Welcome to the end of the month! I hope your January was everything you hoped it would be and more.
This weekend is the perfect time for a self-evaluation because tonight closes out this month and tomorrow morning launches February. To kick off the year, we made dream lists. Our dream lists are essentially finite goals with actionable steps attached to them. We include all sorts of goals: short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals; internal and external; physical, mental, and relational – everything. Think of it as a bucket list-plus.
Having dreams doesn’t mean we’ll achieve them, though. For that, we need to actively work towards them. This is why we include action steps in our dream list: to set a logical path for us to follow to reach our goals. Once we have the paths set in place, we can follow them to the destinations – our dreams.
How are you faring keeping on track with your dream list? Looking at mine, I can see that I’ve progressed quickly with some, slowly with others, and gone backwards with a couple of them. I assess my progress at regular intervals to determine what I can do better, whether my priorities have changed (and if so, how that should be reflected in my dream list), and celebrate what has gone well. Let’s go through a few of my goals to see what this means.
Example: Journaling (Creative)
Assess
One of the habits I want to grow is a journaling habit. I kicked off the month strong, writing a (small) page every night at bedtime; it’s a good way to close out the day. However, when this week hit, I was more interested in the extra twenty minutes of sleep per night than in journal entries: many of my days are missing. And I know why: I was awake every day by 05:45 (5:45 am) and busy doing stuff (job applications, errands, blogging, phone calls, reviews of board decisions, emails, volunteering…) through until about 23:00 (11 pm) each day. (And that busyness only included one walk! Ahhh!)
Onward
I will fill in the missed days based on my calendar entries for the week. I suspect they won’t have the same flavor to them that contemporaneous entries will have, but it must suffice.
Plan
Recognizing my main problem here to be one of overscheduling resulting in a sleep deficit, I can work to fix that. Parts of my day are static (Mass at 07, for example, or work and volunteer commitments). These things aren’t going to change, so I need to look to the things that can be shifted around.
Keep: My journal and its pen hanging out next to the last light of the night to be turned off has been helpful. Every time I go to turn the light off, if I skip journaling, I have to make a conscious decision with the reminder right there.
Shift: I post on this blog daily, but it has become more of a nightly thing; I will work on getting my posts up earlier in the day so I can call it a night sooner than I previously did.
Change: I have a habit of overscheduling my days. This problem was exacerbated this week in particular because I was working on certain tasks that I didn’t know how long they would take (and I was never quite satisfied with the results), resulting on my understimating them.
Every Dream, Tracked
Ideally, we keep track of our dreams until they’re fulfilled. (And then maybe write a book about how awesome it was to complete a dream!) I recommend going through this process (assess, onward, and plan; keep, shift, and change) with every dream you’re serious about completing. The frequency will depend on the dream. (For example, it doesn’t make sense to assess my sailing dreams in January: the water is frozen over here.)
It may also help to include cross-dream data. Do two or more of your dreams relate to each other? Maybe you’re learning martial arts from a teacher who only speaks Japanese during sessions and becoming fluent in Japanese is another of your dreams. Even if you didn’t do much in your plan with learning the language this month, maybe you understood a certain phrase for the first time. Count that as a win, because it’s progress towards your goals.
Even if you don’t have the time to conduct a thorough assessment of each dream every month, I do recommend scanning through your list at least that often. It may help you to say each one aloud. There are three main reasons for this. First, it reminds you where you’re going and allows you to update your dreams as your priorities change. Second, you may have an epiphany on the next actionable step for one of your dreams but you haven’t written it down yet; this provides you with just such an opportunity. Third, it helps to keep you motivated to strive towards your goals because you keep them in sight.
Think before you speak. Read before you think. This will give you something to think about that you didn’t make up yourself – a wise move at any age, but most especially at seventeen, when you are in the greatest danger of coming to annoying conclusions.
This particular quote is from the Tips for Teens chapter, originally published in the stand-alone Social Studies volume. (Some of these witticisms are absolutely hilarious; I caught myself laughing aloud.)
There are many translations of the Bible. Where do you even begin to pick one? I’ve been through this process; let me help!
Step 1: Make sure it has all of the books of the Bible.
