Your spiritual impact is great - even if you don't know it.

If video fails, click here or go to http://divine-ripples.blogspot.com/2011/11/your-spiritual-impact-is-great-even-if.html

We all know how important it is to talk to others about Christ. But we shouldn't forget about the impact of how we live our lives as well. Just think, you may never meet the person whose life you helped change.

Hat tip to Creative Minority Report

Witnessing to purity and the Messiah at Myrtle Beach this Summer

While vacationing at Myrtle Beach, SC this summer, I got a chance to share my faith a couple of times and I felt that the Lord was pleased that I did not shy away.

I went to this convenience store to get milk and found some porn mags on the rack. I was simply going to ignore it as I headed towards the cashier when I thought, “Why give money to a man who sells porn?” So, I returned the milk and was on my way out then another thought came, “Tell him what you did and why. It might make him stop.” I am by nature shy but I mustered the courage to tell him, “I came here to buy milk but I returned it because I saw the magazines that you’re selling.” He retorted, “What does one have to do with another? Only stupid minds … something, something.” I forgot whatever he said after “stupid minds”. Rather than flaring up, I put my palm up as if to say, “Talk to the hand.” But I replied, “I’m just saying. Maybe others are doing the same.” And the suggestion is that, “You’re losing money.” He didn’t say anything after that.

Another time was when I stopped to get a haircut. I noticed Hebrew characters on a ticket and steered the conversation there. The barber was an Israeli so, we did some small talk about Israel and the current level of American support or lack thereof, the Torah and the loopholes, shaving, kosher kitchen and a lot of Jewish stuff. Because I studied in Maryland, I had a few Jewish friends. I also studied the Hebrew Scriptures for a few years. At the end, he was concluding about “being a good man but not fanatically religious”. I countered saying, “But what if G*d wanted to have a closer relationship with you? Why not read Isaiah to find out.” The Book of Isaiah is one that describes the Messiah as the Suffering Servant and that leads to Jesus. But it was enough to plant that seed and who knows how G*d will use it. Again, I felt great and my conviction seems to have deepened because of that.

I came under the knife and back again - with tips for you.

I was taken for a heart procedure last week and brought back a few lessons that may be helpful to you.

Before the procedure, I was asked if I had a living will or end of life directive.  I didn't and my wife doesn't know if I want to fight on or have the plug yanked in case I'll turn into a vegetable.  So I'll have that discussion with her and put my decision in writing.  Better still, I might have the word, "Resuscitate!" tatooed across my chest to ally all doubts.  With today's culture of death, people are a little too anxious to pull the plug and harvest your organs.

Then I was asked my religion and so was the person next to me.  That cracked me up because my neighbor identified herself as a cafeteria Catholic.

After the interrogation, I was wheeled into the operating room where my groin was shaved.  The female nurse put a skimpy face towel over my pride and joy to give me some assurance of privacy.  At that point, I pretended to be unconscious,  wouldn't you?  But the doctor kept asking questions so, everyone knew I was conscious.  After a couple of hours the doctor said it was alright.  There won't be any need for intervention.  I still pretended to be unconscious.  The nurse asked why I was so mellow.  With my groin half shaved and a catheter travelling through my artery, do I have a better choice?

I ended back to the station for monitoring.  I heard that I wasn't given any anesthesia.  I guess if they don't hear you wail, scream or groan then you won't get any.  If your turn comes, remember P-E-R-C-O-C-E-T.  But ask your doctor first.

While laying strapped with tubes, I felt so helpless.  I had to call a nurse to help me pee.  Then there were moments of solitude.  I did remember to call on an old friend, my Lord Jesus.  I felt him near but not to take me home - not yet.  I sensed a certain disappointment from him about my meaness with Obama and his Catholic supporters.  He seems to say that his way of patience and love will be more effective in the end.  It will be a challenge for me because I hate these Judases with a white heat passion - specially because they facilitate the murder of the weakest and most defenseless: the unborn and the old.

I did have a consolation and that is I tried to follow God's will most of the time if not always.  I thought of the good that I did when I joined a religious order and taught kids about God.  And my best decision ever was to leave the order because of my doubts about keeping celibacy.  I had a little treasure stashed up in heaven because the Lord saved me and helped me save with an act of love here and there.  How I wish those acts of love were a lot more.  And it is not hard to do.  One needs to forget oneself and forgive others.

