A Lapse in Blogging

Friends and Readers of this Blog,

My apologies for the lapse in this blog as of late.  I have just been swamped with so many good things going on, such as the spring break service trip to Louisville in which we worked with refugees (which I should blog about), a Jesuit "Come and See" event that I hosted, and writing a 5 page single-spaced letter to my provincial requesting permission to take lifelong vows as a Jesuit this August.  I will try to be more persistent in blogging henceforth.  Thanks!

Victory and Victim-hood: In Our Lives and the Life of Christ

This is a reflection that I recently gave for some students:

"Ecce Homo" ("Behold the Man") by Antonio Ciseri

        We all need courage, we are desperate for encouragement.   We are so insecure, looking for a sign of success, like the mother of James and John who asked for her sons to sit at the right and the left of Jesus. 

       Why do we need courage and affirmation?  Why is what we get never enough?  Perhaps it’s because our world is so shattered, that we feel so shattered.  Maybe our parents got a divorce, maybe haven’t gotten as good of grades as we hoped, maybe we can’t seem to find someone to share our life with.  Yes, we need courage.  And from where does our courage come?  And what do we do with courage once we have it?

Jesus told His followers before His arrest: “Take courage; I have conquered the world.”  Strange words from someone who is about to be executed.  Indeed, Jesus has courage.  Courage enough to offer himself as a victim.  It is that which I want to talk with you about tonight: the connection between victory and victimhood.

        Jesus was ultimately confident in His relationship with the Father.  He knew who he was to God.  He too was a man of weakness and sorrows, but He fundamentally was strong in his sense of who He was to God.  He also had a trust that in union with God He was doing God’s will.  Thus He heard the words at His Baptism, “You are my Son with whom I am well pleased.”  Can there be any victory greater than that?

         Last night the cook at the Jesuit residence, who is a strong Christian, told me that “we should not live for victory, but live from victory.”  What is the difference? Living for victory is all about achieving great things.  Living from victory is about receiving great things already done.  As our cook and I talked about, the ball has already been hit out of the park.  But we still have to run the bases.  For me in college, by seeing The Passion of the Christ and thinking about the reality of Jesus’ sacrifice, it finally hit me that God had done everything for me.  How could I not do anything for Him?  How could I not sacrifice?

         Sacrifice requires being in a sense a victim.  We all cringe at this word.  This is not about being victimized.  This is not bout sado-masochism.  This is about suffering out of love.  Our culture hates the idea that suffering is worthwhile, even redemptive.  But Christ, who “gave His life as a ransom tells us to take up our cross.”  Think of Armageddon, where the father ends of allowing himself to die on the incoming asteroid rather than have the entire earth be blown up.  Think about Mother Teresa dedicating her life to picking up “the untouchables” off the street, left to die like animals, and giving them a look of love before they left this life.  Think of the sacrifices your own parents have made, your teachers and priests have made.  Think of the sacrifice you will make. 

        Yes, we are called to be what St. Therese the Little Flower called “little victims,” offering ourselves for the sake of souls, of God, of the Church, wherever we are at in life.  We can only make such an offering if we are confident in who we are as victorious sons and daughters of God and co-heirs with Christ.  We must live from the victory Christ has won for us, and join every joy, work, prayer, and suffering of our lives to His victory, which is expressed most fully in the Holy Mass. 

       But how can we live out this victorious victim-hood?  I recommend self-denial, choosing to give up something for the greater good.  That’s part of Lent and the whole Christian life.  Above all, give up the seven deadly sins of pride, greed, lust, sloth, wrath, envy, and gluttony.  Give up your fear and your worry.  Often give up some good things too, such as watching TV, eating dessert, being on Facebook.  Offer these things in union with Christ, the true Victim and Victor.  

Going on Spring Break

Dear Friends,
For the next week, I will be in Louisville, Kentucky with John Carroll students on a spring break service trip.  Louisville is a welcoming place for refugees, whom we will be meeting and serving through teaching English.  This should be another opportunity to bond with students, experience life and ministry as a support-person in the Jesuits, and expand my heart toward all God's people. 

My Poem in Honor of the Sisters

It is amazing how just four passionate sisters (from a congregation of 108 sisters whose average age is 28) could generate as much interest as they did at John Carroll, providing their charism of spiritual motherhood and even inspiring some young women to consider the religious vocation.  In honor of them, I am sharing this short poem I wrote following their visit. 

"Consecrated"

As the morning glories of purest white

Are summoned by the radiant dawn,

So too do souls unfold

Before the light of young sisters

Responding to Christ’s call.

Married indeed to Jesus,

A reminder to us of God's eternal Love,

These brides are far from barren

But instead can be mother to all.

Through their sacrifice and joy

In hearts they light fires of faith,

Revealing to the world like Mary,
God's Son of truth and grace.

Photos of the Event with the Young Sisters!

I am so pleased to let you all know that the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist from Ann Arbor, Michigan touched a lot of hearts last weekend.  We had an overwhelmingly positive response to the joy, purpose, and power of their vocations and message.  I encourage you to visit their website at:
http://www.sistersofmary.org/index.php

Here are a few pictures from the event:

With a painting of the shoes of St. Ignatius (they love the Jesuits!)

Speaking at a dinner event about vocation

Perforning a skit on masculinity and feminimity

Add caption

At breakfast at the Jesuit residence