Optimus Prime - The Most Noble and Great One

Well, I'm no Latin scholar.  In fact, I passed Latin with a C average. It was an extremely helpful (though difficult) class and now I can read Latin things... for the most part... kind of...

You may be familiar with the Transformers movie series.  I've been on a kick with them lately.  I really like that Optimus Prime guy.  I did a little research into what his Latin name translates to (even though, being the C student that I was in Latin, I already had a pretty good idea thank you very much.)  Judging from Optimus Prime's character from the movie's I'd like to propose that his name means, "The Most Noble and Great One." 

Now, don't get me wrong.  I'm not a Transformers aficionado... But I kind of want to be now.  After seeing a few of these movies I realize what it is that pulls me towards them - It's Optimus. 

Sure, "Optimus" primarily (no pun intended) translates as "Best" while "Most Noble" is only a secondary (even tertiary) rendering of the word - but I think "Best" is too bland; it doesn't describe Optimus' at his core.  "Noble," however, absolutely does.   Optimus is so appealing because he embodies (or rather, enmetals) what it means to be noble.  That is to say Optimus Prime stands tall morally and follows his conscience towards what is true, good, and worth living and dying for.

Are you noble?  One quick way to find out is to ask yourself, "Would others describe me as noble?" If not then you may have some work to do.  Nobility stands out. Nobility gets noticed.  It's not plain to see because it wants to be seen but because it is the only thing worth seeing in a world looking for anything that catches its eye.  Nobility, however, doesn't just catch your eye.  It catches your heart.  It makes you want to be better.  

The Saints were noble.  Great leaders (i.e. anyone who leads others closer to the truth) are noble.  Do you want to be noble?  Deep down we all do.  The difficulty comes in when we don't act according to the core of who we are; according to our true identities.  We're Princes and Princesses; nobility and children of the Most Noble and Great One - God our Father.  While Optimus Prime may stand as a fictional icon of the Angelic order sent to protect us we, through a gift of our Father, have infinitely more nobility than we can stand at times.  That's why we often choose to fall short of our high calling to holiness - it is hard to stand tall when the river of the culture crushes against you to sweep you off your feet and into hell.  Not all wooing is worthy of our hearts yet we too often give in to the siren call of sin, don't we?  

So let us pray to recognize our nobility.  Let us pray that we would see in us what God has placed there - His Divine Spark.  If we knew who we were - truly knew and fully believed it - we'd stand up like royalty and fight for the world.  So if you find yourself sitting or laying down these days and aren't sure what you're really supposed to be doing in life then take heart.  Let the nobleness of God's choosing you and calling you to rise embolden you.  Take His hand and be raised to new life.  Be raised to new life daily; to a higher life; to a greater life; to the most noble life there is.  Pure Life.  Let Life transform you into who you really are.  A child of the Most Noble and Great One.

Christmas with a Twist

I hope you got everything you wanted for Christmas.  Really.  I just wish you knew what it was that you truly wanted.

The same goes for me, too, of course.  Often we are unaware of our more authentic desires especially around Christmas time.  They tend to get swallowed up by the more immediate, material trimmings of the season.  Now Christmas, as we all know, isn’t about the presents and decorations (though these things have their significance and value.)  The gifts remind us of the Gift that God gave us in Christ.  The decorations can remind us of the way the Lord’s grace adorns our soul through the redemption He won for us. We even get to have time with friends and family and gorge ourselves (avoiding gluttony of course) with our favorite holiday treats.  

But wait, there’s more!

It’s the Christmas music, right?  Maybe it’s the snow (for us midwesterners at least)?  The time off of school/work?  The cute Christmas outfits (for the ladies)? The Muppet Christmas Carol (arguable the best Christmas movie ever made)?  

What else could we possibly desire?

I will pray that you discover your restlessness this Christmas.  You’re welcome.  It really is a gift to know how much we long for peace and joy.  To desire something one does not possess is called “hope” and I *hope* that this Christmas you let yourself notice your own spiritual poverty; your own lack of inner rest (to whatever extent it may exist for you.)  Have you been away from God? From Church?  Please come back.  We love you here in the Catholic Church.  You are wanted.  

Your presence (and absence!) makes a difference to our community in ways we may only understand in Heaven.  

Part of our restlessness is because we can separate ourselves from God and His family (the Church.)  

A peaceful conscience and the life of God in your heart is just a confessional visit away.  

May your restlessness never let you rest; never let you settle.  For us Americans (as opposed to those in #Aleppo, Syria or any other war torn region) it’s easy to be deceived into think we couldn’t possibly want anything more; and, if we did want it, we would just need to save up or ask for it for Christmas.  However, as 2016 draws to a close I sincerely pray that you become more and more aware of the One that we are too often unaware of - Jesus.  He is real.  He does love you.  He really is God become man, born in a backwater town, placed in a feeding trough in a stable only to grow up to become our heart’s food; the Bread of Life in Holy Communion.  Jesus desires to satisfy our hungry hearts.  The greatest gift we can offer Him for His birthday is to allow Him to give Himself to us.  Strange isn’t it?  It is better to give than to receive.  So let us give Jesus what He wants.  He wants to take all of our sin and replace it with all of His love.  Perhaps this Christmas you can discover the greatness of your hunger for God encountering the 

greatness of His hunger to fill you; to love you.  

