On EWTN's Journey Home Program

It has been busy with the online Catholic Writing Conference (where I offered a workshop on Writing for Hire) and barbershop guest program; I'm still playing catch up, but imagine my joy when I learned that my conversation with JonMark Grodi taped last July would air on EWTN's Journey Home program on Monday, Feb. 2nd, the Feast of the Presentation. Matt Swaim said, "And it’s particularly poignant to me that because of some scheduling your episode got moved to the feast of the Presentation. I don’t plan these things intentionally! But how fascinating that your episode will be airing on the feast of Simeon letting Mary know that a sword would pierce her soul… given the power of the Pieta in your story, it’s hard for me to not make the connection!" God's timing is indeed perfect. Here it is: Journey Home - Vijaya Bodach - Former Methodist and Agnostic. 

A friend captured this on her TV (I was at barbershop practice) and it has been a joy to watch this again. I loved how beautifully JonMark is able to express the essence of what I was trying to say. He's a wonderful host, putting me at ease. I urge you all--speak or write the story of what God has done in your life. As Rick Warren says in his book, The Purpose Driven Life, "God wants to use you." With Lent just around the corner, perhaps you'd like to pick it up. I've given away multiple copies of this wonderful book. 

Our grandson was baptized on the Feast of St. Paul Miki and Companions (Japanese martyrs) in the baptismal gown that my mother had sewn for us. Given how much Christians are persecuted, I often wonder whether our children and their children will be called to make the ultimate sacrifice for the faith. We live and die in Christ. But will we have courage? I pray for it. 

The material is silk damask and it looks like it could be from the leftover material from my grandfather's priestly vestments. I was the last person in my family to be baptized in this garment until now. My sister brought it when she came to visit me when Dagny was two months old. Poor Max cried because he didn't fit into it. I draped it over him for a picture. I will keep it for a while--until Max and Laura's little one is baptized.

We were atheists then, so it was just a pretty garment to dress Dagny in. We didn't even pretend to baptize her--there's a story about St. Genesius, how he was converted while in a play mocking Christian baptism. The Holy Spirit came upon him and he refused to renounce even when threatened with death. He's the patron saint of actors, of people who work in theatre and movies. Anyway, I have to speak about another movie, Nefarious, that shows the value of baptism, of belonging to Christ. I wrote a review here: Vijaya Bodach: Strawberries and the Sacred Heart. Praise God for not letting us remain in sin, for giving us the grace to repent, to turn to Him. On this Feast of St. Valentine, may we remember to always be guided by Love and Truth Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ.