What we all have in common...

In this week’s Gospel, for the school Mass, the Disciples tell Jesus about this strange man on the corner, driving out demons, in His name.  Jesus’s reply to them was, “Do not prevent him.  There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name, who can at the same time speak ill of me.  For whoever is not against us is for us.”(Mark 9: 38-40).  Now I am not sure where anyone is in their own faith journey, but today’s Gospel hit particularly close to me, for I have been struggling lately.  Let me explain…

 

Lately, all that we hear on the news, radio, television, conversations with our friends, tends to be around groups of people.  These conversations usually involve people trying to convince others to follow their own personal opinion.  Many of these people apparently believe that if they cannot convince you, then they should shout louder, in hopes that it will convince you to change your mind.  Let me give you just a couple of examples:

 

I am not sure how anyone can listen to the radio, watch television, or drive down the road and not see or hear something political.  Right now our political process seems to be a bunch of shouting.  Another topic of great discussion/shouting is the debate out what bathroom people should use.  We have a terrorist group that is killing people because they will not conform to their beliefs.  This list could go on and on and on…..

 

I am not sure about you, but I have had enough of all the shouting, complaining, and offending.  How can we possibly change the way things are done or said?  I am not sure if we can, but I would like to offer up the following and see if people could give it a try.

 

Let’s talk about dignity.  The google definition of dignity is, “the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect.”  Now let’s add to this the word “human.”  The most basic thing we all have in common is we are humans, regardless of color, gender, height, weight, wealth, beliefs, etc, we all have one thing in common, and that is we are human. 

 

If we were to follow the logic of the world today, all republicans should hate democrats, the wealthy should keep their wealth and turn away from the poor, another list that could go on and on.  However, if we put all the labels of a person to the side, and just go back to the basic common thread, human, it could be so much different. 

 

If you see someone with a political sign in their yard, they are still human, treat them with dignity, instead of hating them for their belief.  If you see the beggar on the side of the road, they are still human, treat them with dignity, even if you do not have any money to give.  If you see someone going into a church, mosque, temple, or any other house of worship, they are still human, treat them with dignity, even if their belief is different from yours.  Imagine a world where instead of arguing or shouting, we treated people with dignity because of our most common trait, we are human.  I wonder what the world would be like….

Sports vs. Church

Last Thursday, I attended our bi-monthly Archdiocese of Indianapolis principal meeting.  Our guest speaker was Fr. Eric Augestine and his topic of his presentation was titled, "Forming Intentional Disciples."  He shared with us a blog that recently read.  I found it very interesting and wanted to share it with all of you. 

I also want to acknowledge Deacon Rick Wagner(consider following his blog,  fromthedeaconsdesk.wordpress.com, it is a great daily read or devotional,)also at the meeting, for posting this on his blog, which is where I copied and pasted the following:

For your consideration, an interesting perspective on the role sports has assumed in the family dynamic. Written by Jim Elliff, it was posted on the Christian Communicators Worldwide website.

It’s rare to see kids playing sports in the neighborhood anymore. We’re now organized and “professionalized”—including uniforms, state-of-the-art facilities, endless trips to the field, competitive coaches, equally competitive parents, and the after-season tournaments designed to give parents “bleacher bottom.” In addition, you’ve got to pay to play—and when you’ve paid that much, you’ll be sure to play.

It is also fun, and it can be instructive. I love to watch my kids play sports. In fact, they need to play—some. But, it’s not so easy as handing over seventy bucks and saying, “Sign up Johnny and Susie this year.” Making that decision means that you may be out four to five times each week during the season. Soon sports becomes all about calendarization and control of your life—especially if you have more than one kid. Perhaps nothing outside of a change in your job has so much potential to turn the family schedule upside down.

“This man understands,” you say.

Now comes the part you won’t like: “Behold, I say unto you, you have made sports the household god.” Too strong? OK, not all of you. But the deification of sports is happening to many.
How does ball become Baal? Answer: When it controls you, and you give it devoted worship. It is around your god that you order your life—and you can almost never say “no” to it.

Like “athlete’s foot” on the hygienically-challenged teenager, sports has taken over more and more of the life of believers. Almost overnight we have awakened to the sad fact that, in many communities, sports has even usurped the hours believers meet on the Lord’s Day. All too often members are saying to church leaders, “We’ll be gone next Sunday because of the soccer tournament.” In turn, leaders are supposed to acquiesce humbly. After all, we can’t afford to appear “legalistic;” everyone knows that the greatest crime a church can commit is to demand something of someone.

