The Purple Seasons by Chris Ryan, S.J.

Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God. –Joel 2:12-13

In each of the past several years, I’ve found that the “purple seasons” of the liturgical calendar– Advent and Lent– come at strikingly opportune times. As I increasingly interpret Lent as a period of repentance and renewal leading to rebirth, I make an effort to focus not only on where I’ve gone astray and how I’ve sinned against God and others, but also on how I might restore frayed relationships, cooperate with grace to breathe new life into my prayer, and become once again the vibrant disciple I’m called to be. Halfway through my second year of teaching and coaching at a Jesuit-sponsored middle school serving boys from low-income neighborhoods in Worcester, Massachusetts, I all too easily see the shortcomings of my instruction, the limits of my patience, and the harm done to my soul by clinging to unhealthy self-criticism. So in the course of this Lent, I desire to fast from negativity, to humbly return to a degree of dialogue and collaboration with my colleagues that helps me learn from their successes, and to both notice and affirm the goodness, potential, and hope that each of my students carries. God willing, this process of making a return will be one of the most important lessons that I learn– and teach– before the end of the school year.

Chris Ryan is a Jesuit regent working at the Nativity School of Worcester in Massachusetts; this year, he teaches religion, history, and Spanish to 7th and 8th graders, and he also coaches cross-country and track. Chris lives with the Jesuit community at the College of the Holy Cross, where he participates in a monthly vocation discernment group with a few of his brothers and a number of undergraduates.

Give It Up For 3 Hours This Saturday Morning, 9 AM until Noon @ St. Eulalia Church, Maywood, IL

Fr. John Cusick
Director, Young Adult Ministry Office

Our Lenten Reflection for this Saturday will not be on Facebook. Instead it will be “live”, face-to-face, person-to-person...

We want you to make this “reflection” a part of your Lenten practice this year. So, we are asking you to re-arrange your Saturday schedule. Get up a little early. Make your way to St. Eulalia. You will be on your way home at high noon.

Join Fr. John Cusick, Ms. Elise Ainsworth, Dr. Kate DeVries, Mr. Terry Shelley,  and some of the other characters that are part of young adult ministry in Chicago. We will do a little preaching, some singing, time for personal reflecting, conversing with one another. And we will be back in our cars by High Noon!

Why should you come to this? Easy! It’s Lent. That’s why! No excuses. Make the time and go the extra mile for 3 hours.

Why at St. Eulalia? Believe it or not, it is centrally located for almost all young adults in the Chicagoland area. You can see the Church from the Eisenhower (I-290) expressway. So, if you live in the city, make your way to I-290 and follow the directions below. If you live in the northern or southern ‘burbs, make your way to I-290 and follow the same directions listed here.

It would be easy to find a “good” reasons to talk yourself out of attending this “live” Lenten reflection. "I won’t know anybody."  "It’s too far."  "I don’t have time."  "Going to a Church thing feels weird ."  Come anyway. 

Let go of all the excuses. It’s Lent! You owe I to yourself. You owe it to the Lord.

No excuses.

Give it up on Saturday ….for a mere 3 hours!

See you there.

Fr. John Cusick

Searching, Seeking & Seeing: A Lenten Morning of Reflection

Sat, April 2, 9am – 12pm

St. Eulalia Parish Center, 1851 S. 9th Ave., Maywood, IL (map)

It's free, put let us know you're coming on the Facebook event page,

or zip an e-mail to: yam@yamchicago.org.

Directions:  St. Eulalia is located at 1851 S. 9th Ave. (on 9th Ave, just south of the Eisenhower expressway).
From the City: Take 290 to 9th Ave. and turn Left
From West of Maywood: Take 290 to 17th Ave. and exit. 17th Ave becomes Battan - Continue on Bataan Dr. to 9th Ave. and turn right.

Let's explore how how we look at life... how we are all called to see through the lens of faith, and what it means to "see" a Christ sees. Join Fr. Cusick, Elise, Terry and Kate for a morning aimed at seeing things more clearly.

