"I came into this world for judgement so that those who do not see might see." (Jn 9:1-41)

photo courtesy of Putnam
St. Joseph Parish
Seattle, WA

"Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart" 1 Samuel 16:7

A bit cold today, but nevertheless, it was still a beautiful Sunday morning. Woke up at 7:00 am, got ready, placed my Bible in the Longchamp and skidaddled on to Montlake -- heading West. Eight minutes later I found myself in front of St. Joseph Parish, and it was a beauty. Standing on the steps in awe, I took it all in -- the stained glass windows, gothic architecture, the gold cross at the top - shining in all of its glory amidst the grey skies. I was overwhelmed with love, hope, and peace.

This was it - this was what I was waiting for... so why was I scared? I think I was a bit shy... maybe timid and unsure of God's calling? My heart was beating ever so quickly, as I opened the heavy doors and peeked inside.

Remember, my "wake up" moment? Well, this was the next step in my faith journey: find a place of solitude and reverence where I felt truly comfortable and at peace with -- so today, I tried St. Joseph's (recommended by Fr. Pat) 

And oh boy, am I sure glad I took Fr. Pat's advice and ventured to this parish... because this church, the atmosphere, the people, the environment -- it's where I truly felt at home and truly comfortable. 

When I first stepped inside the church, there was something about the candlelight, beautiful and traditional setup of the church, family dynamic and uber-high ceilings that just made everything "oh-so-right." 

the stained glass window at the front of the church affixed above the altar
Ad'Majorem Dei Gloriam - "For the Greater Glory of God"

Above is a picture of the stained glass window that I kept starin' at before Mass began this morning.... If you look at the top (sorry it's a bit dark and blurry) it says "Ad'Majorem Dei Gloriam" meaning "For the Greater Glory of God." This was one of those Latin verses that the Jesuits made us students memorize at Jesuit High my freshmen year.... that and Age Quod Agis (Do Well Whatever You Do). 

-- Just a little throwback memory for y'all

After the last verse of the closing song at today's Mass, I really felt at peace and satisfied with how I spent my morning. 


Dear St. Joseph's, you'll be seeing lots and lots more of me in the future -- imma come back to you every Sunday with my Bible and we'll be sharing our love for the good Lord. 

For today's Gospel (according to John), Fr. Whitney S.J. (S.J. means they're a Jesuit priest -- just in case you didn't know) read the story of "The Blind Man," and I was amazed about how that story currently resonated so much with my life and today's discovery of St. Joseph's. The man was born blind and unable to see until he met Jesus. We are reminded to open our hearts and our calling so that we may "see." Through our love for Christ and dedication to our faith, the good Lord will allow us to see all the good there is and help us overcome blindness. We remember this calling through the symbol of our Baptism and the waters which washed away our sin -- thus, in John's Gospel, Jesus says to "Go into the pool of Siloam." 


My response to God's calling:

Yes, Lord, help me to see; the goodness in others - the love in the world -- and most importantly, to see You. 

photo courtesy of We Heart It

I was once blind... and now, after rediscovering my love for Christ and my "wake-up moment," I guess you could say I'm a bit near-sighted. Now for the rest of my life and faith journey -- I'm working on getting to that perfect 20/20 vision and seeing all the good and love God has to offer.