One Step Over the Edge...

Trust is a tricky thing. It can be gained or lost in a moment. Those who don't deserve it are often times are best at getting it, and we seldom give it fully to those we should be able to rely on most. Sometimes we're naive, and just hand our trust over to anyone with a nice shirt, and an impressive vocabulary. Sometimes we're stubborn and set up impossible standards that are inevitably left underwhelmed and unfulfilled. Sometimes we're just blind, and make the ones we should trust most jump through hoop after hoop because we can't see all they've done for us.

Honestly, I think we're just a scared people. We're scared to be open and vulnerable while at the same time we're afraid not to have anyone to rely on. We're afraid to be alone but afraid to be hurt or to be mocked. The problem is that this creates an odd dichotomy in which we either open ourselves up partially to anyone that we find, but run and hide whenever someone really wants to get to know the real, unbridled, mess YOU.

People like our friends... Or our family... Or God

But why? Haven't they given us reason after reason to trust? Haven't our friends and family been there when things were their worst? Hasn't God given us everything we have? Hasn't He blessed us and loved us? Hasn't he saved us? He's brought me this far? Why can't I trust that He really has a plan for me? Why can't I trust that He loves me?

I think we get so wrapped up in our egos at times. We have this false humility in our world that makes us think that our problems are so bad, and that nobody could possibly be as hurt as me, let alone understand me. Who is this invisible man in the sky anyway, and what does he have to do with me?

We forget what we have been given, and we're left stranded in a sea of unfulfilled expectations because we refuse to acknowledge the fact that we are blessed either because we're not humble enough to accept that love, or we're scared of what accepting that love will mean. Often, it's not that we don't believe or trust in the plan. It's that we're afraid of the plan, so we push it to the back of our mind because we're afraid to let go of what we think is best for us.

But sometimes, I think it's just that we're afraid to make the leap. We don't think we'll be caught because we've never had to jump before, or we've been dropped in the past. A scar stands in our way.

But are we content with that? Are we content ignoring our blessings and/or being afraid to move? Are we content being lonely or opening ourselves up to anyone who seems trustworthy? I say no! Look back on your life, and tell me where God has been at work? How have you gotten to where you are today? Can you really say that He hasn't brought you? What stands in the way of you trusting him how you should? Once we identify it, it has to be addressed. There is almost nothing as ridiculous as the idea of not trusting the one who has given us everything; the one who has nothing to prove to us. The one who saves.

Meditate on how we do and don't trust God, and really address the shortcomings. I promise that if you do, you will absolutely go deeper and his absolute faith will abolish all fear.

May the Lord our God bless us
St Joseph, model of manliness, pray for us

Encouragement from Exhaustion

This past week, I was given the opportunity to participate with my fellow CCM student leaders in student welcome week at George Mason. Affectionately (and often exasperatedly) referred to as the "First 168", this week is the most jam packed of any week that we have during the school year in terms of outreach, promotion, and building new friendships with new students.

As the week wraps up, and I look back at the exhausting first seven days, it's really easy to think about how tired I really am. It's easy to think of all the awkward moments, unanswered phone calls, scathing looks, and people that outright ignore you. We all went through periods of fear, fatigue, frustration, anger, and all of us have all let out the big exasperated sigh after being rejected by someone we thought we made a connection with. All of this has brought us to a single conclusion:

GOD IS GOOD

Despite every failure and every awkward moment, God showed through. Despite every bad joke and weird look, God showed through. His glory permeated every single moment of the week and absolutely allowed us to do work that we would never have been able to on our own. God's spirit overcame us and overshadowed us. Amazing work was done, and continues to be done

We had 1200 people at our freshman luau, our 10pm Sunday Mass and Thursday Night Supper were packed with people, and we have literally hundreds of freshman looking into joining Bible Studies and RCIA. We would never have been able to do that without Him. Honestly, I witnessed the Holy Spirit taking over every single person, allowing them to speak in tongues and reach each person in a unique way. We were the loaves, multiplied to feed the crowds. We were the fishers of men, casting our nets into the deep

We still have a lot of work to do, but there is an encouragement found in this past week that will keep us going throughout the coming months and the coming year. God has amazing plans for each person on the Student Ministry Team, and for every person we met. I look forward to seeing what God does over the course of the semester. Praise be to God, our Light and our Guide.

