Thursday, December 30, 2010

Top 10 Of 2010


10.  The Treadmill I just bought.  It's been a long time coming...much too long and about 20 pounds overdue.  I have tried the gym thing and it doesn't work for me.  Mainly because I HATE working out in front of other people.  Plus, I do not like getting ready to go to the gym.  You cannot put a price tag on being able to crawl out of bed, throw on your tennis shoes (without having to brush your teeth or hair) and go.  I am blessed with now being able to run (or walk) in the privacy of my own home. Recently I realized I can run and say the rosary at the same time.  I really, really like this.  Now if only the pounds would start melting....

9.  Thanksgiving.  This year was especially wonderful because my mom, my sister and her family were able to fly into Memphis to spend it with us.  This was the first time since 1997 that we were able to spend it together...I hope we never allow 13 years to pass before doing this again.

8.  Coordinating a 60th Birthday Cruise for my mom.  The cruise won't actually happen until February 2011 but I'm so proud that we lined it up.  After 60 years and four daughters later, my mom deserves this trip...I couldn't be happier to take her :)  We love you mom!!

7.  My husband.  Being married to me is a job in itself and he does it with ease.  Thank you for loving me.

6.  Being invited to join a women's prayer group at Holy Spirit Catholic Church.  The women of this prayer group have been a blessing to my life.  They are beautiful women of faith and a true gift from God.

5.  A book that my sister Shannon sent me.  It's not just your average, everyday book...Rediscovering Catholicism by Matthew Kelly was my first step back to the Catholic Church.  It was exactly what I needed to read at the exact right time.  It's amazing how God works!!

4.  Making my Memphis Women's Cursillo Weekend (Group 92)!!  What a reflective weekend...and the Holy Spirit was truly present!!

3.  The Catholic Church.  I am truly in awe of her strength, resilience, beauty and age.  I truly believe this is the church Christ founded...how else could it have lasted 2,000 years if it weren't His church!

2.  Faith.  This is the most precious gift I will ever receive in my life time.  It is a gift that I vow to nurture & cherish for all the years of my life.

1.  The Trinity.  2010 marks the first year I ever put much thought into God The Father, God The Son and God The Holy Spirit.  Without the Trinity, I would not have the gift of faith.  Without the Trinity, our Church would not have the Eucharist.  Without the Trinity, our Church would not exist.  For the first time in my life, when I say "In the name of the Father, In the name of the Son, In the name of the Holy Spirit" I would die for it.  Having something to die for - and not just something but God - is TRULY a life worth living.  Thank you Jesus...I love you!!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

A Road Well Traveled

Over the past few months, several people have asked what led to the drastic change in my attitude towards being a Catholic Christian. Explaining how God works in our hearts is very difficult, as it is one of the many mysteries of faith.  As much as I wish there were a road map to follow, there is not.  Each one of our experiences are different.  Where I made a left turn, you may be called to turn right.  Where I went over the hill and through the woods, you may find that no hill exists.  What I can tell you is this: I now have an awareness that a heavenly entity exists.  It exists in a way that I am unable to wrap my human mind around.  This awareness did not happen with one book or one sermon and it did not happen over night.  It happened at the pace and in the way God willed it. 

I believe that each of us are destined to have an intimate relationship with God, if only we shall seek Him. Our knock will indeed be answered by Him, but it will be answered in a manner as unique as our fingerprints.  As He continues to answer my knocks, I am left feeling his pure and utter love for me.  In much the same way a parent loves each of their children equally but differently, I suspect that holds true in God's love for us.

Being aware of His presence is not necessarily about having the right answers...I believe its about asking the right questions.  It's about waking from a deep slumber that so many of us find ourselves in.  Many times I do not get the answer to my questions, however, I am not discouraged. God answers us in His own time and in His own way.  There is a time and place for all things.

An author I admire is often heard making the following statement: "If you want to be a good golfer, study Tiger Woods. If you are a college basketball player and dream of the NBA, study Michael Jordan.  If you strive to be a world renowned surgeon, study great surgeons.  Whoever you strive to be in your life, study the great men & women who traveled the road before you".  In my lifetime, this has been the best advice I have ever received.  The saints are true examples of some of the greatest people who have traveled the road before me.  My goal in life is to seek God and I pray that I have the strength and courage to do His will.  When I read their stories, I read the stories of men and women who were truly close to God and I am inspired.  I read their stories of struggle, hope, love and peace.  It is a bit comforting to know that the people closest to God were just as human as you and I.  At times, they had struggles discerning God's grace but they were not discouraged and they did not give up.

