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Do You Want to be Well?

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“Do you want to be well?”

This may seem like a crazy question to someone who has been ill for 38 years. Why did Jesus ask it?

The lame man’s answer may give a clue. He does not say yes. He shifts the problem to the circumstances around him: he has no one to put him into the healing pool, which was said to cure the first person to enter it when the water was disturbed. He is alone. No relatives or friends to help him.

Perhaps, having been alone and sick for so long, he had simply lost hope. He was accustomed to his aloneness and his inability to get into the water. His solitude and situation had become familiar and somewhat comfortable. He went to the pool where he might be cured, but without any real hope that it was possible for him. His difficult rut had become his permanent reality in his mind.

Jesus stirs up a new possibility by looking at him and asking, “Do you want to be well?” Do you want to change? Do you desire something new? Because something new demands something of you! Are you ready for this? “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.”

Jesus never forces himself or his way on us. We must desire it. That is why he tells us elsewhere to ask, seek, knock in order to receive. We have a responsibility to direct our desires and our hope toward the good and true and beautiful, toward God’s will for us, toward true happiness in Christ. This demands something of us. We must be willing to leave some things behind, to encounter the Truth in Christ, to embark on the spiritual adventure of grace.

Jesus tells the healed man and us, “Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you.”

In order to love, we must leave behind our grudges.
In order to serve, we must leave behind our pride.
In order to be whole, we must leave behind our woundedness.
In order to walk with Christ, we must leave behind our own ideas and agendas.

Do we want to be spiritually, emotionally, and psychologically well? Do we want to be true followers of Christ? Are we willing to open ourselves fully to all God wants to pour into us and through us? Are we ready to be well?

What do we need to let go of?

During this time of social isolation (a friend called it “the lentiest Lent”!), we have the opportunity to spend more time in prayer and reflection. Let’s imagine Jesus himself looking us in the face and asking, “Do you want to be well?” and ask him to show us what our true answer is. And then he can begin to set us free.

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including newly ordained Father Rob and seminarian Luke ;-), and two grandchildren. She is a Secular Discalced Carmelite and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 25 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio, by publishing and speaking, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Catechesis, various parishes, and other ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is https://www.kathryntherese.com/.

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A New Heaven and a New Earth

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Given the state of the world today, amid the Coronavirus pandemic, doesn’t the sound of God, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, bring about a longing to change all that is happening? Oh, that we could reverse everything and start over. I don’t mean going back to the Garden of Eden. But, could we instead hope that the world, as we know it today, would revert to love, kindness, no illness, no death, no weeping, no pollution, no fears — Oh, that we could!

Isaiah speaks of a new earth. A renewal of our commitment to God and all the good we can experience when we believe and follow.

Jesus, then, in the Gospel, brings healing and wholeness to a family facing the death of a child, reminding us that Jesus IS the Resurrection and the Life.

Our lives in today’s world, as in times past, will not be free from pain, sickness, or tragedy. We cannot expect that. But what we can expect from our commitment to Jesus is the peace he alone can bring. And that peace will give us the strength to get through the toughest of times.

To all of you who are plagued by fear or troubled by what is happening in our world of 2020: I encourage you to continue to pray and hold close to the heart of Jesus.
To all of you who are plagued by fear of what is happening in our world, but do not have the strength of Faith, don’t despair. Look to someone you know is secure in Jesus, and seek the help that will bring you close to the Savior and, in the end, free of fear. You will find yourselves calmer in coping with this unknown attacking our world.

“You changed my mourning into dancing; O Lord, my God, forever will I give you thanks. And I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.”

God Bless

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Jeanne Penoyar, an Accounts Manager at Diocesan, is a Lector at St. Anthony of Padua parish in Grand Rapids, MI. Jeanne has worked in parish ministry as an RCIA director, in Liturgy, and as a Cantor. Working word puzzles and reading fill her spare time. Jeanne can be reached at jpenoyar@diocesan.com.

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What is Light?

