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Rise Up

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We apologize. We sent the wrong post yesterday. This is the correct post for yesterday. We will send the post for today shortly. God Bless!

As I write this blog, it is my first day back to work after being out sick for 2 whole days. It’s that time of year where students are coughing, sniffling, and teachers are catching every germ quickly! In Today’s Readings, I feel a closeness with the paralyzed man. It’s humbling to be sick, to need and rely on others. It contains a type of weakness that is truly uncomfortable. Personally, I stayed in my room in bed for the past 48 hours… I didn’t want to spread germs with my roommates and I didn’t have the energy to do anything. I can’t help but think of how this paralyzed man must have felt! He is being carried to Jesus and unable to make it through the crowd. Lucky for him, he’s got some amazing people in his life. The friends or family or whoever was carrying him on his cot decided not to stop and go back home. They didn’t give up and say, “Sorry, you can’t see Jesus. There’s no way we’d be able to get through the crowd.” Nope, they literally carried their paralyzed friend to the top of the roof of where Jesus was. They carried him and lowered him on his stretcher so that he could be in front of Jesus. Seriously, what incredible friends.

As the story continues, Jesus didn’t encounter him and automatically heal his disability. He began with a different healing, the forgiveness of his sins! This was automatically the first thing Jesus did when he saw the faith of this man! The Pharisees questioned him internally. It states, Jesus “knew their thoughts and said in reply, “What are you thinking in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Exactly after this statement, he looks upon the sick and paralyzed man and commands, “I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”

I don’t know about all of you, but at this moment I just want to jump up with my fist in the air and scream out to Jesus in full support. “YES, YOU GO JESUS! YOU TELL EM AND SHOW EM!” Jesus doesn’t just talk the talk, but ALWAYS follows through. In this intense moment that he has come to forgive sins- because He is God and He CAN. He doesn’t stop there, he heals his illness in a split second. He tells him to rise… I love that word. It’s commonly used by Jesus in special moments like this in Scripture. For me, this word gives warmth and tenderly leads me to keep going. It calls me to get up when I have fallen, to move, and to simply continue. Sometimes that can be hard, especially if you’re sick in bed. I don’t mean just physical illness, but spiritual as well. As human beings we are made body and soul, both are vital and important to who we are as sons and daughters of God. You could be sick from the cycle and chains of sin, sick with a physical or mental disease, or sick and weary trying in your journey of holiness. We can all relate to this man, even if we are not physically constrained to a stretcher. At least, I know I can.

There are a few points Jesus wants our hearts to know this day. First, we are all ill and in need of our Divine Healer. No matter how perfect life may seem, we all truly need healing in one aspect or another. I’m sure we can all agree on that! Second, we should have genuinely good people around us. If you don’t know who would carry you up a roof on that stretcher then pray a prayer of finding more faithful friends. If you wouldn’t BE that friend who carries another up a roof than go out of your way to serve others more today. Third, let’s rise.  Let’s hear His tender voice repeat those words to us in the deepest part of our hearts and let’s do it.  Rise in His grace, strength, and love. Rising in holiness, virtue, and recommitment to our friendship with Christ. Let’s continue on for love of Him.

 

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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Give Comfort to my People

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Isaiah’s beautiful passage is full of meaning. After a long and dark exile in Babylon, God directs Isaiah to tell His people that it is almost over. God will be there to expiate their sins, bring them out of captivity and “give comfort.” I love this reading.  Throughout all of human history, there have been periods of great trial. We look for comfort and do not find it. We look for a way out and do not find it. We stumble our way through life, looking for a path forward, and do not find it.

Perhaps we are looking in the wrong places.

Advent is the beautiful season of anticipation of the Lord’s coming. Have we not yet realized that this four-week season is our path out of darkness? If only we would open our eyes and see. See that the comfort we long for can be ours if we pay attention to God’s call to meet his Son and to see our way forward.