My litmus test is to look for Maccabees. Why Maccabees? Because neither 1 nor 2 Maccabees is in any shortened version of the Bible but both are in a full copy of the Good Book. (Truncated Bibles include protestant versions as well as New Testament only versions.) Also, a friend recommended Maccabees as the place to spark interest in the Bible for anyone who likes action and adventure. (So me.) En garde!
Step 2: What’s your preferred language?
The Bible is available in many languages; Greek, Hebrew, and Latin offer the original, non-translated versions. My understanding is limited to English, but if you prefer another language, it’s probably available in that as well. (If you’ve made it this far, I’m assuming you have a working knowledge of English; if you’d like me to find a Bible for you in another language, let me know and I’ll do what I can to find that resource for you.)
Step 3: What’s your linguistic preference?
Do you like the “thee” and “thou” words or would you prefer “you” and “your?” Generally, the newer the translation, the closer the language is to modern English. If the olde English inspires you, you’ll want an older translation. If you’re a linguist or want to see the literal translation, typically, the older the translation is, the better.
Step 4: Various versions vary.
I’m providing a short snippet of my take on the different translations. To help you get a feeling for the translations, I’m also providing Psalm 51 verse 10 so you can read the differences for yourself.
NABRE: New American Bible, Revised Edition
This is the translation read aloud at Mass. It has the most flow as far as modern language goes, so if you’re really concerned about following the text, this is the translation I recommend. It’s great for anyone who knows modern English but uncomfortable with old words or odd syntax.
You will let me hear gladness and joy; the bones you have crushed will rejoice.
RSV-CE and RSV-2CE: Revised Standard Version – (Second (or, Revised)) Catholic Edition
The RSV-CE and -2CE are my go-to translations. I need the words to be generally modern, but I enjoy the occasional “thee” and “thou” (which is kept in the Our Father) as well as parsing linguistic turns-of-phrase. In some places, the syntax may seem a little off, but if you can handle Yoda quotes, you can handle this. This is a great translation for anyone needing modern language but preferring to keep to a closer literal translation of the original text.
The -CE portion means “Catholic Edition.” In other words, it includes all of the books of the Bible, including Maccabees.
I don’t know what changed between the -CE and the -2CE. I suspect the language was modernized in the revision, but I haven’t done a comparison and haven’t noticed anything in particular. (Bible Gateway doesn’t have RSV-2CE, but it does have RSV-CE.) I did separate them out below for easy reference.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
This is the first translation of the Bible into English; it was completed in about 1610. This is not a modern translation, but theoretically it’s only high school reading level. I guess we were reading Shakespeare, right?
The Douay-Rheims is the closest to the original text, and it is the most authoritative translation of the Bible. None of this matters if I can’t understand it, and I can’t understand it if I don’t read it. I find this translation to be intimidating such that I can’t seem to read more than a few verses at a time. (Contrast this to my accidentally reading three books of Acts in RSV-CE because I was simply enthralled.)
I recommend this for people who already have a basic grasp of the scriptures and (as in, both – not just either/or) either savor old language or feel called to wrangle with it.
But I, as a fruitful olive tree in the house of God, have hoped in the mercy of God for ever, yea for ever and ever.
Latin. The Vulgate is the Latin version of the Bible as translated by Saint Jerome around 400 A.D. I enjoy reading Latin because it’s a beautiful language, but I don’t understand it. I can say this: if you know, enjoy, and want Latin, go for the Vulgate.
ego autem sicut oliva fructifera in domo Dei speravi in misericordia Dei in aeternum et in saeculum saeculi
I found one beautiful book which combines the Douay-Rheims and Vulgate translations. This version takes the Latin Vulgate and pairs it verbatim with the Douay-Rheims translation. I use the online version of this when parsing language and playing with linguistics. If you love seeing the direct comparison between the Latin and the English, this is the Bible for you.
But I, as a fruitful olive tree in the house of God, have hoped in the mercy of God for ever, yea for ever and ever.
ego autem sicut oliva fructifera in domo Dei speravi in misericordia Dei in aeternum et in saeculum saeculi
I love language, so I have at least one of each of the types on my wishlist. I pulled the links and added some notations that I hope are helpful; the prices were accurate as of 2 pm today (January 3rd, 2020), but they may change, so please double-check before checking out.
Now you know that I have a collection of Bibles on my wish list. I hope you learned a little something from my digging, and that it helped you pick out your next Bible!
Was this post helpful? Do you already have a Bible? Which one do you use? If not yet, which one are you considering? What’s your favorite thing about the version you prefer? I look forward to hearing your insight!
Yesterday, we discussed the dream list – specifically, how to go about making one. The dream list is a tool to inspire us to grow into our goals. The tool includes holding ourselves accountable by telling others our plans. Here’s part of my plan for this year: getting to know Jesus better.
I haven’t read through the Bible yet myself. Bits and pieces, here and there – sometimes a chapter, sometimes a book – but not the whole thing start-to-finish. I’ve often relied on the Liturgy of the Word for filling out my spiritual nourishment. I’m much more haphazard in my reading of scripture than I’ve ever been with a novel or a text book.
This bothers me. The Bible is literally the greatest epic of all time, the adventure we’re called to live out, packed with quests and inspiration and encouragement. The Bible is the great love letter detailing how God pursues us through every difficulty. I love reading! I love questing and inspiration! And who couldn’t use encouragement? So why, then, have I not read through the Bible?
Because it’s daunting.
Because it’s long.
Because I don’t have the best version.
Because I’m scared I won’t finish.
Because I’m scared I won’t understand everything.
Because I’m scared of what people will think of me.
Because how?
So, yes, to all these things. I get it. However…
Daunting: Yes, but so is anything worthwhile in life. Some days, getting out of bed is daunting. We’re called to have courage; let’s grow in courage this year.
Long: We’re called to persevere. (Also, some of the books are remarkably short, and chapters make it more digestible.)
The best version: I plan on using online versions, specifically Bible Gateway’s RSVCE as my go-to and the Vulgate (Latin and Douay-Rheims) when I’m feeling fancy (pinky-out, fan-ceh!) and/or want to see the line-for-line literal translation. Both are free resources.
Finish: Maybe. But I promise you, if we don’t start, we won’t finish, either.
Understand: The Bible contains mysteries, probably in part to keep us coming back to figure them out. Let’s try. If we don’t try, we can’t succeed.
People: The people who want you to walk with them in Christ will lift you up in your endeavor to know Him. The people who don’t want you to walk with Christ will find any reason to lure you away. Walk with me; let us know Him better together.
How: Luckily for us, Deacon Karl of Manchester, NH mapped out a reading plan. We don’t even have to figure out the how, just decide the timeslot we’re going to sit down to do it.
My only hard copy of the Bible: very pretty, easy to carry, and you can see a couple of my bookmarks, but missing a few books.
Will you join me on this journey? I’m both nervous (see all of the above reasons) and enthusiastic about embarking on this adventure. We’re going to get the whole story… well, at least as far as it’s shaken out thus far; we’re still building the next chapter.
You and me – we’re building the next chapter for Christ’s next installment of the Good Book. Let’s prepare by getting to know Christ and His story thus far. Let’s respond to the calling of Jesus to walk side by side with him.
To be a Christian is to be grafted on to Christ.
– Homily, Mass on 03 January 2020
Here’s the plan for January’s First Week*
1st (W) : Genesis 1-4
2nd (R) : Genesis 5-8
3rd (F) : Genesis 9-11
4th (S) : Genesis 12-14
5th (Sunday) : Genesis 15-17
6th (M) : Genesis 18-21
7th (T) : Genesis 22-24
If you’re in the Manchester, NH area on the third Tuesday of the month, join us for the discussion in the Cathedral’s Rectory Conference Room 7-8 pm. It’d be great to see you there. Otherwise, join us here! I want to hear the wisdom you gain from reading the Bible. Two eyes are better than one; we’ll learn more as a team. Let’s do this together!
Summary
We’re going on a Bible study! There are a plethora of excuses to not, but so many more reasons to. We’re starting at the beginning and going right through the end. Action! Adventure! Romance! Seeing that the greatest heroes in history are just like us! Reading how the greatest heroes in history managed to answer God’s call despite their weaknesses! Inspiration for us to do the same! Are you ready?
Have you done this before, read through the whole Bible? Do you have any tips? Do you have a favorite book or chapter or verse that you turn to when you need the spark? What hidden gems await us?
Edit (06 January 2020): The original post improperly reported the readings as for the weeks in January. Each segment was actually by day; I realized this upon seeing the new bulletin. I’ve updated this and added the readings for through tomorrow. If you’re behind, don’t worry! We can run the slow circuit together! If you’re ahead of me, that’s great, too, because it means you’ll have longer to ruminate and can provide us with your insight!
