I have not blogged in a very long time. This is dumb. I like blogging, writing, ranting, reflecting, etc. So I've decided it is time to return to such things in my life. Beginning with this post y'all can expect at least one post every two weeks and hopefully a post once a week. I've changed the backdrop of the blog, updated the picture and now I'm writing the first installment of Gonzo's return to his rants and reflections. I've decided that to begin my return to blog space I will begin with more of a rant.
A few weeks ago Mary Beth and I had the incredible opportunity of spending two weeks in Peru. We got to spend time with my family as well as experience the amazing sites of Cuzco and Machupicchu. While the trip was awesome not really the point of my blog but feel free to check out pictures on Kodak Gallery:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=623792332214%3A25162627
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=723792332214%3A811242331
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=823792332214%3A1988033425
The real point of this blog is the book I began reading on the way to Peru. I started reading a book called THE GOD DELUSION by Richard Dawkins. While it could be frowned upon to comment on a book until one is done reading the whole thing I can't help but do so at this point. I may write more once I am finished with it but for now here are some of my thoughts.
First of all I think trying to argue with an Atheist is almost pointless. What we need to do at this point as Christians is begin praying for God to work some miracles in the lives of the people in this movement. The reason it is pointless is because many of them are angry and have such a completely different worldview. I think intelligent conversations and dialogue can be had with some of them but many of them are very stubborn and not open to dialogue on the issue (just watch EXPELLED: NO INTELLIGENCE ALLOWED for an example of this). To begin with the thing I notice about Dawkins is he is angry. The guy has some serious wounds. The way he goes after and attacks Christianity in a very bitter and nasty way instantly begins to discredit the guy. The one thing the guy has going for him is that as Revelation states that it is better to be hot or cold than lukewarm lest God spew you out of his mouth, this guys is anything but lukewarm. He is down right cold. And that at least makes him ripe for conversion :).
The second big thing I note is that we as Christians need to be reading this and reading any sort of books that refute it. We need to not only be reading books that refute this but any sort of books dealing with apologetics, Philosophy, History etc. The common man, heck the common Christian is grossly uneducated and that is why millions of people are falling pray to the absolute nonsense written by Dawkins and the other militant New Atheists out there. People are buying into what Dawkins is saying because we live in a world where people have not been taught to REALLY and TRULY think. Therefore we have a lot of really intelligent stupid people out there. Dawkins is a classic intellectual idiot. He knows some stuff about science, is well read, and therefore thinks he can understand the universe, how it works, and comes to the absurd conclusion that God does not exist. The entire premise of a book written by Frank Sheed called THEOLOGY AND SANITY is that to live an existence where we view the world as if God did not exist is to live with a skewed perception of reality. What do we call people who do not live reality? Insane! We as Christians cannot afford to be insane. We cannot afford to be uneducated. The world is going to throw everything it can at us and the only way to fight against it is to train ourselves intellectually. So many people are unaware of the incredible intellectual treasures the Church has. Start reading!
This next critique I have ties into the point above. Just as the average Christian is grossly uneducated so is Dawkins. The man is a Scientist with no formal training in Philosophy and he goes after St. Thomas Aquinas. Really? I mean really? If you haven't studied Philosophy you have absolutely no place critiquing Aquinas. Aquinas is a respected Philosopher even in secular circles people! His chapter refuting the five proofs is laughable. If you know Aquinas, Theology, and Philosophy please read that chapter and you will have yourself a good laugh (or a good cry at the fact that there are actually people out there who are buying into his garbage). He also makes a statistical claim that most intelligent people and Scientists are Atheist. Well Dawkins that is a very faulty argument when most of those people have not read both sides of the issues and have not truly been informed on what good Philosophy and Theology are. Also some of the smartest scientific people I know are also some of the most faithful Catholics I know. What do you say to that? Really all Dawkins is arguing on is semantics and not logical, clear, and philosophical reasoning.
