Archive for July, 2008

St. Ignatius of Loyola

theophilus July 31st, 2008

I think many of us wonder whether we’ve just blown it.  Whether God has just given up on us and declared us a lost cause.  Yes, he may grant us mercy and redemption, but he has nevertheless decided that we have screwed up his plan for us so badly that he has us just playing out the string.

And then we read about St. Ignatius.  He was a soldier and a man worthy of his secular world.  He knew not Christ nor the God that protected him in battle.  His sole faith was in his sword and his only love was for the pleasures offered him throughout his world.

And then he was severely wounded and Christ started to act.  By the end of his long and lengthy rehabilitation, St. Ignatius was transformed into a zealous soldier of the Lord.  His battle transformed to one for souls; his passion switched to one for eternal life.

It is the conversion stories of the saints that most strike me.  Most saints appear to be the type who were pious from the womb; those whose destiny was sainthood.  And then there are those like St. Paul, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Augustine, and St. Ignatius, who got to sainthood through a passage through the secular world and all of the temptations it has to offer.

They came late to piety, holiness and sanctification; but they got there nonetheless.  Christ took his good sweet time with these souls, but he got them in the end.

And that is what gives hope to all of us.  No matter where we find ourselves in our lives; no matter what choices we have made; no matter how desperate our situation may be, Christ is calling each of us – and I do mean each of us – to sainthood. 

Each and every one of our saints share common qualities – trust, faith, hope, love, service, joy, contrition, and an overwhelming and all-consuming belief that they were doing God’s will; that they were helping build Christ’s kingdom in this temporal world.  They believed that they were following Christ’s path for them without reservation, without deviation.  They knew they were sinners but they also knew that they could accomplish anything as long as it was rooted in the will of God.

St. Ignatius slowly but definitively grew to understand all that it took to become a saint; and he put everything he had into doing God’s will.  As a result, millions throughout the world have been taught, converted, exhorted to change in the name of Christ, by the Jesuits, his children.

I came across this passage from Francis Fernandez last night that I think puts a great summation on St. Ignatius’ legacy for each of us -

“The greatest event of our life is our receiving the calling from our Lord, just as it was for those he called on the shores of the lake.  Yet to follow Christ wholeheartedly is never easy.  The person who enjoys a more or less steady job, who thinks that the pattern of his life is ’set’, should recognize the danger lurking in this false tranquillity, which may even be considered one’s rightful due.  Christ asks us to break with routine, to cast aside the mediocre, to go beyond a life of compromise.  With the divine vocation Christ challenges us to undergo a profound change in our daily conduct.  God asks for everything, including whatever we may have been reserving for ourselves.  He gives us light to see our failing, which we may have up till now looked upon as beyond reforming, but which turn out to be the price for securing the pearl of great value.  It is Christ himself who seeks us out, saying, You did not choose me, but I chose you.  And when Christ calls, He gives at the same time the graces we will need to follow him, from the beginning of the way and throughout the rest of our life.”

From the above passage, the line I love the most is – “He gives us light to see our failing, which we may have up till now looked upon as beyond reforming, but which turn out to be the price for securing the pearl of great value.”

St. Ignatius at some point had to see the light of his “failing” and he may have thought himself “beyond reforming,” but in the end, he found it was all ”the price for securing the pearl of great value.”

Let us look for our pearl, and let us rely on Christ to help us find it, regardless of our failings and where we are at in our lives. 

St. Martha

theophilus July 29th, 2008

Today is the feast day of St. Martha.  To me, she is always one of the most confusing stories of the Bible.

Here she is working her butt off and Mary is getting all of the attention.  I’d be a little upset too.  How many times have I been the one working my butt off and yet someone else gets the credit, attention or accolades?  It’s just not fair. 

And, then I remember that little problem of mine - I just can’t sit still.  The reason I work so hard is because I can’t sit still.

My prayer life suffers as a result.  I’ve tried mental prayer, only to lose focus when I notice one of the kids’ toys on the floor.  I have to close my eyes when I pray the Rosary because something else always claims my focus.  The only place I can truly focus on Christ is in Church and I don’t know if that’s because of the design of the church drawing my attention to the Crucifix and tabernacle, or if it’s Christ drawing my attention to him.  In any case, I’m not the most contemplative of guys.

That’s why I like St. Martha.  She reminds me that sometimes I just need to stop working and fidgeting around.  I need to focus on Christ and have a real conversation with him, listening to him, understanding him.  I have to realize that I can’t sanctify my work unless I allow Christ to reach me; and he cannot do so unless I slow down, stop what I’m doing, and listen in on the silence of my soul.

And maybe someday, I’ll stop noticing that red crayon grounded into the carpet when I’m trying to pray.

