Many people scoff at the televised or internet Masses, but consider this. With right intention, listening or watching CAN bring us closer to the fullness of the True Catholic Faith. Consider further: every time a priest consecrates the bread and wine, Jesus Christ is coming again — fresh — into our fallen world.
When you see that Host raised, when you see that Cup raised, or hear the words of consecratiin proclaimed, remember that it is happening at that very moment in many places throughout the world.
How many Catholic Churches are near you? Do you stop to consider that Jesus Christ is coming into the world that close to you — AT THAT VERY MOMENT — whether you are there physically or not?
What are you doing at that moment? Stopping to contemplate that Mystery? Or going about your day, paying scant attention?
Remember that Jesus Christ died for you and comes again EVERY DAY in the form of His pierced Heart during every Mass. THAT’S what you (should) believe, dear Catholic. And that’s what we want you to know, all of you dear ones who are not (yet) Catholic.
When you hear the words of consecration (or the bells chiming it), contemplate this Sacred Mystery. Whenever you pass a Catholic Church or Adoration Chapel, consider Who resides there. And acknowledge the Price of Your Salvation.
I haven’t exercised regularly in more than a year.
Rather embarrassing for a personal trainer to admit, huh?
Oh, there’s a pretty good reason. But it’s also a pretty dumb reason.
You see, I’m headed for surgery.
Now, that could be a pretty good reason for not exercising in the short term. Depending on the type of surgery.
But it’s probably a pretty dumb reason if you ignore a problem long enough that it almost disables you. Especially if you’re a personal trainer. And you’re in the business of teaching and encouraging healthy habits.
I have another confession to make.
My workouts have been pretty terrible for the last five or six years.
It’s a long story. But I’ll attempt the Reader’s Digest version here.
My dad had a failing heart. Pacemaker. Diabetes. Paper-thin skin (literally, not temperamentally). Narrowing arteries. He had a nasty stroke while driving in 2011 and miraculously regained all his function.
January 2014. His heart needed help pumping blood through his veins. New technology. He was a potential candidate for an innovative surgery.
Complications arose. Several. He stared down death five times in the next three months.
The toll on the rest of us was enormous.
Daily vigils. Massive amounts of prayer. Long daily travel. Too little sleep. Drained like never before. But still trying to support each other.
May 2014. Dad was discharged after 4 and a half excruciating months in the hospital.
Life would seem at least a little more normal, right?
Twelve days later, Kathy’s mom had a stroke. More travel. More disruption to everything normal.
Less than a month later, Dorothy, my dear mother-in-law, passed away.
July 4, 2014. Mom and Dad hosted their annual party, just like normal. It was so good to be together, celebrating instead of keeping vigil.
Mid afternoon, Dad’s in serious pain. So bad, the toughest man I’ve ever known is in tears.
And so began close to two years of almost daily doctor’s appointments. Emergency room visits. Hospital stays. A tremendous toll on Mom.
I helped as much as I could. I’d put off work and writing projects when Dad was so ill, I wanted to catch up. But there are only so many hours in a day.
With 7 grandkids (at the time; now we have 9) and 5 kids, most every weekend is booked with a party, a sporting event or three, a school function, you name it. We did our best to keep life as normal as possible.
May 4, 2016. The dreaded phone call in the middle of the night. The toughest man I’ve ever known had a catastrophic cardiac event.
The process of untangling finances… even with great trust documents… and helping Mom with stuff that Dad always did was daunting. There’s only so much legal documents and written instructions can do.
And they don’t replace the person. The man who repaired the plaster wall in the bathroom. The one he knocked a hole in when he blacked out and fell into it.
The man who still handled whatever chores around the house he could handle. The man who still puttered around the yard, cared for his gorgeous orchids, kept a full work bench in the basement and garage. Played golf with two battery packs hanging from his shoulders.
The man who was Mom’s constant companion and the love of her life for more than sixty years.
Mom had never lived alone. Ever. And now, she was facing that for the first time at 79 years old. Thankfully, Martha, our daughter, lived with Mom for almost a year after Dad died. But when she moved out, I spent more and more time at the house. Just for the little things.
Life didn’t slow down. It accelerated.
And there were still only so many hours in the day. Meet clients. Maintaining our house. Family time. Especially with Mom.
