Below is a short stroy I wrote sometime ago called Thursday Afternoons.
In Christ,
Scott
She watched as he approached, right on time as usual; 12:10 every Thursday afternoon. She was attracted to him the moment she first laid eyes on him. His broad shoulders, always straight, never slouched gave one the impression that he was a man of conviction. To the casual observer he appeared god-like; Thor always came to mind as she laid her gaze upon him. But she knew different. He was not powerful or intimidating at all. Rather he was a kind and gentle soul. He wasn’t ashamed to let his tears squeeze through their ducts to the point of wringing them free of their salt, and rolling down his taught cheeks as they watched chick flicks together. Not intimidating at all she thought, but rather a friend, a lover, and a father.
Fall had already taken its grasp upon the time. The autumn colored leaves on the trees clung tightly to their branches, if not simply to be consumed by the soft and bitter breeze one last time before finally laying to rest on the ground below. George continued to approach her with his even, almost calculated gait. Goose bumps stood at attention making the sparse light colored hairs on her arms stand straight up like windmills scattered about on an open plain. This happened every time she saw him; she was so in love with this man that her emotions went into overdrive at his mere presence.
Every Thursday afternoon for the past year and a half George and Sandra met on the grounds of St. Michaels Catholic Church. Although neither of them were devout Christians they happened to be members of the parish. It wasn’t the religious experience that drove them to this location. St. Michaels was surrounded by large oak trees that reached up to the heavens. The trees lined the walking paths of the church grounds. The tops of the trees acted as a living canopy that guarded the paths below from the harsh elements of any given season. In the summer the broad awnings proved to be a safe haven of cool shade to those who wandered below. In the springtime the newly reborn leaves would absorb the blow of a driving rainstorm allowing gentle raindrops to float down to the ground. During the winter months the trees acted less as a protective barrier but rather artfully displayed layers of fresh fallen snow upon their outstretched limbs. On this particular autumn day the trees became barriers which split the lightly blowing breeze in two, while taking a bit of the harshness out of the cool day.
George cinched the lapels of his overcoat to cover his white shirt and loosely fastened tie. He stopped just inches in front of Sandra. “Hello darling” he said.
Sandra didn’t say a word. Instead a smile stretched across her face so wide that the light wrinkles surrounding her mouth laid flat upon her face. Her beam made her appear 10 years younger than her forty-three years would lead on.
George sat down on one of the benches that lined the walking path. The benches had been donated by various parishioners in loving memory of family and friends who had since concluded their journey on earth. He let out a subtle sigh as soon as he had settled onto the bench. Sandra knew something was troubling him. She stopped herself short of inquiring as to what it was that was bothering him because she knew he would tell her in due time. It had always been her motherly instinct to try to protect him from the world. Often times he would remind her that he wasn’t a young child. So overtime she had learned to let him express himself at his own pace. If she were too quick to question him, he would retract like a turtle into its shell and keep his problems to himself. Just like a man she smirked to herself, but he’s my man.
His brow wrinkled and took the form of a topographical map as he rubbed his chin as he pondered his thoughts. Sandra sat down beside him and waited patiently for him to speak.
“It’s been a rough week at the plant” he said. “The budget was approved today, and it looks like we will have to lay-off to more engineers.”
George was an operations manager for a local industrial plant. In the late eighties through the mid-nineties companies such as his had outsourced most of their labor force. From the mid-nineties forward when the dollar carried more weight these same companies began to do away with outsourcing and started to do the work in-house again. When tough times befell a company during their outsourcing years it was the vendors responsibility to do more with less. Now that George managed his own staff it was his problem to solve. What compounded his issue was the fact that when the company hired their own staff they did not hire at a one-for-one ratio in comparison to the outsourced staffing levels. So George was short handed before he ever incurred any labor force cuts. For the third year in a row he was faced with personnel cuts. A resourceful man as he was he would figure out away to keep his division afloat. The worst part of a personnel cut was sitting down face-to-face with the poor soul who was about to lose their job.
