As we continue through the season of Advent, I figured this would be a good time to share my personal reflections on the National Catholic Youth Conference that we participated in a few weeks ago. This reflection will be about day three.
Reflection on NCYC Day 3 18NOV17 - I am learning a great deal about the holiness of the family. Despite this, I still do not feel drawn to have a biological family. The pattern of consolation will not change. I consider this great comfort as I recently struggled with confusion. I pray for courage. - I am so grateful for the many prayer and adoration opportunities available here at NCYC. God is good!
Credo Domine!
I was very busy on day three and very exhausted at the end of it, which explains why I did not write much. I will provide more substance here. During day three we attended Mark Hart's breakout session entitled, "Moving Forward: Biblical Truth You'll Need for Your Future". It was a good discussion of God's love for us and desire for us to thrive, while incorporating His revelation in Sacred Scripture. Of course Joshua 1:9 stuck out to me when he discussed it, since it's our main verse for the retreat.
Day three ended with the Vigil Mass. It was a great display of the Universal Church. People from different places and speaking in different languages were all together to celebrate the Mass. It was beautiful. The bishops and other clergy were excited to see and hear the 25,000 teens. The energy was great.
Following the Mass we returned to our hotel. We discussed our top three favorite parts of NCYC. I am grateful for the chaperones that helped. They were absolutely amazing and the teens enjoyed their company. I also enjoyed getting to know the teens better. It was amazing to see everyone experience their faith as a group. I was moved to tears of joy on more than one occasion during NCYC.
NCYC was a rejuvenation of the fire of faith that we all possess through our Baptism and Confirmation. The season of Advent is a time of preparation and rejuvenation as we make preparation in our souls for Christ! Who are you preparing for? Are you preparing for the world or for Christ? Bring this question to Him in prayer as we continue our march toward Christmas.
As we continue through the season of Advent, I figured this would be a good time to share my personal reflections on the National Catholic Youth Conference that we participated in a few weeks ago. This reflection will be about day two.
Reflection on NCYC Day 2 18NOV17 - Day one ended with great music and prayer. The teens are filled with energy! - Day two was a full day in downtown Indianapolis. We began with Sarah Kroger leading us in praise and song. We then heard a powerful witness from a former refugee who came from South Sudan. - She was followed by Sr. Miriam, SOLT who gave her witness, which was heavy. God is showing His grace through her rough life. Early teen alcoholism, promiscuity, abuse, rape, etc. She experienced so much darkness. God delivered her and called her to speak to the young as a nun. - The breakouts were great. I learned about the saints and why to be Catholic. Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers was incredible! He was not afraid to talk tough issues. He taught us not to be afraid of Truth. - Lunch as a group was great! The evening session was awesome. Matt Maher was the performer (he also helped with Adoration). The teens went to Confession! It ended with the Benedictines and compline. Back at the hotel [one of our own] gave a powerful witness!
Credo Domine!
One of the cool things to see was how open the teens were to trading their hats. The participants of NCYC bring unique hats to trade with one another. This is a really cool way to interact and get to know others from around the country. Advent is a season of preparation, but also of fellowship. We are not called to prepare for Christ alone. We are called to community. NCYC was a great display of the universality of the Church.
I am grateful that the teens were so receptive of myself and the other amazing adult chaperones. We all became an awesome family. I greatly enjoyed my time with them. Despite the lack of sleep and the long days, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I feel confident saying that everyone else feels the same.
As we enter the season of Advent, I figured this would be a good time to share my personal reflections on the National Catholic Youth Conference that we participated in a few weeks ago. This reflection will be about day one.
Reflection on NCYC Day 1 18NOV17 - I was a bit timid early on because I did not know what to expect and how the teens would respond. - Day one was long, but a great start to this pilgrimage. [Chris Stefanick] pressed into us the importance of whose we are versus who we are. We are God's beloved through Christ filled with the Holy Spirit! - If there is ever a weekend of consolation it's one where I am joined by 25,000 fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Tears of joy where very much a part of day one. - The joyful tears came when God was so close. When I reflected on my vocation, the pattern continued. There was an overwhelming draw toward the priesthood. - I also reflected on ADHD. God does not give up because of our crosses. God uses them! God is good!
Credo Domine!
The last time I was at an event with this many Catholics was at Mother Teresa's canonization (there were many more Catholics there than at NCYC). It was great to, once again, feel the energy of so many people. I was so moved during the praise portion that I entered into a deep state of prayer. I was amazed at how I was able to enter this state in the middle of the loud music and praise. I am grateful for this ability since I had struggled entering into solid prayer leading up to NCYC.
