Lighten Your Load

If you are feeling tired and weary, perhaps now would be a good time to lighten your load. There are many burdens you can get rid of that you’ll easily be able to live without.

Start by abandoning all your resentments. Each resentment costs an enormous amount of time and energy, and provides absolutely nothing of value in return.

Next, you can walk away from anxiety. All the anxiety in the world cannot add a single positive moment to your life.

Let go of the need to prove that you are right. Instead, use the time and energy to more effectively listen and understand.

While you’re at it, go ahead and leave behind your envy, anger, impatience and frustration. After all, what have they ever done for you?

Dropping the burdensome negativity from your life is ridiculously easy once you realize how much it’s holding you back.

Lighten your load, and move forward to where you truly wish to be.

Tommy – by Rev. John Powell

Father John Powell, professor at Loyola University in Chicago, writes about a student in his Theology of Faith class named Tommy.

Some twelve years ago, I stood watching my university students file into the classroom for our first session in the Theology of Faith.

That was the day I first saw Tommy. My eyes and my mind both blinked.. He was combing his long flaxen hair, which hung six inches below his shoulders. It was the first time I had ever seen a boy with hair that long. I guess it was just coming into fashion then. I know in my mind that it isn’t what’s on your head but what’s in it that counts; but on
that day I was unprepared and my emotions flipped. I immediately filed Tommy under ‘S’ for strange..very strange.

Tommy turned out to be the ‘atheist in residence’ in my Theology of Faith course. He constantly objected to, smirked at, or whined about the possibility of an unconditionally loving Father/God. We lived with each other in relative peace for one semester, although I admit he was for me at times a serious pain in the back pew.

When he came up at the end of the course to turn in his final exam, he asked in a cynical tone, ‘Do you think I’ll ever find God?’

I decided instantly on a little shock therapy. ‘No!’ I said very emphatically. ‘Why not,’ he responded, ‘I thought that was the product you were pushing.’

I let him get five steps from the classroom door and then called out, ‘Tommy! I don’t think you’ll ever find Him, but I am absolutely certain that He will find you!’ He shrugged a little and left my class and my life.

I felt slightly disappointed at the thought that he had missed my clever line — He will find you! At least I thought it was clever. Later I heard that Tommy had graduated, and I was duly grateful.

Then a sad report came. I heard that Tommy had terminal cancer. Before I could search him out, he came to see me. When he walked into my office, his body was very badly wasted and the long hair had all fallen out as a result of chemotherapy. But his eyes were bright and his voice was firm, for the first time, I believe. ‘Tommy, I’ve thought about you so often; I hear you are sick,’ I blurted out.

‘Oh, yes, very sick. I have cancer in both lungs. It’s a matter of weeks.’

‘Can you talk about it, Tom?’ I asked.

‘Sure, what would you like to know?’ he replied.

‘What’s it like to be only twenty-four and dying?’

‘Well, it could be worse.’

‘Like what?’

‘Well, like being fifty and having no values or ideals, like being fifty and thinking that booze, seducing women, and making money are the real biggies in life.’

I began to look through my mental file cabinet under ‘S’ where I had filed Tommy as strange. (It seems as though everybody I try to reject by classification, God sends back into my life to educate me.)

‘But what I really came to see you about,’ Tom said, ‘is something you said to me on the last day of class.’ (He remembered!) He continued, ‘I asked you if you thought I would ever find God and you said, ‘No!’
which surprised me. Then you said, ‘But He will find you.’ I thought about that a lot, even though my search for God was hardly intense at that time.

(My clever line. He thought about that a lot!)

‘But when the doctors removed a lump from my groin and told me that it was malignant, that’s when I got serious about locating God. And when the malignancy spread into my vital organs, I really began banging bloody fists against the bronze doors of heaven. But God did not come out. In fact, nothing happened. Did you ever try anything for a long time  with great effort and with no success? You get psychologically glutted,  fed up with trying. And then you quit. ‘Well, one day I woke up, and  instead of throwing a few more futile appeals over that high brick wall
to a God who may be or may not be there, I just quit.

I decided that I didn’t really care about God, about an afterlife, or anything like that. I decided to spend what time I had left doing something more profitable. I thought about you and your class and I remembered something else you had said: ‘The essential sadness is to go through life without loving. But it would be almost equally sad to go through life and leave this world without ever telling those you loved that you had loved them.”

‘So, I began with the hardest one, my Dad. He was reading the newspaper when I approached him. ‘Dad.’

‘Yes, what?’ he asked without lowering the newspaper.

‘Dad, I would like to talk with you.’

‘Well, talk.’

‘I mean. It’s really important.’

The newspaper came down three slow inches. ‘What is it?’

‘Dad, I love you, I just wanted you to know that.’ Tom smiled at me and said it with obvious satisfaction, as though he felt a warm and secret joy flowing inside of him. ‘The newspaper fluttered to the floor. Then my father did two things I could never remember him ever doing before. He cried and he hugged me. We talked all night, even though he had to go to work the next morning. It felt so good to be close to my father, to see his tears, to feel his hug, to hear him say
that he loved me.’

