law of the lord
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Law of the Lord is Perfect

The other night friends and I were enjoying dinner and lively conversation.  The topic turned to sharing stories about the childhood antics of our children who are now all young adults.  There was a healthy dose of nostalgia at the table as we recounted stories from their toddler and grade school years.  It was such a joy to share those memories while appreciating the fine people our children are today.

On this first Monday of Lent both readings focus on the rules God calls us to live by.  While these rules are easy to agree with it, it can be a challenge to live each of them out every moment of every day.  My daily Examen prayer gives me insights to when I live as God has called me to live and when I have failed.  Looking at missed opportunities or times I was neglectful or retributive can leave me overwhelmed and unsure of what to do to live the life God asks of us.

As I pray with today’s readings I am thinking back to my children’s preschool days about which my friends and I had been reminiscing.  When my daughters were in preschool they were taught a program called HALO, Healthy Alternatives for Little Ones.  All of the lessons focused on people making healthy choices rather than harmful choices.  Wearing a helmet when riding a bike is a healthy choice.  Smoking a cigarette is a harmful choice.  That model helped them, and our family for that matter, view behavior with compassion and always strive to make the better choice.

Today’s Psalm helps give me encouragement to revisit what God is asking of me:
The Law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul
The decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart
The command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eye

Rather than worry if I am going to be judged as a goat or a sheep, I can pray for the wisdom and insight the Psalm assures me is there in the Law the Lord. When I open my heart and realize I am a loved sinner I can much more easily live as God is asking me to live.  Engaging from a place of compassion for myself and others sets a foundation for loving my neighbor as myself.  Richard Rohr in Falling Upward has helped me appreciate how my failings are helping me grow in my “second half” of my life.

This Lent I will dig deeper with my Examen prayer to appreciate the bright spots and to search for what I can learn from my sin.  Now that seems like a healthy choice.

Mary Lee Brock joined the faculty of Creighton University’s Werner Institute as Clinical Program Chair in 2009.  For the ten years before coming to Creighton she was the founding executive director of Concord Center, a non-profit mediation and facilitation center serving the Omaha area. 

The Midwest has always been home for her.  After living in St. Louis and Minneapolis she moved back to Omaha about 20 years ago.  Becoming an active member of St John’s parish was one of the first things she did when she got to town and her life has been so much richer for it;she is grateful for the friends and the faith developed at St John’s. She’s also blessed with loving family and loyal friends and the occasional rough patch to keep it real.  Membership in two book clubs and long walks on the Field Club trail add to enjoyment in life.

7 day christmas
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On the Seventh Day of Christmas

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me, seven swans a-swimming

The seven swans are meant to remind us of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit

For many of us, today is a day of revelry: we are going to ring in the New Year! Maybe you’re headed to a big bash. Perhaps you prefer a quiet celebration with just a few friends. Or maybe you’re staying home, working on New Year’s resolutions.

As we look forward to bringing in the New Year, it is good to reflect on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. As Catholics, we receive theses gifts in Baptism and more fully in Confirmation. Like any gift, however, we have to open these and use them. Otherwise, they become like that ugly sweater your Aunt Ethel made you that you hide in the back of the closet or that “thing” that you still haven’t figured out (A vase? An umbrella stand? A planter?) from your mother-in-law that you’re pretty sure she re-gifted.

Wisdom. Understanding. Knowledge. Counsel. Fortitude. Piety. Fear of the Lord. Those are some heavy-duty gifts. If we use them daily, they not only serve us well by making us holier, they stand as a sign of God’s love to all those around us. 

In 2014, Pope Francis began a catechesis on the Gifts of the Spirit. In his opening remarks, he said:

You know that the Holy Spirit constitutes the soul, the life blood of the Church and of every individual Christian: He is the Love of God who makes of our hearts his dwelling place and enters into communion with us. The Holy Spirit abides with us always, he is always within us, in our hearts.

