We Need to REPENT to be Healed!

A Reflection by Mark....We can't expect real healing w/o repentance

“Amaziah, priest of Bethel, said to Amos, ‘Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah! There earn your bread by prophesying, but never again prophesy in Bethel; for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.’ Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I was no prophet, nor have I belonged to a company of prophets; I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores. The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’” – Amos 7:12-15

“So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.” – Mark 6:12-13 

The key words for the reflection on today’s readings are Repentance and Healing. The leaders of the northern kingdom of Israel hated Amos, who is sometimes called “the gloomy shepherd” because of his hard, confrontational tone. {One time I was teaching Amos in Bible class, imitating him, and shouting so fiercely that Mrs. Brodeur, in total alarm, came to the door, anxiously asking, “Is everything all right in here, Mr. Lajoie?!”. I said, “Oh, yeah. I’m just teaching Amos.” (!)} 

Amos came, from the kingdom of Judah in the south, to the north, to expose and confront their hypocrisy and betrayal of God. There were ‘professional’ prophets in Israel already, but they were ‘bought off’, and gave false messages to support those who bought their voice. What was Amos confronting? 

These leaders gave off a surface veneer of being religious and patriotic, but their hearts were seduced by the promiscuity, power and pleasure offered by the primitive religion of the Canaanites. They were driven by selfish lust, greed and wrath. They used their power to subtly disrespect their God and heritage, and to crush those with no power to fight them. They wanted to seem like good Israelites, faithful to the unique faith that held their nation together like glue; but, in truth, their own descent into corrupt self-destruction, was a harbinger of the inevitable national disintegration that would come when that needed ‘glue’ would inevitably be lost. 

They tried to shield themselves from critical view by using the false ‘prophets’, but then, Amos, with God’s power, exposed to all the truth, & with loving care warned them of the destruction to which they were leading God’s people. When they tried to pass him off as a typical paid prophet, he laughed, “I was not a prophet.” The Lord had called him from lowly pursuits. Ironically, he is a type of that Messiah who will be a Shepherd, a Dresser or Pruner of the True Vine, the Church. Even more, he is a type of that Son of Man who will be THE Prophet promised by Moses, the One who will call mankind to Repentance. 

Repentance! This is what Jesus instructs the Apostles to preach in today’s Gospel from Mark! It is a ‘trial run’, a practice mission for what they will do for the world after they are ‘clothed with power’. He also tells them to cast out evil and heal the sick. (By the way, His instruction to anoint the sick with oil is the evidence that he intended the Sacrament of the Sick detailed in James 5.) 

The goal is Healing, but not just physical healing, rather, the type of healing gained BY Repentance! The second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians lists the blessings that last forever that we can gain by changing: 
• Every spiritual blessing under heaven 
• To be holy and without blemish 
• Redemption by his Blood 
• Forgiveness of transgressions 
• Receiving the riches of His grace 
• All wisdom and insight. 
But, as Paul could tell us personally, we can’t get these blessings if we persist in the same sort of lust, greed and wrath which blinded the leaders of Israel. We are fickle; we all want a religion that lets us do what we want, with no consequences. (“The easiest sort of religion to import is the one that has no duties attached!”) But that road leads to destruction. 

Like Amos, the Apostles will first confront each of us with our need to change. I must REPENT! My pride must crash and burn on the rocks of spiritual reality: the fact that sin is real, that our sins are wounding and deadly, & that the commands of God are right. My insular ego must be shipwrecked on the obvious need to change from selfish to generous. When we are thus crushed, broken, and ‘poor in spirit’, THEN we can cry out as in the Psalm today, “Lord, let us see your kindness”, and we will see that amazing, eternal healing! Then the Mighty River of God’s love can bring total health to each and to all together. “Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss.” It will all fit. 

Jesus Christ is not only Priest and King. He is the perfect Prophet and Shepherd. He warns us insistently, with great clarity & care: Enter in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are who go in there. How narrow is the gate, and straight is the way that leads to life: and few there are that find it! – Matthew 7:13-14 

The Church received from the Apostles this same Prophetic mission. Sadly, many, maybe most bishops and leaders today seem to have totally forgotten this basic duty. They want to be liked. They don’t want to say there is such a thing as sin, much less give us practical warnings about salvation. We who hear and understand cannot settle for such ‘easy’ messages, like the ‘prosperity gospel’, that Jesus is merely ‘nice’, or the this-worldly utopia of political revolution. These are false solutions that spare us loving God and our neighbor with all that we are, offering our life in holiness as a sacrifice. The message from this day is clear: let us all REPENT with all we are, so we can be truly HEALED.

