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Repent!

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“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 4:17).

These are the first words of Jesus’ public ministry. Today, Ash Wednesday, we have greater occasion to reflect on them. Of course, we know the basics of Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. We’re probably still thinking about what to do in each of these areas, and I’m sure our friends and pastors will have some helpful advice. But today more than ever, we ought to have an oft-neglected subject in mind: repentance.

Our readings are shot through with contrition, intense sorrow of the heart for sin. We hear Joel’s powerful call to “proclaim a fast” and to return to the Lord with “weeping and mourning” (Joel 2:12, 15), and we read from the famous Psalm 51, which David created after committing murder and adultery. The Scriptures express a sorrow that we often do not experience. 

Sure, we’re familiar with sorrow. We have plenty of occasions to mess up, and therefore plenty of occasions to apologize. But can we relate to the intensity of Joel’s sorrow? Can we relate to David’s profound contrition? It’s important to remember that the people of the Old Testament, at certain times, were accustomed to expressing their sorrow for sin by wearing sackcloth and covering themselves in ashes. Why go so far?

In our psalm, David says “against you [the Lord] only have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight” (Psalm 51:6). By saying this, he acknowledges that ultimately, all sin can be referred back to God. When we take that perspective, we can understand his contrition more clearly.

Sin is, at its core, a turning away from God, elevating some created person or thing above Him. In sinning, we’re saying, “That’s nice, God, but I’d really prefer to listen to myself (or someone else) right now. I know that You created me and that everything You ask of me is for my own good and happiness, but I don’t really believe that right now.”

Knowing what sin really is and how much it offends Our Lord, why would we ever deliberately do it? How can we get so carried away by our own desires and by the temptations of the world and Satan that we forget who our Creator is? Do we really want to give Him another reason for His ultimate sacrifice on the Cross? “God, I appreciate what You’re doing for me, and I know it’s painful, but could you stay up there a bit longer? There are some things I’d like to do.”

Now, we aren’t usually so callous when we sin. However, we need to understand that each sin against God (which all sins are) is saying these things to a greater or lesser degree. When we see this, we can begin to understand Joel and David. We can begin to understand the point of such great lengths as sackcloth, ashes, and public penance. We can embark on our Lenten prayer, fasting, and almsgiving practices with greater fervor.

This perspective, coupled with the firm confidence (also in our readings) that God will accept our repentance and replace our sin with grace, will allow us to have a truly fruitful Lent. We can foster these attitudes through prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and frequent Confession. This is a powerful time, when the entire Church atones for its sins, experiencing a purgative season. We experience discomfort and sorrow for forty days, but these days bear great fruit. In the end, we experience the mercy, love, and forgiveness of the Savior, and we merit grace for the salvation of souls.

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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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Are The Waters Rising?

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There’s a moment that strikes at every parent’s heart: the moment where your kid does something wrong, thoughtless, selfish. We try and try and try to help our kids become caring, faithful, and positive human beings, and even so, at some point they’re inevitably going to decide to do something different. Turn away from what we’ve taught them. Sometimes they come back. Sometimes they don’t. But there’s always that lingering question in our minds—how could they have done that? Didn’t I give them everything? Didn’t I teach them better?

I don’t know about you, but that’s what I was thinking when I looked at today’s first reading: “When the Lord saw how great was man’s wickedness on earth (…) he regretted that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was grieved.”

Stop for a moment and re-read that. He regretted that he had made man on earth. Imagine being so hurt by your child’s actions that you regretted them being born! Even in this early stop on humanity’s journey with God, a journey that would reach its most revelatory and truest moment with the coming of Christ, God is first and foremost a father. He is looking at what his children are doing, and it is making him sad. How could they have done that? In commenting on this passage, Pope Francis said, “God the Father who loves us … is capable of getting angry.” However, “our God loves us with the heart; he does not love us with ideas.” Have you ever thought, Pope Francis asks us, that when “he disciplines us, like a good father, he disciplines us with his heart,” suffering from this more than we do? It’s really a special kind of intimacy, this relationship. But one with bitter consequences.

It seems to me that this story from Genesis is a cautionary tale. 

One way or another, the past year has felt pretty disastrous. And it’s been my sense that humans haven’t done a whole lot to make things any better; an impartial alien might look at the planet and wonder what on earth—pun intended—we’re doing to ourselves. Violence has broken out all over the world, not just in isolated pockets here and there. Most countries haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory in dealing with a pandemic that continues to take thousands of lives every day. And despite Pope Francis’ exhortations, we don’t seem to be taking the Gospel very seriously when it comes to dealing with the poor and vulnerable around us. I’ll be honest: I’ve despaired of humanity on many occasions over the past few years.

