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Let It Go

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Oh, how I’ve been struggling with today’s readings. They appear straightforward, telling us to kneel before God, giving praise and rejoicing, as well as rejoicing among the angels for what was lost (either coin or sheep or sinner) that has been found. Excellent news, right?

Yet in the lines preceding this excellent news, St. Paul is quite blunt. Paul asks why we judge or look down on our brothers and sisters, as each of us will be judged by God. Startled, I went back through the reading several times. What kept popping up in my mind’s eye was my own family and friendships. How many times have I judged or looked down on my family and friends? How many times have I let my own pride come into any given situation and then passed judgment on those who have meant the most to me?

As I continued to reflect on this, I read the Gospel. Here, Jesus addresses the Pharisees and scribes who were also judging, saying (can’t you just hear the disdain of their voices in your head), “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Wait a minute, isn’t this kind of a similar situation as with the older brother from the prodigal son parable? Didn’t the brother’s pride and judgment keep him from seeing the bigger picture about his brother’s return home, which was the whole reason the father killed the fatted calf? Wasn’t the brother lost and then found? The father forgives and rejoices at his youngest son’s return but the brother does not because of the way his little brother treated Dad and the gifts little bro was given.

Herein lies my problem. I’m both the big brother (ok, big sister) and the Pharisees. I have judged and withheld compassion and forgiveness from my family and friends. This is really hitting me hard as plans are being made for Thanksgiving and other upcoming holidays. I continue to forget that forgiveness is a two-way street; God forgives me (unconditionally), and I must also forgive those in my life. If I hold onto my judgments and the injury, I will not be able to move forward and rejoice over what was lost. Healing can’t happen if we don’t let go. Think of it as cleaning a wound. A wound will fester and decay if the infection isn’t removed. If left untreated, an injury or wound can kill us.

I hear the nay-sayers now, exclaiming, “Overreaction!” Think about it, though, timely intervention can save lives, both medically and spiritually. For spiritual healing, I need to bring my righteous judgment, indignation, and hurts to God, my Father, in confession. I have to keep in perspective that my family or friends may have no idea how I feel about the many situations that have been poisoning me for any given period of time. They may not even know that they have hurt me.

With this in mind, I need to ask for sincere healing before I go to receive Eucharist. “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and I shall be healed.” These are powerful words, especially in light of the fact that I will never know when this day will be my last day. Honestly, I don’t want to be carrying this kind of baggage with me throughout my daily life, let alone into my eternal life.

I can hear a couple of my kids right now saying, “Don’t be so dramatic Mom.” While the other is saying, “Mom, promise you won’t die soon!” And I have to laugh because I am rejoicing that I have found the lost coin after sweeping my house. I have to remember to keep sweeping so as to uncover those things in my life that I am allowing to poison me and let them go.

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Beth 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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All Souls Day

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Today is the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, which is not a day of obligation. The day (and for many parishes the whole month of November) is a time when we pray for All Souls. We pray for all those who have died in our families, communities, and throughout the world.   

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says,  “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” (#1030).
“The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire.

As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence, we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come” (CCC, #1031). 

This is why we pray for the souls in purgatory; they have not yet come into the glory of heaven. Our prayers can help these souls on their journey. I actually have my own practice of praying for these souls. Many years ago I began to pray a Hail Mary each time I would see a dead animal on the side of the road. I pray for those who have no one to pray for them and for all the innocent lives lost throughout time.

Each year, the several churches I’ve worked at would ask parishioners for handwritten lists of family and friends who have died. These pages are then put in a binder and placed by the paschal candle, which is lit for all the Masses in November. They are also mentioned in our prayers of the faithful throughout the month. It is a heartfelt offering for the souls who cannot pray for themselves.  

We see these days overlap with the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) as they honor the lives of family members with a two-day celebration that coincides with All Saints and All Souls days. 

As we reflect on the lives and deaths of our loved ones, please pray with me a beautiful prayer from Catholic Relief Services for all the faithful departed in purgatory.

