Pray for Virginia Tech

I'm sitting here in Richmond, Va. only hours away from Blacksburg, Va. and I can't believe what has happened today. I simply can't believe it. In fact, I've been trying to write this article for awhile now, not able to get past the first sentence for almost 45 minutes.

This morning at Virginia Tech University, the worst school shooting in US history took place... with 22 confirmed dead (including the shooter) thus far and hopefully not more. An additional 21 were injured... alright, actually now NBC has just confirmed 31 dead and the shooter also killed himself. This is horrible!

Please pray for the families of those who have lost members. Please pray for those who have been killed or injured. And this is the hard part to swallow, but please pray for the shooter's soul. While I'm not suggesting in any way that you side with the gunman, I'm asking that you pray for his soul... that God is total mercy. We all need mercy.

Please pray for the victims of this massacre.

From "AH!" to "Oh."

When it comes to life lessons, the good Lord always seems to know exactly what to do and when to do it. I recently had to schedule my classes for the upcoming fall semester, and I found myself smack dab in between the proverbial rock and hard place. Things weren't fitting together properly and all I could think is, "WHY?! Why is this so difficult?!"

Now that everything has resolved itself, one of my many shortcomings has reared its ugly head. My own tunnel-vision had led me to desire one particular road to scheduling and, rather than allow myself to be led down another, never thinking that it could be for the best, I complained and fretted and stressed when it didn't work out precisely as I'd planned.

In school planning it is important and even necessary, of course, to be organized and focused. However, in other areas of life, such as planning a weekend date or a walk around the neighborhood, perhaps it is more important to embrace flexibility and the fun that change can bring. I, on the other hand, choose to ignore this in most areas of my life. I am schedule-driven to the point of tunnel-vision.

I now have an ideal class schedule complete with an extra bit of unexpected relief from my summer classes. This most recent adventure in class scheduling has taught me that even when situations do not comply with your vision of them, things are not necessarily going awry.

Easter and Deja Vu

One year ago this evening, Jenny and I came into the Church. She was baptized and confirmed, and I was confirmed. It was an amazing experience for both of us. And tonight, as members of the RCIA team we will watch some new friends come into the Church with the same bursting hearts and open arms that received us. It's amazing how much has changed in one year... I think this rings true for just about everyone.

It's an exciting time of year, the Triduum, ending with the holiest day on the Christian calendar, Easter. It's the day Christ rose, the day our eternal life came to be in Jesus. He defeated eternal death and now offers us a chance to overcome it through Him. Pay special attention tonight at the Easter Vigil, and don't be surprised when you get to heaven if you have a little deja vu, it's a little bit of heaven on earth every Mass, every Vigil.

God Bless, Happy Holy Saturday and Happy Easter! Christ is risen, Alleluia!

Sin is the Symptom

When we get sick, it is the body’s reaction to an invading pathogen that causes us to become symptomatic. While the underlying cause of the illness is the invading force, it is the body’s reaction that causes us so much misery. To prevent illness, we fortify the body through maintaining our general health in order to react defensively to these pathogens. We often fight them off so quickly that we are never actually aware of them. Even when we do succumb to an invading illness, the better equipped the body is to fight, the faster and more efficiently it can overcome the illness. Sometimes we need help though, an extra boost in strength in the form of an antibiotic or analgesic in order to fight off an infection.

Within this biological fact there is an analogy that carries with it a great implication of the distinct roles both evil forces and our own spiritual strength plays in sin. What we perceive as being sick is simply the body’s reaction to invading pathogens, which causes us to be symptomatic. There must be a pathogen which invades, but more importantly, there must be a reaction from the body that indicates it is too weak to fight off the pathogen and has succumbed to the illness. Likewise, in the case of sin, it is evil which infiltrates our soul, but it is our own reaction to that evil which causes sin. Evil will try to penetrate, as that is its nature, and it cannot act contrary to it. However, we have free will. It is not the evil which causes us to sin, it is our free reaction to it which determines whether we will fight the evil fully or if it will invade and infect. Sin is the symptom that indicates a submission to evil.

We can often fight off the evil and the temptations when our spirits are strong, but when we are weak, we may are more apt to sin. When our souls do become sick, we often need help to fight off the invading force. We turn to the sacraments and to pastoral guidance and, more often than not, fight off the assaulting forces. Those remedies for the soul exist to help us heal our souls. Yet the best way to avoid sin is to fortify ourselves against the works of the devil through maintaining our spiritual health. The first step in avoiding sin is spiritual maintenance. Go to Mass, receive the Eucharist regularly, participate in regular acts of penance and reconciliation. Christ, the Church, and her sacraments through Him are the strength and the light of our spirits.

Prayer for Spiritual Strength:
Lord,
through Christ's ministry and Passion
you teach us fortitude of spirit,
through your Church and sacraments
you give us means for such strength.
Help us daily to live a life of holiness and sanctity,
and may you fortify us against all evil.
AMEN.

Overdraft Protection for a Soul in Debt

There are countless beautiful ways by which theologians and poets alike have described Christ's sacrifice. Many of the metaphors are universal and speak as much to today's audience as they did to the audience of Christians almost 2,000 years ago. However, I have a metaphor that speaks solely to modern man.

