I just got off of an overnight retreat at the church. One other adult and I led a small retreat for 6 teens that lasted just under 24 hours and during that time, we were learning about, praying with and growing in our love and devotion to our Mother Mary.
It was a beautiful time and such an amazing way to end this final week of Advent - watching teenagers, who people far to often write off as self-centered, unfocused, or immature, dive into personal prayer, reflection, journaling, and Adoration - especially when they could chosen to hang out with their friends, go Christmas shopping, or do a million other things that most of their peers would consider WAY cooler than hanging out with Jesus for a day!
The could have followed the example of the "in crowd" and blown off this retreat for other pursuits. But they didn't - they chose a different path. And it was beautiful.
In my own time of prayer during this retreat, I was drawn to reflect on the innkeeper who turned Mary and Joseph away at the door and sent them to the stable. It was a fleeting thought, a brief moment in a long period of silence in the Blessed Sacrament chapel, and to be honest, I had half forgotten about it until I was scrolling through my Facebook page tonight and saw a post that said something like, "Are you part of the inn crowd or one of the stable few?" And it brought that reflection from the chapel back to my mind.
Now, before I go on, I want to make something clear...I am not knocking the innkeeper here. I mean, there was a census called - Bethlehem was a busy place when Mary and Joseph arrived there. And there is only so much room in an inn. And he did offer them the shelter of the stable. I actually don't think he was a bad guy. But he does give us a great image to reflect on.
Because the fact remains - he did not have room for the Holy Family. He turned them away at the door and relegated them to a smelly, dirty stable for shelter, and ultimately, to give birth to their child, who, albeit unbeknown to him, was the Savior of the World.
That is what my mind was led to during that prayer - the simple fact that he did not have room for them. Sure, I can lay out a bunch of really great reasons why he didn't have room, and had no obligation to make room for them - but, still, at the end of the day, he did not have room for them.
How often do we not have room for the Holy Family in our lives? Are we like the innkeeper, who greets them at the door, but sends them away? Or maybe we aren't even opening the door to begin with.
Maybe we filled the "inns" of our hearts and lives with so much other stuff that we don't even hear them knocking anymore. But they are there - and He is with them.
I am really good at rationalizing why I do or don't do things - so good, in fact, that my dad's running joke is that I should have been a lawyer - so it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that I can rationalize the heck out of the ups and downs of my personal prayer life and relationship with Christ. And I think that is what I was doing in the chapel when the innkeeper came into my mind - I was coming up with a great list of why it was ok that my prayer life had been a little lacking lately - that I was doing all these other things that "made up for it"....hmm, this is starting to sound familiar....
I didn't have room for them. Better said - I wasn't making room for them.
Because here is where we differ so strongly, and so importantly, from the innkeeper that night in Bethlehem. He had a fixed amount of space in which he could fit people. Our hearts do not.
We have an infinite capacity to love and to be loved by God. He created us so that no matter what life is throwing at us, no matter what we have filled our lives, our time, and even our hearts with - we always have room for His Family and for Him. If we choose to open the door and invite Him in.
Now, we may be really good at convincing ourselves that this is not true - that we simply cannot fit one more thing in our "busy" lives, even if that one thing is Jesus. But that's all we are doing - convincing ourselves. Because He made us for love, and love is boundless.
So as this Advent season draws to a close and we approach Christmas eve, remembering Mary and Joseph as they entered the city and sought shelter, maybe this is a good time to take an honest look at our own hearts and decide, when they come knocking, and they will, are we going to be part of the "inn crowd" and turn them away, or one of the "stable few" and invite them in?
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Reflecting on Sandy Hook
I wanted to post on Friday - but I honestly didn't have the words.
I wanted to post on Saturday - but my arms and hands were busy holding my precious children as close to me as I could.
Now I feel compelled to say something, while knowing at the same time that no words are adequate to even begin to address, and certainly not to explain, the evil that was committed on the community of Newtown, Connecticut this week.
So where do we go from here? How do we wrap our minds, not to mention our hearts, around this? For me, that answer is through pure faith - faith in a God who loves bigger and deeper and more completely than anything of this world, good or bad.
People have asked, "Where was God when this was happening?" or have said He was "sleeping" when the gunman entered the school that morning. But the eyes of faith tell me something different.
As Mark Hart, also know as the Bible Geek, posted on his Facebook page yesterday, "God was not sleeping during the Newtown tragedy, He was weeping. Free will offers us the chance to love or to hate, to build or to destroy."
That reminder has given me a surprising amount of comfort in the past day. I say it all the time, I talk to teens about it all the time - God does not force Himself on us, but He does desperately love us, and want us to choose Him. In that love, He gave us free will - because a love that is coerced is not love, it is control and He desires relationship with us, not blind obedience.
And that is a beautiful gift of unselfish love.
On Friday, we were all confronted with the downside of His unselfishness, as a young man named Adam Lanza, for whatever reason, chose to do the unspeakable to our most innocent.
But thankfully, our world is filled with people who take another road - who show us what it means to love like God loves us, and on Saturday, we began to learn about those stories in Newtown.
We learned about the teacher who hid her children and told Adam they were in the gym before he shot her. All her children walked out of that building, unharmed.
Or the principal and counselor who cared more about the kids in the building than their own safety and gave their lives trying to wrestle the Lanza to the ground.
And there are many, many more.
These are the stories to cling to in these days - this is where we know, beyond the pain and seemingly senselessness of this tragedy, that God was there. And is there now. Because what He promises is what we is now being revealed - that even out of great sadness can come hope, joy, love, and salvation.
He proved it on the Cross almost 2000 years ago, and He continues to prove it in the everyday little tragedies of our lives as well as in times of great loss like this.
I do not have all the answers, heck, I don't really have any at all. And I don't know why this young man did what he did, or why God chose to call home the souls that He did that day.
But I do know one thing with absolute certainty -
God walked each person out of that building on Friday- either into the arms of their families or into the arms of His angels.
He wasn't sleeping. He was weeping. Right along with all His children, just like always.
I wanted to post on Saturday - but my arms and hands were busy holding my precious children as close to me as I could.
Now I feel compelled to say something, while knowing at the same time that no words are adequate to even begin to address, and certainly not to explain, the evil that was committed on the community of Newtown, Connecticut this week.
So where do we go from here? How do we wrap our minds, not to mention our hearts, around this? For me, that answer is through pure faith - faith in a God who loves bigger and deeper and more completely than anything of this world, good or bad.
People have asked, "Where was God when this was happening?" or have said He was "sleeping" when the gunman entered the school that morning. But the eyes of faith tell me something different.
As Mark Hart, also know as the Bible Geek, posted on his Facebook page yesterday, "God was not sleeping during the Newtown tragedy, He was weeping. Free will offers us the chance to love or to hate, to build or to destroy."
That reminder has given me a surprising amount of comfort in the past day. I say it all the time, I talk to teens about it all the time - God does not force Himself on us, but He does desperately love us, and want us to choose Him. In that love, He gave us free will - because a love that is coerced is not love, it is control and He desires relationship with us, not blind obedience.
And that is a beautiful gift of unselfish love.
On Friday, we were all confronted with the downside of His unselfishness, as a young man named Adam Lanza, for whatever reason, chose to do the unspeakable to our most innocent.
But thankfully, our world is filled with people who take another road - who show us what it means to love like God loves us, and on Saturday, we began to learn about those stories in Newtown.
We learned about the teacher who hid her children and told Adam they were in the gym before he shot her. All her children walked out of that building, unharmed.
Or the principal and counselor who cared more about the kids in the building than their own safety and gave their lives trying to wrestle the Lanza to the ground.
And there are many, many more.
These are the stories to cling to in these days - this is where we know, beyond the pain and seemingly senselessness of this tragedy, that God was there. And is there now. Because what He promises is what we is now being revealed - that even out of great sadness can come hope, joy, love, and salvation.
He proved it on the Cross almost 2000 years ago, and He continues to prove it in the everyday little tragedies of our lives as well as in times of great loss like this.
I do not have all the answers, heck, I don't really have any at all. And I don't know why this young man did what he did, or why God chose to call home the souls that He did that day.
But I do know one thing with absolute certainty -
God walked each person out of that building on Friday- either into the arms of their families or into the arms of His angels.
He wasn't sleeping. He was weeping. Right along with all His children, just like always.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Winter Snow
So clearly I am less than great at keeping up my weekly blog posts - but I promise, I am trying! =) As I did not get one up last Thursday, I decided to go for 2 this week...so here is installment 1!
I love Christmas music - it is one of my favorite things about the holidays! Besides being fun and festive and putting me in the holiday spirit, I think it is wonderful that for one month out of the year, you can walk into pretty much any major retailer and hear songs blaring on the speakers about our Lord and Savior! And nobody is throwing up picket signs or protesting or screaming at management to change the station! Its a beautiful thing, and I suspect that some hearts have been turned to Christ simply through hearing His message in the mall while doing holiday shopping!
In that, I think, we can find a powerful example of the power of Christ - when we let Him in, He changes us, sometimes without us even meaning for it to happen. That is especially true this time of year, as we prepare and anticipate the arrival of the babe in a manger who, when Mary let Him into the world, changed it forever.
I love the simplicity and subtly with which Christ came. Now, having had 2 babies of my own, I am in no way saying that pregnancy and giving birth are simple or subtle - far from it! But here's the thing - by coming as a baby, Jesus kind of "snuck in" without us even realizing it. Think about it - only a few people were in on it from the beginning - Mary, Joseph, likely Elizabeth and Zachariah, eventually the wise men and the shepherds, but outside of that, for all anyone could see, His birth was just that - the birth of a baby boy, by no means an unusual event.
And that is part of the power of how He came - and how He calls us to bring Him to the world today. Christ was revolutionary because of who He was and how He lived - and when you look at it, who He was, as a human, was a simple rabbi who loved unconditionally, reached out to all people, especially the poor and marginalized, spoke the Truth with confidence, and lived what He preached, and gave His entire life to following the Father's call for Him. But he did it through love, compassion, justice, and radical peace. He did not yell, scream, tear down walls, condemn or threaten.
The way He came modeled the way He lived, and the way He gathered people to Himself.
One of my favorite Christmas songs is called "Winter Snow" and is sung by Audrey Assad. I love it because it speaks of exactly this - that Jesus could have come with power, force, terror, and destruction, but He didn't. He came, instead, like a winter snow - quiet, soft and slow.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
I love Christmas music - it is one of my favorite things about the holidays! Besides being fun and festive and putting me in the holiday spirit, I think it is wonderful that for one month out of the year, you can walk into pretty much any major retailer and hear songs blaring on the speakers about our Lord and Savior! And nobody is throwing up picket signs or protesting or screaming at management to change the station! Its a beautiful thing, and I suspect that some hearts have been turned to Christ simply through hearing His message in the mall while doing holiday shopping!
In that, I think, we can find a powerful example of the power of Christ - when we let Him in, He changes us, sometimes without us even meaning for it to happen. That is especially true this time of year, as we prepare and anticipate the arrival of the babe in a manger who, when Mary let Him into the world, changed it forever.
I love the simplicity and subtly with which Christ came. Now, having had 2 babies of my own, I am in no way saying that pregnancy and giving birth are simple or subtle - far from it! But here's the thing - by coming as a baby, Jesus kind of "snuck in" without us even realizing it. Think about it - only a few people were in on it from the beginning - Mary, Joseph, likely Elizabeth and Zachariah, eventually the wise men and the shepherds, but outside of that, for all anyone could see, His birth was just that - the birth of a baby boy, by no means an unusual event.
And that is part of the power of how He came - and how He calls us to bring Him to the world today. Christ was revolutionary because of who He was and how He lived - and when you look at it, who He was, as a human, was a simple rabbi who loved unconditionally, reached out to all people, especially the poor and marginalized, spoke the Truth with confidence, and lived what He preached, and gave His entire life to following the Father's call for Him. But he did it through love, compassion, justice, and radical peace. He did not yell, scream, tear down walls, condemn or threaten.
The way He came modeled the way He lived, and the way He gathered people to Himself.
One of my favorite Christmas songs is called "Winter Snow" and is sung by Audrey Assad. I love it because it speaks of exactly this - that Jesus could have come with power, force, terror, and destruction, but He didn't. He came, instead, like a winter snow - quiet, soft and slow.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Thankful for...
As I sit here on my in-law's couch and look at my beautiful children cuddling with each other across from me, I can't help but reflect on the million different ways I am blessed each day, and I guess that is a good place to be on the Sunday night of Thanksgiving weekend!! (And yes, I know I said I would post on Thursdays...but hey, be thankful I got a post up this week at all! =) )
For anyone who reads the parent newsletter that I email out each Tuesday (and if you don't get it and would like to, please email me and I will add you to the distribution list!), you know that this week I talked about thankfulness a lot - from the fact that the word "Eucharist" actually means "thanksgiving" to how I often struggle to maintain a truly thankful posture.
I have been lucky enough to spend the last five days with my husband's parents, 3 of his 4 siblings, and their spouses and children - a total of 9 adults and 5 kids, ranging in age from 1-8 years old. Needless to say, it was not the quietest of vacations! And with all those people, and all those personalities, in one house, at times, we all felt like we needed a little space to ourselves.
But last night I was standing in the dining room looking into the kitchen as my mother-in-law, one of my sisters-in-law, her husband, and one of my brothers-in-law were talking and laughing as they moved around each other during the post-dinner clean up routine. And I couldn't help but smile. Because in that moment I realized something - I am incredibly blessed to have this family. Sure, we may not all get along all of the time and sometimes there is tension or we get on each others nerves, but at the end of the day, we love each other - and that matters way more than any of that other stuff.
That got me to thinking about Jesus and His disciples. I mean, here was a group of 13 men, traveling almost constantly, staying where ever they were welcomed, and no doubt living in tight quarters and basically on top of each other for around 3 years! If my family can't last through a 5 days holiday without some strife, then surely the disciples must have had their fair share of "family drama"! And in fact, we hear about some in Mark 10:37-45.
It is the story of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who ask Jesus to “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” (Mark 10:37) Now, this was a pretty bold request, as the chairs to the right and the left of the host were the seats of honor at a banquet table, so basically, James and John were asking for special treatment from Jesus - for Him to make them the highest among the disciples.