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Light: “having a considerable or sufficient amount of natural light; not dark.” -Dictionary.com

We have all heard it a million times. We are supposed to be light. Don’t hide your gifts under a bushel basket. Christ is the light of the world. But what do all of these phrases really mean? Have we allowed them to lose their depth because they are so commonplace?

I think we tend to think of light solely in terms of it brightening something like we see in the first part of the definition above, but I like to think of it not just as illuminating, but as an addition that was not there before. See, dark is not a shade in and of itself, it is the absence of something. It’s the same with sin. Sin is not its own character; it is the absence of good.

Ok, so light is an addition that destroys dark as grace is an addition that destroys sin. Both light and grace are added and cast out that which already lacked. This seems a little heady, but it’s so important. When we are meant to be a light to the world, as the second reading suggests, we are literally meant to add something to the world in order to get rid of a lack. But what can we add if we are fallen human beings? The answer? Grace.

God has given us his grace and repaired our relationship with his divine love. Now we look around, especially today, and see so much darkness, turmoil, fear, anxiety, pain, and worry. Walking into this alone would quite certainly put our light out, we would have nothing in and of ourselves to add. But coming into it with the grace of God, nothing can stop us. There is no void so great that it can’t be filled with the grace of God.

Do we really believe that? Will we take this to heart. Or will we just imagine that God is like the little coloring book picture of the candle that we drew in Sunday School? Does God’s grace have real power or not? Cause if it does, now is the time to illuminate the depths with his love. I want to make the bold statement that it does and that it can defeat any darkness we encounter today, virus or otherwise. Who is with me?

God Bless!

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Tommy Shultz is Director of Evangelization for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative and the founder of Rodzinka Ministries. In these roles, he is committed to bringing all those he meets into a deeper relationship with Christ. Tommy has a heart and a flair for inspiring people to live their faith every day. He has worked in various youth ministry, adult ministry, and diocesan roles. He has been a featured speaker at retreats and events across the country. His mission and drive have been especially inspired by St. John Paul II’s teachings. Tommy is blessed to be able to learn from the numerous parishes he visits and pass that experience on in his presentations. With a degree in Theology from Franciscan University, Tommy hopes to use his knowledge to help all people understand the beauty of The Faith.

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Peace in the Storm

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The last ten days have been a quick succession of life-changing decisions made for me. State of emergency declaration. No gatherings of 250 people or more. Dine-in restaurants and bars closing. No gatherings of 50 people or more. Work from home. No gatherings of 10 people or more. Just stay home.*

Even just typing that feels so heavy and restricting. It feels like the world is closing in around me. My walls of safety seem to be crumbling before my eyes. As someone joked, “This week has been the longest and most difficult year of my life.”

It’s almost crazy to think that it was only Monday when I first felt the panic and chaos well up inside of me. Evil, in the form of fear, loneliness, panic, and loss of hope, filled my thoughts. 

To combat this, a small group of us got together after work and prayed the Rosary. Prayed for healing, for illnesses, for those alone in this time, for each other, for the ability to feel God’s presence at a time like this. 

It was then that amid all the chaos, I felt at peace.

During Lent, we are called. Yes, called to pray, to fast, to give alms, but also just called. Our God seeks a relationship with us. He calls our name in times like these. In times of darkness, He calls out with His light. In times of fear, He calls out to us with hope. In times of uncertainty, He calls out our names and promises us, 100% guarantees us, His love no matter the situation. 

These are the times to listen for His voice. A little further from the distractions of the world, I ask you to listen. I ask you to acknowledge your fears, doubts, vulnerabilities, and trust in your God. 

Last, I ask that you pray with me, either once or as a Novena:

O Great St. Rocco, deliver us, we beseech thee, from the scourges of God; through thy intercession, preserve our bodies from contagious diseases, and our souls from the contagion of sin. Obtain for us salubrious air; but, above all, purity of heart. Assist us to make good use of health, to bear suffering with patience; and, after thy example, to live in the practice of penance and charity, that we may one day enjoy the happiness which thou has merited by thy virtues.