There is so much, today that I hate about Advent. It has become the season of shopping and gross consumerism. Pay attention to the ads. “The Twelve Days shopping at (name of store here).” Or, the “Twelve Gifts of Christmas at (name of store here).” We are bombarded from even before Halloween. I have disagreements with my family and friends about the real “Twelve Days of Christmas”…which should be the Evening of Dec. 24th through Epiphany. This is the Christmas Season. Not October 15th – December 25th, and then it’s all over. Trees are on the curbs; decoration disappear from the stores and our home, parties are suspended — I find this to be so sad, and personally, very troubling. Rush here, rush there; check off our list of items to be purchased; make everything equal so as not to offend anyone; outdoing each other in outdoor decorations and lights. Oh my! Where is Jesus in all of this? He is buried somewhere under the packages! And no, he will not appear to us on our doorstep in an Amazon package. Jesus must be welcomed into our hearts. Only we can make that happen.

Isaiah wants us to know that the darkness of this time of year is not lost on the date set for the celebration of the Incarnation. The long and dark days of winter are lit by the Light of Christ coming into the world. It should mean to us, if we pay attention, that our personal exiles can be ended by the comfort of the coming of Christ, here to lead us to safety. This season of anticipation also teaches us that Christ stays with us. His life from manger to grave to resurrection – or lives from birth to death to eternal glory.

If you haven’t yet started, I encourage you to begin the journey to Christmas with a heart to knowing Jesus better, to welcome him into your homes and families with the attention he deserves. Christmas will be a much more beautiful celebration for you. God loves you. He sent his Son to light your way. He gives comfort.

“The day of the Lord is near: behold, he comes to save us.”

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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Eclipse of Love

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“Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery; put on the splendor of glory from God forever.”

What a beautiful way to start the day, huh? All of us want to flee mourning and misery and put on the splendor of God. Our company just finished a conference with NFCYM where myParish App was the official app of the conference. On my flight back we got delayed and were stuck in the Chicago airport. We tried to get to our hotel for the night but got on the wrong bus. After getting off, I realized I left my phone on that bus and we had to wait a half hour for it to come back around. Long story short, we got two hours of sleep and I am now writing to you from a little plastic chair in the Chicago airport.

I needed a little pick me up this morning, and here the word of God delivered in a big way. Sometimes we go through times of misery, but the reminder of the Gospel is that it does not last. We are all made for glory and happiness with our God. The saints call these moments of ups and downs in our lives times of desolation and consolation.

Sometimes we have times where it is hard to see God working, it is hard to find hope. These would be moments of desolation. But in reality, we know that God is always there and ultimately he wants us to be happy with him forever. I like to relate this to a solar eclipse. For a few seconds, the sun is not visible. It is completely obstructed. But we know that even though we cannot see it or even feel its effects, that it is not gone forever. The eclipse finishes and the sun emerges. It is the same with the son of God.

Sometimes we feel like we can’t feel or see or hear God, but then those moments of consolation come where we truly feel his peace and love and live in that peace. These moments remind us that he never left and that we do not have to be afraid. St. Francis De Sales once said, “Fear is a greater evil than evil itself. O you of little faith: what is it you fear? Do not be afraid. You are walking on water, amid wind and wave, but you are with Jesus. What is there to fear? If fear takes hold of you, cry out strongly, ‘O Lord, save me!’ He will hold out a hand to you. Hold on tight and go forward with joy.”

I don’t know what kind of suffering is happening in your life right now. It might not be as little as losing a phone and getting very little sleep, (I got the phone back by the way) but whatever your suffering is, do not give up hope. Wait for the Son to appear again and give you his unconditional love and peace. 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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Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary

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Today, our blessed mother Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the greatest Marian feasts of the year, but also one of the most widely misunderstood.

In the gospel today, we read about the angel Gabriel coming to Mary to deliver the blessed news that she will be the mother of God. Because of this, there may be confusion as to whose conception we are talking about, Jesus or Mary.