Evil is real. God is real. And when we fail to recognize God's existence Evil begins to subtly win but hey if you don't believe in God how can you believe in evil? It is truly sad to me that people are buying into the things Dawkins, Hitches and others are writing. Faith is a gift and some may not have been given it but have those people really sought after it? Have those people who have bought into Dawkins and others really, I mean really read some of the great treasures of Philosophy and Theology and then actually reflected on them? I doubt it. Maybe Dawkins had and grossly misunderstood those works but his average readers have not. And this is why he and others are so dangerous. They are really and truly poisoning our society and sugar coating it as they are simply revealing to people the truth they deserve. It is time to tell our story as it is meant to be told. It is time to be true witnesses and martyrs for our faith. It is time to be radical examples of love. It is time to educate ourselves in truth and then go out and proclaim that truth in love. We live in a world full of insane people who think they are perfectly sane and that my friends is the answer to why we live in the political and economic climate that we live in. Until we recognize that God is For real we will continue to live in a delusion and none of our problems will ever be fixed. This is the real delusion! May God have mercy on Richard Dawkins and all those who choose to believe his writings.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
A Call to Live
Who am I? I am a man, I am a husband, I am a friend, I am a son, I am a brother, but most important of all I am a Catholic. Being Catholic is something I can honestly say has been something that defines my very being and existence. Not in the sense that it is my Religion, but it in the sense that it is the vehicle that drives me into relationship with Christ. Jesus Christ is the very source of my existence. I am nothing without Him. Every struggle, successes, failure, and joy I have is seen in light of my relationship with Him. Everything that happens in my life is call from Him to engage some aspect of my relationship with Him.
I've been reading a book by Fr. Jaques Philippe called "Called to Life." The book focuses on God's call in our lives, primarily the call to exist as human persons. This book is so simple yet so profound. In reading this book during my prayer time it has caused me to contemplate on the beautiful gift of life God has given me and that everything that occurs in our lives comes with grace and an invitation to love God more deeply through our experiences. Philippe writes, "Openness to the call is openness to the fullness of life. Not only natural, physical, emotional, and intellectual life, but also the life realized through relationships, love, communion and, ultimately through participation in divine, supernatural life. Every call is a call to love more and find fulfillment by participating in the purity and ardor of divine love." Every experience we have is a calling to enter into this relationship.
Philippe goes on to say that every trial in our lives is a call to faith. Do we believe God is there? Do we rely on his mercy and grace? Every trial is also a call to Hope. In whom do we place our trust during these times? Do we expect to get through it on our own? Trials are also tests of love, especially in our relationships. Do we choose to love even when it hurts or is difficult? When the good times come these are invitations to be thankful and receive the gifts in their fullness Philippe tells us.
I've really been meditating on these things over the past few weeks. They really hit me in a powerful way. To be in relationship with Christ is to bring Him into everything; the joys and the struggles. The world tells us to run from our sufferings and failures. Christ tells us to embrace them and come to encounter Him more deeply through them. It is by doing this that we will experience life to its fullest. In allowing ourselves to experience these little deaths and sufferings and our lives we will become more alive. Through our sufferings we conform ourselves more and more to the one who gives us life and are able to experience joy more fully. Our goal should be to one day say with St. Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ and life I now live is no longer my own but Christ who lives in me."
I feel as if Christ is blessing me with incredible graces. I want nothing more than to live life fully in Him. Every relationship and friendship I have experienced has been Christ showing me his face on this earth. Every struggle and difficulty I have had to overcome has made me the man I am and brought me to where I am today. Every joy small, and large, has been a manifestation of God's glory in my life. As St. Irenaeus said, "The Glory of God is man fully alive." We become fully alive in accepting EVERYTHING that comes our way and asking God not "why is this happening?" but "what are you calling me to through this situation?"
To all my wife, friends, and family: Everything I have experienced with you, the good, the great, the bad and the ugly, has been an experience from God to bring us closer through trials and joys. You have been His instrument in helping me live His call to live! Let us continue to live life to its fullest so that one day we may behold His face. Let us strive to arrive at the Heavenly Banquet where we will truly live there the way God intended us to live for all eternity!
