Alumnus speaKSeptember 2008

Is anybody reading this? If so, then you are “listening” to me. Well, I suppose it depends on if you are really paying attention or not as to whether it could truly be synonymous to listening. Do you pay attention to what is said here, be it from me or from (Stephen) Olivier? Or is it more like you read it just to see if it’s interesting that time? For most of us, I’d say, not all of these “thoughts of the month” are going to be relevant, as we are all at different stages of life at any one moment. But still, do you pay attention to what is written, or do you dismiss it?

In the same way, I wonder, how much do you and I pay attention to God? Do we listen when He speaks? Do we even recognize His voice? Sure, He can speak through me and Olivier. He is more likely to speak in your thoughts, in Scripture as you read it (do you read it?) and/or listen to it at Mass (are you there to hear it, and then do you listen?) and in many other ways. Are we open to God speaking to us or do we just wonder why God does not speak to us as we go on about our busy lives? Stop and pray. Do it regularly. It doesn’t matter if you feel anything from it or not. Pray anyway. Prayer is simply conversing with God. You don’t have to feel crazy about talking to someone you can’t see or who is a bit more difficult at times to hear and/or understand. Do it anyway.

I figure it this way. If we’re made, if we’re created to be with God forever, if that’s our ultimate purpose, then why not get used to talking to Him now and recognizing His voice in our lives now? I reckon it’ll make heaven a bit more enjoyable, and we won’t make a mistake as to who to turn to when we get to that other shore.

Is anybody praying? Hey, I’m done. Stop reading and start praying some more. God bless us everyone!

Eric B. "Graydog" Gray

Alumnus speaK August 2008

Among the most famous statements in the whole of Scripture is in John 14:6. There Jesus tells us "I am the way and the truth and the life." Last month, we reflected on Jesus as "the way" that we are called to follow as pilgrims on our earthly journey. This month, we reflect on Jesus as THE life. This reality is at the same time both a comfort and a challenge in today's world.

Let's think for a moment about life in the everyday sense. Each of us has a work life, a social life, a family life, a church community life, etc. The comfort is that we are not defined by any of these aspects of life. In our relationship with Jesus, we find THE life which is fulfilling for our whole being. The challenge is to make THE life visible in all these component aspects of life. Do we treat people with charity whether we encounter them in our work life or our home life? Do we laugh (or not laugh) at the same kinds of jokes in our social life as in our church community life? Is time for prayer welcome in all these areas of our lives?

Consider an examination of conscience to critique how well we conduct ourselves in light of Jesus as THE life. Think of people we interact with, perhaps a random sample of our Facebook or LinkedIn contacts (for those that use such networking tools). Each of those people could claim that they have known us in our living of work life, or social life, or family life … could they also claim to have been touched by us in our living of THE life? Why or why not? And if not, ask the Lord to help us to change that by transforming the way we live.

Stephen Olivier

Alumnus speaK July 2008

As our UCCAA president is on pilgrimage to World Youth Day, it might be a good time for us to reflect on how we are all pilgrims, individually and as a people. The idea of pilgrimage is to journey to a sacred place to connect with God. In the course of their travels, pilgrims hold dearly to the hope and anticipation of reaching their destination. Likewise, the writings of Vatican II state that "Christians, on pilgrimage toward the heavenly city, should seek and think of these things which are above." We look forward to the return of Christ and to our entrance into his heavenly kingdom.

But the Vatican II writings go on, "This duty in no way decreases, rather it increases, the importance of their obligation to work with all people in the building of a more human world." Just as the pilgrim's experience encompasses both the journey and the destination, so it is for us. The Lord has blessed us with companions on the journey to love us and to be loved by us. He challenges us to grow in faith, hope, and charity in our time on earth. As on a long pilgrimage, we may find ourselves lost -- in our careers, in our relationships, in our everyday struggles. Like the bewildered apostle Thomas, we ask, "How can we know the way?" Jesus replies, "I am the way," for us and for pilgrims of every time and place.

