So I had all these doubts...but apparently last month I didn't feel so lacking in confidence. I forgot I wrote this piece in February over at the National Catholic Register on not hiding your light. It's a gentle reminder, (if only to me), if you haven't really started your Lent, you can today, and that our God is about our Joy, not our drudgery.
He doesn't want me discouraged, He wants me joyful. That's a great comfort actually...because it's a call to joy...which is a willed response to reality. It's not about getting rid of things, it's about being at peace with where you are and why you are wherever it is you are...
On that note, in the interest of peace of mind, I'm taking a break from Facebook for Lent. I'll still link articles here and share them, but no commentary, no likes, no sharing of other stuff, no status updates, no lingering. Thank you for understanding. Happy Lent!
Showing posts with label service. Show all posts
Showing posts with label service. Show all posts
Sunday, March 10, 2019
Friday, November 14, 2014
The Beginnings of Something
This morning, I jumped on my emails, perused my writing forum for assignments, tweeted my links to Small Success Thursday and I'm linking to Catholicmom.com here. Then I read the news and visited my favorite sites. Asking for a Mission and what that means.
This past week, a piece ran over at Catholic and Enjoying it, I am Arnold Abbott!, where the mayor and city counsel of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida made it illegal to feed the homeless on the street, illegal for the homeless to sleep in public, and illegal for them to own private property which they keep on public grounds. (The police can seize it on these grounds). My heart hurt that a city would take this approach --to "help" the homeless. They went so far as to arrest a 90 year old man and two pastors for feeding those who showed up for the meal.
I read and researched other articles on the issue, and the spin was that they didn't want to stop feeding people, they wanted to regulate feeding these people. Yeah. So charity without a license, not allowed. I could understand the copious reasons given for wanting this regulated. It is still wrong to outlaw the impulse to charity. It is still wrong for a society to penalize people helping others. There can be debates until the next century about how to solve the problem of homelessness with dignity, and there can be legitimate concerns about safety, both of those served and those serving, but it's still an odious society that hamstrings those with the least power, to serve the comfort of the "common good." I can't not fight it.
Then I heard on NPR from a consultant who argues against any giving of money or food to the homeless except when it is tied to a program. He claimed a 85% reduction in homelessness in the cities where such an aggressive policy has been enacted. I tried to find a link today, but could not after multiple searches. What I wanted to know was if the reduction in homelessness was a result of policies getting people into programs and thus not homeless, or because they went elsewhere where the cities were more hospitable to those lacking homes. It's clear that many cities feel so frustrated by homelessness, they view these sorts of measures as a viable answer. I don't claim to have an answer but I know it isn't to harrass those without homes or those who try to minister to them.
So when the Vatican announced it was building showers to let those who live outside, come in and get clean, I cheered. This is the beginnings of the answer. The answer is not a systemic program or government outreach, but one person to one person, outreach to meet the people and thus their needs.
I was feeling great until I saw this response: How in the world do showers help??? Where are the change of clothes and the free mobile phones? Where are the shelters, etc? The proposition is ludicrous on its face... What is needed is for the PRIVATE sector in Rome and the WHOLE of the USA, to partner with multiple charities to create shelters, jobs, thrift stores where they can work, etc... The Saint Vincent DePaul Society does a GREAT job of this, why don't we help them there???? DUH.
To me, the showers help each person who uses them, to feel clean, refreshed, to have a sense of dignity, and that is the beginning. We are always at the beginning of serving, not the end. When we die, if we've done this even sort of correctly, we will get the grace to continue the work as intercessors, to pull more people to continue this service to others, so that even more people will receive the gifts of grace squeezed into their heart. It isn't that we shouldn't help Saint Vincent DePaul Society, but the goal is always to pull more people in. Some don't see the Saint Vincent DePaul Society, but they might see what Pope Francis is doing, and thus be pulled in to the Church, to encounter Christ, either by the help of the showers, or by what the showers represent.
The person asked, "Isn't that self defeating?" Who is going to take a shower and put on their old stinky clothes?
I would argue it's not. Because it still is the beginning, and every kindness removes some of the pain, some of the hurt, some of the loneliness. What's self defeating is to not see them, to not invite them to eat even if they smell, or to think because I cannot solve every problem, I should not start to solve any problem. Or worse, that the problem should be solved by other people or organizations or the government. The rich man is condemned to Hell for doing nothing. For refusing to treat Lazarus as even as he did his dogs.
But again the response: Pointless. Many will say it will be as if you are feeding stray dogs or cats...They will continue to come back over and over and over and the problem will multiply...Why? Because your ilk is not willing to address the fundamental issues of this scourge: Death of the Family, Immoral Business Practices and Immorality!!!
I'm ilk. It's true. Today, the county I live in has a deluxe shelter for stray animals. It is beautiful, spacious and pristine but I do not know where the homeless in our county go when it is cold. So he's right to charge I should do more, at the very least, learn more. And once again, I know, "It is the beginning."
Leaving aside the comparison of human beings to animals, which is itself so very wrong, these people are Christ in his distressing disguise. Why act? There are graces that come from performing corporeal acts of mercy, even on those we cannot permanently cure. Jesus told us the poor would always be with us. He calls us to love and to serve, not to create utopia.
However, here's the rub. If all of us heard the call Pope Francis is issuing, to be neither cold or lazy in our care of the poor, how much closer all of us would come to beginning to build up the Kingdom of Heaven while here on Earth.
"When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed."
- Blessed Mother Teresa
None of us come close to Blessed Mother Teresa. We can see the people on the corners of streets, some of them for years. I agree, things cannot continue on as things are much longer. If we are to be a people of hope, we need to hear and harken and harden not our hearts, toward anyone, roll up our sleeves and figure out how to get out there. I'm going to find out where they go when the weather turns for starters. We're called to catechize by being catalysts. We're all the beginnings of something if we say "Yes."
How? Ask. Ask what beattitude God wants you to live out in faith. Then seize it and live it. You'll know, and then it will simply require of you, that you give back to God, the one thing you can give to God, The Grace of Yes.
This past week, a piece ran over at Catholic and Enjoying it, I am Arnold Abbott!, where the mayor and city counsel of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida made it illegal to feed the homeless on the street, illegal for the homeless to sleep in public, and illegal for them to own private property which they keep on public grounds. (The police can seize it on these grounds). My heart hurt that a city would take this approach --to "help" the homeless. They went so far as to arrest a 90 year old man and two pastors for feeding those who showed up for the meal.
I read and researched other articles on the issue, and the spin was that they didn't want to stop feeding people, they wanted to regulate feeding these people. Yeah. So charity without a license, not allowed. I could understand the copious reasons given for wanting this regulated. It is still wrong to outlaw the impulse to charity. It is still wrong for a society to penalize people helping others. There can be debates until the next century about how to solve the problem of homelessness with dignity, and there can be legitimate concerns about safety, both of those served and those serving, but it's still an odious society that hamstrings those with the least power, to serve the comfort of the "common good." I can't not fight it.
Then I heard on NPR from a consultant who argues against any giving of money or food to the homeless except when it is tied to a program. He claimed a 85% reduction in homelessness in the cities where such an aggressive policy has been enacted. I tried to find a link today, but could not after multiple searches. What I wanted to know was if the reduction in homelessness was a result of policies getting people into programs and thus not homeless, or because they went elsewhere where the cities were more hospitable to those lacking homes. It's clear that many cities feel so frustrated by homelessness, they view these sorts of measures as a viable answer. I don't claim to have an answer but I know it isn't to harrass those without homes or those who try to minister to them.
So when the Vatican announced it was building showers to let those who live outside, come in and get clean, I cheered. This is the beginnings of the answer. The answer is not a systemic program or government outreach, but one person to one person, outreach to meet the people and thus their needs.
I was feeling great until I saw this response: How in the world do showers help??? Where are the change of clothes and the free mobile phones? Where are the shelters, etc? The proposition is ludicrous on its face... What is needed is for the PRIVATE sector in Rome and the WHOLE of the USA, to partner with multiple charities to create shelters, jobs, thrift stores where they can work, etc... The Saint Vincent DePaul Society does a GREAT job of this, why don't we help them there???? DUH.
