Returning to Spirituality & Vocation (GNS 16)

Posted on November 21, 2014 by + Ann

Peace be with you!

This week, we consider both the heights of the call to holiness expressed in our vocation, and some down-to-earth practical insights about how to put that to work in our lives.

As Proverbs says, “Without a vision, the people perish.” What’s true for nations is true for individuals and families. But it has to be the right vision. Seeing a lizard or a cat wouldn’t have helped the eagle in the chicken coop. He had to see his true purpose in order to take to the skies.

Modern culture seldom talks about “vocation.” It talks about “work.” Whether communist or capitalist, modern societies see our purpose and identity as units of productive capital and consumerism. And we either “work to play,” an attitude summed up by the bumpersticker, “Whoever Dies with the Most Toys Wins.” Or we work for “success,” defined by the corner office, power, and prestige. Work itself is robbed of its meaning. And sadly, at the end of our lives, all we have to show for our labor is the emptiness of self-gratification or self-aggrandizement.

Clearly, false visions–like false gods–only lead us farther away from who we are meant to be. Only the right vision will lead us to our true selves.

Jesus offers us a different vision, and a vocation. “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God.” The “vocation culture” lifts our sights from the earth to our eternal goal. And by eternal, we don’t mean “someday.” Eternity begins now. Right now, by virtue of our Baptism, we have a mission, and our “mission statment” is embedded in the Lord’s Prayer: The Kingdom of God on earth, as it is in Heaven.

But mission statements don’t happen by themselves. If the Kingdom is to come, then we–the baptized–are the ones who have to make it happen. And this is where strategic thinking comes in.

Strategic thinking ties what we do every day to our mission. We are challenged to see that everything we do, or don’t do, directly affects the success of our mission. Everything has meaning and purpose. And far from being mere consumers or “human resources,” when we put the Kingdom of God first in our lives, we recognize our true identity: we are God’s priestly people, members of His holy nation. Children of God.

In his parables, Jesus tells us that we all have talents. That we are all accountable for how we use them. He wants our best effort, whether we have many talents or few. Jesus tells us, as he told Peter, to cast out into deep water. Whatever we do, we must put our heart into it. And we should strive to forward our mission: the kingdom of God. Here, and now.

As Fr. Freeh said, it’s never too late to begin to practice strategic thinking. Sometimes the simplest change can be the most profound. Start every day with a morning offering, giving to God everything you do. Transform mere “work” into a true “vocation.”

Oh my Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you all my prayers, works, joys, and trials, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass said today throughout the world, for the intentions of your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians; the intentions of your faithful bishops and all apostles of prayers; and in particular for the intentions recommended this month by our Holy Father.

(As someone who has struggled my whole life to find my vocation, I can tell you that saying a morning offering gives meaning to the search itself…usually under the category of “trials.”)

And there’s more we can do. Vicki rightly points out how we should plan to bring God’s Kingdom into our personal and family lives. In today’s world, only conscious effort will bring more prayer into our families, more service to God and neighbor. Recognizing our mission to advance the Kingdom of God on earth will inspire us to lift others, by our example and our prayers, out of the worship of false gods and away from false visions that deny human dignity.

Jesus tells us, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and all else shall be added unto you. Somewhere in Jeremiah, God tells us, “I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper, and not to harm you.” (I’m writing this in a hotel, with an iffy internet connection, so I’m not hunting down the exact verses and links.)

This is our invitation to soar. Or, as St. Catherine of Siena said, “Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire.”

Readings for Sunday, November 23, 2014 

Posted in Cultural transformation, holiness, Uncategorized, Vocation | Leave a comment

Spirituality as Conversion (GNS 15)

Posted on November 15, 2014 by + Ann

Peace be with you!

“Conversion” is one of those words we use, without really considering what it means. This week, Fr. Freeh will explore the deeper meaning of conversion in the context of our spiritual growth.

You can’t really “convert” unless you realize you need it. You have to recognize that something’s wrong. And you have to desire to make it right.