May the Lord, our God, bless us
St Joseph, model of manhood, pray for us

When I Grow Up

Let me tell you two stories:

1. When I was a week boy of merely 11 years old, I walked into my Sunday School classroom and was asked the oddest question of my life up until that point. My teacher, who none of us had ever met before, stood up and asked, "Who wants to be a saint when they grow up?". Silence. Not a single person raised their had, let alone spoke. Who was this woman? Saints are shiny people in the sky! What did they have to do with me. I'm just a regular kid! I'm not a saint. Undaunted, she asked again, "Who wants to be a saint?". Silence again. Then she allowed a smile crossed her wrinkled older face, and she explained what sainthood really is.

St Anthony of Padua, My Patron

2. This past month, I worked for Lifeteen up in Boston as a summer missionary. There I met a missionary named Felix who, from day 1 of the mission, kept the same 6 words: "I want to be a saint". This blew my mind as if I was 11 years old in Sunday school again. Who was this guy? He dressed casually, he spoke normally, and with the exception of his gigantic afro, there was nothing outwardly different about him. But there was something unique about him. Something that it really took me a month to put my finger on. Felix was a man who wants to be a saint, and he has the gifts to get him there.

What I've learned is that saints are not born with halos on their heads and rosaries in their hands. Saints are not born old and wrinkly, as we see them in pictures and paintings. Saints do not stand on pedestals above us, or sit on benches to judge us. They are not just pictures in books that we read, or names that we write on pretty churches. Saints are people that are fully alive.

St Peter, Or First Pope

But what does that mean? What did they do that I'm not doing? It's deceptively simple. The saints are regular, everyday people that embraced every moment of their lives with unrestrained love and immeasurable enthusiasm. The saints are sinners like you and me that set themselves aside for the glory of their God and Savior. They were people that feared, got angry, cursed, drank, and failed to love at times. But they understood that they were the children of the Almighty, and they set aside all sin and all attachment to worldly things in order to live fully with He who is Life.

Brothers, they lived life the way it was meant to be lived. They did not settle for the things of this world! We are called to live the same life. How can you love today? How can you give glory to God in your work, classes, family, or relationships? How can you be a saint. Do not let anything stand in your path. If you have a past that you think stands in your way, offer it to God and live a life despite your past. If you have a wound or sin that you cannot let go of, humbly ask God to remove it and heal you so that Hid glory can shine through. Let nothing block you from what you are meant to be!

St Joseph, Model of Manliness

My friend Felix has what the saints have. A love for God that is ever deepening, and a love for others that gives life to everyone and every situation he encounters. Felix and the saints always point to Christ as their source and life, and they never turn from that.

I pray that we too can live our lives to the full as Christ says in John 10:10. I pray that we can cling to the cross like the saints do so that we can be truly one with Jesus our God. I pray that one day, when our pilgrimage on this earth is over, we can live forever with He who calls me to Life.

May the Lord our God bless us
All saints and angels, especially St Joseph, pray for us

The Fellowship of the Unashamed

This past month, I had the opportunity to work as a summer missionary for Lifeteen up in Boston, MA. It was an amazing opportunity to minister to the youth of that area as well as dive deeper into my own faith. I learned that to life a Christian life is to live a life that is missionary. It means treating every moment, every conversation, every step, every day as if it were a mission in an of itself. And what is the objective of the mission?

To Convert Hearts

This means living, acting, and loving in every moment as Christ did. It means clinging to the Cross and to the Eucharist with steadfast hope and faith. It means building your heart on the foundation of rock that is Christ and the Church instead of the ever shifting sands that a life of world has to offer.

Honestly it means living in what an African priest and Martyr called "The Fellowship of the Unashamed". In the middle of the night a few years ago, he was taken and never seen again. When people came to his home, they found that he had written the following poem on his wall:

"I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His and I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I'm done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised, or rewarded. I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power.

My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear.

I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed.  I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me. My colors will be clear!"

 We live as a part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. We have a mission that is clear and we will not back down. We march under the banner of Christ, and we will be victorious. I pray that we can take these words to heart so that we can truly be missionary.

May the Lord our God bless us
St. Joseph, model of manliness, pray for us

Let Me Tell You About a Friend of Mine

Today's a big day for me! Not only was last night Pentacost, the birthday of the Church, but today is the feast day of my patron and friend, St Anthony of Padua. Many of us know St Anthony as the guy we call on when we lose something and need help finding it. I'll admit that I've sent a prayer or two his way. I may even owe him $80 when we finally meet face to face. But there is so much about this amazing man that many people don't know. I'm here to share a thing or two with you in the hopes that we can learn from his example, and he can become your friend as well.

St Anthony was a brilliant man with an amazing gift for preaching the word. He was a member of the Augustinian order in Portugal. However, at age 26, became a brother and priest in the the newly formed Franciscan order after hearing of five Franciscans who were martyred in Morocco. He was told by St Francis to go to university because of his brilliant mind. This was a huge exception to the rule, since Franciscans, unlike Dominicans, did not pursue higher education at the time. But St Francis saw in Anthony a great mind, and wanted Anthony to learn all he could.

So learn he did! He soaked up knowledge about the faith like a sponge, and St Francis taught him how to preach. Anthony took this gift and set the world ablaze with sermons and homilies that were renown throughout Europe and the world. He is also known to have been loved as a teacher and guide by children everywhere he went.

He traveled constantly, preaching and teaching the faith, despite his own sickly nature. He eventually died of dropsy at the age of 36, after converting countless people into the Church, and reigniting a fire in the Church throughout Europe. Some stories say that when he died, crying children filled the streets and the church bells rang of their own accord. Another story claims that when St Anthony's body was exhumed, decades after his burial, Anthony's body had decayed but his tongue glistened and looked as though it was still alive and moist. A testament to his gift of speech.

My personal favorite story is when St Anthony met a merchant who did not believe in Christ. He told the man not to feed his donkey for five days. After those five days, he was to bring the donkey to the square and Anthony would prove the power of God. Well, after five days, the merchant brought his starving donkey to the town square where Anthony had placed a gigantic pile of hay. The donkey, crazy from hunger, broke free and galloped toward the feast. At the last moment, St Anthony stepped out from behind the pile, holding in his hands the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament. At once, the donkey stopped in it's tracks and fell on it's knees. Anthony said to the merchant, "You're donkey believes. Why don't you?"

St Anthony was canonized by Pope Gregory IX in 1232, less than one year after his death. He was declared a Doctor of the Church, one of the highest honors a saint can receive, by Pope Pius XII in 1946. He is often call the Evangelical Doctor or Doctor Evangelicus. He is always depicted holding a book, representing his being a doctor of the church, and holding the Child Jesus, who appeared to St Anthony in a vision.

I hope everyone has a blessed day, and can take to heart one of the many lessons that St Anthony teaches. May we all learn to use our gifts as St Anthony did, and set the world ablaze as we are all called to do.

May the Lord, or God, bless us
St Joseph, model of manliness, pray for us
St Anthony, my patron and friend, pray for us

Another Carpe Diem Rant....

Hey all!! It's been awhile. I could call myself a failure. I could call myself a non-communicative twit. But, after a lot of thought it really just comes down to the fact that I'm absent minded and forgot to post. Regardless of the reason, I'm sorry, and I'm very very glad to be back.

I had a thought. The great writer C.S Lewis said in his book The Screwtape Letters "The present is the point at which time touches eternity". He makes the point that all of our fear and anxiety point toward a future, while our anger and resentment point toward the past. All of these things keep our focus away from the only thing that is truly real, the present moment. Those who can truly live in their present moment experience live most authentically; They are, in a most amazing sense, able to find God in every detail.

