Do people even read blogs anymore?
(Patty awkwardly dusts this thing off).
It has been a very long time since I have shown up around these parts other than an occasional post of sharing some writing.
I have missed blogging, more than I thought. Even if a ton of people don't come here, I do really love having a creative space to write.
A lot has happened in the last year - more on that in an upcoming post.
One of the biggest changes most recently is I have started a new job. Actually, a brand new career in a direction I never imagined for myself.
After working in lay ministry for the Catholic Church for over a decade, I have made a transition into Catholic healthcare.
For the last two or three years, I have been restless in parish ministry and desiring a change. Since March, I have been actively looking, working on my resume, and going through interviews. The week before Thanksgiving I was offered a position at Ascension Health as a Ministry Formation Manager in the Michigan market.
To say I was excited is an understatement. When the woman in HR called to tell me I was chosen, I told her that someone needs to show me how to do a cartwheel - because I was that happy about it!
My role is connected to Mission Integration in growing and strengthening Catholic identity through offering meaningful and relevant spiritual formation to all associates within Ascension. I will also help develop and lead different formational retreats and work with volunteer mission teams at different hospitals within Ascension.
In more ways than one, this is the career move and job I have been waiting for. Everyone I have met has been so welcoming and I love the team I am on. I started on January 3 and my first week went really well. While it feels like I am drinking from a firehose, I know this is exactly where I supposed to be. It truly feels like God placed me in this new career, and I am so grateful for it.
Due to the pandemic, I am working remotely from home which is a transition but I know I will get my extrovert needs met in other ways. I have a cozy little work space set up in my bedroom.
I am looking forward to being "here" more this year. I am planning to finally transition to a permanent domain name and have my sister help me re-work my blog into a professional website.
There are lots of other things I want to share and write about here, but I will leave some of that for later.
What exciting things are starting off your new year so far?
I hope your 2022 is off to a bright and beautiful beginning!
One of the things I most loved about graduate school at our local seminary were all the new spiritual writers and thinkers I encountered.
I had several professors that opened my eyes to new ideas and gave me me deeper understanding and reflection of my beliefs.
It was in my history of Christian spirituality class I first heard of a man named Thomas Merton. I had never heard of this Oxford studied writer turned Trappist monk. We spent one class on getting to know Merton. My professor gave us his basic biography and we read some passages of his work.
It was several years later that I eagerly dove into the writings of Thomas Merton and quickly went on a journey of spiritual friendship, learning much from this gifted soul.
I do not know what propelled me to take a second look at Merton. I do remember flying home from somewhere and reading this book which is what drew me in. What I liked about this book is that it was a sampling of his writing from many different published works.
From there I devoured everything I could that Merton had written. To this day, my favorite books of his are New Seeds of Contemplation and No Man Is an Island. I think those are one of two great places to start.
Since that plane ride several years ago, Thomas Merton has become one of the most influential spiritual writers and teachers to me in my own personal faith journey.
Now, you might be reading and thinking, "That's great Patty! Good for you girlfriend."
I promise to get off my Merton soapbox, but the reason I share this with you is because now more than ever our culture and the world need the words, teaching, and perspective of Thomas Merton.
Why?
I have noticed a growing trend among my friends, acquaintances, and people I follow on social media, many Christians and Catholics are going through a personal deconstruction of their long-held religious tradition of Christianity or Catholicism. A more recent well-known example is that of Audrey Assad.
For many varied and often good reasons, people choose to let go of the spiritual and religious beliefs they grew up with. I share some of the similar frustrations of things I see in the Church these days. I can understand and hold space in my heart for the pain, hurt, and frustration people feel towards the Church. I find myself fascinated with learning about and understanding a person's perspective on what would lead them to leave and choose a new spiritual path for themselves.
As the world becomes more secular and the population of "nones" rapidly grows, we see that people in the culture are spiritually seeking in many ways. From what I can see and understand, they desire truth, peace, life-giving spiritual practices, a community to call home and find support. They seek the good and beautiful and work for justice.
