Shepherds, sheep, and poverty

A very Merry Christmas season to all! I hope everyone is enjoying some time off and abiding within a sense of greater appreciation for the incarnation. SPIRITUS has off from December 19th to January 2nd; and the beginning of my break was a bit crazy! I arrived home at around 9:30 Friday night and by 8 am Saturday morning my friend Julia and I were on our way to Door County to catch the most of a Catholic Youth Expeditions... expedition. It was so good! I received a boost in my relationship with the Blessed Virgin Mary, spent a lot of time with Jesus, and was able to be in beautiful Door County with some of the world's greatest Catholics. Part of every expedition is some time of formation; and during our formation on Saturday morning we spoke mostly about poverty and death. Wahoo! As morbid as the topics seem the way the Lord touched me through this time was incredible, and I wish to share some of that with you now. Father spoke in his own beautifully human style and one of the things he mentioned was that we can forget that we are poor; according to Johannes Metz there are six ways that humans are poor in spirit. We can try to do things ourselves, or become absorbed in our own vain plans. This is a dangerous path, and we risk deceiving ourselves as King Herod did and even passing right by Jesus; but the Shepherds in their poverty could not afford this "luxury." I imagine there were many a night when the Shepherds out in their fields looked on from a distance to Herod's palace wishing they could trade places with him, thinking of how much better off he was than they. Then the Glory of Heaven made manifest in a child was revealed to them, not Herod;  if Herod only knew how much he had cheated himself! I realized that I was running from my poverty, afraid that God would be scandalized by my weakness. Then a few days later I turned on the T.V. searching for Christmas movies and ran into Pope Francis celebrating midnight mass in Saint Peters Basilica, live, and totally gave up my search for Christmas movies. In his homily, Pope Francis spoke mainly about the tenderness of God; "The message that everyone was expecting, that everyone was searching for in the depths of their souls was none other than the tenderness of God. God who looks upon us with eyes full of Love, who accepts our poverty; God who is in  love with our smallness." I realized in a more profound way how I need not fear my weakness; and I have been praying to know my poverty, because it is through our acknowledgement of our poverty that we are drawn to the Lord. Finally, Father Quinn left us with a quote that I believe is from Aelard Rievaulxs, and please forgive me if I am incorrect! " How could He be more with me? Small like me, weak like me, naked like me, poor like me. In all things, He has conformed Himself to me, taking to Himself what is mine and giving me what is His. I lay dead. There was no voice in me, there were no senses in me, and the very light of my eyes was no longer with me. Today, that Great Man, that Prophet who is powerful in word and in deeds came down to me, put His face and His mouth upon my mouth and His hands upon my hands and thus He became EMMANUEL, 'God with us!'"

We have Purpose

Yesterday, I was on a Confirmation retreat.  My talk is typically the first one, and I always start with an activity called Four Corners.  In this activity, I read a series of statements and the students move to the corner with the sign (Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree) that most aligns with their view.  On this particular retreat, when I read the statement “I believe God has a purpose for my life,” every single student in the room agreed, and some strongly agreed.  The words of a student in the Strongly Agree group struck me:  When I asked why he strongly agreed that God had a purpose for his life, he gave this example: “Suppose you’re my friend, and then one day you’re gone.  That impacts my life.  You have a purpose.”  While his example is uses few words, it gives stunning clarity to the idea that our lives have purpose.  We never know how something we say or do can impact another person’s life.  May we always let our words and actions speak Truth and Love.

Peace,

Katie

We're Never Too Thankful for Thanksgiving

Finding personal meaning in Thanksgiving is harder than you might expect when you’re accustomed to giving thanks for all your blessings every day of the year. I’ve tried hard to do that for a few years now, and the improvements I’ve made in my prayer life thanks to SPIRITUS have helped me to be more thankful than ever this year. Why do I need a holiday to remind me to count my blessings when I can’t think of anything I take for granted in a typical day?

The easiest way to start formulating an answer to this question is to remember that nobody is perfect. No matter how far I advance in my relationship with God, I’ll always be a sinner with improvements to make. Knowing that, I can be thankful anew each day for every improvement I’ve made recently and for my awareness of all the improvements I still need to make.

One of my biggest ongoing challenges this year has been finding a balance between complacency and scrupulosity. As I grow accustomed to the routine of our retreats and other youth ministry work, it becomes harder to motivate myself to give my best effort daily because I don’t want to overwork myself beyond what God is calling me to do. I’ve also had this same kind of struggle lately with my prayer life and SPIRITUS community life.

I often find myself wanting to draw a definite line between relying too much on God to work through me and pushing myself out of my comfort zone too much. I want to see that line and walk along it for as long as possible. By God’s grace, I recognize that even if I could see this line, it’s never a straight line. Staying within the range of virtue between complacency and scrupulosity requires frequent adjustments in one’s prayer life and other daily practices. If it didn’t, we could become complacent on the road to holiness, and that complacency would weaken our relationship with God.

Thank you, God, for the grace to know what I must do to serve You better. Help me to express my gratitude by acting on the wisdom You have given me.

Healing

              After our healing retreat this last week I came to realize that I am a mess! I came to see some of the things that I need healing for in my life. It was  a sad moment to identify these hurts and where they come from and yet at the same time to be so overjoyed at finding them. I was given a chance to better myself - to become the saint I am meant to be! I was able to find things in my life that have hurt me and that are affecting me and my relationships today. This is my opportunity to acknowledge those things and get on with the healing I need to be that saint. I have the opportunity to grow closer to Christ in a way I would never been able to if I didn't learn of those things.

             Sometimes in our lives we forget that others are hurting too; we are so engrossed in our own worries and hurts that we cannot see those around us. We start to accidentally hurt others because we are so afraid of harming ourselves. We need to be aware that everyone needs healing and that if we don't open ourselves up there is no room for growth and new, true relationships. It is amazing the things that we can learn if we just say Yes to God's will.

More than conquerors

HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO COMPETE WITH THESE AWESOMELY BEAUTIFUL BLOGS? Spoiler alert, this is my first blog, I have only a vague concept of what I’m going to write about, and I am just going to start typing. Also, I hit a button so now there is this weird paragraph thing on the screen that will not go away…AHH! Blog start now. Praise the Lord! This has been such a year so far, I could never have imagined half of the things the Lord has had in store for us and we are only a little over three months in. On that happy note, I now transfer to more serious blog writing #russianaccent (is that how you use hashtags?)

      We need reinforcements; things at the center feel dreary, the air is thick with the underlying sense of discouragement, and everyone seems to be trying to “just get by.” All these things are fine for a normal, worldly, dare I say secular mission organization thing; but SPIRITUS is part of the mission of Jesus Christ! I think Sam is right, I think we humans all too easily forget who we are… “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, ‘Abba,Father!’”

