Monday, May 31, 2010
Memorial Life
Today we celebrate memorial day. We honor and remember all those who served and lost their life for our wonderful country. We may not know any of these people but chances our they were friends, family, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters. We thank them by celebrating how ever we choose because we have the freedom to do so, thanks to them. Pope John Paul II had this to say about freedom, "Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought." We should be grateful each day and honor these men and women with our lives just as they have given their lives for us. It is very Christian-like to give of yourself in order to achieve a greater good, just take a peak at a crucifix.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Happy Birthday 2
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created and You shall renew the face of the Earth. O God, by the light of the Holy Spirit, didst though instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Today is Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus. The Lord said that he would send someone after Him, after he left. And that He did, he sent us the Ruah, the Paraclete, the Oil of Joy, the Counselor, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has been with us ever since: guiding, strengthening, informing, loving, imparting, and creating anew.
We often look to Jesus and sometimes to the Father but how often do we look toward the one that lives along side and more importantly, within us. The Holy Spirit is our guide, we are given 7 gifts that we as Christians are fortified with upon receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. The seven are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.
Veni Sancte Spiritus - Come Holy Spirit. Let us pray that in times of need, the Lord understands latin better!
This is one of my favorite hymns!
Today is Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus. The Lord said that he would send someone after Him, after he left. And that He did, he sent us the Ruah, the Paraclete, the Oil of Joy, the Counselor, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has been with us ever since: guiding, strengthening, informing, loving, imparting, and creating anew.
We often look to Jesus and sometimes to the Father but how often do we look toward the one that lives along side and more importantly, within us. The Holy Spirit is our guide, we are given 7 gifts that we as Christians are fortified with upon receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. The seven are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.
- The gift of wisdom corresponds to the virtue of charity.
- The gift of understanding corresponds to the virtue of faith.
- The gift of counsel (right judgment) corresponds to the virtue of prudence.
- The gift of fortitude corresponds to the virtue of courage.
- The gift of knowledge corresponds to the virtue of faith.
- The gift of piety corresponds to the virtue of justice.
- The gift of fear of the Lord corresponds to the virtue of hope.
Veni Sancte Spiritus - Come Holy Spirit. Let us pray that in times of need, the Lord understands latin better!
This is one of my favorite hymns!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Wide Receivers
Congratulations to all the men who received the sacrament of Holy Orders this past weekend. I was able to share in one of these beautiful masses as a gent from Allentown was ordained to the transitional deaconate. These men celebrate 6-10 long, hard years of seminary formation and now go off to be formed spiritually and socially by the people of God.
One of the greatest bits of wisdom Ive learned in my formation is to always receive and never to take. This may sound strange and could be quite a challenging way to approach life. However difficult, it is a way to live in the divine providence of God. There certainly are things we should still take regardless of our state in life, which include, but are not limited to taking: baths, showers, and me out to the ball game!
Think about all the items, questions, choices we come across each day. We can always take but what do we actually receive. Even if we need to take sometimes the question alone will help us sort out what we've actually received. Whatever we receive can only be viewed as a gift, who these gifts come from is another question to ponder.
If you are reading this you have received another gift, the gift of another day from our heavenly Father. And what a gift it is. What else have you received today? What have you taken today? Often when we take something it is necessary but perhaps its a selfishness that causes us to take. Can we not have faith in God that he will provide for us, we most certainly can, hasnt He always come through in the past.
What if you receive a nasty comment, or a freshly smashed egg on your car? Is that a gift from God? Why not, its indirect but its an opportunity to stretch your virtue muscles and love in the face of anger. This is a great gift from the Lord.
There is a group of religious sisters that live in northeastern PA who live a Franciscan spirituality (owning nothing) and rely solely on the divine providence of God working through His people. They rely on us for food, shelter, and all the necessities, while they spend their entire day in prayer of thanks to God and on our behalf. How simply they live, how joyful they are.
We should thank all those who give us gifts tomorrow and someday return that favor.