I think spiritual teachers like Thomas Merton can speak to the heart of a seeker in an authentic way that allows a person to wrestle with God while come to draw closer. Even if a person never converts or returns to the faith they have always known, the example of Thomas Merton is one of pastoral care, compassion, listening, and vulnerability.
Regardless of whether a person belongs to a spiritual or religious tradition, we all are on a spiritual journey. It is the journey of a lifetime to come to know more fully who we are and experience the Divine living and breathing in us.
Merton speaks to the tired, weary, and burnt out heart. His own religious wandering and restlessness brought him to the doors of a Trappist monastery; which for him, became a home for his own searching heart.
In 2021, Merton is the spiritual teacher we need to rediscover and learn from.
Merton teaches us ...
How to listen well and accompany people where life finds them.
To ask deep questions about ourselves, God, spirituality, and religion.
To dialogue and learn from people of other faiths.
How to wrestle with God while letting ourselves be found by God.
God is much bigger and deeper than what we construct or imagine.
God can be known and personally experienced.
There is room for questions.
How to be a life-long spiritual learner.
As a Catholic, if the Church hopes to be relevant and speak to the depths of people's longing, we need to return to voices that can help meet hearts right where they are.
For me, Thomas Merton is and remains one of those voices.
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Thomas Merton, pray for the nones. Pray for the hearts of all spiritual seekers looking for God.May we be the people to meet them love them right where life finds them.
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I try to allow this little space where I can openly share and be vulnerable about topics sometimes we do not talk about.
I share on here frequently about my experience of divorce as a young Catholic and dating.
Today I want to share a post with you on helpful resources if you or someone in your life is navigating the pain of a divorce.
If this applies to your life, I hope you are encouraged and feel less alone.-----------------------
I was 30 years old when I went through my divorce.
I remember one particular Sunday when I was having a rough day. I felt overwhelmed by my feelings of sadness and fear how life would ever be beautiful again. I just wanted someone to see the pain in my eyes and reach out to me. I remember going to church - I just put my head on the pew in front of me and began to weep.
I wanted my Church to support me in what was the most painful experience of my life.
Honestly, there were times I felt forgotten and not cared for as a young Catholic going through a divorce.
Where would I find the resources to navigate this chapter in my life? Were there any support groups I could attend and find a community? What were the books to read that would both help me heal and take responsibility for my part in the marriage?
I am now four years past that chapter in my life and can offer some resources that I have found helpful in my own healing journey when I went through my divorce.
For me these things looked like finding a support group, reading the right books, going to counseling, and seeking to forgive my former husband.
You can read more about them over at Grotto Network . . .
You are not the only Catholic navigating this difficult path.
You are not alone and the Church is here to walk with and support you.
I think there are some conversations we have well in the Church.
However, there are certain conversations we don't have enough (or at all).
Recently on my personal social media accounts, I have spent time sharing and opening up on certain conversations we need to have better in the Church around pornography and sexual addiction.
Navigating this in my life in a very personal way has been a journey at times I wish I did not have to go on. Sometimes I wish I could just share about my favorite books or latest find at Target.
I have promised myself (and God) that I would never want another Catholic woman to feel as alone or isolated as I did when I was married and trying to decide if I was merely surviving or thriving in that relationship.
As I grew healthier, my eyes were opened.
Over the last few years, I have begun to write, speak, and do local ministry in my diocese trying to open up a messy, sensitive issue in the Church.
The reality is that pornography and/or sexual addiction will likely touch the life of someone you know. There may be a day where you need to have recommendations for a good counselor or book titles for a wife looking for validation of her own experience.
In my own recovery work and talking to many women, I have developed a resource list that I think offers some of the best counselors, books, and programs for women and men that this negatively impacts their relationship.
With the help of local CSAT (Certified Sex Addiction Therapists) therapists in Southeast Michigan, I have developed a detailed resource list for navigating a porn-saturated culture.
Because it is located and stored on my personal Google account, I will not share a direct link here. However, if you would like me to share and send you a copy of the information, I would be happy to do so.
My purpose of writing about it here is to see the information get into as many hands as possible.
