Victory or Vendetta?

This month I felt an echo overlap from last month, how things take time. I especially feel called to write this, since I speak to many people weekly over the years, to understand their experience working in the government sectors. Also with St. Joseph, patron of workers feast day yesterday, I published it.

This current period is an especially anxious moment for many, during what I have felt will be a great reset. It’s been coming for some time, and as I watch these corporate franchises go bankrupt one after another due to high overhead, and overcharging customers for a mediocre product, the trend is clear. This behavior eventually leads consumers to go elsewhere, primarily shopping local and small. Coming from my Domino’s background, I jumped off the sinking ship in 2008, and sure enough in 2010, they had a great reset, which to their credit, brought record success several years later. Sadly their lowering of standards (due partly to society) and expansive menu and operations over the years will lead them down that similar cycle that caused their collapse (Pizza Hut and Papa John’s are currently experiencing this, which is why Domino’s is finally #1 after decades of trying). So goes human nature, we take something simple, make it complex and challenging to uphold the standard of good.

Very often when we read the story of creation in the book of Genesis, many misinterpret this as a literal 7 days, when science has taught us everything has existed for far longer. In addition the Bible also teaches 1 day for God is like a 1000 years. We literally only understand time in an earthly term of rotation around the sun. However God, the Logos, YHWH, the Creator of everything back to the big bang theory, is outside of this understanding of time. Once we understand this, we also understand our prayers, and deepest longings for peace will not happen over night, but will take time to develop and evolve with our alignment to the Creative Logic and natural law, behind everything.

With this said, I want to revisit a time in my life where I could’ve thought things were uncertain. I literally just had my epiphany that brought me back to the Catholic Church. Two months later, while working two jobs, my main job fired me without compassion or will to understand, despite my performance of turning around a failing business. At that time I didn’t have a family, so one could say I had less responsibility, which is true. However the debt I was working so hard to get ahead of, quickly became a heavy burden. I had a moment similar to The Matrix where I had the choice, do I go down a road I had already been down. This wasn’t the first time I would have debt, that led to creditors threatening me etc. In addition I had rebuilt my credit before.

This time I was actually being responsible from quitting cigarettes, to giving up alcohol and all the indulgence I usually enjoyed. Eventually I would go even more austere, living on Peanut Butter and Jelly, a box of pasta with Broccoli, and left over pizza from my part time job that sat in an oven overnight because I turned my refrigerator off to save money on the power bill. However there came two points in this new beginning where it looked like I might not eat for a night, and I might actually sleep on the streets for at least one night homeless (something I previously experienced once before). However God was working with me, and through some mini miracles, these moments never happened, and it slowly began to alter my path to where I more properly belonged. Sadly I had to leave Virginia shortly after this time, despite falling in love with the state. Unknowingly, God would bring me back to Virginia a little over 8 year later, in a more perfect way and plan doing all the things I wanted to do back then, just not the way I anticipated, but better.

With that said I would like to close with a brief thought on all reorganizing/reform in our society. The word vendetta has been on my mind this week. I think this has been our political landscape for a while now on all sides. Everyone wants the ring of power so they can lord it over their enemy/competition, however when they lose that power they start to freak out because they no longer can impose their will on others. It has led to a very unhealthy society which leads us further away from victory every time, since we are stripping the dignity of humanity in every moment. Whether it’s killing a baby in the womb or a person on death row, or killing someone’s job, we pretend they’re not a human being, picking and choosing making us all disposable at some point. Reality is if you are a homo sapien, you are a human from conception to natural death. This includes any abnormality and IVF. While the Church might be against a lifestyle or a form of creation, since it requires destruction of embryo (which is a created human), She says they are still a human being that deserves respect. This is and example of the extreme appreciation of all lives, not just picking and choosing what fits our personal agendas.

In close, I would like to share another word of hope and encouragement with this foundation laid. “Do not be afraid! Do not be anxious!” Instead as we approach Divine Mercy Sunday, which is right after Easter Sunday, let us say, Jesus, I trust in You. I share this, because it was my trust in God and patience with His will that I have come to know, better things like the Resurrection will come. It takes that death, for new life. I was reminded of that hope this week. I was and probably still am in a very challenging situation, that brings great fear. However during this moment that I detached from the fear and stayed true to my decision.

I was driving down the road right after this decision in Fairfax City and I saw a white dove in the middle of an intersection just walking around in the middle of the road. How often does that happen? I wanted to slow down and take a picture, but if anyone knows how main street is, that would’ve been a bad idea with all the cars around me. Out of respect for others around me, and my lack of interest in proving this moment, I just peacefully moved on knowing it was a God wink, everything is going to work out so long as I do my part of letting go and bringing peace to my situation instead of seeking retribution and reconciliation, for what I feel is an injustice.

As we enjoy this season of Lent, I simply want to encourage others to fast from fears or what frustrates you. Give it to God. Trust and hope He will transform and transcend your challenges. He has never failed me. If we study the religious traditions of the children of Abraham, we will see he hasn’t failed them either, always bringing hope that one day God will hear us and lead us to true freedom and salvation, on earth as it is in heaven (union with God).