1. The body is holy.
So many of us grow up being conditioned to think that our bodies are somehow dirty, our desires always sinful, and sex is a guilty pleasure (even among the married!) We seem to forget that it was God Himself Who gave us our bodies! In the beginning, He declared them to be “very good,” and the first commandment He gave us was not a “Thou Shalt NOT” but a life-affirming, joyful, and ecstatic exclamation to “Be fruitful and multiply!” So our bodies are holy, unique, set apart, different, and wholly one with our souls. Not pieces of luggage our souls are wrapped in until death do us part. Our bodies are destined to share in the glory (or the horror) that is to come. The body is “a unique composite – a unity of spirit and matter, soul and body, fashioned in the image of God and destined to live forever.” They/we are made for a communion, of which marriage is just a little glimmer! It’s the sad consequence of sin that has caused a rift in the body/soul harmony. Our bodies are temples, really. Not parish youth centers, or church basements. They are TEMPLES! Something beautiful, something theological is expressed in and through our bodies!
2. Marriage is an appetizer.
The truth is we are made for COMMUNION. And we must become a gift for others in order for this communion to happen. It happens in a spiritual way primarily, but marriage here below gives it the physical sign for us to see, and for many of us, to experience. Man is meant to become a total gift for woman and woman is meant to receive this gift from man, and then… life comes from the union of the two. This giving and receiving is the great dance, the spousal meaning of our bodies proclaims it. It points to the fact that in the end there will be the final realization of God’s plan for humanity and the universe…which is…that the final realization is the Wedding Feast of Heaven, when we at last come to see that God wants, not simply for us to follow the rules, be good, clean up our acts…. but above all God wants to MARRY US! Draw us into the Great Embrace of His Triune Love, a love that has ceaselessly been swirling about in the Love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! So marriage here below echoes that hope, gives us a glimmer of the love to come, and offers us even now that mysterious equation found in families: 1 + 1 = 1. One gives to another in love and makes another…. 1 + 1 = 1 and 1 = 3, a family. You’ve got three persons in one family. Sound familiar? The very mystery of Who God Is is stamped right in our bodies as male and female! We are biology and theology!
3. God is a Lover.
This word that marriage speaks about God is that He is above all a Lover. Are we ready for this? Even though it is in fact love we all long for, did we ever think that God was the source of this Love? His is more than a Father’s love, or a Grandfather’s. His is the beginning and end of Love. Look at the saints and mystics….. their prayer became rapture, their hearts were wooed by the Divine. So let’s trade in any false loves, any counterfeits we’ve bought into!
This above is an excerpt from Bill Donaghy, Senior Presenter, Theology of the Body Institute.
When God searches for you, you receive the gift of seeing how God is already with you. When you seek and find God, you discover a truth already present.
Many times God is seeking you when you sense…
- Restlessness within yourself or some unnamed loneliness
- Hunger for deep bonding
- Questions that keep surfacing
- Sudden awareness or clearer vision about life’s meaning
- Unexpected deep contentment or peace
- Desire for greater truth
- Hopefulness that arises inside you
- Yearning for justice
- Overwhelming awareness of God’s mercy
- Bonding with beauty
Many times you are seeking God when you are experiencing…
- Willingness to sit with unnamed stirrings within you
- Growing discipline of reflecting, pondering, and meditating
- Confrontation of fears, anxieties, and concerns
- Deliberate decisions to go deeper
- Owning and claiming your inherent goodness
- Savoring the beauty of creation
- Actively bonding with a community or others who seek God
- Welcoming the goodness in others
Some of these may hit you like a ton of bricks. Some, not so much. Remember that the journey of seeking and finding and being found is a slow process. It takes patience and a strong belief in the power of discovery. It is vital to have companions to share the journey with you.
