'Tis a Gift to be Simple

It's simple...and yet, at the same time, it's not: Jesus commands us to love one another and to love Him.

It seems like it should be so easy. But throughout the Bible (which I've been looking at even more closely recently as I study the Old Testament with my 6th graders), throughout history, and in our present age, there is much hatred and indifference. And I'm not saying I'm not guilty of it; I most assuredly am - I turn a blind eye to the suffering of those in other countries and even right on my street corner just the same as the next person.

But God is there saying, "Love me," "Look at me," "See me." How do I choose to respond?

This time of year is so busy for everyone - Christmas concerts, holiday shopping, get-togethers, final exams... It's almost impossible not to get swept up in the hustle and bustle of the season. But we have to stop; otherwise, we miss the point of Advent, this beautiful season of preparation. Advent calls us back to Jesus' simple message of love.

While not traditionally considered an Advent or Christmas song (though I have seen it on a few Christmas albums), perhaps "What a Wonderful World" should be. The beauty of this song (in my humble opinion) lies in the gift of being able to stand in awe of the creation and people around us, not over-complicating things or thinking we don't have enough; its beauty lies in recognizing Christ in our world, in one another, and in ourselves. It's that simple.

Advent is the perfect season to strip away all of the extras, the noise, and the busyness of our lives in order to make room in our hearts and minds for God. I would argue that only then are we able to realize what a gift we have and what a gift we are as children of God. And it is then that we can simply rest in God's presence with hearts full of gratitude and love.

May God's blessings be upon all of us and our loved ones this Advent and Christmas season.

Not so ordinary

I'm practically 30 years old, and I've lived my whole life without realizing where the ordinary of Ordinary Time comes from/stands for...until today.

ordinary - as in, ordinal - as in, numerical order/sequence - as in, this is how the Church proceeds to tell of Jesus' public ministry and miracles through the numbered Sundays (e.g. "The Second Sunday of Ordinary Time") and the respective daily/weekend readings.

Mind blown.

One of my teachers must have covered that at some point in my 13 years of Catholic education, right? Must not have meant much at the time.

The trap I (and probably a lot of other people) get into during Ordinary Time is reverting to the thinking that it is plain and ordinary, that nothing special is celebrated in the Church and that we need to wait in expectation of the next BIG thing.

WRONG!

Ordinary?! Jesus' public ministry was ORDINARY?? No! It was far from it. But, again, without the special songs, beautiful lights, or difference in liturgical colors, it's easy to fall into the humdrum pattern of daily life. It's easy to go with the flow, taking each week as it comes, thinking "Oh yes, I've heard this story before," and then moving right along to the next week/thing.

But we've got it all wrong.

EVERY day - ordinary time and special liturgical seasons alike - is miraculous. Each reading from the Bible has a message for us, whether we've heard it one time or ten thousand times.

So, during this next (albeit short - Lent comes early this year!) season in our Church, I challenge myself and you to look for the extraordinary in the Ordinary (ordinal/sequential) Time. God enters into our lives each day, and we find Him when we open our eyes and hearts to the beauty around us.

Remember, this Ordinary Time is only ordinary in the sense that it tells of Jesus in order. Other than that, there's nothing ordinary about it.

http://www.catholic.org/files/images/ins_news/2015012641ordinary_time_300.jpg

It's not about earning...

We cannot earn heaven.

Try telling that to a class of 8th graders. 

I think it surprised them quite a bit. All this time we've talked about doing good for others, going to Mass, etc., but it's not to earn God's favor.

Heaven has already been "earned"/won for us...when God sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for us on the cross. It's His gift to us - we can either accept it (by how we live our lives) or reject it. But it's already there - it's always (since Jesus) been there. Yes, it matters how we live our lives, for we can only  truly love others if we have first come to recognize and understand God's love for us, as we are mirrors of that divine love on this earth. Therefore, we accept God's gift of grace and salvation when we say YES to Him in small and big ways every day...

