Lack of Prayer is Lack of Love

From one of my favorite books, Weapons of the Spirit, concerning The Lack of Prayer is Lack of Love.

"The want of love for God shows up in a distaste for prayer and the exercises of devotion. Prayer is looked upon as pietism, idleness indulged in by those who have not the stomach for more strenuous activity.

Prayer -- mental prayer or meditation -- is our most direct way of expressing love for God. It is a union of our minds and hearts with Him, the beginning of that union with Him that will be consummated in heaven. 'Prayer is true happiness in this life,' said St. Jane Frances de Chantal. And of course she meant to be taken quite literally. To find prayer tedious and distasteful is to find God tedious and distasteful.

The insufficiency of prayer points to an even deeper trouble. It shows that such workers regard God's part in their projects as of less importance than their own activity. Almighty God is considered a sort of spectator along the sidelines, whom, by our prayers, we can perhaps change into an enthusiastic rooter for our private projects.

Prayer and a fervent interior life are not just graceful ornaments for the life of the apostle -- they are the instruments necessary for making his work spiritually fruitful. Failure to recognize this explains why the most frantic activity of Catholic organizations produces no spiritual results. St. Anthony, who spent whole nights in prayer, was more effective in his work for souls than the greatest of the modern go-getters, who are equipped with all the latest methods of doing things but have "no time to pray."

The person who has no time to pray is not doing God's work. We do not stint our time with those we love. The apostle who does not have time to pray has no ardent love for God. Yet since all human activity is finally motivated by some kind of love; apostolic activity, if it does not come from love of God, can only come from love of self."

As we claim to love God above everything else, do we take time to talk to Him? Do we include Him in everything we do or do we push Him aside and only look to Him when we are really in need? Do we praise Him for being who He is? Do we thank Him for our life and all the gifts that we have received? Where is God in your life?

Girls' Faith Sharing Night

Living together as a community can be difficult at times; however, this past weekend, the ladies of Spiritus were able to come together and share some important aspects of our faith.  Our evening started out by breaking some hefty loaves of garlic bread.  Afterwards, we were able to gather together with lovely pieces of melty chocolate, a crisp bottle of pink Moscato wine, a few beautifully lit candles, and copies of Pope John Paul II’s Genius ofWomen. 

This was our time to discuss the importance of our feminine nature and also discuss the complementarity of men and women—which is an important aspect of living in community. We are always discussing the antics of the boys and how crazy they are. :P

Pope John Paul II, in his teaching on the feminine genius, highlighted the importance of identifying the dignity that all women deserve.  As women of God, our group of girls discussed how important it is for us as women to spread this news to other women—especially in today’s society.

All I can say is how fortunate I am to live with a wonderful and spiritual group of women.  Being able to discuss the importance of being a woman and understand what our genius is is essential to in our efforts to minister to girls of all ages but especially the youth.

So this blog post is basically my way of shouting out to the girls of Spiritus. Thank you so much for being awesome! 

Faith on Fire at Resurrection Parish in Green Bay

The SPIRITUS Team had a great time traveling to Green Bay and meeting with middle school and high school students who are apart of Resurrection Parish in Green Bay. The parish gave the SPIRITUS Team a memorable welcome before beginning the Faith on Fire.

We began with praise and worship, and then several of the SPIRITUS teams gave witness to the richness of the Sacraments and other aspects of the faith. I found the students to be very welcoming and interested in their faith. I had great conversations about many exciting aspects of the Catholic faith.

St. Mary Central Senior Retreat

On Wednesday, SPIRITUS put on a retreat for seniors of St. Mary Central High School at Homestead Meadows. The team connected with seniors about how they envisioned the coming year and how God fits into their lives.

I headed one of 9 small groups and enjoyed discussing the different kinds of graces that we receive from God. I was also glad to be able to connect with the seniors with regard to where they are at in their faith and how they see themselves living out the faith in the future.

You are alive!

        If you are reading this then I congratulate you because that means you are alive. YAY!!!! Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Sometimes we get caught up in our everyday lives that we forget to take time out to appreciate what really matters. Have you thank God yet for this day because you know you could be dead?

        I forget many times to stop and smell the roses, but then again that might be because of my fear of getting stung by bees. Anyways, as a Catholic we don’t believe in that theory of Reincarnation where you keep coming back over and over again in different states of life to finally get it right. Nope, we believe in the linear model. You were born, raised, die and then judgment. The past is in the past, let us learn from it, but don’t dwell on it. We can’t change it. And the future is not here so we can’t do anything about that either. All we have is the present so let us gird up our loins and become followers of Christ. Practice the virtues today. Go to Mass today. Pray today. Read a spiritual book today. Do the Corporal Works of Mercy today. There are many things you can do to start living as a better Christian. What is your excuse for not doing so? St. Augustine is famously known for his statement ‘Make me a saint but not yet’. Are we in that mindset too?

