Beyond Words

I love Max Lucado and he hit it out of the park on this one:

“What you probably will be thinking about on your death bed

you should be working on daily.”

I have a dear friend whose initials are J.Z. and I love affectionately calling her “Jay Z.” No, this blog is not about her. It’s also not about an insect that lives in a hive and makes honey. It’s about rapper Jay Z and his pop singer wife, Beyonce. Together, they make up one of the most influential and successful partnerships on the planet. And I’m not just talking music.

Let me make this perfectly clear: I’m not a huge fan of either but I do love some of Beyonce’s hits and I love the Jay Z and Alicia Keys “Empire State of Mind” collaboration. But, last night I sat with Kristen and watched a docu-interview on Jay Z and found it quite interesting.

Shawn Carter, Jay Z’s given name, grew up in the Brooklyn projects and has gone on to become not only a music mogul but a sports and fashion one too. He is one of the most financially successful hip-hop artists and entrepreneurs in America and discovered the likes of Rihanna and others. Tragically, his dad left the family when young Shawn was only 11. He learned to survive and dream on the streets and is self-made. For that reason he continues to take risks. He has both business and street smarts, smarts you can’t teach or learn at Harvard. He doesn’t sit back and rest on his laurels though and admits being successful isn’t the end all many believe it to be. “I’m not sure what you learn from success. I haven’t figured that out yet,” he stated on the OWN program. “You learn much more from failure.” He also said he believes rap music has helped improve race relations, as “it’s hard for a parent to teach racism when their young son likes Snoop Dog.”

Perhaps true, but it got me thinking. Why, being that nearly 75 percent of African-American babies are born out of wedlock and are raised by single moms, aren’t rap and hip-hop artists not respectful of women in their music, rather then what they so often are: very degrading and very disrespectful. I don’t get it.

Which brings us to Jay Z’s beautiful and talented wife, Beyonce, otherwise known as “Queen B.” The product of a nuclear and close-knit Houston family, Beyonce Knowles burst upon the music scene as part of Destiny’s Child. She has since, as a solo artist, taken over both the pop and R&B charts. She is stunning to look at and amazingly talented.

So why, I asked Kristen just a few days ago, is she so skanky? I was not prepared for the earful I got in reply!

“She is not skanky, she is sexy,” Kristen instructed me. “She’s a sexy almost every 20-year-old is dying to be. Plus, she’s really truly talented, got married before she got pregnant, and she and Jay Z are never out clubbing and in the tabloids.” Valid points taken.

I still wonder though, why does Beyonce choose to depict herself so raunchy in so many of her videos? This is a woman who doesn’t need to stoop to the levels that many wanna-bees do and she would still sell millions and be respected. Beyonce’s audience ranges from elementary-aged kids to full-blown adults. What message, then, is she sending to her younger audience when she flaunts her “assets” in video after video? The results of grinding and groping your way through inner city or suburban America can be way more damaging then when done in a controlled MTV video. Whether she likes it or not, Beyonce is a role model to many, least of whom is her young daughter. Again, I just don’t get it.

This somewhat seamlessly leads to my last “I don’t get it” point. Why hasn’t the alarming out-of-wedlock African-American birth rate not been addressed more passionately by our current African-American president? Why isn’t the issue one of our First Lady’s major platforms? In the entire recorded history of the planet, there has never been a greater voluntary abandonment of men from their children than there is today in black America. If they want to tell me what to believe and what issues to support, why aren’t they screaming to their own people to stop the madness?! Once again, I just don’t get it.

This brings me back to Jay Z, who after watching the interview with him inspired me to write this blog. He may have some questionable baggage in his past, but who of us doesn’t? I may not agree with many of his lyrics or like many of his songs, but I respect his talents and his passion. I only wish he’d use those talents and that passion to make a real difference in the lives of his fans.   I have a dream.

There’s been a lot of ugly and somewhat depressing stories in the news lately; everything from Benghazi cover-ups to Ukraine unrest to the missing Malaysia airplane and even the horrid things said by the L.A. Clippers owner.  Sometimes all we can do is pray.  Often times Mother Teresa said it best.

After a while you learn…

There is always, always something to be thankful for

And that the things you take for granted someone else is praying for

What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while

And that the most important work you’ll ever do will be within the wall of your own home

There is a subtle yet important difference between simply holding hands and lasting true love

And that time doesn’t always heal a broken heart

You should begin to accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes open

And that once you admit your own flaws no one can use them against you

You learn that it takes years to build trust but it only takes seconds to destroy it

And that no matter how bad you hurt, the world doesn’t stop for your grief

Life teaches you it’s not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that really counts

So, you should always leave loved ones with loving words.  It may be the last time you see them

You can do something in a matter of minutes that can hurt you for the rest of your life

And that your life can be changed in a matter of seconds by someone you don’t even know

Either you control your attitude or it controls you

And the more you love your decisions the less you’ll need others to

When you’re angry you have the right to be so but you don’t have the right to be cruel

And that being kind is more important than being right

True  friends can do anything or nothing and have the best time, but no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you but you should forgive them

Still, sometimes you have to give up on people not because you don’t care, but because they don’t

After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much

And that what’s popular isn’t always right and what’s right isn’t always popular

Life shows you that money doesn’t buy class and you don’t have to be rich to have good manners

And that your mood should never dictate your manners

Always remember that an ugly personality destroys a pretty face

And that a pretty face doesn’t mean a pretty heart

So, plant your garden and decorate your own soul instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers

You really are strong and you really do have worth

There is no saint without a past, no sinner without a future.

“We declare and define John XXIII and John Paul II be saints and we enroll them among the saints.” And so decreed Pope Francis today in Rome. It is official. Pope John and Pope John Paul are now saints. How blessed are we to witness such history.

What is it, you ask, about Catholics and their saints? Why do we “adore” them so much? Who are they anyway and why should you care?

As a cradle Catholic, I have long prayed to saints and have my favorites. St. Jude is my mom’s patron saint and one I have forever held special in my heart. I know the prayer to him by heart. I also love St. Francis, St. Therese, and St. Ann – the blessed mother of Mary. I pray to them often. I have statues and pictures of them throughout our home. But why? Why not just pray to God you ask?

Well, the saints are my friends. I count on them and ask them to pray for me and my loved ones much like you ask friends and family to pray for you and your loved ones. It’s really that simple. Yes, of course I also pray to the Holy Trinity of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, but “when more than one gathers in my name,” the more the merrier, right?

Let me make this straight, Catholics do not worship saints in the same one we worship God. We merely respect and admire them and acknowledge that they lived lives right here on Earth just like we do but their lives were filled with great charity and heroic virtues. They are in heaven and have God’s ear so to speak.

As Pope Francis said today, “They were priests, bishops and popes of the 20th century. They lived through the tragic events of that century but they were not overwhelmed by them.”

Here’s another analogy. You want to buy a new computer but you don’t go straight to Bill Gates, you go to a store and ask for the help of one of Microsoft’s agents, right? The saints, then, can be thought of as, on the simplest of simple terms, agents of God. Go to them, they will help you find answers!

“There is no heartache that heaven cannot heal.”

Pope John Paul II at Ground Zero

History Today
Today’s formal papal decree in Vatican City was historic on many levels. It was the first time in the Catholic church’s long and notable history that two ex-popes were canonized at the same time and never before had a reigning pope and a retired pope, Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI, celebrated Mass together in public, much less one during which two of their predecessors were formally declared saints in heaven.

It’s no surprise then that an estimated 800,000 pilgrims descended on Rome for today’s dual canonizations and another 300,000 watched the event on giant TV screens set up throughout Rome. Also witnessing this historical event first-hand were some 24 heads of state; dozens of royalty; and hundreds of cardinals, bishops, priests, nuns, and deacons.

Much like Princess Di’s wedding and funeral (I know, a bad comparison but if you know me, you get it), I recorded the event and have been watching it in all its glory today. Such pageantry, so much history.

It’s hard to argue that John Paul was and is a true saint. I remember when he was as near as San Antonio years ago. He loved to travel and meet the people, visiting more than 100 countries and becoming one of the world’s most-traveled leaders. “The People’s Pope,” John Paul was born in Poland and was the first non-Italian pope in more than four centuries. He was extremely popular and is widely regarded as being a major force in the collapse of communism and the fall of the Soviet Union.  He was so powerful yet so humble.  There are thousands of photos of him that I could have chosen to include in this blog, but the one I did has always been my favorite.  Much like him, it shows his strength and his humility.

John XXIII, on the other hand, is perhaps more obscure, even to me, but no less worthy of sainthood. He is held in high esteem for calling the 1962 Second Vatican Council, most commonly referred to as Vatican II. The somewhat controversial process basically modernized the church and led to numerous reforms; including the replacement of Latin at all masses and having priests face worshipers during mass. I remember when a priest’s back faced us during an entire mass and I remember when it all changed. It was indeed a big day. Sadly, John XXXII didn’t live to see the achievements of Vatican II.

Kristen and I will visit Rome this summer and will witness a papal audience in that very St. Peter’s Square. It gives me chills just thinking about it. I plan to look up and ask God and all His saints for their intercession and hope to walk away doing as St. Francis once said, “Preach the gospel, and when necessary, use words.”