So the other day amid a very stressful day, the lyrics of a song just sort of popped into my head, and it was exactly what I needed to hear. I have to admit, I'm not a very big fan of Nickelback, but I'll give them credit for their song "If today was your last day." The line of the song that truly hit me was, "...each day's a gift and not a given right." As I began to reflect upon this phrase, I realized I haven't been living with this truth in mind.
Each morning I've been waking up with a sense of entitlement. Entitlement to have an equal opportunity to pursue my own desires, my dreams for life;entitlement to happiness here on Earth; and especially for me, entitlement to have things the way they use to be; in particular my health. Growing up you could say I was pretty injury prone. Injuries I could deal with, that was just part of being involved with sports as well as part of being a boy. What I wasn't prepared for was the health problems that were in a sense, beyond my control. Growing up I'd always been a fairly physically active kid; I loved being outdoors. When I wasn't at soccer or basketball practice, I was out running, playing pickup games, or just enjoying the outdoors playing capture the flag or something with friends. I ate reasonably healthy, drank lots of water and milk, the whole 9 yards. So that's what it was a surprise for both my doctors and me when I was diagnosed with hypertension and later a congenital heart condition. At first it didn't really give me much trouble. But as I noticed it beginning to affect me, I quickly grew frustrated. Frustrated I couldn't do the things I use to do. Frustrated that I had to endure something that I had done nothing to warrant. Worse than my own crosses though were seeing those close to me enduring suffering: my brother's,cousin's,friend's, and family putting up with autoimmune diseases and other health ailments. What hurt most was watching it affect their lives as it killed off some of their dreams and forced them to make adjustments in their lives, yet remembering who they use to be.
I finally realized this situation was very similar to those people wondering why bad things happen to good people. I've had far too many friends die young, and it's only human nature to wonder why. You'll hear the phrase "life's not fair." Well that's because we all have this mindset of entitlement; entitlement to have the same opportunity to live life and chase our dreams. When this doesn't happen, we often feel that the person who isn't given that opportunity is cheated, slided, short-changed. My brothers and sisters, who are we to be entitled to anything? Each morning you wake up, the thought that you "have to endure" another day of sufferings doesn't need to cross your mind. Each morning is a time to rejoice, for truly each day is a gift from God, a blessing from above! We would do well to remember that. Yes life is going to be hard, but God places so much in our life each day to remind us of the gift He is giving us: the sunrise, the sunshine, people in our lives, the sun set, the beautiful landscapes, the comfort of family, friends, and having a home, a cozy fire, and so much more.
It has been said "We place our happiness in other people's hands." How true this is, and how often we are let down. We as humans, and even more so as Americans, have come up with a solution: we'll medicate ourselves. When reality becomes too overbearing, we'll either escape reality or create our own. This is why alcoholism has become such a big problem here in the United States, especially among college-aged students. At a point in life when things can be pretty stressful and unclear, alcohol provides a way to escape it all, atleast for a while. Now i'm not some big prohibitionist who thinks alcohol is a bad thing; quite the opposite in fact. But the way in which we use it can be quite unhealthy, both physically and spiritually. And it's not just alcohol, each of us has our own self-prescribed medication. For some it's throwing themselves into their work, their job, their career; seeking the satisfaction that comes with achieving a big feat for their company or themselves and they become ever-more dependent upon that feeling. For others it's cutting other people down in order to feel better about themselves. Everyone has their own way to cope. But of all these people we turn to in search of happiness: ourselves, our family, our friends, many of us forget to seek the one person who can truly grant us happiness and peace. He tells us each and every day how much He loves us in the simplest things as I mentioned above: the sunset, breath-taking mountains and waterfalls, the people in our lives, and so many other ways.
Yet we continue to give in to despair. We give in to the pressures and the stress and lose hope. This is why I have made it my personal mission to do the small things in life: hold the door for a stranger, listen to friends when they are having a rough day, wish them luck on exams/interviews/ect., surprise them with a letter or card or gift. ect. It's through these small things that we can restore hope in people's lives, and hope is something we all need to believe in. Here's a few good reminders from scripture.
Romans 12:12 "Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer."
Isaiah 40:31 "They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles' wings; they will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint."
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope!
To wrap things up just like to leave you with some lines from the song "Every time you run" by Manafest.
I promised not to quit and I remembered the words
Every time you run, every time you hide
Every time it hurts, every time you cry
Every time you run away, every time you hide your face
And it feels so far away, I’m right here, with you
And as an added bonus for all of you who enjoy some Christmas music.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Guidance and the roadmap to life
So I figured I'm well overdo on updating this thing. Im not going to even try and fill in all the details since my last update. So here's the brief synposis. Definitely had my share of valleys in life. Had to watch several friends struggle with some crosses in their lives while feeling completely helpless in assisting them to carry their crosses, which is hard for me. For as long as I can remember, I've always been the guy people come to when they needed advice, or just someone to listen to them. Also, life has been presenting me with my own crosses of late. The end of this summer I was diagnosed with a heart condition. While nothing life threatening, I do have to travel to Cleveland to meet with a cardiologist at a clinic there to see what my options are to take care of it. Needless to say I've been struggling alot lately with trusting God's plan for my life. Which leads me into my first main topic.
Earlier this semester I was blessed to have the opportunity to serve on a retreat geared toward college students. While serving on this retreat, my friend Autumn mentioned something in her talk that I desperately needed to hear. In sharing her own attempt to follow God's plan for her life, she brought up the term guidance. Now a cool way to think about guidance is the following statement: God yoU and i DANCE. Now in dancing, if both people try to lead the dance, well it's not going to work out well, and it's not going to be a very fun dance. But if one person concedes the lead to the other, and follows the lead of the other person, things work out very smoothly, and the dance is quite enjoyable. So it is in life. As long as I am trying to fight God for control of my life, things are going to be pretty rough, and I'm going to be unhappy with my life. And the things is that if I wasn't so caught up in my own plan and agenda, God has written this message out in so many areas of my life. Most obvious are all the scripture passages concerning our futures:
Jeremiah 29:11 "I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for."
Proverbs 16:9 "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.
