With Independence Day just around the corner, it might be a nice time to reflect on how fortunate we all are to live in this amazing nation, even when it seems like everywhere you turn things have gone wrong over the past few years. But some amazing things have also gone right — pinpointing some very special attributes of our country.
Yes, there are still way too many people without jobs and the housing market is still in a slump, but all of us have adjusted remarkably well to one of the worst economic struggles in the last 100 years. Report after report and study after study show that Americans have used the experience to reexamine their values and adjust their desires.
Despite the fact that many people had to drastically cut their own personal budgets, they still felt compelled to give to others around $300 billion last year; that’s remarkable. We did it not because our government forced us to, but because we wanted to. Incidentally that’s the key difference between socialism — where government supplants our moral right and obligation to help, which the Catholic Church squarely condemns — and social justice — where we choose to help because of our moral character. That character is alive and well in America!
And it seems that when the chips are down Americans go to church — attendance has continued to rise in America since 2008, when the whole economic turmoil started according to the most recent Gallup reports. Maybe that’s because nine out of 10 Americans say they believe in God (that number is only one in five in nations like Denmark and Sweden) — and most believe our nation was founded upon the divinely derived innate value of human beings. When times get tough, we go back to the source of our strength, our beliefs and our nation.
When times get tough in America, we stick together, especially with our mates. A report from the CDC released in May shows that the divorce rate has gone down for two years running after years of rising. Though some cynics say it’s because people can’t afford to get divorced, others point to the more sensible conclusion that since the number one reason for divorce is historically financial, maybe Americans are starting to revaluate their reasons for splitting as they reevaluate all their other economic indicators.
Finally, let’s take a look at crime in America. You would think that tough times would make crime rise, especially when it comes to theft. On the contrary, the overall crime rate is dropping like crazy across the board according to the FBI’s Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report. Robbery dropped 8.1 percent, murder decreased 7.2 percent, aggravated assault declined 4.2 percent, and rape decreased 3.1 percent.
Experts can’t really point to a reason for that decline. Maybe money really is the root of all evil — when we are too obsessed with it. Or maybe we simply need a wake-up call every once in a while in America to remind us of our commitment to each other, to God and to the values that this country was founded upon. After all, this wasn’t the land of wealth of and wonton pleasure, but the land of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And we Americans don’t give up on that, or each other.
When times are tough, we respond, ready to fight arm in arm not just for our own selfish needs but for what’s right, what’s just and for the rights and welfare of others. That’s what God created us to do, and He gave us this blessed nation, unlike any other on earth, to do it in.
Hope vs. Faith
Hope: Expectations for the future
Faith: Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. Belief in a set of principles
“Don’t lose hope,” said the waitress to one of the regulars at a little cafe I frequent. The patron had just poured her heart out to the waitress about losing her job. The property management company she worked for lost their shirt in the real estate crisis, and the thirty-something single mother of two got laid off. “Keep the faith,” I muttered as she left the cafe. She smiled and thanked me for my concern.
But can such platitudes offer any meaningful comfort or direction when we are at the end of our rope?
Unemployment is still in the stratosphere. Most economists say we had better get used to that because we won’t see that number coming down for years.
Foreclosures are still out of control and may see another rise. Experts say the worst of this is behind us – but that really doesn’t make anyone who has been foreclosed upon feel any better.
Oil and gas prices are through the roof.
Everywhere you look nowadays the papers are filled with stories of people struggling to make ends meet.
So what do we all do about it? Don’t lose hope and keep the faith? But what does that actually mean?
Well maybe hope –looking forward to better times to come – makes it easier to keep going. Psychologists and common sense tell us we can endure anything for a limited time, as long as the end is in site, and we know that better times lie ahead.
But how do we know that good times lie ahead – and how do we deal with the ones we got.
That’s where faith comes in.
Maybe hope without faith is missing the point of our lives – that there is a great value to finding some solace in the situations we are in – even the worst of them.
If you believe in what you are doing and why you are doing it, you can endure more than you ever imagined.
But faith can help us find happiness within the experiences of our ordeals themselves and how we deal with them? Because tough times make us realize the value of our lives can’t all be measured, understood or based on our prosperity, our fortune, misfortune, or end result at all.
Our value is wrapped up in the way we live, the people, the principles and the God we live for. And in turn those are the reasons to endure the toughest times life can offer – to keep going – for all those principles and people that we love.
And we will get through. But when we do, we will have much more than our rediscovered prosperity? We will have the knowledge and know-how it took us to get there. We will have the confidence in our ability to weather tough times. Most importantly, we will know better what we value, and who.
We will all keep working hard. Because that’s what Americans do. In fact, when the chips are down, you can’t beat our spirit, our ingenuity and our faith in each other, in ourselves, and in our God to see us through.