      We are not simply organisms who are the result of some mindless series of events leading to a random evolution of species that is ultimately going nowhere, nor are we creatures caught in a hopeless attempt to accent to a God whose relationship with which we have royally screwed up (well... the screwed up part may be true), we are children of God, who never ceases to love us, never ceases to think about us and believe in us! God who thinks we were worth dying for; this same God is calling us to participate in his mission of saving Love. But it does not stop there, it gets even better! This same God who went as far as he could to save us, who loves us infinitely, who calls us into his mission; he is the one who gives us the grace to accomplish the same mission he calls us to. As Dietrich Bonhoffer (sweet name!) says, “He who knows Easter cannot despair.” We must not despair or become discouraged, but hold onto the hope that Jesus Christ brings.

      I have homework for anyone from SPIRITUS who dares to read this blog (also anyone who needs encouragement) , read Romans chapter 8! It so totally rocks,what follows is some scripture taken from a section from the Bible on the USCCB website titles God’s indomitable love in Christ. INDOMITABLE! “What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we are being slain all the day; we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We should take heart, knowing that through Christ we can conquer anything, especially any challenges that may arise while walking the road he has marked out for us. We will not settle for anything less than the Glory (capital G!) of God (also capital G!), we will not settle for simply “getting by,” we are more than conquerors through Christ.

Having a Heart like Mary

     How do I stand in God’s mercy, receive Him daily and not be moved by Him? Well the problem is pretty much in my question. It’s because I am too busy wondering and asking where God is, or what I want Him to change that I do not focus on Him alone. The more I think about this, the more I come to know that when I stop worrying and follow God with a loving heart, everything is good. Mother Mary is the most beautiful representation of this. This past week I have come to realize just how far her love goes for the Lord.

     Worrying is one of my biggest downfalls lately. Worrying can be a good thing but sometimes it just needs to take the back seat. I keep wondering how I can get everything done, will my talk be good enough for someone, will I speak God’s words, did I allow the Spirit to work through me?

     If  I stop for a moment, and just listen to God’s voice He will make everything happen according to His will, which is far more amazing than what I think should happen. Putting the little things into God’s lap is sometimes even harder than the big things. As I was in confession last night the priest brought up Mary, he said to me "know that you are the daughter of God, ask Mary for consolation. You have been following God and you ARE good, stop worrying about the little things."

     When I stop being a worry wart and listen to Jesus, when I close my eyes and soak in His love…. All those problems go away! I just need to allow those stresses to go to the cross. I am just so darn stubborn that I want to take care of all these things myself on my time. But why? Jesus died for us, for you and I, so that we could be saved and dwell in His love for eternity. So WHY in the world am I always so stubborn about all these little things? When I stop and think about Mary's life I am amazed by her love and patience. How amazing it is that through watching her Son die on a cross, she had such love and knew God's plan was the way. 

     Jesus wants us all to give those things up to Him because obviously worrying is just something that takes up time and causes stress. These "issues" will be there if you worry or not, so why not rest in the glory and love that God has already given us and know that He will take care of us? 

     That is my challenge to myself for the week. Stop going crazy over things that are uncontrollable and let the only person who can actually control them, Jesus, take control. Just like Mary did. See the dog in the picture at the top? If only we could all rest under our Mother like that, knowing she will pray for us and extend her Son's graces without fail.

Take the week to really let God’s grace drown you,

“If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking”

Sink to the bottom of the ocean and let God overflow in you, without worrying about the small things.

Jesus I Trust in You...Jesus I Trust in You...Jesus I Trust in You...Amen.

Thank you...

SPIRITUS has been a place of healing and growth—not just for those to whom we minister, but also for ourselves.  We, as a team, because we are human, have a lot of brokenness within us just as all people do.  Yet, it is you with your support—whether it be prayers, donations, funding, or other support—that allow us to keep going and do what we do, while being healed in the process. 

A few days ago, I had the rare opportunity to catch up with a close friend from back home.  After catching up and talking with my friend for about an hour, I was filled with so much joy and love that it overflowed from within me and I wanted to do anything and everything I could for my teammates to share my love with them.  There’s something about talking with those you love and who you know love you that allows you to persist in the face of struggles and obstacles.  While we know God is always there for us, it’s nice to see God working in human form as well, through each of you who support us. 

When I was talking with another friend recently about a different service program, she said that it was “not for the faint of heart.”  I would say that accurately describes SPIRITUS as well.  In these few months, I have been learning to survive on less sleep, deal with early mornings and late nights, and give up control of my schedule knowing that my time is not my own.  Obedience is tough.  Yet, every now and then we are graced to see a tiny sprout from the seeds we plant in those to whom we minister and know that SPIRITUS is truly making a difference:

At the end of each retreat, we hand out evaluations to the students to see what they liked and what we could do better.  The first question always asks how they would describe the retreat.  We’ve been blessed to see “life changing” quite a number of times, and that is definitely affirming to what we do.  Yet, I think the best affirmation comes from a retreat where the students wrote down temptations they faced and “suicide” was among the list.  At the end of the day, on the evaluation, a student wrote that the retreat was “life saving.”  Knowing that we helped even one person realize that their life is worth living makes all the late nights, all the early mornings, the lack of sleep, the frustrations—everything—worth it.

While I share this story, know that you played a role in it.  You saved this young person’s life.  Without you, we couldn’t do what we do.  We need your prayers and support each day to continue in this ministry.  Knowing that you are out there praying for and supporting us makes all the difference.

Yesterday I was privileged to attend the Steubenville Young Adult Conference in Milwaukee with a few of my teammates.  One of the speakers shared this slide:

That’s what you do through your prayers and support.  Every time you send up a Hail Mary for us, you invest in us.  Every time you bake us a casserole or send us cookies, you invest in us.  Each time you send us a word or note of affirmation, a quick text, or a phone call, you invest in us.  By investing in SPIRITUS, you are the ones who hold us up when we stumble and feel like collapsing, when we feel overwhelmed and think we can’t go on.  Yes, God—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is always with us, but He is working through you.  No amount of words or eloquence can adequately describe how much this means to us, so I will simply say it in the best way I know how:

Thank you.

We are Monstrances

            What does it mean to have an encounter with someone? Pope Francis has been calling everyone to reach out and build a culture of encounter. But what does this mean? As I was sitting and listening to Bishop Ricken give a homily at the Leadership Convocation Conference, I was struck again with the thought of what my temporary vocation is here at SPIRITUS. Our mission is simply this: to be that encounter with Christ to all we minister to, whether it is the students, their teachers, our families, the staff or each other. I then wondered: how do we do this? How can I understand what this should look like? How do I ask for the grace to fulfill this call?

