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How Good is the Good God

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In today’s readings, I can almost feel the excitement and the joy of God as he created the heavens and the earth “in the beginning.” We feel pride and satisfaction when we create something as simple as a poem, a photo on our phones, a new dish to please a friend, or a wall in our home tastefully decorated with family photos. There is a warmth in our hearts as we share something beautiful and meaningful with others. Something we conceptualized and made ourselves. 

“And God saw how good it was….” The world is beautiful, and it is God’s magnificence that is revealed in all that God has created, from the tallest mountain to the tiniest flower. 

In the Gospel, Jesus is creating health, wholeness, goodness, healing. His touch is returning people to community. His touch is making sad faces smile, and filling burdened hearts with laughter. Gratitude is streaming through the people as they scurry about to share Jesus’ love with as many people as possible.

How good is the good God.

When you are creating, healing, holding, you are radiating the goodness of the God who creates, heals, and restores us to life and holds us in his love. 

These days there is much reason for our eyes to be filled with tears and our hearts broken with sorrow. Let us be God-like and not allow the darkness to blind our eyes to the truth of the good God’s heart who is even now unfolding his giving love, bringing about the reign of his heart. 

When I feel alone today, I think I will try to remember that God has personally walked this earth as Creator and Redeemer for me, for us. Today’s Gospel reminds me that Jesus personally reached into the lives of the broken in order to reassure them that their creation was no accident, and nothing can hinder the meaning of their lives. We are each created by the hand of God, saved by the life of Jesus, and sanctified by the breath of the Spirit. 

How good the good God is.  

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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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Life is a Drudgery

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Wow, so the First Reading from today is pretty depressing, huh? Just the words we need to shock us out of any sadness or anxiety that we may be dealing with. As a classic optimist, I was tempted to go right past the First Reading and focus on something else, but I kept getting drawn back to it.

The following is the optimist’s take on one of the most depressing passages in Scripture. First, what is drudgery? I had to look up the word, because I knew it sounded bad. Scripture is comparing our lives on earth to hard, menial or dull work. At first glance this just sounds negative, but put it in relation to all of existence, and it makes sense.

Sometimes we wander through this life, or I know that I do, thinking that this is the best of the best. We try to make this earthly life as amazing as possible because it is what we know, and it’s hard to imagine anything else. But the good news is that this is just the beginning. God had so much planned for us, we screwed it up, he fixed it, and promises even more than the original plan.

What a loving God we have. Now all of this is hard to realize because all we know right now is our experience, but I have found it very helpful to take moments throughout the day to realize the place God has made for us in heaven. This life can be amazing, it doesn’t all have to be hard, menial or dull work, but even the best of moments is nothing compared to what God has in store for us. We are eating the scraps when God promises the feast. This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from C.S. Lewis.  

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” -C.S. Lewis

If we are offered infinite joy, then that should shape everything we do. Even the mundane and boring times in this life become meaningful to us because they are one step closer to our ultimate destiny, eternal life. We have a tradition in the Catholic Church of remembering that we will die someday. We are reminded of this on Ash Wednesday. The First Reading clearly points to this. But I say we should remember that someday we will fully live. That should shape everything we do and how we treat others. From all of us here at Rodzinka Ministry, God bless!

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Tommy Shultz is the Founder/Director of Rodzinka Ministry and the Director of Faith Formation for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative. In these roles, he is committed to bringing all those he meets into a deeper relationship with Christ. Tommy has a heart and 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. With a degree in Theology from Franciscan University, Tommy hopes to use his knowledge to help all people understand the beauty of The Faith. Contact Tommy at tommy@rodzinkaministry.com or check out his website at rodzinkaministry.com.

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Leading Others to Christ

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The First Reading, a letter to Hebrews, reminds us of the importance of our Christian witness. The Holy Scripture reminds us to always welcome strangers, keep others in mind and hold up a moral code that respects our belief system, including the importance of marriage. These instructions are summed up with the powerful verse, “Remember your leaders, who preached the word of God to you, and as you reflect on the outcome of their lives, take their faith as your model. Jesus Christ is the same today as he was yesterday, and he will be forever.” (Hebrew 13:7-8). This call to rise above all immoral behavior no matter what and to be holy. 