One student then asked, "What about all those people in the Old Testament before Jesus? Did they not get to heaven?"

I love when they're actually listening and thinking about what I'm trying to say.

I explained that, as the Church teaches, they were able to enter into heaven once the gates were opened at the Crucifixion.

Awaken Us From Our Sleep Walking

75 degrees and sunny on Friday in Florida (where I spent my Christmas vacation)...

High of 5 tomorrow with very low wind chills and ice/snow (where I currently live)...

The cold weather has definitely quickly jolted me back to the reality that school starts up again on Monday. (Vacations always pass much too fast.) And, while I'm looking forward to seeing the students again, I have to keep things in perspective - they'll probably be pretty tired/crazy/wired coming off a two week break.

Great.

But before the thoughts of school dance in my head tonight - that's if I can fall asleep in the first place - I want to touch on the homily the visiting priest at my school's parish touched upon during his homily today (which he tied in rather nicely to the Epiphany). He started with a very brief story of a man in WWII who heard the steel guitar for the first time while over there. Upon his return, he wanted his sons to learn the steel guitar, as he was fascinated by and fixated on it. What was something some intriguing that the man would do everything to make sure his sons learned how to play that instrument? (It's kind of like how the Magi were fixated on that star...) He went on to explain that those two boys were Santo and Johnny Farina, a rock and roll duo probably best known for the song "Sleep Walk."

The priest then transitioned into the idea of sleep walking through our faith - in other words, going to Mass on Sundays, saying our prayers, etc. but out of routine more than anything else. That's not what Christ came into this world for, is it? He went on a little more about this idea, and after his homily, in place of the Nicene Creed, he had us think of a plan of action we can take in our everyday lives so as not to sleep walk through our faith this year.

Naturally, I thought of some resolutions I had already made about praying a decade of the Rosary every day, keeping a gratitude journal, and trying to attend evening Mass and/or adoration at least once a month. I believe these are concrete, simple actions I can take to be more awake and alive in my faith this year.

But it will be a day-by-day effort, and there will be many opportunities to likely say no or forget about these actions. It's essential to remember, however, that faith needs to be a conscious action, not just a set of motions we do because we have to follow the rules.

Awaken us, O Lord. Fill us with your love. Amen.

Time...for Advent

Holidays (and the related school breaks) always come and go much too quickly. It seems that just as your plane is landing at the airport you are taking off in the other direction to go right back where you came from.

How is it that time never slows down when you actually want it to?

Time is one thing you can never get back, it's true. It keeps pressing us onward, beckoning us to return to the grindstone of daily living.

But there is something about this time of year (Advent) that calls us to slow down, to prepare for Jesus' comings...

So, what are you waiting for? It's time to prepare...it's time to start slowing down...

Happy (liturgical) new year, everyone! Have a blessed Advent!

Check out some of these great resources to help in preparation for the season:

- Free Advent App

- Advent resources from Loyola Press

- Verymerry.ND.edu

- Faith.ND.edu prayer reflections for Advent

Already dreaming of Christmas...?

Are you kidding me? Christmas lights already? The thought just made my skin crawl. (I was pleasantly surprised to find that the lights just belonged to one of the local bars...but then I was equally distressed that they were the colors of Ohio State, complete with a giant blow-up Buckeye mascot out front.)

Maybe Christmas was on my mind yesterday because the NBC Today Show on Saturday had a clip about how holiday shopping is already underway. 

Yes, you read that correctly. 

Pretty soon Christmas is going to be year-round...but at what cost? When it's constantly surrounding us and dragged out for months and focused on Santa and presents, it loses its true meaning. (Does the saying Keep Christ in Christmas come to mind right now?)

Nowadays, there are fewer and fewer hold-outs. (You know, the ones who refuse to listen to Christmas music till after Thanksgiving and who believe in homemade gifts or ones you can get at the store up until a few days before Christmas, sale or no sale?) But I'm planning to stay one of them. There's still a long way till December 25th...and a lot to do to prepare our hearts (especially during Advent) before then. 

