I FIRMLY RESOLVE

If you are Catholic and you didn’t make a New Year’s resolution may I suggest that you don’t bother.  They are quite ridiculous for the most part.  When was the last time you heard anybody at a New Year’s Eve party talk about being successful at fulfilling the previous year’s resolutions?  Most resolutions are wishes and seem so big that after trying for a month (or a day) they are conveniently forgotten.  

Far more realistic are the resolutions we make

all during the year particularly when preparing for and celebrating the sacrament of confession.  For those who practice regularly (monthly) we have the constant reviewing of what is going well in our lives and where we are missing the mark, to identify weaknesses, build on strengths, and making resolutions to do better over the next four weeks.  Unlike a New Year’s resolution, it isn’t fixing everything with one day’s fell swoop resolve, it is the inching every day toward that better version of the self with the constant help of self review and Divine assistance.  It is a far better plan than a once-a-year promise made after one glass of champagne too many.

So perhaps there is a great New Year’s resolution after all: to make better and more regular use of the sacrament of resolutions: The sacrament of Penance. 

YOU CAN DO THIS!

It is a beautiful day.

A beautiful day is a perfect day to recommit to Lent.

You’re in better mood today, more determined and willing.

Stop moping over not being faithful to your Lenten resolve.

Look forward to what you will do starting now.

If you didn’t do what you wanted to do, start doing it today.

If you did do what you said you wouldn’t, reset the date of your “sobriety” starting now and hold out as long as you can.

If you haven’t done or not done anything, pick something NOW.  It’s not too late.  It’s not too late until it’s too late.

NEED HELP?  Go HERE for a Lenten Penance Generator!

No more excuses!

You can do this!

It will be awesome and you will be happier a the end of Lent.

Go to it buckaroo!  Today is your day.  Starting today you will be closer to your Father.

STAY FOCUSED! YOU CAN DO IT!

A few years after having studied with him I went up to my philosophy professor (RIP) and said, “You know, I hated studying philosophy but now I see how useful it is and wish I had taken it more seriously.”

 

He got a weary but sympathetic look on his face and said, “I know.  The problem with philosophy is that it has a long fuse.”  By this he meant that you have to learn a lot of philosophy and live with it for a while before there is any kind of pay off.  Or, as the sign on my friend’s barn door says more simply, “Hard work eventually pays off.  Laziness pays off now.”

 

That is one of the insidious problems with good and evil.  Evil most often starts off at least feeling like a good but does its damage later, while doing good (like getting up early this morning in the what I hope is the last winter storm to go to the gym to work out) can start off feeling like a trial but then pays off.  Some of what lent tries to do is get us past that initial desire to enjoy sin and get over the initial hump of goodness in order to enjoy its benefits.  That is what God want for you.

 

Having the discipline to turn off the T.V. or computer and go to bed earlier so that you can be fresh in the morning to meet your day’s obligations is a good thing.  God wants you, as far as is possible, to have enough sleep.

 

Cutting down on your food intake if you need to so that you don’t feel bloated later is a good thing and what God wants for you.

 

Getting off of the couch and doing some exercise so that you feel stronger later and look better is not a selfish thing but treating the temple of the Holy Spirit the way it should be treated and is part of God’s plan for you.

 

Trying to make peace with others so that life is more enjoyable is part of God’s plan for you.  Having your sins forgiven so that you have a clear conscience is in his desire for you.  Expanding your learning to open you up to the wonders of creation is his gift waiting for you to open.  Even though it is not supposed to be the point, he gives you consolations when you work charitably for others because he wants you to know his love.  Taking some time on your own to pray quietly every day is not forsaking other duties but is as necessary as taking time to eat and sleep and is His desire for you.  Forgoing a good in the Lenten season is so that you might have a stronger will, greater discipline, more control and more freedom.  All these are His gifts and wishes for you.

 

Now get out there and RUMBLE! 

HUH! I FEEL GOOD - NANANANANANANA - I KNEW THAT I WOULD NOW

Feeling great should be a side benefit to going to confession, not the reason why we go. It is not a matter of no longer feeling guilty about a broken commandment or wanting to feel better when you are in church, but primarily about mending a relationship.

Often at the end of a confession someone will say something like, “And that is what I feel guilty about since my last confession,” or “. . . and those are the things that I want to confess at this time,” as if there were more, but this is all I am interested in being absolved of at the moment. What needs to be remembered is that you are trying to mend a relationship with another person. Granted this other person is a Divine Person, but it is a relationship with a person none-the-less. As with truly loving relations with another human person you would not constrain yourself to only apologizing for transgressions that you feel guilty about, “I’m sorry that I ate your share of the chips but I am not going to apologize for scarfing all of the chip dip. After all I went out and got the dip and even though you think you were entitled to some since you brought the chips that is not where my head is at the moment.” How far does that go to engendering love between two persons?