St. Rocco, pray for us (say three times).

*These items are taken from press releases issued on the State of Michigan’s website and the Center for Disease Control’s website. Please refer to your own state’s website or CDC for your state’s information.

https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/ (Citation for Michigan’s State of Emergency declaration, no gatherings of 250 people or more, dine-in restaurants and bars closing.)

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/ (Citation for no gatherings of 50 people or more and no gatherings of 10 people or more.)

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Veronica Alvarado is a born and raised Texan currently living in Michigan. Since graduating from Texas A&M University, Veronica has published various articles in the Catholic Diocese of Austin’s official newspaper, the Catholic Spirit, and other local publications. She now works as the Content Specialist in Diocesan’s Web Department.

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Where is your Focus?

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I am constantly amazed by the patience and goodness of the Lord. Today’s readings highlight that for me. Why; because I believe in God, my Father. I believe in Jesus Christ, His Son. I believe in the Holy Spirit. I know He hears my voice. I know He is in the world around me.

How can I know that? Faith. I have the Word in Sacred Scripture to guide me. Scripture today is calling us to be obedient to His Word and teachings.

My pastor beautifully explains where our focus should be at this time.

“It seems that we are given new parameters for our gatherings and protocols for our personal interaction almost daily. Please be patient with this. Our public officials and medical leaders are evaluating the progress of the disease daily. They will give directions for public health and safely accordingly.

Please comply with the directives of the Governor and the National and County Departments of Health.

Don’t take on the attitude that you know better than them. It is easy to do. Remember, you are a member of the Body of Christ. It is not about you or me, it is about all of us. The directions we are being given may very well be more about “all of us” than about you personally. They may be personally and socially inconvenient and costly to you personally. It is easy to be dismissive of them. It takes a lot of humility to allow someone other than yourself to lead, to follow their directions. This does not mean that you don’t think for yourself. To this point the Governor and Health Department’s directions have been implemented and sound reasons for them have been set out for us. It is humility to listen to the reasons, to weigh them, and then to comply when there is sense to them.

Few people know how to make a Spiritual Communion. A Catholic would do this when they are justifiably prevented from participating in Mass on Saturday evening or Sunday. Here are the directions:

Making A Spiritual Communion
Set aside ten or fifteen minutes. You can gather with your children and lead them in this process.

Make the Sign of the Cross over yourself.

Pray:
I confess to Almighty God and to you my brothers and sisters that I have greatly sinned in my thought and my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

If you want you can read from one of the Gospels in your bible or read the readings of the day from a hand missal or on line at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/

Spend a moment offering prayers of petition for those the world, for those you love or for those you know are in need.

Pray the “Our Father”

Pray:
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us (grant us peace). (3x)

Pray:
Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, But only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

Close your eyes, picture Jesus standing next to you and pray:
Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things and I desire to possess you within my soul. Since I am unable now to receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart, I embrace you as already being there, and unite myself wholly to you. Never permit me to be separated from you. My beloved Jesus, inflame this heart of mine, so that it may be always and all on fire for you.

Amen

Pray the “Hail Mary.”
Holding you all in prayer,

Father Jim Chelich”

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Beth is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She brings a unique depth of experience to the group due to her time spent in education, parish ministries, sales and the service industry over the last 25 yrs. She is a practicing spiritual director as well as a Secular Franciscan (OFS). Beth is quick to offer a laugh, a prayer or smile to all she comes in contact with. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

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A Man of Peace

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I think we can all agree that we are in the midst of a strange, confusing, uncertain, and in some ways, scary time. A lot of people are suffering from illness, from unstable financial or professional situations, from hopelessness, from boredom, from anxiety, and from a plethora of other things. It feels appropriate to me that this pandemic occurred during Lent, a time in which we have already given something up or added something to our daily routines so that we may better unite our sufferings to Christ in His suffering on the Cross. We live in a time of noise: traffic, radio, television, social media, news, etc. As a teacher on “extended Spring Break” for the next 3 weeks, I have found myself constantly checking my work email for more news about how the school year will progress, checking social media for updates about how my friends are keeping themselves entertained at home, checking my phone for more news about how this virus is spreading and how it is affecting our society. But as I thought about the readings today and about the man St. Joseph was, I realized that the only way we will get through these current times is with a peaceful mind and a joyful heart.

