Things I Really Like

I know, I know, it's been a while.

But, to appease you (like a pagan god or something), here is a hodge-podge of things I've ran across lately that are legit. So, so legit! Readysetgo...

Watch this testimony from Edmund Mitchell, a great guy I went to school with! It's about an hour long, but really worth it:

He also had this great quote in an interview recently:

"It also reminds me how important it is to continue diving deeper into our faith because there are a lot of well intentioned Catholics who, not having a solid enough foundation in Catholic doctrine, philosophy, history, or catechetics, are answering modern man’s hunger for deep, living waters with sprinkles from a red Solo cup."

Snap. I 100% agree!

Along the lines of more catechetical thing-a-ma-jigs, a friend sent me this great address to catechists by Pope Francis! (Who, by the way, showed up in my dream last night! Win.) I love this, especially:

"It builds up the Church!  To 'be' catechists!  Not to 'work' as catechists: this will not do.  I work as a catechist because I like to teach… But unless you 'are' a catechist, it is no good!  You will not be successful … you will not bear fruit!  Catechesis is a vocation:  'being a catechist', this is the vocation, not working as a catechist.  So keep this in mind: I didn’t say to do the 'work' of catechists, but to 'be' catechists, because this is something that embraces our whole life."

Next, another friend shared this with me on Facebook today, and I am just in love. Don't focus on the picture or text quality... just look at it for a minute and picture it in real life:

Do you not love it?!

(By the way, her feast day is tomorrow. Just sayin'.)

Went to see Torri Harris with some friends at the Josephinum this past weekend, which was lovely! Here is one of her songs... soak in the beauty!

Listening to this song on Saturday morning, it dawned on me just how much God uses the beauty of music to open my heart to Him... I'll be pondering that for a while...

Prayer cards from the concert. Beauty, right?

I definitely recommend that you look up more of her music. And if you ever get a chance to see her live, do it! She's very real, authentic, holy and fun... and her testimony blew me out of the water. All about fear vs. trust and God's calling for your life... plus, JPII showed up in her dreams. I mean, come on. JPII!

I've been listening to this a lot lately, too. Lyrics here.

I'm still getting the "Read the Catechism in a Year" emails every day for the Year of Faith... some days I read it, and some days I throw it in a folder that I've entitled "Still need to read for CCC." (Lazy, I know... once an email gets filed away, I don't know if I'll ever look for it again...) They've been using the YouCat, which I find super helpful for my line of work. ;) Yesterday was paragraph 470, "The Prompting to Pray":

"What prompts a person to pray?
"We pray because we are full of an infinite longing and God has created us men for himself: "Our hearts are restless until they rest in you" (St. Augustine). But we pray also because we need to; Mother Teresa says, "Because I cannot rely on myself, I rely on him, twenty-four hours a day." [2566-2567, 2591]
"Often we forget God, run away from him and hide. Whether we avoid thinking about God or deny him he is always there for us. He seeks us before we seek him; he yearns for us, he calls us. You speak with your conscience and suddenly notice that you are speaking with God. You feel lonely, have no one to talk with, and then sense that God is always available to talk. You are in danger and experience that a cry for help is answered by God. Praying is as human as breathing, eating, and loving. Praying purifies. Praying makes it possible to resist temptations. Praying strengthens us in our weakness. Praying removes fear, increases energy, and gives a second wind. Praying makes one happy."

I thought that was a really good, simple, beautiful, understandable explanation!

Okey dokey... watch/listen/ponder all of that, and then get back to me. :)

(That should buy me some time until my next post, right??)

7 Quick Takes Friday - Road Trip Edition!

I'm sort of a road trippin' expert. I mentioned yesterday all of the traveling I've already done this summer - and let's be honest, this has pretty much been my lifestyle for the last few years. I think I can trace it back to the summer of 2009, to be exact.

The scene: a theater in northeast Ohio, after watching the latest Harry Potter movie for a high school friend's birthday.

The problem: nobody waited for me to follow them to my friend's house for the rest of the party, like they were supposed to. Also, I had no cell phone at the time. Essentially, I was stranded.

I stood at a crossroads. Go home... or trek boldly forward into the unknown?

For this story to make sense, you have to know that I had just gotten back from a travel abroad semester in Austria; ergo, the spirit of adventure was still lingering in my soul. With chutzpah, I decided to attempt to find Lauren's house, even though I truly didn't know where I was going. But I had navigated Europe! In foreign languages! America was a piece of cake.

To this day, I'm not going to lie, I'm still very proud of myself. In short, I drove to the city where she lived, stopped at the least sketchy-looking gas station I could find and asked for directions to her street. I had been to her house once before, so I knew what it looked like, at the very least. Things got a little tricky when I got to the street and didn't recognize anything; but I discovered that it's one of those streets with multiple legs that zig-zag down other streets.

And, to everyone's surprise, I pulled into her driveway shortly thereafter... with a very satisfying feeling of personal accomplishment, I might add (if you haven't noticed).

So that was my first foray into the exciting world of independent navigation. I believe the second was getting myself into downtown Pittsburgh for a friend's court case (that's another story in itself; let me just say that she is pretty much a pro-life saint, was definitely unjustly accused, and a fabulous, elderly, Irish judge laughed her opponent out of court with some awesome common sense). I believe that was my first time in the exciting world of city parking garages...

I could go on and on. Basically, since getting my taste of freely traveling to and fro, I've never been the same. I love the feeling of actually going somewhere... almost as much as I love the feeling of finally getting somewhere. In this crazy world (do I sound like I'm from the pioneer times yet?), most of my friends don't live anywhere near me, and it's such a joy to be able to solve this problem by simply hopping in my car and investing some time (and gas money... eek). At this point in my life and vocational discernment, traveling is still very much an option - so carpe highway!

Unfortunately, it's much too easy to spend half the day in the car and realize that all I've done is listen to the same 5 songs on the radio, over... and over... and over... and over. For hours. So I've come up with a list of ways to make your road trips (or even your 20 minute drives!) actually help you become the person God created you to be!

(This is quite a lot of build-up for what I'm actually going to be telling you... sorry about that.)

1. Turn off the radio and be silent.

This can be unbelievably difficult, even for those of us who really like Jesus and prayer time. Over one five-day stretch this summer, I actually spent 30+ hours in the car... and probably took about 1 hour of that to be quiet. The rest was spent listening to the radio, on the phone, etc. But car time, like shower time, is prime prayer time. So just do it.

2. Listen to a Fr. Mike Schmitz homily!

Getting a bit stir-crazy from the silence, but still want something good for your soul? Download some homilies from Fr. Mike Schmitz (they're all free podcasts on iTunes!) to listen to on the way! Alternately, you could listen to a Lighthouse CD talk, or a spiritual classic that has been read aloud and recorded (again, check iTunes, or YouTube, or your local library).

3. Actually take that rosary off of your rear view mirror and pray it!

It ain't just a cool Catholic accessory. If you're going to sport it, you better actually use it sometimes. To be honest, I've only recently come to that conviction. And believe me... even if you have to force yourself to get started, you'll never regret the time you spent on it afterwards.

4.  Pray for people who are stranded on the side of the road.

Another variation on this: pray for the other people who are driving around you, and for those in the cities you're passing by. They'll never know you did it... but it's going to make a great story-time in heaven!

5. Take advantage of your rest stops!

Yes, please use the bathroom and get snacks. But what I really mean by this is that you should always be ready for an evangelization moment! Not in a weird way - just be nice and friendly to the cashier, willing to chat with the people around you, smile, and try not to look like death and act like a grumpy ogre. You never know who you're going to meet and the kind of conversations that others will strike up with you! (I'm friends with the types of people who will pray over random strangers in parking lots, if the opportunity strikes... believe me, it happens!).

