Vita Dulce

  "Do not care much     who is with you and     who is against you; but make it your greatest care              that GOD IS WITH YOU               in everything you do."                         - Imitation of Christ, Thomas A Kempis                              

  "In the shadow of your wings                                            I take refuge.                                                Till the storms of destruction                                                                                             pass by."                                                                 ...

  Feast of St. Andrew - November 30th The painting from El Greco above and the First Reading for the Feast of St. Andrew pasted below a re appropriate for reflection on the life of this saint. 'Blessed are the feet of those who bring the good news!' In the painting Andrew appear depicted with his feet moving forward towing with him the special cross of his matryrdom (the 'X' shaped cross). He has 'picked up his cross' and followed the Lord. His bare feet l eaving an imprint in the mud beneath them, plods forward to deliver the Good News that has been handed on to him. After being called from his spot as a fisherman along the Sea of Galilee, he followed the Lord for his three years of ministry and then after Pentecost was led by the Spirit t o carry the Gospel around the shores of the Black Sea and into what is now Greece and Turkey. But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And ho...

Jean Pierre de Caussade  “Sacrament of the Present Moment”  (Key Excerpts) Just as it is fire and not the phi­los­o­phy or sci­ence of that ele­ment and its effects that heats, so it is God’s order and his will which sanc­ti­fy and not curi­ous spec­u­la­tions about its ori­gin or purpose. What he ordains for us each moment is what is most holy, best, and most divine for us.  The mys­te­ri­ous growth of Jesus Christ in our heart is the accom­plish­ment of God’s pur­pose, the fruit of his grace and divine will. This fruit, as has been point­ed out, forms, grows, and ripens in the suc­ces­sion of our duties to the present which are con­tin­u­al­ly being replen­ished by God, so that obey­ing them is always the best we can do. We must offer no resis­tance and blind­ly aban­don our­selves to his divine will in per­fect trust. It is the will of God that gives every­thing, what­ev­er it may be, the pow­er to form Jesus Christ in the cen­ter of our being Souls must look upon ever...

A centurion approached him and appealed to him, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully." Jesus said to him, "I will come and cure him."                                                                      - Matthew 8:6-7 The voice of each of the characters leaves something for deeper reflection.   The centurion's request is filled with compassion.  Although this is not family, he still identifies deeply that he is 'suffering dreadfully.'   Even though he is not a Jew, he approaches this Jewish healer, who he believes may provide relief to his friend. Jesus, meeting a Roman soldier, does not hold back.  He does not ask questions, does not feel out the situation, he responds without hesitation:  "I will come and cure him." T...

Today at CDH, new teaches and staff of the Lasallian schools within the archdiocese, gathered for a formation event. A part of the day occurred in the chapel and a reflection was given by Lou Ann Tighe on Blessed Brother Jim Miller, a Christian Brother from Wisconsin, who served at CDH during some of his years of ministry (he was actually the person who started their boy's soccer program). The story was told of Brother Jim serving in the mission school for boys in Guatemala during the time of their conflicts.  Almost any young men was fair game to be taken from his family to serve in the military, but those who were enrolled in school at the time, were not allowed to be conscripted.   Unfortunately, one of the boys from the school disappeared, and it was discovered he had been taken to serve as a soldier in a nearby camp.  Brother Jim and leaders of the school appealed and worked to have the student returned. While their efforts were successful, the brothers in the c...

  "You have lost the love                    you had at first.  Realize how far                    you have fallen. Repent and do the works                    you did at first."                              -Revelation 2:4-5 As we move to the end of the liturgical year, the Church has us ponder the last things and uses readings from the Book of Revelation. Today's first reading calls us to be shaken out of complacency and return to a greater sense of zeal and love.   Time sometimes wears us down gradually without us noticing.   You have lost the love you had at first  is a phrase that can shake us back to commitment in both work and relationship.   Are we still putting in the time and effort to do...

 " Sing a New Song     to the Lord, His praise to the ends     of the Earth."                    -Isaiah 42:10 Over the past year,  the scripture readings that refer to a 'new song' have struck a chord with me.  There is something exciting within those words in that they seem to be saying that each of us has an opportunity, no matter the age or circumstance to start a 'new song' each day. That phrase, to me, calls us to not fall into such consistent patterns of existence that we end in boredom or malaise.  God desires us to be attentive to the people, places, and things that surround us and to realize we have the ability to respond to them in new and unique ways; he does not want us to wake each day and just walk past them. It is like Jean Pierre de Caussade's idea of the  sacrament of the present moment: each day we awake to encounter the world anew and to see how God is present and spea...

