Faith
09-16

A story is told about Rabbi Joseph Schneerson, a Hasidic leader during the early days of Russian Communism. The rabbi spent much time in jail, persecuted for his faith.

One morning in 1927, as he prayed in a Leningrad synagogue, secret police rushed in and arrested him. They took him to a police station and worked him over, demanding that he give up his religious activities. He refused. The interrogator brandished a gun in his face and said, "This little toy has made many a man change his mind."

Rabbi Schneerson answered, "This little toy can intimidate only that kind of man who has many gods and but one world. Because I have only one God and two worlds, I am
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash not impressed by this little toy."

I would like to share with you one of my favorite Gospel stories. It is a story from St. John’s Gospel in which Nathanial (St. Bartholomew) is introduced to Jesus for the first time.

Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him.” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” And he said to him, “Amen, amen, 0I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:45-51)

What I love about this story is that Jesus praises Nathanial for being free from all duplicities. Jesus recognizes that Nathanial is a man of true integrity. Integrity (the ability to be oneself in all situations) is one of those virtues that we all desire but is also one of the hardest to practice.

Why is it so hard to live a life of integrity - a life free from duplicity? I have come to believe that all the problems in the world come down to the fact that we all want and need love. In fact the Church teaches us that God created us to be loved and to love and that our ultimate goal in life is to be united with God (who is LOVE). The problem is like Adam and Eve we can doubt God’s goodness and believe that God made a mistake when He created us and if people knew the real me then they could never love me because I am no good. Was this not the original sin? Adam and Eve did not trust that God really loved them and they allowed the serpent to trick them into believing that God did not have their best interest at heart? The problem arises that when we feel unlovable we strive to become something that is lovable and we put on masks in the hope that people will not see the real unlovable me but will love the mask instead. The Good News of Jesus Christ though is that God does love us for who we are. He did create us lovable and what is even better is that God does not only say that He loves us but shows us by incarnating (making real/giving flesh) to His divine love for us. This happens first through Jesus Christ who willing died for us (Romans 5) while we were still messed up sinners, secondly through the Church who continues to love and guide us toward heaven and lastly through other people in our lives. So when I trust in God’s love I free myself from all my fears and doubts and I am free to discard all my masks and just be me. Alleluia!!!

Sometimes we are very aware of our masks and other times we are not. I would like to spend some time looking at what I believe to be some of the most common masks. Remember that we sometimes wear more than one mask at a time.

