Advent Reflections

I'm sitting at one of my favorite local coffee shops, doing some work. 2 burly men just walked in, obviously on their break from some construction job, all decked out in their work gloves, work boots, overalls, and smelling of cigarettes. One of them asked the other, “Have you ever had a mocha?” “Uh, I don't know.” “Well do you want one?” “I want something hot.” “A mocha is hot, it's like a hot chocolate with espresso in it.”

Overhearing this conversation made me reflect on how I live a much different kind of life than most people. Over the past 5 years, I have spent countless hours consuming my favorite caffeinated beverages, talking with young men and women about the the Love of God and how to pursue it more intensely in their lives. A combination of my 2 favorite things. I live a privileged, blessed life. Yes, fundraising my salary can be difficult at times, and some months are better than others, but the Lord good and always provides. I do not reflect often enough on how indebted I am to Him. At the moment, I am half-way through a book called “He Leadeth Me,” a book written by a priest who spent over 23 years as a Soviet prisoner, spent partly in solitude confinement and the other part in a Siberian slave labor camp. And over and over he comments on how every day that he lived was a gift! What faith! What an example of true gratitude. I, on the other hand, get upset when I have to get up early for an appointment.

It seems as though the Lord has been slowly showing me more and more intentionally how much I need to simplify my life. I have been blessed to serve on several mission trips where the people who were hosting me work much harder, and have much less than I. And yet they gave everything they had. An amazing example of heroic generosity. It's been a great moment of reflection on how much I give of my time, treasure, and talents. How much I seek daily pleasures like that mocha with whip cream. How much I give of my self when it's asked of me, and how much less I give when it's not asked of me.

If there was one area in my life that I would like to work on most, it would be in the realm of discipline and strengthening my will. In this time of Advent, it is the perfect time to give of myself, in anticipation of the coming of our Lord, who humbled himself in the form of man, so that he could give everything for our sake. To the point of death on a cross. He loves us that much. Lord Jesus, teach me to love as you love. To give completely as you gave of yourself. Without restrain, without conditions.

I'm Lazy....

That's why I don't recycle as often as I should.

I'm cheap. That's why I don't buy organic as often as I'd like to.

So until I grow in virtue in these two areas, I have to find convenient ways to live a more earth-friendly lifestyle. As Christians, we associate being an environmentalist with radical liberal nuts.  And so, sadly, we often go to the other extreme of stubbornly not recycling at all. This is a completely erroneous reaction. We falsely justify it by saying there are much more important causes that we need to be putting our energies into, specifically the Pro-Life movement. Yes, I completely agree that objectively, supporting life is a more necessary cause. But these two causes are not mutually exclusive. I can help save babies and have a compost at the same time. I can, and I should. Our earth is a precious gift, and we need to treat it as so.

Mnsgr. Stuart Swetland gives a great talk relating to this.  He states that before the fall of Adam and Eve, there were 4 harmonies:
1) Between God and Man
2) Between Man and Self
3) Between Man and Man
4) Between Man and Creation

With the Fall, these Harmonies were distroyed.  But with the coming of Christ, these harmonies can be re-bridged.  In the discussion of "Liberal" and "Conservative" Catholics/Christians, what happens is that "conservatives" tend to focus on the first 2 harmonies, while "liberal" Catholics focus on the second 2.  But to be fully Catholic, we must work on all 4 harmonies. We need to work on our own prayer lives and serve the poor. We need to build our own virtue, and take care of God's creation. Hearing Mnsgr talk about this gave me a stronger desire to be diligent in all of these areas, so that I can work to become the woman I was originally created to be.

The problem is I'm lazy. In all of these areas. But particularly in being a good steward of the earth.

I've found some great tips, but would love any advice in this area. A few things I've found:

1. Buying in bulk is often cheaper, and reduces the amount of waste caused by excess packaging.
2. Turning off lights of rooms I'm not in. Seems commonsense, but after becoming more conscious of it, it's amazing how often I found that I leave lights on in every room of the house.
3. Find creative ways to reduce the amount of harsh household chemicals. My favorite example of this: MAKE YOUR OWN SHAMPOO! I found it on a blog I've been following:
   http://lifeblessons.blogspot.com/2010/06/recipe-for-making-your-own-shampoo.html
   I've been doing this! Still too early to decide if I like it or not tho...
4. And the biggest one: Teaching women about the negative effects of the birth control pill, not only on their bodies, but also on the environment! This topic is for a later post....

Another great resource I found was this article in Bon Appetit:
http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2009/02/fifty_easy_ways_to_eat_green

Got any more suggestions??

He Must Increase, I Must Decrease

“I have been crucified in Christ, so it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.”