Reflecting on my own life, I can see how true this is, yet I continuely try to take control of the wheel. And by getting caught up with all these plans and dreams of mine, I miss some of hte greatest gifts God gives...I miss the present moment and all the simple delights found in life. I was reminded of this the past two weekends when driving home from Manhattan. Now some of you will probably think I'm kinda weird for saying this, but I absolutely love Kansas. It has been wonderful growing up here and I want nothing more than-God willing I should have a family some day-the opportunity to raise a family here in Kansas. While driving home the past two weekends I have seen one of my favorite sites, and one reason I love Kansas so much:
the sun setting over the pastures and fields of the Kansas country side. For whatever reason this simple phenomenon of life fills me with such peace and love of God...yet I often miss out on the opportunity to experience it beacause I get so wrapped up in the "life" I create for myself. So I have challenged myself to start slowing down more and simply enjoying the little things
While our families slip away"
Edmund Burke once said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." I believe this is exactly what we are seeing in today's society. Men are too content to settle for good instead of great. In reading some books by John Elredge, I have realized that for the vast majority of men, their greatest fear is failure. The questions that dogs them their whole lives is, "Do I have what it takes? Am I really a man?" In the fear of falling short of this, men have ceased to take risks....ceased to make a stand for the truth. This inaction is allowing evil to corrupt and destroy our society.
In the war of the mind
I will make my stand
In the battle of the heart
And the battle of the hand
We were made to be courageous
And we're taking back the fight
We were made to be courageous
And it starts with us tonight
Our sisters in Christ are under attack now more than ever. Society tells them they have to look a certain way in order to be beautiful....to act a certain way in order to be accepted. Self image continues to deteriorate in youth and materialism continues to run rampart. According to society if you look a certain way and have all these things then you will be happy. Where are the men proclaiming the truth to happiness? Aside from the few men preaching it up in the pulpit, I don't hear it. Most of us have lost sight of the truth. We fall into the trap laid by the enemy. If I don't have such and such job and make so much money and provide for my family, I'm not a man. Lies my brothers!
When was the last time you told one of your sisters in Christ how beautiful she was or how much you enjoyed her company? Too long ago I fear for the great majority of us. Hence rises one of the worst problems men battle in today's society: pornography. Satan's no dummy...he hits at the core of weakness. Afraid of failure or rejection? Satan provides a solution that takes away the risks of the situation and seemingly provide all the rewards. Yet this is tearing our society apart. And worse it has led even more to the objectification of our sisters in Christ. Where are you men of courage?
And the problem doesn't stop with just our sisters in Christ. Now, this evil permeates all aspects of society and has infiltrated our leaders and now our economy and our countries are wavering. Well men, it's time to stop being spectators. This weekend I was blessed with the opportunity to watch my brother's soccer tourney. As the games went on I listend as parents yelled at their sons for making bad passes or not making the right plays, yelling at the refs for missed calls...myself included (still just a bit competitive). But as I got to thinking, I use to be a player myself. And it's one thing to sit on the sidelines and complain about how things are going...but it's something completely different being out on the field...to be an active participator. Things don't always go perfectly, but you don't complain. You just keep working and keep giving it everything you have. This is what frustrates me most about the Occupy Wall street, and occupy this and that. These protestors are nothing more than spectators on the sideline, complaining about the calls life has thrown at them. They can see something is wrong, but they aren't doing anything to fix the problem. Men, it's time to stop sitting on the sidelines and time to start being active participators in life. It's time to man up and face our fears....to take risks for the things that are most important in our life.
Most importantly we cannot forget we are in this alone. Christ arms us to ride into battle...gives us strength to make a stand. We are provided so many opportunities: mass, confession, the rosary, adoration, and so much more but we don't take advantage of the blessings God places in our lives. In the words of G.K. Chesteron, "The issue is now clear. It is between light and darkness and everyone must choose his side."
Esto vir! (be a man!).
Earlier this semester I was blessed to have the opportunity to serve on a retreat geared toward college students. While serving on this retreat, my friend Autumn mentioned something in her talk that I desperately needed to hear. In sharing her own attempt to follow God's plan for her life, she brought up the term guidance. Now a cool way to think about guidance is the following statement: God yoU and i DANCE. Now in dancing, if both people try to lead the dance, well it's not going to work out well, and it's not going to be a very fun dance. But if one person concedes the lead to the other, and follows the lead of the other person, things work out very smoothly, and the dance is quite enjoyable. So it is in life. As long as I am trying to fight God for control of my life, things are going to be pretty rough, and I'm going to be unhappy with my life. And the things is that if I wasn't so caught up in my own plan and agenda, God has written this message out in so many areas of my life. Most obvious are all the scripture passages concerning our futures:
Jeremiah 29:11 "I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for."
Proverbs 16:9 "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.
Reflecting on my own life, I can see how true this is, yet I continuely try to take control of the wheel. And by getting caught up with all these plans and dreams of mine, I miss some of hte greatest gifts God gives...I miss the present moment and all the simple delights found in life. I was reminded of this the past two weekends when driving home from Manhattan. Now some of you will probably think I'm kinda weird for saying this, but I absolutely love Kansas. It has been wonderful growing up here and I want nothing more than-God willing I should have a family some day-the opportunity to raise a family here in Kansas. While driving home the past two weekends I have seen one of my favorite sites, and one reason I love Kansas so much:
the sun setting over the pastures and fields of the Kansas country side. For whatever reason this simple phenomenon of life fills me with such peace and love of God...yet I often miss out on the opportunity to experience it beacause I get so wrapped up in the "life" I create for myself. So I have challenged myself to start slowing down more and simply enjoying the little things
The other topic I wished to touch upon is in light of all the news and media I've heard lately. I read the newspaper fairly regularly and lately all I've been hearing about is how Ashton Kutcher cheated on his wife again, the scandal surrounding Penn State University, how our economy is shambles, protests are going on all over the US, and all our Congress can do is fight with one another (oh and declare pizza sauce a vegetable so pizza can still be used in schools...great use of tax dollars right there folks)...and other similar stories. One question has continuously been running through my head....where are all the real men?
Recently the Men of Chi Rho went and watched the movie Courageous. In the song "Courageous" by Casting Crowns, there is a line that I think answers my question quite well, "We were warriors on the front lines;Standing, unafraid
But now we're watchers on the sidelinesWhile our families slip away"
Edmund Burke once said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." I believe this is exactly what we are seeing in today's society. Men are too content to settle for good instead of great. In reading some books by John Elredge, I have realized that for the vast majority of men, their greatest fear is failure. The questions that dogs them their whole lives is, "Do I have what it takes? Am I really a man?" In the fear of falling short of this, men have ceased to take risks....ceased to make a stand for the truth. This inaction is allowing evil to corrupt and destroy our society.