But I lived and will see my doctor next week.  He'll probably tell me to cut down on the red meat.  And I'll obey.  I'm just in my 50's and I have 4 young children plus 1 on the way.  Perhaps I can have some more years to my life with life in those years.  It's up to God's plan and my cooperation.

More than diet and exercise, I will try to love even my enemies.  I will still expose their deceitfulness and wrong doing but I shall pray for their conversion and not wish them to burn in hell.  I will let go of my resentments and grudges and fight for God and God alone.  I will forgive and let go.  It will be hard but nothing is impossible with God.

Go therefore into liberal web sites and proclaim the truth

If you have a Facebook account, you can become a fan of the Huffington Post. Yes, you read it right – a fan of the most liberal web site in this political town. I did and as a fan, I posted links in their page or wall. Half of my posts stayed up; the others got taken down after someone from Planned Parenthood, I suspect, reported them. The thing is, this group has over 18,000 fans, so by the time my posting has been taken down, it received some exposure. And that is big because as Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.”

Then, I go in their postings and put in my 2 cents – usually the dissenting opinion but hey, it’s fun. I get challenged a lot because of my thoughts, but I respond respectfully and reasonably. And that’s where the payoff comes because people who were previously misinformed get to see the truth. Some don’t want it but others do. I don’t go in there saying, “the Pope says so”; instead, I take the Abp. Chaput and Fr. Barron approach of conversing with the world, defending truths and rights in the public square with reason. My greatest win so far was when a furious pro-abort raised the question of a cancerous uterus that has a living fetus. I presented St. Thomas Aquinas’ principle of double effect assuring her that it is moral to remove the cancerous uterus despite the collateral damage to the fetus. And that changed her tone. She doesn’t bust my chops whenever she sees my comments.

I found out that these liberals don’t reject the Church or religion as much as the caricature of the Church or religion. So, when I share their values of advocating for the poor and the disenfranchised, they become more open to my point of view.

So far, the posts that I still have standing there are a graphic depiction of abortion, the latest “Right to Life” march in DC, the MSM biased reporting of it, a primer on the public option, Alveda King’s sharing about her abortion and a few more. These are powerful presentations that they allowed surprisingly.

Preaching to the choir and sharing within a nurturing community at my blog site and those of kindred spirits have its value and place. But I think there is a need to go beyond comfortable zones into the public square. There was news about the Pope encouraging priests and lay folks to blog and participate in the forum of ideas. I did and found it rewarding because, I saw their perspective as well and tended to demonize them less.

St. John Bosco said that he is willing to tip his berretta to the devil if the devil will allow him to snatch a soul from hell. The Huffington Post is an interesting place and definitely one where people can be snatched from falsity into truth.

Video: Tensions Mount at Louisville Abortion Clinic

Click the link -> Creative Minority Report: Tensions Mount at Louisville Abortion Clinic#comments#comments
or go to http://www.creativeminorityreport.com/2010/03/tensions-mount-at-louisville-abortion.html#comments


Check out the video posted at this link and watch a tiny sidewalk counsellor make a last ditch effort to save the unborn child. The comments are also inspiring and informative.


Patty in CT wrote "You have to wonder if at that moment, God is allowing the voices of those Guardian Angels (of both Mother and Child) to be given human form in those counselors for life. Can't you just see the Angelic figures pleading for the souls of those they have been sent to guide? Oh, it makes my heart weep!"

The escorts actually have a blog http://www.everysaturdaymorning.wordpress.com/ that gives prolifers an insight on how we are viewed by the other side.  As Sarah wrote, "It's like some kind of alternate universe to read ..."

Archdiocese ends partnership with DC rather than compromise faith

In Washington, D.C., the same-sex marriage bill is expected to become law within a couple of weeks.  Because of this, the Archdiocese of Washington D.C. through Catholic Charities will be forced to recognize those unions if it will remain in partnership with the city.  Rather than compromise the Church's teaching on marriage, the archdiocese ended its foster care program.

WaPo Report Reference:  click here or go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/16/AR2010021604899.html 
 
Commentary:  Thank you Abp. Wuerl for standing fast to keep the integrity of the faith.

Opposition to Pro-Abortion Laws Gains More Support from Various Christian Groups

It's not a Catholic issue anymore.  And with support from the mainstream churches, the opposition to pro-abortion policies and laws has become a formidable force.  145 Christian leaders from various denominations have  united to oppose pro-abortion laws like those embedded in the health-care proposals.