Practicing the Presence of God

Fr. John C. Cusick
Director, Young Adult Ministry

The best understanding of prayer ever given to me is this: Prayer is practicing the presence of God.

There is a world renowned concert venue in New York City, Carnegie Hall. And it is the dream for nearly everyone in the music business to “play” Carnegie Hall.  A tourist stopped a pedestrian one day in New York and asked: “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?”  The New Yorker replied, “Practice, practice, practice.”  It was not the response the tourist wanted, but it was, in fact, the strategy of anyone wishing to “play” Carnegie Hall. Practice, practice, practice.

We all grew up knowing certain prayers: the Our Father, the Hail Mary. My very first prayer was the prayer my parents taught me. It was the prayer to my Guardian Angel.  Many times those prayers might be nothing more than a series or words. Other times those words lead us into a deeper reality, making us aware of our relationship to a Divine Presence and the relationship of a Divine presence of Love to us.

Practicing the presence of God means so much more than the multiplication of words – even sacred words. Practicing the presence of God takes time and a certain skill that only is developed in us over a period of time and repeated practice. And that all leads to a fuller awareness of who are and who God is in relationship to us and to the entire world.

Think about all the time in life we have dedicated to practicing various skills and gifts….hitting a baseball, playing the guitar, working out, training for a marathon, dancing, inserting an IV, public speaking, learning technology, drawing.

Now in contrast how much time have we dedicated to practicing the presence of God … being still, in awe of a sunset, the smile of a child, the tear of a parent, being thankful, finding love, sitting in sacred space, grateful for life, forgiving.

As we move to the mid-point of Lent this year, how about 5-10 minutes a day practicing the presence of God? Here is a tool that will assist you: www.sacredspace.ie.  Bring it up on your laptop or your phone before you leave the house for work. Call it up as the first thing you do when you get to work for those 5-10 minutes. Click on sacredspace.ie when you first get home or before you call it a day.  Don’t rush through it. Take your time. This is practice and practice makes perfect! Follow the prompts. Pause when you need to. This is not a race. Be reflective. Ponder. Think. Be Grateful.

How do you become more alive?  Practice. Practice. Practice.  www.sacredspace.ie

 

Fr. John Cusick

Father John Cusick, ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1970, is the Director of Young Adult Ministry for the Archdiocese. He is responsible for the Church’s outreach to women and men in their twenties and thirties, married and single. The Young Adult Ministry Office and his residence are at Old St. Patrick’s Church in downtown Chicago. 

The Importance of Fasting

Edgar Alarcón-

Tinajero

One of the practices I am holding this Lent Season is fasting. I eat a normal sized meal during the middle of the day and smaller meals early and late at night. I took up this practice for the first time this year because I thought it would help me concentrate on more important things, such as my relationship with God, with my family, with schoolwork and my job. I believe it has helped me thus far in Lent, mainly because it reminds me to put my wants second to the needs of others and to my own bare minimum needs as well as my spiritual needs. I am visiting my relatives for the first time in a while now, and keeping my fasting in mind helps me enjoy my time with them much more than simply eating a lot. Fasting has helped me re-evaluate what is important in my life.

Edgar is currently a student at the University of Chicago studying anthropology and scheduled to graduate in 2013.

Something New...

Today's "Highlights" are a reflection by
Dr. Kate DeVries on a homily by Fr. Ed Foley.

Sunday's Gospel (March 27, the 3rd Sunday of Lent) is the story of the Samaritan Woman (John 4:5-42), where Jesus converses with the woman at the well.  "Give me a drink," Jesus says. Later in the conversation he adds, "The water I shall give will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life."  (Read the full text).

What I heard...

At Old St. Patrick's Church downtown,  Fr. Ed Foley shared that Lent is more than a time to "give something up."  It's a time to envision something new.  He invited us to open our imaginations, and continue that bold exchange between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. If she were to join us at Mass today, she would most likely still be asking profound questions about what we believe, why we worship as we do, the roles of men and women in the church, how we deal with such difficult issues as divorce, what we are doing to bring new members into the church (as she had), and just how well we respond to the needs of those around us.

