Listen to my Voice

Right off the bat, in the readings today we are told, “I command my people, Listen to my voice.” Henri Nouwen addressed listening as spiritual hospitality in his book, “Bread for the Journey”, as he wrote:

“To listen is very hard because it asks of us so much interior stability that we no longer need to prove ourselves by speeches, arguments, statements, or declarations. True listeners no longer have an inner need to make their presence known. They are free to receive, to welcome, to accept.”

Listening is much more than allowing another to talk while waiting for a chance to respond. Listening is paying full attention to others and welcoming them into our very beings. The beauty of listening is that those who are listened to start feeling accepted, start taking their words more seriously and discovering their own true selves. Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully, and even to dare to be silent with you.

Listening can be scary. Spiritual direction or spiritual companioning invites the Holy into the listening. I actively call on the Holy Spirit to be present during these special conversations. Listening is a way of tending to the Holy in our lives, our world.

There have been many times in my life when listening in silence has been extremely difficult. It seemed a constant litany of my troubles, faults, guilts plagued me. I did try to listen to his voice in other ways. I heard his voice in friends, strangers, movies, art, books, music, and nature. I still hear him in these places, as well as in scripture, liturgy, prayer, and in my heart when I am able to be silent.

St. Teresa of Calcutta connects listening and silence with these words: In the silence of the heart God speaks. If you face God in prayer and silence, God will speak to you. Then you will know that you are nothing. It is only when you realize your nothingness, your emptiness, that

God can fill you with Himself. Souls of prayer are souls of great silence.

To make possible true inner silence, practice:

Silence of the eyes, by seeking always the beauty and goodness of God everywhere, and closing them to the faults of others and to all that is sinful and disturbing to the soul.

Silence of the ears, by listening always to the voice of God and to the cry of the poor and the needy, and closing them to all other voices that come from fallen human nature, such as gossip, tale-bearing, and uncharitable words.

Silence of the tongue, by praising God and speaking the life-giving Word of God that is the truth, that enlightens and inspires, brings peace, hope, and joy; and by refraining from self-defense and every word that causes darkness, turmoil, pain, and death.

Silence of the mind, by opening it to the truth and knowledge of God in prayer and contemplation, like Mary who pondered the marvels of the Lord in her heart, and by closing it to all untruths, distractions, destructive thoughts, rash judgments, false suspicions of others, vengeful thoughts, and desires.

Silence of the heart, by loving God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength; loving one another as God loves; and avoiding all selfishness, hatred, envy, jealousy, and greed.

I shall keep the silence of my heart with greater care, so that in the silence of my heart I hear His words of comfort, and from the fullness of my heart I comfort Jesus in the distressing disguise of the poor. For in the silence and purity of the heart God speaks.” Mother Teresa

The refrain echos with, “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” Where do you hear his voice? Are you listening?  

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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.


Faith Bubble

I was brought up in a typical Catholic home. My grandparents were Catholic, all my cousins were Catholic, my mother has been a catechist for 12 years, my father is a Grand Knight in the Knights of Columbus, and my siblings and I were always very involved in our Faith Formation program. Even now, as I work at a Catholic company there are plenty of times that I took my knowledge and faith for granted.

When you’re surrounded by your faith, it’s hard to remember that there are people with no sense of true peace in their lives. You get comfortable and don’t think about the people that don’t know God or don’t like the God that society has portrayed.

It’s easy to tell yourself that someone else has told them about God and believe that they’ve already decided that it’s not for them. We don’t know their background and we don’t want to be rejected or made fun of, so we say it is someone else’s problem.

It wasn’t until I was talking to my boyfriend last year that I realized that he didn’t know what Easter was even about. He shyly asked me what Easter was all about and I laughed. He was so confused as to why Catholics chose to celebrate the death of Jesus. It wasn’t until I explained that we didn’t celebrate his death, but his resurrection, that he learned that Jesus rose from the dead.

This was after a year and a half of us dating.

I felt terrible! How could I call myself a Catholic, say that I proclaim the glory of God, and yet my boyfriend had no idea what my whole religion was founded on? How many times had I just assumed that he knew? How many times had I assumed that everyone around me knew?

