Menu

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Reconciliation and Forgiveness


Despite all of the joy of the holidays, they are a very painful time for many. Many people have profound wounds in their families that are reignited by the time together. Others are reminded of loved ones they have lost to anger, and sometimes to death. As many Christian traditions spend this time in “joyful anticipation,” many of our brothers and sisters just wish that the season would end.


Another class that I took this semester was entitled, “Reconciliation and Forgiveness” and it was taught by Prof. Bob Schreiter. In numerous books, Bob outlines the fundamental elements of a Christian understanding of reconciliation. These elements are:


  1. Reconciliation is not a process that we initiate or achieve. We discover it already through God in Jesus Christ.
  2. Reconciliation is more of a spirituality than a strategy- This spirituality involves waiting, listening, compassion and a post-exilic stance.
  3. Reconciliation makes both the victim and the oppressor into new creations- Reconciliation does not wipe away the past. Many of us must live with the scars of our wounds. Even the Resurrected Christ still had his scars.
  4. The new narrative that overcomes the narratives of the lie is the story of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ- We must unite our wounds with the narrative of Christ and the unfolding story of Salvation History.
  5. Reconciliation is a multi-dimensional reality- It involves healing memories, coping with alienation, ending violence and opression, and the Grace of God.
  6. The process of reconciliation will be fulfilled only with the complete consummation of the world by God in Christ- This is not an excuse to “sit back and let it happen” but should also serve as consolation for the times when any form of reconciliation seems “imperfect.”

If you would like to know more about this, please see Prof. Schreiter’s book:


Schreiter, Robert J. The Ministry of Reconciliation: Spirituality and Strategies. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1998.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Consistent Ethic of Life

Now that the semester is over, I will have some time to post some of what I have learned. Below is a summary of a project that I did on Cardinal Bernardin's Consistent Ethic of Life. I did it for a Medical Ethics class with Prof. Regina Wolfe. My apologies, everything was cited in Pages as footnotes, these have not copied. I have done my best to re-cite everything.


If you would like more information about any of it, send me an e-mail and I will refine my sources! The bibliography has been posted to the bottom of the page!


------------------------------------------------


The Catholic Church is very clear about our belief in the sacredness of human life. We believe that life is sacred because, from the beginning, it is created by and destined to return to God. Because God is the author and sustainer of life, no human being has the right to take an innocent life.


“Precisely because life is sacred, the taking of even one human life,” innocent or not, “is a momentous event (Cardinal Bernardin).” And although in our sinful world there are a small number of excpetions where a non-innocent life may have to be taken, there should always be a presumption AGAINST doing so. This means, that if there is any way to avoid taking a life, it should be fully explored and deeply considered.


Cardinal Bernardin’s legacy is known as “The Consistent Ethic of Life.” This is an ethic that connects all assaults on the sanctity of human life together in one framework. Some of these issues include (Gannon Lecture):

    1. Abortion
    2. Euthanasia
    3. Capital Punishment
    4. Nuclear Weapons
    5. War

Now of course each of these individual issues are unique in their own way and can not be made into one uniform issue.

For example, abortion and euthanasia are always wrong. There is no circumstance where the direct taking of an innocent human life is morally acceptable.


War and capital punishment are different, however, because they don’t deal with the taking of INNOCENT human life. The Church teaches that societies have the right to protect themselves from aggression and victimization by engaging in war against violent adversaries and by killing those criminals too dangerous to confine to jail.


But abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment and war are connected because they all involve the taking of human life... which is sacred. Cardinal Bernardin taught that the taking of a human life is always a momentous event; so the presumption should always be AGAINST the taking of a human life.


So, even if war and capital punishment are the right of the state, there are most likely situations where the state does not have the moral grounds to exercise those rights (JP2, Bernardin, Shannon). For example, the state cannot morally wage war without first exploring every possible avenue of diplomacy. Also, the state may not be able to morally execute a prisoner without first determining it absolutely beyond the state’s capacity to safely house the criminal away from others.


So even though different; abortion, war, capital punishment and euthanasia, all deal with the issue of the sanctity of life and thus should be seen as part of a larger problem in our society... a lack of respect for the sanctity of human life.


Thomas Shannon writes that, “the viability of a principle of the sacredness of life depends on consistency of application accross a broad range of diverse questions and problems, but questions and problems that are linked by their relation to the value of life.” A moral position that is inconsistent is not only incoherent, but also inauthentic. For example, when speaking about abortion, Bernardin asked, “What happens when protection of the right to life is selective, when the right to life is denied to inherently vulnerable and dependent unborn life?” A moral principle as important as the sanctity of life cannot be compromised, its integrity must remain intact.


At first, the Consistent Ethic of Life makes it sound like each of us must become an advocate for every life issue, but Cardinal Bernardin knew that this would be impossible. However, he did believe that all life advocates should know and be able to articulate the connections between their efforts on many different issues. In short, all life advocates, regardless of the individual issues they advocate, should preach a consistent ethic of life (Wade Lecture).