It is easy to prepare for Christ when you have 25,000 screaming teens around you who are on fire for our Lord. The hard part is taking that energy with you when you go. The Holy Spirit is ready to fill us with that same energy even now! Let us be more open to Him.
In the video above a mother goes back to find the people that helped keep her son alive after a horrific accident. There were many people involved in saving her son. She contacts various different people in her quest to visit the saviors and thank them. It is a touching story.
If you are like me, you ask God to help you in various ways including work, faith, trust, health, school, relationships, bad habits, etc. etc. etc. When things get taken care of what do we do? Do we feel proud of ourselves and move on or do we go back and find God to thank Him and praise Him? I had a moment where I did the former. I was training for months to regain strengths in my knees and to have courage to pass the Army Physical Fitness Test.
Before I took my record test (the one that counts) I took a diagnostic test. After months of failures and disappointments not only in regard to this test, but in life in general, I finally passed. I was on top of the world, but I was cursing in excitement and patting myself on the back. When I saw my superior after washing up and changing I shared this excitement with him. Being a good man of faith, he admonished me because I did not praise God. He heard my cursing and pride. He correctly called me out. After I passed the record test I remembered this and I gave praise to God instead of simply carrying on with pride.
Let's dive into the reading. What would immediately jump out to Luke's audience is the fact that the men had leprosy, which is an infectious disease that can disfigure people. Today it is treatable, but in the time of Christ it was not. Due to the infectious nature of this disease, people that had leprosy were considered unclean and thus cast out of the community. They lived on the outskirts and were completely cut off from society. This is where the term Leper Colony comes from, since they had to form their own communities due to being outcasts. Long story short, leprosy was a death sentence.
Christ being the Great Healer tells them to present themselves to the priests. This was a requirement to be considered clean; the priests had to make it official. Ten men who essentially had a death sentence were healed and freed from this sentence. How awesome a work of Christ! However, only one out of ten comes back to thank him. This one man was a Samaritan.
The fact that a Samaritan returned to praise God versus a Hebrew man would have immediately stirred Luke's audience again. Samaritans were seen as archenemies of the Ancient Hebrews, which is why they are used to emphasize Christ's parables. The logic in a sense is, "even a Samaritan did it!" So, when reading this think of your archenemy (and pray for them) and use the logic used in the Gospels. When God does something for you think of your archenemy praising and thanking God while you simply go on ungrateful. If you have a well formed conscience, you will obviously not want to let your archenemy be a better person than you!
So, let's challenge ourselves to retire at night thanking God for the day that we had, even if it was a difficult one. A simple prayer of thanksgiving while examining your day will help increase our humility and overall virtue. Amen!
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying, "Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!" And when he saw them, he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" Then he said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you."
Sunday was only our third Sunday Night Session since I started back in September. It is crazy how time flies. In between our second and third SNS we visited the Cathedral; carved pumpkins; and went on a hayride and had a campfire. We are continuing to act in community. It is really amazing to see the participation increase as time goes on. This is a sign that we are growing comfortable with each other. I look forward to what lies ahead.
The topic of the night was community. We started off the night playing Catch Phrase, which is always fun. It is a game that tests our communication skills and level of understanding. The game is verbal charades in a sense. The goal of the game is to describe a word (given on the screen) to your teammates without using that word. This game is fun and intense as it is a race against time.
After completing this intense game we enjoyed time together learning about community. We began with looking at the early Christians in scripture. We discussed Acts 2:43-47 where Luke tells us how the early Christians would live in self sacrifice for the benefit of the community. We also discussed Hebrews 10:24-25 where the author encourages us to be committed to the assembly. There is indeed no better way to build relationship than through person to person contact, which happens when we are physically present in the assembly (digital presence is also not nearly as good as physical presence).
We concluded the night by discussing what the teens needed out of the community. It was encouraging to experience the openness of the group to share what they needed, even though the needs, struggles, and wants were anonymous. Following this discussion we closed in prayer in which we shared our prayer intentions.
I certainly am blessed to have been called to journey with this group of teens and their parents. The National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis is going to be an amazing pilgrimage. God is going to be felt and is going to speak to thousands of teens (and chaperones). Veni Sancte Spiritus!
“As gold in the furnace, he proved them…” (Wis. 3:6). Today
on All Souls Day we remember the souls in purgatory as they undergo
purification before entering heaven. Purgatory is defined by the Church as “the
state of those who die in God’s friendship, assured of their eternal salvation,
but who still have need of purification to enter into the happiness of heaven,”
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 210).
