Together We Can Do Great Things for Jesus

I’ve been blessed to teach strength classes with a group of women who have trained with me for many years. We know each other’s varied exercise strengths and weaknesses and we rely on each other for accountability and encouragement. We are all different in what we are good at in the gym, and in what we like to do, but that makes it interesting and challenges us to grow.

It’s the same in our spiritual lives. We are all different. We each have a different mission and anointing on our lives so it is important to pray and ask God to guide us in our spiritual practices. It is a very good thing that we inspire each other to go deeper with the Lord or to perhaps incorporate a new spiritual practice into our lives. However, we don’t want to compare ourselves to others because God works individually with each of us and it is He who should guide us.

St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta said, “You can do what I cannot do. I can do what you cannot do. Together we can do great things.”

I believe the Chosen television series beautifully portrays the personality and mission differences between the disciples. Granted this is an artistic interpretation, but it reminds us that there is no one kind of Christian, no one road to growing in holiness and no one way to live out our faith. The common denominator for them and for us is staying focused on Jesus and using what we have been given to serve Him and others.

So we can ask ourselves: are we praying and asking Jesus to guide us daily? Are we faithful to the sacraments? Are we using the gifts and talents to serve God and God’s people? Are we examining our daily lives and giving thanks for how God is guiding us and seeking to do a little better each day?

There was a time many years ago when I had a deep conversion and I felt called to more spiritual practices. My husband did not feel that same call on his life, but he began to feel guilty that he wasn’t doing ‘as much’ as I was doing.

We both met with my spiritual director and he asked us a few questions … Do you attend Mass every Sunday and on Holy Days of Obligation? Yes. Do you go to Confession at least once annually? Yes. Do you give your time, talent and treasure to those in need? Do you pray daily? Yes. My spiritual director didn’t see an issue and reminded us that in different seasons of our lives we may be called to more spiritual practices, but as Catholics, we are called first and foremost to be faithful to the sacraments.

It is never good to compare ourselves to others. We can be inspired by others and we can take that inspiration to prayer and ask Jesus how he’d like us to proceed.

From 2 Corinthians 15:5, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless, of course, you fail the test.”

May we be faithful to the sacraments and let us ask Jesus to guide us in how we live out the call He has placed on our lives so that together we can do great things for Jesus.

Taking Our Thoughts Captive

Ever since I started strength coaching, I have emphasized that our thoughts matter and impact how we lift weights. Are we distracted? Then we are at risk for getting hurt. Are we thinking that we can’t do something? Then we won’t be able to do it. Are we practicing negative self-talk, such as , “I can’t do this, I don’t want to do this or I’m not good at this" … it definitely impacts our performance! What goes on in our minds effects how our bodies react.

It’s the same in the spiritual life. Really, life in general. It’s a good spiritual practice to pay attention to our thoughts about ourselves, about others, about situations and about God as we seek to grow in holiness and to be more like Jesus to others.

From 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, “We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”

It is good and holy to take our thoughts captive and to lift up our concerns to Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the angels and the saints, with faith, hope and love rather than allowing negative self-talk to dominate our minds.

This is easier said than done. First we have to pay attention to our thoughts. When we interact with someone, are we looking for God in them and thinking about the good in them? When we make a mistake, or someone expresses disappointment in us, do we take it personally and get defensive or do we forgive ourselves and seek to learn from it? Do we think of Jesus as our loving friend and companion and ask him to help us in our difficulties — or do we complain that he’s not doing enough or not doing anything at all? Do we give in to fear and worry rather than asking, seeking, knocking and trusting that God hears and answers our prayers according to His will?

Most of the time, those thoughts that bring us down are sneaky — not overt — but when we begin to pay attention to them, actively taking those thoughts captive, and replacing them with loving, caring and forgiving thoughts, our relationships and our lives begin to change.

St. Thomas More said, “Occupy your minds with good thoughts, or the enemy will fill them with bad ones.”

Yes, the evil one seeks to destroy us, but we have Jesus living within us. We can ask him to renew our minds. We can live a sacramental life. We are not victims. We live in the victory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

St. Paul urges us onward in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may demonstrate what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

I have started renounced negative thoughts out loud to myself, “I renounce the confusion and sadness of this situation and I declare the truth that Jesus understands and He is with me as I seek to resolve this.“

I’ve renounced fear and worry, doubt and loneliness, sloth and over-striving. Then I declare the love of Jesus to fill my mind. The result has actually been quite remarkable. The result is freedom. Freedom from thoughts that weigh me down, slow me down and bring me down.

In John 16:33, Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Our lives will have trouble, suffering, turmoil and heartache due to the original sin of Adam and Eve that is in each of us. Jesus came to free us from sin and death with His abundant love; may we embrace this beautiful thought above all others.

Making More Room for God

This is the time of year that I do spring cleaning and it feels good to clean out and give away items that we are no longer using. It’s interesting how I feel like the clutter encumbers me in my temporal life, but also in my spiritual life.

Having stuff and maintaining stuff is a responsibility and a time commitment. The more I can simplify and streamline, the more time I have to give to God and others. I guess i would say that I’m striving to live a low maintenance life on the material front so that I have more time for soul-filling activities, such as praying and reading, spending time with family and friends, being involved in parish life, going to daily Mass, being out in nature and participating in various ministries.

So making more room for God, more room to grow, more room to invite others into my life is a priority in this season of my life. So that same cleaning out is a good practice that also applies to our hearts and minds. This is a time for me to prayerfully consider what past hurts am I holding on to that need to be healed? What does my family need from me this summer? What relationships need nurturing? What spiritual practices do I feel called to, but have not yet made a priority? Do I need to allow for more silence and time to pray and read, to be with God in nature?

St. Augustine said, “Let us leave a little room for reflection in our lives, room too for silence. Let us look within ourselves and see whether there is some delightful hidden place inside where we can be free of noise and argument. Let us hear the Word of God in stillness and perhaps we will then come to understand it.”

I’m inspired to spend more time in that “delightful hidden place inside' with the easy breeziness of summer.

Scripture is a beautiful guidepost on this journey of making more room for God and being filled with Him in new ways. From Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the holy Spirit.”

Also, this is a powerful reminder from 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Am I asking the indwelling God what He wants from me and and am I asking for His help to do it?

I’m concluding my first year as a student in the Encounter School of Ministry online school and we have a student in our class who is 81 years old. She is still growing in her relationship with God and I’m so inspired by her desire to learn, to go deep, to share and and to make even more room for God in her life.

St. John Paul II said, “What really matters in life is that we are loved by Christ and we love Him in return.”

Lord, help me to really make it that simple — to depend on your love and to love you back, simply and fully, Amen.

Seeking Peace in Our Hearts, Bodies and Minds

In our crazy, busy, distracted world, our hearts are crying out for peace — peace in our hearts, our bodies and in our minds.

People often start exercising as a way to calm the body and mind. Movement and physical activity do have a proven physiological calming effect on the body. I enjoy moderately vigorous activity a few times a week, but other times, a peaceful walk, bike ride, gentle stretching or SoulCore (Rosary prayer with movement) brings me peace.

Exercise is great to calm the body, but m favorite way to seek peace is by praying. My parish’s Adoration chapel is the most peaceful place for me, but I’ve learned to turn my armchair, couch, bed, backyard, screened porch and car into places of prayerful peace.

It may sound too simple, but I’ve found that the more I pray, the more I’m at peace. The peace of Christ is absolutely the best gift I can give myself because if I’m at peace, then I can bring Christ’s peace to others in the form of kindness, gentleness, silence, acceptance, joy, love, encouragement and hope.

