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Spiritual Procrastination

January 13, 2023 /

A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews: 

“The Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, as on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors put me to the test, though they had seen my works for forty years… They always go astray in their hearts, and they have not known my ways.””

Do you consider yourself a procrastinator? 

Why do you think people procrastinate even when it causes anxiety? 

Recently, I was reading through the comments of a YouTube video on procrastination and the following comment caught my attention: “The amount of stress I got from being guilty of procrastination is higher than stress from my actual work.” 

The human mind is very mysterious. When I was in high school I would procrastinate, especially in classes that I had trouble in. I normally procrastinated when I had the greatest fear of failure. In my experience, fear of unknown outcomes normally leads to procrastination. 

Procrastination is closing ourselves off from the reality that we have to eventually face. I would procrastinate from studying for my chemistry test, but eventually I had to face the test and deal with the consequences of anxiety, fear, and failure. Alternatively, I could have studied and had more confidence on the day of the test. 

In the Old Testament the Israelites wandered in the wilderness just outside of their promised land for 40 years. The reward that God promised them if they remained faithful was right there, yet several times the Israelites chose to shut God out of their lives. In other words they were procrastinating. They knew what had to be done, but didn’t do it. Instead of remaining faithful to God, they worshiped idols and fought among themselves for power, ultimately rebelling against God. 

In the same way we procrastinate in our spiritual lives. We have a sense that we ought to live a life faithful to God, but we can’t see the exact outcome, so we just put Him off. Yet God’s plan for us is within reach, if only our hearts weren’t hardened towards him.

Let us pray, 

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

Lord Jesus, all glory and honour is yours. Thank you for creating me with the potential to acquire and apply knowledge. Inspire me with the motivation and the discipline to productively work on my CPTs and study for my exams. Help me to focus and dispel my fears and anxieties at this time. I pray this in Your name. Amen. 

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

“What’s my purpose in life?” is the wrong question to ask.

January 12, 2023 /

One of the big questions people often struggle with is, “What is my purpose in life?”

Perhaps a better question to ask is, “What is my purpose in life right now?” 

Photo by Matt Walsh from Unsplash.com

In Matthew’s gospel Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist. John’s baptism symbolized the start of Christ’s earthly ministry – what he was set apart for by God the Father. In Isaiah’s prophecy, Jesus said to be set apart for different roles. For some Jesus was a sign of justice, for some Jews he was a sign of God’s covenant with their people, for others he was a light of hope during a period of oppression, and for some Jesus was a liberator from spiritual darkness. 

Throughout our lives God can set us apart for several different purposes. Even now, He may have different purposes for you. Your obvious calling now is to be a student and a son or daughter. Beyond your immediate vocation, God may call you to bring healing and hope into someone’s day. Tomorrow, God may set you aside for another purpose. And several other purposes as you grow older. 

God has created you to be gifted multidimensional people. There’s so much you have to offer to the world, don’t limit yourself to just one purpose or label. If there is one purpose that we all have it is this: To know God, to love God, and to serve him in this world and to be happy with him in this world and the next. In John’s gospel Jesus says, “I came so that you may have life and have it more abundantly.” In other words our dignity and purpose are found in a relationship with God. 

Let us pray, 

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

Heavenly Father, I thank You for loving me, even when I am undeserving of Your love. There are many voices in this world that seek my attention and try to lead me further from You with false promises. As my move through my day leads me to open my eyes to how I can serve you in this part of my life. Help me to see the deeper purpose of things that now may appear mundane. Continue to shape me in Your image. I pray this in Your name. Amen. 

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

Are You A Source of Darkness Or Light In The World?

December 21, 2022 /

On Christmas Eve of 1914 Belgian, French, and German soldiers hesitantly climbed out of their blood and mud filled trenches and navigated barbed wire to meet in “no man’s land”. They shared tobacco, drank wine, exchanged pleasantries and even played friendly games of soccer. This historical Christmas day has come to be known as “The Christmas Truce.” Soldiers who were trying to kill each other on the French battlefields of WWI a couple of hours earlier, were now enjoying each other’s company and celebrating Christmas. There wasn’t an atom of hate, as one biographer described it. 

How is it possible that groups of people who seemingly hated each other all of a sudden became close friends? 

Such acts of humility, kindness, and joy are signs of Christ’s Spirit alive in people’s hearts. This historical event shows us that God’s spirit is inside everyone. However, we have the choice to ignore or embrace that voice. On Christmas of 1914 these men embraced God’s Spirit. As a result they became liberated from hate, anger, and fear and became Jesus’s light in the most unlikely of places – a bloody, muddy, disease infected, desolate battlefield. Men who were once sources of darkness to the world became sources of light.

There’s a lot of unavoidable darkness in the world. The question we need to ask ourselves this Christmas and beyond is this: Am I going to be a source of darkness or light to the people around me? This is a decision you and I need to make every day we wake up. 

Let us pray,

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

God, my light and salvation, enable me to find joy and hope even in my darkest days. Ignite my heart so that I may be a source of joy and hope to those surrounded by darkness and doubt. Amen.

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

God’s Light Never Fades (Even You Ignore It)

December 17, 2022 /

On December 11, 2021, NASA’s Parker Solar Space probe became the first spacecraft to touch the surface of the sun – specifically, the corona, while moving at 364 639 miles per hour (fast enough to fly from New York to Tokyo in under 1 minute. The spacecraft came just over 5 million miles from the surface of the sun. The corona of the sun is more than 1 million degrees, while its surface is much cooler at just over 5000 degrees.

Image by Jongsun Lee from Unsplash.com

The sun releases 3.8 x 10^26 watts of power every second, which is the equivalent of 1,820,000,000 Tsar Bombs – the most powerful nuclear bomb ever tested, exploding every second. The sun is extremely powerful, and potentially even destructive, yet it is also life giving. 

Similarly, despite God’s omnipotence, omniscience, and power, He sustains our very being and offers us grace (which mean, undeserved and unmerited gifts). Just as the sun is always present, even when we can’t see it, God’s presence and sustaining grace is also constant even when we don’t feel Him in our lives or don’t acknowledge Him. Yet, he is there, constantly working to form us in His image; His love never fading. 

Let us pray, 

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

Heavenly Father, we thank you for loving us. Thank you for sustaining us and all of creation. Look upon us with mercy for the times we have turned away from you. We pray that the light of Your Son, Jesus, grants us peace, comfort and strength in our lives, especially in the parts where there is a lot of darkness. We make this prayer in Your Mighty Name. Amen. 

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

Witnessing Your Own Funeral

December 17, 2022 /

A reading from Psalm 1: 

“Happy are those whose delight is in the law of the Lord… In all that they do, they prosper.”

In your opinion, what does it mean to live a rich life? Upon hearing the word, “rich” your mind may have immediately jumped to images of luxury cars, seaside mansions, or expensive clothing. However, while this is nothing inherently wrong with luxury, it is a narrow understanding of what it means to be rich or prosperous. 

To be prosperous is to be rich in gratitude and generosity. While luxuries and money can certainly make life easier and, perhaps more enjoyable, they don’t guarantee a life of fulfillment and impact. 

All the things we acquire in this world we will leave behind after our earthly life and will eventually fade away. But what can remain for a long time is the memories people have of you. 

Think about it this way. Imagine you had the opportunity to witness your own funeral. What do you want your loved ones to say about you as they gather to remember your life. How much wealth have you’ve accumulated? The cars you owned throughout your life? The size of your house? The amount of money in your bank account? Or perhaps, how infectious your gratitude was and how insanely generous you were with your time and wealth? Which message do you think would have a lasting impact on the world? 

I think it’s safe to say that how people remember us will have a greater impact than how much we accumulated? We want to be remembered not by what we took from the world, but how much we gave to it. 

Let us pray, 

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

Lord, thank you for overseeing my life. Help me to keep track of all my blessings. Inspire me with the wisdom to prioritize my desires in my life. If I am blessed with wealth in my future, remind me to bless others with generosity. I know that everything that I acquire in this world is not mine. It is a borrowed gift that one day I will leave behind and will eventually pass away. I pray this in Your name. 

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

Busyness Is Not A Virtue

December 17, 2022 /

A reading from the Gospel according to Luke:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.” 