What would happen in your family if one of your siblings or other family member asked the head of your family to make them the favorite and give them special treatment? I know what would happen in mine, and it would not be pretty. At the least, there would be a lot of hurt feelings, whispering and talking behind that person's back, and the worst, yelling and tears.
Similarly, when word of what James and John had asked reached the disciples, we hear in Mark 10:41 that "they became indignant at James and John." Another word for indignant is infuriated. Not just upset, or annoyed - but infuriated! Imagine the scene - a group of 13 men, stopped on the road to Jerusalem, with 10 of them yelling and screaming at 2 of them, and one standing to the side.
What would you have done if you were Jesus? What would the head of your family do in this situation? Honestly, if it was most of us, we would probably be yelling at the 10 disciples yelling at James and John, and the whole scene would descend into chaos. But that is not what Jesus did.
When Jesus saw what was happening, instead of just getting mad and yelling, "Jesus summoned them and said to them, 'You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.'” (Mark 10:42-45)
Instead of participating in the chaos, Jesus called his followers to something higher. He showed them how they were all acting exactly like the Gentile leaders who persecuted their people and reminded them that they were meant for a higher purpose - not to lead, but to follow; not to be served, but to serve.
It is a reminder that we can all use from time to time - and perhaps especially at the end of a long holiday weekend that we have spent surrounded by family that, while we love them, can occasionally really get on our nerves. Our families are never going to be perfect - because they are all made up of imperfect humans. But as members of those families, we can strive to love perfectly - the way that Jesus loved those 12 men on the road to Jerusalem.
And the reminder that I am called to maintain a servants heart and humble disposition at all times, even, or perhaps especially, with my family, is something that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend, and always.
434445
For anyone who reads the parent newsletter that I email out each Tuesday (and if you don't get it and would like to, please email me and I will add you to the distribution list!), you know that this week I talked about thankfulness a lot - from the fact that the word "Eucharist" actually means "thanksgiving" to how I often struggle to maintain a truly thankful posture.
I have been lucky enough to spend the last five days with my husband's parents, 3 of his 4 siblings, and their spouses and children - a total of 9 adults and 5 kids, ranging in age from 1-8 years old. Needless to say, it was not the quietest of vacations! And with all those people, and all those personalities, in one house, at times, we all felt like we needed a little space to ourselves.
But last night I was standing in the dining room looking into the kitchen as my mother-in-law, one of my sisters-in-law, her husband, and one of my brothers-in-law were talking and laughing as they moved around each other during the post-dinner clean up routine. And I couldn't help but smile. Because in that moment I realized something - I am incredibly blessed to have this family. Sure, we may not all get along all of the time and sometimes there is tension or we get on each others nerves, but at the end of the day, we love each other - and that matters way more than any of that other stuff.
That got me to thinking about Jesus and His disciples. I mean, here was a group of 13 men, traveling almost constantly, staying where ever they were welcomed, and no doubt living in tight quarters and basically on top of each other for around 3 years! If my family can't last through a 5 days holiday without some strife, then surely the disciples must have had their fair share of "family drama"! And in fact, we hear about some in Mark 10:37-45.
It is the story of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who ask Jesus to “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” (Mark 10:37) Now, this was a pretty bold request, as the chairs to the right and the left of the host were the seats of honor at a banquet table, so basically, James and John were asking for special treatment from Jesus - for Him to make them the highest among the disciples.
What would happen in your family if one of your siblings or other family member asked the head of your family to make them the favorite and give them special treatment? I know what would happen in mine, and it would not be pretty. At the least, there would be a lot of hurt feelings, whispering and talking behind that person's back, and the worst, yelling and tears.
Similarly, when word of what James and John had asked reached the disciples, we hear in Mark 10:41 that "they became indignant at James and John." Another word for indignant is infuriated. Not just upset, or annoyed - but infuriated! Imagine the scene - a group of 13 men, stopped on the road to Jerusalem, with 10 of them yelling and screaming at 2 of them, and one standing to the side.
What would you have done if you were Jesus? What would the head of your family do in this situation? Honestly, if it was most of us, we would probably be yelling at the 10 disciples yelling at James and John, and the whole scene would descend into chaos. But that is not what Jesus did.
When Jesus saw what was happening, instead of just getting mad and yelling, "Jesus summoned them and said to them, 'You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.'” (Mark 10:42-45)
Instead of participating in the chaos, Jesus called his followers to something higher. He showed them how they were all acting exactly like the Gentile leaders who persecuted their people and reminded them that they were meant for a higher purpose - not to lead, but to follow; not to be served, but to serve.
It is a reminder that we can all use from time to time - and perhaps especially at the end of a long holiday weekend that we have spent surrounded by family that, while we love them, can occasionally really get on our nerves. Our families are never going to be perfect - because they are all made up of imperfect humans. But as members of those families, we can strive to love perfectly - the way that Jesus loved those 12 men on the road to Jerusalem.
And the reminder that I am called to maintain a servants heart and humble disposition at all times, even, or perhaps especially, with my family, is something that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend, and always.
434445
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Into the Deep
OK, so I am admittedly a little behind in my posting! With the craziness of getting ready for Fall Retreat last weekend (an AMAZING weekend, by the way! Check out the pics online at www.hfk122ministriesseniorhigh.com) I totally spaced on putting up my usual Thursday posting, and this week, time just got away from me - so I am employing the theory of "better late than never" here!
So anyways!
Every Monday night, I have the unique pleasure of watching an episode of Fr. Robert Baron's great gift to the Catholic church - his series call "Catholicism" (better know as The Catholicism Project), with some of my amazing teens! Every week brings me new and greater appreciation of this faith that I love - and the opportunity to have my mind blown by the insight and depth of these incredible teens!
This past Monday, we watched the episode that discusses the role of Peter and Paul in the early Church, and their enduring legacy today. In it, Fr. Baron talks about the call of Peter, then called Simon, and his brother, Andrew. For those needing a little refresher....
"He said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.' Simon said in reply, 'Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets. We they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing...When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, 'Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man'...When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him." Luke 5:4-7, 8, 11
I asked the teens what it meant to them to "put out into deep water" with Jesus, as was awed by their responses - ranging from giving Him control, to not knowing what is going to happen, to losing your sense of security and safety, to not being able to turn back.
For me, "putting out into deep water" causes a sense of anxiety in me - even just simply sitting here typing the words! See, I LOVE water and I LOVE to swim, but I also have an extremely overactive imagination - which means that when I think about deep water, I think about sharks, giant sea monsters, eels, man-eating fish, sea serpents... really rational things to be concerned about, right? But I can't help it - that's where my mind goes, so unless I am super focused, whenever I am swimming in a lake or the ocean, I become convinced that some crazed sea creature is going to come up from below and eat me!
So what does this have to do with the spiritual aspect of "putting out into the deep" - well, a lot, I think! See, for me, and a lot of people I think, being in "deep water" means being in some sort of danger. I means that you have gone to a point where you cannot easily or quickly get back to safe ground - you cannot simple put your feet down and stand up to keep your head above water. You have to trust in your boat, or your swimming skills, or your raft - whatever has brought you out there to bring you back to shore. And if something goes wrong, chances are it is going to go REALLY wrong. That's what's at the heart of my irrational fear of deep water - an inherent sense of danger, a lack of security.