Awareness arises sometimes  a pang from the depths stuck in hidden places when it is fall and the final leaves are crisp, burnt, and clinging and you realize  that like them it's time for you too to let go of past seasons and to float gently to the ground where you may  slowly deteriorate over winter and arise in the spring as something new.                              -MAK 11/04/22  

Did you ever go through an experience in public with your children where things went poorly and the people around you at the time simply did not understand the complexities involved in the situation?  Have you ever been embarrassed by the way you responded to a difficult experience in the heat of the moment? Have you ever wondered why you or your loved ones struggle in areas that others don't ever seem to have to worry about? This scripture reading from Wednesday Evening Prayer, Week II  brings some consolation.  Through the grace of God, perhaps we can look at difficult moments that appear to be humiliating , rather in the context of humbling . While humiliation leads us to embarrassment, shame, anger and other lingering toxic feelings that drag us down; viewing a circumstance as humbling can change the perception by leading us to deeper insight and compassion for others or self.    Humiliation is isolating, it gives us the sense that others (and even God) are ...

  Freedom and the Spirit A few thoughts from Mysticism of Everyday Life by Ed Carter, SJ in his chapter on "Life in the Spirit."  As a Jesuit, he uses Ignatian principles and scripture and these three parts of the chapter struck me:      1. "Spiritual Freedom  is the ability to relate to persons, places, things, circumstances, and all else                     according to God's will ...  (it is to) not be attached ... (to anything) which prevents us from following          the lead of the Spirit." (54)      2. " Flexibility of Will  is openness to the Spirit's guidance; a disposition open to legitimate changes,                    modifications and adaptations we are called to make at certain junctures of our spiritual journey."(56)      3. "We have not received the spirit of the world ...

Today is my Name's Day.  In my grandparent's generation, many of the men did not celebrate their birthday but rather their 'Name Day' which was the date of the feast of the saint they were named for.  September 29th used to be reserved for St. Michael ( Michaelmas)  in the liturgical calendar, but over time, he came to share the feast with two of the other archangels (Gabriel and Raphael). Name's carry power and understanding the Hebrew origin behind Michael helped me get a deeper insight into God's call in my life.  Originally, upon hearing that Michael means 'who is like God' one could get a sense of hubris in thinking one is actually 'like God,' But in looking into the Hebrew origin Mi-ka-el actually is a rhetorical question:  Who is like God?   The answer: no one.  My thought is that in pondering the great actions of the archangel in overcoming evil, he was given the name in the sense that such great things were done through him by God, that ...

 "God is Wise in Heart     and Mighty in Strength; Who has withstood Him     and remained Unscathed ?"                                   -JOB 9:4 *I love the idea of this encounter with God as described by Job.  The word unscathed  is used in a wonderful way.  When we bring our deepest thoughts, feelings, words to God and dump them onto his lap we cannot expect to walk away unscathed. If we only bring him the 'sugar and spice' superficial musings of our lives but hold back the deepest corners of our heart we will never fully be affected by God's love and power.  But if are truly honest and bring forward all the pieces of our lives, particularly those that are hurting, wounded, bruised, confused, suffering, angry, jilted, abused ... when we bring all these real parts of ourselves - we will not walk away unscathed.    We will walk away ...

  This is the type of statue that stood at the end of the hallway on second floor at St. Vincent's School.  As a student at the time because it was always just 'there' I never thought much about it.  As time passes, however, it has come to sear itself in my memory and I find so much meaning and value in the image. The trust the two children exhibit as they lean in to be close to the figure of Vincent and the generosity of the saint, who as a man of great poverty, shares the warmth of his cloak, which symbolizes all he possesses, are for me a reminder of the love that was shown to me at St. Vincent's School. It also calls me to the responsibility I have as a Catholic school administrator to help students receive the love and direction they deserve while doing my best to share my all with them.  St. Vincent de Paul ... pray for us.