I referenced my dream list in yesterday’s post but didn’t provide assistance to help you build your own. This post is a quick-start guide of practical application; the article that inspired me to write my dream list is 7 Steps to Self-Mastery, and I highly, highly recommend reading that as well.
Love the life you have while you create the life of your dreams.
Here are the categories I use; allow them to prompt your dreams to escape the tip of your tongue. Read through them and let them stimulate your senses and rouse your ambitions. If anything springs to mind, write it down, but don’t dwell on this part yet: just let it mingle with your mind for a minute.
Categories
Adventure – What sorts of escapades and travel adventures are you interested in?
Creative – What skills, hobbies, and sports do you want to do?
Physical – How do you want to shape your health and wellness?
Legacy – Which causes do you want to support?
Emotional – How do you want to grow your relationships, both with yourself and others?
Psychological – What would you try if you had the courage?
Professional – How do you want to grow in your work and career?
Intellectual – What do you want to learn?
Spiritual – How do you want to grow with God?
Character – Which qualities do you want to incorporate more into your life?
While your mind is wrapping itself around these questions, let’s prep for the big brainstorm.
Step Zero: Preparing the Workbook
Why Prepare a Workbook?
It’s a lot easier to get something done when you don’t have to worry about the logistics and incidentals. For example, when I travel, I check to see where I’ll be attending Mass before making any other plans. I don’t want to find myself flustered, frustrated, and running around panicking because I didn’t spend a few minutes planning ahead; I’d prefer to enjoy my travels by focusing on the moment at hand.
In much the same way, putting a few minutes of prep time helps with actually getting a task done because it allows you to focus on the task at hand rather than the incidentals that accompany it. Here are my preparation recommendations.
Open a new spreadsheet workbook (Excel, Google spreadsheet, OpenOffice spreadsheet – whatever suits your fancy). Title the first tab Summary. Skip the first column. Entitle the second column “Dream” or “Goal.” The third column is to have the title “Category” so you know what type of accomplishment it is. The fourth column is for the Order (of priority). The fifth column is a deadline column; I suggest “By…” or “Target” or “Date” headers. The fifth column is for Notes.
This is what my Summary page headers look like.
Next Tab: First Dream Category
Leave the Summary page and switch to a new tab. Again, skip column one. The headers of the rest of the columns should read as follows: Goal, Category, Order, Priority, Years, Step 1, Step 1 Date, Step 2, Step 2 Date, Step 3, Step 3 Date, Step 4, Step 4 Date, Step 5, and Step 5 Date.
Each Category tab should look like this at the top.
Replicate this tab (I suggest copying it via the Move or Copy option available upon right-clicking the tab title area) until you have one for every category. Name each of the tabs for easy access, and also write the category name under the Category header; include it for every entry. I also assigned a code letter to each category (A for Adventure, for example) for shorthand and included it in the tab name.
That was easy enough, wasn’t it?
Prep work out of the way, let’s get to the fun stuff!
Step One: Select Goals for Each Category
Maybe some categories will have twenty things you want to do whereas others have two or three. That’s totally fine! I challenge you to have at least two goals for each category, but if you’re on a roll and have a lot of things you want to accomplish, write them all down.
All of them. Long term, short term, and everything in between. It’s good to have a mix so that you know where you’re going in the long term but also have guideposts between here and there so you know you’re on track. This also means it’s great to have short- and medium-term goals that feed into long-term ones.
This is the big question; the goals are how we’re gonna get there.
It may seem a little overwhelming to have a big list in front of you, but it’s a lot easier to whittle down than to build up, and we want to include every dream in your heart. Want to write a memoir in fifty years? Write it down. Trying to compile a compendium of Grandma’s best recipes? Write it down. Considering a trip to the little town in Russia your great-grandparents are from but you don’t know a lick of Russian? Write the trip down and learning Russian as separate goals. All of it. Keep going.
You can certainly add more later, but get out everything you can at first blush.
Step 2: Sort
Go through your list and put each goal in the category it fits best in. (Traveling to Russia, for example, belongs in the Adventure category whereas learning Russian fits in the Intellectual category.) If you finish sorting and find that a category only has one dream (or is entirely bereft of them), add more. We want goals in each category so we have incentive to grow in every area of our lives.
