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Unconditional Love

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We are loved unconditionally and I’m not sure that many of us understand the meaning of that.

To be loved beyond our every sin, loved beyond our every expectation, loved far beyond our comprehension.

God, Our Heavenly Father, did not send His son to remind us that He still existed. He did not send Jesus to condemn us and tell us that there’s no hope for us because we’re all terrible human beings. He sent the Messiah to remind us that we are forever, irrevocably loved.

I don’t have any children, but my mother has always told me that although she didn’t use to like kids, carrying me inside her, holding me in her arms…she would do anything for me. Most parents know that the bond and love between a parent and their child is a love stronger than any other they have known.

Now imagine that kind of love, magnified a million times over and completely unbreakable.

We lie, we cheat, we defy, we deny that God even exists. Still, that does not stop Him from loving us. In fact, He never doubts His love for a single second. Can you imagine that kind of love? The kind of love that we have been dreaming about since middle school. The kind of love that sweeps us off our feet. A kind of love that will chase you down when you try to leave and tell you that everything will be okay.

I have seen in my own life how He will fight for us even when we have no fight left for anything or anyone. When we give up all hope, He is there to comfort us and remind us that we are not alone and we are loved. When we are ready to stop breathing, he gives us life.  

He knows we are worthy of love.

He knows our name before we are born.

He knows us far better than we know ourselves.

He has called us by name and claimed us as His own.

Click here and here for songs that remind us of God’s love.

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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Acting On The Word

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“My mother and my brothers are
those who hear the word of God and act on it.

Jeremiah, chapter 31:33 says “I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts.”  Jeremiah reminds us quite clearly that God writes his “law,” his Word, upon our hearts. It happened when we were created, like it or not, and becomes a consciousness as we mature and interact with our Creator. It means that the way we conduct our lives, the way we make decisions, and the information we use to influence those decisions is something that comes from within. This is where the truth and basis of all decision making comes from. Not the whims of today’s culture, nor the “feel good” attitude of the many, but rather from deep within the heart of a human being striving to maintain a relationship with the only Being that can truly impress upon the human heart what is true. All else is baseless. But then, we have to consciously decide to live by that truth, to live by the Word of God. And that means both when we interact with others, or when we do what we do in the anonymous “alone” time that no one else sees. That is the real test of who we are.

The truth of how we live our lives will only ring true to others if the basis for our responses comes from what we choose to do when no one is looking. It comes when the face we have to answer to is the one we see in the mirror each day and the heart we have to answer to each day is the heart we meet in prayer.

At the beginning of any Gospel reading, we perform a gesture that is based only on tradition, nothing purely liturgical. We sign ourselves on the forehead, lips and over the heart with the prayer: “May the Word (Law) be ever in my mind; forever on my lips and take root in my heart.” The words may be slightly different for some, but the purpose is the same, to impress on us that God is speaking to us and we must take to heart, to live out, what we hear. The real difference from one person to another will be whether we live true to God’s Law not only when being witnessed, but also when we are alone.

Ask yourself today if what you do when alone is true to what you do when with others: in prayer, when surfing the net, when choosing reading materials or TV shows, and so much more. Do your choices reflect the truth of God’s Law?

A useful exercise is to make a chart: column 1) What do I need to change? Column 2) How will I make that change?  List the areas that you know need to change when chosen in the hidden time no one else sees. Determine where to start to become who you were meant to be. And don’t forget that some of these attempts at change may need the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Through this exercise, you will become the mother, brother, sister, and friend of Jesus. He waits to start a relationship with you or to deepen the friendship you already have. It is a glorious thing!

God Bless.

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.

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Let Your Light Shine A Little Brighter

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Today’s Gospel is preceded in the liturgy by the Alleluia antiphon, which is a verse from the Gospel of Matthew: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” That antiphon is like a key to unlocking Jesus’ deeper meaning when he talks about lamps and light.

First, what IS this light? It is faith, which brings the light of Christ’s salvation and peace. It is also Truth, manifest in the laws of virtue and protected by the teaching and laws of the Church. These are the things that we must not deliberately hide from others. If we conceal the light we have been given in Christ, we deprive others of that light, which is bad for them and for us.

