Look Into The Heart / Mirar Dentro del Corazón

“Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart.” Have you ever read this and wondered, ‘God, what about all of David’s sins around the adultery with Bathsheba even though he had so many wives already, the murder of her husband, neglect of his sons – one of whom would feel so betrayed that he would start a rebelion and civil war, only to name a few of the more serious and recorded ones?’ I have. I have also realized that seeing people, myself included, through a lens of success, regardless if it’s worldly or moral accomplishment, is one more way that humanity sees only the appearance of others. God, however, saw past this appearance of failure in David and claimed that this man was indeed a man after his own heart. 

Does this mean that David’s sins are not that important? David’s personal justification is between God and David. We have the witness in the Scriptures of David’s desire for reform, unity, and mercy and his sins as a warning. In other words, we have a witness that even if we fall hard in sin, God’s mercy is there if we humbly return. We cannot absolve the sins in our own lives any more than the blind man in the Gospel could heal himself so that he could see.

The Pharisees and towns folk could not believe that the man who was born blind was healed by Jesus or that he was even the same man at all. Many did not believe that the man who could now see was the same man that used to beg. They judged by a perceived appearance of moral failure displayed by the man’s blindness and made up their minds that God could not or would not heal any person like that. The chaos and frustration that followed the miracle of this blind man finally being able to see points to a deeper desire that God has for His children throughout all of salvation history – He wants us to see each individual as He sees their hearts. This is indicated by Jesus’s Response to the Pharisees. “Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, ‘Surely we are not also blind, are we?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.’” 

Even though we can do nothing on our own to find healing, it still has to start with us. We must admit we are blind and need to see. If we don’t, we will see God’s work as chaos, it will trip us up and we will not be able to believe or recognize the miracles around us. If we do not, then we will look a lot like the disbelieving Pharisees and neighbors of the man who could see clearly. May Jesus recreate our eyes to see as God sees, think more and more like Him, and act more and more like Him. God bless.

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“Yo no juzgo como juzga el hombre. El hombre se fija en las apariencias, pero el Señor se fija en los corazones”. Alguna vez has leido esto y preguntado, ‘Dios, que pasa con todos los pecados de David con su adultero con Bathsheba, a pesar de que ya tenía muchas esposas, el asesinato de su esposo, el abandono de sus hijos, uno de los cuales se sentiría tan traicionado que comenzaría una rebelión y una guerra civil, solo para nombrar algunos de los pecados más serios y registrados. También me he dado cuenta de que ver a las personas, incluyendo a mí mismo, a través de lentes del éxito, sin importar si se trata de un logro mundano o moral, es una forma más en que la humanidad ve solo la apariencia de los demás. Sin embargo, Dios vio más allá de esta apariencia de fracaso en David y afirmó que este hombre era de hecho un hombre conforme a su propio corazón.

¿Significa esto que los pecados de David no son tan importantes? La justificación personal de David es entre Dios y David. Tenemos el testimonio en las Escrituras del deseo de reforma, unidad y misericordia de David y sus pecados como una advertencia. En otras palabras, tenemos un testimonio de que incluso si caemos fuertemente en el pecado, la misericordia de Dios está allí si volvemos humildemente. No podemos absolver los pecados en nuestras propias vidas más de lo que el ciego del Evangelio podría curarse a sí mismo para poder ver.

Los fariseos y la gente de los pueblos no podían creer que el hombre que nació ciego fue sanado por Jesús o que era el mismo hombre. Muchos no creían que el hombre que ahora podía ver era el mismo hombre que antes mendigaba. Juzgaron por una apariencia percibida de fracaso moral mostrada por la ceguera del hombre y decidieron que Dios no podía o no sanaría a ninguna persona así. El caos y la frustración que siguieron al milagro de que este hombre ciego finalmente pudiera ver apunta a un deseo más profundo que Dios tiene para Sus hijos a lo largo de toda la historia de la salvación: Él quiere que veamos a cada individuo como Él ve sus corazones. Así lo indica la respuesta de Jesús a los fariseos. “Al oír esto, algunos fariseos que estaban con él le preguntaron: “¿Entonces también nosotros estamos ciegos?” Jesús les contestó: “Si estuvieran ciegos, no tendrían pecado; pero como dicen que ven, siguen en su pecado”.

Aunque no podemos hacer nada por nuestra cuenta para encontrar la curación, todavía tiene que empezar con nosotros. Debemos admitir que somos ciegos y necesitamos ver. Si no lo hacemos, veremos la obra de Dios como un caos, nos hará tropezar y no podremos creer ni reconocer los milagros que nos rodean. Si no lo hacemos, nos pareceremos mucho a los fariseos incrédulos y vecinos del hombre que podían ver claramente. Que Jesús renueva nuestros ojos para ver como Dios ve, pensar cada vez más como Él y actuar cada vez más como Él. Dios los bendiga.