God has no future and no past. He is purely and truly in the now at all times and in all places. Now, what effect does that have on us? As children of God, made in his image and likeness, we are are not meant to dwell on the future or the past. We are meant to seize life in every moment, living out our days not as if they are our last, but as if they are our only.

But what does that look like? How does one grab life by the collar and live it to the full. Well, the answer is simpler than it initially seems. We follow the example of the saints. Mother Theresa, John Paul II, Padre Pio. The list goes on and on. These are men and women who lived every moment with a purpose and a zeal that seems extraordinary, but the only amazing thing is that we are all keeping ourselves from doing the same.

Jesus said in John 10:10, "I came that they might have life and have it to the full". I think that we need to cling to the one who gives life, and allow ourselves to live fully in the moment that we inhabit. I think that if we can truly do that, we can truly find the happiness that we are made to experience.

May the Lord, our God, bless us
St Joseph, model of manliness, pray for us

A Big Weekend...

Last night, I logged onto my Facebook and read the news that many had been hoping for for ten years. Osama Bin Laden had been killed by American Special Forces. However, behind the chants of "USA!", I noticed a particularly disturbing trend. People were not rejoicing over the fact that this man was out of power, or that Al Queda was now left leaderless. What I saw was an entire news feed full of people that were rejoicing over a death. Some of the statuses I saw were as follows:

"Enjoy Hell Bin Laden", "Ding Dong, Bin Laden's dead", "There's no better way to end the weekend than Bin Laden's death", and the list goes on and on...

People! This is not a freaking video game! A man is dead. What he did and what he is responsible for does not give anyone the right to rejoice over his death as if he was not a human being to begin with. 

The Vatican made this statement: "Faced with the death of a man, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibility of everyone before God and man, and hopes and pledges that every event is not an opportunity for a further growth of hatred, but of peace." 

However, when Catholic News Blog posted the story, the first comment was this:"I rejoice that God gave our troops the ability to find and kill this devil.The king of the dogs is dead. I think we should hang his dead body on a pole at ground zero, point a webcam at him and let the buzzards pick his bones as the world watches. Maybe then the Islamic terrorist will understand we mean business"

Is this not a terrifying picture of the culture of death that we live in? Are we just like the people we fight wars against who burn images of our leaders in effigy? Do we really celebrate death as if it were a gift to take the life of a man? As Catholics we are called now more than ever to pray for our enemies. Did the many Catholics who I saw posting about Bin Laden even realize that it was Divine Mercy Sunday, or that John Paul II, a huge proponent of mercy and forgiveness, was made blessed

I think all these things happened on the same day for a reason. We are meant to show mercy to those who oppress us, and forgiveness to those who do us harm. We need to live out the words spoken so beautifully by Father Lombard in the Vatican. I say do not rejoice over the death of a human being. Do not deny his personhood or the image of God in which he was created. I urge you to say a prayer for Osama Bin Laden's soul, and also pray for a healing in the world and in our own hearts.

May the Lord, our God, bless us, our country, and our world                                                                                                                         Saint Joseph, model of manliness, pray for us

http://www.romereports.com/palio/Vatican-asks-to-not-celebrate-killing-of-Bin-Laden-fears-it-will-increase-hate-english-4045.html

Manliest Day of the Year

I absolutely love Good Friday. I look forward to it all year in fact. I know that's weird to say. For most of us, we think of Good Friday and think, "Wow, how depressing!", or "Oh great, I have to fast again". True, Good Friday is a day of mourning for the death of our Lord, and we fast to represent that. But look at what's really going on...

Today is the day that Jesus did the manliest thing that anyone on earth could possibly do. He submitted himself. He had the flesh torn from his bone. He was crowned with inch-long thorns. He was forced to carry a cross. He died the brutal death of a criminal. All of this while being ridiculed and mocked. He died and agonizingly terrible death, and for what?

For US! Not just US as human beings, or US as sinners.  He died for US, the Church. His BRIDE. He died for US, the love of his life. And he didn't just die for ALL of us he died for EACH of us. He looked at the rough and heavy cross and thought specifically of you. He did what Adam failed to do in Eden. Jesus steps up and gets between us and death. He see's the Devil, the serpent, trying to ensnare us by sin and destruction, and says "Take me instead".