‘It was easier with my mother and little brother. They cried with me, too, and we hugged each other, and started saying real nice things to each other. We shared the things we had been keeping secret for so many years.

‘I was only sorry about one thing — that I had waited so long. Here I was, just beginning to open up to all the people I had actually been close to.’

Then, one day I turned around and God was there. He didn’t come to me when I pleaded with Him. I guess I was like an animal trainer holding out a hoop, ‘C’mon, jump through. C’mon, I’ll give you three days, three weeks.’

‘Apparently God does things in His own way and at His own hour. But the important thing is that He was there. He found me!

You were right. He found me even after I stopped looking for Him’!!

‘Tommy,’ I practically gasped, ‘I think you are saying something very important and much more universal than you realize.

To me, at least, you are saying that the surest way to find God is not to make Him a private possession, a problem solver, or an instant consolation in time of need, but rather by opening to love. You know, the Apostle John said that. He said: ‘God is love, and anyone who lives in love is living with God and God is living in him.’

Tom, could I ask you a favor? You know, when I had you in class you were a real pain. But (laughingly) you can make it all up to me now . . . .  Would you come into my present Theology of Faith course and tell them what you have just told me? If I told them the same thing it wouldn’t be half as effective as if you were to tell it.’

‘Oooh, I was ready for you, but I don’t know if I’m ready for your class.’

‘Tom, think about it. If and when you are ready, give me a call.

In a few days Tom called, said he was ready for the class, that he wanted to do that for God and for me. So we scheduled a date.

However, he never made it. He had another appointment, far more important than the one with me and my class. Of course, his life was not really ended by his death, only changed. He made the great step from faith into vision.

He found a life far more beautiful than the eye of man has ever seen or the ear of man has ever heard or the mind of man has ever imagined.

Before he died, we talked one last time. ‘I’m not going to make it to your class’ he said.

‘I know, Tom.’

‘Will you tell them for me? Will you…tell the whole world for me?’

‘I will, Tom. I’ll tell them. I’ll do my best.’

So, to all of you who have been kind enough to read this simple story about God’s love, thank you for listening. And to you, Tommy, somewhere in the sunlit, verdant hills of heaven — I told them, Tommy, as best I could.

It is a true story and is not enhanced for publicity purposes.

With thanks,
Rev. John Powell, Professor
Loyola University, Chicago

Have a Great, Safe and Blessed Day
In God we trust

St. Matthew’s Gospel 28: 16-20 – Reflection by Msgr. Marino

A Reading from Matthew’s Gospel 28: 16-20

Commissioning of Disciples
The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw Him, they worshiped, but they doubted.

Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

The Gospel of the Lord!

REFLECTION: by Msgr. Marino
Only eleven disciples gathered on the mountain top because Judas Iscariot had defected from the company of twelve. However, we can look at this in another way. The group is short one … and isn’t that always the case!

The company of Jesus could always use one more who is willing to go and make disciples of all nations! Is that one, you? Are you willing to become a disciple who brings others from your family and friends to Christ?

The Church is calling all the baptized to embrace the New Evangelization. Become an active disciple who seeks out the lost and invites them to accompany you in the ways of Christ … invite others to come back to Christ at the Eucharistic table of Holy Sunday Mass!

Notice that when they saw Him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Christ is not looking for perfect disciples; He has from the beginning always invited the weak and incomplete to join Him. It is not our strength that will bring others to Christ; it is Christ working though us! So, as Christ has said to disciples throughout the ages: Do not be afraid–I am with you always, until the end of the age.

What is holding you back from becoming an active disciple of Christ? What are you afraid of? Christ is at your side always and forever!

Click here to read more reflections from Rev. Msgr. Joseph Marino.

St. Matthew’s Gospel 21: 1-11 – Reflection by Msgr. Marino

PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD

At the Procession with Palms the following is from St. Matthew’s Gospel 21: 1-11

The Entry into Jerusalem
When they drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tethered, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them here to me. And if anyone should say anything to you, reply, ‘The master has need of them.’ Then he will send them at once.” This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:

“Say to daughter Zion,
‘Behold, your king comes to you, meek and riding on an ass,
and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered them. They brought the ass and the colt and laid their cloaks over them, and He sat upon them. The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road. The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying:

“Hosanna to the Son of David;
blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord;
Hosanna in the highest.”

And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?” And the crowds replied, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Click here to read reflection from Rev. Msgr. Joseph Marino and leave your comments.

John 11:1- 45 – Reflection Msgr. Marino

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
The Holy Gospel According to Saint John 11:1- 45

Raising of Lazarus

Now a man was ill, Lazarus, from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried His feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill. So the sisters sent word to him, saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.” When Jesus heard this He said, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was ill, He remained for two days in the place where he was. Then after this He said to His disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and you want to go back there?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in a day? If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” He said this, and then told them, “Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him.” So the disciples said to Him, “Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.” But Jesus was talking about his death, while they thought that He meant ordinary sleep. So then Jesus said to them clearly, “Lazarus has died. And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe. Let us go to him.” So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go to die with him.”

