Spiritual Self Sabotage
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I walk past the little sign almost daily.
“When this light is on, someone is gaining their wings.”
At first the theologian in me would bristle. You know, that whole refiguring of our existence from human to angelic which many people sadly believe happens when we die.
So we go from having free will to no free will?
We go from an earthly existence to some quasi either pre existent angelic form or a brand new creation?
Anyways I never liked the sign and my internal disapproval would be well sorted by the time I entered into a Hospice Patient’s room.
Here I was privileged to witness not a changing into an angelic form but a connection to humanity’s need for God. It was that simple. Somehow the body was stopping, and the journey of the soul was continuing.
The final breath.
That one moment every human being shares in common.
God made us human for a reason. He didn’t make us angels.
God became human for a reason. He didn’t avoid humanity and all its loves, sufferings, joys, tears, hopes and fears.
He did it…on purpose.
Perhaps because the totality of love, found in suffering, death, and resurrection is the way that we gain, not wings—but freedom.
May we be open to our own humanity, and cooperate with God’s grace in our very own redemption,
…Through Christ Our Lord.
Ordained a Roman Catholic priest, Michael left the active ministry, married, worked as a therapist, then later became an Episcopal priest. In 2004, together with his wife and son, he made a pilgrimage to Medjugorje in thanksgiving for her healing from cancer. It was at this first pilgrimage that he felt called to reconcile with the Roman Catholic Church--a church from which he had been excommunicated.
Following he and his family’s return to the Catholic Church, he has been requested by parishes and prayer groups for talks and retreats on a variety of spiritual topics. He reaches a broad audience because of the wealth of his experiences as a priest, therapist, protestant minister, ex-communicant, hospice chaplain and of course a husband and father. He is a captivating story teller, preacher, and has a knack for connecting with the congregation and audience.
Michael is a full time chaplain for LECOM VNA Hospice. In addition he facilitates several bereavement and support groups.
Michael enjoys family adventures, bicycling, cooking, fly fishing, building projects, and music composition. He lives with his lovely wife and five hounds. On occasion he runs a half marathon with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law.
A Lost Shepherd , Michael’s first book was published in 2012 and received a nomination for Book of the Year by the Small Publishers Association. In 1991 He composed, performed and produced Earthen Illusions a selection of musical compositions and donated all proceeds to the American Cancer Society. He is also a contributor to Priest magazine, published by Our Sunday Visitor. He is currently authoring a new work on Spritual Direction in Hospice.