	Cool Dude: The first mask that I see people wear is what I call the “cool dude” mask. A person wearing this mask does his or her best to fit in with the “in” crowd. He or she willingly does things that he or she knows is wrong or will hurt other people because he or she is controlled by his or her desire to fit in. While they look calm and cool on the outside often on the inside they feel guilty and ashamed for the way they have acted and treated people. They wish that they could stand up and just be themselves. In order to drop this mask a person must have the courage to stand up for one believes even if it costs them some so called “friends”. He or she can do this because they trust that God will reward them (provide them with what they need) with true friends.
	Class Clown: The second mask that I see people wear is that of the “class clown”. People who wear this mask have a hard time taking life seriously because when they are afraid they turn toward humor. Humor itself is not bad but when it is used as a defense mechanism it often is nasty, hostile, and spiteful. The intention of the humor is to draw attention to others faults and not to inspire laughter. I love a good joke as well as the next but when humor becomes spitefully sarcastic then I know that things have gone too far. In order to remove this mask people need to develop the gift of compassion. When we have compassion on others we see that they too like us are suffering and instead of pointing out their weakness we share it with them. We help them through it. True friends are made this way.
	Obnoxious Dude: I see a lot of so called “misfits” wear this mask. The people who often wear this mask normally have the mentality that no one will ever like me for who I am so instead of even trying to make friends, I will just drive everyone away from me so that I don’t have to go through the heart ache of it all. In a weird way their obnoxiousness can help them become friends with other obnoxious people and this feeds into their problem. In order to stop being the obnoxious dude, one must develop true humility and true humility teaches us that we are not all bad and actually that we are quite good because God has blest us all with many good talents.
	Brave Dude: While it is great to have courage, there is a fine line between courage and stupidity. The “brave dude” mask is all about not respecting one’s feelings. When we put on the “brave dude” mask we are willing to do stupid and harmful things in order to impress other people. When we try to tough our way through things we can sometimes avoid facing our fears and this can be very limiting. The “brave dude” courageously does death defying stuff because he or she is deep down to afraid to face his or her fears. In order to be truly brave one must be willing to face one’s inner fears as well and for this people often need the gift of support. Alcoholics anonymous have taught us that in order to face our deepest fears one must be willing to be supported by others. Consider joining a prayer group.
	Pretty Dude: is a person who uses his or her body as a way to make friends relying on vanity instead of really allowing people to see the beautiful person on the inside. They live in constant fear that if their looks were taken away from them that no one would love them. While it is important to take care of one’s body it is above all importance to do so in a way chaste way. You realize that true beauty is from within and you are therefore confident that even if you were to lose your looks tomorrow people will still love you. Living a chaste life is easy when you trust that God has a plan for you and if that plan includes marriage that God will lead you to the perfect spouse – a spouse who will respect you for who you are and not for simply what you look like.
	Scary Dude: A lot like the “obnoxious dude” the “scary dude” tries to intimidate people in order to prevent them from getting to close. While the obnoxious dude does it often through a lack of respect the scary dude does it through physical and even psychological intimidation (a bully). Often both the scary dude and the obnoxious dude find themselves in a trap they desire more friends but the very things they do to protect themselves prevents them from developing true friendships. A good examination of conscience can help people remove these masks. Am I treating people the way that I would like to be treated? If not then how am I going to change?
	Tough Dude: The tough dude is a mask we wear when we feel uncomfortable showing weakness. We live in this great fear that if someone saw as weak that they would take advantage of us or would leave us. There is however a real binding power that unites people when they are able to be mutually vulnerable with one another. Sometimes the tough dude is the person who has to win all the times for fear that losing will make them unlovable but I have found that the desire to win all the time drives more people away than the willingness to just have fun.
St. Paul encourages us to not put on masks but rather to “put on Christ”. We see in Christ a person who fully trusted in the fact that He was loved by God and that others would love Him for who He was and He did not put on masks even though the devil tempted Him to in the desert. Jesus refused to fixated on popularity like the “cool dude”, He never used hostile humor like the “class clown”, He was never intentionally rude or inconsiderate like the obnoxious person, in the garden He bravely faced His inner fears, Christ never judge others by their appearance or do we hear of Him being overly fixated on His appearances, He chose to show mercy to those who came to Him instead of scaring them away with His Divine wrath, and lastly He willingly showed His vulnerability by weeping at Lazarus’s tomb, bending down to wash His disciples feet and by humbling submitting to the cross. He was able to accomplish all of this because He knew He was loved by the Father. Photo by John Noonan on Unsplash

In Jesus’ life on earth we see God caring deeply about the things that make human being hurt—sickness, being a social outcast, being lost. In his life, his ministry, and his death, Jesus shows us a God who is with us in our pain, and who knows our being at its very worst.

The message of Jesus is a simple one: heal the sick, accept the outcast, and find the lost. In other words, love one another, just as your Father in heaven loves you.

Time after time, though, that message is ignored, and some of the most tragic sequences in human history have resulted—not from a vengeful God determined to punish his erring people, but from our own willfulness and selfishness…

…Suffering is not the opposite of love, but rather an integral and productive part of it. –

…So let us value life—all of it. Life is a gift from God. As we laugh and cry, love and argue, let us live it as fully as we can. We can’t hoard it; we can’t lock it in a safety deposit box. We never know when it may end. And on the days when the pain of loving caused by death seems too much to bear, we can draw courage from the knowledge that God shares it all with us. He mourns with us, he strengthens us, and he helps us prepare for the day when we, too, will enter into the glory of the kingdom that lies beyond this world. Then, we will fully understand why we are born, and live and die.

Alexander, Helen: Experiencing Bereavement (Boston: Pauline Books & Media, 2002)

Photo by Alessandro Bellone on Unsplash

By Carol Glatz of Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Slowing down, being generous and fighting for peace are part of Pope Francis' secret recipe for happiness.

