the Struggle

This past week we celebrated the Mass of Confirmation. Thirty-one members of our St. Joseph community were Confirmed by Bishop Elizondo. It was a beautiful and Spirit filled celebration. Bishop Elizondo made several great points in his homily. He used a quote by St. Augustine at one point. He said: “In essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, in all things charity.” St. Augustine
It’s a thought provoking quote that brings up a few more questions. The biggest in my mind is, “What is essential versus nonessential? And just who determines that?”

In my years teaching Confirmation these types of questions come up every year. Teens seem to want to know just what exactly the Church teaches on a variety of issues and if it is okay to disagree with the Church on certain issues. It’s a difficult, but very important question. This year I had a very honest and thoughtful young lady who came straight out and asked me if she could be a “cafeteria Catholic.”

My philosophy on teaching Confirmation (and any other class) is to teach what the Church teaches in its entirety without watering anything down and certainly without my opinions. Everyone deserves the fullness of truth. The “job” of the students is to try to listen with an open heart and then prayerfully begin to wrestle with the topic in their hearts and minds.

If we are honest most of us will admit that at different points in our lives we have struggled to accept any number of teachings of the Church. The struggle to understand and accept is not sinful. We only sin when we fail to stay in the struggle. When we shut the door on the Church and dismiss Her as being out of touch with the real world. Our responsibility is to continue to study, continue to read and continue to pray about each issue.

Only through prayerful study will we come to understand the essentials and embrace true unity and it is through study that we can experience true liberty of mind and heart. That struggle to understand and accept will lead us to charity, especially for those still wrestling with certain issues.
To our newly Confirmed Catholics, I say first of all, congratulations. Second, know that your formation hasn’t ended, in fact it has just begun. Each and every day of our lives we are challenged to continue to form our hearts, minds and consciences. Remember to always stay in the struggle. It has been a joy and privilege to serve as your catechist this year. 

To the rest of us, pray for these young men and women. It’s hard to be a Christian in our culture, especially as a young person. There are times when it must seem like no one else is Catholic or even believes in God. Pray for them to have courage to stand up and be different, to be bold, to be faithful, to be Catholic.

The Vision

“Let no one have contempt for your youth, but set an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity.”

In my years as a youth minister, I have encountered young people who are cutting, have eating disorders, are addicted to various substances, are addicted to sexting and/or pornography, pregnant, and suicidal. And, let’s face it, if they are coming to youth group these are typically the “good kids” from “good families.”
Our teens, who are our future, are hurting. There is a true battle going on for the hearts, minds and souls of all people, but this culture, in particular is going after our teenagers. And we have no one to blame but ourselves. We, as the adults, have sent our young people out on the front lines of this battle field and have failed to give them the weapons to defend themselves. Yes, we have failed them. That may seem harsh, but it is the reality.

We have told them by our actions that good grades, being great at sports or music is far better than having a personal relationship with Christ. We haven’t shown them how to pray. We haven’t taught them about evil and its effects on the world and in their lives. In fact, we haven’t even done the basics of introducing them to Jesus. Instead we fill their lives with unending busyness and material possessions. Those activities and those possessions eventually fail them and they are left empty handed.

Our teens certainly need us to love them. They need us to share our love, our time, our energy with them. They need to know that we value who they are. But most importantly they need us to share with them our relationship with Jesus and how He has shaped our lives.

“Where there is no vision, the people will perish.” -Psalm 29:18 

Our young people are perishing because they have no vision. They have lost the story of their lives. Our young people need a mission. They want to make a difference in this world. They want to know that who they are and what they do, matters. They want to give their lives to something bigger than themselves. Teens are incredible, they are bold, brave and in spite of the evil they see in the world on a daily basis they are idealistic. We should present them with a vision that inspires them to throw themselves into it with reckless abandon.

Yes, the problems of our young people are huge. They are overwhelming and they are scary. But they are not insurmountable. Jesus remains the way, the truth, and the life. We must give our young people this vision; challenge them to follow Him in a radical way.

This week challenge a young person. Don’t just read this blog and forget about the problems of our young people. Reach out to a young person, tell them about this incredible mission that Jesus has for them and their lives. Tell them about the exciting adventure that Christ has sent you on in your life. And then challenge them to truly be “an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” -1 Timothy 4:12

Dating Jesus

When I was 20 years old I volunteered for N.E.T. Ministries. Each year they recruit hundreds of young adults to serve on teams around the US, Canada and Australia and then send them out to evangelize middle- and high-school youth primarily through retreats. Before we were sent out for the year we went through 5 weeks of intense training in prayer, evangelization and ministry. On one of the first days a young woman in my small group, proudly proclaimed “I’m dating Jesus, and my boyfriend can beat up any of your boyfriends!” After the initial laughter at her statement died out, I realized just what she had said and it shocked me. I had never met anyone who was authentically discerning religious life. She seemed normal, fairly intelligent, quite pretty and yet, she was honestly interested in becoming a nun.

After my year with N.E.T., I ran into many others were also discerning God’s will for their vocation. They fascinated me. Some have gone on to become priests, religious sisters and brothers, others have married and had lots of cute babies. All of them are doing amazing things with their lives for God and His Church. They were willing to place all their trust in God and in His will for their lives.
I think at times we can be afraid of entrusting our lives to God. God knows you better than you know yourself. He sees where you are headed in the months, years and decades ahead. He knows what will make you the most fulfilled and full of joy and, most importantly, what will bring you closest to Him. We just have to trust Him. Which, let’s face it, can be a little harder than it seems.

So, how do you discern? Well, first of all, let me tell you I am no expert! So, I can really only give you some tips that others have told me. 

