Today’s first reading reminds me of Dear Evan Hansen, one of my favorite musicals. Although I have never seen it live, I absolutely love the music. Some of my favorite lyrics are, “Have you ever felt like nobody was there? Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere? Have you ever felt like you could disappear? Like you could fall, and no one would hear? Well, let that lonely feeling wash away. Maybe there’s a reason to believe you’ll be okay. ‘Cause when you don’t feel strong enough to stand, you can reach, reach out your hand.”
This song reminds me of that picture of Jesus reaching his hand into the water to grab Peter and prevent him from sinking. We all have the desire to feel seen and heard. We want to be part of something bigger than ourselves. These desires though, which are common among every culture, seem to present a problem. The problem is that oftentimes we try to do it all on our own and realize our weakness very quickly. Peter, who in today’s Gospel was chosen by Jesus as one of the Twelve apostles, wanted to be seen and heard. He wanted to be a part of something much bigger than himself and when he trusted Jesus he was able to do just that.
When we try to do supernatural things by our own power it does not go well, but when we trust in Jesus, as the first reading states, we become “members of the household of God”. When that happens, we can do things that we never thought would be possible. Take the concept of seeing for example. Do we really ever actually see someone? We can see their body, what they do for work, how they dress, or what kind of car they drive. But do we ever actually see their personhood? God is the one who can see us just as we are. He sees everything about us and loves us through it. If that is how we want to be seen and how we should be viewing others, then we need grace.
Let’s ask for the grace today and always to see others as God sees them. Let’s ask for the power necessary to fulfill the specific vocation that God has planned for us. Let’s ask for the power to truly love those we come into contact with that society has cast out. The more we ask for this grace, the more we become members of the family of God and the more we truly see. If this sounds frightening, our assures us that “Christ Jesus himself is the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together.” And may I remind you of the words I quoted in the beginning, “When you don’t feel strong enough to stand, you can reach, reach out your hand.”
From all of us here at Diocesan, God bless!
La primera lectura de hoy me recuerda de Dear Evan Hansen (Querido Evan Hansen), uno de mis musicales favoritos. Aunque nunca lo he visto en vivo, me encanta la música. Algunas de mis letras favoritas son: “¿Alguna vez has sentido que no había nadie allí? ¿Alguna vez te has sentido olvidado en medio de la nada? ¿Alguna vez has sentido que podrías desaparecer? ¿Como si pudieras caer y nadie te escuchara? Bueno, deja que ese sentimiento de soledad se vaya. Tal vez haya una razón para creer que estarás bien. Porque cuando no te sientes lo suficientemente fuerte para mantenerte en pie, puedes extender tu mano”.
Esta canción me recuerda de la imagen de Jesús metiendo su mano en el agua para agarrar a Pedro y evitar que se hundiera. Todos tenemos el deseo de sentirnos vistos y escuchados. Queremos ser parte de algo más grande que nosotros mismos. Sin embargo, estos deseos, que son comunes en todas las culturas, parecen presentar un problema. El problema es que muchas veces tratamos de hacerlo todo por nuestra cuenta y nos damos cuenta de nuestra debilidad muy rápidamente. Pedro, que en el Evangelio de hoy fue elegido por Jesús como uno de los doce apóstoles, quería ser visto y escuchado. Quería ser parte de algo mucho más grande que él mismo y cuando confió en Jesús pudo hacer precisamente eso.
Cuando intentamos hacer cosas sobrenaturales por nuestro propio poder no nos va bien, pero cuando confiamos en Jesús, como dice la primera lectura, nos convertimos en miembros de “la familia de Dios”. Cuando eso sucede, podemos hacer cosas que nunca pensamos que serían posibles. Tomemos como ejemplo el concepto de ver. ¿Realmente vemos a alguien? Podemos ver su cuerpo, lo que hace para trabajar, cómo se viste o qué tipo de vehículo maneja. Pero ¿vemos alguna vez su personalidad? Dios es quien puede vernos tal como somos. Ve todo acerca de nosotros y nos ama a través de eso. Si así es como queremos ser vistos y cómo deberíamos ver a los demás, entonces necesitamos la gracia.
Pidamos la gracia hoy y siempre de ver a los demás como Dios los ve. Pidamos el poder necesario para cumplir la vocación específica que Dios ha planeado para nosotros. Pidamos el poder de amar verdaderamente a aquellos con quienes entramos en contacto y que la sociedad ha expulsado. Cuanto más pidamos esta gracia, más nos convertiremos en miembros de la familia de Dios y más veremos verdaderamente. Si esto suena aterrador, la primera lectura nos asegura que “Cristo Jesús [es] la piedra angular. Sobre Cristo, todo el edificio se va levantando bien estructurado”. Y permítanme recordarles las palabras que cité al principio: “Cuando no te sientas lo suficientemente fuerte para mantenerte en pie, puedes extender tu mano”.
De parte de todos nosotros aquí en Diocesan, ¡Dios los bendiga!
Tommy Shultz is a Business Development Representative for Diocesan. In this role he is committed to bringing the best software to dioceses and parishes while helping them evangelize on the digital continent. Tommy has worked in various diocese and parish roles since his graduation from Franciscan University with a Theology degree. He hopes to use his skills in evangelization, marketing, and communications, to serve the Church and bring the Good News to all. His favorite quote comes from St. John Paul II, who said, “A person is an entity of a sort to which the only proper and adequate way to relate is love.”
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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including Father Rob), and eleven grandchildren. She is President of the local community of Secular Discalced Carmelites and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 30 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE, and as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio. Currently, she serves the Church by writing and speaking, and by collaborating with various parishes and to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is 
David Dashiell is a freelance author and editor in the Nashville, Tennessee area. He has three children, a degree in theology, and enjoys writing about philosophy, theology, culture, music, and comedy. You can find his personal blog, Serious Daydreams, on 
Deacon Dan Schneider is a retired general manager of industrial distributors. He and his wife Vicki have been married for over 50 years. They are the parents of eight children and thirty-one 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.
Tami Urcia grew up in Western Michigan, a middle child in a large Catholic family. She spent early young adulthood as a missionary in Mexico, studying theology and philosophy, then worked and traveled extensively before finishing her Bachelor’s Degree in Western Kentucky. She loves tackling projects, finding fun ways to keep her little ones occupied, quiet conversation with the hubby and finding unique ways to love. She works full time at Diocesan, is a guest blogger on 
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 
Deanna G. Bartalini, M.Ed.; M.P.A., is a certified spiritual director, writer, speaker and content creator. The 
Mike Karpus is a regular guy. He grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, graduated from Michigan State University and works as an editor. He is married to a Catholic school principal, raised two daughters who became Catholic school teachers at points in their careers, and now relishes his two grandchildren, including the older one who is fascinated with learning about his faith. He also has served on a Catholic school board, a pastoral council and a parish stewardship committee. He currently is a lector at Mass, a Knight of Columbus, Adult Faith Formation Committee member and a board member of the local Habitat for Humanity organization. But mostly he’s a regular guy.
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