I hope this is something you find helpful and supportive in a conversation that we sometimes don't know where to begin.
For questions regarding this, feel free to contact me under my Contact tab.
I didn't know what to do and I was afraid I would be judged harshly.
Several months before I decided to move out and pursue a divorce, I was inwardly struggling with how I could be treated or perceived in the Church, especially with my work in parish ministry as a lay woman.
I had met with the former rector of our local seminary, and laid out my fears and insecurities:
Would I be judged? Would people at work come up and ask what happened when they noticed my last name changed? Would I be a "less than Catholic" because I was the one who left and started divorce proceedings? Would I still be a part of the community because now I was divorced? Would I be treated differently?
This kind, pastoral priest leaned over his desk and said to me with such compassion, "Patty, God hates divorce, but He doesn't hate divorced people."
When I think of my wrestling with this idea of having a place in the Church as a young, divorced woman, I reflect on those words I heard in that priest's office that day.
For divorced Catholics, both men and women, these and related questions are very real concerns.
When part of your identity is in being someone's spouse and that no longer exists, it feels scary and unnerving. I think even more so for Catholics who practice their faith and are trying to follow Jesus with their whole life.
So shall we just address the big pink elephant sitting in the living room?
If you are a divorced Catholic, yes you 100% still have a place in the Church. We need you just like we need every other person.
Your experience matters.
Your story matters.
READ THE REST OVER HERE...
And if you know someone who has gone through a divorce please share it with them.
At the parish I work at, one of my new responsibilities is overseeing the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).
While there were a few learning curves, the experience of walking with these people has been so life giving to my own personal faith. We had a unique group this year, in that of our ten candidates and catechumens, all were female except one!
They came from very different religious backgrounds.
Some were raised Catholic and some had no religious upbringing of any kind. Another was Jewish and a handful were unbaptized.
Working mostly with women, my heart has become attuned to the better ways our parish community (and all parishes!) can help support and nurture the growing faith of women as they enter full communion with the Catholic Church.
READ THE REST OVER HERE
Anything to add? What is working in your parish community?
We meet in the old convent basement.
The couches don't match the faded pillows and the carpet is worn. It sometimes floods when a heavy rain comes and that musty basement smell hangs around.
This is where we meet on Thursday evenings for a divorce support group from now through January.
On the wall across from where I sit hangs a broken crucifix, literally.
I cannot help but find it to be rich of meaning, especially as I gather with a handful of other women going through a divorce.
One of Jesus' arms is busted clean off, while the remaining arm hangs on the cross.
It takes me back to a tearful conversation I had with my parents a few years ago.
I was still living with my parents as I waited for my divorce to be finalized.
It was one of those no-good, very awful days. I was a mess and hot tears ran down my face.
I wept over the loss of my marriage, wailing to my parents wondering in fear what would become of the new reality of my life: Would I always be alone? How could I trust men again? How would I make it financially on my own?
I was overwhelmed and afraid.
I distinctly remember crying and saying to my Dad (a deacon), "Dad where is Jesus in all of this? I don't feel His presence. The pain of it all feels like I am being nailed to a cross. Where is He?!"
My Dad, a very quiet man of faith, looked at me with tears in his eyes, his voice shaking said: "Well He's getting nailed to the cross next to you."
It made me stop and think.
I recall that conversation now as I gaze on a broken crucifix, helping to lead other women through their own pain and grief.
That broken crucifix is a reminder of the pain I was in at one time of my life, and how my Dad helped remind me to believe that Jesus was in it with me.
One the the things I most deeply love about Christianity is the humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ all rolled into one. Jesus knew the human experience in all things except sin.
He knew what it was to be afraid, anxious, angry, confused, joyful, depressed, and even silly. Jesus of all people knows what it is to suffer. And looking at that little broken crucifix is a gentle reminder of that to me.
My God understands and can relate to the pain in my life, in your life.
I easily forget about God's presence or faithfulness when life is all hunky dory.
All too often, I take for granted the people or blessings in my life. I forget to thank God for all that I have, all that He has done in my life and how He has restored me.