I've been reading a book by Fr. Jaques Philippe called "Called to Life." The book focuses on God's call in our lives, primarily the call to exist as human persons. This book is so simple yet so profound. In reading this book during my prayer time it has caused me to contemplate on the beautiful gift of life God has given me and that everything that occurs in our lives comes with grace and an invitation to love God more deeply through our experiences. Philippe writes, "Openness to the call is openness to the fullness of life. Not only natural, physical, emotional, and intellectual life, but also the life realized through relationships, love, communion and, ultimately through participation in divine, supernatural life. Every call is a call to love more and find fulfillment by participating in the purity and ardor of divine love." Every experience we have is a calling to enter into this relationship.
Philippe goes on to say that every trial in our lives is a call to faith. Do we believe God is there? Do we rely on his mercy and grace? Every trial is also a call to Hope. In whom do we place our trust during these times? Do we expect to get through it on our own? Trials are also tests of love, especially in our relationships. Do we choose to love even when it hurts or is difficult? When the good times come these are invitations to be thankful and receive the gifts in their fullness Philippe tells us.
I've really been meditating on these things over the past few weeks. They really hit me in a powerful way. To be in relationship with Christ is to bring Him into everything; the joys and the struggles. The world tells us to run from our sufferings and failures. Christ tells us to embrace them and come to encounter Him more deeply through them. It is by doing this that we will experience life to its fullest. In allowing ourselves to experience these little deaths and sufferings and our lives we will become more alive. Through our sufferings we conform ourselves more and more to the one who gives us life and are able to experience joy more fully. Our goal should be to one day say with St. Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ and life I now live is no longer my own but Christ who lives in me."
I feel as if Christ is blessing me with incredible graces. I want nothing more than to live life fully in Him. Every relationship and friendship I have experienced has been Christ showing me his face on this earth. Every struggle and difficulty I have had to overcome has made me the man I am and brought me to where I am today. Every joy small, and large, has been a manifestation of God's glory in my life. As St. Irenaeus said, "The Glory of God is man fully alive." We become fully alive in accepting EVERYTHING that comes our way and asking God not "why is this happening?" but "what are you calling me to through this situation?"
To all my wife, friends, and family: Everything I have experienced with you, the good, the great, the bad and the ugly, has been an experience from God to bring us closer through trials and joys. You have been His instrument in helping me live His call to live! Let us continue to live life to its fullest so that one day we may behold His face. Let us strive to arrive at the Heavenly Banquet where we will truly live there the way God intended us to live for all eternity!
Monday, January 3, 2011
2010 In Review
It's time for the top 10 Best and Worst of 2010. Overall this really was an incredible year. The Best Greatly outweighs the worst.
Top 10 Worst
10. Having my Driver Side window on my car smashed in and discovering it at 5:00a.m. on my way to the gym one morning.
9. Engagement. It sucks, don't do it unless its 6 months or less. The beginning of 2010 marked 7 months of being engaged and 6 more to go.
8. House hunting. Owning a house is great, but going through the process of trying to find one was awful.
7. My car breaking down in the middle of nowhere Colorado on our way home over Labor Day Weekend.
6. Having to drop lots of money on car repairs.
5. Stripping our house of wallpapper.
4. Gaining some weight back
3. Not having my cousin Fernando at our wedding.
2. Although not all of them or even most of them but having to deal with more than my usual number of apathetic students. In other words a growing sense of apathy an entitlement among my students.
1. David's death and having to watch my students suffer through that.
So you see aside from number 1 I can honestly say that the other 9 were really not so horrible just the worst in an amazing year.
10 Best
10. Our Trip to Denver for Ashley and Alex's Wedding.
9. Buying our first home! As awful as the hunt was and then having to deal with stripping the wallpaper in the end it was all worth it! We love our little home!
8. My Bachelor Party in New Orleans
7. Our Trip to Texas for Erin and Ryan's Wedding
6. Our Trip to Illinois for the second wedding reception my parents had for us
5. Sitting on the back deck of Andrew's house hanging out with Fr. Kevin, Chris, Tony, Guy, Steve, and Blake two nights before the wedding having a mini bachelor party.
4. Our Trip to Denver for Jackie's wedding and Thanksgiving.
3. My parents coming to visit us for a weekend in November and getting to spend some good quality time with them.
2. Honeymoon in Aruba.
1. Our Wedding Day. This day and the week leading up to it is full of so many amazing moments that I should honestly do a Top 10 list of my favorite moments just from that week and day. We are so blessed!