Below are a few examples of the dynamic material that helped to rouse me from my sleep.  Each story I heard was both encouraging and brilliant. For me, it marked the beginning of asking the questions that led to discerning God's grace.  I pray these stories will do the same for you! (I've also uploaded a few of the talks to the right of this blog if you'd like to listen to them now).

These are easy to download to your ipod or burn to a CD and they are guaranteed to make your next travel experience an amazing journey!

Rediscovering Catholicism - Matthew Kelly (Books)
A Call To Joy - Matthew Kelly (MP3/Audio CD)
Why A Protestant Pastor Became Catholic - Dr. Scott Hahn (MP3/Audio CD)
Confessions - Father Larry Richards (MP3/Audio CD)
The Mass Explained - Father Larry Richards (MP3/Audio CD)
The Healing Power Of Confession - Dr. Scott Hahn (MP3/Audio CD)
Rebuilding The Christian Civilization - Dr. Scott Hahn (MP3/Audio CD)

http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/ is a great source for more talks!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Slipping

"Today I am still very much of the midst of a transformation. At times it seems as if I'm progressing, while at other times, I cannot help but feel that I am slipping back down a mountain I have struggled so hard to climb" -Matthew Kelly on Rediscovering Catholicism.

About 76 pages into the book and this was the first line that I found myself highlighting.  Something about this paragraph stood out.  Its like my heart recognized the prophetic truth it would have in my own life.  You have to understand, at page 76, I was just beginning to open that crack in my heart.  Aside from being forced to attend Mass for most of my childhood, I never allowed God to be relevant in my life.  In fact, I had never made one solid decision because of Him.

Looking back I realize this paragraph wasn't placed so clearly in front of my eyes for some random, unknown reason.  This paragraph wasn't an accident.  I believe it had been carefully placed and was truly a divine gift from heaven.  God knew I needed to read this, and more importantly, to always be aware of it. This paragraph was to be my crutch as I began my journey...and it continues to be my crutch today.

Being Catholic is not always easy.  In today's world, I often feel as if the odds are stacked against me.  My husband is not Catholic.  I am a Yankee living in the south.  Need I say more?  Many times I feel as if I'm making this journey on my own.  At Mass, I look around and see other families sharing in the experience...and I am alone.  But then I look up and realize that I am not alone.  Although my views about faith, life & love have undergone a dramatic change, I am not alone.

On the days I feel as though I'm slipping down that mountain...I stop, look down and realize just how far I've climbed.  Thankfully, most of my slips are minor.  And within each slip I hear God saying, "Stay alert...stay strong...keep going...keep climbing...I am with you."



Monday, December 13, 2010

Jesus The Genie

Do you feel that many of us are following Jesus because we think He will somehow make our lives easier? Do we follow Him because we are hoping that all of our problems will disappear?  Is He sitting in some heavenly, magic lamp with promises of a life that is free of suffering...if only you will pray! I have a hard time believing that Jesus has the role of a genie, there to grant our every wish.  In fact, I believe its quite the contrary.

In the New Testament, story after story is a reflection of just how hard life was for those who followed Him.  Even when He was in the flesh, living amongst His apostles, life was not easy for those around Him.  Jesus actually warns us that following Him will entail suffering.  "If anyone comes after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:23).  Many times, it seems that Jesus actually attracts suffering...like a metal rod in a storm.  If you don't believe me, read the gospels or the lives of our saints who were martyred in His name.

To me, this can be a little discouraging.  Call me crazy but I don't particularly like the idea of suffering.  However, in the lives of our most beloved saints, I read story after story of this exact theme.  Men and women who were martyred, many of whom died brutal and gruesome deaths.  And several of us may ask, how did God allow this to happen?  How did He just sit quietly in the background while they were being tortured in His name?  These men and women were dying for Him!  They were dying for His church!  How does God just allow good people to die like that?  Where was He in all of this?

