John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life (John 3:16).

And with these words of our Lord, himself, I bid farewell to the Youthtalk blog. I’ve enjoyed writing each week, but the moment has come to rest the keyboard. The Lord has blessed me with a number of ministries onto which I wish to focus my priestly energies more fully, and so I take leave of my blogging. Thank you so much for hanging with me these past 5 years of Youthtalk. I am most appreciative.

Pray hard, love each other, trust unfailingly in Jesus, and may God bless you abundantly.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Steve

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Papal wisdom

Pope Francis continues to challenge, console, and counsel us. How blessed we are by his ministry! So this week, I invite you to consider – and take to heart – two of his exhortations. The first is this:

“Ours is not a joy born of having many possessions, but from having encountered a Person, Jesus, in our midst; it is born from knowing that with him we are never alone, even at difficult moments, even when life’s journey comes up against problems and obstacles that seem insurmountable, and there are so many of them! And in this moment the enemy, the devil, comes, often disguised as an angel, and slyly speaks his word to us. Do not listen to him! Follow Jesus!”

The second is the following:

“We must not be afraid of being Christian and living as Christians! We must have this courage to go and proclaim the Risen Christ, for he is our peace; he made peace with his love, with his forgiveness, with his blood and with his mercy.”

As these words from Pope Francis echo in our hearts, may I suggest that we ask ourselves some pertinent questions:

1. Do I indeed find my joy in having encountered Christ?

2. When “problems and obstacles” arise, do I run to Christ or away from Christ?

3. Why am I sometimes afraid to boldly live as a Christian?

4. Have I accepted the peace and love of Christ in a real, tangible way?

Have a great, fruitful, Christ-centered week and be assured of my prayers,

Fr. Steve

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Into the lion’s den

Into the lion’s den again . . .

Maybe you are a kid saying that to yourself as the school year begins. Your classes are daunting. You know that the drama will be beginning once more. You’re preparing to put on your mask, the one that prevents others from knowing who you really are. You’re schedule is going to be crazy with school and band and work. Your stress level is already on the rise. Here you go, into the lion’s den again.

Maybe you are a parent saying that to yourself as the school year begins. Balancing the activities of the kids and ferrying them to their multiple destinations seems to get harder as they grow older. Work is not letting up and the economic uncertainty has you on edge. Your mom is struggling more than ever with her memory loss and your dad’s heart is not getting any healthier. You feel so overwhelmed at times. Here you go, into the lion’s den again.

Maybe you are a youth leader saying that to yourself as the school year begins. You are trying desperately to preach Christ to your students, yet you can already picture the kids who do not want to be in class or who are forced to come to youth group. You worry about teaching the hard truths of the Church to a generation so malformed by the culture. Other adults, ones you are counting on for help, are letting you down. You feel that your work is pointless, unfruitful and without reward. Here you go, into the lion’s den again.

I recognize your fears and worries because I struggle with them myself. Living for Christ, teaching Christ, preaching Christ, even being Christ for others – why is it so darn hard?

Please, do not allow discouragement to overwhelm you. Christ has promised to be with us every step of the way, and unless he is a horrible liar, we can be certain of his presence and his grace and his love. We are called to be faithful and we are asked to persevere. The achieving of success, as much as we desire to taste its fruit, is not the measure of our discipleship.

What we deem success may in God’s eyes be failure, and what we see as failure may in God’s eyes be success. Our work is to follow Christ. Although he freely uses our talents, our ideas, and our prayers, Christ is the one who really wins souls, multiplies loaves, and heals hearts which are broken. And that should be a comfort to us. Christ doesn’t so much need our skills as he needs our readiness.

Daniel went into the lion’s den and tamed that ferocious beast. God was with him. The three young men went into the king’s blistering fire and walked out unharmed. God was with them. David went into battle against the undefeated warrior and emerged victorious. God was with him. Esther appeared unannounced in the king’s throne room, but she was not condemned. God was with her. And on the saddest day of all, Christ entered into the realm of evil and death, but rose in glory on the third day. God was with him.

And as this new school year begins, and despite our misgivings, uncertainties, and doubts, we too can enter the arena of battle and appear on the other end as better, more fruitful disciples of Christ. Why? Because God is with us.

