Work

Recently, I listened to a podcast on work by Fr. Mike Schmitz: http://bulldogcatholic.org/everybodys-working/

In it, Fr. Mike cited some statistics about work within our country.

First, we will work over 90,000 hours in our lives.

Second, only about 10% of the workforce feel engaged by their work. About 60% are not engaged by work. The final 30% are not only not engaged but they are openly hostile toward their work. 

Third, Fr. Mike presented a Catholic, biblical theology of work and how we were made for labor. In order for this labor to be a gift from God, though, a few criteria must be met:

1. Our work is connected to a goal. 

2. Our work has a meaningful purpose. 

3. Our work involves some sort of creative autonomy.

In light of these three criteria, I considered whether or not our work environment at ICS meets those three requirements in order for work to be worthwhile. Furthermore,  I reflected on how many of us would fall into the top tier of the breakdown of how employees view their work. 

While I don't doubt the accuracy of the study, I would imagine it inherently difficult to isolate the factors contributing to our self-assessment of our view of work. In some cases, we may lower our appreciation of work because of factors outside of the atmosphere of the working environment. 

But, in reflecting on these aspects of Catholic, biblical work, I would argue that ICS meets all three. Our mission is in the forefront of all that we do - keep with our tradition, inspire disciples of Christ, challenge life-long learners, and strive to serve. Furthermore, our goals of educating, catechizing and evangelizing could not be more noble or simple. Finally, opportunities to create within our work - lesson plans, activities, assessments, after school activities, extracurricular events - abound. 

So, if we meet these criteria, why might we fall into either the 60% or 30% of people in America that are either unengaged or hostile toward their work? Part of what I feel may hold one back is an unwillingness and/or inability to articulate an answer to the WHY do they do what they do to themselves and to their coworkers. Additionally and similarly, we may become righteous and bitter in feeling that not everyone is ascribing to the same motivations, purposes, and opportunities. We can fall into the trap of allowing our human weaknesses and frailty to distract us from our goals, mission, and freedom to create. "I'm not appreciated", "No one notices how hard I work", "I'm the only one who cares" are feelings that create bitterness, resentment and despair. These, in turn, can lead to hostility. 

Figure out your why and your how will be filled with new energy, passion and conviction.  

We have the awesome opportunity at ICS to not only co-create with God through our ministries but to also co-redeem. 

Our work is sacred because our Creator is a Worker. When we work in the way that He does - with others, for others and autonomously - we, too, become sacred. 

Our work is holy because our Savior desires for us to bring ourselves, our students, our families and each other closer to Him. 

Our work is redemptive because our Redeemer is establishing His kingdom on earth because of what we do at ICS.

Be inspired. Be blessed. Be bold. Be Catholic.

Fight for joy and for your work.

The time is now. 

Let us begin.   

Lower Your Nets

The Annual Pastoral Appeal is our diocese's yearly effort to generate funds for programs at the diocesan level such as the Office of Schools and Centers, tuition assistance, legal counsel from diocesan attorneys, support for our seminarians, retired priests, social services, outreach ministries, and many others.

In short, your donation to APA helps our Church bring mercy and hope to our local and broader communities. 

If you've given in the past, thank you for your support. We hope that we can once again count on your pledge this year.

If you haven't given before or maybe not in a while, we hope that you will prayerfully consider doing so this year. 

With an assessment of just over $240,000 for this year, Incarnation Catholic Church has the wonderful opportunity to play a large role in being instruments of God's mercy and hope through our support of the diocesan level programs and initiatives funded with APA dollars. 

So maybe you've given before to APA, maybe you always give, maybe you've never given and never will. Whatever your situation, I can't assume to know where you are right now financially or more important spiritually. I don't know why you're here today - be it obligation, desperation , inspiration or adoration. I don't know your heart. But, it is to your heart that I'd like to speak this morning. I pray that the Holy Spirit may speak through me and that He would open the doors of your hearts so that you might hear His message today.  

In today's Gospel Jesus encourages the apostles to, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” I propose that this is His command to all of us today as it pertains to APA. 

Put out into the deep water and lower your net for a catch. 

Maybe today the deep water is the incredible transforming work that is only made possible through the programs supported through APA. Think of the teachers across our diocese who receive professional development through APA funds. The students in our Catholic schools that receive tuition assistance and can attend one of our Catholic schools because of your donation. The seminarians that are formed and educated and who will be one day, God willing, shepherding us because of APA. Migrant workers that are offered social services.  Retired priests - the Church's faithful servants - that are provided for through APA. Medical services, legal representation and advice, prison ministry - all are made possible when we put out into the deep water.  

God is calling us out into this deep water. He is calling you to be a part of this transforming, live giving, merciful, hopeful, redeeming work. 

"Put out into the deep!"

And in addition to this encouragement to meet Him in these deep waters, He is also calling us to lower our nets. Maybe today those nets are our prayers. Maybe today those nets are our financial donations. Maybe today those nets involve our time or talent in an Incarnational way - for us to actually get involved with one of these ministries. However feeble any of those may be - however weak the net - God is still calling us to lower it. Like the disciples, especially Peter, we may doubt the success of the cast. What good can my prayers do? How will the few dollars that I think I can actually give make any sort of difference? Like the disciples, today we may be responding, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing." 

God is calling us to lower our net...for a catch.

So, like Peter continues, let us cast it anyway, "But at your command I will lower the nets." It's not for us to deny Jesus the opportunity to transform our bread and wine into His Body and Blood. It's not for us to sit on our five loaves and two fish and assume that it's too small for Jesus to turn it into something that could feed 5,000. We know this story and ever other miracle - don't doubt that those miracles continue to occur because they do every time we step up and out in faith in service of the Gospel.  

Meet God in the deep waters of APA today. Cast your net - whatever that is and however meek and humble it may be, because once we go out into the deep waters and have the courage to cast our net, we must faithfully expect that the catch will be plentiful beyond measure. Today's Gospel continues:

When they had done this - that is - put out into the deep and lower the nets - they caught a great number of fish

and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them. 
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.

Put out into the deep, friends. God is not on the safety of the shore and He did not make you for the comforts of sandy beaches - He made you for the greatness of the open waters. 

Cast your nets, friends. Use the gifts, talents, treasure and graces entrusted to you to make this world a better place. Prayerfully consider what that is and how God is calling you to play a part in His story of redemption through APA this year. Be faithful; God will be successful.  

There are envelopes in the pews. Take one and pray about how God is calling you to be an instrument of mercy and hope through APA this year. Feel free to cast it in the collection basket this morning with your pledge or even donation. In advance, we thank you for your support of the Annual Pastoral Appeal and I thank you for your time and attention this morning. 

Put out into the deep water and cast your net for a catch. 

For more details about APA, visit this link: http://dosp.org/apa/financial-allocation/ 

Hope Will Rise This Year

"Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer." 

-Romans 12:12

At the dawning of a new calendar year, it seems as if the entire world is filled with hope. Perhaps the joy of the Incarnation and the promise of eternal life made possible when God took on our human flesh propels us to be a bit more optimistic about things than we otherwise would be. 

We all long for a fresh start, a clean slate, a second chance, a do-over. Somehow a new year affords us this opportunity. 

And so, we resolve to be better than we were last year. We resolve to change the things about ourselves that most frustrate us. We pledge to exercise more, eat more healthily, pray more regularly, be kinder, gentler, stronger - better. 

As we begin our ministry in Catholic education again in this new calendar year, I hope and pray that we can lean on the grace of Jesus Christ and the transformation only He can bring to carry us through 2016. I pray that He inspires our school community to be the collective group of Christians He created us to be. I pray that in 2016 He can turn us into - or at least push us closer towards - the persons He intends for us to be. 

This year, I pray that because of Him and our faith and trust in His infinite power, glory and goodness that Hope Will Rise in our hearts, our homes and our world.  

Resolve to hope. 

Commit to His blessings.

Fight for joy. 

Can You Hear It?

Jingle bells.

Silver bells.

Carol of the bells.

Sleigh bells.

Salvation Army workers ringing bells.

The Polar Express bell.

In the movie, It's a Wonderful Life, Zuzu Bailey, the daughter of the main character famously quips upon hearing a bell, "Teacher says, 'Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.'" This concept is one that George and Clarence discuss earlier in the movie. The bell signals a celestial promotion.

Maybe, despite the secularization of Christmas, the symbol of the bell during this holy season really does signal a celestial promotion. But, instead of an angel earning wings, perhaps the abundance of bells during this season are meant to serve as reminders of something special, something magical, something divine.

Bells typically serve as alarms. They remind us of the passing of time and help us to keep better tabs on its swiftness. School bells. Alarm clocks. Egg timers. They all function to awaken us to something important - the end of the class period or school day, the end of sleep, the completion of a meal.

As a young child, I vividly remember sitting at mass and getting excited upon hearing the bells during the consecration. As a tactic to both focus my young mind as well as elicit a sense of mystery, my dad would tell me that the bells during mass signaled something special, something magical, something divine. It was the sound of angels reminding us that Jesus was present, my dad would say, and as such it was a moment for me to both anticipate and appreciate. It left such an impression on me and my sense of wonder about my faith that I've employed this tactic with my daughters as well. 

My hope is that it will awaken them to the gift of faith.

My hope is that the bells of the season, as well as those rung during mass, may do the same for you, too. 

Maybe the jingling silver bell that is caroling on a sleigh is meant to ascend our minds, hearts and lives into the divine. Maybe these bells, like those rung at mass to help my daughters recognize the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, are supposed to awaken us to the mystery of the Incarnation - God taking on human flesh and dwelling among us - so that we don't miss the next class, the start of the day, an exquisite meal, or the Way, the Truth or the Life.

Ding dong merrily on high, the celebration's starting!

Christ is born! Alleluia!

This Christmas, may the bells that you hear heighten your thoughts to our Lord Jesus Christ. May the bells of the season awaken you to a new way of life, unfailing mercy and unbounded joy.

The Christmas bell is ringing. Can you hear it?

Merry Christmas!

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Throughout my youth, my mom would always lament society’s urge to celebrate Christmas with no regard for the season of Advent. She would voice frustration over Christmas songs on the radio in November, Christmas trees up before December 1 and down by the 26, endless advertisements, and boundless pressure for the perfect holiday.

The messages of the world bombard us:

Read this quickly so you can catch the Cyber Monday deals!

Only 24 shopping days until Christmas remain!

Extended hours and Black Friday prices!  

Shop! Buy! Spend!

In our efforts to live up to these demands, we are consumed by shopping, parties, wrapping, cleaning, baking, mailing, decorating, and more shopping. We find ourselves filled with more debt, stress, exhaustion and stuff than hope, peace, and joy.

We celebrate Christmas without first celebrating Advent. We heed society’s demands and dismiss the call of Jesus, “Come after me!”

In today’s Gospel, on the feast of St. Andrew, the first apostle, we read Matthew’s account of the first summons:

As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

At once they left their nets and followed him. 

He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. 

He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him (Matthew 4:18-22).

Like the first apostles, may we have the courage this Advent to leave aside the nets of the world that have caught us in the belief that more stuff leads to more joy. May we boldly jump out of the boats headed toward frustration and emptiness and into the waters that lead to Christ.

This Advent let’s prepare our hearts for the Incarnation instead of our homes for the holidays. Let’s spend more time praying and less money on gifts, more time creating memories with loved ones and less energy on the stress of the season.

He is in the Mass, not at the mall. He is in the Word, not in the worry. He is present in the Eucharist on the altar, not in the presents under the tree.

This Advent let’s fight for the space to hear His call, “Come after me.”

Leave everything behind, jump into the water, and follow Jesus!

The Magic of Why

Recently, I came across the following tweet:

If your why is strong enough you will figure out how! 
–Bill Walsh

I retweeted it and included, "How is powerful. Why is magical." 

I first heard this concept as an Athletic Director at Bishop McLaughlin. In interviewing candidates for our head football coach, one prospect stated that his philosophy was based upon giving student-athletes not just the "power of how but also the magic of why." Why do we block with our hips and not our hands? Why do we run sprints at the end of practice? Why do we taper off throughout the course of each week? Why do we study film? The more that he talked about this approach, the more that it resonated with me. There were countless athletic maneuvers that I could perform and even teach to student-athletes, but I clearly understood the difference between getting players to follow my footsteps and having them understand why those footsteps are the correct ones to follow. 