Adapted from May I Have This Dance, Joyce Rupp. Ave Maria Press 1992
We usually miss this one since it comes right after the riveting events of Pentecost, The Ascension, The Resurrection, and The Passion. It tends to get lost because we return to “Ordinary Time”. There is nothing ordinary about her and her love in our lives. With all that is going on in the world right now, we need her now. First taught by Saint Ambrose in the 4th century, the title of “Mother of the Church” for the Virgin Mary was proclaimed by Blessed Paul VI in 1964, at the conclusion of the Vatican II session. Since that time, a devotional memorial to Mary has appeared on some religious, diocesan, and national calendars.
But to better focus our attention on the maternal care of the Blessed Mother for the Disciples of Christ throughout the ages, Pope Francis declared a memorial for the universal Church. Here’s the thinking: “The water and blood which flowed from the heart of Christ on the Cross as a sign of the totality of his redemptive offering, continue to give life to the Church sacramentally through Baptism and the Eucharist. In this wonderful communion between the Redeemer and the redeemed, which always needs to be nourished, Blessed Mary has her maternal mission to carry out.”
We richly celebrate Mary Mother of the Church in our liturgy. In preparation for the Jubilee Year of 1975, her Votive Mass was approved in 1973 and inserted into the Roman Missal. Saint John Paul II added “Mother of the Church” to the Litany of Loreto in 1980, and during the Marian Year of 1987, a new Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary was issued, including two for the Virgin Mary as “Image and Mother of the Church.” So, on the day after Pentecost, on what can be the “mundane” Monday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time, we can grow and be filled with the love of God in a very special way. We can plant our life firmly on three great realities: the Cross, the Eucharist, and the Mother of God. These are three powerful mysteries that God gave to the world in order to structure, feed, and sanctify our interior life and lead us to Jesus. We need Our Mother, now.
Does the fragrance of your fruit remain after you walk out of the room? This question was posed to me recently to prompt an inventory check of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in / not my life. An atmosphere, a fragrance is created by His fruits…like that of a perfect melon, just-right bananas, or juicy sweet apples at their perfect ripeness. Think of the smell of that unmistakable freshness and earthiness of a roadside farm produce stand teeming with their bounty in wooden baskets.
My fruit inventory check revealed mixed quality content. After some contemplation, it was clear that they are supposed to be The Fruits of the Holy Spirit, not Brian’s fruits. (“When are you going to relinquish control Brian, so I can fully release my Spirit on you?”) I am not a farmer or producer; He is the Farmer and Producer. Many times I try to get the fruits; I try to fabricate them myself. As a result, they come out genetically modified and have very little to no fragrance, bland taste, and zero lasting nutrition. With the descent of the Holy Spirit just occurring at Pentecost and our wonderful stretch into Ordinary Time ahead, it may be a good time to conduct a produce inventory.
We are baptized in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit washes and burns away. Meaning that the warm and fuzzies of joy and peace do come, yes, but also the refining fire. The Refiner’s Fire. Purification so sorely needed for us since we tend to keep at least one foot solidly in the world today. Fire has to burn away that which is not holy to make us free. It can hurt, it can be a place of desolation for a while, but it brings us to a beautiful fruitful place on the other side. This is the stuff of spiritually mature people that I don’t always feel entirely equipped to tackle alone. That’s why I seek and get help and guidance from others. My best thinking alone gets me lost.
I always recognized and try to be grateful for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit:
1. Wisdom.
2. Understanding
3. Counsel (Choose what pleases God)
4. Fortitude
5. Knowledge
6. Piety (Reverence)
7. Fear (Awe)
But for some reason, I think I have to take these God-given gifts and…produce the fruit myself. “I gotta be more patient!” “I really should be kinder.” Really not sure where I got this me-alone idea…how this God-disconnect started. The Holy Spirit leads us into the love of the Holy Trinity…right into that eternal love-fest. To bathe, wash, be refined, to get irrigation, fertilization, sunshine, slow-burn, and cultivation.
The Fruits of the Holy Spirit are:
1. Charity (Love)
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Generosity
8. Faithfulness
9. Gentleness,
10. Modesty
11. Self-Control
12. Chastity.
Here are three suggestions to assist the Fruit Producer in your life:
A) Think specifically where these fruits are present / not present in your life
B) Instead of an examination of conscience at the end of the day, do an examination of fruits (e.g., where could I have been more patient…gentle…)
C) meditate on the beautiful sensory image of the fragrance of the fruit you leave with others.
