Never Give Up

The commitment to exercising on a regular basis is difficult indeed. I’ver read reports that cite that only about a quarter of the adult population exercises on a regular basis. I could write all day about the benefits of exercise, but I find it much more interesting to write about why it’s even most important to never give up on developing a deep and rich spiritual life with Jesus Christ at the center.

The goal of exercise is earthly — to take care of our bodies (and minds) and that is good, but persevering in the spiritual life with the goal of being with Jesus forever in heaven is the clarion call God’s makes to each of us. 

How we journey toward this goal varies as God works so individually with us. I’d like to share my experience of a time when I was reminded by our Blessed Mother to never give up on making my journey with God the top priority in my life.

Several years ago, I moved from helping organizations with their marketing needs to working full time teaching people how to exercise, I found this new profession extremely interesting and rewarding. I greatly enjoyed taking classes to learn new modalities of exercise and sharing that with others. It was fun, social and it filled much of my time. I began to spend less time praying and attending daily Mass.

I believe that our Blessed Mother had an intervention with me one day in the gym and this re-ignited my desire to pray more, make my spiritual life the main priority and to never give up on growing closer to Jesus in my everyday life.

That intervention by our Blessed Mother led me to find SoulCore, Rosary prayer and exercise. I discerned to became a certified SoulCore leader so that I could share this beautiful way of praying the Rosary and moving with others. SoulCore combined two things that I loved — faith and fitness — and I could share this form of evangelization with others to glorify God. This was truly an answered prayer.

SoulCore led me back to praying a daily Rosary, attending daily Mass, frequenting the Sacrament of Reconciliation and reading scripture. God’s poured his grace into me and my desire to never give up growing in my faith is currently strong and true. I have reduced my time dedicated to exercise, and teaching exercise, and that gives me great peace and joy because I have more time for God.

I believe there was subtle work by the evil one at that time in my life — as we know he will do anything to pull us away from God — even twisting and contorting good things to become attachments or obstacles to God. Just as Jesus was tempted in the desert, we can be tempted to make idols out of our temporal pursuits — even when they start out as something good.

We can never give up on praying, receiving the Sacraments as often as possible, reading Scripture and seeking to grow closer to Jesus. Our spiritual practices sustain us through the challenges of this life and strengthen us against the temptations in our culture to do very little or perhaps just enough spiritually — not what God is calling us to on the road to sainthood.

St. Paul understood well that worldly temptations can pull us away from God. May we pray and reflect on his words from Titus 2:11-12 and may we never give up! “For the grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age.”

The Powerful Examen Prayer

I’m always surprised by the parallels between our physical and spiritual lives.

With strength training, a workout often agrees with our bodies while we are doing it, but then later that day, or the next day, we realize you did too much or that a particular lift or movement doesn’t agree with our body. That realization and reflection on what we did well and what might need to change moving forward is very important for growth and sustainability in physical training.

In the same way, reflection on how we are doing in our daily relationship with God and with each other is something that requires reflection for growth and sustainability. As it turns out, a couple friends in a discipleship program which I’m a part of shared the role of the examen prayer in reflecting on their daily lives. I wanted to learn more so I’ve been exploring the Ignatius Examen that is part of his Spiritual Exercises (#43) and I have enthusiastically incorporated this method of prayer into my life.

Generally speaking, the Ignatius Examen has five parts which include: gratitude for the blessings of the day, petitioning God for his grace and strength to see where we can do better, reviewing the day through spiritual eyes, asking for forgivingness where needed, and planning for the next day. Examen prayer time typically begins and closes with prayers of your choice. From what I’ve learned, the examen is meant to be brief and simple, but it can often lead us into the deep waters of discernment and growing in love of God and neighbor.

St. Ignatius of Loyola

There is so much to the examen, and I am new to it, but there are two books that I found helpful: Reimagining the Ignition Examen by Mark Thibodeaux, SJ and The Examen Prayer, Ignatian Wisdom for Our Lives Today by Timothy M. Gallager, O.M.V.

As someone who prays mostly in morning, I felt a void in my spiritual life not praying in the evening. Praying an evening examen has become a way to review the day with God to see where he was working and where I was and wasn’t cooperating with his grace. I also sometimes do a mini examen at lunch time or after key events of the day. For me, it’s been 5-15 minutes most days and I look forward to it.

There are times of course when I’ve had a ‘bad day’ where things didn’t go well and I didn’t respond with love — and it can be easy to decide to avoid the examen on those days, so as to not face my failings, but what I’ve found most interesting is that on those ‘bad’ days there are so many blessings, so much to be grateful for that I am actually lifted up by the examen prayer rather than feeling discouraged by my weak responses to the events of the day. Those days often increase my resolve to call on God more the next day (as we know, going it alone never works.)

At the essence of the examen is the daily practice of discernment in our lives. Where is God? Where am I? Am I seeking him, thanking him, responding to his grace throughout the day? Am I allowing him to work through me to others? Where can I do better? What needs to change in my life? How can I see God more fully in my daily adventure with him? What virtues and habits can I grow in to live the next day even better?

I think that is the key point — that through this practice of honestly reviewing the events of the day with God, we begin to respond with more faith, hope, love, wisdom and understanding the next day and the next day — on this journey toward sainthood.

It has been an interesting journey so far. It takes some real effort to make the examen a daily habit, and I can see the challenge of making it sustainable over years, but I also see how active God is in every minute of the day, the gift of his grace that is being poured out, and how he desires that we be more attentive vessels. From Ephesians 2:8, “ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you, it is the gift of God.”

Home with Jesus

In the past couple of months my husband and I have had fun traveling out of state again. It’s refreshing and invigorating to discover new places, enjoy sporting events, restaurants and to be with groups of family and friends again.