As embarrassed as I am, I’m glad I had this experience. It reminded me that living in a bubble is too easy to dismiss. You can surround yourself by Catholics and tell yourself that everyone else’s faith isn’t your problem, but that’s false. It is our responsibility as the people of God to do just that: Evangelize.

Lent is the perfect time to ease into it. With ashes on our foreheads, fasting, and abstaining from meat, the conversation has already been started for us. It now becomes a matter of us choosing to say, “Oh, I’m Catholic,” or doing our research so we can tell people our reasons for fasting. Tell them why we get ashes. Tell them the story of Jesus Christ’s resurrection.

As silly as it may seem to you, they may not know. Don’t get too comfortable in your faith bubble, because that is not what we are asked to do. Paraphrasing Pope Francis, we were not made for comfort. We were made for greatness.

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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.


My Chains Are Gone

In the 2011 World Youth Day in Madrid Spain, Pope Benedict XVI said, “God never tires of forgiving. We all need forgiveness…It brings a hope-filled future” and, at another time, he said, “Holiness does not consist in never having erred or sinned. Holiness increases the capacity for conversion, for repentance, for willingness to start again and, especially for reconciliation and forgiveness”

Pope Benedict’s message of forgiveness comes directly from scripture. In today’s Gospel, Christ tells us that we should forgive others in the same way that our Heavenly Father forgives us. In fact, our eternal salvation is directly dependent on it. You would think that, because of the weight it carries, we would be quick to forgive. But I think, for the most part, we aren’t. As much as I try to forgive, more than 10 years later I still hold a grudge against the girl who was mean to me in middle school. But that’s not how God’s forgiveness works. He holds no grudges, He holds nothing against us. Instead, He forever invites us back into His heart with the sacrament of confession so that we might reunite ourselves to His Will. In His Goodness, He has compassion for us. In the same way that the master had mercy on his servant and forgave his debt, so too does God have mercy on us and forgive the debt we owe him because of our sins.

In the first reading we hear the words, “But with a contrite heart and humble spirit let us be received…So let our sacrifice be in your presence today as we follow you unreservedly.” Our contrition and our repentance should be absolute and wholehearted. God loved us so much that He gave His only Son to “pay a debt he didn’t owe because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay”. May we not lose hope in Christ, our Redeemer, because by His sacrifice are we able to have the hope-filled future of which Pope Benedict reminds us.

As we are now in the middle of the Lenten season, let us use the rest of this time to ask for forgiveness for our sins and open our hearts to continuous conversion.

St. Elizabeth Clitherow, pray for us!

St. Theodore, pray for us!

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Dakota currently lives in Denver, CO is studying for her Master’s in Spanish, and loves her job as an elementary school librarian. She is engaged 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.


Emmanuel- God Is With Us

No, I’m not confused. I know we are approaching Easter, not Christmas. But today is the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, the day we celebrate Gabriel’s visit to Mary telling her that God has chosen her to be the mother of his son.

Isaiah said to Ahaz: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

A long time ago I heard a homily on Christmas day that I considered one of the best Christmas homilies I’d ever heard. Of course, I can’t remember all of it, but I do remember Father saying that Christmas is the celebration of the 30 silent years of Christ’s life. The 30 silent years. The years in which we know nothing of Jesus’ life but for the nativity narratives and the brief recounting of when he was twelve, left his parents to preach in the temple, leaving them frantic. Other than that, we can only imagine that he lived a normal, uneventful life as a child, as a young man, growing up in Nazareth.

Thirty silent years – the years in which the Son of God left the trappings of his glory as God, and became one of us. The thirty years in which Jesus so immersed himself into our humanity that he could live up to the name Emmanuel – God is with us! In every way. In every happiness and sorrow; in every hurt or rejoicing. God is with us! He laughed with his friends; got into mischief; cried when hurting; helped his mother with chores; attended services and wept for friends who had died. No longer distant in the revelations of the Old Testament but here and now, with us present as the “Word made flesh.” Our God who will know and understand everything our hearts take to him because he has also experienced it. I find great comfort in this great gift. God comes to us as a man, so that we might become truly human.