AMETUR COR JESU!

Loved be the Sacred Heart of Jesus, The Source of True Healing 

SONG "Forever" - CLICK below 

Forever – “repent of your sin”

"He that is in us is greater...."

"He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world...."
https://www.reverbnation.com/livingwaters/song/5618290-he-that-is-in-us-live

The recording we have for "He That is In Us" is very primitive and early, but it is full of meaning for Father's Day, for one. CLICK the pic to read how Mark's father inspired the song: 

It also has deep meaning right at this moment as it might look, in some ways, like 'the prince of this world' has won. But let us stand, through the Eucharist, with Mary and John at the foot of the Cross, and remember: Though it may look like total defeat at the moment? He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world!

As for the song itself, it's a simple I-IV-V pattern for most of it, but the bridge has a very cool descending transition: F#m F Em7 A F#m C#m C B7 E that leads us back to the chorus. There was also a very cool dance the dancers did for this in our early days.

Chuck Trella likes to tell the story of how this song saved him from the enemy's oppression; it's quite a story!:  Chuck's Story

HE THAT IS IN US
by Mark A. Lajoie
Copyright 2011, RN SR 679-889

CHORUS
He that is in us is great-er than he that is in the world (echo)
He that is in us is great-er than he that is in the world (echo)
That is in the world

Wake up! (Wake up!)
Get read-y! (Get ready!)
We are not fight-ing with men
Stand up! (Stand up!)
Be count-ed! (Be counted!)
Be sure of Him in whom we stand! 'Cause

CHORUS

Keep my words and fol-low me
Then you'll know the truth and you'll be free
O yes, yes, I know and I ne-ver want to let you go
I'm the Rock a-mid your strife
I'm the One Who's gonna give you life
O yes, yes, I know, re-sist the de-vil and he will go

The thief has come on-ly to rob, kill and de-stroy
But I have come that you might have life and life to the full-est

CHORUS

Wake up! (Wake up!)
Get read-y! (Get ready!)
Put on the ar-mor of God
Stand up! (Stand up!)
Take Cour-age! (Take Cour-age!)
We'll see his vic-t'ry be-fore long! 'Cause

CHORUS 

Mark's Story about "He That is In Us"

CLICK for a live version of "He That is in Us"

I want to honor my father, Raymond Joseph Lajoie, who died about 20 years ago. He was one of the greatest men I've known from the "greatest generation". He had to run the potato farm up in Van Buren, Maine at 10 years old because his father was an alcoholic. He worked many different kinds of hard labor: lumberjack, builder, mechanic, millwright at 75. I discovered only at his funeral that his compatriots on Guadalcanal considered him a hero. He had trained them in hand-to-hand combat and led them well. His faith and religion meant everything to him.
He had just one enormous problem: like his father, he, too, was an alcoholic. When she first married him, my mother discovered that PTSD and this addiction plagued him. After my 2 brothers were born, she divorced him. He went to the Church and "took the pledge" as they did in those days, they remarried, and he was sober for eight years. In that time, my sister and I were born. We had an idyllic life living on a lake - until I was three. Then we moved to the city and Dad broke out. The next five years were really bad. Finally, the priest told my mother you can't live with such a bad alcoholic. We moved in a small place and I didn't see him for ten years.

After my conversion, I was at St. Paul's Center and I went into a room and started bawling from the pain of missing my father. Mr. Tondreau saw and came to talk with me and others came. One single thing changed my life. Someone said, "Do you pray for him every day?" I had to admit I didn't. "Do that and mean it."

I did. I reached out to him, too, and sent him "My Daily Bread". I went to go see him. I didn't talk or preach at all. I was there, that's all; and I prayed. A little while later, I found out he had gone to Confession and was going to Mass every day and had moved out from the woman he had been with. The transformation was total. For the rest of his life, working for Lajoie Brothers, he became the pillar of the whole extended family and someone all my cousins could go to.

