theROCK

Built Solid & Strong

It was a black Brimnes wardrobe with 3 doors. It had a mirror mounted in the front and lots of shelves inside for storage. I was so excited to make my purchase at Ikea, deliver it to my house and prepare to put the entire wardrobe together. I opened the box, laid out all of the pieces and began the assembly process. Not too bad, I thought. I can look at the final photo and figure everything out. I mean, how tough could it be to put together?

Yeah, right. It took me three minutes to get confused. Was “A” a left side panel or right? Which screws was I supposed to use for the top? Did I attach the shelves first or last? I knew I was in over my head and reached for the instructions.

That made me think about how I assemble the days of my life. Am I simply laying out all my pieces and randomly trying to put things together? Do I know my priorities ? Do I know the steps I should follow to get things accomplished?

If only life came with instructions.

Ah…but they do. God has given us two simple instructions:

1. Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself.

That’s it. The instructions are clear and easy to understand…IF we take the time to read them. So often we think we can do everything on our own. I don’t need God’s help. I can figure this out on my own. I have all the answers.

But there always comes a moment when we realize that our lives are made up of lots of screws and lots of shelves, each with different uses. If we take the time to ask for help and follow God’s instructions, there is no doubt that our lives will be built solid and strong.

Penetrating Fear

I am a big fan of the month of October. As a kid, I liked it for Halloween and all things spooky, but recently I  asked myself, "What are you afraid of?"

I am not a fan of birds or things touching my head, two things that could answer this question, but I am referring to what really penetrates into my bones as an honest to goodness fear.  When I ponder that, I get at the core of why I teach and work in a Catholic school. I am totally afraid of children not having a relationship with Jesus. I am afraid of a world that dismisses God. That people no longer find religion, let alone Jesus, relevant. This is what really scares me. 

We are finding ourselves in a post-Christian era. We need to help people see that Jesus is totally relevant and necessary today. How do you get a relationship with Jesus? Just as you would with anyone else - spend time together. Talk to one another.

How do you do that? Pray. Go to Mass. Participate in the sacraments. A life without Jesus, an eternity without the possibility of heaven, now that is scary.

Gifts and Fruits

Teaching students about the gifts and the fruits of the Holy Spirit is what brought me into deeper appreciation of the power of the third person of the Trinity. The Spirit is like a guide, a force, so to speak. The Church is the temple and mission of the Spirit (CCC#798,#850). The Spirit encourages wisdom, understanding, knowledge, fortitude, counsel, fear of the Lord, and piety. With these gifts, disciples are more open to God's providence and may therefore be more in tune with what God desires. Additionally, I have learned that being more in tune with what God has planned can lead to the fruits of the Holy Spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity (CCC #1832). 

 It is no wonder that the Spirit brings unity. It is like the tie that binds human to the divine. It weaves itself through all. Understanding the Spirit more, praying to the Spirit more, really can explain how the Catholic Church is one, holy, and apostolic as we say in our creed. It is through the Spirit that we are one and through the Eucharist that we are made whole.

At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples and filled them with the fire and the gifts needed to go forth and preach the good news for Jesus' passion, death and resurrection. I pray that you experience the power of the Holy Spirit this day and every day. May you come to know the Trinity in all its grace and beauty!