If You Have Middle-Schoolers, You'll Want to Check Out a.k.a. Genius

a.k.a. Genius
by Marilee Haynes
Boston: Pauline Media, 2013

The new line of Pauline Teen Books by Pauline Media promises to bring young people stories that “make you laugh – and sometimes cry, make you think and help you dream, and let you explore the real world.” If a.k.a. Genius by Marilee Haynes is any indication, this line of books is off to an incredible start. 

Haynes tells the story of Gabe, a student at St. Jude Middle School who has just found out that, according to test results, he is supposed to be a genius. There are a few problems with this –his second-best friend Maya is supposed to be the smartest kid in school and doesn’t take kindly to being upstaged, he can’t even get his locker open, and his father would much rather he be good in sports  than good in school. Meanwhile, he is asked to tutor Becca, a girl he likes so much he can barely speak in her presence, and his best friend Linc is trying to “woo” (his words) a girl named Rachel. There is a lot going on in the mind of a middle-school boy. 

Gabe, Maya, Linc, Rachel and a few other students all end up in a class for gifted students, nicknamed the G.A.S. class. Taught by a very cool Sister Stevie, the class is preparing to take part in an academic Olympics competition. 

Haynes has made a great splash with this debut novel. Unlike so many books in the Catholic Fiction genre, a.k.a. Genius is a story about real middle-school kids with real middle-school problems. While filled with elements of the Catholic faith, it isn’t overly pious or preachy. This is a book middle-schoolers would actually want to read, and laugh out loud while they are doing it. It is a Catholic “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” without the accompanying comics. A.k.a. Genius will make readers laugh and cry and teaches an important lesson about self-acceptance in the process. 

There are many books I have enjoyed, but there are only a handful of stories that I consider “awesome.” A.k.a. Genius is one of those books. 

The Beauty of Confession

Lent is a wonderful time to return to the Sacrament of Reconciliation (a.k.a. Confession), especially if you haven't been in a while.

Martin Sheen writes about returning to confession after a dozen years away in his new book, written with his son Emilio Estevez, Along the Way: A Journey of a Father and Son.

I left the confessional booth and sat down in a pew to reflect. I had just confessed the whole truth about the past dozen years of my life, and absolution was graciously granted without hesitation or judgment. Gradually, an overwhelming sense of freedom and familiarity consumed my whole being. I had returned whence I come.

I imagined the Prodigal Son might have felt the same way when, as the Gospel parable tells us, he returned from his wayward travels rehearsing lines of apology, only to be greeted by a father who loved him so unconditionally the son was welcomed with open arms, no questions asked, and no judgment passed.

I'd just taken the first step of a long, complex spiritual journey that would change my life. But I wasn't focused on the future now, only on this transcendent moment. Sitting alone in that church I began to weep uncontrollably with tears of sheer joy. 

Lent with St. Francis, Friday of 1st week of Lent

The spirit of God, on the other hand, inspires us to mortify and despise our lower nature and regard it as a source of shame, worthless and of no value. Humility, patience, perfect simplicity, and true peace of heart are all its aim, but above everything else it desires the fear of God, the divine wisdom and the divine love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. - St. Francis, Rule of 1221

Lent with St. Francis, Thursday of 1st week of Lent

We must all be on our guard against pride and empty boasting and beware of worldly or natural wisdom. A worldly spirit loves to talk a lot but do nothing, striving for the exterior signs of holiness that people can see, with no desire for true piety and interior holiness of spirit. It was about people like this that our Lord said, "Amen I say to you, they have received their reward (Mt. 6:2) - St. Francis, Rule of 1221

The In-Between Time

Here in Massachusetts, spring has been slow in coming. We have had a couple warm days, but they have been surrounded by cold, cold, and more cold, and snow still covers much of the ground. Usually by this time, I at least have some daffodils pushing through the earth and reaching for the sun. This year, they are still firmly under cover. Yet, the promise of spring is there. It will come.

In the latest issue of St. Anthony Messenger, Kyle Kramer writes of this "In-Between Time," in which we are stuck in the darkness, but trust in the light to come:

According to a Christian understanding of history, we live always in the in-between time. Jesus’ incarnation, ministry, death, and resurrection revealed how the kingdom of God is dawning, but 2,000 (often bloody) years later, the kingdom hasn’t yet fully flowered, and it won’t until the end of time.. . .

When we tend it with care or leave it undisturbed, the natural world preaches the same message. Through seasons and cycles, nature moves toward a better future of cleaner air and water, deeper topsoil, and beautifully diverse, abundant forms of life.

At the same time, there’s also a dark thread of suffering and ambiguity woven into God’s growing, evolving creation. Taking that seriously, yet still trusting in God’s unfolding promise, marks an important difference between Christian hope and mere optimism.

This kind of gritty, realistic hope survives by daily, practical acts. In the in-between time, we pray; we plant trees and gardens; we care for children and parents and the poor; we invest our time and talents in our communities; we work for justice.

Like a good storyteller, God keeps us in suspense about how things will turn out. But since God is a good storyteller, we can trust that it’s all worth it.

Lent with St. Francis, Wednesday of 1st Week of Lent

We must be firmly convinced that we have nothing of our own, except our vices and sins. And so we should be glad when we fall into various trials (Jam. 1:2), and when we suffer anguish of soul or body, or affliction of any kind in this world, for the sake of life eternal. - St. Francis, Rule of 1221

Lent with St. Francis, Tuesday of 1st week of Lent

I entreat all my friars, whether they are given to preaching, praying, or manual labor, to do their best to humble themselves at every opportunity; not to boast or be self-satisfied, or take pride in any good which God says or does or accomplishes in them or by them. - St. Francis, Rule of 1221