Tag: suffering

All Creation is Shouting for Joy!

Revelations from Nature

I went for a nice long walk in Echo Lake Park in Mountainside, NJ. It was an atypical Sunday in February. It was not below freezing and with the sun it actually was quite comfortable. I had my binoculars with me, as any avid birder would on any walk. The day was bountiful with birds. I spotted over twenty species, which is a huge accomplishment in the winter.

Then I strolled over to the connecting Lenape Park. On the path that leads to the pond there used to be a garden nursery. Sadly, as the community progressed things changed and the property was sold. Now there is what appears to be a massive luxury apartment building complex under construction. To be fair, they are close enough to the park where they will surely be required to plant trees and shrubbery to keep with the setting and this will create homes for the wildlife that as of this time have been displaced.  Hence, it was not as lovely as usual but will be once again.

As I reached the pond, there were two county police officers in their cruiser, I assume taking a break. Reaching the edge of the pond itself another birder came up and greeted me. He had all the gear including an expensive camera with a telephoto lens. I had done the photography thing for a few years but tired of it interfering with my appreciation of nature. Anyway, he told me he had been watching a Pileated Woodpecker over at yonder tree. He also told me of teenagers dumping the picknick tables into the pond. He decided to go to speak with the police about the issue while I went to explore the trees and hopefully see the same woodpecker.

Looking up at two trees, not sure which was the one he had been directing me to. I noticed the birds had gotten eerily quiet; I could only hear bird song in the distance. To my amazement, I spotted a Red-Tailed Hawk up on the top of a tree eating its prey. I couldn’t make out whether it was eating a small bird or a mouse. Either way it was having its fill, and I had now had an exceptionally wonderful experience on this walk.

I was due home to bring my wife, breakfast and then get ready to get to church in time. I quickly left the pond and informed the birder-photographer who was more excited about my find than he had appeared to be of the woodpecker and went running to try to get a picture, he was very grateful.

Some people do not understand this hobby and I guess people may have different reasons for doing it. But my reason is quite simple and after leaving Lenape Park while headed back to my car that was parked at Echo Lake it just jumped out of my mouth as if all the years of birding culminated to this point. I began to sing at the top of my lungs, if my wife was with me, she would have turned all different colors, but when I am alone and at my age, I share my joy. I don’t get embarrassed easily. So, this is what I sang:

The heavens are telling the glory of God,
And all creation is shouting for joy!
Come, dance in the forest, come, play in the field,
And sing, sing to the glory of the Lord!

Having known these words for much of my life. I have sung it; I have read it from the original prayer, and I have studied its inspiration. Canticle of the Sun was written in Italian by St. Francis of Assisi in 1225. Incidentally, I took his name for my confirmation at the age of 14, and I wear a medal of St. Francis always. He has been an inspiration for me all my life. His humility and love have always drawn me close to him. I always thought I understood him but until recently it truly did not click in my simple mind.

Yes, I understood his love for the Lord and all His creation. I know as most people do and some don’t want to admit that there is a Creator. I personally am not surprised that He would want to look in on us and that He loves us. But I didn’t understand though simple, it didn’t hit me until that day and then it would be several weeks later that I have been given the true understanding to express it.

As Ash Wednesday came and the Lenten season was once again upon us, I decided to reread the ever-perennial Book of Job. A book from the Old Testament that in a certain way delves into trying to understand human suffering, sacrifice and our relationship with our Lord. This time I concurrently read the book “On Job” by Gene Fendt that was released this year. I found it incredibly helpful to meditate and pray with.

This is a immensely deep topic. Volumes of books have been written by theologians, philosophers and thinkers. People with greater skill and study than I will ever have. Yet, we have all been given the same gift and this is what is most important.

Job in his infinite wisdom never denies the Lord. He does not understand why he suffers and groans at the suffering, but Satan could not break him. Because he knew with deep understanding and acceptance that all he is and all we have is given to us by the Lord our God. How can we, which are only part of His creation, think or believe that we can understand all things. It is a farce for us to act as we do. “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!”