St. Chromatis goes so far as to say (in his treatise on the Gospel of St Matthew) that we in the Church must not fail to share the light of truth with others, or there will be dire consequences:

If we fail to live in the light, we shall, to our condemnation and that of others, be veiling over and obscuring by our infidelity the light men so desperately need…
That brilliant lamp which was lit for the sake of our salvation should always shine in us…
Therefore, we must not hide this lamp of law and faith. Rather, we must set it up in the Church, as on a lampstand, for the salvation of many, so that we may enjoy the light of truth itself and all believers may be enlightened. 

We must let our light shine so that others will glorify God.

Why WOULD we be tempted to hide the light of law and faith? Many subtle reasons can keep us from practicing our faith boldly or speaking of it plainly. We are afraid that people will judge us harshly, mock or reject us if we confront their misunderstandings or prejudices directly. Depending on the circumstances, we may hesitate to make the Sign of the Cross and pray before a meal in a restaurant, wear a crucifix around our necks, or excuse ourselves from a social event so that we can attend Mass on a Holyday of Obligation. In other circumstances, we may shy away from standing up against those who promote positions that are not compatible with our beliefs because we don’t want to offend anyone, or we may laugh at inappropriate comments because we don’t want to be seen as a dullard or a killjoy.

But Christ tells us that we must let the light in us shine out to others, for their sake and for ours! We must not be afraid to BE who we ARE: children of a loving Father, who calls us to bring light to every darkened place so that all will glorify God.

How will you let your light shine a little brighter this week?

Kathryn is married to Robert, mother of seven, grandmother to two, and a lay Carmelite. She has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE, and also as a writer and voice talent for Holy Family Radio. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and presenter, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Faith Formation, individual parishes, and Catholic ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Learn more at www.kathryntherese.com or on Facebook @summapax.

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Old Fulfilled In The New

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I’m almost 100% positive that every single one of my 6th-grade students can hear my voice when they dream shouting in excitement, “THE OLD IS FULFILLED IN THE NEW AND THE NEW IS HIDDEN IN THE OLD!” I’m confident that they would all call that dream a nightmare. I get excited about this almost every day in my 6th-grade class as we make our way through the Old Testament. When this happens, I look out to find a class filled with tweens rolling their eyes or giggling at me. Actually, scratch that. They don’t giggle- they laugh out loud. My students tend to be blunt in most circumstances and if they want to laugh at you, don’t worry they won’t hold back.

Those reactions may seem a little depressing to you and I can agree on a certain level, but there is a moment that makes it worth it. There is a moment where I’ll stop and pause as we go over stories from the Old Testament and ask, “What does this remind you of?”. Recently, they learned about Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac. We watched a video illustrating how Abraham led Isaac up to Moriah to sacrifice him. Isaac held the wood of the sacrifice upon his back as he traveled up the mountain. I paused the video. I asked the question… Mouths dropped, eyes widened- and hands shot up. “What does this remind you of?”. These moments are so necessary for understanding our faith. These moments of discovering the unity of the Old and New Testament.

In today’s Mass Readings we hear from the book of Wisdom and the Gospel of Mark. The Book of Wisdom forcefully tells us what they thought would happen to the Son of God. They believed God will defend and deliver him from his enemies, because of this they wanted to put the Son of God to test and to death. They tested God in “taking care” of him. They planned to torture him and condemn him believing that this will prove God’s gentleness and patience. If I were to pretend you were my 6th-grade reader, I’d stop and ask you the question. What does this remind you of? Why? How? I hope at this moment some wide eyes and jaw-dropping moments are happening. Or maybe you are already past that 6th-grade Catholic doctrine level. This passage reminds us of those who betrayed Jesus, those who sentenced Him to death. It reminds us of those who executed the Son of God and tested God to save Himself and come down from the cross.

If we go to read Matthew’s Gospel today, we hear Jesus’ words of utter honesty and seriousness. This was a time He brought His disciples near to Him on their journey.  He tells them the truth of what is to come. The Son of Man will be handed over and killed. He will be crucified, but He will rise. I love how straight to the point Christ always is, He doesn’t leave room for us to over analyze Him.  He makes Himself clear in the words He states, but sometimes the disciples did not understand and were afraid to ask questions. I guess Jesus forgot to tell them that, “There is no such thing as a stupid question!”. (Just kidding!)