And let's face it - when we "put out into the deep" with Jesus, we are undoubtedly getting in over our heads. Giving your life to Jesus is not going to be easy, comfortable, or secure - He is going to rock your boat, toss you out into the water, and force you to learn how to swim. To follow Him means to step away from the safety of the shore, to get comfortable with not knowing what is "swimming around beneath you"or what might be lurking in the depths - and in that to TRUST, fully, that the One who brought you out there will never leave you out there.
But here is what we need to remember...as long as we keep our eyes firmly on Jesus, there is nothing to fear in the deep water. Instead, when seen through His eyes, the water is no longer full of monsters waiting to devour you - instead, you find yourself swimming in an endless pool of love and grace wanting to engulf you.
Peter learned this first hand - it took Jesus literally taking him into the deep water for him to initially trust in this stranger who appeared on the shore - and, some time later, it took Peter keeping His eyes firmly on Christ to keep from sinking into that deep water when he stepped out of the boat.
He will not let us sink if we keep our eyes, our trust, and our heart on Him - so do not be afraid to "put out into the deep water" - dive on in!
So anyways!
Every Monday night, I have the unique pleasure of watching an episode of Fr. Robert Baron's great gift to the Catholic church - his series call "Catholicism" (better know as The Catholicism Project), with some of my amazing teens! Every week brings me new and greater appreciation of this faith that I love - and the opportunity to have my mind blown by the insight and depth of these incredible teens!
This past Monday, we watched the episode that discusses the role of Peter and Paul in the early Church, and their enduring legacy today. In it, Fr. Baron talks about the call of Peter, then called Simon, and his brother, Andrew. For those needing a little refresher....
"He said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.' Simon said in reply, 'Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets. We they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing...When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, 'Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man'...When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him." Luke 5:4-7, 8, 11
I asked the teens what it meant to them to "put out into deep water" with Jesus, as was awed by their responses - ranging from giving Him control, to not knowing what is going to happen, to losing your sense of security and safety, to not being able to turn back.
For me, "putting out into deep water" causes a sense of anxiety in me - even just simply sitting here typing the words! See, I LOVE water and I LOVE to swim, but I also have an extremely overactive imagination - which means that when I think about deep water, I think about sharks, giant sea monsters, eels, man-eating fish, sea serpents... really rational things to be concerned about, right? But I can't help it - that's where my mind goes, so unless I am super focused, whenever I am swimming in a lake or the ocean, I become convinced that some crazed sea creature is going to come up from below and eat me!
So what does this have to do with the spiritual aspect of "putting out into the deep" - well, a lot, I think! See, for me, and a lot of people I think, being in "deep water" means being in some sort of danger. I means that you have gone to a point where you cannot easily or quickly get back to safe ground - you cannot simple put your feet down and stand up to keep your head above water. You have to trust in your boat, or your swimming skills, or your raft - whatever has brought you out there to bring you back to shore. And if something goes wrong, chances are it is going to go REALLY wrong. That's what's at the heart of my irrational fear of deep water - an inherent sense of danger, a lack of security.
And let's face it - when we "put out into the deep" with Jesus, we are undoubtedly getting in over our heads. Giving your life to Jesus is not going to be easy, comfortable, or secure - He is going to rock your boat, toss you out into the water, and force you to learn how to swim. To follow Him means to step away from the safety of the shore, to get comfortable with not knowing what is "swimming around beneath you"or what might be lurking in the depths - and in that to TRUST, fully, that the One who brought you out there will never leave you out there.
But here is what we need to remember...as long as we keep our eyes firmly on Jesus, there is nothing to fear in the deep water. Instead, when seen through His eyes, the water is no longer full of monsters waiting to devour you - instead, you find yourself swimming in an endless pool of love and grace wanting to engulf you.
Peter learned this first hand - it took Jesus literally taking him into the deep water for him to initially trust in this stranger who appeared on the shore - and, some time later, it took Peter keeping His eyes firmly on Christ to keep from sinking into that deep water when he stepped out of the boat.
He will not let us sink if we keep our eyes, our trust, and our heart on Him - so do not be afraid to "put out into the deep water" - dive on in!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
A Saint for us all
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saint's Day - one of our Holy Days of Obligation, which means it holds such a special place on our Church calendar that the faithful mark the day by coming together to celebrate the Holy Mass and receive the Eucharist! It's kinda a big deal - outside of our weekly Sunday obligation, we only have 6 other Holy Days out of the entire year!
So what's the big deal? Well, All Saint's Day is the day that we honor ALL the saints in heaven - both those known and unknown...wait, we have unknown saints? Huh?? Its true! We fully acknowledge that our fallible human selves will only ever acknowledge here on earth a mere fraction of the holy men and women who lived their lives with heroic virtue or whose lives were ended in a true martyr's sacrifice - but that does not stop them from being saints! See, when the Pope canonizes someone, he is not making them a Saint, they already were one. He is simply acknowledging for the entire world what God had already done in and through that person.
Also, as we must be perfect to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, all souls currently in heaven are saints as well. True, the vast majority of those souls became purified AFTER death - through time in purgatory - but once they enter Heaven, they are no less saints! Which means that we, too, can become saints - and in fact, we are called to sainthood right now! God created each of us to be saints - that is what He desires for each of His children, because to be a saint means to live a life fully in the love of God, seeking justice, demonstrating virtue, and loving unconditionally all of humanity. It means to live a life of holiness - which is what we hear ourselves called to in 1 Peter1:16, "Be holy because I am holy".
Now, I don't know about you, but to me, most of the time, that seems like a pretty daunting task. I look at the Saints and think, "Wow, that's amazing - they lived this extraordinary existence and look what they did! But I could never do that. Not in today's world. Not in my life." But the truth is that is a cop-out on my part, because while it is definitely true that some of the Saints lived and did extraordinary things in their lives, many of them simply lived as Christ called them to live - in faith, in love, and in joy.
Today at Mass, Fr. Nagel spoke about the life of Blessed Pier Georgio, who is a great example of this fact. To our knowledge, Pier Georgio never performed a miracle, never levitated, never had a vision of Jesus or Mary - but what he did do was love and live fully in Christ. He dedicated his free time to serving the poor through St. Vincent De Paul, he attended Mass at every opportunity and never let anything, even school work, keep him from the Eucharist. He spoke openly about his faith, and surrounded himself with faith-filled friends. He was going to be a mining engineer because he hoped to be able to positively affect the lives of the miners through this work. He was unselfish, unassuming, and unashamed of his love for God. And he let that resonate in everything he did.
Now, as I read over that, there is nothing there that I can rationally say that I cannot do - I can serve the poor, I can go to Mass and make it a first priority, I can speak openly about my faith, I can surround myself with faith-filled people, and I can work in a way that positively affects those I am working for.
So what excuse do I have for not being a saint? Well, the truth is none. What limits me from being a saint is not the world, or my life, or any other external factor. What limits me from being a saint is, well, me.