All Souls Day Prayer
Merciful Father,
On this day, we are called to remember those who have died,
Particularly those who have died in the past year,
And pray for their joyful reunion with you, their loving creator.
As your son taught us to call the stranger
neighbor, our fallen are many—
Names we will never know,
Voices we have never heard,
In lands we may never visit,
Yet brothers and sisters all.
And so we pray.
For victims of war, caught in the crossfires of
conflicts we could not quell,
for soldiers and civilians,
adults and children, we pray …
Grant eternal rest, O Lord.
For those migrants who have died seeking a
haven where they hoped to find safety
and opportunity for themselves and for their families, we pray …
Grant eternal rest, O Lord.
For victims of hunger, denied their share in the
bounty you have placed before us, we pray …
Grant eternal rest, O Lord.
For victims of AIDS, Malaria, Ebola, and other infectious diseases, who died before adequate care could reach them, we pray
Grant eternal rest, O Lord.
For those refugees seeking asylum from war,
who died in a land that was not their home, we pray …
Grant eternal rest, O Lord.
For victims of emergencies and calamities everywhere,
who died amid chaos and confusion, we pray …
Grant eternal rest, O Lord.
Lord, as you command, we reach out to the fallen.
We call on you on behalf of those we could not reach this year.
You raised your son from the dead
that all may share in his joyful resurrection.
In Jesus’ name, we pray …
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
Et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Requiescant in pace. Amen

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Beth 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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Faith and Greed

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It is the feast day of St. Gaspar de Bufalo. He had an unwavering faith, much like that of Abraham in the first reading. If you are like me and not familiar with this “little man”, he is credited with the devotion to the Precious Blood of Christ and a missionary order. Like Abraham in today’s first reading, Gaspar’s faithfulness was definitely “credited to him as righteousness.”

In today’s gospel, Jesus firmly rebukes the crowd against all greed. One of the seven deadly sins, greed, is a cornerstone of idolatry, taking us away from the love and worship of God, which is clearly stated in the first commandment. Yet I cannot truthfully say that this is something that I bring to confession.

Fr. Wade Menezes, CPM wrote the following to help expand on this concept of harm to oneself.

“Let’s comb through the Church’s traditional list: for the capital sin or vice of pride, the opposite corresponding virtue is humility. For avarice (or greed), generosity. For lust, chastity. For anger, meekness. For gluttony, temperance. For envy, brotherly love. And for the vice of sloth (or acedia), there is the virtue of diligence.

But each of the seven capital sins also has an opposite “extreme” which also acts contrary to the corresponding virtue. For pride, the opposite extreme is self-loathing; for avarice (or greed), it’s wastefulness; for lust, it’s prudishness; for anger, it’s servility; for gluttony it’s deficiency; for envy its pusillanimity (i.e., cowardice or timidity); and for sloth (or acedia), it’s workaholism.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (cf. 1866) rightly identifies the seven capital sins as sins that engender other sins and vices. In general, vices can be classified according to the virtues they oppose, and the capital sins and each one’s opposite corresponding virtue are a primary example of this truth.”

Yikes! By my ignorance, I continue to perpetuate and cause more sin! I need to examine my actions and conscience to be much more attentive to the sins I’ve perpetuated in so many ways. I go to communion to nourish myself on the journey, yet am I truly aware of the deeper meanings of Eucharist and the sacrifice that Jesus made for us? I cannot speak to this with more authority than did Henri Nouwen. He wrote:

“Celebrating the Eucharist requires that we stand in this world, accepting our co-responsibility for the evil that surrounds and pervades us. As long as we remain stuck in our complaints about the terrible times in which we live and the terrible situations we have to bear and the terrible fate we have to suffer, we can never come to contrition. And contrition can grow only out of a contrite heart. When our losses are pure fate, our gains are pure luck! Fate does not lead to contrition, nor luck to gratitude.

Indeed, the conflicts in our personal lives, as well as the conflicts on regional, national, or world scales, are our conflicts, and only by claiming responsibility for them can we move beyond them—choosing a life of forgiveness, peace, and love.”

The more frequently I receive the sacraments of reconciliation and Eucharist, the greater the need for conversion in my life. I must boldly make a choice to live out my Catholic faith in all aspects. I must act as a light in this world.

St. Francis of Assisi said, “We have been called to heal wounds, to unite what has fallen apart, and to bring home those who have lost their way.” What is your faith calling you to do?

