Our world is filled with sin and temptations. I know that I didn’t really need to say that, but I figured I would go ahead and throw it out there as a starting point none the less. So you may now be wondering what, exactly, a world filled with sin has to do with you. As teenagers living in the U.S., it has everything to do with you. As I am sure you all know, most of the advertisements we see on TV and billboards, and the internet is directed towards you. In some ways this is a good thing. It means that as young adults in our world, you get to set the stage for most of what happens in the fashion industry. If you all want to wear clothing that shows no respect for your dignity as a child of God, just keep buying it and that is all they will make. But if you stop buying immodest clothing and choose to dress like a child of God, then the industry will pick up on it and the fashion pendulum will swing back the other direction. It is all up to you. The Good Lord knew, of course that we might need some help along the way. When temptation rears its ugly head and comes flying at you across the room, you need a friend. And not just any friend, but a friend who loves God and wants you to love God as much as they do. Imagine, if you will, that Michael Jordan wanted to be your personal basketball coach. I know Michael Jordan has been out of the public scene for a while, but still, he was a man who loved basketball. If he was your personal coach, he would not just teach you how to play basketball, he would want to infect you with his love of the game. He would know that the only way to be the best, is to give it everything you have. You have to love the game. As Catholics, we have much more at stake and much more to love than just basketball. This is one of the reasons that we have the communion of saints “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” If you don’t have a patron saint, I cannot recommend one enough. If you have a confirmation saint, which most of you should, start there. You don’t need to be limited to just one either. Grab yourself a couple. Ask different saints to help you in different areas of your life. If they wrote any books, find them and read them. If you can’t find their books at the library, talk to me and I will see if I can help. If we want to get to heaven, what better way than asking the people who are already there to help us, guide us, and coach us.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Patron Saint: The Michael Jordans or the spiritual life (12-09-2007)
Our world is filled with sin and temptations. I know that I didn’t really need to say that, but I figured I would go ahead and throw it out there as a starting point none the less. So you may now be wondering what, exactly, a world filled with sin has to do with you. As teenagers living in the U.S., it has everything to do with you. As I am sure you all know, most of the advertisements we see on TV and billboards, and the internet is directed towards you. In some ways this is a good thing. It means that as young adults in our world, you get to set the stage for most of what happens in the fashion industry. If you all want to wear clothing that shows no respect for your dignity as a child of God, just keep buying it and that is all they will make. But if you stop buying immodest clothing and choose to dress like a child of God, then the industry will pick up on it and the fashion pendulum will swing back the other direction. It is all up to you. The Good Lord knew, of course that we might need some help along the way. When temptation rears its ugly head and comes flying at you across the room, you need a friend. And not just any friend, but a friend who loves God and wants you to love God as much as they do. Imagine, if you will, that Michael Jordan wanted to be your personal basketball coach. I know Michael Jordan has been out of the public scene for a while, but still, he was a man who loved basketball. If he was your personal coach, he would not just teach you how to play basketball, he would want to infect you with his love of the game. He would know that the only way to be the best, is to give it everything you have. You have to love the game. As Catholics, we have much more at stake and much more to love than just basketball. This is one of the reasons that we have the communion of saints “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” If you don’t have a patron saint, I cannot recommend one enough. If you have a confirmation saint, which most of you should, start there. You don’t need to be limited to just one either. Grab yourself a couple. Ask different saints to help you in different areas of your life. If they wrote any books, find them and read them. If you can’t find their books at the library, talk to me and I will see if I can help. If we want to get to heaven, what better way than asking the people who are already there to help us, guide us, and coach us.
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