Posted on

Saved By Grace

Click here for daily readings

On my ankle, I have a tattoo that reads I>˅˄ and it stands for I AM (Yahweh/God) is greater (>) than my highs(^) and my lows (v). It reminds me that no matter where I am in my life, no matter how overwhelmed I feel, God’s plan is greater. Actually, I got this tattoo as a reminder of a time I was so depressed that I had planned to end my own life, but instead chose to turn to my family and God.

I know this is pretty heavy for daily inspiration, but I tell you this because I know that I am not the only one with a history of depression, especially in our society today. Specifically, I tell you this because I am still here for the same reason the widow in today’s First Reading did not commit suicide. You see, when Elijah met the widow, she had already decided to use the last of her flour to bake a cake that would kill both herself and her son. She was convinced that her life of struggle could not go on any longer. She would not put herself, nor her son, through famine and more tragedy.

When I read that the widows was about to “go in and prepare something for myself and my son; when we have eaten it, we shall die,” I immediately wanted to cry. I had been there. I had gotten to that point. For years, I had felt as though my life had no purpose or direction. Yet, God had a plan.

God sent Elijah to this widow because he knew she had planned to die. The widow instead chose to tell Elijah of her internal struggle, and Elijah tells her not to be afraid, citing God’s words in order to remind her that God would provide for her. In a similar way, when I told my parents, they told me that everything would be okay; that God has a plan for me and put people in my life so that I would always be loved and protected.

It was soon after telling my parents about my depression that, through the church bulletin, my mother found a retreat titled, “God’s Plan For Me.” Going to this retreat reminded me that I was not alone. It reminded me that God knew what he was doing by giving me challenges. My life was never meaningless, and struggle was never a reason to give up.

Unfortunately, this newfound hope did not make everything instantly perfect. I still had a harsh reality to deal with. I had just graduated university and had no job lined up, so I moved back home. Being surrounded by my supportive, faith-filled family was a wonderful, yet difficult choice. Quite honestly, I hadn’t planned on living this long and had no idea how I was going to pay my bills, especially in a town with a population of less than 300! But as always, God had a plan.

Within a week of moving home, my hometown parish office called me and asked if I was interested in their part-time position as bulletin editor. I remember saying yes and crying thankful tears of joy when I hung up the phone. Using the bulletin, Our Heavenly Father had not only found a way to remind me that my life was worth living, but had also given me a job and further added purpose to my life.

Once I began working at the parish, I promised myself that wherever I worked next would be a Catholic company so that I could help God’s people the same way he helped me. I wanted to “pay it forward” ten-fold. This is how I ended up moving over a thousand miles for the opportunity to work at Diocesan. Funnily enough, though applying for Catholic jobs across the country, Diocesan was the only bulletin company I applied for. Coincidence? I prefer the term “act of God.”

Our Lord did not create us, his pride and joy, so that he could watch us struggle. He did not create us to be alone and keep our struggles to ourselves. Nor did God did not create you, or me, so that we would lose hope. He created us with everlasting love and undeniable purpose. As my favorite verse, Deuteronomy 31:6 reminds us to “be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” The powerful I AM is greater than our highs and our lows. He is always there, always watching and always ready to remind us that we have purpose and hope. God always has a plan.

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

Posted on

Blessed Are They

Click here for daily readings

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
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.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

What a rich selection of readings.

I want to say everything because the Beatitudes sing such a beautiful song, but I also want to say nothing because they are perfect as they are.

I suppose somewhere in between everything and nothing will have to do.

“Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)

 

Reading this verse reminds me of an encounter I had at an event a number of years ago. My band was leading worship for Adoration; the drums aren’t a vital role in leading people through quiet/reflective prayer, so I will take breaks to kneel and pray during the Holy Hour. As I was at this event, I felt the Holy Spirit inviting (or nudging) me to leave the stage. I didn’t know why, but it was pretty clear I should walk away from the drums.

Nerves and courage pulling me both ways, I finally decided to make my way down the stairs of the theater-made-church and kneel next to the teens attending the event.

What am I supposed to be doing?

Maybe I am supposed to pray with them?

I asked the teen at the end of the 1st row if they would pray with me and invite the rest of the row to join.