In John 16:33, Jesus said, “I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

Having peace doesn’t mean there isn’t strife. Since we are in the world, and we have original sin, strife is part of our lives. However, we can learn to guard that place within us where Jesus lives and we can go there any time and all the time — amidst the busyness of life. Perhaps that was what St. Paul was referring to when he said, “Pray without ceasing.” I’m learning to go there — to receive the peace of Jesus in my heart more and more often. Do you do that as well?

Peace is mentioned many times in Scripture. Our Father must have known that peace would be something that we would struggle with and that we would need guidance on this topic. Thankfully Father God gives us inspired words from many people in Scripture including the prophets, the disciples and of course Jesus.

St. Paul encourages the people of Corinth in 2 Corinthians 13:11, “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

A while back, a friend of mine experienced an adverse reaction to a medication that caused her to experience great fear, anxiety and an inability to sleep. She was working with her doctors to find a solution, but in the meantime, she had no peace in her body, mind or soul. One day I took her to my parish Adoration chapel. She experienced the peace of Christ for a short time in the stillness of the chapel, thank you Jesus. Tears of gratitude flowed and she cried out to Jesus for more moments of peace in the midst of her difficult trial.

From Psalm 4:9, “In peace I will lie down and fall asleep, for you alone, Lord, make me secure.”

When my husband had Covid recently, i was careful to keep peace in my body, soul and mind in hopes that I would not get sick— as I was scheduled to present at a Catholic women’s retreat a few days later.

I practiced good self care which included more prayer time and spiritual reading, more sleep, healthy eating, moderate, but consistent exercise, good hydration and a reduced schedule of activities. Praise God that I stayed healthy and was able to attend the retreat. This was a powerful reminder to me to seek more peace in my daily routine.

May we seek the peace of Christ more often in our everyday lives to become more holy and healthy. From John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”

Walking with God and Others

As the weather brightens up in Ohio, we begin to get outdoors more. One simple way to enjoy fresh air, exercise and nature is by walking. It’s funny that I often hear people say, ‘I don’t exercise, but I walk.’ Walking is one of the best exercises we can do! Our bodies are naturally designed to do it, it is low impact and it can get us outdoors.

In fitness, walking is known as a nervous system rest and reset as walking calms us down and warms us up for other activities. On its own, walking is a powerful way to maintain good posture, lengthen and strengthen muscles and it can be easily paired with socializing or prayer. or both. We often don’t appreciate the gift of walking until we have a physical reason why we can’t do it.

In our spiritual lives, walking is important as we walk with God to pray and praise Him, and to grow in faith, hope and love. Lent is such a powerful time to explore walking with God in new and different ways — with Lenten reflections and music, praying the Stations of the Cross, perhaps spending more time in private prayer and serving others.

In prayerful meditation, I often picture myself walking and talking with Jesus. I’m someone who likes to move and be active, so it makes sense that when I’m pondering what He is saying to me in scripture, or I’m talking to Jesus about events in my life, I visualize us walking side by side.

In scripture, and in my imagination I connect with Jesus most often in outdoor setting as He is teaching, preaching, healing, praying and being with the apostles. Speaking to Jesus as a friend, and walking through this life with Him is a peaceful and hopeful image to me. I’m grateful that we also have the angels and saints walking with us — an insurmountable army of loving support — may we call on them often for their assistance.

On our spiritual journey, and on this journey of earthly life, we are also walking with others in the Body of Christ. Sometimes we are walking side-by-side at the same point on our journey, other times we are called to lead, and still at other times, people are leading us. It is important to walk with our brothers and sisters in Christ as we strengthen and inspire each other. It’s hard to do it alone! I heard a pastor say that we are called to minister and pray in groups of two because being with another person of faith makes us braver.

Whenever I hear someone say they don’t have any close Christian or Catholic friends to walk with them on their faith journey, my heart aches for them. Maybe I need to bring them into my fold of my life and I’m open to it. Years ago I remember praying to God for the same thing, ‘Lord, send me true spiritual friends to walk with me on this Christian journey of life.’ Our desire is for authentic connections with others who love the Lord and who are seeking to grow in holiness is a powerful longing of the heart.

