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A Man of My Own Heart

August 7, 2025/0 Comments/in discipleship, Faith, Holy Land/by Amy Schisler

“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” (Matthew 16:23)

Peter, Peter, Peter. What can I say, other than, “I feel your pain and your regret and your embarrassment. I have walked in your shoes.”

A Bold Declaration

Caesarea Philippi is one of the most beautiful places in the Holy Land. A colossal rock wall on the border with Syria towers above the clear, gentle waters that are the source of the Jordan River. I’ve reproclaimed my Baptismal Vows here, which is fitting for it’s where Jesus asked the question, “Who do you say that I am?” and where Peter proclaimed, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:15, 16).

Peter alone made this bold declaration, and Jesus rewarded him with the keys to the kingdom, appointing Peter the chief steward (what we would call a prime minister today) over the Church, as Eliakim once was over Israel. In 2 Kings 19:2 and Isaish 36:22, we read that Eliakim was the chief steward, the keeper of the keys, the one who led the kingdom, guided the people, and maintained order whenever the king was away. His jurisdiction as the chief steward extended not only over the house of David, but “to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah” (Isaiah 22:21).

This is why we say Peter was the first Pope. The Pope is the chief steward over the house of God here on earth—the leader, guide, and order keeper of the Church. Many other passages in scripture confirm this, yet Peter was still just a human being, and a flawed one at that.

Thinking as a Human Being

The very next scene tells us that Jesus next revealed to the Apostles that He would be killed and would rise again on the third day. Peter protested, saying:

“God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” (Matthew 16:22-23).

Poor Peter. First the head of the Church on earth, and then, likened to Satan. It took a long time for Peter to stop thinking as a human being and start thinking like God. Even after Peter’s denial, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection, when Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me” (John 21:15-17), Peter could only assure Jesus that he loved Him like a brother. In the original Greek text, Jesus asks Peter twice if he loved Him with the all-encompassing, self-sacrificing agape love, and then Jesus met Peter where he was and accepted his philio, brotherly love. Oh, how I can relate to that.

Imitating the Lord

I want so much to declare my trust and faith in Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. So often, however, I find myself thinking too much like a human being, doubting God’s power and might in this fallen world. I forget that He sees and knows everything, that He has everything handled, that everything is going to be okay. I want to step in and prevent anything bad from happening with my own human strength when I should be relying on God’s strength and omnipotence.

Luckily for me, Peter continued to give us his own example. On Pentecost, he stepped up and gave a speech so powerful, more than 5000 were converted that one day. Then, in 64 AD, Peter put his full trust in God and was crucified upside down, saying he was not worthy to follow His Lord’s example. Yet that’s exactly what he did. He imitated Jesus by accepting his death and being hung on the cross. He didn’t back down from his teachings, and he didn’t deny the Lord like he did that horrible night in the courtyard of Caiaphas.

Peter the Rock

At any point during his years of mission, Peter could have surrendered. He could have gone home and let the Church fail. He could have stopped talking of the Resurrection and gone back to being a fisherman, but he didn’t. He continued to speak the truth, to spread the Gospel, and to grow in his ministry, his wisdom, and his ability to think like God.

This is what we are tasked with. We all sin. We all lose sight of the Living God. At times, we all fail and falter and lose faith. We allow ourselves to think like humans and not like God. And that’s understandable because we aren’t God! However, we need to imitate Peter in growing our faith, become wise in the ways of God, and spreading the Gospel until death.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:6-8)

Lepidoptera Blessings

October 9, 2017/0 Comments/in Catholic Theme, Inspirational/by Paula Veloso Babadi

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The day after hurricane Irma, I marveled at a swallowtail butterfly gliding through my front yard; a graceful, welcome reprieve from the harsh winds of the day before. It was huge, soaring and totally unexpected. This isn’t the first time a butterfly has blessed my day.

Happiness is as a Butterfly

In the early seventies, pastel posters floated around everywhere declaring “Happiness is as a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” One of my best friends gave me a small rock with a stone butterfly atop it because she knew how much I loved the bidding to sit quietly and coax the butterfly. I kept that rock for over forty five years, smiling every time I remembered the person and the poster behind the gift. A few years ago, when the butterfly came unglued and was lost, I gave up the rock and replaced it with an engraving in my heart from Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God…” I have come to understand that he is my true happiness.

Monarch Migration

Just prior to starting the fifth grade my oldest son, Jahan, received a postcard from his teacher with an assignment to research and deliver a class presentation on the monarch butterfly. Monitoring my son’s project gave me a great appreciation for the only butterfly known to migrate as birds do to winter homes and fly back en masse for summers.

Together we colored a huge poster with multitudes of monarchs and I began noticing every monarch that ever graced our garden marveling at their trek, sometimes as far as three thousand miles! That such a delicate creature could survive the arduous journey amazed me and I figured there was a lesson in perseverance and trust I should remember.

One of my father’s favorite passages was Matthew 6:26 “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” I think he could just have easily been talking about butterflies.

Recent Blessing

Butterflies fight to emerge from their cocoon- without the struggle, they don’t build the strength in their wings to fly when they break free. Some years ago, I was struggling to get through the weariness and burdens of too much work, not enough time, and feelings that life would always be like this. But God is so good; he gave me something I didn’t even know I needed.

I was walking out my front door one early morning, reluctantly heading off to work. As I stepped off my porch, a magnificent monarch hovered in front of me, rested on a nearby bush and took flight again. I stopped and immersed myself in the present moment, thanking God for the pure beauty and joy of a simple butterfly. And then, I was peaceful.

“But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

A calmness stayed with me as I realized the battle to be free, to soar above weariness will always be present, because we live in an imperfect world. But along the way, we can learn from the butterfly who doesn’t give up the fight to transform, to fly, even if only for a while. I thank God for the struggles that allow the breaking free and the soaring against a vast sky. The prize is winged flight and the reprieve of sweet nectar on the journey.

Lepidoptera

I long to fly
short-lived though soaring be
from embryo to crawling
then cocoon before the world I see.

Too much to bear,
the daily battle tires me.
Death sure to come if I but pause before
emergence sets me free.

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This morning, transformation is in grasp
as night skies yield to light of day
and brilliant colors spread their wings at last.
Until they fall,
give me a sip to drink along the way.

Time to “Slap Back” at the Self-Serving Intolerance of the Anti-Catholic/Christian

April 7, 2015/2 Comments/in Blogging, Catholic Writing and Publishing, Encouragement for Writers/by Larry Peterson

Sorry–it is Good Friday and I do not feel too “bubbly” right now. When I began to contemplate the Cross today and Who was nailed to it I found myself disgusted. I am disgusted and fed up with the approximately 2% of the population who are gay and are screaming at the “intolerance” of the Catholic/Christian community which comprises 80% of the American population. I am tired of us being called “intolerant” and “homophobic” and “racist” etc., simply because they do not get their way in every little thing they demand. Have they ever once considered what that Cross we revere stands for? The fact is, they have hijacked the Cross and insist it represents them and their self-indulgent ideology. We Christians are the “bad people.” This perverse nonsense has to stop.

I am also tired of the mainstream media and the Hollywood elite denigrating and mocking Christianity and all who belong to it as “fools.” Aren’t you tired of being trashed by the anti-God people? Why can’t they seem to understand one bit of the the kindness and goodness that has been extended to ALL people by Catholic/Christians, you know, people like all of us. Bill Maher says that people who believe in God, “are idiots and they are stupid.” Has he or any of his fellow God-haters ever taken one damn moment and looked at that Cross and reflected about the sweet mercy, flowing grace and abundant love that smeared blood red all over the wood? I think not.

The United States State Department says that in at least 60 countries, Christians face persecution simply because they are Christian. Imagine, being hated for loving. How twisted is that? Seventy-five percent of the world’s population lives in areas with severe religious persecution. Yes, yes, I know, we are supposed to “turn the other cheek.” Well, this Catholic man says I’ll turn it but if you keep slapping my face every time I do, sooner or later I am going to slap you back. My brothers and sisters, I think it is time to start slapping back. Not with fists and pipes and lies and rants but with the written word defending our Faith against all attacks, even if it is a Tweet on Twitter or a blurb on Facebook.