Now prioritize each goal within the category. Use a simple high (H), medium (M), and low (L) notation in the Priority column. I recommend prioritizing based on a few things: how much you want it, how difficult it will be, how long it will take, and whether any other dreams depend on it. For example, if you have to know Russian to make that trip to the little town in Russia a success, learning Russian may be high priority even though it may take a lot of effort and learning a new language in and of itself doesn’t rank highly for you.
Here’s a snip from my Creative tab.
Clump the highs, mediums, and lows together in each category. Compare them to see what gets the first priority of the whole category, then the second, and so on until you have the whole category prioritized. This number goes in the Order column; it’s your quick-check of which goals you want to work on first. Repeat with the remainder of the categories.
Step 3: Sketch Out Steps
Where do you start? Write out the logical first step of every high priority goal. If these first steps come easily to you, do the same with the medium and low priority goals. For the high priority goals, write out the steps as far as you can logically see them. Only do this for the high priority goals to prioritize your time and avoid burnout. We’ll revisit the list and can fill it out later; for now, let’s focus on our major goals. We want to walk away from the list not feeling drained, but inspired.
These steps are basically a high level checklist. For example, for the Russia trip, your first step may be to learn Russian as it’s a prequel to taking the trip. The second step may be to plan the itinerary of the trip by writing out a basic outline of the top things you want to accomplish while visiting. The third step could be selecting dates and hammering out the details of what you’ll do on the trip; the fourth may be researching travel options, obtaining a passport, buying the plane ticket, and making lodging arrangements; the fifth may be final trip preparations such as packing; and the sixth may be getting on that plane.
If you need more steps columns, add them. I find five to be helpful and ten to be unwieldy, but you may find it easier with twenty steps. Knowing yourself is awesome! Use your information to your advantage.
For the top one or two goals in each category, write a date next to that first step. This is your personal deadline. By this date, you will meet that step’s goal. Give yourself deadlines on each of the highest priority goals in every category.
Step 4: Summarize and Review
Copy the highest priority columns from each category to the Summary sheet. I suggest referencing the manual entries (type “=” in the cell, then click on the cell you want it to copy in the other tab) because it’s easy, and at this point in the process, you may want to drop out of the red zone and into a yellow zone for recuperation. If you’re instead all about that orange theory, copy the information manually; the process will help drill into your head what you want to do and gives you more time to figure out why you want that.
Sleep. Look at your goals and plans tomorrow or over the weekend with fresh eyes. Are there any changes your well-rested brain recommends? Review the dreams you’ve written down daily for at least a week. Have you forgotten anything? Did a friend spark an idea? Did you aim high enough?
Step 5: Tell Friends and Family for Accountability and Support
Tell friends, family, and anyone else who might help you on your way forward. When you tell others, the goal becomes more tangible. When you involve others, you have additional reasons to stick to the plan even when the road gets rough. They don’t even have to do anything for this to work!
Prime example: I’m providing an example Dream List. This example is my Dream List with added information: I filled out my C – Creative tab so that this document may help you with your process. In giving you my information, I added details that I hadn’t bothered to put in yet, forcing me to evaluate my hopes and dreams and encouraging me to move forward with them. There is more detail on this template than on my original document because you learn more by teaching others than by simply doing something for yourself. This is why study groups work.
Here’s another example: I found a posting online for a position that perfectly fits my skills and abilities, but in a very non-linear way such that I don’t know how to write a resume for it. I made a phone call to do recon and ask for any information that might help me in the application process. Just knowing that I told someone on the other end of the phone that I’m excited about this opportunity is galvanizing me to figure out how to properly apply.
Step 6: Review and Revamp
Print your Summary and put it somewhere you can see it frequently. It will remind you of why you’re really getting up at 5 am to go for a run while listening to various Russian verb conjugations: ’cause you’ve got a dream to fulfill. Having a hard copy makes your dreams more concrete, and you’re more likely to rise to the challenge if you have the goal in front of you.
I keep my Summary as the insert for the binder I bring with me everywhere. Every time I pull out the binder, I get a quick reference guide to my goals.
Start with a digital copy, then print a hard copy.
