Tag: god

Do You Ask for Holiness?

Do you ask for holiness?  Seriously, how many times do you pray and ask God to make you holier?  I don’t know about you, but I don’t ask nearly enough.  My prayers usually revolve around asking God for other things like, “help so-and-so with an illness,” “help so-and-so with his job,” “give me the strength to be a good person,” etc.  But it never really occurs to me to ask for more holiness.  And yet, being holy should be at the top of our list of things to ask from God when we pray since it is the root of all good things.

Mother Teresa
Morther Teresa isn't the only one called to be holy

Holiness isn’t something reserved exclusively for Jesus, the saints, priests and nuns.  And yet we often think that because we don’t receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders, we don’t have a calling to be holy.  We often set a high bar for priests to always do the right thing and never sin.  And yet we don’t apply those same standards to ourselves.  We sometimes rationalize that because we aren’t a priest or nun, it’s ok to commit “little” sins, avoid praying, and not follow Church doctrine.  However, God calls everyone to lead a holy life regardless of vocation.

At its core, holiness is the recognition that God has set us apart from the rest of His creation for a special purpose.  We are called to imitate God for He is good.  Hence, we are meant to be good.  We must understand that holiness is a cause, not an effect.  It is the root from which all good things flow.  For example, someone is not holy because he does works of charity.  He does works of charity because he is holy.  Notice that holiness is the cause and good works are the effect.  Someone is not holy because she prays.  She prays because she is holy.  Think of holiness as the seed God plants in all of us that enables us to live according to His will.  Without that seed, true good cannot flourish since we do not have that recognition of God in our life.

There are many mysteries of the rosary that refer to our call to live holy lives.  Think about the Third Luminous Mystery — The Proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven and Jesus’ Call for Conversion.  Being holy means aligning our souls to be more in line with how God calls us.  And that is exactly what Jesus asks of us in this mystery — convert those aspects of your life that are not aligned with God to become more aligned with Him.  In other words, Jesus calls us to become holier.  This is challenging because how many people like to examine their lives, see what is wrong with it, and then resolve to change it?  Most of us would rather just continue living assuming we are holy enough and being any more holy would just cramp our lifestyle.  Being holy means that you also acknowledge that there is more you can do to imitate God’s ways.  When we pray the rosary, challenge yourself to examine those aspects of your life where you are not as holy as you could be and then ask God for more holiness.  I’m sure God will be more than happy to grant more holiness to those who sincerely ask for it.

If you still think holiness is not important, consider this study.  The Barna Group conducted a survey of church-going Christians.  Of those surveyed, 46% said that their lives were largely unchanged from going to church.  Furthermore, the study showed that Catholics felt less positive effects from Mass than Protestants.  This study points to what I said in a previous article — Mass is becoming more of a social gathering rather than an opportunity to connect with God (aka, become holier).  There is saying about exercise and athletics — You only get as much out of it as you put into it.  The same goes with Mass and prayer.  Do so many people get so little from their Mass experience because they aren’t putting much prayer into it?  Do they come to Mass with the intention of asking God for more holiness and how they can convert to live as God calls them?  Or do people put more thought into what they will eat after Mass is over?

Remember, holiness is the root of a spiritually healthy life.  Without holiness, truly good things cannot flourish.  And it will take more than a handful of holy priests, nuns, and saints for goodness to spread across this world.  It takes each and every one of us trying to be as holy as possible.  So the next time you pray and ask God to hear your intentions, make it a point to ask Him for the will and strength to be holier.

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Do you Pray with Purpose?

The Magi Journeying

Do you have a plan when you pray the rosary and for incorporating what you learn from prayer in your life?  Do you pray with purpose?  I thought about how I  pray the rosary while thinking about the three magi honoring Jesus in the Epiphany.  The three wise men didn’t just set out into the desert without a plan.  They did not wander aimlessly and happen to come across Jesus by chance.  And it wasn’t by chance that they had gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh on their arrival.  They observed, prepared, and followed the guidance of the Holy Spirit by following the star.  And all their hard work paid off as they were among the first to honor Christ our King and Savior.

Do we show that same level of preparation and intent when we pray the rosary?  Often times we pray the rosary without a lot of intent or purpose.  We just think that if we recite all the Our Fathers and Hail Marys that something good will magically happen to us.  That isn’t prayer.  That is more akin to reciting incantations and spells.  We too should follow some sort of guidance and have a purpose to praying the rosary.  That guidance can come from the divine inspiration from the Holy Spirit or we can get ideas from a prayer-book (hint, hint).  We should lay before God our personal concerns, intentions, sorrows, and thanksgivings while praying.  Say the words to the standard prayers, but back them up with your personal thoughts.  That is what makes prayer meaningful and truly a personal conversation between you and God.  The three magi reached their goal by putting in the effort to follow the star God put before them.  We reach our spiritual goals when we intentionally follow the Holy Spirit in prayer, really concentrate and think about what God tells us, and let Him guide our actions.

And what results from our prayers?  Do we glorify God with love, good works, and avoiding sin?  Or do we offer God lip service in our prayers without any intention of truly living as He calls us?  Do we treat prayer as our license to commit sin?  Do we think we are good and holy people because we pray when our actions might paint a different story?  Imagine if the three wise men did not adequately prepare themselves for meeting Jesus and forgot their gifts or did not give any respect to the baby Jesus.  That would make all their hard work look like a waste of time.  And yet we often do this when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist with sins on our soul or our stubborn pride prevents us from admitting our faults and receiving absolution through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Let us not pray in vain by ignoring how God asks us to live.  Rather, take to heart God’s words so that only good will come from your actions.

We should remember to pray the rosary with a purpose.  Prayer is a means of helping us live as one of Jesus’ disciples and isn’t an end in itself.  We should recall the Fifth Luminous Mystery and remember that we should approach Jesus in the Eucharist only when our souls are cleansed of all mortal sin.  We should remember the Second Joyful Mystery and how Mary put God’s grace to work by visiting and helping her cousin Elizabeth.  And we should remember the Fifth Glorious Mystery and how Mary, Queen of Heaven, is there to guide us always closer to Her son, Jesus Christ.  She is our guiding star to God’s heavenly kingdom.  The question is, are we observant, prepared, and have the resolve to follow the path God lays before us like the three magi?

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Do Not Make Prayer Your New Year’s Resolution

English: New Year's Day postcard mailed in 190...Just what you need, another New Year’s resolution idea right?  That is why I’m not going to suggest that you make a resolution to pray more in 2012.  I’m not suggesting this because I don’t want prayer to join “getting in better shape,” “getting more organized,” and “quitting [insert vice here]” in the pile of resolutions that you will abandon by February.  It almost feels like something labeled a “New Year’s Resolution” is almost guaranteeing it will be forgotten come Martin Luther King Day.  So no, I’m not going to suggest making “more prayer” a New Year’s resolution.

I think many New Year’s resolutions fail because they have no roots in your life.  A New Year’s resolution is like a thin layer of top soil that blows away with the slightest disturbance.  For example, your effort to exercise derails the first time you skip the gym.  Or your effort to lose weight flies out the window at the first social gathering.  The problem often lies in that we are still fundamentally the same person, with the same flaws and weaknesses, on 1/1 as we were on 12/31.  Our lives are not like nutrient-rich soil for our resolutions to take root and fundamentally transform who we are.

How do I transform my life into something better and more fulfilling?  Well, any long time reader of my articles or someone just glancing at the title of my website will know the answer.  Prayer!  Honest, heart-felt prayer (especially the rosary) is one of the key ingredients to transforming yourself into living a better life.  Unlike a resolution that addresses the outer layers of who we are, prayer helps builds and strengthen our foundation making us more receptive to how God calls us to live.  God, through the Holy Spirit, will give us the strength to do what is important, the understanding to ignore what is not so important, and the wisdom to know the difference between the two.

We remember our call to conversion in the Third Luminous Mystery of the rosary — Jesus‘ Proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven AND the Call to Conversion.  Jesus does not ask us to make a few little tweaks and resolutions in our lives.  He goes much further than that.  Jesus calls us to fundamentally change who we are.  As humans we are fundamentally flawed, first by original sin and then by our weakness of committing other sins.  So there is little wonder why we are subject to fail living God’s will.  But Jesus and His Church teaches that we all have the ability to convert our lives and truly live in God’s grace.  We can do this through prayer and receiving the sacraments, particularly the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  When we focus our lives around prayer our souls become like nutrient-rich soil ready to bare the fruit of God’s grace.  Jesus used this soil analogy throughout His teachings.  In Mark 4:1-20, He talks about seed being scattered on the ground and how only the seed that fell on good soil grew strong.  Ask yourself, is your soul “good soil?”