In the Gospels, St. Joseph says nothing. Not one word. Yet we know so much about his character from his actions. He was a generous man; when he found out Mary was pregnant before their marriage, he decided to “divorce her quietly” rather than cause a scandal and her to live in shame. He was a faithful man; when an angel appeared to him telling him not to be afraid to take Mary into his home, Joseph did exactly as the angel instructed him. He was a caring man; when Jesus remained in Jerusalem after Passover and Mary and Joseph were looking for their son, Joseph worried about Jesus. Despite the many hardships that Joseph endured and the many times he had to protect his family, he remained faithful to the Will of the Lord.

The responsorial psalm today says, “The promises of the Lord I will sing forever; through all generations, my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness, for you have said, “My kindness is established forever”; in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.”

This is something that Joseph understood and lived out every day of his life. May we look to St. Joseph as a source of hope and inspiration for faith in our Redeemer and His Will.

In this time of uncertainty and suffering may continue to unite our suffering ever more fully to Christ in His Passion.

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Dakota currently lives in Denver, CO and teaches English Language Development and Spanish to high schoolers. She is married to the love of her life, Ralph. In her spare time, she reads, goes to breweries, and watches baseball. Dakota’s favorite saints are St. John Paul II (how could it not be?) and St. José Luis Sánchez del Río. She is passionate about her faith and considers herself blessed at any opportunity to share that faith with others. Check out more of her writing at https://dakotaleonard16.blogspot.com.

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What Hasn’t Changed?

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Everyone is on edge, nervous, even frantic. Everyone is concerned about what is going to happen next. Everyone is wondering what will be canceled next or what place will close next. There are no sporting events to watch and no restaurants to go to. As a coworker put it, “What’s there to talk about?”

Please, please don’t talk about THAT. I am so tired of hearing about it, reading about it and watching it. It’s enough to worry about whether or not my family of six will have food to eat for the next month.

So instead of buying into the hysteria and the panic, I am on a mission to share positivity. What can our current situation teach us? What opportunities can it allow us? What things can we do that we normally wouldn’t be able to? What do we now have time for that we otherwise wouldn’t? What HASN’T changed?

First and foremost, our great God has not changed. Our First Reading today reminds us: “For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him?” Our God is ALWAYS with us, and we can ALWAYS call upon Him. He can grant us peace of mind when no one and nothing else can.

That is what we can learn from this. We can learn that when it comes down to it, the ONLY thing that matters is our relationship with God because we are never assured of a tomorrow.

But in the midst of this, while we still have breath within us, we have been given a great gift: the opportunity to spend more quality time with our families. Let’s bust out those board games, dust off those books we’ve wanted to read for years now, pump up those bicycle tires, and get some good old vitamin D.

Let’s have deep and heartfelt conversations with loved ones. Let’s laugh like we never have before. Let’s do our spring cleaning together this year. Let’s watched the televised Mass and pray the rosary as a family. Let’s not forget that what will carry us through this is prayer.

At my house this past weekend, we pulled out a large pad of MadLibs. (Remember those?) My 7-year-old and I were laughing out loud (for real), enjoying the silliness of sentences that made no sense. We imagined what a giraffe’s long “armpit” looked like (instead of neck), and what it would be like to come home to a “smelly” house (instead of a cozy one). We played soccer outside and built castles with magnet toys inside. We made homemade lemonade and chocolate cake. We finally had time to work on potty-training my 3-year-old and saved numerous diapers.

There is always a positive side to the coin if only we look for it. No matter how our situation may change or how much our world appears to turn upside down, may we never cease to exclaim like the Psalmist: “Praise the Lord, Jerusalem” (insert here USA).

