Papal Conclave Day 1

I never it my wildest dreams would ever have imagined that I would one day be a priest called to study in Rome, to be present during a Papal resignation, the first in 600 years, and to be awaiting the election of his successor with the Papal Conclave! Believe it or not, here it is! I have been blessed in so many ways. One thing I learned a while back is that when you put your faith in the Lord and follow Him, you will be taken on a wild ride. That ride, as many of you know, has its highs and lows. Right now in March of 2013, I am on one of those highs. The world has turned its attention to Rome and is tuned into the Papal Conclave. Day 1 produced only black smoke and thus there is no new pope. We all pray and wait. Let us stay tuned.

Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus

Thank you Pope Benedict XVI for your leadership and wisdom over the last eight years! Your words will endure for years to come. You said yes to the Lord to serve as Pope at the age of 78. You have served the Lord your entire life and will continue to do so until you are called home. Well done, good and faithful servant!

Commandments of the Lord

"Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing."  -Luke 5:3-6

Each of us is on a journey. The Gospel reading above shows us that Christ desires to be part of that journey. We all need good teachers to help us maneuver through the waters of life. Everyone knows those waters can be very calm at one moment and the very next can toss you about filling you with fear that you might just go overboard. Not one person figures life out overnight nor maneuvers through life unscathed. However, what the Gospel says to us is that Christ who is our teacher and savior calls out to us along the journey. Christ's desire to be one with us in the boat and to lead us to the eternal dwelling place. Christ's call and desire never waver despite where we may be along the journey. The question is do we choose to listen or even desire to be reached?

For us to reach our eternal destination and to experience meaning along the way we must be willing to listen and do as we are commanded. The commandments that our God gives to us and the commands Christ call us to live are not meant to be overbearing and unreachable, rather, the commandments are meant to free us, deliver us and help us to experience abundant blessings in our lives.

The temptation for most is to desire to do it "my way". We stop being students and only see commandments as rules that are an imposition upon our personal freedoms and independence. At times our stubbornness causes us to get lost, which then makes it more difficult to find our way back.

Peter in the Gospel above tells the Lord that he and the others have worked hard doing it their way with little results. After expressing frustration, Peter finally responds to Christ's command. It was only then that Peter in giving over to obedience at the command of Christ lowers his nets. And when he had done this he immedidately caught a great number of fish.

Christ wants to be part of the journey and will call out to us to hear his commands. Commands that are not meant to burden but to truly free and nourish us abundantly. We must not sail away from the Lord nor close ourselves off from his commands. We must have faith and trust that the Lord has a plan for each of us. A plan that undoubtedly will have its share of waves nevertheless a journey full of blessings and meaning. He will be part of the journey at every moment. In the calming everyday moments of our lives as well as the stormy uncertain ones. Whether in the calm or the storm, we must be willing to listen to the commands of the Lord by casting out our pride and lowering our nets of humility into the deep where Christ has abundant blessings awaiting both you and me!

Draw near to God

In the midst of the senseless violence and the loss of innocent life in Newtown, Connecticut, may we remember the words of St. John of the Cross who we remember this day:

"In tribulation immediately draw near to God with confidence, and you will receive strength, enlightenment, and instruction.”

The nation mourns, but before we want answers or choose to get angry let us first draw near to God.

There is no new gun law, no death penalty verdict, or deep desire to get even that will erase this behavior in our world. It is turning to God, who through His Son our Lord Jesus Christ, commands us to love.

People don't just grow into killers one day, it is the absence of genuine love in their life, which we as humans need.

Be an example of love not hate this day and everyday!

WOW

A Christian knows when it is time to speak of God and when it is better to say nothing and to let love alone speak. He knows that God is love and that God's presence is felt 
at the very time when the only thing we do is to love. --- Pope Benedict XVI

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Wow! Many people today are saying those words after the ending of an intense election in the States. Those “wows” don’t just come from one side but all sides for many different reasons. There are those who are joyful, some others painfully disappointed and still others unsure and questioning, “Is this what we have become?”

As many of you who know me, I am a quiet and observant. Not quick to judge or to make my voice heard. I like to pause, reflect, and then speak. Always praying and hoping my words may not be just my own, but that of the Gospel, which I strive to live. I know I do not always perfect the Gospel in my own life, but I only pray that I never grow weary of striving towards its fulfillment each day.

