We Will Never Have Enough

Fr. John Cusick, Director
Young Adult Ministry Office

If the recession has taught us anything in the last few years, it has taught us that we will never have enough. Circumstances can change so quickly and their impact can be dramatic. If you lose your job, for how long will you have enough money to pay your bills? Can I keep paying off those college loans, the mortgage, or the car payments? My property is no longer an asset. It has become a liability. Will I ever save enough to afford a mortgage?

Interestingly, the worry or concern of never having enough might have become very clear during the last few years, but it is not relegated to “hard times.” Have you ever heard someone tell you they have enough? Be honest. I will bet the answer is never or at best rarely.

Even in the affluence of America and the phenomenal opportunities presented to many of us, we have a mindset burned into us that we live in a world of scarcity. Save for that rainy day. You never know what lies ahead.

There is a spiritual principle that challenges that mindset: life is not about how much you have, but about how generous you are.

In a world of scarcity, generosity is a problem. If we are too generous, we may not have enough for ourselves when we really need it.

In a world of abundance (the world of Christ), generosity can (and should) be a way of life.

So, we really live in two worlds. We live in a world of scarcity. We live in a world of abundance. We live in a physical world. We live in a spiritual world.

There is a world inside us that challenges the world outside us. The world inside us, the dwelling place of God, is filled with more life than we can possible imagine. We never need to hold back. We will always have more than enough.

Look at Christ. Did he ever not forgive? Did He ever say, “I wish I could forgive you, but if I do, I may not have enough forgiveness to use on myself”? He poured the bread of life, the living water, the spirit of God into everyone and anyone He could.

Can you do that? Can you be generous as a Lenten practice between now and Holy Week?

Give a little extra to a charity. You will still have enough.

Be generous with your praise to colleagues at work.

Make time for a friend.

Spend (extra) time with a parent or sibling.

Practice the presence of God an extra ten minutes.

Get to church ten minutes early next Sunday. Sit and be still.

Pass around some extra “thanks.”

Run an extra mile.

Add ten minutes to your workout.

Remember….

Life is not about how much you have, but about how generous you are.

If you believe that and do that, you will have more than enough!

Give it a try today!

Fr. John Cusick

“I once was lost, but now am found…was blind but now I see.”

Mary Bridget Beddome

This past Sunday, we heard the gospel story about Jesus opening the eyes of a blind man.  We talked about movement from darkness to light, especially as we move through Lent.  Lent is a time of darkness, a time to reflect and prepare ourselves for the coming of the Light.  Sunday was also “Laetare” Sunday, a time we were called together to “Rejoice.”  Why are we rejoicing in the middle of Lent?  We’re not quite to the true time of rejoicing yet.  However, we are called to catch a glimpse of what is coming.  The Light is just becoming visible; it’s a small glimmer of hope in a somber season.  

In my daily work, I see people who leave times of darkness to come toward the light of a better life.  My current job is to help resettle refugees in the US after they have escaped countries wrought with war, persecution, and injustice.  Currently in St. Louis, we are mostly resettling refugees from Iraq, Burma (Myanmar), and many African nations including Somalia, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, and Eritrea. The surprising thing is, once these people reach the US after months or years of waiting to escape their old homes, these people are not experiencing the paradise that they expected.  While they have left the darkest of times behind them, refugees come to find very different trials in the land of the free and the home of the brave.  

 It’s one thing to voluntarily study a foreign language, but imagine being forced to learn a new language to be able to survive in a strange new culture.  It’s certainly not easy to pick up a completely new language, especially as a grown adult.  Some refugees come from well-off backgrounds, having attended university and receiving top notch degrees before war tore their country apart.  Some have incredible job histories and even excellent English skills.  However marketable these things may sound, these highly educated people are often forced to begin their lives all over again because their degrees do not translate very well into our US system. I’ve seen engineers that have had to accept entry level jobs in St. Louis cleaning hotels, washing dishes, or operating warehouse machinery. It’s heartbreaking to witness the struggle that these families endure after the terrifying hardships they have already experienced. 