As many times as George was tasked with laying-off an employee he thought the process should get easier. But it never did. “It just sucks, ya know?” he said.
“We don’t have anymore short timers left. Now I have to fire guys who have been with us for fourteen and eighteen years of experience.”
It’ll be okay; she wanted to say but instead remained quiet and rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
“I know we have been told our whole lives that life isn’t fair……but this isn’t fair dammit!” George never looked in Sandra’s direction; he focused his stare at a deep point in the St. Michaels cemetery.
A stiff gust of wind blew threw them and swept a tousle of his golden hair in front of his eyes. He made no attempt to clear the hair from his line of view. Sandra rubbed her hands together briskly to attempt to remove the chill from her fingers.
After a few minutes of silence Sandra said “George, you know……”
But George spoke over her. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking ya, know. The kids are getting older and more independent. Kelly’s already in college and Stephen is gonna be enrolled at Colby next year.” he paused to let it sink in.
“I’ve accepted the job in Atlanta.”
He straitened up and finally combed his hand over his head to set his hair in order. He glanced over in Sandra’s direction.
“George….” she began, but he cut her off again.
“I know I know I didn’t include you in this decision.”
Sandra made no more attempts to get a word in on him. She knew she just needed to let him say what was on his mind. George stood up and paced around the bench.
“It’s just so tough Sandie. The new job is a one man position, and I won’t have to continually screw up people’s lives.” he said.
Tears began to fill the creases of Sandra’s face. She knew the day would come when George would have had enough. She noticed that his job was beginning to pull him apart. It had become especially apparent over the past few months. It was tough for her to watch but she knew he had to come to this decision on his own. He was the financial caretaker of the family and his job paid well. She knew whatever decision he made that the family would be well cared for. And she was more comfortable knowing that he was happy then to watch the pieces of him crumble off and die.
“It’s going to be tough on all of us for awhile but I think this is best.” George made one more revolution around the bench.
He twitched as he felt the cool air brush against his bones, and focused his gaze at a stone set in the ground.
“Sandie, you know I love you with my whole heart and that I would do anything for you and I always seek your approval. But I had to make this decision for the family on my own.” he said as he knelt down and pulled out a few pieces of grass which were resting against the stone. He traced the large letters that were engraved on the stone with his fingers.
“You have to know the toughest part of this decision is leaving you.” A tear began to slip out of the corner of his eye. George stood up without taking his eyes from her headstone and wiped his eye free of tears.
“I will miss our Thursday afternoons together my love. But I know you will always be with me and the kids” he said before turning and slowly walking away.
Wisps of colorless vapor began to veil her view of George, until finally she was enveloped by the clouds of heaven. She too would miss their Thursday afternoon rendezvous with her husband but knew that one day they would be united again forever.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
My Name is Simon Part III
Still a work in progress, I am adding my next installment of the Simon Peter series. Below is the start of Peter's 2nd encounter with Jesus. I hope you enjoy it. If you think it is a worthy endeavor please let me know and I will continue the series.
Peace be with you all,
Scott
2nd Encounter with Christ
(Luke 5: 1-11) It was not long after that day when Andrew and I were at the edge of the Sea of Galilee washing our nets after a fruitless day of fishing. As I stated earlier my profession had its good days and bad. As we worked Jesus approached along the shore. A large group of onlookers had begun to form. After he arrived, Jesus steadied my boat and climbed aboard. He asked me to put out a little from the shore. Once I had done as he requested, he sat down in the boat and began to preach the word of God to the ever growing crowd. After he had finished speaking he asked me to “put out into deep water, and let down my nets for a catch.” I replied “Master we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so I will let down the nets.” Almost instantly after doing so we caught such a large number of fish that our nets began to break. We called to our partners in another boat to come help us. We loaded the fish onto both boats. The catch was so great that the weight of the fish caused our vessels to strain nearly to the point where they would’ve sunk.
Peace be with you all,
Scott
2nd Encounter with Christ
(Luke 5: 1-11) It was not long after that day when Andrew and I were at the edge of the Sea of Galilee washing our nets after a fruitless day of fishing. As I stated earlier my profession had its good days and bad. As we worked Jesus approached along the shore. A large group of onlookers had begun to form. After he arrived, Jesus steadied my boat and climbed aboard. He asked me to put out a little from the shore. Once I had done as he requested, he sat down in the boat and began to preach the word of God to the ever growing crowd. After he had finished speaking he asked me to “put out into deep water, and let down my nets for a catch.” I replied “Master we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so I will let down the nets.” Almost instantly after doing so we caught such a large number of fish that our nets began to break. We called to our partners in another boat to come help us. We loaded the fish onto both boats. The catch was so great that the weight of the fish caused our vessels to strain nearly to the point where they would’ve sunk.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
My Name is Simon Part II
Here is the 2nd installment of "From the Mouth of Simon (Peter)" Series.
In Christ,
Scott
There has long been a common debate in the Christian Church as to whether or not I was once a disciple of John the Baptist. Since my brother Andrew followed John’s teachings I have commonly been associated as an admirer of John’s wisdom. I will neither confirm nor deny the truth of these claims but rather substantiate the truth that my loyalties lie only with the son of God, Jesus Christ. This truth is certain; I am a believer, follower and disciple of Christ. It is accurate that I first learned of Jesus’ appearance by way of Andrew. (John 1: 29)Andrew’s first encounter with Jesus came while he was listening to John’s teachings. It was during one of John’s sermons that Jesus approached the crowd. At once John became aware of Jesus’ presence and proclaimed “behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1: 37-41)After hearing these words two of John’s disciples began to follow Jesus, one of which was Andrew my brother. Jesus turned around and said to them “what do you seek?” To which they replied “Rabbi, where are you staying?” “Come” he replied “and you will see.” So they followed him to see where Jesus was staying and they spent the day with him. It was after that time that Andrew took leave of Jesus in order to seek me out.
1st Encounter with Christ
Much as the fisherman of today can confirm, my work was hard and my days were long. The fruits of my labor were at times gratifying, yet at others unsavory. I was tending to my boat when Andrew approached me. He said Simon “we have found the Messiah!” Come with me and you shall see for yourself. It had been written that the son of man would one day come to inherit the earth. Although I must admit my brothers’ proclamation came as quite a surprise to me. I would be speaking untruthfully if I were to say I immediately understood and believed that of which I had just been told. But these words in fact had come from my own flesh and blood, a devout and holy man. I had to see the proclaimed savior for my own eyes. So together with Andrew I went to Jesus. Upon our arrival Jesus looked at me and said (John 1: 42) “you are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas.” (Which when translated means Peter). I was truly amazed by this man, not only by his mere presence but by the fact that he knew me by name simply by sight. Later while I was alone with Andrew I asked him if he had spoken to Jesus about me prior to our initial meeting. He stated he had not. I know it might seem odd to you that Jesus would rename me at our first meeting. But this is not unlike the current culture of bestowing a companion with a nickname as you would today. To me it was the least of the awkward feelings I had during my first encounter with Christ. It was more overwhelming to me to think I might be in the presence of God. I must confess that my transformation and true belief in Jesus as the Savior of man did not manifest itself at that very moment. In fact it took a few more encounters for it to take complete hold of me.
