"PEAK EXPERIENCES"

         

While he was praying, Jesus’ face changed in appearance and his clothes became dazzling white as he conversed with Moses and Elijah. Fully awake, Peter, John and James saw his glory. They fell silent and did not at the time tell anyone what they had seen

Luke 9:28-36

Because of this gospel, they are called “peak experiences” – those intense religious experiences that many of us have been lucky enough to have at least once in our lives. In fact, I believe that this is the main thing that keeps people in organized religion - at least one “peak experience.” On the other hand it is also the main reason some people claim to be agnostic - the absence of even one “peak experience.”  

“Peak experiences” cannot be staged or created. They are simply moments of grace – spontaneous gifts from God. We can go to places where “peak experiences” have happened to other people, even places where we have experienced them before, but that does not mean we will have another one. They are simply unpredictable and unannounced gifts from God. 

“Peak experiences” can happen at some of the most surprising times and in some of the most unlikely places. Oddly enough, for example, during the sexual abuse storm that began in 2002 a significant number of journalists, who had been assigned to report on the crisis in various locales, ended up converting to Catholicism.  They had a “religious experience,” a “peak experience” even in the midst of all that pain and sin!  Others have had these “peak experiences” during the death process of a loved one or even their own process of dying. I witnessed my mother going through one of these “peak experiences” as she was dying of breast cancer back in 1976.

“Peak experiences” usually happen most often during retreats and other religious events. For instance, many of our seminarians when I worked at St. Meinrad were so moved by meeting Pope John Paul II that they came back to the Church, after having been gone since childhood, and even decided that they may have a call to the priesthood. Many teenagers have their first “peak experience” during their senior retreat or an alternative spring break in places like Guatemala. Many married couples have had life changing “peak experiences” during Marriage Encounter weekends. Other Catholics have discovered a new burst of faith during a Cursillo weekend, an audience with Pope Francis, a trip to Lourdes or meeting someone with the stature of Mother Teresa.

How they happen, why they happen and when they happen cannot be predicted, staged or even understood. They all seem to be glimpses into another level of existence or little previews of coming wonderful events that God gives some people who need a reason to hang on! Those of us who have experienced them know how mind-blowing and life changing they can be! To those who cannot say they have ever had such an experience, I would say “it ain’t over till it’s over” and “your time may be right around the corner” at some unexpected and unpredictable time.

These “peak experiences” have several things in common. (1) You have to be open to them. The “transfiguration” that we read about today, happened during one of hundreds of little retreats on which Jesus took his disciples! Regular contact with God through prayer does not guarantee one of these experiences, but makes them more likely to happen. Your mind has to be open and you have to remain in a receiving frame of mind.

(2) There is always a temptation to want to freeze the experience, repeat the experience and make the experience permanent. This is what Peter was up to in the reading today. “Lord, it is so wonderful to be here. Why don’t we erect some tents and just stay up here forever?” Jesus tells Peter that the experience was only meant to be something to sustain the group during the painful days ahead. He tells Peter that they will have to go back down the mountain and back into real life for a while. Experiencing it “all the time” would have to wait until the resurrection after his death. One of the things that Cursillo, Marriage Encounter, Medjugore, senior retreat, Lourdes and other similar experiences have it common is the desire to repeat those experiences or to “be in them” full time. They are never meant to be permanent. They are only glimpses into glory. God wants us to go back to our ordinary lives, with that precious moment in the back of our minds to sustain us.    

Lastly, “peak experiences” are meant to help is “see connections” to see the connection between where we come from, where we are now and where we are destined. This is what the conversation that Jesus had with the saints - Moses and Elijah. This conversation helped Jesus realize that he was the one they saw coming in the future so many years ago. They helped Jesus understand where God was taking him in the days ahead – glory on the other side of suffering and death. Just so, our “peak experiences” remind us that there is something wonderful in the invisible world that awaits us on the other side of this life.

May you experience your own “peak experience!” May God give you a “glimpse of glory!”  May you get a “sneak preview” of the world to come! May your “peak experience” sustain you in the sometimes tediousness of worldly existence and help you keep your eye on the prize!

With all the problems going on in the Church today, others ask me and I ask myself over and over again “Why stay?” The reason I stay is that I have been blessed to have had several “peak experiences” and “glimpses of glory” in my life time. It is these intense experiences that sustain me during the ordinary moments, periods of spiritual dryness and intense discouragement. As I think about all the scandal that has beset the Church and who the next Pope will be, I am not really worried or overcome with discouragement. To paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King, who built his famous speech around this gospel, “I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead but it doesn’t matter with me now because I have been to the mountaintop. God has allowed me to go up to the mountain and I’ve looked over and I have seen the promised land. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!" 

Friends, I am here to stay, I remain hopeful and I am committed to being faithful to the end, not because I am out of touch with the serious problems facing our Church, but because God has given me a couple of small glimpses of glory, like he did the disciples in today’s gospel. I hold on because of those “peak experiences.”      