Yesterday marked the start of the second week of Advent. Advent means waiting. Waiting can be boring, waiting can make us impatient, or waiting can be the cause of great anticipation. Either way, waiting requires stillness. 

By Robert Bye from Unsplash.com

Yet, when you look around you, do you see stillness, or do people seem busier than normal? Do you feel busier than normal? Sometimes, excessive busyness can result in not thinking about others. And yet, during Advent and the Christmas season following, more people experience hurt and loneliness than anytime of the year. For some, the Christmas season can be a reminder of losing loved ones. For example, tomorrow we will remember the women who lost their lives in a targeted shooting at the Polytechnique Montreal on December 6, 1989. For the families of these women, Christmas may not necessarily be a celebratory season. For others, Christmas can be a time of loneliness and isolation, especially those who are in need, in addition to carrying the burden of mental illness. 

This Advent, whether you consider yourself Christian or not, we can all place greater effort on slowing down and noticing people around us and asking ourselves, how we can respond to them? How can we live just a little more for others during this time of the year? 

Let us pray,

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

Lord Jesus, I long to do your will. Give me the grace to see and respond to the needs around me and be with me always as I pray for the needs of all who suffer. Amen.

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

Do What Your Mother Says! Why we should honour Mary.

January 18, 2022 /

When I was growing up it was difficult to say “no” to my mom. Yes, of course, there were times when I was plain rude to her; especially as a teenager, but I always ended up feeling guilty.

Even today, if she asks me to do something I have a hard time saying “no” even if her request is annoying. For example, asking me to drive all the way to St. Catharines to set-up her new Ipad because she’s intimidated by technology.

It can be so difficult to say “no” to moms, thats why dad’s often say, “Listen to your mother!”

To me it’s a mystery why our mom’s have this spell over us. Perhaps it’s because we just don’t want to let them down, since they sacrifice so much for us throughout our entire lives.

Jesus honours his mom. Shouldn’t we?

I think the same is true for Jesus.

Often the focus of the Wedding at Cana reading is Jesus turning water into wine. In one sense, that is not that interesting. If Jesus is God, then he has the ability to suspend and alter nature’s laws. At this point in the Bible that has long been established.

What I find interesting is his obedience to Mary. Remember, Jesus is God incarnate. Mary is not divine. Yet, with little hesitation, Jesus does as she says. Mary must have had some sass. When Jesus makes an excuse for not providing wine, Mary doesn’t even bother to entertain her son’s excuse. She simply assumes that Jesus will do as she says by telling the servants “Do whatever, he tells you.” Jesus then turns the water into wine.

Jesus honored his mother, Mary. This is one the reasons why I as a Catholic Christian honour her. Why would I do anything different than Jesus? Once again, if we ask ourselves the often rhetorical question: “What would Jesus do?” We should be prepared to actually “do” what Jesus does. In this case, it is to honour Mary just as Jesus honoured her.

Don’t Forget to Celebrate

June 25, 2021 /

As some of you know, millions of soccer fans from around the world have been gathering in front of their tv sets to watch the Euro Cup. On Tuesday I watched Croatia vs Scotland. Both teams had to win to move on in the tournament. After 90 minutes of physical and mental torment in front of a loud Scottish crowd, Croatia won the game 3-1 and secured their place in the final 16 of the tournament. 

One of the outstanding parts of the match for me happened after the final whistle. Croatia’s captain, Luka Modric, dropped to the ground covering his eyes as tears flowed out of them. 

 

He looked as if he just won the entire tournament. Winning that game meant so much to Modric because he went all out for the game, easily covering nearly 12 km on the pitch, and scoring a goal that curled the ball around the Scottish keeper. 

 

Celebrate, But Don’t Become Complacent 

 

As you reach the end of the school year, it’s important to celebrate. In the past two years we have been bombarded with so much bad news that we often forget to celebrate the small wins in life. Sometimes, we even have the tendency to downplay our achievements. Celebrating life is a major theme in the Bible. Psalm 145:7 reads, “They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness, And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.” 

 

I know many of you gave it your all this year, and then some. Finishing this school year deserves celebration; especially if you’re a graduate. 