6. Appreciate the beauty!

If you're driving through somewhere naturally beautiful, soak it up! And thank Jesus for it, too. We could all be more sensitive to and appreciative of beauty. It's healing (as I wrote about here).

7. Praise and worship music.

Because nothing says "I'm dedicating this road trip to you, Jesus" like surrendering your heart to him while singing "Great I Am" at the top of your lungs. Plus, no one can hear you or judge you! (Safety tip: do not close your eyes in prayer, raise both hands in the air, or rest in the Spirit. Just don't do it... the Holy Spirit is not calling you to that, I promise.)

And there you have it! 7 tips for a holy car ride. It's basically Catholic common sense, but sometimes we need to hear it, right?

I'm headed off on another one of these trips over the next few days, so I'll probably retreat from the blogosphere again for a bit. Just an FYI. Cheerio!

(Apparently I get really chatty when I haven't blogged in two months... I'll try for some shorter posts soon!)

Pray for Priests!

Why yes, I am turning into a little Pope Francis nerd! I'm not ashamed. I just read his Chrism Mass homily, and it is like BAM (and why yes, I do write like I talk)! Go read it... just do it! You won't be disappointed.

Actually, you'll probably be moved and stirred with a desire to pray for our priests, that they might be strengthened with holiness and love for the people they shepherd.

I've worked in various church/chapel offices for the past eight years or so, and so I've been privileged to get a more "behind-the-scenes" view of our priests than many people do. I am more and more convicted, every single day, that the holiness of the Church very much depends on the holiness of our priests. Is the laity called to evangelize? ABSOLUTELY! Is the laity called to holiness? OF COURSE! We are all meant to be great, great saints! But Christ has given us our shepherds for a reason. I am coming to see, more and more every day, the enormous role that the spiritual leadership of our priests plays in the overall zeal and holiness of a parish. I am also understanding, more and more, the intense responsibilities that they carry. Being in charge of souls (and many administrative duties as well), is NOT by any means an easy burden! It is a labor of love and grace, yes. But it is still quite a labor.

Therefore... dear brothers and sisters, we need to support, love, and above all, pray and sacrifice for our priests! Stop complaining that you didn't like Fr. So-and-So's homily - when was the last time you prayed for him, or affirmed him, or had him over for dinner, or even said hi to him after Mass? I am guilty of this as well (behind-the-scenes, you always see more of a person's faults than you might otherwise, and same goes for our priests. Luckily, you often also see more of a person's strengths, love, gifts and hard work!). Fr. So-and-So will be responsible to Christ for how he fulfilled his vocation. However - and here's the kicker - so will we! Are we going to be loving, obedient, spiritually mature children of our fathers? Or are we going to be the rebellious little kids who throw temper tantrums and yell "I hate you!" whenever things don't go our way?

(There is a place for not going along with whatever Fr. So-and-So says, by the way, whenever it's contrary to Church teaching, filled with liturgical abuses, etc. However, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about this - and that is a topic for another day.)

Something that a guest speaker said to my youth ministry class in college has always stuck with me: "Don't shoot your shepherd." Over this Triduum, let's do the opposite - let's lift up our priests in prayer, sacrifice, and lots of love! Let's lift our shepherds up to the Shepherd.

Happy Holy Thursday! I'm praying that we can all enter into the mysteries of our salvation in a profound way this weekend, so that we all become more in love with and united to Christ than ever.

P.S. Just a reminder... in a few days, this blog will be found at setapartblog.blogspot.com. Be ready!

Nothing to Pray, Nothing to Say

I've recently come to this realization: if I don't take time to pray, I really have nothing worthwhile to say. If I don't take time to be with the Word, then my own little words really have no substance behind them.

Not that everything you say has to be super deep and thought-provoking... but I don't think we're in danger of that as a society. We're much more likely to make a lot of noise, without really ever saying anything. But even beyond that, I don't think we can even be properly light-hearted without prayer. "The joy of the Lord will be your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10), right? Without Jesus, we take ourselves wayyyyyyyyyyy too seriously!

