Category: Catholics Have Courage

#30 Still Have an Election Hangover? Don’t Miss Your BIG Opportunity.

November 25, 2016

The stress levels surrounding the recent presidential election were unprecedented.

Voters from both sides of the aisle hoped and prayed that we would at least see an end to the mudslinging after Election Day. But much to our dismay, it hasn’t stopped. If you are still fatigued over the whole ordeal, you are not alone!

If your candidate won, you were probably surprised, and relieved. But now you’re tired of the outbursts and becoming callused to all the uproar.

If your candidate lost, you are navigating through the five stages of grief, and wondering (or even fearing) what life will be like in the coming years. Either way, the bottom line is we are ALL stressed about our neighbors these days, and that threatens our big opportunity.

What opportunity you ask? The opportunity to help heal this nation.

The opportunity to love and serve each other like never before. It’s a time of Thanksgiving, but instead of gathering around the proverbial table to break bread together, we are all hunkered down behind our fences and walls.  fence-img_2471

Instead of talking, reminiscing and laughing, we are plugging our ears as the word grenades continue to fly overhead on social media, 24/7. Instead of seeing each other as one human race, one American family, we are still preoccupied with taking aim at Republicans and Democrats, Liberals and Conservatives. And worst of all, we are allowing the fear and anger mongers to define us, and set the parameters of our discourse.

One thing that became apparent to me during this election cycle was the fact that no one election or elected official was going to single handedly solve our country’s problems. And the past eight years taught me that this extreme political polarization that has consumed us like a wildfire will never lead to peace and prosperity.

The answer my friends, in it’s simplest terms is love. Love cannot be elected. Love cannot be legislated. Love is created by you and me. We are in charge of it, we make it, we own it and we freely and willfully give it away to multiply and take on a life of its own. That should be wonderful news to a nation weary from a long fight with oppressive forces, and anxious about the next four years.

Love is our opportunity. Who can you reach? Who is in your sphere of influence?

Start Small

See others for who they are, not who we think they should be.

Choose to hear them out if they’re upset, instead of trying to talk over them. Really listen, as opposed to picking your next words while their lips are moving. Understand that odds are, you cannot change their outlook with a talking point, but your presence and undivided attention may speak volumes about your relationship.

Commit to helping. This will look different for all of us, but that’s the point. Each of us adds something unique to the recipe. The trick is not caring if you are the only one. The power is unleashed, the ripples grow into waves and the impact is felt most when you just decide to love, serve and help anyway. You want to exercise your liberties? Here’s how. Show everyone that you do not need anyone else’s permission.

Be Bold

Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ proved that Love is the most powerful force in the world. Quite frankly nothing can change our mess of a land faster. Look at those fences and see how everyone is on edge. We have what it takes to knock those walls down, to ease the tensions and light our collective future.

If we don’t act, we can predict what will happen. More stress, more anger, more uprising, more fences. We as believers have no good reason, no excuse not to act. We have no right to rest. Our families, our communities, our nation, our world needs help.

When Christ displayed the awesome, unstoppable power of love, He used it not to destroy the world, but to win it. We too can wield it to win back our homes, our neighborhoods, our generations and our nation.

All it takes is the will to come out from behind the fence, to step into the divide, and tend to the wounds of those within reach.

 

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#21 No Terror In Heart, Or Mind!

September 15, 2015

Last Friday we all reflected on the events of 9/11, 14 years ago.  It was unavoidable, if you
turned on a television, radio or looked at social media.  And that is a very good thing!  I for one mean it when echoing the sentiment, “We must never forget.”

For many of my generation, 9/11/2001 was the event (to date) that changed our lives and perspective of the world, much like Pearl Harbor did for America’s “Greatest Generation” that fought and won World War II.

However, unlike WWII, that ended just 4 years later, we are 14 years into the chaos that September day brought us, with no end in sight.  In fact, many wonder how serious our current leadership takes the “We must never forget” slogans, banners and memes.  We wonder if something else evil is approaching, something terrible and yet unseen outside of the minds of mad men.

