You Can Do It!

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The end of the school year is in sight! Our friends in IB are studying like crazy for their exams, and we all have our eyes on summer. Stay focused – you can do it!

Thomas Merton, one of my favorite contemporary spiritual writers, wrote this prayer. You can find it in his book Thoughts in Solitude. I thought it might give you some inspiration for the rest of the school year:

MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

And if that wasn’t enough, try this video. If this doesn’t do the trick, I don’t know what will!

Bowling!

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bowling

We’re kicking off our month of MAYhem with bowling on Sunday, and YOU’RE invited! Bring your friends!

All teens must have a signed permission slip in order to attend.

We’ll meet at Sunrise Lanes (6393 9th St N St Petersburg, FL 33702) after the 6pm Mass (around 7:15/7:30pm). Plan on getting picked up around 9:00pm.

Cost: $10 (includes bowling, shoes, pizza, soda)

Please RSVP so I can give the bowling alley an estimate ahead of time!

A Season of Hope

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IMG_20130331_084815I received this cross as a gift from Sr. Kathleen the summer I completed graduate school. From the moment I opened it, I was blown away by its profound beauty and simplicity.

From the cross and the empty tomb, we are offered hope. Because Jesus gave himself fully on our behalf, because Jesus suffered and died to restore our relationship with God the Father, we have hope.

Saint Thomas Aquinas says that Christian hope is a “sure expectation of eternal happiness.”

More often than I’d like to admit, I find myself placing my hope in non-eternal things. When I’m worrying about whether or not a meeting will go well, am I placing my hope in God or in the others at the meeting? When I’m anxious about my future, am I placing my hope in God or in myself? If I’m practicing genuine Christian hope, I will not worry. Sure, I might experience some anxiety about the unknown, but ultimately I will know that God has my eternal happiness in mind. Today I might not understand why things didn’t go my way, but I have the sure expectation that God is leading me on a path toward eternal happiness.

During our times of darkness we, like the Apostles after Jesus’ death, are scared. We forget about the reassuring truths we’ve been taught, we lose sight of the big picture, and we doubt.

Then we have a grace-filled encounter. We experience the Risen Christ. We are reminded of his self-giving love and all that he has taught us. We are brought back into the light of his hope.

The Easter season allows us to practice being people of hope. After 40 days of self-denial, sacrifice, and prayer, we celebrate. We feel close to our God who loves us enough to offer his Son on our behalf. We join together with our community (many of whom we haven’t seen since Christmas) and experience an almost-tangible sense of joy. Many of us might not fully understand the celebration, but none can deny the Holy Spirit’s presence in our midst.

Christ is risen! And so we sing, “Hallelujah!”

How can you allow God’s transforming love to nurture the virtue of hope in your heart this Easter season?

Pope Benedict Resigns

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I’m sure by now you all have heard the news that broke this morning: Pope Benedict announced that he will resign as Pope on February 28th. I’ll be honest. When I read that on my CNN Breaking News email this morning, I was completely shocked. I wondered what scandal was about to erupt that caused the first papal resignation since Pope Gregory XII resigned at the end of the Great Schism of the West.

Well, as it turns out, there’s no reason for panic. My attitude has shifted from shock and confusion to admiration and gratitude. As far as I can tell from what I’ve read, the Pope’s reason for resigning is health/age related. He is 85 years old, and his health is declining. His view of the role of the papacy is incredibly selfless. He recognizes that our world is in such turmoil that it needs a Pope who can be a strong shepherd for the world, not simply a figurehead. Pope Benedict has said all along that should his age or his health interfere with his ministry as Pope, he would resign. He will continue to hold the world in prayer as he eventually moves to a monastery in the Vatican City.

“Pope John Paul II remained in office so that he might show us how to suffer and how to die. Pope Benedict XVI is leaving the Papal Office so that he might show us how to live in humble honesty.”

-Sr. Mary Theresa, Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and the World Day of Prayer for the Sick. Let us ask for our Mother Mary’s intercession as we pray for Pope Benedict. Beginning in March, let us also pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance as the College of Cardinals begins the process of choosing a worth successor.

A few good resources on the Pope’s resignation: