A Just Spirit

Hello everyone,
I'd like to use my post this week to share some thoughts and feelings about a special program and special group of people that I have gotten to know very well over the last thirty weeks.  The program is called JustFaith, and the people are my (now) friends who decided to give this program a try like I did.

What is JustFaith? Well, without taking up too much of your time, JustFaith is a nationally recognized thirty-week faith-based program started by a man named Jack Jezreel. The program centers itself around major social justice issues that our nation/world faces today (i.e. poverty, racism, immigration, world hunger, environmentalism, rights of workers, and other human rights issues).  Through weekly meetings where the groups has fruitful discussions, watches videos, listents to guest speakers, the group begins to recognize the face of God in the midst of these often politicized issues that tend to polarize the population.  The program aims to de-polarize people through exposure to these serious issues.

Who are the people from my JustFaith family?  Well, first of all, we are all seekers of God in our own lives. Beyond that, our group of fourteen people consisted of men and women covering a span of ages and life experiences.  More specifically, our group consisted of college students, young professionals, mothers, grandmothers, fathers, grandfathers, and a priest.  These very broad descriptions serve only to give you a cursory glance into the diversity of our group.  Keep in mind that we all entered the group with different upbringings, different motives for joining the group, and different political views.  Yet, by the end of the group, we were all unified by our commitment to each other and to the program.

One of the major underlying themes of the entire JustFaith was all about becoming aware of the world beyond our individualism so that we might better contribute to the common good of our local, state, federal, and global neighbors.  Looking out of ourselves and into the eyes and hearts of our fellow human beings can be very hard. However, as our group discovered, once we allowed ourselves to be open to the compassion, the knowledge, and the stories of others, we had no choice but to consider how we might transform our lives for the greater good of our society.  What a frustrating yet encouraging charge!  The charge is frustrating because we now know who and what really needs help and the task seems daunting, but it is encouraging because we know that we are vital and valuable people that can promote positive change in our world.  I can truly say that as a a now graduate of the JustFaith program, I sense the Spirit in my life so much more than I could have thought possible thirty weeks ago.

Rather than conclude with my usual prayer, I leave you with one of our prayers from the program that has resonated with me deeply:

"We are disciples on a journey.  We are the Body of Christ broken for this world.  Let this prayer echo in our hearts throughout the week as we walk, while we work, when we rest, and as we pray for one another."

peace

Marathon of Hope

Hello everyone,
I'll be honest, I'm hesitant to say too much about the saddening events at the Boston Marathon, but as a person of faith, I feel that I must try.  My thoughts are filled with contradictory sentiments.  I'm sad, pissed, confused, bewildered, dumbfounded, thankful, hopeful, somber, etc. Thankfully, all those whom I know personally that were in Boston for the marathon are okay.  For this, I am grateful. I find myself seemingly more torn up over these events than I felt after other tragic events in recent history.  I realize that this must be a result of my own interest in running and the running community at-large. I feel a deeper connection to the people surrounding this event because of our mutual bonds of fitness, goal-reaching, and physical/mental endurance.    This last bond of physical and mental endurance shared among runners is arguably the most important reason why I believe that our nation will recover (yet again) from such an unfortunate circumstance.

In this blog, my goal is to always share stories and events that help us sense the Spirit of God in our lives.  When terrible things happen, naturally, we have our doubts about where God is in the midst of it all and why God would allow things like this to happen.  Sadly, I do not have concrete answers to queries like these, but what I do have is a lens of hope through which we can try to view these events.  This lens comes from my own wrestling with events such as the Boston marathon tragedy.  I share this lens with you through some simple statements of faith:
- I believe that God is good.
- I believe that all good things come from God.
- I believe that our free will is a remarkable blessing that God gives all humans.
- I believe that this free will allows us to make both good and bad decisions that always affect ourselves and others.
- I believe that God is most happy when we are at peace with God and one another.

