This article was originally posted last Monday over at Any Given Sunday Project. It’s a reflection on the Catholic Mass readings from this past weekend. The article is being re-posted here as part of our ongoing Jesus, Justice Joy series. And Jesus Wept It’s perhaps best known as an answer to a trivia question:…
Category: Jesus
bible, family, friends, Jesus, JesusJusticeJoy, Judaism, Justice, liturgy, reflection, scripture
Jesus and the Border War
I did not grow up loving college basketball. We were more of a baseball family. So, when I moved to Missouri, I had to do some quick catch-up on the long and heated rivalry between the beloved Missouri Tigers and the hated Kansas Jayhawks. It’s called the “Border War”. The roots of this war can…
good news, Jesus, JesusJusticeJoy, lent, ministry, oddwalkia, reflection, scripture
Don’t let the word get out, but…
I’ve always been uncomfortable with – and also not so good at – self-promotion. Whether it’s the various ministries Oddwalk offers, or perhaps a piece of music I’ve written for the Church, or most anything else, it’s difficult for me to be too forthcoming about it. For me, it’s a number of factors that come…
Jesus, JesusJusticeJoy, Joy, lent, ministry, oddwalkia, prayer, reflection, retreat, scripture
Jesus is Life
This article was originally posted last Monday over at Any Given Sunday Project. It’s a reflection on the Catholic Mass readings from this past weekend. The article is being re-posted here as part of our ongoing Jesus, Justice Joy series. Following God’s will for us is the only path to true, lasting joy… I can…
Jesus, JesusJusticeJoy, prayer
Jesus Will Show Up, No Matter What
This past weekend, my wife Erin and I helped lead a Teens Encounter Christ (TEC) retreat in St. Robert, MO. Erin served as the lay director and I the co-music director. The weekend was blessed with thirty-one candidates and one adult observer. These are huge numbers for a TEC retreat. The weather was beautiful, the…
bible, family, friends, Jesus, JesusJusticeJoy, reflection, scripture
Taking Jesus to School
Which Jesus is your favorite? I know, that’s an odd question, but it’s a fair one at the same time. I’m sure many of us would prefer the Jesus who showed compassion and mercy to children, widows, strangers, the sick, the marginalized, and so on. Conversely, many of us would prefer not to think about…
bible, family, good news, Jesus, JesusJusticeJoy, Joy, prayer, reflection, scripture
Ramblings of a Laid Back Bringer of Joy
I hate confrontation; hate it with the white hot passion of a thousand suns. I realize that confrontation is necessary at times, but I feel like running far away or crawling in a hole every time I have to be part of it. It sucks the life out of me. I don’t know why. It’s…
family, Jesus, JesusJusticeJoy, ministry, prayer, reflection
Scheduling Jesus
A day or two in the life…
This here is a great example of my wife Erin’s sense of humor: very sharp and not at all afraid to throw in a well-placed cuss word. Also, to answer her question, Erin knows A LOT of things I don’t. She’s very smart. That’s another blog entry, though.
In this case, the thing I knew was that I needed to prepare to write this blog article. Part of that preparation was creating a full day, week-long event entry last week, called “Jesus”, to remind me to pay more attention to where I encounter our Lord in everyday life. Erin didn’t know that, though. I hadn’t had time to tell her that I was writing an article, that Orin and I were planning to try and write something every week. There just isn’t enough time these days for Erin and I to talk about things that aren’t absolutely essential to helping our family function well.
The Cernekas, you see, are a very busy family. In addition to my work with Oddwalk, I work full-time for a parish and school. Erin works full-time as a nurse practitioner in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. She also runs a craft business, making headbands, bows, t-shirts, etc. Erin and I have four kids, ages 4-12. The older three are all involved with sports and scouting. The youngest is in pre-school and is preparing to take over the world. I suppose I made that last part up, but when it happens, don’t forget you heard it here first. In addition to all of this, Erin and I try and share our musical and ministerial gifts as much as time and resources will allow. This means leading music for Mass, helping with retreats, and doing what we can to support our local diocesan youth and vocation events. It’s safe to say we have burned the candle at both ends and have ordered more candles.
All of this brings me back to that screen shot of my calendar. While I look to grow in Christ each and every day, I meant that calendar entry to be purely functional, something to help this article deadline not be just another well-intended goal that slipped through the cracks. Yet as I look at it now and think about the craziness that is my life, it occurs to me that I could use something like that. Every. Day. Maybe you could too. While I work for a Catholic institution, go to Mass regularly, pray, and take more than a passing interest in my Catholic faith, I know full-well that I often do not place Christ at the center of my life, at the center of my decision-making, at the center of my family. So, this coming week, I’m committing to spending extra twenty minutes with Jesus. Ideally this will be in church, but I know Jesus will be there for me wherever I am. I know twenty minutes isn’t much, but it’s something. Jesus shouldn’t be just another calendar entry. Jesus has to be everything.
What about you? How are things between you and JC? Is there room to improve that relationship? Ok, that was a trick question. Of course there’s room. There’s always room. What kind of time and space can you commit this week to strengthening that relationship?
-Shannon