Learning to be Quick to Listen

Two reports over the last few days have me very excited about some upcoming film releases. The first is a film about martyred monks that recently received the second prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Usually something at Cannes does not interest me at the awards usually go to movies that are either very humanistic and worldly or political and celebrating hedonistic themes. The film is called "Of Gods and Men" and is about a group of French monks who were martyred in Africa during the 1990s. The French director, Xavier Beauvois, centers the movie around the true story of seven Cistercian monks who were taken hostage and murdered by Islamic fundamentalists in 1996. There are news reports that the audience members wept during the presentaion of the film in Cannes. The monks, who lived contemplative lives in the service of the poor in the Atlas Mountains built strong friendships with their surrounding community and lived in relative peace until conflict arises between the local ...

Fr. Hugo Blotsky, O.S.B., is Pastor of St. Francis Catholic Church in Thermopolis, Wyoming. Their website states that they are a faith community that is located at the southern end of the Big Horn Basin at the north entrance to the Wind River Canyon. Fr. Hugo was kind enough to share his thoughts to the Seven Question Survey. Please let me know what you think as I found his answers very inspiring, especially his reminder of the importance of the simple act of Mary agreeing to God's request. She is certainly an inspiration to all of us. 1. What is the biggest challenge to your faith that you have faced so far? Trying to make sense out of all the turmoil in the world today. 2. What scripture do you find yourself turning to most often? Gospel of Matthew: "Where two or more are gathered in my Name, there am I in their midst." 3. How do you think God is revealing his presence to us i...

The Contemporary Christian group Skillet has a song called Awake . The song describes what many of us face each and every day. Namely, the inability to detach ourselves from the worldliness that is offered by our society. They explain that they are at war with the world and they feel themselves slowly slipping out of God's hands. You know the feeling perhaps even better if you have ever encountered a really terrific retreat or workshop. In the moment, you are on fire. The blaze intensifies over the period that you are at the retreat. When you suddenly realize that you are about to have to return to the "real" world, your enthusiasm starts to wain and you are troubled. It happens to the best of us. I am sure it is the feeling the apostles had when they realized that Jesus had died. In fact, we know that they locked themselves away from the rest of the world. What is it that we are so worried about? The fear of going it alone is probably the culprit. But we need to remember...

What have you done lately to further God's reign? We as Christians proclaim that God reigns over all the earth and we are called to be the hands and feet of the mystical body. But that means that we must be active in our ministry and we must work to extend God's reign. What does that mean to you? I think it calls me to engage in conversation about God with others. I am instructed to bring the Good News to everyone. Only when we share the message of Jesus and His sacrifice can others come to truly understand what that gift allows. I also think we should be more active in doing. We need to notice where the needs are in our community and respond to those needs like Jesus did when He walked the earth. The economic downturn has caused us all so much difficulty and the burden of new taxes and monumental governmental intervention will only worsen that for us. However, there are those that are being forgotten because we are troubled by our political leadership and the strain of oppress...

Some times I find that I am so far gone that I have to tear everything down and start all over. It infiltrates everything, like relationships or habits. I have recently been in a situation where I do not have access to a television. On the surface that sounds like a terrible ordeal but it has actually given me a new perspective. My quiet time has increased. So how have I chosen to spend this time? Well part of it has been consumed by work related tasks as I have started a new job. But a lot of it has been taken by more reading and most of that reading is spiritual in nature. I finally have the time to finish reading a lot of the books I have bought over the years. In addition, the quiet time is wonderful for reflection and listening. My conversations with God have become more pronounced and involved. It is a good thing and I am enjoying it for as long as it may last. There is song called Hurricane by Jimmy Neadham which perfectly expresses this sentiment. Jimmy calls on God to send in ...

Have you ever been so angry with someone that it consumed your every waking thought? In fact, it may have even driven you while you slept. I mean the kind of anger that is not quickly quelled? This usually occurs when someone does something to you that you consider to be unfair or unwarranted. It has certainly happened to me. You are left feeling vulnerable and puzzled by the action taken by someone you probably trusted. It is not a healthy situation and really can begin to cause you physical damage. It reminds me of the situation that Jesus was in when his friend and confidant Judas turned on him. Contemporary study reveals that Jesus may have chosen Judas for this task. We certainly know that it had to happen in order for Jesus to be crucified which in turn released us from original sin. This despicable act by Judas allows us to live eternal life with God in Heaven. Returning to the original point of this message, I began to wonder if Judas was forgiven. The answer is a resounding ye...

The visit of the Legionaries of Christ to the Vatican has provided a good example of someone allowing themselves to become the focus rather than God. Fr. Macial, the founder of the Legionaries, obviously lost his way and allowed the devil to overtake him. The comments from the Vatican are stinging and include the follow, "The serious and objectively immoral behavior of Fr. Maciel, supported by incontrovertible evidence, at times constitutes real crimes, and manifests a life devoid of scruples and of genuine religious feeling. The large majority of Legionaries were unaware of that life, particularly because of the system of relations created by Fr. Maciel, who had skilfully managed to build up an alibi, to gain the trust, confidence and surrounding silence and strengthen his role as a charismatic founder." I am not sure about a life devoid of scruples as I assume he was walking the right path at one point. How astonishing is it that someone as revered as Fr. Maciel can make so...