What on Earth Are You Doing For Heaven's Sake?

Pax Christi vobiscum! Come Holy Spirit!

Ciaody from Roma! Well, I'm now into the 3rd week of class here in Rome, and it's amazing how much Italian you can forget over the weekend. I think I just hit an altopiano, which means plateau, but if you translate it directly, it means, "highfloor," which you could interpret to mean that I have been able to reach really high.... <*insert ceaseless affirmations from you here>. Aww, thanks. You're too kind.

Well, now that I'm feeling really inflated, to the message for today. Today was interesting: it was my first sick day. Yep, it all caught up to me today...I guess I really hit that highfloor. Which actually is part of my...

Top 10 Ways of Knowing I am Living in Rome:

10) Returning from a vacation...to Rome.
9) Getting sick and being able to spend the day in bed (where's Mom's soup when you need it?)
8) Having a mailing address in Italy....
7) Running through Rome for exercise, and not just because I'm late for a train.
6) Discovering that it's okay to be late for an Italian train.
5) Getting to know the Pope's schedule like the back of my hand.
4) Getting lost in Rome and not being lost in Rome (you figure it out, but it works).
3) Waking up in the morning to find I am where I went to sleep the night before.
2) The street vendors know me buy name.
1) The Pope calls me to find out his schedule.

The only two I haven't realized yet are numbers 2 and 1. But I'm sure they'll happen sooner or later (banking on later).

It was actually really nice to get the day to just relax in bed, even while being sick. I think God is trying to get me to realize that I need to stop living on my own strength and start living on His. Today really afforded me an opportunity to retreat from seminary life (which gets pretty busy), and to reflect and pray. So it was a blessing in disguise.

I also got to watch a documentary on my hero, Pope John Paul II. He really was an amazing man, and I'm convinced he's praying for us right now in heaven. I pray that I get to be here when he is beatified by the Church--what an event that will be!

But to the point: I was inspired again to watch how radically this man turned his life over to God, and look how God used him! He inspired millions...actually, billions! The world knew this man was a holy man, even if they disagreed with him. But JPII was not afraid to face contention, to fight against lies and darkness, or to bring people closer to Jesus Christ! In fact, he really wasn't afraid of anything! And those where his first words at the start of his pontificate: Be Not Afraid!!! So I encourage you all, be not afraid! Because "God is love," as we read in the first letter of St. John (and also as Pope Benedict's first encyclical reminds us), and "perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:16-18). And we have the strength for everything through Jesus Christ who empowers us (Philippians 4:13).

I address this next part specifically to any teens reading this right now: Do not be afraid to follow Christ, to give Him your dreams, your aspirations. He will give you more than you can imagine...and then some. I'm not saying you should be able to do this overnight--it takes time. But what I am asking you to do, challenging you to do is to say, "Lord God, show me how to give you everything." Or if that's a bit too hard (which is fine), say, "Lord God, show me how to want to give you everything (or even how to want to want)." Even if you do this much, you will be amazed at how God begins to work in your life. Trust me. The only reason I am here right now is because God gave me the people to encourage me to do the same. And I'm encouraging you now: Don't just rock the boat, get out of it--then you can walk on water.

Re-reading that now, that passage can also apply to the adult readers here. I'm telling you it is never to late to turn to God, giving Him everything we've got--He will only give us more.

May God bless you with His abundant grace and peace that are ours in Jesus Christ!

P.S. - Oh, and here is a link to the pictures from our beginning-o-the-year events (just click "events").
P.P.S. - Thank you, Fr. Tom, for the title.