The Immaculate Conception refers to Mary’s conception in her mother’s womb. Nine months from today, we will celebrate her birthday. But, if we are celebrating Mary’s conception, why are we reading about the Annunciation today?

The church in her wisdom assigns these readings to the mass in part because of the way that St. Gabriel greets Mary, “Hail, full of Grace, the Lord is with you!” This, of course, is the first part of the Hail Mary, which we pray often as Catholics.

But what does that mean?

The Greek translation for “full of grace” that Luke writes in his gospel is kecharitomene and it is the only time that this word is used in the New Testament. The full translation refers to an action that was completed in the past that has relevance to the present. The angel is literally saying in his greeting, “Hail you who have been perfected in grace (or transformed in grace) as an action completed in the past but with relevance to now.”

Understandably, we can’t fit that whole translation into the Hail Mary. But what action is the angel referring to?

Obviously, the immaculate conception; Mary’s total and complete immunity from sin from the moment of her creation. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that in order for Mary to accept her vocation as the Mother of God, “it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace” (CCC 490). Mary was saved by the merits of Jesus Christ on the cross. She was given a preventative medicine of sorts which saved her from sin, unlike the rest of us who are forgiven from our sins by virtue of the crucifixion and our baptism.

We have to understand what sin is and the Lord’s declaration in our first reading in order to understand why it was necessary for Mary to be immaculately conceived.

“Immaculate” means without stain and sin stains, especially original sin, which we read about in our first reading. Sin separates us from God and is a failure on our part to love God. It sets us against him. Therefore, it would make no sense for his mother to be separated from God, especially because there is nothing more intimate and united than a mother and her child in utero. In order for God to come and rescue us from ourselves, it is fitting for him to be born of a woman removed from all sin, including that original stain. She is the new Eve in Christ’s new creation.

We see this in our first readings. In Genesis 3:15, God is speaking to Satan following Adam and Eve’s disobedience. He says, “I will put enmity between you and the woman and your seed and her seed. He will crust your head and you shall lie in wait for his heel.”

Satan’s seed is sin. The woman (although initially Eve) must be Mary. Mary alone gives birth to the seed who is Jesus, no one else does that. Biologically speaking, a woman doesn’t carry a seed, only a man does, which he gives to a woman in the marital embrace. So, when the Lord says a woman’s seed, we can assume that he’s referring to the miraculous conception that is Christ in Mary’s womb.

The Lord also declares a radical, absolute, and complete separation (enmity) between Satan and Mary. Pope Pius IX said that if Mary had any sin, her enmity with Satan would not be absolute.

On this Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, remember the Lord’s saving power and enduring love. Give thanks for the miracle of Mary’s conception, which reminds us that with God, nothing is impossible.

 O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Amen.

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

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Pity and Faith

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Son of David, have pity on us.

We hear this phrase frequently in the Gospels. Today, we hear these words out of the mouths of blind men in the Gospel of Matthew.

Although they could not have seen the miracles He had previously worked, these followers of Jesus knew of His reputation and had faith in His ability to heal them. They address Jesus using the Messianic title “Son of David,” a name not only connected with His royal lineage but one that also reflects His healing power.

Too often, we try to take matters in our own hands, believing that our plans are greater than God’s. In those circumstances, we think we are displaying great faith in ourselves, in our abilities, but what we are really showing is a complete lack of faith in the Lord. Think about what courage and faith the blind men must have had to even ask, “Son of David, have pity on us!”

Let’s take a look at the definition of pity. A “feeling of sorrow and compassion caused by the suffering and misfortune of others.” Remember, Jesus is fully human and He is moved out of those same human emotions of sorrow and compassion to help these men of faith.

As we journey through this season of Advent, let us embrace the spirit of the blind men. Let us have a bold faith. When the Lord asks us, “Do you believe that I can do this?” let us be bold enough to answer with a RESOUNDING “yes.” But let us also be humble enough to acknowledge our spiritual blindness in the first place. Humility and boldness go hand in hand here, working together in faith.