St. Maximillian Kolbe said, “God sends us friends to be our firm support in the whirlpool of struggle. In the company of friends, we will find strength to attain our sublime ideal.”

We can consider walking through scripture to grow in faith and understanding of God. We can walk with the saints with whom we have a special connection. Walking with someone God has placed in our lives for a specific reason, perhaps for a short time, to lend a special grace of love and support during an illness or a trial is a gift. Thanks be to God for the variety of ways we can walk with Him and others.

There are many scripture passages that refer to walking in some manner, and I challenge you to search and pray with them if you feel called. I share this hopeful message from Leviticus 26:12, “I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be my people.”

The Glory and Gift of Repetition

It’s hard to escape repetition. It’s part of everyday lives — in our work, our study, our recreation, our home lives, our social lives and our prayer lives.

In the gym, we do many of the same exercises repeatedly because they are just so good for the body. We know them well and we can execute them with a good result. Repetition allows us to challenge ourselves to improve. I’ve probably done thousands of squats over my lifetime and I will probably do thousands more, God willing. I never tire of the challenge and the strength benefits that many common exercises provide to the body.

The familiarity of repetitive activities can give us peace and joy. But can repetition turn into boredom? Most certainly. It’s perseverance and fortitude that help us to do the same thing over and over to produce predictable, yet beneficial result.

In turning to our prayer lives, we can also reflect on the role of repetition. I pray the Rosary daily and the Divine Mercy Chaplet as well — and I never tire of it. I believe in this case, God’s grace flows through these beautiful prayers to lift and move my heart to him. The Hail Mary prayers unite me to Jesus through Mary and there is a sublime calmness and grace in meditating on the beautiful mysteries of the life of Jesus.

In the repetition and constancy there is a freedom to let Jesus carry me, to teach me, to free me from things of the world — even if only momentarily. In Colossians 3:2, St. Paul says, “Set your mind on things above, not earthly things.” I believe this longing lives in every human heart.

It is a gift to pray the Rosary and Chaplet while walking, using SoulCore prayer and movement, praying aloud with others or nestling in my lounger with a dog on my lap. For me, the repetition is salve on a wound. It is healing. It is restful. It is life-giving. The Rosary connects me to Jesus through Mary in a deep and personal way and I believe it’s the repetitive nature of the prayers that cracks open my heart, little-by-little, to let more of Jesus in.

Pope Paul VI said, “By its nature the recitation of the Rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace, helping the individual to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord’s life as seen through the eyes of her who was closest to the Lord. In this way the unfathomable riches of these mysteries are unfolded.”

The lingering, the pondering, the meditation, the quiet rhythm of prayer leads us to gentle places, to hopefully a deeper connection with the Holy Trinity.

It’s funny, I’ve never thought of the word ‘monotony’ to describe the prayers of the Rosary as it feels like a negative word. St. Jose Escriva used it though, “Say the Holy Rosary. Blessed be that monotony of Hail Mary's which purifies the monotony of your sins!”

Truth! Don’t we often repeat and confess the same sins over and over again — and I’ve never made a correlation between repetitive prayer and repetitive sins! Praise God for the wisdom of the saints!

And just as we pray repetitively, and confess repetitively, we see Jesus pouring our his mercy to us, repetitively, as his mercy endures forever.

From Psalm 136:1-4, “Praise the LORD, for he is good; for his mercy endures forever; Praise the God of gods; for his mercy endures forever; Praise the Lord of lords; for his mercy endures forever; Who alone has done great wonders, for his mercy endures forever …”

I pray that we have eyes to see and ears to hear the glory and the gift of repetition in its many forms, in every aspect of our lives, but most especially in our spiritual lives.

Five Formidable Benefits of Regular Exercise

Your body is simply amazing, just as it is, since the day you were born.

Imagine if you challenged your body with moderate physical activity on a consistent basis, starting right now, so that you learn to move, strengthen and lift in new ways that help you to feel and move better and help transform your outlook on life. According to the CDC, only about 20% of us get the recommended amount of exercise each week, so the new year may be the perfect time to start.

HOW DOES EXERCISE HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO TRANSFORM YOUR DAILY LIFE?

EXERCISE IMPACTS YOUR RELATIONSHIPS, YOUR WORK, YOUR PLAY, YOUR OVERALL HEALTH AND PREPARES YOU TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON OTHERS

With the new year, people are thinking about exercise in relation to losing weight -- but that is only one potential benefit of exercise, so I challenge you to look more deeply into the truly transformational role consistent exercise can play in your daily life:

1. Experience the thrill of learning something new. It is exciting to learn a new skill and engage the brain and the body in thought-provoking activity. We know that exercise promotes neurogenesis, which is the brain’s ability to adapt and grow new brain cells, at any age. Humans are meant to learn and thrive at all stages of life and exercise gives you a daily dose of this.

2. Be the most energetic person you know. What you eat plays a role in your energy level of course, but so does the number of mitochondria you have. Mitochondria are often referred to as the powerhouse of the cell. Mitochondria transform energy from food and turn it into cellular energy. Exercise increases the number of mitochondria in your body, therefore improving the body’s ability to produce energy. This helps you exercise with a higher energy output (i.e. faster and longer) and the result is you feel great. Side Note: train moderately with light, medium and heavy training days with joint mobility work, but more importantly, train consistently (2-3-4-5 days a week and listen to your body.) Learn the doses you need and you will train well into your elder years.

3. Feel calm and peaceful with more mental clarity. Exercise normalizes insulin resistance and boosts the natural “feel good” hormones and neurotransmitters associated with mood control, including endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, glutamate and more. The feeling of calm after exercise is real. With regular exercise, changes in the heart occur, including potentially a decreased heart rate which can help you feel more calm. There are positive changes in the circulatory system. Many physiological and neuromuscular changes occur in the body during exercise that contribute to your overall sense of feeling good and feeling well.

4. Tune in to your true appetite. It is widely accepted that exercise, along with eating to match activity level, can help individuals achieve optimal bodyweight. Exercise directly impacts appetite along with the individual’s resting metabolic rate, gastric adjustment to ingested food, changes in episodic peptides (such as insulin) as well as the amount of tonic peptides, such as leptin. So starting a new exercise program does not necessarily mean you will eat more; you may feel like eating less (and hydrating more!), eating healthier or begin craving specific foods that your body needs for muscle repair.

5. Enjoy increased creativity, productivity, optimism, joy and confidence. When the body feels peaceful, strong, conditioned and purposeful, there is the potential for increased joy and confidence in daily life. Isn’t that what we want most? Research shows that exercise can enhance cognitive abilities related to creativity, productivity and optimism.

Seasons in Our Lives

Seasons. This season of Advent is such a beautiful time to reflect on the gift of different and special times in our lives and the opportunity they present to us for growth and gratitude. Advent fills me with anticipatory joy and challenges me to spend more time with Jesus. It reminds me to focus on people, giving and soul-filling activities. Since the new liturgical year begins with Advent, we can also look at this as a time of new beginnings and fostering new holy and healthy habits.

Seasons. As I was reflecting recently with friends, we have different seasons in our physical lives. A friend of mine retired from her job and has been training with me, and flourishing, for 8 years. Praise God for her perseverance! I was also reflecting that I train differently now than I did 10 years ago when I started teaching strength training. It is wise to honor our bodies where we are right now. My main goals now are consistency, injury prevention and fun! I used to focus mainly on how heavy I could lift and I would train almost every day. Thank you Jesus for a wise shift in my physical life to make more time for you and for the people and other activities you have placed in my life.