As I received the Eucharist and gave thanks, Christ gently whispered the way that He wants us to be His instruments of encounter: we are called to be His monstrance! A monstrance is a gold casing that holds the consecrated Host to be displayed for all to see. The name monstrance comes from the Latin word monstrare, which means “to show.” The monstrance’s job is not to be impressive or to cause one to get lost in its own beauty, but to focus the viewers on its center who is Christ. Its very existence and vocation is to show Christ to all and to be lost in the background as the adorer has that encounter with the One it displays. The monstrance is a necessary instrument for the Exposition of Christ because it is what holds Christ up for all to see and it is beautiful because of its closeness to Christ and to point to the Beauty that it holds.

We are called to be these display cases for Christ. As a monstrance, we are called to bring others close to Christ and bring Him to all we meet; and then, when they have had the encounter with Christ we fade into the background and Christ becomes the center of their attention and love. We also must reflect the love of Christ and that is where our beauty comes from, from the closeness we have to Christ. Whenever one pictures a great saint, they picture someone who has a surreal beauty that shines forth from him or her But this beauty comes only from the proximity that he or she has to Christ, who polishes and brightens all of our lives and makes us into His instruments of love. This is the vocation of all of us on SPIRITUS and for all Christians: to be the instruments of an encounter with Christ and to recognize Christ in others. To be His monstrance! 

Elizabeth Verges

The Father's Love

My heart longs for you, my Father. I have been developing an amazing relationship with all Three Persons of the Trinity for the past year now, but to experience the Father's Love had been a rare occurrence if I even noticed it at all. But on SPIRITUS I have had the privilege and pleasure to go exploring around in the State Parks in Wisconsin. And its there in the wilderness and danger of climbing the bluffs that I feel the thrill of the Father's Love pounding through my vanes and in my heart. My very being comes alive when I connect with the beauty, danger, and adventure that the Father is so excited to share.

God the Father has been the most mysterious for me to get to know. The love He has shown me has been fierce, intense, and at the same time, soft, comforting and gentle. Slowly He has revealed to me His ideals for masculinity and femininity that He Himself instilled in us when He created us in His image and likeness. And then helped me to grow in my own manhood by guiding me and pushing me. In the community here at SPIRITUS I have been able to see Him at work, and revealing Himself to me through my team mates, who are now my adopted family! I hear Him say to me in Mass or at other times of prayer, "These, these are My daughters! They are My delight!" and "My son! Look! Here are your brothers! They are My pride!"

Community Life in Green Bay

Many times I have wondered what it would be like to live in a faith based community. Sure, I contemplated it as a part of religious life and how it would be a sacrifice and a challenge to be in community in order to experience this, but I didn’t think I would have the opportunity or that it would happen like it has. The experience of faith based community has been something I have longed for. Sometimes this yearning wasn’t evident to me, but I think it has been growing and rising in me ever since high school started and now I am living the experience I had thought about but not really given much hope for! I can assuredly say, even after two months, that faith community is a blessing, challenging, and yet, oh so beautiful.

We don’t know what we are made of until we challenge ourselves and are given the opportunity to live in a faith-based environment. We can learn about our spirituality and understand where and who we are with through this positive and uplifting environment. The worlds is so quick to tear at us and try to bring us down through personal doubts and peer pressure and now I know how important a like-minded community is to help with those challenges and can hold you accountable to the goals you set.  I have learned more about myself in two months then I did in the past two years! Crazy?! Yes, but so awesome! God sure has a plan for each of us and just looking at how I ended up here is almost a coincidence. J I didn’t and don’t always see how God is working in my life, but just ask me about how I ended up on Spiritus sometime!

I challenge and encourage you to look into your life and see how God has been moving in your lives! It is incredible to look even just a month back and see what God is trying to do. If there isn’t something that comes to mind, maybe ask yourself how you could change that. God is always there but He won’t come unless invited. Invite Him and live!

That Others May be Chosen and We Set Aside

Everyone on the team came here almost two months ago with their own unique prayer routines. Since then we’ve all taught each other new prayers, some of which have been tremendously helpful to us in our spiritual journeys. The most helpful prayer I’ve learned since joining SPIRITUS has been the Litany of Humility. I had never heard this prayer until the team prayed it together on the way to our very first retreat of the year. In case you’ve never heard it, the Litany of Humility is a prayer in which we ask Jesus to free us from the desires to be honored and praised, from the fears of being humiliated and wronged, and to help us want others to be more favored than us in all aspects of life.

I find it so challenging to pray the Litany of Humility and sincerely believe the words as I say them because rejection has caused me so much suffering throughout my life. When we pray the Litany of Humility, we ask Jesus to have us experience and embrace rejection from the world so that His love may be our only consolation. As much as I strive to be a saint, I struggle to desire that kind of humility with all my heart because of my memories of suffering from rejection.

My greatest growth in humility over the last few years has come from the realization that what other people think of me isn’t anywhere near as important as I once thought it was. But I still struggle to have a humble outlook regarding rejection by employers and other institutions because I worry so much about my professional and financial future. Before I got accepted to SPIRITUS this past spring, I spent so much time worrying I’d be rejected, but I kept telling myself it’d be OK if it happened because it would have been part of God’s plan for me. From the moment I decided to apply, I knew SPIRITUS would be a great opportunity for me to serve God in a bigger way than I ever had before and to launch what I hope will be a lifelong career in Catholic ministry. Satan tempted me to believe that if SPIRITUS rejected me, so did God.

It’s easier to say in hindsight, but I know I would have been just fine even if SPIRITUS had rejected me. No matter what I would have ended up doing instead, I’d still be glorifying God by offering my life to Him. Faith assures me that maintaining this humble outlook will only yield abundant grace.

The Giver

Yesterday I went to the Confession, and like most people I was nervous, especially because I didn't know this priest very well.

“Father, forgive me for I have sinned…” and I started going through my laundry list. Suddenly, Father stopped me: “Sam. Say what you just said one more time.”

“I was on my day off, and I used my time by watching my TV shows for six hours on my computer in my room.”

My day off. My time. My TV shows. My computer. My room.

"Pay attention to that word 'my,'" he said. "It seems like you might feel like you have a sense of entitlement – like you think you deserve some time away from doing God’s will; as if the rest of the week is for God, and this portion here is just yours to do with it as you like.”

He was absolutely right. I had separated myself from God for those hours. I had claimed that time for myself, and said, “God, stay out. This is mine.”

Upon further reflection, I realize that I do this all the time. I give this much time to God, and once I’ve checked that obligation off my list, I can go back to “me time”... Don't we all do this? We all say, “Alright God, I went to Mass. I gave you your hour. The rest of Sunday afternoon is mine.” Or… “I prayed grace over my meal, checked that off my list.”

God wants more. God wants everything.

You know, I used to think when I heard this that God is stingy. “God, I can’t give you all my time – What will be left for me!?  I can’t give you all my energy – What will be left for me!?  I can’t give you my whole life – What will be left for me!?”

But God doesn’t want to take away or withhold from us; he wants to give. God's nature is total gift, and that's what he loves to do more than anything else! God doesn’t take our time away from us – he multiplies it! When we give our time to God, he makes it holy, productive, beautiful, glorious. He makes it NEW.

Now, to give our time to God doesn’t mean we need to spend every waking moment in front of the Eucharist (but props to the nuns who do that!) … It means that everything that we do, every conversation we speak, every thought in our mind,… We can give these to God, simply by saying “God, this is for you.” We can give him our joy and our pain. Our health and our sickness.

And when we “offer it up” – when we say, “God, this is for you,” God gives it back to us, and makes it better than before. Because “God will not let himself be outdone in generosity.” (St. Josemaría Escrivá) The more we offer ourselves to him, the more he will give back to us!

I'm as bad as the next guy at "offering it up" – especially when I'm having a bad day. But I find that when I do, God absolutely transforms it and makes it NEW. I invite you – join me in my attempts to give everything I have to God, and constantly offer myself: “Everything I have is for you.”

After all, wouldn't he do the same for us?

Yes. Yes he would.

- Sam
@TheAfroSam
facebook.com/TheAfroSam
spiritussam@gmail.com

Rejoice in the Lord Always!

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” Philippians 4:4

 As St. Paul tells us, we must rejoice in all situations. If you had asked me last year if I would be rejoicing over waking up at 5:45 in the morning to prepare for a retreat, I would have said you were crazy. However, this was my attitude as my alarm clock greeted me. Joining SPIRITUS has helped me realize that sacrifices are necessary for the sake of sharing God’s love with others. He has given me the grace to rejoice even when I do things that I find unpleasant- like waking up very early in the morning. I am able to find joy of participating in the mission of SPIRITUS, which is to ignite the faith of Catholic youth. Jesus commands us to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19),and being a part of SPIRITUS allows me to follow His request. Throughout retreats I have seen students who were originally closed off become more open to to speaking about their faith. Our small group discussions help the youth think of concrete ways to live out their faith and become more aware of the need of God in their lives.

 The joy of the Lord is my strength as I make more sacrifices for the sake of this ministry. The past couple weeks have been exhausting, with continual training and several retreats under my belt. But because God has filled me with His love through prayer and daily Mass, I have found that it has been a happy, joyful, and fulfilling exhaustion. Even when I am weak- when I am unable to reign in unruly students or am overwhelmed with the numerous sessions I must prepare, God gives me the strength to go on. I know that God will continue to bless myself and the rest of the SPIRITUS team with His joy and love as we continue to share the Gospel with all we meet.

God's grace

I had a friend from home who told me, “don’t change too much while you’re gone”. Well I haven’t changed at all, I am just slowly transforming more and more into the woman God has created me to be. I am becoming myself.

No these aren't drastic differences, but they are little things that I see God created me for. If I listen I can hear the Holy Spirit, that calm voice is easier to connect to. I am blessed with each moment the Spirit comes upon me.

Receiving the Eucharist all week long has caused my heart to beat harder when it comes time for communion. The moment the priest walks down from the altar with the Eucharist, I am so excited to walk up that aisle into God's arms.

My relationship with God is growing deeper and deeper, its really stretching me out of my comfort zone and I love it. That Oceans song, “ Spirit lead me where my trust is without boarders, let me walk upon the waters, wherever you will call me” has a whole new meaning to me. God seems to call me to something little, but something new every single day.

No, I am not a saint, but I am happy to feel God so much around me and within me. SPIRITUS has made what seemed impossible to me, an actuality. Daily, I wake up and work to bring God closer to others. There is nothing more my heart desires than to share the love I keep feeling, more every day, with everyone around me. If that means a smile, or just the face of love, I want to strive to give that.

Prayer shapes my day and it calms my heart. Instead of worrying I pray and Jesus has been doing a great job at taking any problems and turning them into blessings.

Waking up to a beautiful church right outside the window is a dream come true. There is so much more I could write about but I think this explains my greatest joys so far. This next 8 months will be such a blessing and I am looking forward to every moment.

And so it begins

Unfurl the sails, and let God steer us where He will. - St. Bede

When I first heard about SPIRITUS I knew that I was going to have to stop ignoring God, and let him "steer" my life. As started this journey a month ago I had no idea what to expect. Especially since my first experience was spending 10 hours in Milwaukee with two great team members, waiting for another who was flying in.  

Since then we have been going through rigorous SPIRITUS training. I wouldn't have it any other way though. Personally I have grown an insane amount this last month, and I don't think I’d be overreaching to say that the team has also grown a ton as well. All this training came to fruition on Sunday September 7th when we had our first retreat! Unfortunately being part of the Green bay team I had a previous engagement, however I heard that it went superbly! Everyone who had sessions were pleased with how well it went. The Holy Spirit was definitely working through the SPIRITUS team on Sunday.

Today the Green Bay team left the rest of the flock and are in there new homes. I am actually writing this in the "Hang out" of the Xavier house with Father working behind me. With the separation of the teams there was an air of sadness, but also an air of excitement for new beginnings.

Do you know when you just, know something? Like for example, that apples grow from trees, beds are way to comfortable in the morning, and that God is good. Seeing how the Lord has been working through this team I know it's going to be a year filled with blessings and wonder. I can't explain how, but I know without a doubt that this is where I belong, with this crazy family that God has brought together!

Called by Name

Greetings, SPIRITUS blog readers!

I’m so overjoyed to be here on SPIRITUS! It’s the first time I’ve ever lived far away from my home city of Philadelphia. A couple years ago, I never would have imagined God calling me so far away to serve Him. The chain of events that led me to Wisconsin was something only the good Lord could have planned. When we had our opening retreat at Camp Tekakwitha two weeks ago, my teammates and I all shared our stories of how we ended up joining SPIRITUS, and it was remarkable to hear how many of us never would have thought to apply if it hadn’t been for some improbable occurrence. Many of us are here thanks to the tireless efforts of our awesome recruiter Andrea, but it’s clear that the most influential person in bringing us all here was the Divine Person of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit chose each of us very purposefully for this ministry. We’ve already started to see some of the awesome things God can do through us when we take the unique set of spiritual gifts each of us has and use them as a team. Some of us are great at leading group prayers, others use their musical gifts to help us have powerful praise and worship sessions, and still others have a gift for helping the team stay on task when we have work to do. As we continue to prepare for our first retreat with the youth this weekend, we’re figuring out who has the strengths we need for every part of our retreats, and so far we haven’t run into anything that none of us can do well. It doesn’t seem like our complimentary spiritual gifts are a coincidence; it seems like God called each of us here by name because He knew we would form exactly the kind of team He wanted.

We’re all so blessed to be here, and we’re not taking it for granted. We pray every day for the youth we serve, the benefactors of SPIRITUS, and our own spiritual growth. The graces we receive from being here are immeasurable, and we’re looking forward to getting more joy from sharing those graces with others than we get from receiving them. Please keep the whole team in your prayers throughout this year, and we will do the same for you.

