God's Gift of the Present

Hello all! My latest article went up last week, entitled "God's Gift of the Present." You can read the full article over at Catholic Stand!

What got me thinking on this topic is that I finally read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. There were many things I underlined and thought, "Ah! Yeah." The genius of the book is how well it calls out the weaknesses found in human nature, which somehow also highlights the beauty of what makes us human. We can be jealous, but we can also be loving. We are self-interested, and self-sacrificing. The devils find those latter traits utterly pointless and befuddling.

One of the many philosophical points that stood out to me was in the letter in which Uncle Screwtape instructs his nephew about the human concept of time. These devils are always looking for ways to, you know, bedevil us. Screwtape points out that humans are always seeking the future, as if getting there is not only guaranteed, but will be better than the present. When it isn't, we resent God. Further, he instructs that nothing is so least like eternity - that which we are destined for - than the unknowable, vague future on earth. It is a wonderful trick that we humans play on ourselves (or the devils play on us) and which serves no purpose but to upset us and make us angry at God for the mistake of our own blind anticipation.

This brought me back to one of the big things I learned during my Ignatian spirituality retreat "in daily life" earlier this year. There were a few days where the whole purpose of the prayer time was just to think about God in everything, outside of time, and very much in the present. By practicing this sort of groundedness, in that particular prayer and in general throughout the retreat, I felt a perspective shift. I hadn't realized how I neglected the present, the only real moment there is. It's an active practice, to appreciate this moment right now. No rushing to the next meeting, phone call or activity, but sitting in the acknowledgement of the current conversation, the sound of the rain falling, the value of something which takes more of your time than you'd like it to. 

I really do wonder, what is it about humans that makes us always reach for something else than what we have. It seems to be both critical to our human nature - that's what drives us to success, and I think you could say toward God - yet we also often experience this sense of "What's next?" solely through the lens of "When does it get better?" Is it hard for us to accept when things are good in the present, and show gratitude for that? I think that could be part of it. That's something I am keeping at the front of mind and practicing now: acknowledgement of, and gratitude for, the present moment, even when it isn't just exactly what I want or somehow expected. There is a lesson in every day God gives us, even if it's just to be able to learn to appreciate what you have, right now.

The Fatima Celebration

On Friday I received a wonderful video call from a friend in Fatima, Portugal. It was a complete surprise: standing on the metro platform on my way home from work, and suddenly I am looking down at a live video of the celebrations happening in the middle of the night on the other side of the world, honoring the 100th anniversary of Mary's appearance to the Portuguese shepherd children in Fatima.

My phone screen lit up with a sea of people as far as the eye could see, holding candles, singing and praying, and I felt like I was there with them. I became emotional; it was an incredible blessing to be a part of that moment which was really eternal. Mary appeared 100 years, ago, yes, but she continues to be with us as a Mother, and will always be our support. She is there if you look for her.

The Fatima story is also important because Mary appeared at a time of great world turmoil - sound familiar? And she asked and asked for the world to pray the rosary for peace, which we must do, and which is so incredibly important at this time in human history.

Aleteia put together a nice slideshow of Pope Francis's visit and the pilgrims who joined him, which you can view here. The image of him looking at the statue of Mary is particularly profound to me, as I believe this is the statue whose crown contains the bullet that almost killed Saint Pope John Paul II. JP II publicly credited our Lady of Fatima's intercession with saving his life (and the attempt on his life occurred May 13, coincidentally).

I will leave you with this thought from St. Maximilian Kolbe: "Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did."

Businessman sends free Fatima statues to parishes throughout the world

I came across this article last week in the UK Catholic Herald, "Businessman sends free Fatima statues to parishes throughout the world." I love this story for a few reasons:

1: The selflessness of this man, Jose Camara, to serve a cause, and his God (and specifically, his Mother). How many people do you know give completely of themselves in this type of way? 

2: The manner in which he gives, both because it is such modern evangelization, and also because he is doing what he can with he has. He is elderly, so he won't be flying to South America for a mission trip. Instead, he uses his means and resources to send a spiritual experience to those who need it, and he does it with full faith in the power of our Blessed Mother's intervention and without asking for anything in return. It is a very uncomplicated ministry, with very deep reward. I love it!

3. It involves the Blessed Mother. This year is the 100th anniversary of the Fatima apparitions, and her message of conversion is as important now as ever, for every part of the world. It's not just about Russia; the problem of suffering and persecuted Christians is global and worsening. And it's old news that Christians are the most persecuted faith in the world. I attended a talk last week with some of the groups involved in #StandTogether who reported that more Christians are murdered today than in the time of the Roman Empire. 

All of this is reminding me to pray the rosary more often. That is what she asked of us, and even if we are in a position of truly having no resources to share with others, you are never unable to pray. "Always pray and never give up," as St. Luke urged. I mean that: pray, without ceasing, that our fellow believers in the middle east, Africa, North Korea, and everywhere else, may be granted their religious freedom, that greatest of human rights, and for the end of Christian persecution.