Yesterday, I received one of the nicest compliments from my friend. She said that I had a positive attitude and never seemed to get down. Of course, the reality is I do have moments of great despair but I try to reserve those for the times when I am talking with God our Father. I was happy to hear that because over the years, I have consciously focused on improving my outlook. Most of it has been accomplished by letting go and letting God which we all know is very difficult for us to do. Add to that my propensity to try to control things. Anyway, it made me think about my friend and why I often feel like she is not happy or satisfied. I know some things about her but what I discovered in this analysis is that I do not know if she has a personal relationship with Christ and that will become the task at hand on the to do list. I must find a way to introduce the grace and salvation of Jesus to her. Last night, I watched the President's State of the Union address. What struck me is the ongoing theme of how the government is going to "help" us out. We can go to college for free. We can have health care. We can get a student loan and then not have to pay it back. It bothered me that the current President is deemphasizing personal responsibility. But it is not surprising. His political ideology  is built on the tenants that the government will solve all of our problems. It goes back to a blog I wrote a while back that talked about the change in society that led a lot of us to depend on someone other than God to help us. I tried to find the phrase God helps those who help themselves in the Bible but it is not there. I am not saying it is not a good thought. I think we should try to help ourselves after careful and thoughtful consultation with God. But this idea that the government or any entity other than God can solve all of our problems is just wrong. I know that 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil." Matthew 5:19 tells us, "Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Both of these passages stress the personal responsibility we must exhibit. God is calling us to respond to the needs of others and ourselves but He is doing even more. He is giving us the tools, guidance and love to accomplish these things. What kind of world would we have if we all began to live our lives in this way?

God is not finished with me yet. That is the idea that has been running through my head. I know I heard it in a song but it goes much deeper than that. The devil has been attacking me lately and the target has been my confidence. I know that God has bestowed his grace on me with no conditions. I know that I am His child and He made me in his image. What I don't know is what He has planned for me. However, I am excited about the possibilities and anxious to discover the outcome. There lies the dilemma. The past is over and done and the future is in His hands. I need to live the present and trust Him. But like all humans, I am nervous about the next step. My prayer continues to be that He open the next door for me and insures that I not miss it. Knowing what to do is one of the hardest tasks we have as humans. That is why I am glad that He gave us the Bible. Proverbs 3:23-26 tells us, "Then you may securely go your way; your foot will never stumble; When you lie down, you need not be afraid, when you rest, your sleep will be sweet. Honor is the possession of wise men, but fools inherit shame. Be not afraid of sudden terror, of the ruin of the wicked when it comes; For the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from the snare." Realizing that the Lord is my confidence is comforting. Deciding to lean on Him for everything is harder to accomplish. But just like anything, repetition is the key. Forming the habit of always turning to our Father God is the goal. Psychologists say that if you do anything for 21 days in a row, it will become a habit. I challenge you to take the next three weeks and place your confidence in the Lord. You will be challenged and attacked by the devil. In the end, the struggle will make the journey sweeter. Romans 8:37-39 tells us, "No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Now that is confidence.

I had an interesting discussion with a fellow Catholic the other day that continues to intrigue me. We began talking about Heaven and the afterlife as we were watching the movie Joshua. If you have not read the Joshua books by Joseph Girzone, I encourage you to do so. They are simple works that are calming and informative in plain language. Anyway, back to the conversation with my colleague; we began to talk about belief in God and an afterlife. She noted that she was very fearful and did not think she was ready to experience the afterlife yet. I told her that I was reading the Book of Daniel and that I found the message that God is always in control to be very comforting. She noted that she had not read that or many parts of the Bible. She noted that as a Catholic, she had never really picked up the Bible to read it unless it was an assignment in class and that most of what she remembers about the Bible is due to scripture readings every Sunday at Mass. I challenged her to begin to have a daily conversation with God by reading the Bible. I shared that since I had started my journey, the same scripture would say different things to me depending on where I was in my spiritual life. I suggested that she start her journey with a student Bible and work her up as she matured spiritually. She seemed very happy to have this instruction and I was certainly happy becasue I felt I had shared the Gospel of Jesus with another, which is ultimately what He implores us to do. I know the history of the Catholic Church and how for hundreds of years we were not encouraged to read the Bible because it was felt that we would misunderstand or misinterpret what it said. I am glad that the Church leadership has reversed that thinking but I am also convinced that many Catholics throughout the centuries since the founding of the Church have been reading the Bible themselves. It is a beautiful, living document that never fails to satisfy and amaze me. My hope is that my current Bible become so worn and filled with notes that I have to replace it by the end of the year. Then I know that I will truly be talking with God on a daily basis.