To me, the showers help each person who uses them, to feel clean, refreshed, to have a sense of dignity, and that is the beginning. We are always at the beginning of serving, not the end. When we die, if we've done this even sort of correctly, we will get the grace to continue the work as intercessors, to pull more people to continue this service to others, so that even more people will receive the gifts of grace squeezed into their heart. It isn't that we shouldn't help Saint Vincent DePaul Society, but the goal is always to pull more people in. Some don't see the Saint Vincent DePaul Society, but they might see what Pope Francis is doing, and thus be pulled in to the Church, to encounter Christ, either by the help of the showers, or by what the showers represent.
The person asked, "Isn't that self defeating?" Who is going to take a shower and put on their old stinky clothes?
I would argue it's not. Because it still is the beginning, and every kindness removes some of the pain, some of the hurt, some of the loneliness. What's self defeating is to not see them, to not invite them to eat even if they smell, or to think because I cannot solve every problem, I should not start to solve any problem. Or worse, that the problem should be solved by other people or organizations or the government. The rich man is condemned to Hell for doing nothing. For refusing to treat Lazarus as even as he did his dogs.
But again the response: Pointless. Many will say it will be as if you are feeding stray dogs or cats...They will continue to come back over and over and over and the problem will multiply...Why? Because your ilk is not willing to address the fundamental issues of this scourge: Death of the Family, Immoral Business Practices and Immorality!!!
I'm ilk. It's true. Today, the county I live in has a deluxe shelter for stray animals. It is beautiful, spacious and pristine but I do not know where the homeless in our county go when it is cold. So he's right to charge I should do more, at the very least, learn more. And once again, I know, "It is the beginning."
Leaving aside the comparison of human beings to animals, which is itself so very wrong, these people are Christ in his distressing disguise. Why act? There are graces that come from performing corporeal acts of mercy, even on those we cannot permanently cure. Jesus told us the poor would always be with us. He calls us to love and to serve, not to create utopia.
However, here's the rub. If all of us heard the call Pope Francis is issuing, to be neither cold or lazy in our care of the poor, how much closer all of us would come to beginning to build up the Kingdom of Heaven while here on Earth.
"When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed."
- Blessed Mother Teresa
None of us come close to Blessed Mother Teresa. We can see the people on the corners of streets, some of them for years. I agree, things cannot continue on as things are much longer. If we are to be a people of hope, we need to hear and harken and harden not our hearts, toward anyone, roll up our sleeves and figure out how to get out there. I'm going to find out where they go when the weather turns for starters. We're called to catechize by being catalysts. We're all the beginnings of something if we say "Yes."
How? Ask. Ask what beattitude God wants you to live out in faith. Then seize it and live it. You'll know, and then it will simply require of you, that you give back to God, the one thing you can give to God, The Grace of Yes.
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Do
Watching the news, one cannot help but feel helpless. Everywhere in the Middle East, hell seems to be unleased on Earth. And it seems all we can do is read the news, watch the videos and howl with them. We are not there. We cannot stop these people from doing evil things like isolating fleeing villagers and leaving them out on a mountain exposed to chose between death by deprivation or death by beheading if they try to return. We cannot stop the beheading of children. We cannot stop the crucifixion of whoever they decide to crucify. We get to simply watch as the world turns mad.
Driving downtown, one cannot help but feel helpless, as every corner with four lights has a person, sometimes two, with a sign. "Help. Homeless." and a cup. Some look sicker than others. Some look slicker than others. But all of them are asking the same thing. Help. You fish for a quarter or a dollar, it doesn't seem to be sufficient, and yet we cannot figure out what would be. How could we feed them properly?
We can give to the pantry and to charities, we can pay our taxes, and still, there is a ocean, everywhere we look, of need. Physical need. Emotional need. Spiritual need. It is small wonder, most of us now look to keep ourselves inside, to stay on news sites that do not make us squirm, to visit virtually, so we need not minister physically. In an age of instant and constant communication, of 24-7 news and 24-7 capacity to reach out, we are filtering everything to let the least amount in possible and still consider ourselves connected.
There is a grave temptation, when we see need after need after need, to stop and say, it is too much. We only have these five loaves, these two fishes. Worse, it is true. We only have these cisterns of water. We are out of wine. We only have this nothing in the desert. But if we give what we have. If we do what He tells us. If we but ask, the 5000 will be fed, the water becomes wine, there is manna in the desert.