After only two and a half weeks here, I can already say I love Wisconsin and SPIRITUS! God bless!

We're Back!

Hello long lost blog readers!

It has been some time since anyone has posted on the blog. That's because team five has gone their separate ways and the Mount Tabor Center is preparing for team six to begin TOMORROW!

Team five is taking what they learned from SPIRITUS to all different parts of the country. Some are continuing to be youth evangelizers as they have jobs in youth ministry, others are being witnesses to their families back at home, and still others are going to grad school for Theology. Plus there are four of us returning for another year of SPIRITUS. It has been really cool for me to see what everyone is doing and I'm anxious to see where God will take them next. And of course, I miss them all dearly!

As for me, I've been at the Mount Tabor Center working this summer. I was the coordinator for an amazing program called Totus Tuus in the Green Bay Diocese. It was such a great summer where I was lucky enough to spend my time with awesome young adults and cute little kids. What's better than that?

Now I'm back for team six! I'm the coordinator for the team in Menasha. I've learned so much being on the team the past two years and have grown tremendously in knowledge of myself and God so I'm excited to see what God has in store for me this year. Right now, the musicians for team six have come to Mount Tabor and we have been playing guitar and singing so much that my fingers hurt. But it's been great to jam out. The rest of the team comes tomorrow and that's when it all begins! We start our opening retreat on Monday and head to Camp Tek on Tuesday. From then on it's nonstop training craziness which will prepare all the newbies for a beautiful year of ministry.

Please pray for all the new team members who are traveling to Menasha in the next 24 hours. Please also pray for us, as SPIRITUS team six, as we begin our time together that we may have a fruitful year and that God may use us to bring others into His Kingdom. We will make sure to pray for all of you as well!

For the Kingdom!

A Look Back

A couple days ago, I officially retired from SPIRITUS. But before I go, I wanted to share what an awesome three years my time in Wisconsin was.

I arrived at the Appleton airport with no idea what I had signed up for. I really wasn't even sure that there was actually going to be someone to come pick me up when I landed. Fortunately, I did get picked up and was soon introduced to Mt. Tabor Center and all of my awesome teammates from Team 3.

In that year, we did 160 retreats and evangelized about 6,000 young people. I met some incredible high school students through our Teen Disciples Bible study at Mt. Tabor. (This year, I was confirmation sponsor for one of those students.) It was an awesome year, and I probably grew more in those nine months than I did in my first six years of being Catholic. (I entered the Church when I was a sophomore in high school.)

My second year was the beginning of some big changes for SPIRITUS. We started a youth ministry program at St. Patrick's in Menasha. I don't think I've ever been as busy as I was that year, but it was amazing. Kate, Rachel, and I were able to build some great relationships with young people, especially middle school students, right in our own neighborhood. Some of them started high school this year, and they are just on fire for Jesus!

This past year was another year of big changes for me. I lived with Noah and Fr. Schuster in De Pere, which I enjoyed immensely. I got way more experience with parish life, as we threw ourselves full-time into youth ministry. I got to teach some religious education classes in addition to running retreats and fun events. I also got to experience the administrative side of things, which I didn't enjoy as much as the ministry, but it was still a great foundation for me. And finally, I started working on a master's degree in theology.

I can't possibly describe all of the things I have done through SPIRITUS in the past three years (or more accurately, all of the things Jesus has done through me while I've been part of SPIRITUS), nor can I express how grateful I am for the time I've had with this ministry. I pray that all of our benefactors, supporters, future and former team members, Mt. Tabor staff, and, most importantly, the youth we serve continue to be tremendously blessed as SPIRITUS carries the mission into yet another fantastic year!

Four Words

As I near the end of my time here on SPIRITUS (12 days!) it's hard not to reflect on all that's happened. It's been an amazing experience and I'm all the better for it but the question that comes to mind is how do I know I'm all the better for it? How does the girl who arrived in Wisconsin back in August compare to the girl now about to get back on that plane and head home 9 months later? Well, it all comes down to four words:

"I'll pray for you." 

Yes, measuring my 9 months of growth is actually as simple as those four words. Nine months ago I was in a place where my faith was very private in a sense. I wasn't someone who would go around starting conversations about it and definitely would not have been as bold (at least in my mind) as to say "I'll pray for you." Now reflecting back, I can actually see the stages of my growing confidence and ability to talk about this area of my life through my use of these four words.

Stage 1: Teammates- This was an easy one because they were all saying it so there was really no chance of them feeling uncomfortable about it.

Stage 2: Brother- This one took a little more "courage" because he's at a different place with his faith right now and I wasn't sure if he would feel annoyed with me or think I was pushing my faith on him. He responded with a thanks so turns out it didn't start a big confrontation. Who would have thought haha

Stage 3: Catholic Friends- One of my friends experienced a death in her family and while using these four words was a new step for us I knew it was something that needed to be said and not just done. I think it caught her off guard a little at first but even so I realized that nothing bad was going to come from me saying it.

Stage 4: Students on Retreat- They expected us to be these "super religious" people so it wouldn't have been weird for them to hear it but even so it scared me to be vulnerable with them in this way. One retreat I said it to one of the girls I had prayed 1-on-1 with as she was leaving. She stopped mid-tracks, turned around, and said "Thank you! That deserves a hug" and gave me a huge hug with tears in her eyes. This was the first moment I truly saw how powerful those four words could be.

Stage 5: Non Catholic Friends- This scared me a lot because I really had no idea how they would react to it but when one friend was dealing with a terrible illness in her family I didn't think twice about it. A month or so later things took a turn for the worse and she actually reached out to me ASKING for prayers. This astonished me but also melted my heart. I was so thankful that she felt comfortable coming to me to ask for this. I again realized the impact these four simple words could have.

Stage 6: Strangers- I never thought I'd see the day when I would tell a complete stranger that I'd pray for them. Well that day came about a week ago. I went to get my haircut and the hairdresser and I got into a conversation about what I do which got her to ask even more questions about my faith and the likes. By the end of the appointment we had had a great conversation. Right after paying I mustered up the courage to tell her I'd pray for her. She looked a little taken aback at first but then her face softened and she seemed genuinely pleased. It was a great moment where I realized that doing and saying things in genuine sincerity are more thank likely not going to offend people.

All in all these 9 months have been full of amazing growth and I could not be more thankful for God leading me here! Know that I am praying for all you blog readers both now and future. Never underestimate the power of prayer and the power of those four simple words, "I'll pray for you." :) God Bless!

Wisdom

Wow! I can’t believe that the end of Spiritus year is almost here! We have only a few weeks left. This year had a lot of blessings. One of the blessings has been wisdom. I received a lot of insights about life and how to live.

One insight was from Romans Chapter 2- “No matter who you are, if you pass judgment you have no excuse. In judging others you condemn yourself, since you behave no differently from those you judge.”