I have received a number of positive comments about Fr. David's responses to the seven questions survey. I knew it would be impactful. When I first read it, I found myself drawn to his answers. Especially his response to why bad things happen to good people. I am reading the Book of Daniel at the present and that is an exercise in bad things happening to good people. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon certainly exercised his free will and imposed his decisions on everyone. But the image of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego standing among the flames of the fire set to kill them is something that I cannot shake. Azariah's prayer is astounding, profound, and emboldening. He had the audacity to believe in God. He never wavered and said that God would either save him and his colleagues or use them for another purpose. That is faith! I pray that I have the stamina and fortitude to withstand the devil and his helpers as Azariah did. I hunger for the conviction of Azariah. It was not serendipity that Fr. David's words were validated by the Book of Daniel. That is why we are called to read the Bible. It is the Word of God. It is one of the many ways He talks to us. I thank God for the examples of Azariah and Fr. David and I encourage you to reread yesterday's entry and then read the Book of Daniel. The message that God is in control and he will never let us down is crystal clear and definitely something we need to hear in the present.

Fr. David DeJulio is the pastor of the very vibrant St. Mark the Evangelist Parish in Tampa, Florida. His message is about helping all of us to realize the gifts that God has given us and encouraging us to use these gifts for the betterment of the world. He graciously agreed to participate in my blog survey and responded to the seven question survey. His very inspiring answers are below. If you want to participate, please answer the seven questions and send them to me at fellmananthony@gmail.com. Please pray for Fr. David's ministry.

1. What is the biggest challenge to your faith that you have faced so far? The biggest challenge is the fact of the housing crisis in my parish. There are many families who are facing foreclosure, with no job prospects, who are trying to keep up hope. I seem powerless to their needs and I find it difficult to inspire hope to them when their houses and jobs are being taken away. I realize that evil is present in this world and God is not the cause of the angst that people are experiencing, but I simply wish that God would do something?

2. What scripture do you find yourself turning to most often? These days it is Matthew 6:25-34 regarding God's care for us by telling us not to worry about our life. It truly gives me great comfort.

3. How do you think God is revealing his presence to us in the world today? I think God reveals his presence to us in many and varied ways. Just look at the goodness of people this time of year to the less fortunate and I see the power of God's presence being revealed. I see the exuberance of a little child running to me for a blessing and I see God's presence in that child's love and joy. I also experience God's presence in the stillness of the dawn and in the dusk of the day.

4. Do you have a book that you would recommend to people trying to develop their spirituality? One spiritual book that I would recommend is The Holy Longing: the Search for a Christian Spirituality by Ronald Rolheiser.

5. Why do you think that bad things happen to good people? Bad things happen to good people due to sin in the world. Because God has given us all the gift of free will, there are some people whose bad choices will affect us in a negative way, those around him/her. I think when a good person comes down with diseases like cancer, etc., the sin of others (unhealthy pesticides, greed, etc.) caused the good person to be affected. God in no way causes these things; it's caused by the human capacity to sin.

6. What have you found is the most effective way to introduce the Word of God to a nonbeliever? The most effective way to introduce the Word of God to a nonbeliever is to first find out about their life experience. Who are they, what brought them here, what are they most concerned about in their life? I may offer some advice or wisdom that comes from Scripture without them knowing it. Building the relationship is the most important part and everything else follows.