To enter into heaven, a place that contains no impurities
because it is perfection, one must be pure. Since God is all perfect, to be wrapped in His grace
in heaven requires perfection. Purgatory is the purification of one’s soul
before entering heaven. We are "gold" thanks to our baptism, through which we die
and rise with Christ (cf. Rom. 6:3-4), and due to our sinfulness, we must be
purified to cleanse us of our impurities. The Church does not have a firm
teaching in how long this purification process lasts. It is perfectly reasonable
to believe that the more stains a soul possesses the longer the purification
will take.
The Church sets aside the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, more
commonly known as All Souls, to remember them and pray for them. In today’s
first reading St. Paul teaches us about Christ’s death as the means of
reconciling with us sinners (Rom. 5:6-11). We should not grow weary of death!
We should embrace it with confidence if we are walking with Christ!
The Church Suffering (souls in purgatory) has the hope of salvation, because
they are guaranteed to enter it. Praying for them during this process helps
shower them with grace. Praying for the souls in purgatory also reminds us of
our spiritual lives. Are we living for Christ? Are we seeking purification
while on earth? It is also perfectly reasonable to expect a shorter time in
purgatory if we prevent our souls from acquiring many stains.
With the souls in purgatory in our prayers, let us march forward as servants of
God called to be missionary disciples. Let us carry this hope of salvation wherever
we go and be a witness to it! God’s will is for us to have eternal life (John
6:40)! Let us respond to God’s Will with a resounding “yes!”. Amen.
Does the world understand you? If so, what does it
understand about you? Does it see you as a child of God or just another person on
this planet? By our righteous lives will the world understand us to be
Christians. This will disturb the world, because it does not know God, but fear
not (cf. 1 John 3:1) open wide the doors to Christ!
In today’s first reading we are presented with an angel
marching from the East (heaven) holding the seal of the living God (Rev. 7:2).
The angel commanded the angels given control of nature to not destroy anything
until the seal of God was placed on the servants of God (7:3). The point of
this is to remind Christians that they are and will be protected from the
coming turbulence. As servants of God, we are under His Divine Protection even
in death.
We are sealed in God through the Sacraments, primarily
Baptism and Confirmation. This should give us confidence to press forward! Christ
recognizes that we are human, and thus knows we will experience various hurdles that could
lead us to despair. Our Lord lays out that we don’t need to have perfect lives
to inherit the Kingdom in the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3-11). In fact, Christ even
prepares us for persecution. But fear not! Christ tells us to rejoice and be
glad because our reward will not be a worldly one, but a Godly one in heaven
(5:12)!
Today we celebrate this reward and those that currently
reside in it. The saints have run the race and entered the grace of God in
heaven. As John puts it, the saints are "the ones that survived the time of great distress," (Rev. 7:14). They, along with the angels, are in the presence of the Creator of the
Universe! They have God’s ear and are ready to intercede for us. Let us turn to
them as examples of holy living for our Lord and His Kingdom. Amen amen God is
certainly good!
Remembering the saints should stir up joy! These examples of
holy living should give us confidence and hope in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The reason we should be confident is because these saints are human! They
experienced the same senses, feelings, and emotions that we do. They are filled
with the same Holy Spirit that we are! Let us press forward and keep running
the race with the hope of one day joining them.
The youth group went on a hayride and had a campfire at Hickory Ridge Farms Saturday. When I planned the event I did not expect it to be quite as cold as it was. However, when realizing that it is indeed the end of October it should have been expected. We have definitely been spoiled lately.
The first portion of the event was the hayride, where we got on a flatbed trailer and were towed by a tractor through the woods of the property. It was dark and bumpy, but we had a good time talking and sharing stories. We also learned that one of us (who will remain anonymous) absolutely hates s'mores. This person (not me) is a good father because he sacrificed a lot for his children. I am grateful for his involvement in the group.
While riding through the woods I also learned about some of the adventures our youth have already taken in their young lives. Studies in Europe, experience with hostels, going on cruises. What an event filled life these teens have! It was certainly fun to share in these stories and to discuss the great German food of course.
Eventually we saw our campfire prepared for us in the distance. While traveling to it I had forgotten about the cold since I was so engaged in conversation. Once I saw the fire, I remembered how cold it was and how good this fire was about to be. Once we got to it we all rushed to the fire! We all got really close so we could experience its warmth.
There is a lesson in this. We didn't think twice about going to the fire. Once we finished our journey through the woods we immediately approached it. There was no fear, no hesitation, no doubt that this fire was going to keep us warm (and cook our hot dogs and s'mores). Fire is often symbolized as God engaging with us. We look to Acts and the tongues of flame or back to Exodus and the encounter between Moses and the burning bush. Do we run to God like we ran to the campfire?
