Into the Breach - An Apostolic Exhortation

Into the Breach 

An Apostolic Exhortation by Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix

10-16-15

We are

 under attack.

Satan wants us to burn in Hell.

What are we going to do about it?

My brothers and Sisters - the simple truth is - we have a decision to make. We have to pick sides. Either we give of ourselves, and join up with Heaven and the army of Saints, or we put our selfish ambitions and feelings of pleasure first, and join sides with Hell and the army of demons. 

Bishop Olmsted of Phoenix recently wrote an apostolic exhortation on the present state of our culture, and called out men in particular. He called men "Into the Breach." Too often, men (yes, I'm talking about myself) find themselves standing on the sidelines of the battle for souls, the battle that is going on every single day.

  Men! We have a call! 

This isn't something that can take lightly. There is a real calling to fight today! Bishop Olmsted focused on men in particular in his exhortation because he knows how much men are resisting the call, and how our world is suffering because of that. 

He doesn't waste any time sugar coating the situation, but is very clear and concise.

He asks three questions:

1) What does it mean to be a Catholic man?

2) How does a Catholic man love?

3) Why is fatherhood, fully understood, so crucial for every man?

With these questions, he invites man into an examination of self. Change can only occur once there is a realization it needs to happen in the first place.

With question one, "What does it mean to be a Catholic man?" he starts by speaking about how Pontius Pilate says of Jesus, Ecce Home which means, "Here is the man!" What a statement! Underneath it, we realize he is talking about God, and how God became man, so he could save us. "Nowhere else can we find the fullness of masculinity as we do in the Son of God!" (Into the Breach, pg. 9)


After talking about the example Jesus was, he tells us to look at the saints!
These men knew that Jesus was the best example of man, and tried to live like Him as best they could. Bishop Olmsted compares them to some of the great baseball players who spent their lives learning how to best perform, but doing so in various ways. The way Henry Aaron played was different than Derek Jeter, but both were successful, as true with the saints. St. Francis of Assisi was very different from St. Ignatius of Loyola, but both gave their lives to the service of God.

He continues, speaking of the importance of our identity, and having it formed in Christ. Once we realize that we have a God who made us in his image and likeness, we can begin to better live out the message of love, and fight the battles that are right in front of us: the battles of the flesh, of possessiveness, of pride. Bishop Olmsted hits on the point that Jesus fought all three of these and defeated them. We too can do the same.

To finish off that first question, Bishop Olmsted hits on the need for continual practices that can be done to strengthen our relationship with God. Just like a baseball player will eventually fail without practice, a man, no matter how strong his character may be, will fail in his relationship with God, unless he picks up habits and practices that are life giving. He calls man to pray daily, go to Mass, examine his conscience, read Holy Scripture, and keep the Sabbath. He also urges men to go to confession monthly, and build relationships with other men, so as to strengthen the bonds of virtue (Into the Breach, pg. 15-17). 

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17

Question two asks, "How does a Catholic man love?" In Scripture, Jesus tells us to "love one another as I have loved you," (John 15:12). We come to realize the type of challenge this is as we reflect on the conversation that Jesus has with St. Peter following His resurrection. Jesus asks Peter if he loves him, with an Agape love, which is the highest form of love, that loves fully and without reserve. Peter tells Jesus that he loves him, but it is a filios love, which is a brotherly love (John 21:15-19). Due to our human frailty, we have to be honest with ourselves, and admit that we cannot love and do not love God like we should. Even still, we do have a duty to love Him the best we can, frailties aside.

Bishop Olmsted states that, "Love is not a side job: it is a mission itself" (Into the Breach, pg. 17). We must fully dive into His calling of love, and look to try and follow the true love of Christ, which is "centered on willing the good of the other, on pouring oneself out in charity for others... Sacrifice is at the heart of love” (Into the Breach, pg. 18).

From there, Bishop Olmsted reflects on three types of love: Friend, Husband and Father.