In the war of the mind
I will make my stand
In the battle of the heart
And the battle of the hand
We were made to be courageous
And we're taking back the fight
We were made to be courageous
And it starts with us tonight
Our sisters in Christ are under attack now more than ever. Society tells them they have to look a certain way in order to be beautiful....to act a certain way in order to be accepted. Self image continues to deteriorate in youth and materialism continues to run rampart. According to society if you look a certain way and have all these things then you will be happy. Where are the men proclaiming the truth to happiness? Aside from the few men preaching it up in the pulpit, I don't hear it. Most of us have lost sight of the truth. We fall into the trap laid by the enemy. If I don't have such and such job and make so much money and provide for my family, I'm not a man. Lies my brothers!
When was the last time you told one of your sisters in Christ how beautiful she was or how much you enjoyed her company? Too long ago I fear for the great majority of us. Hence rises one of the worst problems men battle in today's society: pornography. Satan's no dummy...he hits at the core of weakness. Afraid of failure or rejection? Satan provides a solution that takes away the risks of the situation and seemingly provide all the rewards. Yet this is tearing our society apart. And worse it has led even more to the objectification of our sisters in Christ. Where are you men of courage?
And the problem doesn't stop with just our sisters in Christ. Now, this evil permeates all aspects of society and has infiltrated our leaders and now our economy and our countries are wavering. Well men, it's time to stop being spectators. This weekend I was blessed with the opportunity to watch my brother's soccer tourney. As the games went on I listend as parents yelled at their sons for making bad passes or not making the right plays, yelling at the refs for missed calls...myself included (still just a bit competitive). But as I got to thinking, I use to be a player myself. And it's one thing to sit on the sidelines and complain about how things are going...but it's something completely different being out on the field...to be an active participator. Things don't always go perfectly, but you don't complain. You just keep working and keep giving it everything you have. This is what frustrates me most about the Occupy Wall street, and occupy this and that. These protestors are nothing more than spectators on the sideline, complaining about the calls life has thrown at them. They can see something is wrong, but they aren't doing anything to fix the problem. Men, it's time to stop sitting on the sidelines and time to start being active participators in life. It's time to man up and face our fears....to take risks for the things that are most important in our life.
Most importantly we cannot forget we are in this alone. Christ arms us to ride into battle...gives us strength to make a stand. We are provided so many opportunities: mass, confession, the rosary, adoration, and so much more but we don't take advantage of the blessings God places in our lives. In the words of G.K. Chesteron, "The issue is now clear. It is between light and darkness and everyone must choose his side."
Esto vir! (be a man!).
Friday, August 12, 2011
the pillars of the framily
A little over two years ago I was blessed to become part of a group of individuals that has since become known as the "framily" (friends as close as family). The term was originally coined by a group of close friends who met on their candidate Teens Encounter Christ (TEC) retreat. It wasn't long however, before the term was picked up by the much larger TEC community. At first this made our original group a little upset, as we felt the term had been "stolen" by people who didn't realize the origins of the word, or the people involved. But as we soon learned, the term had evolved to stand for much more than a group of friends. It now stood for a community of love; a community of hope. The friendships formed on events such as TEC are so strong because for once in our lives, we aren't soley concerned with our own selfish desires, seeking what we get out of the friendships. The friendships formed at these events are formed during the "God moments" of the individuals lives, simultaneously experiencing God's agape, his selfless love for us. It is this agape that acts as the adhesive, the bond that joins these friends together and makes them so strong.
Just the other day I was talking with my dear friend Brooke about the identity of the framily, and came up with the following pillars in our community:
1. Eucharist/Adoration
2. Devotion to Mary
3. Liturgy of the Hours
4. God-given fun (swing-dancing)
1. Eucharist/Adoration. Being that the Eucharist is the source and summit of our Catholic faith, it is only fitting that it is the main pillar in our community. I think for the great majority of the framily, our devotion to the Blessed Sacrament either began or was greatly strengthened at the Adoration/Penance services of our TEC retreats. Personally, I would like to see the sacrament of Reconciliation celebrated simultaneously with Eucharistic Adoration more often. The gift of our Lord in the Eucharist is not one we should take for granted. It is such a blessing then to spend some time in reflection in the presence of our Lord before Reconciliation so that we may ask Him to allow us to see more clearly and to see ourselves as we truly are. Then after purifying our souls and washing them clean of the sins that have kept us from being in communion with our Lord, we can immediately fill ourselves with the graces of the Lord by returning and doing our reparation for our sins in the presence of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. For me, this is one of the most beautiful parts of the TEC weekend, getting to see the candidates and even the team members released from the chains of sin that have held them as slaves for too long. In correspondence (snail mail) with some of my close friends from the framily, I have noticed in closing their letters, my friends Steph and Tony often conclude with the following life: see you in the Eucharist. The simplicity of that statement almost makes us lose sight of those implications. Right now we are so blessed to share in one another's company. But there is a time when we will have to part ways (we are experiencing a smaller form of that in our return to our various colleges and high schools). But we are the disciples of our age. And although I'm sure the disciples enjoyed one another's company immensely, they didn't just stay in one town the whole time and enjoy this agape they had discovered. No, they went out into all parts of the world; each to his own place, following their individuals mission's in life. Yet they were united in one thing: Christ, and his body given in the Eucharist. They were bound not only with one another, but those that had gone before them and reached the heavenly goal. So though we made be spread apart: from Dallas to Wichita, Manhattan to Lawrence, even clear out to Boston and New York; we are united together as friends; as a community, the Body of Christ, we we participate in the sacrament of the Eucharist. What a blessing my brothers and sisters! Who else can say that their friends, after a night of fun, close the night (or morning as it's usually about 2 am) with a visit to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.
2. Devotion to Mary. Many of the framily has consecrated themselves to our Blessed Mary. (sorry i'm a little behind on this, it will happen, i promise). St. Louis de Montfort stated that "It was through the Blessed Virgin Mary that Jesus came into the world, and it is also through her that He must rein in the world." Total Consecration to Mary, explains St. Louis de Montfort, "consists in surrendering oneself in the manner of a slave to Mary, and to Jesus through her, and then performing all our actions with Mary, in Mary, through Mary, and for Mary." Even those of us who haven't consecrated ourselves hold a devotion to our Mother in our prayers, especially through her weapon she has given us to fight evil in our world, the rosary. I can't remember where, but I read somewhere (i think in a max lucado or scott hahn book) about an analogy of Mary in the Old Testment story of Rebekah helping her son Jacob deceive his father Isaac in order to gain his blessing. Genesis 27:1-45 contains the whole story, a bit long for this post, so i'll sum it up. Isaac promises his blessing to Esau. However, Isaac is of old age and is blind.Rebekah, wanting the blessing to go to her son Jacob, tells Jacob to bring her some game with which she will prepare a meal for Isaac. Rebekah then dresses up Jacob in the skins of animals in places Isaac would come in contact with Jacob so he thinks it is the hairy Esau. Jacob gets the blessing in place of Esau. Anyway, to the analogy. In the story, Rebekah takes Jacob's gift (the game) and embellishes it, makes it more pleasing to Isaac (turns it into a scrumdiddlyumptious meal) and adorns Jacob in Esau's best clothes and prepares him to receive his Father's blessing. Likewise Mary takes our gifts to God and emblishes them with her own love and makes them pleasing to our Lord and adorns us to receive blessings from our Heavenly Father.