James’ Baby Girl

theophilus July 28th, 2008

Through Catholic Dads, I’ve been following the heartbreaking twists and turns of Catherine Hahn.  She is James Hahn’s (blog: Real Life Rosary) baby girl and her GI system just can’t seem to get on track.  She’s been in the hospital for an eternity (since birth) and has become one of those cases in which doctors will learn much.

In following this story, I’ve had to keep reminding myself that Catherine is not only James’ daughter, she is God’s; and He must have an incredible plan for this little girl of his.  I don’t know what this plan might be, but I do know that I want her strength, perserverance and heroism watching my back.

Catherine’s story is a great story of love, devotion, hope and faith.  Here’s the link to the latest update.  Make sure you check it out, and then check back again and again, and through it all – pray, pray, pray.  God has not only sent Catherine into the Hahn Family’s life, He has sent her into our lives’ as well.

And let us also remember that she is the Virgin Mother’s little girl.  Let us fathers everywhere offer Catherine’s and our own children’s protection to the patronage of our Queen in Heaven.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided.  Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto you, O virgin of virgins, my Mother.  To you do I come, before you do I stand, sinful and sorrowful.  O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me.  Amen.

Saving a Child

theophilus July 26th, 2008

I usually leave the political talk to other blogs, but I heard about this story and it struck a chord in me. 

As many of you know, I was placed for adoption when I was born.  I had serious birth defects that I still live with to this day, including a cleft lip.  I went through several foster homes and orphanages before finally being blessed with a family.  I subsequently went through the many surgeries I needed to repair my face.  And because of the heroism of my Mom & Dad, I received the love, care and guidance I needed to succeed in all facets of my life.  My Mom & Dad saved my life.

So, when I finished reading the story about Senator John McCain’s daughter, Bridget, and how he and his wife not only saved this child but also saved another child, I couldn’t help but recognize two absolutely remarkable souls.  I recognized these souls because they exemplify a soul seen time and again, even if our culture doesn’t celebrate these heroes.  I recognized this soul because I have been the beneficiary of this soul since I was adopted. 

Again, I’ll leave the political blogging to others, but this story is one that needs to be told again and again.  It is just a damning indictment on our society that this story hasn’t been broadcasted from coast to coast in front-page new-stories, made-for-TV movies, and bestselling books.   This story has the potential to lift each of us up and require of us heroic action of our own; no matter our political leanings, no matter our background, no matter our current life-situation.

Regardless of your political leanings, you cannot dismiss the heroism of this story, and what it tells us about this man who wants to lead us.

h/t: The Anchoress and many others.

Baseball Disappointment

theophilus July 25th, 2008

I’m just profoundly disappointed tonight.  I went to the Reds/Rockies game tonight and the Reds were never in it.  And I just couldn’t allow myself to have a good time, even though I was with my family.

Growing up, I had a love affair with baseball.  As a matter of fact, I still do.  I followed the Cincinnati Reds; the Big Red Machine to be exact.  Winning was part of my birthright being born and raised in Cincinnati.

I listened to the radio under the covers when I was supposed to be sleeping.  I followed every pitch of every game.  I went to games all of the time; keeping score; remembering to bring my glove because a ball was certain to come my way, this time.

I knew the lineups and the stats by heart.  I cheered in ‘75 and ‘76.  Went to every Opening Day.  Watched playoff games instead of doing homework. 

I remembered where I was when I learned Sparky Anderson was fired, Pete Rose signed with the Phillies, and Joe Morgan was off to California; leaving a hollow shell of the Big Red Machine.

I followed the team through the awful early ’80s, going to a game on every homestand, if not a series, and somtimes going to entire homestands. 

I went to the game against the Cubs when Pete Rose returned as player/manager and hit a double with his trademark slide.  I celebrated the 1990 World Series.  I had my hopes dashed in ‘94 and ‘95; two great teams, one shut down by the strike and the other shut down by the Braves Hall of Fame starting rotation.  1999 was a year forever etched in my memory.  A great, young, gutsy team that won 96 games but didn’t make the playoffs, losing to the Mets in a one-game playoff for the wildcard.  The last game of the season, the Reds were in Milwaukee suffering through (and winning) a miserable rain-delayed slogfest while the Mets were comfortably watching that game from their Cincinnati hotel rooms getting ready for the playoff game the next day.  The Reds got back in town at 4:00 in the morning and never had a chance.

And I’ve watched as the Reds have been painfully miserable through this century.  Painfully, because they have just played bad, fundamental-less baseball; making mistakes that no other team seems to make.  A new stadium, different managers, different players; it doesn’t seem to matter.

I can accept  futility; it’s part of baseball.  You pick your team as a child and you follow them through thick and thin.  It’s part of being an American male.