When it comes to that love formed in friendship, he talks about a "Band of Brothers" and gives examples of holy men who sought sanctity together, and through that, ended up in the choir of saints. Ever heard of St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Francis Xavier? Or St. Francis of Assisi and St. Dominic? These men helped one another in their struggle to live virtuously for Christ. In scripture it says, "A friend is a friend at all times, and a brother is born for the time of adversity" (Proverbs 17:17). Sainthood is to be achieved with help from others who are seeking the same thing. (Into the Breach, pg. 20)

Following friendship, Bishop Olmsted talks about the love of a husband, and quotes St. Josemaria Escriva, "there is a need for a crusade of manliness and purity to counteract and nullify the savage work of those who think man is beast, and that crusade is your work." He is not calling man out, but calling him on! We have a mission. Man is called to lead his wife, and she is called to follow.

 

This can only be done if the man is preparing beforehand. Yes, preparation is key! The building of virtue is not only for older people, but instead, for people of all ages. The French playwright Paul Claudel says, "Youth was not made for pleasure, but for heroism." Heroism is not founded on selfishness, but on selflessness. The call to pursue virtue begins now! Prepare yourself for your future spouse (Into the Breach, pg. 21).  (Need a good prayer to pray? Check out St. Anthony's Be Satisfied with Me.")



This love is not only for men who get married, but also for priests, religious, and single men. St. John Paul II spoke of a "spousal meaning of the body," which is a "love that gives life, seeking the good of those to whom the man has committed" (Into the Breach, pg. 22). How can we fulfill this? We must look to live a life of chastity! This is an ongoing struggle for most men, but it can be repaired, and is done so through self-reflection, and admittance to one's own struggles and failures. With chastity, whether married or celibate, we are free from "the enslavement to sin and our passions" (Into the Breach, pg. 23).

He also talks about the need to build purity of heart, and through this, "You will not only see God in the women in your lives but also in yourselves, also the "image of God!"” A hopeful message to say the least! (Into the Breach, pg. 25)

Question three, just as loaded as the last two, is, “Why is fatherhood, fully understood, so crucial for every man?" To start this section off, Bishop Olmsted begins with the strong words of, "Fatherhood changes History" (Into the Breach, pg. 26). It does, in fact, change history, but it also needs to be fully understood. Satan does not want this. He does not want man to understand the crucial role of the Father, because if man does come to realize its significance and importance, it will give a glimpse of what God's fatherhood looks like (Into the Breach, pg. 27).

With a true understanding of fatherhood, people can come to know God greater, and with that, family life can be changed for the better. The man's presence within the family is irreplaceable. I can personally attest to that! I would not be the person I am today if it were not for my father and the role he played and still plays in my life. Fathers have a "God-given role as protector, provider, and spiritual leader of their homes" (Into the Breach, pg. 28).



This call is for all men! Men, we must step up, and go "Into the Breach!"

Lastly, Bishop Olmsted gives his concluding remarks:

 "Our life in Christ is not one of "do's and don'ts,"

 but an adventure in authentic freedom. 

Embrace that freedom in order to place your life at the service of Christ,

 beginning in your home and radiating into the world." 

(Into the Breach, pg. 31)

To read the full Apostolic Exhortation - Into the Breach.

Thank you to all who took the time to read this! Let us continue to pray for one another and our ongoing call to serve God and his people! Give God everything, and he will give you so much more!

God Alone.

"He died for me, so I will live for Him." 

Life After College - Northern Virginia Edition

Life After College - Northern Virginia Edition

10-6-15

Today I can raise a glass and celebrate - I've made it three months. Three months of working for the Diocese of Arlington, three months of living in Northern Virginia, three months of settling into a totally new environment, three months of being an adult. 

Three months that God has given me! Praise Him!

Five months ago, I graduated from Franciscan University, and quickly after, found myself having the best summer of my life at Lifeteen Camp in Georgia. I can look back at that experience and not only speak highly of it, but also remember the memories. It changed the person I am today. (If you want to hear about that experience, check out my last blog.)

