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Rejoice

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The Octave of Easter is full of redemptive resurrection joy. Each day is a celebration of Easter and the joy it brings to believers.  The readings today bring forth two stories of rejoicing: the healing of a man crippled from birth by two of the apostles and the road to Emmaus. The Psalm calls on the hearts that seek the Lord to rejoice!

Today I ask you to pray with me a prayer and hymn of praise, the Te Deum, as it appears in the Liturgy of the Hours, the Office of Readings for this day. Rejoice!

You are God: we praise you;

You are God: we acclaim you;

You are the eternal Father:

All creation worships you.

To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,

Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:

Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might,

Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise you.

The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.

The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.

Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:

Father, of majesty unbounded,

Your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,

And the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the king of glory,

The eternal Son of the Father.

When you became man to set us free

You did not spurn the Virgin’s womb.

You overcame the sting of death,

And opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.

We believe that you will come, and be our judge.

Come then, Lord, and help your people,

Bought with the price of your own blood,

And bring us with your saints

To glory everlasting.

Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance.

Govern and uphold them now and always.

Day by day we bless you.

We praise your name forever.

Keep us today, Lord, from all sin.

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.

Lord, show us your love and mercy;

For we put our trust in you.

In you, Lord, is our hope:

And we shall never hope in vain.

Alleluia! Amen! Rejoice!

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Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and a practicing spiritual director. Beth shares smiles, prayers, laughter, a listening ear and her heart with all of creation. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

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This Changes Everything

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While the phrase, “This changes everything” could be seen as overused or an over exaggeration, in today’s Gospel no phrase could be more apt. However, in the strange and mysterious ways of God, there is an element that remains unchanged, even while the whole course of human history has been rerouted. 

Today, we hear the story of Mary Magdalen’s encounter with the risen Jesus just outside the tomb. In her distress, when she first hears Jesus she doesn’t look at Him. She assumes He is the gardener. Only when He calls her by name does she look up to see the resurrected Christ. 

By name He calls her. Just as during Jesus’ previous ministry, He intimately knows each one of His followers. He calls them, singles them out of the crowd, to come and follow Him. Even after going through His Passion, even after the mystery of His Resurrection, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, still does not lose sight of one member of His flock. Nothing has changed. 

And yet as we know, everything changed. Without speaking in a parable, Jesus identifies His disciples as His “brothers.” He claims them as siblings, explaining that they would now share one Father, one God. This statement makes it clear that this relationship is changing, it has been transformed. 

As baptized Christians, we are given a claim to this status of sibling. We are sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus. We share one Father and can pray the prayer Jesus taught us with renewed meaning. “Our Father” is not a theoretical statement, or some lofty metaphor. This is my Father, and your Father. We are made into a new family. No one we encounter can truly be a stranger, for everyone we meet is another brother, another sister, within God’s extensive family. 

We are just beginning the Easter celebrations. Just as Jesus instructed Mary to go and announce what she had seen and heard, so too are we called. We are called to share the Good News with our brothers and sisters and to live our lives in such a way that they can see something is different. We too have been transformed. The Resurrection changes everything.

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Kate Taliaferro is an Air Force wife and mother. She is blessed to be able to homeschool, bake bread and fold endless piles of laundry. When not planning a school day, writing a blog post or cooking pasta, Kate can be found curled up with a book or working with some kind of fiber craft. Kate blogs at DailyGraces.net.

Feature Image Credit: Benjamin Taliaferro, 2022, used with permission

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Fearful Yet Overjoyed

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Think back on a moment of life where everything changed. One of those crystal moments, where you know things will never be the same. Think of that moment when something you had been looking forward to became real; you were accepted at college, got your dream job, the moment your vocation became clear, the day of your marriage, the birth of your child.

These are such happy spots in our earthly lives! We are overcome with joy and delight. And, often, then reality sinks in. Can I cut it in college? What if I can’t? What if I am not as good at this job as I think I will be? Can I really spend the rest of my earthly life this way? Am I willing to give everything to get this person to heaven? What if I fail as a parent? How does this change tomorrow? Will anything in my life ever be the same?

The same can happen as we experience the joy of Easter. Christ is risen, Alleluia! Something so minor as death cannot overtake our Lord!

