First We Must Develop the Friendship

Happy New Year and welcome back!!  I hope everyone had a very enjoyable Christmas Vacation and your new year is off to a great start.  We are so excited to have our students back and in the swing of things.  After yesterday’s professional development day, I get the feeling everyone is ready to get back in the groove of school.  This is the long stretch of the school year, and I hope everyone is rested and ready to take on the challenge.

 

While on break, my family went to Christmas Eve Mass with my father.  Mass started at 4PM, and we arrived at 3PM.  My son was a little confused that we were showing up so early for Mass.  By about 3:15PM, the church was packed and the standing room only areas were filling up quickly.  At this time, my son said, “Dad, why are there so many people here?”  It was then I had to explain that there are a lot of people visiting their family, just like we were visiting grandpa.  I also told him that many people only go to church on Christmas and Easter, and that if these people would go to Mass every Sunday, then the churches would either have to schedule more Masses or build bigger churches. 

 

 As the New Year’s resolutions are being made and broken, I always wonder if the Christmas and Easter visitors every make a resolution to go to Mass more.  I am sure they are frustrated with standing for Mass, and the amount of time it takes to do Communion with so many people, maybe they think Mass just takes too long.  Maybe they just do not know where to start to get back into making Mass a regular, weekly event.

 

We have struggled as a Church to find the ways to get people back to church.  We have encouraged people to just start going again.  We have been asked to invite a fallen away church goer to join us at church.  We have even gone so far as to make applications and websites to reach the “millennial” crowd.  We have tried so many things of which sometimes works, and sometimes doesn’t.  The way in which we try to reach out and share our faith will always be a struggle, for like education and the different types of learners, the way we reach people has to be different for each individual struggling with their faith journey.  There is no guaranteed solution to work.

 

That being said, a priest friend of mine has a blog.  His name is Fr. John Hollowell and he is the pastor of Annunciation and St. Paul’s Catholic Churches in southern Indiana.  His blog is titled On This Rock.  He often post videos of his sermons, or reviews of books and movies, and even gets a little political every now and then.  Over the break, he posted a video(link is below), that he encourages everyone to share with those who are struggling to get back to church.  While I am not struggling to get back into my faith, I am always looking for new ways to reach out to those that are not normal church goers.

 

This video is a unique perspective of a priest and his own struggles with the Mass.  It is a unique perspective on why Mass attendance is not where it should be.  It also offers some great advice to ease back into the church.  Just like our New Year’s resolutions, we jump into to them “gung ho” and in a short period of time, we drop off quickly to the point of not even trying.  Jumping into faith might just be the same thing.  If we get all gung ho, will it last or will we eventually start to drop off to the point of not returning.

 

I implore everyone to watch this 12 minute video.  Rest assured, it is not another sermon.  This video does a great job sharing the struggles and offering a suggestion on how to get us back into our faith.  It is just one of the many ways, we can reach out to those fallen away church goers.  Will it work for everyone, surely not, but if it works for one, then it is one more person reaching the Kingdom of God.

 

https://vimeo.com/248818856

Rest Assured

Week two of Advent is upon us.  Last week we talked about preparing.  How have you prepared for the birth of our Savior?  Did you do something outside your normal routine?  The readings for this weekend’s Mass still talked about preparing ourselves for the coming of Christ.  Mark 1:3 stated, “Prepare a way for the Lord, make straight His path.”  There is still a need to prepare for the way of the Lord, but something that came to my mind in the first reading was of interest to me.

 

The first reading, from Isaiah 40:11 says, “He is like a shepherd feeding His flock, gathering the lambs in His arms.”  While we are still in the preparation mode, I found this verse to kind of stand out.  While the shepherd prepares the flock, I chose to read this in a different context.  I felt that Isaiah is saying to us, as we prepare, not to worry, for God will take care of us. 

 

Can you count the number of decisions you make on a daily basis, from what to wear, what to cook for dinner, plus all the decisions we have to make in your work life?  Wouldn’t it be nice to have an assurance that every decision we make would be the correct decision?  Unfortunately, every decision we make, cannot be the correct decision, and we will not know if our decision is correct, until the consequences of each decision has played out. 

 

Good News!!! I feel that Isaiah is giving us the assurance that if we prepare the way for the Lord, He will be there to gather His flock, tend to them, make sure they are safe and sound.  Making the decision to prepare for the birth of our savior, now comes with the assurance that He will tend to us, making sure we are fed and safe.  So as we keep preparing for the birth of our Savior, know that it comes with the assurance that if we believe, inviting Him into our lives, we can be assured He will tend to us, like the shepherd tending to the smallest lamb. 

