ARCHIVES
I have had the same dream two or three times where a lion is coming around my house and chasing my children and wife. In the dream each time I run up to the lion and roar. Now, in my dream the roar is so loud and powerful that it scares the lion away. My wife, however, says that each time I roar, which I guess I do out loud in my sleep, is less powerful than in my dreams. This of course gives all sorts of rise to fun jokes and conversation around the breakfast table. Nevertheless, the recurring dream is a reminder to me of the scripture verse in 1 Peter 5:8: "Be alert and sober. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." As parents, and especially as men, we are called to protect our family. Let’s enter into regular prayer so that, when we roar, it is with the power of God and sends the enemy running in fear!
"Discouragement is a clear sign that we've put our trust in ourselves and not at all in God. Trust that is truly based on God, whether we're doing well or badly, whether we're happy or unhappy with ourselves, should never waver....God's love is not subject to eclipses. And it is vital that our trust should rest not on our personal achievements but only on God's love, his tenderness, his infinite mercy, on the fact that he is our Father and can never abandon us." (The Way of Trust and Love: A Retreat Guided by St Therese of Lisieux by Jacques Philippe)
St. Therese said to Christ: "I want to love you like a child, I want to battle like a warrior." These approaches seem so different and even opposite, yet what is it in the life of faith that makes this quote so real? It consoles me and challenges me...
The Lord’s Work Reaches Beyond our Limited Realities
Today we read about how David went out against all odds to take up combat with Goliath. It was a task that everyone told him was fool-hearty and unrealistic. One can only imagine his prayer as he picked up the five smooth stones (he brought five, but only needed one) and walked towards the battlefield. I imagine him walking and repeating a frequented prayer of trust and hope that he was discerning the Lord’s will correctly as he undertook a seemingly impossible task. Standing before this giant, he probably trembled and looked to heaven with fervent faith that his aim would be true. After the Lord showed His power and granted victory, I imagine David trembling in joy, exhaustion and awe at what the Lord accomplishes with the least of us. Let us remember and take heart that, if we pray fervently, discern well and listen attentively, the Lord will grant success to the tasks He leads us to undertake- no matter how unrealistic they seem!
Doing Small things for One Another, is Great Love!
This time of year we may be thinking about the great gifts we can buy for others, but have you considered another approach? Have you ever put something in the trash, but it’s so full that it just falls out again or you have to crush it down to make it fit? At that moment your mind says: “I can either walk away or take the trash out and replace the bag for the next person.” Or have you seen a situation that could be harmful like a partly rolled up door mat on a wet floor and thought: “ I can step over it, or roll it out so the next person doesn’t trip.” Sometimes we notice these things and do nothing, other times we don’t even notice them. What if we were intentional about doing the things we can now, rather than leaving them for someone else to deal with later. What a great gift it would be if we would do these small things out of love! Something I have pondered: thinking that I am too busy with important things and that others are not, is just pride. Let’s take the time to notice the things we can do out of love for one another.
O Happy Fault!
How often do you find yourself giving others really good advice, but then note as you are speaking, or after the conversation think: “wow I should really do that more!” It seems like I often have a situation arise where I really could have used my own advice and didn’t. When this happened most recently I became very upset with myself. The ironic part is that I had just given a talk at a conference using St. Paul’s verse in 2 Corinthians 12: 7-10 about seeing our weaknesses as tools for leadership and an opportunity for the Lord to show His strength through others. I spoke about seeing difficulties as opportunities because of grace and those people the Lord sends our way to help us. A day later when my difficulties arose I forgot to see them as opportunities. When I recognized this mistake, I became upset that I was so weak and couldn’t even remember my own advice! The funny thing, upon reflection with the Lord, was that even recognizing that I am not following my own advice and that I cannot save myself is an opportunity for the Lord to show His strength in my weakness! For me it is a good reminder that the well do not need a physicians, but the sick do. We need Christ and that is good! We say with the early Church Fathers: “O Happy Fault that merited such and so great a Redeemer!”