Unfortunately and appropriately, this candidate took an internship with the NFL instead of the head coaching position at a brand new Catholic high school. But fortunately, I was left with this message. 

10 years later, Bill Walsh's statement reimagines this interplay between how and why for me and extends and refines my understanding of the relationship between these two important educational forces. Bill Walsh seems to start with why and argues that the how flows from this genesis. Furthermore, he iterates that the strength of the why has a direct correlation to the effectiveness of the how. Conviction matters. Faith is paramount. Hope is essential.

So, here's my why: to serve God and others. I'm trying to reorient my how and ensure that it flows from my starting point. For me it means a return to participating in the Celebration of the Eucharist on Friday mornings. It means putting my role as husband and father on higher footing than my ministry as a principal. It means staying up late on Saturday night so that I can uphold the Sabbath. It means stretching my pockets financially and inching closer to true tithing. 

I know that it won't mean working less but instead working more purposefully.

As a ad-minister of Catholic education, I see how easily I can fall into the trap of idolizing my ministry. Discovering the root belief behind my profession, though, definitely helps me to put what I do into proper perspective. I am not a slave to my role as principal. Instead, I am a slave to Jesus Christ and I serve others - my school, my teachers, my students, and most importantly my wife and kids - because I serve Him.

There is power in this conviction. There is magic in what the Spirit can do through us when we do it in service of the Gospel. 

May you discover why you do what you do and may you experience the power of a how that grows from this root belief. 

Unleash His power. 

Unlock His magic. 

Balance

I had the amazing opportunity the week before last to travel to Rome for the diaconate ordination of a former student of mine, Alex Padilla. My time at the Vatican offered me ample opportunity to pray, reflect and explore. Being in the home of our Church, seeing the head of our Church, and being in the Church for the Celebration of the Eucharist and an Ordination fed me in many ways. I went to Mass three times in four days. I received the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the Cathedral of St. John Lateran. 

At the same time, I ate too much and I slept too little. I worked too often and I missed my girls. 

Furthermore, I desired more time in Vatican City and Rome but longed to be back home almost immediately after the conclusion of the events of Thursday. I felt incredibly blessed to go while simultaneously feeling guilty about leaving work and my family. 

During our beginning of the year retreat, we focused on the concept of margin – the difference between our load and our limit. While I have definitely longed for more margin in my life and recognized the importance of fighting for it, I have also come to realize that the ideal space between these two concepts – or any two – must be met with a healthy tension. 

Like a rubber band, if it is too loose, it doesn’t hold. Too tight and it breaks. 

But, with an appropriate amount of tension it has purpose and strength. It holds together while still being able to adapt and adjust.

I once confided in a mentor my struggles with feeling like I'm always being pulled between home and work, between my family and my ministry. He advised that perhaps this tension was a good sign that I was keeping these two sides of my life in proper perspective and that maybe it indicated to me the importance of both. Lose that tension, he said, and it may mean either your marriage is in trouble or you need to find something else to do with your career. 

Too much margin and we may lose our way; too little and we snap. But, with an appropriate amount of tension between our load and our limit we can find strength and purpose. It is the space that allows us to engage in healthy risks that push us just beyond our capabilities. It is the balance between entitlement and despair that drive us to accomplish and help. It is the interplay between heaven and earth. It is the fight between who we are and who we are created to be. 

The homily from the Ordination, given by his Eminence Timothy Cardinal Donal, focused on the mystery of the contradictions of our lives of faith – the balance, tension, and margin between submission and freedom, fullness and being emptied, life and death, humility and salvation. St. Therese was a cloistered nun and yet she is now known throughout the world. St. Peter was a cowardly fisherman who was given the keys to the Kingdom of God. 

We, too, can find Christ in this balance, in these interplays and paradoxes. He turns water into wine. He turns sinners into saints. He brings life from even death. 

It is in these contradictions that He can transform us, too. There is grace in living in the balance, the tension, the margin.

Let Him turn your "life upside down, with your head on the ground and your feet aimed heavenward" (Cardinal Donal). Give and you will receive. Knock and the door will open. Fight for balance. Embrace tension. Seek margin. 

Leave everything behind and give Him every part of you. 

It is the safest risky move and the riskiest safe move you’ll ever make.