In Christ,
Scott
There has long been a common debate in the Christian Church as to whether or not I was once a disciple of John the Baptist. Since my brother Andrew followed John’s teachings I have commonly been associated as an admirer of John’s wisdom. I will neither confirm nor deny the truth of these claims but rather substantiate the truth that my loyalties lie only with the son of God, Jesus Christ. This truth is certain; I am a believer, follower and disciple of Christ. It is accurate that I first learned of Jesus’ appearance by way of Andrew. (John 1: 29)Andrew’s first encounter with Jesus came while he was listening to John’s teachings. It was during one of John’s sermons that Jesus approached the crowd. At once John became aware of Jesus’ presence and proclaimed “behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1: 37-41)After hearing these words two of John’s disciples began to follow Jesus, one of which was Andrew my brother. Jesus turned around and said to them “what do you seek?” To which they replied “Rabbi, where are you staying?” “Come” he replied “and you will see.” So they followed him to see where Jesus was staying and they spent the day with him. It was after that time that Andrew took leave of Jesus in order to seek me out.
1st Encounter with Christ
Much as the fisherman of today can confirm, my work was hard and my days were long. The fruits of my labor were at times gratifying, yet at others unsavory. I was tending to my boat when Andrew approached me. He said Simon “we have found the Messiah!” Come with me and you shall see for yourself. It had been written that the son of man would one day come to inherit the earth. Although I must admit my brothers’ proclamation came as quite a surprise to me. I would be speaking untruthfully if I were to say I immediately understood and believed that of which I had just been told. But these words in fact had come from my own flesh and blood, a devout and holy man. I had to see the proclaimed savior for my own eyes. So together with Andrew I went to Jesus. Upon our arrival Jesus looked at me and said (John 1: 42) “you are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas.” (Which when translated means Peter). I was truly amazed by this man, not only by his mere presence but by the fact that he knew me by name simply by sight. Later while I was alone with Andrew I asked him if he had spoken to Jesus about me prior to our initial meeting. He stated he had not. I know it might seem odd to you that Jesus would rename me at our first meeting. But this is not unlike the current culture of bestowing a companion with a nickname as you would today. To me it was the least of the awkward feelings I had during my first encounter with Christ. It was more overwhelming to me to think I might be in the presence of God. I must confess that my transformation and true belief in Jesus as the Savior of man did not manifest itself at that very moment. In fact it took a few more encounters for it to take complete hold of me.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
From Simon Peter's Mouth to our Ears
During a retreat in the midst of my RCIA fellowship we were placed into groups and were issued a passage from the Bible pertaining to the Resurrection of Christ. We were then tasked with first reflecting on the passage and then were asked to rewrite the accounts of Peter as though we were in his shoes. This little exercise had a profound effect on me. It helped me to more fully understand the word of God. Since the completion of my RCIA program I have taken this project a step further. I have decided to expand upon this little exercise and to write the entire depiction of Peter's life from his point-of-view. I have worked on this project on and off over the past few months. Below is a segment from this project. Please let me know what you think. I am interested to know if it is a worthwhile project (other than for my own edification) that others would be interested in reading. So here goes.
God Bless,
-Scott
My name is Simon; most of you may know me as Peter. My story is not new, in fact it has been told many times and in many places. It has been recorded in every language known to man. Many scholars from the past and present day have attempted to interpret the stories of my life. The most accurate portrayal of my life is depicted in what is known as the Holy Bible. I must acknowledge as a common fisherman to be held in such high regard nearly 2000 years after my life on earth is quite flattering. Although I played an important role in the history of mankind I am no more important than you who read my words upon these pages. There is only one man who should be revered and exalted and he is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is only through the boundless love and grace of our God that Jesus became man, lived and died for our sins. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
I come to you today not to dispel any myths or right any wrongs that have been spoken about me but rather to offer to you a personal reflection of my earthly life. I wish for you to understand my innermost thoughts and feelings. I pray for all of you each and every day in the hopes that you will find the true meaning of your lives and to help you understand that each and every one of you is in Gods good graces. It is through God and God alone that you will find eternal life. I lived in the time of Jesus and was one of a very few who was literally touched by the hand of God. My story is an important one but it is not simply a story but rather a history of mankind. Through these writings I will describe how I was transformed and came to see for myself Gods love and compassion of all of His earthly creatures. I will retell the stories which you have already heard and read from my own point of view. More has been written about me by others than has been penned by my own hand. In the latter years of my earthly life I wrote two letters now known as the Epistle’s of Peter. I will touch upon these letters a bit later, but most of this writing will focus on the stories of me as told by others. These stories are true and have an overwhelming relevance to the life and time of Jesus Christ. I will use the Gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John to tell my story.