One of the greatest bits of wisdom Ive learned in my formation is to always receive and never to take. This may sound strange and could be quite a challenging way to approach life. However difficult, it is a way to live in the divine providence of God. There certainly are things we should still take regardless of our state in life, which include, but are not limited to taking: baths, showers, and me out to the ball game!
Think about all the items, questions, choices we come across each day. We can always take but what do we actually receive. Even if we need to take sometimes the question alone will help us sort out what we've actually received. Whatever we receive can only be viewed as a gift, who these gifts come from is another question to ponder.
If you are reading this you have received another gift, the gift of another day from our heavenly Father. And what a gift it is. What else have you received today? What have you taken today? Often when we take something it is necessary but perhaps its a selfishness that causes us to take. Can we not have faith in God that he will provide for us, we most certainly can, hasnt He always come through in the past.
What if you receive a nasty comment, or a freshly smashed egg on your car? Is that a gift from God? Why not, its indirect but its an opportunity to stretch your virtue muscles and love in the face of anger. This is a great gift from the Lord.
There is a group of religious sisters that live in northeastern PA who live a Franciscan spirituality (owning nothing) and rely solely on the divine providence of God working through His people. They rely on us for food, shelter, and all the necessities, while they spend their entire day in prayer of thanks to God and on our behalf. How simply they live, how joyful they are.
We should thank all those who give us gifts tomorrow and someday return that favor.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
What a woman
Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there.
Every person on Earth came from a their mothers womb, remember your time there, wasn't it grand! How fitting is it that even our Lord, Jesus Christ, also came from a woman. Who on Earth would have known Jesus any better? No matter how strong our relationship with the Lord is, it will never be like the relationship he had with his ma-ma. She had a special relationship with Him, different than ours. She was able to ask Him to do things, just like any mother would ask of a child, and as a good son, a perfect son, Jesus listened. Take for instance John chapter 2 at the wedding feast at Cana. The wedding runs dry of wine and Mary initiates Jesus first public miracle as she prompts Jesus to make more wine.
While Jesus was on the cross he told the beloved one, John, while he was at the foot of the cross with Mary, "son behold your mother" and "mother behold your son." There are books and books on these 8 words but however its interperated, one thing is clear, Jesus asks to look at Mary as not only His mother but our mother as well. Just as in a traditional and the heavenly families, the father is concerned with the direction and "grand scheme" of the family while the mother is there day to day in the trenches helping her children (thanks moms). Mothers have a special role that no man or men can ever fulfill and the Christian faith helps women live out their qualities to the fullest.
We as Catholics do not worship Mary as a god but we hold her very dear to our hearts, as we should. Many great miracles have come because of her intercession. I think there is a reason Catholics are viewed as Mary worshipers, she is highly venerated and very visible in homes, churches, and pictures. If here intercession wasnt so great, we wouldnt see such an abundance of Marian images. She works, she works for us, she works for her son. Again, we can go straight to the Father through the Son but we also have a great help in our mother who can ask Jesus to do things, he'll listen, he did at the wedding.
Imagine asking Barrack Obama to do something for you (I cant imagine what that would be but humor me on this one), he hears you but hes got some bigger fish to fry. But if you are friends with his buddy or even better, his mom, you will then get his attention alot quicker. God always hears us but he loves to use us, he loves to use his mother, he wants all of us to share in the plight of redemption, what better gift than that.
This is one of my favorite images.
Ave Maria!
Every person on Earth came from a their mothers womb, remember your time there, wasn't it grand! How fitting is it that even our Lord, Jesus Christ, also came from a woman. Who on Earth would have known Jesus any better? No matter how strong our relationship with the Lord is, it will never be like the relationship he had with his ma-ma. She had a special relationship with Him, different than ours. She was able to ask Him to do things, just like any mother would ask of a child, and as a good son, a perfect son, Jesus listened. Take for instance John chapter 2 at the wedding feast at Cana. The wedding runs dry of wine and Mary initiates Jesus first public miracle as she prompts Jesus to make more wine.