In addition to informing the efforts of pro-life advocates and clarifying Church teaching on Life, Cardinal Bernardin believed that the Consistent Ethic of Life could help individuals become responsibly involved in the political process. The Consistent Ethic of Life can serve as a standard to test public policy, party platforms and the suitability of candidates for political office.


In fact, a true Consistent Ethic of Life extends beyond direct assaults on human life and should incorporate quality of life considerations as well (Gannon Lecture). After all, if life is truly sacred, then not only can we not destroy it, but we also must make great efforts to care for it. Cardinal Bernardin said, “Those who defend the right to life of the weakest among us must be equally visible in support of quality of life of the powerless among us: the old and the young, the hungry and the homeless, the undocumented immigrant and the unemployed worker.”


With this in mind, the Consistent Ethic of Life calls us to also work for social justice in the areas of:

    1. Poverty
    2. Health Care Access and Insurance Coverage
    3. Protection of the Environment
    4. School Reform
    5. Immigration Reform
    6. Housing and Urban Development
    7. Employment Conditions and the Rights of Workers
    8. Food Availability and Redistribution
    9. Etc., Etc., Etc.!!!!

So in summary, the Consistent Ethic of Life provides us with a clear way to understand, communicate, and to implement the Church’s fundamental belief in the sanctity of human life. It shows that while the Church does have many opinions on many different life-related issues, there are fundamental beliefs that serve as undercurrents among all of these positions; like threads through a seamless garment.


To read some of Cardinal Bernardin’s own words on the Consistent Ethic of Life, I recommend The Seamless Garment: Writings on the Consistent Ethic of Life, edited by Thomas A. Nairn and published by Orbis Books.


SOURCES


Bernardin, Cardinal Joseph. “A Consistent Ethic of Life: An American Catholic Dialogue (Gannon Lecture, Fordham University, December 6, 1983).” In The Seamless Garment: Writings on the Consistent Ethic of Life, edited by Thomas A. Nairn, 7-14. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2008.


Bernardin, Cardinal Joseph. “A Consistent Ethic of Life: Continuing the Dialogue (The William Wade Lecture Series, St. Louis University, March 11, 1984).” In The Seamless Garment: Writings on the Consistent Ethic of Life, edited by Thomas A. Nairn, 15-20. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2008.


Shannon, Thomas A. “Introduction: An Overview of the Key Ideas of the Consistent Ethic of Life.” In The Seamless Garment: Writings on the Consistent Ethic of Life, edited by Thomas A. Nairn, 1-6. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2008.


Walter, James J. “Horizon Analysis and Moral Stance: An Interpretation of Cardinal Bernardin’s ‘Consistent Ethic of Life.’” In Contemporary Issues in Bioethics: A Catholic Perspective, eds. James J. Walter and Thomas A. Shannon, 33-48. New York: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc.: 2005.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Sankofa

This month, I had the privilege of participating in the Sankofa Sunday services at St. Sabina Catholic Community on the west side of Chicago. Sankofa is a Ghanaian tradition that roughly translates to, “we must look backward to move forward.” The Sankofa bird is known for being able to turn it’s head back 180 degrees to look where he or she is coming from.


Sankofa is a time when the whole community examines its history and begins to chart a course toward the future. For St. Sabina, an African American Church, this meant examining the impact of the Black Church in America and dreaming of the possible impacts that the Black Church can continue to have in this country.


The guest preacher, Pastor Clay Evans, spoke about his experience marching with Dr. King and fighting for civil rights in the 1960s. He encouraged us to look back and realize the incredible sacrifices that were made by Dr. King and other civil rights activists. Pastor Evans encouraged us never to forget these sacrifices and to allow this “remembering” to strengthen us in modern times when we are required to sacrifice for what we believe in.


Social justice requires sacrifice. People are starving, mothers feel abandoned, the sick are forgotten, the poor are imprisoned. Some of us who dream of a more just society will have to sacrifice of our time, talents and treasures to make these dreams a reality. Some of us, like Dr. King, may be called upon to give our lives.


So as we approach thanksgiving, lets not forget the saints and heros that have sacrificed to make our lives possible. But let us also not become blind to the role that we must play in building tomorrow.


Peace turtles!


Tuesday, October 26, 2010

All Saints Day

All Saints Day has been celebrated by the Christian church since at least the fourth century! The earliest recorded writing of the feast comes to us from Ephrain the Syrian in 373, but most historians believe that this feast is incredibly older, perhaps dating back to the Apostles themselves.

The early Christian community celebrated the dates on which members of their community had been martyred (kind of like a birthday celebration for those entering Heaven). Because martyrs (and all saints) were thought to share in the beatific vision in Heaven (the goal for all Christians), the community commemorated their deaths and re-told the story of their lives as inspiration for current believers.