A second hitch is the sin of eclipse. It is a sin that weighs so heavily on a person that it obliterates any other sense of sin in their lives. The “M” word (is there any word in the English language that has so many euphemisms?) often eclipses a person’s examining of their life in general (thereby preventing them from growing in other areas) because of great feelings of guilt. So a person comes in and very rightly confesses this sin and nothing more. This is understandable if they attend the sacrament regularly and need only this little ‘update’ between complete downloads, but as a regular practice is not good for the soul. It is an all meat diet without fruit, vegetables, or dairy. You need meat but gads, all pork and no hay makes Johnny a heart attack waiting to happen. Once again, this is a case of, “I feel so guilty – I just want to stop feeling guilty!” to the loss of other spiritual growth.

Looking for that relief from guilt is not a bad thing but it is like giving blood. I hate giving blood. But absolutely love having given blood. There is certain natural high to it. But that not why you give blood. You give blood out of charity because there are people who desperately need it. We go to confession to mend relationships, not just to feel better.

NO PAIN - NO GAIN - RO GAIN

So Father B and I were traveling about and needed to take a room somewhere in Pennsylvania. I went to work out in the hotel exercise room and when I returned B was watching a televangelist. I think a lot of these people preaching for such a long period of time week after week. It must be difficult. But five minutes into it we found ourselves saying, “Please say something of substance – please say something of substance.” It was like a long drawn out joke in which a person gives too many details before the punch line. Perhaps an hour sermon (for some – others are really quite good) say as much of substance as priests (are supposed to) do in an eight minute homily.

This particular man (and I would like to emphasize that I am talking about one preacher who was unassociated with a denomination) was going through great lengths to tell people that God wants them to be successful, rich, and happy. His prayer was that this is exactly where his congregation would find itself so that others would look at them and now that God is blessing them because of their wealth and happiness show that they must have truth.

Apparently the crucifixion was lost on him.

He is far from alone in the idea that if we are good enough, if we pray enough, if we are well practicing Christians then God will give us the high life. I would want to believe this! If I were a bit more naive and thought this message possible, I would gobble it up. Why not? What would I have to lose? Why not go with the guy who promises wealth and happiness from God?

Because it is a false promise.

There are not many non-Catholic Christians out there they see the merit in redemptive suffering. It is precisely when we suffer and remain true to God that we are refined like silver in the furnace, becoming more pure, more holy, even closer to God. Love of another human being is exactly the same. A couple that never has difficulties never truly grows in love for neither must sacrifice for the other. It is exactly when sacrifice is necessary, practiced and given freely that love, which is at first tried, becomes a deeper, more mature love.

Why do we purposefully practice acts of denial, charity, and penance in this season? Exactly to train ourselves to love and focus on God. This helps us prepare for those times when trial will hit us involuntarily. This will enable to trust God to see us through difficult times – to love Him just the same and not blame Him for our woes. It is redemptive because love will be tested and found then stronger than ever.

If you need proof, contemplate His Son’s Cross, or Job, or the Virgin Mary, or the violent life and death of those closest to Jesus such as the apostles, of Saint Paul, of the Martyrs, of the missionaries, of those who stand alone in their faith, of those persecuted for believing in Him – there is a reason they are now called saints – it was not because God made them wealthy and happy in an earthly sense – but wealthy in love and full of joy even when there were tears and trials.

MISCELLANEOUS MISCELLANY

For many parishes out there, today will be the last day before the Great Easter Vigil on which you can go to confession. If you would like an aid to help prepare you, here and here are a couple of decent Examinations of Conscience. Be bold!

A few times it has been mentioned that many of you prefer relevant penances, (in other words, three Hail Marys do not cut it). I have a limited bag of focused penances that I do give out from time to time and I am always amazed at how joyful people are to receive them. If you are comfortable with it, I would appreciate hearing what you find meaningful in a penance. Don’t break the seal of confession though, be very general – and if you are more comfortable, Email your response to me.

There was an interesting occurrence at the rectory yesterday – A lady came to the door and requested to speak to a priest. Invited into my office she took a seat and announced that she was Anglican, had always been Anglican, and until recently, was very proud of the fact. But she could no longer abide with the direction in which the Anglican Church was going and found that her only recourse was to become Catholic.

We discussed theology for a while and as it turns out, she was raised High Anglican which considers itself a third branch of the Catholic Church and her grasp of Catholic teaching was more orthodox and in depth than most Catholics.

“I though I would be safe in my own little parish,” she said, “But things are even starting to happen there. This is very disturbing. I am being abandoned and I see now that my only choice is to become Catholic. I am fully comfortable with ready to declare my full allegiance to the Catholic Church.”

“This is so sad. But Father, there are a lot of us out there. Expect to hear from more.”

Please keep them in your prayers.

Holy Week must be upon us. Expect to see a lot of mud in the PD about the Church. Another article today. (Once again, funny how these articles multiply during holy times.) sigh

Final note: I won't be able to respond as well as I would like to you over the next two weeks as parish duties will take precedence. Happy Holy Week!