As 2011 begins we look forward to our first full year of being married and are excited to see what God has in store for us. Goodbye 2010, hello 2011!
Top 10 Worst
10. Having my Driver Side window on my car smashed in and discovering it at 5:00a.m. on my way to the gym one morning.
9. Engagement. It sucks, don't do it unless its 6 months or less. The beginning of 2010 marked 7 months of being engaged and 6 more to go.
8. House hunting. Owning a house is great, but going through the process of trying to find one was awful.
7. My car breaking down in the middle of nowhere Colorado on our way home over Labor Day Weekend.
6. Having to drop lots of money on car repairs.
5. Stripping our house of wallpapper.
4. Gaining some weight back
3. Not having my cousin Fernando at our wedding.
2. Although not all of them or even most of them but having to deal with more than my usual number of apathetic students. In other words a growing sense of apathy an entitlement among my students.
1. David's death and having to watch my students suffer through that.
So you see aside from number 1 I can honestly say that the other 9 were really not so horrible just the worst in an amazing year.
10 Best
10. Our Trip to Denver for Ashley and Alex's Wedding.
9. Buying our first home! As awful as the hunt was and then having to deal with stripping the wallpaper in the end it was all worth it! We love our little home!
8. My Bachelor Party in New Orleans
7. Our Trip to Texas for Erin and Ryan's Wedding
6. Our Trip to Illinois for the second wedding reception my parents had for us
5. Sitting on the back deck of Andrew's house hanging out with Fr. Kevin, Chris, Tony, Guy, Steve, and Blake two nights before the wedding having a mini bachelor party.
4. Our Trip to Denver for Jackie's wedding and Thanksgiving.
3. My parents coming to visit us for a weekend in November and getting to spend some good quality time with them.
2. Honeymoon in Aruba.
1. Our Wedding Day. This day and the week leading up to it is full of so many amazing moments that I should honestly do a Top 10 list of my favorite moments just from that week and day. We are so blessed!
As 2011 begins we look forward to our first full year of being married and are excited to see what God has in store for us. Goodbye 2010, hello 2011!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Glory Hidden in Simplicity
I just stumbled upon this old blog of mine tonight as I sit here at my in laws ignoring the movie playing in the background. Wow! It has been a freaking long time since I blogged and I really need to get back into it. I really miss it in a lot of ways. Blogging has been a great outlet for me in the past and honestly I just really enjoy writing. I guess other things in life have taken priority. Not that this is a bad thing its just been different. I'm hoping maybe I can get back into it in the coming year.
Life has been simple and uneventful the last few months and I love it. After a year of being engaged, planning a wedding, and helping my now wife get adjusted to Wichita it is nice to feel some smidgen of normalcy. The wedding was incredible. The Honeymoon was wonderful. We love our house and the day to day of married life is peaceful. We enjoy the simple time and days with each other and with friends. Essentially it is life simply lived. Not too much drama, not too much excitement, just the simplicity of existence. I continue to love my job at Bishop Carroll. Teaching continues to be something that breathes life into me every day. Mary Beth has been substitute teaching almost every day at Bishop Carroll also. I love getting to see her beautiful face there. We really are enjoying wedded bliss at the moment in time but not on some huge over emotional level; rather on a simple and joyful level. I love that we get to cook for each other; I love that we enjoy quiet evenings on the couch watching movies or t.v; I love that we enjoy nights playing games and drinking a glass of wine; I love that we enjoy relaxing evenings with friends; I love that we go to mass and adoration together almost every day; Simply put I love that life is not exciting or stressful and that in itself is exciting.
I'm sitting in the warmth of Texas tonight anticipating the celebration of our first Christmas as a married couple. I miss my family and friends in Rockford terribly but I also love being here with my in-laws. Its weird but it feels just as comfortable being here as it does being in Rockford.