In the Gospel Reading today, we see how vastly different King Herod compares to Jesus Christ. Herod used his power and influence to indulge in his own desires, gratification, and ultimately his choices that lead to John the Baptist’s brutal death. King Herod used his affluence and power to hold wild parties and opportunities for immoral behavior. Herodias, the wife of Herold, sadly used her daughter to not only sexually please her very own husband and the crowd, but this young girl’s reward was the head of John the Baptist on a platter! What a shocking and disgusting request. Sin leads down a path of darkness, while our faith leads us to a life rooted in Christ.

Today’s readings reveal the importance of being a leader that leads others to Christ, for our Lord is the same today, tomorrow, and forever.

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Emily Jaminet is a Catholic author, speaker, radio personality, wife, and mother of seven children. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mental health and human services from the Franciscan University of Steubenville.  She is the co-founder of www.inspirethefaith.com and the Executive Director of The Sacred Heart Enthronement Network www.WelcomeHisHeart.com. She has co-authored several Catholic books and her next one, Secrets of the Sacred Heart: Claiming Jesus’ Twelve Promises in Your Life, comes out in Oct. 2020. Emily serves on the board of the Columbus Catholic Women’s Conference, contributes to Relevant Radio and Catholic Mom.com.

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Sent on Mission

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Take only a walking stick and sandals. I’ll be honest, I don’t know if I could do it! Jesus thinks of everything I would try to stuff in my pockets or layer up so I had some mental security about how I would sleep that night. Just reading these directions fills me up with “What ifs.” And, I would imagine, my concerns are precisely what Jesus wants to dispel from His disciples. 

Jesus, the Son of God, gave the disciples authority over demons and the charge to preach the Word of God he taught them. Their whole purpose, their reason for going into these towns, was because the Son of God had commissioned them to go. Their mission was not their own. They weren’t traveling for pleasure or business or because they had some personal stake in the venture. They were sent, with clear and distinct purpose. 

To further emphasize the unique quality of this mission, Jesus insists that they place their bodily security in the hands of God the Father as well. The extreme reliance on God’s Providence further encouraged them to realize that their mission was one of Godly proportions. This was no ordinary jaunt through the countryside.

Jesus continues to send disciples today. Though the methods and directions of the sending may look different from the original ones He gave the disciples, the message and purpose has not changed. We are each uniquely called by Christ in baptism. From this calling, we are each uniquely sent out into the world to bear witness to the Good News. 

It would be wise, especially as Lent approaches, to consider what we are choosing to carry with us as we walk in mission for Jesus. Have we become weighed down by the trappings of the world, our business endeavors, an overemphasis on social media, politics or technology? If Jesus were to speak to you today, what would He insist you bring along on the mission He has for you? What would He insist you leave behind? 

As a way to discern the answers to these questions, consider incorporating a weekly fast into your routine. For just one week (Sunday excluded), select one fast. Then, select a new one for the following week. Some examples would be refrain from social media scrolling, no desserts/sweets, no alcohol, refrain from eating between meals, no unplanned spending, or not using the snooze button on your alarm. What is challenging to leave behind? What is an easy fast? Use that knowledge to help you discern the things you are clinging a little too tightly to, the things that maybe Jesus is calling you to let go of so you can be a more effective evangelist for His Kingdom. 

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Kate Taliaferro is an Air Force wife and mother. She is blessed to be able to homeschool, bake bread and fold endless piles of laundry. When not planning a school day, writing a blog post or cooking pasta, Kate can be found curled up with a book or working with some kind of fiber craft. Kate blogs at DailyGraces.net.

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My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation!

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Today is the 25th anniversary of the day of prayer for women and men in consecrated life, instituted in 1997 by Pope Saint John Paul II. The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is a beautiful day to celebrate the gift of consecrated life in the Church. In the liturgy for the Feast of the Presentation, candles are blessed symbolizing Christ who is the light of the world, and those who have consecrated their lives to God are called to reflect the light of Christ to the world. (The observance of the World Day of Consecrated Life in the US has been transferred to the following Sunday.)

One of the key figures who appears in the Gospel today is Simeon. Of all the people in the Temple that day when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus there to present him to the Lord, only Simeon and Anna recognized the baby as the longed-for Messiah. Luke states three times that Simeon was a man immersed in the power of the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit was upon him,” he knew that he wouldn’t see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord “because it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit.” And finally, that day, “he came in the Spirit to the temple.”

Simeon lived under the guidance and impulse of the Spirit so he could see things that others could not. He could see and proclaim what God was doing. He could see how grace was at work. “My eyes have seen your salvation,” he cried out. Can you imagine the joy of this old man that the mystery he had waited for decades to touch was now held in his arms. 

