Be in the Light and Be the Light

Cleveland has experienced a heat wave over the past few days. Right in time for the beginning of summer and the day with the longest amount of daylight in the year, the extreme temperatures have caused power outages and the resulting anxiety about how the blackout will last - should we try to go somewhere with power (and air conditioning), what should we do about the food in our refrigerator, how much charge does my cellphone have, should we gather candles and flashlights.

Thankfully, given the longer days and shorter nights during this time of year, that last worry about gathering handheld and small scale lights decreases. The sun won't set tonight until after 9:00 p.m. in Northeast Ohio, meaning that it will stay light until almost 10:00 p.m.

Growing up as a child and through my teenage years, I loved the longer periods of light and the many other ways in which light is associated with summer. 

Lightning bugs/fire flies.

Sparklers and fireworks. 

Bonfires/grills and smores. 

In the summer, especially in Northeast Ohio where it can otherwise be pretty cloudy, I just want to be in the light. 

But, there are consequences. 

Too much sun damages our skin.  

The summer sun brings with it intense heat.

At times, the light can be blinding, especially while driving.

Thanks to sunscreen, shelter, moisture wicking clothing, air conditioning, fans, and sunglasses we can enjoy the good parts of the sun while mitigating its negative effects. 

While today I will embrace the length of daylight and try in vain to keep the extra time with the sun throughout the year, I'm reminded of another kind of light that never fades or harms: the light of Christ. 

His light doesn't go out. It never burns or even gets too hot. 

It illuminates the true, good, and beautiful. It provides comfort, healing, relief, clarity.

Obviously, we can soak up the light of Christ through the Celebration of the Eucharist. 

Adoration offers another opportunity to bask in His glorious light. 

Similarly, the other Sacraments, especially penance, provide us with His light. Christ's light shines through the reading of Sacred Scripture. We experience His light when we look outside of ourselves and perform service to others. Christ's light glows when two or more are gathered in solidarity with Him and each other. The light of Christ chases away the darkness of ignorance through study in all forms, but especially about our faith.

And, the more time that we spend in Christ's light, the more that we, in turn, start to shine. 

Similar to something that glows in the dark only after exposure to light, we become a light for others only after our encounters and relationship with Jesus. 

This summer and always, be in the Light and be the light. 

Let it shine!  

Father Time

I've written about the concept of time multiple, err, times. 

My current reflection on it stems from a recent experience I had with one of my children. Despite the many demands on my time, I intentionally made the choice to "waste" time by engaging in imaginative play. What started off as a chance to use a seldom chosen toy turned into a multi-hour and multi-prop session. 

This recent experience replicated similar ones throughout my time as a father "wasting" time with my kids: coloring, playing, dancing, singing, building, cooking, imagining, snuggling, laughing. 

The thing is, though, these moments are anything but wasted. 

Think about the various ways that we describe how we use time: 

• Waste time. 
• Make time.
• Take time.
• Spend time. 
• Invest time. 

Time is fixed, finite, limited. So, it makes sense that we consider it much like a commodity or resource such as money or food or oil or wood. 

And it is possible to do all of the above. I've definitely wasted too many hours, days, weeks, months and years throughout my life. 

When it comes to the time that goes toward our relationships, though, perhaps we need another way to capture our intentions. 

How about "cherish"?

Instead of saying that I was wasting time with my kids, might it be better thematized by saying I was cherishing time with my kids? 

Now, I admit that I don't always feel like I'm cherishing this time. Like Bandit, the father in the show Bluey, I often lament when my kids suggest certain activities - like ones that require me to move a lot when I'm really tired.

But, despite any of my hesitations, I have never regretted cherishing time with them. 

I pray that, despite my human limitations and failings, that they know of my deep and abiding love for them. In addition to saying it, I hope to tell my kids that I love them through my actions. 

Ever since becoming a father, I have had many moments of prayer when I have reflected on the Father's love for me in relation to my love for my children. 

Whether time spent in adoration, at weekday mass, in the confessional, in quiet prayer when I first wake up, or pausing to ask Him to bless my food before eating, I know that our Father cherishes time with me. His perfect love delights in my efforts to connect with Him. Much like how I appreciate when my kids just want to be close to me, I know that God rejoices in my efforts to be in His presence.  