How do we offer up our loaves and fishes and our water filled cisterns? How do we give in the desert to help those so far away?
Begin small. It is how God works, so it should work for us.
1) Surrender one little pleasure a day in solidarity with those who do not have such a luxury. It can be diet coke. (Yes that's a big one for me) Chocolate, television, the internet, just something and it can be a different thing each day, but give it up.
2) Pray. Today's readings talked about having faith the size of a mustard seed. If we did, we could move mountains. Let's move a mountain of hearts. Pope Francis has called for people to simply pray for the displaced people of Iraq. We're being shown on all sides, the desperate need for prayer. If you need reminders (and who doesn't), I recommend Pray More Novenas. You get an email every day of the Novena with the prayers. Read and you've given that little bit. But they aren't always happening, so if you want something for every day, I recommend the Magnificat. It would be a better source for me if I didn't inevitably lose it somewhere during the second week of the month before finding it in the fourth, but it's still excellent. The third one I'd recommend, and these are all different, so they have different appeals, is the 3 Minute Retreats. It's a gentle way to engage daily in just a touch of reflection.
3) Give. Just like the other two, which are only small things, 3 minutes, one thing a day, give something. Give it daily. I don't care if it's a dollar to one beggar --learn his name so you can say "Hey John Chase" when you see him, but give. A can to the food pantry a day, 7 days a week, brought at mass, is a gift a day, and cumulatively, they add up.
The goal is to build a mountain of mustard seeds.
What inspired this post? Simcha Fisher's excellent reflection on what we are called to do. Catholics are supposed to always be both and, feeding the belly and the heart, both bread and wine and the body and blood, we are always supposed to be more than the minimum. So now, go. Do.
Driving downtown, one cannot help but feel helpless, as every corner with four lights has a person, sometimes two, with a sign. "Help. Homeless." and a cup. Some look sicker than others. Some look slicker than others. But all of them are asking the same thing. Help. You fish for a quarter or a dollar, it doesn't seem to be sufficient, and yet we cannot figure out what would be. How could we feed them properly?
We can give to the pantry and to charities, we can pay our taxes, and still, there is a ocean, everywhere we look, of need. Physical need. Emotional need. Spiritual need. It is small wonder, most of us now look to keep ourselves inside, to stay on news sites that do not make us squirm, to visit virtually, so we need not minister physically. In an age of instant and constant communication, of 24-7 news and 24-7 capacity to reach out, we are filtering everything to let the least amount in possible and still consider ourselves connected.
There is a grave temptation, when we see need after need after need, to stop and say, it is too much. We only have these five loaves, these two fishes. Worse, it is true. We only have these cisterns of water. We are out of wine. We only have this nothing in the desert. But if we give what we have. If we do what He tells us. If we but ask, the 5000 will be fed, the water becomes wine, there is manna in the desert.
How do we offer up our loaves and fishes and our water filled cisterns? How do we give in the desert to help those so far away?
Begin small. It is how God works, so it should work for us.
1) Surrender one little pleasure a day in solidarity with those who do not have such a luxury. It can be diet coke. (Yes that's a big one for me) Chocolate, television, the internet, just something and it can be a different thing each day, but give it up.
2) Pray. Today's readings talked about having faith the size of a mustard seed. If we did, we could move mountains. Let's move a mountain of hearts. Pope Francis has called for people to simply pray for the displaced people of Iraq. We're being shown on all sides, the desperate need for prayer. If you need reminders (and who doesn't), I recommend Pray More Novenas. You get an email every day of the Novena with the prayers. Read and you've given that little bit. But they aren't always happening, so if you want something for every day, I recommend the Magnificat. It would be a better source for me if I didn't inevitably lose it somewhere during the second week of the month before finding it in the fourth, but it's still excellent. The third one I'd recommend, and these are all different, so they have different appeals, is the 3 Minute Retreats. It's a gentle way to engage daily in just a touch of reflection.
3) Give. Just like the other two, which are only small things, 3 minutes, one thing a day, give something. Give it daily. I don't care if it's a dollar to one beggar --learn his name so you can say "Hey John Chase" when you see him, but give. A can to the food pantry a day, 7 days a week, brought at mass, is a gift a day, and cumulatively, they add up.