The reason I recommend a digital spreadsheet is because I expect changes and updates. Try your hand at origami and decide you don’t like it? Cross it off the list. Discover a new passion? Put it on the list. Are you a quicker study at aikido than you expected? Move up your next deadline for it. Life changes, and so do your goals; don’t give up on something because it’s difficult, but don’t hang on to something just because you put it on the list, either. Know your why, and pursue your why.
Recap: Dream List
Know where you’re going so you can get there. Take some time to figure out where you want to go by setting goals that are meaningful to you. Draft a list of dreams, aspirations, and hopes and take a few minutes to figure out the first few steps to achieving the ones most important to you.
What goals surfaced while you were going through this process? What are you going to do today to take the first step toward your top priority goal?
Further Reading
Take Control of Your Life: 7 Steps to Self-Mastery by Dominick Albano is the article that inspired my dream list. It’s broken into a three-part series (Steps 1 & 2, Steps 3-5, and Steps 6 & 7), and there’s a lot to digest, but it’s absolutely worth the read. I recommend bookmarking it and returning to it when you feel over-encumbered. This post is based on my practical application of this article, and I’m going to re-read Self-Mastery (again) to see how I can do my dream list better.
Dynamic Catholic never ceases to amaze me with the content they provide. Dominick Albano wrote another stellar article entitled How to Gamify Your Life which strikes my heart because I identify with it so fully: I’m a Catholic, a casual gamer, and eager to learn the magnificent lifehack for wanting to improve our lives by setting up a scorecard. This is also a very shareable article: who do you want to join your party for the game of life?
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Choosing sin separates us from God’s Kingdom. We’re all sinners, so we can’t get to Heaven on our own.
But tomorrow, we celebrate that we don’t have to. God was born of the virgin Mary as the Word Made Flesh so that we may inherit eternal life. Repent and rejoice, for Jesus came to guide you home! The greatest holiday (and holy day) of the year is Easter, the celebration of Christ defeating death, but He first must be born of the flesh and live of the flesh to die of the flesh. Tomorrow, we celebrate His decision to love us so fully that He decided to descend from Heaven to save us. If we choose Him, He sanctifies us that we may join Him for all eternity. Praise God for His unending love!
Let them judge you, but remain virtuous. Let them criticize you, but remain wise. Let them misunderstand you, but remain kind. Let them hate you, but remain exceptional.
It’s remarkable how the weeks have fallen: readings and homilies have been in line with the virtue of the week, various events and discussions seem to have highlighted the virtue of the week, and I’ve been most tempted by the sin of the week. That includes last week: I’ve been particularly distracted and fainéant recently (maybe even otiose), and my motivation seemed to deplete much more quickly than normal. Odd, given various excitements, but even my music (not to mention the site I needed to do contracted work) hasn’t been cooperative recently.
Regardless of various setbacks interestingly aligned with the current content, the content still made it up in a timely manner. I hope it was helpful; I also hope you’ll add your insight to the topics we’ve discussed as I want to learn more. A week to learn about a deadly sin and how to defeat it doesn’t seem like nearly enough time!
How do you handle moral inquiries as they arise? Where do you turn if you can’t see the path Jesus set? What are your tips on living virtuously? How do you keep your focus on Jesus so you can walk on water?
Summary
Over the last seven weeks, we discussed the deadly sins and their corresponding virtues, the root language, and what they mean. We then took a day to bring the ideas together and talk about how virtue conquers a particular sin. It’s my hope that another point came across clearly: Jesus loves you and wants you to be with Him, so He gave you virtues as guideposts to help guide you to Him.
What sins are your greatest struggle? Which virtues have you mastered? Are there any sins you simply aren’t tempted by? How has our discussion prompted you to think about various events and decisions in life? Let us know in the comments!
An inexhaustible capacity to engage in sin is what makes human beings capable of living a virtuous life. To err is human; to seek penance is humankind’s unique act of salvation. Whenever a person fails, it is often their overwhelming sense of anguish that drives them forward to make a second attempt that is far more bighearted than they originally envisioned. The need for redemption drives us to try again despite our backside enduring the terrible weight of our greatest catastrophes. There is no person as magnanimous as a person whom finally encountered tremendous success after previously enduring a tear-filled trail of hardships and repeated setbacks. In an effort to redeem our lost dignity, in an effort to regain self-respect, we find our true selves. By working independently to better ourselves and struggling to fulfill our cherished values, we save ourselves while coincidentally uplifting all of humanity.