Recently, when we were out of town, I was struck by how much we enjoy going to Mass at other churches while we are traveling. We love to meet the priests, experience the varied architecture of the local churches, pray before the beautiful saint statues and worship with the local community. Visiting a new Catholic Church often takes us to interesting new corners of the area we are visiting and leads to more new experiences.

I love it so much that I always leave Mass thinking that I could live any where in the world where there is a Catholic Church —- because where Mass is offered, Jesus is present and there is community, both liturgically and socially. Living in a new place where there is a Catholic Church means immediate friends, people with similar values, and the support of a faith community. However, for me, first and foremost, having access to Jesus in the Eucharist makes any place feel like Home.

I agree with St. Padre Pio who said, “It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than without the Holy Mass.”

Due to COVID, many people were not able to attend Mass, but now is the time for us to invite people back, to welcome people Home to Jesus Christ who offers us his most generous mercy love.

That personal invitation, from one person to another, to encounter Jesus Christ in the Holy Mass is vital to rebuilding our sense of community in parish life. We also need this encounter with Jesus to nourish and strengthen us to continue on the individual mission Jesus has for each of us. As St. Paul reminds us, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

In his Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis invites us Home by risking an encounter with Jesus — no matter where we are on our faith journey.

“I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since ‘no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord’. The Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk; whenever we take a step towards Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms.”

So let us gather our courage to return to Mass and actively invite and welcome our brothers and sisters back Home and into the loving embrace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

All that is Beautiful

I’ve always been struck by the beauty of movement, whether it’s a ballerina gracefully moving across the stage, a baseball hitter’s powerful swing, a skier masterfully navigating the mountain, or an athlete in the gym maneuvering heavy weights with ease. 

Beauty is all around us in many forms and I try to take the time to appreciate how the many hours of repetitive practice allow the human person, at every level of athletics, to move with beauty, grace and ease. Thanks be to God for the incredible design of the human body and all that it allows us to do

The ability to appreciate beauty, in any form, is truly a gift from God. I was reminded of this recently as I listened to a Catholic podcast and the topic was goodness, beauty and truth. This time of year especially, when the trees are budding, the flowers are blooming, and all of nature becomes a flourish of green, it is a easy be thankful for the goodness, beauty and truth of God displayed in the majesty of His creation.

Beauty resides not only in our vistas and valleys, but also in literature, art, music, theatre, gardening, cooking, woodworking, athletics, and most especially in how we love and serve. Beauty resides in really any activity that we unite with God and that lifts our eyes and hearts to Him in thanksgiving. God generously pours his grace into us as we live, laugh, love, pray, play, move, share and create—each of us in our own way—and so we all contribute in some way to the beautiful tapestry of God’s creation.

What a powerful prayer to ask God to guide us in our creative, artistic and physical endeavors and that we do everything with pure hearts rooted in His love. Let us nurture and share our gifts and talents freely so that the goodness, beauty and truth of God flow out from us to others.

The pinnacle of beauty is love in the human soul. St. Pope John Paul II referred to the human person as the “masterpiece of God’s creation.” May we give thanks for the inner beauty of every soul which is like a shimmering jewel illuminating the light of Christ, each in our own way. 

St. Augustine said, “How does that beauty bring us closer to Him? Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul.”

Help us Lord to appreciate the goodness, beauty and truth of both the joys and the sufferings that we will inevitably experience in this life — and by your grace, may we unite all of it with the love of your Son Jesus Christ, who by the Cross, gives us new life.

Woe to Compare

One of the tenets of physical strength training is to listen to your body and go at your own pace. It can be tempting to compare our progress to others, but comparison can lead to discouragement and frustration. It can take the fun out of our little successes.

Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

In the spiritual life, comparison can also lead to discouragement. God gives each  of us different gifts and inspirations about how to use them. Praying for guidance, being faithful to the Sacraments, and learning about ourselves through the study of scripture are some ways God reveals who we are through Him and how we are called to use our gifts and talents to accomplish our unique mission.

St Paul addressed comparison in 2nd Corinthians 10:12, “Not that we dare to class or compare ourselves with some of those who recommend themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.”

As Christians, we are called to support, encourage, love and be inspired by each other. We are on the same team! We are each given unique gifts for the purpose of lifting up the Body of Christ and bringing people to Christ. How ineffective we would be if we all had the same gifts! 

God is so generous, and has such great plans for each of us that if we wallow in the fact that some people have more gifts (or what we consider better gifts) than we do, we may miss out on our unique mission and purpose. Most certainly comparison opens the door to Satan to discourage us and perhaps even stop us from striving for holiness (and sainthood!) altogether.

Christ knows our individual strength and weaknesses and he works with us just as we are — so let us seek Him rather than looking to people to give us our mission and identity.  St. Francis de Sales said, “Be who you are and be that well.”

Let us pray for the humility to be honest with ourselves about our gifts and to patiently discern how to use them. Often our mission is small and hidden, but of no less importance than what appears to be someone else’s grandiose mission. May we be grateful for whatever gifts we have and pray to find God’s peace and joy in living authentically with Him as our guide.

Spiritual Training

I often use the word ‘training’ instead of ‘working out’ in the gym as ‘training’ sounds more like a journey of practice and improvement. 

I also think of my spiritual life as being in ‘training’ to grow in holiness, to practice and improve listening to God and doing his will, and to courageously share our faith with others.

In First Timothy 4, St. Paul counsels St. Timothy about how to prepare to spiritually to lead and help ‘train’ people in his absence.

He said, “Train yourself for devotion, for, while physical training is of limited value, devotion is valuable in every respect, since it holds a promise of life both for the present and for the future.”

