The Body of Christ: Some Assembly Required

   There are many toys and products that come in pieces with the label "Some assembly required."  That indicates it will take some work to build it (whatever "it" is) up into the product it was meant to be.
   It is the same with our Church, referred to as "The Body of Christ," and we are the parts.  When we come together as an assembly for the Eucharistic celebration (The Mass), we are building up the faith community -- locally to universally.
   Each time we come together, whether at Mass or in other gatherings in His Name, Jesus' Presence is strengthened in our assembly.  We support and encourage each other to live faithful lives and be important, significant and vital parts of the holy communion.  Receiving Jesus in Holy Communion at Mass is also a special link that binds us as brothers and sisters in Christ.
   This assembly in which we are an important part has two more steps that are just as necessary as the coming together to build up the Body of Christ.  We are to go out as changed people to share the message of Jesus' love with those we meet.  And we are to assemble together regularly and often to glorify, praise and worship God as well as support and encourage each other on our faith journey.  Such gatherings build community.
   Do you see our Church as the Body of Christ, and a holy communion?  How are you changed by the Eucharist and/or The Word to share Jesus?  In John 3: 16 the message is God sent Jesus to change our lives and our destiny.  Jesus sends us to change lives and destinies too!

My experience of God -- Awful to Awe-full

   Some years ago my relationship with God was limited to the time I spent at Church on Sunday.  It was because of my parents that I went to Mass.  When I was old enough to go to Mass on my own, whether riding my bike or driving to the Church, it was because I was expected to do that.  And even then I was the one who arrived late and exited early, usually after Communion.
   Church wasn't a place where I wanted to be, so I didn't want to spend any more time there than I had to.  I didn't like being there, and many other places seemed more appealing.
   It was only when I found my own place in our Church that my attitude changed.  I found a community in which I wanted to be a part.  They showed me the love of God in a way that I was open to; the love of acceptance and friendship.
   My experiences of God's love in communities has grown through a young adult group, through the Cursillo movement, in youth groups, in children's ministries and more.  I began a journey of discovering love, myself and a new perspective of JOY.
   Happiness can be found in the priorities we set in our lives.  The word JOY can be an acronym for Jesus, Others, Yourself.  If I am willing to put Jesus first in my life, and other's concerns before my own, then I might find peace and serenity in my soul.  In Matthew 25: 40 Jesus said, "When you did this for the least of my brothers (and sisters) you did it for Me."
   A self-centered attitude develops a personality of take-take-take, while one of other-centeredness finds giving more appealing.  Satan is always looking for opportunities to invert our JOY, to jumble it into some other combination where Jesus isn't first.  But any other order of those letters just doesn't make sense.
   If you are at the "awful" stage in your faith journey, be open to God's presence and guidance.  Our faith is about relationship, and building it up is on-going, a process.  Our continued openness reveals how awe-full this connection with God can be.

“One And Done” or “Going Deeper”

“One And Done” or “Going Deeper”

      When a sports team reaches the end of its regular season and has qualified for postseason play, the discussion focuses on how they will do in those playoffs.  The Talk terms/phrases like “One And Done,” fits a team that loses it’s first postseason game/series, and “Going Deeper,” refers to teams that win and continue on in their respective playoffs.

     This terminology also fits in with faith topics, as with our three Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Holy Communion and Confirmation).  These Sacraments are meant to be beginnings for living our life in a new way, one that is connected with the family of God.

     If a family prepares for a Sacrament, but after receiving it, doesn’t stay connected with Church (eg. participating in Mass or on-going faith formation), they are taking the “One And Done” approach.  When after receiving the Sacrament, the family stays connected with Church, the “Going Deeper” mindset is put into practice.

     The “One And Done” teams are viewed as failures, and a similar analogy can be attributed to the Church context.  And the “Going Deeper” teams are seen as ones who succeed; some of the same traits are true about those who stay connected with Church.

     Our challenge is to build up families, our family of faith and our community.  We cannot do that in isolation, and we cannot receive the benefits in that separation.

     Stay connected because we are an inter-dependent people, and we rely on each other.  Through the community building that gets accomplished by people who are “Going Deeper,” we as the Body of Christ are strengthened.  We as the family of God are more alive as we keep the faith and share it too.

So Go Deeper, as many need the Presence of Jesus that you can bring to their lives.