What do you believe? How are you promoting peace to yourself and others in your life?

I conclude my post with two wonderfully relevant quotes from the calm, kind, soft-spoken, television host from the youth of many of us, Mr. Rogers:


"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother's words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers--so many caring people in this world."


"There is no normal life that is free of pain. It's the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth."

Let us all grow together, and as my sister reminded me yesterday, we must continue to run the race in our world against evil.  So true.

May we be ever-faithful, ever-mindful, and ever-joyful.

Along Came Pollen

With the dawning of spring comes many wonderful things: warmer weather, beautiful flowers, sunshine, outdoor track and field, baseball, swimming pool fun, and a host of many other pleasant things.  Yet, something else tends to permeate the air this time of year and turn everything an interesting tint of greenish yellow.  Yep, you got it: pollen.  I think the southern United States seems to accumulate more of this colorful dust than other areas. Pollen seems to create more and more frustration for people every year.  As a runner, I know pollen frustrates me as I must go through a transition period of getting acclimated to breathing in this yellow air.  Ugh.  What does this have to do with a blog about sensing the Spirit?  Keep reading.

As we do each year, we will eventually get through this period of allergenic transition, but what are we to do in the meantime?  Look for meaning in it! As I was reflecting this morning, I got to thinking about how the rhythm of the seasons is often reflection of the rhythm of life. If this is the case, then even the most aggravating pollen could shed some meaning on life for me.  Now, from what I know about pollen, it's primary reason for existence is to help begin the life-giving process of plant fertilization.  However, I have a hard time appreciating this life-giving quality when I'm blinded by yellow dust, driving in a yellow car that is supposed to be silver, and sneezing so much that I lose my voice (slight exaggeration, but you get it).  In trying to set this frustration aside, I thought about the natural purpose of pollen and began contemplating my natural purpose.  As a result, I asked myself two questions. Do I live my life in a manner that is life-giving to others? Or, do I live my life in a manner that blinds others, covers up their true colors, or gives them "allergic" reactions to my presence making them want to avoid me?  Either way, I've realized that I have a gift to give others.  This gift can either be one of healing or one of sickening.

Questions for reflection:
1.  What kind of pollen are you in the lives of others?
2.  Are you able to recognize that even some of the smallest particles in nature can teach you some of the biggest lessons in life?  If not, how can you begin let this happen?

May we be ever-faithful, ever-mindful, and ever-joyful.

Easter Flip

Hello everyone,
In these first few days after Easter, I have had the opportunity to reflect on the weekend and what exactly Easter means to me.  This weekend at mass Fr. Tom reminded us that although bunnies, chocolate, pastel colors, and other sugar-loaded items are nice, cute, and pleasant, this is not the point.  In order to recall the point, we must be willing to flip this springtime "hoppy-ness" on its head and realize that at it's core Easter should encourage within us a counter-cultural spirit.  After all, I don't think that rising from the dead was Jesus' way of conforming to the culture of his day.  A more recent example might be Pope Francis.  Anyone who has been following the events of his early days as pope has seen him reflecting this counter-cultural spirit for us.  He has, in a sense, flipped the visible image of the papacy on it's head.  Through his actions, he seems to be reconnecting us to the core mission of Easter and Jesus' ministry: to show us what is means to serve others rather than being served by others (Matthew 20: 26-28).  In light of all of this and my own experiences, I've come to believe that this is the point of Easter.  In order to fully experience the resurrection of Jesus in our lives, we must be willing to resurrect ourselves out of cultural conformity for the bigger cause of loving service to our friends, relatives, and enemies.  If we can do this, we can better understand the love God showed us and continues to show us through the Paschal Mystery (life, death, and resurrection of Jesus).

Now, it' your turn...

What does Easter mean to you?

I would love for you to share your Easter thoughts with me and other readers in the comments section below.  Thanks.

May we be ever-faithful, ever-mindful, and ever-joyful!