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

Very Good / Muy Bueno

“God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.” This passage always warms my heart, but I have still often wondered why God would desire to become human. It is easy to look at the mountains, the rivers and lakes, the sandy beaches and see that it is very good. I often love to sit with a cup of coffee and watch the sun rise on these beautiful scenes and take it all in for a few moments. On the other hand, human beings have so many limitations and we are talented at twisting the perspectives of others and even ourselves in order to attempt to justify ourselves. If you doubt that, listen to Jesus’ words repeating the prophecy of Isaiah towards the Pharisees, and oftentimes – each of us.

“This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.” 

In my experience, there is one major struggle that anyone that has been trying to live out their faith for more than a few years experiences, the question of confidence in justification. Some examples of what this might look like are: fear of my past or repeated sins, anxiety about being perfect (this does not include those who struggle with mental health issues), trying to convince others that my perspective is the only perspective, my way to be Catholic is the only way to be Catholic. 

You see, the Pharisees were more concerned with the Messiah looking like them rather than looking like the Messiah. The difference is a simple one: am I willing to learn or do I assume I am the one to teach? In my experience, those who had a positive impact on my life were people who knew they were not performing for God but allowing themselves to be corrected, formed, and allowed God to fill in the gaps where they lacked. And in my experience, those who had a negative impact on me thought that their way was the correct one, that they knew the fullness of God’s will and His laws and were the ones who thought that they were my savior. 

I don’t think the main theme of today’s readings is about the Sabbath or how Jesus corrected the Pharisees. I think the message that the Holy Spirit wants to reveal is that what God made is to be very good because God is very good. The paradox is that the Law cannot make us good, but having the humility to listen to Jesus correct us where and when we need Him to, to have confidence in Him as the Gardener of our souls, not ourselves. In other words, do I see myself as the one in charge of my salvation or is it Jesus? Am I the student or the teacher? The disciples did as Jesus did, and the Pharisees became defensive because Jesus did not perform a practice they thought their salvation depended upon. In Matthew 19:26 Jesus speaks about earning heaven, “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Only God has the power to make even me very good. 

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“Vio Dios todo lo que había hecho y lo encontró muy bueno.” Este pasaje siempre conmueve mi corazón, pero todavía me he preguntado a menudo por qué Dios desearía hacerse hombre. Es fácil mirar las montañas, los ríos y los lagos, las playas de arena y ver que es muy bueno. A menudo me encanta sentarme con una taza de café y ver salir el sol en estas hermosas escenas y asimilarlo todo por unos momentos. Por otro lado, los seres humanos tenemos tantas limitaciones y tenemos el talento de torcer las perspectivas de los demás e incluso de nosotros mismos para tratar de justificarnos. Si lo dudas, escucha las palabras de Jesús repitiendo la profecía de Isaías hacia los fariseos y, muchas veces, hacia cada uno de nosotros.

“Este pueblo me honra con los labios, pero su corazón está lejos de mí. Es inútil el culto que me rinden, porque enseñan doctrinas que no son sino preceptos humanos.” 

En mi experiencia, hay una gran lucha que experimenta cualquier persona que ha estado tratando de vivir su fe por más de unos cuantos años, la cuestión de la confianza en la justificación. Algunos ejemplos de cómo podría verse esto son: miedo a mi pasado o pecados repetidos, ansiedad por ser perfecto (esto no incluye a aquellos que viven con problemas de salud mental), tratando de convencer a otros de que mi perspectiva es la única perspectiva, a mi manera de ser católico es la única manera de ser católico.

Los fariseos estaban más preocupados de que el Mesías se pareciera a ellos en lugar de que ellos se parecieran al Mesías. La diferencia es simple: ¿estoy dispuesto a aprender o tomo por hecho que soy yo quien debe enseñar? En mi experiencia, aquellos que tuvieron un impacto positivo en mi vida fueron personas que sabían que no estaban actuando para Dios sino que se dejaban corregir, formar y permitir que Dios llenara los vacíos que les faltaban. Y en mi experiencia, aquellos que me impactaron negativamente pensaron que su camino era el correcto, que conocían la plenitud de la voluntad de Dios y sus leyes y fueron los que pensaron que eran mi salvador.