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Tami grew up in Western Michigan, a middle child in a large Catholic family. She spent early young adulthood as a missionary in Mexico, studying theology and philosophy, then worked and traveled extensively before finishing her Bachelor’s Degree in Western Kentucky. She loves tackling home improvement projects, finding fun ways to keep her four boys occupied, quiet conversation with the hubby and finding unique ways to love. She works at Diocesan, is a guest blogger on CatholicMom.com and BlessedIsShe.net, runs her own blog at https://togetherandalways.wordpress.com and has been doing Spanish translations on the side for almost 20 years.

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Untangle the Fibers of your Heart and Mind

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We know that love is patient and kind and forgiving. We know that love is the whole law.

But in certain circumstances, we find love difficult. Especially when it comes to forgiving some offenses, some people who do not seem to deserve our forgiveness. In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us a “secret” to forming a forgiving heart: we must see and acknowledge our own immense failings so that we can begin to understand the generous forgiveness that God extends to us. Once we are convicted of our own poverty and the deep darkness we experience without God’s grace, we see how much God has given us, and our hearts are enlivened anew and determined to extend mercy to others.

The Rabbinic teaching at this time was to forgive someone three times, so Peter was undoubtedly expressing something magnanimous by suggesting SEVEN times – more than twice as many! And Jesus says even this is not enough. We can never weary of forgiving others because we ourselves will never run out of reasons to be forgiven by God!

Jesus wanted us to be absolutely sure of his forgiveness, and so he made it audible in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Have we encountered the mercy of God in this sacrament this Lent? We come in humility to speak our weakness and woundedness to Jesus through the priest, and Jesus reaches down to us through that priest to make sure we know clearly that we are forgiven. Through the mouth of the priest, we hear the words of Jesus: “I absolve you from your sins…”, and we can rise up to try again. What a gift!

During this Lenten season, many of us have been given the opportunity to slow down and remain at home, away from our usual activities and events and routines, by the need for “social distancing.” This is not easy, but one way we can use this time is for more prayer, more self-examination, more spiritual reading, and a reflective re-prioritization of our usual activities.

One area to reflect upon, in light of this Gospel, is where we may be harboring a lack of forgiveness. What do I need to “let go of” in order to be free to love fully? What person irritates me or continues to act in hurtful ways? A good resolution is to pray for that person each time you feel the irritation. It can be as simple as, “Lord, I lay that situation at the foot of your Cross. Give me peace.” Then, let go of it; untangle the fibers of your heart and mind from that person or situation, so that you are freed for other things! There is no magic in this practice, but the Lord never fails to meet us more than halfway. If we resolve to move toward Him in this way, He will do the rest. And by Easter, our hearts will be more ready to encounter the Paschal Mystery.

Meanwhile, let us all pray for health and peace!

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including newly ordained Father Rob and seminarian Luke ;-), and two grandchildren. She is a Secular Discalced Carmelite and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 25 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio, by publishing and speaking, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Catechesis, various parishes, and other ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is https://www.kathryntherese.com/.

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What Would Elisha Do?

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We’re probably all dealing with some of the same situations and the same emotions as each other right now. Crowds filling supermarkets and stocking up on bottled water and toilet paper. Yet another bulletin telling us what to do to “flatten the curve” of COVID-19 (though I do have to ask why Comcast needed to send me some advice—the cable company now has doctors on staff?). It’s easy to fall into panic mode as a potentially deadly pandemic grips the globe.

And just on cue, we have today’s reading from the Second Book of Kings. If ever there were a time when the horizon of Scriptural text meets the horizon of today, it is this! Today God is giving us for our consideration a story of a disease suffered and cured, and a story of borders and boundaries.

“This delightfully pesky story,” writes Biblical scholar Samuel Giere, “of the healing of Naaman the Aramean by Elisha the prophet of Israel is a story of border-crossings, whereby the Lord works in mysterious ways—unwelcome by anyone, ancient or modern, who wants the Lord to observe humanity’s boundaries, and welcome by those finding themselves at the margins or on the outside.”