But the questions come, what does this mean to me? Is Easter simply the ending of my Lenten penance? Can I now go back to eating chocolate and putting cream in my coffee without giving it another thought? Can I pick up that weekly grande latte again rather than giving to someone in greater need? Do I just pick up where I left off on Mardi Gras like Lent (and Easter) never happened? What has to change in my life because Jesus has risen? How does this change tomorrow? Will anything in my life ever be the same?

The Church, in her infinite motherly wisdom, again provides. Easter is not a single day after which we put away the bunnies and baskets and go back to our daily routine. Easter is a season which begins with the rising of Jesus and ends with the descent of the Holy Spirit as the grand finale! Lent was 40 days. Easter gives us 50 days to soak it all in. We have time to meditate on the reality of Easter, not to be fearful but to let our senses, honed by abstinence and penance, truly consider what it means to serve a risen Lord. Our Lenten penance isn’t a thing of the past, it is now the prepared bedding where our Easter joy takes root. Our hearts and souls are ready to turn back to God for this time of grace and joy.

My prayer for you is that you are able to spend this Easter, all of Easter, not as a “getting back to normal” but as a time to find a new normal. To integrate in new ways, what it means to serve the One who overcame death through love. Like Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, may your joy at Easter so fill your heart that you run to share the news of Christ’s love with all you meet.

Easter blessings!

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Sheryl gratefully serves the St. Therese Catholic School community as both the kindergarten teacher and the school principal. When not teaching, she takes the roll of student as she studies with her husband who is in formation to be Deacon in the Diocese of Kalamazoo. Their home is kept lively by their golden retriever, Carlyn and new puppy, Lucy.

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All About Us

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It is fairly common for us to hear in popular culture and public conservations someone being told, “It’s not all about you” when they are perceived as being selfish, self-centered or self-serving. It’s a very public and definite rebuke, a complete put-down. Get over yourself, it says. Think about someone else for once, it implies.

And then we come to Holy Week and Easter. Jesus Christ is risen today! Alleluia! He is risen indeed! Praise be to God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ! A reflection on all the drama, all the emotion, all the theology of the past few days, and one thing that arises – a little bit unexpected, quite honestly – is that all of it, Christ’s passion, death and resurrection, are, in fact, all about us.

We are sinners. We fail God and others. God in his infinite power and majesty could do anything at all about it – forget us, leave us to flounder, even destroy us and start over. Yet God decides in his infinite love and mercy instead to save us. The incarnation, the loving act of sending his only Son into this world to be a ransom for our sins, would never have to happen if not for our sinfulness. 

And Jesus submits to the will of the Father, emptying himself and becoming human. He is born as we are born, grows as we grow, lives like us in all ways, yet he does not sin. His commitment is completely to the Father, giving us the example of how we should live. He teaches us, he heals us, he gives us his very self in the Eucharist at the Last Supper on Holy Thursday. He does it all for us.

And we reject him. He is betrayed, arrested, tried, falsely accused, falsely convicted. He is tortured and ridiculed, crucified and killed. And he humbly accepts it all. He who never had sin takes on our sins and is killed for them. His death is all about his love for us.

But it’s not the end. Two thousand years later, we repeat it almost as a matter of fact, that Jesus rose from the dead. But think about that! He was dead, but then he was no longer dead! No wonder his disciples couldn’t comprehend what that meant when he told them it would occur. And it happened for us, that we, too, might have everlasting life with God in heaven. Because God loves us so much that he willed this all for our salvation. 

Let us latch onto that this Easter and always with rejoicing and praise. Jesus became man, suffered, died and rose again, all for us. And it happened because God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, loves us in spite of us. God, who does not need us in the slightest, has chosen to make it all about us with His infinite love. Let us live on in that love, taking it and spreading it and making it all about someone else, just as God has done with us. Happy Easter! Alleluia!

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Mike Karpus is a regular guy. He grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, graduated from Michigan State University and works as an editor. He is married to a Catholic school principal, raised two daughters who became Catholic school teachers at points in their careers, and now relishes his two grandchildren, including the 3-year-old who teaches him what the colors of Father’s chasubles mean. He has served on a Catholic School board, a pastoral council and a parish stewardship committee. He currently is a lector at Mass, a Knight of Columbus, Adult Faith Formation Committee member and a board member of the local Habitat for Humanity organization. But mostly he’s a regular guy.