I couldn’t help but think of our refugees after hearing Sunday’s gospel and sensing that flicker of light before the true Light to come.  These people enter the US rejoicing to be alive, and yet their journey is not yet over.  They have a long way to go before they can happily integrate into a new country.  They see the glimmer of hope and they are patiently and courageously following the path toward independence, acceptance, and integration.  

So this week, think of what it means to follow that small flicker of light in anticipation of what’s coming. Reflect on what it means to hope…to really hope.  Put yourself in the shoes of a refugee in a new land, ever patiently moving toward a time of true joy.  Reflect on how you can be better prepared to welcome the Resurrection of our Lord, when the radiant Light will be fully revealed. 

Mary Bridget Beddome graduated from Saint Louis University in May 2010 with a B.A. in Psychology and with minors in Italian and Theology.  She is returning to SLU this coming fall to begin the journey toward a Master’s Degree in Social Work.  She loves her current work as a Case Coordinator for Catholic Charities Refugee Services in St. Louis.  MB is a fond admirer of her Godfather Fr. John Cusick and of his Chicago Cubs. 

Suffering: by Christina Gebel

A good friend of mine and I once got into a heated debate over whether or not it was worthwhile to debate the meaning of words. Is it fruitful to just sit around and have philosophical debates over the meaning of words all day long? I guess it depends how much you like philosophy.

I have always been of the stance that philosophy does have a point. But, it’s hard to take philosophy down from the clouds sometimes and make it directly applicable to our daily life.

Either way, I began searching for a reason why it might be a good idea to debate the definition of a word for an extended period of time. I finally got my answer in the delivery room.

I should throw out there that I am a doula. A doula is a trained support person who accompanies laboring moms in the delivery room and supports them both emotionally and physically. We ride the rollercoaster of emotions and help the moms get into positions favorable for birth.

One mom I helped of late I found in a real struggle. She had pushed for three and a half hours to no avail. She screamed aloud in frustration, prayed feverishly, and wept. She was working SO hard. It was so difficult to watch her work so hard only to be told hour after hour that there was no progress. The baby was RIGHT there. But wouldn’t come out.

My very wise doula trainer once told me that there is a difference between pain and suffering. Every pregnant woman should probably expect to be in pain at some point – and a great deal of it at that. However, what most people really fear is suffering. And there is a difference between the two.

As I tried to comfort the woman, it was very clear that we had crossed the threshold from pain into suffering. We as humans are able to tolerate so much pain – knowing that our pain is getting us somewhere or it is some form of tough love. But when our pain isn’t productive, we can easily begin to suffer in our disappointment.

Jesus underwent a painful death. And in his moments of true suffering, He probably wondered, “Is this really getting us anywhere? Is this really all for nothing? Why me??”

The good news is that His pain was for a greater purpose: the salvation of the world. Even if he didn’t see results in his struggle, it served both God and humanity ultimately.

May our pain be in service of becoming a better Christian, serving God and one another. May it give birth to higher meaning.

Christina Gebel works at the University of Chicago and spends her off days attending births with the Chicago Volunteer Doulas. Christina came to Chicago to do two years of service with the Amate House program here in Chicago, where she served as a high school teacher in Little Village. She graduated from Saint Louis University with bachelors in theology and psychology. She loves time with friends and family and enjoys photography on the side.

04.04.68……Later On ………Today

Fr. John Cusick, Director
Young Adult Ministry Office

Late on the afternoon of April 4, 1968, I was on my way to the rectory of Holy Name Cathedral to meet a priest and drive him to a Lenten program. I was a 23 year old seminary student.  Spending time experiencing parish programs was part of my training.

As I approached the rectory, a bulletin came on the radio that announced Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had just been shot.  While driving to the Lenten formation venue, the radio made the announcement that Dr. King was dead.

While I was stunned, I looked over to the priest next to me and he sank into the passenger seat and put his head down about as far as it could go. He said nothing. He got out of the car in silence and we entered the meeting place. I walked. He limped.

He was totally silent, sadden by the murder of one of his heroes. He limped because his legs and other parts of his body were filled with lead pellets. Not too many years before, in the spirit of Dr. King, he traveled to the South. Along with a Protestant seminarian, he volunteered with the civil rights movement, attempting to get African Americans the right to vote. A sheriff stepped out of a building with a shotgun. He pulled the trigger. With one shot, he hit them both. The shotgun shell killed the seminary student and filled the priest with lead. The sheriff pled self-defense and was acquitted by a jury of his peers.