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Beth 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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If Today You Hear His Voice, Harden Not Your Hearts

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The readings today are clear. We must pay attention to the words of our Lord God. We must listen to Jesus, His Son.  

Today is also the memorial of St. Francis of Assisi. As a young man, Francis enjoyed the pleasures of this world and did not hear the voice of God. He did not see God reflected in the image of his fellow man. Francis was about 19 when he went to war, was captured and imprisoned for a year. He was ill when released from prison and bedridden for another year. While convalescing, he read about the lives of the saints. Francis shares several characteristics with many of the saints. 

After his recovery, Francis had many experiences in which he heard God’s voice. He saw God in a leper, and instead of passing, got off his horse and embraced the man with leprosy. He heard the voice of God while praying in a broken-down church, San Damiano. While before the crucifix, Francis heard God telling him, “Rebuild my church.” He went on to do so both literally and figuratively.

I believe a similar message is being spoken to us, right now, in our time. I, too, have been deaf and blind to His voice and presence. I have hardened my heart to the pain and suffering in my personal family as well as in my brothers and sisters around the world bonded through our shared humanity. I have a deep appreciation for creation, yet am I actively working to live in harmony with all other living beings and take care of our shared planetary home?

Please pray with me so that we too, can hear His voice and soften our hearts.

O most High, almighty, good Lord God, to you belong praise, glory, honor, and all blessing!

Praised be my Lord God with all creatures; and especially our brother the sun, which brings us the day, and the light; fair is he, and shining with a very great splendor: O Lord, he signifies you to us!

Praised be my Lord for our sister the moon, and for the stars, which God has set clear and lovely in heaven.

Praised be my Lord for our brother the wind, and for air and cloud, calms and all weather, by which you uphold in life all creatures.

Praised be my Lord for our sister water, which is very serviceable to us, and humble, and precious, and clean.

Praised be my Lord for brother fire, through which you give us light in the darkness: and he is bright, and pleasant, and very mighty,
and strong.

Praised be my Lord for our mother the Earth, which sustains us and keeps us, and yields diverse fruits, and flowers of many colors, and grass.

Praised be my Lord for all those who pardon one another for God’s love’s sake, and who endure weakness and tribulation; blessed are they who peaceably shall endure, for you, O most High, shall give them a crown!

Praised be my Lord for our sister, the death of the body, from which no one escapes. Woe to him who dies in mortal sin! Blessed are they who are found walking by your most holy will, for the second death shall have no power to do them harm.

Praise you, and bless you the Lord, and give thanks to God, and serve God with great humility.

(St. Francis, 1182-1226)

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Beth 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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Labor Day

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Today is the 125th time the United States of America celebrates this national holiday. “Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country” (US Department of Labor). 

How different was the nation when this celebration was instituted then it is today? Is it possible that many have lost an understanding of solidarity? 

As I was praying and reflecting for this blog, the following quotes stayed with me. Find one to take into your personal prayer and actions. By doing so, you renew your call to solidarity with all workers of our country and those who are in search of meaningful labor. You will embody what Jesus read to the people of Nazareth in today’s reading: 

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. 

May your labors be fruitful. Shalom.

Pope Francis 

“The many situations of inequality, poverty and injustice, are signs not only of a profound lack of fraternity, but also of the absence of a culture of solidarity. New ideologies, characterized by rampant individualism, egocentrism and materialistic consumerism, weaken social bonds, fuelling that ‘throw away’ mentality which leads to contempt for, and the abandonment of, the weakest and those considered ‘useless’. In this way human coexistence increasingly tends to resemble a mere do ut des which is both pragmatic and selfish.” 

UK Catholic Social Teaching

“Solidarity is about valuing our fellow human beings and respecting who they are as individuals.” 

Theodore Roosevelt

“It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things.” 

Martin Luther King, Jr.

“No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”  

Albert Einstein

“A hundred times every day, I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.”  

Confucius

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” 

Pope John Paul II,  ‘On Social Concern’ (1987) 

“We are all one family in the world. Building a community that empowers everyone to attain their full potential through each of us respecting each other’s dignity, rights and responsibilities makes the world a better place to live.” 