 

"YOU JUST CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP" 2025 # 11

THE DAY THAT THE POSSIBILITY OF DEATH BECAME A REALITY 

This photo is a "selfie" I took on August 6, 2014. It was taken a few weeks after my official retirement and a couple of days before I was scheduled to fly to France with a close friend as a retirement celebration. That day, I noticed that my left leg was red and a bit swollen. I thought it might be the result of the time I had been spending on the treadmill as part of my new pre-retirement health regime. However, since I would be flying to France in less than two days, I thought I should drive myself to the Audubon Hospital to have it checked out, just in case. 

I had never been in an emergency room as a patient, but I had heard the nightmare stories about how long I might have to wait. After four hours, I was getting restless and edgy. I decided that I would spend some of the time walking around consoling the other patients and offering some encouragement. After a hour or so of that, I was so disgusted that I seriously thought about forgetting the whole thing and "just go home and forget it." 

I don't know if I stayed because I had second thoughts or because I had already registered and did not want to embarrass myself by cancelling, but I stayed a little longer. Finally, they called my name and I was taken to a small alcove and placed on a gurney. 

A technician arrived and did an ultrasound around my knee area, concentrating it seemed on the back of my knee. As he was leaving, he told me to lie still and a doctor would be in shortly. A few minutes later a doctor arrived and told me, "Mr. Knott, we are admitting you right now! You have a blood clot in your leg! Do not move around! If it comes loose and goes to you lungs or brain, you could have a stroke or be dead in a few minutes. We will start a blood thinning IV right away!" With those words, the reality of possibly dying became a reality for the first time in my life! 

I was admitted for about three days as they thinned my blood and did what they could to dissolve my blood clot. I left the hospital with a prescription for oral blood thinners. After taking them for a few years, I found out that my blood clot was "probably situationally triggered" by all the regular flying I had been doing over the past few years. It was not lost on me that if I had left the emergency room that night, I would not have made it to France. I probably would have died on the plane going over. Then my "retirement" would have been permanent!     

Being the independent type, I drove myself home from the hospital, just like I had driven myself there.  Besides, my car was still in the hospital parking lot and I lived about a mile away. I left there a lot more thankful and a bit wiser than I was when I had arrived. Patience has never been my strong suit, but this time it saved my life. Lesson learned!

 

 

SOME CALL IT "KARMA"

 THE RETURN THAT COMES FROM HELPING OTHERS  

 

"Those who water others will themselves be watered."

Proverbs 11:25

I am a project addict. I swore off church projects a year or two ago, but I have had a relapse. I take on these projects to help others, for sure, but I also do it because of the good that comes to me from doing them. Some call it "karma." The Georgetown University Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs says "karma" is the Hindu view of causality in which good thoughts, deeds, and words, may lead to beneficial effects, while bad thoughts, deeds, and words, may lead to harmful effects. Jesus put it this way. "Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you." (Luke 6:38)

I also love having partners in my mission projects. It's not just about having people to share the burden of funding, but it's also having someone to share those good feelings and sheer joy that comes from helping other people out of their difficult situations. In the end, to be able to say "we did it" feels a lot better than "I did it!"

My newest project, a new St. Veronica Church in Kenya, is coming along quite nicely. (See the blog post for March 6 below.) We are not "there" yet, but seeing the light at the end of the tunnel already makes me think that the completion is not that far off. I am feeling very "blessed" right now and I hope that the people who stepped in to help will by now be feeling "blessed" as well.

Soon we will all have the joy of looking at photos of the completed church, looking at the photos of the local dedication celebration and knowing that the poor people of St. Veronica Parish will be praying for us from a country on the other side of the world! All of this together is going to make our LENT 2025 "different" and "very special."

 

PRAYER FOR THE HEALING OF POPE FRANCIS

 

Heavenly Father, We humbly come before You, the Divine Physician, seeking Your healing touch upon our Holy Father, Pope Francis. Grant him strength and courage as he endures this time of illness. Surround him with Your comforting presence, and guide the medical professionals entrusted with his care. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen!

 

WEIGHING HIS OPTIONS

           

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert

For forty days to be tempted by the devil.

Luke 4:1-13

There are two great “temptation” stories in the Bible – the temptation of Adam and Eve in the garden and the temptation of Jesus in the desert. In the first temptation story, in the garden, Adam and Eve are tempted by the serpent. They are seduced into “giving in” and the serpent wins. In the second temptation story, in the desert, Jesus is tempted by the devil but refuses to be seduced into "giving in" and the devil loses. Both temptation stories present us with evil that appears, on the surface, to be good but underneath is bad. Adam and Eve fall for the serpent’s good-sounding offer. Jesus sees through the devil’s good-sounding offers and resists them. 

At his baptism in the Jordon River, Jesus heard his Father say to him, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Not understanding what those words actually meant, he goes to the desert, a place free of distractions, to hear himself think, to discern his path forward and get some clarity about the direction of his ministry.

We are told that Jesus was “tempted” by three attractive options offered by the devil during his desert retreat. (1) The devil suggested to Jesus that he could attract a lot of followers if he would just turn rocks into bread. Jesus said “no” because he knew that there were enough resources already to feed the poor. What was needed was not “magic bread,” but people changing their attitudes toward sharing those resources with the poor. (2) The devil suggested that if he would just align himself with political power and glory, he could easily accomplish his mission. After all, who would make a better king than Jesus? Jesus said “no,” because he knew that if they turned their sights toward God, they already had a king! (3) The devil suggested to Jesus that he could get lots of followers if he would just suspend the laws of nature and jump from high buildings and land unharmed with the help of angels. Jesus said “no” because he knew that if people would just open their eyes, they would see that life is already a miracle. He knew that with a new way of seeing, they didn’t need dramatic stunts and cheap miracles - there were already "real miracles" right under their noses! 