Knew I would get your attention. Sex, specifically the intimate marital embrace between a man and a woman is an icon of God. John Paul II’s 1982 writings entitled Theology of the Body literally means that our bodies teach us about God. We all have a story. But do we remember that we are part of one of the greatest epic stories of all time? Or do we binge watch in all the wrong places trying to find our story? We need to regularly return to the beginning because we are constantly forgetting the basics…
We are made in the image of God…God who is a Trinity…three persons…an eternal exchange of love. God is never ceasing for all eternity to give and receive love. If we are made in his image, then we too are made to give and receive love. JPII says we are made to constantly remind ourselves who we are…this is called intellect. We are self-determining…this is called free will. As humans we are given bodies to act this out. We can choose to smile or give a dirty look. The language in our bodies either lines up or it doesn’t with the life God gave us. Therefore, your body can teach you about God.
Being made male and female teaches us something about God. Adam and Eve saw each other in the Garden naked and they knew they were not like the animals around them. This is the “being made in His image and likeness” part of our story. They were made to think about who and what they are…to make a gift of their unique selves to each other. Their bodies are a sign that the gift is life-giving. Each of us needs to pause and ask ourselves: What does my body teach me about God? We need to look at our bodies given to us by God and realize they are not random. This is hotly contested in our culture today!
Gentlemen, God structurally made you to go outside yourselves to give love and bring life into the world. Your bodies teach us about the Fatherhood of God: To go out and give love. This is a little window into God’s unceasing love: God the Father pouring Himself out to all creation. God the Son pouring out His very life on the Cross. God the Holy Spirit pouring out life-giving grace into us through every sacrament. Men’s bodies, no matter what age or vocation, are a sign to the whole world, to all men and women, to go outside ourselves, not to be turned inward, but to make a gift of ourselves into the world.
Ladies, God has structurally made your bodies to receive love, to conceive life within you and carry life within you, and bear life into the world. Your bodies give us a tiny window that God feeds us. He nurtures us and is closer to us than the air around us. Just as with men, it does not matter if you are young or old, married, single or celibate, your bodies are a sign to the whole world, to both men and women, that we are made to receive love, to be receptive before God…that He can pour life into us. He can conceive His love and His life into our hearts and we can bring His love and life into the world.
During our stay-at-home time, wonderful Catholic Virtual Conferences were made available to us. The above is a beautiful baseline into the Theology of the Body. I hope to share more as it unfolds!
This weekend we rejoice! We gather once again in community! Jesus ascends to Heaven in Glory to join the Father. They express their giving and receiving love…it’s poured out to each of us continuously and without end through the Holy Spirit!
There’s been so much disruption in our lives caused by the Covid-19 virus. But what about the good stuff? Yes, good stuff. Blessings even in a time of disruption, and sometimes blessings because of disruption. Here’s three examples of blessings that just happen to occur in sevens…
OUR RETURN TO THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS
How can we describe the “great mystery” of the sacraments? This grace “supply-chain” from Heaven. These seven “kisses” from God. Baptism, Penance, Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick. In his book Theology of the Body for Beginners, Christopher West explains it this way: “In the sacraments, spirit and matter kiss. Heaven and earth embrace in a union that will never end.” We yearn for touch and embrace after being in quarantine. The Catholic faith is sensual and sensory through the sacraments: water poured, oil pressed, Body eaten, Blood drank, laying on of hands, confession of the lips, joining in one flesh. We yearn for the “touch” of the sacraments.