This practice became a problem as more and more Christians were martyred because there were only a limited number of days in the year. So, lest anyone be forgotten, the majority of the feasts were lumped into one day and celebrated together. Only the feast days of the more famous saints were kept separate and sprinkled throughout the year to maintain their inspirational quality.

2,000 years after the founding of the Christian Church, we are lucky to have All Saints Day to remind ourselves of the many many (I like to think BILLIONS) of men and women who have joined Christ in Heaven. The only downside is that having all of the minor feasts on one day makes it easier to think that "Saints" are only the famous people who we celebrate separately... we forget that saints enter Heaven by the thousands every day, and just like the stories of St. Francis and St. Catherine, the stories of these common saints can, and do, inspire our faith.

In the Eastern Christian Churches the Feast of All Saints is commonly celebrated on the Suday after Pentecost. In Western Christianity this feast is most commonly celebrated on November 1 (hence celedrating Halloween the day before).

Take time this All Saints Day to remember all of the Saints in Heaven that you had the privledge of knowing while they were here on earth. Some of the saints that I will be honoring include: St. Dolores (my grandmother who passed in July), St. Tiffany (my neighbor, mother of four, who passed away from breast cancer), and St. Miro (the father of a close friend).

Peace be with all of you!

Don't worry, Heaven is immune to overcrowding.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Sacred Space

One of my favorite ways to pray is Lectio Divina, a meditative and thoughtful reading of Sacred Scripture and other inspired texts. I have been practicing a Jesuit form of Lectio, titled Sacred Space, for almost four years now. The amount of insight into my life and my relationship with God that this prayer form has given me is truly amazing.

I have also been able to use this form of prayer when praying one-on-one with friends and in small groups.

Sacred Space was started by a group of Jesuits in Ireland. Every year (and now also during Advent and Lent) the Jesuits publish a book of daily Lectio meditations. If you are interested in this form of prayer, I strongly reccomend these books (they are titled Sacred Space 2010, etc).

For those of you interested in learning more. The Jesuits post a guided Sacred Space meditation on their website each day. The prayers are very similar to those in the books and they are provided free of charge in case you cannot afford the book. You can experience Sacred Space
here.

Take a few moments to explore this spiritual practice. I hope it touches you in the same way that it has touched me.

Peace turtles!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Peter and John

I realized that there has not been an image posted to the blog in quite some time. This image has been sent to me by Rev. James Doyle, a member of the staff here at Catholic Theological Union. It was painted by Eugene Burnand (1850-1921) and it depics the Apostles Peter and John running to the tomb after recieving word of Christ's Resurrection.




There are a million different ways to follow Christ. My earlier post from the Magnificat shows Mary's response to the Gospel. Here we see on the faces of Peter and John yet another response. This blog is one of the many ways that I attempt to respond to the Gospel. If you are looking for a way to respond, begin by meditating on this image. See where the Spirit takes you.

For more scriptural images, click
here.

Peace turtles!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Faithfulness

This Sunday's Gospel reading contains the story of the prodigal son. This is a familiar story that reminds each of us about God's faithfulness despite our own selfish actions. This is a faithfulness that should not be taken lightly... it also should not be taken advantage of. God's faithfulness is not an excuse to fall down, but it also isn't an excuse to stay down when we have fallen. And getting up after a fall is exactly what we strive to do as turtles!

There are other stories wrapped into the Gospel along with the prodigal son story. The Gospel begins:

"Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
So to them he addressed this parable.
"What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?"

Note the irony here. Jesus says, "What man would not leave the 99 in the desert and go after the lost one?" Well... none of them would, that would be stupid. What would prevent the other 99 from wandering off in the shepherd's absence? But Jesus isn't implying that God is somehow a bad shepherd, he is making a radical statement about the depth of God's faithfulness to each of his loved ones. A radical statement that each of us should take to heart during services this weekend.

This is a big weekend for America. We commemorate the anniversary of September 11th. A despicable act of violence that has led to equally despicable wars, suffering and acts of intolerance and hate (one Church is planning to commemorate the event by burning Qur'ans). All of these events serve as a constant reminder that we so often stray from Jesus' teaching to Love. Let us reflect on, and thank God for, God's faithfulness!

Our God loves turtles! Peace!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Mystery

This post is somewhat of a continuation on a post I wrote back in February, you can read it here.

We too often lose sight of the mysteries of our faith. We reduce the presence of God in the world to simple wrote prayers, written doctrines and staunchly enforced rules. We gaze at the Most Beautiful Source of Life and force ourselves to suppress our wonder... lest It change us.

Chesterton wrote about this suppression beautifully,

“`Long years and centuries ago our fathers or the founders of our people drank, as they dreamed, of the blood of God. Long years and centuries have passed since the strength of that giant vintage has been anything but a legend of the age of giants.... Long since that bitter drink has been itself diluted; rinsed out and washed away by the waters of oblivion and the wave of the world. Never did we think to taste again even that bitter tang of sincerity and the spirit, still less the richer and the sweeter strength of the purple vineyards in our dreams of the age of gold. Day by day and year by year we have lowered our hopes and lessened our convictions; we have grown more and more used to seeing those vats and vineyards overwhelmed in the water-floods and the last savour and suggestion of that special element fading like a stain of purple upon a sea of grey. We have grown used to dilution, to dissolution, to a watering down and went on forever. But Thou hast kept the good wine until now.'"

I love this quote, especially for the note on which it ends. ‘Thou hast kept the good wine until now.’ This is an allusion to John 2:10, the comment of the head waiter at the Wedding of Cana after tasting Jesus’ miraculous wine. Jesus has taken ordinary water (arguably the most watered down form of wine that can exist) and has transformed the dilution into something magnificent.

This gives me hope for us. Although we may water down the mysteries of our faith and lose all sense of wonder and awe, God retains the power to reveal; to reawaken; to dazzle.

As beautiful as these mysteries may be... it takes incredible courage to ask God to dazzle us again... to allow ourselves to be swept up into God’s permeating presence, the Beautiful Source of Life. I have been praying that God will awaken me to the Spirit’s glorious and mysterious presence around me.

Dear Lord... dazzle us once again!

Peace turtles!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Assumption

Tomorrow we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption, a remembrance of the Virgin Mary's entrance into Heaven. I always remember this feast day because it corresponds with the birthday of my younger sister Megan (Happy Birthday Megan!!!).

The Gospel reading for the feast day is the Magnificat. A poem/prayer proclaimed by Mary when she was greeted by her cousin Elizabeth (John the Baptist's mom). This is a rare time in the Gospels where a conversation, especially of a theological nature, between two women is remembered. It is a song of reversal, saying that the proud, the confident, and the powerful will be humbled and the lowly raised up. Reid (1996) writes, "Mary's song ends on the confident note that God has promised mercy not only to our ancestors, but to all of their descendants, women and men of faith (p. 77)."

Some scholars believe that the text of this song/prayer may come from a lullaby sung by Israeli mothers to their children. Not in the sense of social justice brainwashing... but that this song encapsulates a great deal of what the community of lower-class Jews believed about the faithfulness and mercy of their God. It makes sense that God the Father would choose to have his Son born into this community. Thus, it's no secret why Jesus was so radically committed to social justice, his mother had taught him solid values!

Here is the text of the prayer:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.”

Now imagine that you were a powerful and misguided (perhaps flat out corrupt) ruler who had abandoned your commitment to God. Imagine how terrifying it would be to know that the women of your territory had begun to sing this song to their children. You might as well start packing your bags.

This Gospel begs us to ask ourselves some tough questions. Have we forgotten the faithfulness and mercy of God? Are we the voice proclaiming God's goodness to the world? Are we committed to teaching our children sound values?

Happy Assumption! Peace turtles!

Reid, B. E. (1996). Choosing the Better Part?: Women in the Gospel of Luke. Collegeville, MN:Michael Glazier Liturgical Press.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Santuario de Chimayo

My favorite place that I visited while in New Mexico was the Santuario de Chimayo, a sacred shrine just north of Santa Fe. The story goes that about 200 years ago the sanctuary cross from a nearby church began disappearing every night and miraculously appearing in a small family chapel in town. As this started to happen, many people were healed and experienced an awakening of their faith.

Today, the small family chapel has been made a shrine and is maintained by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Thousands of pilgrims travel to the shrine each year! The dirt of Chimayo is said to be sacred and visitors are encouraged to take some of it as a remembrance of God's faithfulness.

The area is very conducive for prayer. Multiple statues have been erected on prayer walks throughout the tiny campus and a catechetical chapel in honor of Santo Nino de Atocha has been built as well. The chapel is brightly colored to appeal to children and houses a statue of Santo Nino. Surrounding the statue and chapel are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of pairs of baby shoes representing infants and children being lifted up in prayer. The sight of this devotion is overwhelming!

I have attached a picture of the Santo Nino statue and some of the shoes. Anyone interested in learning more about Chimayo should start here: http://chimayo.us/.

Peace turtles!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

New Mexico Trip

I was so immersed in my trip to New Mexico that I didn't get a chance to sit down and write any blog posts while actually there. However, I plan to process the trip and write a couple posts about the many different things that I did. Actual pictures of the trip will come later (the ceiling in my office collapsed while I was gone so downloading pics from my camera was out of the question).

I went on a mini-pilgrimage to the state of New Mexico to visit my friend Graham, a Norbertine novice at the Priory of Santa Maria de La Vid (Holy Mary of the Vine). Graham's blog has been featured here on Church of Turtles in earlier posts and I encourage you to check it out. He doesn't post often, but when he does it is always worth reading! Pictures of the priory can be found there.

Every morning we would rise and attend morning prayer and mass with the community of priests and brothers who live at the Priory. It was a unique experience because the Norbertines sing the office instead of simply reciting it… I have never been a good singer, but I was tremendously moved by their singing.

