Sledding in the Dark

There is a prime sledding hill within walking distance from my house.  It is, in my opinion, one of the best sledding hills in the Salt Lake Valley, and no, it isn’t located at Sugarhouse Park.  The reason I feel it is one of the best hills is because it offers something for everyone.  At the eastern end of the hill, it is steep and bumpy – perfect for the thrill-seeking older sledding enthusiast.  As you move west, the hill gets progressively easier – less steep and definitely less bumpy – so it’s great for little kids who might get scared at the eastern end.  I remember sledding there as a kid, and I would always grumble when Mom or Dad said it was time to go home because it was getting dark.  But, as is usually the case, Mom and Dad knew best.

If you drive by this hill after a decent snowfall, you will see cars lined up all along the hill and kids (and adults) of all ages on the slope.  In the past two years or so, there has even been a diehard group that goes to the sledding hill after dark.  I noticed them back again just last week.

Just think of the motivation and enthusiasm these people must have to go sledding in the dark.  They also have to have a significant amount confidence and trust that nothing will go seriously wrong.  Yes, they could use the headlights of their cars to light the way, but they are essentially sledding blind.

Try now to put this in the context of the apostles.  We heard of the calling of Andrew, Simon Peter, James, and John in last Sunday’s Gospel reading.  Think what their relatives and friends must have thought when they went off to follow Jesus.  How did they know where he would lead them?  Why abandon a perfectly good (if not entirely stable) job as a fisherman to go off with this man?  Why, why, why?  It must have seemed the height of nonsense, just as sledding in the dark seems to me.

Perhaps they did it for the thrill of something out of the ordinary, at least at first, but I doubt they felt quite as excited once they realized Jesus faced opposition.  Nevertheless, they stayed with him, to the end in John’s case, and most of the Apostles died as martyrs, having come back to Jesus after the resurrection.

Jesus kept them coming back, just as the lure of the sledding hill keeps bringing the thrill-seekers back, even in the dark.  Do we have the courage to listen to Jesus’ call as much as we listen to the temporal urges and longings of our hearts?

Taking the Church's Temperature

At our RCIA session this past Tuesday, we were talking about the history of the Catholic Church from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance.  We discussed several influential Church Councils, including the Lateran Councils and the Council of Trent.  Church Councils serve to clarify doctrine, and reaffirm the Church’s position on moral dilemmas of the day.

In the course of our discussion, the current crisis we are facing – that of abuse of minors – was brought up.  While we do not want to diminish the seriousness of this crisis in any way, the point was made that, as a Church, we have faced a multitude of issues that could have torn the Catholic Church to pieces.  In the case of the splintering of the Church, first through the Schism of 1054 and then the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s, differences of doctrinal opinion have divided Christianity into thousands of denominations.

We must not despair at the brokenness of our Church, even when scandal seems to rise to a fever pitch.  The Church is still here, 2000 years after Jesus Christ walked the earth.  It has been rocked by scandal and division before, and God has sent defenders of the faith to guide it through tumultuous times.  We can only pray that He will do so once again as we face the issues of today.

Working through Changes

Life very rarely stays the same, which is a good thing.  Just imagine if nothing ever changed.  How boring would life be then?  But often in our lives, we can be resistant to change.  Adapting to changes, rolling with the punches, is a skill we have to learn as human beings.

Change often accompanies “milestone” life events – births, marriages, deaths, etc.  When my grandmother died, my parents spent almost nine months in California, getting her house ready to rent.  Truckloads of her possessions made the nearly thousand-mile trek from Santa Barbara to Salt Lake City.  We are still going through bits of it, almost nine years later.  In the act of going through her things, it brings back memories of her life, her mannerisms, her accent, and it brings a smile to our faces, so the change is not all bad.

Another big milestone is on the horizon for my family.  My brother will be getting married in May, and moving out of our family home.  He’s moved out before, when he went to college and then vocational school, but it wasn’t permanent.  There is a significant age gap between us, and to me, he’s always been my big brother, across the hall or just downstairs.  I can always depend on him to be there for me and for our parents.  Now, he will still be “there,” just not physically.  Again, this change won’t be all bad – I get a sister out of it, after all – but it will still be difficult.

Life will go on.  We will adapt.  And we will find a new normal.

When things change in your life, when you find it difficult to accept change, ask yourself:  How am I going to grow because of this change?  How can I be joyful through this change?  Do I need God’s help?  Have I asked for it?

The Post-Christmas Slump

Christmas, in the secular sense, is over.  After this Sunday, the Christmas Season will be over in the liturgical sense as well.  There are Christmas trees on the curbs awaiting collection on garbage day.  The winter days are just cold and gray.  And with the current political climate there is a feeling of trepidation and uncertainty in the air.  You might ask yourself, how am I supposed to keep the Christmas spirit with the world in this mess?

Yes, it is hard, especially when the post-Christmas slump hits and you might feel exhausted from all the activities that took place over the holidays.  It’s hard to go back to a regular work schedule.  It’s hard to go back to a “normal” life.

Try to keep a spirit of joyful anticipation in your heart.  What do you have to look forward to in the coming weeks and months?  How can you incorporate God into your waiting?  How can He help you to get through the inevitable “let down” of having to return to routine?