1st row.

2nd row.

3rd row.

When I inched back to the 4th row, I heard hysterical crying. Years later I still don’t know why this adult volunteer was weeping, but I put my arm on her shoulder and by the Holy Spirit I said:

“Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.”

Amidst tears, with a sigh of healing and an affirming nod, she thanked me.

We both turned towards the Tabernacle in thanksgiving, she because she didn’t mourn without being comforted, and I for the unique privilege to love her at that moment in that particular way.

Many have described the Beatitudes as “instructions for a happy life”. And I agree. However, I also believe the Beatitudes are a portrait of a Christian who is sincerely guided by the Holy Spirit.

We just need to say yes!

Yes to the invitation to be close to Him, and we need to be continually saying yes. He will equip us to be merciful, to be a peacemaker, to be a comforter. Blessed are they who subscribe to the Beatitudes, for their life will be awesome.

Be blessed.

Be awesome.

Say yes.

During the week, Matthew Juliano is a mentor for individuals who have developmental and intellectual disabilities. On the weekends, he is a drummer for Full Armor Band. You can find more content by Matt and his band at www.fullarmorband.com.

Posted on

How Did You Know You Were Naked?

Click here for daily readings

God created us with a desire to be like Him. We have a tendency to confuse that innate wanting to be like God with a desire to be God. In the first reading, Adam and Eve disobeyed God. God created them, set the parameters and gave them dominion over all creation. They decided that instead of being like God and operating within the order He created, they wanted to be God and determine what is good and evil for themselves. This crossing over from desiring to be like God to acting as God is what resulted in the break in the relationship with God and as a result of the break in Adam and Eve’s relationship with God, they experience shame in their bodies and tell God they have hid because they are naked.

God doesn’t yell. He doesn’t chastise. He doesn’t lecture. He simply asks them how they knew they were naked.

How often do we not feel shame when we should? Someone wiser than me once explained that drawing closer to God is like turning and driving into the sunrise. The dead bugs, smears, and flotsam on our windshield doesn’t really bother us, until we drive into the sunlight. The sins and wrong choices in our life aren’t always obvious, until we start to align our lives with what God calls us to be. Sinning is not so much choosing evil over good as it is wanting to choose for ourselves what is good and what is evil. As we stop deciding for ourselves what is good and evil and trust God, just like our windshield in the morning light, all the little things that separate us from God start to stand out.

In the Gospel, Jesus says that a house divided against itself cannot stand. Our culture tells us over and over that there are so many other things that we should put first. But just like Adam and Eve, when we put the created (including ourselves) before the Creator, we are that divided house and we will not be able to stand.

I love how all these readings go together. Our hope is found in the words of the Psalms, “If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand? But with you is forgiveness, that you may be revered.” I think of the disciples choosing a replacement for Judas Iscariot, they put first being a witness to the Jesus’s resurrection, once that was in place, they could leave everything to chance and know they were oriented in the right direction.

We can do that too. As we discern right and wrong, as we prioritize our time, talent, and treasure, we can ask ourselves which decision will help us to be the best witness to the resurrection of Jesus. Once that is in place, we have oriented ourselves to the Light and will be able to recognize when we have confused being God with desiring to be like God.

And, as I recognize my own shame, my own nakedness, I can rest in, “With the Lord there is mercy, and the fullness of redemption.”

While wearing many hats, Sheryl O’Connor is the wife and study buddy of Thomas O’Connor. Not having received the gift of having their own children, their home is filled with 2 large dogs and their hearts with the teens and youth with whom they work in their parish collaborative. Sheryl is the Director of Strong Families Programs for Holy Family Healthcare which means her job is doing whatever needs to be done to help parents build strong Catholic families. Inspired by the works of mercy, Holy Family Healthcare is a primary healthcare practice in West Michigan which seeks to honor the dignity of every individual as we would Christ. Find out more at https://www.holyfamilyhealthcare.org/

Posted on

Mary, Mother of Jesus

Click here for daily readings

Today the Church celebrates the obligatory Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, so the sequential readings are set aside so that we can hear in the Gospel something about the Heart of Mary. The verses that have always struck me to the heart and refocused my attention are repeated in two places in the second chapter of Luke: And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart (Luke 2:19); And his mother kept all these things in her heart (Luke 2:51).

