StCYM: Soul Training I (25 FEB 18)

Yesterday we began our soul training for this Lenten season. We discussed getting back to basics. We watched a video of Marine recruits during their first hours of Basic Training. They didn’t have freedom, they were stripped of their hair and personality, and they were beginning a reprograming. To train a recruit in the military that recruit has to go back to the basics. Even the psyche of the recruit is retrained. During Lent it is a good time to get back to the basics of our spiritual lives and perhaps even reset ourselves.

In order to get back to the basics, we chose 24 topics to discuss over the next few weeks using Life Teen’s “100 Things Every Catholic Teen Should Know” as a guide. To discuss these topics, we will dig into the Scriptures and catechism. We began our journey discussing how we take our faith seriously (“God’s not playin’ games”), whether Christ rose from the dead (“Did Jesus really rise from the dead?”), and the death penalty. We incorporated current events such as seeing people fall from their faith and the recent Florida school shooting.

When it comes to being serious, being a witness is a key way to be serious for Christ. Answering our call to love those who are hardest to love (like the school shooter) or entering a frightening situation with courage are powerful ways to display our seriousness for the Gospel. Regarding the validity of the resurrection, we discovered the historic accounts outside of Sacred Scripture about Jesus. Knowing the truth of the resurrection should embolden us to live lives for Christ. We also discussed the death penalty and what the Church teaches regarding state sanctioned executions. We discovered that the Church actually teaches that it should be only used as a last resort when protect the public is impossible. It turns out that in our society it is possible, and so we should find ways to eliminate it.

Next week we will continue our journey through Lent as partake in Soul Training: On the Edge. We will discuss what it means to be on the edge by analyzing minimalism, risk taking, and near occasions of sin. Following the training session, we will continue our catechesis by discussing more of the topics we chose. I pray your Lenten journey continues well and that your relationship with our Lord continues to grow.

Pax.

Easter, Race, Ukraine

It has been a while since I last posted. I thought I would be more committed to blogging during Lent. I had many ideas, but it seems my Lent needed to be a quiet one. Lent was challenging, but also rewarding. It was nice to do a lot of contemplation and self reflection, because it was certainly needed, but now that it is Easter it is time to be alive. Many things happened during Lent and some have spilled over into Easter. Easter is my favorite time of the year which had me celebrating, Russia is surrounding eastern Ukraine, and an NBA owner is being essentially exiled, picking at the racism scab all over again.

Easter is a time of renewal; a time to celebrate the victory we share in Christ! It was great to celebrate this blessed season with our Orthodox brothers and sisters in Christ! Knowing how I lived in college, I certainly enjoy this season. I don't even want to imagine what my life would be like without Christ. I have absolutely fallen in love with the Easter Vigil. To be in total darkness amidst a great flame and then to process in as the light of Christ spreads from candle to candle is a magical moment. I am honored to be part of the RCIA team, helping people come in or back to the Church is truly rewarding. I remember my reentry very fondly. I was wide eyed with eyes filled with tears of joy, because of the incredible journey I was on. The journey continues, and hopefully it continues at St. Mary's Seminary on my way to becoming a Priest. Please pray for me. Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia!

Earlier this week the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, Donald Sterling, was banned from the NBA for life. This race stuff is really getting annoying. There will always be people who are racist. Always. What he said is wrong, absolutely. However, why aren't we also discussing comments made by former NBA star Larry Johnson? He wants an all black league? Why is it OK to say that? Isn't that the exact opposite of what Martin Luther King Jr. wanted? Yes, it is. His dream was for all races to be able to work together and judge each other by their "character". How does the rhetoric by Mr. Johnson help King's cause? It doesn't. I have a proposal similar to King's; actually it is the same. Why don't we all just get along. King is remembered for his demonstrations of peace. He did not seek vengeance, he simply sought equal opportunity. We ought to work toward the same. We should not work for an all black league, or forced affirmative action. We should work for solidarity and opportunity. Enough of this vengeance seeking! It only fuels the fire of racists. It divides, not unites.

The Catholic Church is a shining example of how people of all walks of life work together for the glory of the Kingdom of God. The Universal Church is global, covering all races and cultures. The Catholic faith is applicable to every nation and tribe. It is absolutely beautiful. I can go into a Catholic Church in any country and celebrate the Eucharist with a multitude of people. I encourage you to look up footage from World Youth Day, where Copa Cabana Beach is filled with three million people from all over the world celebrating Mass. It is an amazing site.