I live on Cape Cod, separated from the mainland by two aging bridges. As I write this, there have not yet been any confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in this county. And while it is prudent to take the prescribed precautions—and we are—there’s no need to come to blows over who gets the last packet of frozen vegetables at the supermarket, as a friend of mine observed. Truly situations like this bring out both the best and the worst in human nature.

The thing is, we who live here count on those bridges. We refer to travel to the mainland as “going over the bridge,” and it’s done, frankly, as little as possible. We have the Cape Cod Canal between us and, in a sense, the rest of the world. We live in a place that is desolate and lonely half of the year, and overrun with visitors the other half, and we’ve consequently developed a strong understanding, even with value judgments aside, of “us” as being quite separate from “them.”

It’s a dangerous way to look at life.

Let’s step back a moment and look at what’s happening in this story. Naaman is a powerful foreigner, commanding the army of Israel’s enemy Aram. Naaman also has leprosy, and clearly wants to be cured. The captive Israelite slave girl is pivotal in this story of healing: she has come to serve Naaman’s wife, but breaks out of the silence of slavery to direct Naaman to the healing power of the Lord, the God of Israel, by way of Israel’s prophet.

Aram is willing to try anything to see Naaman cured, but rather than approach the prophet, as the Israelite slave counseled, he does the politically expedient thing and instead sends a message—with a hefty bribe—to the king instead: equal speaking to equal in a currency they both understand. But the letter drives Israel’s king into mourning, for he knows that God alone can give life. Elisha hears of the king’s distress and takes over: “Let him come to me and find out that there is a prophet in Israel.”

Elisha sends word to Naaman of a simple cure: go and wash in the Jordan, you will be cleansed. Instead of being grateful, Naaman is furious. He likes neither the simplicity nor the locality of the prophet’s cure. Just… wash myself? In the Jordan? That’s it? I could have done that at home and spared myself the trip! But calmed by his servant, he follows Elisha’s prescription and is restored. (Do you notice that this story is filled with “lowly” people—the slave girl and the servant—who are more open to God’s voice than is the commander of the army or the king of the country?)

There are a whole lot of boundaries being broken down here, and that makes it, truly, a story for our time. The more we think of the world in terms of “us” and “them,” it then becomes a dangerously small step to “us” versus “them.” We look to borders and boundaries to protect us from a virus that heeds neither, when we should be expanding our sense of “us” to include everyone. We are all, in essence, on the Ark. It’s a good time to think about getting along with everyone on board.

God doesn’t see boundaries. God touches us in the simplest and most direct of ways. “My father,” said Naaman’s servant, “if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it?” We’re all looking for the miracle cure, the razzmatazz, the glitter. We want a big red pill we can take to make this scary situation go away. But it is in simplicity and sharing that we’re going to get through it.

What would Elisha say to our time, to our need for healing? What would Elisha do?

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Jeannette de Beauvoir is a writer and editor with the digital department of Pauline Books & Media, working on projects as disparate as newsletters, book clubs, ebooks, and retreats that support the apostolate of the Daughters of St. Paul at http://www.pauline.org.

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Love and Mercy

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The parable of the prodigal son is one of Jesus’ better known even in the culture at large. The drama of the ungrateful son callously calling for his inheritance, squandering it, and humbling himself to return to his father resonates with each of us in some way. Who hasn’t arrogantly been sure they didn’t need the authority God has set over them, and gone off to try their own way?

These days, though, it seems the focus of homilies on this parable doesn’t dwell on the blatant sins of the younger son so much as the arrogance and anger of the older. Perhaps we’ve become so complacent about the excesses of modern life that we no longer name as sins, so we focus on our contempt for our ‘brothers’ and our outrage that the father will forgive those heinous sins, never thinking of the enormity of our own disconnect from God’s will.