Well I may sound like a broken record to those who read my columns each month, but I’ve got good news.

For to his angels he has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways.  –  Psalm 91:11

You are truly never alone. In addition to the Lord Himself and the saints that are happy to befriend you, there are angels under God’s command. Angels are real, and defined in the Catechism as “spiritual, personal, and immortal creatures, with [superior] intelligence and free will, who glorify God without ceasing and who serve God as messengers of His saving plan.”

Some of these superior intelligent, eternal beings have a specific job to do – watch over you. You have a bodyguard. You may even have a celestial security detail that rivals that of a president, dignitary or celebrity in this life (admit it, that’s a pretty cool thought). The 336th paragraph of the Catechism states “beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.”

Life is fragile, and with so many things beyond our control, I wonder: what catastrophes have been averted through our angels’ diligence? It’s comforting to realize that your security is not left to just yourself and other people.  Remind yourself once in awhile to thank them. And also know if you’re hurting at this very moment, they see, they hear and they understand your need.

For those that lend an ear to voices of doubt, and say, yeah right. Easy for you to say. You’re still alive.  I say you are missing the point – we might not understand what forms of “guidance and protection” an Angel provides, or how many days we each have on Earth, but the fact that they exist and that there is indeed a plan (i.e. God wins!) should always be enough to remove the suspicions and fear we live with, all these years after 9/11.

From that same Psalm, we get a more succinct response.

You shall not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day.    Psalm 91:5

 

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#20 Do You Not Yet Have Faith?

August 17, 2015

“Then He said to them, ‘Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?’ ”  Jesus, Mark 4:40

For me, the word yet jumps out most. When will we finally cast fears aside, by choosing to focus on faith and ignoring the negative? The above quote came Mark’s version of “The Calming of The Sea.” Notice the contrast between the Apostles and Jesus in that story. The Disciples are hysterical. Men trained to be on the water are suddenly convinced they are all about to die. However, Christ is only concerned with them, not at all with what has frightened them.

This article was pulled from my Kindle eBook, Catholics Have Courage, 40 Days to Beating Stress, God’s Way, because I think it is so relevant to today’s Church.  There is a lot of fear these days.  Listen to either Catholic or Christian radio and you here many  admitting their fear of what’s becoming of our world.  I read a variety of Catholic blogs and see that fear in detail, over and over again.  Just like the waves on that night in Mark’s Gospel, our present enemies and odds seem stacked against us.

Now back to our story. The boat is tossing about, the wind is swirling, the thunder, rain and lightening are dropping like bombs, the waves are slamming into the sides of the boat and there is palpable fear from the twelve, but none of it phases Jesus in the least. Notice how He pays no attention to it, until He decides to address it directly and put it all in its place. Until then He waits, and first focuses on the men in the boat, those desperate to be saved.

And there I think lies the message. We are to follow the Apostles’ lead. When fear grabs hold of us, we just need to turn to Jesus, roust Him and say, “I need you now.”

What will He do? Well, since He knows and loves you more than you can understand, and since He is the same tonight as He was that night on the boat, He will respond accordingly. He will never take your faith for granted. His arms will reach out and steady the deck we are trying to balance on. At a moment of His choosing, He will order the winds and rain to retreat.

There is always order to everything when God is involved.  He will never let things stray too far off course.  He is the master improviser, using everything to His desired end.

The question is, will you have faith in the meantime?

#19 Four Ways to Defeat Your Stress!

July 23, 2015

In November of 2015 I conducted a survey of my book and article readers. I wanted to know how this largely Catholic, non-Catholic Christian and professional group viewed current stressors in their lives. When asked what they considered to be a personal struggle, the top three answers were:

  1. Feeling overwhelmed/out of balance
  2. Fighting effects of stress and anxiety
  3. Wanting a more productive prayer life

My first thought of the results were that the top two responses are so closely related, they could be considered two parts of the same struggle. Feel overwhelmed or out of balance long enough and you’ll have to fight hard against the effects of stress and anxiety. Not good. The next thought I had was that the key to handling the first two issues is through the third. With a more productive prayer life, one puts on the “armor of God” that scripture describes, and can kick stress, anxiety and overwhelm in teeth!

