When there is a great evil that involves the heart of the United States, there is never a lack of patriotism, and unification becomes a theme throughout the country.

Arch-rivals in sports towns came together to show that we are all people of United States and if you poke at one of us you are poking at all of us.

There were politicians who can’t agree on the simplest of topics, speaking in harmony on the Boston event.

Why did such a senseless event happen?  The question is one that we all struggle with and yet the answer is dark and simple.

It happened because two men wanted it to happen. At that moment the hearts of the two men were so dark to truth that they saw this as a way to be heard.

The voice of the men was heard and the voice of a unified people of this country was also heard.

The entire people of the United States, as a majority voice, was together with songs of how great the United States is and how our policy is the way to achieve the solution.

For one moment take a step back and think about the unification of the people as one body.

We say we all want peace, joy and happiness and yet how many moments do we actually strive to achieve it?

Is that what we really mean, or is it “I want peace, joy and happiness for me, and I really don’t care how my actions affect you.”

“Becoming” is what came to mind.  Yes, becoming is a verb and requires action, but; “what am I becoming?” is the real question.

Are you becoming stagnant and complacent?  Are you afraid that you may lose your job and will have no way to meet your economical responsibility if you speak up and challenge?  Are you afraid that a professor may not be fair if you challenge a grade?  Are you afraid that your voice will be squelched if you speak up for the ones who have no voice?

Being silent in the face of injustice is cowardice.  Humans have the divine law on their side to be treated with dignity and respect and, most of all, love.

Last week, the LIFE group spoke to the heart of what happens when we are silent in the face of injustices. They commented on the harmful effects of bullying and the many suicides that result from silence.

That bullying can also be accomplished by a nation, and those actions can result in extremist views as a way to have a voice heard.

The extreme voice heard both in the terror attacks of Sept. 11 and recently in Boston resulted in the deaths of the many who were sacrificed on those days.

Jesus was an extremist.  He argued for the people who had no voice.  Jesus argued for the poor, widowed and orphaned and he was murdered because of fear.

Fear will destroy us piece by rotten piece until all we have is anger, and that anger will manifest in ways that can be globally harmful.

John reminds us, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).

If there is one thing I pray we can learn in life it is “Don’t live in fear.”

If you are living in fear you will have sadness and anger.   There is hope from all we have seen in Boston last week.  God’s love will conquer all.

The evil in the world exists because of fear and we are a fearful people.  Overcoming that fear requires a joyful hope in the plan of God.

Trust in the ways of God and see the goodness to come from it.

The tragedy last week in Boston may cause us to put up our fists and yell, but let us have the courage to ask why this happened and look past the hate and fear of an opposing view and a distortion of truth.

Bullying is a wide spectrum that we all fall into at one point or another.  Boston and Sept. 11 were acts of bullying.

Lord, may we be instruments of your peace and never bully.

ROB LOPEZ

lopez010@knights.gannon.edu

It has a soothing effect on me that I haven’t quite found anywhere else in my life up to this point. Even if I’m not completely paying attention to the message of the song, the tone of the music is always exactly what I need to hear.

You could say Tuesday was “one of those days” for me, but even the cliché doesn’t do it justice. To be blunt, my day just sucked, from beginning to end.

Finally, when I was just about at my wit’s end in the newsroom, knowing I still had a long night ahead of me, I broke down and started playing my Matt Maher station on Pandora.

It was partly because I knew I’d be writing this column in a few minutes, and I was looking for inspiration, but I started to feel the music’s effects almost immediately.

I had been so flustered at the day’s events that I didn’t even realize how much I really needed to calm down, and take a moment for myself.

It’s really not surprising that Christian music does this for me. I’ve been listening to the stuff every Sunday since forever, and I’ve been actively singing and performing it around Erie for almost eight years.

The best part of my week, without a doubt, is going to band rehearsal every Wednesday night.

It’s the one chance I get to really calm down after Tuesday’s production night and take some time to experience God in the best way I know how. For me, Wednesdays are often more spiritually relaxing than any Mass I’ve ever been to.

