Faith
Ask God for the Big Things
Understanding God with the human mind is impossible. In order to help us bridge that gap into the impossible, we have to equate Him to something we can relate to. At various times and in different situations we may think of Him as our Dad, as a disciplinarian, or perhaps even as Santa Claus. The mistake that we make is that we pull God down to our level, instead of raising our minds to His. When we bring God down to our level, we miss out on the opportunity to truly experience His glory.
Time and time again, Scripture tells us to ask and we shall receive. Truly God hears and answers our prayers in all ways, shapes, and forms. Yet, too often we fail to be like King Solomon. When presented with an offer of anything, Solomon asked for the wisdom to lead his people. Wow! Now that’s a big ask. Not only is it a big ask, it’s the right ask. Solomon asked for a gift that he might use to serve others. He understood in some small way the capacity of God, and asked for a gift that only God could grant.
We need to be more generous in what we ask of God. While there’s certainly no limit to the number of prayers and requests we make to God, we should use those prayers to benefit others. Our lives are comfortable and easy compared to many others. This is a habit of the greatest saints in the Church: spending more time asking for graces for others than for themselves.
We also need to stop asking God for the trivial. As students, we asked for help for a test that we didn’t study for. Looking back, we asked the God who created us out of literally nothing, who built us out of two single cells, to help us circle a few right answers. We need to be more like Solomon, and ask God for the big things.
God has chosen to limit our ability to fully understand His existence, and at the same time, through the Church, has fully revealed Himself to us. In order to become the saints we were made to be, we need to stop trying to pull Him down to our level and instead let Him raise us to His. He’s capable of anything, let Him reveal His power to you.
Lean on God
It’s human nature to want to be independent. We want to be free to make our own decisions and have the dignity of supporting ourselves. Our quest to be beholden to no one begins early in our development, becoming most evident in our teenage years. While we see dependence as a weakness, the question must be asked: is it? No matter how independent we seek to become, is total independence really something to pursue? Certainly there are some worthy forms of independence such as that of financial independence or the independence of living on your own. Yet, as humans, I think it’s necessary for us to be totally dependent in one sense. We must be totally dependent on God.
There is no independence from God. Philosophically and theologically, if we were independent from God, we wouldn’t be here because His thought of us sustains our existence. But I don’t want to make this about an intellectual exercise, rather, I want to explore this as an exercise of love. We should embrace our dependance on God and love Him for it.
Benedict is now 2 years old. Little by little, he gains independence from me. Yet, even though he can do little things, he still needs my help to achieve the essential things. He can eat food on his own, but he needs me to prepare it for him. He can walk around outside, but he needs me to open the door for him. He doesn’t loathe his dependance on me. Rather, he embraces it joyfully. He smiles, laughs, and eagerly runs to me as I do all of these things for him. We should take the same tack in our relationship with God.
All of the blessings in our lives are thanks to the good graces of God. Our family, employment, finances, health, and freedom are all a direct result of God giving us those blessings. As a part of our dependance on God, we should be joyful and eager to ask for more blessings. It’s not selfish, it’s what He’s promised. Time and time again we hear in Scripture about God’s promise to provide for us, both in good times and bad.
We should ask God for the big things and for the little things. We should ask Him for help in small ways and for help in big ways. We should also always remember to give Him the praise and thanks that are due. The best way to do that is to live a life of service as He asked.
Our dependance on God is not a burden to be borne, but rather a gift to be embraced. Like any good parent, He wants to shower us with love, graces, affection, and blessings, if only we ask for them.
Evil is Real
How many times have we witnessed the great falls of those whom claim to be holy and religious? How many times have we heard of televangelists, missionaries, and people that we once regarded to be of high moral standing exposed as being other than what they claimed? For some fraction of these cases, the individuals themselves were perpetrating a fraud. For the large majority of cases, we should walk away with one lesson: evil is real.
The more good that you do in the world, the more spiritual fruit that you bear, the bigger target that you become. It’s understandable that if you’re doing good things and people are being changed by them, you’ll become a bigger target for the Devil. Taking down one prominent person does more damage with less work than trying to topple followers one at a time.
Truthfully, I don’t think many of us think about the Devil as being at work in our lives. Certainly we see war, terrorism, and other violence and tacitly acknowledge that it’s the work of the Devil, but by and large, we don’t really believe that he’s real. I even feel weird using the word “devil” in this post, as if I’m some crazy religious nut who should be dismissed by my readers as such.
That’s the thing, though. That feeling that I’ll be perceived as crazy is a sign that his work is effective. The more dismissive we are about his existence and the more complacent we grow, the easier it is for him to work. He’s subtle and subversive, working quietly until it’s too late.
He’s at work, always looking for weaknesses and flaws to exploit. He’s “prowling like a roaring lion” in our world. So if you’re out there doing good things, know that he’s looking for ways to undo them. The good that we do and the holiness that we achieve diminishes his work and effectiveness. He’s looking to take you down. Don’t let your denial of his existence give him greater influence over your decisions.
Evil is real, never doubt that. But evil is so much less than Good.
Gratitude is at the Heart of the Christian Life
Today, we celebrate the amazing Thanksgiving. Although this humble holiday tends to get trampled on by shopping deals and the upcoming Christmas season, it’s actually one of the most important days of the year. Thanksgiving is all about gratitude, which is a central theme of the Christian life.
We are who we are, where we are, blessed as we are, because of God. Thanksgiving turns our minds back to that reality. Families have so few opportunities each year to all gather together, and Thanksgiving presents that opportunity. Cousins get to play together, aunts and uncles get to play with their nieces and nephews, and all take time to reflect on the many blessings that they’ve received throughout the past year. What a beautiful holiday!
Gratitude is a central theme of the Christian life because it serves as the core of humility. Gratitude recognizes that our good life is a result of the good graces of another. Not only to we acknowledge the providence of God, but also those who make our lives easier, better, and more prosperous. The first Thanksgiving demonstrates this principle as the pilgrims thanked God for safe journey and the Native Americans for helping them through a difficult transition to their new lives.
There’s much anger, hurt, and sadness in the World today, but all of us can find at least one bright spot in our lives and be grateful for the blessings that we’ve been given. Eat well, enjoy the time with your family, and pass the mashed potatoes!
Starting Fresh
We all love a fresh start. New beginnings are always full of hope, excitement, and promise. We feel refreshed, able to take on the world and whatever challenges life sends our way. Fresh starts can be hard to come by. In relationships, past hurts get in our way. First impressions are lasting impressions and, if you make a mistake, it can be extremely difficult to overcome. What if there was a way to get a true fresh start? What if there was a reset button you could press that would wipe the slate clean and get you back on track?
Our yearning for fresh starts begins with an acknowledgement that we are weak. We make mistakes, dozens of mistakes, every single day. None of us has a great track record. It’s out of this reality that God offers us, through the Church and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the fresh start that we so desperately need.
Confession is that new beginning. It’s the grace we need to start fresh, to start over, and to get it right this time. We know the path isn’t easy, but we choose to comb the mountain anyway. But Confession is only that, a beginning. When we leave the confessional, it’s immediately up to us to make better choices and temptation is waiting as close as the doors of the Church.
So, how do we keep from messing it up again?
Stop giving yourself passes. There’s a balance to be struck between being overly scrupulous and too lax in our treatment of ourselves. We can be tempted to be too nit-picky, or we can be tempted to chalk all of our sins up to our humanity and move on. It’s time to get tough and find the middle of the road. Yes, we will sin. But those sins can be minor.We have the ability to control ourselves, we need to use it.
Get serious about Heaven and Hell. We don’t know when death is coming, but at some point, it will. We like to think that we’ll live until we’re at least 80, and most of us will. However, no matter what age you are, people older than you have died, and people who are younger than you have died. That means we need to get serious about the reality of Heaven and Hell and we need to buy our ticket, today. We must decide where we want to spend eternity and let our thoughts, actions, and choices flow from that decision.
Turn the focus off you. I love focusing on me, but one of the best way to reduce incidents of sin is to focus on someone else. Most sin is about me and how I want to feel. So if I lose myself in service to others (wife, kids, friends, community), I’ll have less opportunity to commit sin. As much as I love me, I could love me a lot less and be much more happy.
Fresh starts are amazing, but it’s important to not blow it. Next time you’re in line for Confession, make planning a better life for yourself part of your examination of conscience.
We’re Not Guaranteed Any Time
In the course of our human existence, we’re faced with tragedies, none more sorrowful than the untimely death of someone in our lives. We have a justified belief that all of us will live into our 70s, 80s, or 90s, but the truth remains that none of us are promised any amount of time. That’s why it’s so important for us to take the time we do have and to make something great out of it.
It’s said that the great lie of the Devil is that there’s time. Time to change, time to reform, time to renew. Live today, go to Confession tomorrow because there’s nothing but time. There’s a reason that is a lie. We don’t know how long our mission will last on Earth, or how many more chances we’ll get to make things right. We just don’t know.
The temptation with this knowledge is to fret and obsess over the question of how long we have left. That is not at all the point. While the Devil directs us towards the negative, God would prefer us to focus on the positive. We’re given today, so enjoy it. We have our family, so love them. We have our health, our spiritual fortitude, the life of the Church, so immerse yourself in them.
Our bonds as people are strong with one another, and so the grief of losing someone that we love can be overwhelming, especially if it is sudden, unexpected, or if they were “too young.” These bonds are beautiful because while they cause us sorrow in death, that means they can be cause for tremendous joy in life. Recognize those bonds today and share their goodness with one another.
We do not have the full picture of our own lives, let alone those of whom we know and love. We can only trust that God, who wishes only the best for us, works in His own mysterious ways, in His own time, in accordance with His wishes for us. It’s up to those of us who remain to advocate diligently for the departed souls that they might gain admission to Eternal Life, and in that way, pray for us.
A Powerful Confession Strategy
I try to go to Confession once a month, but sometimes my schedule conspires against me. In early September, I was overdue and itching to go, which landed me in a parish half an hour away on a Tuesday night. Confession was preceded by a Novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, which was something truly beautiful. Afterwards, both priests assigned to the parish heard confessions. Even though it was after 8pm, the lines were quite long.
