Eat This, Not That

Bulletin Article June 21, 2011

As a personal trainer, I have dealt with my fair share of complaining clients. “I don’t want to eat green vegetables…why do I need to eat 6 small meals…I don’t want to diet, I will just run more…” It’s sad that we think we can cheat our way around achieving goals and getting the outcome we want from life. This week’s gospel is one of my favorites. Jesus gives us a strict diet. Your ancestors ate manna in the desert and still died. Eat this not that. You want eternal life? Eat my body and drink my blood.

Fulton Sheen once said, “There are not a hundred people in America who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions of people who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church.” There are many people who claim they do not agree with the Church’s teaching on certain things. On the forefront of this misunderstanding is The Eucharist. We as Catholics believe that at every Mass, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine are completely transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. We believe that it is NO LONGER bread or wine but completely the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. We believe that the sacrifice of the Cross is re-presented (made present again) on the altars of our churches. This is what the Church teaches; this is what we believe.

Of course it is hard to believe such a teaching. The question of the Pharisees echoes today, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Yet, there have been plenty of occurrences that point to that truth. To name a few…

Lanciano, Italy – 8th Century
A priest has doubts about the Real Presence; however, when he consecrates the Host it transforms into flesh and blood. This miracle has undergone extensive scientific examination and can only be explained as a miracle. The flesh is actually cardiac tissue, which contains arterioles, veins, and nerve fibers. The blood type as in all other approved Eucharistic miracles is type AB!

Blanot, France – March 31, 1331
The Eucharist fell out of a woman’s mouth onto the altar rail cloth. After the priest tried to recover the Host, nothing remained but a spot of blood the same size and dimensions as the Host.

Bolsena-Oryieta, Italy
A priest doubting Real Presence was consecrating the bread, as he raised the bread, blood began to drip from it.

Avignon, France – November of 1433
A great flood swept through the city. There was a chapel in the town where the Blessed Sacrament was exposed day and night. Two Franciscan brothers wanted to get to the Church to remove the Blessed Sacrament and move it to a chapel on dry land. When they rowed their boat to the chapel, they were amazed. From the door to the altar was completely dry. The floodwaters had been parted and the Eucharist remained on the altar unaffected.

You may think that these miracles happened to people with outstanding faith or nothing like that can happen to me. However, most of these miracles happened during periods of weakened faith or to someone who struggled with doubt in believing that The Eucharist truly is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Christ’s body and blood is so amazing and so powerful that it can perform miracles. Will you let it perform one in your life?

For more information on Eucharistic Miracles, visit TheRealPresence.org.

He gave His only Son…

Bulletin Article 6/19

This week’s gospel is one of the most memorized scripture quotes among Christians. However the significance can get lost when it becomes “just a verse of scripture.” To think of what it means to love something or someone so much that we would offer up our most valued possession can sometimes baffle our minds. We have heard the events of the Crucifixion time and time again, yet perhaps a modern experience will put this sacrifice into perspective.

There was a young man in his mid thirties. He had been married for about 12 years to a lovely woman who worked at an elementary school in their mid-west town. They had one son who was nearly 7. Due to complications during the pregnancy, the wife was no longer capable of bearing children. This was their one and only child, so they cared for him and loved him all the more for it. The father loved to bring his son fishing, to baseball games, and coached his little league team. The boy had an intense love for trains. He had every toy, book and model known to man. His love of trains stemmed from his father’s job, working at the railroad switch station around the corner from his house. Everyday in the summer, his son would visit him for lunch. Sometimes he would let his son switch the track for a slow-moving freight train.

One day the man was having a very rough day. Many of the trains were backed up and he had to reroute a lot of them. There were trains full of passengers from all over – tourists from Europe, children on field trips, sports teams traveling to other cities, businessmen and women going to work, and many more. There were dozens of trains filled with people lined up at the local station. As lunchtime rolled around he saw his son coming down the road toward his switch station. As his son was crossing the tracks, he received an urgent call telling him to switch track A to track C immediately. A freight train carrying various military materials was out of control and unable to stop. Track C led to an uphill climb, which would slow the train down. Track A and B were jammed with passenger trains. If the man didn’t switch the tracks, the weapons train would certainly crash and explode killing hundreds, if not thousands of innocent people. As the man turned to his son, he was struck with horror. His son had fallen on track C and was stuck in one of the loose ties.