The goal is to build a mountain of mustard seeds.
What inspired this post? Simcha Fisher's excellent reflection on what we are called to do. Catholics are supposed to always be both and, feeding the belly and the heart, both bread and wine and the body and blood, we are always supposed to be more than the minimum. So now, go. Do.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Calling Us To the Vineyard
Today is Saint Joseph's feast day.
It is also the day the Catholic Church inaugurated Pope Francis. Hearing this pope talk about how husbands and wives must protect each other and then their children, and from there, the community, and thus the world, it resonates so deeply. Then I read the main stream media tag line that emphasizes, Pope says serve the poor and protect the environment. The Pope said that, but he also stressed that stewardship started with the sacramental hearts involved in the most intimate of relationships, husband and wife, and from there, grew outward.
We are to care for the poor. We must. They are a pathway to Christ, because they make us live out the beatitudes. All service done properly is love. All love given to others, is given to the Father. If we serve others out of love, we serve the Father out of love. Saint Francis understood this, and Pope Francis does as well. He is harvesting, this pope, seeking to pull those who love the social justice component of Christ's teachings, to come into the liturgy more deeply. He is sowing, this pope, to push those who love the liturgy, to live out the word in the world around them, to spread and share God's love on every continent, and in every home.
There is no greater way to celebrate the Feast of Saint Joseph, than to be a steward of one's family. There is no greater way to honor Christ than to imitate his human parents in their devotion and stewardship of him.
The world needs to be peopled with Saints, who echo Saint Joseph, who imitate Saint Francis, who model themselves after Mary. We must cloak in humility, humor and gentleness, our deep devotion to the one who is Truth. We must compel with our words, with beauty, with kindness, with generosity, with mercy, with wisdom, the world that thinks all is sharpness and fire and politics and power, to wonder at a way that is decidedly holy, decidedly better.
How do we do this?
Prayer. You knew this right? Nothing works without prayer. Ask. Dare to ask. Ask for faith. Ask for discernment. Ask for a more luminous marriage. Ask for wisdom in dealing with a problem. Ask for self discipline in the silly things like diets and budgets and housework. Ask for self denial in big things, like forgiveness and service to others. Ask for knots to be untied, wounds to be healed, help with the most worldly and impossible of situations. Ask. Ask. Ask. God never tires or grows weary of our askings. We cannot ask enough. God does not give out grace today and say tomorrow, I already did you. Ask. Then watch. Your world will unfold and transform, unmistakably.
Fast. Give up something. Today. You can give up something else tomorrow, but give something up today, something that grips you, something that keeps you stuck in the mire of whatever it is. If you can't give it up for the day, try for an hour. Deliberately bend your will against your desire. This is the practice of great athletes and great scholars and great saints. Sublimation is the hallmark of our Blessed Mother and her most chaste spouse in their lives, and their son's. You cannot serve in love absent sublimation of the will. If we want a world that is luminous and awash in people living out the beatitudes, we must practice daily sublimation, daily humility, daily service.
Serve. The how of service is whatever surrounds you. God is terribly efficient in this matter. He uses wherever you are with whomever you are with to bring you closer. He may push you out into the world, but He will do the pushing. Everyone wants to somehow become the break out feel good story of the day, the one that becomes a motion picture that others want to emulate. That's not service, that's pop celebrity sugar frosted calorie free fame. Service is the hard stuff of taking out the trash and making phone calls, of doing what no one will ever cheer, but which is given because it is needed, and out of love. You know the cliche, character is what you do when no one is watching? Service reveals character, by what you do without getting credit, pats on the back or accolades. Service is to God the Father who sees, for those who need, it is about being the hands and feet that wash and carry, not the face or the name everyone remembers.
The poor are all around us, we need only start praying and fasting and the service will flow from there.
It is also the day the Catholic Church inaugurated Pope Francis. Hearing this pope talk about how husbands and wives must protect each other and then their children, and from there, the community, and thus the world, it resonates so deeply. Then I read the main stream media tag line that emphasizes, Pope says serve the poor and protect the environment. The Pope said that, but he also stressed that stewardship started with the sacramental hearts involved in the most intimate of relationships, husband and wife, and from there, grew outward.
