Tomorrow the secular world (including yours truly) will celebrate Father’s Day. Tomorrow is also Trinity Sunday, but more on that tomorrow. Today is the final Ember Days of Pentecost. It is a day for giving thanks to the Lord above.
There is no greater Father than the one in Heaven. Recently I spent some time in prayer preparing to be consecrated to Saint Joseph. Throughout the consecration process I was reminded over and over again that facing my demons would not be easy. Perhaps you struggled with a father that was absent most of your childhood, the instructor said. So to realize that Saint Joseph is God’s answer to your needs might not be something you are ready to hear. Over and over again as we prepared for the day of Consecration we were reminded that while painful, forgiveness is a part of healing. I could not agree more – the act of forgiveness is necessary in order to heal. Is my earthly father a perfect man? Far from it, but he was there always. I could not relate to the idea of an absent parent or an uninvolved father. That’s not been my experience. We might not agree today because somewhere along the way my father lost his faith. I pray for him every day. My mother was mentally ill. I’ve come to terms with that as well. So it’s hard for me, at this stage of my journey home to feel the need to struggle with forgiveness. I have long since forgiven everyone who ever disappointed me or hurt me, even if they were well meaning in doing so or might not realize what they did. Let’s face it, sometimes we only perceive ourselves to be hurt. Jesus tells us things all the time that can be construed as hurtful. There are times when true hurts. That’s just a fact everyone needs to accept. When we struggle with faith, that’s not from God. That’s from Satan. Nothing pleases the devil more than when we pick and choose what is truth.
When we give ourselves over to Jesus completely, it changes everything. Growing up I thought of myself as a person of faith. I wasn’t. Not really. Not completely. Being a Catholic was like being female or of Spanish-Filipino-Irish descent. It was who I was. Today being Catholic is more than how I was baptized and raised. It is the air I breath. True faith is woven into every fiber of my being. True faith must be paramount in our lives. Anything less is false.
And so it is with a contrite heart that I offer up my love and thanks for all the Lord has done on this Ember Days of Pentecost. Blessed be His name on high.
Pork Al Pastor Tacos
1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
16 oz package Pork Al Pastor
1 cup Iceberg Lettuce
3 Roma Tomatoes
12 Taco Size Corn Tortillas
1 cup Jalapeño Quesadilla Cheese Blend
1 cup finely grated Cotija Cheese
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil to the pan, swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add Pork Al Pastor; cook, stirring often until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Keep warm until tacos are ready to assemble.
While the pork cooks, stack a few leaves of lettuce, roll tightly and cut to shred. See and dice tomatoes, set aside.
Isn’t that a beautiful tomato? The first tomato of the season – had to share!
Heat a little oil in a flat skillet or tortilla pan. Light fry taco shells until barely crisp. Drain on paper towels.
Assemble Tacos: Place a line of cheese down the center of each tortilla, top with pork, shredded lettuce and a sprinkling of tomatoes. Fold tortilla in half to create a taco. Sprinkle outer shell with Cotija Cheese.
Serve with Refried Beans and plenty of Margaritas.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is His kindness toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He put our transgressions from us.
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