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Overcoming the Five P’s

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Jesus came to save us by entering into the fullness of the condition of fallen humanity and offering all to the Father. He was like us “in all things but sin” (Hebrews 4:15); he was also subject to temptation, but never succumbed in any way. These temptations in the desert were not the only time, nor the last time, that Jesus endured temptations (at the end of this scene, it is revealed that the devil “departed from him for a time”). But we see in these temptations the way Jesus turns the trajectory of fallen humanity away from its downward spiral and back toward the Father. He enters into our fallenness and lifts it up.

Adam in the Garden was well fed, had dominion over the rest of creation, and was not subject to death. The Fall changes all that; because of the Fall, we are separated from God, from each other, and from our true selves! So the New Adam enters into the situation of creation after the Fall. He is hungry, humble, and will offer himself to the Father in death to reconnect us with God, with each other, and with our true selves. And yet, our fallenness remains, so we easily desire pleasure and comfort, self-sufficiency and control, prestige and praise.

The temptations in the desert are addressed to reach into this fallen condition and prey on all that has been lost. Jesus refuses to engage on the enemy’s terms and transforms the battle. He counters each temptation with words from Moses in Deuteronomy, defeating the enemy who has led every heart from the beginning of time through the labyrinth of selfwardness and sin.

When the enemy dangles the possibility of bread to eliminate hunger, Jesus answers, “One does not live on bread alone” (Deut. 8:3), subordinating his physical needs to a higher ideal.

When the enemy shows him all the kingdoms of the world and promises power and glory to overcome Jesus’ humility, Jesus replies, “You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve” (Deut. 6:16), humbly recognizing that only God is self-sufficient and we depend on Him.

When the enemy challenges Jesus to throw himself down and prove his immortality to counter death, Jesus says, “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test” (Deut. 6:13), rejecting the instant fame that such a spectacle would have secured and rejecting the rejection of death.  

The enemy’s tactics haven’t changed much. Over and over again, in history and in our own lives, we see the temptation to what I call the “5 P’s”: pleasure, power, popularity, prestige, prosperity. All of these stem from the One Main P: Pride. We are not exempt from the battle, but Jesus has redeemed temptation and given us strength to fight for his Kingdom by exercising our love, humility, faithfulness, and obedience.

During Lent, let’s use the “weapons” of Confession and Communion, penance and prayer, to overcome the “P’s” in our own lives!

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including Father Rob), and four grandchildren. She is President of the local community of Secular Discalced Carmelites and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 30 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE, and as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio. Currently, she serves the Church by writing and speaking, and by collaborating with various parishes and to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is www.KathrynTherese.com

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Creation in Chaos

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We are living in a strange time where the order of creation seems to have reversed itself and those things which we once held dear have somehow become less in our hearts, while the things that are less we tend to hold more dear. If we go all the way back to Genesis we can see the progression that God intended, nature first, then animals, and human beings as the crown of creation. All throughout Genesis we hear that God created all things as good and then finally we hear that man is created as very good. 

But look around you today and how often do we treat our pets better than our fellow man? The order seems to have been plunged into chaos. As I ponder over this, I think perhaps the main reason is that animals don’t grapple with sin. When you watch an animal do something monumentally stupid, you aren’t as harsh with them because you know a lot of it was just instinctual. But when a human being does something stupid we tend to be much more judgmental because we can see the freedom and will that was involved in that action. They chose to do wrong on one level or another. 

Some might look at this freedom and see a flaw within the human race, but I prefer to look at it and see it as THE component that allows for us to love. God has created us apart from the rest of the world. We have the ability to choose and though it is that ability that can sometimes get us into trouble, it is also the ability that frees us to make choices of love. To me it makes sense then that this is what Satan wants to attack. One of the very things that sets us apart from the rest of creation and allows us to share in the life of God is terrifying to Satan, so he gets us to believe things like “all human beings are awful since the fall” or that “there is no hope that a free person could be a good person.” 

It’s this mentality that forces us to retreat into the idea that our pets are more safe or more trustworthy or more good, but remember back to Genesis when it was the human being who was declared as very good, apart from the rest of creation. And then we hear this beautiful line from today’s readings, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord, but rather in his conversion, that he may live.” God gives us freedom not to laugh at us when we fall and fail, but he gives us freedom so we can choose him and live with him forever. He wants our good. During this time of Lent let’s try to reflect on the fact that God has made us all as set apart and that our actions should reflect who we are, good children of God who are loved. From all of us here at Diocesan, God bless!

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Tommy Shultz is a Business Development Representative for Diocesan. In this role he is committed to bringing the best software to dioceses and parishes while helping them evangelize on the digital continent. Tommy has worked in various diocese and parish roles since his graduation from Franciscan University with a Theology degree. He hopes to use his skills in evangelization, marketing, and communications, to serve the Church and bring the Good News to all. His favorite quote comes from St. John Paul II, who said, “A person is an entity of a sort to which the only proper and adequate way to relate is love.”

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When Life Gives You Lemons

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We have all heard the phrase “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” But what if life just keeps throwing you lemon after lemon after lemon, so that everything seems to turn sour? After getting through my young son’s illness, giving birth to our 5th child and recovering from the C-section, it seemed like life was finally getting “back to normal”, when we got hit with the dreaded virus. 

I fell ill right after saying goodbye to my grandmother and I couldn’t even go to her funeral. One by one, the kids all got sick and then finally my husband. While the kids and I all recovered within a few days, he did not fare so well. We ended up in the ER and he was diagnosed with pneumonia. 

So here I sit, taking care of five littles and a sick husband, while simultaneously homeschooling, breastfeeding and working from home. As a stay at home dad, he normally takes care of all the cooking, cleaning, dishes and laundry so we’ll just throw that in too as the icing on the cake. 

Yes, I feel a bit overwhelmed and stretched thin, yet as I did before when my son was sick, I call on my Lord and Savior to BE my strength. Not to give me strength, but to BE my strength. And I am not overcome. The kids pitch in to help out a little more, the baby sits in her high chair a little longer and somehow, life just keeps moving on. 

Now that we have entered into this beautiful season of Lent, I don’t even have to look around for sacrifices and penance. Jesus lovingly gives it to me of His own accord! All I have to do is accept it, embrace it and offer it up for others. 

Today’s First Reading reminds me to “Cry out full-throated and unsparingly, lift up [my] voice like a trumpet blast…seek [God] day after day and desire to know [His] ways.” It reminds me to abandon my cares to Him, forget myself and my woes and think rather of others. The oppressed, the hungry, the homeless, the naked, all those who have it much worse than I do.

I recall talking to a fellow parishioner. She has four boys, lives in a broken down trailer and her husband was deported. Yet she does not complain, but rather gives thanks to God that she has a roof over her head, (barely) enough to pay her bills and she and her children are healthy. She even goes so far as to say that others are worse off than she is. She embodies today’s Psalm “A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn”. 

So as we navigate through this first week of Lent, let us recognize our own lemons, i.e. crosses, offer them up to the Lord, and seek to alleviate the crosses of others. “For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” 

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Tami Urcia 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 projects, finding fun ways to keep her little ones occupied, quiet conversation with the hubby and finding unique ways to love. She works at her parish, 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 over 20 years.

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Our Crosses and How We Carry Them

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When I read today’s readings, I am drawn to the reality that how I understand what my cross is and how I carry it will define the lens of how I comprehend these readings. My hope is that Holy Spirit will refine your understanding as well as mine through this reflection.

I was joking with some friends that I am not ready for Lent since the past two years have felt like a perpetual Lent. In self-reflection, that joke is telling of how I often slip into viewing my approach to Lent and sacrifice. What I find myself focusing on is the sacrifice itself rather than the resurrection that comes to follow. I think that for me these past few years I have relied on a variety of sources of entertainment or pleasures to cope with the isolation and pain that we are feeling as a society. Admittedly, when I reflect on my joke, I realize that I am not ready for Lent due to the hardships of the past few years but rather because of my affection for the good things of this world. I have given them greater importance than what they deserve in my inability to cope well. Even though I do not worship my streaming services or food and drink, God wants freedom for me that cannot be gained when I am held back in an inverted affection for these things.

