I studied Theology and Philosophy in college, and I loved it.  Recently, I started to delve back into reading philosophy, and I still love it.  In fact, I forgot how much I enjoy reading it.  I posted the following on the members section of The Personalist Project:

In Christian spirituality we often refer to growth in the “interior life.”  The more I ponder this gift of the interior life, the more I am amazed by the very mystery of human interiority.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that the human heart is “the place of encounter.”  It is in our very interiority that we encounter the living God.  Because we possess interiority, we are able to be conscious of God, to communicate with God, to know God and his love for us.

It is because we possess interiority that we are able to receive the revelation of God; in fact, there would be no such thing as revelation without our interiority, for in order for there to be revelation there needs to be one who is able to receive it.

The deeper I enter into the mystery of my interiority, the more open I become to receiving the mystery of God’s presence within me, the revelation of his love.  The more I receive God’s love, the more my interiority deepens, expands.  As I become interiorly aware of the gift of God’s love, this pure gift that has been given to me, I become aware that I must become a gift to others.

This is the paradox of interiority in the Christian tradition: As I ponder my interiority, I do not become absorbed in myself; rather, I become aware that I am a gift to myself, and I must live my life as a gift.  The more deeply I am aware of my interiority, the more deeply I am aware of my capacity for transcendence.  From the depths of human interiority springs the capacity to both receive and to give.

We, too, long to know God in a deeper way.  As Jesus shares the most intimate relationship with His Father, we too desire to share that intimacy with God.  Prayer is the way to God.

But how to pray?  Can we learn how to pray?  Can we really have an intimate relationship with God? The answer is, “Yes!”  Not only can we have an intimate relationship with God; God desires that we be in an intimate friendship with Him.

So, whether you are just learning how to pray, or you want to deepen your life of prayer, here are four steps to guide you along the path of prayer:

Be Still
The psalmist writes, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).  Today, more than ever, it is difficult to be still.  We are bombarded with distractions.  Yet, in order to enter into prayer, the first thing we must do is to be still.  We must let go of the anxieties and distractions of our lives.  A simple way to do this is to take some deep breaths.  As you breath in, focus on entering into God’s presence; as you breath out, consciously surrender your burdens and distractions to the Lord.

Be Aware
As you become still, focus your awareness on the loving presence of God.  He is lovingly gazing upon you.  You are precious in His sight.  You are in His heart, and He is in yours.  Simply be aware of His holy presence.  Don’t rush to move beyond this awareness.  Allow yourself as much time as you need to be aware of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Be Honest
As you remain aware of God’s presence, speak to Him from your heart as a friend speaks to a friend.  Be open and honest with Him.  Share with Him your joys and sorrows, your hopes and fears.  He knows the depths of your heart, so hold nothing back from Him.  We experience deep freedom when we open our hearts to the Lord.

Be Attentive
After you speak with Him, listen to Him.  Do not feel that you need to fill your prayer with words.  In fact, spend more time listening than speaking.  He wants to speak to your heart.  He will speak to you.  No, not in audible words, but in your holy thoughts and desires.

Be still.  Be aware.  Be honest.  Be attentive.  These simple steps will help you to begin a life of prayer or take you deeper into your already-established life of prayer.

Please share Live Holiness and help others learn how to pray and to live:

I hope you enjoy it, not so much because I’m in it, but because it speaks of the beauty and importance of the priesthood.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/24201440]

I can’t pass up the opportunity, however, to celebrate the first anniversary of Live Holiness (September 1).  I want to thank all of you, my faithful readers, for your prayers, feedback, and encouragement.  It’s such a joy to connect with so many good people, Catholic and non-Catholic alike.  You’ve enriched my life, and for that I’m grateful.  I do plan to continue blogging, but I ask for your patience as I get out of my slump and adjust to my new schedule.

Here in southeastern New England we are tracking Hurricane Earl.  I’m a weather geek, and actually get very excited at the prospect of a major storm roaring up the coast.  Although it looks like we’ll be spared the worst of Earl’s brunt, his approach reminds me of the first post I wrote for Live Holiness.  And so on the first anniversary of this blog, I share that first post with you here.

God bless you!  And know that I pray for each of you.

