Embracing The Way Of Christ: Deacon Christopher Krall SJ Homily At Cor Jesu

                          (Courtesy of Arise Milwaukee. Cor Jesu is held every Wednesday night from 7-9pm)

Wednesday nights are the best! My girlfriend Morgan and I joined a volleyball league and play on her cousin's team at Bradford Beach. While I love playing for the "Setting Ducks" (we're 5-5 by the way, in case you were wondering), I also love the fact that we can still attend Cor Jesu at St. Robert's in Shorewood together for Mass. It always ends up being the highlight of my week and tonight was no different!

Along with Fathers Jacob and Luke Strand and Fr. Peter Patrick Kimani, there were three transitional deacons assisting at the Mass-Deacon Andrew Linn, Deacon Patrick Behling, and a visitor from Chicago, Deacon Christopher Krall, SJ. It was a blessing to hear Deacon Christopher's homily tonight and I wanted to share a few things that touched me personally while he spoke.  

                                       (Deacon Christopher Krall SJ. Photo courtesy of thinkjesuit.org)

Deacon Christopher spoke about the need for extra motivation to follow Christ, offering your heart completely to Him.  He referenced the The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola and specifically mentioned the Third Degree of Humility. The Third Degree of Humility begins with a prayer to the Father that He will grant you the grace to live in the way of Jesus Christ, who "emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave" (Philipians 2:7). This means freely choosing to lead a life that the world despises. In order to truly become one with Christ, one would have to set aside anything in his or her life that stands between them and God's love. This could also require one giving up some of his or her strongest gifts in order to fully embrace Christ.

As a young man working in the business world, it is easy for me to get sucked into the corporate life. There is a temptation to want to climb the corporate ladder and to want the money, expensive cars and luxurious houses that would come with it. I often get a big head when I complete the smallest of work tasks, or put together a nice presentation, and then I foolishly think that I am on to bigger and better things. I often think about the rich young man that Christ instructed to give all of his riches to the poor and follow him. Could I really do that? Would I turn away just like that young man in the Gospel did?

This is the ultimate challenge. If I really love Christ and want to give myself to His heart completely, then I cannot be blinded by the potential and opportunities I would have to climb the corporate ladder. I have to give all of my naive ambitions, false loves and talents away, trusting in the end that only Christ's love matters.

If I want to take a lesson from Deacon Christopher and truly become humble then my prayer has to lead to a life that would allow me to slowly empty myself to assume the condition of a slave, to be of service to the poor and marginalized, to be satisfied with my current occupation level, transportation and housing, to give money to the Church and to organizations that do the will of God, to go to confession regularly and to be able to stand up for the truth in the toughest of situations. 

How will you empty yourself and become one with Christ?

A Vocation To "The Now"

Wednesdays seem to be the most refreshing days for me. This is partly because every Wednesday is when Cor Jesu, a young adult event featuring a Eucharistic Holy Hour and Mass, as well as a social gathering, is held at St. Robert Parish in Shorewood,Wisconsin.

Last night was a special treat as Bishop Hying presided at the Holy Hour and Mass. Bishop Hying is an excellent homilist and his words always bring forth a great sense of gentleness and wisdom. Since yesterday was the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Caramel, Bishop Hying reminded us of her willingness to give all of herself over in order to do the will of God. She lived in the present moment. Never looking back at the past while never looking too much toward the future that she became anxious or afraid of fulfilling her call. She saw the opportunity that God was calling her to and she made the most of it.

Bishop Hying’s homily spoke to me in a very particular way last night. These past few months have been a discernment process of sorts trying find out which direction God wants me to take in my life. I’ve spent time discerning a priestly and religious vocation, as well as discerning marriage, but I haven’t seemed to find an answer quite yet. Bishop Hying spoke during his homily that when discerning a vocation, we often get trapped in looking back at the past or looking towards the future, and that can scare us or cause anxiety. Bishop Hying advised instead that we look to our mother Mary as an example of looking to where God is in the present moment, of having a vocation to “the now”. This requires us to ask, “What is God trying to tell me in this moment? How can I do God’s will in the current situation that I am in?” 

We as humans always want to do big things in life especially for God. We often forget that God gives us little challenges to accomplish first before we are even close to being ready for bigger obstacles. We need to ask ourselves how we can live up to the call of a vocation to holiness before anything else. What do we have to lose? We need to focus on having a vocation in the present moment, seeking out God’s will for us in our everyday lives.