My St. Rose Family
Hello All,
Jaime's concert last night was a huge success. If you missed it, you missed more than just a little Christmas music. There were over 300 people there and it was a great night of music and fellowship with our St. Rose Family. Jaime was wonderful (as always). We also showed her new music video (which drew tears from more than one person). In addition to those things, Jaime's Producer Roger Ryan (who is also an amazing pianist) performed a spectacular piano number. Also joining us was the very talented Kaleb Collins. He is a friend from Idaho who moved to Nashville 4 years ago. He is an amazing singer/songwriter who has written several songs for Jaime. He performed two of his songs last night including his own rendition of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" done "james Bond" style. Yes, you read that right. He sang "God rest ye merry Gentlemen" to the tune of the James Bond theme. I think one of the highlights of the night was when I got onstage in my "Reindeer Pants" that I borrowed from Kevin Wilcox. If you are wondering how crazy that was, just think for a moment about who I borrowed them from (Kevin Wilcox).
We had alot of youth and adult volunteers to help with set up and tear down and the Ladies guild provided refreshments. Fr. Mark said the opening prayer and Deacon Pete said the closing prayer. It was a wonderful night.
Jaime and were talking when we got home about how lucky we are to have such a great St. Rose Family. At other parishes I have been at, I was lucky if I could get 10 adults to help with youth programs. Here at St. Rose we have nearly 50. At previous parishes when Jaime would do a Christmas concert we were lucky if 100 showed up. Last night we had over 300. I love the people everywhere I have been, but I have to admit that St. Rose has blown me away.
I know I can be pretty INTENSE when it comes to youth ministry. In the midst of my "instensity" I often forget to sit back and relax, spend time with people and let them know how much I love them and appreciate them. So I guess the point of this email is to do just that.
Thank you so much for being who you are and for the support you give Jaime and I. And a BIG THANK YOU to those of you who help with or support our youth ministry programs. It is the most important ministry in the church.
Finally, to the youth who are reading this,
I LOVE you!
Finally,
If you missed the concert this year, make sure that you come next year. I have a feeling it is going to become a pretty strong traditon at St. Rose.
Merry Christmas!
J.P. "Pete" Espil
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The 8th beatitude
This fits perfectly into place as the final be-attitude. Remember that righteousness is defined as “moral conduct in conformity with God’s will”. If we embrace and live the teachings of the first seven beatitudes, we can’t help but end up in God’s will. This means that our behavior, words and decisions will be in line with what God wants but it is important to remember that sometimes when we do what God wants it will make others unhappy. In fact, when we do what God wants it will make some people very angry and at times it will cause us to be unpopular. Our actions may cause others to make fun of us or to even try and harm us. When we do what God asks of us and others poke fun at us or try to hurt us with their words or actions, it is then that we are being persecuted for the sake of righteousness. It is never easy to stand for what is right and sometimes it can even be dangerous. The history of the Church is filled with stories of martyrs who died because they did what was right. Everyday around the world Christians are persecuted for their beliefs. But remember that Jesus never said it would be otherwise. He told us that we must “take up our cross daily” and “follow Him.” The first seven beatitudes have helped prepare you so that you can stay strong when you are persecuted for doing what is right. When you strive to do what is right, you become a Christian "hero".
The world needs heroes. Are you willing to be someone’s hero? “How can I be a hero?” you might ask. The answer is simple. At home you can be a hero by making time for your little brothers and sisters instead of trying to get rid of them all the time. In school you can be a hero by making friends with someone who has no friends. You can speak a kind word to the person that everyone else teases. You can refuse to judge your fellow man (or woman) by labeling them with the stereotypes used by so many people today and you can recognize that they are all children of God. In your city, state and country you can be a hero by following the teachings of Jesus to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless and visit the imprisoned. You can be a hero in the world by speaking up for those who cannot speak up for themselves by fighting for the rights of the unborn, the alien (immigrant) and the prisoner. Being a hero is never easy. You will be persecuted by people outside and inside the Church if you are in God’s will. But it is worth it. Everybody needs a hero, and your reward is Heaven.
Until Next time...
Peace.