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Beth 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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Do Not Deal Unfairly

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I admit it. I did not want to write today’s blog. It chose me. In 1985, this was a day of jubilee. I married the man I loved. Our family and friends gathered, and we celebrated life and new beginnings. The date holds a bittersweet place for me in 2019, as an un-niversary. It is a poignant, very personal reminder that there are some people who do not deal fairly with their fellow man.

The passage today from Leviticus speaks about a year of jubilee. ‘Jubilee’ is from the Hebrew word jobel which means ‘rams horn’, which is blown as a trumpet to signal the beginning of the jubilee year to proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. In regards to liberty, the text mentions several times, “do not deal unfairly” with your neighbor.

Our Catholic faith makes it quite clear. We are called to, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (John 13:34). The Catechism of the Catholic Church is very eloquent in its explanations of how ‘dealing unfairly’ applies to the Ten Commandments and our morality. When someone is dealt with unfairly or unjustly, it is an act that takes us away from love, which can lead us so easily into sin. It chips away at our own love of God. As when a snowball starts to form, something very small and seemingly harmless can grow into a very significant life-threatening event (picture an avalanche).

The path to being a good Catholic Christian is not easy. C.S. Lewis wrote this in his essay, ‘Mere Christianity,’ “If you are thinking of becoming a Christian, I warn you; you are embarking on something which is going to take the whole of you, brains and all. But, fortunately, it works the other way around. Anyone who is honestly trying to be a Christian will soon find his intelligence being sharpened: one of the reasons why it needs no special education to be a Christian is that Christianity is an education itself.”

I must keep learning how to act justly and to love tenderly. When I’m angry about injustice or how I (or another has been wronged), I need to remember that other people can learn to change in spite of how they’ve previously acted. As Pope Francis says, “being a Christian isn’t just following the commandments. It’s letting Him take possession of our lives and change them, to transform them, free from the darkness of evil and sin”.

“Let us ask God to grant that violence be overcome by the power of love, that opposition give way to reconciliation and that the desire to oppress be transformed into the desire for forgiveness, justice, and peace. May peace be in our hearts so that they are open to the action of God’s grace. May all members of the family community, especially children, the elderly, the weakest, feel the warmth of this feast, and may it extend subsequently to all the days in the year.”

-Pope Benedict XVI

Amen.

Beth 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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I Desire Mercy

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Today’s Gospel has Jesus saying, “I desire mercy,not sacrifice...”  In an article by Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, he explains the concept this way:

The Latin word, which is the ultimate root of our English word “mercy,” is misericordia. It, in turn, derives from two words: misereri, meaning “to have pity on” or “compassion for” and cor, meaning “heart” (genitive case — cordis: “of the heart”). Mercy, therefore, carries the idea of having compassion on someone with all one’s heart. The latter phrase expresses the idea: “From the very inmost depth (or core) of one’s being.

The Sacred Scriptures show clearly that mercy is the greatest “relative” characteristic of God, the attribute that extends over all He created (e.g., Ps 145:9); and it explains the whole plan of salvation: the power (virtue) of a compassionate heart that shares another’s misery to come to that other’s rescue. Saint Thomas, therefore, can fearlessly profess and demonstrate that, with relation to all that exists in creation, mercy is the greatest divine attribute (Summa Th., IIa IIae30, 4c).

A “composite” definition of “mercy” (based on definitions found in various dictionaries) would go like this: A feeling of tenderness, aroused by someone’s distress or suffering, which inclines (causes) one to spare (abstain from killing/hurting) or to help another who is in one’s power and has no claim whatever to (or is completely undeserving of) kindness. Another definition would be: pardon given to someone who could be punished (often used with reference to God when He forgives sin).

Both these definitions make quite understandable what Pope John Paul II expounded in his encyclical on the Mercy of God in Part VII, no. 13, par. 4:

It is precisely because sin exists in the world, which “God so loved … that He gave His only Son” (Jn 3:16), that God, who “is love” (1 Jn 4:8), cannot reveal Himself otherwise than as mercy.

