The Advent season is a real gift to us. With all the preparation for Thanksgiving behind us yet fresh in our minds, we move into the Christmas season, which started in retail stores this year in August. There is Christmas traveling, family gatherings, shopping lists, the anticipated ‘Black Friday” and ‘Cyber Monday’ with all the shopping frenzy and hype. Don’t forget the Christmas cards, tree decorating, baking items, and various parties. Wew! We become exhausted. Holiday depression sets in. The Christmas season then becomes a season of survival and trying to keep one’s sanity. What might the Advent season offer us for sanity and perspective this year?

On the first Sunday of Advent we hear the words from the prophet Isaiah of a future time “In the days to come.” We are encouraged in the readings to stay awake and alert, for God’s plan is going to come upon us suddenly. How acutely we felt this with the sudden unexpected death (heart attack) of our beloved Shepherd, Bishop Sirba (age 59) on December 1, 2019.

On the second Sunday of Advent Isaiah again proclaims a specific time and day coming. He says, “On that day.” The Gospel sheds more light on our second theme of being prepared. For John the Baptist calls us to repent and to prepare the way for One who he is “not worthy to carry his sandals.” Will I take advantage of times for the sacrament of confession and moments of silence?

The third Sunday of Advent Isaiah speaks of a place where “the glory of the Lord, the splendor of God” will be revealed and present. It will be a time to rejoice, our third theme of Advent. To meet the Lord with joy and gladness and not sorrow or mourning denotes a searching for Him, taking time to fine tune our senses to be open for this encounter. Am I intentional in seeking an encounter with God?

On the fourth Sunday of Advent, Isaiah again tells us that God is going to give a sign that will help us know He has come to earth to fulfill His promises and to establish His Kingdom of justice and peace. A child will be born of a virgin. His lineage will be of the line of David. His name is Emmanuel; God With Us, our fourth theme. This would be a good week to take a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and sit before the creche scene or a picture of Mary, Joseph, and the babe at that first Christmas and ponder “God becomes man, to be with me.”

Advent helps us to focus; to take life from the general hub bub way the world lives and helps us narrow things down to converge on what is important. The Church, as a loving mother, is reminding us to slow down, ponder the themes, and be intentional in how we prepare spiritually during this season of Advent. Our response? Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus, Come!

For Reflection:

Are we awake and alert to what God continues to do in our lives? Are we prepared to encounter Him in the unexpected? Do we rejoice and give thanks for all things that come our way? Do we recognize God With Us in our daily lives?”

Prayer:
Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus, Come. Help me this Advent season to prepare well for You to be born anew within the stable of my heart.

(blogged December 1, 2024)
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I love the spring of the year when the tyranny of winter melts into the past and new life springs up. I love the way the Church places Easter in this spring time season and then gives us 50 days to celebrate.  Although we have had snow during various Easters in the past, especially over the past few years, the colors, smells, and decorations of the Easter season remind us that death does not have the final word, (“Death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55) and there is new life (“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Col. 3:4).

As the trees are budding and the spring flowers poke their greenery up through the ground, I find an anticipation and excitement that warmer weather is coming and spring is finally here. I marvel as I watch new life unfold. I can’t help but think of one of my favorite Scripture passage Rev. 21:5, “Behold, I make all things new.” God does make all things new. That is the hope of the Resurrection.

This season also brings First Communions. Recently, we attended our granddaughter’s First Communion. She was so excited and filled with anticipation. The day of the great event came. She was beautiful and did not let anything distract her. Her eyes and smile said it all. At the end of the long day, after a great party and opening gifts, she was asked what her favorite gift was. She replied, “Receiving Jesus.” This comment touched our hearts and we experienced a new springtime of faith blossom.

Number #1432 of the Catechism states: “God gives us the strength to begin anew.” The winter of our lives is seasonal. Unlike in Narnia where “It was always winter and never Christmas,” winter is not meant to last forever. Easter melts away dormancy and gives us hope of new beginnings.

The last two Popes have talked about the season of a “New Springtime” that the Church had entered. It is the time of the “New Evangelization.” One the ways the Church in the United States has entered this time and season is by encouraging a Eucharistic Revival that culminates this year with some Eucharistic Congresses that are being held locally and nationally. It is a season of healing, hope, and joy, as we encounter anew the real presence of Jesus in the most holy sacrament of the altar. Check out what your parishes are offering.

In this Easter season of new life and hope, may God bring about a new life in all of us especially as we prepare to celebrate the Church’s Eucharistic Revival in the months ahead. God is making things new. Pentecost, which ends the Easter season, reminds us that God gives us the power and the strength to be made new; to begin anew. Come Holy Spirit and breathe within us new life; new beginnings.

For Reflection:
Have I opened my eyes to the spiritual springtime that the Church has entered? Do I want to be a part of this new springtime? Do I seek the Holy Spirit to quicken my heart and set me on fire in order to live the new life of Easter?

Prayer:
Come Holy Spirit and breathe within me new life, new hope, and new beginnings. Help the Church’s Eucharistic Revival draw me ever closer to You in the “New Springtime” of the Church.

(blogged April 15, 2024)
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In the early days of the COVID 19 epidemic, our lives were thrown into great dishevel. We were trying to sort out the best course of action and what to believe.  People kept saying they couldn’t wait to get back to normal. Things today are not the same as pre-COVID days. What most people failed to realize was that we would never return to normal because the changes and our experiences were creating a new normal.

As humans, most of us don’t like change, but from the moment we are conceived until the day we die, change is a part of our human experience. Lent has changed to Easter which gives us hope that the new normal of the future and our living through changes required to get there will be graced filled moments of resilience. Spring is a season of resilience that can teach us much.

What makes a person a saint and different from a bulk of other people is that when they fall or meet failure, they pick themselves up, with the help of God, and keep moving forward. One of my favorite sayings sums it up this way: “Even if you fall on your face, you are still moving forward.” (Victor Kalm) The key is getting up and moving forward.

An unfolding all around us. Flowers are popping up through the hard ground. Robins are finding worms. Leaves are starting to bud despite the cold of winter the trees had gone through. Spring, like Easter is full of hope, new life, and resilience.

Taryn Marie Stejskal, Ph.D., defines resilience as the ability not to bounce back to normal, but the ability to effectively face challenges, changes, and complexity in a way that ultimately enhances us, not diminishes us.  Lent was our training ground.

Humbly accepting our vulnerability, woundedness, and brokenness is the beginning of true resilience. Empathy, perseverance, connecting to others, a spirit of gratitude, generosity, and holding on to hope and the possibilities that lie before us can help us to navigate and manage challenges and change. The opposite of these things would be “insanity” which is defined as doing the same things over and over again expecting different results.

St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians, reminds us that God comforts us in all our afflictions so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort which God has given to us. “For as we share in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.” (2 Corth. 1:5). Why? For the good of others.  As we joined our sacrifices and sufferings with those of Jesus during Lent, don’t be in a hurry to pick up again your pre-Lenten normal. We don’t have to be insane and go back to that normal. This life isn’t about you. It’s about loving others. The new normal of Easter awaits us. Move forward in the power of the resilience of the Resurrection.

For Reflection:
What are some spiritual lessons that COVID taught me about myself in regards to normal and changes? How can Dr. Stejskal’s definition of resilience help me navigate and manage challenges and change? The new normal of Easter awaits me. Am I open to move forward in the power of the resilience of the Resurrection or do I prefer the way of insanity?

Prayer:
Thank You Lord for spring, Easter, and new life. Help me to live as one of Your Easter children in the resilient power of Your Resurrection.

(blogged April 1, 2024)
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It’s been 50 plus years since my 11 years of playing football, including three years starting offensive lineman in college. I can’t tell you how many coaches and how many times we were reminded to Focus! Focus! Focus! With Holy Week around the corner, I want you to Focus!

We have been pondering suffering so far this Lent with the writings of Ruth Pakaluk. In this blog I want to use two of my favorite authors: Servant of God Luis M. Martinez and Dr. Mary Healy to aid us.

Remember, we are created by God and for God, who desires us to spend eternity with Him. Sin separates and hinders us in our quest for God. God is seeking us to be like Him: perfect, holy, loving and merciful. He is with us and dwells within us. Don’t lose sight of these things, especially amidst suffering.

“Every time we suffer a calamity in our spiritual life, we grow alarmed and think we have lost our way. For we have fancied an even road for ourselves, a footpath, a way strewn with flowers. Hence, upon finding ourselves in a rough way, one filled with thorns, one lacking all attraction, we think we have lost the road, whereas it is only that the ways of God are very different from our ways.