Pete
The world needs heroes. Are you willing to be someone’s hero? “How can I be a hero?” you might ask. The answer is simple. At home you can be a hero by making time for your little brothers and sisters instead of trying to get rid of them all the time. In school you can be a hero by making friends with someone who has no friends. You can speak a kind word to the person that everyone else teases. You can refuse to judge your fellow man (or woman) by labeling them with the stereotypes used by so many people today and you can recognize that they are all children of God. In your city, state and country you can be a hero by following the teachings of Jesus to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless and visit the imprisoned. You can be a hero in the world by speaking up for those who cannot speak up for themselves by fighting for the rights of the unborn, the alien (immigrant) and the prisoner. Being a hero is never easy. You will be persecuted by people outside and inside the Church if you are in God’s will. But it is worth it. Everybody needs a hero, and your reward is Heaven.
Until Next time...
Peace.
Pete
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The 7th Beatitude
Blessed are the Peacemakers for they will be called children of God.
Children act like their parents because our parents are our most influential role models. I’m sure you can remember times when you were a child and you saw your parents doing things that you wanted to do. At some point as a child you probably thought to yourself, “I want to grow up and be just like my Dad/Mom”. We are all children of earthly parents but we are also children of God. Jesus should be our role model. If we want to be a disciple of Christ we should be telling ourselves that we want to “grow up and be just like Jesus.” Jesus was the ultimate peacemaker and if we are going to follow Him, we too must be peacemakers.
However we can only be effective peacemakers if we are working hard to live the way that God wants us to live. In other words, we must be in His will. The first six beatitudes have helped us to get our lives, thoughts and actions in line with God’s will. Once we are truly in God’s will we are able to be a person that carries His peace to others. However, if any of the previous six be-attitudes are not in place, then what we have done is set up a roadblock that prevents God’s peace from being able to work through us. Think of yourself as a bucket full of God’s peace. If you are missing or ignoring any of the previous be-attitudes, then you have put a hole in your bucket that is allowing God’s peace to drain out of you unused.
God’s peace is powerful. It is beyond our human understanding. He wants us to bring this peace to others. Sometimes we do this through our actions. Sometimes we can do this by praying for others and sometimes we can do it through our words. One of the simplest things we can say to remind a friend who is hurting or sad of the peace God can give them, is to tell them those simple words; Jesus loves you and everything else will be ok.
Until Next Time,
Be Proud to be Catholic!
Pete
Children act like their parents because our parents are our most influential role models. I’m sure you can remember times when you were a child and you saw your parents doing things that you wanted to do. At some point as a child you probably thought to yourself, “I want to grow up and be just like my Dad/Mom”. We are all children of earthly parents but we are also children of God. Jesus should be our role model. If we want to be a disciple of Christ we should be telling ourselves that we want to “grow up and be just like Jesus.” Jesus was the ultimate peacemaker and if we are going to follow Him, we too must be peacemakers.
However we can only be effective peacemakers if we are working hard to live the way that God wants us to live. In other words, we must be in His will. The first six beatitudes have helped us to get our lives, thoughts and actions in line with God’s will. Once we are truly in God’s will we are able to be a person that carries His peace to others. However, if any of the previous six be-attitudes are not in place, then what we have done is set up a roadblock that prevents God’s peace from being able to work through us. Think of yourself as a bucket full of God’s peace. If you are missing or ignoring any of the previous be-attitudes, then you have put a hole in your bucket that is allowing God’s peace to drain out of you unused.
God’s peace is powerful. It is beyond our human understanding. He wants us to bring this peace to others. Sometimes we do this through our actions. Sometimes we can do this by praying for others and sometimes we can do it through our words. One of the simplest things we can say to remind a friend who is hurting or sad of the peace God can give them, is to tell them those simple words; Jesus loves you and everything else will be ok.
Until Next Time,
Be Proud to be Catholic!
Pete
Monday, October 6, 2008
the 6th beatitude
Blessed are the Clean of Heart for they will see God.
Being clean of heart means having the right motives and intentions in the things you do! As a Catholic Christian, you should always make sure that you are doing things for the right reasons. In order to do this you must learn to examine yourself closely when you are making tough decisions. You should also constantly evaluate your actions in order to make sure you are doing what God wants instead of what you want. Two questions you should always ask yourself to determine whether or not you are doing things for the right reasons are;
“Am I seeking God’s glory through my actions or am I seeking glory for myself?”
And;
“Are my actions meant to lift someone up or help someone? Or are my actions meant to hurt or degrade somebody.”
It is important to remember that if your actions are selfish, self seeking or motivated by jealousy or anger, then you are not clean of heart. This beatitude clearly teaches that if you are not “clean of heart” then you will not “see God”. In order to be clean of heart, you have to be spiritually strong enough to evaluate your motives (reasons) for doing things. In order to be spiritually strong enough to do this, you need to be living the first 5 beatitudes. Once the first five be-attitudes are in place, only then are you able to truthfully evaluate the motivation behind the things you do. Think about that for a minute. How can you truthfully evaluate your actions and your intentions if you are missing any of the first five be-attitudes? You can’t.
To be a disciple of Jesus Christ you must have pure intentions in all you do and seek forgiveness when you do not. This may seem like asking a lot. But remember, Jesus expects us to do our best to follow Him and that means doing things for the right reasons. Does this mean everything we ever do from here on out will be perfect? NO! But as Christians we must do our best to think before we act and for those times when we fail to do this, we can seek God’s forgiveness and help.
Until Next Time,
Be Proud to Be Catholic!
Pete
Being clean of heart means having the right motives and intentions in the things you do! As a Catholic Christian, you should always make sure that you are doing things for the right reasons. In order to do this you must learn to examine yourself closely when you are making tough decisions. You should also constantly evaluate your actions in order to make sure you are doing what God wants instead of what you want. Two questions you should always ask yourself to determine whether or not you are doing things for the right reasons are;
“Am I seeking God’s glory through my actions or am I seeking glory for myself?”
And;
“Are my actions meant to lift someone up or help someone? Or are my actions meant to hurt or degrade somebody.”
It is important to remember that if your actions are selfish, self seeking or motivated by jealousy or anger, then you are not clean of heart. This beatitude clearly teaches that if you are not “clean of heart” then you will not “see God”. In order to be clean of heart, you have to be spiritually strong enough to evaluate your motives (reasons) for doing things. In order to be spiritually strong enough to do this, you need to be living the first 5 beatitudes. Once the first five be-attitudes are in place, only then are you able to truthfully evaluate the motivation behind the things you do. Think about that for a minute. How can you truthfully evaluate your actions and your intentions if you are missing any of the first five be-attitudes? You can’t.
To be a disciple of Jesus Christ you must have pure intentions in all you do and seek forgiveness when you do not. This may seem like asking a lot. But remember, Jesus expects us to do our best to follow Him and that means doing things for the right reasons. Does this mean everything we ever do from here on out will be perfect? NO! But as Christians we must do our best to think before we act and for those times when we fail to do this, we can seek God’s forgiveness and help.
Until Next Time,
Be Proud to Be Catholic!
Pete
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Blessed are the Merciful for they will be shown Mercy
Blessed are the Merciful for they will be shown Mercy
Jesus Christ is merciful to us. God loves us so much that He created us and then redeemed us by dying on a cross so that we could be forgiven. If we ask forgiveness, Jesus is worthy to forgive! When we say the Our Father, we say “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. In other words, God forgives us every time as long as we are willing to forgive others. Our job is to forgive others just as Christ forgives us. Our job is NOT to judge. Judgment is for God alone. In fact, Jesus warns us that the measure with which we judge others will be measured out to us. In other words, if we judge others harshly, God will also judge us harshly. Judgment is not part of showing mercy. As disciples of Christ, we are not asked, but we are called to be merciful to others. Remember at the beginning of these blogs I talked about how the first four beatitudes are states of “being”. They are traits that God has to give us. We can’t “be” the first four things without God granting them to us. However, the second four beatitudes are states of “doing”. They are things we are able to “do” because we already “are” the first four things. Are you confused yet?
If the first four beatitudes are in place, we are able to do the work of Jesus. The fifth beatitude calls us to be an instrument of Christ’s mercy. We are called to let His mercy flow through us into other people. Forgiveness is one of the greatest gifts we can give to others. When we forgive others, we are sharing in Christ’s mission and work. We can forgive and love the way that Christ did. However, if any of the first four things aren’t in place we are not an effective instrument of Christ’s mercy! In order to be a disciple of Christ, you must be an instrument of mercy.
Jesus Christ is merciful to us. God loves us so much that He created us and then redeemed us by dying on a cross so that we could be forgiven. If we ask forgiveness, Jesus is worthy to forgive! When we say the Our Father, we say “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. In other words, God forgives us every time as long as we are willing to forgive others. Our job is to forgive others just as Christ forgives us. Our job is NOT to judge. Judgment is for God alone. In fact, Jesus warns us that the measure with which we judge others will be measured out to us. In other words, if we judge others harshly, God will also judge us harshly. Judgment is not part of showing mercy. As disciples of Christ, we are not asked, but we are called to be merciful to others. Remember at the beginning of these blogs I talked about how the first four beatitudes are states of “being”. They are traits that God has to give us. We can’t “be” the first four things without God granting them to us. However, the second four beatitudes are states of “doing”. They are things we are able to “do” because we already “are” the first four things. Are you confused yet?
If the first four beatitudes are in place, we are able to do the work of Jesus. The fifth beatitude calls us to be an instrument of Christ’s mercy. We are called to let His mercy flow through us into other people. Forgiveness is one of the greatest gifts we can give to others. When we forgive others, we are sharing in Christ’s mission and work. We can forgive and love the way that Christ did. However, if any of the first four things aren’t in place we are not an effective instrument of Christ’s mercy! In order to be a disciple of Christ, you must be an instrument of mercy.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Beatitude #2 (whoops!)
I just realized that in all my "business" I somehow skipped over the second beatitude. So, here it is!
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
True comfort comes from God, or, more specifically, from the peace we find in Christ. This peace brings hope and light in the darkest of times. It is secondary to #1 because in order to experience this peace/comfort we must first be totally dependent on God. This beatitude can only come second because if we have not accepted the fact that we need God (number 1), we cannot have true peace from God.
It is not always easy to think about having peace with God when we experience loss or suffering. But the reality is that God should be the first place we look when we are in pain. A good example of one way that we experience God’s peace is when we experience the death of a loved one. As Christians, we know that death is not the end because we believe in life everlasting. This very thought alone can provide some peace and comfort in times of loss. We know that death is only the final step before being reunited with God. This doesn’t mean that we still don’t mourn when we lose someone we love, but it does help us to put things into perspective. God is in control. If we can remember this simple truth, we can find the courage to continue despite how rough things may be.
Until Next Time...
Be Proud to Be Catholic
Pete
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
True comfort comes from God, or, more specifically, from the peace we find in Christ. This peace brings hope and light in the darkest of times. It is secondary to #1 because in order to experience this peace/comfort we must first be totally dependent on God. This beatitude can only come second because if we have not accepted the fact that we need God (number 1), we cannot have true peace from God.
It is not always easy to think about having peace with God when we experience loss or suffering. But the reality is that God should be the first place we look when we are in pain. A good example of one way that we experience God’s peace is when we experience the death of a loved one. As Christians, we know that death is not the end because we believe in life everlasting. This very thought alone can provide some peace and comfort in times of loss. We know that death is only the final step before being reunited with God. This doesn’t mean that we still don’t mourn when we lose someone we love, but it does help us to put things into perspective. God is in control. If we can remember this simple truth, we can find the courage to continue despite how rough things may be.
Until Next Time...
Be Proud to Be Catholic
Pete
Friday, August 8, 2008
Beatitudes cont...
The 4th beatitude is;
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
To fully understand this teaching, we must first define "righteousness". Righteousness is: "Moral conduct in conformity with God’s will."
In otherwords, we will be satisfied (or fulfilled) in our lives if we desire (hunger) to behave and live the way that God wants us to live and behave. When we want to do the right thing, and strive to do the right thing, we find peace and contentment (satisfaction). This beatitude has to come after the first three. It cannot come any earlier because being totally dependent on God (#1) brings comfort and peace (#2) which creates in us an attitude of patience and gentleness (#3). Only then can the 4th beattitude instill in us the desire to hunger and thirst for God’s will in our lives.
Ask yourself;
Do you hunger for God’s will in your life or do you want things to be done your way. If you want to be in control of your own life, then God cannot be in control and therefore, you cannot be in God’s will.
Pray for first for the "desire" to be in God's will and then allow God to direct your life.
Until Next Time...
Be Proud to Be Catholic!
Pete
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
To fully understand this teaching, we must first define "righteousness". Righteousness is: "Moral conduct in conformity with God’s will."
In otherwords, we will be satisfied (or fulfilled) in our lives if we desire (hunger) to behave and live the way that God wants us to live and behave. When we want to do the right thing, and strive to do the right thing, we find peace and contentment (satisfaction). This beatitude has to come after the first three. It cannot come any earlier because being totally dependent on God (#1) brings comfort and peace (#2) which creates in us an attitude of patience and gentleness (#3). Only then can the 4th beattitude instill in us the desire to hunger and thirst for God’s will in our lives.
Ask yourself;
Do you hunger for God’s will in your life or do you want things to be done your way. If you want to be in control of your own life, then God cannot be in control and therefore, you cannot be in God’s will.
Pray for first for the "desire" to be in God's will and then allow God to direct your life.
Until Next Time...
Be Proud to Be Catholic!
Pete
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