Join the military and go to boot camp! Go to sport boot camps to sharpen skills and learn moves needed to be the best! Learn the basics needed for success. Have you been to boot camp? Believe it or not: Earth is boot camp for heaven!

Entering the convent was a kind of boot camp. As a novice I learned about Blessed Clelia Merloni whose life encouraged and inspired me. Her life taught me about the three vows that are the foundation of Consecrated Life. From her I learned to focus my life on the Heart of Jesus. All of this prepared me to embrace my vocation as a sister or reject it. The same is true for us on Earth.

As Catholic Christians we live guided by the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. We pray, celebrating together the Holy Eucharist as the "source and summit" of our life. We strive to put one person at the center of our life: Jesus of Nazareth, the Only Son of the Father who suffered, died, and rose from the dead for us. Jesus gave us the seven Sacraments to support and nourish us on the way, most especially Himself in the Holy Eucharist, His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. Our time here is not all there is. Our life is not about us. The gifts and talents given us are to be put at the service of the community. We are not here for ourselves, we are here to help each other. You and I have a choice: accept or reject the call to holiness!

What’s the choice? To put ourselves at the center of the universe and let everyone bow and kowtow, or strive to accept the challenge of walking the road to holiness day in, day out. You and I can put Jesus at the center of our life and the center of our choices. Earth is boot camp for heaven. It's the time to toughen up and soften up: toughen up on ourselves with regard to our weaknesses and temptations while we soften up with regard to the needs of others for kindness and forgiveness.

Thank God we have the gift of time so we can learn to rejoice with the angels and cheer on each new blessing with the other saints. We can learn to be kind and forgive. Choice by choice, we pour our life into the hands of God and decide who we will be and where we want to spend eternity. Let us learn well the ways of God on earth so we’ll live with joy in heaven! Remember His promise which gives hope and courage: I will be with you all days until the end of the world. We do not walk alone. Our sisters and brothers “run with giant steps on the road to holiness.” (Blessed Clelia Merloni). Let’s join them!
 

Remember the words: Keep holy the Lord’s Day, come not from Pope Francis but God Himself!

Why must we keep holy the Lord’s Day?
God knows we need to honor the gift of Life He has given us. We need to appreciate this gift. As my father would say: God wakes you up in the morning and lets you sleep at night.  In a word, we need to give thanks.
 
To whom? To the God who created us and who holds us in the palm of His hand. We wake up each morning. We got to sleep at night. Too often we take life for granted. That was my father’s point. Life is God’s gift to us and we are called to be a gift to others. When you receive a gift, you need to acknowledge it. We teach our children to say: Thank you! We need to honor this deep desire to express our gratitude to God which finds perfect fulfillment in the Mass at the Eucharist.
 
Why? Because the word, Eucharist, in Greek means Thanksgiving. Together with Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, we gather to give thanks to the Father who is the Source of all Life.

How? At Mass we recall, we remind ourselves all that God has done for us. We recall the beauty of creation, our own waking up that morning and the creation of our children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews. We give thanks for them.
 
At the Penitential Rite  We recall our sinfulness, those times we’ve missed the mark. We ask for forgiveness and strength to do better.
 
As we listen to the readings, we recall how God has worked through history to save us. We recall those times most recently God worked in us, saving us, and helping us! As the gifts are brought up we tell God what gifts we want to give Him. Perhaps, letting go of grudges or… 
 
As the words of consecration are proclaimed, we recall Jesus’ gift of Himself to us at the Last Supper in the Eucharist. Together with Him we give thanks to the Father. We hear the words: Take this, all of you, and eat of it: for this is my body which will be given up for you. …Take this, all of you, and drink from it: for this is the chalice of my blood. In faith we enter into communion with Jesus even before we go to Communion. In our hearts we affirm with joy and gratitude God’s love poured out for us, in the Birth, Death and Resurrection of His Beloved Son.
 
As we receive the Eucharist we give thanks and pray for all whom God inspires us to pray. We recall we are called to bring the joy and peace of the Lord to others so they too may enter into His Joy and Peace. That’s why we must keep the Lord’s Day holy by participating at Mass.