Your Call is Unique
I have often spoken about how the Lord works and instructs me. Here’s the caveat: In speaking with friends over the years, I have learned that we are all in different places, with different personalities. To me the Lord most often says: "slow down, just be still with me," but some of my friends have shared with me that Lord more often tells them to: "get up already and do something." To me it is a great thing to know that the Lord, in all His wisdom, meets us where we are at with the direction we need at the right time. The Lord calls each of us in a personal way and we can never compare our call with that of another. Each call is uniquely suited to the person the Lord calls.
Take a Deep Breath
I was recently in an airport travelling for meetings and pondered how many of us rush constantly from one thing to the next. It made me wonder how much I actually accomplish by rushing around that couldn’t also be accomplished at a more peaceful pace. (deep breath) I did a simple experiment by trying to walk a little more slowly and was surprised by how much more at ease I felt. (deep breath) Then I tried eating more slowly and found the same experience. We are reminded in Psalm 127: Unless the Lord builds the house, our earlier rising and our later going to rest, our anxious toil is in vain. For He gives rest to those who love Him. The Lord patiently leads us to the salvation He won for us, may we rest in His peace as we follow Him unreservedly.
Time to Step Up!
I was recently at a management meeting with a number of peers. At the meeting I was encouraged to step up as one on a team to help represent our group and bring ideas to the leadership. I found myself conflicted. I had hoped to remain mostly a listener at the event and afterwards to head back to North Dakota and continue to do my own thing. However, being chosen by my peers and sent forth forced me to step up and become involved. Since then I have been pondering two things. First, we need to recognize the gifts and talents of others around us and encourage them to actively use them in our faith communities. Second, when we are called by our peers, and ultimately the Lord, to share our talents, we need to respond with generosity.
It is All About Me!
I was recently meditating on Christ’s original call when, in Luke 5, He told Peter, James and John to Follow Him. They had been fishing all night, were exhausted, and had already given up for the day, but at Christ’s command, they put out into the deep and came back with boats overflowing with fish. Sometimes I feel like our efforts to do good and affect a change in the world are just like this. We work hard and are even sometimes exhausted to the point that we want to give up. Generations of Christians have labored at this, yet here we are, still in a terribly confused world. I shared my frustration about this with the Lord. His response to me was that I am indeed called to share my gifts with the Church, with my family, and with my community and that I keep doing so. However, the first fruit of this effort is not that it changes the world, but that it first changes me. This is not a ‘get it done thing;’ this a life-long journey, a gravel road with valleys, hills and flatlands. As I am being changed by Christ to be a better reflection of Him in the world, the world is changed. Let us ask Christ to continue to change our hearts, so that we can change the world!
We Cannot Fail!
Recent weeks have been packed with scriptural stories that I love and a celebration of the lives of great faithful examples. We’ve heard, a couple of times, the famous story of Peter saying to Jesus: “If it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.” We celebrated the Memorial of Maximilian Kolbe and the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady! Peter asked Jesus to invite him to walk on the water, only after he saw the Lord doing it. St. Maximilian Kolbe, a faithful priest, worked to spread the gospel message: through his life, through work in media and finally through giving his life for another in the Nazi death camps. Our Lady was the prime example for us of completely trusting the Lord’s plan and following His example to bring salvation to a thirsting world. For me the theme was how faithful God is to those who step out in trust of Him. When we seek to imitate Our Lord, He will not let us fail!
The Marriage and Family Time Priority
This past weekend my wife and I celebrated our anniversary. We took some time and travelled with a priest friend to the Duluth area for a three-day personalized retreat. The time was filled with blessings, walks, prayer and peace. I tell you about this because I want to throw a challenge out there to the husbands and wives. A loving and holy relationship with our spouse is the best gift we can give to our children. After that, quality family time, and especially praying and eating meals together, is of much greater impact than the insane running around we do for sports, projects and other extracurricular activities. If we want to make the world a better place for our children, it starts by making our own marriages and family life a priority. I challenge the men, my brothers in Christ, let’s lead and take up this mantle of marriage and family time as priority.
Why Skipping Rocks?
