feet.

Irving "Francis" Houle, never sought any personal attention, financial donations or financial support. He was adamant in the fact that all healing was from God and that no one should look to him but rather to Our Lord Jesus Christ as the true cause of any spiritual or physical healing. "Francis" passed away on First Saturday, January 3, 2009. He was 83 years old and had borne the stigmata of Christ for over 15 years. He is one of the very few laymen in the history of the church who was a victim soul and bore the stigmata.

The two bishops in the Diocese of Marquette, Michigan, Bishop James H. Garland and Bishop Alexander K. Sample,  found "no fault" with the activity of "Francis" and gave him his blessing. These findings have not yet been forwarded to Rome.

"Francis" wrote the following prayer:

IRVING’S PRAYER

Oh! my Jesus. My heart is so heavy. Your burden is too much for me to bear.Please, my Jesus, let me take your Cross for a while. Just to let you know I care.Look upon me, dear Lord with eyes of your mercy. May your healing hands rest upon me.If it be your will, please give me health, strength, and peace.Amen

                                                       Copyright©Larry Peterson 2017

A Question for the Lenten Season: Is Forgiveness for Anyone Who Asks? Apparently Not.

IT MAKES SENSE TO ME

By Larry Peterson

Lent is here. I  sit in front of this keyboard with the current memory of ashes smeared across my forehead. The season of Repentance and Forgiveness followed by  Redemption is once again upon us. The ashes remind us of our mortality. We all know in our hearts that we will  surely die one day. Just like the adulterous woman in the Gospel reading (John 8: 2-11) we want to be FORGIVEN for all the bad things we have done in our lifetimes. When we do make that final journey we desperately want our final destination to be heaven.

That is why God became man, isn't it? So all of us would have the chance to reach that final destination.  That is why he came and lived among us and taught us how to live. That is why He allowed Himself to be beaten and tortured and finally killed by being nailed to a cross. This is Lent--and, once again, we prepare. But what about that key to redemption called the "Golden Rule"? Does it not apply to everyone? It seems to me it is supposed to. Do I have this all wrong? Has the sex scandal that rocked our beloved Church turned it into a Bi-forgiveness institution? Do we forgive and not-forgive depending upon the sin?

I live in the Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL. I have been an EMHC (Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion) for over 20 years. Bringing Holy Communion to the sick and home bound is a great joy. Five years ago I (and all those who serve in this ministry) were  required to attend "Safe Environment  Training" and undergo a Level II background check. This included having your fingerprints run through the FBI database. Now all of us who went through that are "required" to do it again. Why? Who knows. I assumed fingerprints lasted longer than five years. Just run them again, right?  I wish it were that simple.

So, I am going through my certification and paperwork from five years ago and I come across the "47 List"  (I call it the "47 List", just me). This is a list of different offenses as described under Florida Statutes that the Diocese of St. Petersburg uses to determine eligibility for employment or volunteer positions. If a person who is applying for a position that would place them near minors or vulnerable adults happens to fit the profile of one of the 47 sections, they enter the ranks of the "Unforgiven". They are the people that become "Persona non grata", permanently, aka Zero Tolerance

Many of these laws have to do with sexual abuse and many do not. Many have to do with charges that can be ambiguous. Here is an example: Section 843.01; relating to resisting arrest with violence.  If a police officer tries to arrest you and you take a swing at him you can be charged with violating this statute. Makes sense, right? When  Zero Tolerance is plugged into the equation nothing else matters. It is over. ZERO means ZERO--NOTHING. This is my dilemma. I hate Zero Tolerance.

Every person is different and every action is different. If someone walks up to me and shoots me in the head I can be killed. If I walk across the street against the light and get hit by a car I can be killed. In both cases my being dead is the same. But the reasons were  different. The shooter who killed me can get the death penalty or life in prison. The driver of the car was not responsible for my behavior and goes on about his/her life. Zero Tolerance would put the driver in the same category as the shooter.

Case in point: A young man I know for many years by the name of  Eddie (not his real name) has a learning disability. When he was 19, Eddie and a few friends had to much to drink. Eddie passed out and his friends propped him in a sitting position against the back wall of a local restaurant. They took magic markers and, being goofy, drew all over his face and arms etc. Then they left him there and headed home (Nice friends). Patrons leaving the restaurant saw him and reported him to the manager who promptly called the police.

The police arrived and saw this large, (he is a big guy) young man sleeping against the back of the building. Shining their flashlights on him they saw the magic marker scribbled all over him. They shook him to wake him and he did not respond. Then they shook him harder and yelled for him to wake up. The touch of the firm hand on his shoulder startled Eddie. He woke up and swung at the officer hitting him in the shoulder. He was promptly "subdued", handcuffed and arrested for violation of section 843.01: resisting arrest with violence. Off to the county jail he went.