This entire time, I ignored some discomfort in my left leg. And my right leg. And my hips. And my back.
I self-medicated (no, not alcohol, ibuprofen). I adjusted my increasingly pitiful exercise sessions. My buddy, Lance, a rock star physical therapist, helped me tremendously. I consulted with and ultimately refused the recommendations of a chiropractor (that’s a story for another day).
My racquetball game, which was pretty decent, disintegrated. On the basketball court, I couldn’t jump for a rebound. Even an easy jog became impossible. I modified my golf swing but was in agony by the end of a round. Squats were uncomfortable. The leg press machine was usable, except I couldn’t keep my left knee in line. It always dropped out to the left. And pressing too much weight just plain hurt.
I just knew it was some sort of back issue. So I hesitated to “lift heavy”with dead lifts and back exercises. Yeah, I could do just about any other upper body exercises. But not being able to do a full body workout… totally demotivating.
I missed the real problem.
I didn’t have the time or inclination to make doctor’s appointments, sit around their offices, blah, blah, blah… besides, I was still able to function well enough to work and do most everyday activities.
Plus, I didn’t want to be unavailable for Mom.
She was worried sick about me. She didn’t tell me. Well, she alluded to it. But she confided her deep concerns with my aunts and uncles and her friends. Not me.
July 19, 2019. Friday, 6 AM. Mom wasn’t feeling well. We talked all day long. What should she do? Did she want me to come over? Should she go to the ER?
She made some phone calls. I made some phone calls. Her cardiologist gave her instructions. I had a busy work schedule and kept going, ready to head over at a moment’s notice. Kathy and I were going to visit Martha in Iowa the next morning, so Ihad that on my mind, too.
Friday evening. What time did Mom call? 7 PM? 8 PM? She’d dozed off in the recliner on the porch. Didn’t feel right when she woke up.
“Nancy is taking me to the hospital.”
They decided 911 was a better option. I met her at Lutheran General Hospital, emergency room. Doctors said they needed to normalize her heart rate before they could discharge her. Everything else looked okay.
Mom kept insisting I get some sleep, so I drove the 40 miles home.
She was admitted overnight. Cardiac ICU. Her heart refused to cooperate.
Iowa plans were put on hold. I still held out hope we could get out there for a while (that’s also a story for another day). Back at the hospital after a handful of hours of sleep.
July 20, 2019. Exactly 50 years since they walked on the moon. 50 years since our dog, Tuffy, was born. 50 years since one of the most enjoyable days of my life: a party at Aunt Bernie and Uncle Stan’s house when Dad was in Poland with Babcia (his mom, my grandma).
Mom’s heart rate was still elevated. The cardiologist on duty discussed performing a cardio version to flip the heart rhythm with the hope of getting the heart to beat at a normal rate. It’s a fairly routine procedure, as much as heart stuff can be “routine.”
1:00 PM. Mom coded. She never regained consciousness.
July 24, 2019. Mom’s funeral. Two days before my birthday. Less than a month after Uncle Stan, Dad’s brother, passed away, peacefully, at home, with his loving family all around him.
More stories in all of that for another day too.
Three weeks after Mom’s funeral, my 49-year-old brother-in-law, Jeff, had a stroke.
Three weeks after that, Kathy had a TIA, a mini-stroke.
More hospital visits. More anxiety. Not only that, we were struggling with other personal and health issues throughout 2019. Some I can share. Some not.
We moved Martha back from Iowa the first weekend of January. I fell down a couple stairs carrying a heavy piece of furniture. My left leg crumbled underneath the weight.
I promised my family… finally… I’d go to the doctor.
Three days later, walk-in orthopaedic clinic. X-rays. Exam. Evaluation.
A week later, MRI. Days later, orthopaedic surgeon.
I need a new left hip.
More appointments. Dentist. Doctors. Read this. Watch this video. More x-rays. Further confirmation. A new hip?!?
Years of pounding. Decades of pretty decent racquetball. Outdoor basketball. Tackle football…yeah… we played even in our 50s. I know… I know… it’s too late now.
Surgery is scheduled for February 17. I have to tell you, I’m not looking forward to it.
Despite the almost constant pain.
Despite not being able to exercise, especially no racquetball.