You see, the answer has been sitting in front of me the entire time.  I was just blind to it.  Jesus WAS indeed with those men & women, just as He is with you and I this very moment.  The answer lies in the hearts & minds of the saints, not Jesus.  They figured out what so many of us fail to figure out.  They knew what so many of us spend our entire lives searching for.  They understood that both good & evil are very much real.  However, they also understood that God gives us the gift of freedom to choose the role we play in it.  They were not blind to Him or the choices.  More importantly, the saints were keenly aware of His presence, giving them two virtues that I often lack:  Faith & Peace.

Faith.  Faith that they were put on this earth for a reason.  Faith that their lives meant something, that every life means something.  Faith that we weren't created from slime and muck by pure chance.  Faith that something far greater exists, beyond our imaginations. Faith in Jesus, faith in the bible and faith in the mission of our beautiful church.

Peace.  Peace in knowing that their faith would bring about trials and suffering. Peace in bearing the cross they were given.  Peace in realizing that living a life of Christ doesn't automatically create a world where wishes come true.  Peace in knowing Jesus, truly knowing him with every ounce of their being.  Peace that in the middle of their storm, in the middle of their torment, Jesus was truly with them and ready to welcome them into eternity.  Peace.  Pure and utter peace.  The "I'm sitting on my porch with a glass of sweet tea" kind of peace.  How does one of have peace knowing they are to suffer and die?  Grace, I suppose.

As we are making our journey closer to God, let us be aware that we may very well find ourselves in the midst of suffering.  Maybe we will lose our job.  Maybe a loved one will be diagnosed with cancer.  Maybe the life of our child, husband or wife will be lost in the war.  The "maybes" are unlimited and the realities are harsh.  However, let us not forget that Evil exists...and Evil is strongly attracted to winning back those closest to Christ.  Evil wants us to question our faith & peace.  In the midst of our storms, I pray that we are not blind to the Good.  I pray that He increases our faith & peace so that we may be truly aware of His presence...even in the dark hours of our greatest need.

Friday, December 10, 2010

The Bare Minimum


I used to be one of those Catholics who thought I didn't have to go to Mass to be Catholic.  I thought as long as I was a good person, that was enough.  I wasn't out killing or stealing so surely God would take notice.  Surely He was giving me credit up in heaven!

I had the "Bare Minimum Mentality"...what's the least I can do and still get to heaven?  What is the least I can do and maintain a somewhat reasonable life.  And for the most part, I fooled myself into thinking this was perfectly fine.  I had countless discussions with family and friends about how there was nothing wrong with not going to church.  One problem.  That's not a relationship.  A relationship requires a commitment.  It required me showing up.  And not just physically showing up, but spiritually showing up.

Isn't it funny...God gave us Ten Commandments...and He dedicated an entire commandment to going to church - Keep Holy The Sabbath.  And yet we humans love to twist & conform this commandment into what WE want it to mean. We find ourselves saying things like, "I can pray at home" or "I can be a spiritual person without going to church".  With all due respect, I would bet 99.9% of people who go to church a few times a year are as spiritually connected to Jesus as I am to Brad Pitt.  I have never met Brad Pitt.

To be in a relationship with Jesus means you have to be committed.  Some of us may not know or understand how to get to that point.  A year ago, I did not understand nor did I think I was capable of it.  I viewed having a relationship with Jesus the same way I viewed climbing Mt. Everst...as a long and difficult journey...a journey that I wasn't prepared to make.  But my willingness to open my heart (just a little) was all He needed to work with.  He used that small crack and began diligently chipping away.  What started off as a inhabitable mountain was soon transformed into a suitable pathway.

Let us NOT show up every Sunday and fool ourselves into thinking we are "Keeping Holy The Sabbath".  And let us NOT skip Church altogether.  Instead, let us be aware of that small crack in our hearts and ask God to work in it.  Let us Keep Holy The Sabbath by making the decision to have a personal relationship with Christ.  Let us Keep Holy The Sabath by knowing and loving Him, just like we know and love our families.  And lastly, let us Keep Holy The Sabbath by allowing that love to overflow in all aspects of our lives!

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and He saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Relationship

Imagine being in love.  Deeply & passionately in love.  You love that person with all of your heart. You honor that person.  You look forward to spending time with that person.  But for a moment, imagine that person never taking the time for you.  Imagine weeks passing before they made the time..and not because they were away on business or deployed overseas.  They simply had other things going on...things that were more important than what you had to offer them.  And when they did make the time, maybe they were preoccupied.  Can you imagine the pain you might feel because of this?  It wouldn't be long before you might begin to reconsider the relationship.  And why?  Because a healthy relationship requires a commitment from both sides.  It doesn't matter if it's a business relationship, a romantic relationship or a relationship with your family.  Both sides have to be committed in order for it to be successful.