Seasons. My parents and my mother-in-law are in Memory Care with different forms of Alzheimers. This season is challenging for me, my husband and our siblings, but there is much to be thankful for when we view this season with the eyes of faith. Their childlikeness is so beautiful. My Dad has had memory loss for about 7 years. He recently had a sudden change from excellent physical health to hip, knee and other new physical issues that have caused falls and recurring pain. He is in bed much more than ever before. He never even used to take a nap. One day I asked him if he was sad about this phase of life. He said, why would I be sad? I’m the same as always! He doesn’t remember what is going on. In many ways, this is a blessing.

Seasons. One day I took my mom outdoors at the retirement center, and we sat and I simply rubbed her back as she looked at the sky. In her childlikeness, she exclaimed about the clouds, the sun, the warmth, the beautiful day. Just being together physically is a gift in this phase of life. She calls me her friend, and sometimes she mixes me up with my sister, but she still recognizes me and runs to hug me shouting, ‘I’m so glad you are here!’ She is happy and free from the things that used to worry her. Thank you Jesus for the reminder that there is beauty and dignity in each season of our lives.

Seasons. Our spiritual lives have seasons. I would say that I’m in a season of more study than I’ve ever had before with the Encounter School of Ministry. It is exhilarating and exhausting! This season is challenging me to go deeper with Jesus in a way that is amazing, but in the awakening, I’m forced out of my comfort zone. I’m praying for patience on this journey, to radically trust in God and to truly let go of old ways of thinking. Come Holy Spirit!

St. Edith Stein said, “Lay all your cares about the future trustingly in God’s hands and let yourself be guided by the Lord just like a little child.”

May we welcome each season, both the joys and the sorrows, and pray to say with unshakable faith, “I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me.”

The Treasure of Spiritual Rest

In physical training, rest is as important as the exercise to promote muscle recovery and to prevent injury. Often I’ll practice active rest on my off days so I’m stretching, waking, cycling or doing something lighter that uses muscles in a different way. Other days I do nothing physical at all which is important as well.

Recently, I was able to go away for spiritual rest on a silent retreat with four friends; it was truly a gift to step out of the busyness and distractions of everyday life with a few days of open time to pray and reflect on life in a very special way, with special friends, and in a special setting.

The retreat location was The Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, Kentucky and it was the first visit for each of us. With the prompting of a friend, we selected a fall weekend to go and rest in a silent, self-guided retreat with the Trappist Monks. You may be wondering how five women were silent on retreat! We did eat together and talk at meals, and we had one nature walk together, and a couple moments of sharing outside under the stars before bed time, but for the most part, Friday through Monday was gloriously silent.

Retreat participants are welcome to join the Trappist Monks for their Liturgy of the Hours throughout the day and night and they offered daily Mass and Confession. Joining the monks in prayer was both powerful and peaceful for me and gave a welcome rhythm and inspiration to each day. For me, the time in prayer with the monks was as impactful as the silent, alone time.

Each of us spent our days in different ways, but we were blessed with warm and beautiful weather, so getting out in nature was restorative and opened us up to prayer in new ways. We explored the many acres of trails and ponds, with visits to statues and Stations of the Cross, a stump, a bench, a hillside, or a hidden spot in the woods became a welcome resting spot for prayer — walking (or running) the trails was also a time of prayer.

No running for me as I felt called to move slowly and to listen and rest in the Lord. Reading Scripture, praying the Rosary, reading a good Thomas Merton book (this was his place for 27 years) talking to God about life’s joys and challenges, giving thanks for the many blessings and to just be — without feeling guilty about it — was freeing. I give thanks that there are still places of stillness available to the laity for a much needed spiritual rest.

The retreat made me determined to carve out more combined nature and prayer time in my daily life and I’ve been better at doing that since I’ve been home. There were some close moments to God for each of us, and in fact, we shared some of that with each other, and a few of us admitted that we are still processing the experience well after our visit to Gethsemani.