As the old hymn sings, "How deep the Father's love for us! How vast beyond all measure!" 

Time, while it can be wasted or taken or spent, should be cherished. Instead of an exchanged commodity, we should view time as a gift. 

In accepting it, I can then cherish it, and offer it back to God and my kids and my wife and my family and my friends and my co-workers and everyone as a gift. 

Accept. Cherish. Offer. 

Your time. 

Your self. 

Re-creation

For educators, the next few days and weeks will mark the completion of graduation events, final exams, grading, teacher meetings, end-of-the-year picnics and the welcomed shift to the behind-the-scenes vision-casting, strategy-forging, program-building, policy-revising, and breath-catching time of summer.

Make the most of it. I don't offer this in a harsh way, but rather with encouragement and compassion. Bl. Basil Moreau, the founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, recommended those within his order follow this advice during periods of downtime:

How many things we have to learn! We have only to recall the duties of the priest or the teacher to understand how frightful would be our responsibility to religion, parents, and ourselves were we to neglect to acquire or preserve the knowledge proper to our vocation. Let us make good use of all our leisure time, so as to increase the fund of information that will make us more useful to the congregation and build up the reputation of its members. Above all, let us not only study, but let us observe the liturgy and ceremonies of the Church, the rubrics, the sacred chant, and let us be faithful to our rules and constitutions.

As you take time to replenish, restore, and rejuvenate, stay anchored in prayer and continue to enhance your knowledge and skills in Catholic school education and leadership.

The God of the universe built the seasons into the rhythm of creation to allow for this regeneration each year. This same God inspired His Church to mimic this wisdom and do the same with the liturgical calendar to foster new growth. Similarly, one of His commandments invites us to set aside time each week for worship, community, and rest. 

The same is true for how we have been created as humans: taking periodic breaks can provide more productivity, moving can reset our ability to concentrate, and God hard-wired us to need sleep each day.

While there is much about education that we can and should change, having periods of recreation can garner greater gains during our times of intense focus. 

The key in any of these seasons, but especially in those of recreation, is to be intentional about what, how, and why we do it. 

Plans guard against binge watching and mindless scrolling. Plans encourage us to look back at periods of break with satisfaction - I finally read that book, I finally took that trip, I finally made that phone call, I finally cleaned that room, I finally tried that recipe, I finally got back into exercising, I finally took up that new hobby, I finally spent quality time with friends/family. Plans keep us from overindulging in these needed moments of pleasure, leisure, and entertainment. 

While this nudge toward intentionality isn't meant to be harsh, it also isn't meant to script out and control every moment of our lives. Too much rigidity, especially in seasons of recreation, can illicit a negative effect. 

Spontaneity, whimsicality, improvisation, and flexibility play key roles in allowing the Holy Spirit to mold, fill, and use us in ways beyond our limited imaginings. 

So, create a plan for this upcoming season of summer. And, allow God to re-create both it and you in the process. 

He's making all things new.

Including you.   

Tinker

Due to many various factors - lags in repair shop timelines (May is apparently a busy month for lawn mower maintenance) to name the most impactful one - I have been trying to bring an old lawn mower back to life.

I am far from handy. Most DIY projects in the Zelenka household require going back a few steps and redoing something correctly.

I also know nothing about engines big or small or in-between.

But, there are many outstanding resources online - tips from experts, PDFs of manufacturer manuals, and step-by-step videos from people who have navigated similar problems in the past. So, I have cleaned out the fuel tank, replaced the sparkplug and filters, changed the oil, and disassembled and de-clogged the carburetor (multiple times).

Two weeks ago, I successfully got the mower to start and cut about 1/2 of our yard before it sputtered out. After a series of starts and stops, and new internet searches diagnosing this new problem, I borrowed a friend's machine and finished the job for that weekend. 

Throughout the week, I reassessed what I had already done (was the carburetor only clean enough, was the sparkplug not as sparky as it needed to be, was the fuel filter dirty, did I not put the choke back together correctly...), and I scoured the internet for more insights, especially considering the mower was now only mostly dead.

Since the machine had started the sparkplug had to have been okay. A quick check on it found it to be sparkling clean. 