There is a simple joy in being sure of God's presence and grace in one's life. For me the surety comes from the sacraments, my students, my friends, my family, and most importantly the simple everyday living of the living out my vocation with the person God has destined me for. Life is by no means perfect. We have had our struggles in these first few months, but through the joys and struggles I can see that God, with my wife as His instrument and me as His instrument for her is leading us both to perfection and virtue. So as Christmas comes upon us and I look upon the simplicity of the manger I am reminded that it is in the simplicity that God's glory is revealed! Merry Christmas all!
Life has been simple and uneventful the last few months and I love it. After a year of being engaged, planning a wedding, and helping my now wife get adjusted to Wichita it is nice to feel some smidgen of normalcy. The wedding was incredible. The Honeymoon was wonderful. We love our house and the day to day of married life is peaceful. We enjoy the simple time and days with each other and with friends. Essentially it is life simply lived. Not too much drama, not too much excitement, just the simplicity of existence. I continue to love my job at Bishop Carroll. Teaching continues to be something that breathes life into me every day. Mary Beth has been substitute teaching almost every day at Bishop Carroll also. I love getting to see her beautiful face there. We really are enjoying wedded bliss at the moment in time but not on some huge over emotional level; rather on a simple and joyful level. I love that we get to cook for each other; I love that we enjoy quiet evenings on the couch watching movies or t.v; I love that we enjoy nights playing games and drinking a glass of wine; I love that we enjoy relaxing evenings with friends; I love that we go to mass and adoration together almost every day; Simply put I love that life is not exciting or stressful and that in itself is exciting.
I'm sitting in the warmth of Texas tonight anticipating the celebration of our first Christmas as a married couple. I miss my family and friends in Rockford terribly but I also love being here with my in-laws. Its weird but it feels just as comfortable being here as it does being in Rockford.
There is a simple joy in being sure of God's presence and grace in one's life. For me the surety comes from the sacraments, my students, my friends, my family, and most importantly the simple everyday living of the living out my vocation with the person God has destined me for. Life is by no means perfect. We have had our struggles in these first few months, but through the joys and struggles I can see that God, with my wife as His instrument and me as His instrument for her is leading us both to perfection and virtue. So as Christmas comes upon us and I look upon the simplicity of the manger I am reminded that it is in the simplicity that God's glory is revealed! Merry Christmas all!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Noone Owes You Anything!
On Ash Wednesday Fr. Jarrod gave a homily on rejecting a sense of entightlement. I think most of my Freshmen slept during that homily.
I'm scared for the future of our world and fear the success of those I teach. I fear raising a child some day in this world. I'm discovering that the two biggest problems in our world and especially among our youth are Apathy and a Sense of entightlement. This is why the health care bill passed, this is why we are in an economic crisis, this is why Obama is our president and this why my Freshmen this semester have caused me so much frustration.
I am currently seeing the lowest grades amongst my freshmen than I have in the six years of my teaching career. I am experiencing the largest number of students that I have ever experienced refusing to do assignments and turn in work. On the last unit test I gave I had 70% of my Freshmen get a D or F on it. In previous years on that same test I had 70% of them get an A or a B on it. All I hear from them is complaining and that its too hard and when I ask them if they have done the reading or the study guides (mind you I give them a study guide with every question from the test on it) they say no. I actually had a girl tell me that she would read if the Bible was more entertaining, its just boring so she wasn't going to read it. I told her God wrote only one book and I wouldn't want to be her on judgement day when God asked her if she had read His book and she has to say no. Probably not the most charitable response but what can I say I was frustrated.
I'm trying my best to be loving and patient but I wonder what the most loving thing is sometimes. I think of the story where Jesus went into the temple and knocked tables over and drove the money changers out of the temple, or his harsh words to the Pharisees. These were harsh words but they were loving. I guess I'm reaching the Jesus knocking tables over phaze in the semester and I'm ready to go into the class room and over turn some desks!
