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The God of Surprises

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When men are ordained, they often return to their home parish to celebrate their first Mass and preach, so that the community from which they were called can rejoice with them at the beginning of their ministry as priests. It is a wonderful and joyful moment.

In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus goes to his hometown to give his first sermon. It didn’t go so well.

What was in his Heart as he read the scroll and sat down to teach? “The eyes of all… looked intently at him.” Surely, Jesus looked intently at them, perhaps even eagerly. He came to his hometown to begin his preaching and to share the Good News with them first; he says clearly that he is the Messiah Isaiah had prophesied. His beautiful and loving discourse moved them to be “amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.”

But things turn sour when he tells them the full truth: that the grace and salvation of God are for ALL people, Gentile as well as Jew. They become furious, even trying to hurl him over a cliff. But it is not yet his time and his mission is not yet fulfilled, so he mysteriously “passed through the midst of them and went away.”

Jesus reveals to the world that God loves all, and that the full truth is what makes us fully free. It is our own narrowness and selfishness and prejudice that keep us (and others) confined in false notions and prisons of propaganda. For the Jews of Jesus’ time, the falsehood was that only THEY were privy to God’s love and mercy, and that the letter of the law was enough to make one righteous. They had convinced themselves that the Messiah would come with mighty vengeance and kingly authority and vindicate them from the oppression of pagan political power. They were not open to a different narrative, and certainly not open to the possibility that Joseph’s son – so familiar to them – was worthy of supernatural faith.

Prejudice and familiarity are great obstacles to the deep humility and loving faith needed to be truly open to God’s grace! If we block out possibilities because we think we know, or our hearts fall into routine or boredom, we are not open to the beautiful surprises of grace. We fail to see them, we explain them away, or we attribute them to something else. God doesn’t stop working in our lives, but we stop seeing Him at work!

So it is good to ask the Spirit to show us where our blind spots are, where our narrowness or selfishness is blocking the light of God at work in us and in the world, and what we can do right now – today – to be more open to the fullness of truth. We can pause with Christ to see where our own notions might block our ability to see the full Truth. Then we are closer to being fully free.

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including newly ordained Father Rob and seminarian Luke ;-), and two grandchildren. She is a Secular Discalced Carmelite and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 25 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio, by publishing and speaking, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Catechesis, various parishes, and other ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is https://www.kathryntherese.com/.

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Playing It Safe Is Not Our Mission

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In the reading today, we see Jesus revealing his mission to the disciples: that he would die, and on the third day rise again. Peter, who was just praised and proclaimed “the Rock” for the Church, takes Jesus aside and rebukes him. “God forbid Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you”. Here, Jesus returns the rebuke: “Get behind me Satan! You are an obstacle to me.”

These words are so filled with meaning! First, we can all see ourselves in Peter. We can so easily go from feeling loved by the Lord and being champions of His truth, to suddenly thinking like the world does and not understanding God’s vision. Second, look closely at what Jesus says. Last week, Peter was proclaimed the rock which the Church would be built on. Now, Peter is an obstacle, a tripping stone on Jesus’ path. How did that happen? Peter put himself IN FRONT of Jesus (and became a tripping hazard). And while it sounds like the Lord is totally rebuking Peter and commanding him to go away, he is actually just trying to put him the right place; “Get BEHIND me”, FOLLOW me. It’s only when Peter (and we) follow Jesus, (and not try and put ourselves in front of Him), that we can call ourselves “disciples”.

And this is what we’re following Jesus into: Mission. Like Jesus, the individual missions in our life are not safe. Friends, the purpose of our life is not to live a quiet, small, safe life in a nice home in the countryside! There is more for us!

I have a friend who tells me, whenever we’re saying goodbyes, “Live dangerously”. To be honest, I’d rather not. It doesn’t sound like a great idea to live that way! You could get hurt, lose things, get yelled at by others, etc etc. But in some way, this is what Jesus means by “take up your cross”. We can also see Jeremiah responding to this idea in the first reading. He feels cheated by God! He follows God’s will for him and speaks prophetic words to people and only gets persecuted in return. He constantly preaches words of doom and gloom. BUT – he has no other choice! When he tries to keep it in, he feels a fire in his bones. He HAS to preach the truth!