The Most Reverend William McGrattan, archbishop of Peterborough, Ontario experienced something that he believes brings home to us what this gift means, the gift of God is with us. I share his words:

“When things got busy and hectic in the parish I had the habit of simply going over to the grade school to visit the kindergarten and grade one classes. This one day when I dropped into the grade one class, the teacher had gathered the children to talk about Christmas and the gifts that each of them hoped to receive. She told the children that on her lap, in a small chest, there was a gift from Jesus for each of them. They could come up one by one and look inside, but they could not tell the next classmate or speak about it until all of them had peered inside the chest to see the gift. So I watched this drama unfold, one by one the children came up to look inside and as they turned around with this look of excitement on their faces and their hands over their mouth. I saw this repeated until the teacher motioned for me to come forward and look into the chest. To my amazement, there was a mirror in the chest, and I gazed on a reflection of my face. As I turned around, there was giggling and excitement with the children. Then the teacher began to explain to them that the gift of Jesus for each of us at Christmas was that the Son of God became human like us that we might learn what it means to be human.”  (APA: | Blanchardstown Parish. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.blanchardstownparish.ie/reflection/14390

My gift to you today, as we journey Lent and approach Holy Week and Easter, is to pray you will realize in your hearts that these were real events happening to a real man, our God, who experienced it all to bring us to salvation and eternal glory. This was no small thing. And it started with the simple “yes” of a young maiden visited by an angel, to proclaim to us the Good News of Emmanuel.

God Bless.

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Jeanne Penoyar, an Accounts Manager here at Diocesan, is currently a Lector at St. Anthony of Padua parish in Grand Rapids, MI. While at St. Thomas the Apostle, Grand Rapids, Jeanne was a Lector, Cantor, Coordinator of Special Liturgies, Coordinator of lectors and, at one time, chair of the Liturgy Commission. In a past life, secretary/bookkeeper at the Basilica of St. Adalbert where she ran the RCIA program for the Steepletown parishes. And she loves to write! When relaxing, she likes reading and word puzzles. You can contact her at jpenoyar@diocesan.com.


I Love You More Today Than I Did Yesterday

The other day, my fiance and I had a Pre-Cana meeting with our beloved priest friend. If you didn’t know, the Church requires at least 6 months of preparation time for this sacrament. In that time you are encouraged to meet with the priest of your parish, take a pre-marriage inventory, and have a prepare and enrichment retreat. We are FOUR MONTHS away from the big day! During our fun light-hearted meeting, Father read off one of the statements, “I believe that I have learned my partner’s heart completely.” As I grew up, I always heard my mother make the comment, “I love your father more today than I did on our wedding day.” As a kid, I found it a little confusing. Now as a young adult, I see the beauty of that statement. Throughout my parents’ marriage; day after day, trial after trial, they had to choose one another. They have learned so much more about one another than they had known the day they made those vows. It’s a beautiful aspect of the sacrament.

Why am I sharing all this? Well, today’s readings point to this exact aspect of our intimate relationship with Jesus. After reflecting on these readings, I realized they all encompass one thing- the Heart of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The First Reading from Micah proclaims the beautiful question, “Who is there like YOU, the God who removes guilt, and pardons sin… Who does NOT persist in anger forever, but delights in mercy… You cast into the depths of the sea all our sins…” The Responsorial Psalm sings boldly the truth that “The Lord is kind and merciful” and the Gospel reading is one so well known, the Parable of the Lost Son. It is the story most of us know and if you don’t, I encourage you to go and read Luke 15:1-3, 11-32. This story puts into concrete action the First Reading and the Responsorial Psalm. Jesus shows us in a deeper way the heart of His Father and our relationship as His children. He shows us what a Father who removes guilt & pardons sins genuinely looks like. A Father who does not linger in anger and frustration, but one who rejoices in infinite mercy.