THE “MAGNIFICENT SEVEN”
I can’t wait! After a heart-building delay, our RCIA Catechumens and Candidates will receive their Sacraments of Initiation and be welcomed into the Church on Saturday, May 30st at 11:00 am! While this Mass will be limited to the families of the initiated, please welcome our blessed seven when you see them! Maybe a kind note…a card… These are the St. Francis of Assisi 2020 “Mag 7”…
Rachael Urban
Scott Powell
Susan Bliss
Jocellyne Calcutt
Robin Holmes
Jess Simpson
Richard Bragado
SEVEN GOOD THINGS
Finally, here are seven good things that happened to me during stay-at-home: 1) Prayer deepened, 2) Mary Pat and I drew closer (I think), 3) Exercised more; 4) Ate healthily (yes, lost weight!), 5) Grew my hair (brings back memories!), 6) Love deepened for kids and grandkids, 7) “Went to” some beautiful Masses around the country!
I know that I should always have “gratitude in my attitude” for all God’s blessings. And I’ve learned that I can push the reset button by physically writing down my gratitude list to see it in black and white. My list always ends up being longer and more profound on paper than when I do it in my head. But the other day, someone suggested I use gratitude as a weapon. What?
She suggested that I use gratitude as a defensive weapon against the Evil One when he insidiously creeps into my attitude. To stop and deploy the firepower of gratitude to pierce through the dark, downward spiral brought on by [fill in the blank]… Agitation, restlessness, irritability, discontent, resentment, complaining, feeling cheated… When you start walking around like a hammer and everything starts looking like a nail. You know what I’m talkin’ about.
This ties into Lent. It ties into our paring down, stripping away the barnacles in our lives. The attachments. It ties into poverty. Our nothingness. Never forget that all we have comes from Him. Everything. George Aschenbrenner, S.J. puts it this way: “Our stance as Christians in the midst of the world is that of poor persons, possessing nothing, not even ourselves, and yet being gifted as every instant in and through everything. Gradually God will lead us to a deep realization that all is a gift.”
Next time stinkin’ thinkin’ fills your head, the next time you start taking out your lousy attitude on others or are self-absorbed in a dark sulk, pull out your gratitude bazooka and fire away.
We at St. Francis are blessed to have faithful altar servers. Reason? Twofold. They come from good Catholic families and they have been well trained. Kelli and Ken Norstrem and, most recently, Jenny and Mark Hebert have done a tremendous in teaching and guiding our servers to reverently serve at God’s Holy Altar. FYI: Bishop Estevez’s assistant commented to me that our servers “really know their stuff” the last time His Excellency was at SFA in October!
John (“Coach”) Sullivan has recently assumed responsibility for the Altar Server Ministry. John serves at the Altar also, providing Servers valuable “real time” training. He recently told me that the ministry’s focus is to deepen the esprit de corps culture of the Servers by doing three things:
- LEARN and appreciate the beauty of The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
- DEVELOP deeper discipline, reverence, and concentration skills
- HAVE FUN being part of the team with other Servers, Fr. Rafal, and the Deacons.
Three new movements you may have noticed that add reverence to the liturgy are: 1) Servers now come off the altar, leaving the Priest and Deacon alone on the altar, during the Consecration, 2) the Servers assist the Deacon in preparing the altar, 3) the Cross is carried back to lead the Gifts up to the altar for the Offertory. The Altar Server Training Booklet has been updated and is available to anyone. Just let me know if you would like a copy.
The Servers recently viewed the short video The Veil Removed to witness the mystical heavenly space and time of the Mass. Each of their four server quarterly training sessions will emphasize a specific part of the Mass to reveal wonder and beauty, as well as learn technical terms even better. Most importantly, Servers will come to know the sacred theatre of the altar…that their movements, posturing, and demeanor can positively impact your (and their) prayer life.
As training progresses, Servers will be designated by three levels you will note by their cincture color. First Level – White; Intermediate Level – Green; Senior Level – Red. Skill and leadership qualities, not age, will be the determining factors for cincture designation. The Servers are very excited about this. Coach Sullivan’s aim is for you to see school-aged Servers more frequently at all Masses. Please pray for them, that in their closeness to The Word and The Eucharist they will come to know Jesus most intimately…
First of all, an apology to all you faithful abstainers that gave up sweets for Lent for the focal image for this reflection!