No creo que el tema principal de las lecturas de hoy sea sobre el sábado o cómo Jesús corrigió a los fariseos. Creo que el mensaje que el Espíritu Santo quiere revelar es que lo que hizo Dios  debe ser muy bueno porque Dios es muy bueno. La paradoja es que la Ley no puede hacernos buenos, sino tener la humildad de escuchar a Jesús corregirnos donde y cuando lo necesitemos y tener confianza en Él como el Jardinero de nuestras almas, no en nosotros mismos. En otras palabras, ¿me veo a mí mismo como el encargado de mi salvación o es Jesús? ¿Soy el estudiante o el maestro? Los discípulos hicieron lo que hizo Jesús, y los fariseos se pusieron a la defensiva porque Jesús no realizó una práctica que pensaban que era importante para la salvación. En Mateo 19:26 Jesús habla acerca de ganarse el cielo: “Para el hombre esto es imposible, pero para Dios todo es posible”. Sólo Dios tiene el poder de hacerme muy bueno.

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

Having Heavenly Happy Hearts / Tener Corazones Celestiales Felices

Throughout my experience as a Catholic, I have heard that the Beatitudes were hard to understand. Honestly, I think we have made an attempt to make it overly complex to pat ourselves on the back. For example, we could focus on how Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Moses that He would send a prophet even greater than Moses rather than focus on what Jesus is actually saying. It is time to allow Jesus’s gift of His Holy Spirit to teach our souls as well as our minds. What do I mean by that? Simply to give space in our hearts for the Holy Spirit to teach us and give us greater freedom. Before we dive in, I would like to point out that the word ‘blessed’ means happy or joyful.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” When we give room in our hearts for greed, we start to justify ourselves and give ourselves license to sin. Jesus is saying, ‘happy are those who are free from the burden of having enough to feel secure because in the kingdom of heaven there is abundance.’

“Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.” There is the assurance that if we follow Jesus to the grave, we will follow Him to Resurrection. There is hope that we will hold our loved ones again.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.” Happy are those who have self-control over their own powers and allow the justice and mercy of God to be a Father to our brothers and sisters by correcting them and giving us good gifts in His timing when we have been wronged.

“Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” Jesus longs to satisfy our need to be grounded in truth, beauty, and goodness. It looks like a person who is at peace with themselves and others. It does not look like a person who stands in judgment and self-righteousness.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Often, we have a tendency to make excuses of why we are justified in still being hurt or bitter. It is a trap, and asking for and giving God’s mercy is the only way out.

“Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.” Jesus showed us that even on earth he could see God. Every Eucharist, we are given the opportunity to have a heart transplant, my heart for the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Our God rewards us as His little children when we fight with peace with God to co-create a world that is peaceful.

“Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” This is only possible with radical love and allowing Jesus to be our shield.

My hope is that we will not deceive our hearts but allow room for the Holy Spirit to help us clear out the clutter and make room to experience the kingdom of heaven and the joy of seeing the face of our God who loves us. 

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A lo largo de mi experiencia como católica, he escuchado que las Bienaventuranzas son difíciles de entender. Honestamente, creo que las hemos hecho más complicadas de lo que son para darnos palmaditas en la espalda. Por ejemplo, podríamos centrarnos en cómo Jesús es el cumplimiento de la promesa de Dios a Moisés de que enviaría un profeta aún más grande él en lugar de centrarnos en lo que Jesús realmente está diciendo. Es hora de permitir que el don de Jesús de Su Espíritu Santo enseñe nuestras almas y nuestras mentes. ¿Qué quiero decir con eso? Simplemente para dar espacio en nuestros corazones para que el Espíritu Santo nos enseñe y nos dé mayor libertad. Antes de sumergirnos, me gustaría señalar que la palabra “dichosos” significa felices o gozosos.

“Dichosos los pobres de espíritu, porque de ellos es el Reino de los cielos”. Cuando damos cabida en nuestro corazón a la avaricia, empezamos a justificarnos y a darnos licencia para pecar. Jesús está diciendo: ‘felices los que están libres de la carga de tener lo suficiente para sentirse seguros porque en el reino de los cielos hay abundancia.’

“Dichosos los que lloran, porque serán consolados.” Existe la seguridad de que si seguimos a Jesús hasta la tumba, lo seguiremos hasta la Resurrección. Hay esperanza de que volvamos a abrazar a nuestros seres queridos.

“Dichosos los sufridos, porque heredarán la tierra.”. Felices aquellos que tienen autodominio sobre sus propios poderes y permiten que la justicia y la misericordia de Dios sean un Padre para nuestros hermanos y hermanas, corrigiéndolos y dándonos buenos dones en el momento apropiado cuando hemos sido agraviados.

“Dichosos los que tienen hambre y sed de justicia, porque serán saciados”. Jesús anhela satisfacer nuestra necesidad de estar cimentados en la verdad, la belleza y la bondad. Parece una persona que está en paz consigo misma y con los demás. No se ve como una persona que se encuentra en juicio y justicia propia.