7. Do you have a favorite saint and if so, why? I think my favorite saint is St. Theresa the Little Flower because of her dedication to bring God's love to all she met. Once she realized that love was what she was created to do, she simply lived it despite the difficulties she faced with some of God's people. I would like to think I could also learn from her and repeat what she did. It's difficult at times, but the rewards are so great

Who do you depend on more, your family and friends or God? I hope you said God but if you are like me, you did pause and think about it. In fact, social scientists have noted that society began to change significantly when folks started depending on each other more than God. This shift occurred because of the development of science. The emphasis turned from feelings and intuition to reason and logic. The idea of a community which did not include God or lessened His involvement created the environment we have now. To be more succinct, it was at this point that we as a society began to drift away from the Bible as our life manual and decided not to consult God as we moved forward with our lives. I am not denouncing science or presenting logic as detrimental to society. I am suggesting that we may have gone to far and need to re-balance our process. We know that we are to depend on God for everything and He reminds us of this in Genesis. In Colossians, He reminds us again in 1:16-17, "For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." It is such a comfort to read that God is holding it all together. Doesn't the feeling that life is spinning out of control create strife in our lives? Then we spend large amounts of time trying to figure out how to regain control. That is the point, isn't it? We are not supposed to regain control but allow God to take control and lead us. Just to reassure us, He says in Hebrews 1:3 that God endowed Jesus with the ability to, "sustain all things by his mighty word." We should be comforted by our Savior. He is mighty and powerful. He is looking out for us. He has our back. Yet we continue to turn to others in place of God. The odd thing is, the folks we turn to are in the same situation as us. They are also unsure and wandering. They may not look it but how can they know the answers to things that only God knows? I want to clarify that I do feel there is merit in consulting with others about tough decisions. Someone who has been through the same or a similar experience is a good sounding board. But instead of depending on them to solve your problems, you should ask them to pray with you. Invite them to join you in exalting the Lord and asking for the next step. Let's start today to shift back to a culture that counts on our God to provide for us.

Today we must unite in prayer for Haiti!

When I taught religious education classes, I had one very important requirement for each student. I told them that if they are present in class, they must be fully present. That meant that I expected them to participate in the conversation. It also meant that if they did not have anything constructive to add, they should respect the opinions of their fellow students. It caused me to think if there should be the same sort of conviction and request before each Mass. I think that having folks who are fully engaged and participatory would make the Mass much more beautiful. I typed in the words "seven habits of highly effective Catholics" and an article from U.S. Catholic popped up. The article explains the seven habits of highly effective mass goers. You can view it here but I thought I would give you the list of seven items that David Philippart suggests. He recommends that we: enter into mystery, sing for your supper, listen (it's hard work), be a beggar, give it up!, sing, walk, eat, drink, and go to do likewise. If you think about what he is saying, it basically follows the order of the mass and that is why the article is so clever. I was talking with my spiritual adviser last week and we both bemoaned the fact that the singing in church is usually filled with soprano and alto voices. For some reason, the men just don't sing as loudly or often. I mentioned that I found it so beautiful each year when I attend retreat to hear a church full of men singing their hearts out. What is it that makes us turn mute when we go back to our home churches? We are taught at an early age that singing is another form of praying. If you don't think you sing well remember that God gave you that voice so give it back to Him. Also, remember that the only way to get better at something is to practice, so sing out. Philippart suggests that we play the part of a beggar. What he means by that is linked to the part of the mass set aside for the general intercessions. As you may know, we are asking God for assistance or as Philippart says, "we are begging for help from God." It is the time that we bring the needs of the world, community and ourselves and place them at God's feet. Then we must be prepared to be used as God's instruments in order to realize the aid. If we ask, we should also be ready to act. So we are also preparing ourselves to accept the burdens of others. Stopping and focusing on this responsibility is an excellent habit and makes us fully present. One last thing that Philippart offers in his essay brought me comfort. Often after receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, I find myself staring at the folks who follow me up to receive communion. I was never sure why I did this and sometimes felt like I should not, that maybe I was being intrusive. Philippart encourages just the opposite. He says that we should look into the faces of our fellow communicants. We are actually drawn to them by the transformation they experience after receiving our Lord in Holy Communion. I agree with him and it caused me to realize that perhaps that is why I was driven to do it all these years. We are celebrating after all and part of that is seeing the joy and happiness it brings to our brothers and sisters in Christ. So the challenge for this Sunday and all to follow is to go to Mass and be fully present.