Probably the last two words you would think to put together is “Napoleon” and “prayer”. A megalomaniac and a conversation with God. It doesn’t seem to go. But it’s been the vision I have been having of the perfect day lately. A Napoleon is a French pastry that is gently layered delicate flaky crust and sweet rich filling (usually almond) topped with an artistic vanilla-chocolate icing. I know, I’m starting to salivate too. It’s also called a mille-feuille or “thousand leaves” because the flaky crusts can be so numerous. It’s called a Napoleon not for the Bonaparte guy, but for Naples, Italy where the pastry first gained popularity before making its way over to France. That’s the background…treat yourself to a good one when you can! Now for the spiritual angle…
I have been lately asking God to tame my Type A, activity-driven, goal-oriented ways into more Holy Spirit guided ways. I have discovered that it does not matter if you are retired, you take your Type A (or B or C) burdens (and benefits) with you. One thing on retirement before I go on: The word or concept of retirement is nowhere found in the Bible. Nowhere. We do not retire from our faith life. When you seek to know, love, and serve God, I am happy to report, there is no such thing as retirement! Back to pastries…
The Napoleon pastry is an image of prayer layered into daily life for me. A kind of dolce vita, a sweet life. If I stop periodically throughout my day and slow down and thank God, rest in Him, in either formulaic prayer or extemporaneous thanksgiving, my day is a zillion times better and much more peaceful. My go, go, go, get more done inner-self wants to squeeze this sweet filling from my day so that it’s all work and activity. I used to think the monks’ lives seemed dry and boring, but I now know that their Ora et Labora (prayer and work) approach to each day is just a different name for the same sweet pastry of daily living!
I am enjoying our access to FORMED.ORG. Especially some of the short daily videos emailed to me. One recently focused on why the Mass does not change. I know that each part of the Mass has meaning, that all the words have a Scriptural origin and that the Mass is essentially unchanged for 2000 years. Some think that makes it boring. I think it makes it very anchoring in a life that can be stormy at times. A recent FORMED.ORG daily video reminded me of another reason the Mass does not change…
Here’s the magnificent thing that I find about the repetition in the Mass. When you go to Mass, you know it begins with the Entrance Procession, then there’s the Sign of The Cross, then we call to mind our sins. You don’t have to think about what is coming next…you simply engage in the beauty of the ritual or the liturgical action. That’s the point of the repetition in the Mass. Not to make it boring, but to make it regular, comfortable, and predictable. After a busy and stressful week, it’s a relief not to think! It’s a relief to have the words, the postures, and even the silence mapped out for me so that I can close my eyes to be transported to Heaven for a short while.
If on the other hand, I go to Mass and its always different, I’m distracted…I’m constantly asking myself: “What’s coming next? What’s different? How do I respond?” The repetition in the Mass frees me…it helps me to know what to say and what to do. And once you get that in your bones, once it becomes part of your muscle memory, it becomes a beautiful part of you. When I hear the priest say “Let us pray” I all fall into an immediate prayerful, listening state because of my many days (and years!) of being in community with you all and hearing this sacred prompt.
The repetition in the liturgy is actually a good thing that helps all of us pray better. It provides us a safe, predictable, comfortable place and space for our prayer to flourish. Structure is a good thing in ordinary, everyday life…to make it fruitful. It is also important in our prayer life to help us “Lift up our heart” so they truly soar together!
Friends, in today’s Gospel we find Jesus sending out the Twelve on a mission and giving them authority over the unclean spirits.
In the sixties and seventies, it was common, even in seminaries, to dismiss such talk as primitive superstition—or perhaps to modernize it and make it a literary device, using symbolic language evocative of the struggle with evil in the abstract. But that approach just does not do justice to the Bible. The biblical authors knew all about the world of fallen or morally compromised spirits.
Even Geraldine Jones, comedian Flip Wilson’s character who made us laugh so much back in the ‘60s, knew the truth! Imagine a truly wicked person who is also very smart, talented, and enterprising. Now raise that person to a far higher pitch of perfection, and you will have some idea of what a devil is like. Paul tells us so beautifully that we have a God that can relate to our struggles:
We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet never sinned. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and favor and to find help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16
This fact is just incredible to me (but I do believe!) Jesus, through his death and Resurrection, has won the victory over these dark forces. And He has entrusted to his Church the means to apply this victory. These are the sacraments (especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation), the Bible, and personal prayer.