Even the greatest scientists in the world have found that intelligent design can be the only thing that can explain creation. This is why all life is precious. We create, but we are limited. Only our Lord God has created all things, and He is always calling us home. As Gene Fendt states in his book “The world is groaning and cries out for its recreation. Only that will answer: all things must be made new again.” This making new again can only done with and through the creator.

So many fall for the lies of the evil one. Anyone who denies creation and nature in an attempt to bend it to their will only make a mockery of themselves and ultimately destroy themselves. We should always work in concert with nature not against it. Then we truly participate in the natural order. I pray for those that deny nature and its order to come back to the reality that their true longing is to be with the Creator God. Sadly, they fall for lies when all around them is beauty and the truth is in our face, if only, we should all open our eyes. As a Christian and from my own natural observance I know that my redeemer lives that I may rise again.

It is God calling us, everything in nature is shouting to us; “Hear me and follow me for I AM the LORD your God.” With humility and this understanding, I know I must accept all burdens that come my way and I must face them always realizing that everything belongs to the Lord for the rain falls on the Good and the Bad and I must always do all things with Love for others.

Thank you, St. Francis and St. Job, for giving me the words I need to express the revelation given to me that day in the park and most importantly thank you my Lord and God Jesus Christ for your love always. I am but nothing in this world and humbly I beg you to have mercy on my sins and those of the whole world.

With that said, I will continue to sing! Sing to the glory of the Lord!

Cuba – An Island of Slaves

An Island of Slaves

In these last few days, we have been witnessing a revolt of the people of Cuba against the much-heralded Cuban dictatorship. A dictatorship regime that from the start has been known for human rights atrocities and puppet courts to destroy any voice against their “so called” leadership.

The Cuban people over sixty years ago did not believe Castro would make them communists, but he did. The people that had no way to leave or thought that they could make change stayed behind. But from all the failed socialist and communist experiments on the island an escape from their economic disaster was only made by asking increased sacrifices from the ordinary people. Anyone who spoke against the regime was either imprisoned or silenced. By silenced, I mean murdered. The more public profiles who had celebrity were protected from death, but the unknowns would just disappear. The Castro regime survived through brute force, instilling in the people a constant fear that their lives and that of their family’s would be destroyed.

Photo by Matthias Oben on Pexels.com

As the years went on millions of native Cubans would leave and the diaspora would be spread out throughout the world. These people would not forget their homeland and would send much needed currencies, many from the USA, to sustain their families. Of these monies that came the Cuban government stole a good chunk of cash.

Most recently, they made it so all external remittances would be under the control of the government. They extolled a severe taxes some visible and some hidden. All the goods needed to survive for the public have of late been put out of their reach. Whatever they had been able to acquire before was now no longer available. Essentially they are starving to death and living in a constant state of malnutrition.

The people can no longer be fooled with the lies that the US embargo is their problem. Access to the internet has enabled them to know the truth. They came to realize that as the government officials lived in mansions of former millionaires while eating and drinking comfortably, that they were actually their slaves.

The time has finally come when the slaves have realized that they outnumber their oppressors. That no matter how much support the oppressors receive from their international accomplices from Europe, Latin America and China, they can throw off the chains of slavery. They will no longer accept the lies and propaganda of the ruling dictatorship. 

For a person not to be a slave they need to have representation. They want liberty to speak, to move and to assemble. They want the right to have leaders they have chosen. This is for us in the USA, a basic right given to us through the wisdom of the founding fathers that we take for granted.  

But for these people it is something they must risk death to overturn. The world is witnessing a real human tragedy before their eyes and still do not lift a finger to save these people from slavery. At least the slaves in the USA had the Underground Railroad and finally the Civil War that affected real change. This being over 100 years ago and yet we claim to be so enlightened here, but I do not see one of those civil rights leaders lifting a finger to support these oppressed peoples.