She knew how to “BE WITH” events and circumstances and to know God in them, which is something that can only be done if we are open to the Spirit in our lives. We often see the events and circumstances and people in our lives as hurdles to overcome, tasks to be checked off, goals to reach. But if we open our hearts to the influence of the Holy Spirit, these things can reveal to us the will of God, and the gifts He is pouring over us. This is what Mary did.

But Mary sometimes gets a bit sidelined; we’re not sure what to make of all this, so we can sometimes reduce her to a kind of sweet “conduit” through which Jesus appeared on earth for us.

This would be to misunderstand the nature of motherhood in general and of this motherhood in particular – the mother-child relationship can never be reduced to mere passing “functionality.” We don’t give birth and then a child has no need for us! And in this particular case, it would be ridiculous to think that God would use a person and then minimize the role that person would play in the rest of the story.

Christ did not fall to earth, ready-made and complete. He, too, required loving and nurturing and instructing. Christ is the seed of the Word, planted by the Father and the Spirit in the womb of the Virgin of Nazareth; and Mary is the fertile earth that nourished and gave growth to that Seed so that we may eventually eat the fruit of the Tree of the Cross, the Eucharist. The Flesh that feeds us was formed under the Heart of Mary. The Blood that we receive from the altar first flowed through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Mary was made for this, and she cannot ever be anyone other than the Mother of God; everything before the angel Gabriel came to her prepared her for this role and there is no point at which she is not the Mother of God. Mary did not stop being the Mother of God once Jesus was born, or once he came of age, or when he left her to preach, or when he died on the Cross, or rose and ascended into Heaven. She is Christ’s mother and – because we are members of his Body through baptism – she is our mother too.

In her fiat at the outset of the work of redemption, she is both accepting God’s gift of redemption for herself and prefiguring/making possible the act of faith of the whole church yet to come. She speaks her YES on behalf of all of humanity, as the new creation begins in her womb.

In fact, “Mary, Mother of God” underlies the whole mystery of our redemption; from the Son’s conception in her womb by the overshadowing Holy Spirit to our own conception in the womb of Mother Church “until Christ be fully formed in us,” Mary is part of our salvation. And the Scriptures tell us that this is because of her great faith: blessed are you because you believed (Luke 1:45). Mary’s deepest identity is believer: one who encountered the Word of God, accepted it, assented to it, and never wavered, all the way to the cross and beyond.

There is nothing that Mary does without its being undertaken under the impulse of that original and ever-active grace of the Spirit that filled her from the beginning. This grace that filled Mary drove her in haste to the hill country of Judah to help her cousin Elizabeth, and also made her sensitive to the needs of the family hosting the wedding feast in Cana; we see in these events Mary’s essential role as Christ-Bearer and ready intercessor, who comes to our aid even without our asking! She is, in a sublime and motherly way, attentive to our needs.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary is the example for us of complete receptivity to the Word and a ready YES to every breath, every movement of the Holy Spirit. Let us allow her to mother us into the arms of her Son, Jesus, and into eternity with him.

Kathryn is married to Robert, mother of seven, grandmother to two, and a lay Carmelite. She has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE, and also as a writer and voice talent for Holy Family Radio. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and presenter, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Faith Formation, individual parishes, and Catholic ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Learn more at www.kathryntherese.com or on Facebook @summapax.

Posted on

The Heart of Jesus

Click here for daily readings

Sometimes people in the Church speak about devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as goopy spirituality. I prefer to think of our different expressions of devotion as a matter of preference. Some people love gaudy colors and lights, and some people prefer something understated and are happy with minimalist ascetics. But no matter which way we prefer to slice the cake, today is a Solemnity. It is not a memorial with or without a capital ‘m” and it is not a feast day. It is one of the highest expression of our adoration and worship of Almighty God.

Yet, does this devotion stop at a beautiful image on a mantle piece that is there as a sign of Our Lord’s protection and blessing upon our homes and families?

Does this devotion stop at warm thoughts about God’s heart being pierced by a lance, as is recounted in today’s Gospel?