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Come Holy Spirit

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In today’s First Reading, in Acts 2, the people unite to celebrate the Lord together, through the formation of the church. This is the reversal of the Tower of Babel- whereas earlier the people are confused by different languages, here they are united as one, in their love of God the Father and Son through the Holy Spirit. They live astounded and amazed.  

I think so many of us struggle with trying to understand who exactly the Holy Spirit is. As Catholics we speak so regularly on who Christ is, and who the Father is, but the Holy Spirit often remains in the background. In today’s Second Reading, it is noted there is the same Spirit, the same Lord, the same God. No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. To know God, we must have the Holy Spirit alive in us. This is demonstrated in Psalm 104 which notes our reliance on the Spirit, concluding, “If you take away their breath, they perish and return to their dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created”. In the King James Version, the final verse reads “Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth”, with the preceding verses emphasizing how dependent one’s life is on God.

The Holy Spirit is God. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to His Church to strengthen and guide it, allowing us to live for God’s glory.  And how can we complete this in our daily lives? We must first actively seek the Holy Spirit out, ask the Holy Spirit to abide in us, and bless us with the gifts necessary to do whatever work God asks of us. 

St. Teresa of Avila best summarizes how to make the Spirit come alive in her following prayer: 

Christ has no body but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which He looks

Compassion on this world,

Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good,

Yours are the hands, with which He blesses all the world.

Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,

Yours are the eyes, you are His body.

Christ has no body now but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

compassion on this world.

Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

Through the Spirit, we achieve the true Peace God the Father and Son grant us; a freedom and security that come from knowing that God is with us always. Especially today on the feast of Pentecost, may we be forever blessed by the graces offered by the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit! 

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Dr. Alexis Dallara-Marsh is a board-certified neurologist who practices in Bergen County, NJ. She is a wife to her best friend, Akeem, and a mother of two little ones on Earth and two others in heaven above.

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We Follow Him

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In today’s Gospel John recounts Jesus’ admonishment of Peter for being concerned with the disposition of others rather than his own disposition. How often do we find ourselves in Peter’s position? It’s easy to fall into the habit of comparing ourselves to others and of comparing our sins to others: “I may gossip but at least I don’t do that other sin.” But the fact of the matter is that all sin puts distance between us and God. When we get caught up in comparison, we can lose sight of our own relationship with God and take it for granted. I think that through His response to Peter’s question, Jesus is reminding us to concentrate on our own relationship with Him. He says to us, “You follow me”. 

The First Reading gives an example of what following Jesus looks like; we hear a little bit about Paul’s time as a prisoner in Rome. The life of a Christian is radical and society will not always accept Christianity. Paul recognized this yet, as the First Reading tells us, “He received all who came to him, and with complete assurance and without hindrance he proclaimed the Kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ”. Paul chose to devote his life to Christ and share the Gospel with all people regardless of the consequences. This is what Jesus means by “You follow me”. 

One of my favorite lines in Scripture is the one that ends our Gospel today: “There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written”. The disciples had the honor of witnessing Christ’s mission firsthand but, because they were human, they were not always perfect in following Jesus. They do, however, serve as the exemplars of how we should dedicate our lives to Christ Jesus and carry out his mission of spreading the Good News to the ends of the earth.

May we spend our lives following Christ wholeheartedly!

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Dakota currently lives in Denver, CO and teaches English Language Development and Spanish to high schoolers. She is married to the love of her life, Ralph. In her spare time, she reads, goes to breweries, and watches baseball. Dakota’s favorite saints are St. John Paul II (how could it not be?) and St. José Luis Sánchez del Río. She is passionate about her faith and considers herself blessed at any opportunity to share that faith with others. Check out more of her writing at https://dakotaleonard16.blogspot.com.

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Sheep Being Fed

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“Simon, son of John, do you love me? … Feed my sheep.” 

Today’s Gospel has had an impact on my life for many years now … at least 13, if my memory serves me correct. 

It was 13 years ago that a newly ordained priest was starting his first assignment at my then-home parish. I had never before met a priest like him – young, full of joy and laughter and, most important to me (at the time), actively involved in youth ministry. 

Throughout his four years at my home parish, I saw the ministry of the priesthood up close and personal for the first time. I saw a man who truly laid down his life at the service of ALL of God’s people. And I was introduced to the person of Jesus Christ through him. 

