I bet you don't remember your first cookie...it must be a magical moment though. Normally Momma does not let the kiddos get a cookie or serious sweet until they have their first birthday...but there is something to be said about being child number five! Momma gives in to the magic of the moment a little more than with the first four!
Oh he loved it! What a joy to see! Uncle Micheal thought he'd have these all to himself....not anymore!
Yes there are unicorns...we must believe!
With the news from Dallas and Tennessee today, one could rightly believe the world is up in flames. The world is changing and there would appear to be no hope....but this is what Uncle Screwtape would have us all believe. There is hope...more hope than we can imagine if we still believe unicorns can walk amongst us!
I am being a bit silly, but it is true. Amongst all the terrors of the world, we have plenty of signs of natural law bringing joy and hope to people. How can I say this? Do you love your child? Do you sacrifice your personal conveniences to help your spouse when they have a bad day? Do you pray and give alms to the poor in some way? Does any one of these items fail to let grace and mercy through you to others?
Amongst pain we see now, and know that is coming, we can still bring Christ's gospel through us in word and deed to the world. It is this grace, flowing through us to others, which will provide the world the renewed church. One which will conquer the evil at some point, and let God's plan unfold in ways new and unexpected to us mere mortal men.
Oh..and the Unicorn water cannon my daughter has in her hand packs a heavy stream pounding. It made me believe in its power a few times in our water wars last night!
-ehw
A few years makes a huge difference for all of us...and the power of photographs lets us see this so easily. Here we see my son Kalen jumping to Grandad in June 2010...and then July 2016. In 2016 Kalen was all about fun, toy trucks and legos. Today all those apply; but now he has his own sunglasses, Leatherman tool and enjoys serious talks with Grandad after pool time.
Vacation is a time to enjoy your family, but also time to reflect on where you are, came from and need to go. I think I'll be doing all that for a little while this month!
-ehw
This year the capstone challenge of my boys Blue Knight year was the annual board of review at Regina Caeli Academy. (The full story of the event itself is here BOARD OF REVIEW) For the weeks leading up to the board I reinforced to the boys and their parents their awards were earned not given by saying:"When your friends ask about your awards you will be able to tell them in Blue Knights everything is earned not given."
This is a hard task we all must learn, and one fathers must teach repeatedly. In my case I had one boy who was able to discuss each question for five minutes each in great detail. The other son took a pretest in the kitchen as we cleaned up from dinner, and smugly thought his 80% was enough to stop studying....ah not in my house. After a very serious discussion on how the name Wojtkun was the only thing I would ever give him, and how he was not going to drag it into the gutter he go serious. So he was on cloud nine when he scored a 100% at the review, and earned the rank of Sergeant for next year the next week.
So what does this have to do with the 4th of July? Well everything.
In 1776 our Continental Army was in the field for over a year, dying for American Independence. The men in Philadelphia used the words of Thomas Jefferson to define what we stood for as a nation, knowing by doing so they signed their own death warrant. After years of fighting (remember the war went on past Yorktown in 1781) the Founders created a document forming a government which used checks and balances to keep the worst human failings in check.
Despite all the Founders did did generations ago, Benjamin Franklin responded prophetically to the question: "Well, Doctor, what have we got-a Republic or a Monarchy?" with "A Republic if you can keep it." Dr. Franklin knew human nature, and knew the lessons in his generation could not be passed on through our DNA. A republic could only be passed on through teaching each generation the cold hard facts of our history, human nature, and the balancing grace of applying natural law. Even with lessons learned, each generation must still earn a republic through application of those lessons to the events of their times.
In today's world we have a tendency to throw away the ideas of the past, thinking modern science can solve all problems. The news reports today show the natural tendency for people to crave the warm security blanket of authoritarian rulers (if they agree with us). These trends are disturbing, for they show people discarding the philosophical lessons (probably never learned and many times purposefully corrupted) of the founders.
So today we must again decide if we want to continue earning our Republic, or throw it away and again come under authoritarian rule...from inside or outside our nation. The threat is real, and only the willfully ignorant can't see it.
Time to go pray for our nation and its people...that the light of freedom ignite in our souls once more.
-ehw
Time flies and it lies.
It seems like yesterday I went out for an easy five mile run with my cousin David, showered up and put on my blues ensured these rings were tucked in with my brother Karl and we went off to the church to meet two priests (who are like brothers to me) to get married before God and family. I remember the door swinging open and my soon to be Father-in-Law smirking at me saying "I loved her first." The whirlwind day of photos, holding hands, being the focus of attention wore my bride and I out. I remember thinking of the marriage being about the two of us, swearing fidelity to each other before God.
Today I started with rescuing John Paul (child number five) from his crib at 4:55AM, resting a few more minutes and then going for a laborious 2.9 mile run (every tenth counts now). On coming home I see three boys doing chores and enjoying each other's company. Two girls and a momma fast asleep...and I think...wow a lot happened in eighteen years. Soon we'll make a doctor's visit and I'll be off to work for the rest of the day.
Nothing could symbolize the massive change and frozen time better than our wedding bands. Nicked, bumped, worn smoother, worn 24/7 and still as strong as when new. If possible, they might even defy the laws of physics and be stronger now than ever before. It is almost like the rings adapted with us to experience, trial by fire, success, failures, responsibilities and the love of children we're blessed with.
I love my Carrie Anne, and I truly think no one else in the world would put up with me like she does. Her wisdom is sound, and heart warm. This warm heart powers our family, and keeps us on track. The self sacrificing love Carrie displays with each child she carries is simply heroic. The nine month sickness and long recovery she fights through each time has to count for something good when see meets our Lord one day! She is pretty cute too!
More than loving her alone, I love the "us" our marriage creates. Our constant lessons of agape love, brought by the opportunity to be a family, allow us to bring Christ into our family everyday. Mastering these lessons provides the spark I see in couples married and happy at 25, 40 and 50 years. This is the love which should inspire us all to holy matrimony for life, grows healthy families, and shows us how to claw our way towards heaven through better and worse a fallen world provides.
I know we have so much more to face in our lives. The world is right now in a tremendous crisis of faith, and needs Christ more than ever. I write this not to boast, but to help others see the way to heaven through Holy Matrimony and its foretaste of heaven. I had a friend who said he was surrounded by friends with failed marriages, and was scared to become married out of fear generated by those failures.
I told him what I now know is true...seek out those who succeeded. Learn the lessons of the happy 40-50 year marriages, and put them into your heart. Learn sacrificial love, and seek one who wants to give of themselves without limit as your partner. Pray over everything, and keep Christ front and center in your family life...he will guide you through the tough times which will come.
So today pray for us, pray for your marriages, and pray for those who need to find peace in self to make either a vocational commitment to marriage or holy orders. It is the best gift we could give the world!
Windmill on the property of the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Hanceville, Alabama
When I saw this windmill I could see the outline, but not the details. The vast contrast between the bright rising sun and the shadow side of the windmill also deprived my eyes of fine color detail. My brain knew what was before me, but my senses could not grasp all the details as the wind gently started moving the blades and changing the scene.
I looked into the scene and then began to think of our spiritual lives. We first know the world as it exists around us with natural light and law. When God's light falls on the land the contrast between the right and wrong becomes distinct. What we thought before of our environment will radically change if we embrace God's law as our spiritual dawn arises.
This is the key moment in the transition between dawn to day in our spiritual lives. If we accept God's law over us, the light will continue to grow into full day. If we decide to follow man's law alone, we'll need to wait for the street lamps to come on to make sense of the world. Street lamps are no substitute for God's light.
Even with embracing God's Law bringing on our spiritual day, our earthly minds will never see the world as clearly as God sees it. We will, however, be gifted with the knowledge and graces needed to avoid pitfalls if we ask for them with heart, mind and soul. If we grasp the offered graces, sacraments, and penance we have a better chance to stay on the path to heaven.
If we obtain the prize of heaven through the gift of God's mercy, we will one day see as God sees. The outlines will suddenly become full of detail, the high contrast will yield brilliant color, and the slightest breeze will be noticed and appreciated.
Sounds good to me...
-ehw
At the center of the plaza in front of the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament is the statue of the Child Jesus extending his Sacred Heart towards us. The heart of a child, broken of it's innate narcism, recognizes the blessings Christ brings to us in some moment of silence. For most of us, those childhood moments form the closest and purest connections to God we will ever have. it is the closest we will ever come to touching the Sacred Heart of our Lord.
The reason is once we leave the narcism free window of youth, our lives get busy. Our lives fill with noise and competition needed survive in the adult world. The moments of peace needed to connect to God in the manger, at the Sermon on the Mount, on his cross, or arising from the dead in his glorious triumph over death get crowded out on the clock. The devil uses our fallen world to challenge your attempts at connection to Christ using trials to us at work, his mocking us when our children go astray, or physical ailments used fogging our mind and blocking reception of God's treasures bestowed on us.
We should not lament on this spiritual torment. We must accept it, and revel in the few moments of childlike joy we do get when our hearts open to the Lord. We must treasure those moments as a triumph over the forces of Satan, and know this constant spiritual battle is the one the Lord encourages us to have. A heart constantly striving for the Lord is one which never leaves faith or hope aside, and provides a path where charity can flower.
See the striving heart, the one cutting through the distractions of the world, is a mature heart seeking Jesus Sacred Heart. The striving heart completes the circle of spiritual life for those blessed with a childhood connection to the Lord. See if charity flows through your heart to others, you again stripped yourself of narcism like you did as a child. In the charitable acts you will build not just a moment of joy, but the potential for an eternity of heavenly joy with Christ.
-ehw
P.S. Thanks to Mom for the inspiration for this blog post!
Contrary to most descriptions, a Roman scourging was a vicious affair. It usually killed a person at forty lashes or greater because of blood loss from exposed internal organs. The entire purpose of a public lashing is to scare away people from either supporting the victim's cause or preventing certain crimes. It should come as no surprise there were very few of Jesus public supporters and apostles at the foot of his cross when he died. That was the entire idea behind a cruxifixction.
So approaching the Shrine, on the southern portico we have this cross at the end. With a single kneeler just begging you to come and pray with and for our Lord in his suffering. A suffering which continues today in this world. Jesus' persecution continues today with attacks on the people of his church around the world. Jesus' church on this earth needs our prayers as much now as ever!
So the lonely kneeler begs the question from Jesus: Will you pray for me?
-ehw
I started the day with prayer at this statue showing us how much God loved us...through the sacrifice of his only son on a cross. Below the statue were the graves of two aborted and five miscarried babies. As a father of four miscarried babies, my first thought was of mercy God provides these innocents by bringing them immediately into heaven. My second thought came back to praying the men and women who facilitated the abortions come home into God's graces.
I am a blessed man to have a father (and father-in-law) who taught me the meaning of devotion to family over self, to wife over self, to accept responsibility for my actions, and to honor God's commandments as a way of life. I know he picked me up, and kicked me along through hundreds of mistakes during my life. I also know he rejoiced in my successes when lessons applied finally yielded results.
As I labored for a living and travelled the world the last 27 years away from home, I came to realize this is not an experience all children receive. In fact report after report shows the lack of principled fatherhood is the primary factor for increased crime rates, lack of transmitted faith in God, disrespecting women in a hook up culture, and disengagement of boys with constructive endeavors and careers.
The only way to correct this problem in the future, is for a slow and steady conversion of hearts towards Christ. Christ provides the example of selfless love absent in much of our culture today. Christ provides the example of the stern, forgiving, task mastering, self sacrificing man needed to be a good father to children. Christ also demonstrates a humble reliance on God the Father, and subordination of his will to the master designer of all time and space needed to be a good husband to a wife.
If we look to Christ for answers, there would be no more abortions. We would never allow evil to come to our children if we were truly disciples of the word made flesh. From that simple beginning, so much more good would flow. Once we accept our fatherly call to teach, sacrifice and lead our families to heaven we never stop seeking a truth greater than we ourselves can understand alone.
So on this Father's Day I will pray graces flow, and men accept the call to be father's in the model of Jesus. It would simply make the world a much better place for the born and unborn alike.
-ehw
My first Ad Orientum mass in Savannah, GA April 2016
Robert Cardinal Sarah, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Divine Worship of the Catholic Church, recently pleaded with bishops around the world to resume worship Ad Orientum. Ad Orientum, or facing the liturgical east, for the entire congregation to include the priest was how the Catholic Church worshiped until Vatican II. The local changes made to have priests face the congregation, and turn their back on the tabernacle is a matter of great controversy.
In the traditional Catholic Solemn High Mass the priest always says mass Ad Orientum. Priests may also offer mass Ad Orientum under the Norvos Ordo (or Vatican II mass). Vatican II documents never explicitly directed bishops to have priests face the congregation during mass. This liturgical change it happened "on its own" along with a whole host of other changes. The controversy around this is very rich, and I am only beginning to understand the various historical positions.
I've heard many compelling theological arguments supporting Ad Orientum, however I wanted to reduce this to the lowest level of natural law I could in my head. So I looked at the behavior of a child to see what would our natural inclinations be in this situation. I used the example of my five children as infants to see if I could discern a pattern of some sort.
When a child awakes from a nap, wherever they are, they call for their parents. The child will have at least one or more needs after walking: cleaning, hunger, loneliness, being too cold or hot. The child will cry out. First as a whimper, then as a scream until they get some attention. When you come to "rescue" the child, they will almost always be looking our direction. Standing, sitting, climbing it will not matter. They will be looking for you as they call out.
In a way, Ad Orientum worship is not much different than a child awakening. When we go to church we all need cleansing, nourishment, companionship and comfort to continue on our journey to heaven. The priest, the servers, the laity are all just children in the eyes of God. So when we call out to the Father in prayer we should all be looking in the direction he is coming from. This is what Ad Orientum means, looking towards the spiritual east the direction which God will come.
It does not sound like such a bad idea.
-ehw
Still working on some of my images from Helen, Georgia. We had a fantastic time there, and I would recommend it as a great place for a family trip. After living in Germany, and traveling through Bavaria, the facade was fun to experience. I often wondered what America would look like with some German architecture, well now I know the effect of mixing the two building codes. The most important three things about the town though were: the people were very nice, the recreation readily available, and the ladies loved our John Paul (and he loved them).
With this final point made...I can say it was fun and could be visited yet again!
-ehw
The path to Anna Ruby Falls
As three of us (Carrie, John Paul and I) walked up the trail to Anna Ruby Falls I could not help but think of my son Kevin. Almost every time we are out in the woods he says,"God made nature, and I like it." Kevin, at the tender age of nine, recognizes God imprinted his law on us through natural law. He "gets it" better than most of us much older folks. I just wish the politicians would go back and read the Declaration of Independence, and learn the founders state all laws must conform to natural law (or nature's God) to be just.
Many people today, afraid to be labeled religious or tied to a group, call themselves "spiritual." They find their way on their own through the forrest of life. If they are attentive to natural law, and heed it, they have great potential to make good choices in their moral lives. The problem with just finding your "own way" though the forrest, is your experiences are very narrow. So the chance for misinterpreting a sign is higher than if you had advice on reading the signs as you approach a rattlesnake habitat. If you stumble and the snake strikes, no one will be there to hear your cry. There is also nothing supernatural to sustain your body and soul in this earthly journey if you go it alone.
In this photo I purposefully left the trail in the shot. I did this because as I thought of Kevin's statement, I was also thinking of the peace which comes from growing ever more into a Catholic life. The trail stood out in my viewfinder. With each glance I found a reminder of how God also gave us so much more than natural law. He gave us a path of safety through the dangerous forrest of life, and a means to walk it. All we need to do is use the path and his grace to avoid the greatest dangers of the forrest.
I revel in the knowledge I do not have to be Solomon, Thomas Aquinas, Teresa of Avila or John Paul II to survive in the forrest. I just have to turn to the collective wisdom imparted over almost 6,000 years through revelation and illumination of God's laws to my church and the world! Being the thinker I am, I fall more in love with the Catholic magisterium as each new lesson clicks into place like custom made Lego blocks in a slick design. I know this magisterium is stronger than the efforts of fallible men who may try to twist it to their own political designs.
Not only do we Catholics have the lessons, but we can receive supernatural graces pouring forth from sacraments. God cleanses in baptism, restores with mercy in confession, nourishes at communion, sanctifies matrimony and holy orders, and comforts in anointing of the sick. So not only do I get a path to follow, but a complete pit crew as well for my life journey using supernatural grace. This allows God to be with me in every place, in my body, and in my most important earthly relationships.