Yet the essential message of this story is one of hope. Yes, it’s an inspired and powerful message about judgment and grace, about God’s hatred of sin and his love for his creation. But it also points in a primordial way to the New Testament and to the real Hope of the world. This story gives us a promise that would come to pass centuries later: God’s promise never to destroy the earth again is fully realized in the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, where God takes the judgment for sin upon himself rather than humanity. Through the lens of Christ, the biblical flood story proclaims the marvelous news of God’s grace and love for his people.

And that’s what I’m hanging on to. God loves with his heart, as Pope Francis points out, not with ideas. When the ideas of humanity get to be too much to bear, there’s where I take comfort. In hope. In love. In God.

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Jeannette de Beauvoir is a writer and editor with the digital department of Pauline Books & Media, working on projects as disparate as newsletters, book clubs, ebooks, and retreats that support the apostolate of the Daughters of St. Paul at http://www.pauline.org.

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Choices

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Today’s First Reading is pretty intense. The story of Cain and Abel is littered with sins large and small, and worse, the Bible is just getting started! But one of the lessons here is that life is choices.

Cain has many opportunities to avoid the sins he committed, but he chose not to. Cain’s sins are more than just killing his brother. He also sins by lying to God with his response of “I don’t know” among other things. Cain’s lie is mirrored in the Responsorial Psalm:

“You sit speaking against your brother; against your mother’s son you spread rumors. When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it or do you think that I am like yourself? I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.”

The other, more obvious failing of Cain is his jealousy of Abel. God recognizes this, and even warns Cain about it before it is too late. He tells him:

“Why are you so resentful and crestfallen. If you do well, you can hold up your head; but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master.”

God warns Cain about the devil, and the direction in which he is going. Cain pays no heed, but still gives in to Satan and ends up killing his brother. 

After Cain had murdered his brother, God asked him where he was. Cain not only lies with his “I don’t know,” but he is mocking and sarcastic with his response of  “Am I my brother’s keeper now?” 

But God already knew what happened. He gave Cain a chance to repent and to tell the truth. Cain did not, and God went forward with the punishment that Abel’s murderer deserved. Cain is not very happy with his lot. He replied saucily to God’s words with “My punishment is too great to bear. Since you have now banished me from the soil, and I must avoid your presence and become a restless wanderer on the earth, anyone may kill me at sight.” Cain concludes that he can get out of God’s punishment if he dies. God replies: “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, Cain shall be avenged sevenfold.”

God’s hand is firm. But Cain had a choice, and he chose. He chose to lie. He chose to mock. He chose to kill his brother. 

Cain had a choice. He was even warned. 

Life is choices.

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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Be Made Clean

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In the Gospel reading for this Sunday, we see a leper approach Jesus for healing. First of all, whoa! Since we know Jesus, and this is His usual thing, we might forget just how big of a deal this was in His time. Remember the First Reading for today? “If the man is leprous and unclean,

the priest shall declare him unclean…he shall cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’…He shall dwell apart, making his abode outside the camp.” (Leviticus 13:44-46). Lepers were total outcasts, as per the Jewish law, they had to declare themselves wherever they went! For this leper to approach a Rabbi is a big deal. Normally he’d be warded off, but Jesus allowed it. “If you wish, you can make me clean”, he said. Jesus responds, “I do will it, be made clean”. 

The leper approaches Jesus with confidence despite his affliction, and with expectancy that Jesus can heal him. And Jesus takes this opportunity to flip the Jewish world-view on its head: He touches the man and heals him. Jesus, what are you doing?! He could have contracted the disease, and he seemingly ignored the law set by Moses! But what a powerful statement to make: this man who is hurt and afflicted should not be ostracized, but embraced. Even physically! Jesus doesn’t disregard the law, as he tells the man to present himself to the priests and pursue the ritual cleansing, so that he might rejoin society. 

A few things to mention: I really like the way the leper approaches Jesus. If YOU will it, you can make me clean. I feel like I can connect with this: Sometimes, in my own struggles and failings, I’m not sure that I can be made clean, or I don’t even fully want that for myself. But like this leper, there is power in leaning into what the Lord wants for us; he DOES want us to be healed.

Also, the physical healing of the leprosy is only one component: it’s likely that Jesus also heals this man internally and spiritually (as he did for the lame man who was lowered through the roof by his friends in Luke 5). Jesus’ mission was not just to get souls to heaven, but initiate the full restoration of humanity: body and soul, and to bring us fully into communion with the Holy Trinity. 