Turning back at the oncoming train, he was forced to make a decision – switch the track and sacrifice his one and only son, or save his son while allowing thousands to be killed. He looked at his son and said, “You know I love you very much.” With that he pulled the switch and diverted the train to Track C where it proceeded uphill, slowed down, and came to a stop. The passengers were saved, but his one and only son had to die for that to happen.

This story is hard to imagine; it is extremely sad, yet it is the story of God’s love for His people. For He so loved the world that He gave His only son. His son was sent to suffer and die so that we may be saved through His blood. The story of Christ’s death however is not sad but joyous. Through his death, we no longer have to suffer death, but are born to eternal life – that, my dear friends, is love.

The Good Old Days

Bulletin Article 6/12

If you ask your parents or your grandparents what the world was like when they were a “young adult” you may get a pretty shocking answer. If they are like my father (and grandfather) the response will be, “What do you mean WHEN I was a young adult…” Yet if we look back at history, we can see what they would have been facing in their 20s and 30s:

1920s/30s- The Great Depression, Prohibition
1940s- World War II
1950s/60s – The Space Race, Civil Rights
1960s/70s- Nixon, Vietnam War, Gas shortages
1980s/90s – Birth of computers, First Gulf War, War on Drugs
2000+ - 9/11, drastic recession, War on terror

If we look back on all of this, it seems that not much has changed. War, poverty, violence, unemployment, high gas prices/gas shortages, political corruption, etc. – it all sounds very familiar.

So often we hear about “the good old days,” in which the street lights let us know our curfews, we drank from a hose, never heard the words ‘sun tan lotion,’ and playing wasn’t something planned out-it just happened. The good old days can also refer to how our parents and grandparents had it “easier” than us. They didn’t have to worry about getting 3 college degrees just to get an entry level job, getting their credit checked from 3 different agencies when they bought a house, or wondering if the government would send them a social security check when they retired. Nowadays, these are simply common factors that we must calculate into our plans for life.

However, just because our parents and grandparents had it “easier” in some respects, they also had to face some serious hardships that we are blessed to be free of. For instance, imagine writing a thesis paper or business report on a typewriter (that’s the machine people used to type before computers…). Imagine not being able to do 95% of your research by GOOGLE or Bing and actually using the card catalogue in the library. Imagine sitting home wondering if your number would be selected to serve in a war where hundreds and thousands were killed daily. I guess the good old days weren’t always so good.

The one thing we can learn from the young adults of the past is that together we make it out on top. The wars will end. Technology changes. The economy has its ups and downs, but what keeps us going is not thinking about the good old days, but the good days to come. In light of the Easter Season, we are reminded of what John Paul II said, “We are an Easter people…” We are a people of hope, looking forward to the joys that await us in Heaven.

Slow Down and Go Fast

It always strikes me how many people “celebrate” Lent. Ash Wednesday Masses and services are always packed with people. Do that many people focus on the fact that they “are dust and to dust they shall return”? When we think about it, there is something special about this season that draws us away from ourselves for six weeks. It seems the human person is always attracted to goods such as being selfless or acting for other people. It is this good that the human person seeks which brings us away from ourselves and toward the ultimate good, God the Father.

When the word ‘Lent’ is spoken, people automatically have certain assumptions and associates to go along with it. For us Catholics, we immediately are reminded of abstaining from meat on Fridays and the ever popular “giving something up.” Lent should be more than the sacrifice itself, however. Lent is a season, not an action. It is a timeframe in which we can come to a greater appreciation for the things we are blessed with. It is a time when we can allow ourselves to take our focus off of our belly-buttons and turn it outward. Moreover, Lent is not just about fasting, but about slowing down.

Of the many types and forms of prayer we can experience, meditation and contemplation are vital to a relationship with Jesus Christ. These types of prayer allow us to slow down and they enlighten us about how we can fast. For someone who is constantly on the go, fasting can mean taking time away from their schedule to pray, go to Mass, or visit a family member. For others, fasting can take the form of going to confession weekly or giving up their favorite TV show. Whatever you sacrifice frees time for you to slow things down and meditate on what this season is all about.