Does it stop at the amazing reality that many Eucharistic miracles have been blind tested by scientists all over the world and they all confirm that the host that had become flesh is living heart tissue of a man who has been brutalized?

Does our devotion stop at the fact that Our Lord has appeared twice to bring awareness to the Universal Church that His Sacred Heart is the fount of Divine Mercy from which blood and water gush forth as expiation and salvation for the whole world?

God’s love for us is “crazy” or stated in a more sanitized fashion; “God’s love for us is other. God is Other.” His Sacred Heart is limitless love and mercy, and therefore our devotion to Him can always be growing and always be more and more total.

Today’s Solemnity is the perfect opportunity for us to run to the Lord with our hearts and to ask Him for the great-grace of receiving His abundant love. Today we can ask for the great-grace of loving God with our whole minds, hearts, souls, and strength and our neighbor as ourselves for love and obedience to Him who St. John says, “loved us to the end.”

His Heart is outside of His chest. His Heart is burning and pining for love. The only way to satiate our Lover’s thirst is to return love for love. Let us set no bounds to our devotion.

And not only that, but we can also count on St. Paul who says, “God is never outdone in generosity.” So I pray that today you and I will experience a huge influx of His infinite grace in our hearts, minds, and souls. We were made for this. We were made to be in communion with His Sacred Heart and to adore Him for all eternity.

Sr. Maria Kim-Ngân Bùi  is a Daughter of St. Paul, women religious dedicated to evangelization in and through the media. She has a degree from Boston College and the Augustine Institute. She has offered workshops, presentations, and retreats around the country. She currently serves as the head of marketing and sales at Pauline and one of the guides of Spiritual Accompaniment—the gemstone of the My Sisters online faith community.

Posted on

Pray for Ireland!

Click here for daily readings

Much has been written about Mary, the young woman of Nazareth who said ‘’yes” to God. The gentle Mother who calls us to her Son, known by so many names–the Morning Star, Immaculate Heart, Our Lady of Good Counsel to name a few. We place crowns on her statue, and maybe say a rosary–it’s all so peaceful.

Our Lady of the Rosary, however commemorates the victory of Christendom over the Ottoman Empire in the 16th Century, in a bloody battle at Lepanto, Greece. Pope Pius V called upon all of Europe to pray the Rosary for victory, and history recounts that Christians gathered in villages and churches to pray during the epic battle. Over 30,000 lives, both Christian and Muslim, were lost but the Ottoman forces were turned back from Europe. This Is Mary Victorious–she who praised the God who showed ‘’the strength of his Arm…He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly.”

Just last month–the month of Mary–the island nation of Ireland voted to ‘reform’ it’s abortion laws. Their constitution made abortion legal only if the life of the mother is at risk, but on May 25 they voted to allow abortion for any reason up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy.

We’ve been down this road before. Already, the pro-abortion lobby is claiming abortion restrictions are ‘cruel, inhuman, and degrading.’ The culture of death prevailed, and more innocent lives will be lost. Why were the prayers of the faithful, entreating Our Lady to intervene in Ireland, not answered? Why was this battle lost?

Who can deny that the evil one has an advantage in our day–causing confusion and distorting the truth. As W. B. Yeats wrote:

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere   

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst   

Are full of passionate intensity.

This is exactly when we must call out to God to strike a blow to the enemy, and show that the victory has been won. Our prayers for Ireland have indeed been answered, although we can’t see the victory just yet. But the victory is won–Christ has harrowed hell and risen from the dead.

Let’s rise up with our rosary beads in hand, and continue to  invoke the Blessed Mother, Mary, Queen of Victory, to turn the tide on the culture of death.  Blessed Pope Pius IX said: “Give me an army saying the Rosary, and I will conquer the world.” Let’s put out the call for warriors on our Facebook, and Twitter accounts and join that army in praying the Rosary for an end to abortion. And remember, ‘greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ (1Jn 4:4)

Pamela Pettibone joined Diocesan’s staff in 2006, after a number of years in the non-profit sector. Her experience is in non-profit administration including management, finance, and program development, along with database management and communications. She was a catechist in her parish RCIA program for over 15 years, as well as chairperson of their Liturgy Commision. Received into the Catholic Church as an adult, Pamela’s faith formation was influenced by her Mennonite extended family, her Baptist childhood, and her years as a Reformed Presbyterian (think Scott Hahn).