Every Thursday evening, I glance up at the wall and look at Jesus. I smile, grateful for the reminder of His nearness in the most messy and painful experiences of our lives.
The next time your gaze lands on a crucifix in your home or church, linger there a little bit longer. Savor the image.
And remind yourself (especially when you don't believe it), that the presence of the living God is nearer than you realize.
This past weekend I went to Arizona for a team retreat with all the writers from Blessed is She. The last two years we've met in Minnesota, but this year sprung for a Southwest location so more of our west coast writers could come.
While it was over 100 degrees the entire weekend, our days together were filled with sharing, praying together, laughter, great food, and time to be together as a sisterhood.
I am so grateful to be a part of this team, and for the gift of these women in my life.
One of the things we were asked to do in preparation for our team retreat was to come up with writing goals.
I know I keep saying I want to have a better rhythm of writing here, but I keep struggling with actually making it happen. There is something of me that is drawn to blogging even if it is not as popular these days.
I have had some new freelance writing opportunities come into my lap, one which includes becoming regular contributor for Verily. I am so excited to be a regular contributor and have been eagerly following Verily since it launched.
One of the best things from the weekend in Arizona was the writing workshop led by our managing editor, Nell.
She posted our first devotion each of us ever wrote for Blessed is She (almost four years to the date!) and our most recent one. Then, we were given some things to think about and compare our writing from the beginning to our writing in the present.
I almost burst out laughing. You know what I wrote about in my first devo?
William Wallace yelling, "FREEDOM!" before he is killed. And you know what?
I don't even like the movie nor I have seen it in its entirety.
It really got me thinking about the authenticity in my writing voice for Blessed is She, but also how it has shifted personally.
I shared in the large group after this exercise, that at 33 years old I am more free and whole than at any other time in my life. And because of those things I think it has opened up greater authenticity in my own life, through my writing and in sharing personally.
It left me thinking how I really want to craft my skills to become a better, more effective writer.
One of the best parts of the retreat was when we had Eucharistic Adoration after the Vigil Mass. Fr. Parks did a procession and brought Jesus to each of us individually. A friend took this picture, I'm the one with my hands opened.
Isn't that just beautiful?
When Fr. Parks brought Jesus to me, I saw in the gold of the monstrance a reflection of my eyes. I saw my reflection in Jesus and my reflection was in Jesus.
It was such a sweet moment with the Lord and left me feeling like jelly on the inside.
I came home a little more tired physically (hello 3 hour time difference!) but refreshed spiritually from time with the Lord and renewed after time with my sisters.
The next month or two will be pretty busy around here: my second marathon, some work functions, and two speaking events in our local diocese.
So as life picks up, I am glad I had this past weekend to rest and return back to renewed for all that is ahead.
What is new and exciting in your life these days? :)
The effects of living in a highly sexualized culture continue to have devastating effects on both men, women, and our relationships.
When this painful reality was what I faced in my marriage, I was so frustrated initially because I did not know where to find help or get good resources.
I am writing over at FemCatholic today sharing resources to encourage and empower women who find themselves in these situations.
Even if this is not your reality, I would encourage to read and learn more because it is highly likely you know someone whose life or relationships have been impacted by this.
READ THE ARTICLE HERE . . .
Today is the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
And that is a big deal to Christians everywhere.
Leading up to this day, its significance has been on my mind and heart a lot.
You may be wondering, "Okay but what is the big deal? Why should millennials today care about Martin Luther and the Reformation?"
Because it is part of our story as Christian disciples.
It is part of our history.
And when we better understand our history, we can move forward into the future with more empathy and understanding.
HEAD OVER HERE FOR THE REST ...
I was in college when I first heard of Henri Nouwen. It wasn't until the beginning of graduate school that I actually began to read some his writings.
His Life of the the Beloved is one my favorite spiritual books during this season of life.
As I started working in ministry, a friend had suggested I read Nouwen's The Wounded Healer. He said he thought this was required reading folks working in ministry. Years later as I reflect on my life so far, I see how right he was.
