I wonder if I was Simon, in this weekend’s Gospel, if I would have reacted the same way.  Let me give a bit if a back story.  Simon and his friends had docked their boats and were gathering their nets after a long day of poor fishing.  Jesus was on the shore preaching to a larger crowd, getting larger.  Jesus asked Simon if he would go out a little ways so he could stand on the boat and preach.  Later, after Jesus was done talking with the crowds, He asked Simon to go out into deeper waters and cast their nets.  Of course, the catch was so plentiful Simon had to ask another boat to help.

 

While I am sure Simon recognized Jesus, if I were Simon, I wonder if I would have acted the same way?  Have you ever had a plan for the day and by the end of the day, it did not go according to plan?  I am sure Simon went fishing, expecting a good catch, unfortunately it did not turn out that way.  So, he adjusted his plans, brought in the boat, and was planning on calling it a day, after drying and putting away the nets.  Instead, Jesus comes in with a different plan.

 

We have all heard the saying, “You want to make Jesus laugh, tell Him your plans.”  Each morning we wake up, we probably have a plan in place for how that day is going to work out, just like Simon.  Sometimes it is places to go people to meet, sometimes it might be just sitting on the couch and watching a weekend sporting event.  Regardless, we all wake up with some sort of plan in mind.  How often does this plan wander away from where we think it is going to go?

 

How often do we ask God to lead us each day?  Simon didn’t ask, he was just doing his normal daily routine.  I got up this morning, got ready for work, like I always do, and I did not ask God what His plan was for me today.  Last week, at our Bishop Chatard High School rescheduled Catholic Schools Week Mass, Fr. Macaslin, was talking to the high schoolers about what their plans were once they left High School.  Some are going to college, others trade school, and others had no idea.  He then challenged them to ask God what His plan was for them in their life.  Yet, another question I never asked God.

 

Simon was asked to take his boat out again, he was asked to cast his nets again, even though he knew the fish were not biting, yet, he had faith in God to do it and behold, he got to hear Jesus preach and receive a catch bigger than ever before.  I am sure if I was Simon, I might have tried to talk Jesus out of taking the boat back out, and definitely would have tried to talk Him out of casting the nets, knowing the fish were not biting.  I might have even tried to talk to another fisherman into doing what Jesus asked. 

 

Next time when your day is going down a different path than you have planned, instead of getting frustrated, take a moment to ask God, what His plan for you is, and how can you help Him achieve it?  Give it to God, like Simon, and let Him reward you in ways you were not expecting.

Greatest Day Ever

If you were asked to choose the greatest day of your life, what would you say?  Is it the day you were married, the birth of your children, the day you got your dream job?  Many of us would probably find it difficult to just pick one day. 

 

The long time Auxiliary Bishop of the Louisville Diocese was Bishop Maloney.  He held this position for almost 30 years, before becoming the Bishop of the Bardstown Diocese.  Bishop Maloney was a very popular bishop and was known for being sort of a spokesman when someone wanted to know something about the Catholic Faith.  Once Bishop Maloney was asked the question, “What is the greatest day of your life?”  His answer was, “The day I was baptized.” 

 

Of all people that could probably have a lot of “greatest days,” Bishop Maloney picked this day without hesitation.  Being baptized at birth, many might be wondering how could this even be a choice?  He certainly cannot possibly remember that day.  He chose this day because it was, “the day he became a Christian.”  What a powerful statement!!

 

Jesus commanded His disciples “to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”(Mt. 28:19)  Since our baptism, we have been given the gift of Christ, to share with the world, in our thoughts, words, and actions.  We are Christians, and our job as Christians is to share the word of God with everyone, sharing the joy of God’s love that He has given us, with others. 

 

Imagine if you were the person responsible for bringing someone closer to God, you were responsible for helping the fallen away family member, back to the church, or the neighbor that sees you loading the family in the car on Sunday morning to attend Church and it creates a conversation, leading them to the church.  Imagine then, this could be the best day of your life…

My apologies for the delay in publishing my weekly note, last week, about Advent week two. 

The reason for Advent is the preparing for the coming of Jesus, our Savior.  The first week of Advent we talked about Hope, hoping for the coming of our Savior.  Week two of Advent we focus on Peace.  The calmness of peace, the smooth flow of peace, the understanding of peace is something, I believe, we all strive for.  When we are at peace, everything seems to fall right into place.  Peace, freedom from disturbance, quiet, tranquil, doesn’t that sound terrific?

Everyone can think of a person that always seems to be at peace.  They are quiet, tranquil, they do not let things get to them.  They never seem to let things bother them.  I often see peace in the elderly and children.  Both seem to just go with the flow, and they do not let things bother them.  I wonder, how do they get their?  It is certainly not “life experiences” for children do not have a lot of life experience yet.  It is not because they are young, for that takes the elderly out.  So what can we do to achieve peace?