In an interview published in part in the Argentine weekly "Viva" July 27, the pope listed his Top 10 tips for bringing greater joy to one's life:

1. "Live and let live." Everyone should be guided by this principle, he said, which has a similar expression in Rome with the saying, "Move forward and let others do the same."

2. "Be giving of yourself to others." People need to be open and generous toward others, he said, because "if you withdraw into yourself, you run the risk of becoming egocentric. And stagnant water becomes putrid."

3. "Proceed calmly" in life. The pope, who used to teach high school literature, used an image from an Argentine novel by Ricardo Guiraldes, in which the protagonist -- gaucho Don Segundo Sombra -- looks back on how he lived his life.

"He says that in his youth he was a stream full of rocks that he carried with him; as an adult, a rushing river; and in old age, he was still moving, but slowly, like a pool" of water, the pope said. He said he likes this latter image of a pool of water -- to have "the ability to move with kindness and humility, a calmness in life."

4. "A healthy sense of leisure." The pleasures of art, literature and playing together with children have been lost, he said.

"Consumerism has brought us anxiety" and stress, causing people to lose a "healthy culture of leisure." Their time is "swallowed up" so people can't share it with anyone.

Even though many parents work long hours, they must set aside time to play with their children; work schedules make it "complicated, but you must do it," he said.

Families must also turn off the TV when they sit down to eat because, even though television is useful for keeping up with the news, having it on during mealtime "doesn't let you communicate" with each other, the pope said.

5. Sundays should be holidays. Workers should have Sundays off because "Sunday is for family," he said.

6. Find innovative ways to create dignified jobs for young people. "We need to be creative with young people. If they have no opportunities they will get into drugs" and be more vulnerable to suicide, he said.

"It's not enough to give them food," he said. "Dignity is given to you when you can bring food home" from one's own labor.

7. Respect and take care of nature. Environmental degradation "is one of the biggest challenges we have," he said. "I think a question that we're not asking ourselves is: 'Isn't humanity committing suicide with this indiscriminate and tyrannical use of nature?'"

8. Stop being negative. "Needing to talk badly about others indicates low self-esteem. That means, 'I feel so low that instead of picking myself up I have to cut others down,'" the pope said. "Letting go of negative things quickly is healthy."

9. Don't proselytize; respect others' beliefs. "We can inspire others through witness so that one grows together in communicating. But the worst thing of all is religious proselytism, which paralyzes: 'I am talking with you in order to persuade you,' No. Each person dialogues, starting with his and her own identity. The church grows by attraction, not proselytizing," the pope said.

10. Work for peace. "We are living in a time of many wars," he said, and "the call for peace must be shouted. Peace sometimes gives the impression of being quiet, but it is never quiet, peace is always proactive" and dynamic.

Pope Francis also talked about the importance of helping immigrants, praising Sweden's generosity in opening its doors to so many people, while noting anti-immigration policies show the rest of Europe "is afraid."

He also fondly recalled the woman who helped his mother with the housework when he was growing up in Buenos Aires.

Concepcion Maria Minuto was a Sicilian immigrant, a widow and mother of two boys, who went three times a week to help the pope's mother do laundry, since in those days it was all done by hand.

He said this hard-working, dignified woman made a big impression on the 10-year-old future pope, as she would talk to him about World War II in Italy and how they farmed in Sicily.

"She was as clever as a fox, she had every penny accounted for, she wouldn't be cheated. She had many great qualities," he said.

Even though his family lost touch with her when they moved, the then-Jesuit Father Jorge Bergoglio later sought her out and visited her for the last 10 years of her life.

"A few days before she died, she took this small medal out of her pocket, gave it to me and said: 'I want you to have it!' So every night, when I take it off and kiss it, and every morning when I put it back on, this woman comes to my mind."

"She died happy, with a smile on her face and with the dignity of someone who worked. For that reason I am very sympathetic toward housecleaners and domestic workers, whose rights, all of them, should be recognized" and protected, he said. "They must never be exploited or mistreated."

Pope Francis' concern was underlined in his @Pontifex Twitter feed just a few days later, July 29, with the message: "May we be always more grateful for the help of domestic workers and caregivers; theirs is a precious service."

END

Photo by Barbara Provenzano on Unsplash

Spiritual Warriors

One of the earliest images of a life of disciple is that of a Christian being called a “soldier of Christ.” When you think about the term “gospel,” which means “the Good News of a military victory” and the meaning of the term “sacrament” which comes from the Latin word for the oath that a soldier took to the join the Roman Army, one can begin to see the strong foundation the term “soldier of Christ” has in our Church’s history. With this in mind, I would like to reflect on what it takes to be a soldier of Christ. For help with this reflection, I would like to turn the following article “10 Life Lessons from A Navy Seal. I will Always Remember #4” which was published in the Business Insider. The article will be in bold and my reflection will be in regular font.

Naval Admiral William H. McRaven returned to his alma mater last week and spoke to the graduates with lessons he learned from his basic SEAL training. Here’s his amazing Commencement Address at University of Texas at Austin 2014 from Business Insider. The University’s slogan is, “What starts here changes the world.” I have to admit—I kinda like it. “What starts here changes the world.”

Tonight there are almost 8,000 students graduating from UT. That great paragon of analytical rigor, Ask.Com says that the average American will meet 10,000 people in their lifetime. That’s a lot of folks. But, if every one of you changed the lives of just ten people—and each one of those folks changed the lives of another ten people—just ten—then in five generations—125 years—the class of 2014 will have changed the lives of 800 million people. 800 million people—think of it—over twice the population of the United States. Go one more generation and you can change the entire population of the world—8 billion people. If you think it’s hard to change the lives of ten people—change their lives forever—you’re wrong. I saw it happen every day in Iraq and Afghanistan. A young Army officer makes a decision to go left instead of right down a road in Baghdad and the ten soldiers in his squad are saved from close-in ambush. In Kandahar province, Afghanistan, a non-commissioned officer from the Female Engagement Team senses something isn’t right and directs the infantry platoon away from a 500 pound IED, saving the lives of a dozen soldiers. But, if you think about it, not only were these soldiers saved by the decisions of one person, but their children yet unborn—were also saved. And their children’s children—were saved. Generations were saved by one decision—by one person. But changing the world can happen anywhere and anyone can do it. So, what starts here can indeed change the world, but the question is… what will the world look like after you change it? Well, I am confident that it will look much, much better, but if you will humor this old sailor for just a moment, I have a few suggestions that may help you on your way to a better a world.

And while these lessons were learned during my time in the military, I can assure you that it matters not whether you ever served a day in uniform. It matters not your gender, your ethnic or religious background, your orientation, or your social status. Our struggles in this world are similar and the lessons to overcome those struggles and to move forward—changing ourselves and the world around us—will apply equally to all.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5). As Catholics we believe that each person was created by God out of love and He desires each of us to participate in His Divine Plan. The consequence of this is that each person is supposed to play a vital part in God’s plan. We have been literally created to change the world!!! As we learn from the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life” we have all touched the life of another in some positive way whether we or they know it or not simply by our mere existence. Sadly though in our world today there are many who are not given that opportunity because of abortion.

Finally when we think of all of Jesus’ teachings, are they not all about changing the world? In Mathew 25 and the story of the Last Judgment is it not amazing that Jesus’ focuses on little things. These “little things” though do change the world if done with great love.

Spiritual Exercise: Name 10 people whose world you are going to change because you are going to share your faith with them.

As we continue to look at what it means to be a soldier of Christ. For help with this reflection, I would like to turn the following article “10 Life Lessons from A Navy Seal. I will Always Remember #4” which was published in the Business Insider. The article will be in bold and my reflection will be in regular font.

I have been a Navy SEAL for 36 years. But it all began when I left UT for Basic SEAL training in Coronado, California. Basic SEAL training is six months of long torturous runs in the soft sand, midnight swims in the cold water off San Diego, obstacles courses, unending calisthenics, days without sleep and always being cold, wet and miserable. It is six months of being constantly harassed by professionally trained warriors who seek to find the weak of mind and body and eliminate them from ever becoming a Navy SEAL. But, the training also seeks to find those students who can lead in an environment of constant stress, chaos, failure and hardships. To me basic SEAL training was a life time of challenges crammed into six months. So, here are the ten lessons I learned from basic SEAL training that hopefully will be of value to you as you move forward in life.