The premise of the book is that in our own woundedness, we can become a source of life and healing for other people. When we acknowledge and work through our brokenness and wounds, we become more compassionate, empathetic ministers.
I find myself re-reading the book and drawing on certain themes as I am taking a class on Theophostic Prayer Ministry and eventually working towards certification.
TPM is an inner healing ministry that seeks to deal with inner emotional pain. It is a type of prayer designed to help people identify the lies they are holding onto that are causing them emotional pain and disrupting their walk with Christ.
People are asked to identify an emotion from a painful memory and expose the lie-based thinking that is causing them emotional pain. Then you hold up the exposed lie to Jesus to receive truth from His perspective.
We all have some lie-based thinking we are carrying around, some of which we may not even be aware of. But when we expose lies to the light of Jesus then truth can undo the power of lies we previously believed.
When I was married, my husband and I had several individual prayer sessions and I found it helpful. Since the experience, I knew I wanted to learn more and experience it for myself so maybe someday I could help other people too.
While there is much more wholeness and freedom in my life, there is always more that God desires to give.
The more we face our lie-based thinking and wounds from life, the more we experience greater freedom.
I think that is what makes a wounded healer.
A willingness and courage to face the inner pain in our heart and mind. The difficult things we experience in life will do one of two things: they will either break us or make us stronger.
I will never have it all together. I still need more healing in my own life, even though I am more whole than I've ever been in my life.
After the experience of marriage/divorce/annulment, I saw really clearly things that kept me trapped emotionally and spiritually. And as I experience deeper freedom, I just desire to learn more so I can help other people.
The principles of things like TPM or Unbound are gifts to the Church and the world today.
Each of us has wounds from this life.
But these wounds (once processed and worked through) can be a way Jesus desires us to bring His healing and restoration to His people.
Each of us is a wounded healer.
As I begin this class, I am so grateful for the healing I have experienced in my life so far. But it also brings to awareness healing is a life-time journey...we need to constantly be open and receptive for the MORE that God wants to give us.
The places God calls you to bring hope and healing will probably be different than mine.
But right in your own relationships, family, job, and community there is a need only you can fill.
Be open.
Listen to the Holy Spirit (and your heart).
Ask the Lord where has He put you to bring His healing light.
And then step out in faith and take a risk.
P.S. Check out a copy of The Wounded Healer.
I promise you will not be disappointed.
One of my favorite resources to use in youth ministry is the Fr. Mike Schmitz videos he produces for Ascension Press.
I often use them at leadership team meetings for an extra dose of formation and they always lead to great conversations. The teens love him and refer to Fr. Mike like he's a priest they personally know. #kindasweet
There have been several videos that have really knocked me upside the head. Like the ones on fasting?! Whew.
Last week I re-watched God Doesn't Owe You Anything.
It's a true yet uncomfortable spiritual truth I find myself coming back to lately.
God doesn't owe me anything.
Not one damn thing.
God doesn't owe me a wonderful marriage with lots of babies, that job I really want, or a certain number on my pay stubs. He doesn't owe me a life of ease, comfort, or even security.
God will never ever be in my debt.
Sometimes I confuse God's faithfulness with the promise that I deserve good things in life because...well I just do! It is my right to be happy and have good things in my life. It is such a misunderstanding of the Gospel Jesus preached; we don't follow Jesus because we're expected to receive good things as a result of our fellowship with Him.
Jesus is not a vending machine.
Honestly acknowledging this rubs me raw sometimes; it makes me uncomfortable that I feel this way and then when I have to honestly name it before Jesus in prayer.
I've noticed some of this mentality creeping in from time to time especially after my divorce and annulment: "Jesus I deserve this (fill in the blank) because I went through all this stuff (fill in blanks again)." When I live out of this attitude, I know it is my own brokenness talking back at me...which are subtle reminders that I still need counseling and Unbound prayer.
When I catch myself going down that rabbit hole, I have gotten better at stopping myself and renouncing those lies. But at the same time, I've had to do A LOT of talking and (even more) being still with Jesus on WHY I have this perception with Him sometimes.
