2 Weeks Until Lent

I’m tired of the frigid days, the cold winds, and the wildly fluctuating temperatures this winter.  I’m exhausted from the kids’ return to school and all of their projects and activities.  I’m sick of sports, and sitting in gymnasiums, and the monotonous thumping of orange balls, and ringing of loud buzzers.  I’m ready for a break from work.

Lent is nearly upon us, and I know I’m not prepared.  The season is there for us to fast and prepare for Easter.  I know I’m not even prepared to start preparing.  I want Lent to be a time of focus on God, building up of His church, and witness to those around me.  The way I am now, stuck in the doldrums of this wintry ordinary time, I don’t think I’d be a good witness to anyone.

Tonight I head to reconciliation.  I say this not to pat myself on the back, nor to admit some large sin on my soul.  I simply recognize that I need a recharge.  This is a public challenge to myself.  Slowly but surely, my outlook has been getting more negative, and my motivation is lacking.  My windshield isn’t cracked, but the view is certainly smudged and dirty.  It’s time to change the wiper blades…or refill the washer fluid…or whatever analogy you prefer.

I need to reset myself, and my mind, and my soul to a more perfect place.  Until I do that, I’m not going to be properly disposed for all of the graces that will be available to me during fasting, prayer, and Lenten Preparation.  Its two weeks until Ash Wednesday.  Why wait?  Get started now.  Jesus took 40 days preparing in the desert.  I could probably stand to tack on AT LEAST two extra weeks for my own preparation!  It’s time to stop seeking out rest and relaxation that has been evading me.  I’m not a saint yet.  I’m not in heaven!  Until that day, my work is not finished.  I know my conscience has been telling me to get up and get back to my spiritual improvement NOW.  Time to stand back up and join the forward march of the church militant.  If you know me…if you see me…I’m asking for your help to avoid staying in the winter doldrums.  I want to bring my attitude, my efforts, and my soul into the warmth and rejuvenation of spring. 

There have been some excellent posts recently on this blog site, with writings worth pondering, and even 18 tips to move closer to the “best version of yourself.”  I’d encourage you to look back at some of those posts that have meatier substance than the personal pep talk you've read here.  When I sat down to write, I didn’t know where today's blog would end up.  Even without a plan, however, it’s reassuring to remember “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”  (Mt 6:8)  Thanks for bearing with me as I got some challenges for my Lenten journey down in writing to keep myself accountable.  With that I’ll stop, before I cross the line into babbling on like the pagans do...or perhaps I already have!  (see Mt 6:7)

-Matt Buehrig

18 for 18

"Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly"

 - G. K. Chesterton

Don't know about you, but the novelty of the new year has come and gone for me.  I'm back into the swing of things, into my normal routines again.  As in years past, the thoughts and intentions of the improvements I was planning in my life for the new year have fallen off my plate and lay splattered on the floor.

So today I thought that I would get out the broom and try to salvage some of that sentiment.  Below I present to you an "18 for 18" list.  Provided are 18 possible actions to take to move a little closer to what Matthew Kelly calls "the best version of yourself"  I guess that implies that if you wanted to be a little bit better, you could take on 2 or more of these.  Heck - if you somehow can dig up the motivation and focus, do all 18 and you could be the best! 

None of these will take more than 10 minutes a day (if its a daily thing) or an hour a week (if its weekly).  We can all find 10 minutes, can't we?  When it comes down to it, its just being willing to make the commitment and following through.  Use today's technology to help you - set a daily, weekly or monthly reminder on your calendar or phone (ask one of your children if you need help with this).

And no cheating - if you are already doing one or more of these actions, don't give yourself a pass on this - remember the idea is to take one more step towards the best you. 

All I ask is that you consider the quote at the top as you approach this list and give one or two of the items a try.  You don't have to master the task, or do it perfectly - all God is asking is for you to try, and to let the grace He is offering reach through all of the well placed defenses we put up.  We all do things poorly - the key is to keep doing them cause they are worth it!