Fr. Dick Morrisroe was subject to a number of surgeries to save his life and to remove as much of the shotgun pellets as possible.  Too many of them remained too close to organs and nerves to remove. So he limped on 04.04.68 even more observably because of the lead and now the death of a true American hero in his life, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Later on, actually a number of years later, I stood directly in front of the burial site of Dr. King in Atlanta, Georgia. No one else was around but me and the sacred human remains of Dr. King. I stood silently staring at the sarcophagus surrounded by water in the middle of the King Center. I prayed for him and to him. I reflected on the memories that he left me. I thought of all the evil that was spoken about him in my neighborhood. I remembered all the hope he brought to Black People.

But then something caught my eye. It is directly beneath the letters of his name now etched in marble: January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968.

I did the math. Wow! Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was only 39 years old when a bullet ended his earthly life. 39. He began is public ministry of non-violence and social change when he was 26 – in 1956. From age 26 until his untimely death in 1968 he made an impact on the world that changed the world forever.

He accomplished all this during his young adult years: 26 to 39.

A great many of you who read this today find yourselves inside that age range. These are your young adult years. This is your time – in the name of God – to make an impact on the world in which you live.

Some questions for you to ponder this Lenten Day:

1. Where do you see your life making a positive impact on others?
2. Dr. King had a dream. What is your dream?
3. What are doing and what are you sacrificing to make it happen?
4. What words of Christ challenge you and call you to be more alive?

Before you shut this down, take a moment and pray to the Lord for the courage to take a stand against so much social evil and hate in our world.

Thanks.

-Fr. John Cusick

It’s Half Time!

Fr. John Cusick, Director

Young Adult Ministry Office

 On certain unexpected occasions, something happens in a locker room during half-time of a major basketball or football game.  I am sure the same can be said for that time between periods in a hockey game.

Recently I was watching the NCAA playoff basketball between Duke and Arizona. I am not a trained basketball eye, but it seemed to me that Duke had mastered the first half of the basketball game. They played with discipline, shot the ball pretty well, and took a 5 point half time lead into the locker room. On the other side, Arizona seemed disconnected, listless, and only one of their players was scoring from all over the basketball floor.

When they came out of the locker room at the end of half-time, the tables turned completely and almost immediately. Arizona was the aggressor. They play hard and fast. They hit from the outside and drove to the basket. They became unstoppable. Duke was now disconnected, listless and had a hard time scoring. Was this the same team I watched 25 minutes ago?

It was very clear that the second half and the game belonged to Arizona. They won handily by 16 points!

What went on in the Arizona locker room at half-time? Same players, same game, same coaches, same opponent, same venue, same crowd, and a totally different result!

Something fired each one of them up during that half-time do play better, remember their plays and keep their eye on the prize: winning the game.

Do you see where this is going?

For us and for our Lenten season it is half-time – three weeks down and three more to go. It is our locker room time. How are we doing? How is our resolve? What path did we lay out for ourselves on Ash Wednesday? What promises did we make to ourselves and/or to the Lord? What goals did we set? How do we get fired up for the second half ….of Lent?

Think about those questions today. Answer them. Once you do, get ready for the second half.

Here are a few “tips” to play the second half of Lent with passion and effectiveness.

1.      To what did you commit yourself on Ash Wednesday? Do it!

2.      Lent is to live more like Jesus Christ in three ways: prayer, sacrifice, generosity.

3.      Prayer. Here are two ideas to add to your second-half strategy. Go to daily Mass once a week. You might to get up a little earlier, but it is well worth it. You will find daily Mass so peaceful and prayerful. Same “Amen” to the Body of Christ and head off to work. Commit 5-10 minutes of your day to reflection with the Lord. Go to www.sacredspace.ie and follow the prompts.

4.      Sacrifice. Skip a meal once a week (if you can medically). Eat less. Cut out criticism or negative comments for one day a week for the next three weeks. That is just 3 days. Pick the same day of the week. How about 3 “criticism free, or lunch free” Wednesdays?

