Do you know what you want to be?

Do you know what you want to be?
Have you asked me? - God
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This may be one of the most difficult questions for anyone to answer: What do you want to be? Or what do you want to do with your life? For six years I worked in high school ministry. Without exception, year after year, the answer to that question would not come easy for our seniors as they looked toward college and the rest of their lives. What to do? What to study? Where to study? Oftentimes they would pick a college, and maybe put off picking what to do in life until later.

Although there were more questions than answers, there was still one answer that they all agreed upon: “I want to be happy.” I guarantee that this is also what God wants. He has a particular plan for each one of us. And this plan, or calling, is already the greatest desire of our hearts. He has planted it there, and throughout our lives He has been creating us to fulfill that call, whatever it may be.

The simple way I have explained it to my students is this: God is the Great C.E.O. of the Kingdom. And as any C.E.O., He wants to “hire” the best people for the job, whatever particular job that is. He will want people who are skilled, and who love what they are doing, because then they will invest themselves in the company, or Kingdom.

Whatever we may do with our lives, every one of us is first and foremost a laborer for the Gospel and for Christ. There is where we will find true happiness – in Him. You don’t know what you want to be? Be first a disciple of Christ. Then ask God to help you find the plan that is already the greatest desire of your heart. In all that we do, we should do them in memory of Him.

Death of Fr. Joseph Linck, former Rector of St. John fisher

After a year and a half battle with cancer, Fr. Joseph Linck passed into his rest at 9:30am on Friday, August 29. This was also the feast of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist. Without yet knowing that Fr. Joe had passed away, I had given a homily that same morning to the seminarians at St. John Fisher that is like what follows. I have since adapted it upon further reflection since hearing the news.

John the Baptist is known as “the voice” who prepared the way of the Lord. It caused me to reflect at how many saints and martyrs had such a ministry, and how many had followed these saints zealously. But, when they went home to the Lord, where did those disciples go? I thought about how few actually stepped up to continue the mission of the Gospel, following in the footsteps of the one who had so inspired them to follow Christ. Almost as if when their “Voice” had been silenced, there were so few among their followers who made the mission their own. If not you, then who? If not now, then when? On that same day, one of our beloved priests went home to the Lord, a good and faithful servant. He is one of three we have lost over this summer. As we now pray for the repose of the souls of Fr. Kevin Fitzpatrick, Fr. David Krahel and Fr. Joseph Linck, I continue to wonder the same thing over again. Now their “Voice” has been silenced, who will follow their example? Who will now take up the mission and make it their own? Who will trust in the power of the Lord in their lives and say yes, making themselves available for the work of the Gospel, that no one would be lost? Who will respond to the Lord’s request from Isaiah 6, “Whom shall I send?” If not you, then who? If not now, then when?

Fr. Joseph Linck, are a good and holy priest, forever. An example of humility, an inspiration of faith and hope, we pray you hear the Lord say to you, "Well done my good and faithful servant. Come share your master's joy." (Mt. 25:21) We love you and we will miss you, but we know when you are in heaven you will be a great and powerful advocate for us all. May you rest in peace.

Youth: Be Apostles to your Peers

This was great from the Holy Father - so I had to copy and share. I received this through the daily info email from the Vatican: "Vatican Information Service."

YOUNG PEOPLE: BE APOSTLES TO YOUR PEERS

VATICAN CITY, 14 JUN 2008 (VIS) - At 8 p.m. today Benedict XVI landed at the airport of Brindisi where he was welcomed by the religious and civil authorities of the region. He then travelled by car to the city centre where he was greeted by the local population, and especially by young people.

The Pope recalled how Brindisi had once been "a place of embarkation for the East", and that it is still "a port open to the sea", where of late many refugees from Eastern Europe have arrived to find "refuge and assistance".

"Such solidarity forms part of the virtues that make up your rich civil and religious heritage", he said. "Among the values rooted in your land, I would like to mention that of respect for life, and especially attachment to the family which today faces attacks from many forces that seek to weaken it. How necessary and important it is, even in the face of these challenges, that all people of good will undertake to defend the family, the solid foundation upon which to build the life of all society".

Turning then to address young people, the Holy Father explained how he well understood both their enthusiasm for life and the problems afflicting them. "In particular", he said, "I understand the burden weighing upon many of you, and upon your future, because of the dramatic problem of unemployment. ... In the same way, I know that your youth is threatened by the lure of easy earnings, and by the temptation to find refuge in artificial paradises or to allow yourselves to be attracted by warped forms of material satisfaction.

