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Finding Jesus In Everyday Mundane Tasks

January 25, 2023 /

When I was in grade 12 I worked at Giant Tiger stocking shelves. One of the employees at the Giant Tiger was a thin elderly man who wore large glasses and had trouble walking called Dennis. Dennis was a character. He normally shared hilarious stories from his life. I sometimes wondered why he doesn’t seem more sad since he’s not enjoying his final years in retirement. One day he pulled me to the side and started to share with me the impact that Jesus had on his life. At the time, I brushed him off as crazy, but today I’ve come to see what he meant. 

In the gospel Simon and his brother Andrew are fishing near the shore on the Sea of Galilee. At another point in the gospels we realize just how terrible their jobs were. Imagine your livelihood depended on you fishing under the middle eastern sun day in and day out, barely catching enough fish to provide a roof and food for your family, along with paying crippling taxes to an oppressive government? I’m sure Simon and Andrew questioned their purpose several times. 

When Jesus comes along, he says to the brothers, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of people.” Jesus of course is using their day time job as an analogy for being his disciples. But there’s more to it. Just because Simon and Andrew became disciples of Jesus, their worldly challenges didn’t disappear. In fact they multiplied. They still had to fish to put a roof over their families’ heads, pay taxes, maintain their boats, and eat. Moreover, now they also had to pay for Jesus’ ministry. Life got harder, yet they found a greater purpose to work for. They went from darkness to light. From nihilism to purpose. 

Today, I’ve come to understand why Dennis seemed so content and purpose driven despite his physical frailty and economic condition. His job at Giant Tiger wasn’t just a job to pay the bills, but it was a way to serve God. 

I think this is a great mindset. God is bigger than our Sundays. We are called to serve him and offer our everyday tasks to him, even mundane ones, …. even ones like studying. 

Let us pray, 

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

Lord God, you are my light and stronghold. You have the power to release me from my fears. Help me to seek you and see your beauty in every aspect of my life. In my darkness and brokenness I pray that you help me see your goodness. Strengthen me in the face of all challenges, inspire me with courage, and grant peace in my day.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

This is why the Pope can’t change the teachings of the church on faith and morals.

January 21, 2023 /

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark:

“Jesus went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. And he appointed the twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, and to have authority to cast out demons.” 

Reflection

Have you ever found yourself in a situation when it appeared that everything around you started to break, even though it wasn’t your fault?

By Sixteen Miles Out from Unsplash.com

A couple of years ago my mom went on vacation and asked me to look after her home. Everything was going well until the final day she was scheduled to return home. I went to turn on the shower and the faucet broke. The water just kept flowing at full pressure. Now on one hand it’s not something terrible, since nothing flooded. All I had to do was shut the water off to the house and call a plumber. I was more concerned about my mom. My mom is the type of person who would be quick to blame me if something didn’t meet her expectations. Her expectation was that the house would be in the same running order she left it in. Instead she came home to a plumber’s van on the driveway and tools all over the upstairs bathroom. She looked at me with a terrifying look that I haven’t seen since my teenage years. 

In today’s gospel, Jesus appoints and gives authority to twelve apostles to have authority in the early church. More notably Jesus gives Peter special authority by calling him “the rock” on which the church is built and gives “the keys to heaven.” In other words whatever decision he makes on earth will have eternal consequences. Jesus giving authority to Peter and the twelve apostles is not arbitrary. 

In the ancient world, when a king left his kingdom he periodically handed his authority over to his prime minister – first servant. The prime minister had to carry out the duties of the king in everything, except he couldn’t change anything or make up new laws. He was the protector of his king’s kingdom. So when the king returned everything should be the way he left it. 

Similarly, the apostles in unity under their leader, Peter, – the first pope – do not have the authority to change what Jesus has established. Their job is to protect what is established to ensure that it is secure and in place upon Christ’s return. 