Everyday, we are faced with many opportunities to choose holiness, to strive for sainthood - and the fact is that when we don't chose that option, the only person we can point the finger at is ourselves. Sure, we are really good (I am pretty much an expert at this...) at rationalizing the reasons why we fall short - its too hard, people will look at me weird or may get angry or upset, my views are not the world's views, my friends won't understand, I will miss out on all the "fun"...and the list could go on and on. But while it is tempting and easy to lay the blame elsewhere, the fact is that we are simply fooling ourselves. If we could just find a way to trust in God and His plan, our lives would be so much better!
Look at Pier Georgio - he surrendered his life fully to God, and lived that life to the full! He was known for being the glue that held his social group together because he was so much fun! He loved to go out to the mountains with his friends, to hike, to rock climb, and to scale the highest peaks he could find! He went out at night and hung out with his friends. He fell in love with a beautiful Spanish girl named Laura. He lived. He did not miss out on anything - in fact, I would say he had more than most of us could ever imagine!
So on this All Saint's Day, let us ask Blessed Pier to intercede for us with our heavenly Father so that we are all graced with the courage, wisdom, and faithfulness to strive for holiness and sainthood by living life to the fullest by living it in Him.
So what's the big deal? Well, All Saint's Day is the day that we honor ALL the saints in heaven - both those known and unknown...wait, we have unknown saints? Huh?? Its true! We fully acknowledge that our fallible human selves will only ever acknowledge here on earth a mere fraction of the holy men and women who lived their lives with heroic virtue or whose lives were ended in a true martyr's sacrifice - but that does not stop them from being saints! See, when the Pope canonizes someone, he is not making them a Saint, they already were one. He is simply acknowledging for the entire world what God had already done in and through that person.
Also, as we must be perfect to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, all souls currently in heaven are saints as well. True, the vast majority of those souls became purified AFTER death - through time in purgatory - but once they enter Heaven, they are no less saints! Which means that we, too, can become saints - and in fact, we are called to sainthood right now! God created each of us to be saints - that is what He desires for each of His children, because to be a saint means to live a life fully in the love of God, seeking justice, demonstrating virtue, and loving unconditionally all of humanity. It means to live a life of holiness - which is what we hear ourselves called to in 1 Peter1:16, "Be holy because I am holy".
Now, I don't know about you, but to me, most of the time, that seems like a pretty daunting task. I look at the Saints and think, "Wow, that's amazing - they lived this extraordinary existence and look what they did! But I could never do that. Not in today's world. Not in my life." But the truth is that is a cop-out on my part, because while it is definitely true that some of the Saints lived and did extraordinary things in their lives, many of them simply lived as Christ called them to live - in faith, in love, and in joy.
Today at Mass, Fr. Nagel spoke about the life of Blessed Pier Georgio, who is a great example of this fact. To our knowledge, Pier Georgio never performed a miracle, never levitated, never had a vision of Jesus or Mary - but what he did do was love and live fully in Christ. He dedicated his free time to serving the poor through St. Vincent De Paul, he attended Mass at every opportunity and never let anything, even school work, keep him from the Eucharist. He spoke openly about his faith, and surrounded himself with faith-filled friends. He was going to be a mining engineer because he hoped to be able to positively affect the lives of the miners through this work. He was unselfish, unassuming, and unashamed of his love for God. And he let that resonate in everything he did.
Now, as I read over that, there is nothing there that I can rationally say that I cannot do - I can serve the poor, I can go to Mass and make it a first priority, I can speak openly about my faith, I can surround myself with faith-filled people, and I can work in a way that positively affects those I am working for.
So what excuse do I have for not being a saint? Well, the truth is none. What limits me from being a saint is not the world, or my life, or any other external factor. What limits me from being a saint is, well, me.
Everyday, we are faced with many opportunities to choose holiness, to strive for sainthood - and the fact is that when we don't chose that option, the only person we can point the finger at is ourselves. Sure, we are really good (I am pretty much an expert at this...) at rationalizing the reasons why we fall short - its too hard, people will look at me weird or may get angry or upset, my views are not the world's views, my friends won't understand, I will miss out on all the "fun"...and the list could go on and on. But while it is tempting and easy to lay the blame elsewhere, the fact is that we are simply fooling ourselves. If we could just find a way to trust in God and His plan, our lives would be so much better!
Look at Pier Georgio - he surrendered his life fully to God, and lived that life to the full! He was known for being the glue that held his social group together because he was so much fun! He loved to go out to the mountains with his friends, to hike, to rock climb, and to scale the highest peaks he could find! He went out at night and hung out with his friends. He fell in love with a beautiful Spanish girl named Laura. He lived. He did not miss out on anything - in fact, I would say he had more than most of us could ever imagine!
So on this All Saint's Day, let us ask Blessed Pier to intercede for us with our heavenly Father so that we are all graced with the courage, wisdom, and faithfulness to strive for holiness and sainthood by living life to the fullest by living it in Him.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
So Close,Yet So Far....
I rarely watch prime time television – in fact, I rarely watch network
television at all, with the exception of a few shows I follow on Hulu Plus. But
earlier this week, after a crazy day and having just gotten my kids to bed, I collapsed
on the couch and flipped on the TV. As I scrolled through the guide, I ran
across a new show called “The New Normal”. Now, if you aren’t familiar with it,
the basic plot line is that a single, never married mother of a 9 or 10 year
old daughter has decided to be a surrogate mom for a gay couple. Kind-of a “Modern
Family” meets “Gilmore Girls”, with a baby thrown in.
So for some reason I paused on the listing and noticed that the title of the episode was, “The Godparent Trap”, and hit the “Info” button on my remote. The description said that the couple, Brian and David, is on a search to find Godparents for their baby, which prompts Brian to try to reconnect to his Catholic roots by visiting a church where he gets some unexpected advice. OK, now I was intrigued. A prime time sitcom about a same-sex couple was going to send one of them into a Catholic Church for advice on Godparents?? The first thought that ran through my mind was, “Oh no, here we go, more Catholic bashing in the popular media”, but a part of me hoped it would be different, so I decided to watch. And I am glad I did.
Now, I don’t want to oversell the message delivered in this episode – it was far from perfect, but there were a couple of extraordinary moments that got me thinking.
The first was a scene where Brain walks into the church, genuflects before the crucifix and has a seat in a pew. You proceed to hear his inner monologue as he glances around the sanctuary, finishing with him saying to the crucified Christ, “You know who judges me? Your Father.” This is immediately followed by a young priest tapping him on the shoulder and asking if he is there for Confession.
Inside the confessional, Brian starts giving a snarky and flippant “Confession” – which the priest quickly calls him on and tells him that if he isn’t going to take it seriously, then he can go. This causes Brian to alter his approach significantly, leading him to reveal that he is gay and there because, “I don’t think I can find spiritual foundation in others if I can’t even find it in myself.” It is a beautiful moment of honesty that leads into a spirited conversation between the priest and Brian about his homosexuality and the Church.
Now, without recounting word for word the entire scene, I want to point out a couple of key things that happened that made this so close to being the best representation of the Church’s belief about same-sex attraction that I have ever seen on TV, and also where is falls incredibly short of this achievement.
The first is that when Brian reveals that he is gay, the priest responds by saying, “Well, contrary to popular opinion, being gay is not a sin. The Church is not anti-gay.” This stopped me in my tracks! I was amazed and so excited that someone had finally gotten it right! Here it was, on prime time, an actor depicting a Roman Catholic Priest actually stating the true teaching of the Church – being gay, or having same-sex attraction, is NOT a sin! Alleluia! Sadly, this elation was short lived.