        What are we waiting for? Are your sins that fun that you rather be with them than God? Think about it. So like my dad always says, “Do it right. Do it quick. Do it now. Don’t do it wrong. Don’t do it slow. Don’t do it tomorrow” because like I said before you just might not be here.

St. Clare - Greenleaf Confirmation Retreat

The SPIRITUS Team hosted a Confirmation retreat for St. Clare Parish of Greenleaf at the Mt. Tabor Center on Sunday. The new members gave sessions for the first time and did an excellent job.

The team prays for all those involved with the retreat and wishes the students the best this year. May the Spirit be with them as they make their journey toward Confirmation!

First Retreats for 2012-2013 with Spiritus

So it's official: SPIRITUS has started kicking off retreats already this 2012-2013 school year! SPIRITUS has had the opportunity to share God's love already with the confirmation candidates of St. Pius X in Appleton and St. Clare in Greenleaf, the Senior Class of Lourdes High School in Oshkosh, and on a "Faith on Fire" over in Whitelaw. All four retreats have been a great way to see how the Spirit of our Lord is alive in the world. The nine members of the team have already been graced to share their personal witnesses and love for the Catholic Faith with over 100 students.

This year's nine months of witnessing, sharing and growing in our faith with our brothers and sisters has just begun, but it feels like we have already experienced an eternity's worth of grace as God has been pouring it out on us all from the very start. Let us all remember to pray for our brothers and sisters, for everyone we have met and for the ones who have passed. And especially pray with us for all of the students SPIRITUS will encounter this year and for all those who are searching for God's love. Spreading the word and the love of God is truly something everyone should have the opportunity to take part in!

St. Paul the Evangelist, pray for us!

In the Cross is Salvation

Last week we were left with the challenge to imitate Jesus. So what does that mean? In His own words Jesus tells us: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" (see Luke 9:23). Look around you! Suffering is everywhere and it will happen to you. No one can avoid the Cross. It can either be a burden or a blessing.

You can either act like the "bad thief" or the "good thief" because there is no other choice. The bad thief who died on the cross represents all the people who see the cross as a burden and a punishment for the sins that they have committed. They do not draw any profit from it. Conversely, the good thief represents all the people who have merited their cross, but have embraced it as a loving companion. They share in Jesus’ sacrifice and draw many graces from it. They can say with St. Paul in Colossians that they rejoice in their sufferings because they are building up the Church. We are all one family. We are the Body of Christ, and because of this we can help build each other up in the love of the Lord. If the Cross is going to be upon us, we should embrace it instead of running away from it. So let us turn that frown upside down and embrace the challenges that come our way.

Here I leave you with a nice meditation from The Imitation of Christ on the importance of the Cross: “In the cross is salvation, in the cross is life, in the cross is protection from enemies, in the cross is strength of mind, in the cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness, in the cross is joy of spirit, in the cross is highest virtue, in the cross is perfect holiness. There is no salvation of souls or hope of everlasting life but in the cross.”

WWJD

Hi everyone,

      I just want to wish all you guys a happy start to a new year of SPIRITUS.  My name is Robbie and I am very excited to be part of this wonderful experience of the New Evangelization that Blessed Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI have called for.  Please keep all of us in your prayers so we can serve the youth with that love that Christ has called us to live.  We strive to follow in the footsteps of Christ so all the support is much appreciated.  At this time what I would like to do is to give you a challenge piece that you can implement in your life to get closer to Jesus Christ.  


“What Would Jesus Do?”

     This phrase might sound cliché to our egocentric, power-hungry, sex-crazed society, but these four words could literally transform this world. In the book, In His Steps, Charles Sheldon writes a fictional story about some people doing a challenge that is for a year they will have to make every decision of their lives based on what would Jesus do in this situation and then carry it out no matter the consequence.

     As the story unfolds the town starts to transform itself from a self-righteous Christian community to a community that actually practices core Christian values. By the time you come to the end of the book you find that this movement has crossed the nation and is spreading. This story does not need to be just that: a story.

     Look around you. Do you really think that Jesus would approve of what you are doing and how you are living? We sometimes forget that Jesus was human too. He already experienced everything that we experience. "For hereunto were ye called; because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that ye should follow in his steps." (1 Pet 2:21) He should be our example on how we live our lives for Jesus says “learn from me for I am meek and humble” or “take up your cross and follow me”. What is sad is that we have become complacent with our lives as Christians and pat ourselves on the back when we give that second collection to the poor believing that we are living the Gospel message and changing the world. Hogwash!

     To change the world, we need to live Christ’s message. Just like Sheldon says, "Are we ready to make and live a new discipleship? Are we ready to reconsider our definition of a Christian? What is it to be a Christian? It is to imitate Jesus. It is to do as He would do. It is to walk in His steps." Can you take the challenge?