Our form of training is preparation for Eternal Life and of course, we don’t train on our own. We call on the Holy Spirit and all the helps of the Church to guide us as we seek to grow in virtue, to love more deeply and to pray more fully. Our spiritual training program requires a serious commitment — consistency paired with flexibility based on the demands of our vocation — so we can respond to how the Spirit moving in within us prioritizing what God is calling us to do. 

In any training program, there are struggles, injuries and failures that we can learn from to become wiser and stronger athletes. When we stumble and fall in our spiritual lives, we also continue to forge ahead, seeking the guidance of wise souls on the journey with us, and receiving strength and consolation from the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

St. Jose Escriva said, “Don’t lose heart. Today’s defeat is training for the final victory.”

We can never stop training because our goal is to be like Jesus and to be with Jesus forever. This is the final victory we seek.

St. Paul said, “For this we toil and struggle, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the savior of all, especially of those who believe.”

Lent is a good time to consider how the world might be pulling us away from our spiritual training. We may want a stronger, more vibrant spiritual life, but are we giving enough time to prayer? Are we looking for simple ways to serve others in our homes, parishes and workplaces? Are we approaching our spiritual training creatively in these unprecedented times?

From Galatians 6:4, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

Our Call to Greatness this Lent

Mediocre is such an odd word. It’s Latin root is ‘medius’ meaning middle and ‘ocris’ which means rugged mountain. So mediocre is being about half way up the mountain. I don’t think any of us want to be mediocre in any area of our lives, but ’mediocre' is a good word for us to consider during this season of Lent in which we are called to go all in with spiritual practices for 40 days.

Spiritual mediocrity can mean something different for each of us. I think that we can agree that we want to keep climbing the mountain, the entire 40 days of Lent, and not be stuck halfway up with habits of prayer, fasting and almsgiving that fizzle, become ho-hum, or are cast aside altogether.

We are all called to greatness. Each. And. Every. One. Of. Us. How we get there is very individual, between each of us and God. It is not something we can do on our own and it often doesn’t feel like the world is helping us much.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said, “The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.”

The secular world doesn’t encourage the sacrifice and selflessness that we seek during Lent. It is however, the giving more of ourselves that helps us lean into Jesus and his love more deeply, richly and purely.

I want Lent to be meaningful for you and for me. I want to pray more, be faithful to holy and healthy habits that will help me grow closer to Jesus and grow in holiness. Of course, our desire needs to be paired with solid actions that we discern and implement to see real, sustainable changes in our attitudes and actions, to avoid mediocrity.

Journaling is something I have added to my prayer life this Lent, so I can reflect on the Gospel, a saint, or my love (or lack of love) of neighbor. I haven’t journaled for a while, but so far it is revealing a lot about my motivations, where I am weak or strong, and I think this practice will bear good fruit over time.

As we seek to implement Lenten actions that help us rise above mediocrity, the word ‘courageous’ comes to mind. Feeling called to a new spiritual or physical practice this Lent? Do it. Go for it. Be courageous and give your yes to God! 

I’ll close with these encouraging words St. Pope John Paul II, “It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be grounded down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal.”

St. Augustine's New Years' Wisdom

The New Year is always filled with promise. Something shifts in us that makes us want to become more holy and healthy. Maybe its the change of routine during Christmas and New Year, the travel, or our over-indulging in things of the world (like cookies and wine) that make us ready to begin anew in January.

It’s a great to build new habits of exercise and healthier eating patterns, but more importantly, this is an excellent time of year to renew our commitment to prayer, fasting and receiving the sacraments. Developing strong holy habits now can help us have a more holy and healthy Lent (which is just around the corner.)

As it turns out. St. Augustine has some priceless and even humorous words of wisdom about the power of habits and the role of God in our lives. 

He said, “Such is the strength of the burden of habit. Here I have the power to be but do not wish it. There I wish to be but lacks the power. On both grounds, I'm in misery.”

I laugh (and cry) in agreement with him. I want so much to be faithful to holy and healthy habits that will help me grow and to more fully live out God’s mission for me, but I try and fail, try and fail, again and again. Oh misery!

He encourages us. “You aspire to great things? Begin with the little ones.”

Small steps daily, little things with great love, small changes like 10 more minutes of prayer, offering kind words to others, doing a chore without complaint, starting a Holy Hour. A series of small steps can be a gift, a surprise of happy and holy changes that take root and bear fruit in our lives and in the lives of those we love.

St. Augustine said, “For if God is man's chief good, which you cannot deny, it clearly follows, since to seek the chief good is to live well, that to live well is nothing else but to love God with all the heart, with all the soul, with all the mind.”

And so in our steady stream of resolutions, goals and desires for achievement, we are reminded by this dear saint to stay the course, to pray, to listen and rely on God by seeking his will and loving him with all we’ve got.

When the discipline of holy and healthy habits becomes wearisome, we are reminded that what we are trying to do here on earth is filled with temporary toil and that our true destiny is to be with our God one day in heaven. 

St. Augustine said, “When I come to be united to thee with all my being, then there will be no more pain and toil for me, and my life shall be a real life, being wholly filled by thee.”

Just in case we become full of ourselves with all of our trying, controlling and doing to improve conditions for this temporal body, St. Augustine points us to hope in our mighty Lord and the powerful union we have with him as his beloved sons and daughters.

“Now, may our God be our hope. He Who made all things is better than all things. He Who made all beautiful things is more beautiful than all of them. He Who made all mighty things is more mighty than all of them. He Who made all great things is greater than all of them. Learn to love the Creator in His creature, and the maker in what He has made.”