Every fall is an opportunity to shine all the brighter by standing tall after. May your Christmas week enable you to see yourself as a whole, not simply as a sinner, but as the Saint God calls you to be because He loves you so much that He wants to spend eternity with you. May you shine brightly as the world rejoices in the remembrance of the Word made Flesh to dwell among us! God bless!
We need have no undue fear for our health if we work hard for the kingdom of God. God will take care of our health if we take care of His cause. In any case, it is better to burn out than to rust out.
Hurrah for Archibishop Fulton J. Sheen, faithful servant of God!
Today is supposed to be the Archbishop’s beatification day. The process is being held up, but I’m confident the esteemed televangelist will receive the title Blessed – and then Saint – in due course. We need to recognize a modern day Saint like Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen to reinvigorate the Church, and God never fails His Church.
Help us petition in prayer with a novena. A novena is a prayer spread over nine days. This one, the Novena of Venerable Servant of God Fulton J. Sheen, takes about two minutes per day. There are also optional videos that go through the novena with you, about four minutes each; the videos are available in both English and Spanish.
I recorded how long it took me to do Day 1 of the novena. It’s super short. Please pray with us!
Fulton Sheen Resources
The Life is Worth Living series won the Archbishop an Emmy Award, and hours upon hours of the insightful and entertaining content is available on YouTube. Looking for more? He also hosted The Fulton Sheen Program.
The Archibishop’s book Life of Christ is an excellent resource for getting to know Jesus better. Archbishop Sheen dramatically recounts the birth, life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ, also providing a portrait of His Person, both as God and as man.
Are you lucky enough to still have a CD player? Are you looking ahead to Lent? Archbishop Sheen’s Good Friday service on April 8, 1977 drew a record crowd of over 6,000 people. It was recorded, and Saint Joseph Communications packaged it into an audio retreat.
Be strong and of good courage, and do it. Fear not, be not dismayed; for the Lord God, even my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.
So we know we need to keep on keepin’ on. But how can we keep going when all seems lost? Courage and strength – in other words, fortitude. We grow courage and strength through our day-to-day actions. The little choices we make add up, so let’s start making some good little choices.
Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him.
I find this to be the easiest virtue to understand but among the most difficult to exercise. (Also, it’s definitely the most difficult to sketch or capture in a picture.) Like any other muscle, we must practice being courageous and strong in order to become courageous and strong.
Story Time
I have some habits that tend to annoy people such as telling the truth when they don’t want to hear it, and standing up for even the most unpopular person in the room when they’re subject to cruelty (regardless of whether it may be justified – those situations are awful, but we all have human dignity). I know these things can be bothersome, and I have been working on being more tactful in my honesty and (ill-equipped) defenses of others, but I do them because they’re the right thing to do.
But how am I able to? How does my stomach not churn in a knot and squeeze the contents of my system out in both directions?
Well, it still feels like I’m losing my lunch sometimes, but I’ve come to understand the feeling. It’s certainly not comfortable to be in such a situation, but there’s no magic wand. At least for me, if I don’t want to later regret being in that situation, I need to do something.
Dinner Disruption
My freshman year of college, I was sitting with an acquaintance at dinner. She’d been going around telling everyone that she was dating someone; he decided to denounce and correct the rumors by screaming at her in the crowded commons a number of degrading comments, in addition to providing an exceptionally vulgar, somewhat discriptive account, all while waving his arms broadly, his head jutting out like a turtle away from his body, eyes bulging and veins popping out of his neck.
I repeatedly insisted that he calm down, to which he repeatedly, firmly, borderline-yelled at me to, “Stay out of it!” When I explained that he brought the issue to my table and thus made me a part of it, he screamed the same words at me. I continued to attempt to calm him down, but as she started to cry, his words became more shrill. When she wept openly, in part for how he was describing her, he stepped forward and repeatedly hit the table. I stood up and told him to leave. She told me to let him do whatever; my eyes trained on him, I demanded that he leave.
My friends were standing behind him, looking somber, condoning his actions, and clearly disagreeing with my standing up for her. (That was the most difficult part for me.) I get it; I understood it then just as I do now: she absolutely deserved it. (There was a lot more to the story, including why I of all people should not have protected her.) But that doesn’t really matter. Just because someone “deserves” something, be it a verbal whipping, a literal lashing, or a piece of pie, it doesn’t mean we give it to them. We are all made lovingly in God’s image. Every single one of us has dignity, and we are called to respect that.