God Bless,
-Scott
My name is Simon; most of you may know me as Peter. My story is not new, in fact it has been told many times and in many places. It has been recorded in every language known to man. Many scholars from the past and present day have attempted to interpret the stories of my life. The most accurate portrayal of my life is depicted in what is known as the Holy Bible. I must acknowledge as a common fisherman to be held in such high regard nearly 2000 years after my life on earth is quite flattering. Although I played an important role in the history of mankind I am no more important than you who read my words upon these pages. There is only one man who should be revered and exalted and he is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is only through the boundless love and grace of our God that Jesus became man, lived and died for our sins. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
I come to you today not to dispel any myths or right any wrongs that have been spoken about me but rather to offer to you a personal reflection of my earthly life. I wish for you to understand my innermost thoughts and feelings. I pray for all of you each and every day in the hopes that you will find the true meaning of your lives and to help you understand that each and every one of you is in Gods good graces. It is through God and God alone that you will find eternal life. I lived in the time of Jesus and was one of a very few who was literally touched by the hand of God. My story is an important one but it is not simply a story but rather a history of mankind. Through these writings I will describe how I was transformed and came to see for myself Gods love and compassion of all of His earthly creatures. I will retell the stories which you have already heard and read from my own point of view. More has been written about me by others than has been penned by my own hand. In the latter years of my earthly life I wrote two letters now known as the Epistle’s of Peter. I will touch upon these letters a bit later, but most of this writing will focus on the stories of me as told by others. These stories are true and have an overwhelming relevance to the life and time of Jesus Christ. I will use the Gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John to tell my story.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Continuing to Understand
In the past I have written about understanding your belief system and the reasons for your faith. In my personal opinion it is fine to have a humble beginning in the formation of your faith journey, but I firmly believe that at some point you need to grasp a firmer understanding of your faith. I am not suggesting the need for you to run out and become an apologist. (In a future post I will discuss my thoughts on this topic.) I am simply stating it’s a good idea to gain a complete understanding of why you believe what you believe by building a firm and concrete foundation. If only for yourself, isn’t it more comforting to have a stronger understanding of your religion? Do you sometimes wonder why we as Catholics do certain things? Have you ever been stumped by a non-believer who asks you a question about your faith that you cannot answer? As I said you are not required to become the next great American Evangelizer, but it never hurts to know more. And lest we forget what the Bible says in 1 Peter 3:15 “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.” Additionally when you know more it strengthens the foundation of what you already believe.
So now that you are ready and willing to learn more about your faith, where do you turn? Well, you might want to consider the Bible, imagine that? Since our faith is based on the teachings of the Bible what better place to start. A wonderful companion to the Bible is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Keep this reference guide by your side as you are reading the Bible. It comes in very handy when you reach a point in the Book, where you scratch your heads and think to yourself, “say what?” The Catholic Catechism is as thick as the Bible and is an all-in-one shop filled with all of the background information you could want surrounding the teachings of the Catholic Church.
In addition to the obvious there are numerous books on Christianity and specifically the Catholic Faith. I just recently finished a book by Timothy Paul Jones called Conspiracies of the Cross. This is a wonderful book which debunks the Top 10 conspiracies surrounding Christianity. From the notion that Jesus couldn’t have risen from the dead because his body would have remained on the cross to be devoured by dogs and vultures, to the theory that Jesus never even existed in the first place. Jones does an excellent job of detailing each of the conspiracies as well as identifying their biggest proponents. He doesn’t sell the conspiracies short in his descriptions of them. In fact while I was reading certain conspiracies, I found myself thinking, “wow that could be what happened, I never thought of that.” But then Jones uses history and well documented writings (including but not limited to the Bible) to set the record straight. This is a great read if you are one who wishes to be a Defending the Faith Crusader but is equally valuable as tool to simply enrich your faith. If you have read more than one of my posts, you know by now how passionate I am about expanding ones knowledge of their beliefs. It can never hurt to learn more. I have found the more time I have spent furthering my understanding of the Word, the closer I have come to God.