What are the areas of our lives that cause us spiritual blindness? Advent presents a great opportunity to reflect on our shortcomings and take them to Jesus in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There is truly no better way to prepare ourselves for His birth than to rid our hearts of sin and darkness, giving Him pride of place instead.

For these next few days, let us take the opportunity to answer, “Yes, Lord. We believe.” You might be amazed at what He works in your life, what He does for your faith.

Erin is a Parma Heights, Ohio, native and a 2016 graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She uses her communication arts degree in a couple of different ways: first, as an Athletic Communications Assistant at Baldwin Wallace University and, secondly, as a youth minister at her home parish of Holy Family Church. Although both of her jobs are on complete opposite spectrums, she truly enjoys being able to span the realm of communications. You can follow her on multiple Twitter accounts – @erinmadden2016 (personal), @bwathletics (work) and @HFVision (youth ministry).

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Feast of St. Nicholas

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The readings today speak of our trust and faith in the Lord. Both instruct us to have our Rock of faith as the Lord and keep our foundations in solidarity with Him, otherwise our houses, our lives will collapse. “Only the one who does the will of my Father will enter the Kingdom of heaven.” It is a great line to focus on this Advent, as we re-align ourselves with the will of our Father in heaven.

St. Nicholas of Myra, (280-343 AD), whose feast we celebrate today, is a wonderful example of keeping focused on the Lord. St. Nicholas is revered in both the Eastern and Western Church and was well known as a saint, long before Saints were officially approved by the Church (which began in the late 8th century). Read about this little-known fact of the Secret Santa here.

There are many legends attributed to this beloved Saint. When my children were young, I told them to leave their shoes by the door on the eve of the feast of St. Nicholas, which is a popular tradition in Europe. In this narrative, St. Nick places chocolates, fruits or small gifts in the shoes.

Looking at prayers to St. Nicholas, I find myself drawn to this one. It sets a nice tone to the joyful season of Advent. May you be reminded of it every time you see a candy cane and smile or share with others the blessing.

Feast of St. Nicholas Day Candy Cane Blessing Prayer

Good St. Nicholas, we honor you
on this your holy feast day.
We rejoice that you are the patron saint
and the holy symbol of joy
for many peoples of many lands.

Come, great-hearted saint,
and be our patron and companion
as we, once again, prepare our homes and hearts
for the great feast of Christmas,
the birth of the Eternal Blessing, Jesus Christ.

May these sweets, these candy canes,
be a sign of Advent joy for us.
May these candy canes,
shaped just like your Bishop’s staff,
be for us a sign of your benevolent care.

We rejoice that you are the holy bringer of gifts
and that so many have been delighted
through your great generosity.
Help us to be as generous of heart.

Wherever these candy canes are hung,
on tree or wall or door,
may they carry with them
the bright blessing of God.
May all who shall taste them
experience the joy of God
upon their tongues and in their hearts.

We ask God, now, to bless
these your brightly striped sweets
in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Beth Price is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and spiritual director who has worked in several parish ministry roles during the last 20 years. She is a proud mother of 3 adult children. Beth currently works at Diocesan. You can contact her at bprice@diocesan.com.

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God Will Provide

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Today we are reminded that God will provide for us.  “The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,” and provide for us. No matter our struggle, God is good.

In today’s first reading, we are reminded that God will provide the richest of foods, destroy death, wipe our tears, and save us, thus we should rejoice. The responsorial Psalm says that we “shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of [our lives],” listing the ways God has saved us. Finally, the Gospel is the fish and loaves story. Again, God provides.

If you were in the crowd near the Sea of Galilee, would you have given up your food? You wouldn’t know that Jesus would do a miracle and multiply it. If anything, you are super hungry with one loaf left. Would you even tell anyone that you have bread? I imagine it’s like when you have a piece of gum and everyone around you immediately wants a piece. Do you choose to give your piece of gum away, cut it in half, or keep it to yourself?