That night was so agonizing that now, several years later, just describing the incident is churning my stomach, leaving a metallic taste in my mouth, and drying out the top of my throat. I wasn’t born with it, and it certainly wasn’t comfortable. I worked that muscle in previous occasions and that night it was put to the test.
Thank God he opted to not put his fist through my face; the physical threat was clear enough from his body language, and he absolutely could have sent me to the ER.
Tiny acts of courage. Big things are fine for a nice jump start, so if you have an opportunity, try. You don’t have to succeed in your attempt to be courageous; just trying will get you started.
How did I start? The first report I’m aware of regarding my courage was related to me by an old friend when we reconnected after many years apart.
In second grade, she was new to our elementary school. That morning had been particularly rough for her. She was in a bad mental space from being teased, and she didn’t have any friends because she’d just moved into town. So, at recess, she found a plot of land where nobody was, and she decided to sit alone and stew in her melancholy and try to not cry.
Enter a (totally clueless) me. I saw her sitting alone in the field. I went over to her and sat down a few feet away, saying hi and trying to stare off exactly the same way she was. It was uncomfortable because I didn’t know what she was doing or who she was, and I left a game (of color tag, the second-best recess game ever, with all my favorite friends) to join her. We were in different classrooms, so I was oblivious to the earlier incidents and it was my first time meeting her.
But that was it. She was alone, and I went over to say hi. That takes courage. That builds strength. That flexes the muscle for more strenuous use later.
How Does That Work as an Adult?
Say hello to a stranger in a shop. Are you waiting in a line to order or check out? If they’re getting six packs of your favorite soda, playfully remark that you’d love to be at their party. I was once in front of a couple of women who were only purchasing bubbly and orange juice: “Nice! It’s mimosa day!” They both smiled, and we chatted together happily.
Along the same lines, talk with the cashier. They’re trained to ask how your day has been. Ask them how their days are going – and attentively listen to the answer. Smile and continue to talk with them until the conversation comes to a nice break point. Hold up the line for five seconds if that’s what it takes for the thought to conclude (by carefully folding up your receipt, for example).
Do or say something kind. Give sincere compliments to people you meet; more props if they’re totally unexpected. Does that dress look totally chic on the woman walking toward you on the sidewalk? Tell her, genuinely but quickly, and move on. (If you linger, they may suspect you want something in return.) However, there may be times when they want to stop to talk to you to gush about the compliment or the dress or your kind soul; that you should stay for, even if it takes a little extra courage to do so.
Wave to people you recognize – even if you can’t remember their names. I once did this and, in the moment, the couple insisted they didn’t know me, giving me a quizzical look and walking by. The next time I saw them, they came up to me to say how nice it was of me to acknowledge them on the sidewalk, that it helped them to realize there was community for them in town.
Allow others to interact with you. Sometimes being inviting is difficult, but reciprocating is a great way to start. When someone waves at you, wave back; when someone pays you a compliment, thank them. Chat with that person in the grocery store line who said hello to you. Do something to make them think, “I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone.”
Theological Fortitude
We are called to live our faith. This week’s sin specifically relates to not forging forward spiritually. Act like the saint you are meant to be as often as possible.
Saints don’t condemn people; they uplift them. Be kind; temper your frustrations. Be courageous; temper your fears. Be caring; temper your apathy. Recognize the dignity of Christ in others, and use that as your guide for where to start.
Want something more formal? Join groups in the religious community; I relate more about my faith when I have more stories to tell about it. I recommend a Bible study, some sort of outreach program or hands-on help, and a small group; studies prepare the mind, the outreach softens the heart (and gives you fun vignettes), and the small group reminds you why you like the people you’re doing great things with.
The important piece, regardless of how you slice it, is to simply do. Know the Word, but also be an actor on its behalf.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Sloth is not doing what we’re supposed to be doing. Diligence counters sloth, but we need fortitude to power it. Fortitude empowers us to exercise all of the other virtues, but we need to practice it to be able to use it.
Thoughts about what we learned this week? Questions regarding how to use our new knowledge? Ideas on how to better press on? Let me know in the comments!
He told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Vindicate me against my adversary.’ For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
