Dicussion on Faithful Citizenship - Oct. 21st and 22nd!

In the coming weeks, I really want to get out as much information as possible to people before we go into the voting booth. It is so important, now more than ever, for every Catholic to be informed and counted this election year. I also think that it is a very confusing time to vote as well! If you are like me, you feel that both parties seem to be lacking real truth, and therefore our vote may cause us some real anxiety.  I sometimes have a hard time voting for a candidate because of one topic, and if I vote one way on an issue, another group of people in the US will suffer. It is a difficult road to navigate, and sometimes a real hard topic to talk with people about as everyone is passionate about one issue or another. In an effort to give people a place to learn about the issues, ask questions and find a political conviction that coincides with our Catholic beliefs, the Office of Young Adult Ministry will be sponsoring a Discussion on Faithful Citizenship, a two evening webinar with Kathleen Gallagher and Dennis Poust of the New York State Catholic Conference. Parishioners across the Diocese of Ogdensburg will have a chance to engage in discussions about our call to Faithful Citizenship. Participants will be able to log in on their own computer at home, however, we are encouraging people to gather in groups, begin the discussion over a pot luck dinner, or dessert and coffee and log in together, either at your home, a friends home, or a parish center. As long as you have internet connection you will be able to attend.

To participate, please send an email requesting log in information to lturgeon@dioogdensburg.org or phone 315-323-4989 for more information.

For more information on Faithful Citizenship visit http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/

Become like Children

"Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,

you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.

Whoever becomes humble like this child

is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.

And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me."

On Sunday, we hopefully, learned that we are to not give up, to trust God in our journey, that we will be fed and that we have to keep our eye on Him at the top of the mountain.  And Paul reminds us that our duty as  Catholics/Christians is to love one another, forgive one another and to be imitators of Christ. I think that today, we hear about what follows when we have decided to live that way, and that is to be vulnerable to our neighbors: What if someone takes advantage of me? To live like Christ makes us very vulnerable, and Jesus teaches how vulnerable we can be as he walked the journey to the cross. Children do not think about the consequences in loving someone, they love unconditionally, and even when people do not treat them the best.  In my daily work in the mental health arena, I am often reminded that even when parents do not parent well, even in times of abuse, a child will still see something good in their parents and they will always want their love and feel loyal to them. As we get older, we decide that we are now "adults" and we must be taken seriously, and NO ONE will make a fool of us!!! But this attitude often stops us from feeding the poor, clothing the naked, loving the unlovable; and when we stop doing those things, than we can never be close to God.  We have to leave our fear at the altar, and go being open to all that cross our paths, the lonely, the hungry, etc.  without worrying about the negative consequences that might happen to us. Of course we have to be smart and be safe, but those circumstances are far and few be,ween in our lives, but everyday we pass people by without a smile or hello, and sometimes that is just what a person needs.  

St. Maximilian Kolbe teaches us how to be open to others in need, to trust God even in the most dangerous times, and to believe our faith so much that we will risk our lives for it. St. Maximilian was only a child when he had a vision of Mary, it is documented that he was 12 years old when he had the vision.  [This is an excerpt from the book, "Maximilian Kolbe Saint of Auschwitz" by Elaine Murray Stone]

     Raymond seemed embarrassed to reveal his secret. But finally, shaking with emotion, he obeyed and told her. "One day, when I was praying before the painting of Our Lady of Czestochowa in church" he began softly, "Our Lady appeared to me."

     Maria's broad face looked shocked. Could this be true, or was her son being sacrilegious? Even worse, perhaps he was going crazy. But she nodded for Raymond to continue. 
     "Our Lady was holding out two crowns. One was white, the other red. She gazed at me lovingly and asked, 'Which of these crowns do you desire?' Then the Virgin told me that if I chose the white crown I would remain pure for life. The red one was a martyr's crown. I thought about the choice for a minute. Then I told her, 'I want both of them.' The Virgin smiled sweetly at me. Then she disappeared."

     As he spoke, Raymond's face glowed with peace and innocence.  His mother could not help believing what he told her. But the greatest proof of the vision was the immediate change in her son's behavior. Obviously, something miraculous had taken place and transformed him. 

His life was the proof that he did indeed have a miraculous change. Unless we open ourselves, so that we are vulnerable, the heavens cannot come down and be a part of our life and we can not complete the journey God has in store for us. So many children throughout the ages have been the chosen ones of sacred messages from our Mother in heaven. She had faith in them, because they were open to her, they loved her with no reserve and therefore worthy of the promises we recieve in Christ Jesus. 

Jesus we ask you to open our hearts, to open our minds to that which is your will in our lives, help us to have total faith in you so that we may reveal your love to others, help us to be like St. Maximilian and not hold anything from You. 

Teach Me Your Ways O Lord . . .

We all have lessons to learn … everyday.  If life is lived well, then everyday has been a lesson; hopefully a lesson in holiness.  Time is going by so fast that it is hard to believe that the holidays have passed so quickly, and we find ourselves back in “ordinary time”.  But as we live our lives it doesn’t seem like “ordinary times” at all. This weekend our attentions turn to Washington DC and the March for Life.  So many of our brothers and sisters from the Diocese have made the trek to stand up for Life, have a voice and be counted.  In the Gospel we continue to see Jesus choosing his disciples, asking them to leave the familiar and follow him.  As usual, our weekly readings relate to the events of life.  This will be my first March for Life and I am looking forward to learning from those I will meet these two days of travel. 