Let us pray, 

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

Heavenly Father, Thank you for getting me through another week. Have mercy on me for the times I have allowed envy to consume me. Help me to see the goodness in my life, even if during this time I may be facing many challenges. Inspire me with the fortitude to overcome my negative emotions, the wisdom to prioritize my studies in the coming exam week, and with the charity to treat others around me with love. I pray this in Your name. Amen.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

Your identity is not determined by the past mistakes of your family.

January 18, 2023 /

Has anyone ever compared you to someone who you’re not too fond of, telling you, “you’re just like…so and so”? You come away annoyed, because in reality, you know that you are nothing like the person you are being compared to.  “One thing is the same, therefore, everything is the same” is bad logic. 

While our families or other associations undoubtedly impact our lives, they don’t have to define our present or future. 

Photo by Chuttersnap from Unsplash.com

In the Old Testament, Abraham meets a non-Jewish priest named Melchizedek. Melchizedek didn’t obtain his priesthood because of his family lineage or legal requirements (which was the case in Middle Eastern religions, including Judaism). Scripture says that Malchizedek earned his vocation through “an indestructible life.” In other words, living a life faithful to God. 

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Why You Will Never Be Happy

November 27, 2020 /

Reflection & Prayer – November 27, 2020

Story of Michael

By his mid 30s Michael became a successful entrepreneur and social activist for his community in Birmingham, Alabama. After a life of hardship, growing up to a single mom, making bad financial decisions that cost him his home, car and first business, Michael felt that he finally “rose from the ashes.” 

By Teddy Osterblom from Unsplash

Mike was on his way to pick up his mat black 2019 Audi A7. It was going to be the first new car he has ever owned. Mike arrives at the dealership, he’s handed the keys, and off he drives. 

 

He pulled out of the dealership in his brand new Audi and rolled to a stop at a red light. While waiting at the lights Mike noticed a trailer pulling into the dealership carrying the 2020 models of the car he just bought. 

 

The adrenaline he felt from driving his new Audi for less than a minute immediately disappeared as his eyes watered over the newest model. He quickly turned around and entered the dealership desperate to buy a 2020 model. 

 

Thankfully for Mike, sanity kicked in when he realised that, not only could he not afford the latest model, but that he would lose 25% on the car he just got minutes ago. 

 

Black Friday and Consumerism

 

As many people in the world flock to get the best deals on this Black Friday and the upcoming Cyber Monday, Michael’s story should remind us of one important lesson: 

 

We have the tendency to confuse gratification with satisfaction.  

 

Gratification is a high that never fulfils itself. 

 

If you’ve ever bought something only to forget about it a short while later, you know things do not satisfy. Things do not satisfy our longing for fulfillment and peace. In fact they do the opposite, they disturb our peace. 

 

It’s ok to like nice and shiny things, but it’s not ok for your desire for these things to control you. 

 

Finally, when you do shop, be conscious of the items you are buying. Recognize that every item you purchase has the fingerprints of another human being on it. The question to ask yourself, do those finger prints belong to someone who received a fair, living wage or to someone who has been unjustly exploited. 

 

Jesus says, ‘What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?“

 

Regarding consumerism… 

 

Carolyn Knapp says “Consumerism thrives on emotional voids.”

 

Former President of the United States, Jimmy Carter said, “Too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and pleasure.”

 

Archbishop Fulton Sheen said, “Advertising tries to stimulate our sensuous desires, converting luxuries into necessities, but it only intensifies man’s inner misery. The business world is bent on creating hungers which its wares never satisfy, and thus it adds to the frustrations and broken minds of our times.”

 

Let us pray,

 

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

 

Lord Jesus, I thank you for all the good possessions in my life. On this Black Friday help me to recognize the human value attached to all my belongings. Help me to recognize that real fulfilment does not come from things, but from a solid friendship with you. I pray for the people around the world who endure unjust working conditions only to make ends meet. Help us as a society to recognize the inherent dignity of every human person, especially exploited workers around the globe who are fighting for their dignity day in and day out. 