Similarly, when we are almost completely drained of money and time, do we still give what we have to God or do we keep it to ourselves? If you’re keeping it to yourself, then don’t expect a miracle. Even the poor widow gave her two coins (Mark 12:41).

Time and time again, God provides for us. We do not need to offer sacrifices of lambs and first-born sons. All we need is to have faith and God tells us something along the lines of, “You are mine and I will raise you up. You will be safe and saved. 100 percent, I am here for you.”

So this holiday season, give of your time and your faith. Stop rushing around and take the time to be truly thankful for the little miracles that God has done in your life. Work on growing in your faith by going to daily Mass and praying for others. Show God that you live out your faith and he will work miracles through you.

No matter your struggles, your pain, your heartache, God is by your side and he has a plan for you.

God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good!

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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The Ocean of Mission

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In the Bible I use as my study Bible, the second half of today’s Gospel is labeled, The Privileges of Discipleship. Jesus tells his disciples that they are blessed because they get to see and hear what so many others desired greatly, but did not get to see and hear.

My initial reaction to this passage sort of brings out the chip on my shoulder. Kind of a response of, “Sure, rub it in, they got to see you in person and we don’t. I get it, they were privileged, special, blessed while the rest of us are just trying to get through on the words and stories they left us.” One would think that I would have learned by now, that there is always more than meets the eye and my first impressions are rarely correct.

In this passage from Luke, Jesus is guiding his disciples to a new perspective. Look at what comes before and after this passage. Just prior to this Jesus has sent out the 70 (or 72 depending on your preferred translation) who have gone out into the countryside to heal and cast out demons in His name. And lo and behold, it works! From timid followers who leave with nothing, they return rejoicing at the fruits of their labors. Just following this passage, a scholar attempts to trick Jesus by asking him about the law and eternal life. When Jesus turns the question back on him, the scholar responds with the Shema Yrasel, the centerpiece of Jewish prayer, “You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus responds by affirming the scholar and then expands on the meaning with the story of the Good Samaritan (whose title would have been an oxymoron to the Jews of Jesus’s time).

In the sending of the 70 (or 72), Jesus has begun to share his mission to spread God’s kingdom with his disciples. In the Good Samaritan, he shows us that mission isn’t just to the ones who live next to us, think like us or believe like us. Jesus is helping his disciples get used to the water so to speak, to get their toes wet before they have to swim in the ocean depths of the mission that He will leave for us, his disciples, to continue.

God’s ways are not our ways. (Isaiah 55:8) It also isn’t about becoming the wisest, the most powerful, the most influential, the most productive. Jesus praises the Father because He has turned all this human thinking around and stood it on its head. Jesus is telling his disciples (both them and us) that life isn’t about what we expect it to be about. To live as a disciple, yes, we learn at the Master’s feet, but we need to always remember that all right knowledge, wisdom, understanding (Gifts of the Holy Spirit, anyone?) come from God and they only flower and produce fruit when rooted in love.

So the Church, in her wisdom, gives us this reading in these early days of Advent, to remind us. This season isn’t about bows and ribbons, parties and programs. It is about preparing our hearts for the shoot which will “sprout from the stump of Jesse.” Because we too are special, blessed and get the privilege of discipleship. Not as we think it should be, but as God desires it. The disciples saw and spoke with Jesus in the flesh. We take Jesus, body, blood, soul, and divinity into our very being. He changed them from the outside in, but He has reserved for us who follow the opportunity to be changed from the inside out.

And all that started with a babe in a manger. The prophet tells us that as a result of that babe, that shoot sprouted from Jesse, “the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord as the water covers the sea.”

And that brings us back to the ocean of mission, where we serve God by serving our neighbor. Anyone what to go swimming this Advent?

Sheryl O’Connor is happiest in her role as wife to Tom. Together, they are discerning Tom’s call to the Diaconate and he is in his Aspirancy year with the Diocese of Kalamazoo. She splits her time between Holy Family Healthcare where she is the Director of Strong Families Programs and her parish collaborative where she is the Director of Youth Evangelization.