3. Liturgy of the Hours. The following are quotes I took from http://www.universalis.com/ concerning the Liturgy of the Hours. The Liturgy of the Hours (also known as the Divine Office) is the richest single prayer resource of the Christian Church. It provides prayers, psalms and meditation for every hour of every day. It has existed from the earliest times, to fulfil the Lord's command to pray without ceasing. “The purpose of the Divine Office is to sanctify the day and all human activity.”
4. God-given fun. The greatest part of the framily is that they can have a good time without falling into all the lies of what this world says is "fun." One of the most common ways we achieve this is through swing-dancing at country clubs. One of the greatest parts of swing dancing is teaching new people (especially new Tecies). It's almost a right of passage anymore. Make a Tec. Learn to Swing dance. Then you are officially part of the Framily. But everyone needs to have fun in life, and we are no exception. Aside from swing-dancing, lakes/ponds would probably be the next in line under activities of God-given fun. Whether it's trying to hurt ourselves in a competition at Joel Arnold's to see who can land upright on a canoe or just running out to Cheney lake *cough* mudhole * cough*. And of course there's just the many conversations we have. And with our group, it seems like the later the conversation, the better. Especially on TEC retreats. Although I'll have to say that "man talk" with Tony Seiler, Jesse Elpers, Ryan Rausch, and some other guys in the kitchen at 1 or 2 in the morning at the Spiritual Life Center drinking hot chocolate is one of my personal favorites.
So keep the fire burning guys, keep growing in your love of Christ, and let's keep making memories to take and share with others as we enter into our missions in life.
Just the other day I was talking with my dear friend Brooke about the identity of the framily, and came up with the following pillars in our community:
1. Eucharist/Adoration
2. Devotion to Mary
3. Liturgy of the Hours
4. God-given fun (swing-dancing)
2. Devotion to Mary. Many of the framily has consecrated themselves to our Blessed Mary. (sorry i'm a little behind on this, it will happen, i promise). St. Louis de Montfort stated that "It was through the Blessed Virgin Mary that Jesus came into the world, and it is also through her that He must rein in the world." Total Consecration to Mary, explains St. Louis de Montfort, "consists in surrendering oneself in the manner of a slave to Mary, and to Jesus through her, and then performing all our actions with Mary, in Mary, through Mary, and for Mary." Even those of us who haven't consecrated ourselves hold a devotion to our Mother in our prayers, especially through her weapon she has given us to fight evil in our world, the rosary. I can't remember where, but I read somewhere (i think in a max lucado or scott hahn book) about an analogy of Mary in the Old Testment story of Rebekah helping her son Jacob deceive his father Isaac in order to gain his blessing. Genesis 27:1-45 contains the whole story, a bit long for this post, so i'll sum it up. Isaac promises his blessing to Esau. However, Isaac is of old age and is blind.Rebekah, wanting the blessing to go to her son Jacob, tells Jacob to bring her some game with which she will prepare a meal for Isaac. Rebekah then dresses up Jacob in the skins of animals in places Isaac would come in contact with Jacob so he thinks it is the hairy Esau. Jacob gets the blessing in place of Esau. Anyway, to the analogy. In the story, Rebekah takes Jacob's gift (the game) and embellishes it, makes it more pleasing to Isaac (turns it into a scrumdiddlyumptious meal) and adorns Jacob in Esau's best clothes and prepares him to receive his Father's blessing. Likewise Mary takes our gifts to God and emblishes them with her own love and makes them pleasing to our Lord and adorns us to receive blessings from our Heavenly Father.
3. Liturgy of the Hours. The following are quotes I took from http://www.universalis.com/ concerning the Liturgy of the Hours. The Liturgy of the Hours (also known as the Divine Office) is the richest single prayer resource of the Christian Church. It provides prayers, psalms and meditation for every hour of every day. It has existed from the earliest times, to fulfil the Lord's command to pray without ceasing. “The purpose of the Divine Office is to sanctify the day and all human activity.”
“The Office is... the prayer not only of the clergy but of the whole People of God.”
Pray is such an important party of our relationship with God, yet we often fail to make adequate time for this time with God. The Liturgy of the Hours is one way to help implement this time into our schedules. But like all things, it is a commitment made much easier in community, with brothers and/or sisters to hold you accountable. For those of you not familiar with the Liturgy, I'd definitely suggest talking to your friends that are familar. It is something that has definitely helped my own faith life. I'd recommend to start with just saying Night Prayer out of the Liturgy. Once you have this as a staple in your schedule, then you can begin to implement morning and evening prayer. After this, if you are really ambitious, you can implent the rest of the Divine Office.4. God-given fun. The greatest part of the framily is that they can have a good time without falling into all the lies of what this world says is "fun." One of the most common ways we achieve this is through swing-dancing at country clubs. One of the greatest parts of swing dancing is teaching new people (especially new Tecies). It's almost a right of passage anymore. Make a Tec. Learn to Swing dance. Then you are officially part of the Framily. But everyone needs to have fun in life, and we are no exception. Aside from swing-dancing, lakes/ponds would probably be the next in line under activities of God-given fun. Whether it's trying to hurt ourselves in a competition at Joel Arnold's to see who can land upright on a canoe or just running out to Cheney lake *cough* mudhole * cough*. And of course there's just the many conversations we have. And with our group, it seems like the later the conversation, the better. Especially on TEC retreats. Although I'll have to say that "man talk" with Tony Seiler, Jesse Elpers, Ryan Rausch, and some other guys in the kitchen at 1 or 2 in the morning at the Spiritual Life Center drinking hot chocolate is one of my personal favorites.
So keep the fire burning guys, keep growing in your love of Christ, and let's keep making memories to take and share with others as we enter into our missions in life.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Summer musings
So after being bugged by people this past weekend to update my blog, thought i'd get around to that. Had a lot of thoughts going through my mind this summer, so try to cover some of those.