But what I cannot accept is that the game just isn’t any fun anymore.  It’s too expensive and the Reds are so fundamentally lousy that I don’t enjoy them anymore.

And that is what has me so disappointed tonight.  Tonight, we had tickets from my father-in-law; great seats behind the dugout.  It was our first game of the year.  My preschool son woke up this morning and immediately put on his Reds gear.  My little girl looked adorable in her Reds outfit.  They were excited beyond belief; the excitement that I remember all too well. 

As a family, we go to about four or five games a year; but we’re trying to be more budget conscious nowadays and a Reds game just doesn’t provide us enough value for our entertainment dollar.  The games are just too expensive and the product is just too unpredicatably bad.  So, we only go when the tickets are free.

We tried to make the game fun, but when the game is so bad and everthing else is so expensive, how do you show your kids a good time.

I want my son to have the same type of memories that I had growing up when it comes to baseball; it’s part of the American tradition.  But it’s hard to get him excited when my enthusiasm is so tepid.

Maybe in a couple of years, I’ll be able to take him down and we’ll get the cheap seats and just talk baseball.  Maybe, I’ll be able to reignite my own love for this game and my team, which played so much a part of my childhood.

Maybe, I’ll just learn to set my own expectations aside and just enjoy being with my son and my family at the ballpark, regardless of the product on the field.

But sometimes, “maybe” is just a little further off in the horizon than it should be.

Deaf/Blind v. Hearing/Sight

theophilus July 24th, 2008

I am a history buff; even have a degree in it.  One of my interests is comparing previous generations to ours; what were their times like, what choices did they make, where did they go wrong or right?

In reading today’s gospel (Matthew 13), I’m reminded that every generation has those who reflect both sides of the following passage -

“. . . knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:

You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted
and I heal them.

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

Our generation is like every other that has come before – those who see and believe, and those who refuse to open their eyes to the truths around them.

The question in our times is which side will prevail with our generation?  And what will be the consequences if we are blind and deaf to Christ and his plan for us?

Proud of My Wife

theophilus July 23rd, 2008

I tend to see my wife through the eyes of her husband, the mother of his children, the daughter of my in-laws.  Last night, I had the pleasure and the privilege to see her through the eyes of others.

I serve on the Board of a nonprofit agency that holds an annual fundraising event.  This year, we’ve had difficulty in trying to get someone to step forward to take the chair of the event.  Knowing that my wife has planned several nonprofit events, I casually asked her if she would take this one on.  Fully expecting her to decline, I was pleasantly surprised when she  accepted.

That was a couple of weeks ago.  Since then, I’ve listened to her suggestions, her plans, and her already mounting frustrations that are inherent in taking on such tasks.

Last night, she had her first meeting for the board committee charged with putting on the event.  I half-expected my wife to be eaten alive.  I made the mistake of believing that my wife wasn’t up to the task of dealing with the strong personalities on this committee.  After all, I’m the one who serves on boards and chairs committees.  I’m the professional.  And from a professional point of view, I see my wife as simply a stay-at-home mom who can’t possibly deal effectively with business people like those on this particular committee.

So, we walked into the meeting.  I made sure to sit near the end of the table, far away from her, as if I was just another committee member.  In my own mind, I was there to support her and read the group, without it appearing that I was holding her hand. 

As my wife sat at the head of the table, I realized my perceptions were way off base as she immediately took charge of the meeting.  She performed beautifully and managed the meeting perfectly.  She worked through dissent and facilitated compromise.  She answered questions and deftly proposed ideas.  She kept the meeting on task.  She established and maintained her credibility.  She got people excited and engaged.

I was impressed and proud of her.  She not only exceeded my expectations as a husband, she exploded past my expectations as a board member.

My wife is her own person.  Sometimes I forget that.  She has her own dreams, her own talents, her own passions.  As a stay-at-home mom, she doesn’t always get to explore them.  That is the sacrifice she makes for our kids and for me in my career.  I know she is brilliant; it’s one of the reasons why I’m so attracted to her and intrigued by her.  What I forgot is that she can hold her own and floor anyone with her brilliance. 

She reminded me that God has his plan for this daughter of his.  She is growing and developing her talents so she can better serve Christ.  He has instilled so much in this woman.  I’m just lucky that he has willed me to be her partner through life and to be the father of her children.

I am one lucky and blessed man.

I just hope that she feels the same way after the event!

The Holy Father at WYD2008 Sydney

theophilus July 22nd, 2008

The following are excerpts from the Holy Father’s homily at the closing Mass for WYD 2008.  These thoughts are meant for all of us – not just the youth present Down Under.