St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) said, “God is there in these moments of rest and can give us in a single instant exactly what we need.”

To rest in the Lord is truly a gift. To put the phone away, nap, walk, pray, think, reflect, write, give thanks, and to simply receive from the Lord renewed me body, mind and soul.

Jesus tell us, “Come to me, all who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest.” How often do we really do it? Consider this an invitation to rest in the Lord in a special way some time soon to be renewed and strengthened.

Make a Friend, Be a Friend, Bring a Friend to Christ

One of the things I love about our exercise class is the lighthearted banter, the sharing, and the joy that we have hearing about each others’ lives while training nearly 10 years together. We respect each other and honor each other’s dignity and privacy. The camaraderie eases the challenges of the workouts and makes the environment comfortable, supportive and fun.

The lighthearted banter, sharing, fun and mutual respect is also a doorway into sharing Jesus and inviting others into a relationship with him. When I was involved in Cum Cristo, we said, “Make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ,” in that order. People are more open to hearing about faith, God, Jesus and prayer when they know that you care about and love them first.

I’ve shared about Jesus with some of my fitness friends — and others who don’t know him because we have something else in common first — a family, hobby or work connection, for example. Sometimes I’m struck by the fact that I’m the only active Christian this person knows. I ask the Holy Spirit to lead me into authentic conversations with people in a way that can help them know that Jesus loves them and desires a relationship with them.

Recently I was visiting some long-time friends out-of-state and one of them asked me a question during a lively dinner discussion … If a company develops medicine/technology that allows people to live 30 more years, would I do it? I pondered this for a moment and asked the Holy Spirit to guide my answer. My reply was that I’d have to pray about it, research the Church’s position on it, and my number one priority is to be with God in Eternity someday, so delaying that by 30 years doesn’t seem like something I’d like to do!

This led to a deep conversation about God, faith, family, humanity and the current cultural challenges we face in all seasons of our lives. I wasn’t sure if what I said had an impact on my friend at first, but at one point he admitted that he didn’t know his Catholic faith and said he would like to learn more. I asked him his preferred method of learning and he said podcasts and videos (not books), so I immediately forwarded him some links to leading Catholic voices that I feel are very accessible (and at times lighthearted) no matter where we are on our faith journey, such as Father Mike Schmitz, Bishop Robert Barron and Father Josh Johnson. He was open and grateful.

Our friendship, laughter, mutual respect, and common interests (such as family and baseball) fostered this powerful conversation. I will try to keep it going with lighthearted encouragement and sharing of resources as I feel prompted. We never know how God will work in someone’s heart, but we do know He can use any means to reach someone — even our small, feeble attempts to share our faith can bear fruit, thank you Holy Spirit!

So let us be ready and willing to enter into these conversations about faith with boldness and joy under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

From 1 Peter:15-16 “… Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence …” Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever, Amen!

Vulnerability

Any time we decide to try something new, or make a change in our lives, we are being a little bit vulnerable. We don’t know if we’ll be able to do it, do it well, enjoy it and see growth from it. This could be, for example, joining a bible study, going back to Church in person, starting a new exercise program, taking a class, starting a hobby or meeting a new friend for coffee.

Vulnerability is an interesting topic from a spiritual perspective. A key to spiritual growth is being vulnerable with God and with others. It’s odd to think that we might try to hide our weaknesses and foibles from ourselves, the all-knowing God, and from the people we are closest to, but as I stand in the confession line, I think, boy I wish I didn’t have to talk to God about this. Being vulnerable opens us up to forgiveness, healing and growth, but it takes humility and courage — and it can feel risky and frightening. We may wonder if people will think less of us or maybe they won’t like us if they know the ‘real’ us.

The Pharisees are an example of pride, rather than vulnerability. They were concerned about appearances, acted like they were perfect and pointed their fingers at others. They hid their true selves and were not vulnerable or humble enough to work on the ‘inside of the cup.’ They would, in the words of Jesus, “strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.”