May this new year be a joyful kickstart of holy and healthy habits for you, with our mighty God at the helm, and with a new appreciation of God living (and working) within each of us.

In Training to Grow in Holiness during Advent

Most of the people I work with want to get stronger and move better for everyday life. They want to be healthy and able to enjoy their families and friends, to travel, and be able to take care of themselves as they age and have the ability to serve others.

So the approach I use in teaching fitness is moderate and consistent physical activity. I refer to physical activity as ‘training’ instead of ‘working out’ because the word ‘training’ sounds like we are on a journey — which we are — to provide consistent care for the gift of this human body so we can serve God and neighbor to the best of our ability while we are here on earth.

I also like to think that we are in training to grow in holiness each day. When we rise and pray anew, frequent the sacraments and try to be loving and giving to others, we are in training in a way — to grow in holiness.

The special seasons of the Church, Advent and Lent, offer us a unique opportunity to double-down on our training. Just like the times of training intensity in our physical training, our spiritual lives can also have times of more intensity. The special seasons of the Church invite us into a deeper and more intense experience of knowing and loving Jesus, serving our neighbor and growing in holiness.

I’m a realist and when I look back over the years, I’ve had some really fruitful times during Advent and Lent, and other times where I can say that, for different reasons, I didn’t give the time or effort that Jesus was calling me to. I have let worldly things crowd out my time with Jesus, but that inspires me to get back up and keep training to grow in holiness with more gusto. I’ve set my heart anew on making this Advent a peaceful and fruitful time with Jesus.

How about you? How has Advent been for you this year? I have learned that for me, it’s best to stick to my routines of prayer, Adoration and Mass. I try to spend a little more time in quiet prayer and reading of spiritual books. I also like to take advantage of parish Reconciliation services and listening to moving music this time of year. I decorate my home simply, and I have realized that for me, doing less during this busy time gives me joy and time to spend with Jesus.

From 1 Timothy 4:7-8, “Train yourself for devotion for, while physical training is of limited value, devotion is valuable in every respect, since it holds a promise of life both for the present and for the future.”

I pray that Advent has been, and continues to be, a peaceful time of training in holiness for you and yours with an eye on the eternal prize. May your Christmas be a time of gratitude for the gift that each of us is called to grow in holiness and may we each courageously respond to the call from Jesus.

Accountability

One way to help start a new habit is to ask a family member or friend to help us with accountability. For example, when someone starts a new fitness routine, having a trusted friend join in, remind and encourage them to follow through on their commitment can help not only begin, but sustain a new habit over the long term.

My fitness students have realized that if they are going to miss classes, they should let me know — as I will follow up with them to make sure they are okay if I don’t hear from them. Generally they like knowing that I miss them and it helps keep them accountable to their routine.

Maybe you haven’t thought about accountability in your spiritual life, but family members and spiritual friends travel on the journey with us and hopefully encourage us keep God and the Sacraments a priority in our lives. This accountability is important to growing in holiness and it is truly a gift that other people actively care about the state of our souls.

Accountability can take many forms. For example, my husband and I pray the Rosary together a few days a week and we make sure that happens as it is very special to us. We have some relatives who are Catholic, but who are not currently active in their faith, so when we feel prompted by the Holy Spirit, we invite them to Mass and try to lovingly encourage them to renew their commitment to the weekly obligation (and gift!) of Mass. Weekly bible study helps keep me accountable to studying scripture.

Parish and diocesan friends are important supporters on our spiritual journey and even small things can help us grow in faith in big ways. For example, I have a friend who has invited me to daily Mass with her at a downtown parish a couple times a month. We enjoy lunch afterward, encourage each other, laugh and pray. The more we get to know each other the more we can help each other stay committed to growing in our faith.

Thanks to the spiritual friends, I’ve attended retreats, pilgrimages, prayer groups, Christian music concerts, scripture study and more that I would never have experienced. Even if we can be a light to just one person by sharing our faith and encouraging them to grow closer to Jesus, we can make a big impact.

We know that God can use any means to reach us, to move us in a new direction or help us get back on track if we stray from out commitment to Him. He can use the people in our lives to do this and I can’t even count the number of times I have said that God worked through a person to get me to do something, to hear his voice, or to start a new spiritual practice.

So let us pray wholeheartedly for the wisdom, listen to the Holy Spirit guiding us and respond with bold action to help ourselves, and each other, be accountable to what the Church is calling us to do as Catholics. From Thessalonians 5:11, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up just as you are doing.”

Fragility

I read a spiritual reflection recently that mentioned ‘fragility’ and that led me to deeper contemplation about the many ways fragility impacts our lives.

In the physical life, our bodies are strong, yet fragile — injury, infirmity and illness may affect us and our loved ones in different ways and at different times, so we may have wounds, scars, and limitations that unite us with the sufferings of Jesus. Sometimes accepting our physical fragility is necessary and we are called to respond to ourselves and others with gentleness. At other times, we may be called to seek to grow physically stronger to be fit to serve the people and ministries God places in our lives.

Our spiritual lives are fragile as well. No matter how much we love Jesus, and how smooth our current journey is going with Jesus at the helm, there is always that risk of stepping away from him to pursue our own will. This can begin in small ways, such as skipping daily prayer time or not receiving the Sacraments. We may have a life crisis or loss of a loved one that causes us to doubt, to lose faith, to despair, or to be angry with God and feel at a loss when it comes to living our faith. The fragility of faith is good to acknowledge — and may we never take for granted the gift of faith. Let us seek to persevere with Jesus in prayer, and with faith, hope and love, rely on the help of the church and on our sisters and brothers in Christ amidst spiritual difficulties.

