A Saint in Heaven!

Mary Lou Brown  

born March 19th 1931 and died July 27th 2007

In the Gospels Jesus tells us that if we are to be Christians then we are to take up our cross and follow him.  Jesus tells us that if we love him we are to obey him.  Jesus tells us that the world will hate us for obeying him and for following him but that the world first hated him.  

What does it mean to follow Jesus? What does it mean to obey him; or to take up our cross?  

Jesus tells us that we are to Love God with our whole heart and our neighbors as ourselves... on the night before he was betrayed Jesus says there is no greater love than to lay down ones life for a friend. 

St. Paul tells us, in 1 Cor. 13, that we can have a faith that moves mountains but, if we have not love we are empty and have nothing.  St. Paul goes on to tell us what "love" is and should mean to us.  This passage is often thought of in terms of marriage but that is not the context that was intended by St. paul.  This is the blue print for living out the Gospel... we are to love our neighbor... too love those God has placed in our life... along our path.

1 Corinthians Chapter 13

1 If I speak in human and angelic tongues 2 but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.

2 And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.
3 If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated,

5 it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,

6 it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.

7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.

9 For we know partially and we prophesy partially,

10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

11 When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.

12 At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.

13 So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

So what does this mean?

Mary Lou Brown, spent over 50 years in a wheel chair, she always took care of herself, she always gave what she had to others, was always more concerned about others, and never once, in my entire life, have I heard her complain about the cross she was given to bear. Not once! She was always full of life.

I wine and complain constantly because I'm over weight, because my cell phone breaks, because my clothes rip, because its hot, because I don't make enough money, because I don't have the perfect job, because I can't get my way....

Every person is called to holiness... we are all called to be like Christ... yet, clearly, some have been given special graces to bear their cross better than others. Mary Lou Brown was one of them. She was a Saint ministering to the sinful and I was not worthy of her.

In the Gospels, where Jesus speaks of our judgment, he never says we will be judged by what we believed or professed. The criterion is always what we have done! What did we do with this life! How did we live! Did we love!

Mary Lou Brown was never big on Church. I never saw her at Church on Sunday, I never heard her say a prayer or read the Bible. But she was a warrior for Jesus with her life because she loved more than anyone I know. She proclaimed the Gospel, not with words, but with an entire life of self-sacrifice. For if you love me you will obey me... spoke Jesus... she obey to the end... she finished the race by working out her salvation in fear and trembling (St. Paul's words). I know more about Jesus simply because I knew Mary Lou Brown.

When I held her hand, as she took her last breath, I saw Jesus in her face. She was a saint and I am not worthy of her.

On Thursday July 26th 2007 Mary Lou Brown was baptized! On Friday July 27th 2007 as the clock struck 5pm (with her birds chirping and her family by her side) she took her last breath and went home to the Lord.

Grandma Brown please pray for us.

God Bless

Joe M

The Baptisim of John-Paul!

Hello Friends and Family,

It's been awhile since I posted on this blog (been busy with the Catholic Hack! blog) and a lot has taken place. This past weekend we baptized our son, John-Paul, at our Parish St. Anthony of Padua in The Woodlands Texas. It was fantastic! Deacon Joe celebrated and we could not have been happier.

It was my pleasure to meet Deacon Joe at a retreat, this past spring, with the Passionists Fathers in Houston. Deacon Joe is a very peace filled man and it really comes across in his spirit. When John-Paul was born Deacon Joe came to the hospital room and visited with us and he prayed a blessing over us and our new baby,,, that was REALLY special. What a blessing!

I have posted more baptism photos and a video clip on my website @ www.joemcclane.com

Last night I started a sleep study to determine weather or not I have sleep apnea. It was not very comfortable as they hook you up to 20 or 30 wires and shove tubes in your nostrils. NOT FUN! I have to do it again tonight. My ENT also wants to straighten my septum and remove some bone to clear my drainage... that sounds like a good time. Apparently I will be awake for all of that.

We have not yet sold our house so please pray for this as we really need to pay down debt and get another car. The van we have had the breaks go out this week and an AC that does not like Texas very much! Two break lines, machined rotors, parts and labor... $450. A van that has functioning breaks... priceless.

God Bless
Joe M

We Have a Baby!

Praise God we have a Baby!

