“If Jesus showed up to YOUR Parish…would you recognize Him???”

Let it first and foremost be known that I DO NOT LIKEN MYSELF TO OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, BUT…I am what I eat and I am FILLED with Jesus, so in essence, I pray the Light of Christ Shines within me where I travel.

I am a convert to the Faith and my former denomination was Lutheran. One thing Lutherans have always done well, no matter where you go in the Country, they welcome people into their churches. They love to fellowship, welcome, hug and love on people, especially when they see someone in church they do not know. I have found this very evident when I travel to Florida to see my parents who are still Lutheran.

We as Catholic's have SO FAR TO GO in reaching out to others and ESPECIALLY in letting Christ show within us at the Parish. This applies to both the Laity and ESPECIALLY Priests and Deacons. I went to Church this morning at a local Parish here in the central portion of Florida. What a beautiful building this Parish is; absolutely fabulous with so many ornate paintings and mosaics to our Blessed Mother, and other biblical depictions. The grounds were manicured to perfection and from the outside it is very inviting. Once I sat down, it was extremely disappointing; although the Church – building itself – was so beautiful, it was so empty and Christ was once again…(as many of you who know me, know that I have said this so many times) LOCKED IN THE BOX!

People (Catholic's) why do we continue to do this…and then we wonder why we are losing people from our faith at an alarming rate. We wonder why YOUNG people are absent from our Parishes and we also wonder why the Young Adults are not present as well. It is because we keep Jesus – LOCKED IN THE BOX! The Priest was so none inviting, as if it was just "another day in the office".

Yes this was a weekday Mass, but the Parish was filled with almost 100 people. It more than likely seats well over 1,000, but they were the "frozen chosen", who attend Mass on a daily basis. They MUMBLED through the recitation of the prayers, some faster than others in the "COMMUNITY", but yet we had Christ; we ate His Body, we Drank His Precious Blood…but then…the Priest put Him BACK IN THE BOX! The Priest did not exude Christ, out of all the attendees, only ONE LOVELY LITTLE OLD LADY, as I was on my way out the front door, she and I were the ONLY TWO LEFT in the Church after it was over, because we both stayed to pray…and she said… "Welcome to our Church young man", as she was walking away from me, to which I exuberantly responded, "THANK YOU VERY MUCH MA'AM!"

People, (Catholics) if Jesus showed up in our Parishes, in our Church one morning, would we welcome Him, or would we treat Him like we treat most visitors and ignore Him. Would we extend a TRUE sign of Peace to Him, during the Liturgy, or would be just fluff Him off with a, Peace sign and that's it.

My brothers and sisters, Jesus IS COMING BACK! You and I do not know the day or the time, but HE IS COMING BACK!!! Will we be ready to receive Him? Do YOU know what He looks like? HINT – HINT – HINT – He looks like the bum on the street that does not smell so good, who is calling out for help. He is in the mother with 5 kids, who asks you at the gas station for assistance. He is in the people who we are uncomfortable in speaking too. HE IS IN THE FORM OF THE NEW PERSON IN THE PARISH that is a visitor. Will you welcome Him…or will you mumble your way through the Mass and rush out the door, or rush to your ministry meeting. Jesus is in YOU and I and we have to take time to SEE and HEAR HIM…we hear His CRY in each of us who are suffering and in need. Will YOU stop and listen to the Jesus who is standing right next to you in Mass, in the Grocery Store, or even in the same HOUSE as we are in…JESUS is coming back…WILL YOU BE able to see Him? Let's STOP KEEPING JESUS LOCKED IN THE BOX and let HIM be seen in each one of us!

Peace be with you.

Richard Lane

“Meeting the Word of God through the reading of Holy Scripture…”

This is an excerpt from VISnews 081014, received by me on Tuesday, October 14, 2008. The words are those of Bishop Javier Echevarria Rodriguez, Prelate of Opus Dei;

"In the lives of the saints the meeting with the Word of God through the reading of Holy Scripture produced a radical existential change We must all, priests and lay persons, seek to have a profound thirst for Jesus Christ, living every scene from the Gospel as one character among the others. ... It is appropriate that during the Sacrament of Confession we pastors frequently advise the faithful to read the Gospel, teaching them how to participate in what is recounted there and urging those who confess to give the same advice to colleagues, family members and friends. ... What all we Christians must do, like the saints, is seek to bring these texts into our daily lives that they may be transformed. ... It would be advantageous to promote initiatives fostering the spread of this attitude of prayer and interior concentration towards the Gospel, so that real impact on our daily lives can be made. Furthermore I believe it would also be appropriate to ensure that the texts of the Mass are read well, that is to say truly lived, not as declamation but with the certainty that God is speaking to the community".

~ BISHOP JAVIER ECHEVARRIA RODRIGUEZ, PRELATE OF OPUS DEI

Thank you Altoona, Iowa…

I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would ever travel to Iowa! From the streets of St. Louis, to Altoona, Iowa is where the Holy Spirit has taken me, and what a blessing it was; so many wonderful, loving and Christ Loving people.

Part of the 25^th year anniversary celebration of Sts. John & Paul Parish, I was asked to speak on Sunday evening, the talk was entitled "Do you know what you have?"

Once the talk was over, I had the chance to meet and fellowship with so many wonderful people of God. It was truly a Celebration of the Body of Christ and the Community of God's people.

Thank you to the man responsible for bringing me to Altoona and showing me a wonderful time, as well as the Pastor and our gracious Hostess for Lunch on Sunday. (The German Potato Salad was AWESOME!)