But I truly believe that honesty is the best policy, and as I have been struggling to write this blog this week, trying harder to make myself look good, rather than write what I struggle with – I have chose to be honest. I have such admiration for those who have taken time out of their lives to attend this march -- to leave families, the comfort of their own homes, put themselves out to chaperone buses filled with teens - who will have an opportunity to experience the freedom of speech and to gather in one voice in triumph for those who cannot speak for themselves -is inspirational, and here I sit, a little less than excited about sleeping the next two nights on a bus, diving into a crowd in possibly bad weather to speak up for something I don’t even know will ever change. I am ashamed to say it, but I am not leaving tomorrow with positive excitement.  As a Catholic, I have always wondered if I should vote simply on the person who promises to reverse Roe vs Wade in their campaign speech. Conservative Republicans have come and gone promising to uphold the core values that we believe in and still there is no change. Roe vs Wade has not been reversed, family values have not been upheld and it seems that Hollywood has much more influence in how our government makes decisions than a group of hundreds and thousands of Christians who believe in the sanctity of life right outside the government leaders doors.  The March for Life, reminds me of the fact that our families are dying, that kids are more apt to take advice from MTV than a loving parent, that men still do not see themselves as the leaders of their families, that girls grow up not knowing their own worth and therefore settle for the love of those who will not cherish them but simply use their bodies. It reminds me that we live in a culture that sex is as casual as a handshake and that we lie not only with our words but with our bodies. That we have such a difficult time admitting that our hearts are broken, and we are left yearning for something more and yet we know it can only be satisfied by God. It seems that politicians say what they need to say in order to get elected but never see themselves as servants to all of us who just want to have a good, decent life. It overwhelms me to know that the Abortion issue is a result of all of our sins, and it is our responsibility to live in a way that would never make a woman or a girl, a man or a boy even think about killing their own child.  We live in a culture where Grandma is denied cataract surgery and grandpa is offered Viagra – children live in poverty in single parent homes and wall street bankers get bailed out!

I think that many people are not so different than me, overwhelmed with all the rhetoric. What is the right answer? Why do we not march for the life and sanctity of families, because I really think that it is the cause of such evils as abortion. We have forgotten the importance of the mother and father and their roles in the home and in society. We have been told that we do not need to feel that we are getting older, stay young -- when we can’t, and that it is a sin not to take up our role as mature adults, especially in the lives of our children, all the world’s children.  There is nothing that I have been more sure of than God’s presence at the birth of my son, the gift of life.  His conception was all wrong, but God made a beautiful perfection from an unholy mess. I, like many of the women who are the center of this debate, found myself alone, penniless and afraid, but I had something that many, if not all, the women who have abortions don’t have, and that is that many years ago, someone took my hand and placed it into the hand of Jesus and taught me how to trust in Him and in nothing else. When I found myself alone, because of my doubt and sin, I knew right away that Jesus was by my side and that we would get through it together – if everyday I asked myself if I had done all that I could, and if I was honest about it. Like the disciples that Jesus choose to be his followers, we have to help people put their hand in Jesus’ hand, we have to evangelize to others – we have to give our time so that the children in our church and community will feel loved and protected, and will never feel less than the beautiful perfection God made them, and then they will never find themselves in front of an abortion clinic – not because it is against the law, but because they know they are a child of God.

Know your faith – and then use your time to pass it along, be a part of teaching the faith.

Epiphany – God’s Way of Saying “Get Moving!”

I Googled “Epiphany” images and found this one and thought how wonderful it was. This small child certainly looks like he/she has had an “epiphany” and I thought how much this picture symbolizes what we should be like when we think about the miraculous event of Christmas; that God has loved us so much that He sent his only begotten son to live among us and to teach us what it means to be a son or daughter of God.  I don’t know about you, but I want to be like this when I encounter Jesus in my life. Like the shepherds and the wise men, have we seen our star; that light that calls us out of our comfort zone, that thing that gives us hope that our lives can be different – better?  We all have something inside of us that leaves us yearning for something more, searching for meaning of our existence and I think that God gives us the light in the darkness, but so often we ignore that it is God. God calls us, just like the shepherds and the wise men to get moving – to find the treasure that lies beneath the star that God shines brightly for each one of us. We all reach our Epiphany at different times, in different ways, God has a journey for each one of us and He offers the greatest gift, if we will take the journey, trust in Him and believe that God is truly with us.

Keep Things in Perspective! (And pray every day for the world to do the same)

This Christmas Season I decided to be quiet. To stop talking, stop writing, stop having an opinion and listen, just listen. As you can see from the last entry to this blog it has been a very quiet time for the Office of Young Adult Ministry, and a very quiet time for me. As I headed into the busy season of Advent and Christmas, I found myself more and more quiet, watching the hustle and bustle of people around me, the acquisition of more and more stuff that people don’t really need; the adoption of this Christian holiday by people who are not very (if at all) Christian the other days of the year (even my Jewish friends were busy decorating their Christmas tree and buying presents), the television shows, commercials and store music that really made you feel like an alien if you were not so ready to buy into the whole thing.  I found myself wondering what I could get my son that would make his eyes twinkle and shriek with excitement on Christmas – because to tell you the truth, I needed that more than anything because he is growing up and there is no little boy in my house any longer.  Despite him telling me that he didn’t need anything I wanted to get him something, and the world around me told me that I did too.  On Christmas Eve I found myself pretty depressed that as a single mother, I really couldn’t justify threatening the mortgage payment, or heating fuel, or – oh yea, Christmas Eve my furnace decided to get sick, so an emergency visit of a repairman on Christmas Day also didn’t help – and all along my son told me that he didn’t need anything. But as parents we all know that the abundance of Christmas isn’t really about what our kids need, or what they want, but about us, and how we have bought into what the world tells us we are suppose to be as parents and perhaps, it is a way for us to make up all those times throughout the year when we didn’t do it perfectly, because somehow we were taught that we are suppose to do it perfectly every time!  As I went to sleep that night, hoping we wouldn’t get too much snow this winter because my porch roof doesn’t look like it can take the pressure, and worried about the furnace, wondering if I was enough for anything or anyone, and the thoughts kept whirling in my head, -- I prayed for Peace. My thoughts went to that small family in the manger, “no crib for his bed”, and imagined what they would be thinking. Would they concentrate on the conditions of the manger or just be grateful to have shelter?  I wondered of all mother’s and father’s who were lonely this Christmas, that felt that they would let their kids down because they couldn’t get them the latest i-product or whatever it is they had been asking for. I thought of all the mother’s and father’s who did buy things that they really couldn’t afford and were lying awake at night wondering how to get pass this Christmas.  Like the Shepherds in the fields, sometimes life is dark and lonely, even on Christmas night.  We have to see the Light, that only God can send us, and follow it, no matter how difficult the journey -- that leads us to Jesus, quietly sleeping in His mother’s arms, surrounded by Love, waiting for us to be present.  “What do I have to give the King?” asked one of the Shepherds, and the other replied, “We can give him our faith.” (There is nothing like a Christmas pageant when you hear these words spoken by children and you can really get it!)  I fell asleep with the thoughts of Jesus and the prayer of so many lonely souls that night.