What would happen if YOU lived dangerously? Will you go to the streets and speak to those who are homeless and abandoned? Will you actually give up your possessions and money, and focus instead on community and growth? Would you speak the truth in love to your co-workers, family, friends? Will you sacrifice your time and your ego for your families, and rebuild burned bridges?

In the second reading, Saint Paul tells us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, as an act of worship. He’s reiterating what Jesus calls us to do! If we’re only looking to save our own life (or just play it safe like Peter wanted to do), we’ll end up losing it anyway. But if we’re willing to lose our life for the sake of the Kingdom, we’ll find our TRUE life. We have to live dangerously, but also, as St. Paul says, live transformed, by the renewal of our minds. We can’t think as the world and as human beings do, but we must think as God does. How often do I default to a mindset of security, safety, and avoidance of risk and the uncomfortable. To live transformed is to do as God does: To deeply see others and make them feel known, to listen to the moving of the Holy Spirit, to lay down your ego at your job, in your family, everywhere; and to focus on the Kingdom.

So remember, playing it safe is not our mission.

Live Dangerously. Live Transformed. Deny yourself, carry your cross, and follow Jesus.

 

Songs for Reflection:

  1. For the Sake of the World – Bethel
  2. Called Me Higher – All Sons and Daughters
  3. Seek First – Housefires
  4. Build My Life – Housefires
  5. Champion – Bethel, Dante Bowe
  6. Fire in my Bones – SEU Worship

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

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He Must Increase

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“Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist” (Matt 11:11).

Today we celebrate a great saint, although he never refers to himself that way. He sets out to point to the Lamb of God and keep himself as inconspicuous as possible: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). While John’s ministry is important, he recognizes that his existence is oriented toward Jesus Christ. He has done his duty so long as the crowds move on from a baptism of repentance to Baptism in the name of the Trinity.

Even the liturgy witnesses to John’s role in salvation history. As some of you may already know, the Birth of Saint John the Baptist is celebrated on June 24th, very close to the Summer solstice. This is when the sun reaches its highest altitude, making for the longest day of the year and the shortest night. The days begin to shorten and the nights begin to lengthen as we approach the Winter solstice, just before December 25th each year. On this date, we experience the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year.

At Christ’s birth, the night seems all-consuming, but we know that the light is about to increase. The days begin to lengthen again just as John’s ministry is concluding. Christ the light is increasing, as John, represented by the darkness, is decreasing. John is gradually stepping back, recognizing that the light has come into the world. The universe bears witness to the relationship between John and Jesus.

For John, his decreasing is accomplished by preaching the truth in and out of season, telling the crowds to repent and exposing Herod’s wrongdoing. He only speaks about himself to explain that he is not the Christ.

Though he drove attention from himself, he managed to attract large crowds and win many for Christ. Saint John the Baptist is a shining example of the lesson that “God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong” (1 Cor 1:27).

The life of Saint John is a life radically oriented toward the kingdom of God. How can we imitate this dynamic in our own lives? It begins with the same recognition, that Jesus must increase while we must decrease. This does not have to be a self-deprecating resolution. As after the winter solstice, we decrease by drawing attention to the light and by rooting out the darkness in our lives. This does not mean losing ourselves. Rather, it means finding ourselves in Christ the light, who shows man who he is meant to be.

We can take more concrete steps to “decrease” by imitating John’s defense of the truth. Notice that in John’s ministry, he managed to decrease while remaining an extraordinarily prominent prophet. This seems counter-intuitive, but it tells us that our enthusiasm and effectiveness are not contrary to humility if they are oriented toward Christ. What we speak about, explain, and defend should be centered on Jesus. We ought not to be afraid to proclaim the “hard sayings” of the Gospel as John did, knowing that our gaze ought to be fixed on heaven. If we focus on heaven and not ourselves, we can be assured that we are on the right track.