Despite not being able to walk through the grocery store like a normal human being.
Logically, it makes all the sense in the world.
Emotionally, I’m still a wreck.
They’re gonna stick that thing in me?
But I am still an enthusiastic personal trainer. I enjoy helping people. I enjoy teaching, coaching, instructing, explaining… whatever you want to call it.
In the late 1980s, before my epiphany and transition to personal trainer, I was a representative with A. L. Williams, a financial services firm now known as Primerica. A family oriented company.
One of our slogans was “I help people get what they want.”
That’s how I’ve attempted to conduct my entire professional life.
Preparing tax returns.
Designing financial plans.
Bailing people out of desperate financial situations.
Sharing faith insights to encourage you with yours.
Or helping you get in the best shape of your life, even if you hate to exercise and love to eat.
I still enjoy all of it. I feel best when I’m helping people get what they want.
So if you’re interested, I’m going to let you follow me through the entire process. From final pre-op preparation to day of surgery to recovery and rehab.
Interested? Click that follow button next to my name. Or get on my e-mail list at davekwiecinski.com and I’ll send my latest escapade direct to your inbox.
So much for the Reader’s Digest version. Thanks for reading.
Mary, the Blessed Virgin, who said yes to God through the angel, Gabriel, is the most important mother in the history of the world.
Every single one of us has free will. When God sent Gabriel to ask Mary to bear His Son — DESPITE BEING A VIRGIN — He allowed Mary to exercise her free will and say yes or no.
Mary said yes. She bore the Son of God.
Without her consent, Jesus is not born into time when He was.
Whose DNA did Jesus bear?
If He was human, Mary’s.
Whose DNA was shed on the cross?
If Jesus was human, Mary’s.
Whose body and blood… whose DNA… did Jesus consecrate for us?
If it’s Real Flesh and Real Blood, didn’t it have to be Mary’s?
Pray for your mothers today.
But don’t forget to pray for your eternal mother, Mary, the Mother of God.
These may be the most troubling passages in scripture for me. John, chapter 6. Probably my favorite chapter in the bible.
Let’s discuss.
First, Catholics:
If we truly believe what we claim to profess, why aren’t we falling on our faces in front of every tabernacle? Do you even pause (in your thoughts) as you drive by a Catholic church, knowing Jesus Christ HIMSELF resides (yes, RESIDES) there?
Why don’t we FLOCK to Adoration?
Why don’t we eagerly confess our sins in orded to come to the Blessed Sacrament with clean hearts?
If you do not, why not?
Second, Protestants:
If Jesus spoke literally — and we have no reason to doubt His words and more than 100 Eucharistic miracles that confirm His teaching — do you ever wonder whether you’re missing (ignoring, misinterpreting, disparaging, denying… choose your verb) the most important Grace available to you this life?
Why? Because some dude (or dudette) convinced you that Jesus only spoke symbolically?
How long have human beings denied and contradicted the words Jesus spoke? Since the day he uttered them.
“Do you want to leave me, too?”
Why do I insist on telling Jesus how He must present Himself to me? What I think He meant? What’s best for me?
It’s probably Satan’s greatest triumph. Keeping so many of us away from the Real Presence of Jesus Christ on Earth.
Feel free to disagree with me. But let’s talk about it. If we truly believe what we claim to profess, why do we disagree with the words Jesus spoke?
“People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”– Matthew 9:17, from today’s gospel.
Every time I hear or read this Gospel, I think of my wonderful dad. His blood vessels and veins had undoubtedly weakened from years of inadequate blood flow, as surely happens to all people whose heart can no longer efficiently pump blood.
In my humble opinion, his vessels couldn’t handle the new flow of blood. Their elasticity was compromised from years of “drought.”
The LVAD
– New Lease on Life
– New Medical Issues
When the LVAD created a firehose effect — much greater pressure on inelastic tissues — the vessels weren’t quite capable of handling the new demand.
New Wine. Old Wineskins.
That’s why he needed frequent (almost monthly) blood transfusions. I ain’t no doctor. But years of reflecting and studying this stuff bring me to this intuitive conclusion.
The imminent commencement of my SEVENTH (!!) decade shifted my philosophizing into overdrive and made me a tad more motivated.
