The Visitation and My Healthy

Since the last time I wrote I have had two VERY different 7.5 mile runs.  On Monday, a slow and steady 7.5 miles around the north side of the city and Towson.  Keeping the legs moving.  Today, 7.5 miles that included a 400, 800, 1200, 1600 and back down again (only one 1600) ladder with the pace around 1:45/lap the whole time.  Good pacing.  Good friends.  Crazy hot and humid weather.  Soaked even running shirtless.

Where do the 15 miles leave me?  At 959.7.  For the first time in many weeks, I am just under an average of 40 miles per week.  Still, I have nothing to complain about.  I managed to continue to keep myself within range of 40 miles per week despite my crazy digestive week.  Where does that put me on my virtual pilgrimage?  On Missouri Route 42 (still) in Meta, MO.  Yesterday I would have been in Vienna, MO, where the Catholic church is Visitation parish.

When I think of the Visitation (when Mary went to visit her much older cousin Elizabeth and John the Baptist--with whom Elizabeth was pregnant--jumped in her uterus when he recognized the presence of Jesus in Mary) I think of several things: togetherness, family, recognizing the grace in others.  

And just today I discovered a new runner blog called On Fire Fitness Healthy Living (http://www.onfirefitnesspt.com/) where the author posed the question "What does your healthy look like?"  
So, I am going to take on the question of what my healthy looks like thinking of togetherness, family, and recognizing the grace in others.  As well as my general conception of what I do for my own health as part of what Mary did was for her own well being after her pregnancy with Jesus was announced by the angels.  

In any case, here are some things that are part of my healthy:

(1) Running--not always as far as I can or as far as I can, but running so I can run again tomorrow.  That has more to do with running smart than with running fast or far.  Some days call for fast.  Some days call for far.  But it is never necessarily the maximum speed or distance.  That is seeking serenity and balance given what God has given me.  And sharing that serenity and balance with others when I achieve it.  I learned in preparing for my assault on the 19 minute 5K that the running I love is the day to day goal setting.  On race day--whatever happens will happen.  But every day leading up to race day I have control over whether I make goal.  And that is a sense of balance that I must achieve and share.  

(2) Being around other runners, or at least others who care about their fitness.  An important part of togetherness.  This also includes a recognition of what others have going on that is special and what they can bring into my life.  

(3) Talking with others about fitness--this can include exercise and diet. Again, an expression of togetherness and a recognition of what those others can bring into my life.

(4) Talking with my family--especially my wife.  This is family.  Eating together.  Talking together.  Not always exercising together.  Although I have found myself teaming up with and advising young women for whom I have served at least a partial father figure role.

(5) Eating well--but not necessarily perfectly.  I don't have to count every calorie.  I can have fun with what I eat.  But if I love to make it and I make it by hand I will appreciate it a lot more.  I will talk bout it.  I will share it.  And all that contributes to an experience of goodness through food.

(6) Clearing my mind.  This comes with running for me.  It is letting go of all the ill.  It is preparing to share the grace of God that I have been blessed with.  It is hard to share grace when I am distracted by things that are not good for me and for those around me.

(7) Spending time with family--because they are part of the world with which God has blessed me. 

(8) Recognizing that family is not always blood--family is those I break bread with. Family is those I run with.  Family is those I share ideas with.

(9) Reminding myself that I am not God.  I am not in control of everything.  I am not omnipotent.  I am a finite, mortal, individual. 

To me this is healthy.  A physical health based on good exercise and good food--things that God has blessed me with enjoying and with having.  A mental health based on the ability to clear my mind.  A social health in recognizing the importance of others and spending time with others in productive and healthy ways.  And a spiritual health that recognizes my smallness in the universe but my connectedness in the universe.  The opportunity to have a big impact on some.  The need to find my place.  

Part of Mary's travels was to share grace with Elizabeth.  But as I read Luke's Gospel it seems that Mary was also spending time on this trip finding herself.  I will not compare Mary's journey on the visitation to my life in any way, shape or form.  But I will say that in my running and my definition of healthy and my search in life, I find grace, I find family, I find togetherness, and I find focus that Mary must have had and felt on her journey.  Eternal life's lessons in the stories of the noble in the Bible.  

Another Six and St Anthony

Yesterday's run was another general maintenance 6.  Ran the same course on Friday as I did on Monday.  But there were a couple of key differences:

(1) It was after fewer miles so my legs felt fresher despite the intense progression workout the day before.