Maybe you’re thinking that this is nothing new for you, maybe it is something you have already been told or have already heard. I would like to take a moment to quote my mother again, “I love your father more today than I did on our wedding day.” How does this relate?  Well, my friends, the beautiful miraculous thing about the heart of God is that we will NEVER know it completely- not until Heaven. This should have you jumping up and down- for real! God in His infinite mercy and goodness allows us to go deeper. We are given His heart every day and in this relationship, like a marriage, we can always discover and learn more about our beloved’s heart. We don’t know it all on the day we start our lives together, and that’s okay! It’s actually so dang beautiful! It’s the same with God… we may think we know His love, but He’s got more in store. We may think we know His mercy- and maybe we do! But there are depths that we have not even discovered! When I think of how much I have encountered the heart of God, I picture myself still at the shore of the sea. Sure, I might be swimming and feeling like I’m in deep water. But in reality, I’m a few inches from my feet touching the sand. There are depths I still need to seek, parts of His heart that I have not uncovered. This relationship is a relationship of reciprocal love. Please do yourself a favor, look up at the Cross and admit that you have not learned all the aspects our loving God’s heart. This is an amazing gift! Let’s discover the depth of His love as we swim deeper. Let us not stay docked at the shore, but cast out into the deep. Let’s discover more of His heart throughout this Lent. There is no end to our beloved Bridegroom’s heart and love for us.

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Briana is a Catholic youth minister at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel parish in Cleveland, OH. She is also a district manager at Arbonne. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Catechetics from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH and is excited to use these skills to bring her students closer to Christ and His Church. “My soul has been refined and I can raise my head like a flower after a storm.” -St. Therese


Decluttering and Finding Joy

There is a new system of organizing and decluttering that has people all abuzz. I will openly admit that I am not an expert in this area. There are parts of our home that could use a good decluttering. One of the foundational principles of this currently popular system is to cherish those things that bring you joy. You are supposed to hold something in your hands and ask yourself, “Does this bring me joy?” If the answer is “yes,” you keep it. If the answer is “no,” you pass it on (i.e., donate, sell, dispose of…) I had heard some positive responses and thought, “Maybe I could use this. I would welcome more joy.”

Hold on a second, there is a fatal flaw in the very question being asked. I am supposed to hold an object, a thing, a part of creation and ask if it brings me joy.

Lent is about making room for the only true source of joy, God himself. Lent is about returning to God with our whole hearts, hearts decluttered and free from attachment to things, attitudes, behaviors which block God’s grace.

In today’s readings, both Joseph’s brothers and the Pharisees have disordered ideas about finding joy. Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, is considered a killjoy by his brothers. They don’t like his dreams, his favored status, and it’s all wrapped up in his multi-colored coat so when they have the chance, they seize him. Having already determined he doesn’t bring joy to them, they plot his murder. Eventually, they throw him in a cistern and sell him as a slave, relegating their brother to the status of an object to be bought, sold, and disposed of at will.

The Pharisees in today’s Gospels are in much the same boat, although the things which they count on to bring them joy are not physical in nature. As the chief priests and elders of the people, they are used to having position and status in the community. They have no doubt that Jesus is comparing them to the tenants in the parable of the vineyard. Jesus knows that like the tenants in the parable, they will resort to murder to maintain their position, power and status rejecting the One who is capable of bringing all true joy. Jesus tells them straight out that “the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”

When we look for joy, a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), in all the wrong places, we end up cluttering our lives with created things; objects or social constructs like position and status, which can’t really bring joy anyway. When we accumulate this clutter, we end up valuing the created over the Creator.

As we approach the Third Week of Lent, it is in our human nature to have our resolve to our Lenten promises begin to waiver. Instead of being frustrated or abandoning them, let’s look at them anew. How does my Lenten commitment help me to declutter my heart and mind? How are my small acts of penance helping me pave the way for Jesus to change my heart? If they aren’t, now is the time to adjust. How am I disciplining myself through fasting and abstinence to let go of my wants and make room for real joy? How am I giving of myself so that others see through me to the One who wants to bring them joy too?

As you continue your Lenten journey, may the Holy Spirit continue to guide you in your spiritual decluttering so that your heart is ready to be filled with Easter joy.

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If you catch Sheryl sitting still, you are most likely to find her nose stuck in a book. It may be studying with her husband, Tom as he goes through Diaconate Formation, trying to stay one step ahead of her 5th and 6th-grade students at St Rose of Lima Catholic School or preparing for the teens she serves as Director of Youth Evangelization and Outreach in her parish collaborative. You can reach her through www.youthministrynacc.com.


Community

Last week, I joined a Lenten small group. There’s only five of us and we’re reading “Give Up Worry for Lent! 40 Days to Finding Peace in Christ” by Gary Zimak. As someone with anxiety, this small group was simultaneously calling out to me and scaring me away. What better time than Lent to work on my faithful solution to my anxiety?

At the same time, the thought of a small group was uncomfortable enough without having to talk about our struggles. I couldn’t be alone. I mean, a small group where worriers have to talk about their worries? Hilariously, I just imagined a group of us, sitting there, too much in our heads to actually talk out loud.

The reality of the small group was actually extremely comforting. I was finally surrounded by people that understood what I was going through. I know I am not alone, but sometimes it can feel that way. My loved ones try to understand what I am going through, but they can’t always put themselves in my shoes. You can’t fully understand the illogical feelings of depression and anxiety if you don’t have it.

But these people, these four others that also had the courage to say yes to a small group? They understood.

One of the questions we discussed was what we do when we’re worrying and how we cope with worrying. Personally, when I feel worried about something, I just focus on something else. Sounds great in theory, but in reality, it just means that we find ourselves focusing on anything but the actual issues in our lives, both big and small.

However, this group wasn’t all about agreeing with each other on how to avoid life. It’s about living a spiritually worry-free life through Christ. This meant that we shared how we coped with our worries and how our faith helps us. For example, in college, I found that talking to myself helped me put things into perspective and work through things. Now I talk to God in an out-loud conversation. I know that he is listening and is planting small seeds of confidence and trust while I talk to myself.

One of my peers also told me about how they talk with the people that they are close to. I find it hard to do so in fear of being judged and rejected, but she went on to say that the conversations with loved ones have been the most calming and fulfilling. This weekend, I tried having that conversation with a loved one and she was right. The people that surround me are there because God handpicked them as my family and friends. They have the same beliefs as me and only want the best for me.

This experience made me realize that although I have found a way to use God’s strength instead of my own, I still have trouble asking others (humans) for help. But God did not put me in a bubble. He put me in a community. As Catholics, we are a part of a community of faith, meant to help each other through the hard times that we cannot handle ourselves. Do you rely on your community of faith? Do you help others?

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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.


Return to Me

Today’s reading from Jeremiah reminded me of my high school days.  Youth group member, Steubenville retreat attendee, daily-Mass-going 14-year-old me thought she was holier than thou. I prided myself in following the rules, getting good grades and being a teacher’s pet. Even amidst the hormone shifts of teenage-hood I had permitted not a single curse word to escape my lips. In fact, when someone in the locker next to me dared to swear, I would be so bold as to speak up “please don’t use those words”, and then I would turn on my heels and walk away. I had few friends and of course not a single classmate approached this goodie-two-shoes with offers of “a good time.” I felt much like Jeremiah did being verbally attacked and snickered at. Indeed, why should good be repaid with evil?

As I left that atmosphere to dedicate a portion of my teen and young adult years to the missions, I learned that my behavior had more to do with my own insecurity than being truly holy. I clung to religion as my stronghold, followed the rules because of their consistency and familiarity. I remember thinking in those days that I had learned it all regarding my faith. I had already received the Sacraments, was familiar with a good portion of the Bible, had the Mass and many of the familiar hymns memorized… I was going to be SO BORED for the rest of my life with nothing new to learn. Boy was I wrong! I was missing one of the most important elements.

The Psalm declares steadfast trust in the Lord stating firmly: “You are my God” and speaks of His unfailing love. Did snappy requests in front of a locker speak of unfailing love? Not likely. Did gaining favor with every adult figure speaking of steadfast trust? Probably not. Did clinging to rules show God that He was mine? Nope. Like the mother of James and John in the Gospel, I was searching for greatness, albeit holy greatness, when I should have been seeking servitude. I love that quote from St. Francis that says “Preach the Gospel always, when necessary, use words” because it is a lesson that I still have not learned. I long for my relationship with God to be my all, my one and only, the reason to awaken each morning, what eeks from my very being day after day. Yet I have so far to go.

I am so grateful for this season of Lent that affords us such a great opportunity to return to God with our whole hearts. Perhaps this year I will take one step forward in my relationship with my God, my Creator, my Love, my All. “Into your hands, I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.” (Psalm 31:5)

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Tami grew up in Western Michigan, a middle child in a large Catholic family. Attending Catholic schools her whole life, she was an avid sportswoman, a (mostly) straight A student and a totally type A sister. She loves tackling home projects, keeping tabs on the family finances and finding unique ways to love. 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. Her favorite things to do are finding fun ways to keep her four boys occupied, quiet conversation with the hubby, and grocery shopping with a latte in her hand. 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 the past 18 years.


St. Joseph: A Model of Humility

Today, the Church celebrates one of the most celebrated saints in all of tradition: St. Joseph. Not much is known about St. Joseph outside of what we hear in the gospels of St. Luke and St. Matthew. We know he was a humble man who was of the house of David. He was betrothed to the Blessed Virgin Mary who miraculously became pregnant before they lived in the same house.

Because he was a just man and didn’t want to put Mary to shame, he decided to divorce her quietly. Many theologians have debated where St. Joseph’s mind was in the midst of the situation. Most believe that he was stupefied by the situation—he knew that Mary was faithful but couldn’t understand how she was pregnant. Others say that he knew that the child in Mary’s womb was the Messiah, so out of humility, he wanted to bow out.

The incredible mystery surrounding St. Joseph, is that he was explicitly chosen by God to be the Father of himself. He was trusted to be the protector and leader of the Holy Family. The Lord allowed himself to be subject to Joseph’s care and protection. St. Joseph rose up to the challenge—he loved and protected the Christ Child devoutly.

Our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph have a perfect marriage that we are called to imitate and find hope in. Mary loved St. Joseph and was fiercely loyal and trusting in him. Venerable Fulton Sheen said of the couple, “No husband and wife ever loved one another so much as Joseph and Mary.”

St. Joseph was obedient to the will of God. Each time an angel appeared to him in a dream—whether it be to take Mary into his home, flee to Egypt, or return to Nazareth—he acted without a question and without fear. He obeys immediately imitating Mary’s obedience in the gospel of St. Luke following the Annunciation. They are together a couple who conformed wholly to the will of God both as a couple and individuals.

And so today, we ought to set aside time to thank God for the gift of St. Joseph. May we allow St. Joseph to become our father, friend, and spiritual guide, just like he was for Christ, whom we can rely on and imitate.

St. Joseph, pray for us.

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Hannah Crites is a native to Denver Colorado and graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She has written for numerous publications and blogs including the Chastity Project, Washington Times, Faith & Culture: The Journal of the Augustine Institute, and Franciscan Magazine. She is currently working in content and digital marketing for a small web development and digital marketing agency. Connect with her through Twitter (@hannah_crites) and Facebook. Check out more of what she has written at https://hannhcrites.com/.


Divine Self-Awareness and Responsibility

In the First Reading, Daniel admits to his sins and those of Judah. Context aside, the dialogue sounds very much like a person participating in the sacrament of Reconciliation: it is a voluntary admission of guilt.

Let alone the mysterious outpouring of grace from confession, it is advantageous for a person to be capable of “accusing” him or herself of the wrong that they’ve done.

When we take responsibility for our sins, we approach the opportunity to overcome our sin. If it’s true that we can choose sin, isn’t it also true that we can choose the True, Good and Beautiful?

We can indeed. We see evidence of that in the lives of the Saints and Venerables.

We have radical, God-given freedom, which requires responsibility and self-awareness in order to be practiced well.

But the Gospel is not a “self-help” book; it is a “God-help-us-so-we-can-help-others-and-ourselves” book (among other things).

God helps us by “not deal[ing] with us according to our sins”.

  • PS 103:10a, Responsorial Psalm

When we are self-aware and admit to our responsibility of sin in Reconciliation, the free gift of grace that is His mercy transforms us. If we return to Him and make a good confession, our hearts start to resemble the Sacred and Immaculate.

It is only after a sincere confession and gift of heavenly grace that we are able to withhold judgment and condemnation. Instead, we are able to forgive and give freely because that is how the Divine has responded to our apology… and for those who have yet to make an apology, He yearns most to share His mercy with them.

Grow in Divine Self-Awareness.

 Harness responsibility.