Stephen Olivier

Alumnus speaK June 2008

As a teacher, summer vacation is really not an option; it’s a necessity. Teachers are often teased for getting to have such a large vacation time, while the rest of the workforce gets two to four weeks a year. There are similar professions in which such a necessity of a large block of time off is a reality, but for most it isn’t. However, we all need time off. That is a fact of life. We, especially in the United States, don’t have much of a clue about taking time off. It is so less productive. If we are not productive, we aren’t worth much. Shame-shame-shame! This is exactly the reasoning behind euthanasia, selective abortion, genocide and more: these folks are becoming a burden and not holding their own, so kill them instead of caring for them. We don’t want to be killed, so we stay productive, and feel like losers if we don’t. If this rings a bell, then you are not keeping holy the Sabbath.

Keeping the Sabbath holy is all about regularly taking that rest we need in order to simply function as a human being. The Sabbath in Christianity has been transformed into the Lord’s Day, but whether you take a break on Saturday or Sunday is not the point. As Jesus points out, the Sabbath is made for us, not we for the Sabbath. Mr. Covey knew this very well in one of his habits of successful people. He called it “sharpening the saw.” Time spent sharpening a saw is time taken away from using it to cut down trees. But when the blade is sharpened, the tree falls so much more quickly and with considerably less effort than had the blade remained dull. Just ask me, and I’ll prove it to you with my chainsaws!

I recommend reading “Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in our Busy Lives,” by Wayne Muller. If you are constantly busy and don’t seem to rest much, this book will help you get back on track. Remember the Sabbath. Take a break, and don’t feel bad about it. Jesus often went off to a quiet place to be alone when there was so much more to be done. Happy summer vacation to all the teachers! Happy days off to the rest! God bless us everyone.

Eric B. "Graydog" Gray

Alumnus speaK May 2008

Don't forget your other mother!

May is the month of mothers. We've already celebrated and honored the ladies who gave birth to us, raised us, and tried to keep us out of trouble over the years (some with more success than others). But did you know that May is also the month of Mary? Let's celebrate that Lady who gave birth to our Salvation! How often do we remember our Mother in Heaven? Do we give her the credit that is due to the Queen of Heaven and Earth?

She is truly our mother, constantly interceding for us to her Son, Jesus Christ in Heaven. St. Louis de Montfort points out to us in True Devotion to Mary that asking Mary to pray for us is pleasing to God, even to the point of asking for everything we need from Christ through her intercession. Christ not only gave His life for us on the cross; He also gave us His Mother to be our own. He wants us to hold a "place for her in [our] home" just as the Apostle John did until she was assumed body and soul into Heaven. Sometimes we view God as distant, but more often we're guilty of forgetting that His mother exists at all. Luckily, she never forgets about us. What mother could?

Pope John Paul II gives us a great example of a life lived in love with Our Lady. During his pontificate, he consecrated the Church and the whole world to her. His motto, "Totus tuus," means "totally yours" and it referred to his total consecration to Christ through the Mother of God. He credited her with saving his life in 1981 when a Turkish assassin attempted to gun Him down. Let's walk humbly with this great man and honor our Mother, introducing her to the world as we light the fire of Christ in the hearts of all those we meet.

Paul O’Brien

Editor’s note: Paul is the latest to have joined the ranks of contributors to The Column. Featured last month, Paul is directly involved with Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). For more information regarding the FOCUS ministry or his work, please email Paul.

Alumnus speaK April 2008

During Easter Season, we get many images of Jesus and lots of ideas of how the early Church dealt with issues as they happened. In the 4th Sunday of Easter, we always get the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. If any of you have ever dealt with sheep before, then you know how amazing this image really is. Also, you know how humbling it is to be referred to as sheep. Sheep are odd animals in that they are very trusting and very skittish all at the same time. If a sheep is familiar with a person, that person, for the life of them, will have a hard time driving the sheep away. However, if a sheep is not familiar with someone, it will be rather, well, sheepish in coming to the person (depending on the type of food being offered!) A shepherd has a lot on his/her hands when caring for sheep. They don't defend themselves much at all. They'll run from danger, but only to the other side of another sheep. They can be driven away by whatever pleases to drive them. The shepherd must safeguard them, lead them to fresh water and pasture, defend them, nurture them, bring/carry them back when they wander unknowingly away, and much more.