I think it’s because I’ve found somewhere in my own faith that I’m completely comfortable. And that’s what we’re all really looking for in the end, right?

We want to belong, whether it’s in church or at school; at home or miles away.

I’ve been fortunate enough in my life so far to have found this sense of belonging in several places, but none have lasted as long as my church family.

Sometimes I swear I can feel my bandmates’ blood coursing through my veins, like we are actually related through more than our common religion and love for music.

I guess I should probably say that I am really related to one of them; he’s my dad.

But before I get too far off track, the point I’m trying to make here is that we can all find that sense of belonging through religion.

For me, it was about getting involved in my church. I probably wouldn’t still be going on Sundays if I hadn’t taken an active role in the Mass every week.

For others, alone time with God is the most powerful sense of belonging there is.

Whatever you think might work for you, I encourage you to try it. There are a thousand ways to get involved and really think about your religious choices – because it is a choice more than anything else – right here at Gannon University.

I’ve considered taking a break from my band more times than I can count, simply because I am so busy and involved at school. I don’t want to give anything up; and, as I’ve told myself, the band will always be waiting for me to come back.

But then I’ll show up on a Wednesday night and sing a song, play my flute or just chat with one of the other members, and I realize that leaving is not an option for me at this point.

My life is still centered around what I do at church, no matter how horribly the newspaper production went the day before or how many assignments I still have to do.

It may never come to that kind of extreme for most Gannon students, and I don’t even think it has to.

But maybe if you haven’t been to church in a while, go to Mary, Seat of Wisdom Chapel this weekend. Think about what would make the extra time worth it for you.

And find God right here, just like I did with my Christian music in the newsroom.

All you have to do is look.

KELLY MORELAND

moreland002@knights.gannon.edu

If Jesus never descended to the dead and rose again we would have said, “that Jesus was a swell prophet.”  That too is true, but the completion of the work comes in the resurrection.

When we think of the work that Christ did on earth while he was here we can see that he healed many people, though he never forced his healing on any person.

The people who were sick needed to ask Jesus for help and to accept that the faith they had, “even the size of a mustard seed,” would carry them along.

So, after Jesus was crucified the order was given from Roman officials that no person was to teach in the name of Jesus.

The apostles were given strict orders and actually, as we hear in the first reading, brought in front of the Sanhedrin to answer for the violation of teaching in Jesus’ name.

The answer is one that we may have to give one day. “We must obey God rather than man.”  What does that mean to us?  It means that when there is something that Jesus wants done we need to do it.

This Jesus had transformed the lives of the apostles who did not want to be around during the crucifixion nor were they easily coerced in the concept that Jesus rose from the dead, even when he appeared to them, there was confusion as in the case of Thomas, and in Peter, flat out denial.

Then came this Metanoia and the “cowardice” ways were transformed into fortitude.

Then in the Gospel Jesus takes us all the way when he has the apostles throw their nets into the water after a long and unsuccessful night.

There was no way that the apostles were in the mood for another attempt at this fishing journey, yet they did as they were told out of faith and they were astonished to see that the nets were completely full.

Peter recognizes the Lord and is silent but little does he know that he is about to be completely renewed.

As the disciples are finished eating breakfast with Jesus, the Lord asks  Peter the redeeming question; “Do you love me?” the thrice asked question is responded to with an affirmative, “Yes you know that I love you,” and then Peter is given instruction to “Feed my sheep.”

The denial that Peter committed at the arrest of Christ is redeemed now and this is only the beginning for Peter.

Jesus comes to the point that he is telling us about today.  “Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”

But I am still young, you say.  It’s not the age that Jesus is giving us insight to at this moment; it is the age of reason.  When do you know Christ, and how far does the relationship reach?

Jesus asks you and me the same questions. “Do you love me?” and we respond, like Peter, “You know I love you.”

When we were young someone told us what to believe and which way to go, but as we grow in faith we are led places we may not want to go.

Who leads us?  The Spirit of the living God leads us and the death we encounter is the death to the old and juvenile ways of living.