Excerpt:

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: November 20, 2009

Citing the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s call to civil disobedience, 145 evangelical, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian leaders have signed a declaration saying they will not cooperate with laws that they say could be used to compel their institutions to participate in abortions, or to bless or in any way recognize same-sex couples.


“We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence,” it says.
The manifesto, to be released on Friday at the National Press Club in Washington, is an effort to rejuvenate the political alliance of conservative Catholics and evangelicals that dominated the religious debate during the administration of President George W. Bush. The signers include nine Roman Catholic archbishops and the primate of the Orthodox Church in America.

Read full article at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/us/politics/20alliance.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss  or click here

Video: Kristi's First Witness (High Schooler's first try at peer ministry)

Kristi's First Witness from Aron Campisano on Vimeo.

Blog: Family Planning, Ecumenism, Witnessing, Chances (running out of)

Family Planning (Rated M for married )
"Are you sticky?"  I ask my wife.  That refers to her vaginal discharge that indicates her fertility.  If it's watery and clear then she's not fertile but when it's cloudy and thick then chances are she's fertile.  I also track her last menstrual period and temperature.  If she's hot, warmer than usual, then she may be fertile.  All these indicators allow me to prevent pregnancy the natural way.  There are 2 things here.  First, there must be a good reason to avoid pregnancy and secondly, it must be done the right way.  With 4 kids and her age, I think responsible parenthood requires me to stop.  The right way is natural i.e. no vasectomy, no pills, no coitus interuptus.  That's God way.  BTW, if you want more details I advice you not to rely solely on my sharing here.  There are sites that treat this topic in  Cf. www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/nfp/index.shtml

Ecumenism - the Return of the Anglicans and more
Remember the image of the wheel with the spokes?  The closer we move to the center, the closer we get to each other.  Compared to his predecessors, Pope Benedict XVI did not reach out as much as he reached in -  focused and stayed with the truth that has been handed down by the apostles.  That is what is attracting the other Christians whose churches have started to veer away from that heritage.  People of goodwill who want to remain in the truth are seeing the Catholic church as a stable institution that stays the course.  This is not to discount the work of Vatican II who paved the way for this reconciliation by recognizing elements of truth and goodness in them and acknowledging sincerity in their intentions.  So, our fidelity to the Truth is the greatest service that we can give our separated brethren and the world.

Witnessing to Jesus (not taught)
Correct me if I am wrong but I have seen my kids religion books and have taught Sunday school myself but do not recall any lesson about how to talk to others about Jesus.  I got those from ecclesial movements and charismatic prayer groups.  But the point is why do we not teach our children to evangelize others, to share the gift of faith in Jesus?


Chances (running out of)
I shall not pass this way again...
"I expect to pass through this world but once. 
Any good thing,therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show 
to any fellow human being let me do it now. 
Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."

Stephen Grellet, 1773-1855
French-born Quaker Minister

Video: 92 year old woman saved from mugging by witnessing about God.

Pauline Jacoby, a 92 year old woman about to be mugged was saved by talking to the robber about God.  She narrates the event in this video.




Source: http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=60928caa552278feef5e or click here

Video: "Comfort"

Click here to go to the source: http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=7b4dd4de9138d11a6364

What's wrong with comfort? Why move out of your comfort zone? If you're uncomfortable talking about Jesus, should you just remain silent and leave it to the priests?

Video: How To Witness

For a direct link, click on How To Witness from Aron Campisano on Vimeo.

April teaches Kristi how to witness her faith to her high-school friends.

Video: I'll need you Dad

Video source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy8fVTElktQ

Description: Kids have many influences in their lives that often steer them off course from Christ. Many of their responses in life's situations will feel natural to them yet will leave them empty and alone. Dads, though, have a unique opportunity to model Christ's example to their children even when no one else will.

Experiencing God through Others

The idea is that the main splash was Jesus and the ripples are those who're like him. Gandhi said that he would have become a Christian, if the Christians were more Christ-like. And that's the point. The Christian message is more than an institution with doctrine, rituals and rules. The message and messenger are seen as one; it consists of being a ripple of the Son of God. A ripple that touches others in the same way. Someone like the late Mother Teresa of Calcutta is like that. But there are others who are different e.g. a former pastor of mine got defrocked and jailed for sexually abusing a mentally challenged boy. If I had not known the Lord Jesus from other sources, I would have become a Jew or Buddhist when I found that out.

But God cannot be overwhelmed by illness, human fraility or the evil one. His goodness and truth will prevail and the ripples will flow albeit so softly and gently. But once you get touched by it, then you'll never be the same.