So God's path through the forrest is the one I chose. I pray after reflection, you may chose to investigate the strongest and safest path through the woods to heaven.
Today our little Catholic Hybrid School will graduate our senior class. Through family friendships and school events, I watched two of them grow into peaceful and God Fearing young adults. These two also became my very first senior photo clients!
Neil is a quiet young man of deep thought (like some of my best high school friends). He will go out west to college, and will begin the study of media production from a Catholic perspective at John Paul the Great Catholic University. This is a great fit for him.
In our school I observed how he is a quiet, humble leader of the younger students. Many boys looked to him, literally looked directly at him, before doing almost anything to observe the example he would set. His example became their course of action. He respectfully fulfilled his duties to the school and family very well. His quiet leadership leaves a void for the school population, which will be noticeable until another boy fills his vacated role.
Mikayla is a lovely young woman, of sincere virtue. She lets God's grace work through her life to help others. She will enter studies at Aquinas College in Nashville this fall. She will be more than a normal student though, as she continues her discernment of vocation with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, a teaching order of nuns.
Again a great fit for this woman's character. In our school, and with her family, she is a guidon for a prayerful life. You can see it when she enters a room. Small children hold her hand, and admire her. Her baby sister simply adores her. She also walks with a grace beyond her years. When she enters chapel with her matillia, she peacefully focuses herself and those around her on the mass and prayer. She is no wallflower though. She demands unimproved family campsites, and can rough it with the best of them.
I hope I captured a bit of the reflected glory of God these two bring to the world. I enjoyed watching as my children gravitated to them at school and band over the last two years. I knew their example would be good ones, and not misguide my children on their own path to adulthood. I continue to learn a great deal from their parents as well, since they are good examples of parenting in a stormy world.
Mikayla and Neil: May God's grace continue to fall on you, and your souls never let your eyes wonder off the prize of heaven. You've started the race for the prize well, and may the finish be even more virtuous in God's eyes as you change the world for His Glory. Amen!
-ehw
Loving our Desert Rose
The epitome of virtuous love is selfless giving of one's whole self. I cannot imagine any greater gift than selfless gifting love with a cross of pain on your back. Christ did this for all of us to open the gates of heaven. I am proud to say I know quite a few women (three very close to me) who fight through their own crosses and chronic pain and illness to be living pillars of virtuous love as mothers.
Building a home in Indiana
I've watched many go home exhausted from work with nerve pain causing a raging fire across the body with no know cure, asthma induced weariness, digestive problems, hormone imbalances, diabetes, excruciating pregnancy illnesses, and emotional turmoil when children reject good moral choices of living. When I ask why they do it, the same women tell me, "If I do not push through this pain my children do not get the home life they need in the world to be ready for it when I am gone." It is a common theme in each of these women. This mission is indeed grafted on their souls for life.
Wearing a new airport shirt since Kevin shared his breakfast.
I can imagine the temptation these women face when they see other moms bounce through life with the greatest of health and outgoing personalities. Those people get held up as the great ones in our world. To know these chronic sufferers will never be able take an "easy" walk with their children, awake without chronic pain, and will be looked down on by many because they supposedly just don't have the "mental fortitude" to be "more" than they are. These situations must produce feelings of envy, hopelessness and induce despair. Yet these chronic suffers, who hold a deep sense of faith in God, turn these vice filled thoughts around and defeat those harmful thoughts time and time again.
Making joy for Kellie Marie
These women are my inspiration. They create homes with hearts of joy, and communities of charity through their hidden pains. They take up the Cross of Christ, whether they acknowledge it or not, everyday. They suffer the pain of pierced hearts like Mary in silence, and turn the pain into graceful living. These two examples turn other hearts towards God by creating homes and families which match their hearts of sacrifice.
Holding the miracle baby John Paul
For these women I pray for God's mercy to shower on them forever. Today I hope you too join me in this noble cause.
Today our youngest, John Paul, got serious about crawling. A few little steps and lunges at a time, but it is the beginning of his journey towards independence. The troubles and joys this will bring will arise in the minds of each and every parent who survived it at least once.
One of the interesting things about our John Paul, compared to his four siblings, is his very delayed desire to crawl. The fact is the boy loves his standing bouncy toy. He bounces in that thing for hours each day. He also realizes if you walk, your hands can play with toys when you go places. So the reality is, crawling is not a very efficient or fun use of time. So after some coaching, the boy finally realized all the pieces for walking are not in place yet...so crawling is not such a step down.