I Dare You To Do Better

I Dare You To Do Better

(Written for high school graduates)

      In a blockbuster movie a young man was told of his father’s great accomplishments, and that revelation was followed with “I dare you to do better.”

      In a similar way those who transition from one phase of their life to another (eg. graduations) have that challenge too.  What will you accomplish with the best of your abilities.  Some of you will go to college, others will choose a different path.  It is all a continuation of the preparation for what will come later in life.  An important part of it will be stay connected in your faith.  The bonds of our family and our family of faith can support and encourage us with incredible strength for the journey.

     Whichever path you choose, God will use all of your experiences, knowledge and wisdom to bless others; but only if you are open to that possibility.  God uses all our abilities while also overcoming our disabilities and (perceived) inabilities.  The most important one that God wants, which is in our control, is our availability.

     God looks for helpers and workers to assist with tasks.  When we are willing, God helps us prepare for the opportunity we are presented.

     Mother Teresa said (maybe others before her did too) “We do not do great things.  We do small things with great love.”  It is in reflecting on the accomplishments that we realize the magnitude and the far-reaching effects.

     Another quote is “We cannot do all the good the world needs, but the world needs all the good we can do.”  We must be willing to make the good choices and do the right things.  It is when we look outward from ourselves to do what needs to be done, that we can avoid the prideful in favor of acting humbly, and finish tasks the way God wants.

     Accept the invitation, make availability your priority, stay connected to the Source that can be your strength, build-up your support group — then be the best person you can be, doing your best!

Holy Communion or holy communion -- What's the difference?

Holy Communion -- The Real Presence of the Risen Jesus Christ that we receive in bread and wine that are consecrated to be His Body and Blood at Mass, our Eucharistic Celebration.

holy communion -- What we become through the celebration as an assembly and by our full, conscious, active participation at Mass, in which we praise, glorify and worship God.  By the Holy Communion we receive and consume, we are united together with Jesus and each other in community.  We are changed to go out and affect our world through our faith-filled lives.

     Our connection with Jesus changes us, through many ways including prayer, the Word of God (the Bible), the Eucharistic sacrifice and devotions.  We are never to cover up the changed person we become, as Jesus says in Matthew 5: 13-16.
     I heard a talk in which the message included "Together, we build up the Body of Christ, and the Body of Christ builds us up too."  Holy Communion helps us be stronger in our faith, and we are necessary parts in the Body of Christ.
     There is a song that includes the words, "We are One Body, One Body in Christ, and we do not stand alone."  As a holy communion we support and encourage each other on our faith journey.
     So receive Holy Communion regularly, and be a holy communion continually.  The Eucharist (Holy Communion) is the Source and Summit of our faith, and a holy communion is our destiny.  We continue to strive for it and we keep assembling together; It is the practice of our faith.
     We try to be holy, but sometimes we stumble, sometimes we fall.  Sometimes we turn away in our sinfulness, but we shouldn't stay that way.  We are never too good that we can choose to stay away, and we are never too bad that we would be kept away.  Jesus paid the price to reconcile us, and when we humbly reach out for Him, we are welcomed back into the family.
     And there will be a celebration.

Our Faith Could Never Be non-Prophet

Our Faith Could Never Be non-Prophet

     God used messengers to deliver divine messages to those who would believe -- then and later.  People who are open to receive God' messages are prophet-able and the result is profitable for the kingdom of God.

     Many of the messages are challenging and call us to make changes in our lives.  I find it hard, in some cases, to accept that I've been doing "it" wrong, or that my way is not the best way.  But many times God sends someone into my life with just such a message.  I get down the road in my spiritual journey and look back at that particular situation and see how God's way really was the best way.
     Whomever the messenger is that God has chosen may be referred to as "a prophet," or not, the title is not what is important.  God's message is what is significant; the call to change, and the act of coming back to God's way.
     Seldom do I realize what God is doing in my life while I experience it.  When I look back, I see a greater picture of what took place, and who it was that God used to accomplish the task.
     Sometimes those messages comes from a child, youth or adults.  God carefully selects messangers using only those willing to serve in that capacity; many times there is more urging from God to convince the person.
     When Jeremiah was called, he told God that he was too young.  But God offers development and training to build our confidence.  I found that out.
     When I was in C.C.D. I looked at my Catechists and thought I would never do that.  God led me through many small steps and developed in me the confidence to speak about my faith before a group.  I don't consider myself a prophet by biblical standards, but I am willing to be a messenger for God.
     Many of you, or your peers, have stepped forward to proclaim the message of God before others, perhaps as a Catechist, Team-Teacher, Lector, Eucharistic Minister, giving a talk on a Retreat, one-on-one counseling, helping a friend in need, or just encouraging someone to do what's right.
     Someone once told me, "You may be the only Bible another person reads."  We live the Christian faith, and our lives are an open book.  Are we willing to make it the Good Book?  I certainly am willing to try, by opening myself up to let God lead.  I am blessed to be used by our Lord Jesus Christ.
     You are called to serve Christ in a similar way.  Your answer is your choice, but know that the invitation has been extended.  I hope your answer will be, "Here I am Lord, Send me!"