“Dichosos los misericordiosos, porque obtendrán misericordia.” A menudo, tenemos una tendencia a poner excusas de por qué estamos justificados para seguir estando heridos o amargados. Es una trampa, y pedir y dar la misericordia de Dios es la única salida.

“Dichosos los limpios de corazón, porque verán a Dios.” Jesús nos mostró que incluso en la tierra podemos ver a Dios. Cada Eucaristía, se nos da la oportunidad de tener un trasplante de corazón, mi corazón por el Sagrado Corazón de Jesús.

“Dichosos los que trabajan por la paz, porque se les llamará hijos de Dios.” Nuestro Dios nos recompensa como sus pequeños hijos cuando luchamos con paz con Dios para co-crear un mundo que sea pacífico.

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

Did You Fall For the Trap Too? / ¿También Caíste en la Trampa?

Jesus is so clever and sees so well into the hearts of his children. In the Gospel, Jesus poses a question: “A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ The son said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards he changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did his father’s will?” 

Jesus then claims that horrible sinners are entering the kingdom of heaven before them. I fell for the trap of thinking this was only a story about how Jesus trapped the religious leaders of his day. I even was able to say to myself, “Well the morally best decision these sons should have made would have been to say yes and follow through on their word.” Looking back, I am a little shocked by how oblivious I was to what Jesus was actually trying to communicate, but spiritual wisdom flows when we accept ourselves and life as it is rather than convincing ourselves of the false reality our wishful thinking portrays. 

I think the question we need to ask ourselves is, why would the Judge claim that horrible sinners would be entering heaven before the religious-minded people? A great follow-up question is: What is my mindset, and what is my genuine response to my Father’s will? My current theory on what Jesus is saying with this parable is that there are two types of sins that can trip us up – sins of the flesh and sins of the soul. What does that mean? Sins of the flesh are those that misuse or inordinately pursue ‘base’ or physical pleasures. Think of the pleasure of eating a delicious pie, but a bit too much of it even though you know you shouldn’t. Sins of the mind/soul are those sins that are a little less obvious. Sins such as pride, malice, jealousy, and gossip that often go undetected. In Jesus’ audience, he saw past the facade of religiosity and saw the reluctance to repent in those who held on tightly to their subtle sins. 

Now, let’s get to the real difference between these two types of sin. All sin darkens and corrupts the human person, but sins of the mind/soul will prevent us from wanting the good of someone else. How can I gossip or think myself better than someone else and still treat them with kindness? Do we extend to others the pardon that we give ourselves by ignoring or justifying our own sins? We hear plainly what the will of God is in John chapter 6, verse 40, “This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.” The parable today is meant for us, we know what the will of our Father is. What is our response? Do we say no, but repent (change our minds) and show the face of Jesus so that others may have eternal life in our circles of influence? Or do we say, “yes, sir”, out of religious duty but then fail to act on it? The choice is ours. 

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Jesús es tan inteligente y ve tan bien los corazones de sus hijos. En el Evangelio, Jesús plantea una pregunta: “Un hombre que tenía dos hijos fue a ver al primero y le ordenó: ‘Hijo, ve a trabajar hoy en la viña’. Él le contestó: ‘Ya voy, señor’, pero no fue. El padre se dirigió al segundo y le dijo lo mismo. Éste le respondió: ‘No quiero ir’, pero se arrepintió y fue. ¿Cuál de los dos hizo la voluntad del padre?” 

Jesús luego afirma que los pecadores horribles están entrando en el reino de los cielos antes que ellos. Caí en la trampa de pensar que esto era solo una historia sobre cómo Jesús atrapó a los líderes religiosos de su época. Incluso pude decirme a mí mismo: “Bueno, la mejor decisión moral que estos hijos deberían haber tomado habría sido decir que sí y cumplir su palabra”. Mirando hacia atrás, estoy un poco sorprendido por lo ajeno que estaba a lo que Jesús realmente estaba tratando de comunicar, pero la sabiduría espiritual fluye cuando nos aceptamos a nosotros mismos y a la vida tal como es, en lugar de convencernos de la falsa realidad que representan nuestras ilusiones.

Creo que la pregunta que debemos hacernos es, ¿por qué el juez afirmaría que los pecadores horribles entrarían al cielo antes que las personas de mentalidad religiosa? Una gran pregunta de seguimiento es: ¿Cuál es mi mentalidad y cuál es mi respuesta genuina a la voluntad de mi Padre? Mi teoría actual sobre lo que Jesús está diciendo con esta parábola es que hay dos tipos de pecados que pueden hacernos tropezar: los pecados de la carne y los pecados del alma. ¿Qué significa eso? Los pecados de la carne son aquellos que abusan o persiguen desmesuradamente los placeres físicos o “básicos”. Piensa en el placer de comer un pastel delicioso, pero luego comes de más aunque sepas que no debes hacerlo. Los pecados de la mente/alma son aquellos pecados que son un poco menos obvios. Pecados como el orgullo, la malicia, los celos y el chisme que muchas veces pasan desapercibidos. En la audiencia de Jesús, vio más allá de la fachada de la religiosidad y vio la renuencia a arrepentirse en aquellos que se aferraban con fuerza a sus pecados sutiles.