And, to top it all off, why rush Fall?

Working on My Balancing Act (Tuesday, 6/24)

Tuesday, 6/24/14

Good morning, Israel! A lovely travel day ahead, as we change hotels and move to Jerusalem. We had to pack up to leave our hotel this morning.

Breakfast was wonderful – good conversation with Shirley, Edda, Sheila, Kelsey, and Fr. Ken (who I think I have sat with for nearly every meal so far – unintentionally – I usually sit down first…).

For the record, today is the feast of John the Baptist. (Last night at dinner, someone asked what we’d be doing special for this feast, to which I replied, “Someone is getting beheaded” and then proceeded to laugh at my own (bad) joke.)

- - - - -

A lot of history today – but not related to Jesus and the Gospels. However, the scholar/historical side of me loved it. (Most people seemed to be most excited about the “beach” by the aqueducts at Caesarea – the breezy, salty air was wonderful and refreshing, and the Mediterranean was surprisingly warm!)

Tomorrow we are going to Bethlehem – I am excited to visit where Jesus was born (though there will likely be large crowds)…

On an UNRELATED NOTE – read about St. Thomas More today (in my saints & social justice book). I didn’t realize how funny he was. The author mentioned his phrase, “Save me from gloomy-faced saints.” He was even joking about his beard right before he was beheaded…

The author also pointed out that we strongly emphasize our own rights, but we need to own our responsibility of helping others get the same.

Ok, back to today…

We sang “Servant Song” at Mass today – most applicable line? “We are pilgrims on a journey…”

I love that this pilgrimage is not made alone – I am learning so much from the interactions I have had with other people. (I am loving the mixed age group!)

And I love having a lot of time to reflect. It’s helping it all sink in a bit better. I still (like I mentioned before) am working on the balance between pictures and prayer. Today, for example, I loved Mass the best. I asked God to see His presence in a very special and real way. I’ve also asked God to show me my vocation. Though, as Fr. Ken pointed out, you need to be careful what you ask for in asking to know God’s will…

Holy Land Reflections to Come...

Back safely from the Holy Land. So much to share. What I think I will do is go through my journal and type my written thoughts on a day-by-day basis (so as not to overwhelm myself or you).

For now, here are a few pictures:

Sunset on ride from airport to Tiberias

Our hotel on the Sea of Galilee

After putting my feet in the Sea of Galilee

selfie on the Sea of Galilee

Marisa with her namesake

At the Church of the Visitation

Mission accomplished!

After renewing our Baptismal vows at the River Jordan

Marisa in front of St. Ann Church

Before walking and praying the Via Dolorosa

The Western/Wailing Wall in Jerusalem

The Dome of the Rock

Dear friends on the pilgrimage

At the Garden of Gethsemane - beautiful!

ice cream treat after a long, hot day

3 Bits of Advice

1. Don't take any pictures for the first 3 days of your trip - Remember your purpose: you're a pilgrim, not a tourist.

2. Have one very special intention to take with you on your trip. (And pray about it leading up to the trip too.)

3. Don't buy every souvenir you see.


These were three pieces of advice passed on to me from a friend who recently went on a trip with her Focus group to the Holy Land...which is exactly where I'll be going so very shortly!

The one that sticks out to me the most is #1 - How often do I worry about getting the "right" picture? or, will I be able to share my memorable trip with family and friends back home? or, how will I remember this trip if I don't take any pictures?

And in thinking on these things, I realized how likely I would be to miss the experience of the trip. Yes, pictures are all well and good, but, in the end, it goes back to the original thought posed - Am I a pilgrim or a tourist?

On this trip, I am a pilgrim. And in the greater scheme of life, that's what I am too - a pilgrim on a journey, just trying to get to heaven.

So, I'm going to work on following these suggestions. It's going to be an amazing trip...

