StCYM: Holy Week (25 MAR 18)

We have reached the final stretch of Lent. This week we reflect on the significance of Christ's Passion. We reflect on what was given to humanity as a result of God the Son's dying knowing of the coming rising. This week we finished up our discussion series with knowing our purpose in life and what happens after we die. Personally, it was interesting to hear the perspective of the teens regarding various topics.

Following the discussions, we watched the second half of The Passion of the Christ. This was a very raw portrayal of our Lord's Passion. The violence was very intense, but done with purpose and not simply for show. I noticed myself reflecting on Christ's wounds and their significance. It is our sinfulness that caused Christ's wounds. He is completely innocent, yet took the punishment owed us. What an act of love!

Throughout the movie there are flashbacks of Christ's ministry. He shows us God's goodness despite our failings. The primary mission of Christ is, indeed, salvation and not condemnation. This is not to ignore the fact that we have the free will to condemn ourselves, should we not believe and follow Christ and His teachings. However, Christ came to show the world God's light and His love for creation. He then taught us to go forth and share this same love ourselves!

Holy Week completes the saving work of God. God became flesh so that he could shoulder the weight of condemnation for it. Once this is complete, God moves ever forward in sharing the love that is born out of sacrifice. Love born out of sacrifice is the strongest form of love since it requires a complete denial of self in varying degrees. God's form of love is the strongest in existence because He, being the most perfect being, sacrificed Himself. Christ denied His divinity on the Cross by remaining on it. Christ could have chosen to come down, but remained.

This denial of the highest degree of perfection should motivate us to glorify God in all that we do! God took care of the hardest part and gives us the Holy Spirit to keep up the little things. We are truly an Easter people as St. John Paul II proclaimed. It is during Holy Week that we recognize this amazing potential due to God's supreme sacrifice. Let us go forward boldly and prepare ourselves, once again, to celebrate the victory.

StCYM: The Passion of the Christ (18 MAR 18)

Last night we met once again to continue our Lenten journey. To begin the night we played two good rounds of "Lean On Me", a game where you and a partner are back to back and have to stand up without using your hands for support. It was Seniors vs. the World and the Seniors swept the World 2-0. Following the madness, we had good discussions on the topics of Satan and also Homosexuality as we continued our discussion series based on Life Teen's 100 Things Every Catholic Teen Should Know. We finished our last hour with the viewing of the first half of The Passion of the Christ.

The Passion of the Christ is arguably the best Christian film ever produced. In my humble opinion it even beats the legendary The Ten Commandments. The reason I find it so good is the amount of attention that was paid to the details in the portrayal of Christ's Passion. The film is in Aramaic and Latin, which is astonishing because those two languages are considered dead. While Latin is technically still alive as it is the official language of the Holy See and the Church and Aramaic is only used by a small group of peoples in areas in Syria, Turkey, and Iraq (Syriac Christians), the contemporary world does not truly know these two languages. Experts were hired to translate the script from English into Aramaic and Latin.

The second reason this film captivates me is the attention to how Christ's Passion connects to key people in Christian history (Mary, Peter, John, etc.) using specific imagery and the like to make those connections noticeable, yet not to the degree where they take away from the natural flow of the story being told. The reality of the violence Christ faced is also very impactful. When you weigh your guilt against Christ's innocence, while seeing his torment, the film has a striking reality to it that goes far beyond what is normally felt when watching films based on a true story. The Passion is felt in the heart.

Next week we will conclude our discussions, review our Lenten journey, and then prepare for Holy Week. We will also conclude our viewing of the film. It is my prayer that it has a prolonged impact on our faith as we prepare to move forward into the Easter season and beyond. I wish you all a fruitful remainder of Lent. God bless you.

Pax,

Johannes

StCYM: Death Row Story (11 MAR 18)

Last night we were honored to welcome Joe D'Ambrosio and our Pastor, Fr. Neil, to Sunday Night Session. It was a night focused on the incredible story of a death row inmate (Joe) fighting to be exonerated. To begin the night, we of course feasted on delicious mozzarella sticks and chicken nuggets. Once we were about done getting our fill, we watched the episode of CNN's Death Row Stories that told Joe's story.

As a man who cares for justice and has a degree in criminal justice, this episode was hard to watch without getting upset. The lies by the investigators, the inconsistent affidavits, the lack of proper investigation, the inconsistent medical evidence, the lack of evidence, etc, all made for a terrible case. I am amazed that a capital murder trial could be so tainted. I am also amazed at Joe's resilience throughout the ordeal. I question if I would have fought so hard for so long (22 years) or if I would have given up after a mere few years and accepted my fate (death). I hope my inclination would be to keep fighting.

What Fr. Neil did was incredible. He visited the imprisoned as Christ teaches us to do, but he went even further, he fought for justice. It was a long battle, that with the courageous actions of witnesses and judges, turned out in favor of Joe. What captivated me the most about Joe coming out of death row was his embrace of silence. He briefly discussed the noise of prison life and how there was no peace for 24 hours a day so, he would simply sit in darkness and silence or go outside and simply stare at the stars.

I think this is a fitting story during Lent when we wander into the desert to look inside ourselves and realize God's goodness. Joe prayed for 22 years for God to deliver him and He did. Many of us would say, "Wow, it took God 22 years to answer Joe's prayer; the prayer of an innocent man!" However, as Joe reminded us, God doesn't work on our time. We are not privy to the wisdom and knowledge of God. We often believe God is hurting us or abandoning us. That is a lie! Reject this lie immediately when you hear it! It is also important to note that Joe has forgiven those that did him wrong and that wanted him dead! This is profound! How hard is it for us to forgive those who merely offend us, yet this man who was sentenced to die can forgive those that sent him to death row. This is very Christ-like and something we should emulate.

As we move forward toward the Victory of Christ, I challenge us to recognize the noise and make time to simply be in silence and appreciate life itself. Let us praise God for simply being. I know I certainly need to embrace silence, because there is profound power in it. It often amazes me that when we have less, we actually have more. The less we have, the more God can occupy. And what God occupies is certainly good.

Pax,

Johannes


Deus Providebit!

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.

Lent Review: Lesson Learned

Introduction
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! A blessed Easter to you! We can rejoice in the bridge to Heaven being completed in Christ's dying and rising. In this article I will address some of the lessons I learned through my personal journey through Lent. Lent is a time to journey deep within ourselves and perform a solid review of our spiritual life. It is a season to grow in closeness to our Creator or to realize that He seems distant. Either way, it is a time of self reflection and awareness, with the hope of Easter ahead.

Lessons Learned
1. Discipline
In the days leading up to Lent I usually begin to set a Lenten discipline or disciplines. Since being back in the Church and meeting with my spiritual director, I have built my Lenten exercises around the big three: prayer, fasting, and alms giving. This three basic spiritual exercises are the foundation of a fruitful Lent as I have discussed before. This year I chose to pray a daily rosary (prayer); limit my smartphone use in my room (fasting); and give a specified amount from my paycheck to the Church, visit my Grandmother's husband in the nursing home, and pray for my aunt as she battles cancer (alms giving).

These three disciplines seems simple enough. In fact, as I reflect on them I have this impression that these really weren't Lent specific disciplines. This is why I may feel like my Lent was not very fruitful, but more on this later. The justification for these disciplines is to jump start my spiritual disciplines through out the year and beyond. I used to pray the rosary daily, but since have done it once to thrice per month. I used to be in a good place in terms of reading the books on my long reading list, but have turned to my smartphone and TV when bored in my room. I used to give somewhat regularly to the Church, but it was never a very defined amount or frequency.