He gives absolutely everything! His best friends leave him. His body is broken. He has been betrayed. He's being insulted and spit on by the very people he is dying for. He even give his own mother to us, making himself an orphan for love of us.

This is what a true man of God gives to those whom he loves. When we receive our vocation, we are supposed to die for our bride, whether she be a human bride or the Church. We are supposed to be like Jesus, and give our bodies to those who would jeopardize our loved ones. We are to protect our women, our families, our friends, and our Church with everything we have, even unto death. We are born and baptized servant-kings, and we fall in behind the banner of the servant of servants and the king of kings.

I pray that we can unite our sufferings with Christ this Good Friday. I pray that we can more fully meditate on his perfect sacrifice. I pray that we can all die to ourselves, and that we can rise with him in new life.

May the Lord our God bless us
St Joseph, model of manliness pray for us

Time Keeps on Slipping, Slipping, Slipping....

Every since I was little, I've been hearing about how I need to plan for the future. "You need to have goals", or "you need to do things while you're still young". I eventually learned to tune the voices out and keep on keeping on. I mean, I have goals. I know what I want to do with my life. And what does everyone mean "while you're young". I've got time.

More recently I've been working a lot more. I've been going to school and dealing with multiple jobs and programs and responsibilities. Seldom do I sit at home to eat, and even when I do it feels rushed. God is working in my life and given me so much, but I'm exhausted. Everything I do is focused toward the next place I need to be or the next step I want to take, and I seldom live in the moment I inhabit.

So I've made a decision. Jesus says in John 10:10, "I came that thy might have life and live it more abundantly". I want to live these words as best I can. So what have I done? I've racked my brain and made myself a bucket list, and here are some selections:

• Scuba dive in the great barrier reef
• Go to the Holy Land
• Serve as a missionary in rural Africa
• See a whale up close
• Record a CD
• Write a novel
• Become a youth minister
• Graduate from George Mason University
• Become fluent in American Sign Language 
• Etc, Etc, Etc.....

I think all Catholics should have a bucket list. It represents an intention to do more with our lives than just survive the daily grind. A bucket list is a promise to yourself that you will have something extraordinary to look back on when you're old.

Make sure that everything you list is something that you have some sort of control over. For example, I left out anything about my vocation. That's something that I submit to God. But I can write. I can travel. I can study. Also, be specific. Don't just travel. Travel to a location. Don't just learn a language. Lean a specific language. Once you've written the list commit to it! Set a goal for each item that says by what age you'll complete each thing. Stick to you're convictions and I promise that you will have life experience that truly exemplify what it means to seize the day and live life to the fullest

May the Lord, or God, bless us
St Joseph, model of manliness, pray for us

From Our Lips to His Ears

Prayer is a tricky thing. What do I say? Is Jesus kinda like Santa who just wants to hear what I want and gives it to me if I'm good? Oh! Maybe prayer is just a time when I tell God what bothers me. If I pray hard enough, my problems will just go away. No... that doesn't seem quite right either. Should I read something? Do I pray a rosary? And what's this silence thing anyway. What does it all mean?

If you're like me you've thought all of these things throughout your daily life, and tried most if not all of these strategies. Unfortunately, in the confusion of it all, the real meaning of what prayer is supposed to be get's lost. A dear friend of mine (the same one who gave me the dating link a couple weeks ago actually), once described prayer simply as an intimate conversation between best friends. That really hit me. I thought to myself, "do I converse with God in my prayer, or do I just talk at him for awhile and then go about the rest of my day?".

The answer to what prayer really is and isn't ended up being all of the above, yet none of the above. God really does want to hear our wants and our woes. He wants us to read the bible or pray a rosary, or even reflect on a spiritual reading. But what gets missed in the constant ebb and flow of life is that in order to reach conversation with God, we have to listen. We need to sit in silence and ask God what he has to say. It takes practice. We may hear something and we may not. We need to take time and be receptive to the still small voice that dwells in the very core of our hearts.

But we need structure! If you're like me, you can't just sit there. You have to be doing something. This isn't as hard as it seems. The Church is loving enough to give us daily readings, selections from His living Word that we are meant to hear that day. Read them, then read them again. Finally, reflect on how the readings stand out to you. The way the readings touch our hearts is the way that God is trying to reach us that day. It may seem overly simple, but God does all he can to meet us where we are. He knows exactly what we need.

Prayer is essential to be a true Christian. From our prayer comes the refreshment we need to go out and complete our daily mission. My prayer is that we can listen to what God has in store for us, and put it into action in our lives.

May the Lord, or God, bless us
St Joseph, model of manliness, pray for us

Identity Crisis

Have you ever stopped to ask who, or what you are? It seems an odd question to ask. But please, humor me. We live a life that is so focused outward on the activities and aesthetics of our lives that we seldom look inward at ourselves for any significant reason. I gave this some thought the other day and came to the realization that much, if not most of the time, I as well as many others have no idea how to answer this question. We fall victim to a series of lies and misdirections that keep us away from the awesome truth of who and what we really are.

The first temptation, and the one I struggle with most personally, is the temptation to think that "I am what I do". I AM a teacher. I AM a student. I AM leader, friend, or youth minister. I AM (insert responsibility here). Simply put, we identify ourselves by our jobs and positions. Well, what happens if you lose your job? What happens if you rid yourself of responsibility? What happens if you don't do that job well? Do you cease to exist? No! We are something greater than anything we can do or say.

We're also tempted to think that "I am what others say about me". This is a hard one to fess up to, especially in our individualistic society, but imagine the following scenario. You give a presentation to a group of 50 people. 49 say how great the presentation it was, but one person says he hated it. He say's you wasted his time. Who are you going to remember? It almost seems, at least in my own life, that I identify myself with the NEGATIVE things others say about me, and try to do better. However, I don't try to improve in an effort to better myself. I'm trying to better the things people say. It's another lie! We can be so focused on the things that people think, that we will begin to reflect those feelings, or even overcompensate to improve other people's opinions. This is a black hole we simply cannot fall into.

The third and final temptation that we fall into is to think "I am what I have done". We look for affirmation in our achievements. Look how many trophies I have! Look at the good I've done in my church/community! Look at my degrees. The danger here is that it keeps us looking behind us. And why not? The past is concrete. It's safe. We know everything to know about yesterday and always will. But what happens when we seek comfort in our accomplishments to the point where we ignore the present? The lie here is that there is a past or a future. There is only now. The past has faded away, and the future is only a vague idea of "nows" to come. The only thing that really exists, and the only place where salvation can truly be found, is the present moment.

Can we see the lie that runs rampant throughout all three of these temptations? It's that we ARE external. We ARE only what we can feel and touch with our two hands. We are what we can do. The enemy is playing us! What we ARE far outstrips anything that he says we are. We ARE beloved sons and daughters of the Lord, God almighty! Think about that for a moment. At the Jordan, when Jesus was baptized, the voice of the Father came from heaven saying "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased". He is saying that about every single one of us. We are loved by a God who thought us into existence and maintains us at every moment. We are beloved sons and daughters of God! Nothing we have done or can do can take that away. Nothing that anyone says can strip us of it. Let it sink in! We are children of the almighty God, and nothing less.

One final thought. When God spoke to Moses from the bush, and told Moses his name, he simple said "I Am who Am". He didn't say I Am Creator, or I Am Father. He only said "I AM". We are made in image and likeness of a God who just IS. I pray that we can all remember this truth, and live it in our daily lives so that, at the end of time, He can look upon us and say "This is my beloved child, in whom I am very well pleased".

May the Lord, or God bless us
St Joseph, model of manhood, pray for us

A Re-Post if You Will....

Last week, a dear friend of mine sent me an article entitled, "Stop Hanging Out With Women and Start Dating Them". I tried and tried to come up with anything that would add to the effect of the article, but I came to the realization that it really speaks for itself.

The author runs another blog called "The Art of Manliness", which has talks about everything from how to dress for a job interview and find a job, to how to take care of children and budget for a family. It's a kind of how to guide for being a man in today's world.