When I look at the readings for today, my heart is drawn to the Responsorial Psalm. As fun as it is to scream and shout about the unity of the Old and New Testament to my students, sometimes I need to come into my hidden oasis with God. A place of not being a teacher, catechist, or nanny. A place where I am just His and He is mine. I hear the One Body of Christ, proclaiming in song, “The Lord upholds my life”. His mighty defense is my cause, my helper, my sustainer, my life. Freely we sacrifice offerings, freely you save me oh God. Behold, this is our God.

We believe in a God who is a Man of His word. One who fulfills His promise unto the end. He never goes back. He never changes his mind. How often do we need to be reminded that this infinite God has made all things good for those who love Him?  From the Old Testaments stories of Adam and Eve, Noah and the ark, Abraham and Sarah. Over and over He fulfills the Old Testament through the ultimate revelation- the ultimate sacrifice: His Son Jesus Christ. He will forever uphold your life. He will forever be your helper. He will forever sustain you, defend you, and love you. This God of unity, integrity, and surrender.

Jesus, be not far from us.  Guide us and protect us always. And Jesus please teach us. Teach us how to be more like you today. Teach us how to be men and women of our words. Teach us true gentleness, patience, and integrity.

We ask this in Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Briana is a Catholic Doctrine teacher at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel school in Cleveland, OH. 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

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Spiritual Superheroes

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“So also is the resurrection of the dead.
It is sown corruptible; it is raised incorruptible.
It is sown dishonorable; it is raised glorious.
It is sown weak; it is raised powerful.
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual one.”

I love today’s first reading because it speaks about what happens to us at the second coming of Christ when we experience the resurrection of our bodies. Wait what? Will we have bodies even in heaven? I thought our body decayed and our spirit lived on?

The Catholic Church has always held the teaching of the resurrection of our bodies, in fact, it is mentioned in the creed. But this is not something simply made up by theologians; it is a deeply biblical truth. We see allusions to it here as well several other places in the Bible, the most important probably being the example of Jesus Himself.

After Jesus resurrected He still had His body, but with noticeable differences. He could walk through walls, He was often recognized as a ghost, so his physical appearance was somewhat different, and though there are many accounts of Him cooking and eating with His disciples, He didn’t need food to nourish His body.

This profound reality is known as spiritualization of the body, and it is one of the most exciting, I think, facts about heaven. We know that the human person is a body-soul composite. In heaven after the resurrection of the body, this unity will reach its perfection to the point that we will have the same differences that Christ did after his resurrection.

St. John Paul II talks about this in Theology of the Body. He says, “The truth about man’s destiny cannot be understood as a state of the soul alone, separated from the body, but must be understood as the definitively and perfectly integrated state of man brought about by a perfect union of the soul with the body” (see TOB 66:6).

So in other words, we will become superheroes. Saint John Paul II goes on to say, “Spiritualization means the powers of the spirit will permeate the energies of the body. Because of man’s very nature, perfection cannot resist in a reciprocal opposition of the spirit and the body, but only in a deep harmony between them, in safeguarding the primacy of the spirit” (see TOB 67:1,2).

We will be able to walk through walls, fly, go without eating, gain immortality, keep our perfect figure, never get wrinkles, and much more. But why become like superheroes, or as scripture says, like angels, if we are in heaven and nobody needs saving?

Think about salvation history for a second. In the beginning, Adam and Eve were perfectly happy with God and each other. But even Adam and Eve could not walk through walls or go without eating. They had perfect bodies, but they were not spiritualized. After the fall God sent his only Son to redeem the world and how did he do it? Through a body.

St. John Paul II says, “Through the fact that the Word of God became flesh, the body entered theology through the main door” (see TOB 23:4).

And the Catechism points out, “The flesh is the hinge of salvation. We believe in God who is the creator of the flesh; we believe in the word made flesh in order to redeem the flesh, we believe in the resurrection of the flesh, the fulfillment of both the creation and redemption of the flesh.” CCC 1015

So why will we be like superheroes when nobody needs saving? To always remind us of the incredible sacrifice of the cross and the truth of redemption. God loved us so much after we turned away from Him that instead of restoring us to our original perfect state, He restores us to something even beyond that. His love for us is that powerful, and that gives us true reason to rejoice and a real reason for hope.  Let’s take a moment to thank God today for the gift of his life, death, and resurrection, crucial parts of our very own salvation history story. From all of us here at Diocesan, God BLess!

Tommy Shultz is a Solutions Evangelist for Diocesan. In that role, he is committed to coaching parishes and dioceses on authentic and effective Catholic communication. 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. Contact him at tshultz@diocesan.com.