But I awoke wanting to be silent.  No inspiration to write about anything.

I spent much time during the holiday, reading and watching movies, spending time with Noah and playing some board games. The time went by way too quickly as I am sure you can agree.

Then it came to me, as I sat in Sunday Mass this past weekend – one line that changed my spirit – “Mary kept these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”  My quiet Christmas made sense, it is ok, to take it all in and quietly reflect on them, that there is time to be quiet and time to speak, and both are ok.  And I was able to be so grateful for all that I saw this holiday season. I was able to dig up the manual for the furnace and begin to understand how they work, and what all the buttons are for; and for a moment, I stopped, all the anxiety of what I think the world should be like, and as Noah and I were looking at the planets through his telescope on a very cold, clear night (the night sky has been full of entertainment the last few weeks!), I thought of those Shepherds and Wise men, who had been called to leave the familiar and search for the origin of a star, and there they would find Love.

I believe that nothing happens by coincidence; this past summer, as Noah was starting to become attracted to stars and planets, black holes and galaxies, we attended Creation Fest, in which Louis Giglio spoke of God’s Magical Symphony – the sounds of God’s creation, even stars, praising the Creator. It was an awesome presentation. I ran into Sam’s a couple days before Christmas, and as I was quickly passing the book section, heading toward the frozen foods, something caught my eye, it was a small paperback book, by Louie Giglio entitled “Indescribable” and I thought, “Hey this is the guy this summer!” And I got it to give to Noah for Christmas, because his love of the night sky was increased by the presentation of this guy.  Noah was very excited, and I got to see that twinkle! (And it wasn’t even an i-product!) and within a couple of days Noah had finished the book, and when I asked him how the book was, he replied, “Indescribable Mom!” But he wanted to share one thing he learned about with me and it not only, brought things into prospective, it connected all the dots from my Christmas experience-- it is a video done by Carl Sagan, describing this “Pale Blue Dot” we live on and I want to share it with you. Perhaps it will help all of us keep things in perspective in 2012 and really understand that God is BIG and we are small, and when we get caught up in something that feels life or death, and it really isn’t, remember our size in the big scheme of things, and why not do the right thing whatever the consequences and stop living in fear, because our time is less than a fraction of a second, and people are suffering because of our own inflated sense of self importance as the collective “us” refuse to see the big, big, big picture God sees.  To keep things in perspective is my prayer for myself, for you and for all the world in 2012.

Feast Day of St. Nicholas

Today we celebrate the Feast Day of St. Nicholas, the patron Saint of Russia and an Arch Bishop. There are many stories of St. Nicholas and if you ask most children, it is a Saint that they have heard of, almost taking the throne of Christmas, despite the fact that Christmas really is the birth of our Savior. I wonder what St. Nicholas would think about the adaptation of his role in Christmas. As I researched St. Nicholas I was struck by one particular story.

Throughout his life St. Nicholas retained the bright and guileless manners of his early years, and showed himself to be the special protector of the innocent and the wronged. Nicholas once heard that a person who had fallen into poverty intended to abandon his three daughters for a life of sin. Determined that this would not happen, he went out during the night, and taking with him a bag of gold, flung it into the window of the sleeping father and hurried off. He, on awakening, deemed the gift a godsend, and with it dowered his eldest child.  It seemed that St. Nicholas was pleased at how this went, and returned to help with the next daughter, but this time the father was watching and waiting and saw where the bag of gold came from. The father, in such gratitude, fell at the feet of St. Nicholas and asked him why he had concealed himself from the man and thanked him for delivering himself and his daughters from hell.

The stories of St. Nicholas, as varied as they are, show us that we must work for justice; but what is justice when the word is used more about revenge and “getting even”. Justice for all people is really about making sure that the person standing next to us, or across the globe receives exactly what God would want for them. Do we ever think of what God would want to the person we are dealing with? This time of year, in 2011, giving poses quite a problem. Yes, we are in the giving and receiving mode, or at least we think we are. We struggle and sometimes even get into debt or ignore responsibilities because we want to get someone some “thing”, but when we think of what God would want for the person that we are exchanging gifts with, does it equal out to a new iPod or iPhone, or some other material item? St. Nicholas was the one who would stand up for those who are innocent and wronged, haven’t we all been wronged by the incessant message this time of year that “things” will make us happy, or “things” will make our children happy? We all know that most of us need nothing, and we long for the time when the spirit of Christmas was different. Recently I was speaking with someone and they were handed a “wish list” from their parents!!  There is something wrong about that to me. While we are in need of no-thing, we are desperately in need of meaning, of love and understanding, none of which can be bought at your local Wal-mart!

This time of year, we should be thinking of how to get our lives in prospective. While we are in the dark, we can only see shadows and so we make up our own reality. Let us commit to awaiting the light that only Jesus can bring, and then we will see life as it truly is; with the bright light we will be able to see ourselves and others as God sees us.  Like St. Nicholas, let us take on the role of protector of the innocent and the wronged and allow Jesus to be seen this Christmas. Let us put down the credit card, and give of ourselves to one another this Christmas.

So it is 11 days until the Young Adult Retreat “Metanoia” will be held.  I continue to pray for those who may be hearing God’s call to get a hold of a registration form. I think I have invited everyone that has come across my path, and have begged those around me to do the same, and so now we wait.  Like the girls in the last Sunday’s readings, I am making sure that the lamps are burning bright and that there is plenty of oil in case we wait a long time and the lamps need to be refilled. We are ready! 

