Unexpected Graces

I had my plan made up in my head - I would go for a run, shower, go to daily Mass, head to the coffee shop to finish my book, and then come home. And all went according to plan...until the end of Mass. A friend from Bible study started talking to me and invited me to join the weekly prayer group that meets to talk about the upcoming Sunday's Readings. She had asked me once before, and I had said no, but I had no real excuse today so I figured, why not?

And I am so glad I went. First of all, I met some lovely older parishioners whom I had seen around the church before but whose names I didn't know. Second of all, a few people in the group were women with whom I visited the Holy Land three years ago. They are such wonderful people, so it is always a pleasure to spend extra time with them. 😀 To top it off, at the end of our time together, we celebrated one woman's 83rd birthday with cake, song, and conversation. Such joy!

Our discussion centered around the nature of hospitality and also Jesus' oft-considered harsh command that if we love our mother, father, sister, or brother more than Him that we are not worthy to follow Him. I shared a brief overview of the homily I had recently heard from Fr. Mike's podcast, where he said we need to ask ourselves two questions each day, one at the beginning when we first wake up and one at the end as we prepare to go to sleep: 1) Who do I want to live for today? & 2) Who did I live for today? Inevitably, we start our day with our eyes set on Christ, but decisions and actions (no matter how seemingly small or insignificant) lead us away from that goal. But we should keep striving each day to live for Christ. (I recommend you listen to his full homily here: 6/25/17.) I definitely need to put up post-its to remind myself about asking those questions (until it becomes a habit).

I like to make plans and to follow them. But I also like the flexibility to adjust my own schedule when opportunities arise. By saying yes, I felt that, in a small way, I was aligning myself more to God's will for my day by spending time in fellowship and Scripture reflection. Yes, I left church about 2 hours after I originally intended, but God is so good like that. And I still had plenty of time for a last-minute Target stop as well as time to finish my (for fun!) book. (I did regrettably discover that the book is part of a 4-part series, so the rest of the books have to wait till after grad school; though, I am eager to know what happens!)

Please keep me and my classmates in your prayers these upcoming weeks as we take our grad school classes. Happy summer!

Sunday Gospel Reflection

While I was hesitant to dedicate 1.5ish hours each Monday night during Lent to another Bible study (in addition to the one I have been going to on Tuesday nights), the time spent has been fruitful and incredibly enlightening. This is especially true because as I sit in the pew each Sunday, I already have an idea of what the main messages of the Gospel are all about. Familiarity is key.

From the temptations of Jesus to the Samaritan woman at the well to today's Gospel about the raising of Lazarus from the dead, my church experience this Lent (at least in regards to the readings) has been richer. Understanding the context of Jesus' time and the underlying meaning of small (and seemingly insignificant) details is clutch as well as hearing the wise insight from others in my small group.

If you have not participated in a small group Bible study (or have been away from it for awhile), I highly recommend getting back into it. Once this Lent is over, I will be looking for another opportunity to study the Gospels with a small group because, out of all the things I've done or given up this Lent, this small group has been the most life-giving and helpful. And coming to that realization for ourselves is, after all, part of what Lent is truly for.

What has brought you closer to God this Lenten season?...

But Really, It's the Holy Spirit...

God works in mysterious ways. And, after reflecting about the Holy Spirit for pretty much the entirety of today, I came to realize that oftentimes, when we don't have a name for a coincidence or meaningful circumstance/connection/etc., we should probably attribute such to the third person of the Trinity.

One thing that particularly resonated with me today is that we have the power to command the Holy Spirit, and, as the priest this morning said, He can't decide to just not show up. "Come Holy Spirit." There's so much power in the phrase if we remember to call upon Him.

And now that I've taken time to think about it, the Holy Spirit pops up a lot more than one might originally think. Even this past week with my 8th graders - we've been watching the Biblical epic, "The Robe" (starring Richard Burton), and, having now seen it three times in its entirety, I realize that while it tells the fictional tale of the Roman tribune who put Jesus to death, it more importantly (and perhaps more poignantly) tells the story of how the Holy Spirit worked through the early Christians to stand strong in their faith and spread the Good News to others. As a touching line of one of the final scenes says (or, at least it's along these lines), "What would have happened if they (early Christians) would have denied knowing Jesus?" The beautiful, courageous truth is that they didn't. And because of this, the Truth lived on. Jesus, indeed, rose from the dead, and His followers risked their very lives to carry on His work and teachings to this very day. If that's not the Holy Spirit at work, I don't know what is!

I am so grateful for this day of reflection and retreat. Now, it's a matter of remembering to call on the Holy Spirit to be at work in my life and the lives of those around me. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, so that we would not be afraid. He definitely left His followers in good hands...

my "notes" page from adoration/praise & worship

Perfect Love

We wrapped up this season's Bible Study session on Acts of the Apostles on Monday night. As always, the caliber of conversation was high and engaging.

One question was along the lines of how Jesus may be acting as a light in the world through us, and one person spoke to the fact of realizing (through the visit of his brother's family, especially his godson) that he has the capacity to love someone (his godson, in this case) so much that he would willingly risk his life for that person. He said that until that point, he wasn't sure if he was capable of that kind of love.

And I thought to the Baptism of my own goddaughter I attended about a month ago - when I looked down into her eyes as I held her in my arms, I was overwhelmed with that same sense of love. (I can only imagine what her parents must feel!)

God calls each of us to this kind of love - selfless and perfect, willing to sacrifice for others, be they siblings, spouses, friends, or even strangers. To circle back to the topic of the question, then, what are we doing to allow Jesus to act as a light through us in ways that show this love to others in our world today?

Be Passionate

My 6th grade homeroom students were up in arms this morning over the Superbowl - how it was a horrible game, how the commercials were terrible, yah-da-yah-da-yah-da.

After awhile (and once most of the students had entered the classroom), I stopped them and said, "If you guys would get this impassioned about your faith just once! Instead, you're talking about a football game that, in the grand scheme of life, has no bearing at all." To this, most just stopped and stared at me. And then it was pretty much time for class to begin.

But, seriously, if you think about it - imagine what a difference it would make if people...

- talked openly and passionately about their faith like they do about sports, movies, and music

- were more interested in reading about the Church teachings than the latest celebrity gossip or latest heartthrob teen novel

- spent more time in face-to-face conversations than via texting or social media

The list could go on and on, but I think you probably get my point. What has our society come to? Where are our priorities? Is this who we want to be as a whole - empty, rude, self-centered/me-focused...?

In my Bible Study small group tonight, we ended by discussing the idea of action steps - What can we do this week to try to be better Christians in our daily lives? Small, practical steps - that's all.

So, tonight, I ask myself, What can I do to make a difference of making Jesus and the Catholic/Christian faith a more important & visible part of my life this week? (And I'll give myself a little time to think about my answer.)

And I encourage you to do the same...