The cracks that prayer creates

     I tend to try doing things with the feeling that I can accomplish it on my own, without any help.  That develops a sense of self-sufficiency.  And success has a way of propagating these feelings.
     Most times I reach a point where I realize it's time to ask for help.  Prayer can be the answer to just such a need, whether its wanting to share about our joys or sorrows, soliciting help, or expressing thankfulness.  All of this is done by reaching out to our God, thus creating cracks in our shell of self-sufficiency.
     When I reach out to God, the answer may be immediate or it may take awhile, but one thing surely is different -- it is no longer "I," or "me," alone.  It's "we (God and me)," that will handle it together.
     Recently I was doing a talk for a retreat team meeting and in preparation I thought I knew the way the talk should go ("No thanks, God, no help needed here.").  God gave me a message through the Gospel reading for that Sunday that worked well into the talk.  I had prayed about the talk, but wasn't really open to God's way.  Yet God kept urging, and the talk was strengthened by the Word of God.
     There have also been times when I'm angry with God -- and the shell closes up.  How can I expect any healing in this (or any) relationship if I shut down the communications.  Our God, Who is Love, can show us the way if only there are cracks for Love to flow.
     As my relationship with God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) develops I have a greater want for more openness and that means more and more, as well as bigger and bigger cracks.  Yet still I have parts of my life where the self-sufficiency shell persists -- a continual work in progress.
     Jesus never said once you follow Me all things will work out.  There are many things, events and people in our lives that strengthen our shell, but as we experience what God's Love can do, we want to come to Him more and more.  And that's what God wants too, for each of us to deepen our relationship.
     Each of us is at a different point in our relationship with God and is progressing at our own pace.  What we learn from others gives us ideas to try, but they must fit naturally into our lives or they won't last long.  That, too, we will learn more about in our discussions with God.

So go ahead, crack a few shells.

When it comes to giving, some people stop at nothing.

When it comes to giving, some people stop at "nothing"

     The title of this story can be viewed in two ways.  One is that when a person is faced with a decision about giving they don't, so they give nothing.  The other is that nothing can stop a person from giving to others.
     After the tragic events of September 11th, (and others eg. earthquake in Haiti, the flood in Louisiana, etc.) we have seen and heard many accounts of selfless giving from the rescue workers, the community, the nation and the world.  These people are wonderful examples of the Good Samaritan attitude and mindset.
     I have also supported the rescue efforts, as well as participated in the unification of America by displaying flags at home and on vehicles I've driven.  Yet, I continue to think about what strikes our "giving" nerve.  Did we stop at nothing for a long time before something clicked?
     A past story title (in a newsletter) was "Giving is not about how much you have."  The meaning of that is "the willingness to give" is about an attitude.  We should not wait until we have enough, then give from our surplus.  There are so many people in need and even though we may think we don't have enough, we can still give something.
     Every time I think "Why God, don't I have enough ______ (time, money, things, etc.)?," I also sense God saying, "Why don't I have enough people who love and care."  Then my "Woe is me" attitude is shattered.
     If I don't love and care, and also give nothing, then I create a separation, which is not what God wants us to do.  God created us to be interdependent, to rely on each other.  We are challenged to reach out to others, but are we willing to do that?
     We are not self-sufficient.  We need others, and most especially we need God.  I have been a giving person in some ways, but not in others.  I continually learn from God's lessons, some are easier than others.
     Sometimes God has to pound in the message, but God doesn't create opportunities for pain and suffering.  God does use such incidents to offer us a chance to get involved.  Then we decide which viewpoint of this story title to apply.