I don't love having to admit how many times I have whined to the Lord, "Okay Jesus, when is it my turn to have good things happen to me?!" My perception of God's goodness sometimes is weighed down by what I want and what I expect out of my relationship with God.
And that's jacked.up.
I have done nothing to deserve this life I have been given, the many gifts and blessings I do have.
When I get hyper focused on what I do not have in life, it makes me super forgetful (and ungrateful) of the many more blessings and good things God has freely given me.
Not because I deserve them or I am owed them, but just freely given...as gift.
I have a body that is capable of physical things I never thought I could do like train for a marathon.
I grew up in a home where my parents loved each other and loved their kids. Not everyone in life has that.
The list goes on and on.
Shaking my fist at God for what I don't have is not what changes things.
But changing how I look at all I do have as pure gift, that changes my heart and my perspective.
I have been attending weekly worship my whole life.
I have worshipped with people in different languages and on different continents.
The majority of my church experience has been in mostly white, suburban Catholic churches.
But recently I have noticed a particular ministry often missing from other Catholic churches I have attended or visited.
The ministry of name asking.
Since mid-November, I have been attending Mass on Sunday at small, vibrant inner city parish in Detroit, St. Augustine and St. Monica.
I started here with the idea of visiting all the different Catholic churches in Detroit between then and Lent. But somehow I didn't get much farther than the first few times I visited this particular church.
It is something very, very special. Passionate preaching. An incredible Gospel choir. Lots of cultural diversity. And a sense of welcoming community that often is hard to find in some suburban parishes.
The thing that most struck me that first Sunday I attended was the 5 people who came up and asked me my name. They noticed I was a stranger, that I was sitting by myself in the church.
Bob the older gentleman gave me the biggest hug at the Sign of Peace (which takes 15 minutes here because people walk around and hug each other!). Hermann the adult altar server said, "Hi my name is Hermann! I have never seen you before here. Welcome!" Three sweet older ladies came up, asked my name (without ever telling me their names!), and told me they love when visitors come.
I have fallen in love with this sweet community.
And for me it all started with friendly smiles and the ministry of name asking.
One of my favorite Gospel stories is when Mary Magdalene is at the empty tomb.
She is weeping, and so hysterical she mistakes Jesus for the local gardener. But when Jesus calls her name, "Mary" she realizes whom is actually standing before her. Whenever I read this story, I am always left wondering at the power of names. I think about the beauty when we hear God call us individually by our name.
The ministry of name asking and warm smiles is not one I see done really, really well in suburban churches sometimes. No, I am not saying you need to join an inner city church to find the best spiritual home.
But for me it is found in a small community on the east side of Detroit.
My experience at St. Augustine and St. Monica has reaffirmed to me the power of calling people by their name; whether thanking by the name the guy at Kroger who bags my groceries or the gas station attendant who gives me my change.
Call people by their name.
Do so with a warm, friendly smile.
Yes these are small things. But small acts of love can make a big difference.
I've always identified as a pro-life Christian, from womb to tomb.
All of life is sacred and precious. I hate that abortion exists.
This election cycle + a lot of reading has led me to a deeper sense of what it means to be pro-life.
Unborn babies are very vulnerable. They have no voice and cannot stand up for themselves.
It is absolutely a Holocaust of innocent life.
Today there are many other holocaust's going on in our world; where groups of people have no voice, rights, and are treated as sub-human. The holocaust of refugees and migrants. The holocaust of women and children trafficked and sold into sexual slavery. The holocaust of the death penalty. The holocaust of children around the world who die from not having enough food to eat or basic sanitation and they die of diarrhea.
These are also people too, who in a similar way to victims of abortion have no voice and no rights.
I guess I feel frustrated to be honest.
I am frustrated that it seems (to me) political parties use abortion as a bargaining chip to win over a certain vote. It feels like the problem of abortion is treated as chess game with politicians sometimes.
I get angry when crazy voices say "You have to vote for Trump because he is pro-life and if you don't it is a mortal sin." And putting an aborted baby on the altar where the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is celebrated and honored? Don't even get me started.