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Disciple: The Recovering Sinner

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“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do…

I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Matthew 9:12-13

 

A personal resolution I made at the beginning of the year was to

“Live like a rehabbing sinner.”

 

This mantra has its origins from an experience I had in the winter of 2017 when I accidentally walked into an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. I had a spiritually edifying conversation about the AA recovery program with one of its members. That encounter made me curious to learn more about the process of AA and other 12-step programs. The first step is very similar to a repentant sinner: “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.” The beginning of the journey to Christ is to make this admission about any and all sin that is ruling our life.

Later on in that year, my dad lent me the biography of Fr. Mychal Judge. He is famously known for being the first recorded death in the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001. He was a Franciscan, a NYC firehouse chaplain and he was also a recovering alcoholic who went through the 12-step Alcoholics Anonymous program. He was actually already ordained and serving others as a priest when he realized that he needed help for his addiction.

Thornton Wilder, a playwright and novelist, is quoted in the book

“In Love’s service, only wounded soldiers can serve.”

He credited much of the fruitfulness in his ministry to the fact that he had real struggles of his own. And it was because of his suffering that he was able to love others well, not in spite of it.

We are both patient and assistant to the Divine Physician, but we are only ‘assistant’ because we are first His patients. We are always a patient in need of attention and care. We are perpetually in convalescence and simultaneously working to earn the trust of the other sick and suffering people who need the care of the Divine Physician. That is the work of a disciple.

And just as we need to make a consistent effort towards recovery after corporal surgery, so too do we need a kind of therapy for spiritual matters.

“with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace”

Ephesians 4:2-3

 

Therapy is a painful process, but we will be all the better for it.

Disclose your condition.

 Trust the Physician.

 Grow in the Divine Life.

During the week, Matthew Juliano is a mentor for individuals who have developmental and intellectual disabilities. On the weekends, he is a drummer for Full Armor Band. You can find more content by Matt and his band at www.fullarmorband.com.

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When Forgetting Something Is A Good Thing

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He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.“ The others at table said to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” But he said to the
woman “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

We all hate when we forget things…sometimes as quickly as walking from one room to the next, then pondering why it is we entered that room. A mind is a wondrous place that can remember the oldest, tiniest event, but in the present can forget the simplest intent to get something from the next room.

And how annoyed we get with ourselves!

But when is it a good thing to be forgetful? Jeremiah 31, we are told that “God will forget their evildoing and remember their sin no more”.  God, in the presence of the penitent heart, will forget in that instant, the confessed sin. We are free in that very moment to walk away and start the next moments of our life with a clean heart…provided, of course, that our confession was true and sincere. If so, then that feeling of freedom comes from the certainty that God will no longer rebuke us for what we’ve done – because he just won’t remember!

It is a delightful paradox that the omniscient God can forget. On the one hand, He knows everything. He counts the stars and names each one. He numbers our comings and goings and keeps count of our tears. He marks the sparrow’s fall. He numbers the hairs of our head. And yet He forgets those sins that have been confessed and forsaken. If we repeat the same sin, because of our human weakness, God will not say to us, What? Again?” Instead, he will once more listen to our penitent heart and say, “Walk away, and sin no more, I’ve forgotten already”.

Alright, so we’ve had our sins not only forgiven but forgotten. We’ve accepted the gift for ourselves. But is it not a convention to share gifts? To give to someone else that which we have received? Yep! And therein lies the heart of the difficulty with the forgetting that goes hand in hand with the forgiving. If we find it easy to forgive, we will often find it nearly impossible to forget. Relationships can be restored, but fighting the temptation to continually bring up, mull over or let the past sin now forgiven cloud those relationships. And that includes our relationship with God.

We must believe that our sins will no longer be thrown in our faces by the God who loves us, therefore we may no longer throw back to those we love, the sins they have also had forgiven and forgotten by our loving God.

In reality, the forgetting is often the more difficult part of this relational love. In reality, we all continue to fail in our attempts to revive and sustain a relationship damaged by hurt. And this goes two ways…with those who have hurt us and with those whom we have hurt.

Jesus could read the heart of this weeping, repenting woman who recognized that her salvation was in Him, and she would follow him anywhere for the freedom and forgiveness she could feel in her heart. “…and I will remember their sin no more” and “Go in peace” have to be some of the most beautiful and comforting words from the heart of our God. Take them into your heart and “pay it forward!”