Posted on

Dependent on God

Click here for daily readings

Pope Francis appears to to be pretty concerned with something called “Pelagianism.” He has made multiple references to it throughout his pontificate, including his new Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate, and recently the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released a document specifically addressing Pelagianism in the Church today. Pelagianism is a 4th century heresy, a false teaching taught by an Irish monk named, you guessed it, Pelagius. And Pope Francis says that this heresy still plagues the Church today.

Pelagianism is a heresy that concerns the role of grace in our salvation and sanctification, in how we become holy. In his recent exhortation the pope describes Pelagianism this way:

“Those who yield to this pelagian or semi-pelagian mindset, even though they speak warmly of God’s grace, “ultimately trust only in their own powers and feel superior to others because they observe certain rules or remain intransigently faithful to a particular Catholic style”….The result is a self-centred and elitist complacency, bereft of true love. This finds expression in a variety of apparently unconnected ways of thinking and acting: an obsession with the law, an absorption with social and political advantages, a punctilious concern for the Church’s liturgy, doctrine and prestige, a vanity about the ability to manage practical matters, and an excessive concern with programmes of self-help and personal fulfilment. Some Christians spend their time and energy on these things, rather than letting themselves be led by the Spirit in the way of love, rather than being passionate about communicating the beauty and the joy of the Gospel and seeking out the lost among the immense crowds that thirst for Christ” (GE 49,57)

In other words, this new Pelagianism concerns the false idea that a person can earn their own salvation, metaphorically pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps. It denies that grace is necessary for sanctification and basically asserts that people are endowed with the ability to live a virtuous, sinless life, and they aren’t dependent upon God to live a life of holiness or to be saved. This also easily leads to a Phariseeism that says, “I live a virtuous life and obey the law, so if you aren’t doing that clearly you’re just more lazy or ignorant than I am.”  However, like the Pelagianism of old, this new Pelagianism is a heresy.

So what does the Church teach about grace and salvation? That answer can be found in the first reading at Mass today. Writing to Timothy, St. Paul says:

“He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began, but now made manifest through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel, for which I was appointed preacher and Apostle and teacher.”

The process of sanctification, that is, the process of God making us like himself, is entirely initiated by God. Salvation is a total gift that we do not deserve and cannot earn. Pope Francis puts it this way, “The Church has repeatedly taught that we are justified not by our own works or efforts, but by the grace of the Lord, who always takes the initiative” (GE 52). God always acts first. He acts and then invites us to respond. This is the story of Israel in the Old Testament, God freed them from slavery in Egypt first before inviting them to respond by following the Ten Commandments. He didn’t free his people because they deserved it.

However, as St. James says, “faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17). So we must actually respond to God in concrete ways, we must cooperate with grace. We cooperate with grace by freely loving others. Again, the pope says:

“Only on the basis of God’s gift, freely accepted and humbly received, can we cooperate by our own efforts in our progressive transformation. We must first belong to God, offering ourselves to him who was there first, and entrusting to him our abilities, our efforts, our struggle against evil and our creativity, so that his free gift may grow and develop within us….For that matter, the Church has always taught that charity alone makes growth in the life of grace possible, for ‘if I do not have love, I am nothing’” (GE 56).

Love, willing the good of someone else no matter what it may cost me, is the way we accept the gift of grace  that God offers us. As St. Paul says, “For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Gal 5:14). That is one of the sinister results of Pelagianism, a lack of love. For if I think that I have made myself holy than I build myself a little pedestal to stand on which I can look down and judge others from. Pope Francis is concerned with Pelagianism because it quickly makes us Pharisees instead of disciples.

So let’s listen to that first reading at Mass today and pray both for more of the grace necessary for God to make us holy and for more humility to see ourselves as entirely dependent on God. For it would be wrong for us to read this article and think about all the people we know who are Pelagians. Instead we should read this as an examination of conscience. As Pope Francis says at the end of his discussion on this heresy:

“May the Lord set the Church free from these new forms of gnosticism..that weigh her down and block her progress along the path to holiness! These aberrations take various shapes, according to the temperament and character of each person. So I encourage everyone to reflect and discern before God whether they may be present in their lives” (GE 62).

