{"id":249512,"date":"2016-05-25T08:15:44","date_gmt":"2016-05-25T13:15:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/?p=249512"},"modified":"2016-05-23T09:12:44","modified_gmt":"2016-05-23T14:12:44","slug":"spiritual-lessons-lake-travis-tragedy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/05\/spiritual-lessons-lake-travis-tragedy\/","title":{"rendered":"Spiritual Lessons from a Lake Travis Tragedy"},"content":{"rendered":"

[This is a guest post from Norine Shaivitz.]<\/em><\/p>\n

Ten years ago today, I opened the newspaper and saw the story I had very briefly covered the day before took a turn I wasn\u2019t expecting. Back then, I was a news anchor at a radio station and the day before had been busy. The few reporters we had were off covering other stories when I got notice someone had been killed in a jet ski crash on Lake Travis.<\/p>\n

\"Lake<\/p>\n

I made some phone calls and got the preliminary story, but news reporters at the scene were able to find out an important detail I couldn\u2019t by phone:\u00a0The man who had been killed in the crash was a Catholic priest.\u00a0Father Todd Reitmeyer was a priest serving in South Dakota and he was in Texas visiting family. My heart ached for this loss. When you are a Catholic, every priest is your father. So, I lost a father too.<\/p>\n

\"father-873830_960_720\"<\/p>\n

My small newsroom couldn\u2019t send a reporter to the funeral. I covered it remotely and found out the homily for the funeral Mass in Buda would be posted online.\u00a0In that recording, I listened as a priest told the story of Father Todd, a man who decided to live his life always ready to die in a state of grace. Father Todd had said death could come suddenly, so it was important that he go to confession. He went at least once a week, sometimes more often. He wanted to go straight to Heaven.<\/p>\n

1 Thessalonians 5:2<\/strong> – For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In Catholic theology, friends of Jesus don\u2019t always go straight to Heaven. Revelation 21:27 says, \u201cNothing unclean will enter.\u201d So if you are a friend of Jesus and there is a sin on your soul, we believe purgatory is the place to get cleaned up before the \u201cwedding supper (Revelation 19:7).\u201d Father Todd wanted to skip purgatory and go straight to the party. He was living his entire life for Heaven. In fact, he had been to confession the day before he went out on Lake Travis, \u201cjust in case\u201d something happened to him.<\/p>\n

That next Lent, I made the effort to examine my conscience and go to confession once a week. At that time, I was aware that Catholics are required to make at least a yearly confession. But going once a week made me realize something: I sin. I sin a lot. There was not a week during which I had nothing to confess. When you don\u2019t go to confession as often, you aren\u2019t very accountable. You hardly notice that you sin. When you confess often, you realize you sin a lot.<\/p>\n

Proverbs 24:16<\/strong>\u00a0–\u00a0Though the just fall seven times, they rise again.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To find out you are a frequent sinner is actually not as depressing as it sounds. It\u2019s actually joyful. Jesus wants me to be good, but goodness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. I can\u2019t be good without God. I have no salvation without Him. I can\u2019t have a Savior if I don\u2019t know I need Him.<\/p>\n

\"confessional-122762_1920\"<\/p>\n

Frequent confession also taught me about the battle against sin in my life. I am frequently confessing the same things. So, the question becomes: why? I have since learned that there are patterns of sin because of emotional wounds from my past. The Lord has healed me in many of those areas because I became aware of them and asked Him for help. That is an enormous blessing. I have a greater amount of peace and a great desire for Heaven.<\/p>\n

I never expected to have my faith life impacted while sitting under a bank of police scanners in a secular newsroom, but what was said of Father Todd ten years ago changed the way I live my life. Father Todd made a regular confession so he would always be ready for Heaven, the wedding feast. He was in the world, but not of this world (John 17:16). That is how I want to live my life too, ready at any moment to meet the Bridegroom.<\/p>\n