I have noticed, especially when living in community, the things that people do that bothers me the most, I do myself. For example, one time a team member stole my seat, and this made me mad and I wanted to judge him. Then a day later I stole a team member’s seat and I laughed when I did it. It really is humbling that a lot of things that I want to judge or condemn others, I do myself. It seems we are more inclined to judge because we are more aware of the weakness and/or it is something in ourselves that we don’t like. Humility is the key and only God’s grace can keep you humble. There is a definite peace about not always being at war with others by judging them, in order to try to convince ourselves of the lie that we are the best, while also overlooking our weaknesses. Pride is a moral disorder, and it is the root of all sin.

By “never judging” we should mean not thinking we are better than other people. Of course by “never judging others” shouldn't use to reinforce our culture’s moral relativism. Which is belief in no absolute moral laws and everything comes down to an individual’s emotional and intellectual consciousness. It just becomes a defense mechanism when is told (even when it is out of love for the other person) that is it better for them if they don’t act in a certain way or they should start acting in a certain way, they claim “who are you to say that?” Its not that they think they are better, but there are objective moral truths. 

God Bless,

Dennis

TWO NEW Saints

        Today is Divine Mercy Sunday and it is also the canonization of two AWESOME popes, Saint John Paul II and Saint John XXIII. Although, I do not know much about Saint John XXIII I know he deserves the title of AWESOME for two reasons : one he was the Pope and two he is now a Saint. Probably anyone reading this knows why Saint JPII is considered AWESOME.
        Now, I am not going to talk much about these two new Saints because your news feed whether it be on Facebook, Twitter, or Email has already told you what you need to know.  I want to talk to you all about becoming a saint, whether it be a little s saint or a big S Saint. We are all called to be saints, as in get to heaven. We are all different and we are all called to be saints in our own way. The Catholic Church shows us that through the many different saints we have in our church.  Live your life out to become the saint you are meant to be. I hope to see you all on the other side in God's full glory!
         I will leave you with a quote from Saint John Paul II and Saint John XXIII

  "Do not be afraid. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity. Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." -Saint John Paul II

  "Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do." Saint John XXIII

Because of Him

Happy Easter, He is Risen!!! I hope all of you had a beautiful Tridumm. I pray that this season of joy, hope and love brings you ever closer to our Lord Jesus Christ. I hope that this Easter season you see just how much the Lord's love runs so deep. That these next fifty days leading up to Pentecost you journey with the Lord, sharing with others the hope, peace, joy and the courage to change it all around for Him.

Just as Pope Francis said in his Easter message,

"That is why we tell everyone: "Come and see!" In every human situation, marked by frailty, sin and death, the Good News is no mere matter of words, but a testimony to unconditional and faithful love: it is about leaving ourselves behind and encountering others, being close to those crushed by life's troubles, sharing with the needy, standing at the side of the sick, elderly and the outcast. "Come and see!": Love is more powerful, love gives life, love makes hope blossom in the wilderness." -Urbi Et Orbi, Pope Francis

I feel like he is somewhat speaking to us here on SPIRITUS, as we encounter the children, teens and youth adults in this ministry, sharing Jesus' love with them. I love Pope Francis. I am so thankful for this reminder, it gives me that little push to make that change this Easter season haha. One more time, I pray that this Easter season fills you with joy, hope and love. Christ is Risen, Alleluia!!!

What a Great Day Looks Like

Hello! It's been a long time since I've posted anything up here, but I just wanted to share some of the AWESOME things going on with our SPIRITUS Youth Ministry at Resurrection Parish in Green Bay.

Yesterday was a long, crazy day, but it was soooo awesome! The entire Green Bay team dropped by Notre Dame Middle School (right next door to where Noah and I live!) to visit one of our fellow youth ministers and get some fantastic insights into how to build great relationships with the youth we minister to. Then, it was off to the office for a whirlwind of preparation for our Young Neighbors in Action retreat. The YNIA group at Resurrection consists of 19 teens and 5 adults who will be taking a mission trip to Nebraska this summer. (Young Neighbors in Action is a ministry of the Center for Ministry Development. You can read more about it here.)

First, the teens were given their sweet T-shirts, designed by them at our last meeting back in January. Then, everyone piled into cars to visit the Oneida Cultural Center, where we learned a LOT about the culture and history of the Oneida Nation. The YNIA trip in July will take place at the St. Augustine Mission, which serves the Omaha and Winnebago tribes, so this background gives our teens just a little bit of a head start on understanding the people they will be serving.

After that, everyone returned to Resurrection for some pizza and other treats. The students enjoyed the chance to stretch, chat, and absorb the information they had just taken in. Meanwhile, we were busily running around, printing out some last-minute handouts for the students. I also had to go pick up the pizza, which I like to think I delivered at exactly the right time. (Though I don't think anyone is about to hire me as a pizza delivery driver!) In any case, the teenagers were quite hungry and devoured the food.

After a short presentation about our deep obligation as Catholics to enter into the mission of Jesus by "proclaiming good news to the poor" (see Luke 4:18) and a great discussion about how to prepare our hearts and souls to do that on the YNIA mission trip, we got to the most anticipated part of the night: PAINTING! I was able to get last-minute permission on Tuesday to let the teens paint our youth room (thus leading to a last-minute trip to purchase paint that made my day much more exciting than expected, to say the least), and they did an AWESOME job! Take a look!

Just adding a little color.

A small army of dedicated teenagers attack the large, white wall.

Working as a team. 

Painting a wall yellow naturally puts a smile on your face!

After the teens left for the night, Julie got into the painting as well. I don't have a picture of the entire wall, but this gives a pretty good idea of what it will eventually look like.

Do You Have a Favorite Bible Story?

Hello blog readers! I pray that Jesus is blessing you abundantly and Mary is helping you love like her!

For our youth ministry programs, Friday is a day we look forward to. On Fridays we have a program called Drop-In for middle school students. It's a time where middle schoolers can come hang out, eat snacks and learn a little about their faith in the process. Every week we have a Bible verse from the upcoming Sunday's Gospel reading and we usually do an activity that helps teach about the Bible passage. Today I was starting to get ready for this Friday's Drop-In by reading the Sunday's Gospel. And guess what?! It is my all time favorite Bible story! I started reading it and a huge smile spread across my face as I read about how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Now you might be asking, why does Rachel love that Bible story so much? Well let me explain.

In the Gospel of John, it tells us that Jesus got word that his friend, Lazarus, was ill and was about to die. Jesus and His apostles travel to see Lazarus but he is dead before they get there. When Jesus arrives both Martha and Mary (Lazarus' sisters) meet Jesus and tell Him that Lazarus has died. Then comes my favorite verse of the whole Bible (John 11:35) that says, "Jesus wept". That's it. It's the shortest verse in the Bible but my absolute favorite. It's my favorite because Jesus shows His humanity. He also shows us that we are not alone, especially if someone close to us in our life has died. Jesus loved Lazarus and when He heard that he had died and saw his sisters crying, He wept himself. This passage gives encouragement to us all that no matter what we are going through in our lives, Jesus is right there with us. When we cry, He's right there beside us crying too. This idea has given me so much comfort, especially the past few years, as I have dealt with the death of someone close to me.