This is the terminus of Saint John’s ministry, and it is what we celebrate today: birth into eternal life. John recognized that the most worthwhile endeavor he could undertake would be to direct everyone to God, to an eternity in heaven. He stuck with this call even to the end, because he understood that Christ would conquer death. Seeing that his words would anger many and cause him to beheaded, he continued to press on. His reward was similar to many saints: martyrdom, a speedy entry into the kingdom. Today we celebrate his birth into heaven.

Let us celebrate this great prophet’s heavenly birthday with joy, striving to follow his fearless example of courageous humility.

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David Dashiell is the Associate Director of Liturgy for a group of parishes in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When he is not spending time with his wife and infant daughter, he is writing on philosophy and theology for various online publications. You can find some of these in Crisis Magazine and the Imaginative Conservative, and you can contact him at ddashiellwork@gmail.com.

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Buying Oil

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I’ve always been fascinated by the image of ten virgins in the dead of night, each nursing a solitary flame. They are waiting, as women tend to do, for a bridegroom to appear. When he does, he’s just as mysterious as they, welcoming the first five women into the feast, but turning a cold shoulder to the last five who arrived late because the oil for their lamps had run out.

The seemingly insignificant detail of the oil in the women’s lamps makes all the difference in this Gospel reading. What is this oil, and how does it affect us? How do we “buy” enough of it before the night overtakes us and time runs out?

Like every good parable, this story’s treasures are hidden in its use of symbolism. The primary symbol here is the lamp which holds oil that fuels a flame. In Scripture, there is something, or rather someone, who is constantly symbolized as both oil and flame: The Holy Spirit.

I think it’s interesting how the Catholic Church has come to understand from scripture that the Holy Spirit isn’t just Person #3 in the Trinity; he is actually the bond of love between the Father and the Son. Therefore, those who possess the Holy Spirit have an intimate knowledge of Jesus and the Father. Jesus would not be able to say to them, as the bridegroom said to the foolish virgins, “I do not know you.”

The main function of the oil is to establish a connection between the women and the bridegroom. According to the Old Testament, the Messiah promised by the prophets had divine characteristics and would “marry” the nations just as God had “married” Israel when he renewed his covenant with them (Ex: 19-24). In Matthew 9:15, Jesus actually referred to himself as “the bridegroom.” The heavenly communion of Christ with the Church at the end of time represents the ultimate fulfillment of these prophesies.

So, if Jesus is the bridegroom and the Holy Spirit is the oil/flame, it would seem that the women represent the people (us) who are destined to live in covenant with Christ in the eternal, heavenly wedding banquet.

The next piece to the puzzle is this notion of “buying oil.” Even though the grace of salvation is a free gift, scripture repeatedly speaks of Jesus “paying the price” for that gift. According to 1 Peter 2:21, we are called to “follow in [Christ’s] steps” and to offer our own sufferings in union with his perfect sacrifice. As St. Paul said, “I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Col. 1:24).

The Catechism explains: “The cross is the unique sacrifice of Christ, the ‘one mediator between God and men.’ But because in his incarnate divine person he has in some way united himself to every man,’ the possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the paschal mystery’ is offered to all men” (CCC 618).

So, when we suffer in the darkness of this world, we are actually partnering with our heavenly bridegroom. We are preparing for our future with him by receiving “his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” not just once, but every time we choose to believe in Christ and to love as he loved. This is how we “buy oil” – this is how we light our lamps.

The last key detail is that after the women “slumbered and slept,” all of their subsequent efforts to buy oil were rejected. Jesus frequently used sleep as a metaphor for death. If he was doing the same here, it would mean that once we die, our efforts to “buy oil,” to receive the Holy Spirit by suffering in union with the Savior, no longer carry eternal weight. If we have extinguished the life of God in our hearts, it cannot be rekindled after death. That fits right in with current Church teaching.

This is sobering stuff, but I can see why Jesus told this story: Life isn’t always pretty and knowing how much our sufferings matter can help us get through the long night ahead.

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Nikol M. Jones is in her final year at Franciscan University’s Master’s in Theology and Christian Ministry program where it has been her joy to learn how to integrate the tools of modern biblical scholarship with the principles of biblical interpretation set forth by the Catholic Church in the service of the Word of God. She also has a passion for creating artwork and children’s books that honor the life and teachings of Christ. When she’s not studying or painting, she utilizes her writing and organizational skills as an administrative assistant. You can connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikol-m-jones-4b9893140/.

