Stirring Things Up!

               It the crazy month of May!  If you are a parent with children in school, you know what I mean.  Final concerts, end of the year parent meetings, sports playoff games, organizational meetings for Fall sports, final details for summer plans and maybe even planning the family vacation.  All of these joyful activities collide in this beautiful month of May.

               One of my May activities is leading a group of men and women through the 33 Days of Morning Glory retreat for Marian Consecration.  One of the participants said, “The idea of Marian Consecration is stirring things up, and my life is so busy that I don’t have time for them to be stirred up.”

               “Thank you Holy Spirit” was my silent response.  In this crazy busy world, sometimes I need to have my thoughts about my relationship with God “stirred up”. That is how I struggle and grow.  Today, I thought I would share with you some of the experiences that I have had that have “stirred things up” and brought me closer to the Lord.

Mary and Marian Consecration – As a convert, it took my many years to develop a relationship with Mary.  St. Louis de Montfort’s book True Devotion to Mary is a terrific read to understand Marian theology.  De Montfort’s Total Consecration for Mary is one method for Marian Consecration.  A second is the 33 Days to Morning Glory.  Both take 33 days and are begun on a day that allows consecration on a Marian feast. 

Catholicism series – Fr. Robert Barron is the creator and narrator of this 10 hours series on the Catholic Faith.  Rather than just words, this video series takes you on a world tour of sacred places, while teaching you about the faith.  It is visually breathtaking and spiritually challenging.  This is a series that every Catholic family should own!  It can be purchased on line for about $100 or so.

The Bible Timeline of Salvation History – Former protestant ministry, now Catholic leader has the premier video Bible Study.  This study takes you through fourteen books of the Bible and ties the Old Testament into the birth, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus.  Well worth the 24 hours of viewing and the many hours of Bible reading.  More information, including studies happening in your area can be found by ascensionpress.com.

Walking Toward Eternity: Making Choices for Today.  – This is another video series by Jeff Cavins, but very different from Bible study.  It helps Catholics live out the faith they profess by cultivating Christina virtue in their daily lives. Walking Toward Eternity combines lectio divina, journaling, group discussion, video commentary and prayer to help individuals live lives of holiness and virtue.  The first series includes lessons on faithfulness, sacrifice, humility and thankfulness.

               

Go Givers

On this Monday, the second week of Lent, I am failing miserably with one of my Lenten observances. I planned to write a blog post each day of Lent, 46 posts in 46 days.   Not because there is much demand for my thoughts, but because it makes me slow down, think and write of an aspect of my relationship with God and my faith.  Today, I write about Robert Maurin.

Yesterday, our Adult Education class viewed the second episode in the Catholicism Series written and narrated by Father Robert Barron. Titled, The Teachings of Jesus, the video explores the Beatitudes, the non-violent teachings of Jesus and Matthew 25.  It is somewhat of a coincidence (or not) that we viewed this episode on the second Sunday in Lent. If you haven’t seen this disc, it is well worth the 50 minutes of your time.

The teachings explored were rich with meaning and it will take some time to digest all that Fr. Barron had to convey.  The phrase that really got my attention was a quote from Robert Maurin.  He, along with Dorothy Day, founded the Catholic Workers Movement in the 1930’s.

Maurin wrote, The order of the day is to talk about social order. . . I want a change, and a radical change.  I want a change from an acquisitive society to a functional society, from a society of go-getters to a society of go-givers.

What a wonderful attitude to have this Lent – and always.

 I experienced a concrete example at lunch today.  As I waited in line to pay for my food, a man in another line was making all kinds of noise.  He is homeless - I’ve passed him on the street a number of times.  He had collected enough money for a coffee and was ordering it the best he could.  The man in front of me ordered and paid for a sandwich for the homeless man.  The man receiving the sandwich offered his fist to the man ordering and they bumped fists! My heart warmed at the exchange. “Go giver,” I thought.

 As I write this piece, I am watching the benefactor sit in a warm place and enjoy his food.  Occasionally he makes a loud noise and the restaurant manager kindly comes over and reminds him to be quiet. He appears to be savoring each and every bite of the sandwich.  A simple act brought joy to another.

I wonder how I can become a Go Giver today.