The season started very slowly. My adherence to my Lenten exercises was very loose. Visiting my Grandmother's husband and praying for my aunt went well. The rest, however, was not very good at all. Perhaps this was due to a lack of vision or direction as an intended result of the exercises. I will certainly be discussing this with my spiritual director in our next meeting. Putting in place a discipline without a clear purpose is going to, rightly, seem pointless and will produce bad results. The point of our Lenten discipline should be Christ; He is the focus. A good discipline will guide us toward Christ and a desire to be close to Him.

2. Christ's Passion
Most people know what Christ's Passion is (the suffering, crucifixion, and death of Christ). However, there is so much to analyze and learn from Holy Week; how Holy Week came to be, what events occurred, and what they mean for us and our relationships with our God. For Lent I chose to do some spiritual reading and picked up the second volume of the "Jesus of Nazareth" series by Pope Benedict XVI. His brilliant exegesis of Sacred Scripture and infusion of Sacred Tradition revolving around Christ's Passion was an a amazing read.

This article would be lengthy if I discussed the entirety of the book in detail, so I will focus on the part of the book with the greatest impact. The part of the book that struck me the most, was how he discussed the dating of the Institution of the Eucharist, which is traditionally celebrated on Holy Thursday. However, as Pope Benedict points out, this would mean that Christ's execution would have taken place on the feast of the Passover. John's Gospel tells us that Jesus died on the day of preparation when the lamb's were slaughtered. This was powerful to me, because Christ is the lamb being slaughtered. And with this discovery, I have a new found appreciation for the Gospel according to St. John.

I love how the book was set up to go step by step in the order of events that happened during Holy Week. For someone that needs time to digest the theological density of Pope Benedict XVI, it was quite easy to follow. My edition came with a glossary as well, so any terms or ideas that I found foreign were made understandable with the help of the glossary. This book may not be for new comers to theological thought, but certainly should be on everyone's reading list.

3. Prayer and Self Reflection
While my discipline during Lent was weak, my prayer and self reflection was very strong. While I reflected on small everyday actions most days, I didn't do my deepest self examination unless I was before the Blessed Sacrament at my parish's Adoration Chapel. The logic behind this was simple. When journeying deep into your soul, depending on your life experiences, it can become very dark. When someone is in the midst of darkness, one is very vulnerable to confusion and attacks from evil sources.

While journeying "into the darkness" as I called it in my spiritual journal, I would reflect on where I was spiritually. I wanted to examine where my sins took me, what my relationship with the Lord was during the dark times. My examinations also allowed me to be at peace with what resulted from past sins. Ultimately my journey took me to a place of hope and thanksgiving. Knowing how dark things were in the past let me appreciate how bright things are now. I became truly grateful for how God has never abandoned me even when I deserved abandonment. God remained faithful! God did not stop seeking me out!

When I came to this conclusion during my last session of reflection, tears began streaming down my face. I was entering Holy Week with an renewed appreciation for what God has done. Jesus, knowing the fault of Man, marched to the Cross. He bore my sins (and yours) and was slaughtered like the lambs during the day of preparation. The bridge to Paradise was built, and we now have an ability to cross this bridge back to our Creator!

Conclusion 
After thinking that this year's Lent was a let down I have concluded that, even though it did not go according to plan, God still showed part of Himself. The journey into the darkness of the past brought me into the light of hope. This hope was celebrated during the Easter Vigil, when we go from darkness into light. I pray that you also were able to learn something about yourself and our awesome God during Lent. I pray that we will journey onward with the victory we share in Christ.

Credo Domine!

Lent for the Busy Person

You may be like me on the day before Lent, better known as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday in the US, and make a list of Lenten promises to God. This list will include sacrifices, prayers, activities, and other things you will give up or do for Lent. If you are like me this list starts out fairly large. Not to boast, but here is an example of what my first list looked like:

If you are having trouble deciphering my beautiful calligraphy, the list reads:

1. No fast food 2. Facebook only on Fridays (Adoration Friday of course) 3. Daily Scripture reading 4. Finish "Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration" by Pope Benedict XVI and 30 day consecration ("33 days to Morning Glory" by Michael E. Gaitley) 5. Daily Rosary and Divine Chaplet 6. Daily Holy Hour (Eucharistic Adoration) 7. Gym three times per week.