 And “Be merciful just as [our] heavenly Father is merciful”

-Luke 6:36

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During the week, Matthew Juliano works as a Direct Support Professional with individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. Visit his Patreon page to learn more about his job; there you can also find more reflections on life and faith. On weekends, he travels as the drummer for Full Armor Band to play retreats and conferences.  Most importantly, Matthew is planning and preparing to wed his fiancé this July.


The Freedom of Servitude

“Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!” (Psalm 119)

The NFL handbook is over three-hundred pages long. What makes this sport so entertaining is seeing smart players execute a touchdown or large gain in the bounds of these rules. This structure does not limit these players; it frees them up to utilize their creative ability. The expertise is beautiful.

What would kill the beauty of this sport? Seeing twenty-two grown men running out of bounds, throwing illegal forward passes, and hitting each other illegally in order to win.

Theatre directors will often go throughout the early phases of a rehearsal process staging the actors in a general shape. This overall shape will set the bounds for the actors. Within these bounds, the actors are free to explore and employ their own creativity. Then on opening night, the audience witnesses the beauty of the collaboration that leads to live theatre.

What would kill the beauty of this art? Seeing actors run around the stage, speak in ways that can’t be seen or heard, or default to standing in a line for the entire two hours.

Rules are what free us to be us. Without rules, we are slaves to a false sense of freedom. It is in the service of God’s will rather than my own that my life becomes beautiful. The best way to do this is by knowing God. Frank Sheed said that each reason for knowing God is another reason to love Him even more and that each reason to love God is another reason to know him even more. Then we may live in accordance with what we were created for, and this is beautiful.

It can be intensely dissatisfying to know that God “makes his sun rise on the good and the bad” (Matthew 5:45). But we must remember that God made his Son rise for the good and the bad. When Jesus tells us to live perfectly it is not a demand to be entirely free of all blemishes. It is an admonition to strive toward the fullness of truth that lies within God’s commandments, laws, decrees, and way.

And “provided you keep all his commandments he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory above all other nations he has made and you will be a people sacred to the LORD, your God, as he promised” (Deuteronomy 26: 19).

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Benjamin serves as the Music Minister at Our Lady Queen of Peace in Branchville, NJ. He teaches Children’s Theatre at the Paper Mill Playhouse and is a Catholic songwriter that has given talks on Confirmation, How to Keep the Faith in College, and The Courage to Choose Life. He can be reached at benjamintyates@gmail.com.


Complete Freedom

Were you required to memorize the 10 Commandments as a student? They seem simple enough, and judging ourselves by those precepts can make us think that we are doing ok. “Thou shalt not kill”? I haven’t killed anybody. So I’m ok on that one, right?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus traces this commandment right back to the depths of every human being and helps us see that God wants Truth to reign over even the subtle movements of the heart. Most of us are not guilty of murder, but the violent movement that would take another’s life is already present in the anger, the spiteful word, or the evil intention in the heart of the murderer. It is our INTENTION that drives our words and actions. It is our intention that determines their value. It is the intention deep within the heart that God alone can judge.

Jesus points out that anger, name-calling, and giving others a reason to have something against us are enough to plant the dark seeds of resentment and vindictiveness and, yes, even murder. Jesus calls us to reject vengeance (a demand for “justice”) and work toward reconciliation (an act of MERCY) so that our offering at the altar comes from a pure heart and is free of any shadows of selfishness. God wants our whole heart and every movement within it.

This is a new teaching. The norm of the Old Covenant was justice: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, injury for injury (but not more evil than one had received; this balance was legislated!). But Jesus now tells us: this is not enough. Because in taking justice upon ourselves rather than leaving it to God, we never really restore justice but rather create new injustices and keep anger and enmity alive within us. When we focus on “justice,” our hearts are narrowed and darkened and hardened. In contrast, focusing on mercy and forgiveness opens our hearts to the light of God’s grace and love.

In this teaching, Jesus brings a new level of freedom, made possible in the New Covenant by the transforming power of grace in the Holy Spirit. This creative freedom calls us to selflessness, to forgiveness, and even to loving those who hate us! Grace allows us to be transformed completely in Christ so that we can do what would otherwise be impossible to our fallen human natures: we can respond to the eternal call of the Father and turn back to Him with our whole hearts, in complete freedom.

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including Deacon 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/.