While there is no direct connection between physical ailments and internal ones (remember the book of Job! He was righteous and yet suffered greatly), it’s helpful for us to imagine “leprosy” on a wider scope. Do we ostracize people in our lives? Whether they suffer from physical disabilities, or from internal and mental struggles, or from addictions or patterns of sin? How can we better embrace them and act as the healing hands of Jesus in their lives? And what about our own life? Sometimes we act as a “leper” before God when we sin or are faced with battles in our life. Will we walk away from Him, and sit outside of His grace? Do we think ourselves unworthy? Or will we boldly and expectantly come before him and say, “Lord if you will it, you can make me clean”?

Songs for Reflection:

O Come to the Altar – Elevation Worship

Healer – Hillsong Worship

Way Maker – Leeland / Bethel Music

Miracles – Chris Quilala / Jesus Culture

To Be Like You – Hillsong Worship

There’s Nothing that our God Can’t Do – Kristian Stanfill / Passion

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Brendan is just your average Millennial hipster: He likes playing guitar, throwing frisbees, sipping whiskey, and grooming his beard. But he also has a passion for walking with teens and young Christ-followers, hearing every person’s story, and waking up the Church. Brendan works at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Lenexa, Kansas (near Kansas City) as a Youth Music Minister, fusing together his two loves of sharing Christ and sharing the power and need for good and beautiful contemporary praise. https://www.instagram.com/brendanbeardo/

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Why Lent? Why the Cross?

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Don’t look now but Ash Wednesday is around the corner. Are you ready for Lent? My guess is that there are some of us still scrambling to decide what it is we will give up for Lent. 

While Lent is seen as a 40-day preparation period for Easter, a little preparation is also helpful for Lent itself, i.e. evaluating our spiritual life, what is keeping us away from God that we might need to sacrifice, etc. Today’s readings serve as a beautiful reminder as to why it is that we even need a season of Lent, especially the First Reading. 

This passage from Genesis picks up right after the Fall of Man, where God confronts Adam and Eve for their actions and starts laying out the consequences: Eve will have pain in childbearing, Adam’s work will be tiresome, they’ll eventually suffer death and they’ve been banished from the Garden of Eden. 

I studied this passage numerous times in college and even spent this past summer teaching my high schoolers about it, so I could break out some heavy theology and start quoting Hebrew to explain the spiritual significance for all of us. I’ll spare you, though. What the entire Chapter 3 of the Book of Genesis really boils down to is this – it is the moment that humanity needed a Savior. 

The journey of Jesus’ Passion, Death and Resurrection began in the very moment of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, when they eternally separated themselves (and you and I, by extension) from a life lived in union with God. There was only going to be one way that that eternal union would ever be restored: Jesus Christ had to offer his life as a sacrifice for all mankind and open the gates of Heaven for all of us. 

This is what we remember on Easter Sunday (and every Sunday) when we gather together at Mass. This is what we spend 40 days preparing for, this great moment of our redemption. Together, during Lent, we can reflect on Jesus’ unconditional love for us, shown by His sacrifice, and we are invited to participate in it through our own penance, sacrifices and suffering. 

During these upcoming 40 days and all the days after, I challenge you to examine your life through the light of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. What is holding you back from living in relationship with Him? What sins of yours did He willingly die for, so that you could be with Him in Heaven one day? Identify those things and work to root them out of your life so that, together, one day we may enjoy the reward of eternal life.

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Erin 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 as a full-time youth minister and a freelance sports writer. 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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He Has Done All Things Well

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In today’s Gospel we hear of the compassion of Christ once again. A man who is deaf and has a speech impediment is brought to Christ and, moved with compassion, Christ heals him. Perhaps the man that Christ heals is a metaphor for us. In a homily about this Gospel, Pope St. Gregory the Great notes that dumbness is often associated with deafness because, without being able to hear it is difficult to learn how to speak. He then applies that same message to the Good News of Christ; if our ears are not open to His Word, how can we share it with others? Christ removes the man’s speech impediment and opens his ears. How often do we ourselves struggle to speak the Gospel confidently or hear and truly listen to the truth of the Gospel? When we find ourselves in situations which are difficult to share the Good News, do we ask Christ to heal us from our speech impediment and to grant us the courage to share His Word? 

In the First Reading from Genesis we see the consequences of closing our ears to the words of God. It is the story of Adam and Eve and the Fall. Rather than listening to the command of God to not eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, they close their ears to Him choosing instead to listen to the voice of the serpent. This choice led Adam and Eve away from God and caused them so much shame that they hid themselves from the Lord. 