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Wake Up Your Faith

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Before you read any further, pause. Take a few minutes to evaluate your spiritual life.

How is your relationship with God? Are you on fire, full of zeal for the Lord? Are you keeping the Lord at arm’s length? Or are you just trudging through, day by day?

What about your prayer life? Are you committing to prayer and dialogue with God every day? Or just when it’s most convenient to you?

Have you followed the Ten Commandments and lived out the Beatitudes? Or is your life muddled by sin and shortcomings?

Well, consider this your wake-up call. I’m considering it to be mine.

Today’s Gospel reminds us of the need to be vigilant, “for you do not know on which day your Lord will come” and “for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Our faith teaches us that Jesus Christ will come again. In fact, we profess it each Sunday at Mass when we say “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.” Whether or not those words truly sink into our heads and hearts is a different story but it is true. There will be a second coming.

With this knowledge in mind, using the self-evaluation you just did, are you ready? Are you ready for the second coming? Or, in another sense, are you ready for your judgment day, when you meet your Creator? The life that we live right now, the decisions that we make, determine where we will spend life after death. If we have freely chosen God and loved Him, we are rewarded with eternal life in heaven. If we’ve done the COMPLETE opposite of that, well, we are subject to eternal separation from God in hell. If we’re somewhere in between, the state of purgatory will purify and prepare us for heaven.

The good news is that we have a chance to get ready. We have the chance to change our way of life, to repent of our sins and work hard for the eternal reward of heaven.

So, are you ready?

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Erin is a Cleveland native and graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. Following graduation, she began volunteering in youth ministry at her home parish of Holy Family Church. Her first “big girl” job was in collegiate sports information where, after a busy two years in the profession on top of serving the youth, she took a leap of faith and followed the Lord’s call to full-time youth ministry at St. Peter Church. She still uses her communication arts degree as a freelance writer and statistician, though. You can catch her on old episodes of the Clarence & Peter Podcast on YouTube as well as follow her on Twitter @erinmadden2016.

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Has Anything Really Changed?

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Today’s readings sound like a major slap in the face to those that it may apply to. But, there are times in our lives when that is exactly what we need.

In the First Reading, Paul is telling the Thessalonians not to “hang out” with those who are not living out and preaching the Catholic faith. For some of us, that would eliminate many of our friends. Why? It is no secret that over half of Catholics no longer attend Sunday Mass. This makes sense if we understand that less than 50% also do not believe that the Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Where has that hunger for the Eucharist gone? To make matters worse, the pandemic has taken many to a place further away from Eucharist, that awesome Gift. We need to pray that everyone will come back after the pandemic guidelines are lifted.

Paul speaks of hypocrisy in his letter to the Thessalonians. It is pretty easy to spot in others, but not so easy to see it in ourselves. I recall my youngest son telling, me a while back that I was a hypocrite. What? Me? Why did he say that? He remembered a time a few years ago when I had made a statement and then recently did the opposite. That was humiliating, but I told him he was correct. Secretly, I wished his memory was not so sharp.

Matthew, in the first line of today’s Gospel speaks of whitewashed tombs. Every Jew would have known what he was referring to. The roadside in Palestine was a common burial place. It would have been lined with tombs. Any Jew that touched a dead body or a tomb would be considered unclean and thus unable to attend the Passover celebration. The roads would have been lined with pilgrims heading to the Passover. Just before the celebration, the tombs would have been whitewashed to help keep the pilgrims from touching them. Jesus used the example of whitewashed tombs to tell the scribes and Pharisees what they were like: bright white and shining on the outside but full of dead bones on the inside. They knew exactly what Jesus meant.

Jesus was speaking to the Church hierarchy at that time. Moving forward 2000 years, the scandal in the Church today is hard to bear, yet it gives us an opportunity to reevaluate our own lives. This can be done by taking the 10 Commandments one by one and going through an examination of conscience. There are many guides available to help one do this if necessary. This way of preparing for confession has been taught for decades. If this is your first time doing it, you might struggle. Why? Because you might be faced with those things (sins) that you have not come to grips with for a long time. It’s okay, the Lord is waiting to hear from you. You already know what a freeing experience of this. And if you don’t, you will discover what a loving and forgiving God you have!

