A “Different Perspective” – Ecumenical Prayer Experience

This is Part 2 in a 3 Part Series on “Different Perspectives.” Hope you enjoy! Final episode soon…

Back in January, one of the priests at my parish invited me to attend a planning meeting for something called the Justice Revival. I wasn’t sure what he was asking me to go to, but I decided to step out of my Catholic comfort zone and attend the meeting at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Dallas. Over the course of the monthly meetings I attended I was so moved by the different ways people prayed and preached from their faith traditions. I was amazed at the work people were already doing in our community to help people in need. I was grateful for how a belief in Jesus could bring us together to focus on our call to reach out to others and temporarily forget those things that divide us. At first I was thrown off by the impassioned preaching and the “Amens” from the audience, but I quickly found that I was moved by the outward expression of faith in prayer.

The Justice Revival took place over 3 evenings November 10-12. While the loud music and “altar call” were still a bit out of my comfort zone for worship, I received a “different perspective” from the amazing preaching I was able to hear on the 2 nights of the revival I attended. I was graced to hear Dr. Zan Wesley Holmes, Jr. on Tuesday. His stories of many, many years of bringing together churches to work for justice in Dallas were absolutely inspirational. His ability to integrate biblical stories with his own stories with challenges to us showed me what a gift he has been given to preach. Good things have come from the churches working together in the past, and we now have an opportunity to make good things come again.

Thursday brought the Emerging Leaders Dinner and a brief presentation by Lauren Winner. I would have loved for Lauren to have been given more than the 20 minutes she was allocated. She talked about bringing together our spiritual practices and our work in the world. She has a unique ability to connect to a young adult audience in a way that made sense and also challenged us to think. Her spirituality is deeply rooted in both her education and her experience. I’m looking forward to reading some of her books.

Finally, we heard from Jim Wallis, the founder of Sojourners Magazine and the brain behind the idea of the Justice Revival. I was amazed at his preaching because he was able to use words and phrases that spoke to the entire variety of people in attendance. He truly knows and understands how to bring Christians together for something they all have in common. He spoke for 5 minutes at the Emerging Leaders Dinner, and I think this actually had more impact on me than his talk later on at the Revival. He challenged the young adults to “think about their vocation more than their career.” Because I was helping at the event, I actually missed most of what he said, but I found where he presented a similar topic online in a commencement address he gave in 2007. Unfortunately, in my Catholic world “vocation” is almost always all about the priesthood…or if we’re “lucky” they don’t forget about religious, married, or single people. However, I’ve been struggling in my studies to understand even this 4-tiered definition of vocation. It seems to limit our calling from God to merely a state in life. Jim Wallis offers up an explanation of vocation as “where your gifts intersect the groaning needs of the world.” This “different perspective” on vocation has given me something to work with as I try to put some theology around my own vocational experiences.

I’m thankful for the variety of “different perspectives” I was introduced to through the process of planning for the Justice Revival over the last year. My prayer life is different because I was able to pray with Christians of other traditions. My concern for the issues in Dallas, and around the world, is heightened because my eyes have been opened. I’ve been inspired by the work others are doing for these issues. My Catholic view of our call from Jesus to help those in need has truly become a catholic view of social justice.

A "Different Perspective" - One the Sidelines During Mass

I know that I've been completely MIA on the blogging front for quite a while. I've had so many ideas to write about, and I finally decided tonight to take some time to do it. This is the first in a 3 part series of "Different Perspectives." I'll try to get the other 2 parts out over the next week or so. Hope you enjoy this one, and stay tuned...

About a week ago, our Sunday 5pm Mass was held in the gym instead of the main church. The congregation was set up facing the altar which was under one of the basketball hoops. Adam and I were running a bit late, so we had to sit in the bleachers, on the sidelines, facing the side of the congregation instead of the altar. We were both disappointed that Mass was being held in the gym, and I was particularly disappointed that we had to sit in the bleachers! Most of the time my body was twisted to face the altar to my left, so it was not very comfortable. Although we weren’t facing the front of the “church,” I tried to focus on what was going on in the Mass. I watched the lectors and deacon make Christ present to us by proclaiming the Word of God. I watched the priest make Christ present to us by consecrating the Eucharist. I looked directly at Christ made present in the Eucharist when the priest elevated the host for us all to see.

