By Jamie Gruber
The gun fired and the eight runners took off toward the finish line. Mid way down the track, one man fell. He got up, but fell down again. This happened a couple more times before in frustration, the man began to sob loudly. Two of the other runners heard the cries and turned to look at the man stumbling down the track. Without hesitation both runners turned away from the finish line and ran to help him. Picking him up off the ground, the three runners ran holding raised hands across the finish line. The cheering crowd erupted with joy for the next ten minutes.
This story of the Special Olympics is a beautiful picture of humanity. Sadly, for every one story like this, we could think of hundreds that have defiled humanity. Terry Polakovic, co-founder of ENDOW, in a speech at the Eucharist Congress earlier this month defined for us why the bad stories outweigh the good. Quoting Sister Maximilia Um, FSGM, she said, “The angst of modern man lies precisely in his inability to decode and understand the secret of his own nature.” We have it all twisted—we are running away from the opportunities that will teach us how to decode and understand our nature, and instead we are sprinting toward a “gold medal” that has no merit in Heaven.
Last night, I was in the kitchen with my roommate doing the dishes. She asked the routine questions about my day. I answered in my usual way: super busy. She prodded a little deeper and I realized my day really wasn’t that busy or crazy, but by saying I was busy I felt that I had made progress in the pursuit of my own “gold medals.”
The story of Mary and Martha from Luke’s Gospel shares a similar message:
Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.
-Luke 10:38-42
Can you imagine Jesus coming into your house to spend time with you and you are running around, cleaning and cooking and INGORING Him!? Absurd, right? That is what we do every day when we choose to follow paths to our own gold medals. Jesus has fallen and He is crying out in every person we pass. We have ignored Him and continue to do so as we choose worldly pursuits.
The story of the Special Olympics is a perfect picture of what I hope to see when I enter into God’s Kingdom. As I run across the finish line, I want to be holding hands in triumph with all those who have helped me and I them gain Heaven. And when we get there we will hear the sweet words “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Lives of the Saints
POSTED BY GIGI ZAPIAIN--
Just a couple of weeks ago, our group finished the ENDOW course, Edith Stein: Seeker of Truth. We always take more time to complete any of the studies than what is usually expected, but nobody minds. Our bunch likes to do a lot of processing.
Lives of the saints are something I’ve read and enjoyed since childhood (remember The Picture Book of Saints by Fr. Lawrence Lovasik?) and in college my then-boyfriend introduced me to author Louis de Wohl, who wrote, among other things, a series of historical novels in the 1940’s and 50’s on saints and various figures pivotal in the history of the Church. One of my favorites was The Quiet Light, about the life of St. Thomas Aquinas, who disappointed and defied his illustrious and prosperous family of noble title. Their ambition was for young Thomas to be appointed a cardinal or at least a bishop – and were horrified by his taking a vow of poverty and joining a rag-tag mendicant order, the Dominicans. The plot hatched to tempt the young monk and shame him into leaving is as timeless as Thomas’ response is unique. His simplicity left his confessors in tears; while his writings, the fruit of his intense life of study, prayer, and contemplation, stunned the known world. After that novel, I had a new appreciation for my medieval philosophy class.
I really hadn’t connected saints with philosophy much since then until delving into the Edith Stein study. I found myself thinking about some of the things I had learned and remembered that it was Aquinas who said that “philosophy is the handmaiden of theology.” This was certainly true for Edith, whose earnest and scholarly study of philosophy could never quite answer her questions about reality, the nature of existence, and the ultimate meaning of life. It was only sometime later, through the example of Christian friends and colleagues, that Edith was able to drop what she called “the barriers of rationalistic prejudice” and became open to observing and experiencing without preconceived notions. Later, reading the autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila, Edith became convinced of the truth of Christianity.
Philosophy deals with what can be known by human reason and can take us only so far, but if it is grounded in integrity and reality it can prepare the mind for the leap between empirical or natural truth (always with the help of grace) – to revealed or supernatural truth – that which we could only know through God’s Revelation. And because both natural and revealed truth come from the same Source, they can never be in opposition to one another.
In our own day, Pope John Paul II observed that that too often, modern thought claims that human reason and supernatural faith are at odds. In his encyclical Fides et Ratio (Faith and Reason), the pope writes that faith and reason are not only compatible, but essential together. Faith without reason, he argues, leads to superstition. Reason without faith leads to relativism.
Hmm. Maybe that encyclical could be the topic of a future ENDOW study. In the meantime, I think I need to reread St. Teresa’s autobiography. I’m no philosopher, but given what it did for Edith Stein, I might have missed something the first time around.
Just a couple of weeks ago, our group finished the ENDOW course, Edith Stein: Seeker of Truth. We always take more time to complete any of the studies than what is usually expected, but nobody minds. Our bunch likes to do a lot of processing.
