Are works dead? Why do we do what we do?

This question just popped into my head, why do we do good works?  Well first of all it is what we are commanded to do.  Matthew 7:12 contains the golden rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  In John 13:34 Jesus gives us the new commandment to "Love one another as I have loved you".  There are more but in Tobit and the letters of James but these will do.

The Golden Rule is something we learn in Kindergarden.  It makes sense.  Do to other people what you would have them do to you.  It in someway instructs others on how to act.  But on the other hand, if I were homeless and a bit smelly, I would still want to be welcomed in any church, so that means I have to sit next to that homeless person and not complain.  I would also want nonjudgmental help, so that is what I have to give.

We also due good works because Jesus commanded us to, and that's a good place to start.  Jesus commanded us to love one another as He loved us.  He died for us, and He gives Himself to us in the Eucharist.  What does that mean for my life?  I doubt I will be asked to die for anyone.  It means loving people who are in their sin, who don't love me and who I may not like very much.  Jesus can see Himself in us no matter how much we sin, we have to cultivate that gift.  It means going beyond the golden rule and sacrificing our lives for others by giving time, money, and prayer to others.

Is that all?  Our lives are really God's, we have to be open to Him and listen for Him talking to us in all the different ways He can.  Most of us won't be asked to give our lives.  Most of us will only be asked to move out of ourselves and do what we may not want to do.  Witness to our faith in ourdaily lives through how we love others.  Sometimes loving others though means having to talk to them about our faith.  Sometimes I think it is easier for us as Catholics to give someone our coat then to share our love for Christ with our own families.  Can we truly love our families if we don't try to get them to heaven?

Faith without good works is dead.  We show our faith and love by our actions.  If you claim you love your spouse but you cheat on them or beat them, you don't love them, you show your love by your actions.  We show love to God by doing what He asks and by increasing faith in the world by attracting others to God.  We show love and therefore God to the world by how we act towards others.

Is Christ the King of my life?

The kids in my Youth Group always ask for us to help them relate what we believe to their everyday life.  When I think of this beautiful feast day, I think of the cry "Viva Christo Rey!". The cry given by Mexican martyrs in defense of their religious freedoms.  I am not calling for an armed uprising but if Christ is really our King, then we are His army and an army does what their leader says and defends the King.

Do I do what He says?  Do I bravely take up the defense of  His Church?  Soldiers are brave and you have to be brave when your only weapon is Love.  Though one of things I like best about the Harry Potter books is that they maintain that Love is the most powerful weapon in the world.  No matter how hard it is to do we have to fight hatred and ignorance with Love.  Yelling at someone and calling them names will never convert them.  But if we learn our faith and Church history well enough then we can loving defend her.  If we spend time thinking about why we Love our Mother the Church and our Lord then we will feel more comfortable sharing our faith with our loved ones.  The better we know our faith the stronger our faith will be.

Today is a day to think about how we are going to march into Advent and the Christmas season.  Advent is coming of the light.  We sit in the darkness of winter waiting for Him to come.  Now is the time to prepare our hearts and strengthen our faith for the new year to come.  Practice loving this season by forgiving old hurts and reconnecting with anyone we are separated from.  Do nice things for those around us, especially for those we don't get along with.  The ultimate Love is coming into the world, Christ our King, make the ready by sharpening the weapon He gave us, sacrificial Love.

By the way, if you found this blog interesting (or not) or learned anything (or not) I would like to hear from you.

The Love of God is a two way street

God loves us, truly loves us and wants what's best for us.  But how do we love God back?  When you love someone you do things you wouldn't normally do, don't you?  My guy spent the day today walking through all the "girly girl" shops I wanted.  He did once complain or say it made him "uncomfortable".  He just did it because he likes me.   How much more should we be willing to do for God?  Shouldn't we be willing to show our love for Him by working to bring others to our faith?  When I see God, I see Him as all His creation.  He is that teenager who refuses to go to Mass, he is that family member who ridicules you for your faith, he is the adict who doesnt think God can love him.  He is there and I have to love that child, that family member, that friend enough to show them the love I have for them in God.  I still have to listen to the Holy Spirit for Him to show me the right time and the right way, but I can't refuse to share my faith or Gods love. If I do, then I deny Him, and if I deny Him, can I really love Him?

Are we meant to be comfortable in our faith?

St Augustin said our hearts are restless until they rest in You.  But once we are with God are we meant to rest?  I think God calls us to be brave and to move out our comfort zone.  He shows us the way.  Crucifiction was outside of Our Lord's comfort zone.  I was once asked right before Mass to read and I chickened out.  I was too afraid to get up and read and to help out our priest.  He got someone else, but at the moment of consecration, the thought came to me that if He was willing to do that, couldn't I put myself out and read at Mass?

I firmly believe that if I am comfortable and not putting myself out for Him, I am probably doing my will and not His.  My will would involve a lot more solitude and I never would have chosen youth ministry.  For about 2 years I prayed to God for Him to send us a Youth Minister and tried to get others to take the job.  Then one day He made it possible for me to do the job.  I am an introvert and organizationally challenged, not the ideal person for ministry,but I feel God is calling me to grow.

In this Year of Faith we are being called to share our faith with our friends and family.  To think about our faith and discuss it with others.  When I tell people this they say aren't comfortable with that.  Talking to our young people I realize we forget to tell them why we believe and what our faith means to us.  If we don't pass on our faith it may die with us.  The funny thing is that there are those out there who don't think we should have the right to teach our faith to our kids.  They don't have to worry, we are too uncomfortable to do it.  Yes it's hard at first but they more we talk about our faith the easier it will get.  Then we will be ready to take on something else.

A Prayer

Here is a couple more like the one above.