My personal journey of discipleship started when I was in high school and this priest played a huge role, simply by his willingness to be present and listen to us young people. He has since continued to walk with me on my journey of discipleship, well into my adult years. While he has long moved on from my home parish, I still find myself reaching out to share joys, triumphs, struggles and burdens.

What does this priest have to do with today’s Gospel? Well, for his priesthood verse/theme, he selected the above verse from John. I still remember the day he handed us his priesthood card with that verse on the back and I can still tell you exactly where that priesthood card is. He was … and still is … the embodiment of what feeding His sheep looks like. Not only does he feed God’s sheep by offering up the sacrifice of the Mass and nourishing us spiritually with the Eucharist but also in so many other ways that would exceed my word count for this blog alone. 

Now as a youth minister, I can relate to this same verse as I strive to feed the young people of today’s Church. And, in a beautiful way, I am reminded of this task every time I step into my church building for those same words, “Simon, son of John, do you love me? … Feed my sheep” are written on an arch above the choir loft in my church. 

This call to feed God’s sheep is a call for each one of us in our different vocations and states of life. Priests are called in a very concrete and intentional way to offer up the Body and Blood of Christ for our sake. Other religious men and women are called to serve the Church in different ministries of prayer and service, etc., all of which nourish the whole Church as the Body of Christ. Married couples are called to feed their children not only physically but also spiritually as the first educators of the faith. And single men and women are called to serve the Church in a variety of different ways that share God’s love with all people. 

How are you being called to feed His sheep?

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Erin Madden is a Cleveland native and graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is passionate about the Lord Jesus, all things college sports and telling stories and she is blessed enough to get paid for all three of her passions. 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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Love Is Gathering and Rescuing Us

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“You, Father, are in me and I in you… I in them and you in me… that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them…” Today’s Gospel can sound like a logic puzzle and have our minds glazing over at first; it really needs to be read slowly, and several times. Every sentence – every clause – is rich and profound, giving us insight into Jesus’ relationship with his Father, his love for us and for the whole Church, our relationship with one another, and our relationship within the Trinity.

Jesus prayed this prayer out loud for his disciples, so they could glimpse these relationships and enter into them. And they are recorded for us, so that we can do the same.

Jesus’ repeated desire is for ONENESS – deep, true, spiritual oneness based on mutual love. He prays that we will be one just as the Father and the Son are one! In order for that to happen, we need to be united to the Son who is IN the Father, and the Father will dwell in us as He is IN the Son. This is the perfection to which we are all called: “I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as ONE…”

It is Jesus who draws us together, who wants us to enjoy the very love that he himself enjoys in the Father. Jesus expresses this wish explicitly: “I wish that WHERE I AM THEY ALSO MAY BE WITH ME…” Jesus’ deepest desire is to gather us all to himself, so that we can, in him, enter into the very Heart of the Father, to share his love, joy, and glory. And the Father wants this as well, as we – you, me, everyone – are the Father’s GIFT to the Son. The Son wants to respond by winning us back from sin and self, and then giving us all back to the Father.

Why? LOVE. Jesus’ entire life and self-offering is motivated by love. He does the Father’s will because he loves the Father. He offers himself for us because he loves us. He pours his grace and mercy over us because he wants us to be with him to share the “joy beyond words” of the life of the Trinity. Forever. He tells the Father that he does it all so “that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”

This is the radiance for which we are created! This is salvation! This is heaven! This is the whole purpose of existence! We are made IN HIM and FOR HIM (Col 1:16-17); we come from Love, we are returning to Love, and Love is rescuing us every step of the way. Today, let’s seek ways to walk in this glorious Truth and return love for Love.

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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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To know the Truth

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What is truth? Or maybe the better question is Who is Truth? We know who Truth is – Jesus. Then why is it often difficult to get to the truth of an issue, concern or problem?

One reason might be where we are looking for truth. Since Easter, we have been reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles at Mass. And if you have ever studied that book, you may know it is often called the Book of the Holy Spirit. Why? Because the Spirit moves in that book and moved in the life of the apostles and all the believers of that early Christian community. They knew the truth and when they needed to discern the next steps they prayed, together, and asked for guidance. And the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, showed up. 

When we look for truth, where do we go first? Social Media, TV news, your local newspaper or radio show? And how do you decide who is giving you accurate information? It might be less difficult to find the truth if we first prayed and asked for help.