I don’t know if I could have ever actually classified myself as an atheist but I can tell you this, I never could have fathomed that I would be writing so frequently and passionately on the topic of religion. But I have come full circle in my beliefs; not by being a passive observer but rather being an active participant. In life it is important to continue to learn; this goes for anything and everything. So how much more important is it to continue to educate yourself in the ways of God? Only you can answer this question. But whether you are a faith-filled by-the-book believer or someone who is struggling with your faith, it can never hurt to know more.
Editors Note: This side note pertains to the book review above. Some Catholics are very cautious when it comes to reading books or articles on religion. I must say I am not one of them. I feel that I am educated enough (biased observation) and strong enough in my faith that I can discern the good from the bad in my selection of reading materials. I am aware that the Catholic Church has a listing of approved motion pictures which can be found on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Website. I was unable to find a similar listing for reading materials but am sure there is something out their. If you are unsure if this book is suitable reading material for you personally, I recommend that you confer with your priest first.
In Christ,
-Scott
So now that you are ready and willing to learn more about your faith, where do you turn? Well, you might want to consider the Bible, imagine that? Since our faith is based on the teachings of the Bible what better place to start. A wonderful companion to the Bible is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Keep this reference guide by your side as you are reading the Bible. It comes in very handy when you reach a point in the Book, where you scratch your heads and think to yourself, “say what?” The Catholic Catechism is as thick as the Bible and is an all-in-one shop filled with all of the background information you could want surrounding the teachings of the Catholic Church.
In addition to the obvious there are numerous books on Christianity and specifically the Catholic Faith. I just recently finished a book by Timothy Paul Jones called Conspiracies of the Cross. This is a wonderful book which debunks the Top 10 conspiracies surrounding Christianity. From the notion that Jesus couldn’t have risen from the dead because his body would have remained on the cross to be devoured by dogs and vultures, to the theory that Jesus never even existed in the first place. Jones does an excellent job of detailing each of the conspiracies as well as identifying their biggest proponents. He doesn’t sell the conspiracies short in his descriptions of them. In fact while I was reading certain conspiracies, I found myself thinking, “wow that could be what happened, I never thought of that.” But then Jones uses history and well documented writings (including but not limited to the Bible) to set the record straight. This is a great read if you are one who wishes to be a Defending the Faith Crusader but is equally valuable as tool to simply enrich your faith. If you have read more than one of my posts, you know by now how passionate I am about expanding ones knowledge of their beliefs. It can never hurt to learn more. I have found the more time I have spent furthering my understanding of the Word, the closer I have come to God.
I don’t know if I could have ever actually classified myself as an atheist but I can tell you this, I never could have fathomed that I would be writing so frequently and passionately on the topic of religion. But I have come full circle in my beliefs; not by being a passive observer but rather being an active participant. In life it is important to continue to learn; this goes for anything and everything. So how much more important is it to continue to educate yourself in the ways of God? Only you can answer this question. But whether you are a faith-filled by-the-book believer or someone who is struggling with your faith, it can never hurt to know more.
Editors Note: This side note pertains to the book review above. Some Catholics are very cautious when it comes to reading books or articles on religion. I must say I am not one of them. I feel that I am educated enough (biased observation) and strong enough in my faith that I can discern the good from the bad in my selection of reading materials. I am aware that the Catholic Church has a listing of approved motion pictures which can be found on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Website. I was unable to find a similar listing for reading materials but am sure there is something out their. If you are unsure if this book is suitable reading material for you personally, I recommend that you confer with your priest first.
In Christ,
-Scott
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