Catholic Herald

Entitlement. The idea many of us take on in which we truly believe that we deserve what we have. And it doesn’t stop there. We often find that this idea of entitlement, once bought into, quickly turns into pity. Self-pity. From deserving what I have, to thinking I deserve more.

We train ourselves into thinking that what I have, though I deserve it, is simply not good enough. We complain (notice I am saying “we” here) about the way our day “should have gone,” rather than thinking critically of what choices I could have made, today, to create a healthier and happier life; a life where we look to our challenges and difficulties as a way to build ourselves into a faithful and hopeful people.

I have met some pretty un-happy people. And most of the time (listen for it) their lives would be “happier” if they had just “one more thing.” Rather than concentrating on what we do have and counting those blessings, we often choose to think of “the more” that we could have…or… “deserve.”

Why is that? We are some of the most fortunate people in the world. Are we trained to think this way? I would say, yes. But there is hope. As much as we have been trained to view our world as something that should be handed to me on a golden platter, we can just as easily un-train ourselves. And I believe it’s simple.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and make a suggestion. Take it or leave it, of course, but it is something I believe would alter the way we think of the world. And that suggestion is to start taking inventory of the graces and blessings within our lives. Sound cliché? Maybe. But if it was so cliché, I believe many more of these un-happy people would test the theory.

Without a clear, steady and daily inventory of the many blessings and graces we have been given there is simply no way around the trap of entitlement and pity. We have to stop being the person whose only reflection throughout a day is what kind of latte we want at Starbucks, and instead, start being a people who reflect on the reality of God’s goodness bestowed on us.

By taking inventory of our lives, we ultimately start living in true freedom, the freedom of Jesus Christ. Within this freedom, we venture out of ourselves, rediscovering our call to live life the way it was intended for us.

Sure, it’s not easy. Challenges will always be there. But within these seemingly insurmountable struggles, lies our purpose… to be a people of hope, creating opportunities, and making decisions that lead us to true life within our God. This new vision of freedom within our God will not necessarily make everything better overnight. However, it will give us the vision of Christ, a vision that ultimately looks to the Resurrection. Let’s make the commitment to this freedom today, making our purpose, reality.

Picture it: the rich man encountering Jesus Christ. Face to face, as they look into each other’s eyes. People hear the commotion, inching closer. Can you feel the tension? The rich man, feeling quite well about himself I am sure, asking Jesus if there is more.

You follow the commandments, you say? You are a good person, you say? That’s great. But it’s not enough…

Give it all. I mean everything. Quit holding back. Stop waiting for someone else to do it for you. What is stopping you? You have already gone this far in your faith. Sure, it’s not going to be easy. What I ask never is. If you want easy, than you are looking in the wrong place. But you know you don’t want easy. You have come too far to quit now. It’s just one more thing. Too much you say? No. It’s not too much. Do you know what I have in store for you in my Father’s kingdom?

Why are you walking away disappointed? This is a joyous moment in your life. A moment where you have been given the key to your salvation! It’s so difficult for you to enter with so much wealth. Do you not understand? I want your heart to be free. I desire to give you my Father’s house.

These words, not verbatim Gospel text, of course, are my prayer. These are the words that I imagine the Lord saying to me. And we all know these words are not easy words for any of us to hear. I mean, quite frankly, in last Sunday’s Gospel, our Lord is calling us out. You’re not rich you say? Who cares? Christ makes his point very clear.

But…but…

No buts. No excuses.

Simply speaking, our Lord is asking us to put away what is separating us from Him. I have said and heard many excuses over the years. It’s not convenient. I’ll wait until I’m old. The road is too difficult, etc.

Like the rich man, our Lord also stares into our own eyes, loving us with that same love. Whispering, ever so sweetly, ever so lovingly… get over your self!

I know, I know, not the most charitable example of what our Lord is saying to each of us. Nonetheless, He is calling us to give of ourselves entirely. He is calling us to live no longer with the vision of this world, living instead with a renewed perspective that looks to eternity. There may be tension; there may be commotion. Whatever the case, with a free and virtuous heart, we will pass through that ‘narrow gate.’

This week, whether it be in our schools, homes or workplaces, let us ask the Lord for an empty heart. A heart completely emptied from the riches of the world. Then, and only then, will we fit through that narrow gate too eternal life.

Recently I was speaking with a friend who had left the Church. He had converted to another denomination a few years ago. We began talking about the reasons he had left. Growing up his entire life as Catholic and having a firm faith in the Lord, I asked him why he would convert to another faith. His answer, “My relationship with Jesus was hurting and I needed a faith where it could be strengthened.” I did not understand. We are the “one true faith” I thought. The faith that Jesus handed on to Peter. The Church that Christ married upon the cross. This faith, the faith of all the martyrs and Saints, a faith of billions over the last two thousand years… was not feeding a soul?

Of course, in my mind I was panicking. I love my faith. It means the world to me. And it hurts to see people walk away from it. I wanted to speak of our tradition, our many Saints, our Mother Mary. I wanted to tell him about the faith of the martyrs. I wanted to tell him that our Church’s mission is nothing more than to bring all hearts to the un-failing love of Jesus Christ. But I didn’t. I stood there and wondered where I went wrong. I thought of the many people in my own life who have done the same thing. Am I not holy enough I wondered? Are we, the body of Christ, not fulfilling our mission to go out unto all the world and proclaim the Good News, first by living it? I settled down of course. The rush of my Catholic anxiety went away. And I continued to think.

It hurts to see good, God-loving people move to another faith because they feel as if they were not being spiritually fed. And unfortunately, this is all too familiar with many of our fellow brothers and sisters who have left the Church. Many of whom have found other faiths, or simply stopped practicing all together.

