It was a calm New Year’s celebration at Vanessie Piano Bar in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Something my wife, Pat, and I have enjoyed for multiple years—to hear good music, enjoy good food and the city’s uniqueness. Mass was wonderful on New Year’s Day in the beautiful Cathedral. I didn’t make a long list of New Year Resolutions, but decided that the following Prayer for Guidance would be my guide and I wish the same for you in this year.
Lord, I thank you for calling me to this journey. I thank you for letting me feel your presence in my life. I know you’re guiding me.
But Lord, there’s so much I want to know! . . . What plans do you have in store for me? How can I really help you build your kingdom? How can I make a difference? What makes me so special that you should call me to be your disciple?
Lord, I want to do your will. I want to make my life a gift to you. But I’m not sure where to start.
Please fill me with your spirit, that I may have your wisdom to discern what talents, what gifts you have given me to share. . .
Give me your courage, so that I will not be afraid to use them. . .
Give me your energy that I will not tire of doing the work you put before me. . .
Give me your joy and your love that others will recognize you in me. . .
But most of all, give me your patience and your faith to know that you will show me the way if I but listen to your call and follow day by day. Amen
The world and particularly America is in need of God’s guidance. I was inspired by several of our new President, Donald Trump’s inaugural remarks when he said, “God will protect America” and that each of us is “infused by the gift of life from the same Creator.” This recognition that God is who we are to look to and not the government is a welcome and overdue realization. I also liked his statement, “Don’t ever let anyone tell you it can’t be done.” We Catholic businessmen and women know that anything is possible with God.
Two recent Sunday bulletins caught my attention. One asked, “What is truth?” “Jesus is the way the truth and the light” John 14:6. “Jesus comes to us in truth, goodness and beauty. He comes to us in the poor. Jesus shows himself in the awkward, unloved and frustrating people in our lives. Do we recognize him? Do we accept him? Our prayer will energize us and give us life when we begin in humility. Humility means accepting the truth about God, ourselves and others.” Many in America society today push to impose the concept of secular humanism which expresses there is no such thing as absolute truth and there is no need for God. I pray that attitude will change.
We have been hearing the Bible accounts of the baptism of Jesus and the testimony of John the Baptist about the event. “John the Baptist is thus shown as an exemplary disciple of Jesus; one who not only does great deeds, but also always points to Jesus. John testifies to Jesus; he proclaims him as the Christ and his entire life gives evidence of the lordship of Jesus. We too are invited to testify in daily life, to give testimony and to be evidence of God’s reign in our world.”
This opportunity to testify and be a leader in our church community and our business community is essential for us to embrace. No more comfortable Catholicism, but each of us must adopt a willingness to speak up for what we believe. If we are sincere, I believe the Holy Spirit will help us with the right words to share.
I am delighted to learn that EWTN and the Susan B. Anthony List are partnering to help viewers and listeners create a Culture of Life. It will be a weekly 30-minute program starting Thursday, January 26 at 5:00 pm EST. The show will begin airing each week at 11 pm EST Friday, and 10 am EST Sunday. The program will show viewers how to engage elected representatives on the life issues. When we see news articles with titles like: New Law Makes Abortion a Civil Right; Faith Leaders Bless New Planned Parenthood Facility; Religion Plummets in Obama Era and HBO Series A Direct Attack On Catholics, we begin to see just how important this new show can be.
I am so saddened by the statements coming out from some women participating in the Women’s March. It is all about wanting to be able to have an abortion without considering the life of the child being destroyed. I am reminded of the words of Mother Teresa, “If you hear some woman who does not want to keep her child and wants to have an abortion, try to persuade her to bring him to me. I will love that child, seeing in him the sign of God’s love”. Let us pray that more women and men learn to love the little children.
On January 22nd in Austin, Texas, at St. John Neumann Parish between the Masses nearly 500 parishioners, mainly teenagers and their parents watched the marvel of life through a “Glimpse Inside” the womb by live sonogram images of a 14 and 28-week old baby as each baby wiggled, turned, made faces, smiled, licked its lips, slept and did other things developing babies do. Dr. Jeremy Kalamarides with the sonogram made clear what was inside each mother – a baby and not a blob of tissue. Watching and listening to each baby’s beating heart was amazing. This is the beauty of life (each baby is unique never before one exactly the same and never will there be another the same in the future). We are thankful to God that we see this miracle of life every day at the St. John Paul II Life Center and Vitae Clinic (write or email me at tim@tvdg.com if you want to learn more about the Center) where we work to respect life and protect the dignity of life from conception to natural death.
As we go forward in 2017 let us spend time learning more about our Catholic faith. I would encourage you to read a book I just finished by Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke entitled Hope for the World – to Unite All Things in Christ. It is a great way to start the New Year. Let us build strong relationships with others.
The following was sent to me by my friend John Ulbricht: “To be in friendships or in relationships, means that sometimes our heart will be hurt by another’s words or deeds, or even broken by another’s actions or death. Let the vulnerability of love break you open, not to being more guarded or fragile, but to having a heart as wide open as the sky”.
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Timothy Von Dohlen is the founder and president of the John Paul II Life Center and Vitae Clinic in Austin, Texas. For a more robust bio, click here. He may be reached at Timothy@CatholicBusinessJournal.biz