And then I read the readings for this coming Sunday . . . Mt 25; 14-30 The Parable of the Talents.  I find comfort in this reading after a few hours of meditating on it, but not at first. I tend to be like the third worker, if you give me something to hold on to, I will take good care of it -- but I am not so sure that I would go and gamble it away hoping to be able to give you more when you get back. I am probably going to hope that you are happy with me that whatever it is, is returned in the same condition you gave it to me. But in this parable it is easy to see that God expects more from us than that. God has given us all of our talents, everything we have, especially our faith, and I suppose that God, as told to us through Jesus, expects us to spread the Good News. In spreading the news, we will work with God in the conversion of souls.  I suppose that is why we should not be content with merely our own salvation. Since God gives us everything, even our reputation, the fact that people think we are good, trustworthy, etc. I risk that mainstream reputation when I take on a further call to spread the Good News as it is lived out in my own gospel, the experience of Jesus Christ within my own life. How will others see me; a Jesus freak? (Oh and by the way we will not even mention the fear that people will uncover that I am really a phony, full of air, and able to pop with the slightest touch; who am I to speak on God’s behalf.) But I am reminded over and over again, that if I hear the call and do not respond, it is not only me that suffers, but my friends, my neighbors and the world. If I am given words to say, a life of joy and enthusiasm for Jesus, and I repress it, than no one gets the benefit of the message. And when we, collectively, decide we will not take up our call, than that is compounded a million times! What kind of world will we then have? Should we be surprised of the world we live in now? Lately I have been looking for a bumper sticker that says, “If not you, then who?” And so in the Parable this week, I have often wondered what would happen if at least one of them would have come back saying, “Um, I tried to make you some more and well, it didn’t go so good, so I actually have nothing to give back.” But I suppose that this is not even an option. That when one takes what they have been given, whatever the talent, and believe that it really, ultimately belongs to the Master, and takes care of that talent with passion and respect, there is no way that it will not multiply. That is part of this lesson, to believe, to live a life of passion for what you are hearing God say to you, and know that we are fertile ground and we will be more than we were at the beginning of this journey. As I close this day, I remember the words from the writings of Julian of Norwich, " ... All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well". And I hear God's gentle voice in my head saying, "Of course it will be."

Our Time is Limited

With all this talk about Saints and Souls, and then the readings of today, we are reminded that we have to be awake as we live this life. How we live our lives, and to what we deem as important is the very thing that God will judge us on. As we celebrated All Saints day we are reminded that Saints were people who somehow figured out how to be themselves, the person that God intended them to be despite their frailties and sins, and lived a good life, so much so that God intermingled with their lives so much that others around them were affected - healed by miracles. They certainly were not perfect, and a recurring theme throughout the lives of the saints is that they too believed that they were not worthy. How many times do we tell ourselves that we are not Saints, that we don't have what it takes to be one, and so we go back to sleep accepting what the world will give us and turn away from what God offers us. All we have to do is look around and we can see how we are not accepting blessings from God, the condition of the world, our towns, our neighborhoods and our families are a reflection of what we deem as important, and God does not want for us what we are living. He has something so much better in mind.

But then the question comes, what can I do about it? The task at hand seems so overwhelming, we sometimes feel that all we can do is try to be a good person and hope that this is enough. But God tells us over and over again that it is NOT enough. That if we want to be one of the chosen ones, if we really do want to live all of eternity in His presence, than we have to quiet the voices that want to convince us that we can't make a change, take a deep breath and get to work on building the Kingdom of God today. The Kingdom is available if we just get busy bringing it about. But the Devil is a cunning one, and he is hard at work making us feel that we are not good enough. The more we try to do good, the harder the Deciever works to make us feel like we are nothing. But we must listen to God who tells us that we are everything!

Today on All Souls Day, we are reminded not only that there is no separation from us and those that have gone before us, but also that our time is limited, and we must ask ourselves of what we want to be remembered for? What mark will we leave on this world? Don't let the Deceiver get the best part of you! The Devil's job is to drown out the voice of God in our lives, and he is doing his job very well. Pray to hear God's voice, and that voice, we are reminded by Saints and Souls, is saying how GOOD you are and that YOU can make a difference. Fill your lamps with God's oil, by doing what is right, by speaking when you need to, by commanding that the Devil's voice be quieted in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord who paid the price for our freedom; freedom from the oppression of evil. But we have to do our part, because as Paul asks the early followers in today's 2nd reading, "Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?" We are intermingled with suffering and resurrection, we are called to be uncomfortable in the truth, and it is only by our death that we too may share in the resurrection. Can you imagine a morning of such bright light? The day that we embrace this fact and live a fearless life.

Humility is a strange thing; once you think you got it, you've lost it!

This week it is important for us church workers to hear the words of Jesus. Jesus says, “ They preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen… they love places of honor…”  Church work tends to, if being honest, connect us to our humble side. When we are honest with ourselves, we know that the power comes from God, that left alone we can really muck things up. When we have an awesome meeting, or encounter, when we are inspired and are able to somehow bring that inspiration to life, we must understand that the power is from God and that He is working through us to touch the people that have been placed in our care. But Church workers are human, and like everyone else we want to be recognized for the hard work that we put into it, the long hours and the sacrifices in our personal lives in order to do God’s work. But we have to be careful, because even though we are doing “God’s work” we have to know that we are more than the actions that we do, and that God loves us, no matter what we do or don’t do, the successes and the failures, even in the moments when we feel defeated and discouraged. We have to watch that we don’t see ourselves different than those we serve, our common denominator is that we are all broken in some ways and all glorious in others. We have a lot to learn from those we serve. Jesus also reminds us that we have to be living this Christian life as well as spreading the Good News. This week at Religious Ed classes, the children and I talked about what a Christian should look like … and we all decided that a Christian who is really living out the Good News should look happy and joyful, not all depressed and down, after all our actions maybe the only Gospel someone encounters. We should be showing people how awesome life can be with God, not that life is easy but that our lives show hope for something more. 

We work hard to help others experience a conversion,(Metanoia) but sometimes we have to slow down a little bit, and not place heavy burdens on the shoulders of others, especially if we are not going to “lift a finger to move them”, as Jesus says. We continually have to be mindful that conversion is hard, and scary and sometimes almost impossible in a world like ours, but we have to help people see that they are not alone. After all, we know from the readings the past few weeks, that the key is love, to love as Jesus did, in the role of the patient, self sacrificing servant. “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted”.

As I was writing this, another thought drifted in. Perhaps it is important for us to pat our church workers on the back, not because the event or class went perfectly, perhaps it is simply so that person will not be starved for recognition and begin to work in a way that satisfies that need instead of the needs of parishioners.  Perhaps it is important for us to stop our church volunteers and staff, and say thank you and give them a little love, perhaps it will make all the difference in the world. This upcoming week the North Country Catholic will be publishing the Priest Appreciation Issue, take time to thank those that keep our Church going, in an imperfect world, that is dying to know God.