There are not a lot of assurances in this world.  Prepare for His birth with decisiveness and understanding and be assured, He will take care of us.

Let's Start by Preparing

It seems to me that more and more, the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season grows exponentially.  I am guessing it seems that way because as children we have nothing to do but wait for the day we get to open our Christmas gifts.  As we get older our responsibilities become more.  Now we have to not only buy presents, but we have to clean and decorate the house, possibly prepare a meal for family and friends, some might have to pick up family and friends at the airport, etc.  Each year it appears that the Twelve Days of Christmas are quickly becoming the Twelve Pains of Christmas.  Good news though, we have Advent, a time to prepare, a time to wait..

 

The four weeks before Christmas(Advent), have so much symbolism from the materials the wreath are made of, to the color of the candles, but the most important thing to remember is Advent is the time set aside to help us prepare our hearts for the birth of our Lord and Savior.   Lighting a candle per week symbolizes time to pray.  Purple candles, purple vestments, remind us that we need to repent and prepare our hearts.  Do you see a common theme?  Repent and prepare.

 

In this week’s gospel from Mark, we are even reminded to “Be watchful!  Be Alert! For we do not know when the time will come.”  In all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas Season, the last thing we want to do is not be prepared for the master of the house.

 

As the craziness of the season continues, which we all know it will be there whether or not we are prepared to face it, it is important to take some time to prepare spiritually.  During the forty days of Lent(another time for purple) we are asked to fast or sacrifice something for the season.  Let’s take this Advent season as a time to prepare.  Let’s spend the next 20 or so days doing something to prepare ourselves spiritually for the birth of Christ, get up an extra 10 minutes early and start the day off by reading scripture, say a decade of the rosary with the kids in the car on the way to school, actually have an advent wreath in your home and spend a couple of minutes in the morning or evening, as a family, lighting each candle and praying together. 

 

Is all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season ever going to end?  Unfortunately, the answer is probably not.  Would you enjoy the season more if it were less chaotic?  Yes!!!  Do you think maybe, just maybe, if you invited Jesus to join you this season, by preparing for the birth of our Savior, it would help decrease the hustle and bustle?  Absolutely!!!!  Prepare for Him, invite Him.

Be Prepared

This weekend’s gospel is one that often gets misunderstood.  In Matthew, he tells the parable of the women getting ready to meet the Bridegroom on his way to the castle, so they can attend the wedding feast.  Some of the women brought their lamps and some of them brought their lamps and extra oil to keep them lit.  Well, as I am sure you know, those that did not bring extra oil, had to go to the merchant and purchase more.  While they were gone, the Bridegroom came by and invited those waiting into the feast, leaving behind those that did not bring enough oil.

 

Every story can be seen from one side or the other.  If you don’t believe that, watch a conservative news broadcast and then watch a liberal news broadcast.  They both tell the same news story just with a different spin.  This parable is no different.  Some will look at it from the side of the women who were prepared and say congratulations for having the fore thought to think ahead and bring extra oil.  Others will look at the same parable and express discontent for those prepared women for not sharing their oil with others.  How can they be faith filled not to give of what they have to help others!!  Regardless of the way you want to interpret this parable, the most important message is be prepared, for you do not know when the time is coming.

 

Are we prepared for the time in which Jesus calls us?  We all know when it is going to happen, we just do not know when.  Fr. Hunter tweeted the other day, “Take a quick spiritual inventory of your life.  Is Jesus the focal point of your life?  Are you coming to Mass each week?  Do you pray each day?  If not, it’s not too late to change it.”  Many of us are like the women that did not have extra oil.  We may attend Mass when it is convenient to our schedule, maybe we do not attend Reconciliation like we should, maybe we do not pray every day, and the list could go on and on.  Regardless of what takes our focus off of our faith, it is not too late to change.

 

Tyler Mayer, from Bishop Chatard High School stopped by last week to talk with our 8^th graders.  He said, “Habits are the easiest things to form, but the hardest things to change.”  Take some time to do a spiritual inventory.  Do you have spiritual habits?  If not, it is really easy to develop some, attend Mass regularly, attend an Advent Penance service, pray daily, go on a retreat.  It is hard to break a habit, I agree, but if you replace a bad habit with God, it will quickly become a good habit. 