During the day, Graham took me on tours of many different churches and cultural attractions around the state of New Mexico. Once I have downloaded my pictures, I will post about some of the more unique and historical things that we saw.

We returned to the Priory each evening for evening prayer and dinner. After dinner, I retired to the little hermitage that they set aside for me to stay in. It was set apart from the priory just a short walk into the desert. At night I would pray, study, relax and sleep (which I cherished!).

The Priory is on the outskirts of Albuquerque, which is surrounded by mountains and vast open stretches of desert. Sunrises and sunsets were more spectacular than firework shows!

If you are interested in learning more about the Norbertines in New Mexico. Check out the following video:



Peace turtles!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Lights Out

I started writing this post over a month ago... then my computer battery died and I forgot all about it.

A series of terrible storms passed through Chicago in June and a very serious one left nearly a quarter of a million people without electricity. My roommates and I were some of those people.

One the first night of the blackout, I was home alone. I lit some candles, prayed Lectio Divina style, practiced some yoga, spoke to two close friends on the phone to catch up and eventually fell asleep listening to the rain in a cozy camp chair on my balcony.

On the second night of the blackout, I was home with two roommates and we stayed up talking and playing a board game by candle light. It was very relaxed and intimate.

On the third night of the blackout, I again spent time with my roommates. By this time the apartment had gotten so hot that I fell asleep laying on our hardwood floors because they were cooler than my bed and our couches.... it was fantastic.

The refrigerator couldn’t humm... the fans couldn’t buzz... the doorbell couldn’t ring and slowly, the laptop batteries died.... the phone batteries died.... the flashlight batteries died... it was a very peaceful series of evenings.

I don’t knock technology. As an IT professional, I understand the many wonderful things that technology can do. But regardless... it was nice to get away.

Next week I am going to get away one more time. I will be visiting my brothers in the Norbertine Community of Santa Maria de la Vid Priory in Albequrque, New Mexico. I will make sure to take lots of pictures and post them here for you.

I hope you can get away too... even if that just means turning off the computer and shutting off the lights. Peace!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Peacebuilder's Initiative




Hey Turtles! I spent the last week working with a group of young people as a part of the Peacebuilder’s Initiative. It is a program that identifies young people with leadership potential and educates them about Catholic Social Teaching and then empowers them to go out an make a difference in the world. The young people spent last week learning about CST and experiencing various different Catholic social services in Chicago. This coming year, they will be designing and implementing various peace projects throughout the area.

This past week we learned about dreams, biblical foundations for peace building, forgiveness and reconciliation, the seven pillars of social justice and the movement of God in the modern world. All of these sessions were taught by the faculty and students of the Catholic Theological Union.

In addition to attending these sessions with the kids, each day I accompanied a group of five students to the Peace Corner in Austin. The Peace Corner is a teen drop in center that is owned and operated by the youth of Austin themselves. My teens and I spent time sharing stories with the youth there, painting a mural, playing basketball and having a cookout. This was an opportunity for some cross cultural (my students were mostly suburban) dialogue and relationship building.

At the end of a very intense week, within the context of prayer, we asked the students to share with us the dreams that they had for the world. Their responses included:

“I envision a world without violence.”
“I envision a world of forgiveness and reconciliation.”
“I envision a world where no diagnosis is without hope.”
“I envision a world where nobody goes hungry.”
“... where children can feel safe and loved.”
“... where people choose dialogue and not war.”
“... where all live in harmony with the environment.”

I found myself choking back tears as these young people dreamed of their ideal world... a world that they would later dedicate themselves to building during our final commissioning service.

I relax knowing that our world in the the hands of these very beautiful young people. Thank you everyone for a great week! Peace turtles!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

CHILL OUT

If anyone was following along with the Gospels readings for this week, I hope that you noticed a theme. This is the week that the Church remembers that a good portion of Jesus’ teachings were calling everyone to CHILL OUT.

Let’s take a closer look...

Sunday, Luke 7- Pharisee invites Jesus over for dinner... unworthy woman annoints Jesus’ feet... pharisee freaks... Jesus tells him to CHILL OUT.

Monday, Matthew 5- Jesus says, “You have heard it said ‘an eye for an eye’ but [I tell you to CHILL OUT and resist the urge to be violent].”

Tuesday, Matthew 5- Jesus says, “You have heard it said to love your neighbor and hate your enemy, but I tell you [CHILL OUT and just love from now on].”

Wednesday, Matthew 6- Jesus warns against public displays of piety. Asking his disciples to CHILL OUT and simply pray in secret.

Thursday, Matthew 6- Jesus warns against heaping empty phrases onto heaven when praying. He says, “CHILL OUT and simply pray like this... Our Father....”

Friday, Matthew 6- Jesus says, “Do not worry about storing up for yourselves treasures on earth, CHILL OUT and store treasures in heaven.”

Saturday, Matthew 6- Jesus says, “Do not worry about tomorrow, CHILL OUT, it will take care of itself.”

I hope you realize that the above is an extremely elementary interpretation of these scripture passages, but the message is still the same... CHILL OUT!!!!

Peace turtles!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

My Adventure

I went home to see my parents in Detroit for a couple days last week. I was very relaxing and quiet... until it came time for me to come back to Chicago!


I bought a ticket on Megabus.com, a method of travel that I have used successfully many times to travel between the two cities. The bus was supposed to leave at 7:30pm on Friday evening.


My mom drove me to the bus stop and we waited for over an hour for the bus to come, but it didn’t come. We tried calling customer service but the representatives could tell us nothing about the bus’s estimated arrival time. We were stumped.


Then the unthinkable happened... a HUGE thunderstorm broke out and began soaking everyone at the uncovered bus stop. Thunder, lightening and high winds sent people running back to their cars.


When my mom and I were safely back to our car we realized that a young couple was still stranded out in the rain. They had no car to run to. So we drove up to them and invited them to jump into our back seat. They did.


After another twenty minutes a bus finally did come.... but it wasn’t coming to pick us up. It was the bus coming FROM Chicago which needed to drop people at other stops, change drivers, refuel and then pick everyone up. The driver said that it could take him up to another four hours to come and pick us up (a total delay of almost six hours).


The couple in our backseat (who had gotten engaged to one another the night before and who were going to Chicago for a relaxing vacation) decided to go and get one of their cars and simply drive to Chicago. They offered me a ride, and needing to get back to Chicago so that I could go to work on Saturday, I accepted! (I was reasonably sure that they were not ax murderers).


So for the next four and a half hours I drove to Chicago with two complete strangers. They were a very wonderful couple and they shared wonderful stories about their lives with me. I feel very blessed to have spent that short period with them.


I hope that by reading this short account, you can learn what I learned... that there are tremendously good people out in the world! Sometimes a healthy sense of adventure can bring you in contact with lots of amazing people! People on the same journey as ourselves (whether going to Chicago or on a pathway to God!).


Peace turtles!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

My parents moved into a shack... literally.

As many of you know, my family has been involved in a sister relationship through our Church with the community of Haciendita Uno (HU) in El Salvador. I have been blessed to be able to spend time in this community on two different occasions in the past two years.

One of the committments we have made to the community of HU is to support the education of their young people. For almost five years we have funded the elementary, middle and high school educations of their children by providing books, uniforms and school supplies. The children, in return, have studied very hard and done remarkably well!

Licho (red shirt) and Wardo (blue), my host brothers.

Now, many of these children are old enough and elidgible to attend college. Almost all of these children will be the first to attend college in their families. Our parish has pledged to help make their dream of a college education a reality.

It costs $13,200 to send one Salvadoran student through college (a six-year program). Our parish has currently pledged to pay for five students to attend and are trying to raise the remaining $33,000 needed to do so!

To raise awareness and help with fundraising, my parents have moved into a Salvadoran-style make shift house on the property of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Plymouth, MI. The house has no heat, no running water (hence no shower) and no electricity. They are living like our friends in El Salvador and have pledged to continue doing so until all of the money has been raised.

The makeshift house.


If you are interested in learning more about this project, or even helping to fundraise, please visit my dad's blog at deacondonleach.blogspot.com.

Peace and all good, Turtles!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Packrat

I moved into a new apartment over the weekend. I was done with dorm living and jumped on the opportunity to rent a beautiful five-bedroom apartment with three of my friends.

The problem with moving is... packing. I had twice as much stuff as I thought. I'm not talking trash either, I am just talking about those everyday things (dishes, fans, bedding clothes, etc) that we accumulate to help us limp through life.

The Gospel today is quite challenging for packrats. Jesus says to give up "everything" to follow him.

I understand that when Jesus says "everything" he really means "everything." Jesus is asking his disciples to give up their posessions, relationships, desires and plans for the future. But this is a very tall order.

A more contemplative friend once explained to me the importance of detaching yourself from small things, like physical posessions, before attempting to detach from larger things. After looking at my things all packed in boxes... I need to start immediately!

I am leaving to follow Jesus.... should I take my extra coffee pot?

Peace Turtles!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Balance

I've recently re-learned an important lesson, one that I seem to keep needing to re-learn every couple of months. This lesson has to do with balance.

I haven't written because my life got so hectic and crazy that I literally fell behind in everything. I got sick three weeks ago and it threw my school life, work life, social life and prayer life way out of whack! Initially, I didn't take good enough care of myself when I was sick, figuring I could just power through whatever I had and keep going at my fast pace.... I was so wrong.

Fast forward to today and I'm still rushing to get assignments turned in on time and develop a normal-like routine for the rest of the semester. I didn't take care of myself, and now I'm paying for it.

This is for all of you stressed out students and young professionals... don't forget this lesson!

I once had a friend remark on a retreat that people always learned the same thing on retreats, namely that we need to slow down. "Why don't people get it?!" he griped. Sweet Jesus, I wish I knew. Can someone please send me an e-mail in three months to remind me that I posted this? Thanks!