We keep going because we know that every day, every hour, every second that we spend helping spread God’s love through our own compassion, our understanding and our endurance gets all of us one step closer to making the Lord’s Prayer a reality – “Thy will be done – on earth as it is in Heaven.”
And I HOPE none of you give up on that.
Check out Chris Benguhe’s next TV appearance on AZTV’s The Michael Crawford Show Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in Phoenix, AZ
7 Days of Simple Exercises to Turn on Your Heart!
Times are tough all over. People everywhere are struggling more than in decades. Add to that all the timeless tension of living your everyday life – struggles at home and on the job (if you have one!).
So here is a series of 7 very easy exercises you can do this week to prepare for the rejuvenating magic of Easter. They will not take more than a minute or two each day.
Day 1
Pick someone you love and write down why are they special to you. (THIS DOES NOT HAVE TO BE ROMANTIC, JUST ANYONE YOU LOVE!)
Day 2
Think about the nicest thing anybody did for you today or last week.
Day 3
Think about the kindest thing you did for anybody else today or last week.
Day 4
Recall something positive that you saw somebody else do THIS week to help someone else that filled your heart with happiness.
Day 5
Reflect on the person you picked on Day 1 and write about how their love and support for you has changed your life in one simple sentence.
Day 6
Read the person you wrote about on Days 1 and 5 what you wrote..
Day 7 (Easter!)
Go to Church – Smile at everyone there. Observe all the love that’s there. Tell God how much you love Him and spend the rest of the day spreading that love everywhere you go!
All materials above are From Chris Benguhe’s latest book “Overcoming Life’s 7 Common Tragedies: Opportunities for Discovering God,” available at Amazon.com which examines the positive potential of tragedy to bring people closer to each other and to inspire them to realize their ultimate purpose. He also pens a regular column for the Catholic Sun in Phoenix, Ariz.
It’s not about whether the glass is half full or half empty, but about the value of the glass – the glass of our lives is always valuable.
Send this to 10 People You Love!
ALL OUT OF LOVE THIS VALENTINE’S DAY?
Here’s 7 ways to fill up your heart!
By Columnist Chris Benguhe – Author of Overcoming Life’s 7 Common Tragedies: Opportunities for Discovering God.
If you don’t have a special someone to spend Valentine’s Day with this weekend, all the extra amor in the air is bound to get you down.
If your heart is feeling like its running on empty, then why not fill it up with what Valentine’s Day is REALLY about – REAL love – not just romance! There is a whole lot more love around you then you realize.
Our lives are naturally enriched by surrounding ourselves with those that love us. From family to friends, and even people we meet for a moment in passing. We all can reinforce each other with love.
Here are 7 simple ways to find it and fill up your heart—
1. Visit an older friend or relative or simply stop by a senior center to share some goodwill and cheer.
2. Volunteer your time at a charity – St. Vincent de Paul is my favorite.
3. Pick one person who has helped you the most this year and bring them a Valentine’s gift just because.
4. Reach out to a neighbor.
5. Call a long lost friend or relative just to say hello.
6. Pick 5 people out who help you throughout the year and say thanks (hint – a police officer, your garbage man, your mail carrier and that cashier at the grocery store who always smiles and remembers your name for starters.)
7. Spend the day smiling and saying hello to everyone you encounter.
And remember it’s not about whether the glass is half full or half empty – it’s about the value of the glass. The glass of your life is always valuable because you can fill it up with lots of love!
Read more of Chris Benguhe’s inspirational thoughts in his latest book available at Amazon through the link below-
Chris Benguhe is a columnist for the Catholic Sun and the Author of “Overcoming Life’s 7 Common Tragedies: Opportunities for Discovering God.”
ALL MATERIALS ABOVE ©2007 by Chris Benguhe
After a decade of unprecedented disasters in America, we can learn a lot about dealing with tough times from a tiny nation with nothing.
Only 700 miles from Florida, but a universe away, 20-foot-deep-ditches are overflowing with tens of thousands of bodies. Images of battered and bruised school girls embracing the lifeless bodies of classmates, mothers falling to their knees and crying out to the heavens, and hospitals, schools, churches and any building left standing filled with the critically injured literally dying for help fill the airwaves, the Internet and the minds and hearts of millions all over of the world.
With the death toll nearing 200,000, the situation in Haiti will soon outgrow the word catastrophe and enter the sphere of apocalypse. Yet for Haiti this isn’t a totally new experience. In 2004, a torrential rain drowned 2,000 people. Only a few months later, Hurricane Jeanne killed 1,900 more and left hundreds of thousands homeless. In 2008 three tropical storms killed close to 800.
However, the 7.0 earthquake that hit last month has clearly been the largest catastrophe Haiti has endured since the 1700s. With little to no infrastructure, the majority of Haitian housing has been demolished, leaving entire families and groups of families living in tents. The injuries have rippled into a cascade of Illness and disease. The Red Cross estimates that if more relief doesn’t come quickly, the death toll could top 250,000. Add to all that a lack of proper sanitation, and an avalanche of yet to be discovered problems threaten to overwhelm Haiti.
