Paul Masek's blog

I recently watched the movie Juno for the 2nd time with some of my very good friends, and it caused me to laugh and to smile and reflect - and my eyes even got a little misty a time or two.

But there is one scene in particular that I can’t get out of my mind.  On the DVD it is scene #7 called “Fingernails” and it lasts 2:49.  Here’s what happens, for those who have not yet seen the movie...and to refresh the memories of those who have.

Most people who know me are aware that I love a good quote.

Sometimes a good quote will make me smirk, sometimes a good quote will make me LOL, and sometimes a good quote will simply inspire me.  Right now I want to share with you a quote that disgusts me so much that it makes me sick to my stomach - and yet it challenges me so I just have to share it -

“Will my boys grow up viewing woman as no different than the porcelain urinal on the wall of the boys’ room—an object (not a person) to relieve themselves into whenever they feel the urge or need? And will my daughters grow up believing that’s who they’re supposed to be? I hope not.”*

During this past week, media outlets reported that celebrity Ashton Kutcher became the first to have more than 1,000,000 followers on Twitter.  I only wish that the REAP Team would have started twittering before he did; we certainly would have benefitted from comparable media exposure!  In honor of this momentous occasion, I thought I should let you know about the REAP Team’s presence on Twitter and, more importantly, let you know why we are twittering.

I want to put out a challenge to you this Lent, and it is a challenge that I have decided to take. It is a simple way that we can all put Jesus first in our lives by spending some extra time with Him every time we go online.

I want to invite you to change your homepage this Lent – I have already done so – so that before we surf the web, get on Facebook, read the news, or check our email, we can visit Jesus in this awesome virtual adoration chapel – www.savior.org

On this incredible yet simple website, a web cam is focused on Jesus, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.

Not too long ago, I was in a small group on a Confirmation retreat, talking about masks – the tendency that we all have to be fake.  Specifically, we were discussing how easy it can be to put masks on other people – or label them.  One of the group participants shared with me an awesome story that I want to share with you.

She told me that there was a group of students at her school that she had labeled, because she noticed that they were always talking about people, especially after those people left the group.  She assumed, naturally, that this was a group of gossipers who were mean, and she didn't want to be a part of a group like that!

Prologue: a friend of mine on Facebook recently sent me a gift of a Pokemon (which was very kind of her, don’t you think?) and in so doing she reminded me of a reflection that I wrote several years ago when my own kids were in the midst of a mega-Pokemon obsession phase. I share this with you at some risk, since when I originally published it I did get some grief about it from those who believe that drawing a comparison between Pokemon and Jesus is inappropriate. I, however, am of the opinion that when trying to share the message of the Gospel with inhabitants of this world, it is helpful to speak to them in a language that they can understand and which gets their attention. In defense of this evangelistic approach, I share two quotes…

Is anyone interested in seeing me with pink hair?  Yeah, I thought you might be.

Well, this is your chance.

If a certain task is accomplished within a certain time frame by the good people of Cyberspace, I will not only dye my hair pink, but I will appear in public…with pink hair.  Some of my friends are already having way too much fun with this, and have manipulated a picture of me to illustrate what this might look like; scroll down for that disturbing image…

Do you plan on getting high this summer?

My question actually has to do with God and your spiritual life, though if you plan on doing drugs this summer, we need to talk…seriously…send me an email, OK?

I want to repeat the question.  Do you plan on getting high - on God - this summer?

The experience of getting “high on God” or experiencing a ‘spiritual high’ is a common experience for those who are trying to grow closer to God, and if you are reading this, I suspect you know what I mean.  Someone attends a retreat like a Luke 18, Timothy 4, Steubenville, Christpower, Project Life, ACTS, CHRP, or even a REAP retreat, and experiences God’s love in a fresh and exciting way.  They feel “high” on life, love, and God.  Everything is new, everything is different, and everything is exciting.  I’m not gonna lie; I've had the feeling, and it is an awesome feeling indeed.

Yesterday was the weirdest retreat that I have been a part of in a long time.

I woke at 4 a.m., left my house at 4:30 a.m., drove through constant rain, and arrived in Cape Girardeau, MO at 6:45 a.m.  After a quick Mickey-Dees breakfast with the rest of the REAP Team members, we arrived at Notre Dame High School at 7:15 a.m., set up, and prayed.  We then began a retreat for 250 freshmen and sophomores at 8:15 a.m.

OK, so there is this song that I just can’t get out of my head ever since the first time I heard it.  It’s called “I’m Just a Kid” by the band Simple Plan.  If you’ve never heard it nor read the lyrics, please stop reading right now and give the song a listen while viewing the music video here (you need to scroll to the end) and check out the lyrics here.