Since it had run for a bit and then died, there must be something happening with the gas. The filter checked out as clear. The gas tank was free from debris. The carburetor took an overnight bath in cleaner and emerged almost like new.  

It turned out that the final ailment was a clogged fuel line.

It had new oil, fresh gas, a sparking sparkplug, and a completely cleaned out carburetor, but because of the buildup in the fuel line, the engine didn't have enough gas to keep running. Over time enough gas would trickle into the carburetor so that it would start and run, but it wasn't able to tap into a steady supply of fuel.

It wasn't that it didn't have enough gas. The tank was full.

The engine couldn't access it.

I am proud to report that I successfully cut my lawn with my rejuvenated lawnmower on Friday of last week thanks to a new fuel line - and the other maintenance procedures that were performed. 

To prove it wasn't a fluke, the grass got cut again last night with my restored machine. 

I share this saga to inspire your own efforts to determine the root causes to some of the aspects of your schools that you would like to change:

• Dig into the data.
• Study up to enhance your own understanding of the situation.
• Make an informed tweak and try again.
• Dig into the data and start the cycle for improvement over again.

Our academic year - much like the seasons - provides us with a natural cadence to affect positive changes and the summer is a wonderful time to dig into the data, study up, and craft a tweak for improvement.

As we move to the end of the 23-24 school year, set the table for some data analysis, study, and tinkering. Consider the areas on which you would like to focus and plan out your approach to breathe new life into them.

Come next fall, if these changes don't yield the intended harvest, the process can begin again...and again...and again...and again...

Also, as we finish the 2023-24 academic year with teachers and students and look ahead to a summer of diagnoses and tweaks to our organizational machines, let us also take the time to ensure that our spiritual engines are getting enough gas. 

Take time to clean out the fuel lines of your ministry and vocation to ensure that the Holy Spirit has access to the engine of your heart. Remove the buildup of the past year by establishing new routines of prayer, reclaiming those that fell away, and reflecting on the tests, trials, and triumphs of your prayer, professional, and personal lives.

Keep striving to become the best people, ministers, leaders, and organizations that we can be. 

Tinker. Over and over and over again with data analysis and ongoing study.

Improve. 

His Train is Bound For Glory

My grandfather, John Homa, passed into eternal just a few weeks shy of his 100th birthday. Over the past two years, I had the immense blessing to spend time with him. During one of my many visits to see him, he and I talked for almost two hours, covering everything from his greatest fear to his happiest memory to his favorite vacation spot to his advice to me in my marriage to his favorite sport...

I asked him so many questions that towards the end of our conversation I thanked him for talking so much to me and I apologized for grilling him with so many questions. 

He chuckled before responding, "John Homa's Life by Mike."

I told him that it would be the book on how to live until 99 and 11/12 and be happy and healthy.

Those of us on the earlier side of 99 years of age could learn a few lessons from someone who:

• survived the Great Depression
• served in the Army during World War II
• worked the same job - a railroad engineer - for 35 years, rising out of poverty and retiring at the age of 55 with great financial stability
• remained married to the same woman for 56 years, faithfully caring for her throughout the final two years of her life
• traveled across the continental United States
• circumnavigated the globe, beginning and ending his life's journey in Berea, Ohio.

While there are countless lessons that could be included in this how-to on almost becoming a centenarian, my grandfather's passion for trains offers a wonderful vehicle by which we can take a trip toward a happy and healthy life. As I've reflected on the legacy of his life, I can see how trains marked just about every part of it.

Engineering trains was the job that he said he would have done even if he didn't get paid. It was what allowed him to stay out of active combat during World War II. Trains gave him the chance to travel across the country and accumulate enough wealth to have a winter - and eventually a permanent home - in Florida. 

For a kid whose widowed mother asked him to go into the neighbor's farm to pick up potatoes that had been unfit for harvest just so his family could eat, working on the railroad afforded my Grandpa a ticket to a new life. Even his signature on cards bore the sign of the railroad: underneath his name he always included "xoxo."

So, as a way to celebrate the life of my grandfather, John Homa, I invite us to board the train of his life and learn three lessons so that we, too, might travel as far as he did on this earth. 

• Stay on track. Trains can't deviate from their tracks and my Grandpa didn't either. He was a creature of habit and his routines ruled supreme. But, he didn't just stay on track. He stayed on the right tracks:
• Keep moving: Upon his retirement, he would play golf every day. He did this until my Grandma needed extra care and moved into a nursing home. From that moment on, he would go to visit her instead of golf. Once she passed away, this routine morphed into daily morning walks. A key part of this movement included his novel eating habits: he would typically only eat one meal a day, fasting well before it became fashionable. 
• Keep on schedule: He was always on time. Just like a train that kept on schedule, my Grandpa would get to appointments or meet-ups well in advance of the agreed upon time - if you merely showed up on time, he would tell you that you were late. 
• Connect with others: Trains connect people, cities, and industries. The web or railways that cross our country appear as the veins supplying blood to the body of America (see below). After the passing of my Father, Grandpa would call my Mom every morning at 5:30 a.m. (another nod to his schedule) proudly serenading her awake on his way to meet his Baloney Club members. He was the most consistent card giver I have ever met, sending specific cards for every occasion (I never knew there were so many "To Grandson and His Family" cards to choose from!). 

• Stay young at heart. Trains are somewhat of a universal toy. Even as trains have fallen out of the day-to-day importance for most people, they have remained staples in our toy boxes, around our Christmas trees, and in our hearts as something that evokes excitement and fun. The sound of the whistle, counting cars at a crossing, racing trains on the highways. Trains bring out the kid in all of us. And, all the way up to the end of his life, my Grandpa stayed young at heart. My Grandpa loved telling and listening to jokes. His chuckle often replaced spoken responses. He loved playing and watching golf - quipping that Max Homa, who experienced decent success at this year's Masters, wasn't related to us because, in the words of my Grandpa, "I'm much better looking that him." He loved dessert and snacks - never overindulging but rather delighting in slices of pie, pieces of cake, cheese balls, popcorn, potato sticks, and finger foods like ribs and chicken wings. He played cards. He traveled. He read books. He listened to the radio. Like the soul of a train that stirs the kid in all of us, my Grandpa stayed young at heart. 
• Stay strong. Trains are strong. Cow Catchers effortlessly remove obstacles on a train's track. Superman's strength was compared to the power of a locomotive. The transcontinental railroad cut through and went under and climbed up and sped down mountains. Like a speeding train, my Grandpa was strong. As a teenager, he organized a strike of caddies, throwing a scab attempting to cross the line into a nearby pond. When asked by one of his great-granddaughters why he enlisted in the Army, he boldly responded, "So we could win the war." His love for my Grandmother exuded strength. He was chivalrous and loyal and sacrificial, and I was blessed to witness the strength of his love for her as he cared for my Grandma during the final stages of her life. He would remind me to open doors for my wife and to not forget how blessed I was to have her as my bride. His strength continued all the way - and perhaps most powerfully - until the end of his life. Sometimes strength requires submission. Despite being independent for 98 years of his life, he graciously accepted the care of others as his body declined. Even a train that's slowing down and pulling into its station can't easily be stopped by virtue of its strength. Like a train in motion or standing still, my Grandpa stayed strong his entire life.

Stay on (the right) track. Stay young at heart. Stay strong. 

Three simple lessons. 99 and 11/12 beautiful years. 

One train bound for glory. 

All aboard. 

The Patient and Painful Path of Progress

"We were created for greatness—for God himself; we were created to be filled by God. But our hearts are too small for the greatness to which they are destined. Our hearts must be stretched…”

-Pope Benedict XVI, 2007, Spe Salvi, para. 33

“No pain, no gain” stood as a popular weightlifting mantra during my teenage and young adult years.

“Championships are won in the off-season” was another oft-quoted phrase in the sporting world, encouraging players to work hard to develop skills and athleticism during the days, weeks, and months outside of the season of competition.

“Pain is temporary, pride is forever” also attempts to remind people going through the paces of any sort of training to endure through excruciation to enjoy the excitement of excellence.

Instability, confusion, doubt, and discomfort pave the pathways of progress.

Growth inevitability requires stretching, rebuilding, reinforcing, repairing, restoring.

Whether in sports, the arts, learning, relationships, fitness, or our faith, getting better, smarter, stronger, faster, kinder, more loving, more patient, more faithful, more forgiving, or more hopeful involves struggle.