All those that stay silent are accomplices, though they act otherwise. It is time for all people of good will to unite to free these poor people from slavery to this cruel and evil dictatorship. 

People who want to see what slavery and suffering look like in this modern age only must turn to Cuba. But the propaganda of the cruel regime is parroted by the globalist media because it does not fit their world view. They hold up the dictatorship as a government to be praised. When the truth is they are leaders to be despised and are not much different from any evil governments that have stepped on the human rights of people in the past.

If Cuba were not an island, these people would have freed themselves years ago. Sadly, even now the media in the USA is under reporting the news and by doing so assisting the dictatorship as they have shut down the internet to hide this away from the outside world. It is sad that it will literally take much more blood (death and torture, sweat (hunger and a sacrifice)and tears (the loss of many loved ones) for them to be freed if the foreign powers that can, do not help them.

While I was writing this piece, I received news of the already occurring brutality of the police and military towards this mostly peaceful rebellion. They literally beat one young man on the streets kicking the teeth out of his head, removing his eyes and finally merciful death came upon him. Will the world just let this evil continue?

On Suffering and Love

Life never ceases to throw you a curveball now and then. My curveball, which almost struck me out was getting Covid-19 a month ago. Not only did I get it but so did my Fiancée. She started with symptoms first, and I began a few hours later. Before we knew what was happening to us what began as a cough, in a day turned into bronchitis and then a few days later finally double pneumonia.

Now I am healthy, and I would say 99.5% recovered. The lingering effects of the virus, fatigue and a general malaise seem to hit us on and off on occasion, but I would say we are not going to be one of the minority that are in it for the “the long haul”. I expect we will be completely healed in another week.

This experience came a month and a half before our wedding date. Since we have been together, we have had so many good times it is hard to count. We just live in a state of constant happiness. Thinking about the timing, I know we are happy it happened when it did.

Before the virus hit, I lived at my mother’s house. Then because of the virus and my mother’s poor health I began to stay with my fiancée to avoid exposing her when unnecessary. As of March 2020, I have been working out of the apartment and at the that time she was too. We lived and worked together non-stop for six months. I know that for many relationships this was difficult but for us, it was like a fast-forward of what our life was going to be together. It was, living 10 joyful years in one year’s time.

  • Happiness pre-COVID Experience

We have had some struggles. Not with our relationship, but with those issues that life typically throws at you. Managing legal and financial issues, dealing with family and health issues of other family members.  And of course, handling our own work schedules and making time for each other which is typically a difficult part in the active lifestyle of 50+ year old adults.

Then came Covid-19 which took us down to the mat. We were down for the count. Somehow, we each picked ourselves up when it was our turn to push ourselves to keep things moving and not give up. She was always there for me and caring for me though she was sick. When she needed something, I would get up to do what was needed. She took me to the hospital to get antibodies and then a day later I had to take her to the hospital because of her low oxygen count, and she spent two days there.

During our illness, friends sent us food and drink which was a real blessing that we will never forget. But in my amazement, we also did our chores. We did the laundry and kept the place clean. We wanted to defeat the virus and part of doing so is maintaining cleanliness. Hence, we did what had to be done, even though we probably could have just laid in bed moaning for days.

It was then that I realized that we were living love in action. Because love is something you do, not something that happens. We made every effort to take care of each other while doing work that was difficult for us in our condition. Not a sour note was sounded the entire time we were suffering.

I look back, and I thank God that I was with Aymee. I don’t know that I would have survived this with anyone else. Likewise, I truly believe that real love can conquer all things. One of the things I noticed is we never despaired and that I believe was because we have an abounding love for each other and faith in God that could not be disturbed.

The primary thread of thought here is that suffering is what often reveals love. To avoid suffering is not a solution for any case. Life is full of times of suffering, and we need to accept it and deal with it head on. If you do not, you will likely miss revealing and enlightening moments in your life that bring great joy on reflection.