Here is what I would like to tell my Freshmen:
Dear Freshmen,
Noone owes you anything. I'm not here to entertain you. I'm here to help you get to heaven and teach you the importance of scripture and the amazing story of how God saved us. If you don't find that exciting and entertaining then I feel sorry for you. I'm sorry you have to use your brains and that there is not a youtube, movie, or video game version of this available! I'm sorry that I can't effectively text you all this information! In Revelation it says that it is better for you to be hot or cold than lukewarm for if you are lukewarm God will spew you forth from his mouth! I hate to break it to all of you but most of you fall into this lukewarm category. I fear for your souls and success in life. You are some of the brightest students I've ever taught yet the laziest I've ever met! I've done everything I can to help you and convey the beauty and importance of the Old Testament and you have refused to put in any work on your part. You expect everything to be done for you and want the easy way out of everything. Well guess what I'm tiered of stressing out over it. I will continue with what I'm doing. If you want to join me great if not you may fail and I will let you. Have a nice life!
Sounds a little harsh huh? Well I don't know if that is the approach to take or not. All I know is that I am at my whitts end and want them so badly to see the importance of the Old Testament. I want them to care and actually put forth some effort. I don't know how to do that any more than I already have. I guess I'm just asking God for patience and perseverence at this point. It has become a battle of the wills and I'm resigning myself to the fact that I can't make them accept this message or work hard. It has to come from them.
I'm scared for the future of our world and fear the success of those I teach. I fear raising a child some day in this world. I'm discovering that the two biggest problems in our world and especially among our youth are Apathy and a Sense of entightlement. This is why the health care bill passed, this is why we are in an economic crisis, this is why Obama is our president and this why my Freshmen this semester have caused me so much frustration.
I am currently seeing the lowest grades amongst my freshmen than I have in the six years of my teaching career. I am experiencing the largest number of students that I have ever experienced refusing to do assignments and turn in work. On the last unit test I gave I had 70% of my Freshmen get a D or F on it. In previous years on that same test I had 70% of them get an A or a B on it. All I hear from them is complaining and that its too hard and when I ask them if they have done the reading or the study guides (mind you I give them a study guide with every question from the test on it) they say no. I actually had a girl tell me that she would read if the Bible was more entertaining, its just boring so she wasn't going to read it. I told her God wrote only one book and I wouldn't want to be her on judgement day when God asked her if she had read His book and she has to say no. Probably not the most charitable response but what can I say I was frustrated.
I'm trying my best to be loving and patient but I wonder what the most loving thing is sometimes. I think of the story where Jesus went into the temple and knocked tables over and drove the money changers out of the temple, or his harsh words to the Pharisees. These were harsh words but they were loving. I guess I'm reaching the Jesus knocking tables over phaze in the semester and I'm ready to go into the class room and over turn some desks!
Here is what I would like to tell my Freshmen:
Dear Freshmen,
Noone owes you anything. I'm not here to entertain you. I'm here to help you get to heaven and teach you the importance of scripture and the amazing story of how God saved us. If you don't find that exciting and entertaining then I feel sorry for you. I'm sorry you have to use your brains and that there is not a youtube, movie, or video game version of this available! I'm sorry that I can't effectively text you all this information! In Revelation it says that it is better for you to be hot or cold than lukewarm for if you are lukewarm God will spew you forth from his mouth! I hate to break it to all of you but most of you fall into this lukewarm category. I fear for your souls and success in life. You are some of the brightest students I've ever taught yet the laziest I've ever met! I've done everything I can to help you and convey the beauty and importance of the Old Testament and you have refused to put in any work on your part. You expect everything to be done for you and want the easy way out of everything. Well guess what I'm tiered of stressing out over it. I will continue with what I'm doing. If you want to join me great if not you may fail and I will let you. Have a nice life!
Sounds a little harsh huh? Well I don't know if that is the approach to take or not. All I know is that I am at my whitts end and want them so badly to see the importance of the Old Testament. I want them to care and actually put forth some effort. I don't know how to do that any more than I already have. I guess I'm just asking God for patience and perseverence at this point. It has become a battle of the wills and I'm resigning myself to the fact that I can't make them accept this message or work hard. It has to come from them.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
The Spirit of the Soverign Lord is Upon Us
Could you imagine if we could actually see the spiritual world mixed in with the physical world? Could you imagine being able to see our Gaurdian Angels at our side everyday? Could you imagine actually seeing all the Angels of God gathered around the alter at mass in worship of our Great King? Could you imagine seeing the demons around us that are fighting against the angels for our souls? Could you imagine clearly seeing Mary when we ask for her intercession? What if we actually lived as if the spiritual world was real and present among us?