In the First Reading, Moses says, “Today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and doom. If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin on you today, loving him, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes, and decrees…” Moses continues to describe that life and goodness come from fidelity to God and pain and sorrow come from turning away to ‘adore and serve other gods.’ In our day and age, not too many of us are tempted to carve a statue and worship it. However, God still wants our affection and love and our use of the things in this world in the right order. He does not want us to be bound by the affection that creates a need for the things of this world. Admittedly, when I examine my thinking patterns, my ability to listen and be empathetic is usually limited when I have a nagging need or desire to be doing my own thing that ‘makes me happy.’ 

So as we move through Lent, I want to encourage myself and you to look at how we sacrifice and what we sacrifice, with hope in the Lord for a new life and new freedom. I want to leave you with the last bit of the Gospel to reflect on what your cross is and what you need to deny yourself of. Not for the sake of denying yourself but for the sake of new life in Jesus Christ. 

“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself

and take up his cross daily and follow me.

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,

but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

What profit is there for one to gain the whole world

yet lose or forfeit himself?”

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Arthur Richardson is married to his wonderful wife, Gabby Richardson. They will be married for two years this January! Most of his work experience is in ministry. He was a retreat missionary in Wisconsin for two years and a youth minister for three years. He is now the Web Project Manager here at Diocesan, and loves it!

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The Sacrifice of Words

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In the Gospel, we are told by Jesus of the importance of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as well as the proper way to participate in those sacrifices. When we pray, fast, and give alms, we should do so not to gain praise from those around us, but rather for the sake of praising God. The intention of our sacrifice should be to honor our Lord in Heaven so that “your Father who sees you in secret will repay you”. 

During this season of Lent we are called to enter into fasting, prayer, and almsgiving in a more profound way than during other seasons of the year. In the weeks leading up to the start of Lent, today, I saw a lot of reflections, journals, and calendars advertising “how to make your Lent more meaningful/sacrificial/powerful”. These resources are all encouraging people to go deeper than just abstaining from meat on Fridays and giving up coffee or chocolate or social media. In fact, this year I noticed a common theme: changing our language so it better reflects the love of Christ. That has really stuck with me; how can changes in the way we speak and what we say be sacrifices? We can abstain from gossip. We can give up the tendency to say the first thing that comes to mind and more intentionally think before we speak. We can fast from swearing. We can ask others to join us in prayer before meals. We can humbly ask others to pray for us. 

I think the most powerful thing we can do this Lent is be joyful through our sacrifice. That is at the heart of what Jesus tells His disciples. May we be joyful in our sacrifice and in our words so that others may see the mercy and love of Christ through us. May we spend this Lent with the words “Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned” readily in our hearts and minds.

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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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Feasting And Fasting

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It’s Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday/Shrove Tuesday/Carnival! That means Lent begins tomorrow! Are you prepared to prepare? Do you have a plan for observing this holy season?

Every year, we are given 40 days (actually, a little more) to prepare for the 50 days of Easter celebration. That’s 90+ days during which our spiritual attention is focused on this deep mystery of our Faith: the Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus for our salvation. 

We can trace the history of this season in the Church all the way to the 3rd and 4th centuries of the Church. The word “Lent” originally meant the spring season (the etymology comes from the word that means “lengthen” because the days are getting longer), but it has been used for hundreds of years to mean the “40 days” before Easter (maybe because it is easier to say than “Quadragesima” ;-). These 40 days, in turn, recall the 40 days of Jesus fasting in the desert before beginning His public ministry, and the 40 years of the Israelites’ wandering in the desert before entering the Promised Land. The ritual, readings, art, music, and symbolism are so rich, we must absorb them in layers. The Church knows we need to experience this over and over again, every single year!

How will your household make the most of these holy days? If we haven’t already, we should take the time to talk about Lent – what it is and why it is, feasting and fasting, and how we can best remember what is essential and deny ourselves what is inessential. A good (and simple) place to start are the 3 “pillars” of Praying, Fasting, and Giving. Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel that we will be repaid a hundred times over for whatever we “give up” in this life. This truth should prompt us to be generous in what we offer for Lent!