Last time I checked, our job is not to judge people for how they vote but help others make an educated vote by the light of their own conscience.
I get frustrated when Christians (who have good intentions I do believe) only speak about abortion. It is all they talk about, all they focus on, especially in an election year. They understand and are passionate about the slaughter of millions of babies in abortion, but are they equally aware and educated about the children who suffer from malnutrition globally or sold into sexual slavery as young as six years old?
I'm really not trying to condemn people, I guess it is pent up frustration being verbally expressed. #yayblogging ;)
The issue of abortion is critical when it comes to our voting as believers. I am not saying it doesn't matter. It plays a huge role in voting responsibly, and is a primary issue. It mattered to me in how I personally voted in this crazy election. And I couldn't stomach either of the candidates.
I used to think being pro-life was just about abortion. But being pro-life is more than that to me now.
A pro-life ethic should carry and apply to all area's of culture, global issues, and people.
I want to be an advocate not just for the unborn, but for the overturning the death penalty too. I want to be an advocate for the dignity of women and children treated as if they had none. I want to understand the pain and suffering of refugees or undocumented workers fleeing their homes. I want to better understand why the world has enough food and resources to end world hunger, but we don't.
To be a pro-life Christian in 2017 looks different for me than it used too. To be pro-life as a Catholic Christian means to live and apply all the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. That is not a liberal or conservative attitude. It is what the Church teaches.
Now does the dignity of the human person trump the responsible care of the environment? Yes. But respect for the life and dignity of the human person I believe includes many, many people.
For me, it means to be educated and aware (as much as possible) of the many holocausts affecting a variety of people with no voice. And there are so many today.
And they all matter. They all need a voice, and they need us to be that voice.
Unborn lives matter so much. But so do, the other voices of people who cannot speak for themselves.
It doesn't matter how you voted in 2016 or what your political leanings are.
But maybe enhancing a pro-life view in this way can bridge greater unity and effectiveness in our Kingdom work?
Maybe it will help build greater dialogue with people across the aisle whom we may not agree with?
I like to think and hope it would help. And if that happens we make the world a little more just and less cold like Pope Francis has said.
And who wouldn't want a world where there is more mercy?
There are many times in my life I have looked at certain words and teachings of Jesus and wondered, "Okay, did He really mean that? Is this to be taken literally or is this just a nice suggestion from God right now?"
I have found in my life it has been easy to downplay particular teachings of Jesus over other ones. I can be really good at picking and choosing the ones I "like" or "agree" with. I can be really good at making things black or white.
And if I don't "like" whatever it is, I just skim over that part of the Bible and move on my merry way.
But recently I had something happen that really gave me a reality check on the many difficult sayings of Jesus in the Bible.
My Dad works in downtown Detroit. On Friday's at lunchtime he and various coworkers go around the area of their building handing out food, water, and clothes to homeless people on the streets.
One Friday in November I had an open morning and was able to join the group that goes out. Knowing winter was coming, I wanted to go through my clothes and coats to see what I could bring to contribute to their ministry.
I had this beautiful, navy coat. You know the kind. It has pretty buttons, detachable hood, is very warm, and of course a fancy shmancy brand name. I received it as a Christmas gift from my parents two years ago.
However, since I have begun running and training regularly I have lost about 10-15 pounds and the coat didn't fit me properly. So in my closet it hung. With 6 other coats.
I knew this navy coat was something that was better spent on a woman who really needed it on the coming cold Detroit nights. So I set it aside with some other fleece jackets and shirts.
However, the Friday I was going to help I started second guessing myself.
"Well it was a gift from my parents...It is a really nice coat..." I started trying to convince myself I NEEDED this coat. That I had to have this coat or my life would be less meaningful without it. #pathetic
I ended up parting with the coat and I was glad I did.
But as I came home that afternoon and re-played the earlier internal dialogue I suddenly recalled a time in Scripture where John the Baptist calls some people out: "Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise" (Luke 3:11).