I think we miss the point. If we ‘fall short of the glory of God’, we’re still short, whether by a mile or a millimeter. Both brothers disrespect their father, and need his love and mercy. And he is ready to take each of them in to give them what they need, not because of their worthiness, but because of his love. In his Lenten Letter of, 2014 Bishop Arthur Serratelli, Diocese of Paterson, NJ writes:

“When we tarnish our dignity as children of God by our sins, the father is ready to clothe us again in his grace through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. However, just as the prodigal son, we need to confess our sins. We are body and spirit. We live by word and deed. We have the need to be seen and to be heard. We need to say our sins out loud to the priest and to hear the words of forgiveness spoken by him in the name of Jesus.”

As St. Athanasius teaches, “Just as a man is enlightened by the Holy Spirit when he is baptized by a priest, so he who confesses his sins with a repentant heart obtains their remission from the priest.”

It is not so much that God cannot forgive us without confession to a priest. Rather, he has given us this great sacrament precisely to meet us in our humanity. Whether we sin like the younger brother, grievously separating ourselves from God, or like the elder brother, separating ourselves from others, frequent confession opens us up to the love of God and helps us to appreciate that we are members of the family of God and not isolated individuals.

The same love that the father shows the younger son, he extends to the elder brother. To his selfish insistence on his own rights, the father tenderly gives a gentle reprimand. He invites him to be seated at table, celebrating the joy of being one family. He waits for his response. He waits for ours.

Taking our place at the Lord’s Table! Being part of the family of God! This is where our observance of Lent leads us. During the forty days of Lent, we deepen our prayer, practice fasting, and increase our works of charity (cf. Matt 6:1-18) to prepare for Easter. On that solemn Feast of feasts, we gather, with the newly baptized, to join with Jesus in his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. Through the Paschal Mystery, Jesus makes real in our lives the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

Jesus goes to the Cross, taking upon himself our sins. He is the son who knows the infinite mercy of the father who says, “This son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found” (Lk 15:24). His road to Golgotha is the way to glory. And so Jesus “humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name” (Phil 2:8-9).

The Cross of Jesus is the return of the Prodigal Son, all of us, into the home of our father. For, in the arms of the Crucified Christ, we encounter the father who runs to meet us. He embraces us with his love, even as we try to utter our words of repentance. His love overwhelms us. He invites us to the Eucharist. Seated at our rightful place at the table of the Lord, we already share in the eternal banquet of the Lamb, slain, and raised from the dead, where one day, we will know a joy that never ends.
May our journey through the purification and enlightenment of this Lent bring us to the loving arms of the father who “removes guilt and pardons sin… Who does not persist in anger forever, but delights rather in clemency.”

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Pamela joined Diocesan’s staff in 2006, after a number of years in the non-profit sector. Her experience is in non-profit administration including management, finance, and program development, along with database management and communications. She was a catechist in her parish RCIA program for over 15 years, as well as chairperson of their Liturgy Commision. Received into the Catholic Church as an adult, Pamela’s faith formation was influenced by her Mennonite extended family, her Baptist childhood, and her years as a Reformed Presbyterian (think Scott Hahn).

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Jesus and Joseph

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Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. But what law are we talking about? And what does that have to do with Lent and Easter?

Going all the way back to the Old Testament, Moses went up Mount Sinai and received the 10 Commandments. From the very beginning, God was preparing His chosen people for the coming of Christ. You see, the Old Law, the 10 Commandments, tell us what we are to do but we still struggle in following this law due to our fallen human nature.

Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. The Law of the Gospel, the New Law of Jesus Christ, perfects the Old Law. The Old Law has been transformed through Jesus’ teachings but, most especially, through His Passion, Death and Resurrection when He sends us the Holy Spirit, which gives us the strength to live the law in love and out of love.

That’s not all the Passion does for us, though. Most importantly, Jesus reconciles us with God the Father and we receive the promise of new life in eternity DESPITE the consequences of original sin, which brought sin and death into the world. His death brings about new life, which permeates the hope and joy of the springtime and Easter season.