God’s words and commands for us are always for our own good. He loves us and desires for us to be in full communion with Him. As the Gospel says, “He has done all things well” and creating us for life with Him is one of the things He has done well. 

May our hearts and ears always be open to the voice of the Lord so we can speak His Word with courage. 

Open our heart, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son.

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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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Healing

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Healing is again the focus in the Gospel today. Jesus heals all with no exceptions to the understood or unwritten norms and social concepts of the time.

In his Monday address to the ambassadors to the Holy See, Pope Francis said ‘the world is facing crises in five areas: in health, in the environment, on economic and social issues, in politics, and in human relationships.’ Our world needs healing, our human interactions need healing in so many ways and in so many circumstances. I do too.

My pastor has emphasized the need for deep healing, the kind that comes from the hand of Jesus and His Divine Spirit. The sins, omissions and tacit consents that are embedded deep in the heart which blind me to the indifference and abuse of the integrity of all that God has created in this world, I need to bring into my awareness and confessions.

It is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes  and the 29th World Day to Pray for the Sick. There are several resources below including a virtual tour of Lourdes and a 30 minute prayer service celebrating this day of prayer for the sick.

I ask that you pray with me the words St. John Paul II wrote in 2004 for the intercession of our Blessed Virgin Mother, the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Lourdes. Let us pray,

To Mary, Mother of tender love,

we wish to entrust all those

who are ill in body and soul,

that she may sustain them in hope.

We ask her also to help us to be welcoming

to our sick brothers and sisters.

Hail Mary, poor and humble Woman,

Blessed by the Most High!

Virgin of hope, dawn of a new era,

We join in your song of praise,

to celebrate the Lord’s mercy,

to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom

and the full liberation of humanity.

Hail Mary, lowly handmaid of the Lord,

Glorious Mother of Christ!

Faithful Virgin, holy dwelling-place of the Word,

Teach us to persevere in listening to the Word,

and to be docile to the voice of the Spirit,

attentive to His promptings in the depths of our conscience

and to His manifestations in the events of history.

Hail Mary, Woman of sorrows,

Mother of the living!

Virgin spouse beneath the Cross, the new Eve,

Be our guide along the paths of the world.

Teach us to experience and to spread the love of Christ,

to stand with you before the innumerable crosses

on which your Son is still crucified.

Hail Mary, woman of faith,

First of the disciples!

Virgin Mother of the Church, help us always

to account for the hope that is in us,

with trust in human goodness and the Father’s love.

Teach us to build up the world beginning from within:

in the depths of silence and prayer,

in the joy of fraternal love,

in the unique fruitfulness of the Cross.

Holy Mary, Mother of believers,

Our Lady of Lourdes,

pray for us. Amen

Pope Francis’ message for the 29th world day of Prayer for the Sick

World Day of the Sick Prayer Service 2021

29th World Day of Prayer for the Sick

Prayer Cards for the Sick, for Caregivers

Virtual Tour of Lourdes, France

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Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She brings a unique depth of experience to the group due to her time spent in education, parish ministries, sales and the service industry over the last 25 yrs. She is a practicing spiritual director as well as a Secular Franciscan (OFS). Beth is quick to offer a laugh, a prayer or smile to all she comes in contact with. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

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The Good From Within

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“Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile” (Mark 7:15).

These words, powerful words of Christ Jesus, shake the cage I have recently placed myself in. In such a time of emotional, political, and physical anxiety, it is easy to place oneself in a separate place from the turmoil. I have heard many people tell me that they are becoming more secluded, physically and emotionally, due to all of the hurt and hate they are witnessing across the globe and in their own lives. They find themselves angrily lashing out, letting sadness and anger win, leading to both destructive conversations and self-destructive actions. 

Over a year ago, Pope Francis tweeted, “Loneliness is not overcome by closing in on ourselves, but by crying out to the Lord, for the Lord hears the cry of those who find themselves alone.” 

Today, nearly a year into a pandemic of loneliness, we are once again reminded that everything we are witnessing in our lives does not and should not be the way we give witness to our faith. 

Today’s reading reminds me that I am in control of my actions, of my reactions, even when I feel as though my situation is out of my control. I am reminded that I, as a truly beloved child of my Almighty Father, can only control how I respond to outside forces. Only I can decide the amount of love I put forth onto others and I can make this decision no matter what is happening around me. I am reminded that it is not the turmoil of the world that decides for me, but the strength of my faith and promise of love. 