I also want our bishops to get up there and start defending Christ and His people. And I want them to tell their priests to defend it also. (When was the last time you heard a priest in your parish defend the faith against the evil run amok all over the world including the USA?) I want them to say “We don’t need your your damn tax exemption 501c3. We must defend our faith no matter what.”

That’s right, forget this “PC” (politically correct) nonsense. We, as Catholics, do not put pen to paper and lie, slander or foment falsehoods about people. We write about Jesus Christ and the beautiful Faith He has given to us. That is not evil or intolerant. That is what we are about. We are about loving our neighbor and, for the most part, we do.

Last June ISIS overran the city of Mosul in Iraq. They killed countless numbers of our brother and sister Chaldean Catholics. The Church in Erbil has set up camps and is helping more than 130,000 refugees settle in temporarily until they might once again go back home to Mosul. Pope Francis has set an example for us all, including our hierarchy. He has sent Cardinal Fernando Filoni, the Prefect for the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, to these displaced Catholics. The Holy Father has initiated a program to give out cakes to each of the families in the camps. A total of more than 20,000 cakes will be distributed as the Holy Father shows them they all have his support and he is standing up to the maniacal, Satan driven savages of ISIS. He has taken the lead.

All I am asking for is more defense of the faith via the spoken and written word and some leadership from our safely placed American hierarchy in mounting a campaign to do so. Jesus never said it would be easy following Him. Seeing what happens to Him on Good Friday proves it. War is being waged against us, not only over there but right here in our own country. Time to “slap back.”

Fortnight for Freedom: Freedom to Serve (and Love)

June 24, 2014/2 Comments/in Catholic Theme, Catholic Writing and Publishing, Pro-life, Religious Liberty/by Leslie Lynch

Fortnight for Freedom: Freedom to Serve

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has adopted this modifier—freedom to serve—for the third annual Fortnight for Freedom campaign. Most people are aware of the legal battles being waged in this country, and readers of this blog even more so. The intent of the current wave of laws and regulations is to force religious entities (whether “corporate” or individual) to renounce their moral compass and bend to the will of the government.

As Catholic Christians, how are we to respond? Many are called to write letters to their Congressional representatives and Senators at both state and federal levels—and this is an action all of us can take. Many work tirelessly behind the scenes to support various facets of Catholic work, whether it’s running a food pantry, providing for the needs of unwed mothers, or establishing hospitals and schools for the good of all served, without prejudice or prerequisites.

Some are called to speak for the rest of us. Archbishop Cordileone of San Francisco tangled with Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi over the March for Marriage last week, and the result was a clear and courageous letter. Then he exercised his rights as an American and his leadership as a Catholic Bishop as he spoke at the March for Marriage.

Unlike the secular us versus them approach that inflames divisiveness, though, Archbishop Cordileone responded with a call to love.

This, too, is something we can all do. No, it is the one thing we are all called to do, even unto death.

It is too tempting to fall into the us versus them abyss. It is far too easy to judge. But we are called to recognize our commonalities with our fellow earthly travelers. We are told by Jesus that we are to serve them, to offer them love, even as we reject and resist what is forced upon us. We are to pray for those who persecute us and love our enemies. Yes, we are to do the work placed before us, but we are to do it with hearts filled with love, and we are to do it joyfully.

An inspiring post on one way to approach this challenge appeared on Saints 365 last month. It went straight to my heart and has stayed with me since. It’s a reflection on Max Lucado’s book You Are Special, a children’s story with even more relevance for adults, especially in these volatile times. God loves each one of us, no matter who we are or what we believe—or who/what we believe ourselves to be. Our role is to strive toward the heart of Jesus, which is full of truly unfathomable mercy.

It may be easier to do battle—and I do not discount that some people, maybe all of us, are called to that role—but before battle of any kind, we are called to love. Love, without self-righteousness; love, without prejudice; love, without pride.

Just love.

Can we find the courage to see our persecutors through the eyes of Christ? Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. These words, uttered by Jesus and echoed by St. Steven, must be our focal point.

Let’s try.

Meanwhile, let us go forth to love and serve the Lord.

*Here are links to my previous Fortnight for Freedom posts on this blog:
Freedoms We Hold Dear: Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Speech
Religion and Politics: A Polite Conversation