It’s not just our relationship with Jesus that is fragile — we see fragility in our relationships with family and friends. That fragility, for example, can rear its head in how we respond to difficult situations — do we seek to hurt others and protect ourselves or does our cooperation with God’s grace enable us to be honest, but also patient, loving and giving without expecting anything in return? Since Jesus experienced every insult and hardship, he understands will guide and console us in these trying moments; may we call on him to strengthen us! Our responses to others can help or hurt our fragile relationships, so let us pray to stay rooted in Jesus and to respond to others with love, patience and kindness, no matter what the circumstances.

We also have fragile egos that are in need of healing. We seek the approval of others when it is Jesus and his way that we should be seeking. Jesus, our friend and teacher, loves and forgives us no matter what. When we feel like the rest of our world doesn’t know or understand us, may we not let the things of the world take away our joy of being in a relationship with Jesus.

Where there is fragility there is also strength. We are a people who are fragile, yes, but we also strong with the love of the Creator of the Universe, the Word Made Flesh and the Holy Spirit living within us. On this tightrope of strength and fragility, may we not lose our balance as Jesus has already made it across and he is holding us tightly in his heart. 

The Gift of Friendship

Over the years, I’ve met a lot of new friends through the strength training program that I offered at my gym. I also reconnected with old friends and it has always been a joyful journey. As you might expect, people come and go at the gym, for many different reasons, such as work and family responsibilities. I am sad when people can no longer continue — mainly because we grow close as we share about life, family and work — and I won’t get to see them as often or maybe not at all anymore.

I was talking with a friend recently and we were sharing about how friends come and go in our lives, but how we both now see God’s hand in these changes and we have more peace with it.

In the past, I felt guilty about loosing touch with friends, but now I’m realizing, through prayer and reflection, that if we are allowing God to lead our lives, the people we interact with, serve and grow close to in our work, at our parish, in our community, in recreation, and in all of our varied activities of our lives, will change and ebb and flow — and that God’s hand is in this. I now more fully appreciate the beauty and mystery of how God reaches out to us and teaches us through our friends; do we have the eyes to see and ears to hear?

St. Maximillian Kolbe said, “God sends us friends to be our firm support in the whirlpool of struggle. In the company of friends, we will find strength to attain our sublime ideal.”

I trust that God sends us the people we need for the current time we are in, and in continuing to make new friends, re-connecting with old friends, or being conscious of friends who might not be the best influence on us, I’m thankful for God’s grace at work in our friendships.

St. Thomas Acquinas said, “There is nothing on earth, more to be prized than true friendship.”

There will always be those friends who remain steady in our lives. There will be friends that have various roles that may come and go … gym friends, church friends, family friends, work friends, neighbors. I pray to be open and vulnerable to allow new friendships to grow deep, strong and true and to be a good friend to others. I desire to be more gentle with myself when time and distance change friendships. I trust that God knows what is best for me and that he will direct me to the people who can help me become the best version of myself. I am thankful for the gift of friends past, present and future.

From Sirach 6:14-16, “A faithful friend is sturdy shelter; he that has found one has found a treasure. There is nothing so precious as a faithful friend, and no scales can measure his excellence.”

From Within the Familiar

In physical training, there is much to gained by training a limited number of key exercises. I think good coaches don’t seek to entertain, but rather help people learn, grow and progress with a small set of lifts and movements that have the most potential to help them achieve their goals. People like familiarity, and in the familiar, they gain the courage and strength to move to new heights.

I was re-reading the Gospel of Matthew recently, and though I have read and participated in bible studies many times, I am amazed how the familiar words moved my heart in a new way. This time, the familiar became a catalyst for something new.

I love how Matthew describes Jesus and the disciples teaching, healing, praying and responding to the actions of Pharisees and Sadducees. The stories are familiar and comforting, but in this reading, I became almost solely focused on how often Jesus went away to pray alone.

From Matthew 14:23, “And after he dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.”

What does it mean when scripture jumps off the page and into our hearts in a new way? Most of us have been introduced to Lectio Divina in some form — the reading and prayerful reflection of scripture to allow God to work in us, but discerning the meaning in our lives can take time. 

I wanted a quick answer, but instead felt called to go up the mountain to pray. For me this is on our back dock by the pond, or in my favorite chair in the family room, or walking around our yard in the sunshine. Probably much like you, I have lots of ‘mountains’ in which to pray.

In the familiar stories of Matthew, God was trying to teach me something new or to take me to new heights. I began to set aside time to pray, not with my usual routine of Mass readings, the Rosary and Chaplet, but instead being quiet and listening, asking, waiting and allowing God more time and space to work in me.

I asked for a saint to assist me in praying more from the heart and St. John of the Cross turned up; I found this deep and tender prayer from him that revealed more of what I felt God was trying to teach me.

O Blessed Jesus, grant me stillness of soul in Thee. Let Thy mighty calmness reign in me. Rule me, O thou King of gentleness, King of peace. Give me control, control over my words, thoughts and actions. From all irritability, want of meekness, want of gentleness, O dear Lord, deliver me. By thine own deep patience give me patience, stillness of soul in Thee. Make me in this, and in all, more and more like Thee. Amen.

Our amazing God can break through, crack us open, and pull us closer to him through the words of scripture — and in any other way he desires. May we be watchful for these breakthroughs from within the familiar — as the familiar may be just the catalyst that God uses to move us to new heights.

Love of Neighbor

When COVID-19 started, the gym where I teach closed and I began video recording myself and my husband working out in the basement. I also loaned out my equipment so my students could continue their training at home. There were challenges, but we persevered. 

Gyms opened at the end of May and we moved to outdoor classes in the parking lot. New challenges emerged as we had to deal with the heat, wind, rain, humidity and having limited equipment to work with. But we adapted and thankfully we stayed healthy.