After I had moved to Massachusetts, I went up to see him one time. It was an amazing experience to FEEL the depth and power of his confidence and faith. He was walking with God and I could feel the Holy Spirit POWER.

I walked out of there singing "He That Is In Us" at the top of my lungs. It was his confidence now living in me.
Later I worked at a detox for alcoholics for many years and saw a LOT of things, but what I experience over and over through the 12 Steps is that turning to God was the answer not just to alcoholism but the ultimately natural and sane act of human beings. And, besides being a "dry drunk", it's the ONLY way to be free of it.

"He That Is In Us" became a song we did many, many times in the late 70's and the dancers had a cool dance to it. It's an early and simple song, but I sure like it; and, of course, because of my father, it has a deeper meaning for me.

I sometimes told my friends in detox that they were lucky. "What'd'ya mean??!?!" they'd say. "You know you need God! Everyone does, but most don't know it; you do."
Thank you for reading and listening, if you did.

May the Lord deliver you just like He did for Raymond Lajoie.
Mark L

My father, Raymond, top row, second from the left with his brothers and sisters.

 Mark's Most Memorable Albums!

Mark Lajoie has been the lead singer in the band, a composer, arranger, et al. SO! He has had some affect on the type of music Living Waters has produced. Our lead guitarist Greg's love of Rush, The Who and U2, among others, has certainly had an impact. Tony's mastery of jazz drums, Mike being a main songwriter, as well, have added to the flavor. Everybody who's sung or played has contributed a piece to what LW is. But it would be interesting to see what has influenced Mark. Going in time order, Let us join Mark as he lists his top most influential albums:

1.    "Meet the Beatles"!

I was seven when the family went to Roseland Restaurant in Augusta, ME circa 1964. They used to have jukeboxes right in the booths where you could put in the tunes, and they would play throughout the restaurant. I don't know why my dad kept feeding me the quarters, but I played "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" about 13 times in a row! Soon the whole restaurant was looking over at our booth - I can't say that I blame them! I watched the Ed Sullivan show, listened to their other songs from that first album released in the US. As an addendum, later on that year, I walked into Woolworth's five-and-dime and bought my first single with my own money; it was "Hard Day's Night/I Should Have Known Better".

This built upon listening to all my brother Danny's 45s when I was younger than this: these included Everly Brothers, Motown, teen idols, and a lot of Dion. Later on, when LW members played school dances and such as a secular band, called "Siloam"(!), we actually performed several of the songs from these early albums.

2.    "Peter, Paul & Mary"

This would soon include the folk rock of the Byrds, and others. This happened because after taking advantage of Danny's 45s, I began to devour Don's LP albums during the mid-60s! One I wore out over and over was the double live album by PP & M. This included "Jesus Met the Woman", "Rock My Soul", "The Hour That the Ship Comes In" and more. This affected me! You can hear some of this in the demos I made of "A Stand of Courage" and "Ring the Judas Bell", which also has a fuzz bass like the next entry....

3.    "Rubber Soul"

You may think I wore out PP & M?? Well! I just consumed Rubber Soul! The first fuzz bass ever was in "Think For Yourself". Dave came up with the intro to "Sing to Jesus", but I ran with it in a Rubber Soulish direction; it sure sounds kind of like "I've Just Seen a Face", doesn't it? Of course, all the other Beatles stuff found its way to my ears. You can hear later John Lennon in my "Booze Blues Cruise".

4.    Classical Music

I got very tuned into chorale-style classical music. At one point, I sang in the city chorus doing "Seven Last Words of Christ" on the altar at St. Augustine's in Augusta. I absolutely loved Handel's "Messiah", and that played a BIG part in my conversion experience later at 15. A love for the Romantic composers was followed by an obsession with Bach and Mozart. As an older adult? Vivaldi is my man.

5.    "Best of Cream"

Around 1970 or so, at a time when I felt very lost, I immersed myself in Top 40 radio (a great time to do it, as it turns out), but I once again appropriated one of Danny's albums, The Best of Cream. I just loved it! What a discovery for me! I especially loved "Badge". I had gotten a cheapo $20 guitar from A & P grocery store. I would figure out how to play some of it by ear. Sometime that guitar was missing strings, but that didn't stop me! I just re-tuned it any old way I could get it  to talk for me. My very first recording was of "White Room" where I laid down the bass on a cassette recorder and then played the lead over it. I did the same thing with Ringo Starr's "It Don't Come Easy".