Okayyyyy it was Jesus' cousin and not actually Jesus who said that. But stick with me here.
My inability to part with a simple coat is such a powerful illustration of how tied I am to materialism; the power my stuff has over me. I like being comfortable in my faith sometimes.
I like my interpretation of the Bible best...the easy, peasy kind.
You know the kind that doesn't challenge you or make you feel uncomfortable.
But Jesus didn't come to make us feel comfortable.
He came to shake.us.up.
The more I thought about this coat, I began recalling all those difficult sayings of Jesus that I have tried to rationalize away or deflect any personal responsibility they have in my own life.
Forgiveness is never not an option. Not seven times but seventy times seven.
Adultery is not just committed with your body but in your mind, intentions, and thoughts.
Judge others harshly and you shall be judged on that same account you treated them.
Do not forget the poor, orphans, and widows. #refugees #Aleppo
Sell what you have, give to the poor, and your reward will be great in Heaven.
Do not store up treasures on Earth...because you cannot take it with you where you're going.
Did Jesus really mean that? Yes, I think He did.
I think the tough stuff He said to us we are meant to take and live seriously.
Sure we can argue back and forth on literal vs. figurative language in the Bible. But what I am starting to see more, is if Jesus said it then He really meant it. Now the way it is lived out in our lives will look different.
But if God said it, then we need to care and do something about it.
Faith without works is dead, it is meaningless.
James challenges believers when he writes: "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,' but you do not give them the necessities of the body what is it?"
What we believe as Christians makes a difference in the world to the extent those beliefs are translated into love in action. And sometimes in life I have really sucked at the love in action piece.
What the navy pea coat reminded me is how attached I still am (unknowingly at times) to the stuff and comfort of this world.
But deep down, I know I wasn't created for comfort. Rather, you and I all were created for greatness.
And we cannot become great disciples, great saints if we are shackled to comfort and mediocrity.
Slowly, I am learning that.
And this nice navy coat is just one more reminder how much I still have to learn...
Last April, I went to a reflection day for local area youth ministers.
Our speaker was Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR and creator of The Wild Goose. He is also working on a new series on St. Francis of Assisi too.
I'm kinda stoked for it:)
At that reflection day, Fr. Dave talked a lot about discernment.
How do we know we are doing God's will?
More specifically i relation to youth ministry, are we even discipling the teens in our care?
Or are we just creating "chameleon Catholics" that are just blending in with everyone else?
If everything were stripped in our ministry, and we were left with Jesus what would that look like?
How would it change what I do?
What would that mean?
His talk really really challenged me and left me thinking and praying on the why behind what we do.
After lunch, Fr. Dave was sharing ways in which we can work with and partner with the Holy Spirit.
And in one example he quoted a saying of St. Francis: "Oh God, You are enough for me."
I'm trusting Fr. Dave on his source check since he himself is a Franciscan.
Not to mention it is now permanently on my body ;)
Those words rocked me to my core. For a lot of reasons.
Maybe because it was a week after the divorce was finalized.
Maybe because I have never really believed that for myself.
Maybe because for most of my life I thought I would be enough when I had someone to share my life with.
Whatever the reasons, I spent several months just sitting with those words in silence; praying with and wrestling them in my life.
In the silence, they began to take on a deeper meaning for my life.
So when I decided to get another tattoo, I knew I wanted these words of St. Francis.
YOU ARE ENOUGH.
This new phase of my life has really become defined by those words.
YOU ARE ENOUGH.
God really has to be enough for me. If I don't learn this now, I don't think I ever will.
I am enough just the way I am.
I am enough on my own.
I know I never believed I was enough, so how the heck could I possibly believe God is enough for me?
And you know what? That's a really crappy way to live.
But the next amount of years are going to be focused on living more in these new truths for myself and helping others know that too.
I have always been enough, now I just actually believe it.
And the freedom in knowing that to the core of my soul is the best thing.
Are there truths in your own life you have wrestled or struggled with?
How have you come to believe them to be true?
PS If you have a tattoo, what's the story behind it?! I love me a good tattoo story:)
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