“The ways of God for attaining perfection are ways of struggle, of dryness, of humiliations, and even of falls. To be sure, there is light and peace and sweetness in the spiritual life…. above anything that could be desired, and …. surpasses all the consolations of earth. There is all this, but all in its proper time; and in each instance it is something transient. What is usual and most common in the spiritual life are those periods in which we are compelled to suffer, and which disconcert us because we were expecting something different…. Therefore, it is most important in the spiritual life to realize that we are not lost when we travel those strange roads. We need only realize that they are God’s ways, that it will cost us much effort to walk them, and that we shall need much abnegation to travel them. Yet they are the true ways to attain perfection.” (Secrets of the Interior Life, by Servant of God Luis M. Martinez, Cluny Media)

Commenting on the Gospel of Mark 1:40-45, Dr. Healy says, “We must never pass over these reminders about how Jesus is moved at the sight of our suffering…. The leper’s suffering and isolation fills Jesus with compassion. In his sacred, human heart the Lord suffers because one of his children is suffering…. Jesus’ mercy is all-powerful. There are many problems in the world and in others’ lives we cannot fix. Jesus shows his lordship – the healing power of his mercy – by touching the leper.” (Commentary on The Gospel of Mark; Dr. Mary Healy, Baker Publishing)

Dr. Healy gives us our “Focus”: “No matter our sins, we need not fear coming close to the Lord. When we have shown him our wounds, which we do in the sacrament of penance, Jesus has compassion on us and heals us.”

For Reflection:
Why is it important that I am reminded to be focused when it comes to my spiritual life? What are the ways God uses to bring about my perfection? How have I experienced Jesus’ healing power of mercy? Do I see suffering as a means God can use for my ultimate healing?

Prayer:
Jesus, God of Mercy, help me never forget Your great compassion and desire to heal me. Jesus, have mercy on me and on the whole world.

(blogged March 15, 2024)
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In my last blog, we looked at how God can bring good out of evil. In this blog, we want to look at how suffering is redemptive.

Suffering entered the world with the original sin of Adam and Eve. Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth taking on human flesh. He became like us in all things but sin. The Scripture tells us in Hebrews 2:10 that Jesus was made perfect through suffering. Strange isn’t it? Jesus, the Son of God, who is perfect, needed to be perfected? Remember that Jesus has two natures in one Being. He is fully divine and fully human at the same time. It is His human nature that needed perfection.

Why perfection through suffering? To our human minds and reason it sounds ridiculous; to embrace suffering in order to receive life and perfection doesn’t make sense. In verse 18 we read Jesus suffered and was tempted so He would be able to help us who are tempted and suffer. Jesus’ suffering brought about our redemption. In the Gospel of John 15:13 we read that no greater love does anyone have than to lay down his life for his friend.

Going back to The Story of Ruth Pakaluk, we read “How can suffering be redemptive, as we believe? It is redemptive because God makes it so. We could not actually do anything for God unless he made it so. It helps to take one’s suffering to prayer: ‘There can be no doubt that for us who love Jesus, prayer is the great pain-reliever’ (Saint Josemaría Escrivá).

“A real form of suffering is when someone you love suffers. Christ, as he suffered, was beloved by his Mother Mary and also by God the Father and God the Spirit …. Do not gloss over what is painful. Death is an indignity. It is something to be sad about: Jesus wept for Lazarus.

“Finally, how can we help others suffer? We should, for our part, offer up sacrifices for them, and we should try to explain what it is to offer up suffering.” (The Appalling Strangeness of the Mercy of God: The Story of Ruth Pakaluk, printed by Ignatius Press.)

Let me tie these two things together with a true story. A friend of mine was dying and suffering greatly. Unable to eat and keep anything down for weeks, he grew very frail and the pain increased. When asked by his wife if he was hanging on and offering his suffering up for family members, he whispered that he was offering it up for his sons. He himself had a rough childhood having no role model on how to be a father or how to express love. He had realized a number of years earlier that he had not been a very good father and had hurt his children a lot. He had asked them for forgiveness, but it wasn’t accepted by all. Now he was accepting his suffering, joining it to Christ for them. His great suffering became a pain reliever, healing for his family.

I leave you with the words of St. Teresa of Calcutta. “Suffering is a sign that you have come so close to Him that He can kiss you.”

[Continued in our next reflection.]

For Reflection:
How can joining my suffering with Christ’s be meritorious? Do I ever think of offering up my suffering for someone else? How might suffering become someone else’s pain-reliever?

Prayer:
Jesus, by Your Cross and Resurrection, You have set us free. Help me through my times of suffering. Help me to offer it up in union with Yours for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

(blogged March 1, 2024)
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I know of an active Protestant who was finding the prosperity gospel her denomination preached not lining up with Jesus’ teachings on suffering. She found Jesus telling His followers that following Him would involve self-denial and suffering. Her studies led to two conclusions. First, Jesus, the Son of God, embraced suffering, and because we are to model ourselves after Jesus, we too must embrace suffering. Secondly, the only church that consistently taught this was the Catholic Church. She was so impressed and convinced of the truth she found; she earnestly began her journey that will bring her into the Catholic Church this Easter.