But that time has passed. It's been three months since I was jumping in mud pits and screaming my lungs out with teenagers during praise and worship. 

I left camp, and a week later, was starting the job I am working now - Young Adult Coordinator for the Diocese of Arlington. 

And now, its October. 

Crazy. Time really does fly. 

Now the question becomes, how have these past three months gone?

In truth, I had very few expectations coming to this area of the country. There were some certainties of course, like the fact I knew I had a job, and I knew I'd be living with my brother and very close to my sister, but besides that, I was going into this new chapter of my life blind. 

I had never met the people I was going to be working with, and all I knew about my job was from a little paragraph under the job description. 

Even still, I knew I'd be working for the Church, and that God wanted me here. The rest of it? I trusted God would make it all clear in time.

Well, three months in, and in truth, I'd say things are still fuzzy. 

I want to first say that I really love what I'm doing, and I know there is a real reason I'm doing it. God didn't place me here just because. I remember Senior Year someone asking me what I was planning to do upon graduation, and without really knowing what I was saying, I said, "Probably working for the Church for the rest of my life in some way." 

That wasn't just water under the bridge. I know that those words came out not so much for the person I was talking to, but for me. God told me what he wanted, and he did so by letting me say it out loud. I majored in communications, not theology, yet God has made it clear he isn't really concerned about that. 

But like I said, things are still fuzzy. He convinced me I'm called to serve Him in a very ministerial way, but that doesn't mean I have perfect clarity. My vision is still a bit blurry. 

I can see bits and pieces of his never ending plan for me, but due to my own deficiencies, it isn't making a whole lot of sense. There are days that I find myself working, and I ask myself, "Is this really what you want from me Lord? There has to be something else you want from me, cause this is not me." I've begun to realize I'm mixing "my plan" with "God's plan" and hoping I can make mine become His, 

In truth, I've done before; it's definitely not a new concept.  

Good can be done through this!

 But in the end, Jesus tells us, "I will show you a more perfect way," and does so for a reason. He wants the absolute best for us and from us. God is a loving Father, and because of that, wants us to take the very best path available, 

He doesn't just want us to be doing good, to be feeling good. He wants us to be doing our best, to be feeling our best! 

We will never be perfect.

I will never be perfect!

But that doesn't mean I shouldn't try. And how do I accomplish this? Little by little. 

I'm called to give it all over to Him, for His greater glory.

And believe me, since moving to Virginia, He's loved asking this of me.

At first, it was living in a house where I had no room, and no place to store my stuff. I was basically sleeping in the living room nightly. I was away from my usual comforts. It wasn't too much of a sacrifice, but it stretched me. 

Then it happened when I came to realization I didn't have the community I had while in school. I wanted to be with people every day, but God asked me to instead spend that time with Him. Again, I was being stretched. 

Then it was working a real job, with larger responsibilities then I was used to, and having to follow steps and regulations that seemed to get in the way of doing things "my way." It was getting corrected for, gasp, doing something wrong, and being asked to correct it. 

It was moving into a new home a month in, and having to try and be aware of the other people I was living with, and be respectful of their ways of life. 

The list goes on... and on... and on... 

It feels like he just keeps asking for me to give things over to Him, and I just want to scream: 

"ARE YOU DONE YET? HAVEN'T YOU ASKED ENOUGH OF ME?"

 But that is when I come to realize he is a good, good Father, and He is only asking this from me so I can come to love Him in a greater way.

 For that, I should be infinitely pleased and grateful.

Isn't it funny how we get so frustrated at God for asking a lot out of us, even though we know if we give it to Him, it will change us for the better? At this I have to sigh and think, silly Brendan. You're not as smart as you think.

And with that, I can look at these past three months and say, yes, they've been fuzzy, and in truth, hard at times, but I know that God has a plan. I just have to trust Him, knowing that  He'll continue to reveal to me things I need to know, when I need to know them. 

This life is a journey. 