Water is for me a sign of life and hope. I am drawn to the sounds of running water, fountains, and streams, and even when I am not physically there, I can return there in my mind. I listen to the sounds of water and the birds. I feel the warm sun on my shoulders and breathe in the sweet smells of the trees and flowers. I take this all in and with Psalm 1 in mind I imagine myself sitting next to Our Lord and Our Lady, and it is enough to be quiet and still. I ponder and thank them for the ways they have been with me throughout my life. I also pray with joyful expectation for the ways they will accomplish good things in the future, and how they might allow me to be a part of those good works. These short conversations throughout the day help me keep my focus on what is important. In the face of the Lord’s wisdom and goodness conflicts, concerns and the stresses of the day dissolve into peace. My reminder of the Lord’s peace and joy is water; what is your reminder?
Peace vs Combat, Truth vs Opinion
Over the years, I have had a number of discussions with friends, family and acquaintances on topics that we disagree over. Most of these conversations for me are an effort to win a battle or sound intelligent, rather than to really listen, solve any issues or move toward an understanding. For myself, even when I recognize it, it requires a conscious effort to overcome this “combat or competition approach.” I am challenged to look for the peace that the Lord might be wishing for me to rest in during these conversations. In these conversations, there are indeed truths that need to be defended, and then, of course, there are my opinions that I defend just as ardently. The Lord patiently reminds us of His truths. I, however, am not so patient with my opinions. Yet, the patient, peaceful and even humble reminders of truth, and not the harsh iteration of opinions, are what change hearts and minds. Let’s help each other by remembering that in our future conversations.
Actively Seeking Virtue
St. Ignatius and many of the saints of the Church talk about the cultivation of virtue in our lives. This is an obvious step in the spiritual life that, I think, we often see as only a passive process, something that just happens instead of an intentional activity we can participate in or choose to cultivate. I live most of my life trying to avoid sin and vice, but the saints challenge us not only to avoid sin, but instead to actively choose the virtues that counteract those sins. In the Sunday gospel we recently heard the parable of the sower and how the “soils” of our hearts need to be cultivated and turned over in order to receive the message. Actively seeking virtues can be a way to ready our hearts for the seed of God’s word so that we can produce a harvest of 100, 60 or 30 fold. So what virtue will you seek to work on today?
The A-None-ymous Problem
When you are walking into Mass do you ever find yourself walking towards someone and wonder just before you pass if you should just look down or look up and say “Hi”? Consider this. Many people who leave the Church do so because they feel anonymous with no connection to their faith community. Part of the problem may be that they never make the effort to reach out or get involved. However, the other part of the problem is that those of us who are “on the inside” and already connected forget to invite others to be a part of our families and faith communities. We are connected and comfortable and forget that there are others who are not. So, next time you wonder what you should do, look up say “hi” or “good morning” and when the opportunity presents itself invite them in, to a deeper connection to our Catholic faith family.
The "Nones" are Watching...
Last week at the USCCB convocation I attended a workshop on "Nones," referring to those who claim no faith. Two of the reasons given by them for leaving the church were 1. Not having a family member or mentor to accompany them and 2. Not seeing anyone who really lives what the Church teaches. These two responses challenged me to review my own life and to be aware that each and every encounter with another, with really no exceptions, may be the difference in someone choosing Christ or choosing "None". We lead others to Christ or we lead them away by how we live what we claim to believe. The challenge for us is to embrace and take the time to understand the wisdom Christ gives us through His Church and then live it out in every aspect of our lives.
Rejoicing in the Gifts the Lord Gives to Each of Us!
We all know the stories of David and Goliath, and David and Saul. The story between David and Saul ends sadly. The once highly favored Saul loses the favor he had with God because of his jealousy of David’s successes, which leads to depression and even murderous attempts on David’s life. The trouble started when people began publicly comparing the deeds of Saul and David and setting them up as competing figures. Oftentimes within my own family, I have to remind my children and myself to be grateful for the gifts and talents the Lord has given each of us and for the gifts and talents He has given others. It is so easy to desire what others have and compare ourselves, instead of being thankful for the different gifts we all have. Instead of competing and comparing ourselves to each other, when we work together, we equip and build up the family of God and experience joy and hope. The next time we are tempted to jealousy or envy, let’s stop and thank God for the gifts we have and for the gifts He has given others. Then we will rejoice in all of the good things the Lord provides for His Church.
Oh Lord, give me the Wisdom to ask!