1. Pray. Look into your own heart. What is Jesus whispering to you in the quiet? I know this sounds funny, but try not to get too many people’s advice. Trust me, it just confuses things. All those voices and people’s helpful advice, just muddles up your head and makes it much more difficult to hear the still quiet whisper of God. Stop asking people and start just asking God. 
2. Evaluate. When do you feel the most alive? When do you feel that you are being the most you? Whatever that is, pursue that. God gave you your gifts and talents so that you might fulfill His will in your life. They are there to point you towards your vocation. You aren’t supposed to be miserable in your vocation.
3. Act. Do something! After the prayer and evaluation of your life, it’s time to take action. If you are a young woman, visit a convent (I can help you find some great sisters) or, if you are a young man, contact the Vocations Office at the Archdiocese. Visiting a convent or seminary doesn’t sign you up for life, they don’t want you there if that’s not your calling. You should also discern if you are called to the married life. Spend some time with a great Catholic family (not your own) that you know, play with their kids talk to the couple about their vocation. Prayer and introspection will only take you so far in this journey—sooner or later you need to take action. 

Being open to the will of God in your life now will only help you in your future vocation, whatever that might be. Some of the best husbands and fathers and wives and mothers I know, gave God the first shot at their lives. 

“Do not fear: I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God.” -Isaiah 41:10

Triduum?

We have now entered in to the great holy days of our Church year, the Triduum. Three days in which we commemorate Jesus’ passion, death and Resurrection. We start with Holy Thursday. Holy Thursday is a beautiful Mass in which we celebrate the institution of two great sacraments, the Eucharist and Holy Orders.

At the last supper, Jesus “took a cup gave thanks, and said, ‘Take and share it among yourselves; for I tell you that from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them saying, ‘This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you” (Luke 22:14-20). At the Last Supper Jesus gave the bread and wine to His apostles, not as a symbol or a sign of love, but as His actual body and blood. We celebrate this moment as the institution of the Eucharist.
In the same moment Jesus charged His apostles to, “Do this in remembrance of me.” He instructed His apostles to continue what He did by celebrating and remembering Him in this specific way. He gave them the authority to change bread and wine into His body and blood. This is the institution of the priesthood. (Of course, we also celebrate the Passover and Jesus’ new commandment to “love one another,” but we will have to discuss those things in another blog.)

On Holy Thursday we are called to give thanks and glory to God for the great gifts of the Eucharist and the priesthood. Without these great gifts where would we be? We should be forever grateful for these two amazing gifts. We should come to a greater appreciation of our own responsibility to live out our call to be Eucharistic people and a people who support, love and pray for our priests.
For Good Friday we reflect on Jesus’ great Sacrifice for each of us. On Good Friday we are a Church in mourning for our Savior. Each nail, each prick of thorn, every scourge and every step towards Calvary was for you because He loves you and He wants to spend eternity with you. Good Friday is “good” because it is the day in which Satan and death lost the battle and life, love and our Father had the victory. 

Jesus’ death is a free gift for each of us. It’s certainly not one that we deserve or can ever earn. It is a gift of deep, unconditional, unending love of a Father for His beloved children. He loves each of us so deeply that He would literally do anything to save us, “even death on a cross.” Good Friday is a celebration of not only the great victory over death, but the promise and hope that death is not the end.
Holy Saturday is a day of hopeful waiting. It is a day of anticipation and of a Church that is holding its breath waiting to see what God will do. One of my favorite things to do on Holy Saturday is to come and sit with the empty tabernacle. I love to sit in the silence and feel the emptiness of a world without Jesus in the flesh. On this day we have a beautiful reading in the liturgy of the hours, it begins with: “What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld has trembled.” It’s one of my favorite readings of the year (to read the entire reading click here) because it captures the feeling of hopeful expectation and stillness that should be our Holy Saturday.
And finally, we have the great Easter Sunday. Jesus rises from the dead. The tomb does not have the victory! He transforms a place of death and despair in to a place of life and Jubilation. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! HE IS RISEN!
This Holy Week enter into the Triduum. Try not to buy into the lies that you are just too busy and have to many important things to do. Tear down some of those roadblocks and obstacles that keep you from truly entering into these most Holy of Days. This year it is time for you to go deeper, into the great mystery of the Holy Triduum, so that you might truly enter into the great Alleluia on Easter morning!

Joseph & Francis

Every day I pray to St. Joseph to be the protector and guider of my heart and purity. I figure that St. Joseph guided and protected both Mary and Jesus pretty well, so he can probably handle me too!

“How does Joseph exercise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly and silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand.” -Pope Francis

This past week we celebrated the feast of St. Joseph, the man chosen by God to be the husband of Mary and the Foster Father of Jesus. In his love, humility, strength and tenderness he provided for all of their needs. 

Last week we also celebrated the inaugural Mass for Pope Francis, a man chosen by God to be our Shepherd on earth. A man who has also been hailed by everyone for his love, humility, strength and tenderness for those in need. 

St. Joseph and Pope Francis are wonderful examples for all of us of how Jesus has called us to live.  Pope Francis and St. Joseph are men of incredible strength. Men who stand up for injustice, defend the vulnerable and stand strong for what they know is right, especially when it isn’t easy.
The truth is we all need both of these incredible examples because we are weak, insensitive, self-absorbed and at times materialistic. We need them because they both point us to Jesus by their actions and their very lives. Why do we need these figures? Because we all need a father’s love to care for us in the good times and the bad. We need these examples of sacrificial love.
“Rend your hearts, open your hearts, because only in a broken and open heart can the merciful love of God enter, who loves and heals us.” – Pope Francis (Lenten Message to Buenos Aires)

St. Joseph and Pope Francis, Pray for us!