I heard a video blog, not to long ago, and the topic was the Advent season.  In this blog it talked about not just meeting Jesus, but getting to know Him.  It ended with the question, “How do we encounter Jesus?”  This got me to thinking.  Where have I seen Jesus this week?  Did I see Him and walk right past?  Did I miss the opportunity to see Him, because I was not at peace? 

Thinking back over the last week or so, I know that Jesus was in our midst.  Jesus was with us as we took our students on field trips.  The 8^th grade took their Kindergarten buddies to the North Pole at Sullivans.  Seeing the older students spending time with their Kindergarten buddies, getting to know them, helping them with crafts, caring for them as they rode the train back and forth from the North Pole, were just a few examples of our 8^th graders helping our Kindergarteners, making the trip peaceful for the young children.  The 5^th graders spent some time caroling at the senior centers and nursing homes, bringing the joy of the Christmas season to those who might not be able to get out and experience it themselves.  They were serving others with a servant’s heart, bringing the joy and peace to others. 

How do you encounter Jesus, in your daily life?  Do you see Him?  Do you not recognize Him, when he walks by?  Do you serve Him by bringing Joy and Peace to others?  This second week of Advent, look for ways to bring joy and peace to others.  Welcome Jesus into all that you do and you might just be surprised how a stressful task can become peaceful. 

Have a peaceful week two of Advent.

Hope and Advent

 

 

This Sunday we started Advent, the four weeks before Christmas in which we prepare for the coming of the birth of our Savior.  The word Advent comes from the Latin word meaning “coming.”  What do the next few weeks, between now and Christmas, look like for your family?

At Mass this weekend, we lit the first candle on the Advent wreath.  This candle represents Hope, the hope of the coming of our Lord, the expectations of the Savior coming to Earth to save us from our sins.  What do you hope for, this Advent and Christmas season?

I imagine many of us are in the process of planning family Holiday get-togethers, shopping for the family Christmas gifts, planning the family dinners, decorating the house in with festive Christmas décor.  We are making our lists and checking them twice, wondering how we are going to get things done, hoping to have the perfect gift idea and the time to get it purchased and wrapped. 

Advent is a time to wait, a time to prepare the way of our Savior.  In the busyness of this Christmas season, take some time to prepare for the birth of Christ.  Spend some time as a family praying together.  When I was a child, before our family meal, we lit the appropriate candles on the Advent wreath.  We would then enjoy our meal together, without outside distractions, no television, no homework, no phone calls.  We would let the candle burn for one hour, and would not leave the table until that hour was complete.  It was a time of prayer, family discussions, and a meal.  It was the time in our day to invite God to join our family.  Week one of Advent is about Hope.  Maybe your first meal this week could focus on Hope for our families, our Church, and our World.

Wishing you all a great week one of Advent!!

A Jonah in Time

 

 

These last few weeks I have had one of my, what I have affectionately termed, "Jonah moments."  If you recall, Jonah was called on by God to evangelize.  Jonah felt that his own plan was better, so he fled on a boat.  While on this boat, storms came up and the crew figured it was Jonah's fault, so they tossed him overboard and Jonah was consumed by the whale.  And before you know it, Jonah was spit out on the shore.  From there Jonah trusted God and evangelized as he was asked by God.

A Jonah Moment comes in three particular phases.  Phase one, a person is asked to do something by another person in charge, a spouse, parent, whoever.  If said person does not do what it asked of them, it is often because they think their personal plan is better and deny the request or move in their own direction, phase two.  The final phase is when said person realizes that their plan or choice was not the correct choice and they go back to what was originally asked of them and complete the task.  If you need an example of the three phases in action, just ask a teenager, for if they are like my teenager, they have mastered this concept.

I find that every now and then, just like a teenager, I go through these phases, and just so happen to be going through a Jonah moment.  I have been given a task with a plan of attack, and I am pretty sure my way is better.  I am positive I do not want to do the plan as I probably should, because I am scared of the ramifications that might come.  I have let my fears overcome the desired outcome.  I believe that when we fear, we have taken our eyes off the prize, God's plan, and that until we give it to Him, we are going to be in the belly of the whale.

That being said, I have also shared my concerns with others, prayed about it, and feel that maybe I am just about to be spit up on the shore, so to speak, hopefully soon.  These feelings have come after thought and prayer, asking God to guide me, give me the wisdom and understanding to know His path for me.  I have to trust in Him and allow Him to use me as He wants me, whether it is my plan or not. 