Again, don’t make prayer a New Year’s resolution.  Make prayer the root of your life’s transformation!  Have the courage to allow God to fundamentally change who you are.  You will like what God can do to you when you let Him into your life and listen to Him in prayer.

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Don’t be La Befana this Christmas

English: Snowman in Stra Italiano: Befana di n...

I just heard an interesting Italian legend about La Befana.  She was a woman (or a witch in some accounts) who was approached by the Three Magi on their journey to see the baby Jesus.  She gave them shelter and food as she was known for being a great hostess.  When the three magi invited her to join them in their travel, she declined saying that she had too much housework to complete.  Later, once she understood the shortsightedness of turning down such an offer, she ran out in search of Jesus; leaving gifts at every house on her way in hope that the Holy Family was in one of them.  And so, on every Feast of the Epiphany, she leaves treats at each house as she still is looking for the baby Jesus.

La Befana was so consumed trying to be the perfect hostess that she lost sight of what was really important.  Instead of taking the opportunity to praise Jesus, she worried that the floors were swept, the fire was warm, and there was food for her visitors.  Ironically, her desire to provide that perfect, welcoming environment ended up excluding her from joining the real celebration in a small, dirty stable in Bethlehem.

Are we like La Befana during Christmas?  Are we so consumed with the physical and commercial aspects of this season that we forget that it’s about glorifying Jesus?  We should remember that all those physical things — having the right outfit, baking the Christmas cookies, buying the perfect gifts, and having matching napkins for all our guests, are not what make for a great Christmas anyway.  It’s about friends, family, and most importantly, our faith.  The real party is not what takes place on the 24th and 25th.  Instead, use Christmas to reflect that God, through Jesus and His Church, calls all of us to one day join the infinitely larger celebration in His Kingdom of Heaven.

The legend of La Befana echos the story of Martha from the Gospel of Luke 10:38-42:

As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.  She had a sister named Mary [who] sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.  Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.  There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

I don’t think I need to go into too much commentary here as the parallels between Luke’s Gospel and La Befana should be clear.  Again we see Martha so concerned with providing a perfect hosting environment that she misses the opportunity to embrace and rejoice in Jesus’ presence.

I wrote about the “trappings” of Christmas in my article on the Third Joyful Mystery of the rosary — The Nativity.  La Befana trapped herself by her desire for housework and making the perfect home.  We often trap ourselves by thinking of all the physical and social aspects of Christmas while glossing over the spiritual aspects.  I think the word “trap” is appropriate in this case.  All those gifts and ornamental dressings can ensnare and prevent us from receiving a much better Christmas gift — God’s grace.

Challenge yourself this Christmas to fully embrace Christmas Mass and not just think of it as something you have to endure for an hour before the fun begins.  Remember, the best gift you receive for Christmas is the Eucharist during Mass.  That is Jesus, His love, His grace, and His promise for eternal happiness right there in front of you which no physical gift or scrumptious feast can even compare.  As I said in the Fifth Luminous Mystery, don’t receive Jesus so casually when you receive the Eucharist.  Truly embrace the Lord and listen to Him in prayer on how He calls you to live.  Don’t be La Befana and ignore Jesus’ invitation to live for His Kingdom of Heaven.  Don’t regret that you missed an opportunity to fully enjoy the grace God deeply desires for you.  May you have a Merry Christmas by remembering and rejoicing in the gift God gave the world through Mary through the person of Jesus.

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The Rosary for the Rest of Us

It’s here!  After a year of careful assembly, I’m proud to announce my first-ever, self-published book, “The Rosary for the Rest of Us: A Practical Guide to Our Most Powerful Prayer.”  Inspired by the articles on RosaryMeds, this book should help you get so much more out of your rosary prayers.  Full of meditations, intentions, and illustrations on all 20 mysteries, this book has a little something to boost everyone’s rosary prayers.  This will make the perfect companion to anyone who prays the rosary (or wants to start praying the rosary).  On sale now!

I want to acknowledge and thank everyone who helped make my goal of becoming a published author a reality.  I could not have done this without my editors — Barbara, Linda, Rebecca, Voytek, and Zofia.  Thanks for taking the time to read the book and provide feedback.  I also want to thank Jakub.  Originally, I was going to turn my rosary postings on this site into a pdf file and just distribute it as an ebook through the RosaryMeds website.  It was Jakub who urged me to publish it “for real” and make it available to a wider audience.  And so, now this book is available on Amazon in paperback and will hopefully be on the Kindle soon.