"Do not let yourselves be ensnared by the trap of evil", he added. "Seek a life rich in values, in order to create a more just society, one more open to the future. ... It is up to you ... to ensure that progress becomes a greater good for everyone. And the path of goodness, as you know, has a name: it is called love".

"The love of God has the sweet and compassionate face of Jesus Christ", said the Holy Father, "and thus", he told the young people, "we have come to the heart of the Christian Message: Christ is the answer to your queries and problems. ... Follow Him faithfully. And, in order to be able to meet Him, love His Church, feel responsible for her, do not seek to avoid being - each in his or her own environment - courageous protagonists".

"You are the young face of the Church. Do not fail, then, to make your contribution so the Gospel she proclaims may spread everywhere. Be apostles to your peers".

Following the meeting, the Holy Father travelled to the residence of the archbishop of Brindisi-Ostuni where he spent the night.

PV-ITALY/MEETING/YOUNG PEOPLE VIS 080616 (480)

The Perceived Disconnect between Priests and Laity: Part II

My friend brought up the concern about the seal of Confession, and if it would be broken if a priest preached on what he heard in the Sacrament of Confession?

I answered:

You make an excellent point. It is amazing how the Holy Spirit works, though. What I mean, for example - what I had received in prayer to preach on at Mass on different weekends, before going in to hear confessions, was exactly what had come up in people's confessions. I had to tell people in confession that it was actually something I was going to treat in the homily (mostly to let them know and assure them I was not going to be talking specifically about them - so they know I am not breaking the seal... what they have come to confess just happens to be, by the Holy Spirit, what is in the readings that Sunday, and what has drawn my attention in prayer to preach about...). So, what I am getting at, is that when a priest preaches he is not breaking the seal of confession, since he is not identifying a particular someone and their sin they had confessed. He is still compelled to preach, and at times bring people to conviction... I guess you could say - if the priest had to leave out of his homilies what is confessed in the sacrament, he would never speak from the pulpit... at the same time he is not allowed to reveal what he heard from any specific person what was confessed... does that make sense? If people think the priest is talking about them in his homily, it is more likely that he is not talking about them (and so revealing what was confessed) but rather the Holy Spirit convicting them, and teaching them further in a pastoral way of what to do about it (something often not covered within the sacrament of Confession due to time limit), and a message of hope - that Christ conquers.

Does that make sense? basically: A priest does not break the seal when he preaches about sin - specifically because he is not revealing anyone's particular confession. He must preach about sin, and redemption - he just doesn't use examples from the confessional, but rather the Gospel... which is applied to our lives. Guaranteed, if a priest is preaching about what he is supposed to be preaching about, it will at the same time, normally by chance, be something that someone has confessed.

My friend then asked:

Thanks so much for clarifying. So, as long as a priest doesn't say something to the effect of - "by what I'm hearing in the confessional, I think we need to discuss X . . . " But could certain trends of sins (say he is hearing a lot about road rage), could he then think to himself - wow, a lot of people are affected by road rage; maybe I should preach about this in my next homily. Or would that be too close to breaking the seal, and it would be better for the priest to use an example from the Gospel in order to preach against unrighteous anger, etc.?

I said:

Yes - I think you have the idea. That would be the prudent way to go about it. It is like a step removed, but still helping people - and maybe more broadly than just road rage. For another thing - I may not preach specifically on masturbation, but sexual purity (the positive spin)... On the other hand, I may preach on pornography (keeping in mind there are children in the pews) because it is even from outside of Confession that I know people, and mainly men, have a serious problem with it - even an addiction... or I may save that for a men's retreat or something... but be able to give practical advise about getting away from it. So, a priest can preach on things without breaking the seal, because it is even from knowledge outside the confessional that he would speak on.

All things considered, though, the Seal of Confession is among the most sacred things we practice. To realize how sacred it is, if a priest breaks the Seal of Confession is is immediately, and automatically excommunicated, and can no longer function as a priest until he is forgiven by the Pope, who is the only means of recourse for him at that point. If he is forgiven, usually then he is not allowed to function publicly, and will spend the rest of his life as a priest in a monastery to do penance and make reparation, as well as intercede for the world. So, we need to be very careful, as you can see.

The Perceived Disconnect between Priests and Laity: Part I

A friend of mine asked for a response to a thesis paper she is writing. The thesis is: From your perspective, what effect do you believe a mass return by ALL Catholics to the Sacrament of Reconciliation could possibly have on the "so-called" divide between the laity and the clergy? Is this Sacrament a "voice for the laity" and "ears for the clergy"?