Last week when my children were riding horse, one of the horses really started acting up. My son and I worked with him for quite a while to try to figure out exactly what was going on. In the end the horse settled down and we tried to troubleshoot what was the actual problem, but were not completely able to pinpoint the cause. Over the weekend I spent a lot of time researching, pondering and thinking about what had happened and what the solution would be if it happened again. I focused on it so much that I found myself obsessing about it and becoming frustrated that I did not know the exact cause or solution. At that point I realized what I should have been doing all along. I stopped and asked the Lord for His wisdom and ability to handle the situation and be at peace trusting in His goodness. Peace returned. I do this same routine so often. When will I remember to start with asking the Lord for His help in difficulty, instead of after I’ve exhausted myself in vain? Lord give me Wisdom!
Keeping First Things First
I recently was revisited by an image that I learned about when I was a child. The image is of St. John Bosco and a depiction of a dream he had. In this picture we see a ship between two pillars. The Eucharist is on the tallest pillar and Our Lady is on the other shorter pillar and the ship is fastened between them. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our Catholic Faith and Our Lady points to Jesus, her Son, Who is that source. As we enter the busy-ness of summer and vacation time, I find it easy to stray from my structured prayer life, but without this anchor I am adrift. This summer let’s try to remember that the steadying pillars of Eucharist and Our Lady help us navigate the waters of life. And all of the good things we have are gifts. Let’s enjoy them with the one who gave them to us.
Always Higher
Throughout my life I have set goals and tried, and retried to practice specific habits in an effort to help cultivate virtues that I lack. This week’s Mass readings are acting for me as a reminder that those efforts need to be ongoing despite boredom with routine, failure or frustration. I also recognize that I regularly need to be reminded and accept reminders of the goal and the habits the Lord is using to try to cultivate virtue in my life. Whether I am consistently reaching my goals for good habits and virtue, or failing at them, the Lord always has higher aspirations for me and I can never feel, as my car navigation system might say, that “I have arrived”. I have a whole life-time through which the Lord is working to purify me so that I might be in His glory after this journey.
Balancing Technology and Relationships
Technology is a great tool, but sometimes I think it can become a wall we build between ourselves and real relationship. Recently, I was sitting on the couch in the evening looking at my phone when my nine-year- old daughter said to me: “Dad, you must really like your phone.” I looked up slightly and said: “Why?” her response came: “Because you spend so much time with it.” I was immediately annoyed, but then I recognized the truth in her words. I have legitimate reasons for being near my phone, but I also have the ability to be near it and not on it. Because of that reminder from a nine-year-old, I am challenging myself this summer and suggesting that we all re-evaluate our use of technology and reinvest some of that time in real, face-to-face relationships.
Note: this picture was taken with family in Italy a few years ago, there are at least four people on their phones in this random picture. I often feel like my brother-in-law (Monsignor with goofy face: share permission granted) when trying to balance family and technology.
Doing the Small Things Well
Somedays the daily tasks of life just feel so burdensome and unimportant. For one who thrives on challenge and activity it is difficult to find meaning in the normal. It seems like every time I meditate on the fourth sorrowful mystery: the carrying of the cross, in my mind I see the cross being drug along by Christ on a gravel road. The wood of the cross makes a slow, rhythmic grinding noise and leaves behind a sort of weaving path on the road. The quiet steady image reminds me of Christ working arduously and patiently daily to draw each of us to a deeper relationship with Him, especially through the normal things in life. Luke gives us a great reminder in chapter 16:10: “Whoever can be trusted in very small things, can be trusted with much” Today let’s look for him in the daily grind: our commute, in our chores or housework, in our job or school work and especially in those we can serve around us.Thank you!
This week I would like to take this time to thank you for your generous support of this mission. During our recent live drive your support was a great blessing to us and to the many whose live we enter in this work of evangelization. We know from phone calls and notes we've received that this network is supported by and enjoyed by many looking for hope: Catholics, those of other Christian faith traditions, and by those claiming no faith. We do not always know how many lives are changed or exactly what affect we are having on the world, but that is why we place our prayers, aspirations and efforts in the Lord’s capable hands, to let Him do as He wills with them. My guess is that St. Teresa of Calcutta knew she would never rid the world of hunger and suffering, but she made every effort to faithfully serve those that Lord directed her to. In the same way, may we faithful serve those that the Lord puts into our path with trust that He make those efforts bear fruit.
Thankfulness Leads to Generosity
When I turned fifteen I went out and bought myself a personalized western jacket with my name on the front and a print of horses running on the back. It was turquoise with western designed cuffs and colorings. I really liked it. I was working for a rancher one weekend in the Fall and that Sunday after Mass in the nearby small town a little boy came over to me. I did not know him and he was raving about how awesome my jacket was. I had an odd internal reaction to this of first being embarrassed, then thankful and then wanting to give the jacket to him. This prompted me to ask the Lord later that afternoon: “what was going on, should I have given him the jacket, why did I feel this way!” The response was clear: everything I have is a gift and when I recognize that, I will respond in gratitude with generosity towards others. It has been a conversation with the Lord I have returned to many times over the past twenty-six years and continue to learn and understand as well as something my wife and I strive as parents to instill in our children. Thankfulness leads to generosity.
Who is at Fault Here?
Last Saturday morning my youngest children ages 7, 9 and 9 (no typo-twins) were fighting while doing the breakfast dishes. I listened to the bickering for a while and then called all three into my office. I asked them questions about what was going on, why they were arguing and listened to each of their responses. Then, in an effort to get to the root of the problem and see who was real culprit, I asked them each the question: “who do you think is the problem here?” I am certain my mouth fell open in response to my internal reaction when they each said: “me”, indicated themselves. I felt like I had just been schooled by three young children who, instead of blaming someone else for the problem, took responsibility themselves. We finished the conversation and came to a resolution, but only after I praised and thanked each one of them for their humility and honest recognition of their own contribution to the disagreement. It is at times like these, as a parent, that I begin to understand our Lord’s love for the little children and what they can teach us!
----------------------------------------
“Gone Fishing”
In John 21:3, after Christ's death and resurrection, Peter says: "I'm going fishing". I have reflected upon this passage as Peter just going back to what he knew and did before he met Christ. But taken a step further it was also the thing Peter was doing when he met Christ and the fishing boat was a place that he had many encounters with Christ. Perhaps Peter was just returning to a place where he encountered Christ numerous times before in an effort to continue to following Him. It reminds me of how when unsure of what I should do or where the Lord is leading, I return to a scripture verse, prayer, time, place or meditation where I really felt Christ's presence. Thus going back “into the deep” and trying to pick up again where my last conversation with the Lord left off.
---------------------------------
"Peace, not Control"
I have found the mystery of Christ’s death on the cross followed by His resurrection to be such an intense journey from utter loss for His followers to profound amazement. I often meditate on Peter as he watched Christ’s crucifixion from afar, comes to grips with his own failures and denial of Christ and then wakes the next morning to the realization that Jesus was killed and is dead. Now what? Just as He is working through that dark reality, the report comes back that Jesus has been seen alive- WHAT? Talk about intense emotional switchbacks: loss-confusion-Joy. At times our journeys can be similar and my tendency in difficulty is to try to control the path. Yet, peace only comes when I trust and recall what the Lord has done every time in the past- brought me to the joy of the resurrection.
-------------------------------------
"Untie Him and Let Him Go!"
The scripture account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead is so full of richness and symbolism that one could meditate on a number of the short passages. The one that caught my attention most recently was the final words of Jesus: “Untie him and let him go!” (JN 11 :44) Jesus spoke as though Lazarus had been a prisoner, and was now being released. Indeed he was being released from the chains of death, a foreshadowing of what we will celebrate at Easter, our release from the chains of sin and death through Christ’s death on the cross. Each day I experience the need to be released from the ties that bind me and so I heard these same words being said to the sin in my life: “Untie him and let him go!” It rang out loudly in my life as I pray each day the prayer to Our Lady Undoer of Knots: “I entrust to your loving hands the entire ribbon of my life. In your hands there is no knot which cannot be undone.”
---------------------------------
They are Listening and Watching...
