Learning to be Quick to Listen

As humans, we like rewards. Everyone likes to feel appreciated and wanted. Who doesn't like a pat on the back? We like to win, especially in America. Pope Benedict recently talked about this on Ash Wednesday. He said, "The reward for repentance and good works is not the admiration of others, but friendship with God and the grace that comes with it, a grace that gives peace and the strength to do good, to love even those who don't deserve it and to forgive those who have offended us. That is a very powerful statement. It is definitely a guidepost for this journey of Lent. We naturally crave the admiration of others. But why is that so important to us? It really only causes us to be hurt and feel bad, especially when it doesn't come our way. We also feel jealousy when it ends up being given to others. It is an easy way for the devil to insert himself into our lives. But the grace of God can replace this need for admiration. That is definitely a good place to focus our ti...

The exciting news for Baton Rouge is the addition of a new all-Catholic radio station. Located at AM 1380, WPYR is an affiliate station of EWTN . It offers a variety of talk shows, general information, and recorded talks by a variety of speakers. It is already providing blessings to the residents of Louisiana's capital city. I am not sure of its reach yet but I do know that I am thanking God for allowing this blessing to appear in our area. Also wanted to alert you about an upcoming conference and a great website I discovered. Go West Catholic Men is a website inspired by the journey of Fr. Jean-Pierre DeSmet , the first Catholic priest to evangelize the wild west of  America. His faith in God allowed him to stand boldly and bravely. He was one of the first missionaries to bring the Catholic faith to the native Americans. Today we need men with this same courageous spirit. The website asserts that "modern culture and media have negatively influenced the mindset of many men tod...

As the Lenten season begins for 2010, I am concentrating on being a good Christian. I have decided to focus on morning and evening prayers and reading the Bible more for Lent. In this way, I think that I will be better prepared for Holy Week. It is requiring me to wake up earlier and I am not a morning person but there is something extraordinary about the lack of noise before my house arises. I have been distracted the last two days. A good friend died on Monday. He had a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer which he won. Then the cancer returned and attached to his liver. He simply did not have the strength to fight this time. He was a brave soul and I know he is working for us in Heaven. I will miss him because he had such a profound effect on me. He taught me how to be a good Christian man. He was a terrific mentor and a father-figure in my life. I truly loved him even though we only became friends less than a decade ago. RIP. I want to urge you to spend some time each day during L...

Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) writes in his book Jesus of Nazareth about the Sermon on the Mount and focuses on each Beatitude. Benedict writes that the third Beatitude, Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the land, is mostly about peace that is connected to freedom and land. Just as the Israelites longed for their own land, the new Israel (Christians) also long for a place to live in obedience to God. This idea that God promises land as a place that allows an openness to God, a place that is free from the temptations of the world, is a concept that must be explored more fully. Benedict goes on to say that "Israel was scattered across the world so that it might everywhere create space for God and thus fulfill the purpose of creation suggested by the first creation account [in Genesis1:1-2:4]." I may be out of my depth here but it appears that Benedict is making a connection between the old and new that signals a call to all Christians. It reignites the urgenc...

Can you pray for me? How often are you asked that question? I find myself being asked that so very often and not only in face to face meetings but via email and texts as well. It got me to thinking about the subject of prayer. How much is too much? I don't mean to imply that you can over-pray but I wonder if God becomes weary from our laundry lists? I know that He doesn't and if I understand anything it is that God is limitless. I also understand that it is folly and possibly dangerous to describe God in human terms but it is all we have. I think what I am beginning to understand is that the asking is not the problem. It is more about my capacity as a human to handle all of these requests. I must admit that it has gotten to the point where I cannot remember all of the things that I have been asked to pray for and so I cover it all by saying "God, you know what I am supposed to be praying for." and leave it at that. I am not proud of that fact. I should be able to be a...

Are we really thankful for what we have? I am not talking about big things but the everyday, mundane things. I was reading Proverbs 31 today and the thought came to me that I should probably be more aware of everything that God is giving me on a daily basis. Yes, I have to wash and vacuum my car but I should thank God that I have a car. I am always having to repair my house and cut my grass, but again, I should thank God that He has blessed me with these things. Proverbs 31 is focused on the advice that Lemuel's Mother gives him. The latter part of the passage focuses on the value of a worthy wife. It is really a beautiful passage as we approach the celebration of St. Valentine's Day. It basically focuses on all of the little things that we do in our daily lives. Of course, it goes deeper than that. It calls us to revel in each task and to find delight. It tells us that each and every task should be done for the glory of God. It really forces you to focus ...

When the maji followed the start to Bethlehem, did they really know why they were doing it and what they would find? They were looking for the newborn King of the Jews according to Matthew 2:1 but did they really know what significance that title held? What was their religious background? How were they trained? What did they believe? All these years later, we really don't know the answers to those questions. In the end, does it really matter? They exhibited a brand of faith that Jesus would preach about himself. He calls us all to have the faith of little children. That is best described as inquisitiveness and inquiry. A wonderment about the how and why of things. God's lesson in the maji's journey could be that we are to follow the star to find Jesus. What star you might ask? The star can be whatever it is you are called to do. What has God placed on your TAG? When we are conceived, God creates a TAG for us that includes our Talents, Abilities, and Gifts. How we choose to...

The sacrament of reconciliation has been on my mind lately. I was recently with a group of believers who were discussing the many reasons we find not to make a confession. The conversation finally wound around to the idea of sin itself. We all know what sin is but I heard a new description that is clear and concise and really struck a chord in my heart. Sin is the act that cuts the cord between me and God. Thus reconciliation is the act that repairs the cord. While we are talking with God about our sins, He is lovingly repairing the cord and reconnecting us to His loving embrace. It is our lifeline. I am sure you are like me and want that cord to remain connected to God. We know He forgives us as Psalm 32 says, "then I acknowledged my sin, did not conceal my guilt. I said I shall confess my offense to the Lord and You for Your part, took away my guilt, forgave my sin." We also know that God came for us sinners, not just for the virtuous as it says in Psalm 51 . So what is it...

Today I am happy to be posting another response to the seven question survey. Esther G., a fellow blogger, provides the very insightful responses today. You can find more of her writing at A Catholic Mom in Hawaii . Esther and I share a love of St. Pio. If you want to participate, please respond to the seven questions and send them to fellmananthony@gmail.com. 1. What is the biggest challenge to your faith that you have faced so far? My biggest challenge is discerning God's will for me and doing His will and not my own. 2. What scripture do you find yourself turning to most often? The Gospel According to Matthew . 3. How do you think God is revealing his presence to us in the world today? There are many signs some as simple as seeing a beautiful flower blooming and as drastic as the earthquake in Haiti which is a wake up call to us to turn to God. 4. Do you have a book that you would recommend to people trying to develop their spirituality? Oh yes, actually I have two to re...

We as a people are driven to reciprocate in kind. I am not sure where this comes from. I would hope it comes from the part in us that makes us generous but I suspect it may be more out of trying to look good and worrying about what others think of us. To illustrate, if you have ever had a son or daughter (or maybe this happened to you) that received a gift from their boyfriend or girlfriend, you say this in action. Within the hour, your child knew where the gift was purchased and how much it cost. They were consumed with returning the favor but they wanted to make sure that their gift in return met the same cost and quality thresholds. The entire idea of doing something for others out of love and concern was thrown out immediately. In fact, take a look at magazines that give tips on dating and this concept is still very much alive. Not only do the writers give tips on matching price but attention is paid to what the gift will "really" mean. And the game continues. Maybe that ...