We are to care for the poor. We must. They are a pathway to Christ, because they make us live out the beatitudes. All service done properly is love. All love given to others, is given to the Father. If we serve others out of love, we serve the Father out of love. Saint Francis understood this, and Pope Francis does as well. He is harvesting, this pope, seeking to pull those who love the social justice component of Christ's teachings, to come into the liturgy more deeply. He is sowing, this pope, to push those who love the liturgy, to live out the word in the world around them, to spread and share God's love on every continent, and in every home.
There is no greater way to celebrate the Feast of Saint Joseph, than to be a steward of one's family. There is no greater way to honor Christ than to imitate his human parents in their devotion and stewardship of him.
The world needs to be peopled with Saints, who echo Saint Joseph, who imitate Saint Francis, who model themselves after Mary. We must cloak in humility, humor and gentleness, our deep devotion to the one who is Truth. We must compel with our words, with beauty, with kindness, with generosity, with mercy, with wisdom, the world that thinks all is sharpness and fire and politics and power, to wonder at a way that is decidedly holy, decidedly better.
How do we do this?
Prayer. You knew this right? Nothing works without prayer. Ask. Dare to ask. Ask for faith. Ask for discernment. Ask for a more luminous marriage. Ask for wisdom in dealing with a problem. Ask for self discipline in the silly things like diets and budgets and housework. Ask for self denial in big things, like forgiveness and service to others. Ask for knots to be untied, wounds to be healed, help with the most worldly and impossible of situations. Ask. Ask. Ask. God never tires or grows weary of our askings. We cannot ask enough. God does not give out grace today and say tomorrow, I already did you. Ask. Then watch. Your world will unfold and transform, unmistakably.
Fast. Give up something. Today. You can give up something else tomorrow, but give something up today, something that grips you, something that keeps you stuck in the mire of whatever it is. If you can't give it up for the day, try for an hour. Deliberately bend your will against your desire. This is the practice of great athletes and great scholars and great saints. Sublimation is the hallmark of our Blessed Mother and her most chaste spouse in their lives, and their son's. You cannot serve in love absent sublimation of the will. If we want a world that is luminous and awash in people living out the beatitudes, we must practice daily sublimation, daily humility, daily service.
Serve. The how of service is whatever surrounds you. God is terribly efficient in this matter. He uses wherever you are with whomever you are with to bring you closer. He may push you out into the world, but He will do the pushing. Everyone wants to somehow become the break out feel good story of the day, the one that becomes a motion picture that others want to emulate. That's not service, that's pop celebrity sugar frosted calorie free fame. Service is the hard stuff of taking out the trash and making phone calls, of doing what no one will ever cheer, but which is given because it is needed, and out of love. You know the cliche, character is what you do when no one is watching? Service reveals character, by what you do without getting credit, pats on the back or accolades. Service is to God the Father who sees, for those who need, it is about being the hands and feet that wash and carry, not the face or the name everyone remembers.
The poor are all around us, we need only start praying and fasting and the service will flow from there.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Ways to be Salt and Light
Yesterday I ranted. Politics get to me sometimes. I work hard to stay informed. Sometimes, being aware of the world can weary. We run the risk of becoming jaded and cynical. I'm reminded of the dwarves of Narnia, who after the long last battle, cannot see beauty, cannot taste the good. They pride themselves in their certainty. "Dwarves are for dwarves!" They cannot partake of the feast Asland presents them. They eat, but do not taste. They cannot see the great lion, nor can they hear his true roar.
We live in a cacophonous age, with constant sound and news and diversion. It can make it hard to hear God's voice. So today, I'm offering a bit of salve: How to be God's voice to others.
Pray. Pray for everyone that ticks you off and everyone you love. I recommend the rosary. Maybe a decade in the car after you catch the morning blips of news and the traffic report. Say a Hail Mary for the Deejays happily chirping about how cool it is that so-and-so moved in with so-and-so and for the so-and-sos involved. List the politicians, the celebrities, the pains and anxieties of your life, and ask a saint to take each of these on, hand them over. We have a litany of saints because we are a litany of sinners. Invoke them all for all of us.