 

We make this prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

 

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

The Closing of the Canadian Mind: Selective Open Mindedness and Learning to Take Offence

August 15, 2018 /

There have been a few people on mind lately for various reasons. An Amazon delivery man who recently delivered a package to us. This gentleman patiently waited at our front door until I was able to open it. Most amazon delivery persons drop the package and book it. He kindly greeted me as “sir” (even though he was at least twice my age) and with a warming personality wished me good night. Two of my admittedly favourite people to speak are two of my wife’s friends from her days in university. Warm hearted, compassionate, and loving are the first three ways I can describe them. One my good friends, who has a great sense of humour, is classy, and just a joy to hang out with. My sister is hard working, always puts her whole being into tasks and is a loving aunt of whom my daughters can’t get enough of. Finally, last year, at an interfaith event I spoke at I had a brief discussion with a young woman who had two toddlers who were about the same ages as my daughters. We shared a few laughs about the similarities of our experiences.

Besides being exceptional human beings they all share something else in common. They all have different belief systems then myself. The Amazon delivery gentlemen, one of my wife’s friends, and the young woman with toddlers are Muslim. My wife’s other friend is Hindu. My close friend and sister are agnostic, based on previous conversations we’ve had about religion. Oh by the way, I respectfully disagree with their belief system and I love asking them critical questions.

Wait a minute…. So I am delighted to be around these human beings, I respect and even love some of them, but I am critical of what they believe? For some, the idea of caring for individuals, disagreeing with them and potentially offending them is oxymoronic, even if the criticisms are regarding matters of facts. It is in this “oxymoronic” mode of thought that I witnessed the closing of the Canadian mind this past weekend.

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Why Some Catholics Miss Out on the Christian Life

August 5, 2018 /

There are many things in my life that are routine. I wake up sometime between 5:30am and 6am to pray and have a coffee. I get ready for work. I kiss my wife and my two daughters before I head out the door. I will attend morning mass at my parish and then tackle my ministry related “to do list.” When I get home in the afternoon I usually play with my daughters or prepare dinner. Then we go for a walk as a family and upon returning home we proceed with our bedtime routine with the girls. This is a general snapshot of an average day in my life.

Photo by Josh Applegate on Unsplash

I got to be real with you. My mind isn’t always focused on the activities at hand out of the ones I mentioned above. Some mornings, my mind is on something important I have to finish at work, so I passively and quickly kiss my wife and girls and quickly shoot an impassionate “I love you” at them. Sometimes when I am playing with my daughters in the evening my mind is on a YoutTube video I’m looking forward to watching after they go to bed.

Early this morning I was sitting with my morning coffee in the silence of our home gazing out at the sun creeping over the horizon. A cliché question popped into my mind as I was listening in prayer. If I knew that I had a short time left to live, but I still had to do the routine things in my life, how would I approach them?

The word “intentional” popped into my mind. To spare you the boredom of reading through my intellectual gymnastics as I processed my thoughts, in short I resolved to focus on the task/activity at hand and nothing more. FULL immersion in all the moments I mentioned above.

Checklist Catholicism

Like the everyday routine moments in our lives, Catholics (including myself) risk the danger of reducing their faith to a list of routine tasks void of significance.

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The Challenge of Living a Life of Joy and Vulnerability

September 23, 2016 /

It’s been at least two months since I posted. I don’t know about you, but for me it’s really easy to go on autopilot and go through the motions of everyday life trying to reach my goals. I’m sure you’re familiar with the term “tunnel vision.”  

Courtesy of Unsplash.com by Nathan Anderson

Courtesy of Unsplash.com by Nathan Anderson

I often found myself so focused on writing or recording a weekly blog post, achieving my objectives for work, or completing my next personal project that I completely miss-out on reflecting on some important questions. So I took a step back to reflect. 

I would like to share with you one big question that I often wrestle with. How do I live a life that is filled with joy and at the same time live in solidarity with the poor and suffering?

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