Through her dialogue with Jesus, this woman was envisioning a new way to be. "Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty...." So can we.

What does it mean for us today?

Fr. Foley invited us all to move beyond giving something up. The challenge:  "Be something new for Easter."  May our Lenten practices and disciplines help us envision who we are as God's beloved daughters and sons, and live as the people God is calling us to be.

Feel free to add your thoughts.  What does this say to you? Or... What did YOU hear on Sunday?

Dr. Kate DeVries is the Associate Director of the Young Adult Ministry Office. Fr. Ed Foley is a professor at Catholic Theological Union, and weekend presider at Old St. Patrick's Church.  Fr. Foley was Kate's thesis-project director as she worked toward and completed her doctorate in ministry. 

Give the Morning to God

Have you spent some quality time with God recently?  Don't let this sacred season pass you by without hitting the pause button and going a little deeper. 

"Searching, Seeking & Seeing: A Lenten Morning of Reflection" is an opportunity to focus on seeing things a little more clearly.   It's 3 hours in which to meet new people, pray, delve into scripture, enjoy Fr. Cusick's preaching, share your faith with your peers, and praise God in song.

Everyone in their 20s and 30s is invited to join us April 2, from 9 am to noon,  at St. Eulalia's Parish Center in Maywood, IL (right off the Eisenhower expressway at 9th Avenue).  Let's look at the world through God's eyes, and explore what can be.  It's all aimed at preparing for the Joy of Easter.  

Let us know you're coming on the Facebook event page, or zip an e-mail to: yam@yamchicago.org.

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My Dream Is To Have A Dream

There is a great priest working in a tough Chicago neighborhood. Though he is pastor of a local parish.  In his publicity biography he is called a missionary. And he really is. His mission “territory” is among Latino gangs.

Recently, he shared an encountered with a young gang-banger who was struggling to find a different and maybe better way to live his life. The priest began his conversation with him this way:

“What is your dream?”

“I don’t have a dream.”

“You don’t have a dream???”

“My dream is to have a dream.”

Can you imagine not having a dream? May we don’t use that word “dream” a lot, but we all have something we want to live for. We have personal goals and professional goals. A goal is a dream. Maybe our dream is to be loved and married. Maybe our dream is to parent a child. I wanted to be a priest. Another kid in the neighborhood wanted to be a doctor. He is. Yet as a doc, he had another goal or dream: to serve the poor and those under-served by our society. He has worked at County Hospital, various clinics and as a doctor at the jail hospital. His dream had a dream.

Having a dream is like having a pair of shoes. We all have one. We all have many!

Did you ever stop and think that Jesus had a dream? Did you ever stop and think what His dream might be? Did you ever stop and think that our Catholic Religion, our Faith, is about having a dream?

During the 6 weeks (or 40 days) of Lent it becomes pretty clear what the dream of Jesus was all about. Hearing the words at His baptism, “This is my beloved Son,” he was led into the desert to be tested as to what it meant to be the beloved child of God. Once Jesus left that deserted place, He began His “public life.” It was now time for Him to reveal to the entire world His Father’s dream. Each Jesus story in the four Gospels is a revelation of that dream.

This Sunday we find Jesus sitting next to a well when a woman with a water jug comes there to draw water for the day. Jesus wants a drink. She has the jug. Men don’t converse with women; Jews do not speak to Samaritans. Jesus speaks to everybody. And He also wants to give her a drink… of living water. He wants everybody to drink some living water. His dream: “I have come that you may have life and life in abundance.” He wants to pour His Father’s life in abundance into her. He wants to give her a sense of being alive that reaches beyond all the restrictions of religion, gender, culture, habit, expectation and tradition.

Jesus’ dream is that she have a dream….God’s dream for her and for all people.

So many people seem to struggle with our religion because of all the rules and beliefs. So many never experience the dream of Christ or add that dream to their own.

How about you?

Do you see yourself as one who is trying to live out Christ’s dream for the world? Does being fully alive make more sense than “this is the way it will always be”? Does speaking “to everybody” make more sense than holding a grudge, playing favorites, judging, gossiping or always being right?