St. Paul, on the other hand, is an example of vulnerability. He accepted the difficulties, rebukes and hardships he endured in evangelizing as he traveled with other disciples teaching and preaching — seeking to please God, not man. Since he had persecuted Christians before his profound conversion, something he never forgot, he openly and authentically shared that he had been saved by Jesus, that Jesus was everything, not him. He was open about his weaknesses and mistakes and his vulnerabilities drew people to him in a powerful way.

It is interesting to look at our own lives. Sometimes our nature might be to be more quiet and hidden. I consider myself reserved and prone to self-reliance. To be vulnerable is something I’m growing in as I seek to share more about my personal and spiritual struggles in my writing, speaking and ministries — and even in simple coffee talks with close friends.

As I open up more, there is freedom and joy in the authentic exchange that ensues as it builds deeper and truer bonds of love between friends and between me and God.

If we don’t have vulnerability, we don’t have true friendship do we? It’s a deep topic that I can’t do justice to in this short article, but I’ll close with this thought. We are often invited to share in the vulnerability of others. Are we open, loving, kind and receptive when others share their weaknesses and struggles with us? Can we be trusted to love them through it — and do we have a strong reliance on a prayer and sacramental life so that God’s grace can work through us to be charitable with Christ-like love and honesty?

Lord, help us to see the goodness in vulnerability, give us the courage to practice it, and by your grace may we be charitable and sensitive to those who are vulnerable with us, Amen.

Training in Silence

In the physical world, we refer to training as consistent practice of a fitness discipline. It can be working toward a specific athletic goal, such as preparing for a marathon or for a college sport or simply getting in shape for everyday life. Training requires discipline, commitment, time and patience to make it a long-lasting, healthy habit.

In the spiritual life, our spiritual practices can be considered a way of ‘training’ to grow in holiness. When we pray daily, or begin any new spiritual practice, such as praying the Rosary or frequenting daily Mass, it requires discipline, commitment, time and patience to make it a long-lasting, holy habit.

I have a pretty set daily prayer routine, and i’m blessed to be able to attend daily Mass a few days a week. About a year ago, I started attending the evening parish Holy Hour at my Church and I really love the praise and worship music that accompanies that hour with the Lord.

It’s funny though — since I started attending the parish Holy Hour, accompanied by music, I was less likely to go to the Adoration chapel for an hour of silence. I drop in when I can, and adore briefly before or after daily Mass, but I noticed when I was in the chapel recently that it was very difficult to quiet my mind for an hour of silent prayer — where previously an hour of silence never seemed like enough time. I was out of the habit of adoring our Lord in absolute silence.

So I would say that I’m in training to re-acquire this important habit. I know that I need the silence to hear the Lord, to read scripture, and to reflect and write in my journal, so I have been getting back into the habit of embracing the silence — working up to an hour, little-by-little, as many spiritual directors recommend. Speak Lord, your servant is listening!

St. John of the Cross said, “It is best to learn to silence the faculties and to cause them to be still, so that God may speak.”

I am in training to quiet my mind, banish distractions, invite God into my heart more fully and to give him time and space to transform me so I can be a stronger disciple.

St. John Paul II said, “We must understand that in order “to do,” we must first learn ‘to be,” that is to say, in the sweet company of Jesus in adoration.”

What a gift it is in this busy, crazy world to have time in beautiful silence with the Lord of the universe to “just be.” We see the example of Jesus in scripture, no matter how busy he was, he went away to be with the Father so that he could be filled up to give himself to others.

From Mark 1:35, “Then Jesus got up early in the morning when it was still very dark, departed, and went out to a deserted place, and there he spend time in prayer.”

So I will patiently train in the silence, adoring our Lord and giving thanks for the privilege of being with him. From Psalm 37:7 “Be silent in the Lord’s presence and wait patiently for him.”