Barnabas: The Patron Saint of Sidekicks

So the Year of Saint Paul has dawned upon us! Pope Benedict XVI has announced that from this month of June until June 2009 (when summer rears it's perspiring head again) the Church will be focusing on this Dynamic Disciple, this Super Apostle, this Tower of Power who was beaten, stoned, ridiculed and practically barbecued (wait, that was St. Lawrence) all for the love of Jesus and the blossoming New Way known to us now as Christianity!

But what's a Super Apostle without a Sidekick? What's Batman without Robin, Woody without Buzz Lightyear, Captain America without Bucky? (I don't know who this is either but it was on Wikipedia).

Well.... not a heck of a lot friends!

Because, truth is, behind every Super Apostle there lies a “son of encouragement.” And that's our man Barnabas, who's feast we celebrate today! He introduced Paul to Peter and the Apostles. He was present at the miracle in Lystra that led some of the people to claim he and Paul as gods - Barnabas being Zeus, and Paul, Hermes (how cool that Barnabas gets called Zeus, King of the gods, and Paul gets his son Hermes who was just a herald! I can just picture them years later, sipping goat's milk, telling stories... "They thought you were Zeus! Bah hah!" Goat's milk sprays all over.)

Barnabas was the great Encourager, the Right Hand Man, the Patron Saint of Sidekicks, and yet so much more! When doubt surfaced, he floated his faith. When tension knotted the air between Gentiles and Jews, he unraveled it with peace. When Paul went out on a mission, Barnabas made the sandwiches... and he did his own fair share of preaching to boot. Good 'ole "Behind the Scenes" Barnabas... He was a man of humility, filled with the Spirit.

THUS SAYETH THE WEBSITE CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA:

With the exception of St. Paul and certain of the Twelve, Barnabas appears to have been the most esteemed man of the first Christian generation. St. Luke, breaking his habit of reserve, speaks of him with affection, "for he was a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and of Faith". His title to glory comes not only from his kindliness of heart, his personal sanctity, and his missionary labours, but also from his readiness to lay aside his Jewish prejudices, in this anticipating certain of the Twelve; from his large-hearted welcome of the Gentiles, and from his early perception of Paul's worth, to which the Christian Church is indebted, in large part at least, for its great Apostle.

So you see, you don't have to be a superstar, or a Super Apostle, to be a saint. You just have to love, tremendously, and do the task at hand. Different gifts, the same Spirit.

There are countless Barnabasessess in our Church's history. Find St. Francis and there was Brother Leo in his shadow, St. Dominic and there were two nephews of his who were pretty dang saintly themselves. Mother Teresa was surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who still touch countless lives today all over the world. Behind the scenes of every parish, there are the sidekicks: kneeling in pews after daily Mass, praying countless rosaries, clutching rubber-banded novena booklets chock full of yellowed holy cards, passing baskets around the church at collection time, running the Bingo, baking casseroles, stuffing envelopes... there are thousands of "encouragers"... doing little things with much love; and these are the makings of Great Big Saints.

Today, our smallest word of encouragement is exponentially greater because of the benevolent benediction of St. Barnabas. So power to the Sidekicks, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Summer + Rope Swing = Happiness

Maybe it's the fact that summer is here, or that school is finished, or the fact that at 6:31 am this morning it was already 89 degrees, but I'm going back to my salad days for today's reflection. Let's talk about ROPE SWINGS!

Ah yes, I remember it well.... The year was 1980something, and the summer broke over us like the peel of bells, and our freedom flashed like light from brandished swords, and the slamming of our lockers was definitive! Peaceout Mr. Biscardi! Your jokes were lousy! And thanks for the B - in Algebra! Yeah!

For my brother and I, and our motley crew of friends, it was to the woods that we would go, to live deliberately. And so it was, one fateful day in June as we slithered down the Rancocas Creek in canoes, as furtive as Iroquois, as reverent as the Sioux, that we stumbled upon a single strand of rope, dangling down from heaven like a silken cord, suspended over the water like a magic wand.

"Holy crud!" we all cried in unison.

There is something magnetic, something even cosmic, that occurs when youth and rope swings encounter each other for the first time. Weary as we were from paddling, a new fire coursed through our adolescent veins, and in seconds we were clambering up the grassy knoll to this Tree of Life. What we found (pictured above in a snapshot with my cousins Mike and Tommy, circa 198osomethingish?) was a platform that was apparently built by lumberjacks in the 1800's. At least 15 feet off the ground, with a second platform for the real thrill seekers another 6 feet higher, was the launchpad into summer that became a second home to us.

We'd waste away the hours, discovering new ways to fly off of the rope, freestyle moves, the Jumping Jack Johnny (expertly done by John Moyer), the Classic Cannonball, the Triple Lindy... you name it. Gazing up at the green canopy, dappled sunlight streaming through, laughing, exploring, looking deeply into the cedar water of the Rancocas, the color of sweet tea, the smells, the sound of the hermit thrush, the chickadee, eating store-bought hoagies and Cool Ranch Doritos while batting away green flies. Ah summer! What a gift, and we knew it all along.

I dream of this freedom for kids today. Some have it. Some have never tasted it. Some find the virtual world of video games and media more appealing (a tragedy). And granted, the world seems a more violent place than ever. I know the risks. I know it's scary out there. But I thank God I had the chance to run through this playground, to taste it and savor that taste. Those were the salad days and I'll never forget them.

I think fear and comfort can lock us in, but what a price to pay. The freedom we had formed us, the risks we took made us stronger, and I'm so grateful for this....

Let me turn off your TV before you go crazy.
Come out for a while with me. No, don't be lazy.
Tall trees whose shadows fall along Sheep's Meadow.
Never know what we will see. Come take a walk with me.
- Edie Brickell, Take a Walk

Nerd Alert - iPhone Update 2.0!

I know.... I know. It's beyond cool.
Learn more here.

"With the iPhone 2.0 Software Update, your iPhone will do even more. Extend its capabilities with innovative applications you download directly from the new App Store. Get push email, calendar, and contacts from your Microsoft Exchange server at work. And use great new features in Mail, Contacts, and other applications. Free in the next update."

Did they say free?

Techno-Catholics - Evangelizing with New Media

I had a great conversation this morning with Greg Willits, the host of the first-ever Catholic New Media Celebration, to be held in Atlanta, GA on Sunday, June 22. He's the Chief Operations Officer of the Star Quest Production Network (www.sqpn.com). Greg, along with his wife Jennifer, also created the popular "That Catholic Show" video series and also co-hosts the award-winning Rosary Army Catholic Podcast. These are incredible vehicles for bringing the life of faith into the lives we live in the culture today. There's something for everyone in the work of SQPN! Listen to our podcast interview here. And watch a sample of a That Catholic Show Episode below! Registration for the Catholic New Media Celebration is free, as well as for the Eucharistic Congress preceding it in Atlanta. Check out the resource websites below for more info...

RESOURCES:
www.celebration.sqpn.com

www.rosaryarmy.com
www.thatcatholicshow.sqpn.com
www.sqpn.com

Abortion Changes You

A new podcast is up on the very controversial topic of abortion. Michaelene Fredenburg is the creator of Abortion Changes You, an outreach for those affected directly or indirectly by abortion. Staying away from the polarization that often takes place in the culture, Michaelene instead focuses on the hearts left wounded by abortion, She has created a place for healing, sharing stories, and building a new life after the fallout of a practice that is taking its toll on countless unseen victims every day. Michaelene's own story follows.... please consider passing this story on to someone whom you know needs support.

"When I became pregnant at 18, I had an abortion. I was completely unprepared for the emotional fallout. I thought the abortion would erase the pregnancy. I thought I could move on with my life. I was wrong. I experienced periods of intense anger followed by periods of profound sadness. When my feelings became too difficult to deal with, I reached out for help from a trained counselor. With counseling and the help of supportive friends, I was able to enter into a healthy grieving process. In addition to grieving the loss of my child, I slowly became aware of how my choice to abort had impacted my family. I was surprised and saddened that my parents, my sister, and even my living children struggled to deal with the loss of a family member through abortion. Over the years I’ve heard many heartrending stories about abortion. Although each story is unique, a common thread moves through them all—abortion changes you. Yet there is no forum to help abortion participants—and the people who are closest to them—explore this tragic truth. Although abortion has touched many of us, we rarely share our personal experiences regarding it. This is what led me to write a book that shares some of the stories I’ve heard. There was also a need for a safe space for people to tell their stories, explore the ways abortion has impacted them, and find resources. We created AbortionChangesYou.com to fill this need. It is my hope that this Web site will assist you as you seek to make sense of your abortion or the abortion of someone close to you."

Youth Conference at Ave Maria University

Ave Maria University is hosting a dynamic conference for youth this summer (July 11-13) in sunny Florida. It's a great time for the youth to go deeper in their faith, meet some new friends, and experience God's love in a place set apart just for them. Here are the details from the AMU website. PS - I was invited to speak ;)


SPEAKERS:
Matt Smith (from Life Teen), Bill Donaghy (Catholic Nerd), Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (these guys are like Catholic Super Heroes)

WHO:
Rising High School Freshman to Graduating Seniors

WHAT:
A weekend packed with dynamic talks, praise and worship, perpetual adoration, prayer, fellowship and entertainment.

WHERE:
Ave Maria University, Ave Maria, FL

WHEN:
July 11-13, 2008

HOW:
Registration is $125 and will include a NON-REFUNDABLE deposit of $50 for each person.
"Be Not Afraid...Open wide the doors to Christ!"- Pope John Paul II

For more info, visit the online registration page here.

TOUCHING BASE

I began this blog over two years ago with the intention of "waking up" - myself first, then, I hoped, any cyber-passers-by; to create a blog not just for sharing news or commenting on it, but for serious (and sometimes silly) reflection. I know, I know.... it's a rare, old fashioned word and who's got time for THAT these days ;)

Well, I don't get enough of it and I thought if I just gave it a crack, others might also step into this Doorway to the Deep. To plunge into the real questions of life, to get past the shallows and out into the open water. I wanted to do all this with an honest, objective, and wonder-filled vision. Because, at the end of the day, Life is Beautiful. Amen?

So the invitation stands to take a few minutes each day to look deep within at the well waters of the soul and, well.... reflect!

SO WHAT'S GOIN' ON?

There are now over 560 articles on this blog. Yippee! You can access any one of them by scrolling down on the starboard side and finding "THE ARCHIVE - My Past Blog Posts." Click on a month or day and there you have it, more words (that hopefully lead you to the Word). There are a few new features as well that I want to point out in case you missed 'em.

SHARE THIS!
Now at the bottom of each post there is a little icon called "share this" - if you enjoy a certain article, after reading it, just click "share this" and a pop up window appears that allows you to e-mail it to a friend, add the post to your Facebook profile, your blog, Digg it, and a bunch of other nifty little options.

PHOTO FEED
Scrolling down on the right side of the blog, you'll find a pretty cool pic of two floating youth on a mountain in North Carolina. Clicking this image will bring you to my new photo feed... woohoo!! Just as a blog has a feed (a feed is a web format used for providing readers with frequently updated content. You click the little orange button in your address bar, then click subscribe, and have easy access to the latest posts) so now you can subscribe to the latest pictures I snap from the Adventures of Bill! I know, it's random, often ridiculous, but sometimes beautiful..... hey, it's a life. And if it gets you thinking or starts a conversation about the deeper stuff, mission accomplished!

TAGS
I continue to tag my posts, which means each article has been given labels as far as the content in them. If you liked yesterday's post "The Good Stuff" which had the tag "nature" at the bottom, just click it and it will bring up all the other posts in the last two years with that tag and similar content regarding "nature" - et cetera, et cetera! All of the topic tags are listed on the right side of the blog in alphabetical order.

BLOGS 'R' US!
I have a couple other blogs now, discoverable if you click my profile info on the bottom right side of the blog (there's lots of fun to be had on the right side of this blog, huh?); "The Love Worth Waiting For" is for youth and young adults on the Theology of the Body. I don't post to it much, but there are some reflections and good resources. And "Bill and Sean's Excellent Adventure" will be the platform I'll be mobile blogging to this summer with my nephew as we embark on a Vision Quest for his Confirmation. He doesn't know where the heck we're going yet...

PODCAST(S)
And of course the Heart of Things podcast is updated almost weekly (it houses the interviews done on the radio show each week, downloadable through iTunes for your iPod). A new podcast is still under construction called The Good Stuff which I'm EXTREMELY excited about. "Dedicated to the True, the Good, and the Beautiful in music, movies, books and beyond. Sometimes silly, always random, it’s shafts of Light from Another Country shining out from the most unlikely of places... coming this summer!

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
A growing batch of quotes from the saints, poets, and mystics can be found at my main website, the Mission Moment, as well as links for speaking engagements and presentations that are up and coming.

So there it is, the June update. Thanks for being a reader, and please feel free to drop a comment anytime and let me know how this blog can be a better service to you!

Peace and Prayers,
Bill