God Bless.

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.

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Love Is Kind

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Love is patient, love is kind.
Love is not jealous, love is not pompous…
It bears all things, believes all things,
Hopes all things, endures all things….

My love? Not.

Why is it that we idealize this type of love, sentimentalize it, even assume this is the way we love others? I do this. I really do. Part of the spiritual journey is realizing that I don’t really love others. Why?

Our hearts are vulnerable. They are insecure. Our ego creates a story, writes a script, provides a mask, produces an alibi so that we don’t have to live with that insecurity about our real selves. We spin a web that convinces even ourselves that we are this person we’ve created, a story that saves us from acknowledging our fears about our own worth.

We can discover that story written consistently across the years of our lives in what we say we value, how we choose to react to situations, our judgments of others, even lifestyle decisions. Looking back, I’ve spun a story about obedience, isolation, quiet holy humility
that I believed was me. I can see the threads of the story originating in grade school and continuing through the next forty years.

The problem is that when we write our stories, we create a frame of reference for what we believe is true and good. We, even unconsciously, judge anyone else who doesn’t fit our story. So the boisterous, the fun-loving, the quick moving, and sensible movers of my companions don’t fit the story of what I live as “virtue.” And…you guessed it…

Love is patient, Love bears all things, Love believes all things, love hopes all things…. Oh, yes, I do these things for the people who fit my story. But if they draw outside my lines? It is really hard.

So for the wife who is neat and efficient to value the spouse who puts friendship over order is hard. She may not be able to “bear” this with love because to do so would mean she would have to face her own deeply rooted insecurity that the efficiency is masking.

Most of us wouldn’t even know where to begin to peel back the layers of the onion that so carefully protect our fearful identities.
Holiness is about working with God on a deeper and deeper level to break the hold the story has over us. The story is ultimately a lie about what is most true about the God who tenderly loves us and a lie about ourselves. Only when that lie loses its hold over us can
we choose the alternate way of love. In fact, as we encounter our true self, we are immersed in a surprising love for ourselves which enables us gradually to love and appreciate others and just let them be, “hoping all things, enduring all things” for their
sake.

Kathryn James Hermes, FSP, is the author of the newly released title: Reclaim Regret: How God Heals Life’s Disappointments, by Pauline Books and Media. An author and spiritual mentor, she offers spiritual accompaniment for the contemporary Christian’s journey towards spiritual growth and inner healing. She draws from the spiritual tradition and her own lived experience to lead seekers deep within themselves and through their personal history to deepen their intimacy with and trust in God; live with greater joy, peace, and interior freedom; and encounter the Lord in their past and present life experiences to find healing, grace, and newness of life. She is the director of My Sisters, where people can find spiritual accompaniment from the Daughters of St. Paul on their journey.

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The Power Of The Great Prophet

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Today’s Gospel presents an interesting scene:

Jesus is traveling with his disciples and “a large crowd.” As they near the city of Nain, they encounter another “large crowd” mourning the death of a young man as they bear his body to its burial. His mother is already a widow, and the death of her only son leaves her without any security, reliant on the charity of others.

Jesus is moved with pity for her. Might he see in her a foreshadowing of his own widowed mother at Calvary? In his compassion, he intervenes to relieve her grief in a wholly unexpected – and for Jews, a somewhat shocking – way: Jesus touches the coffin, which would have rendered him unclean for a week. His gesture stops the procession of mourners in their tracks. Then Jesus demonstrates his power over death by telling the young man to arise. The Gospel tells us that the dead man sat up and began to speak. What might he have said? Did he recognize the Messiah in this miraculous moment? Had he seen the fulfillment of the Promise as his body lay in death? How might this experience have changed him?

We do not know. But what we do know is just as moving: “Jesus gave him to his mother.” Jesus restores what was lost, brings life and hope where there were death and sorrow. Understandably, the witnesses – two large crowds of people – are seized with fear, but the only thing there is for them to do: glorify God and acknowledge Jesus as a great prophet.

Two things are not immediately evident as we read this Gospel, but are worth pondering:

  • Luke uses the exact same words in this Gospel as are used in 2 Kings when Elisha brings life back to the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:32-37), drawing a clear parallel between the prophets Elijah and Elisha and Jesus. Jesus is indeed “a great prophet,” and more.
  • St. Ambrose suggests that the widow also represents Mother Church, grieving for her children dead in sin and carried beyond the security of her gates; the members of the Church will glorify God when He restores them in grace.