Sense a storm coming? Take care... literally.

Spirit of Counsel... fall upon us!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

What's the point?

I've been reflecting these past few days on what it means to be a member of the Catholic Church. I'll be the first to admit that I don't always agree with every decree sent out from Rome... but at the same time I would never consider being anything other than a member of this faith community. But why?

I think that my answer came at mass this morning. I was at St. Thomas the Apostle in Hyde Park and the priest said, "For the Church, it is less about getting to heaven and saving our individual souls; but, about ALL of us getting to heaven and saving the world!" What beautiful and powerful words!

I'm not sure if this quote needs further written reflection, but I think that I am just going to let all of you sit with it! Peace turtles!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Priorities

Most of my afternoon was spent giving unto Ceaser.... or actually, getting Ceasar to give back unto me. In other words, I filled out and mailed in my tax forms. This was complicated by the fact that in 2009 I earned wages in two different states... one of them is getting short changed by my inability to understand the tax instructions. Regardless, I got them done!


I like to get my taxes done early. Living the disorganized and hectic lifestyle that I do, it's easy to forget to do important things. If I didn't do my taxes immediately after my W-2 arrived I would live happily until April 16th when I would wake in a cold sweat screaming, "I didn't do my taxes!"


Upon further reflection, I realize that saving important things until the last minute has been a hallmark of my spiritual life for quite some time too. For example, often, late at night when I am preparing for bed I realize that I have not prayed all day... but I am too tired to do so then. I'll pass by a Church realizing that I should stop in for Reconciliation... but I didn't plan for it and thus don't have enough time. Also, I always remember two minutes before Mass starts that I wanted to read the readings in advance. I have good intentions, but I am always too late.


With my taxes, I realize that the important things should be done first so that they are not done hastily at the last minute. Similar priority can be given to matters of the Spirit. The most important parts of our day, those leading us closer to God and aiding our healthy spiritual development, can be scheduled first and given priority.


No spiritual life is perfect, and sometimes matters of the world just have to get done in the current moment, I understand. But this is no reason to carelessly neglect our spiritual lives in those times when alternatives exist. Think... chew... pray.


Peace turtles!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Street Singing

When I first moved into the city I was constantly amazed by how many people in my neighborhood would just sing at the top of their lungs while walking up and down the streets. This phenomenon happens regardless of what time it is; although, the sobriety of the singers is called into question late at night. Not all of them are the greatest singers in the world (in fact, none of them are). But, regardless, there is a lot of singing in Hyde Park!


I had to go to Chase Bank today to fight for my rights against The Man. I felt very righteous in my complaints and was on a crusade to get what I thought (and still think) I deserved!


The soundtrack playing in my head was the Finale of Les Miserables! This is the perfect song to march to on your crusade against The Man:


"do you hear the people sing?

lost in the valley of the night

it is the music of a people who are climbing to the light

for the wretched of the earth

there is a flame that never dies

even the darkest nights will end and the sun will rise


they will live again in freedom in the garden of the lord

they will walk behind the bloodshed

they will put away the sword

the chain will be broken and all men will have their reward!


will you join in our crusade?

who will be strong and stand with me?

somewhere beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see?

do you hear the people sing?

say, do you hear the distant drums?

it is the future that they bring when tomorrow comes!"


So long story short... I lost in my crusade against Chase Bank. After catching the salesboy (nicest thing I can call him) trying to pull the wool over my eyes several times... I caved. Instead of walking out with my financial freedom... I carried out a new credit card (which I had no intention of getting, nor any intention of using now) with a ridiculous interest rate and a whole host of new aggravating problems.


Walking home, the soundtrack playing in my head was "Walk in the Reign" by Josh Blakesley. Showtunes give me courage... religious music lifts my spirits after an attack by The Man. The song goes:


"Walk in the Reign...

Showers of Love, Fall from Above...

Walk in the Reign...

oooOOOooo!"


And now the point of this story...


These sound tracks hadn't just been playing in my head. I was singing them out loud! I didn't realize it at first, I just needed the music more than I cared what the other people on the street were thinking.


What does one do when he finds that he is making a fool of himself? Obviously, he has to continue or people will judge his lack of confidence. I continued to sing.


There is something liberating about singing in public. I, like everyone else who sings in Hyde Park, have a terrible singing voice. I am sure that some people were annoyed; but they would have been annoyed anyway.


Maybe as Christians we should sing more often when we are out in public. Could there be a better way to testify to the change that has occurred in us due to God's presence in our lives?


I have to commute to class at Loyola University tonight... I am going to sing on the bus.


Peace turtles!

Friday, January 22, 2010

Frankencomputer

I work at the Help Desk of the IT Department at my school. When I took the job I had very little actual training with computers. I have always been interested in computers and have enjoyed tinkering with them numerous times, but I still had a lot to learn before I could be considered a legitimate IT worker.


In the beginning I felt so inexperienced and overwhelmed that I am sure I caused more computer problems than I was able to solve. If it hadn't been for my co-workers' ability to fix my numerous mistakes I don't know what state our department would be in currently.


But I have stuck with it and have learned the difference between a SATA and an ATA hard drive... I have learned how to install and uninstall new RAM Memory Cards... I have learned how to remove network cards from laptops and order upgrades online... I have learned how a server works and how to manage a telephone circuit room. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I am surprised at how much I now know.


Yesterday was the climax of my IT education. My boss gave me three very dysfunctional CPUs and asked that I make one functioning computer out of their. This was not going to be easy for me. I was faced with testing hard drives, swapping RAM, removing and reinstalling CD drives, disconnecting a power supply and swapping it with a new one and many other difficult obstacles.


I am sure that this task took me longer than my boss had hoped... but after many hours of tinkering I was able to push the power button on the new computer and hear it whir to life. This computer, which I have named "Frankencomputer" will always be special to me, it represents the fruit of many months of hard work.


I think that our spiritual lives are quite like trying to build a new computer. We start out with no knowledge of what we have to do... we pick up tools and advice along the way... we tinker and tinker and tinker and tinker... and then eventually we see some fruit in a new found grace or fresh outlook on life.


We are never really perfect at living a spiritual life. I will never know enough about computers to be Steve Jobs or Bill Gates... similarly, I will never be Mother Theresa or John of the Cross... but that is no excuse not to dedicate ourselves to continually learning more and more about becoming saints!


Peace turtles!

Monday, January 11, 2010

X-Men

I got the X-Men Trilogy movies from my dad for Christmas; what a great story! I'll admit it... I often find myself day dreaming that I have mutant powers (of course, I have all of their powers combined). In my daydreams: I fight bad guys; rescue people; complete death defying stunts; and even cause a little bit of mischief! Marvel should offer to pay me for my day dreams, I find them very amusing!


However, as a person of faith, I understand that:


I don't have to be Wolverine to heal people.

I don't have to be Charles Xavier to see deep into peoples hearts.

I don't have to be Rouge to connect with people in a powerful way.

I don't have to be Gambit to energize my friends and family.


I have a very charismatic spirituality and one thing that I firmly believe is that God enables each and every one of us to do His work.... to build the Kingdom. All of the gifts and powers that we will need to accomplish this task will be provided, we can be assured. St. Paul writes, "I can do anything through [God] who gives me strength." (Phil 4:13).


I still think it would be cool to be Cyclops and shoot laser beams out of my eyes... or to be Storm and control the weather. But compared to our God and those He has called to serve Him throughout the ages... the X-Men just look like party performers. The Holy Spirit is so much cooler!


Peace Turtles!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

New Year's Resolutions

It's not to late to make a New Year's Resolution if you haven't done so already. For those of you who have already made them- you have 360 more days to work on them! Good luck!


A friend of mine once complained that he always needed to make the same resolutions and commitments to improve himself. "Why aren't I getting better at this? Why do I always struggle with the same things?!" he fretted.


What he failed to see (if I can use the turtle analogy again) is that we carry around the same hard shell on our back all of the time. While we can find ways to reduce its size and make carrying it easier, few of us can ever get rid of it completely (and those who do find yet another shell to carry soon after).


Let's use an extreme example to illustrate my point... Nobody would think twice if a recovering alcoholic said that his or her New Year's resolution was to stay sober all year. In fact, because the alcoholic's addiction never really goes away, it would be smart if he or she made this same New Year's resolution year after year as a way to keep this commitment always at the forefront of their mind. The resolution may never change.


Further, even if someone's resolution does change, often the new one will focus on the same issue. Someone struggling with their weight may resolve to lose 30 pounds in 2010. Because their struggle with weight will never magically disappear, their 2011 resolution may have to include not gaining the 30 pounds back. Two resolutions... same issue.


The personal issue that I always have to work on is not becoming so overextended that I abandon my prayer life. My resolutions, whether for the New Year or a retreat, always focus on: simplifying my life; reducing stress; taking deep breaths; recognizing God's presence in my life; and finding new ways to pray. I have to keep making fresh commitments to these activities because if I neglect them- even for just a week- I get lost in a sea of confusion and have to work twice as hard to get my life back on track!


Of course, I am not advocating that anyone approach their resolutions with the attitude, "I don't have to work to hard on this, because I can always make the same resolution next year." Anyone who says that is cheap- and obviously not serious about improving themselves. The goal is always to accept our resolutions with a full COMMITMENT, our complete ATTENTION and every EXPECTATION that we will be successful.


So if you have not already, spend some time this week reflecting on the areas of your life that you need to focus on this year. Don't get discouraged if you find yourself dealing with the same problems and issues that you have dealt with in the past. Accept yourself for who you are and simply resolve to become the best person that you possibly can.


Blessings in 2010! Peace turtles!