As I have watched and listened over the many months, both up close and from afar, I could not help but to think, “Is this what we have become?” From the bickering and complaining, to hurtful and ungodly Facebook postings, to the media who no longer seek the facts nor the truth but their own version of it, “Is this what we have become?”

On a personal note, something more disappointing then the decisiveness in the country is the division within the Church. Catholics arguing amongst Catholics, blame, judgment, and finger pointing towards one another, not to mention the very little time taken to neither listen nor learn.

I truly believe this is where the problem lies. We have stopped listening and learning. We tend to think we have our truth and if we shout it the loudest everyone else will have to accept it as the truth.

This past Sunday, I was reminded by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark of the words first spoken to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6:4-6. It reads, Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I command you today. These same words Jesus reiterates in Mark 12:29-31, with an additional command: the second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. For Jesus, these two commands sums up the totality and basis of the Law.

Something worth noting is said before the commands are given, it reads, “HEAR, O ISRAEL.” To first hear, we must stop to listen. Not to argue, nor assume, not give our personal opinion, nor put forth our own commands, but first to hear!

I am in all in favor of civil discourse and even disagreement, but something I cannot favor is never taking time to listen and learn. And yet before we even can position ourselves to listen to one another, we must first listen to God. God lays forth the commands. God gives us the ways for moral living. Humans don’t make them up, society cannot pick and choose which ones we would like to live by and others we feel like casting aside. My professor a few days ago told his students, “for justice to work we need moral absolutes which are the backbone for every civil code and society.” I recently read an article that said,

“Many of the people in the world around us embrace divergent worldviews, and many of their views contradict the Christian perspective. As a result, it’s often difficult to get people to even consider the Christian version of moral accountability. In fact, many resist the notion that there is an absolute moral code that comes from a source higher than themselves. When considering the existence of moral truths, the questions are simple: “Does morality come from people or does morality come from God?” “Does our society shape our moral beliefs, or are they handed down to us from God?” If we, as people, are the source of moral truth then we can simply follow our own path. But if morality comes from a source greater than ourselves, we have an obligation to that source and we ought to at least make an effort to identify the source of all moral truth... Transcendent moral truths have great value in that they provide protection from irresponsible behaviors that ultimately hurt each of us (individually) and hurt our relationship with God. It’s been said that “good fences make good neighbors” because fences allow each neighbor to know his or her boundaries. In a similar way, “good fences (moral codes) make good people” because they delineate the moral boundaries that ultimately protect us from doing wrong. It’s not enough for us to embrace and accept a particular moral code. We first need to think clearly about the SOURCE of that moral code. If the source is transcendent and unchanging, we will come to recognize that moral truths are not trivial and transient; they are as fixed unchanging as their source. If this is true, then we are less likely to exchange them whenever we please to meet our human desires.”

Every person, family, community or society has a system of rules that governs its living. For a person to deny this would be foolish. But what governs your system of rules? Where do you learn your values, principles, rights, and wrongs? Are they universal or particular? Do they change with the latest poll or popular opinion? Should it be left to an individual or group to determine today what is wrong and tomorrow what is right? Or should it be left to a SOURCE that is transcendent and unchanging? A SOURCE, which is not looking to change with the latest polls nor is interested in the popular vote. A SOURCE, which creates order out of disorder and brings redemption from suffering. A SOURCE that perhaps we should all take a little more time to spend with, listen to and learn from!

Only from God does true revolution come... the definitive way to change the world. 

- Pope Benedict XVI

Be Challenged

Nothing is equal to prayer; for what is impossible it makes possible, what is difficult, easy. . . .  For it is impossible, utterly impossible, for the man who prays eagerly and invokes God ceaselessly ever to sin. -St. John Chrysostom

This past week thanks to the Scriptures and our house superior here in Rome, Msgr. Kelly, I was confronted with two questions that challenged me to reflect deeper. These two challenges can impact the life of any believer, thus, I wish to share them with all of you. The first challenge: Do I put God above ALL things in my life? The second challenge: What keeps me from putting God above ALL things and do I have the courage to CUT IT OUT of my life?