I think the greatest part of my stay was the actual Hotel Room. It was a Hotel with "Themed Rooms." Yeah, I know what you are thinking…GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER! I was assigned to "The Prophet's Chamber!" The room had three beautiful Crosses on the wall, NEW bibles and religious material, along with small religious medallions. I knew it was a gift from the Holy Spirit as soon as I looked at the desk. Contained on it was a beautiful carving of Jesus Christ, with the inscription "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." Anyone that really knows me knows that John 14:6 (that passage) is one of my favorites.

Thank you Sts. John & Paul, thank you Altoona, but mostly, thank you Holy Spirit for allowing us to serve!

Pax Christi!

Qorban Mininstries

Sweet Home Alabama - 2

Our Journey Home has been such a blessed one. We HIGHLY recommend you make a Pilgrimage here to Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). Pack your walking shoes and bring your Rosaries, but if you forget the Rosary, visit the gift shop and have your fill!

We have has such a wonderful time here and the people we met. As we went to breakfast this morning, we had the great honor and pleasure to break bread with Fr. Frank Pavone, and to our surprise we were joined by Eduardo Verastegui of the movie Bella! What a breakfast that was!

We celebrated Holy Mass in the Chapel that is shown on television and it is such a lovely and extremely reverent dwelling place for our Eucharistic Lord.

So we went to dinner about 5pm and low and behold…here is Fr. Mitch Pacwa. All I can say about him is… "What a HOOT!" I mean that in a loving way of course. What a wonderful and fun filled dinner and great conversation that was had with him.

To cap the night off we were in the studio for the filming of his latest installment of "Threshold of Hope." What a powerful speaker and teacher.

Please…if you are still thinking of a last minute vacation for this summer, COME ON DOWN HOME TO ALABAMA and EWTN! Take the beautiful tour of the Station Facility here in Irondale and then trek to Hanceville and visit the Shrine where Mother Angelica and the Nun's are stationed. We regret that we were not able to make it their this trip, but, God Willing, we WILL BE BACK!

Please ensure that you support this great Evangelizing Apostolate, which is EWTN!

God bless you, keep us in your prayers, we will keep you in ours, and remember… KEEP ON KEEPIN ON!

Peace 2 U!

Qorban Ministries

Thank you…

Thank you so much to all that watched this edition of "The Journey Home." Thank you for all of the wonderful comments and especially for your prayers. They are truly needed.

It was more than we ever imagined it would be, for God to have taken us from the Streets of St. Louis, to proclaim His Glory to millions around the world. God is TRULY and AWESOME GOD!

Once again, we thank you so much for your prayers and asked them to continue for us, to be able to do what God has so Graciously blessed us to do, and that is to "Go…"

Peace be with you and always remember… KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON!

Qorban Ministries

“Sweet Home Alabama”

Made it to Sweet Home Alabama and what a beautiful place this is. It has been a long time since I have been back here and it still smells like…HOME!

Well, for those who really care…yes I am getting very excited about Monday night. A lot of prayer and love has gone into brining this day to fruition and we thank all of the people that have continued to keep us in prayer, because without you…NONE of this would have ever been possible.

Donna and I continued to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and know that He will continue to make a Way out of no way for us in our lives. Things are getting hard on so many people all over the country and all over the world, but we know and believe that Jesus will continue to be our source of Strength!

Availability…have you made yourself AVAILABLE for God to use you yet today? He did for me, this morning in Mass and I thank Him SO very much for the wonderful blessing I received from God this morning. He knew my heart and He blessed me for being "Available" for Him to use me.

All we need to do is make ourselves available for God to work through us…and He will!

Not sure if I will be able to write a Blog before the show tomorrow or not, but keep us in your prayers, we will keep you in ours and always remember… KEEP ON KEEPIN ON!

Peace 2 U!

Qorban Ministries

www.CatholicEvangelist.net

IT’S A FRACKIN CRACKER!!!

I read a survey recently that said, only 30% of practicing Catholic's believe the Eucharist is the True Body of our Lord, Jesus. I find this disturbing, but these days, not much surprises me. It never ceases to amaze me the way so many people (Catholic's – Practicing) take the Faith for granted.

I came across an article the other day in response to a young man taking a Consecrated Host from a Mass, to do something to desecrate our Eucharistic Lord. In response to the flood of emails and threats received by this young man, a Blogger felt the need to write a Blog, exhorting, "IT'S A FRACKIN CRACKER!"

I wonder how many Catholic's, practicing Catholic's, believe the same thing. It took me 19 years to understand exactly what had been calling me to the Catholic Church. "The Eucharist." The TRUE, BODY – BLOOD – SOUL – DIVINITY of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… IN the TRUEST PRESENCE. Not a remembrance, not a partial presence, mixed in with the bread and wine, (con-substantiation), we believe in the FULL PRESENCE! TRANS-SUBSTANTIATION! Christ gave us (Roman Catholic Church) His Body, for our Healing. This is what we actually receive, but so many people just don't understand, or believe it.

It was told to me, that an Atheist once said, "If Catholic's believed that it (the Eucharist) really was Christ's Body, they would be willing to crawl on their hands and knees to receive Him…" I ask myself, why are we NOT running to receive our Lord, in His Real Presence? Gandhi once said that he loved Jesus Christ very much, but he did not like Christians because they were not reflective of Jesus Christ.

Do we really reflect Christ in all we do…our words and especially our actions? We need to RUN to receive the Sacraments, we need to RUN to our RISEN and PRESENT LORD for His Healing and Strength. If we do not believe, the how do we expect others to believe.

It is the REAL THING and I am not talking about Coke! Jesus is waiting for us…all we need to do is go and receive Him.

Keep us in your prayers, we will keep you in ours and always remember, KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON!

Peace 2 U.

Qorban Ministries

www.CatholicEvangelist.net