I don’t often get the chance to go to Confession to a priest outside of my parish, but when I do, it’s special. Many Catholics, myself included, seek extreme anonymity in the Sacrament, and so going to a priest that you don’t know and likely will never meet is especially comforting. I find myself less resistant to giving a full confession when I don’t know the priest. It’s silly, I know, but it’s also part of the human experience to attempt to save face.
Most of us will struggle with the same habitual sins throughout our life. If not the same particular sin, sins surrounding the same character defect. Having a regular confessor, one with whom you have some rapport, can be immensely helpful. A regular confessor can get to know you better and offer more tailored advice. Having the opportunity to go on occasion to a different confessor can lend some fresh eyes and a new perspective to your situation. Combining the two, you can come up with a really powerful plan for overcoming whatever is keeping you stuck.
If it’s difficult to travel to another parish for confession, there are opportunities such as Parish Penance services or even going to Confession while you’re traveling. You should never be afraid of Reconciliation, or of a priest yelling at you during the Sacrament. At the same time, there are some very real benefits to having a regular confessor and on occasion going to a priest that you’ll never meet again.
Confession-phobia
The fear of Confession is deadly. It’s healthy to have some amount of fear of the Sacrament. That fear means we know that we’ve seriously hurt God and we need to make amends. However allowing your Confession-phobia to keep you from the Sacrament will leave your relationship in shambles and will prevent you from living the life that God wants you to live.
A few years ago, while driving for work, I was listening to Mark Hart on the radio. He said something so radical that it changed my perception of the Sacrament forever. Mark said that he didn’t start being a good husband until he started regularly going to Confession.
Wait, what?
We’re only required to go once per year. Yet, here’s Mark saying that his breakthrough moment, his turning point, was to start to receive the Sacrament regularly. It was an incredibly profound moment for me.
Sin has power over us when we let it. Sin gets its power primarily thorough secrecy. We are obsessed with other people’s perceptions of us and so we have to keep our misdeeds buried deep.
Carrying around the knowledge that you’re living this fragmented life is a real burden. It eats at you. You give into sin more often because, hey, you’re already in it. We don’t like to admit that we’re wrong and really, that’s what Confession essentially is.
If you’re anything like me, you get that feeling of dread when you’re in line. I feel physically sick. I usually also seriously consider getting out of line and coming back another day. But I stay. Because living with guilt is no way to live.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is the only way forward. It’s the only way out of sin. It’s the only way to holiness. It’s the only way to love more. Plus, you feel really, really good when you come out.
You deserve a chance to start fresh. Pull out the bulletin, find out when the Sacrament is offered, and go.
Prayer and Flowers
This summer, Alison and I really got into gardening. We had an herb garden on our back porch along with assorted flowers, we had a small garden growing peas, potatoes, garlic, and onions. The biggest challenge we faced was the sun. Our garden had tons of sunlight and, with this summer’s heat, lots of difficulty flourishing. We took a trip for about four days and when we came home, most of our plants were dead.
The whole experience called my attention back to my daily prayer life. Our prayer life is a lot like that garden. We need to be like the good gardener, diligently tending to the garden of our prayer life. Our prayer life needs attention daily, plenty of resources, and most importantly, reserved time. If you set aside time for prayer, it’ll happen.
Like a garden, our prayer life can flourish if we give it the attention that it needs. If we remain disciplined, we’ll grow. Yet, only a small dose of negligence is all that’s required for us to start to lose the vibrancy. It can be regained, just as a recently withering plant can be brought back in a few days with water. Yet, there’s a point where we have to start all over.
Prayer should be the cornerstone of our days, and yet it can be difficult to get started and keep going. Remind yourself of your role as the gardener of your soul, keep your eye on your prayer life, and keep on praying.
A Refuge in the World
I don’t spend nearly enough time in Adoration. When I was in middle school, my mom and I were members of our local Nocturnal Adoration society. During my two years at Franciscan University, there was perpetual Adoration during most of the academic year, but I didn’t often take advantage of it. Before we had Benedict, Alison and I did have a regular adoration shift on Friday nights, but since moving to Virginia, I’ve only been to our Parish’s perpetual Adoration a handful of times. For such an amazing experience, I really ought to go more often.
Think about what Adoration is. One-on-one time with God, the creator of the Universe. He’s physically present. You just can’t spend time in Adoration and not be changed in some way.
Perhaps my favorite part of the whole Adoration experience is the peace and quiet that accompanies it. Nearly every moment of my day is filled with bings, beeps, lights, and distractions. When I’m in Adoration I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to think about my to do list, what I’m having for dinner, when I’m going to go grocery shopping, or how much work I have to do. I’m free to just be there. Present. Still. Calm.
There are many ways to live out our faith and to experience the daily life of the Church, but I’d say that Adoration, outside of the Sacraments themselves, is the most worthwhile. I’ve never had a “bad” experience of Adoration. I’ve only found myself awash in an ocean of calm.
Find an opportunity to go to Adoration near you, speak, listen, and be still. It’ll be worth every second.