I really don’t know what to expect from this book now that’s its gone live.  Sometimes the delusional side of me envisions interviews on EWTN Catholic radio or the Catholic San Francisco newspaper writing a review on my book.  I would love to be at Mass and see someone with the book tucked under their arm or hear that rosary prayer groups are using it.  More realistically, it would be nice if enough people bought the book to cover operating costs of RosaryMeds.  But honestly, I will be enthused if this book motivates someone to pray the rosary who otherwise would not.  I truly hope that my efforts will bring at least one new person into the world of the rosary.

Just in time for Christmas.  Here are just a few ideas for purchasing “The Rosary for the Rest of Us”:

  • Stocking stuffer for someone on your gift list
  • Combine it with the purchase of a rosary to create the ultimate rosary prayer kit
  • Us it to pad your Amazon order for free shipping

Order it now, either from the CreateSpace eStore or Amazon, to get it by Christmas.

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Why Catholicism is not a Democracy

Vote

I listened to Ave Maria radio on my drive home from work the other day and had a chance to listen to a replay of a talk given by Al Kresta, host of “Kresta in the Afternoon.”  His talk is titled “The History of Dissent in the Catholic Church” and he takes a very high level view of progressive groups like the American Catholic Council and their misguided attempts to change the Church by making it behave more like democratic government.  I’m going to dive in with some of the highlights I took from his talk as well as show its relevance to the rosary.

Kresta talks about various “constitutions” and “bill of rights” that the American Catholic Council has drafted over the years.  Their demands range from changing dogma on social issues such as abortion, contraception, and homosexuality to how they believe the Church should govern itself.  In summary, they basically want the Church to function like a democracy where the faithful elect Church leaders and can vote for changes to the Church’s moral dogma.  At face value this seems like a great idea.  After all, who doesn’t like democracy?  Democratic nations are usually the freest, happiest, safest, and most prosperous places on the planet.  So wouldn’t a more democratic Catholic Church be a better one?

The answer is no, it would not.  Jesus’ teachings, God’s will, and the basis for all morality cannot be subject to opinion polls, campaign slogans, and popular elections.  For example, something like abortion cannot go from an intrinsic evil to morally acceptable because it wins a vote.  Imagine a faith where your morality and state of grace could flip-flop with every election?  One day you’re in a state of grace and the next day you’re in a state of mortal sin.  Does that sound reasonable to you?  This is moral relativism at its worst.  You just can’t take Jesus Christ and reduce Him to just someone who came up with a bunch of well-meaning ideas that are now outdated and need changing.  Nor can a group of popularly elected “scholars” take it upon themselves to improve on God’s will because they feel it really doesn’t reflect the modern Catholic.  To put it another way, the Church makes “laws” based on moral truths.  You cannot reverse the process and change moral truths because you pass a law.

c. 1459

When we pray the rosary, we should remember the Fourth Luminous Mystery — The Transfiguration.  Here we see the power and majesty of Jesus Christ as God Made Man.  Jesus was not just a man who was trying to interpret God’s Word, but was the Word Made Flesh.  What Jesus taught was not opinion, but Truth.  And that truth remains the same and isn’t something that huamans can change to fit with societal norms.  We also recall the Third Joyful Mystery — The Nativity of Christ.  We meditate that God does not interact in this world on our terms, but His.  While many would have liked Jesus to be a political leader of high stature, He was not.  Jesus was born in a stable and grew up to become a simple carpenter because that was God’s plan.  We should pray that we accept Jesus and His Church for what it is and not try to shape it to our human whims.

Finally, we should pray for those who do find the Catholic Church and God’s will so difficult to live up to that they instead want to change it to suit their desires.  We pray that they allow the Holy Spirit into their hearts, as the apostles did on Pentecost, and go out and face life’s moral challenges instead of fruitlessly trying to redefine morality.  Our Mother Mary has said many times and in many ways that the sooner you stop fighting God, the sooner you can embrace the joy and happiness of His grace.

I highly recommend listening to Al Kresta’s “History of Dissent.”  You can listen to it online (link below) or download it do any portable device.  Do what I did and listen to it in your car.  It makes for a good commute.