Jesus sent out the Twelve to battle dark spirits. He still empowers his Church to do the same. Don’t be reluctant to use the weapons—and the healing balms—that he has given. I think Geraldine knew all this.
Here’s a WONDERFUL Lenten book study made for BUSY PEOPLE.
Women and men on the go, charging hard with a demanding work schedule, juggling travel and family life. The book is excellent: Henri Nouen’s Return of the Prodigal Son. The discussion facilitators are the amazing trio Sr. Miriam James, Heather Kym, and Michelle Benzinger of Abiding Together. Read a chapter on your own time. Listen to a 35-minute weekly podcast on your own time. That’s it. If you’ve never had time for Lenten missions in the past or it is difficult to make to church during the week for anything, this is for you!
Husbands and wives, do this if you can…on your own separate times if your busy schedules make it easier that way. Whether you are spouses, single, younger or older, man or woman, you may find yourselves having rich, impromptu discussions with each other. It could turn into kind of an unscheduled, impromptu (dare I say…organic) running discussion at church and home.
There will be discussion questions posted after each weekly podcast if you really want to get into it. If your schedule permits, you may wish to gather your ministry buds and listen to the podcasts together with a cup of coffee or an adult beverage…unless…you gave it up for Lent .
The book is $11.99 and if you order through Abiding Together’s Amazon link, it helps their ministry. Go to www.abidingtogether.com ahead of Lent and listen to one of the archived podcasts. You will not be disappointed!
You can do this.
Prayer can be divided into two broad categories: Vocal prayer and mental prayer. Vocal prayer includes prayers written for recitation. We are blessed that we have this ready library / arsenal to access at any time. Mental prayer is prayer in one’s own words. These prayers spring from our spending quiet time pondering scripture, particularly Gospel scenes, and letting the Holy Spirit run free in our thoughts and souls. I always believed vocal prayers were mandatory and mental prayers were optional…not so after reading the following passage by Fr. Jacques Philippe in his book Time for God:
“There is no spiritual progress without mental prayer. Even though we may have had a powerful conversion experience, felt great fervor, and received great graces, without fidelity to mental prayer our Christian life will soon reach a plateau and stall there. This is because without mental prayer we cannot receive all the help from God that we need to be transformed and sanctified in depth.
Now, some people might object that sanctifying grace also – indeed, mainly – comes to us through the sacraments. Mass is in itself more important than mental prayer. This is true, but without a life of prayer even the sacraments will have limited effect. Yes, they will give grace, but that grace will remain unfruitful in part because the ‘good soil’ it needs is missing. Why, for instance, are so many people who receive Communion frequently not more holy? The reason often is that they do not have a life of prayer.
The Blessed Eucharist does not bring all the fruits of inner healing and sanctification that it should, because it is not being received in an attitude of faith, love, adoration, and total receptivity – an attitude that can only be created by fidelity to mental prayer. The same is true of the other sacraments.”
Don’t know how to start mental prayer? Start with silence. Real silence. Maybe in our chapel when it’s not busy. Spend 15 minutes in quiet. Listen. God will give you your next instruction.
I’m trying something new this year: Having a “word of the year”. It’s an idea that Heather, Michelle, and Sister Miriam gave me during my weekly listen to their podcast. (You don’t know about their podcast? Listen at abidingtogetherpodcast.com. Three wonderful women sharing their journeys with Jesus with you. And here’s a biggie: Men are now tuning in to it now big time.)