The soldiers who enter into the SEAL training do so with the desire to become the best soldier they can. They know that life will not be easy and that their drill instructors are going to be particularly harsh to them. Somehow in this system that appears dysfunctional from the outside these men will be shaped and molded into the best version of themselves that they can be. When we enter the Church Jesus does not promise us that life will be easy in fact He tells us that the world will reject and persecute us simply because we take His name.

Every morning in basic SEAL training, my instructors, who at the time were all Vietnam veterans, would show up in my barracks room and the first thing they would inspect was your bed. If you did it right, the corners would be square, the covers pulled tight, the pillow centered just under the headboard and the extra blanket folded neatly at the foot of the rack—rack—that’s Navy talk for bed. It was a simple task—mundane at best. But every morning we were required to make our bed to perfection. It seemed a little ridiculous at the time, particularly in light of the fact that were aspiring to be real warriors, tough battle hardened SEALs—but the wisdom of this simple act has been proven to me many times over. If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right. And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made—that you made—and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better. #1. If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.

“Now Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man with his master, and highly respected, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was also a valiant warrior, but he was a leper. Now the Aramean had gone out in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “I wish that my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus spoke the girl who is from the land of Israel.” Then the king of Aram said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” He departed and took with him ten talents of silver and six thousand shekels of gold and ten changes of clothes. He brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But consider now, and see how he is seeking a quarrel against me.” It happened when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent word to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Now let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots and stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.” But Naaman was furious and went away and said, “Behold, I thought, ‘He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.’ Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean.” – 2 Kings 5:1-15.

I have come to believe that one of the problems of the Catholic Church is that God asks to little of us. Like Naaman we complain that God asks us to go to Church once a week for Mass instead of climbing to the top of a live volcano. On the other hand thinking of what God ask us to do is very simple. There are no quests, no bloodshed, to fights to the death, etc. On the other hand what God asks us to do is truly monumental because they it goes against our sinful nature.

Spiritual Exercise: Let us therefore do small things well like going to Mass, 15 minutes of mental prayer, and the reading of Sacred Scripture.

Are you ready to become all you can be? Let us continue to look at what it means to be a soldier of Christ. For help with this reflection, I would like to turn the following article “10 Life Lessons from A Navy Seal. I will Always Remember #4” which was published in the Business Insider. The article will be in bold and my reflection will be in regular font.

During SEAL training the students are broken down into boat crews. Each crew is seven students—three on each side of a small rubber boat and one coxswain to help guide the dingy. Every day your boat crew forms up on the beach and is instructed to get through the surf zone and paddle several miles down the coast. In the winter, the surf off San Diego can get to be 8 to 10 feet high and it is exceedingly difficult to paddle through the plunging surf unless everyone digs in. Every paddle must be synchronized to the stroke count of the coxswain. Everyone must exert equal effort or the boat will turn against the wave and be unceremoniously tossed back on the beach. For the boat to make it to its destination, everyone must paddle. You can’t change the world alone—you will need some help— and to truly get from your starting point to your destination takes friends, colleagues, the good will of strangers and a strong coxswain to guide them. #2. If you want to change the world, find someone to help you paddle.

One of the earliest images of the Church is that of being the “boat of Peter” or another Noah’s Ark. “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? But earnestly desire the greater gifts.” (1 Corinthians 12:27-31). The pope’s main purpose is to be the coxswain that guides us and aids us in “paddling together”.

Spiritual Exercise: Learn more about the role of the papacy in the Church

Over a few weeks of difficult training my SEAL class which started with 150 men was down to just 35. There were now six boat crews of seven men each. I was in the boat with the tall guys, but the best boat crew we had was made up of the little guys—the munchkin crew we called them—no one was over about 5-foot five. The munchkin boat crew had one American Indian, one African American, one Polish American, one Greek American, one Italian American, and two tough kids from the mid-west. They out paddled, out-ran, and out swam all the other boat crews. The big men in the other boat crews would always make good natured fun of the tiny little flippers the munchkins put on their tiny little feet prior to every swim. But somehow these little guys, from every corner of the Nation and the world, always had the last laugh— swimming faster than everyone and reaching the shore long before the rest of us. SEAL training was a great equalizer. Nothing mattered but your will to succeed. Not your color, not your ethnic background, not your education and not your social status. #3. If you want to change the world, measure a person by the size of their heart, not the size of their flippers.