Daily Emmaus

Nearly moved to tears tonight at Mass...not sure what exactly hit me so strongly...I think the preparation song had something to do with it (and the Gospel being the story of Emmaus):

Who are you who walk in sorrow
Down Emmaus’ barren road,
Hearts distraught and hope defeated,
Bent beneath grief’s crushing load?
Nameless mourners, we will join you,
We who also mourn our dead;
We have stood by graves unyielding,
Eaten death’s bare, bitter bread.

Who is this who joins our journey,
Walking with us stride by stride?
Unknown Stranger, can You fathom
Depths of grief for one who died?
Then the wonder! When we told You
How our dreams to dust have turned,
Then You opened wide the Scriptures
Till our hearts within us burned.

Who are You? Our hearts are opened
In the breaking of the bread—
Christ the victim, now the victor
Living, risen from the dead!
Great companion on our journey,
Still surprise us with Your grace!
Make each day a new Emmaus;
On our hearts Your image trace!

Who are we who travel with You
On our way through life to death?
Women, men, the young, the aging,
Wakened by the Spirit’s breath!
At the font You claim and name us,
Born of water and the Word;
At the table still You feed us,
Host us as our risen Lord!

So beautiful. So powerful.

Sitting in Mass today (and afterwards while attending a presentation on the Archdiocesan "To Teach Who Christ Is" campaign), I realized that I am so blessed to worship with such a vibrant faith community that worships within a beautiful church building, has an angelic choir, and has dynamic priests. (And I feel that I've been blessed along the way growing up with such similar combos of worship dynamics in my Catholic parishes at different points in my life too.)

I pray to take the words of this hymn with me this week, keeping them ever present in my heart and on the tip of my tongue. Thank you, Lord, for speaking to me through song tonight.

Stations of the Cross

We're doing Stations of the Cross again? Didn't we just do them last week?

Oh, the joy of teaching middle school. Such enthusiasm...

(Such sarcasm...)

Yes, we did them last week. We do them every week during Lent as a special way to remember Jesus' sacrifice for us as we prepare for Easter.

I mean, is my teaching just that riveting that they don't want to miss one of our regularly scheduled classes to head to the Church for some quiet prayer? (Note, this is sarcasm yet again.)

I bet it's something they don't readily want to do because it requires silence (except for the person reading the Station reflection), and it requires them to remain standing for the whole time (except for the 12th Station when we kneel). In fact, I tell them, "Jesus was on the cross for 3 hours - you can stand without leaning for 15 minutes."

I'm doing my best here - trying to make the Stations relevant by finding reflections for teens (Stations of the Cross for Teens) and from different perspectives (Stations of the Cross from Mary's Perspective). Next week, I'm having 6th grade write their own - well, each person/pair will take a Station and write a short reflection similar to some samples I'll provide for them. We'll see how it goes...

In doing the Stations of the Cross multiple times a day (for my multiple classes) each week, I've been able to think back quite a bit on my experience with Stations of the Cross and special Lenten traditions growing up. I am so grateful for my time in mime ministry, family choir, and other activities that made the season of Lent such a meaningful and special one for me and my family. I remember feelings of hope, and I still hold a special reverence for Good Friday's Veneration of the Cross, which is my favorite service of the whole Church year.

Maybe one day my students will look back with similar fond memories on our times in prayer together too...

Exuding the Church

This morning I was blessed to head to the hospital for Ministry of Care. While on my rounds, I met one patient (who was probably around 80 years old) and her daughter who were waiting for the pastor of their parish. And what parish was that? Well, it turned out to be mine - St. Clement!

We spoke for awhile - good thing I didn't really have somewhere I needed to go immediately - and it was lovely. We talked of the parish, of my work as a Catholic school teacher, of being Eucharistic ministers... 

As I was getting ready to leave, the woman's daughter remarked, "You just exude St. Clement." (I wasn't sure exactly what she meant, but I'll take it as a compliment, considering we were talking about what a special, warm & welcoming place it is.)

Every time I need renewal in my ministry, God wakes me up...usually through simple conversations.