Maturity is important to our lives.  We need to not only mature in ways that are physical, we need also to mature spiritually and not be stymied by the ways of youth.

Encountering Christ is a life-changing experience and it can be through meeting someone that has a great influence over you and it can also be achieved in a great mess.

The real test comes when we say, “Yes, Jesus, you know that I love you.” Because it is then that we are called to a greater duty of teaching, even at the cost of being scorned by loved ones and friends.

Gannon University is a place where Jesus has called us at this moment in life to be active in our spiritual growth and the fostering of others by the way we live, and we will respond to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”  Be not afraid; he is with us and ready to help us through anything. Just ask.

ROB LOPEZ

lopez010@knights.gannon.edu

I recall as a child hustling off to Mass to get my palms and I couldn’t wait to bring them home to put them in my room.  My dad would make them in a cross and hang them on the doorpost.

The smell of the incense during Mass was one of my favorite moments.  The red altar cloth and the priest garments were so pretty.

Today, I certainly have a different view about what this week means to me: the meaning of the suffering Christ.

If I can ask you to just think for a moment on what this Holy Week means to you, and as you do I want you just to think of one person whom you know who really hits that message home.  Perhaps it is a parent or aunt or uncle.  Maybe it is a friend or teacher.

Now, I would like you to place the image of the victims of wars and then look at the images of the holocaust victims and see the suffering Christ in each of them.

Take this a step further and see the face of Christ standing in front of Pilate when he is being whipped like an animal.

See Christ being spit on and then imagine Jesus standing before Pilate and Pilate asks Jesus, “What is truth?”

Really look into the eyes of Christ and see the pain and suffering he experienced just like the suffering victims of wars, prejudices and abuses.  These images are not far away.  The images I speak of are the people around you every day.

The one component that joins all of humanity is suffering, and it is precisely in that suffering that we come to see Christ.

The image of Christ is in each of us and when we suffer we suffer with him.  It may be a difficult thing to get your head around if you have felt that Jesus let you down.

I spoke to a woman not too long ago who was raped when she was in school.  This woman got pregnant and had an abortion.

That is a horrible thing to have to live with and when she sits in the dark she can just ask, “Where were you, Jesus? You promised to never leave me, yet this man raped me.”

What do you say to that?  I suppose the easy answer is, “You have to have faith.”

She carried that anger and guilt for years and when she finally began to discover the emotions and pain she was not accepting that faith answer very easily.

A child grows up in an abusive home and is betrayed by the parents who were supposed to love and protect them asks the same questions, “Where were you, Jesus?”

Going to classes and hearing about loving parents and how awesome families are can mean something very painful to victims of abuse.

So, lets get back to the war victims and now look in the eyes of Hitler.  Can you see Jesus in him?

What about the man who shot the elementary children in Sandy Hook, can you see Jesus in him?

How about the classmate who is mean and obnoxious and bullies people every time he has a chance?

Can we see Christ in the lowest person on this earth and say, “I love you” and mean it?

The litany of questions gives us a visual and helps bring that “have faith” concept into our daily lives, and can you imagine Jesus opening his arms and saying, “Come to me, and I will give you rest”?

Pilate could not see truth in Jesus and the meaning of that whole encounter was to illustrate what we will encounter.

Jesus the Christ was so beaten by the wounds of an abused parent, so scared by the bullets from a disconnected man, so beaten and starved under hand of a Nazi soldier, so depressed and hateful from being raped, and so void of emotion from being bullied from one of us that he is not recognizable and hidden.

The deepest part of salvation is when we realize the encounter was for the entire human race.  The entire human family who commits atrocities against each other finds salvation in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

May this Passion Week bring us the ability to see the suffering Christ clearly and may we be an example of Christ to each other.

ROB LOPEZ

lopez010@knights.gannon.edu

In a prepared statement, the pontiff cited his declining health as the primary motivation in stepping down as Bishop of Rome: “After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.”

Mere observation of the pope shows this: instead of processing in to celebrate mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, he now is “driven in” by a glorified moving platform.

