The Fear of Failure

Lent is upon us - my favorite Liturgical Season. Three themes make up the focus of our Lenten spirituality: Sacrifice, Almsgiving, and Prayer. All that we do for Lent and during Lent should point us towards one of these three ways of growing in holiness. Typically, the onus on Catholics is to pick something to give up for Lent.

I've had some interesting discussions in detail and in passing about what people are doing or giving up for Lent. I say they're interesting, because most of the responses really give a person insight into how people think of Lent and their sacrifice. More mature Catholics will try to find something that takes up their time that they feel isn't necessary and so they assume that by giving that distraction up, they'll pray more. Young Catholics will tend to find something relatively easy to give up. In between, are Catholics who find something that will be difficult for sure, but not too hard because they don't want to fail and indulge in temptation - they don't want to feel bad or feel like they failed God for not being strong enough.

That right there is where the fear of failure philosophy comes in. See, we should give up something super difficult, something we think we very well might fail at doing for the 40 days of Lent because Lent isn't about proving ourselves to God, showing how strong we are...it's about GOD! It's about God's strength in us and through us.

When you begin a journey you know you can't complete on own, you have to rely on God or fail, it forces you to turn to Him for strength and endurance. THAT is the point of Lent. It's about God's greatness and our need for _Him_.

Pray about that as your Lenten journey continues. You're in my prayers.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Body and Soul

Since I can't sleep (no more caffeine past 9pm for me), I figured I'd jot down (or type down?) some thoughts about why an inter-personal and holistic approach to ministry is theologically sound. Fun stuff right?

As a Catholic lay minister, I understand that my primary concern is souls - getting my own to heaven as well as the people I minister to, through, and around (so pretty much everyone). You might think, then, that my actions would be limited and focused almost solely upon praying for others, putting a Bible in their hands for them to read, having them memorize the Catechism, and do nothing but talk to them about theological truths.

However, this ignores their day-to-day lived experience. It ignores their psychological state of being, their emotional status, and their socioeconomic situation. It ignores the complexity and depth of what it means to be a person. In short, it ignores practically everything tangible about reality.

Catholics have an understanding that our faith was enfleshed when the Word became flesh in Jesus the Christ. We have come to realize that our souls are not the same as our bodies, but that they are not detached entities. The body must be ministered to as much as the soul.

This means that I, in my ministry to others, must recognize and see the filter through which reality is experienced because of our physical condition. An experience of God does not occur in purely spirit form, but is lived through the limitations and confines of our physical senses. My ministry, then, must include dialogue, service, symbolism, sensory participation, and engagement of my whole person, in other words, relating to others, created being to created being, guided by the Holy Spirit.

So, the summary point, is that if my main concern is the soul, theology tells me that I must take into account all aspects of what it means to be a person - the physical, the emotional/psychological, as well as the purely spiritual; for a person is both body and spirit.

*These are just some ramblings on paper. Don't quote me on this stuff because I still have more to work through. Definitely challenge me if you see flaws or gaps though - it will help me refine my thoughts and understanding on it.

Monday, February 9, 2009