Monthly Archives: March 2012

Bedtime Stories

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Did your parents used to read to you before you fell asleep? Do you do that with your own children?

The days can escape us with all the activities, errands, work and other various responsibilities. By giving your children a bedtime even just 15 minutes earlier provides an invaluable opportunity to spend time together and help them calm themselves for the night. It can be a faith-building and family-strengthening experience.

Whether the bedtime reading sessions come from a saint’s life or The Chronicles of Narnia, the time together may end up as some of your most treasured memories.

What books would you suggest for this kind of quality time with the kids?

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Stabat Mater dolorosa

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At the cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.

The Stabat Mater is a beautiful hymn from the 1200s that uplifts the soul through its solemn tone and beautiful words. You may know it best through praying the Stations of the Cross during Lent, as it is incorporated into the Stations by St. Alphonsus Liguori. Many textual versions of the hymn exist, while the melody remains relatively the same.

Tomorrow is the last Friday before Good Friday. So before the busyness of Holy Week and Easter preparations set in, try to make it to the Stations of the Cross at your local parish one more time — or for the first time.

May God bless you as you walk with Mary and her Son in these final days of Lent.

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Korean Drama: A Refreshing Entertainment Alternative

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If you’re disappointed and even sickened by American television and its disordered views of love, family and sexuality, Korean drama offers a more wholesome form of entertainment.

Popularity for Korean drama is growing throughout the world, including in North America. Non-Korean Americans in particular are seeking refuge from Hollywood’s sorry attempts at entertainment and are enjoying the more innocent and modest options Korean drama provides.

In the Korean drama I’ve watched (particularly Spring Waltz and Boys Before Flowers) there’s a beautiful appreciation for human emotions and everyday struggles, even illustrating love through powerful romance that is both chaste and gentle. The crude humor and sexually scandalous behavior prevalent in much of the “entertainment” we are fed in the United States does not dominate Korean drama, as it rather tends toward modesty and the respect of others. The plots are intriguing, the music is serene, and the characters are enchantingly humorous.

By simply accepting the need to read subtitles, it is fairly easy to forget you’re reading along. I’ve noticed when I think back on scenes I’ve watched, I hear the characters speaking English in my head, proving that the experience has been all-encompassing.

This high praise for Korean entertainment is not intended to place a stamp of perfection on it, but to emphasize the striking contrast between it and what we’re exposed to through our own American channel-surfing.

What alternatives to Hollywood do you find yourself turning to?

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Praying Through Film

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We’re used to praying alone, in community, in song and in silence. But we may not consider praying in our movie watching.

It’s typically during Lent that we break out the religious films like The Passion of the Christ and Jesus of Nazareth.

As you watch a movie on the life of Christ, try offering it up to our Lord as a prayer. When you see Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, pray for the strength to accept God’s Will, no matter the cost. When you see Him mocked and crowned with thorns, pray for the humility to accept persecution like He did.

The first time I watched The Passion of the Christ and saw the incredible torture and suffering of Jesus, I couldn’t think of doing anything else but pulling out my Rosary and praying part of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, repeating, “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”

No artistic depictions can accurately capture what Jesus truly endured for us, but they are powerful tools to help us better realize what He suffered for our sins. And using these films to aid in our prayer is a beautiful opportunity, especially during this holy and solemn season.

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Furrow

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In Furrow by St. Josemaria Escriva, this holy man provides us with pearls of spiritual wisdom. His chapter titles include Generosity, Sincerity, Ambition and Friendship. Who couldn’t benefit from this kind of advice? Just a few shared excerpts from St. Josemaria’s book could bless your non-Catholic family members and friends, all the while gently teaching them about one of the great saints of the Church.

Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

“Every Christian has the duty to bring peace and joy to his own surroundings on earth. This cheerful crusade of manliness will move even shrivelled or rotten hearts, and raise them to God.” – Cheerfulness

“Your life is service, but always with stalwart loyalty, laying down no conditions. Only thus shall we be able to give the Lord what He expects.” - Loyalty

“Before God, no occupation is in itself great or small. Everything gains the value of the Love with which it is done.” - Work

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I Believe

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With the New Translation of the Roman Missal, the Nicene Creed we recite during Sunday Mass now begins “I believe” instead of “We believe.”

Doesn’t seem like much of a difference? The surface subtlety dissipates upon further reflection.

At church we celebrate as a community, but our profession of faith must come from within us alone. Just as we will stand before the Judgment Seat of God alone.

As morbid as it sounds, I think about professing my faith while facing possible martyrdom. “I believe” inclines me toward making my faith more distinctly my own. Martyrdom in church may seem like such a remote possibility to us in the United States. But these kinds of shootings happen in our country and even more frequently in other parts of the world.

One of the most recent attacks came just this week at the Syrian Orthodox Church of St. Matthew in Baghdad, Iraq. Christians there are members of the same Body of Christ as we are. And no promise of safety is guaranteed just because we worship in churches in the United States.

A profession of faith beginning with “I believe” means much more if a gun is at your head, the question raised if you believe in God. This was the martyrdom of Cassie Bernall during the Columbine High School shootings, which we commemorate one month from today, thirteen years ago.  No one else can answer for us. Since God has given every person a free will, faith at its very core is an “I believe.”

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Prayer For Those In Media

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When it comes to media, it can be easy to fall into a woe-is-us mentality, complaining about those in the business far more often than praying for them.

It can get very discouraging, and we can feel like the odds are stacked against us. Sure, we might see a conversion here or there, but it seems like the converted are in the minority. But remember that each soul is a soul for the Lord. And each soul will influence others.

We can only do our part and let God touch hearts in His good time. Let us pray together now for those in media:

Father, in a world deafened by a cacophony of sounds, may all be able to hear Your whispering voice. We ask this for all who work in media, the press, radio, television, the Internet and film. May they cherish truth more strongly than their own prejudices and personal agendas. May they present truth in a way that will enlighten hearts rather than inflame passions and conflicts.

We pray for the artists and musicians of the world. May they utilize their talents to give You glory and in the process receive the recognition that they deserve. May they expose the horror and error of sin and the beauty and truth of virtue. We ask this, Father, in the name of Your Son, our Divine Master, the Way, the Truth and the Life, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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Opportunities

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In the 2007 family comedy Evan Almighty, Evan Baxter prays to God to help him in his quest to change the world. Soon after he discovers oddities in his life, leading up to the realization that he is becoming a present-day Noah.

The most powerful teaching moment in the film came when Evan’s wife Joan inadvertently conversed with God in a restaurant. She believed Evan had gone crazy, and so she left with their three boys. Early in the film she prayed that they would grow closer as a family. And so when she vented to God about her situation, He told her that it sounded like they were being presented with an opportunity to grow closer as a family.

He explained how when someone prays for patience, it doesn’t come immediately. The person has to use opportunities that come in order to actually develop patience. And He said it’s the same with bringing the family closer together. Hardships are opportunities for a family to develop a stronger bond.

While Evan Almighty would be considered a secular rather than religious film, there were important lessons to be learned through it – from opportunities to grow in virtue to learning to trust God even when we don’t understand His Will.

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Who Are Your Heroes?

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Through feast days and parish names, saints are honored in the Church. They are role models for all of us on our spiritual journey.

But in another way, it is encouraging to hear about Christians who stand up for what they believe in and give their own special witness of faith through their successful secular careers.

In the last year or so, this has become much more apparent. Especially in sports. NFL quarterback Tim Tebow is a key example, publicly witnessing to his Christian faith on and off the field.

Many people (myself included) had no idea who he was until the Super Bowl commercial “controversy” in 2010. Weeks before the ad’s airing, the liberal media feared it would mention that Tebow’s mother had been pressured to abort him. But the commercial didn’t use the A-word at all. It simply displayed a celebration of life through the playful affection of Tebow and his mother. Thanks to all the hype, Tim Tebow is now a household name and an icon of Christianity in the NFL.

Two even more recent examples of Christian and moral witness come from the world of hockey. Rocco Grimaldi was the Florida Panthers’ second-round NHL draft pick in 2011. Last year he made waves in the secular media because of his tweets on modesty, calling for women to cover up and guys to resist sexual temptations.

Boston Bruins’ goaltender Tim Thomas was the 2011 NHL playoff MVP. When the Stanley Cup Champions were invited to the White House, the Flint, Michigan, native was the only player to decline, stating that he disapproved of how the government is threatening freedoms of American citizens. And on his official Facebook page last month he declared that he is standing with Catholics in the fight for religious freedom.

Many Catholic athletes also witness to their beliefs through the Champions of Faith DVD series and the Catholic Athletes for Christ organization.

Athletes are typically in the news for illegal activities centering around drugs, violence, underage drinking and general recklessness. It is encouraging for young Catholic and non-Catholic Christian boys in particular to see successful athletes who love Jesus and His Church, respecting their bodies and remaining steadfast in their moral convictions.

Which sports players do you admire the most for their Christian witness?

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The Catholicism Series

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This ten-episode series hosted by Fr. Robert Barron delves into important topics in the Catholic Faith, including the Eucharist, Mary, and the afterlife. It’s now available for purchase, but you can also catch it for free on EWTN. Even many churches are offering the opportunity to view and discuss episodes from the series.

Since Catholicism was filmed in 16 countries, several locations are featured in every episode. In addition to the overall quality of the production, the frequent change in surroundings can help hold the viewers’ interest – even if they are lethargic teens in Confirmation classes.

The true universality of our Church and its missionary nature is manifested through the variety of countries the viewer travels to in just one episode.

This Lent, experience Fr. Robert Barron’s Catholicism series on your local EWTN television station or at a parish near you.

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