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Announcing Our Big News! AmericanCatholic.org, celebrating its fifth anniversary, is in the last weeks of a site redesign. Watch for our new look during the last few weeks of March. We've worked hard to develop a look and site navigation that will make it easier for you to find things. We think you'll love it. http://www.AmericanCatholic.org/ HONOR ST. PATRICK AND TAKE A PILGRIMAGE: Also, check out menu of information about St. Patrick at http://www.AmericanCatholic.org/Features/Patrick ~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~ Friar Jack's Musings: Revelations of God's Goodness Praise the God of Light as we approach the end of winter and the return of increasing light--at least in my hemisphere! Again I thank you for your thoughtful responses to my February musings. Although, to my regret, it's impossible to answer everyone personally, I can at least comment here on a few special insights and trends I see in your responses. One trend I'm really happy to see is that an e-newsletter such as "Friar Jack's" has an ecumenical audience. Frankly, I must confess--as a writer for Roman Catholic publications for over 28 years--that Roman Catholics have been my predominant audience (though I always hope my words and my heart go out to all brothers and sisters who care to listen). So it is a "joy" to receive an e-mail from a friendly writer named Joy along with her wonderful message: "I am a charismatic from International Four Square church. I work at trying to be loving to all my friends and to encourage the love of Jesus Christ in all. Not to try to convert, but to see the sameness in our beliefs." I thank you, Joy. I hope that the same "love of Jesus" that glows in your heart, glows in mine through the grace of God, and in thousands of other readers of this newsletter whose hearts are warmed by your inspiring words of loving communion in Christ. Another writer, Dennis, writes "I am a lapsed Catholic who returned to the Church this past year after 23 years 'elsewhere.'" While "elsewhere," Dennis says he reconnected to God through the gift of meditation. He appreciated last month's "reminder of God's greatness in Brother Son," adding that "I worship God and I embrace anyone who worships God, Catholic or non-Catholic." Dennis and Joy, you give us an "Internet high"--a real sense of God's presence and love--through your grace-filled words as we contemplate the ecumenical and unitive potential of the Internet. Thanks for helping us all feel a bit of St. Paul's mystical intuition that "in God we live and move and have our being." Read on! At the end of this issue I discuss an e-mail from Mary Margaret about her discovery of God's illumination and goodness. ~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~ NEW WEEKLY FEATURES FOR LENT: * Family Activities by Jeanne Hunt * Sunday Soundbites: An Audio Feature by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M. Also, you will find inspiring audio features from Richard Rohr and Elizabeth Dreyer along with beautiful visual excerpts from the video, "Way of the Cross: Stations on Our Journey of Faith." Also, there are various articles and excerpts on such topics as the cross and forgiveness to keep you coming back to this popular Lenten site. Bookmark it TODAY and visit it often to experience your Lenten call to conversion: http://www.AmericanCatholic.org/Features/Lent/ CYBERSPACE DEFINED: Also, keep sending suggestions of great Catholic Web sites for consideration in John Bookser Feister's monthly "Web Catholic" column. Send your new ideas to webcatholic@franciscanmedia.org. TAKE AN ONLINE POLL: **<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<** ROHR OFFERS FRANCIS' TRANSFORMING VISION: Jesus' and Francis' message to rebuild the Church. **<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<**<<** CATHOLICGREETINGS.ORG OFFERS UNIQUE E-GREETINGS: QUESTIONS FOR THE LENTEN SEASON: MORE LENTEN RESOURCES: ~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~ FRIAR JACK'S CHOSEN SITE: ~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~//~ CONCLUSION TO FRIAR JACK'S MUSINGS: "I recall Peter's words at the Transfiguration: 'Lord, it is good for us to be here.' Yes, Lord, it is good for me to be here. The calm, the reverence, your presence are so necessary to me in the midst of my busy, sometimes chaotic life. Thank you for this quiet moment." And thank you, Mary Margaret, for sharing this awe-inspiring moment of your own faith experience. Your musings also prompt further reflection on the meaning of God's light. Yes, we do see God's light reflected in our literal experiences of light--the sun, the stars, a glowing cloud, the gleam of a raindrop on a leaf. And we do well to savor such glimpses of God's light in nature and let them brighten our hearts. But, as you indicate so well, we experience God's light in many other ways beyond literal light. We can see God's light, for example, in the smiles of friends--and in the love behind those smiles. We see God's "light" also in a friend's comforting words and touch. Our hearts are "lightened" too by the sense of humor of loved ones--even as they struggle through dark times. St. Francis of Assisi saw that light, that love, that overflowing goodness in all of creation, especially when he thought of Jesus' self-offering love. Let me try to express this with some lines of verse I wrote a few years ago: What Francis Saw Behind the Veil of Creation When Francis looked behind the veil of the blue sky and the glowing sun, he saw God's unconditional love. If Francis, in his mind's eye, were to scratch through the surface of an apple, a rose or a butterfly wing, he would fall to his knees and cry out: "Holy, Holy, Holy," for he would see there the blinding beauty of God's overflowing goodness. Above all, when Francis gazed behind the figure of his crucified God--behind the blood and the thorns-- he would weep and weep and weep! For there he saw the roaring furnace of God's love. (From Lights: Revelations of God's Goodness, by Jack Wintz, O.F.M., St. Anthony Messenger Press, page 46.) Til next month, be open to God's gracious light and overflowing love and goodness, even if the sun stays behind the clouds--or the lights are turned down low. Stay happy! --Friar Jack As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions via e-mail: friarjack@franciscanmedia.org. UNSUBSCRIBING: Send a blank message to:
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