After rejecting these three attractive offers for going forward, Jesus comes out of the desert with his simple one-word answer. Metanoiete! Change the way you think! You don’t need magic answers! You don’t need dramatic stunts! You don’t need outside power! All you need to do is change the way you look at the things right under your nose, the way you think about things you see and you will see God already working right there in front of you!

The story says that Jesus was “tempted.” What exactly is a “temptation?” A "temptation" is a personal inner struggle between good and evil, both appearing to look good, with a choice that has at its base a desire to do something, especially something wrong or unwise. Temptations are such a part of our everyday living that they get their own special mention every time we say the Our Father. We pray that we will "not be led into temptation."

I am reminded of a wonderful passage from the Old Testament Book of Sirach. “Before you are life and death, good and evil, whichever you choose shall be given you. No one does he command to act unjustly, to none does he give license to sin.” (Sirach 15:15-20) That is worth repeating! "Before us is life and death, good and evil, whichever we choose will be given to us!"

A lot is made these days of our "right to choose," but little is said about our responsibility to choose wisely and even less is said about our responsibility to accept the consequences of our choices. Many of us today are like kids who go through life eating the filling out of the Oreos and throwing the cookies away. We want freedom without the responsibility that goes with it! We want the right to choose, but we are not necessarily willing to accept the responsibility and consequences that go with our choices. Even our country is famous for its citizens' The Bill of Rights, promulgated in 1791, but it was only two years ago that a new book by Richard Haass, entitled The Bill of Obligations about our obligations as citizens, was published to balance them.

We may have the right to eat French Fries and Chicken Nuggets three times a day, but we also have the responsibility to eat healthily. If we only exercise our right to eat whatever we want, without accepting our responsibility to eat well, we will sooner or later have to accept the consequences of our choices. Those of you in school, may have a right to skip classes, but you also have a responsibility to go to class. If you only exercise your right to skip, you must be willing to accept the consequences of flunking out of school. If we only exercise our right to a credit card, without accepting our responsibility to pay for what we charge, we will sooner or later have to accept the painful consequences of our choices – a cancelled credit card and a ruined credit score for years to come! Our culture is filling up with people who keep trying to beat this basic truth! They want their freedoms, but they do not necessarily want to accept their responsibilities for choosing wisely!

One of the benefits of being a young adult is finally being able to enjoy the freedom to make your own choices. One of the upsides of the freedom to choose is the ability to build your own life the way you want it through a series of personal choices. One of the downsides of that freedom is the ability to ruin your life through a series of poorly-thought-out choices. The freedom to choose, combined with the ability to choose wisely, is the ideal. Yet there are many who cannot handle their freedom well and end up losing it. Giving into the temptation to choose what appears and feels good at the moment, without the personal discipline to choose what would actually be good over the long haul, is a recipe for disaster.

Hearing about people ruining their lives has actually become a favorite American entertainment. Many think it is funny to watch stupid people on trash TV tell the world how they have ruined their lives and the lives of those who have been associated with them. Every day programs like Judge Judy, Maury Povich, 60 Day Fiance and Catfish  make big bucks featuring people who have ruined their lives and the lives of those around them because of the poor choices they have made. They have the "freedom to choose" but choose poorly. They have the "freedom to choose" but they don't have the ability to discern what is of value. Illegitimate children, ruined marriages, sexually transmitted diseases, financial ruin, family disintegration, squandered opportunities for a good education and loss of reputation are only a few of the consequences of making choices without the ability to choose wisely.

To be able to "discern what is of value," we must develop self-mastery. By self-mastery, I mean we have to be able to name and then "stand up to" our own temptations, to our addictions, to our cowardice and to our laziness in order to create the life we want to have! We must be able to "handle" ourselves and "handle" our cravings - for a higher purpose and for our long-term good. We must be able to continually clarify what we really want out of life, constantly focus our energies to reach for what we want and consistently deal in truth rather than in deception. People with self-mastery approach their lives like an artist approaching the task of producing a work of art. People with self-mastery know how to discern what is of value and use what they have discerned to live on purpose! The spiritual disciplines of both East and West speak often of the practice self-mastery.

One of the sad things about our culture, in which freedom of choice is so highly honored, is the growing tendency to deflect responsibility for our bad choices after we make them. We throw the blame onto others. If our culture is to survive, the freedom to choose simply must be combined with personal responsibility. To demand the freedom to make our own choices and then throw the blame on others when those choices backfire is the height of cowardice and irresponsibility - and yet it is so very popular in our culture. As Flip Wilson's character used to say all the time, "The devil made me do it!" As we hear all the time on TV, "It was my parents’ fault. They didn't raise me right!" "It was right there for the taking. What could I do but take it! They shouldn't have made it so easy to take!" Freedom without responsibility is wreaking havoc all around us.