I think about this often, because I find myself taking the next step, quickly glancing heavenward and saying, “God, is this okay, God?” instead of taking the time to sit with Him first. We do not belong to the world, so we cannot start with the world. We are consecrated in truth; Jesus tells us this. What does it mean to be consecrated? To be set apart, blessed, made holy, dedicated to God, to have a divine purpose – choose your favorite, but know that we are not ordinary. 

We have access to the truth. But do we access it? All around me I see division. Why? Because we have stopped looking for the truth Christ gives us and don’t ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Of course, many of us reading this do so because we do want the truth. We want to know Christ more fully and deeply. And how can that happen?

No need to sit down or hold onto your hats for this information; you will not be shocked. How can we know the Truth more fully and deeply? Pray. Frequent the sacraments. Read Scripture. Remember that we are consecrated in truth, by Jesus. I pray that we all come to know and live this out every day. 

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Deanna G. Bartalini, MEd, MPS, is a Catholic educator, writer, speaker, and retreat leader. She has served in ministry for over 40 years as a catechist, religious education director, youth minister, liturgical coordinator, stewardship director and Unbound prayer minister. For all of Deanna’s current work go to DeannaBartalini.com. 

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Bear Witness

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In today’s First Reading, Paul gives a farewell address to some disciples in Miletus. He says to them: “I served the Lord with all humility and with the tears and trials that came to me because of the plots of the Jews, and I did not at all shrink from telling you what was for your benefit, or from teaching you in public or in your homes. I earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks to repentance before God and to faith in our Lord Jesus.” 

Paul, who completely changed his ways—from Saul the persecutor to Paul the evangelist—spent the rest of his life traveling from city to city preaching about Christ. And here in this speech, he mentions that he did so despite the “tears and trials.”

It was not easy for him, and many people didn’t even believe that he had changed. In fact, many still feared him. Yet he persisted. He did so because he trusted in God. He did so because he couldn’t have lived with himself if he hadn’t taught about Christ and helped others walk the path to heaven. 

Paul’s testimony and his faith should make each of us think: If he could make such a drastic change, certainly I can mend my ways. I, too, can bear witness.

In today’s world, with secular ideas becoming more and more prevalent and sin becoming normalized, it’s easy for us to want to hide our faith or close our mouths when people say something untrue or something that shows they don’t understand God. We fear standing out. We don’t want to make waves or cause problems. We don’t want to offend. 

But, just as Paul bore witness to the truth and the good news of Christ—even when it was difficult—so must we. 

Why must we do this? It’s simple. God calls us to be evangelists. He calls us to live His truths, to teach, and to draw others to Him.

We can do this in many different ways—through our actions, through our speech, on social media, or when hanging out with friends. The possibilities are endless! 

God gave each of us special talents. We must use these talents to glorify Him and to bear witness to His love, His mercy, and His generosity. 

So, as we ponder today’s reading, let us vow to become more like Paul and less like Saul. Let us vow to speak up for Christ and His teachings. Let us vow to shine the light of Christ to others. And let us vow to love as Christ loved. 

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Susan Ciancio has a BA in psychology and a BA in sociology from the University of Notre Dame, with an MA in liberal studies from Indiana University. For the past 17 years, she has worked as a professional editor and writer, editing both fiction and nonfiction books, magazine articles, blogs, educational lessons, professional materials and website content. Eleven of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently Susan freelances and writes weekly for HLI, edits for American Life League, and is the editor of Celebrate Life Magazine. She also serves as executive editor for the Culture of Life Studies Program-an educational nonprofit program for K-12 students.

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Waiting In Power

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For me, today’s readings are all about anticipation. Liturgically, we just celebrated the Ascension of the Lord. After Easter, many disciples  were seeing Jesus, gathering back together, remembering everything he had said and done. Now they watched as he finally returned to the Father. And when I say watched, I mean they were probably staring up for hours dumbfounded, because a couple of angels had to wake them and tell them Jesus wasn’t there anymore. Before he left, Jesus asked them to trust him, and to wait for the Holy Spirit that would  come upon them. And that’s where we find ourselves now.

But this waiting isn’t the same as that of Lent, or that of the Triduum. A waiting based on repentance, or a waiting based on sorrow and confusion. This is a waiting in power. Jesus has confirmed everything was true about himself and the Father. He defeated death, and appeared once again to the disciples. And now with great anticipation, the disciples await the promised power to descend from heaven. Everything that Jesus calls them to do for the kingdom of heaven wouldn’t be possible without the Advocate.