Lent is a great time to move deeper into yourself and see beyond your social, professional and personal goals or dreams.

Spiritually speaking, what is your dream?

Once we can answer that, then Lent is the time each year to work on making that dream real. We will have to let go of some behaviors, reign in some others and even create some new ways of living. This takes time and it can be hard work.

Is it worth it?

You bet your life it is.

Jesus did.

Father John Cusick, ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1970, is the Director of Young Adult Ministry for the Archdiocese. He is responsible for the Church’s outreach to women and men in their twenties and thirties, married and single. The Young Adult Ministry Office and his residence are at Old St. Patrick’s Church in downtown Chicago. 

What does this have to do with Lent? By Kathleen Gould

Lent this year has coincided, appropriately so I suppose, with a particularly trying time in my life. I decided to end my internship early, due to some ethically questionable happenings, which has resulted in a huge mess. Although I will still graduate in May, I may not have enough hours to be able to sit for my LCP, which has been my plan for the past two years. So, what does this have to do with Lent? This is a good question. Interestingly enough, I find my answer in my dilemma; Lent is a time of darkness,of unknowing. The disciples knew that Jesus died; they heard that he would rise again, but they could not see past the whole drama of his passion and death. Like the disciples, I cannot see past my messy situation. I feel that it must be impossible for things to work out in a good way for me. Despite my limited view, I am aware that there are possibilities that I just can’t see yet. I am waiting for the resurrection; I am waiting for the Light of the World to shine on my life so that I can be open to them any possibilities that are in the darkness right now. This is my Lenten journey.

Kathleen Gould is a native Texan residing in "this great city of Chicago." She is finishing up her Masters in Pastoral Counseling at Loyola University and hopes to be licensed and practice psychotherapy. She also is a nanny on the side for wonderful identical triplet boys.

If Not 40 Days, How About 24 Hours?

I have a friend who gives up TV and the Radio every Lent.  Wow!  I've thought about giving up TV, but I doubt that I could make it all the way to Easter.  This year, a young adult shared a strategy presented to her by a college professor:  a "24-hour Fast."

For those things we don't think we can do without for a full 40 days, how about a 24 hour fast?  This person fasted from negativity for 24-hours.  Then one day of fasting turned into two.  From then on, when she caught herself being negative, she offered up a prayer for the person or situation in need.  What a great idea!

  

We asked others what would make a good 24-hour Fast.  Responses included:

• the cell phone
• the iPod
• the Internet
• gossip
• complaining
• laziness
• procrastination
• driving over the speed limit
• being judgmental
• being compulsive
• rushing through things  

What else would make a good 24 hour fast?

Pick something.  Give it a try... and let us know how it goes.

Kate DeVries is the Associate Director of the Young Adult Ministry Office. She loves the change in Liturgical Seasons as much as she loves the change from Winter to Spring! 

What Did YOU Hear on Sunday?

Today we are trying a new section: Homily Highlights. We'll share something that was preached over the weekend, and what it means to us today. We invite you to add your wisdom on this reflection, or share an insight from a homily you heard, and how it's relevant to daily living. Thanks! Kate DeVries ...

Sunday's Gospel (March 20, the 2nd Sunday of Lent) is the story of the Transfiguration (Mt 17:1-9), where Jesus led Peter, James, and John up a high mountain by themselves. Suddenly, "...He was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun... and behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him." The full text can be found at http://www.usccb.org/nab/032011.shtml.

What I heard...

At my parish, St. Francis Xavier in LaGrange, Fr. John Hoffman reminded us that God is with us - and within us - always. The challenge: Trust in the Lord. Spring begins at 7:21 this evening. Already the earth around us is showing signs of new life. The daffodils, crocuses and tulips are breaking through the cold ground. As the earth is showing signs of new life, so can we.

What does it mean for us today?

Jesus told his disciples, "Rise, and do not be afraid." That is a phrase to hang onto, especially when the going gets tough. But as Fr. Hoffman also reminded us, we are a people of powerful faith. Rather than living in fear, let's celebrate God's love for us, by loving those around us.