“God’s love can only unleash its power when it is allowed to change us from within. We have to let it break through the hard crust of our indifference, our spiritual weariness, our blind conformity to the spirit of this age. Only then can we let it ignite our imagination and shape our deepest desires. That is why prayer is so important: daily prayer, private prayer in the quiet of our hearts and before the Blessed Sacrament, and liturgical prayer in the heart of the Church.”

“What will you leave to the next generation? Are you building your lives on firm foundations, building something that will endure? Are you living your lives in a way that opens up space for the Spirit in the midst of a world that wants to forget God, or even rejects Him in the name of a falsely-conceived freedom? How are you using the gifts you have been given, the ‘power’ which the Holy Spirit is even now prepared to release within you?”

“Empowered by the Spirit, and drawing upon faith’s rich vision, a new generation of Christians is being called to help build a world in which God’s gift of life is welcomed, respected and cherished – not rejected, feared as a threat and destroyed. A new age in which love is not greedy or self-seeking, but pure, faithful and genuinely free, open to others, respectful of their dignity, seeking their good, radiating joy and beauty. A new age in which hope liberates us from the shallowness, apathy and self-absorption which deaden our souls and poison our relationships. . . . the Lord is asking you to be prophets of this new age, messengers of His love, drawing people to the Father and building a future of hope for all humanity.

“The world needs this renewal! In so many of our societies, side by side with material prosperity, a spiritual desert is spreading: an interior emptiness, an unnamed fear, a quiet sense of despair. How many of our contemporaries have built broken and empty cisterns in a desperate search for meaning, the ultimate meaning that only love can give?”

“The Church also needs this renewal!  She needs your faith, your idealism and your generosity, so that she can always be young in the Spirit!” (Source: Vatican Information Service)

We are all “prophets of this new age.”  We are “messengers of His love, drawing people to the Father and building a future of hope for all humanity.”  We are the spigot providing water for that “spiritual desert” which has spread to too much of our world.  And through us, the Spirit continues to work to fill in the emptiness, calm the fears, elate the despair, and provide the meaning hungered for by so many in today’s world. 

Prophets of This New Age!  I like that!

WYD Sydney 2008 – WOW!

theophilus July 21st, 2008

1,000 . . . 200,000 . . . 400,000!

That’s 1,000 priests hearing confession at World Youth Day!

That’s 200,000 youth joining the Holy Father in silent, holy (and around the clock) Adoration of the Eucharist!

That’s 400,000 young pilgrims participating in Mass with the Holy Father (the largest crowd in Austrailian history)!

It’s a great day to be Catholic!

Now, how about those parishes who give only an hour a week for reconciliation (and on Saturday afternoon at that)?  How about those who give one, two or three hours a week (or a month) for Adoration?  How about those of our fellow Catholics who can’t get out of bed on Sunday morning on a consistent basis?

The Holy Spirit was everywhere to be found in Sydney this past week.  May this fervor spread to the rest of the faithful. 

The children have shown us the way to Christ.  This is the moment to follow with a renewed spring in our step.

It’s time to get our butts to Confession, Adoration and Mass.  It’s time to put in the time and effort to show Christ we are with him.

The Crops v. the Weeds

theophilus July 20th, 2008

I have found myself growing more and more anxious about events in the world.  It seems we are under seige from a variety of fronts – cultural, economic, domestic, international.

So, I’ve been praying for a sense of security, a hint of optimism.  And God sent such a thought to me the other day as I was contemplating the half-million teenagers and young adults at World Youth Day in Australia.

Our optimism and our security needs to come from knowing that God is going to win when all is said and done.  Things may get down right ugly but God is in a no-lose position.

The question for us is: which team are we going to be on?

Today’s gospel (Matthew 13) presents a perfect parable to answer this question.

The parable is about weeds being sown amidst a crop by the enemies of the farmer in the story.  In the end, the weeds are harvested with the crop; the crop stays fruitful and the weeds are burned.

If you are reading this blog, you are probably endeavoring to be one of the crops.  And you are probably faced with weeds in your life in those people who are trying to pull you away (either deliberately or not) from God’s will for you.  They are the naysayers, relativists, and no-gooders who influence our lives.  And there are also those who mean us outright harm.

So, if we are endeavoring to be the crops (i.e. be on God’s team), what are we doing to stay on this team?  What are we doing to pull other people onto this, the winning team?  Are we living our lives and presenting a good example so others want to wear our team colors?

In the end, it’s up to each of us to want to be on this team; to decide to be on this team.  And then to follow-through with our actions.  The youth of the world who have been Australia over the past week get this simple truth.  It’s up to us to follow their lead. 

Crops or weeds?  It’s up to us, each and every day.  And it helps us knowing that only one team can win in the end, and that is God’s team.

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