So now, just as Jesus’ disciples waited for the strength and power and glory of the Spirit of God to fill them completely, WE get to wait for that SAME Holy Spirit! WE get to gather and pray together, to long for the completion of Jesus’ word, to get pumped with excitement for the kingdom of God to reign on the earth THROUGH US! The First Reading from Acts confirms that the Spirit was living and active in the early Church, and it will be until the end of time! When is the last time you saw someone baptized and prayed over, and the Spirit fell so tangibly on them? It still happens today! Or else all of what Jesus has done is for nothing!

I long for the time when the Church at large receives a new baptism of the Holy Spirit, when we see a time that’s similar to the Psalm from today: “God arises; his enemies are scattered…as smoke is driven away, so they are driven…the just rejoice and exult before God”. Let’s pray
together that the coming Pentecost would be that time for us! Keep your eyes on Jesus: “Take courage, I have conquered the world”.

Songs for Reflection:
Fullness – Elevation Worship
Reign above it all – Bethel, Paul McClure
There is a cloud – Elevation Worship
Here as in Heaven – Elevation Worship
Open Up the Heavens – Meredith Andrews
Rest on Us – Brandon Lake, Upperroom
Resurrection Power – Chris Tomlin

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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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Starting Something New

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Some years ago I became the legal guardian of an elderly woman who was showing early signs of dementia. We had known each other for some time, liked each other, and she had no family, so it made sense. And as time passed and the dementia increased, I helped juggle visiting nurses, health aides, and people to shop and clean for her.

But I did it from a distance. I had moved to Boston in order to work with the Daughters of St. Paul at Pauline Books and Media. I was thrilled to become part of the sisters’ media apostolate and to put my skills to good use—working for Jesus. It was a dream come true. I wanted to stay there forever.

Still, I had this obligation, this responsibility. And as time passed, it became clear to me that my elderly friend needed more—more support, more help, more presence. I struggled with it, struggled with God; surely he wanted me to stay where I was! But it became increasingly clear to me that this responsibility I’d taken on was bigger, more pressing, than my personal preferences and desires. 

I was thinking about that situation when I read today’s lessons. They are truly about being sent out into the world, sent somewhere one might prefer not to go, because it is the right thing to do.  

In the wake of Judas’ suicide and Jesus’ resurrection, a replacement for the former apostle had to be found in order to accomplish the Great Commission. One wonders how the “brothers” Paul talks about were feeling as Peter stood up and announced the need to fulfill the Scripture by appointing someone to take Judas’ place. These were people who had accompanied Jesus throughout his ministry, who knew him well: were they eager to be chosen? Or did they think about the magnitude of the task ahead and hope they wouldn’t be selected?

Two men were put forward for the task: the thrice-named “Judas called Barsabbas who was also known as Justus” and Matthias. The group prayed to be shown the way and eventually were led to select the latter. We’re not told how Matthias felt about this honor. Surely it was a blessing to be chosen as one of the Twelve… but, given the job ahead and the world in which they lived, it was a blessing that came at a cost. Probably not the life Matthias had imagined for himself moving forward.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus reminds us as he prays that we are not of this world, that we are here on a journey that has an ultimate destination. We may all be aware of keeping our eyes fixed on heaven, but Jesus is also reminding us we’re not there yet. The journey is still in progress. “As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world.” We still have places to go, commissions to fulfill.

In fact, we’re often asked to go places and do things we don’t want to do. But if we make our choices prayerfully, as did the disciples, we can be confident we’re taking the road God is asking us to take.

And sometimes closed doors aren’t… closed doors. As it turned out, I was able to fulfill my obligations to my elderly ward—even unto her death—and continue my work with the Daughters of St. Paul. We all prayed about the situation, and we were shown a way.

Going somewhere different, starting something new can be challenging and even fear-inspiring. But we’re never doing it alone. And that is—thank God—everything.

Contact the author

Jeannette de Beauvoir is a writer and editor with the digital department of Pauline Books & Media, working on projects as disparate as newsletters, book clubs, ebooks, and retreats that support the apostolate of the Daughters of St. Paul at http://www.pauline.org.

Feature Image Credit: Nel_Botha-NZ, https://pixabay.com/photos/open-road-future-ahead-wide-4488129/