Prayer is like a decorative towel

Read this ‘a friendly reminder to all the husbands out there as we enter the fall and winter seasons…these are called decorative towels. The key word here is ✨decorative. Just completely disregard the word towel. Their sole purpose is to be purposeless and pretty. That’s it. If you use these to dry your disgusting hands off after being out in the garage, dry dishes, or wipe the counters off with them…your wife will likely get a little twitchy and a bit dysfunctional over it.

These 👏🏼 are 👏🏼 dec 👏🏼 or 👏🏼 ations 👏🏼

You’ve been warned. Don’t do It!’

Read this.. thinking is theology of play and prayer. Prayer is like a decorative towel.. the husband, yours sons might say ‘what the use ‘ but some of the important stuff has no purpose. But in the end sure a higher purpose. So prayer is like a decorative towel!!!

All because of need for Holy Water

Interesting story.. get paged.. told family patient is Baptist but they want a Catholic priest to come..
I come.. learn no one has been in a Catholic Church.. but they thought he ought to be blessed with holy water., and only a Catholic Priest can make Holy Water..so I do that.. do a blessing make some holy water.. give them my Padre Pio folder and say ‘would you like me to give your dad last rites Catholic Style.. please.. I explain Apostolic Blessing… take away sin.. they say ‘please’
Then put picture of Divine Mercy in Room. Pray the Chaplet…
So all because.. a family that never step foot in a Catholic Church.. thought we need Holy Water/ and only a Catholic Priest can give Holy Water.
Invoke intercession of Jesus Mary and Joseph
Fr Stefan Catholic Priest/ Holy Water provider…

Leave Holy Water in room for future use

Padre Pio feast day

𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑷𝒀 𝑭𝑬𝑨𝑺𝑻 𝑶𝑭 𝑺𝑻. 𝑷𝑨𝑫𝑹𝑬 𝑷𝑰𝑶!!

In honor of the Patron Saint for our Hospital Ministry, we want to share with you some good news! We have updated parts of our website and have added all the components of the Prayer Folders/Packets that Fr. Stefan hands out at the hospital. You can access online, or download and print, all the documents that are in these folders, including our new 𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑃𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑢𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 booklet. Plus we have added (and will continue to add) other prayers that did not make it into the printed booklet. Check it out at https://padrepioministry.org/hospital-prayer-packets/

Over the next 9 days, we will highlight some of the prayers and resources that we have added. If you have any other favorite prayers, novenas or chaplets that you think would be appropriate to add, please send us an email at hospitalministry@arlingtondiocese.org and we’ll look into adding that onto our site.

We have plans to translate many of these prayers into Spanish, as well as create a companion “Padre Pio Magazine” that will incorporate much of the other information and inspiring articles into one booklet. 𝐀𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧/𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫. Thank you for all your prayers and financial support, and may St. Padre Pio bless you for helping to continue his work.

Charisms Thoughts fr Stefan

2003 Grace is first and foremost the gift of the Spirit who justifies and sanctifies us. But grace also includes the gifts that the Spirit grants us to associate us with his work, to enable us to collaborate in the salvation of others and in the growth of the Body of Christ, the Church. There are sacramental graces, gifts proper to the different sacraments. There are furthermore special graces, also called charisms after the Greek term used by St. Paul and meaning “favor,” “gratuitous gift,” “benefit.”53 Whatever their character – sometimes it is extraordinary, such as the gift of miracles or of tongues – charisms are oriented toward sanctifying grace and are intended for the common good of the Church. They are at the service of charity which builds up the Church.54

From the catechism ‘Charisms are oriented to sanctifying grace ‘
So anything that helps you live your vocation such as marriage. God will give his Charisms. But because charism are gifts they have to be asked for. They don’t just come when we get married. At the most they lie in our soul as potential. But they don’t just come with say marriage,
An example. A priest might have the right to peach at mass but lack the Charisms to preach. He still needs to ask seek the charism of Preaching. But because a man is a priest God wants to give it, but if still must me sought
Also in marriage God will give you charism as a husband and father where necessary, but they still need to be sought. But by virtue of your vocation God wants to give them to us to help fulfill your role office in the Church as husband father and provider.

More thoughts on Charisms fr Stefan

Thank you.. I am a poor writer. But this is a passion of mine. I have long felt that everything is found in St Thomas, in his theology of Grace. It was St Thomas that rediscover the theology of charism. And he put it I believe in the section on virtues. This is interesting for a couple of reasons.. that they are similarities between Charisms and virtues. While charisms are not habits that do share some similarities with virtues In that by virtue of our free will can choose to exercise a Charisms. God is a God of order. Also it not by accident that St Thomas defended St Francis in the 13c.. so in a way we nerd to unite St Thomas and St Francis together. Unite Charism and office
As LG teaches the charismatic and hierarchical form one Church. And that the visible Church serves the spiritual. As the humanity of Christ served his divinity in one person.
Only in the modern era have we divided the Church. All is grace.

I know you are busy but these are just some thought that go through my head.

Reflection on charism fr Stefan

Here is a blog that I wrote..

Grace and free will. Part of the answer is found in a renewed interest in the theology of charism. Charism come from the word grace. A charism as St Thomas says ‘is a grace freely given,’
A renewal in the theology of Charisms. Is actually a renewal in her theology of Grace. John Paul 11 wrote ‘the first charism is being in a state of grace.’
To quote St Augustine ‘what the soul is to the body the Holy Spirit is to the Church. The Holy Spirit is she soul of the Church.’ Do we not refer to the charism of Infallibility.’