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Let’s Go Together

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The Church in her wisdom immediately reminds us at the very beginning of the Advent season that in these days of expectation, we are not only reliving the waiting of our ancient fathers, the centuries of longing for the promised Messiah.

We are, yes, entering into the journey begun by their longing and expectation, but we are doing so with our eyes wide open. As brothers and sisters of Jesus—God-with-us who took on our flesh with its limitations, sorrows, and joys—our eyes are fixed on the “mountain of the Lord’s house…the highest mountain…raised above the hills.”

Neither am I looking up at this mountain as my own personal salvation. Again, the Church makes clear, “All nations shall stream toward it; many people shall come and say: ‘Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain….’”

There is a joy that rings out from these verses of Isaiah. Come, let’s go! Let’s go together! Let us climb that “he may instruct us in his ways and we may walk in his paths.”

In Advent, then, the Church sets our sights on the highest mountain, the final days when the heavenly Jerusalem will be home to everyone who walks in the Lord’s ways.

The heavenly Jerusalem can seem a long way off, but the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ have brought it quite near. Origen reminds us: “Christ has flooded the universe with divine and sanctifying waves. For the thirsty, he sends a spring of living water from the wound which the spear opened in his side. From the wound in Christ’s side has come forth the Church, and he has made her his Bride” (Commentary on Psalm 77,31, Commentary on Proverbs 31,16).

The Church, in its deepest understanding, is the world in the course of transfiguration. The world, in Christ, reflects the light of paradise. The world-in-Christ is heaven and earth renewed, brought to us in the sacraments. The Didache tells us that the Church in the earliest centuries was praying and hoping at every celebration of the Eucharist that the world would actually be transfigured: ‘May the Lord come and the world pass away,’ that is, the world of death and illusion. It is the Eucharist, then, that constitutes the Church as a people of the Exodus on its way to the Kingdom, already fed by the manna of eternity.

So in these days when relations among nations cause us to worry and the suffering of peoples seems so immense that we feel powerless to help, Advent reminds us that in the end, when the world is transfigured completely in the unquenchable light of the Kingdom to come:

“He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.

O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!”

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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Christ Reminds us of Who We Are

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“Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Often when I read verses like this one from Today’s Gospel, I become discouraged and feel disheartened. In today’s world, with all its tribulations, we have to cry out to God for the strength to persevere. Like the beggar who pounds his breasts in the temple, we cry for the grace to avoid sin and attain virtue.

The reason this saddens my heart is that God did not ever desire this for us. There was a time when virtue was what we wanted when love was our first thought in relation to others when praise of the Lord just made sense and didn’t take effort. As sad as it is that we now have to cry out, could you imagine if we didn’t have a savior who has allowed us to beg for the grace we lost?

Think about it, in the garden Adam and Eve were human beings par excellence. They were who all of us long to be. They just had the grace from God, they didn’t need to beg on bended knee. Then the fall happened and changed the entire world and the whole human race. We lost our inheritance, but God became man so that we could ask for it back and through his power we receive it.

“But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”

Scripture speaks of signs that will happen letting us know our redemption is at hand. The first sign of our coming redemption is the birth of Christ. This is what we celebrate at Christmas, that God loves us enough to give us another shot. Not to go back to the beginning, but to go through our beginning state and beyond. Enjoying abounding grace, unconditional love, and perfect hope.

I often think of this verse when Christmas approaches, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Now, this may seem like an unrelated verse to Christmas. It just feels like a verse of condemnation and impossible standards. But the reality is that for Christ to hold us to such a high standard, he has to redeem us to the level where we can attain the standard. 

This verse is not so much a condemnation, but a calling. A calling to accept the grace Christ wants to give, grace that gives us the strength to live and to love how God calls us. God became a man to redeem us of course, but he also became a man to remind us of who we are and how we are created. We have forgotten our worth, God taking on a body and becoming human reminds us of it. That should give us great joy. Happy Advent and 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.