Let's Fill Up the Jar

When I was a teacher, I taught Science for a couple of years.  One of the labs I did with my students, before we would get into the real heavy science labs was to fill a jar.  Now you might be thinking what is so scientific about that? 

 

The first thing I would do is fill the jar with stones.  I would get about 10-12 stones in a jar.  Then I would ask the students if the jar was full.  Of course, since I could not put anymore stones in the jar, the students would gladly say that it was full, and no matter what I did, I could not get them off the idea that the jar was full.  Next, I would open my drawer and pull out some pebbles and dump them into the jar.  The students were amazed and maybe a little embarrassed that they were so adamant, to find out they were wrong. 

 

After the jar was filled with pebbles, I would then again ask, is the jar full.  By this time, some have caught on, others had not.  Now that the pebbles filled the space between the rocks, I could usually convince the students the jar was full.  Next, I would open another drawer and pull out a bag of sand, and proceed to add it to the jar.  Of course, by now, the students are amazed that something else could be added to the jar. 

 

Finally, I would ask one more time, is the jar full.  Now the students are absolutely positive that the jar is full.  Then I would open my cabinet, get a bottle of water, and dump some in the jar.  By this time, I have convinced the students that things are not always what they appear to be.  And in science, sometimes you have to look for things that you would not normally expect to see. 

 Growing up, in my household, there were a lot of jars to fill up.  Some were positive jars, such as “did something nice jar” or “random act of kindness jar.”  Others were not so positive, such as a“swear jar” or the “did something mean jar.”  Regardless of the jar, negative or positive, I am pretty sure I donated to each of the jars, some more than others.

 

We have a pretty hostile culture in today’s world.  Politicians are going back and forth on each and every issue.  They are trying to “win” every conversation, law, or battle.  Just about anything one says is likely to offend someone.  Taking a knee or standing for the National Anthem is overwhelmingly causing turmoil in our society.  Just about every topic on the news is set up to put one side against another.  How do we change this?  What can we do to change the way we think?  Is boycotting the NFL, or a certain actor/actress based on their beliefs the right thing to do?  Or are we just falling into the hostile traps?

 

In an effort to change this, for myself, I have decided I have to change my way of thinking about things.  I have to fill up the imaginary “good deeds jar” in my mind.  I have to seek first to understand, then to be understood.  I have to come to the conclusion that not everyone is going to agree in this world, and we have to search for ways that we agree, and then use this information to come up with win/win solutions. 

 

If you had an imaginary “good deed jar” and looked for opportunities to put a rock or pebble in this jar, how quickly would your jar fill up?  Instead of getting angry at the crazy driver, how about saying a prayer for them, that they reach their destination safely?  If you disagree with someone, maybe you pray for God to soften their heart, or yours.  If we focus on filling up each other’s jar, maybe, after awhile, the positive jars would overflow.  When goods deeds are given, maybe those receiving the good deed will fill up someone else’s jar.  Before you know it, maybe, just maybe, we can start to understand each other and with understanding comes knowledge, calmness, and a jar so full that it overflows.

Are our prayers working?

 

Anyone that has followed my blog(principalsonlineoffice.blogspot.com) knows that I struggle with my prayer life.  I struggle to remember to pray, daily, and when I do pray, I wonder if I am saying the right things or am I doing it the right way.  I have overcome most of these hurdles, not completely, but I am much better than I ever was before.

 

In an effort to remember to pray, daily, I got an app for that.  I know, this is kind of sad that I have to have an application to pray daily, but before the app I would forget to pray completely.  Now, every time I open my phone, there is the app on the first page, and while it only gives me a morning prayer and an afternoon prayer, I see the image and now I do not have to use the app to pray, I use it to remind me to pray.  I might not open the app and read what it suggests, but now I will just say a few words in my head, whether it be to ask for God’s guidance, give Him praise and thanksgiving, or to ask God to protect a loved one or friend.

 

As for worrying what to say, I had a friend give me some great advice, about what to say when one prays to God:  J.O.Y.  Jesus, Others, You.  I have stuck pretty much to that plan every time I pray.  I thank God for the wonderful blessings in my life.  I pray for those that have asked me to pray for them by name, then I ask God for his guidance and understanding in whatever my struggles are in my life. 

 

As far as praying the “right way” I have come to the conclusion that there is no correct way to pray.  If I am wrong on this, boy am I in trouble.  However, I have learned that God is ready to listen to anyone willing to engage in conversation with Him.  He is there ready and waiting on us to start the conversation, so I believe that He does not have a particular “right way” to pray.