But the story doesn't end there! Jesus then brings Lazarus back to life. This is where Jesus shows His divinity and gives a foretaste of His own resurrection. I can't read that story and not get pumped because GOD WINS! Death isn't the final answer. Salvation is ready and waiting for us. Praise the Lord!

That, in a nutshell, is why I absolutely love this Bible story. I could just keep writing more and more about this story but this post is long enough already. But I do have a question for you: do you have a favorite Bible story? If so, leave a comment because I would LOVE to hear them!

Do It Anyway

Many times we get discouraged when we try to do the right thing because oftentimes it is met with anger, resentment, envy, etc.  I know that this happens to me when I try to evangelize on SPIRITUS.  I know it has happened to me when living in community that sometimes my actions are viewed differently oftentimes with impatience and resentment then what I intended.  Even on retreats, some of the youth will judge you as a fool which hurts, however does that mean that we stop pushing forward? Do we stop following in Christ’s footsteps? NO!!! Remember What Would Jesus Do. People mocked Him yet He loved them anyways. The soldiers beat and tortured Him yet He forgave them anyways. People turned away from Him when His teachings were difficult to grasp yet He called after them anyways. Do we give up when the times get difficult? No. If we are supposed to be Christians aka Little Christ’s then we need to also act like Him. Here is a great poem to meditate on by Mother Theresa who did walk in the footsteps of Christ:

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;

It was never between you and them anyway.

Those Sweet Attachments

It is the second week of Lent and we are slowly but surely making our way closer to Easter and the Resurrection of our Lord! This year I decided to give up sweets (i.e. chocolate, cookies, ice cream, etc.) and limit my TV intake to at most 1 hour a day. (This second one is more to keep me from binge watching on our day off.) I've given up sweets many times before for Lent, like most of us I presume, so I didn't think I was in for that big of shock to my system. Man was I wrong. I don't think you realize just how prevalent sweets are on SPIRITUS. Whether it's donut Sunday after Mass, or someone baked brownies for Bible study, or people decide to go out for pie on Pi day, they are EVERYWHERE. In fact just today we got an e-mail that one of the SPIRITUS board members bought us a bunch of Girl Scout cookies AND other desserts that would be delivered to us one at a time over this week.... Seriously?! It also doesn't help when all you want it just a little something sweet to round off your meal. Just one Hershey Kiss that's all I ask!

While this "suffering" has been slowly torturing me, it has also been extremely humbling and eye opening. There have been sooo many times when I just feel that deep craving for chocolate but I'll have to keep telling myself no or I'll try to fill the desire with something else. This is unhealthy. This is an attachment. This is what it's like to be addicted to sin. No I'm not saying chocolate is a sin BUT when you're attached to something it is so deeply rooted in you that you don't even realize how much power you've given it. With this power it is able to change your perception of it. It no longer looks like sin but rather something normal and routine in your life. It now becomes abnormal and uncomfortable when you try to go against the sin. That is what's scariest, when sin and virtue switch places without you even noticing.

This Lent I'm working on my attachments and perceptions of these attachments. This includes the obvious attachment to sweets and TV but I'm also going even deeper. I'm trying to recognize those ideas, points of view, and ways of doing things that are so routine and normal for me but may actually be holding me back. It's when we realize what our attachments are that we can then determine why they are there and if they are healthy or not. My challenge to you this Lent is to take a look at your own attachments, reflect on them, and start detaching from the areas that are either holding you back from a greater good or are leading you into temptation and sin. By doing so you'll not only set yourself free from these things that have grown to control you but you will also be opening up a lot more room for God and the things HE wants you to be focusing on.

"Even when the goals we are aiming at are excellent in themselves, attachment to our own 'wisdom' may be a seriously bad obstacle in the way of docility to the Holy Spirit."
-Jacques Philippe, In the School of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is with us!

Hello Everyone! God is good!

I can't believe how fast the week has gone by! I kept thinking I knew what the topic of my blog post would be, and then I would get this nagging feeling that I should wait. Retreats have been so awesome and Holy-Spirit-inspired lately! I can feel Him working more and more through us as we become more open vessels for His divine will. I truly believe, more than ever, that we have the perfect name for our ministry: SPIRITUS. Yes. Every day the Holy Spirit is here, whispering to us, loving us, inspiring us.

Is anyone else excited that we started lent? I know people usually see it as a somber time when they are tempted in the "desert" of life. But, the way I see it, we're all in the desert all the time. Lent is the time when we slow down a little, reflect more, give up things we t-h-i-n-k we need but really don't need, and take on extra tools to help us conquer our temptations and start over with our spiritual/religious lives. I see it as a time to actually bolster my resolve to be a better Catholic and to go deeper in my faith. This makes me joyful.

So what does that have to do with the mission of SPIRITUS? Everything. SPIRITUS is an amazing place to serve and live because we have the opportunity every week to grow our own faith in formation and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. This week we watched "Mary of Nazareth" as part of our formation and we met with our spiritual directors on Thursday, right after the start of lent. If that wasn't enough to set our spirits on fire for the Lord, reconnecting us with the humanness of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, lent started and we began to pray and fast on Wednesday. I know I struggle to accomplish everything I've set out to do, but God takes us back lovingly and encourages us never to give up on growing closer to Him! I can attribute my increased zeal and inspiration during my talks to the Holy Spirit primarily, but also to my prayerful mindset of trust to even ask the Holy Spirit in the first place.

Since Ash Wednesday, I wake up when my alarm rings and pray morning offering. If you've never prayed a morning offering before, I encourage you all to start now, not because it is the special time of year where we do so, but because it might just change your life! You might start and never stop. A morning offering is a simple, short prayer where we offer up our entire day, with all of its struggles and small triumphs, setbacks and joys, to Jesus (and, if you want, through Mary's Immaculate Heart). I find it gives me the mind frame right from the beginning that I CAN conquer this thing called morning (I've never been a morning person), but that I also have God on my side all day; no matter what happens, God is going to be doing His part to make something beautiful come out of it. Our desire to please Him does please Him. We must believe that with our whole hearts, because he loves us SO MUCH. You would cry for joy if you knew how much He loves you.

I am abundantly grateful for the opportunity to be on retreat last weekend and this weekend and to attend the Feminine Genius conference at St. Pius Church in Appleton. I thank you all for your continued prayers and support because we are storming the heavens with them, and I am here to tell you that the Holy Spirit is listening and He is giving this ministry good fruits. Children are challenged, stretched, loved, changed because of the time they spend with us, all by the grace of God.

We are keeping you all in prayer too! May God be on your minds and your heart and bless you this Lenten season.

With Christ's peace and fortitude,

Emily

Try something new!

