Luke, I am your father.

One dresses as a man to save her homeland.
One swims through a aquarium filter to find his father.
One eats mysterious grub in the forest with two sidekicks.

But these characters each make up movies with one central theme:

FATHERHOOD.

It turns out, each of these characters disobeyed their fathers:
Mulan cut here hair, dressed like a man,
and fought in her father's place.
Nemo swam out to touch the "butt"
(also known as "boat") against his father's will.
Simba "deliberately disobeyed" Mufasa by
taking Nala into a bad neighborhood.

But, in each of these, there is an important aspect that one cannot miss:
THE RETURN!

There is always the forgiveness of the father, the welcome home with open arms, the prodigal son.

And perhaps we must admit that Disney doesn't have it all wrong, for this takes us right back to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus says:



"My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."

Jesus teaches us how to say, "YES!" just as Mary said for Him to enter this world. "THY kingdom come! THY will be done!" He acknowledges that even the Father's most difficult desires for our lives are possible if we would only surrender our wills to Him. May that be our prayer as we prepare for Lent--that there might be more of Him and less of us.

Are you a Hopper?

     In the Old Testament, man's relationship was a lot like this video. Man guarded and protected the land. Man worked and tilled the land to provide for his people. And from man's harvest, he would offer a generous sacrifice to God. What a beautiful image it is to give this little sacrifice to God in remembrance of all that He has done for His people.

     Now we, as people of the New Testament, are called to a new type of sacrifice. It is a sacrifice of ourselves. Our very hearts. Our very lives. WARNING: I am not suggesting that we must each throw ourselves on a huge leaf of "offering" and wait for our predators to come and accept us as a worthy sacrifice. Rather, I am suggesting that we should throw ourselves upon the altar of the Lord.

     The Lord calls us to give Him all of ourselves--our difficulties, our weaknesses, our strengths, our victories--to Him in the Eucharist, that we might die to ourselves, that we might not live for ourselves any longer but for Him. And He calls us to do this as often as we can (at least once a week). But, even more so, we need not wait until the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to completely offer ourselves to God. In every moment of every day--breakfast, work, school, lunch time, coffee breaks, cold-weathered, warm-weathered, working out, cleaning, cooking, sunny days, cloudy days, in every conversation, in every act--we can offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice!

     As seminarians, we are aware of our duty to offer ourselves for you, faithful blog reader, day in and day out. Of course, this is not easy. But you are family, God's family that is, and you were made to be worthy of such a sacrifice. So, today and always, in whatever vocation the Lord is calling you to, live your life with zeal and boldness. And live it always as a humble sacrifice for the Lord!

     And, if you aren't pumped up enough to go out and offer your life for the Lord, here's a short clip that may help: