The Gift Back to God Realized by the Spirit

I got this framed sign, so far as I remember, as a college graduation gift.

I often think about this sign's message when it's my birthday, because while the day may be about my birth, my life is clearly not about me, but rather all the people who are part of it.

This year, my birthday had a wondrous prelude with Confirmation Masses the day before.  I invested so much in the young people who were confirmed that day.  It was truly a way for me to offer my life, the gift of God to me, as a gift back to Him.

This reality was underscored as I conversed with the families of my students before and after Mass.  Now that I'm in my 12th year of teaching, I've had multiple children in a single family in RE class and also in Confirmation preparation.  In the case of one family, I was involved in faith formation for their two daughters and then their two sons.  Their mom asked if I had any other foursomes, and I couldn't think of any other families with four that have all been under my charge in Religious Education.

It's wonderful that I've been able to building relationships with the students and with the families, especially with multiple children as the circle of life brings them into middle school RE.

As I've mentioned before, so many of the most important aspects of my life converge in teaching Religious Education.  I think about how my time in middle school inspired me to grow deeply in faith and go beyond considering it just as something part of my family to embracing it on my own, making Confirmation a true hallmark experience in my life.  Then I consider how much I flourished anew in faith because of my involvement at St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Student Center at Valparaiso University.  I gained greater understanding of faith, and built upon the foundation laid when I journeyed to Confirmation.

My journey continued into an important new phase when I graduated college and realized my calling to take this great gift of faith, shaped by so many in my life and hand it on to others.  It's extraordinary that I can be present with these young people, supporting and affirming them in faith through what we learn in class and as I guide them to encounter God in Confirmation.

The Church in recent decades has promoted the ideas of the New Evangelization and the Universal Call to Holiness, in which we the faithful, realize that we're meant to proclaim the Gospel by our lives, striving to be transformed in holiness day by day, aiming to be canonizable saints.  Bishop Jose Maria Garcia-Maldonado spoke about these ideas in his homily at the afternoon Mass.  The Masses on March 15 were his second and third Confirmation Masses as a Bishop, since he was ordained on February 26.  He spoke about San Jose Sanchez del Rio and Blessed Carlo Acutis, two great example of young people realizing their purpose in life is to exhibit God's holiness through their lives.  They are two of numerous great examples for these young people who have just started their lives as confirmed Roman Catholics.

I have truly found purpose in life by my part in the church community and in what I have given to these students.  So I had so much to celebrate during the weekend of March 15-16, starting with Confirmation Day on March 15.  Later, I had a pre-birthday dinner with my parents and uncle, followed by my actual birthday celebration the following day on March 16.  I gathered with my family during that weekend to celebrate those who were part of my life from the very start, which was reason for joyful celebration.  I added to it by marveling at all those who have come to be part of my life in all my years, and how I have been able to make something of my life by giving to them.  

God has given me the great gift of life and I have flourished it through entering more deeply into the abundant life that becomes real in us through the working of the Holy Spirit.

With Bishop Jose Maria Garcia-Maldonado in the Pine Room of Ascension School during the celebration following the afternoon Confirmation Mass, after all the students had the chance to pose for photos with him, and someone on staff took my photo.

Dear 1036: The Sound of Music

Dearly Beloved 1036 Clarence,

This month marks the 60th anniversary of the debut of The Sound of Music movie.

We had a two-videocassette set of that movie and watched it multiple times.

There is so much good music in this timeless Rodgers and Hammerstein classic.  It made for a great family experience spending time together with this wonderful story, drawn in by the lyrics.

In the words of the music, it's wonderful to write these letters each month to celebrate my favorite memories of you, dear 1036.  Furethrmore, my heart is filled with gladness to think of the words at the end of Edelweiss when I declare, Bless my home forever.

With great memories such as that movie, I declare that you shall never fade into the background, but remain deep in my heart as that dearly beloved place.

I'm not just lucky, I'm blessed for your part in my life.

And we remain ever connected:

All my relations.

With gladness and gratitude,

God's blessings,

Paul

In Context: Patrick Henry 250 Years Ago

I had a fantastic time this afternoon watching the livestream of the 250th Anniversary reenactment of the Second Virginia Convention session at which Patrick Henry made a speech ending with the epic lines, "Give me liberty or give me death!"

