There and back again

       

Well, since it has been about a year since I've last done anything with this blog, I figured it was about time I write again. As much as I would like to say that I put my time into the highest pursuits of life, my time is often taken up with the demands and responsibilities of a job, a home, and the million little things that pop up right as soon as I think I am about to have some leisure time. I glanced at posts from the long distant past of last year and noticed that in just one week from tomorrow it will have been a whole year, can you imagine, a whole year since I have written anything of substance; well anything at all really and there was so much fodder for conversation this past year! Sporting events, political scandals, record breaking weather, entering into engagement with the love of my life, family gatherings,   world travels and much more were packed into the last year or so, yet it is gone and time to start fresh I think, since my memory will certainly fail me if I try and recount the many adventures the year of our Lord, two thousand thirteen held. So it's onward and upward, I hope you will join me for the ride!

Why not smile and say thanks?

Boy howdy is it nice outside! Weather is such an interesting phenomenon, it flits from windy to still, from the bitter cold to the soft warmth of a spring day all within a winter's week! As I sit here sipping on my morning cup of Joe which has turned into an afternoon cup of Joe as usually happens, I am so happy; so happy to be here, in this place, in this moment in time. Good gravy, as my father often says, it sure is so beautiful today! Because it is such an incredible day right in the midst of winter, I won't be writing for long, but I do think that the weather can teach us a valuable lesson and I'd like to share my short reflections with you because they came upon me in such a pleasant manner and made me smile.

Value in summer

      (published about two months late...)


       For all of the sweat, work, and tears that go into the work of a teacher during the year, summertime comes as a welcome respite. As my summer is just beginning, I wanted to take some time to write about leisure both for my own benefit as I begin a season of leisure of sorts as well as for you as some food for thought.
      It seems to me that for most, leisure is kicking back and flipping through the channels to see what's on, or perhaps clicking through friends' facebook profiles looking to see what they have been up to, or maybe even browsing through catalogs or stores looking for the next thing to buy in order to satisfy the restlessness of a heart not at work. Do these count as leisure or as true relaxation?
      As my time off from teaching begins I have realized that I want to spend my time well, even during the summertime. Rather than sit for hours watching television, movies, or surfing the net I want to use my time to grow as a person by developing my talents or discovering new ones. Almost every house in America you enter, the central point of the family room and perhaps bedroom, living room, and kitchen is a television. How many hours a month, week or day do we spend on such useless, mind-numbing pursuits as this? This summer I hope to spend my time, being open to adventures, developing my intellect, and pursuing dreams and goals. If we simply spent our free time on more fulfilling things such as music, reading, writing, hiking, or exploring, these things would not simply be 'pastimes'. Our time would be filled with satisfying some of the desires of our heart and opening us to more fully experiencing the world around us. Indeed, I think through leisure we can begin to live life as we're meant to live it... life to the fullest. Cheers!

"There and back again"

Whenever we encounter a turn in the road, a change in life, there is always a good bye... the sun sets on what has been but around the bend the sun rises on new shores and new opportunity. As I dig back into childhood memories I can remember so many summer nights, playing outside until the last streaks of rosy light finally faded from the sky and the sadness that came with the fading light. Not only do I remember a certain twinge of sadness, but also a sense of joy at truly living life to the fullest, or as fully as a six or seven year old can live. There was satisfaction at having used all of the day that God had given; a satisfaction knowing that there was not a wasted minute in my day and that in a few short hours the sun would rise again. This summer has been full of sunsets and twists and turns on the road of life leading me to places where a matter of months or weeks ago I never could have imagined.

Reflections of a year...

       When we stop to think, I think we realize that time is a most interesting phenomenon. When we look back we cannot believe how quickly time has passed and because of this, events just a few days or a couple weeks previous seem like ancient history. At the same time, while in the midst of a day or struggling through a specific moment, time feels like it is passing slower than molasses... these are reflections I often entertain for I find time to be so fascinating. It is because of these reflections that I turn to the last year of my life that has passed both slowly and with great swiftness. I cannot believe about a whole year has passed since graduating from college but at the same time graduation begins to feel like a distant memory. There have been many times since graduation when I have pined for the days of college while in the midst of teaching or living as a missionary for Totus Tuus. At the same time it has been a journey in trust and humility growing into life after college.

       Navigating the waters of bills and finances, travel, loneliness, dreams, success, setbacks, and exhaustion has been an experience unlike any I have had thus far. It has been a time of excitement and potentiality, a time of struggle and anxiety. I think I have really begun to see how necessary it is to keep one's life centered on those things that are unchanging, that are truly dependable. In reality, to keep one's life centered on the center, Jesus Christ. Whenever there is a distraction, a trial, or anything that causes us to take our gaze off of Christ and turn it toward ourselves, we begin to struggle through, we begin to lose focus, and indeed lose sight of our goal because of a willful choice not to look at the goal or center. Of course, this is the opposite of what a Christian strives for in his life, and of course it is simply silly. 

       As I look over the past year, the times in which I was continuously dedicating myself to our Lord, whether or not the circumstances were favorable or if life was 'going well', there was a definite peace. This is the result of centering oneself on the unchanging, for as the world around changes, you can in a sense remain unaffected at least in the most important ways. It is when we begin to trust in our own strength, or to take life for granted, we begin to really struggle with a certain uneasiness. This uneasiness then brings about a certain level of worry because we begin to wonder what it is that is making us feel uneasy, when the answer is very simply, ourselves. 