You were probably chuckling by number four or five. What makes me chuckle is the line after the list which reads, "I think this is doable...." and then I add, "Also, praying more in Latin and Deutsch (German), and bed before 12am." To anyone counting, that is nine Lenten promises! Yes, nine! Sure, for a college student with a light course load this is possible, but I am not a college student with a light course load. You should have seen the reaction my spiritual director (Fr. Sean) had when I recited this list to him during my session with him. He had some good advice on how to refine this list. He broke it down into three categories (prayer, fasting, and alms giving). Here is my list following spiritual direction:

Again, my amazing calligraphy reads:

1. Prayer: a. Holy Hour three times per week minimum b. Daily Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy

2. Fasting: a. Facebook (one post per day [must be spiritual], and no more than one total hour surf time per day)

3. Alms giving: a. Volunteer three times during Lent

4. Spiritual Reading: a. Finish "Jesus of Nazareth" and 33 Days to Morning Glory

Again, looking back this is a jam packed Lent. Lent is supposed to be challenging, absolutely! Lent is a time to wrestle with our faults and find ways to eliminate or reduce them as we walk with Christ. I must admit, that I have not been proactive enough in following through in this refined list. I know that I could offer up three hours a week for Eucharistic Adoration. I already do an assigned hour on Fridays. I  know I could be reading the amazing work by Pope Benedict XVI instead of watching the WWE Network (which is awesome by the way). With work and prayer, I can commit to this list. Instead of volunteering, I have given money to Harvest for Hunger instead almost each time that I buy something at work. Since I seem to go two weeks to a month with out a day off, finding time to volunteer is difficult, so I made an adjustment.

At this point you may be wondering when I'm going to come up with ideas for you the busy person. The idea is this; make your initial list, reflect on your daily duties, and then discuss this list with friends, family, or a priest. You will find that you can refine this list and still have a fruitful Lent. Lent is not simply about abstaining from things. Lent is about spiritual growth. The goal is to come up with a list of things that will help you grow spiritually. Our relationship with Christ and his Church matters, and Lent is a time to get back to the basics. These basics, as Fr. Sean (my spiritual director/Confessor) puts it, are prayer, fasting, and alms giving. Find one thing that you can do or sacrifice in each of these categories, and Lent will be a fruitful one for you.

God knows our lives better than we do. God knows we are busy. Let us not feel guilty for having to trim our Lenten promises down to size. Let us, instead, be joyful that we are seeking a closer relationship with our Lord and his Bride, the Church. Lent is my favorite time of the year for this reason. I am so glad the Church has set aside a time to reflect, pray, and sacrifice to draw closer to God. Let us march forward toward Christ.

Here is a simple list you might be able to implement if you are having trouble:

1. Prayer: 10-15 minutes of prayer each day. Doing this around meal times is a good way to set aside time for it. Before bed is also a good time. Go to Confession more frequently.

2. Fasting: Limit social media time or Internet time to 1-3 posts per day if you are a frequent user. Or limit TV time to 1-2 hours a day if you watch a lot of TV. Do a good fast on Fridays (one meal and two smaller meals or snacks that do not add up to the one meal), or go 24 hours without eating (health permitting).

3. Alms giving: Pick a ministry and donate your time, money, or other resources throughout Lent. At Walgreen's they are supporting Harvest for Hunger. I simply add $1, $5, or $10 (on paydays) to my bill. This is a quick easy way to help feed the hungry.

I hope this list helps. Sometimes when it comes to our spiritual lives, less indeed is more if our mind, body, and soul are fully invested. I pray you have a blessed Lenten season. Please pray for me as I seek to better fulfill my Lenten promises. Please continue to pray for peace, especially in Ukraine and Venezuela. Let us be a witness to the love which conquers all. Credo Domine.