It all begins with remembering where we come from and where we are going: “Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.” Tomorrow, Catholics around the world – from the Pope to the priests to the people in the pews – will receive the sign of ashes. Universal rituals like ashes, fasting, and abstaining are an outward sign of our reliance on Christ, and can unite us as one family in God’s Heart.

Liturgical calendar bonus info: Ash Wednesday is always a different date because it is determined by the date of Easter, which is determined by a lunar calendar: the Sunday after the first full moon after March 21 (which is the Spring Equinox). 

More bonus info: Lent actually ends as soon as the Mass of the Lord’s Supper begins on Holy Thursday. As soon as that Mass begins, it’s a new liturgical season: Triduum (“3 Days”).

During this Lent, let’s all resolve to offer all we can so that our world will be blessed, and we will know the joy of giving for love of God and others.

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including Father Rob), and four grandchildren. She is President of the local community of Secular Discalced Carmelites and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 30 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE, and as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio. Currently, she serves the Church by writing and speaking, and by collaborating with various parishes and to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is www.KathrynTherese.com

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Heavenly Treasures

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We are all familiar with today’s Gospel story about the rich young man who is unable to surrender his wealth in order to follow Jesus, and especially Jesus’ perplexing comments about a camel and the eye of a needle.  

It can be easy for us to feel superior to the young man. We imagine that OF COURSE we would give away our wealth and follow Jesus, because IT’S JESUS! 

Just the other day I was talking to my youngest son about what he had learned in his sociology class about wealth in this country. We agreed that if WE were billionaires we would be embarrassed to have so much money when we could give all of it away and do so much good in the world.

But then I remembered something Basil the Great once said: “When someone steals another’s clothes, we call them a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat unused in your closet belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the one who has no shoes; the money which you hoard up belongs to the poor.”

We are not rich by any means, but like most Americans we have more than we need. How many coats do you have? I am embarrassed to say how many pairs of shoes I have. Does your bread get moldy because you do not finish it in time? Are we any better than the rich young man?

There is a lot of chatter these days about minimalism and decluttering. We as a culture collectively realize that we have too many things. But paradoxically we remain a nation of consumers, and online shopping has made it simple to instantly gratify our perceived need for stuff.  

God wants so much more for us. In the First Letter of Peter we learn about the riches God can bestow: “a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.” Instead of earthly goods we should be seeking “faith, more precious than gold that is perishable.”  The Responsorial Psalm reminds us that God “has made known to his people the power of his works, giving them the inheritance of the nations.”

Was it easier for Peter, Andrew, James, and John to drop their nets, abandon their boats, and follow Jesus because they were holier than the rich young man, or because they had less to leave? Today let us consider how our possessions affect our relationship with God and our neighbor. 

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

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Leslie Sholly is a Catholic, Southern wife and mother of five, living in her hometown, Knoxville, Tennessee. She graduated from Georgetown University with an English major and Theology minor. She blogs at Life in Every Limb, where for 11 years she has covered all kinds of topics, more recently focusing on the intersection of faith, politics, and social justice.

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Did You Find The Beam?

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One of my favorite books in the Old Testament is Sirach. Today we all get a taste with just a few verses. Verse seven of today’s reading says, “Praise no man before he speaks, for it is then that a man is tested.” I picked that because of what happened to me a few years ago. A very famous Bible teacher came to the Grand Rapids area and I went to hear him. Before the talk, he was standing by the podium by himself. So, I went up there and started some small talk. As I left I said, “I’ll say a prayer for you”. His response was, “I’m sure I’ll be fine”. I couldn’t believe it! I was hurt and angry! I guess my little prayer was something he did not need. Days later, I was still upset. I finally let the Lord breakthrough. He said, “What about you??” Well, I don’t think I have enough fingers to count the times I have put my foot in my mouth! Way too many times! I’m convinced, it was a wakeup call from on high.