When enough of us have the ability to discern what is of value and when enough of us have the self-mastery to choose what is of value, marriages will improve, families will improve, neighborhood will improve, the economy will improve, churches will improve, nations will improve and the world will improve. These problems can only be fixed one person at a time. In reality, no one can save us from us, but us! Yes, lack of self-mastery has a direct impact on the quality of multiple areas of people’s lives. Those who cannot establish mastery over their appetites and impulses will no doubt see many aspects of their lives quickly unravel. The ability to subordinate a lower impulse to a higher value is the essence of a satisfying life. Leonardo da Vinci was right when he said, “One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself.”

The ability to discern what is of value and self-mastery in the face of severe temptation is at the heart of Jesus’ desert experience. To do his Father’s will, not his own, Jesus had to be able to see the difference between what “looked good” and what was “actually good.” Once he was able to discern what the will of his Father was, he had to have the self-mastery to follow it, no matter how tempted he was to do otherwise!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"YOU JUST CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP" 2025 # 10

SHOCKED BY THE COLD

When I first moved to Somerset, Kentucky, to be the Associate Pastor of St. Mildred Church, I spent quite a bit of time with the young adults of the parish as well as their friends from other denominations. 

I remember one Saturday in particular. We had been "hanging out" all afternoon, when someone decided that we should all go get ice cream cones nearby! I agreed, but told them they had to hurry because I was scheduled to hear confessions in about twenty minutes. They left to get ice cream and promised to hurry back. I waited and I waited and I waited, but they did not come back as expected so I went on into the church and took my place in he confessional. 

A few minutes passed and all of a sudden a hand appeared through the curtain with a dripping ice cream cone shoved toward me! I did not know what to do with it at first! I thought about telling the non-Catholic young adult to take it away, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings, so I whispered "thank you" and took it! To this day, I don't know if there were penitents waiting in the church who witnessed this scene, but by that time I didn't care! It was my favorite flavor so I ate it as quietly as I could without slurping and smacking my lips! I knew I could explain such inappropriate things to my non-Catholic friend later, but I didn't! I thought it might be best to just "let sleeping dogs lie!" I am happy to report that no one reported me to the pastor - probably because no one actually saw it happening! 

----

When I was pastor of St. Peter Mission Church in Monticello, Kentucky, I lived in an apartment in the basement of the church. The only window had a built an air conditioner that could not be taken out even in the winter. The one great plus about it was that it was quiet - as quiet as a tomb! The downside of it was that you never knew what the weather was like outside! You had to open the door of the apartment and walk across an empty room and look up the steps to see what was going on weatherwise. 

One morning, I got up very early, got dressed, ate breakfast and gathered up my stuff for the drive over to the next County to the other mission church, Good Shepherd Chapel. When I went to bed it was a crisp sunny day, but that morning, so some reason, I could not open the door which opened outward. I thought something was blocking so I kept pushing and pushing with all my strength. It was then I noticed that it had snowed several inches and the snow was so deep that it was blocking the door. It was only then did I realize that I could have "slept-in!" The roads were impassible and no one expected me to show up anyway. 

Living in the basement apartment left you guessing about the weather all the time. People would say things like, "Man, that was some storm last night!" You would have to stand there looking clueless until you admitted that you did not know about it. Living underground, without windows to look out, I was moved to declare "Ground Hog Day" every year a holy day of obligation for the parishioners of St. Peter Church 

----

When I was still in the seminary, about 2-3 years away from ordination, I decided to celebrate my birthday on April 28 of that year by swimming out to the diving platform in the small lake over the hill. I knew it might be a bit cool in late April, but I made the mistake of announcing my plan a few days in advance. As it would have it, the weather turned very cold that year. On April 28 the water had frozen over with a thin layer of ice! Young adults, even seminarians, cannot afford to lose face in a school packed with other young adult males, so I knew I had to carry through on my pledge or be teased mercilessly until my next birthday. 

Without batting an eye, I put on my swimming trunks with a bathrobe, walked down to the pond, took a long stick to break the ice and swam out to the platform and swam back. In front of several friends I put on my bathrobe as fast as I could and ran up the hill as the roar of cheering could be heard reverberating through the St. Meinrad hills. In hindsight, I think I should be considered the true founder of the St. Meinrad Polar Bear Club! 

DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME ON SILLY STUFF LIKE GIVING UP CANDY

Saint Veronica, Pray For Us! 

This Lent Don't Just Dabble In Religion! Be Part Of Doing Something Heroic!

Help Me Finish A New Mission Church In Kenya

Sister Stephen, a Little Sister of the Poor, is stationed here in Louisville where I volunteer each Monday to celebrate Mass, is from the African country of Kenya. One day, in a conversation with her, she mentioned her village's dream to build a new church in honor of her mother, Veronica Makosi, in Kenya. Her mother was an illiterate catechist and a model of the Christian faith. She walked great distances to church, instructed people in the faith in her own home at night and taught people Catholic prayers until she died.  She was the godmother to thousands of newly baptized members of the Catholic Church. 

In 2020, as she grew too old to make the long walk to church, Sister Stephen's mother made an appointment to meet with the circuit-riding priest to request the establishment of a small church in her village even though they had no resident priest at the time. The circuit-riding priest liked her idea and Veronica set about securing the land on which to build it. Sadly, she died in October 2021 before the church could open officially.  