After reading those chastising words from Thessalonians and Matthew, the Lord has the antidote to bring us back. He asks two things of us. The first is to love him and the second is to love our neighbor. Loving God means allowing him to love us through the Eucharist, along with praying to him and praising him. Sitting before the Blessed Sacrament is a wonderful way to experience God. The graces are incredible! Coupled with this is love of neighbor. Who is our neighbor? Anyone that needs help. It seems that the latest generation has heard little of charity and sacrifice in helping their neighbors. You might read Matthew 25 to get an idea of what the Lord expects of us.

May God bless you all!

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Deacon Dan Schneider is a retired general manager of industrial distributors. He and his wife Vicki recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They are the parents of eight children and twenty-nine grandchildren. He has a degree in Family Life Education from Spring Arbor University. He was ordained a Permanent Deacon in 2002.  He has a passion for working with engaged and married couples and his main ministry has been preparing couples for marriage.

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Living and Effective

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“The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.”

Today’s Gospel is part of a succession of statements from Jesus which begin, “Woe to you!”

Woe to you, who think you are all set because you tithe, but you neglect the things of real importance, judgment, mercy and fidelity. Jesus even clarifies, it is good to tithe, but tithing alone doesn’t make up for neglecting how we live.

Woe to you, who worry about how things look on the outside but carry around ill-will and selfishness on the inside.

It isn’t about how things appear on the outside. It isn’t about going through the motions because we think it is what we should do. The Gospel is living and effective because it lives in us when we live as Jesus did.

And that is the bottom line, the life we are all called to is about living as Jesus lived. We are called to live with mercy and grace in all the private moments of our life as well as our public ones.

Those moments when we want to give up and instead, we take a deep breath and keep going. That is living as Jesus did.

When we see someone struggling and take a moment to ease their path. That is living as Jesus did.

When we get frustrated and want to throw a fit, but instead say a prayer and do the next right thing. That is living as Jesus did.

When we swallow our pride and act out of concern for others over our own comfort. That is living as Jesus did.

When we are tired and stressed and still smile and speak kindly to those we meet, that is living as Jesus did.

Jesus doesn’t call us all to great big public acts of heroism. But he does call each of us to follow his example and he gives us the opportunity to be his disciple in a multitude of small ways every day. He calls us to be his apostle carrying not just a message, but his mercy and grace everywhere we go. The Gospel is living, because Jesus makes it come to life in us. The Gospel is effective because it is our guide to living as Jesus did. When we tend to that, it has the power to change everything.

My prayer for you today is that you find yourself living out his grace in all the moments of your life, no matter how big or small.

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Sheryl delights in being the number 1 cheerleader and supporter for her husband, Tom who is a candidate for the Permanent Diaconate in the Diocese of Kalamazoo. They are so grateful for the opportunity to grow together in this process whether it is studying for classes, deepening their prayer life or discovering new ways to serve together. Sheryl’s day job is serving her community as the principal for St. Therese Catholic School in Wayland, Michigan. Since every time she thinks she gets life all figured out, she realizes just how far she has to go, St. Rita of Cascia is her go-to Saint for intercession and help. Home includes Brea, a Bernese Mountain dog and Carlyn, a very, very goofy Golden Retriever.

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Divine Power

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I love the snark coming from Jesus in the Gospel today. First off, we see Nathanael doubting that anything good could possibly come from Nazareth. You can almost feel the uppity attitude through the text. Jesus, knowing what Nathanael was already thinking, went and told him things that he couldn’t possibly know to prove his power. Then when Nathanael praises him as the Son of God, Jesus says in so many words, “Really? Because of that? That was nothing, wait until you see what I can actually do.”

This is pretty funny to me, but it also illustrates an important point. How often do we believe in the power of Christ? We may believe he had power years ago or that he had divine strength when he walked on the earth. We may even say he has power in the lives of those around us. But do we believe in his power when it comes to our life?