The Spirit himself is “the gift of God” par excellence (cf. Jn 4:10), he is a gift of God, and he in turn communicates various spiritual gifts to those who receive him. The Church identifies seven, a number which symbolically speaks of fullness, completeness; they are those we learn about when we prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation and which we invoke in the ancient prayer called the ‘Sequence of the Holy Spirit.’

“The Love of God who makes of our hearts his dwelling place.” That is a stunning statement. God, who is Love, pours Himself into our hearts. In learning, understanding and using these gifts, we come to know God and ourselves more intimately. That intimate knowledge will lead us to our salvation.

As we begin the New Year, let take time to learn more about these gifts and to pray fervently for a deeper understanding of how God wishes us to use them.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

[From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: “The liturgical season of Christmas begins with the vigil Masses on Christmas Eve and concludes on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. During this season, we celebrate the birth of Christ into our world and into our hearts, and reflect on the gift of salvation that is born with him…including the fact that he was born to die for us.” There are, however, the traditional “12 Days of Christmas,” captured in the song of the same title. Some claim the song was meant as catechism of a sort, written and sung for nearly 300 years of British persecution of Catholics. We will be using both the song and the Church’s liturgical calendar to celebrate the Christmas season. We hope you enjoy.]

Highway
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Advent: Get On The Holy Way Highway

Today’s Advent reflection for the 2nd Monday of Advent, 2016

Doesn’t it seem like that one time you really need to get someplace (say, a job interview or a hospital), traffic is completely jammed up? Bumper-to-bumper. Taillights as far as you can see. Your heart is pounding and your thoughts are racing.

Today’s readings are for just this occasion. (Not that you should pull this up on your smartphone while you’re stuck in traffic.) In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah stands in a dry and parched desert. There might not be a traffic jam here, but there is no water either; this place is dead. But Isaiah sees with the eyes of faith: The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. “Fear not!” Isaiah proclaims: God will make a way for you in the desert: A highway will be there, called the holy way.”

In the Gospel today, a group of men have a problem. Their friend is ill; paralyzed in fact. They know that Jesus is in their village and they know He has the power to cure. But these men cannot get anywhere near Jesus; the crowd is too large. They are stuck, essentially, in a traffic jam.  But these guys were not going to give up. They hauled their friend, who was on a stretcher, up onto the roof of the house where Jesus was, tore a hole in the roof, and lowered their friend down. Jesus forgave the man’s sins, and then cured him. Clearly, these men knew about the Holy Way Highway.

In our spiritual lives, we often get stuck. We are in a dry, deserted place. God feels a long way from us. We cry out, “Help! God: where are You? I need you!” Or, like the men in the Gospel today, there are such huge obstacles in front of us it seems as if it would be easier to just turn around and go back home. We don’t see a way to get to where we need to go.

We need to get on the Holy Way Highway. It’s there – it’s always a choice. However, God will not force us onto it; we have to get on ourselves. And there are a few “tolls” that have to be paid:

No one unclean may pass over it,
nor fools go astray on it.
No lion will be there,
nor beast of prey go up to be met upon it.
It is for those with a journey to make,
and on it the redeemed will walk. 

We have to be prepared to do the work that God asks. We have to acknowledge our sinfulness and ask for forgiveness. We have to seek out wisdom and counsel. If we are striving to be closer and closer to God, then the highway is open to us.

This Advent, if you’re in a dry and deserted place, if you do not see a way to get closer to God, read the Mass readings for today. Pray over them. Ask God to help you see what you need to do during this holy season to prepare for the Coming of the Lord. Ask God to lead you onto the Holy Way Highway.

[Throughout the 2016 Advent season, we will be bringing you posts from a variety of writers. Our hope is that each of these will be a meaningful way for you to slow down, pray well, and prepare for the coming of our Lord. Today’s blogger is Elise Hilton, who regularly writes the“Living the Good News” blog for Diocesan Trinity Publications. Hilton is a writer, speaker and former educator, who now serves in the Marketing & Communications Department for Diocesan Trinity Publications. She is also an avid reader, mom of five and passionate about music. Today’s Mass readings may be found here.]