Over the years, I have heard of many different journeys leading to Rome, but never one about becoming Catholic because of our teaching on suffering and its redemptive power.

As we begin the penitential season of Lent and you are looking for something to sink your teeth into, rather than give up chocolate, try pondering suffering. I want to use an excerpt from the book The “Appalling Strangeness of the Mercy of God: The Story of Ruth Pakaluk”, printed by Ignatius Press as a teaser for you. Ruth was a convert, pro-life activist, and mother of seven who died of cancer at the age of forty-one in 1998. She speaks out of her experience.

“Why must we suffer? What does it achieve? The sin of Adam and Eve was putting their will before God’s. This is the essential sin: preferring our will to the will of God. You can understand suffering as the medicine necessary to correct the underlying problem. If a bone breaks and begins to heal crooked, it must be broken again and set again. Similarly, we need to uproot our own will and realign it with God’s. The experience of physical or spiritual suffering patiently endured for the love of God is the most effective way to realign our will correctly. ‘There is no love without renunciation’ (Saint Josemaría Escrivá). The Persons of the Trinity live a life of perfect and complete self-giving. Man, made in God’s image, is called to that same type of relationship. Self-giving did not hurt before the Fall. Now it hurts, but it is still our vocation as persons created in the image of God.

“We need to have faith that God brings good out of evil…. God really does bring the best out of the worst. Joseph was traded into slavery in Egypt, but God selected him as the chief steward of that empire. Moses was abandoned to die as an infant, yet God made him the liberator of Israel. The poor man Lazarus lived in a life of destitution, but God lifted him up to the bosom of Abraham. Similarly, the tortures of the cross gave way to the joy of the Resurrection. Of course, we do not as yet see what we take on faith. But knowing as we do that the Resurrection is a fact, why don’t we trust God more?”

[Continued in our next reflection.]

For Reflection:
Why is suffering oftentimes dodged and not embraced as something that could help me or others? Do I patiently endure my suffering? Do I believe that God can bring good out of evil? Do I trust Him to be able to do this with my suffering?

Prayer:
Jesus, You embraced suffering as the Father’s will and as You freely accepted Your passion and death on the Cross for love of me, please help me to endure and accept all my sufferings for the glory of God and the Salvation of souls. Have mercy on me and on the whole world.

(blogged February 15, 2024)
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I went to the garage to find something I was looking for. My garage can be a dark hole at times when I allow my procrastination to get the better of me. In my frustration I cried out to God for His peace and His help in bringing order to the chaos I saw before me. He came through and several hours later the garage looked great, order was established, and a strong sense of accomplishment in getting something major done was felt.

In the process of the cleaning and organizing, I found what I had been looking for. It was right in clear sight in front of me all along. I had looked upon it countless times but had forgotten what the container looked like that I had placed it in. I want to apply this truth to our spiritual lives and use a portion of a letter from St. Teresa of Calcutta written to her community.

“….Jesus wants me to tell you again how much love He has for each one of you – beyond all you can imagine. I worry some of you still have not really met Jesus – one to one – you and Jesus alone. We may spend time in chapel – but have you seen with the eyes of your soul how He looks at you with love? Do you really know the living Jesus – not from books but from being with Him in your heart? Have you heard the loving words He speaks to you? Ask for the grace, He is longing to give it. Until you can hear Jesus in the silence of your own heart, you will not be able to hear Him say “I thirst” in the hearts of the poor. Never give up this daily intimate contact with Jesus as the real living person – not just the idea. How can we last even one day without hearing Jesus say “I love you” – impossible. Our soul needs that as much as the body needs to breathe the air. If not, prayer is dead – meditation only thinking. Jesus wants you each to hear Him – speaking in the silence of your heart….”

What dark hole are you stepping into or facing today? What kind of storage box have you put your relationship with Jesus into? Maybe today is the day you need to rediscover Jesus in a one to one personal way; just you and Him. You can find Him today waiting to love you. Will you take the time to search?

For Reflection:
What is the hole in my life that gets in the way of my relationship with Jesus? Is my relationship with Jesus built on knowledge or from my heart? Do I allow silence to be a part of my prayer and a means of growing in my relationship with Jesus?

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, come into my holes and fill them with Your Light, that I may grow in my intimacy with Jesus.

(blogged February 1, 2024)
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Life’s storms constantly assail us which can cause us to live in a climate of fear. We fear particular kinds of people, places, or things, so we avoid them. We fear the opinions of others so we silence them. We fear aging, losing our independence, losing our health, our nest egg, death, rocking the boat, being on the wrong side of the fence, of not fitting in or rejection and on and on and on. These fears can often lead to not speaking up, a spirit of timidity, indifference, violation of our conscience, and sadly could lead to depression and suicide.