In a world where so much feels and truly is out of our control, it is up to us to decide whether we allow the peace and joy of our God to shine from our words, our thoughts, our interactions… We can choose not to let our own sadness and anger bleed into others’ lives. Either way, we can no longer tell ourselves that it is the world that turns our hearts away from the Lord. 

As we reflect upon this and stand a week from Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, I ask you to think of your words and actions. Make the conscious effort to reflect your loving God in all that you do. Give a true witness to your faith to those around you. Do not let the sadness, fear, and anger win.

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Veronica Alvarado is a born and raised Texan currently living in Michigan. Since graduating from Texas A&M University, Veronica has published various articles in the Catholic Diocese of Austin’s official newspaper, the Catholic Spirit, and other local publications. She now works as the Content Specialist in Diocesan’s Web Department.

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Empty Rituals

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus reprimands the Pharisees for their criticism of the Apostles not properly washing their hands before their meal. Jesus is not necessarily saying that the rituals the Pharisees practice are bad in and of themselves. What He is truly criticizing is the emptiness of their rituals. He references Isaiah’s prophecy that, “This people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me.”  Christ calls the Pharisees hypocrites because, while they follow the ritual, they do so without love in their hearts for God. They merely go through the actions rather than doing so with love and honor for the Father. 

How often do we fall into the same pattern as the Pharisees in today’s Gospel? Do we go to Mass and spend more time internally criticizing the young man in a football jersey and jeans than we do contemplating the Word of God? Do we truly meditate on the words of the Eucharistic prayer or are we thinking about our brunch order? 

This is what I find myself doing (especially during the Eucharistic prayer). I’ve heard it so many times that I often allow it to just wash over me rather than giving my all to Christ in that moment. Then, when I look at the words that are being said it hits me how important it is to not allow ourselves to fall into empty rituals: “We give you praise, Father most holy, for you are great, and you have fashioned all your works in wisdom and in love. You formed man in your own image and entrusted the whole world to his care, so that in serving you alone, the Creator, he might have dominion over all creatures.” This is what we might hear during the Eucharist prayer. What beautiful words that come directly from the Creation story in Genesis that we hear as today’s First Reading. When I go to Mass merely going through the motions, I don’t notice those connections; I take for granted the love with which these rituals were made and the love that God has for each and every one of us. The purpose of our rituals–the sacraments and our prayers–is to demonstrate our love, true devotion, and gratitude for God who is our Creator and Savior. 

May we go about our devotions with great intentionality and allow the love of God to permeate all that we do.

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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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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.

Feature Image Credit: Pedro Gabriel Miziara, https://unsplash.com/photos/HVwLvZYw6O4

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Moved with Pity

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“When He disembarked and saw the vast crowd, His heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.” Mark 6:34

As humans we are called to greatness, to sainthood. How often do we look around during our journey at the needs of others? I know it is really hard for me to slow down, so I can struggle with being attentive to others and just being with them where they are at (especially when I am facing my own struggles). With my anxiety it is hard to slow down the thoughts in my head and take in my surroundings, no matter how hard I try to slow down those thoughts and focus on the person in front of me.

Today’s Gospel reminds us that it is so important to look outward rather than just looking inward at ourselves. We are called to love God and love our neighbors, and we live like Christ when we serve others. When Jesus gets off the boat He sees all the people that are waiting for Him, and He is “moved with pity for them”. He knows their hearts, that they are lost and in need of a Savior. Jesus could have waited to begin serving the people, taking a break from all of his own tasks and traveling, but He chose love first and foremost. He put the needs of others before His own and met them where they were at. He chose others before Himself for His entire life, on the Cross, and continues to love us first today.

While it is important to take care of ourselves, for we truly can’t serve others if we don’t receive the faith ourselves, we must share the gifts God gives us with those around us. In a world where it is the easy road to look down rather than around, let us be the light on a hill, true Christians that reach out to our brothers and sisters with selfless hearts. Not only will God share His love with them through you, but you will also be filled with the joy of Christ through this genuine gift of self.

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” C.S. Lewis

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Nathalie Shultz is a joyful convert to the Catholic faith with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).  She loves to share her passion for Catholicism with others, including her conversion story and how God continues to work miracles in her life through her OCD. She is a high school special education teacher, and she is married to her best friend, Tommy Shultz. Her favorite saints include St. Peter the Apostle, St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. Maximilian Kolbe, and St. John Paul II.  She is also a huge fan of C.S. Lewis. If you have any questions for Nathalie, or just want her to pray for you, you can email her at nathalie.e.shultz@gmail.com.

Feature Image Credit:  Catholic link Español, https://www.cathopic.com/photo/6226-misericordia