There is a reality which so many of us fail to really grasp, even those of us that are devout Catholics. Do we really get the spiritual realities that are present every single day, be they good ones that lead us closer to God or evil ones that try to tempt us away from Him. This is something I have really been meditating on and asking for the Grace to more fully grasp over this past year. During my prayer time I seek to drink deeply of God's love and grace in the Eucharist so that I may constantly be aware of his presence at every moment of every day. Granted this is something that is not easy to do but I can honsetly tell you that one begins to really see the world differently when one begins to catch glimpses of the spiritual realities that are there.
When we begin to see the power of God in our lives and the reality of His presence in EVERYTHING the things that really matter seem to come into focus and the trivial matters of this world begin to fall by the wayside.
In the last year I have really started to see the Spiritual realm as a reality that is more real than the temporal earthly one we live in. This is not to say I'm not affected by the world and have achieved a state of perfection. No, I still sin, I still get caught up in the things of this world, but I can honsetly say that in a sense I have honestly almost felt a distinct presence of the spirit of God in my presence at many times throughout the day.
In less than four months I will blessed to enter into the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony. The last several months have been an incredible joy but also a struggle. We have had to fight our own selfish desires to live Chastity. By God's grace we have been succesful but for the first time I've truly understood what people have meant when they said enagement sucks. In those moments I have had serious moments where I have felt a touch of God's hand and the His still small voice encouraging us. In the past few months we have really learned a lot about communication and we continue to learn. We have learned to argue and work through dissagreements. At every moment when it has been hard I have felt an incredible outpouring of God's grace drawing us closer together through those moments. We have looked at a ton of houses, put five offers down and lost four. We saw some crap and been incredibly frustrated wondering if we would ever find something. Through that I felt God's hand and constant voice telling us to be patient and know that He was in control and would take care of us. We now have a house and will be closing on it on March 25th, the Solemnity of the Annunciation. Mary Beth will move in first to get things ready and then I will move in after the wedding in July. Throughout the days with my students I am aware of God's presence leading and guiding me in what to say, in helping me with patience and charity. I don't always respond to those movements as I should but there is a growing awarenece of this. I attribute all this to the constant growth in my prayer life. I live and breath by that silent time I get with my Lord daily. If we want to become aware of the Spiritual world, we MUST pray!
I have never felt so blessed in my life. I have an amazing job. I have a beautiful fiancee. I have a loving family and incredible friends. All these things are gifts from God that lead me to achieve and live what is most important: to strive for heaven and live in the awareness of God and the spiritual realities that exist to battle for our souls every single day!
There is a reality which so many of us fail to really grasp, even those of us that are devout Catholics. Do we really get the spiritual realities that are present every single day, be they good ones that lead us closer to God or evil ones that try to tempt us away from Him. This is something I have really been meditating on and asking for the Grace to more fully grasp over this past year. During my prayer time I seek to drink deeply of God's love and grace in the Eucharist so that I may constantly be aware of his presence at every moment of every day. Granted this is something that is not easy to do but I can honsetly tell you that one begins to really see the world differently when one begins to catch glimpses of the spiritual realities that are there.
When we begin to see the power of God in our lives and the reality of His presence in EVERYTHING the things that really matter seem to come into focus and the trivial matters of this world begin to fall by the wayside.
In the last year I have really started to see the Spiritual realm as a reality that is more real than the temporal earthly one we live in. This is not to say I'm not affected by the world and have achieved a state of perfection. No, I still sin, I still get caught up in the things of this world, but I can honsetly say that in a sense I have honestly almost felt a distinct presence of the spirit of God in my presence at many times throughout the day.
In less than four months I will blessed to enter into the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony. The last several months have been an incredible joy but also a struggle. We have had to fight our own selfish desires to live Chastity. By God's grace we have been succesful but for the first time I've truly understood what people have meant when they said enagement sucks. In those moments I have had serious moments where I have felt a touch of God's hand and the His still small voice encouraging us. In the past few months we have really learned a lot about communication and we continue to learn. We have learned to argue and work through dissagreements. At every moment when it has been hard I have felt an incredible outpouring of God's grace drawing us closer together through those moments. We have looked at a ton of houses, put five offers down and lost four. We saw some crap and been incredibly frustrated wondering if we would ever find something. Through that I felt God's hand and constant voice telling us to be patient and know that He was in control and would take care of us. We now have a house and will be closing on it on March 25th, the Solemnity of the Annunciation. Mary Beth will move in first to get things ready and then I will move in after the wedding in July. Throughout the days with my students I am aware of God's presence leading and guiding me in what to say, in helping me with patience and charity. I don't always respond to those movements as I should but there is a growing awarenece of this. I attribute all this to the constant growth in my prayer life. I live and breath by that silent time I get with my Lord daily. If we want to become aware of the Spiritual world, we MUST pray!
I have never felt so blessed in my life. I have an amazing job. I have a beautiful fiancee. I have a loving family and incredible friends. All these things are gifts from God that lead me to achieve and live what is most important: to strive for heaven and live in the awareness of God and the spiritual realities that exist to battle for our souls every single day!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Moving to the Rythms of Grace
It has been a while since a post. Its been a lot tougher to blog since teaching started and the move back to Wichita. This one will be brief but it will be at least something for now.
Life has been a total gift these days. I truly feel, as the Matt Maher Song Says, that I'm moving to the rythms of God's grace. Every day is a new challange, a new adventure, a new joy. I feel as if I am experience Christ in a new way everyday, be that through my students, my fellow teachers, and through both the joys and struggles Mary Beth and I are experiencing. For the first time in a long time I feel like God is in control. I have learned to surrender a little more each day and allow God to take the reigns in a way I never have before. Of course there is always room for improvement, however I am more aware of God's hand acting in my life more than I ever have been.
I have been seeing the fruit of God's work in my life a lot lately. The first fruit I've been experiencing is the fruit of a prayer life that really began to take shape early last semester. Through taking the time to spend at least 20-30 minutes in silent mediation every single day I have encountered a peace and an awareness of God's presence that have allowed me to have this attitude of surrender. Another fruit is the fact that I have been blessed with the opportunity to run into several former students and see how awesomely God is working in their lives. Even the ones who have not had full on conversions are growing up and really taking their lives and studies very seriously. The final and most amazing fruit is my relationship with Mary Beth. She is challenging me to grow so much. She truly makes me desire sainthood in a way I never have before. She motivates me to keep my prayer life and desire for Holiness going because she not only makes me want to get to heaven but I want to see her in heaven and I know that if I want to be a good husband to her some day soon and eventually a good Father to our children I have to strive for holiness now more than ever.
That's all for now. Hopefully I will write more soon. May God continued to be glorified in all our prayers and works!
Life has been a total gift these days. I truly feel, as the Matt Maher Song Says, that I'm moving to the rythms of God's grace. Every day is a new challange, a new adventure, a new joy. I feel as if I am experience Christ in a new way everyday, be that through my students, my fellow teachers, and through both the joys and struggles Mary Beth and I are experiencing. For the first time in a long time I feel like God is in control. I have learned to surrender a little more each day and allow God to take the reigns in a way I never have before. Of course there is always room for improvement, however I am more aware of God's hand acting in my life more than I ever have been.
I have been seeing the fruit of God's work in my life a lot lately. The first fruit I've been experiencing is the fruit of a prayer life that really began to take shape early last semester. Through taking the time to spend at least 20-30 minutes in silent mediation every single day I have encountered a peace and an awareness of God's presence that have allowed me to have this attitude of surrender. Another fruit is the fact that I have been blessed with the opportunity to run into several former students and see how awesomely God is working in their lives. Even the ones who have not had full on conversions are growing up and really taking their lives and studies very seriously. The final and most amazing fruit is my relationship with Mary Beth. She is challenging me to grow so much. She truly makes me desire sainthood in a way I never have before. She motivates me to keep my prayer life and desire for Holiness going because she not only makes me want to get to heaven but I want to see her in heaven and I know that if I want to be a good husband to her some day soon and eventually a good Father to our children I have to strive for holiness now more than ever.
That's all for now. Hopefully I will write more soon. May God continued to be glorified in all our prayers and works!
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