The essence of mercy is to take into account not only that which is strictly due (as is the case with justice), but also weaknesses, infirmities, and defects of all kinds; and in considering them, to give more than is required by merit and to soften the blow that guilt deservingly brings upon itself through the shutting off, by sin, of the flow of God’s goodness. Divine Mercy, therefore, by no means signifies some sort of sentimental emotion (as certain pagan philosophers saw it, branding it “a weakness excusable only in old people and children”)

Mercy is love, plain and simple. However, as humans we tend to conditionalize love, by placing “if [blank] then I can love” types of boundaries on it. We pray for the issues that we can relate to, people we know and judge (sometimes judging unconsciously, many times not) that other situations are not as dire and choose not to include them in our prayers, our mercy. That is not part of our beliefs as Catholic Christians. God’s love is unconditional and we are meant to imitate his love. 

I forget that I need the mercy of the Lord just as every person in the world does. I am not called to judge or withhold love and mercy. I am called to bring forth the mercy poured out by Christ on the cross into the world. We do this by embracing and embodying the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. 

You know what’s on your heart and on your mind regarding mercy. Listen to this song as a closing prayer, “What Mercy Did for Me”. You know what needs to be done.

Beth 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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How I View the World

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I am amazed. How is it that scripture written 2000 years ago is still applicable in contemporary society? Think about this for a while. Human nature is quite fascinating and frightening. Yet, we clearly do not tend to learn from our previous mistakes. Not on a historical basis (think of responses to famine, natural disasters, nuclear crisis, racism, war, trade) nor do we on a personal basis.

The first reading stopped me in my tracks. I am plunged into the reality of suffering in humanity that has happened across the millennia. The reading from Genesis brings forth a parallel to the crisis today at our southern border. I will not soon forget Oscar Martínez and his 23-month-old daughter Angie Valeria tucked under her daddy’s t-shirt. 

On any given day, I read of egregious acts that occur here in the USA. I am appalled. I post about these ‘items’ in my social media. I have conversations with my coworkers, family, and friends. The next day, the topic changes as new situations and concerns are raised and discussed. Nothing gets resolved. Yes, we may add a specific instance to our prayers for a few days. Then after a couple more days, those too get set aside to begin a new list. Yet are these concerns all that different? 

Joseph was giving stored grains to feed his countrymen. He fed all who came to him “for famine had gripped the whole world.”  When Joseph’s brothers came to him, he locked them up in the guardhouse for three days… One brother says, “Did I not tell you not to do wrong to the boy? But you did not listen.” 

We are called to be disciples. We are given this charge when we are baptized. We have Jesus’ teachings and those of the Church for direction and guidance. It is up to us to be well versed in these so we can listen and follow the examples Jesus and the apostles gave us. When we don’t listen to our charge to be disciples of Christ we can cause pain, suffering, and wrongs to our fellow man. Our Bishops are again calling for change. 

There are seven Catholic social teachings themes of 1) Life and Dignity of the Human Person, 2) the Call to Family, Community, and Participation, 3) Rights and Responsibilities, 4) the Poor and Vulnerable, 5) the Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers, 6) Solidarity, and 7) Care for God’s Creation. All of these can help give us direction and challenge to our way of looking at the world. It is up to each of us to choose how to do what is in Right Relationship with these core Catholic teachings. The Holy Spirit is here to help us on this journey right now.

Come Holy Spirit, enkindle in us the fire of your love. Teach us your ways. Help me to be an instrument of action in the world. May we strive to be part of Right Relationships within our lives and communities for all people. Amen.

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Beth 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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Don’t Worry

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The readings today have always challenged me. Each reading has hit me differently with every season of life, most especially when I had my youngest child, was in the process of changing jobs, going through my divorce, and waiting for my final annulment decree. Along the way, I‘ve added to my many weaknesses: gossip, food, shoes, clothes, my weight, hair, my word choice, doing the right thing, not doing anything…the list goes on and not much seems to be subtracted.

Many times, I have been caught up in the judgment of others and even worse, how I perceive myself. I’ve struggled with surrendering these worries to God. Even when I KNOW that God loves me unconditionally. I sometimes forget this very basic truth. God loves me as I am, with all my imperfections. He loves me no matter what season of life or challenge I may be working through.

St. Paul tells us that he spoke to the Lord about his weaknesses. The Lord said to him, “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2Cor 12:9-10).