One day at a time. 

"God Alone," 

St. Louis Marie de Montfort

"He died for me, so I will live for Him."

I Hear Georgia is Nice This Time of Year 

Making decisions normally stresses people out.


A lot.


Especially big decisions.


It makes sense. You don’t want to do something, only to regret it soon after. It’s best to evaluate it, think it over, and see if that decision really is the best course of action. Prudence. It’s a wonderful thing.


But…


Then there are people like myself.


I’m the type who makes decisions on the fly, even the large ones, and hopes it works out. I trust that it will, and God always finds a way to work with what I give him. For me, I go with my gut. If I feel like I should do it, I do. Examples? My job I am working now, the car I drive, the house I’m living in. All, “Sure, that should work out” decisions.


The example I want to talk about though – Covecrest.


So…


I had been wanting to work at Camp for the last two summers, but didn’t because I
1) missed the deadline the first summer and
2) Chose to take an Internship instead of working Hidden Lake last summer


This year though? I wanted to travel to Europe! I wanted to work in Medjugorje, the most peaceful place I’ve ever been. They have a castle there that houses priests, religious and college students, and I wanted to volunteer there. I had all the forms and stuff. But then I remembered Camp.


I still wanted to do Camp.


I then found myself applying the weekend before the deadline arrived.


I then had an interview, and then received a call.


I then humbly accepted.


I didn’t have a job, or any idea what I was doing after school, but I knew camp would be fun, and so, I decided that I would go. It wasn’t a long drawn out process. Just a day where I longed to be there (a place I didn’t actually know, but had only heard about) and that was enough. I applied and I knew God wanted me there.


SIDE NOTE – Believe me, the Devil didn’t want me here, and he made that apparent. He even tried putting good things in front of me, in hopes that I never saw those Georgia hills. Even with my job I took, they asked me when I could work. I said the end of June – they wanted someone mid May. It would have been easy to drop camp and go straight to work. But I knew in my heart God wanted me here, so I resisted offering that to my current employers. I had a feeling God would make both work out. And of course, he did. I had the job offered to me, and of course, accepted right away (Not the sit and discern type normally). And they of course said I didn’t need to start till July.


Anyways.


Then I got to camp…


I might have told some of you this, but I realized only when I got to camp that I had no real reason to be there, minus the selfish ones.


I was there for me.


I wanted to grow closer to God and make new friends. That is why I was at camp. It wasn’t for teens, or to work, or to serve. It was to make more friends and hang out.


Then we had work week…


Wait, there is work involved, I thought to myself. I actually got mad. Mad that camp couldn’t have had this stuff already prepared, mad that they didn’t let us sleep in the first day we arrived, mad I didn’t get to choose my own schedule.


Then day three or four hit. I was sick of being mad, asking God why I was there, blah, blah, blah. I started to love the work.


Well…


I don’t think I’ll ever love manual labor, or that type of work, but I loved the mission of the work. I loved the idea of setting up a camp for these kids, working along side my brothers and sisters, and serving.


I love serving; anyone who does it long enough loves serving. God designed it that way! When we give of ourselves, God gives us so much more back. But now I found myself loving a type of service I had always hated, the manual labor side.


Then we had orientation week, training week. Once again I was mad at times, mad we had to go and listen to loads of talks, follow a schedule, etc. I just wanted to hang out with my brothers and sisters, pray with them, get to know them. Socialize. This orientation though? What good was it?


But then we had the talks at night. I cried every night. I kid you not. During those first two weeks, I cried almost every day. And it wasn’t tears of sadness or frustration. No, it was tears of joy, tears of beauty. I was crying because of the glory of God.


Once again, God was changing me. God 2. BrenGott 0. Typical.


And then came the campers…


Each week was different, and held its own obstacles, but it was awesome.


I. Me. Myself.


Yeah, didn’t do anything. I was worthless.


But God, through my brothers and sisters, and humbly through me?


Yeah, he killed it.


God killed it.


