Hunger for the Eucharist and working in the field

Today I met a man who is seeking to become Catholic... Let's call him 'mark.' I didn't speak to him for long, but I asked him what brought him from his Protestant upbringing to the Catholic faith.. He told a few stories, but mostly it was his questions and thirst for the truth. Then, when comparing the traditional parish to a typical parish he clenched his fists threw his head back and said 

"I hunger for Christ in the Eucharist. I cannot wait to receive him"

My heart fell a bit... How often do I receive the fullness of Christ and fail to recognize it? How often am I dragging myself to Mass and struggling to pay attention? And on the flip side- when I do have a powerful experience of Christ in the Eucharist, do I leave there thankful, or entitled assuming this will always happen, and then am I let down when the emotions aren't there the following Mass or Adoration?

We are given the greatest gift of all eternity. And even when we don't recognize it, Christ is always faithful. When we don't show up, he always does. But this is no excuse for laziness on our part..

This past Wednesday the gospel was about the generous boss. [see scripture passage here (Mt 20:1-16)] He hired workers at the beginning, middle, evening, and end of the day and paid them the same. The homily was a good one- especially for us cradle Catholics. Father said that yes, those of us working for all of the day have more time to do the lords work, but we also are able to see the fruit of our labor. We are able to see the hand of The Lord in our lives more, to experience the joy of his faithfulness, and be healed by his merciful love. The end goal and gift is the same- eternal life- and it is undeserving no matter how long you live or how strong your faith is or how many good works you perform. But by being there, the whole day, we are given the opportunity to work with The Lord in our lives. 

For anyone who has the work of God before them, who may get temped by the seemingly easy life those of the world have, remember the opportunity we have and the reality of the gift of the Eucharist. 

Lord help us recognize you this day. Open our eyes and hearts. Thank you for the opportunity to do your work in the world each day. You always give us the strength, grace and love through your presence in the Eucharist. Help us desire you, give us a thirst only you can quench and lead us deeper into your sacred mystery and truth.
Amen

TED Talks and the World Cup

If you know me, I get excited often, and I'm generally joyful. So many different things bring me joy... playing with a puppy, children laughing at bubbles, singing in the car with the windows down.

But there is one thing that with out fail brings me joy: witnessing a person do what they are passionate about.

I heard of Ted Talks in college... and I quickly fell in love. Now I fell in love for a few reasons - the content is almost always good, the speaking style varies with each talk but is engaging, and it is a great way to learn about new studies or interesting niches of academia. 

However, what has me clicking on the TED talk playlist on YouTube is that with each video I witness passion. To me, that is amazing. That I can not only learn the 6 ways mushrooms can save the world, but I will see a man who is able to explain his work to a crowd who really only cared about the portabello. And even though I most likely will never be a spoken word poet, I can get a quick lesson from Sarah Kay, that spoken word doesn't have to be indignant. 

People are created in the image and likeness of God. A truth that manifests itself in humanity's ability to love, to choose, and to create. And when we live full of love, when we choose to find God in our everyday, we are able to create, learn, and bring joy to others.

Over the weekend I witnessed another display of passion - the US woman's world cup team take the championship. As a soccer player for my whole life I may be biased, but it truly was one of the most impressive games I have ever seen. (Spoiler... we won)

I don't follow soccer, and I didn't know much of the history of the players before I saw the game. One thing, however, was impossible to miss - the passion and joy each player wore the entire game. 

I mean... look at that face.

So as I sat on my couch this past Sunday watching the game, and as I listened to TED talks this morning I began to thank God for the gift of having passions. Because passionate people are not only found on stages or in stadiums - I see them every day. I see my boss, who, yes it is weird, is passionate about streamlining our processes at work to make it more efficient. I see friends who seek out adventure and live with a passion for discovering new places. And even in the most humble moments, I see the many mothers at our parish who passionately love their children encouraging them to grow.

"The Glory of God is a man fully alive" - St. Irenaeus

I try everyday to wake up and live with passion. And that is what I ask of you... when you live with passion, people notice.