Man of Morality

The Man of Steel 

is the

Man of Morality 

06-14-13 & 06-15-13

"You will give the people an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun. In time, you will help them 

accomplish wonders." Jor-El

Only Zach Snyder, the director of Man of Steel, could tell you what he was going for in his most recent blockbuster, but intentional or unintentional, he produced a movie in line with Catholic teachings and filled with truth. 

The story of Superman is one most of us know.  With the planet of Krypton on the verge of destruction, two loving parents, Lara and Jor-El, send their only son to planet Earth, hoping he can live, and also in hopes that he can save Earth from suffering the same fate. Kal-El arrives and is found by the Kent family, who then in turn raise him. As Kal-El, now Clark, grows, he learns about his powers and understands that with them, comes great responsibility. Based on his own knowledge, and with the help of the Kent family, Clark becomes a rock of morality, never wavering in his beliefs. In the end, he becomes Superman.  

Snyder gives us Superman, but with that, he also portrays him as something all Christians can easily understand - a Messiah. 

He shows that Superman, probably better then most, tries to fulfill the qualities Jesus so wonderfully displayed, with the biggest being that sacrificial love. 

When looking at the quote from above, it is easily seen that their is an underlining message we Catholics can take from this - Superman is a symbol for Jesus. Lets break it down. Just like Jesus, Superman is his Father's only son, and just like Jesus, he is asked to give of himself for humanity. Jesus, ultimately through his Pascal Mystery, saves us from death and brings us to new life, and while Superman does nothing of that magnitude, he still gives fully of himself, and does exactly what Christ calls us to, "take up your cross, and follow me." Matthew 16:24 

 The thing is, Snyder had no choice but to add these elements. Unless he wanted to change the whole background and story for Superman, these ideas needed to remain. But even so, there comes a point when the comparisons and similarities end, and Snyder could have pushed the movie a different route, away from the faith. Instead, Snyder ran with it, telling the viewers that the age of Superman is 33, which is the age Jesus was when he died for our sins. 

The subtle pushes of Christianity kept coming though, with one scene showing Superman in a Church. It is up to the viewer to decide if the Church is a Catholic one, but it appears while he is there he speaks to a priest. Now doing a bit of a background check on Snyder, he himself is an Episcopalian, so it is unlikely he was envisioning that Church as a Catholic one, but as the viewer, we can chose what to make it.

Did I forget to say this movie is packed with Christian messages? One line that Jonathan Kent says sticks out -"But somewhere out there you have another father, and he sent you here for a reason. And even if it takes you the rest of your life, you owe it to yourself to find out what that reason is." I would like to think that this line is not just meant for Superman, but for all of us. A.K.A. God in relation to us. 

There is more though. What about that Superman symbol, the classic S? Turns out, the S stands for hope. Just as we have hope in the Resurrection!

It can't be said what Snyder was really going for throughout this movie, but what I saw what a movie packed with a moral push, something we don't often see from movies these days. Superman isn't perfect and does make mistakes, but it is hard to see them in this film, and with that, you have to thank the director. 

A fun, exciting movie, Man of Steel is going to be remembered for a long time. I was pleasantly surprised by it, and I hope you are as well. 

And a last message to the director - Keep producing Christian films, cause as we all know, this society needs it! 

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

Prayer of St. Brendan the Navigator

Prayer of St. Brendan the Navigator

Help me to journey beyond the familiar
and into the unknown.

Give me the faith to leave old ways
and break fresh ground with You.

Christ of the mysteries, I trust You
to be stronger than each storm within me.

I will trust in the darkness and know
that my times, even now, are in Your hand.

Tune my spirit to the music of heaven,
and somehow, make my obedience count for You. 

My patron saint, St. Brendan, celebrates his feast day on May 16th. 
Want to learn more on him?  Brendan the Navigator

"He died for me, so I must live for him." 

Summer Time - A Time not to be Wasted

Summer Time

A Time not to be Wasted

Summer Time for a College Kid- 

Beaches, bonfires, baseball, brew's (when of age), and bros. The "Five B's" of summer.

Does summer consist of anything else? Yes, of course. Like sand volleyball, summer jobs,  family vacations, camping, swimming, etc. Does the rest really matter in comparison to the "Five B's"? Well...

Summer time for a college kid is normally all about taking a break from school, making some money, and just relaxing. All of this is good, but if your summer ends and all you got out of it was memories of those nights you went to your friends and drank beer and watched baseball, or those days you spent at the beach, it could be said that you might have wasted your summer. Why do I say that? I will get to that.