Now we are indoors and a whole new set of challenges is upon us with face coverings, social distancing, equipment cleaning, and concern about touching surfaces and equipment.

This experience has reaffirmed for me that the only way to get through change and challenging times is to turn to God in prayer to be filled with his strength. By his grace, and his grace alone, can I be kind, patient and loving to my neighbor. Faith applies 100% to daily life and that is more real to me now than ever.

I see the challenge of loving my neighbor most clearly in my secular activities —  living my faith is hardest in the day-to-day, nitty-gritty details of ordinary life. God sees those times where there is angst in my heart as I discern how to respond to a concern, complaint or a difficulty. I want to be a vessel of his love, I truly do, so I regularly unload on him in prayer to help me to be more loving, patient and kind as we are all adapting to the new norms related to COVID-19.

When I give in to my weaknesses, I am reminded how selfishness brings sorrow, not joy, for us and for others. Our weaknesses are immensely powerful teachers and I have been asking God for the light to see my failures with more patience and gentleness — and with a sense of humor — how can I be so silly to let little things get to me or drive me to annoyance or impatience? Acknowledging our weaknesses, with an ardent desire to learn and grow from them, can set us on the trajectory to be more loving, kind and gentle with ourselves and others.

From 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

This time of living with COVID-19 continues to be a time of learning how to love my neighbor more fully, with the heart of Christ, and with the gentleness of his Blessed Mother. May this scripture encourage us on our journey. From 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.”

Encouragement

Any teacher or coach knows that while we our job is to instruct others, there is also the aspect of encouragement that is an important part of our role.

I teach group strength classes and each student is different in the type of encouragement they need to excel. For example, some need encouraged to try heavier weights and others need to be encouraged to pull back so they don’t overdo it.

Encouragement is part of the instructional process no matter what we are coaching or teaching and it applies to all areas of our lives.

I’ve been thinking about encouragement in spiritual terms lately. One of the primary roles of a Christian is to lead others to Christ. To do that we need to pray and ask for the Holy Spirit’s help to encourage people on their journey of growing in relationship with Jesus. 

Much like coaching and teaching in our temporal roles, this encouragement is a very individual process and we are called to simply give what we have been given. Encouraging people with love, being authentic — and following the promptings of the Holy Spirit is what we are asked to do. The rest are up to him.

We can look to Jesus in the Gospels as our model of how to encourage others. Encouragement is rooted in love, forgiveness and being willing to stand up for others and to share the truth. Never has there been a time when our culture needs love and encouragement rooted in faith in God. May our role of encourager foster hope and healing in those who are hurting, angry, and feel misunderstood.

St. Paul said, the second Letter of St. Paul to Timothy, 4:2, “be persistent; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.” He is one of many saints who encourage us to persevere constantly no matter what the circumstances. In fact, the saints are the embodiment of encouragement.

St. Teresa of Avila is one of my favorite saints when it comes to simple, everyday words of encouragement.

She said, “May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.”

She also said, “May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.”

One more beautiful thought from St. Teresa, “May you be content knowing you are a child of God.”

Encouragement. It’s simple, but not easy in a world where we are busy and often too focused on ourselves rather than lifting up others. Telling someone they are a beloved child of God is amazingly encouraging. God loves us and asks only that we pass on his great love. May St. Teresa’s message inspire us to be courageous encouragers in our everyday lives.

“Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours,
Yours are the eyes through which to look out
Christ's compassion to the world
Yours are the feet with which he is to go about
doing good;
Yours are the hands with which he is to bless men now.”

Stay Awake!

Stay Awake! These are wise words for many areas of our lives. 

When participating in sports and recreation, we are called to stay awake! to what is happening with the activity around us to be ready to jump in as a good teammate when the action moves our way.

In daily life, we are called to stay awake! by keenly observing what is going on around us, no matter what environment we are in, to keep us safe and ready to help others in emergency situations.

In our spiritual lives, we are called to stay awake! by spending time with God in prayer, seeking to grow in our faith life and fostering an awareness of his constant presence in us. Staying awake! to how God is working in and around us — especially noticing and giving thanks for the many God incidences and miracles that he blesses us with, can give a supernatural quality to our our everyday lives.

There are many calls to stay awake! in scripture. From Matthew 24:42, “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” From Ephesians 5:14, “For anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” From 1 Thessalonians 4:6, “So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.”

God calls us to stay awake!, to give him our full attention and to be completely sober (avoiding spiritual drowsiness) on our spiritual journey with him. We give thanks for the watchfulness of the shepherds, the three kings, and Simeon and Anna when the Incarnate Word came into the world as a tiny baby. We too pray to stay awake! and to be ready when Jesus comes again. May we be like the wise virgins who had their oil lamps filled and lit and ready for the coming of the bridegroom in the night.

Perhaps the most poignant call to stay awake! in scripture is from Matthew 26:40, when Jesus admonishes his disciples to stay awake with him in the Garden of Gethsemane. “Could you not watch with me one hour.” Here, it’s not so much about them physically falling asleep, as it is their lack of spiritual wakefulness for Jesus as he prepares to take up his Cross for the sins of the world.

At times, we can be like the disciples — falling asleep with the many burdens of life. We can end up looking for help with these burdens in all the wrong places by turning to sin instead of turning to Jesus. Our spiritual wakefulness can drift into spiritual drowsiness.

Let us ask God to give us more strength to stay awake!, to seek him more deeply in prayer, and to rely on the sacraments to help us surrender to his ways. May we stay awake! to become more fully alive in Christ.

Lord grant that I stay awake, remain watchful, stand firm in the faith, out of my love for you. Amen.