Paul Fahey is a husband, father, and a parish director of religious education. If you like what he has to say, read his work at Where Peter Is, check out his blog, The Porch, or follow him on Facebook.

Posted on

Pray for Ireland!

Click here for daily readings

Much has been written about Mary, the young woman of Nazareth who said ‘’yes” to God. The gentle Mother who calls us to her Son, known by so many names–the Morning Star, Immaculate Heart, Our Lady of Good Counsel to name a few. We place crowns on her statue, and maybe say a rosary–it’s all so peaceful.

Our Lady of the Rosary, however commemorates the victory of Christendom over the Ottoman Empire in the 16th Century, in a bloody battle at Lepanto, Greece. Pope Pius V called upon all of Europe to pray the Rosary for victory, and history recounts that Christians gathered in villages and churches to pray during the epic battle. Over 30,000 lives, both Christian and Muslim, were lost but the Ottoman forces were turned back from Europe. This Is Mary Victorious–she who praised the God who showed ‘’the strength of his Arm…He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly.”

Just last month–the month of Mary–the island nation of Ireland voted to ‘reform’ it’s abortion laws. Their constitution made abortion legal only if the life of the mother is at risk, but on May 25 they voted to allow abortion for any reason up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy.

We’ve been down this road before. Already, the pro-abortion lobby is claiming abortion restrictions are ‘cruel, inhuman, and degrading.’ The culture of death prevailed, and more innocent lives will be lost. Why were the prayers of the faithful, entreating Our Lady to intervene in Ireland, not answered? Why was this battle lost?

Who can deny that the evil one has an advantage in our day–causing confusion and distorting the truth. As W. B. Yeats wrote:

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere   

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst   

Are full of passionate intensity.

This is exactly when we must call out to God to strike a blow to the enemy, and show that the victory has been won. Our prayers for Ireland have indeed been answered, although we can’t see the victory just yet. But the victory is won–Christ has harrowed hell and risen from the dead.

Let’s rise up with our rosary beads in hand, and continue to  invoke the Blessed Mother, Mary, Queen of Victory, to turn the tide on the culture of death.  Blessed Pope Pius IX said: “Give me an army saying the Rosary, and I will conquer the world.” Let’s put out the call for warriors on our Facebook, and Twitter accounts and join that army in praying the Rosary for an end to abortion. And remember, ‘greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ (1Jn 4:4)

Pamela Pettibone joined Diocesan’s staff in 2006, after a number of years in the non-profit sector. Her experience is in non-profit administration including management, finance, and program development, along with database management and communications. She was a catechist in her parish RCIA program for over 15 years, as well as chairperson of their Liturgy Commision. Received into the Catholic Church as an adult, Pamela’s faith formation was influenced by her Mennonite extended family, her Baptist childhood, and her years as a Reformed Presbyterian (think Scott Hahn).

Posted on

Don’t Believe the Lie

Click here for daily readings

While praying with today’s readings, my mind kept being pulled to the following two lines in the Gospel: “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion. You do not regard a person’s status but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.” I also am drawn to a line in the first reading from 2 Peter 3:17, “Therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, be on your guard not to be led into the error of the unprincipled and to fall from your own stability.”

My own stability is in the way of God, in accordance with the truth, but it hasn’t always been. It is so easy to be led into the error of the unprincipled, to be caught up in a passionate speech of half truths. I keep thinking of all the terrible illustrations in our human history that whip up popular sentiment and leads people to terrible things because they are told to believe a lie. “A wall will protect us”, “a vulnerable life is easily dismissed or disposable”, “someone who has a different way of life or color of skin has a different worth than me”.  This is where my fall from stability can come into play if I am not aware of the truth or choose to ignore the truth.

It is usually very controversial to address the half truth; to call out the lie and state the truth. I have to be as Casting Crowns sings, to “Love You with the Truth.” Why is it that speaking the truth (in love) can be so threatening to others? Is it because we might realize that we’re wrong, that so many mistakes have been made and have to be accounted for and atoned? Atonement is, after all, what allows us to be “Free”.