Do we sometimes think that Jesus is far from us in our sufferings and needs? Do we give into loneliness and despondency rather than reach out to Jesus? In the Gospels, we see Jesus’ compassion for suffering and his great power at work over nature, sickness, and even death. Do we truly believe that he has the same power in our own lives, that he can do all things? Let’s resolve to bring all our concerns to him in complete trust so that his power is manifest in our every difficulty.

Kathryn is married to Robert, mother of seven, grandmother to two, and a lay Carmelite. She has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE, and also as a writer and voice talent for Holy Family Radio. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and presenter, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Faith Formation, individual parishes, and Catholic ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Learn more at www.kathryntherese.com or on Facebook @summapax.

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Communion And Unity

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Amen! Amen, hallelujah!

Today’s first reading literally had me nodding my head and saying, “that’s right” as I was reading it. I mean the letters to the Corinthians were written by St. Paul in about AD 55, but they are still just as applicable after nearly two thousand years!

The fact of the matter is that although it has been thousands of years and we have had a world of technological advances, we are still humans that deal with the same issues as the Corinthians. Yes, we now have the internet and indoor plumbing, we are still the same, shallow Christians as centuries ago.

What? Me, a shallow Christian?

There’s no use denying it. It is a part of our human nature to be flawed, but that does not mean that we should give up. In today’s reading, St. Paul is reminding us that we should not be celebrated just because we go to Mass on Sunday. We are not just there to participate in the glorious Eucharist. We are not just there to pray to Our Father. We are not just going to Mass because it makes us look and feel like good people.

We go to Mass because it is a time to come together as one body in Christ.

In today’s reading, it focuses on the fact that the Corinthians do not eat the bread, the body, and drink the wine, the blood, of Jesus Christ together, as a people. St. Paul uses the metaphor of eating dinner at different times and different amounts, therefore there is no unity or purpose in even coming together. They gather to worship God and do not share the wealth with each other.

What is the point in being Christian if you are not sharing it with others?

Are you really even following God’s commands?

Love is the greatest commandments and you cannot love by avoiding the world around you. You and I are one body in Christ and it is the same things that keep us divided that are keeping us from living out our mission. As Matthew 5:24 says, “First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering” because we are not meant to keep our wealth, spiritual or otherwise, to ourselves.

We were created to love by sharing our joys, our compassion, and our faith, with the world around us. How do we achieve this? Ask your friends, family, coworkers how they are doing, and listen with your undivided attention. This will open up the floor for discussion where you can display your compassion and give faithful wisdom one person at a time.

So take the time to talk to the people around you. Listen. Love.

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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Our Lady Of Sorrows

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“‘Woman, behold, your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother.'”

Biblical historians generally agree on which disciple this was of the twelve. Yet, he is not recorded with a specific name. As Catholics, who embrace Mary as our Spiritual Mother, we know that this disciple stands in for all of us, the disciples to follow. Jesus gave us his own
physical Mother to be our Spiritual Mother. Jesus told Mary to behold us. Mary doesn’t just see us, Mary beholds us. Mary beholds you. Yes you, she sees you as someone impressive and worthy of attention. She sees your heart, your efforts, not only the
results. She beholds me too and loves me in spite of my double chin, an extra 30 pounds and my often failed attempts to be a good daughter of the King.

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, right smack dab in the middle of September, a whole month devoted to remembering and consoling Mary in her sorrows. Mary voluntarily suffered right along with Jesus and experienced his pain as only a mother can feel the pain and suffering of her children. So, too, Mary is now feeling our pain, our sorrow, our grief in the midst of so much upheaval and hurt.
At the halfway point in a month dedicated to consoling our Mother in her grief, what can we do?

Are we adding to her pain or are we bringing healing and peace?
In preparing for Consecration to Mary, St. Louis de Montfort presents Mary as the Queen we can approach even when we may be afraid to approach the King. When a lowly servant had a gift for a king, the servant might approach the queen to present the gift on his behalf. What might have been a small, lowly gift, when presented by a queen on a golden platter becomes rich beyond what is visible. So too, Mary presents us to the King. She takes our meager gifts, the small sacrifices we offer up and presents them to our King, God himself in such a way that they become the finest gifts in all creation.

