jeff noel.org

Pray, Pay, Obey

What does that mean exactly?  Growing up Luthern, in a small Pennsylvania town, there weren’t many Catholics. In fact, I don’t recall knowing what a Catholic was until college.

Well, life comes full circle and here I am, a devoted Catholic for over a decade. There are something like 15,000 members of our Holy Family congregation. All walks of like.

One of them, I see occasionally at Gold’s Gym.  We recently had a nice conversation with these highlights:

Draw nearer to God and God will draw nearer to you. James 4:8.

True love doesnt force anything.

Greed, sloth, doubt, hypocracy – the four points in the circle surrounding the four squares.

Pay, pray and obey Catholic.  This is how my friend (60-something) described himself.

God does not want good men in heaven, he wants Saints.

Gotta go.  Time to work on praying, obeying, paying and demonstrating.

Always Hungry?

Human’s get hungry several times each day. No brainer, right?

We are always needing to feed ourselves.

Enter the rat race and insanely busy schedules.  Enter fast food establishments. Enter television.

The other day I saw a Burger King commercial, touting the toys in the kid’s meal packages.

The kids commented on the furry animal toys which are the current give-away.

“So real, it’s almost, real.”

Unexplainably, I immediately thought about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit – about Faith.

So real, it’s almost, real.

A couple days ago, while sitting in Church with my Family, I got teary-eyed three separate times in less than an hour.

Why?  Where you sad?

Nope.  Happy.

Happy?

Yes.  And thankful.

If I have to explain this to you, chances are, you won’t understand.

However, if you don’t understand but would like to, simply scroll down and read yesterday’s blog post.

Life is hard for many people this time of year.  Add to that unprecedented times, and we have an overwhelming number of people who are struggling in one way or another right now.

And I mean struggling at a greater intensity than many generations can recall.

It sure seems that way to me.

Can you imagine being Tiger Woods right now, or President Obama, or even the Pope?

Can you imagine being the average American who can no longer put food on the table, when a year ago they could quite easily?

I worry about a lot more than I used to.  So, now more than ever, the phrase, “Pray without ceasing“, has a special meaning.

And also a special obligation.

Yes, indecision.  Still. And it’s only been two hours since Catechism and I’m still torn.  Miss Jenny said, “Follow your heart.”

“My heart says stay.  My logic says quit”, I reply without hesitating.

Our class was smaller and more intimate, and Miss Jenny and I both thought sitting on the floor (for the first time ever), would be a good state change.

If you’ve never tried to capture and maintain a group of children’s attention between 6:30pm and 7:45pm, then you have not experienced one of life’s great challenges.  Whew, it’s one tough teaching assignment.

But tonight (actually last night) was glorious (not perfect), and if they were all like this, it’d be easier. But they won’t be and it isn’t.

Wednesday.  Children’s Liturgy of the Word.

Our son (9) attends Catechism, and Miss Jenny (may or may not be her real name), leads this small (12) group of future spiritual leaders, fututre parents, and possibly, future Catechists.

And then there’s me, a struggling Catechist.

The past two years I’ve been invited to assist on Wednesday nights. This was a natural and desirable opportunity, since I drive our son to attend.

Otherwise, I’d  just sit in the car, doing work on a laptop, which is what I did three years ago when this started.

But this year, something is different.  Mostly my schedule.  It’s the busiest I can ever remember being.  Ever.

In fact, the first month, September, was the busiest travel month all year.  I missed every single session.  October was not much different.

I feel like dropping out.  If I can’t give it my all, my full attention, I feel guilty.

What would you do?

Why do followers want passion?

Forgive me please.  A few days ago, I promised to elaborate. So here it is.

Why do followers want passion?  Pardon the boldness, but isn’t it obvious?

No.  Seriously.  Isn’t it obvious?

Who the heck wants to follow someone who doesn’t have passion?

Think about what it is that you admire in truly great leaders.

Passion usually revolves around wanting to do something very important, but with this caveat – to do something important even better.  To do more of it.

And the funny thing is, the passion is so overwhelming, that others are drawn to it beyond their control.

Moses, Paul, Peter, John, Mary. Ya with me?

Jesus.

So I get to Church yesterday morning and panicked realized I’m not Lectoring until next Sunday.  Oh well, chalk one up (another one actually) to being crazy busy.

Wouldn’t trade it for anything though.  There are others among us, and you may be one of them, who have far greater things on your mind, or on your heart.

The Fort Hood shootings, the Orlando shootings, a friend undergoing brain surgery (again) for brain cancer, an ache that won’t go away.

Far from perfect, I still try to do my best every day.  Do you find yourself trying really hard?  Every day?

Do you find the courage to not give up?  The strength to not give in? Do you find it?

Today, let’s not only lift others up in prayer, but why not lift ourselves up as well.  What could it hurt?  Carpe diem.

jeff noel Lector.

Doing the first reading this morning at Mass.  May God’s Holy Spirit fill me with the wisdom to read in such a way, that the parishioners will feel like God is speaking to them and not me.

Blessed beyond measure we are.  Aren’t we?

Is it?

Is today the day you do the thing you’ve been wanting to do, but haven’t found the courage?

Do what you fear and the death of that fear is certain.

If not today, when?

Seriously.  Carpe diem.