Last year, on this day, Pope Francis reflected upon Simeon’s words at a Mass celebrated for Religious. I want to use them as the basis for my thoughts here with you. In the dark and chaotic situation in our world today, all of us need to be able to see salvation, to see in our life God’s faithful gift, to witness God’s love at work in the world.

My eyes have seen your salvation! God’s gift even in moments of darkness and powerlessness. It is the tempter that tries to keep us focused on what hasn’t been, what we’ve lost, what we’ve been unjustly deprived of. 

My eyes have seen your salvation! God’s gift in fragility and weakness. It is the tempter who hides the light and whispers to us: “You are no good. God can’t love you. Look at how little you love God. What have you done for him?”

Pope Francis described what happens to us, “We no longer see the Lord in everything, but only the dynamics of the world, and our hearts grow numb.  Then we become creatures of habit, pragmatic, while inside us sadness and distrust grow, that turn into resignation.”

To see correctly, to see in truth, we need to be like Simeon, we need to be able to perceive God’s grace for us. We need to see salvation, to look at what God is doing.

Instead of focusing on thoughts and feelings about what is happening in our lives and within our hearts, thoughts and feelings that disorient us, Simeon shows us how to be led by the Spirit, inspired by the Spirit, filled with the Spirit. It takes a lot of courage to turn our eyes away from ourselves, to turn our attention away from the tempter and to lift them instead to the Lord. It takes courage to believe that God is at work even when everything we see around us seems to be falling apart.

On this Feast of the Presentation, even if you can’t get to church for Mass, light a candle, be warmed by the flame, be filled with the light that burns bravely in the darkness and braves even the wind…. May this candle remind you to see the Lord, the Light of the World, in everything. May it remind you that your life is happiest when it revolves around God’s grace. Courageously hold up the candle to a window, in front of the newspaper or your Twitter account or Facebook page and proclaim, “My eyes have seen, O Lord, your salvation!”

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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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He Cares

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“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

When we read these words in the Gospel it’s easy to think that the apostles are acting ridiculous. “Of course he cares!” We say “Shame to think that he wouldn’t!” But, the irony here is that we, whether we realize it or not, often ask the same thing: “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

Now, it may not be literally perishing, but this is the sentence of doubt. “Do you not care?” We ask it so much!

Think of all of the hard days you have. You finish a long day of zoom calls and are exhausted, but have to go and help the neighbor shovel his car out of a snowbank. You argue with your spouse, you are behind on the laundry, and dinner is a blackened pile of ash in the bottom of the oven. 

“Do you not care?”

It’s easy to get frustrated and to not believe that he cares. After all, why would such a kind and loving God let unpleasant and even terrible things happen to his followers? “Do you not care?”

Yes, he does, in fact, care. He cares more than you think. More than you comprehend.

You see, the reason he allows such frustrating things to happen is because they are not merely annoying (or even terrible) events, but opportunities.

An opportunity to do a kind and helpful deed.

An opportunity to be patient with your spouse.

An opportunity to laugh at the mistake.

An opportunity to offer the little inconveniences to God.

This is how you store up treasure in heaven. Everything is an opportunity to add to that store.

What matters is how you respond; how you use that opportunity.

So, asking if he does not care is the wrong kind of question. Of course he cares! He cares so much to send you numerous opportunities to grow in faith, hope, and love!

He cares.

The apostles were given an opportunity to trust. Though they woke up Jesus in terror, he did not  scold them. I see him gently asking them “Do you not yet have faith? Why aren’t you using this opportunity?”

Notice that he says “Do you not yet have faith” and not “You have no faith.” He knows that they will have many opportunities in the future to grow in their faith, and they will. We know from history that they did. 

So, “Teacher, do you not care?” is the wrong kind of question. The right kind of question is “Teacher, how do you want me to use this opportunity?” And he will tell you. He always does.

May the Lord help us to cast out all doubt and use every opportunity to glorify him.

Perpetua Phelps is a high school student residing in West Michigan and is the second of four children. Apart from homeschooling, Perpetua enjoys volunteering at her church, attending retreats, studying Latin and French, and reading classics such as Beowulf, The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, and Mark Twain’s Joan of Arc. She also spends much time writing novels, essays, and poetry for fun and competition. A passionate Tolkien fan, Perpetua is a founding member of a Tolkien podcast.