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Remembering Souls in November

Created with images found in Wikipedia. All of...We just celebrated two important, yet often overlooked, religious feast days.  On November 1st we celebrated “All Saints Day” and on November 2nd we celebrated “All Souls Day.”  If you went to Mass on one or both days then good for you (FYI, All Saints Day was a Holy Day of Obligation for all those able to attend).  If you did not attend Mass or just forgot about these feast days then here’s a quick recap on how they relate to the rosary.

All Saints Day, as the name implies, is a time when we remember the saints of the Catholic Church.  We look to the saints as examples of how to live God’s will.  They made sacrifices in this life knowing that there was much more to their existence than what they could experience on Earth.  They made that giant leap of faith that God called them to do more than just live for the earthly pleasures of this world.  When we pray the rosary, we should remember the saints when we pray the First Glorious Mystery and recall Jesus’ resurrection.  Jesus showed us through His resurrection that there is so much more to our existence than what we see in this world.  And while we may know and profess this when we pray, being able to have the courage to actively live for Jesus’ Kingdom of Heaven is what truly makes someone a saint.  And just as Jesus rose from the dead to redeem all humanity, we should remember that He calls everyone to be a saint.  It doesn’t matter whether you go to Mass every day or have not been in a church for years.  We all have the ability to receive forgiveness and resolve to do God’s will.  Remember, the first saints denied they even knew Jesus (Saint Peter) and abandoned Him at His Crucifixion (the apostles).  But through the gift of the Holy Spirit, they found the strength to ultimately live as true disciples of Christ.  If they could become saints, then any one of us can be one as well.

Another image of souls being purified by flame...On All Souls Day we remember all those who have died.  I think All Souls Day is one of the most important, yet least celebrated, feast days in the Church (unless you live in a country that actively celebrates “The Day of the Dead”).  We remember those who have left this world and who now exist in either Purgatory or Heaven.  It is especially important to pray for those in Purgatory because they rely on our prayers for their final purification.  Think about how frustrating it must be to exist in Purgatory.  You are so close to the eternal joy and happiness of Heaven and yet you’re not quite there.  And there is nothing you can do to get into Heaven yourself.  You are completely reliant on others’ prayers and God’s mercy.  And you know what?  Not to scare you, but most of us will probably find ourselves in this state of existence one day.

So pray for those in Purgatory.  Encourage others to pray for those in Purgatory.  Because the more people who actively pray for souls in Purgatory now will mean that there will be more people praying for you and those you love when you enter that last step before entering Heaven.  I encourage you to make praying for the souls in Purgatory part of praying the rosary.  One of my concluding prayers is “Saint Gertrude’s Prayer.”  The Lord told St. Gertrude that He would release 1,000 souls from Purgatory each time it is offered in sincerity.  Personally, I find it staggering how many souls must be in Purgatory if this 30 second, twelfth century prayer release so many.  So many souls are counting on your prayers and you, one day, will be counting on others in order for you to make that final leap into God’s Kingdom of Heaven.

Saint Gertrude’s Prayer

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.

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Would Jesus Occupy Wall Street?

Young protester at the Occupy Wall Street prot...
Image by Caroline Schiff Photography via Flickr

The “Occupy Wall Street” protests occupy a lot of news headlines.  Society appears to be split on the morality of the movement.  Is it a protest to give a voice to the little guy or is it a leftist, socialist power grab?  Is it a fight against corporate greed or a fight for larger government control?  One question that keeps popping up is, “What would Jesus think of Occupy Wall Street?”  There are several articles that ponder that question.  Personally, I think many people are just playing the “Jesus card” to drum up support from religious groups by showing their cause has God’s “seal of approval.”  But let’s suppose that this question was asked in all seriousness.  What would Jesus say about the Wall Street protests?

Trying to play the “Jesus card” to support political views is as old as Jesus Himself.  The first people to ask, “What would Jesus do?” were the pharisees and they had the privilege of asking Jesus directly.  But much like our modern day politicians and special interest groups, the pharisees were not looking to learn from what Jesus had to say but merely wanted something they could twist around to suit their already-established views.  They played the original “gotcha politics.”  In the Gospel of Matthew, the pharisees tried to trap Jesus on the topic of taxes (some things never change).  They asked:

