All Hail the Golden Arches

I was traveling down a major road in my area during evening rush hour and I saw something that is, unfortunately, a common occurrence. There was a line of traffic at the drive through of the McDonald's. In fact, there was so much traffic waiting for the drive through that it was spilling out onto the road. I say that this is unfortunate not because I have animosity towards McDonald's (I love their french fries!), but because we, as Americans, don't make time to sit down to a family meal anymore. Our lives are so over-scheduled (mine included). Between running the kids from one activity to the next, both parents working, and the long hours we have to put into our jobs, there just doesn't seem to be time to sit down and eat together anymore.

My family is in a good situation when it comes to family meals. My wife and I chose to make the sacrifices necessary for her to stay home with our children. So, family meals are served most nights. I also have a flexible work schedule, which allows me to be home with them for most family meals. Oftentimes I have to go back to work after dinner, and am not home as much as I would like to be to support my wife and spend time with my children. But at least I can make it home to dinner most nights. Family mealtime is good for families. Families are healthier when they eat homemade meals together, and not just physically. Families are also healthier emotionally and spiritually through sharing a meal together. A sense of community and belonging comes from sharing this all too important meal together as a family.

There is also another meal that is, in my opinion, more important than family dinners. That meal is the Eucharist, the Mass. The Eucharistic meal is the most important thing we can do for our souls, our families, our communities. If you want a happy, healthy relationship with your spouse, go to Mass together. If you want a happy, healthy relationship with your children, participate in the Eucharist at least weekly with them. If you want to feel an inner peace and joy in your own life, join the community of Catholics at Mass. Don't just go, sit (and stand and kneel) for an hour, and then return home. Don't just go through the "drive through". Get involved! Participate in the Mass. Sing the hymns. PRAY! Stop looking at your watch and actually listen to the readings and the homily. Don't look at what everyone else is wearing or doing, but concentrate on the mystery that is being revealed before your eyes! Christ joins us, physically, in the Mass! He is there! Don't pass up this wonderful opportunity to talk to Him and be with Him. Engage your whole mind, body, and soul in the Mass.

Make the time out of you busy schedules to eat dinner several times a week with your family. Don't just grab McDonald's on the run and scarf it down a you go from one activity to the next, but prepare a meal, sit down around your dining room table, eat, and share. It will transform your family. Likewise, make time to go to Mass at least weekly. And don't just "scarf Christ down" and impatiently wait for the end of Mass so you can get back to your busy schedule. Engage in the Mass. Listen to the prayers being prayed--and pray them yourselves. And don't just bolt for the door as the recessional hymn begins. Take the time to engage with the other members of your church community. Get to know them. Become involved in your church. It will transform your life.

Fire of God's Love Book Review

I need all the help I can get in my prayer life. Oftentimes, it is extremely difficult to focus on prayer without my mind wandering. That is why I picked up a copy of Fire of God's Love: 120 Reflections on the Eucharist. This compilation by Mike Aquilina did the trick. In this book are wonderful reflections on the Eucharist. I take it with me to prayer every day. Some days I read just one reflection and then just meditate on it. Other days, I read several reflections. I am truly amazed by the love for the Eucharist that all those represented in this book had. The authors, saints, and ordinary people that Aquilina include in this book truly had a zeal for the Eucharist.

What I am most impressed by is the Early Christians. They were willing to sacrifice everything just to celebrate the Eucharist. These days, particularly in America, we take the Eucharist for granted. It is there every day if we choose to receive it. I think that we have lost our zeal for the Eucharist. We have lost our passion for our faith.

This is a book that I recommend everyone to read over and over again. It will truly help us to gain a better understanding of the Eucharist. It will also help us to deepen our faith and our prayer life. It will bring back the zeal for our Church and the Eucharist.

You can purchase this book, and others, from The Catholic Company.

Want to Change the Country? Go to Mass!

Everyday these days it seems as though someone is taking a stand. People are screaming from the tops of their lungs about something--health care reform, tax reform, fraud, the environment, racism. But is anyone doing this:

"These persons, being Christians, have held an assembly for the Mass, contrary to the edict of the Emperors Diocletian and Maximian." So read the charges brought forth against a congregation in Abitina in North Africa, in AD 304.
"What is your rank?" asked the proconsul Anulinus of the first prisoner brought to him.
"I'm a senator," replied Davitus.
"Were you there in the assembly?"
"I am a Christian and I was there in the assembly."
Immediate the proconsul ordered him to be suspended on the rack and his body torn by barbed hooks...
Then Saturninus, the priest, was called forward for combat.
The proconsul asked, "Did you, contrary to the orders of the emperors, arrange for these persons to hold an assembly?"
Saturninus replied, "Certainly. We celebrated the Mass."
"Why?"
"Because we cannot live without the Mass."
As soon as he said this, the proconsul ordered him to be immediately put on the rack with Davitus.