For many, the season of Lent is a reminder of “sad” or “difficult” things. Many would argue that we should focus our attention of Easter Sunday and not Good Friday. However, there would be no Easter Sunday without a Good Friday. There is no resurrection without death. There is no eternal life without expiation for our sins. Therefore, it is important to reflect on the darkness so that we can come to a fuller appreciation and desire for the light. We must take this time to slow down, reflect on Christ’s temptation-our temptations, Christ’s passion-our passion, and then go and fast.

Wait for it...

Hey everyone! Happy New Year!

I would like to share a reflection I had during my holy hour yesterday evening. I was reflecting on the finding of young Jesus in the Temple. (Luke 2: 41-52)
I was struck mostly by verses 51 and 52.

51Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Jesus could have begun His ministry at the age of 12 or 13 (the age of adulthood in the Jewish faith). He was already teaching the doctors of the faith in the temple. However, he listened to his parents and grew as any other human would. So what does this have to do with waiting? Think of Mary and Joseph. They both knew that God had sent Jesus to them. They knew He had an extraordinary mission on this earth. "Jesus its your 15th birthday, are you going to begin you mission? Jesus, you are 18...21...25..28. Jesus you are 29 years old and you still live at home????"

Imagine what Mary and Joseph must have longed for. I am sure they longed to witness Jesus fulfill what the angel of the Lord had told them. Yet they waited patiently for his hour to come. For 30 years Mary waited, "keeping all these things in her heart" as Jesus "grew in favor with God and men."

What is it that we are waiting for God to do? Lord, when will I get that job? When will I graduate? When will I stop suffering with this sin? When, when, when! Perhaps as we begin this new year, we should reflect on what we are right now. We are not at the next step in our lives, but we are here, now. Jesus recognized the fact that he needed to be the best son he could be for Mary and Joseph. He needed to grow in wisdom and favor--so He did. He waited for His hour to come, and when it did, He acted.

So patiently we must wait on the Lord. Perhaps our hour has not yet come. We wait in joyful hope for Jesus to reveal his plan for us at 15, 21, 25, 30, 45, 60, 99! God bless you in this beautiful time of waiting; it is a blessing not a burden. Amen.

One Small Step

How do you measure greatness? We all want it. We all have a certain desire within us to do something different. We do not want to just fall into the routine of life with a mediocre job and settle for less than we are capable of. Just because we all have this desire doesn’t necessarily mean that we reach it. How come? Why do we often sell ourselves short? Why do we settle for less then greatness? Many people would say that life throws some pretty hard punches and as long as you learn to take the hits you will be fine. I think that is cowardly. Please, do yourself a favor and don’t just take the hit, but move forward and strike back!

So often in our lives we compare ourselves to other people. “She has the bag I want.” “His car is sweet.” “Why can’t I have the life he has?” “Wow, they really have done something with their lives and made a difference in this world.” In a world that seems to focus so much on ourselves, we tend to do a lot of outward gazing. In a society that focuses on ME ME ME, why is our gaze fixed on the other person? Just because what we are doing is different from someone else, does not take away the fact that we have the potential to achieve the greatness we want and desire.

We just celebrated the 40th anniversary of our first successful trip to the moon. Do you think that Neil Armstrong woke up one day as a 6 year old farm boy and said, “I am going to be the first man to walk on the moon.” I highly doubt that. What he did say was, “I am going to be a pilot one day.” For him, there was nothing greater than flying a plane. He chased down that dream and achieved that greatness. At the age of 16, before he even had his driver’s license, he attained a pilot’s license. Now, did his desire for greatness or rather, his CALL to greatness end there? Absolutely not.

Neil Armstrong was said to be one of the greatest pilots in American history. As a Navy pilot, he fought in the Korean War. He flew in just under 80 combat missions and won 3 Air Medals. He returned from war and began working for NACA (NASA’s predecessor) as a test pilot. There was not an aircraft that he didn’t know how to fly. He was great at what he did. But did his call to greatness end there? NO.

He was elevated to the status of Astronaut and commanded the Gemini 8 mission and of course the Apollo 11 mission, for which he is remembered. He was awarded many medals and honors when he returned from the Apollo 11 mission. He continued his call to greatness by becoming a professor of Aerospace Engineering and serving for the United States Government. Anyone who hears the name Neil Armstrong will think it to be synonymous with the word greatness.

