Thank you CELEBS

A trip to Billy Way's CELEBS bible study meeting on Monday night was not only cleansing physically, but spiritually as well. We all know it can be hard at times to read the bible and fully understand and get what we need out of each passage. This was my chance at focusing on a few verses and really analyzing what God was saying.

A group of about 10 of us took about 40 minutes to look over Luke 17:11-19. I know you are looking at a computer screen, so take a look at the passage below...

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"14When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.15One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.17Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

Sure, this happened thousands of years ago, but as you look more closely, these words really relate to the present time.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, the idea of thankfulness is clearly evident here. Sure, we have the day of Turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes to make us think about what we are thankful for, but what about on a daily basis? We all have our problems, like the lepers, and when God cleanses us of those worries, are we thankful? In this passage, the nine lepers who did not come back did what many of us do after our problems are solved, move on to the next worry in their lives. It is like when you get a test back you had been worrying about: you do better than you thought, but instead of taking a step back and thanking God for that gift of knowledge, you start thinking about an argument you had with a friend or the fact you might not be happy with your girlfriend or boyfriend at the time. All Jesus wanted was for those nine lepers to take a step back and thank God for His good works. He wants us for that too.

It is not that hard or time consuming to be thankful, all you really need to say is "Thank you Lord for (insert gift/something that makes you happy here)". Why not thank God for one of those November Ithaca sunsets, or a beautiful winter's night. Taking things like that for granted is one of the worst things a person can do. It's life, so take it in, enjoy it and be thankful for everything, instead of worrying about the next problem on the neverending list.

Another striking message from the passage is that faith will save us. The one leper who came back gained Jesus' trust because of his faith in knowing why and how he was cleansed. The others may have not even had enough faith and trust in the Lord to see the priests in the first place.

Faith is facinating to me, it is not something that people can handle on a normal basis. Faith can be shaken and stirred, it can change on a daily basis for some. The more consistent you are in your faith, the more you will trust in God's plan. That one leper's faith may have given him a one-way ticket to heaven, which isn't a bad deal. I'd say it is even better than the Polar Express, though Santa is a pretty big deal too.

And when it comes to all of the "end of the world" speak, faith becomes even more important. Considering the readings, Father Carsten talked about it in Mass, you can't always be waiting, scared to death over the world ending. What kind of life is that? Faith saves us. Who knows, our world might end tomorrow, are you ready? Fear isn't always a bad thing, but faith makes us stronger.

We need to know that whenever the world ends for us, either individually or in a catastrophic world population fashion, we have another life waiting for us with God and Mary and Jesus and the whole gang in heaven. But alas, God's work for us here is obviously not finished. So whether it is tomorrow, or next year, or 2012, or 2112, be thankful for today, and have the faith that God will be with us through everything that happens tomorrow as well.

Win at everything you do

Think about your typical day from the time you wake up to the time you fall asleep. Was it good/bad/busy/relaxing? Probably the most important question is: Did you get better today? It is a saying we use all of the time on the football field.

"Every day you always get better or worse, you never stay the same."

I know every person is not an athlete, but that statement can easily be applied to anyone's life.

Dedication, work ethic, commitment are all good qualities in a person that wants to become better everyday. Yet, being a pretty competitive person, I like to take another saying along with me in the quest to be the best. "Win at everything you do." Sure, a loss is often the best way to learn, but striving to win at various aspects of your life gives you something to try and attain. You are often your best competition.

Let's look at my Monday:

Wake up on first alarm: Lose-2 hits on snooze
Brush Teeth/Wash up: Win
Eat solid breakfast: Loss-just pop tarts
Try and look presentable: Win
Get to class on time: Win-30 seconds to spare
Study during 2 hour break: Loss-played Xbox instead...and lost at that too
Lunch?: Win- Rogan's Sub plus peanut butter bread
Focused Film Session: Win
Solid Lifting Session: Win
Studying done at night: Loss-Studied while watching football/basketball
Sleep at early hour: Win

So that's my day. You may not care about any part of my life, but there is definitely room for improvement, even where I won. I could have ate healthier, or went to bed even earlier. Having high standards for yourself is important, especially something you can really gauge a win or loss on.

The poor widow in this week's Gospel had a win in her life as she gave all she had to the treasury, the scribes though, gave only a piece of their wealth. They may have given more than the widow, but for them, that is a loss. Everyone is different, so don't be afraid if a loss for you is a win for others.

So now, think about your day again. If you have to diagram it, go for it. But as you go through your day today, think about whether a decision you make, or an action you take, will result in a win or a loss. You might surprise yourself with the decisions you make. Then repeat that process. As the sign in the football locker room states, "Winning is not a some time thing, it is an all time thing."

Saint Thomas of Cazenovia

Sounds good, doesn't it? Like Father said in Church on Sunday, we are all members of the Communion of Saints. Yet, no one can hold a title like that one, even myself. Until we leave this earth, our names stay the same, and for a very good reason. Throughout our lives, we are taught to strive towards being like Jesus and the Saints, which should be the driving force behind all of our daily decisions and actions. As sinners, we forget this at times, bringing us away from that healthy lifestyle.

The Church realizes that we may stray at times, so planned Holy Days and appropriate Gospel readings throughout the year hit us where it may hurt sometimes. The truth can be painful, but as Lee Imbriano quoted in his homily from the latest Rocky Balboa movie, "It ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward."

Quite a statement from Sylvester Stallone. But by going to Mass every week, there is always that ability to punched right in the gut by a reading or by anything someone says over the course of the Mass. But, much like Rocky, your life does not end right there. Another week comes, and hopefully another one after that. There is no choice but to keep moving forward with your life. After God shows you the error of your ways, you have to react by getting better in the next week. Think about it, if you improve some aspect of your life every week, how good of a person can you be?

That brings us to All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Sandwiched together in the time of year for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and even Christmas, these two days are widely underrated. November 1 was All Saints Day, a time where we sit back to think about and praise those who lived their lives completely for others. It is a humbling thought to realize their devotion to God's way. If we can do one tenth of what they did in their lives, we are better for it. As a part of the Communion of Saints, we should be striving to do that.

All Souls Day, on November 2, is not so much a celebration, but a remembrance of those who went before us. Every person has been touched by death in one way or another, and as we all know, it stinks. All Souls Day is an opportunity though, as cliche as it sounds, to remember the good and bad times with those who have left us. It is tough, but there is nothing wrong with a smile amidst a few tears on your face. It makes you evaluate your life as well, and maybe live it just a little better knowing that life is a bit shorter than we realize.

My thought is that many people forget these two days in their year, and they are always a guaranteed punch in the stomach. So, don't do me a favor, do yourself a favor and go back to the ithaca.edu/catholic website and reread the readings on page 2 of this week's Bulletin. Take a few minutes and think about the Saints' lives and the people who have left your life. It is both a humbling and enriching experience. After thinking about that, you might be knocked down to the mat, you might lose this round of your life, but surely you won't be knocked out or down for the count. What would Rocky do?

Some more research...

I'm looking up some information for my next post...check back tomorrow for a new one.......