Since this summer, this has been a verse that has consistently been following me. Referenced in several books I'm reading, and several talks I've listened to. So I have been compelled to take it to prayer. What does it really mean to be crucified in Christ? To have Christ live in me? I don't have any deep revelations at this time, but a few follow-up questions that I reflect on are:

1. Do I truly desire the Lord's will in my life?
2. Am I honestly seeking it out? Or am I trying to justify my desires as God's will?
3. Do I trust that he desires what is best for me and what will make me happiest?
4. What are the things that are keeping me from letting Christ have complete control of my life?

Because this is the world-wide-web, I am going to refrain from posting the intimate details of my prayer life for any Joe-Schmo to read. (I would love to have a deeper conversation about this over a beer with a friend, tho.) But I think these are questions that we can all reflect on. St. Augustine says “our hearts are restless until they rest in thee,” and it is in allowing Christ to live in us that we will finally find this rest and inner peace.

“He must increase and I must decrease.” St. John the Baptist.

Insight to the Creator

One of my favorite quotes on the beauty of creation:

Nature becomes a gospel that speaks to us of God, for from the greatness and beauty of the created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator.
-John Paul II

Love and Truth

Do not accept anything as the truth if it lacks love. And do not accept anything as love which lacks truth! One without the other becomes a destructive lie.

Edith Stein

Edith Stein was an atheist philosopher who was constantly on the search for what was true. While visiting a friend, she grabbed a book off the shelf and began to read. All night she read, not being able to put it down. In the morning when she finished, she closed the book and said, “This is truth.” She immediately converted to Catholicism and became a carmelite nun. The book was the autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila.

This inspires me to:

A) Read St. Teresa of Avila's autobiography (who has rapidly become my favorite saint already because of her writings on prayer.)

B) Learn more about Edith Stein, who became St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, who died in Auschwitz because of her Jewish descent.

Compromising Beauty for Usefulness...

Here is a great quote I found on a friend's blog.  It really sums up my frustration with the Christian art scene:

"Christian media have in recent years tended to celebrated art and entertainment for its “evangelical potential.”  In other words, many Christians have become so concerned about the usefulness of art as a tool of ministry and evangelism, they’ve forgotten—or never known in the first place—what art really is, and how it works.  As a result, “Christian art” has become more and more didactic and simplistic.  Its messages are easily paraphrased. No wonder the rest of the world dismisses it so easily. Who can blame them? People turn to art for an imaginative experience, not a lesson or a sales pitch." 

If beauty is one of the ways in which we encounter the living God, why do we sacrifice it? We learned in our English and Linguistic classes that non-verbal communication is more important than the actual message. So if we attach THE MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE to a cheesy beat or poor acting, what kind of effect do you think it will have on the receiver of that message??? Cheesy Praise and Worship may have the intent of praising our Lord, but the message we're sending is that praising the Lord is cheesy. 

Christian music should be held as the highest beauty. Yet the music industry barely recognizes it. The quality of Christian music should be such that no one can deny it's beauty.  We are doing the world an injustice by not raising the standards. The vehicle of delivering a message is just as important as the message itself, otherwise, no one receives the message. Something needs to change.

Sharing is Caring

Anyone who has discovered Christ must lead others to him. A great joy cannot be kept to oneself. It has to be passed on. - Pope Benedict XVI (2005 World Youth Day)

There are many things I love.  Typically when something grabs my interest, I am not quite satisfied until I have hunted down the most quality version of said thing.  Quality counts. Quality beer, quality coffee, quality music. All things I love. And as Pope Benedict says, if you love something, you must pass it on.  

Now, I know he was talking about something much more significant than these small daily pleasures. One cannot compare a love for good coffee with the desire to grow deeper in relationship with Jesus.  However, in sharing these small insights into my life, I am attempting to follow the words of St. Paul when he says, " So being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our very selves, because you had become very dear to us." (1 Thes 2:8.)

Our desire for God should be apparent in every inch of our being.  By sharing our lives with others, it should be obvious that our love for Christ effects every decision we make.  "They will know we are Christians by our love" and whatnot. The greatest form of evangelization is our witness, our example.  And in everything, we should be seeking what is true, what is good, and what is beautiful.  These are how we encounter God.  Truth, Beauty, Goodness.  And these 3 things are apparent in even the smallest daily occurrence.  A beautiful song, a mathematical truth, a good deed done for a friend.  

And so, with this blog, I attempt to share all things true, good, and beautiful that I come across. One more way in which I attempt to share Christ with the world.  Our culture has stopped acknowledging the existence of Truth, has lost sight of what is Good, and is moving too fast to notice what is Beautiful.  By sitting down and writing about them, it helps me to reflect on and recognize these 3 things as well. And by recognizing these three things, our minds are instantly reminded of Heaven and the glory that awaits us.  They transcend to a higher existence.

So quality counts.  Let us not settle for mediocrity. So it begins.