God as our cheerleader: Rooting for you

		Living the Scriptures  with St. Paul University  Catholic Center  Katie Lease

Pentecost is one of my favorite celebrations of the presence of God on earth.

After the Crucifixion of Christ, I cannot imagine what fear and anxiety must have weighed upon the Apostles. What must they do now that their Master is gone?

Then, as the Lord came to them, all was revealed. Not only this, but He breathed into them a gift: the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost Sunday (May 30, 2004) Acts 2:1-11 Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Rom 8:8-17 Jn 20:19-23 or Jn 14:15-16, 23b-26

With that, the Spirit began to grow in each of the Apostles, just like it grows in each of God's children - you and me.

One of the most important things we must remember as brothers and sisters in Christ is that we are all given unique gifts. The Spirit works in many different ways and at many different times.

It is easy to point out gifts among us: the woman with the angelic voice in the choir, the persevering hospice worker, and the gentle parent.

This message from Saint Paul is to use and cherish the gifts God has bestowed on us and, with them, work together to glorify the Lord. "As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ."

Together, by using the different gifts we are given, we make up a single unit in the quest to be more like Jesus.

"I have been crucified in Christ and no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). In doing these works together, we are fulfilling our calling from Christ and He begins to dwell within us.

The first step in all of this is acknowledging the gifts within us. Too often we limit our talents, but God has never-ending faith in us. We cannot fail!

"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall" (Psalm 55:22).

	Reflection questions • What are the gifts I've been given to share with others? • Am I using these gifts for the glory of God?

I often feel like God is my cheerleader. Although, when the going gets tough and the cheerleaders become annoying, I want to tell Him, "Be quiet!" Yet, I know He is always on my side.

So my brothers and sisters, my team, He is urging us to not fear and GO! GO GET 'EM!

Katie Lease is a freshman psychology major at UW-Madison; she works at the front desk at St. Paul University Catholic Center.

St. Paul's Web site is www.stpaulscc.org

Sharing our faith: Relying on the Spirit of Truth

		Living the Scriptures  with St. Paul University  Catholic Center  Niki Denison

Just as I sat down to write this reflection, two Jehovah's Witnesses rang my doorbell. I asked them to wait and went to get a booklet on Christian prayer, adding that I didn't have time to talk.

After they accepted the booklet and left, the irony hit me. God had sent two living, breathing human beings, and I was so focused on what I was doing that I missed the opportunity to talk with them.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (June 6, 2004) Prv 8:22-31 Ps 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 Rom 5:1-5 Jn 16:12-15

But it wasn't just that. I shy away from discussions about my faith because I'm afraid that I won't know what to say. I forget that we have to trust the Holy Spirit for the words. "But when He comes, the Spirit of truth - He will guide you to all truth."

And even the Holy Spirit does not rely solely on Himself; "He will not speak on his own, but He will speak what He hears (from the Father)." If even the Holy Spirit doesn't rely exclusively on Himself, then I certainly shouldn't.

When I stop relying on myself, I have no excuse not to share my faith, because if I don't, that means that I don't have faith in the Spirit to know what to say.

The wisdom of the Holy Spirit has been around a lot longer than this world and its sects and religions: "Before the earth was made, Wisdom was conceived."

The Spirit has a wealth of wisdom beyond our personal understandings and shortcomings to share if we will only cooperate.

If He moves us to speak, we know that the timing is perfect. That doesn't mean that we don't have to be prepared. I'm going to order some tracts that refute the Witnesses' claims from a Catholic perspective. If I study these, I won't have to rely on handing out literature to share Christ's saving power.

Of course, there are times when it's not practical to get into a long discussion. And some of us are too painfully shy to engage in debate or are incapable of it for some other reason. In those cases, I think of our Holy Father's recent comment that even our facial expressions should be an eloquent witness of God and his love.

I was not an eloquent witness to this young couple. My brusque manner certainly did nothing to make them want to know more about the one true, Trinitarian God. Although they must knock on a lot of doors, their expressions told me that they are not entirely immune to the rejection they must experience on a regular basis.

	Reflection questions • Has God given me an opportunity to share my faith lately that I have missed or been afraid to act upon? • What is one thing I can do to better prepare myself for the next time such an opportunity comes along?

If they can find the courage, how much more justified are we in sharing our faith, since we have been blessed with the full knowledge of truth? We may not go door to door, but at least, we can take advantage of these types of divine appointments to share our faith when God puts someone in our path.

It is for this that "the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us."

Niki Denison is a community member of St. Paul's who has worked on campus for the last 15 years.