 

Now I have an entirely different struggle.  At Mass we always have prayers and petitions starting with the Church, the Pope, the Priest, then it usually turns to peaceful end to wars, and for our world leaders to find said solution.  Finally they end in a more personal or community prayers.  However, the other day, I must have been in a bad mood, for I wondered why we continue to pray for the same thing over, and does God even listen?  Because if He did, then why are we not praying for something different every week?

 

After long contemplation, I had two epiphanies when it comes to prayers and petitions.  First is something that Fr. Hunter tweeted a couple of weeks ago that reminded me that God has three answers to prayers, “Yes,” “No,” or “I have another plan.”  The second epiphany I was reminded that the purpose of prayer is to change something.  Change the sick to healthy, the wicked to kind, whenever we pray, we are actually praying for some kind of change. 

 

Now, for the biggest revelation of all, I have come to conclude that regardless of who or what you are praying for, whatever change you wish to see from your prayer, the biggest change one gets from prayer is hopefully from within.  The most important thing prayer can change is your heart.  When one experiences change from within, it can’t help but change their actions and the way they treat others.  If we pray for an end to war and for the beginning of peace, it will not and cannot happen if we are not allowing our prayers to change us from within.

 

Think, if we all allowed prayer to change us from within, then it changes our actions towards others.  Hopefully, that change for the better is contagious towards the family and friends that we surround ourselves.  Then they start to spread the change to family and friends they are around, and next thing you know, we could have an epidemic, of the good kind.  If we can allow God to change our hearts, and spread that to everyone we know, then before you know it, we might just have the peaceful place we always pray for at Mass.

 

 

 

Would you have a job?

In the past, I have written about my joy of funny signs one might see while driving down the road.  Church signs usually have some play on words or times of important events on their signs, and sometimes they even post points to ponder.  Today, I want to write about the one I saw on the way to church, this past weekend, for it definitely made me think about my prayer life.  The quote was, “If praying was your job, would you be employed?”  Whoa!!!! 

As if I needed another sign(no pun intended) that maybe, just maybe, God is trying to encourage me to increase my prayer life, the Mass I went to this weekend, the priest did his homily on Eucharist Adoration.  He spent his homily sharing with the congregation the things people might see in Adoration, such as the candles, the monstrance, etc.  The priest also talked a little bit about his experience with Adoration.  Then at the end of his homily, he actually exposed the Blessed Sacrament, and we had the opportunity to be in the presence of God, and just pray. 

Then to finish me off, what was on our sign, this morning, when I pulled into work, the Adoration schedule for last Sunday.  Okay God, I get it!!!  I need to be more prayerful in my life.  The rote prayers I am doing are not enough, anymore.  I see the dangers in our world of natural disasters, the constant fighting between our political parties, the fear of world leaders on the brink of war, and I think to myself, what is the point?  It is not working.  My prayers have not changed a thing in this world, so why even bother?

I won’t even go into the selfishness of those thoughts and how I could even think that my prayer for peace is actually going to make peace in this world, or how I can possibly pray for a Hurricane not to hit land, and expect that it actually not his land.  However, what I can attest to is the power of prayer to change my heart. 

I am a firm believer that the power of prayer can change anyone’s life for the better, because it changes said persons heart from within.  Spending time with our Lord will change anyone, if we are willing to start the conversation, listen to what He tells us, and then actually allow our own hearts to change.  We must let the power of prayer change our heart. 

Prayer is a powerful thing that can lead us to places we could never have dreamed of.  Today, make a promise to God and to yourself, that you will increase your prayer life in some way.  Are you praying at family meals?  If not, start.  Are you praying as a family at bedtime?  If not, start.  Are you spending time in the real presence of Christ, at Eucharistic Adoration?  If not, start. 

In order to increase your prayer life, I might suggest that you start by making it a part of your daily schedule by adding it to your calendar.  Set it up to give you a reminder on your phone or computer and when that reminder pops up, stop what you are doing and spend time in prayer.  Mark your calendar to spend time in Adoration.  If the SPX times do not fit your schedule, find other churches that might.  Some churches will have perpetual Adoration or almost perpetual Adoration, find a schedule that fits around yours.   Do something that will take you out of the daily routine of your life, and add time for God.  Let Him change your heart and you might be surprised how the change in your heart, might be an example for someone else.