I responded with:

From the perspective of "both sides of the screen," as it were, it is certainly the case that, exactly because of Confession, priests actually are very aware of what the laity is going through. Confession has become not only a place to confess sins, but also a place to receive counsel or even just to vent and dump all their cares and worries. In fact, I would venture to say that priests, because of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, are even more connected and knowledgeable of the laity and in a greater context. The struggles in relationships, in morality, in finances and all the dynamics of the workplace - or lack thereof - is wrestled in the confessional against the backdrop of the eternal, as well as their consciences - the deepest part of a person, and their desire to be good and faithful. The knowledge in the confessional is about things that even a person's spouse may not know! Certainly it is true that if ALL were to come back to the sacrament, there would be a greater connectiveness. But the perceived divide is not so great as many may think. One needs to remember that, with pastoral understanding, a priest would not be fulfilling his ministry and call if outside the confessional he were to simply tell people that whatever they do is alright. He is a herald of the Gospel. And in such a prophetic role, he is the voice that is calling everyone to holiness. So, not that there is a disconnect between the confessional and the pulpit or any other pastoral encounter, but rather there is a standard that by which we are called to live as Christians, in the image and likeness of God. The pulpit, et. al., is the place where the fire is stirred into flame, and the confessional is where we can make sure the fire doesn't go out! It is the place to find the grace and mercy to respond to our high calling. As I like to say - we are called to be faithful, and going to the Sacrament of Confession, which was given by Christ so we would use it, because He knew we would need it, is the practice of remaining faithful. Without the Sacrament of Confession we could not remain faithful.

I think more truly, the divide is between how we were meant to live our lives in Christ, and how our sinful and selfish natures want to live our lives... and the priest is inconvenient to our selfishness because he calls us to greater perfection. So the perception is that he just doesn't understand. If he did "understand" he wouldn't say/teach what he is ordained to say/teach, so says the sinner. Take it from me - a long practiced sinner!

The overall reality, from my experience both in the confessional, and talking with my brother priests, is that they do understand their people very well, and carry their burdens and sorrows that they know from Confession and counseling in their hearts in prayer and to the altar. They look out at the people from the pulpit and see the faces of those they are preaching to, and they know them personally, and what they are going through. I was praying over it just recently, and this is the image I came up with about this whole thing: for the priest, being in persona Christi, the confessional (or even counseling) is like the Garden of Gethsemane - he takes on all these burdens of his people, and bears them to Calvary at the altar. There is where God's people find resurrection and life, as the priest lays all these things there to be sacrificed and offered to the Father in Christ. I find myself quite distracted at Mass some times - not about things I have to do (although that happens, selfishly), but about what I know that people in my life are going through - and I bring it there, especially as I prepare the gifts, and pour these things in that cup and lay them on the altar, like that bread. Then, as I pray those words of consecration, I put as much of my heart into it as I can - and I mean all the things and people in my heart as well. This is the Church's offering on which the Father looks with favor - and by our whole union with Christ, with all our worries and our whole lives poured out and laid out on the altar with Him, He may make us an everlasting gift to the Father, and enable us to share in the inheritance of His saints (Eucharistic Prayer III). Notice in the First Eucharistic Prayer that we ask the Father to "accept this offering from your whole family." And then we ask Him to "bless and approve" it; and we ask Him to "Let it become for us the body and blood and Jesus Christ." In other words, as we lay everything there on the altar, we are asking the Father to transform, and not let it remain as it was before, just as the Eucharist is no longer what it was before, but now has become Who we are meant to be. We could not do this on our own, for ourselves. It is only by the power, grace and mercy of God, which is allowed us through the sacraments, and so through the hands of a priest.

The Triduum - The Holy Days of our Salvation

Will you love as He has loved you? This is a heroic kind of love! And it is the love that we were created for!! By the gift of His very life dwelling in us, the power of the Holy Spirit, we are made members of the Body of Christ - we are all called to love with a love like His. Are we man enough? Are we woman enough? Will we allow ourselves to be ruled by this culture or by our passions, or be ruled by the King of Love? Will we have the courage to say yes to the specific life of love He has planned for us, which means our true happiness?

This is the love that everyone is looking for in all the wrong places. Say yes to His call, and be a minister of the grace the world is dying for.

How do you know? Part II - Where!?!

Hey folks!

I promise to get better at this - I will post more frequently!!!

It has been asked, as you see in the blog, when you know the Lord is calling, then how do you know where He is calling you to? How can you know which way of life - whether it is diocesan or religious; or, if religious life, is it active or contemplative?

Well, I explain the discernment process toward priesthood and religious life much like the discernment process toward marriage - mainly because they are not only related, but these vocations are reflections of each other... So, I am going to speak in "dating" terms, but always keeping religious communities or ways of life in mind.

We can simply ask ourselves: How do you find your love?

To find who is our love, we need to meet different people, get to know them, and spend some time with them. It will not come like lightning out of the sky, or be placed at our doorstep. It is the same way with the different ways of religious life. Of course, in the first step mentioned in January, we should have a pretty good idea of who we were created to be, or what kind of ministry we may be more inclined to do or gifted for. This helps to narrow the field, so to speak, and look for those ways of life (charisms) among the religious lives that are out there. Then we have different groups/communities that surface which we should then visit and spend time with in order to get to know them. The personal contact is something we have lost a bit in our technological and busy lifestyles. How can we know if we can spend our lives with this community, with these people, unless we get to know them? We will find our love as we get to know them and their life better. We will find one or a couple that we find ourselves more attracted to.

Always remember - there is nowhere that is perfect. Yes, they may be religious or priests, but they are human, and sinners as well; striving for holiness like any of us, and always in need of reconciliation and conversion.

Next, as we think we have narrowed it down, there are communities/ways of life who have a kind of "exclusive dating" period, which is often called postulancy (to be a postulant) or minor seminary. This is not a commitment to final vows! It is a more focused opportunity to look at this way of life. If things seem right, then one would move on to novitiate (to be a novice) which is more direct formation and discernment for a year, or so. After novitiate would be simple vows or temporary vows - like being engaged to be married (to Christ). After renewal of simple vows for another year (some communities are more) then would be final/solemn vows.

Three things to remember with this process:

1. There is no shame in leaving before final/solemn vows when one finds that this particular community is not what they are called to. That's what the "dating" and "engagement" stages are there for (the postulancy/novitiate and simple vows). It is a discernment process.

2. If you leave one community, that does not mean you do not have a vocation to religious life at all. We are in the Catholic (meaning Universal) Church - there are many spiritualities, which are different facets of the fuller revelation of Christ. There is NO one community/charism, but many. If you are not called to one, but still feel called to an exclusive devotion to the Church and our Lord, then there is another out there that you were created for.

3. As you go through these steps, you should be weighing in your heart the answer to these questions: Is this who I am? Is this the love of my heart, to which I can give my whole life, for my whole life?

For more on discernment see:
For Men: www.HearTheCall.org/mens_discern.html
For Women: www.HearTheCall.org/womens_discern.html

How do you know? The first installation.

Welcome! And Happy New Year!

One of the most common questions about trying to figure out what God is calling us to is: How do you know? Oftentimes we are looking all over the place for signs, and sometimes screaming up to Heaven for God to JUST TELL ME!!! Well, there are a few simple ways that we may have some idea, and then there is a sure way beyond these simple ways. Let's look at each one over the next several weeks...

The First Simple Way: Know yourself!
Although it is simple, it may not be easy. We sometimes don't like to look at our lives to know who we are. This may be because we are afraid of what we will find. What if we don't like who we really are? Or, we are currently comfortable with our lives, so why upset things, even though we have this nagging question? It may even be that we find it hard to believe that anyone who really knows who we are could like us. So, we have spent so much time living up to an image we think people expect, that we haven't really been true to ourselves.
But, the truth is, God has made each of us for a specific purpose. And since we are made that way, then wouldn't there be some clues in how we, ourselves, are sort of "built." What I mean is, who we are meant to be is who we have been growing into. So, our deeper or first inclinations, or those things that excite us or drive us further, or the real, underlying reason we get out of bed in the morning can all be indications of what we were made for. What would your answer would be for that classic bumper sticker that says: "I'd rather be ____"? When you look back on any given day, at any moment in your life, what do you find has been your response? Where were you when you were supposed to be somewhere else? What were you doing rather than what you were "supposed" to be doing?
For me, before I was a priest, it all kind of started when I realized that instead of hanging out with my girlfriend at the time, my first inclination, or the thing I found myself doing was helping people. Sometimes taking the time out to listen to people who had problems. Then I realized my first desire, really, was to serve people, and help them heal.

Tell me what you think. Ask me more.

Discussions start soon!

Hey Everyone,

Starting after January 6, 2008, we will begin the Blog-o-sphere discussions. If you have any suggestions that you would like to blog about feel free to submit them to me, right here! We will have blogging about how to discern; how do you know; what is prayer; how do I know what a good prayer life is like; or even what Jesus means from what He says in different Scripture passages. Maybe you have something burning in your heart or your cranium that you always wanted answered! Let's look at it together!!

As we approach the New Year, may God bless you with every grace to know His will, and strength, courage and generosity to follow it.
In Christ,
Fr. Lynch

Father's Test

Glory to God - I am catching up with the 21st century! Stay tuned for new topics, and please feel free to weigh in!!