Ahora, veamos la verdadera diferencia entre estos dos tipos de pecado. Todo pecado oscurece y corrompe a la persona humana, pero los pecados de la mente/alma nos impedirán desear el bien de los demás. ¿Cómo puedo chismear o pensar que soy mejor que otra persona y aun así tratarla con amabilidad? ¿Extendemos a los demás el perdón que nos damos a nosotros mismos ignorando o justificando nuestros propios pecados? Oímos claramente cuál es la voluntad de Dios en Juan capítulo 6, versículo 40: “Esta es la voluntad de mi Padre, que todos los que ven al Hijo y creen en él, tengan vida eterna; y yo los resucitaré en el último día.” La parábola de hoy es para nosotros, sabemos cuál es la voluntad de nuestro Padre. ¿Cuál es nuestra respuesta? ¿Decimos que no, pero nos arrepentimos (cambiamos de opinión) y mostramos el rostro de Jesús para que otros tengan vida eterna en nuestros círculos de influencia? ¿O decimos, “sí, señor”, por deber religioso pero luego no actuamos de acuerdo a ese “sí”? La decisión es nuestra.

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

Mercy, Not Sacrifice / La Misericordia, No el Sacrificio

***Introducing a brand new, BILINGUAL Inspiration Daily! ¡Bienvenidos al nuevo Inspiración Diario BILINGUE!***

I have noticed in my time in ministry and as I have been trying to follow Jesus for a while now, that there is a trap laid before the feet of a weathered Christian. When I was younger, I misunderstood this trap. I thought that people used religion as a weapon in order to establish a culture they were comfortable with. Now, I understand a bit more, especially now that I have dealt with these temptations from time to time.

Jesus proclaims to us today, “Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” After working for years with Jesus to put an end to sin in my life and live a full one, I have begun to experience the temptation of self-righteousness. I feel that I struggle the most with this temptation when my outlook is focused on accomplishments in the spiritual life. It is my experience that my temptation to self-righteousness is rooted in self-reliance. As I have grown, I have taken more pride in being able to provide for my family, and in my accomplishments and goals. 

In other words, my desire for a good life seeps into my view of my spiritual life. By doing this, I sacrifice my mindset that life and every good thing in it is a gift. I forget that my ability to not sin is a gift. It is in my forgetfulness and my desire to protect the ideals I have set for myself that I give myself the freedom to judge, set standards for other people that I do not know, and burn myself out striving for the gift of Heaven which is impossible for a human to earn. Jesus said in Luke 18:27 “What is impossible for man is possible for God.” Jesus tells us in the Gospel acclamation, “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” His invitation to us today is to stop striving to earn heaven, but receive it as a gift from the Father who loves us enough to send His only Son to die for me and you.

Look at how the Pharisees treated those Jesus was trying to heal. They were rude and looked at the tax collectors and prostitutes as if they were insignificant and dirty. Their defensive attitudes of trying to establish themselves as important in God’s eyes brought them to an attitude of judgment and cruel words. I find that it is when I overextend the standards that I have set for myself to others, and compare others to that standard, that I act like a Pharisee. It is my prayer for myself and you that we can seek the living mercy of Jesus and not what makes us feel secure. I would like to challenge you, to reflect and allow the Holy Spirit to gently open your eyes to those who you treat as the Pharisees did the tax collectors and prostitutes and ask for mercy. If you are on the flip side of this and feel that there are many in the Church who judge you, my challenge for you is to lock eyes with Jesus and let Him heal you. Know that it is fear that holds us back from love, but fear will not hold Jesus back from loving you. May Jesus bless us all with clean hearts.

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Me he dado cuenta durante mi tiempo en el ministerio y como he estado tratando de seguir a Jesús por un tiempo, que hay una trampa puesta ante los pies de un cristiano con experiencia. Cuando era más joven, entendí mal esta trampa. Pensé que la gente usaba la religión como un arma para establecer una cultura de comodidad. Ahora entiendo un poco más, especialmente ahora que he lidiado con estas tentaciones de vez en cuando.