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I just enjoyed a wonderful 4th of July at my parent’s house with family and friends.  It was a typical Najim cookout: lots of people, lots of food, and lots of fun.  For all intents and purposes, this afternoon was the beginning of my summer reprieve.  I usually take some time in July to enjoy some rest and relaxation with friends.  Priests are never on vacation from priesthood; but, like most people, we do enjoy time away to recharge.

When the apostles returned from being sent out on mission by the Lord, Jesus said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31).  Jesus knew that the apostles were weary from ministry, so He invited them to rest. There is a place for leisure in the Christian life.  Leisure is meant to rejuvenate us so that we can embrace the joys and challenges of life with renewed vigor.

I hope you get some time to rest this summer.  Maybe you’re not going away, but, if you’re able, treat yourself and your family to some extra days off.  In the United States, we tend to feel that we need to work all the time.  Don’t give into this pressure!  Take Jesus’ advice and “rest a while.”

I most likely will not be posting for the next couple of weeks.  I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for reading Live Holiness.  I feel so blessed to have connected with so many amazing people–Catholic and non-Catholic, from literally all over the world.  I’m grateful for your feedback, your prayers, and your encouragement.  Please know that I do pray for each of you.

God bless you, and continue to enjoy the summer!

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I’m an extrovert by nature, but over the years I’ve learned to enjoy silence and solitude.  Truthfully, I think I’ve always had a contemplative-philosophical side to me.  I remember as a child laying in bed at night, driving myself crazy pondering what it means to live eternally.  As strange as it sounds, I also remember the first time I became conscious of my uniqueness. Again, I was just a child, maybe six or seven years old.  My family was getting into the car in the driveway, and out of the blue, like a self-conscious flash, I became deeply aware of myself.  The only way I could express it–and I spoke it audibly–was, “I feel like me.”  My sisters thought I was weird.

I wasn’t a very good high school student.  I failed algebra two years in a row (not two quarters, not two semesters, but two YEARS).  I simply couldn’t grasp it.  There weren’t many subjects for which I had a passion.  But I do remember surprising my junior English teacher when I suddenly raised my hand and correctly answered a question concerning the metaphysical poets.  I was just as surprised as she was, but something inside me enjoyed these poets who contemplated existence.  I went on to study theology and philosophy in college and continued to ponder the deeper questions of life and existence.

So this evening I was doing just that: walking around the seminary property, smoking my pipe (something I don’t do often), listening to the birds, contemplating life and God’s love for me and all the ways He reveals it.  Metaphysicians contemplate being.  I know, it sounds rather boring; but it actually has a way of raising the mind and heart to the Source of all being.  Contemplating creation ultimately leads to contemplating the Creator.

I find that when I’m in nature I’m able to experience the Lord’s presence in a profound way.  I took for granted growing up in a beach town, but now one of my favorite things to do  on my day off is to spend some time at Weekapaug (pictured above).  It’s one of my favorite spots.  I can sit on the rocks, watch the waves crash, listen to the ocean, watch the seagulls, and just breathe in the ocean air.  I feel God’s presence there.  God’s love is revealed to us through creation.

Just listening to the birds sing this evening reminded me that my life is to be a song of praise to the Lord.  Looking at the trees stretching skyward reminded me to focus on Heaven.  Absorbing the silence of the evening made me enter into the silence of my soul where He dwells.

And it was just on my heart to share these thoughts with you.

(Below is a meditation that I wrote many years ago as I spent time that morning at Weekapaug)

Do you have a place to go to think?  To pray?  Is there a place in nature that you’re drawn to where you experience God’s presence?  If so, please share it.   If you haven’t found that place, I encourage you to; and if you have, I encourage you to go there often.

The End of Autumn
These dying trees
Lifeless
Leaves floating, falling
Gliding in the gentle breeze
Still there is color
But barely
These will bloom again!