Okay, enough with the background information. In today’s first reading, I saw striking similarities between Joseph and Jesus, ones that I had never really seen before despite being familiar with the Old Testament story of Joseph (Yes, thanks to the movie and the Broadway play). Similarities that make you stop and think.

Israel sent Joseph out to his brothers, who were tending their father’s flocks, much like God the Father sent Jesus, His Beloved Son, into the world to reconcile us to Himself. Are we, the Church, the people of God, not considered Christ’s brothers and sisters?

Upon catching sight of Joseph, his brothers plotted to kill him. Were there not many who sought the Lord’s life between the scribes and the Pharisees? How many times do we read in the Gospels that those two groups wanted Jesus arrested and killed? More times than I can count.

Joseph was stripped of his tunic while Jesus was stripped of his garments before His crucifixion. Joseph was sold by his brothers to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver while Judas sold out Jesus to the chief priests for thirty pieces of silver.

Despite all of these small similarities, there is one big difference being that Joseph was only sold into slavery and not actually killed while Jesus suffered death on the cross for our sake. There was no other way to pay the price for our sins.

There are many ways we can be drawn into preparation for Easter, sometimes in ways we might not even recognize. Continue to prepare your heart for the Lord’s coming by turning away from sin and turning toward God.

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Erin is a Cleveland native and graduate of the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Following graduation, she began volunteering in youth ministry at her home parish of Holy Family Church. Her first “big girl” job was in collegiate sports information where, after a busy two years in the profession on top of serving the youth, she took a leap of faith and followed the Lord’s call to full-time youth ministry at St. Peter Church. She still hopes to use her communication arts degree as a freelance writer and statistician, though. You can catch her on the Clarence & Peter Podcast on YouTube as well as follow her on Twitter @erinmadden2016.

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Role Models

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Not to put myself down, but I am not as fit as I once was. I participated in competitive running from 4th – 12th grade and lots of running afterward. At 25, even my elbow pops when I wake up. (That’s normal, right?) A broken ankle two summers ago, coupled with a hernia, hip misalignment, and minor ACL tear within the last year, all mean that I haven’t done too much physical activity for the last two years. This year, I’m trying to take small steps towards getting back into fitness and building strength, all while trying to incorporate a faith aspect.  

For example, my friend and I did SoulCore earlier this week. 

If you’re like me a week ago and have never heard of SoulCore, it’s a prayerful workout in which you pray the rosary while going through various stretching and strengthening moves. This way, not only are you working to focus yourself physically and mentally but also to focus yourself spiritually, as well. 

My friend and I had borrowed the DVD that goes through the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, but to be honest, we couldn’t make it through the third decade. At one point, I remember jokingly saying out loud, “I am weak, but my God is strong,” as my arms trembled during the Our Father pushups. My friend exhaled a quick, “Amen,” to let me know that I wasn’t the only one struggling. 

Today’s first reading forced me to face the fact that what I said as a joke should really be taken seriously. It reminds us to hope in the Lord and not to seek strength in flesh. 

Most often, I find myself wanting to be like other people. I want to be fit like Andrea La Thoma. I want the modern faith life of my coworker. I want the business acumen of my mother. I want the trust in God that Saint Monica had. It is rare that I find myself saying that I want to be more like Jesus. 

If you’re like me, maybe don’t give our savior so little credit. He wasn’t a king born with privilege and opportunities at his feet, he was born in a stable and placed in a feeding trough with a carpenter and young mother as his parents. He was human. He had human emotions and struggles. His faith, his self-control, his compassion, his big-picture view of the world, are all examples for me to follow. Moreover, he placed his faith in God, Our Father, above all else.

Who is your role model? Where is your hope in the Lord?

Learn more about SoulCore here.

Read more about how Jesus is our role model here. 

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Veronica Alvarado is a born and raised Texan currently living in Michigan. Since graduating from Texas A&M University, Veronica has published various articles in the Catholic Diocese of Austin’s official newspaper, the Catholic Spirit, and other local publications. She now works as the Content Specialist in Diocesan’s Web Department.