Wandering in College and in Life

The average college student changes their degree 3 times.  And after graduation, only 27 % get jobs in their area of study!  I bring this up because without clear direction and destination, we usually find ourselves wandering through life. 

I clearly fell into both categories.  Even though I didn’t change my degree 3 times, I debated switching my major from general engineering to math, to education, or business.   The one thing that prevented me from changing degrees was a change in major would involve more schooling and more money, that which I, nor my parents had to spend.  So, I finished my major only to tell my parents that I was going to work for the Church.  You can imagine their excitement! 

What is clearly seen on college campuses and in life is that we seem to wander.  This happens when we don’t have a clear destination.  College students change their major because they don’t know what career they want to pursue.  This happens not only during this transitional time of life, but overall in every one of our lives including our spiritual life.

Many times, when we ignore are ultimate destination; to be in a relationship with our God; our heart begins to wander from one thing to the next.  We look for self-fulfillment in the pleasures of the world.  Or maybe, which has happened to many of my family and friends, we wander to seek other “spiritual” truths, ignoring the very fact Jesus Christ, who is God, has revealed everything about God through His life and His body, the Church. 

This is what the readings of this week are driving at!  They are giving us the direction and destination of how we are called to be with God.  To seek the Lord, to live out our lives in the Beatitudes found in the Gospel and that our lives will end up in Heaven with God!  So, let us put everything aside, stop our wandering, and seek to be union with our God who is love!

Truth Revealed in Skateboarding!

Growing up, I had a best friend who was into extreme sports: BMX bikes, rollerblading, and skate boarding.  And of course, because he was my best friend, I too had similar interests; EXCEPT for skate boarding.  I saw too many times my friend go one way, while the board went the other.  But alas, I cracked into peer pressure when he asked me to try it. The ground was level, nothing tricky.  But my fear became a reality, the board went one way while I went the other with the back of my head hitting the concrete ground.  It was the last time I stepped onto a skate board.  It was also when I discovered the simple fact: that separation can hurt; especially if you are being separated from something you should really remain connected too!

I bring this because painful separations our involved in our readings this weekend.  The first reading, which is quoted in our Gospel as well, is talking about two of the twelve tribes of Israel: Zebulun and Naphtali.  They were the two furthest northern tribes of Israel and they were also the first two tribes to fall away from Israel.  In total, 10 out of the 12 would eventually fall from their faith and covenant with God.  You can imagine terrible pain that occurred from the separation which involved war, but also the pain of a spiritual separation from God.

Division and separation wasn’t something that just happened in the Old Testament either, it continued even into the New Testament.  St. Paul warns the community of Corinth not to be divided by leadership, but to be united by the Cross of Christ!  Here is a community that just accepted the great news of Jesus Christ and it didn’t take long for them to seek division and separation.  The thing is, if we are truly honest with ourselves, we can see that the readings are speaking directly to us today! We our being challenged to seek unity and healing in a world, nation, city, family, and even within our own hearts filled with division and hate.  This healing can’t be done by us, but only by the Love and the Cross of Christ.

Considering the Holy Family, the Magi, and King Herod: I connect with King Herod!

Believe it or not, when I hear the story of Magi in the Gospel of Matthew, I feel closely connected too not the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary or Joseph), not with the Magi, but with King Herod.  Why King Herod?  Well when King Herod is asked the question “Where is the newborn King of the Jews?” He was deeply troubled!  Why?  Because he was supposedly King of the Jews!

Why am I like King Herod?  Well I too want to be the King/Ruler of my life!  Already in my short priesthood, I can point to plenty of times when I didn’t want to surrender my own desires to the King of Kings!  And yet, the Lord constantly calls us to not be like King Herod, but to be like the three magi, also known as three kings or three wise men.  It is in that story that the Magi were willing to follow the Lord wherever He called them.  They also brought gifts to the Lord of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.   Each gift revealed something about the newborn! The gold represented Christ’s kingship.  The frankincense, which was used in worship, represented Christ’s divinity.  While the myrrh, which was used as a burial perfume, represented Christ’s frail humanity. 

Each of these gifts that Christ received from the Magi was given back to His Father in heaven and to you and me.  And just as Jesus, the King of Kings, gave everything back, He likewise is asking us to give back everything we have received from the Lord. So, as we begin this new year it would be great for us to turn away from our desire to be the ruler of our lives, surrender to the true King of Kings, and bring our own gifts of gold (talents), frankincense (prayers), and myrrh (sacrifices)!