Tell us, then, what is your opinion: Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?”  Knowing their malice, Jesus said, “Why are you testing me, you hypocrites?  Show me the coin that pays the census tax.”  Then they handed him the Roman coin.  He said to them, “Whose image is this and whose inscription?”  They replied, “Caesar’s.”  At that he said to them, “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”  When they heard this they were amazed, and leaving him they went away.  (Matthew 22:17-22)

In exchanges like this throughout the Bible, Jesus made it quite clear He did not come into this world to settle age-old political and social questions.  As much as the Jews wanted their Messiah to be a political and social leader, Jesus’ teachings and goals transcended people’s squabbles about government and finances.  His goal was to show people the true path to eternal happiness, not to reform Jewish law or fight the Romans.  That path resides in individuals following Jesus’ teachings and making an effort to live in God’s grace.  The laws will always be imperfect and cannot cover the complete moral spectrum because they are made by humans who are inherently imperfect.  We will never achieve perfection through the law alone.  Jesus knew that and that is why He focused on showing how we, as individuals, can find true happiness with Him in Heaven.  In other words, Jesus taught that salvation is not gained by trying to perfect our laws, rather it is gained in trying to perfect our souls.

the Gospel of Matthew
Image by humberpike via Flickr

There are many people in this world who think we can legislate our way into a perfect world.  If we can just enforce the right set of rules then everyone will have just the right amount of happiness.  Would Jesus be in favor of this type of legislative chemistry?  Again, look at the Bible and all the Jewish laws Jesus and His disciples broke.  He healed people (aka worked) on the Sabbath, did not fast, and did not wash His hands before eating.  Jesus did this to point out the incompleteness of the law.  He wanted to show people that it was far more important to act out of a love for God than just blindly following rules.  Jesus came to teach us to understand what is good and what is wrong and choose to do good on our own free will instead of coerced by the fear of breaking laws we don’t understand.

I think Jesus would be saddened by today’s world that tries to legislate morality blindly instead of teaching and instilling a sense of morality in people’s hearts.  To put it another way, why do we need rallies and protests demanding legislation to prevent people from lying, stealing, and cheating?  Why don’t people understand that lying and stealing are wrong and naturally try their best to avoid such behaviors?  Unfortunately, we live in a world where something is wrong because there is a law against it, instead of a world where we have laws because we know some behaviors are inherently wrong.

So imagine if Jesus was here in this world in human form today.  Like the pharisees in the Bible, people would ask Him about his views on Occupy Wall Street, Obama Care, illegal immigration, and any number of social issues.  Do you think His answers would be any different from the ones He gave nearly 2000 years ago?  My guess is that many people would walk away disappointed because Jesus probably wouldn’t weigh in on these questions or provide answers that would make great sound bites on the evening news.  Jesus would probably say that in the grand scheme of things, we don’t go to Heaven because we pass good laws.  We go to Heaven because we strive to love Jesus by being good people and avoiding evil.

That brings us to the rosary, particularly The Nativity in the Third Joyful Mystery.  Jesus came into this world in the humblest way possible.  He was not born in a royal court nor did He grow up to be a worldly leader as many thought He would.  From His birth, Jesus showed that His ways were not the world’s ways.  When we pray the Third Joyful Mystery we must remember to accept Jesus and His message for what it is and not what we want it to be.  We must remember to not act like the pharisees and try to twist Jesus’ teachings to suit our wants and desires.  We pray for Jesus’ guidance to live according to His will.  We pray that we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in making just and moral laws but we don’t look to the law alone to find true happiness.

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Blessed are the Students…

Grinnell College Gates Tower
Image via Wikipedia

For many of us, September means the start of a new school year.  And perhaps one of the largest transitions students face is going off to college.  I know this is “so last month” for those on the semester system, but I was a quarter system guy when I was in school.  Regardless of whether you are just moving in for orientation or are a few short months away from graduation, I want to share this article I came across in the Catholic San Francisco and how it relates to the First Sorrowful Mystery of the rosary.

The article is the Beatitudes for College Students and it outlines eight smart tips for thriving in college.  Some of them like staying away from drugs and going to class are just part of being a good student and a responsible adult.  But other ones like making sure you attend Mass, pray regularly, and keep in touch with family are often swept aside in pursuit of higher education.  While many people may do well on the academic, social, and career fronts, some often stumble spiritually during their college years.  For those who do fall away, hopefully it is just a temporary bump in the road.  But unfortunately, many become spiritually derailed in college.  We should pray for all of those in college as many schools (even Catholic ones) have become extremely hostile environments for practicing religion and spirituality.