I’ve got three things for you today.
Depravity
Many of us who live in the 21st Century seem to think we’ve evolved, that we’re so much wiser than our predecessors in past centuries. Certainly since the founding of our country!
The reality is,
there ain’t nothin’ new under the sun
and
those who lived seven and a half centuries before the birth of Christ were just as depraved as the “enlightened” 21st Century sophisticates.
A Warning
According to the prophet Amos, God took note of the depravity of the Israelites living at the time.
Amos warned them of their fate.
Psalm 50 has ominous reminders for
“… you who never think of God.” – Psalm 50:22a
Decision in the Midst of Excuses
Jesus has tough words for those who say they want to follow Him today. When’s the right time to do what you’ve been called to do?
When are you going to do it? What’s it going to take?
For me, time’s running short. It is for all of us. Some will have more than others.
“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the wineskins, and the wine will pour out, and the wineskins will be lost. Instead, new wine must be put into new wineskins.”– Mark 2:22
Except when you get a VAD. Then you get new wine into old, brittle wineskins. Not sure if anybody thought about that…
Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016 – Dad with his LVAD batteries holstered
I can’t hear (read) this Gospel any more without thinking of Dad, my dad, Norb Kwiecinski. He got a new lease on life in February 2014. An LVAD, a Left Ventricular Assist Device because his left ventricle was failing. It couldn’t sufficiently empty blood from his heart any longer. And he was dying.
Rendering of a Ventricular Assist Device, courtesy of Mayo Clinic
Lack of blood supply means lack of oxygen. Lack of oxygen means dying a slow death.
The LVAD gave him new life. It pumped blood through his body for him. But that lack of blood flow for so many years meant veins that had turned into old wineskins. And Dad’s new wine, in the form of a vibrant, fresh blood supply, was too much for the old wineskins to handle.
After being discharged from his four-month journey through intensive care, five staredowns with death, and an incredibly intense physical rehabilitation, Dad became a frequent visitor at the hospital.
Why? He constantly needed more blood. Where was it going?
Despite numerous tests, there was little evidence of a single source of a leak. It wasn’t showing up. So why did he need blood? Where was it going? Was his body like an old automobile engine, burning oil?
My humble, yet considered theory is that his arteries and veins — and especially the fine, delicate capillaries that deliver blood to the extremities and up to the skin — had become brittle from years of poor blood flow. When the LVAD powerfully and efficiently delivered blood, this force was more than these delicate tissues could handle. And the blood was absorbed into the body. It had seemingly disappeared. But it really hadn’t.
Is that really what happened? Is this really the explanation for why Dad consistently needed blood transfusions?
Nobody can convince me otherwise. No one else had a better, more plausible, more scientific explanation. And my theory seems to make sense.
Anyway… today’s Gospel triggered these memories today. Always happens. And the memories of those troubling, yet exhilarating and joyful months come flooding back into consciousness as if they happened yesterday.
I love you, Dad. Still miss you like crazy. Still blame you for my coffee addiction. Still ask you for help with the simplest home repair projects. And I still hear you say, chidingly, “atta boy” when I finally figure it out.
And we have the most serious man-to-man philosophical discussions… well, sure, they’re slightly one-sided. But they’re real. And really serious.
We’re deep in the throes of post-holiday ordinariness and Resolution Season. Not quite the middle of January, so most people haven’t given up on their resolutions. Yet. (Note: that’s unscientific speculation on the part of yours truly.)
Grocery store ads are replete with healthy food, fat burners, energy boosters, basic fitness essentials, and other “health” products.
I’m not a pill taker. I down a pain killer reluctantly. And I do take a multivitamin daily as an insurance policy against a day of poor nutrition or inconsistent eating. Oh. And a baby aspirin per my physician, since my family has a history of heart issues. But that’s it.
Supplements… just one. Protein powder. Why? It’s faster and more convenient than having to cook something early in the morning when I’m battling cats and the clock to get to my first appointment. And it’s most convenient as a post-workout fuel when mixed with simple sugar. My favorite concoction is lemon lime Gatorade and vanilla flavored protein. It’s a tolerable taste.
Do you swear by any vitamin or other health supplements? Let me know in the comments.
Posted by thephilosophyofdave 
thephilosophyofdave 