A call to duality

Any bond formed in the Catholic 20-Somethings comes with a stated intent to share and strengthen each others’ faith. It’s as if whenever you form a bond in the 20-Somethings, you‘ve in essence signed and intangible contract that you will uplift and challenge that person to be a better Christian.

This is how he strengthened the faith of the adulteress, in John 8:
Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Jesus made the adulteress a better Christian by being soft-hearted and forgiving. In the presence of this true sinner he shows great forgiveness, understanding and love. He does not label her. He makes no judgments about what brought her to his presence and he *assumes* in the future they will earn his forgiveness.

But this is how he strengthens one of his most beloved disciples, in Matthew 16:
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Jesus strengthens Peter with a harsh and pointed rebuke. Jesus goes beyond damming of Peter, he likens him to the ruler of hell itself. I’m not sure I could invent a harsher rebuke. The contradiction is not constrained to these two verses alone. This same duplicity is seen throughout the gospels.

No one deserved understanding and forgiveness more than Peter. He had left his boat, his family and his world behind and traveled many miles to follow his Lord. He would have deserved understanding more than most, but Jesus gave him a greater reward. Peter received a call to not only deeper faith, but to become the bedrock apostle of the Christian church.

So what does all of this have to do with us as 20-Somethings? I maintain that Jesus calls us to be dualist. Everyone should feel loved and accepted in 20-Somethings gatherings. And any who stay more than a brief while will probably need to be challenged at least once. But these challenges should also make them feel loved and accepted.

The challenged come with an understanding that they are loved and respected members of our community, and therefore we place in them both the burden and trust to uphold the standards of that community. Even more, it is in them we place the burden and trust to be the face of Christ in our world. Any new burdens they receive come with the honor of our faith that they are strong enough to lift them. Through this duality; by being both welcoming and challenging we can strengthen the faith of our many sisters and brothers in the 20-Somethings.

Trenton Henrichson

Editor’s note: “Duplicity” changed to “duality” to better reflect the author’s intent.

Nerd apologetics

My siblings and I were always really nerdy. Of the four Lavergne kids, three wore glasses. All had braces (though some had them longer than others). Two had pretty bad acne. All were exceptional students, not-so-exceptional socialites, and responsible teachers’ pets. My sister and I still proudly proclaim that we are Nerdfighters. (Here’s a YouTube video explaining that concept. We’re pretty big fans of these guys.)

Amy

I remember high school, when all the popular kids were out on the courtyard mingling and gossiping, I was in the library with my few friends. The librarian loved and hated us; we appreciated being surrounded by books, but weren’t always appreciating it quietly. I wasn’t exactly the smartest kid in school, which meant I was too smart to be popular but not smart enough to be envied. Still, I enjoyed the learning part of school, and as a result, usually sacrificed the social status for which I longed.

It wasn’t until recently that I began to appreciate this part of my life, when I began to reflect on what I usually cite as my favorite Bible verse, Romans 12:2: “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Often as spiritual beings we neglect the mind part of ourselves. So much is focused on the spirit and the body, but how can we come to know God through rational thought?

I think the first step is to simply appreciate the vastness and complexity of the universe. This seems a pretty big task, but when I say “simply appreciate,” I mean exactly that. Gaze up at the sky, take a look at the stars, just try (and fail) to wrap your mind around how big and tangled up it all is. Albert Einstein said:

A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute the truly religious attitude; in this sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious man.

Albert Einstein wasn’t Catholic; he was more Deist. However I find this idea is truly a place to start. It’s all so beautiful, isn’t it?

Sometimes as young adults, we can get comfortable with what we know. We’ve finished high school, college and maybe even graduate school… and now, we apply what we’ve learned in our work. It’s challenging to keep learning when it won’t help us make more money and get that promotion to support ourselves and our families.

But as Paul said, learning, “being transformed by the renewal of your mind,” will help us discern the will of God. So often in my time at the Catholic 20-Somethings I hear my friends struggle with knowing what to do with their lives. I struggle with it myself. What is that next step?