      The most important lesson I have learned in the past year is the necessity of continuously turning to our Lord in prayer, faithfully, with an ardent act of faith whether or not it is supported by pious feeling. Every action of our lives ought to be pointed toward our heavenly Father, ought to be done with love, but without prayer, one quickly begins to fail in making every act an act of love. We do not contain within ourselves the strength to love as we ought, that strength must come from elsewhere. For when the wind blows strong or the ground feels unsteady beneath our feet, there is an assurance in the peace of Christ, knowing that you are living for Him and striving to make every act an act of love.

       In this Easter season, it is appropriate that these are the sentiments or thoughts that have occupied my heart and my mind. Jesus Christ's most frequent greeting to persons after His resurrection is a simple, profound, and absolutely necessary proclamation, "Peace, be with you."

"Into your hands O Lord"

       Once again we are in the midst of the most solemn week of the year which precedes Easter Sunday. Every year the Church gives us this wonderful time of Lent for repentance, preparation, and renewal for receiving anew the marvelous gift of our salvation. I think one of the most profound moments is the celebration of the Mass of the Lord's Supper and the time spent in prayer with Our Lord afterward. Before entering into a reflection on my personal thoughts of this time, I would like to turn to the part of the Gospel read on Palm Sunday, which began this Holy Week, recounting Christ's time in the Garden of Gethsemane with his Apostles.

The absurdity of the question: "Who is Jesus Christ to you?"

      What an absolutely absurd question. Does my opinion of you change who you are? Does my perception or interpretation of another's words or actions change the actuality of those words or actions? The plain answer is of course not! One's view or opinion of the world around him does not impinge itself on the object or person observed changing the fundamental essence of the observed. To say so would be to give an incredible and unbelievable power to humans. It would be to say that one's opinion has the power to change reality. Let's experiment.

Aridity and Anxiety

       Life is full of simple bits of wisdom and insights into the heart of God, but at the same time life is also peppered with times of strain, weariness, and aridity. As I finish the third quarter of this year as a high school religion teacher, I have been experiencing the latter. You see, from the moment a teacher sets foot out of the comfort and privacy of his vehicle, his life, his time, his heart, and his love, are no longer his own. Patience is perpetually tested, the mind is baffled, the heart is wounded, the body wearied... and yet still the teacher must persevere

Why I don't hate religion... youtube's most watched video

       So I've seen this video floating around the internet posted by this young man who loves Jesus but hates religion but hadn't mustered the energy to waste my time watching it. Well, I watched it. Yes, I watched this video and was not surprised at what I heard, but also not impressed. It seems that the young man, Jefferson Bethke, is basically stating that he is spiritual and not religious and you should be too? Perhaps this is the case, but if you listen to this link, http://www.stmarysgvl.org/discipleship/audio-homilies?song=1100&homilyTitle=Third+Sunday+of+ that is shown to be nothing but nonsense. I actually think Mr. Bethke is touching on a much more cliched point than this, but whatever larger point Jefferson Bethke is attempting to make in this video he makes a host of statements that reveal themselves to be well, rather foolish and not very good although they seem to be popular.

One night in Bethlehem

       Centuries have passed, tears of incredible sorrows have washed the earth, joys and wonders have abounded, nations have risen and empires fallen, through it all there is a story, a legend, a myth that has remained... or perhaps, it is more than that. In the midst of all the ancient pagan cults, the gods of Olympus, the cults of Saturnalia and Baal, the gods of Egypt, the human sacrificing cult to Pan, there is a story that rises and befuddles the consciousness of all believers in such things. A story so strange, so bold, and at first glance so... pathetic comes upon the scene.

The God debate

       So as we approach Christmas (only three days away now!) I wanted to share with you all concerning a conversation over that wonderful social networking tool, Facebook, I had with a self-professed atheist.

Rome oh sweet home!

       For some reason today, memories of my time living in Roma, Italy washed over me like a pleasantly warm breeze. Those days remain vividly in my memory no matter how much time passes. Having been blessed to travel to Roma on three separate occasions, I have a wide range of memories stemming from each stint in the Eternal City but none more vivid than the last two trips I took; one for three months and the other for a month and a half. There is something so enthralling, so evocative, transcendent, and even sacred about spending time abroad

Feast of Saint Nicholas

December 6, has always been one of my favorite days of the year because it is the feast of Saint Nicholas. Growing up in a Catholic household we held to the tradition of leaving a shoe out by the front door on the eve of this feast, and sure enough, the next day they would be filled with some kind of treats. Never considering the possibility that the tasty treats might be affected by the lovely aromas and remnants of sweat, mud, and grass, they were all greatly enjoyed. Not only did the sweets make a nice impression on me as a child, but I knew that that Advent was well on its way and that Christmas was coming soon. And what child does not look forward to the coming of Christmas?

In Thanksgiving to Christ the King

       Sitting by the light of a candle relaxing in the evening of this marvelous feast of Christ the King, I was in the mood to write something here... yet I think I will just leave this page mostly blank to allow you the time to reflect on everything you have received in your life. Seriously, take some time, close your eyes and think of all you have been given, the incredible blessings that this life is made of... as I am writing I hear the words "Come thou font of every blessing" playing from the radio and it is indeed an applicable phrase of praise to give to our Lord, the King of kings. He is the font of all blessings. He gives us only what is good. So take some time and give him thanks and praise. Truly, our whole lives ought to be made up of thanksgiving to Christ our King!












May the peace of Christ be with you!