Lent: The Journey Begins

Today marks the beginning of our Lenten journey this year, and it reminds me of so many other journeys I have experienced in my life.

As we often share with students on Confirmation retreats, the Mass is a kind of journey, a quest, with the prize of receiving Jesus Christ in the Eucharist as its end.

Our chaplain, Fr. Schuster, likes to use another Journey to help students fully engage in the retreat experience: He walks into the room with his guitar and plays the 1981 classic "Don't Stop Believin'", encouraging retreatants to sing along.

I made quite a journey myself to get here back in August, hopping on an airplane in Florida's busy Orlando International Airport and traveling all day to reach Mt. Tabor Center in Menasha, WI.

And speaking of long journeys, the longest trip ever taken by human beings (to the moon!) started from my hometown of Titusville, FL.

But it's another journey that we are called to reflect on during this season of Lent, a journey that in many ways dominates our experience of being Christians. This is the journey we remember and celebrate with every Mass, the journey that we find (if we dare to look closely enough) reflected in the course of each of our lives. It's the deceptively-simple journey of Christ as He carries His cross.

When we show The Passion of the Christ on Confirmation retreats, this is the part students watch. If we didn't already know the story, it would all seem so straightforward. A Man, already bruised and bloody, carries a heavy wooden cross on which He is to be crucified as a common criminal. He falters, too weak to go on, and another man is forced to aid Him. At every turn along the way, the cross-bearers and their Roman escort encounter resistance. When they finally reach the top of the hill on which the execution is to take place, the Condemned can barely find strength to stand.

But cut throughout this drama are sometimes-confusing scenes that hint to us that something more might be going on here. And there is something more: this Man is Jesus, fully human but also fully God. And He is innocent of the crimes for which He has been condemned. His death is for our salvation.

There is so much more going on during this journey than I can ever hope to describe, but one thing that always stands out to me is the other man, the one who helps Jesus carry His cross: Simon of Cyrene. Here is a man who wants nothing to do with Jesus, but, through walking beside Him, comes to love Him. Simon suffers with Jesus as they both struggle under the weight of the cross. At one point, Simon offers to endure anything the Roman soldiers can inflict upon him, only demanding that they stop ridiculing Jesus. I am always reminded that this Simon, who did not even know Jesus until shortly before the Crucifixion, went on to become a saint.

Lent offers us a time to walk with Christ to the Crucifixion, remembering always that the Resurrection waits just beyond. It allows us to suffer with Christ as we take up our own crosses of penance. It reminds us that in some ways, our entire lives must be a kind of Way of the Cross, as every day we die to self and learn to live more fully in Christ. Lent is the time when we reflect on this simple truth: if we wish to go where Christ goes, we must walk with Him.

"I like your shoes" - the power of affirmation

“And please do not just say, ‘I like your shoes.’”We always add that last instruction before we begin small group affirmations on retreat. Students chuckle, but it reminds them that we want them to focus on each other’s personal gifts rather than exterior things like footwear. Small group affirmations are one of my favorite parts of SPIRITUS retreats. It challenges the students to be real with one another. They aren’t used to being sincere and at first the idea of actually saying nice things about each other out loud intimidates them. They begin with superficial comments, but as we continue they relax and speak from their hearts. One particular small group recently reminded me an affirmations power to open hearts. At the beginning of the retreat my small group was very closed off. Most felt deprived of their weekend. They were skeptical that a religious retreat could be fun. I wasn’t sure how affirmations would go over.The Holy Spirit provided. As the retreat continued, I noticed distinctive, positive qualities about each student. One boy was incredibly funny. He knew how to put a smile on his classmates’ faces. Another of the girls was deeply compassionate. She was quick to note how what others said affected people. When the time came to begin small group affirmations, I was surprised by how much goodness I saw in those students. God gave me the gift of seeing them through His eyes. Despite their resistance to being on retreat, they were kind, caring, and even charming people. I was even more surprised by their change of attitude after affirmations. They went from being guarded to treating me like a friend. Our small group laughed together and several of them opened up and shared personal struggles, all because of a few kind words. It gave me a lot to reflect on. Do I let people know that I appreciate them? Do I take notice of their accomplishments and point them out? Do I remind people that I am thankful God put them into my life? Do I affirm from the heart rather than remaining on surface level? I know for sure God is calling me to say more than, “I like your shoes.”

Alive in the Holy Spirit!

Sometimes, we here at SPIRITUS have a very busy week.

This was one of those weeks. Between Faith on Fires, Confirmation Retreats, and a Shine Retreat, we have just survived nine different events, and we are not through yet! Tomorrow night we have our biweekly Bible Studies, Inspire! and Teen Disciples.

It is during weeks like these, when we are sometimes a little tired, that we see more than ever how much we depend on the Holy Spirit. Why? Because He gives us strength to not merely survive our busy weeks, but to absolutely thrive!

I can honestly say that while I am physically a little tired, I am also more spiritually energized than I have been in a long time!

We have met so many awesome students who are excited about their faith, from the middle school students at Seton to the Confirmation candidates of St. Margaret Mary and St. Patrick. A little farther from our home base in Menasha, we've also met young people from the Tri-Parishes in Sherwood/Stockbridge/Hilbert, St. John Catholic School in Princeton, St. Catherine of Siena in Ripon, and Holy Family Parish in Fond du Lac. As always, we are humbled and awed by the Holy Spirit's ability to use us to ignite faith and change lives everywhere we go.

Please continue to pray for us during this busy season that the Holy Spirit will continue to give us everything we need to continue to thrive in ministry.

God Bless,

Jared