This article focuses along the same lines as my earlier post on extended adolescence. He asserts that as a species, men have become lazy, wimpy, non-thinkers who would rather just hang out with women than define the relationship and actually date. He urges men to step up and be the driving force in the relationship. He also gives some pointers and things to remember when asking a girl out, and while taking her out on a date.

I hope you enjoy this post as much as I did. I urge you to read it, and bookmark the site for future use.

Here's the link: <http://artofmanliness.com/2008/01/16/stop-hanging-out-with-women-and-start-dating-them/> 

May the Lord our God Bless us
St Joseph, model of manliness, pray for us

When the Saints Go Marching In...

I had a conversation with a good friend today. We started by listening to a bunch of music, and then, being the super cool people we are, we got onto the topic of what the legacy of the Church in the early 21st century was going to be. My thought process was that we have so much music and art from hundreds of years ago which just exemplifies the prominence and the beauty of the Church in those days. I just didn't think that we had that. "We're leaving nothing behind for future generations.", I said.

But then we got to thinking. The world we live in today is so tumultuous, and the world has rarely ever looked so poorly on the Church as they do today. We've have priestly scandals, a devaluation of marriage and family,and a disrespect for life among so many other things. But then the thought came up that changed everything: God only allows for such evil to exist because it has so much potential for good. It's a two way street!

A realization hit us that the world we live in today may be in turmoil, but that turmoil comes from a battle that's going on between great evil, and even greater good. Think for a moment. Every problem that faces our world is being counteracted by forces of equal or greater good. The priestly scandal was going on while even greater young priests and religious, who were on fire in their faith, were being ordained and are now taking a leadership role in the Church. Marriage may be threatened by society, but Pope John Paul II's "Theology of the Body" is taking the world by storm, helping men and women to form strong Catholic marriages and families. The culture of death is being overtaken by an even more enthusiastic youth culture that has a zeal to protect and preserve life. The list goes on and on!

We live in dark times, but we belong to a Church that is fighting back with everything she has. Not only that,  but she's winning! I foresee a litany of saints and prophets, priests and religious, theologians and evangelists coming from this generation and setting this world ablaze. We are at a turning point in our Church's history that will shake the very foundations of this earth, showing once and for all that we are the Church Militant, and we have a mission to complete. I envision a procession of life and love lead worldwide by great saints of our time; the likes of John Paul II and Mother Theresa. These and many others will carry the banner of our Lord, changing this world forever.

Before time, Lucifer was the brightest of all the angels, and fell irredeemably away from God. He had the potential for amazing good, and it was because of this potential that he was able to fall into such evil. Our world has the same potential for good, but it has fallen. The difference is that we HAVE been redeemed, and we CAN live our potential. We are now, and will continue to change this world for the better.

What will our legacy be? I think that our legacy will be that of a generation who stood up and took up the mantle of Christ Victorious. Our legacy is and will be stronger than any before us. In the 20th century, there were more martyrs than and other century before the. The blood of these brave men and women is the seed of the Church. The reward of their courage is the new springtime of which JPII spoke so enthusiastically. We are that springtime. Take courage. Live in hope.

May our Lord God bless us
St. Joseph, model of manliness pray for us.

Overbooked and Overwhelmed

One of the things that I've noticed as I get further and further along in my college career is that the same questions and complaints keep coming up for me, and those around me. "Why did God only put SEVEN days in a week?", and, "I wish there were more than 24 hours in a day", and most of all for me, "I wish I just had some downtime".

The fact is that we're loaded up. We're taking on jobs and school work, most of which is full time. Some of us are in leadership positions in student or church organizations. Others of us have girlfriends and groups of friends that demand our time and attention. Some of us live at home or with other people, which in turn demands attention to the responsibilities of the home and being a good roommate. Our attention is drawn in a thousand different directions, and some things are bound to get lost.

