Lent

"The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

- Gospel (Mark 1:12-15)

I believe that this passage epitomizes the meaning of Lent and also what it means to be Catholic. Lent is a journey for us all. During Lent we are asked to abstain from eating meat on Fridays and to give something up or add something good to our daily lives. These two things are simple, but I think that there is a deeper meaning to our Lenten journey. Jesus went into the desert for 40 days, but most of us don't live near a desert nor are we actually called to go to a desert. Our desert is everyday life. 
Just as all of us are tempted, Jesus himself was tempted by Satan. We are all temped to do things that are not right. The point is to see if we will choose right over wrong or good over evil. Everyday life is filled with obstacles. And at those obstacles we have to make a decision. Many of these obstacles pose the question of good or bad. Many people don't realize that what decision you make can have consequences. If we chose the wrong way or the bad path we compromise our path to eternal life in the Kingdom of God. If we chose the right or good path we maintain an open path to the Kingdom of God. Isn't that what we all really want to take the right path so that we can end up eternally happy?
I see Lent as a small representation of our entire lives. We need to take the lessons that we learn throughout Lent and continue to use them after our Lenten journey. Must see that there is something more important than just our immediate needs, and instead see that there is an ultimate goal for us as Catholics. We are here by the graces of God and he can call us back any moment he feels fit, so we must make the most of the time we have on earth. We must be the light that we wish to see in the world. Choose the good over the evil.

New York Football Giants

21-17. That was the final score of Super Bowl XLVI between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. As a Giants fan I was watching the game with high energy and cheering after every good play the Giants had. My friend Matthew and I were the only two Giants fans at our friends apartment watching the game. As the game drew to an end him and I had big grins on our face as our three Patriots fan friends began to realize that the Giants had once again found a way to defeat Tom Brady and the Patriots in the Super Bowl. But, there is another topic I would like to focus on rather than just the Super Bowl outcome itself. I want to talk about perseverance.

With two games left in the regular season the New York Giants had a record of 7-7. Although Eli Manning was having his best season yet the Giants running duo of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs were having their worst. They were last in the NFL in rushing yards per game, yards per rush, and total rushing yards. Their defense although exciting at times was not playing their best. Their head coach, Tom Coughlin, was about to be run out of town for the team's lack of success. Then, with convincing fashion, they defeated the New York Jets and the Dallas Cowboys to close the season at 9-7. They had made it into the NFL playoffs for the Wild Card round. They beat the Falcons in the Wild Card game. Then they beat the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round. And then with one game between them and the Super Bowl they beat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship. Walking into the stadium that for so many years has adored Eli Manning's older brother Peyton, they pulled out the upset against the Patriots to become the winners of Super Bowl XLVI. This was the second time in 4 years that the Giants upset the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

In all of these games the Giants defense stepped up to make big plays when they needed two. The running duo of Bradshaw and Jacobs picked up their play to once again create a very effective running game when the Giants needed them. Giants fans once again believed in the Giants and in their head coach, Tom Coughlin. The Giants did all of this with their backs against the wall. They succeeded when many thought they did not have a chance with two game left in the regular season. They buckled down, realized what they needed to fix, and found ways to victory for the last 6 games of the year. The Giants showed how a team can rise from the scrutiny of fans and media to the highest point a NFL football team can reach in a season. They did all of this with perseverance.

Perseverance will bring people through the toughest times of their lives. When a family has financial problems they buckle down and stop buying the luxuries they once enjoyed. They buy only what they need so that they can get by for the time. That family, with perseverance, will make it through those financial woes and eventually get back to a point where they can live happily without the worries of money. The same philosophy works for anyone from a college student to a business owner to an entire country. The key to this philosophy is not to give up. No matter how tough things may seem you can overcome them. Now, it won't happen with magic. You have to put effort into keeping yourself up, because somedays may be worse than others and you may think that you can't keep going. The whole idea is that whenever things are bad in life you just need to realize that their is a way through it all.  Persevere and you will find a way through.