Be assured of my prayers,
Fr. Steve

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Brothers

Writing in his Testament, a summary of his life and mission, St. Francis of Assisi uses this intriguing phrase: “When the Lord gave me brothers…” The saint was referring to the men who had joined and followed him, the men that we today call, Franciscans. Francis was giving thanks for these men, but not because the men were continually sources of comfort and consolation, but profoundly, because they were not always sources of comfort and consolation.

Often, maybe very often, the men who Francis lived, travelled and prayed with were also the men who irritated him, frustrated him, and tempted him to anger. Did he love them? Absolutely and without doubt. Did they at times sorely try his patience? Absolutely and without doubt. And yet, in his Testament, he offers thanks to God for these men. What an important lesson for you and me!

We too can ponder that phrase: “When the Lord gave me brothers…” Maybe, through the generosity of Almighty God, we have been given actual blood brothers. Or maybe our blood brothers are blood sisters. Chances are, we’ve been gifted with classmates, teammates and workmates. Those of us in ministry have been given students, youth group members or parishioners.

You teenagers have been given teachers, coaches, mentors, pastors – and yes – parents. The Lord has indeed given us brothers and sisters. Are they a continual source of comfort and consolation? Possibly… sometimes… on occasion. Are they more often a source of frustration, irritation, consternation and even humiliation? Yes, probably so. But, like with Francis in his Testament, those people are the very ones we are asked to give thanks for. Are we able to do so?

I have experienced as a teacher and as a mentor this truth: the kids who have come to mean the most to me are also the kids who can potentially cause me the greatest levels of disappointment and disillusionment. I’ll bet that your experience, whether you are an adult or a kid, is the same. This is especially true in family life. It’s mom or dad or son or daughter – those whom we love deeply and completely – who also cause us the most heartache and the most irritation.

Is the reverse also true? Yes, the successes and achievements of those we love – particularly their “God achievements” – cause great joy and celebration. Such is the complexity and the joy and the sorrow and the “pull my hair out” (actually, I really don’t have sufficient hair to pull on or out, but you get the point) reality of living with brothers and sisters.

What can we conclude from all of this? Consider two points. First, whoever God has brought into our lives, we are called to be thankful. Their presence is not unassociated with God’s providence. Whether they challenge or console us, God is in the midst of that relationship, and he is using the other to draw us deeper into holiness.

The second point is this: let’s not pretend that we are never the “thorn in the flesh” of another. With our own, unique set of idiosyncrasies, eccentricities and irritating habits, we may be that brother or sister who has been given to another as a challenge and trial. Kind of sobering, isn’t it? Maybe someone is saying about us right now, “Okay, Lord, I love him/her, but they are a real pain in my butt!” “When the Lord gave me brothers…” Thank you, St. Francis, for reminding us of our realities.

Be assured of my prayers,

Fr. Steve

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Fuel up

One day this week, I watched outside my window as trucks, heavy equipment, and cement workers descended like locusts upon our building’s cracked sidewalks. These guys wasted no time. But as the one dude picked up a heavy cement saw and began to pull on the ignition cord – nothing happened. He pulled again, but still nothing. He pulled and pulled and pulled, but there was nary a whimper from the saw’s motor. Finally, his arms clearly exhausted, he put the saw down. Moments later, after a trip to one of the trucks, he appeared with a second cement saw, and a container of fuel.

When you and I try to pull on the ignition cord of life, when we try to start the motors of our metaphorical saws, it may happen that nothing happens. We pull and pull and pull, but the only results are weariness, frustration, and tears. We put down the saw. We contemplate giving up. But consider what the cement worker dude did: he went and got more fuel. Maybe we cannot get our motors revving because there is no fuel in our tanks.

This can be especially true in our “Jesus life.” Are we trying to be Christians but failing miserably? Are we trying to rev up some holy zeal, but pulling on the cord is just making us tired? Fuel up, Christian grasshopper, fuel up!

Where can we find spiritual fuel to fill our tanks . . . I mean . . . souls? Here are several suggestions:

1. Use the “40 Day Spiritual Workout” app to build spiritual muscles and fill the tank with holy hydration (see the Vine home page for details). I’m daily visiting this spiritual gym myself. It’s great!