It’s All About Love

When Jesus replied that this Commandment was the greatest, he did sure challenge those around him and everyone else to come after. What does it mean to Love God with ALL our heart? Have you ever really thought  about it? If we love God above all else, there really is no need for the rest of the Commandments, because if I love God I will always be honest, I will always treat my neighbor with the upmost respect, I will respect my parents and all elderly, even if they haven’t always respected me, I will not live in a world that is an eye for an eye. I will do what is right, not because of some rule, but because I am totally in love with Abba – the God in which I have this unbelievable close relationship with.

When we love someone, really love them, their interest is always first and foremost on our mind. And so it is with our relationship with God. To live in justice means that I will offer to others what I know God would want for them, therefore putting God’s and his people’s interests first. With experience of living this way I will know that I live in real joy and happiness, and that doesn’t mean that life will be easy and abundant of the things of the world (remember last week’s reading?)

But Jesus doesn’t just say that this is a nice thing to do, it is the #1 Commandment, and so there is more of an emphasis that choosing to put God’s best interest first is all wrapped up in our salvation. I wonder what that means for the world in the year 2011. So many times people believe that as long as you are a “nice” person you will get to Heaven.  If I walked into a closet today, and stayed there until my death, I could say that I lived a life without hurting anyone, without saying anything that offended anyone, I was not involved in political arguments, and I did not lie, cheat, murder, covet, nor take the Lord’s name in vain – will I then go to Heaven? Or will I be asked why I didn’t feel responsible to make the world better, to bring God’s word to the hopeless or comfort the sick? While God is a loving God, I believe that he is a just God – and that while I was not a problem on earth, I did nothing to help in the creation of the Kingdom of God here on earth, now. Would I go to heaven? Or perhaps, I spent my life, continually putting myself out there, wanting to serve God, but sometimes failed and had to pick myself back up. Maybe sometimes within my zeal to speak God’s word I offended someone, or didn’t say something just right, but could make up for it with an apology – would I go to Heaven?

Do we really believe in the prospect of living with God for all eternity? Many times in this age, people don’t live with the hope of salvation primarily in their mind.  I think many people, myself included, go throughout our day, not really aware of how our actions will get us to -- or keep us from Heaven.  I believe there is life after this one with God, in which we will be reunited with those we love, and not only will we be reunited but we will see them for who they truly are and we will be seen by others for all that we truly all – we will shine with the brightness that God intended for us.

This week, let’s pay attention of our love for God, let it surround us and let us pray that we may experience God in every thought, word and deed. Let us truly - Go, and serve the Lord.

The Messy Vineyard

OH, another week with so much in the reading that jumps out from the page to my heart…don’t you just love it when it does that? (To tell the truth I begin to feel a bit overwhelmed to get all my thoughts out there) so today I will try to spread it out over a few days. As always I praise God who is alive in my life and in the world!

This weeks upcoming readings: Is 5:1-7, Phil 4:6-9 and Mt 21:33-43

First reading -- I love how it begins, kind of like the beginning of the Beverly Hill Billies, go ahead and read the first lines, with the tune in the back of your mind! Did you see the comparison? Lol  But enough musings ...

Here is a picture of vineyard, who when so guarded, all that grew were “wild grapes”! And so, the owner of the vineyard is going to let whatever happen, happen to the vineyard, in hopes of getting something different. Now I am no theologian or scripture scholar, I really only go by what I hear in my head and heart about the readings at hand. But boy did this strike me. When I grew up, so many things about the church were “guarded”, parishioners it seemed, knew their place and pretty much remained there. The “jobs” of the church were taken care of by “special” people, and somehow things got done, Church was there on Sunday and you didn’t really have to worry about it. But, even with so much given us, and I am referring to those now in their 30s and 40s, it seems that we have grown “wild” that we do not have a deep appreciation for this Catholic faith and are, for the most part, doing a horrible job in passing that faith to the next generation. So many young adults (and not so young adults) don’t know much about the teachings of the faith (and I am talking about the REAL teachings, not what you learn on the “streets”) and so are luke warm about not only the Catholic faith, but are luke warm about God in general. Take a look at families, schools, governments, etc., and we can see how the watering down of commitments to God has affected our whole world.  And so the result is a Church in great need of love and caretaking, falling and being left for dead. But ohhhh, the opportunity God is giving us!!! Yes, this, in a way is a GOOD thing! In the past few weeks we have heard about a man’s son who says he will work in the vineyard but doesn’t go and a son who says no but then changes his mind, of people who work in the vineyard for different amounts of time, but all get the same pay, don’t we see, for so many of us, who said (and say) that we are bringing Christ into the world, but didn’t when given an opportunity, or we say that we know our faith, but don’t when it is time to teach the lessons to our children, we have an opportunity to change our minds AND to get the same pay – heaven.  It is when the walls of the Church have fallen, when She needs our attention and care, that we are invited, with all of our gifts into this messy vineyard, that we can have a change of mind and heart, and to roll up our sleeves and get to work living and proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ. We have a second chance, and we can be the small, vulnerable sprouts of the good grapes because through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ we have been made new again. The time is now, and not to settle for less than what Jesus death on the cross provides for us.  It is not a time to blame and to find excuses, we ALL got here together, and together we will rise!

Metanoia Retreat Coming November 18th

I have been thinking a lot about what young adult Catholics may need from the church and the experiences of the past few days have been rather enlightening. First of all, I attended the Christopher West presentation in Massena. All I can say is WOW -- for so many reasons.  Christopher West is really a prophet of our day. The way he explains and puts the teachings of the Catholic Church would make anyone want to be Catholic or at least think about it. For me, the best line was, “we have always had the right words, but they were put to the wrong music”.  How many of us have grown up with the teachings of the Catholic Church, but they never pulled at our heart strings. We have to care about something deeply in order to change or adopt ways that may not always be the easiest to do. This has proven, I think to be a Big, BIG problem with the younger generation of the Church. As a DRE of my parish, I see that the kids are sitting in class, but do the words we teach pull their heart strings, do we teach our faith with the right music; the kind of music that touches the inner core of who they are? How should we know how to do that when we didn’t have the experience? We all have to take a second (or third, fourth, etc) and look at to what music we put our faith to, so that it can touch our inner heart, the place that has the capacity to really fall in love with Jesus. Once we are in love with Jesus, there would be no stopping us in what we would sacrifice for Him, I know that. But the difficult part is getting out of the head, throwing out our Catholic checklist of actions that would make me a good person, and simply love. Love, Love, Love.  Sounds so simple.  As we all gathered there on Saturday, we found ourselves all in the same boat, and I think, like me, people were awakened to the real hunger that we have for the truth of God’s teaching and I think as we walked out at the end of the day, there was nothing better than to be Catholic.  I think so many of us felt fed, but so wanting more.  I know I wanted to kidnap Christopher West, bring him to my parish so that everyone could hear this message. I don’t think I was the only one. It was easy to see God working through Chris and us wanting to be somehow connected to that.