Christ's sacrifice on the cross, by which He ransomed our souls, is much like overdraft protection. A bank offers such a system for those customers who fall into debt. In using overdraft protection, rather than being indebted to collectors, they simply must pay the money due to the bank and a fee as a token of gratitude for the bank having paid their debts. Similarly, Christ's death for us acts as a protection for those who fall into sin (which, of course, includes everyone). Rather than being condemned by our actions, we are given forgiveness and must repay and display our gratitude as best we can through living a life of holiness and devotion to Christ.

That being said, let us return to the situation of overdraft protection at the bank. Is this a service to be abused? Is it prudent to continuously dip into the overdraft protection? No! It is responsible to avoid falling into negative numbers in a bank account and to use the overdraft protection only as a backup when some miscalculation of funds or spending error has occurred. Likewise, our salvation is not something to abuse. It is prudent to avoid sin at all costs, so as not to fall hopelessly into a cycle of a "negative balances." Just as overdraft protection exists as a way to help those in debt to live free from debt, Christ died for us so that we may live free from sin, not so that we may indulge in it and presume forgiveness.

At a certain point, we must answer for our debts, both monetarily and spiritually. When we close bank accounts, we must settle our debts and repay the bank that protected you from the loan sharks out there. In the same way, when we die we must repay any remaining debt to our Lord by resolving the stains of sin in purgatory. The less you make use of the overdraft protection, the less debt you will need to settle with the bank. The fewer sins you commit, the holier the life that you live, the fewer stains you will need to cleanse after death.


Brings a new meaning to the phrase "economy of salvation," doesn't it?

Lyrics to Inspire

I know this song has been out for a really long time, but I can't help but cry or come close to doing so whenever I hear it on the radio around Christmas time. It's all the more fitting for Easter time and therefore for lent... so please, read the words and think on them. Remember what lent and Easter are all about...

Song: Christmas Shoes
Artist: Bob Carlisle

"It was almost Christmas time
There I stood in another line
Try to buy that last gift or two
I'm really in Christmas mood
Standing right in front of me
Was a little boy waiting anxiously
Pacing around like little boys do
And in his hands he had
A pair of shoes

And his clothes were worn and old
He was dirty from head to toe
And when it came his time to pay
I couldn't believe what I heard him say

Sir I wanna buy these shoes for my Momma please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry Sir?
Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes will make her smile
And I want it to look beautiful
If Momma meets Jesus tonight

They counted pennies for what seems like years
And cashier says son there's not enough here
He searches is pockets franticly
And he turned and he looked at me
And he said Momma made Christmas good in our house
Most years she just did without
Tell me Sir
What am I gonna do?
Some how I gotta buy her these Christmas shoes

So I lend the money down
I just had to help him out
And I'll never forget
The look on his face
When he said Momma's gonna look so great

Sir I wanna buy these shoes for my Momma please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry Sir?
Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes will make her smile
And I want it to look beautiful
If Momma meets Jesus tonight

I know I won't regret some help as he thanked me and ran out
I know that God sent that little boy to remind me
What Christmas is all about

Sir I wanna buy these shoes for my Momma please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry Sir?
Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes will make her smile
And I want it to look beautiful
If Momma meets Jesus tonight

I want it to look good
If Momma meet's Jesus tonight"

Don't ask, don't tell...

We commonly refer to the military's policy on homosexuality in the armed forces as the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. But I like to use this phrase in a different way. It is the policy we use in this country regarding our leaders. "Don't ask about my personal ethics, and I won't have to tell you that I don't really have any."

Nowadays, it seems that the personal ethics of politicians have gone by the wayside. People like John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) supporting pro-choice movements, promoting the culture of death, yet calling himself a faithful Catholic. The public seems to think that politicians like that are pushing their personal opinions and ethics aside in order to better serve this country. However, I can't help but ask myself how somebody could push true moral convictions aside! The answer is that it is not possible. Politicians like Kerry, use false pretenses (like going to Mass and calling himself Catholic) in order to gain a certain vote (in Kerry's case, the Catholic vote). They hope the public policies they put forth will be casually overlooked in favor of their ridiculous and (hopefully) transparent pretenses. Their public policies ARE their personal ethical convictions. A politician cannot push for a pro-choice bill but be pro-life in his or her heart. What is on the inside shines through to the outside! So when we see politicians pushing certain policies, we can safely assume that that is what they personally feel as well, whether they admit so or not.

Through these ugly and murky political waters, there are a few points of clarity shining through. In the news recently General Peter Pace was quoted supporting the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. He said that he personally feels that homosexual acts are immoral and that the military is right in not allowing homosexual citizens to serve openly. He rightly likened it to adultery (another offense that calls for dismissal from the military). Shortly thereafter, Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), a potential presidential candidate, supported General Pace's remarks. Brownback was quoted saying, "We should not expect someone as qualified, accomplished and articulate as General Pace to lack personal views on important moral issues. In fact, we should expect that anyone entrusted with such great responsibility will have strong moral views." My point exactly!

The leaders we need to support are the ones who show a distinct congruity between their words, beliefs, and actions. These are the true leaders. So let's stop the use of the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy in protection of our leaders. We must ask, and they must tell. Their actions are reflections of their heart, not a separate entity altogether. We as a country must recognize this and force our leaders into accountability.