So here we go!

1. Regularly partake in one of the many resources available on Formed.org
• Great Books, Audio Recordings, Video Series, Movies
• Email me if you need the access code or help registering 
2. Attend Mass one morning each work week 
• 6 and 8 AM daily at Holy Infant
3. Spend an hour each week in silence with Our Lord in the Adoration Chapel
4. Write a letter a month to someone who has touched your life
5. Take a Paul VI class 
• they are free to everyone in the parish!
6. Listen to a daily or weekly podcast in the car on the ride to/from work
• Bishop Barrons Word On Fire Show
• Presentation Ministries Daily Bread Podcast
• Matt Fradd Pints with Aquinas
• Pray-As-You-Go reflection on the daily readings
• Father Larry Richards Homilies
7. Fast one day a week
• Two small meals, one large, no snacks in between
8. Attend Tuesdays With HIM 
• 6:30AM at Breadco in Winchester
9. Pick a Saint and spend 10 Minutes a day reading about their life
10. Spend time reading on of the many great spiritual books
• Bishop Barron List
• Brandon Vogt List
• Beginning Catholics List
• Beginning Apologists List
• Jim Dunne Recommendation - Life of Christ by Fulton Sheen
11. Sign up for Bishop Barron's Daily Gospel Reflection, or some other daily devotional
12. Use Twitter to receive daily thoughts from some wonderful spiritual mentors
       This is a great way to get bite-sized pieces of wisdom from these great
        Catholic thinkers and Saints: 
• C.S. Lewis               Father Larry Richards
• G.K. Chesterton       Fulton Sheen
• Thomas Merton       John Henry Newman
• Pope Francis            The Church Fathers
• Cardinal Dolan        Wisdom of the Saints
13. Do a daily Examen and/or go to Confession monthly
14. Visit a homebound neighbor once a month
15. Pray the Rosary daily in your car
16. Watch Father Mike Schmitz's weekly video on Ascension Presents
17. Pay for the person behind you in the drive-thru line once a week
18. Sponsor a child thru Compassion International and write them regularly

And here is one bonus:

     19. Recommit to attend PX90 each Saturday morning

If you want to do one of these things but don't know how, send me an email and I would be happy to help or point you in the right direction.  If nothing on this list speaks to you, then do some praying and find something that does.

Heaven

by Fred Vilbig

Heaven!

That’s our goal. If we don’t make it to Heaven, then our life here on earth will have been a failure, sweet and simple. The French novelist, Leon Bloy (†1917), once said that the only tragedy in life was not to die a saint.

But what do we know about Heaven? St. Paul said, eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has the human spirit conceived what God has in store for those who love Him. 1 Cor. 2:9. Several of the Saints have had visions of Hell: St. John Bosco, St. Faustina, and the young visionaries of Fatima to name a few. Some have seen Our Lord, the Blessed Mother, and other Saints. Yet I do not know of any Saints who have had visions of Heaven, per se.

St. Thomas Aquinas has described Heaven as the place where all of our deepest longings will be superabundantly fulfilled. In his prayer of thanksgiving after Mass, he says that Heaven will be an indescribable banquet; where all of our desires will be satisfied; and where we will be glad forever and fully delighted in perfect happiness.

It is Catholic teaching that we will be given the beatific vision, the ultimate self-communication of God to the individual person. That is not very inspiring to some. The idea of sitting around for all eternity staring at God seems to be anticlimactic. Yet it is the hope of the beatific vision that has inspired the martyrs. What are we missing?

I’d like to share some thoughts. God is all powerful. He created the entire universe, everything that is seen and even what we don’t now see, all of creation. He is the only Being who caused and causes everything to exist.

Looking around at creation, we see astounding beauty: a sunset, the moon over a lake on a clear night, the first snowfall, and our children at birth. God made all of these things. He is the source of everything that is beautiful, so He is the most beautiful Being … period. As the most beautiful Being, He is also the most desirable Person. And He is Love – it’s not just that He loves us, but He is at His very core pure, selfless love. And He loves us even more than we can possibly imagine. Finally, God is infinite.

