The Tightrope: Reflections for Busy Catholics

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Pandemic Life and Screens: The Battle Intensifies Apr 20, 2020

Show notes

As stay-at-home orders extend, we’re relying more and more on screens. They’re one thing that keeps everyone pacified, and it’s especially tempting to keep kids entertained in exchange for a few hours of quiet.

There are definitely positive uses for screens, like education, communicating with friends and family, and spiritual devotions, but we have to be careful when it comes to mindless entertainment.

Here are some ideas to keep a balance in your home:

Pray - Pray the St. Michael prayer often. Keep the Rosary going in your home.
Keep to a schedule - Don’t panic if it doesn't hold, but having some train tracks is a good thing.
Seek a balance of screentime - Find other ways to entertain yourself, and your kids will be likely to follow suit.
Have a list of alternate activities for children.
Filter your internet for porn and bad content.
Make rules about screens in bedrooms and in private spaces.
Don’t let up. Be a force for positive interaction.

Resurrection and Mission Apr 13, 2020

Show notes

As we enter into this Easter season, we see that the Resurrection is not just a reason for joy and hope, but invites us to go on a mission to spread the good news and make disciples throughout the world.

Snippet from the Show
For us, in this unprecedented time, we will be empowered for a mission by the resurrected Christ.

Holy Week - We Can’t Save Ourselves Apr 06, 2020

Show notes

If this Lent didn’t go the way you wanted it to, you are not alone. But God can take our disappointments and failures, and use them to do something good in our lives.

One good thing is to humble ourselves and realize that we are deeply in need of a savior. We can’t save ourselves, and luckily we don’t have to. Jesus is our hope and our salvation.

As we enter into Holy Week, I’m praying for you and your family to experience fully the saving power of Jesus’ sacrifice.

Urbi et Orbi: At the Threshold of the World Mar 30, 2020

Show notes

The extraordinary “moment of prayer,” the Urbi et Orbi blessing of March 27,2020 was the first ever of its kind offered apart from the election of a pope, Christmas, or Easter. On a bleak Friday during Lent and in the midst of worldwide pandemic and upheaval we witnessed the Vicar of Christ express the eloquence of his office. He pleaded, intereceded, and blessed. He taught with authority and spoke to weary hearts words to rouse.

A Rule for Your Domestic Monastery Mar 23, 2020

Show notes

Catholic parents have become the abbots and abbesses of 1000’s of domestic monasteries. Like all good monasteries yours needs a workable schedule and a focus. Unlike most monasteries, yours may or may not include brooding teenagers, sassy six year olds, or active nine year olds who have just had all of their team sports cancelled.

In our home—so far—we’ve experienced lots of trial and error and reset. I’ve learned about weaknesses in my own leadership and have witnessed God’s grace bringing me along day by day. The elements we are trying to balance are: prayer, work, study, and community.

Love and the Little Prince in the Age of Social Distancing Mar 16, 2020

Show notes

As many of us are practicing social distancing, we’re confronted by the things right in front of us. For me this brings to mind this line from The Little Prince, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

This line shows us that while we’re preoccupied with statistics and never-ending news cycles, what’s most important is what’s right in front of us: Our communities, our families, and our God.

Snippet from the Show
“It’s hard to make sense of everything that is happening, and yet we believe that the God who made the stars made each and every one of us individually.”

The Holy Spirit as the Origin of Lent Mar 09, 2020

Show notes

“What does Lent mean to you?” This question really made me think about why Lent exists. We know it’s derived from Jesus’ forty days in the desert, but what caused Jesus to go there in the first place?

Matthew 4:1 says, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

So the origin of Lent, the reason Jesus went into the desert in the first place, is because he was led by the Holy Spirit.

We too, are prompted by the Holy Spirit to fast, pray, and give alms for these forty days. These practices help us empty ourselves so we may be strengthened by the Holy Spirit as Jesus was.

Snippet from the Show
“Come Holy Spirit, come and breath into our fasting, prayer, and almsgiving so that what we do this Lenten season would unite us deeply and firmly to Christ.”

Prefer Nothing to Christ: St. Benedict’s Rule as a Help for Lent Mar 02, 2020

Show notes

If you’re struggling with your Lenten commitment already, that may be a good thing because the purpose of Lent isn’t to do it perfectly, it is to reveal the things we’re putting before Christ.

When we realize that there are things we prefer to Christ, we can go to the root of the problem and ask God to enter into that temptation.

St. Benedict recognized this when he established his rule for monks. The rule ensured that their ascetic practices pointed to their ultimate goal of preferring nothing to Christ.

If we employ this balance in our own Lenten fast, we find that by the end of Lent, our hearts will be ordered properly, with Christ first.

Snippet from the Show
“The whole goal of Lent is to orient ourselves so that we prefer nothing to Christ.”

The Holy Face at the Edge of Lent Feb 24, 2020

Show notes

A face-to face encounter can be a powerful thing. I experienced this with my own son while praying for someone who was sick and suffering. His sincere prayer for their deliverance brought me to tears.

It’s something we can all do. Before Lent, come face-to-face with Jesus, and make a sincere offering.

Snippet from the Show
“An encounter that’s face-to-face is really the heart of the spiritual life. We seek to look into the eyes of Christ.”

Preparing for Lent Feb 17, 2020

Show notes

How should we be preparing for Lent? By enjoying the good things God has made (celebrating Carnival/Mardi Gras) and planning out our fasting, almsgiving, and prayer for the forty days of Lent.

Here are some resources to help you plan for Lent!

Snippet from the Show
“In fasting, we say ‘no’ to things not because they’re bad, but because we love God more. They’re things we hold back from so that we can be empty and God can fill us.”