After her death, the priest asked the people what name they should give their new church. Many ideas were suggested. The priest proposed the name "St. Veronica Catholic Church"  and everyone clapped in approval. The priest told them: "We want to honor her great example of faith." 

I have agreed to do what I can to replace the present simple stick building with its sheet metal roof (see photo below) with something more stable, lasting and appropriate. It will be built mostly with stones cemented together, a concrete floor and a metal roof.  

I have a lot of experience in raising funds for mission projects in the Caribbean. I know that donations need to be protected and monitored so that they are not misused, misdirected or confiscated. As a result, I have made arrangements to funnel my donations through the Father John Judie Ministries, an official legal tax deductible 501-3c non-profit organization operated by Father John Judie, a local Louisville priest, who volunteers in Kenya and Tanzania. In appreciation for his help with this project, I have promised to pay for his next flight to his east African missions with my unused American Airlines Frequent Flyer miles. I have no desire to fly long-distance anymore for a vacation so I am happy to give them to him. Father Judie has agreed to oversee the distribution of my funds. He will require receipts and progress photos from Sister Stephen's brother. Julius, in Kenya who has agreed to oversee the purchase of materials, oversee the construction itself and help recruit local volunteer labor to hold down the costs.  

The total estimated cost of this new church is 20,000.00 US Dollars which I have guaranteed in four equal payments to Father John Judie Ministries as proven progress is made on the construction. I have already made the first two payments so they will have something on hand to buy materials to get started. 

I have agreed to personally guarantee the total $20,000.00. It is a bit of a stretch for one priest, but I believe that "nothing is impossible with God." If you are moved to help me with any part of this project, please let me know. If not, I will go it alone if necessary. Anyone donating $5,000.00 or more will be able to have their picture, printed on canvas, hanging in the new church, but any amount will help the project along. I have already donated $10,000.00 of my own money to this project. Another $7,100.00 has also been donated so far. That means I only have $2,900.00 to go to honor my guarantee of the total $20,000.00 building costs.

I could most certainly use some funds to help them with some interior church furnishing to finish the inside of the church. This expense is not included in the $20,000.00 building costs. At first, I thought about sending them a half-size shipping container with some free surplus medical supplies for the local village from our local SOS and some free used local church furnishings, but found out that it would cost $10,000.00 just to ship it.  Rather than spend that amount of money just for shipping free stuff from here, I have decided that it would be wiser to send them the $10,000 to source the church furnishings and some simple medical supplies locally and not risk having the shipping container contents seized, stolen or held for ransom at the seaport. With this expense, I certainly could use some help to put "the icing on the cake!" By the end of Lent, I am hoping this project will be completely funded.  Come on, be part of something heroic this Lent!

Building a new church, fully furnished, for a grand total of $30,000 sounds like a "miracle" to me! 

Make your tax deductible checks out to: 

                               Father John Judie Ministries - St. Veronica Project

Send your donation checks to me to be forwarded to Father John Judie Ministries for deposit so I can keep up with the totals as we go along and report them to you on this blog.

Rev. Ronald Knott

1271 Parkway Gardens Court

#106

Louisville, Kentucky 40217

502-303-4571

 KENYA IS THE "GREEN COUNTRY" ON FAR RIGHT

BELOW - MAP OF KENYA WITH LOCATION MARKED FOR

St. Veronica Church 

The present St. Veronica Church

Above is a photo of a recent baptism in the present St. Veronica Church. Father Benedict Mutinda serves St. Peter Claver Church, in Ndalani, with its 14 outstations, one of which is St. Veronica Church.  

Mr. Julius Kitili, Project Manager and brother of our local Sister Stephen, Little Sister of the Poor. 

"I am truly humbled! Getting a modern church in this part of the world is

a miracle. The church will be outstanding in the area. We all appreciate

you in a big way and we are all praying for you and Father Judie so that

God continues to bless you every minute. Yes, it is true that my mother will

be proud. Thanks again for enabling the construction. " 

St. Veronica Church Building Committee

Father Benedict Mutinda, Pastor of St. Peter Claver Church and its 14 mission stations

blesses the ground with holy water where the new church will be built. 

Some women parishioners of the new St. Veronica Church led the singing at the ground blessing. 

Mr. Julius Kitili and some of the workers and masons for the first phases of the project. 

Some of the foundation trenches. 

BELOW ARE PHOTOS OF THE PROJECT FIRST WEEK OF FEBRUARY

More progress has been made since these last photos were sent. Future progress

will be shown on this blog as the progression happens. 

TODAY IS ASH WEDNESDAY ---- DON'T FORGET TO GET YOUR ASHES

TWO FORMER PASTORS OF THE CATHEDRAL ON A FORMER ASH WEDNDESDAY

Father Michael Wimsatt & Father Ronald Knott

COME BACK TOMORROW TO SEE MY POST FOR A BIG LENTEN RESOLUTION SUGGESTION 

TOMORROW IS ASH WEDNESDAY - FIRST DAY OF LENT

          

Return to me with your whole heart, says the Lord.

Joel 2:12

When I was a kid growing up in Meade County, I used to come to Louisville with my Dad a few times a week to pick up supplies for his building material business. We always took Dixie Highway, the mother of all road sign highways! After hundreds of trips and millions of signs, the only one I can remember today, fifty years later, is a huge sign around Waverly Hills. In huge letters, it demanded that its readers “Get right with God!”