What does this say to you? Or... What did YOU hear on Sunday?

Kate DeVries is the Associate Director of the Young Adult Ministry Office. She loves the change in Liturgical Seasons as much as she loves the change from Winter to Spring! 

Relationship with God by John Paul Graziano

God is either everything or He is nothing. If God is everything, which I choose to believe, then He is

everywhere. He is inside me, He is inside you, and He is in the space between.

But, although He is always present to my thought and my experience, we are not always in relationship.

A relationship of any nature requires the active participation of each party. The intimate collaboration

that God desires with me requires trust, honesty, commitment, vulnerability, and communication. It

requires hard work. I cannot rely on yesterday’s prayers, insight, or connectedness to bolster my resolve

in the face of today’s challenges of walking the Christian path.

Like any relationship partner, God does not respond merely to florid language or grandiose promises. A

simple act of hitting my knees at night to express my gratitude for the gift of a tiring and confusing, but

authentic, day is all the convincing He needs.

But, He is a hopeless, if too forgiving, romantic. If jilted, He awaits my return. In common Gen-Y social

parlance, some would caution against His becoming a doormat.

Yet, great is His belief: in me.

Endless is His love: for me.

He and I: we.

John Paul currently works for a non-profit organization dedicated to educational and job training opportunities for at-risk youth in LakeCounty. His passions include writing, running, eating good food, and spending time with family. His relationship with God and his faith has changed significantly in the past year. His prayer, discernment, and reflection looks to God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit as friends,companions, and partners. From them he learns love, compassion,understanding, courage and tolerance. They are his role models.

Why Lent?

Jen Fleck is a science teacher, choir member, and dog lover.

All eyes are upon me. The room is silent. I begin. “Take out a sheet of paper, open your blue, hardcover books, and turn to page 105.” I pause so that my students can carry out the task and I write “text pg. 105” on the board, fully cognizant that I will have to repeat myself at least three more times.

Diego is staring out the window, as usual. Maria’s grandmother, the woman who has been raising her for the past five years as her parents worked multiple jobs to pay the bills, died of cancer last
night. Tamika is still fumbling for last night’s homework. Like a ventriloquist act, the second I opened my mouth, Raul began talking so that he could finish the conversation that he and Andre were having before the bell rang. Ibrahim doesn’t have anything to write with, so he has just asked five students around him for a pen, and Jazlyn who sits behind him can’t hear because he is so disruptive. Marco can’t concentrate on anything; his mind races with apprehension over what he will be asked to do by his fellow gang members tonight. Tyrell is reviewing for his AP Geography test next period, and Ana
wonders whether she’ll be able to time things just right so that she can bump into that cute new boy in
the hall when class is over.

“Which book?”

“What page?”

I pause. Sigh. And begin again…

When my alarm went off on Ash Wednesday this year, two thoughts popped into my head.

“Is it really time to get up?” was quickly superseded by

“Ugh. It’s Ash Wednesday. Lent…” Yet a little over an hour later, as I pulled out of my driveway with a Michael W. Smith CD from my college days playing, my mood was decidedly different. To say I was giddy would not be entirely wrong.

What changed?

I remembered why Lent. Sure, I’ve had years were I hated the sacrifice and simplicity of Lent, years when
I’ve misinterpreted it and used it as an excuse to wallow in my own life troubles, and years when its
slipped by me without much notice. Yet I know that in each of those cases, I’ve missed the point.

Like my students, I have great difficulty focusing on what is important. My life is so busy, and
many things compete for my attention, some petty and some very deep. Yet all of them have the
potential to distract me from my true purpose—to grow closer to God each day. Lent is an excuse to
move those distractions to the back burner and spend some time each day doing something that will
deepen my relationship with the One who really matters.

Over the past year, I’ve been blessed to have several moments where I really, truly felt as if God
were speaking to me. But I know that I haven’t heard the whole message yet, and recently, preoccupied
with “life,” those experiences have decreased in both intensity and frequency. I fear that I am entering
a desert period in my spiritual life. I know that God hasn’t stopped trying to share his message with
me; like my students, I have stopped hearing.