Additionally, earlier this year the pope’s doctor told him that transatlantic trips were off limits. Since becoming the pope in 2005 at the age of 78, Pope Benedict XVI has made several trips around the world — including one to the United States in 2008.

Pope Benedict XVI was born Joseph Ratzinger in the Bavaria region of Germany and was elected to the papacy following the reign of Pope John Paul II. While many saw Benedict as an intermediary to bridge the gap between his predecessor and his now soon-to-be-determined successor, Pope Benedict XVI, nonetheless made many meaningful contributions to the Catholic Church.

During his reign, the pontiff stressed the importance of “friendship with Christ,” and authored several books and three encyclical letters. A theologian by education, he has been noted by conservative members of the Catholic hierarchy as a guardian of the faith.

He inherited many problems including the sex abuse scandal that, during his reign, came fully exposed in the solidly Catholic nation of Ireland. The Pope also experienced a very public betrayal when his personal butler leaked classified documents to the media.

As the world now prepares for a conclave to choose his successor, Pope Benedict XVI plans to disappear from the public sphere and lead a quiet life at a monastery located within the Vatican city-state.

While the conclave’s start date still is yet to be determined, sources close to the Vatican hope that a new pope will be elected in time for Holy Week — the week leading up to Easter — which is the principle feast in the church year.

DOMINICK SISINNI

sisinni002@knights.gannon.edu

If a friend calls you and asks you to pick him or her up before the basketball game so that you both may share a meal, and you are paying attention closely, you will be able to recognize the voice and then respond to the request.

If you receive a call from someone whose voice you do not recognize, you will ask again, “What?” so as not to embarrass yourself, and hopefully you may be able to distinguish the voice.

So, it is important that we listen to the voice of the person who calls on the phone so that we are able to know who has called us, and then we respond to the request.

It is precisely the place where Samuel found himself when God spoke to him. Samuel had never heard the voice of the Lord before and assumed that Eli was calling him.  Samuel went to Eli to ask, “What do you want?”  And Eli turned Samuel away because he had not called him.

On the third encounter Eli recognizes that the Lord may be calling him and so he responds, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

In doing so Samuel now recognizes the voice of the Lord and begins to follow the Lord’s call to serve.

There are a few things that are noteworthy at this point. First, Samuel had never heard the Lord calling him before and so his bewilderment is understandable. Secondly, Samuel is called in the quiet of the night. And finally, it took someone with experience, Eli, to discern the voice and then to have the courage to instruct Samuel.

So, if we juxtapose that to our life how does it all come together?  How do we discern the “call” from our Lord?

First I would like to move away from the religious definition of a “call,” as a priestly or religious life call, and place it at the heart of each of our lives, although you may have a call to the priesthood or religious life and I do pray that be fostered.

Have you ever just sat and wondered, “What am I going to do for the rest of my life?”  “Will I be married?” “To whom will I be married?” “What career is right for me?” “What is the right graduate school for me?”

Perhaps it is because “me” is the focus of the question.  Turn the focus on him, God, and not just in the unfathomable idea of serving God, the Spirit, dwelling far away, but God who dwells in each of us on earth.

The first and most important action that we must surrender to is, “be still.” Not a lazy, “flop on the couch” still, but a moving stillness that requires the willingness to “blow where the spirit wills.”

Then we must be able to listen!  If we don’t listen to the voice of God, which can be through any number of sources – friends, family or adviser to name a few – then we may continue to be unsure of our path.

The ability to listen is not so easy when the answer we get is not what we expect.  For example, if you are working hard at something and it is not working out, seek the advice of someone who can direct you.

All of our lives God will place people in our lives to support and encourage us and direct us on the path that serves him best. We need to be able to recognize who they are, and that requires a prayerful approach to the situation.

There will also be people in our lives who do not have our best interests in mind, either because of jealousy or envy or they just don’t like us and we have to have the ability to listen to the voice of God in the quiet of the night to discern the truth.

Samuel is called in the night; the night is dark, and there were no street lights or businesses to illuminate the night sky. Just as we are in the dark during our lives about our call and where our dear Lord wants us to serve him, so was Samuel.

Eli was the person who had recognized the Lord calling Samuel and gave instruction as what course of action to take.

Christ asked his early disciples, “Why are you following me?” Why are we following Him? I suppose we want something from him. What is it you want?

In the upcoming months and years we will be both Samuel and Eli, searching and instructing.  Take a moment and listen to the call and then respond, “Here I am Lord; I come to do your will.”

ROB LOPEZ

lopez010@knights.gannon.edu

Purple is the color used during the Advent and Lent seasons.  Lent is a customary time to show remorse for the sins committed against our Lord.

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and that day is marked, literally, with the placing of ashes on the faithful’s head. The custom comes from the early tradition of people showing repentance for their sins by placing ashes on their body.

You do not have to be Catholic to participate and it is not a holy day of obligation. It is  our reminder that we are all sinners and in need of God’s loving mercy and forgiveness.

The tradition has also held that Ash Wednesday is a day of abstinence, when we eat only one full meal for the day, providing that our health is in order.

In 1966 Pope Paul VI held in the Apostolic Constitution on Penance (Poenitemini). The document states:

“Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 are obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. In addition, all Catholics 14 years old and older must abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent.

“Fasting as explained by the U.S. bishops means partaking of only one full meal. Some food (not equaling another full meal) is permitted at breakfast and around midday or in the evening—depending on when a person chooses to eat the main or full meal.

“Abstinence forbids the use of meat, but not of eggs, milk products or condiments made of animal fat.

“Abstinence does not include meat juices and liquid foods made from meat. Thus, such foods as chicken broth, consommé, soups cooked or flavored with meat, meat gravies or sauces, as well as seasonings or condiments made from animal fat are not forbidden. So it is permissible to use margarine and lard. Even bacon drippings which contain little bits of meat may be poured over lettuce as seasoning.”

I have also found that the practice of adding something to my life is a form of penance.  Perhaps taking time to pray more often, saying an extra rosary or attending daily Mass are ways to deepen your spirituality.

That is the focus: deepening our faith by seeing the sacrifice Jesus made for us and the sacrifices we make for each other and Jesus.

If I say that I see Jesus in others then I must also believe that my actions are directed toward Jesus in each other.

So, during Lent if I make a commitment to be kinder to those I am different from and make attempts to bridge that normally uncharted water then I am beginning to change and see the Divine in others.

Perhaps there is a person on my floor who is lonely, outcast or different from the others. I could take time to approach that person and try to be a friend.

Perhaps I am with a group of friends and they are making fun of a lonely student – I could be the one to intervene and stop the bullying, and then to go one step further and befriend them.

The actions of kindness are surely needed in this world that so often excludes others based on some “normalcy” not seen.

Jesus asks us to search out the face of God in the lost sheep, in the leper and the people who are marginalized and find him there.  That is not an easy order to fill because we are afraid of what others will think or say about us.

We are concerned that our popularity will decrease as a result of showing favor to someone who may not be so “in” with the popular group.

Christianity is not the popular way.  If we profess the Gospel on Sunday and only apply it some then we miss the bar.

Jesus is calling us to a deeper awareness of his presence in every person we meet and that requires penance because we have all missed the bar, yet the bar is achievable because God came as man and overcame the world for us as an example to follow.

Begin this Lenten season with a deep look at life, what it means and how will we live it.  Try to focus, not so much on the “who we are” and look toward the “why we are” and then dare to be different.

ROB LOPEZ

lopez010@knights.gannon.edu

Initially I was not sure what I would say or how to go about saying it.

I kept remembering the moments that we spent together over the years in a very clear and vivid way.  The smells and sounds were just like they were happening again.

As he lay in his bed and we talked, many thoughts crossed my mind.  Where would I be if I had not met him? How can I ever thank him? What does he think about? Is he OK with dying?

When a person has a major impact and positive influence in your life that person becomes a source of strength and inspiration.

