Untapped Greatness

    Are you tired of blah? God has called you to a life a greatness, but maybe lately it's just been mediocre. If this is you, I've got the secret that allows you to see your value. That secret is doing things with purpose.
    If you're human, you've gone thru the motions. An example is going to mass, doing all the right motions, and then you're row stands up for Communion and you're like "whoa." This happens from time to time, but if this seems to be a common trait, you're probably lacking purpose.
    We're going to get a little philosophical here...When we go thru the motions we are doing things for an end in themselves. For example, I pray to check it off the list. Or I'm eating breakfast to eat to eat breakfast. Those are both good things, but your heart isn't in it. That causes you to be missing out on an opportunity to be better. Finding purpose can be found with the simple trigger word of "why?"
    When we realize the purpose of our daily tasks, we see a greater value in the small things we do. The simple trick to find the purpose in things is before you do anything ask the question "why am I doing this?" Try it for a week. "Why am I doing homework...to learn the material." "Why am I praying...to build my relationship with God." "Why am I eating breakfast...to give myself energy for the day." Why am I at Mass...because my parents dragged me...why did they drag me...so I can thank God for the many blessings in my life." "Why am I watching TV...to relax with the family." "Why am I on my twelfth straight episode of 24: Legacy...no good reason. Time to get off the couch and be productive again." These little things can cause a huge change in your life.
    Why wouldn't you give this a try? It takes no time out of your life. It will increase your productivity. It will increase your happiness. It will show you greater self worth. You will be doing God's will in your life. If you're having doubts before trying it, those thoughts could be from the evil one. Don't let him hide the light you are to this world.

Women Everywhere!!!

    This week women and men travel from all over the country to march toward the Capital in Washington DC in honor of women. They are marching because they believe that every woman has the strength and courage to be a mother if necessary.
    These people are marching because they know that babies are blessings, not curses. This march is a statement to empower women not to run away in fear of becoming a mother. When Gabriel told Mary, an unwed woman, she would bear a son, he started with “Do not be afraid."
    Today there are organizations ready to help mothers through pregnancy, the first few years, and/or the adoption process. There are couples in the area unable to conceive their own child, but deeply desire to be parents. An unexpected pregnancy for one couple could be an amazing gift of a child for another. How amazing that these women can give their child life and parents who will love them like crazy.
    Everyone has a right to life. Whether they were conceived in Detroit, Rochester, Green Bay, or even Ohio. So let's make sure that we are supporting our mothers and fathers (especially the young ones) and show them the amazing blessing they will have. Let's remember that it takes a village to raise a child. Mothers are not alone. We are Americans...not American'ts...you smiled a little...don't lie ;)

I'm With Her

    Happy New Year!!! As a Church, January 1st we always celebrate Mary, Mother of God. Mary was the epitome of womanhood. She was holy, strong, confident, humble, and loving just to name a few. God chose her to raise the Savior of the world...and she accepted by saying "I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word."
    As God's choice of his mother, I'm guessing Mary knew her scriptures exceptionally well. With that statement she willingly signed up to witness the Hebrew Scripture's (Old Testament) prophecies of her son first hand. These prophesies include, but not limited to, betrayed, spat on, ridiculed, beaten, crucified with criminals, hated without cause, and more. I repeat, Mary said yes knowing this would happen! MOST COURAGEOUS PERSON EVER!!! How many times do you think Mary would be outside watching her son play and think about all these prophecies? It's hard enough losing a parent. I couldn't fathom knowing that my son's days were numbered until he would experience one of the most painful deaths in order to save the souls of those who caused him the pain.
    When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son. Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” John 19:26-27
    Jesus called his mother "woman" two times. Scholars believe that he is referring to Mary as "the New Eve." Eve was looked at as the mother of the human race. John was a disciple of Christ. Scholars believe that what Jesus is conveying in this passage is that we (followers of Christ) are to care and respect Mary and she is to care and protect us.
    Mary isn't God...but she is the Mother of God. I don't know about you, but I listen to my mother. When I don't reply to my accountant, she tells my mom to have me contact her...and I do. So if you get the sense that God isn't listening, tell his mother ;)