The readings for today are very blunt and have a lot to do with being careful with our speech. Has anyone ever said to you, “Why are you so ordinary today?” The answer is, “Well, I got up on the wrong side of the bed”. We all know that’s a pretty weak answer. If we are honest with ourselves and go back over all the emotions of each day and the things that came out of our mouths, we might be saddened and embarrassed realizing what may have happened. The Lord gives us time to repair the damage.

Sirach uses nature to get his point across. For those of you that are familiar with growing fruit and veggies, you know that the time you invest in the ground prep, seeding, watering, and cultivating produce great results. And of course, negligence produces the opposite effect. It’s about the same for us, the more time we invest in curbing our speech and asking for God’s help in the manner, the more Christ-like we become. The more Christ-like we become, the closer we come to God. The Church used to use the phrase “Economy of Words” in its teachings. Simply put, our excess use of words can get us into trouble. As we approach Lent it might be a good time for us to give some thought to “Economy of Words”.

Serving With Joy!

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Deacon Dan Schneider is a retired general manager of industrial distributors. He and his wife Vicki have been married for over 50 years. They are the parents of eight children and thirty grandchildren. He has a degree in Family Life Education from Spring Arbor University. He was ordained a Permanent Deacon in 2002.  He has a passion for working with engaged and married couples and his main ministry has been preparing couples for marriage.

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Called To Be A Compelling Sign Of Hope

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Everyone knows the proverb “It takes a village to raise a child.” It means that children need an entire community of people providing for them and engaging them constructively for those children to grow into healthy and wholesome adults.

Today’s two readings, however, have made me wonder if it is not just children who need a village to support and walk with them. Don’t we all? Don’t we even as adults have this deep sense that we need others to be with us, for us, to truly know our own worth, that we need to be welcomed by others in order to truly welcome ourselves? Looking back on the changes in my life, it was the times that I didn’t feel a safety net of people who would hold, support, care about, anoint, pray and walk with me that I seemed to shrivel inside. Some place deep within my soul knew that I needed to be in communion with others in a vulnerable, honest, mutually responsible way to feel whole, to blossom, and to eventually, in my own turn, give life to others.

In the beginning of the reading from James, he asks: Is anyone suffering? Is anyone undergoing hardships? Ill-treated or distressed? He directs them to connect with God in the community of faith. We might know the wisdom of the world in this regard as: Are you suffering? Stay at home, crawl in bed. Or try harder, be strong, you can do it. Are you in good spirits? Treat yourself. Buy something you like. Go to the bar. Are you sick? Go to the doctor. And if there is a difficult diagnosis, call your friends afterwards and ask for prayers. In other words, we live very individual lives, trying to make it on our own, seeking out our own happiness, not expecting others to be with us. 

A couple stories. I know two people who took considerable time off work just to be at the service of someone who was sick and needed assistance to and from the doctor as well as a hand to hold during the scary time of “not knowing” the outcome of their treatment.

Recently I read in The Wild Edge of Sorrow the author’s experience in the village of Dano in Burkina Faso in West Africa. He tells of the practice of the villagers who come together every night in the common area of the village just to share their day with each other. There was food and beer, stories, tears, laughter, rejoicing. Children were present, and played together as they ran through the adults who were welcoming each other’s lives and hearts through the narration of the day’s experiences. There was a huge sense of connection in the safe space that was created by this daily ritual for vulnerability, compassion, and cheering one another on. While there, the author met a young woman, about seventeen years old, who had an extensive burn scar on her face. She wasn’t self-conscious, but seemed happy and outgoing. When he inquired about what had happened to her, he was told that her mother had thrown boiling water on her in a fit of rage. But immediately after that the village came together and let this girl know that what her mother had done was wrong and had nothing to do with her, and that she was loved and cherished by the people of the village and would always be so. 

In the Gospel, the apostles were indignant that mothers of little children of no real significance thought they had the right to encroach upon the very important time of Jesus. The mothers wanted Jesus “to touch them.” Jesus used touch to bless, heal, include. It was an act of intimacy, an assurance that the other was being seen and was known by him, by God. Jesus was indignant that the apostles were not opening the community to include these tiny members of God’s people. How embarrassed must the mothers have felt. Humiliated. Excluded. 