When I returned from receiving communion, after actually receiving Christ and making him present within me, and I sat down and looked straight ahead. I looked not at the ambo or at the altar, but at the rows of people directly in front of me. I looked at the chairs filled with bodies of all shapes and sizes, colors and ages. I recognized my friends in the congregation, and I peered at the faces of people I had never seen. I saw Christ present in the many young adults who attend our 5pm celebration. I saw Christ present in the families with teens. I watched the people as they sang the communion song. I watched one couple, probably in their sixties, and watched the man sing joyfully and passionately to a very contemporary song that many “older people” might not like (probably Matt Maher or David Kauffman or something similar). I saw Christ present in this man, showing us how music can touch our hearts and move us to be closer to Him.

Although sitting in the bleachers on the “sidelines” probably isn’t the best way to have full, active participation in the Mass, I was grateful for this different perspective. I know Christ is present in the Liturgy of the Word. We all know Christ is present in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. But sometimes we forget that Christ is just as present in the community of believers as he is in the rituals we participate in every Sunday.

Reflection on Readings - Sunday, Aug 9

I was out of town this weekend and forgot to post this reflection on Sunday's readings. If you need a refresher, you can find the readings here.

I know there are many days when I feel exhausted and worn out and feel like I don’t have enough energy to keep up with all my various responsibilities. Sometimes I lose energy because I am not sure which direction God wants me to go. Sometimes I have used up all the energy I have on things that have come my way throughout the day or the week. Sometimes I don’t have enough energy because I haven’t had enough sleep, food, or exercise.

I am sure my struggles are very different than what Elijah experienced…after all, I’ve never traveled a day’s journey in the desert! Although I can’t relate to what Elijah was encountering in his life, I can learn something from his relationship with God. When Elijah was worn out, exhausted, and at the end of his rope, he said “That’s it God! I can’t do it anymore! You just need to take care of it!” And take care of it He did. God provided enough food and drink to strengthen Elijah for a forty day journey!

We learn in the Gospel today that God sent eternal food and drink to us in His son Jesus. Our source of strength and our energy is fueled by the intimate relationship with God that we are offered through Jesus our brother. We are blessed as Catholics to be able to experience that bread of life every Sunday, or even every day! The Eucharist, the living bread, our communion, draws us together in faith, nourishes us, and gives us the spiritual energy to not only get through our struggles, but to be an example of that living bread to everyone we encounter. With frequent reception of the Eucharist can gain strength to overcome whatever we have experienced in the past, get through whatever we are struggling with today, and prepare for whatever God is calling us to in the future

Reflection on Readings - Sunday, June 28th

I wrote this for our parish bulletin for this weekend. Hope you enjoy it!

This weekend we conclude the year of St. Paul as designated by our Holy Father last June. I am reminded of many things I have learned in the past year about Paul’s life, writings, and especially his faith. Paul believed, above all, that all of us are holy because we are created by God in His image. In all our faults, failings, gifts, talents, and successes, we are holy. Our second reading today, from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, can only be understood if we know that Paul believes we are holy. As he writes the letter to the Corinthians, he is writing this letter to us today as well.

Paul calls us to excel in FAITH. Our faith is a gift from God, not something we earn or work for. We can only excel in faith if God has first made us holy to accept the gift of faith.

Paul calls us to excel in DISCOURSE. He wants us to explore the understanding of our holiness with one another by discussing it within our communities of faith.

Paul calls us to excel in KNOWLEDGE. Paul is asking us to always learn more about the holiness that has been given to us by God. We should always seek out ways to better understand our faith.

Paul calls us to excel in ALL EARNESTNESS. We should take seriously our holiness. We should recognize the importance of what it means to be holy and recognize our importance in the world because of this gift of holiness.

Paul calls us to excel in LOVE. If our holiness does not lead us to love, what does it mean? Paul always comes back to the commandment from Christ to love one another, and he is still reminding us today how important this commandment is.

Finally, Paul calls us to excel in GRACIOUS ACTS. The holiness each of us has been given from God is completely unique. Our holiness gives us gifts and talents that only we can use to participate and share God’s plan with the world. We have each been given an abundance in some aspect of your life, and Paul calls us to share that abundance with others.

What can you do this week to discover how you excel in each of these areas? Or what do you need to do to excel? What gracious act can you share with a friend, family member, our parish community, or our civic community to show how God has blessed you with holiness?

A 3 Minute Reflection

One of my friends said to me this weekend, "I'm so disappointed in your blog!" To be honest, this was not someone I would have expected to be reading my blog or commenting on the fact that I haven't posted in a looong time (mostly because I don't ever think people read it and am always surprised when someone comments!). But it did bring me motivation to pay more attention and do some writing.

I actually had all sorts of things I wanted to write about after we got back from Europe. I have a few stories in mind and will post them in the coming days.