Jesús nos proclama hoy: “Id y aprended el significado de las palabras quiero la misericordia, no el sacrificio. No he venido a llamar a justos sino a pecadores”. Después de trabajar con Jesús durante años para poner fin al pecado en mi vida y vivir una vida plena, he comenzado a experimentar la tentación de la justicia propia. Siento que batallo más con esta tentación cuando mi perspectiva se enfoca en los logros en la vida espiritual. Según mi experiencia, mi tentación de fariseísmo tiene sus raíces en la autosuficiencia. A medida que crecía, me enorgullecía más de poder mantener a mi familia y de mis logros y metas.

En otras palabras, mi deseo de una buena vida se filtra en mi visión de mi vida espiritual. Al hacer esto, sacrifico mi mentalidad de que la vida y todo lo bueno que hay en ella es un regalo. Me olvidababa que mi capacidad de no pecar es un regalo. Es en mi olvido y en mi deseo de proteger los ideales que me he fijado que me doy la libertad de juzgar, establecer estándares para otras personas que no conozco y quemarme luchando por el don del Cielo que es imposible que un ser humano gane. Jesús dijo en Lucas 18:27 “Lo que es imposible para el hombre es posible para Dios”. Jesús nos dice en la aclamación del Evangelio: “Venid a mí todos los que estáis trabajados y cargados, y yo os haré descansar”. Su invitación para nosotros hoy es dejar de esforzarnos por ganar el cielo, y recibirlo como un regalo del Padre que nos ama lo suficiente como para enviar a Su único Hijo a morir por mí y por ti.

Mire cómo los fariseos trataban a aquellos que Jesús estaba tratando de sanar. Eran groseros y miraban a los recaudadores de impuestos y prostitutas como si fueran insignificantes y sucios. Sus actitudes defensivas de tratar de establecerse como importantes a los ojos de Dios los llevó a una actitud de juicio y palabras crueles. Me doy cuenta de que es cuando extiendo demasiado las normas que me he fijado a los demás, y comparo a otros con esa norma, que actúo como un fariseo. Es mi oración por mí y por ti que podamos buscar la misericordia viva de Jesús y no lo que nos hace sentir seguros. Me gustaría desafiarte, reflexionar y permitir que el Espíritu Santo te abra suavemente los ojos a aquellos a quienes tratas como los fariseos hacían con los recaudadores de impuestos y las prostitutas y pedir misericordia. Si estás en el otro lado de esto y sientes que hay muchos en la Iglesia que te juzgan, mi desafío para ti es mirar a los ojos a Jesús y dejar que Él te sane. Debes saber que es el miedo lo que nos impide amar, pero el miedo no impedirá que Jesús te ame. Que Jesús nos bendiga a todos con corazones limpios.

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

The Face of the Father

Before Jesus offered Himself to be a sacrifice, He spent time emphasizing with his last teachings what He really wanted us to remember. Anyone who has experienced what it is like to hand responsibility to others, especially children, knows that the last thing you say is the thing you really want them to remember. Since we are Jesus’ beloved, we should hang onto every word He says both in this moment that Jesus is giving us His ‘last will and testament’ and how that connects to the rest of what He has said.

Jesus began his discourse addressing Thomas, the Apostle who would later not believe what Jesus said about having to die and resurrect, did not believe that the other apostles saw Jesus alive, and who made the profession of faith, “My Lord and my God!” “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father.” If you know  me… this is the struggle that all of us face. Phillip, like us, can go through a good chunk of life missing the point or realizing that Jesus is trying to gently prepare us for the trial of life ahead of us. He asks Jesus to show the Father to them and then they will be satisfied. But this is what Jesus was asking of them to pray in the prayer, Our Father… We have to know Jesus, what He desires for us, for our neighbor, our enemy, and for our world in order to pray well “let your kingdom come, your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven.” 

This is the point of faith that we find that having knowledge of the mysteries of heaven means nothing if I do not know what my Father desires. In other words, if I do not see the end goal of what heaven looks like on earth, but I can articulate the mystery of the Eucharist or the Trinity, I have nothing. Jesus goes on to promise that we will do the same works as Jesus “and even greater ones than these”. What that looks like requires the maturing of our minds and souls as we grow to know what heaven looks like and how our Father desires to make that a greater reality. 

I am not living in some fantasy. I see the sins in our culture. I see the disorder, hatred, lust, and self justification that happens. I see the sin in our world… and in our Church. I have seen my own sin and desire to justify myself or go to confession to make myself feel better. I have experienced what it feels like to have prayed in the name of Jesus and felt God’s restraint. I have felt the effects of that, and it hurts. I can still say that I believe that I am not abandoned, and neither are you. Pentecost is coming. Even when we experience what Jesus experienced and can cry out from the heart, “my God, my God! Why have you abandoned me?” Resurrection power is just around the corner. Even when it seems like God is crushing us, He will revive us with greater understanding and strength. 

