CNA Columns: Live Greater

Start Living

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

By Jon Leonetti

Entitlement. Many of us take on the idea that we truly believe we deserve what we have. Often, it doesn�t stop there. We often find that once someone buys into the idea of entitlement, it quickly turns into pity: self-pity. We slide down that treacherous slope, moving from thinking we deserve what we have to thinking we deserve more. We unknowingly train ourselves to think what we have, even though we might deserve it, is simply not good enough. We complain about the way our day �should have gone,� rather than thinking critically of what choices we (really, I myself)could have made today to create a healthier and happier life� a life where we look at our challenges and difficulties as a way to build ourselves into a faithful and hopeful people.

I have met some pretty unhappy people. Most of the time (listen for it) their lives would be �happier� if they had just �one more thing�. Rather than concentrating on what we do have and counting those blessings, we often choose to think of �the more� that we could have�or� �deserve�. And why is that? We are some of the most fortunate people in the world. Are we trained to think this way? I would say �yes.� But there is hope. As much as we have been trained to view our world as something that should be handed to us on a golden platter, we can just as easily un-train ourselves. And I believe me, it�s simple.

I�m going to go out on a limb here and make a suggestion. Take it or leave it , but it is something that I believe would alter the way we think of our world. That suggestion is that we start taking inventory of the graces and blessings within our lives. Sound clich�? Maybe. But if it was so clich� I believe it would already have been acted upon by many more of these unhappy people. Without a clear, steady, and daily inventory of the many blessings and graces we have been given, there is simply no way around the trap of entitlement and self pity. We have to stop being the person whose only reflection of character is a certain kind of latte at Starbucks and start being a people who reflects on the reality of the goodness God has bestowed on us. (Read more)

Just One More Thing�

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

By Jon Leonetti

Picture it: The rich man encountering Jesus Christ face to face. As they look into each others� eyes, the people around them inch closer and closer. Can you feel the tension? The rich man, feeling quite sure of himself asks Jesus if there is more.

"You follow the commandments, you say? You are a good person, you say? That�s great. But it�s not enough�"

"Give it all � everything. What�s stopping you? You�ve already gone this far in your faith. It�s not going to be easy, but what I ask never is. Too much you say? No, it�s not too much. Do you know what I have in store for you in my Father's kingdom?" (Read more)

A Realization in Evangelization (Part 3)

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

By Jon Leonetti

Recently I was speaking with a friend who had left the Church and converted to another denomination of Christianity. Growing up Catholic and having a firm faith in the Lord, I asked him why he would convert to another faith. His answer: �My relationship with Jesus was hurting and I needed a faith where it could be strengthened.�   I did not understand. We are the one true faith - the faith that Jesus handed on to Peter, the Church that Christ married upon the cross. This faith, the faith of all the martyrs and saints, a faith of billions over the last 2,000 years� was not feeding a soul?

Of course, in my mind I was panicking. I love my faith, it means the world to me, and it hurts to see people walk away from it. I wanted to speak of our tradition, our many saints, our Mother Mary. I wanted to tell him about the faith of the martyrs and that our Church�s mission is nothing more than to bring all hearts to the un-failing love of Jesus Christ. But I didn�t. I stood there and wondered where I went wrong. I thought of the many people in my own life who have done the same thing. �Am I not holy enough?� I wondered. Are we, the Body of Christ, not fulfilling our mission to go out unto all the world and proclaim the Good News, first by living it?

It hurts to see good, God-loving people move to another faith because they feel as if they were not being spiritually fed through Catholicism. This all too often is true of many of our brothers and sisters who have left the Church - many of whom have found other faiths, or simply stopped practicing all together.   (Read more)

A Realization in Evangelization (Part two)

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0500

By Jon Leonetti

�Holiness, whether ascribed to Popes well-known to history or to humble lay and religious figures, from one continent to another of the globe, has emerged more clearly as the dimension which expresses best the mystery of the Church. Holiness, a message that convinces without the need for words, is the living reflection of the face of Christ.� - Pope John Paul II

The quote speaks for itself� eh? Holiness, as John Paul II reflected, is the way in which we bring the living Christ to the world. Last article I reflected on the call for all of us, no matter who we are, to �go unto all the world and proclaim the Good News.� I began by speaking about the little ways in which we are called to bring this �New Evangelization� to the world. I wrote about my parents, who by their profession of faith (simply taking me to Mass each Sunday) instilled in me a love for God. In this article, I will speak on the most important form of evangelization of all, holiness.

Let�s be honest, the word is a loaded one. Holiness in no way takes on one specific way, shape, or form. What do I mean by that? I mean that all of us have been given a way, a shape and a form for a particular way of living within our God. No path is the same. No saint is the same. When Mother Teresa was told by a woman she wished she could do what Mother did, Mother immediately responded with the words, you can�t, and you never will� you will do greater things she went on to say. Mothers point was we have all been given a duty. That duty is the same in the sense that it is to always follow our Lord�s will, and His will is lived out in over six billion ways.
(Read more)

A Realization in Evangelization: (Part one of a three-part series on Evangelization)

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0500

By Jon Leonetti

We believe, oh yes, we do believe. And it�s a beautiful thing, isn�t it? It�s an incredible gift of faith, given by a God who wants nothing more than to spend eternity with us. Despite our unworthiness, despite the many times we have turned away, we have a God who continually fills our hearts with this �need�- a need that begs us to live as we were created to live. And with this precious gift of faith we are also given something else. Responsibility � a responsibility to go "unto all the world and proclaim the Good News." A responsibility to "not be afraid" and to "cast out into the deep" with our very lives. So, the question at hand is� are we fulfilling this call? Are we, a people entrusted with this hope, in turn, sharing it with others?