For now, I wanted to pass along an opportunity for a 3 minute reflection. I learned of a video post offered by the USCCB everyday that reflects on the daily readings. Today's is from Dallas' own Fr. John Libone from St. Thomas Aquinas church. Take a look: http://www.usccb.org/video/reflections.shtml.

Thy Kingdom Come

Well, as expected, school and my other 2 jobs have consumed my life this Spring! I'm hoping I can spend more time writing this summer since I won't be taking in classes...although my readings for class always seem to be my source of inspiration...

Anyway, thought you guys might enjoy a little snippet from an essay I'm turning in today. I read a chapter in Pope Benedict XVI's Jesus of Nazareth on The Lord's Prayer for this essay, and the comments are specifically related to the petition "Thy Kingdom Come." I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the book!

Benedict XVI asks us to examine what the petition “Thy kingdom come” means within The Lord’s Prayer. He explains how this particular petition has a meaning within our daily lives here on earth. By including this petition in the prayer, Jesus “wants to show us how to pray and order our action in just this way.”[1] In other words, what we are asking for goes beyond just prayer; we are asking for something to affect the way we act every day. If God were not here amidst our actions, nothing could be good.[2] Because we, as humans, are created by God to be ordered to the good, if God’s kingdom were not here present with us we would not be able to sustain our being ordered in this way. By requesting for God’s kingdom to come, we realize that we constantly need revitalization and reminders in our lives as to what God is all about. In praying this petition, Benedict XVI tells us that we are saying to Jesus “Let us be yours, Lord! Pervade us, live in us; gather scattered humanity into your body, so that in you everything may be subordinated to God and you can then hand over the universe to the Father.”[3]

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[1] Benedict XVI 145.

[2] Benedict XVI 145.

[3] Benedict XVI 147.

And so it begins...

Ok, so I wanted to try really REALLY hard not to post anything political for awhile. I OD'd on that last fall.

And I wanted to try really REALLY hard to absorb the excitement of this new president and give him the benefit of the doubt.

But, it is really REALLY hard for me to do that when he has already started taking steps against life. Seems like there are bigger issues going on inside our country that he should be worried about.

ABC News: Obama Overturns 'Mexico City Policy' Implemented by Reagan

I also find it strange that this guy held off to the day after the anniversary of Roe v. Wade because signing this on the actual day would be "too combative." Seriously? One day later is less combative? He was just afraid of all the wonderful people in town for the March for Life.

Please pray for our new administration. And pray hard. Obama needs it.

And for those of you in the Dallas area, all parishes should be participating in a postcard campaign against FOCA. Please make your voice heard for life!

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Life, Imagine the Potential Video

Vatican on Youtube?!

Did you know the Vatican has a YouTube channel? That's kinda cool! Let me know if you find anything particularly interesting on there!

http://www.youtube.com/vatican

Baptism of the Lord

(I was told in so many words that my posts are too long....but....I wrote this for the bulletin at church and thought I would go ahead and share it with you all! Enjoy! I'll post something shorter later on this week...) :)

This Sunday, we conclude our celebration of Christmas with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This feast brings a very interesting question to my mind: Why did Jesus need to be baptized if He was without sin?

The Church answers the question by giving us one of the four servant passages in Isaiah as our first reading today. In Isaiah, we learn about The Servant of the Lord who has been upheld by God, chosen by God, and given the spirit of God. We also learn of this Servant’s mission to bring justice to the world, open the eyes of the blind, release prisoners, and be a light to the nations. From the earliest apostles, the Church has made the connection between Jesus and the Servant and his mission as described in Isaiah. The final verse in the Gospel passage confirms this connection by linking back the first verse from the Isaiah reading, “You are my beloved Son; whit you I am well pleased.”

In other words, the purpose of Jesus’ baptism was not to cleanse his non-existent sins, but to give God an opportunity to show us His Son, His Servant and His Mission. What does this tell us about our own baptism? Our baptism was definitely important to cleanse our sins, but what are the other meanings? Are we not also chosen by God and given God’s Spirit? Do we not also have a mission to bring justice, heal the blind, release prisoners? Are we called to be a light to the nations? Most certainly! We are challenged daily to recognize God’s Spirit within us and give thanks for it. We called to immerse ourselves everyday in the mission of Jesus and be a light to the world.

Today, a few of our teens are participating in the Rite of Acceptance at the 11am Mass. This Rite is part of these teen’s path of Christian Initiation to come into full communion with the Church at the Easter Vigil. For some of these teens, this will include being baptized. We can all learn from their recognition of God’s Spirit within them and their acceptance of the mission, even during their challenging teen years. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue to learn about what it means to be a Catholic on a mission!