6.    "Boston - Boston"

The very year our band officially started, when we were living at the retreat center, and were playing music on a regular basis, one of us bought this album. I remember Jim, Mike, and the guys were in Dave's apartment, and put on this album. Our jaws hung to the floor. This was incredible! The local connection was big for us, being in the same area as them. We even tried to do "More Than a Feeling" for Mike Higgins' wedding reception, where we played as "Siloam". No one can do that like Boston. You can hear their influence in a LOT of ways!

7.    "Servant - Shallow Water"

Here's where the early classic Christian Rock began to affect us. It was hard to get this cassette!! And it was rushed out so fast, the song order was messed up! But I listened to this SO many times, and then to "Rockin' Revival". I would drive around in my 1970 Mercury Marauder, windows open, blasting this album. They seemed to be very genuine people. I lost track of them when they segued to 80s-type albums. Some of us went to go see one of their live concerts in Mass., and even helped them to load their bus after. That was one of the best concerts I ever saw. That affected me!

8.    "JMT - The Lord's Supper"

John Michael Talbot was a leading Christian music guy, who became somewhat of a contemplative monk-style musician. We were Catholics, so I knew this album would be right up our alley; I didn't know how utterly impressive the songwriting, arrangements & orchestration would be! It is a masterpiece. We actually regularly did a couple of responses from this album when we did weddings, Confirmations and such, as we often did. We got to play a concert with him in 1988, which is a precious gift indeed. I later also enjoyed "Heart of the Shepherd", "Come to the Quiet" and others.

9.    "2nd Chapter of Acts - Rejoice"

I went out to Estes Park a couple of times in the early 80s, to the Christian Songwriters' Conference, once by myself, once with Mike. I really began to radically tune in to those doing similar music to what we were doing. The classical-tinged power vocals of the Wards just utterly floored me. I latched onto this album in particular, because it featured the matchless guitar of Kerry Livgren of Kansas. Perhaps you can catch a whiff of this album in some of the later songs I wrote. At one point, I was singing "Bread of Life" with a choir I had.

10.    Christian music - all sorts

(U2 was a major influence on us in so many ways, but I am not including them. I feel like they sold out in several ways; I don't want to patronize them. They were an adjunct to Christian music in the 80's and 90's, but I will not talk about them here.) I will toss in a couple of other Christian albums that I wore out and had a big effect on me. Phil Keaggy's "Play Through Me" is one, and "Something New Under the Sun" by Larry Norman is another. I've definitely had a bluesy streak in me, as in "Roll the Rock Over" or "It's Not the Same", and I think Mr. Norman probably helped with that. There is so much more music of all sorts that I could mention, but I think I've hit the big ones that are part of me and colored my writing style. :)

I hope you enjoyed this little tour. Go and listen to some of these and then listen to Living Waters, and see what you can hear!

Pentecost Has COME!

 

A Reflection by Mark Lajoie

“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other apostles, ‘What are we to do, my brothers?’

Peter [said] to them, ‘Repent and be baptized,^* every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

– Acts 2:37-38

 

“What are we to do?”, the crowd at Pentecost asked. How can we find peace, and be saved? We are all in this most crucial predicament.

In today’s Gospel, the Risen Christ comes through the locked doors on Easter night, and appears, in order to give to His Apostles the great Gift that solves this dilemma for us all:
“Peace be with you”, He said…
“Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Why is this the Gospel for Pentecost? This took place 50 days before the Birth of the Church in the Upper Room. Why? Because Easter night is the moment the King gave the Apostles the power to do what they did as His official representatives, as promised, on that glorious day of Pentecost fifty days later. They received the Gift so we all can receive the Gift. Because they are made Bishops and Shepherds in persona Christi, we sheep can be fed and led in the power of grace.
“Receive the Holy Spirit.”  