Where do you find the face of God?  Can you see it in the outcast and suffering?  Can you see it in the face of your roommates and family?  Can you see it in the face of the person you like the least?  How about the man who killed the innocent children at the school?

How do you see God in the face of “those” people?  Well let’s look first of all at the incarnation.

The Lord came to be born of man to save him from an eternity that separates us from our creator.

Jesus came, born of woman, and lived as a man of the earth to bring us everlasting life.

I can’t give the answer for the questions that are above, but I can give insight in the way in which you can see the face of God.

We are so self-centered and selfish we need only put our face on that other person.

Look at that for a moment – or perhaps it is too ugly to look at – but it is the way we can begin to understand why Jesus came and how we can find the path to understanding.

Jesus hung on the cross to bring you and me freedom from death, death of the soul and also death of the life that we are given.

Now, how can we bring that to Gannon, to you and me on a daily basis?

If you see the life we live in terms of a temporary place, a place that is a transition into the life to be, then we can be a bit more aware of the importance to be Jesus for each other.

My friend who lies in his bed and waits on the call home understands that his life lived in these last days of suffering is the face of the suffering Christ. It is precisely the call of Christianity and the long life to be with the father.

The suffering is the key. That, by the way, doesn’t mean I am going to seek out suffering.  The call is a necessary means to the end of glory. Why so?

The roommate, the friend, the parent who is suffering is a face to recognize as Jesus.

I am certain that if presented in that way we would be hard pressed to find someone of faith who would deny the work.

If I can look at the daily situations of life in a light that sends that message it will make the walk a bit easier.

We all have a cancer in us, but it may be any number of things and that has a whole batch of problems with it.

It is hard to look at our lives that way but it can free us from the anxiety of daily troubles.

When I visit with my friend, the so-called “big” problems don’t seem to have much weight.

When we look at the temporary visit that we are now involved in on earth it may make those little issues a little easier to shed.

If I put myself in the shoes of the suffering person, and if I take time to look deeply in the eyes of Christ when he reaches out his hand, then I may soon be able to move closer to seeing the face of God in the worst person I know.

Christ stretched out his hand for you and me and we each have the goodness of God in us.  Don’t be afraid to put yourself in the place of one of the suffering people and see the face of Christ looking back at you saying, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master.”

ROB LOPEZ

lopez010@knights.gannon.edu

There is a sense of excitement that we get as we get closer to our destination when we are traveling.  I can remember seeing a sign that read “50 miles to Harrisburg” well after driving over 200 miles. I can tell you that I sure was excited to “only” have to go 50 more.

The spiritual life is just as exciting, but what is most difficult is to not get frustrated when we seem to be traveling so long and nothing seems to be happening or going our way.

The other side of that is when we get a gift in our spiritual life that leads us to be excited. We have to be cautious not to think that we have all the answers.

The upcoming week’s readings are going to deal with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and how we use them in regard to the rest of the body.

The fascinating thing, I believe, is when we are given a gift and it seems that it is so common that we overlook it and think it to be unimportant.

Do you know you have a gift?  What gift do you have? Did you ever think that what your family or friends have in their midst is a gift from God? You are a gift from God.

There are experiences that you have had, both good and bad, that can be shared to help others heal or become better people.

The many experiences that we have during our lives are an opportunity to share a gift with someone.

How about students who have been struggling in their academic lives and you sit them down and give them insight that you found to be successful.

That is a gift.  You are sharing with them very important information that may get them over that hump in their studies.

We sometimes say that what we say isn’t important or that our life is too dull or broken to be of any good to anyone else.

Perhaps the idea of “what do I have to give” can be a result of just not knowing our gifts.

God just didn’t plop us down here on this big blue ball to wander around without guidance. We are the gift of life to each other; we have the connection that is needed to help us all grow to be better people.

There is a part of the gospel this week that strikes me as a source of understanding to our mission at Gannon and our vacations home. “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit.”

Jesus was away and returned. It is as if what we just experienced is a form of that travel that gave us experiences to share that are helpful.

I also think about all the experiences that we have during our time at Gannon, and then carry them to our life beyond and many years of use that they will serve.