  Privileged Moments With 30 minutes left of the Homecoming Dance we let the teacher chaperones go home early.  I took over the supervision of the dance floor which was inhabited by only 7 sophomore girls and the DJ. The girls danced with such joy and enjoyed each others company so much that it actually brought a tear to my eye.  They appeared to have no concern for who had already left, who was invited to which party, who might be judging them as being unpopular and 'left behind' ... they left behind all the little things teenagers (and adults!) get anxious about and they simply danced . Supervising dances isn't always top of my list of favorite things to do as an administrator.  But sometimes it's in those events that God shows you something beautiful.

Our Lady of Sorrows is the Feast on September 15th.  It commemorates Mary and the suffering she experienced watching her Son at the foot of the Cross and appropriately falls the day after he Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.   On Friday's during Stations of the Cross at St. Vincent's School we would say small portions of the prayer the Stabat Mater .  Until this morning when I reread the whole thing in the Liturgy of the Hours for this feast, I had never realized how fully beautiful it was or how it could serve to draw someone who had lost a loved one into a deep sense of companionship with others who have experienced loss.  Listen to this sung version while pondering the text below: https://youtu.be/BTHwodbnTrs Stabat Mater At the cross her station keeping,  Stood the mournful Mother weeping, Close to Jesus to the last.  Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,  All His bitter anguish bearing,  Now at length the sword had passed....

  " Cast out into the Deep ... their nets were tearing ... astonishment at the catch of fish seized them ... they left everything  and followed Him."            - Lk 5:1-11

  https://depositphotos.com/11970662/stock-illustration-sacred-heart.html Sufferings accepted well  are like the wood  which serves to kindle  the fire of love.  To the extent that you endure faithfully  and make good use  of your crosses,  you will see  the sacred fire of love  grow in your heart. *I have been reading the 'Maxims of Perfection' from Fr. Jean-Pierre Medaille - the Jesuit priest who helped the original 6 sisters form the Sisters of St. Joseph in LePuy, France. They eventually came to America and founded both Academy of Holy Angels and St. Margaret's where I have been blessed to work.   Each of us goes through various trials (some large, some small) in family, relationship, work and this maxim seems to give some purpose to the sufferings we all inevitably encounter in life.

"You provide for the Earth;      You drench its furrows,         You level it,    Soften it with Showers,        You bless it's Growth."                              - Psalm 65 Ponder today God's Grace How it gently falls upon us, How it softens us  and opens  our Nature  to its fullness.   

  New work ...  I received my  nameplate with title for this new chapter in my life as Assistant Principal.  It made me reflect on how my perception of work and being called has changed over the last few years. I have had several different types of positions that I was asked to do to meet the needs of the schools I have served and was always happy to do them: teacher, coach, substitute bus driver (!), department chair, Director of Campus Ministry, Director of Faith Formation, Director of Cultural Awareness, Athletic Director, etc.   In many of the positions, I started with a lot of stress and anxiety in the transition because I always wanted to meet the expectations of those who had trusted me to do the role or those who I was being called to serve in the role.   This were some positive benefits of this mode of operation, as I always tended to be very or even over-prepared for the tasks, duties, presentations that were asked of me.  But at th...

  Boys curious about the world ... The contrast stands out to me when I see my boys' response to focusing on a phone or screen versus when I catch them peering out the window at the natural world. It struck me how much more their souls appear to be immersed and attuned to what they are seeing when they are pondering all the beauty of God's creation. I try to have them start to recognize the difference by asking them how they feel after 20 minutes of gaming as opposed to how they feel after they have taken the time to watch rabbits chewing on the plants, squirrels digging for fallen acorns, and chipmunks peering their heads out from between the rock wall of our garden.

  Dad, Steve and I completed our annual retreat at Demontreville Jesuit Retreat House in Lake Elmo.   A beautiful setting by the lake and a chance to start the school year off right by stepping away to process all that God has done over the course of the last year and where He is leading me as I mourn leaving Holy Angels and head into the adventure of my new role as Assistant Principal at BSM. What a blessing to be together. The Retreat is based off the Ignatian 30 day silent retreat (tried to do it one time in California but only lasted 8 days!).  This is a very doable Thursday night to Sunday night and follows the same pattern each year which allows you to enter in and become more and more comfortable with the reflection each time we return. If you have any interest, shoot me an email.  There are usually men of all ages (some starting at 18 years old!).  It is especially good for those in education - a group of Holy Angels teachers and associates have bee...