While Jesus was on the cross he told the beloved one, John, while he was at the foot of the cross with Mary, "son behold your mother" and "mother behold your son." There are books and books on these 8 words but however its interperated, one thing is clear, Jesus asks to look at Mary as not only His mother but our mother as well. Just as in a traditional and the heavenly families, the father is concerned with the direction and "grand scheme" of the family while the mother is there day to day in the trenches helping her children (thanks moms). Mothers have a special role that no man or men can ever fulfill and the Christian faith helps women live out their qualities to the fullest.
We as Catholics do not worship Mary as a god but we hold her very dear to our hearts, as we should. Many great miracles have come because of her intercession. I think there is a reason Catholics are viewed as Mary worshipers, she is highly venerated and very visible in homes, churches, and pictures. If here intercession wasnt so great, we wouldnt see such an abundance of Marian images. She works, she works for us, she works for her son. Again, we can go straight to the Father through the Son but we also have a great help in our mother who can ask Jesus to do things, he'll listen, he did at the wedding.
Imagine asking Barrack Obama to do something for you (I cant imagine what that would be but humor me on this one), he hears you but hes got some bigger fish to fry. But if you are friends with his buddy or even better, his mom, you will then get his attention alot quicker. God always hears us but he loves to use us, he loves to use his mother, he wants all of us to share in the plight of redemption, what better gift than that.
This is one of my favorite images.
Ave Maria!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Happy Birthday
Its cinco de Mayo which just happens to be my birthday. Did you know that some Asian countries start counting your age as soon as you are born, a baby starts at 1 rather than waiting a year. Not that this is important but it is an interesting fact none-the-less.
So what's in a birthday, who is it really about. Birthdays are nice because its the one day a year that people take the time to focus on you. It makes you feel part of a bigger picture, but is it the right picture. Is the day really about us, well yes, maybe.
Our birth and our life was a gift to our parents and a gift to us. Our birthdays should really be celebrations of where we came from and how we got here. Our parents should be celebrated and most especially our God. Life is not always what you expect and it is rarely easy, but it is a gift and an incredible one at that! What we do what that gift determines how and who celebrate the day with us. Each year we make new friends, lose old ones, and kindle lost ones. Our birthdays are signposts of what our lives are about, we can look back, and judging from how we spent our birthdays and who the cards were from, we can get a good picture of where our lives have been.
Funerals are also celebrations of life, in their own way. I had a great aunt who died recently at the age of 94. She outlived most of her friends and family. We all fantasize about who will be at our funeral, Im sure she would have never guessed living so long and having such few remaining friends left. We celebrate her life and pray that she is at peace in the next.
Saints feast days usually take place on the day they died or were martyred. This, I think, has 2 fold reasoning. One, to commemorate their life and to commemorate their birth, their new birth in Heaven. Death can be such a rich symbol of life.
Take for instance the sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist at mass. Christs suffering and death are re-presented to us in an unbloody way. We relive his death at Calvary at each mass. It is a difficult concept to grasp but God is full of mystery but we assent out of love for Him. In the same way we celebrate our lives each year on our birthday, while being present in time. Someday we will exist in eternity and hopefully our reflection on our own lives each year will lead us to a heavenly eternity.
So what's in a birthday, who is it really about. Birthdays are nice because its the one day a year that people take the time to focus on you. It makes you feel part of a bigger picture, but is it the right picture. Is the day really about us, well yes, maybe.
Our birth and our life was a gift to our parents and a gift to us. Our birthdays should really be celebrations of where we came from and how we got here. Our parents should be celebrated and most especially our God. Life is not always what you expect and it is rarely easy, but it is a gift and an incredible one at that! What we do what that gift determines how and who celebrate the day with us. Each year we make new friends, lose old ones, and kindle lost ones. Our birthdays are signposts of what our lives are about, we can look back, and judging from how we spent our birthdays and who the cards were from, we can get a good picture of where our lives have been.
Funerals are also celebrations of life, in their own way. I had a great aunt who died recently at the age of 94. She outlived most of her friends and family. We all fantasize about who will be at our funeral, Im sure she would have never guessed living so long and having such few remaining friends left. We celebrate her life and pray that she is at peace in the next.
Saints feast days usually take place on the day they died or were martyred. This, I think, has 2 fold reasoning. One, to commemorate their life and to commemorate their birth, their new birth in Heaven. Death can be such a rich symbol of life.