In my last blog I wrote about the first and most important way of evangelizing… holiness. When we, by our daily example, demonstrate within our lives God’s love and mercy the world is changed. With the conversation I recently had, I felt it needed to be reiterated. Without this life of holiness that we have all been called to our Church cannot survive. But it has. And for two-thousand and nine years we have seen the greatest people (Saints) to have ever lived walking and talking the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So I continued to think.

Did people run away from Padre Pio and Mother Teresa when they preached the Gospel? When people saw John Paul II did they see a fake? No, they saw people, regular people, absolutely in love with Jesus Christ. This is what our mission as Catholics must be, to fall deeper in love with our Lord. When this happens, others will see and follow. Others will crawl to our Lord on hands and knees as they did when they encountered these Saints, leaping into the arms of Christ.

We, the body of Christ, have been commissioned to share in His love. A love that demands of us to wear this “yoke” of our Lord upon our shoulders. A yoke of holiness and truth, of love and of dedication to the life our God has called us too.

When we strengthen our love for our God, our Church is strengthened. We are His body as St. Paul reminds us. And to be his body, we must first remain in Him. By remaining in Him, others will see, first hand, this indescribable joy that rests within our hearts. Then and only then, will we see this holiness transcend to the hearts of all.

“Holiness, whether ascribed to Popes well-known to history or to humble lay and religious figures, from one continent to another of the globe, has emerged more clearly as the dimension which expresses best the mystery of the Church. Holiness, a message that convinces without the need for words, is the living reflection of the face of Christ.” – Pope John Paul II

The quote speaks for itself… eh?

Holiness, as John Paul II reflected, is the way in which we bring the living Christ to the world. In my last column, I reflected on the call for all of us, no matter who we are, to “go unto all the world and proclaim the Good News.” I began by speaking about the little ways in which we are called to bring this ‘New Evangelization’ to the world. I wrote about my parents, who by their profession of faith (simply taking me to Mass each Sunday) instilled in me a love for God. In this article, I will speak on the most important form of evangelization of all, holiness.

Let’s be honest, the word is a loaded word. Holiness in no way shape or form takes on one specific way, shape, or form.

What do I mean by that? I mean that all of us have been given a way, a shape and a form for a particular way of living within our God. No way is the same. No Saint is the same. When Mother Teresa was told by a woman she wished she could do what Mother did, Mother immediately responded with the words, you can’t, and you never will… you will do greater things she went on to say. Her point was that we have all been given a duty. That duty is the same in the sense that it is to always follow our Lord’s will, and His will is lived out in over six billion ways.

Jesus Christ, in calling each of us to “be His hands and feet,” as St. Theresa of Avila repeated many times, is patiently awaiting our yes. With that yes, the yes to holiness (responding to His will), our lives and the world is changed.

Is there any greater witness than responding and living that yes each day of our lives? Sure, we will be mocked. We will be ridiculed and called hypocrites. We may even have to literally give our lives as so many Christian martyrs have done, but we will bring the world, by our example, the un-failing love of our God.

This week, as we go off to our schools and workplaces let us be reminded that we are called to let Christ live within us. It is done imperfectly as we all too well understand, but the point is, it is done. And then, with the grace of God, we can become the living Saints He has destined us to be.

Peace to all! I hope your past Labor Day was full of both rest and family fun. This  has always been one of my favorite holidays. It is short and non-commercialized, which, for me, propels it right to the top. The physical and mental labor that each of us do on a day by day basis in our schools, jobs and homes should not be ignored, being rightfully rewarded with a day to catch our breath.

Labor Day is a great reminder of just how much rest our bodies do need. Often times we can forget what it means to take a step back, refreshing ourselves with a day away from the stress we encounter in our work. Without it we are not able to achieve the peak performance in our schools and workplaces, often times growing more agitated by those that we love. Rest rejuvenates us, improving the quality of our responsibilities and lives.

We are instructed by St. Ignatius (taken from one of my favorite prayers) that there is a clear difference between rest in our day-to-day working lives, and rest in Jesus Christ. “To toil and not seek for rest. To labor and not ask for reward, except for knowing that I do your will,” he says.

Taken in context of the prayer, St. Ignatius is obviously speaking of this supernatural mind-frame that we are to put on in our faith. St. Ignatius is instructing us down a path of holiness that is all too often moved to the side. A path that demands of us everything we have in order to live fully in relationship with Jesus Christ. A path where there are no days off, and there is no sleeping, but a path of tireless movement toward our loving God.

Within this spiritual life, Jesus was very clear. There is always work to be done. Never is there a day where our lives should not be immersed in full Communion with our God. How many of us get tired as we strive for this holiness? Many. This, too me, is what separates mainstream faith, from the saints. With the saints, the notion that we are able to take time off with our faith makes no sense. This compartmentalized approach, where, if our faith becomes inconvenient we can push it aside, was not a thought in their minds. Rather, the saints were always moving, venturing closer to our divine savior.

Labor Day is a great time for our bodies to rest and is a time to enhance the bond in our families and friendships. However, let us be reminded by this day and all days of physical and mental rest that with faith, there is no growing tired. That our souls must continually labor if we are to live for him. St. Augustine says this better than anyone, “Our souls are restless until they rest in you, oh Lord.”

May we all continue to strive for that rest that can only be found in Jesus Christ. Let the tireless journey toward heaven begin!

Leonetti, co-founder of Souly Walking, is a Catholic evangelist/radio host. You can visit his Web site: www.VoiceForTheTurn.com