Weight loss has been a primary goal since I was young. It was ingrained in me that I was overweight and that, in order to be successful, I needed to slim down. There was never really a moment in my life that I looked at myself and thought: THERE! That’s it. That’s the perfect ME. I could now tell you that I have had some revelation and I finally have all the answers to the weight loss and how to be successful in life but I won’t because it would be a lie. Being able to healthily maintain weight loss requires so much more loss than just pounds and inches and beloved foods. It requires daily, sometimes minute-by-minute diligence. It has been challenging and I have not always made the best choices however, if I work through some simple steps, I usually can get through a moment of great challenge. First, I’ll ask questions: Are you really hungry? How will this food fuel you? Do you need to eat for energy? Second, I will go through what I know: Sugar and processed food will make me feel bad. Not eating will make me feel worse. Here’s what’s in the kitchen. Third, I will give myself a reality check: Today is hard. You feel like you deserve that but it’s not the best choice. It’s going to be difficult maybe even painful in this moment but you’ll feel better soon. Fourth, I stay positive and connected: I eat to live! Let’s take a deep breath, get up, and change your mood!
I feel like this virus and the way it is affecting our Saint Michael the Archangel Family is bringing so much stress and fear that we are clinging to any message of hope we can find right now! We are so blessed to be able to see and hear each other in this technological age! But even I must admit: I am nervous about the uncertainty in front of me. I am unsure about the next steps. I am so sad for the losses happening all around me because of these sudden and drastic changes to life. There is a beautiful process of bringing people into the Catholic faith called the Rite of Christian Initiation. I have taken the humble liberty of adapting these stages of the process to possibly offer us an opportunity to form our faith in new and powerful ways during this time of great loss and change.
Stage One: Period of Inquiry
It’s important to ask questions. Matthew 18:3 says: “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Children ask a lot of questions. Sometimes they surprise us with questions we would never consider and sometimes they repeat the same question over and over. I have spent a lot of time in prayer lately just going through my list of urgent questions: What is happening? How long will this last? Sometimes when I ask the questions, I go through a range of emotions. It’s okay. I try not to get stuck in this stage. Questions are important but if I stay here, I can go down so many rabbit holes and ask so many WHAT IFS that I become immobilized.
Stage Two: Period of the Catechumenate
A catechumen is someone who is being instructed in the faith of the Catholic Church. This stage in the process is where we can get some answers to our questions! There is a lot of information out there and we are being bombarded every day with choices about what to watch and who to trust when receiving news and media stories covering the pandemic. John 14:6 tells us that it is Jesus that is “the Way, the Truth, and The Life.” We have spent, as a parish, the last three years pondering our themes: Jesus the Way, Jesus the Truth, Jesus the Life. We have learned that scripture has much to tell us about people facing all kinds of atrocities and adversities and asking: Why do bad things happen to good people? When we seek answers, we must know the Source. I have found that visiting the CDC and WHO websites once a day are enough. Social media stories can bring us to understand the human side of the virus but it can also send us into a tailspin of knowledge we might not be ready for or that might not be accurate. I just try to remember: I know the WAY to get information is through my technology. The TRUTH is out there but I will have to wade through lots of thoughts, opinions, and feelings to get the information I need to stay calm and take action. If I want to be a part of social media, I am aware that TRUTH (not speculation) is what is important. The most important TRUTH is that my LIFE is valuable. All LIFE is precious. Every person matters. We are all in this together. If I am an elder, my LIFE matters. If I am a child, my LIFE matters. If I am sick, my LIFE matters. If I am afraid, my LIFE matters. Yes, there is a shadow of illness and death but I am alive right now and that matters.
Stage Three: Period of Purification and Enlightenment
I have heard that purifying gold means you have to put it in a fire so hot that it will burn away the impurities. There is something that must be lost in order to be made pure. This image made me think about my own self during my attempts to lose weight. I burned away inches but I never burned away why I struggled with food, why I used it in the manner that I did, and how I could successfully live in peace without struggling to an image of perfection that will never be achieved. In order to learn these difficult lessons, I had to lose some habits. I had to lose my comforting relationship with food. It was a painful process of self-reflection but in the end, I have found that believing that God loves me just as I am is possible and I will survive the losses that come. Survival does not mean I will do it gracefully. 1 Peter 4:12-13 states:
“Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as if something strange were happening to you. But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly.” This virus has already altered the course of human history and it will continue to do so. It proves we are universally connected in ways we could have never imagined. God knows everything we are feeling and enduring and God is in the fire with us. We can rejoice that we are all together and that Fr. Dan and Fr. Paul and the entire staff and clergy of Saint Michael are enduring the same fires, the same fears, and we are united and connected even though we are not in person with each other.
Stage Four: Period of Mystagogy
The priest has a point in Mass where he exults: The Mystery of Faith! This is the time in the process when we can rest knowing the we fully acknowledge the mystery of life before us. We often joke around the office that God laughs at our best laid plans. Yes, we must prepare for what is ahead but we trust in God enough to know that living in the mystery of our faith means unexpected twists and turns that are out of our control. Living in the mystery does not mean being ignorant or denying realities, it means freedom (if only for a moment) from the fears that come from uncertainty and loss. It means seeing hope in places that seem hopeless.
I have gazed many times at the images of Saint Michael the Archangel that are decorating our campus. We are so blessed to have him as the defender of our lives and a defender against the losses that can consume us. When facing big challenges ahead, never hesitate to pray through our intercessor and namesake. He is protecting us!
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do you, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and the other evil spirits who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.