I would like to believe I am a truthful woman. I do ponder though, how concerned am I with the opinions of others. I can struggle with doubt. I can struggle with the opinions of others, especially when I neglect to be grounded in the teachings of the Gospel. I find His truth in my surroundings and today I was called to these embedded songs (from my long ago youth ministry days). I hope you take a moment to listen to His voice in these songs. Don’t fall into the trap of forgetting that “I Believe in God”. Know your focus is to be on His love and His truth spoken through His son Jesus Christ.  The truth will “set you free”.

Beth Price is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and spiritual director who has worked in several parish ministry roles during the last 20 years. She is a proud mother of 3 adult children. Beth currently works at Diocesan.

Posted on

Stand on the Promise

Click here for daily readings

Today, Peter writes a beautiful, uplifting and instructive letter, providing a road map of how to live your faith. These words are worthy of hanging on your bathroom mirror so you can read them each morning:

“…make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,
virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control,
self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion,
devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love.”  (2 Pt 1:5-7)

But Peter gives us another little gem that will help us in living this life of virtue. He says “…he [Jesus] has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises” (2 Pt 1:4)

Promises. Can you even count the number of promises made to you, or that you have made, left unfulfilled?

I have often given talks to groups of RCIA inquirers and others who question the validity of living a life of virtue. Hearing comments that it is too difficult in today’s cultural climate begs a response. Yes, it is difficult and is getting increasingly so. There are so many unknowns. My response? You are right about the uncertainties – but you must stand on the Promise of Jesus. Stand firm and hard on the Promise. Because unlike everyone else who will let you down after promises made, Jesus never will!

Just what were we promised? Indeed not riches or long life or even true love, rather, that living a life of virtue, according to the Way, will most likely give us, at times, a hard life. And in today’s world a life of ridicule and, yes, even hatred. The beauty beyond all this is that the real Promise of Jesus is Eternal Life, eternal joy! The real Promise of Jesus is peace in our hearts while dealing with the hardships of this world. The real Promise is that if we hold fast to the life of virtue, faith, and trust in God, no matter the consequence, He will be there holding our hand every step of the way. But we must be willing to take that hand and to be guided into the unknown. If we do less and let down our guard to give in to the world’s whims, we are saying that we don’t believe in the Promise, and, we are denying Jesus.

A beautiful but obscure poem titled “God Knows,” published in 1908, starts with some of the most inspiring words I’ve ever read.

“And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’
And he replied
‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.’ So I went forth and, finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.”

                                                                   

God Knows, Minnie Louise Haskins, British Poet (1875-1957)

Jeanne Penoyar, an Accounts Manager here at Diocesan, is currently a Lector at St. Anthony of Padua parish in Grand Rapids, MI. While at St. Thomas the Apostle, Grand Rapids, Jeanne was a Lector, Cantor, Coordinator of Special Liturgies, Coordinator of lectors and, at one time, chair of the Liturgy Commission. In a past life, secretary/bookkeeper at the Basilica of St. Adalbert where she ran the RCIA program for the Steepletown parishes. And she loves to write! When relaxing, she likes reading and word puzzles.

Posted on

Eucharistic Life

Click here for daily readings

The feast of Corpus Christi in 1984 was also the date of my First Profession as a Daughter of St. Paul. Though St. Paul usually gets the honors with our usual date for professions being on his feast day at the end of June, that year, for whatever reason, our group had the singular privilege of making our profession on the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. This meaning of this Feast has marked my entire religious life.

The image of the Eucharist, the bread broken in the Master and Savior’s hands for the feeding of his disciples and for the life of the world, has always been powerful for me. I remember in 1999 making a pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Paul in Rome. We were told to watch for the moment when we felt St Paul’s presence in a meaningful way. I watched. I waited. And as we walked away from the Three Fountains where St Paul was martyred, trodding the very path the first Christians would have walked in sorrow after his beheading, I myself sorrowed. I had felt nothing of St. Paul’s presence.