Christianity is a Hard Knocked Life

    This week of Advent is calling us to focus on peace. Yes, peace. You may be thinking "How can there be peace!?!? Look at all the wars, violence, hatred, bullying in the world! Our President Elect is Donald Trump! It's impossible for us to be peaceful!" Simply looking at these worldly problems shows no hope, but lucky for us Christianity is a crazy religion.
    What I mean by that is Christianity is a religion that tells us (its followers) to love everyone...not just people you like or agree with. Everyone includes thieves, bullies, drug addicts, diseased, elderly, Democrats, Republicans, men, women, gays, straights, transsexuals, Trump, Hillary, etc. It even means caring for Chicago Blackhawks fans. How does love translate to peace?
   If you're lacking peace in your life, it's safe to ask the question who am I not loving (expressing charity for)? There is nothing in this world that can cause you to lose peace without your consent. Don't believe me? Look at the death of our Savior and the apostles. They did not fear even though they suffered painful deaths. Every painful experience these people would view it as an opportunity to share in Christ's sufferings. Not only the physical sufferings, but the emotional sufferings as well. Times like when Christ was betrayed by one of his best friends (Luke 22), when all of his apostles abandoned him in his darkest hour (Matthew 26:56), or when an entire crowd got up and walked away while he was preaching (John 6:66).
   Peace isn't about changing the things around us to make our lives easier...it's about changing our hearts so that we can love unconditionally.  That means when faced with someone you don't like, you can make decisions with that person's best interest at heart. If for no other reason, because God loves that person and you love God. There will always be unrest in this world, but peace comes from within your heart.

Make Advent Great Again!

    Welcome to Advent...or as most people say "CHRISTMAS SEASON IS HERE!!!" To those people I say, "Simmer down, we've got a month to go. Advent is a time to prepare for Christmas. Preparing for Christmas means buying gifts, decorating inside and outside, visiting Santa in the store, shopping, and preparing for family to come over. These can be extremely stressful times that push us further from God, rather than closer. So how can we flip this?

    Let's think about this philosophically. What adds to the stress? The amount that needs to be done. The amount of gifts, decorations, Pinterest recipes, etc. What if we simplified it? Maybe a few less decorations, making food that is simple to cook, getting creative with your gifts.

    We have made Christmas into a production, and by the 20th we're ready for Christmas to be over before it's even begun. Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Christ by caring for one another. You can't care for someone if you're extremely stressed!!!
    The most important thing this Advent is to prepare your heart for Christmas. Be ready to share the love and joy of Christ with friends, family, and strangers. If that means simplifying certain things, DO IT! Your guests will still be satisfied whether you slave over a meal or simply pull out lasagna from the oven with a few store bought pies. Christmas doesn't hinge on the apple pie you made from scratch, it's how you treat others during such a joyous occasion. You are important, not the material things.

When Productivity is Decreasing

Productivity can be a challenge this time of year with entering the last month of school, Spring sports, end of year banquets, your room being messy, etc. In moments like these, I can get very anxious and just want stay in bed. So I've noted a few things that work and figured I'd pass them on to you...

1. Pray. It needs to be something we do throughout our day. It's important because if we don't pause to get on the same page as our Creator, anxiety is going to show up and set up camp.

2. Write a check list. If you write down 5 things to accomplish the following day (and stick to it), you have purpose and drive for tomorrow.

3. Work hard, play hard. Don't mix the two. Playing is a chance to relax and get all the energy out of your system. School is a time to focus and absorb everything the teachers are trying to pass to you. That way, when you're doing your homework, you will understand it more if you were able to focus in class.

4. Get 'er done. Don't put off the homework until the night before or morning it's due. Do the homework as soon as you're able to so that the subject is decently fresh in your mind. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to recall the information. Something that takes you 30 minutes to do the night before may take you only 10-20 minutes if done right away.

5. Leave the house. Fresh air is great medicine.

6. Unplug. Set either a couple hours a day or perhaps one day a week where you only use your phone for an emergency such as you need a ride home; not Jack and Diane broke up. They will soon realize that life goes on ;)

7. Pray. Some people say they don't have time to pray. The reality is that we don't have time not to pray. Prayer is a time to realize what is important. It weeds out the wasted time and allows us to be more productive. You could pray a rosary and clean part of your room once a week (or day).

Why I Don't Want To Be Like Jesus

    Dear God, I often pray that I want to be more like Christ, but today I realize that's not true. I don't want to be like you. Over the weekend I felt used by a friend. Today he didn't show any type of remorse and continued to pass the blame and responsibilities to others (including myself).

    As I sit here in adoration, this weekend's events consume me, and to focus I said "I want to be more like you Christ." Right after I said that I realized that I don't want to be like you. You are used more than you are loved. We (mankind) try to justify our sins rather than accepting responsibility and asking for forgiveness. When we sin we hide from you rather than running back to you to restore our relationship.

    I now know that I don't want to be like you. I don't want to get used like you. I don't want to get punished for sins I didn't commit. I don't want to pray for the people who cause me so much pain. I don't want to be used or walked on like people do to you...like I do to you.

    God, I am so sorry that I use you and take you for granted. I now see what amazing love you have for me even though I use you...especially when I use you.

    By now we both know I don't want to be like you...but I need to be. Lord, give me the grace to be like you. I pray that I am able to love when I feel abused, that when I am punished for sins I didn't commit, that I accept it with humility through your grace. Let me see your grace rushing through me as a motivation to be more like you.