Let me take this a step further.  For those of you who are married or in serious relationships, ask yourself this question:  Do you consider your spouse a wonderful spouse just because he/she isn't cheating on you?  Are they "Husband/Wife of the Year" because they made it home in time for dinner or because they don't spend five hours a night at the local pub?  I can answer that question for most of us...No.  Most of us want more than just the bare minimum.  We want to be romanced.  We want dinner and a movie.  We want conversations and laughter.  We want shared, tender moments. 

The moments we look forward to in our relationships are the same moments Jesus looks forward to with you.  He desires a relationship with you. He desires shared & tender moments with you.  He is deeply and passionately in love with you...and He isn't satisfied when you show up once a month or once a year.  More than that, He's deeply wounded when you show up distracted. 

Do you desire a relationship with Christ?  In this crazy & hectic world, do you long to spend quiet moments placing yourself in His presence?

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

RADicAL...

What do you think of when you hear the word "Radical"?  For many of us, we may have a bit of resistance to it.  Do you think of someone who's too far to the left or to the right?  Maybe someone a little crazy, someone who's mind cannot be reasoned with?  I have to admit, when I hear the word "Radical", I don't associate it with something I strive to be.  Could it be that maybe I'm missing something?

This word really has me thinking.  And the more I think, the more I realize that Thinking = Radical.  As a society, have we stopped "thinking"?  Are we now classifying Radicals as those who have a thought and enjoy discussing their thoughts?

About a month ago, I was having dinner with some friends...and the dreaded conversation about religion came up.  I know, society tells us we should never talk about politics or religion.  But why is that?  At the mere mention of the word "Jesus" or "Catholic" and it seems that people go into a frenzy. I'm not exaggerating...people freak out. About two minutes into the conversation and one person decided to leave because they had heard enough.  I seriously don't get it...Am I missing something??  Wasn't this country built on the concept to believe in a side and discuss it?  Shouldn't we be able to calmly argue our side in hopes that the truth will eventually surface?  Isn't obtaining the truth the entire reason we argue in the first place? The only sad truth I'm seeing is that WE don't even have a side anymore because being on a side is considered "Radical".  So forget about discussing your side (if you're one of the few people left who have one).

We live in a society where we can paint our entire bodies blue and gold to support a college football team, hangout in -10 degree weather and that's considered normal.  Its the people discussing politics and religion who are now radicals.  Don't you dare talk about abortion, human rights or sexuality because that's being insensitive.  You don't want to offend anyone by having a thought or opinion that counters with theirs.  Lets just go on and on about things that mean absolutely nothing.  As long as we stay mute about the things that really matter everyone seems happy.

Well, how is this for RADICAL:  I am a Catholic.  I have a daily encounter with Christ.  As a result of this encounter, my life has been RADICALLY reoriented towards Him.  I believe that I was made by God for one reason:  To be sanctified by Him.  I am RADICALLY impassioned with The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit.  I am RADICALLY enamored with a church that Jesus Christ founded.  I am RADICALLY in love with the Eucharist and I have a  RADICAL faith that Jesus is present in the Eucharist.  I RADICALLY embrace the truth that Mary & the Saints are praying for me right now. I am a RADICAL.

During this Advent season, I pray that we all get THINKING.  Jesus was anything but boring and we shouldn't be either.  Jesus didn't tell his followers what they wanted to hear...He told them what they needed to hear.  He didn't stand by silently because He was afraid of offending someone. With every mile He walked, He offended people by the thousands.  We don't read Gospels that have boring, meaningless stories.  Jesus stirred the pot by getting people to THINK.  He challenged us.  Jesus was RADICAL!  And for those of us whose sole purpose in life is to become closer to Christ, shouldn't we be emulating Him?

Just like you football fans who find yourself in -10 degree weather because you've got team spirit...Well, I've got spirit too!  Its just that mine comes in the form of the Trinity and it doesn't end after four quarters, a fumble or a bad snap ;)

May God Bless Us All!!