The best thing one can do to avoid those Jonah moments is to give it all to God, and completely trust in His plans.  However, when we fail, we need to realize our errors and get back on track, so we can spend as little time in the whale as possible.

I am saying Yes

It is amazing what one little word can do to change a perspective, idea, thought, or attitude.  One little word can take a negative thought and completely change a perspective.  Let me explain. 

Over the last week, we celebrated the anniversary of 9/11, the most horrific event, ever, in the history of the United States.  There were many tributes celebrating the lives of those that were taken from us, both victims and first responders, causing us to reflect on this terrible tragedy.  Just weeks before that, the scandal of the Catholic Church, when the priest report came out from Pennsylvania, caused many to question their faith.  Just the other day, I saw another scandal of a teacher/student inappropriate relationship.  You can see how this can lead to some negative thoughts and feelings. 

Last week, I sat in on one of the meetings, at church, in which people could express their thoughts and feelings of the priest scandal rocking our church.  It was a meeting that HAD to happen.  It was a meeting that allowed people to share their anger, frustration, sadness towards the clergy that did such evil to the flock they were trusted to lead in our faith.  After a while, it is hard not to allow these stories to affect us on a personal and spiritual level.  Let’s just say, that I went to the school Mass, this week, not in the best of moods.  But then I heard this little word and it changed my mood, my mind, and my thoughts

At Mass we sang the song, “I Say Yes My Lord.”  This song is a Cantor sing, Congregation follow song, and the Congregation’s part is to sing, “I say yes my Lord.”  With all that has happened, over the last couple of weeks, saying “Yes” to my Lord has not really been on my mind.  I decided to fill my mind with anger, hurt, frustration, etc.  I could walk away from the church, and I believe many people would understand, but, as always, God has a completely different plan for me

I am not going to negate my feelings of hurt, anger, and frustration, and I am not trying to negate anyone else’s feelings, either.  These are true feelings and feelings are never wrong.  However, I know that if I say “Yes,” to my Lord, over time He will help me understand my feelings and help me overcome these feelings, He will be the one that will heal my hurt.

We are in an unusual time in the Catholic Church.  While some will leave, and I can understand that; I am going to say “Yes” to my Lord.  I am going to allow Him to lead me and guide me through this tragedy and allow Him to use me in whatever way He chooses, to help our Church heal.  This is the time to return to the Church, to the Gospels, to prayer.  This is a time for us to stand for change in our Church.  It is time for us to show support for victims of the tragedies by supporting change.  It is time to let God lead us and guide us toward justice for the victims, including the Church.  It is time for us to say “Yes.”

 

Seeing and showing Mercy

I hope everyone enjoyed the last hurrah of summer.  It is been oppressively hot and hard to believe fall is upon us.  We realize this makes it very uncomfortable at pick up to turn your car off but we ask again for everyone to follow the pick-up procedures.  For the safety of our students and others in the lot, please turn your car off until all students safely in their cars.

 

It has been a great second week of school!!!  Things are starting to settle down and everyone is getting used to the schedule and flow of the day.  We look forward to our Friday assemblies starting on a regular basis this week, please join us!

 

Last Thursday and Friday, our 8^th graders were on retreat at Fatima Retreat House, it was an inspiring 2 days. The theme of the retreat was Mercy.  In continuation of this theme, I have a couple of thoughts…

 

Next week we start our Car Question of the week.  On the morning announcements each day we remind the students of the question, so they can be on the lookout for ways to do things better or help others.  Then, each afternoon, we hope that all the parents will ask their child about the question of the week and have a discussion on the car ride home.  It is a great way to expand on the typical, “How was your day?”  “Fine.”conversations.

 

The question for our first Car Question of the week came from Deacon Wagner’s talk to 8^th grade parents and students at the retreat last week - Where, today, did I fall short with friends, teachers, or parents?  I know this may seem like a real downer-type question but the purpose is to remind all of us that we are not perfect, no one is.  We are all human beings and we make mistakes, especially when we are frustrated or tired.  It is okay that our children fall short now and then, it is inevitable.  It is through the short comings that we hope they learn to better handle these situations and we need show them mercy and guide them through making amends or rectifying the issue.  A great follow up to whatever the answer they give would be, “How are you going to make amends, or ask for forgiveness?”  Will asking for forgiveness, or saying you are sorry, be hard the first time?  Yes, but just like anything else, the more you do it the better you get and the easier it is to do next time.  I imagine if you really hate doing something like admitting your short comings to others, maybe it will make you think the next time before making a mistake again.

Let’s all realize that no one is perfect.  Let’s all realize that we all make mistakes.  Let’s now take some time to teach our children how to recognize their mistakes and how to make amends for them.  Let’s do it now, before it is too late.