I imagine (and that’s all it is) that Heaven will be an explosion. This purely loving God of infinite beauty will explode into our perception. Heaven will be a symphony of creation where all the apparently discordant things in this world will be revealed in the beautiful harmonic symphony of creation. Heaven will be an explosion of unimaginable color, more glorious than the most beautiful sunrise breaking into the darkness of night. And Heaven will be an ocean of love rolling over us again and again and again for all eternity. Since God is infinite, every “moment” will be new and probably overwhelming. You and I literally have nothing to give to God except our love, but God has unimaginable riches He wants to lavish on us. All God wants is our love.

That seems like a pretty good exchange to me. Go for Heaven!

The Beggar Priest

A young man had a vocation to the priesthood, so his bishop sent him to study in Rome. He was ordained priest and served in his diocese for some years. Then his bishop sent him to Rome again on a course of further study.

While there, he used to visit a small church in Rome each day to pray. At the door of this church sat a group of beggars seeking alms, and one of these made him feel uneasy for some reason. After passing the man on the steps several times, he got the courage to approach him.

He said, "You somehow look familiar to me. Do I know you?" “

Yes,” the beggar replied, “I studied for the priesthood with you here in Rome.”

"You were ordained a priest?"

"Yes, however I encountered crisis after crisis in my life and eventually renounced the priesthood. I had my priestly faculties taken from me. I lost everything and am reduced to begging."

The priest could not get the beggar out of his mind, and prayed constantly for him. The course he was attending was drawing to an end, and the students were invited to receive individual blessings from the late Pope John Paul II. They were forbidden to speak to him personally. However, as the priest knelt to receive the blessing, his mind was so consumed that he blurted out: “Holy Father, please pray for a brother of mine who sits begging outside a church in Rome. He was ordained priest but has resigned the priesthood and had his priestly faculties removed.” He hardly had time to finish when he was hustled away by the attendants.

A few days later the priest received an invitation from the Vatican. He was invited to join the Pope in his private chambers for dinner, and was to bring his friend, the beggar priest. He hurried to the church and found the beggar. “Come quickly,” he said, “we are to dine with the Pope.” “Impossible,” replied the beggar. “How could I visit the Pope in this state?” The priest insisted and helped the beggar to tidy up. Together they set off for the Vatican.

They crossed St. Peter’s Square and entered by the great gates where they were met by a Monsignor, the Polish priest who was secretary to Pope John Paul II. He led them to the dining room where His Holiness awaited them. After introductions had been made, they sat down to a lovely meal. When it came time for dessert, the Pope signaled to his secretary, who rose, and beckoning to the priest to follow him, so the Pope could be alone with the beggar.

When the two were alone, the Saint John Paul II sat in silence for some time. He then slowly turned to the beggar and said,


"Father, please hear my confession."


The man sat is stunned silence.  He eventually blurted out "I cannot do that!  I have been renounced from the priesthood.  My facilities have been removed. I am no longer a priest." The Pope looked with loving eyes at the man, wagging his finger saying, "Once a priest, always a priest." After a long pause he continued, "As Bishop of Rome and Head of the Catholic Church I can restore your priestly faculties to you… but you would have to ask.” Through tears the man whispered, “Please Holy Father… please!”

The beggar offered his confession and had his priesthood restored. Then again, Pope John Paul made his request, "Father, please hear my confession." And so he did, and raising his hands, provided absolution to the Holy Father.

When they concluded their prayers and meditation he said: “When you leave here I want you to go to the church where you have been begging and seek out the parish priest. I am appointing you curate in the parish with special responsibility for the beggars who seek alms at the church door.”

There is spiritual works of mercy throughout the history of the church. The same compassion Saint John Paul II offered, to take in, feed, forgive and send out, is the same compassion Christ has for each of us. All we need is the courage to walk through that gate with our filth and rags and hope in our redeemer.