All of creation, all of salvation history had been leading up to that Day which Joel and The Prophets foresaw, when all could receive God’s Spirit. As St. Paul remarked, the Apostles are appointed as “ministers of Reconciliation”. Forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace came on Pentecost through the Baptism of 3000, and the first “breaking of the Bread”. The Lord’s Spirit, the “Father of the Poor”, as today’s Sequence calls Him, is ‘poured out’ on their neediness through the teaching of Peter and the Sacraments of the Apostles.

The first reading tells us the exquisite timing; because it was an important Jewish feast, “there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven”. This new and perfectly fulfilled ‘Davidic Kingdom’ was meant to bring perfect unity from total diversity, to bring that long-desired peace and holiness through the Apostles. All those thousands Peter and the Apostles baptized, all those to whom they gave the Sweet Bread of Life that day, went back to every part of the world with the Good News. From Day One, the Church is one, holy, Catholic (universal) and Apostolic, first given to these Jews of all places, and then, to all Gentiles and to the ends of the earth.

The message from this day is clear: You can find out what to do! You can find holiness and be saved, wherever you are from or whoever you are! What must we do? Repent and change our hearts! Be baptized! Listen to the sure teaching passed down by Peter and the Apostles and recognize Christ in the breaking of the Bread as the two disciples did in Emmaus! RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT in the Sacraments instituted by the King!

And, so, it has come to us the baptized today through the Church. I can turn to Him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation; I can go to Mass, I can pray and intercede with power, filled with grace, just like that Mother of the Cenacle with whom I am now praying every day. It is a great Gift, this Holy Spirit, in my daily life, in my heart of hearts.
 
But with a great Gift? comes great responsibility! In one of the optional readings for today, Galatians teaches,
“Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh
with its passions and desires.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.”
In the Gospel for the Vigil for today, Jesus promises:
"’Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink.
As Scripture says:
‘Rivers of Living Water will flow from within him who believes in me.’
He said this in reference to the Spirit
that those who came to believe in him were to receive.”

Every one of us can “belong to Christ Jesus”, can be that one who believes, so that he can receive THE Gift! the Gift of the Holy Spirit, which flows for us poor sinners; it flows for those who are ready to give Him their entire hearts and lives! It is a worthy and gracious exchange: we give him what little we have, and He gives us Himself; He gives us Everything. Let us together receive this Gift in Communion and Charity.

AMETUR COR JESU!

Loved be the Sacred Heart of Jesus…Who gave us this Greatest Gift!

 

PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into Heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul the work of Your grace and Your Love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the Light of Your Divine Truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining Heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, and the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence toward God and may dread in any way to displease You.  Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of Your true disciples, and animate me in all things with Your Spirit.  Amen.

Pentecost Playlist by LW on Spotify 

 Pentecost is Coming!

On Day One of the Church, three thousand received forgiveness through Baptism, the "breaking of the Bread", and the Gift of powerful prayer. Let us pray these next few days with the Apostles and Mary in the Cenacle, that, on Pentecost, we too may be filled to the fullest with grace!

Pentecost Playlist on RN
Pentecost Playlist on Spotify

Looking at Videos!

 Looking at Videos!

With the recent great success of our video, "Let It Reign", we thought we'd take a look at a few of the other videos we have on "LivingWatersUtube". (CLICK!)

If you put them in order of popularity, the next most popular is our fun skit, "The Parable of the Talents", captured at a 2004 concert. Third most popular is, "Booze Blues Cruise", a song we never actually did in concert; it has just a few pictures used for the video, with emphasis on the music. We have several photo montages like "Do What He Tells You to Do", which comes in fourth. Our first photo montage, showing a rough history of the group, comes in at number five, and is appropriately backed with "Love's in a Name".

After that, it is worth noting several of these. Mary Gillis' loving tribute, "Lonely Dancer" is something VERY special to us. We have a lot of rough concert clips here, notably "Love in Arms" played just a few years ago. There are several photo productions that have gotten some attention, like Mike's "Take Me" and "Stay!" and the recent very successful song "Anna Post Writing" put to video. A couple of Mark's older songs, "This Loving Stream" and "Perfect Gift Song" were captured back on his wedding day. We did also put our first podcast out here. 

There's so much we've managed to save, create or otherwise present to you. We invite you to join, peruse, and celebrate with JOY the Good God's goodness to our family!

Peace & Love & JOY,
Mark LaJOIE! for Living Waters!