I think all too often we leave our own difficult circumstances up to ourselves because we don’t want to bug God or don’t believe he can handle it. We go through this life struggling because we rely solely on our humanity. We try with all our might and begin to realize that there are some things we just cannot do, some things that leave us feeling completely helpless. In walks Jesus. Do we believe he can help?

St. Teresa of Avila I think said it best when she said, “We pay God a compliment by asking great things of him.” Do we ask big things? Or do we do the classic Catholic thing where we believe God can do all things but we immediately add the caveat, “if it is in his will.” Of course, this is true that God will not do anything against his will, but when I hear people say that it is often to say God probably won’t do it.

How about we try walking through life and believing in the power of God? No caveats, no doubt, no fear, just trust. Let’s pray for this grace and be bold in our prayer. From all of us here at Rodzinka Ministry, God Bless!

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Tommy Shultz is Director of Evangelization for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative and the founder of Rodzinka Ministries. In these roles, he is committed to bringing all those he meets into a deeper relationship with Christ. Tommy has a heart and a flair for inspiring people to live their faith every day. He has worked in various youth ministry, adult ministry, and diocesan roles. He has been a featured speaker at retreats and events across the country. His mission and drive have been especially inspired by St. John Paul II’s teachings. Tommy is blessed to be able to learn from the numerous parishes he visits and pass that experience on in his presentations. With a degree in Theology from Franciscan University, Tommy hopes to use his knowledge to help all people understand the beauty of The Faith.

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A City On a Rock

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Caesarea Philippi was built like a fortress on a rocky cliff; it seemed a city secure from all invaders. It is here that Jesus chooses to openly reveal himself and his plan for a secure City of God – the Church – to his disciples. He poses a question, and Simon Peter (who is already a “mouthpiece” of sorts) states clearly: “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.”

Jesus recognizes the blessing in his answer, because it could not come from Peter’s own deductions, but only from the Father Himself. And right there, as Peter – in all his weakness and stubbornness and rashness, but also in his sincerity and generosity – proclaims Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus proclaims Peter the Rock on which the Church will be built. This Church is to be the community of believers, the preserver and sharer of the Gospel, the Bride of Christ. It is to endure until the end of time, and “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” It is to Peter and this band of fishermen (and a tax collector), with all their foibles and confusions, that Jesus entrusts this important work and the whole people of God.

To safeguard the Truth and give believers confidence in the magisterial/teaching word of the bishops of the Church (in spite of the many weaknesses of those leaders), Jesus gives Peter, the first pope, the “keys to the kingdom,” with the power to bind and loose in the name of heaven. We hear about the “key of the House of David” in today’s reading from Isaiah: “when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open.” The authority to “bind” refers to the one in ancient Israel who was master of the palace. The authority to “loose” refers to the authority of the leader of the synagogue to expel or reinstate people from the community to preserve its religious and moral integrity. These are the powers Jesus gives to his Church; Jesus does not say this to all the disciples, but only to Peter, because there must be a single voice, not a multiplicity of voices. The one Voice of authority in the Church is found particularly in the person of the pope, who is to be the servant of all.

What a consolation this is! Throughout the centuries, while many theological battles have raged, even while men with questionable moral lives were elected pope, even while the Cardinals argued over the validity of elections and there seemed to be more than one pope (!), no pope has ever spoken un-Truth ex cathedra. The dogmatic statements of the Church have stood firm, never contradicted by a later pope.  Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would remain with the Church, so that we can be confident in all the Church officially teaches and allow it – and the Scriptural Word of God – to guide our lives.

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including newly ordained Father Rob and seminarian Luke ;-), and two grandchildren. She is a Secular Discalced Carmelite and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 25 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio, by publishing and speaking, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Catechesis, various parishes, and other ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is https://www.kathryntherese.com/.

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Unless You Become As Little Children…

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Today’s Gospel reading can be summed up in this warning: “Beware the paparazzi!” Of course, 99% of us aren’t that high profile that we have to worry about a crowd of photographers chasing after us to document our every move in order to sell the photos to media outlets for thousands of dollars. Instead we have interior paparazzi in our hearts. We snap virtual photos of us in the form of memories that we hold up like mirrors in order to admire ourselves.