As I got ready for work on Ash Wednesday, it occurred to me that Lent is my opportunity to try to clean out my ears, sharpen my focus, and open my heart. That evening at mass, the pastor of our church began his homily by sharing that “Lent” means “Spring.” It is a time for renewal and rebirth, a period of change and preparation that hints at the splendor of all that is to come.

I can’t think of a better reason to be giddy.

Cleaning out the Clutter

Mike Hayes is the author of the blog GooglingGod.com and a book by the same name. He founded the website BustedHalo.com and continues to contribute to it as their Senior Editor. He now serves full time as a Campus Minister at St Joseph University Parish where they serve the students at The University at Buffalo. Mike is married to the lovely Marion, they live in their dog Haze's house in Amherst, NY.

Lent is all about cleaning out the clutter of our lives. Perhaps we eliminate the things that distract us from caring for the least of our brothers and sisters or rid ourselves of objects that weigh us down from being more open, healthier and centered on Christ.

Whatever the case, Cardinal George told a group of us at World Youth Day (and I'll paraphrase) that even for those of us who are active in parishes, there is something that keeps us from committing totally to Jesus, from trusting that God can really be all that we need.

Do I like my stuff so much that I ignore the fact that someone else might need that extra coat in my closet? Do I spend more time accumulating things, that I forget about spending time with my spouse, family or friends?

I fear the answer is often "Yes." So I have decided to clear out my closet of things that I simply don't need, maybe even things I don't use. I even started early and made this a 50 day giveaway. I'm finding that there's a lot that I really don't need and it's been easier to let go of some things than I thought. But if something is very hard to let go of, than perhaps that's what is keeping me from being a true disciple.

This Lent let us pray that we find something that is keeping us from a better relationship with Christ and with our community. And then let us pray that we can rid ourselves of that as well.

Thoughts on Lent

Kate DeVries is the Associate Director of the Young Adult Ministry Office. She loves the change in Liturgical Seasons as much as she loves the change from Winter to Spring!

Just before Lent began, we asked several questions related to Lent. Below are some of the answers we received, on two of the questions we posed. We invite you to post your own thoughts below.

1) What comes to your mind when you think about Lent?

A time to pray. Remain quiet. Listen. Rebecca

I think about how Jesus sacrificed SOOO much for us! I also think about fasting and having to "give" something up! Diana

The word "Lent" reminds me of spring both in the literal and in the spiritual sense. As the Easter season approaches, new life returns to the earth as the weather gets warmer. Yet, as Christians we also should be thinking about how Lent is a time to prepare our souls and to be full of hope and joy. It is also a time of turning back to Christ. Elly

2) What do you recommend "doing" or "giving up" this Lent, and why?

This Lent I decided to do alot of spring cleaning, I'm cleaning out everything that I don't want or use anymore and donating it all to charity. I recommend that everybody consider doing this because there are a lot of people in need. Susan.

Evaluate your spiritual life, and kick it up a notch - start small. Perhaps 5 minutes of mental prayer each day and then increase it as you feel you can take more. Don't bite off more than you can chew and keeping resolutions becomes more manageable. Get a prayer buddy. Help each other stay accountable to the resolutions you make during Lent. It's easier to make resolutions and keep them if someone is there to encourage you and keep you accountable. Elly

I am going to go to church one additional day besides Sunday just to stay closer to God and start my day off on the right foot. I am also giving up a few of my favorite foods because it is going to take A LOT of discipline to accomplish this and it is through discipline that great things happen! Diana

Smile at everyone even if it is not reciprocated and say something nice or positive to as many people as possible. Refrain from shopping other than for basic necessities. Pray daily! Give up something that may be an addiction (my case - coffee). Turn people's negative comments into positive ones. Rebecca

I am, by the grace of God, going to give up the snooze button for lent. I usually sleep 20 mins or more past my alarm... (oops!) which usually means I am rushing in the morning. In addition to this, I am going to go to bed earlier and try to be on a more consistent sleep schedule. After all, I need to treat my body well-- it is a temple of the Holy Spirit! Danielle

Thanks to all who shared your thoughts. Aagin, feel free to add your own here.

