Independence #Overrated

    In high school I was looking for independence. I wanted to drive myself places, do my own things, and not be dependent on my parents. In college I realized just how ignorant I was being. At Siena Heights University, I learned about the three levels of maturity. They are dependent, independent, and interdependent.  Babies are dependent on their parents to feed them, bath them, and change their diapers. Independent means you can do everything on your own, choosing when you should go to bed, making sure the bills are paid, fixing up what’s broken around the house, etc. Then there’s interdependence. These are the groups of people who rely on each other to maximize success.

    In football there are different positions with different responsibilities. The quarterback relies on his linemen to block while he looks for an open receiver. The receivers rely on the quarterback to get the ball to one of them in order to advance closer to the end zone. When one succeeds, they all succeed, when one fails, the team is there to recover.

    A time I was very interdependent was in seminary. My dad was in a wheelchair because of ALS, and I wasn’t home to help. We had a community of people who were able to come over and do some of the tasks like putting my dad’s socks on (not as easy as it sounds), getting my dad in and out of bed, weeding, visiting, etc. We were awed by the amount of people ready to help in any way they could. It allowed me to be able to focus on my responsibilities of studying and discerning the priesthood. It also allowed all of us to enjoy the last few months of my dad’s life.

    In Matthew 6:7, Jesus sent his disciples in pairs. James 5:16 calls us to confess our sins and pray for one another. God has been calling us to become more interdependent; are you ready to answer that call?

 

Freedom Isn't Free

     As we age, we receive more responsibilities. My nephew who is 2 years old, really only has the responsibility of not stepping on his little brother’s head. But his freedom is limited to his mother’s line of sight for most of the day.

     In high school, you have more responsibilities than not stepping on small children. If not already, you will soon have the ability to drive. But with it comes the responsibility of making sure there’s gas in the car, that you are following the laws of the road, that you pay attention to your surroundings, and that you know how to get yourself home. Having a cell phone means you’re responsible to not lose or break it, and if you do, it’s your responsibility to figure out how to get the phone back or how to get a new one.

     Another freedom that many high schoolers experience is dating. With dating comes the responsibility of respecting your date’s body even if he/she doesn’t (i.e. stay away from the bathing suit areas). The parents of your date are trusting that you will treat their child with respect and dignity, don’t disappoint.

     Then there’s your parents. They have a lot of freedoms. They can stay out late, drink, buy a boat, go on vacation, and more. But they also have a lot of responsibilities like paying the bills, saving for retirement, upkeep on the house, and caring for you and possible siblings just to name a few. So be patient with your parents when you think they’re being unfair, they have a lot more going on than meets the eye, and they want to keep you safe.

     Earning freedoms is like earning trust. If you want to have more freedom, show that you can handle the responsibilities by doing the yard work without being told, coming home early on a school night, doing your homework before hanging out with friends, helping your parents with some of their responsibilities, etc. The fact is, if you can’t handle the responsibility, you don’t deserve that freedom #TruthBomb.

Destroying Enemies

     Praying for others can be difficult, even more when you hate the person. But Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies (Matt 5:44). It’s a lot easier said then done...or is it?

     Ideally, when you are praying for someone, you should pray for their conversion, pray for an understanding of that person, if you’re feeling really bold ask them, “Hey Steph, what do you want prayer for?” That’s not only helping you direct your prayer, it’s also telling the other person that you care about them (or at least want to). That also makes it more difficult for the other person to hate you. I mean, how can you hate someone who’s praying for you? But sometimes we can’t do this. The pain is too great. If that’s the case, how can we still pray for these jerks? How can we even pray with so much hatred in our hearts?

     Well, God wants all of you. From you’re greatest smile to your weird looking birthmark, God wants you. One of the people who knew this best was King David. The book of Psalms are his prayers. Here’s what one of his prayers sounded like.

     Psalm 59 “Awake! Punish all the nations. Have no mercy on these worthless traitors….May God go before me, and show me my fallen foes. Slay them, God, lest you deceive my people...destroy them in anger, destroy till they are no more...My strength, praise I will sing; you, God, are my fortress, my loving God.”

     How did this Psalm make it into scripture? Someone must have been sleeping on the job. David is ruthless in this prayer. But what sets David apart from you and me is that he did this in prayer. He was real with God. He basically said, “God, this is where I’m at right now. Help me out.” The more we share our brokenness with God, the more he can mend us. So in prayer, don't hold back. Give God everything, and he will return the favor tenfold.

Did Jesus Really Raise for the Dead?

WARNING!!! This Article is Gruesome... Read at Your Own Risk

    Let’s look at the facts. Mark 16:6 says “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here.” BOOM! This article is done…

    Oh, you want more proof? For that, let’s focus on the apostles. James was killed by the sword through orders of King Herod. Peter was crucified upside down. Andrew was hung. Thomas was burned alive. Philip, Bartholomew, and Simon the Zealot were tortured and crucified. Matthew was beheaded. James the Lesser and Judas Thaddeus were beaten to death. Matthias was stoned to death while hanging on a cross. Lastly, John was thrown into boiling oil, but did not die. All of these actions were because these men refused to deny Christ. Do you think all 12 of these men would have gone through these painful deaths if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead? These men saw the resurrection first hand and would rather die than not share Christ with the world.