Thank you, Lord, for my encounters today. Thank you for opening my eyes to your presence in those people to whom I minister at the hospital.

- - - - - - - - - -

On an unrelated (but spring break-related) note, the following series of pictures are the start of what I would like to term "The Olaf Chronicles" - mostly, I take pictures of the stuffed Olaf my sister gave me in different places and message them to her throughout the day. As you can see, I am having a little too much fun with this...

Olaf is really a Spartan fan at heart...

And he likes to hang out with the Bible...at Starbucks...

And, while faced with snow, he likes to dream of summer...and sun...and all things hot...

Rise and shine!

Almost a selfie? (I watched "Frozen" today...)

Hallelujah Christmas

From the website: "This version of ‘Hallelujah’ by Cloverton will touch your heart." -->

A Hallelujah Christmas

The Weary World Rejoices - Article

"...Which makes me wonder: Do we even remember how to rejoice? If we are believers in Christ, we are supposed to be mindful of the miracle of the Incarnation, of God becoming flesh and dwelling among us. We are to rejoice in the redemptive hope of Jesus..."

A short and meaningful reflection on remembering Christmas -->  http://americamagazine.org/content/all-things/weary-world-rejoices

Have a beautiful, Christ-centered Christmas!

Tradition

Last night I got to the point of being pretty stressed. This whole teaching early Christian Church history thing is a new concept to me...as in, I am learning more about it as I go so then I, in turn, can pass on the information/learning opportunities to my students.

It's hard to find that kind of stuff online in videos and articles, let me tell you. (And I am not alone in this - one of my friends who I might consider a Bible history guru said it's hard to get good stuff from the internet for teaching this material.) And, let's face it, the textbook mentions big events (that I need to cover from the Archdiocesan standards) in passing...and without names.

Ok, sorry for the little rant there...but you get where I'm coming from, right? I just couldn't finish up my lessons for 8th grade, and then, all of a sudden, it was time for Mass.

Great.

I got to Mass early because I was signed up to be an EM, and that turned out to be a blessing because I had about 20 minutes in prayer/silence before the Church building started filling up with people. (It definitely gave me time to offer a prayer of thanks for another friend - this one in the seminary, so you know he's a good source - who is working on getting some ideas together to help me in my Church history endeavors. Alleluia!)

Mass proceeded pretty much as it usually does, but when it came time for the Eucharistic Prayer, something hit me - all of a sudden, I experienced the tradition of the Mass - the words and gestures and prayers we said echoing those said 2000 years ago at the time of Christ - and I got chills. (I guess all the reading up on the first Apostles and martyrs started to take its toll on me.) Literally, chills.

I don't think I'll ever experience Mass the same again, not after that. I guess the struggles of learning all this new material has rewards of understanding and blessings beyond my imagination...and I got a taste of that last night. So as much as I b**** and moan about all the material I have to jam-pack in before Thanksgiving break, I honestly have no right to complain.

At the end of the day, I must admit, I love my job.

An Honest Response

I have the best (the BEST) family and friends ever.

I sent an email asking one main question - "Why do you go to Mass?" - in the hopes that these honest, real responses will provide a ground for discussion with my students tomorrow. (Heck, it may even make some consider weekend Mass more than they do now.)

And check out the responses I got! (Don't worry, they are anonymous.) I am overwhelmed!

(The right column is suggestions for how to make it real & meaningful to the students. If you have any comments or suggestions, please leave them below.)

Honestly, I am blessed beyond words. I love being around people of such strong faith and conviction.

Experiencing God by Simply Being...

Contemplation - prayer in which we experience God's presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself (from http://www.centeringprayer.com/)

Whether it's been on purpose or not, I have found myself in this type of prayer quite often lately. (I do think the cooler "fall" weather has something to do with it because I've been able to spend more time outside without dripping with sweat.) I don't actively think of anything (which is actually harder done than said), but, instead, I simply experience the moment - the sunshine, the breeze, the smiles on people's faces...