“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” John 12:35. In the Eucharist Jesus is lifted up and all sorts of people come to Him and to His Church regardless of race, creed, size, etc. The saints of the Church come from all over the earth. This means that even you and I are called to be saints.

Spiritual Exercise: Take a look at the variety of people at any given Mass and marvel at God’s greatness.

Several times a week, the instructors would line up the class and do a uniform inspection. It was exceptionally thorough. Your hat had to be perfectly starched, your uniform immaculately pressed and your belt buckle shiny and void of any smudges. But it seemed that no matter how much effort you put into starching your hat, or pressing your uniform or polishing your belt buckle—- it just wasn’t good enough. The instructors would find “something” wrong. For failing the uniform inspection, the student had to run, fully clothed into the surfzone and then, wet from head to toe, roll around on the beach until every part of your body was covered with sand. The effect was known as a “sugar cookie.” You stayed in that uniform the rest of the day—cold, wet and sandy. There were many a student who just couldn’t accept the fact that all their effort was in vain. That no matter how hard they tried to get the uniform right—it was unappreciated. Those students didn’t make it through training. Those students didn’t understand the purpose of the drill. You were never going to succeed. You were never going to have a perfect uniform. Sometimes no matter how well you prepare or how well you perform you still end up as a sugar cookie. It’s just the way life is sometimes. #4. If you want to change the world get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward.

The fact that the Church recorded through her tradition that Christ fell three times carrying His cross to Calvary shows each Catholic the importance of continue to march forward to our destination even though life is not always fair. God’s purpose is often only manifested after many personal failures look at Moses,

Spiritual Exercise: Take a look at your failures and try to discover some of the good things God has brought out of those failures.

“Now the true soldiers of Christ must always be prepared to do battle for the truth, and must never, so far as lies with them, allow false convictions to creep in.” ~ Origen. Let us continue to look at what it means to be a soldier of Christ. For help with this reflection, I would like to turn the following article “10 Life Lessons from A Navy Seal. I will Always Remember #4” which was published in the Business Insider. The article will be in bold and my reflection will be in regular font.

Every day during training you were challenged with multiple physical events—long runs, long swims, obstacle courses, hours of calisthenics—something designed to test your mettle. Every event had standards—times you had to meet. If you failed to meet those standards your name was posted on a list and at the end of the day those on the list were invited to—a “circus.” A circus was two hours of additional calisthenics—designed to wear you down, to break your spirit, to force you to quit. No one wanted a circus. A circus meant that for that day you didn’t measure up. A circus meant more fatigue—and more fatigue meant that the following day would be more difficult—and more circuses were likely. But at some time during SEAL training, everyone—everyone—made the circus list. But an interesting thing happened to those who were constantly on the list. Over time those students-—who did two hours of extra calisthenics—got stronger and stronger. The pain of the circuses built inner strength-built physical resiliency. Life is filled with circuses. You will fail. You will likely fail often. It will be painful. It will be discouraging. At times it will test you to your very core. #5. But if you want to change the world, don’t be afraid of the circuses.

One of my biggest fears in life is to embarrass myself in front of others and because of this fear; I unfortunately miss out on a lot of things as I struggle to overcome this fear. Part of my prayer each day for the Church is that more and more Christians will get over the fear of being embarrassed and join a Bible Study, become a lector, share their faith story with someone, etc.

Spiritual Exercise: Try to be adventurous in your faith life this week by doing something new.

At least twice a week, the trainees were required to run the obstacle course. The obstacle course contained 25 obstacles including a 10-foot high wall, a 30-foot cargo net, and a barbed wire crawl to name a few. But the most challenging obstacle was the slide for life. It had a three level 30 foot tower at one end and a one level tower at the other. In between was a 200-foot long rope. You had to climb the three tiered tower and once at the top, you grabbed the rope, swung underneath the rope and pulled yourself hand over hand until you got to the other end. The record for the obstacle course had stood for years when my class began training in 1977. The record seemed unbeatable, until one day, a student decided to go down the slide for life—head first. Instead of swinging his body underneath the rope and inching his way down, he bravely mounted the TOP of the rope and thrust himself forward. It was a dangerous move—seemingly foolish, and fraught with risk. Failure could mean injury and being dropped from the training. Without hesitation—the student slid down the rope—perilously fast, instead of several minutes, it only took him half that time and by the end of the course he had broken the record. #6. If you want to change the world sometimes you have to slide down the obstacle head first.

A person can place a grasshopper in a jar with a lid on it and after a while the grasshopper will stop trying to get out. The grasshopper will feel so defeated that you can remove the lid and the grasshopper will not jump of the jar because he had become conditioned to think that he can jump no higher.

The truth of the matter is that just because we fail at something one time or over and over again, this does not mean that we are destined to never overcome the obstacle in front of us. We can grow and develop more skills and we can grow stronger and not to mention wiser with more experiences there is the possibility that we can overcome old obstacles. Even if we do not change, the environment and conditions around us may change and thus allow us to also overcome the obstacle. Simple speaking is that because we fail one time does not mean we are destined to fail again and again. It just means that we need to approach the obstacle from a different perspective.

Spiritual Exercise: Try something that you failed at again.

During the land warfare phase of training, the students are flown out to San Clemente Island which lies off the coast of San Diego. The waters off San Clemente are a breeding ground for the great white sharks. To pass SEAL training there are a series of long swims that must be completed. One—is the night swim. Before the swim the instructors joyfully brief the trainees on all the species of sharks that inhabit the waters off San Clemente. They assure you, however, that no student has ever been eaten by a shark—at least not recently. But, you are also taught that if a shark begins to circle your position—stand your ground. Do not swim away. Do not act afraid. And if the shark, hungry for a midnight snack, darts towards you—then summons up all your strength and punch him in the snout and he will turn and swim away. There are a lot of sharks in the world. If you hope to complete the swim you will have to deal with them. #7. So, if you want to change the world, don’t back down from the sharks.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen said “There are not a hundred people in America who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions of people who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church, which is, of course, quite a different thing,” Instead of getting mad at the Church for what she teaches strive honestly to learn more about the Church’s teaching.

Spiritual Exercise: Read more about an issue in the Church that you are having trouble about.

“Christian is nothing but a sinful man who has put himself to school for Christ for the honest purpose of becoming better. – Henry Ward Beecher. Let us continue to look at what it means to be a soldier of Christ. For help with this reflection, I would like to turn the following article “10 Life Lessons from A Navy Seal. I will Always Remember #4” which was published in the Business Insider. The article will be in bold and my reflection will be in regular font.

As Navy SEALs one of our jobs is to conduct underwater attacks against enemy shipping. We practiced this technique extensively during basic training. The ship attack mission is where a pair of SEAL divers is dropped off outside an enemy harbor and then swims well over two miles—underwater—using nothing but a depth gauge and a compass to get to their target. During the entire swim, even well below the surface there is some light that comes through. It is comforting to know that there is open water above you. But as you approach the ship, which is tied to a pier, the light begins to fade. The steel structure of the ship blocks the moonlight—it blocks the surrounding street lamps—it blocks all ambient light. To be successful in your mission, you have to swim under the ship and find the keel—the center line and the deepest part of the ship. This is your objective. But the keel is also the darkest part of the ship—where you cannot see your hand in front of your face, where the noise from the ship’s machinery is deafening and where it is easy to get disoriented and fail. Every SEAL knows that under the keel, at the darkest moment of the mission—is the time when you must be calm, composed—when all your tactical skills, your physical power and all your inner strength must be brought to bear. #8. If you want to change the world, you must be your very best in the darkest moment.

A priest that I met while studying for a certificate in Spiritual Direction is fond of saying that the devil only has two lies. The first lie is that "you are not good enough," and the second lie is that "you are alone." All temptations boil down to these two lies. God though has promised that we can do all things with Him and that He is Emmanuel "God with us." Thus making the devil the "father of lies." Remember these two things when things seem dark.

Spiritual Exercise: Find 10 things to be grateful about.

The ninth week of training is referred to as “Hell Week.” It is six days of no sleep, constant physical and mental harassment and—one special day at the Mud Flats—the Mud Flats are an area between San Diego and Tijuana where the water runs off and creates the Tijuana slue’s—a swampy patch of terrain where the mud will engulf you. It is on Wednesday of Hell Week that you paddle down to the mud flats and spend the next 15 hours trying to survive the freezing cold mud, the howling wind and the incessant pressure to quit from the instructors. As the sun began to set that Wednesday evening, my training class, having committed some “egregious infraction of the rules” was ordered into the mud. The mud consumed each man till there was nothing visible but our heads. The instructors told us we could leave the mud if only five men would quit—just five men and we could get out of the oppressive cold. Looking around the mud flat it was apparent that some students were about to give up. It was still over eight hours till the sun came up—eight more hours of bone chilling cold. The chattering teeth and shivering moans of the trainees were so loud it was hard to hear anything and then, one voice began to echo through the night—one voice raised in song. The song was terribly out of tune, but sung with great enthusiasm. One voice became two and two became three and before long everyone in the class was singing. We knew that if one man could rise above the misery then others could as well. The instructors threatened us with more time in the mud if we kept up the singing—but the singing persisted. And somehow—the mud seemed a little warmer, the wind a little tamer and the dawn not so far away. If I have learned anything in my time traveling the world, it is the power of hope. The power of one person—Washington, Lincoln, King, Mandela and even a young girl from Pakistan—Malala—one person can change the world by giving people hope. #9. So, if you want to change the world, start singing when you’re up to your neck in mud.

“If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives: Be kind anyway. If you are successful you will win some false friends and true enemies: Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank people will try to cheat you: Be honest anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight: Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous of you: Be happy anyway. The good you do today, will often be forgotten by tomorrow: Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough: Give your best anyway.” ― Mother Teresa .

Spiritual Exercise: How are you going to Change the world? Find a Christian song on the radio and sing along.

Finally, in SEAL training there is a bell. A brass bell that hangs in the center of the compound for all the students to see. All you have to do to quit—is ring the bell. Ring the bell and you no longer have to wake up at 5 o’clock. Ring the bell and you no longer have to do the freezing cold swims. Ring the bell and you no longer have to do the runs, the obstacle course, the PT—and you no longer have to endure the hardships of training. Just ring the bell. #10. If you want to change the world don’t ever, ever ring the bell.

Before you give up on the Catholic Church be sure that you know what you are giving up? The Catholic Church may not be the most entertaining but it is the only Church that dates back to Christ.

Spiritual Exercise: Do a daily examination of conscience

To the graduating class of 2014, you are moments away from graduating. Moments away from beginning your journey through life. Moments away from starting to change the world—for the better. It will not be easy. But, YOU are the class of 2014—the class that can affect the lives of 800 million people in the next century. Start each day with a task completed. Find someone to help you through life. Respect everyone. Know that life is not fair and that you will fail often, but if you take some risks, step up when the times are toughest, face down the bullies, lift up the downtrodden and never, ever give up—if you do these things, then next generation and the generations that follow will live in a world far better than the one we have today and—what started here will indeed have changed the world—for the better. Thank you very much. Hook ‘em horns.

Life is like a rollercoaster, with its ups and downs, with its twists and turns, and its loops and flips. As we ride the roller coaster of life it is up to us as to whether we will raise up our hands and enjoy the ride or if we allow ourselves to be frightened out of our mind.

As we ride a rollercoaster in real life we must trust three different people. You first must trust the engineer who designed the rollercoaster because you have to trust that all his calculations are correct. You must second trust the person who belts you into the rollercoaster and finally you must trust the mechanic who works behind the scenes making sure that everything works as the designer intended it to.

In life we must trust the three persons of the Blessed Trinity, the Father who designed the universe. He spoke into the Chaos and created the universe. The Son who belts us into the rollercoaster of life through the Sacraments and finally the Holy Spirit who works to bring about God’s plan of salvation.

Photo by blueberry Maki on Unsplash

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.

Photo by Paul Keiffer on Unsplash

The Seed
A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together. He said, 'It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. 'The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued.' I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - One very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO'

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by--still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick at his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of life, but he knew his wife was right.

He took his empty pot to the board room.

When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful--in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives. Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the financial director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed. Jim told him the story. The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive! His name is Jim!"

Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new CEO the others said? Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - It was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive!"

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment.
If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.
So, be careful what you plant now, it will determine what you will reap later.

Photo by Joshua Lanzarini on Unsplash