~Acts of the Martyrs of Abitina

Americans are in the midst of the battle. We are fighting hard for what we believe in. But none of us are facing the battles the early Christians faced. I wish I had that much zeal for the Mass. These early Christian suffered torture and death just to celebrate the Mass. They sacrificed everything for it! And me, I'm unwilling to sacrifice sleep to go to Mass daily. These early Christians understood the Mass far more than I have ever understood it.

Dr. Scott Hahn, in a talk I went to last year, said that the best thing we can do for our country is go to Mass. If we want to be agents of change in this country, in this world, then we need to get down on our knees and pray. We need to get into church to celebrate and receive the Eucharist. It is the source and summit of our faith. All of the petty issues we deal with every day will fade away with a deep understanding of the Mass and the Eucharist. I pray that I can be more like those martyrs of the early Church.

I Can Walk On Water!

One of my favorite bible passages is from Matthew. It is the passage where Jesus walks on water and Peter attempted to walk to Christ on the water (Matthew 14:22-33). Growing up Catholic and going to a Catholic grade school, I heard this passage many, many times. I never thought much of it other than the fact that Jesus was God and Peter wasn't and that is why Peter couldn't walk on water.

When I was in high school a priest led me and others in a guided meditation of this passage while we were on a retreat. He had us close our eyes and imagine the scene in our minds. He then reread the passage, but this time he wanted us to imagine ourselves as Peter getting out of the boat and walking to Christ on the water. This was a very powerful experience for me. It was powerful because as I was imagining myself standing in the boat and Christ calling to me to walk to him I was frozen in fear. I couldn't get out of the boat. I didn't trust myself. More importantly, I didn't trust God. Tears started flowing down my face as I struggled with this fear. This meditation was the beginning of my faith journey. Sure I went to Catholic school. I went to Mass every week, but my faith meant nothing more to me than that. I began my journey in trust that week.

So, here I am, 19 years later. Have I trusted Christ throughout the past two decades? Sometimes, yes, but mostly no. It is extremely difficult to give your life away. Christ wants to lead us to so many wonderful and beautiful things. We just need to let go of our fears, let go of what WE want, and trust Him. We need to get out of the boat and walk to Him, knowing that we won't sink. I trust Christ more now than I did. I've learned that His ways are better than mine. I've learned to go. Every once in a while, I'll look away from Christ as Peter did and start to sink into the water. But as long as I keep my eyes focused on Him, I can walk on water. And you can, too!

Faith and Works

I haven't been as consistent putting up new blog posts lately as I would like to be. This is the result of a couple of things. First of all, these past couple of months have been pretty crazy around my house. We welcomed our fifth child into the world, our 4 year old started pre-school, our oldest daughter's 11th birthday is this week (and with it a birthday party), and the youth ministry program that I run began it's fall semester. Add to that the fact that I work a part time job in addition to my full time youth ministry job and there hasn't been much time for anything else, including prayer. Prayer is the second reason why I haven't been posting lately, because most of my posts come as a result of prayer. I also haven't been handling the craziness of my life well. I've been short with my children, Kari and I haven't connected on an emotional level in a while, and my job has been overwhelming me.

Then I went to Mass today and listened to the second reading from James:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith same him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well," but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Indeed someone might say, "You have faith and I have works." Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. (James 2:14-18)

I started thinking about the whole faith vs. works debate that has been going on between Catholics and other Christians for centuries. Many Christians believe that all you need is faith, and that works are not necessary to obtain eternal salvation. Catholics, on the other hand, believe that faith without works is not enough to get to heaven. I began thinking about how this applies to my life, particularly the past couple of months.

I have always tried to integrate both faith and works into my life. However over the past couple of months, I've been so focused on the "works" that I have neglected my faith. I haven't been very consistent in my prayer, and when I do make an effort to pray, I'm distracted and it's not fruitful. This lack of faith has had a negative impact on the works in my life. I'm not spending time with God in prayer and it has affected my attitude. I'm less patient with my children. Kari and I used to pray together every night and we haven't been doing that lately due to the changes we've experienced in our lives. This has affected our relationship. We don't feel the emotional connection we used to feel. Part of this is due to the overwhelming transition of adding a new child to the family, but our lack of couple prayer has also impacted our relationship. I feel overwhelmed at work because I haven't been taking my ministry to prayer. Faith is absolutely necessary for works to be done well. I have experienced this in my own life.