“Just look at me!” “Wasn’t that good of me to do?” “See how I dealt with that situation?” “How holy I look when I’m praying….”

Is everyone noticing me?

The scribes and Pharisees had fallen into the danger that is ever-present for anyone who sincerely wants to be a good person. As Simon Tugwell, OP put it, “The danger with our good works, our spiritual accomplishments, and all the rest of it, is that we shall construct out of them a picture of ourselves in which, effectively, we shall situate our happiness. Complacency in ourselves will then replace delight in God.”

One can imagine individuals to whom Jesus is referring going home at night gazing at their own contentment, reliving every inch of footage from the day, admiring themselves from every angle.

“All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor…and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’”

Jesus advises the crowds to turn their attention away from themselves and from authorities on this earth who can look at us approvingly and mentor, shape, and guide our lives to God in their own images.

You have only one Father in heaven. You have but one master, the Christ.

If our eyes are on our Father, we re-assume our proper place before him as creature. “The greatest among you must be your servant.”

It is little children who do not self-consciously admire themselves as they carry on the drama of their lives. The “scribes and the Pharisees” and anyone who keeps the interior paparazzi busily snapping self-conscious images want to keep themselves in the picture. They want to get something. They want to become something for their own benefit. They want to buy their way into eternal life.

It is as children that we remain before the Father, students before the Master, humble servants before our brothers and sisters.

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Sr. Kathryn J. HermesKathryn James Hermes, FSP, is the author of the newly released title: Reclaim Regret: How God Heals Life’s Disappointments, by Pauline Books and Media. An author and spiritual mentor, she offers spiritual accompaniment for the contemporary Christian’s journey towards spiritual growth and inner healing. She is the director of My Sisters, where people can find spiritual accompaniment from the Daughters of St. Paul on their journey. Website: www.touchingthesunrise.com Public Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/srkathrynhermes/ For monthly spiritual journaling guides, weekly podcasts and over 50 conferences and retreat programs join my Patreon community: https://www.patreon.com/srkathryn.

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Breathing the Breath of God

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I had quite the feisty temper when I was little and my mother would always tell me to take a deep breath before responding if my reaction could be hurtful or damaging. The power of that one breath was remarkable. There is so much strength in something as simple as taking a deep breath.

The Hebrew word for “breath” in the Old Testament was “Ruah”, also meaning “wind”, or “spirit”. However, “Ruah” was specifically understood to signify the “breath of God” that animates all of God’s living; a distinct presence of God that enables life to be.

 “…concerning ruah, we can say that the breath of God appears in them as the power that gives life to creatures. It appears as a profound reality of God which works deep within man. It appears as a manifestation of God’s dynamism which is communicated to creatures.”

-St. Pope John Paul II

Humanity’s first recorded encounter with God’s “Ruah” is found during Creation: “then the LORD God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7). There are two other significant mentions of “Ruah” in Scripture. One is in today’s first reading, “Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Listen! I will make breath enter you so you may come to life” (Ez. 37:5). The last is John 20, “And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the holy Spirit’” (Jn. 20:22).

The image that we have in the First Reading of dry bones being brought back to life is so powerful for us today. I look around at our society and communities and all I can see are dry bones, as far as the eye can see. We live in a time where human life is trampled upon, human dignity is not valued, and the transcendent and eternal realities of our faith have no bearing on the way people lead their lives. We were not created to simply go through the motions of our daily lives. We were created to have life, and life in abundance!! We are dry bones, parched for hope and for human connection, and we are in desperate need of a revival – a “ruah.”

But as I read the passage from Ezekiel again, I realize that the Lord is not the one reviving the bones, at least not directly. He is telling Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones, to say His words and give life to that which is dead.