(2) I didn't have to use nearly as much mental energy to get my splits all very close to 8:30 rather than 8:00.  So, the run was even easier.

The 6 miles puts me at 541.3--somewhere around the intersection of Indiana Route 46 and Coon Hunters Rd in Batesville, Indiana.  I would have run very close to the St Anthony of Padua church in Morris, Indiana on the way.  That is before Batesville.  This is St Anthony to whom people pray to help find things.  

I would hope that if the pilgrimage were a real one rather than a virtual one no one would think that I need to be found.  Rather, I would hope that people would appreciate how I was trying to find something.  Trying to find meaning in my running.

The number 541.3 gives me something to think about in terms of finding something.  Finding a link to spirituality.  I like Luke 5:4-13.  It is the story of Jesus telling Peter to toss his nets into the water and Peter catching more fish than he could imagine.  Peter, as well as the apostles James and John, joined Jesus then.  That takes us up to verse 11.  The other two verses are about Jesus curing a leper.  All these stories are about men who found hope in Jesus.  Who were blessed by Jesus.  And who put their faith in Jesus to various degrees.

This faith made them single minded.

I only hope that the blessings that I have received through my faith will help to make me single minded in my willingness and ability to follow Jesus.  

40 Days to Better: Day 36

Today, I ran 6.2 miles at a decent pace just under 8 minutes per mile.  That was after baking two banana breads (easy recipe and needing to use up bananas) and making a pizza dough. Even the kids pointed out just how much bread we had in the house.  Some English muffins from the store, leftover chocolate chip and everything bagels homemade yesterday, and everything made this morning.  As a result, I will be able to take tomorrow off from making bread.

Then I walked the dog before I ran.  While I was walking the dog it was very quiet.  Barely even heard cars in the distance.  That silence was nice.  I'll expect to write more about that tomorrow.

In the meantime, I want to reflect on the Gospel verse I heard at St. Pius X church in Towson yesterday.  Here it is (Luke 17:5-10):

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."

The Lord replied,

"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,

you would say to this mulberry tree,

'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you."

Fr. Sam stated, although maybe not verbatim, that Jesus was essentially telling his apostles, you already have it in you, trust yourself.

What a message for me to hear as a person.  As a dad.  As a manager.  As a (hopefully) leader and not just a manager.  As a runner.  As a teacher.  Perhaps even as a husband, although that is the one that I know I have to work on the most to prove that I have what it takes and to prove that I can trust myself to know how to be a good husband all the time.

Now, I have heard the message of do what matters from The Answer to How is Yes.  I have heard that if I am not giving my all I am sacrificing the Gift, from Steve Prefontaine.   And I have yesterday's Gospel reading as guidance to add on top of that.

Tying the three together, the book by Peter Block tells me, "you have the power to make the world a better place."  Steve Prefontaine didn't say what anyone could necessarily do with "the Gift" but that by giving my all I could use "the Gift" to its fullest.  And now, "you have what it takes".

So how do I tie this all together as I move ahead.  

I have to realize I have what it takes.  I have to recognize what I have.  I have to make the most of what I have.

However, good outcomes are not guaranteed.

But satisfaction in life is.  Would this be it for everyone?

I can't say.  I suspect some don't look for such fulfillment.  

40 Days to Better: Day 10

On Monday, when I wrote about distractions, I wrote the following:

"Avoid being distracted from my focus on my marriage.  Nothing--not my running, not my best friends, nothing should distract me from that."

As part of my "road to better," sometimes what I need to do is think harder about past statements and work to clarify when necessary.

The statement that I made after my run on Monday could be taken as a statement against the importance of friendship.  But that would be about as correct as reading last Sunday's Catholic church gospel reading (Luke 14:25-33) where it talks about hating your father and mother (and many other family relations) to be a disciple.  That Gospel reading is never interpreted literally in my experience.  It is about putting discipleship first--and then making sure that the rest of life fits in.

That, putting marriage first and avoiding distractions, was what that part of my blog entry Monday was about after my rant about distracted driving.

What is also interesting to me is showing how this fits with a friend's recent comment (I always like connecting dots in my life--thus the name of the blog site).  My friend commented that in the most recent part of her life she has made sure to surround herself with friends who value her opinion.

I think that avoiding distraction (particularly to things like marriage, fitness, and work) is about surrounding myself with individuals who support my pursuits.  So, my comment on Monday should not be taken to say "ignore friends" but instead should be taken to say "surround myself with friends who support the importance of my marriage."  That, I have done.  In fact, I can honestly say that it would be a challenge at this point to describe just how important being surrounded by friends who support my marriage is--as I was able to turn to many when my life was chaotic after I first moved into my new job in April and my life and marriage were stressed.  With the support of many friends, the patience of my wonderful wife, and effort from me and Sherry, we are moving forward in a very positive way.

While this would be an acceptable place to finish the thought on this blog entry, this brings me to the first of several pieces of wisdom from Fr. Sam Lupico from a catechist workshop that happened on Sunday.  His piece of wisdom was from an old Latin phrase that he used to teach but I don't recall the Latin.  The gist was "you can't give what you don't have."  My friend's comment was about one way that someone showed that her opinion was valued.  For me, the question is how do people show their commitment to my pursuits.  It doesn't mean that I only surround myself with individuals who are married and whose marriages are perfect to lend me support in keeping my marriage strong.  Rather, it means that the people with whom I surround myself are people who are valued in their relationships and people who want to share that value (and their insights on that value) with others.  

I will write more about Fr. Sam's wisdom (both this point and others) over the coming days on my continuing "road to better."  

Inspiration from 1:30:39

It has been a while since I have used a race time or a bib number to look for inspiration.  Of course, it has been a while since I've raced.  (Last two were in November and I did not race a lot last fall.)  However, the most recent half marathon distance (Saturday) that I spent quite a bit of time describing in detail yesterday being my best ever led me to think again about finding something inspirational and writing about something about it.  I have found something that fits so well, particularly since yesterday my blog was not just about the running of the half marathon but the fact that it was only after multiple attempts of people to tell me something about my running that I finally listened and had a joyful result.

Since it has been so long since I've done this, I will point out that my habit since the 2010 Baltimore Marathon has been to find a Bible or other inspirational verse that is related to the time that I ran or the number I was wearing.  In this case, since I wasn't racing and wasn't wearing a number, I can go from my time.  What my time led me to was Luke 1:30-39.  (It would have been slightly easier if I ran a 1:30:38 but even verse 39 is useful.)  Here is the reading from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website:
 

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,* and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”*
And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived* a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah,

Why is this so meaningful to me after a discussion about a lesson learned?  Well, it does not get the very start of when the angel first appeared to Mary, this is the story of someone presented with something amazing that led to joy (at least at first) and accepting it the first time.  Mary did not need more than one time to accept the news.  Mary accepted fully what was told to her and said simply "May it be done to me according to your word."  Then, in verse 39, she went out and began the "implementation" by going to visit her cousin Elizabeth.

 

There are more times in life than just aiming for negative splits in which listening the first time (or doing something after being asked the first time) would serve me well.  Now that I have seen how useful it can be to do what is suggested/asked, perhaps I should take that forward with me for my religion and my way of living in general, take inspiration from the example of Mary, and not wait so long to take advice that is well intentioned from people who know better than me and who are probably right.  

Interesting Observation from Father Sam

Last night, as on most Sunday evenings, I attended and played in the worship band at the St. Pius X 5:30 PM mass.  During his homily he made several interesting observations that I will spend some time over the next few days focused on.  But one of the most profound observations he made was this.  Last night's reading was not Luke 23:33-43 (it was about the Transfiguration), but Father Sam made a reference to it.  He pointed out that the penitent thief who said "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" was the only person to whom Jesus ever promised joining him in Paradise (verses 42 and 43).  

This moved me for two reasons.  First, in the "traditional contemporary choir" for years at Palm Sunday mass they have sung a tune that has nothing but those words.  It is haunting.  And even after 7 years of playing with and attending a mass with a much different musical style, I still find that the song can completely capture my attention and imagination.

Second, it is amazing to think about to whom Jesus made this promise.  It was not to any of his apostles.  It was not to his Mother.  It was not to his earthly father.  It was not to Lazarus or Mary Magdalene, any other person he crossed paths with in his earthly life.  It was to a thief who asked for forgiveness at the last possible moment. Father Sam pointed out that this is the main theme of Lent--sincere repentance and the rewards it can bring.  Not that we should steal, of course, but that repentance for whatever our sins is a key.  Lent is a great time to prepare.  