Our culture isn’t big on conversion. It encourages us to believe “I’m OK, you’re OK,” even though a half-hour news show gives us a daily proof of just how “not OK” we are. But since we’re “OK,” we reconcile God to our sins, our behaviors, our attitudes…rather than taking a hard look at ourselves in the light of the deposit of faith and acknowledging our need to repent and reform our lives.

Recovering a sense of sin, personal sin, is the first step toward true conversion. As Fr. Freeh pointed out, the “poor in spirit” are those who realize that they’re very empty, apart from God.

But once we figure out we’re sinners…and owe a debt to Divine Justice…if we have any sense at all, we experience the debtor’s terror for the loan shark’s thugs when the unpayable debt comes due.

This fear of the Lord is real; an honest response to the terrifying consequences of our sin. But while fear of the Lord is necessary, it’s not enough for complete conversion. Peter’s fear led him to ask Jesus to “depart, for I am a sinful man.” Judas’ fear and guilt led him to self-destruction. The servant in this Sunday’s Gospel reading goes off and buries his talent out of fear of his master.

The only path forward out of paralyzing fear is trusting in God’s love and mercy.

All of the above makes solid sense to me. And then we come to the mystery of the Christ. His Incarnation, Passion, Death, and Resurrection is the proof of just how much God loves us. And here the waters get pretty deep. Paraphrasing Fr. Freeh’s comments: Jesus’ death was filled with the justice of God, His resurrection with God’s love and mercy. Only Jesus’ saving act satisfies Divine Justice while revealing Divine Mercy.

Fr. Freeh has mentioned before the theological proposition that the Word became Man in order to more fully become the Son of the Father.

Every time he says that, I think my head might explode. That the Word of God wrapped His completion as Son of the Father around flawed and faulty humanity…. Perfection stoops to imperfection in order to become more perfect….

The paradox is so deep, there must be God in there somewhere. It takes some thinking. I’m reminded that the Blessed Mother used to “ponder these things in her heart.”

And then Vicki pulls me back onto solid ground with an example of how one turns away from self and toward God and others simply by helping a colleague at work. Conversion is expressed in our actions. Helping the friend. Or the stranger. Challenging ourselves to study those aspects of the faith that are the most counter-cultural and understand the “why” behind them, rather than accept the false doctrines of a secular society.

Because in the end, every minute of every day of ordinary life presents us with the challenge of conversion: to submit ourselves to God’s will, accepting His love and mercy. Only then, like the Word of God, will we find our purpose and become who we are meant to be. Which is much more than merely “OK.” We will become children of God, who live in the light.

And, having pondered, the Blessed Mother has some very good advice to offer for those challenging moments: “Do whatever He tells you.”

Readings for Sunday, November 16, 2014.

Posted in Blessed Mother, Catholic Church, Conversion, Cultural transformation, Divine Mercy, Spirituality | Leave a comment

Vocation as Spirituality (GNS 14)

Posted on November 5, 2014 by + Ann

Peace be with you!

In this session, Fr. Freeh explores the relationship between our spirituality, our vocation, and our acceptance of God’s love.

Since we’re talking vocation, I want to highlight that this week is (in happy accident) National Vocation Awareness Week. Please help those who are discerning a vocation to the priesthood and religious life (and our Church) by praying that they will hear and respond generously to God’s call.

I think it’s worth doing a quick (and paraphrased) summary of the major elements of vocation:

  • An active relationship with God
  • An awareness of a calling, or a response to some need
  • An understanding that we don’t work alone; God empowers us
  • A willingness to leave other things behind in pursuit of your calling, seeking first the Kingdom of God
  • Vocation is applied spirituality, called to do something of significance.

The way I typically approach writing these posts is to watch the video a couple times, taking notes. Then I go away for awhile and see what comes back to me, while keeping an eye out for inspiration. (Side note: The greatest gift of my unexpected role as a spiritual blogger is that in my daily life, I am much more attuned to possible messages from God that just might be useful here.)

Here’s what stuck in my head: “Our spirituality is only as deep as our desire for God” and “You have to be willing to leave everything else behind.”