So what happens to us when Christopher West goes back home to his family and we go back to ours and to our parishes? How on earth do we get experiences like that to keep us moving and thriving to be our best? How do we continue with that sense that I want to really fall in love with Jesus? How do you “fall in love” with someone you can’t see? How do I experience that burning desire to be one with God? Does anyone have these desires? I think it is about getting real with ourselves and presenting ourselves before God (and really ourselves) naked and humble and scared and vulnerable and we need a place to do that. I want to invite you to that place.

A few months ago, I wish that I could say I was meditating, but really I was sleeping. I had been in that sleep state in which you can kind of think about a problem; though in all respects you would classify yourself as sleeping. My problem was that I didn’t know how to meet the needs of the Young Adult Catholics that were placed in my care. I didn’t even know really how to meet all those around the Diocese who fit into the age category. To say the least I was a bit overwhelmed. And so I went to prayer with the issue and gave it to Jesus, knowing that somehow, He would help me figure it out.  That early morning, I heard a voice in my head, telling me to work on a retreat, not a retreat where people would get lost in the crowd, but invite 12 people for 24 hours every 12 weeks to do some serious praying, asking them to be the working force of rebuilding this church. 12 Disciples – 12 young adults, 12 nations that needed to rise again, every 12 weeks. I woke up with a sense that these 12 had to be personally asked to come on this journey, a journey that was just a beginning of something bigger. I woke up with this renewed excitement, and for days following ideas came from everything I touched and saw. I knew that while it was my own voice I heard (no I am not crazy) this came from God. As I began to work on the details, I also came to realize that this was not just another event, it was the culmination of my life, and that it was going to be personal. I think that this is what is scary but necessary. Invitation, invitation.  I was also instructed to contact Fr. Al Hauser, my spiritual director when I was at Wadhams Hall. When I explained this experience to Fr. Hauser, he said yes, without hesitation. I knew I was on the right track. And so the Metanoia Retreat was born, and while it is still an infant the first will be held the weekend of November 18^th, 2011.

Metanoia, the Greek word for Conversion, is an attempt to put all those words to the right music; to give people an opportunity to hear the music that God is putting into our hearts and support to make a commitment to falling in love with Jesus and with the faith. But in order to do that, we have to strip ourselves down to what God made us, taking away all the “stuff” that we hide behind. The Metanoia Retreat takes 12 people, personally invited, into a place with God that converts their heart, so that their mind can be ready to evangelize to the whole world.  We are the lost sheep, and God wants to bring us back to Him, he wants to rejoice in our conversion of heart, in which we come back to his loving arms. We come back because the music and the words come together in such a way that we can’t help but know the joy of being close to God and we can’t hold it back from others.

The retreat will begin on Friday evening at 8pm and go until Saturday evening at 8pm. We want to make sure that those who are working have time to travel to the retreat site, which will be Wadhams Hall in Ogdensburg. Participants have an option to stay a second night if you have traveled far and would rather travel back home on Sunday.  The retreat will have prayer, reflection, Adoration, faith sharing, quiet reflection time, among other things. It will be time to get out of the world, get back to your center and hear what God is saying to you.

A person will only be able to make 1 Metanoia retreat, because once your Metanoia has occurred you will move to another group called Manthano, (Greek word meaning “to learn” but is also used as “to learn through experience or discipleship”) the Manthano Group will gather again every 12 weeks for Catholic teaching, fellowship, prayer and worship. The idea of the retreat experience, with both the Metanoia and the Manthano is that Young Adults will have the tools and support to return to their home parish and become a committed leader and full participant of the Church. Quite ambitious for a 24 hour simple retreat, but with God ALL things are possible.

If you stumbled across this, and are interested in being the first of the 12 to be invited, please contact me at 315-323-4989. I would love to give you more information regarding this event.

...here I am in your midst...

It has been a crazy couple of weeks in the north country. First, as I am sitting at my desk, I feel the earth tremble, and then realize that we are experiencing an earthquake. Then about a week later, the north country is hit with a hurricane! And once again we find our communities flooded and many people in dire need of assistance. For me I have been truly blessed, no downed trees, no flooded basement in my home, no one hurt, no damage, no nothing. But I look around, and so many people have been negatively affected by Mother Nature, it just makes you wonder what is going on in the world.

This weeks readings are jammed packed. And I must admit that before I was committed to writing this blog each week, I was not as acutely aware of just how much were in the readings each week. Unless we really commit to studying and examining the readings we are loosing out. My hope is that this blog will help people peel away the layers of God's Word each week.

Now back to the surrounding disasters... why is all this happening, why must God's people suffer? My son asked me this week, that if God was all powerful, why would all these things happen? Why would people have to suffer? This is an age old question, but coming from my son, in wanting to give him an answer that he could carry in his pocket for the rest of his life, I really had to think about it, more seriously than ever before. Here was some of my answer to him...

God created this beautiful earth for us to enjoy, he gave us the summer for those who enjoy swimming in the local lakes and pools, camping, feeling the grass under our bare feet; he created winter for those who love to zip down the slopes with ski's or snowboards, he gave us snow to make snowmen, to pour maple syrup on to make maple taffy; in spring we get to experience the growth of new life, the smell of wet mud and fresh earth, and an annual happiness to see new flowers in bloom; and in the fall, we can enjoy the harvest, bright orange pumpkins, cool days on hikes with the beauty of changing leaves, the moments of sitting on the porch wrapped in a blanket inhaling fresh crisp air. He gave us all these things, ever changing, ever beautiful and no matter how old you get, you can't help but feel blessed in each season. For these things to happen, and I am no scientist, but I think that the earth has to go through things in order for us to enjoy all this beauty and perhaps that is why the weather gives us problems sometimes, so much is asked of the earth and so much is taken for granted. But I also think that in these times, we are given the opportunity to be the exact human being that God created us to be. To share our food, our blankets, our homes or our money with those that are not so lucky or blessed as we are, or if we are the ones in need, it gives us a knowledge of what it feels like to depend on others and know that what we have here on earth is fleeting. Moments like these, when we are at our best, makes us remember the important things in life and opens us up to see God all around us. Moments like this also tests us in a way, to praise God even when the winds are blowing, and the rain is pouring down. When we are at our best, we praise God in all weather, in all circumstances, whether we are having difficulty or triumph. Without misfortune we would never truly know how wonderful God made us in giving and receiving, we would not have moments to be extra-ordinary.

