The Righteous of the Nations

Open up the gates that a righteous nation may enter, one that keeps faith (Is 26:2, NAB, Revised)

In early September, my husband and I spent two weeks in Poland. We visited many World War II memorials, including museums, concentration camps, and prisoner of war camps. One of the most amazing things about the Polish people that seems to be their resiliency. I really had no idea how badly they were affected by the Nazis and the Soviets.  Warsaw had been totally destroyed and has been rebuilt, keeping the flavor of the pre-war years.

The physical rebuilding can be viewed as an outward sign of the stamina of the largest ethnic group in Europe.  I was amazed to learn several facts about the Poles and the Nazis.  In the countries of Western Europe aiding a Jew usually meant imprisonment and possibly death.  In Poland aiding Jews was punishable by death for the person and his/her entire family and yet some experts estimate over 100,000 Poles aided their Jewish neighbors despite the threat of death.

The nation of Israel awards those non-Jews who are known to have helped European Jews escape or hide during those horrific years the designation the Righteous of the Nations.  Twenty-five percent of them are from Poland.  This is a larger percentage than the Netherlands which is the next largest group known for aiding Jews.

Below is a picture of a plaque on the front of the Schindler Museum in Krakow.  The quote, written in Hebrew, Polish and English is from the Talmud.  “He who save a life saves the world.”  

Eileen

Bad Habits

  I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. (Rom7:15 NIV)

For the past several weeks Michele has been doing all the writing.  First because Husband and I were away on a trip, but for the last month because I have been too lazy to write anything.  That failure on my part to contribute to the blog is best summed up by Paul’s lament that he does not do what is good for him but persists in doing what is not good for him.

We all share in that tendency to know what good habits we should be practicing any yet we continue to engage in unhealthy habits.  For example, when I get up in the morning I take my cup of coffee and head to my computer where I waste several hours playing online games.  My heart tells me I should be doing something productive, either physically (walking outside) or spiritually (going to Mass or at least some spiritual reading) but I persist in my unhealthy addiction to Facebook games.

I have managed to discover two websites for my iPhone and iPad that are free of charge and are helping turn bad habits into good ones.  Loyola Press has website that includes apps for smart phones and tablets that is entitled  3 Minute Retreat.  It includes simple meditations that are appropriate for any Christian.  I generally go to it just before I go to sleep at night.  The second app is very Catholic.  It is called Laudate and it includes the daily Mass readings, the Liturgy of the Hours and many Catholic prayers.  I have taken to reading at least the morning prayers.  

These are both new habits I am working to develop.  I highly recommend using these electronic gizmos to strengthen our relationship with the Lord.

Eileen

Smelly Stuff

If you really change your ways and your actions… (Jeremiah 7:5a NIV)

There was an ill-smelling, sour odor that had permeated the bedroom for several days. I started blaming the innocent dog and then the guiltless cat, surmising that one of them had left something rank hidden under the bed. When that didn’t pan out, I closed the closet door considering the tennis shoes as the culprit.  Still the odor lingered.  I tried a carpet odor eliminator, a fruit-smelling air freshener and even the burning fragrance of a cookie candle. Still it wouldn’t extinguish the rancid smell that now consumed the room.

Finally, I remembered the small college style refridgerator under the counter where I keep my cream for morning coffee.  I had just purchased a half of a gallon of cream and the carton filled weightless. When I picked up the refrigerator, I discovered the perpetrator: globs of coagulated milk that had leaked on the counter base and under coffee cans…stinky!

Do you ever feel like things in your life just don’t smell right? You know adjustments and changes need to occur, but identifying the culprit may take some real soul sniffing. Somehow when you reach the age of 50, it seems that change gets much harder to address.  I have spent the last 25 years on the full-time job of raising five children. My youngest two are a junior and senior in high school and will soon be moving to new places in their lives. They clearly don’t need me in the ways they did when they were much younger. Our businesses are changing and my life seems to be in a state of transition. Like the bad smell in the bedroom, I know I’ve got to approach those needed changes.  Leo Buscaglia says, Change is the end result of all true learning and involves three things…

First, dissatisfaction with self - a felt void or need (something smells bad)

Second, a decision to change to fill the void (I’m going to find that smell and change things by cleaning it up)

Third, a conscious dedication to the process of growth and change - the willful act of making the change, doing something (I am cleaning up the mess and will not leave the carton of cream on its side again. Then, I am going to move forward in an effort to transform).

 Dear God, I have experience spilt milk and plenty of messes in the first half of my life. Please help me identify the areas I need to change so I may better serve you in this second half.

Michele

Faith Produces Amazing Things

 

Christian Medical Ministry of South Alabama

“Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 NAB).

I shared my concerns with a friend that a miracle was needed in order to solve my situation. A few days after our initial conversation, she called to reassure me that through faith God would answer our prayers regarding this issue. She began to tell me about the miracles and the ways God came through in the life of George Muller who lived in the 1800’s in England and was an Evangelist and Director of the Ashley Down Orphanage (“The Bristol Miracle” 1).

She told me a story of Muller’s orphanage that was often without money or food. One day the children lined up for breakfast and Muller thanked God for the food they were about to eat, but there was nothing in the pantry. The cupboard was empty. Upon finishing the prayer, there was a knock at the door and the local baker appeared. Evidently he had been awakened by a dream the night before and was told by God to bring bread to the orphanage. He left enough for the week. In addition, a milk truck had broken down and gave all the milk to the orphanage because it would otherwise spoil before the truck could be fixed.

As we were discussing this amazing 200 year-old-story, a miracle was happening at the very moment of our conversation. My daughter and her husband were planning a ten-day mission trip to Honduras and I was unaware that they still had not raised enough for the trip. Not long after I hung up the phone, my daughter called and said, “We have all the money we need for the upcoming mission trip.”

That very afternoon, my daughter was out for a run in her neighborhood and randomly bumped into the director of the trip who lived near her. He asked if they had raised enough money to go and she replied, “We are $345.00 short.”  He said, “Not anymore! One of the other couples went over by $350.00, so you’re set to go.”

The friend I had been talking with is my son-in-law’s mother. While we were discussing the faith and miracles of George Muller, a miracle and blessing was occurring that affected the lives of both of our children. This was not the situation I had called her about, but I saw it as reminder that God is still in charge, offering miracles right where they are needed.

Michele

“The Bristol Miracle.” Muller’s. Web. 29 May 2012.

 http:www.mullers.org/