Now, as men we are workers. It's a good thing that we have things that fill our time. Joseph was a worker. St. Francis of Assisi literally rebuilt churches. Pope John Paul the Great, soon to be Blessed John Paul the Great, worked tirelessly for the church, especially for the youth. Jesus himself was a carpenter, and our Father worked to build and maintain creation. As men we are drawn to complete our tasks and to take on work. This desire is a good and holy thing. It means that we're acting in the way were designed.

The problem is found when we fill our time with things that don't benefit us, or fill our time to the point where we neglect other, more important things. Things such as prayer, relationship and rest. The irony is that these things that we neglect are the very things that we need most, and should be prioritizing above all else. These things are made to refresh us and keep us strong and holy. We live in a world that requires us to move at blinding speeds and work constantly just to keep up with the person sitting next to us in class or in the office. We are seldom really present because we're thinking about what we need to do next. This extreme drive is dangerous, in that it has the glaring risk of taking us out of the moment and damaging that which we should hold most dear. That is, our relationship with God and other people.

What we need to do is prioritize. Take the time, yes from something else, and lay out your schedule for a normal week. Make sure that the things that you are doing are helping your growth as a man. If an activity is overly stressful or impeding your growth, cut it out. I want to challenge you to give yourself an hour a day where you can rest. Also, make time for 20 minutes of daily prayer in which to tell the Father what's going on in your life, and to ask for help. Finally, and seemingly most difficult, I want you to give yourself one day and/or one night a week off. Use this time to relax, spend time with friends, or just decompress. However, for your own sake, don't schedule what you do during this time. It kind of defeats the purpose, don't you think?

My prayer for everyone is that we can work in ways that are holy and healthy. I know that I'm just as guilty of falling into the hustle and bustle as anyone else, but I want to change that. We need a balance of  of work, and living life. A radio personality I listen to once said something that I think is poignant. "There are 24 hours in a day. 8 to work, 8 to sleep, and 8 to live". I think if we can find a way to discipline ourselves into that pattern, this world will change for the better.

May the Lord our God bless us

St. Joseph, model of manliness, pray for us

Where, Oh Where...

An article last month in the Wall Street Journal documented a shocking shift in our society (link posted at the bottom). Apparently, according to the author, men in their 20's are living a kind of extended adolescence. Men are living a sort of aged frat boy lifestyle which avoids any type of the real commitment and responsibility that men 40 years ago embraced at a much younger age. These men would rather sit around at night and play video games than do anything of substance, and would rather go to Vegas with the boys than spend time with a significant other.

This article, while somewhat bitter, speaks to a real problem. Men are refusing to be men. The idea of a family is abhorrent and seemingly far off to many, and the thought of actively pursuing a career takes a backseat to living the college frat boy lifestyle for as long as possible. And, worst of all, our culture is not only accepting this reality, but encouraging it. In the meantime, society is left to flounder for a lack of authority and responsibility among a demographic that should be carrying this country forward.

The Lord, at the beginning of time, told Adam to "fill the earth and subdue it" (Gen 1:28). He gave Adam, as a man, the unique opportunity and responsibility to rule the earth, and to protect all that inhabited it. As we know, he failed to protect his bride from the enemy, and as a result we are all marked with his sin. Brothers, we are given the same opportunity and responsibility to protect this world, but instead we have decided to follow the example of our first father, Adam. As men, we absolutely cannot refuse to take up our yoke and protect this world, and everything in it. Everything from the smallest children, to the beautiful women who's attention we try so hard to attract. This cannot happen if we decide to take the easy way out and sit around drinking and playing video games instead of stepping up and making real decisions. This world is falling into chaos as a direct result of men refusing to be men. It's time for a change.

My name is Perry. I'm a 20 year old college student in Northern Virginia, and I've decided to write this blog as a catholic man trying to live life to it's fullest in a college setting. I am lucky enough to be surrounded by a brotherhood of other men who are seeking the same end, but not everyone is so lucky. We need to encourage and challenge our fellow men to step up and be what we were created to be. I hope that in the following posts I can support the cause in the best way possible.

May the all power Lord bless us.
St. Joseph, true example of manhood, pray for us.

Where have all the Real Men Gone: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704409004576146321725889448.html