Time to Ponder

For people who have a consistent exercise routine, there is sometimes a need for what is called a ‘deload’ week. This is a voluntary break from our regular exercise routine to allow the body and brain to rest, refresh and renew with a set time away from training. Rather than losing their fitness level, this rest helps people come back stronger with a fresh attitude and a rested body to help prevent injury and burnout.

I’ve been looking at our stay-at-home order during COVID recently as a deload time as it is a break from the normal routine of all the things we humans do, such as working, running errands, going to restaurants, volunteering, visiting family and friends, attending Mass, events and so much more.

The Holy Spirit has given me optimism about this deload time and I’m trying to allow the Holy Spirit to guide me in how I use it. Some of the fruits of this forced rest so far for me include learning how to use technology and social media in new ways to work from home and to stay connected with family and friends. I have more time to pray, read and listen to God. I spend more time with my loving husband. I’m learning how to talk on the phone again with family and friends near and far. I have time to cook nice meals, clean the house, listen to music and play outdoors. 

There are times of peace and joy throughout the more unstructured pattern of my day that are unexpected such as ‘attending’ Mass, Adoration and other group prayer events online in different chapels, at different times around the country. I have more time to exercise than ever before. I am also aware of Spring bursting forth in a way that feels hopeful and personal and getting outside is life-giving.

I also think there is a big opportunity here to take advantage of the little crack of open space in our lives for some carefree timelessness. With more time at home, and by moving through daily life at a slower pace, there is the potential to spend time pondering what is going on around us. We have the beautiful example of our Blessed Mother who pondered all things in her heart to encourage us in this practice of spending time in prayerful contemplation amidst the trials and mysteries of our lives.

So rather than choosing to complain, worry, predict, panic, regret or fear, our faith in Jesus Christ calls us to trust in him without reserve as our Blessed Mother did — and to do this we might feel called to spend quiet time pondering the events of our lives and how we are called to respond to them with and through Jesus Christ.

I didn't research the definition of pondering, but my definition would be to think and reflect about an event with a loving countenance, asking God to enlighten me and to help me keep an open heart and mind as I prayerfully seek to learn from the event or experience.

Pondering feels like a deep place of honesty even though it doesn’t always feel comfortable. Pondering can be a time of reflection and discernment, a time of growth in virtue, that when paired with prayer, can be this amazing gift, that when unwrapped, allows us to discover more about ourselves and how we are called to fulfill the mission God’s has for each of us.

Pondering feels like a deep place of honesty even though it doesn’t always feel comfortable. Pondering can be a time of reflection and discernment, a time of growth in virtue, that when paired with prayer, can be this amazing gift, that when unwrapped, allows us to discover more about ourselves and how we are called to fulfill the mission God’s has for each of us.

May we be open to this unusual gift of time to ponder our lives, our mission, our relationships, and the role of Jesus and Mary in our lives. May we also ponder how we can become more fully alive to love and serve others — with the possibility of coming out of this time stronger in the virtues of faith, hope and love. In the words of St. Catherine of Siena, and in the joyful spirit of springtime, “Ponder that fact that God has made you a gardener, to root out vice and to plant virtue.”

The Scourge of Gossip

Recently, a group of us started a program called Fiat 90 in which we praise the Lord body, mind and soul by implementing holy and healthy habits, removing distractions and spending more time with God in prayer.

One of the recommended actions  that helps us paid the Lord with our minds is to eliminate gossip. This is something that I’ve worked very hard to do over the course of my life, but I still feel vulnerable in this area. After I gave up gossip years ago, I would still vent to my husband when I felt someone had wronged me. Since starting Fiat 90, and in reading Scripture and praying about it, I realize that Jesus is the only one to whom I should ever air my grievances. He understands and loves me and venting to Jesus does not lead me into the sin of gossip.

Why do we have the desire to gossip? Saying unkind things about someone hurts all parties involved — especially the person gossiping because it opens the door for the evil one to work in other ways. We are called to love, to act in love, to be loving and anything outside of love is not of God.

When I think back to times when I gossiped, it felt unhealthy, and even if I didn’t initiate it, jumping in felt wrong, but it was hard to stop! The Holy Spirit worked in my heart about this to the point where I had to remove a couple of friends from my life; friendship based on gossip is not real friendship after all.

I always found it difficult to get out of a gossip conversation as I didn’t want to be unkind to the gossiper. Now, when someone begins to gossip in my presence, my main objective is to stop it by saying something good about that person or to physically leave the situation. I’m even courageous enough now to admonish that person, out of love for them, as they might not know it’s gossip, that it’s a sin, and that it makes others uncomfortable —not to mention how it disrespects the person being discussed. So I’ve started using the phrase, “I can’t comment on that” and I immediately change the subject.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2488-89) says this about gossip: 

The right to the communication of the truth is not unconditional. Everyone must conform his life to the gospel precept of fraternal love. This requires us in concrete situations to judge whether or not it is appropriate to reveal the truth to someone who asks for it.

Charity and respect for the truth should dictate the response to every request for information or communication. The good and safety of others, respect for privacy, and the common good are sufficient reasons for being silent about what ought not be known or for making use of a discreet language. The duty to avoid scandal often commands strict discretion. No one is bound to reveal the truth to someone who does not have the right to know it.

It is no coincidence that my bible study program recently had a lesson about gossip and wow, it really highlights the evil in gossip. From Psalm 42:6-10, “My enemies say bad things against me; When will he die and his name be forgotten? When someone comes to visit me, he speaks without sincerity. His heart stores up malice; when he leaves, he gossips. All those who hate me whisper together against me; they imagine the worst about me.”