First Faith on Fire and Upcoming Retreats

The SPIRITUS team had our first Faith on Fire on Wednesday! We spent a couple hours at St. Michael's Parish in Whitelaw (well, specifically at the St. Mary School campus). The SPIRITUS team led high school students in praise and worship, as well as activities centered on raising their awareness of the Faith in their lives.

Individual team members gave talks on several aspects of the Catholic Faith. My talk was on why I LOVE the Eucharist! My SPIRITUS teammates discussed Reconciliation, Scripture, and how Mary and the saints inspire us in our journey toward holiness.

We will also be doing two retreats this weekend. We have a retreat for the seniors from Lourdes Academy in Oshkosh and a confirmation retreat hosted at Mt. Tabor Center for St. Clare Parish (Greenleaf). Pray for us and those attending the retreats. May the Holy Spirit work through us!

SPIRITUS Team Four

As you may have noticed, SPIRITUS has already begun retreats this year, kicking off with a Confirmation retreat last weekend and continuing with a Faith on Fire last night. But we still haven't officially introduced ourselves, so without further ado, SPIRITUS Team Four:

Hi! I'm Mark Rose from Hudson, WI. I graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in Philosophy. This is my third year evangelizing with SPIRITUS and I am the Coordinator of the team. I am blessed to have this opportunity to lead the team in growing in holiness and evangelizing. I believe it's going to be an amazing year!

I'm Julie Escobar from Brush, Colorado. I graduated from McPherson College with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. I am ecstatic to be a part of the wonderful journey of SPIRITUS and look forward to working, growing and learning with Jesus Christ and the youth!

I'm Jared Cunio. I joined SPIRITUS last year after graduating from the University of South Florida. I grew up in Titusville, Florida, near the Kennedy Space Center. I am very excited about my second year of SPIRITUS and I am looking forward to growing in faith, love and service as a Servant Leader.

Hey! I'm Callie Kowalski from Mountain Top, PA. I graduated from Franciscan U. in Steubenville with a Bachelor's degree in Multimedia Communications. Music is my passion and the Lord has called me to use it with SPIRITUS. I'm excited to grow in faith and witness to the youth.

Hi, I am Robbie Jennings from San Jacinto, CA. I received a Master's degree in Theology from Franciscan U. in Steubenville. I'm honored to be doing the Lord's will by carrying out the mission of SPIRITUS. I pray I grow deeper in my relationship with Jesus & bring His love to the youth.

Hi! I'm Rachel Van Handel and I'm from Appleton, WI. I graduated from the UW-Madison with a Bachelor's degree in Religious Studies and Sociology. I have an enormous heart for the youth and I am excited to show them the amazing love of God through working with SPIRITUS!

Hi, I'm Aaron Lang. I enjoy playing volleyball, basketball, and basically anything outside that's active. I grew up in the Appleton area and have been graced by God to be given the opportunity to work a second year on SPIRITUS as a Servant Leader.

Hi, I'm Kate Ruth. I grew up in Port Washington, WI and just graduated from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with my Bachelor's degree in Social Work. I'm excited to be able to share my faith with all the students we will be working with this year!

I'm Michael Servis. I graduated from the University of Maine with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and International Affairs. I have lived in many places and have spent much of my life traveling devoted to Christ and His church. I am excited to bring the Word of the Lord to His youth.

I'm Karissa Tousignant from Pewaukee, WI. I graduated in Music Theory from UW-Waukesha with an Associate of Arts degree. I love singing, playing guitar & clarinet, and sharing faith. I am back for my second year of SPIRITUS and I am super excited to share the love of God with all the youth.

We have a great team this year and God will use us to do great things! Stay tuned!

Bishops and Vocations

This past Wednesday morning, SPIRITUS had the great honor of spending some time meeting with the Most Reverend David L. Ricken, Bishop of Green Bay. Bishop Ricken spoke a little bit about how important our ministry is to the diocese and told us that he is praying for us every day. He also asked us a little bit about ourselves and how each member of the team found out about SPIRITUS. At the conclusion of our meeting, Bishop Ricken commissioned us for our ministry and posed for a few photos with the team. What an awesome opportunity to spend some time with a truly great successor to the Apostles!

One of the things Bishop Ricken shared with us was the great need for young people to answer God's call to live out vocations as priests in the Diocese of Green Bay. I don't remember the exact numbers, but there are something like just over half as many active priests as there are parishes in this diocese. Fortunately, we have a great Vocation Director, Fr. Schuster (who also happens to be our chaplain at SPIRITUS), and things are starting to turn around. Incidentally, we ran into Fr. Schuster after our meeting with the bishop...

...and he took some time out of his busy schedule to join us for a delicious lunch!