There is also a reading that talks about the gifts to the body of Christ and how one gift is necessary for the health of the whole body and how one is no less important that another yet they all hold a total value for the body.

That is where we are right now; it isn’t the old who are only wise, the young are wise too.  The young have the ability to be a positive influence on the body too.

The older sometime are less receptive to the thoughts and ideas, or as we know now, the gifts of the Spirit are at work in all of us.

The phrase “The Spirit blows where it will” is one that we would do well to remember when it comes to listening for that voice of God.

Trying to understand why God does what he does can be frustrating.

There is a story about St. Augustine walking a beach pondering the Trinity, and he meets a boy holding a seashell filled with water.  The boy tells the saint that he is emptying the sea into the pool. To which the brilliant saint responds, “You can’t do that.”

The boy said, “I will sooner empty the sea into this pool than you will manage to get the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity into your head!”

We can’t understand the reasons why or how it is we have the gifts we have. Just remember first and foremost that we are gifts to each other and a gift to be fully given.

As you return to the routine of classes and campus life, be the gift of love for each other and share what has been given to you by our dear Lord, the gift of you and your life.

ROB LOPEZ

lopez010@knights.gannon.edu

For freshmen, you may be able to recall the first time you were on campus and the feeling you had when you were all alone for the first time.

Seniors, you are only a semester away from ending your career at Gannon and will soon begin a new chapter in your life.

The rest of the student body lies somewhere in the middle; perhaps you are not sure what you want to do with the rest of your life or maybe you know exactly what it is you want to do.

We are be preparing for one of the most grueling weeks in our college experience – finals week – and then it’s over for a month.

Christmas is right around the corner and we have the time to reflect on where we have been, where we are and where it is we are called to go.

Whatever it is that you will be doing I wish to present this reflection for you. It is the story of Jesus’ birth.

This story gives us the opportunity to look at the Holy Family in the light of ordinary people on a journey to somewhere they did not know.  All they did know was that they had to get there and the path was not easy at all.

It seemed like it fell into place so easily.  But think for a moment about the moment that Joseph and Mary were going through it.

What were they feeling and thinking?  There was certainly an uneasy feeling as the family went in search of a place to call home.  The family was in search of a place to feel safe and secure from the elements and the dangers that were most certainly there.

Not too different than what we experience.

In the moment when we are confronted with the uncertainties that life presents us, it would behoove us to remember that it is temporary and the moment will not last; the times of the uncertainties are going to end.

Looking back on the first day you came to Gannon, can you remember those specific concerns, fears or hopes and aspirations you may have had?  The Holy Family was in search of much of the same for their lives.

I can just imagine the way Joseph may have been wondering how he would provide for Mary.  The man Joseph is a wonderful example of a faith that I would do well to emulate.  There is a sense of a committed man who has accepted the Lord’s mission to care for the mother of the son of God and then to care for God’s own son.

What a charge to have for your life.  The funny thing that I found was that God gives us a glimpse into Joseph’s life and then he is gone.  Not another word about Joseph after the birth story. There is not any indication as to where Joseph was or what happened to him. And then, that quickly, he is gone.

It reminds me of the phrase, “This too shall pass.”

You may take that to the bank and cash it in because it is as good as gold.  Every moment is passing and fleeting, so please listen to that still voice in you that directs your heart to the good.

Gannon University is a small moment in the story of your life and just as the passing semester has gone by so, too, will the moments you are on the earth.  Like Joseph, we will fade from the human story.

That is only dull if we fail to see the purpose that we have to each other on a daily basis.

Christmas is a sign to humanity of something new to happen, a new creation for man and the hope for us to live eternally in God’s love.

This week when you are struggling to find that last bit of energy, look up and keep fighting because this is only temporary.

My prayer for you is that you will discover the joy of Christmas that lies in you. So have a safe and happy Christmas and new year and see the Lord Jesus in everyone around you. Then shine like the star that you are, leading others to a better place.

ROB LOPEZ

lopez010@knights.gannon.edu