And may God bless all of you in your daily commitment to your Baptismal call to be a “light to the nations.”

A Fantastic Response

There's been lots of reaction over the past couple of weeks to the letter from the Dallas & Ft. Worth Bishops that I posted about recently. The reaction has been as local as conversations within my parish, and as national as some news and blogs across the U.S. Lots of emotion and lots of passion in these waning of days of this never-ending election.

I received this email from a friend of mine, and this person absolutely hit the nail on the head. I couldn't have asked more perfect feedback. How could you ask more of someone that to think a little bit? Without further ado...

i read your blog the other day with the link to the letter from the DFW bishops. i must thank you for posting that link . . . . . . you must know that my political tendencies lean much farther left than most of those in my family, and close to me. my argument with the catholic church has always been that the church has a strong, strong, sometimes-forgotten history of forward-thinking in areas of social justice (important to this social worker!!!!! :) ). and, of coure, the democrats fair much better in this area . . . . so, the letter made this democrat THINK and that is never a bad thing. my vote may not be changed (of course i did not tell you who i am voting for, or were going to vote for!), but i am a more informed CATHOLIC VOTER after reading the letter.

i appreciate you for writing the blog and attaching the link - maybe it made a difference to others, too.

An inspiring arm

Well, maybe an inspiring story instead of an arm.

I saw this story on the Today Show about 18 year old Kasey Edwards who lost his arm to an alligator this summer. This kid has an amazing outlook on life and a beautiful faith in God!

A Beautiful Letter

A letter for those of you who...
1. Do not attend Holy Trinity and were not able to hear the letter that was read during the homily,
2. Do attend HT but were out of town or not able to attend mass,
3. Did attend HT this weekend and would like a copy of the letter.

Linked HERE is a letter from the Dallas and FW Bishops explaining and defending a proper understanding of the Faithful Citizenship document that was put out by our US Bishops. (You can read the full Faithful Citizenship document HERE).

I know that I personally have been struggling quite a bit lately with proper formation of conscience after hearing lots of different and conflicting interpretations of this document. Deep in my heart I knew that (among other things) all issues are not equal, and all issues do not allow for multiple options as solutions. This beautiful 3 page letter clearly explains what we need to understand about our participation in the political process, and ultimately what it means for our eternal salvation.

I do apologize for the mass email, however there has been so much misinformation, misinterpretation, and misguidance on this document and these issues, even within our own parishes. I am so moved by this letter from our bishops, our shepherds, and I hope that you will prayerfully read it and consider it as this election season (finally) comes to a close.

Praise God that we have such strong bishops to stand up for the Catholic faith and her teachings! And may the Holy Spirit be with you as you continue to discern and prepare for this important election.

Her Deepest Identity

First of all, wow, did I really only do 3 posts in the entire month of September?? This whole time management thing is getting away from me...

Just a quick thought. This is from Evangelii Nuntiandi, a writing by Pope Paul VI. My professor referenced it in his remarks on my "Ministerial Vision Statement." (That is actually a fairly interesting insight into my life - maybe I'll be brave enough to post that too - do you want to read it?!)

Anyway....#14 Evangelii Nuntiandi (emphasis added):

The Church knows this. She has a vivid awareness of the fact that the Savior's words, "I must proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God," apply in all truth to herself: She willingly adds with St. Paul: "Not that I boast of preaching the gospel, since it is a duty that has been laid on me; I should be punished if I did not preach it." It is with joy and consolation that at the end of the great Assembly of 1974 we heard these illuminating words: "We wish to confirm once more that the task of evangelizing all people constitutes the essential mission of the Church." It is a task and mission which the vast and profound changes of present-day society make all the more urgent. Evangelizing is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelize, that is to say, in order to preach and teach, to be the channel of the gift of grace, to reconcile sinners with God, and to perpetuate Christ's sacrifice in the Mass, which is the memorial of His death and glorious resurrection.

A few points as I read this:

1. Who is this addressed to? Only the clergy, the bishops, the religious? NO! Yes, only the clergy can "perpetuate Christ's sacrifice in the Mass" and only fully "reconcile sinners with God." But we can all "preach and teach" and we can and must all be a "channel of the gift of grace!" In fact, who more often invites people to God that ultimately leads them to reconciliation? Um, you! Me! Are we all doing that?

2. This does not say that the Church's "deepest identity" is to lay out a bunch of rules and condemn those who don't follow them. How many of us think often that is the case?

3. What do you hear in this passage? My filter (since we all have one!) hears a deep desire to bring all people close to Christ and to share his love and his grace with everyone we meet. And the Church doesn't simply want to rely on priests to do that - but she wants YOU to do it! All the time - everyday!

Ok, back to studying since I'm skipping mid-week mass to do homework! :(

A quick prayer for today

From my morning prayer reading...
Ephesians 1:11-12

In Christ we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intentions of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ.

Lord, help me to exist for the praise of your glory today!!

Light of the Nations

I was reading a Vatican II document for one of my classes and came across a wonderful passage that I wanted to share.

The document is called The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, but it is more commonly known as Lumen Gentium, which is Latin for “Light of the Nations.” (You can read the full text HERE if you’d like.)

The section is “The Call to Holiness” and talks about how we, as People of God are holy because Christ himself is holy. It explains what it means to be holy, and how we are to live that out. It also talks about the gifts we receive from the Holy Spirit to help us answer this call to holiness…which is what leads into the paragraph I loved - #42.

…the first and most necessary gift [from the Holy Spirit] is charity, by which we love God above all things and our neighbor because of him. But if charity is to grow and fructify in the soul like a good seed, each of the faithful must willingly hear the word of God and carry out his will with deeds, with the help of his grace; he must frequently partake of the sacraments, chiefly the Eucharist, and take part in the liturgy; he must constantly apply himself to prayer, self-denial, actively brotherly service and the practice of all virtues.

Let’s break this down.

…the first and most necessary gift [from the Holy Spirit] is charity, by which we love God above all things and our neighbor because of him.

The gift we need for the base for all other gifts is charity. Not simply giving charity to our local non-profit, but being charitable…being kind, compassionate, and caring to both God and to everyone around us. How hard is it sometimes to start with that mindset when we have people around us who see things differently or make us angry or aren’t charitable to us?

But if charity is to grow and fructify in the soul like a good seed, each of the faithful must willingly hear the word of God and carry out his will with deeds,

So, our ability to be charitable doesn’t work as well as it should without faith, without hearing the word of God. Sure, people can be kind, compassionate, and caring, but for us to really be charitable to the extent that God made us to be, we must immerse ourselves in his word and study and learn it. And it isn’t just the hearing of the word and the faith that makes the difference, but it is the act of being charitable, the deed that allows us to carry out his will. (Yes, faith and works!)

with the help of his grace;

Grace is my favorite thing in the whole world. I feel like those people who are so calm and collected and peaceful have so much grace. And since I’m SOO not like that, I long for grace to enter into my life more fully. It helps me to know that God’s grace is there to help me in this call to holiness.

he [the faithful] must frequently partake of the sacraments, chiefly the Eucharist, and take part in the liturgy;

So, a few months ago, the lady in front of me at church was reading her bulletin through the ENTIRE mass. Not just during the collection of gifts when she didn’t want to sing the song, but during the Our Father and the consecration! She was even reading every single ad on the back. Then, she put it in her purse to take home…not sure why since she had already read every word! Anyway, I’m fairly certain that is NOT taking part in the liturgy.

And what does “frequent” mean? W e all know that the Sunday liturgy is required, and if we miss that we should actually go to confession before receiving the Eucharist again (do we all know that??). But, is that “frequent”? Maybe one other attempt during the week to go to Mass could help all of us in this desire for charity, this call to holiness. But what about other sacraments we can partake of “frequently”? How frequently do you go to confession? I know that I’m way overdue for a good unloading of my many sins.

he must constantly apply himself to prayer, self-denial, actively brotherly service and the practice of all virtues.

Raise your hand if you constantly apply yourself to prayer. (In case you can’t see, neither of my hands is raised…) It is such a challenge in the busy-ness of everyday life to find time to pray. I’ve been trying to work it in more, and at times in my life when I have felt more devoted to prayer, I can definitely feel the grace working more in my life. Self-denial, brotherly service, practice of all virtues…man all this seems so hard! Do I really have to do all this to be holy?!

This call to holiness, this requirement to properly use the gift of charity that we receive from the Holy Spirit, is such a demand on our lives. But for what cause? Is it worth it? How much has God given us in our lives? Doesn’t an extra trip to mass or 5 minutes in prayer or a trip to confession after many days, months, or years seem so small in comparison to the life and the world and the love that God has given to us? Only through all of these things can we receive the grace to truly use our gift of charity and answer the call to holiness that God so gently and lovingly offers out to us.