I also feel that I need to address the faith without works issue as well. Christ's call to all Christians is a call to faith and action. Faith without action is useless. Think about it this way. You are a strong Christian with a strong faith. You come across a homeless person. If you live by faith alone, you do not feel that you need to help that person in order to get into heaven. You may help him or her anyway, because you are a good person, but you don't feel the need to do so. In my opinion, if you don't need to help that person, you are less inclined to do so. Some Christian faiths even go so far as to say, "If that homeless person had more faith, he wouldn't be homeless. God would give him what he needed if he just had more faith." God provides all of us with everything we need. It is our responsibility to reach out and help those that are less fortunate that cannot, through no fault of their own, help themselves. It is through reaching out to and helping others that we strengthen our own faith. I have seen this in my own life. My faith is strengthened in my reaching out to help others in my ministry.

Faith and works is necessary in our adventure to salvation. Doing good works strengthens our faith and having strong faith strengthens our good works. I know, for myself, I need to get back to good, fruitful prayer so that I can strengthen my works.

"TVholics" Anonymous

"My name is Tim and I'm a TVholic. It's been 3 1/2 years since I last viewed TV." (Roar of applause from the crowd)

My wife and I made a decision for our family several years ago. We decided that we needed to give something up as a family for Lent. We talked about giving up sweets as a family, giving up snacks between meals, and giving up video games (great idea, but not everyone in the family played video games, so that one wouldn't work). We ultimately decided to give up TV for Lent. Forty days with no television. At the time it seemed like a daunting task. Could we do it? We thought so. We would hold each other accountable and promise to not turn the television on. And we succeeded! We made it 40 days with absolutely no television. Then another question emerged as we entered Easter season. Do we turn the TV back on? We decided not to, so we canceled our cable subscription. Money was tight anyway (isn't it always?) and we could use the few extra bucks a month it cost for more worthy causes, like food!

And so for nearly 4 years now we have been virtually TV free now. We occasionally turned the TV on to watch American Idol or a baseball game through the fuzzy reception our antennae gave us, but now with the conversion to digital we've gone completely dark (no digital ready TV set in my house). From time to time someone will ask me if I saw a particular news program or television show. I always answer, "No, we don't watch TV at my house." I get a range of reactions from looks that say "you're nuts!" to "I could never do that!" (You are probably having a similar reaction right now!)

You know what, I don't miss it. Not one bit! I never noticed before, but I was addicted to television. I became addicted to TV as a child. I realize this now when I sing a jingle from a commercial or talk about a show from my childhood and my wife has no idea what I'm talking about. We grew up in the same generation, but apparently she did not watch nearly as much television as I did.

I also realize now how much of a negative impact the television had on my marriage and family. The TV use to be continually on in my house, at least when I was home. I rarely got on the floor and wrestled with my children. I rarely read to them, or had them read to me. I barely ever interacted with them. "Couple time" with me and my wife consisted of putting the kids to bed, watching the news, Leno or Letterman, and then Conan O'Brien (we've always been night owls).

Our family life is dramatically different now. Sure, there are still times when I dismiss my kids when they ask me to play with them or read to them, but I'm much more likely to take time to spend with them now. I actually enjoy spending time with my kids, wrestling with them or playing board games. My marriage has improved. Now, instead of turning on the television when we put the kids down, my wife and I actually talk to each other! And you know what, I keep rediscovering why I fell in love with her! Eliminating my addiction to television has improved my life, my marriage, and my family.

I want to challenge you. Take a break from your television as a family. Don't just do it for a day, or for a week. Turn it off for a whole month! And don't wait until Lent to start. Start today. I guarantee you will see a difference in your family and your marriage. Then come back after a month and leave a comment on what difference it has made.

Reasons to Believe....

I read this today and had to share it.....

Clearly I had good reasons for believing....I could see that everyone--my parents, my big brothers and sisters, all the strange crowds that filled out church on Sunday--had known the wonderful secret I had learned, and believed it too. Anyone could see how sure they were, especially when the Eucharist was held up before them at the altar. Most of them were saying quietly, "My Lord and my God," the very words my mother told me to say.
For it made sense of so much. If God made us, and all things, he had to stick with us in this wonderful and dangerous world. Of course, like all little boys, I loved this strange world. But already I had learned how fragile it is: when our dog died; when I got a bad ear ache and could not understand it; when a greatuncle died. In this puzzling world, we needed to know just where the Lord is. God is everywhere, but Jesus, God who became our brother, and bears divinity with human approachability, is right here...
Now that I am a priest, and say Mass for crowds of people, I see how calm and deep is the faith of the great numbers who crowd into church every Sunday.
When I raise the host that has become the body of Jesus our Savior, I realize that they are adoring him as willingly as I do. When I raise the chalis that holds his precious blood, which was shed to save the world, their faith supports my own. Then it is a great joy to cry out: "Let us proclaim the mystery of faith!" This faith is not a burden: it lifts us up.

~Ronald Lawler, O.F.M. CAP.