Today I decided to join the nine day consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary being directed by Father Heilman of the website The Roman Catholic Man (Nine Day Consecration) using the writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe. I'm already glad I did the reading and lesson...because like John Paul I found myself wanting to walk faster in faith, but I found myself without all the necessary tools.
The one lesson I gained the most from today is the need for mercy in the grand plan for creation. I recently came to understand grace as the extension of kindness to the unworthy, and mercy as the withholding of a justified punishment. This made sense, but how does that relate to our salvation.
St. Maximillian Kolbe explains the role of mercy in salvation history in the form of a math problem we all once faced in middle school. Remember the problem where the teacher says:"To win this game you must obtain 100 apples. I will start you with 33. How long will it take you to obtain 100 apples if I give you 1/3 of difference you are missing each day?" At first you say two days! 1/3 each day! Then reality sets in.
You realize each day you would get only 1/3 of the way to the objective each day no matter how hard you try. Even when you are down to one apple, the teacher will only give you a third of the remaining apple needed to reach victory. Therefore you will NEVER reach 100 apples because I will keep giving you smaller and smaller slices for ever!
Having the sun shine on us as we collect those apple parts would be a whole lot of grace. But to reach 100 apples you need a game changer. That game changer would be mercy from someone who will bridge the gap by giving you some of his apples, I will not provide, to reach 100.
This is the mercy we need from God everyday. We are imperfect creatures, and no matter how hard we try will always be imperfect. God took care of this imperfection problem by providing a game changing assist. God the creator of our souls, worked through the Holy Spirit to place Jesus in our physical world as the son of Mary.
God became one of us, spoke to us, broke open the gates of hell, and offered each of us a spot in his family through his offer of adoption. These acts provide us the missing "apples" to put 100 in in our basket if we but stay on track to be in his family. This offer of mercy still must be earned, but it sits on the table for all to take advantage of if we are smart enough to grasp it.
Quite a lesson, and there was so much more...what a wonderful journey to start crawling on.
-ehw
Do you edit your photos? Well of course I do! The reality is, every photo coming out of a camera is already edited to the exposure and composition tastes (or mistakes) of the photographer, the film or sensor have an effect on what you can actually capture, and the software or physical development of the photo before it even hits the viewfinder. Very little coming out of a camera will be absolutely perfect to my eye, so I will tweak the photo until it fulfills my vision of the art coming out…and it is art because it is my interpretation of the photo.
I know some people will shrill at this, but it is really a reflection on the reality of the fallen world we live in. God made a perfect Garden of Paradise at the beginning, and then the whole Adam and Eve thing occurred where humanity fell to fear and pride and separating our actions and will from God’s.
The good news for us is God’s laws permeate into our world naturally. We can discover right and wrong just as we can discover beauty inside our man influenced environment. The better news for us is if we look for and listen to God’s Wisdom from the Church’s Catechism, with its rich source material, the beauty becomes self evident. The best news for us is good materials to learn from are closer than ever to our fingertips, if we but look for them.
So the story of the lead photograph is no different than what our spiritual journeys should be. I walked out of my hotel, the pretty new lobby shinny and sparkly, into a smelly alleyway facing the back of an abandoned business. The brick and paint needs attention, the inside of the business really needs some TLC. To my my naked eye the natural light blows out the color , the situation gritty, and the remaining beauty hidden in a low contrast area with no eye grabbing potential. It is easy to see the despair of the building and have no hope for a photograph “straight out of the camera.”
I had other tools though in my head. Tools and lessons in photography which gave me faith I could find the beauty in the smelly alleyway. I looked and saw a classic shape inside a shape…good…I thought. Then saw the flowers and knew they could be drawn out and made a centerpiece brought to prominence by the eye focusing shapes. I knew my camera and lens. My trusty 23mm would not distort or give in to great lens refraction at F/16. My camera sensor with a high ISO would be sharp and still have good color detail with a larger aperture giving me depth of field to be sharp from front to back. I knew the distracting wires would not pull eyes away, but highlight the fallen nature of the setting. Still in camera I knew the result would be flat, and without great interest.