Yet here I am again, forgetting that I am a beloved daughter of the Lord. All those worries and fears of rejection or failure still cloud my self-awareness. Being a member of the 21st century has many traps and paths to lead me astray and into doubt, away from His love. This is when I need to lean into His graces by going to Mass or confession more frequently. I can certainly spend a few moments during the day reading scripture to help me refocus my attention.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing….your heavenly Father knows that you need them all…Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.” Mt 6:25, 32, 34   

I can’t travel back to the past, but I can change how I react to each situation as I go forward in life with God’s help. I can use the way I feel about my past and the things I wish that I had reacted to differently to reshape how I react to the present. This week give it a try. Look back on your past and realize that you have been taken care of by your God. Jesus himself told us not to worry. Let the worries, complaining and judgments go and trust that your heavenly Father knows all that you need; tomorrow will take care of itself.

Erma Bombeck summed it up this way in a reflection titled, “If I Had My Life to Live Over,” saying:

If I had my life to live over again I would have waxed less and listened more.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy and complaining about the shadow over my feet, I’d have cherished every minute of it and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was to be my only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.

I would have eaten popcorn in the “good” living room and worried less about the dirt when you lit the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have burnt the pink candle that was sculptured like a rose before it melted while being stored.

I would have sat cross-legged on the lawn with my children and never worried about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television … and more while watching real life.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband which I took for granted.

I would have eaten less cottage cheese and more ice cream.

I would have gone to bed when I was sick, instead of pretending the Earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for a day.

I would never have bought ANYTHING just because it was practical/wouldn’t show soil/ guaranteed to last a lifetime.

When my child kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, “Later. Now, go get washed up for dinner.”

There would have been more I love you’s … more I’m sorry’s … more I’m listenings … but mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute of it … look at it and really see it … try it on … live it … exhaust it … and never give that minute back until there was nothing left of it.

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Beth 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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Come Holy Spirit

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“Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone. But I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” Jn 16:32-33    

These last two verses of the gospel have been keeping my attention as I prayed with the readings for today. Why? Because I believe the Holy Spirit is guiding me to pay attention to Jesus’ words.

Personally, my ‘world’ is pretty good. I have a job and a roof over my head. I have food in the fridge and in my cupboard. I have electricity, internet, running water & indoor plumbing. I am in relatively good shape and have access to healthcare. I have family, friends, and pets. I have a personal relationship with God. I am truly blessed.

Our world is troubled: massive storms & climate change, civil wars and genocides, endangered species and extinctions, social angsts and evils. There are many who do not have a home or the necessities for a productive life or what they do have is not safe. Do these things affect my world? YES, 100 percent. YES, is my answer. As a member of the world, but more importantly, as a member of the Catholic Church, I am charged through my baptism to advocate the teachings and commandments of my God and my Savior, Jesus Christ.

Jesus tells us to take courage! He conquered the world, for each of us, by His death and resurrection! Alleluia! Pope Francis in his May 26th Regina Caeli address reminds us, “Jesus returns to the Father, but continues to instruct and animate his disciples through the action of the Holy Spirit.”

Today is the 4th day of the Pentecost novena. If you are not familiar with this, it’s the first of all novenas. A novena (the Latin for nine is ‘novem’) is nine days of prayer usually for a special intention or grace, hence this novena is dedicated to the Holy Spirit. The Pentecost novena has its roots in the New Testament and the time the disciples spent in prayer after the Ascension of Jesus. The focus in the novena today is on fortitude. Do I have the courage to listen and live out what God has created and called me to do?

“In all that we do, we strive to present ourselves as ministers of God, acting with patient endurance amidst trials, difficulties, distresses, beatings, imprisonments and riots; as men and women familiar with hard work, innocence, knowledge and patience in the Holy Spirit, in sincere love as men and women with the message of truth and the power of God.” 2 Cor 6:4-7

I am not an influential writer as St. Paul was in his letter to the Corinthians and all the epistles, nor am I a talented debater as St. Paul was at the end of the first reading as he spoke in the synagogue for three months, but I am inspired by the same Holy Spirit. We can all make a difference in my world because of God’s life within us through His Spirit!

Pray with me:

A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me. Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me.  Amen.