Jonah and Jesus

Today's Catholic church readings are confusing ones.  The first is Chapter 3 (of 4) of the book of Jonah and speaks of God's repentance.  I always find reading that interesting to grapple with, but that is not the main subject of my entry this morning.  In the Gospel of Luke reading that follows, Jesus refers to Jonah when people are looking for a sign and refers to the generation in which he is living as evil.  Pretty harsh words.  As I read the verses from Luke 11, it seems like Jesus is saying "at least people repented when they heard Jonah--look you are being exposed to something even bigger and you aren't paying attention."

While that may be an overly simple interpretation, the contrast between the reading and the Gospel brings me to my main point this morning.   How do I know when I am onto something big as compared with something small?  How do I know when I am being asked to do something big rather than something minor?  How do I know how to prioritize?  Part of it is following my conscience.  That is guided by God through the Holy Spirit.  I do not always seek out incredible things but  simply seek to understand what has come my way and make sure that I act carefully and wisely and not ignore what may be much bigger but is less flashy.  Jesus didn't threaten to have an entire city destroyed in forty days.  But should I need such flashy things to get our attention?  Perhaps meteorologists think so.  It seems like every new storm is described as "the big one" and then only a handful actually are what was predicted.  But again, the question is how to focus, understand, and react even when the signs are subtle.  No easy answers.  A lot to ponder contrasting today's two readings.

A Choice to Start my Day with God

While even my third grade Sunday school students would tell me, we are always with God, there is still the choice of whether to acknowledge that.  Whether to focus on that.  Whether to make that a vital part of my life.

And, during Lent, I am going to make every effort to spend time each day in full acknowledgment of the importance of my relationship with God.  And what better way to do that than to start my day with God.

I will not make it to mass today, but I look at today's readings from Deuteronomy(30:15-20), Psalm 1, and Luke (9: 22-25).  What is the common focus?

Making a choice.  And making a clear choice.  And being focused on the choice.  A choice to follow the ways that God set down for the Israelites being addressed by Moses and a choice to follow the path set by Jesus.  In Psalms a choice to follow not wicked ways but the way set by God.  I like Psalm 1:3

He is like a tree
planted near streams of water,
that yields its fruit in season;
Its leaves never wither;
whatever he does prospers.

I like the imagery of a tree--tall, strong, and bearing fruit.  But the fruit comes only at the proper time. And it prospers.  For my own life perhaps that is financially.  But more importantly, it is just in being able to be happy with life.  Loving my wife.  Loving my children.  Being supported by wonderful friends.  

Women in Luke's Gospel and in Spirituality in General

Just a quick thought--today at mass, Fr. Sam Lupico mentioned the women of St. Luke's Gospel.  He listed off a few and commented on the role they played in Jesus's life.  With a quick online search, it does not take long at all to find many entries in which people have written about the importance of women in St. Luke's Gospel.

It is interesting to me as I think about the importance of women in my own spiritual development:

• My mother was a larger influence on my spiritual growth as a child.  Not that I didn't admire my father and my father is now a cantor which brings him into the mass in an entirely different way than my mother who attends but does not lead singing, but in my formative years it was m mother.
• My mother encouraged me to join the Newman Catholic Student Association.
• There was a woman prominent in the campus ministry at Penn State.
• Much of the leadership during my years there was young women.
• We had a very active sister in our parish at the University of Michigan.
• Of the leaders of our pre-Cana training before we got married, I could relate to the woman (who was a more senior grad student) than I could to her husband
• While my tattoo is of St. Sebastian, he is accompanied by Irene who played an important part in the story
• Nearly all the youth/children's ministry leadership at St. Pius has been female
• Our pastoral life director is female

Now, I am not Jesus.  And none of the women with whom I have the experience to relate to over the years would compare themselves with Elizabeth, Mary, Mary Magdalene, etc.

But, I do recognize the importance of women in my spiritual life.  It is interesting that as I have to raise my own kids, I am the father taking an active spiritual role in the life of three sons.  We will see how they turn out.  And when they grapple with the Bible and with their own spirituality some day, will they see themselves in the same context that I do or will they see themselves and interpret their spiritual growth through a completely different lens?

I don't know, but I suspect it will shape how they think of their spirituality as they grow and how they end up living their faith as they grow and become adults.  It is interesting to wonder how much different my day to day adult mid-life spiritual experiences woud be if I'd had a different set of influences as a child and in my young adulthood.  The context matters immensely.