“Get right with God!” That is pretty much what this season of Lent is all about! It’s a sacred forty days when we get back on our spiritual paths by reconsidering how far we have strayed from the path and making a u-turn. It’s a time to “get right with God.”

Jesus told us that we are to “love God with our whole hearts, souls and minds and our neighbor as ourselves.”   That is the gold standard, the staring point and the measure of our faith. And so, during Lent, we break that one commandment down and focus on its three components during Lent. We focus on prayer – our relationship to God. We focus on fasting – our relationship to our own appetites. We focus on giving alms – our care and love for others, especially on our suffering poor brothers and sisters. So Lent, really, is about getting back to basics and making the important things important.

At the very beginning of this holy season, Jesus warns us not to play silly little mind games. (1) “When you pray,” he says, “don’t draw attention to yourself. Do it quietly. Make it something between you and God.”  In other words, if you resolve to pray more during this holy season, don’t announce it to everyone in the city that you are going to go to church to say the rosary, don’t kneel in the street in some dramatic public display for all to see, don’t brag to all your friends that you have to go to Mass today because it is your Lenten resolution. No! Keep it between yourself and God. Just slip away quietly. 

(2) “When you fast,” Jesus says, “don’t wear it on your sleeve for everyone to know about! Do it quietly. Make it something between you and God.” In other words, if you resolve to give up beer or chocolate, don’t tell anybody about it. Don’t go wringing your hands and letting everybody know about it by complaining about how you are suffering from the tragic loss and how heroic you are for doing it. When you skip a meal or turn down a trip to the refrigerator for a beer, try not to let anybody know about it. And by the way, the money you save by doing this is NOT to be kept, but given away. Neither is fasting about losing a few pounds for spring break either! 

(3) “When you give alms,” Jesus says, “don’t make a public announcement about your gift or brag about how generous you are.”  Make anonymous contributions to food pantries, charitable organizations or your parish. Don’t even write a check to use as a tax deduction or insist on a plaque to be dedicated in your honor. Try to be as anonymous as possible.  Make it a pure gift.

The whole gospel today is not only about doing good things, but also doing them for the right reason. We do not pray, fast and give alms to gain sympathy or praise from others. We do not pray to be noticed and admired. We do not fast to save money or to lose weight. We fast so that we can experience how much we abuse food and so that we are able to give alms to those who are hungry.

In short, Lent is not about externals, but about an internal shift. It’s about “getting right with God, ourselves and our neighbors.”  It is better not to come up and receive ashes if you are not committed to “getting right with God” in a quiet, private, you-and-God kind of way! God can see right through your hypocrisy and fake religiosity.  Don’t waste your time playing games with God and those around you. The goal here is a serious internal change, getting you heart “right with God.” 

     

 

 

WHAT KIND OF TREE ARE YOU?

“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit,
nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.
For every tree is known by its own fruit.
A good person produces good, but an evil

 person  produces evil. 

Luke 6:39-45

 

I am very aware that I am bombarded every day with messages about how I need to live, what I need to buy and what I need to do. Depending on the source, I try my best not to listen to most of those messages. So that I can freely and deliberately "take the road less traveled," I collect insightful quotations, wise sayings and other tidbits of wisdom and paste them everywhere in my house to remind myself that I am in charge of my own thinking, that I need not be a victim of what “everybody else is doing" or "what everybody else is thinking." I want to consciously control my own thinking and make my own decisions so that I do not end up unconsciously being a brainless "copy cat" of what other people are doing or thinking. I realized a long time ago, that if I am going to be a priest, I must walk the talk. I realized that I must at least try to set an example for others. I realized that I have to remove the wooden beam in my own eye first, if I am going to be able to see clearly to remove the splinter in my brother's or sister's eye." Otherwise, I will end up being a blind guide for other blind people!  

 

On one wall of my house, where I can see it often, is this George Bernard Shaw quote. “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” This might not mean much to some of you, but for me it symbolizes the greatest breakthrough in thinking that I have ever had in my life. Until I was a junior in college, I used to believe that “life was something that happens to you and all you can do is make the most of it.” As a result, I ended up being what the same George Bernard Shaw called, “a selfish, feverish little clod of grievances and ailment complaining that the world would not get together to make me happy.” One day, in a flash of grace, it occurred to me quite clearly that "there was no rescue party out looking for me!" That day I made a conscious decision to quit whining from the back seat of my own life and to get behind the wheel! I have told my story hundreds of times, but I also know that that every time I tell it, it always inspires someone to make a similar shift in their thinking. I am hoping that it will help someone here today who needs to make a shift in his or her thinking away from victimhood toward self-empowerment - to get a grip on themselves and quite waiting for a rescue party to come and save them!  

 

My fellow Catholics! The readings today are about the importance of building your life on a solid foundation, but before you can even consider what foundation you want to build on, you must understand and accept the fact that you are the builder of your own life! If you build your life on the rock-solid foundation of sound thinking that leads to good choices, if you “get it” that life is about creating yourself, you will most probably thrive! If, however, you build your life on the sand of weak thinking and lazy choices, you will surely doom yourself to live in a swamp of regrets and in a world of “might have beens!” 