A number of years ago, I was working in my basement when I put too much pressure on a water pipe and it snapped and began spraying water all over the place. I had to hurry to the main water shutoff to get it to stop and in the meantime, I used a few choice words. I became quickly aware that my five year old son was nearby listening because he started repeating one of the words I used. He was walking around saying it over and over. The warning came quickly from somewhere up above. It was my wife: “Steven, your son is listening!” I cowered, apologized to my son and told him how that was not a good word to use. Fast forward a few years to a few weeks ago when my wife told me how my seven year old son came down the stairs one morning and said: “ I want to hear Jesus like Dad does, you know how he says he was talking to Jesus and he felt Jesus telling him something, I want to hear Jesus like that.” I was blown away and reminded, this time in a positive way, that our children are listening and watching. They will do what they see us doing and say what they hear us saying…
----------------------------------
Contemplate the Face of Jesus and then Show Him to the World
As my wife and I were reading from Pope St. John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter: Novo Millenio Inuente this week I was struck by his exhortation to contemplate the face of Christ: "We wish to see Jesus" (Jn 12:21). This request, addressed to the Apostle Philip by some Greeks who had made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover, echoes spiritually in our ears too." Early this week we celebrated the life of St. Joseph who was able to contemplate in person the face of Jesus Christ as a child, growing boy and maybe even young adult to adult. St. Joseph was well know for the great quote: ummm, o yeah, we don’t have any words from him! What a great witness of life- we know of his virtue, fidelity and holy life not from words but from his actions and response to God’s call! Pope St. John Paul II’s continued in his Apostolic Letter: "the men and women of our own day — often perhaps unconsciously — ask believers not only to "speak" of Christ, but in a certain sense to "show" him to them. And is it not the Church's task to reflect the light of Christ in every historical period,to make his face shine also before the generations?
-----------------------------------------
Persevere in Faithfulness
and Leave Success to the Lord
I had an interesting experience recently. It all happened within a few weeks. One day I said to my wife: "I am so tired of me!" I felt fed up with my weaknesses, my failings and my tendency to live the same cycle of selfishness over and over. A few days later I was at an event and in the course of the conversation I shared this with a gentleman I was talking to. He suddenly stopped, gave me a hug and said: "thank you brother for sharing that" and went on to talk about his own frustrations and fears of disappointing the Lord. It was the next day that in a conversation with some friends the topic came up again and a group of us were sharing the same frustration with ourselves. It is nice to know, we concluded, that we were in good company with St. Paul who shared his own struggle and gets this response from the Lord: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Cor. 12:9. Let us not grow weary, but persevere with hope in these words and the words of St Teresa of Calcutta: "we are not called to be successful, but faithful". Let's us pray for faithfulness and leave success to the Lord.
-----------------------------------
Would you be my friend if I said: “You are my friends if you do what I command”
I have felt troubled for a long time about the Lord’s words in John 15:14: “You are my friends if you do what I command” and have often made jokes about how few friends I would have if I used that approach, thus probably adding lots of purgatory time. However, in conversation with the Lord the other day He may have finally broken through. As a father I do not see myself as a friend to my children and yet when all is ordered rightly, they act with respect and follow our rules (which exist because we love them), I feel more free to interact with them as a friend than a father. Similarly at work I feel more free to interact in a friend-like manner when respect, task completion and company policies are not at all an issue. It made me realize that this is similarly what the Lord desires. He must hold us to those requirements/commands that are actually for our own good and protection, but really does desire our friendship above all else. This is only possible when we do what He commands.
---------------------------------
Are We Being Led into a Desert to Die?
In Exodus 14:14 the Israelites are fleeing into the desert with Moses, but as the Egyptians begin pursuing them they start freaking out. Moses says: "be still the Lord Himself will fight for you." I have this verse scheduled on my calendar to come up every Friday at 6 p.m. For me it is a good reminder in a world that lives by the phrase: "the Lord helps those who help themselves." Friday at 6 p.m., when the reminder comes up and I still have tasks I want to finish, which can always wait, this calendar reminder helps me remember to shift my focus to my family. I can trust because the Lord not only helps me, but does everything for me, not because I do something for Him or for myself, but because He loves me and wants my true happiness. Sometimes that happiness must be pursued through a "desert".