2. Pray the Rosary. Please pray the Rosary! I do it every day and it is a never ending source of fuel. True story.

3. Read the Psalms: 150 poetic ways that God touches our hearts and refreshes our spirits.

4. Apply for an upcoming Divine Mercy Encounter (DME) retreat. Yes, your friends can be incredibly annoying by repeating every day that “you totally have to go or like you’ll never understand anything” – I’d be annoyed by that too – but go anyway. If someone asks you to make DME, it’s because they love you.

5. Serve. Enough said.

6. Ask a friend to pray for you. Yes, it can be humbling to admit our weakness and our absolute dependence on God and others. But good, we need more humility. And the prayer of a good friend is a precious and powerful gift.

7. Go to confession. I just went this week. God’s mercy is amazing!

8. Stop what you’re doing. Drop to your knees. Turn your whole being to God. Tell him you love him. Ask for his love in return. He’s been waiting for you to do that, you know.

As I look once more out my window, I can see the new cement. Dude-boy finally got that saw fueled and fired up. The new sidewalks look great. And when you and I fuel up our souls, they look pretty doggone good as well.

Be assured of my prayers,

Fr. Steve

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Passing out invites

I fully understand that you, the reader of this blog, are of a breed above. You have no social awkwardness, no hidden faults, and no trouble conjugating complex Portuguese verbs. You are able to perform invasive surgery on ailing farm animals as adeptly as you are able to repair small, nuclear, fusion reactors. When a tree falls in the forest, you, dear reader, hear the noise. What happens in Vegas is known to you. Doing advanced calculus is easy for you, as is operating a forklift or the Hubble Telescope. You have seen the dark side of the moon – in person – and you are familiar with the processes that allow blood to coagulate. If you played professional baseball, you would bat over .400. Chuck Norris tells clever anecdotes about you.

Because of this, you are always invited to the best parties and the most prestigious gatherings. Being left out, being forgotten, or – gasp – being uninvited, is foreign territory to you. But sadly, for many people, going uninvited to the party is not only a reality, but also a moment of great sadness and hurt. To leave someone off the invitation list is to tell them that we don’t care. To leave someone off the invitation list is to tell them that they don’t matter. To leave someone off the invitation list is to make it clear that they are unworthy of our love. Fortunately, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, never, ever leaves anyone off of the party roster.

Please remember and take to heart that Jesus invites each one of us to the greatest party ever: the heavenly Wedding Feast of the Lamb! This gathering will never end! This gala will be catered by the angels themselves! This celebration will satisfy the deepest desires and dreams of every person in attendance! This party is going to rock!

But what if Jesus has asked you or me to personally pass out the invitation cards to his party? What if we have to slip the little invite cards into the hands of our Lord’s friends? The truth is that he has indeed asked us and we are indeed responsible for the invitations. In fact, Christ reminded us of this solemn request in his very last words on earth: “Go therefore,” he said, “and make disciples of all the nations (Mt 28:19).” This is serious business. Imagine how we would feel if we were left sitting alone under our party tent because the person we tasked to handle the invitations failed to do so. Imagine how we would feel if everyone else in our circle of friends received the invitation, but we did not. Imagine hearing of how great the party was, while we were left forsaken and alone. This is the reality of Christ’s commission to make disciples of all the nations.

Let’s talk in simple and direct terms here. As Christians, you and I are responsible for inviting other human beings into a life-giving encounter with Christ. In fact, inviting our family and friends to become Christian disciples is our primary mission. If we fail to invite someone, they may not make it to heaven. Allow me to say that again, if you or I fail to invite someone into a saving relationship with Christ, there may not be someone else out there who will do so. Sobering, isn’t it? And yet, we hesitate. What if I invite Cassie to attend youth group with me and she gets irritated? What if I tell Rob about the DME retreat and he rejects me? What if I suggest to mom that we really should start going to church again, and she flips out on me? But . . . and this is crucial . . . but what if we don’t invite and therefore Cassie, Rob, and mom never enter into the saving embrace of Jesus?

At some point, we as Christians need to get over our own fears and our own lack of evangelical confidence, and we have to simply trust in the Lord. He, ultimately, makes disciples of all the nations. For when it comes to that rocking party in heaven, the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, you and I hold the invitation cards in our hands.

Be assured of my prayers,

Fr. Steve

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Gold

The saying is a bit dated, a little too simplified, and a smidgeon trite, but doggone it, it’s also absolutely true: God doesn’t make junk. When the Word tells us that we – human beings – are made in the image and likeness of God, it’s an indisputable fact! As God is rational, loving, and capable of incredible self-giving – so are we. And as God is beautiful – we are too.

But we sure do struggle to believe we are beautiful.

I’m always amazed, and not a small amount saddened, when beautiful-on-the-inside-and-out people – especially teenagers – genuinely think they are unattractive. When boys feel this way, they may be hesitant to admit it. The number of girls who look at themselves in such a negative manner is probably large. In the field of healthcare we would refer to this as an epidemic. In the realm of spiritual well-being we can call it a tragedy.

What’s the cause of all this? Why do we think we lack beauty or why do we think we are unworthy of being loved? Certainly we can blame the culture, materialism, the media, secularism, and our winners-versus-losers society. But blaming doesn’t solve the problem. Radical love and unshakeable trust in God are helpful remedies. And a little well-done music doesn’t hurt either. Christian musician Brit Nicole, in her single – Gold – sings this:

“This is for all the girls,
boys all over the world,
whatever you’ve been told,
you’re worth more than gold.

So don’t let anybody tell you that you’re not loved,
and don’t let anybody tell you that you’re not enough,
yeah there are days when we all feel like we’re messed up,
but the truth is that we’re all diamonds in the rough.”

Maybe the words are too simplified and maybe they are a smidgeon trite. But they are true. And I love them.

Remember – you are loved! Remember – you are beautiful!

Be assured of my prayers,

Fr. Steve

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Ravines

Having grown up in the mountains, I am well accustomed to making my way through the forest. Even as young children, we would play in the woods, the streams, and the hills that surrounded our homes. Sometimes, making our way through the forest was a real slog. Obstacles and potential dangers were not uncommon. The terrain itself could be difficult or even treacherous. But off we went anyway . . .  with one important caveat . . . we only traversed the forest in the daylight. Trying to make our way through the woods at night would be both frightening and dangerous. We never went in darkness.

When it comes to making our way through life, though, almost all of our travel is done in the darkness. How seldom we are able to move confidently through the terrain of daily existence, knowing that each step is made on solid ground. Normally, our every move forward is shrouded in darkness. Frequently, especially as regards sin, the darkness is of our own making. But darkness also descends upon us in the form of sickness, anxiety, doubt or fear. When the darkness is compounded by difficult terrain, our every step becomes dangerous. Traversing the ravines of life – without the benefit of light – is a daunting task indeed.

But we are neither alone nor unaided.

Jesus Christ, our brother, Savior, and friend, is also our light and our guide. When our life travels our treacherous and uncertain, Christ leads us, directs us, and if need be, rescues us. Even in darkness, he knows the way. Even amid valleys and canyons, his steps our firm. We have only to take his hand in trust. From that moment, we are safe.

Mother Julia Verhaeghe, foundress of the Spiritual Family the Work, described it like this:

How great must be our trust! How much must we love Him, more than we can on our own! Only then will we be able to experience how He complements our inability with his goodness and mildness. While we continue on our way, He increases our strength. He does this especially when we have to cross the occasional ravine or face a trial. Sometimes it seems that He finds special joy in hurrying toward us on the other side of the ravine with his tender and compassionate heart, and in consoling us with the words, “It is I, do not be afraid!’ He wants to remove from our hearts the fear that paralyses us and makes us hesitate. When we are concentrated on ourselves, this fear arises and turns us against everything that concerns our faith in Him. He, however, wants to be our strength, our security, our peace and our joy.

We cannot always dispel the darkness of life, but we can pass through that darkness in the security of Christ’s presence. We cannot always avoid the ravines and the difficult terrain, but we can make our way across them with a firm trust in the Lord. We cannot always travel by day, but we can always choose to live in the Light. Thank you, Jesus, and lead us ever on!

Be assured of my prayers,

Fr. Steve

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Angel Greetings

In the days preceding that very first Christmas morn, the archangel Gabriel and his disembodied pals were awfully busy. They had messages to deliver and good news to announce. The Savior of the world was on his way and no time could be wasted. But though the message they carried was beyond wonderful, the recipients of the message received it with varying degrees of trepidation.