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Beth 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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This I Command You: Love One Another

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This last year has seen the cycle of life continue: life, suffering, death, rebirth, rebuild. I shouldn’t expect it to be any different than other years, but it has been more intense for me and I can’t quite put my finger on why that is. The deaths of my children’s grandma, as well as several friends’ parents and spouses, has really brought home the reminder that life is truly precious. The time we have on this earth is finite. We choose what to do with our time.

Kendrick Castillo made wonderful choices in his very short time here on earth. He is a hero, role model, and witness for his faith. Kendrick was 18 years old when he sacrificed his life for his friends and classmates on May 7th. He was granted status as a full member of the Knights of Columbus (he and his dad had logged over 2600 hours of service with KoC #4844). He exemplified today’s gospel, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you” (Jn 15:16). It is a beautiful tribute to Kendrick’s ultimate sacrifice.

I believe Kendrick truly lived the life of JOY that Veronica spoke about in yesterday’s reflection: https://diocesan.com/joy/. Jesus first, others second, and yourself last. Many in today’s society put themselves first. We forget that Jesus put his life on the cross for each and everyone who has ever been created in his Father’s image, absolutely everyone ever created throughout all of time.

I don’t know if I will ever be put to the test as Kendrick was. I do know that we each have been commanded to love one another, twice in today’s gospel. If we follow Jesus’ teachings we are called to love one another. This is a herculean task in human terms… or is it? We are reminded by Jesus in scripture to become like little children and to be humble like a child (Mt 18). Young children have an innate ability to trust and to love and share. This weekend, I was sitting behind a 4 or 5-month-old set of twins and their extended family at Mass. They were sharing toys, looks, drool and affection with all those around them. As we age, we become less trusting and jaded due to our life experiences.

I experienced ‘JOY’ just sitting behind this family. To put Jesus first, we can start by being intentional with our actions, prayers, and responses to the situations that we encounter in our day and through social media. We need to remember to choose the unconditional love of Jesus and our Father and respond through prayer and action. We can choose to pray for people and situations that affect our shared global communities. We can volunteer and participate in ways outside of our usual life.

God so loved us he gave us Jesus. He commands us to love one another. What are you prepared to do?

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Beth 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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They Shall all be Taught by God

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The readings today have a common theme: teaching. It is also teacher appreciation week in the United States (world teacher’s day is October 5th). Coincidence or work of the Holy Spirit?

My life has been filled with many teachers: Mrs. Bonasi, Mr. Furman, Ms. Moceri, Mr. Barton, Mrs. Lienweber, Mrs. Domke, Mrs. Childers, and Mr. Jacoby to name a few. My education, however, began with my parents. I have a strong faith life because of the model from my parents and grandparents. Their lessons have been reinforced, and new ones learned, from all sorts of people I’ve encountered–teachers and catechists, family and friends, mentors and foes. Some lessons are easier than others, but all contribute to who we are.

We find in the first reading the apostle Philip being prompted by an angel to walk a specific road out of Jerusalem. He sees a chariot passing by. Philip, encouraged by the Holy Spirit, asks the passenger if he understands what is reading. The reply, “How can I, unless someone instructs me? Then Philip opened his mouth and, …he proclaimed Jesus to him.” He listened and learned from Philip. He had Philip baptize him. He continued on his way rejoicing in the Lord.

Can you recall a time when you had the fire and love of God enkindled in your heart that you too were rejoicing in the Lord? Was there someone, a song, or a moment that touched your soul? When I experience any of these times, I am usually compelled to reach out to someone I love and trust. Many rejoice with me as believers in the eternal life taught by God through Jesus his Son, the bread of life. The reaction that I receive, however, is not always what I expect.

Not all who I’ve trusted have listened and learned from the teachings of God. I’m encouraged when this happens though by the words of Pope Francis. “Teaching is a beautiful job; as it allows you to see the growth day by day of people entrusted to your care. It is a little like being parents, at least spiritually. It is a great responsibility.”

Each of us is called to be a teacher of the Word. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states this as part of our baptismal covenant. Each is to be a witness of the love outpoured for us on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As we continue in this Easter season let us rejoice and be thankful for those who teach us in His ways and in our shared faith.

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Beth 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.