God is the God of life! St. John Paul II told the youth in Denver that God wants us to have life! And have it abundantly! The fire of the Holy Spirit is for us to stay warm when the world is cold. And it is indeed cold! Do we forget how cold the world is because we are so engaged with the noise in our lives? Let us continue to return to the fire of the Gospel for warmth. Let us return constantly to God in prayer and in the Sacraments!
Have you ever examined yourself? Have you ever taken some serious time in prayer and gone over how you are deep down inside? If we are to follow the CALL, then we need to know about our spiritual well being. When we call ourselves Catholic, do we truly attempt to BE Catholic? In today's readings we are reminded of the importance of remaining pure.
In Romans 1:16 St. Paul proclaims that he is not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the "power of God" for all who believe in salvation. We often hear of our brothers and sisters being persecuted in the early Church, but they are also dying for Christ today. The self awareness check, here, is to determine our level of commitment. Are we ashamed of the Gospel? Do we hide it from others to avoid awkward moments? Do we down play our commitment around others to avoid being uncool? These are hard questions. It is hard to swim against the current of our society. Keep swimming!
There is another thing we have to be self aware of. Instead of being ashamed of the Gospel, we could be faking our commitment to it! Our Lord admonishes the Pharisees saying, "Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil," (Luke 11:39). When doing the dishes do we just wash the outside of the cup or the back of the plate? Of course not! We make sure to clean them completely. What is your spiritual life like? Are you clean on the outside by simply going to Mass just to go? Or simply doing the Sign of the Cross swiftly to look right? Brothers and sisters seek cleanliness from Our Lord!
It is important to examine ourselves, because what is on the inside will eventually have an effect on what is on the outside. The saying, "you are what you eat", applies to our spiritual lives as well. Let's challenge ourselves to spend a few minutes each day becoming more self aware. We are CALLED to produce good fruit and to do so we must be a good tree. To be a good tree we need to feed ourselves properly.
Sunday we visited the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. It was great to be able to take the teens and some parents to see the Bishop's church. Some have been in the Diocese of Cleveland all their lives and have never visited so they were excited to make the trip to E. 9th and Superior.
Our visit started with Mass celebrated by Fr. Sean Ralph the cathedral's administrator. The readings were Isaiah 25:6-10; various verses from Psalm 23; and Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20. The Gospel reading was Matthew 22:1-14.
In Fr. Sean's homily he encouraged us to respond positively to God's invitation to His heavenly feast. He laid out who was excluded from heaven and who was included in heaven. Responding positively to God's invitation means being one with His Church and living a holy life, which we are all CALLED to do. This sometimes includes things that are not easy to understand or follow.
Following Mass we received a tour of the cathedral from Fr. Sean. We began in the sacristy where we were shown the different vestments and the significance of the different colors. We are also shown where the bishop's staff is kept along with a relic of the Cross.
After the sacristy, we entered the sanctuary where we learned about the bishop's cathedra (chair, Latin) and his coat of arms. We also learned about the statues behind the altar and who they were. We were taught about the various symbols and their origins and meanings.
Once we exited the Sanctuary we learned about the two wings on the sides of the church. We were told about the significance of the imagery around the Mary. The statues around Our Lady are of her family (Sts. Joseph (husband) and Anne (mother), and the Christ Child). The painting on the wall above and around her depict her life ending with her coronation at the top.
Opposite Mary is the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Pieta next to Christ, where we learned about the significance of that scene. Above and around Christ is the depiction of the Apocalypse as described in the Book of Revelation.
One of my personal favorite parts of the cathedral is the crypt. In the crypt lye the predecessors of Bishop Perez. The reason I consider it one of my favorite parts of the cathedral is because I am able to see the Apostolic Succession of the Diocese of Cleveland. The bones of St. Christine of Bolsena are below the altar in the Resurrection Chapel. She was a very young martyr who was martyred when she was only about 13 or 14 years old.
Once out of the chapel we learned some Latin. We learned the words Laudamus te, Benedicimus te, Adoramus te (We praise you, we bless you, we adore you). The words are from the Gloria in the Mass. We are CALLED to praise, bless, adore, and glorify God at Mass and in the world.
The last stop of the tour was in the choir loft upstairs. We were able to look at the entire church and truly take in its beauty. Overall the visit to the cathedral was one of prayer, worship, fellowship, and learning. We celebrated Mass with different people and we saw the center of the diocese. All the authority of the priests comes from that place (the Bishop sitting on his cathedra).