Take for instance the sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist at mass. Christs suffering and death are re-presented to us in an unbloody way. We relive his death at Calvary at each mass. It is a difficult concept to grasp but God is full of mystery but we assent out of love for Him. In the same way we celebrate our lives each year on our birthday, while being present in time. Someday we will exist in eternity and hopefully our reflection on our own lives each year will lead us to a heavenly eternity.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Heros
"Heros are those who kindle a great light in the world, who set up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for people to see by. Saints are those who walk through the dark paths of the world, themselves a light." - Felix Adler
Who are some of our modern day heros? Are you a hero, am I a hero? How can we become heros, do we even want to be come heros?
Who are some of our modern day saints? Are you a saint, am I a saint? How can we become saints, do we even want to be come saints?
These are interesting questions to ask ourselves. Life is short and time passes quickly, how we spend that time and live our lives will determine the answers to the above questions. What can you do today to become a hero, what can you do today to become a saint? Id say that there is a dramatic difference between the two. Anyone can be a hero on any given day. Being a hero is a one time event which remains in memory. When you wake up tomorrow you may not be a hero, but then you rescue someone trapped in a house (or a web of sin), alakazam .....you are now a hero. I think it was Robert Frost who said "Save a life and you save the world." Its so true, one persons life is their whole world and you can save it for someone.
Conversely, being a saint is not a one time event, its a daily grind. Its a daily grind lived in love. Love is lasting, not fleeting, it is the saints m.o. When I look to the lives of the saints and the life of Christ, I see similar trials to that which we all face. We all get through the trials and one day we will have the ultimate trial of death to face. We may face our trials heroically and even happily but what is different about Christ's and the saints' lives is that there challenges were handled in complete and lasting love. Anyone can find ways to cope with challenging situations but the saints find a way to love in their trials.
Its easy to feel good and do good things and do good things and feel good. Its hard to do good things that dont bring that same good feeling. I dont think being nailed to a cross would feel good, but having perfect love while going through it, thats Godly. Loving is not always accompanied by a good feeling, but what better way to prove your love then to do something that doesnt bring you peace, but brings peace to someone else. Love is not focused on self but on others, sin is focused on self.
Tomorrow we can put ourselves aside and be heros. But only when "tomorrow" becomes "everyday" will we become saints.
Who are some of our modern day heros? Are you a hero, am I a hero? How can we become heros, do we even want to be come heros?
Who are some of our modern day saints? Are you a saint, am I a saint? How can we become saints, do we even want to be come saints?
These are interesting questions to ask ourselves. Life is short and time passes quickly, how we spend that time and live our lives will determine the answers to the above questions. What can you do today to become a hero, what can you do today to become a saint? Id say that there is a dramatic difference between the two. Anyone can be a hero on any given day. Being a hero is a one time event which remains in memory. When you wake up tomorrow you may not be a hero, but then you rescue someone trapped in a house (or a web of sin), alakazam .....you are now a hero. I think it was Robert Frost who said "Save a life and you save the world." Its so true, one persons life is their whole world and you can save it for someone.
Conversely, being a saint is not a one time event, its a daily grind. Its a daily grind lived in love. Love is lasting, not fleeting, it is the saints m.o. When I look to the lives of the saints and the life of Christ, I see similar trials to that which we all face. We all get through the trials and one day we will have the ultimate trial of death to face. We may face our trials heroically and even happily but what is different about Christ's and the saints' lives is that there challenges were handled in complete and lasting love. Anyone can find ways to cope with challenging situations but the saints find a way to love in their trials.
Its easy to feel good and do good things and do good things and feel good. Its hard to do good things that dont bring that same good feeling. I dont think being nailed to a cross would feel good, but having perfect love while going through it, thats Godly. Loving is not always accompanied by a good feeling, but what better way to prove your love then to do something that doesnt bring you peace, but brings peace to someone else. Love is not focused on self but on others, sin is focused on self.
Tomorrow we can put ourselves aside and be heros. But only when "tomorrow" becomes "everyday" will we become saints.
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