May Jesus roll away the stone of our hearts, and pour into us His resurrection power that we may see and know His face, the face of our Father who loves us through the ugly tears and into new life.

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

The Key to Forgiveness

“…for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame. And now we follow you with our whole heart…”

It is never easy speaking about forgiveness when you are aware that there are many truly awful sins in the world that have left us broken. Jesus can often make us feel uncomfortable about how easy he makes forgiveness sound. I believe the passage above in the First Reading can be a key to unlocking the mysteries of mercy in the Scriptures today. Because He loved me first, I can now love. Because He poured out His mercy upon me, I can now give mercy. In the First Reading, we hear about the pain of Israel. We hear how they have been stripped of everything, even their rituals for worship. All they had left was their hearts which needed a reset with their relationship with God. It seems to me that there is a common misconception in our Church culture that a person cannot approach God till they have dealt with their sin. True we need to repent, however, it has been my experience that if we expect that we will be able to do this before we can approach God, we will fail and cause a lot of harm along the way. 

Peter asks Jesus an interesting question in the Gospel today, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” After hearing this question all my life, I have often laughed at Peter. But as I have gotten older, I have become more aware of my own continuous need for forgiveness and aware of the pain others have caused me. I have a better understanding of why Peter thought he was being gratuitous by offering forgiveness seven times. Depending on who and how they hurt me, it can be overwhelming to forgive someone even once.

A few years ago, I was struggling to forgive someone. It seemed that every time I was able to let go and offer my pain to Jesus, this person would hurt me again. I took this constant cycle to Jesus in prayer and I remember Jesus asking me, ‘do you want me to give mercy or justice to this person?’ I remember wanting to cry out for justice. But I remembered this parable and Jesus saying, “as you forgive, you will be forgiven.” I started to trust that Jesus would help this person and it was not up to me to exact justice, no matter how satisfying it might have sounded. I needed to trust that Jesus would show mercy to me for all the people that I had hurt, especially those I did not realize I had hurt. I needed to trust that Jesus could and would make a difference in this person’s life and that difference would be far more productive than my own.

I think the key to forgiveness is this: by being in a relationship with Jesus we can learn to trust Him. We begin to see the change that His love does to us. We are then free to give Jesus the space to handle the person that hurt us because we know that real change can happen in that person, just as real change happened in us. More importantly, our minds will be freed from obsessing about what we would say if given the chance to show the person how wrong they are and the injustice of their words and actions. 

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

Our Crosses and How We Carry Them

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

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

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

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

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

and take up his cross daily and follow me.

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,

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

What profit is there for one to gain the whole world

yet lose or forfeit himself?”

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

Healing in His Wings

“Do not be afraid; just have faith.” Where in your life is Jesus speaking that to you? With this freedom from fear, let’s take a look at today’s readings. The main theme today is feeling a parent’s heartbreak over their child. Regardless of where you personally stand in that scenario, parent or child, these stories are relevant to us all. We have the opportunity to open our hearts and see our lives reflected in these stories. But before we continue, I think it is important to address why we might put ourselves in them. In the book of Revelations, we hear that “the Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy” (Rev 19:10).  What does that mean for you and me? In short, this testimony of what Jesus did in their lives breathes prophetic truth into our lives, into my life. In fact, that is why our Scriptures are, “alive and active” (Hebrews 4:12) as the Holy Spirit connects our lives to the story of salvation, God stirs faith in our hearts that He can do in my life what He did then. I encourage you to read on with the simple truth that Jesus loved these people, healed these people, and this is their testimony. He did it for them, so He can do it for you and me. 

The First Reading is the end of a tragic story in the later years of David. We know this because of two main reasons: his son is old enough to have started a revolt against him, and his army has asked him not to fight. This part of the story has always brought me to tears. Every time that I read, “He said as he wept, “My son Absalom!  My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!” I hear the heart cry of my heavenly Father over me for the times I chose fear, sin, and rebellion. 

The Gospel opens with a man begging Jesus to heal his daughter and shortly after, we hear that his daughter is not just sick but dead. This makes healing problematic, it’s one thing to heal disease, but another to bring someone back from the dead. But how does Jesus respond, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” A woman who had suffered for twelve years with hemorrhages came onto the scene. But she should not have. Her culture, and in fact her religion, forbid her from being near or making contact with healthy people since she was bleeding and that made her unclean, it made her isolated. Yet she had the courage to say, “if I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” She had that faith even after twelve years of isolation and suffering. She wasn’t just cured and remained hidden from Jesus, she was recognized and known. She was publicly brought back into the community and called ‘daughter’ by God.