So what can I teach others about stress and how to combat it? Fair question. From my personal experience, I know four things about this topic that I am sharing.  Spoiler Alert: if you read the introduction to my Kindle book “Catholics Have Courage – 40 Days to Beating Stress, God’s Way”, you will recognize these points.  But that’s okay, based on my readers’ survey results, they are worth repeating!

1.  Stress is universal – it is part of the human condition. If you breathe, you’re a target. Stress and all its relatives – anxiety, tension, fear and apprehension seem very real, and can do very real, physical damage to us and our relationships if not confronted and managed. Stress manifests itself in a variety of physical symptoms and conditions, like heart problems, high blood pressure, a compromised immune system, skin rashes and outbreaks, aches and pains everywhere – especially head, neck, shoulders and back, digestion and abdominal difficulties, obsessive or addictive tendencies and behaviors, chemical imbalances and depleted energy levels (just to name some of the most common effects). Takeaway: almost everyone you meet is also struggling in some unseen way. This simple acknowledgment can adjust your perspective enough to make you a more patient, merciful and kind person – the type of person people like to work with and be around!

2.  Stress does NOT differentiate between personal and professional. It cannot be left at the office. With stress, there are no boundaries, no “work/life balance”. Stress is a perpetual by-product of our fast- paced society. Takeaway: I like to tell others that, thanks to technology, work/life balance these days is a myth. There is no such thing. Instead of searching for something that doesn’t exist, try defining your priorities and then managing your boundaries accordingly. That gives you “voting power” on the things in life that can cause you stress!

3.  God does not want anyone to suffer – just for the sake of suffering. Rather, He likes to use life’s stressors to build us up and keep us close to Him. He knows just how heavy our personal crosses are and walks along side us, ensuring our pain is not in vain. Takeaway: Next time you are faced with a crisis, remind yourself: God’s here with me, and He has built me for this!

4.  God provides a peace that is not of this world, and He wants us all to know how to hang onto that peace, to not forget it, to know how to harbor and use it to ‘guard our insides’ from the world’s hurts. Takeaway: Prayer and time reading His word are the fastest, most direct routes to that un-worldly peace.

“He who prays most receives most.”    –St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

#18 Ignore Those Walls!

June 2, 2015

We live in a hectic, deadline driven world.

Whether at work or home, things are either speeding towards us from all sides, or we are flying headlong into one event after another. At the office we are in a constant state of managing the expectations of bosses, peers and customers. At home we rush kids to and fro, and battle dishes and laundry, while always keeping one eye on the calendar for the next holiday or gathering.

As we travel though life at shuddering speeds, it’s easy to wonder if and when we will crash. You can hear those little voices in your mind, those back seat drivers asking, how much can you take? How do other people do it? When are you finally going to get a break? These self defeating mantras keep you on the shoulder of the highway, scraping the guard rails instead of heading where you want to go. Here is a technique to put things in the right gear, no matter how much life throws at you!

Never look at the wall! Professional stock car drivers are taught to never look at the walls around the track, especially when things are going wrong. Why? Because at the speeds those drivers travel, the car will head wherever the driver looks. I heard this years ago in college and have never forgotten it. It can be applied to any stressful situation. Look to where you want to go, not to any potential disaster looming in your imagination. It’s okay to acknowledge potential negative consequences to your situation, but they shouldn’t govern you.

This advice is echoed today in many ways. Dave Ramsey, personal finance expert, tells people to never use fear as the basis for important money decisions. NFL quarterbacks are trained to always look downfield. They are to “feel” the rush without watching it. And the Lord gave us all this priceless gem in the Gospel of Matthew:

“Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?” Jesus (Matthew 6:27)

It is amazing how only Christ can speak to us, in such an awakening way, with so few words. Worry only robs us of our vitality. If we let it, worry will bind us and keep us from accomplishing our missions in life.

What walls are casting shadows on you these days? Are you looking at them, or are you instead looking to where you want to go?

By looking to where we want (and need) to go, we see the people we are serving. We realize how we can assist them and we are energized to make that happen. By looking to our walls we see how much rides on our shoulders, what we are giving up with all the required work and how defeated and humiliated we would be if we crashed.

You see how one view energizes us and the other drains us? One perspective allows us to look long term, down the road at the horizon, to think of possibilities and accelerate towards an exciting future. The other has us short sighted, in a darker, smaller world where everyone and everything else is merely a road block.

Today, start to practice looking away from the walls. See where you want to go instead, how you want to help, who you want to do good for and why. I believe you will find more fuel in your tank when you do!

We may not be able to add time to our lifespans, but we can increase the quality of our lives, and the value we bring to others, simply by choosing the better perspective!

#17 Seven Connections Between Your Career and the Cross!

April 1, 2015

It’s Holy Week. We commemorate civilization being forever changed. Once upon a time, a cross was a medieval weapon of torture, humiliation and oppression. Today it stands tall for freedom, peace, human dignity and everlasting life.

The world’s reconciliation with its Creator wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. As Christ himself showed us, our faith will get us to Heaven, but it won’t earn us a trouble-free life. Not every day can be a good day, and that’s actually part of the plan. Looking at those bad days through the prism of the Cross is the key to meaning and purpose. Here are seven universal takeaways:

You will be falsely accused. There aren’t many things that hurt more than our reputations being tainted by a lie. Satan himself is called “the accuser”.

So how did Jesus just stand there and allow himself to be verbally abused in that sham of a trial? I think since he knew all things, he understood how important the mission was. We don’t have God’s foresight, but we have his word, his promises. Trusting that God is always with us gives us confidence that the truth will be revealed, and we will be vindicated. We just need patience and courage. The feeling of vindication will always last longer than the temporary hurt of a false accusation, sort of like when the Lord stepped out of the tomb on Sunday morning.

You will have to answer to opposition. The time will come when you will report to those who oppose you, who don’t understand you and may not even view the world like you. Jesus spent his time on earth answering to those who didn’t have his wisdom and vision, yet he humbled himself and allowed them to have authority over him.

There is a saying that people don’t quit their job, they quit their boss. Unless you are just starting out, you’ve had at least one bad boss. If you can’t outlast that unfortunate situation, tune up the resume and ask God to open the right door. Remember when life gets tough, our faith can pay dividends.

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7.

You will be treated harshly. Since this is unavoidable, here’s your crash course on redemptive suffering. The world proclaims that “suffering” is a fate worse than death. Listen to those who argue in favor of abortion and euthanasia and you will hear a litany of excuses as to why death is made to look like a simple and compassionate solution to a complex problem. Meanwhile, God chose to save the world through suffering, his own! Today the Church is the body of Christ; we are his hands and feet, his eyes and mouth. Our suffering, when offered up to God for specific redemptive intentions, are united with Christ’s on the cross. That is, our sufferings are seen by God as Christ’s.

When we’re treated harshly we are given a gift to offer it up for our sins, our family’s sins, the sins of our country, the entire Church or even the world, including the most unrepentant souls and those who persecute the Church.

You will fall, and you must get back up. Never quit. The Lord fell while lugging that cross down the road. He kept his eyes on the prize. He needed to finish. For us the prize is Heaven, not a bonus or a better office. And when we fall, Heaven is worth getting back up for. Troubles at work may not seem to have eternal consequences, but how we handle them does! If you have a business or career failure, dust yourself off with dignity and begin again. If you fail personally (sin), confess it and begin again. You may want to give up and just be done – but then you’ll never finish. Being done is very different from finishing. Finishing is worth getting up. There is only forward! Never quit.