John-Paul was born @10:08 am on 6/7/07 @10 lbs and 7 oz. Happy and healthy. Pics coming soon!

God Bless
Joe M

D Day +2!

No baby yet... my son seems to be very satisfied with his current digs and doesn't want to come out. I think Michelle may have another opinion. Keep praying that John-Paul will come soon.... happy and healthy.

God Bless
Joe

Update on the Baby Front!

Hello Family!

Well, with high hopes of John-Paul being born on my Dad’s birthday, 5/30, we are still left in a holding pattern. We were scheduled for an elective induction but God felt that today was not the day since we could not get in. We went to a regular doctor’s appointment this afternoon and the DR said Michelle is just about the same (dilation-wise) as she has been for the past three weeks. Pray for her and my son because Michelle has been having a tremendous amount of cramping, contractions, back pain etc. with out all that nifty dilation to go with it.

I’m sure God knows what he is doing and what he has planned for the birth of my son JP. I will let you know when the big day arrives for sure! In the meantime I have started a Podcast called The Catholic Hack so stop by and check it out. Then go to Itunes and subscribe, and post a comment for me. You can also download/subscribe to the show at my website http://www.joemcclane.com/joemcclane/Podcast/Podcast.html
. I have posted the first show and intend on posting a new show about once a week. I have also created a blog for that show at http://catholichack.blogspot.com/ .

Feel free to post your comments on this blog as well as my Catholic Hack blog. Until then. God Bless.

Joe M

Welcome to the McClane Family Blog!

Welcome to the McClane Family Blog!

I pray that all is well with you and your family. I have created this blog as a tool of communication, with all our family and friends, in order to share family news especially with John-Paul Joseph McClane due to arrive any day now.

As of right now we are expecting JP any day… Lord willing this weekend even! John-Paul’s baptism is set for July 15th and Amy and Jerry Bettencourt (my sister and brother in law) have agreed to be the God Parents and assist in raising JP in the Catholic faith.

I ask that each of you pray for my wife and son that God will grant them extra graces to come through the birth healthy and safe. May God bless each of you. Check back soon for updates!

In Christ
Joe

One step for the rest of my life!

Well… I have decided to get off my butt and loose my “winter coat”! It’s a bout time I know. It’s been really hard these past few … ok 12 years with all this weight. It’s amazing how much of my life has been affected by caring so much extra weight around. When I was in the military I was much thinner and in excellent physical condition. I had so much energy, was full of life and generally had a much more up beat attitude. Who was it that said that youth was wasted on the young?

So its time to drop the baggage and get healthy for my growing family. Not sure if you know this or not but, last year I was very close to getting a spot on the TV show The Biggest Loser. I received a call and was told I was on my way to Hollywood… the week before leaving I was told I was cut from the line up. That’s how it works. I was not really looking forward to being on TV, but instead I was interested in having the opportunity to do nothing but loose weight. It was not meant to be though… I’m sure God was saving me from a mountain of humiliation in front of an International audience.

Michelle and I have tossed around the ideas of joining a gym or going with home gym equipment. Due to our limited budget, and extremely limited time, we have decided to go with home equipment. So far we have a treadmill (belongs to my mother) and will probably pick up a “Total Gym” or something similar. I have started to use the treadmill and man… do I have a long way to go.

At this point it takes me about 24 minutes to walk a full mile. What a shameful thing! I used to run 3 miles in about 19 minutes. Is there any hope?! I try and not think of the work ahead and instead try and focus on what I could do with my health like ride a bike with my kids, or play sports, or hike, or go swimming in public with out feeling ashamed of myself and wanting to hide! Have self esteem… not that's a concept.

I just weighed in this past Sunday at 405 lbs… that’s the starting point. So I’m asking each of you to pray for me. I need the prayers to stay focused and walk off all this weight. I will post updates to my progress and try and post some pics of my weight loss journey.

This year is shaping up to be a year where God is helping me to get things done in my life. I changed jobs, moved my family 2000 miles to HOT Texas, I am testing for my Customs Brokerage license, seeing a Dr about my sinus problems, hearing problems, foot problems, depression, trying to loose weight, and on top of all that God has blessed us with another son John-Paul. Needless to say were pretty busy. I’m determined to get focused and start accomplishing instead of just dreaming about accomplishments.

So let’s get to work! Pray for me and I will pray for you.

In Christ
Joe M