So what happens when we make a gift of our whole self? When Mary beholds you, when she beholds me, she takes whatever gift we can offer and burnishes it, cleans it up, makes it worthy of the King. When we go even further and make a gift of our whole selves, not just the bits and pieces we are comfortable showing, Mary takes us and presents our gift of self in the finest fashion. When Mary, as the Mediatrix of all Grace, sees that we intend to do God’s will, she
strengthens us, she intercedes for us, she will help us live out that good intention when we are unable to do it on our own.

So what if we each starting beholding each other? What if we focused on the gift that God created each one of us to be? What if we used our time, talent and treasure to be a small oasis of peace and healing for each other in a crazy, crazy world? Just think how much consolation we could bring to Mary and to each other.

While wearing many hats, Sheryl O’Connor is the wife and study buddy of Thomas O’Connor. Not having received the gift of having their own children, their home is filled with 2 large dogs and their hearts with the teens and youth with whom they work in their parish collaborative. Sheryl is the Director of Strong Families Programs for Holy Family Healthcare which means her job is doing whatever needs to be done to help parents build strong Catholic families. Inspired by the works of mercy, Holy Family Healthcare is a primary health care practice in West Michigan which seeks to honor the dignity of every individual as we would Christ. Find out more at https://www.holyfamilyhealthcare.org/

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The Triumph Of The Cross

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The cross. The Triumph of the Cross. The hymns sung at Mass today will be triumphant, glorious, majestic. Triumph. For a minute we might forget the reality of our crosses as we focus on the meaning of Christ’s triumphant self-gift on the wooden cross planted on Calvary and at once extending as a bridge between heaven and earth.

But just so that we don’t forget, the Church gives us a very carefully selected set of readings today. First Reading: the Israelites were beginning to regret leaving Egypt. Impatient and exhausted they asked Moses, “Where is the food? Where is the water? Are we going to be left to die here in this desert?” The Lord could possibly have “felt” some regret over having chosen this people—now so angry and distrustful of his love and power—to be his people, his dear possession more precious to him than any other people. This is the people with whom he made a covenant of everlasting love which he promised never to revoke. In punishment for their complaining, the Lord sent saraph serpents among them.

In the second reading, an ancient hymn of the early Church, the carmen Christi or Christ-hymn, we see the magnificence of a man who went straight to his betrayal and death, the Son of God who complained neither against God nor man, who suffered as the Servant for the sake of the lives of those who had wandered far, very far, from his Father, with no real ability to return on their own to his heart.

In the Gospel, it is clear that this Christ is the One lifted high—as the “saraph serpent” lifted up by Moses—that anyone who believed in him might have—once again—eternal life. God did this, for the world that had rejected him, out of love for them. In the mystery of the cross, there is no resentment or regret, but only the self-forgetful good brought about for the other at one’s own personal cost.

The crosses that break into our lives break open our hearts, and in the broken pieces of our dreams and the shattered images we had of God and ourselves, the poison of unacknowledged, unwelcome resentment, confusion, and regret is drawn out. It is a good thing. Without the desert grumbling, we would not know what our wounded fearful hearts harbor. We would not look to the Christ hanging on the cross for our healing. We would not at last breathe deeply of a love that won’t let us go, a love that could only be divine. And at last, then, we too will learn to love divinely.

Regrets are complicated things for human hearts are wounded, wounding, and oh so tired at times. But the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross is yet today for us personally and for all of us together the healing radiance of the Christ who bears the heavy burden of our weighty sorrow because he loves us and can’t let us go.

May the responsorial Psalm ring out through our hearts: Remember the works of the Lord!

Kathryn James Hermes, FSP, is author of the newly released title: Reclaim Regret: How God Heals Life’s Disappointments, by Pauline Books and Media. An author and spiritual mentor, she offers spiritual accompaniment for the contemporary Christian’s journey towards spiritual growth and inner healing. She draws from the spiritual tradition and her own lived experience to lead seekers deep within themselves and through their personal history to deepen their intimacy with and trust in God; live with greater joy, peace, and
interior freedom; and encounter the Lord in their past and present life experiences to find healing, grace, and newness of life. She is the director of My Sisters, where people can find spiritual accompaniment from the Daughters of St. Paul on their journey.

Website:
touchingthesunrise.com.

Public Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/srkathrynhermes/