I had to smile when I heard these themes again in this morning’s Gospel reading recounting Jesus’s message to the “great crowds” following Him to Jerusalem. How many of them followed not because they were attracted to His message, but because they wanted healing, they wanted bread? All of a sudden, He turns and tells them that they cannot come to Him without hating their father, mother, siblings, children…even their own life. They must pick up their crosses and follow Him.

Jesus is painfully clear: If our first concern is our own wellbeing, the wellbeing of our family…we have missed the point. We must pick up our crosses. Now remember, this was no millenia-watered-down metaphor. He was talking to a crowd who knew about, or even witnessed, actual crucifixion in all its terrible agony and gore. “Pick up your cross?” Really? And then, in the parable of a man who began to build a tower he couldn’t finish because he failed to take into account the effort and the cost, He warns them about beginning what they can’t finish. I wonder how many of that “great crowd” did the proverbial fast fade.

Listening to this Gospel, I had to wonder…why do I follow Christ? Is it all about what He can give me? Or what I can give Him? Do I really desire Him? And how willing am I to pursue my desire, despite the cost? What am I willing to leave behind?

(I had a sudden image of myself as the spiritual equivalent of those not-so-bright pioneers who, striking out into new territory, couldn’t leave their treasures behind. They loaded their Conestoga with all the comforts of home, often with disastrous consequences.)

But if following Jesus is more about cost, effort, and sacrifice than it is about free bread and healthcare…there is also unexpected, and abundant, blessing. And this is where God’s empowering grace comes into play.

Peter’s “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” and his decision to leave his nets has to be understood in the context of Christ’s call to him. In answering Jesus’s first simple request (“Hey, can I borrow your boat?”) Peter hears His teaching, sees His power, and recognizes Jesus as Lord. Encountering Jesus, Peter knows there is something greater..and his heart burns with a new desire. He leaves his nets behind because he wants to.

In a nutshell: The more you get to know God, the more He becomes important to you, the more you want to serve Him. Or…

Spirituality is only as deep as God is important to you. Desire is key.

Readings for Sunday, November 9th, 2014.

Posted in Cultural transformation, holiness, Holy Spirit, Spirituality, Uncategorized, Vocation | Leave a comment

Now and Forever Summary (GNS 13b)

Posted on October 30, 2014 by + Ann

 Peace be with you!

I had some unplanned travel of my own recently, but I’m back at my keyboard. In this session, Fr. Freeh completes the summary of our reflections so far.

“Spirituality is uniquely our own.”

I can’t think of a more fitting message to take with us into the celebration of the solemnity of All Saints and the commemoration of All Souls coming up this weekend.

While the secular world focuses on costumes and candy at best, and horror and the satanic at worst…this is the time of the year when the Church invites us–the Church Militant–to focus on our hope of heaven, honoring our spiritual heroes in the Church Triumphant, praying for those souls in the Church Suffering. Together–Militant, Triumphant, and Suffering–we are the Communion of Saints, the Body of Christ.

#9 It’s serendipitous that our review begins by considering the source of our unity: our shared belief as expressed in the Creed. We believe in a Trinitarian God Who desires an intimate relationship with each individual. Each of us is a child of God, created by God to know Him. Not “know about” Him, but to enter into the mystery of God, so that our lives become an expression of our genuine relationship with Him. We become the “living prayer” of God.

#9b & 10 Having considered the unity of our faith, we moved into the variety of its expression, touching on a few of the spiritual giants raised to the altars of the Church. In  “applied spirituality” we live in an awareness of God’s love for us, ready to respond in loving and serving Him and our neighbor. This is what prevents us from falling into the trap of individualism. Instead, we become the best possible versions of ourselves, the individuals God created us to be.

#11 People tend to do what they want. But as our spirituality deepens and grows, it transforms even the desires of our hearts: we begin to want to be holy. We pray for the grace of the desire for holiness so that we can say with St. Paul, “I count all things to be but loss…and count them but as dung, that I may gain Christ.”