Mary, the young virgin of Nazareth, was so very humble that she was overwhelmed by the import of her task. But Gabriel reassured her: “Do not be afraid!”

The elderly Zechariah, hesitant to believe that his barren wife could actually bear a son (and the Savior’s forerunner, no less), felt a more gripping fear. Yet Gabriel comforted him as well: “Do not be afraid!”

And to the simple shepherds, huddled against the cold and keeping watch in the night, the spectacle of countless angel hosts filling the sky must have surely been a source of both wonder and fear. But to them too, the heavenly message was perfectly clear: “Do not be afraid.” The Savior, the fulfillment of all your hopes and dreams, indeed has come to you.

Each of us will celebrate this Christmas season from within the context of our own lives. Some will be together with family and friends, while others will be alone. You may be in front of your own hearth, while another is far from home. One person may greet these holy days from a place of inner peace and serenity, while a different person is haunted by anxiety or guilt. Some may be in a period of closeness to God, while others may feel so very far from his embrace. And like Mary, Zechariah, and the shepherds before us, we too may accept the message of salvation with varying degrees of trepidation.

But the angel’s greeting has not changed: “Do not be afraid!”

Remember why Christ leapt from the glory of heaven to venture into our world – he came for you. If you are poor or lonely he brings the riches of love. If you are ill or distressed he carries the comfort of his presence. If you are lost or enslaved he offers the key to new hope. And if you are afraid, he gathers you into his arms and holds you with an everlasting embrace. Out of love, in peace, and for salvation, Jesus Christ came for you. That is the message of good news which is perpetually announced by the angel hosts. That is the cause of our joy. And it is a message that is so very, very true!

So though the world we live in may be filled with violence, hatred, and unrest, Christ will not permit these evils to win out in the end. Yes, in the world we will have trouble, Jesus warned us that it would be so. But the message of Christmas is a message of hope: if not now then soon, and if not today then tomorrow. The victory has been won by the child in the manger: for the world, for you, and for me.

And so the angel can announce with all joy and certainty – “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord (Luke 1:10-11).” And in the skies, the hosts of heaven rejoice in splendor.

Merry Christmas and be assured of my prayers,
Fr. Steve

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Double-dare

In your coffee this morning, besides the requisite cream and sugar, maybe there was also an ounce or two of melancholy. Perhaps, when you readied your backpack for school today, along with the textbooks and the iPad, you also found yourself carrying a heavy load of worry. As you updated your Facebook status this afternoon, maybe what you really wanted to say is – “I’m hurting, please help!” And as you pulled the car into the garage this evening, could it be that the SUV wasn’t the only thing running on empty?

There are so many of us who are dealing with anxiety, sickness, worry, heartache, guilt, trouble, and pain. The secular stresses of the Christmas season can ironically add to these burdens. What is supposed to be a time of joy can in reality be a time of turmoil. The darkness of the December skies can be reflected in the darkness of our mood. But as the angel said to Mary, and as the angels later said to the shepherds: “Do not be afraid!”

I dare you. No, I double-dare you. Just try to spend some time with the scriptures of Advent without also growing in hope. I don’t think it can be done! Consider, for example, today’s Mass reading from the Book of Isaiah:

The desert and the parched land will exult;
The steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
And rejoice with joyful song. 

Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
Make firm the knees that are weak,
Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!

God so very much wants to bring light into our darkness and hope into our despair. He wants to turn our sorrow into joy, and to bring life from death. Let him! Sometimes we can become so accustomed to our discouragement that we wrap it around ourselves like a blanket. God’s Word says otherwise. God refuses to let us remain in sorrow. His prophets preached hope to Israel until that Hope was born at Bethlehem. Since then, the human race has been able – literally – to touch hope. Christ, Emmanuel, God-with-us, speaks words of consolation to those burdened by anxiety, sickness, worry, heartache, guilt, trouble, and pain. And he lives among us, especially in the Eucharist. Advent is a daily reminder of God’s hope.

So I dare you. No, I double-dare you. Allow that hope into your life!

Be assured of my prayers,

Fr. Steve

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