I was talking to a friend of mine recently, and we were discussing our summer plans, and she was telling me how difficult it is for her to get to mass in the summer, though she wanted to go regularly. She said during the school year it was part of her daily routine, and she loved going, desired it so very much. During the summer though? She told me how tough it was for her, and in part because it wasn't as convenient as before. During the school year, she could walk to mass, but now at home, she had to drive to mass if she wanted to go, making it much more difficult. She still plans on going this summer, which is good, but I know not everyone can say the same.

In some cases, daily mass in not an option. If you work at six in the morning, and go until three or four, you might have missed all available masses. For the most part, parishes only have daily morning mass, so often times, it is impossible. Even when they do have evening masses though, it can be hard to motivate yourself to go, because frankly, you are probably just tired from your day of work, and just want to relax. So sometimes it is not even an option, and even when it is, it is difficult to go.

The same goes with other prayer, such as holy hours, rosaries, etc. When your in school, especially at Franciscan, everyone is always praying, always going to the port or the chapel; Mass is offered three times a day. When summer hits though, things change, and it becomes more difficult to pray, to go to mass. It is not as convenient as it once was. That's the thing though - your faith is not about convenience! Your faith and my faith is a continual journey of growth and conversion, and we can't allow change in routine to dictate that.

That is why I said you might have wasted your summer if that is all you got out of it. Though it could be argued that the summer time is more difficult to stay faithful and consistent in prayer, that does not validate lukewarmness. In the bible it says, "So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I will spit you out of my mouth." Revelations 3:16

Honestly, the summer time is such a great time for growth, and the fact that it can be more of a challenge, makes it all the more rewarding. I understand the challenges that come with summer, for I am not immune to them myself, but I also understand that it just means I have to work harder.

We have to strive for that continual conversion, and we really need to want it. If this means working on just loving your family while your home, do it. Avoiding your family just so you don't fight with them is not virtuous. And when it comes to your old high school friends, you might have to reevaluate your friendships with them. I understand wanting to hang out with them regardless of their character, because they are the people you grew up with, and maybe you even think you can change them, but it doesn't always work like that, and sometimes those people can lead you to sin as well. So yes, in some cases, you might be called to stop hanging out with some people. The list of things go on and on - avoid drunkenness, sexual sins, drugs, etc.
In the end, we have to look at all we do, and ask ourselves, is this bringing us closer to the kingdom of God, or is it taking us farther away?

We have a choice right now - we can either decide to look at this summer as just a vacation, or we can look at it as part of the journey. These summer months will test you, and they'll force you to confront your demons, but that is where the decision comes: do you face them head on, and fight back, or do you run away or fall to them. St. John of the Cross said, "We must adjust our trials to ourselves, and not ourselves to our trials."
The choice is yours.

Continue to pursue holiness, fight the good fight, and with all things, pray. "Pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Enjoy your summer and pray for me, as I'll be praying for you.

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

Reflection on Ecclesia de Eucharistia

A Reflection on the Eucharist 

4-26-13 & 5-8-13

On April 24th, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go to Beloved First Truth's study night. They have their study night every Wednesday at 9 p.m. and once a month, they open it up to all on campus. This Semester, they studied "Ecclesia de Eucharistia," which means Church of the Eucharist. Being the last study session of the semester, they dove into the conclusion of Pope John Paul II's encyclical, section 59-62. I really enjoyed reading and discussing these sections, and now I would like to share some of my thoughts with you.
Two phrases really stuck out. The first one was this:

"In the Eucharist we have Jesus, we have his redemptive sacrifice, we have his resurrection, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit, we have adoration, obedience and love of the Father. Were we to disregard the Eucharist, how could we overcome our own deficiency?" (EE 60)

As this little section of the encyclical shows, this thing is packed with uncompromisable Theology. The line I got hung up on though, is the last part of it, "Were we to disregard the Eucharist, how could we overcome our own deficiency?" (EE 60).
Basically, without the Eucharist, we are unable to truly do the Lord's will. Fr. Richard Davis T.O.R. has a nice way of putting this, saying that the Eucharist is, "Not a sticker or a mark saying you got an A+. It is food for the journey." We NEED the Eucharist to thrive and live good and holy lives.
Just look at the lives of the Saints. One thing they all seem to have had in common is a true love and devotion to our Lord, especially in the Eucharist. You can try and think of a saint who didn't have a devotion to the Lord in the Eucharist, but they don't exist. St. Peter Julian Eymard said, "In one day the Eucharist will make you produce more for the glory of God then a whole lifetime without it." He understood, as have all the saints, the true importance of the Eucharist.Our hearts should be constantly longing to receive Jesus in the form of the Eucharist.
With this, it tells us the importance of receiving Jesus daily at Mass. It is not always an option for people, especially people who live in areas that have a lack of priests, but when it comes to living in America, or more specifically, going to Franciscan, we have a surplus of vocations, and on this campus alone, have three different times a day when mass is offered. And if you can't fit mass in during those times, there are plenty of options to go off campus. What I am getting at is, we really never have an excuse for not going to mass, plain and simple. But that is another thing - we should think of it like we had an excuse, cause it is not a punishment. the Mass is a Wedding Feast. Basically, it is one continual party, and you never want to miss a party.