As always, the answer is Jesus. So stop reading my silly little blog, and spend some time with the Lord and Giver of life!

"I have come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly." -John 10:10

I Thirst

Today I had a realization, the answer to a question I’ve been asking for months, maybe even the past year and a half. Or at least part of an answer… you may not be impressed, but I don’t particularly care, because God is so good to me and he answers my prayers! On the other hand, maybe it will help you too.

If you’ve asked me about my spiritual life recently (again, maybe even within the last year and a half), I’ve probably mentioned that it’s dry. Like, that's the overarching, raincloud-over-my-head, depressing theme. This is to be somewhat expected, coming out of a fantastic place like Franciscan University. I mean, I go from three Masses a day to 7am only (and I am not a morning person)… from a tight-knit, passionately Catholic young adult community to a parish that is nice, but certainly not as passionate, and quite lacking in young adults… from being continuously formed and supported, to leading others, to being the one who does a lot of the forming and supporting... from a place that fosters holiness to a place where you have to put up much more of a fight. You get the idea. 

I’ve also blamed myself a lot for my spiritual state, and I’m sure there is a lot to that: to my own sins, failings, laziness, pride, lack of motivation, and more. I am always cut to the heart when I read these words:

“Moreover, you have endurance and have suffered for my name, and you have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: you have lost the love you had at first. Realize how far you have fallen.” –Revelation 2:3-5

Ouch. But it’s a good heart check, for sure. Jesus, keep me in love with you.

My realization of today builds upon this experience of dryness and struggle, plus another realization from the other day. I was looking through old journals, particularly those I’ve written since Franciscan, and I noticed something. As I read, it didn’t seem like I had a spiritually dry life at all! Of course there were ups and downs, but nothing out of the ordinary. I had written down oodles and oodles of quotes from Scripture and the saints that God had used to speak to me; I thanked him over and over for the people in my life and the experiences he has given me; it was clear that he gave me just what I needed each day, when I needed it, as long as I slowed down long enough to recognize it! Yet, my overwhelming experience has been dryness. At that point, I was just confused. I also wondered if I was a whiny little brat, saying “God, you don’t talk to me!!” when clearly, he does. This could totally be true… but today, I got another answer.

Let's start with a basic spiritual premise: we all thirst for God! There’s the classic St. Augustine quote, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Without God, we are not satisfied… we can never be satisfied without our Maker, our Lover (cue the “God-shaped hole in our hearts” explanation here). Without the one who gave us life, we have no life! So of course we feel dead without him. We thirst for him (the incredible thing is that he also thirsts for us – see John 19:28, as well as the reflections of Bl. Mother Teresa – but that is another story altogether). 

What I realized today goes something like this: without water, we thirst, and eventually, we die. But do we need to drink water more than once? Of course! Just because I have a drink of water yesterday doesn’t mean that I won’t be thirsty again today – that would be ridiculous! 

This is how it works with God, too. If I experience him yesterday, I still need him today! I don’t just want the memory of him, or knowledge about him… I want his presence now, too. Whenever I’m not close to God, I’m thirsty, to the point of pain (how clearly I can diagnose this pain, or how much I try to numb it away with other things, is a different story for another day). And whenever I am with him, I want to go deeper. We can never get enough of God.

And I think this is why I feel like my life, overall, has been so dry. Because if I’m not tasting the sweetness of God at this very moment, this exact second in time, I am thirsty for it. And we can’t always feel God – not in this life, anyway. 

How does this work with Jesus’ words to the Samaritan woman at the well, that “whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14)? To be honest, I don’t know. I think it may have something to do with being temporal beings. We haven't made it to eternity yet!

Maybe therein lies the key. Until that day of perfect bliss, of being totally united with Christ, I’m going to continue to feel the separation keenly. I want to see the face of God, but I can't yet! My spiritual life isn't a total wasteland, as I've thought; I'm just not in heaven yet.

St. John of the Cross, St. Therese of Lisieux, Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us.

“For I've been here before
But I know there's still more”