#12 And so we come again to living what we believe. With a world chock full of alternatives, we need to examine our lives to see if we have substituted a false god in the center of our lives for the true God. Founded on prayer, our spirituality is revealed in the difference we make with our lives. Authentic spirituality finds its true expression in our vocations–the intersection of our faith and the needs of the world.

Every time we say the Lord’s Prayer, we pray “Thy Kingdom come.” As Fr. Freeh points out, authentic Christian spirituality isn’t about shadow boxing. We need to confront evil and falsehood and build up the light of Christ’s Kingdom…so that one day, we too may be welcomed into heaven with the saints and holy souls we remember on our altars and in our prayers.

In the spirit of summarizing, I’ve created a new page to this blog that lists the links from all the previous posts. I’ll be updating as we move forward and discover more resources to help us in our spiritual journey.

God is good…now and forever!

 Sunday’s readings.

Posted in Catholic Church, Cultural transformation, holiness, Spirituality, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Now and Forever Summary (GNS 13a)

Posted on October 9, 2014 by + Ann

Peace be with you!

Fr. Freeh is back in the studio, and kicks off the next set of reflections with an overview of where we’ve been so far.

http://youtu.be/xX24xeJEor8

As you can see, this effort is still a work-in-progress, as we learn from the best teacher…experience. (The best teacher could use a little help, called “feedback”…which can only come from you, dear friends. Comments welcome. You don’t need to tell us who you are!)

Since this is a summary, packing eight ten-minute sessions into ten minutes, I’d like to try to provide a few signposts along the way.

#1: We begin again with an emphasis on the parish (I swear I didn’t know this when I wrote last week’s post) which saves us from a self-centered, navel-gazing spirituality. The parish shapes our faith toward serving God, our neighbor, and sharing our faith.

#2 Spirituality is the “Why” behind everything we do. What we stand for. Religion and spirituality are not mutually exclusive! Catholic spirituality is an expression of our Catholic faith, a genuine relationship with God…which is why it’s not crazy to go to church, because…

#3 Spirituality is rooted in worship in prayer. If we don’t worship the True God, we’ll wind up worshipping at least one false one. Being in the presence of God is the root of apostolic spirituality.

#4 And prayer–being in the presence of God–begets Piety. Prayer transforms us, gives us an attitude, an awareness of God’s love in all that we are and do.

#5 Sloth is the death of spirituality. An authentic relationship with God conquers sloth, because we understand He is our friend, and we just naturally want to be with Him. We don’t “have to” pray, or go to Mass…we want to.

#6 Bringing an “apostolic spirituality” approach to our Catholic religion can deepen our appreciation of the “Why” of our faith. We go beyond the “What” and “How” to realize that spirituality is about reality, and reality is about Love.

#7 The only way we can love God is to turn away from our own self-interest. In other words, love of God and neighbor requires “sacrifice”–which literally translates as “to make holy.” So sacrifice, holiness, and Love are the same.

#8 The Sacramental life of the Church is the key to Christian spirituality. The Sacraments are Christ’s gift to us, to initiate, sustain, and develop our spiritual lives…the comprehensive health care plan for our souls.

Whoo! Next week, we’ll complete our summary, and then see what Fr. Freeh has in store for us next!

 This Sunday’s readings.

 

Posted in Catholic Church, Confession, Cultural transformation, Eucharist, holiness, Holy Mass, Holy Spirit, Parish, Sacraments, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Spirituality, Trinity, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Taking Spirituality Back to the Parish

Posted on October 2, 2014 by + Ann

The peripatetic padre Fr. Freeh still hasn’t had a chance to get to his studio, and I’m flying solo again this week. So I’d like to go back and touch on the topic that kicked off these ten-minute reflections of Now and Forever: the grounding of spirituality in the parish.

We’ve been reflecting on how our spirituality must be oriented toward meeting the real needs of the world.

Now, if you’ve got a group of people who want to worship, love, and serve God by loving and serving their neighbor–which will do for a short working definition of “parish” for the purposes of this post–then they should find the natural outlet of their shared desire in the activities of the group. In other words, the life of the parish should be an expression of the common element of our spirituality: loving and serving God and neighbor.