Jesus, acting as shepherd to us, the sheep, is rather comforting. I can always use some safeguarding, clean water, fresh food, defense, nurturing, and also someone to bring me back to my senses when I all too often go astray. Jesus offers it all to us, but that's not all. He challenges us to go and do the same for others. Moms and Dads do this all the time for their kids. But do we do it regularly for each other? Being a shepherd is not easy. It is very messy. If you really do choose to be a shepherd, prepare for your world to be a bit messy, but also prepare for your world to be quite rewarding.

God bless, and happy shepherding in the image of Christ.

Eric B. "Graydog" Gray

Alumnus speaK March 2008

Easter evokes images of transformation and renewal. Flowers bloom upon trees which had been dormant. Young birds hatch from their eggs. Do we feel a renewal as we emerge from the Lenten Season into the joy of Easter? Perhaps we had chosen some small sacrifice for Lent. Yes, yes, we can eat desserts again. But let's take time to reflect on how our experiences of sacrifice have transformed us. Hopefully, they have helped us to focus our lives more closely on Christ and his call to life in him. With that focus and re-centering, the joy of Easter is amplified.

The Easter season is longer than Lent, yet in our minds we often reduce it to a day -- just Easter Sunday. This Easter, let's make a special effort to keep it in the forefront of our minds. Be as joyful during Easter as we were solemn during Lent. Do something special each day to celebrate the season. Because we've worked on developing a closer relationship with Jesus during Lent, we can't help but celebrate with him … and party like it's Easter time.

Stephen Olivier

Alumnus speaK February 2008

So here we go again. We give up sweets during Lent, only to take them right back up again at Easter. We give up caffeine, only to indulge once more at the onset of Easter. We go to confession once to satisfy our Easter duty, and darken not the door of the confessional for another year. Well, so what? Who cares? Who’s fooling who here? The real idea of Lent is the Godly home improvement plan, ourselves being God’s dwelling place. If you were improving your home, you would want to do something that would last, so why not expect the same for God’s home?

Home improvement is a process, a never ending process, and likewise self improvement. One year, you paint the bedrooms. Another year, you put on a new deck. You get the picture. So one year, we develop a new habit to replace an old one that is not so good. Another year, we cut back on sweets, but really mean it and keep it up even during and beyond Easter.

Another year, we make it a point to say something good to someone each day, and continue that as a lifestyle. Each year, it’s a simple thing to be added on or taken off, as the case may be, to improve ourselves to be a better dwelling place for the Lord. Besides, it will make us all happier in the end anyway! So as you might be lamenting your austere and cumbersome yet mighty Lenten observance which will be the pride feather in your cap for all to see when it is all finished, just get over it and do something simple which will improve yourself a bit. If you aren’t praying, pray ten minutes a day, and stick to it. Fill in the “If you...” thing yourself, and make it something do-able, attainable, simple, relevant, and that which you can sustain for the rest of your life as part of you home improvement. Just remember one important thing: You can do it; God can help.

God bless everyone. Have a converting Lent!

Eric B. “Graydog” Gray

Alumnus speaK January 2008

Alumnus speak Facebook, My Space, blogs and podcasts… A few years ago none of these things existed. Today, they allow us to express ourselves and, in part, to say something about who we are and what we believe. The content of their messages can often be thinking out loud about important issues, or just a description of everyday happenings in life. One post may describe the pros and cons of ethanol fuel. Another might reflect on a particularly beautiful sunset we noticed on the drive back from work. Or one perhaps mentions that we saw an old friend at the supermarket.

But what does all this have to do with our faith? All these things that we post up on the Internet, these thoughts and musings, should be things that we share with God as well. We should take some time in our prayer to tell God how much we enjoyed feeding the ducks -- He made them after all. We should tell him our thoughts on the NFL playoffs. We should even tell him how frustrated we were when we burned our toast -- Jesus likely ate some burnt matzo at some time during his 33 years on Earth, and he understands! And after we have told God all these things, we should listen, as He makes us aware of his presence in the big issues of the day, and in the everyday events of our lives.