Brian immediately challenges the priest’s statement by asking why the Pope treats gay marriage “like Amanda Bynes treats pedestrians”, and instead of using this as a moment to explain the Church’s teaching on marriage, the priest instead dismisses the Pope by comparing him to a “loveable old uncle who pops off intolerant comments at a family barbeque”. Ouch. And so far from true. This was the moment I almost lost all hope for this episode, because it had gone from so right to SO SO WRONG.
A couple of points here…
1. The Pope is not an intolerant old man. Old maybe….but intolerant? Absolutely not. And I took GREAT offense to a writer portraying a priest as holding that opinion of the Holy Father.
2. There is a huge, and very important, difference between being gay and the issue of gay marriage in the eyes of the Church. More on this in a bit, but the point here is that insinuate that the Pope, or the Church as a whole, is indifferent and dismissive of this sensitive issue is unfair.
OK, back to the show…the conversation then turns to Brian talking about his love for the Church – for the ritual, the tradition, even the Stations of the Cross, and ending with him saying, “But you guys don’t accept me, so what am I supposed to do, Father? I mean, you tell me, where do I go?” A question I am sure many gay Catholics are asking themselves, especially if they misunderstand the Church’s true teaching.
Brian rejects the priest’s subsequent recommendation that he find a church geared to the homosexual population, and asks, “Why can’t the Church be accepting of all people?” to which the priest responds, “We are. We embrace everyone just like Jesus.” AH! Another miracle! The Church’s teachings on unconditional love displayed on prime time!!! YAY!
Of course, this is met with some challenge from Brian, who says that Jesus would not judge someone based on his sexuality, because Jesus loved everyone, causing the priest to launch into a passionate monologue about how Jesus was not a “blissed out hippy” but rather a radical force for change. It is a great moment that, once again, posed the perfect opportunity for the writers to illuminate the true teachings of the Church, but sadly, they wimped out.
Instead of challenging Brian with the true teachings, the priest essentially tells him that if he, and enough others, fights hard enough the Church will change and accept same-sex marriage. Once again, a golden opportunity missed.
It seems to me that the writer’s just didn’t have the courage to take this all the way. They stopped just short of real truth and instead presented a “PC” version of Catholicism to the masses. Because here’s the truth – the Church is not going to change. Nor should it.
You see, when you get right down to it, the Church is not asking any more of people with same-sex attraction than it is of unmarried, heterosexual couples, or the consecrated men and women of the Church, including our priests. And that is chastity.
Because as Catholics, we recognize that sex is not about the desires of the flesh, but rather the desires of God. It is a beautiful gift that He has given us in order to be participants in His life-giving power. That is why we do not believe in birth control, either. Because when you put up any barrier between the sexual act and the ability for that act to result in a new life being created, you are misusing this gift from God. And God established the Sacrament of marriage as the holy union in which life was to be created and raised.
That is the heart of the Church’s stance on gay marriage, contraception, premarital sex, adultery, and masturbation. It all comes down to one thing – sex is intended to be a life-giving event, and using it in any other way is unholy.
But here is the other big thing to hold onto – the sin of engaging in homosexual sexual activity is no greater or worse than the sin of engaging in premarital sex – or the sin of a married couple using birth control. In the eyes of God, it is all equal.
So to say that the Church “rejects” people because they have same sex attraction, or even because they fall to that sin, would also be to say that the Church rejects people who have sex before marriage, or use birth control, or fall to any other sin – in other words, it would be to say that the Church rejects ALL people. And I am pretty sure that I know the Bible well enough to be confident when I say that Jesus did not teach that.
Do we need to be better about showing unconditional love to people with same-sex attraction? Yes. Are we perfect and always handle discussions about this very personal and sensitive topic correctly? No, of course not.
But I think we can all stop and take a lesson from the closing scene of this episode of “The New Normal” – in it, Brian is back in the pews, and the priest comes up and speaks to him. Brian asks if it is alright if he comes to Mass once in a while, and the priest responds by saying, “I would love to see you at Mass….you and your family.” That is what the Church is. Unconditional love. Not unconditional acceptance of sin, but unconditional love of the sinners. All of us.
So for some reason I paused on the listing and noticed that the title of the episode was, “The Godparent Trap”, and hit the “Info” button on my remote. The description said that the couple, Brian and David, is on a search to find Godparents for their baby, which prompts Brian to try to reconnect to his Catholic roots by visiting a church where he gets some unexpected advice. OK, now I was intrigued. A prime time sitcom about a same-sex couple was going to send one of them into a Catholic Church for advice on Godparents?? The first thought that ran through my mind was, “Oh no, here we go, more Catholic bashing in the popular media”, but a part of me hoped it would be different, so I decided to watch. And I am glad I did.
Now, I don’t want to oversell the message delivered in this episode – it was far from perfect, but there were a couple of extraordinary moments that got me thinking.
The first was a scene where Brain walks into the church, genuflects before the crucifix and has a seat in a pew. You proceed to hear his inner monologue as he glances around the sanctuary, finishing with him saying to the crucified Christ, “You know who judges me? Your Father.” This is immediately followed by a young priest tapping him on the shoulder and asking if he is there for Confession.
Inside the confessional, Brian starts giving a snarky and flippant “Confession” – which the priest quickly calls him on and tells him that if he isn’t going to take it seriously, then he can go. This causes Brian to alter his approach significantly, leading him to reveal that he is gay and there because, “I don’t think I can find spiritual foundation in others if I can’t even find it in myself.” It is a beautiful moment of honesty that leads into a spirited conversation between the priest and Brian about his homosexuality and the Church.
Now, without recounting word for word the entire scene, I want to point out a couple of key things that happened that made this so close to being the best representation of the Church’s belief about same-sex attraction that I have ever seen on TV, and also where is falls incredibly short of this achievement.
The first is that when Brian reveals that he is gay, the priest responds by saying, “Well, contrary to popular opinion, being gay is not a sin. The Church is not anti-gay.” This stopped me in my tracks! I was amazed and so excited that someone had finally gotten it right! Here it was, on prime time, an actor depicting a Roman Catholic Priest actually stating the true teaching of the Church – being gay, or having same-sex attraction, is NOT a sin! Alleluia! Sadly, this elation was short lived.
Brian immediately challenges the priest’s statement by asking why the Pope treats gay marriage “like Amanda Bynes treats pedestrians”, and instead of using this as a moment to explain the Church’s teaching on marriage, the priest instead dismisses the Pope by comparing him to a “loveable old uncle who pops off intolerant comments at a family barbeque”. Ouch. And so far from true. This was the moment I almost lost all hope for this episode, because it had gone from so right to SO SO WRONG.
A couple of points here…
1. The Pope is not an intolerant old man. Old maybe….but intolerant? Absolutely not. And I took GREAT offense to a writer portraying a priest as holding that opinion of the Holy Father.
2. There is a huge, and very important, difference between being gay and the issue of gay marriage in the eyes of the Church. More on this in a bit, but the point here is that insinuate that the Pope, or the Church as a whole, is indifferent and dismissive of this sensitive issue is unfair.