I have been a Catholic all of my life. I do not know how to be anything other than a Christian. I am comfortable with this label and I have tried to learn what it means to be a practicing Catholic Christian. I guess that is why it amazes me when politicians, who also claim to be practicing Catholics, make outrageous statements. Frequently their rants begin with tolerance. I have searched the Bible extensively for the passages about tolerance but can find none. I think that tolerance is probably a good trait to have when it comes to dealing with others but it must be tolerance that is grounded in truth and ethics. Tolerance of evil is never good and should not be accepted. The Catholic Church itself tells us that we do have free will to make our own decisions but the dichotomy is between good and evil, not about cafeteria menu decision making. Nancy Pelosi declared that she is a practicing Catholic and Elizabeth Lev wrote a column about the egregious missteps taken by Mrs. Pelosi during her confessions. One of them centered on her very different idea of free will. Mrs. Pelosi does indeed get confused and thinks that God has given her the power to make moral decisions for all of us as long as she feels they are right. What Catholic Church did she go to growing up? Does she still attend Mass today? I think she is in need of a good spiritual adviser or at the least, a good elementary catechism teacher. The Catholic Church teaches, built on the words of Jesus in the Bible, that abortion is murder. It is the taking of another human life and that is intrinsically evil. I also discovered in the Lev article that Mrs. Pelosi had made a trip to the Vatican in February 2009 and requested a visit with Pope Benedict. Her version of the visit and his deviate greatly. She claims that the conversation centered on global warming and fighting poverty. Pope Benedict released a statement, prior to Mrs. Pelosi's, that stated that the conversation was more instructional in nature. Specifically the release said, "His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the Church's consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death which enjoin all Catholics, and especially legislators, jurists and those responsible for the common good of society, to work in cooperation with all men and women of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development." So the problem here appears to be one of listening. As you know, I am a serious adherent to the epistle of St. James. It would certainly behoove Mrs. Pelosi to spend some quality time with this very Catholic book in the Bible. It is amazing what we can learn just by listening.

Since the Gospel readings this year are coming from Luke, I thought I would take an early peek. Luke’s writing has a number of themes but one of the more interesting is his focus on the Great Reversal. As we anticipate the return of Jesus Christ, we are assured that the Kingdom of God, in its fullness, will turn everything that we now know upside down. Some of the areas Luke specifically focuses on are wealth, power and privilege. God has promised that those at the bottom in this culture on earth will be placed at the top in the life to come. Luke discusses the Great Reversal a number of times but initially in the Magnificat (1:46-55). Mary and her family are poor and powerless in the eyes of the civil government but God selects her to be the Mother of Jesus. Mary also learns, through the Angel Gabriel, that her cousin Elizabeth is with child. Upon visiting Elizabeth, Mary proclaims in 1:46-48, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaiden’s lowliness.” Later in verses 1:51-53, she says, “He has thrown down rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.” It appears that Mary is talking in the present tense but Biblical scholars note that prophets frequently make declarations about the future in the same way because they are confident in the promises of the Father. She is indicating a future event and she is convinced that God will fulfill this promise. Two themes emerge hear that can be used to encourage us to look for the future that is to come. God will upset the world order. We know that those in power do not simply mean those who are elected or self appointed, like presidents and dictators. It is also those who feel that they are unable to believe in our God because of their intellectual abilities. Very often, the folks that deny the existence of God are in fact the leaders in their fields. Many times the Christian point of view is dismissed by these so called experts who belittle faith and religion based on science. They declare themselves intellectually superior and proclaim that religion is for the less educated, the needy, and the poor. If you are feeling powerless in the current state of the world, this scripture and Mary’s prophesy should bring you great comfort. Our time will come. The arrogant and proud who are not open to the call of God because of their sense of security and well-being will not allow God’s mercy into their lives. The second theme is a warning to all of us that we must remain humble and lowly. We should seek to be last in the things that count. Give of your time to others first. Minister to the poor in your area. Visit the sick and those who are mourning. Stand up for those who are insulted and denounced. As Jesus tells us in 6:23, “Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.”