    We often forget the sufferings of the early Christians because we are so blessed to be able to worship in public today. I won’t lie, today we still have sufferings. Loved ones pass away, friends leave, bullies are everywhere, lust is taught more than love, natural disasters, and much more. But those are the world’s problem. We are Christians. What does that mean? It means that we follow a crucified Lord and we should be prepared to not only suffer, but to embrace it. Life is just a long journey to prepare ourselves for Heaven. The most encouraging thing I can share with you as you suffer is “Well, here’s your chance to knock off time in Purgatory (Heaven’s waiting room, read Luke 16:19-31 for better description).” Until next week, keep praying.

Why Distractions During Prayer are Awesome!!!!!

Prayer Just Became Easier

    Prayer is communication with God, right?     What happens when the communication breaks? “Dear God, thank you for...for...for...I wonder how the Wings are doing tonight. Oh, my bad. God, Thank you for the Red Wings, and...and…” Sound familiar? It may not have been the Wings, but we’ve all had moments of distraction in prayer. It’s human! But God doesn’t hang on our distractions. St. Francis de Sales shared that we should not focus on the fact that we were distracted, but that we returned to Christ in prayer. So rather than being disappointed about being distracted 30 times in 15  minutes, feel accomplished in the fact that you said “Yes” to God 30 times in 15 minutes. Your commitment to return to Christ shows your true love for God. And the more you say “yes” to God, the less distractions will occur.

    But why do we have distractions in the first place? It’s what’s on your mind. If you’re trying to pray and you can’t stop thinking about that girl/guy, pray for that person. Invite your distractions into your prayer life because the reason those thoughts are coming to you is because they are your highest priorities. Your highest priorities should be shared with God.

    In short, don’t let distractions take you away from prayer, invite them in and continue to say “yes” to Christ.

Don't Forget to KISS!!!!!!!!!!!

              Someone asked me how to pray, all I could think to say was “just remember to KISS.” After a blank stare, it was obvious this person hasn't taken any business classes. KISS is a business acronym   which stands for “Keep it simple, silly.” So let’s simplify God’s relationship with us. Straight up, God is awesome. I mean, he rose from the dead, forgives our stupidity (countless times), and comes to us in the form of bread and wine. Then there’s you, who has done none of those things, and yet God thinks you are so awesome that he did all of those things just for you.

Our love is tested when someone lies to us or betrays us. But God is like “Dude, come back. I still love you!” God can’t not love us because it would be a contradiction. When he made us, he made us in his image. In other words, he put himself in each and every one of us. So if he denies us, he’d be denying himself. God can’t do that.

So stop thinking God doesn't love you as much as he loves Johnny, priests, or Mother Teresa. He does. He loves you more than anything. The difference between us and Mother Theresa isn't God’s love for her, but her love for God.

How can we love God more? Let’s keep it simple by just keeping God up to date. “God, my day stinks. Sam dumped me.” “God, I’m going to watch some TV to relax. Criminal Minds, but I’ll get back to work after one episode.” Prayer doesn't need to last two hours on your knees. I've got four “go-to” prayers I’d like to share with you, the Hail Mary (Gotta love our Blessed Mother), “JESUS HELP ME!!!!!” “Thank you, God,” and “Jesus, I trust in you.” Find out what short prayer works for you and get into a habit of praying it. If you’re ever asked to pray out loud or are feeling overwhelmed, just remember to KISS, keep it simple, silly.

#HowToMinister

So there is this great video by Cheerios titled #HowToDad. Got me thinking about, "How can we ministry?"
The first big question is, "Am I called to be a minister?" The answer is a definite "yes." When I say “minister,” I’m not only talking about priests, monks, and nuns, I’m talking about you and I who forget that we have a chance to minister (show people Christ) everyday. Being a minister and preacher are not always the same. The majority who minister to me are ordinary people.
For example, last Sunday I did the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS (dump ice water over yourself) and then challenged three friends. Within a half hour, I got a text from my buddy, “You better have that bucket ready when I come over tonight!” It may seem small, but when you see someone dump really cold water on himself to help raise awareness and money to research a disease your dad died from, you see Christ in that person. Doing ministry isn’t about knowing the theological answer to how transubstantiation occurs, it’s about being Christ to others through your actions. It could be helping those in Haiti, doing the ice bucket challenge, praying with others, or even giving someone a compliment. So next time you have a chance to minister (i.e. every moment you're with someone else), don't simply talk about Christ, be Christ to them. Even the most tasteful foods can be disgusting when they're being shoved down one's throat.