-----------------------------------------
“The Lord Prepares us for an Encounter”
In Mark 11:2-4 Jesus tells two of His disciples: “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately on entering it, you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone should say to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ reply, ‘The Master has need of it and will send it back here at once.” I can only imagine that if I was one of those disciples I would certainly ask: “Lord, and if he says “nice try” and I end up in jail, what do I say then?” Yet, we have all experienced those events in life where the Lord has prepared us and those we run into for an encounter that only makes sense when it happens. It is just another great reminder that the Lord paves the way, open doors and prepares hearts to be open when we follow and listen to His direction. Lent is near and is a great time to prepare ourselves for an encounter with Christ at Easter. Along that journey there will likely be other encounters He has in mind and opportunities to share Him with others. As disciples being sent into our own “villages”, may we trust Him completely.
-------------------------------
Freedom is Relationship
I was team teaching Faith Formation class a few weeks ago and talking about virtue. As part of the lesson we were listing sins/vices and their counter-virtues/habits to be cultivated in an effort to move us out of slavery and into true freedom. As we created and discussed the list, I was reminded that the journey from vice to virtue/slavery to freedom in each and every case was a turning from focus on self to a focus on others. In sin and struggle I am inclined to focus on myself and my own concerns. I treat others as objects for my own gain. The shift to virtue includes a shift from my use of others as objects to be used, into my treating them as persons worthy of friendship, love and relationship. Upon further reflection it reminded me of the journey of prayer. In prayer I focus on a relationship outside of myself and getting to know another. This seems especially true in praying with scripture where I enter into and ponder the life and words of Christ and His closest companions. That relationship also draws me out of a life of self-centered vice and into a life of virtue and freedom.
---------------------------------------------
Do we have enough faith to ask for the impossible and step out?
Recently I was considering the scripture verse in Matthew 14:28 where Peter says to Christ: “Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water…” We all know the rest of the verse, Jesus says “come” and Peter gives it a shot, but ultimately fails. In the past I have often thought to chide Peter with Jesus: “why did you doubt?” but, this time I had to ask myself, what was Peter thinking? I can imagine myself saying “Lord, if it is you come over here to the boat”, but to even consider that he could walk on water and then ask the Lord to tell him to do it- why would that even cross his mind? Peter had enough faith to ask for such an impossible thing: to walk on water, but not enough to carry it out. What keeps us from the faith to ask for the impossible, or if we do, from being able to respond when the Lord says "come to me on the water"?
-----------------------------------
How Do You See Prayer: Opening Faucet, Opening Shades?
I have been pondering and praying for some time now about the meaning of prayer. I am certain it will be a life long journey and the final truth only known fully in eternity. Yet, one thought that seems to reoccur to me is the understanding of the constancy of God’s grace and goodness. In the past I would often envision Our Lord turning on a faucet when I prayed and asked for a certain grace, but upon further reflection I think it is more like the relationship between us and the sun. The sun beats down on us day and night with the same intensity providing us with light and growth, but the clouds, earth’s daily and seasonal rotation, etc. change its effectiveness. Similarly, God’s grace beats down on us with a constant intensity in an effort to provide us with goodness and light, but the clouds, seasons of life and closing ourselves off block its effectiveness. Prayer, in my mind, is re-opening the shades and allowing Him to break through those obstacles and distractions and re-enter our days and life.
-------------------------
“A Leader is one who builds a stage where the talents of others can be displayed”
After one of our banquets a few years ago, someone I knew came up to me and thanked me for being open to the talents of others. A few minutes later, a good friend of mine told me that he saw me as a leader who builds a stage so the talents of others can be displayed. I am far from a perfect leader, and so these words of praise that evening were seared into my mind, and I remind myself of them often as a challenge to continue to strive to be a better leader. I am also challenged by Christ’s example of servant leadership and His words: If anyone wants to be first, he must be the last of all and the servant of all. (Mark 9:35) Yet, over time I think I have become more able to appreciate and find joy in the talents, ideas and contributions of others and see the truth in another phrase I heard once attributed to Ronald Reagan that follows a similar theme: It is amazing what we can accomplish when we don’t care who gets the credit. At the end of the day we can all say together: Lord, you mete out peace to us for it is you who have accomplished all that we have done. (Isaiah 26:12)
-------------------------
Are children a waste of time?
I don’t remember where I heard this, but it goes something like this: “a real gift is one given to another who cannot repay you.” During a celebration of family life hosted by the Vatican a few years ago, Pope Francis shared advice he often gives to men and women in the confessional: ‘And tell me, do you play with your children? Do you waste time with your children?’ Waste time? At first it sort of shocked me and then it made me smile. In a world of deadlines and goals, achievements and wealth, unproductive relationships that do not positively affect the bottom line are often defined as just that, a waste of time. Yes, I admit it, even at times by me--a Christian who should know better. As I reflected, though, I fell in love with the irony of defining "spending time with our children" as a “waste of time,” because it is actually a very valuable use of time. Where else can we have a deeper and more lasting positive effect than with our own children who long for our attention? Let’s “waste” lots of time with our children. Psst...I'll let you in on a secret that I experienced: they do repay you with a love and joy that has more value than any achievement you can imagine.
-------------------------
"For when I am powerless it is then that I am strong"
Suffering quietly or sacrificing joyfully has never really been a strength of mine. I am more apt to find the quickest form of relief than to bear discomfort or difficulties patiently. Not only do I complain to the Lord about my struggles and discomforts, but I also complain to him about my inability to handle them. I hear and read about the great value of suffering, but I will be honest--I am far from understanding how the Lord sees it. Here is what I can share: In my life, when there are trials, it is like there is a light blinking in the distance. I sense that the Lord has an amazing gift ready for me when we (he and I together) arrive. Most often I’d rather run quickly to the light and skip the whole journey part. In the beginning I am most aware of the problem and discomforts, and Satan tries to keep my focus there. But, when I look at Jesus, he is looking at that light, our destination, and saying “the gift is ready, but the journey is necessary to get you ready to receive the gift.” Having the experiences of finally reaching these lights and receiving the gifts after an arduous journey, and in hindsight seeing the need for the journey, has made my response to trial more hopeful. Yet, I am still a reluctant soul when it comes to suffering, but here is where I find consolation: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Cor. 12:9.
-------------------------
"We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage"
I am fascinated and love to look off into the vast, clear, night sky with wonder and awe at all of the stars. At times, it makes me feel like a small and insignificant part of a vast universe that doesn't end or lead to any specific physical destination. That is probably why the idea of one star standing out and leading us somewhere specific seems so profound to me. The magi followed this star to the Christ child where they did him homage. That star the magi followed is no longer distinguishable for us today. Yet I quickly think of another that is: Our Lady Star of the New Evangelization, Our Lady Star of the Sea...for us today that star is Our Lady. She leads us to Jesus. We do not worship the star, we worship him whose star it is. Mary, Mother of God bring us to Jesus!
-------------------------
These are Real People
It is real. I was recently struck by a realization as I pondered stories from the New Testament. Light bulb! These are not just fantastic stories, but real events in the lives of real people. Mary, nine months pregnant, and Joseph, a carpenter, really traveled 98 miles via donkey to Bethlehem and had to stay in a stable. The Virgin mother gave birth to a son, angels and shepherd visited them and magi from the East brought them gifts fit for a king. What an impact--awe, confusion, hope, fatigue, hunger and thirst, joy, fear and frustration, trust, etc.--these real experiences must have had on their ability to know, understand and discern the journey the Father was leading them on. Knowing the amazing things the Lord has done in the lives of others and recognizing that these are not just stories, but real experiences of real people helps me recognize His actions in my life and discern the paths He is leading me on.
-------------------------
What do I Desire?
Each Christmas we decorate our house, set up the tree and put out the manger scene with Jesus and Mary on Gaudete Sunday. Then when Christmas comes, we put Jesus in the stable, sing Happy Birthday and Christmas songs. The past couple of years, I have talked to my children and asked them each day for the week after Christmas to spend some time before Jesus in the manger, telling Him their hearts' desires- not what they think He wants them to desire, but what first comes to their mind when they say: “I would like…” Desires indicate a lack or something missing--I do not desire what I already have, because I already possess it. Often times, our desires indicate a gift that the Lord wants to give us, even if it isn’t what we think it is. Yet, He wants to meet us where we are at. We do not have to try to guess what is wrapped up in the gift for us or pretend we know what is there. We just have to ask Him to open it for us and He will fulfill our every desire.