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Finding Hope in Suffering

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It is said that the only two constants in life are death and taxes. I would add a third to this list – suffering. 

Suffering is a natural part of human life. We all suffer at some point in our life whether physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually – and often more than once. Just look at our world in the past year, where we’ve seen plenty of suffering. 

Being Catholic doesn’t mean that we are immune to suffering. In fact, some of us may suffer more than others. However, being Catholic means that our suffering takes on a different meaning. 

Today’s First Reading from the Book of Hebrews speaks on suffering in some pretty harsh terms: “publicly exposed to abuse and affliction,” “joined in the sufferings of those in prison” and “confiscation of your property.” And, all of these things took place after one was “enlightened,” which is an ancient metaphor referring to Baptism.

If this is the kind of treatment that we can expect after we are baptized and welcomed into the Church … yikes. Why would anyone willingly volunteer (or volunteer their children) to be baptized if suffering is what we can expect? 

Do not despair, though, for Romans 8:18 reads, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.” While we have suffered in the past, are suffering in the present and may suffer in the future, we have the hope that is given to us through Christ on the cross – that, much like Jesus’ suffering brought about our redemption and eternal life, our own suffering can be transformed, with the help of God’s grace, for His greater glory. 

There is even more hope offered to us in this First Reading. It’s not all doom and gloom but, rather, speaks of “knowing that you had a better and lasting possession” and “… those who have faith will possess life.” It speaks of the great peace and comfort that we can have when we suffer, knowing what God can do with our hurt and pain. It speaks of future glory, not of past or present struggles. 

This is what we have to hold on to. It’s not always easy to change our perspective, our way of thinking. However, if we can become more disposed to give our sufferings over to God, He can and will do beautiful things with them. Trust in Him. Trust in His hope, trust in His mercy, trust not in misery. 

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Erin Madden is a Cleveland native and graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is passionate about the Lord Jesus, all things college sports and telling stories and she is blessed enough to get paid for all three of her passions. You can catch her on old episodes of the Clarence & Peter Podcast on YouTube as well as follow her on Twitter@erinmadden2016.

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Light is Meant to Shine

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Today is the memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, a great saint and a Doctor of the Church. As most of us already know, Aquinas is a giant in the Catholic theological and philosophical sphere. He took Aristotle, Plato, and the other ancients and combined them with Augustine and the best of the Christian faith. His beginner’s text, the Summa Theologiae, may not seem like beginner’s work to us, but it masterfully and systematically explains the Faith while giving it a sure defense. Though he spent most of his time writing, teaching, and praying, we can learn more from the life of this academic than at first glance.

Our readings speak of light, both in the sense of God’s Word and in the sense of the light of our good works. In the Gospel, light refers to the hidden things of God and of the human heart: “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light” (Mark 4:21–22). Saint Thomas Aquinas shows what can happen if we let our light shine before others, revealing both our good works that God has enabled us to do and the hidden things of God.

Aquinas spent his life’s work doing this, both expounding the mysteries of God and the human heart and using his good works to glorify God. For him, these activities were one and the same. He taught, spoke, and wrote about the things of God, humbly displaying his natural talent and letting the Lord infuse it with grace. He was immersed in the life of the Trinity. His writings, academic and devotional, are still widely read today, and his light continues to defend the Faith and bring souls to Christ.

We can look at the example of so great a saint and use it as a model for our own lives. We may not have the gifts necessary to be effective writers, teachers, or speakers, but we do have particular gifts that God has given to us. Whether we look at our personalities or our particular talents, there is something unique that we can use to glorify God. Just as Saint Thomas Aquinas did, we should spend our lives using our gifts and talents for the glory of God.

Next comes the important step of allowing God to guide our actions. Saint Thomas Aquinas would not have written a word if he thought that staying silent would glorify God. Nearing the end of his life, Aquinas had a magnificent vision of God, and immediately ceased writing. Compared to what he had seen, his writing counted as straw, he said; he could not do his vision justice, and knew that it was better not to write any more. We need to have the same docility, ready to work when God calls and cease when He shows us a new path.

Taking Saint Thomas Aquinas as our model, let us cultivate the gifts and talents that God has given us so that we can truly let our light shine. In doing so diligently and with docility, we will clearly reveal the hidden things of God and be able to let Jesus Christ work through us.

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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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Does Jesus Hold Back?