One of the important lessons I’ve learned from reading the lives of the saints is twofold: talk less and give people their privacy. We are called to love God and love neighbor and anything outside of that is foddor for the evil one.

St. Padre Pio said, “When you gossip about a person it means that you have removed the person from your heart. But be aware, when you remove a man from your heart, Jesus also goes away from your heart with that man.”

So let us lift our hearts together to give Jesus our concerns, our hurts, our struggles with others rather than risk our souls, and the souls of our neighbors, with idle gossip.

The Power of Slowing Down

In physical training, moving slowly is often harder than moving quickly and it’s an excellent way to train the body and mind as it challenges our nervous system in new ways. Moving slowly with weights or bodyweight movements can also reveal weaknesses and instabilities in our bodies —and that is a good thing as we can work on improving in those areas to keep us safe and safely progressing.

Moving slowly in our spiritual lives can also be beneficial  — and in our time of staying at home more, maybe you are like me and have a little more time to pray, read, reflect in a way that was not sustainable until now.

I am always moved by Scripture when Jesus goes from being super busy healing, preaching and teaching to seeking the quiet to pray. The slower pace, that time of silent connection with his Father in prayer refreshes, rejuvenates and fills Jesus — and us — so that we can grow stronger spiritually and be more like Jesus in all areas of our lives.

That time of peace, slowness and quiet might be a time when God reveals our weaknesses, sins, and moments where we weren’t our best. In times of reflection and discernment, we have the opportunity to learn, grow and move forward better equipped to act in faith, hope and love as we traverse life’s challenges.

During this time of COVID, I’ve been attending daily Mass online sometimes with Father Larry Richards. He is at St. Joseph parish in Erie, Pennsylvania. He loves to pray the Our Father prayer super slow during Mass. He recently said that he gets complaints about how slow he prays the Our Father — which made me laugh out loud! I actually love to attend his Mass because he prays it so slowly. It allows me to listen for the Holy Spirit as we pause and reflect on each and every word. I pray the Rosary daily, and I know that I tend to rush through the Our Father prayers; this is something that became clear to me as Father Larry was praying it so slowly and I could feel my heart open in a new way.

I was discussing this with some friends recently and we realized that the stay-at-home time for some people totally suits their character. They blossom when life is a little slower and quieter and have embraced the potential for more downtime with prayer and reflection. For others, our nature isn’t as suited to slowness — and we may have to work a little harder to appreciate the power of slowness.

St. Gianna Molla said, “The secret to happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for what He is sending us every day in His goodness.”

This slower time might be a series of ups and downs that we might not always feel like thanking God for. The Martha and Mary in each of us might be colliding as we try our best to serve God and neighbor and our temporal concerns may make the slowness feel uncomfortable.

St. Francis de Sales gives us a good advice, “Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if the whole world seems upset.”

I pray that we all, in some way, embrace the slowness and allow it to nurture our souls by bringing us closer to Jesus.

5 Reasons to Attend the 2020 Columbus Catholic Women's Conference

Written by Lori Crock, and reposted with permission, from the Columbus Catholic Women’s Conference blog.

It’s that time of year again! It’s time to register for the Columbus Catholic Women’s Conference!

The mission of the Columbus Catholic Women’s Conference is to provide opportunities for women to deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ, to grow in their realization of their dignity as Catholic women and to strengthen their commitment to be disciples of Christ.

Registration is open and we invite you to prayerfully consider joining us for the 13th year of women coming together to celebrate our Catholic faith on Sat., Feb. 15, 2020, from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Ohio Expo Center. Here is why we love sharing the Columbus Catholic Women’s Conference with you …

1. The Sacraments

The annual Catholic Women’s Conference opens with Holy Mass celebrated by the Bishop Robert E. Brennan. It is awe-inspiring to celebrate the Holy Eucharist with 3,000+ women from all over the Columbus diocese and beyond! The Sacrament of Reconciliation is available throughout the day with more than 40 priests in attendance. Every year so many women tell us that the Sacraments are a highlight of their day.

2. Inspiration

The nationally-recognized speakers and the variety of vendors add a dimension of learning and spiritual growth opportunities. This year we are pleased to welcome these speakers whose varied messages and backgrounds will hopefully move our hearts in new ways:

• Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC

• Fr. Ubald Rugirangoga

• Heidi Hess Saxton

• Sr. Miriam James Heidland, S.O.L.T.

• Emily Jaminet and Michele Faehnle

• Anna Mitchell, Master of Ceremonies

More than 100 vendors grace the halls to share their ministry and mission and to sell faith-inspired merchandise. Many religious communities attend and it is such a blessing to meet the sisters, to see their joy, and to learn more about their mission and charisms.

3. Devotions

We pray the Holy Rosary before Mass in the early morning. Adoration is available throughout the day in the Adoration chapel and we adore Our Lord in the main hall as a community during the afternoon; this is a powerful time of prayer and thanksgiving in the presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

4. Friendships

The Conference is the perfect time to join with fellow parishioners and family members for a life-changing day of prayer, faith-sharing, laughter, food and fellowship as we experience God’s amazing grace together.

It is beautiful to see the joy in a day of celebrating our faith on a mini retreat with friends and family. Invite a friend from your parish, reconnect with friends from around the diocese or from out of town, invite your mom, sister, daughter, aunt, niece, grandmother. Reignite your faith and be inspired by the events and surprises of the day and by each other!

5. Music

Each year we are blessed to host a special musical guest who shares their talent with us in the morning and during the community Holy Hour. This year, Lancaster native Sarah Hart will be with us. You can hear her story and music here.

Dear Sisters in Christ, we look forward to seeing you at the Columbus Catholic Women’s Conference on Feb. 15, 2020! May God’s peace be with you this Advent and Christmas Season!!