Jesus and James call the Church to be a communion of faith where people are there for each other, a compelling sign of hope that ultimately we are one with each other and will be there for each other, and a witness to a way of life that is truly human and truly divine. 

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Sr. Kathryn J. HermesKathryn 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 is the director of My Sisters, where people can find spiritual accompaniment from the Daughters of St. Paul on their journey. Website: www.touchingthesunrise.com Public Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/srkathrynhermes/ For monthly spiritual journaling guides, weekly podcasts and over 50 conferences and retreat programs join my Patreon community: https://www.patreon.com/srkathryn.

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Two Become One

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This summer, God willing, my wife and I will celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. Reflecting on that makes me feel totally inadequate to discuss the topic of today’s Gospel, divorce. And yet, at the same time, reflecting honestly on 35 years of marriage makes me feel totally inadequate to discuss marriage. What do I really know, and what can I tell anyone else that would help them based on the life I have lived? Can I even find the words? 

I do know this: Marriage is the easiest thing in the world, if you do it correctly. Moses permitted divorce because he saw people weren’t doing it correctly. “Because of the hardness of your hearts” he allowed it. Now, this brings to mind something I heard a priest say once that has always stuck with me: “If you’re going to bring people to Jesus, you have to meet them where they are.” Of course, he didn’t mean in a physical or geographical sense; he was talking about where people are in their faith, their spiritual journey. You have to assess and accept where they are, not where you expect they should be. I see this concept in Moses’ bill of divorce, that the people weren’t in a place to see the underlying truth in marriage. When the Pharisees bring it up with Jesus, he sees they are ready to hear the truth and he gives it to them straight: Married people “are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” But even before that, Jesus gets to the bedrock basics of the situation: “From the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.”

“God made them” and “God has joined.” And God does all of this out of His infinite love. That’s marriage, folks. Our marriage is not about my wife and me. It’s about her and me and God. His love created us, joins us, sustains us, forgives us. And only by loving God completely, putting Him at the center of our lives, can we properly love each other, can we become one flesh. No longer is the self the focus, it’s that precious gift of God’s love, including in the person of our spouse. And this is not just a marriage thing. We can’t do single life or celibacy or consecrated life properly, either, without surrendering our path to the loving will of God.

I once asked my wife a trick question: Who do you think is more important, you or me? Knowing me as well as she does, she knew I was up to something, so I had to explain, yes, it’s all in the choice of words. Not “who is” more important but “who do you think?” Because when it comes to any relationship based on mutual love, our main focus cannot be ourselves. And nearly 35 years of togetherness has taught us that I left the most important member of this relationship — God — out of that trick question. 

Marriage is the easiest thing in the world, if you do it correctly. But all of us being humans, we don’t do it correctly all of the time. Love is easy to talk about but not always easy to do in our sinful human condition. Luckily, we have a marriage partner more than willing to help us, if we remember to keep Him at the center of it.

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Mike Karpus is a regular guy. He grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, graduated from Michigan State University and works as an editor. He is married to a Catholic school principal, raised two daughters who became Catholic school teachers at points in their careers, and now relishes his two grandchildren, including the 3-year-old who teaches him what the colors of Father’s chasubles mean. He has served on a Catholic School board, a pastoral council and a parish stewardship committee. He currently is a lector at Mass, a Knight of Columbus, Adult Faith Formation Committee member and a board member of the local Habitat for Humanity organization. But mostly he’s a regular guy.

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Salt and Sin as Synonyms

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When someone says winter to me I think of snow as I’ve lived in the midwest most of my life. Indiana, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Michigan collectively average thirty eight inches of snow, however, this varies greatly depending on which part of the state you live in. The air temperatures fluctuate a lot during the winter months too, frequently going back and forth over the freezing mark which can cause ice build up on the roads.

What this has to do with today’s readings is simple; salt. Salt and water are a corrosive combination which accelerate the decomposition of metals, roadbeds, fabrics and many other materials. Too much salt in your diet can lead to problems with blood pressure, heart disease, kidney issues, headaches, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, and stroke.