5.      Generosity. What did you save by cutting back a meal or two or from fasting from one meal? Give the money away. What would help build a better world? What charity supports that? Look it up on the internet. Send them a check. Even a small check for $5. Pass out some unexpected “generous” comments to others at work, in the family or friends you respect and love (even a wife/husband fits here, too!)

We are doing all this Lenten stuff because of the ultimate love the Lord Jesus has showed us. We will see it all so clearly on Good Friday.

Let’s go. Three more weeks. Game on!

Fr. John Cusick

Light from the Darkness

Sunday's Gospel (April 3, the 4th Sunday of Lent) is the story of the blind beggar (John 9).  Jesus approaches him, smears mud on his eyes, sends him to wash in the Pool of Siloam, and learns later that the man has been healed.  The Pharisees, believing the formerly blind man to be a sinner and Jesus to be a freud, refuse to accept that this healing was the work of God.  Now who's blind?   (Read the full text).

Searching, Seeking & Seeing - A Look Back
Usually, on Sundays we share "Homily Highlights."  In honor of the Searching, Seeking & Seeing Morning of Reflection hosted yesterday (Saturday), today's reflection will share of the wisdom from that event. Thanks, Fr. Cusick, for unpacking today's Gospel so beautifully for us.

 What I Heard...

• The Book of Genesis tells us that God "formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils and breath of life, so man became a living being" (Gen 1:7). Jesus is bringing about a new creation here, as the blind man's eyes are opened. 
• Jesus sought out the blind man twice:  once to smear mud on his eyes, and once to connect after the man was thrown out of the temple.  We often think to grow deeper spiritually, we have to do something, pray something, be something, etc.  The reality is that our God comes to us.  If we are attentive, we will experience it.
• Why is it that no one rejoiced in the man being able to see again, except the man himself?  The crowd is busy passing judgement, the parents are afraid, the Pharisees are convinced Jesus is a sinner and can do nothing righteous.  Sometimes, we lose perspective on the things that matter most. 

What does it mean for us today?
Remember the story of Genesis.  God literally brought forth light from darkness.  The work of creation is continuing in this encounter.  Our Good News is twofold:  First, God seeks us out. Second, God continues to bring forth light from darkness in our lives, each and every day.

Lent is a time to pause and reflect upon the ways God is reaching out to each of us, bringing light from the darkness.  Throughout this week, be attentive to the people and situations that reveal the Light of Christ to you.  Then, go out and share that Light with others.

Feel free to add your thoughts.  What does this say to you? Or... What did YOU hear - either at the Morning of Reflection, or at Mass on Sunday?

Dr. Kate DeVries (Associate Director) and Fr. John Cusick (Director) have worked together in the Young Adult Ministry Office for more than 20 years.   Over those years, there have been a great many experiences of moving from darkness to light!  

Scrutinizing the Scrutinies

During the Liturgies of the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent we celebrate the Scrutiny rites with our Elect, candidates and catechumens, as together we move toward Easter.  However, do not be fooled by the name, we are not called to scrutinize each other.

We are called to allow the Scripture, Jesus' presence in the Word of God, to scrutinize our lives.

We are called to recognize ourselves, in the woman at the well, thirsting for living water. We are called to recognize ourselves, in the man blind from birth, in need of the Light of the world. We are called to recognize that we too are dead, until we recognize Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Each of these stories shows movement from unbelief to deep faith in Jesus as Messiah.  Lent is also an opportunity to move toward better knowing ourselves, our best and worst qualities, thereby strengthening our relationship with God.  We shed light on that which we would rather keep under wraps in order to move forward, to bring it to Christ heal and improve it. We also expose the best parts of ourselves, offer them to God for strengthening and blessing, in order to move further on our journey of faith.

Whether or not your parish has Elect preparing to enter the Church at the Easter Vigil, allow the Word of God at these three Masses to search your heart and help you move toward the Resurrection.

Elise Ainsworth is the Director of the Kateri Center for Young Adult Ministry in the Western Suburbs. She loves to cook and eat, read and sleep, laugh and play but more often than not, spends too much time in her car.