So I knew I’d dive into my favorite adjustment set on my Capture One 9 software, and get a quick taste of improvement. See in the rough photo I knew there was beauty to be brought out, and I was just warming up. Then I looked at my film simulations on hand, and saw one I like and applied it. I added some texture and dodged some light in…in a matter of minutes I realized the image in my head which reflected a whole lot of learning and applied photography lessons. I paused, reflected, worked on other images and returned to adjust a few more items before it was where I wanted it to be for a final product.
I ask you though, is this any different than how we should approach the world in all our endeavors? In each person we meet, or situation we encounter, will we ever experience perfection as God intended? No! Can we make things perfect ourselves? No! We need to know God’s plan to become better. We need to know how to work with each other as we together try to rise ourselves up to deserving entry to heaven. We need to not reject every sad situation, and look for the opportunity to glorify God in it.
So yes I edit every photo I share. I also work at editing myself and the world around me by bringing a bit of God’s plan into it one snap at a time. I think if you look at your day in the same way, you’ll realize you do it as well. I hope and pray we can do all we can to grow into the Glory of God’s light by doing this as a community. I am really thinking it would be a great work of art…I could even title it “Capturing His Glory.”
And just to demonstrate...here is what the camera generated as a RAW image and the camera generated "correct" JPEG....and my edited image at the end.
For the previous 54 days I participated in two 27 day novenas of petition and thanksgiving centered around the concept of a spiritual boot camp for a recruit to the Church Militant. A good friend of mine joined me on this journey, so I had a combat buddy the whole way. The format came from the website called the Roman Catholic Man (www.romancatholicman.com). Each day we received a meditation thought, lesson, wisdom from saints and the church fathers. You also dedicated yourself to a rosary each night with petitions of your choosing.
One of my petitions was for discernment on how I was to serve the Lord and my family better in the years to come. Saturday was my final day in this journey, and as we attended the baptism of a wonderful baby boy this photo came together before me. It symbolized many of the lessons the Lord brought to my attention int he last 54 days.
Here you see parents humbly presenting their child to the Lord, and pledging obedience to the church's teaching as they raise their child to trust the Lord. The Child's grandfather is the Deacon conducting the baptism. He calls all of his children to a life embracing the supernatural grace of God though example and deed. He does this as a patriarch of his family, and as an ordained clergy for the Body of Christ.
In this photo you see many members of our Regina Caeli Academy family, and other families joyfully embracing a culture of life and sacrifice. As my altar serving son said later, it was the nosiest mass he ever served at. As a result of the noise, the presiding priest only got a bigger smile because it was a sign of parents continuing to present their children to the Lord as they grew. He knows this pleases God greatly.
The joyful presence of children lining the isles reminded me I am to be like a child in my faith. I must be inquisitive and seeking truth with all my heart. The presence of my child reminded me I also have a calling as a younger patriarch to follow the lead of wiser Catholic men around me. If you want be the best you can be, you must associate and learn from the best on the field of battle yourself. It is the only way to care for your wife and children properly.
Finally, I realized even if I cannot do anything physically to help people I must continue to pray. In this photo are many who's names line my prayerbook. I do not know them well, and some did not know I was praying for resolutions to problems they mentioned when we met. I pray because right now, for most of them, it is all the charity I can provide.
The day and setting for the sacrament were beautiful beyond my ability to describe it in words. I knew by the high stratocumulus clouds change was just over the horizon. By the next morning the temperature would drop forty degrees to a low of 36 degrees. This symbolized how the Church Militant needs more recruits to prepare for the long campaigns of spiritual warfare to come. So the final part of my discernment was the knowledge I am to help sound the call for new warriors to join our cause. For men are meant to be courageous, not cowering from fear and despair.
The journey to these discernments was long and productive...but only the beginning of a new a more challenging chapter as I seek again to capture a glimpse of his glory and share it with you..
-ehw
John Paul looks into his DjaDja's eyes
In the magic of a moment we can see glimpses of heaven on earth. On this day when John Paul sat with his DjaDja (his Grandfather), I enjoyed watching this scene play out over 45 minutes. John Paul was content to sit right on his DjaDja's lap and listen to the rhythm of tapping hands, the touch of a hand on his head, or to reach for his grandfather's face and feel the texture of his elder.
When their eyes met, it was magic to see the connection grow between them. It appeared John Paul could tell innately DjaDja was family without the need of an adult logical thought process. Maybe evolutionary smell, facial similarities, or voice recognition causes this. I think there is also somewhere in here a gift of the spirit letting us enjoy the gift of multi-generational family.
I hope one day to hold my grandchildren, and watch my children bring them to know the Glory of God. These would be gifts worth more than the finest gold and food. It is a shame so many people today across the world think so little of a gift like this. Or worse, succumb to despair and think bringing children into this world is hopeless in making it a City of God.
In the magic of this captured moment, I hope and pray grace will flow to help others receive a gift of the spirit calling them to join in the act of creation built into our nature by God himself. Then we can all help build a City of God one loving glance at a time.
-ehw
Do you cross the bridge if called?
Yesterday as I ate lunch I overheard two men discussing faiths other than their own Evangelical beliefs. One gent was a little louder than the other, and I could clearly hear someone in his past incorrectly explained a number of Catholic beliefs to him. He then said, I am willing to,listen to what they (Catholics) have to say, but from what I know they are going to hell.
I was nervous, because inside me I was hearing a call to simply explain the errors he heard. To let him know if what he said was true (for example that we worship Mary like a God) I could not be That type of "Catholic" either. So I finished my lunch and made a decision...I would offer to both men my services to understand the Catholic faith from a Catholic who really wants to know truth as well.
With my mind made up, I walked right up and made the offer. What followed was one of the most respectful ten minute discussions I've ever had. We discussed Mary, sin, Saints, intersession, problems with language translations, how God's plans for us all vary in time and process, baptism, reconciliation and our goals in life. Near the end, one of the men looked at me and said "Why do you know scripture? Most Catholics don't."
I told him I was embarrassed I don't know more, but it was a lesson I took from the Evangelicals I met. One had to have faith, keep learning as an adult, and be willing to share it in evangelization. So I learn something, learn how much I still don't know, and then adore how the tenets of my faith interlock into something more beautiful with each lesson.
When I left I was shaking a bit. Did I do justice in my explanations? Did I honor the teachings of the Lord with my deeds? Did I show my sincere respect for fellow seekers of the Lord's timeless Wisdom? Did I do what God wanted me to in this test of my faith?
I've been praying God would discern to me what my future should be...maybe this was part of the process. Until then I will have to keep praying my Faith grows in the Wisdom of the Lord and I do him honor and Justice in word and deed. I also will be praying for those two nice men, that they continue to honestly seek the Lord's Wisdom themselves. The Lord wants nothing less than for us all to come home to Heaven.
On a short visit to Dallas, Texas and it is already a good adventure!
On the trip to the hotel I learned it was near no traveller destinations, unless you consider the red light theater and Bombshells Restaurant (with a less than stellar Google rating). Then to make things more exciting the taxi blew a tire on the highway! Luckily we were able to cruise to a stop at the exit where the hotel was located. Just under a half a mile walk with roller bags through tall grass on an access road and I was there! I must say my driver was very courteous and concerned, although I was more concerned about him! I even walked back to check on him after I dropped off my bags.
Walking around town was interesting. I saw seven different patrol units from various local law enforcement agencies. I think the razor wire around a hotel, fenced in compounds near the hotel, and cars coming together for short visits with people popping in and out of windows was what detectives call a "clue" the red light theater was not the only thing exciting around here for them.
It was a mile walk to IHOP, and I was a little sad when I got there since of course my world favorite pancakes were not on my available eating list. It was very crowded, and the crew was working their tails off. Service came with a smile. On the way home, belly full I got a little creative with my photos. When I arrived home I realized most of them were going to end up black and white since I had a high and bright sun. I'll share some tonight.
The purpose of this is to say I had some real thankfulness when I said my Divine Mercy Chaplet and Rosary last night. I was thinking this type of day was why our forefathers would build devotional sites halfway between towns in old Europe. Evil and nastiness is a part or our world. Recognizing the good people we meet on our travels inside these crazy evil clouds, lets us remember our job is to Capture His Glory in our hearts through them each and every moment of the day. For this I was thankful, and we all should be when we see people living virtue powered by God's grace.
-ehw