 

Make sure to honor God in your celebration. Thank Him for sustaining you throughout this year and being there to lean on when you felt like giving up. 

 

Finally, keep in mind that while celebration is important, don’t become complacent. There will be new challenges awaiting you in the near future. Don’t look at these challenges as something bad; look at them as opportunities to further win at life and celebrate further achievements. 

 

Finishing this school year is like winning one game in a tournament, except the tournament for us lasts a lifetime. We have to celebrate, but then we have to prepare once more.  

 

Let us pray, 

 

Almighty Father, We offer you all honour and praise. We thank you for sustaining us throughout this school year. Thank you for keeping us close to your Sacred Heart. Help us to always be aware of your Holy Spirit in our lives. Continue to guide us as we move into the summer. Grant us much deserved rest and to our families many blessings and good health. Throughout the next two months equip us with virtues and spiritual gifts to overcome future obstacles and to conquer any crosses that may burden us. We make this prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

 

Hail Mary…

The Measure of Real Love is Our Willingness To Lay Down Our Lives Daily

May 10, 2021 /

In this Sunday’s gospel Jesus says that “there is no greater love than to lay down your life for a friend.” 

 

What comes to mind when you hear the words “lay down your life”?

Story

 

My mother in-law, Anna, lost her husband 20 years ago to cancer. Anna’s husband was an only child so she became responsible for the wellbeing of her in-laws as they aged. 

 

Her father-in-law developed Alzheimer not long after his son’s passing. Not long after Anna’s mother in-law fell into depression followed by an avalanche of health complications that made her a regular at the St. Catharines General Hospital. Anna tirelessly drove them from appointment to appointment, cleaned their home, cooked for them and was always a call away. This was in addition to her duties as a mom, her job as a nurse, and tending to her own parents when needed. Both Anna’s in-laws have since past. Yet, if you knew Anna during those times you’d never guess what she was dedicated to. She was laying down her life for her in-laws, her daughter Jennine (my wife), her parents, and her patients at work. 

 

Here’s one more story.

 

Sarah, a high school teacher, is a hard-working teacher and dedicated wife and mother. While at school Sarah remains positive and inspires her students. When at home, she is loving towards her children. Perhaps, it’s only her husband who knows what she is going through. Sarah’s mom is an alcoholic and lives alone, one hour away. Despite being anxious, exhausted and even angry at her mom, Sarah drives one hour to see her mom every day after school and one hour home. She brings her a bottle of liquor (because it’s dangerous for alcoholics to suddenly stop), prepares food for her and ensures she’s comfortable and safe for the night. In the evening she gets home in time to tuck her own children into bed. She repeats the next day. Sarah lays down her life for her students, her family and her mom. 

 

Connection

 

Do you know people who lay down their life daily? 

 

Do you lay down your life daily for someone? 

 

When I hear the words “lay down your life,” I immediately think about grand heroic acts. But laying down one’s life is not always so grand that it would make a good movie. You and I can lay down our lives by doing little acts with great love. Here’s some examples:

 

Wash the dishes after dinner. There’s nothing exciting about washing dishes, but it can make a huge difference for your parents. Study and do your homework, even when you feel tempted to play video games or scroll through Instagram. Don’t dismiss someone just because you don’t see eye to eye them. Teach yourself to listen. Be present for your younger siblings, even if they are annoying. Honor and respect the dignity of your friends, peers and teachers. Finally, lay down your life for your own sake, by stopping negative life-degrading habits. None of this is glorifying and you may even be made fun of, but it’s the virtuous thing to do. 

 

The measure of our love is found in our willingness to lay down our lives every day. 

 

Let us pray, 

 

Lord Jesus, you laid down your life for us in an extraordinary way on the cross. But you also laid down your life in more ordinary ways when you encountered those who were marginalized or in need of forgiveness. We thank you Lord for your example of love and the examples set by countless saints before us. Sometimes the most difficult thing to do is to lay down our lives daily for our friends, family, co-workers and peers. When we feel lazy or unmotivated, help us to see opportunities to lay down our lives in simple ways. We pray for the inspiration of Your Holy Spirit. We make this prayer in Your Holy Name. Amen. St. Joseph…Pray for Us!

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