Slowly we made our way to the Basilica St Paul Outside-the-Walls south of the Aurelian Walls. I knelt in the confessional, above where St Paul was buried and then went quietly to join my sisters in the large Blessed Sacrament Chapel where there is a crucifix that is said to have spoken to St Bridget in 1370. There a priest celebrated Mass for us. Again nothing. Walking back to my pew after receiving Communion, at last, I heard within myself the words of Jesus: “I am already here within you. I, God.” I was moved to tears. I was looking for an experience, a feeling. All the time, Jesus had been with me in his Eucharistic presence.

Our Pauline spirituality is profoundly Eucharistic, and so is our life and mission. We are to be bread broken for the life of many. Recently, this has come to life for me in a new way. I’ve had this sense that every encounter, every task in the apostolate, everything I write is a form of distributing the body of Christ to others. It is in his body and blood that we have communion with each other, yes, but it is also in his body and blood that we find ourselves together in communion with Jesus, lost in him, where his warmth and presence is always increasing in us.

So as you read today’s readings for the Liturgy, you might want to think about how your life is already Eucharistic, and how certain situations and activities can be a form of giving Christ to others, blessing them with his awesome love. What would change if gradually you were more intentionally aware of this desire of Jesus to be life for the world through you? How is Jesus inviting you to be bread broken for the life of the world? In what way do you share in his suffering, and how are you offering life for others?

Kathryn James Hermes, FSP, an author and spiritual mentor, offers personalized and professional guidance for the contemporary Christian’s journey towards spiritual growth and inner healing. She draws from the spiritual tradition and her own lived experience to lead seekers deep within themselves and through their personal history to deepen their intimacy with and trust in God; live with greater joy, peace, and interior freedom; and encounter the Lord in their past and present life experiences to find healing, grace, and newness of life. She is the director of My Sisters, where people can find spiritual accompaniment from the Daughters of St. Paul on their journey. Sr. Kathryn’s forthcoming book Reclaim Regret: How God Heals Life’s Disappointments will be released in September 2018.

Website: touchingthesunrise.com. Open Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/srkathrynhermes/

Posted on

Thirsting for God

Click here for daily readings

Our family recently experienced the loss of a loved one. A joy-filled, faithful woman who gave a great portion of her time to guiding youth, helping people find jobs, aiding refugees and much, much more. So many people were touched by her that social media was spattered with memorial messages and the line to get into the funeral home was out the door. “You would have thought the Pope died!” someone commented, so enormous was the outpouring of love and attention toward the family of the deceased. She was truly an incredible woman and one who will be missed by myriads. But as cancer consumed her body and her time for the last year and a half of her life, the words of today’s Psalm became more and more real to her “My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord, my God.”

Reflecting on her life and her legacy, I recall a refection from a fellow Catholic mom from a couple weeks back. She posed the question, “have you exhausted your lover(s)?” In other words, have you made God come out in search of you time and time again, only to turn around with head bowed in sadness because there has been no reciprocation, no response? Is He exhausted from seeking out your heart and finding it cold and unopened? My family member obviously did not exhaust God, quite the contrary, but do I?

How great is my thirst for my God? Do I long for my eternal home and thus direct my life toward this goal? Or do I allow myself to get bogged down by the trivial trials that each day presents? The baby who won’t sleep through the night, the toddler who sparks an attitude, the preschooler who wants to argue about everything… where does all of this fall on the road to eternity? What significance does it have? If I am truly honest with myself, very little, unless I let it. I can brush it off as life’s drudgery or I can see each of these daily crosses as an opportunity to inch toward sanctification. I pray that with each passing day, I may choose the latter more and more.

“My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord, my God.”

May I exhaust you no longer.

Amen.

Tami Urcia is wife and mother to her small army of boys. She works full time at Diocesan and is a freelance translator and blogger (BlessedIsShe.net and catholicMom.com) She loves tackling home projects, keeping tabs on the family finances, and finding unique ways to love. Tami spent early young adulthood as a missionary in Mexico, then worked and traveled extensively before finishing her Bachelor’s Degree. Her favorite things to do are spending time outside with the kiddos, quiet conversation with the hubby, and an occasional break from real life by getting a pedicure or a haircut. You can find out more about her here.