Wow, talk about challenging questions. At first, my immediate response to the two questions is 100% yes! I would desperately like to believe that God is above all else in my life and that I have the courage to cut out anything that comes between God and me. However, in all honesty and upon further reflection, I have to admit unfortunately, the answer is no, not always. Those two questions confront me to more concretely ask myself, "What else do I put before God?" and "Why is it so hard to cut it out of my life?"

Each of us in our journey of faith need to be confronted with tough questions so as to not remain stagnate nor too lax. We are confronted day in and day out with distractions that keep us from putting God above all things. Some of those distractions are not necessarily evil or wrong, nevertheless, they can remain an obstacle that does not enhance our relationship with God.

Oh, how I wish it was so easy as the Gospel calls us to cut it off or to pluck it out of our lives. But then again if it were easy to do so, perhaps it isn't as much as an obstacle as we may believe. Yet, if it is difficult, will I have the courage and the trust to remove it from my life? Is it worth losing our eternal reward as the Gospel reminds us, it is better to enter into life crippled than to be thrown into Gehenna (Mk 9:47-48). Is anything in this life worth losing our eternal inheritance? I would imagine we would all say no, yet, many times we continue not to put God above all things! We continue to allow the distractions of this world to come between God and us.

So, what are we to do? Do we throw are hands in the air and give up? Do we really believe it just isn't possible? The answer to these questions is not easy, but there is really only one answer, PRAYER. Prayer has to be much more than petition. We cannot just simply allow prayer to be a list of needs that we have for God! Sure God tells us to ask for what we need, but it cannot be reduced to that alone. Prayer is about relationship and communication with our God. Prayer is about reminding ourselves who is God and who we are before God's presence. Prayer helps us to connect and thus be able to trust that God's grace will give us the strength to live for God alone. Living for God alone doesn't isolate us, rather, it enhances our gifts and enables us to greater respond to our call from God. Prayer reminds us it will all be okay and that when we put God first, rather than our desires or emotions, we will encounter greater joy, purpose, and meaning for our lives.

It may come as I surprise to some but I too don't always "feel" like praying. But I am sure a mom doesn't always "feel" like waking up at 3am for a crying baby nor a father always "feel" like working 12 hour days to provide for his family. Yet, the mother and father do and we must because love isn't only about "feelings" it is much about sacrifice. And it is in sacrifice that one can in unexpected ways encounter joy, purpose and meaning in their life.

Catechism of the Church

2726 In the battle of prayer, we must face in ourselves and around us erroneous notions of prayer. Some people view prayer as a simple psychological activity, others as an effort of concentration to reach a mental void. Still others reduce prayer to ritual words and postures. Many Christians unconsciously regard prayer as an occupation that is incompatible with all the other things they have to do: they "don't have the time." Those who seek God by prayer are quickly discouraged because they do not know that prayer comes also from the Holy Spirit and not from themselves alone.

2727 We must also face the fact that certain attitudes deriving from the mentality of "this present world" can penetrate our lives if we are not vigilant. For example, some would have it that only that is true which can be verified by reason and science; yet prayer is a mystery that overflows both our conscious and unconscious lives. Others overly prize production and profit; thus prayer, being unproductive, is useless. Still others exalt sensuality and comfort as the criteria of the true, the good, and the beautiful; whereas prayer, the "love of beauty" (philokalia), is caught up in the glory of the living and true God. Finally, some see prayer as a flight from the world in reaction against activism; but in fact, Christian prayer is neither an escape from reality nor a divorce from life.

2728 Finally, our battle has to confront what we experience as failure in prayer: discouragement during periods of dryness; sadness that, because we have "great possessions," we have not given all to the Lord; disappointment over not being heard according to our own will; wounded pride, stiffened by the indignity that is ours as sinners; our resistance to the idea that prayer is a free and unmerited gift; and so forth. The conclusion is always the same: what good does it do to pray? To overcome these obstacles, we must battle to gain humility, trust, and perseverance.

The Journey Continues

So many people have been supportive of me during this time of transition so I wanted to thank you by putting together this video of my adventure thus far. I hope you like. May you always know God is with you on your journey! 

Enjoy...