Welcome to Working to Beat Hell - your source for tools to help you in the quest to beat Hell!

A bit about the name:
We live in a world of division. We see the world as consisting of Us and Them. This occurs on many levels ranging from politics (Republican - Democrat), to sports, and yes it has even invaded our faith life (Catholic - Protestant, Liberal - Conservative). These divisions often lead us to view the "Other" group as enemy. But the Council of Trent reminds us that we only have one enemy, and that is the devil or Satan. Thus, rather than working to beat the Republicans or Democrats, the liberals or the conservatives, we should all be united and Working to Beat Hell. Hence, the name of this site.

This Week:
Unfortunately, I don't have enought time to frequently update this site while I am in the semianry. But check back from time to time as the article may change, and any homilies I preach will be posted here.

Your Sunday Reader Podcast is Here!
Working to Beat Hell, in conjunction with St. Mary Parish, and St. Michael Parish is pleased to present our podcast, Your Sunday Reader. The podcast hosted by Brian Carpenter, Dawn Burdick, and Fr. Mark Brewer, contains audio of the scripture readings for the upcoming Sunday followed by a brief discussion. New episodes will be available every Wednesday, so that you can be prepared for Mass on Sunday (you do attend Mass on Sunday, right?). You can access the podcast via iTunes and download it directly onto your computer & iPod. Don't have an iPod? You can still listen to Your Sunday Reader on your computer through the Your Sunday Reader Blog or via RSS.

Brian Carpenter's preachings are also available online. You can access them via RSS or via the blog. However, as I have returned to the Seminary, it is unlikely that there will be many updates to this podcast until June 2008.

If you don't have iTunes, you can download iTunes free from Apple.

In Search of a Christian Praxis
Deacon Brian Carpenter

The past few articles on WTBH have discussed the concept of secularism. While secularism does indeed pose a threat to Christianity, it is not enough for Christians to simply identify themselves as anti-secularists. In fact, such a notion itself is antithetical to Christianity. That is Christians are not people who are against something. Rather, they are a people who are for something - namely Jesus Christ.

Christians must place Jesus Christ at the center of their lives. He must be the Truth by which all other things are measured. I often state that in the United States, people want Jesus to measure up to their American values and standards rather than have their nations standards measure up to those of Jesus. This is similar to telling God that he needs to be more like us humans rather than recognizing that it is God who calls humanity to become Holy because He is Holy.

A Christian praxis, therefore, is one in which our actions and decisions are consistent with Jesus' teachings. In other words, a Christian life is one that recognizes that freedom is grounded in Christ. Too often people think that freedom means the unrestricted ability to do whatever one wants. But true freedom is having the unrestricted ability to live life to your fullest potential by becoming the person God is calling you to be. It does not mean doing what "I want" but rather means doing what God wants.

This does not mean that everyone needs to become a priest or nun. In fact, it is quite unlikely that this is what Jesus desires otherwise marriage would not be considered a sacrament. But it does mean that we must seriously consider how God is calling us as individuals. This calling permeates virtually every aspect of our lives. Certainly it affects our vocation, be it to be married, single, a member of the clergy, a member of a religious community, etc. But it also affects other aspects of our lives, such as how we use the gifts that God has given us. There is nothing wrong with being a lawyer. But the decision to become a lawyer should be rooted in Christ. Perhaps a person has been given a talent and can keenly apply the law, or perhaps they have been gifted with a thirst for justice. A person can discern that these are gifts from God, and God may be calling them to use these gifts as a way of serving God and others. Such people have integrated their Christianity. Other people may see that lawyers are often well-paid, or well-respected (at least by some) and chose to become lawyers for these reasons. But in these cases the people are not recognizing their gifts and talents as coming from God or as gifts that are granted for the good of all people. Rather, they are taking what is often called a "practical approach" to deciding how they are to live their life. However, this approach is not freeing, it is enslaving. It is not allowing them to live up to their potential (i.e. to become the person God created them to be). Instead it forces them to constantly strive to be what others want them to be, or to do the work of other human beings and not the will of God.

If we are to live a truly Christian lifestyle, then we must make sure that our actions are rooted firmly in Christ. This does not only apply to big decisions, such as choosing a vocation or a career, but to smaller choices as well. Decisions as to how we treat a co-worker or fellow student fall into this category. Decisions concerning how we use our wealth must be guided by discernment of God's will. Indeed in almost every action, we can chose to act based on discernment of God's will or we can chose to enslave ourselves to our own desires and the desires of other people.

Brian Carpenter is a Seminarian of the Diocese of Rochester, NY. Brian Carpenter is a Deacon of the Diocese of Rochester, NY. Brian Carpenter is studying to be a priest for the diocese of Rochester, NY. Deacon Brian Carpenter. Fr. Brian Carpenter. Rev. Mr. Brian Carpenter.