Lenten reflection part II

In looking at what I have read during this time of Lent, I now know what the load was. In the Paul’s letters we are asked to die with Christ so we may also rise with Christ.
In our death with Christ, we also hang on the cross with Christ. We have been told that our sins nail Christ to the cross. Not true, we as believers in the Word believe that we will die and rise to a new life. The nails that hold Christ to the cross are made of love. Jesus died for us, he loved us so much, and that he hung on the cross. Our love for God is what nails us to the cross. The cross we are asked to pick up and carry. As we are crucified with Jesus, we become one in death so we may rise again. What do our sins have to do with our death on the cross with Christ?

Our death on cross is a victory. Our sins that we commit help the devil. The devil does not want us to embrace the cross as Jesus did. Our sins are our weight and the devils hands keeping us from hanging on the cross. The devil wants us to die in the world he has tried to change. With confession, God’s love is shown to us in his mercy. The love given places us on the cross with his Son. Our hearts opened to the love of the God the Father. Padre Pio says that “my heart has beats as one with the heart of Jesus.” What happens when we confess and hearts beat as one?

Abbey Youth Fest is upon us!

With 6 days before Abbey Youth Fest, the last minute failure in plain has begun. This is the sixth or seventh year and I don't know how they do it. The lady in charge does not listen to suggestions at all. We are looking at having 2000-2500 youth as of preregistration. They today decided to have only one serving line for lunch and dinner. They put all the food under one tent!
They would not listen to a person who has cooked for conventions and conferences with 12 years of experience. Sorry I am venting. Plus I am the seminarian who is incharge of food operations.

Part 1 of my reflection:
A Lenten Reflection

With reading “Theology of the Body for Beginners” and also “Secrets of the Soul” during this time of Lent, with the daily readings of Holy Scripture during mass it was easy to answer a formation question. “The body is the specific vehicle of the spiritual life” (p.44), from the book “Theology of the Body for Beginners” lead to do I experience the body and the spiritual life this way?

Our bodies receive the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our spiritual life. Our mind helps us to communicate what our bodies feel. During my reflection of question, my thoughts kept leading me to the “vehicle.” What was the kick-start to put the body (vehicle) in motion? During this time of Lent, that kick-start is confession. When I fully open my heart in confession I recognize my faults and sins that I have committed against God’s love. It is easy to say that after confession I have released my soul from the sins I have committed. One might say they have felt the load taken off their back. If our body is the vehicle, then what was this load?

As I promised, In my logic class to begin the semister I was given an article to read. This article was published in the USA TODAY, Jan. 9, 1997 by Wesley J. Smith. He is an attorney for the International Anti-Euthanasia Task Force and an author of Forced Exit. The Title was "Truth about 'assistance'" and speaks of the Court ruling that a decision by a duly appointed surrogate decision maker is, for all legal purposes, the decision of the patient himself or herself. I was asked to write one or more points that support the main point. I wrote the following: What is our nation’s view of life; do we protect the life of the disabled and vulnerable? Bob and Mary brought the value of life to nation head on last year, their daughter, Terri Schiavo, was staved to death when her husband had her feeding tube removed. Has assisted-suicide opened the door that one can make the judgments to kill another by torture? If we as a nation want to be known as a defender of life, we must respect all forms of life and care for one another.

My good friends and brother seminarians, After a little grief, I have decided to update my page. I am doing good. The start of the spring semester has been good. With being down here outside of New Orleans, I survived my Mardi Gra- I went home to Memphis.

With the start of Lent, I have started reading Padre Pio's Letters to His Spiritual Director.

A book you all need to read. My prayers go out to Gov. Mike Rounds of South Dakota for signing the bill to ban abortion in his state. Get ready the Culture of Life is headed in the right direction.

God Bless and I'll add more later, I promise Patrick