           We started off Lent on Ash Wednesday, receiving ashes on our foreheads to humble our hearts and to help remind us of where we came from. This is a season of humility and sacrifice where we prepare ourselves for the coming of Easter:  Christ's Resurrection. It is also a time to help us grow into the men and women that God has made us to be.  This season helps to remind us that we are not yet who we are meant to be and though we are all sinners God has redeem us.
            Lent gives us many opportunities to realize that we cannot just rely on ourselves.  Only through God's great grace and our trust in him can we become the person that we are meant to be. This is the season to try something new, to help us grow.  Here are some possible suggestions:  going to confession and Mass more often; reading a spiritual book and the bible; going to Adoration and spending time with our Lord talking to Him and letting Him change your life.

Praise the Lord!
Just yesterday my SPIRTUS bros and....gal friends had a really inspiring day of prayer and formation yesterday! Being able to go down to the Holy Resurrection Monastery of St. Nazian's and spend some time with our brothers of the Eastern Catholic Rite was a blessing. Bing able to join in the Byzantine form of the mass called Divine Liturgy was a powerful experience that of course reached its climax in the reception of the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

One thing about the Divine Liturgy that really struck me was that between the altar where the sacrifice of the mass was taking place and the place where we were there was a wall with three doors. The door on the left had a picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary or as our brothers at Holy Resurrection Monastery would call her the Theotokos meaning: one who gives birth to God. The door on the right had a picture of the Christ displayed in both justice and mercy. The door in the middle was open but it had a curtain or a veil that was able to be slid so as to cover the door. I was told by a brother there named Brother Ambrose that this seeming separation between the priest and the people was far from that. The three doors and icons formed what is called an Iconostasis and its purpose was to help us remember that not only are the priest and the faithful participating in this Divine Feast but all of heaven the thrones, the choirs of angels, the cherubim, the great six-winged seraphs, the great elders, patriarchs and prophets, the martyrs, and all the saints have come to worship the Ancient One, God Almighty through the Body and Blood of His Son, Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit in this tiny little chapel where we stood. It is amazing that we were not overcome with the weight of such glory! And we knew heaven was there, not just because of the Iconostasis which by the way was pretty sweet, but because when we went up to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ we had faith. "Blessed are they who have not seen me and yet believe." Brothers and sisters Christ had called us to believe, to believe in His divinity, His mission, His death and resurrection, His ascension and glorification, His second coming, and in the everlasting love that we got to get a little taste of during the Divine Liturgy at Holy Resurrection Monastery in St. Nazian's Wisconsin.

To Really Give the Devil a Good Fight

Hello blog readers! I hope and pray that God is giving you endurance to get through the last few months of winter. We have been keeping busy with our retreat schedule which helps us forget about the weather…for the most part. This past weekend we experienced spiritual warfare on our retreat. Satan tried to trip us up through certain incidences such as losing car keys, waking up late, and ultimately discouragement. Luckily, we were able to pinpoint that this was happening to us in order to not let it get to us. To quote some lyrics from Danielle Rose’s song, “The Saint That Is Just Me,” it was somewhat a compliment that we were getting attacked because we were, “to really give the devil a good fight.” There was quite the happy ending to this retreat; even if we didn’t see the results we trust that God used us to better His kingdom. One of my favorite books of all time is “The Screwtape Letters,” by C.S. Lewis. If you have not read it, go pick up a copy NOW! It has great insight on spiritual warfare and the tactics that Satan uses to get to us. I knew that going into SPIRITUS not everything would be easy. There would be trials or things that would prevent us from our work, whether division between teammates or anxiety about sharing our stories with the youth. Despite these things, we are beyond blessed that God has already won this battle. He helps us stay focused on what is important, for instance God really opened my eyes on a retreat to why the mission of SPIRITUS is vital. We had time for the students to ask us questions in a panel format. One question that shocked me was, “Is the youth worth it?” My initial response was, “YES!” It hurt to know that some of these youth feel unworthy or that they think we are wasting our time on them. Even if the students seem discouraged or completely closed off doesn’t mean God is not working on their hearts. Even if one student experiences God’s love, it is worth it! Their heart is worth it! Their soul is worth it! “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 8:38-39

Forgiveness

1^st John 4:20-  “If any one says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.”

It is clear that not hating others presupposes being able to love God. This can be a major block from having a relationship with God. Throughout our lives, people do things to us that hurt us and upset us. We feel that people treat us unjustly and we can respond with hate. Making judgments about the people one has a hard time with, fuels the problem. But there is good news; forgiveness is the way to set you free. Jesus often mentioned how we need to forgive and how necessary it is to be a disciple.

Often, we try to forgive others from the head but the heart doesn't let it go. I have found in my life that confession helps to forgive others. When we receive the mercy and love from God, it is easier to have mercy and love for others. There is also a reward for forgiving: Luke 6:37-“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Therefore, the more that we don’t judge or forgive the more we will be rewarded now and in heaven. 

God Bless,

Dennis

The Power of One

Hello bloggers! I hope life finds you doing well, loving this wintery weather. I sure am, haha. I've been meditating one the phrase above, "The Power of One," seems to be everywhere these days. Especially in a conversation I had with one my sisters in Christ. As we were talking, it was wonderful to see that someone else shared the same thought, "Even if I only touched one kid's heart during this year, that's a job well done." Well something to that matter. Hold on to that thought.

We're in the busiest time of ministry with many retreats, bible studies, youth ministry events, with all of that a thought creep-ed into my mind, "Am I really making a difference?" Granted those are are all lies from Satan. As I met with my Spiritual Director last week she said that JESUS Christ was that ONE. It all started coming together. Jesus Christ made the ONE sacrifice on the cross for us. Jesus Christ is the ONE whom loves us with that agape love. How blessed are we to have someone grow through that.... He is the ONE we live for. His death and resurrection is little pieces  that we go through in our lives, its the mystery of our faith. Jesus Christ will be the ONE to touch the hearts of all the youth we minister to. How beautiful is that.

Even though these doubts may cross our minds from time to time, let us remember Jesus Christ is the ONE, He made all things new and continues to do so. For this and so much more, I am so thankful. Let us go be examples of Christ to one another, striving to make a difference for the Kingdom of God. Thank you and God Bless. Have a blessed week.

"One SONG can spark a moment. One FLOWER can wake the dream. One TREE can start a forest. One BIRD can herald spring. One SMILE begins a friendship. One HANDCLASP lifts a soul. One STAR can guide a ship at sea. One WORD can frame the goal. One VOTE can change a nation. One SUNBEAM lights a room. One CANDLE wipes out darkness. One LAUGH will conquer gloom. One STEP must start each journey. One WORD must start a prayer. One HOPE will raise our spirits. One TOUCH can show you care. One VOICE can speak with wisdom. One HEART can know what is true. One LIFE can make a difference." -- Author Unknown --