We have become slaves of fear and live in a state of paranoia. Fear causes physical illness and disorders. Fear is a way to control others. Have you noticed how fear was used to force people into getting the COVID 19 vaccine? Have you noted how the militant Muslims use fear of death, rape, and beheading to cause submission to their control? Fear is a governing factor in many atheistic, socialistic, and communistic governments. If people live in fear they can be pressured to cower, to submit, and to do what they are told. Too often times, fear dictates our actions. We become objects, commodities, and lose our dignity as human beings.

Fear is a major storm that confronts all of us. How do we handle it? Jesus gives us the antidote in Matthew 14:27. “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” (NRSV) Some authorities claim that Jesus tells us Himself over 109 times not to be afraid. They go on to claim that Scripture tells us 365 times not to be afraid. The message? Jesus is with us. He has overcome fear. He invites us into His victory.

Here is an image that can help you remember. I came across this image that reminds me not to be afraid and to ask the Holy Spirit for courage. It centers around the Bison’s instinct on handling storms. Unlike cows who run away from storms, the Bison takes the storm head on and charges directly into it. There are many times, we find ourselves facing life’s storms. We often try to put as much distance between us and whatever storms we see on the horizon. By turning and running away we only prolong our suffering and lengthen our exposure to the elements of the storm, therefore, greatly increasing the suffering and paranoia we endure.

Facing it head on takes courage and boldness. These are helps the Holy Spirit offers us in dealing with the storms of daily life. He emboldens us with courage to face our storms and to charge into them.

Not being afraid comes down to getting out of our comfort zones, facing the storms we find ourselves in, keeping our eyes on Jesus, and walking toward Him, through our storms, with courage. Courage is a gift of the Holy Spirit. So face your fears and seek the courage the Holy Spirit offers us. Be a Bison.

For Reflection:
What fears do I face? How do I confront these fears? Do I seek the Holy Spirit’s help and exercise the gift of courage when fear is in my face?

Prayer:
Come, Holy Spirit, and fill me with Your courage, that I will face my fears today like the Bison and come out victorious.

(Blogged January 15, 2024)
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During the wild 1970’s, I encountered the peace movement. Mahatma Gandhi had a large following at the time. I remember reading an interview with him. He was asked if he had ever considered becoming a Christian since his non-violent teaching was similar to the teachings of Jesus. He replied that he had investigated the Church and the person of Jesus and was very impressed, but was unimpressed with the lack of joy among Jesus’ followers. If anyone truly believed that Jesus was who He said He was and professed to be His disciples, then they should be filled with joy. He hadn’t found that true, so Christianity did not appeal to him. Lack of joy is a poor witness to the love of Jesus.

As I age, I often ask myself why there isn’t more joy in my life as a disciple of Jesus. Recently, I heard four young adults share their call to be missionaries to the people of Cambodia. They had been attracted to the Cambodian people by the simplicity and joy amidst extreme poverty. Only 1% of their population knows Jesus and professes a faith in Him. The joy in these young missionaries was very evident as they were willing to experience depriving themselves of the many comforts in order to live with the Cambodians to serve them and ultimately bring them the love and joy of Jesus. I pondered again: Am I a person of joy? Does my relationship with Jesus cause me great joy? If not, why not?

The Scriptures tell us that joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. The lives of the saints show us that we can be joy-filled people even in the midst of prison and torture. Joy has to be more than a passing feeling. Joy is something we can make a decision for and take steps to cultivate.

Pope Benedict XVI said in his Christmas address to the Roman Curia in 2008. “The Holy Spirit gives us joy. And he is joy. Joy is the gift in which all the other gifts are included. It is the expression of happiness, of being in harmony with ourselves, that which can only come from being in harmony with God and with his creation. It belongs to the nature of joy to be radiant; it must communicate itself. The missionary spirit of the Church is none other than the impulse to communicate the joy which has been given.”

Satan can fabricate false peace. He does it all the time in the world, but he can’t fabricate joy. Joy comes as a fruit of the Holy Spirit. For those baptized and not living in a state of mortal sin, the fullness of the Spirit resides in us. Are we cultivating and cooperating with His graces? We need to ask the Holy Spirit to stir into flame the fire of His love within, that we may be a person of joy belonging to a people of joy.

For Reflection:
Is my joy a feeling or a state of being from having a personal relationship with God? Is my joy radiant and communicated with others? Do I cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit that fills me with joy?

Closing Prayer:
Fill me with Your joy O Lord, a joy that withstands the storms of life.

(Blogged January 1, 2024)
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