That is the same call for us, brothers and sisters. The world around us is desperately crying out for hope, and it is up to us to breathe that Gospel message into those we encounter. Grace builds on human nature; God works in cooperation with our willingness to be His vessels. Just as Adam’s life came from the breath of God, and the dry bones were revived through Ezekiel, so also did the disciples’ new spiritual life come from Jesus through the Breath of the Holy Spirit. Through our Baptism, we were imparted with that same Spirit; that same life of Christ in our souls that enables us to live out our vocations of priest, prophet, and king. So with every breath within us, let us speak life.

“I will put my spirit in you that you may come to life, and I will settle you in your land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD. I have spoken; I will do it” (Ez. 37:14).

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Sarah Rose hails from Long Island and graduated from Franciscan University in 2016 with a Bachelor’s in Theology & Catechetics. She is happily married to her college sweetheart John Paul. They welcomed their first child, Judah Zion, in 2019. She is passionate about her big V-vocation: motherhood, and her little v-vocation: bringing people to encounter Christ through the true, the good, and the beautiful. She loves fictional novels, true crime podcasts/documentaries, the saints (especially Blessed Chiara Luce Badano), & sharing conversation over a good cup of coffee. She is currently the Coordinator of Young Adult Ministry at St. Cecilia Church in Oakley, Cincinnati. You can find out more about her ministry here: https://eastsidefaith.org/young-adult OR at https://www.facebook.com/stceciliayam.

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It’s a Relationship, Not a To-Do List

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There are so many beautiful components to our faith. We have Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, the teachings of which Christ has given us to continue living the faith while we wait for His second coming. What a glorious day it will be to reunite with Him fully, to walk side by side with Him for eternity.

With all of the holy components of our faith that we have been given, including devotions that have been passed on to new generations over the years, I can honestly say that I can get overwhelmed knowing how God is calling me to spend time with Him. Of course the Holy Mass and Sacred Scripture are two key areas of our faith given by God that will help us to know Him more intimately, but the other devotions are optional (which can make finding a daily prayer routine tough to establish). Should I pray the rosary daily, the divine mercy chaplet, or the liturgy of the hours? Should I be doing all three of those things daily to grow in my relationship with Christ? How many chapters of Scripture should I be reading? Should I be engaging in more spontaneous prayer?

While all of these devotions are beautiful God calls each of us differently to Himself. By saying this I mean there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. He has created each of us unique in His image and likeness. He has known us before we were born and He knows our life story already. He knows us so intimately and loves us exactly for who we are, so we don’t need to compare ourselves to others or put ourselves down if we pray differently than someone else. For some individuals they can only pray one decade of the rosary with intentionality while others could pray five rosaries with the same level of intentionality throughout the extended time. Some people take 15 minutes to pray a rosary while others take almost an hour or more. Does this make one of these individuals more worthy in God’s eyes? Of course not – both individuals are equally and perfectly loved by God. He is pleased to spend intimate time with each of them, building relationships with them all. God has already won the battle, and there is nothing that we can do to make Him love us any differently – His love is perfect and complete for each of us.

When you feel overwhelmed by the devotions that our beautiful faith has to offer, or even find yourself comparing your prayer life to that of others, it is time to take a step back and sit in His presence. Be humble and ask Him to see your littleness, remembering that He loves you perfectly and only desires to be with you for you. Ask Him to show you how He is calling you to draw close to Him, whether it be more scripture, a rosary, or even spontaneous prayer.

We are not measured by the perfection of our prayer. God only desires to be with us, desires for us to love others as He has loved us, and ultimately desires for us to continue opening the door of our hearts to Him.  Our faith is not about checking off boxes of devotions we have to feel holy, but it is rather about choosing holiness when the going gets tough by leaning into our relationship with Christ with genuine intention.

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Nathalie Shultz is a joyful convert to the Catholic faith and a competitive swimmer with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).  She loves to share her passion for Catholicism with others, including her conversion story and how God continues to work miracles in her life through her OCD. She is the Director of Religious Education for the North Allegan Catholic Collaborative of parishes. Nathalie is married to her best friend, Tommy Shultz. Her favorite saints include St. Peter the Apostle, St. Teresa of Calcutta, and St. John Paul II.  She is also a huge fan of C.S. Lewis. If you have any questions for Nathalie, or just want her to pray for you, you can email her at rodzinkaministry@gmail.com.