The second phrase that stood out to me was this:

"By giving the Eucharist the prominence it deserves, and by being careful not to diminish any of its dimensions or demands, we show that we are truly conscious of the greatness of this gift. We are urged to do so by an uninterrupted tradition, which from the first centuries on has found the Christian community ever vigilant in guarding this “treasure" (EE 61).

 

This small section sort of sums up everything I just spoke about. We need to really try and give the Eucharist the proper respect it deserves, and understand its sacredness. 

In short, we need to just understand what a real treasure the Eucharist is, and remember it is truly, "food for the journey." The Lord is good to us. Let us continue to walk with him through everything. 

God Bless! By the way, I apologize for how scatter brained this all was. I just wanted to make sure I posted it. I will probably edit it.

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

Update

It has been four months since I last blogged, and I want to apologize. I truly do love writing and sharing my thoughts, feelings, ideas, and such. I have been quite bad at this of late though, and it is in large part because of the hectic schedule I have. Am I always busy? No, not really. Sometimes, I am quite free actually. But when I do end up being busy, I am over loaded, and so I normally chose to use my free time for something relaxing, like watching Netflix, or hanging out with friends.
I am going to be more free this summer though, and I am hopefully going to be blogging a lot more often, and hopefully I can get back into the swing of things. I really do love writing. Now I just need to make the time for it.

Anyways, for this blog, I just want to give a little update on myself and how the Lord has been able to use me this semester.

I would say of the four semesters I have been in college, this one has been the most humbling and growth filled. It began with a trip to Jamaica for Mission work, which was a wonderfully blessed time. The Lord was very present during those ten days. When I returned from there, I was back in the flow of school. This semester I'm taking 18 credits, along with working two jobs, doing Music Ministry, Household stuff, Intramurals, Life in the Spirit and I also was helping with Born of the Spirit. So basically, I have been keeping myself busy.
Besides all that, I was also able to do Steube Mission, which in itself is worthy of its own blog. Such a powerful experience.
What else has gone on? A lot of growth. I am very prideful, and the Lord has been trying to humble me, and I got to say, he has done a pretty good job. He has basically told me, on more then one occasion, that he is in charge, and it is not me. I have not come to fully appreciate it yet, but I am trying to trust the Lord and understand that he has a plan for me.
Besides the growth and the busy schedule, I am getting prepared to embark on a trip to Europe in the Fall which I am super excited about. The Lord has definitely blessed me with that.
I guess I'm just chugging along, and trying to not put my plan before the Lord's. Easier said then done.
But thanks for reading this if you did.
God is good.
"He died for me, so I must live for him."

A Christmas Journey

First and foremost, I would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas! The Lord has blessed me in many ways, and the Christmas season is always a great reminder of that, especially when it comes to family and friends. All I have to do is look at my families fridge to see wonderful Christmas photos of different families we know, and it brings much joy to me.

Besides being very thankful for all my friends and family, I have been spending this time of Advent reflecting on The Nativity, the Birth of Christ. I thought about writing this whole blog on it, on that specific birth, but I decided to go a different path. I know most of my friends have a good understanding and love for the real meaning of Christmas, the beauty that is the birth of Christ, and because of that, I have decided I want to focus on something that sometimes gets forgotten in this wonderful story, that being the Three Wise Men. I know the Epiphany is not celebrated for a few more days, but I think the Wise Men are something that we, as Christians, can relate to.

There is not much known about the Three Wise Men, as they only appear in the Gospel of Matthew, but the basics are known- they were three Magi coming from the East and they went to Jerusalem for one sole purpose, which was to give homage to the King of the Jews (Matt 2:2). They had been following a star in the sky, and it eventually led them to Bethlehem. When they finally arrived, they offered the newborn child Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh, and gave him homage. Their whole story is only twelve verses in the whole bible (Matt 2:1-12). With so little known about them, and with such a small part, why have I chose to speak about them?