Weird way to phrase it, but I mean Killed it! He killed the hundreds of teens that came to Covecrest, and had them be reborn!


We all know it – it’s near impossible to spend that much time with the Lord and not be moved. He was AWEsome and I am so much better for it. He wrecked me just like he wrecked those kids, telling me how much he desires me to give myself fully over to him.


He made me realize I was at camp for ME, but also to be used as His hands and feet. Believe me, I know how unworthy I am. As my friend Daniel said it best, “I’m really good at sinning.” Well, I am in that boat as well. But God works with that. And I know I’m not the best with teens, or the best at striking conversations with random kids. I like older people better; I relate better with them. But that didn’t matter. God still used me. He knew my deficiencies and said, you’ll do fine. And I was humbled, and I learned a lot. Watching you all taught me so much, especially in the areas I struggled at.


It was arguable the best six weeks of my life.


And now Camp Life is a thing of the past.


It’s over.


I can't go back to those six weeks.


But.
that’s.
the.
point.


I'm not supposed to! I'm called to greater things! We're called to greater things! You, me, we’re called to be SAINTS!


Camp was a six week prep course for building a personal prayer life that I can continue. We focused on the best thing possible – the Eucharist! Now it is time to take that with me and continue to follow that calling.


That first week back sucked. I missed my family at the Cove. I was home and was picking up old habits I thought I was through with. Laziness was back at the forefront.


But then God sent me to Virginia, and not a moment too soon.


He placed me in a Diocese that is truly faithful, following the Church as best it can. He placed me in a job that is centered around the faith, centered around achieving Holiness in the most practical ways. He gave me a new family who is praying for me daily, and one that I pray for daily as well.


And most importantly, he gives me a gift that is always there for the taking, which is Christ himself. His most precious Body and Blood, freely given at the table.
For this I am most thankful.


To all who took the time to read this, I love you all so much. I want you to know that. I can’t tell you enough. I love you so very much.


But He loves us so much more. And man oh man, how lucky are we for that!


In conclusion, I know I just wrote a book. I love writing, so that’s no surprise. But it’s only because I love our God, I love you, and I can’t wait to be in Heaven with all of you one day.

Totus Tuus Maria

and above all else –

God Alone.

"He died for me, so I will live for Him."

St. Anthony's Chapel - Blog Post and Podcast

St. Anthony's Chapel 

04-10-15

If you ask someone what Pittsburgh is famous for, they'll probably talk about the Sports teams, the bridges, the cultural centers, Carson Street, etc. What about if you ask a Franciscan Student? They'll skip the first few, and just go straight to Carson Street, or a few blocks over to the Hofbrau House, a house favorite. But Pittsburgh is more than just bars, bridges and baseball. It is also home to one of America's best kept secrets - St. Anthony's Chapel, in Troy Hill.

In 1880, Fr. Suitbert Mollinger, a Belgium immigrant, decided to build a chapel that would hold his and others Relics. Today, that chapel houses over 5,000, more than anywhere outside the Vatican. Truly a place of beauty and peace, St. Anthony's is a small church with a deep and rich history. 

A beautiful interior that reminds you of European Churches, you can not help but walk into the Chapel and feel the presence of the communion of Saints. The word relic means "remains" and no where else in the world are so many saint remains found in a concentrated area. The relics of St. Peter, St. John, St. James and all the other apostles are present, along with many relics directly related to our Lord, including the pieces of the True Cross. 

A place that draws pilgrims from all over the world, it's history goes back to the roots of our Catholic Faith. Christ is at the center of this beautiful chapel, and it is incapsulated through the thousands of relics. 

The best part of this beautiful place of worship - It's close, just a short drive from Campus! I highly encourage you to visit, if you haven't already! 

St. Anthony of Padua, Pray for us! 

Additional Information -

Podcast on St. Anthony's Chapel

 St. Anthony's Chapel Homepage

Directions from Franciscan University

God Alone!

"He died for me, so I will live for Him!"