OK, back to the show…the conversation then turns to Brian talking about his love for the Church – for the ritual, the tradition, even the Stations of the Cross, and ending with him saying, “But you guys don’t accept me, so what am I supposed to do, Father? I mean, you tell me, where do I go?” A question I am sure many gay Catholics are asking themselves, especially if they misunderstand the Church’s true teaching.
Brian rejects the priest’s subsequent recommendation that he find a church geared to the homosexual population, and asks, “Why can’t the Church be accepting of all people?” to which the priest responds, “We are. We embrace everyone just like Jesus.” AH! Another miracle! The Church’s teachings on unconditional love displayed on prime time!!! YAY!
Of course, this is met with some challenge from Brian, who says that Jesus would not judge someone based on his sexuality, because Jesus loved everyone, causing the priest to launch into a passionate monologue about how Jesus was not a “blissed out hippy” but rather a radical force for change. It is a great moment that, once again, posed the perfect opportunity for the writers to illuminate the true teachings of the Church, but sadly, they wimped out.
Instead of challenging Brian with the true teachings, the priest essentially tells him that if he, and enough others, fights hard enough the Church will change and accept same-sex marriage. Once again, a golden opportunity missed.
It seems to me that the writer’s just didn’t have the courage to take this all the way. They stopped just short of real truth and instead presented a “PC” version of Catholicism to the masses. Because here’s the truth – the Church is not going to change. Nor should it.
You see, when you get right down to it, the Church is not asking any more of people with same-sex attraction than it is of unmarried, heterosexual couples, or the consecrated men and women of the Church, including our priests. And that is chastity.
Because as Catholics, we recognize that sex is not about the desires of the flesh, but rather the desires of God. It is a beautiful gift that He has given us in order to be participants in His life-giving power. That is why we do not believe in birth control, either. Because when you put up any barrier between the sexual act and the ability for that act to result in a new life being created, you are misusing this gift from God. And God established the Sacrament of marriage as the holy union in which life was to be created and raised.
That is the heart of the Church’s stance on gay marriage, contraception, premarital sex, adultery, and masturbation. It all comes down to one thing – sex is intended to be a life-giving event, and using it in any other way is unholy.
But here is the other big thing to hold onto – the sin of engaging in homosexual sexual activity is no greater or worse than the sin of engaging in premarital sex – or the sin of a married couple using birth control. In the eyes of God, it is all equal.
So to say that the Church “rejects” people because they have same sex attraction, or even because they fall to that sin, would also be to say that the Church rejects people who have sex before marriage, or use birth control, or fall to any other sin – in other words, it would be to say that the Church rejects ALL people. And I am pretty sure that I know the Bible well enough to be confident when I say that Jesus did not teach that.
Do we need to be better about showing unconditional love to people with same-sex attraction? Yes. Are we perfect and always handle discussions about this very personal and sensitive topic correctly? No, of course not.
But I think we can all stop and take a lesson from the closing scene of this episode of “The New Normal” – in it, Brian is back in the pews, and the priest comes up and speaks to him. Brian asks if it is alright if he comes to Mass once in a while, and the priest responds by saying, “I would love to see you at Mass….you and your family.” That is what the Church is. Unconditional love. Not unconditional acceptance of sin, but unconditional love of the sinners. All of us.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
The 4 A's
I was talking with a fellow youth minister recently and he mentioned having been at a youth ministry conference this summer (yes, we are such GIANT youth ministry nerds that we actually go to conferences to talk about it and learn how to love our AMAZING teens better! =) ). At this conference, he heard a speaker talk about how society at large is concerned with what he called, "The 4 A's" - Academics, Athletics, Appearance, and the Arts.
Wow, that really rings true to me when I stop and think about it for a minute. Conversations I have with you guys frequently involve talking about a few, if not all, of these topics.
So many of you are stressed out by school obligations and feel an immense pressure to perform well in the academic world because everyone is telling you that you have to get into a good college in order to "succeed" in life.
Many of you are on multiple sports teams or deeply committed to playing a particular sport, some purely out of love for the game, some because of dreams of getting a scholarship and/or becoming a professional athlete, some because it make a good line on you college applications and many for several or all of these reasons . And those of you who are not are often passionate followers of a professional team or athlete - often influenced by their perceived value or worth in the popular culture.
Everywhere we look, we are told that appearance and value go hand in hand. The "pretty people" are portrayed as being happier, more successful, more worthwhile and valued as humans. We see this played out on TV, in movies, in books, ads....basically everywhere!
And all you have to do is think about how much money the entertainment industry rakes in every year to see the importance we place on the arts. Singers, musicians, and actors are among the highest paid people in our culture (along with professional athletes...another of the "A's"). We dedicate countless websites, magazines and news programs to following the escapades and lives of these people, not to mention the dozens of reality shows aimed at finding the next great singer, performer, or model.
Now, I want to be clear about something - none of these things are bad. None of them are inherently evil or destructive. They are all, in fact, at their root, about people using the talents and skills that God has graced them with, and that is a good thing! The deciding factor, really, is what priority do these things play in your life? Are you able to engage in the "4 A's" and still keep your life in right order - with God at the top of the list, family next, and all of these other things falling somewhere lower down?
Because not only are the "4 A's" examples of people using their gifts and talents - they are actually all things that God himself has celebrated through out all of time - and He speaks about ALL of them in the Scriptures! Let's take a look...
Academics: "That people may know wisdom and discipline, may understand intelligent sayings; May receive instruction in wise conduct, in what is right, just and fair; That resourcefulness may be imparted to the naive, knowledge and discretion to the young. The wise by hearing them will advance in learning, the intelligent will gain sound guidance,To comprehend proverb and byword, the words of the wise and their riddles. Fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline." Proverbs 1:1-7
Athletics: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. " Hebrews 12:1-2
Appearance: "You are all beautiful, my beloved, and there is no blemish in you" Song of Songs 4:7
Arts: "Sing a new song to the LORD, who has done marvelous deeds, Whose right hand and holy arm have won the victory.The LORD has made his victory known; has revealed his triumph for the nations to see, Has remembered faithful love toward the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth; break into song; sing praise. Sing praise to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and melodious song. With trumpets and the sound of the horn shout with joy to the King, the LORD. Let the sea and what fills it resound, the world and those who dwell there. Let the rivers clap their hands, the mountains shout with them for joy, Before the LORD who comes, who comes to govern the earth, To govern the world with justice and the peoples with fairness." Psalm 98
Now these are just four examples among many where we can hear God celebrating the "4 A's" throughout Scriptures! Want to read more? Just type in "Bible verses about _________" into Bing!
I think that by remembering that the "4 A's" were in fact created AND celebrated by God Himself is important - because then we can keep in the forefront of our minds that engaging in our culture does not mean disengaging with God, or vice-versa - it just means making sure that we engage in the "4 A's" in a way that brings glory and praise to God, and keeps our priorities and lives pointed to Christ.
Wow, that really rings true to me when I stop and think about it for a minute. Conversations I have with you guys frequently involve talking about a few, if not all, of these topics.
So many of you are stressed out by school obligations and feel an immense pressure to perform well in the academic world because everyone is telling you that you have to get into a good college in order to "succeed" in life.