I was inspired today by a song that Tenth Avenue North sings called By Your Side. It is written from God's perspective. The singer is the voice of God and asks, "Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough?" It reminded me of the constant struggle I have to look for the next best thing when God is still here and has not changed. The commercialism that we complain has taken over so many of our beloved Christian celebrations (Christmas, Easter) has also infiltrated our spiritual lives. Go to a Christian bookstore (or any bookstore, virtual or bricks and mortar) and you will be overwhelmed by the amount of self help books that are available. A large portion of them are residing on the Christian aisle or section. It causes me to pause. Why are we still searching when God has given us the grace we seek? How many different ways can we hear the message? I know that people learn through different methods but it seems that we as Christians are forgetting the central message about our God. He has told us that we need to accept Him as our savior, love Him, and love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Jesus even provided us with more detailed information when he preached the sermon on the mount. Yet we continue to search for a better way. There is no better way. As the singer says in By Your Side, "...please don't fight, these hands are holding you." Why is it in our nature to forget that God is always with us? Now I am not attacking Christian writers for putting out new books. I am guilty of perpetuating the industry by buying many of the books. I just think that we may be over saturating the market when maybe all we need to do is allow God to "lift up your face" and not "turn away." I encourage you to simplify your life. If you have found a book that is allowing you to deepen your spiritual growth, along with the Bible, then you should stick with that one. If the book is truly inspired by God, then it will speak to you just as the Bible does and it will present the message you need to hear at this point in your life. God is using other folks to help you but don't forget to talk to God yourself. Conversation with God on a daily basis is a good habit to form.

The celebration of the epiphany of our Lord is a joyous occasion. Each year when I listen to the scripture readings at Mass, I try to learn something new. God always makes sure that I hear something new and that it applies to my current situation. That happened with certainty this morning. The new item for me this year was the visit of the magi. They followed the star that led them to Mary, Joseph and the new born King. The interesting thing to me was that they visited Jesus in a house, not a manger ("They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother."). How then did He get from the manger to the house? A quick search explains that often inns at that time rented the upper room (much like the one Jesus used to meet with his disciples for the last supper) and provided bare essentials. Realizing that Mary was very near childbirth, the innkeeper probably provided a manger or animal trough for the newborn. So does it make a difference if Jesus was born in the barn or inside the house? Not to me. The event that we celebrate is the birth of our Lord and Savior. He was certainly born in a humble setting away from his parent's house. Even then, Jesus was relying on the kindness of strangers. Even then He was providing an opportunity for people to "do for the least." We can assume with very high accuracy that the innkeeper did not know of the majesty of the baby about to born in his house. I wonder if his family knew? Was there someone in the innkeepers family who worked in Herod's palace that had heard of this new king to be born that was causing Herod such concern? Did an angel of God appear to the innkeeper or a member of his family? We do not hear this part of the story. The innkeeper and his family are then similar to you and me. We live by our faith and are strengthened by the promises that Jesus made to us. We are confident that our Father God, who loves us unconditionally, is always protecting us. We can only hope to do the same thing should a similar occasion arise. Would we find room in our house for Jesus? Do we have Jesus in our house now? Is he welcome? Is it a place that He would want to come? The advent of a new year brings new opportunities. Like the magi, we can present Jesus with gifts as well. The gift of knowing Him more deeply, allowing Him to lead us, and presenting our heart and mind to Him replaces the gold, frankincense and myrrh. The epiphany calls for you to be a modern day magi and present yourself to Jesus in thanksgiving for His ultimate gift. Happy new year to you and yours!