Sadly, this isn’t really the case.

In Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic, Matthew Kelly says that studies have shown only 7% of all Catholics are involved in the life of their parish. These are the folks who pray, study, give financial support, and evangelize. (In my metaphor-prone mind, I see these folks as fit and active, while most of the Body of Christ is sitting on the couch, watching TV and playing video games, eating chips, getting fat and clogged arteries.)

But rather than finding the 7% number a cause for despair, Kelly points to how much that 7% is already doing. The Catholic Church feeds, clothes, shelters, educates, heals, and assists in disaster more people on this planet than any other single entity. And, by the way, has a 2,000-year track record of doing so.

Now imagine what the Church could do if just another 1% became truly involved. And another 1% the year after that, and another 1%…. The upside potential is simply flabbergasting.

Maybe you’re already part of that involved and well-muscled 7%. If so…congratulations, and keep up the good work!

Your next challenge is to invite lapsed Catholics, the occasional Mass-goer, or the Sunday pew-sitter, into a more active participation in the life of the Church. Sometimes, the folks who are already involved have a hard time making room for new blood. Be the person who reaches out in friendship to share the work.

Many hands make light work, and the needs are real. And trust me, there’s something for  everyone to do. There are as many different ways to be involved as there are Catholics. (My own parish has more than 88 different ministries.)

Maybe you’re not involved, and you have a list of reasons why. Here’s something to consider. One of the Bible verses that often comes to my mind is, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Lk. 12:34)

Translation: How you spend your time and money will tell you what’s really important to you, what you value most.

Take a hard look at your own use of your time, talent, and treasure–all of which aren’t really yours to begin with. They are gifts from God. Do you like what it says about you? Is what you do truly aligned with what you value most? Where does God and neighbor (including family under this umbrella) show up in your life?

There’s a reason Luke 12:34 is often on my mind. It’s a useful prod to my conscience about my own shortcomings.

I’ve made at least some progress in this area, and here’s what I’ve learned about participating in the life of the parish. It’s one of those God-driven paradoxes where the more you give, the more you get. Which brings to mind another Bible verse:

And whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward. (Mt. 10:42)

We tend to think of this as Heavenly reward, but the truth is my involvement in my parish has rewarded me right now with friendship, laughter, joy…and a sense of peace that at least some of the time I’m living according to my faith, in concert with those who share it. I love my parish, and I find myself praying for the parish as a whole, not just the parishioners I personally know.

If your involvement in your parish is limited to showing up for Mass, you can change that.

Maybe you’ll finally volunteer for that parish ministry that’s been dogging your conscience. Maybe you’ll begin by reading Matthew Kelly’s book, Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic  to learn more about how applied spirituality in a parish setting gives us the opportunity to change ourselves and the world for the better.

Here’s a step we can all take together: praying that the Holy Spirit will energize our parishes and get them–and us–off the spiritual couch.

I earnestly invite you to take that first step, and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to the second.

This Sunday’s readings.

Posted in Catholic Church, Cultural transformation, Holy Mass, Holy Spirit, Joy, Parish, Spirituality, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

We Interrupt This Program…

Posted on September 17, 2014 by + Ann

Peace be with you!

Fr. Freeh’s travel schedule has conspired to keep him out of the studio. I expect the next installment of videos in a couple of weeks, maybe. In the meantime, I feel compelled to honor those of you who are checking back each week … even if you still aren’t commenting. You know who you are! 😉 … by having something here for you to read.

So, I’d like to call attention to the fact that I’ve been posting the readings for the Sunday Mass at the bottom of each blog. Why? Because one of Matthew Kelly’s recommendations in Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic is to spend a little time preparing for Mass each week.

This is only common sense, but very few folks actually do it. I think many people confuse Mass with some kind of spectator event–like a movie, a sports event, or a TV show. They think their role is just to show up, and be…well, entertained. For them, Mass is all about the music and the homily, and their experience of the Mass depends on the priest and the choir. Which is really unfortunate. And also: just wrong.

