Moving on?

Christmas is over. Now what? New Years? That's what the world would say. Do we just take down the tree and the decorations and go on with our lives like we do all year long, not even giving a second thought to what Christmas is truly about? If you were like most of the world, that's what you would do, but you're not.

Most of you that read this blog are not like the rest of the world. Your faith is important to you. So why do we forget about Christmas once the season is over? To steal a saying from a friend of mine, Paul Masek, we should all make "our hearts mangers" for the Lord. Our hearts should be resting places for Him, and not just during the Christmas season. If we truly want to be good Christians, we should celebrate Christmas in our hearts EVERY DAY! Not just during Christmas season, not just on Sunday, but at every moment of every day.

So what are you going to do to celebrate Christmas every day? I am going to commit to make my heart like a manger for Christ. I am going to do this by spending more time in prayer, doing my best to avoid sin and temptation, get to the Sacrament of Reconciliation when I can't, and show my love for Christ to everyone through my words and my actions. I encourage all of you to do the same.

Worship

I pray every day. I ask God to help me with this, to do that for me. I ask Him to help my friends and family. I ask him to give me strength. I go to Church every week. I also read the bible every day. But the question I'm asking myself (and you) is "Do I (you) worship God?" Does what I do every day in my faith life give God the glory and honor He deserves?

It might help to define what worship means. Worship means: a reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred. To worship is to pay homage and to adore God. It is to give Him the glory He deserves for our life. We would not be who we are today, we would not even exist, if it were not for the will of God. He deserves our worship and our gratitude.

So, to get back to my original question...Do I worship God? I'm afraid I don't. The whole idea of worship it to give glory to God through our prayers. All I do in my prayers is ask God for things. I ask Him to help me, to help my friends, to help my family. I ask him to give me what I need. All of this is good prayer, but I do not give praise and honor to the One who gave me life.

Lord God, I give you all my praise and glory. You are the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. You are deserving of my worship. I am forever grateful to You for the life you have given me. Fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I may worship You in all I do.

Are you burdened?

I read the bible every day. Yesterday, I read the gospel for the day from Matthew:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. Your souls will find rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden light." Matthew 11:28-30

What wonderful words to be expressed in the midst of all that is going on! All of us have burdens on us right now--whether it be the pressures of preparing for Christmas, dealing with unemployment, illness, financial struggles, exams at school, or some other burden. Take heart! Jesus will take these burdens away from us! He will refresh us! All we have to do is go to Him. All we have to do is spend time with Him in prayer, voicing our burdens to Him and letting go. So, if we pray to Jesus, does that mean that He will miraculously take away our struggles, illness, and school exams? Maybe He will, with the exception of school exams. More likely, Jesus will give us the strength we need to deal with the burdens that present themselves in our lives. He will "refresh us" so that we can face our burdens, endure them, and grow from them.

Lord, we give to you all of our struggles and burdens. If it be your will, take these burdens from us. If not, give us the strength to endure them and to grow from them. For it is in the struggles of life that we are drawn closer to you. Amen.

Christmas Preparations

It's Christmastime! What are you doing this year? What traditions do you have? Do you deck the halls, decorate the house in preparation for the "big day"? Do you go shopping, getting all the things you want for others (and maybe a few things for yourself)? Do you bake cookies, with the delicious aroma hanging in the air? How do you prepare for Christmas day?

I think that last question is the key question to ask ourselves this year. I was raised with more of a focus on the decorations, food, and presents than I was in anticipation of the coming of a Savior. I don't fault my parents for that. It's how the world sees Christmas. It is so easy to get caught up in the worldly perspective of Christmas. Every time you turn on the radio or television you get coerced into thinking that Christmas is all about getting more stuff and doing more things. I fear I am raising my children with that same perspective on the season.

I want to do things differently this year. Advent is about waiting. It looks forward to the threefold coming of Christ: His historical coming, His second coming, and His continual coming in every moment in our lives. I think that the third "coming" is the most important. I am going to focus on His continual coming. I am going to focus on entering into a deeper relationship with Christ. I am going to commit to spend more time this Advent in front of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. And I'm not going to let it end after Christmas day, like the retailers do when they are done trying to earn your hard earned dollars. Advent is a time to refocus life on what is truly important--living a Christ-like life, not buying lots of toys or baking lots of cookies.