Pray about it, live it, learn it. But know that we will never fully understand it. Philippians 4:7: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Amy

An amazing Godincidence!

So I was walking out of daily Mass at St. William’s and a woman I recently met (who knows my mom and whose husband works at the same company as my dad) called me over to introduce me to someone. She got no further than, “This is Diana…” and my mind reeled in a million directions.

Amber

I knew this woman! I knew that face! Older, yes, but I knew her! Neighborhood? The past! The past! As I racked my brain, I interrupted the introduction.

“I know you!… You live close to me… I used to… I used to babysit for you!”

She looked at me, clearly thinking, “What? Ohhhhhh…” as it dawned on her too.

“Yes, back when my husband was converting,” she replied. And it clicked! She lived 3 blocks from my house, and I babysat for her from when her boys were 3 and 8 and when her daughter, now in 10th grade, was a baby!

At the time they were committed Christians, who, like so many, misunderstood the Church and saw her as their enemy. By the time I left home, before I saw them for what I thought was to be the last time, her husband had begun studying the Catechism of the Catholic Church, much to her horror. And now, 14 years later, I ran into her at daily Mass!

She told me her husband had entered the Church a year after I left Austin and that, thanks to Relevant Radio, she and her daughter were baptized just this past Easter!
 
Not only was I filled with the joy of reencountering old friends, but also the joy of a deeper bond, that of our faith and absolute amazement at the ways of God. It took 14 years, but there they were, overflowing with love of their new-found Catholic faith!

And just to show they aren’t the only ones who had changed, right before I had to say good-bye Diana turned and asked me, “Didn’t you used to be shy?” Time does change things!

Amber

In case you haven’t heard…

The World Champions of Puns just happen to also be Catholic 20-Somethings!

Congrats to Justin Golbabai and Kelly Dupen on their victory at the 2010 O’Henry Pun-Off! They competed while equipped with a very Catholic cheering section.

Check out the YouTube video of their performance, expertly recorded and edited by Mark Lavergne.

Finally, our famous friends were featured in an article in The Economist! This is big-time.

Amy

God is bigger than the Boogie Man

One day, years ago, my oldest niece came home from pre-school with a huge smile on her face. As frequently happened, she arrived at the door with a story to tell, her big brown eyes dancing with eagerness to share what she had just learned in class.

“So what did you learn today, my love?” I asked her.

Letti

“Letti, I don’t have to be afraid anymore!” She bounced with excitement as she answered me, “God is bigger than the boogie man, and so when I get scared, I just have to remember that God is big, big, big!” She gestured wildly with her arms, making herself giggle as she tried to illustrate for me the very “bigness” of God. She even had a song to go along with this new life lesson.

It was the most adorable thing I had ever heard from her. Over the next few weeks, you could hear her singing to herself in the middle of the night, soothing her own fears with the knowledge that her God was greater than anything she might face. Instead of hearing her cry when things went bump in the night, you could hear a little voice in the darkness singing, “God is bigger than the Boogie Man! Oh, He’s bigger than Godzilla, and the monsters on TV.”
 
It was startling to see faith growing in front of my very eyes. In that little three year old, a spark was ignited to sustain her through the rough moments in life. At that time, the most frightening thing in the world to her was the darkness–it was mystery and danger, and she could not fall asleep without a night light. After that pre-school lesson, where she was taught that “God is bigger than the Boogie Man,” she no longer cried when the lights went off. She had found faith, and in that faith, had found strength.

Gabby is fifteen now, and life has become more complicated. Her Boogie Man now isn’t a thing that goes bump in the night, but instead, the devastation of divorcing parents. Yet, in the face of heart-breaking life changes, I am in awe of her as she shows me a strength I didn’t realize she had. Even as I fret and worry about her, she tells me everything is going to be alright. She tells me that no matter what happens, things will be okay–she prays, she hopes, and she believes. She knows that God will take care of her. She hasn’t forgotten, and still believes that, “God is bigger than the Boogie Man.” And I believe that, too.

Letti Lopez

May the Fourth be with you

And also with you.

Check out this Wikipedia article on religious themes in Star Wars:

A shift from Eastern religion to Western religion, however, occurs between the original and the prequel trilogies. Old Republic Jedi appear to bear a stronger kinship to medieval knights than to Taoist monks. The virgin birth and the prophecy of a chosen-one (which Anakin fulfills), born to a virgin, is very similar to the concept of the Christ. The final scenes of Episode III add a symbolic emphasis to this role. After Anakin is “killed” on Mustafar, a robed emperor mourns over his “dead” protégé, in a composition reminiscent of the Pieta. This would suggest that the “dead” Anakin will be resurrected. The hierarchy and role of the Jedi Knights also bears a strong resemblance to the Knights Templar of medieval Christendom.

Yeah, you love it.

Amy

What are you waiting for? Sharing the Catholic faith

Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words. – St. Francis De Sales

I recently moved to Austin to take advantage of an opportunity to be a Sales Manager. Since I really didn’t know anyone in town, I was ecstatic when the Market Manager of the office told me that I could stay at his place. My enthusiasm quickly diminished, however, when I arrived only to discover he lived with his girlfriend, had a terrible drinking problem, and smoked more weed than a roadie in the back of Willie Nelson’s tour bus. But, I didn’t have any other place to go, so I hung up my icons, crucifix, and holy water font, and trusted everything would work out.

James

It was a rough stay, to say the least. He was in his late 20’s, but partied like a college freshman. There were constantly people over, playing Wii until all hours of the night, and drinking until they couldn’t see straight. In such a spiritually hostile environment, it would have been easy to despair. Anyone could look at people living that life and say, “There is no hope for these people!” That would be especially easy after they wake you up for the fifth time at 4:30 a.m. screaming about the strike they just rolled on Wii Bowling.

That was not the case for me.

You see, I used to be them. I used to be the drunk guy screaming at the top of his lungs in the middle of the street at 4:00 a.m. for no apparent reason. I was “that guy” falling over in the bar right after he harassed another innocent bystander. I was so bad, that my friends dubbed me “Whiskey Jim”. Therefore, when I was thrown back into that environment I knew exactly how to handle myself.

When they were slowly coming to after a long Saturday night of debauchery, I walked in the door after Holy Mass with my suit on and said, “Happy Sunday!” When they were stumbling around the kitchen during the week having grandiose conversations with me about their future plans, I was checking e-mail on my laptop and bringing up Fr. Donald Calloway’s conversion story saying, “Have you ever heard of this guy? He used to run drugs for the Japanese mafia!” Lastly, when the Lord gave me a new home, I had a rosary in my pocket to hand them and Gospel passages memorized so that I could share the life of Christ with them as I was on my way out the door.

And it’s the last two steps that most Catholics aren’t willing—or able—to take.

You see, if you ask the average Catholic if they evangelize, the majority of them will quickly reference the St. Francis quote listed above and explain, “I do by the way I live my life.” That is all well and good, but it is typically a cop-out.

Our Blessed Lord specifically commanded that we “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” (Matthew 28:19). If you look back at the rapid-fire spread of the Church in the early years, do you think it could have been possible if the Apostles just “did it by the way they lived their lives?” Certainly, they lived exemplary Christian lives, but often times it was the very words they spoke that got them killed (cf. Acts 6:13-14).

St. Peter once said, “Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). So, are you prepared? Do you have at least one scripture passage ready to go for when the time comes? If I asked you to share an account for the hope that is in you right now, could you?

If not, what are you waiting for?!

Resources are everywhere to help you grow in wisdom and knowledge of the faith. The internet is full of phenomenal sites loaded with tracts and audio links that can help. If you’re not sure where to start, here are two of the best sites you can find:

1. http://www.catholic.com/library/faith_tracts.asp
2. http://catholicaudio.blogspot.com/

And, if that isn’t enough, feel free to email me anytime at jamesthedisciple [at] hotmail [dot] com.

God love you!

James Hahn