I am small and must remain so. Below others and subject to all, I know nothing and am nothing and I have all I need.

What do I ask of My King and My Master? I sincerly ask for the gift of pouring out my life for others. I wish to be a martyr for You. Everyday let me pour out my life for others. Any small good that I do let the grace from that act be given to those who need it, to stop violence, to bring people back to the faith. Let me, Dear Lord, put myself third, You first, then others, then myself. Please Dear Lord remove all selfishness from my bones and all pride. Especially Dear Lord heal me of my pride. I cannot take pride in doing Your will. Left to myself, I am selfr absorbed and cruel. Self-sacrifice is only possible for me as a gift from You. I would mess it up. Pour me out, use me up, there is so little to use. I know that You will refill me and Oh what Joy! To be filled with Your Holy Spirit! I Gladly give myself away so that I can have you in return. You, in exchange for me, is such a lopsided gift. I run to my cross and carry it gladly. Hang me on it and pour out my life, drip by drop or all at once. I know I won't know if I can in a small way help to save anyone while on earth. I trust in Your promise that it will help.

Wake up! Before our faith and church dies!

Warning!  Don't read this blog if you don't want to be challenged to move out of your comfort zone when it comes to your faith.

I want to run down the aisle at my church screaming Wake Up!  Wake Up!  Where are the children, young people, and young adults, our parish is dying!  Wake Up!  Granted I live in a small town in Texas that believes this is how we have always done it and we don't want to do it differently.  We want to stay a sleep, to go through the motions.  God forbid someone ask them to stand up and say what they believe and why.

Talking to group of teenagers they said we shouldnt try to get kids to go to Mass.  As leaders of our youth group they didn't understand that the Mass was the center of our faith.  To them Mass is boring and irrelevant.  It doesn't relate to their lives.  Why do they feel this way?  Is it their fault?  No, we have failed them.  Do we show in our daily lives that the Mass is the center of our lives?  No.  Are we excited that heaven comes down and touches the earth during the Mass?  I hear that Catholics aren't like that, they don't get exited.  I say bullshit!  And I won't oppologize for offending any one.  We should run down the aisle screaming Amen! Alleluia!  God is here, right now!  This is why we come to Mass!

But we can't have that, people will feel uncomfortable.  They don't want change.  We have to have organ music, we can't have rock and roll at Mass.  We can't have exciting challenging preaching.  We want to stay asleep, to be comfortable.  And as we sleep our children and grandchildren will slip away.  If we are lucky they will still find Christ, but if not, we will miss them in the afterlife.  It is that serious.  If we don't move out of our comfort zone and engage our youth, we risk their immortal souls.  Who knows maybe we risk our own.  If we get to the pearly gates and Christ asks you when did you profess your faith before others, what will you say?  Sorry, my Lord, I wasn't comfortable with that?  Was He comfortable on the Cross?  Maybe try, sorry, my King, that wasn't considered polite?  Did he worry about offending the pharisees?  Wake Up!  Before its too late!  Don't be comfortable.  Be daring, go against the world and proclaim your faith.

ProLife vs Anti-Abortion, or what ProLife means to me

For me being Pro-Life is so much more than being against abortion.  Pro-life to me means being for all human life and for that life to worth living.  It means protecting life by protecting people from abuse and bullying.  It means allowing people to have meaning fulfilling work that pays them a living wage.  If they have emigrate to find that work, legally or illegally then so be it.

What good is it to save babies but allow people to die because they can't afford the medical treatment they need.  It happens today in our country.  I knew a lady who had broken both legs and they didn't heal.  She couldn't work so she lost her minimum wage job and her insurance.  When I met her she was cleaning apartments using a stool to get around.  Her legs weren't life threatening so she didn't qualify for emergency treatment.  She suffered for months before she got help for charities.

I believe that mt faith needs to color every aspect of my life.  For me believing life means being anti-abortion, but also being pro-mother.  If we took better care of one another there would be less abortion, less suicide, and less murder.

I challenge anyone who reads this to examine their lives (including me) to see if there are places in there lives where they are supporting the culture of death.  If you knew your favorite brand of something was produced in a sweatshop, would you stop buying it?  Would you pay more for one where workers are treated humanely?  Is there someone at work that you talk about behind their back?  If you knew how much it hurt them would you stop?  I am far from reaching the lofty goal of being prolife through and through, buti want to try.

Where do we go from here?

So many of my prolife friends friends are so upset by Tuesday reeelection of President Obama.  They are angry that they again do have a prolife president and for those of us who are Catholic it means that we will have to deal this Obama care and the insurance mandate that goes agains of our faith.  I have even heard them say that our country has gone to Hell.

But they are forgetting, that God is in charge.  Then why did this happen?  Why didn't God fix this by letting Romney win?  It would be so much easier that way.  Repeal Obama care, not fight needed, no worries.  But that's just it.  I think god wants us to have to fight.  To show what it is we believe in.  Just think if they repealed Obama care we would still have thousands of people without access to healthcare.  We would be sitting comfortably at home not having to speak up for our faith, not having to explain,our beliefs to the rest of the nation.  We would be comfortable, people would die, and no one would be challenged about faith.  I can see now that isn't what God wants.

This is the Year of Faith and I think our Father inRome knew what he was doing.  He knew we would need to work to know our faith better, to draw closer to God to gain strength for the fight.  We need to remember though that this isn't a fight in the normal sense, this is Gods fight so we fight with love.  We don't fight with angry voices but with the voice of God, the voice of love.  We have to sit down to dinner with them and show them how much we love them.  We love them so much we won't give up. We love them enough to give all we have for them.  While heaping the burning coals of love on their heads, we will win.