Matthew 25:6-13<\/strong>\u00a0– At midnight, there was a cry, \u2018Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!\u2019 Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, \u2018Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.\u2019 But the wise ones replied, \u2018No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.\u2019 While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, \u2018Lord, Lord, open the door for us!\u2019 But he said in reply, \u2018Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.\u2019 Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[This is a guest post from Norine Shaivitz.] Ten years ago today, I opened the newspaper and saw the story I had very briefly covered the day before took a turn I wasn\u2019t expecting. Back then, I was a news anchor at a radio station and the day before had been busy. The few reporters… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":171,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[476,118,262,70,477],"class_list":["post-249512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-blog","tag-confession","tag-death","tag-heaven","tag-priest","tag-reconciliation","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":124953,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/06\/the-story-of-san-salvador-mission\/","url_meta":{"origin":249512,"position":0},"title":"The Story of San Salvador Mission","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"June 30, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"She remembers walking barefoot on pilgrimage up the road to San Salvador Mission as a child, praying the rosary together with her family and friends, each August, lead by her grandmother, Ouida, to commemorate a healing, a vision, and a community coming together in response to a message from Heaven\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"IMG_1108","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/IMG_1108-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/IMG_1108-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/IMG_1108-550x367.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":56801,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2014\/11\/priests-say-funniest-things\/","url_meta":{"origin":249512,"position":1},"title":"Priests Say The Funniest Things!","author":"Adam Shaivitz","date":"November 12, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Well, the good Lord did invent humor.\" I vaguely recall Fr. Mulcahy saying that once on MASH after someone apologized to him for cracking a joke. Fictional TV characters aside, priests are people too. While their primary job is to lead us to Jesus, it's also okay for priests to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/-UFrVSAsnK_Q\/VFTHc4npQ5I\/AAAAAAAABtQ\/JRNQK_mg8MI\/s500\/Photo%25252020141101064336.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1148124,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/judas-and-peter-mary-and-the-children-in-the-church-abuse-crisis\/","url_meta":{"origin":249512,"position":2},"title":"Judas and Peter, Mary and the Children in the Church Abuse Crisis","author":"Norine Shaivitz","date":"September 12, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Amid the violent chaos of the impending crucifixion of Jesus were at least a few children. The eighth station shows they were in the crowd with their mothers, maybe the same ones who once asked the indignant Apostles whether Jesus could bless them. Jesus, who once said the meek were\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":170583,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/let-children-come\/","url_meta":{"origin":249512,"position":3},"title":"Let the Children Come to Me","author":"Adam Shaivitz","date":"November 11, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"[This is a guest post by Norine Shaivitz.] \"[Jesus] called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, 'Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.'\" Matthew 18:2-3 I wonder if the child Jesus chose was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Rosary","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Rosary-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Rosary-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Rosary-550x367.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":124952,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/10\/parish-spotlight-st-peter-catholic-student-center-at-baylor-university\/","url_meta":{"origin":249512,"position":4},"title":"Parish Spotlight: St. Peter Catholic Student Center at Baylor University","author":"Elizabeth","date":"October 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This is another installment in the series called Parish Spotlight, which is dedicated to featuring the different parishes in the Austin Diocese. Today we will be featuring St. Peter Catholic Student Center at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. St. Peter's Catholic Student Center is where I found myself during the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Parish Spotlight"","block_context":{"text":"Parish Spotlight","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/series\/parish-spotlight\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"St.Peter-Waco","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/St.Peter-Waco-550x550.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/St.Peter-Waco-550x550.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/St.Peter-Waco-550x550.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33787,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/01\/the-cooking-priest-hosts-a-fajita-picnic\/","url_meta":{"origin":249512,"position":5},"title":"The Cooking Priest Brings His Fajitas to Austin","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"January 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"In early 2010, I\u00a0unexpectedly\u00a0met Fr Leo\u00a0Patalinghug at an event where one of his friends was speaking at my parish. Oddly enough, no one else seemed to recognize him, but if you're at all into Catholic media, this priest is hard to miss. It's hard to name a place he hasn't\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Family"","block_context":{"text":"Family","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/family\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"patalinhug","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/patalinhug.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/171"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249512"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249512\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}