Weekly Wildflowers #10
Fall Sabbatical, 3 Quick Takes, The Darkness and The Light
Friends,
Fall is a time of change in the seasons, when the wind blows cooler and the days become noticeably shorter. I feel an instinctual need to slow down, almost hibernate.
This year the feeling is even stronger, as we are still in the middle of my son recovering, and we’re running all over the city for appointments a few times a week. So I’ve been trying to think of ways to cultivate this slow-down without actually being able to slow down. To find the time to bake those pies I have pinned on Pinterest or to finally finish that stitching project I’ve had since this past Spring. To make sure I actually read those books for my book club.
In this period of discernment it’s become apparent that one area that is a huge time sink for me is social media. I use it a lot to promote my work, and have used that as justification to stay on it but to my creative detriment. So I’ve decided on taking a sabbatical from my social media platforms. Disconnecting from the hamster wheel, allowing my mind to actually process and ponder, to be creative without needing or seeking input from others, and to spend more time in the quiet, real moments of life. It is perhaps past time to go through this detox and get reacquainted with life without social media for a while.
With that said, I intend to stay right here on Substack, writing my weekly posts, and monthly long-form articles, as well as my new role on Missio Dei writing reflections on the Gospel. You can also find some of my work over on Vineyard, an online platform that is focused on promoting Catholic thinkers and writers but without the endless doom scroll that social media can encourage.
Maybe you’d like to join me on this social media detox. If so, let me know in the comments! I can share how things are going here, what is working, what is not, and any other little tidbits that come along the way.
3 Quick Takes
There is a lot of noise on the internet right now around politics. A lot. A few years ago now I realized that the amount of anxiety I felt about the world was directly linked to how much noise I let into my day. With the upcoming presidential election you may feel obligated to keep listening, to keep watching, to ensure you are well educated on the issues. That is all well and good, yet my only advice, and the only thing I plan to write about politics here, is to cut back on what you allow into your days. Yes it is important to be informed, but not at the expense of your peace and ability to sleep at night. Times feel heavy, they feel dark, and it can be all the easier to focus on just how heavy and just how dark it feels if the content we consume focuses on that too. So be sure to balance out the talking heads on the news (or on social media) with something calming and truth-filled - worship music, Bible in a Year podcast, Catechism in a Year podcast, or other better go to daily Mass, pray the rosary, and find a new devotional to work through with a friend.
The other day I was having a wonderful conversation about the Mass with a new acquaintance. Yes, this is how I roll sometimes. Her and I both enjoy a reverent Mass, how it lifts the soul up and out of the mundane, how it fuses beauty and truth into an experience. In short, it is one hour unlike any other during the week. However, neither of us started at this point. I started going to Mass on college campuses, first when I was simply exploring what Catholicism was about but then as I entered RCIA. The spaces where Mass was held were rarely beautiful, but more about function, and the liturgy simple, more like my protestant church services. It wasn’t until, by chance, I stumbled across what a more traditional, reverent Mass looked like that I was intrigued and our family went to check it out. I was immediately moved by the beauty, the music, and the atmosphere. Yet, I admitted to my new friend, if I had come to such as Mass before I became Catholic it might have kept me from becoming Catholic as it would have been so foreign. We both came to the same conclusion based on our experiences and perhaps it’s an unpopular opinion too: The Mass and the liturgy have a range of expression (to a point) for a reason - to bring all souls to Christ, no matter where they are on their pilgrimage of faith.
Speaking of the noisiness of the world, recently, Pope Francis was speaking at an interreligious meeting in Singapore and said some questionable things that have many people rightly upset. At this meeting Pope Francis said “All religions are a path to reach God. They are – I make a comparison – like different languages, different idioms, to get there. But God is God for everyone,” and then continued with “And since God is God for everyone, we are all children of God. ‘But my God is more important than yours!’ Is this true? There is only one God, and our religions are languages, paths to reach God. Some are Sikh, some are Muslim, some are Hindu, some are Christian, but they are different paths.” First it is important to remember that Pope Francis is human and makes mistakes - popes are only infallible when speaking in ex-cathedra. At this meeting he was not speaking from the chair of St. Peter, but was addressing children attending this meeting. Second, in all charity, it appears he was poorly referencing CCC843 “The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since He give life and breath and all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as ‘a preparation for the Gospel and given by Him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life.” So if you find yourself bristling at the pope’s words, instead choose to pray for him, and ask God to help him shepherd the Church better and more clearly that all may come to find Jesus Christ. To read the transcript in full go here.
Devotional Corner
Darkness and Light
Hate and Love
Discord and Peace
Despair and Joy
There is a very distracting, divisive, and frantic voice out in the world. It’s always been there but modern life has made it more present, louder, and more able to access us in once quiet places.
It’s shouting in ever more frenetic ways - that we have every reason to despair. To Hate. To seek offense and discord.
To see only darkness
And that heaviness is weighing on us in new and not before imagined ways. I hear it when talking to friends, see it on my newsfeed and in how society has drawn so many lines in the sand I can’t even keep up.
Yet, our heritage says “there is Hope”.
It calls us to be more, to be other, to be set apart - for Him.
It is a heritage that speaks to a profound sacrificial Love borne in the beginnings of disobedience and of redemption heralded throughout the ages. A heritage of a rich faith teeming with Sacred Traditions and Sacred Scripture - founded by the Son of Man. A heritage that sees us all as children of God - desired, loved, and redeemed.
Friends, as Catholic Christians we must keep God at the center of our days, we must lean into this heritage brought to us by the saints and martyrs from millennia past. Not the news, not social media, not our work - God. Through prayer, through adoration, through Mass, the Eucharist, through reading scriptures and praying again. This age requires intention and purpose, of protecting our peace and our hearts. It requires that we make space for a quiet voice of Love to whisper life back into us.
It seems undeniably bleak, and that frantic voice keeps beating its drum of discord but we must remain steadfast in this Truth:
Love wins, Peace and Joy Reign, and
Light overcomes the darkness.
“But now, thus says the LORD,
who created you, Jacob, and formed you, Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name: you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1
Discussion Questions
This section is a starting off point to help you go deeper with topics discussed above.
How do you actively keep God at the center of your days? What small ways can you create a family culture in your home that focuses on God? Write three ideas and try to implement one this week.
Often times it feels like we do not have enough time to dedicate to God during our days. With work, school, extracurriculars, dinner, chores, errands. It feels like we are constantly on the go. Consider swapping out one online media that you consume (podcasts, social media, reels, you tube, news reports, etc.) in favor of prayer this week. Offer up this sacrifice for God’s glory and ask Him to use this time you are giving Him to work in your life.
Quote of the Week
“Start being brave about everything, driving out darkness and spreading light as well. Don’t look at your weakness, but realize that in Christ crucified you can do everything.”
– St. Catherine of Siena
Where would you want to visit?
This past week I asked you all which continent you’d want to visit. I have to say this was really fun if only because I liked seeing the spread, and how many folks wanted to go to various places. I definitely enjoy visiting Europe but I’ve always wanted to visit Australia so that’s on my bucket list!
This week’s poll.