This week Jesus says to us, "where two or more are gathered in my name I am there in their midst", without sounding too simple, I think as we trudge along in the next few weeks, cleaning up messes and helping others rebuild their lives, it is important for us to look at each other in the eyes, and see Jesus and know that He is in our midst. He calls us to community, and in community we find our strength and the beauty that is the Christian life.

We have the power to heal a broken world.

How can you help your neighbor? Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Ogdensburg has established a fund to assist flood victims in the North Country. Donations may be sent to Catholic Charities, 6866 State Highway 37, Ogdensburg, NY 13669

We Haven't Been Duped!

I love it when I look to the next Sunday’s reading and find one that I LOVE and that history with me, touching my ears and heart at one point through my life. This Sunday, has to be one of my favorite Old Testament Readings from Jeremiah.  “You duped me, O Lord, and I let myself be duped!”  Wow, can I relate!

First of all it is important to know at least a little about Jeremiah.  He was born into a priestly family and he was called to be a prophet at around the age of 18. Jeremiah’s job was to prophesy about the destruction that was to come. Jeremiah lived in a very tumultuous time, his writing go all the way up to the destruction of the temple. But Jeremiah was not quick to take his calling from God, he didn’t really want to do this job and knew that his words were not going to be well received from those around him. It wasn’t like he was there to paint a pretty picture of Judah’s future. But God gave him some pretty specific instructions on how to get ready for his mission. The character traits and practices Jeremiah was to acquire in order to be ready are specified in Jeremiah 1 and include not being afraid, standing up to speak, speaking as told, and going where sent.  Sound familiar?? As you read the beginning of Jeremiah, God not only tells him how to prepare, but assures him that when ready, God will give him the words to say, and that He (God) would not abandon him. Reminds me of when parents bring children to the doctor for a shot. How many parents say, “Yes this is really going to hurt, gosh, this is going to be hard, well here is the doctor.”? Never, I hope. We know what is best for our children, and while we know something’s in life are hard, we talk to our kids in a way that makes them less afraid, or more confident. Even if it is just the tone of our voice, we often can get our kids to do things that wouldn’t do it on our own. Some people call that, “sugar coating”. I have to wonder in what tone God was speaking to Jeremiah. So, Jeremiah takes the challenge and goes out to prophesy.  In the meantime, he loses everything, even his family turns against him. If that is not enough, God, Himself, reveals to Jeremiah that …oh by the way…a group is plotting to kill you. Can you imagine Jeremiah’s response, “What?” and to console him God says, “Well it is only going to get worse!”. And so what would your response be, if you were Jeremiah?  I can just see Jeremiah, pacing around the room, “this is so not good. I didn’t even want this mission in the first place, I told you I wasn’t the guy for you, and now they are going to kill me? Great!”  Now, the next part is great, have you ever been offered an opportunity, and you just so really wanted to do it that you didn’t look at all the angles, and when you realized it wasn’t going to be as easy as you would have hoped you kind of blame the person who offered it to you in the first place? Perhaps saying that they didn’t really reveal all the information and somehow, your predicament was more their fault than yours, after all you were well intended.

God calls all of us, sometimes the task is easier than others, sometimes we are more inclined to say yes than at other times, but either way God is calling us to make His Kingdom on earth. I especially love when Jeremiah says that he will never again utter the name of God, and yet he finds himself with this burning desire to speak of God, he just can’t help himself.  For many us this is also the case, when we are totally frustrated with our ministry we are tempted to quit, but when it comes right down to it, we can’t help but figure it out, and bring Jesus’ message to the world.  How is your calling going? Are you feeling like Jeremiah, a bit hesitant to take on what God is asking of you? Let that desire move you forward, the rewards will be great, because for all of us who have loved, we just do what we do because we love. And that is all God is asking of us.

If you keep on reading in Jeremiah, God gives him such awesome words of reassurance, in Chapter 29 God says to Jeremiah..."For I know the plans I have for you, ... plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." God isn't trying to trick us, He sees the big picture, and in that we have to trust.

The Greatest Question Ever Asked...

Lately I have been reflecting on just what it means to be Catholic. It’s not an easy religious choice when you really think about it. Everything about being Catholic, when done fully and with conviction touches every part of your life. Being Catholic calls us not only in relationship with this Jesus that we profess, but it calls us into a relationship with the world that is very often against the teachings of Christ. This week, Jesus asks his disciples and each one of us, “Who do you say that I am?”. We know that our actions speak louder than words, and when you really come down to it, it is so easy to say what we know is right, and yet another to actually move our actions to align with our speech. When we read about the Saints and holy people, this is one common factor that they all possess, they were actually able to live their lives according to their beliefs and live what they preached, even in persecution and for many death.

As I reflect on this passage, it becomes clear to me that when Jesus asks me, “Who, Lorraine, do you say that I am? He is in part asking me what Jesus am I reflecting to the world. What Jesus am I bringing to the people in whom I meet each day? This then becomes much more a personal question to me than it ever had before. Do I proclaim my love for God without reservation? Do I work for justice without fear? Do I love my neighbor as myself?  When people meet me do they instantly know that I proclaim Jesus as my Lord? Unfortunately, and probably commonly, I have to admit that it is not 100%. Being Catholic calls me to proclaim not only Jesus message in speech, but it calls me to do so in action. All the world’s problems become my problems … daunting! I am my brother’s keeper.  