The police were only doing their job. If I were they I would have been super cautious too. Eddie had been a foolish 19 year old. The fact is, he was just frightened and instinctively lashed out to protect himself. Having only a vague recollection of what had happened he pleaded "guilty" to the charges. He was given probation and some community service. To this day it is the only time in his life Eddie has been in any trouble.

We move ahead almost 15 years. A local catholic high school has an opening for a cafeteria worker. Eddie, who had a hard time finding work because of his disability, gets the job and is thrilled. He  actually starts work before his background check is complete. A few days in and his supervisor is called to the school office and told that Eddie has to leave immediately. He failed the background check and cannot be anywhere on school grounds. Eddie is stunned and leaves the school crying. That was four years ago and he still has not found a new job. He is on anti-depressants and lives with his parents. In Eddie's case Zero Tolerance became his abuser.

Five years ago when I was attending the Safe Environment class the facilitator, in her opening remarks, told everyone a story about  a man who had been a volunteer bus driver for the school for several years. She went on to say how "fortunate and blessed" the school was to have been able to find out through the Safe Environment background check, that the man had been guilty of having a DUI 20 years earlier. He was immediately dismissed from his "volunteer job" and she was quite pleased even though the guy had been clean and sober ever since his DUI.

I was appalled and let them know it. Everyone thought I was trying to hide some personal demon in my own life. The facilitator even came over to me and, bending down close to me, said,  "We can talk later if you have some personal issues". No one seemed to understand that I just thought it was UN-Christian to not forgive this man. I told her that she and folks like her were my issue. She did not understand nor get my point.

Look, I deplore sexual deviants and anyone who sexually harms kids and /or adults is a reprobate.   We have to protect our children and vulnerable seniors and our moms and wives and everyone from people who might harm them physically, emotionally and sexually. But is Zero Tolerance the way to go? After all, it eliminates all mitigating factors.  As a parent you might be accused of negligence for allowing your children to walk  to the park by themselves. That has happened. Should that mom be prevented from getting a job 20 years later because her name pops up in a data bank as being charged with child neglect? Did a Zero Tolerance policy save someone from Eddie or just help destroy him?

So I guess it comes down to answering the question, Do we as followers of Christ extend  forgiveness to all people? The answer is, we should but we don't.  Is this hypocritical? Does Zero Tolerance trump Forgiveness? If we are truly all of God's children do not all of us deserve Forgiveness and second chances? What would happen if we replaced the words, Zero Tolerance with Golden Rule? Imagine the possibilities or am I  just a "Pollyanna".

                                             Copyright © 2015 Larry Peterson

My Message to MY Pope, "LOVE YA MAN--It is ALL GOOD"

Pope Benedict XVI, this quiet, unpretentious, holy man with the brilliant mind will vacate the Papacy effective February 28, 2013. He is 85 years old and has accepted the fact that his frail body cannot  adequately perform the duties required of the awesome position to which he was entrusted. It is "ALL GOOD". We Catholics believe that the church is the "bride of Christ" and that the Holy Spirit is always there to guide it. Personally, I am in awe as I watch this beautiful process unfold. I have not an iota of concern about the future of the Church or about the next Pope. This institution has been around for 2000 years, no problem.

Over the next several weeks the print and broadcast media will bombard us with their insight and the gaggle of expert pundits will tell us what is going on within the church. They know nothing of course and have probably (most of them anyway) been trashing and criticizing the church for years on church teaching (birth control, abortion, women priests, celibacy etc). Now suddenly they will be theologians and will share with an uneducated public their babble. I do not care. It is "ALL GOOD". What I might advise all these newly ordained experts to do is to maybe make a visit to a nearby Catholic church and sit in front of the altar where the Blessed Sacrament is reposed in the tabernacle (I do not have to explain any of this to experts) and sit and LISTEN. Just sit there quietly and LISTEN. No talking, just LISTENING, to your heart. Maybe you might learn something useful to pass onto the folks.

Lent begins tomorrow with Ash Wednesday. It is a forty day journey that leads us to new-life, a rebirth, the Resurrection. It is a time for prayer, penance, alms-giving and self-denial. Millions of Catholic/Christians observe these traditions every year. It does not make the news. Countless people who have found  Christ will be welcomed into the church during the Easter Vigil when they are baptized and receive the sacraments and become Catholic. This will not make the news. It does not matter. It is "ALL GOOD".

From a blue-collar catholic guy to my Pope, Benedict XVI...---"LOVE YA MAN"