Sin is a killer. Each sin makes it easier for the next sin to occur. It leads to more distance between me and the light and love of God. The fear of a secret sin being revealed, judgment or punishment due to an act or a wrongful deed, can keep me away from the saving grace and healing power in the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist.

Sin and salt are both corrosive. You do need some salt in your diet (fifteen hundred milligrams or less per day for adults, however in the USA an adult averages 3,400mg) to be healthy. Sin is not needed on a daily basis or ever. Even a ‘little’ sin can quickly lead to barreling down the slippery slope to Gehenna.  To paraphrase today’s Gospel, ‘Sin, don’t do it; just cut it out!’

Keeping the love of Jesus Christ, the Lord God in our hearts, good Words in our minds, and receiving the sacraments as frequently as we are able to in our lives, will help keep sin’s corrosive nature away. Great friends and a spiritual director who know you well will also help to keep you honest with yourself. Maybe this Lent my focus will be, ‘Sin, don’t do it; just cut it out!”

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Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and a practicing spiritual director. Beth shares smiles, prayers, laughter, a listening ear and her heart with all of creation. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

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Memento Mori – Remember That You Will Die

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We hear a strange reprimand from St. James today: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we shall go into such and such a town, spend a year there doing business, and make a profit’—you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow.” (Jas 4:13–14). He says that instead of speaking like this, we should say, “If the Lord wills it…”

It doesn’t seem like a big deal to speak about the future in this way, but St. James is trying to tell us that the future depends on God. Even if God does not directly cause every event in life, He at least allows it to happen, and He does so for good reason. Most of us understand that almost nothing in life goes exactly as planned. At this point, I’ve taken to planning for the future with the mindset of St. James: “These are my plans, but if the Lord wills it, something else will happen and I’ll adjust.”

There is a deeper truth here, and St. James makes it rather explicit when he says that “you are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears” (Jas 4:14). This reminds me of the popular Christian phrase memento mori, “Remember that you will die.” Saints have kept this phrase in mind through the centuries, knowing that one day all of their earthly plans will come to an abrupt end.

This need not be depressing; in fact, it served as a motivator for these saints. St. Jerome, for example, is said to have kept a skull in his workspace to remind him of this truth and motivate him to do good work for the Lord. We can react to the truth of our death with despair, or we can let it motivate us to strive without ceasing to enter heaven. Death can be our destruction, translating us into the infernal kingdom, or it can be a glorious beginning, translating us into the heavenly Kingdom with God.

The attitude fostered by this preparation for death is one of humble resignation and poverty of spirit, spoken of by St. James and the Psalmist today, and exemplified by the martyrdom of St. Polycarp, whose feast we celebrate today.

If we know death is coming and seek to prepare in hope of spending eternity with the Lord, we will strive to accept everything that comes our way, no matter how difficult, as something that God permits for our holiness. We will understand, as the Psalmist does, that we cannot take riches with us beyond the grave, but we can take the divine life of grace given to those who live a life of virtue and frequent the Sacraments.

Reading the brief account of the martyrdom of St. Polycarp, a direct disciple of John the Apostle and Bishop of Smyrna, we can see how this plays out when we are face to face with death. Polycarp did not panic when he heard of his martyrdom: he initially stayed put and prayed. When questioned by the Roman official, he firmly defended Christianity and declined to be nailed in place, explaining that he would not try to run from the fire prepared for him.

St. Polycarp completed his life at the age of eighty-six, stabbed after glowing gold and smelling of baked bread in the fire that was supposed to kill him. His holy resignation to the will of God, even when expressed through martyrdom, is an inspiration for all of us. We may not have to face what he did, but we all must face death, and the more we prepare to meet Our Lord the better off we will be when that day comes. Memento mori!

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David Dashiell is a freelance writer, editor, and proofreader based in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. His writing has been featured in Crisis Magazine and The Imaginative Conservative, and his editing is done for a variety of publishers, such as Sophia Institute and Scepter. He can be reached at ddashiellwork@gmail.com.

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