As I work to implement a Religious Education program in my parish, or begin my ministry for the Young Adults of the Diocese, I am reminded that all the people I will encounter need love and understanding. As much as I just want people to get in line and follow the program, it rarely happens that way. Each person we encounter has their own issues going on, and when you ask someone to go to church, or become involved, I have to realize that this asks much more from them than to be present. At least if it all works right. When someone walks into church, and participates in Communion with the Lord, they are asked to change. And that change is often HARD! Recently I had a conversation with coworkers about kid’s sports and what parents give up or compromise on so that their children will be part of the “team”. When someone takes the message of Jesus and the Church, we realize that the first “team” that we and our children belong to is God’s team, and being on that team asks you to go against so much of what the world holds true and important. We all have a need to belong, and in so many ways, being part of things like sports teams, is a tangible, quick fix to that need. Often, those of us in the Church do not portray our “team” to be one worth joining, as we say one thing and do another. But with the decline of people realizing that we are on God’s team, our families weaken, our churches weaken and shortly thereafter our society as a whole weakens; isn’t it evident?

Who are we saying Jesus is in our everyday life? Do we share the amazing things that He does in our lives with those around us? Can people look at us and see a person of faith and integrity? Do we allow Jesus to go before us in all we do, with amazing fearless faith in which he has given us? (Remember the reading a couple weeks ago in which Jesus tells us that if we believe we can actually walk on water?) Jesus asked Peter this question, and Peter replied, "You are the Christ!" And with that answer, Jesus builds His church on him. First and foremost we must proclaim Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, calling us to deeper, more holy lives.

Today Jesus is asking…”Who do YOU say that I am?” What is your answer?

Oh Lord, Its Hard to Be Humble!

What strange words we hear in the upcoming readings for Sunday. As I reflect on them this week, I notice that the last few weeks were pretty straightforward in comparison to this Sunday's readings, especially at first glance. A woman comes to Jesus to plead him to help her daughter, who is tormented by demons. Ok, so we can all relate to this. We all are plagued by demons, sometimes I struggle so much with trying to do what I know is right, and feeling an unbelievable pull to do the exact opposite. There are moments that I know that the Devil is around me, wanting to win my soul for the destruction of God's kingdom. I often ask myself, if I really believed the Word of God, wouldn't I have more of an urgency to save my own soul for Heaven. I know that I struggle with demons everyday, one of which is closely related to last weeks readings, that I often doubt, especially myself and the words that I hear God speaking to me. Thinking that I really don't have what it takes to do what I know He has asked me to do. I hope, like this mother, people who love me, will ask Jesus to heal me from these demons.

But Jesus' reply is odd to me. I imagine this woman, coming up to Him in a panic, desperate, and He doesn't say anything! His disciples, advise Him to send her away, it seems that she has been bugging them for a while. Jesus, to my surprise, looks at her and says, (paraphrase) What I have is for the lost sheep, those already belonging to the shepherd, in order to get them back, and really it shouldn't be wasted on ....  a dog?! It seems so harsh. I guess for most people they would have left it at that. Wouldn't you? But she shows her faith so much, that she will put herself with the dogs, and take the scraps that is left. Her admission of this, moves Jesus to know her faith and helps her daughter.

This brings many things to mind for me in today's church. I am always amazed at how some people come to Church for what the Church can do for them. The current members of society seem to have such a sense of entitlement, and this doesn't seem to change with their relationship with God or the Church. If someone is in need, and they try prayer, and they don't get the answer they want, they simply say that it didn't work for them. Many times you hear of peoples "feeling" about the church, and can't seem to also understand the reason of faith and the Church and so walk away. I have a hard time believing that many people these days, would be ok with comparing themselves with a dog. (A sidenote: a "dog" in Jesus' day had a much different life than the "dogs" of today, who actually in some circumstances are better treated than children and the elderly.) Anyway, back to my thought, for many, people come to the Church demanding that the Church do something for them. For example, the way people come to the Church to receive the Sacraments. Strangers to the church, stop by the rectory and tell Father they want to Baptize their baby, or have their child receive First Communion with no sense that it can't just be "given". If Fr. asks something of them, they walk away, never to be seen of again, perhaps they find another church in which the priest will not ask anything of them. We always have to remind people, that this membership into this Catholic Church, is a relationship with Jesus that comes alive in community. Perhaps being more like Jesus was in this reading isn't such a bad thing, to allow people to ask for what they want, and to prove their faith a little bit. Perhaps when we pray, and we don't quickly hear God's reply, we can reflect on how we are asking for it. Our brothers and sisters in the Saints often teach us of humility, and the fact that we need God so much more than He needs us, but He loves us so much that He makes Himself available to us each minute of everyday.

Ah and so it is humility in which I think is one of the points Jesus is trying to teach us in the Gospel. The fact that one should never give up asking for Christ in our life, and praying for the faith to understand that no matter our position in life, He will hear our prayers and will give us exactly what we need.

Take the Treasure or Buy the Field?

Image by quadrapop via Flickr

In the reading for the upcoming Sunday, Jesus tells more parables.  Jesus tells the disciples that:  “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that is buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” I think that it is really important for the young church to hear these words from Jesus. I think that we walk around this world thinking that things are going to come easy. Or we at least hope that they will. But Jesus is very clear, that the person who found the buried treasure didn’t just take it on the sly and run with it. He or she actually reburied it and went and sold all that he/she had and bought the field. This really makes the buried treasure rightfully his or hers.  Finding God or a Church that becomes a sacrament of Jesus for us, is really something that we have to sell all we have for. We have to give up all the things that we thought our life would hold, and have trust in this faith of ours that God will break us open and make us new, and better than we ever thought we could be and our life could be and in turn a better world than we could ever imagine. Letting go of all our planning and scheming for our own life is scary, and it is so anti-cultural since our world tells us that we are the designers of our own destiny. Without that ultimate letting go we cannot become the person that God sees in us. God’s mind is so much wider and deeper than we can ever imagine.

I think that the question for us to ask ourselves, as the young people of our church is– what are we prepared to pay for that field that holds the kingdom of God? What are we willing to give our church so that it can be a reflection of God’s kingdom here on earth? As I said in other blog entries, we are not meant to do this religion thing alone, we are meant to reach out to those around us, and to give who we are so that in turn we can be the best of who we are.

Are we trying to sneak off with the buried treasure without buying the field?

Watch the movie, Of God and Men, totally worth living through the subtitles ... great example of men who bought the field!