it's simple....SIMPLIFY!!!

In today's Gospel, Jesus sends his disciples two by two, to preach the word of God.  He tells them to only take the cloak on their back and the sandals on their feet.  They were to go to a house and if they were invited in, preach, and if they were turned away, leave.  Jesus sent them out in a simple way and with almost nothing, as to not to worry about do they have this, and that, much like we do when we pack for a vacation.  Do we have the phone charger, did I pack my swim suit, etc... And to top it all off, Fr. John's message to the students was to be simple.  For the more we have, the more we have to worry about, and that takes our mind off of God and His message.  Fr. John says why bring 100 pencils to school when you only need one.  Having so many pencils means one has to worry about not losing them.

If you have read any of my past blogs, you will know that I am a true believer that God sends thoughts into my head and then later just brings the thought home, and today was no different.  You see, as the season is starting to change, so is my wardrobe.  It is time to trade in the short sleeve shirts and shorts, and time to dust off the long pants, sweaters, and jackets.  And every year as we go from Summer to Fall, I will take inventory of the summer clothes I have not worn, for the entire summer, and bag them up and donate them to Goodwill.  I usually do this over my Fall Break, and vice versa, do the same at Spring Break, with the winter clothes I did not wear over the winter.

As you can imagine, with the nice cool mornings and evenings over the last few days, the thought of doing my summer clothing donation has jumped into my head, about a hundred times over the last week or so.  And yet today, the Gospel passage, and Fr. John's message to be simple, was proof, to me that is, that God wants me to make the wardrobe change. 

I tell that long story because there are many times in my life that I do not believe I can hear God talking to me, especially when I am struggling.  I pray and pray and pray, waiting for a sign, or a simple conversation and I do not hear nary a thing.  Not one iota of a conversation.  But guess what, I do not hear it, not because it is not there, but because my life is so crowded with things that there is to much muck to wade through before I can even think about what God wants me to do. 

So it is my sincere hope to start to simplify the thoughts in my head, the busyness of the day, the have to do this and that, etc.  I have to simplify those things, like I simplify my wardrobe every year.  When I simplify, it rids me of the clutter that blocks my path to God's Kingdom.  So maybe, just maybe, one day, God will send me two by two, to spread his word. 

It is simple, SIMPLIFY!!!

Not Sure What Else to Say

Last week, something very special happened that truly makes St. Pius X(SPX) Catholic School a unique and special place.  I was watching our 4^th grade girl’s kickball team play Our Lady of Mount Carmel(OLMC).  The first inning went as you would imagine, three up and three down, for both sides.  It was after that, where things became quite impressive.  The SPX Panthers went on a kicking streak, scoring 18+ runs in one inning, and they never looked back. 

 Part of the reason for this success, is great teamwork, and part was because two players from OLMC were hurt and could not play anymore, leaving their outfield unattended.  It was then that the coaches from both teams got together and decided to share players.  I must add that the official told both coaches that he did not think it was a good idea.  It was decided that two of our SPX players would play for OLMC.  When our coach asked for two volunteers, the entire team raised their hand, wanting to play for the other team.  WOW!!!  They gave of themselves to help others.  Where is that concept in reality TV?

I am so proud of our 4^th grade team.  They put aside the spirit of competition, and the idea of winning and losing, and put the feelings of the other team first.  The truest definition of love is putting others first and not expecting anything in return, and that was shown on the kickball diamond.  Win or lose, on the diamond, fourth grade girl’s kickball team, you have shown a perfect example of Christ’s love for others.  This was such a great example, the visiting team's priest, who came to watch them play, expressed his delight at the decision to share players for the good of all and the fun of the game.  I cannot thank you enough for representing your team, your sport, and your school in such a positive way.  You have made everyone at SPX proud.

 

Most Catholic Schools are known for great academics.  Most people send their children to Catholic Schools for a faith based education.  It is stories like this, that make me proud to be in the Catholic School System and to send my children to Catholic Schools.