Many of you are on multiple sports teams or deeply committed to playing a particular sport, some purely out of love for the game, some because of dreams of getting a scholarship and/or becoming a professional athlete, some because it make a good line on you college applications and many for several or all of these reasons . And those of you who are not are often passionate followers of a professional team or athlete - often influenced by their perceived value or worth in the popular culture.
Everywhere we look, we are told that appearance and value go hand in hand. The "pretty people" are portrayed as being happier, more successful, more worthwhile and valued as humans. We see this played out on TV, in movies, in books, ads....basically everywhere!
And all you have to do is think about how much money the entertainment industry rakes in every year to see the importance we place on the arts. Singers, musicians, and actors are among the highest paid people in our culture (along with professional athletes...another of the "A's"). We dedicate countless websites, magazines and news programs to following the escapades and lives of these people, not to mention the dozens of reality shows aimed at finding the next great singer, performer, or model.
Now, I want to be clear about something - none of these things are bad. None of them are inherently evil or destructive. They are all, in fact, at their root, about people using the talents and skills that God has graced them with, and that is a good thing! The deciding factor, really, is what priority do these things play in your life? Are you able to engage in the "4 A's" and still keep your life in right order - with God at the top of the list, family next, and all of these other things falling somewhere lower down?
Because not only are the "4 A's" examples of people using their gifts and talents - they are actually all things that God himself has celebrated through out all of time - and He speaks about ALL of them in the Scriptures! Let's take a look...
Academics: "That people may know wisdom and discipline, may understand intelligent sayings; May receive instruction in wise conduct, in what is right, just and fair; That resourcefulness may be imparted to the naive, knowledge and discretion to the young. The wise by hearing them will advance in learning, the intelligent will gain sound guidance,To comprehend proverb and byword, the words of the wise and their riddles. Fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline." Proverbs 1:1-7
Athletics: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. " Hebrews 12:1-2
Appearance: "You are all beautiful, my beloved, and there is no blemish in you" Song of Songs 4:7
Arts: "Sing a new song to the LORD, who has done marvelous deeds, Whose right hand and holy arm have won the victory.The LORD has made his victory known; has revealed his triumph for the nations to see, Has remembered faithful love toward the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth; break into song; sing praise. Sing praise to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and melodious song. With trumpets and the sound of the horn shout with joy to the King, the LORD. Let the sea and what fills it resound, the world and those who dwell there. Let the rivers clap their hands, the mountains shout with them for joy, Before the LORD who comes, who comes to govern the earth, To govern the world with justice and the peoples with fairness." Psalm 98
Now these are just four examples among many where we can hear God celebrating the "4 A's" throughout Scriptures! Want to read more? Just type in "Bible verses about _________" into Bing!
I think that by remembering that the "4 A's" were in fact created AND celebrated by God Himself is important - because then we can keep in the forefront of our minds that engaging in our culture does not mean disengaging with God, or vice-versa - it just means making sure that we engage in the "4 A's" in a way that brings glory and praise to God, and keeps our priorities and lives pointed to Christ.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Get to know your Core Team!
We had a great time at the kick-off night last night - and as part of it, we played a game called Core Bingo in which teens had to match crazy facts with the right Core member. We did not have time to get though all the fun facts, so I promised to list them all here! Enjoy!
Core Fun Facts
Blair
1. I have a Beta
fish named Fish Stick Midnight Snack
2. I've been to 6
countries outside the US
3. my favorite
colors are pink, red, and yellow
4. I love going to
concerts
5. went to 13 years
of Catholic school
6. one day I want to
open my own cafe
7. I studied German
for 7 years
8. my favorite
veggie is broccoli
9. I love chocolate
and peanut butter- especially Reese's!
Del
1.
I have a black belt in Karate
2.
I am a published author (sounds cooler than it
actually is... I have about a dozen papers published in scientific conferences
and journals)
3.
I worked on contract for the Department of
National Defence (yes, that is the way you spell it. It is not
"Defense" because it is Canadian)
4.
I have given talks in San Jose, Santa Fe,
Montreal, Toronto, and Madrid (Spain)
5.
I got my first grey (yes, "grey",
not "gray") hair at the age of 11
6.
I do not have a middle name
7.
I was the vice president of my university's
pro life club
8.
I bought myself a drum kit so that I would be
forced to learn to play drums... and yes, I did learn how to play them.
9. I wish that I
could play violin, but I cannot.
10. I am from a city with the same name as one of our Core members
Victoria:
1.
Is fluent in American Sign Language
2.
Went to college at a school that
looked like Hogwarts
3.
Lived in Japan for 3 years
4.
Just moved here from Virginia in July
5.
Has never been camping (Due to fear of
spiders, bears, mountain lions, Sasquatch ect...)
6.
Thinks Doctor Who is the greatest TV
show of all time (Would also like their own Tardis as form of personal
transportation)
7.
Loves all things Harry Potter related
8.
Has 4 older sisters
9.
Favorite band of all time is Mumford
& Sons
10. Favorite
place in the world is Saint Peter's Square in Vatican City at night
Amanda
1.
Has a tattoo
2.
Grew up in Las Vegas
3.
Ate sea urchin straight out of the
ocean
4.
Has cooked mussels in the hot springs
on a thermal beach in New Zealand
5.
Favorite book is To Kill A Mockingbird
6.
Has parasailed upside-down
7.
Won a state championship in volleyball
8.
Got my first gray hair at 13
9.
Loves to cook Indian food from scratch
10. Got
a broken foot by kicking a while when angry
Cathleen
1.
Is half polish
2.
Wants to grow up to be a dolphin
trainer
3.
Has 23 first cousins
4.
Aunt is the librarian at Seattle Prep
5.
Has had a board game themed birthday
party two years in a row (the last two years)
6.
Is on team Peeta .. but not movie
Peeta, book Peeta
7.
Got a hole in one at try outs for the
golf team junior year. ... yeah she made the team.
8.
Pulled the sword out of the stone in
Disneyland when i was five
9.
Has a plastic goose named Duck
"guarding" my front door
10. Was
voted "best laugh" in high school
Emily
1.
I was born in the pumpkin capital of
the world
2.
I almost blew up my house when I was 5
3.
I still own and snuggle with my
childhood teddy bear
4.
I graduated with a BA in Catholic
Studies
5.
My favorite virtue is meekness
6.
I love to knit and bake
7.
I have participated in service
immersions in Kenya and El Salvador
8.
I grew up singing and dancing in
musical theatre productions
9.
I protested in front of the White
House with the DC Catholic Workers
10. I
lived in Chicago for 4 years before moving to Seattle.
John
1.
Tried to dye his hair blonde but it turned
a nasty orange color for his Senior year ASB card picture
2.
Got 2nd is state for a dart
league
3.
Has ½ brothers and sisters he has
never met
4.
Ate dinner on the US Middway
Battleship
5.
Was held by Ronald Regan and thought
his nose was weird and his feet were huge
6.
Does not use deodorant – only used it
in Junior High because it was “cool”.
7. 12 year molars did not come in until he was in high school
8. Has 2 middle names
9. Played footfall in Dallas Cowdoys stadium and kicked a field goal
What a bunch of wierdos! Haha!!!! Just kidding! I love them all!!! Actually, I think they are EXTRAORDINARY!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)