Really, because of that small role. I am not able to truly do justice to the “baby in the crib” but the Wiseman, I think I can talk a little about them. And I mean, just a little.

These three men, which have been my background on my Macbook for a few weeks now, where just Men. They were nothing more. Just as the Shepherds, they came and visited the Christ, and gave him homage and gifts. I think this is suppose to be how we are.

Look at it like this. The Wise Men travelled a great distance to see the Lord. We, just like the Wise Men, must travel great distances through life, and eventually, we hope and pray to see the Lord, and then we too can give him homage, when we celebrate in Eternal Happiness with him. The gifts they bring and present to him? We too have been given gifts in our life, also known as our special talents, and we must give these to the Lord as often as possible, must use them for his greater Glory. It may seem that our gifts are more like the Shepherds, almost non-existent, and not flashy as Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, but the Lord meets us where we are at, and as long as our gifts are being used for his greater glory, and our sincere, then the Lord is happy.

In closing, we must remember that Christmas does not end after the 25^th of December, but continues on in our every day lives. The Lord is always calling us on to grow closer to him, if we only accept  his love and graces. The Baby Jesus lay in a Manger this Christmas. 

Will you go and give him Homage? Do it by the way you live. 

"He died for me, so I must live for him." 

The Dating Situation

The Dating Situation 

It has been a long time since my last blog, so I've decided to make sure this blog's topic is one of interest. The topic – Dating. More specifically, dating on campus.

I can go so many ways with this topic, but I have decided to focus on why there are so many people who don't date or are not dating. Why? Well because it seems to be the norm, compared to being in a relationship. I mean, at this point, I am in this group as well. I will also discuss if I think this will change or should change.

Since coming to Franciscan, I have been told multiple times by Adults, including professors and friars, that as a guy on this campus, I need to pursue women or be more open to dating. I never know how I should feel about this, because in one sense, I agree that guys on this campus need to more open to at least taking a girl on a date, but then again, I remember that it is not that easy.

The first question is, what is the biggest thing that stops people from dating on this campus? I would say it is having the two people both like one another. I know multiple people who have asked a girl out and got rejected, or almost asked them out, and thought better only because they found out that they would not be hearing what they wanted. I am not saying that the girls should say yes just cause the man is asking, but it does make asking someone out less appealing if you are expecting a no, or have heard it before. Yes, girls on this campus would love to date, but often times it seems that they don't want to date the people who like them. Who are these guys? Normally there best friends!

Guess what though? Girls have this happen also! They become best friends with a guy, and then find out that the guy never will see them as anything more then that! Is this wrong? Not automatically, if both people understand, but it can be tough. In all friendships, one must be aware of the other persons feelings as well as their own. I feel like at times, and even in my own life, we can caught up in us, and forget our friends feelings. We become very selfish with the friendship, and it becomes all about what we can get out of it.

I want you as the reader to understand that I am not saying that you can not have best friends of the opposite sex; I know some of my closest friends are girls. What I am saying is, just be careful about how you handle it, and in all cases, make sure you are aware of the other persons feelings. For all you know, they might like you, so just watch how you act around them, and handle everything with caution. If you like someone else, it might not be the best idea to tell your friend who is of the opposite sex. There are certain things that should just be kept between you and maybe a few friends of the same sex, but like I said, handle all things with caution. I know, in my case, there have been times that I've told a girl stuff, and it has just made things more difficult.

But back to the topic at hand. If these people become best friends, why don't they want to date? It is clear they like them enough to spend time with them and that they enjoy one another's company, so shouldn't that be enough? The simple answer to this is no, but I will go into a little detail. Spending time with someone does not mean you like them, as least not like that. I know people who are best friends, but if they ever dated, they would kill one another. They really like one another, and get along, but only in a friendship sort of way. Anything more? It just wouldn't work out. Then there is the ever important factor of being attracted to that person. I know you can date someone you are not really attracted to, but it seems like that would be very difficult.

A nice thing about getting to know someone is, the better you get to know them, the more their true beauty will shine through. I know I can see this is many of my friends. I am not saying they were not pretty girls before, because they were, but as I continue to get to know them, the more I notice their true beauty. I feel like most people can relate to me when I say this. There might have been someone you met originally and you didn't think much of them looks wise, but now you see them and find them to be very attractive.

So for a relationship to work out you need to one, be compatible with the person, and in most cases, also be attracted to them. If you do not have both, it will probably not work out.

So why is it that so many people don't want to date, especially these people who are best friends? Why is it seem that often times only one side wants it work?