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What a wonderful way to start the day by remembering Angela Merici. She was a very special lady that lived in the 16th century. She was born in Italy and was orphaned at an early age and was sent to live with her uncle. When she turned 20, she moved back to her hometown of Desenzeno where she gathered her first group of girls and taught them the Catechism. Angela was the first woman to do such a thing. Later she founded a group of virgins called the Company of Saint Ursula in 1536. Why is this important? Because, one of my daughters, the one that is in charge of this blog site, attended an Ursuline college in Owensboro, KY. Instead of catechizing girls, she and her husband are forming their four little boys to be saints. 

Angela Merici must have read today’s Gospel since she was passionate about teaching the girls the Good News and the teachings of the Church. She also believed that the person receiving catechesis should be shown interest, gentleness, and persuasiveness rather than force. She believed that the home is the best place to learn about God and the Church. She also believed that if the country was not doing well, then the family was not doing well. Wow, how true!

Jesus admits that he holds back the mysteries of God from those who do not follow him. How best to follow him than to be taught at a young age the Word of God in Bible stories and teachings of the Church? What about us adults? Is just going to church on Sunday enough to receive some answers about the mysteries of God?  I feel The Lord is asking for more, much more. This last year has been clouded by what we have been asked to do because of COVID-19. We have discovered that being cooped up for months has not been good for our spiritual, mental and physical health. I have been surprised at how much it has affected me. I am a social kind of guy. Not seeing my friends and neighbors on a regular basis has had a negative effect on me. It seems to have stolen some of my joy. It made me realize that my real joy comes from the Lord. I wish I would have done a better job at filling that non-social time with more prayer to deepen my love and relationship with the Lord. I am attempting to do that now. 

Now, back to children.  I have always been amazed by how children are like sponges, eager to hear about Jesus.  If you have young children and have been negligent in reading books to them, try this: grab a book written for children that has a Bible story in it. You will have to multitask for this. Read this story slowly and with some emotion and try to catch glimpses of the child’s face as you are reading. You will be amazed at what you see in that child’s face. You will receive a great gift and so will the child. 

Also, today is my wife’s birthday. If you can, please lift up a prayer for her, she will love the grace!

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Deacon Dan Schneider is a retired general manager of industrial distributors. He and his wife Vicki recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They are the parents of eight children and twenty-nine 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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Our Families and God’s Family

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Families are messy. From the outside, a family can appear ideal but underneath it all, every family, even the one that seems perfect, has issues by virtue of the fact that all families are comprised of humans and we are a messy bunch.

It seems every family I know has that one person who creates drama or that one who is quite different from the others. A large family can absorb this and still function well; a smaller family feels the ripples of the sheep who doesn’t fit well with the rest of the flock. To be fair, the friends of that sheep probably feel bad for that sheep being subjected to such a family and wonder how that sheep made it through so well. Messy.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus declares that whoever does the will of God is his brother, sister, and mother (Mk 3:35). This is good news! We are invited into the greatest of all families – God’s family. And while it is filled with some rogue sheep, it’s okay because God is our Father, Mary is our mother, and Jesus is our brother. Here in this family we are beloved daughters and sons. We are wanted. We are valued. We are adored.

God created each of us with intention and purpose and he has a plan that includes us. In this family we don’t need to worry about being hurt or forgotten. Many of us have been hurt by our earthly families. Our sinful nature causes us to wound those we love. Perhaps you have a parent who was abusive, withheld love or was overly critical. Perhaps you have a sibling with whom you fought and had a competitive relationship. 

This lived experience of family can make it hard to trust God’s family and your place in it. If your relationship with your earthly father was strained, it could be hard to accept that God the Father isn’t the same. If your earthly mother was judgmental, it can be difficult to imagine Mary opening her mantle for you and interceding on your behalf. But, God is the perfect father who loves without limits. He is love and he created us in love. Mary is the perfect mother who desires to point you toward her Son, Jesus, the brother who doesn’t break your stuff or tattle on you. 

These things are truths. They may be hard to grasp and accept but if you take them to prayer and tell your Heavenly Father what is difficult for you, he will help you open your heart to your valued place in his family.

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Merridith Frediani’s perfect day includes prayer, writing, unrushed morning coffee, reading, tending to dahlias, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids.  She loves finding God in the silly and ordinary.  She writes for Ascension Press, Catholic Mom, and her local Catholic Herald in Milwaukee. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Eucharistic Adoration is expected to be released summer 2021. You can reach her at merridith.frediani@gmail.com

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