And then we get to Russia and Ukraine. Putin is asserting his power during a time of US weakness. The United States has been drained by over a decade of war (three years of which there were two concurrent wars), and continues to build up trillions of dollars of debt. The United States is tired. It shows by our political climate. Each side continues to grow farther and farther apart, and the same can be said for the people of America. So while America continues to fight within, Russia is making moves. I also wonder what China is doing. We need to pay attention to the crisis in Ukraine. We are seeing incredible witness by Catholic and Orthodox Priests who are standing up for peace. Let us focus on this issue. Instead we are focused on what some old racist man said, and it is quite disappointing. I couldn't care less about the race "issue". Did Mr. Sterling's racism hurt anyone? Did his players get paid? Yes. Was his team all white? No. Is he wrong for being racist? Yes! However, instead of moving on and moving forward we let that bog us down. While this all happens Putin continues to move. We need to be paying attention, before China surpasses us as the world's largest economy. Yeah, that may happen in a decade as well. Did you hear of that? Probably not.

America needs to drastically discern its priorities. We are very concerned about social issues, but what about the economy and national security? How good are our arguments about social issues, if we can't keep our people employed and safe? They will all be for not. There is a solution. The solution is simple and many people know the solution, but choose the wide gate because it's easy. Let us choose the narrow gate. Let us choose Christ and seek to live by His commandments. If we all did this, the world would be a much better place. Well, at least it would have a better chance of being a better place. Credo Domine.

The Coca Cola Hoopla: America die Schoene

During the Superbowl Coca Cola, arguably the soft drink giant of the world, presented a commercial that contained a multi-lingual version "America the Beautiful". Almost immediately, people took to social media to cry foul. I must admit one second into the commercial I said, "What?", but once more languages were presented, I smiled. This was a beautiful one minute display of America. Before I go on, I must say that at the end of the day this was still an advertisement for Coca Cola, and its message is very clear.

"America was founded by the British, and they speak English!" some cry out. I am quick to respond, but the Brits weren't the only ones there. The French were involved, as well as the Spanish. America was founded by multiple cultures, with the British culture being the dominant one. We must also not forget the numerous Native American cultures that were here long before the Pilgrims. Following the colonial times, more cultures were introduced into the American picture. Irish and German immigrants came. Asians came to America during the Gold Rush and building of the Intercontinental Railroad. Eastern Europeans followed, and America quickly became the melting pot we know today. I like to think we are more like a robust stew rather than simply a melting pot.

We are the most diverse country on earth. A great example of this is our Olympic team. European teams are beginning to look like ours, but our Olympic team is still the greatest mix of ethnic backgrounds. The Chinese team looks... Chinese. The Scandinavian teams look... Scandinavian. The Italian team looks... Italian. The American team looks... Diverse. You cannot present a picture of a person and say they are American, based on just their physical features. We can identify an Italian, or a Korean, or a person of Middle Eastern descent, but we cannot identify an American the same way. This puts America at a huge advantage! We have people from all over the world. Different cultures make up the United States of America, and it indeed is beautiful.

Knowing that America is a robust stew, we must now accept that this stew does not only speak English. Our official documents may be in English, because most Americans speak this language, but our official language does not exist. The United States does not have an official language by law, but merely by default. This does not mean we must throw out other languages! "America the Beautiful" was written in English, sure, but even Church hymns were written in other languages. The Bible was mainly written in Hebrew and Greek; Aramaic was a popular language in Jesus' day. Does that mean it is time to learn Hebrew and Greek and only speak in these languages when speaking theologically? Certainly not! God did not change everyone's language to Aramaic or Hebrew at the Pentecost, no, He enable the disciples to speak other languages! 

We are America die Schoene (beautiful in German). We are a beautiful collection of cultures, from sea to shining see. We should be celebrating this! Soldiers died for this! I'm not even going to begin ranting about how grieved I am when I hear, "Soldiers did not die for a multi-lingual America". Yes, I saw a Facebook post that pretty much said that. All things said, at the end of the day this Coca Cola ad was just that, an ad. Its message is clear;  America is for all people, and Coca Cola is too so drink it. The fact that I am ranting about it, and people are up in arms about it, shows that this was indeed a genius advertisement. What's the genius? We are thinking, arguing, and talking about Coca Cola. Cheers.