You will have the opportunity to help others. Due to the intense scourging, there was concern Jesus would die before reaching the top of Golgotha. The Centurions made Simon help Jesus carry the cross. I guarantee Simon had better things to do, in his mind. However God had ‘greater’ things planned for him. Each time the crucifixion story is retold, for two thousand years, we see Simon coming in from the fields and helping Christ. I’m sure he wasn’t happy about it, but he said yes, he helped and made history. Likewise, you never know when the phone will ring, or email will arrive, asking for your help when you have other plans. Be a helper and you may just have a lasting impact.

You will have the opportunity to show mercy. Here is the fastest and easiest way to stand out from the crowd! Selfishness is all too common. The world tells us to put people in their place, to criticize and finger point. But do we want to be like the world, or do we want to be like Christ? He didn’t come into the world to condemn it but to save it.

Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger, abounding in mercy.” Psalm 103:8.

You will have the opportunity to give everything. Finally, here is how we become invaluable to those around us. The path to lasting success is in giving not receiving. Why? When our focus is receiving, we can easily justify manipulating circumstances to favor ourselves and taking from others. If we focus on giving, we step out of ourselves and teach, nurture, encourage, coach, advise, and in the process the fruits of our labor multiply, we grow, we endear, we influence, we appreciate!

#05 Catholics Have Courage – Sample Chapter!

July 8, 2013

Free sample chapter from Catholics Have Courage:   Here’s a taste.   Whad’ya think?

Day 3
“Even though I may walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff comfort me.”
Psalm 23:4

I have a good idea what the ‘Valley of the Shadow of Death’ looks like, because I have driven on the part that snakes its way through the hills of Tennessee. It was winter. It was night, and unlike the Psalmist, I was afraid I wouldn’t live to see daylight again.
My family and I were making a cross country trek, trying to return home from my grandfather’s funeral. We’d spent 50+ hours together on the road, from Texas to Ohio and back, through rain, sleet, snow, ice and now utter blackness. The warmth of the Lone Star state was still, for us, an eternity away.
What had started as a slight dizzy spell and dull ache at the base of my neck during our dinner break, had mushroomed into a full blown anxiety attack, about an hour later behind the wheel. With my breathing getting shallow and my pulse racing the speedometer, I strained to see anything beyond the reach of our high beams.
The tall, spiky pines that lined the rolling and swelling highway formed dark walls, thick and impenetrable in my mind’s eye. Mile markers that flew by earlier, now were absent. The only other souls along this stretch of paved nothingness were a few tractor-trailers; impatient behemoths doing their best to roll deeper into the night.
“Just stop already,” my wife pleaded and pointed at a motel, dim and dilapidated at the end of an off ramp.
Not a chance, I thought. I wasn’t even sure the place was open. I had no idea what was happening to me, but Fear was whispering ‘heart attack’ in my ears. In the confusion of the moment, I was fool enough to rationalize that, if I was about to drop dead, I wasn’t going to leave my family stranded and alone.
Finding our place on the AAA Triptik, I saw we were getting close to our planned exit, where a brand new Hampton Inn stood, holding a room for us.
“Just six more miles,” I grunted as I leaned harder into the accelerator.
Those next six miles seemed to take six hours, but eventually we found it – a well lit oasis floating in the abyss. Pulling up under the front entrance’s canopy, I almost fell out of our van, my legs quivering and disjointed.
The hotel’s automatic door slid to the side, at what seemed like a crazy angle, allowing me to wobble in towards the front desk. I managed to hand the clerk my debit card and steady myself against the cool, dark, marble counter before asking her to call an ambulance.
As embarrassing as it is to recount this, making it a permanent, public record, I came to realize that without doing so, I had no business writing on this topic. That night was necessary for me, in many ways. It didn’t end up killing me, so as the saying goes….
I’m stronger today because of it, and willing to share, hoping that someone else may be encouraged. I learned that I needed to use my faith more productively, to lighten the load – you must too.
Be encouraged, for you will know how, before we are through. Unlike a lot of products on the market today that can relieve our pains, there is no exclusivity here. The Lord wants everyone to overcome their sufferings. What’s the first thing you would like Him to help you with?

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Thanks and God Bless,
JC