It's so peaceful.

And I know God is there.

Some of my students have said that contemplation is their favorite type of prayer that they've learned in class because they get to just rest and sit in silence/peace.

In the midst of their busy days, who can blame them?

In the midst of our busy days, maybe we could give it a try...

"Be still and know that I am God." (Ps. 46:10)

Faith Like a Child

In asking my 6th graders why they pray, I was floored by their answers. In going around the room and reading one line they had each written about what the Lord helps them with, I couldn't help but smile.

Talk about the faith of a child.

It makes me wonder what happens to most of us as we grow older - Where does that faith go? What does our faith become? Why does doubt creep in?

Faith is much more than just emotions and feelings - it's rooted in truth.

So, for many of us (myself included) the question becomes, how do we get that child-like faith back?

On My Lips

The other night at young adult book club, we talked briefly, among other things, about how praying for a person or making an intentional effort to really see a situation allows us to truly experience that person (and our interactions with him/her) in a totally different light.

I, personally, have found this to be true, both during Lent (when I tried to pray for one specific student each day) and more recently - when that student's name was on my lips (in prayer), I found I was able to face any struggles or annoyances with him/her more easily.

And, I suppose, that makes perfect common sense. Yet, how often do I allow myself to get caught up in a moment or to be silently frustrated (in a shaking-of-the-head kind of way) with a student or co-worker?

Too often.

So, what can we do about it?

One thing I want to try is to be in more constant communication (i.e. PRAYER) with God. The days in which I have achieved this more intimate and continuous conversation are ones in which I have been filled with more joy and peace about all that comes my way.

And that, my friend, is no coincidence.

Weekend Musings...

This weekend has been filled with activities but has seemed slow. And that has been wonderful...

On Friday, I had aftercare, but one of my co-workers took over for me around 5, and I ended up spending about 3 hours sitting in Panera with my sister. (The good news is that their summer salad is back...) It was relaxing, good-quality sister time. We were both (although, probably she more than me) exhausted from the week, and after I dropped her back off at home, I went home, checked some emails, and headed to bed. It was going to be an early morning (and a full day) on Saturday.

And so Saturday morning did roll around - with the sun shining for the first part of the day, I thought I had overslept. (Thank goodness that was not the case - going through the day without a shower was not an option.) Up and at 'em for Marisa's kiddos' First Communion, I picked her up and was able to get in some reading while I waited in her room before Mass began.

Her students were all beautifully (and handsomely) dressed, and they were beyond excited for both the Eucharist and for their parties that would follow. I was blessed to minister the Blood during Communion to some of her students for the first time.

After about 2 hours' worth of Mass, we peaced out pretty quickly in order to make the afternoon portion of a day-long young adult retreat at our parish. We made it in time for the tail-end of lunch - score! And, while there was some confusion among our friends - "Wait, when did you get here?" and "Were you here this morning?" - we explained where we had been and continued on with the day, which included witness talks, discussion and reflection time, a brief Taize experience, Mass, and dinner. The night continued at a local bar, which had karaoke. (No, I did not participate.) Overall, it was another great retreat experience. (I love my Church!)

When I first woke up this morning, I did a little bit of work for school and wasted a bit of time on the internet before meeting up with my sister for a run. On the way, I encountered these lovely tulips blooming right alongside the road -->

Needless to say, I was very glad I had my phone with me.

Our run was pleasant - the sun was shining, but my oh my was it windy! I think we ran about 10 miles - we're trying to ramp up our mileage to get ready for a half marathon coming up. We'll see how it all goes... Following the run, I came home, cleaned up, ate, and have been working here and there on Religion reviews and other various activities for school. I think I'm just about ready for the week!

I also talked with both of my parents on the phone, which was lovely. We had some good story swaps and some good laughs too. Can't wait to see them this summer!

And, last of all, Happy Mothers' Day to all moms, especially mine. I hope you have a special, wonderful day!