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. [But] even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to Him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, “The teacher is here and is asking for you.” As soon as she heard this, she rose quickly and went to Him. For Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still where Martha had met him. So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her saw Mary get up quickly and go out, they followed her, presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said to Him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, He became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Sir, come and see.” And Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how He loved him.” But some of them said, “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?”

So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to Him, “Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” And when He had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what He had done began to believe in Him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

Click here to read reflection from Rev. Msgr. Joseph Marino and leave your comments.

John 9:1-41 – A Reflection from Msgr. Marino

The Holy Gospel According to Saint John 9:1-41
FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Man Born Blind

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

His neighbors, and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar, said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is,” but others said, “No, he just looks like him.” He said, “I am.” So they said to him, “[So] how were your eyes opened?” He replied, “The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went there and washed and was able to see.” And they said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I don’t know.”

They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a Sabbath. So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.” So some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath.” [But] others said, “How can a sinful man do such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, “What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

Now the Jews did not believe that he had been blind and gained his sight until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight. They asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How does he now see?” His parents answered and said, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. We do not know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age; he can speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as the Messiah, he would be expelled from the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; question him.”

So a second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give God the praise! We know that this man is a sinner.” He replied, “If he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.” So they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” They ridiculed him and said, “You are that man’s disciple; we are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from.” The man answered and said to them, “This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him. It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything.” They answered and said to him, “You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out.

When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered and said, “Who is he, sir that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him. Then Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind.”

Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not also blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Click here to read reflection from Rev. Msgr. Joseph Marino and leave your comments.

Guest Speaker Gary Zimak for SixThree 2014

We are happy to announce that we have booked a very special dynamic and inspiring guest speaker for our 2014 Six Three Group retreat! Gary Zimak is an Catholic Evangelist, Author, Radio Host and popular Catholic speaker. Gary is a regular guest on EWTN and hosts his own show Following The Truth on BlogTalkRadio Monday – Friday at 8PM Eastern.

We are excited to have Gary on retreat with us this year and look forward to him supplementing our spiritual retreat with his unique perspective and insights.

Register today to see Gary on our Annual Six Three Retreat June 13 through 15, 2014

Here is a little more about Gary

If you would like to learn more about Gary Zimak, please read “his story” below or visit his website to find out everything Gary is working on. www.followingthetruth.com

Gary’s Story
In 2008, Gary Zimak was working as a project analyst when he felt the call to form Following The Truth, an apostolate dedicated to teaching the truths of the Catholic Faith. Initially performing his work for the Lord on a part time basis, Gary had a life changing experience in 2011 when he consecrated his life to Jesus through Mary. A few months later, he became a FULL TIME Catholic lay evangelist!

Using a combination of radio, writing, social media and live talks, Gary puts his communications skills to work for the Lord and His Church. The author of the best-selling book “A Worrier’s Guide To The Bible”, Gary is well known as an authority on the art of combating anxiety by establishing a deeper relationship with Christ. His second book “Listen To Your Blessed Mother” focuses on Mary’s words in Sacred Scripture and is receiving a great deal of attention. Gary hosts a daily radio show on BlogTalkRadio and is a regular guest on Catholic Answers Live, EWTN’s The Son Rise Morning Show and Catholic Connection with Teresa Tomeo and Relevant Radio’s Morning Air. Additionally, he is a frequent guest on numerous other Catholic radio shows. Gary is a member of Catholics United for the Faith, the Knights of Columbus and The Catholic Radio Association and resides in New Jersey (just over the bridge from Philly) with his wife Eileen and twin daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. He is an instructor for RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) at Sacred Heart Parish in Riverton, NJ, a member of the leadership team for the men’s group That Man Is You! at Corpus Christi Parish in Willingboro, NJ and the chaplain for the Catholic Business Network of South Jersey.

Adhering to the principle of the “2 S’s” (Simple and Substantial), Gary Zimak presents the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church in a way that can be understood by the ordinary “person in the pew”! Having been a Catholic who “went through the motions” for most of his life, Gary understands the importance of getting to know Jesus Christ and the teachings of His Church. He can assist you in achieving the peace that can only be found by having a personal relationship with the Lord!

Matthew 11: 2-11 – Reflection by Rector Msgr. Marino

A Reading from the Holy Gospel  According to Matthew 11: 2-11
Third Sunday of Advent 

Luke 21: 5-19 – Reflection by Rector Msgr. Marino

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SAINT LUKE 21: 5-19

The End Times
While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, he said, “All that you see here-the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” Read more

Faith, Mary and the Wedding Feast of Cana – Changing Water into Wine

At Malvern, our traditional Men’s and Women’s Retreats center upon a theme chosen by our Rector. The 2013 theme is, “Faith, Mary, and the Wedding Feast of Cana; Changing Water into Wine.”

Read more

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