There is so much I could unpack about this special event.  For starters, I am so grateful that it was livestreamed so I could participate, including the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission (VA250).  It brought back memories of July 2009.  As my parents and I were in the initial hours of our journey back to Chicago from a vacation in Williamsburg, VA, I requested we stop in Richmond to visit St. John's Episcopal Church, the site of the Second Virginia Convention.  We went inside and heard from an interpreter the story of the church, the convention, and the speech.

So I already had context for the site when watching today's event.  As impressive as the reenactment were the speeches given beforehand.  Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin had great remarks.  One part that stood out to me was the power of prayer at work, as he referenced Benjamin Franklin's remarks at the Constitutional Convention that as a bird could not fall without God's notice, so an empire could not rise without his help.  I was glad to hear a public official state how the Founding Fathers acknowledge God's role in the start of the nation, in the midst of so much uncertainty.

Ken Burns insightfully noted that it's easy to focus on certain incredible words to the point of creating legends about them.  At the same time, he noted that the American Revolution period had so many important words, like the ones spoken by Patrick Henry.  As I reflected on that remark, I realized how important it is to have events like this reenactment that present the context of the speech so we can connect with its original context and see it in its original reality.

And then Carly Fiorina, the national honorary chair of the VA 250 Commission, noted that this event reminds us of how the USA was started by principles, which have remained important throughout the centuries and made an impact the breadth of this country that spans from coast to coast.  In Virginia, all of us, the people of the United States, can connect with those principles and be inspired by them.

One important aspect of the speech to note is that there was no transcript of the meeting.  The speech was shared orally for years until it was written in the 19th Century, nearly 40 years later.  That speaks to the power of oral sharing of history.  (I actually remember I had an assignment in 7th grade to memorize a speech or poem.  I had wanted to do this speech, but the assignment stipulated I had to share at minimum, the first 8 lines, and I wasn't sure I could memorize the whole speech so I could state the epic concluding words.)

And again, it happened in the midst of a discussion at the meeting.  The reenactors did a great job expressing their diverging views about not wanting to provoke the mightiest superpower on Earth at the time versus recognizing that Britian was making moves against the colonies to restrict freedoms.  Even when Patrick Henry spoke, people raised concerns, and then he responded to them, like when he said, "They say we are weak", or "'People may cry, Peace, Peace'".

So many great words were spoken in that speech that came alive again this afternoon, enhanced by remarks of those who spoke before the reenactment started.  It was an opportunity to see history in its context and appreciate what the Founding Fathers had to contend with in a difficult situation and how they responded as they summoned forth the spirit of liberty that continues to beat at the heart of the USA.

Huzzah!

Symbols in Church, Invisible Realities Represented

I was at church 20 years ago this evening for another monthly Confirmation preparation meeting.  After starting in the Pine Room, we went to the church.

At that time, the walls and ceilings were covered with symbols and other imagery.  In the 2 years following my Confirmation, as part of Ascension Parish's centennial celebration, much of it was painted over, partly to help the stained glass window imagery stand out.

As I reflect on that March meeting, I think about what was there and what stood out to me.  The images all had something to say about our faith.

There was an area with imagery related to the seven sacraments, which was a throwback to the December meeting.  I have a memory that the walls had images related to the virtues and the Holy Spirit.

In the Crucifixion mural above the high altar, at the base of the Cross of Christ was a stump from which water flowed and went along the walls through the entire church. That was a great image of how, from the Paschal Mystery, living waters flowed, and through baptism, we joined ourselves, through water, to Christ in death and Resurrection.

Indeed, there are many words to express what we believe as a Church, much of which I learned during Confirmation preparation.  Images offer another great dimension to help us see who we are and what we believe, even as visual elements show invisible realities.  That's the idea of a sacrament, which I experienced in a powerful way on the day of my Confirmation.

Even though some of that imagery has ceased to be there in the church, each year, I still enjoy taking my RE classes on a tour of the church to look at what's there and help them appreciate the imagery and the other elements of the church.  One area I like is the Blessed Mother Mary's statue.  She's standing on a snake.  It symbolizes that the curse that emerged because of Adam and Eve's shortcoming was reversed by Christ, Who entered the world because Mary said "yes" in obedience to God.  We remember how much God loves us by the Sacred Heart, and there's a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the transept near Mary's statue.

I also like the imagery of the four Gospel writer figures on the ambo.  And I frequently marvel at the glorious scene in the dome of Christ's Ascension.  Underneath that dome, on October 15, 2005, I experienced a glorious encounter with God when His Holy Spirit descended on me and has sent me forth to live the realities shown by the images inside Ascension Church.