The autumn chill
The morning sky
The thin clouds breaking
Revealing blue

The birds are flying, crying
Gathering what they can
The seagull too
Hovers over this ocean blue

The tide is gentle
Rippling, speaking
As it washes on
The stony shore

The green glass glistens
As the sun is breaking
There’s a rustling
As the wind meets
What leaves remain
On these dying trees

Let this scene speak to you
These things are not chance
Look!
Perceive the design

Transcend!
Transcend yourself
Awaken!
Awaken to reality

Do not dismiss
What you think
Is simplicity
Mystery dwells in simplicity

Be still
Listen
Nature is pleading, groaning
Speaking:
Perceive the design
And you will encounter Him

Image by Mike Airhart

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On this Saturday morning, I wanted to share an inspirational story with you.  For the last few years, my dear friends, Scott and Kim King, have experienced every parents worst nightmare: their daughter Macey was diagnosed with cancer over three years ago. Macey is now ten and, thank God, is cancer free.  She has relapsed twice, but we are all hopeful that the Lord will keep her cancer free.

Her story is one of suffering and inspiration.  She is a heroic, faith-filled little girl, and Scott and Kim’s faith, although tested, has been nothing short of remarkable.  They have a beautiful family (Macey is the only girl, but she has four brothers who love her dearly!). (See picture below).

If you have a chance, please watch this 6-minute video narrated by Macey’s mom, Kim.  It really highlights the importance of faith when dealing with life’s difficulties.

Please continue to pray for Macey and the King family, and for all people–especially children–suffering from cancer.

Two weeks later, Mass attendance was back to “normal.”  The initial shock of the terrorist attack on our country had begun to wear off.  But I’ll never forget the solidarity that we experienced during that time.  In this midst of immense suffering we were united, and a profound goodness flowed from the depths of peoples’ hearts.

Tragedy.  It has a way of uniting us.  It has a way of breaking down the walls that so often divide us.  It has a way of bringing out the very best in each and every human heart.

Enter Haiti.

Last weekend at the seminary where I live we hosted a retreat for men discerning the priesthood.  One young man who is from Haiti asked the haunting question: Do we believe that God did this?  I and the other priests and seminarians answered with an unequivocal “No!”  I reject Pat Robertson’s claim that this earthquake happened because the Haitian people made a pact with the devil to drive out the French.  There’s an interesting scene in the Gospel of Luke that I believe also refutes Robertson’s claim.  Jesus refers to a tragic event that occurred in Siloam.  He says, “…those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?”  Jesus’ answer?  “By no means!”  (Luke 13:4).  Our Lord makes clear that just because those people were killed does not mean it was because of something evil that they did.

I can’t pretend to answer why disasters happen.  I do know that, for some reason, God allows them to happen.  He does not will them to happen.  There’s a big difference, and it may be a mystery that we comprehend only when we are with Him for eternity.

I do know that tragedy unites us, that it brings out the best in us, that, even if just for a moment, it makes us drop our labels of liberal and conservative, believer and non-believer and reach out to those who are suffering.

I also believe that in a mystical way the Lord is suffering with and in the people of Haiti.  He’s with them.  How else can we explain what the Lord said to Saul: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4).  Saul was persecuting the Christians, and in persecuting them he was persecuting Christ who dwelled with them.  We can say the same concerning Haiti: Christ is suffering with and in the people of Haiti, and in reaching out to the people of Haiti we are also reaching out to Christ, for “Whatever you do for the least of my brothers and sisters, you do for me” (Matthew 25:40).

God is with them.  But He also wants to be with them and reach out to them through you and me!

Living a holy life requires that we reach out to those in need.  If you have not already given to help the people of Haiti, I strongly encourage you to do so.  Personally, I gave to Catholic Relief Services; but you can give to the charity of your choice.  If you simply cannot give, please pray for them.  But remember Mother Teresa’s words: we must give until it hurts.

P.S. I’m stealing an idea from a fellow blogger and I hope it challenges you: for every comment that is left on this post (not on facebook but here on my blog) I will donate an additional five dollars to Catholic Relief Services.  Don’t be afraid to challenge others to give as well!

I thought for my first post this year I’d list the top five posts on my blog.  I do this as an introduction for some of my new readers and as a refresher for some who have been reading since the beginning.

Here they are:

A Simple but Powerful New Year’s Resolution

Are You Missing the Gift of the Present

Love Your Weakness

The Solution to Your Sorrow

How to Start Your Day in Holiness

And, as a bonus, here’s what I believe was my most heartfelt post: And a Little Child Led Me