Let Him love you this Christmas.  The Christ-child isn’t the only one that needs to be held during this Silent Night.

What are we to do?

Since everyone seems to have something to say about the recent election...

I'll refrain from further commentary. Quite frankly, I don't have all the facts and the pundits don't either.  We can make (and ought to make) reasonable decisions based upon our reasonable amounts of research all while maintaining an open mind (open to being corrected) to what Providence may be doing in history.

Politics, though, isn't as interesting a topic as theology.  The subject matters are incomparable.  Man's domain versus God's dominion.  

What part of your heart still needs to have Christ rule as King? 

We are easily led astray into worry, fear, doubt, etc. in regards to this world.  Our thoughts tend to follow rhetoric because they want to follow something; even if it's not the truth.  What we think about tends to generate either anxiety or peace because it is either anchored in a lie or a truth.  We naturally desire the truth and so are made for it.  So why do we fall for the lie so often? Why do we allow ourselves to be ruled by falsehood?

This week find out with the Lord in your prayer why you don't trust Him more.  

Then ask Him to help you trust Him.

He really does love you.  Let Him rule over your heart and your life.  He will bring peace. 

And so this is Christmas...

John Lennon may have thought he had summed up the mystery of Christmas in his hit single going by the same title as this blog post but I would suggest the soon to be canonized Mother Teresa had a deeper insight into it all.

Love came to us that we might come to love. To love others. To love God. To love with the strength of God's own Heart pounding within us.  Love goes out and then it brings in. It seeks the unloved and makes them loved. It welcomes the unloved by loving them. The Son of God (Love in the Flesh) seeks us, finds us, then invites us to become love.

Living love... How will you change this Christmas? The Lord is offering you His Heart. Will you take it? Or will you keep yours, unwilling to give it away in love?

Give yourself away to Love this Christmas and you will find yourself this Christmas.

"For it is only in the sincere gift of self that man truly finds himself." - Second Vatican Council

Let love win this Christmas. Let God (Who is Love) win your heart and you will begin to win hearts for Love. Live Christmas today... and ever day.

Merry Christmas!

Final Moments - Love Mercy

What would you have done better this Advent? Take that and bring it into the Christmas season.

"Ok, Lord.. please bring a greater good out of my negligence and weakness."

His mercy is glorified when it is called upon and that is why Divine Mercy took flesh; to be called upon.

"Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved" as the Scripture says.

As we are beginning the journey of this Year of Mercy we ought to call upon Mercy.  Ask Mercy Himself to do everything for you which you yourself cannot do.  Realize, too, that what we cannot do is... everything.

"Apart from Me you can do nothing" Jesus says in John's Gospel.

Are you trying to do something apart from the Lord? Know that, if this is the case, it won't bear fruit. At least, not any kind of healthy, spiritually nutritious fruit for you or anyone else. However, if you bring all you do to the Lord then Mercy will make you a true disciple who bears much fruit.

The Tree of Life is beginning to blossom the fruit of the Savior; the Savior Himself.  The Tree of Life  is the source of Mercy for us.  Bloom where you are planted. Root yourself in Mercy this Christmas.

"For we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

Love Him.  Love Mercy. All will be well because all will be His when we give all to Him.  Become a gift of self to Mercy this Christmas.  Give yourself over.  Love Mercy.

"Seek justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)

Merry Christmas!

Stop and Check Yourself

With only a few days left until Christmas it is good to stop and check yourself.  Where is your heart at? Where does Christ want your heart to be?  It can be as simple as that.  

We can check ourselves anytime.  Where am I at?  Where does the Lord want me to be? What is He trying to say/communicate to me? Does He have a grace which I am resisting? Why am I resisting?

So in these final days before Christmas let's make the final preparations in our hearts.  

Where are you at? Where do you need to be to receive what He is offering?

How's the Final Prep Going?

There is still time this Advent to surprise the Lord with a gift.

You can still make some special preparation for Christmas in your life.  You can still make room for Christ in your heart.  You can increase the space within your spirit.  There is still time.

There is, too, still time for the Lord to surprise you.  Are you open to His gift?  What will He give you? What does He desire to give you?  

The Lord desires always to give us His grace.  What grace is He laboring to offer to you in these final days of Advent?

In anticipating the gift of Christmas itself we must first pave the way by receiving His Advent gift.  If you have been slow of heart to receive His Advent gift then take heart! There is still time to receive.  

Come before the Lord in these final moments of preparation and ask Him what He desires you to receive from His loving, merciful heart.

What grace has He prepared for you at the outset of this Year of Mercy?  Will you say yes?

He certainly desires you to. Do say yes.  He has exactly what you want.  It is what you need.