If you are the person who wants to date your best friend, have you ever thought that they just only see you as a friend, and that they have done nothing that they think would make you think otherwise? Sometimes we start to like someone because we feel like they have taken an interest in us. I know personally I am huge on quality time, so when someone spends time with me, it means a lot, and if I started liking them, it might be in part because I feel like they like me back, and I come up with that conclusion based off the time we spend together.

Sometimes we read too much into what the other does, or how they act. Sometimes, honestly, we just like them cause they like us. It is true you need to both like one another, but to just like someone because they like you is silly, and in most cases, it will not work out, because once again, you are liking them for all the wrong reasons. It is a situation where it is all about you, worrying about what you will get out of it.

But once again, you have to ask, why wont they like you? Why is it that they will spend the time with you, and heck, they might even be attracted to you, but still wont date you?

Well, it could be the timing. This is not always true, but timing is key. You might like someone, but for some reason that makes no sense to you, they might not be interested in dating, at the time. This is not to say they would never date, but there are times when people just don't feel like they are able to date, or ready to take on a relationship. I know that I personally have a tough time just taking care of me, and to think of being in a relationship is sometimes terrifying because that involves having to be very selfless, and really put a lot of effort into your friendship with that person.

What if it is not timing then? Is there any other big reasons people wont say yes to date? One that sticks out to me, and kind of makes me shake my head is the classic, “I don't want to ruin our friendship, so we can't date” line. Really? If you have ever said that, you are just making an excuse. I have justified not dating with different reasons, but I have never used this one. Why? Cause I think it is a load of crap. I'm sorry, but you are at college for four years on average, and when it is all over, in all honesty, you are not going to talk to most of the people. If you end up getting married, or going the route of religious life, you are probably not going to stay in touch with the people who are of the opposite sex, and the reason is not because you don't like them, but it is not practical. I know at Franciscan, no one wants to hear these words, and everyone wants to think that we will all be friends forever, but it probably wont happen. Everyone will move, start families, settle down, get a job, and you just will not have time to maintain all of these friendships. 

All of this is true, so with that, if you end up not dating because you don't want to ruin a friendship, does that not seem silly? You could potentially end up getting married and spending your life together, but what if you just decide, I don't want to date and then have the possibility of breaking up and then have an awkward friendship with them. If you decide you don't want to date for that reason, you are missing out on an opportunity, and you could potentially be asking yourself, what if. Don't do that to yourself. Don't play the what if game. Honestly, give it a chance if you think there is the slightest chance it might work. The Lord has an odd way of working, and he might just might make something work that you never saw happening.

When it comes down to it, it seems we all have different excuses for why we don't date. I was told in High School that “An excuse is a sign of failure,” and I can tell you what, that has stuck with me. I am not saying, that just because you are single, you are making excuses. You could truly just not be sure, or at the time, just not feel like you are suppose to be in a relationship, but just remember, you will only be at Franciscan for a short while, and the people here are as good as anywhere. Actually, probably better then anywhere, so I say you might want to give it a try, take a leap of faith.

In all honesty, the Lord will take care of you always, so just be open to dating.

My challenge:

Men, look at yourself and the women you spend so much time with. Maybe give one of them a chance, and ask them on a date. They might say no, and it might make you rethink what you did, but guess what? They might say yes, and then you have yourself a date. Remember to make sure you are asking them out for the right reasons though, and not cause you feel like you need to go on a date. Everything according to God's plan and his time. Easy to say, but not easy to do. Basically, be open to the Lords will. You might be surprised that he is calling you to date. Not automatically, but there is a chance.

Ladies, try and let the men know you are interested, and if you are asked to go out on a date, give them a chance, if it seems like it could work out. Don't say yes to everyone, but also don't say no just cause they are not Prince Charming. Nothing is more despairing for a guy then when a girl just acts like and talks about how they will always be single, but have had multiple men like them, or show interest. Honestly, you probably will not marry someone who looks like a Hollister model, and is perfect, but guess what? If they are asking you out, they probably care about you, and just want a chance to show you what a great person they can be.. Maybe they just need an opportunity. No one can sweep you off your feet if they are not given the opportunity.

In closing, I feel like the whole Dating situation is one that varies for everyone, but I feel like it is one we all need to open to. Just asking people I know who are married or are dating, I see that there are the most unlikely of couples. Unlikely, but still happy. Basically, being open to it is the best thing possible, and if it is the Lord's will, you will know. I hope that what I have written will have some worth. I thank you for reading all of this. If you have any comments or something you might think I should add, let me know. I am very interested in what others think. I hope you all have a wonderful day.

God bless!

“He died for me, so I will live for him.”