You’ll hear, “But the team needs all the players. We can’t let the team down.” It never occurs to them that the church Body is being deprived of a necessary body part, or that God is marginalized and disobeyed. We are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, states God in Hebrews 10:25.

Devotion is the operative word. When the team says, “We need you,” we sacrifice to do it. But when it crosses the time allotted to spiritual edification and worship, the Ruler of the universe is often sent to the bench. In the process, we teach our children that devotion to sports is more important than both devotion to God and loyalty to our spiritual family. Have you considered that you may be teaching your kids to worship sports?

Here are some ways to put sports in the proper place:

First, decide beforehand that there will be no contest between the church’s essential activities designed for your family’s spiritual growth and what the team plans for your lives. If you will talk this over ahead of time with your child and then the coach, there will be no confusion. Through the years I’ve found that many coaches respect that decision. But, it must be a prior decision, not one made on a case by case basis. When sports conflicts with Sunday worship or youth camp or a special spiritual activity, the decision has already been made.

Secondly, determine that your children cannot play every sport. There is a sanctity to the home life that must be protected. You need quiet evenings at home. You need meals together. Just let your children know that you are excited about sports, but there are limits. You then determine what those limits are. For us, we attempt to have only one sport per year for each child.

Finally, think about some creative choices. One of my sons played basketball, but the season was interminably long. I was also traveling. So, I would be gone speaking over the weekend, then, when I was home, I was out two or more nights sitting on the sidelines watching my son practice. It was not really “time together.” This wasn’t going to work.

The solution came to me after prayer. I asked him if he would be willing to learn golf in the place of basketball. We could play together, along with his brother, and we could do it whenever we wanted. We could enjoy this for the rest of our lives. I’ve paid some extra money, but I’ve bought back some time with my sons and some good exercise for me also. It’s a bargain.

God Himself uses sports language in the New Testament. He’s not against it, unless it steals the devotion belonging to Him. All other gods have to go!

Source: http://www.ccwtoday.org/article/when-ball-becomes-baal/

Make Someone Smile

Below is the weekly note to St. Pius X families sent 4/30/16.  For those that do not have children at St. Pius X, each year, our 8th graders go on a school trip to Washington DC.  The story below is just one of the many great things that happened during the trip.

 

We are back.  The 8^th grade students and staff have returned from out yearly trip to our Nation’s Capital, Washington DC. I believe a fun time was had by all, and I especially had a great time. 

This is my seventh Washington DC trip with students.  I have seen it all, done it all, and probably have enough information to pass a certified tour guide test.(yes, tour guides have to pass a test)  Getting on the bus to head out, early Tuesday morning, I wondered if there was anything new and exciting I was going to see, and looking at the itinerary, it did not appear that was going to happen.  But then, the good Lord did not let me down.

I have seen every monument in DC.  These wonderful structures celebrate the lives of many great people in American History.  Millions of people grace the National Mall to see these fabulous structures and pay tribute the lives of these most influential people.  

There are also monuments that celebrate those that have given their lives so we can live in a Democracy.  The World War II memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial, celebrate the events that took place in United States History, that have shaped our Nation today.

It was not until I was in the Korean War Memorial, that I witnessed something different.  Let me set the scene…

I am with a group of 8^th grade boys and our tour guide.  It is getting late and we are tired.  The tour guide is explaining the history of the memorial and the reason it is the way it is.  As we were about to exit, one of our boys noticed an elderly gentleman and his daughter walking in the memorial with a hat that said Korean War Veteran.  Right then and there, a student reached out his hand and thanked the veteran for his service.  This handshake was unsolicited by any of the adults.  Next thing you know, all the boys are shaking hands and thanking this Veteran for his service. 

After we all had a picture with him, we started towards our next monument.  I decided to go back to the daughter that accompanied this Veteran to ask some questions.  As I was approaching this Veteran, he was embracing his daughter and crying.  I waited for this moment to end, for you could tell that the veteran was emotional.  After asking his name(Charlie) and where he is from(Arizona), his daughter, with tears in her eyes, stated that this was the first time her father had ever been thanked for his service.  It was truly a special moment that no monument could ever explain.

I share this experience, not because I want to get into a debate on the ideals of wars.  I share this experience because our boys did exactly what God would want them to do.  They took a moment to say thank you to someone, for something, that up until the past few years, they knew nothing about.  Our boys took it upon themselves to make someone smile. 

Imagine a world today that focused on making someone smile, instead of tearing them down.  Imagine a world today, where we do unto others for the sake of their well-being, instead of our own interest.  I have to imagine if a world like this existed, then there would be no need for war.