What are you going to do this Advent to prepare for Christmas?

Thankful

With Thanksgiving approaching, I thought I would share "My Thoughts and Prayers" on what I am thankful for. I am thankful that I have a job. Last year at this time I was unemployed. I am thankful for my four beautiful children. I know that many times I am impatient with them and I lose my temper often, but I am truly blessed to have such wonderful kids. I am thankful for my wonderful and beautiful wife. I would not be the man that I am today if it were not for her. I don't show her my appreciation as much as I should. She has stuck with me through thick and thin and for that I am forever grateful to her.

Most of all, I am thankful for my faith. God has truly blessed me and my life. I am grateful not only for those blessings, but also that I am able to see those blessings. In the society that we live in, where we are programmed to think that poverty is not being able to buy everything that you want, it is hard to see all that God has blessed us with. He has blessed me. Not only does God provide me and my family with everything we need, but He also showers us with His love. And that's what life is all about--basking in the glow of God's love and giving glory to Him for it in all that we do.

Thank you, Lord, for all of your wonderful blessings. Thank you for your Love, your Mercy, and your Graces. Please give us the insight to see how You have blessed us and the strength to carry out Your will in our lives.

Poverty and Charity

Many of you know that I am a youth minister. I have spent the last three weeks speaking to the teens about the issue of poverty and charity. I held a food drive for them and I was amazed at their generosity. They filled two HUGE boxes of food for a local food bank. I did a lot of research on poverty, both in the U.S. and global, in order to prepare for my meetings. All of this had an impact on me on a personal level.

I mentioned in my last blog that my perspective is beginning to change and I think that both these meetings on poverty and the 7 months I spent in unemployment have had a role in this change. First of all, my time in unemployment was a big lesson in humility. I have never been a person to ask for or receive handouts. I'm just not comfortable with it. I never asked for help during that time, but our wonderful friends just kept giving. It was a truly wonderful experience. Unemployment also helped me realize that we can live with A LOT less than we had been living with. God always provided us with what we needed!

Then I start working on this task of helping the teens to understand poverty on a deeper level. Some of the statistics I came across were just astounding! I was deeply moved. I came across this statistic that said: "If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace...you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy." I was floored by this. I, my family, in the midst of all of our struggles, are richer than 92% of the world! Most, if not all, of you reading this are richer than 92% of the world. I also came across a quote by St. Ambrose:

"You are not making a gift of your possessions to the poor. You are handing over to him what is his....The world is given to all, and not only to the rich."

What we have is not ours to keep. We, all of us, need to be more charitable. If we can afford to buy things we WANT, then we can afford to give to those who are in need. It's just that simple. And we need to trust. We need to trust that God will take care of our needs so that we can take care of the needs of others. Life isn't about obtaining worldly goods. It's about sacrificing ourselves for the needs of others.

On Running...

I was a runner in my youth. I ran track for the Boys and Girls Club all throughout grade school and also during high school. During track season we practiced five days a week. Practice started in early spring when it was still cold in St. Louis and the season ran into early summer when it was hot and humid. I hated running. I hated the cold. I hated the heat and humidity. I hated going to practice every day. I never listened to my coaches who told me I needed to run outside of practice and during the off season. The only reason I kept up with it for 12 years was for the track meets. I loved the competition of the meets. That alone kept me coming back year after year.

What I loved most about the meets was the race. I was an extremely focused and determined competitor. As soon as the gun went off, I saw nothing else but the finish line. I didn't see the crowds. I didn't even see the other competitors. All I saw was that line. I didn't hear anything else either. I didn't hear the crowds cheering me and the other competitors on. Nothing could distract me from my goal of crossing that finish line. It didn't matter how long the race was or how many trips I made around the track. All I was focused on was the race.

This is a metaphor for life. We are all in the midst of a race. What are we running for? What is at our finish line? I imagine myself on a track running a race with Jesus at the finish line. His arms are open waiting for me, to embrace me. If only I could be as focused and determined to finish this race of life as I was when I was on the track team. If only I could let nothing distract me from my goal.

Life is hard. Life isn't always fun. It doesn't always feel good. Sometimes life hurts. But we shouldn't give up on it. We shouldn't let all of the distractions of this world get to us. We should, instead, be like athletes in a race for our lives, literally! We should keep our eyes focused on Christ, on the finish line of eternal life in heaven.