A helping hand
While Americans scramble to support their hemispheric neighbors, as well they should, I wonder if we truly appreciate exactly what our inspiring outpouring of love and support can teach us about our own problems.
Our government has rightly dedicated hundreds of millions of dollars to this tiny island nation neighbor. Everyday Americans have pledged hundreds of millions more. We are all calling into telephone banks manned by celebrities who have millions of disposable dollars, and we are doing so from the comfort of our homes on our fully functional cell phones — giving money that, despite our economic woes, we can afford to give. The people of Haiti on the other hand have none of those luxuries or choices right now.
Haiti is the definition of desperation. This is the real meaning of hard times. And yet the Haitians go on — to endure, to persevere, to live.
It is not the end for Haiti, but a new beginning. And it is never the end for any of us, as long as we are living and breathing with the breath and inspiration of the Lord. Isn’t that the message of Job — the good news of our Lord — and the message of Psalms? “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Maybe Haiti is our wake up call to stop living in a delusory world where we strive for comfort and ease — instead choosing to cherish the struggle that is life lest we be doomed to eternal ingratitude.
We are all in this together — life, that is — and nobody gets out alive. It’s what we do, why we do it, and how we do it while we are here that counts. Help Haiti, help your neighbors, help your family and friends, and stop wasting time worrying about how much you have or don’t have. After all, I’m pretty sure none of you out there are worse off than our Haitian neighbors.
–Chris Benguhe will donate half of his profits from all copies of “Overcoming Life’s 7 Common Tragedies: Opportunities for Discovering God” sold on Amazon.com through Easter 2010 to Haiti relief.
It’s that time of year again to rejoice in the coming of Christ, Who redeemed us from sin and offers eternal love.
It’s also when many “non-practicing” Catholics return to church for their annual visit out of tradition, family duty or habit, even though their hearts aren’t in it and some may be questioning the existence of God altogether.
Let’s all support them because you never know when that thread of faith will pull them up from the abyss of despair and ultimately inspire the rest of the world too.
Case in point: Anne Rice, the best-selling author of “Interview with the Vampire” and the “Vampire Chronicles,” had an amazing awakening after decades mired in despair and a career devoted to writing about the undead and the damned.
She recently shared a few thoughts with me about her rich Catholic upbringing and how suddenly in the summer of her 18th year, she inexplicably lost her faith. There was no major traumatic event; it just happened.
What followed was an extraordinary career writing the fictional accounts of a vampire named Lestat, a desperate soul searching for meaning in an eternity doomed to darkness. Rice married the love of her life, endured the horrible loss of her daughter to leukemia, then the miraculous birth of her son.
Faith rediscovered
But just as nothing made her lose her faith, nothing particular brought it back; the latter just happened — one day in December of 1998, right before Christmas.
“I wanted so desperately to get back to God,” revealed Rice. “I was running around so afraid and in such a state of despair for so long. I wanted to stop running from things and run to God.”
But Rice had struggled for years with “deep sociological questions.”
“How could I believe in God if so many bad things happened in the world?” explained Rice. “I wondered if the Church was right on one issue or another. Then I realized I didn’t need to know all the answers. All I needed to accept was that I loved God and wanted to reconnect with Him through the Church. I could surrender to Him in His infinite mercy. It wasn’t about avoiding questions; it was about love.”
She went to confession that day, and received holy Communion afterward. She remarried her husband in the Church. Soon her random loss and rediscovery of faith started to make some inspiring sense.
“Catholicism wasn’t just a religion for me,” said Rice, “it was a way of life. It influenced everything that I wrote even when I was away from the Church. I thought I was an atheist writing that book [“Interview with a Vampire”] but why did I write about someone who was grieving for loss? Why did I write about someone who was lost and searching? It was me searching for my faith, searching for what I had lost.”
That faith guided her, even when she was “lost,” and eventually led her back to the Church.
“When you grow up Catholic you feel that you have to be connected to the meaning of life,” said Rice. “When you break away from your faith, you still have that yearning. I never lost my desire to understand what the point of my life was.”
Since then Rice has devoted her life and career to the Lord. In her recently released “Angel Time,” she examines redemption, hope and the merciful, healing love of Christ for a hit man who retains an ounce of faith and is pursued by an angel until he comes to his soul’s senses — an experience Rice identifies with metaphorically.
“Coming back to the Church allowed me to replace a quasi despair about everything with optimism. I am no longer running around every minute afraid. Now I don’t feel like I am running at all. I am calm yet driven. I feel like life is a celebration.”
Hopefully this holiday a few “lost” Catholics can take solace in Rice’s redemption and might even celebrate their own. Merry Christmas!