Holiness is the True Call of Every Human Being

Fr. Andrew McAlpin OP is a Dominican Friar, a high school teacher and campus minister, a US Navy veteran, a bass player, a good listener and an Insanity graduate. You can read his blog at: http://www.andymacop.blogspot.com

Every year I am challenged by the rigors of Lent to do something that really matters in the world. Not just my isolated world of the people that see me every day, but the greater world that does not know me at all. This is a bold task and it can seem to miss the point of Lent, which should be to unite our sufferings to the Cross of Christ for the salvation of the entire world by prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

But there is something greater that all of us can do. We can become saints here and now. Holiness is the true call of every human being ever born. While the world normally rejects this calling for everyone in general, it also knows that there are individuals who do rise up and become saints in this world. When every Christian understands fully that we are called to become authentic saints in this world, we will see such an incredible change in the world that it will not go unnoticed.

But how do we do it? When do we start? What if we fail? The truth is you will fail, so you must start and restart several times day. That is what a saint does, when he falls, he gets back up, when she stumbles, she rights herself and moves forward. That is the path of the saint: constantly, slowly, moving toward God in every aspect of one’s life.

This is the greatest thing you can do this Lent and every Lent: commit to the holiness to which you have been called. Small, repeated acts of selflessness each and every day will begin to turn you into the saint you are meant to be.

Lent -- Not Just another 4-Letter Word....

By: Mike Pietrusinski

Another season of Lent is upon us...the time we set aside to get ready for Easter and our most solemn occasion of the year, Holy Week.

Many don't like this season as its very low key...in talking to some of my peers over the years, they don't like Lent as they don't like the somberness of the season. Perhaps they remember as children being forced to give something up and maybe going to church more often, not just for Mass but also for Stations of the Cross. They would just assume skipping the season altogether and moving right into Easter.

But that, to me, what Lent is about. Its a special time in which we're asked to take a deeper look at ourselves and see where we might improve in our relationships...not only with each other, but with God. In that way if we attempt to do this, then our celebration of Easter will be that much more joyful and meaningful.

In addition,. we should not make a big deal of our sacrifices and what we do during Lent. As the gospel on Ash Wednesday mentions, to do our sacrifices in secret...do not let others see what you're doing (fasting, giving to the poor) "...as your Heavenly Father will see it in secret and will repay you" (Matt 6:4b).

So don't let Lent be another 4-letter word...take some time this season for your spiritual health. Perhaps you might want to make an effort to get to Mass more often or carving out some time during the day just to sit and pray or meditate. Use this time to get yourself ready to walk with Jesus as we commemerate his Passion, Death, and Resurrection during Holy Week.

May you have a very Blessed and Holy Lenten Season!

Doing A.C.T.S. this Lenten Season

Throughout Lent, Catholics strive to deepen their union with God through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These three practices are recommended as a means to more closely unite believers to Jesus Christ as they commemorate the forty days He spent in the desert before beginning His public ministry.

A helpful practice in praying is using the “A.C.T.S.” formula, which includes prayers of adoration, contrition, thanksgiving and supplication. This type of prayer is more informal and personal, which may be helpful for those that may struggle with prayer. Fasting acts as a means of purifying oneself of those things that one may have a strong attachment to, such as one’s favorite foods or recreational activities. The key to fasting is to be practical! And if you really get a craving for the item you’ve given up, remember that Sundays in Lent do not count as days of fasting! Almsgiving is the voluntary gift of one’s money to help those that are need. The most common form of almsgiving is making a donation to a charitable organization. But one will get more out of this practice by actually interacting with those that are associated with the charity that one is donating to.

Mr. Derrick A. Flannigan is a high school theology teacher and core-team member for "Spirit & Truth" in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Follow Derrick's blog "Benedictus Deus" at http://www.benedictus-deus.blogspot.com.

Be Careful Going to Church this Sunday! You are about to be tempted!