The “spectator” approach is what motivates the complaint: “I don’t get anything from the Mass. Why should I bother going?”

As my father once responded: “You’re not there to get. You’re there to give.” And after a pause to let that sink in, he added: “And once you figure that out, you’ll get more than you ever dreamed.”

The truth is…you are there to participate. You assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by your participation, by virtue of your baptism.

In any other area of your life, you practice for things that matter. You don’t show up for a recital without having rehearsed. You don’t play the opposing team without having practiced. You give your presentation to your staff, your spouse (and maybe the family pet) before pitching it to the management team. Heck…how much prep work do we put into even our “spectator” activities…the tailgate or SuperBowl party? Reading the sports pages, watching the pre-game show.

And yet, we think we can just show up for the Mass, and have it all fall into place for us, while we mentally plan our list for the grocery store stop we’ll make on the way home. (Oh, yes. Been there. Done that.) And then we have the nerve to complain when we “don’t get anything out of it.”

The Mass–the unbloody re-presentation of Christ’s one sacrifice upon the Cross in the Eucharist–is infinitely more important than any of those events. Than any event. So why do we spend less effort preparing for our participation?

This is an area that I decided to address by adding it to this blog. (I might’ve mentioned before how becoming a spiritual blogger was a huge kick in my…conscience.)

So now I’m prepping. And just this past Sunday I noticed something about the first reading from Exodus that had never struck me before:

When the people grumbled about the lousy accommodations on their 40-year flight from Egypt, God sent saraph serpents among them, and the people died from the bites. So then they repented, and asked Moses to pray to God to take away the serpents. God has Moses make a bronze serpent for them to look at if they were bitten, so they would not die. (Nm. 21:4B-9)

This last Sunday was the first time I realized that God didn’t take away the serpents! He only provided the cure. And you had to come to the cure to be saved.

Oh. We want God to take away the serpents of original and personal sin. But guess what? We invited them in, and continue to invite them in. God won’t overrule our decisions. But He will provide a cure for the consequences of our sin, if we repent and go to Him. This is why in the Gospel, Jesus compares Himself to the serpent that Moses raised in the desert for the people to look at. (Jn. 3:13-17)

Okay, so maybe I’m just a little slow, that this understanding slid by me all these years. But I’m also gaining a perspective on how each Mass follows on the one previous, and builds to the next. For example, as I write this on Monday, the 15th of September, (I’ll be traveling later this week, too, and need to get a jump on this)… I realize that since Sunday was the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, it makes perfect sense to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows the very next day…for where you find the Cross, you find the Blessed Mother, sharing in the suffering of her Son.

This is the kind of insight that happens when you pay attention. When you prepare.

(The month of September is traditionally associated with honoring the Sorrows of the Blessed Mother. The Servite Rosary is one way you can join in the sorrow of Mary for the suffering of her Son.)

So here’s my promise to you: However much you know the Scriptures, if you read “the readings” beforehand, the Holy Spirit will lead you to a deeper appreciation of them…and over time, that deeper appreciation will enlighten and transform your participation at Mass. You’ll be there to give…and you’ll get more than you ever dreamed.

Oh, and P.S.: Participation at the Mass also means picking up that hymnal and singing along. As the sisters used to say: When you sing hymns, you pray twice. If God gave you a good voice, sing to honor His gift. If He gave you a bad one, sing to get revenge! 😉

Read Sunday’s Scriptures.

Posted in Blessed Mother, Eucharist, Holy Mass, Holy Spirit, Parish, Pope Francis, Prayer, Sacraments, Spirituality, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Vocation and Authentic Spirituality (GNS 12)

Posted on September 10, 2014 by + Ann

Peace be with you!

This, my friends, is my favorite video thus far.

http://youtu.be/YXsQ_szN7bY

Here’s what really caught my attention….

“The kind of god you believe in, is the kind of god you’ll live in your life.” 