The depths of defeat.

The soreness required to get stronger.

The frustration of fine tuning - practicing something over and over and over…

The heartache of losing someone you love.

The sacrifice of seeing others as more important than yourself.

The confusion caused by concepts just beyond our mental capacity.

The mystery of a God Who is closer to us than we are to ourselves yet so far beyond anything we can imagine.

In no way does this idolize pain. Nor does this invite ignoring abuse, neglect, irresponsibility, harm, or danger. There are many types of pain we should and must avoid and take action to keep ourselves and those we love safe from evil, harm, and illness.

But, if you find yourself in the in between stage, the passing through, the not yet, the middle - middle school, middle age, middle child, middle seat, middle just about anything - getting settled in a new job, new city, or new home or in the midst of graduate studies, or in one of the many stages of grief over the loss of a loved one, or battling a sickness, or trying to heal and restore a broken relationship, whatever your circumstances of being incomplete, trust in the slow work of God that is leading you to the greatness for which you were created.

Allow yourself to be stretched so that God can fill you with even more of Himself - more love, more strength, more compassion, more mercy, more justice, more forgiveness, more peace.

More of God, and less of me. Even when its painful. 

For His greatness, not mine.

Where It Happens

I’m in Cleveland, where those in the area will be able to witness the solar eclipse in its totality today. 

Cleveland, though, boasts the following stat: it ranks in the top ten cloudiest cities in the United States. As such, viewing this once in a lifetime event in Cleveland stands as probable at best.

For those of us who have heard about how awe-inspiring this occurrence promises to be, we must decide whether or not we travel to sunnier spots along the path of totality or if we just stay put.

Personally, I really want to be where it happens.

As I’ve reflected on the possibility that no matter what I decide to do - should I stay or should I go now? - that I might not witness this event, I’ve thought about why I so badly want to see a total eclipse of the heart…er, sun.

I want to witness the wonderful grandeur and incredible order of God’s creation. I want to observe the mysterious workings of His immense universe. 

But, do I need to be in a spot where the eclipse takes place to more fully believe in God? 

Will it add to my faith to see with my own eyes the creative God winks that I have heard described and documented - snake shadows, pinhole projections, altered animal behavior, the change in temperature, seeing the craters of the moon, and other joys? 

While it wouldn't hurt, I need to lean on the inspiration of my faith to be okay with whatever happens in a few hours.  

Thomas wasn’t initially in the room where it happened. It’s not clear whether any of the other disciples asked for the same proof of Jesus’s Resurrection but Jesus reminds Thomas and us, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed" (John 20:29).

Only Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome went to the tomb on Easter Sunday morning. I wonder if the other disciples regretted not accompanying them on this task to see and hear for themselves the empty tomb and the angel's testimony that "He has been raised; he is not here" (Mark 16:6). 

James didn’t accompany his running club mates of Peter and John on their sprint to see if the tomb really had been evacuated. Maybe James regretted his choice to skip this workout after discovering that he missed his chance to enter the vacant tomb and to see the burial clothes no longer serving their purpose (John 20:7). 

In all of these cases, those that didn't see or hear or touch or encounter had to rely on their faith to believe. Those that weren't in the room to watch Christ heal the person who had been paralyzed walk for the first time, had to trust in the accounts of others that what they had seen and heard was as they described (Mark 2:3-11). 

But, even those that aren't in the room where it happens still have exposure to the miraculous. 

The Resurrection proved that Jesus eclipsed sin and death.

While those in the path of totality (including me) will anxiously await four minutes of darkness, my baptism gave me the light of faith in Jesus Christ, a light which no amount of darkness can or ever will overcome. 

I can wonder and awe at the infinite fingerprints of God over all of His creation - from the beauty of a sunrise/sunset, to the intricacies of the heart, to the unknown ways in which the brain functions, to the aroma of flowers, to the exquisite taste of an orange, to the harmonies of a symphony, to the miraculous manifestation of God's love for me and my wife in the individuality of my three kids.

Each and every single day, God reveals to each of us His amazingness. 

Therefore, if I have the eyes, and ears, and heart of faith, I am always where it happens.