Create beauty. Put fresh flowers at the table. Put away some one's clothes and maybe fluff the bed with an extra pillow. Cleaning for someone else's pleasure is a gift, it gives them time because you gave your time. De-cluttering to give to charity or simply to create a peaceful feeling of the home will have ramifications on your family beyond you not feeling like despairing because it's a mess. Give yourself 15 minutes but be sure some of that time is thought on how to make whatever you're doing look better. A little thought goes a long way.
Visit. The last one was a gift of time for others. This suggestion is to be the gift of time with others. Invite a friend to lunch or surprise your spouse with a date, call your mom. Call your brothers. Ask about their lives, their days. Listen. When was the last time you called and it wasn't to share your news? Relationships, all relationships atrophy without care. Giving the care to a friendship is like adding seasoning to meat, it makes it tender, it makes it better.
Play. Invite your children to play. Let the homework wait for 30 minutes. The reason they are here, is to keep us fresh and young in our spirits, that can't happen if our only time together, is duty. Homework, chores, errands, meals, bed. We need to grow our relationships with them beyond physical care too. Otherwise, we're the cheapest bed and breakfast in life, and we won't know them when they grow up, and they won't know us either.
Quiet. Thirty minutes before bed, turn off all the machines. Open a book or take a bath or both. Give yourself a retreat from the over caffinated 24-7 clutter of our electronic age. It will refresh your mind and your spirit. (Don't let yourself read more than a chapter --otherwise it will be 3:17 AM before you finish and that's really hard the next day trust me).
Watch. See how your life is rewritten when you aren't trying to be the author of all of it. You will hear God's whispers in the softer tone of your family's discourse. You will feel His breath in the warmth of your friends company. You will hear God's voice. How do we create a better world filled with salt and light, beauty and peace? Start small. Start at home. Then, don't stop.
We live in a cacophonous age, with constant sound and news and diversion. It can make it hard to hear God's voice. So today, I'm offering a bit of salve: How to be God's voice to others.
Pray. Pray for everyone that ticks you off and everyone you love. I recommend the rosary. Maybe a decade in the car after you catch the morning blips of news and the traffic report. Say a Hail Mary for the Deejays happily chirping about how cool it is that so-and-so moved in with so-and-so and for the so-and-sos involved. List the politicians, the celebrities, the pains and anxieties of your life, and ask a saint to take each of these on, hand them over. We have a litany of saints because we are a litany of sinners. Invoke them all for all of us.
Create beauty. Put fresh flowers at the table. Put away some one's clothes and maybe fluff the bed with an extra pillow. Cleaning for someone else's pleasure is a gift, it gives them time because you gave your time. De-cluttering to give to charity or simply to create a peaceful feeling of the home will have ramifications on your family beyond you not feeling like despairing because it's a mess. Give yourself 15 minutes but be sure some of that time is thought on how to make whatever you're doing look better. A little thought goes a long way.
Visit. The last one was a gift of time for others. This suggestion is to be the gift of time with others. Invite a friend to lunch or surprise your spouse with a date, call your mom. Call your brothers. Ask about their lives, their days. Listen. When was the last time you called and it wasn't to share your news? Relationships, all relationships atrophy without care. Giving the care to a friendship is like adding seasoning to meat, it makes it tender, it makes it better.
Play. Invite your children to play. Let the homework wait for 30 minutes. The reason they are here, is to keep us fresh and young in our spirits, that can't happen if our only time together, is duty. Homework, chores, errands, meals, bed. We need to grow our relationships with them beyond physical care too. Otherwise, we're the cheapest bed and breakfast in life, and we won't know them when they grow up, and they won't know us either.
Quiet. Thirty minutes before bed, turn off all the machines. Open a book or take a bath or both. Give yourself a retreat from the over caffinated 24-7 clutter of our electronic age. It will refresh your mind and your spirit. (Don't let yourself read more than a chapter --otherwise it will be 3:17 AM before you finish and that's really hard the next day trust me).
Watch. See how your life is rewritten when you aren't trying to be the author of all of it. You will hear God's whispers in the softer tone of your family's discourse. You will feel His breath in the warmth of your friends company. You will hear God's voice. How do we create a better world filled with salt and light, beauty and peace? Start small. Start at home. Then, don't stop.
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