I recently returned from my first ever retreat, sponsored by a group called Real Catholic Men.  The retreat consisted of 40 men, looking to grow and become energized in their faith.  The highlights of this retreat were the presentations by the dynamic evangelizing force, Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers.  We are blessed to have this New Jersey native close to home for events like this.  Deacon Harold is internationally known, having made several appearances on Catholic Radio and EWTN.

We talked about the confession, adoration, sin, the Eucharist, but mostly we discussed what it meant to be a real Catholic man.  It was a truly powerful experience to stand in line for confession, go to Mass, pray the Stations of the Cross, and build true friendships with 40 other men.  I’ll go back next year, and I’m anxiously awaiting the third annual Real Catholic Men Conference in Vancouver, WA this June!

Last week before morning Mass, I asked God for a sign.  I guess I needed some reassurance.  I needed my faith strengthened a little bit.  So I basically begged Him to show himself to me.  This is not the first time that I have asked for a sign.  I have actually asked on several occasions during my faith journey.  Each time, God has accommodated me — not in the way that I was expecting — but in a definitive way nonetheless.

So this was not the first time that I have asked for a sign, but I think it will be my last.  You see, the sign came very quickly this time, during the Gospel reading from Luke, chapter 11.  Here is what Jesus had to say to me on this day.

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
“This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.

Regardless of what one interprets the sign of Jonah to be, I think my answer was pretty clear. Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel. Quick asking for signs, for you have already received so many. I could almost hear Bill Engvall telling me, “Here’s your sign.”

We can learn much from a tree that loses its leaves, only to grow new ones in the spring. These trees contain many sturdy roots, and large powerful branches. This entire system of roots, trunk, and branches provides almost everything necessary for the infantile spring growth. As the leaves grow and mature, they rely on light to perform necessary work for the rest of the tree. They do this day in and day out, rain or shine.

These leaves will eventually begin to change color, showing signs of aging. Throughout this aging process, the leaves will transition through an infinite number of colors. During this period of their lives, they seem to do only one thing – one very important thing – glorify the very tree that has given them life.

We would all do well to live our lives so completely in service of our creator, relying entirely on His light, in unity with all those around us, living only to serve and glorify Him.

Though this tree is a beautiful symbol and we can relate to it in many ways by looking at it deeply, there are obviously far more differences between the life of a tree and the life of man. The leaves on a tree, while quite beautiful, are not particularly unique. Each looks very much the same and each is called to perform essentially the same task, for approximately the same length of time. Once the task of a leaf is complete, its life is also complete. It has no chance of rising to new life.

All life is precious, but not equal. Though we will pass from this life one by one, like the autumn leaves, we must be thankful that we can look forward to life beyond this one.

We develop some very close bonds with the animals in our lives. Our pets can help us combat lonliness, force us to remain active, and provide us with examples of unconditional love. They can also serve to help us deal with dying. All of this is fine, but problems arise when we value the life of an animal the same as a that of a human.

As Catholics, we must value and work to protect all human life, from natural conception to natural death. Anything that threatens human life, especially atrocities such as abortion and euthanasia, must be eradicated. But animals are not humans. Pets – no matter how much we love them – are not made in the image and likeness of God. The Lord has given us dominion over the animals of the earth, and we must treat them with mercy – the same mercy that Christ shows us. For this reason, when an animal is suffering, we can show it mercy by removing its pain through euthanasia when no other alternatives exist.

Other humans – family members – are not within our dominion. We all belong to God, and He will call each of us to Him when He is ready. We should be very grateful for the times that we get to share with our pets, and we should welcome the emotional bonds that are formed between animal and man. But we should never forget that we humans are much more than just sophisticated animals. We have souls – souls which must not be compromised by a lack of respect for human life.