Just because I am not going to be the first man to walk on Mars, cure Cancer, or do something else that will change the world, does not mean that I am not called to greatness. Although I had dreams of becoming a Military pilot, astronaut, and a professional baseball player, I have come to realize that I am not called to do those things. Those do not fit into my call to greatness. Regardless of what I end up doing with my life, I know that it will be something I am called to do. It will be great.

Greatness is not measured by one triumphant event, medals, or stock market portfolios. It is not the quantity of what you do, but the quality in which you do it. It is not based on what you have, but what you give. Your greatness is attainable. Rather than focusing on who you might become or what you might do in the future, center your attention on who you are right now. Become the best you can be at whatever it is do right now. Like Neil Armstrong, the moon shouldn’t be our focal point, but rather our focus must be on becoming the best pilot we can be. Once we do that, the doors will keep opening and the effects are out of this world.

Excuse me, Mr. President, you are stepping on my faith

When I first heard the news of President Obama at Georgetown University, my original reaction was based on who I am as a Catholic who works in Higher Education. However, there is something wrong here. What gives anyone the right to or the need to ask an institution to cover up symbols of their identity?

President Obama is not doing a great job of unifying this country. Of course, as President, you cannot make everyone happy. Yet, there are Tea parties and rumors of states such as Texas seceding from the Union. This is a long way from his "bi-partison" plans, which seem to have gone out the window. A rather large portion of Americans are Catholic. But the purpose of this writing is not to single out this specific instance, but a call to stand up for who you are. Embracing your identity is what makes this country so great. No one has the right to impede on you based on religion, race, or ethnicity. However this past Wednesday, President Obama attacked our freedom once again.

On Wednesday, April 15, President Obama made a speech at Georgetown University, one of the oldest universities in the nation. It just so happens that this university is Catholic. Of course when a diplomat or politician speaks at any university, a proper backdrop is necessary. International flags, American flags, the state flag, or some other public symbol is put up. However, our president seemed to take it a step further. Since the blue curtain couldn’t cover all of the Catholic symbols and pictures behind where the president would speak, he ordered a black, triangular molding to be place above it. Why? Because the letters, “IHS” would have still been visible. These letters, in case you didn’t know, symbolize the name of Jesus.

Separation of Church and State—any liberal, leftist, left-wing, democrat, or whatever you wish to call half of our nation’s population, will adamantly argue that the Church has no right to impede on public affairs such as elections or political conventions. Yet, President Obama had a Seder meal in the White House, and now he is covering up the name of Jesus at a CATHOLIC university. I guess separation of Church and State is a one way street? WRONG!

Let’s analyze the First Amendment, shall we?
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Nowhere in the Constitution does it say the phrase, “Separation of Church and State,” nor does it give any branch of government the power to do what the White House did this past Wednesday. So anyone thinking that the President was simply separating Church and State, does not have an argument. Please tell me where in the 1st Amendment it says that the government has the right to impede on religious institutions. The idea of this Separation has been taken way out of context. Its original purpose was to protect the free practice and worship of religion and to make sure that no “national religion” was established. This gives people the right to believe in what they want to believe in and to freely express that. It is ridiculous that an institution had to cover up it’s identity as Catholic for this one-time speech.

Imagine for a second if President Obama went to give a speech at Xavier University at the Center for Black Studies and asked to cover up a picture of Martin Luther King, Jr. Or, visiting the American Jewish University, asked to cover up the Star of David. There would be hell to pay! Why isn’t there an uproar by Catholics, or better yet, why didn’t the Administration at Georgetown say, “What? You want us to cover up symbols which represent what we believe in and who we are? Are you nuts?”

I do not know what disturbs me more—the fact that our President continues to extend the power of government in this nation and divide it OR that a Catholic institution would bend so easily to an unlawful request to deny who they are by covering up the name of Jesus. I am not one to judge a man's faith, but our President claims to be Christian, yet he ordered a Christian university to cover up the name of Jesus.

“Whoever denies Me before men, I will deny him before My Father in Heaven.” (Matthew 10:33)

For a complete article on this, Google it, or check out:
http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=46667