Even the office in the Church.. bishop priest are Charisms. To quote Ephesians ‘when Christ ascended to Heaven He gave gifts to men.. that they be teacher pastor.’
So the very offices in the church such as the papacy are Charisms. To quote Paul VI the Church lives by a Preputial Pentecost’
So a school like Christendom is rooted in a charism. The founder were moved by a unique grace to teach the faith faithfully. The founder of Opus Dei Josemaría Escrivá rediscovered the charism of work of filial adoption.
Idea there are many gifts but one Spirit. Many ministries but one Lord. And one God who works through all. This means that the Charisms are rooted in the Trinity, they come from the Father, through the Son in the Holy Spirit..

My blog today the boredom of evil.

On my day off I am doing some heavy lifting.. reading wise.. reading Hannah Arendt ‘The origin of Totalitarianism:’
She has great insight into the nature of good and evil.. I think she is best know for the phrase the ‘the banality of evil.’
From an article..

This wasn’t Arendt’s first, somewhat superficial impression of Eichmann. Even 10 years after his trial in Israel, she wrote in 1971:

I was struck by the manifest shallowness in the doer [ie Eichmann] which made it impossible to trace the uncontestable evil of his deeds to any deeper level of roots or motives. The deeds were monstrous, but the doer – at least the very effective one now on trial – was quite ordinary, commonplace, and neither demonic nor monstrous.’

Edith Stein wrote ‘only love is creative.’ I was taking to two seminarian who were going to be ordained deacons. That heating confessions only reinforce Hannah Arendt ‘banality of evil.’ Pascal said in his famous book ‘Penses.’ That we don’t even know how to sin boldly. That we lack passion. We neither sin boldly or become bold Saints. Jesus says ‘I wish you were hot or cold. But because you are neither hot or cold I will vomit you out of my mouth.’
The worst thing is a luke warm good person. Better an atheist with passion than a lukewarm good doer. Why.. because a passionate atheist can become a great saint..

Ok.. back to Hannah. I was thinking of her theory. And the book ‘The Stand’ in Steven King book
This is taken from Wikepdia..

.Meanwhile, Randall Flagg, who possesses supernatural abilities, creates his own totalitarian society in Las Vegas with psychopaths as his lieutenants. His people worship (and fear) him as a messiah and submit to his iron-fisted dictatorship. He has drug addicts and others who incur his displeasure crucified. Flagg rescues Lloyd Henreid, a mass murderer, from his prison cell and makes him his right-hand man..’

That Randal Flagg gets his right hand man.. Lloyd a drop out from society as his right hand man. This is taken right out of Hannah thoughts of who form the mob of totalitarianism. They already have given up on life and meaning. Thus they let will hitch their star to anyone that notice them, even if the star is Randal Flagg, the devil himself.

Feast day of St Joseph Cupertino

Today feast day is St Joseph Cupertino. Who is affectionately called the reluctant saint.
He was considered very slow mentally.. therefore unfit to be a priest..
But God had other plans..
I remember in grade school learning about him.. one of the 3 exams that you had to pass to become a priest.. you had to have all the Gospel memorized.. so the bishop.. would pick a chapter at random and ask the monk to recite it by memory..
Well Joseph had a affinity for the animals. He was considered that taking care of the sheep, cows and the barn was all he could do.. because he loved the story of the Good Shepherd that was only Gospel story he knew from memory.. so when the bishop open up the Bible at random and asked Joseph to recite the whole Gospel from memory it was the only one he knew.. the story of the Good Shepherd. So he passed that exam with flying colors.
I remember in 8th grade learning about that story and, when studying for the test asking God to move the teacher to put on the exam what I studied.
And Joseph is patron saint of Helicopter pilots.. Why.. he would levitate 18 feet off the ground when he prayed. The monks would come into the church and Jospeh would be praying and flying around the rafters of the Church.
Joseph the reluctant saint pray for us.
Joseph was as light as a Feather!!!

Fr Stefan yesterday I found a fork in the road

Fr Stefan writes a poem

On my walk I came across a fork in the road
Wondering what did it means..? was I to have a hamburger or some spaghetti..
I wondered as I saw the fork in the road ‘where is the spoon’
I am not sure how if any time I saw a spoon in the road.. what does a spoon in the road mean?
And How can have a fork in the road without their being a spoon. I mean you need a spoon with a fork Right
As I walked further I saw a pair of chopsticks in the road
So on my walk I saw a fork, a spoon and a pair of chopsticks and to quote Robert Frost ‘that has made all the difference.’

Fr Stefan reflects on finding a ‘fork in the road’

Fr Stefan reflection on reading St Hildegard

Reading St Hildegard Man is an image of the universe the earth. So spending my day off reading St Hildegard read ‘the earth is spilt into 5 parts.
Ok how many continents are there 5..
Which made me think of Pangea. Which science says 300 to 270 million years ago all the continents were one.. but they broke apart.
So originally we were one and man Adam in the garden was an image of creation Eden. So all the land masses Pangea were one, as we all the 5 senses of man one. Before we were divided by sin all of our senses served our soul. But as sin divided the 5 continents man was also divided in his 5 senses. Jesus came to heal us. And make the 5 senses United and serve the soul. So symbolically if not actually God will heal the land and bring together the 5 continents that were separated bu sin together. The earth is not a land mass. The earth is a land that is surrounded by water. As 71 percent of the earth is water. Water is a symbol of grace and the Holy Spirit. So Jesus in healing man and bringing him into unity shows that we live by the Holy Spirit.
Fr Stefan is reading the writing of Saint Hildegard.