 

Most of you are familiar with the monk, Thomas Merton. We have his library at Bellarmine University where I worked as its longest serving campus minister. People come from far and wide to use that library and absorb his wisdom. Many of you may not be as familiar with the founder of his religious community, the Cistercians. He was a Benedictine monk named Bernard of Clairvaux. St. Bernard was a great reformer in the Church of the 12^th century. He might have died over 860 years ago, but his wisdom lives on and it is valuable even today – even for those of us in here today! He offers us four foundation pillars on which to build a good life. “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit." As our first reading put it, "The fruit of a tree shows the care that its tree was given!" If your life is to produce good fruit, St. Bernard says you must (a) consider yourself (b) consider those below you (c) consider those around you and (d) consider Him who is above you.  

 

1.    (a) In considering yourself, St Bernard said, “Behold what you are! It is a monstrous thing to see such dignity trivialized and squandered!”  The first foundation stone on which to build a successful life is a passionate commitment to your own personal excellence – becoming the best version of yourself that you can be. I learned a little maxim in Latin many years ago which I have found to be so true.  “Nemo dat quad non habet” “One cannot give what one does not have.” Jesus said, “A bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” St. Francis de Sales said, “Be who you are and be that well!” In practical terms, if you are going to marry, be good at it, be a fabulous partner or don’t get married! If you are going to have kids, be good at it, be a tremendous parent or don’t have them! If you are going to go into public service, be good at it, be transparent, honest and self-giving or don’t get into it at all! If you are going to a priest, get serious about it or don’t get ordained! Be who you say you are! Be a person of integrity. Do the right thing even when no one is looking!  

 

2.    (b) In considering those below you, you must never forget that the gifts you have been given have been given to you, not just for your own good and personal benefit, but for the good of the community! The second foundation stone on which to build a successful life is a passionate commitment to vocational excellence, to be the very best you can be at what you do!  This means a lifelong commitment to honing your skills,  to deepening your respect and reverence for those under your charge and to always trying to lift the vision of others to higher sights, their performance to a higher standard and their personalities beyond their normal limitations.   Become an example of who people want to follow! 

 

3.    (c) In considering those around you, take stock of those with whom you surround yourself! The third foundation stone on which to build a successful life is to choose your friends and associates wisely. Many people do not realize the impact the type of people they surround themselves with has on their well-being. The people you surround yourself with will either lift you up or bring you down, support you or criticize you, motivate you or drain you. By developing relationships with those committed to constant improvement and the pursuit of the best that life has to offer, you will have plenty of company on your path to the top of whatever mountain you seek to climb. Remember, people who tell you what you want to hear are not necessarily your friends, just as those who tell you what you don’t want to hear are not necessarily your enemies. Surround yourself with people of integrity and quality. Do not hang out with lazy thinkers and undisciplined people! Instead of building you up, they will bring you down!    

 

4.    (d) Last of all, in considering Him who is above you, never forget where you came from and where you are going. You have not always been here and you will not always be here! In the whole scheme of things, your lifespan is relatively short. The fourth and final foundation stone on which to build a successful life, therefore, is to develop an interior spiritual life to match your external material life, so that you can walk on two legs, not one! Statistically, marriages with God in them, for example, last longer and are happier. The same can probably be said of other vocations and professions. Awareness of God reminds us every day that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, that an amazing amount of invisible support is just a prayer away and that our lives have a  point and a purpose beyond financial success! Don’t let organized religion’s many failures cause you to miss out on religion’s many contributions! Stay connected and be serious about that connection!   

 

My fellow Catholics! These four foundation stones, if built upon with care, focus and determination, make up the cornerstones of a good life, in whatever direction you go! Those who came before you have been given you an excellent foundation on which to build! Now heed the words of Saint Paul, “Each one of you must be careful how he builds!” Remember the words of George Bernard Shaw, “Life is about creating yourself!” Regardless of your age, you have the freedom and tools to make something of yourself! Rise to the challenge! What you do with the freedom and tools given to you is up to you! I pray that each of you will develop a passionate commitment both to “being good” and “being good at what you do!” I pray that you will seek to be good and good at it! For God's sake, decide today not to be guided by "what everyone else is doing and what everyone else if thinking!" Be better, reach higher, control yourself and remember this: “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit."

 

 

 

       

 

    

 

"YOU JUST CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP! 2025 #9

Last year, every Saturday I featured  a post called "Wisdom for 2024" 

This year, every Saturday, I will post a series of unusual personal experiences 

from the past under the title "You Can't Make This Stuff Up."

Sometimes, names or locations will be changed or disguised to protect the guilty! 

Besides, I am retired! What can they do, fire me?

 

MY SLEEP DRIVING EPISODE

This is a warning against taking the sleep medication AMBIEN. For years, especially when I was traveling long distances and especially when I was making trips down to the islands, I had a prescription for AMBIEN to help me sleep on airplanes and in noisy island cities. I would break them in half just to help me doze off. 

One night, when I couldn't fall asleep at home no matter how much I tried, I took half of an AMBIEN. I had a doctor's appointment the next day to get something for the flu I felt was coming on. That was very much on my mind when I went to sleep around 8:00 pm. Well, I woke up at 2:00 am thinking it was 2:00 pm and I was late for my doctor's appointment. 