Father John Cusick, ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1970, is the Director of Young Adult Ministry for the Archdiocese. He is responsible for the Church’s outreach to women and men in their twenties and thirties, married and single. The Young Adult Ministry Office and his residence are at Old St. Patrick’s Church in downtown Chicago.

Temptation is one of those “religious” words. We don’t use it much. But we do use it each time we pray the Our Father … “And lead us not into temptation….”

Temptation is usually about something bad or sinful. As kids we might have heard someone say, “You will be ‘tempted’ with impure thoughts.” There is a temptation to have just one more drink. I can handle one more! We are tempted to be less than honest. It’s only a “little” lie. There is the temptation to go a little further. I can stop it. Our best intentions can easily fall victim to temptations. How about those Lenten promises?!

Be careful! At mass Sunday you will be tempted. The Gospel is about the 3 temptations of Christ by Satan: If you are really the Son of God turn these stones into bread… Jump - You won’t be harmed… All these kingdoms are yours. Just worship me.

To appreciate what is going on, it is important to know what happened in Mathew’s Gospel right before Jesus was led into the desert. At his baptism he came out of the water and the voice (God) in the cloud said: “This is my son, my beloved.”

Aren’t you a beloved daughter or son of God? Of course you are. These are our temptations, too! See yourself in each of the 3 temptations.

These temptations (also called tests) are what it really means to be the beloved of God. If you really are so love by God, you should never be hungry. Everyone knows that. All of your human needs will be cared for. So turn these stones into food and fill your hungry belly.

We are loved by God when our bellies are empty or full, on good days or bad, working or looking, single or married or single again, when we pray, when we panic, when we believe and when we aren’t quite sure anymore. We are loved, pure and simple. We can’t earn it and God’s love won’t go away – even if we do for a while.

If we are really the beloved of God, nothing bad will happen to us. Right? Jump, Jesus. God’s angels will carry you down. If tragedy strikes when someone dies, or cancer races through a too young body, or we are riffed on a Friday afternoon or our best dream comes crashing down, then surely we must be getting punished by God. God certainly must not love me. If God did, this would never have happened.

If you believe that, you just gave into temptation! Sadly, those and similar moments are the times when many people walk away from their faith. Even when we get beat up in life (we all will!), when our heart gets stomped on (it will), or when our best effort fails (just a matter of time), or when are dream is shattered (we don’t always get our way), we are still the beloved of God. That is the revelation and the teaching of the Lord Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus still believed He was loved – even to the ignominy of a death on a cross. Do you believe that…that you are loved no matter what happens to you? Be honest! Do you?

Listen carefully for your third temptation on Sunday. All this is yours if you worship me. It’s that power thing and maybe the money thing that guarantees power and influence. It might be that temptation to get ahead at all cost – to say practically anything or do anything. It might be the temptation not to get involved when an injustice is spotted. It might damage your career path. So we wind up worshipping money or career or our very own self-image. Remember: What we worship is really our God.

On Sunday you will hear that Jesus worships just one God, the God of the first commandment, the One Jesus called Father, the author of all life, the One who forgives us all our screw-ups, loves us no matter what, stays with us even if we choose to move away. Now isn’t that a great God to worship?!

So, what is this all about? These temptations are about determining our fundamental, basic and ultimate identity. In this Gospel, Jesus passed each test. He said “No” to each temptation. In doing so, it became clearer and clearer who he was: the beloved Son of God. And that was his identity until he breathed his last on the cross – and forever. He never gave into all the pressures and lures of everyday life. He taught us that it is truly possible to be faithful to the plan of Abba, his Father and our Father, too.

It’s “Temptation Sunday.” Take the test. Let yourself be tempted.

Here are a few “tempting” questions:

· Do you believe that in good times and bad, hungry or full, you are the beloved child of God – and that will never change?
· Do you believe that even on your worst day, when there is practically no light at the end of the tunnel, you are the beloved child of God – and that will never change?
· Do you believe that powerful or powerless, rich or poor, have or have not, you are the beloved child of God – and that will never change?

The first full week of Lent lies ahead for us all. Good luck with it.

Fr. John Cusick