When someone asks me �why� I believe in God, I answer it quite simply. "It�s because my parents do." This might seem shallow, and "not deep enough," but when I really think about it, it�s the main reason. Sure, I have had many moving experiences with God. I have experienced him in the riches of prayer in ways I cannot describe. I have seen Him transform people so lost, so broken, into the most hopeful people I have ever known. But that is not the core reason I believe. The core reason I believe is simply because my parents did. And that is not a bad thing! In fact, I would venture to say that this is the reason for many. If not our parents, than someone who we came to know, affecting our lives in a way that allowed us to experience, first-hand, the love of our God.

When I used to think of the word evangelization I automatically equated it with "preaching" (I will write more about this thought in the articles to come). This is certainly not the case. Evangelization goes much deeper than just words behind a pulpit. (Read more)

Laboring never to ask for reward

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0500

By Jon Leonetti

"To Toil and not seek for rest. To Labor and not ask for reward, except for knowing that I do your will."

Peace to all! I hope your Labor Day was full of both rest and family fun. Labor Day has always been one of my favorite holidays. It is short and non-commercialized, which for me, propels it right to the top. The physical and mental labor that each of us do on a day by day basis in our schools, jobs and homes should not be ignored, being rightfully rewarded with a day to "catch our breath."

Labor Day is a great reminder of just how much rest our bodies need. Often times we can forget what it means to take a step back, refreshing ourselves with a day off from the stress we encounter in our work. Without it we are not able to achieve the peak performance in our schools and workplaces, often times growing more agitated by those that we love. Rest rejuvenates us, improving the quality of our responsibilities and lives. (Read more)

Peace?

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0500
By Jon Leonetti

What is peace? If you have never once sat down and tried to put a definition to it, try right now, then continue reading after you are finished.

(This is when the Jeopardy music is supposed to start playing�)

Before we take a deeper look at what this term "peace" is, I want to first determine what peace is not. How many times do we get swept up in the day-dream of "peace?" Things are hectic in our lives, times are difficult, and we simply put our hands on our chins and dream of what life would be like if "we were only at peace." And we think of the ocean, the trees moving ever so calmly in the breeze�we think of life without any problems or difficulties�lots of money�going through life with a smile... Am I right? I mean, you�re not alone here. Most of us have dreamt of one of these things at least once in our lives, and it normally follows a phrase of, "life would be so much easier with _______." (Read more)

Choosing to give our all

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0500
By Jon Leonetti

The British Open, one of professional golf's four yearly major championships, saw something that stunned golfing fans around the world a couple weeks ago. Tiger Woods, the world's number one golfer, did not make the cut to compete. Big deal, right? Well, to Sports Nation, this was huge.

You may not be a golf fan, but you have certainly heard of Tiger. Even my grandma knows who he is, and he has never even been on "The Price is Right." Everyone knows Tiger Woods. And how can we not? We hear his name constantly. If he is not on ESPN playing golf, he is on another channel endorsing Gillette razors. He is beloved by millions around the globe and will probably go down as one of the greatest athletes ever.

Because he is number one, it is almost inconceivable for him not to be competing in the (Read more)

Souly Walking: What I've Learned

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500
By Jon Leonetti

As I write this column I am less than one week from walking into Ocean City, N.J., where myself and another friend will have completed our walk across America. This is very exciting for us, as we have done our best for the past five months to bring the Gospel to the streets. For this article, I have chosen to reflect on something that I have learned from this walk in faith.

This journey has undoubtedly been the most difficult journey I will ever take in my life (I am very confident in this). It is a journey that has seen many ups and downs, literally as we walk the highways and figuratively, in my physical, emotional, and spiritual life.

Many people have walked for a cause. Whether that be a three, five, or 3,565 mile walk, many have done their best to raise awareness for something they thought was important. The cause that we chose to bring to the streets was for the young people of the world - asking them to turn their hearts and minds away from the MTV/Hollywood mentality, turning now to Jesus Christ in prayer. We spoke at churches, schools and youth gatherings along the way, as well as on nation-wide radio, and news stations throughout the journey, trying to bring this message of faith to a world in need of their loving God. We simply did our best. And as Mother Teresa always told her sisters, giving our best is all our God really asks. (Read more)

Choose

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500
By Jon Leonetti

Last week I asked you to reflect on four central questions which pertain to the very core of our existence. These are not questions that necessarily have one answer as I stated before, but are there to help us see our own uniqueness and purpose in this life. Continue to take these questions before our Lord and His Mother in prayer. Then, and only then, will our vision of "living greater" deepen within our loving God.

This week I want to concentrate on this choice that we have been given to "live greater". The choice that each of us have to make at one point in our lives, to either follow the lies of the culture or to follow the truth in Christ. A quote that stands out to me at this moment is a quote I read from Pope Clement I. He said, in regards to our choice of living, that "this world and the world to come are two enemies. We cannot therefore be friends to both; but we must decide which we will forsake and which we will enjoy." What is he saying here? Is he saying that we cannot enjoy this life? Is he saying that we need to walk around depressed and lost, ignoring the beauty that this life has to offer only to await the next? Quite the opposite! Pope Clement is asking us to make the decision of which life we are going to participate in... NOW! He is asking us which vision we are going to take on... a vision of the world, or a vision of God.

Pope Clement understood that this life is but a gift, one of the most precious gifts our God could have ever given us! He is asking nothing more than for us to choose to live in the exact way we were created to live! Not with worldly minds of greed, selfishness and despair. But of heavenly minds... ones of self giving, sacrifice and hope! In choosing this heavenly vision we then venture outside ourselves to a world that is eternally good. A world where greatness seeps into our very lives. A world where we no longer feel inadequate or filled with despair, but a world where our hearts become flooded with God. (Read more)