St. Paul's Web site is www.stpaulscc.org

Faith Alive! for May 27, 2004

In a Nutshell How do we find God's will for us in our personal life choices? God is engaged in a lifelong dialogue with us. Our role is to pay attention, listen and try to respond. To hear God, we need to pray, to set aside quality time to really pray. It is also very helpful to have a spiritual director to talk with. Catholic News Service 3211 Fourth St NE Washington DC 20017 202.541.3250 cns@catholicnews.com	Food for Thought   It happens when you're in a hurry, when time -- your own time -- is of the essence. Suddenly, as you're rushing along, someone appears in your path, a likeable person who obviously wants to talk. Maybe this person actually "needs" to talk. But should you stop to talk with this person now -- really, to listen to him or her? What is God's will here? Perhaps you were rushing because already you were half an hour late for a young family member's birthday celebration or a similar event. And spending time with the friend or acquaintance you've just encountered easily could require another 20 minutes. Similar scenarios happen all the time. You're pressed for time when someone you wouldn't want to brush off appears at your door or calls on the phone. What do you do? full story   How Can We Find Out What God Wants of Us? By William Thompson-Uberuaga Catholic News Service St. Ignatius Loyola, the 16th-century founder of the Jesuits, thought that God sometimes rather forcefully reveals the divine will to us. In his "Spiritual Exercises," Ignatius pondered at extraordinary depth what is involved in discerning the divine will. In his conversion experience, St. Paul experienced God's forceful revelation of the divine will. Mary Magdalene, when she received the command to communicate the good news of the resurrection, had a similar experience. full story  "How" to Know God's Will for Us By Father Warren Sazama, SJ Catholic News Service Trying to discern and generously respond to God's many calls to us throughout our lives makes life a much more exciting adventure than if we try to stay in control by calling all of our own shots. The constant prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola was for the grace to discover God's will and have the strength to follow it. Ignatius experienced God actively and personally in his life and professed God to be similarly involved in every person's life, speaking to us directly in our hearts, minds and souls -- through our thoughts, feelings, desires and inner inclinations. full story  The Choices We Make to Act Upon God's Will By Father David K. O'Rourke, OP Catholic News Service My uncle was the tax collector in our little town when I was a young boy in the 1940s. There was a woman who worked with him who used to wonder, pretty concretely and out loud, about God's plan for her today. And she did it as she was hand-addressing the tax bills every day: "Does God want me to put two eggs in the meatloaf tonight or maybe just one?'' And then she'd stop and look up and ponder the matter for a while. Uncle Jim, waiting to get the bills mailed out, used to tell her that maybe what God wanted her to do was get the right bill in the right envelope. full story
	Faith in the Marketplace   This Week's Discussion Point: Tell of an occasion when you felt God's will for you was clear.     Selected Response From Readers:
Copyright © 2004 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Faith Alive! for June 3, 2004

In a Nutshell The blessing of the body is not just in its physical properties. It also reminds us what embodied human life truly is. The body offers us the possibility to come into communion with God and other human beings. Jesus' resurrected body is continuous with his earthly body, yet different. Similarly, our physical bodies will continue in a new form in the next life Catholic News Service 3211 Fourth St NE Washington DC 20017 202.541.3250 cns@catholicnews.com	Food for Thought   I'm not sure what message gets conveyed by several current TV series that encourage participants more or less to "trade-in" their bodies -- at least their faces -- for new ones through surgery, total makeovers and the like. I think these programs, in their own way, hope to celebrate the human body. But it doesn't work for me. I'm not knocking the whole idea of seeing to one's appearance. It isn't really even the plastic surgery that bothers me. I just think that society delivers a mixed message about the human body. Christian tradition says that the body deserves the greatest respect. Yes, down through history there always were some who considered the body a curse or inconvenience. But Christ's incarnation makes a statement: The human body is good. It can be misused; nonetheless, it was intended as a gift of God. I have a feeling that society keeps coming up with "left-handed" ways to devalue the body, to suggest that it's only a thing, an add-on to "me" -- or, alternatively, that only when I get the "right" body will I be "a real person." Believing anything like this has serious repercussions. full story   Is the Human Body Really a Blessing? By Father Robert L. Kinast Catholic News Service One week recently a promotional catalogue listing resources for an alternative spirituality that emphasizes body posture and exercises to enhance meditation arrived in my mail. The same week I received a letter from the Catholic Theological Society of America announcing that the "Resurrection of the Body" is the theme of next year's convention. In our culture today, the nutritional information printed on packaged foods, popular nutritional programs such as the Atkins or South Beach diets, physical-fitness gyms and home workout equipment, as well as advertisements for all sorts of medicines and health aids keep our attention focused on the human body. full story  Refreshment for Body and Soul By Louise McNulty Catholic News Service The headline in the employee newsletter read: "Mind-body connection. Employee loses inches and finds inner peace." With the article was a small "before" picture of a gray-haired, overweight man with a shy smile at the annual Christmas party. He'd been with the company 10 years, so everyone recognized him. full story  Our Bodies Are Here to Stay By Father Dale Launderville, OSB Catholic News Service Experiences of hunger, loneliness and illness make us very much aware that we are embodied beings. We cannot ignore our need for food, companionship and community. Nor can we overlook our limitations and vulnerabilities. Our bodies remind us that we are creatures who have received the gift of life from the Creator. And when we experience a limitation, it is an invitation to recognize that our lives have abiding meaning only insofar as we stand in a loving relationship with God. full story
	Faith in the Marketplace   This Week's Discussion Point: When you are tired, run down, how do you refresh your spirit?     Selected Response From Readers:
Copyright © 2004 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops