The Tightrope: Reflections for Busy Catholics

C.S. Lewis, in his book Till We Have Faces, suggests the idea that each of us has one complaint holding us back from God. This complaint is the root of our resistance to God, and it is most certainly based on a lie. This Lent ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what the issue really is. Do you think you’re unworthy of God’s love? Do you think God is uncaring and distant? Are you questioning God’s plan for your life? What is taking you away from God? Snippet from the Show “In order to attack weeds, you have to pull up roots.” RESOURCES Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis Abiding Together Podcast - ascensionpress.com/abidingtogether

Ever had a Lenten commitment that just flopped? Me too. You can have the best of intentions at the start of Lent, but if it doesn’t work out, throwing in the towel all together is a real temptation. But don’t give up! Whenever you find yourself starting to slip, stop yourself right away. Put your phone down as soon as you realize you picked it up without thinking, or wrap up the rest of the hamburger you started to eat on Friday. God doesn’t expect us to be perfect in our fasts, but he does expect us to keep trying. GREAT NEWS! We’ve reached over 100,000 downloads of the Tightrope! This is a huge landmark that I’m excited to share with you!! Let me know what you think in the comments of this episode over at ascensionpress.com/thetightrope Snippet from the Show _ “When we fast and fail, it reminds us that we are in need of a Savior.”_

Colin has two non-negotiables when it comes to morning prayers: Some kind of interior prayer. Some kind of family prayer. The interior prayer helps him immediately start the day with God in mind. The family prayer helps him orient the family mission towards God. Though the MacIvers attempt to say a decade of the Rosary every morning, they sometimes need something a little shorter for those days when nothing goes right. Check out Colin’s prayers below, and tell us about your morning prayers in the comments! Snippet from the Show “If you can start off the day with interior prayer, it’s more likely that your inner monologue will turn into an inner dialogue.” Interior Prayer Here I am Lord, I come to do your will. My intellect is dark and my will may be weak, but it’s you oh God I’m after, your face oh Lord I seek. Family Prayers Jesus I love you, Mary I love you. Help us to be more like you. Little Flower, Little Flower, show your power in this hour. We adore you oh Christ and we praise you, because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world. (for Lent)

Should you give up swearing for Lent? Well, yeah. But there’s more to it. Lent is a season of repentance, where we attempt to conform ourselves evermore to Christ. We should always be striving to detach ourselves from sin and bad habits, like swearing, but this time of year we go even further. There are three things we should do during Lent: fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. Fasting: This is the part where we give something up. We fast from things that are good (like chocolate, or coffee) and move them to the side to make more room for God. Almsgiving: This is the part where we give something to others. Whether it’s money, time, or kindness, we should give from the heart. Prayer: This is the part where we root it all in God, knowing that this period of repentance is possible because of his loving mercy. What are you doing for Lent? Do you have a question or comment about the show? Email Colin at thetightropepodcast@ascensionpress.com

In the sacrament of reconciliation, we are given real freedom. Sanctifying grace is restored, sin is washed away, and the very power of Christ’s cross is given to us. We may know in our heads that reconciliation is important, but it’s easy to take it for granted. We stand in line, doing a quick examination of conscience, because we know it’s good and necessary, but we don’t always recognize the magnitude of it. Colin witnesses to the power of this sacrament. He talks about overcoming a habitual sin after receiving an outpouring of grace from reconciliation, and the experience of watching his son go to his first confession. Experience the freedom of sanctifying grace—go to confession this week!

When we see something beautiful, are we concerned with the encounter with God, or with taking a picture to post online? When we put more emphasis on the means the the end, we’re missing out on something great. St. Ignatius talks about this. He says, “The human person is created to praise, reverence, and serve God and by so doing to save his or her soul.” God created these things to have an encounter with him, but they are just a means to an end, and the end is God. Colin struggles with this himself. He plans to use this time before Lent to reorient himself toward God, and to put him as the focus of his life. What did you think of the podcast? Let us know at tightrope@ascensionpress.com

Scripture is God’s love letter specifically for you. Have you ever encountered a verse from the Bible that seems to follow you around? This happened to Colin with the verse from 1 Corinthians 13:13, “So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” After his mother died, Colin found himself holding her Bible, and he opened it up to this passage from 1 Corinthians. He found the page so easily because there was a rose pressed into it. Upon further inspection, Colin discovered that the rose was the boutineer he wore at his First Communion. So if there is a part of Scripture you encounter again and again—know that God is speaking to you, and he’s trying to show you his love.

“All people are born as originals but many die as photocopies.” - Venerable Carlo Acutis Colin unpacks this quote from Carlo Acutis, a fifteen-year-old boy who died from leukemia in 2006. Carlo was normal kid who loved computers, film, and comics. He also loved God, Mary, and the Church, and showed his love by doing three simple things: going to mass, going to confession, and praying the Rosary. If we want to become the person God has planned for us to be, we can follow Carlo’s example and stay close to Christ and the Eucharist. How? Go to Mass, go to confession, pray the Rosary. For more information on Venerable Carlo Acutis, check out carloacutis.com Photo credit: carloacutis.com

It’s easy to be charitable to people we don’t see very often, but if we really want to grow in this virtue, we have to make sure that charity begins at home. Home is the place where you want to let your guard down and relax, so it’s easy to get annoyed when family members disturb that peace. When Colin found himself getting irritated with his daughter about a really minor problem, he realized the necessity of being more charitable toward his family. We can apply the three steps from last week’s episode to grow in charity: look, listen, and challenge.

We all want to speak the truth with love and walk the line between being a habitual enabler and a judging Pharisee. In the Gospels, Jesus carried out this task of admonishing the sinner with three steps: looking, loving, and challenging. Look - see the person as they truly are, with full acknowledgement of their wrongdoing. Love - remember that they are loved and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Challenge - challenge them to do better for themselves, which will ultimately make them happier. We see these steps in action in John 8:3-11, when Jesus interacts with the woman caught in the act of adultery. “...and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus looked up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again.’ ” When Jesus meets the woman caught in adultery, he looks her in the eye, shows her compassion and mercy, and then challenges her by saying, “go, and do not sin again.” This method of truth spoken in love (look, love, and challenge) is a great way to carry out the spiritual work of mercy of admonishing the sinner. For more tips on admonishing the sinner, check out Fr. Josh’s podcast episode, Admonishing the Sinner, Regretting Abortion, and Marriage in Heaven at ascensionpress.com/askfrjosh “Do not accept anything as the truth if it lacks love. And do not accept anything as love which lacks truth! One without the other becomes a destructive lie.” -St. Edith Stein (source)

Colin’s family celebrated the 607th birthday of St. Joan of Arc—New Orleans style. To kick off the carnival season, New Orleans celebrates the birthday of this great saint with a big parade, songs, good food, and fellowship. The parade even featured quotes from St. Joan, including this one: “Hold up the cross higher so I can see it through the flames.” Catholics and non-Catholics alike participated in this festive event. It was an amazing opportunity to share the richness of the Catholic faith with others. What are some more ways we can be creative and bring Catholicism out into the streets?

The day of Christmas has passed, but the Carnival celebration has just begun. Colin talks about the Carnival season in Louisiana that starts on Epiphany and lasts until Mardi Gras. This season is often associated with excess and vice, but there are all kinds of worthwhile traditions that Catholics love. The colors of the season, for example, represent the three liturgical seasons it intersects: Gold for Christmas, green for Ordinary Time, and purple for Lent. Using moderation, you can really appreciate this season and use it to continue the celebration of Christ’s coming. Grab some friends and some king cake and have a blast!

Colin doesn’t have a lot of hope in New Year’s resolutions...but he does have a lot of hope in God’s grace. Our resolutions have a higher likelihood of sticking when we don’t have to do it entirely on our own willpower. Grace is the gift from God that gives us the strength to do his will. Being open to grace is what can make our resolutions stick – especially those resolutions that are helpful to our faith journey.

One of the best gifts you can give at Christmas is a gift of self. Colin was touched by this kind of gift when he encountered a man who had little to give, but did so anyway. His involvement with homeless ministry led Colin to develop a friendship with a man named Joseph, who stored his few possessions in a suitcase he carried with him wherever he went. Colin’s last interaction with Joseph occured at Christmas, shortly after Joseph’s suitcase was stolen. When Joseph handed Colin a brown paper bag, he opened it to discover candy corn and sugar packets. It wasn’t the candy corn and sugar that Colin valued, but the fact that this man, whose only possessions had just been stolen, could be so generous and thoughtful. Strive to give someone the gift of self this year. Give your time, your prayers, or something near and dear to your heart.

Colin talks about a time he had an encounter with Christ while listening to beautiful music that brought him to tears. As he was irresistibly drawn in, he realized that art, music, culture, and beauty can be opportunities for evangelization. Colin calls this invitation to have an encounter with Christ through beauty an “assault of beauty”. It’s not an assault that takes away from our free will, but one that draws us in. This week, find a way to extend this invitation to someone else. Listen to some beautiful music with your family or ask a friend to go visit a beautiful church.