I got up, got dressed and skipped my morning shower. I left my phone at home and got in my car and left the garage door open as I drove off! I could not see the road, only the edge near the passenger's side.

I did not go my usual way on Lexington Road, but turned onto Newburg Road past Bellarmine and headed up the hill toward the Expressway. As I was going up the hill, I hit a median and a sign with both front tires. It flattened both tires and leveled the sign.  Since it was 2:00 am in the morning, a few cars were out and started honking at me! I got the car back on the road and turned onto the Expressway. I remember driving very slowly on the Expressway with both front tires flat. I have no memory after that until I was parked in front of the doctor's office. It was then I realized that I had driven from my condo to his office unaware that I was actually "sleep driving" - one of the known side-effects of AMBIEN that I learned about after the fact!

I remember slowly coming to consciousness as the car got colder and colder in the winter temperature after I turned off the key. Slowly I realized that I had no phone to make a call, my front tires were flat so I could not drive anywhere and the doctor's office would not be open for several hours.  I had enough gas to turn the car heater on and off every couple of half-hours to keep from freezing. 

By 9:00 am when the office opened, I was wide awake. Embarrassed, I went in, looking quite disheveled, as if nothing had happened. I asked the receptionist if she would call my friends at Coat's Cars and Trucks to bring their wrecker because of the two flats and a damaged bumper and if she would call a taxi to take me home! 

I had to go back to the doctor's office a week later. I asked the receptionist if I looked "strange" the day last time I was in there! She said, "No, I didn't notice anything different!"  (That really hurt my feelings! I had been un-showered, disheveled and unkempt!)

After reading about AMBIEN, I no longer would dare take it. People have been arrested for drunk driving, cooking a meal in the middle of the night and even having sex with strangers unknowingly!  I wish it had been a multiple choice question. I would have chosen differently! I like to cook! 

HE'S A WINNER FOR SURE

A SHOUT-OUT TO DESALES HIGH SCHOOL 

This essay is so good that I decided to reprint it in this blog post. 

It was originally in the Archdiocesan Catholic Connection Newsletter. This young

man should be preaching or maybe he will someday re-start my old column

 in The Record called "An Encouraging Word."

Father J. Ronald Knott

Below is the winning essay in the Catholic Education Foundation’s annual essay contest for high school students. Students are asked to write an essay about a topic related to the our local high schools and the national celebration of Catholic Schools Week.

Mission of Christ

By Colin Wheatley, sophomore, DeSales High School In my community, I foster faith by showing others what my faith has personally given me. I live my life by Jesus’ example every day, and by doing so, can show others how faith has changed me and how it can change them if they open themselves up to it. Whether it be a school project or an average day, I lead by example. I show and encourage integrity, respect, and kindness through my everyday actions, as well as an inclusive environment where everyone has a voice and their ideas are heard.   In the past, present, and I guarantee the future, I have always and will continue to perform acts of kindness without much thought towards the negative consequences. Even if this causes a situation to end unfavorably for me, if it helps just one person, I will think of it as a positive. l will never change this way of action because of the trait it gives me: the ability to be bold. Jesus was a man who was outside of the societal norm. Instead of shying away from lepers, He instead embraced them and treated them as humans. He knew that he himself might be infected, but He never let that fact stop him from taking care of them. He treated sinners without a trace of contempt, just as He would treat his neighbors. This meant that some people stuck with Jesus and worshiped him at his feet, while others persecuted him and eventually crucified him. Even if Jesus knew of the consequences that his actions might cause, He decided to do what was right. The boldness that I have obtained from the way I have lived gives me the opportunity to live by Christ’s teachings and call others to as well, something more important to me than anything.  Jesus’ inclusivity was something of a miracle in and of itself. It was a form of true kindness that not just anyone is able to practice in their life. He included his neighbors, enemies, the sick, the disabled, and anyone else who followed him. Jesus recognized how important the aspect of including others was and acted it out, something that many struggle with. Just including a single person may help them to realize their worth and how they were made in the image of God. I realize that Jesus calls everyone to his table, and as a follower of Christ, I feel that I should enact the same inclusivity that He showed his people. In life, everyone has a purpose no matter how small, and the same holds true for something as tiny as a group science project. I am able to see this and guarantee that everyone around me is able to show their purpose instead of just having one.  At DeSales, themes such as respect and integrity are heavily emphasized. Through God, integrity has been made easier for me to display to my peers because of His might. God sees everything at all times, and there is no way to hide what you are doing whether it be good or bad. I realize this and try to please God with every action I do in life. There have been so many times I have fallen to where I have lost track, but just knowing that God will forever be there to help me stand again is more than enough motivation for me to keep on trying. I believe that through display and goodwill, others around me will also be more inclined to do the same. Even the slightest act of kindness can have a revolutionary effect. Everyone’s journey with God is unique. However, what I believe is most important in everyone’s journey is that it’s not only with God, but with the people around them. Not only can support be found, but the influence that they may have on those around them could inspire them to start a journey of their own. Through my walk with God and my faith community, I have been able to lead by example by taking action, including everyone around me, and living as Christ would. Just as Paul says in Philippians 4: 13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”