Humans are so hard-wired to believe and worship, that if we don’t worship the True God, we’ll certainly worship a false one. Materialism, egoism, hedonism, rationalism are among the many idols who offer themselves for worship. Enshrined in our culture, they sneak up on us, displacing God and our better values without us hardly noticing.

So we must each ask ourselves, “Do I believe in God? Do I believe in the True God? Or have I substituted an “ism” in His place?”

The best way to answer these questions is to–on a regular basis–take a hard look at what you do, what you neglect, how you spend your time, what you yearn for, what you save for, what you spend your money on, what you talk about, what you ignore. In other words, all the decisions of your daily life. Do your choices align with the morals of the media and pop culture (or lack thereof), or from the teachings of Christ safeguarded and proclaimed by the Church?

If we believe in the God Who gave His life for us on the cross, then sacrifice should show up in our lives. Does it?

Honest answers to these questions might make you (like me) squirm more than a little. That’s your conscience. Give it some air. Let it do the talkin’ in the confessional.

Authentic spirituality takes shape in the form of a vocation–a God-inspired response to some urgent need. 

While our relationship with God is founded on prayer, it is revealed in the difference we make in the world. The intersection of the needs of the world, our God-given abilities, and our openness to the call of the Holy Spirit results in our vocation.

In my metaphor-prone brain, this translates as: “The vocation is the magnifying lens of our spirituality.” A magnifying lens gathers light and brings into focus, enlarges, and reveals the details of whatever you use it on. Our vocation should do the same for our spirituality, revealing our identity and purpose, as designed by the Father and as we are called by the Holy Spirit.

This magnifying lens effect works on two different levels. Our vocation helps us to know, love and serve God. But we also become the lens through which others come to know God. Because if we “live the kind of god we believe in,” and if we truly believe in the Triune God, then we will imitate Christ, Who gave His life for us on the cross. Visible witness to the love of God and neighbor will be the hallmark of our lives.

In other words, through authentic apostolic spirituality, we become holy, and we change the world. And, with the Blessed Mother, we can proclaim:

My soul magnifies the Lord
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid;
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;
Because He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His name;
And His mercy is from generation to generation
on those who fear Him.
He has shown might with His arm,
He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has given help to Israel, his servant, mindful of His mercy
Even as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.

Amen!

Just a final note here…I know there are people out there viewing this blog. I’m very interested in hearing what you have to say. Also, any feedback on the series thus far would be welcome. All the comments are moderated, so if you want to provide feedback in private regarding the series in general, just say so, and I won’t approve it for open posting, but I’ll share it with Fr. Freeh.

Comments about this specific post (or any of the earlier ones) would be for all visitors to this blog. Over time, I hope that we can grow into a community. And if you like this blog, I invite you to hit the “like” button, and “share” it…a practically painless form of evangelization!

Read the Scriptures for Sunday, 9/14/14

Posted in Blessed Mother, Confession, Cultural transformation, holiness, Holy Spirit, Joy, Prayer, Spirituality, Trinity, Vocation | Leave a comment

A Spirituality for Today (GNS Session 11)

Posted on September 5, 2014 by + Ann

Peace be with you!

In this week’s video session (our eleventh), Fr. Freeh challenges us to examine our commitment to our spiritual life.

Getting up in the morning with a sense of purpose. Taking time for prayer and reflection, and going to bed with heartfelt gratitude for what God has accomplished through us during the day, is a formula that all adds up to a truly spiritual way of life. We won’t arrive at that happy state unless and until it becomes our deepest desire. — Fr. Vincent Freeh, MSC

In other words, we do what we want to. This is the difference between grumbling our way to school or the office, and leaping out of bed for Christmas or the first flight out for a dream vacation: The desire of our heart. 

So, we have to ask: do we really want an authentic relationship with God, regardless of the cost? Do we want the Holy Spirit to fan the embers of our faith into a life-changing conflagration? The desire for God has a radical impact on our lives, re-ordering our priorities, re-directing our efforts. As St. Paul describes here:

Furthermore I count all things to be but loss for the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but as dung, that I may gain Christ — Ph. 3:8

Reflecting on my own response to this challenge, I am forced to recognize both the longing in my heart for a closer relationship with God…and fear of the consequences. I might have to make uncomfortable choices, even sacrifices. How often do I fail the simplest of tests? (Making a list for the next confession. Need another sheet of paper….)

And so I return once more to prayer, the root of the spiritual life I now have, and I ask God for a great grace: the desire for holiness.

The seed of this desire was planted in baptism. Now, I ask God to provide the water, and the grace of growth. In the last few weeks, I’ve come to understand that asking for this grace is itself a response to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. So even as I lament my failures, I have hope for the future because

“Whenever we take a step toward Jesus, we come to realize that He is already there, waiting for us with open arms.” — Pope Francis I

I hope you’ll join me in praying for desire for holiness. Not just for ourselves, but for a world desperately in need of God’s love and light.

Read Sunday’s Scriptures.

Posted in Catholic Church, Confession, Cultural transformation, holiness, Holy Spirit, Pope Francis, Prayer, Sacraments, Spirituality, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Applied Spirituality (GNS Sess 9b + 10)

Posted on August 27, 2014 by + Ann

Peace be with you!

In this video, Fr. Freeh revisits last week’s theme of “unity and variety” in the spiritual life.

Unity can be found in our acceptance of God’s love, in our shared belief in a Trinitarian God, Who doesn’t just love us as objects, but Who desires an intimate relationship with us. We are loved, and love in return.

Now we turn to variety. As you might imagine, in a Church of more than one billion souls on the planet right now–and countless more in the two millenia since our founding–this is a wide and deep subject. Here, Fr. Freeh will hit just a few highlights.

The word Fr. Freeh is looking for is “cursive”–a kind of writing that is still taught. (At least in Catholic schools!) The point he’s making is don’t get caught up in the pursuit of perfection in trivialities…thus lies the path of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder! Put first things first, strive for excellence…let the details fall where they may.

The examples Fr. Freeh gives of the different forms of spirituality can seem daunting to an ordinary layperson. In case you missed it:

St. Frances Xavier “Mother” Cabrini, founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, pioneer of Catholic education in the US. St. Benedict, the father of Western monasticism. St. Francis of Assisi, whom God entrusted with the mission to rebuild His Church. St. Dominic, on fire to spread the good news of God’s saving love. St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, author of the Ignatian spiritual exercises…

Wow.

Before we pack up our tents and creep quietly away from these spiritual giants, let’s remember we are united with the communion of saints in a common goal. As Fr. Freeh put it, the challenge is to live “in an awareness of God’s love for us, ready to make a loving response.”

While our goal is the same…the paths to it are very different. The “variety” comes from the “applied spirituality” of our everyday lives. No saint is ever a replica of any other, because each saint lives in a different time and place. Each saint has a heart shaped to love God and neighbor, to meet a particular need in a particular way.

None of these men and women began in perfection. But they began. And with patience, repentance, and persistence, they lived the love of God in their daily lives. As a great priest once quoted in a homily: “I truly believe every saint has a past, every sinner a future.” How will you begin? Where will your future take you?

God meets us where we are, in every moment of our lives. In the people around us. In our circumstances. In the hopes and anxieties of our hearts. He’s looking for our loving response, in a world bereft of love.

We need to ask ourselves some hard questions. How is God calling me? Am I open to the Holy Spirit, willing to make a loving response? Am I ready to acquire a spirituality that makes a difference, not just to myself, but to the world?

Are you having trouble discerning the answers to those questions? I’d like to return to St. Ignatius’s spiritual exercises just long enough to give you a link that might help. And another.

Authentic spirituality is for the here and now, responding to the needs of the time. If you look at our times, you can’t help but know just how great the need is.

The important thing is to put first things first, strive for excellence…and put the results in God’s hands.

Read this Sunday’s Scriptures.

Posted in Catholic Church, Cultural transformation, holiness, Holy Spirit, Ignatian Spirituality, Parish, Prayer, Spirituality, St. Ignatius, Trinity | Leave a comment