But do not worry, Jesus did not say, ‘I used my one miracle for today, that’s all you people get.’ He traveled on to Jairus’s house, the man whose daughter had just died. We get to see a stark contrast between the woman who was named daughter and the family that ridicules Jesus. But He did not give up but rather sent them away. They lost their chance to witness the girl being brought back to life. It makes me wonder, how many times have I been filled with doubt and was not allowed to witness a miracle happen in my life.

I want to leave you with one last thought on these readings: God shows that He knows and walks with us in our pain and He wants to bless us. He wants to reaffirm that we are His children, even when we rebel, even when we are the outcast. May Jesus bless you!

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

It Is All About Relationship

Today is a very special day for me. It is my wife and my anniversary! We have been married for two years and her companionship has made the struggles of the past two years joyful. In Scripture, there are many references to the reality that if you cannot love those in front of you whom you can see, how can you claim to know and love God. The inverse of that is true as well, when we show kindness, mercy, and love we reveal what God has first shown us. It is through this lens that I wish to share with you my reflections on today’s readings. 

In our First Reading today, we see the critical moment of Hanna’s fidelity to God when she is accused of being a drunkard in her misery. Her response reveals that she does not take offense to these harsh words. Let’s stop for a moment and think about this; she was misunderstood and treated roughly when she was at her lowest low, crying before God. If this were you, crying and praying your heart out and a priest, a friend, or another Christian came up to you and accused you of being a drunk, what would your response be? Hanna’s response was one of security, she did not start fighting with Eli the priest and judge but rather explained herself and asked him to pray with her. This carries weight in my eyes because in the midst of her suffering she was courageous enough to be vulnerable with God and let God comfort her and that reality is shown by her vulnerability with the priest even after his roughness. Her relationship with God is shown through her response to Eli. But the story does not stop there, God remembers Hanna’s prayer. This word is used in describing how the Passover was supposed to be done as well as our Mass. “Remember” is used to enter back into the reality of the experience and relive it. God, from that partnership, answered her prayer for a child.

The Gospel reading reveals an interesting truth, it takes more than acknowledging that Jesus is God to be saved. The demon in the man cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” It acknowledges Jesus as the Holy One of God but in fear and hatred. Jesus then gives freedom to that man who was possessed by the demon. But it was not just freedom for freedom’s sake. It was freedom to be able to say with love and familiarity, ‘My Lord and my God, I am loved by you, you see me and know my suffering.’ In other words, we cannot sit back and say Jesus is God, Jesus needs to be my Lord. The relationship needs to be personal. If you doubt this, look back at the Psalm. The Church has us repeat, “My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.” That is a deeply personal proclamation that reveals the love in our hearts in response to God’s liberating love. If you are reading this, there is already a drive to grow closer to God. But I want to encourage you to dive even deeper into Jesus’ love for you. Be encouraged by these two witnesses of God’s love today and do not hold back from what he has in store for you!

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

Praising With All the Saints

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.” Mt:28

Happy Solemnity of All Saints! In my opinion, this is one of the most complicated celebrations that we as a church celebrate. I say this because we celebrate and remember our loved ones and the unknown saints who have gone before us that are worshiping and praising our beautiful God in heaven. They are experiencing and participating in the full force of looking upon God’s face and praising him. They are participating in the heavenly song, “Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb… Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” -Rev 7. 

Yet… we are left here, longing to see our loved ones and God’s face. We are left here to deal with the burdens of daily life. This celebration takes on a sad note when you have lost someone you love. Though we believe we have access to God and all of heaven even on this side of death through our identity as God’s children who are not abandoned, however we can still feel the sting of loss and sorrow. This solemnity reminds us that we are still blessed even when we are mourning the loss of our loved ones because heaven is still open to us and there is still hope. We still have the freedom of salvation from death even though we might still feel a sense of loss. 

The pain of loss is sharp in my life and I speak from experience about the odd paradox of being blessed even while I mourn. I can feel the joy of connecting with the holy ones while I praise my God. I know that I am joining the heavenly songs and joining in one voice with all the saints and angels as tears of joy and sadness stream down my face as we cry out, ‘You are worthy of it all!’ This celebration of All Saints is a word of hope that the power of Jesus has not been overcome by our daily struggles and losses. We know this as we look at the powerful testimony of even the unknown saints and the holy innocents. Their testimony is that God’s love has invaded even the secret places, even the quiet little one who could not merit anything for themselves. 

We are celebrating today the reality of the power of the resurrection that has conquered death. Jesus’ promise that he will give us rest from our labor and burdens is not just fulfilled when we die but from death and its effects in our lives. In other words, death does not have to scare us nor does the pain of loss need to be permanent. We can still connect with our loved ones on this side of death when we enter God’s presence and will rejoin them at the end of our lives. My hope for all of us, is that we are encouraged to press on in faith that God is good and worthy of all praise even through the trials by the witness of all the saints. May Jesus bless you.

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