On The Passage of Time...

Two weeks ago, plus or minus, Ron and I celebrated our two and a half year anniversary. We celebrated by going to Portillos-yum, and remembering:

These two and a half years have been busy for us! We've served as a missionary and as the assistant director of a Newman Center. We've had two apartments. Then we lived with my mom and then my dad (saving money to buy a house). Ron finished an intensive year of graduate school and found a job! We had a baby. She is a toddler now. We've purchased two cars. And now, we're about to buy a house! Ron points out that we haven't taken enough vacations (only our honeymoon and a family vacation to MI). But, truly, truly, God has been good. So good. He always is.

Then we looked ahead. Ron said, "If you think about what you could DO in 40 years, what you could be....You could be SO good at something, a master....if you apply yourself now." or, you could be the same. Seriously. How often do we get caught in the same day-in day-out struggles? How often are our confessions the same sins, week after week?

And our loving Father knows how easy it is to live with mediocrity, and He is calling us to GREATNESS, to Holiness. Which is one reason why His beautiful Church gives us Lent (and Confession). He says,

STOP! Stop, pause. Examine. Who are you? Who were you made to be? Do you want to be great, a Saint? Do you want to give Me glory? In forty years, who will you be? For eternity, who will you be?

And then He gently tells us the way to greatness and holiness, the cross-the culmination of Lent. And to learn to love the crosses He give us, He calls us to a season of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.

(our first anniversary)

By calling us to fast, God urges us to exercise our will, our intellect, over our disordered desires-to grow in virtue. But that's not possible without grace, without the life of God dwelling within us. St Paul tells us, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;" (Gal. 5:22-23). So, we are also called to pray- to open our hearts to God's grace, and watch in amazement as He transforms us, leads us to Good, shows us how to be Great. And since we live in community, we are called to almsgiving-to greater generosity. We have a most generous God-He gave up His only Son for us. What can we give to others? What are we too attached to that we can share?

This is our general path to holiness-our universal calling.

(our second anniversary)

In forty years, who will you be? You could be GREAT, you know. Mother Theresa great. John Paul II great. The grace is there. God has a plan for you, better than you could ever imagine! Here is your chance to turn away from sin, and embrace the Gospel. Make a fresh start.

In forty years, when I am old and wrinkled, I hope we can look back and say:

a bunch of kids, a house or two, some cars, LOTS of vacations, but mostly holiness and God's will and great joy. generosity, gentleness, self-control, wisdom, prayer, sacrifice.

"The sun no sooner rises than it shines; the fire is no sooner kindled than it burns; so grace acts as soon as the soul cooperates. –Bishop Fulton Sheen"