Lives of the saints are something I’ve read and enjoyed since childhood (remember The Picture Book of Saints by Fr. Lawrence Lovasik?) and in college my then-boyfriend introduced me to author Louis de Wohl, who wrote, among other things, a series of historical novels in the 1940’s and 50’s on saints and various figures pivotal in the history of the Church. One of my favorites was The Quiet Light, about the life of St. Thomas Aquinas, who disappointed and defied his illustrious and prosperous family of noble title. Their ambition was for young Thomas to be appointed a cardinal or at least a bishop – and were horrified by his taking a vow of poverty and joining a rag-tag mendicant order, the Dominicans. The plot hatched to tempt the young monk and shame him into leaving is as timeless as Thomas’ response is unique. His simplicity left his confessors in tears; while his writings, the fruit of his intense life of study, prayer, and contemplation, stunned the known world. After that novel, I had a new appreciation for my medieval philosophy class.
I really hadn’t connected saints with philosophy much since then until delving into the Edith Stein study. I found myself thinking about some of the things I had learned and remembered that it was Aquinas who said that “philosophy is the handmaiden of theology.” This was certainly true for Edith, whose earnest and scholarly study of philosophy could never quite answer her questions about reality, the nature of existence, and the ultimate meaning of life. It was only sometime later, through the example of Christian friends and colleagues, that Edith was able to drop what she called “the barriers of rationalistic prejudice” and became open to observing and experiencing without preconceived notions. Later, reading the autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila, Edith became convinced of the truth of Christianity.
Philosophy deals with what can be known by human reason and can take us only so far, but if it is grounded in integrity and reality it can prepare the mind for the leap between empirical or natural truth (always with the help of grace) – to revealed or supernatural truth – that which we could only know through God’s Revelation. And because both natural and revealed truth come from the same Source, they can never be in opposition to one another.
In our own day, Pope John Paul II observed that that too often, modern thought claims that human reason and supernatural faith are at odds. In his encyclical Fides et Ratio (Faith and Reason), the pope writes that faith and reason are not only compatible, but essential together. Faith without reason, he argues, leads to superstition. Reason without faith leads to relativism.
Hmm. Maybe that encyclical could be the topic of a future ENDOW study. In the meantime, I think I need to reread St. Teresa’s autobiography. I’m no philosopher, but given what it did for Edith Stein, I might have missed something the first time around.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Birthdays!
By Mercy Gutierrez
Liturgically, we just celebrated the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 8th) and this feast day left me with many thoughts. As you might know, Catholics don’t usually celebrate saints’ birthdays in the Church. Pope Benedict remarked that “the Church always argued that it was premature to celebrate a birthday because the rest of the life of the person born on that day was subject to such ambiguity.” Obviously, the Blessed Mother is exempt from this norm because of her Immaculate Conception and grace-filled purity throughout life. However, Catholics typically celebrate the end of a saint’s life, usually marked by their date of death, knowing that is when the saint encountered the full splendor of Christ and entered into eternal life with Him. So, with our eyes fixed on eternity, it makes sense to celebrate the beginning of eternity rather than the beginning of our earthly life.
As women, God has entrusted us in a special way to celebrate life. The question remains, “how can we celebrate life while still reminding our children (biological or spiritual children) about our journey toward everlasting life?” This summer, I was impressed that my daughter received a special call from her Godfather on the date of her baptism, June 23rd. Every year, he has made a point to celebrate her “birth in Christ” more so than her natural birthday eight weeks earlier. Likewise, I hear of families who celebrate the feast days of all saints who carry their children’s namesake. Similarly, other families celebrate feasts of each child’s patron saint selected during their sacraments of First Communion or Confirmation. A friend of mine, upon entering religious life, was given a new name by her Superior and a new “birthday,” namely the feast of the saint given. No matter the tradition, the point remains the same. We must always orient our lives and that of our families toward heaven. Persevering in holiness is no easy task! So, any reminder of our heavenly destination and those who have successfully gone before us is a welcomed birthday gift in my mind!
Liturgically, we just celebrated the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 8th) and this feast day left me with many thoughts. As you might know, Catholics don’t usually celebrate saints’ birthdays in the Church. Pope Benedict remarked that “the Church always argued that it was premature to celebrate a birthday because the rest of the life of the person born on that day was subject to such ambiguity.” Obviously, the Blessed Mother is exempt from this norm because of her Immaculate Conception and grace-filled purity throughout life. However, Catholics typically celebrate the end of a saint’s life, usually marked by their date of death, knowing that is when the saint encountered the full splendor of Christ and entered into eternal life with Him. So, with our eyes fixed on eternity, it makes sense to celebrate the beginning of eternity rather than the beginning of our earthly life.
As women, God has entrusted us in a special way to celebrate life. The question remains, “how can we celebrate life while still reminding our children (biological or spiritual children) about our journey toward everlasting life?” This summer, I was impressed that my daughter received a special call from her Godfather on the date of her baptism, June 23rd. Every year, he has made a point to celebrate her “birth in Christ” more so than her natural birthday eight weeks earlier. Likewise, I hear of families who celebrate the feast days of all saints who carry their children’s namesake. Similarly, other families celebrate feasts of each child’s patron saint selected during their sacraments of First Communion or Confirmation. A friend of mine, upon entering religious life, was given a new name by her Superior and a new “birthday,” namely the feast of the saint given. No matter the tradition, the point remains the same. We must always orient our lives and that of our families toward heaven. Persevering in holiness is no easy task! So, any reminder of our heavenly destination and those who have successfully gone before us is a welcomed birthday gift in my mind!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
List Vs Habits—Seeking Faith-filled Spouses
By Jamie Gruber
In high school my girlfriends and I read a book on book on Christian dating: how to date, who to date, when to date. We desired dating to be purposeful and God centered. The dating culture of our peers was driven by hormones and status, and easily ended. If we were to have purposeful and God-centered relationships, we would need to create a way to sustain meaning in the midst of chaos. Our solution to avoid falling into “another high school fling,” was to create a checklist against which each boy would be measured. Now, we did this with the best intentions: to stay pure and seek Christ. However, it shouldn’t surprise you that we didn’t have many dates. Let’s face it, no 17 year old guy had a chance.
The four short years of high school came and went and off to college we all went with the hope that a man would finally match our list… but yet another disappointment. To our innocent surprise, college did not produce perfect checklist quality men. Yet we still believed in the power of the list, so we clung to our list sure that it would soon yield a live person.
Leaving college I said to a friend: “Well, in high school and college males were still boys, but NOW in the working world, I will find a decent list-worthy man—after all, they do pay their own bills and work 9-5…” It has been a year since I left college and still, no list-approved dates.
This past weekend, I was part of a conference for young adults titled, “It Takes a Family to Raise a Village.” One of the professors gave a lecture on the dos and don’ts of marriage. In one sentence he changed my outlook on lists. He said don’t create a checklist of expectations for your future spouse—this is a recipe for disappointment. Instead, create a list of habits YOU want to bring to your future marriage. When husbands and wives are equipped with virtuous habits their relationship is able to flourish and grow toward Christ.
Immediately, my list was shattered. I was using the list to ignore my responsibilities in preparing for my vocation. Rather, I was idolizing my future husband’s perfection and his virtue. This weekend, I was reminded that marriage is a Sacrament, a window to Heaven. Ultimately, marriage is a vehicle to our sanctification. One day, my virtuous contribution will be just as vital as my husband’s to our salvation.
My new list has my name at the top and it is a list of habits I want to contribute to my marriage. There is a weight that has been lifted. It is not for me to match a man to my list. Instead it is my duty to form virtuous habits now. Habit formation is the greatest active marriage preparation we can do as single people. We love our future spouse the most when we create habits of virtue in ourselves that will lift our marriage to heaven.
Jeremiah 29:11 reminds me that God has a perfect plan for my future. Building up virtue allows that plan to carry on as God sees fit and one day, through His Grace, I will meet my future husband and be fully equipped for marriage: “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare, not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope.”
In high school my girlfriends and I read a book on book on Christian dating: how to date, who to date, when to date. We desired dating to be purposeful and God centered. The dating culture of our peers was driven by hormones and status, and easily ended. If we were to have purposeful and God-centered relationships, we would need to create a way to sustain meaning in the midst of chaos. Our solution to avoid falling into “another high school fling,” was to create a checklist against which each boy would be measured. Now, we did this with the best intentions: to stay pure and seek Christ. However, it shouldn’t surprise you that we didn’t have many dates. Let’s face it, no 17 year old guy had a chance.
The four short years of high school came and went and off to college we all went with the hope that a man would finally match our list… but yet another disappointment. To our innocent surprise, college did not produce perfect checklist quality men. Yet we still believed in the power of the list, so we clung to our list sure that it would soon yield a live person.
Leaving college I said to a friend: “Well, in high school and college males were still boys, but NOW in the working world, I will find a decent list-worthy man—after all, they do pay their own bills and work 9-5…” It has been a year since I left college and still, no list-approved dates.
This past weekend, I was part of a conference for young adults titled, “It Takes a Family to Raise a Village.” One of the professors gave a lecture on the dos and don’ts of marriage. In one sentence he changed my outlook on lists. He said don’t create a checklist of expectations for your future spouse—this is a recipe for disappointment. Instead, create a list of habits YOU want to bring to your future marriage. When husbands and wives are equipped with virtuous habits their relationship is able to flourish and grow toward Christ.
Immediately, my list was shattered. I was using the list to ignore my responsibilities in preparing for my vocation. Rather, I was idolizing my future husband’s perfection and his virtue. This weekend, I was reminded that marriage is a Sacrament, a window to Heaven. Ultimately, marriage is a vehicle to our sanctification. One day, my virtuous contribution will be just as vital as my husband’s to our salvation.
My new list has my name at the top and it is a list of habits I want to contribute to my marriage. There is a weight that has been lifted. It is not for me to match a man to my list. Instead it is my duty to form virtuous habits now. Habit formation is the greatest active marriage preparation we can do as single people. We love our future spouse the most when we create habits of virtue in ourselves that will lift our marriage to heaven.
Jeremiah 29:11 reminds me that God has a perfect plan for my future. Building up virtue allows that plan to carry on as God sees fit and one day, through His Grace, I will meet my future husband and be fully equipped for marriage: “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare, not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope.”
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