lost?!?! MAKE THE U-TURN!

Have you ever been so lost...that you know exactly where you are?

I know it sounds abstract, but its really not. you can be driving, biking, walking (what have you) leisurely and suddenly find yourself not where you intended to be. or if you are anything like me, you know full well that you are lost but cannot seem to admit it. this was the same scenario I found myself in yesterday.


I recently accepted a job at a local parish as a summer weekend sacristan. sacristan is just a fancy word for someone who works in the sacristy of the church, setting up for the masses, opening and locking the church, making sure the a/c and lights are on...you know the behind-the-scenes work. which is good lesson in humility for me! I have been working there for the past 3 weekends and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE it. mind you the parish is literally 8 miles from my school, so it is really an ideal job. the commute usually takes from 15-20 minutes (considering if you take the normal, logical route). the church is located in a really nice suburban neighborhood, off a major highway. so typically one would drive the 20 minute commute to the parish via this major highway...which I HATE! I am not a huge fan of highways, freeways, parkways, or turnpikes. believe me I know all the pros and cons of them, they save time, money, and contribute to a better quality of life for residents (who are not close to them). many times I toy with the idea of exploring (getting lost) as a way to learn navigation of unfamiliar territory. I know REAL primitive like. so yesterday was no exception, it was a nice day (nice enough to not have the a/c blasting). then it dawns on me...lets learn a different way of getting to the church, so that I won't be dependent on the highway [except for dire emergencies]. sounds logical doesn't it? so I past my usual exit to the highway and continued going in the direction I thought the highway would have taken me regardless. so I'm driving down this avenue, which was really nice, tree-lined, not too many lights, REAL residential like...and I'm like...yep this is exactly what I wanted. I'm sittin REAL pretty, got my jazz music going (my driving station) and they start broadcasting a new French singer! so I'm stoked! then I see some town names which I never heard before...and I'm like oh this is where this town is and oh here's another nice little town. then it hits me....WHERE AM I? I should have been at the church like 20 minutes ago. so I start to panic and I take out my GPS. the GPS is freaking out and telling me turn on streets that were NOT around me...I SWEAR! it just kept saying next right..next right in 500 ft...LIES...because I would have been turning into someone's front yard. so I kept allowing it to search and search until I gave up, as I was now passing a canoeing place...not anywhere I needed to be. so I calmed down and took out my iPhone (thinking that would help). NEGATIVE! the iPhone maps directed me to the parkway and I'm like NOOOOO! I don't want the parkway, I didn't want the highway from the giddy up. now I'm frustrated, hot, tired and I look at the clock and I have been driving over an hour! so what does one do when you are lost..turn back around until the point where you started, before you were lost. So I u-turn and head back to the highway I so desired to skip and finally made it to my destination an hour and a half later than I initially planned....what can we gather from this?


Believe it or not this ridiculous fiasco can be related to the spiritual life. how many times do we know what is right and refuse to accept it and follow our own way. MANY times I have conversations with friends/people  who are fallen away Catholics or Christians in general. I must have this magnetic aura that exudes "come tell me all your problems you have with the church"...which I ABSOLUTELY LOVE because if gives me a chance to apply what I am learning (and essentially devoting my life to) now. and they tell me all the turn-offs and issues they see with organized religion in general...sort of like that guy who made that video "why I hate religion, but love Jesus". so I listen and I gather the same info time and time again. they are seeking to fulfill  that unquenchable thirst, that leads all to the Divine. they come to church to find hypocrites, rituals, and dryness. which I recognize as legitimate reasons...but the deeper issue is that many cannot see the purpose of coming to mass or church services anymore. and that is because they fail to recognize why we come and that is not to listen to amazing music (we have concerts for that), nor is it to listen to oscar-nominated sermons (there are countless conferences to hear notable speakers), and nor is it to hang out with my best friends and chat (we have coffeeshops for that). we are here to praise, worship and adore our Lord. bottom line. now listen I can give you tons of scripture verses that command you to praise and worship (just check the Psalms). But we should do it, no matter how much WE are getting out of it....I am NOT suggesting we go to church as mindless robots doing the rituals because we ought to (as if someone is forcing you)...but because we WANT to (its the least we can do). THAT IS THE KEY!!!! maybe I am going in the wrong direction, but I can easily turn back around. I often give the advice to people, that it's ok to seek because often times you come back to the fold with a renewed and stronger faith...maybe this is bad advice...but it usually has a great outcome [9 times out of 10]. we so badly want to find our own path to the same destination [Heaven], that is the philosophy behind the massive "splinters" in the religion we call Christianity. if you are anything like me, you are stubborn enough to keep going in the wrong direction until you are totally lost...dead end! you know someone once told me "the pathway to hell is paved with good intentions". before it gets to that point...no more my way or the highway...STOP, LOOK BOTH WAYS and MAKE THE U-TURN. the church needs you!