I'm not going to lie, the beginning of this summer, I was pretty disappointed. Disappointed I didn't land an internship and disappointed that I ended up back at Arby's, the place I told myself last summer I'd never set foot in again. But here I was, stuck in a job I didn't really want to be at. The worst part was I worked a lot of nights, so I missed opportunities to see friends. But July came, and with it some different opportunities. Because of the hours I worked at arby's, and the times I had off, I was able to help a friend out with "Hero's camp", a similar summer program to Totus Tuus. Working with the younger kids has always set my heart on fire. To be able to see how far along they are already in their faith journey compared to where I was, to be able to see our church's future, to be able to experience the joy and energy of life through the eyes of these kids, it is such a blessing. And then I got the opportunity to work a TEC retreat with a man who has had such a positive impact in my life. Along with that I met some amazing new friends, friends I needed to make at this point in my life. And as I got to thinking, all of this would probably not have been possible if things had gone the way I had wanted them to. Once again, God's plan for my life was so much better than what I had planned. A verse I was reminded of was Philippians 4:6 "Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, make your requests known to God."
And as my last post touched upon, I've been doing a lot of thinking about trials and suffering in our lives. I was reminded of this by the news, hearing of the thousands suffering the famine in Africa as well as the families in Norway mourning the loss of loved ones in the terrorist attacks. One of my candidates on my table at the TEC retreat and now dear friend of mine shared the following quote with me from St. Francis De Sales, "The everlasting God has in His wisdom foreseen from eternity the cross that He now presents to you as a gift from His inmost heart. This cross he now sends you He has considered with His all-knowing eyes, understood with His divine mind, tested with His wise justice, warmed with loving arms, and weighed with His own hands to see that it be not one inch too large and not one ounce too heavy for you. He has blessed it with His holy name, anointed it with His consolation, taken one last glance at you and your courage, and then sent it to you from heaven, a special greeting from God to you, an alms of the all-merciful love of God." When looking at suffering and our daily crosses in this life, we must remember that we are in this world, and not of it. Our goal is to reach heaven and to live happily with our Lord in Heaven for eternity. To use an analogy, let's look at weightlifting. When lifting weights to gain muscle, the muscles are actually torn so that they can be rebuilt bigger and stronger. So it is with the trials and suffering in our lives. We are torn apart, allowed to feel pain now on Earth, that we might be built up stronger than before so that we might one day hopefully obtain our goal. 1 Corinthians 10:13 reads "No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength." 2 Corinthians 4:17 hits the nail on the head when it says, "For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." Finally Romans 5:3-5 states "Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. Let us grow to have the faith of the Kirishitan Martyrs, who ran and embraced their crosses on the hill. "
Five children ranging in age from 12 to 19 were among those killed on February 5.
Ibaragi Kun from Kyoto--at 12 years of age the youngest of the group--from Kyoto was admired until the end for his remarkable courage in the face of death.
Shortly after they were led to the place of their execution, an official came to him and begged him to recant his faith. Young Ibaragi Kun looked his tormentor squarely in the eye and replied, "Sir, it would be better if you yourself became a Christian and could go to heaven where I am going. Sir, which is my cross?"
The stunned official pointed to the smallest of the crosses on the hill. Ibaragi Kun ran forward, knelt in front of his cross and embraced it like a friend. Along with the others, he sang praises until he could sing no more
The last major theme I'd like to touch upon is marriage. It is no hidden fact that in today's society marriage has lost it's honor and is often held in low regard with the increasing number of divorces as well as increasing number of people living together without being married. One reason for this is the lack of commitment to anything by younger generations. Another reason is the loss of respect for women. But the biggest reason is that we have forgotten that marriage is more than the attraction between a man and a woman; marriage is a covenant. The Catholic Catechism of the Catholic Church states in 1601 "The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a parternship of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament." We know marriage to be meant for life because in Genesis 2:24 God says, "This is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body." If we read further in the catechism on the effects of marriage, we read in 1640 "Thus the marriage bond has been established by God himself in such a way that a marriage concluded and consummated between baptized persons can never be dissolved. This bond, which results from the free human act of the spouses and their consummation of the marriage, is a reality, henceforth irrevocable, and gives rise to a covenant guarenteed by God's fidelity. The Church does not have the power to contravene this disposition of divine wisdom." One final Bible quote makes God's will on the subject known, Mark 10:9 "Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate." So if all of this evidence is in the Bible, what has happend to the sacred bond of marriage. Well, as I said, we have forgotten that marriage is a sacrament, a bond, a covenant entered into by a man, a woman, and God. It is not just a civil union between two individuals. In order to begin to mend this serious wound we must begin with two key steps: restoring the dignity and respect of woman and by better discerning our vocations and who we marry. The fault lies in both genders. I feel many woman find a guy who they like, but whom they feel they can fix his faults or change those parts of him they don't like. Well, more than likely, you aren't going to change him. Yes, there are some bad habits you might get him to kick, and you might even get him to change his beliefs for you, but you aren't going to get him to change who he is. And if you do, he's not going to be happy. Which will only bring about tension and unhappiness. With the men, they often forget they are called to sacrifice; sacrifice for their wife and the good of the marriage. We are to love our wives as Christ loved the Church. In case you've forgotten, Christ died for the Church, the ultimate sacrifice. Brothers and sisters, we hold the future in our hands. The decisions we make and the things we take a stand for will determine what is accepted in the future. As G.K Chesterton states, "A dead thing goes against the stream, but a living thing can go against it." We must make a stand if we are to change what society has deemed acceptable.
I'm not going to lie, the beginning of this summer, I was pretty disappointed. Disappointed I didn't land an internship and disappointed that I ended up back at Arby's, the place I told myself last summer I'd never set foot in again. But here I was, stuck in a job I didn't really want to be at. The worst part was I worked a lot of nights, so I missed opportunities to see friends. But July came, and with it some different opportunities. Because of the hours I worked at arby's, and the times I had off, I was able to help a friend out with "Hero's camp", a similar summer program to Totus Tuus. Working with the younger kids has always set my heart on fire. To be able to see how far along they are already in their faith journey compared to where I was, to be able to see our church's future, to be able to experience the joy and energy of life through the eyes of these kids, it is such a blessing. And then I got the opportunity to work a TEC retreat with a man who has had such a positive impact in my life. Along with that I met some amazing new friends, friends I needed to make at this point in my life. And as I got to thinking, all of this would probably not have been possible if things had gone the way I had wanted them to. Once again, God's plan for my life was so much better than what I had planned. A verse I was reminded of was Philippians 4:6 "Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, make your requests known to God."
And as my last post touched upon, I've been doing a lot of thinking about trials and suffering in our lives. I was reminded of this by the news, hearing of the thousands suffering the famine in Africa as well as the families in Norway mourning the loss of loved ones in the terrorist attacks. One of my candidates on my table at the TEC retreat and now dear friend of mine shared the following quote with me from St. Francis De Sales, "The everlasting God has in His wisdom foreseen from eternity the cross that He now presents to you as a gift from His inmost heart. This cross he now sends you He has considered with His all-knowing eyes, understood with His divine mind, tested with His wise justice, warmed with loving arms, and weighed with His own hands to see that it be not one inch too large and not one ounce too heavy for you. He has blessed it with His holy name, anointed it with His consolation, taken one last glance at you and your courage, and then sent it to you from heaven, a special greeting from God to you, an alms of the all-merciful love of God." When looking at suffering and our daily crosses in this life, we must remember that we are in this world, and not of it. Our goal is to reach heaven and to live happily with our Lord in Heaven for eternity. To use an analogy, let's look at weightlifting. When lifting weights to gain muscle, the muscles are actually torn so that they can be rebuilt bigger and stronger. So it is with the trials and suffering in our lives. We are torn apart, allowed to feel pain now on Earth, that we might be built up stronger than before so that we might one day hopefully obtain our goal. 1 Corinthians 10:13 reads "No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength." 2 Corinthians 4:17 hits the nail on the head when it says, "For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." Finally Romans 5:3-5 states "Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. Let us grow to have the faith of the Kirishitan Martyrs, who ran and embraced their crosses on the hill. "
Five children ranging in age from 12 to 19 were among those killed on February 5.
Ibaragi Kun from Kyoto--at 12 years of age the youngest of the group--from Kyoto was admired until the end for his remarkable courage in the face of death.
Shortly after they were led to the place of their execution, an official came to him and begged him to recant his faith. Young Ibaragi Kun looked his tormentor squarely in the eye and replied, "Sir, it would be better if you yourself became a Christian and could go to heaven where I am going. Sir, which is my cross?"
The stunned official pointed to the smallest of the crosses on the hill. Ibaragi Kun ran forward, knelt in front of his cross and embraced it like a friend. Along with the others, he sang praises until he could sing no more
The last major theme I'd like to touch upon is marriage. It is no hidden fact that in today's society marriage has lost it's honor and is often held in low regard with the increasing number of divorces as well as increasing number of people living together without being married. One reason for this is the lack of commitment to anything by younger generations. Another reason is the loss of respect for women. But the biggest reason is that we have forgotten that marriage is more than the attraction between a man and a woman; marriage is a covenant. The Catholic Catechism of the Catholic Church states in 1601 "The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a parternship of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament." We know marriage to be meant for life because in Genesis 2:24 God says, "This is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body." If we read further in the catechism on the effects of marriage, we read in 1640 "Thus the marriage bond has been established by God himself in such a way that a marriage concluded and consummated between baptized persons can never be dissolved. This bond, which results from the free human act of the spouses and their consummation of the marriage, is a reality, henceforth irrevocable, and gives rise to a covenant guarenteed by God's fidelity. The Church does not have the power to contravene this disposition of divine wisdom." One final Bible quote makes God's will on the subject known, Mark 10:9 "Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate." So if all of this evidence is in the Bible, what has happend to the sacred bond of marriage. Well, as I said, we have forgotten that marriage is a sacrament, a bond, a covenant entered into by a man, a woman, and God. It is not just a civil union between two individuals. In order to begin to mend this serious wound we must begin with two key steps: restoring the dignity and respect of woman and by better discerning our vocations and who we marry. The fault lies in both genders. I feel many woman find a guy who they like, but whom they feel they can fix his faults or change those parts of him they don't like. Well, more than likely, you aren't going to change him. Yes, there are some bad habits you might get him to kick, and you might even get him to change his beliefs for you, but you aren't going to get him to change who he is. And if you do, he's not going to be happy. Which will only bring about tension and unhappiness. With the men, they often forget they are called to sacrifice; sacrifice for their wife and the good of the marriage. We are to love our wives as Christ loved the Church. In case you've forgotten, Christ died for the Church, the ultimate sacrifice. Brothers and sisters, we hold the future in our hands. The decisions we make and the things we take a stand for will determine what is accepted in the future. As G.K Chesterton states, "A dead thing goes against the stream, but a living thing can go against it." We must make a stand if we are to change what society has deemed acceptable.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Take up your cross and follow me
So I've been MIA for a while. I apologize for that and maybe I'll get around to updating what has been going on in my life since my last post, but that's a story for another day. Lately I've become more aware of the pain, suffering, and unhappiness present in life. It's hard to miss it scattered throughout the media: war ravaged civilians in libya and the middle east, survivors of horrific natural diasters, and the list goes on and on. But even more illuminating than that is the every day trials and suffering experienced by ordinary people: friends, relatives, acquaintances, ect.
I am no exception to this occurence. I too have my own daily struggles, my biggest perhaps being my health. Despite being fairly athletic and eating a relatively healthy diet, I have always struggled with my health, and have been no stranger to the emergency room/hospital/doctor's office. In my 20 years of life I have managed to break 4 bones, have a screw put in my foot, 7 stiches in my ear, 7 stitches in my eyebrow, had a severe infection in my ankle from a minor scrape, sports induced bursitus in my elbow, swallow a quarter, and countless sprains, strains, ingrown toenails, and other minor medical problems. These were all frustrating as they forced me to sit out countless athletic events, endure much pain, and cost quite a bit of money for my parents. Perhaps the biggest struggle out of all of these health problems was being diagnosed with hypertension (high blood pressure) my senior year of high school. Most days this isn't a problem for me, although taking a pill every day for the rest of my life is certainly annoying to say the least. But then there's what I call my "crash" days. I will wake up feeling, well lifeless. The closest explanation I can come up with is if you've ever had mono, and you just feel like you have no energy. That is pretty much how I will feel on these days. The problem is, I can't really choose these "crash" days, they just hit, especially when I have been expending myself too much. So I might have a test that day, or a bunch of homework due or a paper to write, or countless other projects. And if I have been pushing myself too much, my nose will just start bleeding for no apparant reason: in the middle of class, driving somewhere, laying in bed, in church, pretty much all the most inopportune times you can think of, I've experienced. It also affects the way I live my life. Staying up too late triggers these "crash" days. For a college student, this can be a bit of my problem. Being in engineering, I tend to have lots of homework and studying to do. But being as my body doesn't function well staying up late, I have to get this work done during the day, which means cutting out much of my social life and fun activities during the school year. On these "crash" days I sometimes struggle with pitying myself, wishing I could be "normal". Add on the fact that I just found out that I have to undergo testing because a chamber of my heart is too large, and the possibility of heart problems in the future, and it's not too hard to realize how I can get caught up in the trials in my life and start feeling sorry for myself and letting negative thoughts begin to fill my mind.
But I realized that everyone has these trials in their life, specific to each individual; and I was suddently reminded of the words Jesus spoke to his disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, TAKE UP HIS CROSS DAILY and follow me." (Luke 9:23). Take up my cross daily; that's exactly what this hypertension is for me, a cross. A cross I must willingly bear. The problem is with how I have been conditioned. Growing up, media and society have constantly bombarded with the notion that I should be my own first priorty, specifically my comfort. If I'm hot I should have water to drink and air conditioning to cool me down; if I have a headache I should have medicine to make me feel better; I should have this and that because it will make me feel more comfortable. Life should be easy, atleast that's what the majority of people want.
As Christians we are called to much more. We are called to take up these crosses placed in our life. The Bible tells us multiple times to expect hardship:
1 Peter 4:1 "Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same attitude...";
James 1:2-4 "Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
John 16:33 "In the world you will have trouble..."
1 Peter 4: 12 "Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as if something strange were happening to you."
Psalm 24:20 "Many are the troubles of the just..."
Hebrews 10:36 "You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised."
Even St. Paul writes:
2 Corinthians 12:7-9 "Therefore, that I mgiht not become too elated, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, ""My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.""
But there is no reason to fear my brothers and sisters, for we do not have to face these trials alone, nor do we have to bear these crosses with our own strength. Just as the Bible warns us of these trials, so it also gives us hope and strength:
1 Corinthians 10:13 "No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strenth; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it."
1 Peter 5:10 "The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little."
James 1:12 "Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him."
Romans 12:12 "Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer."
Romans 5:3-4 "Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope,..."
Romans 8:18 "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us."
2 Corinthians 4:16 "Therefore, we are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day."
So finally brothers and sisters, I leave you with this challenge: take up your cross daily, withouth complaint or self pity. Rather, offer up your suffering for others, and allow yourself to continually be purified and made holy through your afflictions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOOFAaUGfRE
I am no exception to this occurence. I too have my own daily struggles, my biggest perhaps being my health. Despite being fairly athletic and eating a relatively healthy diet, I have always struggled with my health, and have been no stranger to the emergency room/hospital/doctor's office. In my 20 years of life I have managed to break 4 bones, have a screw put in my foot, 7 stiches in my ear, 7 stitches in my eyebrow, had a severe infection in my ankle from a minor scrape, sports induced bursitus in my elbow, swallow a quarter, and countless sprains, strains, ingrown toenails, and other minor medical problems. These were all frustrating as they forced me to sit out countless athletic events, endure much pain, and cost quite a bit of money for my parents. Perhaps the biggest struggle out of all of these health problems was being diagnosed with hypertension (high blood pressure) my senior year of high school. Most days this isn't a problem for me, although taking a pill every day for the rest of my life is certainly annoying to say the least. But then there's what I call my "crash" days. I will wake up feeling, well lifeless. The closest explanation I can come up with is if you've ever had mono, and you just feel like you have no energy. That is pretty much how I will feel on these days. The problem is, I can't really choose these "crash" days, they just hit, especially when I have been expending myself too much. So I might have a test that day, or a bunch of homework due or a paper to write, or countless other projects. And if I have been pushing myself too much, my nose will just start bleeding for no apparant reason: in the middle of class, driving somewhere, laying in bed, in church, pretty much all the most inopportune times you can think of, I've experienced. It also affects the way I live my life. Staying up too late triggers these "crash" days. For a college student, this can be a bit of my problem. Being in engineering, I tend to have lots of homework and studying to do. But being as my body doesn't function well staying up late, I have to get this work done during the day, which means cutting out much of my social life and fun activities during the school year. On these "crash" days I sometimes struggle with pitying myself, wishing I could be "normal". Add on the fact that I just found out that I have to undergo testing because a chamber of my heart is too large, and the possibility of heart problems in the future, and it's not too hard to realize how I can get caught up in the trials in my life and start feeling sorry for myself and letting negative thoughts begin to fill my mind.
But I realized that everyone has these trials in their life, specific to each individual; and I was suddently reminded of the words Jesus spoke to his disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, TAKE UP HIS CROSS DAILY and follow me." (Luke 9:23). Take up my cross daily; that's exactly what this hypertension is for me, a cross. A cross I must willingly bear. The problem is with how I have been conditioned. Growing up, media and society have constantly bombarded with the notion that I should be my own first priorty, specifically my comfort. If I'm hot I should have water to drink and air conditioning to cool me down; if I have a headache I should have medicine to make me feel better; I should have this and that because it will make me feel more comfortable. Life should be easy, atleast that's what the majority of people want.
As Christians we are called to much more. We are called to take up these crosses placed in our life. The Bible tells us multiple times to expect hardship:
1 Peter 4:1 "Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same attitude...";
James 1:2-4 "Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
John 16:33 "In the world you will have trouble..."
1 Peter 4: 12 "Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as if something strange were happening to you."
Psalm 24:20 "Many are the troubles of the just..."
Hebrews 10:36 "You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised."
Even St. Paul writes:
2 Corinthians 12:7-9 "Therefore, that I mgiht not become too elated, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, ""My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.""
But there is no reason to fear my brothers and sisters, for we do not have to face these trials alone, nor do we have to bear these crosses with our own strength. Just as the Bible warns us of these trials, so it also gives us hope and strength:
1 Corinthians 10:13 "No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strenth; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it."
1 Peter 5:10 "The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little."
James 1:12 "Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him."
Romans 12:12 "Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer."
Romans 5:3-4 "Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope,..."
Romans 8:18 "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us."
2 Corinthians 4:16 "Therefore, we are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day."
So finally brothers and sisters, I leave you with this challenge: take up your cross daily, withouth complaint or self pity. Rather, offer up your suffering for others, and allow yourself to continually be purified and made holy through your afflictions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOOFAaUGfRE
Monday, January 17, 2011
Quo Vadis
So I apologize for my extended disappearance as I was engaged in mortal combat (aka taking Engineering Physics 2). However, I have been victorious (finished the semeter with a 4.0) and after a brief period of rest to regain my strength, I have returned.
During that period of rest I was blessed to have the opportunity to attend the annual Quo Vadis retreat for the Wichtia Catholic Diocese. For those of you who are not acquainted with the retreat, the words "Quo Vadis" mean "Where are you going?" The retreat then, is exactly that, a time for men to ask themselves where they are going, but more importantly to ask God His will for us as we seek to live out God's plan for our lives in our vocation. However, it has been my own personal experience that the retreat is not often the place where men receive an "answer" to their question, or "the call," although for some I am sure it has served this purpose. Rather, this retreat serves as a chance for men to build bonds of fraternity with other men seeking the same question for their life as well as to provide the men with tools to better help them discern a vocation.
During this retreat something our retreat master said really struck me. During one of the presentations our retreat master said that you could really tell how much a person has grown spiritually by the questions they ask themselves and the responses to those questions. For example, in seminary our retreat master was asked by his spiritual director the following questions: Who is God? Who is God to me? and What's the difference?
While these are excellent questions to ask ourselves, another question arose within me during adoration and stuck with me throughout the entire weekend. What do I seek in the relationships in my life?
If you have some time I would ask you to stop and reflect upon this question in your own life.
As I began to ponder this in my heart at adoration, I began to answer this question by first examing the relationships in my life, beginning with that of my friends. At first glance many of my own friendships are based upon what I gain from them, chiefly comfort. Whether it's the comfort of being in their company watching a movie, playing card games, having someone to listen to me and cheer me up, or just the joy I experience from being in their company, many friendships are based on how that person makes me feel/treats me. I next looked to my relationships with my teachers and classmates. As much as I hate to put it into this context, many of these relationships are formed solely as stepping stones to help me reach my ambitions and goals; learning new material or studying to get better scores on tests to get a better job. Finally I looked at my relationships with my family as well as my brothers at Chi Rho (I could also lump some of my close friends into this category as well). These relationships are the ones that have the greateast impact on my life because these are the people I am with the most during my life. These people are there to hold me accountable for my actions and help me to grow to become a better man; to become the man God has called me to be. We are there mutually for one another, them to assist me in my faith journey, and me to assist them. Should this not be the goal of all my relationships on Earth? My relationships should be focused on mutually drawing both parties closer to God and closer to reaching eternal life in Heaven.
Just the other day I received some news that shook me up pretty well. For those of you who don't know, I come from a fairly small community where most everyone knows each other. During my years in high school the community was rocked by a series of tragic deaths and events, as well as scandals, affairs, and other forms of corruption. While watching the news the other night I learned that a former classmate of mine (only a year younger than me) was sentenced to 18 years in prison for a double homicide. This was a kid I had had in one of my classes my junior year of high school. The son of a former marine, this kid was very rough around the edges, and not liked by a large number of people. In class I treated him with respect, but never got too involved in his life.....and that is something that has come back to haunt me in the pangs of regret. Here was a kid who was reaching out, a son of God whom I had discarded from having any sort of relationship with because it was not a friendship that would bring me much "comfort" so to speak. I realized too late that my relationships were being founded on the wrong principles...of self rather than others.
The greatest example of a person living out holy relationships in their life, atleast in my humbe opinion, was Mother Teresa of Calcutta. From an early age she became aware of the need to save souls. This required entering into relationships with people that would bring her no "comfort" except to know that she was helping to save another soul for our Lord. I pray that all of us, myself included, would learn from Mother Teresa just how important the foundations of our relationships are as we seek to do God's will here on Earth, not our own.
During that period of rest I was blessed to have the opportunity to attend the annual Quo Vadis retreat for the Wichtia Catholic Diocese. For those of you who are not acquainted with the retreat, the words "Quo Vadis" mean "Where are you going?" The retreat then, is exactly that, a time for men to ask themselves where they are going, but more importantly to ask God His will for us as we seek to live out God's plan for our lives in our vocation. However, it has been my own personal experience that the retreat is not often the place where men receive an "answer" to their question, or "the call," although for some I am sure it has served this purpose. Rather, this retreat serves as a chance for men to build bonds of fraternity with other men seeking the same question for their life as well as to provide the men with tools to better help them discern a vocation.
During this retreat something our retreat master said really struck me. During one of the presentations our retreat master said that you could really tell how much a person has grown spiritually by the questions they ask themselves and the responses to those questions. For example, in seminary our retreat master was asked by his spiritual director the following questions: Who is God? Who is God to me? and What's the difference?
While these are excellent questions to ask ourselves, another question arose within me during adoration and stuck with me throughout the entire weekend. What do I seek in the relationships in my life?
If you have some time I would ask you to stop and reflect upon this question in your own life.
As I began to ponder this in my heart at adoration, I began to answer this question by first examing the relationships in my life, beginning with that of my friends. At first glance many of my own friendships are based upon what I gain from them, chiefly comfort. Whether it's the comfort of being in their company watching a movie, playing card games, having someone to listen to me and cheer me up, or just the joy I experience from being in their company, many friendships are based on how that person makes me feel/treats me. I next looked to my relationships with my teachers and classmates. As much as I hate to put it into this context, many of these relationships are formed solely as stepping stones to help me reach my ambitions and goals; learning new material or studying to get better scores on tests to get a better job. Finally I looked at my relationships with my family as well as my brothers at Chi Rho (I could also lump some of my close friends into this category as well). These relationships are the ones that have the greateast impact on my life because these are the people I am with the most during my life. These people are there to hold me accountable for my actions and help me to grow to become a better man; to become the man God has called me to be. We are there mutually for one another, them to assist me in my faith journey, and me to assist them. Should this not be the goal of all my relationships on Earth? My relationships should be focused on mutually drawing both parties closer to God and closer to reaching eternal life in Heaven.
Just the other day I received some news that shook me up pretty well. For those of you who don't know, I come from a fairly small community where most everyone knows each other. During my years in high school the community was rocked by a series of tragic deaths and events, as well as scandals, affairs, and other forms of corruption. While watching the news the other night I learned that a former classmate of mine (only a year younger than me) was sentenced to 18 years in prison for a double homicide. This was a kid I had had in one of my classes my junior year of high school. The son of a former marine, this kid was very rough around the edges, and not liked by a large number of people. In class I treated him with respect, but never got too involved in his life.....and that is something that has come back to haunt me in the pangs of regret. Here was a kid who was reaching out, a son of God whom I had discarded from having any sort of relationship with because it was not a friendship that would bring me much "comfort" so to speak. I realized too late that my relationships were being founded on the wrong principles...of self rather than others.
The greatest example of a person living out holy relationships in their life, atleast in my humbe opinion, was Mother Teresa of Calcutta. From an early age she became aware of the need to save souls. This required entering into relationships with people that would bring her no "comfort" except to know that she was helping to save another soul for our Lord. I pray that all of us, myself included, would learn from Mother Teresa just how important the foundations of our relationships are as we seek to do God's will here on Earth, not our own.
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