You don’t pick a word to focus on for the year. God picks it for you. We think we know our own word, but we sometimes get too wrapped up on fixing ourselves…thinking we know what’s right for us that, we can miss the right word. Like me, I thought “patience” should be my word of the year. After all, I can use a lot more of it. But after getting silent for a while, and asking “Lord, what one word do you most desire I focus on during this year 2020?” He told me: “Precious”. Precious. It kind of surprised me at first. I thought it might be too dainty or something. But I think it’s His way to help me become more patient. What’s precious? Everything. Every person. Every task. Every thought. Every moment. Scripture tells us that each of us is precious in God’s eyes. That’s what my first thought was. Now, writing this reflection is…precious. Going to the Publix (ok, or the Harris Teeter) is…precious. Participating in The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is…precious. Anonymously helping another is…precious. If you don’t always think these things are precious…the simple things…just have them taken away. Maybe Joni Mitchell was right: “Oh, it always seems to go that you don’t know what you got till it’s gone…”
I have to report that this simple exercise of having a word of the year has been much more impactful so far than I thought it would be. It’s important that your word be written down and placed in a visible place that you can see it at least once a day: On and index card or a stickie put on your bureau, fridge, or car dashboard. Mine’s on a post-it on the corner of my laptop screen. I may move it around the house during the year so I can keep it’s viewing fresh. Ask God what word of the year you should have in 2020. I would love to know!
If you haven’t already, get your free copy of Matthew Kelly’s Rediscover the Saints that was distributed at the Christmas Masses to all St. Francis parishioners and visitors!
The biggest mistake we can make when it comes to the saints is to think of them as different. Our desire to put them up on pedestals and venerate them is driven by positive and negative motives. On one hand, we want to celebrate their goodness; on the other hand, we want to set them apart as different…that absolves us of our responsibility to live as boldly and passionately as they did. But the brilliant and beautiful truth is you are just as capable of collaborating with God as the saints were.
Another mistake we can make is to lose ourselves in our quest to imitate the saints. The world doesn’t need another Francis of Assisi or Ignatius of Loyola or Therese of Lisieux. The world needs you. You, fully alive and collaborating with God every day. The saints are great teachers, primarily because they teach with their actions as much as with their words. Their lives raise questions about our lives. When we ponder those questions, amazing possibilities unfold within and around us. Possibilities like healing, repentance, transformation, true humility, making a difference. Like becoming the person God most deeply desires me to be.
The saints are always there, swirling around us. They intersect our lives at unexpected times in unexpected ways. They always come bearing a question or an answer, sometimes both. The saints teach us, encourage us, challenge us, inspire us. The saints show us what is possible…and what is possible is amazing. You are capable of incredible things. Don’t be afraid to embrace the beauty God has given you. Do not be afraid of the possibilities. Look deeper. Seek out the unseen opportunities that you may have overlooked before.
There will be fabulous joy in the journey, as well as heart-wrenching pain. Anyone who offers you an easy path is to be mistrusted. Allow God to rise up a saint in you. This is what our corner of the world needs right now!
From Rediscover the Saints, Matthew Kelly 2019
Another year starts. We are full of expectations of renewal. New beginning. Pursue new job. Learn new skill. New craft. New ministry. New home. Vacation planning. Retirement coming …finally! But sometimes we can fall short of our dreams…and that’s ok, sometimes. As long as we did what we could do to make them come true. St. Ignatius of Loyola urged his brothers “to work like everything depends on you, then pray like everything depends on God”.
The beginning of the year is an ideal time to step back, take an inventory, assess, and tune up our personal lives so that we can become the person God desires us to be. Men, I invite you to join me and other men of our parish for a morning of effective diagnostic tools to help you focus your career, your faith life, and your home life. After assessment, we will zero in on desired directions to take. We will end with prayer, mediation, and Mass. Bring your appetites: The day will start with a savory breakfast of sausage-egg-cheese biscuits and hot coffee and end with a St. Francis Yulee fave: Chili Two Ways (spicy con carne and white bean chicken)!
Don’t miss this great morning of fellowship, discovery, and prayer!
MENS 2020 TUNE-UP
Saturday, January 11, 2020
7:30am Breakfast and coffee
8:00am Talks begin
11:30am Break / Confession available
12:00pm Holy Mass
12:30pm Lunch and fellowship
$10 Suggested offering at the door
Email deaconbrian@stfrancisyulee.org to reserve your spot!