One of the college student beatitudes is “Blessed are students who pray about and think through important decisions.”  People make very important decisions during their college years.  They must decide what to study, how to support themselves after graduation, where to live, how to manage finances, who will be their friends (or possibly spouse), and just how manage life as a responsible adult.  Furthermore, college is often a time to decide how much of a priority you will make living according to your faith and values.  For example, as many students find themselves living away from home for the first time, the question arises on whether to continue praying or attending Mass.  Often, we come to these decisions after consulting with friends, professors, family, and counselors.  We read articles, attend lectures, and try to research these life-altering decisions as best we can.  And yet we often forget to ask God for guidance by praying.  This not only applies to college students, but all of us.  Do you pray earnestly and listen to God before making large decisions?

We should remember the First Sorrowful Mystery where Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus prayed so hard to God on the eve of His death that He started sweating blood.  He begged God to find another way to redeem us other than crucifixion.  Ultimately, crucifixion was God’s will and Jesus followed it faithfully.  But Jesus’ prayers were answered in that God gave Him strength to endure crucifixion and peace knowing that through His death and resurrection He would ultimately open the gates of Heaven and give us the opportunity for eternal joy and happiness.

And so college students can learn a lot from Jesus’ example of praying earnestly when facing big decisions.  God does have a plan for each one of us but we have to listen carefully through prayer.  We must be particularly vigilant in those times when it seems like God does not answer our prayers.  Perhaps He did but in a different way than what we were expecting.  Sometimes, instead of removing obstacles in our lives, God gives us the strength to overcome them.

College saddles students with many questions and decisions.  For those starting college, take time to reflect on what people are of good quality and what activities will ultimately make you a better person (hint: it’s not drinking and partying).  For those in the middle of their college years, ask God for guidance before declaring a major.  And for those in the final years of school, consider praying for insight on how you will spend the rest of you life after you get that diploma.  And important decisions don’t end after graduation.  Your will need to make decisions your entire life whether it be about work, family, finances, and politics.  You will have challenges but don’t think you’re alone in facing them.  God is always one prayer away and will always lead you in making the right decision if you listen to Him.

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Have You Friended Jesus?

True or False?  As Catholics we should abstain from eating meat on Fridays.  I know a lot of people hear this and think this is an older tradition that no one really follows anymore.  Or this is only required during Lent.  However, the Bishops of England and Wales, to reunite people with their faith, are reminding people in their diocese to abstain from meat on Fridays.  From their press release:

The Bishops also wish to remind us that every Friday is set aside as a special day of penitence, as it is the day of the suffering and death of the Lord. They believe it is important that all the faithful again be united in a common, identifiable act of Friday penance because they recognise that the virtue of penitence is best acquired as part of a common resolve and common witness.

Demonstrating outward signs of our faith is something lost in modern society.  Many people go through the entire day without a saying a single prayer or having any thoughts about God.  We tend to live our day in a religious neutral zone of neither separating ourselves completely from God through mortal sin but not really making much effort to further our relationship with Him.  Basically God has become like that Facebook friend we mostly ignore but have not de-friended.  We just aren’t interested in sharing our life with Him.  The bishops remind us that there are many simple things we can do to make our relationship with God a more integral part of our lives.

The bishops’ words remind me of the Second Joyful Mystery of the rosary.  Remember, in the Bible immediately after the Annunciation, Mary travels to visit her cousin Elizabeth.  After receiving such a tremendous gift from God the first thing Mary does is goes out and shares that joy with others.  Mary shows us that when you receive God’s grace the best thing to do is go out and share it with others.  Similarly, the bishops want us to live our faith publicly and share the joy of Jesus’ love with everyone.  When we weave little reminders of our faith into our daily routine, whether it be fasting, abstaining from meat on Fridays, or praying more regularly, we forge a more intimate relationship with God which will burn much brighter for all the world to see.

Let us pray for the resolve to live our faith publicly by consciously performing outward signs that remind us of God’s presence.  We should also pray for those who are persecuted for living their faith.  May they draw strength from the Holy Spirit to continue living as God calls them.  And finally, we should remember when we pray the Second Joyful Mystery all of those who have left the faith for whatever reason.  May our outward signs of the greatness of God’s loving grace bring them back to the Church’s welcoming arms.

Do you have any simple things people can add to their daily routine to remind them of their faith?  Please leave a comment below.

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